#and he looks great in that pink velvet jacket!

[personinthepalace]

Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer at the Olivier Awards 2024

[clockwayswrites]

Like Betta Fish Do Part 25

WC: 3,537 Masterpost CW: Canon typical violence

“I can’t believe I’m in a custom suit,” Danny said as he admired himself in the mirror.

“It is really weird the first few times,” Jason agreed as he did up his own cufflinks.

Danny twisted so that the very faint blue on blue pattern sewn into the suit caught the light. It gave the impression of rolling waves. “So how many fish things did you manage to fit in?”

He watched the reflection to catch Jason’s lips tick up into a pleased smile.

“Well there’s the fabric itself, deep ocean blue.”

“And patterned like waves,” Danny finished. “I caught that.”

“Your shirt and tie are sea foam white.”

“Okay, that one might be a stretch,” Danny said, but he touched the fabric gently.

Jason rolled his eyes. “I’m counting it. The pocket square, very nontraditional, is a Japanese indigo linen in a pattern that is a historic representation of waves. The buttons are abalone, the cufflinks red coral, and the tie pin is mother of pearl.”

“Six, if I give you sea foam white.”

“You better, I worked hard on this. And it’s actually seven, one last thing,” Jason said. He picked up a blue velvet jewelry box off his side table and held it out.

Danny took it curiously. It was bigger than a ring box, but smaller than a necklace case. He brushed his thumb over the soft covering before he snapped the lid open. His breath caught.

Inside was a set of earrings. Simple silver studs for for his cartilage piercings, a pearl earring for his left ear, and then the show stopper: a crystal studded and delicate woven silver betta fish on a chain for his right ear. Its black pearl eyes were bright. They almost made it seem alive.

“Jason…”

“I tried to stay subtle with the rest, but this I couldn’t resist,” he said. “You’re my fish, and everyone at the gala should know that.”

Danny carefully closed the box before he flung his arms around Jason’s neck and pulled the other down for a kiss.

“Careful,” Jason murmured when the kiss broke, “if we show up late and mussed Tim will frown at us the whole night.”

“That would be a shame,” Danny whispered back before kissing Jason again.

“I can’t believe I’m being the voice of reason,” Jason said, “but you have to let me get dressed.”

“Fine,” Danny said, even if it made him want to pout. “Maybe… I can take it off after the gala then?”

The pink that Jason blushed was more than worth being bold and Danny took a moment to admire it before he turned to put in the earrings.

Behind him, Jason knotted a white (or sea foam, Danny supposed) tie and shrugged on a matching jacket. The suit looked bright, almost glowing, against the rich blue dress shirt that complimented Danny’s own suit. He couldn’t be sure what it was from this distance, but Danny thought he saw the glint of white on white embroidery on the cuffs and lapels of the suit. It was the silver fish bone tie pin that made him laugh.

“People are going to have questions.”

“Let them,” Jason said with a cheshire smile.

“I’m starting to get what going to a gala with you will be like,” Danny said.

“Oh, this is tame for me,” Jason said. “I’m behaving.”

“I know, it’s part of your charm.”

“If only the press thought that,” Jason said, grabbing his phone as it beeped. “That’s our car.”

“I wish we could just take your bike,” Danny said, watching Jason put his phone back down, “and our phones.”

“Suit lines. I’ve got a connection to the family,” Jason assured Danny.

“Still. But I guess those suit lines do really great things for your ass and it would be a shame to ruin that,” Danny agreed with a put upon sigh.

“You’re incorrigible tonight,”Jason said (not that he seemed to mind if his smirk was any hint).

“Maybe it’s just that new years mood,” Danny said with a little shrug, lacing their fingers together as they left. “This year turned out pretty great, and I bet next year is going to be even better.”

“Yeah? Any reason for that?”

“Well, I happened to move to a city that’s pretty weird but also pretty awesome,” Danny said.

“Good reason,” Jason agreed. “What else?”

“I’m finally in the degree for what I want to do, and I’m kicking ass at it.”

“Of course you are, you’re brilliant,” Jason said, holding the door open to the town car after he subtly checked the plates. “Nothing else?”

“Well,” Danny drew the word out as he slid into the car. “There’s this guy I met, maybe you know him? Tall, dark, and handsome?”

“I don’t know, he doesn’t sound real,” Jason teased and leaned into Danny’s space.

Danny leaned up and pressed Jason into a light kiss. “He is pretty magical.”

-

“The red carpet, less than magical,” Danny said once they were through the sea of reporters and photographers. “I’m going to be seeing camera flashes for weeks.”

“Only a few hours at most,” Jason said.

“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not, your whole being is just one blinding white blur,” Danny said, motioning at Jason, who laughed and caught Danny’s hand.

Jason pressed a quick kiss to the fingertips. The cameras went off in another round of flashes, apparently not having enough of the lost Wayne and his boyfriend. “Come on, let’s head further in away from this circus.”

“Is your family here yet?” Danny asked as they headed into the gala proper. Jason was skilled at keeping them moving without getting caught up by any one group, even as he greeted some of them.

“Bruce, Damian, and Duke arrived pretty on time so Bruce could greet people. Tim is around here somewhere too, networking I’m sure unless Bernard has distracted him. He’ll have arrived with Cass and Steph, who you haven’t met. Steph isn’t family, but she’s family, you know?”

“I think so?” Danny at least assume that meant she was in the Bat life.

“And Dick should be around here or will soon, likely with Barbie.”

“Barbie?” Danny took one of the drink glasses that Jason had snagged. The tart tang of cranberry bloomed across his tongue followed by the burn of alcohol and lingering taste of sugar. It was good.

“Yeah, but don’t call her that. Her name is Barbara, but she goes by Babs.”

“But you can get away with Barbie?”

“He was a very cute kid,” a voice behind them said. “Somehow he convinced me to let him.”

Danny spun and then had to look down to meet the gaze of the red headed woman in a wheelchair. He couldn’t help but feel a pang for Jazz, but it was softened by the fact that he’d get to see her soon.

“Bull,” Danny said with a smile, offering his hand. “I refuse to believe that Jason was ever not a little shit.”

“Oh, no, he was still a little shit,” Babs said, returning the handshake firmly. “But he was a cute little shit.”

Danny sighed dramatically and looked over at Jason. “Where did you go so wrong?”

“Hey, I believe it was you who were extolling the virtues of my ass in this suit not that long ago,” Jason said with just the hint of a pout.

“I think most of the press will be doing that too, so I’m not sure how much weight that has,” Babs said, painted lips ticked up in clear amusement.

Jason just sighed while Danny laughed.

“I like you, Babs. Is Babs okay for me to call you?”

“Of course, you’re Jason’s man, so you can call me Babs. And I really do prefer it to Barbara. The name is just a little old fashion, you know?”

“And you’re a modern kind of woman?” Danny asked with a smile.

“In so many ways,” Babs said. “But I better go make the rounds, or at least find where Dick is. He got distracted.”

“Isn't he always?” Jason said and bid Babs farewell.

“Are they together? Dick and Babs?” Danny ask as he watched her wheel away.

“Not anymore, but they were,” Jason explained. “They’re still really close. And Babs has been close to the family for a lot of years, so she’s special to all of us, you know? She’s a real inspiration to Cass and Steph.”

Oh, that sort of friend. “Wait, was she?”

“Yeah. So you know.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Danny said. The wheelchair meant something a little differently now. He took a breath and looked around the gala, which was already swarming with beautiful, laughing people. He felt out of place without Babs’ friendly face distracting him.

“Come on, I bet we can find some family to talk too,” Jason said, taking Danny’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “There are a few people who I’ll need to hit up tonight for the Foundation stuff, you know, try to get some donations from them or build up the start of that, but you don’t have to hang with me during any of that. There's plenty of siblings around for you to chat with and use as a distraction. Hell, could always introduce you to Lucius or some of the other inventors we have and you all could talk nerd shop.”

“Nerd shop,” Danny repeated with a sigh. “You say Lucius who I’m going to assume is the Lucius Fox and call it nerd shop like that man is not out there breaking barriers and changing the world with his inventions? And that’s just the stuff that’s been announced to the public! Who knows what else he’s been doing behind closed doors! It must be mind blowing.”

“Well, thank you, but I have a lot of very smart people working for me, so it’s hardly just my work that’s out there making waves,” a silky voice said from behind them.

Danny spun and couldn’t help the little squeak he gave.

Jason chuckled and reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Lucius, how are you doing? Did you manage to drag any of your family to tonight’s event?”

“Just my lovely wife. The rest found excuses, you know how it is.”

“I do. Sadly I’m in a position of note now,” Jason said, the words practically had air quotes around them, “so I’m afraid that my days of excuses are gone.”

“Oh, I’m sure that you can still find a few when you truly need them. You’ve always been mighty good at that.”

Jason just shrugged with an unrepentant grin. “Well, you know. But anyway, Lucius, this is my boyfriend Danny. Danny, this, as I guess you know from that sound you made, is Lucius Fox.”

“Of course I know. Really, sir, the work you and your teams have done… amazing.”

“Just Lucius, Danny,” the man said, reaching out to shake Danny’s hand. “If you’re dating Jason I expect that we’ll run into each other from time to time and I am too old for formalities like that.”

“Alright, just Lucius then. I can’t wait to tell my friend Tucker I met you.”

“Another one for, what was that you said Jason, ‘nerd shop talk’ like you are?”

“Totally. He’s in computer sciences, but he’s not bad at engineering some hardware when he needs to. Mostly to be able to get his software to run on, but I always make fun of his soldering.”

“So you must solder a lot then?”

“Yes s— er Lucius. Aerospace engineering, but I grew up always tinkering and things. I still do it some, but it’s harder here when I don’t have the space, you know? First dibs on tables and tools go to the other majors, which I get, since they need them more than us.”

“Still, hard not to be able to get your hands dirty when you want to. Are you going to be in Gotham for the summer? Not sure where you call home.”

“Well, at the moment, home is Gotham. I want to visit some friends and my sisters, but I’ll be here, yeah. I might take a summer course and get an advanced math knocked out or something.”

“A good plan. You should reach back out to me around early May then. I bet we can find a corner of one of the labs for you to at least use on the weekends when no one is around doing work much.”

“Really?” Danny said, hands twitching at just the idea of getting into a space where he could do some inventing. He had so many new ideas from his time at Gotham U on to improve some of his parent’s inventions or even make new things.

“Really. There will be the usual red tape and all, background checks and paper work and hours you’re allowed in, but those things can be worked out. Can’t keep a curious mind and skilled hands stagnant, now can we?”

“I know I can’t,” Danny said with a little laugh. “Thank you Lucius, really, I’ll definitely take advantage of that again. And start planning! I mean I have plans, of course I do, but a lot is just rough sketches, you know? I need to do some proper diagrams for a few things.”

He didn’t want to waste a moment once he had access to tools again— especially not the tools that were available to him at a place like Wayne Enterprises. Danny idly wondered if it would be out by summer that he knew about the Bats. Lucius had to be involved in that work and it would be so cool to take a look under the proverbial and the literal hood of those gadgets. Did they store the Batplane here?

Lucius chuckled and smiled. “Yes, I think you’ll fit right into that corner. You two boys behave now.”

“Never,” Jason said with a laugh and shook Lucius’ hand one more time as they parted ways.

The night turned into a slew of little meetings like that— people coming up to talk to Jason. Some of the conversations were enjoyable like with Babs and Lucius (Steph was overwhelming, but cool), some were with the many family members Jason had, and some were with the tpyical the socialite crowd. Those people seemed either to be there to get their claws in Jason or to observe Danny like he was some curiosity. Danny really could do without that type. Luckily, Jason seemed to know this, and Danny was passed off to Dick a few hours in and then freed to the food table after some teasing.

Really, even with the gawkers, the night was pretty fun.

-

“Hey Barbie, have you seen Danny recently?” Jason asked as he crossed her path at the party.

“No, but I’ve been talking tech. Have you tried over by the food?”

“That’s where I just came from,” Jason said with a little frown. These things were really too busy, one of the many reasons that he hated them. “I guess I’ll go try another sibling. Dick hadn’t seen him in a bit either, he got distracted by one of the people from the foundation that works with kids.”

“I keep waiting for him to join you there, you know. You could try Tim if he hasn’t been co-opted by Bernard yet,” she suggested. “How long has he been schmoozing?”

“Too long, Tim is worthless to me I’m sure. Cass would be—”

Jason dropped instinctively to cover Babs before he even registered the sound of shattering glass.

“Jason—”

The all to familiar muzzle of a gun pressed into the base of Jason’s head. “Turn around slowly. Try anything and I’ll shoot through you to get your lovely friend.”

Jason locked eyes with Babs, a thousand messages passed in that look as he slowly raised his hands and turned around.

It was one of the waiters.

Okay, it was a number of the waiters, Jason mentally corrected as he took in the room. Each of them with a gun pointed at some portion of the party. Jason spotted Bruce and Damian where they were being rounded up and Steph over on the edges of the room, but he couldn’t find Tim, Dick, or Cass on the quick glance at the space.

He snapped his focus back to the gunman at a popping sound. The man raised his left hand to his face and smeared the popped paint pellet across his face, coating half of it in a splotchy blue.

Guess they knew what Two Face was up to now. Speaking of the man of the hour, Two Face walked through the shadowed window, black and white suit spotless and fit for the event, and flanked by henchmen. He was clapping. Head tilted so that the bright lights caught his good side.

“Lovely event Bruice! Really, a shinning light in Gotham to ring in the new year. Don’t mind us, please, we’re just here to pick up the usual, jewels, watches, money clips, wire transfers. I’m afraid we need the extra funding…” He twitched, twisting so that the scarred side of his face was tilted forward. “Because the damn Bat made sure we lost it all! I’m hoping he shows tonight. I’d like to make sure he doesn’t make it to the new year!”

Dent cleared his throat; his right hand smoothed back his hair, tipping his head back the other way. “Sorry about that. Just some… linger resentment. You all know how it is. But let’s not get too serious yet! Brucie! And his adorable little spawn! Some of our guests of honor too! Behave if you don’t want to be shot in the head.”

Jason watched helplessly as Bruce, Damian, and several other social elite like the mayor were lashed together with rope. Two Face walked over after they were trussed and slapped a bomb to Bruce’s chest. While the the henchman secured it, Two Face turned to the crowd.

“Where is he? Our darling lost prince of Gotham?”

The gunman stuck the cold metal back to the base of Jason’s neck and pushed him forward.

The bomb started ticking down.

“There you are! When I heard you returned to us, my heart swelled, truly,” Dent said, looking up with his good eye as if praying to heaven. “And now! Now I hear you’ve found love!”

Dent bent over, cackling. The enlarged, yellow eye looked up at Jason from under the white bangs. “So let’s play a game while we count down to midnight.”

Two Face’s goons dramatically rolled out a podium. Two bright red buttons were mounted to it, right below a large television.

Danny was on the screen.

He was tied to a chair in some building’s basement. A bruise was already blooming to life around his right eye, deep blue as his suit. He had clearly caught a fist to the lip too. The fish earring was bright silver, catching light reflected from the pool of water that the chair was sat in.

“As you see, we’re giving your boyfriend some hospitality,” Dent said, smooth side of his face to Jason as he walked around the podium like some perverse Vanna White. “So you have a simple choice: decided what type of love is more important to you. Do you press the left button and save your boyfriend, letting your family and these other lovely people die to the bomb…”

He rounded the screen, scarred open eye starting at Jason accusingly. “…or do you press the button on the right and save the people in this room, but fry your boyfriend to death with electricity?”

Two Face snapped his fingers.

Danny’s head jerked up, unfocused eyes staring just to the right of the screen.

“Hey, dead boy,” Danny rasped. Just talking made the split on his lip crack and bleed again, adding another line of blood to his chin. On the screen the red was bright, bright, bright—

Jason clenched his hands. He was going to kill Two Face. “Hey, fish.”

“You know, the irony of this whole thing is that it does make me realize I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you.”

“Yeah? That's convenient. I've been in love with you for weeks.”

Dent cackled and motioned grandly at the trussed up people. The bright, bright red of the bombs’ timer counted down another tick. “Looks like you're all out of luck! True love always wins.”

He twisted to Jason with the scarred side of his face and growled, “Forty-five seconds left.”

“You know what you have to do, don't you?” Danny asked.

He was smiling at Jason, a soft calm thing. But Jason didn't know if he could trust it. He didn’t know Danny's limits. He didn’t know if this would kill him the rest of the way.

But he did know what Danny would never forgive him for. He knew he didn't really have a choice. “I do. I'm sorry.”

“Don't be.”

Jason lunged and hit the right button. On the screen, the wires sparked bright with electricity, lighting up the pool of water. And Danny screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

The camera cut out.

---

AN: We're finally here! To the scene I wrote last year! Aaaaaah~

I would say I'm sorry, but this time I truly am not. (Please don't stab me.) ._.

It will be fiiiiiiiine... right?

[bebravedearheart]

mergwaine + 48, for that ship+number prompt!

This has made me so happy! Sorry it's taken me so long, life has been busy, but I hope you like it!

Merwaine kiss ...out of habit

As first meetings went, theirs made for a good story at least. Although, when Gwaine told it he would of course add more heroics on his part, and leave out the fact he was unconscious with a knife embedded in his thigh.

He'd been grateful to Merlin since then, and Merlin had patched up far more scrapes and cuts since then, though luckily none as serious. Each time he'd woken in Merlin's cot in the anteroom of the physician's chambers he'd wanted to smile and flirt and show his appreciation, but he could never quite bring himself to. He feared ruining their friendship, couldn't bear it if Merlin turned away, or tried to say something to make him feel better in that awkward, endearing way of his.

Gwaine had never had a true friend before, and he valued it beyond measure. He took care to check in with Merlin when he looked glum, really listened to everything Merlin told him and felt chastised in a way he was not used to when Merlin was disappointed with him.

Merlin for his part seemed to be able to see through Gwaine; to pick apart his glib remarks when asked how he was. Gwaine hated it, and was more thankful for it than he could say.

And gods he wanted Merlin. Not just for a tumble. To wake up with each morning and kiss softly in the dawn. To fall asleep wrapped around, bodies entwined into one entity. To whisper in the dark all he couldn't say out loud when he was being looked at.

He would not breathe a word of this to anyone, of course. Merlin deserved far better than him, deserved someone beautiful, someone who knew how to say the right thing, someone who didn't cause so much trouble--even if Merlin didn't mind that.

To celebrate the King's coronation a feast was thrown--the first in many months; Arthur had been too preoccupied with his duties as regent and worrying about his father to keep up with anything more than the bare minimum of the courtly calendar. Now though, he seemed freer, like the shadow of anticipation was no longer weighing heavy on his shoulders.

Merlin was invited as a guest, not a servant. Gwaine grinned at that news, clapped him on the shoulder and told Merlin he'd have to come and borrow something nice to wear (though added that Merlin was the only person he knew who looked good in rags).

Merlin declined his offer with a laugh, giving him a playful shove and telling him Gwen had it well in hand.

Gwaine did not think a great deal of it, standing between Leon and Percival in the hall when the celebration came around with is customary cup of wine--sweeter than the usual vinegary swill they were served but still somehow better than the ale. He glanced up as the door opened to admit a latecomer, almost dropping the goblet. He saved himself from embarrassment, though he did not take his eyes of Merlin as he walked in with all the regal bearing of a man born to nobility. He wore an unspoiled white linen tunic, over which there was a jacket in pale green silk, belted at the waist and flaring out at the hips, falling to mid-thigh. On his legs Merlin wore deep, forest green breeches in velvet, fitting tightly to accentuate his slender legs. His hair was oiled back, smoothed and swept back from his head, far from its usual wild waves.

Gwaine was not the only one unable to tear away his gaze but he was the first to reach Merlin, bowing low. His noble manners came easily; old habits die hard, as they said. Gwaine did not think twice about taking Merlin's delicate hand in one of his own--too rough, calloused palms--and pressing a kiss to the back of it as if he were a lady. He heard Merlin's sharp intake of breath at his surprise and straightened up, catching a glimpse of the pink tinge high on Merlin's sharp cheekbones. With his usual grin, Gwaine snatched another goblet of wine from the tray of a passing servant and downed it without pausing for breath before he pulled Merlin in by the collar of his ridiculous coat and kissed him properly; deep and filthy. Old habits died hard, after all.

When they broke apart, Gwaine made to leave, to go and find something else to drink, someone else to bed to avoid any awkward conversation beginning with the words "I'm flattered but..." He got no further than a single pace when a hand curled around his wrist to stop him, pulling him back into a much gentler kiss. Merlin tasted of spices and smelled of herbs. "You scrub up well," Gwaine said against Merlin's lips. "And you had manners hiding somewhere."

[bellysoupset]

Sick Wendy during the holidays + Caretaker Vince. Fever, stomach bug and some much deserved belly rubs.

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

"Honey," Wendy whispered, shaking Vince's shoulder lightly and he groaned, rolling away from her as much as the passenger seat allowed. She bit down a smile, shaking him harder, "Vince, wake up."

"Are we here?" he groaned, not bothering to open his eyes and Wendy opened a fond smile, rubbing his back. Vince had these terrible dark circles lately that were worrying her, but he swore everything was fine, he just couldn't get a good night of sleep. She decided to let him sleep.

"No," she whispered, leaning in to press a kiss to his curls, "we're at the gas stop, I'll be right back. Do you want anything?"

Nothing but a soft snore answered her.

It wasn't a hole-in-the-wall type of gas station. It was part of a much bigger chain and had a restaurant area, as well as a trinkets store and a coffee shop.

They had had breakfast back home and Wendy was still feeling quite full from it, but that didn't stop her from buying a large caramel latte, as well as a box of cupcakes for Vince, then took her sweet time browsing through the trinkets.

Everything was overpriced, since this was the last store before reaching town and they knew their clients were people who had forgotten to buy gifts, especially during holiday season.

Wendy smiled as she saw a beautiful headband, all bejeweled and with turquoise stones. She put it inside her basket, continuing to go through the products, while slurping on the rest of her coffee. Wendy grimaced as her straw hit the bottom of her plastic cup. She hadn't realized how fast she chugged it.

Her stomach gurgled, complaining, and she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, standing up straight and going to pay for the headband, as well as other useless trinkets she thought were cute.

Vince was awake once she got back to the car. He had jumped out and was leaning against the metal, hands shoved in his jacket's pocket, cheeks kissed by the cold and all pink, the tips of his curls poking out from under his black beanie were twirling with the wind.

"What you got there?" he asked, once Wendy moved closer. She handed him the box of cupcakes, the one she had already forgotten about and felt vaguely queasy as he opened it to reveal the icing covered goodies.

"Ooh, they look great... I'm starving," he reached for one, before pausing and frowning, "dairy free? I don't wanna shit my pants during Christmas, honey."

Wendy wrinkled her nose at his crass language, shifting on her feet. Her stomach was starting to throb and continuing to gurgle, "it's just the 20th," she told him with an eyeroll, then before Vince could interrupt, "and yes, they're dairy free."

"Uhm," he didn't need to hear anything else, all but shoving one of the tiny cupcakes whole in his mouth, "eel'goo."

"Ew," Wendy grinned, putting the other bags in the backseat and circling him, "switch with me?"

Vince nodded, still eating as he circled the car and then planting the box on her lap as he fixed the car seat and put them back on the road.

"These are actually great," he said happily, fishing another one from the box, left hand drumming on the steering wheel, "thank you... Aren't you gonna eat, Wen?"

Wendy's stomach squeezed at the thought and she shook her head, fighting to keep a smile on, "not hungry..."

"Are you sure?" Vince glanced at her quickly, before looking back to the road, "they have a red velvet one..."

"No, I'm good," Wendy stressed, fighting the urge to shove the cupcakes off her lap. She could smell them and all that sweetness was making her already unsettled belly even more so.

Vince frowned and seemed like he wanted to argue, but he didn't say anything, only ate another cupcake and kept driving. Wendy was graceful, her stomach was souring quickly and her head started to throb with the sweet scent filling the car.

It was snowing, so it wasn't like she could open a window and she mentally cursed, leaning back on her seat and closing her eyes, breathing through her mouth. Maybe she was just carsick, she could fight through it.

Her mouth felt sticky and she licked at her dry lips, gulping down and bouncing one of her legs anxiously, feeling the latte churn in her belly. In the cramped space of the car, she was sure Vince could hear all the little noises her stomach was making and Wendy felt terribly embarrassed on top of the nausea, trapped like a caged animal and wanting to put as much distance between them.

Vince's freezing hand upon her forehead startled her so much Wendy gasped and coughed, rushing to sit up straight.

"What-"

"You don't look so well, honey," he had slowed down and seemed to be looking for a spot to pull over, much to her dismay. The cupcake box had been closed and Wendy glanced around in search of it, finding it sitting in the backseat.

"I'm fine, I'm just..." there was cold sweat gluing her clothes to her back and Wendy groaned, squirming on her seat, "don't laugh," she said, wrapping an arm around her stomach and pushing his hand away from her face, "I drank a latte back at the stop and it's not sitting well."

"Oh," Vince sounded relieved, which only made her want to curl up more. Wendy pressed herself to the door, rocking her body slightly to keep her mind off the waves of queasiness and the pressure in the back of her throat, "why didn't you just say something, hon? Do you want me to pull over?"

"Nu-uh," Wendy shook her head, then brought up a hand to her mouth and muffled a little sick, airy burp, "no, I just want to get to Doveport as soon as possible..."

"We're fifteen minutes out," Vince planted a hand on the middle of her back, switching his attention back to the road, "think you can handle it?"

"God, stop-" Wendy groaned, leaning further in and breathing through her mouth, "stop babying me, it's my fault I feel like shit, Vince. I shouldn't have drank a freaking gas station caramel mocha."

Just the thought of it made her spine curl and Wendy gulped down as she could taste the sweetness all over again. She shuddered, again, goosebumps covering her skin.

"Don't be silly," Vince reached in the cupholder between them, passing her a water bottle, "it's not your fault, honey."

"Uhm..." the water was refreshing, but it landed on her stomach like a brick, immediately wanting out. Wendy's rushed to cup her mouth as her body betrayed her and yet another little burp rushed out, this one morphing in a gag at the end. She swallowed convulsively the sweet saliva pooling in her mouth, her throat seeming to refuse her.

"...Just a second..." she heard Vince say in the background and then the car came to a stop on the side of the road and he reached over her, pushing her door open when Wendy didn't move. She let out a groan, shaking her head, still in denial.

"Nooo..."

"I don't think you get a say on that, honey," Vin said sympathetically, knuckles brushing her cheeks, "c'mon, better out than in."

Her belly let out a nasty growl, a nauseating string of burbles rolling around and Wendy whimpered, giving in and turning on seat to hang out of the door.

She tugged on the ends of her pink scarf, tugging it off her neck and balling it up in one hand, the one squeezing the doorway. Her stomach turned once more and Wendy spat on the grey snow on the side of the road, knowing there was no chance to swallow it back down and not throw up.

Vince's hand was still in the middle of her back, rubbing soothing circles and she wanted to tell him to stop touching her, not when she was feeling this gross and embarrassed... Wendy let out a sick burp and whined, gulping the acid in the back of her throat.

"Let it up, honey, you'll feel better," Vince thumped her back lightly and she nearly snapped at him, when the motion only made her feel worse. She couldn't swallow it back down like this, as he forced up another belch... And then she puked a gush of beige vomit all over the snow.

Wendy coughed, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to spit the horrible taste in her mouth, without setting off another round. Her nausea didn't lessen, on the contrary, it only seemed to grow and grow... She nearly fell off the car with the strength of the next heave, vomiting a much larger amount as her belly squeezed with a cramp.

Vince had moved on his seat, so he could gently hold the pieces of hair away from her mouth with one hand, the other one planted on her shoulder to stop Wendy from taking a dive at the disgusting side of the road, and she let out a whimper at the realization he could see exactly what she could see, which was quite the gruesome sight.

"Stop- Stop touching me..." Wendy whined, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and falling back against her seat, wrapping one arm around her stomach. She was wearing a graphic sweater, as well as a thick baby blue skirt, with a belt around her middle. When they left home, the belt had been loose, but right now it felt like it was squeezing her in half.

However, just the idea of undoing it was too humiliating. Wendy gulped down nervously, shuddering again and wiping the little tears clinging to her lashes. She avoided Vin's worried gaze and his outstretched hand, holding the plastic bottle of water. Her fingers came back brushed with black and Wendy groaned again, imagining just how gross she looked, with her mascara all smeared.

"I'm so sorry," she sighed, wiping at her mouth and her eyes again, trying to regain a scrap of composure, "I'm sorry, this was disgusting, I just-"

"Oh, can it, Wen," Vince scoffed, cupping her face. His hands were freezing and they felt lovely against her cheeks, even if they made her shiver. Wendy whined, closing her eyes as her stomach continued to flip, not feeling one bit settled, although it was much emptier, "did getting that out of your system help?"

She nodded, lying, and Vince let out a huff, suddenly pressing a kiss to her brow, "I don't know if I believe it, you're the color of the snow."

Wendy gagged at the thought, "covered in sick and disgusting?"

"White," Vince corrected her with a chuckle, reaching over her to slam the door shut, "white like a bunny," he teased lightly, kissing her temple again, "take a minute, okay? We're not in a rush."

"We sort of are, though," Wendy sighed, but couldn't help but lean back on her seat with relief. Her stomach was still feeling horrible, churning ominously and she felt far from done. To makes matters worse, she was covered in sweat and couldn't seem to stop shaking, "I feel like crap."

"I'm sorry, honey," Vince rubbed her arm, then reached on the side of her seat, lowering it a little bit, "we're really almost home, just try and breathe, okay?"

That wasn't as reassuring as he thought it was. Home for Vince, sure, but to her it meant a much larger audience witnessing as she made a fool of herself, her stomach hellbent on emptying itself from the caramel latte and Wendy was terrified her intestines would join her body's riot against her. She wanted her own apartment, her own bed and bathroom and no audience.

Still, she didn't say it out loud, and true to Vin's words, not even 10 minutes later they were entering his street. Wendy lowered the mirror to get a look at herself, then cringed as she saw the smudged mascara around her eyes, and how pale she was. She quickly wiped the black vestiges away, grabbing the water bottle and taking some sips, swishing the water around to get rid of the horrible taste in her mouth and the puke breath. It was the best she could do.

The water had been a horrible idea, it added to the churning in her tummy, making her feel even more nauseous. She felt overly full and dizzy, but right now was not the time.

The front door opened and Vince's mom rushed out to pull her 6'4 baby into a hug, squealing when he pulled her off her feet. It was a heart warming scene and Wendy would've basked in it, wasn't it for the fact she could feel her belly squeezing again, her mouth watering.

"You too, c'mere," Ma said, tugging Wendy into a hug, "darling, I missed you... What's wrong?"

Wendy wanted to cry. She had hoped she could simply lie her way through and go up to Vin's room to curl up in his bathroom and die, but clearly his mother had other ideas. The woman cupped her cheeks, then touched her forehead, a wrinkle appearing between her brows, a frown forming. Ma looked every little bit like her son when she glared like that.

"I'm fine-"

"Mamma, she's alright," Vince interjected, noticing his girlfriend's pale face and weak, strained voice, "carsickness, that's all."

Carsickness was much less embarrassing than I-drank-a-fucking-side-of-the-road-latte-because-i'm-stupid-and-have-no-self-restraint, Wendy thought sourly, wincing.

Ma let out a little unhappy noise, "you poor thing," she pulled back, patting Wendy's arm, "come inside, lie down for a bit. I'll get you a ginger ale."

She mumbled another string of words, but that Wendy couldn't piece together since it was in italian. She hoped it was just amiable cooing, but Wendy's swirling thoughts couldn't help but feel like she was being judged.

Her parents would be judging the shit out of Vince if it was the other way around, the talking behind his back would simply never stop. It was hard to believe in Ma's genuine affection as she pushed Wendy inside the house and towards the couch, telling her to sit down and lean back her head.

"You'll feel alright in un attimo," the woman cooed, while Vince brought in the bags. He flashed Wendy a smile, crossing the living room to crouch in front of the couch.

"Sorry, mom's a lot," he whispered, pushing a strand of hair away from Wendy's eyes, "how's your belly?"

"I wanna die, Vince," Wendy answered him, her voice hoarse from the previous puking, "I'm sorry, this was so stupid- I don't know where my mind was."

Vince rolled his eyes, leaning in to kiss her forehead, "whatever do you mean, honey?" he cupped her face, thumb on her chin, "you couldn't possibly have guessed you'd get sick."

"It was gas station food, I definitely could have not eaten that," Wendy scoffed, wrapping an arm around her stomach as the thought made her all the more queasy. She hated that she could still just taste it.

Across the room there was a noise and then Livia rushed in, bundled up in a snow coat, grinning the whole way.

"VINNY!" She squealed, throwing herself over her brother with her whole body, causing him to almost fall on his back. He opened a big smile, kissing her cheek and moving his arms to Liv was sitting on his knee, her arms wrapped around his neck.

The little girl finally saw Wendy, still smiling as she said, "Hi principessa," she jumped from Vin's lap to press a kiss to Wendy's cheek, before frowning, "why are you sad?"

"Wendy's sick, bambi, leave her alone," Vince pulled his sister back, grabbing the little kid and throwing her over his shoulder, then turning to Wendy, "I'm gonna get you some water, do you think pepto would help?"

Wendy shrugged, she didn't feel like she could hold the medicine down, but it was worth a try. Vin let out a little sad, sympathetic sigh, before whispering, "be right back."

She let out a groan once he was out of sight, curling up on the couch and trying to figure if she could get away with leaving the living room or if it'd be too rude. Her stomach was sloshing uncomfortably and she still couldn't stop shivering.

"Here," Sophia's voice startled her and Wendy glanced up from her curled up position, in time to see Vince's cranky teenager sister drape a blanket over her.

It made her heart sink and Wendy opened a strained smile, "thank you..." she said, her voice all raspy. Sophia blushed, shrugging.

"Do you need anything else?" she reminded Wendy of Jonah and Wendy smiled at the thought, pulling the blankets tighter around her. She wanted Vince, but he had only been gone for ten minutes, so it was too pathetic to say out loud.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you, Soph."

Still Sophia hung around, uneasily shifting her weight from foot to foot, clearly wanting to do more but unsure of what. She was thankfully interrupted by Vince coming back, a thermos in one of his hands, as well as a ceramic mug held only by his pinky around the handle, the little bottle of pepto bismol sitting inside of it.

"Mamma made some peppermint tea, honey," Vince said, messing Sophia's hair as he circled around her to get to the couch and causing his sister to hiss and shove his back.

Wendy groaned at the prospect of drinking anything, especially something sweet, when her stomach already felt like it was crawling up her throat. She turned on the couch, pressing her lips tightly closed and breathing deeply through her nose, looking at the ceiling.

"I know you don't wanna drink anything right now, but this could help," Vince said, sitting on the ground in front of her. Even sitting down a level lower than her, he was still taller. Wendy sighed, pulling the ends of the blanket and shaking her head.

"I don't... I don't think so, Vin..."

He pouted, then leaned in to push a stray hair away from her eyes and his brows dipped into a frown, "oh Wen, you're really warm..."

She leaned forward, planting her forehead to his hand and still taking measured breaths, as her stomach started to feel more and more uneasy, "that..." her mouth pooled with overly sweet spit and Wendy gulped it down, "that'd-explaininnit..." she slurred, the words barely forming. Her face felt numb.

"Vin..." Wendy heard Sophia saying, but she was far too nauseous to pay any attention. It felt like the couch was swaying... Her throat constricted as if she couldn't breathe and up came another wave of vomit.

This time it was much chunkier and harder to get up and Wendy was left gasping for air and crying when she finished off the first round, her stomach still flipping inside of her, letting out a little acrid burp. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, sure she had just thrown up all over her boyfriend's parent's living room, probably ruining his mom's rug.

"I'm-" Wendy hiccupped, her head throbbing in the same rhythm as her belly churned, "fuck, i'm so-sorry..." there were tears streaming down her face and Wendy started to openly cry as she felt Vince shush her, pulling her closer to him. Her forehead met his chest or his tummy, she wasn't sure, she only knew she could smell the fabric softener in his hoodie and that it was soft and inviting... And she was probably ruining it with tears and drool.

"Soph, potresti prendere il...?"

"Sí, sí-"

Whatever Vince said to his sister, suddenly Wendy was no longer half covered by the blanket and his arms were wrapping around her, one under her legs, the other around her back, lifting her up.

"No-" Wendy groaned, as he moved so her head could rest on his shoulder, "no, Vin, I'm-" her belly contracted painfully and Wendy muffled a burp against his chest, gasping for air, "stooop..."

"Sorry, doll," Vince whispered back, his voice rough with concern. Wendy groaned louder at the movement of him carrying her, probably up the stairs judging by the up and down that was making her head spin.

"I'm gonna... Vince, wait-" Wendy complained weakly, trying to warn him she was about to be sick again. He sped up, but didn't show any other sign of having heard her and Wen let out a frustrated noise, trying to pull back from his hold.

"No, hon, don't do that," Vince said softly and then hit a light switch and Wendy realized they had just entered his bathroom. It was just a cramped and messy as she remembered it.

He put her down gently in front of the sink and Wendy let out a sob as she noticed a wet dark patch on his hoodie, already wiped at, "oh no-"

"It's alright," Vince tugged his sweater off, balling it up and throwing it under the sink, closing the distance between them so he could pull her hair into a low ponytail.

"Did I..." She leaned heavily over the sink, squeezing her eyes shut against the mounting nausea, "did I puke on your mom's couch...?"

"No, just my lap," Vince teased her lightly, planting a kiss to her temple, and Wendy groaned, letting out a tiny airy burp.

"It's not funny," she scoffed, voice thick with tears and wanting for the ground to open up. She caught Vin rolling his eyes on the mirror.

"Wendy, you're sick, sweetheart. My family adores you, please don't worry about this..." he rubbed her back, "can you get in the shower? I think your fever is up..."

"Uhm," Wendy folded in half, pressing her forehead to the cold sink and shivering violently, "maybe... Do you- Can you give me some space? Please?"

Her belly was still a mess and she had never felt so mortified before, but she knew she'd feel even worse just stripping in front of him. Vince let out a little unhappy noise, his hand still planted in the middle of her back.

"I can... But I'm gonna be right outside, okay? And please don't lock the door."

"Okay," she sniffled, tearing up, "can you get me some clean clothes, please?" Her belt was still squeezing the hell out of her upset tummy and her sweater and skirt felt like they were glued to her sweat covered body. Vince nodded, kissing the top of her head.

"Of course, doll. I'll get you something comfy. You can use my towel, I'll get another one later."

"Thank you," she waited for him to step out and then Wendy's flimsy hold on her self control all but crumbled. New tears sprung up and she immediately started stripping, despite feeling sluggish and awful. The sensation of the clothes was constricting and she especially hated it rubbing on her belly, reminding her how bloated she was.

The hot water took a second to heat up and Wendy shivered violently hugging herself and sitting on the closed toilet in just her panties. Her belly was sore as fuck and she could still hear it let out all sorts of noises, bubbles shifting under her hand.

The warm shower did wonders to how gross she was feeling and relaxed the muscles of her back, but did absolutely nothing to the woozy feeling, except make it worse. She stumbled slightly, pressing her forehead to the cold tiles and letting the hot water run down her back, trying to find any strength to shut it off and walk out.

Instead, her legs were feeling more and more like jelly. Wendy breathed through her mouth as the bathroom spun around her and slowly slid down to a crouched down position, doing her best to not fall on her ass.

Her stomach flipped and she gagged, barely having to heave for more frothy yellow bile to spill out of her and get washed away by the water. There was a knock on the door, Vince's muffled voice calling out her name.

Wendy let out a groan, washing her mouth with shaky hands and tried to get up, only to find out that she couldn't. Instead she sat on her ass and curled up her knees, hoping Vin would overlook her request for privacy and enter the bathroom, because she was seeing a whole new collection of black dots and stars.

She didn't hear the door opening, but she did hear Vince's loud voice exclaim "WENDY!" and then she felt water hitting her face... And next she woke up she was freezing cold.

Wendy didn't think she had been out for more than a couple minutes, because Vin hadn't moved her. He had shut off the water and she was curled up in his arms, shivering violently and he was talking in rapid fire italian-english with someone...

The thought that she was naked in front of his family was enough to have Wendy waking up from any slumber. She whined and tried to move, only to feel Vince's arms squeeze around her, keeping her put. He let out a relieved sigh, "thank fucking God, Wendy..." and only then did she realize he had wrapped her up in a bathing robe.

Ma Monacelli was standing in the doorway, with a phone pressed to her cheek and Wendy dizzily blinked, trying to get a hold of the situation. She couldn't make sense of what his mom was saying and it took her a minute to realize it wasn't in english.

"What... What's your mom..." Wendy grumbled, squirming again. Vince helped her sit up slightly against him, his hands never leaving her once. She realized his curls were glued to the side of his face and his cheeks were blazing red and he was shivering too, water clinging to his lashes... He had gotten in the shower with her.

"She's talking with the doctor. It's better if you don't move yet or you'll get lightheaded," he rubbed her back quickly, in order to produce warmth and Wendy groaned, curling up further.

"No, don't- I don't need a doctor," she whined, shaking her head, "really, I just need to go to bed... It was just- Just the hot water..."

Ma lowered the phone, looking almost angry, "no, we're calling Dr. Bianchi, she's not well."

Wendy felt a small flare of annoyance. She was right there.

Vince probably sensed it, because he interrupted his mother's next words, by saying in a calm voice that didn't belong him, "mamma, we're crowding her. Let me just get Wendy settled in bed and we can discuss a doctor."

Magda crossed her arms, face all scrunched up as if she wanted to argue, "I'm worried, you can't just-"

"Ma," Vince said in a steady, rougher voice that Wendy had never heard him use with his mom. The woman sighed, before nodding and stepping out of the bathroom. She left the door open, but Wen could clearly hear as she shut the bedroom door, having fully left the suite.

"I'm sorry," Wendy whispered, "I didn't mean to make you fight your mom..."

"She'll live," Vince rolled his eyes, pushing the wet hair away from her face, "how are you? Can we move to the bedroom?"

"Dizzy," she answered him honestly, shuddering from cold, "freezing."

"Figures," Vince snorted and Wendy could hear the wind howling outside, probably it had started to snow again, "and your stomach?"

"Still feels really sick," she admitted, "but empty."

"I'm gonna count that as a win," Vince's shoulders dropped and she could clearly see how worried he was, the deep concern lines all over his face, "I'm gonna get you up, okay?"

Very slowly they made their track back to his room and Vince promptly sprung into action as soon as Wendy was sitting on his bed. He grabbed a matching set of his old hoodies in the wardrobe, instead of the suitcase, and crouched down before her.

"What... Why....?" Wendy frowned, confused and trying to understand what he was doing through the brain fog caused by the fever, the headache and the nausea. Vin tapped her knee lightly, sliding his large pants over her legs.

"It's warmer than your stuff," he explained, "and won't squeeze your tummy. Besides, if you end up being sick on it, it's no big deal, these are super old and don't fit me anymore."

"Uhm..." Wendy felt boneless as he removed the bathrobe and slide the hoodie over her head, "can you cuddle me...? I don't want you to get this, but I-"

"Honey," Vince chuckled slightly, pressing a kiss on the corner of her mouth, then over her lips, "we're so past that, don't worry about it. Besides, I never get sick."

"That's a lie," Wendy scoffed, but she couldn't fight the warm sensation that spread all over her as Vince pushed her against the pillows and tugged on the blankets so it was draped over her.

"Just let me change," he whispered, the moved around again. Wendy was too tired to follow him with her eyes, she felt weak and still disgusting, so instead she closed her eyes and hoped Vince would be back soon enough.

She woke up with the bed moving. Now she was warm, for the first time in hours, so warm she was sweating. Wendy could tell she was lying against Vince, because while his tummy was soft, it was much sturdier than the pillow that had been under her head previously. His fingers were running through her hair and he was speaking in a soft voice.

Too soft.

"You can't be here, bambi, you'll get sick too," he was whispering and Wendy forced her eyes open, noticing Livia was sitting on the foot of the bed, looking terribly worried. She was clad in a footie pajama, holding a stuffed bear to her lap, her little hand tracing over Wendy's.

"I don't care," Liv pouted, "is Wendy dying?"

"No," Vince scoffed, stroking Wendy's cheek, still unaware she was awake, "it's just a tummy bug, she'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Are you sure?" Liv squinted at him, then studied Wendy's face. Wen was thankful for the dark room, she wasn't ready to be awake just yet.

"Yes, Liv," Vince smiled, then moved slightly on the bed, so he could slide out from under Wen, "c'mon, let's go to bed, okay?"

He picked up Livia and she whined, but threw her arms around his neck, complaining as he carried her out of the room.

Once more alone, Wendy rolled on the bed, so she was flat on her back. Her muscles were all aching and her belly specifically was hurting, as if she had done a bunch of crunches, as well as if it was still stuffed with food, which she knew it wasn't.

She pushed herself up against the pillows, letting out a sigh of relief as she realized Vince had left the thermos and a bottle of water sitting on the bedside table, as well as there was a trashcan on the ground, within her reach.

Wendy took a tentative gulp of water and when that didn't immediately upset her belly, she took a larger one. It sat like a brick in her belly and she still felt terribly queasy, but at least it didn't immediately want out.

"Hey," Vince whispered, entering the room again, "you're awake."

"Just barely," Wendy smiled, kicking the blankets so he could join her. Vince didn't come cuddle her, instead he grabbed a thermometer sitting right next to the water bottle and handed it to her.

"Just for my peace of mind," Vince said, planting a hand on her forehead, "but you're not that warm anymore, I think it broke while you slept."

"Uhm," Wendy leaned on his touch, "is your mom pissed at me....?"

"Pissed at you? She was so worried she was considering calling 911, doll, she is not pissed at you. She made dad go to the store, did you know they sell gatorade in six packs?"

Wendy's cheeks caught on fire, "oh no... I really didn't mean to-"

"Wen," Vince rolled his eyes, pushing her mouth shut so the thermometer could get a good reading, "we all love you, you're not a bother. We're just worried."

"Uhm," Wendy sighed, waiting until the little device beeped. A low grade fever, but not that high. Vince's shoulders dropped in visible relief and he leaned forward, his forehead meeting her lap.

"You worried the shit out of me, Wendy."

"I'm so-"

"No, stop, stop," he glared at her, pushing her back against the pillows, "stop apologizing, okay? Just let me take care of you."

"You really shouldn't have to, it's Christmas..."

"You don't even celebrate Christmas," he chuckled, kissing her cheek and then moving on the bed, kicking off hsi flip flops so he could get closer to her, "can I rub your belly?"

Wendy's cheeks caught on fire and she awkwardly bit her lip, unsure if she wanted him to touch it or not. The idea of a soothing belly rub sounded amazing, but she still felt so gross and so... So disgusting. She didn't want Vin to come to this realization too...

"You think too much," he whispered, pushing her hoodie up slightly. His hands were really warm and he rubbed them together before planting them on Wendy's bloated, upset tummy.

The organ let out a growl and Wendy pressed her hands to her face, her cheeks aflame, but still she didn't push him back and Vince kept at it. He rubbed it in steady, slow circles and caused her to let out a little burp.

Vin glanced up, worried, but Wendy only shook her head as if to say she was fine. He smiled, then leaned in and planted a kiss on her belly, "I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Not that much better," Wendy said, her heart stuttering as she felt him plant a bunch of little, fluttery kisses all over her tummy. Vince chuckled, his laugh vibrating against her skin.

"No? How can I help?"

Wendy pressed her knuckles to her mouth, biting down a delighted smile at his teasing tone, "don't stop."

"Not planning on it, honey."

[russicnroses]

RUSSIAN ROSE | VOLUME ONE | PART 1

CHAPTER ONE: Even now, there is a place I want to return to.

PAGES: 7 - 30

TRANSLATION TOOL: Chatgpt

CONTENT / WARNINGS: long post, blood, death mention.

There was a man.

The man was the heir to a financial conglomerate that owned vast assets.

He ran businesses and banks around the world, influencing history with his financial power.

The man's curiosity led him to the study of rare animals and plants. Using the financial resources of the conglomerate and an extensive information network, he procured rare specimens from around the world.

One of these obsessions reached a particular point.

It was the birth of a completely new life.

The man's name was Joel.

Joel spent many years, and sometimes even broke prohibitions, to fulfill his dream.

And then.

*****

Saya let out a small sigh.

From the window of the swaying carriage, the rows of buildings in Petrograd could be seen. In the city, said to have been built by inviting architects from Italy and Peter the Great’s era, yellow and pink glamorous walls stood side by side. Originally, it was marshland, but just the streets built to reclaim the land were adorned with magnificent waterways running vertically, the entire area comprising nineteen large and small islands.

If it cleared up, the sky would be blue, and the shadows of the buildings overlapping would be beautiful. The floating clouds, called "Marose", heralded the visit of severe cold.

Saya's hair, which encircled her neck finely, was unusually short for a girl of this era. Thanks to the round-shaped head and the slender frame, she stood out a bit even when she stayed quiet. Naturally, being outside, she had to take care of her appearance.

The dress that wrapped the body of the vampire was made of deep crimson velvet, which looked like black hair. It was designed with the utmost limit of refinement, adorned with narrow black braid embroidery. The sleeves were slightly puffed at the shoulders, with the cuffs widening again, covered in lace and fur. The skirt was embroidered with a pattern of roses and plants, using silk thread. The dress, which seemed almost too tight for the night, embraced her body with minimal exposure.

At first glance, she gave a weak impression, but perhaps because of the strength that could be seen in her eyes, that wasn't the case. Her thick, round eyebrows, always perfectly shaped, and her moist, lustrous lips stood out.

In the center of the city, a relief of the Romanov family's double-headed eagle and the Holy George was carved on the official buildings. Gazing at the passing pedestrians, a young man sitting beside her spoke in a gentle voice as she let out a sigh, perhaps tired or just trying to catch her breath.

He wore a silver vest with a matching shirt and tie under a finely tailored jacket. His long hair, tied with a dark ribbon, fell carelessly over his shoulders, obscuring his face. Despite the carelessness, his appearance was refined, with the matching grass and cuffs giving an elegant touch. His large eyes, seemingly filled with shadows, were striking.

His demeanor, calm and collected, was a defining feature. With a sharp contrast, his pale skin emphasized the coolness of the night. Although dressed in refined clothing, his attire did not seem flashy or over-the-top.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly, with a gentle smile.

“Yes, I’m fine,” She replied, turning her gaze outside the window to the large building that stood out in the distance.

The objects were solidly anchored in place. The green walls, decorated with intricate goldwork, and the pillars and window frames painted white drew her attention. At the base of each pillar and window frame were detailed reliefs that caught her eye.

As she gazed at them, Haji spoke from behind her. "It's the Winter Palace, known as the Hermitage."

"Hermitage..."

Hearing the name of the place where she grew up in a foreign land brought back a sense of nostalgia. She murmured the name softly to herself without voicing it out loud.

Noticing the distant sound of a bell, Haji’s face was suddenly close to hers.

“Huh? Morning?”

Saya couldn’t help but blink in surprise, realizing she was inside a carriage. The scenery she saw through the window outside was narrow and blurry as they passed through it.

“It seems that the bell is indicating a stop,” Haji told her with a slight smile.

“I’ve slept for a long time, haven’t I? It would’ve been nice if you had woken me up,” Saya said.

“All the luggage should have been delivered. There’s no need to worry about it,” Haji replied, reaching out to help her, but she refused.

“I’m sorry… I must have fallen asleep before I knew it,” she apologized.

“Have you been watching over me the whole time?” she asked with a strange look on her face.

“That’s my job, you know,” Haji said, smiling gently.

"...Haji"

Haji took Saya's hand, who was rubbing her drowsy eyes, and gently lowered her to the ground. Without saying anything, Haji extended his arm, and Saya, having noticed, quickly adjusted the hem of her feathered cape. She straightened herself and smiled softly.

"Shall we go?"

"...Yes."

She nodded deeply, as usual calm and composed.

It was at that moment.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of her, and Saya gasped. Over Haji's shoulder, Saya saw a figure—a boy. The balcony window was left open. "From there? But, now..."

Saya wasn’t concerned at all. The boy's stare, hiding his surprise, didn’t seem to register Haji’s presence. Although his gaze lacked malice, it was rare for anyone to ignore Haji like that. It was like a wild beast that, once having targeted its prey, disregarded anything else.

In an instant, the boy's demeanor changed, and Saya noticed that curiosity colored his eyes.

He was about sixteen or seventeen. That large figure gave a slightly naughty impression. He was a bit taller than Saya and had a slightly narrow but clearly bright look. His short, red hair hung loose, with a mix of reddish hues like agate. His eyes were a blend of amber and gold. He wore a white shirt with a red cloth and leather epaulets on the shoulders, pinned at the left chest, making it look somewhat like a uniform.

Unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face. He was probably thinking, "We're going to be friends, right?"

Saya moved to stand between the boy and herself, and lightly touched Haji's arm. That alone made Haji suppress his presence and silently retreat.

Before she knew it, an elderly man in a butler’s uniform was standing there. The boy lost interest and headed towards the porch.

“You seem weak.”

"Huh?"

The boy unintentionally leaked his thoughts. It took a moment for Saya to realize he was referring to her. While keeping an eye on the boy, she turned her gaze towards the entrance porch.

“Saya has arrived.” The boy mentioned to the butler in passing and quickly went inside.

Saya, who was about to speak, was left standing in a daze.

Haji called her gently, and Saya looked up at him.

"I'm fine. Let's head inside."

Saya forced a smile, and Haji, as expected, didn't pry further. He immediately turned his previously concerned expression into a smile and said, "Given that he knows your name, this must be the designated place."

*****

Saya hugged her bag and walked with exaggerated wide strides. When she reached the front porch, the butler silently bowed deeply and opened the door. Inside, the semicircular entrance hall was laid with white marble, with patterns radiating in black stone.

Matching the exterior, the interior was predominantly white, but the handrails of the stairs and the wainscoting on the walls were polished amber-colored oak, giving the impression of one of the residences owned by a noble.

"Uh..."

Alcoves on both sides of the staircase had fireplaces with red-hot coals, and on the landing where the staircase split to the left and right was a large vase filled with red roses, blooming abundantly despite the severe cold outside.

Urged by Haji, who gently touched her back, Saya snapped back to reality and followed the butler who was already walking ahead. They descended a staircase at the end of the hallway, leading to a room in the semi-basement of the mansion.

"Please wait here until everyone is gathered."

The butler bowed deeply once more and left without saying anything further.

"He doesn't ask unnecessary questions or say unnecessary things..."

"For now, let's sit and wait, Saya."

Saya was urged to sit at the far end of a long oak table set, from where she could see the entrance. Haji took her cape and stood behind her without sitting down.

There was a white marble fireplace in the center of the right wall of the room, with a fire already lit. The wainscoting was also white, and the wallpaper was crimson with a gold acanthus leaf pattern. The chair Saya sat on had a red fabric with gold-threaded floral patterns woven into it, and the edge of the backrest was painted gold.

At the edge of the ceiling, where the wall met, was a narrow, horizontal window fitted with an iron frame shaped like plant vines. On the other side of that window, Saya sensed a carriage stopping, and soon the sound of doors opening and closing and the presence of people approaching made her stand up involuntarily.

Eventually, the door opened. Four boys dressed in matching black uniforms appeared one after another. Each wore a red belt over their jackets, stand collars, and turned-back cuffs. Their loose pants, tucked into laced leather boots, were also entirely black.

Their epaulets were decorated with red fabric and gold braid, and the front of their black hats had the same St. George and double-headed eagle emblem that Saya had seen on the relief on the way here. It seemed to be the uniform of a military academy.

The shortest of the boys, who was about the same height as Saya, sat without hesitation on the opposite side of the long table. His straight, dark wine-red hair was cut evenly at his jawline, and beneath his glasses, his sharp eyes were a clear brown. Despite his younger appearance than Saya, his fingers, as they flipped through documents taken from a large, wax-sealed envelope, moved with practiced ease.

"Saya,"

Urged by Haji's voice in her ear, Saya, who had been standing frozen in admiration, finally came to her senses and sat down abruptly.

Two others had already sat at the upper end of the table, keeping a distance from Saya. Another boy, who Saya had met outside earlier, seemed unable to sit still and leaned against the fireplace instead of taking a seat.

The boy at the head of the table looked up from his documents and scolded him.

"Please sit down, Rozion. And please don't leave without saying anything, as usual."

The boy was probably trying his best to lead, but his stern tone, combined with his young face, made Saya find him more endearing. The frown beneath his glasses did not look threatening at all. It seemed to be a usual occurrence, as Rozion, the boy being addressed, didn't seem to mind and stretched with his hands behind his head.

"It's too slow waiting for the carriage every time. Running is faster. And I wanted to see Saya sooner."

Hearing her name, Saya raised her face involuntarily. Noticing her presence as if just remembering, the boy at the head of the table stood up and straightened his posture.

"Sorry for not greeting you earlier. We will be supporting your activities in Russia from now on. One of us is currently away on business, but there are five of us in total. My name is Valery."

"He's 'Rozion,'" he said.

"Kiril."

Before Valery could introduce him, Rozion spoke up lazily. The boy sitting to Saya's left spoke up as well, resting his chin on his hand and not even looking their way. Despite his indifferent attitude, Saya couldn't take her eyes off his profile. When he had entered the room and taken off his hat, his naturally wavy ice-blonde hair had fallen, making the semi-basement room feel instantly brighter.

His fine skin, with slightly red lips, reminded Saya of a carefully crafted bisque doll. Because of this, even though he seemed to be about the same height as Rozion when they first entered, he gave off a much more delicate impression. Despite his delicate appearance, his transparent amethyst eyes had a challenging light. Saya saw in them a sign of his determined nature.

Kiril briefly turned his eyes to the boy beside him and said, "This is Eduard."

Eduard did not introduce himself, but simply stood up and looked directly at Saya, giving a silent nod. Saya thought he was tall—taller than the other boys, and almost as tall as Haji. His black hair, which appeared blue in certain lighting, was neatly cropped short. His dark navy blue eyes had a depth of thoughtfulness.

Eduard's movements were efficient, with no wasted motion. Even through his clothes, it was clear that his lean body was well-trained and muscular.

Saya vaguely recalled the image of an Eastern swordsman she had read about in books. Unlike Rozion, who seemed to have an excess of energy, Eduard appeared to be in control, holding back a considerable inner strength.

When Eduard sat down, Valery turned back to Rozion.

"Rozion, please sit down."

"Yeah, yeah. You're really going all out because Maxim asked you to," Rozion said in a flippant manner, pulling out a chair roughly and sitting down. He immediately began tapping his fingers on the table, creating a constant rhythm.

It was Kiril who had spoken. Rozion had apparently returned earlier than the others and seemed reluctant to wear his black jacket again for this gathering.

"Don't sit sloppily in front of me, will you?"

Rozion, apparently more wary of Kiril than Valery, didn't retort but muttered "What a pain" and buttoned his collar. As he started to button his cuffs, he seemed to lose patience and stopped halfway, leaving them undone.

"Valery and Kiril, why don't you look for Maxim instead of worrying about me? Right, Eduard?"

Eduard didn't respond, and Kiril spoke in his place.

"He's been acting alone a lot lately. Well, he's in a different class from us anyway."

"I follow his instructions properly!"

Valery interrupted Kiril's slightly accusatory tone. The person named Maxim, who had been mentioned earlier, was probably the one absent. As Rozion had said, Valery seemed eager to follow Maxim's orders. Among the boys who exuded an air of aloofness, Valery's demeanor struck Saya as endearing.

Valery noticed Saya's gaze and blushed slightly. He then straightened his posture and adjusted his glasses.

"Anyway, let's confirm the contents of our work from now on," he said.

He glanced at Saya for a moment before lowering his eyes to the table. The documents in front of him were densely typed and included several photos, but from Saya's position, she couldn't see the details. Sitting at the far end of the heavy table, Saya felt a bit out of place. There were still several seats between her and the boys, but they all seemed to be watching her from a distance, as if she were being interrogated.

"We've been informed by the Red Shield headquarters that our task is to support SAYA in pursuing a creature called 'DIVA,' which escaped from the 'Zoo' in Bordeaux thirty years ago."

Saya nodded carefully.

"We also know that wherever DIVA appears, creatures called 'Chiropterans' appear as well," Valery continued.

"...it's understood in the study of..."

Valerie nodded at Saya's words and continued.

"DIVA and chiropterans are believed to attack and suck blood from humans."

Although this should have been known beforehand, the word "bloodsucking" caused a slight tension in the room.

Saya suppressed the unease in her chest and raised her head resolutely. Valerie continued further.

"Recently, an investigation revealed that around summer, there were sightings of corpses believed to be caused by chiropterans in Russia."

"Believed to be?"

Saya furrowed her brows at the ambiguous way this was said. Red Shield, the organization established to destroy DIVA. For now, neither Saya nor Haji could oppose its policy. Still, she thought they were moving for more certain information.

Kiril, seemingly irritated by Saya's words, responded in a harsh tone.

"The sightings of the corpses were in the suburbs where the royal family and nobility have villas. It was hushed up for a while. In this country, which still deifies the royal family, there's a big gap between the upper class and commoners... Information doesn't come down immediately. It's not that we overlooked it."

"Kiril."

Valerie tried to scold him, but Kiril turned away indifferently. Valerie then gave up on saying any more and turned to Saya.

"For a while, we will need you two to gather information in high society. Headquarters is aware of this."

"If it is Red Shield's decision, I have no objections."

Saya said, and Haji nodded. Seeing this, Valerie relaxed his previously tense expression.

"Then, use the wing across the courtyard for your quarters. Necessary items have been arranged, but if there's anything missing, please inform the butler who welcomed you. We are all here under the guise of distant relatives of nobility or children of wealthy merchants, and during the day we mostly attend the officer's academy... This mansion is owned by Red Shield, but the maids are not informed of the details, so please keep that in mind. How many maids do you need?"

Saya barely managed to interrupt the words flowing without hesitation.

"The minimum necessary is fine. We can take care of ourselves."

"I will prepare the meals if there is a kitchen over there. Can we eat there?"

Haji added. Valerie looked at him with a puzzled expression. He probably couldn't imagine Haji preparing meals. In fact, Haji had taken care of almost everything around Saya until now.

"That's... as you like. But if you ever need help, we can arrange it."

"Okay―"

Valerie said, pushing the point while Haji smiled calmly.

"Thank you. Then, let's go to our room, Saya."

As they were about to leave the room, Rodion's voice stopped them.

When they turned around, Rodion was leaning back deeply in his chair, balancing skillfully with his legs raised. With his hands behind his head, he spoke without looking at them.

"It was written that <SAYA> is the <only weapon> to defeat the chiropterans, but you don't look like it."

Those words weighed even heavier on Saya's already troubled heart. (But)

It is an undeniable fact that she is the only one capable of defeating the chiropterans.

So at least until she leaves this room, she must keep a calm face.

Kiril, still not looking at her, played with his ice-blonde hair and spoke to the silent Saya.

"Though we also benefit from it, Joel has left us with quite a burden. It’s absolute madness, right?"

"Don’t speak of Joel that way."

Saya raised her head reflexively. She endured the sudden collective gaze and continued. "I don’t care what you say about me, but Joel—"

Kiril's beautiful eyebrows curved with interest. "Heh. You’re quite well-trained, SAYA."

"Trained—" The word stung. Just as Saya was about to look down, a figure stepped forward to shield her from the stares. It was Haji.

Haji reached into his jacket, silently staring everyone down. The gentle smile he usually directed at Saya was gone, replaced by a cold, suppressed anger that filled the room with a chilling tension.

"Ha—ji."

Rodion, who had stopped rocking his chair at some point, said with eyes gleaming like a beast's.

"I heard there was a knight protecting SAYA. So, it's you."

Before he finished speaking, Rodion leapt into the air. His movements were fluid and feline, aiming a kick.

Saya involuntarily closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes the next moment, Haji was not in front of her.

"Eh...?"

Rodion's high kick was stopped by Eduardo, who had stepped in at some point and blocked it with his arm.

Without a word, Eduardo stared at Rodion with his deep ultramarine eyes.

Rodion's killing intent, which had been palpable, vanished as if extinguished by the calm, deep blue of Eduardo's gaze.

Eventually, Rodion lowered his leg and spoke awkwardly.

"I just wanted to test your strength a bit."

Valerie, who had been stunned, snapped back to reality and reprimanded him.

"A bit—Don't act on your own!"

"I said I was sorry, didn't I?"

While Saya was distracted by their exchange, Eduardo quietly returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.

"Well, we’ll see how you perform. We have our own jobs to do, so we can’t afford to have you slacking off."

With a sigh, Kiril coldly remarked. It seemed he was not only the most glamorous but also the most barbed.

Saya noticed that Eduardo, who sat silently beside Kiril, also preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble, though he was not particularly friendly.

(They're not exactly comrades, are they?)

"Let’s go, Haji."

Saya felt ashamed of her earlier naivety. She forced a smile at Haji and left the room, almost fleeing.

Upon being shown to a two-room suite, Saya headed straight to the bedroom, throwing herself onto the bed freshly made with new linens. She hadn't expected a warm welcome, but it was still exhausting.

Suppressing another sigh, Saya shook her head resolutely.

(Things will only get harder from here.)

She jumped off the bed and returned to the living room where she had dropped her bags earlier. The room, with its black and silver plant-patterned wallpaper, had furniture matching the same color scheme. She found her bag on the white marble-topped table and picked it up. The large trunk sent earlier was neatly placed against the wall. She stood up to organize her things, catching her reflection in the large window glass.

Saya idly walks to the window and touches her short hair, remembering it used to be long.

"Sister..."

Startled, Saya thinks she sees a girl moving in the reflection and gasps. As she tries to steady herself against a sudden wave of dizziness, there is a hesitant knock at the door. It’s Haji.

"Are you already asleep, Saya?"

Saya rushes to the door but pauses to compose herself with deep breaths before opening it.

"I'm awake. What is it?"

"I brought you some tea."

Expecting something simple, Saya is surprised when Haji comes in pushing a cart laden with snacks and a large silver samovar. Noticing her look, Haji smiles.

"It’s called a samovar. It's quite special."

Haji places it on the table, opens the lid, and lights it. The tea pot is placed on top to keep it warm, and there’s a tap at the bottom for hot water, allowing the tea to be diluted to taste.

"Amazing," Saya murmurs, more impressed by Haji’s quick mastery of the samovar and preparation of snacks. Haji pours the tea into delicate glass cups with gold holders.

"It’s very convenient. I found everything ready, but the kitchen seems quite functional," Haji says cheerfully.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Saya comments with a wry smile as she takes the tea, noting the familiar scent of brandy, ginger, and honey that Haji always prepares when she's tired.

Saya realizes Haji likely suggested dining in their room to avoid the awkwardness of eating with the others. As she watches Haji portioning out cookies, she feels a sense of relief. Haji is always himself.

After sipping the tea and feeling more at ease, Saya remarks, "We've come a long way."

She recalls never having left her homeland. Haji responds gently, explaining that Petrograd, historically called the "window to the West," is at the western edge of Russia and also known as the "Venice of the North."

"Where exactly in Petrograd are we?" Saya wonders aloud. Despite her fatigue, she feels the need to stay occupied.

Haji, casually drinking his tea, answers promptly. "We came down the main street with the Hermitage on our left and turned left again. We’re likely in the Liteyny District. There are many similar mansions here, making it a suitable place for a noble to hide."

[ohmygoodnessgraciouss]

Through the Looking Glass (A Jefferson Love Story) - Chapter 1

Masterlist

"Thanks for being here with me," Emma smiled, letting the 30-year-old into her home. Sarah walked into the large studio apartment, smiling back at her friend. She placed her purse down on the kitchen counter, staring out the window at the gorgeous view Emma had.

"Of course, Emma," She grinned. "No one should be alone on their birthday." The blonde smiled appreciatively. She was used to celebrating her birthdays alone, even though Sarah had been to every single one for five years now. If anything, it still caught her off guard every time she heard that knock on the door.

Emma turned away from her friend briefly to pull out the small white box she was saving in the fridge. As Sarah shrugged off her jacket and placed it on a nearby chair, she noticed the box in Emma's hands. "What did you get today?" She asked.

Emma looked up at her, opening the lid up. Inside there were two cupcakes. One vanilla with white icing and one red velvet with pink icing. "No birthday is complete without cake, I guess."

Sarah laughed at her friend's response. "I thought you were trying to stay away from sweets, otherwise I would've gotten some on the way here."

"Yeah, well," Emma shrugged, "Tonight's date with our friend pissed me off a bit."

"Did he get away from you?" Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe that anyone would get away from Emma. She had been in the business for years after all. Emma could practically catch a guy in her sleep at this point.

Emma shook her head. "Of course not, but he didn't make it easy. Let's just say it's been a long night." Sarah nodded in understanding.

Emma began to pull out candles she bought from the dollar store, placing one on her cupcake. The blue star stood proud on the white icing, ready to be lit. Sarah pulled out her lighter, something she kept with her for good luck, lighting up the candle. The wax quickly began to melt.

Emma smiled at the action. "I thought you never used that lighter. Wasn't that your whole deal about keeping it with you?"

Sarah smiled back at the woman, putting the lighter away in the pocket of her jeans. "I can use it when we need to make a wish. Maybe it'll throw a little magic in there. Perhaps it'll be a better year for you then."

Emma appreciated the thoughtful idea behind it. "If you say so," She responded.

"I sure hope so at least," Her friend laughed lightly, "Now blow out your candle before the wax drops on that icing. I want to eat my cupcake already."

Emma rolled her eyes at the girl, blowing out the candle after a moment's pause.

The flame went out quickly and the wax slowly dripped down the stick of the candle, cooling off rapidly. A flash of disappointment went through Emma, as if she expected something more to happen right then and there. Sarah knew it was the fact that Emma went through yet another year of not knowing who her family was. The blonde was never one to talk about it, but there was still a part of her who longed for that kind of connection with someone. Having a friend was great, but it simply wasn't the same as knowing who your family is, or celebrating the holidays with them.

Sarah rose her cupcake up in the air, waiting for Emma to meet her in the middle. Emma silently held the cupcake up, clinking them together lightly, causing the icing to mix in a small part of the cupcake. The two laughed at the stupidity of the action. Before they could take a bite though, the doorbell rang. Both of the girls were shocked to hear it, especially so late at night. It was already close to the end of the evening, so who could be there?

Emma walked to the door, opening it enough to see who was there. She leaned her arm against the doorframe, looking down at the kid in front of her. He couldn't be more than ten years old, but he was alone. "Can I help you?" She asked him.

"Are you Emma Swan?" He asked, looking up at her. He looked almost eager for the answer, as if he knew it already.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"My name's Henry. I'm your son." He smiled up at her. She stared at him with a blank expression on her face, trying to process what he just said. How would that be possible?

Before she had a chance to move, Henry ducked underneath her arm, entering the apartment. Emma began to protest, closing the door behind her. He walked towards the table, where Sarah looked up from her phone to see him. "Who are you?" She asked, watching the kid.

"I'm Henry. Emma's my mom," He smiled at Sarah.

"Kid, I don't have a son," Emma said, walking over towards Henry and Sarah. "Where are your parents?"

"Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."

Sarah's eyes darted up immediately to Emma, waiting for her response. Emma seemed to freeze at the question, remembering what happened a decade ago. She had never told Sarah what happened while she was in jail. It never seemed relevant, so she never mentioned it. She wanted to keep it in the past, hoping she would never have to face it. "Give me a minute," Emma quickly said before running to the bathroom.

The brunette woman looked over at Henry once again, searching his face for similar features. "Where did you come from?" She asked him.

"Maine," He said casually, as if he was only ten minutes away. Her eyes widened at his answer.

"Did you get here by yourself?" Henry ignored the question, opting to walk over to the fridge in search of something.

"Hey, do you have any juice?" He called out to Emma, waiting impatiently for her to leave the bathroom. He opened the door, scanning the contents of the fridge. "Never mind, found some," He pulled out a small container of orange juice. Sitting back down at the table next to Sarah, he waited for Emma to walk back out.

When Emma came back, Henry wasted no time in telling her, "You know, we should probably get going."

"Going where?" She questioned, watching Henry take a sip of the orange juice.

"I want you to come home with me."

"Okay, kid, I'm calling the cops," Emma began to walk over across the room.

"And I'll tell them you kidnapped me."

She looked down at the phone in her hands and then back up at Henry. "And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother."

"Yep."

"You're not gonna do that."

"Try me." The two had a staring contest as Emma broke into a small smile.

"You're pretty good, but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying," Emma said as she began to dial the number into the phone. Sarah bit back a laugh, watching them. It was clear they had to have been related just from this very conversation.

"Wait, please don't call the cops. Please come home with me." He begged.

"Where's home?" Sarah asked him. If Emma wasn't willing to go with him, Sarah at least wanted to make sure he would be safe. He reminded her too much of her own daughter.

"Storybrooke, Maine."

"Storybrooke? Seriously?" Emma glanced over at Sarah, as if she was trying to figure out if she was buying it either.

Henry nodded, hoping that she would go. Sarah shrugged, as if to say, "It's up to you." Emma pursed her lips, looking back at Henry.

"Alrighty, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke."

_

Lucy sighed, scanning the field for the best place to rest for the day. After a long day of exploring the Enchanted Forest, she needed a break from everyone. She used far too much magic in one day trying to collect valuables she could use to sell to other people. Maybe one day she would be able to get a solid job that would help her stabilize her life, but that wouldn't be anytime soon unfortunately.

Sitting down in the grass, she watched as a woman rode her horse on the other side, a large smile on her face. She smiled, wishing that she would be able to do something similar one day. Her life simply didn't make it easy for her to have that kind of opportunity. Looking down at her hands, she saw the dirt and blood on them from earlier today. She had to make a break for it when some of the guards caught her stealing from a vendor. Thankfully it wasn't anyone else's blood, only her own after slipping down a hill. She took a moment to wipe it on her skirt, trying to clean up her hands.

She heard a horse approaching her, looking up and realizing that the woman was approaching her. Her dark hair seemed to be falling out of her braid, most likely from a long day of riding. There was a small smile on her face, preparing to greet the stranger. "Hello," The woman said, "What are you doing out in this field?"

Lucy smiled back at the woman, standing up so she wasn't covered by the tall grasses surrounding her. She brushed off her maroon skirt, realizing she had covered it in flecks of dirt and leaves. The white tunic she wore was surely just as dirty, if not dirtier. "I was simply looking for a place to rest. Is there something wrong?" She asked, hoping she didn't just stumble upon owned land. She didn't want to have to run once again.

"Not at all," She shook her head. "I was just curious," She said as she hopped off the horse, holding the reigns. "We don't have visitors around here often."

As the woman approached her, Lucy looked up at the horse, noticing how well kept he was. Clearly this woman must've come from money of some sort. "What a beautiful horse. Do you ride often?"

"I do. It's the only thing that keeps me sane some days," She laughed. Lucy's smile widened.

"I understand that feeling. It's why I like to write when I have the chance."

"You write? What do you write about?"

Lucy shook her head before responding. "Nothing much. Just adventures I've been on, adventures I want to be on, and anything else in between. It always depends on the day. I keep them to myself though. It's the one way I can be myself fully, without anyone else judging."

The woman nodded solemnly. There was a moment of silence before she decided to change the subject. "So," She started, "What's your name?"

"My name is Lucy," She smiled, holding her hand out for the woman to shake. "And what's yours?"

The woman released her grip on the reigns, taking Lucy's hand.

"My name is Regina."

~

The three sat in the car in almost pure silence for the first few minutes of the drive. There was a casual conversation between Emma and Sarah, mostly Emma making sure that she was willing to go on the drive with her. Going from Boston to Storybrooke was a decent road trip, meaning they wouldn't be back in Boston until 3 or 4 AM at best. Sarah reassured her it was necessary, although she refused to explain to Emma why exactly.

"I'm hungry," Henry eventually spoke up, interrupting the few moments of quiet they shared. "Can we stop somewhere?"

"This is not a road trip, we're not stopping for snacks," Emma said, glancing back at him through the mirror.

"Why not?"

"Quit complaining, kid. Remember, I could've put your butt on a bus; I still could."

"You know, I have a name? It's Henry."

Sarah laughed quietly at the exchange between the two. As she looked back at Henry briefly through the side mirror, she noticed the book he was holding. "What's that?" She asked, trying to start conversation.

"I'm not sure either of you are ready," Henry shook his head.

"Ready?" She turned around in her seat, looking back now at the book. It was a simple brown book, the cover clearly indicating it was fairy tales. "For fairy tales?"

"They're not fairy tales. They're true. Every story in this book actually happened."

"Of course they did," Emma muttered.

"Use your superpower. See if I'm lying," Henry huffed. Emma turned around for a moment to look at him. Sarah watched as Emma turned back to face the street, smiling when she knew Emma couldn't claim he was lying.

"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true."

"That's exactly what makes it true. You should know more than anyone."

"Why's that?"

"Because you're in this book." Henry looked at Emma and then looked over at Sarah, "And so are you."

"Oh, kid. You've got problems."

"Yup. And you're going to fix them." He beamed. Emma looked over at Sarah, rolling her eyes. Sarah stared on at the road, trying to figure out what she just got herself into.

[sugawhaaa]

Hyunjin X reader

"If love was poison we'd drink it anyways"

<epilogue>

Warnings::mentions alcohol, sexual themes, guns, weapons

Pairing::criminal!hyunjin X fem!reader

A/N::I KNOW THIS LOOKS LIKE A SUPER CRINGY MAFIA BOYFRIEND FANFIC BUT I PROMISE THE NEXT FEW PARTS WONT BE

Clubs are greatly frowned upon in your country but not banned. Strip clubs? Now that was banned. But you had no interest of the sort. Even clubs were just for alcohol and sex nothing more. You paid regular visits to one club nearby your apartment, so much so even the people at the club would whisper and gossip about you.

"She's here again?" "I heard she comes literally every time" "She has sex here so often I'm so shocked she hasn't gotten pregnant" "she's probably on some kind of birth control or got her tubs tied"

They would always say, which that last part was true. Kind of. But that isn't important what's important is that you go to potentially illegal clubs and in the amount of times you go never have you met a man quite like him.

September 5th. You got off work at around 5 and went to your apartment. There you made dinner and quickly and ate it while scrolling through your phone. You then got a message from your friend.

Alyssa•You wanna come with me to a club tonight?

You•sure, when and where?

You instantly replied with ease.

Alyssa•it starts at like I dunno 9? It's at the back part of the oddinary bar.

The Oddinary bar is the one the two of you usually go to for clubs and drinking. They have a really cool back section so it was a hot spot. You talked to Alyssa more before doing some simple chores. The dishes, sweep the floor, laundry and you even had some time to spare to play some games.

People typically picture you as a "failure" so now you go to clubs and party all the time but they'd be wrong. You have a office job directly under the government so you get good and steady pay. You just went often for your own fun.

You put on a tight black dress, some black sunglasses and some loud heels to make your presence known. After putting some jewelry and makeup on you called your friend. She said she was on the way to pick you up so you grabbed a black purse and put in some necessary items in it. Makeup top ups, hair elastics, a tazer just in case any man tries to test you.

You didn't wait long before you got a notification that Alyssa was there. You let her in and gave her a big hug and cheek kisses. After some light chit chat you went out to her car. While driving she asked you "how has work been treating you?"

You thought for a moment before replying "Pretty good actually. I haven't been on call in a while now and my co-workers are being very helpful." You nodded.

"Oh that's great!" Alyssa smiled as the greenlight ahead of you lit up her face. You were always so amazed at how she drives in this outfits. Today she's wearing thigh high pink boots, strapless pink velvet dress, and to top it all off a fluffy soft pink jacket.

You sighed as she started driving again, relaxing in your seat. It wasn't long before you arrived at your destination and went inside the bar. When you first walked in you noticed a sketchy looking man sitting at the front by the bartender. He was with 2 other young men, one with sandy brown hair with a cigarette in his mouth, the other had black hair, and the first one that caught your eye had slicked back blonde hair. They were all wearing thick black suits.

You clutched onto your purse and kept walking past them. The bartender seemed very young and after talking to him he immediately led the both of you to the back where the club was. 

Loud music and shouts could be heard on the way over. The man opened the door for you and let you into the party of crazies. After a few drinks and some sugar you and Alyssa started partying and flirting with whoever was closest. 

You sat at a small circular table taking a little break from dancing when you realized suddenly you had to go to the bathroom. Like ASAP. so you went to the washroom, no big deal. But when you got there it was out of order! You knew there was a second one because this club room is massive but you didn't know where, but Alyssa might. You spotted her flirting with a much taller and well built woman. You decided to intrude and discreetly tell her your…situation. 

"Seriously!? Do you not know where the second one is," she whisper yelled so the tall woman behind you wouldn't hear. 

Alyssa gave you a few directions before going back to her new friend. You followed the directions she gave you and lord and behold there was the bathroom. After finally relieving yourself you heard someone crying? You didn't ask what was wrong because you were still in your own stall but you listened carefully. Was she on the phone? She started crying louder before running out of the bathroom. You washed your hands quickly and tried to follow her. You saw her heels as she was running away and they were a bright red. 

You looked around the club for red heels before hearing the same girl crying loudly. You followed her whimpers and found a sketchy door. It was tucked away from the main area so you knocked and awaited a response "Excuse me, are you alright?" You asked softly. The girl stopped crying for a moment before resuming. You put your hand on the handle cautiously before twisting the knob. Surprisingly it wasn't locked. When you opened the door you saw a girl with red heels and a long sleeved black dress, her burnt orange hair hanging in her face. Next to her a silhouette of a man, the giant window behind them making it hard to see them clearly. 

Then you heard a gun click behind you and a cold metal against the back of your head. "Come with us or I'll shoot." A man with a cold steen voice spoke. It was the man from earlier, slicked back blonde hair and a thick black suit. You grabbed his arm and twisted it, placing the gun in your hands now.

Turns out unfortunately for this young man, you're a police officer.

[froppy-butterflyfan2000]

It is another snowfall on a winter day in the city of Townsville. Joby and Josie, children of Johnny Test and dress in their winter clothings, came out of the house to spend the remaining winter break they have left before school start. The two kids are sitting on the bench waiting for the bus. The bus arrives, that the children get their stuffs.

“Last one to reach Fitz Maurice Hill is a rotten egg and buy hot cocoa!” Said Josie, carrying her wooden toboggan.

“Oh you are on!” Said Joby, carrying his plastic green sled, wearing a competitive smirk.

The bus took them to their respective destination, as the kids exit the bus, they then climb up to the hill by foot. Josie and Joby put down their sled and get on.

“Ready?” Joby asked.

“Ready!” Said Josie.

“GO!” They said in unison.

The two take off.

Meanwhile, the daughter of Brandon and Stella, Twinkly Astrid Bloom Solaria walking through the city, avoiding being follow. She is dress in a velvet winter buttoned up cardigan jacket, black knee high socks, black snow insulated pants, pink winter boots, and a white scarf wrapped around her neck. The one who is following her is a small, pink droplet shaped furry body, and has small bright white specks which resemble stars and have no visible limbs. The creature is looking at her with a gold-orange eyes and mouth trembling. Twinkly grumbles because all she wants was to be left alone. Honestly, why is that creature following her? Can’t she go back to Kai or back at Scaris/Paris with her family?

Twinkly is minding her own business, when she is not watching where she is going because all of a sudden she heard a loud voice, “Look out!”.

“Huh?”

Twinkly is crash into Joby, who’s failed to move to a different direction. They groaned in pain.

“Hahaha! I win!” Said Josie, reaching the finished line. She get off her toboggan and enjoy her victory by throwing her arms in the air. You are gonna buy me hot cocoa because you…. uhhh,”

Josie is looking at Joby, faced down and on top of Twinkly.

“Ouch. That is not how you falls in love,” said Josie.

Joby groans again, he got off of Twinkly and is now lying on the snow on his knees.

“Get off me hooligan!” Twinkly shouted. “I am already off of you. You are so impatient.” Complained Joby. He groan, as he slowly got off of Twinkly and is now lying on the snow, on his knees. As he get up from the snow, the two lock their eyes again.

“Great, not you again!” Said Joby.

“Me? I obviously don’t want to see you too!” said Twinkly.

“You two know each others?” Josie asked.

Joby points at Twinkly. “This is the crazy girl I told you about!”

Twinkly’s mouth stretches wide. Crazy?!

“For real? Wow,” said Josie.

“No, I am not crazy!” said Twinkly. “I am a fairy, whose is not at the Winx level yet. I can do magic.”

Joby rolls his eyes. Josie flick her hand and scoff. “Phew! Nah, I am tired of seeing enough magic in my life. I don’t need more,” Josie denied. “Come on Joby, we need to go to the hot cocoa stand, you are paying.”

Joby let out a sigh, admitting that he lost the race. “Fine, coming.”

Josie run for the hills to the hot cocoa stand. Joby wipe the snow off his black winter jacket with his gloved hands. He picks up his earmuffs to put them on, when he saw Twinkly acting weird. He shouldn’t ask, but he did anyway. “Why are you cautious for no reason?” Joby asked, regret his decision later.

Twinkly’s eyes start dancing back and forth. “Well… I… Um…,” Twinkly muttered. The creature start whining. “Can you please help me hide Lilly?” Said the bothered Twinkly.

Joby lifted an eyebrow, and stares at the creature calls Lilly. “That’s your weird dog.” Said Joby.

“No, that’s a staryummy. That creatures you saw in the news a couple of months ago.” Twinkly corrected Joby that Lilly is a staryummy, and not a dog.

Joby is even more confused, so he gives it a thought. He then remember something about an infestation and everyone has to avoid these creatures, not to attract them by giving them sweets or soft drinks, and let either the superheroes from The Roundtable or the pest control handle them.

“Oh, I forgot.” He said.

Twinkly let out a hmph. Joby let out a hmph too, because why is she asking him to help hide this creature in the first place? They don’t like each others, and if she don’t want this ‘staryummy’ creature around her, why not call the pest control? It must be her fault for attracting this staryummy somehow. Question is, how?

“HURRY UP!” Josie screamed.

“I AM COMING SIS!” Joby screamed back at Josie. Then he turned to face Twinkly one last time. “Just calls Camp Synonymous or Townsville’s pest control…. They know what to do than me, a civilian. See ya never again!”

He leaves to go to his little sister.

“Ugh!” Said Twinkly, she is experiencing the cold weather for the first time and wish to be back home in Solaria right now. Why did her parents decide to go visit Townsville again? She glares at Lilly and kick the poor staryummy. Lilly start screaming as she got kicked by Twinkly and landed in the snow.

Lilly and Twinkly Astrid Bloom Solaria belong to @gloriousdreamunknown

Josie Test and Joby Test belong to @froppy-butterflyfan2000 (me)

[theyareweird]

Vampire Knight: Senri's Yandere for Kianna — Part 15 (Requested)

The Night Arrives

Kianna emerged from the bathroom of her room. She adorned a high-low vintage Lolita dress. The white sink fabric was decorated in shiny rose leaf pattern throughout. Approaching the floor-length mirror, Kianna examined her appearance. Eyeing the bunched up puff sleeves, the petite girl thought they would look better off her shoulders. With that, Kianna pushed the sleeves down to convert the dress into an off shoulder neckline. The great thing about how she designed the ball gown was the sleeves could be worn either way, and it would appear natural.

Kianna then turned towards her pink canopy bed. She had laid a pair of plain white sheer tights out to wear. Sitting on the edge, Kianna rolled up the tights and slipped them on. After that, she put on a pair of red trary mary jane shoes.

Standing back up, Kianna walked towards her vanity and pucked up a large red velvet bow choker. Snapping it around her neck, she used it to conceal her bite markers. In the bow's knot, Kianna had stitched a little silver diamond broach onto it. A ruby was encrusted into the center. At the bottom of the broach, were two silver dangling chains with rubies attached to their ends. Positioning the bow onto the side, Kianna then swipped a pair of red velvet wrist gloves off the vanity and pulled them over her hands to hide the scars on her wrists.

After that, Kianna returned to the mirror. She used her now gloved hands to gently pat down her wavy, jaw-length hair. On either side of Kianna's head were a single braid, which framed her profile along with her curled back blunt bangs.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. "Come in." Kianna said from across her room.

Senri then entered Kianna's bedroom. As usual, he was dressed in the Night Class uniform, which was similar to that of a formal suit. This way, male students didn't have to spend money on a tux. Senri's red tie, black dress shirt and white vest were fresh out of the wash. In addition, Kianna noticed his white pants and white jacket with black lining had been ironed. Although Senri didn't have to put in the extra effort to appear cleaner, his date thought the idea was nice.

Senri's black dress shoes tapped as he slowly entered the room. While approaching Kianna from behind, the mahogany haired vampire secured the customised silver rose buttons on his uniform. Once everything was buttoned-down, Senri fastened his matching cuff links.

Noticing the color scheme and rose details of Senri's attire made Kianna smile to herself. She was pleased to have created the perfect outfit to match Senri's clothes along with the corsage he choose. Speaking of which, Kianna's amber colored eyes spotted the white rose tucked into the breast pocket of Senri's jacket. The flower had red glitter along the petals' edges.

"You’re not ready." Senri said, staring at Kianna's reflection in the mirror from behind her. His blue-gray eyes trailed down her figure. Senri was pleased to see a white rose, dusted in red glitter, positioned on the left side of Kianna's dress. She was on the same page about their attire matching as a couple.

"Almost." Kianna reassured him. Senri then noticed the untitled red velvet waistband had yet to be tied in the back and decided to tie it for his girlfriend. When he finished, a big red bow rested at Kianna's lower back.

"Thank you." Kianna smiled, flashing Senri her pearly whites.

Senri nodded in response. "Where is your corsage?" He asked.

"In my jewelry box." Kianna replied, smoothing out her dress.

Senri said nothing as he retrieved the corsage he had custom-made for his lover. He then approached Kianna, lifted her left wrist with one hand and slipped the two-strand pearl wristband corsage over her wrist. The red silk ribbon tied below it matched perfectly with the rest of Kianna's look. "Perfect." Senri said, lovingly gazing onto his beautiful date and girlfriend. He noticed the subtle eyeliner, mascara and silver glittery eye makeup on Kianna's face. "Beautiful..." Senri whispered. He then hooked his index finger and thumb around her chin and softly kissed her red painted lips.

Parting, Senri's eyes lingered onto Kianna. He wanted to start making out with his Sweetheart, but he knew it was time to go. Senri then turned his heel to stand at Kianna's side and offered an arm to her. Kianna complied by linking her arm with her boyfriend. From there, the couple exited the room. 

When the two stood at the top of the right stairs from the foyer, they noticed the entire night class were gathered in the entrance hall. It seemed everyone was waiting on Kianna and Senri to join them before they departed to the main campus building. Kianna internally felt a bit embarrassed for making everyone wait on her, but she was present now. As she descended the staircase on Senri's arm, Takuma pulled out a polaroid camera and snapped a picture of the pair.

At the camera's flash, Kianna rapidly blinked her eyes. Senri hummed in displeasure, narrowing his sensitive eyes at the bright light. "Takuma, what was that for?"

The blonde vampire grinned, taking the picture into his hand as it printed out of the camera. "I thought it would be fun to put together a little scrapbook of our photos at the ball!" Takuma chirped, fanning the picture to help the image develop.

Rima shrugged in her royal blue and black mini dress. "Just go with it." She sighed.

Azusa smiled up at Kianna from the ground floor and said, "You look beautiful, Alice."

Senri scuffed at this in response. He wanted to say something but held his tongue to avoid making a scene. Rima and Takuma were already nervously shifting their eyes between the two boys feuding over Kianna's affection. Everyone knew what Azusa was trying to do was terribly wrong towards someone else's soul mate. Kaname has even scolded him on the matter, but it seemed the Level D Vampire still had a spark left in his heart for Kianna.

"Uh, thanks." Kianna smiled kindly.

A subtle smirk curled at the edge of Kaname's lips. "You two look nice together." The Pureblood commented. Kaname could sense the tension in the room upon noticing Senri's narrowed eyes and decided to redirect the mood.

"Thank you, Lord Kaname." Senri said, bowing his head.

Kianna respectfully bowed her head to Senri's cousin as well. "Thank you very much." She politely replied. The idea Kaname is completely supportive of their relationship has always been comforting to Kianna.

"Now that everyone is present, let's be on our way." Kaname said, leading the way.

All the night class students eventually arrived at the entrance to the ballroom. Kaien stood outside dressed in traditional Victorian Headmaster attire for the ball. He happily greeted the night class students as they passed him to enter the ballroom. Kianna assumed Kaien must be ensuring no one besides Cross Academy students attended the event. Otherwise, he was making sure all his beloved students were present.

Night Class students with dates walked into the ballroom in pairs, one by one. Many day class students were already in the room working the ball. They all served food and drinks at the buffet tables. Meanwhile, various professors for night and day class students were scattered about. It seemed they were chaperoning the dance.

Day Class students gushed and gawked over the night class students entering the ballroom. Kianna even noticed some day class girls shooting her some jealous looks, but she ignored them. Unfortunately, she knew she would have to leave Senri's side at some point to help with the work. But Kianna figured Yuki or Sayori would let her know when her shift was due. Until then, she would enjoy her time with her boyfriend.

Kianna then allowed her eyes to scan her surroundings. Since her two day class friends were on her mind, it seemed Yuki and Sayori had yet to arrive. Then again, the ballroom was still very much empty. This told Kianna the majority of the day class had yet to appear.

Regardless, Kianna looked up at Senri and said, "Before the ball officially starts, l want you to meet my father."

Requested: @nunezs-stuff

[dragoncityinteriordesign]

Okay, I know everything about the Guardian Fashion Experience is regrettable. That said, you have got to see what the guests are wearing to this rich people wedding.

Shout out to Purple Suit Guy, the guy who first made me start paying attention to the guest clothing here. I love his look. Bold and stunning. Absolute outdoor wedding wear.

Who invited Xiao Hua? (Note: Whenever he shows up during the standing scenes, he's always with that guy in the grey suit, but when he's seated, they're apart. I can only assume they came together but whoever is doing the seating arrangements is homophobic.)

He's got a tie so skinny he must be in a ska band. She's regretting several of her life choices, and about half of them have to do with lace. I don't see her in any of the later images, which leads me to believe she got smart and called an Uber.

Guest on the left has paired a moderately fancy dress with a thrift-store cardigan and extremely chunky shoes. Guest in the middle has decided that cold shoulders and furry fringe will bring back mid-'00s plus-sized fashion, but now for skinny girls. And Velvet Jacket Guy ... well, you get what his deal is.

I'm surprised this lady didn't get bounced immediately. If there's one thing I know from spending too much time on Reddit, it is that you are always the asshole for showing up in a wedding dress when you, specifically, are not the person getting married.

Another white-wearer! This lady, however, has taken the extra steps to prove she's not the bride by wearing silver-trimmed sneakers.

She chose his tie so they'd match. She's going to catch that bouquet if she has to shank every other woman at the venue to get it.

I love everything about this woman's style. She has decided on a an already-bold patterned dress, then accessorized with dark hose, dark shoes, dark fingerless gloves that hook around her thumb, and dark glasses. I want to be her when I grow up.

At first, this woman's look is fairly normal, but those sunglasses take it to the next level.

I'm just not a fan of red and pink. The dress looks like it would be great on its own, even with the weird racing stripes. Why the vest?

I know it's not as socially embarrassing for men to show up to an event wearing the same thing as it is for women, but these guys landed on nearly the same white shirt, mustard vest, and mustard pants. That sticks out. At least by the time the fistfight breaks out, one of them has put his jacket back on. (Also you can see that in the interim, Velvet Jacket Guy has ditched his titular item of clothing, rendinger him merely Guy.)

And right there in the middle of that previous picture, this guy has made a bold fashion choice with the pea-green jacket and coordinating tie, but I think it's working for him.

This is a fairly nice if largely unremarkable dress, but the red-soled shoes add an expensive-as-hell pop of color.

I can't get a good shot of this denim dress, so I can't tell if I love what it's doing with that black side panel or hate it. Maybe it's cute? But I don't get why it's stopping at the waist.

A black shirt, no jacket, grey pants with inexplicable black thigh stripes, and brown shoes. Something sure is happening here.

[lemonnbug]

So my request is eddie x plus size reader….maybe eddie and his friends go out to a bar for a night out. Reader and her friends are there having a good time all her friends are getting hitting and asked to dance. She is not…eddie noticed her immediately but is shy he finally gets up the courage to ask her she thinks/asks if it’s a joke because she thinks he’s so beautiful he wouldn’t dare ….they end up dancing and getting hot and heavy on the dance floor and eddie takes her back to his place good smutty ending please……I had another horrible dating experience yesterday I need some plus sized positivity 💕

💖💛💖💛

Velvet

Eddie x plus size f!reader

Warnings: filthy smut. Oral (f recieving), fingering, overstimulation, PinV, praise, alcohol, slight (blink and you'd miss it) fatphobia/body insecurity, I'm not gonna be shamed into proofreading.

You knew you shouldn't have agreed to come out with your friends to the bar, they had begged you to come along, saying you needed to "get out more" and "meet some guys". But you knew the guys around here were not your type, and you weren't theirs. Which was fine, you knew some people had their issues and vapid opinions on your body, but you also knew there were plenty of fish in the sea who wanted to swim in your pond, for lack of a better phrase. It was just nearly impossible to find those guys in Hawkins, let alone in the sleek, preppy bar (and you used that word loosely) you found yourself in, today's pop hits crooning from a shiny jukebox.

You watch as your friend Tiffany bats her eyes at yet another guy trying to keep her attention, while your other two friends flit around the place chatting and flirting away. You feel a pang of envy settle in your chest, you loved those girls, but they had no idea how easy it was for them to find guys. Granted, that didn't guarantee that they were good guys. Douchbags were the great equalizer, whether you're skinny, big, or somewhere in between, you're bound to run into them. The guy drags Tiffany from the bar, her laugh floating in the air as they start swaying to some Lionel Richie song, while you stand there, finger running along the rim of your barely touched drink. You have the sensation of being watched, your eyes scanning around the cramped place until they land on the culprit. Standing towards the back of the room with his gaze fixed firmly on you, was Eddie Munson. Long, wild haired, tatted up, chains and leather jacket wearing Eddie Munson. What the hell is he doing in a place like this? You try to hide the look of surprise, both from seeing him here and from catching him staring at you. You'd seen him around town sometimes but never really interacted with him much, you hadn't been in the same friend groups when you went to high school together, only sharing a few words about this or that when you had the same classes. Admittedly you'd always had a thing for him. But who didn't? The way he'd strut around the cafeteria like he owned the place, always loud and drawing attention to himself. And that smile. Wide and toothy and just asking to be kissed. You hadn't been very confident in school or you might have asked him out, even though the answer would probably have been a resounding 'no', it wouldn't have hurt to try. Your cheeks burn when you realize he's still staring at you, only now you notice his eyes aren't focused on your face, but rather roaming over your body, taking in the way your green velvet mini dress clung to your stomach and thighs, the sweetheart neckline showing just enough cleavage. He's staring so intensely you start to feel weirdly self-conscious, your arms coming to wrap around your front, pulling his eyes back up to yours. To say you're shocked would be an understatement as you watch him blush, his cheeks turning the prettiest dark shade of pink as he turns his head, pretending to be engrossed in what the guy standing next to him is saying.

You shrug and go back to people watching, not willing to let yourself overanalyze whatever the hell that just was. Tiffany walks over to you, grabbing your arm as she looks at you with puppy eyes. "Y/nnnnn," she whines, "I know I dragged you here, but would it be totally awful of me to leave now? It's just that Kyle, that's Kyle over there," she points to the guy she'd been dancing with, "me and him are gonna go, y'know, hang out." She raises her eyebrows suggestively causing you to laugh, "It's fine, Tiff. Really, I'm probably gonna leave soon anyway." She hugs you and scampers off, waving to your other friends before joining arms with the guy and walking towards the door.

"Hey," You jump at the deep voice suddenly beside you, turning to find Eddie, whose eyes are fighting to stay on yours instead of traveling down your body. "Oh, hey Eddie." He seems surprised that you remember him. "It's...Y/n, right?" You nod, smiling as you try to ignore how pretty he is. "Do you, um," he mumbles out, motioning towards the people in the center of the room, "wanna dance?" You let out a deep huff of laughter, "Yeah, right." What is he playing at? You notice the puzzled look on his face. "You wanna dance with me? Me?" You continue, cocking an eyebrow for emphasis. "Yes…" he slowly replies, a smile etching its way onto his face, "this was the least shitty song they had." The beginning of "She Bop" starts playing and you're even more confused. Eddie Munson, drop dead gorgeous Eddie Munson, wants to dance with you. You. Nodding, you set your drink down as you both walk to the middle of the room.

You'd be lying if you said you didn't like the way he was watching your hips sway, your arms coming to rest on his shoulders as his trace along your sides, his eyes hungrily watching you. "I'm actually surprised you're here," you say in a low voice, "it doesn't really seem like your scene." He grins, letting his hands wander a bit further down, "A buddy made me come, needed a wingman." Laughing, you pull him closer, your swaying ending up more like soft grinding, "And how did that work out?" You ask, hearing him audibly swallow as your soft body presses against his, large hands moving to your ass, caressing you through the fabric of your dress. "He left about fifteen minutes ago with some chick, so pretty well, I'd say."

"Then why'd you stay?" You run a finger over the tattoo peeking out from his shirt collar. "I uh, I wanted to say hi." His bulge presses into you, breathing growing heavy as you sway your body into his. You weren't very confident in highschool, but you know a thing or two now. You run your hand down his chest as you lean closer, making him flick his eyes back up to yours. "Is that all you wanted to do?"

¤

Eddie's hands are all over you the second you close your bedroom door, your roommate thankfully wasn't home when you'd pulled up with Eddie in his van. His lips are on yours in a searing kiss, your tongues battling for dominance as you taste each other. You push his jacket off his shoulders, followed quickly by his shirt, your hands wandering shamelessly over his body, covered in tattoos and pale scars. He palms your breasts over your dress, moaning into your mouth while gently kneading them, before running down your middle and over your soft stomach, stopping to squeeze the supple flesh of your hips. "You're so fucking hot," he mumbles into your mouth, his fingers moving to toy with the hem of your dress, "want you so fucking bad." You reach down and pull the dress over your head, leaving you in your lace panties and matching bra. Thank goodness you'd thought to wear those instead of your usual set. "Then what are you waiting for?"

With that he backs you up until your legs hit the bed, dropping to sit down as he stands over you, brows furrowed as he looks at you with lust-blown eyes, so dark they're almost black. He cups your face, thick fingers engulfing your soft jaw as his thumbs move back and forth over your cheeks, leaning down to kiss you again, stealing the breath from your lungs. "Scoot up the bed." You oblige without question, watching as he unbuckles his belt and takes his jeans off, a very large bulge in his boxers pulling your attention, wetness pooling between your legs. He crawls forward onto the bed, hands running up your legs and hooking under them, "Come here, pretty girl," he yanks you down closer to him, fuck he's strong, capturing your lips in a kiss. His lips feel soft against yours as his hands trail up your body, pawing at your thick, soft thighs, and then caressing your belly, his touches pulling little moans from you as he breaks away, nipping at your neck and soothing the area with wet kisses, going lower and lower until he's suckling at the exposed skin of your breasts, hellbent on leaving marks. You're so lost in the feeling of his mouth on you that you don't notice him easing his way down, leaving a hot trail down to your stomach where he places soft kisses all over, trailing his tongue over your stretch marks, hands kneading into the doughy flesh of your thighs as you whimper from the attention he's giving to every inch of your body, practically worshiping it. "So pretty," he mumbles against you, "so fucking pretty."

His kisses trail further down, over your now soaked through panties as he hooks his fingers under them, leaning back to pull them over your thighs, tossing them on the floor before leaning back down, pushing your legs apart as his face hovers over your mound.

You gasp when his tongue licks a strip up your outer lips, licking up and down to nudge them apart until he can run it through your folds, laving at the slick that's collected there, drinking you down. "Eddie," your hands go to tangle in his hair, trying to push him further into you, which he happily allows, burying his face deep into your sopping pussy. He moans against you, the vibrations sending a wave of pleasure through you. The room is filled with the lewd sounds of him sucking and licking at your cunt for what feels like an eternity of bliss, one hand snaking up to prod at your slit, a single digit pushing into you and curling up, brushing against your most sensitive spot.

"That feel good, pretty girl?" He asks as you start bucking your hips up, desperate for more. You feel your release starting to build, unable to stop the moans falling from your lips as his tongue flicks against your clit, his fingers pumping in and out of you. "That's it, baby. Just like that." You feel it snap, your climax hitting you so intensely, a wave of arousal pooling out of you and soaking Eddie's face as he groans, greedily lapping up as much as he can before you start to push him away from the overstimulation.

He sits back on his haunces, grinning down at you all flushed and out of breath, one of his hands reaching into his boxers to grasp his length, giving slow, steady pumps. Despite the sensitivity, your body wants him. Needs him. "Please," you whine, eyes flickering down to watch him stroke himself, "I need you inside me." Without any hesitation he pushes his boxers down and throws them to the floor, your mouth watering at the size of him as he lines himself up with your dripping entrance, leaning down to kiss you before plunging deep into your pussy, bottoming out with a groan. "Fuck," he hisses, setting a quick rhythm, "you feel so fucking good." You grab onto his shoulders as he mercilessly pounds into you, dragging the most wanton, pornographic sounds from you as he stretches you in a way you've never been before. "Taking me so well, pretty girl." His praises add to the ecstasy coursing through your body, the ember of your orgasm growing and growing with each thrust of his cock, until you feel yourself tipping over the edge, screaming his name as your walls clench around him, his hips snapping against you frantically as you pull him over with you, giving one last deep thrust before stilling atop you.

After a minute he pulls out and rolls over, the palm of his hand resting on your thigh as you both catch your breath. "That was, um," you pant, too thoroughly fucked out to form a coherent sentence. "Really fucking good?" He offers with a laugh, rolling onto his side to look at you, fingers coming up to run over the lace of your bra. All you can do is not your head, mesmerized by how pretty he looks. A smirk spreads across his face, a mischievous glint flickering in his big brown eyes.

"Wanna go again?"

Reblogs and feedback are always appreciated!

[boysplanetrecaps]

Build Up Episode 9 Recap Part 1: Flower and Guide for a Subtitle Lite Environment

Hey team! Thanks for coming back to my Build Up recap series. In the last one, we finished Ep 8 and in this one we’ll be going on to Ep 9. 

So if you’ve been watching Build Up, you may have noticed that sometimes the subtitles punk out a bit here and there. But for Ep 9, the subtitles punk out a lot. I’m going to write a fairly detailed recap of the beginning of Ep 9 to help you understand what’s going on in the absence of subtitles. I’ll do my best with google translate and my vague knowledge of Korean. I’ll have to take more screenshots than usual to help you connect what’s going on on-screen to the recap, so this will take up two posts (I’m only allowed to use 30 images per post). Anyway, enjoy!

I’m using this video link if you need one.

It’s the morning of the performance, and fans -- nearly all women -- are lining up. 

Since I can read hangul, I’ll try to help you get a sense of what the signs say. Can’t promise to read every single one, but I’ll do a flyover. 

That one girl in the gray jacket and black pants is holding up a sign for Suhwan. 

There’s a man holding up a hand lettered sign for Wumuti in yellow letters, and his friend has a sign for Park Jeup in pink letters. 

Then two girls (both with coffees and great hair!) holding up signs for Park Jeup and Lee Donghun -- ah, best friends! A girl with a sign for Woong. A group of young women, many of whom don’t look Korean, holding up signs for Donghun. More signs for Jeup and Wumuti and Suhwan, and of course a sign for Jay. So many signs for Donghun! A group of fans of Waterfire -- one for Hayoon, one for Wumuti, one for Suhwan. Some Milky Up fans, holding up signs for Geonu and the team as a whole. 

Now the guys are arriving in black vans. They are excited for the show and want to win, of course.

I love them so much

They make their way to their green rooms. Jay’s team still has the one with the horrible yellow smudges all over the walls. 

What IS that? Ewww. 

Also, it doesn’t look like anyone gets to use the big nice room that DoReMiFa had last week. 

Anyway, the teams are all greeted with notes stuck to the mirror.

The note says, “The cue sheet for the semi-final contest was written by the fourth round 1st place team: Milky Up. The Team With No Name.”  

So, we flash back to The Team With No Name choosing the order. 

Geonu is in a s w e a t e r! Yes, Geonu, come back toward the cozy side! And Seohyung is wearing his American flag sweatshirt again. I like to see people wear the same clothing item more than once. It reminds me that they’re just people, you know?

They’re given a note and they pretend to be absolutely astounded by its contents. The show doesn’t translate the note, so….

Here’s how Google Translate translated the note. 

The guys discuss strategy and choose a running order -- they seem most worried about Jay’s team and Jeup’s team -- but we don’t get to hear their final order yet. 

Flash back to performance day. We pan over the audience and see signs that say “I love you Eunkwang!” and “I love you Kim Yong Sun” (Solar’s real name). 

Let’s check in with the judges. 

Baekho has decided to wear a big weird shirt that’s loose enough to fit his muscles in. Must be tough to shop when you are built like him! He and Jeup can go shopping together, after they work out together. 

I got some of these screenshots from later in the episode -- just some point when we could see them clearly. Here’s Solar. 

She’s staying with the denim pants as a top thing. This time, the pants’ waistband is around her neck and the zipper is along her collarbone. You’re the best, Solar. 

So, Wendy looks gorgeous as usual. But um, ok. So, I feel like every time I see Wendy on this show, I have to tell myself, “That’s Wendy from Red Velvet.” When I see Solar or Baekho or Vocal Coach Guy, I just recognize them. But with Wendy, I don’t. I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I can’t pretend I don’t notice it any more. I’m not saying she looks bad; she was pretty before and she’s pretty now. But she doesn’t look like herself. She looks like just any random woman signed to SM Entertainment. Sigh. 

But that said, she does look gorgeous. The dress is maybe not quite the right color on her…? But it’s a pretty color and the cut is flattering. I liked her tousled hair last week, but this smooth style goes better with the neckline of the dress. I’m always happy to see everyone styled correctly. But stylist unnie, please look into color theory. Wendy is a winter (in my opinion) and you’re dressing her in spring colors. 

And as usual, the men sort of rolled over and found a blazer on the floor and put it on with a shirt that didn’t seem too dirty and were like, great, I’m good. 

As for Dahee…

What a goddamned QUEEN. In the far shots we can see she’s wearing black semi-opaque textured stockings. I’m not sure yet if the combat boots have made a comeback, but I’m obsessed with these too-big-for-her gloves. I think she might have topped up her cheek fillers. It’s all good. Dahee, let’s go get froyo! Wear literally anything you want. 

Dahee welcomes everyone to the semi-final. Tonight, the four teams will be performing brand new songs written just for them, and assigned by MNET production monkeys who want to make me unhappy. I assume.

The four teams come out to say hi, each accompanied by their song from last week and wild applause and cheering.  The judges seem happy to see each one, and sort of dance to the music as it plays.

The Team With No Name

Left to right: Geonu, Haram, Seohyung, Soomin

Clothing courtesy of the Bedroom Chair line of fashion, whose motto is Non sordida est; Ego tantum semel utebatur.

Waterfire

Left to right: Hayoon, Sunyoul, Wumuti, Suhwan

Oh no! A terrible incident involving a time machine and a garment steamer took place and now Sunyoul looks like this! There’s nothing that can be done. You just have to wait it out when that happens. 

Partners

You’re going to have to make your peace with the bias that I have toward this team. 

Donghun has a glove on one hand! 

Left to right: Bain, Donghun, Jeup, Woong. (One second later, Donghun has no glove!)

Ooo-oooo-oooh, you got me I-N-T-O I-T. 

This is how I went them styled. This is the best Bain has looked -- the combination of the vest and rolled up sleeves give the impression of broader shoulders and a narrower waist. Woong’s silky suit emphasizes his feminine aspects, which are an asset on a team with masculine members. Instead of trying to outdo them on the masculine theme, he’s leaning into his softer appeal. I love it. And then you have Donghun and Jeup, both looking generally perfect. I feel like it is not impossible that Jeup’s blazer will come off. A girl can hope. A girl named me. Me. I hope that. 

Donghun has really grown on me. Look how cute he is! But stylist unnie, that pearl necklace has really gotta go. 

Jaehwan says to Irene Wendy, “They all look like actors!” Wendy agrees they look great together. Yes, and they sound even better. 

Hunmunjaybit

Left to right: Minseo, Bitsaeon, Jay, Sunghun

I assume the all-white outfits and weird strings hanging from their sleeves will look good when they’re dancing. It takes a good looking guy to pull off all-white, and these are good looking guys and they definitely pull it off. 

Ok, here’s about where the subtitles cut out, so I’ll do my best here. 

Jaehwan says to Taeyeon Wendy, “This gives me goosebumps.” Imagine if you had a BMI of 15 and had bare shoulders, Jaehwan! Imagine the goosebumps you’d feel then!

Dahee says it’s the semi-final and explains that the method of evaluation is:

Judge points - 600

On site evaluation - 300

Online voting - 100 (and additional benefits)

“The online voting scores held from March 9th to March 11th will be awarded to each team as a bonus benefit by converting the number of team votes into a percentage.”

The on-site evaluators can only vote for one team, which means that they’ll vote for their pre-established bias and it’s already a done deal which team will win. Great plan! Grr. I don’t know why I’m surprised. MNET shows are just like this. Deep breaths. 

Dahee asks the first team to come up to the stage

Backstage, Wumuti says, “What will be, will be.” 

Backstage, Woong says, “Wow, I’m nervous already.” 

Up first is Jay’s team -- Hunminjaybit. 

Baekho says, “Oh, they’re going first again, just like last time.”

Eunkwang says it must be because this team makes everyone nervous. 

Karina Wendy voice-overs, “They’ll do well. Every one of them does well, no exception.”

The team comes out and of course everyone goes nuts. 

Backstage with the Team With No Name, Seohyung is like “I wonder why that team is up first!” And Haram is like, ah, we did that! 

Wendy sympathizes with the guys for having to go twice, two rounds in a row. It’s not fair!

The guys introduce themselves, but there’s not really any theme to it. The best part is when Jay pretends not to remember his name and the audience shouts it out for him. 

“Yeah that’s right, baby, I am Jay. That’s me. Jay. You know my name and you know my game. I’m here to win, no time for gin. I’m here to slay, get out my way. I’m Jay I’m Jay I’m Jay I’m Jay.” -- Jay, probably. 

His hair is actually black now, which might be his natural shade for all I know, but I’ve never seen him with it. It makes his Filipino side come out, to me. 

The crowd cheers, they’re handsome, it’s fine. 

s w e a t e r

Suhwan notices that they’re all dressed in white, and Woong, whose team is dressed in black, is like, “oh, we’re opposites.” 

Solar notices that Jay dyed his hair, and we get a before and after. 

I think this is the first time on the show that they’ve remarked on a hair color change. Seunhwan went blonde, and a bunch others changed color a lot -- Wumuti, Yeo One, and Geonu spring to mind. But no one commented on any of those changes. 

Anyway, Jay asks Solar how it looks, and she stutters that it looks good. 

Everyone laughs, but I don’t totally know why. I have a few theories, but the captions just say “Sea of laughter” and “So funny” and stuff, so, I’ll let you decide for yourself. Solar gives him the thumbs up, and he seems genuinely happy to be praised. (That’s what the Korean captions say, too.)

The subtitles tease us that they’re coming back, but they’re not, so we continue. 

VCG asks them how they feel about going first again,and Jay says, in what I think is carefully rehearsed Korean, that he’s going to make Milky Up regret it for putting them first. (Backstage, Haram is like “It’s ok!”) The captions say the judges’ anticipation for the battle is rising.

Dahee asks Minseo to introduce the new song. He says, “Our new song is called Flower, and to sum it up, it’s ‘fatally sexy.’” Oh, so it’s going to win. That’s how these things work.

Backstage, Bain is like, “oh, so they were inspired by watching our performance of Guilty?” Not really. They were gifted this song by a production team who must want them to win. I’m not opposed to Jay’s team winning exactly. It’s just that I want Jeup’s team to keep singing together forever and ever. I already know, without having seen any performances from this round, that I want Partners to do a cover performance of Flower. 

Jaehwan asks if there’s a special highlight of the song, and Seunghun says the vocals are the key point. The audience will enjoy the flavor of both the sounds and the sights. He says originally the song was just filled with vocals, but for the first time in his life, to add dynamics, they had a rap-making challenge. (IDK, guys, just doing my best with these captions.) 

Backstage, Wumuti and Sunyoul are like, what, is Seunghun here to “build up” as a rapper? Suhwan is like, “I guess rapping is in his blood now.” 

VCG says that he’ll be checking on how focused Seunghun is with the rapmaking. Something like that. Seunghun is like I’m going to do my best!

“I will bboom bboom!” - literally what the captions say, IDK

The on-screen caption asks, “What will Hunminjaybit’s stage be like?”We cut back to a few minutes after the results were announced at the end of episode 8, right when this team found out they survived due to the audience vote.

The paint behind him is peeling? MNET, you can’t even afford to repaint these rooms? What is happening? 

Jay is like, “We only survived because we’re popular.” Well, yes, but you’re popular because you’re very, very good. So there’s that. 

Bitsaeon says something that google translates as, “This is the first time I have seen such an unglorious result.” (“Unglorious Result” is the name I’m going to give my next cat.) 

We’re reminded that they came in last in judges’ scores, third in on-site audience vote, and first in online voting. (The only voting did almost nothing -- what saved them was the audience vote.)

Bitsaeon says he’s ashamed that the judges ranked them last, and feels bad that they survived when maybe they didn’t deserve to. Not true, my friend. You guys sang really well and that’s why the audience voted for you. The judges were straight up wrong. 

He says he was embarrassed to come in third.  “The next round will have to be do-or-die.”

Ok, I’m out of room for more pictures so I’ll cut off the post here. But you can go right on to the next one! See you soon!

[rae-gar-targaryen]

Lewis’s tie needed to be shorter, and his jacket better tailored. It was too many different fabrics for an all black outfit.

Monica was an Angel, absolutely gorgeous. I do wish it was a slightly darker red.

Glen was boring (no surprises there) and his hair gave me the ick

Danny looked so good, his shoes were incredible but I didn’t like the watch, it made the outfit look cheap

For example Greg’s watch was much more timeless, though I wish he had cool shoes, or an accessory cause he was basic too.

Was Jay’s suit velvet? I liked that he had a contrast in his tux

Lewis's tie either need to be shorter (like a bowtie) or longer and thinner; or a bolo tie. And he should have worn more colors -- I'm still waiting for Warren (who styles AG and Glen, as well as Lewis) to put him in a green suit to make his blues pop.

Monica looks good in EVERY shade of red -- I've seen her in that crimson color before and it's ALWAYS incredible.

Glen looked like a Ken doll, per the ushe.

DANNY'S SHOES WERE GREAT. I loved his watch out of context, like if it wasn't with this outfit, I would have appreciated it more. He probably didn't even need one, but I liked that he's unafraid to accessorize. And he always looks good with his earrings. I MISS THE LONG HAIR AND THE UNDERCUT -- I'm going to mourn his hair for a while, but I like that he's reserved some volume and some curl.

I thought Greg looked beautiful, and like, classicly and timelessly so -- but your'e right -- a little basic? Esp because we've seen him in SO MUCH color in the past. He looks GREAT in pink. Why not wear one of his bright suits? Like I'd love to see him go all "Coyote" and wear orange and black.

Jay's suit WAS velvet. I fucking LOVE a velvet suit. No notes. Jay wins 11000/10. He looked tall, chic, and perf.

I give Jay gold.

Monica, Danny and Tarzan silver.

Glen and Lewis bronze.

[thelastbraincellofthehive]

V3 was finished, and I'm still not ok you guys : D

One would think it would get less painful as time goes on, but nope, still hurts like a bitch. Well done RT, well done.

I gotta start by saying the I may fall fighting sequence will forever have a special place in my heart. The moment we finally understood the lyrics to that song, the moment we finally saw Velvet fighting to her full potential, the callback to the trailers and everything Monty put into this show, the moment Weiss finally was able to summon her knight. It was perfection.

Also, the part were the music drops as Velvet calls on Penny's backpack will always make me tear up, and I always enjoy seeing the same in reactors lol we're a cruel fandom, but it's just because we understand.

Another also; the fact that Weiss just ran straight to put herself in between Velvet and the palladin even before she knew she could summon or that the knight would show up. That's growth. I felt so proud of her, she has come so far<3

Cinder saying 'not a foot out of place' and then Amber discovers them for Emmerald's foot raisikg diste, can't believe I hadn't caught that lol. I wonder how much things would've been different if that didn't happen, because it looks like the rest of plans were already in motion by the point Cinder went after the Powers...

Could've we have Pyrrha still if Cinder had killed Amber in time? I feel horrible for asking, but hey, it's Pyrrha.

I gotta say that as much as Adam is garbage and I always remember him with this picture:

His design is so fucking cool... I've always loved his hair honestly, and the Rose design in his jacket? Amazing. Why do cool designs happen to awful people?

That pink apron saying 'Please do nothing to the cook' made me headcanon Ren as a Birromantic Ace, I still think the headcanon makes sense so I hold it lol. Also, I still want one of those aprons, my girl is Ace and she loves pink lol.

I always thought it was so cool and sad how so many storylines got interrupted or just never started thanks to the fall of Beacon. We never got to know what Penny's plan to stay at Beacon was. We didn't get to see the timelime where Yang ran away with Qrow to meet Raven. Arkos was barely trying to raise from the ground when it was shot down. So many little plans that can't be anymore, because that's life.

I know it's a very serious moment but I can't watch the scene when Yang calls Blake to make sure they're ok and ask for Ruby, and not remember when Arryn and Barbara said that Blake and Yang are probably always on a facecall with eachother lol.

Tell me I wasn't the only one who thought Port and Oobleck were gonna die when they told the kids to leave the coliseum? I remember being so sad when Port said 'one final match! Place your bets!' and I couldn't believe it when they appeared again during chapter 12 lol. I'm happy they didn't die, they're so great <3

Speaking of 12. I still can't believe they released that chapter on fucking February 14th. That was just cruel...

Yes I'm avoiding talking about Penny... I just can't, sorry.

Kevin the Wyvern grim is a friend <3 I would totally buy a plush of him if shipping to México wasn't so ridiculously expensive </3

Honestly why aren't there more grimm plushies? They're like Pokémon but Black and white and more deadly!

I.. I gotta go ahead and say It... I really, reaaaaally don't like Taiyang... Sorry, but I have never liked him, don't think I ever will... Never considered him a great or cool dad, kinda feel he only gets that rep because of Burnie. Burnie's cool, but Tai's not for me*shrugs*

Qrow saying that 'sometimes bad things just happen, you just have to move on' after knowing about her semblance is painful. This volume is just full of pain.

THE FUCKIN' MAPLE LEAF!!!!!

Cold being a song about Monty that also perfecto fits Pyrrha it's so heartbreakingly poetic to me... THE world is cruel, but sometimes there's beauty in that cruelness.

As a side note is it weird to get a tattoo of someones signature? I've always wanted to get something to honor RWBY and Monty and his signature is so cool...other ideas include a couple lyrics from Indomitable or Penny's symbol

Emmerald's face when she says 'it's almost sad' was the moment we knew she would get her redemtion. Girl's just alone and needing friends, I'm happy to know where She's gonna end later. I still think we must protect Emmerald.

Seriously I didn't remember how much I missed seeing Pyrrha fight until I saw her again. I wish we could see her again!

Speaking of things I wish we could see again: Roman and Neo fighting together was so great, it's a shame we only got one fight with them. Also, I miss how much Neo used to loved causing mayhem with Roman. Neo in the newer volumes always looks so angry and sad, she literally lost the one thing that gave her happiness </3

Seriously why do Robots eyes' always turn red when they go evil? Lol.

Yang talking to Ruby on that last scene Is the literal embodiment of "I don't care, I say caringly, while I care a lot."

Blake why you must hurt your girl so much? And we're now into the separated Bees period! I loved this period of the fandom lol.

Ironwood against the beowolf is honestly pretty epic. Good job RT, you really sold us the character there.

Remember when we saw the Arkos kiss, and that was the moment we knew Pyrrha was not making it out alive? Yeah, that sucked... And still does.

Divide Is probably my favorite ending credits song to this day. It's epic, it's dark, I love how we got all that insight towards Salem just after meeting her. Definitely a fave. Also, Salem's reveal scene always gives me chills<3 Another favorite part to watch reactors get to.

The call back to players and pieces with Ruby running up the wall<3 I was so happy for a second, then it stopped. I haven't been happyever since (?

And so it starts the very long list of things that Ruby needs years of therapy for. I hope that girl gets the happiest, more perfect life after all this is over. Protect the RuBean. And honestly just give everyone therapy.In a world where negative emotions are literally a magnet for death you would think people would try to take better care of their mental health.

Oh yeah, also. People who get mad at Jaune for getting distracted at the vault:. Dont talk to me. Jaune doesn't deserve that hate, I know I wouldn't fared any better, cut him some slack on this.

And there's that... Fuck this volume hurts. Great thing we got chibi to help with the pain a little lol.

Anyways, thanks for the talk guys! Next one is v4! Spoiler Bout that: I was so traumatized by 3 that I 100% thought Ren or Nora were dying on that finale. Thanks for that CRWBY.

[khodorkovskaya]

08.04.23

today was a great day at the shop! it was very slow at first and there were no customers for the first like two hours and i was starting to get upset. but then so many people started going in! in the end i was only 15 chf away from the ultimate goal!!! (and by ultimate goal i mean really we don't get these kind of numbers every day so it was an extraordinary result)

the best moment of the day was when these two american ladies came in and one of them bought the céline leather jacket and it suited her sooo well! and she was like "show me something i might have missed, do you have anything unique?". and i remembered about the absolutely gorgeous versace top we received the other day. it looks a bit weird on the hanger and i was like just try it on trust me! and she did and it looked AMAZING on her! so she ended up buying it. and i was just a tiny bit sad bc i wanted to keep the top for myself but oh well.

here it is btw:

anyway nik came to chill for a bit. he was coding in the storage room/kitchen while i was with the customers. his gf broke up with him bc he got drunk and shouted at her. it's the same story with him every time, i swear. like idk if i can be compassionate anymore. and idk how to judge him bc the first couple of times his alcohol problems and the issues related to them seemed sad. but idk if he's putting in any effort into fixing his life and becoming a better person. it's always the same shit with him.

but to be fair, it's always the same shit with me too so im not the one to judge. it was his bday party yesterday and he invited everyone to a bar. and im in my tea drinking era and really didn't feel like going. but the thing that motivated me was that it was B's favourite bar and he's there every weekend. so i, being the absolute pathetic loser clown that i am, was like "oooo i might bump into him if i go". and guess what, the first thing that nik said to me when i got there was "yeah, B was there a minute ago but i told him that you were coming so he left". like 💀💀💀 and then the night was ruined basically. bc i was paranoid the whole night. i was like omg what if B's gonna come back what if what if what if. i felt pathetic.

and it's frustrating in a way bc i feel like B must be handling the breakup so much better than me even tho im the one who left. like he doesn't watch my insta stories, he didn't stop to talk to me that one time i bumped into him by the river, he seems so much more disciplined than me... like idk. meanwhile im still obsessed and dream about him every night. and i fuel this obsession more and more like i can't stop myself.

this week im catsitting for my neighbour and again, i can't stop being a loser about it. bc ive known her and her cat (bless her!) since high school. and guess who else i knew since high school? like i have these vivid memories of going to check up on the cat and then coming out of the building and B waiting for me by the door with his bike and everything. and then going to the frog pond and passing by the petrol station to get pasta for dinner and then going to his place. and the fucking birds singing fuckk i hate those stupid birds i want them to shut up. because it takes me back to those evenings with B. and even tho this is the same building in front of which i used to take the school bus every morning when i was a kid, the only thing i can associate with it is B. despite all the other memories i have in this neighbourhood, it's always B B B.

and now i live in a different neighbourhood and listen to different music and have completely changed my wardrobe, i still have those memories ingrained in me. of me in my denim skirt and pink velvet top from bershka i bought when i was 17. him on his bike with his stupid backpack and cheeky grin. that one picture of us smiling in the countryside with wheat fields and the lignon towers behind us. the birds singing and the sun setting.

fuck.

when will it end?

[unicornteacup24]

A Free Latte

TW: anxiety allusion, panic attack

He pulls his black sherpa jacket tighter around himself, hoping to stave off the weird chill of those weeks in between Winter's end and Spring's beginning. He lets out a shaky sigh, waiting for the road to clear of cars and trucks as they speed by him. Just then, a group of kids breeze by him, running across the lanes without a second thought when the cars slow into a line at the traffic light.

He waits.

Cars speed by.

He waits some more.

A bus stops to pick up passengers.

He waits, false starts to step in the street are repeated for about five minutes because the cars are plenty; and, he doesn't want physical damage to match his mental.

The cars eventually clear on both sides, leaving the road empty; so, he runs in a diagonal line, reaching, the other side of the street with a small smile at the personal accomplishment. Crossing the street was never not kind of scary for him; but, he did it.

He stops on the sidewalk before sitting on the curb of the parking lot, taking in the shopping center that he's seen billions of times already. The grocery store has a help wanted sign in the window, and apparently, there's a sale on tilapia fish this week. Meanwhile, the hair store, where his older sister bought a pack of braiding hair for his protective style, is having a BOGO sale on track packs. He runs an sepia-brown hand through his locs at the memory of his hair being gripped by her nimble fingers. The cafe beside it is sparse; but the sign out front says they have a new muffin flavor.

He stands, dusting off his jeans. He can smell the pizza place down ways as he strolls across the parking lot, making sure that his black Converse sneakers don't hit any uneven concrete. ‘Wouldn't want to faceplant in broad daylight.’

He reaches the door to the cafe and pauses, because there she is. Jade, his neighbor of the past year, who had the energy of an early-twenty-something, even though she's actually twenty-nine. She makes him feel funnily tired, like she's super great to be around; but, she'll want to do so many things at once. She invited him in for tea once because the mailman bundled a letter of her's in with his bills. She's sweet and bubbly everytime they cross paths.

She's got a blonde streak in her hair that frames her face, contrasting with the rest of her black, pulled-back, wavy hair. Her nails are painted pink and blue with black polka dots, most likely to match her pink work-shirt and black slacks that she's wearing now as she rings up a customer with a smile on her tawny-brown face.

He scrambles down the sidewalk, hoping she didn't see him at all. He sighs as he slows down, glancing back at the door to the shop as the bell on top chimes when a lady with two kids enters. He turns back around, taking a step towards the cafe. Until, an overly tan, beefy guy, who looks like he eats protein powder as a hobby, strolls out with a pink box and bottle of water.

‘Nope. I can't do it.’

He leans against the bricks and watches people come and go, trying not to sweat more as time flies by. He takes a steadying breath.

‘You can do this. Just go in there and talk to her.’

He shuffles back in front of the cafe's entrance, stumbling back as the pull door swings open, nearly hitting him in the face. It's the kids from earlier. There's various apologies given as they shuffle out of the shop. One of them holds the door for him, while the others huddle around to wait for their friend.

“T-Thanks. Have a nice day.”

“You too, sir,” the boy says, then sprints off to join his friends.

The bell chimes as the door closes behind him, cutting off the chilly breeze outside.

There isn't anyone at the register; so, he goes to sit down at a two person table that isn't in direct sight of the registers. He exhales, picking up a menu to peruse the options.

‘Hm, let's see... that looks good. Ooh, and that. Something sweet to go with the latte. Maybe, a red velvet muffin? Yeah, that works. Alright, okay,’ he stands, pulling his debit card out of his chain-link wallet and walking towards the registers.

There's no line.

And, Jade's back.

‘I can do this,’ his grip on his card tightens as she notices him. She smiles, “Hey! Mr. StealMyMail! How are you?”

“I'm alright,” he says, smiling at the nickname. He clears his throat. “how're you?”

“I'm good. Frankie is flying in to visit me next week! I'm so excited! Well, it's only for the week. Nevertheless, it's going to be so awesome!”

“That's great.”

“Thanks! Um, I mentioned you. I hope that isn't weird. He asked about any new friends or acquaintances. I thought it might be fun to all hang out sometime,” she smiles before clearing her throat with a fist. “Anyways, what can I get for you today, sir?”

The bell chimes faintly in his ears, indicating a new customer behind him; but, his mind goes blank, trying to process her words, as a cold sweat ripples under his skin,“Actually, where's your restroom, please?”

She points the way, looking concerned for him. He scurries off, trying to calm down as the restroom's hum echoes in his ears. He dashes into the end stall, nearly slipping on the gray, lemon-scented tiles. He locks it before flopping down onto the seat. He squeezes his eyes shut, leaning forward with his fingertips pressed to his face, trying to even his breaths. He tenses as he hears the restroom door open, heartbeat spiking momentarily at noise. His breathing echoes in the silence.

“Um, excuse me, but are you alright in there?” he hears gravily.

“I- ha, I'm fine, r-really. I just need a minute,” he wheezes out just as he sees checkered Vans stop in front of his stall.

“Okay,” the stranger crouches to sit criss-cross applesauce with his golden-brown hands in his lap, the bottom of his black hoodie and gray, ripped jeans only visible. “I'm Francisco by the way.”

“I’m-. My n-name is-,”

“It's cool, man. Deep breaths, okay?”

He nods shakily even though Francisco can't see him. He doesn't know how long it takes; but, It felt like hours had passed when he finally sucked in an easy breath.

“I-I'm okay now.”

“Good, good. Would you like to talk about it?”

“...I wanted a latte. A simple chocolate drizzled latte with whipped cream. And, I thought I could do this. But, Jade was so…energetic.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No! It's great, she's great. Really fun to be around. Super nice.”

“Oh, that the cashier girl with the pink nails?”

“Yeah. That's her.”

“Do you like her? Like, like-like her?”

“No. She's awesome, but no. I don't see her that way at all. She's my…friend? At least , I want her to be. She even gave me a gift card for a…free latte,” he sighs, rubbing his face. “And, I knew it was a longshot! But, I wanted to try; and, I was so close too! But, she mentioned meeting her boyfriend.”

“Hm, is he a dick? Is that why you're reluctant to meet him? Because he sucks?”

“Wha- No. …Yes? I honestly don't know him. I've never met him before. Jade wants me to. And, I would love to; but, it honestly sounds so terrifying!”

“Whoa, okay, deep breaths, remember? Can I offer you some advice, if you don't mind?”

“Y-Yeah, yes, sure.”

He sees Francisco's hands rummaging in his pockets, only to pull out a pen and scribble on one of the cafe's business-cards sliding it into the stall. He picks it up, turning it around in curiosity. 'I know you're scared but take deep breaths, okay? Don't overthink it. Deep breath in; deep breath out. You'll never know unless you try.’ His hazel eyes water a little more as he glances up; Francisco is gone.

He unlocks the door slowly, putting the card in his pocket before walking to one of the sinks to splash some water on his face. He takes a deep breath as he dries his face and hands. He gives his reflection a smile before walking back out into the cafe's entrance, absentmindedly looking towards the tables, only to do a double-take.

There's Jade and a guy with black twist braids, sitting at a four person table with drinks, their arms slightly brushing ever so often. Jade sees him and enthusiastically waves him over. He bites his bottom lip before walking over with measured steps. He stops beside their table. Jade waves him to sit down. There's a latte…with chocolate drizzle and whipped cream just like he wanted. The sharpie on the side of the cup reads: ‘For Avante. I hope you like it. -Frankie’. He looks up to see them trying to act like they aren't watching his stunned reaction. He appreciates that. He takes a deep breath, holding his hand out toward the ‘stranger’.

“H-Hi, I'm Avante.”

“Hi, I'm Francisco, but you can call me Frankie. It's nice to meet you,” he smiles, returning the handshake.

“Thanks for the latte. Uh, how much do I owe you guys?”

They both wave him off; Jade with ‘no, it's fine’ and Frankie with a smiley headshake,

“It's cool. I heard you had a coupon.”