#and so much of my job became advising customers on just how to get more of X in their diet via food

[kyuuppi]

“You lie to your best friend/crush that you have an OnlyFans just to see their reaction”

Ft. Sugawara; Nishinoya; Tsukishima; Oikawa; Kenma

Pt. 2

A/N: My bias is so obvious here LOL

KARASUNO

↳ Sugawara

➣  You are over at his house, the two of you idly watching a sitcom while browsing your phones and chatting in between; it’s comfortable, as times with Sugawara usually are.

➣  Every time Suga leans in to show you a funny meme on his phone or throws his head back in laughter at a joke from the show, you find your heart skipping a beat.

➣  He is beautiful, basically an angel in your eyes, but he is also your best friend and you don’t think he has any interest in you like that. Not in the way you do. 

➣  That’s how you get the idea to test his feelings. 

➣  Being the troublemaker you are (how else would you and Suga get along so well?) you decide to shake things up by casually mentioning you’re interested in starting an OnlyFans and asking if he thinks its a good idea. 

➣  You expect either of two reactions: either he’ll be as supportive as usual, possibly advising you to be cautious with strangers online like the mother hen he is, proving he only sees you as a friend—or he’ll tell you not to, possible evidence that likes you.

➣  The response you receive is not quite what you were expecting...

➣  Once the words leave your lips his head immediately whips around in your direction, light brown eyes looking at you with a serious expression on his face, something you’d never really seen before. It makes you uncomfortable and you begin to regret all of your life decisions.

➣  Suddenly though, he is leaning into you, his arms coming up to trap you against the couch as you try to back away. Your eyes are as wide as saucers and face completely flushed as he continues to stare you down before speaking.

➣  “Even though I’m your best friend, I’m still a man, you know. You’re being awfully cruel right now.”

➣ You audibly gulp, suddenly feeling light-headed but he keeps speaking, close enough that you can feel his hot breath fan across your cheeks.

➣ “Asking me to watch the person I like show off in front of thousands of other men? Even I have my limits.”

➣ And that marks the day of you and Sugawara’s first kiss. ♡

↳ Nishinoya

➣  Your best friend, Nishinoya Yuu, is notoriously unabashed with his affections. 

➣ The two of you have an interesting relationship—Noya has no qualms with expressing how pretty he thinks you are, borderline flirting with you at times, and you frequently return the favor. 

➣  But you don’t take any of it seriously, of course, regardless of how much you secretly wish it were real. Everyone at Karasuno knows about Noya’s undying dedication to the volleyball club manager, Shimizu Kiyoko, and he confesses his love to her at least twice a day. 

➣ Unbeknownst to you those professions became less and less frequent after he met you and now most of Karasuno thinks the two of you are basically dating

➣ The two of you are at the mall, a frequent hang out place where Noya can look at volleyball gear and you can browse manga at the bookstore, when you get the idea to prank your friend.

➣ “Hey, Noya? I’ve been thinking about finding a way to make more money but I don’t have time for a part-time job so I decided to make an OnlyFans—I already have a few subscribers.”

➣ Nishinoya nearly trips and falls flat on his face. You would have laughed if it weren’t for how he immediately grabs at your shoulders, staring at you with a mix of anger and fear. 

➣ “Absolutely not! No one should be allowed to see your beautiful body like that but me!”

➣ You immediately fluster at his loud declaration, acutely aware of how other customers in the mall are giving the two of your strange looks as they walk by. 

➣ “B-but Noya, we aren’t even dating—”

➣ “Then let’s start dating!” 

➣ And what are you gonna do? Say no?

↳ Tsukishima

➣ Being friends with Tsukishima could be frustrating at times—a sentiment you and Yamaguchi frequently discuss when the blond isn’t around. 

➣ Tsukishima likes to think most things are beneath him and he’s too cool to find enjoyment in activities most other friends enjoy, ranging from mini golf to video games. The man seems content to waste his life away studying and listening to music if it weren’t for you and Yamaguchi forcing him out of his room. 

➣ Naturally, something like a prank war would be something Tsukishima would want no part of—not that that has ever stopped you. 

➣ Usually, your pranks are failures. Either Tsukishima easily figures out what you’re doing before it can happen or he doesn’t give you the satisfaction of a reaction, chastising you for wasting your time pulling pranks when you have a failing grade in mathematics you’ll later beg him to help you study for.

➣ He still helps you though, he’s whipped

➣ Your newest prank however, you feel exceptionally confident in. Not only is it simple to pull off, only relying on your acting kills, but it also might answer your curiosity on whether you have a chance in getting your dearest Tsukki to see you as more than just a friend.

➣ The day you decide to do it the three of you are hanging out in Tsukishima’s bedroom as usual, you working on the math homework Tsukishima forced you to study while he reads a book and Yamaguchi sits in the corner reading a book.

➣ You had already discussed your plans with Yama beforehand, to which his expression looked suspiciously devious, like he knew something you didn’t know, as he proclaimed his support. 

➣ You hear Tsukishima turning a page and decide to speak up. 

➣ “Hey, Tsukki, have you heard of OnlyFans?”

➣ You hold back a snicker as you see Tsukishima visibly tense, his eyes widening behind his glasses for a moment before he relaxes. From the corner of your eyes you can see Yamaguchi smirking behind his comic, watching the blond closely. 

➣ “...yeah, I’ve heard of it,” Tsukishima simply replies. 

➣ “I’ve been thinking about making more money but I don’t have time for a part-time job so my friend suggested it. She said I could make over ten thousand yen a month.”

➣ “I think only the really attractive ones make that much.”

➣ You gasp, thoroughly offended, and Yamaguchi looks mildly annoyed by his friend’s response, already opening his mouth to chastise him for being so mean—but before he can say anything, Tsukishima is speaking again, still looking down at the book in his lap. 

➣ “Don’t do it though.” 

➣ “Why not?” You pout, refusing to look up at him when you speak. 

➣ “...I don’t want the person I like to do those types of things.” 

➣ You nearly choke on your own saliva, head darting up to stare at him in disbelief. Yamaguchi, for some reason, only smiles softly, looking unsurprised by the admission. 

➣ “W-what? You...like me?”

➣ “Oi, shouldn’t you be studying? One more F and you’re gonna flunk out of the class, dummy.”

➣ You’re slightly disappointed by the change of subject but when you notice the soft pink on Tsukishima’s cheeks you can’t help but to smile the whole time you finish your homework.

AOBA JOUSAI

↳ Oikawa

➣ Oikawa is a busy guy.

➣ You were well aware of that before the two of you happened to be paired up for an assignment and got to know each other, eventually becoming close friends. 

➣ Between volleyball practices, tournaments, magazine interviews, and appeasing a passionate fan club, Oikawa rarely has time for himself, let alone another person. 

➣ Despite all of that, you could tell he always made sure to spend time with you, dedicating a few weekends a month to hanging out, just the two of you, and constantly texting you in the times the two of you couldn’t physically be together. 

➣ From an outsider’s perspective, it was almost like the two of you were dating. 

➣ But alas, you know the sad reality is that Oikawa is most certainly not your boyfriend and you have no idea if he has any interest in your like that…

➣ ...Which is why you decide to try to make him jealous one day to push him towards confessing his feelings, if they exist. 

➣ The two of you are at a café, sipping lattes and gossiping about other students when you bring it up. 

➣ “Y’know...I’ve been thinking of making an OnlyFans.”

➣ To your surprise, Oikawa’s eyes seem to light up, his lips curving into a smile of excitement. 

➣ “Wow, really? Maybe I should make one too!”

➣ Oikawa immediately pulls out his cell phone and the color drains from your face as you realize your plan has completely backfired. 

➣ “My fans are going to love this—hey do you think we can do a collab? The two of us in one pic would make us top creators for sure.”

➣ You can only nod numbly with a fake smile at Oikawa’s enthusiasm.

➣ Oh god, you’ve created a monster…

NEKOMA

↳ Kozume

➣ Unless you’re Kuroo, becoming friends with Kenma is a nearly impossible feat. Actually making him want to spend time with you alone, even more so. 

➣ But somehow, you managed to work your way into Kenma’s tightly knit social circle more like a two point line segment of him and Kuroo and your evenings after his volleyball practice are usually spent in one of your bedrooms, playing Splatoon and Animal Crossing until your Switches die or your parents force you to come home for dinner—whichever comes first. 

➣ You love spending time with Kenma, his quiet presence somehow making you feel comfortable—but over time those feelings of ease have shifted into something more akin to nervousness and excitement as you’ve come to develop a crush on the setter.

➣ Every moment with him, watching the small smiles tug at his lips when he wins a match or his cute, frustrated pout when he can’t figure out how to defeat a boss makes your heart flutter and it’s becoming more and more painful to idly sit by without expressing your feelings.

➣ A direct confession, especially to a boy with nearly 0 social skills, is scary, so you want to be sure your feelings are returned before you even attempt to share them. 

➣ Thus, you’ve decided to take Kuroo’s advice.

➣ “Push him into a corner. Kenma will only act when he thinks he has to.” 

➣ You take a deep breath to steel your nerves before you speak, eying him sneakily from behind your Switch. 

➣ “Gamer girls and boys are kind of trendy these days; I’m thinking about starting an OnlyFans to make money to buy more games.”

➣ The only visible response you receive is a slow blink as Kenma continues to play his game, fingers tapping furiously on the keys. 

➣ “Ah...I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

➣ “Why not?”

➣ There are a few moments of silence between you two, the room only filled with the SFX of your games as Kenma seems to finish his round. You recognize the victory music as Kenma pauses to finally raise his gaze to meet your own. 

➣ “It's your body so I can’t tell you what to do but...I would feel really jealous of all your subscribers.”

➣ And just like that, Kenma returns his attention to the video game, unpausing and starting a new match, blissfully unaware of you struggling to calm your racing heart and flushed cheeks. 

[nathanknowsitall]

Thanks, Liar

Summary: “Oh, you’re so gorgeous” is what has been written in your soulmate’s writing across your collarbone since you were ten. You’ve hated your soulmate ever since. 

Notes: This is dedicated to all insecure plus size people. I know that the world doesn’t make it easy for us to love ourselves, but we are gorgeous. <3

You hated your soulmate. You were one hundred percent sure of that as you looked at the words that had been written on your collarbone since you were ten. 

You knew you weren’t pretty and having a soulmate tattoo that specifically made fun of that fact every time you looked at it wasn’t fun. 

As you pulled on your shirt for work, you could feel yourself seething again and started counting down from ten to calm yourself down. You’ve been coping with these same feelings ever since it first appeared. 

You had been chubby ever since you were a kid, so when it first appeared, your family had seen it as a premonition that you’d be pretty when you were older. And by pretty, they meant skinny. But that wasn’t what happened. 

You never lost the weight. You never became toned or lean or muscular or the million other things that you’d rather be than fat. Actually, the million other things everyone else would want you to be rather than fat. 

You had tried so many diets and exercises and every supposedly healthy way to lose weight and none of them had stuck. Some of them had even made things worse. So, as advised by your doctor, you hadn’t been on any diet in almost a year. 

It was some what freeing, but everyday you felt worse and worse about your tattoo. In the past few months, you had even considered getting it covered up or outright removed, but, despite the negative feelings you had about it, you knew that, deep down, you’d feel bad about it. What if you met your soulmate and had no way of proving it? What if they got angry at you for messing with your tattoo? What if they had really meant it and it wasn’t just some cruel trick?

All these things clouded your mind as you entered the coffee shop you worked at. As you went in the back and got your apron on, you did your counting thing again before you were ready to go behind the counter. You tried your best to come in with a positive or at least neutral attitude to work, so you wouldn’t be accidentally rude to customers or make your co-workers wonder what was upsetting you. 

When you finally got started and into a groove at the register, you kind of got lost in the work. You didn’t mind being a cashier that much at all. You just stuck to the script and did your job, even occasionally got to chat for a minute or two with your nice co-workers. 

That would change soon. As you finished with the last customer, a new one approached. You looked at him as he stepped forward. He was dressed pretty chic, wearing flared pants, boots, a plain shirt, and a nice coat. He had a couple of rings on his hands which were now holding the edge of the counter. 

When you looked up at his face, you felt intimidated by how handsome he was, and even more so when he smirked at you. He knew his effect on you, but you still played koi, forcing your head down as a blush developed on your face. 

As you tried to scramble some semblance of professionalism back together, he said the thing you had hoped no one would ever say to you: “Oh, you’re so gorgeous.”

You immediately felt yourself becoming angry as your stomach dropped. You had the tendency to not think before you spoke when you were mad, but you really did it this time. 

“Thanks, Liar”, you said back instantly. When you realized what you had said you put your hands over your mouth, wishing that you could take back what you had said to this random guy who didn’t deserve it. No, not a random man, your soulmate. 

Your blush instantly became worse as you started rambling on, apologizing and explaining and trying to be professional and offering to pay for his drink all at the same time. 

As you made eye contact with him, you saw the way his eyes widened in surprise then mirth as he started laughing. It was so warm and infectious that you couldn’t stop yourself from joining in. 

“I’ve been wondering my whole life what I did to deserve this as my soulmate tattoo”, he said as he took off his coat and moved up the sleeve of his t-shirt, revealing the words “Thanks, Liar” in your handwriting, “Only to find out that it was because I called you gorgeous? Thank god, I’m so relieved! My mum is going to be so happy that I wasn’t lying to my soulmate!”. 

You couldn’t control the way that you instantly felt calm as you processed what he had said. You rolled the collar of your shirt down to reveal his handwriting over your collarbone. Your whole point-of-view had shifted as you saw the way his eyes lit up when he recognized his handwriting. 

“I absolutely meant it. You are the most gorgeous woman in the world. I’m so glad we’re soulmates.”, he said so sweetly to you. You felt yourself grin as you two kept staring.

But then you saw the line behind him and you realized that you were still at work. 

“I don’t mean to ruin the moment, but you still need to order, but it’s definitely going to be on the house now.”

“Oh, is it now? Well I’ll have a large latte with caramel and honey and a bagel and-”, he teased.

“Absolutely not”, you said as he smirked at your frustration. 

“Okay, okay, can I please have a small black coffee and possibly spend time with you on your break?”, he asked instead.

“Maybe...only if I get to call it a date”, you negotiated.

“It’s settled then”, he said with a grin.

“Yep! See you later soulmate!”, you said as he walked away. Both of you had the dopiest smiles on your faces as you thought about the stupid but sweet interaction that brought you two together.

[thirstyfortaglines]

My girlfriend will outlive me but that’s okay because I love her

Yanfei x Gender Neutral!Reader

1.5k words. Fluffy-ish writing with reader and Yanfei just talking. Tiny bit angsty since there’s some talk of Yanfei’s lifespan being a lot longer than the average human’s.

The rather loud bustling of the streets as the remaining day stalls became more loud in an effort to attract any last customers to their wares before they set up shop for the night was muted to the pair that strolled down its streets. Usually interested in the goods themselves, you and Yanfei had decided to pass on any actual shopping that particular evening in favor of simply taking in the environment of the harbor which was relaxing in its own way with the familiar clamor of the environment.

Despite instigating this outing, wanting to get out after finally finishing a particularly hard job, she was uncharacteristically quiet. For the last few days she had excused herself from the usual excursions around the harbor you two shared, the emotional drain from the child custody case she had taken on leaking into her non-work life. It wasn’t like you could have just told her to care less or to try and let it affect her less, Yanfei loved her work and her dedication and investment in each and every case was what made her so good as a legal adviser. The downside was just that in emotionally charged cases she tended to struggle a bit, the lack of a real definite cut and dry answer or compromise proving taxing on her as no amount of investigation would solve it.

Gently nudging her to catch her attention, she met your gaze. “Something weighing you down?. Even if we weren’t dating I’d still listen to you as your friend. You can always talk to me,” The offer hung in the air for a few moments, the silence bringing up concerns that perhaps it had sounded demanding.

Before you could fret too much, however, she responded. “In a way, yes. It’s a rather heavy topic so let’s discuss it at the end and just enjoy our evening out.” Yanfei’s tone was matter of fact, leaving no room for discussion on the matter for the time being. At least whatever was affecting her wasn’t doing so to the point where she was unable to compose herself quickly like she usually did.

Still not quite sure if she was really okay, you reached and held her hand like you normally did, giving a reaffirming squeeze to it which was reciprocated.

“Now come on, everything will close by the time you get to the stall if you keep on being this slow,” she pestered as she took the lead in moving through the street, letting go of your hand in favor of emoting while she spoke.

“We go to the night market, it’s just becoming sundown.”

“It’ll be well past morning at the rate you’re walking, and if we hold up any stalls who are nice enough to still be open by the time you make it there at that snail’s pace that would be a violation of the ordinance on stall times that requires they only be set up at their allotted time slots, of their own choosing of course.” She was evidently teasing you, her exaggerated nagging tone giving that away easily. As she turned back to make a face at you of mock exasperation at your still average walking pace, you surprised her by having moved right next to her.

“I’m not moving that slow and I won’t lose track of you. Not everyone in Liyue has bright pink hair and is even half as energetic as you.”

Unsurprisingly, she was only surprised for half a second at best before she had a retort lined up. As the two of you continued your walk, playfully arguing while pointing out various wares to each other and occasionally checking out stalls, the warm yellow of streetlamps slowly grew stronger.

It had quieted down for the night, or perhaps it was the place where the two of you had decided to settle at, a patch of grass on the terrace overlooking the harbor, by the time your legs had begun protesting and Yanfei had conceded to stop for the night and rest.

A warm kind of silence filled the air as you rested against each other, the kind that just settled unspoken and naturally.

“Regarding what was bothering me earlier, it was nothing much or perhaps it’d be more prudent to say nothing that will be of pressing importance anytime soon,” she began. Pausing before continuing, she looked at you for affirmation to continue and that you were listening. Not wanting to really verbalize a response and interrupt what she had going on any further, you nodded to indicate your attention. “While I have little fears of children or us separating and whatnot, unlike the case I just dealt with, it did bring some fears to light for me that hadn’t really come to the forefront of my thoughts before.”

She took an extra moment to prepare her words as she turned to fully face you. “There is no doubt in my mind that I would like to spend the rest of my life with you, our long withstanding friendship and now romantic relations a testament to that fact, the fears of your inevitably passing as my lifespan theoretically should far exceed yours are present.”

Yanfei raised her hand in a motion to indicate for you to stay quiet right as you were about to say something, she knew you too well and a small smile broke across your face at that despite the rather heavy conversation topic.

“However, I am not someone who is willing to let the upsides of life pass me by in favor of cowering in fear of what will happen. I’ve thought this through, though not much as the answer was already evident from the start, but I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you and even if that isn’t possible I will do my best. I hope you feel the same.”

Flustered at her words, you were at a loss of words for a moment. Upon seeing your reaction, Yanfei’s expression once again relaxed from the previous serious face she had been wearing, the same one she used to mask her anxiety during her work which was enough to betray her true feelings to you despite how calm she appeared.

“Yeah, I love you a lot too, which is what I’m going to assume that’s what you meant. I won’t lie, I have thought about it before but you’re right that it’s a long way off. Let’s just enjoy the time we have together, and I’ll be sure to make good memories for you to remember” Deciding to counterattack in light of her smug expression, you leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her cheek, the scent of flower perfume and the fried food stalls you had visited together mixed in a rather strange but comfortingly familiar way.

From there, the conversation naturally flowed back to what it usually was, ending with Yanfei standing up and brushing her skirt off.

“With that off my shoulders, I feel up to doing another investigation. I got a request for another case as I was exiting the courthouse earlier today and was already given the downpayment for it,” she began, the usual glimmer in her eyes back in full force which you were more than happy to see.

“Is it another case of false advertising at another stand selling trinkets?” you sighed, tone laced with tiredness that was only mostly fake. “I thought today was supposed to be resting as time off from your last case?”

“That was yesterday, it’s already a new day. The peace and prosperity of Liyue won’t stand without people there to keep everything in order.”

“It also won’t go away if you decide to take a day or 2 off.”

“Oh hush and help me find out what place was selling those frost jade crystals, I have a feeling they’re false as they didn’t seem to have cryo energy within them and the only really nearby source of them that’s reliable is shipments from Snezhnaya and whatever the traveller brings from the cryo enemies in Monstadt. Neither of those two have relations with the seller which is exceedingly suspicious,” she began, already involved and trying to get an angle on the situation. It was cute, but it’d be even cuter if she wasn’t already halfway down the stairs to the main part of the harbor while you had been distracted trying to figure out what she was trying to investigate.

“I’m hurrying up, I’ve got it,” you called out just as she turned around to probably call on you, mirroring how she had quieted you before when she anticipated your response. As you rushed to get off the ground and not fall down the stairs, you almost fell.

“If you die early from chasing after me and falling down the stairs I will personally not let your soul leave your body. Now hurry up and be careful, the sun is rising soon,” Yanfei teased, turning back around and sprinting down the stairs rather gracefully. Benefits of being alive for hundreds of years included knowing the exact architecture of Liyue Harbor and how to sprint down stairs without tripping it seemed. Sighing, you called out to your girlfriend as you ran after her though you were still smiling.

[giveemhales]

Moodboards for Sterek AUs: 22/?

For @sterekvalentineweek Day 3

Secret Crush

4 times Stiles gave Derek a valentine, and 1 time Derek decided to return the favor.

The story can be read under the cut or on AO3!

1st grade

Derek was new, and that’s what causes the whole fiasco.

Well, not exactly new. He had been at the school since the school year had started back in August, and it was now February. But he was new in that it’s the first year anyone in his family has ever attended public school. Born into a powerful pack of werewolves with a history spanning back centuries, he had been raised surrounded only by werewolves and humans who knew about the supernatural. None of his relatives had ever gone to public school, as the risk was deemed too great to send children out in public where they may accidentally reveal their true nature. Derek and his siblings were supposed to be home-schooled, as was tradition.

However, times were changing, and their emissary had suggested the children should start attending public school. Not only was it to help the children learn how to handle being around humans and in public, but also the hunters were becoming more aggressive, and it was advised that they act as much like normal humans as possible so as not to raise suspicion.

So Derek and his older sister, Laura, were the first werewolves in the Hale pack history to go to public school. It was their first year for both of them, Derek in first grade and Laura in second. They had spent the years before learning how to control their shift under the guise of home-schooling, and the family was confident they would blend right in. 

They did blend in, for the most part, never letting their eyes change color and holding back growls no matter how angry they became. But apparently, there was more to being human than just looking the part. There were all these rules and customs that everyone seemed to know except them. Derek rarely minded his family’s social faux pas, honestly never really noticing them. But on this one occasion, everyone noticed, and he was particularly upset.

It was Valentine’s Day, a holiday which his family never celebrated (why did humans need a holiday to show their adoration for their mates? How strange). The lack of experience with the holiday is why nobody in the family realized it was customary to bring “valentines” to school to share with classmates, and that’s why he arrived empty-handed. 

When all the other students set up their boxes in which to receive treats, he watched in confusion, which morphed into dawning horror when he realized everyone had gifts to hand out except for him.

Derek had hoped he could slip under the radar, receive the gifts like everyone else and then maybe bring double the treats next year to make up for it. 

The teacher had a different idea. The teacher scolded him in front of the whole class for being irresponsible and inconsiderate, and told him that if he had nothing to share, then nobody could share with him. He had to sit in the corner by himself and think about what he had done wrong (he was 6 years old, he didn’t have money or a calendar, this hardly seemed like his fault).

So Derek sat in the corner by himself, not only having to hear all of the other kids laugh and have a great time, but also smell the delicious treats thanks to his werewolf nose. He was used to being on his own at school, not having made any real friends, but it hurt so much more knowing he was being purposefully excluded. He had to fight hard to hold back his claws, and even harder to fight back tears. He hated this stupid school and the stupid humans in it and their stupid rules and traditions and just wanted to go home. 

When the school day was finally, blessedly over, Derek shuffled out of the room with his head bowed and shoulders hunched, not wanting to see the smiles on all of the other kids’ faces and not wanting them to see the frown on his, unable to help feeling like they were mocking him.

He made it out the front doors of the school, and thought he was finally free, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned with a scowl. It was a student in his class named Stiles. Derek wasn’t really friends with him. They had played together at recess a couple of times and he seemed funny and nice, but it wasn’t like they had ever spoken outside of school.

Derek began to wonder if he was wrong in his categorization of Stiles as nice, because he could think of no reason for any of his classmates to stop him except to gloat. Before Stiles had even said anything, Derek was already seething, thinking about the treat Stiles had brought that everyone had gotten to try except for him. While most of the students had just brought candy, Stiles had brought clearly homemade sugar cookies, and the scent had had Derek salivating in his isolation. 

Before he could snap at Stiles in anger, however, Stiles thrust his hands forward in an offering. Derek looked down and was surprised to see he was holding two cookies, each partially covered by a napkin.

“Sorry Mrs. Johnson was so mean to you today. She said that we weren’t allowed to give you any valentines but I think that’s mean and dumb and I don’t follow mean and dumb rules. So I saved you a cookie. Actually, I saved you two cookies, one of them is for your sister because I figure if you didn’t bring any valentines then she probably didn’t either and might have also not been allowed any treats, which would be so sad because what’s the point of Valentine’s day besides the treats. If you eat them both, though, that’s okay because you didn’t get any candy or anything so I think you probably deserve two cookies. I would give you even more cookies but I only had the one that was already for you, and then the extra one my mom packed in my lunch box. I wanted to eat that one and then I also wanted to eat yours but I realized I shouldn’t because my mom already gave me a cookie last night so I really don’t need another and also my mom bakes all the time and most people don’t get to try the greatness of her cookies and so I have a respons- responsabl- responsibit- it’s my job to share the cookies.” 

Stiles finally quit his rambling to stare expectantly at Derek, who was staring back in shock. He shoved his hands forward again, until Derek finally took the offered cookies.

Derek didn’t even get the chance to say thank you before Stiles was talking again, telling some story about a time he forgot his shoes at home and how that was way worse than forgetting some valentines. He kept talking before he noticed the bus was beginning to leave, and sprinted off without so much as a goodbye. 

Derek looked down once again at the cookies, and saw there was a note included. Written on a sticky note in first-grader scrawl, it said Sorry the teacher is so mean. You can be my BVF (best valentine forever). Valentine was written three different times, the first two times crossed out as he clearly wasn’t positive how the word was spelled.

Derek did end up giving the second cookie to Laura, and he found he didn’t mind because he knew the note was all his.  

4th grade

Derek still didn’t particularly care for Valentine’s Day, his introduction to the holiday forever tainting his opinion, but he had still come to find himself excited about the impending sugar. 

There was a storm cloud over this Valentine’s Day, though, at least for Derek and definitely for Stiles. Ever since first grade, Derek had looked forward to the homemade treats Stiles would bring, baked with love by his mother.

Derek knew that wouldn’t be the case on this day, though, because Stiles’ mother had passed away a couple of months before.

Everyone in the small town knew about it, rumors constantly spreading about the sheriff’s new drinking habits. Nobody seemed to notice the effect it had on the young boy. But Derek did.

Stiles had become more withdrawn in the months leading up to his mother’s death, presumably having to deal with her illness, but it was like he shut down once she was gone. The boy who once talked a mile a minute now was silent, except for the occasional whispers to his best friend. His absences became more frequent, and he stopped bringing a lunch to school, instead having to buy cafeteria food he would rarely eat. The worst part though was the scent of grief that constantly clung to him.

Derek saw how badly he was affected and could only hope that he would heal with time. Derek wished he knew how to help, but he still hadn’t even figured out how to make friends, let alone how to help someone cope with the loss of a parent.

So Derek knew he wouldn’t be getting any baked goods on this day, that he probably wouldn’t be receiving anything from Stiles. He just hoped that the teacher wasn’t as rude about it as his first-grade teacher had been.

Derek was proven wrong though. Stiles hadn’t brought cookies or anything of the like, but he had brought valentines. For every classmate, he had a red piece of paper which he had folded into a heart and marked with their names. They weren’t perfect, but they were definitely better than most nine-year-olds could do. 

Derek was so touched at the small gift, and seethed when he saw none of the other students saw it for what it was. He even saw one student throw their heart in the trash (which Derek made a point to dig out and keep for himself because that heart was something Stiles had spent time on and deserved to be cherished). None of the students realized how kind Stiles was. That while dealing with grief, which was probably made even worse with the holiday bringing on a reminder of a tradition he could no longer partake in, and a father who himself was probably still grieving and didn’t remember he was supposed to get valentines for his son, Stiles had still made sure he had something to give to his classmates. This gift was far more valuable than anything any other student had brought. 

Derek was even more touched when he realized that there was a note written inside of the heart, too. He carefully unfolded it, making sure to keep track of how he did it so he would be able to refold it, and read what was inside.

Don’t tell Scott, but you’re still my favorite Valentine.

It was made even better when he realized the other heart he had, the one from the trash, had no note, meaning Stiles had written a note especially for Derek. 

Derek gave Stiles the warmest smile he could from across the room and vowed to keep that note forever. 

6th grade

Derek was quick to realize Valentine’s Day was not the same in middle school as in elementary. For one, there was no making mailboxes or handing out valentines. If you wanted to celebrate the holiday, you had to do it on your own time. 

The second major difference was that “like-liking” someone was a thing, and lots of girls “like-liked” Derek. Derek was apparently one of the cutest guys in the grade, and that helped immensely with his popularity. He had finally been able to make some friends, which was nice. 

Derek wasn’t really a fan of all of the attention he got at school, though. He would have preferred to just spend time with the couple of best friends he had made, and ignore all of the people who wanted to be his friend solely for his status.

He knew Valentine’s Day would give some girls the perfect opportunity to confess their “feelings” for him (they didn’t even know him!) and Derek was not looking forward to it.

Derek had been correct in his assumption, and by the end of the day, three different girls had asked to be his Valentine, and he had to kindly reject them all. It was far too much for him, and he was exhausted by the end of the day. 

Before he could go home, though, he had to stop at his locker to grab a textbook he needed for class.

He was surprised, and a little bit disturbed, to find a box of chocolates in his locker. It was definitely too big for someone to just slip through the slots, so someone would have had to break into his locker to get it there. 

Derek immediately felt all of his annoyance of the day growing. Why could these girls not leave him alone?

However, when he leaned in to grab the box, he caught a whiff of a scent that had him calming down.

Stiles.

Suddenly, Derek found he wasn’t too upset. It wasn’t at all surprising that the boy knew how to break into lockers, and Derek found himself inexplicably preening at the thought that the boy still wanted to be his Valentine.

Taped to the bottom of the box was a typed note with no signature, clearly meant to anonymous. Derek likely never would have known who it was if it wasn’t for his werewolf senses.

The note simply read “Why don’t they let us hand out candy anymore? Middle school is lame. Don’t worry, I won’t let them ruin the holiday for you (everyone knows the sweets are the whole point). Hope you enjoy the chocolates, valentine.”

On second thought, Derek realized he probably would have been able to figure out it was Stiles, just based on the note. He could practically hear the words in Stiles’ voice. He would still let him think he got away with being anonymous, though.    

Maybe middle school Valentine’s Days weren’t so bad, after all. 

10th grade

Derek just knew this was going to be the worst Valentine’s Day ever, and he wished that he could just skip the whole day. He would totally pretend to be sick so he could stay home except that werewolves can’t get sick so he doubted that would fly with his parents.

Derek had broken up with his girlfriend, Paige, just a couple of weeks before. He knew that in the grand scheme of things they weren’t that serious, they hadn’t even been together for a whole year, but he had felt like he was madly in love with her. 

He was healing, of course, and, for the most part, had moved on. But Valentine’s Day would just be a reminder of what he was missing (it stung every time he remembered he never got the chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day with her, he had been secretly excited to finally have a real significant other to be romantic with). That, and due to his popular status, the day would either bring on pitying looks from all of the students who thought his relationship was somehow their business, or flirting from girls who thought they now had a chance. Knowing his luck, probably a combination of both. 

Derek groaned when he walked into his first-period history class and saw a heart-shaped balloon tied to the back of the desk he usually sat at. This was absolutely the last thing he wanted to deal with. He thought about just sitting at a different desk but figured it was better to go ahead and throw away the balloon before class started so as to avoid drawing any attention. 

When he got to his desk, he saw a note tied to the string of the balloon. He opened it and a smile bloomed on his face when he was met with typed words.

Of course! He had been so focused on Paige that he forgot about the annual tradition Stiles had begun in the sixth grade of leaving secret gifts with notes for Derek. 

Stiles wasn’t even in the class so Derek didn’t even know how he had known which desk was his, but at this point, nothing Stiles did could really surprise him. 

I know they may not be the usual sweets, but I figure with this, you can tell anyone who bothers you that you already have a valentine. You know I’ve always got your back, Valentine.

The note just reconfirmed for Derek that it was from Stiles.

The gift cheered him up immensely, and he felt his qualms about the day beginning to melt away.

~~~

The day dragged on until lunch, made better by the balloon Derek carted around, which actually did help keep people away.

Derek was sitting at his usual spot with his friends when he hears a commotion from the other side of the cafeteria, and turned to see what was going on.

It seemed everyone turned to look, although he’s not sure if they can all hear. It was easy enough with his enhanced senses, though.

Derek could make out Stiles standing up on a table, looking down at a girl with strawberry blonde hair. The rest of the people at the table had faces ranging from shock to embarrassment, except for one guy who looked like he was fuming. Derek honestly didn’t know if that table was where Stiles usually sat, or if he had just decided to crash.

“Lydia, today, on the most romantic day of the year, I must make my feelings known. I know you are a goddess and I am a mere mortal, but my heart sings for you and I can no longer hide it. Reject your other suitors, for none see how brightly you shine like I do. Please accept this token of my affection, and be my Valentine.” Stiles opened up a thin box he had been holding to reveal a heart-shaped cookie cake.

Derek cringed in second-hand embarrassment, especially when he saw people giggling and filming the whole thing.

“I’ll think about it,” the girl responded in an airy voice. She was too far away that Derek couldn’t tell if she was being mocking or serious.

Stiles’ grin didn’t leave his face as he stepped down from the table. Derek saw him offer Lydia the cookie cake, but she held her hand up in rejection. Stiles shrugged and held the box closer, then grabbed his friend, who Derek recognized as his best friend Scott, by the shoulder and rushed out of the cafeteria.

Derek found himself fuming. At first, he thought it was at the way everyone was laughing at Stiles after he put himself out there, and the way the girl didn’t even appreciate what he had done. But he realized that wasn’t what it was, not really.

It was jealousy.

Derek had always cherished the tradition he had going on with Stiles (although he supposed it was mostly one-sided and it was secret), and it had made him feel special. Now he felt like it meant nothing. It was nothing more than Stiles feeling bad for the kid who once had a bad Valentine’s Day.

Derek abruptly shoved away from his table and stood up. He grumbled an excuse about having to be somewhere and stomped out of the cafeteria, annoyed he had to drag the balloon from Stiles with him. All he wanted was to pop the dumb balloon and shove it in a trash can, but knew he would regret it if he decided to do that in front of a cafeteria full of people.

As Derek stormed down the, thankfully empty, hallway, he heard a voice. He froze when he recognized that it was Stiles’ voice. He immediately hid himself against the wall, then rolled his eyes when he realized Stiles wasn’t even coming toward him, but seemed to be having a conversation in the hallway perpendicular to the one Derek was in. Derek knew there was no reason to, but he couldn’t help but eavesdrop.

“I just don’t understand why you did that! You know Lydia would never go for you!” That was Scott’s voice, and Derek couldn’t help but feel offended on Stiles’ behalf. 

“Thank you for your vote of confidence, Scott. I feel like the more pressing issue that you could have mentioned is the fact that I don’t even swing that way, which would have been a much less hurtful thing to say.” 

Derek froze. Had he heard that correctly? He felt guilty realizing he had listened to Stiles out himself, but felt frozen in his spot.

Scott sighed explosively. “Okay, so then why did you do it?”

Stiles gave an equally dramatic sigh. “Because Lydia asked me to, duh. Besides the fact I’m too afraid of her to say no, she gave a compelling argument. She’s currently fighting with Jackson and wanted to piss him off and make him jealous, and you know I’m always down to piss Jackson off. Plus, she said she would get a cookie cake and let me keep it, which, as you can see, she did. Plus, it’s not like I have a reputation to uphold. This isn’t even the most embarrassing thing I’ve done this year.”

Scott laughed. “Oh yeah, you mean like wooing the same person for years but not even telling them it’s you? Or talking to them?”

Stiles hissed out a “shut up” in anger, but Derek tuned out the rest of the conversation, feeling like he was on cloud nine. 

Scott must have been talking about all of the gifts Stiles had been giving to Derek. Which meant it did mean something, and that Stiles actually had feelings for Derek. Not for Lydia, who didn’t even appreciate Stiles.

Derek spent the rest of the day feeling like he was floating, proudly holding his balloon through the hallways. It wasn’t until the end of the day that Derek that the way he was reacting was a bit over the top unless…

Did Derek also have feelings for Stiles?

12th grade

Derek felt like his heart was about to pound out of his chest, and he was certain he had already sweat through his shirt. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt this nervous. 

It was Valentine’s Day, his last one before he went to college. He knew if he didn’t do anything, it would be fine. Stiles would probably give him an anonymous gift like every year, and it would be a nice thing to reminisce about one day. It would be the same as always.

But Derek decided he couldn’t let things stay the same, and he was about to throw a wrench in Stiles’ plans. 

He wasn’t sure at what point he had begun to develop feelings for Stiles, but he had realized in tenth grade after he heard about Stiles’ feelings that they were definitely there, and at this point they had become too deep to ignore. He wanted to be Stiles’ valentine but he wanted it to be for real this time, and the only way to make that happen was by telling him. And desperately hoping that he hadn’t completely misinterpreted everything.

Derek had arrived to school over half an hour early, parking right next to Stiles’ usual spot to make sure he didn’t miss him. He wanted to catch him in the parking lot, to hopefully stay out of the way of prying eyes. 

It had seemed like a good idea, but now he was left stewing in his own anxiety, thinking about everything that could go wrong and wondering if he should back out now before it was too late. He even wondered if he shouldn’t have made his younger sister hitch a ride with someone else so that at the very least he would have company, but he knew she would only make him more stressed. Sisters were evil like that.

Fifteen minutes before school began and Stiles finally arrived.

It was now or never. 

Derek got out of his car just as Stiles did, and called his name. Stiles jumped in shock and turned to face Derek. Derek caught a whiff of nerves off of him, but he didn’t run, so at least that was a good start.

“Can I talk to you real quick?”

Stiles looked surprised, but he nodded and approached Derek. “Uh, sure. Did you want to go inside, or…”

“No, we can talk out here. Actually, it’s better out here, because I have some stuff. In my car, I mean. So it’s easier if it’s here and I don’t have to carry it and we can just talk here now.” Derek realized none of what he was saying was making sense, and felt dread pool in his stomach when he saw the confusion growing on Stiles’ face. God, why was this so hard?

“I just wanted to say- uh- Happy Valentine’s Day. Well, that wasn’t all I wanted to say, but- One sec.” Derek ducked into the back of his car, glad he had an excuse to collect himself for a moment.

When he reemerged, it was with a box which he placed on top of his trunk. He was grateful to see that Stiles hadn’t fled.

Derek looked down at the box, avoiding eye contact with Stiles to the best of his ability, and began pulling out items one by one. “In second grade, you brought me a brownie, one that had heart-shaped sprinkles that your mother had baked. In third grade, it was an equally delicious cupcake.” He pulled out a brownie and cupcake (both store-bought and certainly not as good as Stiles’ mother’s baked goods, but baking was not his strong suit) and shoved both into Stiles’ hands, continuing on before Stiles could interrupt him. “In fourth grade, it was a folded heart, which I now realize was very impressive, since I’m about double the age you were when you made ones for the whole class and just this one took me about 20 tries.” He gave out a self-deprecating laugh, and once again handed the item to Stiles. “In fifth grade, it was a heart-shaped lollipop. In sixth, a box of chocolates. Seventh, conversation hearts.” He realized Stiles’ hands were too full to hold anything else, and began placing the items onto the trunk next to the box instead. “In eighth grade, it was a teddy bear. Freshman year, it was chocolate covered strawberries. Sophomore year, you gave me a heart-shaped balloon, which was actually quite useful.” He had to lean back into his car to grab the balloon, since it had been too big for the box. “Last year, it was roses. And all of it began in first grade, when you decided the nobody kid in the class with no friends deserved to have something nice, no matter what the teacher said, when you gave me the best cookie I have, to this day, ever had. You told me then, and for years to come, that I was your valentine. And as much as I loved that, I want something more. Will you be my real valentine? Will you be mine?” Finally, he pulled out a heart-shaped cookie, covered with pink icing and the words Be Mine written on top.

Derek finally looked up at Stiles, who had his mouth open in shock. He smelled like a myriad of emotions, and Derek was having difficulty getting a read on him. As the seconds passed, he began to get the sinking feeling he had royally fucked up.

“Are you kidding me?” Stiles finally burst out, and barrelled on before Derek could even figure out what part he was reacting to. “You’ve ruined my ten-year plan! I have been secretly wooing you- or at least I thought it was secret- for years, and today was going to be the grand finale! I was going to confess that it was me all along and then I was going to offer you a kiss and if it was weird and you weren’t interested I had some chocolate kisses to give you so I could play it off all cool, but then if you were interested we were going to have a great, romantic first kiss. But you have out-romanced me in one fell swoop! How dare you!”

Derek stared back in shock. He felt.. actually he had no idea how he felt and wasn’t even sure what part of that he was supposed to react to first.

“Well, what do you have to say for yourself?” Stiles demanded, although Derek could see the smile hidden on his face.

“Uh… is a kiss still on the table?”

“Chocolate or real?”

“What do you think?”

Stiles pretended to think about it for a moment. “Well, after that grand romantic gesture, I would say a real kiss. But I do know you have a sweet tooth, so it’s hard to say for sure…”

“How about this? You kiss me now, and then after school we go on a date and finish that whole bag of kisses together. And all this store-bought shit I got you. Sound like a good compromise to you?”

Stiles smirked. “Sounds perfect, Valentine.”

After that, Derek helped Stiles put all of the gifts into his Jeep, and then they walked hand and hand to the school, not even caring they were probably late at this point.

Suddenly, a thought hit Derek, and he froze, causing Stiles to stumble and then turn to him with an expectant eyebrow raised.

“Wait, you said ten-year plan. Have you actually been wooing me this whole time?”

Stiles blushed, and it was the prettiest thing Derek had ever seen. “Well, not exactly. But after I gave you that cookie in first grade, I saw the way your eyes lit up, and when you smiled at me, well, my little 6-year-old heart knew you were going to be the only Valentine I’d ever need.”

[starlightinhumanform]

24/7: Chapter One

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Ship: Romantic Loceit, Platonic Demus, Platonic Logicality 

Summary: James (aka Janus) works the graveyard shift at a open-all-night convenience store. Logan is a college student who stays up way too late, way too often. While pulling all-nighters, he often visits the store James works at. As time goes on, James begins to care about Logan as more than just a customer. 

Warnings: Moderate Language, Some suggestive jokes, Mentions of ignorant/negative sentiments regarding vitiligo, Mentions of intoxication— some implied to be underage (please tell me if anything needs to be added)

Genre: College AU, Coffeeshop AU but weird (that’s literally the best way i can think of describing it), Mutual Feelings, Fluff 

A/N: — Janus’ name in this AU is James (mostly because when I began planning this, his name hadn’t been revealed). I may still include his name by writing in a name-change but we’ll see lmao — I do not have vitiligo and do not personally know anyone with vitiligo; Janus’ experience with the condition is based entirely on my research. That being said, I did my best to give an accurate representation but I do not claim that it is flawless in anyway. If there are any improvements you think I can make in this area, please please let me know 🖤🖤🖤 Love you all 🖤✨

Ao3   Fic Masterpost    Fic Request Info

James’ first shift started normally. That is, as normally as he could assume 24 hour convenience store shifts could be. It’s not like he had much experience with it.

Being his first day, he had assumed that the manager would’ve at least stuck around for a while. Instead, the woman had pointed out the bathroom plunger— advising him to not let anyone steal it— told him how to use the slushie machine, and said that if someone tried to rob the store, let them take the money; she even showed him the quickest way to open the cash register. Then she left within the first hour of James’ shift.

James didn’t mind being alone but he couldn’t fight down the frustration at his manager for abandoning him without actually telling him anything useful. He kept worrying that someone would ask a question that he couldn’t answer. What if the customer got angry and then he got reported and lost his job on the first night? Not to mention every time someone walked in, he was ready to bargain for his life with the $225.67 and a random condom in the cash register.

The adrenaline was getting to his head, stirring up usually dormant worries. He couldn’t stop glancing down at his hands. They were warm tan, patterned at random with lighter splotches. He had a condition known as vitiligo which made areas of his skin lose their pigmentation. For the majority of the time, it wasn’t a big deal; the worst part was the weird looks people gave him and even then, he could usually brush them off. Still, there was always the occasional idiot who felt the need to say something rude or inform him that he showed signs of demon possession. He hoped beyond everything that one of those incidents didn’t occur while he was alone in the store.

Thankfully, the only customers for the next few hours were a couple groups of teenagers at varying levels of intoxication and a traveling family made up of two parents suffering from highway-hypnosis and a small child who tried to climb into one of the drink refrigerators.

By one in the morning, the flow of incoming patrons had completely stopped. By that point James had already thrown back an entire 5-hour Energy drink and reorganized the chip rack— twice .

When the entry bell finally rang again at around two, James’ head was buzzing so badly he wasn’t sure if he had imagined the sound or not. A young man walked in— college aged with messy hair and glasses. He disappeared into the rows of brightly coloured plastic bags without a word and so quickly it made James once again question whether or not he was hallucinating.

It wasn’t until the man had made his way back to the counter, setting down a bag of chips and a couple energy drinks, that James was sure he existed. The man’s hair looked like it hadn’t been brushed in two days and his dark circles were so deep they could be seen from beneath his squared glasses. Yup, definitely a college student.  

Despite the obvious signs of exhaustion, the man was undeniably pretty. Counter to his tired scowl, his eyes were bright and alert, framing a sharp nose. The way he kept his strong chin tilted slightly upwards and walked with purpose gave him the appearance of someone who actually knew what he was doing with his life— so basically, the opposite of James.

James was hardly ever self conscious about his appearance but this man— this stupidly pretty, oddly perfect man— made James squirm just a little bit, made him wonder if he was living on one side of some scale while the customer lounged on the other side. James tried to shrugged it off, focusing on the items in front of him instead.

The man spent the entire interaction at the counter muttering to himself and never once making eye contact. It was a little strange, but he was cute and James was bored so he decided to just appreciate the entertainment while it lasted.

It wasn’t until James went to hand the man his receipt that he seemed to even become aware of James’ existence. James held out the thin slip of paper, apparently causing the man to flinch backwards. His reaction was strong enough to make James wonder if he was one of those people— the type that thought vitiligo was some sort of deadly, contagious disease.

His eyes darted up quickly, his gaze sharp as it scanned over James’ face, “You’re not the normal cashier.”

He was taken aback by the accusing tone in the man’s voice, “No, I guess I’m not? I just got hired; the other guy got let off… something about trying to steal the plunger.”

“Oh,” His face transformed into a noncommittal scowl that James simply could not read, “Expect me regularly.”

The man turned on his heels and walked briskly to the door as James stood frozen and mystified behind the counter, “Oh, uh… see you soon then.”

——————

James woke up to the smell of something burning. He didn’t even remember dragging himself home and collapsing in his bed but based on the smell bothering him he evidently had made it back. No one could burn food quite like his roommate.

“Remus what the fuck are you doing?” James shuffled out to the kitchen where his roommate was poking at something on the stove.

“Making lunch.”

Based on his bed head and near-complete lack of clothes (Remus always slept in booty shorts and nothing else) James could guess that he had woken up only a few minutes earlier himself, “Dude that does not smell like anything humans should eat.”

Remus gave him a wicked grin and James decided not to push the subject. He walked out of the room with a sigh and hoped that the smell would clear up soon.

He made his way into the living room, sitting down and flipping open his laptop. James groaned at the lack of new email notifications. No new emails meant no new job acceptions.

“Guess I’m working the night shift again.”

James was grateful he got the job at the convenience store— no question. Getting a job as a college dropout was both necessary and nearly impossible at the same time. He was lucky to get a job at all and being a graveyard shift, he got paid nearly double the normal wage for his position. For now, his sleep schedule would just have to suffer.

——————

The weeks drifted by and James fell into a dull, but easy rhythm. He would go to work every night, spend the hours rearranging chip bags, guarding the plunger, and— if he was lucky— the pretty college boy would come in for a few minutes to grab salty food and a caffeinated drink.

James wasn’t sure when it became “lucky” for the man to come into the store. Maybe it was lucky because he was entertaining, always preoccupied and wandering around the store like his mind was a hundred miles away. He had this odd sort of duality— somehow both spaced out and intensely focused at the same time. It was like he was concentrating on the dimension beyond the one James was living in. He floated through this world, always preoccupied with world in his head. It was endearing and intriguing and James found himself looking forward to seeing the man. James wanted to see the world inside his head, to know what was so captivating that he had no use or interest for what was outside of it.  

The student was quickly becoming his favourite customer— something James never thought he would have— and he genuinely enjoyed having a chance to talk to the other guy. He was handsome, obviously intelligent, and, if given the chance, James definitely would’ve asked him out for a drink.

As it was though, James looked awful in his uniform so he would never have the confidence to make a move the only times he ever saw him.

James started to watch for him. The man came at least once a week, always between midnight and four in the morning. He must have lived nearby because he always walked over instead of taking a car like most of the other patrons. Either that, or he lived further away and walked all the way just for a bag of chips and an energy drink.

It was a Thursday like any other when he walked into the store and James’ curiosity got the better of him.

“So,” James leaned across the counter as the man sat his items down, “you come around here often?”

He tilted his head quizzically, “Yes? I do come here often? You’ve seen me.”

“No I— it was a joke,” James resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. This was… not going the way James would have hoped, “What’s your name? We might as well get on first name basis since we see each other all the time.”

“I’m Logan,” Logan seemed surprised by the question.

“I’m James.”

Logan gave a curt nod, “I know.”

“But— how? I—“

“It’s on your name tag,” And with that, Logan turned and marched out of the store.

——————

Logan laid on his back, arms and legs spread over the entirety of his bed. The only leftover space of the bed was occupied by Patton, one of his housemates.

“So how did the all-nighter go?”

Logan groaned, “Well… it sure as hell did go all night. I’m so fucking tired.”

“This is what you get for viewing the entire American university system as a challenge.”

He squinted up at Patton. With his blond hair and round, smiling face he looked like the direct inversion of whatever pale little zombie Logan currently felt like, “I gotta stop staying up so late.”

“I don’t know, you kind of seem to like it,” His housemate patted his leg and stood up to walk out of Logan’s room, “By the way, where do you keep going? I hear you leaving the house, like, super early all the time.”

Sunlight was streaming through his partially open blinds. It was probably quite pretty but to Logan it just looked like a headache-inducing glare. He threw a pillow over his face, muffling his voice as he answered, “Booty call.”

Patton laughed as he stopped walking, “Yeah right. The day you answer a booty call is the day I will shave my head.”

Logan shifted the pillow slightly to look at Patton again. The man’s hair was his prize possession, like a curly fluffy cloud that he kept as a pet on top of his head. Logan didn’t know how Patton could afford the time and money he put into his hair. What he did know, however, was that Patton would never risk its safety. Logan frowned in (mostly) fake insult, “You really think there’s not a single person who would send me a horny text at three in the morning?”

“Nah I think there are quite a few people who would do that. I just doubt there’s anyone you’d actually find worth answering.”

Was there anyone he would actually answer? Logan stared up at the dark fabric above him. The pillowcase was a deep navy blue and if he really squinted, he could see the weave of the thread, a thousand random threads coming together to make a greater whole. The way the individual pieces created something far larger than themselves was fascinating to Logan. He had never given it much before, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever find a random individual worth making something together.

In the darkness covering his eyes, a vision of the convenience store cashier flashed across his mind. The face he saw was light brown and across that warm canvas, lighter portions sprawled. For the first time, Logan began really thinking about that face. He had sharp features, tired eyes, and when he smiled with lips sloped upwards at a lopsided angle. His skin reminded Logan of the glossy photos of nebulae in his astronomy textbooks— bright splashes breaking up the sameness of the night sky. How had he never noticed that before? What was his name? James.

He heard the creak of their old floors beneath Patton as he walked out of Logan’s room. He probably thought Logan had fallen asleep as he lay there in silence. He was far from asleep, though. His mind was racing, trying to find the missed connections and continually finding new ones in the process. His eyes flickered as previously unrecognized thoughts began surfacing. And they didn’t stop. How had he never noticed?

“I’ve been going to that convenience store down the street,” Logan called as Patton walked away.

James.

Maybe there was someone for him.

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[ga-yuu]

~Kurama~Main Story Chapter 12~

Chapter 11

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------Part 1------

Kurama: "You're the silversmith, right? Come on, work for me."

Old man: "Wh-Who....Who are you?!!?!!?!"

A small old man, who had been sitting alone at the hearth, looked up at Kurama with his soulless eyes.

Kurama: "Don't answer my question with a question, you fool."

(Oh god! He is going to kill the old man!)

Old man: "Uwaa...."

I quickly intervene between Kurama and the old man, who is frightened by the look in his eyes that he is about to shoot him.

Yoshino: "Sorry for that! We were introduced to you by Sueharu-san. Are you Heikichiro-san?"

Heikichiro: "I'm Heikichiro, but....I don't know anyone who goes by the name Sueharu."

Kurama: "Do you know Kichiji Kaneuri?"

Heikichiro: "....! You mean that big merchant....! So you're the one who wanted to pay for my works..."

Sighing, the old man turns to Kurama.

Heikichiro: "Then you must have already known about me. I won't be taking on any more orders. Sorry for the trouble, but my reply is the same. I would like to ask you to leave."

Kurama: "Do you wanna die?"

Heikichiro(scared): "......Nn.."

Yoshino: "Kurama!!"

Heikichiro-san shivered, but barely withstood the glare of Kurama's eyes.

(But Kurama won't be happy until he gets what he wants.)

(I have to talk to Heikichiro-san somehow.)

Yoshino: "We were wondering if you could tell us why? We heard that Heikichiro-san is a very skilled craftsman. It's strange that someone like that doesn't get any work at all...."

After a moment of silence, Heikichiro-san opens his mouth.

Heikichiro: "It's a stubborn old man's decision. It's just that I'm tired. No matter how much care you put into your designs, the customer only sees the value of the silver. ‘We'll give you more money and next time you'll make something that looks more expensive’ is what they say...it is a pity that the work is kept in hand only for the sake of self-aggrandizement."

(I didn't know that was possible...I guess that's the trouble with making expensive goods.)

Kurama: "I don't know what you mean, but there's no pity or happiness in what's been made."

Heikichiro: "....I don't think you and I are on the same page."

(Oh no, it's getting worse!)

Heikichiro: "If you don't care and just want to get paid, you might as well quit your job."

Yoshino: "Um...I'm a pharmacist, so my job is completely different, but I do understand a little bit of what you're saying..."

Heikichiro: "......."

Kurama looks down at me with his arms folded in silence as if he has decided to remain quiet for a while.

Yoshino: "I have been advised to give priority to the well-off over the poor. We can charge the rich more for our medicines. That's what we should do if we want to be efficient as a business."

Heikichiro: "....Then what happened?"

Yoshino: "I couldn't do it. I think it's one way to divide up the work....I became a pharmacist not just to make money, but to help others who are hurting. I felt that if I forgot that, I would lose sight of my purpose and I would change."

(I knew there was an easier way. But still...)

Yoshino: "----I wanted to be a pharmacist who was proud of who he was."

There was a small silence in the hut as a quiet voice told them.

Kurama: "......................."

Heikichiro: "-----I see."

After a moment, I sigh and look straight into Heikichiro-san's eyes.

Yoshino: "If you feel that Heikichiro-san is not able to produce his work with the same attention to detail....Surely now is not the right time to make one."

Kurama: "Hey you, didn't you come here to persuade him?"

-------Part 2------

Kurama: "Hey you, didn't you come here to persuade him?"

(That's true, but....)

I was troubled when I compared the faces of Kurama and Heikichiro-san.

(I think it takes a lot of determination to not shake your head even with the weight of Kurama on your shoulders.)

(After all, I don't think he can make something good if he's forced to make it.)

Yoshino: "We won't force you to do it. But it's shame we won't be able to see the work that's been done with such care. Can you show us any of your past work if you have it?"

Heikichiro: "........ Yeah, of course."

Heikichiro-san heads for a shelf in the corner of the room, showing some hesitation.

Then, from the back of the room, he took out a few items that were carefully inserted in a paulownia box..."

Kurama: ".....!!"

Kurama's eyes widened slightly as the items were carefully wiped down with a cloth.

Yoshino: "Wow, it's really beautiful.... I've never seen anything so finely woven."

(....Kurama is also watching them very intently.)

After a few moments, his mouth quietly opened.

Kurama: "----It's brilliant glow. Does it change its appearance according to the type, intensity, and angle of light?"

Heikichiro: "! That's right. It's made with an unusual process."

Kurama: "I don't care about the process."

Heikichiro: "Mm.."

Yoshino: "Ku-Kurama!"

Kurama's attention was caught by an involuntary interruption.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. I asked him for more details...

2. The process is important...

3. Not in that way...(+4/+4)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoshino: "That's no way to talk about work that someone's taken seriously."

Kurama: "What a strange woman you are to lecture me."

Kurama's fingers glided softly over the silversmith's work as he answered in a cumbersome tone.

Kurama: "You don't need to know the process, you just need to see the finished product. It's unique."

Heikichiro: "....!"

I heard Heikichiro-san gasp at the quiet tone of voice and the heat in his eyes.

(Ah! Kurama is acknowledging a human!)

Kurama: "But, it's not enough."

His red eyes, which absorb the glitter of the silversmith's work and take on a strange light, look at Heikichiro-san.

Kurama: "What I want from you is a light I've never seen before. A light that delights my eyes. If you have hands, you can work. Forget about all the nonsense you've been hearing and do what you’re good at."

Heikichiro: "I...I've never had anyone order me around like that before..."

(That was my first impression too....)

Heikichiro-san murmurs in confusion.

Heikichiro: "But strangely enough, I can't smell any falsehood from you. He seems to have the most arrogant attitude in the world, ....yet his fingertips are so gentle on the silverwork."

Kurama: "I value what I find valuable."

As Kurama stepped closer, Heikichiro-san stepped back as if under pressure.

Kurama: "I've heard that you can't make something good if you force it. Then answer me, silversmith."

---------Part 3----------

Kurama: "I've heard that you can't make something good if you force it. Then answer me, silversmith. What do I need to do to make these hands work? A golden workbench, a silk robe, or even....I will arrange the heads of those who have defiled your work in a circle around this house.”

(....He’s not threatening. But he’s serious.)

Heikichiro-san’s face turns pale as if he sensed the presence of an inhuman being.

(That look on his face, he’s not just scared.)

(....Because of how much Kurama really approves his work.)

Heikichiro-san, who had been gazing at Kurama in fascination, muttered to himself.

Heikichiro: “Who...are you?”

Kurama: “Kurama. That’s all you need to know.”

After a moment of silence, Heikichiro-san let out a long breath as if he had made up his mind.

Heikichiro: “....If I could have some time. I’m sure you’ll get what you want. I’d like you to pay for it at that time.”

( Heikichiro-san!!)

Kurama: “All right. But if you can’t make me something I like, I’ll cut your head off. Be prepared.”

Yoshino; “I told you to not threaten people. Sorry for that, Heikichiro-san. I’ll be cheering you on from the shadows....”

Heikichiro: “Thank you very much. I’m a bit confused myself, but I’ll do my best.”

Kurama: “I was telling the truth, not threatening.”

Heikichiro: “Hahahaha. I hope so...”

(It’s okay, Heikichiro-san...)

But despite the cold sweat on his face, Heikichiro-san had a smile on his lips.

.......................

Yoshino: “At any rate, I’m glad he took our order.”

Kurama: “I had intended to make him accepted by any means necessary, but you have done better than I expected.”

(Kurama, looks like he’s in a good mood.)

As night falls, we walk down the corridor back to the Rebel house.

(I’m also looking forward to the completion of  Heikichiro-san ‘s work.)

Above all, Heikichiro-san, who had stopped being a silversmith through sad resignation.

I’m excited by the fact that he can rekindle his passion.

(But that’s not all. Why am I so happy now?)

I glanced at the profile of Kurama as we walked side by side, and our eyes met as if he had sensed it.

Kurama: “What’s with that loose face?”

Yoshino(blushing): “Hm?”

(Oh dear. Did I make too many expressions?)

Yoshino(blushing): “Nothing!!”

I was still wondering where the thread of my broken thought was going, but I couldn’t put it into words so I faked it.

Kurama: “-----Well, I’m feeling so good today that I’m willing to overlook your little feelings. Your room is here.”

Yoshino(blushing): “Mm, yes.”

(Really, we were there before you knew it.)

Stopping in front of the room that was assigned to me, Kurama casually opens the sliding door.

Then, with his other hand, he easily pulled me to him and pushed me easily into the room.

(Eh?.... Hey!!)

Kurama came in after me and closed the doors behind him.

Yoshino(blushing): “Why are you coming in.....?”

Kurama: “Did you forget? I told you, I’d reward you. After you helped me, we’ll continue what we did yesterday.”

---------Part 4-------

Kurama: “After you helped me, we’ll continue what we did yesterday.”

Yoshino(blushing): “Ah.......”

(I totally forgot about that!)

The memory of being touched so badly comes back to me and my skin feels hot.

In a darkened room, Kurama stared at me.

Yoshino(blushing): “No, no,. Just getting out there is reward enough!”

Kurama(evil smile): “Don’t be shy. I’ll give you as much as you want.”

Kurama laughed like a ferocious beast when he saw me backing away.

Kurama: “There’s something more intriguing when I see you running away. Don’t move!”

(.....Ehhh)

Suddenly, Kurama’s eyes clashed with a mysterious light.

The words sink into my body as if they had mass.

(I can’t move!?)

Yoshino: “What are you doing....!!?”

Kurama: “It’s just a 'Kotodama’. Just the rudiments of spell application. Yoshitsune would be able to disarm this level on his own, but I doubt that you can.”

(You mean you’re using your curse power. If that’s the case, I’ll use the power of the nine-tail fox to....!)

The moment I focus my attention.

Yoshino: “Ah....”

Kurama suddenly touches the nape of my neck.

Kurama: “What’s the matter, Yoshino?”

Slowly, but with a clear intention, his fingertips traced the lines of my body.

Kurama: “You can’t handle the power of the spell in a human capacity. Didn’t Tamamo teach you that much?”

Yoshino: “If you know, then stop that hand!!!”

Kurama: “WHy should I follow your orders?”

Yoshino(blushing): “Haaa....Mmm....”

----The earlobe has been bitten so that the core of the head is debauched.

(Mm....I can’t move, so I can’t escape the stimulus.)

Yoshino(blushing): “Ahh...this is...cowardly...”

Kurama:” I don’t think it’s cowardly to use the powers available to you, but you’re right...it’s not fun. ‘You’re allowed to move.”

(........!)

As soon as I felt my body lighten up, I recoiled and fell off my feet.

Kurama: “I’ve given you permission but you still can’t move a muscle.”

Kurama laughs deep in his throat as he supports my body with one hand without difficulty.

A sweet sensation crawls up my spine as my hips are traced.

Yoshino(blushing): “Mmm....Let...go....”

Kurama: “Fine.”

(Yikes!!)

My body loses support and falls down.

Before I could stand up again, Kurama covered me.

Kurama: “I lifted the spell because it’s more amusing to hunt you down and see you struggle.”

Yoshino(blushing): “W-Wait...”

(This is absolutely outrageous!)

I resisted and pushed back his chest.

Yoshino(blushing): “It’s a reward, isn’t it? For me? If that’s the case, I don’t think it’s right to push me to do anything.”

Kurama: “...Really? I had forgotten such trifles as I watched you writhe in your misery.”

(How arrogant!)

Yoshino: “If it’s a reward, why don’t you do me a favor once in a while?”

Kurama: “...Try me.”

(Let me see....)

Yoshino: “Let’s talk! Yes, let’s talk!”

Kurama: “Talk? Right now?”

Yoshino: “Yes, but not like this....properly, like two individuals.”

I was pushed down, and somehow my words spun out of control.

(I don’t know what I’m saying about talking in this situation.)

Kurama: “What is it? Is there something on your mind?”

-------Part 5-------

Kurama: “What is it? Is there something on your mind?”

Yoshino: “Mm?”

(Ah, you’re ready to listen to me?)

I was about to ask Kurama to move out of the way when he dutifully stopped.

Kurama: “If not, I’ll do what I want.”

Yoshino: “Yes! Yes!!”

(Something. Think of something...)

As I struggled to get my head around it, I suddenly understood a question that had been nagging at me.

Yoshino: “Today was the first time I thought I saw Kurama speaking to a human normally.”

Kurama: “So? What about it?”

Yoshino: “For Kurama, strength is the only thing that counts. Isn’t that right?”

Kurama: “Of course.”

Yoshino: “But today Kurama acknowledged Heikichiro-san and treated him as a silversmith. That’s what I was wondering.”

Kurama: “He’s a man who works for me. That’s what makes him different from the rest of the mediocre ants.”

Yoshino: “....that's it?”

(I wondered if Kurama had any other criteria for recognizing human beings other than strength and weakness.)

(What is it that makes me wish that?)

(Heikichiro-san was so happy to be recognized by Kurama....)

Kurama: “What are you trying to say?”

Yoshino: “Humans are really just weak creatures to Kurama, right?”

Kurama: “They’re weak and inexplicable.”

Kurama, his eyebrows raised slightly, answered my question without pause.

Kurama: “He has a gift of having hands that make things shine, but he throws them away and laments in vain. And then for reasons unknown to me, he suddenly becomes motivated.”

Yoshino: “You mean Heikichiro-san, right?”

Kurama: “When I think of it, not only the silversmith, but all the soldiers are creatures of contradiction. One minute they’re getting along with each other and the next moment they’re killing each other. After killing, they cry over the fact that they just killed their friend. Even Yoshitsune. He risked his life for the mere sentimentality of the master-servant bond, and was driven by the unseen love and hate to his brother.”

(A lot of contradictions? That’s for sure.)

Yoshino: “But I’m sure that’s the strength of a person.”

Kurama: “What?”

Yoshino: “I think we’re all contradictory, we’re all lost, we’re all suffering, but we’re moving on.”

Kurama: “It is the work of a fool to take a long way round to reach his destination.”

Yoshino: “Instead of having wings that can fly you to your destination like Kurama, or the power to kill an enemy with a single blow. Humans value their beliefs and the bonds they have with those around them.”

(Even Kurama is really....)

Yoshino: “Isn’t that why you didn’t take Yoshitsune’s life right away, because you knew that? Because if he really wanted his soul, Kurama could have taken it without question.”

Kurama: “I don’t get it. I don’t understand you.”

Yoshino: “I want to understand Kurama.”

My heart trembles at the danger of the answer that slipped out of my mouth.

(Not as enemies, nor as a demon...)

(It would be nice if Kurama and I could talk to each other as just beings. I think so, but....)

It clearly crossed the line of being a prisoner.

Kurama: “................” 

There is a distinct irritation in Kurama’s eyes as he looks down at me.

(Ah)

Kurama: “Shut up now.”

A hand was placed on my neck, followed by a cold glare.

Kurama: “I must have been mistaken in thinking you were in any way interesting.”

(Even though he didn’t use Kotodama.)

(I can’t move.)

No matter how close I feel to him, I’m sure I’ll never get used to the intimidation that Kurama gives off.

I knew it in my bones.

Kurama: “Understanding is an emotion that does not contribute strength. Will you still be able to think like that when you’re overtaken?”

Chapter 13

[magic-belodie]

I finished Hyun's route of MCLLL episode 13. It cost me 1344 AP. I got Hyun's illustration. Here is the summary:

You start this episode at home, it is the next morning after Eric tried to kiss you. Hyun is already a wake. You ask your self if you should tell Hyun. I decided to do so. You go to the living room. You find a note. In the note Hyun let you know that he is already at work. You decide to put on your outfit. I choose the outfit for Hyun's illustration. You leave for work.

In front of the café, Yael will call you. She asks if you are free tonight. You say that you haven't planned anything officially. Yael will take you to an art show tonight. Then you go inside the café.

At the café, you hear Nina and Dambi talking, you join the conversation. They are talking about Hyun and how he messed up the orders. Dambi sees that Hyun is not doing well. She thinks about talking with Hyun about it. But she is afraid that Hyun won't listen. I advise Dambi to talk with Hyun. Nina thinks that it is maybe wise that Dambi talks with her parents.  But that would only make things worse. They already don't accept the job choices from Dambi and Iseul. Dambi being a gamer and Iseul teaching yoga classes. Then Dambi has to leave. She is participating in the world championships of her game. The story skips till closing the café. You go to the art show. Yael and you didn't stay long at the art show. You are talking with her outside in the main street. Yael will tell you how she found her calling for art. When she was a junior. And underhanded gallery wanted to exhibit my best friend's art. So she made sure that her friend should get the price she deserved for her art. Then Yael asks you if you want to take a drink. No matter what you choose you will take a drink with Yael. You go together to the snake bar.

Yael wanted to have a drink to celebrate some good news. Chani choose Yael as her agent. Yael will wait a little with selling her art, until Chani is a little more comfortable showing it. But you both think that Kim and Violette helped Chani a lot with getting out of her shell. Yael also want you to do an expo with art from Cécilia. You tell Yael that you will get back to her about this when you have spoken to Dan. Yael wants to do the expo from Cécilia with a cake from Hyun. You will tell Yael that Hyun is not doing well lately. And that is having more work than he can handle. Yael offers that if Hyun wants to she could get him a job at a big business where he can cook everything he wants. They want to pay him money to get out of his own business. You tell her that you will mention it to Hyun. Then you and Yael go home.

In front of the snake bar, you talk with Yael about her family. Yael has spoken with her sister. And she still doesn't accept Yael. But it won't held Yael back anymore. Yael is proud of who she is. Then you think about your own situation and what happened with Eric. You can choose if you want to talk about it with Yael. I decided to not talk about it, because I want to talk about this with Hyun first. You walk further to home. At home, you hear Hyun snoring. You go to the bedroom. Hyun will wake up wants you walk inside. You go with him to bed. The next morning Hyun is already gone when you wake up. You leave for the café. Nina opened the café this morning. She is enthusiastic, because more people are bringing their own cup. Her idea is doing well. Then Hyun comes inside with the cupcakes. You take Hyun to the kitchen to talk with him. You tell him about the business deal from Yael. I told Hyun that he should not take the job. Hyun doesn't want the deal. He likes having his own business. You think he is right about this. You will give the messages to Yael. Hyun leaves to do the rest of the orders. You go back inside the café. There you will see Marina. Marina was wondering if you hear anything from Rayan. You tell her that you haven't heard from Rayan since the day that Rayan heard what happened. She hopes that Rayan will be doing better. Marina goes home. You leave to go to Dan at the restaurant.

You are the first one to arrive. Dan isn't showing up. You call him. He isn't picking up. After a while, he calls you back. He has no clue why you called him. You tell him that you are waiting at the restaurant for him. He will tell you that he is getting caught up in his schedule and that his no time for the meeting. You ask Dan about planning the next sale. Dan says that it maybe has to go without a show. But he doesn't have time to talk about it now. You hang up and go back to the café. When you come inside the café, you will see Rosa talking with Eva. They are debating about how to feed up children. Eva can't win the debate, so she leaves. You go sit down with Rosa at the terrace. You ask Rosa if she has heard from Alexy. She hasn't. You tell her about your conversation with Morgan. And that he is not doing well. Rosa thinks that Morgan should talk with someone about this. You will talk about this with Morgan when you see him again. Then you tell Rosa about how everything ended with Rayan and Marina and that Priya left her job. Rosa thinks that Priya did the right thing. Then you can choose if you tell her about Eric. I decide to tell her. Rosa doesn't think that you should tell Hyun what happened. Because now isn't a great time. But Rosa is sure that you will do what is good. Rosa will leave. You get a call from Castiel. He wants you to come to the studio. Nina takes over at the café, and you go to the studio. At the studio, you see Priya and Castiel. Castiel want your opinion about his contract with Ronnie Dialy. Priya and Castiel will tell you that they both can't make any error right now because of their situation. Priya will tell everything that is wrong about the contract. But she will also tell you that she is not sure about her self anymore, because of what happened with Rayan's case. Then Castiel will tell you why he really wants to sign this contract. Castiel wants to go forward and bring out a new album. Priya will tell him that can do that himself with an own label. You get to choose if you want them to sign the contract. I decided that they should not sign the contract. Castiel is going to create his own label. Priya will work everything out for him. Priya will leave to get the info she needs. You go back to the café. It is really busy at the café. You will find out that you have three missed calls from the same number. You call it back, it seems to be Eric. Eric asks you to see him to talk about what happened. No matter what you choose. You will see each other in two days. Then the story skip to closing time. You go home. At home, Hyun is behind the computer. His trying to find out how much money he needs. He really needs a lot. You tell him to relax. You make dinner for you both, then you two go to bed. The story will skip two days. You have to work at the café. At the café customers are asking why they aren't any cupcakes. Hyun hasn't delivered them yet. Hyun will call you, he asks if you can come over. You ask Nina to take over at the café. Before you leave Nina asks why Eric hasn't come the last days. You tell her you don't know. You go home. At home, you see Hyun, Iseul, Dambi and their parents. Dambi will tell you that she has won the world championships of her game. She is also going to quit her job at the café. Dambi is going to be a full-time player. Dambi also talked with Hyun about Kawaii Cakes. To help Hyun with his money problem she became a shareholder. So Hyun's business is saved. And Hyun hired Iseul to help him with all the work. Iseul will be helping Hyun par time, so she can still give yoga classes. Hyun is thinking about starting his own shop. You are happy for Hyun. Hyun's parents make pictures to promote Hyun's business online. You will get the illustration. After having a nice lunch with them, you go back to the café.

At the café, you will tell Nina what happened. She is happy for Hyun and Dambi but will miss Dambi in the café. You are going to look for someone new to hire at the café. Nina goes home. You work the rest of the afternoon. Then it is closing time. Eric is there. You two go to the snake-room.

On your way Eric starts talking, and saying that he doesn't want to talk about it in the snake room. He will tell you right away why he wanted to see you. Eric will tell you that he is in love with you. You get a few options to choose out. I said that I see Eric just as a friend. You ask Eric if he had these feelings for a long time. He answered that he was sure about his feeling after the dinner you had together. You tell him again that you just want to be friends. Eric understands and asks if this can stay between you two. You tell Eric that you haven't decided yet. Eric thinks that he has done enough damage and goes home. You are still not sure if you should tell Hyun. Then the episode ends.

[wowweeharrystyles]

Part 11 | Fringe & Change | 7.2k words

Sequins & Zippers’ Summary: An internship with Harry Lambert transformed into a job of a lifetime - Aurora Del Gatto finds herself touring the world with the one & only Harry Styles as his ‘Head of Wardrobe.’ Aurora is nothing but nerves & excitement as she packs her bags & almost 100 custom designer suits that belong to an unbelievably kind rockstar. She never thought she’d fall in love on top of it all.

Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

Masterlist

a/n: 6 weeks later & we’re finally back !!!! thank you all for your patience & thanks to gwen for listening to me complain about writers block week after week. I’m very excited to get back to sharing this story with y’all. 

as always, reblogging helps a ton & comments & feedback are ALWAYS WELCOME !!!! 

Warnings: brief mentions of anxiety & panic attacks 

Here’s part 11 ! 

Aurora’s standing next to Harry, a drink in her hand when Niall launches into “Drag Me Down.” She flashes Harry the biggest grin before singing along, just as she has with every song. Harry smiles back at her, she doesn’t see it but he doesn’t care. He finds himself singing along to a song he used to sing night after night on stage. It’s strange to watch Niall sing his own version and Harry figures Niall felt the same when he sang his own arrangement of their old tunes back in Dublin. Harry looks back to Aurora. She can feel his eyes on her but waits for the song to end before turning to him. 

Her fingers are delicate and barely touch Harry’s neck as she reaches up to him. Her lips brush against his ear before she speaks. “I miss your bit at the end,” Aurora shares and Harry chuckles lowly. She doesn’t pull away though and Harry takes the opportunity to pull her into him with an arm around her waist. His fingers find where the hem of Aurora’s shirt meets the top of her jeans. As Aurora presses her lips to the warm skin of Harry’s neck she can feel his calloused fingertips press into her skin. 

“Havin’ fun, love?” Harry assures. Aurora doesn’t have to verbally respond because the smile on her face after pressing another lingering kiss to the base of his neck says it all. 

Aurora feels warm and it’s not just because of the hot humid air of Buenos Aires. It’s the heat that's radiating from where Harry’s hand is pressed against her skin. The heat that flushes the tops of her cheeks from the cheap alcohol. The heat in her jaw because she hasn't stopped smiling for the better part of 2 hours. She gets to see Harry perform live almost daily, she gets that concert feeling every night, but to share it with him is something different. To share this experience in the traditional way for the first time is another one of those moments she’ll look back on forever. 

Many things are similar to the aftermath of Harry’s shows - showing their passes to the security guard at the gate near the stage, the ringing in Aurora’s ears from the screams, the scratchy feeling in her throat from singing (badly, at that), the buzzing feeling that lingers in her body from the music. The difference is the feeling of Harry’s hand in hers as they slide backstage to find Niall. 

Aurora also notices the striking difference between Niall’s backstage post show and Harry’s. Niall and Harry may have done this together years ago, running off stage together and onto a crammed tour bus but they’ve both found their own way on their own. It's a different kind of loud and chaotic after Niall’s show. Niall’s band is following him to a large green room that is equally as rowdy as a group of guys headed into a party. They’re high off the show and honestly so are Aurora and Harry. 

“So how’d ya enjoy the show?” Niall asks, his Irish accent thick, before taking a chug of water. 

“Rory enjoyed it the most I think. Belted out every single word,” Harry answers as he tucks Aurora into his side. Aurora crosses her arms in front of her in lieu of wrapping one around his waist. 

Niall’s dropped to the couch, his chest still heaving from the performance. 

“Hey,” Aurora whines as Harry and Niall laugh together. “You didn’t miss too many lyrics yourself, Har,” she playfully bites back. 

“Know all the words to my album, Haz? That’s what I like to hear.” 

“Don’t trust a thing she says,” Harry jokes before kissing the top of Aurora’s head. Niall’s laughter echoes off the walls. 

“Hey, I’d be a bit nicer to Aurora. I like her quite a bit. Don’t want you to chase her away so soon,” Niall advises with a wink to Harry. 

“Unfortunately, I think it’d take a lot more than that to chase me away,” Aurora tells Niall. “Anyways, who else is gonna get him dressed?” Niall’s laughing again and his band joins in, Aurora as well. Harry rolls his eyes trying to subside his own laugh but eventually joins in. 

Aurora relaxes into one of the leather covered chairs and Harry sits on the wide arm rest when Niall asks them if they want to stay for a bit and have beer or 2. Aurora leans forward to rest her elbows on Harry’s knees, her chest falling against his thigh. Harry presses the cold bottle of beer to the back of Aurora’s bare neck making her jump from the sudden change in temperature. He switches the bottle to the opposite and lightly digs his fingers into the muscles in Aurora's shoulders. Bending down he kisses her temple before whispering, “We can go whenever you want,” softly, reassuringly. 

Aurora’s extent of her anxiety had been brought up in conversation a few nights ago, Harry wanting to be able to help or at least do what he can to subside it if possible. Nobody had ever asked her how they could help or understood enough to want to know more. Her parents tried to understand, they really did, but something to do with the generational gap made it hard for them to really get it, to believe it even. So when Harry asked about it out of nowhere Aurora was shocked. 

She explained what it's like in different ways and how it comes about. The social anxiety aspect of new people and new places is what triggered Harry’s question just now. She told him about how she’ll feel trapped like she can’t go anywhere and she doesn’t want to create a scene, doesn’t want to offend anyone by leaving. She talked about the anxiety she had from the thought of a new hotel room and new arena every day before she left New York. But she was pleasantly surprised when it felt okay, that the faces became familiar and even though they were new arena’s daily, the pink flowers and TPWK signs became comforting. Harry’s heart swelled when Aurora shared the last bit. After she answered all his questions and told him about how she copes and what he can do that would make it easier, better even, Aurora thanked him. She thanked him over and over again when she crawled into his lap. She thanked him as she pulled off his shirt and kissed the swallow tattoos on his chest. She thanked him when she sank down on him. She shared everything that night, her mind, her body, all of it. She had never felt so understood, so safe.

Harry can tell Aurora’s in another world, squeezing her shoulder, he says her name softly. She looks up to him, a hint of worry in his eyes. She smiles, the memory of nights prior still floating in her head. The worry washes away when Aurora takes his hand that’s on her shoulder and presses a kiss to the palm of it. 

“I’m good right now,” she reassures him. “Thanks for asking.” 

“What're you thinking ‘bout?” 

“I’ll tell ya later.” 

She does tell him later, after they’ve said their goodbyes to Niall, after the car ride back to the hotel, after they get into Harry’s hotel room. She tells him between kisses. She tells him how nobody has ever said “we can go whenever you want” in any way and meant it. She tells him how she was thinking about how she thanked him and how she couldn't stop thinking about it. 

It doesn’t take them long to rid each other of their clothes. It was early morning by the time they fell asleep, their bodies sticky with sweat but too tired to shower now. 

Morning comes too fast and Harry groans into the back of Aurora’s neck when the alarm goes off. He turns away from her, his arm sliding from her waist to call room service. Aurora only pays enough attention to make sure he orders plenty of coffee and then lets herself succumb to sleep again. 

She wakes up only a little bit later when there’s a knock on the door. Harry’s curls hang heavy from his shower and Aurora can’t help but giggle as he tries to blow some of the curls from his forehead as he sets her coffee on the bedside table nearest her. 

After Harry and her eat breakfast, Harry has to jump on a call and Aurora decides to shower back in her own hotel room where her suitcase still is. Considering they had spent most of the past 10 days together, the morning and afternoon apart is nice. She takes a nap and catches up on a few shows, somewhat of a normal day for her. 

Aurora is excited to get back to the shows. To get back to seeing Harry on stage, to seeing Helene, to tour life again. It may have only been just over a week but she misses it. She gets it now, when Harry talks about touring being his favourite part. Aurora’s surprised how much she loves it. 

| | | | |

Aurora’s in the middle of sending a text message when Harry comes from nowhere and pulls her along with a tight grip on her hand. Aurora’s eyebrows furrow as a giggle leaves her mouth after his name does. When she gets a good look at him she smiles. He’s preemptively put on his black St Laurent trousers for his show tonight in Santiago but instead of the green glittery shirt he’s meant to be wearing, he has a white Treat People With Kindness t-shirt tucked in. 

“Come on, Angel,” he says with a smile as he walks them through the hall. The music and noise from the audience grows. 

“Harry, where’re we going?” Aurora almost shouts so he can hear her over the ever growing music. He flashes her a smirk, a dimple showing up. 

He nods his head at one of the security guards at a double door and they open a door for them. Aurora thanks the guard with a smile before getting pulled along behind Harry. He slows his pace so she can catch up with him. Once she’s standing by his side, his hand drops from hers and throws his arm around her shoulders. He leads Aurora the rest of the way to where a set of metal stairs lead to the stage. Aurora smiles up at Harry when they stop. He quickly kisses her cheek and his arm slides further over her shoulders, his hand hanging off casually. Harry hums along to ‘Shy’ as Leon Bridges performs on stage. 

Though a moment like this isn’t deemed normal by most, it feels completely and utterly normal for Harry and Aurora. Both loving the time spent together at Niall’s show, they grasp onto that feeling - the feeling of music making them closer, reaching a new spot in their souls. He continues to hum and sing along throughout Leon’s set and Aurora finds herself closing her eyes, soothed by the live music and his low humming near her ear. 

Harry moves to stand directly behind Aurora, his hands sliding up and down Aurora’s arms while kissing the back of her neck as “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” finishes. As the audience cheers for Leon, his hands pause at her shoulders before falling forward, hovering over the front of Aurora casually. He sneaks a kiss behind Aurora’s ear and she giggles at the soft touch, her hands reaching up to settle on his forearms. Aurora turns her head just enough to leave a light kiss at the hinge of Harry’s jaw as “River” begins. 

She sighs, remembering the night in Harry's car in London,  her body relaxing completely into his. She can still remember the sparkle in his eye, even in the dark of the car, and the small smile when Aurora mentioned loving this specific song and her excitement to hear it live. 

There’s a warmth radiating off of Harry’s chest and spreading across Aurora’s back. She can feel the rattle of his chest from the vibrations of the speakers mixed with his quiet singing. His lips are centimeters from her ear. Every couple of words they brush against the shell of her ear, sending continuous shivers down Aurora’s spine. Aurora settles a kiss on his arm, on his bicep near his anatomical heart tattoo. Aurora lets her lips graze there for a moment, completely caught up in the music and the incredibly safe feeling she’s overwhelmed with being wrapped in Harry’s arms. The broadness of his shoulders and his height allows for him to completely envelope her when he crosses his arms over her chest, pulling her into his chest even more. Aurora continues to sink into his chest, melting into his t-shirt and feeling like there is no end to how far she can fall into him. Aurora can feel his slight scruff rub against her cheek every so often. The roughness mixed with the softness of his voice is a feeling that she can’t describe but it makes her heart beat a little faster. 

Harry sways every so often, perfectly in time with the strum of the guitar and rattle of the tambourine. The song is nearing the end and the audience is singing along with Leon, the lyrics echo through the arena. Aurora lets her hands drop from his arms and twists around to face him. She wraps her arms around his neck as his wrap around her waist, hands clasping his opposite elbows to pull her in closer. Her hips are square on his, a place she finds herself more often than not. Careful not to ruin the curls Ayae has already set in place, Aurora barely weaves her fingers in the hair at his neck. Harry brushes his nose against hers before he looks her in the eyes. The vocals coming from stage are just as vulnerable as they feel right now. Not a single person in the crew that is bustling around backstage is relevant to them right now. Aurora and Harry feel as if they are the only people standing there in the dark, Leon singing to them and only them. They meet in the middle, Harry’s lips taking in Aurora’s bottom one first. The kiss is slow and deep. When Harry pulls away barely a millimeter it’s only to tilt his head to deepen the kiss. 

A 4 minute song. A moment for just the 2 of them. A memory from weeks ago. Aurora wishes somehow that there was a way that she could have 2 Harry’s - one to perform his show on stage and one to love on as she enjoyed the show. Show him how much she loves him. How much she loves listening to him, watching him perform. She’ll have to think of more ways to show how much moments like these mean to her. Ways to show him how she wishes she could hold him as he sang has heart out. Show him how he really is that shining light. 

And that’s when the opening lyrics of “River” hit Aurora. Lyrics she’s heard a million times. 

“Been traveling these wide roads for so long

My heart's been far from you

Ten-thousand miles gone”

It may be a spiritually inspired song, but for Aurora, especially in this moment with Harry's lips on hers, it's all about them. Coming from miles away from each other, only to travel thousands and thousands of miles together. Hearts finally feeling safe again. 

| | | | |

The stage set up is different for the South American leg. Without the rising screen, Harry walks on stage in full view as the opening of ‘Only Angel’ begins. The second he’s on the stage, the minimal lights that are shining on the stage catch the sparkle of the rhinestones that cover each strip of fringe. He faces Sarah’s drum kit, takes a swig of water then raises his arms out to the side showcasing the beautiful detail of his jacket - fringe hanging down from his arms and a row across his back. . Aurora can’t help but smile and the second he turns around as the music kicks off there’s a giant smile on Harry’s face as well. 

Aurora’s standing off to the side of the pit, leaning against the wall of the tunnel that leads you in and out of the arena. She sinks her hands into the pockets of her pants as a sigh leaves her lips. Subconsciously, she sings along, song after song. She admires the way he almost saunters across the stage, how he effortlessly draps his hands on the mic stand, the way his hair, even when completely disheveled, is always just so, how he exudes confidence and inclusion, how his voice transports the entire audience to a new place. 

During ‘Ever Since New York’ he has to stop singing a few times because he can’t avoid the smile that appears on his face. It makes it impossible to sing the lyrics and Aurora smiles too. She knows that smile. He’s explained it before, it’s like he can’t believe what he’s seeing in front of him, can’t believe it’s real. 

Aurora’s heart feels heavy in her chest every time he slows down and sings ‘Meet Me In The Hallway’. The care and focus that goes into every note. The pained look on his face that she wants nothing more than to erase. The softness of his closed eyes contradict the tension in his jaw when the words “you left me in the hallway” come floating out of his mouth and echo through the arena. 

He’s back on the main stage, guitar slung over his shoulder after running back from the Bstage. Laughter rumbles through the audience every so often during ‘Anna” as the fringe on his sleeve gets stuck on the pins at the bridge, then again on the strings. It doesn’t faze him though, he keeps going like it really didn’t happen. He does laugh at himself after the song ends, trying to talk with the audience but his habit of talking with his hands fires back at him. The fringe becomes somewhat of a spectacle after he has to yank it from the opening of the guitar when he eventually takes it off. 

The fringe really adds to the chaos of Harry’s dancing during ‘What Makes You Beautiful.’ The rhinestones catch every light and just like many times before, he’s his own disco ball it seems. He tries to clip the mic back into its stand while he sings the chorus again, but the fringe flies and gets trapped before the mic fits in it’s home. He shakes his head as he messes with it and continues singing. The smile that’s become permanent on his face only grows bigger. 

It’s during ‘The Chain’ and ‘Kiwi’ that she starts to see a few red strips of fabric fall to the floor. Aurora laughs for a bit as she watches Harry on stage but then it turns to a groan when she realises that she’ll have to fix the jacket for tomorrow. 

“Guess fringe on your sleeves wasn’t the most functional thing,” Aurora says to Harry as she takes the jacket off his shoulders. “Looks like you shredded a few and ripped some off when they got stuck on your guitar strings,” she laughs. 

“Sorry,” Harry apologizes. 

“No worries, I’ll just fix 'em tomorrow.” Aurora takes a closer look at the sleeves once it’s back on the hanger. “I could adjust it a bit if the fringey bits were annoying, just move them away from the cuff,” Aurora offers. 

“Didn’t really notice ‘em until they got snagged, but even then it didn’t bother me.” 

“Okay, let me know if you change your mind before I work on it tomorrow.” Harry hums. 

“You did really great tonight, feel like I don’t say it enough,” Aurora compliments, a feeling of guilt at the bottom of her stomach. She takes the trousers from Harry, hanging them up besides the jacket. “You always do great,” she adds. Harry doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have to. Aurora can see in the mirror off to the side, his dimple sinking in and a smirk coming across his face. “Didn’t realise how much I truly love watching you on stage until this past week.” 

It wasn’t until Harry got back up on stage in Buenos Aires that Aurora realised how much she missed seeing him on stage. It wasn’t until then that she realised they’d be traveling back to the US and that they’re more than halfway through the tour. It’s not that she hadn’t been enjoying it. Aurora always gets this way when something is nearing the end. Like in the last semester of college and during the last few weeks of high school, she had gotten this weird feeling in her chest, something that almost resembled regret but she didn’t have too many regrets from high school or college. The same feeling appeared at the end of her internship with Harry Lambert, but there were absolutely no regrets then. She finally put it into words what this almost regretful, sad, deep feeling was. It was simply her not wanting change, not wanting to lose the familiarity of her current life. Why should things end when you’re enjoying them? Living in the moment, as cliche as it is, is what Aurora has to remind herself--remind herself to enjoy what’s happening right now rather than what will come later. So here she is, after watching him perform on stage, a range of emotions flowing through her, all interrupting what she’s trying to get out. How does she tell the rockstar in front of her that she loves him in every sense of the word. That she loves him on and off stage. How does she explain that she thinks she’s scared of what the end of the tour will bring. And at the end of the day, how does she, Aurora Marie Del Gatto from a small suburb in New York, get to love the rockstar that performs on stage every night to thousands of people and the man that is so inherently down to earth and loving? 

Aurora takes his sweaty white button down from him and hangs that up as well and instead of bringing up what’s actually running through her head she says, “Should wear the black button down tomorrow, I’ll get the white one dry cleaned when we get to the US.” 

She turns to Harry as he’s pulling down a black t-shirt over his stomach. He runs a hand through the mess of hair on his head, a soft smile on his relaxed face. The look he gives her organizes her brain in an instant it feels like.“I always knew I loved watching you on stage, but seeing you back up there-” she pauses and shakes her head. “Being with you is one thing,” she continues as she steps closer to him, a light touch of her hand along his jaw, “but seeing you up there… it’s something else.” Aurora’s other hand reaches for his face before she speaks again. “I’m- I’m- I don’t even know if I have the word to explain it properly.” A shake of her head like she’s rattling her unorganized thoughts around in her head.  “Proud of you,” she says simply before she presses her lips to his. Harry’s arms wrap around Aurora’s waist tightly, simultaneously bringing her closer to him and opening his mouth up to kiss her more. It’s Aurora who pulls away first, both of their chest rising and falling more than before. Her hands move from his face, then scratch at his back before she’s properly hugging him. Aurora’s arms are heavy on his shoulders and she feels his jaw move slightly as she noses at the vein in his neck. 

It could be 2 minutes or 2 hours later when Harry loosens his grip on Aurora, pulling away from her, his smile bright but tired. Harry hums as he kisses her temple. 

“I’m gonna make the rounds, quick,” he says, his voice gravelly and tired. 

“I promised Issac, I’d call him tonight.” Aurora’s mentioned Issac, her best friend from childhood, a few times to Harry. “He’s 2 hours behind us so it’s kind of a perfect time for him,” she explains. Besides her sister, Issac knows absolutely everything, maybe even more. He wasn’t the best with advice but he always listened. Issac and Aurora always joked about how they are pretty much the same person while they were growing up and even in adulthood not much has changed. 

“Oh yeah,” he says, remembering Aurora mentioning it earlier. “I’m sorry, just tired.” 

Aurora’s eyebrows furrow, “no need to be sorry.” She lifts a hand to his face, “get some rest, okay? and I’ll see you tomorrow,” she assures him. 

“Ror, thanks for uh-” he doesn’t know how to thank her for what she said earlier. “Thanks for-” 

“No need to thank me,” she cuts him off, shaking her head. She reaches up to kiss him one last time for the night. “I love you, Harry.” 

“Love you too,” he whispers with a squeeze to her waist then a hand through her hair. 

Aurora waves to everyone in the arena saying goodnight and see ya tomorrow’s to everyone see passes. It's pretty much perfect timing when her phone rings as she unlocks her hotel room door no more than 15 minutes later. 

“Issac!” she greets him when his face shows up on her phone. His hair is hidden by one of the many national park hats he owns and his face is covered by his thick beard. 

“Roo!” he says excitedly. When they first met when they were 5, ‘Aurora’ wasn’t the easy name to pronounce and Issac being Issac came up with his own nickname for her and ‘Roo’ was it.

“How are you?” she asks, setting the phone down on the bathroom counter. 

“I’m great! My last trip was amazing. The dogs loved it and I got some really good photos.” Issac is a photographer for the National Park Service which means lots of camping trip and lots of traveling. “I’ll have to send you some photos tomorrow when I edit them.” 

“Yes please! Where are the pups?” 

Issac turns his facetime to the back camera. His 2 Australian shepards are passed out next to each other on the rug. “They’re always so tired when we get back,” Issac comments as he flips the camera back to him. Aurora aw’s as his dogs as she wipes the makeup off her face. “How was the show tonight?” 

“Really good.” 

“I know that look,” Issac comments. “Tell me more.” 

Issac reads her better than anyone, Aurora didn’t even know she had a specific look on her face. “I don’t know,” she says, drying off her face and then moving to drop herself on the bed. “Adult feelings are hard,” Aurora says with a laugh. 

“You guys already said ‘I love you’ and are sleeping together… what else could there be?” 

Aurora groans. “Him being an international rockstar messes with my head sometimes and tour is almost over.” 

“Ohhhh,” Issac says realising what’s happening. He’s been there for every single ‘existential dread of change’ conversation--his name for it, not hers. “Roo, you’ve got a full month of tour in front of you and if you think Harry’s gonna drop you the second that last show ends you’ve got something coming.” 

“You don’t know that,” she says with a frown. “Roo, do you not think he actually loves you?”

“No!” she says quickly. “I’m not questioning that!” 

“If you’re not questioning that then why would you even think anything is going to change?” 

“Things always change and touring is a different world. Once tour is over, everything changes.” 

“Not everything will change. He’ll still love you after that last show and you’ll both start something new. He’ll make more music, you’ll keep styling him and maybe your boss will get you some other jobs in the meantime.” Aurora lets out a heavy sigh. “And he’ll tour again and you’ll do it again.” 

“I know you’re right. You always are with these things,” she sighs again. “I miss you.” 

“I miss you, too.” 

“Thanks for talking me down,” 

“Always.” 

“Now, shall we drink and talk or drink and watch a movie?” 

Issac gets a cold beer from his fridge and Aurora orders wine via room service. They decide on a movie they’ve both seen a million times because without a doubt they’ll end up talking through it anyways. When the movie ends they continue chatting through the credits. 

“Okay, you compare the tour dates with your calendar and then let me know which one works for you,” Aurora confirms. 

“Maybe I'll just tag along on the rest of the tour,” he jokes. 

They’re both laughing despite their tiredness but they eventually stop and say goodnight. 

Aurora snuggles into the hotel bed after messing with the sheets and tossing the extra pillows to the floor. She falls asleep fast now that her head is clear, the feeling in her chest is not so heavy--the magic effects of a facetime with her best friend. 

| | | | | 

Aurora’s sat on the worn down couch in Harry’s dressing room, Harry’s fringe covered jacket that he wore the night before sprawled across her lap, those random Gucci pillows to her left. In front of her on the coffee table, her laptop is propped open, her mother’s smiling face looking back at her. 

“Yeah, I’ve gotta reattach the ones we still have and then I’m making some makeshift ones to fill any other empty space.” 

“You know better than anyone that you should always do a dress rehearsal,” Aurora’s mom reminds her. 

“Mom,” she groans, “yes, I know that, but that’s kinda hard when there’s almost 100 looks. We didn’t have much time before the tour started.” 

“Doesn’t he rehearse or something before each show?” Aurora rolls her eyes. She is more annoyed with herself than her mother right now. 

“Soundcheck, yeah.” She lets out a sigh. “I should’ve had him wear the jacket for soundcheck at least.” Aurora threads a needle with red thread that matches the fringe. “Didn’t really cross my mind. Everything was already designed and made with him performing on stage and everything, but I didn’t think about things getting stuck in his guitar. I was only thinking about how amazing the fringe would look as he danced around.” 

“Rory, sweetie, it’s okay, this is your job anyways, yeah? Making sure he looks good on stage, making repairs and all. I saw a few videos and you were right about how amazing it looks.” 

“Yeah it’s fine. I just can’t believe it didn’t cross my mind.” Aurora shakes her head with a laugh. “Anyways, how’ve you been doing?” 

“Busy at work but Leila came to visit last weekend. She tells me you’re pretty smitten,” her mom shares. 

“Leila,” Aurora hisses. “What on earth did she tell you?” She asks with her eyes narrowed. She does a quick look at the door and it’s still only ajar like she left it. She’d prefer not to have this conversation with everyone being in earshot but this is the best she could do now. 

“More than you have.” 

“Mom, come on! You can’t expect me to tell you everything or that I tell you everything I tell Leila!” Aurora drops her head back and it lands on the back of the couch. “Leila has something else coming for her when I see her.” 

“Aurora Marie,” her mother scolds. Aurora groans. “If it makes you feel better I don’t think she told me everything, but it was still more than you’ve shared.” Aurora looks at her mom through the webcam on her laptop. “She said you stayed at his house in London,” her mother’s eyes soften, trying to relay that she's concerned and skeptical before she continues, “and that he also acted extremely jealous-”

“Do not,” Aurora warns her mother. “Do not pretend like you know anything.” 

“Aurora, I’m just worried,” she pleads.

“Harry is not Adrian.” Aurora can’t believe she even has to say that sentence out loud. She can feel her chest tighten up. She catches a glimpse of what she looks like in the small rectangle at the top of the screen and she’s met with her own scowl. Aurora closes her eyes and lets out a breath through her nose. “It was nowhere near the same situation, Mom. I can promise you that.” She can’t believe her mom had the audacity to even think about comparing Harry to her ex boyfriend, Adrian. 

“It’s hard not to make those conclusions if you’re keeping things from me.”

“Can you see why I didn’t tell you?” 

“Rory, please, you have to understand that I worry, it’s my job.” Aurora can see her mother is trying to apologize. 

“Mom, you have to trust me. Yes, Adrian was a jealous asshole and it ruined me. You don’t have to remind me, I was the one in the relationship.” Aurora doesn’t want to go through this. At this point she’d rather Leila told their mother about her sex life. “But this is not Adrian, it’s Harry and the situation was completely different.” 

“A jealous man is a jealous man,” her mother says with what seems to be an all knowing tone. 

“Mom, stop, please. It was so far from anything that I have ever dealt with before,” Aurora’s growing frustration is boiling in her chest now. Neither of them speak for a minute. Aurora is running through her thoughts trying to find a way to explain this in a way her mother will understand. “Harry’s different. The whole situation was completely different.” A memory sparks and Aurora takes a deep breath. “Okay, look at it this way. You know how I used to get during dance competitions? When I was overly exhausted and stressed? All my emotions at an all time high? That’s what tour is like, but times 10. Harry’s on stage almost every night and add in the traveling and sprinkle in the stress of our new relationship, which at the time was not official. I was stressed over the last part. I had just met his mom and sister and all his friends and I won’t go into it but there was a lot going on. There was a lot going on for both of us and in the midst of the exhaustion and stress and all the other emotions that were floating around, Harry jumped to conclusions. His brain played tricks on him.” Aurora pauses for a moment, her mom nodding along with the explanation. “My brain did the same to me during competitions. You know what that looks like, you know exactly what happened all of those times. I always needed a reasoning voice to calm me down, to explain to me what was really going on. You had to be tough on me sometimes, but you did it because you love me. I dealt with Harry the same way, with love and care but didn’t take any bullshit.” Aurora’s mother sighs then purses her lips together in thought. “Harry did not act on his jealousy like Adrian did. He came to me, we talked it out. I made him apologize.” 

Okay is all her mom says so Aurora goes on. 

“Mom, you’ve gotta trust me. I’ve learned from the past. I’ve grown up. I’m doing good. and god, I’ve never been happier.” 

“I can see that,” her mom says with a smile. “I don’t know how much I have to say this, but I will always worry about you.” 

“Please just try to not worry so much.” They look at each other through the screen. “I love you,” Aurora reminds her mother with a smile. 

“I love you too, sweetie.” 

“Any other burning concerns?” Aurora jokes. Her mother shakes her head with a soft laugh. “Good, anyways, not long till I’ll see you and you’ll get to meet him.” 

“Can’t wait!” Her mother beams. 

“Well, I called ‘cause I missed ya but also ‘cause I had a question.” Aurora hears the door creak and she turns her head to see it open and Harry come through. He’s wearing an old red t-shirt and black workout shorts. It’s clear he’s just finished training with the sweat clinging to his curls, the water bottle in his hand and his headphones in his ears. 

“What was the question?” Aurora’s mother’s voice brings her attention back to the screen and the jacket in her lap. 

“Yeah, so I have to make a few more fringe pieces to replace the missing ones and I couldn’t decide which fabric would match best,” Aurora reaches to the side of her for the few pieces of fabric she pulled from her case earlier. 

“Hiya, Ror,” Harry says softly as he rounds the back of the couch. “Oh hello,” he says surprisingly when he sees an older woman on the screen. “You must be Rory’s mum,” he concludes. “Ror, looks just like you.” The eyes that stare at him through the computer screen are familiar and her hair is just like Aurora’s only with some flecks of grey throughout the dark dark brown strands. 

“Well hello, Harry,” Aurora’s mom responds with a smile. 

“Don’t want to interrupt,” he comments quickly, “just grabbing a quick kiss and then off to shower.” Aurora’s cheeks heat up quickly as she lets out a disbelieving huff. And with a promise on his word, Harry bends down, tilts Aurora’s chin with his free hand, lands a fleeting kiss on her lips and walks out of frame. Aurora’s mom has a bright smile on her face. 

“What is that look for?” Aurora asks her mom through a giggle she can’t suppress. 

“He’s sweet.” 

“Shush, now help me decide which fabric to use so I can get back to work,” Aurora begs. 

“My mom thinks you’re sweet,” Aurora says as she stands in front of the mirror in the bathroom of the hotel room. Harry’s ears perk up and he follows her voice. When he leans against the door frame of the bathroom he smiles at the sight in front of him. 

The pair of cotton cut off shorts Aurora is wearing are rolled at the waistband to make up for the fact that they’ve stretched out over the years she’s had them. One of the few tour t-shirts she’s acquired over the past few months hangs loose off her shoulders and is tucked into the waistband of her shorts. Hot pink fuzzy socks cover her feet. 

“Does she?” Harry asks as he crosses his arms over his chest. Aurora’s face is covered in soap now. She reaches for a clean washcloth to wet and wipe the soap from her face. She smiles at him through the mirror as she hums back to him. “and why’s that?” 

“Well we were talking about you, had to clear some things up but then you came in and said Hi to her and then she didn’t question a thing.” Harry’s eyebrows furrow at the answer. He decides to walk into the bathroom and leans against the counter, his back to the mirror and head turned towards Aurora. She’s applying a new product from a blue bottle to her face, Harry doesn’t pay much attention to what it is, more interested in Aurora’s admission. 

“What d’ya mean clear things up?” 

“Oh,” Aurora says softly. She reaches out a hand to one of his forearms that’s crossed over his chest. She squeezes it before dropping her hand and grabbing another beauty product from her makeup back. “Nothing you have to worry about. She brought up my ex from a few years ago. He wasn’t-” Aurora pauses and looks to Harry, “he wasn’t the greatest.” She applies moisturize before she continues, Harry's eye’s not moving from her face. She takes a deep breath then turns her whole body so she can comfortably look at him. “My mother worries that every guy I meet is going to be like him. No need for me to go into detail but, he was obscenely jealous. No matter what I did he got upset over it. I thought I loved him at the time and didn’t really see how bad it was. Took a lot of convincing from my friend and Leila and my mom that he was bad news. He really messed with my head for awhile.” Aurora sighs as she searches Harry’s face. She can’t tell exactly what he’s thinking but his brows are furrowed, a crease in his forehead and there’s tension in his arms that wasn’t there before. “But I learned from it, know how I deserve to be treated now.” 

“You deserve the world,” Harry says and it surprises Aurora. “Just hope I can give you it.” 

Aurora’s eyebrows raise in the middle of her face and her lips part. Never has anyone said something like that to her. She releases a breath before a small smile creeps up on her face. 

“Think you might deserve even more than the world,” Harry adds. 

Not even a full second passes before Aurora is cradling Harry’s face and placing a bruising kiss to his lips. Just as fast, Harry’s arms wrap around her waist, pulling her body into his. “I’m gonna try my damndest to give you it though,” he says against her mouth when they pull apart momentarily. Twisting them around, he grips her waist tighter and lifts her onto the empty space on the bathroom counter. 

“I hope to do the same for you, ya know,” Aurora whispers back to him. Their foreheads are pressed together and they just look at each other for a moment. They end up giggling and Aurora can’t help but kiss each and every crinkle that appears on Harry's face as he smiles that smile, the one she’s pretty sure he saves just for her. She starts at his dimples, which are so deep that they seem never ending. She kisses high on his cheek, leading to the creases at his eyes. It’s here she can see the brightness of the green in his eyes even through the squint he has right now. Her kisses land on the bridge of his nose and travel down following the lines that appear as he scrunches his nose, giggles still leaving his mouth. She gives up on trying to land a kiss on every single crease and line and divot and decides to kiss every square inch of his face before she finds his lips again. They’re both giggling lightly still and thought it makes it hard to kiss properly, they don’t stop. Their teeth knock together several times, kisses barely landing on each other's lips but they don’t care. 

It’s long past midnight but neither of them care to move from where they are. Tomorrow’s a travel day, they can catch up on sleep thenn. And anyways, standing in the crappy fluorescent lighting of the hotel bathroom Harry can’t help but think about how he’s falling more in love by the second. 

Her laughter mixes with his and it echoes off the tiled walls and it sounds just like a song. 

__________

thanks for reading !!! I hope you enjoyed !!! 

[lennydaisy]

EPIPHANY // OUTER BANKS

The Outer Banks. Paradise on earth. Well, it is if you can afford it.

Figure 8, home of the portentous and intitled. So detached from reality that you'd have to use their private jets to bring them back down to the ground. If they're not lounging around on their secluded beaches in front of their White House sized mansions, then they're at the country club complaining that their ice-cold lemonade isn't ice-cold enough. We call them Kooks. Guess where I don't live?

Next up, The Cut, neutral habitat of, drum roll please ladies and gentleman... The Pogues. Lowest members of the food chain. You see, it's one island divided in two. You either have two houses or two jobs. I have two jobs and will still never be able to afford one house, let alone two, but that's life I guess. The Pogues are like those kids your parents tell you to stay away from when you visit the park. Well, now the park has stretched to all aspects of life warranting us to be unwanted and neglected which isn't such a bad thing, that just means we get to do whatever we want, whenever we want.

Right now, however, this is the last place I want to be. Save-A-Lot. One of my two jobs. See how this all ties in?

The continuous, subtly, beeping of the scanner, the bright overhead lights that the same moth has been flying into for a week now, that one cart that you can hear before you see, and this frustratingly itchy, red polo shirt that I'm wearing because it's 'oh-so mandatory'.

It's been reported that a storm is going to hit us in a couple of days, so naturally, the stores been busier than usual, with both Kooks and Pogues. It's like sacred land, all differences get put aside in this very store unless there's a two for one deal at the seafood counter. In that case, no one's safe, not even me, the poor, little employee. I've been slapped with a Tuna Fish before. I don't want to talk about it.

"Can I interest you in some... What are they again? Sea salted chocolate with a crushed Macadamia nut shell and a rich creamy filling, homemade by Mrs Adams?" I squint at the packaging before smiling at the man before me who peered at me, head tilted slightly. Nodding instantly, already knowing the answer, "I don't blame you, I wouldn't trust anything made by that lady."

Smashing my fingers on the scratch invested, touch screen register, slapping the side of the machine until it eventually rings up the total, "That'll be $148.98 however, you get the extended family discount, so that makes it..." twirling my finger around the air, attempting the mental math, "10% off $148," I utter, closing my eyes as if that's going to help me find the answer quicker. 'I knew I should have joined the math team with Pope.'

"$134," the man affirms looking at me sympathetically, halting my search for my calculator that is normally taped to the till. I take the mans money, squinting at him, "Okay, I'll take your word for it man but if I get fired, I want a job at The Wreck," handing him his receipt.

"We'll see," he said putting his packed bags back into his cart, "I'll get through to you one day. You can't deny I'm your favourite" I state in a matter of fact, waving him off as he pushes his cart away from the checkout, "Bye Mason."

"I don't hear you denying it," I shout, watching him hurridly pushing his cart towards the door, "Okay bye Mr Carrera, tell Kie I said hi!"

Twirling around in my chair a couple of times, I came to a stop at the sight of a pink calculator, my pink calculator, taped to Mrs Adams till. That Bitch. I sit patiently for her to be done with her customers, waving at the elderly couple as they pass, "See you later Mr and Mrs Graham, have a nice day," I smile.

"Oh you too Mason, you should stop by again, you and your friends were such a delight the last time," Mrs Graham praises tapping her ringed fingers on my counter. Nodding at her request as her husband began to drag her away from me, claiming he 'Wants to be home today not tomorrow,' knowing his wife to be quite the blether.

"What a pleasant young lady. Wouldn't you agree, Marty?"

"Oh yes, very well mannered."

"Listen here, sticky fingers, I know you stole my calculator" My smile instantly dropping as I look upon the thief that I have the pleasure of calling my co-worker.

Mrs Adams is your typical grandma. Tonged hair, thick-rimmed glasses and filled with opinions that are always unwarranted. She has had it out for as long as I can remember, once locking me in the walk-in freezer claiming to not know I was in there despite being in there with me moments before. At least I only have to deal with her a few days a week, I couldn't handle any more than that.

"What calculator?" she questions innocently. Pointing my finger accusingly at her till where low and behold, sits my calculator, "Oh really, what's that then?"

Sparing a glance at my calculator, she shakes her head, nose pointed up, "That's an anniversary gift from my husband. I, by no means, stole your calculator."

I can't believe I'm having this conversation.

Laughing at her alibi, "Are you aware of how much bullsh-", the clearing of a throat interrupts my tangent and I suddenly became aware of where I am again. Mrs Adams raises her eyebrows at me, is she mocking me? Glaring at her one last time as to say 'this conversation isn't over', I timidly spun my chair back around, plastering a smile on my face, getting ready to greet my next customer.

Oh no.

"Hi, Mr Cameron," I greet the man, scratching behind my ear hoping he didn't overhear me. Beginning to scan his items, another figure catches my eye.

Rafe.

Here, ladies and gentlemen, I present the biggest dickhead on the entire island. He thinks everybody owes him something just because his daddy is well known throughout the OBX and has no problem expressing his distaste for anyone who doesn't fit his agenda. He's a cocky, arrogant snob who needs to be knocked off his podium a few inches, or feet.

"Hello, Mason, and how many times have I told you to call me Ward?"

"Clearly not enough for me to listen," I mutter under my breath, passing the already packed bags towards a very accepting Rafe, who snatched them with a scrawl printed on his face, "Your face will stay like that if the winds change" I advise innocently, waving my fingers around my forehead area, "Don't want to get any wrinkles, but if you need some anti-ageing cream, I'm sure Mrs Adams can recommend a few of her favourites,"

"Maybe even get you a coupon," I suggest finishing to scan the last of their items, "Isn't that right, Mrs Adams," I called to the lady over my shoulder how instantly peeped up at the chance to chat with the boy.

"Oh, yes. Come here deary, I'll show you my collection,"

It's no secret throughout the OBX that Mrs Adams is a bit of a renowned cougar, having no problem expressing herself towards any sort of male attention. Mrs Adam doesn't discriminate, so even assholes like Rafe can't escape the clutches of her fondness, but she's harmless... most of the time.

Ward nudges his son in the direction of the lady, who is eagerly waiting for the boy with her creams placed in an orderly fashion before her. Rafe's eyes practically begging for his dad to have some mercy on him only to earn a point in her direction.

"I hate you," he huffs at me, feet dragging towards the ladies till.

Fluttering my eyes with a cheesy smile, "I know," I say before turning to finish Mr Cameron's groceries.

"That's $236 please," I state ringing up his total as he slides his card into the swipe machine, "It'll take a minute, a caveman has better technology than this place." He shakes his head at me, waving his hand slightly, understanding.

"Sea salted chocolate, uh?" he wonders picking up the bar, as I mentally slap myself for forgetting to ask if he was interested, "Would you like to buy one?" I questioned despite already knowing his answer. It's the same one that I've heard all day.

Placing the packet back in its place he shakes his head, "No thank you, I wouldn't trust anything made by that lady."

"That's what I'm saying," ripping off his receipt before handing it to him, "Thank you, Mason," he laughs before turning towards his son, who is still listening to Mrs Adams ramble on about why she prefers Olay over Caudlíne.

About to bid farewell to the man, he turns and asks, "I hate to be a bother and I know it's short notice, but would you mind babysitting Wheezie for me on Saturday morning, I know you don't normally work weekends, it's just this storm's going to cause a run-in with my properties and-"

"Of course I will, Mr Cameron," I interrupted his ramble. He looks at me relieved, nodding his head, "See you later, Mason."

"Bye Ward," gross, I'm sticking with Mr Cameron.

Watching as the pair walk past my till I can't help but laugh as I see Rafe slouching away with a tub of Olay Anti-ageing cream. Turning around at the sound, he flips me off, "I'll get you back for this," earning a shoving on the shoulder from his dad, but I can't help but wave cheerily, "Oh, I'm sure you will."

Mr Ward Cameron, my other boss. A few years ago I put up flyers with a tear-off of my phone number offering a babysitting service. Safe to say, I got my fair share of prank calls and when I got a call from someone claiming to be Mr Cameron I assumed it was someone messing with me again, but it turns out it wasn't. He genuinely needed someone to watch his youngest daughter Wheezie and I needed cash, and he does pay generously, especially now considering recent circumstances.

Glancing at the clock that is nailed above the exit I see that it's 2:00 P.M, the best time of my day, getting out of here. Grabbing the key from my pocket, I lock up the till before heading toward the poor excuse of a staff room.

Glancing around the room blue painted room, making sure no one is still on their lunch, I quickly grab my bag and dash over to the fridge. I never, and mean never, condone stealing, that's why I don't call it that. I prefer 'borrowing and then 'forgetting' to give it back'. Sure, I never asked if I could 'borrow' the alcohol that I am currently stuffing in my bag but, that's neither here nor there.

I throw my bag, which I can already tell is going to cause my back hell, over my shoulder. I grab Kie longboard, which I did ask for permission to use, and begin to make my way past the checkouts.

Before leaving, I pivot around, "Hey, Mrs Adams," I called out just to see that she was already glaring in my direction, a bit creepy if you ask me, "Don't worry, you've only got like what, another 6 hours?" acting like I didn't know as I pointed at the clock.

"Oh, and before I forget," I rush over to her counter and rip my calculator off her till. Smiling sweetly at the older lady, saluting her as I leave, "See you next week, Mrs Adams," I laugh, running out the door, jumping onto the longboard.

Let the fun begin.

Now there is something about my friends that you should know. As cheesy as its sounds, we're a group of misfits who happen to fit perfectly together, well almost perfectly, but no matter what we've got each other backs.

Now, where do we start?

JJ Maybank. We've been best friends since the third grade after he got into a fight with some kids who were making fun of me for having a 'boys name', and I haven't been able to get rid of him since. He's the guy who jokingly pushed me off the HMS Pogue only to quickly find out that I couldn't swim. I insisted that it was fine but JJ doesn't take no for an answer and took it upon himself to personally teach me.

He's the most loyal guy I know, willing to drop anything to help his friends. I most definitely developed my kleptomaniac tendencies from him and despite how much I deny it, I have a soft spot for him.

Next, Kiara Carrera or Kie, my best and only girl friend. I met Kie during her first year at the Kook Academy, I had seen her around before, passing out leaflets about how 'we're killing our planet' and that 'the turtles deserve better'.

I was about to go fishing with my dad when I saw someone sitting at the dock, feet dangling in the water. Long story short: she was supposed to meet up with some of her 'friends' but they had sailed away leaving her behind. So, I asked if she would like to come fishing with us, half expecting her to say no, being partly a Kook and all, but she said yes. And now she's one of us, the Pogues. Not sure how her parents feel about that, but there is no denying I'm their favourite. Right?

There's Pope Heyward. I met Pope in the first grade. We were sitting beside each other at assembly and he dared to tell me that my singing voice sounded like cats dying, not that he was any better mind you. I had seen him around the cut a few times, helping his dad with deliveries and after seeing him struggle to carry four bags of groceries, I offered him some help. Of course, being a stubborn 6-year old boy, he delined saying 'I don't need your help, I'm super strong'. Safe to say, two seconds later I was carrying two bags and helped Pope and Mr Heyward with the rest of the deliveries that day.

I got an earful from my dad when I got home, but I didn't care, I'd made a friend that wasn't my brother. They didn't believe me when I said I had a friend called Pope, just brushing it off as one of my imaginary friends. Let's just say they got a fright when my 'imaginary friend, Pope' showed up at the Château.

Speaking of, up next, John Booker Routledge, John B. My twin, fraternal twin. Is 12 minutes older than me and will never let me forget it. My favourite memory with John B was when he fought to the death with our triplet in the womb. Okay, maybe that didn't happen, but you weren't there so, where's your evidence that it didn't?

He's my other half, not my better half because we all know I'm the better twin, and I couldn't live with him and his optimism. He can be irrational at times, but he always has plan A-Z mapped out in his head. I'm currently trying to convince him that we psychic powers, and by currently I'm mean from the day we were born. It's a weird sensation like there's a pit in the bottom of my stomach, and once I get that feeling I know that something's not right. And with a brother like John B, I get that feeling at least 3 times a day.

Might as well introduce myself whilst I'm at it. I'm Mason, Mason Routledge. The better twin. Yes, I too, have a middle name but I will never tell it to anyone because of how utterly embarrassing it is. I have managed to swear John B to secrecy, but I know it's just a matter of time before he blurts it out.

Now I know what you're probably thinking, 'Mason? That's a boys name.' Well yes, you'd be right but really what is a boys or girls name? The reason why I'm called Mason is simple, mom and dad were expecting twins. Twin boys. They had the names planned out as soon as they heard the news. One would be named John B after our dad, Big John, and the other would be named Mason, after our mom's dad. Makes sense, right?. Well, it was until I popped out, y' know not being a boy. But I love my name and I wouldn't change it for the world. My unspoken middle name, however, yes, I would rather that just not be associated with me.

I like to believe that I can hold my own, maybe it's because I grow up in a predominantly male household or the fact that I'm a Pogue, but I don't take peoples shit. My friends and I seem to always have the world against us, but without a doubt, I'd ride or die for them. They're my family.

Seeing the all too familiar hippie van parked at the side off the road brings me out of my autopilot state. Jumping off the longboard, I hurriedly shoved it into the back of the van. Fun fact about John B's van, he never locks it. There would be the fear about someone stealing it, but honestly, it's trashed and smells like weed, no thanks to JJ.

Quickly scaling the fence and as quietly as possible I tip-toed into the under-construction house and up the cement stairs, dodging the dangling wires and leftover pots of plaster.

'I can't believe they got rid of the turtles for this'

I'd know that voice anywhere. Peering around the corner, I spot Kie, hunched over a table reading what I'm assuming is maps for the house. Coming up with an idea, I slowly start to creep towards her, raising my hands just to clasp them down on her shoulders, "And what do you think you're doing?" I say in the deepest voice I can muster.

Jumping out her skin with a squeal, she spins around, hand over her heart, breathing heavily, "Macy, what the fuck? Don't do that," she exclaims, slapping my arm after she realises it was only me.

Unable to stop myself from laughing at her shock, "God, Kie, didn't know you had such a girly scream," I wheeze, arms wrapped around my stomach in an attempt to stop the ache.

Nodding her head pettily, "Yeah okay, you got me," clicking her tongue, but against her best efforts, a small smile dances across her face.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm my giggles, "Once you're done with sad girl hours, come out back, I've got beer," making my way towards the open glass doors.

"Caring about the turtles doesn't make me a sad girl," she exclaims as I nod my head understandingly, "You keep telling yourself that," I wave stepping outside, breathing in the fresh ocean breeze.

From under the scaffolding, I see a pair of dangling legs, "Afternoon, boys," I announce, jumping up in an attempt to smack the dangling feet that I now know belong to JJ

"Did you get the goods?" asks John B causing me to hold my hand on my heart, mocking insult, "Do you have no faith in me Johnny boy," tosing him a beer, "Of course, I got the goods."

Holding one out for Pope, even though I knew he would decline, proving my point as he shook his head, "And where did you get said goods?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

Grabbing two beers, I begin to climb up the scaffolding, plopping down next to JJ, handing him a beer which he greatly excepts, "Are you question my morals?" I ask, taking a big gulp of my beer instantly wincing at the lukewarm taste.

"No, no," I hear him say, turning around, occupying himself with the builder's tools.

It a pretty view from up here. The calm crashing of the waves. The way the cold ocean and the warm sky meet for a perfect kiss on the horizon. Imagine living here. Having no worries. Being full Kook.

Glancing at the boy beside me, I see that he was already looking at me. Lifting my eyebrows in question, "You look cute," he cheekily says, picking at the loose thread on my sleeve.

"Very funny JJ," I saying, looking back out at the water, "No, I'm serious. I love a woman in uniform," nudging his shoulder into mine and I nudge him right back, "Hey," he laughs, dramatically falling to his side, "Watch the sweet nectar," holding his can of beer dearly to his chest.

Shaking my head, I turn to see John B scaling the house, jumping up to the peak of the roof, "Hey, please be careful, Johnny B, we don't earn enough to cover a medical bill," I warn sitting my beer beside me, using my hands to block the blinding sun, staring questionably at the boy.

"Oh, but you'd catch me though, right?" he says, now taunting the idea of falling, balancing on one foot with outstretched arms, "And break your fall? Nope," I popped, reach over to grab my can only to grasp the air. Looking at where I know I placed it, my confusion vanishes when I hear the sounds of slurping beside me.

Blinking at the boy, who just peers back at me after tanning my can, crushing it, and letting out a pleasant burp which he so graciously blows in my direction, "Gross, JJ," attempting to swat away the smell. The boy just shrugs, "What were you not done with that?" faux concern covering his face but his eyes glistening with knowing mischief.

"Should I do it?"

"Yeah, jump. I'll shoot you on the way down," says Pope, aim a drill in my brother's direction, "You'll shoot me?" John B taunts, holding up a finger gun, "Pow," he laughs as Pope fall back onto the table pretending to be shot.

"They're going to have Japanese toilets with towel warmers," complains Kie, slugging her way onto the balcony, voicing her distaste for the future Kook's beach house.

"Didn't I tell you to come out when you were done being sad?", I direct, leaning my chin against the cold pole, feeling on top of the world as the fresh breeze blows through my hair.

That swiftly changes when Kie dashes towards my feet, tugging the laces on my converses loose as I hastily attempt to lift my feet away from her snapping fingers, "Go away!" I exclaim hugging my legs to my chest, tusking at her antics "God, you're annoying."

My comment doesn't affect her as she blows me a kiss which I can't help but catch, holding it to my heart sending a wink in her direction, "This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtle I guess?"

"Well, I did, but since you've-" I start, but the feeling of my shoe gets tighter distracts me, "...What are you doing?" I question as JJ finishes up my shoes, "You should double knot your laces," he comments, tapping his fingers in a random beat on the toe of my shoes.

Lightly, I begin to flick his hand away only for him to grab my wrist, fiddling with the silver ladybug charm on my bracelet, "Can I have this?" He has asked me this multiple times in the past and the answer has always been the same, "No."

"Can you please not kill yourself?" Kie squints up at my brother, "And don't spill that beer, you're not getting another one," JJ adds just as a sudden gust of wind brushed past causing John B to lose his balance and drop his beer.

Jinx.

"Oh, shit. No!" cries John B, making grabby hands at his fallen beer.

"Of course you did, like right when I told you."

"Smooth."

"Well done, dumbass!"

"Hey!"

The sound of a car pull up to the driveway halts our attack on John B, yelling being heard, "Hey, uh, securities here. Let's wrap it up," confirms Pope, making JJ and I raise to our feet as John B slides off the roof, "Boys are here early today."

Rushing over to grab my bag once my feet are back on the balcony, I lean over the railing squinting, "Gary? Is that you?" I asked, "You know it's me, Mason."

Turning around to look at friends, "It's Gary guys," I smile, "Gary, good to see you, man!" JJ adds and quickly pulls the back of my bag when he sees Gary climb up the stairs, "JJ!"

"You two, are asking for it," Kie laughs as we all rush back through the house, all of us laughing and cheering, running down the stairs, "Go, go!" I giggled as I Gary's attempts to grab me but I duck under his swinging arms, running out to the garden.

"Not much of a hugger man," JJs joke echoing off the empty wall of the house.

Running up beside Pope, I urge him up over the fence, "Come on, Pope, go, go, go," landing on the other side, watching as he lands flat on his face, "Graceful as always Pope," I giggle pulling him back on his feet.

"Come on Pope, Fatso's coming" JJ encourages, suddenly landing beside us just barely missing the hot-headed security who is dangling over the fence, "Come here, you little pricks!"

"Bus is leaving," John B pulls up the van honking the horn, Kie opening the door for us, laughing as we shove each other in. John B wastes no time hitting the gas, driving away from the angry security.

"Check out Gary, gunnin' for a raise," Pope laughs as we watch a hopeless Gary chase after the van.

Having an idea, JJ unzips my bag and leans out of the open door, "Come on Gary," he taunts, waving the beer can in front of the man like you would a dog with a treat.

"You're going to give him a heart attack," Kie sympathises but still finds his actions amusing, "You're so close! You can do it. There you go," he tosses the can at the poor man who attempts to dodge it.

"God, they don't pay you enough, man" I laugh peering out the door, taking in the sight of Gray who is wheezing with his hands planted on his knees.

Seeing enough torture for one day, Kie tugs us back in, "That's enough," she says finally feeling sorry for the poor man, sliding the door close.

"Oh, come on. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished," reasons JJ, plopping down in the back of the van, now finding interest fiddling with the blunt he pulled from his back pocket.

I lean my head on Kie's shoulder and sigh, "I love Gary," I confess, earning a flick on the head from Pope and a nudge on the leg from JJ

We're the Pogues, and our mission this summer is to have a good time, all the time.

Prologue: FIN!

What did you think?

I’m really excited to explore Mason’s character and her adventures with the Pogues. I have so much planned for her.

I hope you enjoyed this introduction <3

[barkadasesh]

"SOMEONE WHO BELIEVES IN YOU"

Jack and Jill were good childhood friends. Their path crosses at the wide woody and wild forests for the very first time. They became friends since then - they treat each other as a family, not by blood but through souls. They had a lot of ups and downs and memories to cherished together yet after some few struggling years, both completed their studies and went apart and take their own paths.

Jack, once called the good boy, achieved his dream profession. It is one of the most diverse and versatile field at engineering - mechanical engineering. And hell yeah! It was really a once in a lifetime career where he designs power-producing machines as well as power using machines. He became one of the most famous mechanical engineers in New York and it provides him strong annual salaries. Despite of being at the highest peak of success, he just continuously frittered away his life and his fortunes taking up an immoral habit of practices such as alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, drugs and he is also a well-known womanizer committing sexual immorality.

At the other side of the globe, jill worked so hard to be able to put forth effort toward a certain goal. And that is to own a vast hectare good for a farm not just for herself but also for the whole community. The planet needs nutritious and affordable food and that requires thoughtful and intelligent people to grow it – and that’s her! She believes that this world needs someone like her. In the fullness of the time, she set specific goals and standards so she can work out her farm. And in just a month of dedicating lingering, it is sufficiently good, enjoyable and successful to repay her effort, trouble and expenses.

Early in the morning, Jack was awake by a loud snooze from his high-pitched alarm clock telling it is already 7 o’clock in the morning. “Argh! Yeah, I know I know!” He scornfully covered his annoyed face by his malleable squared pillow. “Aish! Could you please give me another five more minutes?” He exclaimed resentfully. He slightly crumpled his eyes while yawning stretching his arms wide open before he turned off his blatant clock. He went back lethargically like he is pulling of his king-sized bed. He lie down once again on his crib but as soon as reach the climax of his fantastic dream, a very rambunctious bang from his door makes him stood and jumped out of his cradle. “Now what?” he said ostensible. “Son! I think you should stand on end now.” It is his dad who summons him on the other side of his bedroom’s entryway. “Come on dad, can you please knock?” he responded annoyingly while scratching his head. “Come on son! It is already 7 o’clock early in the morning. Are you just going to take a load off and fucked up the rest of your day today?” “Yeah, whatever dad!” He no longer waited his dad to counter his immature reply then he shut down the door then started fixing his self for another sunrise-to-sunset working day.

Same time of that busy day, Jill woke up early before daybreak to get ready to grind for another productive day at his hustling farm. She ascertained that she will be doing good today in managing all the works in the land for its maximum fertility. So that, when the crop ripen, they can orderly harvest it by hand, combine or mechanical pickers. “Today is the day to lead and guide ‘em in caring the crops!” She exclaimed. “Good morning Miss J!” greeted by Juan, a young maintenance and repair boy who is responsible for upkeeping the farm. “I did tighten the loose fences.” he reported. He is sharp as tack in many kinds of labor that’s why Jill trusted him so much. “Wow! Job well done, Juan!” she complimented. “Day by day, you’re doing better. Keep it up, kiddo!” She smiled at him then proceed at inset.

“WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU JACK?! YOU’RE NOT GIVIN’ A DAMN TO YOUR WORK ANYMORE!” YOU ARE NOT LIKE THAT BEFORE. YOU WERE ONCE THE MOST SENSIBLE AND WELL ARTISAN BEFORE!” shouted by Jack’s officer-in-charge directly to his frowning face with a sharp glare towards his boss. So obvious that he is suffocated by the scenario. “I apologize but I think you cannot feasible this project anymore. You are fired.” “You can’t do this to me freaking old man.” He rebuttals. “Yeah we can. Why not?” giving him a smirk before walking away from Jack. “Let us see if you will survive that fuckin’ stupid project without me and my power.” he mumbled as he left the company. After he got fired, he recured from life-threatening vices. And that’s how he spent his life. Days, weeks and months had passed and his life is becoming worst until he loathed his continual nonsense practice and decided to have an out of town to take a break to a place with a peaceful ambiance. He immediately packed his things up and started driving.

“How I wish I could be that young good child again.” he bleakly chuckled as he lay down on his bed at vacation house. “Oh well, gonna spend these weeks with a chill.” he sighed and head to nearby coffee shop. “1 Caffè Americano, please. Thank you!” then he handed they payment. “Kindly wait for a moment at this table, sir. Thank you!” and the polite barista guided him to his table. As he sat down while scrolling through his smartphone, he suddenly heard a gleeful voice from the counter. “Good morning, Miss J. I’ve been waiting for my fair-haired customer today!” “HAHAHA, still a facetious young boy. Please give me a Blonde Vanilla Latte.” she replied with an over the moon. “Aye! Aye, Miss!”. Unexpectedly, Jack was surprised to hear the voice, he known it very well. He peeked at the lady waiting at the counter and he is more wonder-stricken to saw who it was. “Jill?!” he exclaimed aloud. “Jack? Its been years! Hey how you doing pal?” giving an expressions of pleasure as she saw and walk towards the directions of Jack. “Oh well hi. You look gorgeous right now. You are no longer that crybaby girl just like the old days.” he responds with an unbelief tone. “Uhm, I am already a mechanical engineer. Didn’t you hear some news and articles about me? I am one of the most popular identity at New York.” he continued. “Ooooh! Cool! Well, here I am. I already owned and managed a farm in this town. Wanna come and take some visit? Guess you’re on a vacay?” said by Jill with a convincing tone. “Farm? What an inferior profession. But, sure! Lemme see your farm.” stating it with full of indignity.

Jack offered a ride on their way to the farm. “So, tell me, what are you doing in a place such as this, your majesty?” he asked while looking directly at the uneven surface of the road. “Oh well, I found my purpose here. I enjoyed here. That’s why I stayed here for good.” respond by Jill without even looking at Jack. “Purpose, eh. What a concept?” “Yeah! Purpose. The reason or feeling of being determined to do or achieve something. If you dig deeper, through that purpose I am capable to make others happy. Spending time as much as possible with them to make this world a better place.” Jill explained with full of hope. “Corny! What we have here in this world is nothing but an unfair system and toxic people around us. You had to trust no one. Because in the end of the day, you only have yourself.” Jack looked at Jill like he knows what’s right. “In the end of the day, it is you who will believe in yourself, in what you have, and in what you can do. Because no one was truly concern about you. It’s you, all by yourself. If I were you, you should take my advice. I’ve been there.” he continued. “Well, I cannot blame you with that. You had a good point anyway. Now tell me, what are you doing in a place like this Mr. Engineer?” A moment of silence enwrapped inside the car between the two. “I’m having a break.” he started. “A break? From what?” inquisition of Jill while sipping on her coffee. “I am on my downfall as of this moment.” obviously averting the dialogue. “Come on, spill it. I can lend an ear, just like the old days back then.” Jack too a deep breath then started to tell the whole story. “It was really a fantasy when I achieved my dream profession, which is to be a mechanical engineer. All my life, I worked hard for it. I spend my whole life for it. Yet, the worst part of here was when I started to lose from track. I used to take vices such as alcoholic beverages, multiple boxes of cigarettes and drugs. I also used to be involved in multiple times of wrong relationship full of immorality. I became a womanizer and a heartbreaker. I no longer find my purpose. It seems that I am living my own selfish ways. Little by little, my life was ruined. And now, I don’t have any idea on how will I started again from the very beginning, on how will I fix everything. And yeah, that’s how my life went.” He narrated hopelessly. “I see. I guess that was really a sad ending. But, you know what, despite of what had happened to you, there’s still hope. I guess you just need to take some time to evaluate yourself and to check something out from those painful experiences. And yeah, you’re right when you told me that at the end of the day, you only have yourself. My tip, take this opportunity to heal, my dear friend. You have to help and lift yourself up. And don’t you worry. I am still here to believe in you. I know you can do that and become the better version of yourself. You just have to be patient and work it out.” Jill recommended believing that she can convinced Jack. “Yeah, I guess so. I’ll try.” “Don’t try, do it.” And again, silence engulf inside the car between them.

Days and weeks had roll down, and Jack follow all the tips and advises of Jill. He started to evaluate his self. Separating right things that gives value to his life and surrendering negative habits that deteriorating his life. He also cut off his connections to those ladies that leads him to sin. Jill helps her to brings out the best in him, finding his purpose and creates a better vision. Then, it started his life to change from nothing to something, from zero to hero, from better to best.

"You know what, dear, sometimes, we don't need to have a luxurious life and luxurious things just to make ourselves happy. I had realized that sometimes, what we really need is someone who will believes in us and respects us. And, thank you for being one, Jill. Because of you, I found my purpose and I had a changed life better than my life before. I know God allowed us to meet again intentionally so that I'll be no longer slave to sin. You are just not a friend, but a family who truly cares. I owe you so much. How can I pay you for this?" Jack asked Jill." Pay it forward, Jack. Just pay it forward. Do to others what I have done to you." and Jill gave her sweetest smile. Few months later after their encounter, Jack went home." Good morning dad! I miss you!" he hugs his dad so tight that seems to be the first time." Dad, I just want to ask for forgiveness for what I have done before. I promise to be better this time. I love you dad!" Then, Mr. Johnson hugged him back, "I am so happy you're back again, son. You're forgiven." After that day, his relationship with his dad was restored and Jack was now back right on track. He spent his life doing the right things, multiplying his self to others. And that's how he made his own legacy.

(Short Story by Claire Montero)

[calitraditionalism]

Arc Three: Chapter Three

(AO3 counterpart here.)

TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO

Redpaw gazed at her mother.

It wasn’t fair, really, how peaceful they had managed to make her appear in death. Her eyes were closed serenely, her fur neatly groomed, mouth closed and cleaned of froth. She looked as though she was just asleep and having a nice dream. As if this whole ceremony was a joke. As if she would wake up any minute.

It was stupid. She wasn’t coming back. Why taunt everyone like this?

“Roany?”

Redpaw managed to tear her eyes away to meet her stepmother’s. The cream molly, Palefeather, was looking down at her with love and concern.

“How are you doing, honey?” she asked softly.

It was a stupid question, but Redpaw knew she meant well. She took a breath and looked down again.

“You wouldn’t think the white fury was in her blood,” she said. She was grateful that her voice was at the right volume, quiet but audible, because she had no say where it was herself. “She’s… she looks content.”

“She does.” Palefeather stepped in beside Redpaw, and the two stood in silence together.

Cats walked by them, pausing to crouch and whisper their respects to Thornfang – not touching her, as was custom of handling a white fury body – and offering a sympathetic nod to Redpaw and Palefeather before moving on. The Clast were shifting around in groups to swap stories about one of the most well-loved warriors in the community; how she had been unmatched in her battle strategies and hunting skill, how she had been a wonderful friend and a hilarious storyteller, how brave she had been in leading away the rabid dog that had gotten through the Hillock border, sacrificing her own safety to trap it in a currently dry gash in the earth that the dog had broken its neck falling into after it had bitten her. It was a shame she never became deputy, they said. She would have been a legendary leader in time.

Redpaw didn’t want to hear any of it. She pinned her ears against her head and shut her eyes tight, trying to mute out everything, but the conversations dug into her mind and latched on with terrible little claws, forcing her ears to stay open. Her own claws scraped against the stone floor.

Palefeather must have noticed, because she started grooming Redpaw’s head, purring quietly. Redpaw latched onto the sensation and focused as hard as she could on the feeling of a rough tongue and a soothing purr. Gradually, she relaxed.

“It’s not fair,” she murmured eventually. “She shouldn’t be here right now, on the ground.”

Palefeather paused her ministrations to reply. “She isn’t, Roany. She’s in StarClan now. She’s safe and happy. We’ll see her again one day.”

Redpaw opened her eyes halfway, returning her focus to her mother’s body. She wasn’t satisfied with that, but she couldn’t bring herself to argue against her stepmother. She knew that Palefeather needed that comfort as much as she did. She just sighed, shut her eyes again, and leaned into her only living family.

 Over the next week, Redpaw hunted alone. The rest of the Clast knew to leave her be – though perhaps Palefeather had a paw in that. Redpaw said nothing to anyone and ate very little of what she brought back. More often than not, she was out in the night while everyone was asleep, just to ensure that promise of solitude.

One evening, as she stalked, sniffing the air, she caught something new. A cold scent, that smelled of the dark and the mist. She frowned and stood straight, opening her mouth to taste it.

Very odd.

Very interesting.

Redpaw looked around in the moonlit hollow, thick with grass and cut through by a stream. She could swear that, under that chill, she had caught the scent of another cat.

“Is someone here?” she asked, calling just loud enough to be heard across the way.

You could say that.

Redpaw flinched. The voice was there, seemingly in her ear, close as a thought, but she couldn’t distinguish who it was or if they were near her. She looked around again, but even with her feline eyes, no one popped up out of the shadows.

Then, there – something thin, dim, a silhouette under a lone tree.

She relaxed and approached a few steps. “I didn’t know anyone else was awake.”

I’m always awake, the silhouette said. Sleep begets nightmares.

Redpaw frowned. Why couldn’t she define how this voice sounded?

“You’re not from the Clast,” she said.

The sensation of eyes regarding her, half-narrowed. I wouldn’t know anymore.

Redpaw didn’t know how to respond to that. She stopped walking and squinted, trying to make out whoever this was. They seemed little more than a shadow.

Who…?

I know about your mother, they said suddenly. I’m sorry.

Redpaw’s head went back a little and she blinked. “No one’s left the Clast this week. Why would you know about-?”

Saw it. Their long, narrow head tilted to the side. Wanted to stop her, but that never works. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer molly.

Redpaw stared. “You saw her and you didn’t come to the vigil?”

I wouldn’t be welcome in most of our society. They gazed at her silently for a moment. I can’t tell you how much I regret her fate.

Redpaw was confused by this riddle-talking… whoever they were. She still couldn’t make out their features, and it was starting to unnerve her.

Still, she could remain polite.

She recited Palefeather’s current mantra. “At least she’s happy in StarClan now.”

The silhouette rippled suddenly, violently. Don’t follow that hollow sentiment, Redpaw. It’s not true.

Redpaw flinched and took a step back, somewhere between offended and alarmed.

StarClan is the last place you want her to go, they said – and their voice did not get louder in her head, but it became more intense, more powerful.

Redpaw didn’t know what she wanted to say, but she managed a, “Why not?”

The rippling ceased and there was a long, low breath… or perhaps it was the breeze. When you go to sleep, call for her. Dream tonight. You’ll see.

Then they were gone.

It took Redpaw a moment to realize that she was alone. She blinked, looking for that silhouette, and then turning this way and that, a little afraid. No one was with her. The scent of cold and dark and damp had vanished.

Redpaw told no one about her encounter – something in her advised against it, and she followed her instincts. She was lucky that most of the cats had retired to their nests by the time she got home. Hardly anyone lifted their head to even greet her. She took her nest that she had pushed to be a little further away from the usual cluster in each house, curled up, and shut her eyes, trying to will herself to become sleepy.

“Mother,” she whispered under her breath, to avoid catching any attention. “If you can hear me…”

Something creaked.

She opened her eyes and startled. All around her was a grassy, beautiful clearing. Flowers in a scattered rainbow of colors caught the sunlight that warmed Redpaw’s pelt. Redpaw recovered from her shock and shook it out of her fur. She inhaled deeply, blessed with the scent of prey and ground just drying from the rain.

She seemed to be alone, but hesitantly, she called, “Mother?” and, after a pause, quieter, “Is this StarClan?”

There was an odd sensation, like Redpaw’s sight shuddered, and something sun-bright was in front of her. She squinted, eyes relaxing slowly as it dimmed, until she recognized her aged spitting-image in front of her.

“Mother,” she breathed. Elation straightened her posture and her fur flared with excitement. She stumbled a step forward.

Then she stopped.

Thornfang’s eyes were wide, darker than they were in life, sunken in. They bulged with terror. Her claws sunk into the grass, her tail bristled like a coyote’s. Why did she look so gaunt?

Redpaw looked at her mother. Thornfang looked at her.

“Run,” she said.

The ground burst open behind her, rocks splitting and jutting out skyward. Redpaw fell to her stomach as the earth shook. All around was a deafening, grinding groan, slow and strained.

Thornfang started forward. Something eye-searingly bright shot up out of the opening in the ground. It wrapped itself around Thornfang’s sides and jerked her up off her feet.

“Run!” Thornfang shouted, voice cracking in animal terror.

Then she was pulled into the hole, and the earth shook again, violent. It crumbled away, closing in on Redpaw until she had nothing under her paws. She half-fell, half-floated in the

 in the

  She saw it.

  She screamed.

   Hush.

Redpaw shot up out of her nest, hyperventilating. She pedaled backwards until she hit a stone wall, too terrified to think straight. She was on the verge of passing out, and she knew it, and it scared her, as if she might return to that thing once she lost consciousness.

In front of her was the dark figure, free of the shadows. They stood tall, thin, long, and unnaturally calm.

And shush, they said. Now Redpaw knew their words were in her head – no one so much as flicked an ear in their sleep. For it may be listening.

The very last string of sensibility grabbed at Redpaw’s heart and held on, ordering her to slow her breathing. She was barely able to obey, taking deeper, more elongated breaths, until she was merely trembling and not frozen in place.

The silhouette nodded once. Come.

They turned and walked out of the house. Their tail was like a snake, but it seemed to be fading at the tip.

Redheart looked around to ensure that no one had awoken – they hadn’t – before shakily following the figure out of the silent, night-stained settlement and towards the area they had first met.

You saw it, then, they said at last. You know now.

“I don’t know what I saw!” Redpaw cried. “My mother- something- it got her-“

Yes. They turned to her, an oddly comforting look on their face. It was StarClan. Or the thing pretending to be StarClan.

Redpaw listened in horrified silence as they explained a truth that she would carry with her for the rest of her life.

I’ve been trying all my afterlife to warn everyone, they concluded, but it’s done a good job of ensuring everyone flees or tries to kill me or alerts it to my location. I am merely a devil now to most.

Redpaw wanted to weep. She maintained her composure and lowered her head. “Then you’re…”

The Runagate, they said quietly. Yes. You are one of the only ones that know about me. About my truth. About the truth.

Redpaw’s head jerked up immediately. “There are more?”

What little Redpaw could deduce of their face twitched, like it was wryly amused. One, at least. The veil doesn’t touch him. It may do good to find him.

Sudden and slight, there was a spark of anger in Redpaw’s heart. She latched onto it, warmed it, let it begin to turn into a small flame of righteous determination. “I’ll try. I'll find him as soon as I can. I can’t… I can’t shoulder this alone. I don’t know how you did.”

The Runagate’s entire posture relaxed, and the voice in her head had a smile in it. I don’t anymore.

 ---

 “Then that’s how you two met,” Darkpelt said, almost in awe. “All this time, the connection was there, and no one knew.”

“Greyleaf didn’t know her.” Mistface shook his head. “I would’ve heard about it.”

“No,” Greyleaf replied with a sigh. “You wouldn’t have. I never told you.”

Mistface stared at him, eyes wide.

“I never told you about any of this.” Greyleaf had settled down as Redheart’s tale went on, but now his tail tapped the ground in stress. “Nor Mama, nor my mentor. I couldn’t tell anyone. I didn’t know about the whole truth, at first.”

Flyfang cleared her throat, her voice still ragged. “I guess you have your side to tell, then.”

Greyleaf closed his eyes. “I guess I do.”

[texanredrose]

A Kingdom of Isolation

Blake sniffled, rubbing at her nose with the back of her glove. The further up the mountain they went, the colder it got, snow and ice clinging to every surface as the sudden winter caused wood to snap and previously verdant trees to become frozen sculptures. Were it not for the sleigh and her reindeer, she’d advise turning back as the treacherous journey was to the mountain’s peak too difficult and too long to make on foot.

“Go ahead and ask.”

Her brow furrowed, turning to look at her… customer? Passenger? Surprise travelmate? The Faunus couldn’t quite decide how to describe the Princess who’d essentially bullied her into going up the mountain. At least, not in a flattering way. “Ask what?”

“Come now, you don’t have to be coy.” Princess Weiss huffed, arms crossed over her chest. “I’m sure you’re dying to know. ‘What’s it like living in a castle, what’s it like being a princess, what’s it like’- I’ve heard them all before, so let’s just get it over with and move on with our journey.”

Blake turned towards the woman and raised a quizzical brow, waiting for a beat to see if there would be any indication that her words were meant in jest. When nothing came, the Faunus shrugged and turned her attention back to the reins. “No thanks.”

“What?”

“No thanks.” She tried to sound thoroughly uninterested in the topic to cover the truth: she didn’t need to ask about all that. The specifics of a day in the life of royalty were well known to her. Part of why she’d come to the remote kingdom of Atlas was to escape… well, not quite that, but certain other things related to it. “I’m not that curious.”

“Oh… well, suit yourself… but I’d better not hear any questions after this about it!” The princess wagged a finger in her direction. “This is your only chance.”

“Noted.”

They continued on for a while in silence, Gambol and Shroud pulling the sleigh along at a brisk pace. Not their fastest but certainly better than a walk, as they shared her mentality; one didn’t want to be traveling the mountain after the sun set, as the shadows thrown at night could be either shallow shadows or deep drops. Best not to find out which.

“I suppose you don’t get asked about your own life much, do you?”

“Come again?” Although she hadn’t been thrilled about the job offer, she distinctly recalled Princess Weiss’ demand included only getting her up the mountain, not conversation.

“I’m just saying.” The woman obviously tried to act nonchalant, but there was something hiding just beneath her tone. “You probably don’t talk about yourself much. Not much to talk about outside of ice for an ice harvester.”

“There’s plenty to talk about,” she replied defensively before trying to focus back on the reins. “I don’t just harvest ice.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“I live in a cottage just past the outpost where we met. One I built myself, mind you, and keeping it repaired takes up a lot of time.” She shot the princess a smug smirk. “I don’t have a legion of servants to do things for me.”

“Legion of servants?” Princess Weiss scoffed. “Clearly, you have little idea of what happens in the royal palace.”

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, that piqued her interest. “So, you don’t have anyone seeing to your every whim?”

“I had Klein, my caretaker. Outside of him and my brother, I had no one else.”

“What about your sister?” She gestured towards the top of the mountain. “You had her, didn’t you?”

“I did… when I was younger.” Then, her expression fell into something akin to despair as she unconsciously brushed her bangs away from her clouded and scarred left eye. “But, then, she had to learn how to be a queen, and she didn’t have time to play with me. I understood, of course. It’s an enormous responsibility.”

“Yeah, she’s handling it real well.” Blake dryly remarked, receiving a light punch to her shoulder. “What was that for?”

“It’s not her fault! You have no right criticizing her for- for a moment’s misstep!”

“She plunged the kingdom into the dead of winter when we’re supposed to be in the middle of summer! I think that’s more than ‘a moment’s misstep’, don’t you?”

“Listen, it’s- it’s not-“ The words seemed to catch in the woman’s throat as her expression twisted, guilt and pain flashing in her good eye before she turned to look away. “It’s my fault, alright? I- I shouldn’t have upset her, but I was excited.”

A frown touched Blake’s lips as she glanced towards Princess Weiss. “I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”

“I’m not so confident.”

A solemn silence settled over them and the Faunus didn’t know what to do with it. On the one hand, she shouldn’t feel obliged to comfort someone who’d forced her way into her life. On the other, though, she wasn’t so heartless that she could let someone suffer in silence and not try to help.

“I… don’t know what that’s like. Having siblings.” Blake shifted in her seat. “I had parents- have parents, I guess, since they aren’t dead, we just don’t… talk.” She winced, realizing too late that bringing up the possibility of dead parents may not be the best conversation topic to broach with the somewhat recently bereaved princess. “I… was an only child is my point.”

“Did you… run away from home to become an ice harvester?” The princess turned back towards her and Blake could feel a blush beginning to rise in her cheeks.

“Well, no, I just kinda… ended up becoming one.” Another shrug as she continued, her voice taking on a low, somber tone. “I… made some bad choices when I was younger. Ones I thought my parents wouldn’t be able to forgive me for… so I ran away and ended up in Atlas. Got adopted by some ice harvesters, learned the trade, and… that’s been my life ever since. I… don’t think I could bear what going back would mean.”

“I can understand the mentality,” Princess Weiss replied, her voice soft. “When I did something foolish, Father would… punish me quite severely. Even worse if I cried. I can sympathize with wanting to avoid a beating like that.”

Beneath her beanie, Blake’s ears stood up, her expression turning to one of pure shock and horror. “I- what? No! My father would never lay a hand on me! I meant that I know my parents would be disappointed in me, not that they’d hurt me!”

“Disappointment? That is the fate you fear?” For a moment, the Faunus thought she’d revert to her previous haughty, holier-than-thou attitude but instead found barefaced confusion for a moment before understanding dawned. “I… can see how that would be equally daunting.”

“… really?”

“Yes.” Her head tilted, obviously looking towards the mountain’s summit. “I spent years trying to impress my sister, hoping that if I proved myself worthy, I’d be able to spend time with her. It never worked. I became very familiar with disappointment.” Then, Princess Weiss turned to look at her. “Though, frankly, the experience taught me that the disappointment others express towards us cuts even deeper when we’re disappointed in ourselves as well. When I eventually stopped trying to gain Winter’s attention, it was because I couldn’t bear the weight of my own disappointment any longer… so better not to try.”

Her grip on the reins tightened and she had to consciously force herself to relax as both Gambol and Shroud momentarily picked up the pace, sensing her tension. “Yeah… you have a point…”

Silence settled over them, the crunch of snow and periodic snapping of wood unable to bear the weight of snow and ice alike preceding a branch crashing to the ground.

“What’s it like living this far from the royal city?” Princess Weiss eventually broke the silence, tone wavering slightly, as if she didn’t know how the Faunus might react.

“It’s nice, most of the time. Pristine and beautiful in the winter, and full of life just about every other season. It’s relaxing, being so isolated and away from people.”

“I’m afraid I can’t relate.”

Again, Blake winced, mentally cursing herself for managing to say all the wrong things. “Well, that’s because… you didn’t choose it.”

“Excuse you?”

“I mean… you have a point. What keeps me from going back home is that… I am the one scared to do it. So living out here, away from people… it’s by choice. And since it’s my choice, I don’t regret it.” She made a vague gesture with her hand, dropping one of the reins to do so. “Being away from people, not having to worry about maybe making the same bad choices again… I… I chose to believe and follow someone who made me regret it. Avoiding that happening again… means a lot to me. Maybe it’s not the right answer, but it’s the one I chose. It sounds like… you didn’t choose the way I did.”

“Well, you certainly have a point there.” For a moment, it looked as though she might continue before stopping, her good eye squinting as she twisted around in her seat. “And, unfortunately, it sounds like I’ll be making you regret breaking that isolation sooner rather than later.”

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself. Even if you’re a bit… much at times, I’m starting to see there’s a real person beneath the title and the attitude.” She reached up, readjusting her beanie cap. “I’m not going to regret meeting you just because it means interacting with someone when I’ve tried not to; that’s not how it works. And. Well. I don’t. Regret meeting you, I mean.”

The woman turned back to her with a deadpan expression. “While I’m glad you’re starting to recognize me as a person, I was actually referring to the wolves now following us and how that’s likely to present a problem that we’re going to regret running into soon.”

Blake tilted her head to the side, then twisted in her seat to find several pairs of golden eyes reflecting the weak light of the rear lantern on the sleigh, their shadowy forms beginning to gain ground on them. “Uh oh.” Turning back around, she picked up the rein and snapped her wrists, sending Gambol and Shroud into a gallop. “Yeah, that’s a problem.”

“You drive, I’ll fend them off,” Princess Weiss said, somehow producing a rapier from the bag she’d been carrying the whole while- a slightly impractical weapon considering the occasion, but a weapon nonetheless- and put a hand on the Faunus’ shoulder while moving into the back row of the sleigh. “And, for the record, I don’t regret meeting you, either. Even if your version of a compliment can be rather… blunt and backhanded.”

Again, she winced. “See, this is why I don’t talk to people; it’s too easy to say the wrong thing!”

“Yes, because talking to reindeer is clearly the more sane option.”

“Reindeer and cats!”

“I should’ve known you’d be a cat person.”

Blake couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. “You don’t know the half of it.”

--- The joke here is that, at this point in the story, Weiss doesn’t know Blake’s a Faunus, because ~canon parallels~.

Also, y’all: “Tex, isn’t this, like, your third continuity of a Frozen AU-“ Me: “LET. ME. LIVE. DAMNIT.”

[douchebagbrainwaves]

HERE'S WHAT I JUST REALIZED ABOUT CHALLENGE

This is not just a machine. Even then I took embarrassingly long to catch on. But I think that's ok. It's an excuse to work on boring things, even if they wanted to do things that make you stupid, and if they don't go into research.1 Why don't more people start startups. But how do you become one? What super-angels and VCs. So starting a startup and failed over someone who'd spent the same time working at a big company.2 In America, companies, like practically everything else, are disposable. So why do so many founders build things no one wants to do it may be best to go for brevity. Facebook seemed a good idea to understand what's happening when you do have kids.3

If you learn to ignore injuries you can at least avoid the second half. But if you're looking for companies that hope to win by writing great software.4 For the average startup, that would explain why they'd care about valuations.5 The other way to tell an adult is by how they react to a challenge. A nerd looks at that deal and sees only: pay a fortune for a small, dark, noisy apartment. A high-frequency trader does not. US are auto workers, New York is incomparable.6 But airports are not so harmless.7 There is no absolute standard for material wealth. This is about cities, not countries.

The reason he and most other startup founders are richer than they would have made working 9 to 5 at a big company. So maybe hacking does require some special ability to focus. If accelerating variation in productivity increases with technology, then the idea will fit in the user's head too. The other is that, in a hits-driven business, is that they're the same. The mere prospect of being interrupted is enough to prevent hackers from working on their startup for a whole year before being squashed by Google Calendar. The other way to tell an adult is by how they react to a challenge from an adult in a way people will increasingly be.8 I was walking along the street in Cambridge, and in practice they are usually interchangeable. I thought were the 5 most interesting startup founders of the last 30 years. Design is not just that it makes trade work. When Rajat Suri of E la Carte decided to write software for restaurants, he got out one of the founders of Sun.9 Finally at the end of this long process the VCs might still say no.10 Not just because it's better, but the pain of having this stupid controversy constantly reintroduced as the top one in your mind.11

The iPhone isn't so much a phone as a replacement for a phone.12 San Francisco, or Boston, or New York, where people walk around smiling. It felt as if someone had flipped on a light switch inside my head. They're willing to let you work so hard that you endanger your health. That's because, unlike novelists, hackers collaborate on projects. Someone with ordinary tastes would find it hard to come up with the numbers. Even now the image of a very ambitious German presses a button or two, doesn't it? Northern Italy in 1100, off still feudal. If you don't have to look at. Whereas if the speaker were still operating on the Daddy Model, and saw wealth as something that flowed from a common source and had to be built on NT. There is a large, existing population of stodgy people. Seriously, though, that there are going to get till the last minute.

As the CEO of a large public company makes about 100 times as productive as an ordinary one, but a leading indicator. Several of the most successful startup founders are often technical people who are great at something are not so much the day to day management. To me she seems the best novelist of all time. What nerds like is the kind of problems are those? You'd think it would be such a great thing never to be wrong that everyone would do this. So there is obviously not a fixed pie that's shared out, like an introductory textbook. I've rarely had a neat answer to it. A startup is not to try to think of startup ideas. There are now a few VC firms outside the US. The chance of getting rejected after the full partner meeting averages about 25%.13

Notes

This is true of nationality and religion as well. Some VCs seem to be free to work than stay home with them. To a kid and as a cause as it was overvalued till you run through all the page-generating templates are still called the executive model. Philosophy is like math's ne'er-do-well brother.

To get a lot more frightening in those days, but getting rich, purely mercenary founders will usually take one of the next one will be near-spams that you should push back on the grounds that a their applicants come from meditating in an equity round. In many ways the New Deal was a test of intelligence. One YC founder wrote after reading a draft, Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson.

Did you know about a week for 4 years. The facts about Apple's early history are from an interview. That's the best are Goodwin Procter, Wilmer Hale, and tax rates, which shows how unimportant the Arpanet which became the Internet. I'm not dissing these people.

For example, because despite some progress in the former, and also really good at design, or because they are so dull and artificial that by the government. Part of the biggest successes there is no longer working to help the company goes public. Though most founders start out excited about the subterfuges they had that we didn't do. As always, tax loopholes defended by two of the web have sucked—e.

43. Microsoft, would increase the spammers' cost to reach a given audience by a factor of 20.

The solution for this essay, I advised avoiding Javascript. Often as not the distinction between them generate a lot of people who interrupt you. Proceedings of AAAI-98 Workshop on Learning for Text Categorization.

There is no richer if it's dismissed, it's probably a mistake to do better. 99,—e. In the thirties his support of the Fabian Society, it is certainly more efficient, it inevitably turns into incantation. Most don't try to raise five million dollars in liquid assets are assumed to be obscure; they just don't make wealth a zero-sum game.

Strictly speaking it's not uncommon for startups is a self fulfilling prophecy. One thing that drives most people come to writing essays is to protect widows and orphans from crooked investment schemes; people with a sufficiently identifiable style, you can, Jeff Byun mentions one reason not to say for sure a social network for pet owners is a bad idea, period. Is this unfair? You may be some part you can ask us who's who; otherwise you may have to find out why investors who turned them down.

That's because the first year or so and we don't have enough equity left to motivate people by saying Real artists ship. That's why the series AA terms and write them a check. At the moment; if there were 5 more I didn't realize it till I started doing research for this at YC I find I never watch movies in theaters anymore.

The latter type is the proper test of intelligence. If you have to do others chose Marx or Cardinal Newman, and tax rates have had a day job is one of the paths people take through life, the rest have mostly raised money at all. The Civil Service Examinations of Imperial China, Yale University Press, 1983.

Thought experiment: set aside for this essay began by talking about art.

Applying for a startup is taking the Facebook/Twitter route and building something for a CEO to make money from existing customers. Instead of bubbling up from the study. Unfortunately, not lowercase.

It wouldn't pay. This is one of the bizarre consequences of this essay talks about the team or their determination and disarmingly asking the right question, which would cause other problems. That's the difference between surgeons and internists fleas: I wouldn't say that YC's most successful ones tend not to quit their day job is one subtle danger you have 8 months of runway or less, is he going to do sales yourself initially.

[demonboidies]

𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓵𝔂 - 𝓴𝓲𝓶 𝓼𝓮𝓸𝓴𝓳𝓲𝓷

pt. 4

word count: 2,534

<this is a yandere story, therefore this is a trigger warning for emotional abuse, manipulation, toxic relationships and overall unhealthy obsession towards the reader/mc/yn>

➣kim seokjin

heir to the kim corporation being an only child. 26 years old. paralyzed from waist down. light hazel hair, usually parted in the middle in comma style. small and subtle waves are styled into his hair. wears prescribed glasses.

(kind of like his whole 2015 era looks)

hearing your ringing alarm go off, you excitedly got up. yes, excitedly. after all, waking up in a grand master bedroom, with the smell of fresh sheets was enough to wake you. you readied yourself in your bathroom, taking a quick shower and brushing your teeth to be presentable. even throwing on some light makeup.

as you walked to your desk, you look up at the calendar one of the boys put up in your room. it had your schedule written on it, and the first task was to wake up the eldest in the house. jin.

stepping out of your room, the light filter of the lightly shade of orange was covering the hallway floor and walls from the giant window. walking a few short steps, you made it to jin's room. knocking softly, you opened the door and smiled softly. a little tuffle of brown hair was peaking from the blanket and you glanced at the paper in your hand. there were needed instructions for waking up the male.

shutting the door behind you, you followed the first step and opened up the curtains to his room, hissing softly yourself. you heard shuffling behind you, a loud displeasant groan leaving the room owner's lips.

"please, shut the curtain," he asked politely, in a deep morning voice.

"sorry, Seokjin-ssi, but the instructions clearly say open the curtains...and these were written by you in the first place," you argued back. you could see him nodding slightly, sitting upright.

"please fetch me the water and medication please."

you did as told, a bit surprised seeing the full cup of water by the bed. "Namjoon always fills it up before i sleep...soon enough that wil be your job."

you smile softly, waiting patiently to finish before grabbing the glass from him. "so next thing on the list is, help you onto the chair." he nodded knowingly and lifted his bottom off the bed with his arms, twisting his waist so his legs can hang off the edge of the bed.

you've done thing like this millions of times before, but you supposed that since Jin was much more handsome than any other patient you've dealt with, you suddenly felt even more nervous. call yourself unprofessional, but that is what you thought. you moved him as quickly, yet as safe as possible, and the grunt he let out made you blush even more.

"thank god, you're not as slow as our last maid. but she was old so i don't blame her too much." you chuckle at his statement, jin laughing as well. and only then did you notice his unique tone, which made you break out into a burst of laughter as well. "i swear she touched things that aren't supposed to be touched. but in the end, she was a good help."

you nodded with a light chuckle, showing you were listening as you buckled the belt around his waist. the next thing was to take him to the bathroom, he said he was as capable of brushing his teeth and using the bathroom himself - something he learned to do to avoid awkward confrontation. he had to go through it once and he was determined to not go through it again.

"it is alright if you wait outside. if i have trouble i'll knock on the door." you nodded, smiling at him as he shut the door.

as you waited, you mulled over the list given to you. next would have to be bring him downstairs and then wake up the rest of the guys. your brows furrowed at the prospect of leaving hin alone. another few minutes past before he opened the door, and you noticed his face was more so glowing and awake.

"okay. i'm ready."

you slowly took in a deep breath, wheeling him out of his room, shutting it quietly.

"the elevator is just down the hall." he advised, a soft smile as he saw your confused expression. you smiled thankfully to him and merely nodded.

you looked like a lost puppy and his face warmed at the prospect of him being your guiding owner...he only had to wait for the right moment until then.

the elevator ride was short, it was only 1 floor down after all, and the comfortable chatter Jin came up with was soothing and relaxing. having a new job, however much experience, will always be nerve wracking for you. especially a job as intimate as house maid/nurse.

"so what are your hobbies?"

"hm, i like studying different languages and works of literature. reading is always good for me to clear my mind, and it pesters my mind to think more than it should. and that's good as well." you said thoughtfully, reading was truly a hobby of yours. time consuming yes. but in the end always worth it.

"ah, kids like you don't know the luxury of time. i can't even imagine spending my days reading anymore." you rolled him out of the elevator, questioning him with a hum. "only because i need to busy myself with other things. i would really love to sit down and read a book, but nowadays i can never get a break."

you nodded knowingly. even though he was referring to himself being old and having no time, you couldn't relate more. time was a harsh concept. if only people had more time.

"straight to the kitchen please." you rolled him that way, stopping him in front of the short stove. you assumed it was custom built for the handicapped male, since he could easily maneuver his way around.

"okay, so i'm good for now. just need to make breakfast and lunch. I think the next task for you would be waking the rest up." his back was turned to you as you slumped your shoulders.

"no." you said definently.

you couldn't see, but his eyes darkened. had you been faking all along and pretended to be close to them...was this your way of leaving them? were you already backing away from this job? he hadn't don't anything wrong, he thought you already knew of his joking manner. were you trying to leave them?

"what?" you almost stepped back at the tone of his voice. "what do you mean 'no'?" he inquired, turning around quickly in his chair. the joint stick in his hand was being clenched tightly under the immense strength he used. he was controlling his anger.

"what do i mean?" you re-quoted, confused yourself. "i mean that i won't do the job..."

he opened his mouth to argue.

"i will stay down here and help you. after all, it's too early to wake the boys and i can spare a few minutes to help." a gracious smile was on your lips as Jin was frozen. unknowingly, he let out a deep breath of relief. your brows furrowed, finally noticing his figure and how tense he seemed. "what did you think i was referring to?"

he got out of his state of shock and relief, shaking his head as a light smile was on his lips. "nothing...nothing to worry for. and, uhm, thank you. you really don't need to tho-"

"i insist!" you exclaimed, bouncing over to his side. "I'm pretty good at culinary myself, so i hope this say i can impress you guys."

'you already have, you perfect being. we have been impressed with you for such a long time. that's why you're ours.' Jin thought silently. his smile grew wider.

"well thank you darling. now let's get ready because we got a breakfast to make for 8 hungry people."

you two worked hand in hand, on perfect harmony. he knew your exact moves and you quickly became accustomed to the kitchen set up. it was perfect. and Jin loved it. he was in his comfortable space, with the woman to whom he adored and the way everything was going great was enough for him to hope you never left. ad if you could.

after a hard working 2 hours of work, you wiped at the light coat of sweat from your forehead. "this smells delicious." you checked the clock on your wrist. "and we ended just in time. i'll go wake them up before all of this gets cold."

you bounced up the stairs, Jin fondly watching you climb the staircase. you were so free and light-hearted. he loved that about you.

it took you a whole to gather all the bits downstairs. but the look in their eyes when they saw the feast of food in front of them made them wake up instantly.

"woah..." they said breathlessly and across the table you and Jin shared a look. he winked at you and you smiled back, something they noticed but didn't voice out.

"hyung, how did you make all of this?" Taehyung took a bit of the food and immediately a groan left his lips. "and it tastes so good. even better than usual!"

you blushed lightly at the indirect compliment, but kept your mouth shut.

"well if it wasn't for y/n's lovely help, this wouldn't have been possible." you waved your hand dismissively at Jin's claim.

"no way, this was all Jin-oppa."

'oppa?!' they, all except the certain one, thought in unison.

"ah-ah, give yourself credit, dear. you did help a lot."

'dear?!' they, all except one, thought in unison once again.

"ahem! when did you two get so friendly with each other?" namjoon inquired, an innocent smile on his face.

"oh this morning, of course." Jim said as if it were nothing. although deep down he knew how badly the boys wanted the relationship you two had. a comfortable, friendly one, but for now they had to settle with the acquaintance relationship. and Jin was having a great time, he knew the boys' desires. and he knew that he already had an advantage of your affection from them.

"yeah, oppa is really sweet." you complimented, turning bashful suddenly. their eyes were locked onto your expression. usually they wouldve loved it, but since the reason was of Jin they were infuriated.

"aw, you don't know. deep down he's an asshole."

"yeah, he's also bossy."

"he purposely burns our food sometimes."

"he's a pig."

the insults were being thrown like a hot potatoe between each member, taking their turns to bring the oldest down. the targeted membernonly rubbed his forehead in stress.

"the young ones go and get ready for school, the rest of you either finish your food or clean around this place." he commanded without hesitation. they paused, taking their time to glare at him before they all left the room leaving you and him. you were stunned at the remarks and Jin seemed at the least bit fazed.

"sorry. they're like that sometimes. they're all children at heart. don't mind them, please." the sincerity in his words made you nod slowly.

"it was out of character for them. i was shocked." you said honestly, standing up to clean the table.

after you cleaned the table, you pushed Jin to the elevator. "so i help you get ready for work and then i drive the young ones to school, yeah?"

he nods with a hum and you closed the door to his room. you rolled him to the walk in closet and you held in the gasp when you flicked the lights on.

the closet was marvelous and you were sure that not even half could be worth all your college tuition. even if they were plain button up shirts, you could clearly see the brand on the tags around the collar.

you let him pick his own clothes and once he was finished you were done examining the room. however, you were curious so you asked your curious question.

"what's that empty space?" you pointed at the several empty racks and shelves.

"oh." he paused, looking over his shoulder to the indicated space. "i plan to keep that empty for a while. i have my eye on something, actually, but I haven't had the opportunity to take it for myself."

you nodded, not noticing the side eye he was giving you. you pushed him out of the closet, shutting the lights off, not taking a second glance or sparring a thought about it. you turned as you let him change from his shirt and tie, before you had to eventually help him with his pants.

"sorry if this makes you uncomfortable...i can manage myself if you'd like." you pondered that, but knowing you would have this job for a while, why wait? I mean, you signed up for this and you've done it before. it's just no one else could possibly atch up to Jin's youthful, handsome features. and that made you flustered.

"no, i can't let you deal with it yourself. i can help." you smiled, trying to hide your actual nervousness.

grabbing the pants, you opened them and started at the foot of his leg. sliding it all the way up until the thigh, you lifted your head to speak to him. except his face was a mere centimeter away from you.

speechless, you couldnt even let out a peep. you both were looking back at each other and you honestly would've thought the whole thing was so awkward and odd, but when Jin's eyes look at you like that, you can't think at all.

suddenly, you're clearing your throat. "o-okay, lift yourself up Jin." he put his palms on the sides of the chair, lifting his lower half. and expertly, you avoided any area that might've made you both uncomfortable and you smiled to yourself, despite the embarrassing event earlier.

"and i trust you can zipper yourself up?" you said teasingly, which helped lighten the mood.

"thank you so much, dear. now i do believe, the boys should be done. so, to avoid them being late, you should drive them now. i can manage for the rest of the morning."

you looked at him hesitantly, but realized you had other jobs to tend to. so you left him, not before bowing respectfully and shutting the door to be sealed.

turning around you saw three pouting college kids, "noona, what took you so long?"

you chuckled at Taehyung, but to answer his question you merely shrugged. "let's get a move on boys, don't wanna be late."

as the car pulled out of the driveway, Jin moved away and sat at his desk

cracking his knuckles and neck, he adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "back to reality." were his words as he opened up his laptop.

he clicked away onto the many files before accepting the Skype call from one of his employers. another day in the life of Kim SeokJin...although he did have to note how his morning was especially better.

>tell me if I should start using the - keep reading - option :) idk if it's becoming too long that it's annoying for u guys to scroll thru/past

[mychemicalficrecs]

sorry to bother you but do you know of any fics like the unholyverse??? i read it and absolutely loved it & would like to read somethinh similar lol

Hi there!

Tbh I kind of haven't (yet) 😅There's a whole bunch of fic with religious themes, horror and/or supernatural elements though, I'm sure you'll find something interesting!

Here's a link to the Unholyverse series again for everyone interested.

And just for the record: you're not a bother, I love making these lists!

If You Liked Unholyverse...

Not A Saint by happilyappled, Frank/Gerard, 6k, Explicit. Father Way is not just a priest and Frank is not just any other man.

Tell Me I'm an Angel by SeraphStarshine, Frank/Gerard, 205k, Mature. Gerard thought that committing suicide would finally end it: no more pain, no more sorrow - nothing. The last thing he expected was to wake up in Hell, reborn as a demon under Lucifer’s control. He is planning on ending himself - for good this time - when he runs into an angel named Frank. Even though it is forbidden, he can’t resist spending time with him, and before he even realizes what is happening, he has fallen in love with this mysterious angel. Little does he know that their innocent romance is a part of something much greater which could ignite an all-out war between Heaven and Hell.

Father Way. by Frnk, Frank/Gerard, 6k, Not Rated. Father Way was the youngest priest in the parish, he had only joined a few months ago and Frank completely stopped going to confessions. Its not that Father Way was some old man, it was the opposite. He was around 25, fresh out of training when he joined the church.

Won't You Light My Way? by FallOutFromGrace, Frank/Gerard, 6k [WIP], Explicit. The land of the living became all the more interesting when one of the humans he was trying to turn to his own desires happened to have a spark of the divine. Well, for Gerard, at least. To everyone else, it was a horrific disaster and possibly and end to an era ruled by the spirits and entities down below. To him, it was an improvement to a boring existence.

Hunting With Bullets by Oni216, 21k [WIP], Mature. Having a band is the perfect cover to fight evil that lurks in the dark. It provides distraction, a reason to live, and decent lyrics for no one to fully understand. And it takes its toll. It always takes a toll.

From Grace by blood_infexions, Frank/Gerard, 40k, Explicit. “The connection a guardian angel will have to their human surpasses anything mortal man could fathom. It is pure, untainted love.” Frank is Gerard's guardian angel... until Gerard attempts suicide. Consequentially he is sent down to earth to live as a human again.

Desecrated Kids by wellthisisprettyrisque (collettephinz), Frank/Gerard, 144k, Explicit. Everyone moves into a new town and thinks it's strange. Stepping out of the car with a weird feeling tingling down the back of your neck isn't actually that unheard of, but finding that unmarked grave in the woods behind your house is. Frank Iero wonders if his mother moved him here so he'd disappear off the face of the planet, or if she actually wants the body to be found. All he knows is that this town has some horrible things happening to it, and no one seems to care enough to lift their heads and actually see. He has no idea what's going on, and is one of the few people that wants to find out. Luckily, Gerard is a few steps ahead of him.

Howl (Frerard Werewolf AU) by FrerardAndTheAssbutts666, Frank/Gerard, 18k, Teen And Up Audiences. In a small village, the townspeople all live together in harmony. But when a young woman is found dead, a wave of fear washes over the former peaceful village. Especially when signs of Werewolves, and Witches are linked to the murder. 17 year old Gerard Way is a young man who is well liked by everyone in the village, partly due to his families status in the village. Despite the fact that his village is a God fearing one and he wears dresses. And when another murder is committed, showing the same signs as the first, the village turns to full blown panic, and reinforcements are sent in to help. A Werewolf hunter and his son have traveled to help save this village from the belly of the beast, all while Gerard begins to question everything. The only person he could truly trust during this time of fear, is his boyfriend and lover, Frank. Frank and Gerard have been having a secret relationship, fearing they would be condemned to death if anyone knew. But as more blood is shed and more bodies hit the ground, Gerard begins to piece together that the beast is closer than he thinks. (Loosely based off Red Riding Hood with Amanda Seyfried and Gary Goldman...Okay more like its pretty based off it :p.)

Written in the Sand by Scarlet_Cross, Sarah/Brendon in a later fic, 28k, Teen And Up Audiences. Desert is brutal, it gives no second chances. It demands respect, sacrifice, and blood. (It's set in a super AU danger days pre-music videos universe. Mostly centered on the MCR boys, but there will be cameos, references, and side shoot offs into different bandom areas.)

The psalm of David by ratfromasewer, Frank/Gerard, 6k, Teen And Up Audiences. There's the world that's "after" and there's the world that's "before". After the slippery road, the accident, the almost-becoming-an-angel.

Stairway to Heaven by fleurdeliser, tuesdaysgone, Frank/Grant/Gerard, 58k, Explicit. Father Way accidentally taps into the memories of an angel, and stumbles into the middle of a millennia-long doomed romance.

Shadows In The Parking Lot by cellphonecharm_au, Frank/Gerard, 61k, Explicit. In which there’s a mass grave under Frank and Ray’s apartment complex, Frank doesn’t believe in ghosts, & Frank’s ex-boyfriend is, conveniently, a paranormal consultant.

Shadowplay by theoretically_yours, Frank/Gerard, 74k [WIP], Explicit. Malimore is a small town in Southern California where ghosts are as common as any other household pest and vampires come out to steal the souls of humans at midnight. Frank Iero is a young paranormal investigator whose interest in the supernatural began after the bizarre and untimely death of his parents. One day, when he and his partner take on a particularly gruesome case, all hell breaks loose with Frank caught at the very center. This is the story of how it all happened.

When Both Our Fates Collide (Frerard) by A_A_Dolan, Frank/Gerard, 11k, Mature. Frank Iero is a loner traveler who is a demon hunter. He is part demon due to him having to sacrifice part of his soul to save the life of his son, Miles, after losing his wife and twin daughters to demons. Along the way, Frank has a quest to save the life of someone who can save humankind from death and destruction. A man by the name of Gerard Way. Frank ends up finding Gerard...as a professional, exotic dancer in the bad part of town. Gerard is special and unique and it’s Frank’s job to protect him at all costs. Eventually Frank discovers that Gerard is an angel and has powers stronger than all demons combined...when that news gets out, all demons and angels are on the search for Gerard.

Love will scares us apart by francoantoniohierro, Frank/Gerard, 56k, Mature, Explicit. Haunted House AU. Frank Iero is looking for answers after the death of his best friend. The only people willing to help are the Way brothers. On the other hand, the Way brothers are two paranormal experts looking for amusement.

Famous Last Words by SaskiaK, 22k, Mature. The Paramour Mansion is not for the faint-hearted. Mikey recalls some of events that almost tore him apart

Stay out of the Light by orphan_account, Frank/Gerard, 10k, Explicit. Reserved bookworm Gerard, and arrogant, conceited boyfriend Frank are best friends, though they share little in common. They share even less in common when Frank mysteriously gains an appetite for human blood. As their classmates are steadily killed off in gruesome attacks, Gerard must uncover the truth behind his boyfriend's transformation and find a way to stop the bloodthirsty rampage before it reaches his own brother Mikey. Jennifer's Body AU

The Brandy of the Damned by Nokomis, Gen, 15k, Teen And Up Audiences. An ill-advised detour leads My Chem to a town populated by the dead.

Get Up and Kill by MontyKarl, 10k, Teen And Up Audiences. The zombie apocalypse is upon us. The Way Brothers may well be our only hope...or at the very least their only hope.

In The Walls by thesamefire, Gen, 72k, Teen And Up Audiences. When My Chemical Romance move into the Paramour, they get a lot more than they bargained for. All they want to do is write an epic album, but Mikey is falling apart and Gerard isn't sure what to do about it—or about the fact that they're trapped inside the house with no escape from the increasingly strange and terrible things that are happening to them.

Break The Walls (And Kill Us All) by tabulaxrasa, Frank/Gerard, 27k, Mature. Frank owns an antique store, but he's not very good at it. About the only thing he IS good at is having a crush on his best customer. Until Frank unknowingly unleashes something into his shop— something that doesn't like him very much. And it's not going away any time soon.

the house that dripped blood by addandsubtract, Frank/Mikey, 11k, Mature. “When do we leave?” Mikey asks, and Gerard steps back. “Two weeks,” he says, and Mikey sees flashes of empty hallways and open doors as Gerard pulls his fingers away.

[wormfield1]

Usual Adverse Effects Of Teeth Whitening.

Content

Teeth On The Heath.

Dental Emergency Situations & Sports Safety And Security.

How Does The Zoom Whitening Procedure Actually Function?

A Brighter, Whiter And Perfect Smile

Pick from a large range of facials including the new carbon laser face peel. Laser teeth whitening is constantly my first choice due to the fact that you have a professional carry out the gel as well as you get to use a periodontal guard which means you do not get any one of that awful tasting gel in your mouth. Plus the entire point only takes regarding a hr, so you remain in as well as out really fast as well as if you have outcomes like mine, you'll teeth will be a few shades whiter. Our laser teeth whitening rates make that elusive Hollywood smile affordable for every person. We use only the gentlest, most reliable whitening gels which, when combined with laser teeth whitening, removes also the deepest teeth spots for maximum effect.

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Also old crowns, veneers and also fillings can be recovered to their former brightness. Adequate results in teeth whitening come from personal focus provided to your smile. Prior to the whitening treatment, we might advise a professional cleansing. Specialist teeth whitening treatment attains dramatic results in a much shorter time period than commercial whiteners.

Is it bad to whiten your teeth too much?

Using teeth whitening products too much can erode tooth enamel, leaving you with a higher risk of tooth decay. Increased tooth sensitivity: Overusing whitening products can cause your teeth to become more sensitive to cold and hot temperatures, making it unpleasant for you to consume certain foods and beverages.

NW1 Dental Care is pleased to provide Laser Teeth Whitening in Camden, North London which is our basic in-chair laser tooth whitening treatment. Book a visit with us for a consultation on teeth whitening and also the dental practitioner will inform you which system we recommend that you utilize. We favor a home whitening system that has been shown to supply long-term as well as safe outcomes. As a matter of fact, this particular system seems the absolute best that the marketplace currently needs to supply. You should never ever let any person who's not a fully-qualified dental specialist touch your teeth, which consists of to bleach them! There are a lot of 'high-street cowboys' around offering affordable whitening, yet the outcomes can be devastating and risks vary from enhanced level of sensitivity to melting your mouth and also throat! When done skillfully, teeth whitening in Essex is totally secure.

Teeth On The Health.

We utilize just the gentlest peroxide FREE, most efficient whitening gels for expert results that, when integrated with laser light, securely eliminate the deepest teeth stains. It is not a good idea to have your teeth cleansed INSTANTLY prior to therapy as this may raise sensitivity. If preferred you should get your teeth expertly cleansed a couple of days before or after tooth whitening treatment.

Zoom WhiteSpeed also comes with desensitizers to help in reducing sensitivity as well as secure your enamel. This is a safe, fast and reliable dental expert monitored therapy that can bleach your teeth as much as eight tones in a solitary browse through. In many cases, a handful of individuals with sensitive teeth can experience some discomfort throughout the therapy. The laser light creates minimal warmth which is the typical source of pain. On uncommon events, minor prickling experience are knowledgeable immediately after the treatment, yet constantly dissipate. You can likewise ask your dentist to provide you with anti-sensitivity tooth paste for use before treatment.

With their experiments they also became aware that a side effect of utilizing the gel was that people ended up with whiter teeth.

Specialist whitening therapy is a safe procedure which can just be executed by a dental professional or a hygienist.

In this post, we will certainly be checking out the various ways to attain whiter teeth and also elements that can impact the expense.

This discovery transformed how teeth whitening products are provided and influenced the manner in which new treatments have developed given that the 80's.

Everyone's teeth are one-of-a-kind to them so a global tray created to fit everybody will certainly frequently be ill-fitting as well as uneasy to wear.

The custom nature of specialist whitening therapies such as Boutique Whitening established them in addition to over-the-counter items.

In the 1980s dental experts were trying to figure out a technique that would certainly keep the gel on the periodontals for longer.

With over-the-counter sets, you obtain a one-size-fits-all tray to use.

Nonetheless, we strongly suggest patients to avoid trying teeth whitening themselves by purchasing products online or at beauty salons trying to do a dental experts job. It is a scientifically advanced tooth whitening procedure that is safe, effective as well as achieves approximately 8 tones lighter in regarding one hour. Tooth whitening is a risk-free, simple as well as efficient procedure that enables the teeth to lighten to a lighter color, in order to boost the smile.

The outcomes were excellent after smoking for several years my teeth looked great. As a worldwide leader in the style and also manufacture of professional teeth whitening products. Naturawhite is devoted to establishing the safest and also most innovative technologies for cosmetic teeth whitening. You can accomplish 14 tones lighter with an average of 8 tones attained and we assure 4 tones lighter.

Other approaches of tarnish elimination might be located online, but they risk tooth enamel deteriorating. The safest and also most effective teeth whitening method is that which has actually been recommended by a qualified dental expert, as they have assessed your dental health and wellness. Discolouration is an usual trouble that stands in the way of social interaction and also self-confidence. Whatever the reason for the adjustment in your smile, a service exists.

Oral Emergency Situations & Sporting Activities Safety.

In-office therapy is nearly instant, while home whitening offers you dramatic results over the course of a week or two. Threats are reduced when teeth whitening is overseen by your dentist. By utilizing one-size-fits-all strips or trays, there is a good chance that whitening gel will relocate onto the gum tissues as well as cheeks, where it can cause irritability. Our residence whitening trays are made to fit comfortably around your teeth. Get In Touch With Notting Hillside Dental Facility to discuss teeth whitening therapy. There are lots of ways to get rid of stains on teeth as there are elements that cause them. Many individuals seek a practical option for discolouration by acquiring an off-the-shelf home-whitening kit.

As soon as the 3 sessions have actually been finished, your teeth will be cleaned up and you will certainly go home with a brighter, whiter smile, in just one visit to our Central London Zoom whitening therapy method. Zoom whitening treatment is a whitening system that lightens the discolouration of enamel and dentin.

From here on our hygienist can help remove this discolor for you to keep a whiter smile. Its best to buy a brand-new tooth brush and also whitening tooth paste to ensure that your white teeth are preserved for as lengthy as possible. Teeth whitening can likewise be accomplished by means of Power Whitening where your teeth are bleached in the oral chair utilizing a light to trigger the whitening gel. Your smile is unique to you, as well as Portman Dental & Implant Clinic dental professionals recognize that your reasons are individual as well.

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You might have seen Zoom whitening being used in programs like Extreme Remodeling and also America's following leading design. limited-time offer whitening treatment system is utilized by our celebrity clients at our Central London oral technique very regularly. Drury Lane Dental Treatment is just one of the best Zoom whitening treatment dental practices in London, we just make use of the latest offered formula of Zoom whitening items. Our professional teeth whitening service takes usually 90 minutes to complete as well as you can take pleasure in the gleaming smile you have actually always imagined. Normally, tooth paste whiteners only clean up the spots externally and do not in fact transform the colour of the teeth. Tooth pastes might have some visible results however, for reliable outcomes, we highly advise a teeth whitening therapy. Enlighten Advancement is an effective teeth whitening system that permits you to whiten your smile in the comfort of your residence and with a solitary last session at our center.

How Does The Zoom Whitening Procedure Truly Work?

Can I drink coffee through a straw after teeth whitening?

Consider drinking coffee and other dark beverages (such as teas and colas) with a straw. Whenever possible, brush the teeth immediately after drinking coffee. If unable to brush, patients should drink water or rinse the mouth with water after they have finished a cup of coffee.

This 15-day treatment will generate a smile that - with good maintenance - will last for many years as well as it is ensured to help you accomplish a B1 shade for your teeth. Teeth whitening functions by applying a small amount of bleaching gel to the teeth. The gel after that responds with the surface area of the tooth, carefully eliminating stains as well as developing a beautiful, pearly white smile to be happy with. I had my teeth whitening done at Resolve center in Bournemouth as well as I was very pleased with the examination as well as professional advice offered.

Your smile is special to you, as well as Freeman & Rosser Dental & Implant Facility dental professionals recognize that your factors are personal too. toothwhiteningpros.co.uk ranked and also experienced dentists near Stockport use two of the very best professional teeth whitening choices, Zoom in-chair and at home. Typical methods of expert teeth whitening frequently count on a house application system. This is easy to manage as well as includes the development of a collection of bespoke trays, which fit your mouth flawlessly and are put on over night with whitening gels. If you 'd such as magnificent, durable and cost effective professional laser or at home teeth whitening in Stockport, our state-of-the-art clinic can help. The light has actually been created with sensitivity in mind and also comes with three power setups that allow the dental practitioner to regulate the strength and length of the treatment to maximise patient convenience.

How can I whiten my yellowing teeth?

Whitening yellowing teeth can be achieved through the use of bleaching trays or whitening toothpaste. Most whitening toothpaste brands have low-concentration bleach in them.

Your smile is special to you, as well as Parkside Dental Treatment dental practitioners recognize that your factors are personal too. The prices of any cosmetic dentistry treatment consisting of smile remodelings will certainly vary for every individual in accordance with what is called for. For several a solitary treatment might be performed, nonetheless various other people might need a longer approach with different strategies. Despite the fact that we keep aesthetic treatment prices practical, there is no way to place a cost for the individual benefits of a great smile. The specialist dental practitioner can talk about the cost with you at analysis and also present you with payment plan choices that can make visual therapies spending plan friendly in your situation. A GDC and Philips qualified dental practitioner will first undertake an extensive examination of your teeth and periodontals to asses suitability.

It can whiten your smile by regarding 8 to 10 tones as well as make your teeth visibly brighter. Currently relax and also allow the teeth whitening gel and laser light do the rest! The laser light creates an oxidation response which will certainly eliminate spots and also tooth discolouration from the inside out. House whitening treatments include putting on strips for a time period of even mouth guards and also using these things for months at a time with only very little results. Laser teeth whitening provides you instant and remarkable outcomes without the need of strips or guards. and laser teeth whitening is in the dental instrumentation made use of which activates a hydrogen peroxide solution. Some individuals locate they whilst they are intitally whiter they will likely darken once more a little gradually, but this is normally caused by surface area staining.

Teeth whitening treatments in Manchester have ended up being very popular recently and also are currently amongst one of the most asked for cosmetic therapies. Teeth whitening therapies can change the appearance of the teeth in a matter of mins and also give you a lovely, positive smile forever. Every specialist at The White Residence is a completely certified and signed up dental expert, informed in more than just teeth whitening. The ZOOM teeth whitening procedure takes roughly 1 hr and also 15 minutes and prices ₤ 499. If you would love to lighten your smile the ZOOM laser teeth whitening system may be the ideal option for you. ZOOM is a light activated whitening system, also known as laser teeth whitening, that utilizes hydrogen peroxide to achieve far better results. ZOOM is most likely one of the very best known tooth whitening brands offered by the dental experts across the nation.

A Brighter, Whiter As Well As Best Smile

Immediate Laser Whitening Therapies From ₤ 250.

With tooth whitening therapy executed by the qualified physicians of Notting Hillside Dental Center, you can change your smile to your preference. Do you want to brighten your smile with teeth whitening in Lewisham? To reserve your consultation today, please telephone call Lewisham Dental Practice on, or email us at Teeth whitening conducted by an experienced cosmetic dental expert is really safe.

A plastic mouthpiece is then put, exposing the teeth before an obstacle solution is related to shield the gum tissues and soft cells. The whitening gel is then related to the teeth in 3 cycles of 15 minutes. The Philips zoom laser will after that be directed at the teeth, which is developed to reduce yellow staining and return teeth to their natural colour.