#and she left behind luggage unattended luggage

[benefits1986]

Psycho + Typo

Search is the ultimate truth teller.

The past weeks, I've been searching this thought fart universe and damn, so many things that is said, unsaid, done, and undone. Some things change. Other things are questionable at this age and time. But, let those past posts remind me of where I was in as I slug my way to where I want to be.

I got another really bad injury but tested out if I can walk in chunky heels. I concealed my heavy backpack inside my trusty luggage. The reason behind this seemingly endless accident? I was looking for my Harry Potter Book 1 movie poster and dad told me that he threw it because it's too frail. The 18-year old poster is my lifeline as it reminds me of the then days. Side Note: Accident happened when I reached the poster and missed a step. Mhie, ang taas kasi niya tapos my short hands and short legs are wonky pa. I landed on my right foot naman, but my right ring finger was cut. 'Yung cut na hindi malalim pero masakit talaga. I froze and hoped that nothing was broken, honestly. Side Note 2: Etong poster na 'to, love language ng tatay kong pakitong-kitong. Dahil 'di naman kami alta, nakiusap siya sa client nila na legit tagabenta ng CD and VCDs. Binilhan niya pa ako ng original na VCD ng Book 1. LOL. Tapos, sabi nung client, okay kahit need nila mag-explain since by the book, need surrender ng lahat ng materials sa kinauukulan. He got me 2. OPAK. Syempre, angas mode siya kasi sabi niya, kaka-Harry Potter ko raw kaya kung anu-anong ginagawa niya. Kaya rin sinama ko si Dad sa USJ kahit kinahirap ko talaga siya. HAHAHAHAHA. Seeing him immerse in my universe kahit wrong answers siya palagi sa topic na 'to. Kitang-kita kong nadama niyang I have arrived. CHZ. Proud na proud siya and super thanks siya sa akin for the first time in real life with bashing pa rin syempre.

Dad lambasted me again. And again saying: Basta Harry Potter talaga, nababaliw ka noh? LOL. He even told me that I could have called him to get the bloody poster kasi nga, 'di ko talaga siya abot even with a step ladder ng ganun kadali. He was weirded out because while he knew that I was hurt, smile pa rin ako. At least, I got my poster in a safe condition. Ano ba naman 'yung 18-year old poster na 'di na madaling hanapin ngayon, right?

I watch, listen and re-read Harry Potter when I'm sad, happy, feeling fucked up, feeling good, alone, with company, with all the fucks to give in the world, with zero fucks to give to the world. I remember watching re-runs so many times when mom, ina, Tito Taurus, V and C died, too. :p Ewan ko. Baliw nga kasi ako e.

I remember the days when I was stuck in high school with no fucks about whether I'd fit in or not. From an exclusive school, I was housed in a parochial school that meant ultimate culture shock. While I joined groups, I never felt at home. The teenage years felt weird and unpleasant. I like weird, but that feeling when everything is changing and I'm stuck is just too much, I guess. Certain groups welcomed me but I seem to be too bored or dissociated. I hopped from one group to another, but no luck, still. Even then, being on my own does not bother me, at all. However, I knew people around me think otherwise. Some groups reached out and I said that while appreciate their effort, I'm pretty much okay to hop from one group to another, depending on my mood or my headspace. I'm not exactly an outcast, I think. Of course, I've been bullied but I quickly learned how to fight back plus mother dragon stayed closest to me. I didn't like how she managed me, honestly. But, she knew that if I'm left unattended, I'd most likely morph into a thicccc-blooded bully myself who gets away with demerits and deception.

Fitting in one group does not make sense to me and that's my final answer, even up to now. This holds true. This stands firmly.

One time, our teacher was absent and the whole class was sent to the library. I browsed the new books and stumbled upon Harry Potter Book 1. Since I read slowly, I spent my break time reading this considerably thick book. I found a universe where I can indulge as the writing is so graphic. It's fantastic. I had a really good excuse to sit in a corner of my choice and devour this interesting world where wizards and witches are pretty much like me --a teenager trying to make sense of their new world. At first, no one read Harry Potter. LOL. Buti naman.

Weeks or months later, a few random people approached me and asked me why the hell am I spending my break time reading a blah book instead of mingling with my hood. I simply dismissed their questions, because I don't want this world to go mainstream. Feeling like a gatekeeper, I even hid the copies as I asked the librarian nicely that I'd like to finish Book 3. LOL. She smiled and told me that it's okay since no one is reading them anyway. At 13, I felt like I belong to a universe that's beyond my current space. It felt kind of rebellious since I really hated the whole idea of parochial school.

In between biology, chemistry and homeroom, I spent time learning that being weird is never a bad thing. The characters are way quirkier than me, so, let it be. Later still, Harry Potter craze officially landed in Manila. :P Back then, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Baby Sitters Club, and the like are the top tier. So, I guess Harry Potter became the cool thing to a good number of people who are tired of the usual plot twists. I've been asked more times about Harry Potter and I was left with no choice but to overshare. :P Daming tanong e. 'Di ko masalag. Funny how I tried to have my own world but ended up gaining the opposite.

As prime examples, some "paparamdams" ng mga ilang XY involved drawings of Harry. 'Di super nice, pero points for the effort. LOL. Fuck. Why am I remembering these now? I can't believe it. Others naman would talk about the books and slide comments that only Potterheads would get. Others gifted me with merchs na basic since wala pa naman masyadong funds noon and access sa original merchs. May kasama pang: Puro ka kasi Harry Potter. Andito naman ako. LUL. As in nagiging argument pa kung bakit mas mahalagang matapos ang Harry Potter Book 4 before finals exam kesa magbigay ng atensyo sa mga paparamdams. :D

Looking back at these prime examples, I shake my head. Nakakatawa. Baliw nga talaga ako kay Harry Potter and sila naman na rin nag-adjust. In fairness. In all fairness. Plus points kayo diyan mga former XY paramdams. Puwede naman kasing derecho na lang e. 'Di ako mahirap kausap. Mahabang usapan lang na consistent and rektahang bullet points. LOL. LUH.

Me to myself: Bakit ba kasi sumikat 'to? E hooked na ako, so wala naman na akong maggawa. Also, mejj off 'yung mga "slide" comments kasi nag-notes pa ako sa bawat book, so, uhm. Tabi. You say you're a fan, noh? Let's test it out, then. :D

Kidding aside, this piece of art on its way to be a classic allowed me to appreciate the fact that I would never fit in and that it's okay. Totes fine. It's not a problem to be in a noisy and nosy place so as long as I believe that magic is real, here and now. I've grown up a whole lot but I'm still that kid inside tries to see the beauty in the mundane, the weirdos, the psychos and the typos.

I guess it's also because for the first time, I've actually came across a female writer whose female characters are not that stereotypical. Even then, I was utterly bothered that women writers seem to be but a few sessions. JK Rowling has been my "shero" as I discovered her backstory. Being the letter reader of the mga torture victims and makakaliwa, iba ang kagat ng creative na mundo ni HP and friends. The way she does subtext is so amazing and pangarap ko pa ring magkaroon ng Harry Potter classes sa Harvard kahit online lang and walang certificate or badge. :p Hanap nga ako this holiday break. When I'm in deep doubt and on the cusp, simula noon hanggang ngayon, I slay the repeat button netong first commencement address ni JK. Meron na palang update, so lagay na rin natin dito pero 'yung uncut and branded to the nines, because... alam na. :p

Siguro, dito rin nag-root 'yung delulu kong paganaps sa quest kong maging donut seeking world peace. Unapologetic, very flawed, curious, ultra feminine, agnostic, spiritual, subtext-driven, overactive imagination, overthinker, misfit, and writing it all out. Magiging kasing yaman na ba ako ni Queen Elizabeth II with so many causes supported? :p

I'm actually re-reading the books now. I started sa Book 1 pero skipped to the best part, Book 3. Torn ako between Book 3 and 4 to be honest, pero for me, pivotal kasi ang Book 3 and 'di masyadong mahaba so the slow reader me is happier. Mas mabilis naman na ako ngayon and sana magkaroon ng version nito na bionic reading 'yung takada ng typography in Adobe Garamond, point 12. CHOZ. Huy. Not sure sa point 12. Clunky na memory bank ko. Also, her being axed in the anniv special docu is a bummer. Cancel culture kasi about she revealing na Dumbledore is gay. Wala naman siyang sinabing out of line kasi for me, true gender equality is widening the biases. I do not patronize homophobia. In the same manner, let the straight people lead a straight life. Ganun lang talaga. My mug of butterbeer in Hogsmeade landian session might not be for everyone. And vice versa. Magpapasko na kasi, kaya 'yung overthinking ko, nasa point na ng dressing up Hogwarts ni Hagrid na may malaking pine tree papunta sa Great Hall.

As I curate my tiny house outside Manila, my first piece up the wall would be this poster. I really can't wait to see my flow in my own space before I proceed with dressing it up bit by bit. A minimalist x maximalist Harry Potter space. LOL. It's not gonna scream because I want the vibe na only Potterheads will get it. UGH. Hassle. 'Di siya madali pero I think through intention, I will get there, unti-unti. Plus Europa 2025 para sa lumpuhang Harry Potter Slay edition. <3

[girl-bateman]

Attempting a terrorist attack on the train station is NOT very girlboss :/

[quindolyn]

subby Jamie fluffy (Smut?) where he wakes up in the middle of the night and sucks on the readers titties to drink from her tits because she's lactating after giving birth to their daughter. I don't know if this makes sense but I hope it does!

Lactation Kink || James Potter

A/N: I'm not even sure if I should include "kink" but I will admit that there are some very smutty overtones so read at your own discretion. I tweaked the request a little bit in terms of the circumstances but the bones are still there. I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: lactation kink, light sub!James and Dom!reader, not much I don't think, all acts are completely consensual and if they needed a safe word they'd have one

Word Count: 1851

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were life savers. They could only watch their two closest friends creep closer and closer to death for so long before doing something about it.

After giving birth to a beautiful baby boy seven months ago you and James had come to understand a new definition of the word exhaustion. You were absolutely enamoured with your baby boy, James the same way if not worse, always keeping him cradled in his arms, Harry’s little head nestled into the crook of James’ arm.

Regardless, there is no amount of parental love to counteract the complete lack of sleep the two of you have endured. “Sleep when the baby sleeps” they all say, it's excellent in theory if only the baby would actually sleep.

No, instead you and James were subject to months of newborn induced insomnia,

You’d barely understood what Remus and Sirius were saying when they offered to watch your son for a few days, give you and James some time alone. Even though every part of your being screamed for you to take them up on their offer there was that small, annoyingly persistent, voice in the back of your head. The voice of maternal guilt.

Your friends wouldn’t hear any of your arguments, listening as you insisted that Harry was still far too young for you to leave him, you could barely stand a few hours, how were you supposed to survive days?

Despite your insistence that it was far too early to leave Harry with his godfathers for an extended weekend when the following Thursday rolled around you and James were rather unceremoniously kicked out of your own house, told that reservations had been made for you at an expensive spa and resort and that you were not to return home until the following Monday.

They’d even packed your bags for you.

You and James had successfully made it through the first night away from your baby, your quality of your sleep however was not up to par as you tossed and turned, worrying about the little boy you’d left at home.

Even cuddled up to Jamie’s chest your sleep was more like a light sheet over your consciousness giving you a shallow, unsatisfactory, reprieve.

What you needed was for sleep to hit you over the head with a baseball bat, knock you unconscious for hours and give your body time to recover.

After a long, exhausting day of taking advantage of the resort's numerous spa treatments, your wish of deep, meaningful sleep seemed as though it might actually just come true.

Minutes after laying your head down on the pillow, James slipping into bed behind you, you were out cold. Pulling you closer so that he could bury his face in the crook of your neck James was close behind you.

Finally, sleep.

-----

Your tits hurt, they fucking hurt. You were finally getting some quality sleep but the discomfort in your chest became intolerable and you were lulled back into a dreaded state of consciousness.

You’d been so ready for sleep and the peace that it would bring that you’d forgotten to pump your milk before getting into bed. You find yourself regretting that decision now, you shift slightly in James’ hold, just as tight as it had been when you’d fallen asleep. The clock on the bedside table reads three in the morning.

Fuck me, you think, your thoughts still blurry from sleep, carrying a weight in your temples that lures your head back down to the pillow as you fall back into your spot in James’ arms. You’re going to have to get up eventually, that much you understand, but the prospect of getting up and finding the pump, hooking it up, then actually sitting there while you pump sounds nothing short of absolutely dreadful.

You can only lay there for so long, on your back so as not to apply any pressure to your breasts, staring up at the ceiling before your tits go from hurting to feeling like they’re about to explode.

Eventually you’re forced to begin to fuss in James’ arms, trying to find the seal that will let you get up hopefully without waking your husband.

Even asleep James’ grip is insistent, he’s like quick sand, the more you try to maneuver your way out of his arms the tighter his hold gets, the closer he pulls you to him.

“Jamie, you gotta let go,” You murmur, hoping to appeal to the half asleep man.

“Where you going, angel?” His voice is the crashing of a wave against the shore in your ears, low, rumbling, calming. That voice alone is enough to have you considering just climbing back into bed with him, exploding tits be damned.

“Forgot to pump Jamie, m’tits feel like they’re ready to explode.”

He flickers his eyes open, worry etched into his irises, already blanketed in sleep, “Hurting?” Raising his head his eyes drop to your tits, like maybe he’ll be able to see your affliction.

“A little bit,” You nod, your hands combing through his unruly curls before making another attempt to rise from the mattress, “Gonna pump and then I’ll feel all better. I’ll be quick.”

“No,” He whines, god you miss the sound of his whine. His arms are like steel as he pulls you firmly back onto the bed, “M’thirsty anyways.”

Confusion heightens in you before James turns you so you’re fully on your back before slipping under your arm, resting his head on your chest.

Nimble fingers find the neckline of the silk camisole you’d found in the luggage Remus and Sirius had packed for you, sons of bitches also packed every single pair of lacy panties you own.

With little difficulty he slips the thin strap down your shoulder allowing him to tuck the soft material of the top under your breast.

“Miss my girls,” He whispers as he bares your breasts, they’re swollen with milk but the way he’s looking at you you’d think they were something far more precious.

“I’ll be gentle,” His promise comes just as he latches onto your pert nipple, carefully guarding his teeth with his lips, the last thing he would wanna do is hurt you.

It bears little resemblance to the way he used to suck your tits, fervently like they were the only things keeping him grounded, sometimes they had been. Now he proceeds with a new sense of caution but that doesn’t mean it’s any less pleasurable.

“Jamesie, ‘s for Harry, you can’t drink the baby’s milk,” You regrettably push him off your tit, he looks anything but pleased.

“They were mine first,” He whines, throwing you a dirty glance that falls completely flat given the immense adoration that lies just behind it, “And I told you (Y/N), ‘m thirsty, want your milk. Wanna make you feel good.”

Giving you his most convincing puppy dog eyes he leans back in, he latches on efficiently and sucking with an increased vigor you feel a feeling of fullness swell in your breast as your nipple tingles. It’s a feeling you’ve gotten used to but so rarely has it ever turned you on as when James is the cause of it.

He hums in satisfaction as the warm milk seeps into his mouth, it encourages him in his efforts causing him to latch on tighter. A little too tight.

“Easy there baby,” You hiss, “M’tits are sensitive.”’

He complies immediately, loosening his lips around your nipple the sensation becomes pleasurable once more. The pleasure helps distract from the discomfort which, at least in the tit James it latched onto, seems to be dwindling. The other breast is left aching until you feel a similar sensation coming from your nipple.

“You’re leaking.”

Casting your eyes downward you see that he’s right, you’re leaking slightly out of your unattended nipple. It's not unusual for it to happen but usually you just brush it away with a warm washcloth, not wanting to have a sticky mess on your chest.

Carefully, he brushes the pad of his thumb over the over sensitive bud.

“Can’t let it go to waste,” He brings his thumb to his mouth to suck it clean, the visual is almost enough to make your head spin.

You can’t remember the last time you saw James subby, ever since you’ve had Harry it's been sleepy handjobs and once you fully recovered, him pushing you up anywhere he could and taking you right there. It’s like parenthood awoke something far more dominant inside of him but as he latches back onto your tit you’re reminded how beautiful he is when he submits to you.

You wrap your arms around his neck, letting your fingers dance along the nape of his neck as you feel yourself unwinding with every second he sucks at your tit, bringing you relief.

“You full yet?”

He gently lets your tit slide from his mouth before responding, “Does it still hurt?”

The genuine concern in his voice has butterflies erupting in your stomach, you learned a long time ago just how sweet and caring James is but sometimes it hits you harder than you were expecting and you’re left feeling just as giddy as you did in the beginning of your relationship.

James seems to have sucked you dry, or at least to a point where your tit no longer burns with the feeling of an impending explosion.

“No s’all better baby, did such a good job,” You guide his face up towards yours, “Got a little milk on your lips,” You lean in, kissing the milk off his swollen lips.

It’s sweeter than you expected but maybe everything was sweeter coming off his lips.

You take your time admiring his face, hazel eyes that look a little more brown than they did yesterday, lips an impossible pink. Thick, long lashes you remember envying for as long as you’ve known each other cast their shadows along his cheekbones. He’s perfect.

You run the pad of your thumb along his bottom lip before letting him suck it into his mouth, when he couldn’t get to your tits sucking on your fingers always used to help James calm down. For the life of you you can’t remember the last time he’d sucked on your fingers. If it’d been in the last seven months you’d probably just been too tired to remember.

Letting your digit slide from his mouth James hauls himself over you, careful not to brush against your breasts, to lay on your other side. He moves with a surprising grace considering just minutes ago he’d been in the throws of sleep, you’d forgotten how well he moved.

“Other one now,” He murmurs, eyes glued to your tit as his hands move to cup it, giving him better access to your nipple.

“You sure baby? I can just pump this one and you can go back to bed, s’okay.”

“No,” His brows furrow with his empathic response, if he wasn’t already on top of you you’re sure he’d pull you closer in fear that you might escape, “Mine.”

taglist: @randomoutsiders @weasleyposts @amourtentiaa @kittykylax @superbturtlemakerathlete @oliviashea05 @pinkandblueblurbs @thatvenusbabe @itsmentalillness @zzzfour @Greenlyblue @emmaev @temporaryissue @gubleryum @msmb @marauderswhore07 @st0nesnglitter  @miraclesoflove @shadesofvelma @drachoesimp @ashlovesthemarauders @artemis1orion @skaratjung @ava-brooke-blog1 @fairyprettygirly @Ohwowimlonley @padfootswife @roonilwazlibswhore @swearingsolemnly @Teenwolfbitches28 @lilypad-55449 @jamespotterslover @lilytheally @mo-jean @jeannelupinblack @wh0reforthemarauders @myalupinblack @ashesandstars @daisyyy2516 @siriusmydeer @remugoodgirl @itzstacie @planet-wolfstar @steveharringtonswhore @saintlike78 @thatdummymarie @cedricisnotdead @pretty-pop-princess-hs @saggyb1lls

[guiltgoreglory]

Heat Waves (Chapter 2: An Ego Check)

(Very) Brief Summary: Reader is a government contractor joining the team in Benghazi.  (Eventual Tanto x Reader) (2626 words)

Chapter 1

Tagging: @abitofpablo​ @kimburgss​ @ceyruh

You watched as the dust clouds trailed behind the buggy. The rest of the trip you all sat in silence, taking in the events that had just occurred. When you saw the base from a distance you decided it was safe to holster your weapons. You wiped the sweat of your palms on your thighs as you willed your heart to slow down, and so it did. The second you felt back at equilibrium, Rone took a quick turn into the base. To no surprise, it was the most conspicuous looking place you could have imagined. You expected better from the CIA. Several armed American guards stood at the gate which was surrounded by obvious cameras. You rolled your eyes knowing that if anyone wanted to target us, it wouldn’t be hard. One guy even wore a New York Yankee’s cap. It’s like they didn’t even try.

“Check the new rides. Gaddafi had a going-out-of-business sale on armored vehicles…” Rone gestured towards the Mercedes amongst several other high-end vehicles. He whistled. Leave it to Rone to keep the tone light. “Max-leveled armored, man. We got a great deal… We stole ‘em.” Rone stared down Jack with the biggest smirk plastered on his face. He seemed extremely proud of himself for that one. You watched as a similar smile tugged at the corners of Jack’s lips. You behaved similarly, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a shitty joke. 

You gathered your things as the car came to a stop. Rone hopped out, throwing the keys to another man wearing a vest, “Sat unattended at the airport.” His stride paused as he watched someone from afar. You followed his gaze until you saw the Chief. This was definitely going to be something, you didn’t know what, but you could feel the subordination getting ready to bubble out of Rone. “Hey, Chief,” Rone called, nonchalantly, almost mockingly. The Chief looked like any middle-aged man who worked in business. Blue blazer, khaki pants, glasses, the whole shebang. His posture screamed superiority complex, you knew from the get-go you wouldn’t get along, not like it mattered anyway.

“I don’t want to hear it, Tyrone.” He called back, shuffling his way back into the building. Rone strutted towards him, duffel in hand. 

“No, no, I understand.” He turned his head for a moment, keeping out of the way of a car

driving past. “I see what you’re going for here,” he called, on the verge of yelling, “Secret spy base with fortified walls, gate cameras,” He fumbled to get his id badge in hand. “and blue-eyed Westerners! walking in and out of this place all day long.” He did a lovely spin for emphasis, pointing towards all the obvious Americans walking around the base. You followed close behind, knowing you were going to need to speak with him as soon as Tyrone was done tearing into him. “But if you want to avoid..” His words were cut off by the Chief slamming the squeaky metal door in your face. His voice dropped a decibel and he spoke, mostly to himself, “That’s so rude”. He placed his phone into the tray mounted on the wall beside the door, before scanning in his card to gain entry. “Can’t believe he just did that to me.” Your heart started to pick up once again. Nothing made you more frustrated than a cocky man being too good to have a goddamn conversation.

The door let out a loud buzz before Rone pushed open the entrance. “Chief, if you want to avoid an international incident,” He continued to track in the Chief’s footsteps, “you send me my guys when I ask for them.” Many of the agents sitting at their computers peeked up to watch the drama unfold. Some took a look at you, the new face, before returning to watch the catfight.

Finally, the man turned to look at Tyrone, squinting in disapproval like a man reprimanding his toddler. “Local faces need to resolve local conflicts, Tyrone.” Aka, your life means little to nothing to me; the incident was just a wrinkle in my daily schedule. He flipped mindlessly through papers within a manilla folder. Wow he’s so important look how busy he is. “We’re guests in this country.” You and Jack came to stand a few feet behind Rone, trying to stay close without poking the bear. 

“We’re unwanted guests, Bob.” Rone rebutted. He’s not wrong. 

“We’re spies, you’re security guards.. Your job is to keep us out of trouble, not get into it yourselves.” God, he’s pretentious. Rone flipped through some files pinned onto a pillar, looking through some photos of notable people of the region. 

“Well help me do my job and give me my guys.” He didn’t bother giving the Chief the privilege of his eye-line as he continued to search through the photos. You heard a buzz, and quickly turned to see the other members of the squad you were now a part of. Perfect timing. You made eye contact with one of them, Chris Paronto. Based on your prior research everybody called him Tanto, the mischievous one. Just then the Chief said some absolute bullshit.

“Here’s what you guys are good at: working out, eating five hot meals a day. What you’re not so good at is doing what you’re told.” God, he was so fucking proud of himself. Look at you little man, showing off your power in front of your team. You let a little of your annoyance slip out. 

“Ironic considering without us, everyone’s a sitting duck.” You whispered softly. The men all turned their heads towards you. Well, I guess now is as good a time as ever to get this over with. 

“Excuse me? And who are you? Some ex-army nobody who can’t let go of the glory of war?” 

Alright, time to rip off the bandaid. You stood a little taller, stepping closer to the Chief, just beside Rone. “Honestly... I’m someone out of your security clearance.” You said assertively. Jack shared a hesitant look with Rone.

“Bullshit.” He turned away from you, readying to remove himself from the conversation. 

“Alright, I think it’s best if we get a phone call over with now.” You dropped your duffel onto the tile, squatting down beside it. The armed men gripped their guns just a little bit tighter. The Chief stood, watching you confused. You unzipped the bag, reaching in to wrap your hands around a satellite phone. You zipped it back up but left it on the ground for now.

“I don’t have time for this.” The Chief began to walk towards his office as you stood, clicking a number on speed-dial. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. The director doesn’t like waiting.” You held the phone to your head, keeping a straight face. That definitely made him pause. He turned back towards you, squinting his little face up. 

“Director of what?” He sighed. 

“Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.” You responded casually as if you were telling him the forecast for the next week. You waited as the phone continued to ring. 

Everyone stood in silence except for one guy. Tanto leaned over to whisper in Boon’s ear. “Who the fuck is she?”

Finally, a voice came over the line. “Y/N.”

“Good morning, Sir. We have arrived at the location.” Everyone had their eyes on you, curiosity getting the best of them.

“Any incidents?”

“One en route to base. Resolved without violence. I’ll have a report to you within the hour.”

“Great.” He took a deep breath and you could hear him adjust in his chair. “I take it you’d like me to speak with Bob.”

“That would be appreciated, Sir.”

“Alright hand me over.” You took steady, calculated steps towards the Chief, holding the phone out for him to take. He gently took it from your hand. His eyes bore holes into the crevices of the tiled floor.

“Hello..” The Chief said tentatively. You stepped back, giving him some room. You crossed your arms across your chest, shrugging in Rone’s direction. You could tell he was living for this. “Yes, Sir…. I understand, Sir. Of course…. Goodbye.” He stood like a dog with his tail between his legs. He stepped back towards you, holding out the phone. You took it gladly with a polite smile. Pressing the phone back to your ear you concluded with a quick farewell before going back to put your phone into the duffel. As you squatted beside it, you looked up towards the Chief. 

“Are we good?” You said. You no longer wanted to squabble and your tone reflected as such. 

“Yes.” He said curtly, returning to his office. The second the door closed, the chatter of the room returned back to normal. You turned back to the men of the team looking at Rone expectantly. 

“Alrighty then.” Rone turned to walk towards their lounge and the guys began to follow. Tanto sucked in his lips, trying to stifle a chuckle. The burly man next to him, Boon, jabbed him in the side before moving towards the room. You waited for Jack, giving him a genuine, small smile before trailing behind. 

“Well, that was fun.” Mark Geist, also known by the team as “Oz”, stated monotonously, walking into the room as he disassembled his rifle. 

“He gets his jollies pushing around alphas because he can.” John Tiegen. Called “Tig”. He’s the brains. The first one to be stationed here. You stood in the corner watching as he placed his things into his cubby. 

“We had this commander back in ranger school, he was a real cockbag…” Creative insult. Tanto began to remove his vest as he narrated on. You figured you’d be here for a minute so you pulled the straps of your cello case off of your shoulders placing it onto the floor, along with your duffel. Now that you were within the compound you took off the hijab, throwing it on top of the luggage. You flipped your head forward shaking out the matted hair before you pulled it into a bun. It was a mess but it did the job.

“So on our last night, me and a buddy, we stole his beret.” He placed his vest down on the table before plopping down onto the worn couch. “Whole barracks chubbed it.”

“Chubbed it?” Boon replied, his tone made you think he really didn’t want to know, whipping out his knife to fidget with.

“Yeah, rubbed our dicks on it.” Tanto replied, the widest smile crossing his face. He looked like the Cheshire cat as he reached for the gaming controller. You coughed, stifling your laugh before your face turned quizzical. He turned back towards you, noticing your reaction before giving you a quick up and down and returning to his game. You sauntered over to Jack to join in the awkwardness of being new. You tuned into Tig as he was beginning to talk work to Rone. He leaned forward over a desk that Rone was sitting at. 

“Leader was a former Gitmo detainee.” They scanned the rugged laptop, you presumed that they were looking for who you’d tangoed with this morning.

“Yeah, those guys usually don’t hold a grudge.” Rone said in his usual sarcastic tone. 

“Hey guys,” Oz’s voice pulled you from your concentration as you turned to face him with a friendly smile. “Mark Geist, Oz.”

“Pleasure.” Jack went to shake his hand and you followed suit.

“Ah guys I’m sorry.” Rone spun on his office chair to face the rest of the crew. “Everybody, this is Jack Silva. It’s our third contract together so he knows the drill. We met training SEALs at Coronado.”

Tanto turned back for a second. “How do you get them to balance that beach ball on their nose?” A few chuckles could be heard from the guys.

“It’s tough.” Jack’s shoulders relaxed slightly, letting himself become more comfortable around his new team. 

“And this” He gestured his hand towards you. “is Y/N. She’s uhh..” He paused for a split second, trying to find the right word to describe you. “black-ops and apparently has the government at her fingertips so she’ll probably be of use.” You smirked, nodding your head towards the guys. Rone rose from his spot, spreading his arms across the room. “So we got three ex-Marines here and one ex-Army retard who likes to rub his dick on things.” Tanto stood proudly facing you two. 

“Kris Paronto. Call me Tanto.” You both shook his hand. You found Tanto’s demeanor amusing, and much to your dismay, his confidence was undeniably attractive. Despite the tall crowd, he still somehow towered above them. You shared eye contact for a brief moment before turning towards Tig. Although he felt easy to get along with, you hoped his casual demeanor didn’t affect his work. In your experience, the joker usually got people killed. Despite this, what you had researched, he seemed to be doing alright so far. 

“Hey. I’m Tig.” He waved towards you two.

“Tig’s been here the longest, so he’ll get you up to speed on the area,” Rone said, stabbing a red pin into a map. Looking in more detail you noticed it was the location of your incident. “This is Boon. Scout Sniper, Zen Master, Holder of Tanto’s leash.” He pointed to the man sitting in the sturdy armchair. 

He looked up from his lap. “Welcome to Club Med.”

“It hasn’t rained since June. It’s not gonna rain again until September.” He walked right up to you two strolling past slowly. “You two will be double-bunked. Not me, because I’m in charge. Gym sucks,” damn “food’s actually good.” Lose, win. 

Tig walked to the center of the room, a few feet from the three of you. “Base Chief is kinda a tool, but who knows, maybe now that you’re here he’ll be moderately tolerable.” 

You shrugged. “No promises but if he gets too snippy I’ll whip out the phone again.” 

“Maybe he just needs a new hat” Jack quipped. Tanto looked up from the TV to point appreciatively at Jack. 

“Don’t encourage him,” Rone said as if talking about his puppy.

“Come on. He’s just a guy with a job to do.”Oz said. Based on the dynamic he was the dad of the group. Honest, serious, tough-love type of guy. Makes sense given he’s the sniper.  “He’s playing his string out, but if you talk to him, Bob did some shit back in the day.” You’d heard it a million times, some badass joins the CIA works his way up until he’s practically just a desk jockey with a power problem. Didn’t gain him any sympathy from you.

“Alright, Jack, Y/N, this is the whiteboard that’s gonna run your life for the next sixty days.” You looked over the various points of the board as Jack made his way towards the couch. Given the limited space you preferred standing just behind, leaning your hip against the back. “I want you to check it every hour cause last-minute moves pop up every minute, such as... where shotgunning it in three hours.” Everyone in the room except you, Jack, and Rone let out an audible groan of annoyance. Tanto slapped his controller onto his lap, looking up to the ceiling. Before concentrating back on the game, he looked at you. You took this opportunity to raise an eyebrow in his direction given his childlike reaction to the news. He responded with a strong but blank stare. You rolled your eyes slightly, breaking eye contact to pay attention to Rone. You were used to being dispatched on the drop of the hat, acclimating to the schedule here probably wouldn’t be too much of a pain.

“Three hours. I’ll let you know when I’m briefed.”

[xenolithium]

Surprise Visits (France & America)

I remember when he was just a little boy. He had large blue eyes and that bright, innocent smile he'd always wear upon his lips whenever I'd come see him. Those moments were fleeting and the time I spent with that boy was short.

"Alfred, papa made you something to eat!"

Whenever I saw him, I remember being so happy. Even if it was a struggle just to see his face again the next time around. It was something I'd look forward to. Kissing his forehead, cuddling next to him in bed, feeding him the food I made so lovingly.

It was strange. Up until that point I'd never felt such a strong urge to protect something. To become the pillar that would hold him up in his darkest moments. But I accepted the feeling wholeheartedly and without question. This little boy was my little boy.

The American Revolution was when I truly got to know him. Arthur may have stolen away his childhood, but I had his teen years. The moments when he was the most vulnerable. The moments when he'd break down in tears, unsure of what to do. But it was okay, I was there. I'd always be there.

"I love you, mon petit chou."

---

Francis sighed as he pushed his luggage next to the front door and out of the way, pocketing his spare key. He then took off his shoes before taking a few steps into his son's home, leaving the entrance behind him. The place was quiet, eerily quiet considering who this was he was visiting. The only sounds he could hear was the soft pitter-patter of paws as Alfred's cat came to greet him. Her white fluffy tail standing up at attention as she meowed at him as if saying hello or perhaps asking him to leave. She did have a bit of an attitude problem afterall, as most cats do.

Francis kneeled down to give her a stroke, "I'm happy to see you too~" he greeted, letting her bunt against the back of his hand. A small smile played at his lips while she inspected him in mild interest and eventually took her leave. Back to her outpost atop the fridge to stare at him behind beady blue eyes.

Francis gazed upon her 'elegance' for a moment, before slowly rising to his feet again and continuing his journey through the house. First things first, he'd check to see if Alfred was even home. But judging by the fact Marshmallow was left unattended and not in someone's care, he was sure that the American hadn't gone too far.

"Alfred, papa came by to visit you~" was the only warning he gave as he so brazenly entered his son's room. It's not like he'd care if he saw anything he shouldn't. Francis wasn't exactly one who held high regard towards concepts such as shame. Plus, if anything was happening, he'd just walk back out and talk through the door instead. Simple as that~ (He had a feeling Arthur wouldn't be too keen on that logic.)

Francis blinked when he noticed Alfred laying in bed. Despite it being the middle of the day, there he was, hugging an oversized stuffed bear like he was a small child again. It made the Frenchman's heart light up as he stepped towards the bed to sit down next to his very much full grown son and run a hand through his messy hair. He frowned at the texture; greasy, split ends, dandruff. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, this just wouldn't do. It was a good thing he decided to come over.

"Alfred, did you work late last night?" He asked, his voice soft, as the American slowly blinked himself into consciousness. Staring out through windows surrounding his bed for a moment, towards the swaying palm trees and the rolling shores. Before finally turning his head to look up at Francis.

"Papa?"

"Yeah, it's me," Francis chuckled, letting his thumb briefly rub against Alfred's cheek in a comforting gesture.

"Did you bring me any food?" Alfred asked groggily and Francis rolled his eyes.

"No, I was going to ask you what you wanted though."

"Crepes~" he cheered as he sat up, suddenly a lot more energetic than he was before. "With lots of whip cream and strawberries~"

"Wait, are we having a meal here or desert?" Francis asked, his eyebrows bunched together in concern.

"Chocolate sauce?"

"That doesn't make it any healthier." Francis sighed, shaking his head as Alfred laughed. "How about I choose then?"

"What? You can't just walk in here, ask what I want and not let me choose. I will drink the chocolate sauce just to spite you."

"Alfred please...let's not drink the chocolate sauce. That is disgusting."

"To you maybe."

"No, it's disgusting and you know it!" Francis huffed, surprised when Alfred simply stared at him for a moment in silence. Seemingly letting him win the argument for a short period of time.

"Can I at least have the strawberries and whipped cream?" He begged, making those puppy dog eyes that always made Francis weak to his every will and whim.

"Fine you can have the strawberries."

"and whipped cream?"

"Strawberries."

Alfred squinted at him for a long moment, that angelic expression from earlier falling off his face completely as he realized what Francis was doing here. Opening his mouth to refute it again when Francis swiftly changed the subject.

"Alfred, when's the last time you took a shower?"

Alfred closed his mouth again, looking slightly surprised at such a sudden topic change. But also slightly embarrassed that he was caught not taking care of himself properly to Francis of all people. The one who would gripe the most about it.

"Yesterday."

Francis took hold of one of the strands of his hair, whilst Alfred tried to weakly swat him away. "This does not look like yesterday. There's so much grease, I could fry an egg with it," he pointed out, finally pulling his hand back and crossing his arms over his chest. "On top of that, you haven't been using the shampoo I recommended, have you?" Alfred's guilty look said it all. "You wouldn't have so much dandruff and split ends if you used the shampoo I told you to use. And what's this, acne? I thought I gave you a step by step guide on my skin care routine and -"

"Okay, okay! I got it!" Alfred cut off his father, who was currently going into a nagging tangent about how he should be taking care of himself. This time it was Francis' turn to squint suspiciously at Al. "I'll take a shower right now to prove it."

"Good." Francis finally began to smile again, leaning forward to kiss Alfred's forehead. "I'll be in the kitchen." He slowly rose from the bed to walk towards the bedroom door. Only pausing to turn back and close the door behind him, noticing Al curling up under the covers with his phone in hand, rather than getting up like he said he would. He raised a brow, "Alfred..." He called in warning.

"One sec, I gotta wake my legs up first."

"Now, Alfred." The American let out a huff and rolled to the floor, covers and all. Only to slowly crawl his way to his bathroom with a groan of protest. "And you tell me I'm over dramatic." Francis shook his head as he finally closed the door with a click, walking back down the hallway to get them both something to eat.

---

"Do you feel better?" Francis asked as Alfred leaned back, stretching his arms up over his head after finishing his fifth plate of food. He definitely looked relaxed and at ease, but most of all, clean.

"Yeah, your food is the best~" he complimented, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks papa!"

Francis leaned against his hand, brushing a few loose strands from his own face. "You need to take better care of yourself. What would you do if I didn't check on you all the time? But there's no need to think of that since I'm here~"

Alfred pouted, "now you're just being full of yourself. Besides, I wouldn't want to make your job pointless if I'm doing everything myself."

"How noble of you," Francis laughed, but the sound was genuine and heartfelt. He glanced towards Marshmallow who was gazing at them from the other side of the table. "Have you been overworking yourself again?"

"Nah, just was having a bit of a hard time." Francis turned his gaze back towards Alfred as he fiddled with his empty glass nervously.

"You know you can talk to me about it, mon petit chou."

"I know, it's just embarassing."

Francis stared at Alfred for a long moment trying to think of what it was that he was keeping from him. Something he had mentioned before perhaps? "Oh, is it..." He trailed off as Alfred seemed to grow more and more uncomfortable. "Oh, Alfred." He reached across the table to place his hands on his son's cheeks. "You're perfect in every way and there's absolutely nothing you need to change." He watched as Alfred began to tear up. "It's fine, you don't have to say anything. I'm here."

Alfred nodded. "Thanks..." He swallowed thickly. "Thanks for coming."

[oddsnendsfanfics]

Unraveling at the Seams Pt 24

Genre: Fan Fiction Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC Warnings: Language, Sexual Innuendo, Possible NSFW Rating: M Length: Multi Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.  

A/N: As it pains me, this is nearly to an end. In word doc I have 177 pages and over 91,000 words. I didn’t imagine it to be this big, when I began. thank you @laketaj24​, @agniavateira​, and @cherrybloomn​ for listening to my insanity and helping me along :D 

thank you @flowers-in-your-hayr​ for the header

Catch Up Here

Day One in Hungary for Henry and Ivan was the last day in Ireland for Nell.

No stranger to a hard workload, Nell did everything she could to get out of Dublin. Leaving was harder than she had imagined, reminding herself that this was a good thing, even if she cried all the way to the airport. Nell had felt emotions were fully under control, until minutes before her car arrived. A soft knock on the door revealed Sophie and Jordan on the other side.

Nearly 5am, they stood on the step in their pjs, with a card and strict instructions to open it when she was alone. Hugs and a few last laughs, Nell collected her bags and walked to the black sedan, similar to the one which Henry and Ivan had left in.

A last minute change of plans, Nell decided to skip London. Phoning to see if she could have Henry's older brother drive over to make sure her things were stored properly, she diverted course directly to Budapest. A few phone calls and promises not to tell Henry or Ivan that she was on her way, Nell was armed with an address when she landed at the airport.

Waiting for her luggage, Nell scrolled through her phone, wrinkling her nose. What if Henry and Ivan were out? She would show up at this address, only to be left hanging out by the front door like some kind of weirdo. Perhaps she should take a car to her new residence first? Another road block, nobody was expecting her there this soon. What if the space was locked and not ready to receive her?

Tapping her foot on the polished floor, she sighed, what if this wasn't such a grand idea?

No, of course this was a good idea. Nell rarely did anything spontaneous these days, this was due and it was going to all work out fine. She wouldn't have been told to come ahead, if there was any type of flaw. Although to be fair, she hadn't told Sarah that she was coming this soon.

Spotting her large pink suitcase on the belt, Nell stepped forward to grab the bag. Heaving it with all her might, she took a wobbly second to get it upright and to catch her breath. Collected, she wheeled her suitcase toward the appropriate line to exit.

Amidst the boxes that were placed in their correct rooms Henry, Ivan, and Kal saw their first few days in their new dwellings rather pleasant. Bringing only the necessities of their life, a bonus of fully furnished homes, there wasn't much to unpack. The weather was gorgeous and too nice to be inside organizing a house. Early morning had found the three of them exploring their temporary home. A lovely park near by, a rather large garden adjacent to the house, and a view that could rival any. The best part was that it was only a fifteen minute walk to Ivan's school. A fact Ivan wasn't overly impressed with.

They would be content here, Henry could feel it the second they pulled up to the drive on top of the steep hill. He hadn't saw Nell's new place, yet, but had plans to venture over before she arrived to inspect and set a few things up for her. For now, they were concentrating on lunch and then seeing what the afternoon brought.

Henry would be in the studio early tomorrow, leaving Ivan with his second assistant for the time being. Sarah was lovely and Ivan enjoyed hanging out with her, a bonus on Henry's part, as she would be their temporary child care. Finding a suitable nanny was not working as well as Henry had hoped, the more he thought about it the more he wanted to offer Bridie whatever she wanted in order to keep her on.

“Can you go wash for lunch, wild boy.” Henry's announcement fell on deaf ears. Ivan was in the living room playing on the tablet, there was an excellent chance he hadn't heard a word Henry said. A round of firecrackers could be lit and Ivan wouldn't bother to look up, if he was indulging himself.

Whatever, he would either miss out or figure it out. Henry grabbed a container of blueberries, setting them in the sink to rinse, when Kal began to bark. His booming voice ringing off the walls, if Ivan ignored that then he was good.

“Dad!” Shouting over Kal's bark Ivan took off, running through the house. “Dad!”

“Kitchen,” Henry called, the commotion railing through the house like a freight train. “What's going on? Kal, shh.” At least he could control Kal, sometimes.

“Someone is knocking on the door.” Ivan shrugged, grabbing a handful of blueberries from the kitchen sink.

Wiping his hands, Henry rolled his eyes. “Could you not have said that? It's probably Sarah.”

“It could be a stranger, I didn't want to answer it.” Ivan followed Henry to the front door. If it was an axe wielding stranger, he was going to be there for back up. Kal followed along behind Henry and Little Henry, boofing under his breath, in order to let the person know he was here but not enough to get scolded.

“Surprise!” Shouting happily, Nell held out her arms on the other side of the door.

“Mum!” Ivan screeched latching onto her. “Dad! Look! Mum's here!”

“I can see that,” Henry laughed, trying not to show the bit of fright Nell had given him with her shouting. “Alright, let her in.” He ushered Ivan and a dancing Kal away from the traveler. Stepping out to gather her suitcase, he couldn't stop the confused smile.

“What are you doing here?” Ivan eagerly demanded.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Nell leaned down to kiss the top of his head, holding him tightly.

“Certainly a surprise, welcome to Hungary.” Henry stored her suitcase beside the door. “Alright, go get ready for lunch. Let mum breathe.”

“Fine,” Ivan mumbled letting go of his mother's waist.

“Sorry, I wanted to surprise you and...” Henry glanced to see that Ivan was doing what he was told, before cutting her off with a kiss. Giggles taking over, Nell sighed patting his chest. “I missed you two.”

“We've missed you.” Henry held her for a second longer, before letting go. “Are you hungry? We were making lunch. Sorry about the mess, we're still trying to settle in.”

“You've barely arrived, don't be so worried about getting it in order. Enjoy the bit of free time you have left.” Nell encouraged, standing on her tip toes to kiss his cheek.

“For me that ends tomorrow morning,” Henry frowned. “You know, since you're here early, you could always come with me tomorrow.”

“Or, I could sleep in.” Nell smirked, leaning into his side. “I'm teasing, I will gladly go with you.”

“Lovely, I will hold you to that when I call to wake you up at 3AM.” Henry chuckled, leading her to the kitchen. A formal tour of the house could wait for a bit.

“I'll remember to turn my phone off.” Following him to the kitchen, she took in the surroundings. Whoever had picked this house had really known Henry. Giddiness to see her new space was rising, though one thing at a time. She would ask to be taken over after lunch, unpack her suitcase and get settled in.

Unattended, Ivan and Kal had taken it upon themselves to finish lunch. At least try to finish the job Henry had started. Since he wasn't allowed to use the big knife, Ivan had left the bread slicing to an adult, but it didn't stop him from digging out everything that was in the fridge – though it wasn't much.

Blueberries in the colander, draining on the counter top. Lettuce ripped and a tomato mangled via a table knife, Ivan had a jar of pickles in his hand trying to open them. Grunting he frowned and set the pickles aside, whatever, his dad would get it. Kal was dutifully by his side, waiting for a piece of the ham to drop. A short sharp whine, Kal bounced on his hind feet, licking his lips as if he were trying to will the salty, delicious piece of meat to find it's way to his waiting mouth.

“No, dad said it makes you sick.” Ivan warned his companion. “If you get sick again because of me, I have to clean it. I don't know how to clean dog puke!”

Listening to the conversation, Nell snorted and shook her head. Looking at the attempt at lunch, Henry sighed, giving in and letting Ivan have control over certain situations was a little thing Henry was working on. If they wanted an independent, well rounded human out of this, they had to let Ivan had some control.

“Alright, you two get some plates and I will cut the bread.” He instructed, giving Ivan a quick kiss on the head, before washing his hands.

“Mum, I need plates.” Ivan pointed to the appropriate door. “Dad says I can't scale the counters, I don't know why. I'm a really good climber.”

“When have you ever been allowed to climb on the kitchen counters?” Nell gave her son a knowing look, reaching for the plates that he had requested.

Shrugging it off, Ivan took the plates and set them beside his workstation.

“Cut the bread, then open the pickles please. I can get it from there.” Ivan Instructed Henry with a firm look. “Mum why don't you sit down and rest?”

“Wow, you're demanding. But whatever makes the chef happy.” Laughing, Nell did as she was told, retiring to the table to wait for lunch.

Seeing Ivan scurrying back and forth, putting lunch together was almost comical. He had always loved helping in the kitchen and Nell knew that he was capable of making some of his own things, but this was a new level. He was growing more and more, even in the last week since she'd seen him.

“Dad, you can sit down. I've got it.” Shooing Henry away from the kitchen, the look of determination was enough to make his parents listen.

Doing as he was told, to avoid being physically ushered from the kitchen, Henry sat at the small table across from where Nell had been watching the situation between father and son unfold. Kal laid with his head resting on Henry's feet, casually eyeing the kitchen now and then to scan for any dropped bits of food.

Ivan hummed, flitting around the kitchen like a bee on a mission. He was truly in a zone of some sort as he constructed lunch for his parents.

“Just think, if he gets good at this we may never have to cook again.” Nell watched her son putting together the first sandwich.

“I like to cook, though.” Henry frowned, a smirk in his voice.

“Maybe you could have a sous chef, instead? Haus Von Cavill.” She giggled at her attempt to be clever. “Start here, move it to London, it could be a real venture.”

“Oh I am sure people would line up for days.” Glancing over his shoulder to see what the thudding was, Ivan had taken a misstep and thumped his knee against a door. Nothing serious or life threatening, they were all safe – for now.

Kal yawned and rocked his chin against Henry's foot, giving up on his watch. He'd wait for the food to arrive at the table, before he went back to alert for scraps that a dog may want.

“Dad, do we have marmite?” Ivan called from the kitchen.

“Not yet,” Henry called back, his nose wrinkling. “Why do you want marmite for ham sandwiches?”

“Mum likes it, remember?”

“I tried to forget, actually.” Henry laughed, Nell gently smacked him on the arm. “Do you still eat it that way?”

Nell shrugged, “sometimes.”

Marmite, ham, mustard, and olive sandwiches had been a staple while she was pregnant. Henry had partook in a sandwich or two of his own, during that time, though he'd nearly came to forget the silly little things like that. He could remember various things about their relationship, pre and post Ivan, but now and then the trivial details would slip away.

“It's fine, I'll eat it with mustard. Thank you, wild boy.”

“I don't know how we ate those,” Henry made a disgusted face. “I know how you ate them, but I will never know why I thought they were good.”

“We did a lot of weird things, over the years.”

“To say the least.” Agreeing, their reminiscing was cut off by Ivan carefully balancing two plates as he approached the table. Ham sandwiches, blueberries, and Ivan's attempt at melon balls.

“Lunch is served, if you don't like it, then blame dad. He's the one who walked away and left a kid in charge.” Setting the first plate down in front of Nell; Ivan giggled at his comment.

“I am sure it will be delightful,” Nell kissed his cheek. “Better than the finest restaurants anywhere in the world.”

Moving to the other side of the table, Ivan set Henry's down staring his dad dead in the eye. For no reason, which Henry could recall, Ivan stood there for a moment. Plate in hand, staring at his dad before cracking up.

“You are an odd child,”

“Mum says I learn it from you,” Ivan retorted giving his father lunch.

“Go get your lunch and come eat, please.” Breaking the weird staring contest, Henry blinked and gestured to the kitchen with his chin.

“We have raised an extremely weird kid.” Nell marveled at the size of the sandwiches that Ivan had placed before them. “I should teach him how to make a Monte Cristco.”

“You're not funny,” teasing her, Henry smiled sweetly.

“What? It's a fantastic sandwich, a great book, and the movie fell a little flat but still good.” Chattering on, Nell continued to tease. At least Henry thought she was teasing. “As a girl, I always like the name Albert. I remember reading the book in senior year, thinking if I ever had a son, I would name him Albert. Or maybe Stephen. I also really loved the name Brandon.”

Sitting between his parents, Ivan rolled his eyes and tilted his head to the side. Chewing thoughtfully, he liked his name. It was picked for him by his dad. Hearing his mother's favourite names, he was happy that she only got to pick his middle name.

“I like being Ivan,” he spoke up, shrugging at the idea of having any other name. He was an Ivan, he was certain of it.

“I know you do, wild boy. I was teasing your dad.” Brushing her hand over the back of his head, Nell smiled.

“Those are all characters, which I have played. Your mother thinks it's funny to annoy and torment me.”

“Grown ups,” Ivan huffed turning his attention back to his lunch. A ham sandwich was way more entertaining than his parents trying to tease each other. They didn't even have good come backs. Whatever. “I'm glad you're here, mum.” He mumbled around his lunch.

“Me, too.”

“Why not go to London?” Speaking up, Henry glanced at Nell across the table.

He'd been meaning to ask why the sudden change in plans. It wasn't as if she had anything pressing here, until next week. Had she came when she originally planned, there would have still been time to settle in before jumping into work. Henry wasn't going to complain, because he was happy to have some extra time with Nell, simply curious was all.

“I decided it was time to be spontaneous, a little bit. Changing my ticket was a way to do that, without getting too crazy.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Funny, in a way, both times I have left Dublin in a spontaneous fit, I ended up following you.” She teased, giving Henry a wink.

“I am worth a good chase, if I say so myself.” Henry boasted with a quick burst of laughter. “Once we finish here, why don't I call and find out what is going on with your place? We can head over and get you settled, if you want?”

Wiping her hands on the fresh linen napkin, a very Henry like detail, Nell nodded. Her face lighting up with an eager smile. “Yes, please. I can't wait to see it. I'm excited to see the garden.”

“Speaking of gardens, before you leave, you should check out the one we have here. It's fantastic.”

“Tons of room!” Wide eyed, Ivan added enthusiastically. “Kal and I went exploring this morning, it's so cool.”

“I will have to do that. In fact, once we clean up, while your dad makes some calls why don't we go outside, Wild boy?”  

After lunch, Nell assisted Ivan in clearing the table and stacking the dishes in the dishwasher. Kitchen cleaned, as promised, Henry disappeared to make some phone calls while mother, son, and Kal wandered around the hillside fenced in garden. The sun was warm in the noon sky, keeping them comfortable, but not overheated.

Taking her time to admire the hard work that someone had lovingly put into the garden, Nell stood and inhaled the fresh air. The house sat in a quiet area, a few minutes from the bustling city. Around them were a few houses, though it didn't seem like there would be too many noisy neighbours. The loudest would likely be Ivan and Kal.

“Are you happy to be living with dad?” Sitting in the grass, watching Kal romp around, Nell nudged Ivan gently with her shoulder.

“Yeah,” Ivan smiled shyly. “Even if he does have more rules.”

“Your dad and I have the same rules, wild boy.”

“But he uses them,” Ivan looked at his mother, his eyes full of mischief.

“As he should. I'm happy that you're happy, you know that?” Nell wrapped her arm around Ivan, drawing him closer.

“Yeah.”

Sitting on the grass, Kal went blazing by them, yipping and wagging his tail happily. The door clicked, causing Nell and Ivan to turn their heads. Standing, Nell shoved her hands in her back pockets waiting for Henry to download his latest details on her.

“Well?”

“A bit of bad news, my darling.”  Scrunching up his nose, Henry sighed sliding his phone away. “Your place isn't ready, there's been a bit of an issue with a water main and since they weren't expecting you, they were hopeful to have it fixed. Apparently they didn't see fit to tell us this.”

“Why would they? It's fine, I'm early. If they're fixing it, no issue right? I can get a hotel or something.”

“You should stay here!” Ivan piped up, wiggling in the soft cool grass. “Right dad! We have an extra bed, mum can stay. Please.”

“I mean, if you want. I won't be cruel and kick you into the streets.” Henry winked.

“Pleaseee,” Ivan sat with his hand folded, begging.

“It's on you.” Henry offered, leaning down to pet Kal.

“Well, I suppose, for a few days.”

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- if you want to be added? removed, please let me know

(sorry if this hasn’t been tagging people. IDK what is up but tumblr is a prick, It’s telling me you are all tagged, but then shows the links didn’t work, but shows they did ugh)

[bush-viper-cutie]

Love Me Roughly: House Hunting

Pairing: Snape x fem!reader

Word Count: 2,220

Rating: M for Mature

Plot:  Severus meets up with the wizard in charge of finding him a place to live. He manages to strike up a deal and purchases his new home.

A/N: This is part 3 of 7 for the week 1 schedule for Snape Appreciation Month!  @snapeloveposts​

DISCLAIMER: I have edited (drawn over the original) the artwork (taken from a 80′s bodice ripper novel) for the purpose of this short series and will post more information about the original work here.

Posted: 6/3/20

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Severus left his motel room, locking the door and placing the key firmly in his pocket. He picked the dog up and walked out of the parking lot, turning a corner, and heading along the outer wall to the back. He figured the center was where he was standing and started walking into the forest, counting out seventeen steps before stopping.

The woods surrounded him shielded most of the sun and made the forest seem eerie. The little dog started squirming so he set it down on some fallen leaves, watching as he shook his fur out and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him to behind a large tree.

He heard rustling and then a very familiar witch walked out form behind, carrying the dog. She wore an open cloak with three buttons clumped at the top and a hood covering most of her hair, and yet, there was no mistaking who she was.

The woman from the airport walked closer and pulled her hood down, “I never would have guessed.”

“Not exactly a compliment,” Severus looked down at the dog, “Do you always make a habit of leaving your animals unattended?”

The woman laughed, “He makes sure our clients are here on time… and also that it isn’t a Ministry trap.”

He looked down at the dog in her arms, somehow doubting this particular one was very good at his job. He approached with caution and stuck out his arm, wanting to get a move on with house hunting. She took it and immediately apparated them out of the forest.

Severus heard a thump and opened his eyes, looking around at the wooden log walls and dark oak floorboards. They stood in the open kitchen of a small log cabin, a lounging area to the left and spiraling stairs directly behind them.

She set the dog down, “This is one of the simpler houses we have available to wizards here. During the winter, the snow mounds for miles and the trees offer much privacy.” She motioned to the stairs, “And the whole of it is so small that it’s easy to set up heating charms in every inch with ease.”

He walked behind the spiral stairs and opened the door to the laundry with a toilet and sink inside. He continued up the stairs to a corridor with three rooms. The first on the left looked to be the master bedroom with a large closet. The second was a smaller bedroom, A study perhaps, right across the way of the second bathroom.

He walked back downstairs and eyed the kitchen and connected room, finding it all surprisingly agreeable. “So, what is near?”

“Well, a short hike down is a corner store and your closest neighbor. A short hike up is a cliff,” she smiled.

He chuckled, these wizards really do know the business. He’d always heard of how well of a job they did, placing would-be convicts, escapees, and celebrities in the perfect homes for their situation. He suspected it had more to do with prior knowledge of the unsuspecting client, however. I always wondered where all the supposed diviners went. Even before the first wizarding war less and less were being found, though rumor had it they were being discovered for other, more appreciated, jobs.

“Well, I think you already know I approve of it.”

She dropped a folded paper on the low wooden dining table for him to take. He opened it and read out the price of the little log cabin.

“Really,” he sneered. “For maybe one twice the size of this one.”

She rolled her eyes, “You expect a well-built cabin, hidden from the noses of the Ministry, requiring no proof of wizard registration or mention of you on any documents for any less?” She laughed and picked up her dog, who had been lying peacefully next to the heater, and extended her elbow for him to take. “Why don’t we find you one worth the money you will have to pay, then?”

He scoffed, “Enough with the theatrics. Is there no discount?”

“Discount? For what? Looking cute?” she winked.

Severus swallowed and looked away quickly, raking his hair forward, “I’m sure the discount for that would be quite pitiful.”

The floorboards creaked under her shoes as she crept forward, “Oh, I’m not so sure about that. I’d give you ten percent off for your eyes alone.”

Severus turned to her, suddenly feeling the air very hot between them. Without thinking he opened his mouth, “And what else is… worthy… of a discount?”

She smiled and came closer still, “Hmm. Ten for those lips, and twenty for that incredible nose of yours.”

His hand went straight to cover his nose as her words replayed in his head, “Very funny.”

“It’s not a joke,” she stepped back glancing at the paper in his hands, “It’s my final offer.”

He looked at her confused, waiting for any clarification but none came.

He nodded, “Deal.”

She snapped her fingers and the numbers on the paper changed to a much more affordable price, “I’ll see you tomorrow then, for the money and to give you the keys.”

She apparated away and he was left alone in the house he would have to make his home now. He smiled to himself at their exchange. His heart wasn’t racing or thumping loudly, it was calm. He wasn’t ‘lusting’ after her like how his book described… but he did find guilty amusement in the fact she had indeed flirted with him. And he flirted back… something that, surprisingly, gave him enough joy to make him smile still, minutes after she had left.

His stomach growled and he remembered what time it was. He summoned his packed trunk and took out the food from it. He made himself a simple sandwich and placed the rest in the small fridge. He noticed the light did not turn on and figured there was no electricity yet.

He shrugged and charmed the fridge with a chilling spell and the freezer twice with the same one. That’ll do for now. He sat at the table and looked around at all the windows, watching the green trees sway with the wind and the occasional bird fly by.

He didn’t want to unpack just yet, not until everything was finalized, but there was one thing he could do. He took out his book from his muggle coat pocket and opened it back up, slouching over the table. He bit into his food and turned the page.

‘Robin turned from Stephano’s outstretched hand, not wanting to believe what his manly lips were saying. How could she believe a man that large, kind, muscly, handsome, and manly wanted such a small, dainty, soft, beautiful, girl like her?’

Severus rubbed his eyes and looked up, surprised to see the sun had set already and it was dark out. He locked the back door with a spell and walked over to the front door, doing the same. He dragged his luggage up the stairs and set it at the foot of the master bedroom’s large bed.

It was dark and he could barely see, cursing himself for not bringing candles. I had so many! Why didn’t I pack them? He imagined them al melted on the floor of his old home. I should have brought my scented ones at least. He fumbled for his night shirt in the dark and changed out of his clothes, unbuttoning everything slowly. He slid one arm in after the next and pulled the night shirt down. He took out his wand and cast Lumos to inspect the quality of the sheets.

They looked fine, recently cleaned even. He shrugged and set the wand down on the floor, hopping into bed and pulling the covers up. It was cold, but nothing compared to the dungeons during the winter. He turned and tried not to think of anything. Not tonight.

. . .

“Mmm, Stop it!” He lifted the hand that had fallen out of bed and was swinging low enough for the puny dog to lick. “Why must you do this? Hmm?”

He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window at the bright blue sky and large green trees. He wasn’t sure of the time, but knew that woman was already here, unleashing her dog onto him. He picked up his wand and cast Nox, extinguishing the light.

He pushed the dog out of the bedroom door and closed it, changing behind the bed and away from the window. He combed through his hair with his hands, wiping them on his coat, and made his way down the spiral stairs. She wasn’t in the kitchen so he turned his head and leaned forward, looking into the living room where she sat on the floor, reading –

“That’s not mine!”

She looked up, laughing, “Oh isn’t it?”

Severus ran into the room, stopping himself suddenly and composed himself. “Of course not… some-someone gave it to me and – ”

“So… it is yours, then.”

“No. It’s not, because I don’t want it. I was going to throw it away,” he coughed and looked away. There was a mirror hanging on the wall and he saw his face was a deep red. He turned his back to her and walked into the kitchen, arms folded.

Stupid! Absolute idiot! How could I leave it there? The cover alone has an image of a near naked woman in the arms of a shirtless man! …And it’s pink! He breathed out to calm himself, No matter. She will be gone forever in a few minutes.

She walked in behind him and set the book on the counter, giggling quietly, “It’s alright if you’re reading it. It seems interesting enough – and quite steamy.”

“No! No, I-I… Here is your money,” he extended his hand and summoned the bag of Galleons he had prepared for her.

She took it. “Well… Here is your key.”

He took the key without looking and put it in his pocket.

“Your water will start running soon… First month is free… after that you’ll need to pay us at the start.”

Severus nodded stiffly but the woman did not leave, “Yes?”

“About our conversation yesterday… I believe I called you cute and complimented your lips.”

He looked at her finally, and noticed she was biting her lip. He didn’t need to use Legilimence to know what she was thinking… and Merlin knows he was now thinking the same thing, though he didn’t believe he could pull it off in the least. He straightened and walked closer, excited to start the conversation up again.

“I do remember. I believe you also complimented my eyes,” he smiled.

“Who wouldn’t?” she stepped closer and touched the black cloth tucked under his shirt, “I love the patterns on your cravat.”

Severus watched her smooth actions, smiling. It had been a while since he had flirted with anyone, let alone had someone so willingly participate. The last time was surely before the Dark Lord’s return and as far as he remembered, it hadn’t gone so well, not on his part.

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He chuckled nervously, “Forgive me, I-I don’t really know how these things go…”

“Then perhaps you’ll allow me to lead?”

She came closer, forcing him to step back against the wood walls of the kitchen. He couldn’t help feeling so giddy, he wasn’t sure why. He supposed because for the first time he didn’t have to worry about anything else getting in the way of… whatever she allowed to happen.

He leaned his head down and brought his lips to her ear, “I would like that.”

He pulled back and he could see a new fire in her eyes and a mischievous twinkle too. He lowered his head only to have her immediately attack his lips with hers, tangling her hands in his hair. He wrapped his arms around her for a few intense seconds before pulling her away and leading her up the stairs – to his surprise she was following.

It was broad daylight but that hardly seemed to matter, not to him and by the looks of it, not to her. The second they reached his room they continued their intimate embrace, slowly inching closer to the bed. The second their legs touched the mattress they pulled apart and began to undress.

He undid button after button as fast as he could while watching her and the little show she was obviously putting on for him, making him blush. She got undressed and jumped on the bed, watching as he shed layer after layer. He left his wand in the kitchen or he would have used his unbuttoning spell already, but by the look on her face she was enjoying every second of it which made him want her even more.

“Are you sure?” his voice was deep and he could hear his own excitement in it.

She reached out and touched his skin, making it feel hot and electric where she stroked. She stood on the bed and pulled him in by his shoulders and kissed him again, humming and smiling. He touched her skin and felt it smooth and silky, warm, much like herself.

“Extremely,” she giggled.

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

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[bellatrixobsessed1]

Kissing Dead Pearls (Part 28)

For someone who wears a sling, Azula is strangely unintimidated by the prospect of going back to sea. Sokka isn’t particularly surprised though, she always has been the resilient sort. The type to brush things off and get back to whatever task she had been doing before tragedy struck. It is one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place. If he isn’t mistaken he would say that she is rather eager to get back to sailing.

He can think of several other things that he’d rather be doing. “Wouldn’t it be quicker to just take a plane back home.”

Azula tilted her head, “we can’t just leave the boat.”

“I dunno, that thing looks pretty banged up, I’m sure that you guys could get a newer and better one.”

“Sokka, it’s not even our boat.” Zuko points out. “We’re borrowing it from that ex-pirate who runs the town bar.”

Sokka cocks his head. “Why would he lend you a boat?”

“He and dad have gotten close.”

Sokka furrows his brows.

Azula sighs and scans the beach for her Ozai before whispering, “I already told you about father’s drinking problem.”

He flushes as the pieces click. “Oh, yeah. Bars. Drinking. Talking to the bar owner.”

Azula swats him, “not so loud!”

“Ow! Blisters!”

Azula rolls her eyes. “Your days of being babied are over!” She declares. “And besides, most of your blisters are gone now anyways, you’re just trying to get special treatment.”

“And that takes the attention away from you?” He quirks a brow and gestures to her arm.

“I,” she draws the syllable out, “am not complaining.”

“Hey, Sokka!” Katara calls. “I found a piece of your raft.” She holds up a bright yellow strip.

“Anyways, I still think that we should travel by plane. Ozai and Jet can sail the boat back and the rest of us will meet him there.”

Azula fixes him with a dull stare. “Sokka, that’s a terrible idea.”

Looking equally as unentertained, Zuko adds, “I’m not going to leave my father unattended.”

“And your father isn’t going to leave you unattended either.” He mutters. “Not after the fiasco with the souvenir shop.”

Zuko flushes, “that wasn’t even my idea.” He flicks his gaze to his sister.

She gives one of her faux innocent stares. “I can’t do much damage like this.” She strokes her sling.

“It only takes one hand to pop several blisters.” Sokka grumbles.

“Gross, Sokka!” Katara exclaims.

“Our luggage is on the ship.” Ozai remarks.

“What about Jet?” Katara asks.

“He has been on the ship avoiding me.” Azula crosses her arms.

Sokka can hear the hurt in her voice but she says nothing more of it. He feels another onslaught of guilt for finding relief in Jet’s avoidance. If he is angry with Azula, then he won’t have to worry about the other boy getting in the way of things. It doesn’t seem to matter how many times Azula assures him that she has chosen him over Jet, he still can’t shake away the paranoia. He isn’t sure how close she had gotten to Jet and he is afraid to ask. Just as he can’t shake his dread of the sea.

“Come on, Sokka. Everyone else is on board.” Her touch is much gentler this time, less playful.

“I’d really rather…”

“Take a plane. You’ve said so.” She nods. “It’ll be fine, we got here in one piece.” He doesn’t miss the split second glance she makes at the sail. It might be that he is over thinking things, but he has a suspicion that there was a mishap with that sail. “And you won’t be alone this time if we get lost.”

“Unless…” he lifts a pointer, “we get separated by a storm.”

“We’ll be fine, Sokka.”

“How do you know?”

“Because it would be absurd for the universe to hand you back if it was just going to kill you a few weeks later. Why would it when it could have just killed you in that storm?” She shrugs.

“Gee. That’s reassuring.” He rubs the back of his head. Her humor has always been somewhat dark but her delivery has never been this dry. Dry to the point where he thinks that she is only half joking. It is just one more glimpse into the damage he has done in disappearing for so long.

And then it dawns upon him--and he swallows a lump in his throat--that in the time that he had left, she has changed. It wouldn’t make sense if she didn’t. But what if she has changed into someone that he doesn’t particularly love...could she have changed that much? Could he have changed as well?

“Come on, Sokka.” She says softly, more sympathetically. “I have something for you.”

He bites his cheek. There really is no sense in drawing this out, he knows that he is getting on the boat one way or another. It is probably better to spare himself of Azula fetching her father to carry him aboard kicking and screaming. He also can’t deny that she has piqued his curiosity.

He follows her onto the ship. It is a lot sturdier than his was. And bigger.

“Khozen says that this ship has survived a few decades of storms.” Azula points out as she leads him below deck and to the cabins. “And, just so you know, we tested that. Overall, it is a well built ship.” She sits down upon what he assumes is her bed and she pats the spot next to her.

He takes a seat. He looks the girl up and down as she shuffles around a suitcase. Now that the novelty is wearing off he is noticing more things. More changes; mostly his gaze is glued to the scar on her chin. He wishes he didn’t, but every time he sees it he imagines her with cloudy eyes and none of that fiery spirit standing at the edge of a cliff. He sees a different person entirely. A more dismal person.

The real Azula is much different than the one in his mind’s eye. She is grinning, holding something behind her back. “I’ll give you three guess. If you don’t get it then you don’t get the thing that I am holding.”

Some of his anxieties wash away as a memory drives the darker images out of his mind. Now he is picturing a much smaller Azula with big eyes, chubby cheeks, and a missing front tooth.

He can’t quite get the voice right in his head, but he remembers her declaring, “what am I holding, Sokka!? If you get it right, you get a prize.” She only gave him unlimited guesses because she knew that hadn’t stood a chance. Usually with this game, other kids held was  coin or a toy. Azula...she was always different. After guessing, “a coin? A stick of gum? A dollar bill? Five dollars!? A rubber duck…” She held out her fist and opened it to reveal a cherry pit.

So that is what he goes with, “it’s a cherry pit, isn’t it?”

She shakes her head. “Good guess, but now.”

“A pumpkin seed?”

Azula rolls her eyes. “Pumpkins aren’t in season.”

Her eyes, they are the same, but they are different. He thinks that they aren’t so care free anymore. There is a knowingness to them. A hardness that goes beyond any physical changes.

And there are plenty of those too. He had expected her to have grown taller, but she really hasn’t. But her face has lost a little more of its softness, he thinks that her cheekbones are more pronounced. He thinks that her muscles are more defined...that would explain the iron grip that she’d had on him. She wears her hair differently too, it is somewhat more tousled and is no longer bound up.

“Stop thinking so much and just start throwing guesses. I’ll give you a hint.”

Sokka pretends like that is what he had been thinking about. “Shoot.” He forces a smile.

“It has seen better days, but it’s still kind of cute.” She pauses. “Sort of like you.”

His smile becomes more genuine and he tries not to laugh. “It’s my clownfish isn’t it?”

Azula blinks before chucking it at him. “You cheated.”

“It isn’t my fault that you gave such an obvious hint.”

She turns her head and folds her good arm against the other. “That was a pity hint.” He is glad that she does. It reassures him that she is still there. Even if her eyes are more tired, even if her body bares the scars of a rough period, her smile is still the same. Her mannerisms are the same.

He puts the stuffed clownfish to the side and puts an arm around her. He can’t fault her for her changes, not when she has probably observed some within him.

.oOo.

He has lost his spunk. His adventurous spirit. The ocean stole that from him and dragged it to its depths alongside his cargo.

His posture isn’t quite right. At first she thinks that it is because he is physically frailer. The doctors had warned that it might take several months for him to re-attain a healthy body weight. And that it might take longer for the patches of discolored skin to even out again.

But they hadn’t warned her that his mind might be frailer. Though she thinks that it was probably implied. He still jokes and quips. He still makes her laugh. But he always seems weary and on edge. As though the sea will flood and snatch him back from wherever he stands.

Azula can’t hold it against him. She can’t imagine it is all too different from the fragility that had gripped her own mind some time back. She lets him hold her but she feels as though she should be holding him.

“When did you start wearing your hair down?” He had inquired a few hours ago.

“I think the month after you left.”

“Why?”

She hadn’t had the heart to tell him that it was because she had simply stopped seeing the point in putting so much effort in. Instead she told him that she needed change, and it wasn’t a complete lie. It was simply a small fragment of a whole truth.

“When did you decide to grow a beard?” She had tried to lighten her own mood.

“It wasn’t a decision.” They both laughed at this. And just as she had begun to stop laughing, he flared his nostrils and gave his beard a few pretentious strokes. “Do you fancy it m’lady?”

“You’re shaving tomorrow.” Secondhand embarrassment had spread color upon her cheeks.

The conversation had died away three hours ago. She pretends to be asleep, she isn��t sure if he wants to be caught crying. She wonders if she should get Katara, it seems somehow more appropriate to have a sister comforting a brother. That is how it has always been between she and Zuko.

Azula looks at the bed over. Katara is sleeping soundly. Pictures of events that Sokka has missed are still sprawled out on her nightstand. One by one Katara had been going through them, catching Sokka up on everything.

Azula doesn’t know how the pair had spent the alone time she’d given them, but Katara had went to bed extra cheerful.

“When did you wake up?” Sokka asks as he wipes his eyes.

“A few minutes ago, I guess.”

“Oh.”

“Why are you crying?” She notices that he is shaking and comes to a few conclusions. The boat rolls and bobs as it makes its way through the waves. “The ocean is very calm tonight. Do you want to go on deck?”

He shakes his head abruptly. “I don’t like how open it is.”

Azula nods. She takes his hand. She could tell him that it really isn’t that bad, but what good would that do? It would only be entirely dismissive. And a simple, ‘it’s going to be okay’ seems insufficient. Instead she says, “you were strong enough to find sleep on an unstable raft, you’re strong enough to get used to this.”

Though she thinks that these words might only be comforting to her. She thinks that words might not mean much at all right now. Her grip simply needs to be stronger than the pull of the sea. So she holds him close and waits for his anxious trembles to pass.

If he falls asleep in her arms then she will just deal with the earful that her father will give her.

“You used to love the ocean. You can’t fear it now.” She tries. “You beat it. You shouldn’t fear something that you have defeated.”

[castlebay-crossing]

The Villager in Tent Three: Prologue

Summary: When Aisling leaves her hometown for the island of Castlebay, as part of Tom Nook’s Deserted Island getaway package, all she expects is sun, sand and plenty of solitude. But when she gets there, not everything is as the brochure said. Secretive villagers, judgemental neighbours, and an antagonistic photographer turn out to be the least of her worries, however, when the mysterious villager in tent three turns up dead one night after a vicious storm that left the only plane off the island grounded. Someone on the island is a murderer. And it’s up to Aisling to work out who it is. Before they come after her, too. 

Warning: Major character death, some description of violence

Other Links: Readable on AO3 and FFN.

A/N: I couldn’t resist writing this. Thank you to Andre Segers on Twitter who originally posted the idea of an Animal Crossing murder mystery story! And for everyone on tumblr who liked, reblogged and supported the idea. I hope if any of you came to read it that I didn't disappoint you. This is just a short prologue so I'll be writing and updating as I can. Hoping to get another chapter up in a week or so, once I've ironed out a few more chinks in my outlining.

More Chapters: Chapter One

.-.-.

I would be safe on Castlebay Island.

That was what I had to keep telling myself. It didn’t matter that I was leaving everything familiar behind. It didn’t matter I wouldn’t see my friends and family for a long time. What mattered was that I was going somewhere where nobody knew me. And I would be safe.

I locked my gaze on the single plasma screen above the gate, flickering with alternate arrival and departure times. There was only one flight out to Castlebay today (mine) and one coming back, about two hours later. And that was it. Then again, the airport was small – converted out of an old barn – and not even in use during the winter months. That was the one part I still hadn’t made peace with. The fact that there would be a period of three months where the island, my new home, would be completely cut off from everybody else in the world.

My leg cramped, the squeeze of pain sobering. I unfolded myself from the blue fabric seat and walked a few paces until it subsided. I wanted to go further, wander up to the viewing platform, watch the plane get prepped, buy some water from the vendor outside, but I couldn’t leave my bag unattended. They didn’t check luggage in – the hold was reserved for shipments and mail. The entire operation seemed to work on best intentions and an inflated sense of trust.

“Attention passengers, Flight N64 from Doveport Town to Castlebay Island is now departing from Gate One. All passengers please ensure you have tickets and photographic identification ready.”

There was one other passenger boarding. A young man whose skinny frame supported a bag nearly the full length of his body. His clothes were casual, but looked brand-new, immaculately coordinated. A camera swung over his shoulder – a proper one, large and expensive. Despite it, he barrelled ahead of me and shoved his ticket at the lone staff member propped up at the doorway. He was out the door and marching towards the plane in a matter of moments.

The staff member motioned to me. “Ticket and identification, please.”

I handed both over, fighting to keep my face neutral, stop the redness from staining my cheeks. A blot of fear battled to take me over, like a drop of ink in a glass of water. Please don’t look too closely. We’d tried so hard to make it look natural and authentic. If it all got blown now, what else could I do?

The worker handed both back to me. “All seems to be in order. Thank you, Miss, uh…”

“Aisling. Pronounced like Ash-lin,” I enunciated. It had taken me long enough to get used to it, unsticking my tongue over the unfamiliar sounds. I hadn’t picked it. If it had been my choice, I would have picked something simpler. Less flamboyant.

“Thank you. Please enjoy your stay on Castlebay Island.” When I hesitated, intimidated by the openness, he coaxed me again. “Best to get a move on, Miss, the weather’s going to take a turn soon.”

I blinked. The warmth was generous and sweetened, the rays of sun unfettered. A cool wind flirted with the seasonal flowers, saucer-shaped and spirited with movement. It had been the same for the past week. Barely a cloud in the sky. Was he seeing the same things I was?

“Weather changes quick out these parts, Miss Aisling,” he explained, smiling wanly. “Some of us got a sixth sense for this stuff. Don’t worry, we just like to be safe.”

My fingers clenched around the ticket and ID. “I see. Is there anything else that’s not… safe about Castlebay Island?”

The staff worker brightened. “Oh, not once you’re on the island, Miss Aisling. Safe as houses. Just between you and me…” he beckoned me forward, conspiringly. “Nothing ever happens on Castlebay Island.”

A smile crept onto my face. It sounded perfect.

“Have a pleasant flight, Miss Aisling.”

I shouldered my bag and looked towards the plane. My feet moved as if they had a mind of their own from the sleek, gleaming tiles onto the dark tarred road. The air was hotter here, thick with the acrid smell of diesel. It was hard to believe I was leaving my hometown, heading to some tiny spit of land in the middle of the ocean. A new start. A safe place. A chance to start again.

I started walking, the first steps towards a new life.

[artificialqueens]

Notebook or Post-It - [Chapter 3] - (Kamjie) - Black_Magic

Hey, guys! Chapter 3 is here! I’m a week late, but that’s not important. Enjoy the chapter.

I woke up hearing someone open a door and walk away. I felt around for my phone, but I couldn’t find it. Then I remembered what happened last night. I smiled and felt a ball of excitement form in my stomach. Did that really happen? I sat up and rubbed my eyes. From the small amount of light that came into my room, I saw the space beside me in my bed was empty. Where did he go? Was it really a dream? I turned on the lamp that hung above my bed. I looked around and saw my clothes were in a pile. I dragged myself out of bed to my pants. I grabbed my phone to look through the notifications. It looks like Vanjie texted me.

I looked at the time. It was 8:24. I sighed and went to the bathroom for a shower. I turned on the water to let it warm up. While I waited, I texted back a few other people. After that, I sat my phone on the sink’s counter before stepping in and letting the warm water soak me.

It did me good to get a shower. I can clean myself off properly and think about last night. I thoroughly enjoyed every second I had with Vanjie last night. Eating the wings. Staring into his beautiful eyes. Playing Mario Kart. The hot sex. I don’t know why we did. I have wondered how good of a kisser Vanjie is. I got my answer last night.

I grabbed the little hotel shampoo bottle to squirt some on my hand. I rubbed my hands together and stepped away from the warm water to wash my hair.

When I think about it, Vanjie is hot in and out of drag. That makes me think about why I was compelled to screwing my friend. Was it looks? Was it because we were meant to? I know I flirt with some of my friends, but I felt like what happened was genuine. I don’t know. I haven’t had a date in a long time. Haven’t had a good hookup in awhile either.

I tilted my head back to rinse off the lemon scented shampoo. As the soap and water run down my face, I came to the realization of what I need to do. I need to talk to Vanj about last night.

******************************************************************************

I put the finishing touches of my small amount of boy makeup for the day. I did a tongue pop and grabbed the essentials: my phone, wallet, and key card. I hurried out the door so I could make it on time. I looked at my phone for the time. I had four minutes. I ran to the lobby doors and walked from there. As I made my way to the kitchen to get food, I spotted Vanjie. He already had a plate with a huge waffle on it. I went into the kitchen to grab my own breakfast. I grabbed a plate and filled it up. I grabbed an omelet, a blueberry muffin, bacon, sausage, and a bottle of water to wash it all down.

Satisfied with the variety of food on my plate, I joined Vanj. He looked up at me and smiled. “Hey, Kam.” He had on similar clothes as me. A pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and sneakers. He looked comfortable, which contrasts the rest. His eyes revealed to me his exhaustion from last night. The way he sat looked awkward, although I know exactly why.

“Hey, Vanj.” I opened my water so I could drink some of it. “How are you?”

“I’m good, just sore. I expected as much, though. We really went at it last night. How are you? Probably just fine, you bitch.” I smirked, knowing that’s true. Other than the fatigue from yesterday, I’m good. It’s mostly from the performance and a small amount from when Vanjie and I were together.

“You’re not wrong. I do feel exhausted, but that’s just a mix of things.” He nodded to me and we fell silent. I dug into my breakfast. It was good and much needed to get me started for the day. I can see it would be good for others too. I just saw Violet come through, see what I did there. She looked wrecked. I can almost feel her pain. She looked hungover. I kind of feel bad.

“Hey, can we talk? About last night?” I nodded, knowing we have to. I want to. I just didn’t know how to start this conversation. “So, last night happened. I know I enjoyed it. I know what can happen now. I’d like to hear your side first before we decide.”

“I liked it too. I don’t know what lead to it, but yeah, it happened. I tried to think about it this morning myself. I couldn’t come up with anything. A normal person would brush this off and move on.“

"We aren’t normal people, Kameron."

I nodded and wiped my mouth with a napkin. "No, Vanessa, we are not normal people. That’s why I need to know. Are we going to make something out of this, or let it go?”

I watched the gears turn as he thought about what he wanted. I know him very well. We are so much alike. We get attached easily. If we are shown affection, it’s game over. We can form feelings for someone within the snap of a finger. That can be good every once in awhile. It’s mostly bad. Especially because the feelings can be for the wrong person. Now, hold up! I’m not saying Vanessa Vanjie Mateo is the wrong person. I’m saying she’s not the right person. She’s not right or wrong. Am I making sense?

“If you think we could make something out of this, I’m in. I don’t think it can be long term. Maybe a small relationship?"

"That’s not a bad idea. You’re suggesting a tour fling?” He nodded with a smile. He looks so proud of himself, it’s cute. “Then it’s settled. We should set some rules. None of the fans can know. Certainly nobody who would reveal this.”

“I feel a but coming in. What is it?”

“We have to tell someone we trust. The only person I trust is Michelle. That woman should be a detective. She knows everything that happens with the rest of the queen’s on tour. Either she finds out herself, or we tell her now."

Vanjie took a deep breath. It’s not a big decision. The hard part is telling Michelle. Michelle doesn’t agree with everything, especially the color green. What I know she will say is to be careful and to be honest. That’s what she always asks of all the girls. "Ok, we can tell her. Can we do it later? We have to pack up and get into the bus in a few hours.” That should give us enough time to mentally prepare.

Now that we’ve talked and finished eating, we went our separate ways to our rooms. I’m glad we had two hours to back because I only had fifteen minutes to spare. I gathered everything up and the key cards and made my way to the lobby. I checked out and brought my bags to the bus. Looks like everyone else was scattering because they were all running around.

I made it over with my bags and dragged them in. I picked a random bunk and sat them down with a huff. I walked to the couch out front and plopped down, acting like I was dead. I closed my eyes since I heard someone coming in. “Oh bitch, you really asleep already?” I nodded my head and opened my eyes. Vanjie stood in the doorway while the others came in.

“I’m so tired. I could sleep forever.” Vanjie softly laughed at me.

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” I barely had time to brace myself before he jumped on me with a Vanjie style battle cry. I grunted from the impact and laughed with him. We were laughing pretty loud, to the point where Michelle had to shut us up. “Sorry, Michelle.” I sat up to make Vanjie get off. We can’t have anyone grow suspicious of us. Anyone but Michelle finding out isn’t an option. We looked at her, then at each other. “Should we tell her now?”

“Yeah, do it now before we have to leave. Stay here and I’ll get her.” Luckily everyone else was either still inside, or making sure they have all of their precious luggage. “Hey, Michelle.”

She spun around and met my eyes. “Yes, my love?” That just warmed my heart. She is such a mom, and I love it.

“Can we talk to you on the couch?” I pointed to Vanjie and got a nod from Michelle. She followed me and sat opposite to us. I felt my heartbeat pick up in speed. My hands were shaky too. I was so nervous about this.

“What’s the matter?” We looked at each other, then back to Michelle for the second time. Luckily Vanjie is a fast thinker and talker. She started for me, which I’m thankful for. It gave me time to breathe and calm down.

“Something happened last night. It was after you left. We had a drink and then went back to the hotel. We played some Mario Kart and joked around. That lead to other things.” Michelle crossed her arms.

Before Michelle could cut in, I finished what we had to say. She should know everything else that happened last night. “We basically had a fun night.” I said, trying to lighten the mood. Then, that woman raised an eyebrow at me. I thought I was done for. “To be fair, you left us unattended.” I heard Vanjie’s attempt to not laugh. It was contagious enough as to where I had to contain my laughter too. Michelle sighed, so I looked up. She had a smile on her face. At least I got a smile out of her.

“So, let me make sense of this. You feel like you had a moment. You drank enough to be buzzed, then left the bar. You returned to Kameron’s room and played Mario Kart. Finally, you teased each other, then had a kai-kai session. Because of all that, you felt the need to tell me.” We both nodded to her. She paused for a moment, no doubt to think about what she was going to tell us.

“Yeah, we talked about this earlier. We knew we had to tell you. If we didn’t someone would have found out and told you. We didn’t want you to be blind sided by this.” I said before she could respond.

“I hope you two realize I can read in between the lines. Somewhere between last night and now, you decided this was going to lead somewhere. I strongly recommend not going for it. Being in the limelight like you are, it’s dangerous. You know the fans can be wild. They want so many of their desired pairs to be together. After Sharon and Alaska split up, the fans went wild. They didn’t care what went on behind the scenes. They wanted Shalaska to be an item again. Vanessa, you know this first hand. The world wanted you and Brooke Lynn to stay together. When they found out about the split, they reacted the same way.”

“I know, Michelle. We’re making sure the fans don’t find out. This will all be private and a secret. We talked about a little tour fling. Just so we can have each other and not have to worry about any strings attached. Just coupley stuff here and there and hooking up when we need it.” When Vanj puts it like that, I think it could work.

“Sweetheart, I realize you want this. Think about it. You still feel for Brooke. Both you and Kameron get attached easily. Do you really believe a tour fling will be enough? I don’t think it’s a good idea.” She isn’t wrong. I looked at Vanjie. He had the same disappointed look as me. “I can’t stop you. Just do me a favor. Promise me you’ll be careful?”

“I promise, Michelle.” I said immediately.

“Me too, I promise.”

“Thank you, ladies.” Michelle kissed us on the forehead and joined the girls in the back. Wow, that was easier than I thought. Now for the next step. Not screwing this up.

[theinfamousdoctorf]

So I’m finally back...

 Those few who know me personally will be aware that me and @theoverworldqueen have purchased a small rural house together. <3 It’s taken the better part of a year to make it happen and several months apart while I negotiated a transfer with my job and she logged work history in the place we were moving too for the mortgage requirements. [So we were apart for several more months then we‘d planned on. ;_: ]

 It took me almost two months to pack our household by myself, and several days to actually load the truck. The ‘friends’ who had promised to help us move faded away when they were actually needed, and I had to utilize some local kids who received cash and some friendly neighbors who were paid in furniture [that didn’t fit in the truck] and booze.

  When the day came to actually leave, I still had no volunteers to drive the truck because none of my friends could get time off work. [I had to drive my car with our eight cats inside.] The only people available to help were my parents.

The exact people I was moving to get the fuck away from.

 My mother refused to do any driving because the big truck was ‘too scary’. My pathetic excuse for a father, [from here on called jackass], would be doing all of the driving. Despite the fact that he’d just had several toes removed for diabetic reasons. My mother planned the route, later I realized she not only planned it with a paper atlas rather then choosing the fastest route via Google, [because she didn’t know how to use the app and wouldn’t ask for help] but also planned a very circuitous route in a vain attempt to avoid driving through any mountains. [Because they are also just too scary.]  So we start driving. A 26 foot Budget rental truck with a small horse trailer on it, and my car with me and the cats. Before we even got out of Texas, the horse trailer hit a bump and lost a wheel. It was then dragged about a mile while throwing an ocean of sparks where the metal edge was grinding against the asphalt. This was because it happened on a narrow highway with no breakdown lane. I barely managed to avoid getting hit with the wheel that flew off as well. We sat in a parking lot all night waiting for a tow driver who basically told us the king nut flew off and it was totaled. I had a partial mental breakdown and had to abandon most of the things I’d packed into the trailer. The truck was already stuffed up to the door and what little I saved was jammed in my car and thrown on top of everything else in the truck.   The cats were riding in a pair of pop-up zippered tents and were pretty mad by this point. My car stank of piss and fear pheromones.

 And then we drove, and drove and drove. Keep in mind that my destination was Washington state and I was coming from Galveston TX. It should have been a 2 and a half day drive with a stop to sleep each night. Around the third day I demanded to see the map and realized she had sent us across the widest part of Texas and New Mexico before turning north. There was a lot of arguing. Especially because I realized jackass was a terrible driver. So I had no choice but to watch helplessly as this colossal asshole drove a truck rented in my name, with nearly all my worldly goods inside, over every fucking curb, bumping it up and down and weaving all over the road. He hit a call box outside a Jack in the Box, he scraped a parked truck, he hit signs at more then one gas station and skirted far too close to the pumps with the back end of the truck. I went beyond the reasonable limits of human stress.

 The cats destroyed the zippers on the carriers and I was forced to just let them roam the car. First panting in the heat and then huddled freezing as we got further north. [I had them all in little safety vests and that kept them mostly calm, pro tip.]  On the fourth night jackass drove into a truck stop and then behind it. Up an unlit dirt road that said ‘dangerous blasting area authorized access only’. He then turned around several times and went back down to the truck stop where I blocked him with my car. He and my mother were having a screaming match because he wouldn’t explain what he was doing or why and wouldn’t stop doing donuts in the restricted area when she told him too.  I lost my shit. I screamed in his face and when he didn’t respond, I grabbed his horrible scraggy beard and then his throat and repeated myself. I took the keys and went to try and get some sleep in my car. [With so many animals in tow I couldn’t get a hotel room and really couldn’t leave the car unattended at all. So I hadn’t been able to properly shower in days. Plus I’d forgotten to bring a spare pair of shoes and my sandaled feet were red and freezing.]  The bastard has always tried to make my mother choose between me and him. He’s a psychotic manic depressive on a whole rainbow of medications. He’s a misogynist who really wanted a son, plus a racist and generally stingy and awful person. A running argument revolved around his insistence on cutting my lawn three times a week with the mower blade on the lowest setting so he was just killing anything green and kicking up dust. [My mother is pure enabler, always apologizing for his terrible behavior and gaslighting me like I’m over reacting.] He’s literally alienated so many people where I was living that I’ve lost out on jobs because he insists that I’m the terrible one and trash-talks me to everyone he meets.  So we finally get back on the road.

 In Wyoming I tried to get some sleep at a rest stop and someone hit my car and busted out a tail light. Several times we almost run out of gas because her planned route avoided any cities in case there was traffic. At this point I have a massive rash under my bra and just take it off.

 On the fifth night we arrive in a gas station in Idaho. I go to pee and come back outside to find jackass laying on the ground with three people hovering over him. I inform my mother that he fell and go back to my car. So emotionally dead at this point I don’t feel anything. 

 I am informed that jackass has broken his hip.

 I’ve spent most of my life praying for him to die, so that part doesn’t touch me. The part that ripped my heart out was that my mother told me that I’m now ‘on my own’. She is going to the hospital with him. She left me in a freezing parking lot with eight cats in a car and a giant moving truck with all my things in it.  Terrified and heartbroken I call my girlfriend Lie. She is eight hours away and leaving now to come rescue me. She’s bringing our friend Ashley as well. So I huddle in the car with the cats and try to sleep. After several hours I get a text from my mother telling me to bring her luggage and such to the hospital. At this point I’m furious. I tell her I will not do that. She says I will. I stop responding.  In the morning my rescuers arrive and we begin the long final limp over the mountains.  I get several more messages threatening me, trying to shame me for just ‘moving on without them’ and ‘not caring if your father dies’.  I was instructed to deal with my own problems like an adult. So that’s what I did. At that point the rental truck needed to be returned and I hadn’t even arrived yet. My job was waiting on me to show up the next day for orientation, and she’d basically wasted all the time I’d budgeted for unloading the truck. There was no way in hell I was going anywhere to give either of them anything.

 But we did finally get here. The Budget guy sent me his ex-wife who happily took some cash in exchange for unloading the truck with me, and we finally got rid of the thing. Unfortunately my car overheated from all the punishment it took and it’s currently non-functional. My job gave me a little extension so I’m using the time to get our household set up again.  My Etsy shop [https://www.etsy.com/shop/PatchworkLaboratory ] is still on vacation for the moment because the previous tenant didn’t like mail and just didn’t have a mailbox, but it should be up and running again soon. My other site is still good though if you’d like some funky cloth and want to throw a few dollars towards me fixing my car. [ https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/infamousdoctorf] I’ve got a paypal attached to nightshade518@yahoo.com as well. It’s going to be hard financially to keep all the bills paid, but I just couldn’t stand being near my abusive family anymore.

In conclusion. Take your giant cockroaches, fire ants, heat waves, and hurricanes; and go fuck yourself Galveston. Have fun with my awful relatives.

WA is home.

[fatrainbowmermaidunicorn]

If You Ever Come Back (Yoongi x You ONESHOT)

A/N: Yes, yes I most definitely know who you are MRS MIN YOONGI! ahahaha. I dont know if this is up to your expectations but I hope you like it <3

and requests are still open guys <33

MASTERLIST

f you're standing with your suitcase But you can't step on the train Everything's the way that you left it I still haven't slept yet

"Y/N!"

She turned around to see Min Yoongi running towards her, stopping only a few feet away. His clothes and hair disheveled, maybe from running all the way to the train station. Y/N has been standing at the platform for quite sometime now, tears running down her beautiful face, hand holding the handle of her luggage tight, her mind contemplating her next move.

She dont know if she can do this.

If she can leave him.

If she will be able to live without him.

Without Min Yoongi, her first love, the love of her life.

"Y/N, please... dont go," the wind bring his soft voice to her ears, his sad eyes looking straight at her. "Please, just... just come back to me,"

Y/N kept quiet, not knowing what to say other than staring at his beautiful face. Memorizing every inch of it as if its the last time she will be able to do so. It would most probably be the last time and the thought make her heart hurt.

"Come back Y/N. Dont leave. Dont leave me. Lets just go home," he pleaded. Y/N almost nodded at his plea. Almost gives up everything and ran back into his arms, there nothing more that she wants other than to just hold him tight. "Just come back baby. Everything is still the same. We will forget everything, it will be just like you were never gone,"

She raised her eyes from roaming all over his face to stare deep into his eyes. His last words pushing her feet to finally make the decision that she had been contemplating about for hours.

"Everything is still the same,"

"That's exactly why I have to leave Yoongi. Because everything is still the same. You will always be the same. We will always be the same... And I... I cant do that anymore," she whispered between the tears that starts to fall even faster down her cheeks and turn around to board the train that just arrived in time, as if knowing how much she needs her escape right now.

Still setting two plates on the counter but eating without you I'm sleeping on your side of the bed Goin' out of my head now

Yoongi tossed his keys on the side table, his whole mind and body tired and exhausted from what just happened. Y/N's tear strained face as she said her goodbye and board the train, her last words, everything is tattooed clearly in his mind.

He had make it his mission to bring Y/N back with him when he stepped out from the house to chase after her esrlier. But why is he alone in the dark house that still smells like her right now? Feeling weak and defeated?

Yoongi slowly peeled himself off the sofa and tried to make something edible enough for him in the kitchen, hoping food would help to distract him, but it was hard. Everywhere he look, all he can see is Y/N's shadows haunting him, taunting him. He moved towards the cupboards to take out a plate but stopped immediately as a rish of memories took over.

"Yoongi, stop. Im going to drop these plates if you keep doing that!" Y/N squeal as Yoongi hug her from behind while she is reaching for the top shelves.

"Then drop the plates and give me a kiss instead," he pouted and turned her around to face him.

"You are so clingy sugarplum. You are really soft arent you? Not as bad ass as people thought you are," she giggled as she pecks his nose.

"Im only soft for you baby," he nuzzled her neck. "And I hate how you always calls me sugarplum. I'm a bad boy remember? You are really ruining my image here baby,"

"No matter what you say, you will always be my sugarplum. And I love my sugarplum so very much," she giggled again before Yoongi cupped her chin in his grip and leaned in to kiss her deeply.

Yoongi shakes his head, making the memory dissappear and urgently wipe his tears that is trickling down his cheeks without his permission. He silently swears to himself that if he ever get to hold her in that way again, she can call him anything she wants and he will gladly answer to it. Anything as long as she came back to him again.

He sighed and start to set the table, finally sitting down to eat whatever he managed to muster in his dazed mind when he realized he had prepared the table for two oit of habit. His eyes drift to the empty plate and empty chair opposite from him, knowing that it wont ever be occupied again with someone that he really wants and he suddenly lost all his appetite.

He shoved his food away and dragged his feet to his bedroom, throwing himself on the bed. The once crowded bed suddenly feel too empty, too cold without Y/N there. He looks up into the ceiling and blinks back the tears that has threathen to fall as her scent that is still left on the pillows filling his nostril.

"Roll over sugarplum! Stop sleeping on my side of the bed you hogger," she playfully nudged him away but Yoongi pulled her by the waist instead, making her fall on top of him.

"I told you we can both fit on this side of the bed," he grins and lift his head to give her a quick peck. "I love you Y/N... I really do," his eyes looks softly at hers, showing all the affection he have for her. Affection that he never felt for anyone else.

"And I love you too Min Yoongi," she kissed him back. "But I love my side of the bed more!" She giggled once she broke the kiss and pushed him away, catching him off guard.

Yoongi nuzzled his face into her pillow, stopping the tears from falling once again, hoping to feel her warmth from the cold unattended pillows.

"Im sleeping on your side of the bed Y/N. Do you hear me? So you have to come back home now and kick my ass for that..." he mumbles softly. "Just please... come back Y/N. I miss you so much... too much,"

If the truth is you're a liar Then just say that you're okay And if you're covering your face now But you just can't hide the pain

"Hey... its okay. Just cry. Just let it out. You need to let it out Y/N," Jin Hee looks at her friend who is solemnly staring outside the cafe glass window, her eyes glassy but no tears are coming out.

Y/N and Yoongi has been together for years, been together for as long as Jin Hee could even remember. They are in love and happy but things started to go south when Yoongi starts to get more recognition and getting busier. Y/N can understand his busy schedule, not being able to see her as often as before. She even understands that he spend most of his free time in his studio instead of with her, leaving her alone at home, missing him and yearning for him. She's fine with everything. Its the price to pay for being in love with someone as talented and obligated to his work like Min Yoongi.

But what she couldnt understand is how Yoongi would let out his anger on her. Acting cold towards her whenever he hit a road block on his music writing or when something happened to one of his songs. Yoongi would come back on the rare days that he would actually be home being all angry and screaming at her, slamming the bedroom door shut in her face. She understands it all. Music is his life and its hard for him when he is faced with pressure and datelines, sometimes even being short on ideas, but cant he rely on her for comfort instead of turning her into his anger punching bag?

Countless nights were spend crying on the living room couch only to be woken up inside Yoongi's warm embrace, giving butterfly kisses all over her face as he repeats his sorry a million times. Y/N loves him. She really do. But how long can she take it? How long will she be able to stand being second to his music?

"I'm okay Jin Hee," was Y/N short reply. Jin Hee shakes her head and gave her a sad smile.

"You are not okay Y/N. And you are also a very bad liar," she chuckle. "I know its hard. I know you miss him. You miss Yoongi dont you?"

Y/N turned her face to look at her friend, trying hard not to show the pain she's feeling but knowing she fails anyway. Jin Hee knows her too well.

"I..."

"Stop trying to hide it. You are in pain. You and Yoongi are meant to be. Are you sure leaving him is really the best way?"

"I dont know what else to do. Things will never change Jin Hee. Even if I go back to him... wouldnt things would still be the same? Wouldnt I be hurt again and again?" She sighed, remembering their endless fights and tears, but also all the good times filled with kisses and hugs they shared.

"I dont know Y/N. But what you had with Yoongi... I feel like its too special for you to just throw it away. Just... think about it, okay?" Jin Hee gave her one sad smile before standing up to attend to some of the customer who just came in.

Y/N played with her hands as she stare out the window again, looking at the happy couple walking and laughing together. She miss Yoongi. Its only been two days but she miss him like crazy. It kills her to be apart from him. To not be talking to him at all.

No matter what had happened in their relationship, the fights, the pain and the hurt, she still loves Yoongi.

She loves Min Yoongi.

And just like he knows exactly what she is thinking at this exact moment, her phone rings, flashing his name bright and clear on the screen

Min Sugarplum ♡♡

And I wish you could give me the cold shoulder And I wish you can still give me a hard time And I wish I could still wish it was over But even if wishing is a waste of time Even if I never cross your mind

Yoongi woke up sweating like crazy, his breathing short and ragged from the nightmare he just had. He dreamt that Y/N left him for good. He turndto the other side of the bed, hands reaching out, expecting for her warm touch and easy smile telling him its all just a dream but reality hits him hard when all he felt is the cold untouched sheets on her side of the bed.

He was not dreaming at all. It really happened.

Y/N left him.

She finally gives up on them. She finally had enough of the bullshit from him, the shitty way he treats her and left.

And she's not coming back.

Yoongi blinked as he stares at the ceiling, the chilly morning air sending shivers to his skin. He remembers later through their relationship, the days when Y/N would just ignore him after he came back exhausted from camping out at the studio for five straight days. Yoongi understands she's mad at him for shutting her out everytime he's working. He should apologized the moment he walked into the apartment but he's too tired, too oblivious, too exhausted to care, and he just shrugged off her cold shoulder and make his way to the bedroom, giving his tired body its well deserve rest. He had hoped for her warm smile and embraced to heal his tired mind but he should have known better. He dont deserve that after leaving her high and dry for days with no calls or texts.

If only he knows then what he knows now. If only he knows then that Y/N was never petty. She would never hate him for being so passionate for his music. If only he knew then that he had missed her birthday that night. The one he promised to celebrate together. The one Y/N has dressed up for and waited for him for hours. Him always rejecting her calls all night when she tried to reach him.

If only he knew.

If only he knew then that he should have just said sorry and Y/N would have happily accepted his apology and ran back into his arms, wanting nothing more than to spend what little left of her birthday with him than fight.

But he didnt know. And he didnt bother to know.

So he slept on the empty bed alone as Y/N cried herself to sleep on the couch that night.

He also  remembers when Y/N starts to be difficult, giving him a hard time. Always complaining how he never make time for her anymore. Instead of talking it out with her, he chose to spend the whole month in the dorm and studio, again leaving her with no explanation.

If only he realized then that the only reason Y/N would even start complaining is because he didnt even spare her a minute in a week. He always left early and came back late and she didnt even get a chance to even catch a glance of his face.

If only he knew then that with just one quick hi from him between his busy schedule would return back the smile on her face, he would have done it without a doubt.

But he didnt know.

So their fight just got bigger and bigger, Yoongi, trying to a ood the fights and confrontations keeps spending more time in his studio rather than at home and tears just wont stop leaving Y/N's face in this point of their relationship anymore.

If only he knew.

He remembers sometimes during their relationship that he wishes it was over. That he was never involved in a relationship in the first place. Then he would be free to work on his music without thinking about anything else. Without the guilt, the pressure and the fights.

But then he remembers the moment Y/N told him she has given up on them, that she's leaving. He remembers when she said, with tears running down her face, that Yoongi is free from her now. Free to do his music without her as a distraction. Her face when she is walking out the door with some of her things, only the things that she could get her hands on in order to get away from him as fast as she could.

And suddenly he yearns for the cold shoulder Y/N used to give her when they fight, the hard time she gave him when he had a new project coming up, whining and demanding for his attention. He finds himself yearning for the times he is still able to wish that he was not in a realtionshiop, to be able to wish that his relationship was over.

Because at least then, it means that Y/N is still here with him.

Because it means that Y/N is still his.

No matter how he thinks about it, he decides that he would go through the bad times again and again as long as he knows that by the end of the day, he still can call Y/N his.

With new found courage and determination to get back what's his, he finally picks up the phone and dial the number he remembers by heart.

And if you're out there tryna move on But something pulls you back again I'm sitting here tryna persuade you like you're in the same room

"Yo...Yoongi?"

"Y/N..."

Silence enveloped the conversation, no sound were heard from both lines.

"I... I miss you," Yoongi breath out, making Y/N gasps. She is trying her best to move on from him. To start anew, to start living in a world without him. But hearing his voice again kills her.

Hearing him say he misses her... it just breaks all resolve she had work hard to build for the past days.

"Yoongi...please. Don't do this,"

"No, Y/N.  Its me who cant do this. I cant do this. I thought I can. I thought I can give you what you wanted. A happier life without me. I thought I will make it without you. I'll be fine without you. But I cant," he sobbed through the phone. After all the times he tried to held it in, his emotions finally broke loose. People who knows him knows he is a man of little words, he is not a man who show his emotions to anyone. He seldom cry or get angry. He minds his own business, avoiding any drama surrounding him. He lets out his emotions only on lyric papers, in a beat somewhere late in his studio. But this time, this time even his songs cant save him. He needs the love of his life to hear him. To understand the pain he's feeling right at this moment.

He's crying.

He's begging.

For the love of his life to just come back to him.

"Y/N..." he chokes out. "Please... please come back to me,"

"Dont do this. Please dont. We had so many chances to fix our relationship Yoongi. We tried everything, but nothing works. We dont work..." she sobbed.

"No. No Y/N. Dont say that. I love you. I love you Y/N. And I know you still love me too. Dont you Y/N?"

"Yoongi..." Y/N can only say his name. There is no way she can deny what he's saying. Even a blind man can see how much she still loves him.

"Love is enough baby. I promise you we will work things out. Because we love each other. Please Y/N. Give us this one last chance. Come back. Come back to me and we will work it out,"

"I cant Yoongi. I'm tired. Im tired of fighting for something that will never work. I'm... I'm sorry,"

And the line went dead.

If it's the fighting you remember or the little things you miss I know you're out there somewhere so just remember this

Ever since that phone call, Yoongi has been relentless, bombarding Y/N's phone with non stop phone calls and text messages, ranging from casual hi's and desperate begging.

Y/N tried her best but her love for Yoongi makes her heart beats faster whenever his name appeared on her phone. It also breaks her heart when she heard him begging and sobbing. The Min Yoongi that she knew was never this weak. No one was able to make him cry or even worse beg. Did she hurt him this much? It didnt sit well with her to know that she is the cause of his pain. She thought leaving will only make it easier for the both of them.

Not being able to take it anymore, Y/N takes a deep breath to find some courage for herself and slide her phone, finally picking up his calls after his millionth time trying.

"Y/N. You finally answered me!" Yoongi's sound happy, relieved and sad at the same time.

"Stop calling me Yoongi! Please,"

"I cant do that Y/N. I wont do that," he said full of determination in his voice.

"Yoongi please. There is nothing for us to talk about. There is nothing left in our relationship to salvage Yoongi!" Y/N is frustrated. She still loves him and is desperately trying to forget him, but his constant phone calls is not helping her even a bit. "All we do is fight Yoongi. We dont even have time for each other..." her voice turned sad at the memory.

"You still remember Y/N. That means something,"

"What? What are you talking about Yoongi. Stop saying nonsense,"

"Even if its just the fights that you remember, it still means you remember us Y/N. Every moment spend with you, good and bad, everything is worth remembering, both wonderful because I'm with you. And I know you feel the same way Y/N,"

"Yoongi. Stop. I-"

"No. Listen to me," he plead. "Even if its just the fights that you remembered. Or the little things like me always hogging your tv and never putting the toilet seat down," he heard her chuckle between sobs, "its just means that you still remember us Y/N."

Yoongi kept quiet for a moment, only the light sound of breath can be heard from both sides.

"I dont know where you are Y/N. But I swear that I will find you again. Things will change this time. I will change. We will make it work no matter what. We love each other and nothing is going to beat that,"

"Yoongi... love alone wont be enough,"

"Yes it is baby. Dont you ever wonder why you still remembers everything we had together? Doesnt bad the good or the bad? Why you still bother to even pick up my phone calls if you hate me so much?" Yoongi smirked.

"Its because you love me Y/N. And your love will bring you back to me someday,"

I'll leave the door on the latch If you ever come back, if you ever come back There'll be a light in the hall and the key under the mat If you ever come back There'll be a smile on my face and the kettle on And it will be just like you were never gone

Another one of his endless phone calls and another one of his begging which Y/N is listening too with tears in her eyes.

"I will wait for you Y/N. I know you still love me. I know you do," his voice defeated, barely above a whisper but he feels the need to convince her one last time. "What we have is real. We will fix everything. We will. So I will wait for you to come back,"

"Yoongi. Dont do-"

"No. I will wait. I will leave the hall light open for you. Just the way you like it. Your book is still on the coffee table, I never touched it because you dont like when I do that. Your flowers by the window are still blooming because I watered them everyday. I know how upset you will be if they died. Your clothes are still in the closet. And our room... our room still smell like you Y/N. I didnt sleep on your side of the bed. Okay maybe once but that's only because I missed you too much. But everything is just waiting for you to come back Y/N," he rambled on like a mad man, not giving a chance for Y/N to cut him off.

"Everything is still the same. Everything is just like you are still here. So come back. Come back to me. I'll be here waiting for you, smiling when you open the door. We dont even have to talk about this. We can just pretend like you never left. Just as long as you come back. Okay baby?"

"Yoongi..." Y/N whispered his name, he can hear the sobbing on the other line, harder than any other days and he felt his heart clenched. Something is not right. He feels like he is losing her all over again.

"Its not going to happen Yoongi  I wont come back. I do love you. I love you so much Min Yoongi, but dont wait up for me. Because I wont ever come back to you. I'm... I'm so sorry,"

"Y/N..."

She has already hung up the phone.

Now they say I'm wasting my time 'Cause you're never comin' home But they used to say the world was flat But how wrong was that now?

"Its been a month since your last phone call Yoongs. How long are you going to mope around?" Hoseok looks at his friend worriedly.

"Why dont you come back and stay at the dorm with us? I miss my roommate," Jin tried to persuade the moping Yoongi back. Truth is, they are worried. They knew the break up has left a big impact on him but he didnt seem this... weak before. Yoongi even look a little cheerful the past weeks and suddenly bam, he turned into a living zombie.

"No. I have to be here. She might come home," he shakes his head and slumped back on the couch, covering himself with the blanket.

"Yoongs... its been months. I dont thinks she's coming,"

"She will hyung. I just know it. We have been talking for the past weeks..." his voice trailed off, sadness suddenly engulfing him. So Yoongi and Y/N has been talking. Is that why he seems happier the past weeks? But what happened suddenly to turned him into this breathing lump of a man? Jin thought to himself as he observed the man wrapped in a blanket burrito in front of him.

"You two talked? Thats great! Then what happened?" Jin carefully tried to dig deeper into what could actually happened.

"She said she wont ever come back to me...," Yoongi's soft voice muffled by the blanket but loud enough for the two to hear, making them exchanged looks. "I know she said that a million times, but there's something different in her voice this time... and I think... I think Y/N really mean it," he peeks from the blanket and the two males can see how glossy his eyes are from unshed tears.

"Oh Yoongs..." Hoseok immediately lurged forward and gave him a tight hug. Jin stood up and sat on the other end of the couch, his hands patting Yoongi's legs.

"Then... why dont you come with us? Maybe just for a little while? The other boys miss you too you know. We dont want you to be sad alone Yoongi. Y/N might never come back for real," the eldest man whispered carefully, hoping it wont trigger Yoongi into extreme rage. He knows his words hurt but someone has to tell the truth to this hear broken man.

Yoongi only weakly shakes his head as a sign of rejecting the offer. "As good as that sounds hyung, no. I will stay here. This is our home. She will come back. Later if not sooner. And I need to be here when she does,"

"Yoongi..." Jin sighed.

"Im sure of it,"

"What if you are wrong? How long are you going to torture yourself like this?"

"But what if you two are the one who are wrong and she did come back to see that I didnt wait for her? You might say that Y/N wont come back, but people also used to say that the earth is flat and ended up wrong anyway. So who's to know which one of us is wrong or right?"

Both Jin and Hoseok sighed. There is no point in talking some sense into Yoongi right now. There is nothing they can do other than wait and hope that he will get a grip of reality.

"Okay Yoongi. If that's what you want then, we wont force you,"

"But one of us will come often to check on you okay?" Hoseok flashed him a worried look.

"Yeah. Whatever," was the only mumble they heard before Yoongi pulls the blanket to cover his face again.

But even if wishing is a waste of time Even if I never cross your mind

Yoongi crumpled another piece of paper and threw it to the corner of the living room, making it join the stack of paper that shared the same fate.

He tried his best to get over her. To not think about her. Its been more than a month now. Maybe she really isnt coming back. Maybe waiting and hoping is really just a waste of time and another way to hurt his already broken heart. Maybe Y/N has really move on and didnt even think about him at all. He tried to pour all his emotions in a new song but nothing seems to work. Everything he wrote doesnt seem to work. He kept crumpling paper after paper in frustration and finally giving up and lay flat on the cold floor.

I miss you Y/N. What are you doing right now? Are you happy? Did you find somebody new already? Someone who loves you right?

A soft knock reached his ears and he groaned out. True to their promisse, one of the boys would come everyday to check on his condition. Mostly trying to see if he is still breathing or not. But Yoongi usually doesnt mind since they will bring him food and gives him some company.

But not today.

Today he just wants to be alone and mope. He wants to be alone and think about his stupid mistakes. To think about the ways he could have fix his relationship before everything gone down to shit.

Today he just wants to sit and think about Y/N.

"Go away," Yoongi yelled half heartedly towards the continuous knocking on the door. He is drained of all energy as he laid down flat on the cold living room floor. But the soft knocking still continues, making him extremely annoyed now.

"Go away Hobi. I know its you. I'm fine. I'm still alive okay! I dont wanna see you. I dont wanna see anybody today. Can you jist leave me alone? Whoever you are?!" he yelled again with all the strength he has left, thinking it might be one of the other boys and not Hoseok who came today, but the knocking still wont stop. With trails of dry tears all over his face, swollen eyes and disheveled hair, he peels himself off the cold floor and make the short distance to the door.

With an angry forced he swing open the door, ready to bite off whoever's head that is standing there.

"Hobi, I said-" Yoongi stop midtrack as he stares at the tear strained face looking back at him. Tears are rolling down her cheeks but a smile still graced her lips as her body shakes to control her cries. This is definitely not his smiling best friend.

Yoongi blinked, hoping he is not dreaming as the beautiful face that he has been imagining in his dreams all these months stares back at him with wide eyes.

"I-"

"Hi... sugarplum. You were right... Your love... it brought me back to you,"

And it will be just like you were never gone

[blueangelicrose]

A New Beginning: Chapter 5(part 1):A Deal Made and a Piece of Freedom Lost

As Joan pinpointed where their destination was, she realized that their belongings were gone! She was about to ask Adrian where their bags were, especially the big brown one. But before she could he spoke out, "And before you ask me where our luggage is, it's right behind us." Joan turned around and right before her eyes their luggage was levitating a few inches from the ground. And what was making this happen, was what appeared at first glance, three little glowing white orbs. "Really Adrian? You're making the caretakers carry our luggage?" Joan gave him a look that said, "Seriously?"

These 'orbs' were actually light fairies that Joan had picked up and adopted from her time that she spent in the fantasy realm for business purposes. (One of her 'adventures' from eight years ago.) The three fairies were triplets, a rarity to have in the realm of Fairy, especially if they were from the Light elemental faction. Joan and Adrian was given special permission, from the King and Queen of the Fairy realm, to have them, (the triplets), as assistants/family members of the famous hybrid family of Heaven. The triplets names were Lillian, Lorelei, and Lucille. Lillian was the oldest of the three of them. She has long, silky, and wavy hair that she would prefer to wear loose. And always prefers the most elegant and fancy things. That also includes her wardrobe. Lorelei was the middle child. She has semi-long, soft, and curly hair that she prefers to be in a ponytail than any other hairstyle. She's very athletic and old fashioned; and prefers things that are vintage or very antique-like. This also includes her wardrobe. Lucille is the youngest of the trio. And she, out of the two of her sisters has the shortest and straightest hair, and prefers to have her hair in cute pigtails. She also prefers things that have significant meaning in her and other's lives. Doesn't matter whether if it's shiny, fancy, or old. As long as it has meaning, she'll be interested. They were given the important task, by Joan and Adrian, of being the caretakers of the 'Void'. Or in other words, beings that takes care of and organizes the things that come into the 'Void'. On the authoritarian scale of one to ten, one being the top dog and ten being the bottom. Joan would be a 4, Adrian would be a 6, and the triplets would be a 7.

Even though that the triplets were technically underneath the both of them, status wise, didn't mean that Adrian had the authority to order them around like they're servants. Joan was about to say this, but before she could, Adrian cut her off once more and said that he politely asked them to keep their stuff safe while he and Joan were in the casino and to make sure that no one saw their luggage unattended. The triplets supported him in his decision to give them the important job of looking after their stuff until they left the casino. So, all in all, the girls didn't mind doing at least this much. The triplets reassured Joan that they willingly did this for both her sake and Adrian's and that they were not forced in any way. Thanks to that witness testimony, Adrian was spared from Joan's nagging wrath, for now.

Joan let out a heavy sigh, and held her head as if she was having a headache. Then continued towards finding the convention before the day was over. After about an hour or so, they reached to a barren dead end alleyway, or so it seemed. Joan and crew went all the way in the alleyway, and as soon as they did, Joan reached out and gently touched the brick wall, and quietly but subtlety chanted a spell that was in an ancient language that could only be described as Holy. Then, as she was chanting her spell, a Holy magic circle appeared from her hand and was projected onto the wall and started to glow. And as soon as she was done, the bricks slowly started to disappear, and revealed another part of Inkwell Isle, that not even the residents themselves know exists. The streets were filled with food and crafts vendors and along side them, were shops that sold various things that came from multiple dimensions and could only be bought and sold there. The streets were lively with angels, nephilims, and any other creature that serves under God. She even saw a few familiar faces along the way, and wished them well during their time at the convention.

After a few minutes of walking down the street, they finally found the hotel where the convention was being held. It was an impressive looking hotel. Fancy and imaculate to the T, and the service was fantastic! They made their way to the front desk in the lobby, and asked if a Nephlim named Lynne Blanca Star was there. And the manager replied, "Why, yes. Are you by any chance her daughter, Joan?" Joan smiled and nodded her head vigorously in agreement. She then showed the invitation to the manager to confirm his guess. He smiled and said, "Alright then, miss Joan, please follow this bellhop boy to show you to her room. She's been eagerly awaiting for you." She couldn't believe it! She was going to finally meet her mother after all these years and actually spend quality time with her!

When they finally reached the room, Joan gave the bellhop a decent sized tip and sent him away. As she was knocking on the door, she tried to keep her cool until she got in. And before they entered the room, Joan made sure that Adrian kept his mouth shut about what happened today and to make sure that the money that they won was kept in the 'Void'. And if her mother asks where they got the money, "Just tell her that we won the lottery. It'll work, I know it will. Because it happens to you a lot!" Adrian couldn't argue with her on that logic, especially if it was true. Then finally a gentle, loving, caring, but powerful voice spoke up. "Come in! The door is unlocked!" Joan was excited but nervous at the same time. Which was understandable since she hasn't been able to see her in over a few thousand years. As they opened the door and walked slowly in, they saw a beautifully pale, milky white skinned woman with rosy cheeks. She had beautiful and flowing bright blonde hair and had a gorgeous looking flower crown dawned on her head. She was also wearing a beautiful, silky, and flowing pure white dress, and had pretty, but cute, white comfy looking flats on her feet. She was peacefully and calmly reading one of her favorite books. When Joan spoke up, her mother's face shot up with surprise, and a beautiful and wonderful smile spread across her face and her eyes twinkled with longing to love her daughter in her arms.

Her mother quickly got up from her chair, and ran right into Joan's arms. The both of them hugged each other so tight that not even an andaconda can't match or even survive from their grip. Joan breathed deeply in her mother's scent, she smelled of roses, gardenias, lillies, and lavender. She desperately missed her mother's scent. It was so comforting and relaxing, that one sniff from her mother just melted all of Joan's problems and worries away. "So what are we going to do today?" Her mother eagerly asked. Joan smiled and said, "Anything you want to do, as long as I'm with you, I'm fine." Her mother giggled and said, "Oh you! Stop it! Both you and your sister definitely inherited your father's silver tongue and his loving nature and personality." She wasn't wrong about that. Her father loved her mother with a burning passion. Nothing could separate those two from loving each other. Not even death himself could separate them. It was thanks to her parents incredible love for each other that she and her sister were able to be born. And she was forever grateful that she was born from her. This loving and wonderful woman loved Joan and her family so much that her mother would move or possibly destroy an entire mountain for them. She couldn't ask for a better mom. Joan asked if her sister came by yet to spend time with her. Her mother told her that Joan had just missed her. She said that Josephine left the Isle early this morning, but said that she would come back soon.

Joan rolled her eyes, and replied, "That's Josephine for you. Always on the move." Switching the subject Joan encouraged her mom to immediately get started on doing stuff together, and that they did. All throughout the day Joan, her mom, and the crew spent the entire day playing, eating, laughing and having a good time. But time is a fickle thing, the more fun you have, the more time seems to pass. As the convention drew to a close everyone packed up their things and started towards Heaven and their home realms. Joan sadly gave her mother a hug and kiss, then waved good bye as she saw her mother ascend the Heavenly staircase. As they went back to the hotel, they were expecting to head towards their rooms and stay there until it was time to leave the Isle, or at least steal back the locket and then leave Inkwell. But fate has a funny way of doing things. When they arrived at the entrance of the hotel, there was two people(?) standing out front, waiting for them. As they got closer, Joan recognized the uniform that one of them were wearing. She then grew concerned and wary of her surroundings. As they finally approached them, she noticed that their luggage was right beside them. Joan was about to ask how they managed to get their stuff from their room without the key card. But before she could, the female stranger spoke. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but I don't really have much of a choice." This stranger wore a casino bouncer uniform, and she knew who the uniform represented. The female stranger also had a fancy but fearsome looking French styled sword on her waist belt. And at first she looked like an normal African American human woman, but then she noticed all the stitches and battle scars all over her body. Oh, and did I mention that her right arm was cut off and replaced by a functional robotic-like fake arm? She looked like Sally from the movie, 'The Nightmare Before Christmas,' except more fearsome looking. And standing right next to her was a semi-tall humanoid cigar man with flashy gangster-like clothes on. She asked them who they were and what business that they had with them. The woman sighed and introduced themselves. "Hello, my name is Victoria Doll and this is my colleague, Mr. Wheezy."

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma'am." The cigar man, Mr. Wheezy, spoke in an accent that she swore she heard before but couldn't remember where she heard it from. "And for the other thing you asked, well, here. This will do the talking for me." Victoria handed her a yellowed and worn out looking note that emitted a hideous aura. She hesitated at first, but then grabbed the note, unfolded it, and read the words that were in red ink(?). It said, "If you ever want to see your beloved locket again, then come back to the Devil's Casino and meet me in my office. I'm sure we have a lot to talk about."

To Be Continued....

End of chapter 5 (part 1).

To be continued in chapter 5 (part 2).

Guest star appearance: Victoria Doll

Not my OC.

[jaxsteamblog]

Journey to the North Pole, Chapter 6

<<FIRST | <PREV

That’s right guys! This wasn’t done! Here’s the last part of the Journey to the North Pole. Spoilers for “Blood & Seawater.” 

Rin stood at the base of the ramp, checking things off her list as servants carried boxes up into the airship. Zinna had long since left, not being one to leave the fire foxes at home unattended for too much time. Shui hadn’t bothered to come out, knowing that Rin was still upset. 

Rin was upset more often than not.

She scowled as she heard steps approach her.

“You really don’t need to do this. I’ll be leaving after the thaw.” Iroh said as he stepped up next to her. Rin kept her eyes on her clipboard.

“Waiting till the thaw is pointless since we have airships. We don’t have to wait that long.” She retorted.

“It’s tradition.” Iroh said. It wasn’t a rebuke or even an excuse, just a simple statement of fact.

“Politics don’t care about tradition. And if we want to sway Arnook into not suing for reparations, it’s better we go now.” Rin tapped her charcoal stick against the paper and finally looked over at Iroh.

“What?” She asked sharply.

“I would just appreciate it if you would go with Zuko to Ember Island. He’s still not doing well.” Iroh answered. Rin grunted softly, looking back at the men who know walked down the ramp empty handed.

“Zuko is a grown man who can take care of himself.” She said.

“Being grown does not mean we take the best care with ourselves. Or make the right choices.” Iroh added and Rin glanced at him from the corner of her eye. 

“Your nephew’s stubborn fit of melancholy is not my concern. Making sure he doesn’t get ousted from the throne is.” She flipped through the pages on her board and sighed.

“How did he look when you saw him off?” She asked.

“He gave the notice that he wouldn’t be admitting anyone to his quarters.” Iroh admitted.

“So still being a brat I see.” Rin muttered. Hearing more steps on the metal ramp, Rin looked up. The thin man with the gold mask descended, looking like a stick of gilted incense. The corner of Rin’s mouth hitched upward at the thought.

“Who is that?” Iroh questioned.

“A petitioner. While I offer gifts to Arnook to make him vote for our cause, so this priest is offering his gift to make Zuko more inclined to judge in his favor.” Rin replied.

“Ah, one of that new Sun Cult then?” Iroh said.

“Yes. He’s to keep me warm in the North Pole.” Rin said. The priest walked slowly over to them and Iroh began to stroke his beard.

“I would love to speak with him. I haven’t yet met one of those priests.” He said.

“No.” Rin exclaimed, far too harshly than she intended. Iroh looked at her, startled.

“He’s mute.” Rin blurted out. “I mean, he’s taken a vow or something. If you speak to him, it just gets...” Rin looked back at the priest.

“He gets weird.” She finished just as the man approached.

“Well, I will let you get ready. Zuko’s ship is about to launch, and I’m going to try and see if he will speak to me.” Iroh said before nodding to the priest. “Take care of her.”

Rin and the priest watched in silence as Iroh retreated.

“That was incredibly uncomfortable.” Zuko said, his voice muffled by the mask. Rin scowled again.

“Every moment with your uncle is uncomfortable.” She stated. Adjusting her pince-nez, Rin turned and smacked Zuko’s arm with her clipboard.

“Let’s get going. I need to get away from here as quickly as possible.” She said and walked toward the ramp.

As soon as her feet hit the metal, the vibrations shook upward through her gut and rattled her heart. She hated being in the air, hated being so far removed from the earth. But she could still feel Iroh’s presence lingering behind her back like a specter. When he was absent, even when he was in her father’s tea house in Ba Sing Se, Rin felt better. Having him back in the palace was like an invasion, even though it was more his home than hers.

Rin supposed she thought that fair.

Zuko followed closely at her right, but two steps behind her. Like it or not, he was a familiar presence in the same way Zinna was, or, more fittingly, like the annoying fire foxes. Another creature that pestered her for attention but left her with more bite marks than loving feelings. 

“Can I take the mask off now?” Zuko asked once they entered the airship. Rin glanced around and shook her head.

“Not till we’re in the air. I’ve cleared the list on the ship, but I just want to be sure.” She replied.

“Thank you Rin.” Zuko said. Hearing her name, Rin felt a small jolt. He sounded so, vulnerable.

“Don’t get used to it. This is more about me getting away from your miserable home and doing something useful.” She said and quickened her steps. “Go take a nap or something.”

Zuko, for once, obeyed and went off to his room. Rin made her rounds through the airship, speaking with the captain prior to take off. The crew he had put together was a good one, and they had all sworn themselves to secrecy. It had been no surprise that they, each and everyone of them, had been hired at one point or another by Chang.

Rin had awfully big shoes to fill now that she had taken on some of the late Head Matron’s duties. 

She had once taken tea with her, very early on in her employment. They had of course come into the palace together, and through the same causeway. While Chang’s husband had been hired as Iroh’s manservant, Rin had just been luggage her mother had carried into a common law marriage. 

Chang had reminded Rin of her mother-in-law, an Earth Kingdom woman who had jumped the line. The fact that Chang was from Kyoshi only galled Rin. Chang had talked about the what ifs, how it would have been acceptable if there had been no war.

But there had been war. And people had died. People had been murdered.

Truth be told, the only thing that complicated her views on the whole thing, more than her wife even, was Katara. Rin had learned after the war what had happened to the Waterbenders. She read about the round-up of Waterbenders and the systematic killings. The ones who weren’t killed, the ones who served some sort of use, were imprisoned in jails worse than slaughtering pens. 

And Zuko had directly terrorized Katara. Yet here they were.

Here Rin was, abetting the blasted fools. 

Action and intent was blurred when she saw Zuko with Katara. She saw a woman who had lost just as much as she had, had gone through worse, and yet had fallen in love with the idiot son of a tyrant. An idiot who attacked her repeatedly. 

Whatever forgiveness they had come to, it was beyond Rin’s comprehension. And that bothered her. 

So maybe flying Zuko hundreds of miles to the frozen darkness of the North Pole would help her understand.

THE END

[littlemissheartfilia]

Survive

So since I’m not writing anything else except BTS nowadays I figure I might as well share it here. This is the beginning of a fic I did with @jacksinsanity She’s the brains behind the whole shibang. We hope you enjoy this fic full of nothing but angst and a little pining Yoongi. Get ready cuz things are about to get fucked up!

Part(s): [1]   [2]   [3]   [4]   [5]   [6]   [7]   [8]   [9]

Summary: Bangtan is heading westbound on a brand new private jet when things go haywire. No one could have expected the storm to be this bad. And certainly no one would have guessed they’d be crash landed in the mountains of China fighting for their lives.

Pairing(s): Taekook, Yoomin

Setting: Real world I guess?

There was a ringing sound all around him. Or maybe that was only in his ears. The world was dark. Everything was cold. As the ringing faded, Yoongi could only hear wind and the sound of heavy humming from some machine behind him. His fingers were touching snow, that much he knew. He was lying on his back something extremely uncomfortable underneath his head.

He opened his eyes and all he saw was sky through prickly evergreen branches. Surrounding his vision was smoke and as he looked around he began to understand just how bad the situation was. A pile of snow and scrap metal fell off him as he sat up, a pain in his head nearly blinded him.

The plane had crashed. Shit, where is everyone else? Yoongi thought. All he could see was the husk of a metal body, parts of it smoking and other parts covered in snow that went up to his knees. But he didn’t see any other body, living or not.

“J-Jimin?” He called weakly. “Namjoon! Anyone!” Yoongi took a step forward and his bare feet sunk into the snow. He tried to wade through the white sea around him but fell to his knees in pain. His entire body was shaking and he could hardly tell one bad wound from another until he saw the snow turning red. “Fuuu-” he hissed out a swear through his teeth and grabbed at his leg. The ground was ice cold underneath him.

Much to his displeasure there was a gash spreading down almost the full length of his femur. He put both hands over it but the bleeding didn’t stop. All it served was to coat his hands in the syrupy substance and bring more attention to his pain.

“Tae! Jin!” He kept calling, desperate for anyone to hear him. As he sat there memories came rushing back. The turbulence. The approaching storm. Namjoon getting up to ask about the bad weather and never coming back. Then...Yoongi grit his teeth. A flash of lightning and everything went sideways. The oxygen masks dropped before anyone knew what was happening.

This can’t be happening. This isn’t real… He tried to convince himself this was all some horrible nightmare. Tried anything to not feel the pain, or the coldness or the touch of the slight breeze as it ran through the snowy mountain range.

All the physical realness of the world around him was a wake-up call. This wasn’t a nightmare. His leg was growing numb and his fingers became stiff. They hadn’t exactly been wearing winter ready clothes when the first engine got hit.

Yoongi sucked in a breath and bit his cheek hoping it would take some of the pain away from his leg. It didn’t help much. “Hobi!” Yoongi called once more, “Jungkook! Anyone!” A million things went running through his head all at once.

What if he was the only survivor? What if help doesn’t come in time? Maybe he’ll bleed to death here in the middle of nowhere. He ran through a list of things that he could try to do to save himself or anyone else but it was all off the table if he didn’t get his leg wrapped up. It was almost too much for him to process and he curled in on himself helplessly.

Closing his eyes he felt only pain. He knew only the moment of his defeat and in agony he let out a cry of terror that shook his vocal chords till he felt them break like brittle icicles.

Min Yoongi stared out the plane’s window as his music blared in his ears. There wasn’t much to see outside. The forecast had called for showers so now there was just a lot of grey clouds. But at least he could enjoy the soft beats of his favorite artists in his downtime.

The plane ride had only just started and they still had hours to go before they arrived in Europe for their tour. Yoongi thanked his lucky stars that BigHit had scored a private jet for them. Always going through customs was a hassle and on their own jet he had less distractions. Less people and crowds to make him nervous.

Suddenly a hand started tapping incessantly on his shoulder and he turned, taking his headphones off. It was Taehyung, an excited smile on his face and his phone in hand.

“Hyung, let’s take a photo!” Taehyung spoke, bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Ah, now?” Yoongi said, a slight protest in his tone. “I haven’t washed my face yet, today I won’t look good.”

Taehyung simply nodded. “You look fine! I’m taking one with all the members. Now it’s your turn.” Without waiting for a reply he sat in the plump leather chair next to Yoongi and turned the screen on his handheld camera so that it faced them. Yoongi fixed his bangs a little then posed with Taehyung.

“Ah, see!” Taehyung said showing Yoongi the results. “You look nice today. It’s a good picture.” He began fiddling with the camera, completely focused on his craft.

“Tae?” Yoongi asked.

“Hm?” he replied without looking up from his camera. “We’ll have some downtime when we get to France. What are you going to do?”

Taehyung looked up then and smiled. “Probably eat, Jin invited me out to the nearest restaurant with him. Or play games with Jungkook.”

Yoongi chuckled. “You two never tire of each other.”

Taehyung laughed giddily and said, “We’re a good match together. What are you going to do?”

Yoongi glanced back at the clouds. “Sleep,” he said plainly. Just then Jungkook came into view from his seat in the back of the plane, Hoseok right behind him. Once they spotted Taehyung and Yoongi their smiles lit up extravagantly. They took seats across from Yoongi on a large couch. Jungkook placed a deck of cards on the bolted down table in front of them and said, “Hyungs you should play with us.”

Hoseok nodded, “We’re bored and want to pass time.”

Taehyung smiled until his gums showed. “Can we play palace?” He hopped excitedly over to the couch and took a spot beside Jungkook. Yoongi pressed pause on his music and moved over to join the game Jungkook and Taehyung were setting up.

“Where are the others?” Yoongi asked.

“Jin said he wanted to get his beauty sleep,” Hoseok answered as he leisurely scrolled through his phone. “I think Joon and Jimin were checking their luggage for something.”

“Namjoon didn’t forget his passport again did he?” Yoongi chuckled as he spoke and accepted his dealt cards from Jungkook.

“I’ll have you know your leader is more responsible than that now,” Namjoon’s voice floated in from behind Yoongi. He looked around at all of them intrigued and sat opposite Taehyung on the couch so he rested in the middle of the walkway. The private jet was nice but even jets had limited room.

“What are you doi-” Jimin had begun to say as he walked in after Namjoon but just then the plane rumbled. It felt like a mild earthquake which wouldn’t have freaked Yoongi out if they weren’t in the air.

Hoseok looked around them and outside the small windows. “We have turbulence now.”

“Probably ‘cause of the storm,” Jimin chimed in, moving his disinterested gaze from the windows and sitting beside Namjoon. Yoongi didn’t miss the way his biceps caught the soft lighting of the interior as he sat. He stopped his staring when Jimin caught his eye and smiled softly.

Jungkook was just starting to deal in Jimin and Namjoon when the plane rumbled again, this time for longer and more intense. There was an unattended drink Yoongi had left in the cupholder of his old seat that spilled over the edges. They all looked around at each other sharing somewhat uneasy glances.

Namjoon was the first to speak up, “I’m sure it’s just a bit of bad weather. We should be out of it soon.” His voice was calm and smooth but the hair on Yoongi’s arm still stood on end. The interior of the plane was quiet and underneath the murmur of their voices they could all hear the rain on the windows. The thunder rolling outside and the turbulence that shook the contents of every cabin.

The longer it went on the more they all began to feel tense and the quieter the cabin became. Finally there was a bright flash of lightning that seemed as if it originated from right beside them. Jungkook dropped his cards in fright and Yoongi caught Namjoon’s eyes. Milliseconds later the thunder rolled in and another batch of turbulence sent the contents of Yoongi’s drink to the floor.

His mouth was slack jawed and he looked concerned but he turned away so the others wouldn’t see. Calmly Namjoon stood up and got a better look of the storm outside. “I’ll go see if I can talk to the manager. Maybe the pilot can get us out of this quickly.” Abandoning his hand of playing cards on the seat by the window Namjoon walked briskly into the managers cabin.

They sat in silence for a few seconds with Hoseok bouncing his leg and Jungkook holding tightly to Taehyung’s hand beside him. Swiftly Hoseok reached over the table and grabbed Namjoon’s cards from where he left them.

He turned around with an attempted smile and said, “He had a losing hand.”

Jimin swatted his hand away and scolded him a little too late, “Hey, that’s cheating.” Yoongi could tell that Jimin was trying his best to smile the nerves away and the group seemed to share a pity chuckle but they were too tense to say much else.

It wasn’t five minutes later when Yoongi began wondering when Namjoon would come back. He put his own cards on the table face-down and stood up meaning to follow Namjoon. But the plane shook again and Yoongi had to grab a seat to steady himself.

He didn’t have time to collect himself before the shaking came again and this time the entire plane felt like it was being rattled by a giant. The force almost knocked Yoongi into the seats beside him but it was what came next that blew everything apart.

There was another bright flash of lightning that was so close it blinded him and suddenly the lights of the jet went off, replaced by the emergency lights. Before he could stand up straight he saw oxygen masks fall from the ceiling on strings and the buckle seatbelt sign light up.

Yoongi’s eyes grew huge and he stared at the others in fear and confusion. Taehyung mindlessly grabbed at one of the masks and pulled it toward him but he looked too scared to move. Hoseok had his mask in his hand and was trying to put it on. Jungkook seemed to be trying to help Taehyung. Jimin shot to his feet and grabbed at Yoongi’s elbow.

“Namjoon,” he said and took off toward the cockpit. Yoongi followed as quickly as he could but he was being tossed about by the turbulence and maybe it was just the high stress situation but Yoongi was almost positive the plane was tilting.

“Wait, Jimin!” Yoongi called but he didn’t get the chance to hear a reply as another bolt of lightning grazed the cabin of the jet. He was tossed off his feet and hit the ground hard. Panicking Yoongi lifted himself among the turbulence and definitely tilting airplane to sit in a vacant seat and wrap an oxygen mask around his mouth. He closed his eyes helplessly, his fingers digging into the armrests on the leather seat as his world spun. The jet flashed red lights everywhere as the sky lit up once more and then he felt the jet nosedive.

Somehow over the pounding of his own heart he heard the pilot’s voice come on over the speaker and say, “Brace for impact!”

[bureaubrat69]

Details from an unexplained absence

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For the record:

-Accidental athletic wear all-day long in Sydney’s inner east (post-gentrified Kings X) ft. 2 x green drinks at one time

-Bat-Mitzvah style boob tube poofy dress my mum lent me for my cousin’s wedding so I wouldn’t embarrass the family. With a burnt orange racer back silk singlet and little fake Gucci green neck-tie on top of white shirt leotard. Socks for gloves, rain-boots and a clipboard in the hands. Worn to convene a silent auction at a charity art show. Rain coat left unattended behind the bar.

- White Polo maxi dress with open chest and handmade bow tie. Double-breasted blazer to match bow tie with 3 school badges reading: Rabbi, Artist, Bureaucrat (Blue, Red, Green). Brown plastic arm-warmers actually intended to protect sleeves from splash-back. White polka dots and lace also.

-Brigadier’s hat most days

-Tits out at the gallery in mum’s old bikini (under dress she told me never to wear again)

-Collared white shirt-dress with age-old pink/beige tutu at a newly constructed inner-city speakeasy

-20kg of luggage stowed away. 2kg saved in a Red Rooster bag within a Victoria’s Secret bag filled with a knitted dress, an embroidered bag of underwear and an electric toothbrush. Bag of underwear made of cotton, designed by my Granny.