#and this is why you ask the nice lady to send you the aid paperwork

[lazulisong]

HOLY FUCKING SHIT LEGACY WROTE OFF MY ENTIRE BALANCE

[wherearemyglassesbro]

I have a question for the lawyer AU, if that's okay? For each of the defense attorneys and prosecutors, do they have an MO when they're in court? And/or, do any of them get really nervous before cases/in the courtroom and have ways to calm themselves down?

AYYYYY A LAWYER AU ASK!!!! ITS BEEN 84 YEARS!!!! SINCE IVE GOTTEN TO TALK ABOUT THIS AU LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Defense attorney Kirkland: Arthur is always a wreck before trials. He’s jittery and nervous, he rarely gets any sleep before trials so he’s up around 3am, pacing around his apartment and rereading every paper he can get his hands on. He practices talking in the mirror and washes his face multiple times to keep himself wide awake. Copious amounts of tea are consumed as well as an everything bagel....mmm...yum. He’s at the courthouse hours beforehand, sitting in his car reviewing paperwork. Again. In the courtroom, Arthur is very persistent. He’s always pressing for more information and wording things juuuuuust right in order to get the answers he needs from the witnesses. He often refers back to paperwork since that stuff is written out and is just...easy to go back to. He also just asks a lot of questions in general and once he gets answers, he’s ready to talk. This guy can talk for hours and hours, he’s great at it. He scores extra points with the jury just because he’s easy to listen to and trustworthy

Defense attorney Jones: Alfred isn’t a full fledged attorney yet, he’s shadowing Arthur so whatever Art does, he has to do. He has to get up at the butt crack of dawn to meet Art in the courthouse parking lot. Al gets himself a muffin and a Pink Drink and he’s ready to do. He’ll sit on the hood of Art’s car and just listen to him ramble lmao. Alfred is a very friendly guy, he’s open and looks trustworthy. He makes an effort to never look angry in court! He thinks getting upset or angry looks bad for the defense and he isn’t entirely wrong. He’s nice while asking questions, he asks things that are worded in a certain way so he’ll get an answer he’s looking for! He doesn’t get to talk too much since again, he’s still shadowing Art, but when he does everything is calculated. Cause Al is young....but...smart :)

Defense attorney Herdarvey: I did not spell her name right but anyway, Eliza is a feminist icon in her workspace. She is super organized and has very case she’s ever worked with/on in color coded binders. She is super intelligent and hard working!! In court, you’ll see her taking notes or flipping through her binder or twirling her pen between her fingers while she listens to the prosecution or the witness testimonies. She isn’t harsh while conducting cross examinations but she is very cunning when she wants to be. She’ll ask questions to purposely make the witness admit the truth which is very impressive, especially if the Braginskys are the prosecutors cause they...uh...’coach’ witnesses on what to say sometimes. Before going to court she drinks tea in her car by herself while listening to Led Zepplin to get fuckin HYPED UP!!! Then she’ll meet with her client again to hype them up ‘it’ll be okay! We’re gonna win this one, we have it in the bag no worries’. Then she cracks her neck, knuckles and knees. Now she’s ready to go.

Prosecutor Edelstein: Roderich has a SET routine for court days and he will get very cranky if he cannot fufil his routine. He goes to bed at 10pm and wakes up at 4am. He eats a croissant with some tea and then goes over the case file, autopsy report, evidence, anything he can. At 6, he gets ready for the day. At 6:45, he’s in the car debating with himself throughout the entire drive to the courthouse. He meets with his team and witnesses, who he makes get there early too, to talk and reassure. He’ll pace around the parking lot, or inside if it’s too hot, until his knees hurt lmao. He always takes three ibuprofen before any trial because he anticipates getting a headache. Now its showtime. Roderich is a man of mystery, he always has a trick up his sleeve. Vaugely worded questions to trip up the defense, additional evidence to present, hes done it all. He’s is a very fantastic talker, he can talk for hours and hours and to be honest??? He always sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. The jury loves that, especially if he’s going up against Kirkland or Jones, the jury usually ends up favoring Rod solely because he explains his points better or something like that.

Prosecutor Braginskya: Nat is a very strict lady, she has a VERY specific way of doing things. Like Roderich, she’s high strung and bossy. She sends emails out first thing in the morning to make sure that her team is ready to go. Usually they’re not at 5am. Cue instant frustration. She gives herself a temple massage and has an eclair before heading in. Early of course. She walks slow laps around the court building, muttering to herself, she’s walking in tennis shoes and switches back to heels once she goes inside. She doesn’t get nervous really but she feels a lot of pressure before a trial. She is very persistent when working against the defense, she always hurries to aid the witnesses so they don’t slip up and she often accuses the defense of badgering her witnesses. She is a very smart woman but she isn’t the most fantastic talker in the world. Lawyers talk for a living and Nat is just fine at it! She isn’t the best but she makes up for it with her professional, serious aura

Prosecutor Braginsky: Ivan...oh Ivan. Ivan wakes up at 6:30 on the dot, irons his suit and styled his hair. He doesn’t eat before trials because his stomach hurts when he’s nervous and that wouldn’t help him very much. He does drink a lot of water though! And crunches the ice. He’s at the courthouse 30 minutes before the trial, which is later than any other prosecutor, but he’s still early enough to consult his team! He talks to the witnesses again and reminds them not to talk TOO much or give TOO much information because ‘the defense will start to get to them’. In the courtroom, Ivan is always happy to listen to the defense. He always lets them talk and talk because when they do that, they sometimes talk themselves into a corner. Now thats when he strikes “oh? You’re sure it happened that way? Well I was under the impression....” he rarely objects or yells but he is intimidating without having to be loud. He smiles through most trials, not a super wide one but a soft, confident smile.

Prosecutor Bonnefoy: Francis is not very organized at all but he makes it work. He has his briefcase full of papers...and they’re out of order. Before every court day he gets up super early to pace around his apartment while yelling about why he thinks this person he’s prosecuting is guilty. An advantage he has is that he memorizes things very quick so even though he most likley lost his copy of the accident report, he remembers the whole thing. After pacing around for an hour he’ll leave, taking the freeway into work. He sings along with an opera CD in his fancy sports car while going fuckin 95mph. By the time he gets to the courtroom he’s no longer nervous. He consults his team, goes over the papers he can find, makes fun of the defense and then it’s time to fuckin go. He does a lot of talking which usually makes the defense nervous. He’s confident in everything he says and everything his witnesses say. He doesn’t coach them the Braginsky way but he does assure them ‘you don’t tell them anything they don’t need to know cher, really. If you give too many details they’ll rip you apart! That’s the way the defense works. So be vague when you can but not too vague. Got it?’. He makes a show of his prosecution really but it’s a strategy that works. He’s won a lot of cases that way

Judge Beilschmidt: I’m including Lud cause I didn’t want him to feel left out :) Before every case he hears, he always likes to sit in silence for a few minutes to clear his mind. He has deep breathing exercises on his phone so he’ll just listen for about 10 minutes, giving himself time to relax before the chaos begins. He then collects his papers, straightens them out and lint rolls his judge robes. Then he’s all ready to go. When in court, he is totally unbiased. He was trained to be unbiased and he is always willing to hear both sides so he tries to be quiet while others talk but if things get too rowdy he doesn’t hesitate to slam that gavel down “NO YELLING IN MY COURTROOM!!!!” Oop- so much for quiet. After hearing a case and the guilty or not guilty verdict is delivered, he almost always feels his stomach drop all funny cause he always worries if he did the right thing. His brain says yes, that was the right call. But deep down he’s always afraid that he’s a bad judge. When he goes home he lets his dogs and after a tough case, he makes himself a bowl of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream on top.

[alpxcamin]

More Than Just a Job

Requested?: nope~

Words: 5.2k

Group: Stray Kids

Member(s): Jeongin (feat. JYP lmao)

A/n: Omg this has been in my drafts for like 3 months wtf...Also, if the words are bolded, it means you’re speaking english lol and also a warning, this is kind of dramatic?? Idk I hope you enjoy this tho!! This was supposed to be one fic, but it was getting too long so I decided to chop it lmao. Next parts are coming soon ^^

Part 1 || Part 2

“Jeongin!”

“Ah, Miss y/n, I’m here!”

You turned around, scowling at the frantic boy. He was dressed in his usual white button-up shirt, paired with a long black tie, black dress pants, and black leather shoes. He was slightly hunched and a little messy, but still acceptable. His half-slicked back hair framed his fox-like facial features showed slight fatigue.

“Why are you late? You’ve never been late,” you hissed, making the Jeongin shrink into himself.

“I’m so sorry, Miss. I woke up late today. I have no excuse,” he gulped, fixing his hair.

“I’ll excuse you this time and this one time only. You’ve never been late before so I’ll let you off the hook. If you’re ever late again,” you stared coldly into his eyes, “You’re fired.”

“Yes, ma’am. I apologize,” Jeongin bows before scuttling to his small desk on the side of the room.

You sigh and walk towards your own desk before plopping into your comfortable swivel chair. You watched Jeongin as he set his things down by his desk and got back up and left the room. Jeongin was your personal assistant and you had to admit that he was the best you’ve ever had. You’re the youngest CEO, having graduated three years early, and have won multiple awards for your amazing work.

You became busy quickly and at the youthful age of only eighteen, you still were not able to handle all the stress by yourself. So, you began searching for someone to aid you with your work. You’ve looked and looked and worked with a couple of people, but they weren’t the right fit. Your life became drastically less stressful and you felt less pressure as soon as you met Jeongin.

He was the same age as you, but still in college. Now, it has been four years since you’ve started working with Jeongin. It’s his last year in college now so you’re hoping he would become more available after he graduates.

You stare down blankly at the paperwork in front of you, contemplating on whether you should start them now or hand them off to Jeongin to finish. Just then, the door creaks open and you look up. Jeongin shuffles in with a small tray of snacks and a fresh cup of steaming coffee, as usual.

“Here you are, Miss,” Jeongin sets the tray down on your table, “The coffee is still hot. You should wait a while.”

“Thank you,” you nod, dwelling in the scent of fresh coffee and sweet cookies.

“Oh, should I take the paperwork, Miss?” Jeongin asks, noticing the pile of papers you were previously staring at.

“Sure, thanks,” you shrug, handing him the stack.

You silently munched on the cookies and drank the coffee as you watched Jeongin start on the paperwork. To say he was a hard worker was an understatement and you felt bad for being so harsh on him. He has amazing work ethics, always polite, and he always followed your orders all the way down to the smallest details. He always had a smile on his face despite all the yelling, stress, and work he had to deal with. You really admired him, so as his boss, you believed that it was best to let him face challenges to help him grow.

Jeongin suddenly looks up, catching you staring at him. He gives you a sweet, dimpled smile before setting down his pen and getting up. He made his way over to your desk and took the empty tray.

“Would you like me to refill your cup?” he points to the empty cup in your hands.

“It’s alright. Just finish the paperwork by lunch. We have a meeting after,” you hand him the cup before turning back around to look for some files.

After Jeongin came back, the two of you worked in comfortable silence. Jeongin knew mornings just weren’t your thing so he didn’t bother you too much. It was your routine. You and Jeongin would come into the office, he’d get you some snacks and the two of you worked silently. Then, after lunch, the two of you would attend meetings if there were any and then get back to work, but Jeongin would speak up more. Finally, at the end of the day, Jeongin would drive you back home before heading for his night classes.

Occasionally, he would have to sign out in the middle of the day if his school schedule conflicted with his work schedule. You would reluctantly let him go, but you understood that he had to graduate.

Before you knew it, it was already noon. You looked up from your laptop and your eyes drifted to Jeongin, who was scribbling away. You got up and walked up to his desk.

“Have you finished?” you look down at what he was writing.

“I’m almost done. I’ll finish this last sheet and go to lunch,” Jeongin smiled up at you.

“Good. This meeting is going to be draining,” you roll your eyes at the thought of who you were going to work with today.

“Of course. Have a nice lunch, Miss,” Jeongin waves as you left the room.

---

“Jeongin. Do you have all the paperwork?” you ask as you walk steadily towards the meeting room.

Jeongin trailed behind you, “Yes, I have the paperwork and a couple of additional files.”

“Good. You know how this man is. Disgusting,” you seeth, stopping in front of the door.

You take a deep breath before opening the door. You put on a fake smile, showing off your pearly white teeth. The jolly, old man in front of you let out a bellowing laugh and you cringed internally. You had worked with him quite a few times and you had come to learn that he was extremely touchy. Jeongin has had to intervene many times. Unfortunately for you, he was good friends with your deceased parents and so naturally, your parents had hoped that you would work closely with him. You only agreed because your parents asked you to. You respected them and their decisions so you reluctantly complied.

“Y/n, good to see you again, love,” the middle-aged man spread his arms wide open for a hug.

“Please, do not call me ‘love’, Mister Park. I’ve told you many times,” you stepped back a little and reached for his hand for a quick shake.

“Aww come on, we’ve worked together for such a long time. Your parents and I were close anyway,” he shrugs before taking a seat on one of the ends of the long table.

You sat down on the opposite end and Jeongin sat next to you. The meeting officially began and you internally groaned. It would be another two hours of your life wasted. Mr. Park had never been too interesting and you always quietly dozed off whenever he was talking. Luckily, Jeongin always took down notes and spoke for you whenever you didn’t feel like interacting.

“Alright, what do you have to say this time,” you sigh, your fingers held up your head by your temple.

“I think you’re going to like this one,” Mr. Park chuckled.

“You say that every time,” you discreetly rolled your eyes. You heard Jeongin let out the slightest giggle next to you. He must have seen it.

“No, but really. This time, it’s big,” Mr. Park shakes his head, leaning forward.

You leaned back,” Then tell me.”

Mr. Park began his long, boring speech and you completely tuned him out. You blankly stared at the clock right above his head. In the middle of his rambling, he suddenly got up and you shook yourself awake a little.

“You’re going to go on a business trip to endorse my newest product!” Mr. Park practically yells.

“Pardon?” you slam down on the table, standing up as well.

“We’re sending you to tour the U.S. to endorse my new product. You’ll be out and about for a whole month. Isn’t that exciting? You young people love traveling, huh,” Mr. Park laughs, clapping for himself.

You looked in disbelief at the jovial man. You had never liked moving around and being an introverted person, traveling and being with people always drained you. You were also never really one to be the center of attention, despite being the CEO. You always had Jeongin present the latest products or do the talking. Being front and center made you feel weak and powerless. You never liked the feeling of people staring at you, waiting for you to mess up or belittling you.

“Sir, would you please elaborate?” Jeongin asks, placing a comforting hand on yours.

You weakly collapsed back into your chair. Your heart pounded rapidly in your chest and you give Jeongin a quick glance. He simply smiles warmly your way and patting your hands a few times, trying to calm you down.

“Of course, Mister Yang. Well, my new product is in need of some promoting. A beautiful, young lady like y/n would be great for marketing,” Mr. Park smirks.

“It’s not even my product. Why can’t you find someone else from your company to do it?” you scoff.

“This is a partnership, y/n. You must do some kind of work,” Mr. Park snorts as if it were obvious, “Besides, you kind of owe me this since your parents asked you to work for me.”

“Work with you, Mister Park,” you shake your head, trying to regain your composure, “I don’t work for you.”

“Sure, whatever. Anyway, we’ve already booked flights and hotels so you have to go. Traveling starts next week,” Mr. Park replies nonchalantly.

“Mister Park, I’m not sure that’s enough time to prepare for everything,” Jeongin looks at you worriedly.

“Ayy, don’t worry about it, kiddo. You children can adapt quickly,” Mr. Park’s cocky voice drifts off as he leaves the room.

As soon as the door shuts behind him and his employees, you dropped your head down to the table, clutching it with your arms. You let out a small groan. You could feel your tears bubbling in your eyes, but you refused to cry.

“Miss y/n...we’ll get through this. I’m here to help,” you felt Jongin's large hands rest on your back, rubbing it softly.

You sat up and looked at him wearily. His hand was still making comforting circles on your back. You didn’t want to drag him away from school for two whole months. It would just prolong his days of juggling studying and work.

“Are you sure?” you sniff.

“That’s what you hired me for, isn’t that right?” Jeongin chuckles kindly.

You nodded sadly, “I guess you can be dismissed now, today. I don’t want to do anything so please just take me home.”

“Of course. Let’s go,” Jeongin nods, helping you up.

You and Jeongin make your way to his car and he opens the door for you. You slipped in and buckled up. Jeongin soon joins you in his car and begins heading back to your house. It was only two in the afternoon, but you just wanted to sleep for the rest of the day. You rested your head on the window and watched as the colorful city flew past you.

“Jeongin,” you whispered, peeking over at him.

“Yes?” he responded, still looking at the road.

“Are you sure you want to pause school for an entire month...just to help me ‘endorse’ this product?” you guiltily ask.

“Of course. It’s my job to help you, right?” Jeongin glances over at you, smiling.

“Thank you,” you nod, before going back to watching the lively city.

---

You sat in your swivel chair, waiting for Jeongin to arrive. For once, you were dressed in casual clothes in the office. It felt weird, but you reminded yourself that you were leaving soon. You heard a knock before the door creaked and you spun around.

Your eyes widen a little at the sight of your assistant in casual clothing. Jeongin’s hair was down and fluffy. He had on an oversized, canary yellow hoodie paired with comfortable denim overalls. In his hand right hand was a medium-sized suitcase and a backpack hung from his left shoulder.

“You look like a minion,” you bluntly tell him, snickering a little. He looked cute though.

“I didn’t even realize that,” Jeongin frets, checking over his outfit.

You laugh a little, causing Jeongin to nervously giggle along. A ‘ding’ from your phone startles both you and Jeongin and you check your phone. The driver sent by Mr. Park had arrived and you sighed. You and Jeongin make your way down to the parking lot of the building.

A large, black van was parked and the driver was waiting for you. He opened the trunk and Jeongin helped you put your luggage in and put his in as well. You left your backpack in the back as well, but Jeongin kept his with him. Jeongin opened the door for you and you hopped in, buckling up right away. Jeongin slid into the seat next to yours and buckled up as well.

The ride to the airport was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. After an hour drive, you finally reached the airport. The number of people traveling in and out the doors nearly made you faint. Luckily, Jeongin knew how to maneuver through the busy airport and the two of you safely made your way to your gate.

“What’s the schedule today?” you ask, holding your backpack close as you sat nervously, waiting to board the plane.

“Well, we’re going to the west coast, California, first. It takes about fourteen hours to get there. It should be about seven in the evening when we arrive. Mister Park booked a hotel one hour away from the airport. The hotel offers dinner so we could eat there and just rest for the day.” Jeongin informs you.

You simply nod, already dreading the long flight. Soon, first-class flyers were called so you and Jeongin lined up, to board the plane. The woman at the little podium in front of the gate scanned your tickets and you and Jeongin made your way to the plane to find your seats. Jeongin lifted your luggage into the little compartment above your seat and easily slid his in as well.

“Do you want the window or aisle seat?” Jeongin asks, adjusting his backpack.

“Uh, window,” you shrug before shuffling to the seat and sitting down.

You placed your backpack in the little corner between your seat and the seat in front. Luckily, there was a lot of room since you were riding in first class. Jeongin slips into his seat next to yours and slides his backpack underneath his seat.

Soon, all the passengers boarded and the pilot announced that you were lifting off. You had never flown before and to say you were nervous was an understatement. As soon as the flight attendants showed up, you quickly strapped on your seatbelt and pulled on the loose strap so that you were strapped in as tight as possible. Your hands gripped on the armrest so hard that your knuckles turned white. You felt lightheaded when the plane started moving.

“Hey, don’t be scared. You can hold my hand if you want,” Jeongin’s soothing voice breaks you out of your panicked state.

You looked over at Jeongin’s hand before hesitantly accepting his offer. You felt the plane tip upwards and you immediately shut your eyes, tightening your hold on Jeongin’s hand. You felt Jeongin give your hand a light squeeze. Finally, the plane evened out and you opened your eyes, letting out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding.

“Are you okay?” Jeongin asked and you looked over.

“Uh, thanks,” you awkwardly let go of his hand, immediately missing the warmth and comfort of it.

“No problem,” Jeongin smiles.

Throughout the flight, you and Jeongin discussed the plans and different flights. It had already been eight hours into the flight and dinner had just been served. You were beginning to feel drowsy and your head rolled back and forth as you tried to stay awake.

“Miss, are you tired?” Jeongin asked, his voice soft.

You sleepily nodded. Jeongin leaned over and you leaned back, a little shocked at his sudden advancement. He noticed and apologized.

“Uh, you can tilt your chair back if you want. Just press that little button there,” he leaned even closer to point at the button on the inside of your armrest, “And just push back.”

You pushed the button with your thumb and pushed back as instructed. You let out a small squeak of surprise when your seat slammed backward. Jeongin began laughing and you felt your cheeks heat up.

“No need to shove that hard,” Jeongin giggles, helping you adjust your seat.

“We should invest in a private jet. This sucks,” you pout.

“Noted,” Jeongin laughs.

You unbuckle your seatbelt, deciding that it was more comfortable that way. Jeongin soon joined you in leaning his chair back. Soon, your eyelids began getting heavier and heavier and you drifted up into a dreamless sleep.

---

A bright beam of light woke you up. You were a little disorientated, confused as to why you didn’t feel like you were in bed. Blinking, you tried to wake yourself up and you looked down. A rose pink jacket had been draped neatly over your body. You were confused. You didn’t remember having that over you when you fell asleep, much less owning it. You looked over at Jeongin’s seat to ask him, but he wasn’t there.

You sighed and looked out the window. The sky was light blue and the white, fluffy clouds drifted underneath the plane. The bright sun shone through the window, illuminating your lap.

“You’re awake,” a sudden voice makes you jump and turn around.

“Oh, it’s you,” you sigh in relief, placing a hand over your pounding heart.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Jeongin chuckles, “Did you sleep well?”

“I suppose. This seat is nowhere near as comfortable as my bed though,” you complain.

“I can imagine,” Jeongin laughs, sitting back down.

You remembered the jacket still draped over you and you shook it off. Folding it neatly, you held it out to Jeongin, “I assume this is yours.”

“Yeah, you were shivering in your sleep. It gets pretty cold on planes,” Jeongin explains, taking his jacket back.

“Oh, thank you,” you awkwardly nod.

“You only slept for four hours. Can’t sleep?” he asked.

“Four hours? It felt longer,” you frown, “I’m fine though, thanks for asking.”

“Well, we’re landing in two hours, so you can get more rest when we get to the hotel later,” Jeongin says.

“Okay, sounds good. Make sure to give Mister Park a call when we land. I don’t want to deal with him,” you hum, “Tell him ‘thank you’ for paying for the hotel.”

“Of course,” Jeongin agrees.

The two hours passed quickly. You and Jeongin just went over the week’s plans another time before the pilot announced the landing of the plane. You were more than ecstatic to get off and Jeongin chuckled at your enthusiasm.

You practically bolted off the plane as soon as the plane halted, but Jeongin held you back. He reached up and opened the compartment and pulled out your luggage. You watched as he grabbed his own.

His hood had been pulled over his head, leaving only his soft bangs and handsome face exposed. His sleeves slid down as he reached for his luggage and exposed his toned arms. He wet his lips before pulling his luggage out of the compartment, causing his arm muscles to flex. You had to admit, he looked pretty attractive at the moment.

“Alright, we can head out now,” Jeongin turns to you, pulling up the handle from his luggage.

You frantically turned around and began walking, pretending as you hadn’t just been checking him out. You didn’t know what got into you and why Jeongin suddenly looked so attractive. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe it was seeing him in casual clothes for the first time. Maybe it was spending fourteen continuous hours with him. Of course, you had thought he was handsome before, but you were never really attracted to him. Shaking off these thoughts, you focused on making it out of the bustling airport.

Finally, the two of you made it out to the exit and luckily, the car to pick you up had already arrived. Jeongin loaded both yours and his luggage into the car and the driver set off towards the hotel. On the way, you pulled out a small booklet and handed it to Jeongin.

“Here, study up on your English,” you tell him, "Mister Park may have chosen me to do the promoting, but you’re going to have to at least understand the locals here.”

“Of course. Thank you, Miss,” Jeongin takes the book and immediately begins flipping through it.

“Also, don’t forget to call and thank Mister Park,” you reminded.

“I’ll do that right now, Miss,” Jeongin set the book down and pulled out his phone, searching his contacts.

You stared outside the window, but you were listening in on Jeongin’s conversation with Mr. Park. You felt a little guilty for shoving the call onto Jeongin, but you really didn’t want to deal with that creepy, old man after an uncomfortable fourteen-hour flight.

“Hello, Mister Park. This is Yang Jeongin, Miss y/n’s personal assistant,” Jeongin paused and waited for Mr. Park’s reply, “Yes, we’ve arrived safely, sir. Thank you for booking the hotel for us.”

You looked over at Jeongin and gave him a thumbs up. He gives you his brightest smile, and you turn back to look out the window. You don’t know what’s happening, but you felt yourself blushing at his adorable smile. That’s never happened before.

“Thank you, Mister Park. We will call you later. Goodbye, sir,” Jeongin ended the call and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

During the rest of the car ride, you and Jeongin simply enjoyed each other’s company, well at least you enjoyed it. You were never sure if Jeongin liked you because of the constant, bright smile on his face. He had always been one who could easily mask his annoyance or distraught so you never really knew.

Finally, you reached the hotel and you had to admit, it was quite nice. It was one that you would personally book for vacation if you ever traveled. You and Jeongin waited in the lobby for the bellhops to help with your luggage and to sign in. You watched Jeongin as he marveled at the sight in front of him.

“You seem to like this place,” you chuckle.

“I’ve just never been in such an expensive hotel before,” Jeongin looked around in awe.

“You’ll have to get used to it,” you smile, admiring the boy.

“I guess I will,” Jeongin looks back at you, his eyes sparkling with joy.

“Let’s go check in,” you began walking towards the check-in desk.

“Hello, sir. We’d like to check-in. The reservation was made by Mister Jinyoung Park,” you informed the man in perfect english.

You heard a little gasp from behind you. Turning around, you saw Jeongin who quickly placed his hand over his mouth. You gave him an amused grin before turning back to the employee.

“Here’s your key, Miss. Have a nice night,” the employee handed you the key.

“Thank you,” you examined the key card, “Excuse me. Why is there only one key? We have two people.”

“Sorry, it says here...Mister Park only booked one room,” the man shrugged.

Your mouth dropped open as you stared at the employee’s retreating form. He disappeared behind the staff door and you aggressively turned to face Jeongin who jumped back a little.

“Is there something wrong, Miss y/n?” Jeongin asked, brows furrowing in worry.

“Mister Park…” you hissed under your breath, eyes flaming.

“What happened?” Jeongin inquired.

“That goddamn fool,” you scoffed, a dissatisfied smirk appeared on your face.

Jeongin shivered a little at the sight, “Uh...Miss y/n, you have to tell me what’s wrong so I can help.”

“That oaf booked only one goddamn room!” you roared, shoving the key card in Jeongin’s face. His face flushed and he looked down shyly.

“M-miss y/n, I’m sure it was a mistake,” Jeongin gulped, “We should call him to change it.”

“His cheap ass probably paid for only one room because it was too expensive and he wanted to annoy me. He knows I like my privacy. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of annoying me,” you fumed, completely ignoring what Jeongin had just said.

Jeongin’s face was now even redder, “A-are you sure, Miss y/n?”

“I’m more than sure,” you smirked, your gaze piercing through Jeongin’s poor soul.

“O-oh, o-okay,” Jeongin choked out.

You stormed away to the elevator, Jeongin meekly following. You angrily pressed the up button and stood there, waiting for the elevator, arms crossed over your chest. Your foot rapidly tapped against the tile floor. Luckily, no one else was in the elevator when it arrived and you and Jeongin stepped in. Jeongin pressed the button to the penthouse and you pouted all the way to the top.

“Are you really sure, Miss y/n?” Jeongin hesitated as the two of you reached the room door.

“I’m sure, Jeongin,” you hissed, snatching the key from his hands and swiping it.

You entered the room. Usually, you would be more than satisfied with it, but the only catch is that there’s only one bed. Your knees turned into jelly and you collapsed, but before your knees could hit the floor, Jeongin caught you and helped you up.

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Jeongin worries.

“T-there’s...only,” you feel as if you were going to cry, “one bed.”

“What?!” Jeongin screeched, nearly falling over and almost dropping you.

“Mister Park is going to regret this,” you mumbled, already planning a murder plan.

“W-we should r-really go ask for a room change,” Jeongin begs.

“No, we’re not. We can’t let Mister Park win,” you glared at the blubbering boy.

“O-okay,” for the first time, you saw Jeongin near tears.

---

Toothbrush in hand, you squeezed a little glob of toothpaste onto it and began brushing your teeth. You peeked into the bedroom, hair still dripping wet. Jeongin was sitting awkwardly on the couch, scrolling through his phone. The television was on, but the volume was low. The two of you decided that some white noise would be the best way to distract you from the fact that there was only one bed. Jeongin had offered to take the couch, but you insisted that he slept on the bed. You couldn’t have him in a bad condition during the promotions tomorrow. Besides, you were a good boss.

“Oh, Miss y/n,” Jeongin looked up from his phone, noticing you peeking out of the bathroom.

“How early do we need to be up tomorrow?” you paused your brushing, the foamy paste all over your lips.

“The meeting starts at eight in the morning. We should eat breakfast before though...so maybe be up at seven?” Jeongin gets off the couch and walks towards you.

He hands you his phone and you scrolled through the schedule, nodding a few times. You ducked back into the bathroom to rinse your mouth out before popping back out. You handed Jeongin his phone back.

“Miss y/n, you should dry your hair. You can’t afford to get sick now,” Jeongin looks at your soaking hair worriedly.

“It’s fine. I’ll be fine,” you dismiss him, waving a hand.

Jeongin reached for your waving hand and grabs your wrist. He gently tugged you back into the bathroom before plugging in the hairdryer and turning it on. His actions shocked you, but also made you a little shy.

You watched through the giant mirror as Jeongin dried your hair, occasionally ruffling it to make sure it was drying evenly. Your eyes traveled all over his face. His brows were furrowed and his tongue was peeking out from his mouth. He had the cutest “concentrating face” and you couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Finally, Jeongin turned off the hairdryer and you parted your hair away from your face.

“I could have done that by myself,” you huff, trying to mask your satisfaction.

“Well, it’s my job to help you out,” Jeongin chuckles.

“Whatever,” you pout, “You can use the bathroom now.”

Jeongin simply laughs and retrieves his clean clothes before entering the bathroom and locking the door. You sigh and slipped into bed and scrolling through your phone. You hadn’t really thought about the consequences of sharing a bed with Jeongin until you actually got into the bed. Although it was the penthouse and the bed was fairly large, the bed was still meant for only one person. You swallowed harshly, trying to imagine how far you’d have to scoot to keep a safe distance from Jeongin.

Before you knew it, Jeongin was out of the bathroom, clad in a plain white t-shirt and light gray joggers. You subconsciously slid further down into the blankets, covering your face with your phone as you tried your best to look away. You’ve never shared a room with a boy, much less shared the same bed with one. You felt shy. You felt like a little girl who was experiencing something new.

Jeongin shuffles over to the bed and hops in, staying at the very edge of it like you were. You appreciated the space he left in between the two of you and bid him goodnight before turning off the lights.

You rolled away so that you weren’t facing him and closed your eyes. However, no matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t sleep. Not with Jeongin right next to you at least. You weren’t sure if Jeongin was asleep or not, but you could hear his soft breathing and it comforted you a little. Soon enough, your eyes began drooping and you were knocked out cold.

~Admin Liz ♡

[puffdragongirl]

On Pillows and Papers

A little fluffy tale written in honor of my friend and best-beta-ever @muselover1901‘s birthday! Happy Birthday Muse! :D

The door to the Ducal office flies open, only saved from crashing loudly against the wall by a strategically placed cushion of fabric. Before the door can even begin its closing swing, Zen stalks into the room, dropping heavily into his chair and planting his face directly onto a pile of accumulated papers waiting for his signature. A miserable groan slips from his lips.

“Is it bad that I’m almost looking forward to a day of signing papers?”

Mitsuhide, following Zen to the room at a more sedate pace, snickers, but humors him, “It will be a nice change of pace from non-stop meetings, at least.”

Kiki, abandoned to doing the actual work during the past week while Zen and Mitsuhide paid glorified social calls to nearly every noble in Wilant, has no patience left for flinging doors or dramatic whining. She drops a folder on his head, ignoring the pitiful groan its weight triggers from the Prince, “Welcome back, Your Highness. Signature, please.”

After being revived by a cup of strong tea a sympathetic Mitsuhide sneaks onto his desk, Zen settles to his task of catching up on a week’s worth of paperwork. A companionable silence settles on the room, broken only by the rustle of pages turning and the soft scratch of quill against paper. He is so focused on the stacks of reports, requests and receipts that he barely notes the passage of time. Before he knows it, the morning is gone, and Kiki is settling a simple lunch of crusty bread and cheese on his desk. Suddenly starved, Zen inhales the food and downs a goblet of water, but gamely returns to the mountain of outpost reports requiring his signature the moment the plate leaves his desk.

The next time Zen looks up, words are starting to blur together in a haze of ink and he wishes this office had an adjoining bedroom like his old one in Wistal. His bleary gaze finds Kiki chatting with an attendant at the door. A few minutes later, the door opens again, and the attendant returns with a steaming kettle of tea and a tray of cakes, cookies and finger sandwiches. Thanking his lucky stars for his wonderful aides, Zen eagerly approaches the kettle, already plotting how he can slip an extra cube of sugar to his tea without anyone noticing, when a knock comes at the door. The attendant returns once more, this time handing off a letter and looking a bit nervous, and his heart sinks when he spies the seal of the Captain of the Guard against the creamy parchment.

Kiki takes one look at his crestfallen expression and sighs, “Shall I look into this, Prince Zen?”

Zen doesn’t even attempt to hide the gratitude in his eyes.

The hot tea (sweetened with an extra cube of sugar and definitely not accompanied by only cake and cookies) does wonders for his energy level, and Zen dives back into his reports. An hour passes, then two, before a concerned noise from Mitsuhide drags his attention from a land dispute claim filed in some of the least legible script he has ever seen. He looks up to find Mitsuhide staring intently at Kiki’s desk.

“Is…something wrong with Kiki’s desk?” he asks, carefully.

“What – Zen, no,” Mitsuhide replies, shaking his head and turning a concerned glance on Zen, “It’s just, Kiki hasn’t returned from speaking to the Captain of the Guard.” He glances at the clock in the corner, “It’s been over two hours; I wonder what could have held her up.”

“You’re right,” Zen scrubs his hands over his face, wondering where the last two hours had even gone before remembering the thirty page report from the Indrian ambassador. “I should really get through this report, but why don’t you go check on her?”

Mitsuhide nods, rising from his chair and stretching before exiting the room. Confident his knights could handle whatever the issue was, and would surely return to his side soon, Zen throws himself back into his work.  

The sky is tinted with the red and gold hues of sunset when Zen realizes neither Mitsuhide nor Kiki have returned to his office. Frowning, he glances at the clock to find he lost two hours to the stack of mind-numbing sentry reports from the outposts surrounding Wilant. Under normal circumstances, an absence of this length wasn’t unusual, but it was concerning that Mitsuhide hadn’t even sent a note to explain whatever was holding them up.

Worried, Zen stands, grimacing a little when his back loudly protests the poor posture he’d adopted during the previous hours. I’d better go track them down, he thinks, stretching the kinks from his back as he exits the office, Someone must have seen them, and I could use a walk anyway…

He flags down a passing guard, “Excuse me, have you seen Sir Mitsuhide or Lady Kiki recently?”

It takes a few tries, but he eventually gets a lead on Mitsuhide, at least.

“I think I saw Sir Rouen heading for the pharmacy, Your Highness,” the maid curtseys, then continues apologetically, “I’m afraid I haven’t seen Lady Seiran, however.”

“The pharmacy?,” he echoes, trying and failing to push back his growing concern. Surely someone would have told him if Kiki, or Gods forbid, both Kiki and Mitsuhide were injured. Wouldn’t they? But he had been absorbed in his work. What if he had missed a knock, or ignored a message sliding under the door? He didn’t remember seeing any papers on the ground, but he also hadn’t looked. And wouldn’t Obi have come to his office if they really needed him? But what if Obi was hurt too? What if the situation was so bad that Shirayuki couldn’t take her attention away from them treating his knights? What if-

“-our Highness? Your Highness?” startled from his spiraling thoughts, Zen finds the maid watching him with concern, “Would you like me to escort you to the pharmacy?”

“No, I know the way,” shaking the dread from his thoughts, he inclines his head slightly at the maid, then turns to head for the pharmacy “Thank you for your assistance.”  

“One…two…three!!”

Zen isn’t certain what he was expecting to find in the pharmacy, but it definitely was not an intricate fabric citadel. Blankets are strung across the bookshelves and desks, transforming the normally staid pharmacy into a wonderland of white. As he watches, Obi and Mitsuhide gently swing Ryuu airborne, and feathers explode into the air when the coltish teen lands in an enormous pile of pillows. The feathers drift down around the room like snow, coating everyone and everything in the room; a perfect accompaniment for the joyous laughter bubbling throughout the room.

“So, this is where my aides disappeared to…” Zen steps further in the room, ducking to avoid the arch of a low-hanging blanket.

“Master!” Obi calls, blowing to dislodge a clump of feathers clinging to his nose, “It’s about time you joined us!” He turns to Mitsuhide with a grin, “See, we told you he would come if we waited long enough!”

Kiki, somehow managing to look intimidating despite the feathers sticking haphazardly from her hair, turns to Mitsuhide and holds out a hand, “Pay up.”

As Mitsuhide tries to wheedle his way from paying up on whatever bet they had made, Zen carefully picks his way around the clumps of pillows strewn throughout the room. As he walks, he admires the artful drape of the blankets, impressed by the cozy feeling the cocoon of fabric lends the room.

Standing amongst his friends, a question slips from his lips before he can think better of asking, “What even is all of this?”

“It’s a blanket fort, silly!” Shirayuki smiles from her place nestled within one of the many clumps of pillows strewn through the room, “We started building them in Lyrais, and now it’s become something of a habit on notebook days.”

Ryuu nods, unearthing himself from his feathery prison, and gesturing towards the notebooks neatly stacked next to some of the smaller piles of pillows, “It’s…nice, to work in a fort.”

“Why Master,” Obi drawls, dancing closer to lean against his shoulder, “It’s almost like you’ve never played in a blanket fort before!”

“Oh no, not you too!” Shirayuki gasps, scandalized, scrambling to her feet, “Please tell me it’s not true, Zen!”

He can’t quite bring himself to verbally shoot down her hopes, so he just shrugs helplessly.  

“Oh Master…” Obi shakes his head sadly, clicking his tongue in mock disappointment, “Even little Ryuu has been in a blanket fort before.”

“Obi!” Shirayuki hisses, then launches a pillow at his face.

“What?” Obi dodges the pillow, but falls dramatically into the mountain of pillows beside Ryuu, sending feathers flying once more, “We may have only started him on blanket forts a year and a half ago, but Ryuu did go in one before Master.”

“Oh, you hush!” sending Obi one last scowl, Shirayuki turns to Zen and extends a tentative hand, “Will you…join us?”

Looking at her earnest expression and outstretched hand, Zen struggles to remember why he should probably return to his office and the dozens of papers waiting for his attention. His gaze drifts to his aides. Kiki’s pauses her bickering with Mitsuhide to offer a nod and an encouraging smile. Mitsuhide grins sheepishly, feeling a bit guilty for allowing the deception to continue, but glad to see the Prince away from his work for once. Obi just winks and ruffles Ryuu’s hair, tangling feathers even deeper to the laughing boy’s dark locks. Really, he never stood a chance against such a tempting and united front.

Reaching out with a smile, Zen sets his hand in hers, and their fingers curl together loosely, “Yes, I will join you, Shirayuki.”

[angstalottle]

Voltron Pre-School

Sorry for the late birthday gift @foxyjoy-art

Part 1:

Ever since the summer began to end Keith dreaded one thing, and that was sending his little brother Shiro off to his first day of school.

After an accident that killed their parents two years ago, Keith had become Shiro's guardian and decided it would be best if he held off on sending the toddler to mainstream school just yet.

It wasn't that Keith didn't think Shiro couldn'tselect handle the work, after all he can read and write just fine, the problem however was that the accident had taken his arm along with their parents and Keith was hesitant to place him into a room of screaming toddlers that may latch onto his disability and tease him for it.

However Shiro was almost five and social services were breathing down Keith's neck, he knew he had to get Shiro into school as soon as he could or risk losing him forever.

This didn't stop him though from taking his time to pick the best possible school.

After a many a sleepless night Keef finally settles on a special needs school for disabled children, even if it was just for a year it would be a good way to slowly introduce Shiro into school life hopefully in a more gentle and understanding environment.

In the end Keith still needed his roomate Lotor to actually make the call for Shiro to have a taster day.

“It will be fine.” Lotor sighed as he leaned against the doorway of his room bouncing the half asleep Shiro on his hip. As a lounge singer that worked nights he rarely emerged from his bed until well past midday, today however he was fully dressed in casual jeans and shirt with his long white hair hanging over one shoulder in a neat plait.

“Hes sensitive though… maybe this was a bad idea?” Keith was nothing short of full panic mode. His hair stuck out in every direction and his attempt at dressing somewhat presentable with a white button down and red tie was ruined by the wrinkles at the bottom created by wringing the material nervously.

“It's not, now shut up, brush your hair, i'll be in the car.” Lotor rolled his eyes leaning down to grab Shiro’s backpack containing nothing more then some paper, crayons and his lion plushie affectionately named Black after the ribbon tied messily around her neck.

Keith watched as Lotor left their small two bedroom house and wondered what he did to deserve such a great roommate who could put things simply enough that even he had no choice but to listen to them.

Keith took an long slow breath as he looked in the mirror and smoothes his hair down. “It will be ok, he will be ok.” He muttered to himself.

He preferred to avoid mirrors since the accident, gaining a long scar across his face and neck wasn't the reason however. It was because he looked so painfully like his mom that it made his heart ache to see her eyes staring back at him.

“Dont worry mom… dad…. I'll look after him.”

-------------------------------------------------------------

Pulling up to the small preschool made Keith uneasy, he wanted nothing more then to tell Lotor to take them home where shiro was safe from all the children wandering the playground contained behind brightly coloured fences that barely came up to Keith's thigh.

“Out.” Lotor commanded leaning over and opening the door for Keith making the message clear.

Keith shot Lotor one last desperate look before he freed Shiro from the child seat and placed him down out of the car.

No sooner had the doors closed did Lotor speed off, even with the knowledge that he would be back in twenty minutes to pick Keith up, it still seemed like he was making a run for it.

“Keef?” Shiro pulled on his brothers sleeve.

“Y-yeah buddy?” He asked kneeling down as to be eye level.

“Where are we?”

Keith sighed, this was the moment he had been dreading. The moment where he would have to explain that Keith would be leaving him here for the day, everyday from now on.

“That is school, we’re here to see if you like it or not.” Keith tried his best to smile but judging from Shiro’s less than thrilled expression he hadn't quite managed it.

“Mr Kogane?”

Keith was thankful of the distraction “yeah that's me” he stood up and extended his hand to a tanned woman that could almost pass for the female version of his roomate.

“Pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Allura i run the school.” She shook his hand before offering it to Shiro who promptly hid behind Keith's legs.

“Sorry” Keith placed a hand on Shiro’s head “He’s shy.”

“It's quite alright, my son won't say a word around strangers but soon as he warms up to someone the trick is getting him to shut up.” She chuckled as she gestured for the two to follow.

Shiro looked up at Keith as if asking not to, Keith wished he could grant that request. Instead he had no choice but to take his little hand in his and follow Allura into the school.

“So we cater to a variety of disabilities here with facilities designed to accommodate them. We have a sensory room, a soft play area, a physio center and a top of the range class room.” Allura pointed out each of the locations as they walked through the brightly coloured halls.

Childrens artwork covered the walls and a small handrail about toddler height lined the hall on both sides.

“Shiro only really has his amputation and being behind a couple years to be honest.” Keith admitted as he peaked inside a room to see a group of children lying on the floor watching as colourful lights were projected onto the ceiling above them.

“Ah yes Lotor mentioned it on the phone, i've placed him in the physical disability class for those a couple years younger than him, but we can adjust that later on if he needs to be moved up or down.” Allura answered easily.

This place almost seemed too good to be true, a top of the range school that could really help Shiro, there had to be some kind of catch.

“About tuition. I don't think i can afford this place.” Keith admitted watching sadly as shiro peered around almost excited.

“There is no tuition.” Allura replied as a small girl came running out of a classroom holding a crudely drawn picture of a robot. Bright green hearing aids poked out through her hair. Allura smiled as he took the picture “thank you Pidge this is loverly.”

The girl squealed happily before running back into her class.

“What do you mean there's no tuition… A place this fell funded must be-”

Allura held up her hand “My father was the founder of the Voltron corporation and when he died he left me a very large inheritance. I spent most of my teen years wasting it on parties and travel. Then when i was twenty i was pregnant. My little boy changed my life and made me realise i wanted to help people. At first i planned on just opening a homeless shelter. But there was a fire and… i couldn't save my sons sight but i can make sure he has every opportunity to an education that an able child has.” Allura stopped in front of a blue doorway.

“Just because my son was born into money doesn't mean he deserves help while children without won't get any. There are no costs because i see no need to hoard money that could never be spent if i had a hundred lifetimes.”

Keith couldn't believe it. This woman was a literal angel on Earth. “I… i don't know what to say.”

“Why not goodbye? This is the classroom.” Allura jerked her head towards the door.

A weight seemed to settle in the pit of Keiths stomach as he realised it was time to leave his little brother all alone in a strange place with strange people.

Allura as if sensing his panic took Shiro’s empty hand and gently pulled him away from Keith.

“Hey Shiro, i heard you like lions right?”

Shiro nodded placing his thumb in his mouth after pulling his hand free from Allura.

“Well i know another little boy that loves them.” She slowly opened the door revealing a small playroom with six children all running around and playing while one boy with tanned skin and a blue shirt was sat in a corner surrounded by lion plushies.

“Whys he alone?” Shiro asked quietly.

“Well the other children don't really know how to play with him because he can't see.” Allura explained softly.

Shiro frowned as if he were solving a complex math problem “Then they should just talk to him!” Shiro declared with a nod.

Allura smiled as she shot a look up at Keith “well why don't you?”

Keith expected Shiro to refuse and come running to hide behind his big brother. However he again nodded and practically ran towards the other child.

“Works every time.” Allura grinned as he rose to her full height and placed her hands on her hips “Your little brother is a natural hero. He sees a problem and he fixes it, no better problem then a lonely child.”

“How do you know the other kid will be nice to him or even want to be his friend?” Keith asked nervously wondering if he could run past her.

“Because Mr Kogane that's my son Lance and you will be pressed to find a more gentle and loving child then him.

---------------------------------------------------

Shiro ignored the greetings from the other children as he plopped down on the cushions in front of Lance.

“Hey im Shiro i'm five.”

Lance lifted his head in the direction of the voice and smiled “Im Lance i'm four next month” he declared proudly as he felt around him eventually finding a small blue plushie and hugging it close to his chest.

“The nice lady said you can't see so im gonna talk to you so you don't feel lonely!” Shiro grinned scooting closer.

“I'm not lonely…” Lance spoke in a small voice rubbing his cheek against the soft fur of his toy. “do you want to play lions? This is Blue.”

Shiro nodded pulling black from his bag and began to describe every little detail of her to Lance with the biggest smile on his face.

As Keith watched from the doorway he smiled. He couldn't remember the last time Shiro had looked so carefree, like a child and not a patient.

“Shall i prepare the enrollment paperwork?” Allura asked.

Keith swallowed the lump in his throat “y-yeah… i think he will be very happy here.

[stevieang]

Love Among the Little Chairs  Chapter 1/?

Summary: A/U: Lia Accorsi is a preschool teacher of children with special needs, who loves what she does and loves who she is - a plus+plus size woman.  Her best friend and secret crush, the kindergarten teacher next door, is James Buchanan Barnes.  Little does she know, he’s crushing just as hard (maybe harder) on her and admires her as a teacher, cares for her as a person, and thinks everything about her is beautiful.  Will they figure out how to find each other?

Word Count: 2090

Pairing: James “Bucky” Barnes/OFC

Warnings: For this first time around, swooning, swearing, light fluff.

A/N: My first Tumblr post!  I hope you like it, and you’re kind whether you do or don’t.  Enjoy and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

“Just another morning with little chairs and the little people that occupy them.” Lia whispered as she walked through the toy castles,  box forts, doll houses, and river rafts created by her students.  Each creator had asked her, no, begged her, to leave their structures set up on the rug so they could play with them the next day.  

She was hesitant, but when her teaching assistant and the Occupational Therapist who worked with her also started begging, she caved.  She knew that for her students, these were more than just playthings, they were testaments to new steps on their developmental ladder.

Lia’s first love had always been to fight for the underdog.  To stand up for kids and people that weren’t considered “enough” to make the cut - smart enough, able enough, thin enough, pretty enough, rich enough.  She had always been one of them, and she chose to make her career being one of their strongest allies and loudest cheerleaders.  Fuck everyone else who didn’t believe in them - she did.  

After graduating with a double master’s in special education and communication disorders, Lia set out in the world.  She grew up in a middle-class blue collar family where hard work was required and self-sufficiency was essential for success.  She was thankful that her life wasn’t a “Her family treated her terribly because she was different, and therefore she had less-than-no self-esteem” story.  Her family treated her with love and respect, and helped her grow into a cautiously confident woman who knew what she wanted.  

Sure, the world was full of assholes with their bullying side comments, rude stares and guffaws, and really hurtful jokes.  Lia knew that her world was better if it was smaller - she started slow when meeting new people, and once they were firmly in her confidence, showed them the full-on sarcastic beauty of her personality, and by then she had a friend and ally for life.   She was always going to have to watch out for the public humiliation fat girls got, but after she figured out a good mix of healthy lifestyle habits she felt “right” in her body.  She vowed to try her best to ban negative self-talk and was successful, most of the time.

Lia knew today was going to be busy.  All the kids had therapy which she helped to run which left her no time to write the 2 ed plans that were due before the end of the day.   All her students had moderate-to-severe special needs, ranging from physical disabilities that required walkers or wheelchairs, sensory impairments that made her an expert in finding and fixing glasses and hearing aids, and cognitive and learning challenges that made the world harder to understand and navigate.  

She loved every single one of them as if they were her own.  She’d been blessed to be able to interview and hire an amazing team of support professionals that made her and her students’ lives better (and much more interesting) every day.  There was a reason her classroom was used as a model within the district, and this team was it.

She snapped pictures of the rug-bound creations to send home and hang in the classroom later.  “You are always taking pictures, lady.”  Lia looked up and smiled at Madeleine, her lead OT.  Her grad student Madison (who also happened to be her daughter) walked in immediately after, bringing coffee and goodies that made Lia’s mouth water.  

As they all took a moment to sit and sip, they were joined in quick succession by the team physical therapist (PT), nurse, and 2 teaching assistants.  The adults *almost* outnumbered the kids, but each person was essential to her classroom’s success.  One look at the clock had them quickly preparing for the day and heading out to meet the students.  

The day was just about as busy as she predicted, with quite a few laughs (more than tears, so that’s always good).  She had no time for her paperwork, so she ran to the corner sub shop to grab dinner and coffee before settling in for a long night in her classroom.  

“Hello Ms. Lia”

She startled and giggled as Luke, the night custodian, came in for his rounds.

“I’ve been telling you for 5 years that after the kids leave, please call me Lia.”

“...and I’ve been telling you for 5 years that ain’t gonna happen.  You’re a teacher.  My ma would slap me if she heard me call a teacher by their first name.”

She sighed, impressed with his civility but a bit frustrated with her lack of progress with his stubbornness.

“How were the kids today? They sure were happy when they showed me their mudpies.”

Lia grinned.  “Sorry about the mess.  We tried to clean up as much as possible, but a few of the boys got away from us.”

“Don’t you ever apologize for those kids.  I’ve told you before, my son’s like them, and he is our gift from God.  Wouldn’t change a single thing about him.”

“Well, Mr. Luke, you are our gift.  Thank you for all you do for us - day in and day out.”  He quietly completed his work and bid Lia goodnight on his way next door as she returned her eyes to her computer screen.  She didn’t even turn her head when the door opened soon after.

“I knew you’d be back - you forgot to tell me you’d lock up after me.”  

“Sorry, what?”

Lia shrieked as the unexpected voice broke through her single-minded focus.  She turned, ready to defend herself with the prized ceramic mug her class made her for Christmas.

“Whoa!  It’s me, don’t shoot!”  The teacher from next door had his hands up, barely covering the big smile on his face.

“Jesus, James!  You couldn’t give a girl a warning!  Something? I don’t know - a knock maybe?”

His chuckle made her forget her irritation.  “Sorry, I just wanted to know if you wanted anything - I was going out to grab dinner.”  She and James often worked late.  Not only did they have neighboring classrooms, his class was the next step for many of her students.  They had first worked together on some administrative special education committee that had eventually netted some grant money for new technology and consultant time, and had gotten along very well since.

“No thanks, I knew this was gonna be a late one so I ran out right after the kids left.  How come you’re here?  Well, other than there aren’t nearly enough hours in a day.”

“Yeah, something like that.  Three ed plans to write, and we’re doing an experiment tomorrow that I want to make sure is completely set up before I leave.  Maddie and Madison helped me with it and the kids are super excited.”  Lia smiled at him.  He was a wonderful teacher and better, she trusted him with the kids he inherited from her.  

“That sounds awesome.  I’d love to hear about it, but if I don’t finish this stuff, I’ll never get home.  I’d like to catch my Thursday show live for once, instead of watching it on demand two weeks later.”  She snorted to herself, knowing how unlikely that was.  “Thanks so much for thinking of me, James.  That was very kind.”

They laughed together at the words they used with the kids all day long to foster empathy.  “You’re welcome.  Let me know when you’re leaving.  I’ll walk you home or grab a cab with you.”

Lia had already shifted her attention back to her work, giving him a half-hearted “sure, thanks” as she tried to regain her momentum and cross at least one thing off her list.  James gently closed the classroom door, and almost bumped into Luke as he made his way out.

“She take you up on dinner this time?” The older man’s eyes were smiling as he went about his routine.

“No, not tonight.  She’s busy.”

“That woman is always busy.  Busy isn’t a reason for you to take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Well, it’s the answer I got tonight, Luke.  I’m gonna run and get dinner, do you want anything?”  As he caught Luke shaking his head, he walked down the steps into the comfortably cool night air, unable to shake a feeling that he couldn’t quite name.   After he got settled back into work, the text alert sounded.  Lia and he often texted room-to-room because they knew their plans would be completely derailed if they talked face-to-face.

Lia A: Thanks for the offer of dinner, that was nice.  Maybe another time?

JBB: Of course.  The school year is far from over, I’m sure we’ll have other opportunities.

Lia A: You ain’t kidding.  Alright, I’m out for the night.  My brain has officially shut down and no more work can be completed that won’t have to be redone later.  Have a good night.

JBB: WAIT

James ran out of his classroom and let out an exasperated sigh as  he saw Lia’s darkened room.  She’d done this before - texted him as she walked out the door, not letting him walk her home, and he wondered why.  They respected each other, helped each other, even leaned on each other during the inevitably sucky times,  but it seemed like every time he even hinted at something outside the work arena, she kindly but firmly declined.  He grabbed his phone.

JBB: Why did you do that?  I told you I would’ve walked with you.

Lia A: I know, but I peeked in and you looked like you were in a groove.  I didn’t want to interrupt that.  Plus it’s not far and I always carry my pepper spray and whistle.  I’ll be fine.

JBB: Did anyone ever tell you you’re stubborn?

Lia A: Mr. B, I am offended.

Lia A: Sigh. Yes.  In fact, it’s usually you.

JBB: Can you just let me know you arrived home safely, then?

Lia A: You got it.  Thanks.

James quickly packed up his messenger bag, took one last look at the room, and snapped a picture to send to Maddie and Madison, telling them how psyched he was to see what tomorrow brought.  He bid Luke goodnight, and headed home, cheered by the text alert that told him Lia was safely home.  

As Lia puttered in her little apartment, she thought, as usual, about her students.  Oh, who the hell was she kidding, she was also thinking about James.  He was so kind, so sweet, so helpful, so…smolderingly sexy.  She had been successfully immunizing herself against James’ more alluring attributes for as long as she’d known him.  

She knew he was a truly good person - heck, it was rare enough to find male special educators at the elementary level, but to find one as good as he was at his job?  It was like catnip - she found it incredibly hard to resist.  It didn’t matter - he wasn’t offering anything that she had to resist.   A while back, he told her about a girlfriend back home, or something like that, which had slammed shut the gateway to any hope of him reciprocating her feelings.  

Knowing this, she still needed to recite her mantra: “He’s just a friend.  You’re friends and co-workers.  He has a girlfriend.”  The mantra didn’t help a lot, particularly when he texted her at unexpected times - sometimes they were goofy, sometimes serious, but always sweet.  It was nice to know someone was looking out for you when you lived alone.

JBB: Did you catch your show in time?

Lia A: Sigh. No.  looks like I’m 0 for 5 this season.  S���alright.  More to binge watch this weekend.

Lia A: Thanks for checking in - good luck on the lesson tomorrow.  Can’t wait to hear how great it goes!

JBB: Welcome and thank you.  I’ll send you some pictures. Night.

Lia finished doing all the stuff that would let her sleep as late as possible the next morning and climbed into bed.  She laughed as she tagged her team in an Instagram post and sighed when she saw how soon the alarm would be going off.

James finished packing all the stuff he needed to hit the gym before work and smiled as he saw Lia’s Instagram post.  She had all her materials packed up and her clothes and lunch ready to go.  The caption turned the smile into something more, “The irresistible life of a preschool teacher.  You know you want it.”

“You have no idea,” as he plugged in his phone and let those thoughts lull him to sleep.

Chapter 2  

@star-spangled-man-with-a-plan @suz-123

[regretsdelusionstoughluck]

PART 3

WEDNESDAY MORNING

While Damon was online looking for odd jobs he noticed an add for dancers needed. He’s had a stripper license since he was 19 and used this as a means for extra money when not deployed. He sent this to Oliver in an email prior to calling him on his way to the pharmacy.

“Morning”

“Check out the email”

As he pulled out his iPad, he saw the email

“What the fuck is this?”

“Strippin....you already do way more,  plus a bachelorette party would get you a killing. I used to dance at a few of them when I was home”

“Got anything else?”

“Banquets, I know a lot of companies. I can send you a list of catering companies you could do work for. What you got going on right now?”

“Laying on the couch, going into the office”

[Really? That’s the best you got? What part of “I want out of this life do you not understand?]

While he wasn’t thrilled about it, he took some time to think about t and he realized that bachelorette parties are for the entertainment value and he did keep his body in shape. However, didn’t want his current situation to mirror that of “The Players Club”.

Oliver got up from the couch to fix himself an omelette while continuing to talk. “Yo, I got you on speaker phone, doing some stuff in the kitchen”

“Man, remember when we were young and we would see vacationers out here, we vowed that one day it would be us taking trips with our families?”

“I do, and when I look at where I’m at, I think to myself “What the actual fuck?”

[We were lied to. In 2008, when we were in high school, we were told to go to college. That it was the ticket to a successful life. What they didn’t tell us is that the economy would tank. They didn’t go cover any alternatives. They never went over the cost of living and the fact that people here are working three jobs. I should have seen this with my own parents. Dad worked for the state and then worked as a janitor in the evenings. Mom still works as a financial aid officer at a state college. The preparation sucked. What the fuck am I gonna use creative writing for? Why was that in school?]

He cut the conversation short to eat his breakfast and get a shower in before work. Afterwards, he ironed a pair of pants and a golf shirt and heaved to the office where the direction informed him and Claudia:

“I have a project for the two of you. Our event is coming up at the mall. You two are going to be drawing outlines to these animal pieces on the construction poet right there. We’re expecting about 200 kids”

“No problem” Oliver said looking at the green construction paper in front of him

“It’ll be a breeze” Claudia assured him as she took a pair of scissors and the elephant trunk and demonstrated. 

“So it’s like build a bear type of think but with other animals but they’re decorating their bags with them. That’s cute”

“Yeah, so are you gonna go to the career fair next week”

“The one at the convention center?”

“Yea, I heard there’s going to be several companies there.”

[Resume-FEMA, fucking, and non-profit]

“I plan on it. Do you know if any government agencies are gonna be there? I couldn’t find a roster anywhere”

“Not sure”

They continued working while talking about goals and aspirations when he noticed an alert on her phone. Knowing the conference due to getting the same alert an hour earlier, he asked her how she knew about it? Somewhat embarrassed, she snapped “What are you doing looking at my phone?!”

“I merely glanced over!” he exclaimed before taking her aside and confessing to being involved in the worlds oldest profession “I hate it. One would think attractive people and pleasure but there’s no real live and frankly it feels like a modern version of slavery. I can’t get a decent date to save my life”

After a moment of silence, she admitted that she was a phone sex operator and that she worked in evenings. “I have a friend who also is in high class escorting”

“High class?”

“Let’s talk about it later? How about we meet for a drink after work? We need to get a bit more of this done.”

Meanwhile, Damon was scouting on the web when his eye caught the attention of a webcam modeling website.

 He though about his current life and how he’d mange to file his taxes. He normally got a 1090 at the end of the year. He also though about the repercussions of this and the thought that the clientele could  be from his local area. He had a flashback to being deployed in Germany where he and some buds where in a night club, partying surrounded by beautiful women. “We are like royalty!”  He thought about a conversation he had with his peer about wanting to serve for eight years and then retire and start college. Little did he know that half way though that time frame that he’d suffer a back injury along w/ PTSD from witnessing the death of a friend at the hands of a grenade.

He applied for work with multiple agencies and thought about how he could sporadically work vs checking in daily. With webcam modeling he could set his own schedule. With that in mind he decided to text Oliver.

“Who was that?”

“My friend Damon”

“So about how long have you with with this company?”

“About six months. I’m trying to start grad school”

They chatted while filing paperwork. They talked about politics, racial issues, economic issues, and the like. Claudia made for good company. She graduated with two degrees. She majored in English Education and Journalism and worked as a teacher’s aide for a period. She was tired of the work with virtually no pay. She responded to an add. Currently she works for a phone sex. One has seen the commercials late at night. She’s one of them. Definitely more conventional than Oliver’s current job. 

As he was getting ready to eat lunch, she Claudia asked him if he wanted to eat while they worked. “Sure” he said as he went to grab his lunch out of his bag. 

“We work with several schools in their special ed departments”

“What do y’all do?”

”We will be finalizing contracts for events mainly. But we do outreach and after school programs on social etiquette and speech practices our goal is to  help those with autism be as integrated into society as possible” Noticing Oliver’s garden salad, she asked him “you health conscious?”

“Yep. Grew up like that. My parent’s rarely fried anything, but they didn’t ban them from the house. My mom was always big on vitamins and drinking plenty of water. I practice that today, to keep things under control. Being a diabetic, I have to watch it.”

Shocked at the revelation she asked him when he was diagnosed. He was diagnosed at 6 years old.

“I’m trying to lose weight, but I find myself emotionally eating more than I should”

Trying to avoid saying anything that could be interpreted as offensive, he simply said that he had his days too, hence the reason he goes to the gym six days/week, doing a combination of cardio and weights. After they finished eating lunch, they cut more construction paper and bagged it. They filed folders away for about an hour when Oliver signed out.”See you tomorrow?”

“You’ll see me in a couple of hours.”

The sun was beaming as Oliver drove home. He rolled down his window and plugged his phone in to have some music playing. He checked the mail and saw the electric bill was in. “Shouldn’t be this much” he said “I’m never home”

He checked his email as well as his escorting profile receiving three request including one overnight stay. Booking these trips back to back, he thought about his weekly check at $8.75/hr at 25 hrs per week along w/ the money from the three client’s that he’d earn. He’d have enough to pay his final payment on his only student loan and to pay his car note.

He kicked off his shoes to give his feet some air and called his mom.

[I’m being nice. This place is a shithole, in fact the only reason my unit isn’t laden with roaches is because I frequently buy those foggers and then I have to open the damn windows and door risking my shit being stolen. Also, Bengal and Boric Acid along the cracks and corners have done wonders.]

He looked up and realized that it was time to meet Claudia. He traded in his work outfit for a pair or black cargo shorts, a zero-nineteen tank top from K-Mart, and a pair of flip-flops and headed out. He got in the truck, turned the air on and arrived to the bar 20 minutes later. Locating Claudia at a table in the bar area we walked in to meet her when the waiter took their drink order.

[She’s a pharmacy tech and she still needs to be a lady of the evening by night? I’m fucked-literally and figuratively]

She advised him to update his profile to include massages and casual dates at a lower rate. While they were talking, A woman walks up, dark skin, about 5′9, in her mid 20s. She spotted Claudia and walked in the sit next to her.

“Hey chick!”

“Hey!”

“Hello, I’m Aya, how are your doing?” she said as she reached out to shake Oliver’s hand

“Oliver, I’m good. How about you?”

“So this is the guy? He’s cute”

“He’s taken”

“Actually I’m very available”

After ordering a drink, she begin to explain to Oliver how she got into her current part time job.  “I started off escorting however a client of mine introduced me to a coworker of his that owned a matchmaking service. I showed up to a mixer I went out on one date. I never saw the guy again afterwards. That said, he did mention to me that he had utilized services where one would rent a dates for events. I eventually branched off and begin advertising on craigslist and the like.”

“So do you still...….you  know?”

“Sporadically, but that’ll cost extra.”

Later that night, he decided to update his profile w/ additional services offered. He decided to try out a couple of speed dating events himself. He might even snap a client or two.  Perhaps, he’d been looking in the wrong places, maybe it was time for more upscale social functions. His current evening work was not a glamorous job and frankly it was quite dangerous. 

[Prostitution can be traced back as far as biblical times. Not a new profession and it’s a profession that’s always been available for the money. Sometimes, we use it to pay off a loan or some sort of debt. For others, it’s the love of sex. Some just like the temporary luxury that comes with being one’s bitch. Me? I’d like nothing more than to settle down. I know there’s a way. It may take a while to find it, but I refuse to have THIS be my stop.]

STORY SYNOPSIS

CHARACTERS

PART 4 TO FOLLOW

[thedragontamerying]

If there’s one thing that me and Artemisia have in common, it’s that we’re both big science nerds. Really, if she hadn’t become the Royal Tactician, she probably would have been involved in STEM and have a career in biology. But using her brain for battle will have to do! Biology is such a fun topic though, especially when you get into genetics and evolution. Really shows you how cool the world is and how life always finds a way to keep going. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the short story!

Tagging: @insomniasix @theyearofdiamonddogs @zoeyredbird1 @seal-pai @ffxv-ocs-unite

                                                  Hopping for Joy

Artemisia yawned, trying to blink away any traces of tiredness from her eyes as she browsed the gas station wares. Despite it being midday, her body was ready to call in and collapse in her bed roll -- or an actual bed, if she were lucky. Her and the guys had been traveling nonstop, completing hunts to earn some extra money. Along with the hunts, they’ve also been busy with helping anyone who was in need of a favor. Thankfully, this meant that their wallets were nice and full. On the other hand though, this meant their bodies were exhaustingly sore.

Artemisia, due to her job at the Citadel, had grown accustomed to the effects of mental exhaustion. She had spent many long nights with piles of paperwork and the company of her laptop. Even on those nights where she had gotten little to no sleep at all, she learned how to work through it. Having someone like Ignis, whose own schedule was also chaotically busy, around was helpful and probably one of the few reasons why she hasn’t died young due to sleep deprivation.

Adding sore muscles and screaming hamstrings on top of mental exhaustion, however, is a whole other playing field. The brain has a hard time being reasoned with to stay awake when the body is also calling for a deep power nap. Thankfully though, they’ve just finished the lasts of the bounties that they took. Hopefully that means they could return to Lestallum before nightfall and crash there for perhaps a week.

“Artemis,” Ignis rounded the corner of the small aisle, a small handful of potions and elixirs in his arms. “I believe I have everything that we were in need of. Anything else?”

“A bed with fluffy pillows and warm blankets?”

He chuckled. “Unfortunately, we’ll have to secure those elsewhere.”

Artemisia sighed dramatically. “And here I thought you could do anything, Ignis.”

“I am but a mortal man.”

Artemisia laughed before following her friend to finish purchasing their items. The two took a bag each and carried them to the Regalia. As they were rearranging their camping equipment to fit the bags, Ignis glanced at his wrist watch. “Those three should be done collecting the reward money by now.” Closing the Regalia’s trunk, the two looked over at The Crow’s Nest restaurant that the rest of their group went into earlier. Sometimes Prompto would have Noctis pose outside with the Kenny the Crow statue for a picture, but there wasn’t any trace of them there.

“Guess we’ll have to go get them.” Artemisia sheepishly smiled, concluding that they must still be inside. Ignis released an annoyed sigh before following her towards the establishment. “Most likely ruining their appetite for dinner later…” He mumbled. Just as Artemisia took the first step into the restaurant, Prompto came around the corner from the side of the building with Noctis and Gladiolus right behind him. “Hey guys!”

“There you are,” Ignis said relieved.

“We thought that we were going to have to pry you away from a mountain of fries.” Artemisia joked, stepping away from the diner’s entrance and joining the boys off to the side. “That would have been a sad sight to see.”

Gladiolus chuckled. “Like I’d let them pig out like that. Anyway,” he nudged Noctis, “Your highness here actually just got us another job.”

Artemisia had to hold back a tired groan. “Another one?”

“Trust me, I didn’t want it either…” Noctis muttered, his own wriness evident. “It just kinda happened.”

Prompto laughed. “She didn’t really give any room to say no.”

“Not like it’s a tough job anyway.” Gladiolus added.

“What is it then?” Ignis asked, his tone hinting that even he was a little miffed not being able to relax yet. Ignis, however, was never one to turn down helping someone no matter how tired he may be.

“Some lady wants us to go catch her some frogs…” Their fatigued prince tactfully answered.

“Frogs?”

Gladiolus huffed a laugh through his nose. “Gifting frogs for a lady… Guess there's a first for everything.”

Artemisia blinked confused. Who would send, let alone pay, someone to just find some frogs? An enthusiast? Nonetheless, catching some frogs sounded like nothing compared to what they've been dealing with recently. “Odd request,” Ignis rested a finger on his chin inquisitively. “But I suppose it's doable.”

“Alright, Iggy’s on board!” Prompto cheered. “How about it, Artemis? Up to catching some hippity hoppity frogs?”

Artemisia shrugged. “Sure, why not. I haven't gone searching for frogs in a long time.”

Noctis smiled nostalgically, remembering how Artemisia was somehow able to sneak in the little amphibian creatures multiple times when they were younger. When Noctis was still confined to his wheelchair, she would bring frogs in a small carrier so he could hold and watch them without worry of them hopping away. Once he was able to walk again though, the carrier left and they start hunting for frogs in the Citadel’s well-kept garden and eventually let them loose in his bedroom. That only happened a couple of times before they stopped, worried that Ignis might have a stress-induced aneurysm if he had to clean frog mucus once more.

“Well, let’s get to it then!” Prompto cheered. He then started walking off in a confident stride in the direction of where Artemisia assumed their goal was. Then he quickly scurried back to the group with a embarrassed grin. “Where did she say to look again?”

“Some lake nearby, I think.”

Ignis sighed at their incompetence. “I presume the client was referring to Neeglyss Pond. It’s only a short walk away from here.”

“Wait, so is it a pond or a lake?”

The group decided to ignore Prompto’s question, preferring to not get into the discussion of the differences between bodies of water and if their names fit them or not. Instead, they pushed onwards towards their destination in search of the desired amphibians.

They reached Neeglyss Pond and as soon as they approached the water they could hear the chirping of water insects and, more importantly, the croaks of frogs. “Alright, where to start?” Prompto asked in anticipation, rubbing his hands together. “Sounds like there’s lots of them.”

“Yeah but don’t forget, she said she wanted only the red ones.” Gladiolus added.

Artemisia hummed curiously. “Well,” she looked at the horizon to the setting sun, “Frogs are more active at night, so we should be able to find lots of them now.”

“Consequently, so are daemons.” Ignis stated. “I would rather we not risk our lives for a couple of amphibians.”

“Right,” she agreed, “If you don’t see them by the water, check by the rocks or in the thicker bits of foliage. Frogs like to be where it’s dark and damp.”

With those words of advice, the group began their search. The guys mostly stuck to the shoreline of the water searching between the rocks and tall grass, with Gladiolus being an exception. He didn’t seem to hesitate to roll up the edges of his pants and search the water for any swimming frogs or any that might have been resting on lilypads. Trying to follow the croaking sounds, they were able to zone in on a few spots that appeared to have hordes of the little hopping creatures. “Oh, I think I found one!” Prompto called out. He squeezes his hand in a small gap between two rocks, grunting as he struggled with the awkward angle. Ignis came to his aid, tilting one of the rocks to the side to give Prompto more wiggle room. Several of the frogs hopped out from the rocks, running from the foreign intrusion to the safety of the murky waters.

Amongst the various shades of green and tan, a flash of red shot out from the ground to follow in the escape. Prompto was quick though and was able to grab the frog when it landed after its first hop. “Got it!” He declared, gently lifting the frog up and trying to sooth it by lightly stroking his thumb down its back. “That’s one down.”

“Make that two.” Ignis presented another red frog in his hand, the amphibian laying relaxed in his hand with the occasional chirp. “This one was hiding further in.”

Prompto laughed. “Leave it to Iggy to catch a frog with no trouble at all.”

Artemisia was about to congratulate the two before a nearby caw caught her attention. A small group of frogs were sunbathing on a rock soaking up as much sun that was left. Amongst the group was another red couple. Noctis also appeared to have noticed them as he began to slowly make his way closer to them. Carefully, he reached out to grab the two frogs before they could notice his intentions.

Suddenly, one of the green frogs let out a high pitched scream that startled Noctis back a couple of steps. Following the emergency signal, all the frogs took off jumping towards the water. Noctis, recovering from his previous shock of hearing such a terrifying shriek from such a small animal, ran in pursuit. “Grab that one, Noct! I got this one!” Artemisia shouted, chasing the one further ahead. Focusing on the one closest to him, Noctis skidded on his knees into a pool of mud that the determined frog tried to escape into. Diving his hands into the grime, he was able to grab the frog before it could bury itself even deeper. Noctis breathed a sigh of relief, raising a brow as the frog futility bite his finger in protest of being handled. “Got it.”

Artemisia pursued the other, running into the shallow water when the frog dived in. Gladiolus rushed over, trying to stop the frog from swimming away by blocking it with his body. Quickly, Artemisia snatched the frog up from the under the water. “You got it?” Artemisia nodded to Gladiolus, picking off some pieces of seaweed off of the frog as she looked over it. “How many did the client ask of these little guys?”

“I think she said at least five.”

Ignis looked at the horizon, the sun threatening to disappear soon. “We might have to return tomorrow morning, or see if the patron will accept what we have. Night will soon be upon us and we need to secure a safe resting spot for the evening.”

Artemisia hummed in consideration, looking down at her now calmed frog as she lightly pet it. She’d hate having to leave a job unfinished or disappoint whoever had asked for their help, but they did need to consider the danger that they would be in if they remained much longer. Keeping the frogs overnight and returning for one more tomorrow wasn’t really an option, as keeping the frogs would mean constant care to make sure that they wouldn’t freeze from the night temperatures or suffocate if their skin dried up. They simply didn’t have the necessary equipment to keep the frogs alive and well to wait the whole night. They would either have to deliver them now or release them and hope they can find more the next day.

As she thought over their options, a little croak caught Artemisia’s attention. She looked over to a small patch of lily pads and saw the smallest red bud on the lily pads. At first she thought it was the bud of a unopened flower but quickly realized that it was indeed a juvenile frog. “Oh!” Artemisia gasped out, just about to tell Gladiolus about the nearby frog before it quickly hopped into the water.

“What is it?”

Her shoulders slumped. “There was another frog behind you but it just swam away--”

All of sudden Gladiolus dove into the water, splashing Artemisia with the consequential waves. Artemisia stood frozen, her wide eyes blinking rapidly. She stared down at where Gladiolus had disappeared into the water, not seeing any sign of his giant figure in the murky water. The water where she stood was shallow, only coming up to her knees; his swimming speed must be incredible.

Suddenly Gladiolus emerged from the water several feet away from where he was originally, hands cupped together and his hair dripping down his face. He raised his hands above his head. “I got it!”

Prompto cheered. “Nice one, big guy!”

“I wouldn’t have thought you would be so determined to catch a little frog like that, Gladio.” Artemisia commented, gently taking the smaller frog into her other hand so Gladiolus could move the strands of hair clinging to the front of his face.

“Speaking from experience, you’re going to want to give this lady as much as she asks for. Trust me.”

Artemisia blinked a couple of times, just realizing that Gladiolus must have known the client before this job. She thought it over for a moment, trying to think of who the mystery person could be before deciding to brush it aside. With how popular Gladiolus was with people she would be stuck thinking over it for hours.

“Well, I can confidently say that the request is successfully finished.” Ignis declared. “Now, why don’t we head back and deliver the goods.”

“I’m just glad that I’m not the one sopping wet this time.” Noctis added, the mud on his arms completely dried and beginning to flake off.

Gladiolus grinned. “Unlike you, I’m not a wuss and can handle a little cold water.” He invitingly opened his arms out, almost like the wings tattooed on his arms. “I’m willing to share if anyone wants some though.”

The others stared at him, remaining quiet. Gladiolus’ eyes darted over to Artemisia and a big smirk grew on his face. Artemisia took a step back towards land, watching him suspiciously. “Since you’re closest, Artemis.” Artemisia yelped out a high pitch “No!” and dodged his attempted hug, scurrying to land and running ahead with the frogs in hand. Ignis followed after her quickly, leaving both Noctis and Prompto behind.

“C’mere, guys!”

“Don’t even think about it!”

After everyone frantically avoid Gladiolus generous affections, the group fell into a calm walk back to the gas station from once they came.  They all enjoyed the cooling weather and the descending sun as they walked back. Gladiolus had quickly dried off during the walk back, with only his clothes remaining slightly damp. Artemisia tasked herself with keeping their amphibious friends moist, lathering water from their canteens on the frogs’ backs and dripping some on the guys hands for extra measure.

“So where is the woman who asked for these?” Artemisia asked once they returned to the gas station.

Noctis gestured off to the side with a one sided shrug. “She was over here last time.” Noctis led the five to the side of the restaurant, where the noise of croaking became louder. Did this woman already have frogs before this? How many did she have? Why ask for more?

As soon as the group turned the corner of the building, Artemisia noticed a small travel cart with an assortment of caged frogs. The croaking frogs from the cart were starting to rile up the ones in their hands, who were starting to croak back in response. Beyond the cart, she noticed a woman who made Artemisia eyes widen and her breath hitch. She came to a sudden stop, Prompto accidentally bumping into her from the abrupt halt. “Artemis?”

The others looked at Artemisia to see if something was possibly bothering her. Instead, they found her cheeks glowing pink and her jaw hanging down in awe.  The guys have never seen Artemisia’s eyes sparkle as brightly as it did at that moment. Small, barely audible and entirely unintelligent whimpers left Artemisia’s mouth, but none sounded like they came from a place of distress. The guys glanced at each other.

Well this was kinda weird.

“Uh, you okay there Artemis?”

More obscure babble escaped Artemisia’s mouth before she regained control over her lips. “Is-Is-Is that… Professor Sania Yeager?”

Noctis glanced over at the dark-skinned woman dressed in short overalls and a distinct red hat. “She didn’t say what her name was…”

“Sania who?”

“Sania Yeager, a famously renowned biological engineer.” Ignis stated, finally coming to realization himself. “Her work in biology and how wildlife is affected by the Starscourge is highly celebrated across the scientific community.”

“Uh, I think our little enthusiast here is about to have a heart attack.” Gladiolus announced watching Artemisia tremble slightly. Ignis took the two frogs from her, concerned that in her elation she might squeeze them too hard. “Alright, calm down there fangirl.” Gladiolus dropped his hands over Artemisia’s shoulders to steady her, mindlessly rubbing his thumbs into her shoulders. “I should have guessed that you were a fan of her’s.”

“Gladio!” Artemisia rapidly spun around and gripped the collar of the man’s jacket, bringing him down to her eye level as she balanced on the tips of her toes. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew Professor Yeager?” She whispered, eyes holding barely restrained exhilaration.

Gladiolus held his hands up defensively. “Hey, I only met her once in Hammerhead. It’s not like I’ve had her number in my phone for years. I would have introduced you then but she left right after we first arrived.” Artemisia released his collar, and began to nervously twiddle her thumbs as she stared at the clueless Sania. “She’s here now, and what better way to meet her than to deliver the best gift for her.”

“Passionate scientists love specimen.” Ignis added.

Artemisia took a deep breath in. “Yeah, yeah your right. This is the best opportunity I have to make a good first impression. I just gotta...” She rubbed her arms frantically before shaking her hands wildly below her waist. “Gotta shake the nerves away.” After a moment of hyping herself up and encouragement from the guys, Artemisia held out her hands to take back the frogs from Ignis. “I’m ready. Let’s do this.” She took back the two frogs and one extra from Ignis before following Noctis over to Sania.

The biologist glanced at the approaching group, immediately perking up when she noticed the red frogs in their hands. “Look at all these lovelies! Thank you!” Sania cooed, gently taking the frogs from Noctis and a static Artemisia. “Now my research can spring along.”

Noctis looked at Artemisia expectantly. She was as still as a statue, her arms seeming to be stuck in the holding-out position with the most forced smile he has ever seen. “What research?” he asked, forcing Artemisia's arms down to her sides.

“From longer nights to earthquakes, there’s been a lot of strange phenomena of late.” Sania explained. “The world’s out of whack and there’s no end to the mysteries that want for solving.”

“Mysteries like frogs?”

“Yep.” Sania snapped her finger. “You see, red frogs appeared only recently. We don’t know what gave rise to the mutation.” She picked up one of the frogs from their crate. “But this tiny critter could hold the key to the world’s mysteries in its webbed feet.” Sania seemed to misread Noctis’ apathetic mumble as she continued. “Fascinating stuff, right? When can you help again?”

“Couldn’t say right now…” Noctis nudged Artemisia harshly in the shoulder, the latter remaining uncomfortably quiet.

“Well, when you can let me know.” With that, Sania thanked the group again for their help with a small money reward before directing her attention back to her specimens. The five walked off to the side of the Kenny Crow building, Artemisia having remained silent the entire time. Noctis raised his brow and stared at her. “What was that about?”

“I don’t know!” Artemisia cried, her face red with embarrassment which she tried to cover with her hands. “I froze up!”

“I thought you said you were ready.”

“I thought I was! But then we got closer and she started talking about all the research she’s been doing and I got… overwhelmed.”

“Hey now,” Prompto interjected, “It’s hard meeting your heroes. Why don’t you just go say ‘hi’?”

“...You don’t think it’d be weird?”

“I mean, after you clammed up like that… Probably.” Artemisia glared at Noctis. “But it’s worth a try, right?”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Ignis added.

After a moment of internal debating, Artemisia decided to take the plunge. With a second wind of hype from the guys, she slowly made her way back to Sania. The biologist once again had her back towards the approaching woman, completely engrossed in her research. Artemisia stopped a few feet behind her before meekly introducing herself, “Um, e-excuse me?”

Sania looked back at her. “Oh it’s you! Did you bring me more frogs?”

“Uh, no but I… Uh--” Artemisia took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I don’t mean to interrupt your work, but I just wanted to say that I am such a huge fan of you and the work that you’ve done.”

“Oh well, thank you! I take it you’re a fellow scientist?”

“Oh no, not really.” Artemisia tried to will away the pink on her cheeks. “Just an enthusiast. I always thought that biology and science in general was incredibly interesting.”

Sania had a large smile. “Well, why don’t you join me in looking over these critters then? You did help gather them, after all.” Artemisia thought she was going to faint. What were the chances that she would not only get to meet one of her idols, but also get to work with her personally?

Someone pinch me

Artemisia happily joined Sania at her cart. The two excitedly talked amongst themselves about the frogs and their strange mutation. The guys watched patiently over by the Kenny Crow statue, keeping themselves occupied while their friend enjoyed herself. The discussion of frogs diverged to a discussion of life and the mysteries of it and then dove into a deeper, more complex conversation of how science can uncover it all.

So much for getting to Lestallum before dark.

[nalu-week]

A Part of You

(NaLu Week Intertwined Prompt- 7/7/17)

‘Senior year’ The 18-year-old girl sighs to herself on the first day of school.  Walking into the cafeteria she spots her friend’s Levy and Cana and plops down with them.

Cana- “Did you hear, that boy Natsu needs a kidney transplant.”

Lucy is concerned but doesn’t show it, “He’s kind of young to need that.”

Levy- “Apparently his family went on vacation over the summer and he contracted a really serious case of E. coli that damaged his kidneys.”

Cana- “Wow, that’s major.  Poor guy.”

Levy- “They are asking any students that want to volunteer to be tested as a match to go to the health room after school tomorrow.  There’s a consent form you can fill out before you go.”

Lucy- “Are either of you guys going?”

Cana- “No…”

Levy- “Probably not…  Are you?”

Lucy- “I don’t know, maybe.”

Cana- “You don’t even know the guy, why do you care?”

Lucy- “I feel bad for him, and his family.  I probably won’t be a match anyways.”

~~~

As soon as she walks up to the health room with the paper clutched in her hand, she sees a table outside of the doors manned by a nurse with a sign reading, ‘Must be 18, O-Negative or A-Positive Donors only’.  She looks at her paper, ‘A-Positive.’  With hesitation in her voice, “Excuse me, I’d like to be tested please.”

“Hand me your consent form young lady.”  Lucy gives the nurse the paper.  “Ah, yes, you’re old enough, and A-Positive, same as the patient.  Please follow me.”  Inside the room.  “Have a seat,” the nurse points at an open chair, “This will be quick, all I need to do is take some blood so we can run some tests but before I do, I need to make sure you understand what you might be getting yourself into.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if you happen to be a match, and decide to go through with the living donor transplant, it will be major surgery.  While the recipient’s medical will cover the cost of the surgery you may have other out of pocket expenses that may not be covered.  Though… in this man’s case we are still unsure if the family will be able to cover the cost of a surgery.”

“Don’t worry about that…” the girl whispers, “money is not an issue for me or the family.”

The nurse raises an eyebrow and looks back to the girl’s form.  “I see… Ms. Heartfillia.  Well in that case, let’s just get this part over with so you can be on your way.”  The nurse starts to draw the blood from Lucy’s arm and talks to keep the girl occupied.  “You’ll hear back within a week if you are a match.”

“I-If I do end up a match, will he find out?”

“Only if you give permission for him to be told.”

“O-Oh kay.”

Placing a band-aid over the needle mark she pats Lucy’s arm, “You’re all done.”

“Thank you,” Lucy gathers her school bag and goes home.

~~~

Four days later she receives a call from the hospital late in the afternoon.  “Hello Ms. Heartfillia?”

“Yes, this is she.”

“We are calling with the results of the donor test.”

“Okay…”

“You are a perfect match, you’re blood types are the same, all your levels are normal.  We believe you would be the best candidate if you wish to proceed as a living donor.”

Lucy’s sits down on her bed, “So what now?”

“Well, we need you to come down to the hospital to fill out some paperwork, you’ll also sit with a psychologist because we want to make sure you are really okay with this.”

“Um, how long will the procedure take?”

“The surgery itself is about 2-3 hours but you’ll be in the hospital for a couple days before it so we can prepare you, runs tests, things like that.  And then afterwards the recovery time is about 4 to 6 weeks.”

“That long… I’ll have to make arrangements with school to make up for that time.”

“I’m sure they’d be understanding.” 

Within the following couple of days, Lucy takes care of all the paperwork with the hospital and makes the arrangements with the school.  Any assignments she needs to complete will be delivered to her while she recovers and the only people who knows what is going on is her best friends Levy and Cana; besides, she doubts the other students will even notice her absence.  

The surgery goes smoothly…

~~~

A week and a half later, Gray is visiting his best friend in the hospital.  “Hey man, how you doing?”

“Still really sore, but the doctors say I’ll make a full recovery.”

“That’s awesome!”

“Yeah…” he sighs

“What’s wrong, something bothering you?”

“It’s… nothing.”

“Seems like you got something on your mind.”

“I just… I wish I knew who the donor was, and even more, someone covered the entire medical bill so my parents didn’t even have to worry about insurance.”

“Woah, seriously?  Do you know someone rich or something?”

“I don’t think so.  And all the hospital will tell me is the donor’s a girl our age.”

“Hmm.” Gray taps his chin, “You know there is a girl at school who went absent at exactly the same time you did and she’s still out.”

“Really!” Natsu perks up.  “Who is she??”

“Remember the quiet blonde that hangs out with Cana?”

Natsu tries to picture the girl, “Not really.”

“She’s pretty but seems really shy.”

“What’s her name?”

“Lucy Heartfillia.”

“Wait, the rich girl!  It’s gotta be her!  I mean the pieces fit, absent just like me, and she’s got the money to cover this kind of surgery…  But why would she do all this for me, I don’t even know her.”

“Maybe she’s just nice like that?”

“No way, there’s gotta be more to it and since I’m stuck here, Gray you’ve gotta try and find out more info for me.”

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know, but I bet her friends know what’s going on…”

“Alright, I’ll see what I can find out.”

“Thanks man, and text me a pic of her if you can.”

“I’ll try.”

~~~

The next day in school, Gray searches out and finds Levy in the library.  “Excuse me Levy?”

“Yeah?  Are you talking to me?”

“I don’t see any other Levy’s in here.”

“Why are you talking to me?”

“I was just wondering, where’s the blonde girl you hang around with?  Haven’t seen her for almost a month now.”

“Oh, um, Lucy well she’s, um away…”

He raises an eyebrow, “Away?”

“Yeah, she needed to take care of something…”

“Or someone?”

“What do you mean someone?  S-she’s…”

“Oh geez, you’re a terrible liar.  She’s the one who saved my friends life isn’t she?”

Levy starts to panic, “N-no, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Levy, please he really wants to know who did this for him.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?  Why wouldn’t he want to know who did something so special for him.”

“It’s not like he paid any attention to her before.” She mutters under her breath

“I knew it!  Lucy has a crush on Natsu doesn’t she, I mean why else help a total stranger.”

“Lu is a caring person, she just wanted to help.”

“Picking up the tab at lunch is being nice, Levy this is more than just being nice.”

Sigh, “She’s gonna kill me if she finds out I told on her…”

“I promise I won’t tell.”

“Alright yes, she’s had a crush on him since elementary school.”

“When does she come back to school?”

“I think in maybe three weeks… Why?”

“Just wondering.  Oh, do you have a recent of picture of her?”

“Yeah, on my phone.”

“Could you send it to me?” 

She sends him a pic. “Gray please don’t tell anyone you know what’s going on, only me, Cana, and the Principal know the whole story.”

“I sweat, I won’t say a word.”

~~~

Right after school Gray goes straight to the hospital.  “Here you go man.” He hands Natsu his phone, “This is her.”

Holding it up he just stares, “She is really pretty… How’d I not notice her before?”

“Maybe cause your blind to the opposite sex, I mean how often do I ever see you checking out girls?  Almost never that’s what.  Hell, there was a time I wondered if you were straight.”

“Shut up!”

“Tch, well the answer to your question is yes, it is her, she’s the donor, she paid for all of this and it’s because she likes you.”

Natsu sits back in shock, “I don’t even know how to react…”

“I only dropped by to show you the picture.  But I gotta get to my homework so I’ll catch you later man.  Have fun thinking about her.”  Gray snickers and turns to leave.

“Wait, text me that pic!”

“Right, sorry; here you go.”  Natsu hears the ping on his phone.  “See ya.” Gray waves walking out the door.

“See ya…”  he looks at his phone and brings up the picture of Lucy smiling and posing with Cana at the beach.  “She really is the full package…” he starts blushing to himself.  ‘Beautiful, caring…  I’ve gotta meet this girl!’

~~~

3 weeks later Natsu has been released from the hospital, and Gray is over at his house to hang out and keep him company. 

“Have you heard if Lucy was discharged already?”

“According to Levy, she’s been home a few days, bout the same time as you.”

“Do you think Levy would help me meet Lucy?”

“What do you plan to do, just show up at her house?”

“I don’t know!  It’s just I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her ever since I found out.  I need to meet her Gray.  But yeah, I don’t wanna just show up, so maybe if Levy helps…”

“If you wanna ask Levy yourself I’ll give you her number.”

“Why do you have that?”

“Cause, she texted me the photo of Lucy.”

“Yeah give it to me.  No, better yet, you call her and then I’ll talk, she might not answer a number she doesn’t recognize.”

“Fine.” Gray dials.  “Levy?  Yeah its Gray we need to ask you something.” Then hands Natsu the phone.

“Hi Levy, it’s Natsu”

‘Natsu!?  Why are you calling me?’

“I..” exhale “I need to meet her Levy please.  Will you help me?”  Silence on the other end, he looks to see if the call is still running, “Levy are you there?”

‘Natsu I don’t know…’

“Please???!!  I can’t stop thinking about her!”

Now Levy’s protective side kicks in, ‘Why is it so important to you Natsu, it’s not like you noticed her before.  Okay I get it that maybe you wanna tell your benefactor thank you but…’

He cuts her off, “That’s not the only reason.  Yes, I wanna tell her thank you but… Levy I think I’m falling for her.” 

‘I don’t believe you.’

Gray- “Neither do I.”

“I swear!”

‘From what, one picture?  Yeah that’s pretty hard to believe Natsu.’

“Levy… Please…” he sighs, “She’s all I can think about…”

After a long pause, ‘Alright…’

“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank…”

‘I swear Natsu, if you hurt her…’

“Why would I do that???”

Sigh, ‘Come to her house tomorrow afternoon around 4, that’s when I was going to visit her.  What’s your number, I’ll text you the address…’

~~~

Virgo opens the door, “Hello Levy, Lucy is waiting for you in the living room.”

“How is she feeling today?”

“Still a little sore and tired but for the most part she’s doing great.”  Virgo looks past her and see’s Gray and Natsu standing there, “You brought guests?”

“Shh, it’s a surprise for Lucy.”

Excitement in her voice, “Is that the young man?”

“Yeah, Virgo, that’s him.” Levy looks at Natsu, “His friend just drove him since he’s still weak too.”

“He’s handsome,” Virgo whispers to Levy and motions for them to come inside.

Natsu is dumbfounded at the size the house, no, mansion that Lucy lives in.  He had already done a bit of research on the girl so that he didn’t say something wrong and learned how her mom had passed away when she was around 4 and her dad while she was in intermediate school.  She was left in the care of her guardians until she could take over the family company.  According to Levy, it was after her father died that Lucy shied away from people, only sticking to her closest friends.  He figured that was one reason he may not have noticed her before.  He used to be active with sports and clubs but if she didn’t attend anything, they would never have run into each other.

“Lucy?”

“I’m in here Lev.”

Walking and talking, “Okay don’t be mad but I have someone that begged me to meet you.”

Lucy turns in her seat, her eyes growing wider by the second, “Levy why?  I told you…”

Levy kneels in front of her friend, “Lu, he wanted to meet you and after some convincing, I agreed.”  She stands up and motions to the two boys.  Gray helps Natsu slowly walk over to the couch Lucy is on and helps him to sit.  “We’ll be in the kitchen Lu,” Levy pulling Gray out with her.

Lucy turns her head away embarrassed, “What are you doing here Natsu?”

“I wanted to see how you are doing.”

“Why?”

“Because, Luce I know you were the one who did all this for me.”

“No, I…”

He takes her hand gingerly, “I figured it out.  They told me it was a girl my age, you were absent the same time as me, and you can afford to do what you did…”

“This was supposed to be anonymous…”

“But Lucy, why would you do something like this for someone you really didn’t know?”

“I felt bad for you and your family… I mean what good is all this money if it doesn’t go to good use?”

“I don’t think that’s the only reason.”  She looks at him confused.  “If that’s how you felt the money would make sense, but Luce you gave up one of your kidneys for me, that’s a part of your body… Why?”

“It… I thought… it was the right thing to do…” she stammers

He stares into her eyes with a softened expression.  “Or… is it because you might have feelings for me?” he whispers.

Lucy’s face flushes red, “N-no, I-I j-just wanted to help…” she looks away again.

He turns her chin back to him but she shuts her eyes, too embarrassed to open them.  “Lucy I’ll admit I didn’t really remember you when I found out all this.  But then three week ago in the hospital, Gray brought me a picture of you and something happened.”  He caresses her cheek, “Please look at me Luce…”

She shakes her head and keeps her eyes closed tight, “What happened?”

“I’ll tell you if you open your eyes,” he speaks soft and sweetly to her.  She shakes her head again.  “Then I’ll need to do this another way.”  He kisses her on the lips.  When her eyes pop open he releases her and smiles.

“Why’d you kiss me!”

“Lucy, what happened in the last few weeks, is I fell in love with the girl in the photo.” Her eyes moisten.  “I fell in love with the caring person who gave up a part of herself to save a stranger.  I fell in love with the special, shy girl who despite her own sad past, still loves people so very much.  And yes, I fell in love with the gorgeous girl smiling back at me from that photo with the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.” A tear falls down her cheek.

“Y-you fell in love?”  he nods.  “With me?” he nods again.  “That seems crazy…” she mutters

He laughs, “No more crazy than a girl who gave up an organ for a stranger, unless…” he looks deeply at her again, “I was right about your feelings for me.  So, which is it, crazy or…”

Sigh, “Yes… Your right Natsu.” She sighs again.  “I’m in love with you too…” her voice barely a whisper.

He caresses her cheek again, “That makes me the luckiest guy in the world.”

“Why?”  she looks confused.

He grins again, “How many people can say that the person they love will always be a part of them,” he pat’s his side, “and it actually be true?”  

The comment is so from left field that Lucy starts to giggle, “You’re so weird!”

He leans his forehead to hers, “Yeah,” he caresses her cheek, “but now you’re stuck with this goof…”  As they start to kiss again, their friends snicker from the doorway.  

Levy- “I think our work is done for now.”

Virgo startles them from behind, “What’s his parents number?  Maybe he can stay the night.”

Gray- “Something tells me they won’t mind…I mean she did save his life…”

[abbygkane]

I serve at the pleasure of the president

Summary: Eyeing his wife, Marcus can’t believe that she’s proposing to give him a blowjob in the Oval Office and that he’s actually considering taking her up on her proposition.Before he can even form a reply, Abby has already rolled his abandoned chair backwards, and with a saucy wink she gets on her knees and shuffles until she’s under the desk and hidden from view. She was actually going to do this

AKA White House AU one-shot with Marcus as the President of the United States and Abby as the First Lady

Listen, I can hear you guys thinking, uhm Lore don't you have several prompts + two multi-chapter fics you still need to finish? Maybe BUT this is all the sin-bin's fault, especially @catalan1 and @shefollowedfires , yes you two, don't give me that look. And honestly, the conversation was too good to go to waste so I simply had to write this story. Also this is NSFW, just so you guys know 

President Kane nods distractedly at his secretary, Miss Cartwig, before walking into the Oval Office. As President of the United States, not a single day passed without even a small obstacle or interference, but today had been especially tiring.

Taking a seat behind his desk, Marcus takes note of the amount of paperwork that’s still laying on top of it and he swears that for every report he reads two new ones appear, before glancing at the clock hanging on the wall.

How can it be only 2 o’clock in the afternoon?

With a groan, Marcus leans back in his chair and runs his hand through his hair, grimacing when it gets stuck in the gel the hairdresser had used earlier while preparing him for his television interview. He’d been invited to go on FOX and Friends, and like his previous appearances on the network, it had taken every ounce of his self-control and restraint not to snap at the three hosts and give them his unfiltered opinion, which included some words that definitely weren’t acceptable on daytime television. Thankfully, due to his experience as a prosecutor and later as a senator, he had managed to stay civil throughout the interview. Furthermore, he had seen his personal aide, Nathan Miller only wince twice from his position behind the lights, which definitely was an improvement from his past visits.

If there was one thing Marcus hadn’t missed after winning the election three years ago, it was going on all these interviews. But since they were in the midst of his re-election campaign, he didn’t really have a choice, much to his chagrin. The fact that his opponent from the Republican party, Cage Wallace was trying his utmost best to aggravate him on a daily basis didn’t make this campaign any easier. Looking back, his first campaign against Charles Pike had been plain sailing if you compare it with this one. Because Pike for all his faults had been a decent and a straightforward politician with some good ideas, whereas Wallace, the son of a real-estate millionaire, definitely wasn’t. That Wallace had even managed to get this far in the election is still something that baffles and frustrates Marcus. Much to his wife’s amusement, especially when he came home after a long day and started one of his lengthy rants about the idiocy that escaped that man’s mouth.

Closing his eyes, Marcus rests his hands clasped on his chest, deciding to take a short break before his daily security briefing. He almost nodded off when two arms slip around his shoulders and a soft kiss is pressed against his cheek.

“Well hello there Mr. President,” Abby whispers softly in his ear, her breath caressing his skin.

“Hmm,” he reaches out and puts his hands on top of hers, “Hello, Mrs. Kane,” he replies, a small smile appearing on his face at the way Abby nuzzles his neck.

“I saw a recap of your interview on Fox and Friends,” she smirks before sitting on the corner of the desk.

“Did you now?”

Abby merely hums before letting her fingers run across the length of his tie, straighten it.

“I was pleasantly surprised by how composed you were and by the way you managed to answer those questions in a dignified manner, even though I know how much you dislike them. Watching you be all presidential is quite sexy,” she murmurs with a mischievous look.

“It is?” Marcus raises an eyebrow, eyes dropping to her mouth when Abby bites down on her lower lip before pulling him closer thanks to the grip she has on his tie.

“Oh, yes. Very sexy,” Abby whispers, their faces only inches apart and he knows that they shouldn’t, not when he has a security debriefing in ten and they’re in the Oval Office, surrounded by his security detail, but with his hectic schedule there hadn’t been much spare time for him to spend with his wife and he had missed her.

“Well then,” he starts while rising from his seat so he can slip between her legs, his hands coming to rest on her waist, pulling her closer, “I’m glad that at least one of us enjoyed the interview,” he continues before bending his head and brushing his lips against her, feeling a degree of self-satisfaction when Abby immediately opens her mouth with a small moan, prompting him to deepen the kiss.

The kiss turns heated very quickly, especially when Abby opens her legs even further until their groins are pressed each other. Marcus has to bite back a particularly loud moan when she starts to grind herself against the pronounced evidence of his arousal.

“Abby”

Breaking the kiss, Marcus presses heated kisses alongside Abby’s throat, groaning against her skin when she tilts her head back with a soft sigh. At the sensation of her hands gliding into his hair and pulling his head closer, he nips at her skin in retaliation. The breathless gasp that escapes her lips in response makes him involuntary buck against her. Just as Abby drags his lips back against hers, the phone on his desk rings and they both freeze.

“Ignore it,” Abby whispers after a heartbeat before letting her lips brush against his jaw.

“You have no idea how badly I wish I could darling,” he utters, letting his forehead rest against hers.

“Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea,” she teases back with a roll of her hips, a smirk playing on her lips at his barely contained groan.

“Be nice,” Marcus warns her before reluctantly removing one of his hands from its position on her ass in order to take the call.

Abby gives him her most innocent of smiles, “I’m always nice,” as she leans back on the desk, giving him more room.

Throwing his wife a disbelieving look, Marcus picks up the phone, “Yes, Miss Cartwig?”

“General Sinclair is here for you daily security briefing Mr. President,” his secretary calmly informs him.

He’s just about to answer her when Abby unexpectedly cups him through his pants, causing him to let a soft moan of pleasure.

“Mr. President are you alright?,” Miss. Cartwig asks, her voice sounding worried and insistent.

Closing his eyes to regain even a shred of control, he reaches out and stills Abby’s hand, before giving her a warning look, “I’m quite alright Miss. Cartwig. You may send the General in in about five minutes,” he manages to get out, hoping that his secretary wouldn’t notice the slight tremble in his voice.

“Yes, Mr. President,” comes the quick reply before the call is disconnected.

Marcus puts the phone back on the receiver, “I thought I asked you to be nice?”

“It sure sounded like you enjoyed it,” Abby giggles while linking her hands behind his neck, so she can draw him nearer. 

“Hmm. Well, as much as I’d like to continue this, General Sinclair  is waiting on the other side of the door and I’m sure I look divelished thanks to you.”

With a grin Abby lets her eyes wander over her husband’s body, taking in his flushed cheeks, his tousled hair and especially the large bulge in his pants.

“I think you look absolutely ravishing!”

Marcus can’t help but chuckle at the sincerity in her voice, “I appreciate that, but I doubt that the General will agree with you, so you’re going to have to get off from my desk.”

At this rebuke, Abby pouts but she listens and gracefully slides off the desk, “You’re such a spoilsport,” she playfully complains while running a hand through his hair in an attempt to make it less fuckable. Which in her husband’s case is quite the task because she always wants to jump him.

Watching how Marcus fixes his tie, a wicked idea starts to form in Abby’s mind, “How are you going to sort out your not so little problem?” She asks while nodding towards his pants with a grin.

“I’ll just remain seated for the entire meeting. The desk should cover it.”

“Hmm, but what if I told you that I have a much more pleasurable solution?” Abby murmurs sweetly.

“Really? And what solution would that be?” He inquires with a frown, his eyes briefly resting on the clock before shifting back to his wife.

When Abby merely licks her lips in response, Marcus’ eyes widen at the realisation of just what she’s implying.

“Abby you – you can’t be serious?” He stammers, feeling flustered but also excited.

“Why not? You said it yourself, the desk will cover you.”

“Yes, but-”

“Besides, I know how detailed Sinclair can get and this will make the meeting a bit more bearable,” she explains matter-of-factly.

Eyeing his wife and in particular the playful smile on her lips, Marcus can’t believe that she’s proposing to give him a blowjob in the Oval Office and that he’s actually considering her proposition.

Before he can even form a reply, Abby has already rolled his abandoned chair backwards, and with a saucy wink, she gets on her knees and shuffles until she’s under the desk and hidden from view.

She was actually going to do this

The realisation causes a thrill of arousal and anticipation to shoot through his body, mixed with a sense of trepidation because they’re surrounded by his security, his staff is just on the other side, not to mention the fact that he honestly doesn’t know if he’ll be able to keep quiet. He never can. And of course, there’s the fear of getting caught and the possibility of it leaking to the press.

“Well, aren’t you going to sit down?” Abby inquiries with her lips curled up in a half-grin, “Time’s running out”

“Abby, I don’t think-”

“Oh, don’t worry Mr. President. You’re going to enjoy this. Trust me.”   

Just as Marcus opens his mouth to reply, the door of his office opens and General Sinclair enters with a friendly smile.

“Good afternoon Mr. President”

“General,” Marcus gives the other man a nod before quickly taking a seat, rolling his chair until he feels Abby pressed between his legs.

Ignoring the General’s confused look at the change in tradition, since they usually have their briefings on the couches which are in front of the desk, Marcus clears his throat and gestures the other man to take a seat.

“Any new developments I should be aware of?” He asks, only to hit his knee against the desk when Abby swiftly takes care of the zipper and slips her fingers into his pants and underwear.

“Everything alright Mr. President?”

“Yes, my leg simply fell asleep.”

The General gives a nod, not looking entirely convinced, but understanding that it’s not his place to comment on it, he hands the President a copy of his report and starts the briefing.

As Sinclair starts his account of this report, Marcus flips through the pages of his copy, trying his utmost best to pay attention, but all of his focus is on the feel of Abby’s eager hands on his cock as she strokes him, making him stiffen even further in her grasp.  

He barely manages to bite back a groan when Abby wraps a hand around the base of his erection before letting it slide along his entire length, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Lacing his hands together, Marcus tries to keep his facial expression neutral, only for his eyes to widen when suddenly her tongue’s licking the head, eagerly lapping up the drops of pre-cum that’s already gathered at the tip.

“Are you sure you're okay Mr. President? You seem a bit flustered.”

Marcus drags his gaze from the report towards the General, who’s looking at him with concern clear in his eyes.

“I’m fine, just-”, he chokes when Abby unexpectedly takes him into her mouth, lips wrapped around the tip before giving it a gentle suck, “still a bit worked up about the Fox and Friends interview”, he manages to stammer, nearly losing his remaining self-control when he feels Abby smiling around him at the mention of being worked up. He's also thankful for whoever’s listening when the General merely gives him a sympathetic nod before continuing with the briefing.

“Godda-,” Marcus gasps, nearly jumping out of his chair when Abby runs her nails across his thighs.

“Did you say something, Mr. President?”

“No. Please, do continue General.”

Sinclair gives him an odd look, but he dutifully picks up where he left off with the report.

Marcus really tries to listen to the other man’s words, truly. But even with his gaze on the General, he doesn’t process any of the words that are leaving the man’s mouth. All he can think of is the feel of Abby’s warm mouth surrounding him or the sensation of her tongue licking his cock.

At one particular suck, he has to bite his tongue to refrain from moaning her name and Marcus realises that this meeting has to come to end, immediately. Before he makes a complete fool of himself.

Clearing his throat, he waits until Sinclair lifts his gaze from the report,  “General, I hope you don’t mind, but I’ll have to cut this briefing short. I have an important conference call in a few minutes and my presence is mandatory,” Marcus informs him, his voice strained as Abby starts to bob her head at a more rapid pace. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” 

If the General’s surprised by the abrupt ending of the meeting, he doesn’t show it, for which Marcus is entirely grateful. The man simply gathers his things and with a curt nod rises from his seat before walking towards the door.

The second that the General has left his office, Marcus calls in his secretary, “When is my next meeting?”

“In a half hour Mr. President. Is everything alright?”

 “Yes, everything’s fine. I do not want to be disturbed until then. That’ll be all,” he snaps, his tone harsher than he intended, and he feels slightly guilty at the rattled look on Miss. Cartwig’s face before she promptly leaves the office, but Abby just took his entire length in her mouth and it’s taking all his strength not to cry out. So he makes a mental to apologise to Miss. Cartwig later, perhaps buy her some flowers. Of course only if his wife doesn’t kill him first.   

At the sound of the door closing, he rolls his chair slightly back until he can look down at Abby and slides both of his hands into her hair, gripping it tightly and away from her face so he can watch how his cock slides in and out of her mouth.

The sight of his cock disappearing between those luscious lips makes his skin feel like it’s on fire and he tilts his hips slightly so he can thrust into her mouth, his eyes nearly roll into the back of his head with pleasure when Abby hums her appreciation at the feel of his hands guiding her head.

“Fuck Abby”

She continues to suck him, letting his cock slide further into her mouth until she swallows, causing her throat to tighten around him.

“Oh,” Marcus exclaims, hands still tangled in her hair.

With one hand, she fondles his balls, while the other one’s wrapped around the base of his cock, slowly pumping him to his release.

“Look at me Abby,” he whispers and he nearly comes at the sight of her dilated pupils and flushed cheeks.

She’s enjoying this. She loves making him lose control.

“Darling,” he pleads, almost sobbing from relief when she takes pity on him and speeds up her movements, all the while keeping her eyes locked on his.

He can feel his orgasm building, thrusting shallowly into her mouth Marcus manages to hold out for a couple of seconds, but after one particular hard suck, he can’t hold back any longer and with a breathy exclamation of her name his body tenses and his orgasm crashes over him. His cock is throbbing with the force of his release, but Abby happily swallows every single drop.  

With a final lick, Abby lets his softened cock drop from her mouth before gently tucking him back into his pants and rising from her crouched position beneath the desk.

“Come here,” Marcus murmurs, reaching out for her and Abby gladly climbs into his lap, licking her lips as she does so.

Hands palming her ass, he tilts his head so he can capture her lips in a kiss, moaning when he tastes the saltiness of his cum on her lips.

“I love you,” he murmurs against her lips.

“I bet you say that all the women who give you blowjobs in the Oval Office,” she teases while running her hands through his hair.

Marcus flashes her a half-grin, “Well since you’re the only woman, you’re absolutely correct.”

“You’re such a charmer,” Abby quips back, “but I’m expecting that you’ll return the favour later?”

“Or I could return it now?” He proposes, hands slipping between their bodies and pressing against her groin, a smile appearing on his face when Abby lets out a breathy exclamation of his name.

“As tempting as that sounds, I’m meeting Clarke and Octavia in a couple of minutes. We’re going shopping for prom dresses.”

“That’s a pity,” he replies, “But, I’ll see you tonight then?”

“Yes, you will.”

Abby gives him a final peck before gracefully rising from his lap, “Enjoy your meeting dear”, she adds with a wink before leaving him.

With a satisfied smile, Marcus leans back in his chair.

He couldn’t wait until he got her in bed tonight.