#and so when I got a call from a random caller ID I was freaked out

[boomerang109]

my dad survived brain surgery number one!!

[shyanimesupremacist]

"unfortunate"

Izuku x F!VillainReader

1.9K words / angsty

Meeting you was so unexpected. The bumping of our paths came to be a blessing. Who knew I’d fall for some random boy on the train home. But you weren’t some random boy. You were a hero in the making who was passionate about saving as many people as he could. The complete opposite of me who existed to wreak havoc into people’s ordinary lives. 

You were a student who attended UA while I was a villain who had just joined the infamous League of Villains. 

People shoved their ways out of the train doors the second they opened. Losing their footing the H/C girl was caught from falling by a firm yet gentle hold on their wrist. “Eh are you okay?” The boy gently pulled Y/N to the side of the train as a means to avoid the shoving crowd. Her eyes landed on the boy who saved her from being trampled. On sight a glob of messy green dark hair came into view skimming down to meet his two beautiful emerald eyes that shone worry as well as slight pink color flushed his cheeks. 

Y/N blushed as ‘cute’ crossed her mind. “Yeah thanks.” She bowed her head slightly in thanks. The boy frantically waved his arms in embarrassment. “Hey no need to thank me!” The boy frantically waved his arms in embarrassment, the blush now more prominent on his cheeks. 

“Okay okay, don't freak out there, stranger. Anyways, what's your name?” “Midoriya Izuku.”  “Ah no wonder you looked familiar! You’re from the sports festival!” ‘Huh wait till Shigaraki gets a load of who I ran into.’ 

“Hey you busy?” “Eh” “I was asking if you were going to do anything. Since school is over for the day I thought you might want to catch some ice cream with me.”  

“I kind of have training today…” The girl looped her arm with the boys pulling him to the busy streets. “Come oooon. You look like you can skip out on one day, if you leave now I’ll feel guilty for letting you go like that. Please?” She puppy dogged the now blushing boy. “Okay one day won’t hurt.” 

The sun was now setting and the pair were laughing uncontrollably on a bench at the park. “Seriously no wayyyyy! This Kaminari sure sounds like a crackhead if you ask me.” Their conversation soon came to a halt as the girl’s phone rang. Peeking at the caller ID she frowned and forwarded the call. “Well Izuku this sure was a lot of fun. I hope we can see each other again.” “Oh you have to go now?” “Yeah my mom’s probably starting to wonder where I am.” The boy frowned a bit, having really enjoyed meeting the girl. “No need to frown there pretty boy, I hope, if it’s okay, we can see each other again?” 

Izuku’s cheeks coated in a red blush at the girl’s request. Enthusiastically he replied. “Yeah I’d really like that!” The boy shied a bit at how loud he was but the girl just chuckled. “Awesome! Let's exchange numbers and keep in touch then.” The pair exchanged phones and put in their numbers. “Eh deku?” “Ah yeah that’s what my friends call me.” “Oh.” “And you’re named Y/N?” “Yep. Anyways, I should hurry home. I’ll text you to let you know I’m home safe.” “Yeah!” 

The duo waved each other goodbye, smiling. 

*Ring ring* Dabi “Hello?” “It’s about goddamn time you answer the phone, I’ve been calling nonstop why didn’t you answer.” “Well if you must know I made a new friend.” “Yeah right, people like us don’t have time to waste on shit like that.” “Well I'd beg to differ. I’m sure you’d change your mind when you find out who it is.”

 …

“You mean you got to meet and be friends with that brat.” “Sure did, the kid seems very trusting of people.” “Keep in touch with him then, it’ll be an advantage once we find what kind of power he has.”

…

From there Izuku and Y/N called and texted each other day in and day out.  “Hey Deku you’ve been glued to your phone these past few days.” “Eh I guess I have.” “Yeah what’s up with that?” Kaminari chimed in with a smug face. “Lemme guess…it's a girl isn’t it.” Izuku’s cheeks immediately flushed. “Yup it’s definitely a girl!” 

…

“Are you sure your friends will like me?” Y/N nervously asked as she nervously squeezed the green haired boy's hand. Stopping right outside a karaoke restaurant he squeezed her hand back and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Smiling sweetly he replied, “Of course! Trust me they’ll find you just as wonderful as I do.” She smiled back. “Okay then I’m ready.” 

Walking in they were greeted into a karaoke room they were immediately greeted by Izuku’s classmates. “Hey Izuku! This must be Yukino! Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Uraraka Ochako but you can just call me Ochako!” “Hi I’m Ashido Mina but you can call me Mina.” 

Y/N blushed at the sudden attention taking in the whole room as the group all looked at her. 

“I’m L/N Y/N, you all can call me Y/N.” The girl bowed to the group with a smile. With that the rest of the group was introduced which consisted of Kaminari, Kirishima, Jiro, Iida, Todoroki, Momo, and surprisingly Bakugou too.

After karaoking for a bit the group settled down around the table and started eating. “Wow Y/N you’re really good at singing! You’re quirk wouldn’t happen to be anything with music would it?” Y/N chuckled at the compliment.“Actually no but thank you for the compliment, Jiro, was it?” 

Jiro nodded.  “So Y/N, if you don’t mind me asking what is your quirk?” Asked Momo with Kirishima chiming in. “Yeah Deku never mentioned you having a quirk did he?” They all nodded recalling the green haired boy never mentioning it and said green haired boy thinking back on how her having a quirk never came up, now looking back at Y/N in curiosity. 

Contemplating decided to somewhat twist the truth. “I was actually born without a quirk.” Everybody looked at the girl in shock and she put on a nervous smile. “Yeah I’m one of the 20% who got unlucky…” Nobody uttered a word making Y/N feel small under their gaze and stirring up unwanted memories of her past. “I’d get it if you guys don’t want to be around a quirkless person like me…” 

Realizing the misunderstanding, Izuku gripped her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “That’s not it at all. We’re just surprised is all, right guys?” The majority nodded their heads frantically, while the others being Bakugo and Todoroki quietly looking at her in agreement. “Yeah we’re sorry for causing you to think like that. Just with the way you hold yourself I’m surprised you don’t have a quirk,” said Ochako as she put her hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “Right! You’re still really cool regardless of quirk or no quirk!” piped MIna. “Thanks guys. Anyways it was really nice meeting you all but I should start heading home.” “I’ll walk you out!” With that Y/N bid farewell to the group and left the room making her way with Izuku right behind. 

Walking out the restaurant the duo was now bidding good bye to each other. “I’m sorry about my friends had I known I would have told them not to have asked about your quirk.” “That’s okay you couldn’t have known.” They stood in front of one another awkwardly. “Y/N?” “Yeah?” 

Y/N looked up at Izuku as he went on to grasp her hands in his, looking at her with intensity . “I hope you know regardless of where we stand in terms of having quirk or no quirk, I still really like you!” “Y-you like me?” A blush now adorned both the teens' faces but Izuku’s gaze didn’t waver in intensity from hers. He gripped her hands firmer in his and responded with an, “I do”. 

“I like you too.” Despite the confession and expecting to be happy, Y/N was instead filled with guilt for having led the boy on and now conflicted on what to do. ‘I got way to caught up in all of this that in the process I gained feelings for a boy who meant nothing but well.’ 

“Would you want to go on a date with me?”  Izuku looked at her expecting to say yes, oblivious to the sadness in her eyes as hearing she liked him back was all he needed to know. “Y/N?” “I’m sorry but I can’t.” 

“You can’t?” Izuku looked at her heartbroken. “No. I think it’s also for the best that we put our friendship to an end here.” As Y/N tried to walk hurriedly away, Izuku gripped her arm. “Hey if we can’t date that’s okay, I can wait. But there’s no reason to end our friendship too.” Tearing up, Y/N pulled away. “I’m sorry. I know it came from nowhere, but it’s for the best, trust me. You don’t want to get involved with me anymore than you already have. You don’t deserve that.” “What are you talking about? Since I met you, all I've wanted to do was get to know you more and fall for you even more.” “As much as I wish I could’ve gotten to know you more too, in the end, all I can hope now is you won’t hate me.” “Why would I hate you? I don’t care if you’re quirkless! If anything that just makes us even more alike!”

Y/N looked at him in disbelief and confusion. “Alike?! We couldn’t be any more different! You’re a hero in the making and by the looks of it probably one of the best. You can’t possibly understand what I’ve been through. In a world of heroes being quirkless is one of the worst things you could possibly be. There’s never a day I wasn’t degraded and bullied for being quirkless so you saying we’re alike is unbelievable!” Y/N was now fuming at the boy for saying such nonsense.

“That’s not what I meant! What I meant was-” Izuku quickly shut his mouth realizing what he was just about to confess. As much as he wanted to tell her that he too was once quirkless he couldn’t as it wasn’t just his secret but also All Mights. He couldn’t risk putting anyone in danger in case word happened to get out about it. “You meant what?” “...” “That’s what I thought. You can’t understand. Good bye Deku.” 

With that the girl pulled away and ran opposite of the boy, leaving Izuku in tears. 

…

“There’s no way it could’ve been her! She would never be with the league of villains! She doesn’t even have a quirk.” The boy exclaimed in disbelief to his master’s words. “You my boy at one point didn’t have a quirk remember? For now we can’t know for sure young Midoriya, that’s why we can only do it with your help.” The green haired looked defeated as he glimpsed at the photo caught at a crime scene showing a female with a mask and H/C cascading down the sides of her face. He didn’t want to believe it but that villain looked too much like her. “All right, All Might, I’ll do it.”

[dasomlimie]

Heyyy! I hope ur doing okay if ur requests r open can l request reader asking if she can see whats under sanzu’s mask like that one scene in naruto where he tried so hard to see kakashi’s mask something similar and funny like that take ur time l love ur work <333

%% BEHIND THAT MASK! #!/

characters : aged up!—Sanzu Haruchiyo

a/n : i cant believe im rewrtiting this sorry if this is half assed tumblr didn't save my draft earlier, enjoy ig

Sanzu Haruchiyo..... your masked bf sometimes you were wondering what behind that mask but ofc you wanted to respect his boundaries and dont want to make him uncomfortable, but curiousity start to eat you alive so you have a little plan in your mind

sometimes there's a lot of idea in your mind on why Sanzu didn't remove his mask, maybe he have big lips that unmatched with his face future? or maybe he have crooked teeth? or even worse he doesn't have mouth! but you scratched the last idea since how did he speak if he doesn't have mouth? his nose? yeah that idea once stuck in your head but you decided to remove it because it doesn't make sense at all

you called Sanzu to meet you up infront of a restaurant which he agreed since maybe you were hungry and he is too, you greet Sanzu before taking his hand and walk into the restaurant with him

"today is my treat" you said smiling he raise an eyebrow you were cheerful more than usual "did something good happen?" he ask you shook his head "nope i just wanted to spend time with my lovely boyfriend" you said he nodded start looking at the menu

"are you ready to order?" he ask after a few minutes you nodded letting him call the waiter, you both said your order as the writer write down your order, you noticed Sanzu's order was a heavy meal he probably going to remove his mask

you smile to yourself before mentally patting yourself for coming up with this idea as soon as your food arrived you stare at Sanzu causing him to raise an eyebrow "whats up my love?" he ask you shook your head "nothing eat up" he nod "you too" you nod

you stare as he was about to remove his mask until your phone start ringing you look at the caller ID noticing it was your boss you look at Sanzu "eat first i have to answer this call" you said he nod as he watch your figure walking out from the restaurant

you listen to your boss rant about how her husband keep cancelling their date and how she think he was cheating on her while you were wondering why the hell your boss telling you all of this as she finally hang up you walk into the restaurant only to be greeted by Sanzu scrolling through his phone you blink

"oh baby! what took you too long? oh and im sorry i finished my food first i haven't eat since yesterday" he said giving you closed eyes smile you nod sitting "did you forgot to eat again?" you ask he nod "im very busy yesterday and just go to sleep as soon as i got home" he said you nod

attempt 1 : failed

"want some?" you ask offering your food he shook his head "im full already" he said you nodded visibly deflated "whats up pretty girl? you were all cheerful a while ago" he said chuckling you shook your head from side to side finding a reason and decided to use your boss phone call as your reason "she did it again" you said he pat your head

"did she start ranting to you again? what was is about?" he ask you sigh "about her husband this and that you know the usual why don't they just divorce?" you said leaning to your chair

"maybe you should find a new job if you were that sick of your boss personal life rant" he said you nodded "yeah i should" you said

the second attempt might make him mad but what is life without a little thrill and spice right? right.

you took a deep breath before apologizing gripping the tray in your hand you walk inside the room smiling at Sanzu you walk toward him then purposely trip yourself

you watch everything happen in slow motion how the juice flew and wetting his mask you cheer silently before your face kiss the floor you groan but being muffled by your carpet Sanzu gasp ignoring his wet clothes and mask

"y/n?! are you okay? oh my why are you suddenly become clumsy?" he ask as he help you to get up you have to swallow your image its not even 6 month into your relationship here you are doing stupid things just to what behind his mask

he hiss when he saw your red forehead with a little bloody lips "we should get that lips treated" he suggest you nodded "let me put this away your hoodie was in my closet along with extra mask" you said silently before walking out from the room leaving a little space for you to peak in

you feel your cheeks heat up as you watch his half naked body you silently cheer as he was about to remove his mask when your doorbell rang causing you to curse silent

you keep debating either to look and discover what behind your boyfriend mask or to answer the door you were deep in thought when Sanzu clear his throat his cheeks tinted with rosy pink just like his hair

"i didn't know you're that type of person" he said clearing his throat again you look up before cursing yourself "oh no you got the wrong idea let me go and answer the door ok?" you said walking a little bit too faster "be careful!" Sanzu called as he look you who almost tripped twice

attempt 2 : failed

you look at Sanzu as you keep following—more like stalking—him you tried to make sure you didn't lost him maybe he would remove his mask at the most random time especially when he's alone? yeah thats what you think ,you were now dressed in all black outfit paired with black cap and black mask

yup much like a stalker

you watch him keep turning and leading you to a dark hallways wondering what he was doing here, little did you know he noticed you following him but didn't have any idea it was his girlfriend

"fuck" you curse silently as you lost him you were about to take another turn when someone pull you to opposite turn you yelped both in suprise and pain when your back make a harsh contact to the cold and dirty wall you hiss from how strong someone's grip on your hands is

"who are you and why are you following me?" he ask you stay silent too scared to answer him, Sanzu chuckle "why are you all silent? acting all scared are we?" he said you shiver under his sharp gaze

"i ask you questions" he said you shut your eyes he sigh annoyed and start to loose his patients then decided to remove both your mask and cap you felt his grip on your hands loosening

"y/n?" he said in softer voice than earlier you still shut your eyes tightly slightly trembling "darling look at me" he said as one of hand slither to your waist while the other cup your cheeks thumb caressing your cheeks "open your eyes my love im not going to hurt you" he said you open your eyes slowly meeting his soften gaze

"why are you following me like that? i thought you were one of those people who tried to get me again" he said chuckling you didn't answer instead hugging him burying your face into his chest

"did i scare you that much?" he ask you shook your head as a no, you were actually embarassed of yourself for doing dumb thing to get him to remove his mask

"then why?" he ask hugging you close to him "im sorry" you said he raise an eyebrow "why?" "im sorry for doing dumb thing lately and following you like earlier" you said he chuckled you look up to him

"i get it now" he said removing you from him gently then cup your cheeks with both of his hands "you know you can just ask right?" you pout "i just dont want to make you feel uncomfortable" he shook his head

"you will never im actually waiting for you to ask me by yourself" he said you nodded "then can i uh you know" he nod letting you remove his mask

heart beating loudly Sanzu was prepared from any insult from you yet nothing came our from your mouth, does he freak you out? he was about to apologize when you whispered out a very unexpected word he expects you to say

"beautiful" you said he froze not believing what he just heard "what?" he ask for confirmation "i said beautiful" you repeat before caressing his scars with both of your thumb he sigh in relief

"really? i thought you were going to freaked out" he said you shook your head with confused face while your attention was still on his face "why would i?" you ask

"people always told me its disgusting i thought you would too but apparently not im relieved" you heart broke a little from his words "who the hell said your scars is disgusting?! let me beat them up" you said with determination he shook his head "its okay you were an absolute angel i cant imagine you beating people up" he said pressing a kiss on your forehead

"you look hotter without mask" you whisper he smile "is that so?" he ask you nodded then cover his face with his mask "and only me can see you my beautiful and handsome and hot boyfriend without his mask no one can see your full face they would fall for you" you said he chuckled before ruffling your hair

"whatever you say angel" he said you smile as he lead you out from the hallway just so your know he would use your silly attempt to tease you in the future

attempt 3 : successfully failed

!%! © HNEULWH— i did not allow my work to be used or adapted in any form without my permission !#//

[pitaparka]

between the devil and the deep blue sea

summary: you wake up to find your brother missing. you’re then met by two handsome boys in your motel room, who just so happen to have his key. they offer to help you find him.

pairings: jj maybank x reader / john b x reader

word count: 3.1k

warnings: a missing brother, teenage boys, and a whole lot of eventual unresolved sexual tension

a/n: outer banks. that is all. happy quarantine yall. big love.

It was jarring to wake up in the motel all by yourself. You hadn’t even heard him leave. 

It took you too long to notice. The room was plunged in darkness, and you took your time waking up, getting out of bed, brushing your teeth. You had only turned on the light when you had decided to get dressed. Which is when you saw the empty bed next to you. It was hastily made, but even the fact that it was made threw you off. He had never been one to make his bed, even back home. Especially not when he first woke up. Did he plan on not coming back? His suitcase was zipped up on one of the chairs at a small desk off to the side. It made your stomach drop to think about. In your PJs, you checked the bathroom, the closet (for good measure), and under the bed (just in case). 

You called his name, but there was no answer. You had woken up multiple times through the night, afraid of the windows exploding, or the door caving in. There were no sand bags or boards for your room. But each time, you were lulled back asleep during a calm in the storm. The noise plus the springy mattress had not allowed for a restful sleep, and you were out of bed as soon as it was reasonable.

Your bare foot hit the damp pavement stepping out of your motel room. Petrichor filled your nostrils. It was a refreshing change from the musty dank mess you had spent the night in, but it wasn’t much more comforting. You were still alone, and you had no clue why. There were men and women all over the motel balcony, working on moving large branches and surveying the damage. You were suddenly grateful you weren’t in one of the rooms on the end, that had large cracks in the concrete. You looked both ways from your room, but you hadn’t recognized anyone. Power tools drowned out the sound of children playing in front of the motel front down below you. There were mattresses put up against the railing. You were expected to check out today, and you had agreed on leaving early, but you didn’t want to leave without your brother. The only option was to wait for him. You returned to the room.

You figured a shower was in order. So you didn’t hear the knock until you came out, towel around your shoulders, fully dressed this time. Thank God. Because you heard the key turn in the lock and light filled the room and all the doubt plunged from your chest because your brother was back—

But he wasn’t. You stared from the bathroom. Two boys. Neither of them your brother.

“Huh,” one says, and you really take a good look at the two of them. Just in case you have to describe them to the police. 

Tall. Wavy brown hair. Hat backwards. Bandanna around his neck. The other one blonde. Short hair. Tank top. Really nice arms, but considering they’re breaking into your motel, you look past it. 

“Check the bag, see if there’s a name on there somewhere.”

A name. Why do they want your name? If they’re going to steal things, they might as well just take it. They’re both teenage boys. About your age. Tall. Probably taller than you, but you can’t tell. The blonde one shoves the key deep into his cargo shorts. They go to close the door behind them.

It takes them a second to notice you. You must look like a deer in headlights.

“How did you get in here?” You ask. You saw the key. Where did they get the key? Only you and your brother have keys, how did they—

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry, we didn’t know anyone—” One of them starts.

“Fuck,” the other one says.

“We found this key, we just wanted to—” One goes to explain, but you’re more scared than they are.

“What are you doing here?” You ask

“We just wanted to see where this came from,” says blondie, holding up the motel key. “We wanted to just—”

“Yeah, we’re sorry, we’ll be leaving now,”  The brunette goes to leave, and the blonde goes to follow. The one with the key in his hand doesn’t let go of it. You need to know where they got that key from.

“No! Wait,” you say, and they stop in their tracks.

“Where did you find that key?” You ask. They look between each other.

“On a boat,” One of them replies. The other stares at him.

“What boat?” you ask. You can feel your heart thumping in your wrist. You leave the doorway and sit on your brother’s bed. The door to the motel room is slightly ajar. They, theoretically, could run and never come back. But they haven’t left yet. 

“We… we found it. At the bottom of a marsh.” Brunette says. You let out a shaky breath. What the fuck does that mean? Whose boat did he have? How did he learn to drive a boat? Why would he get on a boat, in the middle of a fucking storm?

Your phone rings on the table next to them. You rush over to it, and the boys move back a little bit. There’s no caller ID. You answer.

“Hello?” you stare at the boys. They stare back at you. They look invested now.

“Hi! Are you busy?” The person asks. It sounds like a man, but not your brother.

“Who is this? How did you get this number?” you say. Today, nobody feels like giving you their names.

“Is your brother there?” 

“No, he’s not here… who is this?”

“Ah, okay, sorry! Have a nice—”

“Who is this?” you demand, but the line goes dead. 

“Fucking great,” you mutter, and the boys are still there.

“Uhh,” one of them starts, “We’re just gonna go.”

You’d had enough. You were fed up with the cryptic messages of today. Your brother disappearing out of nowhere, these boys, the phone call. 

“Can you… Do you know where the boat is, still?” you ask. You run your hands over your face, exasperated. This day was shaping up to be one of the worst of your life.

They’re both silent for a beat, before Blondie speaks up.

“Yeah. We could, I mean, we could show you where it is. Why?” 

Brunette glares at him.

“I can’t find my brother. He left this morning… that’s his motel key. He doesn’t have a boat. I just… I don’t know what’s going on today.” you explain. Brunette gives you a sympathetic look.

“He might be at the store or something,” he suggests, but Blondie has other ideas.

“I’m JJ,” he introduces. He fishes the key out of his pocket and holds it out to you. You decline it.

“No, you can hold on to it. I only need one,” you say, and you lean over to open the drawer next to your bed. Your key isn’t in there. But your brother’s phone is. And a motel sticky note with a number on it

“Oh shit,” you say, and Blondie—JJ, leans over to look in the drawer. He takes out the paper.

“Guess you could use this key then, huh?” he says with a smile. You return it sadly, and take the key from his hands. He looks over the paper.

“Thanks,” you mutter. 

“What’s this for?” he asks inquisitively. 

You take it from his hands. It’s six random numbers. It means nothing to you.

“I don’t know,” you say, handing it back. He hands it over to the other boy. You get up, and move over to the side of the room where your shoes are. Where your brother’s shoes aren’t. 

You give Brunette a once over after you put your shoes on. 

“Who are you?” you ask, and he introduces himself as John.

“But he’s really John B.,” JJ clarifies.

“Is there more than one John?” you ask.

“Probably. It’s a popular name,” John B. says, leading the two of you out of your motel room. You’d have to leave before tonight. You have nowhere else to go, so maybe because of the hurricane they’d let you stay. Checking out the boat wouldn't take too long, right?

“You guys aren’t… serial killers, right?” you question after you lock the door behind you. This is a terrible idea, going with these boys you don’t know at all. But there have been worse ideas. Like your brother leaving early in the morning to steal a boat and sink it in the ocean. You know he can swim, but you can vividly remember him tiring easily at the lake you’d spend the summer at with your family together. Your heart breaks a little bit at the memory.

“Oh come on, could a serial killer look this good?” JJ says, flaunting his body. He playfully runs his hands over his chest and face, and John B. laughs at him.

“Come on, dude, you’re freaking her out,” he says, and looks back at you while you guys walk down the stairs. 

“No, we’re not serial killers. At least not today,” he smirks. You figured you were gonna regret this, but it was too late to turn back now. Besides, what would you do in the motel room until your brother got back. What if he did come back, and you weren’t there? 

Your heart races.

“Wait,” and the sound of their feet on the gravel stops. 

“What if he comes back? And I’m not there? I should at least leave a note or something, right?” you worry. 

“I mean,” JJ starts, “If I were you, wait—have you texted him?” he says.

“Yeah, it was one of the first things I did. But he didn’t take his phone with him.” you say, picturing his phone sitting in the drawer, halfway charged, your missed calls and texts the only notifications. You didn’t know his password either, so it’s not like you could snoop.

“Well, then I think the boat will be your best bet. I could dive down there and see if there’s anything else in it,” John B. suggests. JJ nods in agreement. It’s nice how they decided to assist you, but you can’t help but feel like there’s an ulterior motive underneath it all. 

“Why… I mean, thank you, but—why are you helping me?” you say as you walk with the boys. They’re easy to talk to, and you feel like you guys could be friends very quickly.

“We got nothin’ better to do,” John B. says with a smile, and you think how nice it would be to be a part of something.

“Oh shit, it’s the cops,” JJ says, and you and John B. look up immediately. 

“What are they doin’ here…” John inquires. 

“Do you guys know them?” you ask, and JJ gives you a look.

“Know them? We’re practically besties.” 

The way he says it doesn’t make you feel better.

“Let’s go, before they see us.” John B. says, and you follow them to a little boat moored on the shore. 

“This is what we found in the room,” JJ says as he gets closer. There’s two other people there.

“A girl?” the boy says. The girl just smiles at you.

“Hi,” you say, and introduce yourself to them.

“I’m Kie, that’s Pope,” Kie says, gesturing to Pope. They look nice enough. It’s a nice little crew they have, and you find yourself wishing you could have something like this. Maybe, just maybe, if things worked out, you and your brother could make a life here. Do something here. Be someone here. But first, you’d have to find him.

“We walked in and she was in the room,” John B. says.

“We thought someone called the cops on you. Look,” Pope says, gesturing to where they had pulled up. They were talking among themselves near their patrol car. 

“Yeah, we know,” JJ says. He holds your hand as he helps you onto the boat. His hands are firm and cold, but you realize you like holding them. He smiles at you, then John B. puts his foot on the side of it.

“Uh, where’s my hand JJ?” John B. asks, and JJ responds with a shove, almost pushing John into the murky marsh water as he loses his footing, half on the boat, half on the shore. John B. gives him a hard shove back, and JJ loses his balance, catching himself with one hand, that comes back wet and muddy. You look on in amusement, but Pope tugs on your shirt, moving you back a little.

“You might wanna move back,” he says, and John B. jumps onto the boat, JJ in tow. They run around the center console for a second, JJ chasing John B. with a muddy hand, and Kie pats the spot next to her. The boat was small, so you took the opportunity to sit down. 

“What’s your story?” she says.

“Hmm?” you hum, tearing your eyes away from JJ slathering the back of John B.’s shirt with half dry mud, flaking onto the boat and sticking to his shirt. Pope narrowly avoids the splash zone, gripping the edge of the boat. 

“I can’t find my brother. The key you guys found? That was his. And he doesn’t have a boat, so I don’t really know what happend. I wanted to go check out where it was, y’know?”

You felt better around Pope and Kie. They were the more level headed of the four, you concluded. Which is probably why they were on the boat and not breaking into your motel room. You unheedingly ran a hand over the key in your pocket, fiddling with the hem of your shorts. You wish you had brought sandals you noted, as some of the water on the boat saturated the canvas of your shoes, right above where the rubber sole ended. 

“That sucks. I’m sorry,” Kie apologizes, before JJ hops off the boat again. At the front, he undoes whatever knot he used to tie the boat to whatever waterlogged tree he could find there. With a strong push, he dislodges the boat from the shore, and just makes it back onto the boat before John B. turns on the engine.

“All aboard that’s coming aboard?” John B. cries out. 

“Aye aye Captain,” says JJ, moving to the front of the boat.

John eases the boat out of the motel area, and back into the marsh. 

“You ever been on a boat before?” JJ asks, taking a seat at your feet. You politely decline the beer he offers you. He shrugs and places it back into the cooler on Kie’s side.

“Uh, not one like this. I’ve been on a boat before though,” you say.

“What, you been on boats nicer than this one?” Questions John B. from the helm.

“Not possible. This is the nicest boat there is.” Pope replies sarcastically. 

“Yeah, I don’t know what’s my favorite part, the broken fishing rod holder or the helicopter engine on the back of this thing.” JJ says. You chuckle softly at his joke, but you find it endearing how John B. defends her. 

“Aw, don’t listen to them, Old Girl.” he says to the boat.

“You’re still my favorite,” John B. whispers to her, giving the wheel a little kiss.

Everyone laughs at him, and he grins, sitting a little taller in his seat. 

“Are you from around here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.” Pope says, beer in hand. They can’t be of age, but it’s an island, so who cares.

“No, I’m not. My brother and I were just passing through, but the storm hit. We were supposed to leave two days ago, but there were no ferries coming in or out.”

“On your way somewhere?” Kie asks.

“Nowhere specific,” you say, and JJ laughs.

“Mysterious, I like it,” he gets up from his spot at your feet and stretches upward. The tank he’s wearing already shows off a lot of skin, especially his sides, but when he stretches, he exposes his stomach a little bit. He’s got an athletic build. I guess that’s what happens when you live on an island.

“What about you guys?” you ask, suddenly a little claustrophobic with all the attention. 

“Have you guys always lived here?”

“Yeah. We all grew up here. Been here since we were born.” Pope says.

“Hopefully not for much longer,” clarifies Kie.

You quirk a brow at her. She continues.

“There’s nothing left for us here. Nobody cares about us. If we can get out, we can probably do something with our lives.”

“Yeah. If I want to do anything worth doing, I won’t be working under my dad when I do it.” Pope adds. Everyone else seems to agree.

Everyone except John B.

“I think that’s it,” he says, slowing the boat down considerably and looking over the console to get a look at it.

You and everyone else crowd the side of the boat. You don’t like how it leans forward a little, with the weight of everyone on the bow of it. In the cloudy water, there sits a big hunk of something. If he hadn’t had pointed it out, you probably would’ve paid no mind to it. It reminds you a little bit of how the Titanic sank.

John B. all of a sudden has his shirt off and his sandals, hat discarded somewhere off to the side with his bandanna in it. He jumps headfirst off the side of the boat, toward the object in the water. 

“I hate it when he does that,” Kie voices, “He’s gonna crack his head open one of these days,”

“Let him,” JJ says, watching the water intently with the rest of you. 

The seconds pass by slowly, and you begin to worry about John B.

“Should we go get him?” Pope asks, but John B. answers by popping up out of the water, sputtering and coughing, wiping his face with his hands.

“Anything?” you ask hopefully.

John B. stares at you. 

“Well, it’s still a boat.”

“Great, John, that’s totally gonna reassure her.” JJ criticizes.

“I couldn’t stay under long enough to see what was down there,” John B. says, making his way over to the side of the boat.

“So? What now?” you ask. All hope is lost. You can only hope that your brother is waiting for you back at the motel. 

John B. shakes his hair dry like a dog, and then slicks it all back. You can see he’s prepared to let the sun dry him off. He looks at you whimsically.

“Actually, I know where we could get some scuba gear.”

[fluffi]

my little dirt ball. | hueningkai

pairing: hueningkai x reader

genre: fluff, friends to lovers!au, hauntedhouse!au

word count: 9k

author’s note: wow...my first published fic and its 9k words...i don’t really know what to think of this, but I hope everyone likes it!

warnings: vague descriptions of things in haunted houses, y/n being an oblivious idiot

others: this is part of a halloween group collab. You can see everyone else’s works here! this also is in correlation to an upcoming yeonjun fic i have planned (see bonus)!

special thanks: @/spookybias for literally taking 30 min of her time to help me get the entire fic in order and @/yeonjuncore as inspiration for the correlation fic thingy (see her hueningkai and soobin halloween fic).

October 31, 2020 | 6.38am

You were unable to fall asleep. Tossing, turning, and sitting up ever so often in a sweaty mess. You would walk over to the thermostat, turn it down, only for you to wake up shivering. Then the cycle would repeat, so you never ended up actually sleeping.

While squirming in bed, you heard loud thumps emitting from your bedside window. What the heck? It wasn’t raining, you were sure of it, since you couldn’t hear water leaking in your bathroom. Just then, your phone rang. You groggily sat up and pressed the green answer button, without bothering to look at the caller ID.

“Wake up, loser. Did you forget that it’s October 31? Halloween?”

Right. That was what I forgot. You were so busy doing projects and finishing assignments in school that you forgot your yearly tradition with your Halloween-enthusiast best friend, Kai. He was probably very annoyed at your lack of attendance, but you were tired. Maybe the tradition could wait till next year.

You groaned. “Sorry, sorry. I know we’re supposed to meet at the park like we do every year, at 6am. But Dude, I’m so tired. Can we postpone this meetup? I have 3 more English projects that I have to finish, and I can’t seem to fall asleep tonight.”

“Perfect! Since you can’t sleep, we’re meeting. Dress up and sneak out, like last year, and every other year before that. You don’t have to walk to the park. I’m outside your house right now, throwing these really nice pebbles at your window. By the way, these pebbles are nice. They’re like, really freaking shiny. Where’d your mom get them fro-“

You accidentally ended the call, cutting him off. To be fair, you weren’t expecting him to blabber about stupid walmart pebbles for such a long time.

Sometimes you wondered why you were friends with Kai, and then you remembered that it was because you liked him. A lot. You liked him way too much. Kai was always stuck in your brain. Every thought you had when you were alone was about him, and almost every thought you had when you were with him, well, you couldn’t even think straight when you were around Kai. But he didn’t need to know that. He was just that popular cute boy, living his best life surrounded by drop-dead gorgeous girls who would do just about anything to be with him. They were ten times prettier than you, surely he wouldn’t settle for a girl like Y/N L/N.

You pulled yourself out of your pity puddle when you remembered that Kai was waiting for you outside. The boy you were probably in love with, who might break your window if you don’t hurry up and meet him right now. You swear, if you hear the tapping of rocks at your window one more time...

You sat up, opened your window, and screamed, “Kai Kamal Huening, I swear, if you do not stop right now, I will drag your as-“

7.02am

“Hey, random question. Why does this tradition have to be exactly the same every year? Why does it matter if I meet you at 6am? What if I meet you at 6.10am? In that case, will you stop being friends with me?” You teased, trudging alongside Kai on a rugged concrete path.

Kai sighed, tilting his head to look at you with his beautiful, brown eyes. “It matters because it takes 15 minutes to walk from your neighborhood’s park to Mr. Roger’s pumpkin patch, and he opens at 6.20am exactly, every single Halloween. If you get to the park at 6.10am, we’ll reach his pumpkin patch at 6.30am. By then, all the competitive mothers who want their child to have the best pumpkin will have taken all the round, orange, hard-enough-to-carve-but-not-so-hard-that-carving-becomes-a-chore kind of pumpkins, and we’ll be stuck with the oblong shaped, ugly pumpkins.”

“Then why aren’t we running? At this rate, we will only get rotten mushy pumpkins.”

“We aren’t running because you have tiny legs and we won’t make it that far before you get tired. I don’t want you to get hurt, shortie.” Kai teased, sticking out his tongue while leaning over you in an attempt to intimidate you.

At this point, he was only a few inches away from you, and the both of you were so close that you could peck his lips. As much as you wanted to, you resisted the urge to lean closer towards him and instead laughed nervously as he smiled at you. This action only made your heart beat faster. It didn’t help that he just said that he cared about you, and despite the statement being so lighthearted, it warmed your heart to know that he prioritized your well-being over pumpkins.

Your heart was thumping faster and faster, and you were turning into an embarrassed mess. Cheeks hot and red, eyes darting everywhere. Come to think of it, that plant behind Kai looks interesting, how come you’ve never seen it before?

The awkward tension was getting quite unbearable at this point, and you couldn’t take it anymore. “I-uh...we…um….uh...race you to the pumpkin patch! Yeah..uh..let's go!” You nervously muttered, trying to sound confident. You immediately ran opposite the direction of where the both of you were supposed to go.

“Y/N! The pumpkin patch is this way!” Kai confusedly shouted. “You’ve been to the pumpkin patch multiple times! Where are you even going?”

You were getting out of breath, but you would only stop running once you were out of Kai’s sight. “Uh...I’ll take the longer route! Yeah...I’ll meet you there...uh...don’t follow me!” You turned around and started running backwards, so you could see if Kai would start following you.

“Y/N! Stop running, wait! No! Look behind you!”

The last thing you saw was Kai’s figure running towards you before your head hit the ground with a loud thud.

7.46am

“Ugh, what do you want? Why did you wake me up? And why is Y/N sleeping in your arms?”

Kai was at Beomgyu’s house, holding your unconscious self bridal-style in his arms. You had tripped over a brick ledge all because your idiotic self was too panicked with the thought of kai finding out that you liked him.

Kai sighed, “Look hyung, I’m sorry if this is a huge hassle, or that I may be disturbing your 8-hour beauty sleep, but Y/N fell down, and she isn’t asleep. I think she got knocked out.”

Beomgyu started frantically waving his hands and shouting incoherently. “Oh my gosh, are you serious? If she’s knocked out, we have to go to the hospital! We have to call 911! What if she doesn’t wake up?? Kai, why did you bring her here, this isn’t my problem! Oh my goodness, I’m not even kidding, wh-“

While Beomgyu was going full-on emergency mode, you had regained your senses and was starting to stir. Maybe it was because Beomgyu’s panicking actions had woken you up, or that you had a sixth sense blaring huge warning signs all across your brain because you were in Kai’s arms. Wait, you were in Kai’s arms?

You slowly fluttered your eyes open to see Kai looking confusedly at a screaming Beomgyu, who seemed so sure that you would never wake up. As you laid in the Kai’s arms, you gazed at his ethereal features. Brown eyes with gorgeous golden specks in them, wavy brown hair, his cute little boopable nose, he was a literal angel who looked perfect from every angle. Just then, said angel looked down at you.

“Beomgyu-hyung! She’s awake! Her eyes are open! Why is she smiling? Hi Y/N, good morning, why are you smiling? Her cheeks are really red too, she looks like she’s drunk! HAHA! Y/N, Y/N?”

It took you a few minutes to register that Kai was talking to you, and that he was indeed, calling your name. By the time you tried opening your mouth to respond, gross-man-Beomgyu was already looking over at you with utter disgust and relief clouding his face.

“Oh, good. I thought she was going to die. Okay, now just in case idiot Y/N stumbles and falls again, she should rest here. You guys can leave when she feels better. Ugh, the things I do for you guys. Sacrificing my 8-hour beauty sleep, my privacy, and most importantly, my lovely couch, that disgusting Y/N is going to lay on.”

You once again came back from Kai Dreamland when you realized that Beomgyu had just insulted you. About to rebut, you remembered that you were still in Kai’s arms and that he was starting to carry you to the couch. Feeling the heat that was rising up your cheeks, you immediately tried squirming out of Kai’s arms.

You tried lifting your legs off his left arm and grabbing on his right one for support. “Uh, Kai, actually, I feel better already. I can walk myself to the couch, yeah, thanks.”

Kai stifled a laugh and bemusedly stared at you. “Y/N, you just fell down and knocked yourself out. The couch isn’t too far, if I can carry you to Beomgyu’s house then I can surely carry you to the living hall.”

“No, um, I’m good. I’m independent!” As you fumbled out of Kai’s grasp and began attempting to get to the couch, you thought to yourself. Y/N, how stupid. Who uses ‘I’m independent’ as an excuse? Way to blow it in front of your 10-year-crush.

Meanwhile, Beomgyu, who had been grabbing water, immediately put the cup down and ran towards you, who was struggling to even walk in a straight line. Grabbing your arms and dragging you to the couch, he tutted. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Y/N, you really be walking like a drunk man at 4am. Why did Kai stop carrying you? He shouldn’t have put you down, for goodness sake, you nearly knocked down my mom’s sacred glass vase with your swinging beanstalk arms!”

Kai lifted both of his hands in defense. “I didn’t put her down. I insisted on carrying her all the way to the couch but she flailed around in my arms and said she could walk just fine. I’m starting to think that she might have an actual brain injury.”

You, being perfectly fine and functioning decently with your 3 brain cells, had only gotten dizzy from the sudden shift of laying down to standing up. You had laid down on the couch and was starting to drift off to sleep. The last thing you heard was Kai and Beomgyu giggling about something related to brains, but you were too tired to ask them about that inside joke.

8.40 am

“So...have you told her?”

Beomgyu and Kai were sitting on the floor in the living hall, with you fast asleep on the couch behind them. There were cards messily sprawled across the floor, and 2 cup noodles on a chair placed in front of them.

Kai sighed. He discreetly held up his uno cards in front of his face to block the reddening that was beginning to form on the apples of his cheeks.

“Told who what?”

“Oh, stop acting so oblivious. Ya know, have you told Y/N that you like her?”

Kai felt his cheeks heat up even more and he embarrassingly smacked Beomgyu’s arm. “Hyung, are you dumb? Y/N’s right behind us. She probably just heard you say that. Plus, did you forget about the very special Halloween plan happening in like, 10 hours?” He quickly turned around to see if you were actually asleep and not just getting some shut-eye. You were definitely deep into your slumber, hair all messed up and your body spread across the couch in an very uncomfortable looking position. However, to Kai, you looked extremely cute. He couldn’t resist the urge to smile ear to ear. Kai wanted to boop your nose right then and there, and was fighting hard to resist this temptation in fears of waking you up. He removed his baby blue hoodie and gently placed it on your sleeping figure, doing his best to not wake you up.

Beomgyu, who was looking disgustedly at Kai’s chival gesture and his beaming face, made a heart with his hands between the both of you. “Wow, you are whipped for Y/N. Anyways, she’s clearly asleep. She looks like a pig! And it wouldn’t matter if she heard me say that you have a crush on her. She clearly likes you too.”

Kai scowled at Beomgyu’s insult, and sat back down. “First of all, do not say that Y/N looks like a pig, she’s gorgeous and way prettier than you. Secondly, no! She definitely doesn’t like me that way! She probably thinks my Halloween obsession is weird, and I’m probably not the type of guy she likes. She likes ‘hot’ dudes.” Kai gagged when he said that statement.“She probably likes Yeonjun or something, they would be cute together.”

Beomgyu rolled his eyes and declared. “Have you seen the way she looks at you? Her eyes sparkle and she awes at you like you're the only thing that matters on this planet! Heck, you probably are the only thing that matters to her on this planet.” Beomgyu sighed, rolling his eyes. “You two are so oblivious.”

“Let’s divert the topic, this is making me flustered and I don’t like it.” Kai said, as he picked a draw 8 card from the fan of uno cards that was still covering his burning red cheeks. “I was initially planning to just skip you, but because you brought this topic up, draw 8.”

Beomgyu innocently smiled, then put down a draw 4 card. He looked back up at Kai, stuck his tongue out, and then cheekily laughed at the fuming boy.

Kai’s cheeks were glowing red again, but this time, it was for an entire different reason.

October 31 2020 | 8.10am -> October 31 2009 | 9.33am

While the boy you were in love with and the boy you wanted to punch into a different dimension were talking about you, you were deep inside Kai Dreamland.

Almost every night, you dreamed about dating him. Being able to feed each other food, holding each other’s hands, cuddling, and being able to do ‘justcouplethings” with him. This dream, however, was very different.

Unbeknownst to you, a past flashback was about to happen, and it would make you finally realize why you liked Kai so much.

You were looking at your very young self in third person, who was wearing a weird wire contraption shaped like a sphere. Draped on top of the contraption was a dirty brown blanket, and stuck on top of it were what were supposed to be sprinkles and icing sugar. The sprinkles and icing sugar were made of horribly cut colored paper, and they looked like they were on the brink of dropping off because of the faulty glue gun job that was barely keeping the whole costume together. You had your purple Dora backpack in your right hand and your left hand was lifted up, about to knock on a wooden birch door with the placard “Class 1C” right in the center of the door.

Oh, no. Oh, no no. Present Y/N knew what was coming. You hated this moment so, so, much, because you knew what was behind that innocent-looking door. Out of all things, did I really have to dream about the most humiliating moment of my life?

Young Y/N finally knocked with all her strength on the wooden door, and a young adult wearing a witch hat that did not match her professional blazer and work skirt opened the door.

“Hello, dear! You must be Y/N L/N, our new student! I see you that you must’ve got the memo to dress up. I love your costume. My name is Ms. Kim. Do come inside!” Ms. Kim flashed an exaggerated smile, and gestured for you to come in.

Your younger self was very oblivious to the fact that Ms. Kim did not like your costume one bit just based on her fake smile and the giggle she tried to hide. Nonetheless, you confidently strutted in the decorated classroom, unaware that your sprinkles and iced sugar pieces were starting to fall off, leaving a trail of cut colored paper from the door to where you now stood, which was in the center of the classroom.

A few classmates had already started to snicker, proudly pointing their stubby fingers at the trail of papers, and the brown sphere you were wearing, then bursting into immature giggles. However, you continued to lift your head up high.

“Class, class, settle down. We have a new student. Y/N, do introduce yourself.” Ms. Kim announced. The high-pitched laughter echoing from the audience died down.

“Hello, class of 1C! My name is Y/N L/N, and I am proud to be here today! I will do my best in this class!” You beamed, and the class burst into booming laughter. Chaos erupted, making the giggling just now nothing compared to this event.

Paper balls and pencils were thrown, and the monstrous classmates could no longer keep their childish giggling to themselves.

“She looks like a dirt ball! She looks like a dirt ball!” A loud shout emitted from the back of the class, and soon, everyone else caught on.

“Dirt ball! Dirt ball! Y/N is a dirt ball!” The class hooted, enjoying this Halloween party way more than they should.

Ms. Kim sighed, and looked down at your fragile figure who was on the verge of tears. “Class, if you do not quiet down and respect Y/N, we will cancel this party. All of you can go back to doing your addition and subtraction.”

Immediately, the mean teasing and laughter died down, and you shuffled your way to your assigned seat, leaving a trail of more cut colored paper. Once you put your backpack behind your seat and sat down, you put your head in your arms, not bothering to look at the wavy-haired boy leaning his head on his elbow, smiling innocently at you. Noticing your sad self, he immediately placed it upon himself to cheer you up.

“Hello, you’re Y/N, right? I’m Kai. I really love your costume! Is it a cake pop?”

Kai really did love your costume. He liked the fact that anyone could tell that you had worked so hard to make it. Compared to his target-bought jellyfish costume, it was a piece of majestic art.

You immediately sat up, all signs of sadness gone. You were happy and satisfied that at least one person knew what your costume was. The hard work you spent gluing on the paper and the hard work your mother spent looking for a wire contraction that would fit you had finally been paid off.

“Yes! It’s a cake pop. I love your jellyfish costume too!” You smiled, revealing one of your missing front teeth.

“Nah, my costume isn’t as good as yours. I'm sorry if the class was so mean to you, I think your outfit looked great. In fact, my mom is having a small Halloween gathering this week, would you want to come? There will be lots of food, and I got my dad to build…”

At this exact moment, your past self realized that you liked this boy. You didn’t care if you married him, or if you just stayed friends, you wanted to be with him through thick and thin. For your present self, this just proved that you loved him more than he would ever know.

October 31 2020 | 10.35am

“...ding, ding, ding, ding…”

Ughhhh. What is going on with my phone?

“...ding, ding, ding!”

As soon as the ringing from your phone stopped, you immediately dozed back to sleep.

“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding…”

“ARGHHH! Kai, can you please help me check my phone! It's ringing like it's a bomb about to detonate!”

No response.

“Kai? Gyu?”

As you worriedly stood up and glanced around bemusedly, the baby blue hoodie that Kai had carefully draped onto you slid off, and dropped at your feet. You noticed it and picked up the familiar looking sweater.

You suddenly realized that this hoodie belonged to the one and only Kai Kamal Huening, and your heart started pounding when you came to terms with the fact that he had just draped one of his favorite hoodies onto you. You scrunched the sweater up in your hands, and wore it over your graphic pumpkin shirt (which was your “costume”). It smelled exactly like Kai, and with the faint scent of his maple autumn leaf perfume (that he only used in October) wavering in the air, you felt like you were in Kai Heaven.

However, the annoying dings in the background didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon, so you finally addressed the noise by grabbing your phone from your bag on the dining table.

You groaned as your phone screen lit up with an incoming call from Yeonjun.

“Hi, Yeonjun. I don’t think I can come.”

“What, why?” Yeonjun dragged, the ‘y’, sounding like a whining baby. “We’re doing a haunted house. All the cool kids are gonna be there. Are you not a cool kid?”

‘Well, number one, I'm not going cause haunted houses are scary. Number two, I’m not cool Jun, you know that. Number three, Kai and I were supposed to do our yearly tradition, but I fell down this morning. I think we’re going to continue it afterwards, and I don’t think Kai likes parties that much. Speaking of Kai, do you know where him and Beomgyu are? I’m in Gyu’s house by myself right now, and when I woke up they weren’t there anymore, are they with you?”

Yeonjun coughed from the other end of the line and seemed to hesitate before replying. “No, I don’t know where Kai and Beomgyu are. But I think Kai wants to come to the party, he said he would, Y/Nieeeee, please come, it’ll be fun.”

You were about to reconsider your choice and dial Kai asking if he wanted to come, when you heard an oddly familiar high pitched dolphin laughter occurring from the other end of the line, followed by a loud shout of glee.

“Wait, Yeonjun. Isn’t that Kai? Is he with you?”

“No. Kai isn’t with me. I don’t know where he is. I really don’t. I think I saw him yesterday? Uh…”

Yeonjun muted the call and left your curious self waiting on the line.

“Okay, I’m back, sorry, technical problems. But yeah, don’t know where Kai is. Totally don’t know.”

“Yeonjun, I can tell when you’re lying.”

Yeonjun sighed from the other end of the line.

“I’m coming over.” You said, as you ended the call, furious and confused as to why he lied to you about such a trivial matter. At least Kai is safe, you thought to yourself, as you grabbed your bag roughly. You were about to stalk out of the house, when you remembered that you were still wearing Kai’s baby blue hoodie that looked extremely over-sized on you. You considered wearing it to Yeonjun’s house, then decided against the decision in fear that Kai might get the wrong idea.

As best friends, the both of you didn’t exchange much skinship or share many things, so this was your first time wearing Kai’s hoodie. You didn’t want him to find out that you like him, and was planning to keep your sacred secret for as long as you could.

After taking off Kai’s sweater, you folded it into a little bundle and shoved it in your bag, just in case he might want it back at Yeonjun’s house. Finally, you walked out of your house, still curious and disappointed as to why a close friend would lie to you about such a small issue.

11.13am

Instead of going to Yeonjun’s huge house, you were now seated across an anxious, fidgeting Kai, in Magic Island, a homely cafe that the both of you would go every halloween for their special rainbow halloween-themed cupcakes. Kai had requested the both of you to meet at this cafe instead of Yeonjun’s house for who knows what, but surprisingly, you didn’t question his rushed and breathless statement when he called you as you were walking out. In the call, he anxiously explained that he would explain in the cafe, and begged you to not go to Yeonjun’s house. Even though this statement only made you more curious as to what they could and were doing there, you reluctantly obliged and began walking in the opposite direction to Magic Island.

And right now, you were seated on a very comfortable sofa with a witch cushion behind you and a pumpkin-themed cover draped over your seat. Around you, there were assorted forms of Halloween decorations ranging from black and orange themed hanging tinsels to the cafe’s signature baby witch statue that took its place at the shop’s entrance.

There was an awkward silence beginning to form between the both of you, so after glancing at everything else but Kai, you finally tried staring him down as sternly as you could, trying to show that you wanted an explanation.

“Kai, why would Yeonjun lie to me about such a trivial matter? What are you guys hiding from me?”

“No, you don’t understa-“

“I thought friends were supposed to be truthful to each other. Am I not trustworthy? I don’t remember doing anything that broke your trust.” It was getting harder and harder to control the words spouting out of your mouth at this point. You were curious and disappointed, and he had been acting shady recently. Kai has never left you alone so randomly, and to your knowledge, none of your other close friends have ever lied to you about his whereabouts.

“Look, wait! Don’t interrupt me! I can see your eyes getting unnaturally huge, and you only do that when you’re about to interrupt someone. Here, let me cut to the chase, I, uh, we, Beomgyu and I, we were at Yeonjun’s house to help him prepare for the party.”

He is a horrible liar, you thought to yourself. Nevertheless, you let him continue to see what else he could spur up.

“We uh, we went to, his house because he needed help preparing, and you know, Yeonjun’s house is huge, so like, obviously, one person couldn’t just decorate the place himself, plus, we’re helping him for the haunted house too, so uh, we-“

“Kai, you're still not answering my question. If it was nothing, why did Yeonjun lie to me about your whereabouts?” You rebutted, impatient and wanting the answer to your question quickly.

“Fine, fine. I’ll tell you. I really can’t keep it anymore. Y/N, the reason why I’ve been acting so shady, was because I was planning a-”

“SURPRISE!” A loud chorused shout echoed from the entrance of the cafe. As you turned back, you saw Yeonjun, Beomgyu, and Taehyun strutting in. Yeonjun was holding a few helium balloons with the words “Happy Birthday” and “Merry Christmas” printed on them in jazzy handwriting, and Taehyun was beside him lighting up candles on a cheap walmart chocolate cake that probably tasted like garbage. Beomgyu was trailing behind the two boys with a cheesy smile and jazz hands. Turning back, you glanced at a bemused and shocked Kai, who, seeing that you were staring at him suspiciously, covered his previous expression with a shy giggle and a smile equally as fake as Beomgyu’s.

Taehyun put down the lit up cake on the candy corn colored table and Yeonjun handed you the Target-bought balloons.

“Yeonjun lied about where Kai and I were because he didn’t want to spoil this surprise, right, Yeonjun?” Beomgyu said while maintaining his ear-to-ear smile.

Yeonjun glanced back at Beomgyu, who was still smiling but now with his eyes wide open and blinking rapidly as if he was trying to send morse code. Yeonjun responded with a small smirk and looked back at you. “Yes, we spent the morning at my house buying these things and preparing it for you. It was Kai’s idea, wasn’t it?” Yeonjun winked at Kai and finger gunned him. Wow, Jun, way to be cringey, you thought to yourself.

If this “surprise” were for any other sane person, they would’ve obviously realized that it was some last-minute pull together and would immediately called them out on it. But you, being head-over heels for Kai, felt touched that he had planned a surprise for you (and only you) and completely ignored all the screaming signs that it wasn’t an actual surprise, and then it wasn’t just a surprise for you, but for him too. Nonetheless, Taehyun’s idea of this cover-up was working perfectly and had completely erased all your previous suspicions of what Kai had been doing before.

However, your oblivious self was curious about only one thing. “Hmm, I have to ask about something.”

The four boys started breaking out in cold sweat, but Taehyun kept his cool, and managed to ignore the panic boiling inside. He calmly asked, “What are you curious about?”

“I would like to know why the balloons Yeonjun gave me say ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘Merry Christmas’ on them, it is certainly not my birthday today and Christmas is in two months.”

In order to break the awkward tension rising up in the room, Beomgyu finally spoke up. “Oh, uh, a-about t-that-”

“It doesn’t matter!” Kai clapped his hands loudly and stood up, “this surprise was made for you to be happy anyway! Do whatever you want with it!” After boldly exclaiming this statement, he turned around and mouthed a word of thanks at his three friends, before turning back to you. You were busy sucking helium from the balloons and did not see the interaction that just went down.

“Kai, can you hear it? I sound like a chipmunk!” You innocently smiled at him and sucked even more air out from the deflating “Merry Christmas” balloon.

Kai felt his heart start beating just a little faster, and he laughed quietly, before walking over to join you in your little helium endeavor.

The three boys saw this as an opportunity to step out, and waved goodbye to a giggling Kai and his future girlfriend. After leaving the cafe, they burst into a fit of laughs and fake gags.

“Nice idea Taehyun, they’re a cute bunch, aren’t they?” Yeonjun giggled as he fist-bumped a Taehyun who was fake gagging.

“Wait till Y/N sees what we have planned for her later, then maybe she won’t act so ‘cute’ anymore.” Taehyun said, laughing as he stared once more through the window of Magic Island at Kai (attempting to) impersonate a gorilla and you in a heap of laughter.

‘Race you to the house! Losers!” Beomgyu teased as the three of them started sprinting back to Yeonjun’s house, where the real party would begin.

5.34pm

You were standing in front of Yeonjun’s house, no, house wasn’t the right word to describe it, it was a huge, tall, extravagant, white mansion. Said white mansion was now decorated with a  wide assortment of Halloween decorations that ranged from fake graveyards that were stuck into the soil, live-sized skeletons, realistic looking decapitated heads, and a huge amount of gruesome plastic bones scattered on the entrance of the house. The roof of the mansion had orange lights and actual fire burning, probably to make the illusion of something scary, but you couldn’t point out what that seemed to be.

After the questionable event that occurred in Magic Island Cafe, the both of you decided to continue with the tradition: doing everything on the list from baking ghost cookies, watching Halloween movies together, carving pumpkins (even if they were super mushy this year), and last of all, trying out costumes.

Usually, the both of you would go to the small homely costume store that opened on the other end of town and try out the wackiest costumes, knowing that the both of you weren’t going to wear them out anytime soon. However, today was different. You were now about to face the tons of popular kids at your school, and you were dressed in an orange pumpkin costume and an idiotic pumpkin hat. To be frank, you looked like a cutie, and Kai knew it. He had made you wear this outfit to the party, and he matched with you by wearing the same pumpkin costume, the only difference being that his was black. Obviously, Kai wanted the both of you to match so that you guys could look like a couple, and so everyone would know that you were his. Your oblivious self however, did not comprehend the true intentions of his actions, and could only think about how cute Kai looked in his round black pumpkin costume.

As the both of you admired the scary decorations adorning the entrance of the mansion, and the menacing fire burning on the top, you turned to Kai and smirked. “Wow, Yeonjun and his team really went all out this year, huh?”

“Yeah...I didn’t think it would be this great…” Kai said with his mouth agape, still busy staring at the entire mansion from top to bottom. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting Yeonjun to put in this much time and effort into his little idea, but he was appreciative of his hyung and hoped that everything would go as planned.

Just then, the two enormous doors to the inside of the mansion opened, and someone in wearing a red sweater motioned for the two of you to come inside.

“Kai! I haven’t seen you for so long! Come inside!”

That girl was gorgeous. The epitome of all popular girls.

Kai smiled softly and ran up to her, giving her a warm hug while still wearing his pumpkin costume. At this sight, a tinge of jealousy sparked within you, but you did your best to hide it. Kai and this girl would be cute together, you thought to yourself. Two popular kids, one pretty, one handsome, it's no wonder i'm no match for Kai.

You walked up the steps afterwards and gave her a small nod as a greeting. She stayed at the entrance to greet other guests, but she kept eyeing you for some weird reason.

As you stepped in with Kai, you suddenly stopped in your tracks. Letting him trail in front of you, you awed at your surroundings. Oh my gosh. Even though you had been friends with Yeonjun since middle school, this was your first time visiting his house and you were shocked to say the least. Bright orange and grey fairy lights were placed on the extremely high ceiling of the house, and there was green slime hanging around the huge glass chandelier. The living hall was almost as big as your school cafeteria, with a long glass table at the corner filled with halloween themed snacks. There was a cauldron, an actual cauldron, with gory fruit punch, eyeball cake pops, spider pancakes, and so much more. Any halloween-themed food you named was probably on the table, and if it wasn’t, it could be whipped up within an hour by the private chef on hand.

Just then, Yeonjun came up to you. “So, how is it?”

Trying to hide your amusement and shock unlike Kai, who was hyperventilating over all the decorations and prancing around like a kid with too much candy, you merely responded. “It's okay, I guess.”

“Its okay, IT'S OKAY? Do you know how many days it took for us to make this for you-”

“HEY Y/N! Long time no see!” A hand was placed on Yeonjun’s shoulder, and he was shoved aside abruptly. Replacing him was Soobin.

“Omg! Soobin! It's been a long time. How’s it going?” You squealed, as you embraced the lanky boy.

You hadn’t realized that Kai was missing because you were too busy catching up with Soobin, and your oblivious self didn’t realize the lack of people in Yeonjun’s obnoxious living hall to realize that this was not a normal party.

7.07pm

“Alright, next participants! Kai and Y/N!” The staff at the front-desk of Haunted Matchmakers called out.

The both of you exchanged questioning looks at each other as you felt multiple pairs of eyes drawn to the both of your figures.

“Why were we the only ones that he called out?” You whispered to Kai, not expecting an answer.

“Probably because together, we’re special.” Kai turned his head and winked at you cutely.

Thank goodness the two of you were still in the dark waiting room, so he was unable to see your burning cheeks.

Little did you know, Kai’s cheeks were just as fiery as yours, if not hotter.

“Alright, you ready?” The waiting room assistant asked cheekily, as he shifted his gaze between the both of you, and gestured for the two of you to enter the menacing rusty entrance.

“Yes!” Kai shouted, and pumped his fist into the air.

You, on the other hand, was a scaredy-cat, and without thinking twice, you grasped onto Kai’s hand tightly, and shifted so close to him that both of your shoulders overlapped each other.

Kai could feel your nervousness, and he was nervous too, but for an entire different reason. After you grabbed his hand, his heart started hammering in his chest and his hands started becoming clammy.

Not wanting to waste his time, Kai screamed in glee and nodded at the assistant, who pushed open the rusty wooden door. He was about to walk in while still holding your hand, when he realized that you weren’t budging.

Kai was afraid that you were going to back out of the haunted house, and as he glanced back, he was met with a teary-eyed you, shivering and trying to wipe your stubborn tears with the sleeve of your pumpkin costume.

“Hey, Y/N, what's wrong?” Kai immediately crouched in front of you so that the both of you are at eye level. land you sniffle even more.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey. Y/N. I know you’re scared, but it’s alright. I’ll be with you every step of the way, okay?” Kai coaxed, running his thumb over your intertwined hands.

You looked up at Kai with your watery eyes, and nodded ever so slightly. Kai swore his heart could’ve melted right there and then.

Just then, you realized that there were people lining up behind you. The people, who, surprisingly, were patiently waiting as you and Kai shared your cheesy moment. Realizing that you were being an inconvenience for their halloween experience, you straightened up, fixed your fallen hair, and nodded at Kai as firmly as you possibly could.

With the rusty door ajar, the both of you confidently stepped inside. Your hand was engulfed in Kai’s, and as long as you were with him, the both of you would be able to get through anything together.

7.34pm

Take deep breaths. In, out, in out. Hee, hoo, hee, hoo. Y/N, you can do this. They’re just humans dressed in manufactured plastic, with a face full of over-the-top makeup. Remember what you said before, just now? When you’re with Kai, you can get through anythi-

“AHHHHHHHH!”

Your thoughts were interrupted by yet another piercing dolphin scream from the two of you after being jump-scared by the long-haired lady with a bad case of smallpox.

You had initially thought that Kai was the brave one here, but now that the both of you were finally experiencing the actual haunted house, you couldn’t decide who was more of the scaredy-cat.

Kai had already known about this plan and played the biggest part in the creation of Haunted Matchmakers. However, he was still scared because...well….it was you he was going to surprise...and, he’s still a baby at heart.

“Kai, I don’t think I can do this. I wanna go back to the entrance.” Your shaky voice shook him out of his thoughts.

“No, no, it's okay! We just finished the third room! We’re almost there! There’s only one more room left.”

“Wait...how do you know the amount of rooms this haunted house has?” Finally, your oblivious self had started to pick up on Kai’s many mishaps.

“Well, I, uh, I, I asked the admin staff when you went to the bathroom!” Kai exclaimed.

Suddenly, you realized that it was quiet. Too quiet. The eeriness was scaring you. There was no more haunted house music, no jump-scares, nobody else with the both of you.

You shakily clung onto Kai, hooking both of your arms between one of his and pressing your cheek into his neck.

“Kai, it doesn’t feel right. This place doesn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean? Of course it doesn’t feel right, we’re in a haunted house!”

“No...I mean, like, it doesn’t even feel like a haunted house anymore, it feels like something is…” You trailed off on your speech as you spotted a small Polaroid of a selfie of you and Kai taken many moons ago at Soobin’s birthday party.

When you were too busy stuck in your place as you tried processing what a picture of the both of you was doing on the wall of a haunted house, Kai had disappeared. He was there for a second, and suddenly, your arms were clinging onto nothing but air.

“Kai? Kai? Kai?! Don’t scare me like this! You know I hate jump-scares! You promised me that you would be with me every step of the way! Kai, stop playing around!  This isn’t funny anymore!” Tears were threatening to fall out of your eyes, and you started rapidly blinking and looking back and forth to see if Kai would be hiding behind a statue or corner just to scare you.

But no, he wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere.

Back in the control room, Kai frantically paced back and forth as Yeonjun stared through the screen at you, who was crouched down and silently sobbing. The sniffles you tried to hide echoed through the corridor, and Yeonjun knew that doing nothing wasn’t going to help.

Grabbing the walkie-talkie from the girl with the red sweater, who was sitting next to him looking at other screens on an armchair while mindlessly fiddling with said walkie-talkie in her hands, he turned the knob to channel 5 and spoke into it rapidly.

“Haeun, plan B. Get back inside to corridor 2, where Y/N is, and lead her to the beginning of the trail. This surprise won’t work if Y/N doesn’t start moving.”

7.42pm

You were sitting down on the ground, head in your arms, sobbing aimlessly as you thought to yourself. What kind of sick joke is this? Why isn’t anyone coming to scare me? Where did Kai go, why did he just leave with no explanation? Shouldn't someone come now to tell me to stand up and move on so that they can keep the line going?

Speak of the devil, you felt a light pat on the shoulder. Thinking that it was staff, you looked up to be met with a gory, bloody, devil mask. Squealing and screaming, you started running away, pushing off the hands that landed on your shoulders. Suddenly, said mask was removed, and you were met with a very familiar face. Haeun? Lee Haeun?

Lee Haeun was a close friend you met outside of school in a theme park when you were by yourself. She wasn’t close to anyone here, and she was one of the last people you expected to show up here.

“Hey, Y/N! Surprise, surprise, I'm here! Sorry for scaring you,  I forgot to remove my mask!’”

“Lee Haeun...what are you doing here? Wha-”

“I’ll explain later, for now, just keep moving forward. Promise you, there’ll be no jumpscares, no nothing. Just lots of love.” She winked at you, and she had pushed you forward without you noticing, so now you were standing in front of a closed door that had a purple letter stuck onto it.

“Open it,” Haeun gestured, and pat your back twice before leaving.

“What…?” Nonetheless, you listened to her, and grabbed the folded purple letter, carefully unfolding it to reveal Kai’s handwriting:

Dear sweet Y/N,

Hi, this is Kai. I have a feeling that you’re going to be really shocked and surprised right now. ‘What? This is a haunted house, why is a letter here? Also, where is Kai? I'm gonna slap that son of a…’, anyways, yes, I know that’s what you’re thinking right now, but trust me, it’ll all make sense as soon as you walk through this door. If you thought that I disappeared into thin air, don’t worry. I’m in a control room, and I can see you right now.

Upon reading this sentence, you looked around frantically and spotted a small camera with a red blinking light. You cheekily waved at it before looking back at the letter.

About this whole event...well...firstly, if you couldn’t tell already, this haunted house isn’t real. We set it up, yes, Y/N, and if you’re here reading this, that means everything is going to plan. I knew your oblivious self wouldn’t find out ehehe! However, I couldn’t have done this large-scale event myself, you see, I only have four close friends: Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, and Taehyun, and all of them helped me out on this large-scale project. No, Y/N, I didn’t forget about you (I can practically read your thoughts right now!). You see Y/N, we’re not friends, you’re not my best friend, you’re my..ne. You’re myne. You’re mine. Ugh, I’m going to shut up now. Open the door and see for yourself, beautiful Y/N.

Lots, and lots, and lots of love,

Kai ;)

You were appalled and bashful to say the least. Wait, this can’t be? This isn’t, this isn’t what I think it is. No way. He also just called me beautiful. Me, beautiful?

For your information, Y/N, you are beautiful. You’re gorgeous, more gorgeous than that girl in red, or whatever.

You carefully folded the letter and put it in the pocket of your costume, and nervously pushed open the door to reveal...Soobin.

Oh, Soobin. What’s he doing here?

Soobin was mischievously smiling at you, while gesturing with his hands to literally everything else besides him.

Only when you stopped open-mouthed gaping at the boy, you looked around and realized the wallpaper was...interesting. There were zillions of pictures of you and Kai, all from when you met, to just 3 days ago, glued to all 4 sides of the room, covering basically every spot of the wall until you couldn't even tell the color of the room itself. Cute little pumpkin fairy lights were hung, giving the room a warm orange glow. Soft and calming Halloween decorations and statues were situated around, and you spotted the same little witch statue as the one in the entrance of Magic Island Cafe. Wow, Kai, has really been focusing on his symbolism lessons in english class.

You walked every inch of the room, and you realized that all of the pictures on the left were when the both of you first met, and as they continued on to the right, the pictures taken became more and more recent, and at the end of the room were pictures of the both of you just this year.

Soobin snapped you out of your little room tour when he walked to the side of a brown cauldron, grimaced at it, and turned back to you with a plastic smile.

“Uh, stick your hand in it.”

You tilted your head in confusion as you went over to where he was and looked over the eerie looking cauldron. It was glowing, and was neon green. You were half expecting something to pop out to scare you. You turned back to Soobin.

“No.”

“Come, on! It's part of the process, ya know? To get things rolling.”

‘What, that's not a valid reason for me to stick my hand into something so gross. What am I gonna get out of it?”

Soobin smirked. “You'll get Kai’s love.”

As you felt a blush tinting the apple of your cheeks, you immediately stuck your hand into what you thought was liquid. It was definitely not green-colored water, it was green-colored Jello. You felt a hard plate, and was about to remove your hand from the gruesome, slimy solid, when Soobin wrapped his fingers around your arm and gestured for you to lift whatever you had grabbed.

What you pulled up was not a plate, it was a picture frame. Inside said picture frame was a photo of a memory you wanted to forget forever. It was a picture of you and Kai, you in your hideous cake pop costume and Kai in his cute colorful jellyfish costume. The picture was taken by the both of your moms after the first day of school. Your mother, seeing that you had only made one friend, wanted to cherish the sacred moment. In said photo, both of your arms were slung over each other and your heads were leaning against each other. Kai had a crooked smile on his face, and you were happy as you could ever be.

On the frame were 4 words written in Kai’s writing with a sharpie. Said four words were enough to make you tear up.

“My Little Dirt Ball.”

Soobin, noticing your entranced state, tapped your shoulder.

“Flip to the back of the frame.”

Behind the picture frame was a sticky note attached. You plucked it off the back and squinted your eyes to read the small print.

Hey Y/N, I know you hate that picture, but it's my favorite, because the picture was taken on the day I met you. To continue our journey together, pull the back frame open, and insert the key inside to the orange door. Thank you, Y/N. Like I said earlier, we’ll get through this together, and I’ll see you on the other side.

Impatient to see Kai, you quickly, but carefully, pulled open the back frame, revealing a golden key. After grabbing the key and firmly wrapping your palm around it, you ran to the orange door and with shaky hands, inserted the key and twisted it. The door immediately swung open.

Behind the ajar door was a nervous Kai, still blessed with the same crooked smile as all those years ago. He was still rocking the same black pumpkin costume, and you were too mesmerized by his beauty to notice everyone else around him.

Soobin entered after you, and guided you to be right iinfront of Kai. You were now right in front of him, looking at his eyes, his gorgeous eyes, his presence, just, being with Kai. You couldn’t believe it. Your crush for almost a decade just confessed to you, in the most extra way possible. You loved it.

You looked up to see a huge banner that read: Y/N L/N, will you be myne?Around Kai was all your friends, all from different places:. Yeonjun and the gang, joined by Soobin, Haeun and your girls’ clique, the emo dude that you’re really chill with, the list goes on and on.

A beautiful voice broke you out from dreamland, to enter into yet another one.

“Y/N, will you be mine?”

You looked back at the boy you loved, and ran forward, practically throwing yourself onto him. You smashed your lips onto his, not caring that all of your friends were watching.

Kai was shocked at your sudden bold action, but quickly pulled himself together and kissed you back.

If you could describe the best feeling in the world, it was this. Fireworks erupted in your head, and all you could think about was those soft, plump lips and the boy who owned them. Kai put his arm around your waist, and the other behind your head, and you wrapped your arms around his neck.

You were doing it. You really were. You were kissing Kai Kamal Huening. In front of everyone, and you didn’t care.

It’s childish, one could say, to see two people dressed in child-like costumes practically making out with each other. However, in your opinion, that was what your love was. It was extra, childish, weird, and unlike any other typical highschooler’s romantic relationship. You wouldn’t change it for anything else.

BONUS

After the extremely extra confession took place successfully, the real Halloween party could finally commence. After all, Yeonjun hadn’t decorated his place for nothing. There was now an assortment of alcohol displayed everywhere, and suddenly the huge living hall didn’t seem so big anymore, as there were people from all over the town invited and it was getting quite cramped. Yeonjun, however, didn’t fail to notice the two of you at a small carpeted corner, just chatting. You had changed out of your pumpkin costume, and was now wearing Kai’s baby blue hoodie. Both of your hands were intertwined in his and they were being swung back and forth as you giggled about an inside joke that no one else would ever understand.

As Yeonjun quietly observed the two new lovebirds, a red object appeared in his peripheral vision. Looking down, he sighed in content. Her again.

“Yeonjun! Success, right? I knew we could do it!” She was crouching down, cutely looking at him in his eyes. She took his hand and smashed it against hers trying to imitate a high 5, while giving him a gleaming, enthusiastic smile. Yeonjun lifted the corners of his lips slightly, and squeezed her into a tight hug, earning a shocked gasp from her as she put her arms around his neck.

Choi Yeonjun better start planning out his confession soon.

© magicisland9-34. do not repost.

click here to return this book back to the library.

[rejectedluke]

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when you woke up and started to get ready for a morning surf. JJ woke up hearing you walk out the front door, noticing the morning sky. He watched you slide your board on top of a couple of others under some straps on the roof of the car. Watching you slide in the backseat with a big smile on your face. The smile he rarely got to see anymore but he remembered oh so clearly from the past. It was the kind of smile where your eyes lit up with your smile so big it almost takes over your whole face, it was infectious.

You were pulling up to beach hopping out of the car with some friends ready to surf. You and your friends surfed until your muscles ache and you felt like you couldn't go any longer. Paddling in you all put your boards on the car and head to your smoke spot you’d made yours years ago. After a few hours of laughs and smoking, you decide it's time to head home. After getting dropped off you notice your brother, John B isn’t home. As you silently cheer and hop in the shower, your alone time is cut short as you can hear your brother and his friends enter the chateau. After finishing your shower and getting dressed in the bathroom, you can hear them talking about you. John B ranting about how he's worried you’re taking the death of your father harder than you’re letting on and feels like he hasn't seen you in forever. While there is no denying that you haven’t been around, you were still way too high to have this conversation. Attempting to sneak out the backdoor, you’re about halfway there before you’ve been caught. JJ side steps out of your room, effectively blocking your path.

“You can’t avoid us forever, Y/N.” JJ speaks a little above a whisper, “Now turn around and go talk to your brother.” You silently debate for a minute, saying “I was. I was just gunna get a blunt from my room, ya know? Smoke and talk shit out.” You nervously laugh. As JJ turns stepping in your room to look for the blunt, you attempt to break for it once more. Only to have your arm grabbed as you reach for the doorknob. “John B, she's purposely tryna ignore you over here,” JJ yells across the chateau. “Fuck you,” you mumble before ripping your arm out of his grasp, “I don’t see how this concerns you.” Before you know it John B’s hand is on your back, the look on his face was enough to guilt you into sitting down and listening.

As you sit in the living room, making eye contact with John B’s sad brown eyes. He finally speaks up “Y/N, why are you avoiding me” your brother questions. The sad tone in his voice almost makes you want to run out of the front door. This is what you don't like, big emotions and talking and shit. You liked to grieve quietly and alone, you were never one to talk it out.

“I’m not,” you say with an underlying questioning tone. JJ doesn't hesitate to call you out, “Bullshit. Lyin ass mother fucker.” Which in turn makes you laugh, however, John B is anything but amused. JJ continues “Why did I just have to physically detain you from sneaking out the back door?” You narrow your eyes in his direction mouthing the word ‘bitch’ to him. You approach John B sitting next to him, before speaking “Listen JB, I just- I need time to process. You’re a vocal person, which is all good. But I’m not and I guess I just prefer to grieve alone.” Before JJ interjects “Yeah real lonely, with a car full of fuckin people.” With a roll of your eyes, you rephrase while keeping your eyes on John B, “I guess, it's just people who don't really know. They’re tourons ya know? Only here for the summer and they spring for the good shit, so I don't know about you but I've been smoking good lately.” You say with a smile and a laugh at the end, JJ however, looks angrier than shit. “So you’re smoking random dudes weed? What if they did some shit to it or something. You know I got good shit I don’t know the fuck you didn’t come to me Y/N.”

“Okay, JJ. That's not the issue being discussed. Frankly, I don't even know why this is an issue. If they did some shit to it I would already be feeling sick or whatever so shut up. JB, I’m sorry I didn't think me not being around would affect you that much. You always have at least one pogue in like a hundred-foot radius of you at all times.” John B speaks up before JJ has time to interject with some stupid shit again, “I get it, we’re different. I respect it. I just miss having my Lil sidekick around. Plus it's just me and you-” Is all John B gets out before he's interrupted ''Offended. I am right here.” JJ says with an eye roll and a small smile. Before he can speak again your phone rings, the caller ID reads “Derek” which queue’s an annoyed scoff to erupt from John B. You sigh before answering, talking for a short bit before you say “Actually, I can't. Sorry.” with a short pause before you add “Plans with my brother.” You giggle in response to something he says, which prompts JJ to mock you before you stand up flicking him off and finishing the conversation in the other room. After a few minutes, you return before looking at JJ and saying “Well, pull that good shit out because I could have been on my way to getting high as hell right now but I canceled for-'' you point at John B before dramatically saying “you.” JB offers a small smile in return before saying “You didn’t hav-” before you interject saying “Respectfully, shut the fuck up before I actually leave.” which causes laughter to erupt from Pope and Kie who arrive just in time to hear the small argument between the siblings. “But Y/N, look. I understand you don’t wanna talk about this but I also need you. You pulling away like this makes it feel like I lost you both.” John B keeps the conversation going, you just stare at him in response. “I’m here now. So, JJ, about that good shit?” You try to end the conversation once again. Before John B chimes in again “But like it can’t be good for you to just, ignore it all. I don’t get why you won’t talk about it.” You take a second to let the annoyance pass before saying, “John B I don’t know what you want from me. I’m doing the best I can for me right now and this is all I have to offer.” With a sigh John B presses on “it’s just like since the beginning, you’ve shut me out. I don’t even think I’ve seen you cry about this or lash out or anything. That is not normal Y/N.” You get up attempting to head to your room, before you lash out and say something you’ll regret. John B however persists. As you pass your dads office he guides/forces you in “None of this makes you feel anything? I just want you to be able to confide in me. I’m here for you, you shouldn’t bottle this all up.” You try to take deep breaths before John B gets impatient “Talk to me, Y/N!” His voice booms inside the room. You’re past the point of anger, you reach out for anything you can grab and begin smashing and throwing anything you can get your hands on. “Is this what the fuck you wanted John B? You wanna see me upset? Freaking the fuck out? Huh” you scream with tears streaming down your face. You wipe your hands across his desk clearing it off “Is this normal enough for you John fucking B.” Before you can do anymore damage, JJ wraps his arms around you holding your arms down while you flail around yelling about him to get the fuck off and how much you hate them both. Before you know it your knees give out and you're just sobbing on the ground in JJ’s arms. “Get off me, please. Just leave me alone.” You beg, the tone of your voice is one as if you had given up. Exhausted beyond comprehension. JJ just picks you up and carries you to your room. He sets you on your bed and wipes your tears before pulling the comforter back for you to lay down. He joins you, playing with your hair and lighting a joint he has tucked behind his ear.

“

[shra-vasti]

If I had to choose | Boo Seungkwan

Type : best friends au

Genre : fluff, slice of life, soft Seungkwan and strong reader? Like mentally strong and the reader always protects him? You get the point.

Word count : 2k

Synopsis : Seungkwan had always needed someone to look after him, he was too naive for the world but you were always there to protect him from all the odds, you were the bold one in this friendship.

A/N : This is solely inspired by a movie I watched and I really loved the interaction between the two best friend.

The music was played blissfully at the church by the band, all of the people who came to attened the wedding were either sulking at how boring the wedding was or were either pretending to be interested.

Even if we take a look at the bride and groom who were seated in their respected seat; the bride was taking selfies and the groom was chatting with some random person.

Isn't wedding suppose to be the most happiest and lively event?

You heard someone yell your name making you halt your activity and turn towards the voice, the father of the bride made his way towards you who was busy managing other activities of the wedding.

"Yes Sir?"

You didn't even made an effort to smile fakely at the man standing in front of you.

"You're not doing you're job properly, look how boring the wedding seems to be."

He exclaimed pointing at the people and the atmosphere of the wedding which made you scoff and roll your eyes at the said man.

"Listen Sir-" you breathed in, "- I have done my part as a wedding planner for this wedding, I have decorated the church with flowers and also the outside plus the song list you gave to me for the wedding I'm even playing it, now, it's not my fault that you have such boring family and relative who can't hype up the mood of the wedding, you can't expect me to do that!"

You were really tired, now what do they want you to do? Dance your heart out and entertain people so that they won't be bored? Being a wedding planner was surely a hard job. You even needed to bear the people's reckless tantrums.

"Hangin, the plates for the lunch have out numbered the guests in the wedding and we need more plates."

The brother of the man came rushing towards you and the bride's father.

"See-"

But before he could utter a single word you stopped him by showing your hand in front of him since your phone started to vibrate.

You looked at the caller ID to see Seungkwan written over it with a picture of a really adorable boy. You shook your head and decided to answer your best friend's call afterward and kept it inside your pocket.

"I told you guys that the plates will be out numbered, in a wedding with guest list of 1200 people you just asked me bring 700 plates saying it's not necessary that everyone will come and now see what has happened, you're such a miser."

You finally snapped at the man.

"Now how are we going to manage this?" Hangin asked you finally giving in and accepting it's his fault.

You nodded thinking of a way to get out of this trouble.

"I have an idea, I'll bring out 400 plates more but I need 200 dollars more."

"What? That's too much!"

"I didn't tell you to mess up in the first place plus since I know your condition I'm willing to take just 200 dollars otherwise other planners would have took nearly 500 for the urgent delivery."

You reasoned as you waited for their answer.

Both the brothers sighed.

"Okay I'll give you the required money just get you're thing done."

"Okay let's go." you agreed smiling at yourself for gaining an extra amout of money.

"Listen Vernon I need 400 plates more for the Jung's wedding urgently so bring it in 1 hour or less."

You informed your manager/friend calling him to tell about the emergency.

"Okay baby."

He chuckled before hanging up, he liked watching you being this stress but alas he wasn't there to witness it.

As you were observing if there were any other mistakes, a lady in her mid 30's, probably the aunt of groom, stopped you from going any further.

You looked at the lady with an eyebrow raised, you weren't normally this grumpy but there are different kinds of people in this world and they need to be treated just the way they treat others.

"I don't like this white rose system, it feels like you have came to a funeral hall."

She exclaimed while making a face at the decorations.

You huffed.

"Well I'm sorry ma'am but it was the bride's wish for the flowers to be white."

"Can't you change this flowers to green colored flowers?" The lady asked. "I like green more."

"I'm sorry ma'am but the wedding is almost finished I don't think I can do that plus it's hard to find such a big amount of green colored flowers."

"I don't know who gave you the permission to be the wedding planner of this wedding. Who even gave you the degree of being one huh? I will do a better job than you in this field." The lady said while blowing her manicured nails.

"Listen woman, you don't know how much knowledge and patience is required to be at this stage and you're better than me? Hell not even in your dreams who likes green flowers you dumb."

You scoffed and walked away.

Your phone rang again making you take it out in front of you Seungkwan was written on  the caller ID, sighing you picked up the call.

As soon as you picked up the call you could clearly hear your best friend crying at the other end.

"Now what?"

You had already grown tired of your best friend's crying, not that you were heartless but the reason made sense.

"World is so cruel to me, this time it was my fault, I shouldn't have done that."

Seungkwan's voice cracked as he spoke with you.

"Yeah yeah the world is really cruel and the life can be hard sometimes." you said but that only made him cry more.

"Where are you Boo?"

You asked him softly taking in consideration that he's crying right now and he can't be treated harshly.

Seungkwan gave you the address where he is and without even a second glance you headed out of the church to fetch your bestie.

After fetching him up and constantly listening to him babbling about random things but not exactly telling you what happened, along with that crying face, both of you finally reached at your apartment.

He rushed out first and went inside the kitchen got himself a big piece of cake and sat at the corner of the kitchen silently eating and looking at nothing in particular.

You removed your blazer and shoes and stood in front of Justice.

"Mind telling me what has happened?" you asked putting both of your hands on your hips and here we go the Nigra falls started to flow again.

"Will you even tell me what has happened?"

You were so done with his constant crying that you had to control your urge to smack his head.

"Jaeyung."

"Now what? I know you're crying because of her but I want the reason, from the past 2 years all you do is cry over her and nothing else."

"It wasn't her fault, it was mine this time." he cried as he was still eating the cake.

"Eat first and then talk you brat." you made a face at him.

"Shut up. I'm already hurt."

You sighed and sat in front of him, crossed leg.

"Why don't you break up with her already?"

"I love her." Justice

"But I don't think she loves you."

"Why do you think like that? She loves me."

You pinched your eyebrows with your hands and started counting three to control your anger and also the throbbing headache which you know was soon going to follow.

"See you remember that time?"

"Which time?"

He casually asked you still eating the cake not really remembering what time.

"The time when she yelled at you for posting a picture of you with Bora."

"She was jealous okay, girlfriends tend to be jealous."

"And then he posted a picture of her with two random boys we don't even know about."

"She's different."

He furrowed his eyebrows pouting at you.

"Every freaking boy on the earth thinks that his woman is special but since it's coming from you're mouth, I know we are fucked up."

"But-"

"But what? Remember when both of us went to club with her and she introduce us to a new boy?"

"What about that?"

"Shw introduced you as her close friend and not as her boyfriend, did you get that? AS A CLOSE FRIEND, don't you know what happens when girlfriends starts introducing their boyfriends as close friends to someone?"

"But she said that she didn't want him to know about us because he was her cousin."

You rolled your eyes as you took out your phone, open up your instagram account and showed it to him.

"See where do you find a picture of both of you on her account. She has herpictures with so many boys but not with her own boyfriend."

You snapped showing him Jaeyung's profile.

"Okay I got it, it was her fault that time but this time it was me."

You motioned him to go on.

"She was in bathroom and suddenly her phone vibrated so I went to take a look at it and before I could do anything she snatched it away form me and was angry cause she thought that I'm doubting her." he says softly sniffling a bit.

"Do you know that she has a tinder account?"

"Nope." he answered.

"Boo she has a tinder account! Why does she even need it anyway? And why didn't she tell you? Do you know what it means?" you dramatically questioned.

"But what's the big deal anyway."

"Boo-" you stood up. "-out of two years means 24 months which means hundred and four weeks, she made you cry for hundred and two weeks, what kind of relationship averages one week of happiness per year?"

Seungkwan just looked at you and blinked multiple times digesting fully on what you just said.

"Then what should I do?"

"Finish it boy!"

"But I've been with her for 2 years already."

"It's never too late Boo plus that girl, I don't think she even loves you, you can forget her." you patted the latter's shoulder.

"I can't, I love her."

"Well I'm sorry then this is the only way I can save you up from that asshole."

You put both of your hand on your waist looking intently at him.

He gulped as you stood up looking at your eyes with confusion and fear written all over his face. What will you do?

"Me or her?"

The words left your mouth and horror plastered all over his face. He sighed knowing all well that whatever happens in his life he will always choose you and you'll always choose him.

"What club are we going to this time?"

You grinned at him already knowing you will win if you put out the said question in front of him.

"Surprise." and he groaned knowing he's going to have a wild night.

[ofstarsandskies]

Thief AU Drabble -- Enter the Merchant with a Heart of Gold

OutOfCanonShips;; So Lin/@unborderedreflection​ told me about this kinda-AU where Leia was a detective instead of an journalist in X2. And being me, I spun that into a fully fledged Thief AU that I keep thinking about when I’m bored at work. 

This drabble came from an idea of how Alvin would enter this AU and then queue me spending the past few days writing this longer-than-I-planned-it-to-be oneshot. Gonna be under a Read More because this monster is ~2200 words long. I swear this was once supposed to be like 1k at best, but that sure ain’t true no more. 

Edit: Posted it on AO3 as well if you wanna read it there instead. 

Their newly branded band of criminals was obscenely lucky Spirius nor the government sent watches to the Highroads yet; the arrest warrants were publicized not long after they arrived back to Trigleph. Staying in the city wasn’t an option, so their best means of avoiding capture was sneaking onto Alest Highroad and laying low in Duval. The worst adversity they faced on the road were a few easily dispatched monsters. They checked into a random inn who either didn’t know or didn’t care about the news and finally got a chance to lie down after a chaotic morning. 

“I’m exhausted... Ludger, rub my shoulders....” A passed-out(?) Teepo muttered once he flopped down on a bed. 

“I would, but... what part of you is your shoulder?” Ludger asked the non-intuitively shaped doll. 

Ludger’d made the mistake of assuming Teepo’s body parts when they first met, thinking Teepo’s ears were supposed to be horns. He got a dejected sigh from Elize and complaints of not recognizing his natural cuteness from the source as punishment. Lesson learned, wouldn’t make that mistake twice. 

“He doesn’t have any. The only cure for a tired Teepo is a good head pat!” Elize plopped the semi-limp Teepo onto Ludger’s lap while placing his hand on Teepo’s head. “Come on, give him a pat!” 

Ludger’s confusion left him frozen stiff until he processed what he’d been tasked to do, but his mind caught up and gently pat Teepo’s head a few times. He must’ve acted correctly as Teepo began muttering this being the perks of having pals or something to that effect. Though he was glad to help, he couldn’t help feeling a little sheepish by the way Leia was quietly watching this whole exchange happen. 

Something save him from combusting into blushing flames, please. 

Riiing! Good, literally anything else to focus on. Leia reached into her back pocket and flipped open her GHS to check the caller ID. “It’s Alvin.” Probably calling back after Leia abruptly hung up on him at my advice, Ludger guessed. “Should I let it go to voicemail?”

“No, you can answer it. Law enforcement won’t be able to reach us before we could switch buildings.” People here weren’t above giving law enforcement a hard time whether they were personally involved or not. If Spirius or the government traced the call back to their location, they could easily move to the other side of town before they made significant headway; harassment from the locals was practically guaranteed to anyone in uniform. 

Leia nodded and hit speaker before answering the call, “Hey there, Leia.” Alvin greeted, his voice much calmer than his first call, “Sorry I freaked out when I called you earlier.” 

“Don’t worry about it! I knew you were just worried. Trouble has a way of finding me in Elympios.” Leia’s joke got a laugh out of herself. 

“I think it’s the other way around-- you can’t help butting into the first sign of danger you see.” And then it was Alvin’s turn to laugh with an accurate assertion, “So, how are things with the paper been going?” 

“Oh, funny story about that!” Leia practically leaped at the chance to share her fun recent experience, “I was trying to conduct street interviews in Marksburg for my Oscore Train Incident story and I ended up meeting Ludger there! He’s like a Crown Encyclopedia, and he even has replicas of Crown’s popular infiltration tools! Being able to shoot a grappling gun and zip to the top of a cliff in seconds is so awesome!” 

“Sounds like a thrill ride.” A pause. “Is Ludger with you now?” 

“He is! I’ve already got my GHS on speaker, so you can talk to him yourself!” Wait, what about him--? 

And then within seconds, a GHS was shoved into Ludger’s face with someone he’s never met on the other line. If the line weren’t already on speaker, he’d simply ask not to talk, but sadly that option didn’t exist. And given this was Leia’s friend, he had to make a good first impression. His mind drew a blank what to say for longer than he was comfortable, but he'd force himself to get at least one word out. 

“Um... Hello,” Ludger couldn’t help fiddling with the sleeve of his shirt as he was suddenly thrust into the conversation. “It’s nice to meet a friend of a friend.” And that’s all he could think of. After another ton of dead air, Leia eventually got the hint and returned to pacing around the room. 

“Sorry, I forgot Ludger’s shy around newer people.” The man had been vocal with her from the start, but she’d triggered his one exception: Crown. His idol was the one topic Ludger would give you a novella of daring dos and adoration for no matter if he just bumped into you in a crowd a random afternoon.  “So, we’ve talked a lot about me, but have things been good with Yurgen for you?” 

“Work’s going as well as you’d expect. The Elympion business world isn’t kind to upstarts, much less one that wears its Rieze Maxian ties on its sleeve. But a smart businessman doesn’t give up over a little adversity.” 

“That’s the spirit, Alvin!” Elize piped in with a bit of pep talk. 

“Just make sure you’re not growing any grey hairs!” And Teepo as well... if you squinted. 

Alvin made an exaggerated groan so loud, it almost sounded like it was coming from outside their door. “I was expecting encouragement, not a bust on my chops.” He recovered from this confidence blow timely, “But speaking of grey hairs, has Jude called you since this little mix-up? I’d expect him too-- worrying about everyone’s his second job.”

“...Not yet.” Leia’s face soured to the point Ludger wanted to ask about it, but his attention was weirdly drawn to the doorknob. He thought he saw it twist for half a second, and now he couldn’t shrug the feeling of being watched. Was it his imagination or...? “Jude’s always working overtime at Helioborg, though. He probably hasn’t had time to read the news. But when he does, I’m sure he’ll tell me how I’m not careful enough, and--” 

“Now you’re going to tell me what’s really going on.” Their door flew open, startling Elize and Leia. So that sound he heard a moment ago did come from outside their door-- with that piece of information, Ludger suspected the real reason for Alvin’s call. 

“Well... um....” Leia clearly hadn’t expected Alvin to pursue the topic so strongly he’d used a seemingly innocent phone call to track them down by listening for her voice on the other side. Elize, too, was speechless. As the one who got both of them involved, it seemed wrong not to explain the situation he created personally. 

“We’re gathering the Waymarkers to summon the Land of Canaan.” Ludger stated in the same firm tone his brother often used when explaining things to him.  

“The Land of Canaan...? Isn’t that just part of an old legend that’s making new rounds lately?” 

“It is.” 

In his irritation, Alvin stalked over to Ludger and looked him dead in the eyes, “And what exactly does a legend have to do with Spirius marking you three as at-large criminals?”

“Spirius believes in Canaan. They’re desperate to corner anyone they suspect is holding a Waymarker.” 

And they weren’t the first victims of Spirius’ weaponizing of the law-- what was merely an odd decision by Spirius, blaming the Oscore Train Incident on a collaboration between Crown and Exodus, seemed suspect when Crown had stolen Maxwell’s Temporal Blade a few months prior. Real or fake, Spirius was treating the Canaan legend like a high-priority covert operation. Letting them have their way didn’t sit well with Crown, and so it didn’t sit for Ludger either. There had to be more to Canaan and the Waymarkers than what met the eye. 

“So what you’re saying is Spirius is trying to arrest you guys because they believe everything about The Land of Canaan is real and they want you to hand over some ‘Waymarker’ you've got?” Alvin’s exasperated retelling of Ludger’s points showed little promise of understanding, yet Ludger nodded. It was still the truth. “This sounds like a government conspiracy theory to me.” 

“--But it’s true!” Leia physically and metaphorically jumped to his defense, “This ties directly into my investigation of the Oscore Train Incident! Crown orchestrating a train crash full of innocent civilians doesn’t fit at all with his usual M.O., but Spirius blamed him anyway! I’d stake my whole career that Spirius is plotting something, and I think helping Ludger is the best way to get to the bottom of this!” 

Leia’s passion must’ve struck a chord with Alvin, his look of annoyance melting away into a faint smirk. He waved for everybody to continue this conversation sitting on the vacant beds rather than stiffly standing around. Once they relocated, his first words were an apology, “Sorry for getting in your face like that, Ludger.”  

“It’s fine.” Ludger didn’t fault Alvin’s skepticism. From his perspective, some random outlaw had roped two of his friends into committing a crime so heinous, Spirius sent arrest warrants after all three of them. And his answer to Ludger’s motives lay in a legend that could be bogus in the end. Julius would’ve likely confronted the girls the same way if the roles were reversed. 

“Normally I would help you guys with gathering these Waymarkers, but I can’t risk getting Yurgen involved and sinking our partnership.” Before a collective sigh could go off from Leia, Ludger, and Elize, Alvin had an alternative ready to go, “Though what I can do is let a few pieces of my merch slip between the cracks. Call me when you’re in a safe place and I’ll hook you up with a good meal as quickly as I can.” 

“Can’t say no to free food!” Teepo swayed in the air with happiness. 

“We’d appreciate that so much, Alvin!” Leia gave her gratitude too. 

“Sounds like a done deal, then.” Alvin dropped the nonchalance for a bit of serious talk, “This might sound rich coming from me, but you three be careful, okay? If the bigwigs at Spirius are serious about Canaan, they’re not going to stop at siccing the law on you. They might go so far as to send hitmen to kill you for the Waymarker. Watch your backs while you’re on the road.” 

“Now you’re starting to sound like a worrying do-gooder yourself,” Leia teased as she pictured Jude’s similar hypothetical monologue. “Don’t worry Alvin, we’ll be careful.” 

“Good. With that lecture over, let’s get us some grub. Food’s on me tonight, so grab whatever catches your eye. Don’t even bother looking at the price tag.” 

Teepo didn’t need to look at anything to know what he wanted tonight, “Oooh, let’s get some tomatoes! I want another plate of Ludger’s tomato omelets!” 

“We’ll have to check if any stalls have the spices I use first. Nii-san never lets me shop here, so I’m not sure what Duval does or doesn’t sell...” Ludger was eager to find out though. There were always unique ingredients he’d find in one city and not the other; without his brother breathing down his neck to shop somewhere “safer”, such a golden opportunity couldn’t go to waste! 

As Elize and Ludger headed out the door in merry conversation together, Alvin turned to Leia and let loose the joke he’d been holding back, “Does Ludger have an Enable Speech button he forgot to hand me before he walked out?” 

“Just give Ludger time to get used to you. He was even quieter when he first met Driselle and Elize.” At the time, Leia thought Ludger’s silence was nervousness meeting someone of high status in a foreign country. But then Ludger kept looking at her to speak for him at the Seafall Phantom’s Eye exhibit she realized he avoided talking to strangers period. After they conquered the Canaan case, Leia had half a mind to help Ludger work on getting the courage to speak more freely.

The remaining two were just out the door until Leia remembered something, “Before you leave tonight, can I ask you one thing, Alvin?” Just asking this hurt her-- she hated lying to Jude. But something in her had to this time, for his own good. “Please don’t tell Jude what’s going on. He’s shouldering so many responsibilities already, and I don’t want to cause him more trouble.” 

“Sure thing. I’m a professional at keeping secrets from others.” Leia’s face twinged at Alvin’s self-deprecating jab, though she hid it under a trademark smile in a split second. The Alvin in front of her now was making the strides towards an honest life; she wanted to support this transformation every step of the way. “Let’s save the rest of the chitchat until after we eat. I skipped out on dinner chasing you guys down.” 

“Consider it a good thing-- now you’ll really enjoy dinner tonight! Ludger’s cooking is something you never want to pass up!” Both friends finally exited the inn in top spirits. 

[doc-pickles]

it’s nothing funny just to talk (p.3)

What happens when you text that random number graffitied on a bathroom stall in your favorite bar? Jo Wilson is about to find out. - In which Bar Princess and Doctor Evil Spawn meet via text.

Chapter threeee. What do you think? Any predictions?

Sunday 10:28 AM

oh man

you’re pretty funny

Shhh you’re talking too loud. 

i’m texting you

Well stop it. You’re being too loud. 

okaaaaay i’ll leave you alone

Wait come back… I miss you. 

ahhh the truth comes out 

you do like me

Of course I do, I wouldn’t be texting you if I didn’t. 

well that’s good to know 

i’m assuming your head is pounding?

Very much so. I'm about to chug a gallon of orange juice and pray I don’t die. 

can you sing while you do it?

I don’t sing. 

but you serenaded me last night 

it was an amazing song called “bar princess” 

Oh shit. Really?

yes and then you told me that you couldn’t sing to me because jo would be mad

In my defense it was my buddies bachelor party. 

that excuse didn’t stop you from calling me bar princess

I think i’m gonna name you… doctor rockstar 

Somehow that’s actually worse than Doctor Evil Spawn

it'll grow on you 

hey go check your porch

You didn’t. 

oh but I did

Breakfast and coffee? You’re the best. Thank you. 

it’s my thank you for the donuts yesterday

and for keeping me sane almost everyday

It’s nothing, I enjoy our friendship just as much as you do. 

  Sunday 3:33 PM

What’s with all these sirens in the area? You think someone died?

oh…. that might’ve been me…

WHAT?!

Are you okay?

Jo???

  Sunday 3:45 PM

Incoming Voice Call

“Hey it’s Jo! I can’t come to the phone right now but leave me a message and I’ll call ya back!”

  Sunday 3:47 PM

i’m fine gimme a second

You’re freaking me out. 

  Sunday 4:17 PM

Incoming Voice Call

“Jo?”

“I’m fine, I‘m fine.”

“What the hell happened?”

“I tried to make lunch and I set something on fire. It’s fine, I just couldn’t contain it.”

“You want me to come help out? I can be there in five minutes.”

“Alex, I’m fine. And I told you, I don’t wanna see you until our date.”

“Oh screw all that. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes! Now stop worrying about me, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Okay I’ll take your word for it, Bar Princess.”

“Good. Now stop freaking out, I can hear you hyperventilating over there.”

“I told you, I don’t want our first meeting to be at your funeral. I’m protecting myself obviously.”

“Right okay. Well I have to go and talk Steph down from killing me. I’ll talk to you soon. And Alex?”

“Yes Jo?”

“Thanks… just for caring about me. I’ve never had anyone who would be that concerned about me setting the fire alarm off. It means a lot. More than you know.”

“Well I like you, a lot. And you mean a lot to me. More than you know. Hey, when are you free next week?”

“I get back on Sunday night so anytime after that.”

“I’m off Wednesday, does that work for you?”

“Absolutely. It’s a date?”

“It is definitely a date. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”

“Bye!”

  Monday 9:36 AM

so steph killed me 

almost

  Monday 10:06 AM

You’re texting me so I’m assuming that’s a good sign. 

yeah I started crying and she let me off the hook

You started crying??

well fake crying but yeah

it did the job

You’re full of surprises aren’t you?

only always

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised when we meet

I hope so. Gotta go yell at interns, catch ya on the flip side. 

the 90s called they want their catchphrase back

  Monday 4:21 PM

pretty sure our AC is broken

i’m sweating like a pig

Oof, not fun. Did you call it in?

yup but they can’t get out till next weekend

i’m in shorts and a tank top I don’t think I can strip more without izzie yelling at me

I wouldn’t complain if you wanted to come and strip for me. 

that was very forward doctor rockstar

at least take me out to dinner first

I’m trying to. Surgeons are busy people. 

it’s okay it’ll be well worth the wait 

and i’m holding you to what you said

I say a lot of things to you, you’ll have to be more specific. 

when you said you’d kiss me as soon as we met

i’ll be waiting for that

I’ll make sure to put chapstick on in the car then. 

you should do stand up comedy 

Once you get to know me you’ll understand how terrible of an idea that is. 

oh shoot

bridezilla just stormed in crying

OH MY GOD SHE GOT A FAKE TAN SHE LOOKS LIKE AN ORANGE 

have to run damage control we’ll talk later 

Lemon juice and a loofah. At least that’s what Meredith is telling me. Good luck. 

  Tuesday 10:28 AM

can you kiss meredith for me

she saved my ass yesterday 

That would be kind of awkward seeing as she’s married. But I’ll pass on your thanks. 

there were so many tears 

it was horrendous

izzie and I stayed up until 2 am washing that stuff off

Jesus Christ. I’m sure you’ll be relieved once this wedding is over and done with. 

four more days!!

i’m excited of course but like… I want this done with

I can’t take much more bridezilla madness

Neither can I. 

you’re not even dealing with it!!

Yeah but I have to hear you dealing with it and it just doesn’t sound fun. I pity you. 

you’re so sweet

Doctor Feel Good

That sounds borderline inappropriate. 

it was 100% inappropriate 

see i’ve flipped the tables 

now i’m trying to seduce you

I applaud your efforts. Giving me a sexy nickname definitely helped your chances.

really??

You asked me to kiss you as soon as we met, I assumed that you would also be putting out on the first date.

W O W

you’re not wrong

BUT WOW

Knew it. I’d love to continue talking about what you’re going to do to me after our first date, but I have a high volume trauma coming in. Probably won’t be around for a few hours.

good luck, keep your wits about you

don’t be a hero, we still have a standing date

Wouldn’t miss it for the world.

  Tuesday 11:38 PM

Incoming Voice Call

“Alex?”

“Hey. I hope I didn’t wake you up.” “No… No, I wasn’t sleeping, I was watching a movie. Are you okay?” “Yeah. Yeah I’m fine.” “You don’t sound fine.” “It’s just been a long day… a lot happened.” “Do you wanna talk about it?” “No I… there was a pileup, on the freeway. It was really bad. And there… there was a van full of kids. It’s just been a long day.” “I’m sorry, I can’t imagine how hard it is going through that. What can I do to help?” “Can you… can you just talk to me?” “Of course I can. Oh! I’ll tell you Izzie’s muffin story! That’s a good one.”

“Okay yeah. Yeah, that sounds good.” “So Izzie and her boyfriend had gone through a BAD breakup, I mean monumental. She was so upset and she just started baking…”

  Wednesday 9:59 AM

Incoming Voice Call

“Jesus Christ what time is it?” “It’s 10 AM.” “Alex! I didn’t check the caller ID. Are you okay?” “I’m fine. I’m fine… I’m sorry I woke you up.” “No! It’s okay, you know I love to hear your voice.” “Well that’s a relief, I was worried you were gonna drop me because I keep waking you up.” “You only woke me up once!” “Listen Bar Princess, you may think you’re a good liar but you aren’t. I know I woke you up last night when I called.” “No I-”

“No buts. Thank you for that, I really appreciated it. It’s… it’s hard being in my line of work somedays.” “Well, you’ll always have me to lean on.” “I just need you to know…” “Know what? Oh my god you’re not married are you?” “What? No! Jo… just listen. Can you do that?” “Yes, I can.” “Somedays this job drags me down. It wears me down to my core and it doesn’t make it easier when I’ve got babies and kids on the table. It’s hard and I hate to admit it but I fall apart. I fall apart and I’m messy and I get all dark and twisty sometimes.” “Dark and twisty?” “Meredith says that. But it’s true. I get dark and twisty sometimes and you… last night you pulled me out of that dark and twisty place and I just…” “Just what? You can tell me, Alex.” “I don’t want to rely on you if pulling me out of the dark and twisty place is too much for you to handle. I want… I know I sound crazy and you’re probably freaking out-”

“I’m not freaking out.” “But I want this. You and me and I don’t want to get comfortable if you’re not in. Because I’m in, I’m in Jo. It’s ridiculous and I don’t even know what you look like but I’m in.”

“I’m in. I’m so in, I’m all in and if that makes us crazy then… Then I wanna be crazy with you.”

“Kissing you sounds really good right now.” “Listen, just because I said I’m in this for the long haul doesn’t mean you get to see me before our first date. If anything, this makes things more romantic.” “Okay okay, I’ll listen to you. You better be prepared because this first kiss, it’s gonna be the most epic kiss you’ll ever get.” “I’m waiting in eager anticipation, Doctor Feelgood.”

“It’s feels wrong to like it when you call me that.”

“You’re a real charmer. I would love to keep up the sexy talk, but Bridezilla is here and I’m pretty sure she’s going to rip my head off. Talk later?”

“Don’t we always. Thanks… for hearing me out. And being there. And being you. I can’t wait to kiss you.”

“I can’t wait to kiss you eit-“

“JO GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE BEFORE I DRAG YOU DOWN THE STAIRS.”

“Have fun, call me if you need an alibi.”

  Wednesday 1:18 PM

had to hide in the bathroom 

the living room is covered in glitter 

Aren’t you used to that? Being a teacher and all?

ohhhhhh no 

i have banned the use of glitter in my house and classroom

i’m not a monster

Oh glad to know you have your wits about you. 

of course i do

my only slipup ever has been the time i drunk texted that phone number that was graffitied in a bar bathroom

oh wait

Hahaha very funny. By the way, I thanked Cristina profusely and even bought her a coffee.

what are we thanking cristina for? For putting my phone number up in the bathroom. I might need you to go and scratch it out though. I don’t need any other drunk teachers at bachelorette parties texting me, I’ve met my quota. 

well that was oddly touching

you’re a big softy aren’t you doctor evil spawn

I’m a pediatric surgeon, I think that tells you everything you need to know.

you’re making some very good points here

oh shit she found me

i’ll be back (hopefully)

I have a bone to pick with bridezilla. She keeps taking my texting buddy away.

  Wednesday 6:06 PM

good god i’m gonna die before we get to this wedding

i just had to pack chocolate almonds into tiny little bags and tie them with bows

WHO HAS CHOCOLATE ALMONDS ANYMORE IT’S NOT 1985

You seem to have a lot of strong feelings about almonds.

i can't feel my fingers

If you can’t feel your fingers how are you texting me? i’m making siri do it for me while i lay on the floor drinking wine

I’m so proud of you. I’m on NICU overnight duty, so I have to stay awake and I’m bored. 

shouldn’t you be like… taking care of the babies? Oh these kids are fighters. I just gotta make sure they don’t rip off their tubes.

well it seems like you have an easy night

Until I die of boredom or hunger. Whichever one happens first.

i’m pretty sure you’re the doctor here so you know that won’t happen

Wow, you really pulled the doctor card on me huh? of course i did, it’s like you don’t even know me

You’re right I should’ve expected that. Gotta do rounds, I’ll text you in a bit.

  Wednesday 8:28 PM

I’m pretty sure it was my turn to bring you food, not the other way around.

i sent the egg rolls and chow mein! 

apparently you’re a regular because the guy at the restaurant suggested everything else and offered to deliver it to you

Thank you, you did kind of save my night. This chicken chow mein is amazing.

it’s my favorite

just like you :) Now who’s the softy? i’m a fourth grade teacher, i think that tells you everything you need to know

Touche. Okay now I really have to go be a doctor. Thank you again for dinner, one more week until we get to see each other.

the happy dance i just did was embarrassing, that’s how excited i am

  Thursday 10:28 AM

if I never have to participate in another wedding it’ll be too soon

i’m so exhausted I wish I was in a room filled with fourth graders instead of here

Don’t you wanna get married someday?

if I ever get married i’m going to the courthouse and getting pizza after

that’s my dream wedding

At least you don’t wanna spend 10k on a couple hours of celebrating. Pizza is as good a celebration as any in my book. 

exactly you get it 

pizza and beer trumps uncomfy dress and socializing with people any day

What’s bridezilla got you doing today?

making table numbers and centerpieces today

then we drive up tomorrow night

then I get shit faced at the open bar

At least you know what your agenda is. 

that’s always my wedding agenda 

hopefully I won’t puke on my shoes this time

That would be a funny wedding story though, good for small talk. 

you’re right maybe I should peueowownspdjd

Did you have a stroke? 

Jo???

Jo’s phone has been confiscated so she can focus all of her attention on helping with wedding preparations. She’ll get it back later today. Sincerely, Bridezilla 

  Thursday 4:17 PM

Incoming Phone Call

“I have to call my mom, I’ll be right back!”

“Jo that excuse doesn’t work, we all know you don’t have a mom!”

“So now you’re lying to talk to me?”

“Hey you saw what Bridezilla did earlier! I had to run out the door while she went pee so she wouldn’t catch me.”

“You’re willing to risk death for me? You really do care.”

“I love her but she’s suffocating me and all I want is to get drunk and possibly make out with you.”

“Mmm should I come by and rescue you?”

“No! No, I really wanna make out with you but I wanna wait. Just six more days.”

“Six days. I promise there will be beer and pizza and lots of kissing.”

“Good. That’s the only thing getting me through this weekend. I gotta go back, but I’ll text you as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be relentlessly staring at my phone until my friends make fun of me or you text, whatever happens first. Bye Jo.”

“Bye Alex.”

  Thursday 8:33 PM

good god I finally got her to leave

only because I reminded her we have a bunch of shit to do tomorrow

I need a drink

Take a shot of Fireball for me. I’m on my final overnight shift before my weekend vacation. 

done, one for me and one for you

Jesus woman you’re unstoppable. 

well I do try to be a borderline alcoholic in my day to day life

(that was sarcasm)

You’re hilarious. And my favorite person to talk to. 

right back at ya doctor feel good

I gotta sleep, i’m tired as hell and were leaving early tomorrow 

Sleep well, I’ll talk to you tomorrow Bar Princess. 

goodniiiiiiight

  Friday 9:47 AM

Incoming Phone Call

“Mmm hello?”

“Hi it’s me, I’m sorry it’s so early, I know you probably haven’t slept much.”

“S’okay, you know I like hearing your voice.”

“I just wanted to say bye. I mean not forever, but the wedding is gonna keep me busy all weekend and I don’t even know if we’ll have service. So this’ll be the longest we’ve gone without talking.”

“You’re rambling, Jo.”

“I know, I know. I just… I’m gonna miss talking to you at all hours of the day. Especially when You Know Who gets all psycho.”

“Mmm well I’ll see you on Wednesday right? That’s…”

“Five days.”

“Exactly. Five days away. Not that long.”

“I know.”

“You already said that. Are you attached to my lingering presence?”

“Maybe, maybe not. I gotta go, Steph is about to leave without me. But you should check your doorstep.”

“Damn it Jo, it’s my turn not yours. Thank you anyways though, I always love that you think of me.”

“Only all the time. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye Alex.”

“Goodbye Jo.”

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Three Hundred Thirty-Three: The Phone is Ringing ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Hiashi, Haruno Sakura, Hyūga Hanabi, Hyūga Neji ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

It takes exactly eight rings before the answering machine picks up.

When it does, a honey-sweet voice speaks.

“Hello! You’ve reached Hinata Hyūga. I can’t make it to the phone right now, but leave your name and your number, and I’ll c-call you back as soon as I can!”

She’s always hated how she stutters in it. After a dozen tries and every single one having at least one hiccup, she just gave up and took the last one. In part, she wonders if it’s played any roles in certain calls simply hanging up rather than leaving a message.

The machine is on a little table in the entryway of her apartment, the volume soft as not to be too terribly overheard by anyone walking by. Beside it is a little bowl where she typically keeps her keys, and a hook for her coat and purse. Today, all three are missing.

When the phone rings, it proceeds all the way to voicemail.

“Hinata, this is your father. This is the fourth time I’ve tried calling you the past two days, and you’ve still returned none of my messages. This is hardly becoming behavior, young lady. Something we’ll have to discuss once you finally get back to me. Your sister tells me you’ve been ignoring her texts. You can’t avoid us, Hinata. We’re family, no matter how disdainful you might find that to be.”

There’s the subtle sound of a landline being set back in its cradle, and then the apartment goes quiet again. A bright red 5 blinks along the screen, eager for attention.

No one gives it.

A few hours later, rain begins to pour. Carried by the wind, it impacts rather noisily against the windows that face the north, droplets exploding and slithering down the glass. The view from the fifth story blurs. Downtown is drenched in grey as the storm settles over, headlights a soft yellow as they struggle to cut through the gloom. Neon signs of downtown flicker and warp in the view through the water.

Just as the sun starts to go down, the phone begins to ring again. After eight tones with no answer, the machine picks up.

“Hey Hina! It’s Sakura. Just thought I’d check in on you - it’s been a while! Haven’t heard from you in a hot minute, and uh...figured I’d see if maybe you’d be down to hang for a while! I’m back in town next week for a conference, and I’d love to see you. I know you’re pretty busy, but hey, if you’ve got a spare hour or two while I’m around, let me know! Bye.”

There’s a few muffled background noises before the message cuts off completely. The 5 changes to a 6.

Night falls, and still the table remains empty save for the machine. Light creeps in around the main door, and a light on a timer in the kitchen flares to life. Otherwise, the apartment remains dark, and just as silent.

And so it goes until morning.

At seven am sharp, the phone is ringing once again. Once, twice, all the way to eight times.

“Hello Miss Hyūga. This is your supervisor Kurenai Yūhi. It was brought to my attention that you failed to appear at work yesterday with no prior notice. I know that you mentioned, in passing, that you had some...personal issues going on. But work policy mandates that, outside of an emergency, you give at least eight hours notice before a missed shift. If this happens again, I’ll have no choice but to write you up and place you on temporary suspension. You’ve been an exemplary employee during your three years with us, but I can’t make exceptions. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.”

The line goes quiet.

The table is empty.

The 6 becomes a 7.

Midafternoon, the ringing tone of the phone shrilly sounds five times...and then silence. On the phone’s caller ID, an obvious spam number displays. It leaves no message.

It’s nearly five o’clock when it rings again. And again. And again, until her pre-recorded message greets the silent apartment.

“...hey, ‘nata. It’s me, Hanabi. Look, uh...I’m seriously starting to get a little freaked out? You’ve never ignored me this long. Not even when I broke that old rabbit figurine Mom gave you. Please, just...let me know you’re okay? I dunno what I did to make you mad, or...maybe it’s not me you’re mad at. But I’m your sister. We might not always get along, but like...we’re sisters. Talk to me, ‘nata. If Dad’s being an asshole, just ignore him. But please...don’t shut me out. Okay? Love you…”

There’s a small, audible sigh...and then silence. The 7 blinks, and is reborn as an 8.

The rest of the evening passes quietly. The only interruption is a rowdy group of young men stumbling drunkenly past the door, the sober among them shushing for silence only to be ignored. They enter the apartment next door, where music begins to play and raucous laughter easily bleeds through the thin walls. But despite all of the rowdiness that carries well into the night, there’s no one home to complain.

The next morning, it’s foggy with a light misting of rain. Kurenai calls again and informs Hinata that her formal suspension is now in place. Should she miss one more day of work, she’ll be forced to terminate her employment.

The 8 becomes a 9.

A random number calls around ten, proclaiming that a recent fraud case in her town may have affected her identity, and to immediately call this number to confirm. Yet another clear case of spam.

9 makes way for the double digits of 10.

And then, in the early afternoon, another call.

“Hinata. This is your cousin Neji. Your father is furious that you have yet to return his calls, and is in the process of filing a missing person’s report. I implore you - if you are simply being obstinate - to drop this charade immediately before the police are forced to intervene. You know we can’t have a scandal like this in the family over a petty disagreement. Whatever Hiashi has done...surely it isn’t worth things becoming this complicated. Whatever has happened, you know I’m here for you. But this has carried on long enough. I only hope that...drama is all this is, and you aren’t in any trouble, cousin. Please call me as soon as you hear this message.”

...10 becomes 11.

The day continues to wane. The rain continues to fall. The machine continues to flash, seemingly desperate to be seen as the bright red numerical digits only get brighter as the ambient light fades.

...and then the door opens.

Heavy-footed, a figure steps in, exhaustion clear in their posture, but otherwise seemingly fine. A bag is tossed under the table, keys barely flung into the bowl. Coat still worn, she pauses as she spies the machine.

“...oh, s-shoot…”

A dainty finger presses the play button. The first message is a telemarketer, which she promptly deletes. The next four are from her father, and Hinata’s lips press into a thin, irritated line. Each message becomes more and more agitated, and a small part of her can’t help but feel satisfaction.

After all, he brought this all on himself.

Her gut twinges in guilt at Sakura’s message - she’ll have to call her back later. Kurenai’s earn a grimace. She has her mobile number...why didn’t she try there? Hanabi also makes her shoulders wilt guiltily. As soon as she’s done, she’ll shoot her a text. She just...hasn’t been in the headspace.

Neji’s, however, makes her swear. Sure, it probably looked bad, but...really? Really? What an idiot her father is...she’ll call Neji and let him know Hiashi can call off the stupid missing person’s case. And let him know that any drama isn’t her fault. That lies solely on her father’s stubborn shoulders!

But before she gets to any of that, she takes out her cell and scrolls through her contacts, finding the appropriate name before calling. It rings once, twice, three times.

“Hello?”

“Hey...I’m home.”

“Oh, good. Glad you made it okay. So, uh…?”

“I’ll talk to my landlord tomorrow. It’s g-going to take some doing. I don’t have much, but some should probably go into storage…”

“That’s fine. I think there’s units near my place, so we can just put what you don’t want in there.”

“All right. Um...I think I might have gotten fired…”

“Oh shit, really?”

“I’ll call Kurenai here in a minute, but...for some reason she never bothered with my mobile. And I was just so out of it…”

“Well, hopefully she’ll understand. Anyone else?”

“Family, mostly...my father being r-ridiculous. Hanabi was worried, and Neji. But I’ll talk to them, too. They aren’t going to be happy…”

“Sometimes you have to think about your own happiness, Hinata. This is what you want, right…?”

“It is.”

“...I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

“I don’t. I told you they’d react like this. I knew they would...it’s my fault for being so quiet about it, but...I just didn’t want to deal with it after telling him. I needed a few days. Seems even that was enough for them to go ballistic…”

“All the more reason to stick to your decision.”

“I know...thank you, Sasuke.”

“We’ll make this work, with or without them. I love you.”

“...I love you too. I better go, though...I’ve got a l-lot of phone calls to make before I can call it a night.”

“All right. You need anything, just let me know. We’ll get you moved in and settled down. And if the job thing fell through, we’ll find you something new. Maybe even something closer.”

“Yeah...I just really like this job...I feel d-dumb for not calling in, I just…”

“Well, talk to Kurenai. Maybe she can pull some strings for you.”

“Maybe…”

“Hey, it’s gonna be fine. I’ll talk to you in the morning, okay? Get things straightened out, and call me when you’re done. We can plan from there.”

“I will. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

Hearing the line go quiet, Hinata ends the call and sighs. Just the first of many...it’s going to be a long night. Glancing to the 0 on her message machine, she makes her way in to her sitting room and dials the next number.

Here we go...

                                                            .oOo.

     This is really random, and uh...I really dunno what it is xD The suspense concept kinda just hit me, and I rolled with it as best I could given how day tired and burnt out I am, lol      But in case it isn't clear: Hinata told her father she's planning on moving in with Sasuke because they're dating. Mister Uptight Jerkface decided to throw a huge tantrum because traditionalism and being a controlling father. Hinata thus just...disappeared for a few days at Sasuke's place, hence missing all the calls (and ignoring texts because she just...did NOT want to deal with that).      I dunno if I really managed to make it as suspenseful as I wanted, with the question of whether or not something had REALLY happened to her. But I tried - I don't write this sort of thing very often xD      Buuut anyway, it's late, and I have yet another looong day ahead of me tomorrow. So just a warning: I might not post tomorrow. I know I'm abysmally behind, but this whole situation is VERY draining, and I'd rather be late than post garbo for these entries.      That said, I'll do my best. But no promises. For now though, I need to get some sleep! Thank you for reading~

[parkerspicedlatte]

Disconnected-Chapter Eight (Luke Hemmings)

Summary: In an alternate universe where everyone has a soulmate, Luke and his soulmate share the rarest of them all. Some people have matching tattoos, others feel each others pain/emotions, but mental connections are the least common. The connection that Luke and Lynn share is that they can hear whatever song the other is singing. When they are close together they will be able to hear each others voices but for the meantime, they can only hear the recorded versions.

Pairings: Luke Hemmings x Lynn Corby (OC)

Warnings: fluff, angst, mentions of injuries, alcohol, a cuss word???

Featured Songs: If I Could (Jack Johnson)

Lynn felt the most relaxed she’d been in weeks. She finished the song she had been working on, she’d done very well performing on stage at the bar a few days before, and she had the apartment to herself for a few hours. She finally got to sit down with a mug of peppermint-spiked hot chocolate and the book she’d been meaning to read for a while. Lynn was at peace with herself and with the world around her, which seemed a little odd since she and Kylie had had an argument just a few hours prior.

She thought to herself that Luke must be relaxed and having a good time at that moment. Lately Lynn had been feeling certain emotions that she was certain weren’t her own; a random spout of anxiety when she wasn’t doing or thinking of anything that would cause her to be anxious.  Sometimes even a sudden feeling of satisfaction when she was down in the dumps. The only explanation Lynn had was that somehow her connection with Luke had strengthened immensely.

“If we can hear each other’s songs and feel each other’s emotions, the only mental connection we don’t have is proper telekinesis.” Lynn had told Kylie.

Her peace however, was interrupted by the sound of her phone nearly vibrating off of the coffee table beside her. Lynn set her book down on her lap and reached over to check the caller ID. Kylie. Lynn let out a sigh, mentally debating on letting the call go to voicemail. She knew she would be furious if Kylie was asking her to come and join herself and her underage sister at the bar. She slid her thumb across the screen anyways.  

“Hello.” she answered in a monotone voice.

“Heeeey!” Kylie squealed on the other end followed by a drunken giggle. Lynn threw her head back against the couch in annoyance and they hadn’t even gotten past the ‘hellos.’ How on earth could Kylie be that drunk sounding when they’d just left less than two hours ago? she wondered to herself. It was nine o’clock, the summer sun had barely set.

“Um me and Avery have a question for you. You know since you have a –hiccup- a car badge thingy.”

A car badge thingy? Oh she means a drivers license.

“Are you by any chance calling to ask if I’ll pick you up because you’re too drunk to get home on your own?” Lynn asked, her voice doused with frustration.

“How’d you know?” Kylie squealed over the phone, her fake drunk state could have fooled even the bartender who knew she had only served them two drinks each.

Lynn dropped her head into her free hand, trying to not scream at Kylie. What kind of irresponsible person takes their sixteen year old sister to a bar, gets them drunk before nine o’clock and has to call their roommate to drive them home?

Lynn half considered hanging up and letting Kylie figure it out herself. She couldn’t do that, not when Avery was in the mix. She couldn’t leave a sixteen year old at a bar, inebriated without a way back. Lynn knew damn well that Avery and Kylie could handle themselves but it still went against every moral standard she had in her body.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” she sighed into the phone. “Just don’t go anywhere or do anything stupid please.”

“We won’t.” Kylie hiccupped back. “See you soooon! Bye love yah.” Click. The call ended.

“Looks like someone forgot we were arguing earlier today.” Lynn huffed as she walked over to her bedroom to replace her pyjama pants with a pair of jeans. If she had to walk into the bar to collect the Dubois sisters, she at least didn’t want to look like a slob, especially since she was trying to build herself a reputation there with her music.

Lynn threw her long strawberry-blond hair up into a ponytail while she searched for her car keys. Once she found them she made her way to the beat up VW Jetta in the driveway.

“How could she be so irresponsible?” Lynn thought aloud as she pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. “She’s older than me by two years yet she’s the one acting like she’s eighteen again.” she said into the steering wheel.

A few minutes later Lynn pulled into a parking space a few buildings down from the bar. As she walked towards the front of the buildings she saw the party house in full swing. Lights lit up the large bay windows in the front, people were laughing, singing and dancing to the beat that Lynn could hear from outside. She didn’t care, she had a mission in mind and that was to find Kylie and Avery so that she could get them back home safely than spend the rest of the night taking care of their drunk asses.

Her blue eyes scanned over the crowd not actually looking at the faces, rather, for the wild curly brown hair; a trademark of the Bubois sisters. Lynn finally spotted them at the bar counter towards the far right. They were talking and clapping along to the band currently playing while sipping away at their drinks, looking sober, perfectly sober.

“What. The. Hell?” Lynn muttered under her breath, a mixture of aggression and bewilderment. Lynn marched over to the pair wondering what on earth was going on.

Avery saw Lynn first. “Show time.” she said, arching an eyebrow to her sister, a signal they shared with little discretion. 

Both sisters turned around to give Lynn an identical sheepish smile.

“What the hell is going on?” Lynn demanded, “You sounded like you were drunk enough to fall off your chair when you called me ten minutes ago. Now you don’t even look like you’ve had more than a few drinks. You’re not even flushed! You two better have a goddamn good answer!” Lynn said; smoke practically pouring out of her ears.

“We do. I mean, I do. This is my doing, don’t blame Avery.” defended Kylie. “Before I explain further, I need you to look behind you.”

“Why? What is behind me that has to do with why you lied to me about being too drunk to get home?”

“Please, just trust us.” Avery said using the words her sister had practically begged of herself not even an hour previously.

“Trust you? You guys just lied to me and now you won’t tell me why.” Lynn crossed her arms. “Right now I do not trust either of you.”

“Just turn around!” Kylie leapt off of her barstool to grab Lynn by the shoulders and spin her around, having had enough of the short conversation. “Look at who is directly in front of you.”

Lynn’s eyes met those of the grumpy diner owner from down the street. He frowned at the commotion going on between the girls and went back to his drink at hand, a scotch on the rocks.

“What does Greasy Al have to do with this?”

Kylie groaned. “No, not Greasy Al, the guy behind Greasy Al, in the white shirt, right there.”

“The blond guy?”

“Yes! Yes do you see him?”

“I see the back of his head.” Lynn mumbled, annoyed at her roommate’s behaviour.

“Okay just wait until he turns around.”

“What does the blond guy have to do with any of this?” Lynn tried to turn back around but Kylie held her shoulders tightly, not letting her go in case Lynn missed it. In case she missed seeing her other half, her soulmate. Luke. Freaking. Hemmings.

“Everything. Everything has to do with this.”

“Kylie, you’re being extremely vagu-ohhh fuck!”

Lynn’s eyes finally settled on the face of the stranger across the bar. The stranger who just so happened to know more about her than most people in the room, even the ones she’d known for years. He wore a smile that made his eyes dance with joy. Lynn felt butterflies dance with pure ecstasy. She felt Kylie’s hand loosen and slide off of her shoulders but she didn’t move; she couldn’t.

Her soulmate was right in front of her. Lynn could take less than twenty steps and be standing directly in front of him. She could finally be connected.

“Sooooo! What are you going to do?” Avery squealed from behind her, not being able to contain herself any longer.

“I-I-I don’t –shit I don’t know!” Lynn suddenly felt her body sway. Her head felt light. The room was unbearably hot. Lynn couldn’t catch her breath; they were coming in quick and shallow. She could feel hands grab at her arms as gravity took her body to the floor. Everyone around her was miles away. She could hear her own heartbeat throbbing in her ears.

A voice, she could hear a voice but it sounded like it was underwater.

“Are you okay?” the voice asked. “Can you hear me? She needs to be brought outside, there’s too much commotion in here.” The voice felt like silky sheets on soft bare skin, it was heaven flowing through her ears.

“Lynn, I need you to wake up.”

Something inside of her told her to follow the voice, to trust it. Lynn felt her body shiver. Her eyelids felt cool, so did her finger tips. She could move her fingers.

“There you go, keep going. Come on, you’re almost there.”

She felt a cool breeze blow across her cheeks.

“Lynn, come on, wake up!” a voice sobbed, sounding desperate and close to tears. The voice still didn’t sound as close as it should have but it was a start. “Focus, just focus on something.”

Lynn did just that. She listened for the voices that were getting closer.

“When was the last time she ate?” One voice, a new stranger.

“I don’t know, we haven’t talked since this morning.” Kylie’s voice.

“Oh my gosh this is all our fault!” Avery. So far three voices.

Something was on her face. It felt warm and comforting. Come on Lynn, focus. What is on your face? Whatever it was, it kept moving from her forehead, down to her cheek, then to her chin and back to her forehead. Fingers? A hand. Somebody’s running their hands over my face. Why? That’s kinda weird.

 “Come on Lynn, wake up.” Kylie’s voice begged of her. “Avery, run inside and ask Mitchy for some water, cold water.”

“Who’s Mitchy, and what are you going to do with the water?” Lynn wasn’t sure but she thought it was Avery’s voice asking the question.

“Mitchy is the bartender you dummy.” Kylie, definitely Kylie’s voice.

“Okay! But what about the water?”

“Gee Ave, I’m thirsty, what do you think I’m going to do?” Yep, one hundred percent Kylie. “I’m going to pour cold water on her to hopefully wake her up faster.” Oh shit no!

Now Lynn was determined to wake up. Her mind was becoming clearer by the second but she still couldn’t still couldn’t move anything other than her fingers, so that is what she moved her focus to. Thumb. Index. Middle. Ring. Pinky. Thumb. Index. Middle. Ring. Pinky. She tried bending them all one by one.

“Does she do this often?” a fourth voice, this one she didn’t recognise. Thumb. Index. Middle. Ring. Pinky.

“She used to when we were kids but she hasn’t in at least a year or two though.” Thumb. Index. Middle. Ring. Pinky. Wrist. WRIST! Lynn rolled her left wrist around. The feeling in her arms was starting to come back in a fuzzy haze. She groaned a little at the new pain shooting through her head. Did I hit my head on my way down?

A flurry of voices all around her all interrupted her concentration. Lynn couldn’t differentiate between any of them.

“She’s starting to wake up!”

“Hey look, her hands are moving.”

“Did you hear her?”

“You heard that right?”

She heard the sound of the bar door open and close, the music inside getting louder then quieter as the sounds were stopped from any further escape.

Avery went into the bar to get cold water! Shit!

“No I’m up.” Lynn tried to say before Avery could get to her. “Avery, no wait.”

Too late. An ice water filled pitcher was thrown over her upper body from head to ribs.

Lynn gasped, body convulsing for a split second at the torturous change in her body temperature. Her eyes flew open but she couldn’t see anything except a few blurry lights.

“It worked!” declared Avery triumphantly.

“Lynn! Oh my gosh you scared the hell out of me!” Kylie screeched.

“Are you okay?” asked another voice, the sweet voice belonging to the man she heard earlier.

Lynn shivered letting out the smallest of whimpers. She still couldn’t find her voice. Her eyes slowly began to regain focus and the blurry images began to fade into clearer, crisper ones. Directly above her, Kylie’s worry stricken face loomed, brows furrowed and lips slightly trembling. Kylie lifted one her hands from Lynn’s face to cover her own mouth, holding back a sob.

Beside her, Mitchy held a phone to her ear, talking to somebody while retelling what had just taken place. Did she call 9-1-1? What would she do that? Geez how long was I out?

Lastly Lynn noticed the familiar strangers around her. They all stood looking down at her figure lying on the pavement and then back to each other. All of them save for one, the one with the gentle, light blue eyes that looked nowhere but to her. He was crouched on the pavement with Kylie, going the extra mile to get close to Lynn, not exactly knowing why. His eyes were curtained by loose strands of curly blond hair. Lynn was so lost in him that if she’d had more control in her arms; she would have subconsciously moved his hair back to get a better look at his face, her soulmate’s face.

Luke stared down at the girl lying on the pavement. Her head was resting in the lap of who he assumed to be her close friend. The girl’s strawberry blonde hair had fallen out of its ponytail in the kafuffle and was strewn in a soggy angelic mess across the legs of her friend. The neon lights from the bar windows reflected blues and reds across the pale skin of her face and chest.

“Are you okay?” he heard himself asking again. Luke wasn’t sure why he was as concerned as he was about this girl. She was a complete stranger to him; he’d never seen her before in his life but something in the back of his mind told him otherwise. Something in him was drawn to her. There was a slight physical strain in his body pulling him towards her. Something in Luke made him want to pull her body against his, to tuck her head into his chest and run his fingers through her now wet hair.

Her eyes roamed from person to person before finally landing on himself. Luke felt his heart flutter then skip a few beats when their eyes met. A warmth flooded through his body causing him to visibly shiver.

“Lynn can you hear anything? Please say something.” Kylie. So far Luke knew that the girl on the ground was Lynn, the girl freaking out was Kylie and the younger copy of Kylie was Avery. Kylie rubbed gently at Lynn’s temples, down her cheekbones to her chin, then back up again.

Lynn nodded slowly, moving her eyes back over to Kylie’s. “Can you tell me what day it is?” Kylie asked.

“T-Tu-Tuesday.” Lynn stuttered out. Luke felt a sense of familiarity wash over him at hearing her voice. What’s the matter with you Luke? Why are you being like this? People pass out all the time.

He hadn’t even noticed Ashton, Calum, and Michael standing a few feet back, observing quietly. If he’d looked back at that moment Luke would have seen Calum and Michael looking concerned, yet confused at the same time, wondering why Luke had run out of the bar with the girl. If Luke had looked back he would have seen Ashton beside them both, a small tight lipped smile on his face and fingers crossed at his sides. Somehow Ashton knew exactly what was going on. While Ashton had yet to experience the connecting of soulmates himself, he had witnessed it happening on enough occasions. He’d seen it enough to recognize the look of complete awe between Luke and Lynn.

“I-I’m going to k-kill Avery.” Lynn shuddered once more through her clenched teeth.

Everyone around her chuckled nervously, everyone except Avery.

“How long?”

“A few minutes.” Kylie answered. “Not the worst but not the best. Think you can sit up?”

Lynn thought for a moment before nodding. “I think I can.” She placed both of her hands on the pavement just above her hips to prepare to push herself up. She felt like her every movement was being analyzed from every angle. The thought made her uncomfortable.

“Okay, on the count of three.” Kylie began her countdown. “One, two, three.” Lynn pushed up on her hands while simultaneously bending her knees in attempt to unsuccessfully steady herself.

Luke’s arms flew out to catch her before she fell back on the pavement.

Once Lynn was sitting upright against the brick wall of the bar she was eye to eye with Luke. He now noticed the small yet constant constellations of freckles that were especially pronounced across her blushing cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Luke saw that her eyes were not as blue as he’d initially thought. Rather, they had more grey tones in her irises without the help of the neon blue lights.

“Lynn, hey earth to Lynn. How are you feeling?” asked Kylie while waving her hand in between the blondes faces. Kylie didn’t want to get in the way of soulmates connecting but she still needed to know that her best friend was okay.

“I-I’m fine.” Lynn replied, not tearing her eyes from Luke’s.

A few moments passed by going unnoticed by the pair on the ground. Everyone else however, stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do. Finally, Avery cleared her throat, bringing all five other bystanders attention away from Luke and Lynn.

“Maybe we should, uh, you know, head back in. she suggested. Ashton nodded agreeing with her.

“Come on boys, let’s give them some space.” he said to Calum and Michael.

“What? Why?” Michael asked.

By then, Calum was starting to clue in on what was going on. He looked back at Luke jealousy as he walked towards the bar.

“Michael, let’s go.” Calum said in a low voice. Michael shot him a weird look but stepped with him towards the bar entrance anyways. Ashton followed behind them. He bent to lean into Luke’s frame.

“See you in a bit mate, congrats.” he whispered into Luke’s ear before patting him on the back and joining the boys with Mitchy in tow. One word hung over the entire group but nobody dared to speak it. Soulmates.

Last to leave was Kylie. She hadn’t even noticed that everyone else had left until Avery gently placed her hand over her sister’s shoulder reassuringly. Kylie had been with Lynn since they were in elementary school, since before Avery was even born. She’d been on the soulmate search train with Lynn for so long now that she wasn’t sure how to get off. But the train had stopped. It had reached its destination.

“Ky, come on.” Avery urged her. And just like that, Kylie stepped off of the soulmate train’s platform and away from the station. Once inside, she watched from the large front windows. Ashton was on her left side and Avery on her right.

Back outside, the blondes remained lost in world that consisted of nobody but each other, each taking in every single detail of the other in the most comfortable silence that either of them had ever known.

“I almost passed out at the same time you did.” Luke said breaking the silence. Lynn didn’t know how to respond so she didn’t. Instead Luke cracked a slight smile as he looked into her doe like eyes. “I got a little dizzy and light headed, then I looked over and you had hit the floor. Figured it wasn’t just a coincidence. Are you sure you’re alright.”

Lynn nodded. “Better now.” she whispered almost inaudibly. She looked away once she felt a blush creep up from her neck to her cheeks, illuminating her entire face with a pink tint. Lynn played with her fingers that were resting in her lap. Luke’s brought his own larger hands to rest cautiously on top of hers, as if to see if she would reject them.

She didn’t, instead she smiled down at their hands. Luke took it as a sign that he was in the clear. Slowly he engulfed her cold hands in his own. He brought them up to his lips, blowing warm air into them, pressing a small, chaste kiss to her knuckles.

“Are you even real?” he whispered against them, looking up at Lynn through his eyelashes.

“I think so.” Lynn whispered back, a tear slipped down her left cheek and ended at her pale lips. “I’m sorry.” she said quietly. So quietly that Luke almost didn’t hear her.

“What?” he asked softly. “Why would you be sorry?”

“Because I knew.” Lynn sobbed, an ugly sob that made her entire body shake. “I knew, but I didn't do anything. It’s all my fault. I’m selfish. I’m so sorry.”

Immediately Luke moved his hands from Lynn’s hands to wrap them around her back. He swiftly moved to sit beside her against the brick wall. He then pulled her gently against his body, sensing that she wasn’t going to be made upset by his actions.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, each too caught up in their own emotions to do anything.

“I don’t want you to be sorry.” The silence was broken by Luke once again as he uttered those words into her ear. Lynn’s body shook against his. Luke brought a hand up to run his fingers through her wet, unruly, mop of hair. “The universe wasn’t ready for us to meet, fate I guess.” he told her.

“But were you ready?” Lynn sniffled.

“I think,” Luke paused, trying to find the words that felt right. “I think that I wanted to meet you, but just because you want something, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ready for it.”

Lynn sat up to see Luke’s face. She carefully studied his expression, looking for any trace of anger or sadness. She looked to see if he was telling her the truth. She found no signs of deception.

Finally Lynn nodded her head slowly, showing that she agreed with Luke.

“You know, it’s almost like everything that’s been going on these past few weeks, has been fate preparing us to finally.... maybe get us ready to meet.” she told him while bringing a hand up to wipe away her tears. “You could feel it too, right?”

“I could feel it.” He reassured. “I could feel you.” Luke said not even noticing his involuntary smile that took over his face. “I could feel when you were excited about something or when you got anxious.”

They both thought back to moments when they could feel each other’s emotions. Then suddenly Luke remembered.

“Hey, what’s the deal with the Jack Johnson song? The last time I heard you sing it I thought you were going to die.”

Lynn smiled sheepishly down at her hands, chuckling lightly. She knew damn well that he was going to ask her that one day.

“It’s stupid, you’re going to laugh when I tell you.” she told him, having finally calmed down enough from her prior incident to speak clearly again. 

“What? Why?” Luke smiled, already falling in love with his other half.

“I was uh, I was doing an open mic thing at the bar that night, in front of people. I’d never done that before.” she confessed in a whisper.

Luke felt his heart swell with pride for her. The butterflies that danced around his heart felt more like a swarm of chirping, singing birds. Once again he tugged her body into his, bringing her onto his lap and engulfing her in his arms.

“It’s okay, everybody gets nervous on stage.” Lynn could feel him smiling into her neck as he spoke. “I still do and I’ve been on stage since I was sixteen.”

“You sang along that night.”

Luke nodded suddenly remembering the feeling of their connection growing stronger as they sang the lyrics together.

“That helped me out a lot, thank you.” 

Time froze. Luke and Lynn were caught up in each others eyes not noticing anything around them, just their other halves. Slowly, they moved into each other. Lynn could smell the cologne on his jacket while Luke could smell the coconut scented shampoo in her hair. Their faces so close together, lips centimetres apart.

“Hi.” Lynn giggled.

“Hi.” Luke whispered. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asked ever so gently.

Lynn nodded, not even missing a beat. “Yes.”

Luke leaned in nearly the rest of the way but froze just before their lips touched. He didn’t know why he froze. This was his soulmate. Luke was going to spend the rest of his life with her. Why am I so scared of this? Why wouldn’t he be scared?

Lynn suddenly brought her lips to his, confirming what they already knew with a kiss. 

Luke took no time in kissing her back. Her lips felt like coming home after a long tour. They felt familiar. Luke felt every insecurity about his soulmate not wanting him wash away like the receding tide.

Lynn felt safety in him. She felt how carefully and softly he kissed her back.

While Luke could only think about their lips, Lynn noticed everything between them. She noticed the feeling of his arms wrapping around her protectively and lovingly. She noticed his fingertips pressed into her sides. She noticed how his bottom lip felt between hers before switching to capture her bottom lip. What they both failed to notice however, were the spying eyes of their friends from the other side of the bar’s large bay window.

Luke pulled away first, out of breath. Lynn took a few seconds to register that their lips weren’t connected anymore. Slowly she opened her eyes, afraid that he wouldn’t actually be there when she opened them.

She glanced up to see a pair of bright blue irises looking down at her in awe. His lips were pink with a slight glistening sheen and had pulled up slightly in a grin. His thumbs stroked up and down her cheekbones in admiration.

“Hi.” he whispered as he had only moments ago.

Lynn looked down at her hands that were each bunching his shirt. Neither had even realised until then.

Every so often a car would drive by on the street. Their headlights would illuminate the newly connected couple, the smaller in the lap of the taller. His legs bent a little to cage her into his body protectively. People passed them on the sidewalk. Some giving them funny looks of disapproval, but neither Luke nor Lynn noticed. Even if they did, they wouldn’t care or give them a second thought.

If somebody had stopped, however, they would have seen more than just a young couple, they would have seen passion. They would have seen the result of over a year of torturous strain the couple had been through to finally find each other. A cruel game of cat and mouse that neither of them could run from nor capture.

But nobody stopped and nobody saw.

“Let’s get you into some warmer clothes, hmm.” Luke suggested. His forehead learned against hers, nose bumping against hers.

“I like that idea.”

“Your place or mine.” he smiled.

“Well... my clothes do happen to be at my place so...”

Luke laughed. “Good point. Should we get our friends or leave them?”

Lynn thought for a second. “I don’t know about you but I don’t think it would be the craziest idea if we got everyone together. I mean, Kylie lives with me and Avery is up for a few days. I say we all go up to my place and celebrate.”

“Perfect.” Luke said bringing his lips down to hers.

 To be continued…...

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[19umbrellas]

The Great Escape || Ben Hargreeves x Reader || Chapter 7

Description: After the death of your childhood sweetheart you began to have very gory and horrific nightmares that lead to your drug and alcohol problem. After your family found out, your sister admitted you to a rehabilitation facility you begin to see glimpses of your old lover walking about the hallway. Have the nightmares finally drove you insane or is your beloved Ben Hargreeves really back from the dead?

Read and find out uwu

Word Count: 2905

Index: uwu

CHAPTER 7

This chapter is split in to two parts since it's too long.

Part 1/2

It was a Saturday but you were still required to go to school for some event you didn't really care about. You're parents dropped you off outside and told you to call them as soon as the event had ended. You nodded but had your fingers crossed behind your back. When they drove away you walked up the steps leading to the door and as soon as you pushed through the door your friend was there waiting for you.

A few hours later, you were placing your pencil down on the long crevice on your desk, you picked up your the test paper filled with mathematical equations and passed it to your friend who was sitting in front of you. Your teacher collected everyone's paper before asking everyone to stand up and do our closing routine. As soon as everyone said their farewells and said their amens you were quick on your feet and rushed outside the door.

You jogged to the park and you could already see Ben waiting patiently for you on your usual spot. You called his name and he turned to wave at you. When you arrived next to him and sat down you were a panting mess with beads of sweat rolling down your forehead. "'Sup?" you greeted with a brief nod of the head, still breathing heavily He chuckled and mimicked your actions. He pulled out a bottle of (f/flavor) juice and offered it to you. You accepted and thanked him. You opened the bottle and let the sweet cool liquid run down your throat. After a few gulps you already feel refreshed, you closed the cap on the bottles and turned to look at him.

You still had some sweat on your nose and forehead so Ben took out his handkerchief and wiped your face. "Thanks." you said and smiled as he folded the piece of cloth and placed it inside his pocket. "Can I ask you something?" you asked and he nodded with an, "Of course."

"Why are you still wearing your uniform on a Saturday?"you looked at his black and red blazer and his adorable school boy shorts. Ben paused and hummed before answering, "We have Saturday classes." he said and you raised an eyebrow "For home school?" he nodded and you believed him. "Man, your teacher is the worst if he makes you wear your uniform on a Saturday." you told him honestly and he chuckled and looked to the ground. "He kinda does to be honest." he said and you both laughed.

He asked about the activity in your school and you just shrugged. "It was just a test to see who could go participate in this Math competition next week. I think all the schools are participating. Not really my cup of tea." you said and he tilted his head. "But I thought you love math?" you shrugged again "I do, I just hate competing for a trophy I can't even keep." Ben nodded, he understood your point of view and he can agree on that.

The two of you continued to talk about random things, mostly comic books, and recent movies you both watched all the while holding each other's hands. At this point it's already been a year since you met Ben. An entire year of you sneaking into the park just to meet up with him. You had to admit, after a few weeks of knowing him you already developed a crush on the boy. Imagine your excitement when he asked you to be his girlfriend a few months ago. You, of course, said yes and gave Ben the second tightest hug he's ever had. The first being his oldest brother, Luther, you remembered his name was.

Right now you were telling Ben a story about you and your friend getting trapped in a warehouse that looked exactly like the one in Reservoir Dogs. After mentioning this, Ben stopped you. "What's Reservoir Dogs?" he asked and your eyes grew wide as you looked at him in shock. "What's Reservoir Dogs-" you mouth went wide. "It's only the greatest movie of all time directed by the greatest director of all time! Don't tell me you don't know who Quentin Tarantino is." Ben shrugged and you went on a long ramble about the plot of the movie as well as your own analysis on it's certain plot elements.

Ben just nodded as he listened, the movie you were describing sounded a little too bloody for his taste but you looked so excited about it and he didn't want to spoil your fun so he pretended to be excited too. Eventually, at the end of your little rant you suggested that you and him should go watch it in the Cinema tomorrow night since they were doing re-runs of all of Tarantino's best films. Ben agreed, he was more excited at the thought of going on a proper date with you than the movie in general.

The two of you talked about your plans for that evening, where you were going to meet, who's buying what, and how you were going to sneak out since you both knew your parents would never let you go outside that late. Your parents didn't even know about Ben and Ben's father had no idea who you were not to mention your relationship. You both agreed not to tell them right now since you both know that everyone is going to freak out or something.

"The theater isn't that far from the park. We could just meet here and walk together." You suggested and Ben nodded with a faint tint of pink on his cheeks. He had to admit, he was glad you suggested to go together from the park because even though he's been living in this city for as long as he can remember, he still doesn't know his way around even if his life depended on it. He was too embarrassed to tell you this, however.

"I'll pay for our tickets and you'll cover the snacks. Does that sound fair?" you looked at him and he nodded again. "Snacks. Got it." he said. "Should I get you some (f/chips) and (f/juice)?". You looked at him with a smirk and said, "Yes. That is a great plan. You know me so well Hargreeves." he blushed and laughed at your enthusiasm. You continued to share your plans for your date while Ben just stared at you. As you talked, Ben suddenly decided that it was a great time lean in but, before you could notice his advances you turned to your bag. "Oh, before I forget." you said as you rummaged through your bag and pulled out a shiny new (f/c) Nokia flip phone and showed it to him. "My parents finally got me a phone."

He sat up straight, feeling a bit flustered, pretending to be shocked as he stuttered out a "Wow." When you looked at him from behind your new phone you noticed that his face was turning beet red. "Are you okay?" you asked him, feeling concerned. "You're face is getting really flustered." you placed hand on his forehead. "You don't feel that warm for a fever." the red on Ben's face became darker at your touch but before he could stutter our an excuse your phone suddenly rang.

"Hello." you answered. Ben could hear a deeper voice from the other line. It was your dad. Ben watched as you hummed and glanced at him. "We'll probably be done in 15 minutes, we're still checking our answers." you made a face at the lie and Ben laughed, his face slowly returned to its normal hue. "Alright, love you too. Bye." you hung up and pressed your lips onto a smile as you looked at Ben. "(y/n) (m/n) (l/n), don't you know it's bad to lie to your parents?" he said as he mockingly shook his head. You gave him a sly smile as you gave his shoulder a light push. "Shut it, Hargreeves". The two of you laughed together for a bit before you turned back to your bag.

You took out a pen from your pencil a case and held your hands out for him. "Do I have your permission to write on your arm?" you raised an eyebrow. He asked what were you going to write as he gave you his arm. "My number." you said as rolled up his sleeves and proceeded to do so. "I saw someone do this in a movie once. I always wanted to try it." Once you finished Ben pulled back and looked at the digits with a smile until he realized something. "I don't have a cellphone." he said and you laughed. "That's okay." you said "It's for emergencies then." you gave him smile just as another ring came from your phone. You checked the caller ID and you stood up. "It's my dad. He's probably going to come early. I should go." You looked at him. " See you tomorrow? 8-ish?" Ben nodded and smiled before saying, "I'll be here." You smiled before saying good bye and ran back to your school.

"You're going on a date?" Allison squealed as she jumped on Ben's bed. Vanya was quietly sitting at the edge as she watched her sibling get riled up as the other one awkwardly rubbed his arm. "Yeah, tomorrow night. We're going to go see a movie." Allison squealed even more, screaming into a pillow. "How are you going to get to the theater without dad knowing?" Vanya asked and Ben gave them an weary smile. "Actually, that's why I called you guys here. I was hoping you could help me sneak out?" he said more like a question. Allison and Vanya looked at each other for a moment before nodding. "What do you need?"

The next night you were scrambling around your room, throwing clothes out of your closet as you tried to find something to wear for your date. You huffed and crossed your arms when you couldn't find anything that you'd want to wear. You looked at the clock, 7:49. You cursed under your breath when you realized you were going to be late if you didn't find something to wear right now. At least your sister knew what to wear for her dates. That's when an idea struck you. You're sister might kill you for this but you had no choice. You quietly opened your door looked down the hallway to look for any signs of your parents or sister walking about. You saw the faint television light coming from downstairs and concluded your parents whereabouts when you heard them talking to each other through the movie's sound.

You quietly tiptoed out of your room and into your sisters room and you stopped when you saw her back facing you as she wrote on her notebook with her music blasting through her headphones. You looked at the the clothes hanging from the back of the door and spotted your sisters dark green cardigan turtle neck sweater at the back of her many jackets. You unhooked the piece of clothing before sneaking back to your room without your sister knowing and tried the cardigan on. You stood in front of your mirror as you twirled and posed in in satisfaction. The green wool ended down at your knees and you decided to wear it as a dress with black tightly fit leggings underneath. You put on your brown boots and grabbed the cash you were going to need for tonight and stuffed it in your pocket.

Before climbing down the window you checked on the accumulated pillows under your sheets and a teddy bear poking out at the head wearing a (h/c) wig. You pursed your lips and decided to arrange the pillows more accurately to be more deceiving. When you were satisfied you grabbed on to the vines growing on the side of your window and climbed down. As you passed by the living room window you took a last peak at your parents who were still watching TV before sprinting down to the nearest bus stop.

When the bus pulled away, you waved at Ben with a smile. You ran towards him and gave him a suprise hug. He smiled and hugged you back. You noticed that he was still wearing his uniform only now he wasn't wearing the vest or the jacket. Just a white polo shirt and his usual school boy shorts and shoes. You decided not to say anything about this and instead asked, "You ready?". He nodded. The two of you held hands all the way to the theater as you both told each other how you had to sneak out of your own houses. Of course, Ben had to hide some details but all of the things he said were true. You laughed at the part about him daring his brother to wear their mothers heels and tripped down the staircase. Once you two arrived you waited behind a short line of people before you payed for the ticket while Ben was at the snack bar buying some chips and soda.

The two of you sat together at the theater. There weren't a lot of people there but that only made your movie experience even better since you could sit wherever you want and have a lot of privacy. As the movie dragged on, Ben tried his best not to flinch too much at all the bloody scenes but you were able to catch on his awkward reactions when Mr. Blonde cut off poor Marvin's ear. As you sipped on your drink, you placed your hand on Ben's tense ones as soon as you entangled your fingers with his he relaxed into his sit. Once the movie was done and you were walking out the dark room you turned to him and said, "Guess bloody movies isn't really your style, huh?" Ben looked at you with wide eyes as he tried to tell you how much he loved the movie but you stopped him, "You don't have to lie." you laughed. "It's just a movie. You don't have to like the same things I like just for me to keep liking you."

He smiled in relief and nodded at you. Feeling more comfortable around you than before. "Maybe we can watch Disney next time? I haven't seen Bambi before." he said and you chuckled as your fingers curled around each other and you both made your way down the empty street. "Well, get your tissues ready, Hargreeves because that movie is going to drown your soul in tears." He laughed at your description and the two of you continued to laugh and joke around as you walked.

When you passed by a dark building a sudden crash could be heard from the alleyway next to it. You and Ben stopped as you watched a figure emerge from the dark. The figure was tall, pale, dark hair and droopy eyes. The mere sight of him sent shivers down your spine. He was dragging a busted baseball bat behind him as he turned to you and Ben. "Ohhhh." the man slurred. "Look at what we got here boys. This little calamari's on a date. Ain't that sweet?" As he said this, three other men jumped out of the shadows as they all looked down at you with a sinister look. "What pretty hair you have there, love. Why don't you play with us for awhile? We could use a new... Friend to play with." one of the men smiled crookedly, he had an odd thick accent that you found a little unsettling with his tone. "Leave us alone, Kane." Ben said as he pulled you behind him. "'leave us alone, Kane'" The first one mocked. "Not so tough without your siblings, huh, you freak?" they all barked out in laughter as you felt Ben's grip on you tighten. One of them was about to approach you but Ben was fast and he kicked a rock onto the man's face making him scream as it smashed onto his eye.

Ben pushed passed them when they were distracted and ran to the direction of the park with you in tow. You could feel your heart beat painfully inside your rib-cage as your thoughts raced inside your brain faster than you could run. The men weren't far behind as they yelled curses at the both of you and howled at you to stop running and they'll make this quicker. Once you reached the familiar sight of trees and the fountain Ben quickly went to the public toilets shoved you into the girls bathroom and told you to lock the door and stay inside. "What about you?" you asked holding the door before the lock could click. "I'll be fine, (y/n)." He told you and you shook your head grabbing a hold on to his arm. "No! stay here! We can call the police!" you tried to reason with him but he didn't listen he kissed you quick on your forehead before he forcefully slammed the door shut and pushed a trash can in front of it. "Stay safe." he prayed as you banged on the door the men finally caught up to Ben and they all took their knives and brass knuckles. 

AN: I can finally use my laptop again uwu. I’m staying at my dad’s place for a whole month which is kinda fun but I barely have any time to draw and write huhu. 

Taglist:

@purple-alien-monkey @sweetkenzo @rougemme @padfootz-princess @k3nz-doodl3

[prxttylittle]

“I’d let you if you asked.”, “I think you look cuter with me.”, AND “I called you because I can’t fall asleep.” :D

“I’d let you if you asked.”

{ v ;; the princess and the moon.

         Prince wrapped both arms across Lunas chest and pulled her body close to his as she sat between his legs, feeling her hands come to rest on top of his own. He rested his chin on top of her shoulder, face close to hers as they sat in the grass, watching on as Matt and Nick play-fought. He sighed and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then her neck before settling with her under the light of the morning sunrise. They’d spent the entire night in the pub but eventually the owner needed some sleep and they had to leave. That’s how this group of now-secondary school graduates ended up wandering the streets, a mix of drunk and stoned, before fumbling into this local park. Behind where Matt and Nick messing, Cass sat on a swing, rocking herself back and forth. Prince never understood how she got through all of the groups nights out without a bit of alcohol or drugs in her system. He never cared enough to ask. Feeling Luna’s hands on his, Prince laced their fingers together, moving their left hands so they were raised up directly in front of the sunlight, beams shining through the cracks onto their faces, causing him to squint ever so slightly. His fingers released hers and danced down along her arm, tracing shapes over her skin ever so gently. He was smiling at her now and when she giggled at the feeling of his fingers tapping against her, and his lips on her neck, he chuckled lightly with her. He wasn’t sure what either of them found so funny but it was nice. There was a serenity about being here in the morning light, wrapped around Luna; that even being surrounded by their friends didn’t irritate him. He quietened their shared laughter by kissing her, not caring if their friends would mock. And mock, they did. “I swear I just saw Prince laugh!” Nick gasped dramatically. “And now he’s kissing Luna in front of us. Is this the end?” Prince didn’t pull away from Luna but he stuck his middle finger up pointing it at Nick. It wasn’t as if he never kissed her in front of people, maybe not so sweetly and not for as long as he was currently doing but it wasn’t that crazy for him to kiss his girlfriend, right? He rolled his eyes when he heard his friends laugh, finally pulling away from Luna. His eyes fluttered open, gaze meeting hers. His thumb brushed under her jaw lightly and he smiled with a softness dominating his features. Prince shifted slightly and heard the packet of Haribo Starmix in his pocket rustling, reminding him he had them. He opened the packet and took out a random handful, taking one from the pile before dumping the rest on top of Luna, laughing playfully. He reached into the packet, pulling out a jelly ring, and he didn’t think much as he reached for Luna’s left hand. He pushed the ring onto her finger and although it was just a gummy candy, it felt intimate. He tucked his chin into the crook of her neck, looking at her holding up her hand with the jelly on it. “Kind of feels right, huh?” He whispered so quiet that only she could hear it and only if she was listening. His lips grazed her cheek just as she spoke. “I’d let you, if you asked.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Let me what?” But his eyes flickered to the gummy on her finger, and then back to the look on her face and he realised she meant she’d let him marry her, if he asked. Eyes wide, he chuckled lightly and kissed her lips. “Maybe I will ask, then.” And the moment was starting to feel a little tense for Prince so he emptied the rest of the packet of sweets over Luna to bring back the lighter tone of before.

{ v ;; no reason. 

      When Jason had first heard Iola had returned to Chicago, he had wasted no time in tracking her down. He thought he’d be upset when he first saw her again, expecting all his heartbreak to just come flooding back. It hadn’t been like that at all, they’d clicked immediately like no time had past and Jason finally had his best friend back. He wanted more than friendship from her but he hadn’t wanted to pressure her or make her feel like he was only hanging around looking for one thing. Today, he couldn’t hold himself back. He walked closer to her, hands almost brushing, sat closer to her when they went for lunch with his legs sliding between hers under the booth. He didn’t pretend he was staring when she caught him more than once and he wasn't short on compliments. By the end of the day when they got back to his apartment, he was going crazy. He watched as she fell down on his couch, a smirk playing on his lips. He shrugged and chuckled lightly when she asked what the hell he was staring at. “Nothing.” He mumbled, his tone content from just being around her as he fell down beside her. “You just look beautiful. I can’t not look at you.” He admitted eyes searching hers. When she looked at him, he couldn’t help but take her in; her eyes blinking at him under the golden hour sun that peaked through his apartment windows, her lips that turned upwards into the most gorgeous smile he’d ever seen in his life, the way her hair fell into her face as she turned her head. “I’d love to kiss you.” He blurted without meaning to but he decided to have no shame in his words. He meant them. All day he’d just wanted to hold her, kiss her, just be with her. Not just all day. Since the moment she had stepped back into his life, he’d been holding back. He couldn't do it anymore. The silence lingered in the air and he sat upright. “Drink?” He stood up but before he could make his way to the kitchen, Iola spoke. “I’d let you, if you asked, you know.” His eyebrows furrowed and he looked down at her. Jason sat back down, eyes not leaving her for a single moment. “If I asked?” He chuckled. “Iola, I’ve missed you. I don’t know what we’re going to do about us but--- for now, can I kiss you?” And it wasn’t long before their lips were colliding, Jason pushing Iola lightly onto her back on the sofa. It felt right. It had been so long, and being in her arms again felt right. It was where he was supposed to be and he knew it. He ran a hand through her hair and couldn’t hold back the light giggle that fell from his lips, causing their teeth to clash and distracting from the moment. “God, I’ve missed this.” He murmured, eyes fluttering open so he could gaze at her. His eyes searched hers for only a short moment before they were closing again as he went back in to kiss her. 

{ v ;; july 17th. 

       Zayn let out a grunt as he woke with a start, his head banging slightly. He winced in the morning light-- who hadn't shut the curtains? He shifted slightly but that was when he noticed the weight in the bed, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He rubbed at his eyes with the palm of his hands, vision becoming less blurry. He got a look at the person wrapped around him and, without his permission, a smile embraced his lips. Part of him felt guilty that he dragged Ari into whatever was going on with him in the house that he seemed to just be fucking around with everyone but another part of him really liked her and liked waking up with her like this. He sniffled slightly and ran a hand through her hair, causing her to stir. “Morning.” He felt the huskiness of his voice as he spoke and cleared his throat but it didn’t feel any less raw. A chuckle fell from his lips when she suggested now might be the time to thank him for his gift-- that gift being himself. He shrugged. “What can I say? I like to put a lot of thought into my gifts for my favourite people.” A bright smile remained on his lips despite the headache he was sporting and also how exhausted he was feeling despite the fact that he’d been the one to wake her up just a moment ago. His hand traced up along her arm and back down again, fingertips stroking her skin tenderly. It was strange how they were both laying here, naked but so comfortable in each other’s presence. They’d kissed a few times over the last few days but now the friendship barrier was really shot to the ground. They crossed a line, and Zayn didn't mind one bit. He raised an eyebrow when she criticised his morning voice and how she’d expected sexier from him. Zayn knew he sounded so rough because he was on a comedown, but he wouldn’t make that tidbit of information known to anyone but himself. Another laugh and he simply apologised and promised to work on it for the next time. “Are you telling me that there's going to be a next time I wake up in your bed?” She challenged and, feeling bold, he just kissed her. Zayn liked kissing Ari, he decided. There was something about the way their lips just moved in sync, and how right it felt to have her in his arms, that made Zayn feel warm. It felt nice. Pulling away with a grin, he whispered, lips grazing her ear. “I wouldn’t mind if you’d let me do all of this all over again.” His eyes met hers and when she said she would let him the next time he asked, he just kissed her again. “What if I ask right now?” He chuckled against her lips before shifting so his lips were on her neck, hand trailing down her body. Things had definitely changed between them, and he was surprisingly happy about the way they had. 

{ v ;; katie and leo. 

     It had taken weeks and weeks of fights, arguments and a lot of crying before Katie’s dad finally agreed to let her go on a weekend away with her friends. When Ava and Eli arrived at her door to collect her on Friday morning, she felt almost as if she was being emancipated from her father, it had taken that much of a fight to agree to this. The second she was in the car, eagerly taking over the aux, she was able to forget about her dad, her dad’s bitchy girlfriend, and just relax into the weekend at the seaside they were going to have. Her relaxed vibe was massively evaded when Eli pulled up to Leo’s house, only for another girl to emerge from the house with him. Katie’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ shape. Katie folded her arms over her chest and sunk into her seat. The rest of the car ride was spent with her pretending to be asleep or playing on her phone so she could avoid pretending she was feeling great about the extra addition, Caroline. Leo had taken over the aux when he got in the car and he was playing so many of their shared favourite songs that usually they would be singing along with like children in the back of the car. At least when she pretended to be asleep she didn’t have to indulge him as usual. After about two hours of driving, Katie heard Eli and Ava agree to pull over at a petrol station and to swap seats. Katie jumped at the opportunity, suddenly ‘wide awake’ as she got out of the car along with Eli and Ava. She snaked her arm around Eli’s, linking him as they entered the shop. “Eli.” She beamed, drawing out the ‘i’ sound in his name. She rolled her eyes when he said no before she even asked for anything. It wasn't as if she had anything to offer him in return for the favour she wanted, he had more money in one of his pockets than she had in her entire bank account, she was sure. She pouted. “Can I please ride shotgun while Ava drives the rest of the way? Sitting beside Leo and his girlfriend is exhausting. She literally complains about every second song. It’s irritating.” It took a little grovelling, and a lot of teasing from him about her being jealous before Eli finally agreed to let Katie take his seat up front. “Plus, that girl isn't even Leo’s--” But she didn’t give him a chance to finish, too eager about her new place in the car. “Thank you, thank you!” She kissed him on the cheek before running back out to the car. She yanked her handbag from the backseat and called ‘shotgun’ before clambering in with Ava, who gave her a knowing look that Katie chose to ignore after all the stick she'd just gotten off Eli. She also ignored the confused expression on Leo’s face that she picked up in the rearview mirror, pretending she hadn’t seen it. 

By mid-afternoon, the gang all reached the beach-house that Matt and Panda permitted them to use. In a second car, the rest of their gang I’m sure they have, arrived and Katie wondered if she could hitch with them on the way home on Monday. She did enjoy riding with Ava and Eli, though, so she’d have to give that a think over. The first day was spent with them settling in, picking out and arguing over bedrooms. The next day, Katie chose to stay at the house while everyone went to the shops to pick up an array of alcohol and food. Still only being seventeen, she often got caught out for not having ID with her so she just relied on Ava to pick up what she needed. By Saturday night, they were all wrapped up in blankets and sitting around a fire on the beach behind the house, playing Never Have I Ever with plastic cups of different variations of alcohol. Katie had argued the plastic cups ‘for the turtles’ but was outnumbered and accepted her rum and coke in defeat. Eli sat forward. “Never have I ever snogged someone else in the group.” Katie glared at him, knowing that was clearly directed at her and Leo, but she shrugged before taking a sip of her drink, noticing Leo do the same. She didn't see if Caroline took a sip of her drink but she figured she would have had to. Katie took two more sips on the next few challenges before it was Eli’s turn again. She noticed the playful smirk on his lips and she frowned, “Never have I ever forced Eli to sit in the back seat on the way to Blackpool because--” Katie stood up and stormed off before she could hear Eli finish his statement, already knowing what it was going to be. She just reached the house when a hand wrapped around hers, pulling her back. Her eyes landed on Leo and she pulled her hand away. “He’s such a dickhead.” She rolled her eyes though she was sure later her and Eli would laugh about it, for now she was irritated at him. “Caroline isn’t my girlfriend.” He told her, not really indulging in her annoyance at Eli. Katie’s face flushed red. Her jealousy was humiliating. “Well, she’s obviously something to y--” Katie was cut off when Leo kissed her. She immediately melted into the kiss, her hands running through his hair. She pulled away, breathless. Her face was still flushed and she was even more embarrassed now that she realised how wrongly she’d read the situation. “I want to hit Eli. And you.” She pouted. His chuckle caused her to smile. “I’d let you, if you asked.” She picked up on the suggestiveness in his tone and she just kissed him again, furious with herself that she’d already wasted one night of this trip as a result of her jealousy. 

“I think you look cuter with me.”

{ v ;; the princess and the moon. 

      Prince’s body practically froze when he heard Nick calling his litter sister ‘hot’, turning to glare at him and warning him to shut up. It wasn’t long before Nick was addressing him by the infamous ‘Princess’ nickname that he found so abhorrent, and the pair were throwing digs at each other. Eventually, it was Luna that tore them apart, Matt seemingly minding his own business. Prince stepped back, still shooting daggers at Nick, who only chuckled. “How cute does Prince look when he’s angry?” Nick teased, stepping past Prince who was being held back by Luna. Prince seethed, furious. “I think you look cuter with me.” Luna spoke while cupping his face, trying to gather all of Prince’s attention but the way she phrased it, using Nick’s insult to compliment him, just irritated him further, causing him to pull away. He glanced down at her. “Don’t indulge them.” He sighed, rolling his eyes. He turned and watched as Nick plopped himself down in the seat next to Matt, reaching over to steal a joint. His gaze then fixated on Luna’s hands on his chest, noticing how much her presence alone had calmed him down without him even realising. Looking between them now, Prince couldn’t help but wonder why he had let his loyalties lie with Nick for so long. Nick irritated him, always made comments about his sister and would never just stop using the term Princess despite how he constantly got some kind of slap for it. Nick was an asshole, straight up, and Prince loved Luna. He didn’t know why it had taken him so long to put everything together in his mind. His expression softened and he wrapped both hands around her wrists. “Can we go to my place?” He offered quietly but he was already guiding her out of Matt’s, not even providing the two lads an explanation as Luna waved goodbye. He was nervous. There was a strong chance that Luna would be upset, as in it was guaranteed. Prince just hoped she would be somewhat appreciative that Prince was deciding to come clean, even if he was a few months late with it. They reached his place and he led her into the sitting room, well aware that his serious tone was freaking her out. She had probably thought he was leading her off for a quick hook-up. Far from it. He let out a breath and sat across from her, rubbing his hands together. “Nick’s a fucking asshole, but I’m not telling you what I’m about to say to get back at him for talking shit just then. I should have told you sooner.” Prince’s eyes searched hers for a moment and he sighed. He could drag this out but that wasn’t Prince’s style. He wasn’t going to blabber and try to explain his way out of things. “Nick is a hitman. That's his job.” He didn’t break eye contact with her as he spoke slowly. He watched the realisation form on her face. “I should have told you when you told me what happened your mum.” He shrugged, he didn't really have an excuse as to why he waited to tell her and he wasn’t going to make one up to save face. He also wasn’t going to apologise because he knew if he was really sorry, he’d have told her months ago. Right now, he was just relaying the information and he’d live out the consequence when necessary. 

{ v ;; no reason. 

      Jason crossed his arms over his chest, eyebrows furrowed tightly together as he looked at the three images on the counter in front of him. He knew which of the three was his favourite but he couldn’t decide if it was the one he wanted to pick in this certain instance or not. His tension eased majorly when he felt two hands brush over his shoulders and wrap around his body from behind. He felt Iola's lips on the back of his neck and he spun around to greet her, arms wrapping immediately around her waist to pull her up, letting her legs wrap around his torso. He chuckled slightly. “Hey, sweetie. How was your day?” He mumbled against her lips, kissing her with delight. He hadn’t seen her all day and that was far too much for him. They kissed, and joked around, for a bit before she was asking what he was doing and he finally let her back down on the ground, turning back to the counter with her now, one hand remaining on the small of her back. He pointed at the three photographs. “Insider got in touch.” He spoke, pride gleaming on his face. “They want to do one of those Snapchat story specials on this new studio, and me as an artist.” Jason was practically beaming, his smile reaching from ear to ear. “I need to pick one of these for the cover photo for the website. In this one,” he pointed at an image of himself standing near an empty easel. “I look like a painter but it’s kind of cringe.” He laughed at himself and pointed at a second image, one of him and the woman who’d come by to take pictures of the studio and some select pieces for the article. “This one is like, hey here’s my interview with Insider and then this one;” He actually picked up the third. It was him and Iola standing in front of a portrait that he’d sold for an obscene amount of money. Her hands were wrapped around his waist and they were smiling so much that Jason could actually hear themselves struggling to hold in laughter like they’d been doing to try and take a serious photograph, though the non-serious alternative looked way better than anything else he could think of. Jason looked at himself in the image and could physically see the adoration on his face. “This one says ‘hey, not only am I an up and coming artist with my own studio but my girlfriend-- who bought me this studio because she’s just the absolute fucking best-- is, like, a Greek Goddess sent from the heavens above and actually smiles in my presence and that lipstick stain on my cheek proves you actually want to kiss me sometimes which is un-fucking-believable.” He glanced down at her, smiling brightly. He shrugged his shoulders forward. “I just don’t know which to choose. There’s also the added question of which one do I look cutest in?” He pouted sarcastically. He returned the action when she kissed him, before saying that he looked cuter with her. Jason had now long decided he was going to use this image of them. “I guess I do look pretty good in that one, look at those natural curls!” He gasped dramatically but was soon shushed by the very subject of the image shutting him up by kissing him, which he returned instantaneously. 

{ v ;; july 17th. 

      Emotional seemed like a good word to describe Zayn today. It seemed to cover all bases, the fear and slight sadness he'd felt upon being in this place again, but the joy that overcame everything when Leilani, and Ari, pulled through and his panic from the last nine months finally washed away. He didn't really talk about it over the course of her pregnancy but Zayn had been so afraid that what had happened the first time was going to happen again. He feared the damage that would become of them if they had to suffer through that again, the heartbreak they would feel if they lost another child. Despite how often the doctor explained how unlikely it was to happen again, he still had the nagging voice at the back of his mind everyday for the course of nine months. Now, not only was that voice gone but it had proven wrong and Zayn and Ari were able to hold their baby in their arms. People were coming in and out all day and by the end of the night, Zayn finally managed to convince family and friends they needed sleep and also alone-time with the baby. Returning to Ari’s hospital room, he beamed at the sight of his wife cradling their daughter. The look on Ari’s face was wondrous to him. “You look beautiful.” He spoke gently as he pulled a seat up beside the bed. Normally he’d crawl into the bed beside her but he didn’t want to disturb Leilani who was sleeping soundly in her mother's arms. His good intentions didn't last very long when the screeching sound of sobbing erupted from the hours-old baby. Zayn chuckled and stood up. “Here.” He scooped Leilani into his arms and started walking around the room with her, rocking her back and forth gently. He looked up from the baby to Ari who was looking at them with an expression he didn’t fully understand. “I think she looks cute even when she’s crying.” He commented as the sound started to die down. It was astounding to him how much volume she had with only a few hours of life in her. At least it meant she had powerful lungs, the doctor had said. Zayn let out a breathy laugh when Ari retorted his cute comment by saying he looked cute too. He grinned. “You look cuter with me, though.” She added and he nodded at her ‘hint’ and returned to his wife’s bedside. Being extremely cautious with Leilani, he used a leg to push Ari over slightly before climbing into the bed with her. He shifted in a way that he was half-facing her with the baby, the three of them huddled together comfortably. “I’m so happy!” He whispered, head resting on Ari’s shoulder. 

“I called you because I can’t fall asleep.” 

{ v ;; the princess and the moon. 

      The sound of his phone ringing late at night was no shock to Prince, considering his line of work. He often had stragglers who couldn’t get out of their house until after everyone was asleep so that they could get some kind of supply off Prince without being caught, or people who didn’t want to risk being seen at Prince Jameson’s house in daylight– or else he was being called to house parties having a turn over early into the next morning. Prince’s clientele wasn’t exactly 9-5 suited, so in order to make his money, his phone was never on silent. However, this time, when he stirred from his sleep and noticed the caller ID, he frowned, confused that it wasn’t a customer at this hour. He bolted upright up in the bed and brought the phone to his ear. “Luna?” He questioned tiredly. He looked at the clock on his bedside and realised the time. “What happened? Are you okay?” It was unusual for her to be calling so late or even ringing at all since the way he’d last spoken to her. He couldn’t help the worry that bubbled within him and his words came out so instantly and quickly that he couldn’t stop himself. He relaxed when she insisted she was fine, nothing had happened. “I called you because I can’t fall asleep.” Prince sighed. “And I’m supposed to give a fuck whether you can sleep or not?” He remarked sarcastically. Silence settled between them and he spoke again. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He didn’t give her a chance to say that wasn’t why she was calling before he was hanging up the phone and making his way to his car. It didn’t take him long to get to Luna’s, the traffic almost non-existent considering it was the middle of the night. Letting himself into the apartment, Prince noticed the glow of light coming from the kitchen and was surprised to find Luna sitting at the table, rather than up in bed like he’d expected, camomile tea in hand. He raised his eyebrows at her and nodded in greeting noting mentally that she looked exhausted and even a little upset. He sat across from her and waited for her to tell him what happened, rather than asking. When she started talking about getting into another fight with Cassie earlier, Prince frowned. Only a small part of him felt guilty for the tension between the two friends, the majority of him was just annoyed that Cass made it so difficult for Luna to just be with Prince. Cass and Luna always went on and on about being best friends yet it turned out to be Prince who had the most support with the relationship once they went public. “Well, Cass is a fucking bitch.” He shrugged in response when she finally stopped talking, finishing by saying Nick came by to collect Cass hours ago. He ignored Luna’s pointed look about calling her best friend a bitch. “What? I think it’s fucked up that you’re up all night feeling bad about fighting with her while she’s likely fast asleep in Nick’s bed by now, not giving a shit. I also think it’s fucked up that she runs to Nick with everything but fucks old men and thinks she has any leg to stand on by criticising our relationship.” Prince scoffed. He truly couldn’t stand Cassie but it’s not as if he gave Luna a hard time about her the way Cass did regarding him. He just kept his mouth shut and he didn’t understand why she couldn’t do the same. He got up from his seat and went to her side. He leaned down so he was eye-level with her. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, thumb rested under her chin. His eyes searched hers and Prince figured now wasn’t the correct time to say ‘I told you so’ about how much easier he thought it would have been to keep their relationship a secret so he just pressed a peck to her cheek. “You look fucking exhausted. Come on.” He pulled her up with a hand around her wrist and led her to bed. Inviting himself to stay, he clambered under the covers with her, bringing the duvet cover over them. Part of him felt the softness he was showing this evening was just to prove to Luna that Cass was wrong about him, and them, but the other part of him (which wouldn’t admit this) just wanted her to feel better. 

{ v ;; no reason. 

       At the sound of the iPhone FaceTime tune playing from his phone, Jason didn't have to check to see who it was. He pulled the phone from the charger and smiled as the camera turned on him. “Hi baby, what’s up? Isn’t it like 4am there?” He was concerned. Though he was barely awake himself, he couldn’t imagine why she was up so late. He frowned at the sight of her. Though she looked exhausted, she was still the most gorgeous girl he’d ever laid eyes on. “I called you because I couldn’t fall asleep.” She explained and his frown deepened with worry etched into his face now. He yawned, himself and chuckled lightly. “It’s like you could sense I just woke up.” He teased, wiping at his eyes. He had honestly only rolled over, eyes barely open, when his phone started ringing. “Or maybe you have me bugged.” It was nice to see her smile even if she was having a long night for herself. He pulled down at the top of her screen and noticed he had a bunch of messages from her, most of them being video links or memes that she must have gotten caught up in scrolling through having nothing else to do so late at night. He yawned again and had to hold back a laugh when she did the same. Jason couldn’t understand how a person could come across as tired as Iola and still not be fast asleep. Even he wanted to go back to sleep, if he didn’t have things to do. “I miss you, babe.” He sighed, sad. Every year he returned to Scotland around Christmas time and every year he hated leaving Iola for the few weeks that he was to be away. Even though she didn't celebrate Christmas, he always wanted to spend it with her. By flying home, Jason missed out on spending Christmas Eve and Day, and New Years with Iola. He was sure all they’d do would be cuddle in his apartment and watch shitty Netflix shows but at least they would be together. “I was thinking” he paused, eyes searching the screen to be sure she was paying attention and not suddenly capable of falling asleep. “I know you don’t do Christmas but maybe next year, you could-- Uh, well, you could come with me, to Scotland.” It only took five years for Jason to ask. “You could meet my mum. I always talk about you and I know she’d love to meet you.” Jason was nervous offering such a proposal and he wasn’t sure why. He had met everyone in her family, and then some. He considered her siblings his friends at this point and he adored her parents. It should just be natural that she get the opportunity to meet his family, too. He watched the smile appear on her face through the iPhone screen. “We can talk more about it when I come back, or even in a year but it was just an idea. I know that my mum is going to adore you almost as much as I do, if that’s possible.” He beamed. Another yawn escaped from his lips and he sat upright, phone in his hand with every move. “I can’t believe you’re awake at 4am and still looking like a fucking supermodel.”

{ v ;; july 17th.

        Zayn was supposed to be separating himself from his phone. It had been something he had come to agreement with his counsellor in the rehabilitation centre before being released. He’d agreed to stop checking social media, to stop indulging in anything that wasn’t his work, his music. But, as he scanned through tweets, he couldn’t help himself. He sighed and clicked on his own profile. The last tweet read ‘@AriEdwards love you’ which he had tweeted two months prior when he was weening out of the centre, before having his phone revoked again. He hadn’t gotten the chance to delete it but it didn’t really matter because once it was out, it was seen by everyone. It was embarrassing but he didn’t care about that. What he cared about was the lack of messages on his phone from her, no calls. Didn’t she see the tweet? Didn’t she care? Maybe she knew he was trying to work through his issues and assumed getting in touch while he was away wasn’t what he needed. He wasn’t sure if it was or not. He wanted to hear from her, but he also was aware he needed to get better before reaching out to her first. Not just for him, but for her too. He watched as replies and gifs flooded in as he tweeted a general quote from what he was listening to. Zayn sighed, seeing one too many profiles with pictures of him and Ari as the icon, so he dropped his phone and went to shower. Honestly he wished he could get high. He wanted to. Standing under the running water, he didn’t care whether the drops were freezing or boiling, it all just felt the same to him. Coming fresh out of recovery, things were just numb. He knew it would get better, he just didn’t know when. Zayn didn’t want to blame his misery on his loneliness, because he’d been warned to stop relying on other people to keep him sober. That was up to him. He stepped out of the shower and barely bothered to dry himself before redressing in just a pair of sweats. He tried to distract himself; work on music, draw, skate around the apartment; none of it worked. He fell into bed and re-checked his Twitter. It seemed a lot of the replies to his ‘sometimes I cry’ tweet were filled with concern. He frowned. It was just a quote, he hadn’t been crying for help. He clicked into a random user and spotted two images of himself, zooming in on a bracelet that he wore constantly. He smiled to himself, knowing Ari gifted it to him, pressing like to the tweet. His gaze flickered to his bedside table where the bracelet rested and he browsed further and without thinking, he replied to a second tweet, expressing it was his favourite because it was a gift from Ari. It was sentimental, while also being for a good cause because of what the bracelet represented. It was a well-thought of gift and he couldn’t be more appreciative. He liked one more tweet before finally deciding to put his phone down. A few hours passed and all Zayn managed to do was roll over in his bed and lose sleep. At around 2am, his phone started to vibrate. He planned on ignoring it, assuming it was Ryker or Cody quizzing him on his social media activity. However, something in him told him to turn the phone over to check who was calling. His eyebrows shot up as his wife’s face lit up his screen. He scrambled to answer the phone. “Ari? Is that you?” Part of him worried she was calling a wrong number, or someone had taken her phone. Silence for a moment. “Arianna?” To which he finally got a response, feeling immediately calm at the sound of her voice. He lay back in the bed, letting out a breath. It had been almost four months since he’d spoken with her last, since he’d succeeded in hurting her to the brink of breaking point for their marriage— forcing him to get help. “Are you okay? It’s late.” He was quiet, despite being alone. It just felt too late into the night to speak any octave louder than a whisper. He heard shuffling down the phone. “I called you because I can’t fall asleep.” She confessed and he nodded even if she couldn’t see him. He didn’t understand it when his eyes welled up with tears. He knew he missed her, there wasn’t anything he was more sure of, but he hadn’t known hearing her voice again would shake him so much. “I’ve missed the sound of your voice.” He spoke, trying to hide the crack in his tone but it was difficult to hide anything from her. She knew him too well. He bit down on his lip. “I—“ he swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry.” He practically choked on the word, so afraid of this conversation that he had practiced so many times in counselling. He wanted to laugh when she asked what he was sorry for. “For everything, I guess.” He wiped at his nose, confused by his sudden onset of tears. “Everything I did when I relapsed last year. Even before that, everything that happened in the year after our son died, the way I treated you before we got married.” He paused to take a deep breath but it was so shaky that he was embarrassed about it. “I’ve loved you for so long and it wasn’t right for me to ever treat you the way I did. It just wasn’t. And–” Zayn had to pause again because of how shaky his voice had become, the words were becoming difficult to get out. He took a deep breath, followed by another. He heard Ari say his name on the other end. “I’m here.” He let out a sad chuckle and shook his head. “Fuck, I’m sorry, I know you didn’t call me up just to listen to me cry down the phone to you the first time we spoke again.” He cleared his throat and ran a hand over his face. Burning bridges was another part of his agreement of leaving the centre but Zayn didn’t feel any better after apologising to Ari, maybe because he needed to see her in person to know if she believed him. “You said you couldn’t sleep, yeah? Let’s talk about something else.”

{ v ;; what if. 

      Ashton jumped when his phone unexpectedly started ringing in his pocket, his drumstick falling to the ground. He rolled his eyes at Michael giving out that Ashton shouldn’t have his phone in the booth because now they’d have to restart that whole song. “Drama queen.” Ashton uttered, pulling out his mobile and when he saw Ari’s picture light up the screen, he jumped from his drum kit, answering immediately. “Hey! What’s up?” He shook his head when Ari apologised for calling out of nowhere, making sure he wasn’t busy. He held up a hand to his bandmates, ignoring their groaning about how little time they had and they really had to work on this album. “No, I’m not busy. I wasn’t doing anything at all, actually.” He let himself out of the studio, shutting the door behind him but not before he caught someone calling him an asshole for up and leaving like that. He shrugged. They’d get over it, he figured. He wanted to know what was going on with Ari that she needed to speak with him, considering it was probably the middle of the night where she was. Band practice which they did quite literally everyday wasn’t as high on his list of priorities right now. “Are you okay? Isn’t it late over there?” He nodded, despite how she couldn’t see him, when she said she was calling because she couldn’t fall asleep. A chuckle fell from his lips. “And I’m just that boring that talking to me is going to put you to sleep in an instant?” He joked. He then sighed and found a seat, planting himself down. “I am sorry though, Arianna. I wish I was there with you. I’d stay up all night with you if I was.” This wasn't the first time this week that Ashton was in touch with Ari because she was up late, having texted with her the day prior, and the day before that again. He wanted to ask why she was having such trouble sleeping but he also figured she would tell him if it was any of his business. He didn’t want to push her. There were times when Ari came to Ashton with her problems (Zayn) and he had just gotten irritated and talked shit about him. It wasn't helpful and provided her with no advice so if what was bothering her was her husband then he was sure she wouldn’t want to share with him what was happening. It was understandable. He decided to fill the silence by talking about what was happening in the studio. He knew she'd snuck away from Zayn to call him, if her cautious whispering was anything to go by so he figured he'd fill the time by just letting her listen even if she didn't care what he was talking about. “--and yeah, so now we’re currently working on a new single for the album. The song is the same name as the album-- Youngblood. I kind of really like it. I like where our sound is going and some of the songs are just so true to us.” Ashton frowned when he said ‘us’ because he had been referencing the band but he thought of the songs he had boldly agreed to putting on the album that could cleverly tell the story of him and Ari. He was nervous for her to hear them. Would she be angry that he’d written so much about her, or impressed? He didn’t know. “I think you’ll like it. I’m definitely going to send you a copy before we release it. If you hate it, just lie to me.” He chuckled quietly before carrying on talking and rambling for a bit more. “Ari?” On the other end she responded but he could hear the yawn that went with her words. “D’you think maybe you should try get some sleep in?” With that she said goodnight and Ashton returned to the studio. He ignored the boys giving out to him that he'd been gone for almost two hours because he really couldn’t rid himself of the smile on face and the elation that he was the one she wanted to call when he couldn’t sleep.

[residentanchor]

A Lesson in Practicality 9

<<Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Summary:  Patton and Roman go looking for Virgil. Word count: 3200

The day rolled by and the light started to fade in the sky, causing the three to grow anxious. Logan had taken out an old puzzle he had after nervously finishing all the crosswords he had stashed away. He sat at the kitchen table and worked on it, doing his best to ignore the unsteady feeling that he couldn't quite shake.

Patton had started pacing and cleaned all the dishes within the first hour. After vacuuming and wiping everything down twice, Roman got him to try and relax on the couch and watch a movie. It distracted him a little bit, but Patton would suddenly snap out of his daze and his leg would start to shake from not being able to sit still.

Roman had already gotten out his costume, mentally preparing himself to go and hunt the time stopper down. He was the calmest of the three, but he would be overcome with bouts of energy and start worrying more as well.

Eventually, he ended up in the kitchen with Logan, staring down the puzzle. It was a forest path, and Logan had worked out the border and random bits of the trees starting from the left and working his way over.

"So, this fifth person." Logan ignored Roman, searching the small pile in front of him. "How much around that situation do you remember?"

"I told you, Roman, I don't. I had a note written down that I was meeting up with someone. I remember going there, then I remember leaving with no memory of anything in between. About an hours time had passed."

"We need more than that to go on! If they can alter memories then we need everything we can! Luckily they know you but not us at least."

"I am unsure of their abilities, Roman. All I am aware is that my memory was altered." Logan moved and pieced together another bit to the tree he was working on. "It's strange that our abilities all differ but this last person holds similarities to my own."

Roman huffed and pushed back into the chair. "So they might be able to read minds as well, fantastic." He fiddled with a puzzle piece on the table, another small random green one that could go anywhere. "So what exactly can you do anyway?"

Logan sifted through more pieces, sorting them into piles as he went through. "It started out as psychokinesis. I started moving things around as a kid. No shelf was too high for the cookie jar, my parents were quite baffled until they saw it themselves."

"Ohh, good thing I didn't have that power." Patton walked in and sat down. "Can you imagine? Little me with unlimited access to cookies?"

Logan smiled a bit and pushed the feeling away. "Yes, well, it grew the more I learned about it. By middle school, I realized I was hearing peoples thoughts. By high school, I knew I could give them ideas and suggestions. Before I graduated I had pulled off enough tests to discover I could slightly alter a few things as well. Such as memories or as you have experienced, sobriety."

"Logan with the power to alter memories and give suggestions." Roman leaned forward and smirked. "So what did teenage Logan do with all that knowledge?"

"Surprisingly little." Logan looked up and frowned. "I was worried about what I could do, whom I could hurt. I spent a lot of time keeping my powers under control. I learned they were tied to my emotions at a younger age and tried keeping myself in check."

"Oh? So tell me, Logan, how old were you when you made that discovery?"

Logan froze and looked up, staring at the wall in deep thought. "Fourteen, I believe. Give or take." He started sorting his small pile once more.

"So fourteen-year-old Logan held an experiment to figure himself out. You ever go and redo the test just to make sure? I mean, that was a long time ago, I would think you had to redo it to prove your theories." Logan froze in his place. "We're always learning stuff about ourselves and grow as people. That was over ten years ago for you and you still think the answer you got then might not be different with the new information you have now?"

Logan looked up at Patton who smiled back innocently. He put down his pieces he was holding and stared at the table in front of him. "That was a surprisingly deep and poignant inquiry, Patton."

"I'm just saying, after that emotional scare earlier, it seems like your powers aren't controlled by your emotions, but strengthened by them. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the reaction. Perhaps the only reason you lost control is that you haven't been expressing yourself like you should." The kitchen grew quiet and Patton smiled at Logan and shrugged. "Just a thought."

"P-perhaps." Logan cleared his throat. "Perhaps I should look into that further and re-evaluate my standings on past research."

"That's the spirit?" Roman questioned and looked out the small kitchen window. "It's getting dark. Patton, how about you head out and start looking for him while the sun is still up? I'll join you shortly."

Patton stood up from the table and stopped to pat Logan's shoulder reassuringly. "I'll call him first, maybe he'll pick up this time. You know what they say, twelfth time's the charm!"

Roman waved at Patton and waited after hearing the front door click before turning back to Logan. "Alright, let's settle something first." Roman leaned forward and pointed accusingly across the table. "I don't trust you right now, and I'm sure Virgil doesn't either. Patton seems to be willing to give you another fair shot, but you'll have to earn it back from us."

"That is fair, Roman. I hid something rather important after pushing far too much from you and the others."

Roman stood up and walked over to Logan. Their eyes met and Roman stared him down, before sticking out a hand. "I'm willing to give you another shot as well since I know why you did it. I understand it, though I don't agree. Can't say I wouldn't have done something similar in your shoes."

Logan stared the hand down before reaching up and grabbing it. "That is more than enough, thank you, Roman."

"Don't thank me yet, we still need to get Virgil home."

Roman had gotten suited up and waited for night to fall. He had texted Patton, asking where Patton had checked and where needed to be checked before quickly calling him.

"Alright, Patton, check the north side, I'll check near the south side. Stick to cafes and stores. I'll do the alleys. Keep me posted. Okay. We'll find him, he's a grown man with the ability to stop time. He could randomly just appear back here. Yes, I'll check his room before I go. Goodbye."

Roman clicked off and sighed. "He's starting to freak out a bit. It's been a few hours." Roman stuck his phone in his pocket. "Keep checking to make sure he hasn't come back, Logan."

"Of course. I will inform you both immediately."

Roman checked Virgil's room one last time before running out the door and down the stairs. He ran down the road and headed for his usual area downtown, praying he didn't have to find his roommate in the more unsavory parts of town.

Roman had weaved in and out of some alleys and even a few businesses. Not many people paid attention to the man in the masquerade prince costume running around. A few looks were the most he got on nights he patrolled. Usually, he cared about his image as he strolled down the streets, but knowing Virgil had left that morning and hadn't been heard from since, along with Patton's worry, made Roman start to be on edge as well.

It was another hour or so before Roman's phone went off. He reached down and pulled it out, answering the call. "Have you found him yet?"

"Roman?"

He pulled the phone away and looked down at the caller id, seeing 'Emo Nightmare' on the screen and sighing in relief. "Virge, we've been looking for you everywhere!"

"You have?" Virgil let out a scoff. "I was visiting my dad, you obviously didn't look hard enough."

Roman stopped walking down the street. "We don't know where he lives, or his number, or how to contact him. You didn't answer your phone all day!"

"Yeah, I saw Patton called me a bunch of times. That's why I called you."

"Me?"

"Yeah." He heard cars honking on the other side of the phone. "Patton forgave him already, didn't he? Figured I could at least talk to someone with some sense first."

"Virgil, where are you?"

"Got off the bus and I'm walking home. Why?"

Roman looked around and headed back into the center of the city. "I'm near downtown by the abandoned movie theater, I'll meet up with you if you tell me where you are."

"Did Logan explain anything?"

"A little, and you really should hear him out."

He got a deep sigh as a response. "He can mess with our heads, you know that right? How do you trust someone like that?"

"You trust me not to shoot electricity at you, do you not? Same concept."

"There's a difference, you haven't shot me before. He's messed with our heads, Roman."

"You're telling me if you found a group of people like you and that you weren't truly alone in this world like you thought, you wouldn't try and do whatever it takes to bring them together?"

"He could have talked to us!"

"You really need to hear it from him first. Trust me at least, okay?"

"Whatever."

"I'll call back in a minute, I'm going to let Patton know I've found you, alright?"

"You're in costume, aren't you? I'm not your damsel Roman, I swear-"

"Oh, sorry, you seem to be cutting out!" Roman hung up the phone and let out a big sigh of relief. "He's such a pain, I swear."

"I heard that." Roman jumped and spun around, spotting Virgil casually walking up with a smug look. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry sir. Did I scare you?"

Roman shoved his phone away into his pocket. "Where did you come from? There's not a bus stop nearby!"

Virgil shook his head as he walked by Roman without hesitation. "I can stop time. I just walked over here and started it back up again." He stopped and spun around with a cocky grin. "Isn't the big hero gonna walk me home?"

"I swear, I do not like you." Despite his words, Roman smirked and removed his mask. "I still need to let Patton know you're alright."

It barely took two rings before Patton picked up in a panic. Virgil could actually hear the sigh of relief come from Roman's phone for a brief moment. Virgil looked back and locked eyes with Roman who smirked down at him, causing him to look away. "Come on, it's getting late and I don't want to miss the bus back."

"Sorry, Patton. I have to go. The one who can stop time is worried we might miss the bus. See you back at the apartment."

"I try to be more practical, thank you very much."

Roman walked up to Virgil and they continued their trek back home. "Practical? You just used them to walk across town and scare me. Appearing out of nowhere is practical?"

"More practical than running around the city in a costume to stop purse snatchers." Virgil leaned over and nudged Roman. "Besides, I don't like messing with things that already happened, nothing changes if I just stroll across town without anyone noticing. Still, don't do it often just to be safe." Roman rolled his eyes and shook his head at the comment. "If you get popular, aren't your theater geek buddies going to recognize the costume?"

Roman jumped as a look of realization spread across his face. "Sweet cheese danish you might have a point." Roman looked down at his plain white jacket and red sash before glancing over at Virgil. "You seem to be a bit crafty, any ideas on how to upgrade my wardrobe?"

"You want my help? Seriously?"

"Hey, you upgraded a plain hoodie into something so angsty it's impressive. If I give the ideas could you help?"

Virgil didn't answer at first as he kept his gaze down on the sidewalk. He hunched over a bit more and pulled himself closer. "I mean, I guess, if you really want my help."

"Perfect! I thought you might make a great sidekick!"

"Woah, no, I am not your sidekick."

Roman stared Virgil down and smiled. "You're right, I guess you're more like my Alfred then my Robin."

Virgil laughed and didn't bother hiding his smile for once. "Yeah, sure. Keep dreaming, princey."

They eventually made it home, talking about possible quick wardrobe updates for Roman that would be easy to add. Roman wanted it pretty much the same, but different enough that no one could outright point him out, at least for now.

They made it back to the apartment and saw Patton standing outside. He came rushing up when he finally saw them and immediately pulled Virgil into a hug. "Oh, I was so worried! I'm so glad you're okay!" Patton pulled away and left Virgil a little frazzled, but not too terribly upset. "I know you're probably still upset, but let's just get some rest and we can all talk to Logan in the morning, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Virgil shuffled his feet and pulled his hoodie closer. "Patton?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"Thanks for, you know, looking for me."

"Aww, of course, I did, Virgil." Patton gave a sincere smile and shrugged. "I understand why you left, but I was still worried. I'm just glad you're back."

Breakfast was quiet the next morning. Virgil was in the kitchen waiting for the others first, the anticipation of the inevitable talk preventing him from relaxing and getting enough sleep. Patton smiled at him and gave him a hug, not letting go of a good solid minute.

When Logan emerged, he ducked his head and looked away. His eyes fell on the puzzle he left out last night in the rush of things. Virgil had done a big chunk of it, making Logan curious if the other even slept at all.

When Roman came out of his room, Virgil just sighed and stood up, breaking the silence. "Alright, we need to talk." He spun around the chair and sat backward in it, pointing at Logan. "Any time you're ready, I just want to get this over with."

Logan looked around the room and Patton nodded, shooting him an encouraging smile. He cleared his throat and stood up. "I would like to formally apologize. You all moved in under a false pretense, that was my own fault. However, due to recent events, I'll just come out and say it." Logan looked at Virgil. "There's another one of us in the city."

It was not the news he had expected, causing him to jump, shocked. His mouth fell open and closed a few times as he looked over at Patton and Roman, who had already heard the news. "H-how do you know? I mean, I kind of figured there might be? Maybe not in the city, but the odds of us being the only people in the world..."

"True, but as far as I am aware, there is only one more person in the city. I do not know who it is. I believe we met and my memory of the meeting was eradicated, so I am unsure."

"They erased your memory?"

Patton took a step forward. "That's why he kept it secret, apparently he tried approaching us and the first one he did was this other person and it didn't go so well."

"I have my memory of searching for all of you. I remember going to talk to someone, but I can't remember who, and I remember walking away confused. It was then I decided to bring us together more discreetly."

Virgil looked up at Logan and stared him down. "Have you used your powers on anyone else since we've met?"

Logan jumped back and cleared his throat. "I don't believe that is relevant." He pushed his glasses up. "But to ease your concerns, no I have not. I could have easily found you last night if that were the case."

Virgil stared down Logan and kept quiet. Logan met his gaze head-on, having nothing more to hide. Virgil shifted in the chair and shot him a more serious glance. "So, you brought us together and never hunted down this mysterious last person because the first time didn't go so well. You kept this a secret, even after we figured each other out without your input. What did you think was going to happen?"

Logan cleared his throat once more for effect. "The lease would run out and we would have made a friendship so strong that it would have been inconsequential."

"And you would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for those meddling kids." Roman let out a laugh. "So close!"

"Let's say I believe you. Let's say I decide to let you earn my trust back." Virgil motioned to the room. "What now?"

"Well, we could either agree to leave this stranger alone or seek them out and figure out what happened."

"I think" Virgil began, standing up from his chair. "That we should eat breakfast and worry about that later. I need to absorb everything you've told me."

Logan nodded and turned towards the coffee pot. "That is more than adequate, thank you."

"Logan." He didn't acknowledge his name being called and continued making himself a cup of coffee. "I want to trust you, but I just can't. Not yet."

"No need to explain, Virgil. I have broken that trust by not explaining myself and fully intend to remedy the situation, even if it eventually means my departure from the group." The harsh chuckle was not the response Logan was expecting. He turned and glanced over his shoulder, looking at Virgil who stood up and fixed the chair. "What is so amusing?"

"You don't get to just duck out at this point. You're stuck with us."

"Yeah, we're all friends! We can work through this!" Patton perked up. "I know we can!"

Chapter 10>> Tag list: @cyberpunkjinx @phlying-squirrel  @equipodeleo   @ace-anx

[satc-revisited]

season two episode eighteen: ex and the city

Oh my god. I absolutely hate how long it takes me to a.) come back to these and b.) write one of these. I never mean to be gone this long, but every time I do the world is completely different and I can't talk myself into writing one, until I'm doing nothing else but watching Sex and the City and scolding myself about not finishing this series. How effing hard could it be? The show is 30 minutes long for Christssake. I am going to make an effort to do these and complete these for no other reason than it should not be that hard to do so.

Anyway.

Some random flower market in NYC. As Carrie talks about life being about choices, they shoehorn in a metaphor about "big choices" so that of course we can segue to Big. Carrie is buying flowers and unsure whether to get the bouquet that lasts for three days or five days. Miranda doesn't care, so Carrie gets the cheaper ones. This scene is a cacaphony of color.

Suddenly Miranda spots Steve heading towards her down the street, in his workout gear and playing with a basketball. Miranda snaps the phone shut and panics, dragging Carrie away so that her money literally spins out of her hands and she doesn't buy the flowers, trying to drag her down the street before Steve spots them. Unfortunately he already did, and looks pained at knowing that Miranda would go so far as to run away from him on the street. Carrie turns back and mouths a silent apology before letting Miranda pull her away in a feign of calmness.

Later at the coffeeshop, the girls are all splitting dessert in a way that makes me think they didn't actually have lunch first. Carrie is recounting how hurt Steve looked at Miranda's snubbing. Charlotte sympathizes, but Miranda doesn't think she should be expected to small talk with a man who has been inside her. She says when she sees former couples that are still friends, she has no idea how they manage to do it. Samantha, of course, says she's never been able to be friends with any man, because "women are for friendship, men are for fucking." Even though Carrie snits another SATC-ism at her that is a part of my normal vernacular ("sweetie you have got to learn how to form an opinion") I'm with them both. I've never been able to be friends with an ex. It took me forever to reject offers of monogamous relationships that I didn't want, and even LONGER to learn how to dump in relationships I was over, and I've barely even approached the idea of not hating and wishing death on exes let alone being friends with them. I've only just now had any ex that I ended on good terms with, and I think that's only because I'm still in love with him (kind of, not as bad as it used to be) and I was still the one who broke it off for practical (though still insulting) reasons. Although I disagree about women being for friendships. Women bore me. (Just for fun, look at me talk about that guy for the first time here http://satc-revisited.tumblr.com/post/50545556678/season-one-episode-three-valley-of-the-twenty, literally a million years ago. He was 22! Omg. A baby.)

Charlotte says, immaturely, that if the relationship doesn't work then the man doesn't get her as a friend. As if that hurts anyone at all or anyone even cares. Carrie goes along with this framing, asking whether Charlotte really thinks denying her friendship is a punishment, and Samantha corrects this perspective, because denying "friendship" after is letting them off easily. Definitely. A man no longer having to put up with you after he's no longer fucking you is a win for him. The punishment is making him still deal with your bullshit even though he no longer gets any of the benefits. Miranda says she'd love to be someone who breaks up and then is all "go, prosper," but she's much more "we didn't work out; you need to not exist." I have only a handful of years til I'm the same age as the actresses are supposed to be at this point in the series, and it no longer seems realistic to compare where they are to where I hope to be or not be when I'm that age. 

Anyway, Carrie says this kind of post breakup behavior is childish, even though she acknowledges she isn't any better because she hasn't been able to be friends with Big, but she still laments that it has to be that way. Samantha says their vanquished love goes from your failed relationship to their next one with another woman, and Carrie disagrees, claiming that there's no way Big and Natasha's love is the same as hers and Big. Miranda notes that Carrie stopped calling Natasha "the idiot stick figure with no soul," and Carrie admits it's because she happened to see them in a coffeeshop holding hands and being lovey, and she finally understood that her ex has moved on and is happy. She says it was ok, but this causes a silence that is only broken when Samantha goes back to balefully bashing Natasha, and the others join in.

Later, Carrie is parlaying this into her column, wondering what needs to be present in order to be friends with an ex. How is it possible to transfer a formerly passionate love into something platonic?

Miranda is this scene of single domesticity when she randomly gets a knock on the door. It's Steve, having somehow gotten into the building past the buzzer that he'd need downstairs and is standing at her door. Miranda pauses but Steve knows she's there. She opens the door and Steve immediately starts condemning her from running away from him on the street. Miranda tries to explain that she wasn't expecting to see him and she doesn't do well with ex boyfriends. Steve gets all emo and says, "Miranda, this is me, Steve. I held your head while you were sleeping" which seems like a low blow. Miranda's eyes instantly fill with tears, and she turns away while Steve invites himself in. When Miranda starts freaking out, Steve starts to backtrack but it's too late. Miranda starts ranting about how she's a shitty person and Steve would never do anything that shitty to her. "What do you call showing up to your apartment [unannounced] and calling you shitty?" Steve asks, which breaks the tension. And probably this is the moment where it should be known that Steve and Miranda should be together, because being able to relate to each other this way and having this kind of pull over each other seems like the stuff of lasting love. Steve asks about getting together for dinner or something, and although Miranda begs off because she has a date, they hug and plan to get together again soon.

And in a massive return of the Subplot of the Week that I Absolutely Do Not Care About, Charlotte is on a run when she sees a horse and starts reminiscing about the horse she used to own that bucked her and scarred her for life. Blah blah blah.

Samantha is wearing red with leopard print. You know... can you imagine strutting around looking like this in every day life?  Whenever my life (and body) is perfect and I can get away with wearing this kind of eye popping shit I'm always uncomfortable with it, because I live in a big city and I hate being catcalled and hit on by randoms when I'm just trying to go about my daily life; I've never gone out with any asshole annoying enough to try to get my phone number on the street or in the grocery store or something, so it's always awkward and irritating to want to look good just to have to turn down a bunch of jerks interrupting your day. Like if it's night time and I'm at a place, yes. If it's the day and even if I'm wearing something hot, please just leave me alone. Samantha crosses paths with some suit wearing guy who looks like a meathead Brendan Fraser, and gives a percursory stop in front of the Prada store to give him the opportunity to talk to her. He quickly asks her out to dinner and Samantha laughs at how direct he's being. "How'd you get to be so cocky?" she asks, and we are in for an ironic mirror of the last season finale. Samantha takes his number and agrees to think about meeting him for a drink.

Later, Carrie spots a crazy ridiculous looking floral print dress in her closet from the 80s and apparently this convinces her that if she can hang onto old bullshit clothes, she can be friends with an ex. She drops the dress and immediately calls Big (and in Carrie's world of finding crazy rationalizations to excuse her behavior, this one is an obvious stretch). Unfortunately Natasha answers the phone and Carrie rudely hangs up in her face. Then she remembers that this is the 90s (or whatever) and caller ID is a thing, so she calls back. This time Big answers, and Carrie somewhat coolly returns to normal, explaining that she accidentally hung up the first time, and asking him to apologize to Natasha for her. She tries to be an adult and ask about how his wife is doing and Big tries to go with the flow, even though he thinks Carrie sounds nuts. He's wearing a money green tie, which is an interesting though lateral change from the usual yellow gold one he's outfitted in.

Carrie makes a bit of a to do about how she's making the "first call," and pulls out a prepared speech, explaining herself: the speech asks about no longer pretending the other doesn't exist and trying to be friends instead. Big says neutrally enough that he'd like that, since he's wanted to call Carrie but didn't know whether she wanted to hear from him. She asks if he'd like to do lunch and he readily agrees.

We snap right into the lunch date, for which Carrie is wearing her hair loose and a plaintive carnation pink dress. She notes that she used to make their lunch reservations in Big's name, but this time she put it in her own. I don't get why that's supposed to be a big deal or anything... is it supposed to be a thing to make reservations in your partner's name or something? Anyway, Big sidles over from the bar and babbles nervously, tripping on a slick portion of floor, which amuses Carrie to see that he is so anxious. They are shown to their table and try to politely carry on as though there is no history behind this meeting. This facade quickly crumbles when they change their orders of water to scotch and a cosmopolitan respectively.

A short while later, the drinks have loosened things up to the point where Carrie thinks the simple expedient of alcohol is all you need to be friends with an ex. Carrie is complaining about Big's music choices that she apparently sorely tolerated, while Big chortles immoderately. They are reminiscing about shared mornings and other relationship memories that seem too intimate a dip down memory lane than I'd have thought would be a good idea, but whatever. I still haven't tried to be platonic non sexual friends with any of my exes so what do I know. Men ARE for fucking - why would I be friends with them without it?

Carrie stops and ceremoniously clanks her knife against her bowl and announces she wants Big to tell her about Natasha. "Really?" Big asks, spotting the gaping hole in this logic even if Carrie is going to pretend not to see it. And he only gets as far as calling Natasha "sweet" before Carrie has to cut him off, unable to deal with it. I know some day my ex is going to choose a girl, and it's going to be someone he wants in a way he never wanted me, and there's no way I could hear or even be anywhere near him existing and wanting this person in stark defiance of the way he was beaten down into giving into my persistent and mindlessly devoted desire. Like, I can't  be anywhere near that shit. I wouldn't even pretend. My entire existence being shorn into such a forgettable annoyance in the face of seeing you actually choose someone else - no fucking way. Finally looking at the reality full on that he'd done it in the PAST was what finally insulted me enough to stop embarrassing myself; what on earth could I be expected to do with that as a current reality? It's what made me want to stop wanting him, stop the middle of the night texts, showing up for hard won trysts, all of it. My dignity finally reappeared, belatedly freeing me from all the realities my desire for him so effectively blinded me to.

Anyway, Carrie should have realized she was outpaced when she couldn't even stand to hear Big call his girlfriend "sweet," and obliviously asks that they not talk about relationships until they're really serious. Big pauses and informs her with pity in his voice that he is serious about Natasha. See? This. This moment here. I couldn't exist anywhere in the same galaxy as this. You don't choose and that's my shame; I won't let you rub it in by telling about someone else that you DID. As Carrie blinks disbelivingly, Big drops the bomb that they are engaged. Carrie claps her hands to her forehead, looking unseeingly through a sudden splitting headache. Big stammers through an explanation but Carrie reaches reliably for righteous rage - "how can you be engaged? You have a problem with commitment, remember?" Yeah, well, I can see that not being much of an issue when the woman is 27 and you are 42. I had a rebound with a man who was born in the 70s - I never asked exactly when - and even though that had to have been somewhere around possibly a decade plus of an age difference, it wasn't close enough to ever remove the daddy/daughter dynamic. Which, I ain't have a daddy. So I was naturally resistant to that.

Carrie points out that Big told her he never wanted to get married again. Big brushes this off, so Carrie clarifies that he just never wanted to get married to *her*. She then downshifts into dramatic anger and tells him not to even speak Natasha's name to her, after he wasted two years of her life only to marry "some twenty five year old *girl* after only five months." Heyooo. I wasted like four years of my life with my ex and he only just NOW admitted to stringing me along, despite my frequent and persistent overtures that he just tell me to fuck off if he really wasn't interested in me. It was the craziest thing... I'd been with men who acted *the same way* I was behaving, and I could see so clearly why it was wrong and why they shouldn't be doing it, yet when I was in the position of wanting someone that was resistent to me, I could not shut off the very same behaviors that I knew had pushed me away.

Carrie dramatically rises in front of Big and tries to ignore the fact that the entire restaurant is staring at her yell at Big and nearly trip over a chair on the way out. Check out this aggressively besuited crowd though lol. Literally everyone in this restaurant looks like they're having a business meeting.

Big tries to catch Carrie and asks her not to end things like this. Carrie continues to rant, somewhat disingenuously, that she was trying to be friendly. But, is that really true if you can only be friends predicated on your ex never moving on with someone else, or only doing so in circumstances that are acceptable to you? Like, if you're going to be friends with him, then you kind of lose the right to have conditions based on your failed relationship I feel like? At any rate, Carrie snits off in a huff leaving nothing but destruction in her wake.

The next day Carrie joins Charlotte who is trying to literally get back on the horse, bitching about Big's engagement the whole time. She's wearing cuffed jeans and a red halter with gold strappy sandals. Charlotte reminisces more about her old horse and I still don't care. Carrie rants that she was the one who broke in Big and made him ready for commitment and now Natasha "gets to ride him." As someone who has had two exes get married immediately after to the next person they dated, another get in a really long term relationship after and another date someone who looks just like her after, I no longer have any energy to complain about what I did or didn't provide for an ex's next moves. And to be fair that's probably an age thing. My exes that are still in their early/mid twenties didn't settle down after me.

Samantha took up "Mr. Cocky" on his offer of a "very friendly drink," ending with them back at her place. Samantha is explaining that she never picks up men off the street and bangs them (an obvious lie) and Mr. Cocky says he has to warn her about something: he has a really large penis. Samantha giggles giddily, but he corrects her that he's not just being cocky and it's a real problem; most women can't deal with it. Samantha thinks she's seen it all and nothing he is packing could scare her. Additionally, do you know what happened in this scene that no one talked about?

Mr. Cocky is married! That goes totally without any mention whatsoever. So I won't whine about it either. Mr. Cocky seems downtrodden and sad about his huge penis, but smiles when Samantha encourages him. However when he drops his pants, Samantha gives a small cough and looks increasingly alarmed as he walks over what can only be a fireman's hose closer to her. 

The next day walking down another new york street with Carrie, Samantha recounts her surprise and dismay. She's also wearing sunglasses in her hair again, and this time she's wearing an entirely leopard print dress NEXT TO Carrie's red dress. As Samantha prattles on, Carrie reminds her that this time last year she dumped a guy whose dick was too small, asking "what are you, Goldicocks?" How long do you think the SATC writers were waiting to use that one?

Steve and Miranda are coming back after their friendly dinner; Steve wants his tshirt back and for some reason Miranda decides to give it to him. Please. This would be another downside of being friends with an ex. You ain't getting those tshirts back, homeboy. Steve tries to kiss her goodnight, and Miranda gives him the cheek. But Steve has something else in mind as he slowly wheedles her into a hook up. Maybe that was his plan all along... either way, another count against trying to be friends with an ex. So far they are 0 for 2 for trying, aren't they? Miranda and Steve sit awkward in bed after, discussing why they broke up. Miranda cites money, schedule, and goals, and Steve agrees halfheartedly. Miranda seems open to a FWB thing, which has never worked with Steve so I don't know why she'd think it would now. He clearly isn't behaving like he doesn't want her back.

Across town, Samantha has decided to give Mr. Cocky another try. She puffs on a blunt after having taken "two advanced yoga classes," and tosses her leg confidently on his shoulder. She starts breathing exercises and he plays along. I mean, if you're gonna fuck a guy with a ridiculously huge dick, you probably shouldn't go for legs on the shoulders, right? He starts to push in and Samantha is both capably accepting and pleased. But then he says "ok, here we go," and Samantha is alarmed that they're not already there yet. Yeah, I don't know. I don't sleep with black men anymore, so this kind of thing doesn't come up. Long story short, we get the waka-waka-waka payoff that this was how Samantha made her first male friend.

Charlotte successfully got back on the horse. Moving on.

Big is hanging out in a yellow polo and those old man house slippers and decides to call Carrie. He gets her machine and starts to leave a message, calling to apologize and manages to do so sincerely enough. It turns out Carrie is standing there in her nightgown screening.

("Screening" probably isn't in the average millennial vocabulary because answering machines weren't a thing when we might have been using them.) Big says he didn't want to hurt Carrie and she hurried picks up, effusively agreeing with this sentiment. Dude... if I made an ass of myself shouting at my ex in a restaurant and got a splitting headache at the news that he was engaged to someone else, I wouldn't be eagerly awaiting some sign of contrition and an apology. This would be beyond the point where I'm fervently wishing for an ex's violent death. Carrie apologizes for her behavior as well, acknowledging that she needs to move on. She tries to be a bigger person and wish him the best with his life with Natasha; she doesn't mean it but she wants to eventually. Ugh. She and Big have had these dramatic breakups like three or four times now, which is uncomfortable for me to acknowledge. Those suck. Carrie managed to hang onto this positive outlook until one day she gets an invitation to their engagement party in the mail. She drops it on the bed and silently kicks it away with her foot without even opening it.

Later, Carrie is at that one bar they like to go to, ranting about how Big is six blocks away at an engagement party. Charlotte offers incredulous solidarity, but Carrie maturely begs off; she was kidding herself thinking they could be friends because they never were that. Yep. Each girl has a different brightly colored martini glass and I wonder if that's a real thing that restaurant did, or something that was just affected for the fact that this is television.

Samantha orders another round while Carrie continues to bitch. "Why her?" she whines, which translates to "why not me?" Miranda says, "one word: Hubble" which Carrie gratefully seizes upon as the answer to all her problems. Apparently something something something The Way We Were which I've personally never seen and probably never will - the Casablanca school of romantic film is not ever going to be my jam, sorry, blame the generation gap - which from what I can gather is like... Barbara Streisand as an Othery Jew in love with a generic bland white man who chooses a classy brunette which makes Carrie draw the helpful parallel that she is a fellow wild and crazy curly haired woman that gets overlooked for the safe choice. The other girls are appalled that Samantha has never seen The Way We Were - "chick film," Samantha explains. Carrie may have curly hair, but it's not that she's too complicated to love. She's just a delusional overdramatic fuck up. Even if the world were boiled down into "the simple girls and the Katie girls" you still have to acknowledge that "complicated" often means "fucked up" and/or "crazy." I'm not easy to love and it's fully because I'm a can of worms, not that I'm "complicated." The difference, I think, is that I recognize this makes me a difficult partner; I'm not trying to pass it off as men not being strong enough to deal with my particular brand of baggage. Generic girls are more malleable. It's not the epiphany Carrie righteously attempts to grasp. Also: if this really was an Othery Jew parallel, which Barbara Streisand is, I gather, famous for being, that's kind of.... shitty of this show to do.

The girls start loudly/drunkenly singing in the restaurant which the other patrons abide placidly enough. It's a classic SATC scene and while I don't begrudge Carrie looking for an ego-softening explanation to why she was rejected for a more easygoing partner, at the same time... what's wrong with just accepting that you weren't chosen and that's all there is to it? You don't have to make the other woman a "simple girl" and yourself an enigmatic type to complex for ordinary men. You weren't good enough. Really. Sometimes it's just that simple. You weren't good enough. And it annoys me that a lot of people see no problem with rejecting others based on capricious, small, and tenuous flaws, but have to do Dominique Dawes level mental gymnasts to avoid accepting that anyone could reject them, too, the same way.

To that end, Carrie struts over to Big's engagement party at the plaza, bursting with the overflowing arrogance of her enlightenment of being too much for Big. She's wearing another timelessly simple dress which is flattering.

A plain white dress for her ex’s engagement party, I guess, geddit? She isn't planning to go in but can't stop herself from swinging by anyway. She happens to catch Big and Natasha as they are leaving, and Big spots her, leaving Natasha waiting in the limo with Raul. He walks over and smarms about being speechless. "The party's over," he says. "I'll say it is," Carrie retorts. She hoists up a huge heaping helping of hubris with vulnerability and asks baldly why it wasn't her. See, you can't rationalize that you were the better choice if you're going to fucking ask the guy why he didn't pick it. Like, that oxymoron is everything that's wrong with Carrie's perception of herself and her relationships. Which is why this scene always annoyed me. The lengths that Carrie had to go to, to end up at the conclusion that she's some wild mare that couldn't be tamed and that's why Big walked away from her. Listen. I don't say this unkindly. I fully acknowledge and would admit that I am often too much for most men. But like... THAT'S NOT A FUCKING GOOD THING. lol. At the end of the day there's something about you that prevents you from being able to come down to the same frequency that everyone else prefers to operate on, and while you personally can choose not to view that as a flaw, that that doesn’t make you inferior to anyone, it doesn't mean it's a good way to be, when the rest of the world doesn't accept it. You can like that you're different without scolding others for not being accepting of your differentness, I guess, is what I'm saying. And Carrie not being able to come to that conclusion doesn't make her a unique and interesting person, it makes her someone wounded that is scared to truly look at herself. Someone who’s been rejected but never troubles herself to think there’s possibly a legitimate reason why.

At any rate, Big soft pedals this entire conflict and tells her "it just got too hard," which Carrie eagerly clutches to, since it allows her to continue to think of Natasha as "simple." Again, I ask. How is that a bad thing when Natasha got the guy in the end? Carrie saunters off, coddling her bruised ego with her massive rationalizations, and tells herself a bunch of bullshit single women everywhere have been telling themselves to make themselves feel better about the fact that they never get chosen in the end.

[thecuriouscrusader]

A Different Kind of Horror

Characters: Sam, Castiel, Dean, Gabriel

Pairings: Dean x Castiel

Word Count: 1667

Prompt: The Ring

Tags: Sam’s POV, Canon Divergence, Sexual References, Attempted Humour, Horror Movie References.

Summary: Sam finds a strange videotape that leads to (not really) unexpected discoveries.

A/N: Written for @uniquewerewolfsuit‘s Oh the Horror Challenge. This story did not end up were I thought it would so sorry it takes a really weird turn xD Not betad, so please let me know about any mistakes!

Sam had found the tape buried in a pile of documents which had been marked as classified. He had discovered plenty of film reels in the bunker before, but never a video tape. What made it more intriguing was the lack of a label or any other form of indication as to what was on it. 

Sam took the tape to his brother's room. 

"Dean, do you have a VCR?" He asked.

Dean, who was laid on his bed listening to music, looked at his brother with a frown.

"Why would I have a VCR?" 

"I dunno. You have all your old crappy music on tapes; I figured it might be the same for your old crappy movies." 

Dean's expression was stoic as he stared at Sam for a few moments before he got up and opened the cabinet underneath his TV. Sam smirked when he saw the VCR but Dean stomped out of the room before he could say anything. 

Sam put in the tape and static immediately started ringing loudly from the TV. 

The first image appeared to be a ring of light; like an eclipse. A series of disturbing and seemingly unrelated images followed. There was an empty chair, running water, and a ladder leaning on a wall. There was a women combing her hair, a figure stood in a window, and then the same woman falling off a cliff. There was a girl dressed in white with her head bowed low and her hair dripping wet. And then there was a well. Sam realised that's what the ring of light must have been; a shot from inside the well as it was covered over. 

The video stopped as suddenly as it had started. 

Sam frowned. He could not even begin to comprehend what the mismatch of images meant, but there was also something eerily familiar. The whole thing sent chills down his spine, and Sam thought there was little that could horrify him like that anymore. 

He rewound the tape and started to watch it through again until he paused on the image of the young girl dressed in white. 

"You" he murmured. "Why do I know you?" 

He was distracted when his cell phone started ringing in his pocket. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was an unknown number, but he answered anyway. 

"Hello?" 

There were a few moments of chilling silence before a quiet voice spoke. 

"Seven Days." 

The line went dead.

"What the hell?" Sam murmured to himself. 

He was having a strange feeling of deja vu but he could not figure out why.  He quickly scrambled to his feet and opened the door; it was research time. 

Sam opened the door quickly and was shocked to find a pair of blue eyes staring up at him. He jumped and let on an involuntary yelp.

"Jeez, Cas, you startled me" Sam breathed. The Angel had not been around for a few days so Sam was not expecting to see him. 

Castiel frowned. "Why are you in Dean's room?" 

"Uh, I was borrowing his VCR" Sam said. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why do you want to be in Dean's room?" 

Castiel started back at him blankly for a few moments. "I wanted to tell him I've arrived" he decided on. He was quick to change the subject. "What were you doing with the videocassette recorder?" 

"I found this tape whilst I was sorting through one of the rooms and...well it didn't make any sense but it was really creepy." 

"What was the contents?" Castiel asked curiously. 

"It was just a bunch of random images that didn't really seem to connect, but there was this girl and I swear I've seen her before. I just can't remember where I saw her. It was probably whilst I was doing research, but I don't remember which lore she belongs to." 

"This...girl, what did she look like?" Castiel pressed. 

 "Well, I couldn't see her face but she had long black hair, which was wet I think, and she was wearing a white gown." 

"Did anything else of significance happen?" 

"Yeah, actually. I got a phone call from an unknown number, but all they said was seven days, and then they hung up. I mean, I guess it could have been Dean being a jackass." 

"May I watch the tape?" Castiel requested. "Alone." 

"Uh...I don't think-" 

Castiel slipped passed Sam before the younger Winchester could protest. 

Sam went outside and closed the door. He paced the hallway impatiently as he waited for Cas to come out. 

"Well?" Sam asked as soon as the Angel emerged. "What do you think?" 

"I think I shouldn't be surprised" Castiel deadpanned as he headed down the hall. 

"What?" Sam frowned as he followed after him. "Cas, what are you-" 

They went into the library and found Dean sat at the table eating his breakfast; he could not seem to care less about what had Sam looking so freaked, but that was expected as he had not finished his pancakes yet and Dean had a strict policy about not having to deal with anything until after breakfast. 

Castiel's phone started ringing and he answered it immediately. 

"I'm giving you one chance to stop this" Castiel said sternly. Sam could only watch in a mixture of confusion and awe. 

"Seven days." 

"Yes, that is exactly how long you will have to survive if you do not show yourself this instant" Castiel replied coldly. He hung up.

"Cas, what..? Who..?" Sam stammered. 

"The tape seemed familiar to you because it is from a horror film called The Ring" Castiel stated. "That's why you've seen the girl before." 

Sam frowned as he thought back and then his eyes widened with realisation. "It was Halloween in my first year of college. We didn't feel like going to a party so we watched movies instead, but I don't remember much because we were drinking and smoking a...brisket" he ended cautiously with a glance at his brother.

Dean stared back at him. "Must have been one damn tasty brisket to make you forget stuff" he said sarcastically. "You're grounded." 

"De-" Sam started to argue, but then realised he did not care. "How did you know about the movie, Cas?" He asked instead.

"Metatron provided me with the whole history of popular culture" Castiel reminded him. 

"What about the phone calls?" Sam asked. 

"That was not Dean being a...jackass" Castiel said with air quotes. Dean made an indignant noise in response as his mouth was stuffed with pancakes. "But rather, someone else being a jackass."

Sam frowned. "Who?" 

"Who is the one being you know who enjoys torturing you by bringing fictional things into your reality?" 

"Well, Gabriel but..." 

"But he's dead!" A voice called mockingly from down the hall. Gabriel appeared with his unforgettable smirk in place. "Ain't that right, Samsquatch?" 

"Gabriel" Sam deadpanned. 

"Why'd you blow my cover, Cassie?" The trickster sulked. "I didn't even get to make the girl crawl out of the TV screen."

"I've heard about and seen the pain you've inflicted on Sam with your ridiculous pranks" Castiel scolded. "I wasn't going to let you do it again."

"How'd you get in here?" Dean asked angrily as he stood up to join them.

"You forgot to put the Angel warding back up last night after your let your boyfriend in for you sleepover, Dumbo. Probably because you were only thinking with your downstairs brain.”

"Oh..." Dean murmured. "My bad." 

"Cas, I thought you just got here this morning?" Sam asked.

"Dean told me to lie if you asked any questions which could lead to you discovering the truth" Castiel explained. "And I am not Dean's boyfriend" he said to Gabriel. "As Dean explained we are something called friends with benefits."

"Cas" Dean hissed. "Shut up."

"I cannot believe this-" Sam said despairingly as he ran his hands down his face.

"Excuse me!" Gabriel cut in. "But how on earth can my baby bro and this bozo boning be more horrifying to you than the fact that I'm freakin' alive?! This was supposed to be my moment" he pouted. 

"Ok, A, we've thought that you've been dead several times before so this really isn't as shocking as you had hoped" Sam pointed out. "And B, finding out that my brother and my best friend have been having sex just down the hall from me is way more horrifying than whatever you could have planned.”

“Trust me, it was no horror show” Dean said with a smug smirk. He pointed his fist at Cas for the angel to bump, but Castiel just frowned and shook it instead.

“I do not want to know the details” Sam stressed. “But, why didn’t you tell me you were together?”

“Because I knew you’d get your panties in a bunch” Dean replied.

“I’m not mad that you’re together, I’m mad that you kept it a secret when I thought we agreed no more secrets!”

“That only applies if one of us is in danger” Dean said.

“We use a safe word to ensure that won’t happen” Castiel added.

“Oh my god” Dean groaned despairingly.

“Don’t you bring dad into this!” Gabriel warned.  “We have enough drama going on right now, most of which should have been caused by my miraculous return!”

“Enough!” Sam exclaimed. “Dean, Cas, I am really happy for you guys but I also don’t ever want to hear another word about it. Gabriel, I have very mixed feelings about you being alive and I have questions, but we will talk later. Okay, I’m going back to bed.”

“Can I come with?” Gabriel smirked. “Since our brothers are doing it maybe you and I could-”

“No!” Sam and Dean exclaimed simultaneously.

Gabriel rolled his eyes.

“Well I can only stay for a couple of weeks” he said. “I got reasons for being back, you know.”

“Later” Sam whined as walked down the hall.

He was going to use those seven days to recover.