#and I couldn't figure out how to complete a school assignment

[baejax-the-great]

My brother died very suddenly yesterday.

He was the kind of person who always had dozens and dozens of friends everywhere he went because he was easy to talk to and funny and treated people with respect, and his friends ranged in class, race, age, social ability, introversion and extroversion--no matter who you were, he could and would befriend you.

He would scold me for not asking him for help when I needed it, and he would mean it. He taught me to tip well. He loved helping people. He played practical jokes on the new kids at work, including getting one guy to "chop flour" because the flour they had in the kitchen was "too coarse."

He introduced me to some of the best food I've ever eaten in my life. He would always help with a recipe that wasn't working. He would tell me what to buy my foodie friends for their birthdays, and he never got it wrong. He loved meat and whiskey but also wine and fruit and he got me to eat beets even because he knew how to make anything good.

Mostly, he thought that people were all deserving of respect and decency. He was outspoken on this. For all that his friends ranged across demographics, he didn't tolerate anyone being hateful around him. But even then, he was nice about it. He would try to get people to come around to his side. He saw the good in people.

And he was happy. He had finally quit chewing tobacco and managed to stay off it for three years. He had a girlfriend he really liked. The pandemic had put him out of work for over a year, but he was back at his job and doing well and he liked it. He was good at it. And it's complete bullshit that he's gone.

[audliminal]

It's just a game, right? Pt 1

Masterpost

"I just don't see how sitting around is gonna do anything!" Dash argues, face to face with Sam.

"Well, if you have other ideas you're more than welcome to offer them, but we can't just take out the giw. They have more manpower than us, more equipment, and the new agents actually seem to be competent in fights! And we are a bunch of high school students!"

They are all, ostensibly in English Class right now, but even Mr. lancer has forgone the illusion of normal classwork. He assigns books and hands out reading assignments every week, but nobody really cares whether they get turned in or not. The city, after all, has a much bigger problem.

"I don't know! But sitting here-"

"He's not entirely wrong, the longer we wait the more likely they figure it out, just like we all did." As Valerie finishes speaking, the room temperature drops noticeably, and the kids all glance nervously over at Danny who's head hasn't moved from it's spot on his desk. He almost seems dead with how still he is. Beside him Tucker stares at his PDA, the only one who hasn't reacted to the temperature change.

"Should I even ask what you're messing with?" Sam asks, walking over while the others stare nervously at Danny.

"Actually, yeah." Tucker easily shifts so they can both see the webpage displayed on the handmade tech. "I got something through."

"I thought getting stuff through wasn't really the problem?"

"I mean, yeah, they're letting Everything Is Normal posts through, but this wasn't. That. I was, um, kind of fucking around with ciphers and shit? Not saying anything relevant, but just seeing whether they'd flag any old weird shit, you know? And um. I got a video out."

"Okay, but how does that help us?" Valerie asks.

"It helps because if they let a cipher through then means if I encode shit well enough, then it'll also get through."

"But if it's, like, that hard to figure out what it says, then won't it be useless on the outside?"

"The chances of it getting into the hands of someone who could crack it do seem, uh, improbable."

"Not if we stack the deck."

"Wes-"

"No, listen, I know you're all still mad at me, but like. If you can attract a community of codebreakers? Then eventually someone will crack the code on what you need them to!"

"If you have an idea then just fucking say it, Wes," Sam snaps.

"Make an ARG. We can even have like, the base level be completely United to anything real, just make up a story about, i dunno, space travel? And then bury the actual info beneath that. Eventually somebody will crack into the real stuff, and if it's popular enough by then, and the GIW tries to suppress it? That'll be even more suspicious-looking, and just make them dig harder."

"What the fuck is a ARG?" Dash asks, pulling his gaze away from their definitely-just-sleeping classmate.

"Augmented reality game. It's like an unfiction thing. Make a story but the story is interactive and people have to decode shit to figure out what's going on." Tucker glances over to Wes. "And actually not a bad idea. If we all work together, we could probably make something cool."

"You could treat it as a class-wide project." Mr. Lancer says, making everyone jump. "That way I can back you up if anyone starts asking questions."

"Make it about black holes," Danny says, finally pulling himself up from his desk. "We can base it in wormhole theory, and distract the GIW with all the theoretical science."

"What, so like we make videos that seem like they're being sent through a black hole?"

"Fuckin. Sure, why not? As if shit couldn't get any weirder around here."

"Star, please try to refrain from swearing in front of me. I know the situation is - difficult - but I am officially still your teacher."

"Sorry, Lancer."

[simplyreveries]

I noticed that you opened the requests. I wanted to ask related to staff (separated) with mc/yuu who had daddy issues in their world and who sees them as a father figure

i love this sm,,,, TY<3

dire crowley

he is…. interesting- he does mean well but he just does a poor job executing that sometimes. he was never expecting to feel such a sense of protectiveness and being overly doting to you. it started when he couldn't help but feel pity for your own situation and watching you adjust to this world is tough.

you’ll find him randomly popping up out of nowhere in school and he’ll ask how you’re doing. a way as a check up on how you’re handling this world and school life so far, he’d tell you if you ask him. as soon as you ask him about home… "oh! is someone is calling me?" and just literally disappears.

In this case, I feel like his reluctance to figure out a way to bring you home stems from the fact that he really does care for you and doesn't want to lose that. so, let's just say, it'll take him awhile to figure that out. crowley seems to be trying to convince you how amazing, twisted wonderland really is! you could thrive and live so happily here! (minus the overblots… terrifying magic… creatures and more) he tells you how great it is for you already have a home, a whole dorm for yourself, as he’d say: “for i am so gracious!” that he’s done such a generous thing for you.

the first time you tried to give him a hug as thanks for something he was completely confused and didn't know how to react. he laughed and gave you the awkward pat on the back but once again, he means well i promise.

divus crewel

you have blatant favoritism from him… he seems a little less strict with you and if a student asks he’ll deny and tell them he doesn't do that or that he has to be since you’re not even from this world. he wouldn't expect you to know how to do certain things after all.

but still, ace and grim could groan because they got in trouble for forgetting homework or assignments but if you did he’d sigh and be like “bring it in tomorrow” and they are always so UPSET. it's also rare to get some compliments from him, but he seems to point out something well you did and give you a little “good improvement” and such. It's so obvious how he seems to care for you.

divus is literally the epitome of judgment when it comes to anyone having eyes for you or you tell him about even liking someone yourself… he is too protective and feels like any boy at this school is undeserving of you. he sees any attempt during class of one of them flirting or anything as them simply bothering you. If you mention someone like floyd he’d give you the most concerned look and be like “oh… him, how troublesome”. he doesn't really say what he thinks, unless you really ask for his opinion. he more so listens to you talk and he does genuinely try to give you some advice, even if it's a bit blunt.

mozus trein

now despite his strict and sternness, he can be a very calming person to be around and talk to. he will be pretty quiet, but he can become someone you just find if you need to talk as he listens and grades assignments, doing some work. if you really need to take your mind of certain worries and stresses, like finding a way back to your world- he'll offer you some tea and maybe even offer to play a game of chess with you (as he does with divus sometimes!)

trein is a father himself, he was very close to his daughters- so it actually is quite easy for him out of all of the staff members to develop a familial like relationship with. he enjoys having that feeling of looking after someone again and being someone, you could look up to in that sense. he would eventually notice that you do see him in such a way, he wouldn't say it, but it does warm his heart.

he'll let you play and pet lucius, it's just part of your special privileges. surprisingly, the cat likes you and always tries rubbing against you. since trein trusts you though, you will be given the duty to buy lucius cat toys from sams shop with money he gives you, he says its "in compensation" haha.

if you happen to be causing trouble with grim or some student in class, he'll scold you. but through it, he will remind and tell you he knows you're a good kid and doesn't want other bothersome students tarnishing your potential.

ashton vargas

oh poor you if you dread fitness or sports because he's always booming so loud, excited and pumped to get you involved more. even if you don't want to do something with others, he loves initiating one on one games with you and challenging you. he will not go easy though and laughs proudly whenever he wins. he'll still pat you on the back and tell you "nice job, kid!" or something of that sort. he's very supportive even if hes overly competitive at times.

sometimes you do have to hear his tangents on how he became so fit and strong... especially his "advice" on how great it is to consume raw eggs... this guy . he tries telling you it'd benefit you.

lowkey makes a big deal if you got hurt and needed to go to the infirmary. he always tries to keep a special eye on you in case and tries his absolute best to make sure you're alright. even after getting help, you needed from the nurse, still!!

sam

he tends to keep a watchful eye on you... he would much prefer and even offer, saying you'd be perfect to be working beside him at his shop. he wouldn't want you resorting or going somewhere like the mostro lounge really. but other than that, he is a very carefree guy who you could easily find yourself talking to about problems or issues you're having. his attitude and approach to things can be a good help.

also, if you're in general in need of something from his store, because you're extra special to him he'll sometimes just give you heavily discounted or even be like take it, ("it wasn't selling anyways"). hehe. he cares. especially when it comes to like snacks or food he'll have, he'll claim it's your "employee benefits!" if you're working there.

sam is pretty much in the loop with anything interesting happening at school or things he may have overheard from students. you can easily get gossip out of him, just saying. but sometimes that just turns him into trying to discreetly warn you about certain students at nrc.

[dragonzfanfics11]

SBG X READER :3

Yesss!!! Thanks for the request! I really like this idea :3

Im not the best writer so sorry if it's not he best

Summery- your randomly grab there face and kiss there forehead for no reason (I'll make one small story for each of them)

Warnings- like a single swear, all kinda short, definitely spelling errors, Lots of fluff

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Ashlen

You where both probably just sitting next to each other while the others do whatever, you both are probably just talking a bit about the phantom relm and the recent events when you notice she's seems a little stressed

"I think we should-"

She stops mid sentence as you gently cup her face in your hands and she looks at you confused, before she could even say anything you lean forward placing a small kiss on her forehead and pulling back with a soft smile

"Dont worry well figure things out and we'll be fine"

Then you walk away to help one of the others with somthing leaving ashlen very confused and blushing slightly

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Aiden

Hes probably yapping your ear off about some random thing that you don't really care for at you all to class with him

"Aiden-"

"Continues yapping bc idk what to put"

"Aiden"

"Continues"

You sigh as he's to engrossed into whatever he's talking about so you just gently grab his face with your hands gently cutting him off mid sentence

"What are yo-"

He freezes when you gently kiss his forehead his brain short-circuiting for a moment

"I've gotta go to class see you later"

Then you walk off to class leaving aiden still frozen in place blushing as he possess what just happened

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Ben

Your probably sitting next to ben as the others are getting ready for something in the phantom dimension your both just sitting quietly enjoying the silence

You look over at him as he's just leaning back with his eyes closed and his earbuds in probably listening to some music

As you just stare at him for a moment you move forward gently grabbing his face in your hands making him open his eyes slightly startled with the sudden contact

He looks at you confused before you lean forward and gently kiss his forhead pulling back with a soft smile he just looks at you surprised a pink hue creeping onto his cheeks

Then you walk away to help ashlen with somthin be watching you walk away still blushing

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Tyler

Hes probably working on some school work with you since you both have the same classes, your over at his house and you look up a his tired focused face as he works hard on this assignment

You just watch him for a moment at how focused he is before he looks up at you

"What the hell you looking at? You should be working"

You don't respond and just gently grab his face and gently kiss his forhead and he just freezes a confused look on his face a deep blush forming on his cheeks

"You seem tired should we take a break?"

He stares at you a moment still processing what just happened before stuttering out and looking away

"I-i guess we can take a small break.."

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Taylor

Your both probably sitting together and hanging out at her house watching some movie or something

You look over at he as she sits next to you focused on whatever activities before you gently cup her face in your hands

"What are you doing?"

You don't respond as you gently kiss her forhead making her blush and freeze for a moment

"Sorry...I couldn't help myself"

She just smiles at you and cups your face pepperingyour fave with kissed right back causing you both to laugh in the end

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Logen

Your both probably at hos or your place even at the library as he helps you with some homework (not like he did with barron he makes sure you do it yourself as he nudges you the right way)

When it gets close for you two to leave whatever place you gently grab his face in your hands already making him blush

"W-what are you doing?"

You gently kiss his forhead making him completely short-circuit his face bright red

"See you tomorrow logan!"

You smile as and leave or walk away depending where you at and he just watches you a complete blushing mess

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I think I got everyone!! Hope this was good I tryed my best :3

[natjennie]

I was thinking about how some people have found junior year to be kind of mmm lackluster because the bad kids just kind of. win every fight like it's nothing so that's not interesting. which is a totally valid and understandable position to take. but the more I thought about it I kind of landed on the fact that that might be the point. they're good at fighting. they're good at investigating mysteries and they're good at combat and they're good at magic. they've been training for it for 2 years. but yknow what they're not good at? yknow what they did struggle with this season? being teenagers. being teens in junior year of high school.

gorgug worked his ASS off to figure out how to combine rage and artificing, and everyone told him he couldn't. kristen's god has been dead and she's been desperately struggling to hold on to her because it's the one thing keeping her from a breakdown. also she's failing out of school. fig was on the verge of expulsion, she misses her girlfriend, she doesn't know who she is. and she finds her path back to herself with her music, her passion. adaine was poor and unable to complete school assignments because of expensive materials and struggled to find a job and hid the fact that she needed help from the people supporting her because she didn't want to look weak. fabian has faced incredible loneliness and abandonment from his family and friends, gilear and hallariel being gone and gorgug quitting bloodrush. he's worked so hard to be popular at school to try to bolster kristen's campaign but he's still so lonely. and don't even get me started on riz. he's running himself ragged taking on the stress of his friends to make sure they're all succeeding while not leaving a moment for himself. he's joined every extracurricular he's running between responsibilities, always working always nervous always frazzled. and he's still scared deep down of the inevitability of that school for solo adventurers.

and this all makes so much sense with it being junior year! at least in america, junior year is the time you buckle down, you focus on school, you work yourself to the bone, you have no free time, you're on the edge of losing your friends, you don't know what to do. and the downtime system illustrated that perfectly. what do you prioritize. when can you ever relax. the stress and the rage builds and builds. and they overcame that. so I hesitate to believe that junior year didn't have stakes. they just weren't the same stakes we were used to seeing in the other seasons. sure they dominated in combat but don't forget how hard they had to work in every other facet of their lives.

[mewhenimanangel]

the babysitter ʚɞ

pairing: miguel o’hara x reader

synopsis: miguel offered you a job babysitting his daughter, gabrielle. his marriage is going through a rough time and you’re someone he can confide in

wc: 2.2k

warnings!: alcohol, age gap, infidelity, loss of virginity, piv sex, oral sex (f receiving), cowgirl

nia’s ౨ৎ notes: i lovee dilfs so bad

"y/n can you make me ramen, please. i loveeeee the way you make it" gabby came downstairs to ask you. currently, you were lolling around on the couch in the living room watching tv on the big screen. you were babysitting gabrielle o'hara, your neighbors' daughter. you started the job when your mom invited them over for dinner and her dad asked if you were available to watch her for a while, you weren't that busy so you said yes and after that they decided to officially hire you.

her parents were out at the moment, miguel at work. "yeah sure" you smiled, pausing your show and getting up to the kitchen while gabby sat on the couch with her tablet. you reached in the pantry for a pack of noodles, grabbing hot sauce, green onions, and extra seasonings on your way. you waited for the ramen to boil then began adding everything.

"hey you guys okay?" you heard a voice coming from the front room. miguel threw his his keys on the counter and took his shoes off at the door. "daddy!" gabby exclaimed running up to give her dad a hug. "ahh mi cielito, what are you still doing up?" he asked giving her a kiss on the cheek and picking her up into his arms. "oh that's my fault actually she asked to stay up a little longer and she's too cute i couldn't say no" you giggled. he nod his head and smiled before gabby yawned "you ask to stay up and you can't even thug it out?" he laughed. "why don't you go upstairs and brush your teeth and go to bed huh?" he told her.

"okay daddy" she grumbled running up the stairs to go to bed. you'd completely forgot about the noodles you just made "wait i actually just made her some noodles.." you pointed to the kitchen. "oh well, i'm starving" he smiled moving towards the kitchen.

you put some noodles in a bowl for each of you before you sat next to him at the kitchen island. "so how's school going" he asked you, taking a bite. you were a sophomore in university, studying for your degree. "good, it's a little tough but i can manage" you answered him. "you're a good kid, you'll do great i'm sure of it" he smiled. "hope gab wasn't too much trouble today" "no no she was great, she's so adorable i love her." you giggled. "yeah, think she misses her mom" he sighed.

"oh, where is she anyway?" you asked him, as nosy as ever. "she's on some business trip" he answered, mockery laced in his tone. "but between you and me, i think she's seeing someone behind my back." he rolled his eyes. "oh i'm so sorry." you looked at him with a sympathetic expression. "ah it's alright, things've been kind of rocky lately anyway"

he moved his leg ever so slightly, the fabric of his jeans rubbing up against your knee. and he didn't move it, you two sat like that just talking for the next twenty minutes until you checked the time and figured you should head home. "have a good night and thank you as always" he smiled, handing you $200 and sent you on your way.

ʚɞ

you were curled up on the couch, stressing about an assignment you had to finish by the end of the night. "hey." miguel greeted, resting his hands on the chair behind you, leaning over. "oh, hi mr o'hara. i didn't hear you come in, gabby's in bed by the way i'm just trying to finish up this assignment without destroying this laptop." you sighed. he snorted a little at your frustration. "rough day?" he asked you. "yeah, kinda"

"why don't you take a break for a little? have a drink?" he offered, moving to his wine cooler to grab a bottle of champagne and two glasses. "i've had a bit of a rough day too." you weren't one for drinking - you couldn't even do it legally yet, still a year away from that. but you were stressed and you figured a load off couldn't hurt so you got up and went over to join him at the island.

he moved the glass in front of you before finding his seat next to you. "so what were you working on that's got you so tense" he asked taking a sip from his glass. "just some stupid shit from my business class, what about you? why'd you have such a bad day?" you answered. "well, turns out bella has been seeing someone. from work, buddy of mine told me" he sighed.

"oh i'm sorry mr o'hara" you put your hand out on his  arm, face expressing your sorry. "really it's fine" he brushed off "just don't know how she could break us up like that, especially for gabby. probecita bebé" you frowned, feeling bad for him. i mean who could ever cheat on him. he was smart, kind, and really handsome. you studied his features looking at his messy brown hair, the way his 5 o'clock shadow graced his chiseled jaw, his milky brown eyes under his surprisingly long lashes. you looked at the way his t shirt clung to his biceps and the way his jeans rode low on his waist.

"what?" he chuckled at the way your stare lingered on him. "n-nothing" you nervously laughed, downing your glass of champagne. "thanks a lot for all you do for gabby, she loves you a lot. always talking about you and it's never one bad thing" he smiled at you. "think she's gonna need us a little more now with what's coming." "what do you mean?" you quirked an eyebrow. "well m'gonna file for divorce, which'll be hard on her" he poured more champagne into your glasses.

the two of you talked for a bit before you told a joke which got him laughing. he rest his hand on your thigh, the other hitting the table. when the joke was over he didn't take his hand off, he instead inched it higher up your leg. you looked at his hand before looking back up into his lustful gaze. you weren't gonna lie and say you didn't want him but he was a little more than twice your age, he had a kid for god's sake. but your wine clouded your judgement and you allowed him to lean in, attaching his lips to yours.

when you were moving an arm up around his neck your elbow bumped your wine glass off the counter, smashing on the ground. you gasped "i'm so sorry" "don't worry about it" he chuckled kissing you again. this time your hands entangled through his hair deepening the kiss. he picked you up, put his hands under your ass cheeks, kneading his fingers into it as your legs wrapped around his waist.

he moved to the stairs before you broke away "wait mr o'hara what about bella?" you breathed out. he scoffed "please she's not a problem anymore and please miguel is fine" he latched his lips back on yours. you broke away again "what about gabby?" "you said she's asleep right? just gonna have to keep it down" he smirked before kissing you again.

you got to his bedroom and he threw you on top of his comforters, crawling his way on top of you. you held onto his strong shoulders as he pressed kisses down your jaw and neck, sucking on your soft skin. you let out a few groans in his ear before pressing your hands against his chest. "um i-i've never done this before with anyone" you admitted.

he took a moment to look at you before taking your hand into his. "that's okay, i'll take care of you. you do still want to right?" he asked rubbing a thumb over your knuckles. you bit your lips and nod your head "m'gonna need an audible response princess" "yes, i still want you to fuck me"

that was all he needed to hear before he was back on your lips. he pulled you in his lap reached for the bottom of your shirt and tugged it over your head, rising your body to help him. he rubbed his hands up and down your waist before reaching to take your bra off. you moved your arm to cover your breasts "no need to cover up. god you're gorgeous" he whispered pressing a finger to your nipple rubbing in circles over it before pinching it between his fingers. you let out a small moan watching him as he looked up at you with a teasing smile. "so sensitive" he lapped his tongue around your nipple sucking and pulling on it while he played with the other one.

your moans began to fill the room "you're already a mess and i've barely even touched you" he teased, lightly biting your nipple. he moved you off him laying you back onto the pillows. he hooked a finger into the waistband of your sweatpants tugging them off you. he looked at the pool of moisture that stained your pretty pink panties "god baby you're soaking" he chuckled, pulling those off you too. you looked away biting your lip in embarrassment "look at me princess" he pulled your chin back to face him. he got on all fours lifting your leg over his shoulder, pressing kisses down it until he got to your entrance.

he pressed his thumb against your clit causing your body to jump in response. he licked at your entrance while continuing to rub his finger over your clit. he sucked and licked at your pussy like it was his first meal in weeks. a moan ripped out of you before you slapped a hand to your face. he squeezed a hand around each of your thighs, them caving him in as he continued to work on making you cum. your hand shot down to his head, taking a handful of his hair in your grip.

"fuck miguel, i think i'm gonna cum" you moaned out, eyes rolling to the back of your head. "go ahead princess, cum all over my tongue" he spoke against your cunt, the vibrations sending you crazy, his facial hair tickling against you. you reached your climax and miguel lapped it up, taking every last drop in his mouth.

he wrapped you back up in his arms shoving his tongue in your mouth. "it's not fair that i'm naked and you've still got all your clothes on" you frowned reaching for the hem of his shirt. he chuckled, helping you out with the shirt before taking off his jeans and dropping them to the floor. he opened his nightstand and reached for a condom "why don’t you ride me baby, you wanna take some control for your first time?" he asked, pulling his dick out of his boxers. you gulped looking at his length, how was that supposed to fit inside you.

"uh huh" you mumbled. he laid back on the bed, taking your hand and guiding you on top of him. you straddled him before he grabbed his dick and lined himself up with your entrance. “i’ll be gentle princess” he said, moving your hair out of your face. you eased down onto his dick, his inches splitting you apart. “fuck oh my god” you whined. you rode up and down his length leaning forward to place your hands on his chest. he wrapped his hands around your waist holding you and helping you create your pace.

the lewd sounds of your skin slapping together and both of your moans and whimpers filled the room. his dick slipped out before you grabbed it again and put it back inside you. you sunk further down on it, hitting right on your g spot. you threw your head back, a pornographic moan coming from you. “fuck you sound heavenly, feel it too” miguel groaned. “m-miguel i’m gonna cum” you whined biting your lip. “go ahead baby, cum all on this dick” he whimpered. and so you did.

he leaned up to grab you and flipped you over so you were laying on the bed with him on top. he threw your legs over his shoulder so he could really drive into your cunt. he rest his hand on the headboard, leaning down to kiss you, now sloppy and rushed. “fuck, you are tight” he moaned. soon he reached his climax as well, throwing his head back, his pace slowing down.

he got up and threw the condom away, grabbing a rag with warm water on his way back. he cleaned you off and got you a pair of fresh underwear. he cleaned himself off too putting his boxers on before climbing into the bed with you. he put an arm out indicating he wanted you to lay in it, so you did and you rest your head on his chest. “so did i do a good job pleasing you for your first time” he asked, grabbing your hand to hold. you looked up at him and nodded your head “yes, i loved it” you smiled.

he traced things along your bare back until he heard your soft snores and felt your light breathing on his chest. he smiled to himself before he too fell asleep with you wrapped up in his arms.

[espercognitive]

She was a Seamstress, He was an actor.

Timothée Chalamet x Fem!Reader Pt1

This is my first fic on here! I've been like hiding in the shadows but i have to force myself to write! so I'm just experimenting with fic writing. This is probably gonna be a series about theater! your character is theater technician so all the cool behind the scenes stuff is there. You work in costume and you are assigned to Timothée's character! The reader is fem presenting and has female pronouns! I'm going to include gender neutral readers in the future!(also should I put Timothee or Timothée?)

TW: Swearing, Mild mention nudity, Some sexual tension.

Word count: 1.18k

Show season had finally begun for your theater. After training in high school, you got picked to be a seamstress for a well known theater in New York. Your work was paying off and you could finally see your work being used to its full potential. Going from small local high school productions, you had now gotten the opportunity to work with real actors and actresses. People who you were going to help bring a character to life. Especially for the show 'Anything Goes'

But what you hadn't expected was being assigned to Timothée Chalamet.

Unfortunately, you knew who he was. He had been an actor when you were in high school, but even with the familiarity, you still couldn't help but be a bit frustrated. This wasn't the first time you had to work with him, it'd actually be the second time. The first time made you swear you'd never work with him again. Sophomore year had been going smoothly, that was until your theater department had decided to do Sweet Charity. After working with him that show, hearing the name Oscar Lindquist made you shudder. He had been a senior, and he had been popular in the theater department since his freshman year. You were excited to dress a popular actor, but it was the complete opposite of what you had imagined. Instead of a wonderful maybe even flirtatious encounter

Until you got the character assignments, and you see his name right next to yours.

'Oh fuck' you thought to yourself. You sighed as you walked into the costume shop. You had hope that he had grown out of his annoying behavior, but when he walked in to get measurements done, you figured that probably wasn't the case. He strutted into the costume shop, dopey smile on his face, and that same white boy swag he had in his senior year. You felt sophomore you cringe as he walked over to you.

"Y/N right?" he questioned.

"Yes." you mumbled.

You picked up the measuring tape and started to take his measurements. Typically this wouldn't be such a big deal, that was until you had to measure his waist and crotch area. Now back in high school, this wasn't such a big deal. They had the male costumers take those measurements for the actors and female costumers for the actresses. But this wasn't high school anymore, and you had a big girl job, in which you were responsible for getting this right. You crouched down, face to dick, trying to distract yourself from how close the two of you were when you heard him say,

"Do I know you from somewhere? I normally can recognize a cute face wherever I go, but i can't put a name on you."

"Yea we actually went to the same high school together."

"Really? Were you a seamstress then, or did you start now?"

You sighed and answered almost finished with the rest of his measurements.

"Uh yea I was. I was your costumer when we did Sweet Charity."

He jumped messing up your placement as you tried again.

"Hey can you not move so muc-" He cut you off before you could finish your request.

"OH! I remember you! You were that shy little sophomore. I remember how you never yelled no matter how many times I fucked up my costume" He smiled to himself as he finished bringing up that frustrating memory.

"Yea. I probably should've. Ok Stop moving I'm almost done."

"Ok Ok. Seems like you've gotten more a fire to you at least" He mumbled that last part, a little afraid to say it out loud. You gave him a look.

"Ok I finished. I'm gonna pull some stuff and then tomorrow I'll have you come and try some stuff on." You walked off refusing to look at him in the eyes, grabbing your paper with the measurements.

"Yea ok. Thats cool. See you tomorrow Y/N"

You figured this was going to be an interesting show. Only 2 more months till the show opened.

The next day

You had spent all day yesterday pulling close that would fit him. It was weird doing the same thing again. You thought about how frustrated you were in your sophomore year. But maybe he could be different. You would be lying if the crush you had on him still lingered around. Maybe you could get close this time the way you had wanted to in high school.

Nope. Don't start those thoughts. He's your coworker. Nothing more.

You laid out the pants and clothes you needed him to try. Of course as the character Billy, you'd need every one of his outfits to be different and unique. But you'd have to make a sailor costume from scratch. Which meant for the next few weeks, there'd be many fittings. But you just needed to focus on what you had right now, which was being delayed as Timothée was late.

After distracting and helping some other seamstresses, the man or the hour finally decided to make his appearance.

"Hey Y/N. Woah whats up with the face?" He questioned.

"Well your an hour late. I have to go in like an hour for a doctors appointment so we have to make this fast."

"Oh sorry. Well uh I got you a drink. You used to drink apple juice all the time during Sweet Charity so I figured you'd want this."

You look up into his eyes, he seemed genuine. You smiled as you took the bottle.

"Thank you Timothée. If you bring me an apple juice every time you're late, I'll make sure no one finds out." You smiled at him.

"Really? Thats a deal then."

"Ok. Its time to try on all of these outfits I have laid out. If they don't fit, don't worry about it. I can fix some of the sizes on the pants too."

"Ok, but small problem. Theres a lot of people in the dressing rooms, I don't know if we'll have room to do this."

"Oh fuck. Hmm. Crap I have to get this done."

"I can try and find somethin-" You cut him off with an idea.

"Actually, theres a couch room upstairs in the theater. It's pretty empty normally so you should have enough room to change in there." You smiled as you felt satisfied with that idea, until he said,

"Oh a couch room? You want to watch me undress in the couch room? You're definitely not that shy little sophomore anymore apple."

"Apple? Also thats not what I meant! I do not want to be apart of the reason the couches cannot be looked at under a black light."

He giggled as he grabbed the clothes.

"Yea apple. Like apple juice. I don't know, just thought I'd be cute for you."

you laughed as you responded "and I'm not the shy one anymore."

The two of you made it up the stairs and got into the couch room to just try on clothes. Definitely just try on clothes. Nothing else was going to happen...

[honeysunai]

Hostess| Kyoya Ootori x reader

Part nine - Test of courage

Pairing : Kyoya Ootori x reader

Word Count : 4k

General rating : Fluff, enemies to love vibes

Summary: As only heir to your family you are bound to an arranged marriage with the third son of the powerful house Ootori. His cold behavior is only a mask for you to uncover when you stumble into music room number three.

You let out a long and bored sigh as you look at a blank paper in front of you. Tamaki assigned you to write ideas for the Halloween event the Host Club wants to host, but your mind was elsewhere. You couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss and how eager Kyoya was and then returned to pretending you were just classmates. You were angry and yet… You only wanted him to kiss you all over again. 

It was infuriating. No. He was. 

“What about a cult of vampires thirsty for the blood of their guests.” Tamaki explodes as if he found the best idea of all time. Ew. Blood, no thanks. 

“This sounds too erotic even for us.” You chuckle. 

“Well, you haven’t written anything on that paper so I’m giving you some ideas to make that brain of yours work.” He chuckles while patting the top of your hair. 

The door busted open with the twins and Haruhi glued to their side. Kaoru spoke up first. “For the entire week, count us out.”

The mortifying expression on Tamaki’s face made you hold back a laugh. “What do you mean “us”? Why is Haruhi going with you?”

“We have a tournament on Halloween night, a test of courage.” She mumbles as if she thought it was the dumbest idea, it might as well be.

“And she is on our team.” Hikaru snickers. “She is in our class, afterall.” They both dramatically turn around and leave.

“Does this mean we cancel our event?” You ask quite eagerly for Tamaki’s response.

“This means we are going to participate in their little tournament.” His gaze never leaves the trio of second years. You grunt loudly. 

Tamaki’s genius plan was in preparation while you sat on a bench drinking tea with Mori. Your leg was bouncing rapidly out of anxiety.

“You seem tense.” Kyoya said, his eyes still focused on his computer screen. “I can smell the tension steaming.”

“Ew.” You scoff. “I'm not tense," you retorted.

“What's bothering you then? Are you scared?" Tamaki chuckled.

“No, I just don't see the point in scaring people," you mumbled.

Honey took a seat beside you and flashed a bright smile. “It's not just about that. You have a lot of candies too!"

“That's a valid point," you conceded. "While you two brilliant minds work on your plan, I'll make my exit. I've got some personal matters to attend to."

“Why's that?" Kyoya asked abruptly, turning his gaze towards you.

“It's not something you need to worry about," you replied with a quick smile before making your way out of the music room. In truth, you weren't busy at all; all your studies and homework were already completed. You simply wished to avoid the Halloween preparations. As you strolled through the school, you sought out an empty music room where you could indulge in a bit of cello before the next class.

After leaving the music room, you headed down the corridor in search of an empty space to practice your cello. As you walked, you couldn't help but overhear snippets of excited chatter from various students discussing the Halloween preparations. It seemed that the Host Club's Halloween event was generating quite a buzz.

Finally, you found an empty and peaceful practice room. You entered and set up your cello, finding comfort in the familiar strains of the instrument. As you began to play, the hauntingly beautiful melody filled the room, creating a serene atmosphere that provided a stark contrast to the bustling excitement of Halloween preparations.

Unbeknownst to you, a familiar figure from the Host Club had been silently trailing you. Haruhi, who had been observing your interactions with the other members, had sensed your need for a break from the chaotic festivities. She had followed you discreetly, understanding that you preferred solitude.

Leaning against the doorframe, Haruhi listened to your enchanting music. The sound of the cello captivated her, and she was moved by the depth of emotion in your playing. She watched you with a soft smile, appreciating the chance to see a different side of you.

When you eventually finished your piece, you turned to find Haruhi standing there, a gentle and understanding look in her eyes. She didn't say anything, but her presence was enough to convey her support and empathy.

“Be ready, Tamaki is taking part in your Tournament.”

She smiles. “This means you will as well?”

“Obviously.” You snort. 

With that, the two of you spent a little more time chatting, and finding common ground amidst the chaos of the Host Club's Halloween preparations. It was a welcome and unexpected connection that brought a sense of calm to an otherwise hectic day.

On Halloween night

You entered the ball room and noticed the dark ambiance. In the middle you could see makeup and costumes ready to be worn. 

You sigh. “Did you really ask the occult club to help us?” 

“They are professionals afterall.” Tamaki says proudly. “Who else but the Occult Club to know what is scary or not?” He had a fair point. 

You were grabbed by two girls and forced to sit down on a chair. You couldn’t protest before their work started. They Had their makeup brushes ready with pink and white paint. “It’s too late to say no, right?” You ask anyone before the first stroke of white paint touches your skin. At the same time the other girl worked over your hair. Two pigtails wrapped in red ribbons. It felt like forever until you could see yourself in the mirror. You were going to be a creepy little creepy lolitta doll.

“Good god.” You scoff as you look at yourself with your regular uniform, you look silly. 

“Do you not like it?” Nekozawa asked in a grim tone. To be fair, you were a bit freaked out by him and so you lied.

“I love it. I’m just not used to it.” You smile as best as you can, but you look creepy nonetheless. 

“Good!” He smiles. Even if he was happy, his smile was creepy. “We got the perfect costume to fit with your marvelous character. “The cursed doll!” It was like thunder cracked at the same time he spoke those very words. 

You looked in the mirror and couldn't help but feel that you appeared terrifying – and not in a good way. The worn-out pink and white puffy dress you wore was splattered with fake blood in a chaotic pattern. You imagined your mother would have a heart attack if she saw you in this outfit.

Emerging from the dressing room, you joined your Host Club friends in the ballroom. Tamaki, in his dashing vampire costume, looked unfairly handsome. Mori and Honey, dressed as a pair of werewolves straight out of a telenovela, exuded a certain charm. Kyoya, on the other hand, had chosen not to dress up.

With a stoic expression, you couldn't help but voice your frustration. "I hate you guys."

"Don't you look terrifying?" Kyoya quipped with a barely suppressed laugh.

You glared at him. "And don't you guys look cute?"

"Do you think so?" Honey's smile was radiant.

"Why am I the only one overdressed?" You grumbled.

Tamaki, wrapping an arm over your shoulders, smiled as he explained, "You are the dessert to our coup."

"I don't think that's a saying," you retorted. He led you out of the ballroom and into a classroom tucked away in the far corner of the school.

"Stay here until Honey gives you the signal. Here's your script," Tamaki said, handing you a crumpled piece of paper before closing the door, leaving you alone in the dark room.

"Ugh, I hate them," you muttered to yourself, closing your eyes and reading the poorly written script. It lacked any real scare factor. Your best bet was to simply scream at anyone who entered the room or adopt a lifeless stare to unnerve them.

As you sat in the dark room, dressed in your creepy Lolita costume, time seemed to crawl by at an agonizingly slow pace. The initial excitement of transforming into a terrifying character had given way to boredom and restlessness. Your once-eager anticipation for your role had faded into a growing sense of impatience.

You began to fidget in your chair, the minutes stretching into what felt like hours. The silence in the room was deafening, broken only by the occasional distant laughter and muffled voices from the Halloween event outside. The worn-out pink and white dress seemed to constrict your movements, making you acutely aware of how uncomfortable and itchy it had become.

You sighed deeply, shifting your weight from side to side, trying to ease the discomfort of your costume. Your thoughts wandered, and you began to wonder if you were somehow forgotten or if the Host Club's plan had encountered an unexpected delay. The desire for some action or interaction had grown stronger with each passing minute.

Impulsively, you reached into your pocket and pulled out your phone, checking the time. It had been far longer than you'd expected, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of exasperation. To alleviate your boredom, you began scrolling through your phone, reading messages, and checking social media, all while anxiously waiting for Honey's signal to finally break the monotony of your solitary confinement.

The door creaked open and you looked at who it was not bothering to hide back your phone. 

“This is really not your shade.” Kyoya snickers as he enters the room.

“Laugh all you want.” You sigh. He looked at you as if to say “Oh, I am.”, “What are you doing here?”

“Keeping you from dying of boredom.” He took a seat next to you on the floor. 

“My phone was already doing your job.” You chuckle lightly. 

“You really don’t like Halloween, don’t you?”

"Not really, no," you began, reflecting on your past. "When I was a kid, my parents were so busy with their own lives and jobs that they never had time for Halloween, or even Christmas some years. By the time they started to be more present, I just didn't care that much anymore about the holidays."

Kyoya sighed deeply, and you could see his thoughtful expression as he absorbed the glimpse of your personal history.

As the seconds ticked by, you found yourself pondering why you had shared such a personal memory with Kyoya. It wasn't something you typically opened up about, especially not in the midst of a festive occasion like Halloween. Perhaps it was the quiet and the stillness of the room that had encouraged the spontaneous revelation. Or maybe it was Kyoya's ability to make you feel strangely comfortable discussing your past. Regardless of the reason, you couldn't help but wonder why you had chosen to reveal a part of yourself at that moment.

“Then let’s go.” He said as he grabbed your hand to help you out of your creepy chair.

“Where?” 

“I’m going to show you what’s so fun about it.”

Kyoya led you out of the dimly lit room and into the corridor, your hand still in his firm grip. You followed him through the maze-like hallways of the school, unsure of what to expect.

As you moved stealthily through the school, you couldn't help but have reservations about this endeavor. The idea of scaring people had never really appealed to you, and you had doubts about whether it would be as fun as the others made it out to be. But you trusted Kyoya's judgment, and his air of confidence piqued your curiosity.

The two of you took positions in a dimly lit hallway, concealed behind a corner, waiting for your next victim. Your heart raced as you watched a student approaching, completely unaware of your presence.

In perfect coordination, you and Kyoya executed your plan. As the student drew nearer, you let out a spine-chilling, ghostly wail while Kyoya produced an eerie, spectral light using a concealed flashlight. The student, taken aback and startled, screamed in terror before realizing it was all a prank.

At first, you watched with mixed emotions, uncertain of how the student would react. But as the initial shock and fear gave way to laughter and amusement, you couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and satisfaction. Giggling uncontrollably, you and Kyoya shared in the joy of the moment.

You and Kyoya ventured further into the school, your Lolita doll costume taking on a new persona with each scare. The initial uncertainty you had felt had given way to a sense of exhilaration and a growing enthusiasm for the Halloween shenanigans.

As you reached a more crowded area of the school, you couldn't resist the temptation to continue your mischief. You spotted a group of students engrossed in conversation and laughter, unaware of your presence. Kyoya nodded at you, signaling that this was your next target.

You approached the group with a silent grace, the ruffled layers of your dress swaying as you moved. As you got closer, you unleashed a spine-tingling, ghostly whisper that seemed to echo through the corridor. Simultaneously, Kyoya, hidden in the shadows, conjured a ghostly blue glow that danced eerily around you.

The students, caught off guard by the sudden otherworldly presence, let out a collective gasp and huddled together in fear. A few of them even dropped their belongings in their fright.

You couldn't help but stifle a giggle as you watched their terrified reactions. Some clutched their hearts, while others playfully scolded each other for overreacting. The initial shock gave way to laughter, and you realized that this was the essence of Halloween – a blend of fear and fun.

One of the students, a young girl, turned to you with a mixture of relief and amusement. "That was a good one! You really got us."

You gave a mischievous curtsy, your creepy Lolita persona adding to the theatrics of the moment. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

As you and Kyoya roamed the dimly lit corridors, you noticed a locked door at the end of a long hallway, illuminated only by the faint light of a flickering overhead bulb. It seemed like the perfect setting for a dramatic and hair-raising Halloween scare.

With a shared nod, you and Kyoya decided to orchestrate a chilling performance. You took your position near the door, hidden in the shadows, your Lolita doll costume transformed into a ghostly and eerie presence.

Kyoya, meanwhile, prepared to unleash his talents. With a quick flourish of his hand, he projected a series of ghostly images on the door, each one more terrifying than the last. The ghostly apparitions danced and flickered, accompanied by spine-tingling whispers that filled the air.

Unsuspecting students rounded the corner and came into view, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. As they approached the locked door, they spotted the ghostly figures and heard the haunting whispers. Panic washed over them, and they let out a chorus of terrified screams.

In their panic, the students stumbled over each other, desperately searching for an escape route. Some of them turned and ran back the way they came, while others frantically pounded on the locked door, pleading for it to open. The once-crowded hallway turned into a scene of chaotic terror.

You and Kyoya couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline as the students fled in sheer panic, their fear evident in their eyes. It was the ultimate Halloween scare, and you had succeeded beyond your wildest expectations.

As the commotion gradually subsided and the corridor returned to a state of calm, you exchanged an exhilarated glance with Kyoya. The dramatic scare had left a lasting impression, and you both couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

You finally got what made this activity so enjoyable, and you couldn't help but share a knowing smile with Kyoya as you continued to haunt the hallways together.

As your Halloween night of spooking students continued, Kyoya approached you with an excited glint in his eyes. "How about a grand finale?" he suggested, a mischievous smile on his face. Curious and eager to embrace the festive spirit, you nodded in agreement. "What do you have in mind?" Kyoya explained his plan, which involved a grand scare that would target none other than the notorious twins with Haruhi. It was an enticing proposition, and you both set off to make it happen.

You ran around the school to find the trio and once you did they were walking to their next trap, you.

You began to move in a slow, puppet-like manner, as if controlled by unseen strings, your joints bending unnaturally, your movements otherworldly. You swayed with an eerie grace, creating an atmosphere of surreal horror.

At the same time, Kyoya cast an illusion of ghostly whispers and phantom shadows that danced around you. The effect was haunting and mesmerizing, and the corridor seemed to take on a life of its own.

The twins and Haruhi watched, transfixed by the chilling performance. Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged uneasy glances, and Haruhi clutched her heart in mock fear.

As the performance reached its climax, you let out another spine-chilling wail, your voice echoing through the corridor. The twins were quite uneasy with you as for Haruhi, she held back a laugh to not mess up your performance. They weren’t moving until you stopped abruptly before sprinting for them, making them run away from you leaving Haruhi alone with you. 

“Too bad I wasn’t convincing enough to scare you.” You laugh with Haruhi.

“I do not scare easily.” She says drying her tears of laughter. Kyoya came out of hiding and applauded you. 

“I didn’t think you’d enjoy yourself that much.” He smiles brightly. A first.

“All thanks to the brains behind the operation.” You applauded him as well.

Later that night as you were taking out your makeup with Renge and Haruhi’s help, the winners were announced by Nekozawa. You were declared the champion of the Tournament!

Gasps of astonishment filled the room as the Host Club members realized the outcome. Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged surprised glances.

"You weren't even participating!" Kaoru exclaimed.

You smirked, "You guys are just sore losers."

Hikaru chimed in, "You're not even a second-year!"

Kyoya, however, simply leaned against a wall with a wry smile. "All I hear is whining from two losers."

You couldn't help but giggle at the banter among your friends, sharing a victorious moment.

After finally shedding the uncomfortable Lolita costume and wiping away the last remnants of makeup, you found yourself alone in the cozy embrace of the music room. The echoes of the Halloween festivities still resonate in your mind, but the overwhelming discomfort of the costume had been left far behind.

Sitting in the dimly lit room, you reflected on the night, your thoughts filled with gratitude for Kyoya. His unexpected and thrilling proposal to embrace the Halloween spirit had transformed a dull evening into a genuinely enjoyable one. You couldn't help but smile as you remembered how he had dragged you into the world of scares and pranks, and in doing so, had shared a unique and memorable experience with you.

The Halloween night had been a perfect blend of fright and fun, of camaraderie and laughter, and it was all thanks to Kyoya's initiative. As you sat in the peaceful music room, you realized that sometimes, the most unexpected and unconventional plans could lead to the best and most cherished memories.

"All hail the champion," a voice echoed in the empty room, and there stood Kyoya, the unexpected partner in your Halloween scare victory.

You couldn't resist a teasing grin. "Only a bow and some praise will do for your champion."

He walked over, the atmosphere filled with a mix of playful competition and genuine camaraderie. His smile was cocky as he leaned against the side of the column.

"So, do I get a prize for helping you win?" he inquired, his voice tinged with a playful challenge.

You responded with a smug grin, "It's my name they announced, not yours, so I'm afraid you don't get anything."

Kyoya leaned in closer, his smile seeming somewhat wistful. "I did help you win, though. I should get something."

With a soft laugh, you placed a hand on his arm and said, "You get the honor of witnessing your fiancé's majestic victory."

The two of you shared a moment of contentment and affection, the playful banter masking the fondness you felt for each other. It was a celebration of your Halloween success and the unique bond you shared.

“I want something else as my prize.” He smirks.

He acted on his impulses, seizing you by the waist and pressing you firmly against the column. His lips met yours with a passionate intensity, a bruising kiss that left you breathless, and you gasped in surprise at the sudden, fervent connection.

His tongue tantalizing teased your bottom lip, seeking entry, and you willingly granted it. Your heads tilted in unison, and one of his hands found its way to the back of your neck, gently bending it to deepen the kiss. A throaty moan escaped your lips as his other hand on your hip squeezed you possessively.

For a brief moment, he pulled back, his breath hot against your skin, and he whispered with a mixture of desire and frustration, "You always manage to pick the worst timing to drive me so, so eager for you."

His lips trailed a scorching path down your cheek, following the delicate curve of your jawline. Each touch was an electric shock of sensation, sending shivers down your spine as the world around you seemed to blur, consumed by the fervent desire shared in this stolen moment.

“Don’t I?” You chuckled briefly. “It just means I’m winning.”

“How so?” He asks not to bother to stop his lips from connecting to your skin. 

“You want to hear my master plan?”

“Do enlighten me.” His soft laugh lights a fire inside your stomach. 

“The more you resist me, the more you want me… Have you noticed how close we’ve become in the last few days?” He stops himself in his tracks to look at you in the eyes with intrigue. “I am winning.”

“Must everything be a competition between the two of us?”

“To get what we both deeply want, it is not an option.”

“And what is it I want?” He smirks as if he could read you all too well. 

“You don’t want to marry me for love and some other reason you refuse to talk about and I don’t want to get married at all, but duty is duty. But you do want me, which makes things complicated for us.” You breathe heavily when his teeth graze the skin of your neck. “So let’s meet in the middle. We can either keep denying each other’s needs and go our separate ways to college hoping to find better matches for us so we both marry for love, duty and what not, or we can give in and have our fun until college and then we find better matches. So you don’t have to marry me and you’ll be out of my hair. Two simple choices, one clearly more fun than the other, but riskier.”

He chuckles when he faces you again. “How so?”

“You’ll fall in love.” No, you would.

“With you?” He chuckles. “You’re pretty to look at, sure, but you get on my nerves too much for me to fall in love.” 

“I gave you our options, it’s your choice. In a way I am not replacing you like you asked.” He crashed his lips to yours, his very own way to seal their deal.

“I won’t lose to you, y/n.” He whispered before his lips met yours once more. 

“Neither will I.” You moan against his lips before you were picked up and carried on one of the pink velvet couches. He pried your pants off gently as his lips were still glued to yours. It was happening… You’d finally have Kyoya the way you wanted him ever since last time he kissed you. 

He moved between your thighs and took his sweet time to kiss and nimble on both of them. 

“You always assume I have better self control than I actually do.” He whispers before taking your underwear off. “I’m no better than any other man when it comes to you.” He smirks before dipping his head between your thighs. You huffed out a loud moan when he licked a stripe up your folds, before plunging his tongue right into your dripping heat. You snatched at his head, pulling his hair as your hips shifted against him— his nose nudging your clit.

He moaned against your cunt— the vibrations making that coil in your stomach tighten. He squeezed your thighs, running his tongue up your folds and swirling it around your clit, repeating this action a few times. You felt like you were in a dream, Kyoya pleasing you as a reward for your victory... or for his own pleasure. It didn't matter, he had accepted your deal and you were more than happy to give in to the tension between the two of you.

You felt yourself drawing tight, a thin sheen of sweat gathering across your bare skin. “Kyoya—” You came with a moan of his name, your hips stuttering against his face. You felt him groan beneath you, tongue working you through your orgasm.

After a long moment, Kyoya hovered over you. You smiled hazily at him. He hummed, pressing his mouth to yours. You couldn't believe what had just happened.

You could taste yourself on his lips, his tongue. You hummed a response, too busy stroking his cheek, feeling your own arousal sticky on your fingers. He pulled back briefly. “I won’t lose to you.” He repeated like it was an oath and you believed him for a split second.

— 𝐭𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐬

✧ @gay-noble @vanicogh @hopeless-romanticnamed-s @idktbhloley @p1nkliquor @hellokittykuroo @batboob @kisskissshutmydoor @lemonrolls @hoku-killer @sunukissed @jessiegerl @lunalily19 @i7zha @asrainterstellar @arimoony24 @simp-lythebest @fan-g0rl​ @randobeetlehouse​​ @glomp-me @yeeyeebabe @maackiimoo @kaelysian @noendingtolove @luminaaz @thewendyslogo @eri0-0 @arielbillyboy16 @aangsupremacy​ @yuriklol​ @lillunna @lostsomewhereinthegarden @chocorenchin @sukcama @bratb1tch @topmeyelena

[jebewonmorelike]

Young and Rich, Tall and Just Ask Me Out Already

wc: 2.1k pronouns: n/a; none used warnings: none really? maybe the tiniest bit of angst... fluff... and i used the word d*ck once, my bad also you can pretend they're in college or high school, doesn't really matter summary: prepschool!ricky/richboy!ricky just can't get scholarshipkid!reader to go out with him no matter how many helicopters he lands in the school courtyard ~masterlist~ ♡ ~kofi (no pressure at all)~ guys... whoah... rich-boy-with-a-soft-side ricky just kind of hits different? i must say i outdid myself with this one so please, please, please enjoy :)

Ricky has been trying to convince you to go on a date with him for two weeks now.

The first time he asked you was after Chemistry one afternoon. You had been assigned as lab partners at the beginning of the semester and shared a desk during class every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1:10 to 2:40 P.M.

At first, you'd found it kind of difficult to relate to Ricky. His dad was a CEO at some big tech company and he didn't really let anyone forget it. Always flaunting his designer watch with the newest phone model in hand, entire classes full of students couldn't help but fall for him as he draped his Louis Vuitton jacket casually over one shoulder.

But you were just "the scholarship kid". A humble upbringing and a borderline genius IQ, attending this prep academy was an opportunity you and your family could never have turned down.

Working on labs with Ricky wasn't difficult-- mainly because he let you do all the work while he listened to music and played on his phone. But if you were being honest, you didn't really mind. You enjoyed working on the labs at your own (fast) pace and you didn't have to worry about a lab partner messing up your data.

You never disliked Ricky. But you also could never really figure out what to say to him when he talked so expensive and acted so expensive...

And looked so expensive.

But after a few weeks of silent lab work together (and a handful of flunked quizzes returned to Ricky's desk), the tall blonde suddenly turned to you with his latest graded test in hand.

"What did you get?" He asked, eyes peering over to try to get a glimpse at your paper.

"Oh, um..." You placed it flat on the table.

His eyes widened in surprise. "105? Again!?"

"What do you mean 'again'? How do you know that?" You questioned, looking back at him suspiciously.

He completely ignored your question. "There wasn't even a bonus question on this one! Where did the extra points come from?"

"The mini-essay I submitted last night on chemical kinetics."

He stared at you for a moment. "You're kind of weird, you know that?"

You nodded. "I guess you would think that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He questioned, dark eyebrows furrowing.

"Do you want me to help you or not? I would think calling me weird wouldn't really help persuade me," you quipped, snatching his test from his hand and reading the grade circled in red pen: 63.

"Hey! Don't--," he protested, trying to steal the paper back to no avail as you slid it into your bag and zipped it closed. "I didn't even ask you for help yet."

"You were obviously going to. You've barely said one word to me in four weeks, so. I'm pretty sure you weren't just making friendly conversation."

Ricky blinked back at you silently for a moment. "It's not like you've said anything to me either."

"I'll look over your test to see what you need to improve on. Do you have the rest of the quizzes from this month with you?" You asked quickly, standing up from your seat and slinging your bag over your shoulder as the bell rang.

"Uh, no I don't," he admitted, not making any move to get up now that class had ended.

"Okay, well--."

"But I'll bring them tonight. To the library," he interrupted.

You stood there silently, not really sure what to say.

"Be there at 9," he said definitively, a grin suddenly spreading across his face as he stood up, grabbed his bag, and started walking towards the door.

"You--... Do you think I don't have a life or something? I... What if I had plans!?"

"You did not have plans," he said with a laugh. Just before he walked out the door, he turned over his shoulder to add, "But now you do. With me."

~

It was like that, how you started tutoring Ricky late nights at the library. You met after 9 P.M. the days that you had class together, going over the material you'd covered that afternoon. He was a surprisingly passable student and you started to wonder if failing his classes was somehow intentional. He started offering to help you with lab work as the weeks went on, messing up detrimentally only a handful of times but you did appreciate his effort if nothing else.

Your tutoring was definitely helping; Ricky's quizzes came back now with passing grades that had even once reached the height of a 91. But what you didn't want Ricky to know was that he was helping you, too.

He had been right that day: you hadn't had any plans that night. And you rarely did. It was hard to fit in with the other students at your school when they had all led such different lives than you. You could have never guessed in a million years that Ricky would eventually become something like your friend.

Ricky made you laugh. He sharpened your pencils for you. He brought you snacks you liked. He'd let you borrow his Nintendo Switch for the day, as long as you promised to give it back to him in class. You hated to admit it, but a few weeks into your tutoring sessions and there was much less studying going on than was originally intended.

And another thing you hated (not really) to admit: you liked Ricky.

Sure, he could be a little overconfident. A little braggadocios. A little too reliant on his daddy's money.

But late at night in the library, you both grew tired together and the sleep deprivation gave way to a much more vulnerable Ricky. He'd tell you about his family, his childhood, his favorite things, his troubles, his dreams... and he'd listen carefully to you when you shared yours, too.

One time, after sharing a surprisingly upsetting childhood memory involving his father, you could see Ricky's eyes start to water. He tried to brush it off, adjusting his watch as the walls of the persona began to build back up in defense. But before you could stop yourself, your hand had reached across the table and landed on top of his.

He stared at it for awhile before looking up to meet your eyes. "Thanks," he said quietly, swallowing with uncertainty.

You removed your hand and placed it back in your lap. "Sorry," you replied awkwardly.

"No, no, you're cute," he said quickly, a hand flying to cover his mouth when he saw the expression on your face and realized what he had said. "I--I--... I meant 'cool'. Like... Like I meant to say 'you're cool', as in, like, 'don't worry about it'."

His babbling just made you smile. "Freudian slip?"

"Exactly," he agreed hastily. "Wait, no!"

"Too late, no take backs," you blurt, flipping your textbook to the next page to continue with your notes. Your heart absolutely raced inside your chest when you heard Ricky lightly breathe out a laugh before following your lead and resuming his note-taking.

~

Ricky certainly had a public image he wanted to portray, but whenever he gave you a glimpse underneath the facade... that was when you couldn't help but fall.

So when he asked you out for the first time, sun shining as you walked together from Chemistry to the student lounge on a Friday afternoon, your stomach absolutely flipped with excitement.

"I'm gonna take you to dinner," Ricky said, hand combing through his blonde, coiffed hair.

"Like--... Like on a date?" You clarified, looking up at him to try to read his expression. But much to your dismay, he was looking straight ahead, not at you.

"Yeah," he responded flippantly, hands finding his pockets. "There's this new place that opened downtown that's, like, mega exclusive. Figured you can't say no to that."

"No."

"Exactly... Wait, what?" Ricky stopped in his tracks, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"No thanks," you repeated. Looking at him now, you could tell exactly who was standing in front of you. No matter how much you liked Ricky, you didn't want to go on a date with this persona of his.

You wanted to go on a date with Ricky.

"Oh..." He replied, shock written all over his face. He swallowed hard and you swore you could see his cheeks start to redden with embarrassment.

"I really like you, Ricky," you clarified with a smile as you watched his eyebrows shoot up at the confession. "But no thank you."

You didn't wait around to field any possible questions. Turning on your heels, you headed off in the direction of your dorm leaving Ricky absolutely dumbfounded in the campus courtyard.

The next time he asked you out, it was in the hallway before class the following Monday. He handed you a small, light blue gift box, his eyes looking everywhere except at you.

You suppressed a smile, opening the box to find a dainty, rose gold bangle with the signature Tiffany T-shaped cuff ends. After having a mini heart attack over how much the bracelet in your hands must've cost, you took a deep breath to maintain your composure.

"I can't accept this," you managed, though you had to admit you were a bit sad to refuse it (and to refuse him a second time).

Ricky stared back at you, absolutely astonished. "Why... Why not?"

"I really like you, Ricky," you confessed again. "But I'll have to say no thank you."

As your professor called for everyone to take their seats, you hurried inside the classroom and left Ricky to trail in behind you completely stunned once more.

~

Ricky has asked you out about eight more times since that day. Each time, the simple question is skirted around and instead replaced with more and more elaborate and expensive gestures.

Now, it's 9:30 on a Friday night and you're typing away on your laptop, working on a paper that isn't due until the end of the semester when Ricky bursts through the doors of the library and darts straight towards your usual table.

"Are you seeing someone else?" He blurts out, catching his breath as he stands in front of you waiting for an answer. His hair falls boyishly across his forehead and he's dressed in a a hoodie and black joggers. You get the impression he had rushed here suddenly without any preparation and he looks so stupid cute.

"No," you reply, chewing on your cheeks to keep from smiling.

"Are you interested in men?"

"Unfortunately."

"You keep saying you like me and then you refuse to go out with me. Do you like me?" He asks, a little too loud for a library, but you're both lucky there's no one else that would be studying on a Friday night.

"I do," you confirm, watching as his eyes grow a bit more pleading as he wrestles with his own confusion.

"Then... Please... Will you please go out with me? I like spending time with you so much. I like talking to you so much. I really, really like you, (Y/N). Will you please just give me a chance?"

"Of course," you answer immediately.

"Yeah, I get it, I get--." Ricky's eyes suddenly light up as he realizes what you said. "REALLY?"

You nod, biting your lip in a satisfied smile and throwing your laptop into your backpack. "Let's go right now!"

He blinks quickly, following you as you stand up and walk towards the door. "Right now? But you--."

"Ricky, I don't really have any time to waste. I've been waiting for you to ask me out for two weeks now! Can you blame me for being a bit eager?"

"What... what do you mean? I've asked you out, like, a dozen times," he says as you step outside into the cool evening air, grabbing your wrist to stop you in your tracks.

You smile up at him. "No, you haven't."

"Yes, I--," he starts to protest, but you cut him off.

"You've told me you're taking me to an exclusive restaurant. You've bought me designer jewelry. You've given me an autographed poster from WayV. You've hired the Vienna Philharmonic to play at the student lounge. You've landed a helicopter in the middle of the courtyard..."

You watch as realization begins to wash over his face. His mouth hangs open a bit as he processes his numerous missteps. Then, a hand finds its way to the back of his neck as he smiles at you sheepishly. "Oh."

"So I've been waiting very patiently, you see."

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," he says with a smile, and then more solemnly he adds, "And I'm really sorry for being a total dick."

"Well, you're in luck. The only way to make it up to me is to get late night pancakes with me. And it just so happens, that I am incredibly hungry right now," you say, taking his hand and starting to pull him in the direction of the parking lot.

Ricky laces your fingers together as he falls in step with you. "Oh! I know the best place for pancakes, it's--."

You clear your throat and he stops his thought in its tracks.

"The diner?" He asks, looking to you for approval.

You nod, giggling back at him. "The diner."

[starlightmoon96]

Yandere TFP Ratchet x female human reader(Gundam model builder nerd) pt.2

(obsession, confession, drugged up, kidnapping)

(special shout out too yandere--stuck for a little inspiration)

Because of your jerk landlord increasing your rent you had no choice but to get a second job since your figure building and match making business that she had set up for the children's high school it wasn't giving you enough to pay the bills, it also meant your schedule would change. Luckily there was working from home jobs and your mom worked from home with her business and you had asked her for a job at her company, it took you a week to hear by saying that you had gotten the job it also meant you could only hang around the autobot base on weekends only.

There was a little upset with the children that they couldn't see you that much when you got your new job, though the most upset was Ratchet even though he didn't show it. Ratchet had gotten used to your company and enjoyed talking with you, now that he wouldn't see you as much as before almost bothered him.

Though it was your first week of absents for those five days was when Ratchet realized something about himself that he hadn't noticed, upon you return on Saturday with the children was the moment he had developed feelings for you. He knew it was wrong loving a human and didn't want to believe it himself, instead of saying anything he kept thee emotions he had for you to himself acting like his usual self. But inside he was in pain, a type of pain he had never felt before in his long life him in denial did make things...different. Optimus had noticed how Ratchet would talk with you whenever you where working on another gundam model or painting another 3-D gundam model for a special order, you even surprised Ratchet when you had shown him the special model of him that you had custom made for a gundam kit. Yes Ratchet was shocked by that as was the children seeing the model kit, you had connections and used them in making a one of a kind kit in seeing how it would turn out. Even the instruction where that of Japanese kits with them written in Japanese, you didn't realize that showing Ratchet that kit you made of him sparked something that shouldn't have been lite.

"Thanks for driving me home Ratchet, I'm surprised you offered." You said that after you got out of Ratchet's vehicle mode, holding your bag of supplies you had brought to the base.

"It's the least I can do for you (Y/N)." Was Ratchet's response to you, what he really wanted was to see where you lived. You had lived in some of the small apartments that Jasper had, they weren't really great but they weren't bad either especially if your a student. You said your goodbyes to Ratchet before you headed back to your apartment, sadly for you as soon as you got inside your apartment you had your school work to complete that. You didn't much sleep since you had a few assignments that where due along with paying your rent that was due the next morning, for your Sunday you had decided to sleep in for a bit till like around 11am because of the hard work load you had to do until three in the morning.

After paying your rent you had went to the autobot base by car, you did have a car but it was old and in your budget. Arriving at the base you where greeted by Ratchet whom right away you noticed that his eyes where green instead of blue

"Ratchet? What happened to you eyes?"

"Something great happened (Y/N) I finally completed the synthetic energon formula, I tested it on myself." Him saying that you imminently said

"You used yourself as a test subject?" To your shock Ratchet picked you up with his hand as he smiled at you

"And I'm happy I took that risk. I've never felt better." After he said that had put you down on one of tiers of the stairs

"Just be careful with that stuff Ratchet, please."

Not long after you showed up you noticed Ratchet was acting....different, he was a little more..well...ah....lets just say he gained more personality thanks to the Synth-En. He reminded you of an over confident college football jock, you hated those types of personalities you where attracted to well educated and conservative. If Ratchet or Optimus where human they was your type but since both of them where an alien robots and you where fine with just having that friendship, yes many guys had asked you out when you where in high school. But none of where what you where looking for in a guy, honestly the real real why you moved to Jasper was in hopes in finding a boyfriend that was your type and you didn't have much luck. Yes you did have some elementary and middle boyfriends, you had ended those relationships when they had became immature for your liking. And you did care about appearances a little, a lot of gundam builders where your typical basement nerds and being a girl in that community it was a little uncomfortable since a lot of them hadn't spoke to a real women before.

With Ratchet's new personalty it concerned you a little bit with his sudden change of character, you where worried that the Synth-En was a type of drug for there kind and taking large doses caused side effects. You wanted to talk to Ratchet your theory but you had a gut feeling that he wouldn't listen to you, so you talked to Optimus instead about your concern and your thoughts about the Synth-En. Optimus listened to you as you spoke to him, seeing the concerned look you where giving him it gave him the excuse in talking to Ratchet about the synthetic energon.

You thought that maybe Optimus could talk some sense into Ratchet, however you didn't know how wrong you where. The only thing you where right about was the Synth-En effecting Ratchet's mind, the repressed feelings that he had for had grown dark...to the point of obsession. It had grown worse when Optimus spoke to him and telling your concern for him, he felt hurt that you had spoke to optimus first and not him. Ratchet acted like it was no big deal and said that he would take it easy with the Synth-En, it was when Ratchet parted ways with Optimus that he had slammed his fist on the wall right next to him out of anger. Ratchet's eyes flashed red for a few seconds because of the emotional state he was in, the second his optics turned green once more was when he came up with a idea that he couldn't help but grin thinking of it.

The next day you decided to pay a little visit, your internet was out and you couldn't do your online work or school work. Of course you informed your boss about the no internet connect and they understood, arriving at the base you noticed how quiet the base was that made you a little confused

"Hello? Anyone here?" Not hearing anything in the base was a red flag for you, there's usually someone in the base and hearing how quiet it was almost concerned you. Being curious you decided to do a little investigating, after a few minutes you found the bots on benches, they looked like they where sleeping but something felt off to you. Even Optimus Prime was in the state of unconscious when you walked up close unaware that Ratchet was stand in front of the doorway.

"Hello (Y/N)." Hearing Ratchet's voice startled you as you turned and saw Ratchet, even looking at him it felt different to you that made you worry and keeping your distance from the bot

"Ratchet?...What did you do to them?"

"I'm happy you came by saves me the trouble." Ratchet said that so casually that it almost sent chills down your spine, it was also clear as day that he was still on the Synth-En. Before Ratchet reached you, your instincts kicked in and you ran under his feet and bolted as far as you could. You could hear heavy footsteps chasing after you and you didn't want to look back, the base was almost like a maze to you because of it's size. You luck had gotten worse when you lost your way, you planned on escaping with your car instead of entered the main area you had hit a dead end.

You screamed in shocked as he scooped you in his hand in a fast movement

"Easy (Y/N), I won't hurt you."

"Why are you doing this?" Was what you questioned in a panic unsure of what was happened and why Ratchet was acting out the way he was, then he gave you his answer

"I did it out of love." Him saying that confused you and it showed on your face

" What? Love?" Where the only two words that came out of your mouth, you didn't think Ratchet would use the word love and you where confused by why it had something to do with you

"I've been repressing my feels, at first I was denying them refusing to accept. But as of recently I finally came to terms with me emotions for you." You where more shocked than confused hearing that Ratchet confessed that was in love with you, then it hit it.

"The Synth-En? It is effecting your head like I thought." You inhaled sharpy as he lifts your chin with his finger for you to look directly at him, you tried to push away from him but saw that it wasn't effective

"Your not going to speak of what I've done are?" At first you didn't answer him but when his free hand turned into his surgical blade pointed the tip right at you it terrified you as he repeated

"Are you?" Imminently you nod your head no to him

"No...I won't say anything." Ratchet's face calmed down when you said those worse and his surgical blade retracted back to his normal hand as he started walking

"Happy to hear that (Y/N)." You where too scared to almost as but you managed to find your words

"Um...Ratchet? Can I ask you when you started having feelings for me?" Hearing you said that Ratchet smiled as he answered you

"I suppose you deserve to know. I guess it happened, it had stared when you wanted me to show you cybertronian blueprints. You actually listen and moved me." Your blood went cold hearing that your love for gundam models and there designs was what got you into the mess you where in now, you didn't know what was going to happen to you. He even told you that he didn't care that you where an organic, where terrified you even more in what was going to next. With Ratchet's new unstable state you didn't know what to expect

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Surveillance duty au :D

Y'all voted for it and here it is✨

The first twst horror au I ever did~

And it's Florid flavour too! :D

Naturally, this is the starter of a funny headcanon I had around, who made a cameo in a few works of mine too. So keep in mind that this is a very old au. Maybe you'll find sum Easter eggs to one of my latest ones. :3

Anyhow! A few trigger warnings right off the batch and then we can properly start this bandwagon. :v

We have trigger warnings for: Blood, gore and body horror!

This is a horror au after all... So ya know... Gotta keep the flair✨

Now onto the explanation!

In here, our lovely Riddle is a logics and psychology teacher at Night Raven Highschool (NRH for short). The reason he's a teacher is because of his love of learning and helping others learn. His mother was against the idea, which ended up with her disowning him. Therefore Riddle changed his name from Weinachts to Rosehearts, a way to cut ties completely with his mom.

And that would've been it, if that woman didn't insist to keep reminding him how much of a failure he became: a poor paying job, living alone and with little to no respect from other people. Well... 2 out of the 3 were wrong at least. Riddle did have a decent salary and he was very respected amongst other people.

But, at the start of a new school year, Riddle finally is a homeroom teacher. He has a class to be in charge of! He was looking forward to it... Until the actual class proved to be menaces.

One day, pretty early into the year, the Nightshift guard of the school called in for some family business. Therefore that night he couldn't cover. And Crowley assigns Riddle to take the said place instead. Trey, a volunteer teacher, also offers to go along Riddle and help him out.

It's also important to describe the security room layout for now: a small room, with a desk on which a monitor and a weird keyboard with very specific buttons are. On the side there is a couch and at one of it's ends, a mini-refrigerator is put. It's small, with tile floor and plain walls.

And the whole shift starts. Trey is the one who goes first on the surveillance duty. The old man instructed them how to use the set-up: see an anomaly and report it using the buttons for place and type. He also gave them a warning: when the screen flashes a message, avoid the camera on the said place and use the report button for 'special case'. Also do NOT ever get out during the shift. That door has to stay locked at all costs during the night. :v

Naturally, Riddle thought all of those was bullshit. He did find Trey's small paranoia to be a response caused by the lack of sleep, so he offers at one point to switch, so he could grade the tests at the desk and Trey could get some rest. The latter does admit that he's a bit shaken up, but he also blames it on a lack of sleep.

The problem is that Riddle was only focusing on the grading tests. Sometimes he switches in between cameras, in case he catches some vandal trying to sneak in or something like that.

That's why, when the special warning arrives for the gym camera, Riddle didn't even pay attention and accidentally switched to it, which resulted in a long static.

And an inhumane, scaly hand, with long claws, sticking out of it and grabbing Riddle's arm. Naturally, out of the spook, the redhead jerked his hand, thus getting it scratched and all bloody. In all of that panic, Riddle falls off the chair, waking up Trey and starting a chain reaction of panicking :'3

So Trey first barricades the door with the couch, before he tries to tend to Riddle's bleeding arm and figure out what the hell was going on. Something was coming and banging on the door, trying to force their way inside.

And they do manage, much to the horror of the 2 men. Riddle already was too sleep deprived and in pain to process things. All he knows is that Trey was knocked down on the floor and that the thing grabbed him before he passed out.

When they do wake up, it's morning and everything was just like new. The only signs that something did happen was the bruises Riddle and Trey had from falling on the hard floor. No more arm wound and the security room was impeccably clean too.

So the 2 tried to reason that maybe all this lack of sleep and relying only on coffee did mess a bit with their head last night.

But the first night the guard returned, in the morning the poor man was found horrified and quit from the job, while on a hall wall, a message was smudged in red paint, saying 'see you next lesson :)'. Of course, the whole student body was rustling with rumors and scary stories about 'the prom ghost', a legend among the school about a, presumably, dead kid attending a prom of the school, despite never being a student or having any records whatsoever. They started to go nuts about it and swarm the library to ask for the yearbook albums from previous years.

Riddle was trying to have a quiet and nice homeroom when his students asked him if he used to be a student here. Naturally, the latter was seeing this as innocent curiosity and maybe he thought he could set a nice example for them, by sharing some of his own high-school experience, but nope... These lil shits wanted to know if Riddle's prom was the one where the school myth came to be.

Unfortunately it was right, but Riddle tried to reassure that it was just some vandal that sneaked in for a party and nothing more.

Riddle was more than tired about this. Give him a break, man. U-Ub

So, seeing that the redhead was once offered for the Nightshift duty, Crowley assigns Riddle again! Yay! :D

And being done with that 'creepy message', Riddle was more than determined to stay up all night and catch the vandal.

How? The forbidden brew, ofc: 7 different energy drinks, pure coffee and that ice-ice baby. How he's not dead is a mystery to many. :'3

So Riddle does the job his own way. He finds a very simple explanation for anything and anything one would consider 'unnatural'. Weird noises? Some windows are shabby and outside is raining. Objects in weird spots? Students didn't place them back. Things falling off? Either someone put them wrong or Crowley needs to invest in better shelves. He walks across the halls with literally no bother just to go get his papers or something, then returns to the security room and minds his business peacefully.

And this ignorant bliss is what has Riddle face to face with the actual creature in front of him, pretty annoyed that Riddle brushed him off so easily.

Riddle's absolutely not having it. He tells the guy that he should 'drop the weird costume and get a real job' other than terrorise the night guards, before he calls the cops for breaking and entering. Like... He's fully convinced that this was just some random bored guy who decided to dress up as a monster and scare the living shit out of people at unholy hours.

And while half of it was true, the latter is not having it. He does inquire if Riddle remembers him. Of course the redhead remembered him. He was his partner to prom, after Riddle's highschool crush humiliated him in there. Of course he would remember that traumatising night. He wished he didn't, but that's how it is. The next year it would be that sweet 10 year reunion after all. Riddle was dreading it a bit, but alas, he finally addresses to the creature by its name: Floyd.

And Floyd is happy his 'goldfishie' remembers him, but is disappointed that the latter doesn't believe in magic and supranatural forces.

He does tell Riddle that he's special. He has magic of his own lingering inside, but it's all shoved in tight and hard to reach. Riddle does call it bullshit, but Floyd insists that last night, he saw it in his blood.

This, naturally has Riddle ghosting his arm where the scratch was supposed to be. He still refused to believe that happened. Not when the real evidence say otherwise, but Floyd does tell that he didn't intend on harming him so when Riddle yanked his hand in fear, he couldn't release his claws in time and thus the nasty wound.

Now a bit curious about where this whole bandwagon is going, Riddle does inquire to ask what's so special about his blood. The answer was simple: it reacts to magic. Normal blood doesn't react to magic, but Riddle's changed color and even evaporated when Floyd tried to heal his wound back up.

So the nasty bruise on the arm is actually stains from the said blood and Floyd doesn't know if it washes off or not.

Riddle does have a field trip that night, as Floyd is demonstrating spells he could do and casually talking about his kind and all that. The latter was welcomed in the security room, with 1 condition: don't tamper with anything. Naturally, the said creature didn't want to have no gain out of it, so for as long as Crowley has Riddle on Nightshift, the latter will have to welcome him in here and hang around. Floyd only seized the couch and there he sat all night, bothering Riddle and eventually getting the redhead to sleep.

One thing that Floyd mentioned off-hand was that, since Riddle had contact with magic now, most likely his own magic will start to creak out. That thing stuck with the redhead even the next day. And it was the perfect explanation for all the little odd things that happened that day: lights flickering when he got really annoyed, pens or papers slightly moving towards his hand when he wanted to grab one and even doors closing behind him without Riddle necessarily moving them.

At the Nightshift duty, Floyd seems very eager to see the latter's magic in action. Riddle does ask if he didn't pay attention during the day, but Floyd admits that, during the day, he sleeps.

Still, Riddle was fascinated by the said magic. By how it was so logic-breaking yet felt so natural. Of course, since Floyd was the reason behind the anomalies, the cameras were checked once in a while to see if vandals would try to sneak in the school. Other than that, Riddle went to sleep pretty early and left the rest to Floyd for handling.

And with a bit of time, the redhead was getting used to this new routine. He even brought in a blanket and a few pillows from home to make the couch more comfy, or some snacks to put in the refrigerator for both him and Floyd to eat. Riddle also learned how to control that little bit of magic that he had, so sometime he would use it to skip over some mundane things.

Riddle also couldn't help but ask Floyd what he's going to do when a new guard does get appointed. Floyd tho, happily responds that he already took care of it and that Riddle shouldn't 'beat his pretty head' with it too much. Just focus on your job and things will go smoothly.

In a few days, Crowley calls up Riddle to discuss about the Nightshift and how he managed to hire a new guard. So he asks Riddle to show him how the gist works at first.

Guess who the guard is?

That's right, Floyd is our Nightshift guard. Riddle is baffled at this, asking how the hell did Floyd even get hired, not to mention how he didn't get reported for bearing no actual legal identity!

The answer is simple: 1. Floyd does have legal documents (forged, ofc) about his existence. 2. Crowley accepted him, because on his 'CV' it was written: willing to work for any price.

Crowley's paying him 10 bucks an hour :'3

Riddle is very concerned about the payment, but Floyd reassures that he already lives in here. And his 'living expenses' are also paid by Crow man. :v

Besides, unlike normal humans, creatures of the night such as Floyd, have a whole other system of living. Once he gets himself free, he's simply going to return to his kind and live there.

Surprisingly, Riddle seems a bit bummed out by the news that, eventually, Floyd would break the seal and leave. The latter tho, offers for Riddle to come with him. He had magic and his blood indicated that there was something more inside him. There's no reason not to run away together. They could go and find a little safe colony far away to live peacefully together. Riddle shuts down the idea, saying that, unfortunately, he can't leave. He loves his job, his quiet life and he doesn't want to abandon his life long friends. Floyd may be bound to not leave this place because of a magic seal, but Riddle's bound to not leave this place because of his bonds and responsibilities.

Still, the 2 share a small kiss that night. Kind of a small milestone in their pretty odd relationship.

And things start to go well! Floyd puts a little effort to stay awake in the morning, to exchange a few sweet eyes with Riddle, while the latter would sometimes stay a bit over the program or leave for Floyd small treats to have on his job. Little things that make them both very happy and fuzzy inside.

Naturally, the students saw that and started to rumor in between them that the ice-cold heart of the tyrant teacher was melted by the intimidating guard.

But, all things nice must end at one point. U-U9

The staff did receive a notice of a maintenance visit from an authorised service upon the school systems. And Floyd was absolutely horrified about it. Riddle was sure he never saw the latter so panicked about something. So he does decide to stay over with him a bit, to calm down his nerves.

Floyd tho, hesitantly gets down from his neck a pendant. Riddle knew about the pendant being important for the latter, but he never got an answer as to why. And neither now is he getting one, since Floyd put it over the redhead's neck and told him to return it only after the inspection is clear. And if Riddle hears any suspicious voice, to please ignore it since the pendant might try to play with him.

Riddle was absolutely ready to call the latter nuts, but he knew better than to question magic things. So he promised the latter that he will keep the pendant safe before Floyd tucked him to sleep.

The next day, naturally Riddle was a bit on edge, but things went surprisingly quiet. At home tho, is when the latter started to feel like something was watching him. He tried to brush it off, but it kept pestering him.

Until he looked in his mirror, where his reflection was replaced with a silhouette made out of shadows. The said being was happy they finally got noticed, claiming that they were a manifestation of Riddle's powers, the last one of them.

Riddle was trying to ignore it, just as Floyd told him to, but the said little silhouette was a tease cranked up to 100. They did tell Riddle that first he manifested a bit of power and now, that he had the crown of the abyss, he could get out to light the rest. Naturally, the latter brushed it off, saying that it's saying blasphemy, but to prove the point, the shadow shows to Riddle how the pendant could turn into a pretty crown, then back into that small stone. They do tease that Floyd certainly hid that one from him, that he didn't tell Riddle, hoping to keep all that power to himself.

Of course, the latter denies it again. If Floyd had that much power at his disposal, he would've been free from the seal by now. The shadow goes to say that things aren't that easy with seals and that the second Floyd does get free, he'll dispose of Riddle in an instant. The pendant would be Riddle's only line of defense if he refuses to give it away as he promised.

The shadow did hit some pretty low points. Points which made Riddle to try and ignore it alongside Floyd. Both were 2 different sides and Riddle didn't know which one to pick. He was an adult, goddamnit! Yet here he was, feeling like a clueless child. He hated it, so he found out the best way was to tune it all out.

This doesn't fly by Floyd. With the inspection over, he knew Riddle had to keep his promise to him and return the pendant. So he insists for the latter to stay over the program and give it back. By that point, Riddle himself realised that if he gives the pendant back to Floyd, then that annoying shadow would stop bothering him, so he was more than eager to get rid of it from his neck.

But before he passes back the pendant, Riddle does have to ask one thing: why didn't Floyd tell him that it was a crown all along? That question makes Floyd to immediately switch his mood, now demanding that he gets back the pendant. It's not some silly game anymore and he is very much not playing anything. Riddle will get his answers after the pendant is back at Floyd.

That's when our lil shitty shadow comes into action, taking the pendant before Floyd could. The latter is genuinely scared of seeing the said silhouette and at this point Riddle knows that he shouldn't have even given the shadow a benefit of the doubt. But it was too late as the said 3rd thing declared. As Riddle's 2nd magic manifestations, it is its right to want the redhead more powerful than ever. And Floyd was their obstacle, denying Riddle of his right at power.

And that's when the shadow tries to shove the pendant gem down Riddle's throat. Seeing that, Floyd tries to also fight the silhouette, but it was too strong. It had enough time to draw from Riddle's magic by instigating doubt in the redhead and thus prolonging the time the pendant was with him.

In the end, Riddle does swallow the gem and the shadow happily disappears.

Both adults are scared, but Floyd was downright horrified, saying that he doesn't know when it will kick in or if Riddle would even survive it. This also scares Riddle since 'wdym IF I survive it?!'. He just swallowed a fucking stone that used to be a crown?! And Floyd isn't making things any better by also telling him that 'hey, you might blow up from the inside around now!'.

Unfortunately, that 'kick in' Happens right that moment, when Riddle is overcome by pain. His whole body felt like it was on glass and nails and he could only cry out in pain. Floyd couldn't do much, only hug him as best as he could and whisper sweet nothings and apologies to the latter. Thankfully, Riddle passes out before he could hit the half mark of the said transformation. And Floyd just stays like that with him, too afraid to even move an inch in any direction.

When Riddle wakes up, he realises 2 things.

1. His vision was much more clearer now

2. He had a weird craving to eat something

Floyd is insanely happy that the latter was alive. One cannot express how relieved he was when se saw the latter opening his eyes. It finally explained why Riddle had magic in the first place to begin with! Riddle tho, bursts that little happy bubble of the latter, by asking what in the world happend. So Floyd summons a mirror and helps the latter up.

And Riddle sees for the first time, just what kind of creature he became.

He had his body stained in ink at the end of the limbs and over his upper face, in a gradient, long claws, 2 pairs of wings, long pointy ears, sharp teeth and eyes with no iris or pupils. The crown he saw initially was now made out of thick horns on his head, while the big gem it initially had was coming out of his chest, even glowing slightly in a beating heart rhythm. His clothes were replaced by a skintight suit, having an opening at the chest area to show the said gem, with big and sleek heels and a very intricate armour-like corset as a sort of belt.

Naturally, Riddle's absolutely horrified. But he felt powerful. He felt invincible, like he could make the world bow down to him by a mere snap of a finger. And his body felt light, comfortable, but his mind was screaming at him that it was wrong. He just became a much worse creature than he could've ever imagined.

And Floyd finally clears it out for him: He wasn't sealed by just random chance. There is an organisation tasked with hunting and eradicating creatures of his kind. Initially, Floyd fled from the sea along his brother and other mers, under Azul's guidance. The latter said that their abyss crown found a new vessel for its godly dark power, so they should follow it and serve their new leader, in exchange for protection. Azul made a decoy crown that he holds onto, while Floyd received the real deal, turned into a pendant. Unfortunately, the said organisation made traps for magic creatures, out of surveillance systems. And when Floyd was trying to follow a lead of the pendant, he got trapped inside. He didn't think Riddle would be chosen. Nor did he think that he would swallow it instead of just putting it on his head like every ruler previously did.

Riddle, worried, asks what happens now that he swallowed it. Like... It's apart of him. The gem is literally his heart now. Floyd is just as clueless as him, but all he knows is that he and all the other magical creatures surely felt the awakening. So he has to serve Riddle in exchange for protection. That was how things were supposed to go.

Riddle tho, insists that he doesn't want Floyd to serve him. In fact, he didn't want any of this. He wants to be a normal human, living a quiet life. But now, he's stuck as this darkness elderich diety! Like there has to be some way to hide it at least.

Thankfully, it was. Floyd did show Riddle that night how he hid his monster nature from Crowley and the public when he works as a guard. And Riddle learns how to appear fully human for the night.

The next day, Riddle realises just what that craving to eat was all about.

He had to give a few tests today and every time, he seemed to feed off students's fear and dread. Or any emotion for the matter. Those made him feel full and even skip lunch for the matter. But nothing satisfied more the craving than Floyd. And it wasn't any negative emotion from him, rather the effort and love he put in helping his beloved goldfishie adapt, was what satisfied Riddle beyond words. Floyd did know that previous rulers did feed on their subjects's emotional energy, but he really didn't expect Riddle to like his emotions as a superior meal than the others.

Still, things couldn't be peaceful for once.

Because on one night, someone actually tries to sneak into the school, while Riddle was trying to get used to his new body, mostly by walking across the halls with Floyd by his side.

That someone were the first years form Riddle's class. And when they both make the corner and come face to face, it's a screaming match. :'3

The first years, naturally go 'Oh shit! A monster!', while Riddle goes 'Oh Shit! Those are my students!'. Floyd just finds this thing hilarious. Still, out of the group, Deuce is the one who bows down immediately, apologising for not stopping these 'poor mind humans' from disturbing 'you majesty'.

It's revealed 2 things:

1. Deuce is a winged night creature who did figure out that Riddle was his ruler now.

2. The boring ass logics teacher is now a darkness deity. :'3

Riddle was feeling so screwed, so he made these mfs swear they won't say a thing about this to anyone. And the group agreed out of natural fear of getting a much worse fate if they don't comply. :'3

It was also only fair for Jack and Sebek to come forth and admit that they were also apart of the supranatural side. Sebek was a half Fae, whole Jack was a were-wolf.

Only Ace and Epel are dumb hoomans. :'3

But! The first years come in handy as extra hands to help break the seal. So Floyd was free! Yay! :D

Because he had nowhere else to go, Riddle takes Floyd at his house to live for now while he had no job to tend to. This also made them hang out in weekends now. :3

Now that he was free, Floyd's new objective was to find his initial colony. And ofc, he insisted that Riddle has to come with him. If it wasn't for the recent changes, Riddle would've still refused him, but now he will certainly be on the watchlist of this organisation that hunts the supranatural. And he is expected to be some all powerful wise leader.

He felt like a clueless kid again, Which is one thing Riddle hates.

So, much to Floyd's surprise, the redhead tries to hit the books. He's training and meditating a lot, all in hopes of understanding the powers he just acquired. It's not easy, but so it's Riddle's pettiness. He did accidentally kill some of his plants in pretty brutal ways, but alas, he learned to heal them back somewhat. :'3

Once Floyd does get ahold of Azul and by extension the rest of the people under his lead, the 2 have to set out to go after him. Riddle is very hesitant about it, since he never had to leave out of town until now. Yes, he went to college, but that was it.

And his planned leave doesn't fly unnoticed.

Trey is pretty worried when he hears that Riddle plans a leave for a few good days(since the place Azul was at wasn't actually far). So he does ask the redhead if something happened. Indeed, something did happen, but Riddle didn't really know if he should tell his friend or not, so he opted to simply avoid Trey, lest he won't have a confrontation.

Crowley is not very happy that these 2 got to leave at the same time, still, he reassigns Trey back on the Nightshift duty, since he was there at least once. That's the perfect excuse for Riddle to 'show Trey around' since 'a few things changed since last time'.

Trey almost has a heart attack upon the news being told to him... That's for sure. :'3

This time around, Riddle does explain to the latter that the first years might get in from time to time, mostly to help around. Just be nice to them and it's all good. For now Floyd was at home, resting a bit, so Riddle could take his place as the Nightshift guide.

As for Trey... Sure he was horrified at first, but once the initial shock went away, he was simply just worried. Worried for his buddy's safety. He doesn't doubt that Riddle is a smart individual, but this is a situation in which anyone could crack under pressure. He's worried about what would happen if Riddle did break under the pressure too, especially since he's both a powerful creature and on the watchlist of an organisation tasked to kill his kind.

Still Trey has no other option than to say goodbye to his friend and tend to the Nightshift duty in a somewhat peace. Or whatever you call it when 5 teens with mischievous tendencies are breaking into the school to bother you. :'3

So Riddle and Floyd go on with their little road. It was oddly quiet and that only helped make the redhead's nerves stretch more.

But they do find a small restaurant, run by none other than Azul!

Upon seeing Floyd, Azul's hugging the latter, glad that he's alive and well. But after the whole situation gets explained to him, he's absolutely livid. Of course, he firstly pays his respects to Riddle, who assures him that there's no need for honorifics, then he shows the 2 what he's been up as of late.

See, Azul worked to establish his restaurant and have the others of their kind work here or at another branch he has. He met Idia and Malleus, both who are helping the unemployed creatures by taking them under their own organisations: Idia with STIX and Malleus to work in his Kingdom away from the human reach.

Unfortunately Jade, Floyd's brother, was caught by the organisation when they tried to flee to another place one time. Azul felt horrible delivering the news to Floyd, but there was still a tiny bit of hope there. Jade could still be alive for all they knew.

Floyd was done and over with this organisation bullshit. Now that they had their 'leader', they could finally strike back against those mfs that shooed them from their homes for so long. By now Riddle made peace with the fact that he'll have to get rid of that organisation if he ever wanted a chance to return to a somewhat peaceful life. And he did make his wish clear to Azul: he wants that organisation gone so that, after it, Riddle could live a peaceful life as a teacher. He never wanted any of this, but that doesn't mean he won't get involved in attempting to fix this injustice.

so the night creatures start to gather up. Only a few stood behind with the children, while the others were getting ready for war. They heard their 'leader''s wish and they were more than happy with it. In fact they were ecstatic about getting back at the thing that terrorised them for generations.

This is also when we meet Malleus and Idia. Malleus was kind enough to lend some of his Fae troupes, since this organisation also targeted his kind, while Idia provided inside information and revealed the fact that hostages are indeed taken, so there was a fair chance Jade was there too.

So the big battle does commence at the main headquarters of the organisation. There was absolute bloodshed there. Yet Riddle simply followed after Floyd, using his own learned spells from time to time to protect those on their side or push out of their way the enemies.

Fortunately, Jade was alive.

Unfortunately that was also a trap.

The second Floyd tried to reach his brother, he got blocked in the tank with Jade, both unable to leave. Riddle wanted to release both of them, but he gets stopped midway by someone.

And that someone was his own mother.

See... She was a doctor... Giving credit where's due... But Mrs Weinachts (since Riddle changed his name after getting disowned) also worked for the organisation, by analysing the biology of the said creatures. Jade was supposed to be dissected, but when he showed a weird behaviour (when Riddle swallowed the gem), it was figured that he has to be kept alive and be studied upon patterns. And sure enough, it predicted this attack.

Now she can't recognise Riddle at all, due to him being in his creature form, but the latter sure knows who she is and the shock is too much for him. He realises that, most certainly, if he didn't follow his own desires, he would've ended up here. Now everyone was fighting for their life and freedom here. His dear Floyd was captured and his own mother, who disowned him and haunts him with his 'failures' threatened to kill the 2 eel mers if Riddle doesn't throw in the towel.

Trey's fears were good founded, because they did happen. Riddle did crack under all the pressure, which ended up with the whole place crumbling down under his unattended power. And naturally, this ends with the supranatural beings winning. They cheer together and celebrate.

But Floyd finds Riddle in a sort of trance, looking at his hands smeared with some blood as he was processing the events that just happened. When he does realise it, he breaks down crying that he killed his own mother. Sure, she abandoned him once adulthood came, but still she was his mother. And he killed her!

And the worst part about it was that it felt good. It felt good to feed on her desperation for survival. Riddle was ashamed of it, of the monster he became. He just wants back home, back to his peaceful and quiet life.

And his wish gets fulfilled.

The rest of the creatures already established proper lives in hiding. Sure, some returned to solitarity in far to reach lands, while others integrated better amongst the humans. Riddle did make it clear that, unless it's a situation similar to how the organisation they just defeated, he won't step up to lead them. They don't need a leader to follow mindlessly around, when they could have their own lives how they want.

So, in the end, we do return to the same old routine Riddle used to have. But now he lives together with Floyd and still comes in terms with every new discovery about his powers.

And that would be for the main plot :D

I was thinking that after this big one, if it were to follow, it would be some small adventures where we meet the rest of the twst Bois and see what they are up to.

For example: Kalim is a museum owner and Jamil is a Naga sorcerer that was trapped in stone for many years, thus he wasn't aware of the changes in society and everything. That was to be discovered on a field trip to the said museum and all that. :v

So for now... I guess I'll leave the rest to y'all to theorise and ask what do you think about the rest of the Bois. For some I really have 0 idea what they could be, so suggestions are welcomed :3

Until next time! Buh bye! :D

[lolasimms]

Part 1: The Nanny- Abby x reader

Summary: You’re assigned as a live in nanny for a couple and their young daughter, but what happens when your boss takes an interest in you?

—

Ever since you were 6 years old you'd set your sights on becoming a well to do lawyer. You wanted to bring people to justice, bring even the tiniest shred of humanity back to life. That was until the near end of your Junior year of high-school, when your guidance counsellor told you that your school simply didn't have enough clubs or extracurriculars for you to be eligible for a scholarship. So instead of finding a way, you simply gave up.

You got a diploma in early childhood care and moved upstate, working for rich douchebags who couldn't give two fucks about their children. Your agency was one of the best in the business and you were making more than enough to keep you on your feet. You were still new in the business, so when you'd been contacted to work privately, you knew the next home you'd be assigned would be a good one.

That's how you ended up here. You stepped into the expensive mansion, immediately struck by the grandeur of the entrance hall. The walls were adorned with beautiful paintings, and the floor was covered in a plush carpet that felt soft underfoot. The furniture was tasteful and elegant, with a mixture of antique pieces and modern designs. A sweeping staircase lead to the upper floors, and you could see the glimmering crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.

You head snapped to the left at the sound of your name being called. "I'm Martha, the housekeeper, it's nice to meet you." She was dressed in a neat blouse with a skirt, paired with a white apron, stained in what you'd assumed was orange juice. Her brown  hair was tied back in a bun, completed with a black headband that sat in the middle of her head.

"Nice to meet you too, Martha." You smile politely, fidgeting with your rings as the two of you stand in the foyer.

"Mrs Adler is just finishing a yoga session upstairs, but I shall lead you to the living room." She motions for you to follow, so you do. The archway connected to the foyer led into the living area and once again you were struck. You were used to working with rich clients but this wasn't rich, it was wealth. As Martha lead you into the living , you were struck by the sheer size of the space. The room was filled with plush couches and armchairs, arranged around a large fireplace that dominated the center of the room.

The large windows let in plenty of natural light, illuminating the room and making it feel even more spacious. The ceiling was high, with ornate moldings and elegant chandeliers that added to the grandeur of the space. To your left was a grand piano in one corner of the room, and a bar in another, complete with all the accoutrements for entertaining guests. Everything about the living room was designed to be both intimidating and impressive, reflecting the opulence of the home and the lifestyle of its inhabitants.

"Make yourself at home, she should be with you in 30." Martha smiles at you, turning and exiting out of the living area and you take a seat on the larger than life, emerald green sofa. You relax into the chair, taking in the impressive surroundings a little bit more. If this week went smoothly this would be your home for the next six months. You just hoped all would go well. "Hello, Angel!" You're interrupted from your thoughts when a petite brunette with gold highlights bounds into the room. Mrs. Adler.

She was short, about 5ft 5, her long hair was adorned in honey gold highlights , she had a gorgeous figure and she was dressed in head to toe Lululemon. She glanced to her wrist, where you spotted an Apple Watch and a emerald green van cleef bracelet. Your suspicion was confirmed, they weren't just rich. They were loaded.

"Hi, you must be Mrs. Adler" You stand from the sofa and reach your hand out to hers. She takes it, smiling at you.

"It's Mrs. Anderson- Adler, but please just call me Avery." She motions for you to sit and you do, she takes the seat right next to yours.

"I'm really grateful that you and your husband selected me as your nanny, I look forward to meeting your daughter." You smile, a tad bit uncomfortable at how close she was to you. She smelt intoxicating, her perfume rich and florally, despite her just coming down from a workout.

"Oh actually I have a wife, and I'm so honoured that you're our nanny. We've heard a lot about you." You cringe at your mistake, your boss had only told you it was a young couple with a daughter, no more, no less.

"I apologise for my mistake Mrs. Adler." You turn to look at her and she's already smiling down at you.

"Honey please call me Avery, and that's no problem. My daughters name is Livy, she's having a nap right now but you can meet her after that. Any questions?"

"Uhh, not really." You reply, you were used to new clients chatting your ear off about rules, policies and instructions they had for you and their children but she seemed chill. Too chill.

"Good, good. You know you're our first nanny. My wife saw something in you when we looked at the website." She strokes your cheek, smiling at you. Though you're weirded out you find it oddly sweet how kind she is.

"Wow, I'm honestly honoured Avery. I hope I can be the best nanny for you guys." She smiles at your use of her name and claps her hands together.

"Well, Liv's schedule can be a bit extensive, but my wife Abby and I believe it's for the best. Martha will show you to your room and give you a folder of what Liv's routine is like, my darling. I have an appointment with my dietician in 20, See y'a." She kisses your cheek, leaving you surprised and makes her way out of the living area. Something told you she was a bit of an oddball.

—

"Here you go darling, room is all yours. If you need anything just call out for me. Liv's folder is in the drawer of the dresser." Martha points towards the expensive dresser that was perched against the wall.  She smiles, exiting the room and closing the door behind her. The room was nice, a queen sized bed with a blush pink headboard, an ensuite bathroom and expensive furniture to match.

You reached into the drawer, finding Liv's folder and were taken aback by the child's schedule. It was extensive to say the least. Morning stretches, shower, breakfast, sensory time, garden walk, nap-time, after-nap snack, 1 hour screen time, evening walk, dinner, bath-time, sleep. The child had a  practically busier schedule than a COO of a tech company. Curious, you reached for your phone to Google the family name.

'Avery Anderson- Adler' is the wife of Abby Anderson, millionaire heiress to the Anderson family fortune.

You'd heard that name before Abby Anderson. You clicked on it and Lo and behold an image of a buff blonde with sapphire blue eyes appeared. She was so good-looking, tall just all round breath taking.

'Abby Anderson is the daughter of Late Dr. Jerry Anderson, owner of the Anderson Hospital.'

That's where you'd heard the name! The Anderson hospital was basically the largest private hospital in the city, if not the state. That explained why these people were loaded. You quickly clicked out of the Google tab and made your way to Liv's room.

"Hi, Liv. I'm your new nanny" You tell her your name, as you wave at the small girl who had just woken up. She had brown hair, brown eyes and looked just like Avery. She gave you a shy smile and reacher her hand out to you.

"Hi" she greeted you with your name and you smiled, taking her hand and helping her out of the large comforter that was practically swallowing her.

"Are you hungry Liv, cause your schedule says it's snack time!" She nods fervently and you lead her out the door and down the staircase.

—

"What do you usually eat for your snack?" You ask the child who was sat on a barstool, clutching a stuffed bear to her chest.

"I like cheese and vegetables, but not radish. Mommy always forces me to eat radish." You giggle at the disgusted face she makes at the memory of eating radish and make your way to the fridge.

"Don't worry Liv, I won't make you eat any radish." You find the fridge fully stocked, just like the ones in those architectural digest videos. Bottled Voss waters, sparkling water, soy milk and almond milk, an array of fruits and vegetables, cuts of cheese and deli meats. You grab some of the cheese cubes and a few carrots and celery.

"What's going on in here?" You turn once you hear the intimidating voice. To be met with the woman you'd just googled no longer than 20 minutes ago. Abby.

"Mrs Anderson, nice to meet you, I'm the new nanny." You tell her your name, your hands shaking, damn near about to drop Liv's snack. She was eyeing you head to toe, sizing you up as if you were some sort of meal.

"I know, I chose you." She smirks, walking over to the island, where Liv was sitting and placing a kiss on the child's forehead. You scramble to find a chopping board when she clears her throat making you focus your attention on her again.

"Can I help you?" You smile politely, her eyes never leave yours, the eye contact intimidating you to no end.

"You can actually, I don't want you to look so nervous. You were much prettier in your photo when you were calm." She walks around the counter to stand beside you ,leaning forwards, awaiting your reply.

"Yes Mrs. Anderson" You nod, as you begin to cut up the carrots for Liv's now delayed snack.

"You can call me Abby."

[sahhr-studiesmed]

I am supposed to study all of this, but I can't seem to plan or quantify anything for a while now.

May 21, 2023

8:56 Pm

Reading through my old posts and realising that I'm struggling with executive function and task paralysis.

That no matter how much I actually want to, I can't bring myself to start the task?

So in this picture I have my entire first year med school syllabus that I have to cover for my upcoming two months of exams. It's not even the whole syllabus. Just headings of things. The syllabus that I have to mug up/ cover— whatever you want to call it— is atleast ten times more than what I have written up there.

So coming back to the executive dysfunction. I can't seem to figure out how to study, what to study, what to do and what time limits/divisions to do.

The difficult part is the time blindness, I am having a difficult time figuring out the timeline. I can't seem to see time in a way where I can organise accordingly and I know when the exams will near my brain will start working because of the rush and curse me at the same time for not starting earlier.

In one of my earlier posts I have talked about how I used to manage things by dividing time before but that's what I have been struggling with.

What to divide exactly?

The variables keep shifting and I can't have one plan that is gonna stick for a while. Let alone a plan— I am having difficulty with drawing even a broad outline of what my plan is supposed to be really.

The thing is I can work without a plan— and of course it is going to be downright difficult but I can do it to a certain degree. Of course it would be better with an organised plan and my results would be better.

So let's break it down— okay.

I have been passing my anatomy and biochemistry — barely but yes I have been passing.

I've failed all my physiology major exams. Falling short of marks 4-5-6 marks.

Leaving that out of the way —

Let's start with anatomy —

I had initially thought that I should cover the unit abdomen this month but I have really come to realise that felt very overwhelming to the point that I couldn't even look at the book.

And another error is that I forgot to add one unit on the list— that is thorax.

So now I have a total of 6 gross units.

So for anatomy I'll cover thorax along with upper limb.

Then comes physiology — I'll revise the units I have already studied once before at least :

I'll cover Respiratory and cardiovascular.

For biochemistry—

I'll have to cover all the molecules of life or whole of metabolism. What should I do? Molecules of life it is then.

This is a very fucking ambitious task list to keep.

Simply because, we haven't even finished our syllabus in classes right now. Classes are still being taken.

The way my schedule is set up— I have classes from 8 am to 4 pm.

So the bigger question is— how do I divide the time again?

Where I can cover what is being taught in class, complete assignments and also study the previous stuff.

I'll figure it out. I have to figure it out. There is no other choice I have. It's expensive to fail. It very much fucking sucks and I can't curse the system any less than what it deserves.

Oh yes, the first year was only 10 months long. Fuck them.

[undercoverpan]

College of Pandora

In another world, Spider would be caught by the recoms, taken away to the human stronghold. In another world, he would be tortured, made to act as a guide and translator. He'd watch tulkun be hunted, he'd crash a ship, he'd be held hostage, and he'd return to the Sullys.

In this world, they sent his ass to school.

–---

The Parker Institute is the very first school on Pandora. Since they couldn't exactly make it a kindergarten, it's one of the most advanced colleges out there, with state-of-the-art amenities. Their students are served breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as small snacks and drinks throughout the day. They employ the highest rated professors to teach subjects anywhere from the Arts to Robotics. They have a large number of facilities for activities such as archery club, track, cooking, and more.

It's arguably one of the most expensive schools ever made. Students pay upwards of 1 million dollars in order to attend. Only the absolute best of the best attend on scholarship. The students will study their respective subjects, as well as be the first students on Pandora, a 'test run'. But it's definitely safe!

–-------

Spider felt like peeling his skin off. The walls were smooth and cold to the touch, glossy and white. There was very little to look at except for 2 chairs, nothing natural about this. He tried to hug himself to conserve warmth, but it did very little. He had been left here after his capture, after they came in and asked strange questions and did tests.

He didn't even know where 'here' was.

Suddenly, the door opened. That bitch, Ardmore, stepped through, but she was followed by another figure. They were dressed in dark blue, the fabric hugging their body. It fell around their legs loosely, starting at the hip, a bit like an upside down flower. He'd never seen a human dress like that, or a Na'vi for that matter.

They looked like an older woman, but different. The wrinkles on her face made her look sharp, unlike Mo'ats wrinkles. Those came from laughter and hard work. He got the feeling that the woman spent most of her life scowling. "Is this the boy?" She asked, her voice as sharp as her gaze. She judged as harshly as the older Na'vi when they saw him playing with the Sullys. Ardmore only nodded. "Now what am I to do with him? I've not been trained to domesticate, I'm afraid." She sniffed.

"Well, what am I gonna do with him?" Asked Ardmore, "The only option is to keep him locked in a cell, and while I'm saying I don't want to do that, I'm saying that those cells are needed for things other than him." She finished harshly. The two spoke over him like he wasn't even there, and that really started to grind on his nerves.

"So what, I'm supposed to let this boy into my school? Don't be ridiculous." She huffed. "You are going to keep him in your damn school, and that's final. You don't want me contacting Parker about a new principal, now do you?" The woman grit her teeth. "Fine," she said, "I'll deal with him."

Ardmore left soon enough, as did the woman. He didn't know how much time passed, but he was antsy.

–------

There was talking outside the room. It was muffled, but Spider could make out the words if he pressed his ear against the door.

"Ah, m--ma'am, while I really am just so honoured that you chose me for the task, I really can't do this. I mean, um, I'm not very well versed in these types of situations and I believe that perhaps one of the professors would be better suited for the task."

This voice was new. Young and light, but filled with an energy that was making him jittery.

"Miranda, darling, I have nothing but utmost and complete faith in your capabilities, and therefore, I believe that you would be best suited for acclimating the boy to school life."

This one was familiar, the old woman in strange clothes. She sounded less harsh here, even almost sweet. Sickly sweet.

"Ma'am, please, I'm already busy with several school related projects as well as the other projects you've assigned to me! I don't believe I have the time, knowledge or resources to handle such a task!" 

The younger voice sounded almost desperate.

"Oh, please. You have access to more resources than anyone on the planet, you have plenty of time, and you are one of our top students here. I have absolutely no doubt that you can do this. Now here, take this and note down what you think the boy might need, and send the info to the others in the RHA."

"Wha--bu–"

There was a clicking noise that slowly went farther and farther away. He heard someone breathing erratically, pacing outside the room.

Then, the door clicked open. Spider hurriedly stepped back, taking a defensive stance. In stepped a strange figure. She was tall, taller than him even. Her hair was held back by a white band, with bangs covering her forehead. Her hair was jet black, darker than anything he'd seen before, poofy and curly. Her skin was brown, like the base of Hometree. She had a stronger nose than the other humans he's seen before, with dark brown eyes. There were these small spots all over her face, like the tahni of the Na'vi.

She wore what he could only describe as sleek. She wore a white full body piece, layered with something Norm taught him was called a "blazer". Disappointingly, it wasn't some article of clothing made of fire, but instead, it was a cloth that covered the back and arms, and parted at the front with a collar. It was deep blue in colour, lined with white and unnecessary buttons and pockets. There was cloth around her legs, a skirt. It was the same blue as the blazer, falling around her knees in a pleated pattern. 

She had her hands clasped around a tablet. As she walked in, she smiled at him, but he could tell she wasn't very happy about being here. Granted, neither was he, but he was just abducted and is now seemingly awaiting execution or torture. So perhaps their situations are not so comparable.

"Hello!" She greeted, stepping towards him with an outstretched hand. He backed up further from her, hissing. It had the achieved effect of making her step away, her smile growing tight. "Right, right, raised by the Na'vi, why didn't I expect that? Sorry." She said, clearing her throat. "So, my name is Miranda Katarina, I'll be your um, your guide? Heh," she laughed nervously. Walking towards one of the chairs in the room, she sat down, gesturing for him to do the same. He remained in the far corner in the room.

"No? That's okay, I get it, I get it." Pulling the tablet in front of her, quickly pulling something up. "Okay, so I'm in charge of your education and all that, but first I need to know what kind of education you need. Can you please read this and tell me what it says?" 

She held the screen towards him. It displayed many words close together, like one of the old report logs he's read before. He shifted his gaze towards her, her face looking at him pleasingly, as if she was saying please don't make this difficult. She looked so very….what's the word? Sad? No, hmmm….ah! That's right, she looked a bit pathetic. Up close, he could see dark bags under her eyes, her pupils dilated. She was smiling, but again, it was sad. How did she make such a happy expression look so upsetting?

Reluctantly, he walked near her, trying to read the words displayed.

Mr. Hungerton, her father, really was the most tactless person upon earth,—a fluffy, feathery, untidy cockatoo of a man, perfectly good-natured, but absolutely centered upon his own silly self. If anything could have driven me from Gladys, it would have been the thought of such a father-in-law. I am convinced that he really believed in his heart that I came round to the Chestnuts three days a week for the pleasure of his company, and very especially to hear his views upon bimetallism, a subject upon which he was by way of being an authority.

The words were framed in a way that made them hard to understand. He was by way of being an authority? What? And that's not mentioning the few foreign words that are used. Cockatoo?

His confusion must've been on his face as well, because she pulled it away from him. "Well, I geuss that you'll need linguistics," she spoke, switching the screens and tapping it, as if writing something. "It's a great class, really, they teach languages like english, french, dutch, even Na'vi. It'll be easier for you to communicate there." She gave these reassurances as if they were supposed to calm him, but they did everything but. He didn't want to learn the demons language, he knew enough already. He wasn't stupid, just raised with better morals. Na'vi had no written words, there was never any need.

He narrowed his eyes.

"You know, this would be over sooner if--if you spoke. To me. Please speak to me." She said, still smiling. He really didn't like how her face and voice made him feel guilty. "It's okay if you can't, you know, you can be taught, it's fine, it's fine!" She waved her hands, as if physically trying to remove the tension, "I--I just need to know if that's the case. I mean, it would be just, like, a big help and the process would go smoother and you know what? You could–, you could go to your own room, and I, um, I can't let you go home, sorry about that, but I can! Um, I can get you a room with a view of the forest? Of course, it won't really be in there, but you'd see it every day, and I'm sure it's not as great as the real thing, but, you know, it's something. And I don't actually have a lot of authority, so it's really all I can do–"

He cuts her off. "Shh, shh," he says, holding his hand out, "Stop talking. Seriously, just….stop." He walks over to the other chair, pulling it back and sitting. It was obvious she wasn't a soldier, she didn't have that indifference towards life in her eyes. She could be a researcher, but she didn't quite look the part. No white lab coat, nothing. "What are you, and what do you want from me?"

Because if it was the Na'vi she wanted, then she's not getting anything. She'd have the pry the knowledge out of his teeth, and he could tell she didn't have the guts. He'd protect them with his life, it was the least he could do.

"Oh!" She said, surprised, "Ah, I'm Miranda, I'm the head of the Student Government at Parker Institute." She said sheepishly, "You'll be attending, and I am here to make sure that you go to where you need to go, and that you acclimate well." 

He still didn't know what that meant exactly, but he got the gist. She was like his keeper, the watchdog that has to keep tabs on him. He frowned. 

"So, I've got you down for linguistics, are there other areas that you, ah, feel like could be improved?" She asked tentatively. He scoffed at the idea. You could always improve, you could always do better. But with the Na'vi, with Neytiri, being good or better just didn't make a difference. But he still gave his all to them, it was the least he could offer. A meagre apology, all things considered.

"M-math? Maybe? Or–, you know, they told me you lived a more 'Na'vi' lifestyle, you could do woodwork, or pottery, or even theatre," she suggested, looking down at the screen as though she was reading off of a list, "There's also botany and zoology. It's kinda like what Dr. Grace Augustine studied before her, um…." She grimaced, hesitating, contemplating her words, "....her untimely passing."

A thick silence fell over the room.

She coughed, clearing her throat. "So, I'll sign you up for um, Woodworking. I'll put you down for math–," he speaks up, "No way." He says gruffly, and she flashes a smile before looking down at her pad. "O-okay, no math. That's fine, you know, that's fine. What about other subjects? We have, uh, just about everything. There's the Arts, that's like a general term for things like theatre and painting and crafts. We have engineering, that's where you make machines, and chemistry, that's where you mostly use chemicals."

None of that sounded interesting, but….

"....I want to do what Dr. Grace did.." He said quietly. She smiled, typing something out on the tablet. "Okay, botany and zoology. Did you want to try out, like, a general course first or do you want to do, like, something more specific, like marine life…?" He scrunched his nose, crossing his arms. "What did Dr. Grace do?" She looked down, fingers moving swiftly across the screen, "Mostly wildlife that lived in the forest, marine life research is mostly Dr. Gavins."

He didn't know who Dr. Gavin was at all, so he really didn't feel like taking his course. For all he knew, he was out there torturing innocent sea creatures.

"Okay, you know what, we'll just start off with 3 classes for now, and later, we can try different classes!" She got up, tablet grasped in her left hand as she approached the exit. She paused, just as she was about to open the door, turning back to him. "D–did you want some clothes? Do you want some clothes?" She asked carefully, and he hissed at the mention of wearing the constricting cloth the demons call clothes. "I only offer because, ah, the school is usually colder than this," she gestured to the room they were in, "And you're already pretty, um, cold."

She mumbled the last bit, but he heard her. Defiantly, he pulled his arms to his side, "I'm not cold." He said, loudly, looking at her with some sense of determination. "You--you're cold. You're freezing, actually." She was mumbling again, before clearing her throat. Shyly, she looked him up and down. He looked at himself, just now noticing the slight shivering and goosebumps that covered his skin. She turned away. "I can get you a coat, maybe?"

And that's how he ended up in a coat. It bore no RDA logo, seeming more like personal cloth than something the RDA provided. It was more of an ocean blue, with this strange red pattern across it. He thinks he saw them in a book once, something about earth and flowers. It smelled strange, but pleasant. It was more natural than whatever it was that they used to scrub the walls.

They walked the halls, with him hissing and glaring at the soldiers who looked at him too long. They eventually made it to a long corridor, completely made of glass. All around them, Pandora glowed. He hadn't noticed that night had fallen. Looking outside, past the see-through walls, he felt upset. He could imagine the touch and smell of every plant out there, like the soft glow could be held in his hands.

"This is the school's entrance." She spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence the two had been walking in. Somehow, the skyperson seemed more afraid of him than he was of her, which was strange. She was larger, but probably not stronger than someone who swings off trees every day. 

"Un--unfortunately, we weren't able to prepare a–, um, room for you," she said as she pulled some kind of card from her breast pocket, pressing it against a scanner. The doors opened with a low hiss, revealing white walls. Really, what was humanity's obsession with white? He recalls Norm telling him something about spills, but he felt like no amount of spills could justify making a place look whiter than a snowy mountain.

"So you'll just have to room with me, and tomorrow we can do a tour and start your classes." 

She spared him an apologetic glance, one he ignored in favour of glaring at her. He'd never shared his room with anyone, mainly because his was too cramped for Kiri or Lo'ak to sleep in, Neteyam hated being inside the shack with a burning passion, and Tuk wasn't allowed to go to sleep there due to the air thing. It was a little lonely, especially when he dreamed of getting to sleep in a big pile like the Na'vi. And he'll claim that there's no one specific holding him, just warm hands and entangled limbs on a cold night in a hammock.

This was not that.

This was being led up white stairs, seeing these doors lined across a hallway. He is being led farther away from those doors, up more stairs, up more stairs, led down another hall. The white walls are genuinely numbing to him. He accidentally bumps into her when she stops unexpectedly in front of a door. For just a split second, he feels fabric on his bare chest. Smooth, soft fibres against his skin. And in that exact same second, they scrambled away from each other. They regard each other carefully, eyes wide and shoulders tense.

A beat of silence passes.

"Th--This is my room." She says, eyes trained on him for a moment before taking that same card from before and pressing it onto a scanner. The door swings open, and she steps inside, and he hesitates. She turns to him with that same pleading look. As if to say please come in. Depressingly, he feels almost excited; he's never really been wanted somewhere, much less someone's room. But she is a demon and this is her fortress, so being wanted here is actually a very bad thing.

He pushes down the joy and welcomes the trepidation.

He steps in after her, regarding the room with suspicion. He can only assume he's being watched here.

The room is big, bigger than his room in the shack. Massive windows reveal Pandora's beauty, glowing and luminescent under the night sky. The room is white, yes, but he could see dark blue along the walls. The ceiling was high, small lights dimmed to almost nothing. A large bed was off to the corner of the room, with deep blue sheets and pillows. The cover was laid neatly, the pillows stacked and smoothed so they looked like no one used them. Hesitantly, he steps forwards.

There is a carpet beneath his feet. It was light in colour, more off-white than anything, with intricate little symbols. The most intricacies he'd seen on anything made by humans was the innards of the terrible machines they used. He'd never really thought of the textile works of humans. Begrudgingly, he thought it was quite pretty, if a bit old.

There were artworks lined against the other wall, opposite of the windows. He eyed them carefully. Paintings of men and women in the strangest clothing he'd ever seen, loose and colourful as it hung from their bodies. Women wearing cloth tied over their hair, with thick dark locks, smiling and dancing or holding instruments. Men dancing along with them, with the same dark locks and brown skin.

Strange.

"You can sleep in my bed tonight," she says, walking over to the desk that was stationed a few feet away from the bed. Multiple monitors were on top, pens and pencils and notebooks and papers littered across the smooth brown surface. The desk was intricate, small compartments and buttons and such. This didn't seem like any human or Na'vi bedroom he'd ever seen before.

But all the desks and beds and carpets and art didn't matter.

What did matter was the strange little tree on the table beside the bed. It was small and curved, with branches reaching out. The leaves were a vibrant orange hue, so delicate and beautiful. Most trees in Pandora were a beautiful green that caught and reflected the light so majestically. They swayed gently in the wind, as if Eywa herself was using them to play a melody. 

This tree was small and captivating in its own sense. It almost looked out of place, just as much of a prisoner as Spider. Except he wasn't confined to some kind of pot and kept in one place. He felt a sort of kindred spirit with the tree; both trapped and unable to escape the–, the demoness  that held them prisoner in her bedroom. The demoness that sat on her chair at her desk, like some kind of throne, watching her kingdom of hell.

He walked facing her. He was definitely not going to turn his back to her, he knew better than to trust a demon. 

He ran his hand across the covers. Too plush, too velvety. Humans never seemed to have a good middleground, always too this or too that. The bed is the same, but at the very least, he was certain of one thing: the bed is safe. Of course it is. They'll want him alive so they can try to extract information from him. But he couldn't afford to let his guard down. He knew of how the sky people could deceive others, how he they could even decieve themselves.

That's how he ends up beneath blue covers, staring at the human.

She wasn't lying when she said it would get cold. The icy air felt like fire against his skin until he caved and slipped beneath the blanket. It was warm, but strangely, only smelled synthetic. He knew his blanket smelled like him, that the one that he and Kiri wove together once smelled like FRUIT and the one Lo'ak had tried making him once smelled of burnt fibres thanks to him setting it on fire, a little bit. These smelled unused. Unloved.

Ignoring the smell, he was managing to not fall asleep. Instead, he spent his time making sure she didn't try to do anything. And he was succeeding! All she's done is type away at her keyboard and drink coffee. She looks positively miserable. Good.

______

The morning light slowly crept upon them. The light bathed the room the room in gold, making it look brighter than it did in the night. The light caught on her eyelashes differently, more of a glow rather than how the moonlight made them shimmer. He could very clearly see dark circles beneath her eyes as she wiped away at the crust near her eyes. Those same eyes that looked like the same dark brown swirling in her cup during the night now looked like the brown of his bow. He could even make out flecks of gold.

She stretched her arms above her head with an audible crack and pop. Sighing, she leaned back into her chair, elbow resting on the armrest, rubbing at the bridge of her nose with pinched fingers.

He was also tired. Staying up all night, watching her, trying to keep warm lest he freeze to death.

Then suddenly, there was a ding at the door. The girl got up, walking towards the door and opening it. She took a tray from someone standing on the other end, conversing with them in a hushed tone.

"Yes, he stayed in my room tonight. I don't think he's sleeping, so keep your voice down." She whispered, "I'll be showing him around campus today, so please tell Adam and Eve that I can only call them today, maybe facetime if I get lucky. If there are any updates on Ms Carole's condition, do not hesitate to contact me."

The unknown person leaned in and whispered something in his ear. 

"Yes, okay, I'll try to set up an official visit for the colonel and his team. Please let him know that I have Spider, and that he can drop in at the end of the day."

….

Please do not let him do that.

He didn't want to see that demon, he couldn't stomach looking at his face. Na'vi killer, demon, monster, dad. He brought a whirlwind of rage and terror and other emotions he couldn't deal with right now. He just–, he couldn't–, he cant he can't he can't. He needs to think of something else, anything else.

Hm, think, think, think….was Miranda some kind of doctor, then? Norm told him that humans had those, people who specialised in the human body. Unfortunately none of them stayed behind on Pandora, so they were just going at it blind when it came to broken bones or sickness. 

She stepped back into the room, tray in hand. He squeezed his eyes shut as she approached. He heard something clink soft against the table beside the bed, as well as some sort of spritzing? "Good morning, BoBo." She said, and that was weird because she knew his name. Was BoBo some kind of synonym for prisoner? Kidnapee? He didn't know. But she said it like she was genuinely happy. 

"Good morning to you too, Spider."

He might've flinched at hearing his name, who knows?

"I have a tour planned today," she continued, ignoring his silence, "so we'll need to eat fast. I--I know you might be uncomfortable eating with others, so you can just eat in here or your own room."  She smiles. 

He flicks his gaze upwards. She's looking at him, holding something towards him. He only looks at her with suspicion. A few moments pass and she sighs. She brings it to her lips, takes a bite, and pushes it towards him. "See? Safe." 

He gingerly took the food from her hand. It was brown and flaky, in a sort of crescent shape. It was cut open in the middle, filled with some sort of cream and fruit. It smelled great, yes, and it looked good, but he knew better than to trust anything that was given to him so freely. He was told stories where humans tried to poison their food and water.

But he supposed he had no choice.

__________

Now I'm not sure on the name so its only Parker Institute for now. This fic introduces a new version of the Recom program as well as a rival company to the RDA!!

They're coming in the next chapter; dw, you will get more info my friends. For now, know that the company is called HRI. <33

[braveclementine]

Chapter 7

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.💚💚.

𝕾𝖊𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖆𝖓𝖉 October started to roll around. Dad had written me back congratulating me on making Hufflepuff Quidditch team and inquiring what trouble I'd been into. He'd also explained that his job was a simple one, perhaps boring, but he never told me the specifics of what he was doing.

Harry came to Hermione, Ron, and I as we were studying in the Gryffindor common room. While I was not a Gryffindor, I was seen in there so frequently that people tended to forget I wasn't one.

He was dripping with mud, having just come in from a rainy Quidditch practice. He had gone to the showers and had come back to tell us about Nearly Headless Nick inviting him, and us, to his Deathday party.

"A deathday party?" Hermione asked, interested. "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those- it'll be fascinating!"

"Right there with you Hermione." I said, grinning over my fun Muggle book As the Crow Flies. (Not because the book was necessarily a fun book to read or that it was fun, just that I considered books that weren't for school as 'fun' because they weren't serious).

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" Ron asked grumpily, working on potions homework. "Sounds dead depressing to me." He glanced up at me, "How do you have time to read that? Aren't you swamped with homework? Even Hermione's not completely done with her homework."

I looked up from my book. Over Ron's shoulder I saw that Fred and George were trying to figure out what happened if you fed a firework to a salamander. Luckily, it was a magical fire-dwelling salamander from Care of Magical Creatures class. I looked upon them, amused, and then answered Ron, "I finished yesterday. And Hermione only has one assignment left anyways."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, the salamander whizzed through the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs, while it whirled wildly around the room. People jumped out of the way, laughing at its antics. It was funny, but I wasn't entirely sure if it was ethical.

However, once Percy started bellowing himself hoarse at Fred and George, I started to laugh. The salamander escaped into the fire and started exploding tangerine colored stars from its mouth, and then the fireworks died down, and the salamander curled up on the fire to sleep. I laughed so hard, tears came into my eyes, and Hermione and I collapsed into more fits of giggles.

.💚💚.

𝕺𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝕳𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖉 to come around however, Harry was starting to regret his promise to go to the deathday party, constantly talking to Ron, Hermione, and I about possibly skipping it. Ron was all for that, but Hermione got very bossy about it saying a promise was a promise. I privately agreed with her. Besides, it was going to be a fascinating experience, even if something very bad was going to happen afterwards.

I told them I'd meet them at the Great Hall at seven. I had ducked into the Great Hall and had packed food into my bag so that we could eat after the party. It would be rude to eat in front of ghosts.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were dressed in everyday wear and were surprised that I was wearing a thick cloak. "It'll be cold in the dungeons." was my defense.

We walked down into the dungeon which was lined with candles. I wondered who had set them out, considering ghosts couldn't move objects. Perhaps peeves, though I doubted he'd do anything nice. There were long, thin, jet-black tapers which burned bright blue. As we got closer to the dungeons, I covered my ears with a start at what sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"Oh." I whimpered.

"Is that supposed to be music?" Ron whispered, wincing as well.

We turned the corner and I quickly dropped my hands as Nick was floating in front of the doorway. He was wearing velvet black robes and was looking very mournful.

How did he change clothes? Ghosts could change clothes? That was fascinating.

"My dear friends. Welcome, welcome. . . so pleased you could come. . ." He said in a very proper, simpering, mournful tone.

He bowed us inside and I felt a bit more comfortable, seeing all the ghosts that were here. I looked around interested, doing my best to ignore the horrible music. Some were dancing, others were talking and laughing. There was a chandelier overhead with midnight-blue flames, and more candles lined the walls and floor. The same tapers that had lined the hallway outside were put at regular intervals along the walls as well.

"Shall we have a look around?" Harry asked, awkwardly.

I was a bit disappointed, wanting to converse with the Fat Friar on the other side of the room who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. I wondered what his story was.

"Careful not to walk through anyone." Ron whispered nervously. We set off around the edge of the dance floor so that we weren't around any other spirits.

We walked past many groups of different ghosts and I was itching to stop and have a conversation with them.

"Oh, no." Hermione said, stopping so abruptly that I slammed into her. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle-"

"What?" I asked, still slightly disconcerted by the sudden stop. "Why not?"

"Who?" Harry asked, as we started to go back the way we came.

"She haunts one of the toilets in the girls' bathroom on the first floor." Hermione said.

"She haunts a toilet?" Harry asked redundantly.

"Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you-" Hermione said, explaining everything.

"I like Myrtle." I said, frowning. "When she's not throwing a fit she's actually really fun to talk to. I used to go in there all the time just to talk to her. I like ghosts."

"Well you've always been a bit weird, haven't you?" Harry said jokingly, grinning at me.

I nudged him with my elbow.

"Look, food!" Ron said, pointing.

They approached the table but I hung back, knowing exactly what it was going to be- rotted food. I couldn't stand the smell, I thought I might just be sick. I quickly took the food I had in my bag and pulled it out so that I could smell it. My stomach calmed down a bit more.

I heard Hermione say, "I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavor." and then I heard Ron say, "Can we move? I feel sick."

I walked forward with my own food, but then peeves got in between them and myself.

"Hello, Peeves." Harry said cautiously.

I glared at Peeves, annoyed, and walked around him to stand with the others. He was wearing an orange party hate, a revolving bow tie that flashed different colors, and a bright orange turncoat.

"Nibbles?" He said in a false sweet voice, offering us a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus. I nearly threw up.

"No thanks." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle. Rude you was about poor Myrtle." Peeves said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY! MYRTLE!"

"Oh bloody hell." I said. Multiple ghosts looked around and glared up at Peeves.

Hermione whispered frantically, trying to cover her tracks saying, "Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset. I didn't mean it, I don't mind her- er, hello, Myrtle."

Myrtle had wandered over. She was a thin girl, with thick glasses and looked a bit like Harry if he had worn a wig and looked a bit more like a girl. Her hair was in pigtails that came down on either side of her head. She wore Hogwarts robes from when she had been in Ravenclaw.

"What?" She asked sulkily as she glared at all of us, her expression softening just a bit when she saw me.

"How are you Myrtle?" Hermione asked in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

I wanted to slam my head into my hands, but thought it might be a dead give away. Myrtle sniffed.

Peeves leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Miss Granger was just talking about you-"

Myrtle eyed Hermione with suspicions. I quickly took charge of the conversation.

"I was telling them about how we used to talk when I came into the restroom last year. Your favorite things to do, what you wanted to be when you grew up, and your life before this life." I lied brightly.

Myrtle brightened up considerably and Peeves glared at me. "Oh yes, dreadful isn't it?"

"Of course." I said sympathetically.

"But Miss Granger was talking about you. . ." Peeves continued, wanting to create chaos tonight. "Don't you want to know what she said?"

I sighed. There was no hope, I guess I really couldn't change the future.

"Just saying- saying- how nice you look tonight." Hermione said, glaring at Peeves.

"You're making fun of me." Myrtle said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No-honestly- didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" Hermione asked, nudging Ron and Harry in the ribs.

"I think you look lovely Myrtle." I said, trying again. "I love your pigtails."

Myrtle hesitated, not sure if she should be upset or not. Peeves whispered something in her ear and then Myrtle said, "Don't lie to me." Tears were starting to flood down her face and I too, glared at Peeves. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply." Peeves hissed at her.

Myrtle burst into sobs and floated away, fleeing. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with moldy peanuts and shouting, "Pimply! Pimply!"

I turned away, frustrated. What good was knowing what was going to happen, if I couldn't make any changes to it?

"Enjoying yourselves?" I turned to see that Nearly Headless Nick had floated over to see how we are doing.

"Oh yes." The other three lied.

"I think this is just fascinating." I said honestly.

"Not a bad turnout." Nearly Headless Nick said proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent. . . It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the orchestra-"

The orchestra stopped playing at that moment however, and the sound of a hunting horn echoed through the chamber. The other ghosts turned to see what was going on. I sighed in exasperation. Would this night ever end?

Nick's face turned bitter and he said, "Oh, here we go."

Ghosts riding ghost horses burst through the wall, the ghosts all holding their heads by their hip. The ghosts that were standing around started to clap. I quickly grabbed Harry's hands as he started to clap and shook my head.

I handed my food to Ron who started to eat it. I was going to have to leave and tell Professor Dumbledore and Snape what was about to happen. After all, if I didn't tell them, then they were going to wonder why I didn't tell them, and if I was covering up for someone. The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor, rearing and neighing.

I wondered briefly if the horses knew they were dead and what they thought about it. The leading rider jumped down, putting his head back down on his head. I winced at the sight. "Nick! How are you? Head still hanging in there?" He roared as he approached.

He gave a hearty laugh and clapped Nick on the shoulder.

"Welcome, Patrick." Nick said stiffly, still trying to be courteous.

"Live 'uns!" Sir Patrick said, spotting Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I. He gave a huge fake jump of astonishment so that his head fell off again and the ghost crowd roared with laughter. They were starting to close in a circle. The spirits I had once wanted to talk to were making me feel like I was in some sci-fi murder film. Goosebumps broke out on my skin.

"Very amusing." Nick said icily.

"Don't mind Nick!" Sir Patrick's head said from the floor. "Still upset we won't let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say- look at the fellow-"

Harry quickly interjected saying, "I think Nick's very- frightening and- er-"

I sighed as the head shouted, "Ha! Bet he asked you to say that!"

"Perhaps." I interjected angrily. "But I think it's highly biased and prejudiced that you won't allow him to the join the Hunt when it's his greatest wish, and he practically fits the qualifications anyways."

Nick beamed at me, but St. Patrick said, "And how is he going to participate in headless games without a headless head?"

I didn't have an answer for that and Nick quickly said, "If I could have everyone's attention, it's time for my speech." He started to float up to the podium and I saw my chance.

"I'm going to the bathroom." I whispered to the others. I darted back across the dance floor and out of the room. Taking a deep breather, I walked swiftly up the corridor and watched as Mrs Norris trotted past me. I hesitated, not wanting to go down the same path she was about to face.

I let her go past and counted to twenty and then heard a voice in the wall and my blood spiked. ". . . rip. . . tear. . . kill."

"Time to go." I muttered and opened the door to the Great Hall and slipped inside. The feast was coming to a close as the others were eating dessert and starting to get full. I slipped along the back wall, making my way up to the teachers table.

No one paid me any attention, to busy eating and laughing and jesting to take notice. I tried to catch the eye of Professor Snape as I got closer to the table so that I wouldn't have to go up to the table. I'd never seen a student do that before and certainly didn't want to be the first.

Finally, as I reached the end of the student tables, Professor Snape looked over at me and I made a jerking motion with my head. I pointed to Professor Dumbledore. He stood slowly and bent to whisper something in Professor Dumbledore's ear. I dashed up the stairs and stood to the side where the students couldn't see me.

Professor Snape and Dumbledore approached me.

"What is it, Miss Kane?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "Did you see something interesting?"

The students started to file out and I spoke hurriedly. "I might be too late but I saw Filch's cat hanging by its tail from a torch bracket. In my vision, I mean. I don't know how or why, but I don't think she's dead. I'm not sure. It was supposed-"

I was interrupted by someone shouting from the hallway, "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

"Too late." I whispered.

The other teachers got up from the table to investigate what was going on, and Professor Dumbledore and Snape led the way out of the Great Hall and into the corridor, parting through students to get to the front. I followed closely behind Snape.

On the wall above the cat there was a sign written in paint that said, THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

Filch was lunging at Harry saying, "You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"

"Argus!" Dumbledore said loudly and calmly.

I found that I was clutching the end of Professor Snape's robes in anticipation, and I quickly let go, looking down, and blushing. Dumbledore swept past Filch and neatly detached Mrs. Norris from the bracket. I was trembling with anxiety.

"Come with me Argus. You too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Kane." Dumbledore said.

Lockhart stepped forward, eager as a puppy. "My office is nearest, Headmaster- just upstairs- please feel free-"

"Thank you, Gilderoy." Dumbledore said.

The crowd parted, letting us through, and I followed closely behind Snape, perhaps more accurately, hiding behind him. My fingers brushed the back of his cloak on accident, and he gave a start.

In Lockhart's office, Professor Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris down on an empty table. Filch was sitting in the back of the room, slumped in a chair, his face in his hands, sobbing. I felt horrible for him, and if he hadn't been such a horrible person to the students, I might've tried to attempt to comfort him.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her- probably the Transmogrifian Torture- I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her. . ." He continued talking until I got so annoyed I snapped.

"She's not dead." I snapped at Lockhart.

He looked at me in surprise and both Professor McGonagall and Snape turned their attention to me. "Of course she is Miss Pot-"

"Oh shut up." I snapped moodily. If he called me Miss Potter one more time I was going to curse him into oblivion.

Professor McGonagall's face was one of surprise, probably because I had never been disrespectful to anyone ever. Snape on the other hand looked rather amused.

Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus. Miss Kane is correct." He said.

"Not dead?" Filch choked out, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. I really did feel sorry for him. "But why's she all- stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," Dumbledore said.

"Ah, I thought so!" Lockhart said, looking around proudly. I rolled my eyes.

"But how, I cannot say. . ." Dumbledore said, looking at me with his pale blue piercing eyes. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Ask him!" Filch shrieked, pointing at Harry.

"He didn't do it." I said in a softer tone than I had used with Lockhart.

"No second year could have done this. It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced-" Dumbledore said firmly but was interrupted by Filch.

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found- in my office- he knows I'm a- He knows I'm a Squib!" He finished.

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, seeming very uncomfortable. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

I opened my mouth to give Harry the definition of what a Squib was but Filch interrupted me, spitting mad, "Rubbish! He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster." Snape said, stepping forward. "Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I all launched into different version of the deathday party. We were all talking over each other but I think they got the gist of it.

"But why not join the feast afterward? Why go up to that corridor?" Professor Snape said, his lip starting to curl.

"Because they were looking for me." I quickly interjected. I hated lying but I remembered how Hermione had lied last year about the troll. The three of them looked at me in shock and a bit of confusion. "I'd told them I was leaving to go to the bathroom. We were all going to go to the feast afterwards."

"But Hufflepuffs don't sit with Gryffindors." Snape continued stubbornly. "So why would you guys have gone to the feast together?"

"Since when have I ever listened to that rule?" I asked honestly. "You should know perfectly well I sit with the Gryffindors all of the time."

Ron coughed to stop a laugh.

"Still." Snape pressed on, though his usually pale cheeks had flushed just slightly. "Surely you knew the feast was going to end soon. Why not just meet there?"

"We were tired and wanted to let her know that we were going back up to the Gryffindor common room to go to bed." Harry said.

"Without any supper?" Snape asked. I glared at him.

"We weren't hungry. Elizabeth brought food down to the party with her." Ron said but then his stomach growled.

I sighed.

Snape's smile got wider and I wanted to nudge him in the ribs. Hard. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful. It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

I snorted with laughter.

"Really, Severus." Professor McGonagall sharply. "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look at the moment. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus." He said finally.

Severus looked furious. "Knock it off." I hissed at him over Filch shrieking, "My cat has been Petrified! I want to see some punishment!"

Snape gave me a long look. I glared at him reproachfully. He was a Legilimens for Merlin's sake! At least, I was fairly certain he was. Couldn't he just peek into Harry's mind and see that it wasn't him? Actually, why didn't he just peak in my head and try and figure out my visions? Then I wouldn't have to try and explain any of this.

"We will be able to cure her, Argus. Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris." Professor Dumbledore told him patiently.

"I'll make it." Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep-"

"Excuse me." Snape said icily, whipping his head away from me. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause. Then, Dumbledore said, "You may go."

I turned to leave with the others but then Dumbledore said, "Miss Kane, please stay for a moment longer."

I turned back to him, knowing what he wanted. He spoke to Lockhart. "Could you please go back down to the corridor and make sure everyone is gone back to bed."

"Of course Professor." Lockhart said and made is way out of the room. Filch followed out, wiping tears away.

"Miss Kane, can you tell us exactly what happened?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

I sighed. "Harry had nothing to do with it. I don't know who opened the chamber or why or how. I don't see as much as people think I do. It takes concentration. I can't just ask questions and see what I want to see. My visions unfold like a story line. I don't really know much until it gets close enough and then I know just before everyone else. Funnily enough, the most important things are the things that are hardest to see."

Professor McGonagall didn't look confused, but she acted like it. "Visions? Like seeing into the future?"

I nodded. "I don't tell anyone about it for pretty much this exact reason. Even Harry and Ron don't know about it." I was pretty sure that she already knew.

"Will you try?" Professor Dumbledore asked calmly. "I wouldn't ask unless it was necessary."

I sighed and pulled out a chair and sat down with my back towards them. I rested my head on my arms and closed my eyes. Good lord, how I regretted telling Snape about my visions.

I focused, doing my best to ignore the three teachers behind me, waiting. It took me three minutes to even forget they existed and then I was able to focus. Hermione was asking Binns about the Chamber of secrets, boring. . . Hermione was convincing Harry and Ron to make a Polyjuice potion because they suspected Malfoy, fair. . . Oh, Gryffindor was going to win the game!

"Oh, Ouch." I muttered out loud seeing Harry have his arm broken from a bludger. . .then there was a hand lying on the ground, a bunch of grapes a couple of inches away. . . a camera in the other hand. . .

"That's not good." I said aloud.

"What?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

I pulled my head up, wincing at the horrible headache I had. I closed my right eye, hoping to alleviate the pain.

"Oh it was about the Quidditch game." I said.

"Slytherin won?" Professor McGonagall asked sharply. Snape shot me a triumphant look.

"No. Gryffindor is going to win. Harry's going to break his arm. He'll be put in the hospital wing overnight because Lockhart's going to try and fix his arm. Colin Creevey is going to try and sneak up to the hospital wing and he's going to be petrified. Professor Dumbledore is going to find him, going down to get hot chocolate."

"So we just tell Colin not to leave the dormitory after the game." Professor McGonagall said, looking at Professor Dumbledore.

"No." I snapped unnecessarily. I hadn't meant to snap at her- I would never have been disrespectful on purpose. But I was dizzy, light-headed, and had a thundering headache. Not to mention I was both tired and hungry. My knees felt shaky. I hadn't tried so hard before. I needed sleep. "You can't intervene with the future. It screws everything up."

She stared at me in shock. "But-"

I sighed, frustrated, and pressed my hand against my throbbing head. "You don't understand. The things that I see are set in stone. You change something, you try to intervene, it doesn't do anything. I have been trying since September 1st to change the future. Trying to stop the barrier from closing, trying to stop Ron from cursing Malfoy, trying and trying and trying. It doesn't work and its never going to. If Colin isn't petrified that night, it'll be another night or even worse, he's going to die. You don't stop something from changing it, it happens anyway whether its a second later or minutes later or an hour later. And this is why-" I looked at Dumbledore. "- I don't tell people. They immediately assume that they can change the future. I think you are a brilliant teacher Professor McGonagall, I admire you greatly, but this isn't something that can be changed."

I took a deep breath and sat back down, putting my head in my hands. I needed sleep. Or aspirin.

They were whispering between themselves. I shouldn't have snapped at Professor McGonagall. I shouldn't have reprimanded Professor Dumbledore. I most definitely should've nudged Professor Snape in the ribs though. I regretted not doing that.

"Alright Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore said after some time. "We'll trust you with this for now."

I nodded, trying to find the strength to get up. I nearly tripped over my own two feet and would've bashed my head into the door handle if Professor Snape hadn't grabbed my arm, steadying me. I muttered thanks, finding strength in my knees after a moment, and left the room. I found my way back to the common room where the entire Hufflepuff house was waiting for me.

"What happened?" Cedric asked.

If it had been anyone else asking, I wouldn't have answered. "Professor Dumbledore decided that Mrs. Norris has been petrified. He also cautions everyone to try and avoid that specific corridor if it can be avoided. That's about it."

"Does he think Harry did it?" A fourth-year asked.

"Um no?" I questioned. "He says the magic that is done is too high of a level for a second-year to have done it. Probably even higher than a sixth-year. It's also dark magic. He doesn't believe that it's Harry at all, or any of the students for that matter."

I hurried up the stairs so that I could get to bed. I collapsed on the bed. I would write dad tomorrow. I rolled over, sleep coming quickly filled with dreams of snakes that when I woke up, I didn't remember.

⬅️➡️

[pierrotwrites-hc]

ok so this is probably gonna be weirdly specific but. ages ago, when i read the previous version of tgb, i seem to remember an author's note that said you rewrote an even earlier version of the story to make luca less like yourself & more into his own character (or something along those lines, it was a very long time ago). would you ever elaborate on what that meant? from what i understand you have been working on tgb for a really long time and even if i misremember that note, your writing process facinates me. i only read the version that was previously published on ao3 and the current one is definitely better but i'd love to hear what the rewriting process was like, as it apparently wasn't the first time you'd done it? huge fan of your work, i hope you have the best day :)

HA we are actually on the...*drumroll*...third revision of this story.

The first version was only a few chapters posted on the orig_slavefic community on Livejournal (shoutout to @maculategiraffe). I was still working out the sort of story I wanted to write and took an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach, which meant there was MAGIC and DEMONS and god knows what else. I couldn't pace a story to save my life (did I mention I was 17) and the style and voice and characterization were wildly inconsistent, a patchwork of things I liked in books by other, better writers (Terry Pratchett, Diana Wynne Jones, Holly Black, etc).

Anyway, an LJ writer I admired wrote a post in which they sarcastically excerpted some of my writing, and I realized that the chapters I'd produced were not just unsuccessful but mockable. I thought about what I wanted the story to be, where I wanted it to go, and how I wanted it to sound. I identified a serious tone problem with Luca's POV: it was written too lightly, and made him come across as far too...well, plucky, for lack of a better word. It just wasn't how someone so broken would think or speak or see the world.

I rewrote that draft completely. This resulted in the version originally posted on Ao3. It was miles better, but I had miles to go, and I knew it, but I didn't know how to get there.

At that point I was in undergrad at a school which offered no creative writing classes and whose professors really and truly disdained the sort of books I liked best. (I'll never forget proposing a thesis on children's fantasy in postwar Britain and my advisor forbidding me from "applying my theory pyrotechnics to a pile of crap"). So I started a reading group with a friend, a very serious reading group with books assigned at the beginning and end of every semester and hours-long weekly meetings. It was here that I began to figure out what actually worked about the books I admired, and how I might adapt successful structures and strategies into my own work.

Then I went to graduate school for writing. This was the first time I'd gotten deep critical feedback on my creative work. I was also diagnosed with CPTSD by a therapist who assigned me a lot of reading (my love language). Now I could work on technical issues like tone and pacing while also developing a deeper understanding of how trauma shapes a person's identity and worldview.

Looking at the second draft of TGB through this lens, I felt that Luca and Robert were not distinct enough, either from each other or any of the other characters (many of whom were pretty cartoonish). I also realized that I hadn't been thinking of Luca's plot arc as a progress arc, a reparative curve along which we see him moving chapter by chapter and book by book. And I wanted to give myself room to illustrate his relationship with Robert in more nuanced shades of moral gray. Robert and Luca are both products of a society like but also quite unlike our own, and they don't have to be (and shouldn't be) "good" or "likable" in the way we're used to thinking about. Robert is not (or at least not initially) an abolitionist. Neither is Luca. Indeed, Robert is the one most willing to question the institution of slavery because he's also the one whose imagination hasn't been (as Kemp says of Luca) "hopelessly limited by slavery." Of course those limitations aren't actually hopeless, but they are very real, and they're something Luca will be chipping away at in increments for a long, long time.

It was useful for me to think about who I wanted Luca and Robert to be at the beginning of the story, and what I wanted their relationship to be, and then to think about who they and their relationship would become by the very last page of the very last book. Knowing our starting point and our destination allowed me to plot the distance between, and to shape that plot around the trauma recovery (with all its fits, starts, and setbacks) these characters needed to go through, both together and individually.

And then I started writing.