#and not because everyone fears him. It's such a bummer for something that was introduced in the manga 100 chapters before. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ikenbar · 5 years ago

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Ikamara One Shot: The MP3

Hi! this is just a one shot about the OC I made for the game Mr. Love: A Queen’s Choice. It’s a story I have been working on a while and these One Shots are to help better understand the character! (And also rise tension for the up coming chapters to the actual fan fiction) I hope you guys learn to love and understand Ike more by reading these! Thank you so much for your time and enjoy!

~ Ike and Bar Productions Productions

Warnings: None. Literally just wholesome fluff and familial bonds.

Read more of Ikamara’s story!

Chapter One parts one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven here :)

And Chapter Two prologue and parts one, two, three, four, five, and six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and eleven here :D

Chapter three coming soon :D

One Shot: The MP3

“Here we are!”

It was the first day of her transfer to her new high school, Loveland Lake High, and Ike was less than pleased to be there. The last high school she attended had been full of frauds and bullies. She never uttered a word but the whole school seemed to think they knew her enough to judge her. They were wildly mistaken but Ike didn’t care much about it. What they thought was probably right. After all, her last foster parents spent hours making sure she knew how much of a disappointment she was. Luckily, she wouldn’t have to listen to anything the students or faculty had to say. She had six hours of run time on her MP3 player and she planned on using every bit of it while she was there. It seemed as if Kiro was the only thing that made Ike feel like she was not alone, even though she was very much alone. Or at least tried to be. If it weren’t for her new foster family.

“Thank you for the ride, Maria!” Ike’s new overly cheery foster brother, Chris, smiled from the passenger's seat as he opened the car door.

“Of course, dear!” Maria smiled at him, “Have a good day!”

“Bye!” Sam called from next to Ike, making her jump slightly. Chris gave Sam one last smile before shutting the door behind him. Maria’s attention was now on the teenage girl in the backseat of the car.

“Have a good first day, sweetie!” Maria spoke with hope to Ike, as she unbuckled her seatbelt and moved to get out of the minivan, “I’ll pick you up for lunch!” Ike stayed silent as she pulled at the door. Something tugged on Ike’s left side. Though unable to feel that arm, she still turned to look at the perpetrator. A missing toothed smile came from Sam in the car seat next to her. He had a hold of her shirt sleeve. Ike gave the boy a poker faced glare. It didn’t seem to faze him as he simply smiled wider and said, “You’re coming to my school for lunch! They have a big cafeteria with lots of food so it’ll be fun!” Ike nodded, trying to shake his hand from her sleeve. He ignored her and continued, “And you can meet my friends! There’s Miles and Cedrick and-”

“Alright, Sam.” Maria called from the front seat, “Time to let her go to school.”

“Oh, right!” Sam let go of Ike’s shirt, “Have a great day!! See you soon!” Ike quickly turned back to the door. She grabbed the door handle but stopped. She slowly turned and looked at the window seat on the other side of the car. A quiet, little boy sat there wearing huge earphones, staring out of the window with a perplexed look on his face. Ashton was the only person who had left Ike alone since she moved in. Though Sam was his twin brother, he seemed to completely vary from him. Though Sam didn’t seem to like it, from the contant arguemnts the two had, Ike respected the distance nonetheless. He was the only one who made her feel heard even though she didn’t speak a word.

“What’s wrong?” Sam tilted his head curiously, “You forget something? I can help you find it!” Ike regained her composure and left the car without looking back. She quickly walked to the front door of the school, avoiding anymore contact from her supposed family. Groups of children laughed and talked as they passed her. Ike’s shoulders rose and her posture worsened as she walked through the crowds. A creeping feeling made its way through Ike’s shoes. Suddenly, it was like she could hear what everyone was saying loud and clear.

“She’s a mistake. Five foster homes and no one kept her. This new foster home isn’t going to change anything.”

“She may be wearing our uniform but she will never be welcome here.”

“She’s a fraud. She speaks lies.”

“She was nearly beaten to death. In my opinion, he should have just finished the jo-”

Ike put the earbuds in her ears. The rest of the world washed out and was replaced by a sweet melody and a soft voice. Those kids weren’t saying those words. They were just talking about the latest season of Quiz of Chairs. None of them even noticed her walk by. But Ike wasn’t convinced. She tucked the MP3 player into her shirt and covered the earbuds with her long, bushy, brown hair as she walked into the school.

That day was as long as Ike had feared. Every class would start the same. She’d be introduced, the class would give them their fake smiles and empty welcomes, and then the teacher would ask her to tell the class a little bit about herself. To which she responded by silently moving to an empty desk and staring at the floor. By the time lunch came around, she successfully made everyone at school uncomfortable. The sidelong glances and harsh whispers were nothing new to her. In fact, she barely noticed them as she kept her head down and listened to her music. She was only pulled away from it as someone grabbed a hold of her shoulder, pulling her into a side hug. Startled, Ike tensed and whipped her head around to see a beaming Chris next to her. Ike paused her music and gave the boy an uneasy look.

“Solid day, huh??” He asked, not expecting an answer, “I made loads of new friends! Shame I can’t eat with them though. But spending time with the twins is ok too!” The two walked together to the office where Maria was waiting to pick them up. They left the school and arrived at the elementary school. Immediately, Ike was uncomfortable. The sounds of screaming children on the playground overtook her senses as she walked through the school. Maria had found one of the teachers and had sparked a conversation with them, leaving Chris and Ike to find the cafeteria on their own. Chris felt like he needed to say something but was interrupted by a screaming child.

“You’re here!” Sam appeared from one of the classrooms and ran headlong into Chris. They both fell to the ground laughing.

“You think I’d miss out on free food??” Chris ruffled Sam’s hair roughly, “And I get to spend time with the best brother in the world! Speaking of which, where’s Ashton?” Sam punched Chris in the stomach, causing him to laugh again. Sam looked up and smiled widely at Ike. Ike folded her arms and looked uncomfortably down the hallway and to the classroom Sam had just come from. A teacher was standing there, looking very disgruntled. “Now, Sam.” Chris pushed Sam off of him as he stood up, “What were you doing in the classroom so late?”

“I… uh.. Got in trouble.” Sam murmured, barely audible over the squeaking of his nervous feet, “Don’t tell Mom! But I may have accidentally… told the teacher that the reason I didn’t do my homework was becuase she sucked at teaching.” Chris scoffed and looked to Ike for a reaction. She depicted none, still staring emptily through the hallway. Sam waved his hands in self defense, “Don’t worry about it! I was only kept five minutes from lunch! We don’t have much time! Let’s go eat!!” Sam took Chris by the hand and Ike by the sleeve and he dragged them down the hall and to a pair of double doors. The moment he opened them, another wave of screaming erupted into Ike’s ears, causing her to involuntarily cover her ears. Sam laughed nervously from next to her. “I know. It can get loud.” He smiled.

Sam pulled Chris and Ike further into the room and towards a table full of food. A disgruntled lunch lady watched as Sam gave Chris and Ike a tray and gestured to the food, inviting them to take some. Chris happily obliged, taking one of everything the table had to offer. Smiling sweetly to the lunch lady as he did so. Ike put the tray back down and grabbed one of the many untouched bowls of fruit at the end of the table, nodding respectfully to the lady as she did. Sam led them to a table full of children. He excitedly started talking to them and introducing an enthusiastic Chris to everyone there. Ike pulled her eyes from Sam and to the room. Where was the other twin? The one that hated crowds? The one that listened to her silence?

“And this is Ike!” Sam pulled Ike to the center of the attention with the boys, “She is a woman of few words. What she doesn’t say, she feels!” Ike thinned her lips and nodded to the boys, who smiled and waved back to her.

“Sam, where’s Ashton?” Chris asked the question that had been burning in Ike’s mind.

“Oh, Some kid broke his earphones as a joke.” Sam sighed, “He got angry so now he is staying in the library to eat.” Ike looked to the double doors as Sam turned back to the table with his large smile, “Anyway, that’s a bummer for him because we are gonna have a party here! Right, guys?!” the boys cheered, “Ok, Chris you can sit here. And Ike, you can-... Ike?” When Sam had turned to help Ike into her seat, she had already left the cafeteria. It didn’t take long for the boys to realize where she had gone.

Ike skimmed all of the classrooms she had walked past, looking for something resembling a library. After a few disappointing doors, a large room filled with stuffed bookcases came to view. She walked into it and spotted a small boy sitting at one of the many empty desks covering his ears tightly. The sounds from the playground washed through an open window. Kids running through the sand, hitting the metal on the playground, screaming about nothing in particular. It was too much for Ike. From the look on the little boy’s face, she could tell he felt the same.

Ashton grunted and bent over his lunch tray full of food. He threw his hands over his ears and started mummbling to himself. His leg started bouncing with agression. As she watched him struggle to block out the noise, an image came to Ike’s mind. One of her sitting in her new room, struggling to block out the noises of her fourth foster parents fighting. The noises she thought she would get used to but she never did. She would flip on the radio and turn it all the way up to drown them out. Even if it was nothing but radio static, it was better than what was being said. Ashton’s eyes were as tightly shut as Ike’s had once been. She knew the struggle that was ringing in his head. But this time was different. This time Ashton wasn’t alone.

Ike placed her fruit bowl down and came up behind Ashton. She touched Ashton’s hand gently, making him jump and look around at her. “What are you doing here?” Ashton asked, defensively. Ike jumped at his sudden question. She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out her MP3 player. She handed it to him. Ashton looked at it questionably then looked back at her with the same look. “What? You showing off or something?” Ike’s shoulders tensed even more. She looked down at the floor. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he really didn’t feel the same-

“Okay, okay.” Ashton plucked the MP3 player from Ike’s hands, “I’ll take it. Jst don’t look at me like that.” Ike blinked. Ashton pulled out the chair and patted it. “Here. Sit down. We’ll listen together.” Ike blinked once again. A look of questioning settled on her face. Ashton seemed to understand. “I know I came here to be alone but I feel bad just taking this from you. Also you’re not gonna be all loud and annoying. So sit.” Ike stood there for a little longer, then took the chair Ashton pulle dout for her. Ashton handed her one of the ear buds, which she gladly took.

As Ashton scrolled through her music, Ike fought with the thoughts in her head. Just say that youre sorry about his headset, The quiet voice seemed to be sweetly saying to her, tell him everything will be ok! Another thought came and screamed over the first, How do you know he would take it seriously?! Three years! Three years you haven’t trusted anyone with your voice! They don't care for it!! They don’t care for-

“Thank you.” Ashton said in a small voice. Ike’s heart stopped. “Not a lot of people like me. It’s just because my brother is nice and fun and I’m lame and quiet. It feels nice to know you care enough to leave that behind and join me instead. I’m sorry if you get bored but.. could you stay? At least a little longer?” Ike hesitated a moment. Then gently lay her head on his shoulder. She kept her shoulders tense, prepared for him to push her away. Ready for him to tell her he changed his-

Ashton lay his head ontop of hers. “Thanks.” He said through a smile Ike couldn’t see. Ike relaxed her shoulders slightly. They sat there togther, scrolling threw Ike’s songs in silence. Well, almost in silence.

“You really like Kiro, don’t you?” Ashton asked through a teasing laugh, “Do you find him attractive or something?” Ike shook her head. “Why? He’s hot.” Ashton said this plainly, surprising Ike again, “At least that’s what all the girls in my class say. Have you ever seen his face?” Ike nodded. “And you still don’t find him attractive?” Ike grew nervous. How could she tell him without speaking up? Suddenly, she got an idea.

Ike took control over the MP3 player and chose one of Kiro’s songs, “Music is Beyond The Soul.” Ashton listened silently to the song, taking in the words. “So,” he started slowly, “You like his music more than you like him?” Ike nodded. “Cool." Ashton seemed excited of something, “...why didn’t you just say that?” Ike looked up at the small boy sitting next to her. He looked at her, head tilted and small eyebrow arched. Ike hesitated but soon was back on the MP3 player, skimming the songs until she found the one she wanted. “Hiding from the Past.” by a band named Waking at First. Ike could hear the music through the earbuds, singing along to it inside of her head.

The scars cut deeper than the skin,

From the amount of pain we are in.

Their life,

Their lies,

Their strife,

It flies

Far beyond the words that lay unspoken on the tongues of fate.

From their unnatural hate

From the amount of silence we bear.

Ashton turned to face Ike, who had her eyes purposely trained on the MP3 player. “I don’t understand.” He said. Ike’s rising hopes to be understood were crushed. Did she really expect an eight year old to understand what she was going through in a day? Without saying anything to really explain? No one would understand if she doesn’t speak. But she won’t speak. How can she know they will stay long enough for it to matter?

“There they are!” A cheery voice came from the doorway, pulling Ike’s and Ashton’s attention to it. Sam, Chris, and Maria stood at the door with their food trays and giant smiles. Ike stood up and walked away from Ashton, letting her earbud fall out her ear as she did so. He tugged at her arm but she didn’t pay attention. Sam ran into the room and placed his tray next to Ashton.

“You shouldn’t run off like that, Ike.” Maria said, placing her tray down then putting a hand on Ike’s shoulder, “We were worried! It’s a good thing Sam knew where the library was.” Ike moved away from Maria, picked up her food bowl, and moved to the open seat at the end of the table.

“The librarian told us we could eat together in the library!” Sam giddily said, opening his pudding cup, “As long as we clean up our mess and I am being watched closely.” Chris laughed and sat across from Sam.

“And here I was thinking you were a sweet kid!” He chuckled.

“You were bound to find out sooner or later.” Maria sighed and sat across from Ike. Ike pulled off the plastic wrap from her fruit as the family talked to one another. They did it so casually. They were so comfortable with each other. Ike looked over to Ashton. He now had both of her earbuds in his ears, looking disgruntled as the peace he wanted was bombarded by his family. Ike diverted her attention to her fruit bowl. Ashton was just looking for quiet before she came. Maybe they would have a better time without her there...

“Ike,” Sam called her name, bringing her attention to the little boy, “You only got some fruit! Here, you can have one of my chicken nuggets.”

“What?!” Chris scoffed, “When I asked you for a chicken nugget, you almost bit my fingers off!”

“That’s because Ike didn’t tell my friends I still sleep with stuffed animals!!” Sam spit his tongue out at Chris as he slid his tray to Ike, “Nuggets are only for the nice people!” He smiled at her sweetly as Chris tried to justify his actions. Why did Sam give her the nugget? He said it was for the nice but Ike had done nothing to deserve it. Ike hesitated but eventually took one. She didn’t want him to yell at her for not accepting his gift. Sam casually took back his tray and yelled at Chris some more, as if his offering didn’t mean nearly as much to him as it did to Ike. Ike looked meaningfully at the nugget in her hand.

“Ike, did you give Ashton your MP3 player?” Maria asked, pointing with a fork to Ashton, who was happily skimming through her music. Ike nodded sheepishly, directing her eyes to her shoes. Maria gave that to her as a welcome home present. She should have thought about that before giving away so willingly.

“That was sweet of you!”

Ike’s head shot up at Maria’s words. Maria smiled at Ike’s nonplussed state. Ike’s cheeks flushed as she looked quickly back down at the nugget in her hand. She didn’t yell at her. It was her gift. Why didn’t she yell? Why aren’t any of them angry at her? She was emotionally distant and a flight risk. Yet, they all talked to her just as casually. They stayed at the table. They went looking for her. Why didn’t they run? Ike looked at the table full of people once more. They were all laughing and smiling like nothing was wrong… and maybe, for once, there really wasn’t anything wrong. Maybe, for once, they would stay.

Ike took a bite from her nugget.

(Next part)

#mlqc oc #writing #good writing #read my writing lmao #man #first time i missed an upload #oh well #i did say wednesdays and thursdays #one shot #Ikes Story #ikamara bikira story #mr love ikes choice #oc story

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bylerly · 6 years ago

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alright everyone. after my rush of emotions after that season, i’ve had time to decompress, and make an actually cohesive list of my thoughts about the season. as you could probably guess - MAJOR SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT!

first, let’s get the (much) shorter list out of the way. here’s what I enjoyed:

the acting. i want to mention how good millie was, because she was fantastic, but i almost feel like i shouldn’t, bc el took SO MUCH screen and plot time, that millie was given every opportunity to be good. she doesn’t really need any more special mention. otherwise - noah (with the little he was given) and sadie were particularly great. so were winona & david, but that goes without saying.

the elmax friendship. these two deserved it. and max bringing el out of her shell, showing her how to become her own person.... incredible. 10/10 i love them both

alexei. feels weird saying this, but he was probably the new addition I enjoyed watching the most. it would have been kind of cool to see him live past season 3.

an lgbt+ confirmed character. this one is a little.... tricky for me. as happy as I am that there is a queer woman written into the show... I feel like it’s a cop out to not have to confirm will’s sexuality. robin confirms her sexuality in less than a season, but after three with will, we still only get ~subtext~? still, this is a positive portion, so.... I guess that was something I was happy with

el moving in with the byers at the end. finally. this is one of the only things that is keeping me excited for s4. i guess i can only hope for there to FINALLY be some good willel interactions next season, but if this season has taught me anything, it’s not to get my hopes too high :-)

jancy ending s3 on a good note. parts of their storyline were fantastic, some were disappointing. but i really dug their dynamic, and the realistic struggle between the two of them, with nancy not really understanding jonathan’s class struggles, and jonathan not grasping the weight of the misogyny being thrown at nancy. their final moments at the empty byers house at the end were especially lovely.

el no longer being OP, and not being undefeatable. i love el. i really, genuinely do. i love her character, i love her traits, i lover her power. but the duffers were relying too heavily on her to constantly save the day with her powers, and it was happening too often. one of the faults of s2 was the constant thought of how easily el could’ve fought off all these threats if she was just there. i think it’s incredibly interesting to not only see her get completely worn out, but totally lose her powers. like mike said, i’m sure they’ll come back, but i want so badly for el to not just be defined by her powers.

a platonic m/f friendship. yes, one of them is confirmed queer, and they would’ve probably been romantically linked if she was straight. but i’ll take what i can get when it comes to this. platonic opposite sex relationships?? r i s e

now for the meat of my thoughts ~ what I didn’t like:

mike’s characterization. the writers completely made him into a dick this season. i get it, he’s a teenager, so he’s going to be an asshole sometimes. hell, in a recent post, I defended that, saying it’s good writing. but I underestimated just how awful he’d be, completely blowing off his friends for any chance for a second alone with el. I understand that he loves his girlfriend of course, but s1-2 mike loved his friends just as much. he was so utterly unlikable this season, that it seemed like he was a different character.

lucas as comic relief. this is so lazy, and i’m so angry for both the character and caleb, both of whom deserve so much better. he really had nothing to do if it wasn’t related to max, and the writers further reduced him down to a one-dimensional, kind of dumb, mediocre boyfriend, and that is not the highly intelligent, brave, kind lucas that i know and love.

will’s sidelining. god, this made absolutely no sense. noah fucking shined last season. he stole pretty much the entire thing. every critic, even those who disliked the season, had nothing but good things to say about his performance. furthermore, will has so much potential in so many different directions in so many aspects of his character. however, once he revealed to his friends that he was feeling the upside down/MF’s presence... they may as well have written out his character. he was sidelined almost to the point of background character. they gave him very little to do emotionally after that castle byers scene, and even fewer lines.

total lack of willel scenes. phew, if this wasn’t a bummer. will spoke a single line to el, and maybe one or two throwaway lines about her. if there is one thing most of the fans can agree on, it’s that will and el have the biggest connection to the upside down, the biggest unspoken connection, the most parallels, and the most intriguing potential relationship... and they really just said “fuck it” and didn’t have them interact at all. (that’s poor writing folks!) they better make up for this now that they’re living together.

amount of eleven scenes. i love her so dearly. i really do. and i’m so happy she grew into her own, not through mike or hopper. but the amount of el plot and screen time this season was actually difficult to watch. every other scene centered around her. so many characters and so much of the story went undeveloped, while she got way, way more than was necessary. additionally, take any kid’s plot (other than dustin), and guaranteed, it revolved around el. people were starting to catch on that the show was favoring her character more than even most shows’ mains.... and this season took it to a level i actual didn’t think it would.

the comedy. it was so awkwardly written. so much of it threw off the pace of the show. it seemed forced, and just... not very stranger things-esque, where the comedy was typically well-written and blended into dialogue.

the baddies. this was a huge letdown, too. i understand that the monster was large, but it was far less menacing to me than, say, the MF’s physical form. it had gore points, sure. it felt incredibly boring and predictable. in the same vein, i thought the ‘zombie’ style storyline of heather & co. would be deeper than that, but that was literally all it was. again... not interesting to me. billy was a rehash as well. the russians definitely had potential, but even that plot wound up being incredibly one-dimensional.

billy’s screentime. this was one of the things i was absolutely furious about. he got more screentime than the party (minus el) combined. they wanted for us so badly to empathize with him, to humanize him... i’m sorry, but you wrote a character that almost killed a boy for being black, that abuses his sister, and is a misogynistic asshole. abuse doesn’t excuse that, and it’s insulting to abuse survivors to say that billy inevitably became this way because of his dad, and that he deserves our uwus for it... and actually got el’s. he took screen time away from characters who desperately needed it, and that’s something i will never look at the duffers the same way for.

the scoops troop. I wanted to love erica... but i feel so indifferent to her. she was way too much this season. and robin. again, i love that she’s confirmed queer. and i dug her character more. but even then... i don’t know. i would have rather never had her introduced, and allowed established characters to have been better developed. and as a whole, the whole storyline of the troop was just what I feared: underwhelming and awkwardly placed.

high steve & robin. won’t elaborate on this too much, bc there’s not much to elaborate on. it just felt so wildly out of place and unnecessary.

that dustin/suzie number. what the hell was that? what could have been a 20 second joke was stretched out WAY too long and was bizarrely placed. just because you have an actor from broadway, doesn’t mean he needs to sing. and even if he does sing... you couldn’t have found a better time or situation? i literally was just staring at my screen in disbelief as that whole thing happened. entirely unneeded.

the amount of flashbacks. i understand most casual viewers wouldn’t remember certain things because of how long it’s been. but they literally put a recap at the beginning of the season. that’s what it’s for. and there were also plenty from like.... the episode before??? the amount they included took away so much time, that it almost just seemed like they didn’t have enough footage, and they had to fill their time stamp somehow. at some point, it just becomes insulting to the audience’s intelligence.

the overall tone. this season did not feel like stranger things in the slightest. off the top of my head, the castle byers scene and the byeler scene in mike’s garage were the exceptions. the first few episodes did have some moments. but overall... it kind of felt like some weird, high budget commercial or something. the charm, distinct aesthetic, and nuance of seasons 1 and 2 was non-existent.

the post-credit scene. there was some last-minute hype up in the reviews for this. was that supposed to be shocking in some way? i suppose this is more the fault of the reviewers who hyped it, but... really? a demodog? we’ve seen that before... i guess more the point was to show that the russians officially have some kind of technology for this. but still, an underwhelming reveal. more intriguing to me, was if hopper was the american in the cell he mentioned at the start of it. or maybe brenner?

the neutral:

that ending. on one hand, it was incredibly predictable. they literally placed an obvious shot of it in the trailer (easy to deduce that the byers had moved out, and that it was fall, so it was an epilogue scene). i was convinced that there would be a twist element they weren’t showing us, but nope. on the other hand, i thought some things were done beautifully (which wasn’t exactly a trend this season). as i mentioned, i loved the jancy moments. i really did like the hopper voiceover, although it was a little trope-y and heavy-handed... i still got a little emo, ngl. those goodbye hugs were somethin’. and, as i said before... el! moving in! with the byers! gimme

so uh... that’s it, i guess. no one really asked, but i needed to get my thoughts out. what did you guys think of the season?

#stranger things #st3 #spoilers #i very well might add onto this the more i continue to think about it

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qvestchen · 5 years ago

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Nemesis // Soonwoo SVT

Summary: It was really laughable. The idea that Jeon Wonwoo had a nemesis. And yet there it was. The clear proof that all his life, like a nagging dull ache, Kwon Soonyoung had stepped all over his plans without ever really acknowledging him.

And maybe it was wrong for Wonwoo to seek him out but all he wanted was answers at first. He had never imagined they would stand opposite each other, fingers on triggers, his death in his nemesis’s hands and vice-versa.

Author: qvestchen

Status: Ongoing

Chapters: Home, Previous, Next.

Nemesis // Soonwoo SVT

Chapter 1: It was a surrealist meme

Wonwoo looked at the schedule in his hand and scanned the corridor. His eyes found Room No. 67 and he walked to the glass doors with only a slight urgency of purpose being betrayed in his quick steps. He cursed under his breath as the door swung outside nearly crashing against his face. Whoever it was, didn't even see him, choosing instead to continue on their way without a care in the world, happily talking on the phone.

He slunk into the department room, nodding to the man sitting on the small desk that served as a reception counter. "I have come to register myself for the 3 p.m. 'Introduction to Persian Language and Culture' course." He placed a copy of his college ID and registration form on the desk.

"The course is closed," the man responded without even looking up from computer screen.

"But—" Wonwoo began.

The man threw a sheet towards him. "The last spot just got filled."

Wonwoo made a face, eyes dully scanning the sheet. His eyes stopped at the last name, widening in recognition.

Kwon Soonyoung.

His gaze flitted to the doorway. He asked, "Wait, the person who signed...t-this Kwon Soonyoung...was he the one who just left?"

The receptionist looked at him with a grimace. "Yes, and he was damn polite unlike you. Now, can I get my work do—?"

But Wonwoo was already rushing out of the small, air-conditioned room. His footsteps rang across the empty corridor. He looked right and left and followed a flight of stairs down and found himself in the ringing din of the English and Chinese language departments, a sharp contrast to the dusty, quiet floor above. People brushed past, someone knocking against his shoulder while he wildly looked for a sign, anything that he could zero in and recognize, something for him to pin the mystery of his life with.

The scattered conversations crawled at the nape of his neck as he strained to catch the words.

--I didn't mean to—Have you seen—wait up, you f—I can't believe I'm still—Shakespeare probably didn't even—she doesn't love me—are you free on—I flunked Chinese last time so—there can only be—save me from Proffess—which elective are—do you think the comeback—bro, the course is overflowing—are you coming to the party on Friday—we should start making the club flyers th—

"Wonwoo? Wonwoo?"

Wonwoo turned around realizing the weight of a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you really spacing out in the corridor?"

Wonwoo made a face at his friend. "What are you doing here, Mingyu?"

"I came to sign up for my Literature elective but what are you doing here?" the other boy asked, all smiles and mischievous eyes.

"I came to sign up for my Persian elective," Wonwoo said, gesturing Mingyu to walk beside him.

Mingyu laughed his characteristic barking laugh and Wonwoo could see a couple of students stop and stare with intrigue in their eyes. This happened a lot when he was with his friend. Kim Mingyu excited interest everywhere he went. His tall frame and impeccable fashion made him stick out but his warm smile and constant chatter made him endearing. Everyone wanted to befriend him. Many wanted to date him and would have no doubt tried to make a move but since Mingyu mostly hung out with Wonwoo and his snarky aura, Mingyu was bordering on unapproachable.

"That's on the floor above," Mingyu said, still laughing. "I can't believe you've spent a semester here and yet behave like you know nothing."

"I went there. The registrations are full so it was a bummer and then I..." He trailed off, looking around one last time.

"And you decided to come find me? Aww, I knew you had a thing for me." Mingyu joked, eyes twinkling. "But, sorry, Wonwoo, I don't have any plans for a relationship right now. You know how tough it is for college-going people—Ouch, don't hit me!"

"I wish we hadn't met last semester. I can't seem to get rid of you," Wonwoo said, pushing him with his shoulder.

Mingyu grinned. He knew his words didn't have any bite. They were best of friends and even though people always felt Mingyu was never in shortage of friends, it was him who depended on Wonwoo more. He was grateful for their little circle of friends.

Wonwoo added a bit wistfully. "I thought I saw someone."

"Oh, wait a sec, this is my department. I'll drop in and be back. Wait for me."

Wonwoo nodded, taking out his Nintendo and was about to log on to a game when his phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Seokmin.

Pizzamin: Hey, come to the cafeteria asap

If you spot Mingyu or Minghao, get them too

They never reply to the gc

A very small smile made its way across Wonwoo's features. He began to reply.

Wonwoollen: It's because you and Seungkwan spam the gc with weird stuff

Pizzamin: They're memes

Wonwoollen: It was an hour long video of just you saying "are you ready" and Seungkwan replying "I'm ready" last night

Pizzamin: It was a surrealist meme

The drama club president Hoshi loved it

Hoshi is cool, he helped make it

Hoshi. It was a new name but Wonwoo had already heard it repeatedly in glowing terms on a frequent basis at their cafeteria table ever since the new semester had started. Some 'angel' had descended on to the nearly defunct drama club last semester and over the course of the semester transformed it into one of the top clubs in the university this semester. Seokmin and Seungkwan who had just joined the club, now idolized the said 'angel'.

Pizzamin: Anyway, get everyone

I made a new friend

You all should meet him and make him feel welcome

Wonwoo couldn't resist an eye-roll. As much as he adored his friends, Seokmin had a habit of making a new friend every now and then and Wonwoo who was comfortable with sitting alone, found their friends circle increasing at an alarming rate. When he had come to the university last semester, he had totally imagined himself being a certified loner who could just sit back and watch life unfold in front him. Instead, he got adopted by Mingyu and Seokmin.

Wonwoollen: I'll bring Mingyu

Pizzamin: Hansol found Minghao so be here quick

Also, buy me a music notebook from the store since it's on the way

Mingyu emerged from the office, smiling, slightly red, and stuffing a small chit of paper in his pocket.

It was now Wonwoo's turn to tease. "Let me guess, someone gave you their number?"

Mingyu blushed harder. "It's not what you're thinking. She said just in case I find the elective tough later."

"Yeah, right."

"So," Mingyu said, changing the subject, "whom did you see? Was it someone pretty?"

"No, no. It was just...someone...I don't know, I thought it was someone I keep meeting but not really meeting. It's weird."

Mingyu looked at him shrewdly. "Wonwoo, I think you have a crush. It happens to the best of us. You needn't be shy about it. Minghao and I, we can help you with the wardrobe and Seokmin can give you some nice jokes so your dark personality doesn't come to the fore."

Wonwoo scoffed. "Thanks, but it's not a crush and I love my personality the way it is."

"Sure, whatever you say."

They bickered all the way till the cafeteria, even making a stop for Seokmin's precious notebook collection, where they were hailed by their friends.

Seungkwan shouted. "Last one to the table has to buy cupcakes for everyone."

It was totally stupid and there was no need to race across the cafeteria for those tasteless cupcakes but Wonwoo found himself laughing aloud as he pushed Mingyu sideways and ran forward. Their friends cheered for them. Moments like these he totally forgot the little puzzle in his brain, the strange feeling that there was someone out there whom he kept meeting but only side-stepping, he forgot his fears, he forgot details of this other person he didn't remember in full—the back of the head, the swing of the shoulder, a fraction of a cheek, the turn of the ears, the confident walk, the angle of the shoulders and that one time he had seen a quarter of a smile—he forgot all these little incomplete bits of the puzzle, he even forgot momentarily the name he tried to never forgot. Kwon Soonyoung. Whoever he might be, wherever he might be. Wonwoo didn't care. He didn't want to see the big picture. He just wanted to go on living this simple life where he was racing Mingyu to get out of buying some cupcakes.

He laughed at Mingyu who clutched his side, grumbling and coming in last.

Seokmin called their attention after everyone sat down on the table. "Alright, alright, now that we have shown our worst side, here is my new friend Yoon Jeonghan. He's a History major, just like you Wonwoo."

Wonwoo's heart was thundering after the run to the table but as he looked back at Yoon Jeonghan and his easy, lazy smile, he felt a cold hand clutch at his throat. His eyes never left the newcomer who introduced himself to everyone in a comfortable, suave manner.

Jeonghan had blonde hair that was brushed immaculately in place, every strand glittering with every movement of his head. His eyes were lazy and then suddenly watchful and a slight smirk never left his sharp, angular face. He looked at you as if he knew everything about you, as if he knew you better than you yourself, and Wonwoo who led a quiet, private life felt unnerved.

"Absolutely lovely to meet you, Wonwoo. I look forward to studying History with you. I hope we can be the best of friends," Jeonghan said, his tone affectionate and sinister at the same time, as if they had known each other since ages.

Wonwoo's hands were clammy in the handshake and he wordlessly nodded, trying to retract his hand.

Thankfully, Minghao intervened. "Wonwoo's a bit shy around strangers."

"Oh," Jeonghan said and withdrew from the handshake. "I'm sorry. I can be quite awkward myself."

"It's alright," Wonwoo replied, feeling a bit embarrassed at already judging the newcomer who seemed genuinely apologetic. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Talking about strangers," Seokmin said. "I think someone has a crush on our Wonwoo."

"Oh, you have to hear this," Hansol said.

Seokmin said, "The two of us were just sitting here and discussing our electives and Hansol happened to mention that you decided to go for not-so-popular Intro to Persian because it's really easy and scoring and not many people turn up for it and—" He started laughing.

"And," Hansol continued, with a smile, "this guy on the table beside us literally screamed WHAT and fell out of his chair. Seokmin here goes, 'Oh our friend, Wonwoo, went to sign up for the Persian elective because it's easy' but the man just bolted. He probably wanted to be in your class real bad. People these days."

"No way," Mingyu said, laughing now too.

"Shut up," Wonwoo said, making an unimpressed face. "You're making this up."

"Who was it?" Seungkwan asked, totally interested. "This is amazing."

Seokmin looked around the cafeteria. "He hangs around our table a lot. I'm sure you've seen him—Oh, there he is. His name is...uh, Joshua, I think? Yeah, he's Joshua."

Later, it was with stubborn determination that Wonwoo would explain to everyone that he had only looked out of pure human curiosity, the kind that makes people look up when an airplane flies by and nothing more.

Joshua Hong entered the cafeteria looking frantically around as if he had lost something important.

The fact that their whole table was looking at him was enough to alert him to their gaze. Wonwoo (out of pure human curiosity) watched with an expressionless face as Joshua's eyes widened as he caught sight of something beyond Wonwoo. Wonwoo turned around to see what it was and it surprised him when he saw that it was Jeonghan and Joshua in a staring contest. The rest of the table needn't have existed.

Jeonghan didn't drop his gaze and raised an eyebrow as if in a challenge. Whatever it was, Joshua seemed to understand. He turned around and left the cafeteria.

Opposite Wonwoo, Minghao had caught the strange interaction too. Both of them looked away quickly, knowing that it was something they would discuss later.

"Well, that was weird. I'm going to go to my room and finish the last level of my game. Get me a cupcake, Mingyu," Wonwoo said with a yawn.

Jeonghan raised a hand, putting his phone to his ear. "Just a sec. This is important," he said to everyone. He spoke into the phone, "Hello, Soonyoung?"

hello! this is our first seventeen story on here :)

hope you'll enjoy it. please keep on supporting this fic, soonwoo and svt xx

#soonwoo #soonyoung #hoshi #wonwoo #seventeen fanfic #seventeen au #jeonghan #joshua #jihan #seventeen imagines #wonshi #vernon #seungkwan #seokmin #mingyu

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bigfrozenfan · 5 years ago

Text

This is an excerpt from my pre Frozen I AU fanfic, which I started last year and have never finished since Frozen II came out. I'm not sure yet if I will continue writing on it. Right now I'm concentrating on my Frozen III Dark AU.This text was translated from German, i had no proofreader for it.

Title: An unwanted guest

Rating T

---

The ship anchored outside on the fjord near the entrance to the harbour. The Duke and his two companions boarded the dinghy, together with six other passengers, and let themselves be rowed the short distance to the pier. A light wind ruffled the Duke's sparse head hair. The cool air of the sea provided a pleasant climate in Arendelle now in the summer months. They climbed up the harbor steps shortly after and the Duke was already rubbing his hands with malicious joy. They did not want to attract attention, so he had Francis ask the harbor master for accommodation in the heart of the town. All three wore inconspicuous clothing that did not allow any conclusions about their true origins. Francis came back after a short time and gave the directions to him. They walked side by side into the city. Again, it should not be noticed that someone was moving through the city with two bodyguards behind him. After they had paid for two simple rooms in the cute guesthouse for a few days, the Duke quietly gave his instructions.

"You two will mingle. Go to the inns and prick up your ears, involve people in harmless conversations and find out worthwhile information...you know. We meet again here in the evening in front of the accommodation, say at the seventh chime. Here you have some coins in the local currency." He threw a small bag to Erik. "So go ahead... and be careful what you say, understand?"

The boys nodded and trotted away leisurely. He himself turned around and let the surroundings take effect on him. Every little detail could be important and every conversation he picked up on the way. Some little boys were making noise behind him and joking about his height. He deliberately ignored them. In the course of the day, he engaged some of the residents in inconspicuous conversations and asked unsuspicious questions about Arendelle and what people here in general were up to. If the conversation came up with rumors, he pretended not to believe them and thus persuaded many to tell more.

Finally he arrived back at the harbor and sat down on one of the bollards. He pretended to enjoy the view and the hustle and bustle on the pier, and it didn't take long before one of the traders here on the square approached him. "You seem to like it here exceptionally well. Where are you from and what brings you to our beautiful Arendelle?"

The Duke looked up and smiled at him. "Well, I'm just passing through and I've never been to Arendelle." he lied. "It's really wonderful here... and the nice weather... I could well imagine staying here longer."

Some of these little boys who had mocked him earlier, just ran up, sat down nearby and unpacked their marbles.

The dealer nodded, "Yes, many have done that. But mostly it's some dignitaries in their strange-looking clothes with all the hangings on the front and all." He made a suggestive gesture in front of his chest, "But they always leave two or three days later."

The Duke became very attentive, but put on a dreamy looking face, "Oh, that's interesting. I once knew one from the Southern Islands. He was also dressed so nobly. Very pleasant conversationalist, you know. Where do most of them come from?"

The salesman shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, they never introduced themselves to me." The clattering of the marbles had stopped by now, but none of them noticed.

"Well, I know a bit about that, if I knew what the flags on the ships looked like, I could teach you. Next time you would know about it."

The dealer waved, "No thanks, all that matters to me is that these people buy something from me. I have to go back to my stand now, someone is already waiting for me, as you can see.

"Of course. I was very pleased with our conversation, I will probably leave now too," said the Duke and stood. The tower clock in the city center just struck six times.

A few minutes later he arrived at the pension and went inside. He only had to wait a short time and the somewhat chubby landlady came out of the next room. "Ah, it's you. Can I help you?"

The Duke leaned forward with a grin and put his arms on top of each other on the counter. "You are a very kind and thoughtful, beautiful woman." The landlady crossed her arms in front of the luxuriant chest. He raised an eyebrow, "Um...you could indeed help me. I am looking for someone who might have recently taken up residence here, it is one of those dignitaries who occasionally..."

The landlady waved her arm at the door, "Go away, sonny." she shouted. He turned around surprised, when interrupted rudely in his flood of words, but saw no one. He pondered for a moment, then he started again, "You know, I don't remember exactly which...".

He was interrupted again when someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind and the landlady in front of him made a surprised face. "What...," he started and turned around. He grew pale and tried to grasp the situation. In front of him stood two tall guards of the palace guard in full uniform. They had their arms crossed in front of them and looked at him with a disparaging look from under their peaked caps. At the door stood another man who had bent down to a little boy. This one pointed in his direction and whispered something in the guard's ear. The Duke's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in fear.

***

The clock struck seven times and the two companions of the duke just came out of one of the few inns. They made their way to the guesthouse and waited there. When after half an hour there was still no Duke to be seen, Francis went inside to check. A few moments later he came out with a shrug of the shoulders and shook his head.

"What could have happened?" Erik asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it. If he says he'll be there at seven, then he usually is. He cares too much about this to dawdle around somewhere," Francis said.

Erik nodded, "So what do we do now?"

Francis shrugged his shoulders again. "We must not attract attention, so we can't just ask everyone we meet about him," he said.

Erik replied, "Right. But we could ask the harbor master, because we wanted to get back on the ship together. Maybe he happened to overhear something."

Francis nodded appreciatively, "Good idea, I can't think of anything better than that right now." So they made their way to the harbor master.

At the harbor, he was conducting some of his helpers on the pier, who were loading some large stacks of crates. They approached him and Erik tapped him on the shoulder. "Sorry to disturb you, but we are looking for our companion because we wanted to get back on the ship together. Have you seen him by any chance and can you give us some information?" He described the look of the Duke and some of his most striking peculiarities.

"Oh, that one, yes, I actually saw him. Seems to have done something wrong, because three of the palace guards pushed him towards the castle," the harbor master replied.

Francis and Erik looked at each other very tellingly and the latter asked, "How long has it been since that happened?

The harbor master thought for a moment, "Hmm, that must have been about an hour ago. I guess there will be nothing more to come out of the trip back together, because as loud as he had yelled, he probably will have to stay in his cell for a longer time.

The two thanked him and went a little aside to talk undisturbed. "What a bummer. Now we look pretty stupid and we don't have much money anymore. What do we do now? Just go back and leave the Duke to his fate?"

Erik had put on a gloomy face. "I would be interested to know how it came about in the first place. I mean, our scaredy-cat isn't exactly the smartest, but to get caught like that?"

His sidekick giggled when Erik mentioned the Duke's fearful behavior. He would hide behind the backs of his two long bodyguards whenever a situation threatened to get dangerous.

"Yes, you're right, it is strange. Except..." Francis raised his eyebrows questioningly. "What if someone followed him unnoticed, listened to him and finally put one and one together?" He shook his head, "I guess we'll never find out, and the question remains what to do now."

They stood around helplessly for a while until Erik's face brightened and he started to grin broadly. "I would have an idea that would solve three of our problems at once. Just come with me..."

As they moved toward the castle, Francis muttered, "Well, let's hear it."

***

About one hour earlier...

The Captain of the Palace Guard was a stately figure and exuded an authority that earned the respect of many of the younger candidates for the Guard. He had his boys well in hand and drilled them until everything was to his complete satisfaction. He was just on his tour of the defensive wall when a guard called up. "Captain, we caught a suspicious guy in town. Could you please come downstairs?"

The captain grabbed the balustrade with both hands and leaned forward. "What do you mean suspicious? I don't have time for such trifles. What has he done?"

The guard came a little closer and said a little softer, "Espionage."

Now the captain's interest was aroused. "I'm coming!" There was rarely a spy in Arendelle, and his new measure of letting a few of the little boys from the town keep their eyes and ears open for some pocket money seemed to be crowned with success. Children were hardly noticed and their innate curiosity usually received little attention from new arrivals. He ran down the short spiral staircase in the next watch tower. The messenger was already standing below in front of the entrance. "Take me to him."

The Duke had his hands crossed behind his back and ran up and down nervously in his little cell. Apart from a cot with a light blanket on it, there was only a bucket next to the entrance, an iron-reinforced wooden door with a small peephole in it. Opposite was a small barred window in the raw wall, with a view of the fjord. He finally stood in front of it and looked out. How could this happen to him, he thought, and how would his two companions decide now?

He shook his head as the door creaking behind him opened. He turned around and watched for two guards. One of them was already standing in the room with the open door behind him, another outside in the corridor. Then there was a third person who was so tall that the Duke could not see his head at first. The captain had to bend down to enter the cell, and when he straightened up again his face showed a sinister expression. The Duke swallowed. The captain looked at the little man in front of him from top to bottom. Then he took two steps towards him. The Duke retreated with eyes wide with fear.

He began to grin broadly as he addressed the prisoner. "A little coward who wants to spy on us, like this. Guard, what do we usually do with guys like this here in Arendelle?" He turned briefly to the guard at the door and then looked back.

"First of all, an extensive interrogation, with the necessary emphasis, of course. After that, it depends entirely on how cooperative the prisoner shows himself. We have several ways to help."

The captain's grin became even wider. "Quite right. That's exactly the way we treat our prisoners here."

The Duke stuttered, "I..I..have not been spying, there...there must be some mistake. I'm the Duke of Weselton and... and I'm just passing through."

The captain clicked his tongue, "Did you hear that, boys? We got us a real duke here. Look at his gorgeous clothes and his sophisticated manners." The two guards snorted with laughter.

"Tell me, Your Grace, is that what they're wearing where you come from these days, where did you say... Weaseltown?"

The Duke got angry. "Weselton! I'm from Weselton! I wear these clothes only so that people won't recognize me. The competition because of the trade relations with...uh, Arendelle is big and I just wanted to get some information in advance. This will still be allowed and I ask for a little more respect!

The captain got serious again when he asked, "Maybe so, but can you prove it?

The Duke straightened up to full size, "I booked the boat passage in Weselton. The skipper can confirm that I boarded there."

The captain replied, "But that doesn't prove that you are really the Duke of Weselton; anyone could have boarded there in his name. Do you have papers aboard that confirm your identity?"

The Duke's heart leapt into his throat. "N-no, I was planning on traveling incognito. I honestly hadn't thought of that.

The captain shook his head, "We're not getting anywhere like this." He pondered and weighed his head. "Very well, first we will examine your statement and question the skipper. I don't want to be unfair and therefore first of all consider the possibility that what you say is actually true. So if it really is about diplomatic trade relations with Arendelle, it is a royal matter and I will have to report to the King. In your case he will have to write a dispatch to your country with an official request. But be warned! If you have lied to me and it turns out that you are a spy, then you know what the punishment is for that.”

***

#pre frozen fanfic #wip #excerpt #as contribution for #arendelle odyssey #mine

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missusgordo · 6 years ago

Note

I don't think Angel was in his right mind in S4 with all the crazy drama going on around him. If Angel actually loved Cordelia (or anyother woman) the same way he loved Buffy then he wouldn't have slept with Cordelia because he would lose his soul. Maybe partly that's why the gang had to use magic. I also think if Cordelia wasn't possessed in S4 she also wouldn't have slept with him even if she loved him. She doesn't ever want Angelus lose.

Yeah that’s the problem with that whole set up - is it doesn’t add up. I agree with you that if Angel really loved Cordelia in a deep meaningful way, he never would have slept with her - but also he never actually slept with her that was only a vision and I’ll talk more about this later. But what is even more inconsistent in my eyes is going back to season 3. If he really loved her, as deeply as he loved Buffy, he wouldn’t have frolicked like a dopey schoolboy to the bluffs in Tomorrow (strong side eye at you David Greenwalt). No - the Angel that I know probably would’ve got in his Angel-mobile and moved to another city out of fear of once again losing his soul, and killing his son, friends and the new woman he loves. The only way to make sense of this is that perhaps he knew he didn’t love Cordelia as much as he loved Buffy and so his soul was safe. Bummer?? The more Doylist explanation is the writers DGAF and were gonna do the damn thing even if it was entirely inconsistent with Angel’s character (and Cordelia’s to boot).

But with regards to the season 4 vision, I do have a position on this. I am one of the few who enjoy s4 a great deal but I will be the first to admit it’s a bit plot wonky and it requires some headcanons. One of the headcanons that I have is that this is not Angel’s dream. Instead, it is a vision that the shaman creates for Angel. The line in the show from the shaman is "the vision becomes reality." The shaman doesn't say the "dream" becomes reality. Whereas a "dream" is typically your subconscious dreams or desires a "vision" implies an external influence (like the visions Cordy gets from the PTB or the vision from The First slayer that Buffy gets in The Gift). This leads me to lean towards the theory that this is not Angel's subconsciousness but it is a vision fed to Angel by Wo-Pang that is meant to assist him in extracting Angel's soul. Further, Wesley introduces Wo-Pang as someone who has the power to "extract souls" not someone who has the power to "simulate perfect happiness" so that they can extract his soul. The ritual is not merely simulating perfect happiness, there is obviously something to the extraction procedure itself. This is honestly the only way this works for me. Because even in Angel’s deepest desires and his subconscious I don’t believe for a second that he would make the decision to sleep with someone he had deep and meaningful feelings for at the risk of losing his soul and putting everyone he loves, including Connor, at risk. It just does not add up. Look at how freaked he was about going on a date with Nina? Unless, of course, he knew even in that vision/dream that he didn’t really love Cordelia................ bummer?

To sum up my opinions on anything related to Cordy/Angel...

But, thankfully, either way you slice it, Angel and Cordelia never slept together. :)

#thanks for the ask!#anti-cangel #ats #Anonymous

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gunterfan1992 · 6 years ago

Text

Episode Review: ‘Come Along with Me’ (S10E13-16)

Airdate: September 3, 2018

Story by: Ashley Burch, Kent Osborne, Adam Muto, Jack Pendarvis, Julia Pott, Pendleton Ward & Steve Wolfhard

Storyboarded by: Tom Herpich, Steve Wolfhard, Seo Kim, Somvilay Xayaphone, Hanna K. Nyström, Aleks Sennwald, Sam Alden & Graham Falk

Directed by: Cole Sanchez & Diana Lafyatis (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)

In August of 2012, I had just moved into a university dormitory to begin my second year as an undergraduate. On one of the last days of the month (the date escapes me), I was relaxing in the hall recreation room with my roommate. To my left sat another friend, watching something intently on his laptop.

His focus was remarkable, and so I was intrigued. “What are you watching?” I asked.

He glanced over and responded, “Adventure Time!”

I’d heard of the show, and seen a few clips. At the time, I was taken aback by its combination of high brow and low brow sensibilities. But I saw how much joy it gave my friend, I put down my guard and decided to give it a watch.

He tilted the screen towards my face, and what was I greeted to? Why a geometric space-god with a flaming blue sword attacking a green individual in a bright yellow jacket. Suddenly, a boy and his dog were in the picture. What was going on?

As it turns out, I was watching season four’s “Sons of Mars”, one of the show’s wackiest episodes. In time, I was enthralled by the bright colors and the silly jokes. There was Abraham Lincoln. There was death. By the end of it, I was won over.

I still think fondly of that day (as readers of this blog might be able to attest), for it was then that I was introduced to my favorite show, Adventure Time.

For years, it seemed like Adventure Time was just an omnipresent facet of popular culture. From t-shirts to Happy Meal toys, Finn and Jake were everyone, blending into what Marshall McLuhan would call the “beaten paths of impercience.” When we all learned that the show was ending in late 2016, it was sad, but because there were dozens of episodes left to air, this reality never really hit me.

But this week, it finally hit me. The end was nigh.

At 5 pm today, I sat nervously on my couch as the intro started, and we were off to the races.

The episode opens 1000 years after the lives of Finn and Jake. We are greeted to two new heroes: Shermy (voiced by Sean Giambrone) and Beth (voiced by Willows Smith). The two are heavily implied to be Finn and Jake reincarnated, and the latter is likely a descendant of Jake himself. After an encounter with the Prizeball Guardian (last seen in “Grabyles 1000+”), the two discover Finn’s robot-arm. They decide to journey to Mount Cragdor (where the Enchiridion was once kept) to find the all-knowing King of Ooo.

Once our new heroes make the journey and reach the top of the mountain, we the audience learn that the King of Ooo is not our favorite charlatan, but rather BMO. After Shermy and Beth present our little robot with Finn’s arm, BMO begins to tell the story of the “Great Gum War”:

1000 years prior (that is, during the show’s normal timeline), Princess Bubblegum and her Uncle Gumbald had each amassed armies to take one another down. Just before the battles are to commence, Finn devises a plan to stop any blood shed: He calls one last meeting between the Candy Kingdom and Gumbaldia, and then, using the magic, nightmare-inducing potion given to him by Nightmare Princesss in “Orb”, he knocks everyone into a subconscious world, where he hopes that they will make nice.

Everything goes a bit haywire, but in the end, Bubblegum and Gumbald realize that their is no real reason for them to fight one another: they each want different things, and are rightfully ticked off at one another, but through dialogue they can likely work things out. Finn and Fern, too, realize that they share the exact same fears that they have locked in their collective “Vault”. Putting aside their differences, they team up and kill the grass-curse spider that has held Fern a prisoner for so long.

At this point, our heroes (and villains) wake up and decide to make amends. Gumbald, however, is tripped by Aunt Lolly, and after being splashed with dum-dum juice, reverts back to Punchy. Lolly, however, vows to maintain the peace with the Candy Kingdom.

Just then, King Man crashes out of the sky and reveals that he, Betty, and an unconscious Maja donked up in a major way. He and Betty were trying to use magic to summon the primordial space demon/god Golb so as to undo the magic of the Ice King’s crown. However, their magic was too effective, and they accidentally summoned Golb to this plane of existence.

Golb begins to use his chaos magic, mutating candy kingdom and Gumbaldia citizens alike into grotesque monsters. Ice King is summoned by King Man and told to try and stop Betty from completing her ritual, but in the commotion (which sees Maja literally explode) they, along with Finn, are accidentally swallowed by Golb, where they start to get digested.

Things start to go downhill fast. Golb’s monsters are extremely effectively, and decimate Bubblegum’s forces and those of her ragtag allies. As Bubblegum is standing on a rock, one of the Golb-monsters lunges at her and seemingly crushes her!

Marceline turns around and seeing the death of her past paramour, loses it. Unleashing both the beast and magic girl inside her, our favorite vampire turns into the Dark Cloud, last seen in Stakes and absolutely wails on the Golb-monster, tearing it to bits. She is absolutely furious that her best friend has been smooshed.

But luckily, it turns out that Bubblegum’s advanced battle armor had a handy shield, and she was saved from any danger. Marceline is overjoyed, and flies into the candy monarch’s armies, weeping tears of joy. The two hug.

And then comes the Bubbline kiss.

As Marceline and Bubblegum were holding each other close after the latter was very nearly squished, I knew it was now or never.

I was on the edge of my seat, as a tearful Marceline tells PB: “Even back when we weren’t talking, I was so afraid that something bad would happen to you and I wouldn’t be there to protect you and... I don’t want to lose you again!”

There’s some cute back and forth, and then the two quietly, effortlessly kiss.

The debate online as to whether or not the two were in a relationship has raged on- and offline since “What Was Missing” first aired years ago. As the two’s friendship evolved over the years, I came to believe that a romantic relationship was the next logical step for both the characters and the show itself to explore. Marceline and Bubblegum are unique in that they are two strong, intelligent, and emotionally complex female characters who often spend time exclusively with each other; the two ace the Bechdel test, a fairly rare occurrence in modern media.

It’s a bummer that the show waited until the very end of the series to canonize their relationship, but perhaps that makes it all the more rewarding? We have worked towards this culmination, and now we have a fully-acknowledged lesbian relationship between two major cartoon characters! How ground-breaking! Furthermore, regardless of when this canonization happened, the confirmation that Marceline and Bubblegum are “more than just friends” will inevitably help to undo some of the erasure that queer communities have faced since the dawn of media (if not time).

To sum up my feelings, let me just leave you with a (heavily) modified quote from Virginia Woolf:

“‘Marceline liked Bubblegum...’ Do not start. Do not blush. Let us admit in the privacy of our own society that these things sometimes happen. Sometimes half-demon vampires do like sentient pieces of Bubblegum.”

(Of course, I am curious as to what their future holds. We seem them together snuggling in the epilogue, but they are not around one thousand years in the future. This is, honestly, the biggest question that will bug me about the finale!)

Despite taking a literal pounding from Marceline, Golb’s evil creatures pull themselves back together and march towards the Tree Fort. Jake gives chase, but is not able to reach them in time: they smash Finn and Jake’s beloved home, and seriously injure poor BMO.

Jake is beside himself! His house is gone! But then, BMO comes over to him, and lovingly calms him down. BMO points out that Finn and Jake have long been a parent to the little robot, and now it is time for BMO to be the parent. And then, BMO begins to sing a tune “for his son Jake”, entitled “Time Adventure”.

"Time Adventure", written by storyboard artist extraordinaire Rebecca Sugar herself, encapsulates the best of the series: it's sad but uplifting. Melodic but rough-around-the-edges. It celebrates the wonders of life while also admitting that we can't really see all there is to it. Some people online criticized it for being too obvious (yes, the song’s title is just a flipping of the show's title), but in some way, I find that it's the most poetic and philosophical thing that its ever done.

When I was 11, I had my first real panic attack. I was out with my family when I was struck by a thought that has not left my head since: I'm going to die. Not that I can die, or that death might hurt. No. I am going. to. die; presumably, my consciousness will disconnect and I will not exist. I want to believe in an afterlife, but it’s an idea that seems oh so very hard to accept when faced with what we know about nature (but that’s a whole ‘nother discussion). These revelations horrified me, and it has taken years to really process what death actually means—and I’m still not there. None of us really are.

But as I’ve aged, I've been comforted by some rather Stoic ideas, like the idea that what will be will be and we should not stress about things that we simply cannot change. I also like the idea that we are all part of the cosmos, and while we will die, we don’t cease to exist: we just merge back into where we came from.

These musings are adjacent to another comforting idea: the fourth-dimensional view of time that BMO sings about:

Time is an illusion That helps things make sense So we're always living In the present tense ... Singing, will happen Happening happened [...] And will happen Again and again 'Cause you and I will always be back then

It’s true. Perhaps my “arrow-of-time consciousness” will be blasted into nothingness once I die, but I’m not ceasing to be. I eternally am. What happened is happening will happen. “Time is an illusion/That helps things make sense.” While this idea might not extinguish a fear of death, it’s a nice thought. And just like Adventure Time, when you combine enough nice thoughts, you often get something beautiful.

And beauty is all that was really needed for our heroes. It turns out that Golb is a creature of chaos, meaning that the only weapon that the citizens of Ooo can effectively use is concordance—harmony in music. It might seem a little silly that “beating the baddie with music” is how Golb’s minions are defeated, but considering the sort of magical role that music has played in the show, it’s not too much of the stretch. It also remains me of how the show used (and subverted) “defeating a baddie with heart” to great effect did in Stakes.

BMO (who hilariously declares, “My art is a weapon!”) is joined by Marceline and Bubblegum, and soon by Jake and the rest of the crew. Their combined harmonizing weakens Golb, allowing Finn and Simon to escape from his belly. However, Betty decides to remain behind. She realizes that the singing has also reset the ice crown’s phantasmal magic. Putting it on, she wishes for the power to ensure Simon’s safety, which entails her transforming (in a stunning sequence that IndieWire writer Eric Kohn refers to as “straight out of Don Hertzfeldt”) into Golb him(her?)self. Golb promptly leaves this reality, dropping the crown onto the ground. Gunter grabs it, and—despite Jake’s warnings that the naughty penguin will wish to become Orgalorg once again—Gunter merely wishes to turn into the Ice King (or, “Ice Thing”).

Finn and Jake return to the ruins of their tree fort, where they plant Fern’s seed. A new tree immediately sprouts from the ground, with the Finnsword embedded within it. Bubblegum arrives on the scene and thanks Finn for directly disobeying her. She gives him an appreciative kiss on the cheek and then muses that he is getting taller.

We cut back to Ooo 1000+, where BMO wraps up the story. Shermy and Beth still have questions (just like the audience!) about ‘Phil’ and Jake, and Marceline and Bubblegum. BMO shrugs these questions off, saying, “You know, they kept living their lives.”

Shermy and Beth set out to find the “Ferntree” to verify BMO’s story; they eventually realize that the large tree reaching up to the heavens near their stomping grounds is almost certainly it.

We cut back to Finn and Jake, who are sitting around the Music Hole from the episode of the same name. The hole tells our heroes that she has a new song for them, and she begins to sing “Come Along with Me” (which every Adventure Time fan knows is the show’s closing number).

While the Music Hole sings, we see Shermy and Beth climb to the top of the tree. We are also greeted to a montage of what happened to all our friends in Ooo:

Lumpy Space Princess is crowned a bonafide princess (or perhaps even a queen)

Ice Thing and Turtle Princess get married

TV becomes a private detection (just like his grandparents!)

Sweet Pea graduates from school and eventually becomes a super-huge hero, who carries Finn's Nightosphere-sword

Aunt Lolly and Bubblegum seemingly make up and learn to love each other as family members

Lemongrab gets one of Jermaine’s paintings to hang above his bed, which brings him peace

BMO blasts Moe's harddrive into space with the help of Banana Man

Flame Princess and NETPR get popular and perform at Hamburger Hills Cemetery to a huge crowd

Magic Man is the happy King of Mars

Simon spends quality time with Marceline and Bubblegum, and seems to try and summon Betty back using Prismo’s wish magic (sadly, it doesn’t work)

Marceline and Bubblegum, meanwhile, are shown snuggling on the couch in the former’s house; it is implied that they are raising Peppermint Butler, who once again is showing an interest in the dark arts

Humans return to Ooo, and Finn is likely reunited with his (digital mother)

We also see what the Jiggler, Tiffany, the Crabbit, Susan Strong/Kara and Freida, the Candy Kingdom citizens, Tree Trunks and Lemonhope are up to

The episode ends with Shermy and Beth finding the Finnsword in the Ferntree. After Beth pulls the sword from the (metaphorical) stone, Shermy holds it up, just like the show’s title card.

So now let’s talk about what worked and what didn’t. The last half of the finale, if I do say so, was wonderful. Nothing to complain about here: we got arc resolutions, emotionally touching moments, and a nice sense of closure. In regards to this latter point, I specifically like how the show gave use an ending but emphasized that this finale was not really the full-stop end of the characters that we know and love—it was just the end of the story that we’re privy to. As BMO says, everyone kept living their lives and the world kept on spinning. That’s a very nice way to end a show like this, and it feeds into the existential ideals of Adventure Time: there is no grand, overarching story that has to have some big punctuation at the end. Finn and Jake are heroes, but long after they’re gone, the world will still be here, and there will be other great heroes to take their place.

With all this said, I must admit that the finale’s first half is something of a missed opportunity. Opening with Shermy and Beth was a totally inspired move (and the new intro is gorgeously animated, courtesy of Science SARU Studios), but I believe the show lingered on their introduction for just a little too long. Likewise, the weird trippy nightmare portion of the finale was about 15 minutes too long. We did not really need 1/4 of the episode to be devoted to wacky dream imagery that both “King Worm” and “Orb” did more effectively. And given that the show chose to linger on these sections—sections that, in the grand scheme of things, are not super essential—the final portions of the episode came across as a bit rushed. The storylines are all satisfying, but it would’ve been nice if we had gotten a little bit more focus on Betty, Simon, and Finn, or Simon and Marceline, rather than Bubblegum and Gumbald’s wacky nightmares.

And speaking of Gumbald, his ending was a total cop-out. I’m not too torn up about this, given that he was never the main baddie in this episode (that was Golb), but his deciding to make peace and then accidentally reverting to Punchy was contrived and anticlimactic. To go back to a criticism I had of “Gumbaldia”, if the show had been given just a little more time to flesh his character and motivations out, I think his role in the finale would’ve been much better served.

But like I said, I wasn’t too torn up about this, because the main focus of this episode was on Golb and the horrors that such a being could unleash upon Ooo. And the show did this wonderfully. Indeed, it was quite exciting that the show finally had a villain that Finn couldn’t just punch a lot until it died (remember, he beat the Lich this way). Golb was, arguably, invincible. It was only the extremely broken magic of the ice crown could do anything.

Speaking of satisfying, “Come Along With Me” also gives Fern an excellent conclusion. The poor grass-doppelgänger was never evil, just confused. By finally coming to terms with his existential crisis of a life, he and Finn were able to patch things up. Sadly, this came at the expense of his dying (the scene in which Finn and Fern kill the grass-curse spider was quite fun). But even in death, there is life, and Fern’s demise allows a new tree to replace the old tree fort. How sweet is that?

Finn coming to terms with his disability was also a nice touch. As I mentioned in my review of Islands, Adventure Time seems to have a somewhat pessimistic view of technology. With this episode, Finn loses his robot arm once and for all, and instead of having PB build him a new one or dabbling in arm-magicks, he decides to let it all be. This is a very important lesson for the show to emphasize. Finn is still Finn with or without his arm. By constantly trying to ‘fix’ himself, Finn was trying to fill a hole that didn’t need to be filled. After experiencing all this Golb biz, it seems that Finn has come to terms with his essence and who he is as a person. And arm or no arm, he is still Finn.

But as satisfying as I found the episode to be overall, I still have some lingering questions! What happened to the Candy Kingdom that resulted in it getting totally razed in the future? Why was the Prizeball Guardian built? What happened to Marceline and Bubblegum, given that they, in their own ways, can evade death in various ways? These of course are questions that will likely never be answered, and they certainly can be filled in in the minds of fans, but these quandaries are probably going to bother me for awhile! (Heck, I just want to know what Marceline and Bubblegum’s future looks like: I don’t really care too much about that other jazz!)

As I write this, I’m both happy and heartbroken: I’m happy because my favorite show of all time has just aired perhaps the most satisfying finale that I have ever seen. I’m heartbroken because the story is now over.

But hold on.

Like BMO and Co. sing in “Time Adventure”, just because the story is over from my point of view does not mean it has slipped away into the ether of oblivion.

It’s comforting to think that in the fourth-dimensional view of existence, I still am in that rec room with my friends, watching “Sons of Mars” for the first time. In a way, I’m eternally laughing and smiling at the jokes. I’m eternally still realizing what a wonderful program Adventure Time really is.

And in that way, it’s true what they say: the fun will never end.

Final Grade:

Season Grade: Were this a standard season, I would probably have been a little harder on it. The Gum War, having been developed two or so episodes, really came out of nowhere and needed more time to be properly developed. It also seems a little odd that the series finale is at least partially focused on an antagonist who was only introduced this season. But these issues were not the fault of the production staff; they were problems with the show being cancelled by the network and the staff having to tidy-up everything before it was all over. Muto et al. honestly did the best they can with the hands they were dealt. And make no mistake, the result is pretty good, even if things are rushed. Yes, there is a lot to love about season 10. It’s got humor and heart, action and adventure, and plenty of romance! It’s not my favorite season by any means (that’s a tie between season 4 and 7), but its episodes are definitely in the upper-tier of the series, as far as quality goes.

Series Grade: Do I even need to say this?

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overobsessivewhumper · 6 years ago

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(This is part of Kes's backstorie, just so no one gets confused. This was befor her even knew the others)

Kes gasped for air loudly, willing his lungs to just function as they should. His breaths come shalow and weakly. A pale slender hand pushes its fingers onder his chin and makes him look up at the pale thin face, dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail. All in all, miss is a very good looking woman, if you ignore the black marks and scars on her face. If Kes would have seen her across from a coffe shop, he might have even been attracted to her. But not here. Being tortured is kinda a bummer and tends to dampen the mood. Her expression is cold and heartless, yet Kes still whipps out his most charming smile. Well. The most charming smile a man can muster when he can barely even manage to breath. Miss sneers. "Cheerfull as ever i see, pet." "Ah, you know it miss, only the best for you." She grabs hold of his hair and yanks his head back further. "You still don't get it, do you? You belong to me. You are mine pet." He shrugs as best as you can when your arms are tied as far away from your body on either sides of you. "Well. I don't see you name on me. Do you?" He grins widely as he can and looks her straight in the eyes. But instead of annoyance, he sees a smal grin spread on her otherwise so calm face. Kes knows this can't be good. She dissapears out of his view shortly and soon he is blindfolded. Kes strains his ears to try and locate her but only realises where she is when she grabs his hair again and expises his neck. She is standing closely behind him, breathing down his neck. Kes begins to panic. What if he pushed it too far and she's had enough? What if she's going to kill him?! His breaths come even raggeder and shorter then befor. He can feel something cold against his neck and he stops breathing, in fear it might be a knive and breathing could cause her to cut him by accident. When the first cut comes, near to the back of his neck, he almost cries out. Not because the cut is deep. No. Because it just hurts so damn much. Cut after cut she carves something into his neck. Not deeply. Not aiming to kill him. But it still burns. Kes gasps with every cut, whimpering or whining when ever her hand brushes over an already existing cut. When she finaly stops, his neck feels like it might aswell have been slit and he has started to silently cry without noticing it. Slowly, his blindfold comes off. Miss has her same old cold look on her face and is holding something in her hand. A mirror. "I think i see my name on you now." Hesitanrly he looks at the mirror and takes in a sharp breath. Cuts cover his neck, leeking both blood and something black and sticky. It takes him a moment to make it out, but when he does, it makes him want to cry. "Propperty of miss." and "pet" are cut into his skin neatly. "Next time, keep your mouth shut." She turns and leaves, flipping a switch befor exsiting, switching the contraption latched onto his arms on again. Kes lets his head hang and his body gets drained of magic yet again. This time he doesn't even struggle. Why should he? Now not even his body was his anymore. Not really anyway.

(And that's why he wears the choker all the time. Just had to write this befor i forget. And, introducing miss. Everyone that works for her or with her only knows her as that. Nobody really knows if that's actually her name or just what she likes to be called. She plays a big role in Kes's backstory.)

#whump #torture #well... of sorts...#kes #intoducing miss #nooo... totaly not called like that cause i can't think of a name right now.

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latchingontoallofyou · 6 years ago

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Row Mates 3

Part 3

“Dude, you look like your heart was just ripped out of your chest” Tony jokes. Val, embarrassed to actually be feeling like that, looks down instead of at his friend.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You know she didn’t actually leave, right? She’s just with her friends.”

“I know.”

“You look like a lost puppy now.”

“I’m fine. Let’s just go dance” he says, still not looking at anyone.

“Whatever you say. Just stop being a grump” Maks says.

“I’m not a grump.”

“Yes, you are. You’re just in so deep you don’t see it. He’s this love sick after…”

“Shut up Maks!”

“Oh, I hit a nerve.”

“We’re in a room surrounded by a whole bunch of people I don’t know that don’t need to hear made up stories about me.”

“You’re so lame” Maks says rolling his eyes as he walks away from the pouting Val.

Everyone is starting to head out of the main gathering room of the studio. He kinda feels frozen in place. She was the one so worried about today. She didn’t think she would know anyone or have anyone on her side. He had reassured her everything would be ok. Now he’s the one who is worried. He has his brother and friends but the one person he thought would be around more is not. She left with her girlfriends and never came back. Maks and Tony may have been right. He’s in deep.

“Hey, I’m Alan. You good man?”

“Hey. Yea, I’m good. I’m Val.”

“You look like…”

“For your own sake, you probably shouldn’t finish that sentence. I’m fine. Where do we find out where to go?”

“Man, you’re too serious. Lighten up. It’s the first day. I mean, did you see all those cute…”

“Dude.”

“What?”

“Don’t go there. That’s a bit much.”

“Oh come on. I saw you come in with that brunette.”

“She’s pretty great isn’t she” Val says unable to hold back a smile.

“I don’t know her.”

“Well she’s pretty great and the sooner we get to lunch, the sooner I can see her again, so I guess I should figure out where I’m supposed to be.”

“Do you not read emails?”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Ha, I’m sure you have. It’s promo shoot day. I think we’ll be learning some of the big opening number later too.”

“Oh.”

“Come on. Let’s go lover boy.”

“Dude, I was just starting to like you.”

“Yea, yea. Whatever. I’m very likeable.”

“Whatever you say” Val says with a laugh and a clap to Alan’s back.

Alan leads him though the studio and back towards the studio room where the promo shoot is taking place. The room is crowded for sure but relatively quiet. There are whispered conversations all around but nothing too loud. He can’t help but scan the room for Jenna. He can’t see her.

“You going to ditch me to go find lover girl.”

“You are really testing your luck man.”

“Oh, come on. Lighten up. It’s not like anyone knows who I’m talking about if they even heard me.”

“Whatever. Are you a pro?”

“Nah man. I’m troupe. You?”

“Pro.”

“What about…”

“She on troupe.”

“You really don’t want me talking about her, do you? Am I allowed to talk to her?”

“Yea, why wouldn’t you?”

“Cause you’re all obsessive of her.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. You’re still looking around for her. Just go find her. I’ll be fine. I’m likeable, remember.”

“She’s with her friends. A bunch of her friends from home are on the show too. They didn’t know until they got here so they all ran off together.”

“Aw, you go left behind. Poor lover boy.”

“Man, you don’t know how to let that go.”

“It’s made you relax.”

As Val scans the room again, he sighs. Alan is right. He does feel a little more relaxed. He motions for Alan to come with him and starts to walk around the room. He stops to introduce him to Maks and Tony. He was about to go see Peta and Sharna when he hears a familiar laugh. His head whips around to the left and finally spots Jenna amongst all the girls. He just stares at her as she laughs, a smile starting to form on his lips. What he doesn’t hear is Alan laugh as he make his way towards the ladies. It isn’t until Alan is blocking his view of Jenna that he realizes what is happening. He quickly closes the gap and joins Alan standing in front of the ladies.

“Right Val?” Alan says turning to look at Val.

“What?”

The ladies all laugh and Alan just pats his back. He pulls his attention from Jenna for a second to give Alan a questioning look, but he just shrugs and moves towards the empty seat next to the girl that Jenna said was Lindsay earlier.

He looks back over at Jenna. She’s staring at him too. She smiles softly at him, melting his heart a bit. She nods her head, calling him over to her. Without a care in the world, he walks over to Jenna and stands next to her chair, putting a hand on the back of her chair so it is touching her back. He instantly calms at her touch.

“We were just reminiscing over all the years in competitive dance together” she says looking up at him. He doesn’t notice all of the eyes looking between him and Jenna.

“That’s nice” he says and rubs his fingers on her back.

“Did you meet Mandy yet?”

“Not yet. Alan over there was monopolizing my attention.”

“Ha funny dude. I’m pretty sure something, rather someone else was on your mind the whole time I was talking to you.”

“Whatever” Val says and rolls his eyes to avoid looking at Jenna.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Mandy” Jenna says and moves to stand. Val moves his hand, so it is on her shoulder and keeps her in her chair gently.

“No, it’s ok. You can introduce me later when we go to dance.”

“Ok. Do you want to sit?” she says and tries to stand again but he stops her again.

“No. Sit. I’ll sit down here” he says and sits on the floor next to her chair, making it so he is right up against the side of her leg.

“That’s not going to be very comfortable. Come sit in front of me at least so you can lean against my legs.”

“Ok” he says with a smile and scoots across the floor, so he is right where she said to sit. When his back finds her legs, there is a current that runs through them. If he can’t see her, this is second best.

“Ok, someone needs to do some introducing because I’m thoroughly confused. I mean, I know I’m blonde, but this is so beyond that. What did I miss?” Witney says suddenly, earning laughs from the group.

“I’m Val.”

“Oh! That makes sense. I’m Witney.”

“Did Jenna…”

“Oh, I know who you are now.”

“Wit, you sound like a creep now. I’m Brittany.”

“Cherry” Witney laughs.

“Ugh, yes, that’s my last name. We are grown up now. Can we not call me that now?”

“Who said we are grown up?” Witney says, almost looking offended.

“Wit, we have big time jobs now. We are grown up.”

“Think whatever you want Cherry” she says with a laugh.

The girls go back to casual talking and Val just takes it all in. He could tell how close they are. He settles a bit further onto Jenna’s legs. He rests his head back too. When he feels Jenna’s fingers in his hair, he closes his eyes. She massages his head while playing with his hair. It doesn’t last nearly long enough. He hears his name being called, forcing him to open his eyes.

“Yea?” he says looking around, unsure of who was calling for him.

“You’re needed at hair and makeup” that voice says. He’s able to spot the lady calling for him. He pushes himself up off the floor, putting a hand on Jenna’s knee while he does. He feels her fingers brush against his.

“This is one part I wasn’t looking forward to. Have fun ladies.”

“Hey! What about me?” Alan whines.

“Yea, yea. You too Alan.”

He looks at Jenna and she nods at him. He nods back and smiles before he walks towards the lady who is still waiting for him, starting to look impatient. He is lead down a quiet hallway and into a long room that has a few long tables with 4 mirrors. There is a makeup artist at each station. Two of the stations have people at them.

“This is Val.”

“Oh, he’s a handsome one. He shouldn’t need much. People are going to love you. Come. Come sit down” the lady at the second station says, patting the chair she is standing next to. He shrugs and goes to sit.

“I’m Patty.”

“Hi Patty. Nice to meet you. Good luck with all this” he says motioning to his face.

“Oh honey, you aren’t going to need much work. You have a camera-ready face. We’ll just do some refreshing. “

“You’re too kind, Patty.”

“You’re too handsome. You are going to have America fighting over you. You have a girl?”

“No, not yet.”

“Not yet? There is a possibility? What are you waiting for?”

“Um, some more time.”

“Life is short, Val. Why wait.”

“I literally just met her.”

“Oh honey, I’m taken.”

“Bummer” Val laughs. “I meant I just met her this weekend. We spent time together this weekend but, I mean, I can’t just…”

Just then he feels the air in the room change. The best way he can describe it is by saying it brightens. He takes the opportunity to turn his head while Patty isn’t working. He smiles before he even knows it because he sees Jenna standing in the doorway, scanning the room just like he had when he arrived. Her eyes meet his, making her smile and his smile grow wider.

Patty, who must have noticed, and leans down closer to Val’s face. She lifts her brush but doesn’t put it to his face. Instead, she whispers in his ear.

“Don’t wait long for her. Someone will steal her away.”

He couldn’t answer for fear of Jenna picking up on something so he just nods. Next thing he knows, Jenna is making her way to him. He’s getting more and more excited until she turns at the first station and sits in the makeup chair. He can’t help but watch as she talks to her makeup artist. She has all his attention. Patty could have made him look like a clown and he wouldn’t have noticed or cared.

Jenna finally turns to him as her makeup artist get prepared. They both smile. All is right again in Val’s world.

“Hi” she says softly.

“Hi.”

“This isn’t the day I thought it would be.”

“Right. I guess I didn’t know what to expect but this isn’t what I thought” he says.

“Me either. After you got called back in, Mandy came in and took half the room to go learn part of the dance. She said half will do the promo shoots now while the others learn the dance and then we’ll all switch.”

“So, we’re in the same group?”

“Looks like it” she smiles.

“Good” he says with smile and reaches out his hand. “We gotta stick together in this place” he says as she puts her hand in his.

He thought about continuing to hold Jenna’s hand, but it was a long stretch for her and he didn’t want her to get uncomfortable so with a squeeze he lets go. He misses the contact instantly.

“Your friends were nice.”

“They are. A bit crazy but nice” she says cheerfully.

“Witney is a character.”

“Oh my gosh, you haven’t even seen the most of it. She’s such a mess but I love her. Tony seems like a great guy too.”

“He is. He may be a Dad but he’s a fun Dad. He likes to take care of everyone. I like him more than my brother sometimes. He can actually tell Maks something and Maks will listen. He commands respect and always gives it to everyone.”

“I hope to get to know him more than.”

“You going to ditch me for Tony?”

“What? No. I mean…”

“I’m just messing with you Jenna.”

“Oh” she says and smiles, holding back her laugh.

“What’d you think of that Alan kid.”

“He’s so funny! Oh my gosh. Speak of a character. How’d you meet him?”

“In the lobby after you went off with Lindsay. He just came up to me and started messing with me. I apparently looked like a lost puppy.”

“Why?”

“Cause everyone I knew left and I didn’t know where to go. Gosh, I sound like a baby.”

“No, you don’t. Remember how much I was freaking out this morning?”

“Yea but you got over it.”

“You did too.”

“Guess I’ll have to thank Alan for that at some point. Although, he might hold that over me so maybe not.”

Her laugh squeezes his heart and makes everything seem better. He just now realizes that Patty hasn’t added anything to his makeup in a while. He looks around and doesn’t even see her around. He was so distracted by Jenna that he missed her leaving. It’s a great reason to him.

“Val?” a voice calls out from further down the room.

“Yes?”

“You’re up. Come with me please.”

“Ok.” He stands up and goes around the chair closest to Jenna. He puts a hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him.

“I’ll see you soon.”

“Smile pretty” she says with a giggle, making him smile and laugh.

After his pictures were taken, Val was dismissed. He was about to leave the room, but he heard someone being brought in. He turns around and sees it’s Jenna. He makes his way back across the room towards her.

“Hi! How did your pictures go?”

“I think they went alright. We’ll have to see how they come out.”

“Val, I’m pretty sure you could never take a bad picture.”

“Ha, I have a bunch I could show you. You on the other hand… there is no way you’ve ever had a bad picture taken.”

“Oh, trust me, I have plenty too.”

“Alright, beautiful, go prove me right and take some gorgeous pictures” he says and pulls her into a hug. “I’ll be right over here waiting.”

“They said we can get lunch after this. We aren’t due in the ballroom with Mandy until 1:30. We still on to get lunch together?”

“Of course! Who else would I eat with?”

“Your brother. Peta. Tony. Um, Peta’s friend whose I can’t her remember.”

“Her name is Sharna but I’d much rather eat with you if you’ll have me.”

“Of course!”

“Good. Go take your pictures so we have more time. Smile pretty, Jennachka.”

“What?”

“It’s just a Russian term of endearment you add onto people’s names. Go” he says with a smile.

Jenna walks off towards the photographer, so Val goes towards an empty chair across the room from the set. He watches in awe of Jenna. She’s such a natural in front of the camera. Her smile is bright but not as bright as he’s seen it before. He’s studying every part of her that he can. He wants to know every part of her.

She seems to get done her pictures much faster than he did. She really is better than he is. She starts walking towards him, so he quickly stands and closes the gap.

“You were amazing.”

“Thanks. I just did what they said.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit. Ready for some lunch?”

“Yes” she says with a smile.

Val motions for the door and Jenna starts on her way. Val is right beside her with a hand on her lower back. The hall is quiet and still. Val takes his hand off of Jenna’s back and slips it into her grip. She looks up at him with the sweetest smile. He gives her hand a squeeze.

“This is ok?”

“Of course” she whispers.

“I can let go when we get closer to people.”

“It’s ok.”

“Do you want to walk to lunch?”

“Do we have time?”

Val looks at his watch. It’s already 12:45. He sighs.

“No. Not even sure if we have enough time to go anywhere to eat. I think they said that craft has lunch available. We can grab that and try to find a quiet place to eat.”

“Ok.”

They head off to find craft services. Val had to let go of Jenna’s hand to hold open the door for her and a few other people going into the craft service room. She’s waiting just inside the door for him. In their own world, they gather their lunch and head off to find a quiet space to eat. They walked around the studio for a while before they decide there really isn’t anywhere quiet to eat so they just join the others in their group on the floor of the studio. They sat as close to each other as possible without being to noticeable.

“Well that was intense” Val says as he and Jenna gather their things after learning the dance.

“It was really fun though” Jenna says.

“And you were right. Mandy is awesome.”

“I think she like you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because she gave you special parts.”

“Hey, you did too.”

“And we get to dance together.”

“That’s my favorite part.”

“Oh my gosh, you two are ridiculous! When are you two going to admit you two are a thing?” Mandy says surprising them both.

“What? We…”

“Save it Jen. You know you can’t play me. I know you too well. I’ll just say I’m all for it as long as you treat my girl right. Have a good night you two. Might want to ice up. You’re gonna be sore tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Mandy” Jenna says through her blush. “Have a good night.”

“Yes, thank you, Mandy. Have a nice night.”

“Take care of her Valentin.”

“I will” he says and slips his arm around Jenna, pulling her to his side. Mandy, now seeming satisfied, smiles and walks away.

Once they see she is far enough away and that they are the only ones left in the ballroom, Val pulls Jenna even closer and into a proper hug. She wraps her arms around him and holds on tight, closing her eyes while she breathes in his scent.

He kisses the top of her head, breathing in her scent as well. He can’t help but play with her hair. It’s so soft and smooth. She scratches his back before loosening her grip on him. He does the same and she steps away from him.

“Since we didn’t get to have our quiet lunch, do you want to have dinner with me tonight.”

“I…”

“It’s ok if you don’t.”

“I want to. I really do. I just need to shower, and I have to facetime with my family. I promised I would after the first day.”

“We could do a later dinner.”

“You don’t have to wait for me. I’m sure you are hungry.”

“I can wait.”

“Val…”

“You have to tell me if you want a rain check because I’m willing to wait. I’d do anything for you.”

“Um…” she says and looks at her watch. “How about like 7:30? I have to call my parents, my sisters, my niece…”

“You tell me when you are ready.”

“Ok. Nothing too big, ok.”

“How about I order something. Pizza? Chinese?”

“Ok. How about a movie? I can bring a movie.”

“I’ve got Netflix too.”

“Ok.”

“You pick and let me know. Ready to go?”

“Yea.”

At 7:15, Val is getting anxious. He could see Jenna still on her porch on her phone. She was still in her clothes from earlier. She has yet to shower. He doubts she will be ready by 7:30 like she first said she would. He was going to order their dinner soon but now he’s unsure. He doesn’t want it to be cold by the time they eat.

When he looks back out onto the porch, she is just pulling her phone away from her ear. She looks over at Val’s door and their eyes connect. She smiles and waves at him. She looks at her phone and her face drops. He steps out onto his porch.

“What’s wrong?”

“I said 7:30 and…”

“It’s ok.”

“No, it’s not. I’m so sorry. My family wanted to know everything!”

“Everything?”

“Well, just about everything. I haven’t even showered yet. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. I haven’t ordered yet. Go take your shower. I’ll order, and it should be here when you are done. Pizza or Chinese?”

“Chinese.”

“Ok. Anything in particular?”

“No.”

“Ok. I’ll leave my door unlocked. Just come in when you are done.”

“Ok.”

They both head into their own apartments. Val orders their dinner. He knows he still has time so after gathering blankets for the movie, he takes a quick shower. He had taken one earlier, but he had time and he wanted to smell extra nice. What he doesn’t realize is that while he is in the shower, Jenna arrived. When he comes out in shorts and a simple t-shirt, he’s surprised to see Jenna curled up on the couch. He walks over and finds her with her eyes closed, her breathing steady. He can’t resist bending down and kissing her head.

“Oh, sorry. I’m up. I’m up. I was just resting my…”

“It’s ok, Jen. It’s been a long day. You have a right to be tired.”

“I’m ok. I…”

“You took a quicker shower than I thought.”

“I didn’t want to waste anymore of your night so…”

“You did no such thing. Dinner should be here any minute. Want to start looking for a movie to watch?” he asks as he sits down on the couch next to her.

“I forgot to pick one! I have so many in my apartment. I’m messing everything up!”

“Jenna, calm down. You are not messing anything up. We can go to your apartment to pick a movie or we can just pick something on Netflix. The movie isn’t the most important thing here.”

“But I said…”

“Jenna, why are you doubting me?”

“I’m not! I just… I’m hard on myself. Too hard sometimes. I just want everything to go just right. It’s not and….”

“Everything is going fine. Come here” he says and opens his arms out to her. She turns sideways and rests up against him. With an arm on her head and the other holding her close, they just relax until there is a knock on his door. With a sigh and a kiss to her head, Val gets up to answer the door. Jenna goes into the kitchen and gathers plates and utensils.

“We can eat on the couch” Val says, placing the take-out containers on the coffee table

“Ok” she says and brings everything in.

“What do you want for a drink?”

“I’m good with just water.”

“Got it.”

With two glasses of water in hand, Val joins Jenna on the couch. He puts one cup on the table closer to Jenna and the other in front of him. Jenna already had the plates out in front of them.

“I can’t tell you the last time I ate Chinese food off of plates.”

“Oh, we could…”

“No, no this is good. This is a good thing. It’s the first time in a long time that I’m not eating it by myself. This is so much better.”

“Ok.”

“Pick what you want” Val says and motions towards the food.

Jenna picks up the rice and pours some onto her plate. She passes it to him and picks up the general Tsao’s chicken and does the same. There is also noodles but she skips that and goes for the steamed mixed vegetables. She puts her plate down on the table and sits cross legged on the couch. She leans forward and picks up her plate before settling back against the couch. She lays her plate on her lap and waits for Val to settle back with his food before she takes a bite.

He settles as close to her side as he can. Her knee is practically in his lap. It all just feels right. He takes his first bite and then grabs for the remote.

“Should we find something on Netflix?”

“Ok.”

“Anything in particular?”

“Nothing scary!”

“Ok” he laughs. “How about a comedy?”

“Rom coms are my favorite.”

“Good to know. Let’s see what we can find.”

“Oh, oh, that one!” Jenna squeals when she sees 13 Going on 30.

“Let’s do it” Val says with a smile and clicks on the movie.

Soon enough they have finished eating so they pause the movie to clean up the food and dishes. With everything put away and washed up, Val takes Jenna’s hand and leads her back to the couch. He sits so his side is against the arm of the couch. She settles down next to him, curling up into his side. Her head is resting on his chest and his arms are wrapped around her. She’s got her hand on his chest and finds herself gently scratching his chest. He occasionally will kiss her head.

“Val?” she whispers half way through the movie and their cuddle session.

“Yes love?”

“What is this?”

“What?

“Us. What is this?”

“Um, movie night.”

“You sit like this for movie night with all your friends?”

“No. Definitely not. This kind of movie night is reserved for special people.”

“I’m one of them?”

“You’re the only one” he says softly and kisses her head.

“Really?” she whispers.

“Who else would it be?”

“But we just met.”

“So. Why does that matter?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I don’t want this to stop but like what are people even going to say.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you not see the girls looking at us today. People are going to notice whatever is going on between us.”

“I mean, I think I know what is going on between us. I know how I feel.”

“I…”

“It’s ok. We can just keep it like this. You tell me.”

“Ok. I can tell my family?”

“Yes, but what are we telling them, so I know what I can say to mine.”

“That I met the most incredible guy who treats me so incredibly and who sees me for me. That this guy has the softest heart but is a big protector. He has the best humor and such a fun personality. That I love to spend every second I can with him and that I feel the most at home in his arms.” She holds tighter to Val and kisses his chest with a smile.

“Good to know. I mean I might have to change it around a bit, but I’ll make it work. You know, how I met this incredible girl that melts my heart with every smile. A girl that can change my mood with just a glance. A girl that shook up my whole world for the better. A girl that I would do anything to protect.”

With a kiss to the head, they curl back up together and continue watching the movie because they were both too scared to say how they are really feeling for fear of it being too soon. Both being exhausted, they feel asleep before the movie ended.

Val woke up confused a few hours later. Looking at the clock across the room, he sees it’s 1:30am. The Tv has timed out. He tries to shake her awake, but it doesn’t work. He carefully slides out from under her and carefully lays her on the couch. He goes to the bathroom and then comes back to try to wake her again. Calling her name and scratching her back does the trick.

“What?” she says sleepily, barely opening her eyes.

“Hi. We fell asleep during the movie. Do you want me to help you over to your apartment?”

“No.”

“You can do it on your own?”

“Can’t I stay here?”

“Ok” he smiles. “I’ll help you to my bed. You can stay there. I’ll sleep…”

“Stay with me” she whispers, her eyes closing again.

“Here on the couch?”

“I don’t care.”

“Let me help you to bed then” he says and carefully lifts her into his arms and carrier her into his room, laying her on the bed. He pulls back the covers and helps her underneath. She curls up into a ball, already halfway asleep. He climbs into the other side of the bed. He lays facing her but keeps space between them. He wanted to respect her space.

What he didn’t know was that while they were both sleeping, they both found each other. His hand ends up resting on her side and her hand finds his hair. It was the most peaceful sleep either one has had in a very long time.

#dwts fanfics #jenna and val #Jenna Johnson #val chmerkovskiy #valenna #valenna fanfic

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officialthiamlibrary · 7 years ago

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Hope everyone who celebrated the holidays enjoyed them! If you haven’t already, you can keep the celebration spirit alive with this ultimate collection of Thiam Holiday Fluff (and Angst). Thank you to all the writers and artists who brought the holiday bug to our favorite pair! Kudos and comments would be a perfect gift. 🎁

Merry (Late) Holidays, Thiam Pack! We Love You!

🌲 Stay With Me by 18-sweet-poisoned-heart

Liam though wasn’t that bothered with the idea of spending the Christmas with the pack, with the people that cared about him and he cared about them too, his second family. He knew that this Christmas would’ve been boring, spending it alone, with his stepdad on his shift at the hospital and his mother on a cruise in Caribbean with her best friends.

🌲 Last Christmas by Tabbytabbytabby [5.4K | E]

Last Christmas Hayden broke Liam’s heart. It took awhile but eventually Liam moved on, giving his heart to someone more deserving.

🌲 Coffee and Dates by stilesxlydiaxderek [810 | G]

Theo owns a coffee shop. Liam is his costumer. Malia is fed up with them.

🌲 Don We Now Our Gay Apparel by thinkingoftheo

Merry Christmas! I hope you like it. There’s not much plot, just fluff (well, mostly just cheesiness actually). What I was going for was domestic fluffy Thiam participating in cliche Christmas activities, and also Liam introducing Theo to his parents. Enjoy.

🌲 Cute Christmas Elf by stilesxlydiaxderek [560 | NR]

“So what you’re saying is that you need to borrow my boyfriend’s sister so you can hit on some guy.”

🌲 25 Days of Thiam Christmas by SupernaturalIdijit16 [56k | T]

Multi-chapter Thiam fic leading up to Christmas. When Liam learns that Theo hasn’t done nearly any of the classic winter activities that one does leading up to Christmas day, he takes it upon himself to make sure Theo experiences every single one of them. Liam and Theo going through cold winter days together leading up to Christmas. Basically Liam wants to make sure Theo has the best Christmas Ever.

🌲 Revelation by Underthegallows [3k | T]

- You know, for someone not taking a nap, you sure look like you are taking a nap.

Theo’s voice is almost inaudible, a low whisper that sounds like a secret.

- Shut up. The chimera chuckles next to him, and Liam has to keep himself from smiling.

🌲 A Thiam New Years by kitcat3758 [2.4k | T]

Theo moves into the Greyer’s house in time for the holidays only for Liam’s parents to go on vacation leaving the boys home alone for winter break. Liam learns that werewolves can get drunk, and Theo helps make this dream become a reality for the whole pack on NYE.

🌲 (Peppermint) Mocha Chocolata Ya Ya by Ithinkwehaveanemergency [2.9K | T]

Theo likes the taste of Liam’s chapstick. Liam’s okay with that.

Or, absolutely awful fluff that took me an obscene amount of time to write for how short it is.

Merry Christmas, Thiam Pack!

🌲 Baby, it’s Christmas by tabbytabbytabby [2.8K | T]

Theo goes with Derek to New York to meet with another pack. All flights get grounded so they fear they won’t make it home by Christmas. They borrow a truck and drive back to Beacon Hills through a snowstorm ensuring they get home to their families by Christmas.

🌲 Faculty Christmas Party by lamesassthiam [T | 10k}

Theo Raeken and Liam Dunbar are two reputable high school teachers in New York. Having known each other for years, they often fight and it can get quite out of hand. Except Liam is feeling a little bit less friendly towards Theo and a little bit more fuck me. Unbeknownst to Liam, Theo is feeling the same way. With the help of some nosy students, fellow teachers, and the promise of a faculty Christmas party at night, there might just be hope for these two dense idiots.

🌲 New Memories by invisible_slytherin [G | 3.4k]

“I’m going to make you like Christmas.”

Or, the one where Theo doesn’t remember how Christmas was before everything that went down in his life and Liam makes it his job to help Theo create new memories.

🌲 No Ordinary Love (Thiam Christmas Special) by fuckthiam [ 3k| NR]

The lights from the gift store started to flicker when Theo entered the door and a loud buzz was heard to announce a new customer. It was the day before Christmas and for the first time in years it was snowing during the Christmas holidays. Theo wanted to leave the store as soon as he entered it, but instead dragged himself to a shelf full of snow globes. It was silent in the gift store apart from the squeaky noises that Theo’s wet boots were making on the floor. Theo took off his beanie and patted some of the snow from his coat.

“A bit late for buying Christmas present, don’t you think?”

🌲 Chimera’s First Christmas - A Thiam Secret Santa Fic by thiamislife_thiamislove [6.2K | NR]

It’s a Thiam Secret Santa fic for @Lizzielizzie12 !!!

It’s Theo and Liam’s first Christmas together, and Liam wants it to be absolutely perfect! However, Theo is making that a bit more of a challenge than Liam expected.

Merry Christmas!

🌲 Christmas With You by tabbytabbytabby [6.9K | T]

Secret Santa Fic for Skam-Witness:

Liam loves Christmas and drags Theo into everything. Theo can’t help but hope it’s because Liam wants him to have his first real Christmas in a long time. Turns out Liam really does just love Christmas, but maybe he loves Theo too.

Merry Christmas!

🌲 Triad Anniversary by Mskristinamay [1.3k | NR]

Liam, Theo, and Brett are a triad wolf pairing. Christmas day is their anniversary and just so much fluff.

🌲 Thiam Christmas Imagines by fuckthiam

Imagine Theo and Liam trying to put up Christmas lights but they end up just making a really big tangled mess and they leave it on the floor because they think it looks festive enough.

Imagine Liam rolling down the stairs covered in wrapping paper, screaming “I’M YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT” at Theo. Theo catches him before he gets seriously injured and carries him around in a wrapping paper bundle for the rest of the day.

🌲 No one should be alone at Christmas by slayerwithredhair

The food was wonderful and no one started a fight, which given the company of a bitter heartbroken aunt, two troublesome toddlers and an evil murderous chimera, Liam considered it a win.

🌲 Day Five - Decorating by thiamdrabbles

“I told you to get a stepladder, dammit! You’re going to kill yourself.”

Theo rolled his eyes and stretched a little farther to try and reach the spot he was aiming for. “Will you calm down?” he demanded. “I’ll be fine. I’m not even that high up.”

🌲 You Deserves This by forevermissingteenwolf

The pack is back in Beacon Hills. Everyone is at Liam’s house for secret Santa.

Theo gets an unexpected gift from an unexpected person.

🌲 Versace On the Floor by DaSmiley99 [2.6K | E]

Request from Tumblr: Theo never had a Christmas before and Liam wants to spend Christmas with him and after he begs they spend it together!

🌲 Mistletoe Kisses by RebelWithHeartofGold

Liam wants Theo to have a great christmas

🌲 Little Do You Know by Mondgloeckchen [2.5k | G]

Theo and Liam used to be friends but somehow it wasn’t meant to be. When Theo starts coming closer and finally ends up confronting Liam on a party it suddenly made sense.

🌲 Peppermint by ExtraSteps [2.4K | E]

Liam discovers that Theo really, really likes peppermint candy canes.

🌲 To be Loved by Blaxis [1.3K | G]

He feels loved. Theo pulls his lover into a hug and seals their lips. There was a lot that could be said, but words could not suffice and Theo prefers mystery when it comes to emotions.

“Theo,” –Liam’s favorite word, feather-like on his tongue and honey-sweet.

🌲 Burned Sugar by narniaismymaze [638 |NR]

Theo and Liam are making a gingerbread house… it doesn’t go well

🌲 Threadbare by ExtraSteps [2.6K | NR]

Liam has been pining for Theo for a long time now. For Christmas, he decides to make something for Theo that shows how much he cares.

🌲 Finesse by DaSmiley99 [2.4k | E]

Well, fuck.

He never thought he would see Theo in a suit at Lydia’s Christmas party.

The banshee proposed to host a party at her place and they had to dress up properly for the occasion. Yeah, she obligated everyone to wear their best suits and dresses.

What a bummer.

When Mason brought him and Corey to the party, Liam was surprised to see that everyone followed Lydia’s obligations.

Then Theo, that fucker, arrived in a suit. It knocked the air out of Liam’s lungs. He nearly choked on his spit, his throat getting dry at the sight in front of him.

Theo straight up looked like a Sex God.

🌲 Perfect Timing by ExtraSteps [2k | T]

Liam gets Theo in the pack’s Secret Santa and has the perfect present in mind.

🌲 Countdown Kiss by Lizzielizzie12

🌲 Put Your Arms Around Me and I’m Home by tabbytabbytabby [G | 2.4K]

When the pack decide to spend Christmas at a cabin in Tennessee Theo and Liam are forced to share a bed.

🌲 Christmas Headcanons for Thiam by formerprincess

Liam loves giving his friends presents and he is insanely happy when he can hand out presents on Christmas

The thing is: Liam’s presents are always kind of…tacky or odd

We hope your day (and the rest of your break) is Thiam filled and lovely. As always, reply with links if we’ve missed a story!!

-Mods Lizzie + Minna!

#thiam #teen wolf #reclist #christmas #officialthiamlibrary #fanfiction #ficrecs #mod: lizzie #mod: minna

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wordsonpages1-blog · 7 years ago

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Okay so first of all I have to say sorry for being so absent for the past few months. But I want to thank you all for your support and love and care and understanding during this period it has really helped me and I am so grateful for all of you!

second: this fic is based on a prompt I recieved ages ago from @gellbellshead-

“So saw your post that you have some time for writing and couldn't help myself from sending you this one. Person A and Person B are camp counselors and Person A gets all flustered because Person B is really good with kids and it’s adorable.”

which kind of inspired 30 pages worth of content haha ps. sorry I took forever to get this done love!

third: THANKYOU TO @rileybabe for this STUNNING aesthetic I mean I can’t even with her talent! I would also like to dedicate this fic to her and @ms-maj for being so kind and lovely and always sending me such cute messages and supporting me even when I was MIA.

Again thanks everyone for the love I hope you enjoy!

warning: light smut

as this is long af, here is the AO3 link-

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11821416

CAMP SWEETWATER-

“Welcome to Camp Sweetwater”

Betty let out a defeated sigh as she read the faded words scripted in yellow paint across a crooked wooden sign. This was not how she wanted to spend her summer.

“Really Elizabeth stop acting like such a child, “ her mother scolded from the driver’s seat, shutting off the car’s engine and opening the door. Betty groaned, letting her head thump back against the seat.

All she asked for was a carefree summer; one where she was free of her “perfect” girl next door persona and could just be a teenager. But of course that was not acceptable to Alice Cooper. Betty had been furious when her mother had excitedly relayed her acceptance as a camp counsellor, shaking the neatly opened letter in her face. It wasn’t that she didn’t like kids or the outdoors, no it was the principle of having her time stripped of her against her will. But her objections were no match for Alice’s lectures on the importance of broadening her skill set, and the need to fill her college applications with extra curricula’s- as if she didn’t have enough. So her bags had been packed, and here she was.

Deciding there was no point in further delaying the inevitable and beginning to become uncomfortable inside the stuffy vehicle, Betty opened her own door and stepped out into the summer heat.

She had to admit the location was beautiful, with lush greenery all around and the sounds of the river trickling through the air. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.

Rounding the vehicle, Alice placed Betty’s duffle bag on the dusty ground beside her and grabbed her reluctant daughter’s shoulders.

“It’s only seven weeks, who knows it might surprise you,” her mother placated softly, offering a warm smile.

Internally Betty scoffed, only seven weeks, but she knew her mother truly just wanted what was best for her even if she had an overbearing and odd way of actuating that. So instead she returned the words with a soft smile of her own and pulled her mother into a hug.

“I’ll call you when I can, have a safe drive home.”

And with that she was gone.

Taking a deep breath and pushing her hesitancies and irritations aside, the blonde tightened her pony tail before bending down to pick up her duffle bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Her sneakers hit the ground with purpose as she crossed through the open gateway, her green eyes scanning across rows of log cabins with brightly painted accents and dirt pathways, all the way to the tree line that led into the forest.

“Betty Cooper?”

Betty turned her head from the view, only to be completely taken aback by the new one. A boy about her age was approaching her with lazy steps that held a subtle air of arrogance. He was tall and lean; the plaid button up he was wearing, the sleeves rolled up on his forearms made sure she was very aware of that fact. Rogue strands of his ebony hair fell over his impossibly blue eyes tantalisingly while the rest was tucked beneath a beanie that she was too stunned to question the use of in this weather. And god his jawline looked sharp enough to cut glass.

It wasn’t until his dark brows furrowed and his mouth twitched into an amused smile that Betty realised she had been straight out ogling him and if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, she had totally failed to respond to his question. Trying to ignore the flush that was quickly rising to her cheeks, Betty summoned the social skills she had acquired over years of Cooper indoctrination and flashed him her best girl next door smile.

“That’s me! Sorry I was a little distracted by the view,” the blonde recovered in an upbeat tone, internally commending herself on constructing an excuse that wasn’t entirely a lie.

The boy chuckled shaking her politely extended hand.

“Yeah it’s some view,” he replied, a cheeky smirk gracing his lips, making it obvious they both knew she wasn’t talking about the geographical scenery. Betty felt her cheeks flame even more and cast her eyes downward shyly.

“Jughead Jones, welcome to Camp Sweetwater.”

Betty was extremely grateful that he didn’t feel the need to loiter on her embarrassment and found the courage to meet his eyes again. God did he have nice eyes.

“Thanks, I’m assuming this isn’t your first time?”

“You’d be right. I’ve been friends with Fred’s son since birth really, so of course every summer I’d come with them here and then when we got old enough it was kind of a natural progression into camp counsellors,” Jughead informed her, rubbing the back of his neck.

“So you’re the welcoming committee?” She half joked, feeling her stomach flutter at the good natured smile he offered her.

“Something like that.”

She quirked a brow, the tone of his voice indicating he knew something she didn’t.

“Well I’m your welcoming committee,” his smirk reappeared and Betty bit her lip at the sight.

“Lucky me,” she returned softly, her eyes widening as the confession slipped out. Letting out a nervous chuckle she shuffled her converse through the dirt, attempting to play it off as friendly jest.

Jughead raised an eyebrow- his eyes seeming to twinkle with something unknown- but didn’t comment.

“Come on, I’ll show you ‘round.”

Maybe this summer wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Twenty four hours later Betty would uncover the meaning to Jughead’s cryptic message about being her welcoming committee.

Her first day at Camp Sweetwater was spent acquainting herself with the place. It was beautiful. The main part of camp was built on a large clearing just near the river. Cabins made of log, a large rec room/dining hall and a fire pit. While multiple trails led to the areas where various activities took place. Betty was impressed and made sure Mr Andrews was well aware of the fact. The campers weren’t arriving till the following week and Betty was glad for the time to settle in.

Jughead had introduced her to her bunk mate first. Veronica Lodge was a dark haired girl with impeccable makeup and a socialite attitude straight from New York City. Her mum and Fred were old friends. The two although having seemingly juxtaposing personalities had hit it off instantly and Betty was grateful for Veronica’s taking her under her wing. The other girl had quickly given her the rundown on the regular’s; Archie, Fred’s son, football player, heart of gold but not necessarily the sharpest tool in the shed. Kevin Keller, “resident gay”, always up for an adventure and kept the atmosphere light while not afraid to be straight up with people. Cheryl Blossom, bitch by nature, cheer captain, but good with kids and a nice person “deep, deep down.” She hadn’t said much about Jughead though, much to Betty’s disappointment and she knew better than to ask in fear of making her new found curiosity- easily mistaken as “crushing”- too obvious. All she got was that he was basically Fred’s surrogate son, a bit of a lone wolf and always had a sarcastic remark ready.

They had spent the day breezily, playing ice breaker games and just hanging out really, as well as doing some admin all together. It was during that portion of the afternoon that Betty had really made an impression on her peers. Her aptitude for making schedules came in handy for kitchen duty and cleaning rosters etc.

But god she was not prepared for today.

The plan for the rest of the week was for the counsellors to run through all the activities so that they were well equipped to run them when the kids came and then to brain storm some other activities for the evenings and free time.

“So you’ll just run through each activity with your co-counsellor which will help you guys to bond before your campers arrive,” Fred explained, while they were sat at the picnic like tables inside the dining hall eating breakfast.

“We have to be paired together B! We’ll be like Thelma and Louise and our group will be totally empowered,” Veronica whispered conspiringly in her ear, placing an excited hand on Betty’s arm while Fred looked for the list of “teams”.

Betty laughed at her new friend and nodded, “Oh yeah, we’d have them all attending feminist rallies by the end of the summer.”

“Well if you’re allowed to brain wash America’s youth and use them to your advantage, I’m going to make sure my group are all attending pride marches before the summers out!” Kevin added, with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a mock serious tone.

“Kev you try and do that every year anyway,” Jughead mentioned off-handedly while pretending to be engaged in Archie’s rambling about the necessity of compiling a list of classic camp fire “jams”.

Both girls laughed while Kevin feigned shock.

“Ah here it is!” Fred broke through their chatter once again, with a sheepish grin.

“Okay Archie and Ethel, Cheryl and Reggie, Jughead and Betty and Kevin and Veronica.”

Betty froze, spoon buried in her bowl of cereal Did he just say-

“Bummer girl! Oh well we can always kick ass together in the kitchen,” Veronica interrupted her sudden brain malfunction, before getting up from her place and taking her plate toward the kitchen with an excited Kevin on her heels.

Betty’s stupor was fading as she processed the idea of working with Jughead, closely, every day for the entire summer. She blinked at her all bran, before taking a deep breath and looking up. Jughead was watching her from across the table with the corner of his mouth upturned. Yeah bummer, Betty thought as she once again felt her pulse jump under his scrutiny. She offered him a pleased- but not too pleased- smile of her own and met his eyes fully now. It was then that she became reacquainted with that cheeky twinkle. Oh.

“Well that explains the personal welcoming committee,” she threw at him with a teasing tenor.

Jughead shrugged, his face twisting into a passive expression, though his eyes still sparkled under jest. Rising to his feet he moved to clear both of their dishes.

“Weird coincidence right?” and then he was walking away and all Betty could do was chug her juice to prevent the wide smile threatening to split her face in half.

Yeah this summer was going to be far from bad.

“So you knew we were going to be paired up together all along?” Betty prodded, while she and Jughead ventured down the path toward the boat shed; their first activity was canoeing.

“Yeah,” was all he offered, hands tucked into the pockets of his worn light wash jeans.

Betty nodded, trying not to pry too much while also finding herself parched for knowledge about this boy. His voice entranced her, his words intrigued her and his demeanour attracted her. She was unsettled by how much she was responding to his presence, by how much she wanted to know him. It was strange but also electrifying and she had to remind herself that she had all summer for that.

“And may I ask how you gathered that information?”

“World class investigative skills.” He retorted dryly, his playful expression daring her to oppose him as they rounded on the shed.

“Well in that case you should come and write for my school paper,” Betty responded with her own sarcastic quip, accepting the colourful oar he handed her from the row hung on the side of the shed.

“Yours as in your schools or yours as in you run it?” the dark haired boy asked nodding his head so that she followed him round the side.

Betty was a little taken aback by his sincere question, stalling for a second before her trainer clad feet followed him.

“Both. This is my second year as editor but we are severely lacking in writers who possess talent and the ability to chase a story,” she explained trying not to sound too nerdy as she watched him reach up to grab life jackets from the top shelf while she leaned against the door way.

His shirt rode up a little with the action and Betty bit her lip as a strip of olive skin and lean back muscle that was exposed to her. Jughead turned around clasping the objects and she quickly averted her eyes from his figure, trying to act nonchalant despite being almost caught checking him out for the second time in the very short span of time they had known each other.

“That’s cool. Well except for the shitty journalists part.” He threw a life jacket at her and Betty mumbled a thanks, pushing off the door way to put it on.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, I’m partial to the literary types and especially to mysteries so…” Jughead trailed off making a non-committal gesture with his hand and putting his own life jacket on.

Betty nodded, feeling satisfaction warm through her veins, knowing they had found some common ground.

“Anyway you’re dodging my question and as a ‘world class’ investigator myself I will not be deterred so easily!” the blonde proclaimed as they moved to where the canoes were lined up by the bank of the river. Jughead sighed, tugging on his beanie before pausing to examine her for a moment.

His scrutinising gaze wasn’t harsh in the way her mother’s often was- searching for flaws- but rather, it seemed as though he was searching for something positive within her. Something he could trust.

“Fred told me.” They pushed the canoe into the shallow depths of the water, both their shoes becoming soaked, before they jumped in themselves. Betty was praising her choice of jean shorts while Jughead seemed completely unfazed by the damp cuffs of his jeans.

Betty scoffed and shook her head at him, eyes squinting.

“That part I figured.”

Jughead smirked looking out at the water before turning back to her.

“I hate surprises okay? I know that sounds stupid but I like to know things before they happen, I don’t know it helps me prepare. Been that way since I was a kid and Fred knows me well enough to not spring things on me.”

Betty nodded, understanding better than maybe he realised. She knew that feeling well. In fact anyone with anxiety would probably understand that… she couldn’t help but realise the common symptom, even though he had played it off as coolly as he could.

“Plus Fred likes to have new counsellors with Archie or myself. We’re basically prodigals,” he continued after a moment, his tone less strained while he transgressed into a joke.

“That makes sense. And I’m sorry,” Betty spoke softly knowing firsthand how difficult it could be to discuss your anxieties with others.

Jughead furrowed his eyebrows, clearly confused by her apology.

“Well I can imagine for someone who doesn’t like surprises it must be hard to work with someone completely knew, who you know nothing about. It’s like one big surprise in a human package,” she elaborated, watching the sun gleam off the clear water while she spoke almost shyly, before turning back to him.

A strand of dark hair had fallen from his beanie again and was sitting dangerously over his eyes, the sun was highlighting his jaw line and making his skin look flawless; the envy of every teenage girl for sure.

“I don’t think I’m going to mind this surprise.”

Her eyes widened as he studied her cautiously. A soft smile spread across her lips as she held his gaze, the sounds of the breeze and birds the unaccompanied symphony to their rowing.

“Oh shit, Fred asked me to gather paper and pens, so that we could schedule some evening activities during dinner!” Veronica exclaimed as her and Betty made the short walk from their cabin to the dining hall.

“I’m going to go back and grab them from our cabin, meet you there?” the raven haired girl asked already backtracking toward their room.

Betty nodded her mind preoccupied with the view a few metres away.

“Sure V,” she called, not taking her eyes from Jughead who was sprawled across the grass near the dormant fire pit, notebook in hand, barely registering Archie sat in one of the chairs near him strumming away at his guitar.

Her legs began moving to cross the distance before her brain registered what she was doing, though it didn’t object.

“So when you said you were partial to literary types, what you were really saying is that you’re partial to yourself?”

Jughead looked up at the sound of the teasing voice that had quickly imprinted itself into his memory as her voice.

Betty stood in front of him clad in a pair of well-fitting athletic shorts that showed off her long legs and an old hoodie, hair still in that pony tail. He had to remind himself to breathe as she completely dwarfed the scenery around her.

Rolling his eyes Jughead snapped the leather skin journal shut and rose up on his forearms.

“I think literary type and narcissist are synonymous Betty,” he fired back smoothly, revelling in the way she shook her head at him with that soft smile playing at her pink lips.

“How silly of me Jughead,” she exclaimed gracefully perching next to him on the grass.

He shrugged at her, leaving a purposeful silence for her to fill if she wanted to.

“So what were you writing?”

“Nothing really,” he tried to modestly lay the subject to rest.

Archie scoffed but didn’t say anything and Betty looked at Jughead curiously.

“Okay not nothing. I’m in the process of writing a novel,” he explained sheepishly, not meeting her eyes.

Betty’s whole body seemed to light up with genuine enthusiasm as she gushed, “Jug that’s amazing! What’s it about?”

Jughead hesitated not really sure how to explain the inner workings of his dark mind and also not sure if he was ready to confide that in another person, especially one he just met. Though he had to admit there was something about this girl that made him feel as if he’d known her forever, or had always been waiting to meet her. He couldn’t explain it, couldn’t put his finger on it, but he just knew that there was so much more to her than the “all American” persona she was putting on, and god did he want to know what was behind it.

“Sorry, a good author doesn’t release spoilers.”

Betty felt a tiny tinge of disappointment spread through her, but respected his prerogative. Writing could be deeply personal. Writing articles for the school paper was one thing, but sharing something entirely concocted from your own thoughts, your own fantasises, your own imagination and having people see the way you view the world around you, allowing people a window into your experience, well that was something else entirely.

“Well, be sure to send me a signed copy when it’s number one on the New York Times best seller list,” she said fixing him with a look that was both serious and teasing at the same time. Jughead laughed- he found himself doing that a lot around her.

Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach at the sight of his grin, perfect teeth on full display, Betty rose from her knees, making her way toward the dining hall once again.

Jughead watched her retreating form, before shaking his head and falling back on the grass once more.

“Dude!” Archie exclaimed, eyeing his long-time friend excitedly.

“What bro?” Jughead grumbled, barely glancing up.

“You know what. You and Betty!”

Jughead shot up, looking at the red head like he had grown a second head.

“What about me and Betty?”

Archie noted the shift in Jughead’s tone and realised he was retreating back to himself. He had to tread carefully.

“I don’t know man, but when she came over you got this look.”

“What look?”

“Well let’s just say you don’t look at her like you want to kill her- which is how you look at everyone else just for the record,” Archie elaborated carefully, though the mischievous glint in his eye did not fade.

“Shut up dickhead,” Jughead flipped his best friend off, with a glare for good measure.

“Okay we really need to start talking strategies for capture the flag,” Betty announced as her and Jughead walked a track deep into the forest.

The dark haired boy looked at her incredulously, taking a long swig from his water bottle. The heat had really kicked up a notch over the week making their skin sweat and burn even though it was barely 10am.

“You do realise that’s like three weeks away right? And we haven’t even met our team yet,” he dead panned.

“Yes.” Betty shot him a pointed look, skipping a few steps ahead of him before turning so that she was walking backwards.

“But I figure with my strategizing skills and your experience we’re practically unbeatable. And if we start planning now we are definitely unbeatable!”

Jughead couldn’t help but chuckle at her animated hand gestures and the determined look in her eye.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re a competitive person?”

“Shut up!” the blonde laughed with him, shoving his shoulder before falling back into step beside him.

“Okay Cooper, what’s your plan?”

By the time they reached the rock climbing site they had devised a thorough plan complete with diversion tactics, the appropriate number of defensive and offensive players and flushed out the other team’s most likely strategies. Each of them had been impressed by the other’s wit and determination, while still maintaining a light air transfused with humour.

“Here we are,” Jughead noted as the track faded out.

A natural rock face stood tall while the area directly below had been cleared in a radius of a few metres before the trees started to encroach again.

“The starting point of the river is on the other side,” he mentioned trivially as he worked open the combination lock on the bin the harnesses were stored in.

“I can hear it,” Betty said, contented by the sounds of nature.

She watched Jughead pull out two harnesses, and he ran her through how to put them on and how to check the caribena was locked into place.

“Okay newbies choice- do you want to belay or climb first?”

Betty rolled her eyes at this use of the term “newbie”.

“I’ll climb.”

Jughead nodded, handing her a helmet. Betty took it from him yanking her hair out of its high pony tail to accommodate it. Jughead felt his breath hitch at the sight of her blonde locks falling in soft waves over her shoulders. She was truly ethereal.

Ethereal? Shit when did he become such a sap?

Snapping out of his daze Jughead moved to double check her harness again. Betty inhaled sharply at his proximity. The scent of his cologne mixed with something she couldn’t put her finger on was intoxicating. The way his body radiated heat toward her was enticing despite the harsh rays of the sun and she couldn’t help but follow the drop of sweat the slid past the collar of his t-shirt.

“Alright you’re good to go,” he said stepping back. His voice had taken on a breathier tone that sent shivers down her spine.

Betty gulped, “Thanks.”

She moved so that she was standing at the bottom of the now intimidating looking rock face and fidgeted with nervous anticipation. Betty had always been a fan of physical activity; she loved the release of energy, the surge of adrenalin and the escape it gave her. Though she had to admit, this wasn’t the same as running or cheer or rafting or hiking…

“Betts,” Jughead’s voice- back to its normal tone now- broke through her reverie.

“Hmm?”

“I’ve got your back.”

The words were simple, but the sentiment warmed her being in the way the summer never could. They had only known each other for a week but there was something about Jughead that made Betty trust him implicitly and right now she couldn’t think of anyone else she would rather have as her support system through this venture.

“I know.”

Taking a deep breath Betty began to climb up the rock face, taking her time and placing her feet in the most appropriate ledges. Jughead would call out useful instructions every now and then about where to place a hand or foot and some words of encouragement. But other than that he left her to focus and for that Betty was grateful.

She felt the familiar sensation of freedom rush through her veins once she started moving and all her nerves dissipated. The feeling of the heat bearing down on her and the physical exertion erupted a light sheen of sweat or her skin, but she barely noticed as she reached the top of the face and took a moment to appreciate the view ahead.

“Nice work Cooper! Okay when you’re ready just slowly propel yourself down!” Jughead called from below her.

Betty turned her upper body to look down at him and flash him a thumbs up, an action that turned out to be a big mistake.

Because it was in that moment that Betty realised just how high she had climbed. The blonde jolted and turned swiftly back around in the harness her hands pressing flat against the rock face as her breathing began to shallow. She suddenly felt out of control. Her thoughts were spiralling, she felt like she’d never feel the ground, like she was seconds away from falling. Everything was spinning. her hands gripped the wall tighter, suddenly only seeing the image of herself falling and her body manufacturing the pain that would cause while the jagged edge cut into the scarred flesh on her palms.

“Betty?” Jughead called out, his brows were furrowed with concern and his voice was strong.

He could see her chest rise and fall rapidly, the harsh sounds of panic filtering down to him. Her forehead pressed against the warm surface of the rock as her eyes were squeezed shut.

Shit, he thought.

He knew a panic attack when he saw one and his chest became uncomfortably tight with what he wasn’t sure was the memory of his own episodes or the beginning of one.

“Betty what’s going on?” he pried gently, testing her responsiveness.

“Jug I can’t… it’s so… I can’t… so high-“ she mumbled through shallow gasps.

“Okay Betty you need to breathe okay. In and out slowly, like this,” he said assertively demonstrating the breathing technique he knew all too well.

Betty took a moment but began to do as he instructed, her body recognising the familiar rhythm she had practiced many times before. As she worked through the breathing techniques Jughead continued.

“Good! Now I need you to focus on my voice okay? Just concentrate on the sound of my voice.”

Betty nodded curtly, eyes still shut and breathing in deeply.

“Betty you are attached to a harness. That harness is attached to a rope that I’m controlling. You are not going to fall because I’ve got you.”

Betty opened her eyes, repeating what he was saying in her head. You’re not going to fall Betty, he’s got you. Some part of her brain recognised what he was doing. It was cognitive process she had worked through with her own psychologist, focussed on recognising the negative thought and countering it.

“Betty I promise I’m not going to let you fall.”

His voice was so earnest and full of conviction she couldn’t help but believe it. Her chest still felt tight but she no longer felt like she couldn’t get oxygen into her lungs or like she was about to implode.

“You’re not going to let me fall,” she relayed down to him, her own voice sounding more sure now.

Jughead nodded enthusiastically. Some foreign feeling overwhelming him at the proof of her trust.

“Right. Okay I need you to put your hands on the rope and gently push off the rock with your feet. Can you do that for me?”

Taking another deep breath, Betty followed his instructions, her limbs shaking but managing.

Jughead instructed her the whole way down, constantly telling her what a great job she was doing. Eventually both her feet hit solid ground and she let out a relieved exhale. Jughead moved quickly so that he was behind her and placed steadying hands on her waist, but was still careful not to move too far into her personal space.

“You okay?” He asked softly.

Betty felt her cheeks heat up with the embarrassment and found herself hoping the ground would just swallow her up. Biting the bullet she turned around to face him. Jughead’s brows were furrowed as his gentle eyes studied her face.

“Yeah,” she breathed, averting his gaze and looking down at her feet, kicking the toe of her sneaker into the dirt.

He didn’t say anything but Betty could feel his eyes trained on her face looking for any sign of further alarm or distress.

“Honestly, I’m fine. Just embarrassed really,” she mumbled steeling her nerve and looking back into his face.

Jughead scoffed, his hands moving to unclip her helmet.

“I don’t know why. That was one of the bravest things I’ve seen.”

Betty looked at him like he was alien, eyes wide and disbelieving.

“Seriously Betty you had a panic attack 30 feet above the ground and managed to get yourself down. That’s brave.”

Searching his eyes she found nothing but the truth and her cheeks flushed for a completely different reason. His sincerity was endearing and staggering and made her more acutely aware of how wonderful this enigmatic boy was turning out to be.

“Thankyou,” she whispered as he removed her helmet and smoothed her hair down. The silky strands and her breathy voice were distracting him but not in an unpleasant way. He was suddenly aware of how close they were standing and was unable to work out which one of them had moved to eradicate the gap. He sure as hell wouldn’t be the first to move back though. He was entranced by the way her shirt clung to her damp skin, the curls that fell over her shoulders, the way her bottom lip was trapped beneath her teeth.

Betty hesitated, wanting to say more but unsure. But around him it was like she was helpless to restraint. His smell, his intense gaze, the strength in his arms, everything about him was pulling her in and pushing her inhibitions aside.

“I don’t think I could have done that if it hadn’t of been you that was with me.”

Jughead’s eyes flickered with something she could not discern but she noted the subtle way his breathing faltered and his hands flexed against the clasp of her harness that he was now working on removing.

“Yes you could have.”

Again she was struck by his conviction, set spinning by the heat his words filled her with.

“No you grounded me and not to overstep but you clearly knew what to do,” she spoke softly afraid of startling him or breaking the unexpected intimacy this moment had brought them into.

Jughead sighed, seeming to debate something within himself.

“Let’s just say I’m well acquainted with panic attacks,” he admitted, knowing that she was intuitive enough to decipher his meaning.

“Me too.”

The silence stretched between them again, only disrupted by the sounds of buckles and clicks. The harness drooped around Betty after he had undone the last clasp and she held his shoulders while she stepped out of it and then reluctantly stepped back, realising she had no reason to be in his personal space except for her selfish desires now.

Jughead cleared his throat, trying to clear some of the tension in the air with that action, while he moved to place the harness back in the bin.

“So fear of heights?” he asked conversationally as he began putting his own on.

“More like fear of falling I think,” Betty replied distractedly, feeling an unprecedented happiness at the fact that he still trusted her to belay for him minutes after she had just had a complete melt down. “One I literally just became aware of,” she added with a slight chuckle.

“Well Betts, I think you just kicked your fear of falling in the ass.”

She tried not to smile too wide at the newly founded nickname.

“So how are you and Jughead getting along?” Veronica asked her later that night as they lay sprawled across the floor of their cabin, the fans buzzing lowly in the background.

Betty looked up from the magazine she was flipping through and found Veronica looking at her with an expression that screamed ‘please give me gossip now’.

Reaching her hand into the mixed assortment of snacks between them Betty replied in her best casual tone, “Great.”

Veronica raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her.

“Sorry B I’m going to need more than that.”

Betty rolled her eyes, turning back to an article about the best foods to promote clear skin- as if she didn’t already know that with Alice Cooper as a mother.

“I don’t know what you want me to say V. He’s smart and funny, and really nice and I think we’re gonna have fun working together,” the blonde said somewhere on the verge of exasperated.

A cat like smile stretched across Veronica’s face.

“Yeah you are.”

“Oh my god-“

“Relax Betty, I’m just teasing,” the raven haired socialite placated, flipping a page in her own magazine.

“He is cute though,” she added nonchalantly.

Betty responded before her brain could catch up to her mouth and send a big red warning signal.

“He’s hot.”

Both girl’s heads shot up, eyes going wide as Betty’s sentiment hung in the air.

“Oh my god!” They exclaimed in unison, one voice filled with horror the other with glee. And then they both collapsed into fits of laughter.

“So are you ready to meet our troops?” Jughead asked sliding into the seat next to Betty at breakfast.

It was Monday morning, “bright and early” as Fred put it and they were awaiting the arrival of their campers.

“You make it sound like war Jug,” Betty admonished, taking a bite of her toast.

“Summer camp is war, or have you forgotten about our tactile discussion on Friday?” he quipped back sardonically.

Betty laughed and nudged him in the side.

“Guys, dad wants us all outside,” Archie came up behind the pair placing a hand on each of their shoulders.

“Okay I’ll just quickly do the dishes,” Betty rose to her feet instantaneously and began gathering the dirty plates and cutlery.

Jughead felt a subtle wave of affection wash over him at her innate need to be useful and inability to do things that meant more work for other people or that went against etiquette. It was endearing really.

“Leave em’ we can do them with the lunch ones,” he cut in, placing a hand on her wrist. The slight touch sent sparks through them and Betty fumbled with the butter knife in her hand, barely avoiding dropping it.

“Reggie outside bro!” the red head hollered over them toward the jock who was taking aim at the bin with used napkins. The sudden noise broke Betty from her Jughead induced trance and she hastily moved her limbs away from his and set the items in her hands down.

“Shall we?” Jughead asked tentatively, recovering more rapidly than she had. The blonde nodded, pulling her pony tail tight before moving to follow the others outside.

Once they were all clustered in front of the dining hall Betty couldn’t help but appreciate the show of comradery in their matching “Camp Sweetwater t-shirts”. Fred had gotten each of them a few in a distinctive colour to distinguish their groups, ensuring they only had to wear them until the campers got to know who they were. Betty and Jughead had royal blue shirts with yellow writing. Betty praised the camp god’s for the way that had worked out, as not only was blue a colour she had no issue wearing, it also was one that looked fine as hell on her partner.

“Okay guys, campers will be arriving any minute now. We want to be as welcoming as possible, lots of energy and remember the whole point of the summer is to have fun and make memories.”

The energy around the camp had lifted tenfold within the hour, the arrival of fifty kids between the ages of ten and fourteen adding a whole new vibe to the atmosphere. Betty had quickly found herself embracing the “perfect” persona she so often wore, smiling brightly and introducing herself to an abundance of campers, helping those who were new find their way around. She had already begun mentally cataloguing names by the time Fred had gathered everyone to go through the basic rules of camp and the way things were going to run.

“And now the part where you meet the children who will become obsessed with you within the week,” Kevin whispered dramatically in Betty’s ear as Fred spoke. Glancing to her left Betty shared an amused grin with him, trying desperately to stifle her laugh.

A few moments later they had segregated and Fred was sorting out who belonged to which team.

“You ready?” Jughead questioned from beside her while they waited for the campers to filter over.

“To do what I signed up for? Sure…” she replied, slightly confused as to why he was asking her such a question.

Jughead smirked at her, mischief written across his face.

“I meant for having to share my attention now,” he teased, shooting her a wink.

Betty’s mouth fell open at the comment, fighting a swoon in her shock. But just as she conjured a retort a wave of kids flooded their radius.

“Jughead!” One of the younger boys shouted excitedly, rushing toward the front of the group and smiling so wide Betty thought his face might literally split in half.

“Hey buddy. Wow you’ve grown since I last saw you! How’d 6th grade treat you?” Jughead’s expression morphed into one that was soft and accentuated the youth in him. Suddenly he wasn’t just her really hot co-counsellor, but a guy who looked like a role model to these kids; like someone who genuinely cared about the kids in front of him.

The sight made Betty’s heart stutter in an unfamiliar rhythm, catching her off guard. The swoon she had managed to fight off before was back in full force now.

“Overall it was bearable,” the young boy sighed. “I worked on what you told me about ignoring people who piss me off and I’m getting pretty good at it!”

Betty’s eyes widened at the use of the cuss, while Jughead just looked purely amused, and maybe even a little proud.

“Good to hear Noah,” Jughead ruffled the boy’s mess of sandy hair and merely laughed at the affronted expression he received.

“Okay monsters time to shut up now!” Betty heard a demanding voice call from the next group over. Cheryl was rounding her and Reggie’s group up, making it clear she was not one to tolerate disobedience. Betty could see why Fred had paired her and Reggie up; the most likely to be too strict with the most likely to be too relaxed, hopefully they would balance each other.

Though, that knowledge didn’t stop her from shooting Jughead a mild look of panic at the firey girl’s demeanour. Jughead merely shrugged.

“Alright kidlets, listen up!” He called out, raising his voice just enough so their chatter stopped, but not enough to be intimidating.

“I’m Jughead- I know it’s a strange name and no you don’t get to know what my real name is- and this is Betty and we’re going to be your group leaders this summer. So if you need anything at all, we’re the people you should come and hunt down. If it’s during meal times though you should probably find Betty because food will probably win out over you guys sorry.”

The group laughed and Betty couldn’t help but feel a little entranced by his easy going personality and natural repour with kids. She had already worked out he wasn’t one to draw much attention within their group of counsellors, but he clearly was a natural at engaging people and a part of her thought it was kind of a shame he didn’t allow his charm to show through with everyone else all the time.

“Okay so now that the most important thing has been covered, we’re going to do the totally cliché thing where we all go around and introduce ourselves,” he continued with a lazy smile gesturing for them to form a circle, and sit down.

“Wanna start us off?” Jughead motioned toward her. Betty nodded.

“Hi guys, I’m Betty, and as Jughead said I’ll be one of your team leaders this summer. This is my first time at Camp Sweetwater actually, so any of you that have been here before will probably be able to help me out too. I’m sixteen, and I’m a cheerleader and I’m really looking forward to spending the next six weeks with you.” Her gaze may or may not have flitted to Jughead as she said the last part.

They moved around the group and Betty paid close attention to their names, already having memorised half of them. She learnt that the boy Jughead had spoken to earlier was here for a second summer. She also learnt that Jughead was seventeen, a piece of information she had filed away in the box in her brain labelled, “uncovering the enigma”.

“Awesome it’s really nice to meet you all. So the next thing we need to do is pick a group name. And this one’s completely up to you guys-“

“As long as it’s appropriate,” Betty cut in, sending an apologetic look Jughead’s way for the abrupt interruption. Jughead laughed, nodding to affirm her point.

“And I just beg you please not to pick anything that will make me cringe every time I have to say it,” he added and looking around Betty once again noticed how engaged all the campers were when he spoke, his mix of humour and authority clearly working for them.

In any other situation, with another person Betty may have felt that little spark of jealously birthed from the need to be the best enshrined into her from a young age. She was always taught to be the standout, the person who everyone relied on and wanted, but in this moment she found herself more than content to let Jughead shine in his element. It was new to her, and maybe a trait of the real her, the one she was unable to become fully acquainted with yet. She didn’t dwell too much on it but thought maybe it had a lot to do with him.

Their group tossed ideas around for a while, the older kids scrunching up their noses at some of the suggestions from the younger crowd; team unicorns had not been a hit. After a few more minutes of debate a girl with long hair tied back in an elaborate braid- Emily, 13 from Greendale- spoke up.

“What about the Blue and Gold? You know because of your shirts. And Betty’s all blonde and bright which fits the gold and Jughead’s kind of darker like the blue?”

Betty laughed at her description of Jughead, quickly forgetting her embarrassment at being called “blonde and bright” while her partner furrowed his brows for a moment as if deciphering whether he should be offended by it or not. The others all nodded their heads and a chorus of “Oh’s” and “I like that one’s” rang across the small circle.

“Well I guess that’s settled then?” Betty asked looking around the group for confirmation. Upon finding no objection she turned to Jughead with a smile.

“Okay then. So Blue and Gold who’s ready for lunch?”

Betty led the way inside, she was on Kitchen duty with Veronica and Ethel today and headed in that direction once she was sure all the campers were happy mingling. As she walked past the tables she caught sight of Jughead with Noah again. The younger boy was clearly a little obsessed with Jughead as Kevin had jokingly described earlier. Though it wasn’t really the sight of them that caused the bright smile to break across her face, but rather the snippet of conversation she caught on her way past.

“Is Betty cool?” Noah asked Jughead, as though he was wary of trusting and was seeking confirmation in the older boy.

“Yeah she is,” she heard Jughead reply. That was enough for the corners of her mouth to twitch, but it was the next part that made her beam, as she just caught it before the distance became too great for the sound to travel to her.

“She’s really pretty.”

“Yeah she is.”

It was the second official week of camp and the weather was beginning to border on unbearable. Due to the dry heat, Fred had called off all of the planned activities for the afternoon, not willing to risk dehydration and heat stroke with the more physical activities.

Veronica, Kevin, Betty and Jughead had offered to take a group of kids swimming in the river, while Archie and Reggie were running a table tennis competition in the rec room/ dining hall and Ethel and Cheryl were preparing dinner.

“Stop looking at me like that!”

“Like what?” Jughead asked, his face twisting into an expression of both amusement and curiosity.

Betty huffed, self-consciously tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. The two of them were sitting on the little jetty Fred had built extending onto the water, while Kevin and Veronica sunbathed on the grass. Betty was reading while Jughead wrote in his journal. Although, she was pretty sure he was casting more glances at her then he was writing words on the page.

“I don’t know, like… like I’m special or something,” she muttered shyly, not meeting his eyes under the guise of watching the kids and then flicking them back to page before her. She didn’t absorb any of the plot.

A silence stretched between them for a long moment. The only sounds to be heard were the echoes of splashing water, kids laughing and the rustling of trees in the wind.

Finally after what felt like an eternity, Jughead’s quiet yet earnest voice broke through the tense barrier of unspeaking.

“You are special.”

Betty looked at him then to find his gaze was already trained on her. His dark hair was falling in his eyes, which were such an intense shade of blue she felt a shiver run down her spine and her heart skip a beat. He wasn’t wearing his usual beanie today and the sight of his locks, freed was already making her knees weak. She felt as though her body was on fire as her mind went blank.

Special.

It was a word she hadn’t really associated with herself before. Perfect, yes. But never special. Because most of the time she felt like a carbon copy of her sister and pretty much every other all American girl that existed across the country. The blonde cheerleader type wasn’t exactly a rarity.

But here was this boy, telling her she was; special that is. This boy that seemed to know a lot about being different, about things that were unique. And she believed it.

A wave of affection ran through her blood at the sentiment and all she could do was blush under his stare, and bite her lip as her sanity slowly returned.

“Thank you,” she eventually mumbled a sweet smile on her lips- it was different to the award winning one she gave everyone else Jughead noted. This smile was small, a subtle quirk of her lips, a light in her eyes. It was real, and it was for him in this moment, right now.

The weight was not lost on Jughead and he offered his own grin in return, not the smirk he used on most but an actual smile. And Betty felt her heart flutter at the beauty of it- of him.

It felt like time no longer existed. It was just them in this moment, just them and the stars in their eyes, no kids, no co-workers, no nervousness, and no expectations. It was just them revelling in the new feeling of seeing someone, and them seeing you.

It was kind of startling in its magnitude. They had only known each other three weeks, but somehow it felt much longer than that. As a team they were in perfect sync, easily bouncing off each other in their banter and joking tendencies which enthralled their campers, easily matching one another in determination, which had worked to their advantage in the morning’s game of capture the flag, which their tactics had convincingly won them. And as people they were beginning to discover the ways in which they complemented and contrasted. They had similar taste in books, similar interests in writing, and although at this point it was unspoken, each got the feeling that the person they presented to the world and the person they really were, were not necessarily one in the same; though around the other, each felt their true self shining through more with each passing day.

“Betty!” a shrill voice broke through their little bubble, as each of them blinked hazily, the moment fading rapidly.

Turning her head the blonde recognised one of the girls in their group swimming over to the jetty looking disgruntled. Sarah was a charismatic eleven year old, who had quickly taken a shining to her camp counsellor who embodied her dreams of becoming a straight A student and cheerleader with an aptitude for outdoor activities. Kevin wasn’t wrong about the whole obsession thing.

“What’s up?” the older girl asked with concern, placing her book to the side.

“Can you please come and swim with us? We’re playing tag and the boys are cheating!”

Betty laughed, internally rolling her eyes at the dramatic flair the kid had, but agreed none the less.

“Sure.” Seeming appeased by her confirmation, Sarah gave a curt nod and headed back toward her peers.

Jughead held his hand out for her book and Betty smiled gratefully at him, placing her well-worn copy of Romeo and Juliet in his possession.

Standing up Betty pulled her t-shirt over her head before bending at the waist to rid herself of her shorts. Jughead swallowed hard at the sight. She was clad in a navy one piece bathing suit that was definitely not designed to be overtly provocative. But damn if she didn’t make it look like it was. Her long tan legs appeared to go on for miles and her small waist was accentuated by the fitting material. She was an expanse of smooth skin and soft curves that made his fingers itch to reach out.

His mind was quickly heading down a track that was not suitable for their current situation and he had to bite his lip from restraining a groan.

Using physical effort to pull his eyes away, he eventually made it back to her face. Betty was looking at him with a pretty blush colouring her cheeks and her own bottom lip trapped by her teeth. God even looking at her face wasn’t helping his hormones. He knew she was gorgeous already, but now he couldn’t help but think about how far her blush spread, and what that luscious looking lip would feel like beneath his teeth as he nipped at it….

Shit.

“Juggie?” Her soft voice broke through his lust induced haze… barely.

“Sorry, I was distracted by the view,” his voice was teasing, though an octave lower than usual and it sent a thrill down her spine as he threw her own words from their first encounter back at her.

“Yeah it’s some view,” she sent back at him with a coy smile before diving into the water.

Shaking his head Jughead hastily placed their belongings inside the backpack he had brought along and pulled off his own shirt diving in after her; he was suddenly in need of the relief of cool water.

Betty squealed slightly as he surfaced next to her. Jughead only laughed as she splashed him back, raising a hand to push his dark hair from his face in a way Betty had discovered was extremely enticing to her. And if that wasn’t enough to send heat pooling in her stomach, her eyes betrayed her and travelled down to take in his toned chest, his skin olive and glistening as water droplets invited her eyes to trail down to his lean but defined abs and the sharp v lines of his hips-

“Betty!” Sarah’s voice cut through her trance.

Shit he was going to be the death of her.

“I swear if one more of those little brats try’s to sneak out of their cabins there will be blood,” Cheryl exclaimed with irritation as she joined Veronica and Betty on their trek to the fire pit. Ethel who was trailing the red head looked horrified by her remark.

“Cheryl!” she protested, wide eyes looking to the other girls to gauge their own reactions.

Betty laughed, while Veronica shrugged and raised a perfectly sculpted brow.

“Remind me to hire a nanny when we have kids dear!” the socialite teased, while Cheryl rolled her eyes before storming ahead in a huff.

“I’m a masochist I swear, Ethel can you take these?” Veronica quickly handed off the bags of marshmallows she had been carrying before following after her girlfriend.

Betty was intrigued by Veronica and Cheryl’s relationship. According to her roommate they weren’t together because “long distance never works”. Veronica was in New York and Cheryl lived in Riverdale [the town Camp Sweetwater was just outside of]. But they hooked up every summer and whenever their paths crossed at events each of their wealthy families were invited to. It was complicated but it worked for them.

“They’re an interesting pair huh?” Ethel stated conversationally, motioning in the direction the others hand just gone.

Betty laughed, adjusting the bags of gram crackers and chocolate she was carrying.

“Yeah, I didn’t realise one relationship was capable of handling two personalities that big.”

Ethel chuckled. They had almost reached the fire pit where the other counsellors were waiting. It was rounding on 11pm so the campers were restricted to their cabins, bar use of the bathroom due to curfew. Deciding they deserved some fun the older kids had organised an impromptu bon fire for themselves tonight.

“So what’s being partnered with Jughead like?”

Betty was taken aback by the question, not expecting it and not sure why she was being asked. She stopped walking, and Ethel turned to face her waiting patiently for an answer. A million words raced through Betty’s mind but none of them seemed adequate, while all of them somehow seemed to be too invasive and personal to use.

“Ah it’s great. He’s a really good guy.”

She scrutinised Ethel’s reaction, the way she nodded slightly, the faraway look in her eyes, the way her head was titled toward said boy who stood by the fire, rolling his eyes at something Archie had said while Reggie cracked up.

“He seems like it.”

“Yeah,” Betty let the syllable hang between them for a second before steeling her pride and continuing.

“Is there a reason you’re asking Ethel,” she kept her tone light and trusting though the darkness in her was beginning to rear its head and begged to snap at the other girl.

“Oh, well it’s kind of embarrassing but I was wondering if maybe you could talk me up to him a little? You know leave a good impression?” the shorter girl blushed profusely as she spoke, unable to meet Betty’s gaze as she fidgeted on the spot.

Betty wanted to yell that no she couldn’t do that because if Jughead was interested in anyone it was her, but she didn’t really have indefensible evidence of that. And besides she didn’t own him, he was entitled to like Ethel if he wanted. They weren’t even a thing. Why did this bother her so much? Because you like him Betty that’s why.

“Um I don’t know Ethel-“

“Please Betty I’m not asking you to set up a date or anything. Just mention me or something.”

Betty sighed. She couldn’t really deny her that innocent gesture. So ignoring the bubbling feeling of nausea in her stomach, she nodded.

When they finally reached the camp site, it seemed that Veronica had made quick amends with Cheryl as the two were now cosied up on a lawn chair near the fire.

Upon noticing their arrival, Jughead excused himself from his conversation with Reggie and walked the short distance to them. Betty felt a smile naturally make its way onto her face at the sight.

“Oh my god Betts have I mentioned that you are my favourite human on earth!” he groaned at the sight of the food in her arms, taking some from her to ease the load.

Her whole being became warm with the compliment as they set the supplies down atop the drink cooler.

“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she returned with an equally theatrical voice. A soft defeated sigh to her left though reminded her of the conversation had not even minutes prior and the guilt she felt won out over her pettiness.

“I can’t take all the credit though, it was Ethel’s idea,” she added smoothly, putting her hand on Ethel’s back and nudging her forward.

Jughead looked at Betty quizzically for a brief second before turning to Ethel.

“Oh okay. Thanks Ethel, great idea.”

Betty couldn’t help the satisfaction that ran through her at the stark difference in the way he had responded to each of them.

A an hour later she was sitting on the ground with her back against a tree talking with Kevin about his boyfriend, while Archie and Veronica were singing together in the background, adding to the warm atmosphere.

“Okay I’m gonna go raid the pantry for more snacks, you want anything?”

“No thanks Kev,” as he walked away she let out a contented sigh, happy to absorb this moment, knowing these were the kind of memories that became stories.

“Hey,” Jughead’s voice reverberated through the air as he slid into the vacated spot next to her against the trees trunk.

“Hi.”

They were close enough that their thighs pressed against one another, and though he was wearing jeans, she could feel his warmth radiating through the fabric on the bare skin of her own leg left uncovered by her shorts. She shivered as it made her aware of how chilled she was in the evening breeze.

“Cold?”

“No I’m fine,” she insisted shaking her head.

Jughead looked at her with raised brows clearly not believing her and sat up slightly so that he was no longer pressed against the tree trunk, and then proceeded to shrug off the flannel he was wearing over his t-shirt.

Betty’s eyes widened as she realised his intention, her heart pounding obnoxiously against her chest. He held it out to her with a smirk and she sheepishly took the material from him. It was a faded blue and green one with grey and black accents. She shrugged it on half haphazardly protesting that he would get cold.

“Don’t worry I’m hot blooded,” he joked, as she snuggled into the fabric. It smelt like him; slightly spicy mixed with cigarettes and something fresh she couldn’t place.

“Capote would be so disappointed,” her sarcasm earned her a little nudge of his shoulder into hers.

“Well it looks better on you anyway,” Jughead said quietly, eyes locking on hers while his hands reached up to adjust his beanie. The blue was so intense she felt like she might down it in.

Betty gave him that soft smile again and he knew the forward statement was not misguided. It was odd how they could be flirting half naked at the river and he felt more sure of himself then than he did right now. Something about the soft glow of the fire and the melodic strumming of Archie’s guitar paired with the evening sky was inescapably intimate and he revelled in the fact that she wasn’t shying away.

Taking a deep breath she decided it was her turn to be brave.

“Juggie I’m still a little cold…” she whispered innocently, looking up at him through her lashes, green eyes piercing him in the best way. And it was ultimately the cheeky glint he found in those green eyes that made him completely confident in lifting an arm for her.

Biting her lip Betty shifted so that she was snuggled into his side. They stayed like that for the rest of the night, Betty on her part ignoring Ethel’s disappointed and jealous glances their way.

This was definitely the kind of night that made for a memory that made a story. Their story.

Betty couldn’t sleep. She had been lying awake for hours, tossing and turning and desperately willing herself to fall into slumber. Though it was to no avail. Her mind was plagued with images of a dark haired boy with lean muscles and a gorgeous smirk. She couldn’t shake the ghost of the feeling of his arms around her the night before at the bonfire, or the lingering feelings of his appreciative eyes roaming her body that day at the river. It was like every part of him had lit up every part of her and now that fire wouldn’t go to sleep.

She had barely seen him today. Maybe that was why he was so heavily on her mind tonight.

It was Saturday- well technically Sunday now- and Fred respected the sanctity of weekends in his schedules. They didn’t really do group activities and it was mostly free time. Though they still supervised certain areas, or organised some random things to do like water balloon wars and helped with the necessary chores, weekends were like their time off.

She had spent her morning writing in her journal and her afternoon on a hike with Archie and Veronica and she hadn’t really any idea where Jughead had been. She had seen him at breakfast but he hadn’t been at lunch and had sat with Noah at dinner. She figured that might have had something to do with it. But she didn’t really want to pry.

What she did know was that she missed him. And she kind of hated herself for that; how much of an impact his presence or absence was already having on her when they were still an unestablished entity. But more than that, she hated the aching feeling it left her with. She was starving for his jokes, his voice, his smiles, his laugh and the innocent touches they shared. She found herself wanting the less than innocent ones too but that was a fantasy at this point, one she was trying to avoid indulging in while her roommate slept only a few metres away.

A rapping at the window broke her from her reveries. Betty’s ears pricked up listening out for the sound to make sure her imagination was not manipulating the wind or making things up all together. But just as she was about to write it off as her brain playing tricks on her, the noise came again, more insistent this time.

Betty sat up, swinging her feet to the floor before creeping over to the window. She jumped when she saw a face looking back at her, hand shooting over her mouth to muffle her noise of surprise. Quickly glancing at Veronica to make sure she was still dead to the world, Betty slid the window open her eyes wide and incredulous.

Jughead was leaning against the pane, looking devilishly handsome with a smirk on his lips.

“Hey there Juliet,” he greeted, a twinkle in his eyes, though Betty didn’t miss the subtle ways he looked worn and defeated. His eyes though striking were framed by dark circles, his shoulders slightly tense and his jaw tight.

She shook her head in amazement at his brash gesture.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re going on an adventure,” he stated plainly as if it were obvious.

“Are you crazy?” she whispered harshly, though she couldn’t deny the giddy feeling overtaking her at the thought of sneaking into the night with him.

“We all are,” Jughead drawled tapping his fingers against the window sill.

“So are you coming or not?”

Betty sighed, looking over at Veronica again one more time before nodding.

“One second.” She moved quickly, grabbing a hoodie and chucking flip flops on, before moving back to the window.

It was a little bit of a squeeze but she thanked the cheerleading god’s for making her lithe and flexible enough to make it work. Jughead placed steadying hands on her waist to help her through the other side. He didn’t remove them immediately when she was on the ground, but rather looked down at her fondly.

“Hi,” he whispered, this time it seemed more intimate with them face to face like this, his hands burning her through the material of her hoodie and pyjama top.

“Didn’t we already do this?” She whispered back, hands resting on his shoulders as she quirked a brow.

“Smart ass,” he murmured, taking a slight step back but grabbed her hand before she had time to be disappointed.

He led her down toward the river without protest and she soon found herself sat with him on the jetty once again. He dropped her hand when they reached their destination and Betty immediately missed the way his thumb was rubbing small circles on the back of it.

“This is my favourite part.”

Betty’s brows creased in confusion at his erroneous statement. His tone was meaningful and she didn’t want to miss what exactly he was being so sentimental about. For she was beginning to crave these moments with him, when it was just them in their own world, uncovering new layers of one another.

She studied him for a moment. He was lying on his back, hands behind his head looking up at the sky, his eyes clear and deep, his lips slightly parted. He looked somewhere between wonderment and defeated and she found herself needing to know how he got there.

Following his lead she lay back too.

A gasp left her lips as she took in the sight above her. the stars stretched across an endless plane of ebony sky, dots of ivory lighting it up and inviting fantasies and dreams, belittling everything else in the universe and dimming it in comparison to the endless infinites that were written in the night.

“Wow,” she breathed transfixed.

“There’s nothing else like it. Not just aesthetically I mean, there’s nothing else that makes you feel so enraptured, nothing that can steal your breath like that and make you realise that you are ultimately a finite being in an infinite world.” Jughead spoke in a way that made her feel like his words were being inscribed in her skin.

They were beautiful and profound and filled with a sense of longing and loathing that made them all the more enamouring.

Betty tore her eyes away for a moment to take him in, he seemed more stripped back than she had ever seen him before and she didn’t want to miss it.

“That was beautiful Jug.”

He didn’t say anything for a while.

“I think this might be my favourite place,” she said after a few minutes of silence. She didn’t know if she meant the camp or this moment because couldn’t recall a time in her life that rivalled this moment of him and her and the endless sky, and the symphony of cicadas and the wind rustling the trees.

“Yeah?” She felt his eyes glance at her, and could imagine the way his eyebrows lifted with the question.

“I’ve never felt more myself than I do here.”

“That’s both terribly beautiful and terribly sad all at once Betty Cooper.”

He was right she supposed, and the thought made her smile ruefully.

“My mum has the image of who she thinks I should be. Perfect. It feels like everything I do is to please her. I don’t even really know who I am anymore. Ever since my sister Polly became a teen mum, it’s like she’s had this psychotic desire to dispel any possible fault anyone could see in me, like she has to compensate for that through me. It’s suffocating.”

She didn’t know where the sudden need to tell him that had come from, but she didn’t regret it, especially when he didn’t show her pity but rather left the air silent so that she could fill it with more words if she so wished.

“But here, there’s no expectation of who I should be or how I should act. I can just be. I kind of feel like this is the first time I’ve ever really had the chance to get to know the real me.”

“For what it’s worth, if what I’ve been seeing is the real you then I think she’s pretty amazing,” Jughead’s words were so sincere she would almost be scared if anyone else spoke them.

“And I’m not the only one. You have quite a stalker squad developing,” he continued, lightening the mood and little, causing her to let out a snort.

“What about you? Noah really looks up to you.”

Jughead seemed to tense again at that.

“He’s a good kid, been dealt a pretty shitty hand in life though and I know what that’s like.”

His voice had hardened with his expression, pain seeping through each word. She reached out until her fingers grazed his. Jughead linked them together.

“You were with him today.” It wasn’t a question but he nodded anyway.

“Yeah. His dad has never really been in the picture and his mum is a recovering drug addict. He just found out she had relapse today, she’s okay but he’s not. He’s mad and angry and scared and it’s not fair that he has to deal with all of that.” His own voice was ruff and sad, tinged with frustration.

Betty rolled onto her side, placing their clasped hands on his chest. And offering him the same curtesy he had given her. She left the air void of sound, letting him make the decision to fill it if he wanted.

“It just, it fucking sucks Betty to have a parent to consumed by their need to escape the shitty situation they put you all in to realise that you’re right there and you’re drowning. Kids shouldn’t have to take care of their parent, that’s not how it’s supposed to work. They’re not supposed to abandon you.” He finished much softer and defeated than he had started.

“You’re right that fucking sucks.” She said eventually. He didn’t need “I’m sorry’s”. They were full of pity. What he needed was acceptance. Jughead felt his lips twitch upward at her use of a cuss word. Hearing her swear was rare, but god he wanted to hear more dirty words fall from her lips.

“But for what it’s worth, you made yourself more than that, you didn’t let that define you and that’s pretty amazing.”

The look she was giving him, all doe eyes and sincerity made his chest ache. Her blonde curls were sprawled around them and her skin was illuminate in the moonlight. She was beautiful both inside and out and he couldn’t fight his magnetism toward her any longer.

His gaze was as tender and it was intense and Betty felt her pulse race and her breath hitch as it flickered to her lips. She couldn’t remember how to inhale as he neared and her own head began inclining toward his. All she think about was the desire to kiss him, the need to show him how wonderful he truly was.

He paused a millimetre away from her mouth, his whispering against her lips as he steadied. The anticipation was killing her, her heart was pounding so loudly she wouldn’t have sworn he could hear it. And then just when she was sure she was going to go insane from the hold up, he brought his mouth to hers in an earth shattering kiss.

The first contact of their lips was a ghosting sensation. She stuttered out a breath as he pulled slightly away his hand brushing her cheek, and then she was plunging into him again. Their lips met in a passionate embrace, sliding over one another in slow and sensual movements, words unable to be orated slipping between their mouths.

Betty sighed against his lips as his hands cupped her face more firmly to angle her head, as his tongue traced her bottom lips. She gladly gave him access and Jughead groaned at the minty taste of her warm mouth. They battled languidly for a while, hands roaming bodies over clothes and breaths being stolen with each caress of their lips and tongues. It was unlike any sensation either had experienced.

Breaking away she rested her forehead against his breathing heavily. A demure smile erupted on her face as both their eyes stayed closed and they basked in the bliss they had created.

They didn’t sneak back into their rooms till sunrise.

Betty was in a mood that rivalled sunshine itself. It had been two weeks since her and Jughead shared their moment in the middle of the night on the jetty and things were unfolding amazingly. They had kept it professional while running their group activities, however, they were unable to keep their flirting entirely at bay- a fact one their older campers had not so subtly pointed out making her blush profusely while Jughead just sported a shit eating grin. They spent their nights and free time together talking about anything and everything, uncovering each other’s secrets, scars and demons, while also learning what made the other laugh, and what their dreams were. The physical side of things had also been progressing quite nicely, and not just in the little touches around others like the way he would place a hand on her thigh during meals, or pull her onto his lap when they hung out after camper’s curfew. But in the heated moments alone, where his tongue would caress hers and his hands would roam the expanses of her skin.

The thought alone had her flushing and her thighs clenching.

Shaking her head Betty tried to focus on setting the table for lunch.

“Hey you,” a masculine voice whispered in her ear, arms wrapping around her from behind. A shiver ran down her spine at the feeling of his breath on her skin.

She span around in his arms, placing her own loosely around his neck.

“I’m sorry do I know you?” she teased, tilting her head in mock confusion.

“Ha ha,” was all Jughead gave in response, his mouth too busy delivering a kiss to hers to form a quip.

“Excuse me no PDA where I eat please!” Archie exclaimed, walking over to them.

Betty giggled as they broke apart, burrowing into Jughead’s side despite the warm weather making close body contact less than optimal.

“What’s up Arch?” Jughead asked, the good mood she always put him in, transcending into his words as he addressed his friend.

Archie smirked at Jughead, highlighting the juxtaposition between the Jughead he was around Betty and his normal brooding self. Thankfully the redhead had the decency not to say anything outright though.

“Dad just wanted me to make sure you’re all good for setting up the movie night stuff after lunch?”

Jughead nodded, already well aware of what needed to be done to set up the makeshift outdoor cinema for the evening.

And it was that outdoor cinema that became the perfect guise for them to sneak off to a secluded area and end up in the compromising positon they were in now.

Once the movie had started the pair had snuck off to what they now deemed as “their spot” on the jetty overlooking the water. The cinema had been set up on the other side of camp so they weren’t worried about prying eyes. Neither had any false pretences about their intentions either and they had quickly become a tangle of limbs.

Jughead’s tongue was exploring Betty’s mouth as she straddled his lap. Her hands were in his hair tugging on the dark strands while his were placed firmly on her ass. He tasted like the cola he had been drinking earlier, tinged with the cigarette had not long ago and she was fast becoming addicted to it. Nipping her bottom lip with his teeth, Jughead pulled his mouth away from hers.

Betty whined at the loss but that soon turned to a breathy whimper as his lips traced the column of her neck. Her hips ground down against his growing harness as he bit and sucked at her skin.

“Juggie,” she moaned as he bit down on her pulse point and then soothed the abused skin with his tongue. He groaned against her neck in approval.

“Fuck Betty. Do you know what hearing you say my name like that does to me?” He breathed into her skin.

“I think I have a pretty good idea,” was her equally breathy reply as she rocked against his arousal. Jughead dropped his head to her shoulder and bucked up against her making her gasp and arch her back.

“Off,” she ordered pulling at the hem of his black t-shirt, needing to feel his skin beneath her hands.

Jughead smirked, leaning back slightly to pull the fabric over his head.

Betty’s eyes darkened at the sight, her gaze hungry as it traced the dips and ridges of his muscles. Unable to resist any longer her lips slanted over his in a hot opened kiss as her hands felt the lines her eyes had been admiring, revelling in the way they quaked under her finger tips.

Jughead drank in the passion she offered him, his mouth consuming hers as he dominated the kiss. His hands moved from their place on her ass to her back before sliding around to her rib cage under her shirt. Betty broke away from his lips to trail kisses along his sharp jaw line, the feeling making him groan and cup her breasts in his hands. She rocked her hips against his in response, shuttering when he flicked her nipples.

“Juggie I-“ her ability to form coherent sentences was stolen by the hand tracing her inner thigh under her skirt. He could feel the heat radiating from her centre through the thin fabric of her panties and it only excited him more, but Jughead had learned quickly that teasing her was extremely enjoyable.

“Tell me what you want Betts,” he murmured into her shoulder, tracing the lace trimming of her underwear with his fingers. Betty whimpered, her face flushing in the most beautiful way that he now knew spread all the way down to her breasts.

“I want you to- Oh- touch me,” she gasped pressing herself against him more eagerly now, creating a delicious friction.

Jughead growled. The sight of her rocking against his lap, looking wonderfully dishevelled was too sinfully good.

His hand stopped its teasing and moved under the fabric of her underwear. He groaned at the feeling of her wet and wanting for him and quickly began rubbing sharp circles on her clit. Betty moaned and bucked against his hand, head falling back in pleasure as her eyes shut tight and her lips parted.

Smirking he left her bundle of nerves to slide his fingers inside of her, her breath hitching at the sensation and then coming out as a whimper.

“Oh god,” she groaned, rocking her hips against his hand as he curled his digits inside of her, loving the way she clenched around him.

“Please,” Betty whispered desperately as he continued his ministrations.

“You want more?” he asked, nipping her earlobe.

She was panting now and he could tell he was close.

“Yes,” she breathed, stuttering at the end.

And that was all he needed to pump his fingers harder into her a few more times, his thumb moving in tight circles around her clit pushing her over the edge and making her see stars as she came with a gasp of his name. He worked her through it before removing his fingers and licking her essence off of them.

She had quickly overcome her embarrassment and unsureness with him in sexual situations, only having experienced heavy petting with anyone else before him. He had been a great teacher though and made her feel sexy and confident. So the sight of that alone was enough to stir her wanting again, and she kissed him hard.

“Shit you’re beautiful.” Jughead breathed out, taking in her glory; swollen lips, crumpled clothing, messed up hair, hazy eyes dark with lust and clouded with bliss.

She smiled at him tender and bright and his heart suddenly felt two sizes too big for his chest.

“So are you,” Betty replied, giving him a sweet kiss and brushing the ebony hair from his eyes.

“I was wrong.”

She pulled back slightly, confused as to what he was talking about. The look on his face was so soft and pure and honest it sent her spinning.

“The first night we were here I said there was nothing else that could make you feel so enraptured and enamoured as the stars could. I was wrong.” His thumbs caressed her cheeks, while his eyes coerced her soul and Betty felt the breath leave her body with the intensity of what she was feeling.

She was completely and utterly lost for any words, finding none that could come remotely close to the beauty of what he had just said to her. Licking her lips, she let herself be pulled into the depths of his eyes and pressed herself tight against his body. She chose to speak what she felt, to let her body take over her mind.

“Make love to me.”

#Bughead #bughead fanfiction #bughead smut #riverdale fanfiction #betty x jughead

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