#and like I was a good student but I also wasn’t the smartest by any stretch of the imagination

[gojonanami]

💕🥹 I know omg — like seeing him pine over reader who is like so over him 😭🫣 I love it — especially if reader is just pissed when he speaks up counter to her point in class 👀🤭

awww this is super, super cute xxxx <333333

🥹🥹 I honestly can’t wait because academic rivals to lovers is my fav trope 😭😭

[jockbroski34]

The Bro Cap

Biology was my favorite class this semester.  Not only did I find science to be interesting, but I also shared the class with one of the hottest guys in the school: Aaron Moore.  He was the star of the school’s baseball team as a pitcher and he was the talk of the school.  Girls were always swooning over him for how tall and handsome and athletic he was.  He was good at every sport; football, basketball, and so on, but in school, he played baseball.  He was a major source of envy for a lot of guys.  A lot of guys wished they could be him.  I, however, wanted to be with him.  Fortunately, I sit behind him in class, so I get the best view of him, despite being from behind.  At least it meant he wouldn’t see me watching him.

I often found myself getting distracted by him.  Even if I couldn’t see his face, I could see his broad shoulders, which were built like mountains, as well as his arms which were shaped like mounds of muscle.  His tall stature sometimes made it hard to look at the board, not that it was the main place my eyes were looking at in the first place.  His favorite baseball hat, adorned with our school team’s logo on it, was worn backwards like most of the jocks at the school.  He didn’t come off like the rest of them though.  His relaxed vibe made him easy to talk to and he could be quite funny compared to the rest of the meathead jocks.  He got along with everyone really well, making him very well-liked.  Although he was far from the smartest guy in the class, I could tell that he tried.  It was no wonder why he was so popular.

Today, I was daydreaming when I was disrupted by our teacher, Mr. Martin.  I felt him stare directly at me, almost as if he knew I wasn’t paying attention.  It was like he could read my every thought, and honestly, if that were true, that’d be extremely humiliating.  The last thing I needed was for my crush on Aaron to be exposed to the rest of the class.  Knowing how embarrassing he could be, I wouldn’t put it past him.  He asked me a question, and I thankfully already knew the answer, as I awakened from my daydream.

“Correct!  I wasn’t sure if you were paying attention or not,” he chuckled.  “You always look like you’re off in your own little world.  But you still manage to do well.  You gotta tell the rest of your class your secret.”  Looks like someone has caught on to my tendencies.  Mr. Martin was a middle-aged guy, probably in his 30s.  He looked good for his age, and was a pretty relaxed and carefree teacher.

The class went by as usual, and eventually we were dismissed.  All of the other students dispersed, but I needed to ask our professor a question about the homework.  He helped clarify things for me thankfully.  I was about to leave, but then he pointed out something on the ground.

“Hey Aiden, doesn’t Aaron sit in front of you?  That’s his hat, right?”  he asked.

“Yeah, I always see him wear it.”  It was unusual for him to have left it here by accident.

“Do you know if you can bring it to him today?  If not, I can keep it here until next class.”

“I’ll hold onto it until I see him next.  I have a feeling I’ll run into him later.”  I don’t know why I said that.  We don’t have any other classes together and we certainly aren’t close enough to be friends, even if I wished we were.  I’m also not on the baseball team.  Either way, my professor smiled for helping him out.

Regardless, I grabbed Aaron’s hat, but instead of chasing after him, I realized I really needed to go to the bathroom.  He was probably long gone anyways.  After I went, I noticed that I was still holding onto his hat.  I went to observe it and I noticed that it smelled a little like him, with a mix of sweat from wearing it all day and whatever shampoo he used.  I knew I shouldn’t, but I felt a sudden urge to put Aaron’s hat on.  Despite the fact that I would feel really embarrassed if someone saw me wearing it, I knew I would likely never get this opportunity again.  I was completely alone, so it’s not like there’s anything wrong with it.  It wasn’t just any hat, it was Aaron’s.  It’s not like he had lice or anything.  What’s the worst that could happen?

And so I put it on, wearing it backwards like he would.  Strangely, for a few seconds, I felt as though time had completely stopped.  The leaky sink faucet paused its rhythmic dripping.  The stomping of feet in the hallway deafened.  My watch skipped a tick.  But as time seemed to return to its natural course, I was able to see how I looked.  I had to admit, I looked really good in it.  I wouldn’t call myself an unattractive guy, but Aaron was way out of my league.  Despite that, a smirk appeared on my face.  A wave of confidence washed over me, almost like a little bit of Aaron had rubbed off on me.  Suddenly, I didn’t really feel like taking it off anymore.  I wasn’t too worried about what would happen if Aaron or one of his friends saw me wearing it.

After admiring myself in the mirror for a few minutes, I realized that I was late to my next class, algebra.  I had no idea I had spent so much time checking myself out.  I must’ve lost track of time.  As I walked to my seat, I felt like all eyes were on me for some reason.  I never used to make much of an impression on most people.  I was quiet and had only a couple friends.  Normally, I would’ve felt a little anxious with so many people staring at me, but I didn’t really give a shit now.

“Late as always, aren’t we Aiden?”  the teacher remarked.  Very funny.  I always showed up on time.  I sat down in my seat, but it didn’t feel right.  My body squeezed tight into the desk.  I felt like I was sitting in a chair meant for a middle schooler.  Weird.  Something weird is going on, but I can’t figure out what it is.

The class was just as weird because I felt like my classmates were a little more talkative.  I couldn’t focus during class due to being distracted by someone whispering.  I still felt a couple of their eyes on me.  I looked over and made brief eye contact with one of the girls on the far side of the room.  She immediately looked away and giggled towards one of her friends.  Her cheeks turned a deep crimson, the color of passion.  She was cute, but definitely out of my league.  I wasn’t straight either way, so I didn’t care if she was into me.

Normally, I was good at math, even if I didn’t like it, but I felt myself struggling to answer questions today.  Something must be wrong.  The room felt hotter than usual, and I felt myself sweat a little and my body started to ache.  I noticed that I smelled a little like Aaron’s cologne.  I’ve recognized his scent from sitting behind him, but for that smell to linger and for me to smell like him is really weird.

Class was dismissed, and this was usually when I went to lunch.  I received a text from one of my friends, Bryan, from half an hour earlier.

Bryan: Hey, me and the guys are getting food.  Wanna come with?

Normally, we always got lunch at the same time.  But for some reason, I didn’t really want to?  That’s weird for me.  I felt my fingers move on my own as they typed out a message.

Me: nah bro i dont feel like it mayb sum other time dude

I didn’t text like that normally.  Nor did I turn down my friends. Is it the…Before I could finish my thought, I was interrupted by the booming sound of two guys further down the hall, with one of them calling my name.  They were two jocks.  I recognized that they were both friends with Aaron because they hung out together a lot.  What did they want?  I didn’t really get along well with either of them or the rest of their kind.  Hopefully they didn’t think I was a pervert for wearing Aaron’s hat and beat me up.

“Sup bro, we were just about to get some food before hitting the gym.  Wanna come with?”  the other jock asked me.  Judging from his tone, he seemed surprisingly friendly with me.

Were they serious?  Did these jocks actually think I was one of them?  I would never get an opportunity to hang out with them again, so I agreed.  Part of me felt guilty for ditching my nerdy friends to hang out with the jocks, but I knew they were cool guys.  My perspective on these two big jocks changed as I walked with them.  For some reason, I felt a strong sense of camaraderie with them, almost like I’ve known them for a long time.  I’m not sure why I was so intimidated by them before.  They were really chill.

I saw another one of my friends as I walked with my new friends.  I waved to him, but he barely seemed to notice me.  Was he mad at me for skipping lunch with them or did he seriously not recognize me since I was hanging out with the jocks?  It almost felt like he didn’t know me at all.

I pulled out my phone to see what was up with him, until I realized that Bryan had finally responded to me.

Bryan: My bad.  Thought you were someone else.  He must’ve given me the wrong number.

Was this some kind of prank?  He obviously knew my number.  Of course he knows who I am.  Whatever, I don’t care what a nerd like him thinks.  I put my phone away and resumed chatting with my jock friends.  You know, my real friends.  I noticed as I walked with them that they didn’t look as big and menacing as they seemed.  Either that or maybe I hit my growth spurt recently.

We went and got food, with the jocks making sure I got enough protein.  I swear I almost never eat this much.  The jocks must eat a lot to stay in shape, I thought to myself.  But did they seriously want me to go to the gym with them?  I had class soon.  But these guys were cool and I didn’t want to disappoint my bros.  I figured I could miss a day and go lift with them.  As long as it doesn’t turn into a habit.

I realized as we stepped into the gym that I had never worked out before nor had I stepped into an actual gym.  I was worried about coming across as weak and humiliating myself in front of them. I changed into some clothes that I'm not really sure when I bought, a tank top and gym shorts.  To my surprise, I simply followed the motions of my bros and I was able to work out with them just fine.  I noticed that I was able to keep up with their workouts, and I surprised myself with how much I could lift.  It shouldn’t have been possible to lift as much as they did but maybe they were just going easy on me because they knew I was a beginner.  By the time we finished, I was just in time for my last class.  But just before I parted ways with my new friends, one of them said something that caught me off guard.

“Later, Moore.”

Must’ve been a slip of the tongue.  There was no way in hell they mistook me for Aaron.  At least it gave me a mental reminder to give Aaron his hat back next time I see him.  Although…his hat is so nice that I’m a little tempted to keep it for myself.  He could always just get another one, right?  I just don’t want him to see me wearing it though, so I’ll only do it when he’s not around.

In class, everyone was still staring at me as if I went to school in my underwear.  Maybe there was something weird about me, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.  I did smell a little bit since I came from my workout, but I don’t think it was that.  I shrugged it off.  They can stare all they want for all I care.  I felt incredibly sore after my workout, and my arms looked unnaturally swollen.  If I had to be honest, I almost felt as big as the two jocks I worked out with.  But in such a short amount of time?  With no prior lifting experience?  That was impossible.

I found myself completely zoned out and indifferent to class today.  All I wanted to do was leave and uh…What was it that I had going on later?  I pondered that thought throughout the entire class period.  Eventually, we were dismissed and I was free to leave.  I was walking towards the dorms until I ran into, guess who?  Aaron Moore.

“Hey bro, you still coming to practice?”  he asked.

“Practice?”

“Yeah, baseball practice, you big dummy!  You know, you’re always so forgetful, dude.  Good thing I always was the smarter one, bro.”

“Yeah, you’re right, bro.  My bad.”  I’m not sure which statement I was agreeing with.  But as I looked at him, I realized something.  He was wearing his hat!  But then how was I wearing his hat if he was wearing it?  “I thought you lost your hat.  How are you wearing it?”

“I was wearing my hat all day, dude.  One day you decided to copy me and wear your hat to school like I do.  But honestly, I think you rock it better than I do, so keep it up.  You’ll impress the ladies.”  But I was gay.  And I’ve only had this hat for a day.  If it wasn’t his, then how was it actually mine?  I was overwhelmed and full of questions after everything that had happened today, from my growth spurt, to me hanging out with the jocks, to my old friends barely knowing who I am, but I didn’t seem to have the brain power at the moment to seek the answers to them.

As we walked, I kept chatting with Aaron as if it was natural, as if we always knew each other.  Something felt off, but I couldn’t figure it out.  Was it because we were going to practice?  I’ve never played baseball in my life.  Nah, that can’t be right.  I feel like I’ve swung a bat before…  We went into the locker room to change.  I looked in the mirror and paused for a second.

My reflection wasn’t there.  Someone else’s was.  Someone much stronger and much taller than me.  That wasn’t me.  It was Aaron Moore.

No, except it wasn’t an exact match.  There was enough different about the guy in front of me to know that it wasn’t Aaron.  This figure was a little stronger than him, and still stood probably a little over 6 feet tall.  I walked closer.  “Aaron” walked closer.  I moved my hand to feel my face.  So did “Aaron”.  A dull, confused look appeared on his face.  Had I really become him?  But Aaron was over on the other end of the room changing.  Then who am I?  Was I like this since I put the hat on earlier?  I reached into my wallet and pulled out my ID.

Aiden Moore...That’s not my last name.  That’s…Aaron’s?  Normally I wouldn’t have minded taking his last name, but we definitely WEREN’T married.  As far as I knew, Aaron was as straight as an arrow.

Date of Birth: 08/17/2003…If I recall, that’s Aaron’s birthday.  I knew my birthday, and it was in January.  Don’t tell me…Are we…?

I compared the face in the ID to the one in the mirror.  It wasn’t an illusion, and it wasn’t a dream.  It was like I was his twin!  Aaron was an only child though and I only had sisters.  At this point, I was so confused and overwhelmed.  Panic was the only emotion I could feel as I felt like I was going through an identity crisis.  I realized that this all started when I wore his hat.  I reached to grab it off of my head…until I felt a hand touch my shoulder.  My bro…I mean Aaron.

“Admiring yourself in the mirror, bro?  Yeah, you’re a pretty handsome dude just like me.  I think it runs in the blood, you know.  You like that, right?”  He placed his other hand on my head, pushing the hat tighter on my head.  I nodded.  I proceeded to flex, as I became self-absorbed with my own reflection.  I always thought rather highly of myself, especially about my body.  At this point, I couldn’t comprehend the paradox of me somehow being his own non-existent twin brother.

“You know, not every guy is lucky enough to have a cool brother like I do, let alone a twin.  The two of us can play ball together, work out together, and even get all the chicks we want together.  This is all you ever wanted, right?”  He wasn’t necessarily wrong, but I wanted to be “with” Aaron, not be him.  Whoever granted me this wish got it all wrong.  But as I listened to him, I started to realize that maybe it wasn’t my wish to begin with.

“Yeah bro.  This shit’s the life, dude.”  I noticed Aaron’s face light up as I said that.  The way I talked sounded like it came out of the mouth of some dudebro.  I noticed his irresistible smirk that was always on his face when he was in a good mood.  As I kept admiring myself in the mirror, I felt my mind slow…down...like it was on autopilot…

“That’s right…Just let it happen…  I know it’s been a while, so it’s okay if you don’t remember, but you know that one trophy we won a couple years back?  During senior year?”

“Fuck yeah, bro.  I remember.”  But I’ve never played baseball before…But…I have right?  I know I have.

“You know you were the reason we won, right?  One lucky hit in the bottom of the ninth, and you practically won us the game.  I’ve never been more proud of you bro.”  Aaron patted me on the back.  I remembered that game fondly, even though I should have no recollection of it.  That year, our baseball team was the best in the state.  And I…led our team to a championship?  As much as I tried to deny it in my head, the memories felt real.  But why was he reminding me of this now?

“You didn’t do half bad yourself, bro.”

As Aaron and I kept chatting, the memories of being his twin brother kept flowing into my brain, as memories of my former life faded away.  Turns out that I was the brother he never had.  We were a pair.  We complemented each other perfectly.  I was actually the twin brother of the most popular guy in the school.  I remember I thought he was hot…wait, what the fuck, bro?  That’s gay as shit.  And weird.  This was my own twin we were talking about.  Although I guess if I was a handsome stud, then he’d have to be too.  After all, no girl can resist either one of us.

“So the hat is working…”  Aaron whispered under his breath.

“What hat?”

“Nothing, bro!  I was just saying how good your hat looks on you.  Come on, let’s go.”  I followed him, as my transformation was now complete.

From this day on, I was Aiden Moore, Aaron Moore’s twin brother.  Except that’s who I was technically born as and that's who everyone already knew me as.  Although we had a lot in common, I definitely felt more like a stereotypical jock.  I was loud, cocky, and masculine, almost to the point of brutishness, compared to my brother who was a lot more laid-back and charismatic.  Not that it was a bad thing, although most nerds and weaker men would disagree.  But what me and Aaron did have in common was playing sports, working out, fucking chicks, and being the most popular guys in the school.  I know I wanted to be closer to Aaron, but I never expected this.  But at the same time, it felt good, almost pleasurable at times.  I realized that in my new state, I could hardly last a day without an orgasm, whether it was in my grip or in some bitch’s pussy.

Two days later, I had biology again.  I remembered I kinda struggled with this class.  I sat behind my bro as usual.  I was grateful for him since he always helped me with the homework.  I noticed him talking to the professor in private when we got to class.  When I asked him, he wouldn’t say.  It wasn’t like him to keep secrets from me.  We practically knew everything about each other after all.  After class, I was called to stay after by Mr. Martin.

“Aiden Moore…Your brother told me to check up on you.  Is everything alright?  Did you need any guidance on the homework, too?”

“Never felt better, bro.  I think I was just up too late partying the other day.  And nah, I eventually figured it out, dude.”  I conveniently hid the fact that I copied the answers off of some nerd.

“Good, good.”  Mr. Martin smiled.  “I won’t leave you too long.  I know you two have your hands full with practice today.  Hmmm…Still wearing that hat, I see.  It suits you well, Aiden.”  I saw him write something down in a notebook as I left.  Mr. Martin was always cool.  I felt like he understood me and my brother better than most teachers here.  I couldn’t help but feel grateful for him, but for what?  I quickly discarded that thought because it wasn’t important to me.

What was important to me was hitting the gym with my bros.  I ditched class again, I don’t even remember what the class was anyways.  Probably nothing important.  As long as I pass and get to stay on the team, I couldn’t care less about how badly I do in school.  I’m basically only here because I got some fancy scholarship.

At the gym, I always pushed myself to lift the heaviest weights.  All of my bros were impressed with how much I could lift.  Must run in the blood.  After school, I went to practice with Aaron.  We shared a room at the dorms, and on the weekends, we always went to the biggest parties our school had to offer.  We always bragged to each other about what girls we slept with that night, almost like it was a competition.  Man, this was the life.  I never felt like I understood Aaron on a personal level until recently, but man, we were the luckiest pair of brothers in the school.

[nathaslosthershit]

Long Distance (LN4)

Summary: Long distance relationships are hard, especially when they both have very time consuming careers

Warnings; Angst (a whole lot), no happy ending in this part (will happen in pt 2)

Request: hi!! requesting a lando norris x female uni!reader if possible reader being a medical student or a one of the engineers on the paddock 🧍���‍♀️

Lando wasn’t known for being the smartest on the grid. He, like many other drivers, had only a few years of school to his name. But that still hadn’t stopped him from being able to somehow ‘woo’ a woman quite the opposite. 

His girlfriend was currently in her last year of medical school. While he was unbelievably proud of how far she had come, the difficulties of long distance have gotten to both of them, and there wasn’t much hope once she graduated and was off to a medical training program. With her studying for finals and Lando being off to a new country every two weeks for Grand Prixs, their relationship has been rocky to say the least.

Constant lack of communication and missing each other's calls had led them to have tons of unspoken dialogue. Each unanswered call created the smallest bit of resentment that just continued to grow and grow. 

No more sweet ‘goodmorning’ or ‘goodnight’ texts, no more wishing her well before a big test, no more sending ‘good luck baby!’ before qualifying. Just a few ‘how are you doing?’ and other bland messages you’d send to a coworker, not your significant other. 

After weeks of little communication, they had finally scheduled a ‘zoom date’. Not particularly the most romantic date they had been on, but it's the best they could do with their schedules. Lando called in late at night for him while his girlfriend had a lunch break in between labs. Time zones be damned.

Lando was 25 minutes late leaving only 35 minutes to actually talk to one another.

Her wifi was spotty so it kept freezing.

Finally, with only 5 minutes left, Lando decided to make a joke that there is no reason for her to continue going to labs, as he would be happy to be her ‘sugar daddy’. This was not very well received by his girlfriend, who responded with a quick “fuck you” and hung up early.

Lando was joking, a bit. He loved his girlfriend and saw a future with her, he just couldn’t stand long distance and any job in the medical field was bound to take up most of your time. He wanted her, but he also wanted someone who could be by his side on race day. That just wasn’t something that was possibly currently. 

He supported her. He loved to brag about how smart she was and how she was so dedicated to helping people. But that came with setbacks.

After a quick message from Lando (‘I was kidding darling. You know how proud I am of you. Lighten up a little, yeah?’), which she ignored, she was off to her labs in a worse mood than before. Things couldn’t go on like this. 

He hadn’t heard from her in three days. His “how are you, love?” and “Miss you lots. Hope your class is going better than my neck training :(“ went unanswered. She knew she was being petty, but maybe a relationship was just too hard for her life currently. 

After three long and stressful days of silence, she called him. With no message asking what she needed to speak about, Lando feared he already knew.

“We can’t keep doing this” She said after they quickly exchanged a ‘hi, how are you?’ ‘I'm good, how are you?’. 

“Baby, I told you it was just a-”

“I know that Lando! It's just that this isn’t the first time you have mentioned me quitting my career to be your housewife or whatever unrealistic idea you have stuck in your head.”

“I don’t need you to be a housewife! I don’t want that for you. I just try to let you know that you don’t need to worry about your future as much because I will always be there to help you.”

“But I want a career! I want to work hard so I can have a good future. You need to get it into your head that your career isn’t the only important one.”

“I don’t think that! Me wanting to let you know that I support you no matter what isn't diminishing your career plans! It would be nice if you started to show a little more support. I am so sick and tired of all our conversations revolving around you and how your day was. If classes are rough, or you are stressed, you don’t respond to me. I never know where I land with you. But god forbid I try to mention how hard my day was. I am just as sick of it.”

She didn’t know how to respond. It seems that all the times she has been more focused on how she was feeling she completely forgot to check on how he was doing. Before she can even muster out an apology, Lando jumps back in.

“Maybe you are right. I don’t think I can do this either. Not anymore.” He feels his stomach dropping as he says the words, not fully meaning them.

There is a long silence, moments where she wants to apologize, to try and reconcile. In that moment all of the good memories of their relationship come flashing back to her, as if her mind is begging her to do something. But she doesn’t. 

“Then I guess this is it.” She finally says. 

“I guess so.”

Part 2 out now!

[spikesbunny]

♥︎ LESSONS IN... ANATOMY? ♥︎

+ warnings: sub!afab reader, masturbation, panty stealing, nipple play, unprotected sex, spitting, biting, licking, breeding kink, overstim, having sex w glasses on, somewhat feral zhongli?

+ ft: pervy college au zhongli 

nsfw under the cut,, mdni !! 

i didn’t proof read, srry for any errors (also may i mention this is like, ancient?? like throw back post LMAO)

reposting from @/roronoaism, all content is mine!!

zhongli knew he was fucked as soon as he got assigned you for the project. you. fucking you. you were the smartest (or at least, one of the smartest, since albedo held that title with a chokehold) students, and you was gracefully (or should he say devilishly) assigned his partner. 

that wasn’t the worst part. the worst part was the point of the assignment was to compare your anatomies (of course, excluding your “swimsuit parts”, as your teacher had called it). that plus the fact he had a nasty, large crush on you, proving to him that this assignment would be difficult.

zhongli had liked you for a while. actually, he first developed feelings in high school, when he saw you enter his home room. god, it drove him crazy (and still does), how you wear such short ass skirts that he could see the plush of your thighs pressed together. he’d rather it be him pressed in between them, devouring the sweet sweet pussy you hid behind your pretty lace panties, the ones he wanted to rip off so SO bad. 

he was so down bad, he’d even stolen pairs of your lace panties, and rubbed them against his aching dick, wishing it was use making his pretty pink head leak and cum instead of an article of yours. not that it wasn’t good, he just wanted you.

he had your number. he always had it, and always considered texting you, or god, sending you a picture of his monster cock leaking pre-cum and asking you to come and suck out his soul :( zhongli never sent those messages, and never even texted you - that is, until today. 

after all, you two did have to work on that project,,, even if it ment he would be rock hard and begging, practically begging, to bend you over his desk and stuff your pretty cunny with his dick.

trying to take his mind off of the nasty lewd thoughts swirling in his head, zhongli shot you a text asking if you wanted to come over and get a head start on the project. you responded instantly with a Sure, be right there!

lord it turned him on so much how you typed with correct grammar. and it brought another lewd daydream crashing down on the 6′2 male. fuck was the only thought going on in his head as he heard the knock on his dorm room. “c,come in” zhongli muttered out. fuck, he was already forgetting how to speak.

you opened the door, and smiled and your knew partner. “hello, zhongli!! it’s been a while since we’ve talked, huh?”

“y-yeah” was all he could say. god, his cock was straining against the fabric of his sweatpants. he pushed his glasses up, hoping you couldn’t see his massive boner.

“may i sit down on your bed? i was hoping to get to know you a little better since, you know, it’s been so long.”

you. YOU wanted to sit on his BED?? his mind was going a thousand miles per hour. he scooted over a little, making room for you. “sure, y-you can sit here”.

you took your seat next to zhongli, and it was instant over for him. he couldn’t stop staring at your thighs, the way they were pressed together and a little bit ready from the pressure, and oh, you skirt hitched up a little too high, exposing the top juicy part of thsoe precious thighs, the ones he wanted to bite and through over his shoulders.

“zhongli, i know you called me over here for the project, but i can tell u want something else” you looked over at zhongli, turning his brain to mush.

“and what do you mean by that?” he spat. zhongli hated how you could read him, yet it turned him on so much. 

“li, i can see you staring at my thighs. it’s okay, you know, if you like me.” you placed your hand over zhongli’s, causing him to lose full control of himself. 

“fine, since you apparently can see through me like glass. yes, i’ve liked you forever, and god i think you’re the sexist person to walk this earth. please, let me take you, im begging you”. zhongli grabbed your hand, and started kissing it and slightly up your arm, begging for an answer. 

“aww, you’re so cute like this, all flustered and shy!! i won’t lie, i’ve had my eye on you too, and i guess you can take m-” 

before you could finish your sentence, zhongli crawled ontop of you, smashing his lips into yours. he bit and nibbled at your lip, before slipping his tounge in and letting his hands roam your body. fuck, he’s good was all you could think right now. the makeout session was going so fast, and you felt his hard-on brushing your leg.

hongli was getting needier by the minute, his crotch grinding against your clothed cunt. he lifted off your shirt and unclipped your bra, just so he could start pinching and squeezing your nipples between his slender fingers. “f,fuck you’re so goddamn perfect” he moaned into your ear, causing a whimper to fall from your lips.

“l,li, please, just do it already”. you whined. oh, if only he could see how wet you were, you pussy was just drooling at this small touch. 

“i don’t know what that means, you might have to speak up, love~”. zhongli cupped your face in his hands, before moving off your lap and teasingly tracing his fingers on your thighs.

“i, i need you to fuck me, please!! fuck em stupid, please please!”. god, you were already whiny and desperate, and you hadn’t even seen his dick. 

“fine, just dont expect me to take pity if it’s too tight”. zhongli pulled down his sweatpants and boxers, and oh lord, was it the biggest cock you’ve seen. 

“uhhh, it’s big” you whispered, seeing him smirk down at you. 

“whats wrong love, you dont wanna do this?” he kissed your cheek and down your jawline, before tenderly biting your neck and shoulder. 

“l,li please, just put it in already!”. you whimpered, pulling his face closer to your neck. 

zhongli looked at you, moved between your thighs, and bite. hard. you squealed in slight pain, but it soon faded to pleasure, as he bit and licked all the way up your thighs and to your pussy. he peeled off the sopping wet panties, and put hid them. “those are mine now, princess” he hissed, before sitting up. 

he grabbed your thighs and spread them apart, moving his face closer to your ear. “be a good girl and keep them wide open for me, would ya?” he hissed, before returning to biting and licking your neck.

the next moment was a blur, as he thrusted his giant cock straight into your cunt. “f,fuck!!” you moaned, but the only response from zhongli was a grunt.

he was plowing into your insides at this point, and without any warning. his glasses were cold against your skin, and the love bites he left were covering your neck. the whole campus would know about this just from looking at you.

you moaned and whimpered even more, begging zhongli for mercy as he hit your cervix with no regards. “love, please, im giving you what you asked for.” he moved his face closer to yours, pressing his forehead to you. 

the lewd noises of him pounding your poor cunny filled the room, and it made him even more feral. “li, y,your going to fast!” 

a knot grew in your tummy, and zhongli’s thrust were becoming relentless and sloppy, showing he too was reaching his climax. "li!! i, im gonna cum!! ugh li please!” you moaned. 

“mm, f,fuck” zhongli grunted, before spilling his cum inside of you. you came shortly after, panting and shaking. 

he pulled out, watching his milky sperm spill out of your pussy lips. without any warning, he spit on it, then used his fingers to shove the flowing liquid back inside. 

“h,huh?? li, what are you-ah!”

zhongli pushed himself back inside of you, thrusting even faster than before. the room filled with your whines, mewls and protest.

“li, please, s’ too much!!” you were whimpering and drooling, his dick pounding and twitching inside your abused cunt. 

“s,shut up please, i, i need to breed you, need to feel you wrapped around my dick, fuck, please, just let me empty myself inside you”. zhongli grunted into your chest, taking on of your nipples and flicking it around with his tongue.

“a,ah!! li, please,, gah, you feel so good,!!” he looked up at you, his eyes hazy and his glasses lopsided. fuck, he was hot. 

“fuck, im gonna c,cum!” he pounded harder into you, completely stealing any chance of you speaking. all you let out was a small whimper to let him know you were close.

zhongli thrusted into you roughly one more time, before spilling his milky strands into your walls once again. 

the two of you panted, looking at each other.

“m,maybe we do work” you softly said.

he shook his head. “no, i, i need more of you”

you two definatly weren’t going to get anything done tonight.....

©2022 spikesbunny - please do not repost or translate my works on other media sites ♡

[dumb-teambucciarati-headcanons]

Education headcanons:

Although some of these are canon

Giorno: is still in highschool, but stopped showing up for class when he joined passione. He still makes a point to always be learning, but only focuses on subjects he is interested in. He knows lots of information about the biological world, but has no idea what certain historical figures have done, unless they were particularly interesting to him. Also he sucks at spelling words correctly. In elementary school he wrote a research report on different types of bugs and accidentally released a bunch of bugs into the school and that apparently bothered some of the teachers and other students.

Bruno: he has like half of a middle school education, and his grades were never super high because he would spend time helping his dad with work instead of completing his homework. Up until his parents divorce, then his dad wanted him to focus more on school. But that stopped after his dads incident, and he started providing for him and his dad and protecting him. He asked Fugo to teach him some math, and Fugo reluctantly agreed. But Fugo will go out of his way to try to avoid having to tutor the man because Bruno has a rough time understanding simple concepts and it makes Fugo want to resort to violence. But Fugo respects Bruno and doesn’t want to snap at him because he knows he isn’t trying to piss him off, Bruno’s just dumb as fuck sometimes.

Abbacchio: has a highschool education and went to the police academy. He also has a few basic college courses under his belt. He had a “have to learn in order to get the job I want” mentality towards school, opposed to being super interested in it. He failed PE in middle school and was bullied for it so badly that he started working out everyday so that would never happen again. Also I kinda think he has a photographic memory, which his stand reflects well. He went to a Catholic highschool and his parents were upset that he hadn’t met a nice catholic girl by the time he graduated highschool.

Mista: has a highschool education and wasn’t really interested in getting any degrees, kinda just wanted to fuck around in his young adult years. Math made him cry, and not because he didn’t understand it, he was actually good at math. But the number 4 would haunt his papers. Asked a lot of questions during class. were they ever relevant? No. Did he ask them? Yes. “Hey teach, so gravity. Like what if instead of the earth having a gravitational pull some rando named, uh, Seth did. But ONLY Seth, and everyone was constantly being pulled towards Seth and if you jumped you’d land back on Seth. How would we survive as a species if that were the case?”

Narancia: elementary school dropout. Gets distracted super easily. Would rather do anything but school, however he is very sensitive about having not even finished elementary school. He will pep talk himself into wanting to learn math and things, and then he will start again and will remember why he hates school. But it’s worse when he actually goes to school and sees eight year olds that understand things better than him. opposed to Fugo tutoring him and only having to feel stupid in front of the smartest person he has ever met, like everyone else feels stupid around Fugo too so.

Fugo: you know, the gifted child that went to university super early. Smartest one in the group. He was the kid that would use his pencils entirely until they were sharpened into tiny little things you could barely hold. Also he bites his pens and pencils. He thinks the pencils are more flavorful. Oh and erasers, those tasted good too. The other kids never wanted to play with him because of his short temper, but that didn’t matter because his parents told him that only stupid kids use recess time to play. Classrooms were super overstimulating for him, with that stupid LED lighting that made him feel like he needed to blink his eyes a hundred times. And then doing that would make him feel dizzy and irritable. Like the lights were the worst amount of bright and the worst shade of the color white, and if one of the bulbs flickered he would feel like throwing up. His parents thought he had been drinking once after being in a classroom for too long, but no it was the lights.

Trish: she isn’t stupid, but she was definitely the type to get others to do her homework for her. Is in the middle of highschool. she would spend all of study hour planning elaborate schemes to skip class with her and her friends. Wanted to go to college but wasn’t sure how she was going to pay for it, her new plan involves passione money. That or she is going to become famous, if Bruno and co. would actually let her live instead of saying things like “it’s too dangerous with other mafia members knowing your name”.

[drarry-soulmates]

If Draco Malfoy had been sorted into Gryffindor (my thoughts):

I can’t even think about that without blushing TBH XD Where Drarry is concerned, JKR really saved herself with her decision to put him in Slytherin. (Not that it helped much.)

He would’ve been deeply loyal to whichever House the Hat picked for him, even if it was different than his family’s. Especially once he sees that Harry’s in the House too (becos we all know boy was instantly down bad for Potter).

Even though Draco insulted Hagrid and Ron initially, Draco would’ve eventually become Harry’s #1 bff (aside from my admittedly incredibly biased opinion that Draco’s character is far more complex & interesting than Ron’s, I also firmly believe his storyline would’ve been more closely followed in this alt-universe, considering his family is working with Voldemort).

If he were in Gryffindor, he would’ve quickly weaseled his way into Harry’s life and heart (because mutual obsession would be there). Don’t tell me 11 is too young to fall for someone—I had a full-blown obsession with a kid in my school at that age.

He would’ve made peace with Ron & Hermione in order to get into Harry’s good graces. His prejudices would’ve died fairly quickly having to be friends with Hermione.

He would’ve been another Sirius (who was sole Gryffindor of Slytherin family, BFFs with the leader of the Marauders). He and Harry would’ve been besties and played together on the Quidditch team. Their friendship would be kinda like a more angsty Scorpius and Albus, their sons (who are canonically gay in the revised final version of play!), because of Draco’s willingness to be his friend, even before knowing who he was.

Even when he first met Harry, a skinny, seemingly poor, shabby and small boy (reminiscent of a more down-trodden raven-haired, green-eyed Weasley), Draco was nice to him, talking bad only of Hagrid. Like, what??! LOL. His last words to Harry in their first-ever meeting was “Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose!” Awee >//<

On Twitter, JKR said jokingly (but we all know it’s not a joke, as I will address further down) that the rejected handshake played over and over again in Draco’s mind consistently in bk 1. The reason this was likely the truth was because in HPCC, Draco admitted to Harry, “I envied you those friendships more than anything else.” More than his fame, all the attention, all the favoritism… Draco confirmed what shippers all knew: he was legitimately just pining for Harry the whole series. 💀😭 AKA, he just wanted to be friends with Harry! Therefore, Draco was only making fun of Harry because that was the only way he could continue to be in Harry’s life. (my hEART</3 ;______;)

Considering how obsessed with each other the two were even as rivals… Can you imagine as friends? They would’ve been CANONICALLY GAY XD Like a Dumbledore x Grindelwald except where Grindelwald was a good guy lol. Draco would’ve been a great asset in their fight against Voldemort, helping Harry with finding the Horcruxes. Imagine Hermione and Draco, the top 2 smartest Hogwarts students, working together!

Draco would’ve saved Harry’s life continuously because it’s canon that Draco is brave for the people he loves. In HPCC, he admitted he felt he didn’t have anyone, not even his parents. He scoffed when Ginny brought up Crabbe and Goyle. Pansy wasn’t even mentioned. He had no one worth fighting for after he thought Harry was dead. Of course Draco would seem cowardly (aside from that time he lied about not recognizing Harry….. >___>“ Because it always comes back to Harry.)

Draco admitted in HPCC that the only reason he went dark was because he didn’t have any real friends or anyone he felt he could count on. He would’ve been good throughout had he been put into Gryffindor bc even in Slytherin he still had such a moral struggle. He was just so good (in actions, not his words). There’s simply no doubt in my mind that had he been surrounded by the love and light of Harry Potter from the start, he would have never even considered straying.

Okay, maybe just a little, because his wand was Hawthorne, which meant he’d be conflicted, but because of the unicorn core, it meant he was canonically a GOOD person. Any conflicting thoughts would’ve been much briefer and more quickly squashed out IMO, with his epic love Harry by his side. >.<”

Drarry and Jily have sooOOOoo many parallels:

Via @the-crooked-library (the link isn't working so I just copied/pasted the post):

JAMES:

Annoying Pureblood Rich Kid

barges into Lily’s compartment on Hogwarts Express with his annoying rich kid buddy

offers friendship

simultaneously insults her poor kid best friend and is therefore rejected

proceeds to make himself a nuisance for the next 5 years

Obsessed as heck w Lily but only calls her by her last name

every time she’s around feels the need to show off

makes the fool of himself every time she’s around instead

good at Quidditch though

hangs about with his gang of Cool Kids

picks on her friend partially out of jealousy, partiallly due to the whole Gryffindor vs Slytherin shit

begins realizing the errors of his ways around year 6

somehow betters himself as a person, loses the ego

becomes a truly sympathetic character at about year 7

Which I believe we can all agree sounds extremely familiar, so to sum this up…

look joanne you can’t just draw all these parallels, put jily on a pedestal as the ultimate Soulmate Bond, and then somehow expect me nOT TO SHIP DRARRY

----

Oh, and JKR calls Jily the ultimate ‘soulmates’ while falsely claiming that Harry and Draco could never be friends……. A few years after that comment, she approved and helped write the canon HPCC, where Harry and Draco…. y'know, become actual legit friends LOL….. and also heavily implied to later become related thru marriage by their sons XD so… Draco will certainly have something to look forward to at family events with the Potters.

Reminder: Despite being hated by the author, Draco lived and fought as one of the main players in the Great War and didn’t kill a single person (good or bad) throughout the entire series.

He was never violent except to Harry on the train ride, where he was likely trying to get Harry to go back home, even covering him up with the Invisibility Cloak, since that was the year he was planning on letting in the Death Eaters.

And of course in the bathroom, where Harry was literally stalking him all year… But immediately after that, when Draco had to be hospitalized AND never received any apology from Harry, he still refused to ID Harry at Malfoy Manor.... so he gets a pass.

Draco Malfoy is the epitome of: looks like he can kill you, is actually a cinnamon roll.

[mcrdvcks]

Sweet Dreams - Chapter 2

Chapter Summary: Alexandria starts to attend classes while also struggling with insomnia.

Word Count: 15.2k+

Pairing: Logan (X-Men) x Original Female Character (platonic relationship)

Notes: i meant to update yesterday, but imma be real, college is no joke, especially when you're like me and have chronic insomnia and get 4 hours of sleep on a good day.

anyways, quick note. when dialogue is italicized it means alexandria, or other characters, are talking in a different language, usually russian. some words i kept in russian only because alexandria uses them often (they're pretty much just curse words).

i had no idea this chapter was 15k, oops

Series Masterlist - Chapter 1 → Chapter 3

AO3 Link For Chapter

Alexandria looked down at the paper schedule in her hand. There were 4 classes for the day, each to be repeated every day.

She thought HYDRA was bad? This was almost the same thing. Or maybe she was just exaggerating.

After a week of getting used to the environment, Professor Xavier thought it best for her to start classes. Kitty was taking her to her first period, which was chemistry taught by Hank.

“Mr. McCoy isn’t a bad teacher.” Kitty said, as they walked, “if you end up taking any sort of biology or mutant physiology, then you’ll get Dr. MacTaggert. She’s a bit harsher.”

Kitty continued to talk as they walked down the hallway, her tone light and conversational. Alexandria appreciated that Kitty didn’t try too hard to make her feel at ease, but instead just talked about things that might be useful. It was a different approach than what Alexandria was used to, and it made her feel slightly less on edge.

“Mr. McCoy—well, Hank, really—he’s great with chemistry. He’s one of the smartest people I know,” Kitty said with a small smile. “And he’s really patient, which helps if you’re, you know, new to all this.”

Alexandria nodded, though she wasn’t sure how much that would matter. She had a lot of catching up to do, considering she didn’t even know how a computer worked until last week. The thought of trying to keep up with the other students in a subject as complex as chemistry made her stomach twist, but she kept her face neutral.

As they neared the classroom, Kitty paused, turning to face Alexandria. “Listen, I know it’s a lot to take in. I was pretty overwhelmed when I first got here too. But if you need anything—help with classes, or just someone to talk to—I’m around.”

Before Alexandria could respond, Scott walked in between the two of them, placing an arm around each of their shoulders. Alexandria furrowed her brows at the action.

“Don’t worry Kitty. I’ll help her, I have chemistry too.” Scott raised a hand in front of Alexandria as she stared at it.

Was this an American gesture? She doesn’t think she’s seen this in HYDRA before.

Alexandria stared at Scott's raised hand; her expression blank as she tried to decipher what he wanted from her. It took her a moment to realize it was a gesture meant to be friendly, maybe even encouraging. Slowly, she lifted her own hand and awkwardly slapped it against his, feeling utterly out of her depth.

Scott chuckled. “High five! We’ll work on that.”

She didn’t respond, unsure of what to make of the entire interaction. It felt forced, unnatural. She’d spent the last week trying to figure out how to exist in this strange new environment, but every day felt like she was trying to wear someone else’s skin. Nothing fit right.

Kitty noticed Alexandria's discomfort and shot Scott a look that was a mix of exasperation and amusement. “Come on, Scott, don’t scare her off before her first class.”

Scott grinned, stepping back and giving Alexandria some space. “Relax, Kitty, I’m just being welcoming.”

“Yeah, well, maybe ease up on the enthusiasm a little,” Kitty suggested, rolling her eyes before turning back to Alexandria. “Like I said, if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Sure,” Alexandria replied, her voice clipped, but not intentionally. It was just how she spoke—short, to the point, without the usual pleasantries most people added in. She wasn’t used to them, didn’t see the point.

Kitty seemed to understand that and didn’t push for more. “Alright, see you later then.”

As Kitty walked off, Scott led Alexandria into the classroom. The room was filled with lab tables, each equipped with the standard chemistry setup—Bunsen burners, glassware, and various other tools that Alexandria was only vaguely familiar with.

The other students were already seated, some chatting in low voices, others reviewing their notes. Alexandria felt their eyes on her as she followed Scott to a table near the back. She hated the scrutiny, but she was getting used to it. It seemed like everyone here was curious about the new girl.

“Here we are,” Scott said, pulling out a stool for her. “Hank’s a cool guy. You’ll be fine.”

She nodded stiffly, taking the seat and glancing around the room. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself. She didn’t have any notes, didn’t even have a pencil. The realization made her stomach twist again, but she forced herself to keep her expression neutral. No one needed to know how out of place she felt.

Scott noticed her empty hands and frowned. “You didn’t bring anything?”

She shook her head. “I wasn’t given any supplies.”

Scott frowned, glancing at his own neatly organized notes and pens. “Don’t worry, I’ve got extras. Here.” He handed her a pen and a blank notebook.

She took them, feeling a mix of relief and frustration. She hated relying on others for anything, but she didn’t have much of a choice right now. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Scott said, leaning back in his seat just as the classroom door swung open.

Hank McCoy, or Mr. McCoy as everyone here seemed to call him, strode in with a calm and confident air. “Good morning, everyone,” Hank began, his voice reassuring. “I hope you all had a restful night and are ready to dive into the wonders of chemistry.”

The class responded with a mix of murmurs and nods. Hank’s gaze swept over the room, landing on Alexandria for a brief moment before he gave her a small, welcoming nod. She returned it with a curt one of her own, not sure how else to respond.

“We have a new student joining us today,” Hank continued, gesturing towards Alexandria. “This is Alexandria Sokolova. Let’s make her feel welcome.”

There were a few more murmurs, but nothing too intrusive. Most of the students just gave her a brief glance before turning back to their own work. That was fine with her. She didn’t need or want their attention.

Hank moved on quickly, diving into the day’s lesson. He explained the concept of chemical bonding with a level of detail and enthusiasm that would’ve been impressive if Alexandria had any clue what he was talking about.

As it was, she found herself lost within the first five minutes, the terms and equations swirling in her head like a foreign language. She tried to keep up, scribbling down notes as best she could, but it felt hopeless. She’d never had formal schooling like this. Everything she knew was learned in HYDRA’s training facilities, and none of it involved covalent bonds or molecular structures.

Scott noticed her struggle and leaned over, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the class. “Don’t stress about it. Hank’s really good about explaining things if you need help.”

She gritted her teeth, hating that she needed help in the first place. “I’ll figure it out.”

“Hey, no pressure. Just letting you know you’ve got options,” Scott said, his tone light and nonchalant.

The rest of the class went by in a blur. Alexandria spent most of it trying to make sense of what Hank was saying, but it was like trying to catch water with a sieve. By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, she was exhausted. Mentally, at least.

As the students began packing up, Hank approached her table. “Alexandria, how did you find the lesson?”

She hesitated, not wanting to admit how much she hadn’t understood. But lying didn’t seem like a good option either. “It was... a lot to take in.”

Hank nodded, his expression kind. “That’s perfectly understandable. You’re adjusting to a lot of new things. If you ever need extra help, don’t hesitate to ask. I’m here to make sure you succeed.”

She nodded, though she didn’t quite believe him. Success wasn’t something she was used to, and she doubted it would come easy here.

“Thank you,” she said, the words feeling foreign on her tongue.

“You’re welcome,” Hank replied with a warm smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded again, then quickly gathered her things and followed Scott out of the classroom. They walked in silence for a bit, and she was grateful that Scott didn’t try to fill it with more idle chatter. She needed a moment to collect herself.

Finally, Scott spoke up. “Next up is math. It’s with Ms. Frost.”

Hank she had met when she’d first got here, but this Frost woman she hadn’t heard of yet.

"Who’s Ms. Frost?" Alexandria asked as she and Scott walked down the hallway toward the next classroom. Her tone was flat, but there was a hint of curiosity behind it. After the chaos of the last class, she wanted to know what she was walking into this time.

Scott glanced at her sideways. "Emma Frost. She’s… well, she’s different. She teaches math, but she’s also a telepath, one of the most powerful ones here. She doesn’t exactly have a soft touch."

"Great," Alexandria muttered under her breath. A telepath. Just what she needed.

Scott caught the tone in her voice and tried to reassure her. "Don’t worry. She’s tough, but she’s fair. If you put in the effort, she’ll respect that."

Alexandria wasn’t sure if she cared about earning anyone’s respect, especially not from a teacher who could read her mind. The idea of someone poking around in her head made her uneasy, but she wasn’t about to show that to Scott.

When they reached the classroom, Scott pushed open the door, revealing a sleek, modern room with large windows letting in plenty of light. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and at the front was a large whiteboard filled with complex equations.

The students were already seated, and Alexandria noticed immediately how different the atmosphere was from the last class. There was a tension here, an unspoken understanding that you didn’t mess around in Ms. Frost’s class.

Emma Frost stood at the front, her presence commanding without needing to say a word. She was tall, blonde, and dressed impeccably in a white suit that looked like it cost more than Alexandria’s entire wardrobe. Her expression was cool, almost indifferent, but her eyes were sharp, taking in everything with a single glance.

Scott led Alexandria to a seat near the middle of the room. As she sat down, she couldn’t help but feel like she was under a microscope. Emma’s gaze flicked toward her, and for a moment, Alexandria wondered if the woman was already inside her head.

“Class,” Emma’s voice was smooth, cutting through the quiet murmur of the students, “we have a new student joining us today. Alexandria Sokolova.” She said the name as if she were tasting it, evaluating it. “I expect you all to help her catch up, though I’m sure she won’t need much assistance.”

The way she said it, it was hard to tell if it was a compliment or a challenge. Alexandria kept her face impassive, refusing to give anything away.

“Open your textbooks to page 157,” Emma continued without missing a beat. “Today we’ll be covering logarithmic functions. For those of you who found last week’s lesson difficult, I suggest you pay close attention.”

As Emma began the lesson, Alexandria tried to follow along, but the pace was relentless. It was clear that Emma Frost didn’t waste time with handholding. She expected everyone to keep up, and if you couldn’t, that was your problem. The students around her were focused, scribbling down notes with a speed that made Alexandria feel like she was moving in slow motion.

She gripped her pen tightly, trying to force herself to understand the equations on the board. Numbers and symbols blurred together, and she could feel frustration building in her chest. The last thing she wanted was to fall behind, to look weak, but the material was completely foreign to her.

Scott glanced over at her again, noticing the tension in her posture. “If you need help, just ask,” he whispered, his voice low so Emma wouldn’t hear.

“I’m fine,” Alexandria replied through gritted teeth, her pride refusing to let her admit how much she was struggling.

Emma paused in her lecture and turned her icy blue eyes directly on Alexandria. “Miss Sokolova, since you’re new, why don’t you come up to the board and solve this equation?”

Alexandria felt her heart skip a beat. She wasn’t prepared for this, but there was no way out. Standing up, she walked to the front of the room, feeling the weight of everyone’s eyes on her. She stared at the equation Emma had written on the board, trying to make sense of it, but it was like looking at a foreign language.

After a long moment of silence, Emma spoke again, her tone calm but with an edge to it. “Take your time, Miss Sokolova. We’re all waiting.”

The pressure was suffocating, but Alexandria refused to back down. She raised the marker to the board and began to work through the problem, her mind racing to piece together the bits of information she understood. The room was so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat, and she knew that every mistake she made was being scrutinized.

Finally, she stepped back, unsure if what she had done was correct but unwilling to admit defeat.

Emma studied the board for a moment, then turned to face Alexandria. “Not quite,” she said, her voice sharp enough to cut. “You’ve missed a crucial step here. Let me show you.”

With a few swift strokes, Emma corrected the equation, explaining where Alexandria had gone wrong. The explanation was clear, precise, but there was no warmth in her tone, no encouragement.

“Understand?” Emma asked, fixing her gaze on Alexandria.

“Yes,” Alexandria replied, though she wasn’t entirely sure she did. It was more of a reflex, a refusal to show any more weakness than she already had.

“Good,” Emma said, her expression neutral. “You may sit down.”

As Alexandria walked back to her seat, she could feel the eyes of her classmates on her, judging her performance. She hated the feeling, but there was nothing she could do about it. She just had to get through this class, through the day, and keep her head above water.

The rest of the lesson passed in a blur, with Emma moving quickly through the material, barely giving anyone time to breathe. By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, Alexandria felt like she had been through a battle.

Scott waited for her as she gathered her things, his expression sympathetic. “That was tough. But hey, you didn’t completely bomb it.”

“Thanks,” she muttered, not sure if she believed him. She knew she had messed up, and she hated how it made her feel. But at the same time, is it really her fault? She’s never done any of this in her entire life. Never done math, or science, the only learning she did was learning 10 different languages.

“Next up is English,” Scott said, trying to keep the mood light. “Storm teaches it.”

Alexandria furrowed her brow at the mention of English class. "English? You need a class to learn about the language we're already speaking?"

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. "Not quite. It’s more about literature, reading, writing—stuff like that. Storm—well, Ms. Munroe—teaches it. She’s cool. A lot more relaxed than Frost, for sure.”

She nodded, though the concept still seemed odd to her. In HYDRA, language classes meant learning multiple foreign tongues for intelligence purposes, not sitting in a room discussing stories or essays. But then again, everything here was different. She’d just have to adapt.

Scott led her down the hallway, and soon they were standing in front of the English classroom. The door was propped open, and the room inside was much less intimidating than the previous one. Natural light streamed in through large windows, and the walls were lined with bookshelves filled with various novels and texts. The atmosphere was warm and inviting, a stark contrast to the cold, clinical feel of Emma Frost’s classroom.

Ororo was already at her desk, her silver-white hair cascading down her shoulders. She exuded a calm presence that immediately put Alexandria at ease, at least compared to what she’d just experienced.

“Good morning, Scott. Alexandria,” Storm greeted them with a gentle smile as they walked in. She had a way of making everyone feel seen, like they mattered, even if they were just two of many students.

“Morning, Ms. Munroe,” Scott replied with a nod, heading to a seat near the middle of the room.

Alexandria hesitated for a moment before following him. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but at least this room didn’t make her want to turn and bolt in the opposite direction. She took a seat next to Scott, placing her borrowed notebook and pen on the desk in front of her.

Ororo stood up and walked to the front of the class, her movements graceful and deliberate. “Today, we’ll continue our discussion on ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ For those who are new or need a refresher,” she glanced at Alexandria, her smile kind but not patronizing, “we’re exploring themes of morality, justice, and prejudice through the lens of this classic novel.”

The title was familiar, though only in passing. Alexandria had never had the chance to read it—HYDRA had no use for novels in their training regimens. She sat stiffly in her seat, trying not to let her unease show. The other students began pulling out their copies of the book, and she felt another pang of anxiety. She didn’t have the book, and even if she did, she doubted she’d understand what was going on.

Ororo seemed to sense her discomfort. “Alexandria, would you like to borrow a copy? I have an extra one right here.” She held up a well-worn copy of the novel.

Alexandria hesitated before nodding. “Yes, please.”

Ororo handed her the book, her expression calm and understanding. “Take your time with it. We’re here to discuss and explore, not to rush through anything.”

Alexandria nodded again, grateful for the teacher’s measured approach. As the class began discussing the novel, she opened the book to the marked chapter and tried to follow along. It wasn’t easy—there were a lot of references and concepts she didn’t fully grasp—but the discussion was lively and engaging, with students sharing their thoughts and interpretations.

Ororo encouraged everyone to speak, even if their opinions differed. It was a strange concept to Alexandria, who was used to a rigid hierarchy where differing opinions were seen as dissent. Here, though, it was almost expected. She remained silent for most of the class, taking in the way others interacted, the way they expressed themselves without fear of reprimand.

About halfway through the period, Ororo posed a question to the class. “How do you think the events in the novel reflect the moral dilemmas we face in our own lives? Are there parallels between the story and the challenges we encounter today?”

The students began discussing, some drawing connections between the novel’s themes and issues of justice or prejudice in modern society. Alexandria listened intently, trying to piece together the context and the relevance of the conversation. It was so different from anything she’d experienced before, where morality was dictated, not debated.

Ororo turned her gaze to Alexandria, not in a way that put her on the spot, but more as an invitation. “Alexandria, do you have any thoughts on this? I’d be interested to hear your perspective.”

Alexandria blinked, caught off guard. She hadn’t expected to be asked to contribute, especially when she felt so out of her depth. But there was no hostility in Ororo’s expression, only genuine curiosity.

“I… don’t really know,” Alexandria began, choosing her words carefully. “I’m still trying to understand the story. The idea of… debating morality like this… it’s new to me.”

Ororo nodded, her expression thoughtful. “That’s okay. It’s a complex topic, and it’s perfectly fine to take your time with it. We’re all here to learn from each other.”

The class continued without any further pressure on Alexandria to participate, and she was grateful for it. As they discussed the novel, she began to see the value in these kinds of conversations, even if they were unfamiliar and a bit uncomfortable for her.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, Ororo gave the students their assignment—a short essay on the moral dilemmas faced by the characters in the novel. Alexandria inwardly groaned at the thought of writing an essay. She wasn’t sure she even knew how to write one, let alone analyze something as nuanced as morality in a fictional story.

As the students began to file out of the classroom, Ororo called out to Alexandria. “Could you stay for a moment, Alexandria? I’d like to have a quick word.”

Scott gave her an encouraging nod before leaving the room, and Alexandria walked up to Ororo’s desk, trying to keep her nerves in check.

“You’re doing well, Alexandria,” Ororo said, her tone warm and reassuring. “I know this is all new to you, but you’re adjusting. I wanted to offer you some additional help if you need it. We can work together after class or during free periods to go over the material. Whatever you need to feel more comfortable.”

Alexandria was silent for a moment, her pride warring with her need for help. She didn’t want to appear weak, didn’t want to rely on anyone, but she knew she was out of her depth. Finally, she gave a small nod. “I… might need that.”

Ororo smiled, a genuine one that reached her eyes. “There’s no shame in asking for help. We all need it from time to time. Just let me know when you’re ready, and we’ll go from there.”

“Thank you,” Alexandria said, her voice quieter than she intended. It felt strange to be treated with such kindness without any ulterior motive. She wasn’t used to it, but she was beginning to see that maybe, just maybe, not everyone was out to use her.

“You’re welcome,” Ororo replied. “Now, don’t worry too much about the essay. Just try your best. We’ll work on it together if you need to.”

Alexandria nodded, feeling a bit lighter as she left the classroom. This day had been overwhelming, but at least she knew there were people here willing to help her navigate it all.

As she stepped into the hallway, she was met with the gruff voice of someone she’d rather not have run into at that moment.

“Looks like you survived Frost’s class.”

Alexandria turned to see Logan leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His usual scowl was in place, but there was a hint of something else in his expression—maybe concern, though she wasn’t sure he was capable of it.

“Barely,” she replied, her tone flat. “What are you doing here?”

“Just checking in,” he said, though it didn’t sound like something he’d normally do. “How’s it going?”

She narrowed her eyes, suspicious of his sudden interest. “Why do you care?”

Logan shrugged, his expression unreadable. “Don’t, really. But Chuck asked me to keep an eye on you. Make sure you’re not causing trouble.”

Alexandria rolled her eyes. He always seemed to be right in front of her when all she wanted was to be alone. Instead of coming up with a retort to his ‘causing trouble’ quip, she went with something else. “I have to go to my,” she took the folded piece of paper out of her jacket’s pocket, “US History class.”

“Come on then, kid.” Logan pushed himself off the wall and started to walk down the slowly emptying hallway.

Alexandria blinked in response before walking to catch up to Logan. “Kitty already showed me where the class was,” she said.

Logan grunted, glancing at her sideways. “Yeah, well, I’m sure Kitty did. Doesn’t mean I can’t walk you there.”

She looked at her schedule as they walked, noticing the letters next to the class periods where the teacher’s names were. Alexandria looked up from her schedule, her gaze meeting Logan's. "You teach history?"

Logan’s expression didn’t change much. “Yeah, I teach history. Got a problem with that?”

“No,” Alexandria replied, her tone clipped. “Just surprised.”

Logan shrugged. “Most people are. History’s not exactly a popular subject around here.”

As they walked down the hallway, Logan's steps were quick and purposeful, and Alexandria found herself having to match his pace. “You might want to pay attention. History’s not just about dates and events. It’s about understanding what led to those events.”

“Thanks for the tip,” Alexandria said, though her voice was laced with sarcasm.

Logan didn’t seem to notice or care. “Yeah, well, just don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to,” Alexandria shot back, her tone challenging. “I’ve had enough of that.”

Logan grunted, glancing at her sideways. “You know, you might actually fit in better around here than you think.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh? How’s that?”

“You’ve got that look,” Logan said. “The one that says you’ve been through some crap and come out the other side. People here have been through their own share of it.”

Alexandria didn’t reply immediately. She’d always prided herself on keeping her emotions in check, but there was something in Logan’s observation that made her pause. “And what makes you think I’m interested in fitting in?”

“Just a hunch,” Logan said with a shrug. “Sometimes it helps to have someone who gets it.”

The hallway ended, and they reached the door to the history classroom. Logan opened it and motioned for Alexandria to go in. “There you go. Don’t get too comfortable. History’s not going to be any easier than the rest of your classes.”

Alexandria stepped inside, glancing around the room. It was less intimidating than Emma Frost’s classroom but still had an air of seriousness to it. Logan followed her in and gestured to a seat near the front.

“Take a seat,” Logan said gruffly. “Class should be starting soon.”

Alexandria sat down, feeling a bit more settled now that she was in a familiar environment. Logan walked to the front of the room and began arranging his notes. The classroom started to fill up with students, their chatter a low hum in the background.

As Logan started the lesson, his gruff demeanor didn’t change. He dived right into the topic, talking about significant historical events with a no-nonsense attitude. Alexandria tried to focus, but her mind kept drifting back to the earlier classes. The pace of everything was overwhelming, and she was still trying to catch up.

“Alright, enough with the small talk,” Logan said abruptly, drawing Alexandria’s attention back to him. “Today we’re starting with the American Revolution. Anyone want to tell me why it was significant?”

A few hands went up, and Logan called on a student to answer. Alexandria found herself struggling to keep up with the discussion. She’d never had to study this kind of history before, and the different context made it even more challenging.

Logan’s eyes flickered toward Alexandria occasionally, as if assessing her. “You’ll need to do your reading,” he said at one point, his voice low enough that only she could hear. “The textbook’s on the shelf in the back. Grab it if you need it.”

“Thanks,” Alexandria said, though her voice was tinged with frustration. She stood and walked to the back of the room, grabbing a textbook and flipping it open to the right section. She tried to immerse herself in the material, but the words seemed to dance around on the page.

She didn’t even know who these people were: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams- why did they all look the same?

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the period, Alexandria felt a sense of relief. She packed her things and prepared to leave, but Logan stopped her before she could walk out.

“Hey,” he said, his tone a bit softer than usual. “Stick around for a minute.”

Alexandria paused, turning back to him. “What is it?”

Logan leaned against his desk, his expression slightly less gruff. “You’re struggling, and that’s fine. If you need any extra help or if you’ve got questions, just ask. I’m not gonna hold your hand, but I’ll make sure you get what you need.”

She wasn’t quite sure how to respond, so she stuck with a nod before leaving the classroom.

---

After 4 days of school, the weekend came along. Which was great because she was exhausted. Who knew school could be more exhausting than 20-hour torture and experimentation sessions?

A knock came on her door around 11 o’clock on Saturday as she opened it to find Natasha and Wanda outside.

“Want to come on a shopping trip?” Natasha asked, her arms crossed but a small smile on her face.

Wanda looked into Alexandria’s room, “you don’t have many clothes, and it would be good for you to get out.”

Alexandria glanced around her sparse room, taking in the few clothes she had and the bare walls. She knew Wanda was right. She was still adjusting, and her wardrobe was a testament to that. But the thought of going out, especially on a shopping trip with Natasha and Wanda, felt daunting.

But she did like their company more than some of the others she had met.

“I don’t know,” Alexandria said, her voice a mix of uncertainty and irritation. “I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

Natasha’s expression softened a bit, though she still had that usual edge about her. “We won’t be gone all day. Just a few hours. It’ll do you good to take a break.”

Alexandria hesitated, feeling torn between her need to keep up with her studies and the urge to escape her small, confining room. She knew she should take a break, but the thought of facing the outside world, even for a short while, made her uneasy.

Wanda chimed in, her tone gentle but firm. “It’s not just about clothes. It’s a chance to get to know the place better, to get out of your head for a bit.”

Alexandria sighed, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “Alright, fine. I’ll go.”

Natasha and Wanda exchanged a quick look of relief, and Natasha’s small smile widened slightly. “Great. Let’s get going then.”

As they walked out of the mansion and headed towards Natasha’s car, Alexandria couldn’t shake the feeling of apprehension. The streets outside were bustling with activity, a stark contrast to the quiet, controlled environment she was used to. She kept close to Natasha and Wanda, trying to ignore the growing sense of discomfort as they made their way to a nearby shopping district.

The shopping center was filled with people, the noise and activity almost overwhelming. Alexandria’s eyes darted around, trying to take it all in. She felt out of place, like she was on display in a world that was too vibrant and unfamiliar.

But, she felt a small amount of excitement ramping up. Last night, after Jean and Kitty helped her with homework, they showed her a website called Pinterest, and told her to look up whatever she wanted. Clothes, nail designs, outfits, hair styles. It was definitely a weird and new experience, but considering two weeks ago she didn’t know what a computer was, she supposed it wasn’t that weird.

Alexandria pulled out her phone, one Tony had shipping over a few days ago and logged into the account she made with Jean and Kitty’s help before showing a few outfit pictures to Natasha and Wanda.

“That’s a wide variety, kid.” Natasha commented.

“I… wasn’t sure what would look good on me. I’ve never been shopping.”

Wanda and Natasha exchanged a glance, the corners of Wanda's lips twitching into a small, sympathetic smile. "You don’t have to worry about that. We’ll figure it out together," Wanda said, her tone reassuring.

Natasha nodded, her voice steady and matter-of-fact. "The first time can be a bit overwhelming, but it's not as complicated as it seems. Just think of it as trying on different versions of yourself until something feels right."

Alexandria hesitated, feeling a bit awkward admitting her lack of experience. "I just… I don’t want to look stupid. I’ve never had to do this before."

Natasha’s gaze softened slightly, though her expression remained cool. "No one's judging you here. And if anyone does, they’ll have to deal with us," she added, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips.

Wanda chuckled, her laugh light and warm. "And trust me, nobody wants to mess with us."

Alexandria found herself relaxing a little at their words. She was still on edge, but at least she wasn’t alone in this. “Okay,” she said, her voice steadier. “Let’s do this.”

The three of them walked through the mall, navigating the crowded corridors with ease. Natasha led the way, her sharp eyes scanning the stores while Wanda stayed close to Alexandria, offering quiet reassurance when she noticed her discomfort. They eventually entered a large clothing store, racks of clothing and mannequins on display creating a maze-like environment.

Natasha motioned to a section of the store that was filled with casual clothes—jeans, t-shirts, hoodies. "We can start here. Try picking out a few things that catch your eye."

Alexandria looked around, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. She took a deep breath and started walking through the racks, her fingers brushing over the different fabrics. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but she tried to focus on what felt right.

Wanda watched her for a moment before stepping closer, holding up a dark green hoodie with a small design on the front. "What about this? It’s simple but has some character."

Alexandria took the hoodie from Wanda, inspecting it closely. “I like it,” she admitted, surprised at how easily the words came out. She usually kept her thoughts to herself, especially when it came to things like this.

“Good,” Wanda said, her smile widening. “Let’s grab a few more things and head to the fitting rooms.”

Natasha was already holding a couple of items she’d picked out—a pair of black jeans and a gray t-shirt. “Try these too,” she said, handing them over. “You’ll need basics like this.”

Alexandria took the clothes, her arms now full, and followed Natasha and Wanda to the fitting rooms. Once inside, she hesitated for a moment before stepping into one of the small cubicles. She tried on the first outfit, the dark green hoodie and black jeans, and looked at herself in the mirror.

The reflection staring back at her was unfamiliar, but not in a bad way. She looked… normal. Like a regular teenager, not the trained operative HYDRA had molded her into. It was strange but also oddly comforting.

“How’s it going in there?” Natasha called from outside.

Alexandria took one last look at herself before opening the door. “I think I like it,” she said, her tone uncertain.

Wanda’s eyes lit up as she saw the outfit. “It looks great on you, Alexandria. You’ve got a good eye.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. “Solid choice. Comfortable but still stylish.”

Alexandria felt a small flicker of pride at their approval. “Thanks,” she said, her voice a little more confident. “I’ll try the other stuff now.”

She went back into the fitting room and tried on the other outfits they had picked out. Each time she emerged, Wanda and Natasha offered their thoughts, always encouraging but never pushy. By the time they were done, Alexandria had a small pile of clothes she actually liked, a mix of comfortable basics and a few pieces that added a bit of personality to her wardrobe.

As they walked up to the register, Alexandria couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of accomplishment. It wasn’t just about the clothes—it was about finally taking a step towards something that felt like her own choice.

Natasha glanced at the clothes in Alexandria’s arms and raised an eyebrow. “You did good, kid.”

“Yeah,” Alexandria said, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I guess I did.”

After paying for the clothes, they left the store and continued walking through the mall. Alexandria was carrying a few bags, and though the weight of them was light, the significance felt heavy in her mind.

Natasha seemed to notice, her sharp eyes catching everything. “You okay?” she asked, her voice neutral but with an underlying note of concern.

“Yeah,” Alexandria replied, her tone thoughtful. “Just… I don’t know. This feels weird.”

Wanda tilted her head slightly, her expression gentle. “Weird how?”

“Like I’m doing something normal,” Alexandria admitted, her voice quiet. “I’m not used to it.”

Natasha nodded, her face unreadable. “That’s understandable. But you’ve got to start somewhere.”

Wanda reached out and gave Alexandria’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “You’re doing great, Alexandria. Just take it one step at a time.”

Alexandria nodded, not entirely convinced but willing to try. “I will,” she said, her voice firmer than before.

As they continued walking through the mall, something caught Alexandria’s eye- a different store with a black shirt that she found… cute.

After picking out a few things from that store, Alexandria looked over at the card Natasha was using. "Whose card is that?"

Natasha looked over at her, “Tony’s.” She said, with a small smirk.

Alexandria gave a small huff of amusement before taking the card Natasha held out to her. She read over the numbers on the back, committing them to memory, which she knows Natasha approved of based on the smile still on her face.

Before she knew it, they drove back to the school with 7 bags of clothes and shoes for Alexandria.

When Natasha, Wanda, and Alexandria pulled into the driveway of the mansion, Alexandria was struck by a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction. The shopping trip had been a whirlwind, and though she’d felt overwhelmed at times, she was glad she’d gone. It was a small victory in her new, unfamiliar life.

“Thanks for today,” Alexandria said, her tone genuine despite her usual reserve. “It really helped.”

Natasha gave her a small smile. “Glad you think so. Just remember, don’t let it all go to your head.”

Wanda nodded in agreement. “And if you ever need a break or more shopping, just let us know.”

Alexandria nodded, feeling a bit more at ease. “I will. Thanks again.”

As they headed inside with the bags, Natasha and Wanda left her to unpack and relax, promising to catch up with her later. Alexandria made her way to her room, feeling the weight of the day lift as she finally reached her sanctuary.

She started unpacking her new clothes, trying to organize them into her limited closet space. The process felt oddly satisfying, and for the first time in a while, she allowed herself to relax, letting her thoughts drift as she worked.

---

As much as she would’ve loved the weekend to last forever, it didn’t. Because it was once again Monday which meant more classes and more work.

This place definitely seemed worse than HYDRA. At least there she didn’t have to learn about useless things like chemistry, math, history, or English.

One good thing did happen during breakfast, where she begrudgingly sat with Kitty, Scott, Jean, and a few other kids. Her and Jean had happened to walk through the lunch line together when Jean had complemented her outfit.

It was the shirt she liked in the window at the mall, with a cut-out in the shoulders, tucked into jeans, and paired with black combat boots.

She liked compliments, Alexandria realized. But she wasn’t sure she was willing to give any out yet herself.

When she walked into her third period, English, Ororo was already at her desk, chatting with a few students. Alexandria took a seat towards the back, pulling out her notebook and trying to focus on the lecture. The class was discussing ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ again, and while Alexandria had made some progress in understanding the book over the weekend, she still felt out of her depth.

In fact, she never had to read much in English. She usually read in Russian. So, some of the words on paper seemed odd.

The class went by in a blur of discussions about morality and justice, and Alexandria found herself half-listening while trying to jot down notes. It wasn’t until the bell rang that she realized just how tired she was.

During the brief break between classes, she found herself in the cafeteria with Scott, Jean, and Kitty. They were gathered around a table, chatting and laughing about the latest school gossip.

“Hey, Alexandria,” Jean greeted her warmly. “How’s the new wardrobe working out?”

“Good,” Alexandria replied, feeling a bit self-conscious but also pleased by the attention. “Thanks for the compliment on the shirt.”

“You looked great,” Jean said with a smile. “It really suits you.”

“Yeah, definitely,” Scott added. “You’ve got a good sense of style.”

Alexandria shrugged, not used to receiving such positive reinforcement. “I guess. I’m still figuring things out.”

The conversation shifted to other topics, but Alexandria found herself feeling slightly more comfortable in their company. The casual banter was a nice change from the more intense atmosphere of her classes.

When the lunch period ended, she found herself heading to her next class—US History, which Logan taught. She was dreading it a bit, knowing that Logan's gruff demeanor might make the class even more challenging.

As she walked into the classroom, she saw Logan at his desk, already preparing for the lesson. His usual scowl was in place, and he didn’t look particularly thrilled to be there.

“Morning,” Alexandria said as she entered, trying to sound casual.

Logan glanced up from his desk, his eyes briefly meeting hers. “Yeah, morning. Take a seat.”

She sat down in her usual spot, trying to ignore the lingering sense of unease. The class was about to start, and Logan began discussing the American Revolution with his usual no-nonsense attitude.

Alexandria struggled to keep up with the rapid pace of the lecture. The details about the Founding Fathers and the various battles felt overwhelming. It was hard to wrap her head around the significance of it all, especially given her lack of background in this kind of history.

The rest of the class continued with Logan’s usual blunt style, which made it difficult to relax. By the end of the period, Alexandria felt mentally exhausted.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, Alexandria quickly packed up her things and headed out of the room. She wanted to avoid any more interaction with Logan if she could help it. But as she made her way to her next class, she found herself unexpectedly intercepted by Logan.

“Hey,” he said, his tone more subdued than usual. “Stick around for a minute.”

Alexandria glanced at him, her brow furrowing. “What’s up?”

Logan leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. “You seem like you’re struggling. Just wanted to see if you need any help.”

“Here we go again.” Alexandria muttered to herself, her frustration slipping out in her native Russian. She turned back to Logan, her expression a mix of annoyance and wariness.

Logan raised an eyebrow. “You got something to say?”

Alexandria shrugged, trying to hide her irritation. “I just… this isn’t what I’m used to.”

Logan nodded, his expression unreadable. “Yeah, I get it. History's not everyone’s cup of tea. But if you’re struggling, it might help to get a bit of extra help.”

She eyed him warily. “Why do you care?” She feels like she says this every time she sees him.

“Look, I’m not in the business of coddling students,” Logan said, his tone gruff. “But I’m also not in the business of letting them fail if I can do something about it.”

Alexandria shifted uncomfortably, her gaze dropping to the floor. “I just don’t get why it’s so important.”

“It’s important because knowing where you come from helps you figure out where you’re going,” Logan said. “But if you’re not getting it, then let’s see if we can fix that.”

She hesitated, torn between her pride and the reality of her situation. “What would you suggest?”

“Extra help sessions after class,” Logan said bluntly. “I can give you some resources to read up on and go over stuff with you. If you’re willing to put in the effort.”

Alexandria sighed. “Alright, fine. When’s the next session?”

“Tomorrow after school,” Logan replied. “Meet me in my office. I’ll give you some material to work through.”

“Got it,” Alexandria said, though she wasn’t thrilled about it. In fact, she didn’t want to go at all. “Thanks, I guess.”

Logan gave a curt nod. “Don’t mention it. Now, get to your next class.”

Alexandria turned and walked away, feeling a strange mix of relief and frustration. She didn’t really know if she should be grateful or annoyed, but at least she had a plan now. She hoped it would help her catch up, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of unease about the whole situation.

As she walked down the hallway, she saw Scott, Jean, and Kitty waiting near the entrance to their next class. They greeted her with friendly smiles, and she tried to shake off the lingering tension from her conversation with Logan.

“Hey, Alexandria,” Jean said. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just had a talk with Logan,” Alexandria replied, trying to sound casual. “Got some extra help lined up.”

Scott gave her an encouraging smile. “That’s good. Sometimes a little extra help can make a big difference.”

Kitty nodded in agreement. “Yeah, don’t stress too much. We’ve all had subjects that we struggled with at some point.”

Alexandria managed a small smile. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

---

Using Tony’s card, she found an online course on English. Specifically, how to read it.

She thinks that’s where her problems are coming from, she can speak it perfectly fine, but she can’t read it for shit.

Alexandria might’ve not slept at all that night, mostly due to the fact she was doing the online course, and also due to the fact she can’t sleep properly since she sees what everyone’s dreaming about.

But at some point, her luck had to hit an all-time low. There was a saying she heard in HYDRA a few times, “bez truda ne vytashchish’ i rybku iz pruda.” No pain, no gain.

A loud pounding sounded out from her door, jerking her awake. She was hunched over at her desk, the video she swore she was just watching now a quiz to test her learning.

She rubbed a hand down her face, noting the time was 9:02 am.

“Blyat'.” Alexandria cursed. Somehow the time turned from 6:47 am to 9:02 am. Meaning, she slept through her first period chemistry class taught by Hank.

She looked at the dates in her journal that she wrote down to note how long she went without sleeping.

Two weeks and 4 days. Two days away from a record.

The banging resumed as she blearily stood up from her desk to open her door.

She yanked open the door to find Logan standing there, his expression a mix of annoyance and concern. The faint smell of coffee clung to him, suggesting he’d been awake for a while, possibly dealing with his own set of issues.

“Nice of you to join the living,” Logan said, his tone sharp but not entirely unkind.

Alexandria’s face flushed with embarrassment and irritation. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” Logan said, his eyes scanning her disheveled appearance. “You missed chemistry. It’s not like you to just skip out.”

She shrugged, trying to ignore the sting of his words. “I was working on something else. I didn’t mean to—” She trailed off, her head feeling light. But she was able to brush it off as best as she could to seem normal.

Usually after not sleeping HYDRA would give her some sedatives and put her out for a few days before repeating the process.

Just because she was in a specialized cell doesn’t mean she could sleep. In fact, she suspected that sometimes they toyed with her and shut off the power in her cell so she would see everyone’s dreams.

Those sedatives they gave her were her version of candy. She would have done, and did do anything for those sedatives.

Logan’s expression didn’t soften as he surveyed the scene. “Look, Alexandria, you’ve got to get your act together. Missing classes is not an option, especially when you’re already struggling.”

“I know,” she snapped back, her tone defensive. “I lost track of time. It won’t happen again.”

Logan’s gaze didn’t waver. “It better not. If you’re falling behind, that’s on you. I’m here to help, but I can’t do everything.”

Alexandria bit her lip, trying to quell the irritation bubbling inside her. She knew he had a point, but it didn’t make his bluntness any easier to handle. “What do you want me to do about it? I’ll catch up.”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got extra help after school, remember? And I’d suggest you use it. I’m not going to baby you through this.”

She glanced at the clock on her desk, noting the time. “Right. I’ll be there. Just—” She stopped herself, unsure how to finish. Her usual responses felt inadequate, almost childish in the face of his gruff demeanor. And it didn’t help that she had to use her hand to cover up a yawn.

Logan seemed to sense her struggle, though his expression remained stern. “You’re not the only one with problems. But the world doesn’t stop spinning because you’re tired or overwhelmed. You need to figure out how to handle it.”

Alexandria nodded, feeling a mix of frustration and acceptance. “I get it. I’ll do better.”

Logan gave a curt nod and turned to leave, but not before casting one last, assessing look over his shoulder. “Make sure you do. I’m not going to keep reminding you.”

He left her room as she looked around. Guess she was going to have to wear the clothes she wore yesterday to make it to Ms. Frost’s class before she’s late.

---

By the time algebra was done and she had got to English with Ororo, she was more exhausted than when she woke up.

She hates even acknowledging that she needs something, let alone something as simple as sleep, but she was going to have to deal with. There were so many people in this mansion, closing her eyes and getting sleep would be impossible. It was like being a radio station with too many inputs.

Alexandria remembers Scott mentioning something about Guinness World Records. She wondered what the record was and if she had possibly beaten it.

English with Storm went by faster than she thought, and before she knew it, it was lunchtime. Jean, Scott, and Kitty were at their usual spots, and Alexandria quickly took her seat, trying to appear as normal as possible despite her exhaustion.

“Hey, Alexandria!” Jean greeted with a smile. “You look like you could use a nap.”

She gave a small smile, “maybe.”

Jean raised an eyebrow but didn’t press. “You should take it easy if you can. You’ve been running on fumes.”

Kitty nodded in agreement. “Yeah, no need to push yourself too hard. There’s no shame in taking a break.”

Alexandria shrugged, trying to brush off their concern. “I’ll manage. I’ve got stuff to do after school.”

“Extra help with Logan, right?” Scott asked, looking at her with a mix of sympathy and curiosity.

“Yeah,” Alexandria said, not really wanting to delve into the details. “I’ll be fine.”

They fell into a more casual conversation, discussing weekend plans and upcoming tests. Alexandria found herself drawn into the chatter, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten as she engaged with her friends. For a brief moment, the weight of her responsibilities seemed lighter.

They split up once again, Jean coming with her to their US History class.

Jean and Alexandria walked into their US History class, both of them looking like they had just come from a particularly intense discussion. Alexandria still felt the weight of exhaustion pressing on her shoulders, but she managed a small smile as she took her seat.

Logan was already at his desk, thumbing through a stack of papers. He glanced up as the students settled in, his eyes briefly meeting Alexandria’s. He didn’t say anything, just went back to his papers with that ever-present scowl. The usual tension hung in the air, thick and unspoken.

Jean slid into her seat next to Alexandria, giving her a sympathetic look. “You sure you’re okay? You look like you could fall asleep right here.”

Alexandria shrugged, trying to dismiss the concern. “I’m fine. Just a little tired.”

Jean didn’t look convinced but let it go, turning her attention to Logan as he began his lecture. The topic of the day was the aftermath of the American Revolution, and Logan jumped right into it, his voice gruff and unyielding. He scribbled dates and names on the board, making quick, sharp notes as he spoke.

Alexandria tried to keep up, her mind struggling to focus. The material was dense, and her lack of sleep wasn’t helping. Every time she thought she was catching on, her attention would drift, and she’d have to refocus. It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay engaged.

The class went on, and Alexandria found herself counting down the minutes until the bell rang. When it finally did, she packed up her things and glanced at Jean, who seemed to sense her exhaustion.

“Need any help with the material? I know Logan can be a bit much,” Jean offered.

Alexandria appreciated the gesture but shook her head. “I’ll manage. I’ve got the extra help session after school.”

Jean gave her a concerned look but didn’t press further. “Alright. Just remember to take care of yourself, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alexandria said, giving her a half-hearted smile. “I’ll be fine.”

After history, which was as hard as before, she headed to her last class of the day before meeting Logan. The hours dragged on, and by the time the final bell rang, Alexandria felt like she was running on empty.

She made her way to Logan’s office, her steps heavy with fatigue. When she arrived, she found Logan sitting behind his desk, his eyes focused on a pile of papers.

“On time,” Logan said without looking up. “Guess you’re not completely useless.”

Alexandria rolled her eyes but kept her tone even. “I’m here. What do you need me to do?”

Logan finally looked up, his expression as stern as ever. “We’re going to go over some of the material you missed. I’ve got a few readings for you to go through and some questions to answer. We’ll start with that and see where you’re at.”

He handed her a stack of papers, and Alexandria took them with a nod. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.”

Logan raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment further. He pulled out a chair and started going over the material with her, his explanations blunt and to the point. Alexandria struggled to keep up, her exhaustion making it hard to focus. But she tried her best, determined not to let her fatigue get in the way of her progress.

As the session went on, Logan’s tone remained gruff, but there was a noticeable shift in his demeanor. He was less harsh than usual, focusing more on helping her understand the material rather than just berating her for not knowing it.

After an hour, Alexandria looked up from her notes, her eyes tired but determined. “I think I’m starting to get it. This stuff is just… a lot.”

Logan nodded, giving her a brief, approving look. “Yeah, it is. But you’re getting there. Just keep working at it.”

Alexandria nodded, feeling a small sense of accomplishment. “Thanks for the help.”

Logan gave a curt nod. “Don’t mention it. Just make sure you don’t fall behind again.”

As she packed up her things and headed for the door, Alexandria couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. The extra help session had been tough, but it had also been a step in the right direction. She was starting to understand the material better, and that gave her a glimmer of hope.

---

A week later

Alexandria learned a way to study better. Since she wasn’t good at reading in English, she found videos online, thanks to Scott’s suggestion, of Russian people talking about algebra, chemistry, and even US History which was surprising.

She still hadn’t gotten any sleep, which meant she passed her previous record and was at 3 weeks and 4 days of no sleep.

But Scott put her onto coffee. Or rather, she tried plain black coffee and didn’t like it, but Kitty and Jean suggested iced coffee which she enjoyed. Her favorite so far was an iced white chocolate mocha. The other thing Scott showed her was energy drinks.

So, thanks to the two new things she discovered, she hasn’t felt tired in days.

She even got a compliment from Ms. Frost about her algebra homework, saying that she did good. It wasn’t a lot, but it meant the world to Alexandria, which was a new feeling.

Alexandria was currently reading a Russian version of the book ‘Brave New World’, which she bought using Tony’s card.

She’s sure he won’t mind, hell, he’s Tony Stark, he’ll probably never notice.

Earlier tonight, Kitty, Jean, and Jubilee came over to her room to help her with some math for chemistry, and they put her onto a few musical artists.

So, at 3:45 am, she had her headphones on listening to a Taylor Swift song, humming along while doing a paper for Ororo’s English class, and drinking a pink can of Monster.

Logan, on the other hand, had noticed that Alexandria hadn’t come out late at night for her nightly smoke breaks for the past week. And while there was a small part of him that was glad she wasn’t smoking, she was eighteen after all, he couldn’t help but be curious as to how she had caught up in all of her subjects.

Even Emma had made a small comment about how she was impressed how Alexandria seemed to have learned all the material she’d taught and more. She had only come by once for after hours and seemed to be doing fine in all of her work in his class as well.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked down the quiet hallways to her room, a warm light shining underneath the door.

He knocked lightly and got no response. Logan pushed the door open a crack, peering into Alexandria's dimly lit room. The soft glow of a desk lamp illuminated her focused face, framed by large headphones.

She was hunched over a spiral notebook, her pen scribbling furiously as a faint melody played through her headphones. The energy drink on her desk was half-empty, a pink can with a flashy design that contrasted sharply with the starkness of her surroundings.

Logan sighed softly, his curiosity overcoming his usual gruffness. He knocked again, a bit louder this time. "Alexandria."

She barely flinched, her concentration unwavering. Logan knocked harder, the sound finally penetrating the bubble of her focus. Alexandria looked up, pulling one headphone off her ear and squinting at the doorway. Her expression shifted from confusion to mild irritation.

"What?" she said, her voice tired but sharp.

Logan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "What are you still doing up? It's three-forty-five in the morning."

She sighed and took off her other headphone, rubbing her eyes. "Working on some assignments.”

Logan’s gaze flicked to the energy drink and then back to Alexandria. "I thought you were supposed to be resting. You haven’t been out for your usual smoke breaks lately."

Alexandria shrugged, a gesture that seemed half-embarrassed, half-defiant. "I don’t need them anymore."

Logan raised an eyebrow, more intrigued than he cared to admit. "And why's that? You’ve been pushing yourself pretty hard. What's with all the late-night studying?"

"It's not just studying. I’ve got a lot to catch up on," she said, her tone defensive. "And the coffee and energy drinks help. I’m getting through it."

Logan’s expression softened slightly, though he tried to keep it hidden behind his usual scowl. "You've been doing well in class, I’ve noticed. Emma mentioned you’ve been on top of the material. Still, burning the candle at both ends isn't sustainable."

Her brows furrowed, that wasn’t a phrase she had heard before. “What does that mean? Is that a…” she grabbed a different notebook on her desk, flipping through the pages, “an idiom?”

“Hell, if I know kid, it’s just a saying.”

Logan's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Alexandria flip through her notebook. He could see the strain in her posture, the exhaustion she was trying to mask with her intensity. He wasn’t exactly the nurturing type, but seeing her push herself so hard without any apparent concern for her well-being did stir something in him.

“You know,” he said, shifting his weight, “there’s a limit to how much caffeine and energy drinks can do. Your body needs more than just stimulants to keep going.”

Alexandria gave him a skeptical look, her fingers tapping impatiently on the edge of her desk. “I’m fine. I’ve managed this far. Why are you so interested, anyway?”

Logan shrugged, trying to keep his tone nonchalant. “Just curious. You’re doing better in class, but I’m not about to ignore you turning into a caffeine-fueled night owl. It’s my job to make sure you’re not just learning the material but also taking care of yourself.”

“Right,” Alexandria said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Because you’re such a model of self-care.”

Logan smirked. “Don’t mistake me for a role model. I’ve got my own issues. But if I can get you to not collapse from overwork, maybe I’ll sleep a little easier.”

Alexandria sighed, leaning back in her chair. “I’m just trying to catch up. I know it’s not healthy, but I don’t have a choice right now.”

Logan tilted his head, studying her. “Look, kid, you can push yourself to the brink, but at some point, your body’s gonna say enough. You might be able to keep going for a while, but eventually, it’ll catch up with you.”

She rubbed her face, clearly fatigued but trying to stay alert. “I can’t sleep.” She finally admitted.

He snorted, “well, that’s obvious.”

Alexandria didn’t want to add on and tell him it was because of her powers. So, she let him think that it was just pure determination to do better.

Though that sounded fucking stupid. She wasn’t some do-gooder like Captain America. Wasn’t always trying to get everyone to smile. In fact, she wanted to punch his perfect face and teeth to make him look at least a little messed up.

Logan’s gaze lingered on her, his expression a mix of skepticism and concern. “Listen, Alexandria,” he said gruffly, “if you’re not gonna listen to me, at least listen to your own body. You’re pushing yourself too hard, and it’s gonna catch up with you sooner or later.”

“Yeah, well,” Alexandria said, trying to muster a nonchalant shrug despite her exhaustion, “I don’t exactly have a choice. I need to get this stuff done. It’s not like anyone’s gonna wait for me to catch up.”

Logan’s eyes softened a fraction, though he quickly masked it with his usual gruff demeanor. “I get it. But that doesn’t mean you should drive yourself into the ground. You might think you’re managing, but one day, you’re gonna crash.”

Alexandria looked down at her notebook, a frown tugging at her lips. “I know. I just… I don’t really know how to stop.”

“Maybe you don’t need to stop entirely,” Logan said, crossing his arms. “But you should at least try to find some balance. Even if it’s just a few hours of sleep a night. You’re not a machine.”

She sighed, her frustration evident. “It’s not that simple. I can’t just shut it off. And it’s not like I have anyone to help me with this.”

Logan rubbed the back of his neck, his expression thoughtful. “Look, I’m not saying you have to figure this out alone. If you need help, you can ask. But maybe start by taking a break now and then. Just to recharge, even if it’s for a short while.”

“I’ll think about it,” Alexandria said, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced. “But for now, I’ve got a lot to get through.”

Logan nodded, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he turned to leave. “Alright. But don’t ignore what I said. It’s not just about doing well in class. It’s about keeping yourself in one piece.”

Alexandria watched him go, feeling a mix of relief and irritation. She knew he had a point, but she wasn’t ready to fully acknowledge it yet. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly four in the morning.

With a sigh, she turned her attention back to her work, though Logan’s words echoed in her mind. Maybe she was pushing herself too hard. Maybe it was time to reconsider her approach, even if just a little.

The next day, Alexandria found herself in the cafeteria with Jean, Scott, and Kitty again. Her fatigue was still there, but she was trying to keep up appearances.

“Hey, Alexandria,” Kitty greeted her, her usual enthusiasm tempered with concern. “How’s the studying going?”

“It’s going,” Alexandria replied, taking a sip of her iced white chocolate mocha. “Just trying to keep up.”

Jean gave her a sympathetic look. “You’re still looking pretty tired. Maybe you should consider taking a break.”

“Not really an option right now,” Alexandria said, trying to keep the conversation light. “But thanks for the concern.”

Scott and Kitty exchanged glances but didn’t push further. Instead, the conversation shifted to weekend plans and upcoming events. Alexandria tried to engage, but her mind kept drifting back to her work and Logan’s words.

After lunch, she had a few more classes, and by the time the day ended, she was ready to collapse. But she had promised herself she’d make progress, so she headed back to her room, determined to keep going.

“Sashulya.” A voice sang from behind her. It was a nickname buried deep within her memories. She remembers her mother calling her that, a nickname only she was supposed to say.

“Sashulya, come.” The voice came from a woman wearing a large coat of sorts, draping over onto the hardwood floor.

Alexandria followed, holding her folders to her chest. “Mama has something for you.” She followed the woman to the front doors of the school. The hooded figure turned around, but she couldn’t see her face. It was black, maybe a shadow from the hood.

“Mama is that you? They killed you.” Alexandria finally spoke. It felt almost freeing to speak in Russian again.

The hooded figure opened the door to the school, the sun was setting, casting a pastel glow around them. “Sashulya, everything will be fine. Come with me.”

Alexandra smiled softly at the figure and stepped closer. As soon as she did the figure changed.

“Your mommy is dead, child. Don’t cry. We will take care of you.” The HYDRA scientist, the first one she ever saw appeared in front of her, holding that large needle she hated with a passion.

She suddenly felt cold, “Where is she? Where are they?”

“Dead. Now let's go. The more you resist, the more it hurts, Alexandria.” The scientist tilted her head, “They'll give you a sedative. Makes my job a lot easier.”

Alexandria felt a sting at the back of her head, but it reality it came from her falling down onto the cement, rain pouring heavily around her. “Tili tili bom. zakroy glaza seychas. Kto-to khodit vozle doma. I stuchit v dver'. Tili tili bom.” She felt someone brush hair off her forehead,“nochnyye ptitsy shchebechut. On vnutri doma. V gosti k tem, kto ne mozhet usnut'. On khodit. On priblizhayetsya... blizhe.”

The lullaby brought up old memories, it was the lullaby her mom used to sing to her, because even when she was 3 years old, she had trouble sleeping. That song always seemed to lure her to sleep.

Even though the rain was pouring down around the school, Alexandria fell asleep easily.

The rain, the memory of her mother’s lullaby, and the figure of the HYDRA scientist blurred into a surreal mix that dragged her deeper into unconsciousness.

She hadn’t felt this kind of exhaustion in a long time.

---

Logan found her hours later. The rain had soaked her through, her hair plastered to her face, and her clothes clinging to her frame. She was shivering, her lips slightly parted as she mumbled something incoherent, still half-caught in whatever nightmare had gripped her.

"Kid," Logan growled as he crouched down beside her. He gave her shoulder a rough shake. "Wake up."

Alexandria didn’t respond. Her eyes twitched under her closed lids, and she muttered something in Russian. Logan’s brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of the words, but they were too garbled, too distant.

"Damn it," Logan muttered under his breath. He scooped her up with surprising gentleness, cradling her limp form against his chest. "What the hell are you doin' to yourself, kid?"

Her head lolled against his shoulder, and Logan felt a strange pang of concern. It wasn’t like him to worry about anyone, especially a kid like her, but there was something about the way she’d been pushing herself that gnawed at him.

He carried her back to the mansion, the rain still pouring down around them. By the time he reached the front doors, he was drenched too, but he hardly noticed. His focus was on Alexandria and the way her breath hitched every now and then, like she was stuck in the throes of a bad dream.

"Hank," Logan barked as he pushed through the front doors. "I need ya!"

The sound of Logan’s gruff voice echoed through the halls of the mansion, alerting anyone within earshot that something serious was going down. He didn’t waste time waiting for a response, striding purposefully down the corridor, Alexandria’s limp form cradled in his arms.

Hank appeared in the doorway to his lab, he took one look at Logan and the girl he was carrying and immediately shifted into action mode.

"What happened?" Hank asked, his voice calm but tinged with concern as he stepped aside to let Logan in.

Logan grunted, his face etched with frustration. "Found her outside, unconscious in the rain. She's been pushing herself way too hard. Barely slept in weeks, if at all."

Hank's brow furrowed as he quickly cleared a space on one of the examination tables. "Lay her down here."

Logan carefully placed Alexandria on the table, her soaked clothes clinging to her body. Her skin was pale, her breathing shallow and irregular. Hank immediately started checking her vitals, his fingers moving swiftly and expertly as he assessed her condition.

"Her heart rate is elevated," Hank murmured, more to himself than to Logan. "She's dehydrated, and her temperature is dropping. How long has she been like this?"

Logan crossed his arms, watching Hank work with a tense expression. "She's been running on fumes for at least three weeks, maybe more. I told her to take it easy, but you know how stubborn she is."

Hank nodded, not taking his eyes off Alexandria. "I see. We'll need to get her warmed up and stabilized first. Then we can address the underlying issue." He glanced at Logan, his blue eyes sharp. "She's been pushing herself to stay awake, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," Logan replied, his voice laced with frustration. "Said she can’t sleep. Didn’t go into detail, but it’s clear something’s been messin’ with her."

Hank frowned, his mind already racing with possibilities. "If she's been unable to sleep for that long, it could be more than just physical exhaustion. We might be dealing with a psychological or even a neurological issue."

"Get her fixed up, Hank," Logan said, his tone gruff but underlying it was a note of genuine concern. "She needs help, but I’m not the one to give it to her."

Hank nodded, his focus returning to Alexandria as he prepared to administer a sedative to help her body relax. "I'll do what I can, Logan. But if she's been pushing herself to this point, there may be more going on than we realize."

As Hank worked to stabilize Alexandria, her breathing started to even out, and her shivering slowly subsided as her body began to warm up. Logan watched, his expression hardening as he thought about what Alexandria had been through. He wasn’t one to get emotionally involved, but seeing the kid in this state stirred something deep within him—a mix of anger at her stubbornness and a grudging respect for her resilience.

After a few minutes, Hank spoke up, his voice calm but firm. "Logan, we need to figure out what’s causing this. If it’s a neurological issue, it could be dangerous if left untreated."

Logan nodded, his jaw clenched. "Got any ideas?"

Hank hesitated for a moment, then said, "I'll need to consult with Charles. If there’s something more complex going on, like interference with her mind or dreams, he might be able to help. We also might need to reach out to someone with expertise in neurological conditions."

Logan frowned. "You think it's somethin' like that?"

Hank met Logan’s gaze, his expression serious. "It’s possible. If she’s been avoiding sleep because of nightmares or intrusive thoughts, it could be related to her powers—or something else entirely. We need to investigate all possibilities."

Logan didn’t like the sound of that. He knew Alexandria was tough, but if there was something messing with her mind, they needed to handle it carefully. "Alright," he grunted. "Get Charles and do what you gotta do."

Hank nodded, already reaching for his communicator. "I'll get Charles down here. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can to keep her stable."

As Hank sent the message to Charles Xavier, Logan lingered by Alexandria’s side, his usual tough exterior cracking just a bit as he looked down at her. She was a fighter—he could see that—but even the toughest fighters needed help sometimes. He just hoped they could get to the bottom of this before it was too late.

---

Charles arrived within minutes, his expression calm but alert as he wheeled into the lab. "Hank, Logan," he greeted them, his eyes immediately going to Alexandria. "What happened?"

Logan gave a brief rundown of the situation, his voice clipped. "She’s been pushing herself to stay awake, and now she’s out cold. Hank thinks it might be more than just physical exhaustion."

Charles nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I see. If she's been avoiding sleep, it’s possible that her mind is reacting to some form of trauma or external influence. I’ll need to delve into her thoughts to see if I can determine what’s causing this."

Hank stepped back to give Charles room. "I've stabilized her physically, but if there's something affecting her mind, we’ll need to address it quickly."

Charles closed his eyes, reaching out with his telepathic abilities to gently probe Alexandria's mind. He moved carefully, not wanting to cause any further distress. As he delved deeper, he encountered a chaotic swirl of emotions, memories, and fragments of dreams—some of them dark and unsettling.

After a few moments, Charles opened his eyes, his expression grave. "There’s significant mental strain here. She’s been suppressing her ability to rest due to a fear of her own dreams—or rather, the dreams of others. Her telepathic abilities are interfering with her sleep, causing her to experience the dreams of those around her."

Logan’s frown deepened. "So she’s been seein’ other people’s dreams instead of her own?"

"Yes," Charles confirmed. "It’s likely that her powers have become more sensitive, perhaps due to stress or recent trauma. She’s been overwhelmed by the influx of other people's subconscious thoughts, making it impossible for her to rest."

Hank's eyes widened slightly. "If she's been experiencing the dreams of others, that could explain why she's been so desperate to stay awake. It would be incredibly disorienting and exhausting."

Logan ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "So what do we do about it?"

Charles looked at Hank, then back at Logan. "We need to block the telepathic interference so she can get the rest she needs. Hank, I suggest you work on a device that can shield her mind from external influences while she sleeps. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can to calm her mind and help her enter a restful state."

Hank nodded, already formulating a plan in his mind. "I can modify a version of the telepathic inhibitors we’ve used before. It might take some time, but I can create a device that will allow her to sleep without being affected by the dreams of others."

Logan exhaled, relieved that they had a plan. "Alright. Do it."

Charles turned his attention back to Alexandria, his expression softening. "I’ll begin now. Logan, would you mind staying with her? Your presence might help keep her grounded."

Logan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I’ll stay."

As Charles began his telepathic work, Logan pulled up a chair beside the table and settled in. He wasn’t the comforting type, but if his presence could help in any way, he’d do it. He owed it to the kid, after all she’d been through.

For the next few hours, Logan watched as Charles and Hank worked tirelessly to help Alexandria. Charles used his telepathic abilities to calm her mind, creating a mental barrier to keep out the intrusive dreams. Meanwhile, Hank tinkered with various devices, modifying and fine-tuning them to ensure they would work as intended.

Finally, as dawn began to break, Hank approached Logan with a small device in hand. "This should do it," he said, holding up what looked like a sleek headband with several intricate components embedded in it. "It’s designed to block out telepathic interference while allowing her to enter a normal sleep cycle."

Logan eyed the device skeptically. "You sure it’ll work?"

Hank nodded confidently. "It’s based on existing technology, but I’ve made some modifications to suit her specific needs. Once we put this on her, she should be able to sleep without being affected by the dreams of others."

Logan sighed, his fatigue starting to catch up with him. "Alright. Let’s give it a shot."

Hank carefully placed the device on Alexandria’s head, adjusting it to fit snugly. Charles, who had been monitoring her mind, nodded in approval. "It’s working. Her mind is starting to settle into a normal sleep pattern."

Logan watched as Alexandria’s breathing evened out, her expression relaxing for the first time in days. She looked peaceful, almost as if she was finally finding the rest she so desperately needed. The tension in the lab seemed to ease slightly with the sight of her calm.

Charles looked over at Logan, his expression softening. "It seems the device is working as intended. Her mind is starting to settle."

Logan nodded, though his eyes remained focused on Alexandria. "Yeah. She looks like she might actually get some real sleep for once."

Hank, busy with the final tweaks to the device, glanced up. "She needed it. The lack of sleep was probably making her hallucinate. It’s a miracle she was still functional."

Charles turned to Logan, a thoughtful look on his face. "You stayed with her the entire time. That’s not like you."

Logan shrugged, his expression a mix of irritation and fatigue. "She’s a kid who’s been through hell. Didn’t want to leave her alone."

Charles nodded, understanding but keeping his comments to himself. "Well, it’s good you were here. Sometimes, people need more than just physical care—they need reassurance."

Logan grunted in response and stood up, stretching his stiff muscles. "Right. Guess I’ll leave you guys to it."

Hank looked up from his equipment. "Logan, you should probably get some rest yourself. You’ve been working hard too."

Logan gave a curt nod. "Yeah, I’ll grab a nap. Let me know if she wakes up or if you need anything."

As he made his way out of the lab, Charles’s voice followed him. "Thank you, Logan."

Logan didn’t turn back, just gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Whatever."

---

When Alexandria woke up hours later, the first thing she noticed without even opening her eyes was a metal headband around her head.

Immediately she started to panic.

She was back at HYDRA, and they were going to punish her with electroshock. Track her brainwaves while doing it.

Hank noticed her waking up and in a hazy, frantic movement, she grabbed a nearby screwdriver and jabbed it into his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Logan was in his quarters, trying to catch up on some much-needed sleep. He barely managed to drift off when his communicator buzzed. He groaned, rolling over and picking it up.

"Logan," came Hank’s voice, slightly distorted through the device. "Alexandria’s waking up. You might want to come back to the lab." Logan heard a clanking sound coming from Hank’s side. “Now.”

Logan sat up immediately, throwing on a shirt and heading back to the lab. The fatigue from his earlier shift was still heavy on him, but he pushed through, knowing Alexandria’s well-being was more important.

She tried to pull off the headband from her head, but her hands were far too shaky to accomplish that goal. And for some reason, she was freezing. Alexandria was used to the cold, thanks to the HYDRA base being in snowy Russia.

The cold was biting, and her teeth chattered despite the warmth of the room. Her heart raced, the memories of her captivity with HYDRA clouding her mind.

“Hey, easy,” Logan’s voice cut through the fog of her panic. He entered the lab, his expression a mix of irritation and concern. “Put that down. It’s not what you think.”

Alexandria’s eyes darted around, trying to piece together the situation. Her gaze locked onto Logan, and she could barely make out his gruff features. The familiar face was not comforting; it was just another reminder of how out of control everything felt.

Hank, wincing from the screwdriver jab, was already on his feet, his eyes shifting between Alexandria and Logan. “She’s disoriented. We need to calm her down.”

Logan approached slowly, keeping his hands visible. “Kid, listen. You’re not in HYDRA. You’re safe here. That headband is just to help you sleep without those... dreams messing with you.”

Alexandria’s breath came in sharp, shallow gasps. She tried to sit up, but her body felt heavy and uncooperative. “No... not safe... they’re coming for me...”

Logan sighed, his patience wearing thin. “It’s not them. No one’s coming for you. You’re at the mansion. Hank’s here to help.”

Hank took a cautious step forward, his demeanor calm but his voice firm. “Alexandria, I need you to listen to me. You’re in a safe place. The headband is to block out any external telepathic influences. It’s helping you get the rest you need.”

Alexandria’s gaze flicked to Hank, then back to Logan. Her mind was a whirlwind of memories and confusion. “But... I...”

Logan’s tone softened, “I know it’s hard to believe right now, but you gotta trust us. We’re trying to help you. You need to calm down.”

Alexandria’s hands trembled as she struggled to push the headband away, her vision blurring with tears. “I don’t want this... I don’t want their dreams...”

Logan took a deep breath, his frustration giving way to a rare moment of empathy. “I get it. I really do. But this is the only way for you to get some damn rest. You can’t keep going like this.”

The sound of the door opening caught their attention. Charles wheeled in, his expression serene yet serious. “How is she?”

Hank, still nursing his shoulder, looked over. “She’s awake and disoriented. She’s been pushing herself too hard, and now she’s struggling to accept the help we’re offering.”

Charles nodded, approaching Alexandria with a gentle presence. “Alexandria, I need you to focus on me. You’re safe, and we’re here to help you. Can you try to calm down and listen to what we’re saying?”

Alexandria’s eyes met Charles’s, and she could see the sincerity in his gaze. It was hard to ignore, despite the whirlwind of her emotions. Slowly, she began to ease her grip on the headband, though she still trembled.

Charles continued in a soothing tone. “We need to make sure you’re comfortable and can get some restful sleep. This headband is a part of that process. It’s not a punishment or a trap. It’s a tool to help you recover.”

Logan stood by, his arms crossed, watching Alexandria with a mix of annoyance and concern. He was used to dealing with his own issues but seeing her like this stirred something different in him. “Look, you don’t gotta like it. Just try to relax, alright? We’re on your side.”

Alexandria’s breaths began to slow, her mind still foggy but gradually clearing. She hated the headband on her head, hated the fact that she felt like a lab experiment once again being surrounded by and all-white room and medical equipment.

Charles watched her with a soft expression, hoping to convey reassurance despite the sterile environment. "You're doing well, Alexandria. Just focus on calming down. We’re not here to hurt you."

Alexandria’s eyes met his, though her expression remained guarded. "Why... why are you doing this?"

Charles took a moment before answering, his voice calm. "We’re trying to help you. The headband is designed to block out any telepathic interference so you can sleep without being disturbed."

She shook her head slightly, her eyes still darting around the room. “I don’t want to be a burden...”

“You’re not a burden,” Charles said gently. “You’re part of this team, and we want to make sure you’re healthy. If you don’t get proper rest, it’s going to make everything worse.”

“Listen, kid. We don’t do this for fun. You’re here because you needed help. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you’ll start feeling better."

Alexandria looked at Logan, her expression a mix of wariness and frustration. “Why do you even care?”

Logan’s face hardened, though there was a hint of something softer in his eyes. “I don’t do this for everyone. But you’re pushing yourself too hard, and it’s not gonna do you any good.”

Hank, having finished tending to his shoulder, approached the table with a fresh gauze pad. “I need to tend to this wound,” he said, gesturing to his shoulder. “We’ll be here to keep an eye on you while you adjust.”

Alexandria nodded, though her body was still tense. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and she was shivering despite the warmth of the room.

“Hey, we need to get you warmed up,” Hank said, moving toward a cabinet to fetch some blankets. “Logan, can you help me with this?”

Logan, who had been standing by with his arms crossed, grunted in response. He moved closer to the examination table, his eyes scanning Alexandria’s shivering form. “You alright, kid?” he asked, his voice gruff but laced with concern.

Alexandria looked up at him, her expression a mix of fear and exhaustion. “I’m cold...”

“We’re gonna fix that,” Logan said, grabbing a blanket from Hank and draping it over Alexandria’s shivering shoulders. “Just try to relax.”

Hank quickly followed suit, adding more blankets to ensure she was adequately covered. “It’s important that we keep you warm while you adjust to the device.”

Alexandria’s gaze flickered between Logan and Hank, her eyes still filled with unease. “How... how long do I have to wear this?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Hank offered a reassuring smile, though it was clear he was still concerned. “Just until we’re sure your mind is calm and stable. It might take a bit for you to get used to it.”

Charles, still monitoring her condition, spoke up gently. “Alexandria, the headband is designed to block out the telepathic interference you’ve been experiencing. It will help you get the sleep you need without being disturbed.”

She nodded in response before looking over at Hank, “can we make it smaller?” she asked quietly. “I… don’t like the headband.”

Hank gave another reassuring smile, “of course. I can have it done by the time you wake up.”

Alexandria nodded, though her eyes remained wary. The blankets were warm and comforting, but she still shivered from the cold that seemed to seep into her bones.

“Try to relax,” Hank said as he finished adjusting the blankets around her. “It’s going to be alright.”

Alexandria’s eyes fluttered shut, her exhaustion winning over her anxiety. Charles gave a final nod of reassurance before stepping back to monitor her condition from a distance.

Logan, having witnessed the entire ordeal, leaned against a counter, his expression a mix of frustration and concern. “You sure this is gonna work?” he muttered, more to himself than to anyone in particular.

Hank glanced over. “It’s our best shot. We’ve got to get her mind settled and give her a break from all this telepathic noise.”

Logan grunted, his patience clearly wearing thin. “Just hope it doesn’t take too long. We’ve all been running on empty lately.”

Charles wheeled closer, his expression serious. “We need to be patient. Alexandria’s been through a lot. The sooner she can rest, the sooner she’ll start to recover.”

Logan sighed and rubbed his face with one hand. “Yeah, yeah. I get it. Just wish she’d stop makin’ things harder on herself.”

---

A few hours later, Alexandria began to stir. The headband was still on her head, but it felt less intrusive now that she was used to it. Her breathing was steadier, and she was no longer shivering.

“Hey, kid,” Logan’s voice broke through her haze as he approached. “How’re you feelin’?”

Alexandria’s eyes opened slowly, meeting his gaze. “Better,” she mumbled, her voice hoarse. “The cold is gone.”

Logan nodded, looking around the lab. “Good. Hank said he’s workin’ on makin’ that headband smaller for you.”

Alexandria gave a slight nod. “Thank you.”

Logan grunted. “Don’t mention it. You were givin’ us a scare. Figured I’d check in.”

She managed a faint smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I didn’t mean to be a burden.”

Logan’s expression softened just a bit. “You’re not a burden. Just try to keep it together, alright? We’re all in this mess together.”

“Yeah,” Alexandria said, her voice still weak. “I’ll try.”

Charles, who had been observing quietly, spoke up. “Alexandria, you’ve made great progress. We’ll continue to monitor your condition, but for now, try to get as much rest as you can.”

Alexandria nodded, closing her eyes again. “I’ll do my best.”

[armysantiny]

Out in the rain – JJK

P: Jungkook x female reader | G: fluff, drabble | Inc: playing in the rain, fever, Bam mention, Jimin mention, Namjoon mention, Yoongi mention, grad student!Jungkook, dance teacher!Jimin, y/n's also a grad student, sleepy Kookie my beloved | Wc: 980| W: food cw| R: G

Summary: Jungkook initially thinks nothing of spending hours in the rain with Bam; it’s fun, and he likes spending time with his Doberman. Y/n gets her I told you so moment when a fever descends upon the grad student.

Min's notes; This was cute <33 the ending feels a lil rushed tho, but eh- I like where I left it

In hindsight, Jungkook knew spending hours in the rain with Bam wasn’t the smartest idea. He’d woken up feeling like several trains ran through him. He ached. Blinking through the brain fog, he groaned; lethargy, shivering and a sore throat? He would be an idiot to deny the facts – he was sick. Very sick, if the lead weight in his limbs were anything to go by.

How absolutely wonderful.

Flopping back into the comfort of his sheets with little resistance, Jungkook shifted around, overly uncomfortable. Everything was off-kilter, and he couldn’t help but whine in pain when his head throbbed from the squirming. Wishing for the pain to go away without actively getting up to find painkillers wasn’t doing much to help either.

“Love? Good morning— Jungkook?” Walking towards the boyfriend-shaped lump on the bed, y/n frowned, concern knitting her brows. “Are you okay?”

“…’m sick. Everything hurts.”

“Am I allowed to say it? A nod. “I told you so baby, it was pouring with rain yesterday. You stay here, I’ll go and get the thermometer.”

Luckily for y/n, Jungkook hadn’t planned on moving at all. In fact, he was quite happy to melt away underneath his duvet.

Peeping his head over the covers, Jungkook squinted as light poured through the gap in the door, exceedingly grateful that he invested in a good pair of blackout curtains. Saved from looking at the sunlight any longer once y/n re-entered the room, Jungkook returned to the comfort of being under his covers completely. He was shivering – nothing like being smothered under his covers couldn’t fix.

And then his precious duvet was torn away from him.

“Hello there~” y/n snickered as her boyfriend whined, “ can you lift your head for me bun? I need to check if you’re running a fever." Ruffling his sweat-damp hair, y/n hummed as she stuck the device in her sick boyfriend’s ear. Jungkook was definitely running a fever; he was a full two degrees above the human average. With a sigh, y/n set the device aside, wrapping her arms around Jungkook to help him sit up.

“How bad?”

“Very. Think you can make it to the living room?”

“Mhm…” Throwing his legs over the side, Jungkook hauled himself up, taking a grand total of three steps before wobbling, leaning into y/n’s open arms. Determined, the grad student blinked back the bout of dizziness as he tried to steady himself, huffing out an exhale. The fever wasn’t going to keep him down if he had anything to say about it.

Nursing a thermos of green tea with Bam curled up on the sofa, Jungkook read through his thesis for the third time that afternoon. As sick as he was, grad student responsibilities came first; his thesis needed to be worked on, whether he wanted to work on it or not. Coughing into his arm, the student read over his notes, content with simply editing the work he had already done. Alone in the apartment, he had no plans to move from his spot, risking his fate by leaving his front door unlocked.

He was a student, if someone decided to barge in, he’d welcome them in. Anything to escape university.

There was someone tapping his shoulder.

“…Kookie? Earth to Jeon Jungkook?” Opening his eyes only to immediately squint through the brightness of his overhead light, Jungkook made a noncommittal hum. “Oh thank fuck, you’re alive.”

“Jimin hyung?” Blinking as the blob in front him nodded, Jungkook hauled himself up with a weak groan, his vision swimming just that little bit more before it cleared up. His skin boiling, Jungkook made a frail attempt at fanning himself with his shirt, too exhausted to react to the way it clung to him and the sweat on his body. What he did react to, however, was the lack of Bam’s presence on his sofa – they were laying together, right? Turning his head from side-to-side – with all the grace of a ragdoll – Jungkook still couldn’t tell where his canine companion had gone.

“Hyung..?” Jimin hummed his response from the kitchen. “Where’s Bam? I thought he was here on the sofa with me?” Accepting the bowl of soup while he waited for Jimin’s answer, Jungkook let the bowl rest on the table.

“Namjoon hyung came by and took him for a walk, like, half an hour ago? Probably still with him. Anyway, eat up; Yoongi hyung brought this over and you need to get your strength back.” The older of the two answered, gently flicking the brunet’s forehead. Laughing when Jungkook huffed, whining about not hurting the patient, Jimin turned his head and followed the sound of knocking at the front door.

There was quiet, and then Jungkook paused when he heard laughter.

Y/n was home! He’d live!

“Hello to you too, Mr I Have A Fever~” Y/n cooed, ruffling her boyfriend’s hair as she deposited her bag and coat off to the side. Waving Jimin off when the dance teacher eventually needed to leave, she went on about her day, filling Jungkook in about everything happening outside the confines of his front door. It sounded fun. Pausing her description of a boring media lecture when she finally noticed Jungkook watching her with ever-so-adoring curiosity, y/n’s features softened.

He was just too cute for his own good.

“Anything you want, baby? You’ve been looking at me like that for a while now.” There was a pause as y/n waited for her answer, more than content to return her boyfriend’s gaze.

“Just a nap,” Jungkook yawned, shifting around until his head was settled in y/n’s lap. “You’re here now… so ‘m gonna sleep now~” A smile on his face when he felt the soft press of a kiss to his temples, Jungkook let his eyes shut again that day, the heaviness of fever-induced sleep soon taking over. He welcomed it.

“Sleep well my love.”

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[floodthewatergates]

i'm yours for a moment

epel x riddle (twst)

a/n: hii i wrote this in one sitting. i am completely normal abt them.

warnings: none.

Epel has never had his first kiss before. When people ask him, he would admit it casually, like the idea of kissing was too cool for him, like he had intended it to be that way. The truth was, in his small town of Harveston, where he would be the only teenager around for miles, there was not much of a chance for him to experience anything romantic. 

Still, that didn’t mean he didn’t wish for it, deep down. But love was embarrassing. And what was even more embarrassing was how easily he would fall into it. 

Epel fell in love easily, something he would try hard to combat, but it almost felt inevitable. 

It only made sense that it would be no different upon his arrival to Night Raven College. At first, love wasn’t even something he had factored in with his experience at his new school. 

He was more excited to be living in a place among other students his age. It was hard to be friends with anyone in middle school, and when he did, the distance kept them from seeing each other much besides school. Even though he didn’t say it, he looked forward to becoming friends with people. 

For a little while, it sucked, to say the least. He had been placed in a dorm he felt out of place in. Even when he was doubtful, his housewarden VIl insisted that this was the correct dorm for him, and begrudgingly Epel expected. 

He just didn’t expect how difficult that could be. Waking up early everyday was a piece of cake. He often did that when working out of the field. Styling his hair or doing his makeup, was not. The first few attempts of makeup were dreadful and awkward, but Vil hadn’t commented on them, so he kept doing it like that. 

That wasn’t all either. He had to stand straight. He had to keep his face neutral, not giving any rise to petty conflicts and such. He had to correct his accent, which was honestly the hardest to narrow down. ‘Ain’t isn’t a word’ was a phrase he had heard one too many times. He was also expected to maintain his grades, but that wasn’t too difficult. While not the smartest out there, he still knew his way around books and studying. 

Despite that, he had somehow found a friendship among a few of the other freshmen in his school. There was Ace and Deuce, who had so often been fighting head to head that Epel wasn’t really sure how they were friends, but eventually, he learned that despite them not getting along all the time, they truly relied and cared for each other. Ace was an outgoing, somewhat mischievous boy that Epel didn’t particularly mind. Deuce was passionate, determined to be an honor student, but it seemed there was something else about him Epel couldn’t quite put his finger on. There was Yuu, a magicless human, who always seemed to be the mediator, but was kind. Grim was always with them, too, always looking to join in on the fights, or stealing food, or subtly bragging about how powerful he was. There was Sebek, a loud and certainly headstrong individual who praised his housewarden, Malleus Draconia, left and right. Finally, there was Jack, a beastman who certainly seemed quite cool. Epel had enjoyed speaking with him the most, somewhat admiring him. 

Afterwards, Night Raven College wasn’t all that bad, Epel admitted. Sure it took some getting used to, but he found himself enjoying himself quite a bit.

It was lunch time, as Epel nibbled on a sandwich while Ace was complaining about his housewarden. 

“He just keeps nagging and nagging! He found out I failed a test the other day and keeps forcing me to study!” Ace groaned. 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Yuu asked, tilting their head as they took a bite of their soup. 

“Well yeah, but does he have to be such a–” 

“Such a what, Ace?” Epel looked up, chewing as he watched the interaction. A boy with strikingly red hair appeared behind Ace, causing the other to freeze in his seat. He was pretty, Epel thought to himself. 

“An amazing housewarden..!” Ace replied, turning with a forced smile on his face. The other, Ace’s apparent housewarden, looked unamused, his arms crossed. 

“Right, well, I expect pages 225-240 of your alchemy textbook to be studied. I will be testing you later on it. Surely, that works with you?” He said, a curt tone in his voice, but he seemed relatively unphased about Ace’s complaints. 

“Of course!” Ace replied, nodding his head. He regarded him for a moment longer, before he sighed, walking away, presumably to get his lunch. The second his housewarden was out of sight, Ace let out another groan, laying his head on the table. “Ugh, see what I mean?” 

Epel didn’t, but he guessed there was more to it. He took another bite of his sandwich. Still, when the conversation moved to another topic, Epel looked up, absent minded, before he caught the red hair again. It belonged to Ace’s housewarden, whom he realized he still didn’t know the name of. He probably should, though. Or did he? He wasn’t sure, but he thought to himself that it wouldn’t be bad if he did. 

After that first interaction (which wasn’t even his), he started to notice the other a lot more. Riddle Rosehearts was his name, which he had learned after Vil was discussing a Housewarden meeting with Rook and Epel overheard. He tried the name on his tongue, and he found he quite liked it. 

Riddle wasn’t around much, but when he was, Epel always took notice. 

He would notice when Riddle would cross paths with him, walking the halls to go to his next class. He would notice Riddle was scolding one or two members of his dorm. When Epel would go to the library to find a book, sometimes Riddle was at one of the tables, a stack of books beside him as he studied. Epel preferred to check out his books and study in his room, but when Riddle was there, he always found a seat at another table. 

It wasn’t hard for him to figure out that perhaps what he was feeling for Riddle wasn’t mere curiosity. He had felt this way more than once. He knew the signs. 

It didn’t mean he was happy about it, though. Still, upon his realizations, his efforts to turn away were futile, because no matter how many times he averted his gaze, it always came back to Riddle. 

He groaned to himself, one night, as he layed in his bed, thinking. He put his arm over his eyes. He hadn’t even talked to the other, knew next to nothing about him besides what Ace and Deuce had told him about him. It was embarrassing to be crushing on someone he hadn’t interacted with at all, but he knew that it wasn’t going away soon. It was better to ride it out, he decided, and let the feelings fade over time. 

He turned over in his bed, squeezing his eyes. An image of Riddle appeared in his mind, and he willed it away, groaning all the while. 

—

It went on for a few weeks, this sort of.. Thing. He didn’t really know what to call it; him seeing Riddle and taking notice of it everytime. He would stand straighter, forcing himself to look away when Riddle would come over to tell Ace and Deuce something. He didn’t know if Riddle ever even noticed him there, but he didn’t dare check. 

He also wondered if anyone else had noticed. He hoped he wasn’t being obvious, but when he looked at Jack, who was standing next to them, he wasn’t looking at him, just standing there awkwardly. Epel turned back at Ace and Deuce as Riddle was walking away. 

“There’s an Unbirthday party tomorrow. We have to go help,” Deuce explained. 

“Really? That sucks,” Epel replied, coughing into his arm. 

“Yeah, would you like to come? People from other dorms don’t always come, but there’s no rule that says otherwise,” Deuce added, as Epel smiled weakly, while Jack looked hesitant. 

“Ah, I’ll pass. Parties.. aren’t really my thing,” Epel admitted. It was true. He wasn’t particularly a social person, so parties always made him feel awkward. He never knew enough people, and when he did, he sometimes struggled with holding conversations. A part of him did want to go because Riddle would be there, but he was sure they wouldn’t talk anyway. He didn’t want to feel uncomfortable just so he could catch a glimpse of his hallway crush. 

“Boo, lame. What about you, Jack?” Ace asked, turning towards the other, who shrugged. 

It seemed Jack shared the same thoughts, or at least something similar. “I’ll pass, as well. Maybe next time.” 

“Ughh, whatever,” Ace rolled his eyes, but there was no real annoyance or negativity behind the action. “I guess we’ll see you guys later then.” 

“Yeah. See you,” Epel said, waving. Jack nodded, as Deuce and Ace walked away, leaving the two alone. 

There was a moment of silence before Jack coughed. “Are you okay, by the way? Not that I care or anything, but.. Uh–” 

Epel turned, tilting his head. “What do you mean?” 

“You just seem to avert your gaze every time Riddle is near.” 

“Oh, really?” Epel asked, intending to seem oblivious. 

“Yeah. So I was wondering if something had happened.” 

Epel swallowed. Should he tell Jack about this little crush of his? He thought about it a second longer, before deciding that no, he did not. He knew Jack wouldn’t judge, but… he was sure that these feelings would go away soon. There was no point in telling him away.

“Oh, no, not at all!” Epel reassured him, shaking his hands in front of him, his palms facing Jack. “I just didn’t wanna intrude on their conversation, you know?” 

“It happens even when they aren’t talking though,” Jack raised a brow, looking confused. Epel averted his eyes, trying to come up with an excuse, cursing his brain when he didn’t find one. 

“Ah, I wasn’t trying to.”

“So–”

“Anyway, I think Vil said he would need me for something later, so I’d better go. I’ll see ya ‘round, Jack!” Epel sputtered, hastily, grabbing his bag and hurrying away. He felt bad leaving Jack at the table alone, but in his defense, Vil did need him later today. Just, later was an hour and a half away. 

He sighed and slowed down, when he was far enough from the cafeteria, walking around the courtyard aimlessly. He decided that with an hour and a half to kill, it wouldn’t hurt to go back to his dorm and take a nap. He wasn’t really tired, but he didn’t feel like studying. 

A decision he had regretted because he ended up waking up late because his alarm didn’t go off. Scrambling as quickly as he could, he still managed to only be ten minutes late to meeting with Vil. Vil was already irritated by that, but in Epel’s scrambling, he hadn’t realized his hair was messy and his makeup was slightly smudged, which gave him a handful of scolding from Vil as a result. 

—

Exactly one month later, he is out in the courtyard, sitting against a tree. He didn’t mind his dorm so much anymore, but he still enjoyed being away from it from time to time. The courtyard was nice and peaceful, and the sun was out but it wasn’t too hot. Really, it would be a waste to not spend the day out like this. Even so, he was the only one out here, save for a few people all the way across.

In his hands were an apple and a metal spoon. He used the spoon to cut away at pieces of the apple, making a sculpture. It was much more difficult using a spoon than an apple-carving knife, but it was considered a weapon, which wasn’t really allowed on campus. He had made it work, though, as he held out his arms, taking a moment to admire his work. 

As he was finishing the last few bits of it, he felt a light touch against his ankle, ticklish. He stopped, leaning to the side to see what had touched him. He didn’t hate bugs, but he hoped there wasn’t a bug on him. 

Instead, it was.. “A hedgehog?” He mumbled to himself, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and setting it on the grass for a place to put his apple carving. 

The hedgehog was cute. It was small and was a pinkish-red color. He had heard that there were hedgehogs in Heartslabyul, but he hadn’t heard of any of them roaming free. So what was it doing here?

He had never seen a hedgehog before, so he wasn’t really sure how to handle one. Could he pick it up? The hedgehog looked at him, curiously, as he cupped his hand in front of it, lightly nudging its legs. The hedgehog encouraged the action, hopping on Epel’s palms. Now what? 

He continued holding the hedgehog, completely still. He wasn’t bad with handling animals, as he did a lot of farm work back at his hometown, which meant being around farm animals, but hedgehogs were a newer concept to him. The hedgehog nuzzled Epel’s wrist, looking content. 

“... You’re a cute one, aren’t you?” Epel said to himself, smiling as he felt more comfortable. The hedgehog made some sort of sound, and Epel looked at the uncarved apple in his lap. His hands were small, but he was able to hold the hedgehog in one of his hands, peeling off a piece of the apple. 

He offered it to the small animal, who accepted it happily. He put his other hand back under the hedgehog, watching it eat the apple. 

“Hungry?” He said, laughing. “Yeah, apples are pretty good, right?. I prefer barbeque, but Vil says my favorite should be macarons. Guess you wouldn’t know what either of them taste like, though.” Epel spoke, then he stopped. He looked around, sighing when no one was there, as he started to feel a little silly talking to an animal, especially when it wasn’t regarding animal linguistics. The animal language they were learning was related to felines. He heard learning to communicate with hedgehogs was too difficult to put on the curriculum.

Offhandedly, he wondered if Riddle knew anything about speaking to hedgehogs. He wouldn’t be surprised. Though he still didn’t know Riddle well, he knew he was capable of many things, much more than Epel was, which made sense considering he was a Housewarden. 

As he gave the hedgehog another small piece of the apple, he heard shuffling and the sound of heels clacking against the concrete pathway. He looked up, flinching when he noticed it was Riddle. Epel looked back down at the hedgehog, afraid his sudden movement had startled it, but it barely even seemed to notice. 

He tentatively looked up as Riddle was standing near the center of the courtyard, looking around frantically. It was strange. Riddle looked both anxious and upset, as if he was searching for something. 

Epel had never seen him like that before. Riddle was always so calm and collected. In front of him, anyway, but Ace had once told him that when Riddle gets angry, his face becomes as red as his hair. 

Epel wondered what Riddle was so anxious about, and when the hedgehog nudged at his hand, as if asking for another piece of the apple, he parted his lips in realization. That’s why the hedgehog was there. It had, in fact, gotten lost. That was probably the reason. 

As he worked out how to get over there (he was nervous about walking or even getting up with a small animal in his hand), it seemed Riddle had noticed him because he heard a throat clearing above him. He looked up, widening his eyes when it was his crush right in front of him!

“... Hi?” Epel blurted, unsure what to say. 

“You found a hedgehog!” Riddle exclaimed, relief over taking his features. 

“Oh– uh, yeah. Here.” Epel said, pushing his hands closer to Riddle’s, who had kneeled down onto the grass. When their hands touched, even though Riddle’s was gloved, he had to resist the urge to blush. Time and place, he reminded himself. The hedgehog easily moved to Riddle’s hand, now nuzzling against him. 

“Thank you, I had been looking everywhere for him. He was the last one to have gotten loose,” Riddle explained, taking a hand to pet the top of the hedgehog. 

“Ah, it’s no big deal. He came up to me first.” Riddle looked at Epel, and suddenly, Epel felt very, very nervous. Then, Riddle looked down, seeing the carved apple sitting beside him. 

“Did you make that?” Riddle asked, and for a moment, Epel stared at him. When Epel realized he was staring, he coughed and looked down, following Riddle’s gaze. He picked it up, giving Riddle a closer look. 

“Yes.” A beat of silence. Epel had no idea what to say. He had never imagined having any sort of interaction with his crush, so he had nothing prepared. Come on, Epel! Be manly!

He still didn’t say anything, trying to find words.

Riddle cleared his throat, awkwardly. “It looks very well done,” Epel could die. A compliment from Riddle?! “What is it?” 

“It’s a carvin’ of the entrance of my hometown. It’s a real big stone arch with a long, long path. Then, there’s a buncha fields n’ stuff. It’s pretty nice,” Epel rambled, loving any chance to talk about his hometown, so much so that it had been recurring that he would slip back into his accent whenever it was brought up. 

Riddle didn’t look like he cared much about the accent slip, and instead, seemed to be listening with interest. “Is that so? Where are you from?” He asked, and Epel looked down, running a finger over the arch of the carving gently. 

“Ah, uh– most people don’t know it, so don’t worry about it if you don’t. It’s Harveston?” 

Riddle bit his lip for a second, as if thinking. “It sounds familiar, but I admit I am not very knowledgeable about the town.”  

“It’s known for its apples. Sometimes, my folks will send a bunch over here so I share them with my dorm,” Epel replied. 

“I see,” Riddle stood up slowly to not disturb the hedgehog in his hands. Epel wondered if he should be standing too, but ultimately decided not to. Riddle smiled down at him. “I’ll make sure to learn more about Harveston. It sounds like a lovely place.” 

Epel laughed. “It’s small, but I like it there a lot.” 

“That’s good. Once again, thank you for finding the hedgehog.” Then after a moment, Riddle gasped quietly, which wouldn’t have been noticeable had Epel not been staring directly at him so intently. “I apologize. I must introduce myself. I am Riddle Rosehearts, housewarden of Heartslabyul. It’s nice to meet you.” 

Maybe Epel should stand up. He gets up, nodding his head. “I’m Epel Felmier. I’m in Pomefiore. Nice to meet you too.” More than nice, actually, Epel thought to himself, resisting the urge to laugh at his own ‘joke’. 

“I know you. I have heard much about you from Ace and Deuce,” Riddle replied and Epel suddenly feared whatever the two had to say about him. Ace, especially, who had so many opinions about nearly everything. 

“Ah, really? All good things, I’m hoping…?” 

“Yes, don’t worry,” And then it happened. Riddle laughed. It wasn’t a full laugh, it was a mere chuckle, but by the sound of it, Epel knew he would be thinking about it for weeks. “They seem to be impressed by your apple carving abilities. I’m glad to have been able to see it for myself.” 

“Thank you,” Epel said, trying to appear as casual as possible, but he was sure that there was a blush on his face. How embarrassing… 

“Well, I hope we can talk again soon,” Riddle ended, and Epel nodded again. 

“Me too,” Epel agreed, as Riddle walked away. When Riddle was gone, he put his head in his hands and let out a muffled scream. It seemed he was very, very wrong. This crush was not going away anytime soon. 

[inkymers007]

Flowers and Masks (Part 1)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland (Specifically the Glorious Masquerade event) Genre: Fantasy Warnings: N/A Word Count: 1,354 A/N: This series gonna be posted whenever. There's no specific time I have for this I just wanted to post this for fun. And since the events going on I figured it'd be perfect timing. :3 Also good luck to anyone pulling for the event!

“Okay I’ll go over it again,” The black haired vice housewarden explained. “Towels are on the second shelf. Your comb is in the box beneath that, next to the hair dryer.”

“Uh huh,” The white haired boy said as he nodded along. All with a smile on his face.

“There’s medicine for headaches and stomach issues in the first aid kit. Other medicine is in the chest of drawers, top drawer.”

“Got it!” “I put out some spare soap, but if you need more it’s in…”

His voice droned on and on. It was like a parent reminding their child to do their chores, because they were going away on a trip. Which was true, the vice housewarden was going on a trip. He was going to Fleur City to go to a social gathering. Meeting other mages at the smaller school of Nobel Bell College. It was especially exciting because around this time there was a festival that happened once a year. However he wasn’t talking to a child. No, he was talking to his housewarden who was looking at him with wide eyed attentiveness. However the red haired man sitting in the same room thought otherwise. Sure his housewarden wasn’t the smartest man alive, but he was still capable at times.

“Jamil, he’s not a child,” The redhead groaned. “Kalim can handle himself just fine.”

“Augh, I’m just worried!” *Jamil said. He then put both his hands on Kalim’s shoulder’s. “Are you really going to be okay on your own for three days?”

“Don’t be such a worrywart, Jamil!” Kalim chuckled. “Nothing’s gonna happen. And if something does happen, the rest of the guys in Scarabia will be there to help. It’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I mean you did give all of them a manual,” The redhead added.

“See we’re good,” Kalim said with a smile. However his smile soon faded into a frown. “Although I wish I could’ve gone to Fleur City with you and Valerio. The name alone makes it sound beautiful. Aren’t you two excited?”

His smile then returned in the matter of seconds as he beamed at both his fellow classmates. “This is a chance to make friends from other schools. You two lucked out big time!”

“Yeah maybe we’ll even find Jamil a girlfriend or something,” Valerio chuckled.

“You think so?” Kalim asked excitedly.

“I doubt it,” Jamil spat as he glared at Valerio. “One single social wouldn’t be enough to form any meaningful friendships. Let alone a relationship.”

“You never know~” Valerio playfully teased. Smirking as he was immune to Jamil’s glares by this point.

“Although I am looking forward to touring somewhere new,” Jamil remarked. There was a smile on his face as he spoke.

“Yeah there you go! I’ll be super happy if you two enjoyed yourselves. Tell me all about it when you two get back,” Kalim beamed.

“Don’t worry we will. I’ll even bring you back something,” Valerio smiled

“Really?” 

“Really, Really.”

“Thanks, Val! You’re the best.”

“Anyways,” Jamil interrupted. “Please be careful, and don’t get injured or sick while I’m away.”

“Sure thing!” Kalim grinned.

“All right, let’s go over it one more time. Towels are on the left…” Jamil started.

“Again!?” Kalim yelled.

Valerio let out a groan as he rolled his eyes. Not wanting to hear Jamil go through this for the millionth time; he got up and headed to his room to pack. As the redhead traversed through the halls he could hear the groans of his fellow dormmates about Jamil’s manual. A part of him was lucky that he got picked to go on this trip. Otherwise he would have to read the endless pages of rules and instructions. The mere thought of it made Valerio shudder as he finally got to his room. He opened the door and was expecting to see the room empty. However, there was a student sitting on top of his bed holding one of the pillows. If it was a Scarbia student it wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary, but the brunette was from Octavinelle. Thankfully Valerio knew the person, but that didn’t quell his confusion. Their cyan eyes landed onto Valerio and they smiled at him.

“What’s up, Val?” The student asked.

“Nothing much, but what are you doing here Salem?” Valerio asked.

“Floyd and Jade are tearing up the Mostro Longue because they were mad that they didn’t get picked. So I thought I’d come here to get out of the crossfire.”

Valerio nodded in understanding. He had forgotten how violent the twins could be sometimes. He then moved to his bed to get his suitcase out from under it. 

“Well, I’ll be here packing for that trip. Hope you don’t mind,” Valerio said as he turned his back on Salem and opened up his closet. Revealing a wide array of Scarabia uniforms.

“You still haven’t packed yet?” Salem asked in disbelief.

“No, I was helping Jamil organize everything for Kalim.”

“Ohhh… Well Azul’s practically got everything packed down to the letter.”

“Of course he has,” Valerio slightly rolled his eyes at the mention of Azul. “Always prepared for anything.”

“Yeah… but hey maybe on this trip you two can finally kiss or something.”

That made Valerio’s face heat up. Him and Azul… kissing? To be fair he has thought of things like that. As much as Valerio hates to admit it. However, he knows that it’ll never happen. After all Azul hates him and is only teasing him because Valerio’s done it countless times before. So there’s no way he’d actually do it… right?

“D-don’t be ridiculous Salem that won’t happen,” Valerio dismissed as he packed a school uniform into his suitcase.

“Oh come on, Val, you two have been practically flirting with each other for a year and a half,” Salem insisted.

“Speaking of flirting, how's your flirting going?” Valerio asked. A bit of tease was in his voice, but really he wanted to change the subject.

Now it was Salem’s turn to blush profusely. They instantly dropped the pillow and waved their arms around.

“W-well it’s just that… well you know… I… haven’t done it yet,” Salem muttered. Looking away in shame.

“Did you get cold feet again?” Valerio guessed.

“Wha- no! He was just really busy and I-I didn’t want to bother him is all!” Salem stammered, but they still weren’t looking at Valerio.

“Uh-huh.”

“Ok, as his childhood friend you should know how busy Vil is. Imagine you're in a conversation and someone walks up to you and is like, ‘hey baby what’s up?’ Like that’s so incredibly rude. He already thinks Octavinelle’s shady anyways. I don't want him to think I’m rude on top of that. And it would’ve been even more awkward if I was just standing there. Actually not only would it have been awkward, it would've been a bit creepy as well. I mean could you imagine…”

That was the second time today that Valerio has heard someone ramble. However this one he couldn’t escape from it. Not that he minded since he found that Salem’s ramblings could be amusing at times. Despite the onslaught of words the Octavinelle student was saying there were a few words that stuck to his mind.

“Maybe on this trip you two can finally kiss or something.”

Those words replayed in his mind. All while a scene flashed before him. The two of them standing in a plaza of flowers. His beloved rival standing in front of him, his gray eyes looking at Valerio with love and adoration. The smirk he usually wore was replaced with a smile. A genuine warm smile that made Valerio’s heart swell. He would hold Valerio close and whisper sweet nothings into Valerio’s ear. The oranges and reds of the sky only made the scene more romantic and warm. 

Valerio shook off that scene from his mind and regained his focus on packing. However the thought still plagued his mind. Occasionally popping up here and there.  Maybe it was the hopeless romantic in him, but… he wouldn’t mind if the social ended with a kiss or… Something else…

[givemea-dam-break]

babes is back

hello my lovies!!!!!!

i am back!!!! much to your pleasure and simultaneous screaming because yes, if i am back, the fics will be back. and they will be painful.

i thought i’d give you guys a little explanation as to why i kind of randomly stopped coming on tumblr despite my reappearances in december, which were because the lovely @neewtmas had her 12 days of christmas (FIND THAT HERE) and we’re online friends in real life (if that makes any sense at all) and i wanted to support her!!!! my wife!!!!

under the cut below is my little rundown, under a cut simply because i don’t want to take up a million scrolls of your dash if you don’t want to read my reasonings or you are just happy i am back (i luv u)

i have felt terrible since becoming inactive on tumblr since i made so many friends and had so so so many people supporting not only my fanfictions but the edits i also started making, so this is also kind of like my apology to you guys because i went so unexpectedly and without any explanation. so if you want to keep reading, then keep reading!

BOO

scary cut. i know. it’s ok. i am here to protect u.

anyways, like i said, my inactivity on tumblr was a completely out of the blue thing that even i didn’t expect. one day, i just found myself unable to go on the app out of pure dread which i had never felt because it was one of my faves.

and not dread because of anything that had happened here per se, just because my life had been becoming a bit of a mess.

that goes way back, but the crux of it was when me and my boyfriend of 4 years (who i had been staying with after my mum moved away) broke up

i won’t get into details about the breakup itself for both my privacy and his (very unique instances caused it), but basically it got worse and worse, and by october time it was getting to a point where i wasn’t feeling right at all. he was messaging me all the time, begging to get back together, the usual, but he was always wanting to come see me at my dads and for SOME REASON felt as though he had some entitlement to meet my new cats aka my little babies. he was saying creepy things to me (that he didn’t mean as creepy) and by november i blocked him.

i wasn’t feeling safe physically, worried i’d see him on my walks home from the shop in a different town that he comes to often to hang out in with his best friend, but also mentally. i wasn’t in a good mental space at all. i was scared. i was confused. he had pushed all of the blame of the breakup onto me. i was working 35 hours a week while being a student (still am) and my brain had no time for anything but work, studying, and worrying.

tumblr isn’t my job, but the pure guilt i felt when i deleted the app hit me like a tonne of bricks. i felt terrible. one of the only things that gave me solace was something i couldn’t bring myself to go on to. i couldn’t bring myself to write the requests i had piling in, ones i still have huge guilt for never getting around to writing. i couldn’t bring myself to keep answering messages or reblogging things because i didn’t have it in me. i didn’t even write at all october-november because i just had nothing in me, which is so so unlike me.

one thing that did keep me going though, was my emails. “eden ew ur job alert emails? ur period tracker app trying to get u onto premium? the emails from the joint account u had with ur ex for his music career that went kasplut?” no silly. maybe the job alerts - my job has too much drama.

no. 15 year old eden logging back into tumblr and setting email notifs on for comments, tags, and inbox was perhaps the smartest thing she did, and she got all A’s in her exams.

every now and then, i’d get a little tumblr notification. one of those “put this in the inbox of one of your favourite blogs blah blah blah” i luv em. can never get myself to do them because of the 13 year old in me screaming to never do chain mail again after carmen winstead and her creepy voicenote. but i love them, and i appreciate every single person who sent me one.

i could see people commenting on my fics, and absolutely loving them. i could see what my mutuals tagged me in, even if i wasn’t able to react to them.

it gave me peace of mind to keep going with my life while still being able to cling onto the happiness this site brings me while not actually accessing it.

i will always be sorry that i left so suddenly, but it was a spur of the moment thing and something i couldn't even explain myself.

i'm back now, but i likely won't be as active as i used to be. i'm prioritising work and my studies as much as i can while still finding time to write. this being said, i can't promise that all requests sent to my inbox/messages will be answered. part of my leaving was being so overwhelmed by them all (and i thank you all for choosing me to requests fics from, it means a lot!) so if your request doesn't get answered, i truly am sorry and it isn't anything personal! maybe I'll get around to it in the future, but for now i want to bring the joy back to writing for me so i will not be overloading myself like i used to!

i hope you can all understand, and know i love you all so, so dearly! i wouldn't have the friends i do or be where i am in life without all of you!

love u all lots lovies <3

-ur favourite person ever ever ever, eden MWAH

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

PROPAGANDA

MARY WINCHESTER (SUPERNATURAL)

1.) in a series famous for fridging women she is THEEE og. fridged in the first five minutes of episode she might as well be in the freezer.

AND THEN. this sounds like some real stupid spn bullshit but. season 12. she gets defrosted. and its the smartest thing the writers ever did. does some rly fun things with the dissonance between s&d (mostly d)’s image of her and the actual real human person she was and is!!

ONE SEASON LATER: they stop trying to bother giving her a tangible personality or any interesting conflict (imo this was probably motivated by poor fan response to her; a big chunk of the fanbase were just as upset as dean was that she wasn’t the perfect mother they’d pictured. HOWEVER it is still canon. a canon that is easily swayed by fandom misogyny is also misogynistic ofc). they strip away complexity they’d set up in season 4/5 by saying umm actually things would be worse if she didnt make that morally complicated demon deal in her youth <3

TWO SEASONS LATER: still not giving her any personality. worse than just not doing anything else with her complicated relationship with motherhood at this point, it feels like theyve stripped her down to nothing BUT that. they shove her into a relationship with s&d’s other parental figure with literal sub-zero chemistry for no reason. and ummm guess what :) they kill her again!! back in the fridge for you, bitch!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THREE SEASONS LATER: s&d find a spell that was explicitly invented with the intention of bringing her back and they just say like welllllll she seems like shes having a good time in heaven. i HAAAAAAAAATE THIS FUCKING SHOWWWWWWWWWWWW

ALSO: even if she doesnt get in i recommend checking out the photo. its rly good. samantha smith milf of all time forreal.

(my last supernatural submission. sorry for putting you through this bestie. i could go on but i dont think i should.)

2.) The first scene in the show is her getting brutally killed by a demon. It is what starts the events of the entire show, since she gets fridged for manpain. And then she gets resurrected in season 12 and is a really interesting character and then she gets fridged for manpain AGAIN

3.) Going for the Guinness world record in “number of times one show fridged the same mom,” SPN?

KONAN (NARUTO)

1.)

• She is taken in as a *child* by jiraiya and trained as a ninja. When jiraiya leaves his parting comment is that she'll be beautiful when she grows up & to come visit him when she's 18 (she's still a child at this point) 🤢

• Konan isn't given the chance to express her own opinions - she's shown to simply follow nagato's lead. 

• Unlike nagato, she isn't acknowledged as being naruto's ""sibling student"" for having the same teacher. Naruto isn't shown to care about this bond and is entirely unaffected by her death.

• Wrote out of the story & killed off immediately after Nagato's death for no reason. Doesn't get a chance to exist as an independent character even after she becomes the leader of her village.

• Naruto vows to bring peace to the rain village but never does or is even shown to think about it or her. (& in boruto the rain village is even shown to be in ruins)

• Konan puts her faith in naruto and vows that she and the village will support him in his quest for peace. Despite this she doesn't ever get to fight at his side during the war because she is immediately killed off.

• She also doesn't get to show up in the war as an opponent to naruto. Despite being a founding member of the akatsuki she isn't reanimated along with the others in the war.

• While her fight against tobi showcases her skill and preparedness it only exists as a reason to kill her off. Tobi only wins due to his plot armour.

[weltinator]

so when i was pretty young, i want to say in first grade? my school/parish hosted a taekwondo class for a semester during the hours the gym wasn’t in other use, and it was open to all ages, so my parents enrolled me in it. a bunch of my classmates and people from the church also attended, but when the arrangement ended and the class had to move into a dojo in another neighborhood, most people stopped going. me and one of my classmates kept going to it though. i was a tiny nerd who got bullied, so i think my parents really wanted me to do a sport, ideally one that helped me defend myself, but i honestly don’t remember much from that class, except how to count to twenty (badly pronounced) in korean. my classmate was absolutely ripped for a first grade girl, or really for any first grader, or for that matter anyone younger than middle school, and frequently kicked the asses of anyone in our grade at any sport. so for some reason we got paired up to spar when the teacher (again, i don’t remember much from this class, idk if we called them seonsaeng or what) decided we had advanced far enough to do that. 

i had no idea what i was supposed to do against her, but i was pretty sure i’d get yelled at if i just tried to dodge the whole time, so i planned to try blocking, and held my arms up around face/chest area. surprisingly, she seemed to take this block seriously and aimed under it. i’m honestly not sure if she was going for my stomach or my legs, but i know she wasn’t going for my crotch. or at least she didn’t mean to kick that hard. this was obvious from the look of immense shock and guilt i could see on her face through the tears as i was laid out on the ground crying from the worst pain i could remember experiencing at that point in my life. (i was not a very active kid, i hadn’t had a lot of injuries.) i quit that class within a month, claiming to my parents that i had better things to do with my weekends. they accepted this, and then immediately signed me up for soccer that practiced during the week. i played soccer until the start of high school, and i feel comfortable saying that by that time i was still worse at soccer than i’d been at taekwondo after doing it for like a year. also i got bullied by soccer players more than i ever did by taekwondo people. 

so fast forward several years to fifth grade. i was a good student, up until high school when i realized i actually had to start putting effort in and immediately spiraled into several years of minimal sleep and turning all my assignments in late. but as of fifth grade, i just had to half listen in class and read any assignments once and i was good to get all A’s. unfortunately, on this one occasion, i had completely forgotten to read the textbook chapter. and scanning the questions on this quiz, i realized this was not a topic i had any prior knowledge of, and i wasn’t going to be able to guess on most of it. at this point in my life, i did not have a lot going for me. most of my classmates and teachers found me weird and annoying, i did not pull any weight in gym, i had gone every soccer season at this point without scoring a single goal, i had like four friends in the world, two of which didn’t go to my school. what i did have, was being a good catholic boy, and straight A’s. i decided the second thing was more important, and for the first and only time in my academic career, i cheated. burning with a mixture of shame and determination, i turned to the person next to me and whispered, “what’s number 1?”

as previously established, i was not popular. i was generally considered one of the smartest kids in our class, but people did not come to me for help with their homework, because i was an obnoxious knowitall, but also really bad at explaining stuff. not only was i now showing weakness in the only area i had ever shown strength, i was doing it with no social capital to fall back on. i could very easily have been ignored, told to shut up, or immediately snitched on, depending on who i was sitting next to.

unless the person i was sitting next to was the same one that still felt guilty for kicking me full force in the groin four years earlier. 

we locked eyes after i asked my question. i have never been good at understanding what people are thinking, but in the span of a second, i saw her evaluate the situation, weigh the risk and the complete lack of reward, and then a flash of recollection. this was catholic school, we all went to confession every month. but i knew in that moment that she had never told anyone about that day, not even a priest. 

she gave me the answer, and all the others i asked for. i went home and read the textbook, and never cheated again. she never told the teacher or any of our classmates. i got an A on the quiz, she got absolution, and we basically never interacted again after that. 

[acollectionofneilsreveries]

yap yap yap

Hi!

This is just one of the few documents I’m writing once again to process my emotions. Even before, writing has always been my company when my thoughts get loud. And in med school, there’s not a time when you’re not studying and if there were chances that you aren’t, it’s highly likely that you’re choosing to sleep to makeup for every sleepless night. But there are also times, when you get lucky enough, that you have a couple of hours to yourself. And this is one of those times (long weekend kasi, I have time).

So, a quick life update.

Life so far has been okay. I passed the boards. We’re #RMT2024! Grabe. It’s nice to actually put a closure to those four years I’ve spent in college. Looking back, I did enjoy my time. It was worthwhile and chaotic, to say the least. But, like any other life experiences, be it good or bad, it made me who I am today and I couldn’t imagine a version of me other than who I am today. Originally, the goal was to top the boards, but life happened. And sometimes, dreams get traded for something more precious. So, you can say that I hoped the stars would align for me but at the same time, I was quite scared that my dreams get realized, the deal I had with faith would get broken. And, I’d rather not top the boards than my other prayer not happening. It was bittersweet. But you can say, I wasn’t wholeheartedly desiring those dreams. Yes, I speak in codes and indirect phrases but, this letter is only really intended for me. I know future me would understand what I was referring to. But without that in mind, in taking the boards, I always believed that if it’s for you, then it is for you. Being a topnotcher in the boards was someone else’s story and that wasn’t for me. I am okay with that. A little sad with the fact, but I’m okay. Imagine juggling med school, sacrificing the only two months you have to be sane before the world of healthcare consumes your soul once again. Doing this to study for the boards, that’s already amazing as it is. And for that, I am proud of me. I am proud that I took the risk, I answered bravely and I admired how my faith never faltered as I took the boards. It was funny because I had a lot of mishaps prior to taking the boards, but all is fine now.

(Scrolled through tiktok for a couple of minutes. I started writing this because I was feeling kind of sad awhile ago, but I feel like writing did help and the tiktok fyp distracted me from those negative emotions that I now feel a little better. Actually Im okay now ulit.)

Okay, so this will have probably a different tone than what I was writing awhile ago because my emotions turned a complete 180. See. Writing does help.

Anyway, just to continue my story about boards, I’m happy that Im now an RMT. I just wish that I had more time to celebrate that win. Kaso wala eh, med school was already starting so the readings were piling up and the exams were lining up. Your fresh board passer, needs to review again. This time for the challenge that third year poses.

When it comes to med school, I am now in third year. And revalida is just two years away now. REVALIDA’s SCARY. SO, I think Im putting a little too much pressure on myself to digest everything. That sometimes, I forget to remind myself that I am only human, allowed to make mistakes and be a little slow sometimes. Hindi tayo leapmed student who was a brain speed that’s greater than the average person. But ayun, sab inga nila, if youre the smartest person in the room, then you’re in the wrong room. So okay lang at ana medyo mediocre tayo this time. There’s peace too in mediocrity. But of course, if you want to be stellar, I know I have it in me. Sadyang, Im getting old, Im now 25. Most times, I have already been daydreaming about settling with my own family. Someday soon. HAHAHAHA Also, probably the reason why I was sad before writing this was because I didn’t finish reviewing the materials for the exam a few hours ago, so my scores did pass. But it was exacty passing. In med, it feels like sometimes you’re okay to be mediocre but not to mediocre at the expense of your grades. So, it’s kind of chill and not chill. You just have the find the balance. Also, the revalida being closer now and my ability to diagnose diseases not being at par to my level stress me out that’s why I think it manifested as frustration and sadness when I didn’t reach my goals. But med school’s like that, ITS SUCH A ROLLER COASTER RIDE. One moment you get a perfect score, the next one, you don’t pass an exam. And it’s normal. Just don’t normalize it too much.

Anyway, you have your people in med school. The few that keeps you sane. And I will always be thankful that A4 is my subsec. This is a group of people who are just too good to be true and I’m lucky that I have them with me.

So ayun, I guess that’s the only update for now.

Okay na kasi ako. Thanks writing!

[drewoclock]

Doin' School

Originally published May 2nd, 2016

I’m not one to be embarrassed by very much, but there’s actually something shameful I’ve been intentionally hiding.  Last year, myself and many of those in my high school senior class were finally graduating college after four years--except I wasn’t among them.  My college experience wound up involving three separate colleges, and as it turns out, the collegic system makes it difficult for transfer students to graduate in their expected year.  While I was meant to be a 2015 cap-wearer, reality sets me at 2016.

I won’t lie; this made me feel very inferior to the peers I was formally graduating with, and even more inferior to the peers I was going to graduate with instead.  It was the mental equivalent of getting held back a year, despite the fact I didn’t do anything to academically deserve it.  This was a matter of timing only and had nothing at all to do with my status--and yet, I’ve never mentioned anything mentioning the fact I’m still in school publicly up until right now.  I felt small not being able to do it in four years.

This fear of not being my best checkered a lot of my academic career.  I would feel pressure to take as many AP classes as I could, even if I didn’t want to take them.  I had to be the smartest.  I started out school as a great student but as the work became more consuming, my focus waned, and it was hard for me to stay a great student.  In fact, I really wasn’t.  Once academics became a real commitment, my straight As were gone, and at some point I got Fs.

Do I still regret these things?  Yeah, I do.  I wonder what it would have been like had I applied myself more.  Had I not become a prolific class-skipper in high school and instead taken more challenging classes.  I don’t tend to have the greatest capacity for retaining volumes of information, but perhaps applying myself would have sharpened these abilities.  I could have developed better intellectual recall.  I could have become a smarter human being.

But then again, it wouldn’t have mattered too much.  I still wound up getting into one of the best film schools in the country, which turned out to be disappointing for me.  It’s such a crapshoot.  So much of that shame I felt was because I felt I was denying myself the opportunity to get the best college education, but now I realize that a good college education depends much more on luck than on grades.  Still, it could have been nice to be smarter.

The worst thing, though, is that I don’t feel much of an absence in my life.  So many classes I did not really apply myself to, and I don’t really feel any worse off because of it.  And this was such a large portion of my life.  I wandered through it half-aimlessly, just seeking to have fun, and it panned out.  I’m glad I’m happy, but I’m sort of bothered by the pointlessness of it all.  I guess I had enough moments of academic discovery, like the arts, to make it worth it.  Though not nearly enough.

I think what really got me attached to school, however, was the community.  It’s not that uncommon an idea of a group of people taking notes as a superior addresses them.  But something about that specific classroom setting, and the specific experience of attending a school, has really stuck with me.  It’s not technically remarkable, but the fact I’ve been doing it for so long makes it noteworthy.  And of course, the friends I would make along the way was wonderful.

And the reason I write about all this?  Today was my last day of classes, ever.  Humorously, it’s also the only day I pulled an all-nighter before all of my thirteen hours worth of classes, so my attempt to stay alert for a personal record amount of time made the day even more memorable than it already would have been.  I took notes while doodling on a piece of paper today and I thought, I’ll never really do this the same way again.

When I was younger, I was heavily sentimental about graduating a grade--I recall finishing elementary school to be a particularly hard time for me.  It was very affecting for me to sprititually leave behind a chapter of my life that I had invested so much into.  While I’ve become better at not being such a wreck these days, I have to say that it’s hard to not feel something here.  It’s not just another year come and gone; it’s the whole academic experience.  Sure, I can take other classes if I want to, but that official road of schooling for me has closed at last.  I won’t think of years as September-August anymore.  And it’s hard to believe.

I’m not even really going to edit this (though eh, maybe I will).  I just wanted to freewrite how I felt right now.  It’s not often that I get to feel like this.  There’s never been such a large part of my life that I’ve had to say goodbye to before.  It’s like a whole volume of my life has wrapped up.  There are so many incredible chapters to reflect on that I’m overwhelmed.  But it’s beautiful.  It’s beautiful to have been given the opportunity to feel so attached to something, even if it wasn’t of my own free will really.

What can I take from it?  I would say that the most practical lessons I could give are “don’t make assumptions about what you’re capable of” and “follow through with things”.  Doing both of those would have corrected so many of my academic shortcomings.  But on a deeper level?  The idea of growth.  How sad and joyful it is to be able to change in such a way that you have to leave parts of yourself behind as other parts journey onward.  And the idea of just how much happens.  As slow as time moves for me, it’s wild when I remember all of the things that colored my timeline over the years.  School is how I measured time.  School is where I had so many opportunities.  In a word, it was fulfilling, and I’m endlessly thankful for all of it.

[kittygamer429]

I don’t want to disagree because a lot of what I think is the same but I do want to dig in a little deeper. The thing with Wu’s character for me has nothing to do with him as a character, rather that in the way the writers forced him to be. That makes no sense you say? Wu told the Ninja about threats whenever they occurred and not as soon as he could could be seen in two different ways. The in show logic of he couldn’t have known they would still be a threat/ he thought he handled it; and the meta way in which Wi didn’t know until said season because it wasn’t even a possibility until the creators came up with it. I don’t hate Wu but he also acts like he’s still one of the smartest people around and he still teaches the Ninja. Even in crystalized he says he’s not gonna but children in danger and the kids call him out, so at least Wu is a bit more aware in later seasons he’s kinda a dingus. As for Garmadon, he got a chance to be more than a teacher, he was a villain people simp for, a fighter (he broke his no fighting bow for his son!) and was willing to lose himself to protect the world. Wu wasn’t willing to talk to an old enemy to save his student, he let it happen but didn’t like it. Wi has thrown himself into battle but I always felt like it was more to remind people that “yeah! Wu is a master ninja” and less for his sake. (I could be mistaken but literally all I can remember about Wu is Mentor and sometimes fights with them. More in the background)

Wukong on the other hand always gave of the air of “perfect” because of the legends about him in universe and real life (even those who had never read the JTTW or any media about him could tell) but even in the first season they show he’s kinda self centered and a goof. He’s not even very involved In the first season. In the episodes we see the most of him in we don’t just shed his lax personality, he’s not even showing if he can be a good mentor (which was Wu’s entire character it felt like). But LMK also had the advantage of either knowing they had a good chance at more seasons or still planting future seeds because the second season just gives us more of an idea of how flawed Monkey King is. It’s only flashes but it still sets him apart from “perfect” and in the 3 and 4th seasons (trying to not spoil it) we learn even more of his flaws and watch him accept and work on some of them. Working with people like he did in JTTW and trying to fix past sins. He didn’t just, not bring them up, he actively tried to ignore them or hide them from MK.

Tl:dr - while Wukong’s likability is particularly attributed to his physical attraction (and his personality) it also comes from how the show gives him time and more activity then just a teacher while when I think of Wu that’s all I really remember about him.

no bc yk what I've realized? SWK and Wu are both heavily flawed mentor characters who've never told their pupil(s) about possible threats that they've dealt with in the past because they likely never would've expected them to come back.

The key difference? SWK is a fan favorite for almost every fan of LMK, while Wu is the most hated character, because he "totally ruined Morro's life and was constantly berating Kai and doesn't care about his pupils at all" (even though these are all mostly false and also he has most CERTAINLY changed from his season 1-self).

This leads me to one of two conclusions. Either A) the hate for Wu really IS because he isn't conventionally attractive (which can be backed up by the fact that Garmadon IS but he's done worse), or B) the Monkie Kid fandom is saner than the Ninjago fandom