#and i felt like the jellyfish kind of deserved it sorry

[hannahssimblr]

“What?”

“I said, you tore me out of this photo. I was there too,” I unpin it and hold it out to point to the crooked edge next to Jen where my eleven year old self once stood, tanned and grinning in red swimming shorts, “There, I was there.”

She looks at it, then me, but says nothing. 

“You can still see my shoulder.”

“Yeah.”

“You tore me out of it.”

Again, nothing. 

I let my arm drop, limply holding the photo between two fingers, speechless I just stare at her as though she might explain herself, give me some reason that makes sense, but she doesn’t, she just stands there chewing on her lip. 

I tug my shoulders sharply toward my ears, “Why did you do that? That was a nice day. We went swimming in the sea, I rescued you from a jellyfish, remember? I grabbed a piece of driftwood and flung it out of the water for you.”

“Yeah,”

“And later your mam brought us back to my house and we had a water fight on the lawn and made ice cream and coke floats,” I hold the photo out to her in a last ditch appeal, “It was a great day.”

“Yeah it was nice, we had fun.” She won’t meet my eyes and looks everywhere but at me, like acknowledgement is unbearable.

“What, Michelle? I don’t get it. What did I do that was so horrible?”

She scoffs and turns away. 

“C’mon, just tell me. I’ve had enough of all this bullshit between us, I’m serious. What is it?”

“Oh come on.”

“No, what?” I toss the photo onto her desk and approach her, my hand on her arm makes her flinch as I spin her to look at me, eyes livid, as I insist upon her, “What?” 

“My God, you’re awful,” she hisses, “Why do you need to hear me saying it? Is it an ego thing? Is it because you’re all single and sad again?”

“What are you on about?”

“You already know what this is all about, it just gives you a thrill to bring it up.”

“No! I don’t know!”

“Oh cop on,” She slaps my hand off her, “That stuff with Holly, you just don’t remember? That’s convenient.”

“Holly?”

“Oh my God,” she tries to twist away from me but I stop her, “What did Holly say to you?”

Michelle glares right into my face with a fury that would make a lesser man cower, but I don’t budge. “Tell me!” 

“That you don’t fancy me,” she grinds out, “and that I’m not even pretty.”

I hesitate. 

She tosses her hand at me and hacks out a laugh, “See, you don’t even deny it.”

“Yeah, I was thirteen and stupid, she was jealous and I suppose I was just telling her what she wanted to hear. Shell!” she backs off and I follow, trying to insert myself into her eye line, “I didn’t mean it, she just didn’t get it, the way it wasn’t like that between us, but I don’t know why she told you that.”

“It’s because she knew I fancied you, and she thought it was funny how you didn’t fancy me back.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You didn’t, you fancied Holly.” 

I sigh, “Holly was… everyone expected that of me.”

“What does that even mean?” 

“She liked me, and she was the sort of girl that all the other boys talked about all the time, I felt like I should just go out with her because it’d be the most normal thing to do.”

“Oh my God, that’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, I know, but I was still a kid and, I don’t know, you, Jen and I had a good thing going, I just didn’t want to risk ruining it.”

“Well obviously you did, by saying I was ugly and throwing your birthday gifts back in my face.”

“I never said you were ugly, and the birthday gifts… she told me I couldn’t have them because they were from you, but I still liked them! Those pens were better than her gift, you know, I didn’t even like the movie she took me to see,” my attempt at a laugh sounds very weird and tight, “It was actually so shit.”

Michelle is unmoved, with her arms crossed over her chest she says, “You read what I said in the card and you still threw it away like it was nothing.”

“No, I didn’t- I skimmed- I barely read it.”

She reels back like I’ve spit in her face, “Is that supposed to be better?”

I don’t answer. 

“‘Dear Jude,’” She recites, “‘Happy thirteenth birthday! I hope you have an amazing day! I just want to say that being your friend is the best! You’re so nice and funny and talented, I’m glad all of the time that you started going to our school because you make our friend group so much better. I hope you like the gel pens, I know you hate drawing with yellow colours because they don’t show up on the page, but I couldn’t exactly take it out of the packet or it would look pretty strange! Maybe you can use them to draw more comics. I look at the one you drew for me with the cowboy cats every day and it still makes me laugh. Is that weird? I hope not. Anyway, I hope you have an amazing birthday because you’re an amazing friend! xxx Michelle.’” She glares at me. The way she positively spat that message at me threw me off a bit, but the essence of it still comes across and makes my stomach sink with shame all of the same. It really was a nice card, and I wish for the millionth time in my seventeen-and-a-half years that I wasn’t such a fucking idiot. 

“I remember the cowboy cat comic,” I mutter, “Do you still have it?”

It seems as though my stupidity is confounding her, “No, I fucked it into the bin. Obviously. I was heartbroken.”

“Heartbroken?” A bit dramatic, surely. 

“Yeah. Holly and her friends bullied me for years, and you just went and abandoned me for them.”

“That’s not fair, I didn’t. You pushed me away, remember? You accused me of choosing them, I never chose them. You chose not to be my friend.” 

“Yeah, I wonder why.”

“Why are you being like this?”

“Like what?”

“So stubborn. You can't let this go.”

“Uh! Yeah! Because it’s humiliating.”

“What is? That you fancied me?”

She brings her hands to her cheeks, burning not with rage, but embarrassment. She takes a shaky breath, “did you know?”

“About you-”

“Yes.”

I chew on my lip. Of course I did. It was written all over her, the way she was so eager to sit next to me in class or in the car, squeezing into the middle seat just so that her leg could rest against mine. How she jumped at the chance to help me out with something before anybody else could, her laugh, a little bit harder and longer than everyone else's when I told a joke, but not addressing it was always easier. Maybe I liked the attention a little bit, enjoyed being admired by a cute girl, or maybe it was easier, less disruptive than admitting my own uncomfortable, friendship-group-ruining feelings. 

“No, I had no idea,” I say. 

Her eyes are fixed upon the carpet between our feet as though by looking so intently at the looped fibres she can transport herself anywhere other than here with me and my interrogations. 

“Hey, look at me.”

“No.”

I sigh, “Look, Michelle, I did think you were pretty. That’s why Holly was so jealous. Our friendship made her insecure, and she hated how much I liked hanging out with you. She could sense that I liked you.”

“Oh, come on, that’s the kind of thing you say to those stupid girls at school so that they’ll let you borrow their homework or something.”

“I really did!”

“You used to throw potato wedges at me outside the deli!”

“Yeah! That’s how you show a girl you fancy her when you’re twelve!”

Her laugh is humourless, “Please.”

“I’m telling you I did,” I take her wrist, with her pulse jumping under my fingers and hold her like that, for reasons I’m not sure of, perhaps just for connection. Close like this I can feel the heat of her body. I am desperate to show her how serious I am. “And if I wasn’t so stupid I might have done something about it.”

“Too late.”

“It’s not.”

I bend and kiss her before she can argue any more. Once, just once, but insistently, and I pull back hard with a smack expecting outrage on her face but I find only surprise, desire, and eyes that flick from my eyes to my mouth and back. I kiss her again, slow this time, deep, sure, as my hands hold her hips close to mine, willing for this kiss to wipe it all away, all of the years of hurt and anguish between us, and she lets me kiss her, and she kisses me back with hands that thread through my hair and lips that part so I can slide my tongue inside her mouth.

My knees knock against hers in our clumsy waltz towards her bed and we come down on it together, my body pressing against hers and my fingers finding the warm skin beneath her t-shirt. I draw back to look at her again, dark eyes and full lips and skin, as is mine, blushed amber with the first rays of dawn that stream through the window. 

“Do you want to stop?” I say, and she shakes her head. 

“No.”

And outside, as the sun creeps up over Clontarf, the branches of the cherry blossom trees hold their leafy arms up in surrender. 

Beginning // Prev // Next

[krysmcscience]

Get ready for Amogus Spam!!!

Characters belong to @crinklytinfoil - I just came up with the designs and outfits~ All appearance details are taken directly from either the fics themselves (which, as always, approach with caution and MIND THE TAGS) or the comments sections of said fics, though I have also relentlessly poked Crinkle IRL for additional details, such as each character's name and individual fashion sense...or lack thereof (Finnegan) XD

(If you want to read the fics, keep in mind that you will need to be signed in to an Ao3 account first! And again - MIND THE TAGS! Shit gets dark FAST.)

The Skeld bois! The fucked up crew that started it all~ Only like five actual decent human beings on this crew, and all but one of them fukken DIED, lmao. (Congrats on surviving, Devon, you used to be Kind Of An Asshole but you got better. XD) Clark is such an Obvious Dad - it's why he had to die first, he was the only thing keeping shit together, True Facts, sorry you had to find out this way. <:/ Adam is so Fishing, I bet he fantasizes about having a trout boyfriend girlfriend in his spare time. :) Brown is Babby (stabby-babby), but we all knew that already. And then there's wannabe High Class Fuckboi Purple and his emo "boyfriend", yaaaay, can't wait to find out how Purple dies or anything like that, noooo... All that aside, White's outfit makes me want to die inside, why would anyone want to mix hippie and ouji lolita aesthetics??? White, please, no, even your fashion sense is torturous! D:>

(Full-size here, in case tumblr fucks it up)

Corpatch babbies! Everyone on this crew is certified Babby. (Yes, even you, Skylar. Sorry I had to separate you from Pink in the final image, it was too wide and I hated it, please I'm sorry, put the wrench away-) Love that I got to mostly copy-pasta Devon, made my life so much easier after the artistic nightmare that was Stacy's outfit. Fun Fact: That dress is one of over a hundred jellyfish-themed lolita dresses I've designed! This one has a box jellyfish on it, along with other pretty deadly sea creatures, and is called 'Killer Cuties'~ Wilhelm gets to have some matchies with his platonic girlfriend as a treat, also (Fun Fact: he absolutely wears those novelty glasses to Serious Events). Skye's outfit upsets me personally but it's not as bad as fucking Finnegan's so they get a pass. Pink is, of course, The Best One, and let it be known that the little leaf pin is a reference to Bay~

(Full-size here, in case tumblr fucks it up)

Doncaster folks! Such a long image...I blame Vance. Because I always blame things on Vance for some reason. It's just fun, okay? And also I'm bitter about how long it took to draw his damn Bobblehead mech. Him and Aurora both took what felt like a million years to finish, so now Vance has given me additional Drawing Wires trauma, and Aurora somehow seems Too Expensive for me to afford looking at her. Obviously the best part of all of this was everyone's favorite polycule of Brown, Green, and Red (I dare you to suggest they are not Precious), but I also enjoyed trying to come up with an outfit for Umber that screamed 'I think I'm the main character'. XD (If anyone can guess what's supposed to be on Black's shirt, meanwhile, they get a Gold Star!)

(Full-size here, in case tumblr fucks it up)

And, as a bonus, a goofy scribble comic of the Doncaster AU, which I threw at Crinkle after initially requesting (read: attempting to commission) a What If Scenario where Brown never got brought along with White to the Corpatch, and so never met Pink, thus ensuring Brown remained Terrified of impostors. Because my brain wouldn't stop going hog wild over the concept for some reason. 8|

Finally, a WIP of the Parmenides bastards- uh, I mean, Totally Normal Crew of Fine Individuals who are Not At All Terrible. (Apologies to Danni, Marek, and Ashley for getting mixed up in all this, y'all deserved better.) Bet no one was expecting Johnny to be a certified Gamer Catboi, huh? But I bet everyone was expecting Kyle to look like a Born Republican, and possibly Mitch McConnell's estranged half-brother - cuz that's just how the guy is. So Delightful. Also I was totally not salty about having to look at Purple's stupid smug face again while modifying the copypasta of it, No Sir, why would that ever be the case? He's just so great and not the most hateable character ever or anything. (eyerolling intensifies) In other news, Kage's head is way too small and it's driving me crazy but I'll have to fix it later for the finished full-body chibi+bust piece and I'm D Y I N G. Anyway, no icon spoilers for this one - the fic itself is meant to make the readers wonder who the impostors are, so I'm not going to reveal anything on that front.

(Full-size here, in case tumblr fucks it up)

THAT IS ALL

[tetsunabouquet]

Can't Help Falling In Love With You Chapter 3

Masterpost

A/N: Finally! It's out! I know, I've been busy lately with my homework and life, I really am sorry. I hope you enjoy chapter 3!

Midorima pulled back from the kiss, his cheeks red like a lobster. Your eyes were dazed and your confusion overrode your sadness, freeing you for a moment. "I apologize, I didn't meant to nanodayo!" You blinked before staring at his face. "Am I that senpai to you?" "What senpai?" "That senpai one admires from afar." You stated bluntly, watching as even Midorima's ears turnt red. He looked at his shoes and nodded, feeling etremely vulnerable himself all of the sudden. You chuckled. "You've got some really bad taste." Midorima looked at you, bewildered. "Why would you say such a thing about yourself? You've got some really excellent qualities, you're more then the drunken mess you currently are, nandayo." His way of speaking made you laugh and Midorima's heart skipped a beat as he heard the rich sound of your laughter. "Thank you for your kind words." You said, smiling softly. "It is the truth. You've got such a big heart and a great mind, it is easy to see, nanodayo." Midorima wore his heart on his sleeve at the moment, this was the moment if he had any, to come clean with how he felt. You looked deep into his beautiful green eyes, framed by those girlish long lashes. "You must be a very analytical kind of person to have noticed that. Most don't." You spoke matter of factly, being used to getting written off as 'just a girl from the streets' and treated you as someone worthless. It was but a cruelty you had gotten used to over the years. "That's because most people don't really bother to judge someone beyond their face value. Which is unfortunate, nandayo. Sometimes, the best people can go by unnoticed because of it. During middle school, when I was part of the legendary Teiko team, we had a phantom 6th man. Nobody ever noticed him and considered him valuable until our Captain noticed he had a strength our team missed. Some people just need to be seen with a different lense." You blinked, surprised at his wise words. 'This Midorima really is quite something. And he really likes me?' It was when you studied him out of curiosity, when your gaze finall befell upon the little trinket he carried with him. "That's the cutest stuffed jellyfish I've ever seen." "It's today's lucky item." You giggled. "Today's lucky item?" "Do you know Oh Asa?" "Eh? You believe in that stuff?" You looked at him, your expression looking even more surprised then before. "For some reason, unless I carry my lucky item with me, I'll get into lethal accident after another, nandayo." You tried to surpress a chuckle, and Midorima was honestly glad to see your mood become a little better. "Well, if it works for you, then I suppose that's nice. " You said, your gaze drifting off at the thought at how you could use a magical item to fix your life now. You jumped at the sound of the bell, indicating lunch time was over. Midorima looked at you and said, "You should go to the infirmary and get some rest. I am sure the nurse will understand if you're honest that you had a bad falling out with Sairenji. I'll go by your classroom and inform your teacher I sent you unwell to the infirmary." You smiled at him. "Thank you for being so kind." Midorima looked at you, wondering when it was the last time when he had let his guard down this much around another person, but as he looked in your eyes he knew he didn't regret allowing himself to be vulnerable. "You deserve it." Midorima said, and he meant it. He caught the touched look in your eye, and helped you up. He could have swore his heart stopped for a while, and that by the time you disappeared into the hallway towards the infirmary, he could finally feel it again, thumping so hard he could have choked on it.

[collecting-stories]

Jellyfish - JJ Maybank

Request: Hey! I was wondering or you could do an outer banks imagine where like in season one the pogues leave kie, Sarah and reader on a boat, and the reader is the one getting stung by a jellyfish. The night goes on and she starts having an allergic reaction the jellyfish sting and her breathing starts to go bad and all dizzy. The girls have to call a mayday. And the sherif/ambulance boat? Comes and gets her or the pogues come back the next morning and she is not well at all. Then hospital. The pogues feel really badx Maybe reader x jj?  

A/N: I just started a rewatch of s1 tonight so I can finally watch s2...also I googled allergic reactions to a jellyfish sting for this. 

Outer Banks Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰

Sarah stood beside you, practically holding you up, as you emptied the contents of your stomach into the marsh for the fifth time in so many minutes. The boys plan to strand Sarah and Kiara on the boat hadn’t been a very clever one and when you had protested JJ had jokingly pushed you over the edge of the HMS, claiming that now you too were stranded with them. 

It wasn’t exactly how you’d planned to spend your night, especially with everyone on each other’s nerves as severely as they were, you’d been looking forward to taking advantage of that and spending the night back at your house with JJ. Instead, you were stranded on Heyward’s boat with Kiara and Sarah bitching at each other. Not to mention the angry red mark blossoming over your stomach from the jellyfish that had stung you as you’d tread water earlier.  

“I thought you said you could fix this stupid piece of shit!” Sarah shouted to Kiara as she rubbed her hand along your back. The juxaposition of her kindness to you and her edgyness with Kiara wasn’t lost on you...even as you felt your head swimming.  

“I gotta lay down,” you urged, hands gripping the edge of the boat as you rested your chin against the cool side, staring into the murky water. It was starting to get darker outside but you weren’t paying attention to that anymore. You felt like you were going to throw up again though this time it felt prompted by the dizzy feeling when you moved your head and not the pain shooting through your abdomen.  

“Okay, let’s lay down...do you want a blanket or something?” Sarah asked, eyes darting around the boat to check for any spare blankets or sweatshirts.

You shook your head, immediately regretting the action as your vision blurred. “No...no, it’s so hot.” When you struggled to get JJ’s shirt over your head without moving too much, Sarah grabbed the hem of the shirt and eased it up.  

“She doesn’t need your help!” Kiara yelled from the hatch, looking out at you with concern. You’d been fine earlier, before you’d boarded the boat with them, before the jellyfish stung you, but now you were doing worse and worse. She was trying to fix the boat but it was obvious that JJ and John B’s genius plan had included purposely sabotaging any chance they had of getting the boat back to shore.  

“Obviously, she does!” Sarah shouted back, “she’s puking over the side of the fucking boat! What was in that shit you rolled anyway?”

Kiara looked incredulous at the suggestion that it was the weed they’d smoked that made you like this, “oh cause I poisoned my best friend with weed? Is that it?”  

“Maybe!” Sarah shrugged, “how should I know.”

“Not helping,” you groaned, rolling to the side and pressing your hand against your stomach. “Kie...my stomach is killing me.”  

“What can I do?” She asked, coming back over to you and Sarah.  

“Call for the coast guard or something?” Sarah suggested, looking out over the marsh as if someone would just happen to be driving through. It was pitch black now, the night falling completely. It wasn’t too late yet, close to 9:30p Sarah supposed, but she wasn’t confident that this could last until morning. Who knew when the boys would come back?

“With what phone Sarah? The tower is down.”  

“Swim to shore or something then!” She snapped.

“Sure, no problem...why didn’t I think of that? I’ll jump in the fucking marsh in the pitch black and swim toward what I think might be land!” Kiara shouted.

“Guys,” you snapped, pulling yourself up to the edge of the ship again. You felt like you were going to throw up again but there wasn’t anything left in your stomach, “shut the fuck up! You aren’t helping...I know they messed with the boat, is the radio working?”

“Let me check.” Kiara stood up from your side and headed back to the controls, checking the radio. “I’ve got a signal!”  

You weren’t sure how long it took between Kiara signaling a mayday and the police boat actually coming out on the marsh because you passed out soon after she’d gotten the signal, slumped against Sarah, the pain in your side and abdomen too much for you to bear. Neither of the girls wanted to leave you overnight in the hospital, worried something would happen the second they left your side, so Kiara scribbled a note and left it taped to the window of the boat.  

Gone to the hospital – was all it said. Not very descriptive but extremely alarming, the boys had arrived at the emergency room frantic.  

“What the fuck kind of scare tactic was that Kie!” JJ had shouted down the hallway when he saw his friend outside one of the rooms. A nurse down the same hall shushed him as he passed her and he turned around to flip her off.  

“Excuse me but you three deserve it after the shit you pulled! Leaving us stranded out there with no communication? You’re lucky the radio worked.” Sarah hissed, shoving JJ when he tried to get passed her into the room.  

The second he’d seen her it had been clear the person who was missing, the one who was undoubtedly in the hospital bed in the room he was standing outside of. You’d gotten hurt, seriously if you were here, if they’d had to mayday a police boat.

“What happened?” Pope asked, quieter than his best friend had been able to muster.

“She’s allergic to jellyfish.” Sarah replied, turning a glare on JJ, “when this moron pushed her in the water she got stung and had a reaction.”  

“Is she okay?”

“She’ll be alright...she’s dehydrated though, so she’s on fluids for the rest of the – JJ!” Kiara snapped when he pushed passed her to get into the room. He moved the curtain aside to see you there, still a little out of it from the exhaustion of the night before but you smiled when you saw him.  

“Hey,” he dropped his voice down to a whisper, a contrast to the sharp scrap of the chair that he dragged to your bedside, “I’m so sorry.”

“Guess I’m allergic to something after all.” You managed to tease, recalling the conversation you’d had a few weeks earlier when JJ had begrudgingly given up the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he was trying to make at John B’s when you reminded him that he was highly allergic to peanuts.

He’d claimed that “maybe it went away”, a possibility you both knew to be impossible while you told him that you weren’t stabbing him with an epi-pen if he had an allergic reaction. “I would stab you, if you were allergic to anything,” JJ had replied, settling for jelly on toast instead. 

“That doesn’t make me feel better.” JJ said now, eyeing the bag of fluids that was connected to you via IV. “I would’ve been fine thinking you didn’t have any allergies.” 

“It’s not your fault JJ, it was an accident...I could’ve been stung a million times before this, we literally live on the coast.” You tried to laugh and coughed; throat still sore. JJ grabbed for the pitcher of water at your bedside and poured you a glass, leaning over to help you swallow.  

“Yeah but you didn't get stung a million times before this...you got stung after I pushed you in!”

“We should let you get some rest,” Pope’s voice sounded over JJ’s shoulder and you both looked over to where he was standing at the curtain. He smiled at you, a silent ‘glad you’re okay’ and ‘sorry’ rolled into one.  

You nodded, more than aware that you were on the verge of falling asleep again. Still, you reached for your boyfriend’s hand, settling for his wrist instead as he was still holding the plastic cup. “Will you stay?” you asked, eyes meeting JJ’s.  

“Yeah, of course.” He promised, sitting back down, “I’m not going anywhere.” He didn’t mention the absolute panic that had racked through him when he saw Kiara’s note or realized you were the one that was injured and he definitely didn’t tell you how severely he blamed himself for you getting stung in the first place, instead he just sat there holding your hand and promising that he would stay there with you until you were discharged. “Everything’s okay, you’re okay.”  

[hermannsthumb]

If you're still taking requests!! Fake Dating situation where Newt and Hermann go to a public event together. they're used to being mistaken for a couple at the Shatterdome, so they expect to be mistaken for a couple at the event. But then they meet someone who definitely Does Not mistake them for a couple (because homophobia) and assumes they're just Very Good Friends. cue Newt and Hermann aggressively pretending to be a couple.

always and forever taking requests!!! this is such a fun one, THANK YOU

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

“We’ll have to go in eventually,” Newt says.

Next to him, Hermann silently fumes, apparently unable to decide whether to continue tugging at his stiff collar or grinding the bottom of his cane—over and over, in a sort of circle—against the sidewalk, leaving streaks of black rubber behind. “I hate these damn things,” he says under his breath, though it’s unclear whether he means his outfit or the event. Hermann’s dressed up tonight in a suit that’s hilariously oversized (even for him) and fraying in places, with a bowtie that he’s knotted crookedly. Newt wonders if the suit’s a hand-me-down from his brother. “Begging for funding, as if we haven’t anything better to do with our time. As if we’re not working for the better of all of them. It’s bloody degrading.” He works his jaw angrily. “And if that isn’t enough—everyone always makes—assumptions—about us.”

Oh, okay. The event. “Assumptions?” Newt says.

Hermann lets out a hiss of air between his teeth. “Assumptions,” he repeats, delicately. “About—ah—the certain nature of our relationship.”

“Oh,” Newt says. “Oh.”

At the last one of these things they went to, someone (actually generous enough to open their checkbook for once) asked Hermann whether they should make it out to the PPDC or Dr. Gottlieb and his husband. At the one before that, a dinner event, the name placards at their table said Dr. Newton Geiszler-Gottlieb and Dr. Hermann Geiszler-Gottlieb. Before that, at a more casual affair at an up-scale bar, some tech hottie sent Newt a martini, before hurrying over and apologizing in person that (gesturing between Newt and Hermann) he didn’t realize Newt was with someone. Newt really wishes Hermann would just get it through his head already that introducing someone as your partner and dropping the important research part of it tends to hold drastically different connotations outside of, like, the group of people who know them on the Shatterdome base, because that would clear up probably sixty percent of the confusion. If not just so he can pick up a few numbers at these things for once. Still, though—for some reason it’s never really bothered him like it clearly bothers Hermann, but Newt supposes he’s not exactly a catch by any standards, so it makes sense. “I just don’t know where they get the impression—” Hermann begins, and Newt interrupts him.

“Yeah, well, you should take it as a compliment,” he says. “You could do a lot worse than me.” He opens the door for Hermann and ushers him in. “Seriously, we’ll be late if we don’t go in now, and that makes it, like, twice as awkward.”

As usual, they have to sit through some incredibly boring speech about how they’re sitting among some of the best scientific minds of the century right now, how they’re honored to play host to their colleagues at the PPDC, how the buffet will opening shortly for dinner, and then a different person gets up and makes another speech, and then another person with another, until finally the first person gets back up and promises that closing remarks will be in three hours, and how they should all enjoy themselves until then. Claps. Under his breath, Newt says to Hermann, “Doubt it.”

“Which side shall I take, then?” Hermann sighs. He’s probably the only one in the room not clapping. He told Newt a while ago that he doesn’t like to put on airs, and especially not in the service of flattering someone’s ego, and he’ll only clap for a speech if he feels it deserves it. He’s such a weirdo.

Newt surveys the room, considering. Luckily, people tend to flock together in similar little groups at these things. Birds of a feather shit. “Left. Everyone on the right is too young and hip-looking, so that’s out of your range.” He gets a cane to his shin, and grins even has he winces. “Kidding. Let’s just do it together, it’ll make it more bearable.”

Their first target is a forty-something marine biologist who’s very excited to meet Newt— “I followed your research on jellyfish for years!” she says. “I had no idea you’d be here tonight!” —and who is more than happy to promise donating a little to help fund the war effort. Their next is someone younger than both of them, whom Newt suspects is heir to his dad’s tech company or something, and who is easily guilted into promising even more than the biologist. “We’re having a lot better luck than usual,” Newt says, as they watch the kid hurry away to mingle with a group of other twenty-somethings. “Do we look more, like, respectable tonight or something?”

“It’s the open bar,” Hermann says.

“Yeah, probably,” Newt agrees.

“And anyway, we’re still terribly behind on our goal, so there’s no use getting too pleased over ourselves,” Hermann says. He sniffs. “If you still want that bloody—whatever it was—kaiju spleen, we need at least—”

“Okay, okay,” Newt says.

He nods at a small group standing by one of the buffet tables, holding half-eaten plates. People tend to be in better moods when they’ve eaten something. Hopefully more generous moods too. “Let’s try them,” he says.

Hermann is the one to initiate the conversation this time, launching at once into a variation of the little script he and Newt penned so long ago the night before their very first gala. “Good evening,” he says. They get a few polite smiles and nods of acknowledgement in return. “I’m Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, and this is my partner—” Newt tries not to groan. “—Dr. Newton Geiszler. We’re here representing the PPDC tonight. I don’t suppose we could have a moment of your time?”

The mood of the group changes immediately, but why Newt can’t figure out; it’s like they suddenly go hostile on them. Hostile, and tense. Newt is suddenly astutely aware of how each of the three dudes have a good few inches on both him and Hermann. “The PPDC?” the guy in front says. He's not smiling anymore. Maybe they all supported the jaeger program defunding or something. “Sure.”

“Er,” Hermann says. He clears his throat. “Newton—that is, my partner and I work for the kaiju research division at the PPDC’s Hong Kong base. As you may well be aware, the latest cuts to the PPDC’s budget have been quite dev—”

“So you and your friend,” the guy says, with a little more emphasis on the friend than Newt would like, “are going around asking for donations? To help buy pencils or something?”

“Well. Essentially,” Hermann says. He doesn’t seem to have picked up on what Newt did, though he grows visibly nervous anyway. Outright hostility isn't anywhere near as common as indifference at these sorts of things. “Though, pencils is—er—a vast understatement.” He casts a furtive, desperate glance at Newt—a help me if Newt ever saw one. “My partner—Dr. Geiszler—simply doesn’t have enough funding for the samples he needs to study—and donations would certainly help with our funding for other necessary supplies—"

“I sure we’d love to help you and your friend,” the same guy says, and there’s no missing the emphasis this time, “but we’re a little busy at the moment. Please come back and talk to us later, though.”

Hermann clamps his mouth shut. Newt narrows his eyes, and in a move bold enough to surprise even himself, snags Hermann’s arm and links his own with it. “Sure thing,” he says loudly. Hermann goes rigid and stiff under him. “Come on, babe, let’s get something to eat. I know how you get when you’re hungry.” Then, before he can stop himself, he brushes a single kiss at Hermann’s cheek, and tries not to laugh at the looks they get.

He waits until they’re out of eyesight (Newt having had to sort of drag Hermann along with him) to drop Hermann’s arm. Hermann hasn’t moved a muscle since Newt touched him, and even now, he just sort of blinks at Newt. “What on Earth—?”

“Dude,” Newt says. “That guy was a total jerk. He thought we were together, and—”

“He did not,” Hermann says. “He kept calling you my ‘friend’. It was a bloody nice break from what usually happens, I might add, and now you’ve gone and—”

“Hermann,” Newt says. He sighs. “You’re, like, totally missing my point. He thought we were together.”

“But he called you—”

“Yeah, exactly,” Newt says.

Hermann blinks a few more times. “Ah,” he says.

“No way in hell do we need his money,” Newt says. “Anyway, sorry about the—” He touches Hermann’s cheek, and then gestures to Hermann’s left arm, which is now just sort of hanging limply at Hermann’s side. “I just wanted to screw with him. I won’t do it again, though—”

“No!” Hermann says quickly. The tips of his ears go red, and he fumbles as he grabs Newt’s arm again. A sudden warmth situates itself like pressure over Newt’s chest, identical to the kind that’s creeping up his wrist where Hermann’s fingers just grazed his bare skin, and he’s struck with the sudden bizarre urge to duck his head and blush himself. Since when has Hermann had this kind of effect on him? “What I meant to say is—” Hermann licks his wide lips. “He might still see us. We ought to—to keep up the ruse.”

“To really screw with him?” Newt says.

“For what other reason?” Hermann says.

Newt forces himself to keep a smooth, neutral expression as Hermann unwinds his arm to lace their fingers together instead, with a lot more awkward fumbling. “Uh-huh,” he says. He remembers how soft and smooth Hermann’s cheek had felt, so unlike his own, which can never seem to hold a clean shave. How nice Hermann's hand feels in his now. He’s definitely going to have to unpack this later. “Yeah, that’s—good idea, Hermann. Let’s do that.”

[starrynite7114]

Everything is you: fights

A/N: Good afternoon everyone! Wanted to share this lovely update with you all before I go to bed. I have class in 5 hours and work in 7 hours. Yes, I am insane, but I still wanted to give you all of this as it has been sitting on my google docs. Work has me going crazy along with school, please bare with me. I’m excited for this short as this delves further into their background!

Enjoy! All of you are just so kind to me, I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but I love you all so much!

everything is you

Word count: 7028

Warnings: Angst, Fluffy

Masterlist

tagged list: @justahopelessssromantic : @ifoundmyhappythought : @carlaangel86 : @woahitslucyylu : @encounterthepast : @enamoured-x : @thewarriorprincessxo : @briana-mishell24 : @bribri-82 : @chibsytelford : @agirllovespasta : @twistnet : @everyhowlmarksthedead : @trulysuccubus : @jadert15 : @sammskellington : @cind-in-real-life :  @onmyspookysblock : @sadeyesgf : @thickemadame : @summertimesadnesswithadashofsass : @gemini0410 : @elcococruz : @samcrobae : @sesamepancakes : @iambabyharry : @blackmissfrizzle : @mrs-losa : @1-800-imagines : @phoenixhalliwell : @lady-pswrld : @dazzledamazon  : @getyourcrayoncas : @fvckthisbxtchup : @lukealvxz : @scuzmunkie : @lilac-tea-time : @danie1432 : @cocotheclown : @soaronmywings : @my-rosegold-soul : @buttercup812 : @un-poetryy : @angelreyesgirl : @sheeshgivemeabreak : @vicmackeybullshxt : @bigcreatorwombatdreamer : @khyharah : @strawberrywritings : @cherry-icetea : @fuzzy-jellyfish : @losolvidad0s : @brownsugarcoffy : @courtrae89 : @prdsdjarin : @blessedboo : @marvelmaree : @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat : @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead : @thesandbeneathmytoes : @dark-twisted-and-mechanical-mind : @maddie-georges : @pearlkitten33 : @aquamento : @incorrect-mcdanno : @that-chick212 : @imanerdychubbyqueen : @60shannon : @deeandbobbymcgee : @rebel-without-cause-x​ 

Angel and Alena had plenty of fights throughout the years.

But the first fight they had, Angel always teased her how dumb it was. And he also stated it was more jealousy than anything. 

Angel was able to drive during his senior year of high school, which made everything so much easier. He got a beat up car but he didn’t care, it got him from point a time point b. 

“Angel, I’ll just take my umbrella.” Alena argued when he dropped her off. He was playing hooky today, but he still dropped Alena and EZ off. It wasn’t raining yet, but it was predicted later today.

“No, I told you I’m gonna come pick you up. They said it won’t rain till four, so you’re good. I’ll be here to pick you up at 3.” Angel ruffled her hair while EZ waited outside with Carla. 

“Okay,” she grabbed her bag and before she could leave, Angel stopped her. “What’s up?”

“Happy birthday, I’ll see you later.”

Alena beamed up at him and said thank you before slipping out of his car. Her crush was ridiculous and she had to push it away. Angel would never be interested, he bad Monica.

“Happy birthday best friend!” Carla greeted her, wrapping her into an embrace. 

“Look at that blush, did Angel kiss you?” EZ teased.

Carla, Alena and EZ were the three musketeers. They shared things with one another especially after Carla came into their group. And since they did, EZ knew about her horrible crush on his brother.

“Shut up.” Alena pushed him. 

They made their way to homeroom which Alena and Carla had together.

Alena couldn’t wait till the end of the day. Angel promised to give her her birthday present at the end of the day. She didn’t care what it was, everything Angel gave her was something she cherished.

Her mother also had a big dinner planned.

Her father wasn’t home, he was in Korea, but she didn’t mind. A celebration usually meant her father got drunk and those situations were not fun.

Alena pulled her jacket closer together as she walked home from school. It was four and Angel never showed up. 

EZ had baseball practice, which she sure was canceled. Carla went home early since she had a dentist appointment. Instead, Alena walked home alone, in the pouring rain.

She knew she should have taken her umbrella. 

Now, she was going to be sick and that was never fun.

When she made it home, her mother scolded her endlessly about how she shouldn’t have left her umbrella in Angel’s car. It wasn’t like Angel to not text her if he wasn’t going to be able to make it.

But two hours later and after the scolding stopped, Angel was apologizing profusely, telling her was on his way to her house. He was with Monica and the time passed, he didn’t even notice that it was as late as it was. 

She didn’t want to see him though. She felt irrational for being upset, for being jealous since Angel forgot her on her special day, but she was hardly irrational and she had the right to be mad, even for just a day. 

‘It’s okay. We finished dinner and I have homework, you don’t have to come.’

She took off her glasses, placing it on her bedside drawer. She already finished all her work during school in anticipation for her birthday celebration. She still had fun with her mother and brother. Felipe, Marisol and EZ came by to have some cake, but otherwise, Alena went to her room to do homework, even though it was all done.

Angel

‘Come on cielo, I’m sorry. I’m almost there.’

She sighed, replying quickly.

‘It’s okay, I’m going to sleep. Good night.’

Alena closed her eyes, hugging her pillow letting sleep takeover.

Angel sighed, parking his car in front of his home. It was midnight and he lied, telling his parents he had an extra shift at the grocery store. But he didn’t. He also didn’t tell his parents that he skipped school to fuck around with Monica.

He fell asleep after they had sex and the next thing he knew, it was eight in the evening and he missed Alena’s dinner, he didn’t pick her up.

Walking in the house, he was startled when the light turned on. He looked over and it was EZ.

“The fuck are you doing sitting in the dark?” Angel covered his eyes since EZ shone the lamp on him.

“Did you know Alena walked home in the rain?” EZ wasn’t holding back. He got it, Angel had a girlfriend, but it was Alena’s birthday. 

“I don’t need this shit right now. I fucked up, my bad. I’ll make it up to her.” Angel brushed it off. It was the only thought that was keeping him from knocking on Alena’s window.

“You know how easy she gets sick, you should have just left her umbrella with her.” EZ stood up for where he was sitting, shaking his head. 

Angel opened his mouth to say something, but EZ’s next words surprised him.

“Bryan said he’ll take Alena to school now. It’ll just be you, me and Carla.”

“Why?” It was the only thing Angel could muster to say.

EZ shrugged. “He said Alena requested for him to bring her to school.”

Alena couldn’t be upset for him for long, he was confident at that.

But Alena was upset at him. 

The most irritating part, she spoke to him, was very pleasant, but she didn’t let him back in. It was like back to the beginning for them.

This went on for about a month and by Thanksgiving he was back in Alena’s good graces.

But just before winter break, it all fell apart again.

Alena held the Tupperware of cookies she made for Angel and his teammates. They were very nice to her and she always tried to bring them some homemade pastries to lighten up their spirits after practice. 

It was five in the afternoon which meant practice was done. The boys should be showered and ready to go. She waited by the end of the field, where she usually waited for Angel. She saw them by the entrance of the field and just waited by the end since they looked like they were having a bit of fun with Angel.

“I’m glad your shadow is back Angel, she makes good ass baked goods.” One of his teammates teased him.

“Yeah, if only she mixed it with some kush, we would be golden.”

Angel shook his head at his teammates, laughing along.

“Thought you would want her to stay away from you, didn’t you say you were getting annoyed by her constantly following you around?” 

Alena froze when she heard that. 

There’s no way.

“Yeah, but you know, my mom wants me to look after her. Once I graduate, she’ll be out of my hair.” Angel didn’t mean that, sort of. There were times Alena annoyed him, especially when he wanted to be alone with his friends and Monica, but those thoughts faded rather quickly. “She’ll be Ezekiel’s problem then.”

“Just leave her stranded again, maybe she’ll stop talking to you then.”

“Or you know, you can tell her that you’ll never have feelings for her, especially when you have a beauty like Monica.”

Angel frowned at that, but he just laughed along with them. 

Popularity was a bitch.

Alena couldn’t stop the tears that fell from her eyes. She turned and she ran into one of Angel’s teammates, Rico.

“Hey, Alena, what are you doing here?” He saw the tears in her eyes. “Are you crying?”

“Yeah, sorry allergies.” Alena quickly wiped them and smiled up at him.

He wasn’t stupid, he was right behind Alena hearing everything Angel and his other teammates said. 

“Alena.” Rico sighed.

“Sorry, can you just give this to Angel and the guys? I don’t want it to go to waste. Thank you. Have a good break.” Alena smiled at him again and walked away quickly. 

She was thankful her brother waited for her, especially since they were headed to LA to spend winter break there. When she got inside the comforts of her brother’s car, the tears fell freely then.

“Lena? What’s wrong?” Bryan frowned.

“Nothing, sorry. Can we please leave?”

Bryan wanted to argue, but he didn’t want Alena to be worked up. 

Everything changed from there.

Angel attempted to contact her throughout the winter break. 

No answer.

EZ didn’t even have an answer for him.

Then he didn’t see her at school.

No matter how hard he tried to make their paths cross, it never happened. 

Football season had him busy along with the senior activities with his friends and Monica. Next thing he knew, he was graduating and headed for college.

But something was missing.

On the day of graduation, he and Monica broke up, since she was going to Cal State L.A. and Alena’s absence took a toll on their relationship. Monica was never bitter, but even she noticed Angel wasn’t the same after Alena disappeared on him.

Angel wasn’t even sure why he didn’t think of this sooner, but Angel found himself outside of Alena’s window. He peered inside and saw Alena moving around in her room. The window was opened since her parents didn’t believe in turning the AC on until nine in the evening.

He climbed through the window, startling Alena. 

“Angel, what are you doing here?”

“You wouldn’t talk to me, so here I am.” Angel knew what happened. Rico made sure he knew that he fucked up and broke Alena’s heart. Seeing her now, he didn’t realize just how much he missed her.

“My mom said she spoke to your mom. You are relieved of your duties.” Alena managed to smile, something she perfected while her father criticized her, to try and better her. Through hurtful words, she managed to smile and persevere, it’s what kept her sane. “If I was such a burden to you, all you had to do was tell me, I wouldn’t have held it against you because at least I heard it from you.” 

Angel remembered that talk. It was part of the reason he didn’t try to pursue Alena when she was at home. Her father was home much more often and his mother advised him to give her time as Alena was under the impression he spoke to her out of obligation. 

Angel sighed. “Fuck, I missed you.” He was drinking her in, realizing he hasn’t been in the same room as her since that day before winter break last year.

“What?” Alena looked up at Angel. She missed him too, but she didn’t want to tell him that.

“I missed you, Alena. You haven’t spoken to me in six months.” Angel took a step towards her, but she backed away. He didn’t want to frighten her, so he didn’t move and stayed in place. 

“Yes, and that’s what you wanted. I’m no longer burdening you with taking care of me.” Alena continued to pack like what she was doing prior to Angel coming in.

“What are you doing?” He noticed the clothes all over her bed then.

“I’m packing.”

“Why?” He slightly panicked but tried his best to not show it.

“My brother and I are going to Korea with my mom for the summer.” Alena didn’t have to explain anything to him, but she didn’t want to be rude.

“What? How long will you be gone?”

“2 months.”

“You’re coming back right?”

“I don’t see why that would matter to you?”

“How the fuck can you even say that to me?”

“Look, I told you, you’ve been relieved from your duties. You don’t have to apologize or do anything to make it up to me, we’re good.” She smiled at him. “We had a good few years even though you befriended at your mother’s behest. Thank you for being my friend.”

Angel wanted to shake her, he was frustrated to say the least.

“Are you kidding? Alena, I fucking get it, what I said was fucked up, but I didn’t mean it. I was an asshole, but you know you’re my friend and I didn’t befriend you for my mom.” He was certain it wouldn’t even make a dent with Alena.

“Can you leave? I don’t want my father to come in and catch you.”

“You got me fucked up if you think we’re done.”

Alena didn’t say anything and just watched Angel leave through her window. It was endearing that he was trying now, but she made up her mind.

===============

Angel was outside sitting down at their porch, waiting for the Kim’s to come back. He heard the door open, but kept his eyes at their house, he felt that if he even looked away once, she would appear and he would miss her.

To say he’s been antsy the past two months would be an understatement. Ezekiel spoke to her through some messaging app. But otherwise, he mostly saw his mother speaking to her mother from time to time.

He tried messaging her, but she literally ignored his messages.

“You doing okay son?” He heard his father ask.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m good pops.” Angel looked over at his father quickly before looking back to the house again.

“They’re supposed to have dinner at our place tonight Angel, you can see her then.” Watching Angel going through the motions have been painful for Marisol and Felipe. It was okay when she was ignoring him, but he could still see her. This? This was different. Angel worked at the carniceria often to keep himself distracted. Angel was slated to start practice soon at UCSD, after getting a scholarship to play football.

“I just want to make sure they arrived safely.” Angel replied, not going to be dissuaded regarding waiting for her.

Felipe smiled. His son was in love and he wasn’t even aware of it yet. “Okay, well, your mother needs you to run to the store once they arrive.”

“Sure thing pops.”

Felipe patted his back before going inside. Angel saw Bryan’s car pull up in front of their house then. He immediately stood up and made his way over. He watched as Michelle and Bryan exited the car. He waited for one of the back passenger doors to open but they didn’t.

“Reyes, you’re up early.” 

It was nine in the morning and a Saturday. He usually wasn’t up till noon.

“Yeah, worked out this morning.” A lie. “How was your trip?”

“Good, too fucking hot, but what’s new.” Bryan chuckled.

“Angel, my favorite Reyes!” 

Angel chuckled, making his way over to Michelle, giving her a hug. 

She placed her hands on his cheeks, pinching both of them. “Look at you! Too skinny, your mom and I have to fatten you up.”

Angel laughed at that. She definitely missed her.

“Where’s Alena?”

Michelle pursed her lips while Bryan kept quiet as he took their stuff out. 

“Is she coming later?” He was getting nervous. They were looking anywhere but him.

“My sister didn’t tell you I’m guessing.” Bryan shut his trunk. “My sister moved to San Diego with our father. She switched schools and is going to attend the private school my father has been asking her to attend.”

Angel laughed. “Quit playing, is she in the back seat?”

“Just go inside umma.” Bryan walked over to Angel, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, my mom doesn’t know you and Alena fell out, well at least the extent of it, but I do. I get it, you’re a high school football star who had to look cool in front of his friends. My sister doesn’t need that in her life. She’s very unsure of her place already and the last thing she needs is someone who pretends to be her savior when he’s not. My sister isn’t as fragile as you think. Thank you for taking care of my sister, but you’re good now.” Bryan picked up their luggage and turned to Angel one last time. “Stay away from my sister.”

Angel watched as Bryan brought their stuff inside. This wasn’t possible. Alena wouldn’t leave him like this. It’s always been them. He didn’t give a fuck if they were young, but they valued their friendship. He fucked up, he knew that, but she had to give him a chance to make it up to her.

He stood by his word, they weren’t done. 

Far from it.

When he finally broke Ezekiel down, he went to her school after his class. He waited anxiously to see her. He hasn’t seen her for four months. He even brought her favorite Starbucks drink since it was hot. He heard her laugh before he saw her.

When he looked up, he saw Alena and she was with a guy. He was at least his height, of asian descent. He had his arm around her, playfully teasing her. He saw that familiar blush on her cheeks and he felt his heart clench.

His Alena had a boyfriend.

Alena looked up and saw Angel. Her smile dropped and she stepped away from Nick.

“Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She could see how tense Angel’s shoulder looked. 

“Sure, same cafe?”

“Yes.” She smiled up at him.

Nick hugged her and she hugged him back. Once he was out of sight, she made her way to Angel.

“So what, you replaced me now?” Angel immediately spat out, not able to control himself.

“What?” She tilted her head in confusion.

Angel groaned. “Don’t do that, I can’t be mad at you when you’re looking cute.” He held the drink out. “Here, I got your favorite with soy milk.”

“Thank you, you didn’t have to do that.” Alena took the drink. 

“I know, but I wanted to.” He looked around and whistled. “Nice school.”

“Yeah, it is.” She looked down at her shoes, holding her drink. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.” Angel shoved his hands in his pocket. “Can we talk?”

“Um, I have swimming practice.”

“I can wait for you, I finished my last class two hours ago.” 

Alena was hesitant and Angel could see that.

“Alena, please, I just want to speak to you.” Angel pleaded. “I miss you.”

“Okay.” 

Alena came out of her practice, her coach stepping out with her. Angel stood up from where he was sitting outside the pool area. He noticed how close Alena was with her coach. He remembered that he’s been helping Alena out since she was twelve. Her father had it set out for her that she could swim for the Olympic team. Alena has won a few competitions statewide and nationwide, but he knew Alena didn’t want to do it. 

It made her antsy.

“Angel, nice to see you again!” Coach Henderson waved at him.

“You too coach!” Angel waved. 

Alena smiled and thanked him, walking over to Angel. 

“Is your dad in town?”

“No, he’s in Korea for the next five months. My brother is staying with me.” She explained. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Are you hungry? Let’s go eat.” Angel offered as they walked towards the entrance of the school.

“I’m not really hungry.” She was famished, but the last thing she wanted to do was spend time with Angel. There was no point on continuing, she knew Angel was making the effort cause he felt bad.

“Come on Alena, I’m trying here. I know you’re upset, but I really do want to be here for you.” Angel didn’t know what he could do to appease Alena. She moved out of Santo Padre to technically get away from him, but he ended up moving to San Diego.

“You don’t have to try. I’m no longer following you around, you have other people to busy your time with. Please just leave me alone.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Listen, you left me alone for almost a year, let’s not break that streak.”

“Alena, please, what do I have to do to get back in your good graces?”

“Nothing, we’re fine Angel. You’re scot free.”

Angel shook his head. “No, we’re not fine. You can’t even look at me.”

“Alena.” Angel and Alena looked over at the entrance of the school and found Bryan there. Alena quickly walked over to her brother, who was staring down at Angel.

“Thought I told you to stay away Reyes.” Bryan offered his hand to Alena and she gave her backpack to him.

“You can go fuck yourself Bryan.” 

Bryan chuckled and looked over at his younger sister. “Told you he would come looking for you.”

“It’s fine, he’ll stop.”

Bryan shook his head. His baby sister could be so naive.

For the next two months, Angel came to see Alena after school and waited for her after practice. She would be polite and talk to him, but she never stayed with him for longer than fifteen minutes. Angel didn’t want to force her and went with whatever she offered him. On her birthday, he brought her a Red Velvet cupcake, which was her favorite.

===============

“Oh, I got you something else too.” Angel took a bag from his backpack, handing it to Alena. 

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Yeah, you always tell me that, yet I never listen.”

Alena smiled, looking down at the bag in her hands. She took out the paper and reached inside the bag. Pulling out the contents, she gave him a questioning look.

“Just open it cielo.” He urged.

Alena opened the box and was happily surprised at what was inside. It was a jewelry box. It was pale blue, a smooth wooden texture.

“I made it, figured you need a jewelry box to keep all those charms Nick gets you.” Angel couldn’t help the disdain in his voice. But every week, Alena had a different charm on her bracelet from Nicholas. It was annoying.

“I do need a jewelry box, thank you Angel.” She was in awe, inspecting every crevice. “This is beautiful, you didn’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, I made it. I found it while my mom was thrift shopping, figured I could restore it.” Angel shrugged, slightly nervous, not knowing if Alena would like his gift.

“Thanks Angel.” Alena’s eyes softened and Angel was so relieved. That smile on her face made his heart beat faster and he felt so relieved.

“Is Nick your boyfriend?”

Angel’s question surprised Alena and she placed the jewelry box back inside the box. 

“No, he’s just my friend.” Alena stood up, their fifteen minutes were up. 

“Cielo, it’s your birthday, can I at least take you out? I know Bryan is working late and your mom is in Korea.”

“No, it’s okay, I would just like to go home.” Alena put her backpack on. “Thank you again Angel. We’re more than even now. You made it up for my birthday last year. We’re good.”

She began to walk away, but Angel followed after her.

“The fuck you mean we’re good?” He softly grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. “You think doing this out of guilt? Alena, it’s your birthday, I’ve been trying to make it up to you not only because I feel guilty, I miss my friend.”

“We were never friends.” 

Alena’s words wounded Angel and he let go of her arm. That’s all it took. Alena walked away and was happy to not hear any footsteps after her. She was relieved to see Nick outside, waiting for her with a bouquet of flowers.

“Hey, happy birthday.” Nick greeted her, offering the bouquet to her. “I had Mr. Choi drive me here after violin practice.” He looked beyond Alena and saw Angel was making their way towards them. “Your friend is coming.”

“He isn’t my friend. Let’s go.” Nick opened the door, Alena slipped in and he slipped in behind her. Alena watched as Angel stopped by the entrance of the school, the hurt and anger evident on his face.

He would give up on her now. He had to.

===============

That was a month ago and Alena hasn’t seen Angel since. No text messages, no calls, no emails, nothing. She was relieved since she didn’t want to keep seeing him. It wasn’t that she hated Angel, she just didn’t want to be hurt by him again.

She was texting Carla about their plans this weekend since she was coming over for the weekend. She was so excited to do something with Carla since she felt as if she hadn't seen her for quite some time. 

There was no swimming practice for a month since Coach Henderson was out of the country. It worked out for her since she just wanted a break. Her father has extended his stay in Korea and she honestly couldn’t be more happier. 

“I think I’m gonna get some yogurt and some chicken for dinner.” Alena smiled to herself, liking her plan for the night. Bryan was working later again, so she figured she could cook something up for him while enjoying her chicken.

“Talking to yourself mi cielo?”

She heard him, she did, but she continued to walk pretending she didn’t. They were done. Angel wasn’t supposed to come back.

“You can keep walking and I’ll just follow. You know I don’t mind talking while you walk silently.” 

Alena looked at her phone and knew that Nick was at violin practice. She did not like this one bit. Okay, maybe she did. The butterflies in her stomach were going wild knowing Angel was here. But she had to remain strong. She couldn’t exactly be with Angel.

Her father arranged for her to marry Nick.

It was the reason she went to Korea during the summer.

She was thankful Nick was kind, so it wouldn’t be difficult to marry him.

She wanted to argue with her father, say she would never marry Nick.

But she would never marry Angel.

She still had time to meet someone, but at times, it was better to accept your fate.

“Come on cielo, you can’t ignore me forever.” Angel followed after her.

Her words hurt him and he was mad for about two weeks, but midterms were a bitch so he focused on that, leaving Alena to her own devices. Maybe she’ll learn to appreciate him more.

Alena didn’t reply and continued to walk to her favorite Korean fried chicken place. She walked in the restaurant and Angel stayed behind, placing a cigarette stick on his mouth to relieve his stress. He didn’t know what to do with Alena, she usually spoke to him by now, but it’s been almost a year.

When Alena walked back out, Angel threw the cigarette butt down and walked after her.

“How was your birthday dinner with Nicholas?” Angel hated that guy. He looked so fucking boring.

Alena chose to not reply, deciding to skip on the yogurt. Angel didn’t know where her father lived and she preferred to keep it that way. She stopped walking and turned to face Angel.

He stopped, making sure he didn’t bump into her.

“Look, I told you, we’re not friends. You don’t have to come see me. If I see you during the holidays, cool, but otherwise, let’s just keep our distance.” Alena glared at Angel when this obnoxious smirk appeared on his face.

“I’m not leaving you alone. And we are friends, best friends even. I get why you’re upset, and I’m sorry. Just let me back in Alena.” Angel hated this distance between them. Alena was his best friend even though she considered Carla hers. 

Alena wasn’t sure what to say to Angel. She wanted to talk to him and she could tell he was sorry, but she knew remaining friends with him would be hard on her. She was slated to marry in five years when she was twenty-one years old. Getting out of this arrangement did not seem to be a possibility and again, Nick was kind and they got on well.

“I’m getting married, Angel and I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to continue talking out of respect for my fiance.”

“Excuse me what?” Angel wasn’t sure if he heard her correctly, but there was no mistaking that. She was getting married? To fucking who? 

“You heard me, I’m not going to repeat what I just said. But again, we weren’t friends, let’s just keep it the way it is. We can be civil, but it’s best for us to keep it this way.” Alena watched as Angel’s face fell. It hurt her and she wanted to reach out to him, to embrace him, but she refrained. He was the one person who understood her and was always there for her. Now, he would be a distant memory. “Goodbye Angel.”

She turned around to walk away, but his voice stopped her.

“To who?”

“I’m engaged to Nick.”

Angel sat on that for two days. Then he came to a conclusion that he couldn’t let her father control her life in that way.

So he came back and pestered her till finally just before her Thanksgiving break, Alena broke down and let Angel back in.

“I don’t understand why won’t you just leave me alone.” She made her way down the street towards Angel’s car.

Angel took her backpack from her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. “There’s no option where I leave you alone, so, better get used to it.”

But Angel wasn’t always the perpetrator when they fought. 

The first time Alena upset Angel it was due to Nick. She was twenty-two and Angel was twenty-five. He hasn’t forgotten about it, to this day, he still teased her about it, which now he understood why she hid the fact he was her ophthalmologist.

Angel has been waiting for Alena since they had plans for dinner that night. He knew it was going to be a late dinner since she had class till seven. Coco was seated beside him, awaiting Alena’s arrival too.

Alena failed to mention that Nick was dropping her off, on his bike, the one thing Alena wouldn’t do with Angel. He’s been trying to convince her to ride along with him on his bike, especially since his hermano was more confident with his riding now. But Alena always declined. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but he knew Angel was going to be pissed.

Which was why he, Riz and Creeper had a bet going around. He chose that Angel would be pissed and refused to talk to Alena. Riz believed Angel would just let it slide, especially since it seemed Angel’s bond with Alena was far deeper than some childish shit as riding a motorcycle. Creeper chose the option of Angel would at least punch Nick since everyone knew of his temper and protectiveness over Alena.

They heard a motorcycle coming, but it never made its way inside. Coco looked at Angel as they both stood up. They walked over outside the gate and found a motorcycle coming down the pathway. It wasn’t a Mayan, that was for sure, the rev of the motorcycle sounded different. The motorcycle stopped right before the gate, the rider got off the bike, helping his companion off as well.

The rider helped their companion with their helmet and Coco immediately grabbed Angel, knowing his brother isn’t going to be happy. 

They watched as the rider took off his helmet and it was Nick. Alena laughed, covering her mouth and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“Thank you for the ride.” She beamed up at him.

“I’ve always wanted to see Santo Padre.” Nick shrugged. “It’s not so bad, just a little warm.”

“It can get cold during the winter.”

“I’m sure it can.” He chuckled, the nervousness he felt all day came back. Placing his helmet on his bike, he stuffed his pockets inside his jacket. “Thanks for helping me with Physics.”

“Yeah, not a problem.” She waved it off.

“Alena,” Nick and Alena looked at one another before they both laughed. “You’re making me nervous.”

“What? Nervous why?” Alena looked over to the clubhouse gate and no one was there, thank god, since she didn’t want Angel to see her being brought by a motorcycle. He always pestered her about riding with him, but she never could. Being that close to Angel was painful. 

“Fuck, listen, I didn’t expect for this to happen, but the more time we spend together, the more I find myself falling for you.” Nick looked into Alena’s eyes, her glasses made her eyes more doe eyed. “I know we were engaged at the behest of our parents, but I like you Alena, I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Coco and Angel came out of the yard again, wondering what was taking Alena so long. Coco wished they stayed by the clubhouse now. They watched as Nick leaned down and kissed Alena.

Angel felt his heart clench as he watched Alena let Nick kiss her. He turned around, leaving Coco by the gate. First of all, Alena actually rides with this motherfucker and second, she let him miss her? The fuck was that.

“Alena.” Coco called out.

Alena pulled away and looked like a deer caught in headlights. Nick bit his lip and chuckled, waving a hello to Coco. He nodded his head back and waited for Alena to come walk over to him.

“Um,” Alena bit her lower lip and sighed. “I’m so sorry Nick.”

“It’s okay,” Nick looked down, not surprised by her rejection. “I’ll wait for you.”

“Nick,” Alena began.

“No, I know, but Angel doesn’t know what he has and I doubt he’ll confess to you. He’s not the only person in this world, you have to eventually let someone in.” Nick kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you next week.”

Alena smiled and nodded her head. She walked over to Coco, who had this shit eating grin.

“I would like to thank you for winning me forty dollars Hermana.” Coco chuckled. “Also, heads up, Angel’s pissed.”

“Was I late? Did I miss a call?” She looked at her cell phone and it was nine in the evening. She told him she was going to be late and text him that she was on his way around eight. 

“No, more like you brought a boy.”

Alena’s eyebrows furrowed at that. “What’s wrong with that?”

They made it to the group outside the clubhouse, hanging around the bonfire. Angel was nowhere to be seen.

“Hello,” Alena waved at everyone. “Where’s Angel?”

“Dorm.” Creeper replied.

Alena went inside the clubhouse and quickly greeted Hank, Taza and Bishop along with Gilly who was manning the bar. She made her way to the back and found Angel just watching television in his dorm. When he saw her he immediately looked away and she closed the door behind her. 

“Hey Angel,” she greeted him cautiously.

“I really don’t want to talk right now Alena.” 

The tone of his voice made her frown and nervous. Angel has never been upset at her before.

“Why are you mad at me?” Alena took a step towards him and Angel held his hand up.

“Leave Alena, I don’t want to see or talk to you.” Angel refused to look at her because he knew he would break if he did.

“Okay, sorry.” She didn’t want to push Angel. It was his first time being upset at her and the last thing she wanted to do was upset him further. She didn’t think he would hurt her, but she never pushed when other people were upset at her. They most likely had every right to be upset at her.

Alena walked out and she tried to not cry. She hated crying, it made her feel weak and fragile, like how everyone saw her.

“Princesa, where are you going?” Bishop questioned as she walked by them.

“Going home! My mom called, you know her.” The way she was able to mask her emotions, she was proud of herself. She waved at them and exited the clubhouse.

Making her way to Coco, she quickly said goodbye and he frowned. He called after her but Alena already made her way out of the clubhouse gate. Angel came out of the clubhouse in a hurry, realizing his mistake as soon as she walked out of his room. He heard how deflated she sounded and his heart couldn’t take that. 

He was being irrational and jealous. Never in his life had he seen Alena kiss someone else besides him and he wanted to fucking keep it that way. Alena told him she wanted to have a child for him one day and she may have been wasted, but ever since then, he knew she would be his eventually.

“What the fuck did you do?” Coco had stood up then, with plans to go after Alena, but Angel’s appearance halted his moves.

“Shut up.” Angel walked past Coco and right out of the gate. He walked to the front of the yard and could not find Alena. “Fuck!” 

Angel ran back inside and got on his motorcycle, driving quickly out of the yard. Alena’s mom wasn’t home and Bryan was in Los Angeles, where would Alena go? And she couldn’t have walked that quickly. 

Driving down towards her mother’s new house, he found Alena walking, trying her best to walk fast since her mother’s home was about a fifteen minute walk from the scrapyard.

He parked at the side of the road and got off, jogging after her.

“Cielo,” he called out. 

Alena stopped walking and turned around. “Hey,” she wiped her face and smiled at him. “What are you doing?” Her tears were always so painful for Angel. He hated to see her cry. 

Angel wasn’t exactly sure why, but he cupped her face and kissed her, surprising Alena as well. She closed her eyes and returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

Eventually, Angel pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers, both trying to catch their breath. Alena kept her eyes closed as Angel opened his, watching as she took a deep breath. Angel kissed her again and Alena immediately responded.

She didn’t feel this with Nick. The butterflies, the breathtaking aspect of it, the way her leg lifted just like Princess Diaries, only Angel did this for her.

“I want you,” Angel said against her lips.

“Me too, but I’m hungry.”

Angel laughed. “Come on cielo, I’ll make you some food then I can eat what I want.”

“Angel!”

PRESENT DAY

Angel took the mail out of the mailbox, balancing the mail in his hand with the flowers and chocolate he got Alena. He was currently in the doghouse since Angel upset Alena about his insistence that she stopped working with Victor. While he was being unreasonable, he just didn’t fucking like Victor.

Opening the door, he found Cruz sound asleep on the couch, his head on Alena’s lap. Placing the mail, flowers and chocolate down, he picked up Cruz and placed him on his bed. He came back out and picked up Alena, placing her on their bed. His favorite thing to come home to was finding Alena and Cruz asleep. Just knowing he got to come home to them after a hard day, that was all he wanted.

He placed the flowers inside a vase and the chocolate in the fridge. He picked up the mail to sort them out and one stuck out to him. It looked like an invitation with his and Alena’s name on it. 

Curiously, he opened it and he just had to let out a cackle.

“This motherfucker is getting married.” The invitation was for Nick’s wedding. Angel wouldn’t say he was still worried about Alena’s childhood friend, but he felt that he was the one that got away for Alena. Though Alena never returned his advances except the one time he kissed her, Angel was still worried.

And to know he was her ophthalmologist? It made it worse for him. He felt like if he made the wrong move, Nick would sweep in.

It was irrational, but he had his insecurities too. He just tried to remain confident because if he didn’t, he would lose his mind. Making his way to their bedroom, he couldn’t resist waking up Alena.

He placed the invitation on the bed and crawled over to Alena, shaking her awake.

“Cielo,” he softly called out.

Alena turned towards him, opened her eyes and yawned. “Hi, I’m still mad at you.”

“I know baby, and I’m sorry.” Angel kissed the back of her hand as he laid down next to her. “I love you.”

“Don’t try to be cute.” She smiled, teasing him.

“I told you, I’m sexy not cute.” Angel kissed her. “So, we got something in the mail.”

“Yeah? What is it?” She closed her eyes, hoping Angel would let her sleep some more. 

“Nick sent us an invite to his wedding.” Angel waited for her reaction and he definitely didn’t get it.

“Okay, with Shelby?” Alena opened her eyes, looking at Angel and awaiting a reply.

“Yes, how’d you know?”

Alena shrugged. “They’ve been on and off for years. Glad they finally decided to tie the knot.”

“Alena, wake up, do you not care?” Angel knew the questioned seemed idiotic, but he was curious.

“No, do you?” She closed her eyes again. “Babe, Nick is an old friend and that’s that. We can attend his wedding if you want to, but otherwise, no skin off my back.”

“Alena,”

“Ssh,” Alena cut him off, placing her hand on his lips. “Cud-cud time.” It was what Cruz said whenever he wanted to cuddle, which was something Alena picked up.

Angel laughed and wrapped his arms around Alena, her breathing evened out quite quickly.

He’s had his fair share of fights with Alena, he was just happy it was never too bad that she fully walked away. She almost did, but he would never give up on her.

She was everything to him. 

[justalittlebluetiefling]

Prayer circle for Travis to go on Talks soon so they can ask him a little more about Fjord's feelings. When did they start? When did he realize he was in love with her? Was it dying that made him act on his feelings more? Is he worried that other people may have feelings for her too? While we have to wait for his answers to this questions, what are your opinions on these?

Thank you for this, anon! It was really fun to sit down and think about this stuff and figure out where my head is at with these things!

Alright, first of all, yes. Travis on Talks please. I’d love for him to be on there with Liam for the next one. He deserves just one question about this, because he’s admitted it in game, which means he can finally give an answer that is mostly not trolling everyone.

Now. *cracks knuckles* LET’S DO THIS. This got long sorry?

1. When did they start?

It’s hard to pinpoint when his feelings started exactly, but we do know that something shifted for him during the Jellyfish Talk. He’s always adored Jester, but something about her confiding her real feelings in him changed the way he looked at everything she’s done.

However. 

I’m actually going to say that I think his feelings really started to develop during Uk’otoa Temple #2 (2x47). There’s that moment when she sits down to pray to the Traveler for Fjord’s protection and he’s listening and watching her do this and his face is just... soft. I’ve got receipts somewhere. Where are they? Eh, wait, Tumblr is weird about stuff showing up in the tags with asks that I put pictures in, never mind. 

ANYWAY.

Here’s Jester praying for his safety and he’s never really had someone who looks out for him the way she does. And she doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t want to leave him alone. And he’s so touched by this. He sits down in front of her and he tells her that it’s okay and she can leave, but she (and Beau) still waits for him as close to the door as possible while he’s down there. So I think that it was sort of a gradual thing over the whole pirate arc, but this was where it really clicked for him that shit, his feelings for Jester might be deeper than he thought they were.

2. When did he realize he was in love with her?

This one is easy. Although I do think this was another gradual thing for him, I think it really hit home during their talk at the forge when she sent a message to Vandran for him (2x72). It’s yet another example of how (almost in spite of her love of mischief) easily kindness and empathy come to her. She’s reassuring him over how vague Vandran’s message was. And okay, there’s this thing he says during this conversation. “I just don’t know if what I wanted before is the same thing I want now.” and “I feel like we’ve all changed. Me especially.” Okay, really though, this whole conversation is a lot. 

Fjord: There’s a part of me that wants to leave it all behind. Jester: Just go somewhere quiet and disappear, and hope that it never bothers you again? Fjord: Yeah.

And this is a big deal, because it’s showing him, once again, that their paths are aligned. They both constantly seem to be heading in similar directions and maybe they’re going to end up in the same place once this is all over. 

AND THEN HE TELLS HER HIS POWERS WENT AWAY FOR A WHILE. There’s that little way he hesitates when she asks if he would do anything to get them back. You can sort of see him scanning through this list in his head of things he doesn’t want to give up. Gosh I have a lot to say about this conversation and the way it pertains to their whole entire relationship in general. Like, he tells her so many things in this conversation. Everything he’s been holding in (his fears, his self-image issues, his thoughts on a new deity) just pour out and you can tell he’s been waiting to talk specifically to her about all this. This conversation is the catalyst that pushes him to decide to give up his fake accents and give up on Uk’otoa.

Okay, but here’s where I was really going with this. Near the end of the conversation, she says, “And we’ll do anything to get you away from Uk’otoa, okay?” And he just grins at her like a dork for a solid 7 seconds after she says that. Everything she is makes him so happy. She’s reaffirming that she’d do anything for him the way he knows he’d do anything for her and this reminds me a lot of how he told Beau he doesn’t want to ask about her feelings, because it just feels good. That look at the end of this whole exchange feels a lot like that italicized oh moment in fanfiction. 

3. Was it dying that made him act on his feelings more?

I... am not sure about this one. I’m not actually sure how much dying affected Fjord. That’s another question I’d like them to ask Travis on Talks. We know he wants more out of life, but I think that for a while, it felt like he was living on borrowed time and he really seemed like someone who was just doing whatever he could with the time he had left. Actually, I think he basically says this when he’s talking to Beau in 108, how he expected this to have an ending. To be an ending for him. And it hasn’t been.

So, hmm... I think that if dying affected the way he’s been acting with her, it’s minimal. I don’t know if he’s really had time to think about it. I think that he went from dying to thinking that he was going to lose Jester forever and I’m not sure any of that has really had time to settle in apart from just being relieved that neither of those things happened.

Actually, I guess I’d say that I think if anything is going to spur Fjord into action, it’s going to be the fact that he thought he was going to lose Jester. He was so desperate to keep her in that moment with the Moonweaver and I think he’s probably still dealing with the fact that he flung himself into the air over a volcano to try to convince her to stay. 

Also, his conversation with Beau was good. Maybe it helped him realize that him that pining after your best friend is all fun and games for a while, but the not knowing really sucks, so now, even though he’s scared, he does want to know. We all know how well Fjord handles not knowing. He spent 5000 gold on a Ring of Fire Resistance just to find out the name of the person it was on hold for.

4. Is he worried that other people may have feelings for her too?

This poor 7 wisdom half-orc. I don’t think it really occurred to him that he might not be the only one pining after Jester before Beau talked to him. He’s just not great at reading other people’s emotions. So I don’t think he was worried about it before, but I think he is now. That’s actually another thing that could have spurred him into action. Jealousy isn’t the prettiest emotion, but it’s definitely inspiring. We know he ultimately wants Jester to be happy and if that’s with someone who isn’t him, that would be fine. But maybe now he needs to know if he still has a chance at being that person for her the way she is for him.

That’s a big thing for him in this relationship. Reciprocation. She supports him, he supports her. She confides in him, he confides in her. She makes him happy, he wants to make her happy. 

Oh. Okay. So, I guess my opinion on this also has something to do with the way his face fell when she told the planar entity that she loves Artagan. Hearing her say that she loves someone else, even if it may not be in a romantic way, clearly shook him a bit. (I’ve got a lot of other thoughts on this, too, but I’m trying to stay focused.) He just finished telling Beau that he thinks he might be happier not knowing if her feelings for him have faded, but that’s clearly not the case. He was enjoying living in this world where she might. The possibility that she might not hurt. So, I think we’re going to see him do little things (or maybe a bigger thing) and trying to gauge her reaction with increasing frequency until he’s brave enough to say something. Or until she cracks and asks him what he’s doing. Whichever one comes first.

[lady-charinette]

Justice's Reign - Akumatized!Lukanette AU a.k.a Silencer & Princess Justice AU

(Sooo...I can't find my original post about the idea of Silencer and Princess Justice working together as two uber powerful justice based akumas, so I will post my story separately).

Justice's Reign

"Come to me, my honorable loyal subjects." Princess Justice and Silencer stepped forth, bowing their heads. "Now, I want you to unleash your powers upon the citizens of Paris and punish all the evildoers you can find, including bringing me Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous!"

There was a sound, the sound of a bell chime and the scales of Princess Justice began to move. They swayed, one moving up, while the other moved down until they finally came to a definite standstill.

One side was tipped as low as the scales went and silence filled the room. Her eyes Hawkmoth could not see, but the sharp scowl told him she was displeased.

"I see now, my scales never lie." with that, Princess Justice raised her sword, lowered her scales to her side and pointed the blunt blade directly at Hawkmoth.

"What?! How dare you! I'm the one who granted you this power! Silencer, I command you to-!" Hawkmoth found himself in a tight headlock, two strong arms snaked under his own ones and locked behind his head, keeping him in place. "Silencer! What are you-" Silencer's gloved hand covered his mouth and steel grey eyes widened in astonishment.

It was Princess Justice that answered, all the while stepping closer, her bare feet padding against the sleek floor of Hawkmoth's lair. "Sorry Hawkmoth, but you're the biggest evildoer in this city and I won't allow you to continue the injustice any longer! Repent for what you've done!" Princess Justice touched him with her sword on his shoulder and promptly, Hawkmoth froze.

The small purple jellyfish that had flown into the air before the blade touched him traveled to Silencer's helmet, effectively capturing his voice.

The dark colors of his suit vanished and in Hawkmoth's place stood now a man clad in white, a white cloth over his eyes with his hands bound in front of him. His lips moved but no sound escaped him and he hung his head in defeat, the cleansing ritual complete.

The scales in the women's hand balanced themselves out, recognizing the purification process and tipping back into balance. The blindfolded woman rested the blade at her side and Silencer gently touched her shoulder.

She smiled. "Thank you, let's go." the young akumatized man nodded, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the lair.

---

It was hours later that the two figures found a quiet place to rest.

Silencer gently lead the woman in white to sit on a bench in the secluded park, while he himself scanned the area warily.

Princess Justice's voice made him sharply turn his attention to her. "It's alright, he won't come without his partner. He wouldn't dare engage us in combat alone." taking her words for what they were, the tension in his shoulders left and he allowed himself to sit beside her.

Her lips stretched into a smile. "Thank you for being by my side, my scales are the only thing allowing me to gaze at the world as it is, but alerting me of others is not one of its functions." She giggled and smiled when Silencer's familiar hand found her shoulder to pat kindly.

She grasped his hand and squeezed it in appreciation, bowing her head in deep gratitude.

Her companion remained silent for a while, despite all the voices already stored within him, it took another moment before he raised his hand to speak. "Mistress-"

She shook her head, her hand lightly squeezing his own again. "I told you I'm no mistress to you, my dear Silencer."

He shook his head, green eyes twinkling with mirth. "Little melody," the name his civilian identity held for her own civilian one fell from his hands and Princess Justice felt herself flush under her blindfold.

"W-Would...would you choose a different name please?" she couldn't properly condone those worthy of punishment if he distracted her like this!

Silencer's chuckle sounded amused to her keen ears and she resisted the urge to gently tap his head with her blade. "My lady?"

Distantly, vaguely, a memory tried to float into her mind at the title, as if someone from a distant time had once called her so, but Princess Justice had no recollection.

She wasn't the woman before Hawkmoth's akuma had granted her her powers, she was Princess Justice, a punisher of sinners and a protector for the innocent. "Y-Yes?"

He paused, as if to choose his words carefully. "We've largely restored order to Paris as it is now, should we rest for the day? I'm sure you're exhausted." The tap on her shoulder made her smile and she nodded, granting him permission to soothingly rub her back.

While she had no recollection of her previous life, she still remembered him, her companion.

Silencer.

Luka.

How kind and gentle he'd been with her before and oh so affectionate. How it never changed even when they both fell prey to Hawkmoth's influence and their own emotions. If anything, his gentleness towards her had increased, laced with fierce protectiveness at her added blindness.

While Silencer may be mute without other voices, Princess Justice was blind, blinded by an oath to her blindfold, unless she committed a crime, that the blindfold would fall and she could no longer judge impartially.

A heavy sigh left her lips and she rubbed his knuckles over the gloved texture appreciatively. "While the idea sounds wonderful, I'm afraid the injustice that remains won't be idle while I rest. I want to completely cleanse the evil from the city and I cannot rest until I fulfilled my duty."

Two warm hands stopped her from standing, their warmth seeping into her shoulders, through the white toga she wore.

"My lady, while I share your thoughts, I don't think it's a good idea you overextert yourself. You have to be careful." she hoped her smile could convey what she couldn't with her eyes.

"My dear Silencer, as much as I appreciate your worry, I cannot rest until I finish my duty, at least for today." she stood and sensed Silencer stood beside her. "Will you accompany me again? Surely you are-"

"Nonsense. Of course, I'll come. I promised to be by your side, didn't I?" his voice, Luka's own, made her feel oddly warm and Princess Justice tried to clear her throat from the sensation of her heart nearly jumping out of it.

"Thank you..." she shook her head, tightening her grip on her blade. "I know who my next target will be. It's a woman who has wronged me in my past life, so I will judge her for her sins in this one."

"Do you mean..." Silencer's voice was replaced by another, but she could always tell it was him that spoke.

"Yes. Lila Rossi. The atrocities she has committed not only upon Marinette Dupain-Cheng, but upon all those who have known her, are despicable. She among all else deserves the punishment my scales will determine."

At the mention of the Italian woman, Silencer oddly fell silent and the woman sensed a change in his demeanor.

His aura felt wild, furious, as if the hottest fires from the flames of hell licked against the surface of his calm composure, threatening to consume it.

So he remembered Lila Rossi as well.

"I'll use the power Hawkmoth gave me to restore justice once and for all!" Silencer's anger radiated in waves off him, but a sudden hand on his cheek made him stop.

It was Princess Justice, Marinette, whose furious expression melted into genuine appreciation and affection for the akumatized man before her. "Silencer, my noble knight, I'm grateful for your help. But dishing out justice is my job, yours is to forever silence the evil voices haunting the innocent." reluctantly, he nodded, and she could see him smile with the way his gaze softened.

"I know but...she hurt the woman I love, and that is a crime even worse than what Hawkmoth did."

Princess Justice's eyes widened behind her blindfold and she took a step back, cheeks a bright red. "W-What are you saying? That's impossible! My scales-"

A familiar hand gently cradled her cheek, the heat on her face rising exponentially at his tender touch. "Sometimes, your scales can't measure the weight of what is in people's hearts, my lady."

Gentle, warm pressure was on her knuckles, Silencer's hand rubbing the limb lovingly, before he grabbed her other hand and lead her out of the park, into the open streets.

Princess Justice shook her head, Silencer's words strengthening not only her blade but also her heart and she gripped his hand more firmly before making a single small leap.

Silencer froze when he felt a tug on his hand and before he could react, warm soft lips placed a short but sweet kiss on his cheek, where his cheek would've been had it not been for his helmet.

The akumatized man stopped, suddenly feeling entirely too hot in his headgear before he was lead by his lady, in the direction where her sense of justice took her.

He followed, green eyes softening at her gesture and with her hand secure in his, they both set out on their mission.

To deliver justice.

[king-paimon]

HNK Chapter 86 thoughts: Complicated characters being complicated (Thoughts on Diamond)

I’ve been so anxious about this chapter after the last one. I’m happy to say that it isn’t as heart wrenching as I thought it would be, which was great, but it’s clear now we are approaching end-game and there will no doubt be some sadness coming soon.  

The art in this chapter was gorgeous! I want that two page spread as a poster! Phos looks awesomely horrifying and Ms. Ichikawa never fails to make me laugh at the most weirdest of times. Seriously, the whole buildup with Alex for it to end up with him passing out was hilarious! It was also nice to see most of the gems in the same chapter, and while I’m still sad we’re going to have some major losses, I’m really looking forward to what’ll happen next.

But I want to give my thoughts on the true star of this chapter: Diamond.

This is another really long post so be warned. I again apologize for the messy writing; it is still not my strongest trait, but I’ll do my best to put my thoughts into words and I will make any necessary edits if I need to. These are my thoughts and if you want to share yours, I’m all for it. Please no attacks, though. Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to the characters and while we may not agree, these opinions will be respected. Thank you and please enjoy my probably poorly written analysis!

Diamond... is such an interesting, complicated character. Like with Phos, it’s fascinating how they ended up this way. 

After chapter 84, I was curious to see how Dia was going to react to Bort and it turned out better than I thought. After years of not properly dealing with this toxic relationship between Dia and Bort, of course it would end up with an emotional driven fight. But what has me most interested is how it’s Dia who’s going feral while Bort is being calm. It’s like their personalities flipped, but after looking back, it makes sense.

Diamond is tightly bound to their inferiority complex and their so-called rivalry with Bort.  I betcha that if Bort was the same as he was at the beginning of this story, I’m sure Diamond wouldn’t be flipping out like they did in the chapter. I’m sure that was exactly what they were expecting to see, but that’s not what they got: not only had Bort changed physically, but he had changed mentally. He’s no longer the battle hunger fighter Dia knew; he’d rather care for the jellyfish and not fight at all. Bort has changed through and through. And maybe I’m seeing this all wrong, but I think this is one of the facts that made Dia livid. 

In Dia’s insecure mind, they believe they must be equal to or better than Bort. They must prove to themselves that they are a true diamond by beating the stronger, battle loving Bort at his own game, so they can be truly free of fear and feeling inferior. Dia now finally has the chance to do this… but that Bort isn’t there anymore.  And because of that, Dia feels cheated and angry. Also, I think it’s funny that Dia claims that Bort got to live freely because of them, though really, it’s Phos to thank but of course neither gem will acknowledge that. (Continuing to show how much the gems care about Phos, I see *sarcasm*)

It’s interesting though: Diamond was the one who left and got a new life, but didn’t truly mature or change, while Bort was the one who stayed behind but had changed and matured (sort of.) You’d think it would’ve been the other way around but the fact that this is what happened just makes the characters more interesting to analyze.  Speaking of which...

Diamond and the blame game

I can understand Dia’s inferiority complex and how it’s tied to their obsession with Bort. I can definitely sympathize with them and understand why they made their decisions. But at the same time, I recognize that these feeling are not Bort’s fault but rather Dia’s. This ‘rivalry’ of Dia’s is entirely one sided and the negative thoughts Dia has about themselves are all self-imposed. For this reason, my sympathy for Dia can only go so far.

If Bort was the type to over-gloat and constantly and intentionally belittling Dia and putting these terrible thoughts in Dia’s head, then I would definitely be more sympathetic towards Dia and would hate Bort... But as far as I can remember, Bort never said anything like this to Dia (yeah, he said very mean stuff to Phos but that’s entirely another thing.) 

While he had scolded Dia harshly for doing anything risky, like that time after he saved Dia and Phos all the way back in the first chapters (Chapter 3 specifically,) I pretty sure Bort never went out of his way to intentionally make Dia feel inferior, especially for some sort of personal gain.  As far as I see, Bort’s only crimes against Dia was being overly protective, overly strict, and simply existing.  I’m not saying that Bort is completely guiltless, because Bort is guilty of a lot of things and does deserve some form of punishment.  But intentionally making Dia feel sorry for themselves isn’t one of them. That is all Dia; Dia is the one who put themselves in this negative head-space and chose to run away than properly deal with them. They shouldn’t keep blaming Bort for their self-inflicted misery, but they chose to. 

Should Bort have treated Dia differently/better? Oh yeah, most definitely. Bort, throughout most of the story, had a problem when it came to how he treated the other gems, especially Dia and Phos, and could have done things differently. But regardless, I still understand why he acted the way that he did, partially due to my own experiences in life, and I can’t hate him for it. And despite what I said before, the same goes for Dia; I may not agree with how they’re handling things, but I can understand why it came to this. But in the end, the truth is this: Diamond’s inferiority complex  

What’ll happen next?

I keep on telling myself to not make predictions for this series because Ms. Ichikawa is great at throwing curve balls, but I can’t help but think of the possible scenarios of what’ll happen next between Diamond and Bortz.

The first one is that they end with a draw. Both end up beaten to the point of exhaustion and maybe they both realize the errors of their ways without further destruction to one another. As nice as this scenario sounds, I don’t think it’ll happen, at least not this way. Maybe they both end up destroying each other without a proper resolution… I wouldn’t put it passed Ms. Ichikawa, honestly. So, this scenario, if it were to happen, can either end satisfyingly or unsatisfyingly.

The second possibility is that Dia wins. I find this more likely to happen because Dia has the advantage of the moon people and Bort having a messed-up arm. Anyways, I picture that Dia would win over Bort, finally ‘proving’ to themselves that they are better than Bort and is a ‘true diamond’ afterall... they finally ‘won’...to only realize they aren’t happy. They still felt empty. Wouldn’t that be both satisfying and unsatisfying? This whole build with Dia and Bort, after years of self-inflicted feelings of worthlessness, for Dia to win…to only realize that it was pointless. I kind of hope that we get a scenario like this because it’ll force Dia to acknowledge that Bort, as much as they may hate/love him, isn’t the one who’s holding them back. They’re in charge of their own happiness and blaming Bort for their misery was nonsensical and dumb. 

The third possibility is that Bort would win but I definitely don’t think Ms. Ichikawa will have this happen. Regardless of how I’d feel, I think its safe to say that Bort is most likely not going to survive this fight. If he did, then it would honestly be quite pointless for both his and Dia’s character development. Who knows, though? Maybe something like this will happen but with more twists? Anything can happen with this series… 

Either way, I don’t think Bort or Dia are going to get out of this fight unscathed. It’ll end up with both becoming completely broken physically and/ or mentally. (And to a degree, they both kinda deserve it. A lot. For various reasons.)

Final thoughts:

I’m glad to see I’m not alone when it comes to this character. Dia is anything but perfect or even morally good. Their character is more than the cute, soft, nice girly archetype; they have layers with many negative traits, including pettiness and selfishness, and these traits are shared by many of the other characters in this series. I know I say this a lot, but I can’t think of many characters in this series that are truly good or bad, black or white; everyone are various shades of gray and I think that makes for a fascinating story. And while Dia isn’t one of my favorite characters in this series, seeing them shed become unhinged after everything that happened is really fascinating and I can’t wait to see what’ll happen next.

Sigh, these dang gems…if only they knew how to communicate with each other! So many conflicts would’ve been resolved! But nope: they’d rather ignore the problem and let it fester or they let their emotions take over and go straight to violence without properly trying to resolve anything. Man, I love all of these characters, but they can give me such a headache…

And though a happy ending for all is out of reach, I still have hope that all of them.  The moon and earth gems, the Admirabilis, the moon people (minus Aechmea) and most of all, Phos, deserve happiness. How will this happen? I don’t know… we’ll see.

[cotillion-the-rope]

Not Hollow Chapter Four: Search

“We’re going to kill the Radiance,” Hornet said as she strode into the living room where Hollow had seemingly decided to wait.

Hollow looked up at her from where they sat on the couch. It was impossible to even guess how they felt about her declaration or about Grimmchild still hanging limp and unconscious in her arms. The lack of response made her entrance not quite as dramatic as she would’ve liked… oh well.

“I don’t know how yet, nor do I care,” those were things to figure out later, “but we’re killing her.” Because fuck any other plan to deal with her, the only way to make sure she was dealt with permanently was for her to die. “Or at least I am.” It’d be unfair to ask or expect them to face the source of their suffering. Especially since even though she helped them train with their nail fairly frequently, they weren’t anywhere near as strong as they once were. There was a good chance if she brought them into battle with her that they’d end up being more of a hindrance than an asset. … Could she kill the Radiance by herself though? … That was another issue she’d figure out later. “You don’t have to help with the killing her part if you’d rather not face her.”

Hollow nodded as they seemed to relax a little. Good, they approved.

“As soon as Grimmchild recovers, I’ll head out to start searching for a way I can access the Dream Realm.” She needed to make sure Grimmchild would be okay and all three of them needed to eat some anyway. Rushing things unnecessarily wasn’t going to help anyone.

 -

When Grimmchild woke up a few hours later he made his displeasure known immediately, teleporting out of Hollow’s bedroom and flying into the kitchen to make distressed and mildly angry mewling sounds at mostly Hornet. He was scolding her about the whole Ghost thing, wasn’t he? … Well, she did kind of deserve it.

“I know,” she said, hiding a sigh of relief over the fact that he was evidently perfectly fine. “We’re going to fix it, I promise. But first,” she stood up grab him by the tail, pulling him down to her eye level, “you need to understand that you made it worse.”

He flinched. Good, he definitely understood her.

“What made you think going in there was a good idea? It drains anyone who isn’t made of void and that’s you. If I hadn’t gone in there to investigate you probably would’ve died from it. And you caused Ghost to crack.” Not necessarily, it could’ve been something else, but the timing was just too close for it to be a coincidence. “So you made things so much worse for them and everyone else in Hallownest.”

He stopped flapping, letting himself hang upside down by his tail in her grip. Pulling his wings in on himself, he chirped in an almost dejected tone. An attempt at an apology?

She glared at him. “You better be sorry.” Ghost had gone through enough without that … and Hornet had let them. That was besides the point though, she’d had no choice. She’d tried to stop them in Greenpath and warned them in the City of Tears but they’d continued on as she knew they would.

“And now, you’re going to help me kill the Radiance, got it?”

He perked up, making an interested mewl. Then he started flapping again and she let him go. He then flew around her head, making similar sounds to the ones he made when spitting fire but not actually doing so. He was apparently ready and eager for battle, good.

“I need a way to access the Dream Realm though. I know you can access it pretty much whenever, right? So is it possible for you to bring me with you?” That would be the easiest solution.

He paused to think for a few seconds before shaking his head. Not surprising but still a disappointment. That just meant Hornet needed find another way. And now that she’d had some time to calm down and give it some more thought she maybe had a potential lead on how to do it.

If Ghost couldn’t do it naturally – as evidenced by the fact that Hollow couldn’t – they’d had to have learned it or gotten something that let them do it. Either way it was a skill they’d most likely gained sometime after she’d lost track of them in Crystal Peak. It maybe wasn’t the best place to start, especially with how long they’d been out of her sight after that, but it was something. So after a quick nap, she’d head out that way and hope for the best.

 -

Crystal Peak was one of the places she’d explored the least in all her time watching over Hallownest. It was way too bright and the way sounds echoed off the smooth surface of the crystals was unnerving. And at times it seemed as if the crystals let off their own almost ringing sound that was even more unsettling. So overall it was not a place she liked, give her the complete darkness and skittering of unseen things present in Deepnest over this any day. She was here on a mission though so she had to stay.

Except she wasn’t sure what she was looking for. When Ghost had entered Herrah’s Dream to break her Seal, something had flashed in their hand that they’d swung similar to a nail. Her hiding spot hadn’t given her a good view of it and she hadn’t been looking to see it anyway. And she hadn’t been present when they’d dealt with the other Dreamers. So there was no way for her to know what it even was let alone where she might find another one, assuming there even was another one. If not, she’d have to figure something else out.

It only took her about an hour of searching before she felt ready to give up. She didn’t know what she was looking for and didn’t even know for sure it was in Crystal Peak. She’d lost track of Ghost for a while after they’d entered the place, they could’ve gone to a number of other areas and gotten the power from one of them instead. She needed a better lead if she didn’t want to waste time searching every inch of Hallownest. … Would the Teacher’s Archive have information on what she was looking for? Perhaps, it was probably her best bet for any more information. So… off to Fog Canyon she went.

But not long after entering she regretted it as she just barely managed to dodge the exploding center of an ooma. “Are you trying to get us killed?” she growled, glaring at Grimmchild, the one at fault. “I told you not to attack them.”

He mewled innocently at her, even tiling his head a little as if he was trying to be as cute as possible. Well she wasn’t swayed by it this time. She should’ve insisted he stay behind to keep Hollow company, too late now though.

“Never do that again.”

The very next ooma they ran into, he did it again. Leaping away before the fireball even hit it, she managed to dodge fairly well this time. That didn’t make it okay though. And she wasn’t taking a third chance so not in the mood to deal with sending him back home after coming all the way out here, she started unspooling some thread. It didn’t take long to fashion it into the beginnings of a collar and leash combo and muzzle.

Grimmchild flew in to investigate what she was doing, just as she’d hoped for, making it easy to jump him and attach it before he could even react much. As soon as he realized, he yanked back but it was too late. He chirped and mewled in distress, the muzzle letting him open his mouth not even half way.

“I told you twice not to attack them. You’re smart enough to understand my words as well as what’s going on around you so you should’ve known better. Now, let’s go.” She tugged on the leash part of the thread as she resumed walking. He continued to complain and tug against the restraint but she ignored it. He was forced to eventually come along lest he fall to the ground and get dragged because she wouldn’t hesitate to do that. She was not messing around right now, she was on an important mission.

 -

Hornet had been to the Archive a few times before back when it was still up and running. The first time had been with Herrah before the Dreamers had gone to Sleep though she’d been too young to remember much of it other than Monomon was a giant jellyfish and Lurien – he’d been there too, it had been some kind of meeting or something – had been a jerk and she’d bit him because of it much to the delight of everyone else in the room. She hadn’t been back since it had ceased being operational though.

It was vastly different now, didn’t even feel like the same place. The halls were empty except for the occasional floating ooma or uoma and utterly silent. It was almost kind of creepy in a way but she ignored it.

All was going well until she was quickly reminded of that fact that she didn’t know how information was sorted here. And she couldn’t read any of it even if she did know; everything was written in what seemed to be a weird code or shorthand. Which now that she thought about it, Monomon had been well known for doing that, no one but her, her pupils, and any scholars dedicated enough to figure it out could read it.

Scholarly pursuits were not her thing and thus she was completely out of her depth here. But she needed more information and the best place to get that was the Archive so… what did she do? … Well she could ask someone who knew their way around the Archive to help. She knew someone like that even if she’d never properly introduced herself to him. And he was a skilled fighter, he might be able to help with killing the Radiance too… if she decided she wanted help with that anyway. … She hated to ask for help in any capacity though. But at the same time, this wasn’t about her pride, it was about her siblings’ suffering so… off to find Quirrel it was.

 -

She found Quirrel’s nail was abandoned by the Blue Lake. If he’d gone and killed himself, she was going to strangle him. … All right, that didn’t make any sense but she’d be pissed because she needed him.

“I’m guessing you can’t track people, can you?” she said turning to look at Grimmchild. She hadn’t bothered taking the leash and muzzle off yet because she was planning to head back to Fog Canyon with Quirrel as soon as she found him. Naturally Grimmchild was still very displeased about it because he couldn’t attack the husks they encountered either but that’s the price he paid for almost getting her killed twice on purpose.

He mewled dejectedly. It seemed to be a ‘no’ because he made no move to investigate the sword. He was truly useless on this mission which was why she hadn’t wanted to bring him.

Maybe she should just go back to the Archive and wait for Quirrel there since there was a chance he would return eventually, right? It’s where he used to live and work after all. And while waiting, she could work on figuring it out herself. … Nah, he might not return at all and going to find him to do it for her should be shorter than the alternative. So, after collecting his nail, she moved on to continue the search.

 -

She eventually found him in the City of Tears in the clearing that housed the statue of the Hollow Knight. He was with the relic seeker – Hornet couldn’t quite remember his name right now – they were even sharing an umbrella as they looked up at the statue.

Hornet jumped off the windowsill she’d climbed up on to get a good look at the clearing to land in front of them, making them both flinch back a little. “Archivist,” she said, looking Quirrel directly in the eyes. “I need your help with something.”

“I don’t really go by that title anymore,” he replied, his tone surprisingly unannoyed. The look he gave her was filled with suspicion though which made sense. Last time she’d shown herself to him, it hadn’t been the friendliest of circumstances.

“I was unaware you ever went by that title,” the relic seeker said, squinting at him suspiciously.

“It’s complicated.” He shrugged. “And uh… may I ask what’s up with the moth baby?” He pointed at Grimmchild. “It seems kind of cruel to muzzle him like that and why is he with you anyway?”

“He deserves it and he’s with me because… I’m his aunt I guess.” That was probably the best way to describe it. “But anyway, here.” She tossed his nail to him. Why he’d ever abandoned it was beyond her.

He caught it with the ease of a practiced fighter. “I left this by the lake because I’m trying to leave my old life behind.” And now he did sound a tad annoyed. Hornet didn’t care though.

“Well, you’re going to help me kill the Radiance first and then you can do whatever you want with it.”

“Uh… what?”

“You heard me. I need help figuring out how to get to her in the Dream Realm.” She hated to do it but… “And I might need help killing her there too.” The Radiance was a god after all. Hornet was a demi-god but that didn’t make her invincible. “And I’m asking you for help because I need information from the Archive.”

“Well, I suppose I can…” Quirrel began before being interrupted by the relic seeker.

“I demand to know what this is about.”

“I don’t have time to explain.” And Hornet didn’t care to explain to an outsider anyway. It was bad enough that she had to deal with Quirrel, no way was she letting anyone else in on this. “Ask you boyfriend about it when he’s done helping me.”

He flinched at the word ‘boyfriend’. “He’s not… we’re not… we’re just…”

Hornet was tired of this conversation. “Let’s go,” she said as she grabbed Quirrel by the wrist and started dragging him away.

“Uh… I guess I’ll see you at the shop later Lemm,” he said, not fighting her at all. “I’ll try to explain things then. Now uh…,” he directed towards her now, “sorry I don’t know your name but… does this mean that the… vessel fellow failed?”

“My name is Hornet and yes, they failed, just like the first one. And I refuse to stand for it any longer which is why I’m finally doing something about it.” Now that she could. She should’ve done something sooner, like before Ghost had taken on the Radiance but better late than never, right?”

“Hmm… I suppose I’ll help in any way I can then.”

~

And so Quirrel is here now too I guess. I didn't plan for that, it just kind of happened.

A bit past this point is what I had written up to when I decided to start uploading. I have since written more obviously but the next chapter gave me a bit of trouble and I'm still not entirely happy with it so I might do another big heavy edit or full rewrite to the part of it I'm most displeased with. So next chapter might take a bit longer to come out than these other chapters have.

[lanamemories2]

Startled by the sound of his door opening, Lana turned after making her last adjustments. She’d been hanging his birthday gift by his window, a prime spot for the breeze to stir if the latch was undone. Strung up on a homemade mobile, one she’d recruited the help of various minions to make, dangled twelve separate origami animals, each a different colour. All had a personalised message from one of Dom’s friends, if you spread the paper flat to read them.

Ducky’s said ‘cool guy :)’ and was folded into a bear. Navy white pinstripe. 

Philly’s only had a little goblin doodled on holding a fistful of socks. The paper was an expensive kind, white with mint and lilac glitter. Folded into a caterpillar. Lana liked this one because caterpillar’s have butterflies inside them and she feels the magic in Philly is sourly overlooked by the general population -- she’s the most likely person Lana knows to sprout wings and fly away.

Viktor’s was far too explicit with a recurring mention of cock. It could not be included in the gift.

Maggie’s was a wolf. Lana drew a little smiley face below the snout that wasn’t quite fitting, but it felt friendlier, that way, more Maggie -- paired with a dainty floral paper, too. It had a quote written on from Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “She rested her head against his and felt, for the first time, what she would often feel with him: a self-affection. He made her like herself.” It finished with “love you, Maggie x”. 

Marlowe’s was a tiger. Flame orange, eye catching. On it, it said: ‘anyone who's put up with my shit for almost four years deserves a medal of some kind... like pinned to their lapel and personally engraved and everything. i got outbid on ebay so I don't have a fancy medal to give you...so instead i'll just say, you're a good guy dom evans! and I hope you have a fucking awesome birthday man. if anyone deserves only good things its you :)‘.

Rosa’s was folded into a monkey. Pink paper, in the end, because Rosa makes Lana think of love and blushing and sunsets. ‘dom i can't believe you're 23 today, you're an old man now!!! when i was just an embarrassing 12 year old and made those happy 15th bday shirts for you i was so obsessed with you because a small part of you thought you were an angel on earth and you'd come to protect me but it's nice to know now that we can protect each other. i'm still going to wear those 15th bday shirts for the rest of the week so everyone knows, i think your life is the most celebration worthy thing in existence. and if you want to know i am, in fact, hoping that i never marry so that by the time i'm 35 we can just run off together, preferably with franklin in tow, and have a worry free life, it's what you deserve. i love you forever dominic james evans!!!‘

Kasey’s was a fish in a pastel shade, sweet like a ripe peach. ‘Happy birthday Dom, you're the best of the best!!‘

Jude’s was a sloth. Deeper blue. Lana hassled him to write Dom one despite the fact they aren’t even particularly close. On it, he wrote: ‘Dunno you that well but you seem alright. Lana’s pacing as I write, clearly riled her up enough. Saw your ass in full view, high definition. Was decent. Good work soldier. Back to the trenches. Happy birth and shit.’.

Gunner’s was a dog. She did her best to capture the essence of a golden retriever with yellow paper, given that this was his family pet’s breed. Notably, she drew a very large dick onto the origami between it’s legs -- assuring Gunner Paxton’s legacy wasn’t overlooked. ‘in first year i had a hard time making friends and you saw me struggling in the caf when i sprained my wrist so you offered to help me cut up my food and i thought it was weird but it was the first time a stranger showed me care in such a specific way now i always feel cared for with you and it's nice so thanks for being you and happy bday‘.

Jack’s was a lion. Below the paper mane Lana wrote ‘NOT UGLY’ in small, block font, almost fashioned like a collar. The paper was faded black and white, referee striped -- tribute to his time coaching little league. Unfolded, it says: ‘dearest cousin Dominic, you are my favorite cousin even when you peed on me that one time at the beach because you said it would keep the jellyfish away. thank you for always throwing the football around with me and even being okay with it if i threw it too hard and it hit your nose and made it bleed and we had to tell my dad you tripped over a rock. happy birthday let’s get fucked! Love Your Best Friend, Jack Hall :P’.

Will’s was a shark, folded from paper slicked to look like an oil spill, gleaming in the light -- dark and technicolour, all at once. Lana drew sunglasses over the eyes. ‘sorry i tried to dye your hair purple that one time. you're kind of great even if statistically you shouldn't be since you're an RA. that's fucking bizarre of you, by the way. you seem to be one of those people that's genuinely good which is also fucking bizarre but i figure if anyone around here deserves a good year, it's you. happy fucking birthday don't die xoxo‘

Marla’s was a pigeon. Oxblood red. She wanted a vicious city-dwelling creature that feasted on the flesh of abandoned McDonald’s fries. ‘you are more worthy than a thousand plates of ikea meatballs. you can seize life by the balls. the meatballs. extended meatball metaphor. you are a leaf floating on an amber river. you are a cherry blossom caught in a ceiling fan. if auras existed yours would be INCREDIBLY fucking sexy. you will live a long life and father approximately 333.3 children.’

Noah’s was a sky blue dog with a doodled strand of wheat from it’s mouth. ‘hey man happy birthday :) not to get all sappy but im really grateful to know you. don't know if luck is real but if it is, hope this brings you some of the best of it there is’. A drawing of a little four leaf clover after the message.

There was a thirteenth string without anything attached and Lana almost took it as an omen of how unlucky it was, her opening up in this way, how much she’d come to see it as a curse. But she held it in her hands, anyway. A swan as white as the Betta fish she’d pointed out as him at the aquarium. Wishing star white. Whiter than an angel. The most Dom paper she could think to fold it from, when she woke up and realised she’d been dreaming about him. 

“Hey,” she breathed with a laugh, cat burglar caught with the ruby in gloved hands. By all practical accounts, she’d broken and entered. “Charmed my way in. Wanted to, um... Was meant to be a surprise, like, an in and out job, and... I told some other RA Gunner left his inhaler here and he went all crazed, like, Action Man, whipping out a master key. Totally Oscar worthy. Should probably... let him know Gunner isn’t dead, later, but. Wanted to give you your present. It’s, um... I mean, it’s everyone,” came as she sifted gently at Philly’s caterpillar, smile bubbling to the surface. “I got them all to write you stuff. It isn’t, like, crazy, or anything, but.” Lana wet her lips, excitement overflowing -- she couldn’t seem to smother her smile. “This... is mine.” That did it. It faded as her eyes dropped. She pinched the swan delicately in both hands, then, blood rushing in her ears -- it provided amusing contrast, the coy blush in her cheeks with the devil horns she’d slid into her hair, a costume nobody had asked for. “Kinda wrote it... a while ago. It’s -- I don’t know,” she second guessed, laughing again at how dumb she was sure she sounded. Gestures like this always scared her, when she really meant them, felt like far too much. “You can read it, if you wanna.” @domfm​

[sebthesnipe]

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!

First // Previously // Next

My Dearest Procyon

Masterpost

MDP Discord Server

Chapter 30

Original story based on this wonderful post by @underdog-arts

TW: Mentions of blood

Logan drew on Patton stretching and weaving his magic a bit clumsily. It was nothing like the magical energy he had shared with Virgil, or even the force siphoned from Noname. Patton’s magic was far stronger. 

Logan could feel the force of it burning inside him almost painfully. Sweat beaded his brow at the strange sensation, his finger dragging across Virgil’s palm. A shimmering gold light marked the tight lines he drew as he continued to weave the ropes around them.

“Logan,” Virgil sighed watching him work. “That’s a bit much, don’t you think?” Virgil asked with an arched brow. The smaller witch could feel the waves of power coming from the man’s work. 

“Yes, well,” Logan sighed, gaze narrowing in concentration. “It seems that this new power will take some time to grow accustomed to. I am more acclimated to a trickle rather than the flood I’m currently attempting to control, Virgil.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Virgil snapped. He was a bit testy, all things considered. He didn’t feel well, had very little magic, and Logan was just tossing this immense force around like it was nothing. Then again, judging by how much power they assumed Patton had, Virgil supposed it was something more than he, or even Logan, had anticipated. 

“Right… Sorry,” Logan mumbled, keeping his gaze glued to the work at hand. His guilt washed through the connection with Patton, making the dragon frown slightly. 

“Don’t worry, Logan,” Patton reassured, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm. “You’ll get the hang of it.” He was well aware that the words wouldn’t really help, but offered them regardless. 

Logan shot him another glance, giving a small smile. Patton could feel the warmth coming from the lanky witch at his words. They might not have helped reassure the man, but they certainly caused a pleasant reaction. That was enough for Patton. 

Logan turned back to his work, finishing drawing the sigil carefully into Virgil’s palm as Patton’s hand dropped away. Virgil’s own gaze was glued to the man’s work as Logan double checked each weave before finally glancing up.

“Are you ready?” he asked the smaller witch.

Virgil hesitated, trying not to get his hopes up. The bonding hadn’t worked with Patton. Why should it work with Logan? What if it didn’t have anything to do with them? What if he was the one that was broken? After everything, after Noname, Logan, Roman. What if he was just too used and damaged to be worth bonding with anyone? 

He hoped that wasn’t the case. 

He gave a small nod. Whatever the case may be, he had to try. He had to save Roman. 

Logan’s honey gaze met purple as he and Virgil stared at one another, beginning to recite the words in unison. 

“Élidaumet andam. Pesäemet andam. Uskolfeartiilamet andam. Sívamet kuuluuko kaike että a ted.”

The two witches paused, waiting to feel the pain that came with the bond, as it had before, but nothing came. 

Patton could feel the tension in Logan rise as the witch tried to determine what he had done wrong. 

“Perhaps, we should try again?” Logan offered. 

“Right, yeah. Maybe we did something wrong,” Virgil nodded, knowing that wasn’t the case. He needed it to be the truth though. He needed to have done something wrong, otherwise- 

Otherwise he wasn’t worth trying to save. 

“Élidaumet andam. Pesäemet andam. Uskolfeartiilamet andam. Sívamet kuuluuko kaike että a ted.”

A moment of silence… Another… 

“Nothing,” Logan sighed, casting his eyes downwards as he unraveled his weaves of magic. 

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Virgil huffed, pulling his hand away and holding it close to his chest. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, but only managing to cause another coughing fit. 

“Don’t worry Virgil! We’ll figure something out!” Patton offered with a smile, reaching out for the witch. 

Logan could feel Patton’s disbelief in his reassurance. It was a distracting feeling, though it certainly had its benefits. For once in Patton’s life, he didn’t have to feel completely alone. 

“Yes, Patton is right,” Logan reassured. “We’ll find a way to rescue Roman and then perhaps you will be able to bond with him.”

“Ha!” Virgil barked sarcastically. “That’s if we manage to rescue him and if he would be willing to bond with me and if I can even bond with someone again! Let’s face it, Lo, the fact that I couldn’t bond with you makes it a pretty damn good chance I won’t be able to bond with anyone!” The smaller witch glanced at Patton to gauge his reaction at his choice of words, but couldn’t find it in himself to apologize. “Besides, for all we know, bonding with Roman could lead to the same situation you and I were in, only worse! Roman is human with no magical powers! I’d literally be feeding off his soul! I couldn’t do that to him!”

Logan and Patton shared a look, obviously uncomfortable. 

However, Logan’s resolve was too much. Patton could feel he wouldn’t be able to convince the man to hide the truth from Virgil. After everything the two witches had gone through, he wouldn’t be willing to ask it of him either. Patton gave a consensual nod, causing the tension in Logan’s shoulders to ease. 

“Actually, Virgil. That isn’t entirely true,” Logan began, moving to stand…

………………………………………………

Roman let his eyes fall shut. His eyelids felt like sandpaper against them. The stinging pain caused liquid to escape down his cheeks, but he wasn’t sure if it was water or blood. How long had he been hanging there? How long had he been awake in this endless darkness? A day? Two? A week?

He couldn’t tell.

Did time pass differently in the baku’s den? Would he ever be allowed to sleep? To see Virgil again? 

Surely he wouldn’t die here, strung up like some cow being drained for the butcher. Roman was a prince! He deserved a more glamorous death. Though, at the moment he wasn’t too picky…

……………………………………………………..

“Roman?!!!” Virgil yelled at the top of his lungs as he walked through  endless white halls. “Roman?!!!” he called again desperately. 

He wasn’t sure how much time he had before he woke again or before his body gave out.

He was getting closer. He could sense Roman’s dream pattern. Everyone had one, a fingerprint in the dream world, something so uniquely them. The witch was a bit surprised when he had first sensed it. It was an odd time of day to be sleeping, but there was no telling what had happened to the prince in the time that they had been separated. 

Virgil paused in consideration. He supposed he shouldn’t call Roman a prince any longer. From what Logan had told him, Roman wasn’t one. Roman had never been one. It was all so twisted and confusing and none of it really mattered. Roman was Roman and that was good enough for Virgil. 

“Rom-” Virgil called once more, cutting himself off. He felt water on his cheek, causing him to glance up. Another drop fell, landing on his forehead. Another on his chin. The nonexistent sky opened, drenching Virgil in an instant.  

He held a hand out, feeling the harsh warm water patter against his skin. Roman rarely dreamed of rain. Most of his dreams were filled with memories, horrible memories. Virgil often visited him, destroying and reconstructing his dreams to help him rest a bit easier. He would pull in jellyfish, giant eels, whales, flowers… all the things Roman seemed so intrigued by… but not rain. Especially, this dark thundering rain that raged around him now. A familiar kind of rain.

Virgil breathed deeply, the scent of lavender filling his nose. 

“Remy,” he sighed softly, dread filling him. 

“Well, that didn’t take you as long as I expected,” the sassy voice came, causing Virgil to spin. “Long time, no see, Doll,” they grinned, flashing their pointed teeth. 

Remy stood a good foot and a half taller than the oneiromancer, towering over him suddenly. The thin flowing black cloth that wrapped around their body, tied at the waist, covered the majority of their too pale skin. Their flowing black shadow like hair shifted and twitched as they peered down at the smaller man. 

“As happy as I am to see you, Remy,” Virgil sighed. “I was hoping it wouldn’t be like this.” 

“How’d you know it was me?” Remy asked curiously. 

“The rain and lavender were a bit of a give away,” Virgil admitted with a small smile.

“Bitch, you know rain is my jam,” they chuckled, giving a snap of their fingers, causing a set of chairs to materialize.  

Virgil gave a nod, moving to sink down into the chair that was obviously meant for him.  He waved a hand to will away the storm. This dream may have originated from Roman, but it was no longer his. Regardless, the witch hoped the act would bring the man some small comfort.

“You have him, don’t you? This was supposed to be his dream,” Virgil asked, smile fading as he watched Remy move to sit in their own chair. 

“You mean, Mr. Too-toned?” they teased lightly, “He is a snacc, isn’t he?!” they giggled.

“Remy…” Virgil huffed, obviously not in a playful mood. 

“Oh, don’t be such a downer,” the baku grumbled. “Yes, I have him.”

“Is he alright?! Is he hurt?!” Virgil rushed, tensing at the news. 

“Guurl, take it down a few notches before you blow that cute little head of yours,” Remy huffed, giving another wave. A table appeared between them, already set with an elegant kettle and two cups of steaming dark liquid. Remy reached for their cup and sipped it slowly. “He’s alive, though a bit beat up. Nothing too serious from what I could tell. A few cracked ribs, a broken bone here or there. It looks like Lord Noname had some fun before sending me his scraps.”

The news didn’t make Virgil feel any better. 

“But he is alive?” the witch asked.

“For now, yes,” Remy nodded, taking another sip.

“Does Noname want you to kill him?” Virgil asked, his anxiety only rising at the possibility.

“No,” Remy answered simply, watching the tension fall off the man in waves. “Whatever the boss wants, Prince Charming ain’t giving up anytime soon. He wouldn’t have sent him to me otherwise. I’ve got orders to keep him alive, Puppet,” Remy warned, causing Virgil to meet their gaze worryingly. “I don’t get those orders unless it’s something big, something he’s willing to get at all costs.”

Virgil nodded slowly, finally moving to accept the cup in front of him. 

“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Remy,” he sighed. “We’re on our way there, but by the time we get there-”

“He could be dead or insane,” Remy nodded, “It is a very real possibility, Puppet.” 

“If that happens, if I can’t make it-” Virgil paused, taking a long drink before focusing on his breathing. “Remy, he won’t be the only one that dies.”

“Guurl,” Remy chuckled, “I’ll admit what you’ve accomplished is impressive,  severing your ties with the bossman, running away, staying hidden, but I doubt you’re strong enough to kill h-”

“Remy, I’m dying.” Virgil interrupted, causing the baku’s breath to hitch. 

There was a moment of silence as Remy tried to process the new information.

“Don’t be so over dramatic,” Remy chuckled nervously. “Just because you don’t have your prince doesn’t mean-”

“He’s not a prince, Remy, and I’m not being dramatic. Roman is my last chance. If I can’t get to him, we're both dead…”

To be continued...

Taglist:

@hiddendreamer67 @nightashes @aequinoctiale @sumersnowlilly

[tfwhynoy]

Finfolk au thing for myself. Finfolk is kinda like merformers but more so following Orkney folklore. I needed some comfort and thought “what if human went willingly”. Still kinda out there for the au but whatever. Cygate x reader but Cyclonus isn’t there it’s just Tailgate gushing about you and Cy.

You had never been close to your parents. Constant fights, them pushing their own trauma on you, and constantly trying to change who you were didn’t exactly encourage close bonding. Sure, a small part of you still loved them because they were your parents but it was easily drowned out whenever you spoke to them. The constant comments about how heavy you’ve grown and how if you’d didn’t find someone soon you’d die alone always cut deep. They were obviously just joking around but you still knew that they fully believe what they said despite the light-hearted tone.

One of your few reprieves as a kid had been the few close friends you held onto. They felt like you true family, always there to listen and support each other when adults had failed despite their best attempts at times.

As you grew though you all grew apart. You all stayed in contact the best you could but with one being busy with college, another with work, and another with taking care of their sick grandparents most of you were too busy to hang out like you used to.

The one friend you had been able to interact regularly you had found out died in a car crash two weeks ago. You hadn’t cried the first or second day of learning this, denial and shock prevented any tears from falling. The third, fourth, and fifth you had cried so hard you could produce more tears if you tried. No, your heart had a dull ache that settled at the bottom of everything you did.

Each time you came back to the same beach when you were hurting, even as a kid you came back. It was busy during summer but with the cold winter months set in almost no one could be seen most days. Technically you weren’t even supposed to come here alone, old tales of finfolk falling in love with humans from afar and unable to resist stealing them away saturated your town. Nearly everyone kept something silver with them that they could toss to distract them and escape.

“The one thing they love more than stealing people a way to be their brides is silver.” Your mother's words echoed through your head has you clutched at the silver chain you wear around your neck. Mom had given it to you when you started going through puberty, always teasing if you showed too much skin at the beach with friends some finfolk would kidnap you in the night. You had always held the necklace as a symbol of your mom loving and caring for you despite everything that happened but as you thought more about the memory again it turned rather sour like many memories before it. You didn’t want her gift around your neck. It didn’t belong anymore.

 You never believed these old stories anyway; often showing it by sitting on the old wooden docks and closest to the ocean tides as you could without getting wet. You may not have some magical draw to the ocean like some fairytale story but the inner rebellious teen in you kept you coming back here. It was silly but the worst you would get was accidentally stepping on a squishy jellyfish head when they began to wash ashore.

You took stood as you took it off your neck. It had no clasp and instead was just one long chain you slipped over your head. No need for something fancy when the intent was to just throw it away after all. You pulled back your arm as far as you could before tossing it as hard as possible. It didn’t travel too far but none the less sunk beneath the waves.

“If merpeople even exist they’re free to take the damn thing. I certainly don’t want it anymore.” You were merely thinking out loud as you sat down. You looked glumly at the grey sea and saw a small spot of white approach under the water.

Your furrowed your brow trying to think of any type of white fish around but came at a blank. Most fish came off more silvery but this distant blog of color glided through the water was bright white like a sheet of paper.

It dipped down quickly near where you had tossed your silver necklace, disappearing too deep to be seen for a moment before rising again. It breaches the surface of the water to reveal that this was, in fact, a mer. I glided through the water towards you making, what you assumed to be, happy chirping noise the whole way.

It stopped just before the dock for a moment and the two of you stared at each. Its torso was rather chubby with an oddly textured blue underbelly. Its face was rather childlike but you had the feeling this creature was much much older than it looked. You certainly noticed it fidgeting and messing with your silver necklace as a wide sharp-toothed grin spread across their chubby face.

“Hi! I’m Tailgate.” The chubby mer attempted to crawl up on the wooden dock but gripped too hard on the old rotting wood. It didn’t even creak as he accidentally crushed the wood as he attempted to pull himself up and only succeeded in ripping off a good chunk of the first plank. “Oops. I’m sorry I forget my own strength sometimes. And I’m just so excited to finally talk to you! We’ve seen you spend so much time hear but Cyclonus always said to leave you alone since you always seemed sad. I can’t wait till he hears you gave me this though! It’s so pretty.” He rubbed the chain against his cheek affectionately as he said the last bit. Tailgate was certainly adorable but your mom’s warning began to worry you. You had just “given” Tailgate the only piece of silver you had on you after all.

“You not going to drag me under are you?” You said it before you could stop yourself and Tailgate’s change in demeanor was immediate.

“No! Why would I do that? I don’t wanna risk drowning you sweetspark!” Something deep down told you Tailgate wasn’t dangerous, at least not on purpose. His pouting when you showed distrust certainly wasn’t helping you be skeptical of the adorable little creature.

“I… There are just so many stories of your kind kidnapping people and them never being able to see their families and friends no matter how hard they fight.” 

Tailgate let out a loud gasp before he spoke. “I wouldn’t do that! Neither would Cyclonus. We may be rather old fashioned to other finfolk but we actually court people we have an interest in. I guess it comes from living before humans were seen so often near the shore and having them as conjux became popular but I wouldn’t do that.” He rested his had on the dock and stared at round deep blue eyes.

“Wait, who is Cyclonus?” If this little mer already had a spouse why did he seem so interested in you?

“He’s my conjux! He’s intimidating when you first meet him but I promise you he’s really sweet when you get to know him. I’m sure you’d love him as much as we love you.” You felt something in the pit of your stomach. From what the stories told you finfolk on their own can be possessive and needy to their human partners. Having to deal with two would make this so much worse for you…

Or they may be spending some of their energy on each other rather than all of it on you.

“If I became Cyclonus and your...” you had to think of the word for a moment hoped you were using it properly, “conjux... what would that look like. Would I be able to go home? Would I have to live in the sea?”

He seemed to perk up a bit when you showed interest in joining his relationship. “Oh you’d likely live with us but you’d be able to go above when you wanted to. We wouldn’t want our sweet little human to feel trapped in their own home.” His tail began to swish back and forth as he rambled and daydreamed out loud. “We’d hunt and provide everything you need. Cyclonus would lavish you in gifts every day and sing you sweet songs every night. I’d always be cuddling by your side, running my hands through your hair while you petted my fins…” you could hear something akin to a purr as he continued rambling about how your life would be with them.

You couldn’t tell if it was just your still aching over losing your friend but it actually sounded really nice. No more needing to worry about paying rent. Just showing affection and getting affection in turn.

You still hadn’t met Cyclonus though.

That fact made you think for a moment. Sure Tailgate seemed sweet but what off Cyclonus? You’d never seen anything of him before.

“Tailgate?” He broke from his loving rambles to listen to what you had to say. “Could I meet Cyclonus before committing to such a life? He sounds lovely from how you’ve described him but I’d like to know him in person first.” Tailgate gasped excitedly and rapidly tapped at the wood of the dock.

“Of course! Of course! When would you like to meet him? I could probably even get him now if you’re patient enough.” 

“How about tomorrow at noon? I need time to prepare a gift for him as well.” You hadn’t thought much about the words before you spoke them.

“Oh, he’d love that! Oooh, we should go now so you have more time. A day isn’t that long after all.” Tailgate was positively beaming up at you.

“Agreed. I’ll see you and Cyclonus tomorrow. See you again soon Tailgate.” You gave him a small wave before you left the beach.

Your heart still ached at the thought of your lost friend but with the idea of having two finfolk there to constantly love and care for you, your heart fluttered slightly.

After so long of hurting you deserve something like that you reasoned. Now just to find something appropriate to give Cyclonus tomorrow.

[artificialqueens]

Beach (Branjie) - Peridot

A/N: a very very angsty ‘slightly too long to be a drabble’ kind of drabble that’s essentially a bunch of beach metaphors that I started writing at the actual beach. It’s a little stream of consciousness and a little rushed, so sorry if it’s not perfect. Let me know what you think either here or on my new sideblog @artificialperidot (because I’m a dumbass and locked myself out of my old one). Hope you enjoy!

Jose used to love the beach.

They would go to the beach together every time they were in Florida, back at Jose’s family home. Jose liked showing Brock little parts of where he grew up, spilling his jar of memories to share with the person who was so special to him.

He would hold Brock’s hand and walk along the shore as he recited his favourite stories, tales from his childhood that made him feel like a little kid again, Brock’s goofy smile setting his heart alight. He loved nothing more than to walk beside him on the beach, showing everyone that Brock was his, and that he loved him and no one else. Even when Brock’s glance would leave his eyes and land on someone else, just for a second, he wouldn’t change a thing. Sure, it hurt a little, but Jose didn’t care. He loved him too much.

They would walk along the sand, soft and warm beneath their bare feet, and waves would lap over their skin, tethering them to reality and reminding them that they were alive.

He felt alive when he was with Brock. All it took was for Brock to be near him and Jose would forget about every worry in the back of his mind.

It’s not that he didn’t feel alive now. It’s that he felt too alive.

Each breath and heartbeat and blink felt too much, too heavy, like a sledgehammer to his already fragile heart.

He couldn’t remember a time when his heart wasn’t in his throat. He couldn’t remember a time when there was no buzz in his ears. He couldn’t remember a time when life was full of sunshine and beaches and Brock.

He could only remember the way it ended.

This isn’t going to work.

I can’t keep doing this.

I don’t love you anymore.

The last one. That one stung the most.

The words played on a loop inside his head for months afterwards, his thoughts consumed by nothing but Brock’s voice, drowning out any rational thought that suggested it was for the best.

And, Jose wished he could say he hated him.

But he couldn’t.

Brock was the sea. Cool. Refreshing. Calm. The perfect icy cold when everything was too hot, when the days felt too long and Jose needed somewhere to feel safe. Leaving the taste of salt and sweat and passion on Jose’s lips. The water sparkling like his sea green eyes, eyes that drew him in and made him never want to look away. Bubbling white foam providing a glimpse of hope, swirling on its surface and reassuring Jose that it would all be okay. Jose could float and relax and feel weightless with him.

But, Brock was the sea. Icy cold. Black. Dangerous. Full of flaws, like jellyfish that sting or piranhas that bite or long glances at other men that make Jose’s heart drop. The sting of saltwater like the tears in his eyes. The burn of salt at the back of his nose and throat each time he said his name. Each crashing wave going over Jose’s head, reminding him of how it all came crashing down before his eyes.

Jose knew he was in too deep. He needed Brock too much. He was so easily submerged by thoughts of him, him, him.

But on stormy days, Jose knew that the relationship was in danger. He felt himself being pulled under, unable to breathe and no way to stop himself from spiralling down.

The breakup should’ve been a breath of fresh air. But it only pulled Jose under even deeper.

He was drowning.

But, that didn’t mean that Jose didn’t like the sea. It didn’t mean that he didn’t love Brock.

Brock used to love the beach, too.

Whilst it was a far cry from his familiar Canadian landscape, there was something about the seaside that made him feel at ease. He hadn’t gone much as a kid, so it was Jose that truly introduced him to it. Brock loved nothing more than interlocking his fingers with Jose’s and letting him drag him along the shore, hearing his rough voice recite tales of his childhood, creating his own memories by listening to his.

The feeling of the sun beating down on his shoulders and the breeze on his skin and his hand holding Jose’s was something that Brock wanted to feel forever. It felt like he was weightless. It felt like he was flying. But most of all, it felt freeing.

Brock wished that he had always felt so free. But, like all good things in life, it didn’t last.

Being with Jose felt like being trapped.

That’s not to say that he didn’t love Jose. He did. He adored him. Jose was his first boyfriend, the first person to love him back, the first person he’d committed himself to.

And that’s where the problem lay. The commitment.

As much as he loved and needed Jose, he couldn’t be loyal. He couldn’t stop himself from catching someone’s eye, even though he loved Jose more than anything in the world. The guilt he felt when he found another person attractive could have easily broken him, and the look on Jose’s face when he noticed was enough for him to crumble like chalk.

He felt like an asshole. As much as Jose would try and deny it, he could see how much he was hurting him. And, he had every right to be hurt. Brock would tell him every day how much he meant to him, how he was beautiful, wonderful, perfect - but, thanks to him, Brock knew that he would never believe him.

The trust was well and truly broken.

And that’s why Brock ended things.

He felt like he couldn’t be free to look at whoever he wanted. He wanted to go and explore new horizons without feeling tied down.

And, more than anything, he didn’t want to hurt Jose anymore.

He had really tried to end it on good terms. Really tried.

This isn’t going to work out the way we want it to.

I can’t keep doing this to you.

He’d tried to string words together to make Jose understand, but he was so afraid of hurting him that he couldn’t do it. With every sentence came Jose’s own, explaining that he loved him no matter what and that it was all okay and that they could fix it. That it wasn’t over.

Brock knew Jose was in too deep. He was blinded. He couldn’t see that Brock wasn’t good enough for him, that he deserved the world and that Brock could only give him heartbreak after heartbreak after heartbreak.

And he ended it the only way he thought would make Jose stop fighting.

I don’t love you anymore.

It was a lie. It was the biggest lie he had ever told. The words tasted of bitter lemon on his tongue. The words played on repeat in his head like a curse. The words felt like a stab to the chest. He felt like a monster.

He’d tried to not hurt Jose. But he couldn’t have hurt him more if he tried.

Jose was the sand. Soft and warm like his hand holding Brock’s. Golden like his skin. Scattered with pebbles and shells, treasures of his personality that Brock loved more than anything, the things that made him Jose. He could bury him so easily, surrounding him with nothing but warmth and laughter and love.

Real love. A love that Brock couldn’t reciprocate.

Jose was the sand. Too hot, burning Brock’s feet. Gritty and sharp against Brock’s skin and sticking to him like glue, making him feel irritated and trapped and guilty whenever another guy crossed his mind. And yet, so easily crushed under Brock’s feet. So easily kicked aside, so easily swept away by the sea and replaced.

The sand and the sea are insoluble.

Jose’s commitment and Brock’s openness didn’t mix.

They were the sun. Warm. Strong. Burning bright. They shone together. The fans loved them, and they loved each other.

It should have worked.

But it didn’t.

They were the sand and the sea. They were too different.

They were the sun. They were on fire. They were burning.

And before they knew it hey were burnt out, and all there was left was smoke and ashes and broken promises.

Because everything good must come to an end.

Everything is fine until it burns.

[dammn-dean]

Ready or Not

I wrote this as a part of @propertyofpoeandbucky‘s Mystery Writing Challenge, I hope you like it! 

My Prompt: Single Parent AU, You’re one of the daycare helpers and I absolutely adore how well you work with my child.

(I also got an anon request for something similar.. Anonymous said: Bucky x reader. Bucky is the single father of a 4 year old. Reader is the kid's preschool teacher? Bucky is smitten from day 1)

As usual it’s unbeta’d, so all mistakes are on me. My tags are open, let me know if you want to be tagged in upcoming fics. I love feedback, so be sure to let me know what you think! 

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 2.6k+

Warnings: fluff, Daddy!Bucky, Single Parent AU

“Good morning ladies, sorry we’re late.”

You and your co-worker Wanda stopped talking with the children already in the classroom, looking into the doorway to see Paige and her dad, James Barnes, standing in the doorway. He held a sheepish look on his face, like he was embarrassed about the tardiness, even though it happened more than often than not lately.

“That’s alright Mr. Barnes. Good morning Miss Paige.” You smiled at the little girl as you made your way over to the pair and dropped to your knees to be on her level.

“Mornin’ Miss Y/N!” She just about shouted your name as she gave you a big hug, like she did every morning. You returned the hug, smiling up at her dad. You took in his appearance, long hair pulled back into what probably used to be a tidy bun at the nape of his neck, but now a few strands fell down around his face. Wearing his usual suit only his tie was a bit crooked, clearly he didn’t have the best morning.

He held a soft smile looking down at the two of you, he loved how you were with Paige. You’d been her preschool teacher the past year, he honestly didn’t know what he’d do with out you most of the time. It was the most stressful year of his life, becoming a single father, running a law firm, it was a lot for him and you were always there going above and beyond for the both of them. He shook himself out of his thoughts, remembering he was already running late, he had a meeting in 15 minutes.

“I’m sorry Miss Y/L/N, I gotta go,’ he muttered. Dropping to his knees as you stood to hug his daughter goodbye. “Bye peanut, I love you. See you soon.” He pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Bye daddy, love you too!” She responded running off to join the other kids with a laugh.

You laughed as your eyes followed the little girl, turning back to meet her father’s steel blue eyes. He stood there a moment, smile on his lips and you matched the look.

”Shouldn’t you be going?” You teased him.

“Of course! I’m sorry, I am running late. As usual,” he laughed. “I’ll be back around 5, see you then?”

He wanted to wait for your response but he couldn’t and of course he’d see you then like he did every day. He shuffled out of the doorway, down the hall and started a brisk walk to his car.

“Mr. Barnes!” You called out to the long haired man.

He quickly stopped and turned to you, eyebrows drew together in question. “Is Paige okay?” He advanced to you, eyes looking behind you for his daughter.

“Oh! Of course, she’s inside with Miss Maximoff. This is actually about something else.” You sent him a warm smile, hoping to convey that everything was indeed okay.

“What is it?” He ran his hair through his hair before remembering it was in a bun, messing his hair up even further than the stressful morning had. With a sight he tugged the hair tie from his hair and started to redo the bun.

“Uh- you know what? We can talk about it later when you pick up Paige.” You chickened out to say the least. You’d been telling yourself you would invite him and Paige to dinner this Friday all week. Well it was now Friday and you still hadn’t gathered up the courage to ask him. “I know you’re running late Mr. Barnes, sorry about that.”

“It’s Bucky,” he corrected you for what seemed like the hundredth time. “You can call me Bucky.”

You sent him a big smile, “Okay Bucky, I’ll see you this afternoon.”

Bucky sent you a grin back and then he was off, a light jog until he made it to his car. You shook your head with a laugh as you made your way back into the building. Wanda had all of the kids at their desks coloring, you walked around the room making sure everyone was doing alright before sitting behind your desk with a soft sigh.

“Did you do it?” Wanda asked as she leaned against the desk, smile on her lips.

“Of course,” you started and she sent you a look. “I didn’t. He’s too handsome Wanda! I don’t think I will ever be able to. Besides, what if he said no? I would be mortified, I want what’s best for Paige and I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable dropping her off here with me every day.”

“He wouldn’t say no, he’s over the moon for you! You should just see the way he looks at you, especially when you’re with Paige.” Wanda tried to reassure you, but you just shook your head as it fell with a small thud to the desk.

“What’s matter Miss Y/N?” It was Paige, she was after all the sweetest and most understand kid you’d ever met.

You lifted your head quickly and gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s nothing Paige, what did you color?” You changed the subject and grabbed her drawing from her.

“I drew somethin’,” she said shyly, holding the picture for you to see.

You took the paper from her tiny little hands to look over the drawing, and considering she had recently turned 5 you were impressed. There was a big house and beside it a litle stick figure with crazy hair, Paige, next to her was a tall stick figure, tie around the neck and long straight hair, clearly Bucky.

“Wow Miss Paige, this is great! It’s you and your daddy, and is this your house?” You asked, your smile matching the little girls.

“Yep!” She responded loudly, obviously very proud.

“You did such a good job! Why don’t you go draw something else? Maybe something special for me.” You handed her back the paper and patted her head as she ran off with a giggle.

“You really adore her, huh?” Wanda pushed off the desk to make her way around the room. “I think it’s time you suck it up, you deserve to be happy Y/N. Just ask him if he’d like a home cooked meal, I’m sure Paige would love it as much as him.”

“Stop always using your reason to make sense of everything!” You joked and stood from behind the desk, ready to get through this work day.

The day breezed by and parents were showing up, kids slowly drifting out into the hallway and you bid them farewell, although it was an easy day you were grateful that the weekend was here.

“Bye Miss Y/N!” A little boy named Johnny called out, and you waved a goodbye to him and his mother.

Leaving only one kid, Paige. She was standing by your side, backpack on and waiting patiently.

“I’m all done in here Y/N, mind if we go ahead and lock up so I can head out?” Wanda asked, from the doorway.

“Of course, let me grab my stuff. We can wait for your daddy outside, sound good Miss Paige?” You smiled at the little brown haired girl.

“’Kay!” She tugged her backpack straps, reading herself to go.

You let out a small laugh at her, making your way behind your desk you grabbed your bag and shoved a few things into it. You felt for the lanyard around your neck of keys, phone in pocket, checking to make sure you hadn’t forgotten anything then made your way into the hallway, pausing as Wanda locked up the room and you three headed out towards the parking lot. Paige and you took a seat at the steps, waving to Wanda as she gets into her car.

“You have any plans for the weekend Paige?” You asked, adjusting yourself to maybe be a little more comfortable on the hard concrete.

“Dunno. Daddy probably has work.” She shrugged with a small frown.

“Well you never know, could end up doing something fun.” You tried to cheer her up, but in reality you were talking to calm your own nerves.

You told yourself all day, that you would come out and say it whenever James, er Bucky, shows up. If he turns you down then so be it, at least you would shoot your shot.

“I wanna go to the ‘quarium,” she smiled as she spoke, clearly something she’d been thinking about.

“The aquarium? I love the aquarium!”

“You do?” Surprise and excitement took over her features and you couldn’t help but giggle at her giddiness.

“Of course! All of the different fish, sharks, jellyfish,” she was nodding at every word. “But do you know what’s my favorite?”

“What?” Paige practically squealed.

“The turtles,” you whispered.

“Me too!” Her hands clapped together. “I love tutles!”

“You sure do peanut!” Bucky suddenly appeared in front of both of you.

You’d been so wrapped up in talking to Paige you hadn’t noticed Bucky’s car pull up.

“Sorry I’m late Miss Y/L/N,” he said with a apologetic smile.

“Miss Y/N loves the ‘qarium too daddy! You have to take us, pwease.. I want to see the tutles soo bad,” she begged tugging on his hand.

“I’m sure Miss Y/L/N has other plans this weekend peanut,” he assumed.

“I don’t actually,” you interjected, biting your lip nervously.

Bucky was taken back by that, he wasn’t sure what to say. He had thought about asking you out for dinner or something many times, but going to the aquarium with him and his daughter, that didn’t seem like a date. Surely people don’t go on dates with their children there? All that he knew is that you looked like you were wanting him to invite you with them, but would it be a date? Bucky had no clue how to date, especially as a parent.

You could sense his panic about being put on the spot kind of and before you started to panic as well you decided to spit it out.

“I was actually wondering if maybe,” you cleared your throat some. “Do you two have any plans tonight? I was thinking of making my mothers recipe for spaghetti with bolognese sauce, always makes too much food and well,” you nervously bit your lip again. “I was wondering if you’d like to come over and have dinner.” You ran your fingers through your hair nervously, tucking the strands behind your ear.

“I love sketti daddy, we haave to go!” Paige’s enthusiasm soothed you some, but your hopeful eyes never fell from Bucky’s.

“Miss Y/L/N,” he started.

You interjected, “Please, call me Y/N, school’s out after all.”

“Y/N,” Bucky softened. “I have more work to do tonight,” he watched the smile falter from your face and he felt a a pang of regret in his chest, making him change his next words moments before they came. “What if you come over to our place instead?”

“Yes! I have to show you my room!” Paige let out a sudden gasp like she had a terrific idea. “We can play hide and seek!” Her hands where tugging your skirt excitedly.

You eagerly nodded at her, smile both on yours and Bucky’s face. She was just about thrumming from the prospect of it all and her joy was spilling out and effecting the both of you as well. She finally calmed after a moment, a quick yawn taking over her face. Bucky patted her head gently and pulled her to lean against his leg.

“You’d have to bring whatever ingredients you need for the meal,” he noted. “But I have pots and pans, a pretty great kitchen to be honest, it’s just never used. You could cook as I finish up work, I haven’t had a home cooked meal in quite some time. And who knows maybe we could talk about making plan to go to the aquarium as well.”

It was Bucky’s turn to seem nervous, he hadn’t let another woman into his home since Paige’s mother. He shook the thought from his head, no sense in doing this to himself right now. If there was anyone worth trying this with, it would be you.

“Oh- uh, okay. I’d love that,” you smiled at him. “I’ll have to run to the store but I can come by after to everything ready?” You couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

“I’ll text you my address.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocking it and holding it out for you to type your number in.

You took it with a shaky hand, slowly typing your number in and saving it under your name before handing the phone back to him. You two stood there a moment, with matching silly smiles, until an impatient Paige tugged his hand, pulling him back to reality.

“We better head home, but I’ll text you the address when I get in the car. Text me when you’re heading our way?” Bucky slowly picked Paige up her tired head falling onto his shoulder, still he paused for your answer.

“Yeah okay, see you soon,” you answered quietly.

With that Bucky turned towards the car, sleepy little girl in tow. You couldn’t help but smile as he softly put her into her car seat, making sure she was buckled up well. He had told the truth, the moment he was in the car your phone buzzed with a text. You tugged your phone from your pocket and saw a text from a foreign number, Bucky’s, with the address followed by a simple question. ‘Do you prefer red or white wine? Can’t have Italian food without a little wine right?’ You felt your cheeks heat up, you saved his number to your phone as you turned to make your way towards your car.

You typed a simple, ‘White’ followed by ‘You are right about that.’ You couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over your face as you clutched your phone to your chest. You took a moment or two to soak in the feeling that this was actually happening. You made your way towards your home so you could change and grab a couple things before you went to the grocery store. You had a dinner to make after all, no time to waste.

 Perma Taglist:  @mannls @msruchita @ashdownbloodline @his-paradox @mamaraptor @sophie-barnes26

Marvel Taglist: @wishingforahome @josiejosie0 @technolilly @gabby913 @sonotalice @bexboo616 @gigistorm @just-trying-to-survive-marvel @doublephoeenix

Bucky Taglist: @hiddles-rose @givemethatgold

(If you want to be tagged in anything, just shoot me an ask or message!)

[wonderingarmy]

Prince Kim Taehyung Part 2

Part 1 Link

Guys, I love this story so much so I hope you guys like it too. Let me know what you guys think? No? Okay. Anyways, Part 3′s will be coming out soon after Prince Jungkook’s Part 2. Look forward to it. Thank you!!

The Illness

You and Taehyung became close friends as time goes by. You share the same interests when it comes to animals and paintings. You both hang a lot especially when he is on break after tour. You both would go to zoo and art museum and study paintings, sharing your opinions to each other and googling the story of the painting and the painter. He even help volunteer with you at your local animal shelter. You are starting to get to know him more and more.

Fans started rumors that you are dating and people hate it. When Big Hit made a statement that you guys are not together, a lot of fans were relieved but some still believed that you are dating because you are always together.

“Y/N, I am sorry people keep bashing you on socmed because of me” he told you one time, when you were visiting the new aquarium in town.

“Don’t worry about me Tae, worry about yourself. It’s your career that’s going to go down if you start dating me. I am just an ordinary citizen of the country” you replied “Plus it’s not even real, unless you want it to be real” you continued winking at him

“Ahh, Y/N you think you’re cute.” he said shaking his head smiling.

You smiled back at him and you realize how much you like being with him. He is really such a nice person when you get to know him plus, he is trying his best not to be rude to people he just met when he is having a bad day.

“I wonder what it’s like to date you?” you asked, while admiring the jellyfish inside a huge cylinder aquarium

“Lots of sex.” he said smiling but looking so serious. “Like wild, amazing, all day, nonstop, sex”

You both stared at each other and you have that disgusted look.

“You’re gross Tae. How do you even know that having sex with you is amazing? Ugh. I bet you’re still a virgin. You’re so full of shit.” you replied leaving him to go to a different tank

“How do you know I am a virgin?” he said trying to lower his voice down while following you

“You stopped and stared at him. The world doesn’t deserve his beautiful face. “There! It’s written all over your face. It’s saying ‘I am the Taehyung the Virgin. I still don’t know if I am amazing in sex’” you continued, laughing

“You wanna try?”

“Ah no. Thank you. You’re disgusting. I am leaving you.” you said now heading to the exit.

“Where are you going?” he asked running after you.

“I am leaving.”

“How are you going to get home?”

You stopped walking and looked at him again and said, “Duh. You’re taking me home”.

“Okay. So, you want to leave me but you need a ride?” he said, smiling. You didn’t say anything so he just followed you to the nearest exit.

This is what it’s like spending time with Taehyung. You bicker but you never had a serious fight. You always argue over small things, yet you always end up in his car laughing and making fun of each other. Spending time with him is never boring. And you love seeing his beautiful face.

It’s been over a year and you and Tae have gotten closer to each other. He would often take Yeontan to the salon when he is busy and most of the times you take him to your apartment so Tae can just pick him up there. When Tae is really too busy to pick Tannie up from the salon, you’d go to the studio and wait until he is done with rehearsals. When they’re on tour, he would always ask you to take care of Yeontan. You became so comfortable with each other, that you are starting to have feelings for him.

“Tae, I love you. We should foreal date and satisfy our shippers.” you teased, when you and him were having dinner at a quiet bar during his break.

“How sure are you that they ship us together?” he asked wiping his mouth dry

“Because, some say I am cute. I mean, I know a lot of people would say I am too ugly for you. But, you think I am cute so that’s the only thing that matters right?” you asked, you stopped drinking alcohol for less than a year now, but why do you feel like you’re acting drunk in front of him.

He laughed and flicked your forehead. “You’re so silly, Y/N.”, he replies. “You’re beautiful, and funny, and amazing human being, and the best dog groomer ever! But, you should stop saying we should date.”

“Am I not enough?” you asked, pouting

“You are more than enough, Y/N” he replies, too busy with his food.

“Ah Tae, promise me that if you don’t date me, you’ll find someone that will take care of you and love you for the rest of your life? Okay? Also, someone that will kick your butt when you are being rude?” you told him, now trying to busy yourself playing with the food on your plate.

“Don’t say such things. You know I’ll find someone beautiful, and kind, and not someone that acts like they’re always on their monthly thing, and someone I can have sex with all day.” he replies, you looked at him and he was staring at you and smiling.

The truth is, Taehyung loves you. He loves you too much that he is scared to tell you what he feels. He is scared that every time you tease him that you both should date, you were just joking. Because you’ve been teasing him about what it’s like to date him or you both should date since when you became good friends. He is scared that everything is just a joke to you and you’ll never take him seriously.

***

The next day, you were so busy at the salon that you forgot to take a break.

“Y/N, please go take your break. You haven’t eaten yet.” Miss Lee said coming from behind you while you’re busy grooming a labradoodle.

“I’ll just finish this up Miss Lee and then I’ll take my break.” you replied

“I’ll take over Y/N. Please take care of yourself.” she insisted. You can’t argue anymore because she is your boss.

You were about to stand up from the chair when you felt your chest tightening up. Your started to feel dizzy that your face started to look pale and you feel like you can’t breathe. Your surroundings started to get blurry and the last you hear is Miss Lee yelling your name.

The next thing you know, you woke up in a hospital, Taehyung sitting on the chair beside the bed you were laying on.

“Tae”, you said, still groggy from the medicines they gave you

“Are you feeling better?” he asked holding your hand

“Better.” you said, not looking him straight in the eye

“Miss Lee told me.” he said, you can tell that he’s upset. You’ve known him for awhile now and he always have a hard time hiding his emotions.

“Oh, it was a busy day today. I forgo---”

“How long are you going to hide this from me?” Taehyung interrupted

“Tae��”

Two months before you met Taehyung, you were diagnosed with a rare heart condition. The doctor told you to get a heart transplant so you can live a longer life, but you refused to. You were devastated about this news and it broke you into pieces. But you accepted it and continue to go on with your life taking all the required medicines everyday to make you feel at least better. “When it’s my time, it’s my time” you keep telling yourself. At least, I am trying to live my life like it’s the last and doing all the things I like to do to be happy. The doctor’s prognosis with your condition is that if you’re lucky, without the heart transplant, you’ll live up to five years.  

“Tae, I was planning to tell you. I just thought it’s not the right time yet.” you said, not looking him in the eye.

“Do you even know how much this hurts?” he asked now standing

“Tae, I don’t have enough energy to talk about this right now.” you begged

He threw his hands up to surrender and said, “Right. This is not the right time. I’ll leave you alone for now. We already called your parents and they’ll be here tomorrow.” He explained. He was about to leave when he came back and kissed your forehead and said, “I’ll be back.”

Your parents came the next day to visit you. They begged you to just leave the city and live in the province with them so they can take care of you. But, you told them you love the city and that you love your work. You told them not to worry about you and you’ll take good care of yourself from then on.

They took you back to your apartment after a three days of staying in the hospital. Taehyung never came back to visit you. Your parents left the following week to take care of their fish market business in the province. You promised that you’ll come back home when you know you can’t take care of yourself anymore.

Miss Lee and Lisa visited you after work one night. Miss Lee apologized about when he told Taehyung your condition. She said it just came out of her mouth because she was so worried about you.

“It’s okay Miss Lee.” you assured her,  “I am glad you told him. I wouldn’t be able to know how to tell him myself”

You were so bored at your home and you feel like your strength is back and that you can go back to work any time soon. But, Miss Lee told you to have a couple more weeks to rest more. She’ll take care of everything and if there is anything else you need to just let her know.

You were going to go for a walk one night when you got a call from Taehyung.

Y/N: Hi

Taehyung: Hey. I am sorry I didn’t get to visit you more often.

Y/N: I understand. I’d be mad at myself too.

Taehyung: Do you have time right now? Can I pick you up?

Y/N: Ahhh Taehyung! I have been waiting for a knight in shining armor to save me  in this dark dungeon. Please pick me up now!

Taehyung: *laughing* Be there in 15.

You hung up the phone and get ready.

He was a little late but he came. You got in his car and you were about to fasten your seatbelt when he pulled you in and wrapped his arms around you.

“I missed you Y/N.” he said

“I am sorry Tae”, you replied

“He let go of you, shook his head and told you that it’s okay. He understands.

He took you to an amusement that is already closed.

“Uhmmn.. Aren’t we late for the party?” you asked, curious on why he took you there.

He shook his head, smiled and said, “Amusement parks look more beautiful at night. When there’s no people around and when the lights are off.”

“It looks ghostly. Plus, aren’t you afraid of ghosts?’

“I am not afraid when I am with you. Let’s go?” he grabbed your hand and you both ran to the gates.

When you reached the front gate, you were out breath.

“Are you okay? Sorry, I made you run.” he said still holding you hand.

“I am okay.” you replied.

He helped you climbed the gate, though you struggled a bit, you managed to climb over it.

“We are going to get in so much trouble Tae and you’re an Idol. At least I don’t have nothing to lose.” you said as you head to the ferris wheel.

He helped you climb inside one of the buckets and he went inside after.

“So are you going to make this move?”, you asked

“Don’t be silly. This is not a movie you’re in. Plus, I am not getting myself in trouble just to please you” he replied, trying to swing the bucket.

“This is boring. We can’t even see the view if we just stay here at the bottom of this huge ass thing.” you complained.

“I like the view here.” he said, staring directly into your eyes.

Before you could say anything, he pulled you closer and pressed his lips against yours.

You felt butterflies, no the zoo, or the whole safari in your stomach. You felt safe and sound. You felt your heart beating so fast, that you feel your going to end up in the ER again.

When he let go of you, you both stare at each other.

“Tae…” is all you can say.

“Y/N, be my girlfriend.” it wasn’t even a question.

“Tae, you know I can’t.”

“You keep wanting me to be your boyfriend and now that I want you to be my girlfriend, you don’t want to?”

“Tae, you don’t even know how long I am going to live. I could die right at this moment, who knows. Plus, don’t do this because you pity me.” tears are starting to fall down your cheeks.

“I don’t. I love you Y/N. And I love you the first day I met you. That moment I saw you from outside the salon, sleeping with Yeontan on the couch when I picked him up late. I love you because you’re funny and beautiful and you understand me and because I just do. I have many reasons why I love you and I don’t think you even need a reason to love a person.”

“Please don’t say that just because I am dying.”

“I am not saying this because you’re sick or.. Please don’t say you’re dying! I am saying this because that is what I feel about you. I don’t care about how sick you are or how long you’re going to live. I just need to be with you.”

“Tae…. I don’t know what to say. I just don’t want to do something that I know is not going to last. I love you too Tae, I am just scared. I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to worry about me.”

“Just say yes Y/N. I promise I’ll make us last. I promise I’ll make every second of us memorable.”

“Tae, I am going to need you more than you will need me, you understand right?”

“I don’t care Y/N. I’ll give up everything for you.”

“Tae no, please don’t say stupid th----”

“Then please just say Yes and be my girlfriend!” he said not realizing that he raised his voice.

“Tae..”

He hugged you and you gave in. You whispered “yes” in his and when he heard your answer he hugged you tighter. Both of you crying, happy and scared at the same time.

You saw a flash of light somewhere and heard a noise not to far from behind you. You and Taehyung let go of each other.You stared at each other for a few seconds, smiled and he grabbed you hand.

“Are you ready?” he asked

You nod, and you both ran before you get caught by the security, all the while glancing at each other and smiling. At that moment, you don’t care if you’re going to die at that moment, or the next week, in months, or in five years. All you care about is how happy you are with Taehyung and how happy he looks right at that moment.  How you’re going to make every last seconds of your life be memorable and different. As long as you have him, you know everything’s is going to be okay.