#and with that we come to grandma's last ask! THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATING!!! <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[kamiraaah]

Vovó, how was your "wedding" with Abuela Maleficia?

[sunghanne]

STAR RACER － ENHYPEN GREASE AU SERIES | PART 3 🚦

racer!enhypen & flaggirl!reader

PARTS: PROLOGUE, PART 1, PART 2 , PART 4. coming soon...

TITLE: ST★R-RACER : PART 3. MAKING ENEMIES

feat. ENHYPEN, TXT, STRAY KIDS?!

PLOT: in a small town during the 1950s, seems the only thing keeping careless teenagers entertained are drag races where only the elite participate. and those elite are known as star racers.

WARNINGS: coarse language, sexual themes, sexist remarks, ooc idols, illegal acts, violence, tba...

TAGLIST: @lalalalawon , @strvlveera comment your @/user to be added!

WORD-COUNT: 8.5k

NOTE: heyy, in hopes to keep the 1950's setting authentic, there are sexist jokes so please watch out for that. because the reality is, that mindset was not rare to come across during those times. this chapter is NOT EDITED at all. i'm sorry if its not my best one. likes, reposts and comments are all heavily appreciated, thank you and enjoy!!

"ow, that hurts y/n! you've never done this before have you?!" the whining male cried out as you shushed him with a harsh tug of the tuff of his dark hair, his yells echoing off the bathroom walls.

you shot him a death glare through the mirror of your bathroom, standing behind riki's sitting figure with foil and bleach encased around his head like someone's grandma with a head of rollers, "no, but i know what i'm doin'! i saw this on a commercial, it's a piece of cake," you reassured, even snorting quietly in your throat at the stupidity in your words. riki wasn't sure whether to be even more terrified than before at such unhelpful guidance.

"if i come home bald, you're gonna tell my folks exactly what you'd done," he huffed as you painted a thick coat of hair dye on a handful of his strands. you tutted at his childish nagging and focused on the task at hand.

"the ladies are gonna be all over you," you sang while lifting a foil-covered bunch of his hair and waving it in the air for him to see in the mirror. his dark eyes shot open at the new colour enveloping his virgin hair, "look at that."

"shit, how many times do i gotta do this?" he asked when a concentrated yellow appeared from his roots to the ends of his hair.

you hummed at his inquisitive question and with a cheery smile you replied, "only around four times." his head was thrown back while he wailed out with a mocking cry, like a child on his first day of school. you nudged his head back forward with the bleach applicator in your hand so the foil wouldn't fall out of place.

"i better win this upcoming race," he sulked while sitting up properly as you enforced harshly. you giggled and immediately started teasing him if he didn't win, he'd be on a permanent ban from racing ever again. except, when the day arrived. you didn't know what kinda racer yang jeongin really was.

"shit," you cursed out aloud, having to almost yell it to be heard over the jostling barracks, feeling guilty, "we missed riki's takeoff," your eyes searched for sunghoon's and he ducked his head low am tousled some of his light silver hair in a fluster. you originally wanted to be cheering your heart out for riki's first race back in action but you were so lost in your conversation with chan and felix that you forgot all about it.

"right, yeah," sunghoon plainly responded, eyes scanning the scene of the flag girl skipping off to her side of the track, "he's made in the shade. let 'em be," he nonchalantly finished while the crowd's volume gradually decreased and currently in a waiting period.

definition:'made in the shade'. > success guaranteed.

"yeah, she'll be right," felix grinned, most likely referring to his mate, jeongin. you were curious about brace boy, particularly that last conversation he looked like he held with riki where riki held his pinky up and did a promise in the air. your attention was placed back onto felix who has turned away with a hand tucked into his pocket.

definition:’she’ll be right’. > he/she/they will do fine.

"you're a star racer?" you questioned the freckled-faced male diagonal from you and he shone a proud smile at your acknowledgement.

"that's right. why is everyone always surprised when i tell them this?" felix asked while turning his head to his familiar, chan. his voice uncertain and high-pitched at the backhanded reaction from you.

"you're just so friendly, the other stars i've met are too busy touching their gearsticks to come up to another star and chat," you explained and his nose scrunched at your misleading metaphor of gearsticks. sunghoon snickered beside you quietly, silently agreeing in his mind. you weren't entirely off the mark saying that, hell, soobin never cared for his opponent at the beginning or end of the event. too busy stroking his machine on wheels to unsuspecting girls from his side.

"aw, that's real peachy of you. where's this star of yours?" he wondered while pressing a flat hand above his brow bone and squinting his eyes, deliberately looking over sunghoon during his theatrical act. of course, only chan found this bit funny. sunghoon on the other hand was driving forward to brush his hand on felix's shoulder to spin him back around to where hyunjin stood.

"cut the gas. i need another weed," sunghoon demanded the childish counterpart of his, hiding his internalised annoyance for being overlooked. felix let out a toothy laugh and called out for the red-haired male several metres from where we stood.

definition:'weed'. > a cigarette.

hwang's fierce eyes faltered at the outlandish male calling his name in a deliberate baby voice and reluctantly came to his heed. leaving the makeshift spotlight of the lamp post behind him, his charming features were illuminated in the natural moonlight, half of his face hidden in the shadows. and as he approached even closer, he was surprisingly almost as tall as sunghoon.

"what is it?" he grizzled out, annoyance evident in the way he spoke at felix's antics. the male in question patted his disgruntled friend on the back and gestured towards sunghoon with his free arm like a tour guide.

"a cig for the gentleman here," the playful boy announced and hyunjin's dark pupils shrunk upon landing on sunghoon.

"park, where's your little groupie?" the newcomer asked, their voice tainted with boredom like he didn't care about the answer regardless. you were curious about their history together so you kept a keen eye on their interactions. hyunjin's slim hand hid in his jacket's pocket and when he retracted it, a cigarette was flown at sunghoon in an instant. your friend paused and reeled forward to catch the stick, startled. "need me to light it for you too, eyebrows?"

sunghoon's brows dipped at the name-calling from his opposite, ignoring such disruptive teasing and lighting his cigarette smoothly. he sighed peacefully, blowing smoke that lapsed the red-haired male in spite. the misty effect around the said boy with the mole beneath his left eye made you want to jump out of your sneakers and hope to catch a ride with him home. he had no reason to look so effortlessly gorgeous. eyes starting to water from the lack of blinking, a carefully placed hand spun you around towards the upper slope of the concrete walls.

"hitting the road so soon? tell lee i said hello," hyunjin's voice poured and you felt sunghoon's nails almost dig into your fabric-covered arm in frustration. he couldn't answer why the other men weren't with him, it'd only open more holes for the opposition to pry. so for your safety and his, the only thing he could do was turn his back and exit without a word.

"want a drink?" he questioned to break the defeating silence on the way up the slope. it felt like it was the two of you against the world, a familiar feeling with you and sunghoon being placed in difficult positions to crawl out of. it was so lonely, jungwon and sunoo didn't come with you and jake was somewhere in the crowd preparing for his upcoming race.

if you weren't sure which of the two boys from earlier would be against jake, you'd be safe to assume ruby locks. chan the creep was a close competitor but something about his appearance didn't scream racer. the reason you weren't familiar with this handful of boys was that they were not in town often. why? because they were from a nearby suburb and only came to your drag strip because it was better than whatever set-up they had. this only lead you to ponder what kind of people they were.

"yeah, please," you agreed to sunghoons suggestion and he changed directions of your footing to a nearby huddle of people around a foldable table, impatient hands of money held out to whoever was running the alcohol-selling get-up.

the rumble of an engine, the screech of tires, the painful sting of car oil and your sweet face amongst the strands of hair flying behind you. that's all heeseung could recall in his last moments of racing before everything turned cold.

when he saw you and sunghoon running away from him, getting chased by soobin, beomgyu, taehyun and kai, he knew he was at a loss. he fidgetted with his door lock, hands soiled in grease resulting in his fingers being slippery with the hard surface. then, with a dip in his legs, he limped out of his messy car and turned right back around to look at the state it was in. just his luck, the white shine of his vehicle was ruined by a clear brown slick splattered inside and outside it.

"fuck. fuck, what am i gonna do," he cursed while his wet fingers came in contact with the back of his hair, jostling his strands in frustration. he had two options, go to you and the mobs surrounding yeonjun or hit the road. he couldn't go home like this, and neither could he relish in humiliation from everyone. so, weighing his options, he began his journey up the closest slope with heavy footsteps.

he loathed the way his favourite jacket was now dirtied with car oil and his footsteps left marks on the dry pavement behind him. he just prayed to god that they would dry up by the time anyone else came to find him.

this side of town for heeseung was unexplored. the neighbouring school's turf, that's all he took in as his head turned while walking past the tall, brick building. the school for the higher-ups. the school where students probably didn't spend their after-school time in gas-ridden garages as he did. he had made quite the change in progress from the race track he crawled out of and now found himself deeper in the bramble bushes on the opposite side of town.

he smelled awful, like a gas station set on fire. he still wore his damp jacket, knowing it was a smarter idea to throw it off but the evening breeze was way too cold to discard it so easily. and, part of the boy believed there'd be a chance to save it when he got himself out of the mess.

a deafening beep of someone's car brought the boy out of his clashing thoughts when he found himself crossing a road, green appearing on every street light around him. his eyebrows furrowed and he clenched his teeth in annoyance, throwing up a middle finger to the driver as he picked his pace up while meeting the other side of the pavement.

he wasn't the type to dawdle stupidly. he was irritated at his thoughts tuning him out of the real-world enough to make him senselessly cross a road.  also half irritated at the scare and the loud beep made his heavy shoulders flinch. he was wondered what was going on in the drag strip right now. the other school was having their bash and you were probably with the other boys heading home or to sunoo's diner for burgers and shakes.

just his luck, the neon wiring on a shop's board spelled '24hrs' stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the dark windows of already closed establishments. he'd found a 24-hour dry cleaner and maybe he didn't hate the previous rage road for rushing him to it. the entrance bells rang as he stepped in, his hand leaving a thin coat of car oil on the door handle.

the cleaning service smelled of lavender-scented washing detergent and the warm smell of an iron pressed to clothes, a nice change from his burnt tire-smelling 'cologne'. behind a run-down service desk was an employee, looking up from her newspaper, glasses tilting up her nose bridge. her face was partly distorted behind the tip jar that only had two coins in it. the stranger's mouth was parted, most likely surprised a customer even came in at this time of night or maybe at the appearance of heeseung who looked like he'd crawled right out of some swamp.

heeseung was just as surprised to see a girl his age working, assuming it was a family-owned business and she was most likely forced to stay late nights as punishment for bad test results. but, he knew he would be able to use this to his advantage.

"pick up for, er, nathan," he fibbed while fiddling with the cuffs of his jacket, praying to whatever god above that there was a customer named nathan. the girl's eyebrows raised, realising she actually had to do her job. so with the fold of her newspaper, she jumped down from her seat and tiptoed towards the long hanger racks with a collection of clothing hanging.

heeseung tailed behind her, proceeding to the opposite side of the two stripes of clothing racks and clicking the hangers together as he frantically sought clothes that could do the trick. long floral nightgowns, tuxedos, and even a wedding dress yet, no clothing fit for a teenager. "i'm sorry, no clothes under the name nathan," the employee fret while turning around to look at heeseung's opposite spot to hers.

he clicked his tongue in annoyance, not replying but only heightening his pace in scrolling through articles of fabric till his hands paused at someone's long pair of coveralls, clean and freshly ironed. he unhooked it and held it to the girl observing and smiled, "found it," he responded and the girl pushed her glasses up her nose bridge at the awkward feeling of being bested by a customer.

"really? oh, there we go then," she replied without a console and padded back towards her counter, leaning her elbows on the surface while picking her newspaper up. heeseung was silently celebrating in his mind at his successful act, treading towards the girl whose stationed right at the exit.

he calmly slid off his oily jacket and threw it on the edge of the counter she didn't lean on, a few rolling coins with it, "thanks, buttercup. i'll pick this one up next," the boy spoke with a wink at the broad. then, he pressed forward and left the building, stolen coveralls folded over one of his arms. as he disappeared from the store's large windows, he couldn't help a long arm of his being pulled back to his side in a celebratory dance, hoping on his light feet to an imaginary beat in his head as he skipped past dimly lit buildings.

you and sunghoon were regretful forgetting to watch riki's departure. because when he rolled in a fraction of a minute after jeongin, that's when hell broke loose.

you leapt up from your sitting position and pulled sunghoon with you to the middle of the track where riki had just parked. before getting a word in, the protruding male shoved through the circle of students encasing jeongin and raised a fist to the unsuspecting boy's face. about to strike, he was roughly pushed to the floor and met with the untamed clashes of three pairs of shoes.

"watch it, greaser!" chan yelled before laughing and settling his foot right on top of riki's reddening ear, earning a hiss of pain from the younger. your eyes widened in worry while you mirrored riki's shoving tactic to maneuver the crowd out of the way for you and sunghoon. you'd never expect such a rocky entrance from your friend.

"beat it!" you yelled while trying to shoo off hyunjin, felix and chan who had been kicking and stomping on riki's fetal position. sunghoon aided you by rutting his shoulder into the trio of men to make space for you. you placed your drink on the floor while ducking down to help riki up. he was roughed out, swipes of dirt in the pattern of shoe prints all over his clothes and face.

"what's the big idea?" sunghoon grumbled while glaring at the prosecutors, chan swiped his nose, sniffing inwards while his eyes searched the crowds like he was expecting someone. the look in the other two boys echoed the same reaction and sunghoon was taken aback by their behaviour. they were waiting for everyone else, jay, jungwon, sunoo and heeseung to interfere but no one came. sunghoon could tell, another light of pride flickering off in his mind. they weren't here.

only jake was running down the concrete slopes while his dark leather jacket flew behind him with every airy step he took.

"what's our prob? like you didn't just see your yoot strike ours first," hyunjin replied while his shoulders seemed to relax at the lack of our crew members. your head turned to riki as he grappled onto your hand and slowly unfurled himself, wincing during the gradual motion.

definition:'yoot'. > a younger sibling.

he wasn't looking at hyunjin, nor sunghoon at that. he was only staring at one boy. the boy with a sadistic grin spread across one cheek to the other, braces shown and all, "what happened, riki?" you questioned lowly in case you'd tripped on a wire that lead to the alarms going off in his head. his eyebrows furrowed while he wiped the back of his palm against his nostrils, a crimson fluid left behind on his pale skin.

"take a look at it yourself, this brute just dented jay's ride," he explained while your head flicked back to the boy's car he had borrowed from jay to use. jake positioned himself next to riki and viewed the area like a radar, a serious scowl on his face from his usual sweet smile.

"no rules in drag racin'," jeongin spoke up, and it was the first time you'd ever heard him. he sounded youthful and the cruel smile still on his face only added to it.

"you wanna pay for your damages? go ahead," riki rasped, a clothed arm against his nostrils to try and soak up his bleeding nose. the boy opposite to him only raised an eyebrow, looking over to his older peers like riki had just told a bad joke.

"i'm not the one losing the race, why would i?" jeongin rhetorically questioned while his smile finally dropped and only then did he finally give you the creeps. riki seethed through his teeth and stepped forward with hunched shoulders before he was stopped by sunghoon's hand.

"relax, he's just tryna bug you. ts'only the first race. jake and i got this," sunghoon reassured and rubbed his hand on riki's shoulder. the younger affirmed with a nod of his head and took a few steps backwards, almost bumping into you if you didn't move away at the right time.

"come on riki, let's get you fixed up," you persuaded the other and tugged on the cuff around his free hand. he reluctantly turned around, his eyes being the last of his body to disappear from the four boys.

"his mom came to pick him up, ain't that nice," you heard jeongin mock, only earning a small snicker from the crowd here and there. but you didn't care. cheaters would never have real skill and that's that.

you lead riki back towards the slanted pavement, in hopes of finding some tissues or an ice pack around somewhere. as you left lightly, you heard jake's voice question sunghoon about what happened and the crowd slowly disburse in preparation for the next race.

with a cold glass of beer against riki's sore face, his eyes never lifted off the concrete you two sat on. you clutched onto your long skirt and bit your bottom lip while mindlessly tracing your eyes on the tire tracks left in the dirt as jake and hyunjin already started their race.

"so... what really happened?" you asked the boy gently and he groaned at the forming bruise on his cheek that hurt every time he tried to speak.

"that son of a bitch' decided to play dirty when i was ahead of him for half the race," his voice was nasally due to the two twisted tissues stuffed up his nostrils and you could laugh at his state if it wasn't such a serious situation.

"he just rammed into you?" you questioned in uncertainty a boy so sweet looking like jeongin could be so fierce on the racetrack. but riki wanted to prove you wrong.

"yes. before the race, he told me no hard feelings for whoever won. so much for that act," he spat in betrayal, his gold locks draped around the sides of his face like a curtain. you assumed that's why riki held his pinky up before his race, motioning a promise to that flawed oath. you lightly chewed on the insides of your mouth, thinking his outrage seemed justified.

"what a joke," you commented while tucking a piece of your hair behind your ear and looked off towards the distance to not pile on the shame the boy was already drowning in.

"ts'tough. i wanted to win so badly. now everyone still thinks i'm a joke," he vented while continuing the shield on his expression. you immediately consoled the doubtful boy, a gentle hand stroking his back soothingly.

"that's not true. shit, i doubt anybody could handle the stress of being crashed into during a race," you pleaded while trying to cheer the boy up. he lifted his face slowly and his bangs fell to their correct placement, eyes lightened at your encouraging resolve.

"think so?" he asked in a low voice and you nodded with a small grin at his change in attitude.

"keeno," you responded and he sighed in relief while closing his eyes and rocking his head back.

definition:'keeno'. > keen, sure.

"this little kindness thing you do, is this what you learn in bible study, y/n?" his tone suddenly changed as he teased you with his usual banter. your eyebrows furrowed before you abruptly tore a tissue down from his nostrils and he cried loudly at the sting and the gush of blood that came out with it.

jake won his race. you were glad to see the smug grin wiped off of hyunjin's face upon his arrival. this glimmer of hope made your shoulders lift at the chance your crew could still win the night. it was you, jake and riki sitting together along the pavement waiting for the winner. riki's previous beer was now being used for its actual purpose and he gulped it down without a care in the world once his bruise stopped hurting and his nose quit bleeding.

jake was talking about how some pack of girls kept crowding around him like flies when he first arrived, hence his disappearance when you and felix first met. you thought it was a little funny why jake was always trying to run away from his group of fans every time he raced and riki made some comment about how jake probably swung the other way which he immediately denied.

the topic changed, rotating between what holiday jay was forced upon by his father, whether riki's voice had dropped yet and if heeseung was going to come back or not. where would he be? what could have taken him two weeks of his life from racing? not only was the absence at his desk at school starting to grow a pit in your stomach but also the doubt whether he was coming back or not.

you and the seven boys were childhood friends, in preschool, middle school all the way to high school the seven of you were inseparable. heeseung wasn't the kind of person to throw away years like that just for some hurt pride. so he had to come back.

the loud echo of an oncoming vehicle's radio sounded from atop the slope opposite your side. it was a roofless, bright blue automobile but the pack of men inside it is what surprised you the most. the two boys in the backseat were standing up and cooing like wild animals, fists in the air that held bottles of liquor. the people sitting on the concrete slope had to jump and run out of the road for the vehicle barging through them to avoid being squashed flat.

the men standing up only held onto the top of the front seat headers to retain their balance as the car veered forward down the slope dangerously to the point it could almost tip over. the air out of your lungs was socked out at such a stunt as the rolling vehicle came to a halt once it met the flat ground. the bass of the radio reflected off the pavement and you could hear your ears thumping to the same rhythm of the music before it clicked off and the four men jumped out.

"yeah, the boys!" chan's loud voice yelled while he ran from his previous viewing position to greet the other individuals with bear hugs and handshakes. your head steered towards the two boys beside you, curious about their reactions as well. jake's lips were parted and with clenched teeth, he fidgeted in his position steadily. riki's eyebrows were raised far enough for his forehead to crease in interest to what the appearance of these newcomers entailed to the event.

your eyes squinted while watching the figures below where the three of you say upon and their interactions. they behaved like sleazy, booze-infested apes who only knew how to communicate by yelling and wooing at everything. "who are they?" you questioned, not directed to either of your friends but jake took the initiative.

"that's the rest of their gang," he cooly replied and his lips licked out of habit and discomfort. if sunghoon didn't win, he would be the bud of jokes between the just-arriving men.

"shit, there's a mob of them," you cursed while counting up the numbers of your crew. four to eight did not look appealing to you at all.

"they're bad news," jake quietly continued while his eyes traced the furthest he could of the race track for any sign of sunghoon or felix. and you believed him. the appearance of such a feral group muddled with the only familiar handful of men you knew from them completed a perfect puzzle in your head. they were much worse than yeonjun and his group. way worse.

heeseung didn't have anywhere to stay the night. but when the company of his worn coveralls found him tiptoeing in the night, they invited him in. the owner of the repairman company, an old, balding man asked heeseung where he found the uniform which the boy answered shamelessly. unexpectedly, the old man laughed at such brutal honesty and offered heeseung a job.

so for the upcoming days, heeseung spent every day and night on the job, using the telephone outlet to call home and promise his temperamental mother that he'd be home soon and was just out with the boys. the owner of the establishment loved heeseung and his surprising work on vehicles.

"you seem to know a lotta 'bout cars, son. your old man a mechanic too?" his low antique voice asked while heeseung lay on a creeper on the undercarriage of a car, toying with something. a bead of sweat rolled down his dirt-staining temple while he licked his lips to answer.

"nah. just a knack i picked up," he lightly responded in such a bent-over position, his voice was coarse and throaty.

"impressive. skilled with your hands, aren't ya," the old man chuckled at his gag and heeseung just softly chortled at the dirty joke.

"no sweat," heeseung replied while focusing back on his work. that was the domestic dynamic he held with the owner who so generously offered food, shelter and a job to him. but all things come to an end and heeseung had a group to return to and a race to win.

and that's where heeseung found himself, sprinting out of the joint with nothing but a cigarette in his mouth and handfuls of scrunched cash stuffed into his pockets and crowded against his stomach as he ran away with the infuriated man behind him. of course, being at such old age made the owner give up easily and retreat to inside the store and to the nearest telephone for the police.

heeseung was smiling, laughing breathlessly at such a successful act that merely took a week and a half to achieve. the loud steps of his black converses came to a stop in front of the only store with a neon sign at this time of night. the dry cleaners where he could finally collect his jacket.

he swung the door open, ignoring the glare of the same girl at the run-down counter as he raced to the hanger racks to find it. the loud scratch of the girl's chair bounced off of the poster-ridden walls when she stood up in disbelief at the return of the boy who left her with a hand of dirty pennies and a destroyed jacket.

"nathan?" she abruptly spoke up and heeseung's pace faltered for a brief moment while he ignored her calling. she had a lot of questions in mind as to why he was running with wads of cash glued to him and why it took him to long to collect his jacket.  "those aren't yours, are they?" her glasses adjusted on her nose bridge as two shakey fingers pressed against them. she was referring to his coveralls now soiled in stains. he had almost forgotten the fake name he used so he didn't even realise she was referring to him.

"s'course they aren't mine. you realise this world is full of cheaters," he rhetorically asked through messy heaves of his chest while still flicking through articles of clothing. he was drenched in sweat and, motor oil and dirt, almost as dishevelled as the girl first saw him. her hands, once preoccupied with the newspaper she once read grasped onto her long red polka-dot skirt, uneasy with such a mean response.

the brief moment of silence broke at the relieved sigh that left the tall boy's parched lips as he found his beloved jacket. before he could pad back towards the entrance, the bright flash of red and blue reflected off the windows as police cars drove past at a deathly slow pace. they were searching for him. heeseung's dark eyes widened and he ducked down in an attempt to hide before his vision was clouded by red and white polka dots. "nathan, behind here," the gentle voice above the endangered male brought him back to reality and the crisis he was in.

the employee gestured to behind the front desk and he complied, side shuffling on his aching knees behind it. the girl was like his reflection, mirroring his positioning to take light steps and use her wide skirt to cover his face while he made haste getting to behind the desk. he met with the grim dusty table legs and leaned his back against it with a clamouring heartbeat. the unnamed girl returned to her usual position, reading a newspaper but all the tiny printed letters were too blurred by her adrenaline to actually process anything.

police cars swarmed by, their loud tires burning rubber against the road outside and their brash sirens singing out. heeseung was more than grateful for the little helping hand as he would've been toast if he was still out in the open. the only thing he thought about was the son of a bitch who ratted him out and sent a flock of police after him. he'd understand one or two cars but half a street full was asking for too much. it wasn't like he robbed the man's entire life savings, only a till full.

his partner in crime only took the flashing reflection in her glasses as a signal that the police cars had finally passed by and she craned her guilty head down to the man below her. his pearly white teeth shone, smirking in his pleasing tactic of avoiding the authorities, "thought you were a good girl. turns out y'not," was the only sentence he formed as his nerves calmed as his breathing regulated.

the quiet girl suppressed the tint of red growing from one of her cheeks to the other at his words, turning away in an instant to not blow her cover. "hit the road, hood," her voice changed while she referred to the criminal acts of the boy and now realised the kind of character he was.

the smoke of heeseung's cig left an imperfect line in the air as he stood up cautiously, eyes darting through the wide glass panes to see if the coast was clear. once he confirmed it was, he graciously stepped out of the desk and back on his previous path to the exit. the nickname 'hood' amused the boy, as well as the sudden fierceness in the girl he only thought was innocent.

"thanks, sweetheart. my name's heeseung," he revealed through a light whisper before he ducked out of the thrown-open door and to the opposite direction the police cars came from. the employee raced to the doorway upon his departure and leaned her head out of it to watch as the male escaped to an alleyway hidden in the shadows.

a knot in her heart snapping at the thought it would be the last time she'd ever see the boy. she knew from the beginning the coveralls weren't his and she knew his name wasn't actually nathan. because the tag on the jacket he left behind was claimed with blue pen that spelled his real name. all she knew about the dangerous boy was that she had fallen head over heels for him.

heeseung swerved past tight corners, cautiously avoiding the open from the fuzz that was most likely circling the area. he was trying his best not to move so violently and risk papers blowing out his pockets so he stopped once and found himself in an alleyway between some grocery store and two large skip bins where the stink was more detrimental than being caught by the police.

fortunately, there was a telephone hooked to the wall of the grocery store and as long as it wasn't hooked up to the services of the actual store, this could be his one-way ticket out of this muck. so, within two beats he held the phone up to his ear and dialled the only reliable service he knew. park jay.

sunghoon lost. the ear-defeating celebration from the pack of animals in the middle of the track only rubbed salt in the wounds when sunghoon exited his vehicle and scrambled his hair in his fingers out of frustration. jake stepped forward and rubbed the dishevelled male on the shoulder out of encouragement but he didn't bite into it. the cold winds brushed against the equally cold atmosphere and it sucked having two losses in a row.

you stood beside riki and began to turn away as sunghoon and jake were an inch past you when felix's loud voice yelled, "that race was child's play. i thought you had more fire in you, but i guess you put out," he mocked cruelly, indicating something unrelated to racing.

"s'got a broad with 'em. whaddya gonna do on the way home? this a gangbang?" another male you never met before slurred out, clearly mixed with alcohol. the disgusting comment made your nose scrunch and riki's steps froze.

"ey, let me tap in then," another one drunkenly laughed while his arms were slung around chan and the previously spoken male.

"what'dya meant to do the other 23 hours and 45 minutes in a day, han?" hyunjin teased immediately and han was laughed at while the other boys yanked his clothes mockingly.

the laughing group of hyenas in contrast to your silent crew made you grow embarrassed by the inappropriate remarks. well, until riki's fist banged into han's snickering face and made the boy almost collapse like a folding chair. your eyes shot open, sunghoon and jake immediately spun back around to stop the incoming throttle the seven active men were about to induce on riki.

the mobs of drunken teens were reeled around the scuffle, making it almost impossible for your two friends to pull their youngest out of the rut. your fingernails seeped into riki's shoulders as you attempted to help them hold riki back from going any further than a punch against han and the other men did the same with the said male.

"bust a gut, but you'll be blown off when i get my hands on you-" riki hissed out, voice hindered by the violent thrashes he used to try and get out of the lock sunghoon and jake had on him. han's lips were sneering in anger, cheek reddening while fought against his kind.

definition:'bust a gut'. > laugh out loud.

'blown off'. > defeated in a race.

"bite me!” han yelled before getting shoved to the ground by felix and chan, the two men who were slightly guilty for their friends' behaviour having met you beforehand. you stole a glance at felix, eyebrows furrowed in anger at the switch of personalities the men had around their friends. you thought they were cool at first before their true colours showed.

"cool it!" chan shouted while han was still itching to get his hands on riki. riki finally complied with the grip on his arms, calming down his heaving chest that was so clouded by anger and humiliation.

"i'm warnin' you ever utter a word about y/n," sunghoon rasped, for once his pink lips not clouded by the smoke of a cigarette between them. felix gulped down dryly, eyeing you through the gap between jake and riki's shoulders sympathetically.

"these chicks're only good for one thing," the male with dark hair who previously brought up the idea of the 'gangbang' spoke so confidently and your stomach turned at his controversial words. riki's body jerked at the immorality of the other and sunghoon called out for him to relax.

"fuck up, changbin, for fucks' sake," felix cussed in irritation while turning to his aggravating companion who never got the hint of the situation. you hand rubbed at riki's warm back to continue to settle him down as a blanket of intense silence ensued, consisting of death glares being shot from one boy to another.

"if you're cruisin' for a bruisin', this is our turf and we can get you kicked out anytime y'want," sunghoon warned lowly and felix's head angled downwards at his threat. before he uttered a word, hyunjin stepped forward with his red hair stealing the attention of everyone else.

"how 'bout we settle this? let's cop this side of town so you looneys can't reach us," hyunjin suggested and it piqued interest with his clique nodding in agreement.

"this s'not your turf and neither is it ours," sunghoon retaliated referring to the other side of town owning it. and to be exact, he meant yeonjun and his lackeys' ownership. hyunjin's head tilted in amusement, one eyebrow raised at the correction.

"well then, better defend their turf or you'll be bruised by 'em too. lets race. same spot, same time, tomorrow," hyunjin gambled and for one, you knew bets like these never ended well. you bit your lip uneasily and stole a glance at sunghoon. his eyes didn't falter, and neither did he move an inch from his position when his hands clapped against hyunjin's in a passive-aggressive handshake.

"winner takes the turf," he concluded while he released his hand from hyunjin's robotically and started to turn around to his vehicle parked behind him. you, jake, and riki copied his mannerisms and with hunched shoulders, you refused to return the sorry gaze felix conveyed to you. the tension in the air broke and was followed up by the loud celebration of the opposition's win.

sitting on four leather seats, you and the three others leaned on the counter, chewing your nails anxiously at the upcoming rumble in 24 hours. "i mean, surely you can bring your salt shakers and maybe sprinkle it in their eyes," jake humoured while looking over at sunoo who burst out laughing at the idea.

definition:'rumble'. > a fight among gangs.

"effective, don't you think? five bucks if i land it in jeongin's eyeballs just for you, riki," sunoo joked, previously hearing all about the events thirty minutes ago. riki just sighed out a less than enthusiastic laugh, clearly still torn on jeongin and his personal fight.

"you learnt better than that to set up bets again," you spoke with upturned eyebrows, staring at sunoo with a smile on your face to try and get him out of the habit.

"five bucks is not gonna empty my wallet," he replied while pouting his lips slightly to exaggerate his pronunciation.

"you paid your debts back?" you questioned, sounding a little more surprised than you intended to and the male was almost insulted.

"yes, actually," he rolled his eyes at your tone and then shifted his gaze to sunghoon whose head was in the clouds somewhere, only the fog of a cigarette blowing out of him. your eyes traced the long, slowly wavering line of smoke all the way up to the ceiling that danced before it disappeared into the air.

"sunghoon," you called his name and only his eyes moved to the direction of your voice, which you flinched in your seat, "oh my god. he's possessed."

sunoo and make cracked up quietly, not wanting to bring the male back to his right senses by being too loud. because for some reason, sunghoon's spaced-out periods were entertaining to watch. "must be heeseung's ghost. hey hyung," sunoo piled to the humour and you chewed the inside of your mouth not to giggle as well.

"stop," you begged while silently laughing while tugging sunoo's wrist to try and stop his hand from waving like a robot at sunghoon as if he were greeting heeseung.

finally, sunghoon's eyes blinked and he awoke from whatever curse was placed upon him, "fuck. we are so canned this rumble," he groaned while his hands clawed at his roots, palms drowning his eyes in darkness while he covered them.

"cool it, hyung. we've got weapons," sunoo calmly reassured while sliding a bottle of ketchup to jake which the male effortlessly caught and raised in the air playfully.

"'m being serious. six of us and eight of 'em, if they don't bring any other hobos with them, we're dead," he responded while his hands dripped from his anguished face and resided on the table.

"it was your bet, jackass," jake's brows crossed as he placed the bottle on the table and crossed his arms. sunghoon grunted while he slowly looked back at the other.

"yeah, i know that. how else would i have gotten them off us," his dark faze darted to riki's unsuspecting face next, "some fucker decided to strike 'em first, not once but twice."

riki's mouth fell open in treachery at his scolding, "lay off, hyung. you saw the way they were talkin' to y/n," he retorted while his blonde hair bounced with every word he spoke.

"i saw, we were jus' outnumbered. it was a bad move," he explained as quickly as he could before you got the wrong idea. his reasoning made sense but riki still thought he was getting heat for shit.

"whatever," the younger scoffed, pride partly hurt when he recalled the amount it took to calm him down from lashing out at han further.

"hey, riki. you wanna drop jay's ride at his garage for jungwon in the morning?" you asked the other to change the subject and ease the growing pressure in the room. the boy nodded his head and jumped up from his stool without another word and you trailed behind him to the entrance, "catch you later."

"i don't get it, he would've done the same for you," riki opening complained, hair grasping at his roots in stress as he steered with one hand. you leaned your chin on the back of your palm, listening intently to his worries while the gusts of cold night winds blew past you through jay's roofless automobile.

"no one was in the right in that situation," you responded and riki's eyes flicked up to you in the rearview mirror for a split second while he tried to piece together why, "i don't care about the shit they said. i know the only girl they'd ever kissed is probably their moms so why should i," you grumbled and a quiet noise in riki's throat signalised that he was laughing just a tiny bit.

"so you agree with sunghoon hyung then?" he mindlessly questioned as he turned a corner and the come and go of neighbourhood lamposts illuminated him briefly.

"i didn't say that. riki, he would've done the same if heeseung or jay was also there. but they weren't. can't you see that their absence is affecting him more than you think?" you asked with a simple reflection and riki's lips closed while he thought about it for a second.

"you're confusing me," he blabbered while his eyebrows furrowed at your complex analogy. you hummed for a second to piece together a version that maybe he would understand.

"i'm saying that he was trying to keep you outta trouble. he was scared of them and scared you'd get hurt even more," you finalised and riki released the grasp he had on his blonde tufts while he sat up straighter.

"hyung doesn't get scared, y/n. we could've taken them, easily," he contradicted whilst he pulled up to jay's father's abode. you clicked your tongue at his stubborn disregard and unlocked your door to step out.

"you didn't see it but i did," you swore before knocking on the garage door a few times and awaited a response. jungwon was usually still here at this hour so you had nothing to worry about. riki stayed inside jay's car and tapped his long fingers on the steering wheel to an imaginary beat. the garage door finally revolved upwards and you saw the expected boy alone in the empty garage. your eyes widened at the lack of heeseung's car that left behind a few splatters of oil in the centre of the room it used to be in.

"where's heeseung's car?" you asked the boy and furrowed your eyebrows at the last remnant of the boy being gone. jungwon's cat-like eyes peered back at you and stepped to the side of a wall to make way for jay's car.

"what do you mean? i gave it away," he quietly muttered while carefully scanning your shift in expressions. your heart panged at the very words and although you expected it since it was a race for the pinks and all, this just revealed that the only reason jungwon spent late nights at the garage was to clean the vehicle for the enemy.

your mouth pursed and you steered your gaze away from jungwon, hurt, "oh. right," you mocked remembering the bet. you tried to hide your solemn expression through a thick lie, "i forgot."

riki turned off the engine of jay's car and stepped out after parking it in the middle of the garage, he tapped the hard metal of the vehicle and looked up at jungwon, "it's dented. when i took it out for a spin, i didn't know if be racing with some psycho," riki explained while jungwon walked away from you and towards the rear of the vehicle to see the damages.

"that's totalled," jungwon's eyes widened at the large vacant indent captured just beside the boot of the car. he slipped his white thick gloves off and placed them in the pocket of his coveralls, "you guys win or lose?"

"lose," you softly responded laced with a layer of anguish and defeat. jungwon's lips just downturn at the disappointing reply.

"i was about to catch some z's so i'll head out nd fix it tomorrow, cool?" he questioned the male who was striding closer towards him from the hood of the car.

riki's eyes show up and he immediately shook his head, "you gotta fix it sooner or later, i don't want jay to flip when he sees i've broken his car," he wailed while he put his palms flat together as if he were praying.

"don't flip y'lid, rug rat. jay isn't coming home anytime soon," jungwon conceived while he buttoned down his coveralls and took his arms out of the sleeves, revealing his clean white tee in comparison to the dirty pair of coveralls he wore. he linked the two sleeves of his coveralls and tied them around his waist, settling on his hips. from the lack of fabric around his forearms, you could finally see what laid underneath that baggy fabric. well-toned biceps formulated by the tired labour of car work.

"first thing in the morning," riki pleaded next and earned the eye roll of the older male as he turned on his heel and began to walk the other way.

"they still at the diner?" jungwon asked, knowing the usual routine of the guys after a race and completely disregarding riki's whining.

"i'll tell you if you promise to do it tomorrow!" riki yelled out from within the garages jungwon was already skipping towards the direction of the diner anyways. you just gave the asking male a nod at his question and that's all he needed to go. the male now left with you sighed through his nostrils and you made haste in clicking the automatic door button to start to close the door, leaving the boy inside. he screamed out and jumped out of his frozen position to meet you outside, making you laugh out at his skittish behaviour.

sunghoon was worried about being outnumbered. if sunoo and jungwon came with us tomorrow, that would be six to eight. it would be fine if the race really was just a race. but from the intense atmosphere where the bet took place, you knew it would most likely result in a rumble regardless of who won or not.

rumbles happened every blue moon or so. your crew never really thrived on gang fights but only did when it was necessary. and to get these stray kids off your turf was definitely needed. so you needed allies, at least a handful of them for undeniable succession.

that's where you found yourself outside snob-high. the place where you wanted to find the very man you dread. choi yeonjun.

[leeha225]

Falling for him was like fallin' from grace~ (1/2)

-: ✧ :-゜・．-: ✧ :-゜・．-: ✧ :-゜・．-: ✧ :-゜・．

Lee Know×Fem reader

⚠genre⚠: childhood friends to lovers, sweet love, good girl gone bad, smut to finish off the thirsty minds. Playing rough, shackles and lots of love.

Synopsis: y/n meets her long-time no see neighbor/childhood friend. Sharing their deepest memories as both transcend to more.

(a/n: kind off based on true story but not completely. Have fun😉)

-: ✧ :-゜・．-: ✧ :-゜・．-: ✧ :-゜・．-: ✧ :-゜・．

"Yes grandma I know, I've packed everything that is needed" The phone next went to dad.

"If you want any help tell me, I can have someone to help you"

"Got it, it's just for two weeks, I'll be fine. Byeeee" Finally silence. Your university decided to select three people on a trip for a seminar to Australia and you were one of them. Learning the new techniques in science and research, who would let go of this opportunity?!!Setting everything right as the flight was scheduled at 9pm, now being just 4pm.

Reporting time was at 6 and only you and your teacher stood waiting for the rest to arrive.

"When I said 6pm they have to be here at 5pm, dear God. Y/n it's chilly out here, why don't you get inside the minivan" You gave a simple nod and took your seat, indeed it was cold outside that a slight drizzle made it worse. Rubbing your hands together laid back... Inhale... Exhale... The door opened as the other two arrived just in time. Greetings and goodbyes, all took off.

"What? We booked last week!" The teacher blasting at someone on the phone made everyone alert. "Fine... Guys bad news, this week you guys renting for rooms have not finalised. Since this is a last minute program. What do we do?"

"It's okay sir my relative live their and we two can go over for a week" The other two participants were from the same class tagging along leaving you alone.

"And you y/n?"

"Erm... I have someone I know over their too" You softly spoke, sniffly nose.

"Great now let's go"

Assembling at the airport it hit you, clearly you didn't want to ask your dad for help Or he'd make a huge fuss. That's when it struck you, one of your neighbor/childhood friend is working at Australia. It's been years since you last spoke over chat. Your dad helped him to get to study their, so he always felt indebted to help you. He'd give the best advice when you needed, but one time his reply seemed angry and that's it you both never spoke to one another. Life went on as you both were on either side of the world in your own lives, now finally crossed. It wasn't nice asking over chat, so y/n dialed for him.

"Hello?" His voice was deep and soft, maybe he was at work.

"Hi Minho, Sorry for disturbing. How are you?"

"Hey y/n, I'm good. How are you?"

"Good too. Um, it's just a small favor, I'm coming over for a seminar to Australia"

"That's amazing"

"Yeah, well just for a week we were instructed to get our own accommodation, due to some technical difficulties. So, I just wanted to know if you can help me"

"You want to stay over at my place?"

"I-If your okay with it, not that desperate"

"Will your family be fine with that?" The question struck you as he very well knew your family behavior towards their only precious daughter.

"Yeah just a week so it's fine" You lied probably but you needed somewhere to stay!!!

"Okay then, I'll pick you up, send me your flight details"

"Thank you so much, bye"

"Yeah bye" Woahhh such a relief, that wasn't so hard.

The plane ride was filled with clouding memories and thoughts. What should I tell him? What do i do? Never lived with a man alone. Is this the right decision? Just 3-4 years apart. He took up business as his major and continued is studies their. He was funny to talk to at first but as you both grew and matured, both became introverts. Minho always cooped up in front of computer playing games, watching anime. You on the other hand remained at home too. Very rarely both of you met and hell no you couldn't speak a word to him, whilst your dad did very happily. But no one knew that you had a secret crush on the guy. You would fake a fall while chasing him in game and poor guy genuinely comes over to check on you for injuries. Well you didn't feel like cheating because the ones that set the catchers were the worse keeping little ones to chase the big ones. Smiling to yourself as you slowly drifted off to sleep mode.

The morning sun shone through the window, waking you up. Squinting and blinking at the sea of clouds and the sun rested effortlessly on top bright and alive. Quickly pulling out your phone to take a few clicks as you loved looking up at the sky. Hello to a new day.

Getting off the plan, grabbing your belongings and baggage the team made it out of the airport, each finding their relative's to take them home.

"Y/n, who is coming over?" The teacher came over trailing his suitcase with him.

"M-My brother" You blurted out.

"I thought you were a only child"

"Cousin" Lie over lie.

"Fine then, I have to leave. Sorry couldn't wait but do keep me posted on when he arrives"

"Yes sure Sir" You felt a chill up her spine. Fondling with the strap you felt bad for not speaking the truth.

"Cousin? really?" A sudden voice made you jump.

"Wow! You scared me" Looking up at the... Now gorgeous man even though he wore a mask, you gulped. Right greetings, "How have you been?" You asked faking a smile.

"Great. Now let's get you something to eat"

"Ohh I ate one the plane. Have you eaten?" It was 10 in the morning and of course you ate.

"No so accompany me" Bossy you felt but yeah he was doing a huge favor. Getting inside his car, you felt your palm all sweaty. Softly rubbing them on your jeans you looked out the window as a distraction.

"So how is everyone at home?" Minho, Broke the silence.

"Their good. And your family?" Him driving with one hand drove you crazy. Look away!

"Good too" The atmosphere was back to silence, Minho drove to McD. Getting off you made your way through the doors to be greeted by the mild smell of fries and coffee. "Breakfast meal?"

"Me? No no I already ate" You kept opposing but he didn't seem to listen.

"Just give me company"

"Fine. Then small fries and black coffee. Wait let me pay" Taking out your wallet as you suddenly felt his hands on yours. Cheeks started to burn by the electrifying contact.

"Nope your my guest. Another time, maybe somewhere more expensive" You didn't want to drag this conversation and just left to wash your hands. Finding a seat by the window, you looked admiring the sky and the view. Minho came back removing his grey jacket to show his plain black shirt that hugged his bodice. Looking down at you phone nibbling on your lower lip, you completely forgot to call your dad.

"I need to make a call" You said and he just nodded. Walking outside, the warm wind blowing past much better than the sobber winter land you came from. "Hello?"

"Hey have you reached?"

"Yeah dad, just stopped by for breakfast"

"Eat well and all the best for the seminar"

"Thank you dad it's next week" You sounded tired of them treating you like a kid.

"O-Oh okay then I'll call you later" Short goodbyes you walked back in to find Minho scrolling through his phone while his food stared back at him.

"Why haven't you started yet?" Quickly scooting to your chair you also found that your black coffee was replaced by a smoothie.

"It's fine, just came"

"No black coffee?" You asked biting on your fries.

"What do you need that for, just rest for the day" His reply seemed stern, was he being annoyingly... Sweet.

"Thanks" Smoothie was a bit too sugary and you weren't a fan of sweet things much. Fries balanced the taste somehow, secret peeks to study more of his grown features. His silky dark hair hooding his gaze, veiny hands working it's way in tearing open the ketchup and perfect face fixed on the process so intently. You couldn't help but sigh at the heavenly sight. His tongue softly sweeping over his pink soft lips...

"So what are you here for?" Breaking out of your fantasies (glass shatter)

"This week we have a few conferences to attend then next week I have to do a presentation of my project work"

"Oh, that's great"

"How is your job?"

"Good place to work, not too much pressure but yeah I'm still learning"

"Cool"

Silence again*

Quick breakfast of awkwardness was over thank God. Minho's house wasn't far, just a 2min drive, he smoothly parked the car in place and got off to help you unload.

"Will this be enough?" He asked struggling with the suitcase, but swiftly got it to the ground.

"Joking or serious?" You couldn't help but laugh at the man.

"Well it depends on you answer" Taking out his entry card and swipping both in.

"I have my laptop, a few eatables, books and clothes" Walking towards the elevator he watched you with on raised eyebrow, clearly his face said 'really?'

"Joking it is" You slightly nudged his arm whining as you got in the elevator.

Minho shared his apartment with a friend but he wasn't in town so it was just him and you. Boys apartment is easy to identify with all the take away, instant food on the table. Unkept living space and...

"Ohh!" Suddenly a dark cat purred at your feet.

"Did he scare you?" He asked chuckling, wow he can laugh.

"A little... Hi their little fela" You crouched down to touch the little furry cat. It reminded you of your very own pet back at home. This felt nice.

"Me and my roomate got him, I remember you have the same color pet" You instantly shot up to look at him seated on the armrest of the couch.

"Yeah I do. What's his name?"

"His name is mew" You couldn't help but laugh at the effortless name. "What? I didn't name him" Throwing blames.

"Right"

"Do freshen up and gets some rest, you'll be staying in my room, me at my roommates, if you need anything do tell" Minho quickly announced to show the way, surprisingly his room was neat, anime posters here and their but not too much. A simple desk with a picture of his family, a bed perfectly made, Cat aesthetics here and their but wow the room smelled nice. Inhaling deeply you felt comfortable.

"You like it?" Whipping your head to his direction, he's still here?!!! Leaning against the doorframe with a faint smile. You nodded with a smile back.

"Thank you"

_

Next few days you both barely met, Monday Minho had work till evening and your jetlag got you. Sleeping even before he'd arrive. The next day he made you eat more breakfast to compensate for missing last night dinner. Again he was off to work and you had to arrange your material for the presentation. On Wednesday you had to attend a conference, your teacher picked you guys personally out of guilt, for not being able book rooms properly. The conference was interesting at first but again jetlag made you droopy. Suddenly your phone chimed as he texted.

Hey, what time does the conference get over?

Around 6pm

Send me your location I'll pick you up

No it's fine, my teacher is dropping me off

We're eating out today, so I'll pick you up

It struck you, wow... Simple okay as your face felt hot. All the tire and jetlag instantly flew away.

Later after the conference finally came to an end, you walked out with a faint smile and childish joy in you just bubbling with sweet love.

Wooooshhhhh.... The rain poured heavily... Just perfect.

Pulling your coat close, you quickly rummaged through your bag for an umbrella which unfortunately you forgot to take from the suitcase. Brilliant.

Sigh~

Pacing back an forth just staring at the droplets forming tiny pools, everyone a side for shade in their own complicated world. Extending your arm out a bit so no one noticed to feel the cool water bounce of your skin. Suddenly a figure came running fast through the rain towards your direction.

"Minho?" The man almost colliding with you, came to a stop. Heavy breathes, hair dripping of droplets and his flannel effortlessly sticking to his skin.

"Sorry i forgot an umbrella. What do you want to have for dinner?" He asked brushing of the water from his clothes. Quickly you handed a mini towel you always carry for moments like these.

"Here, Nothing specific, anything would do. Not much hungry anyway" Watching his every move made you feel some kind of way. Quickly diverting your attention from him hair thrown back, exposed forehead of his god like face.

"Don't worry I'll make you... Hungry" Minho looked at you with intent eyes and pulled you quickly into the rain.

"Heyyy!!!" Both running and you complaining while he laughed as you both reached his car. Quickly getting in to see that you were now wet and by wet literally dripping drenched. Wow. "Your ruining your car"

"So how are you gonna repay for ruining my car" Everything about him felt different today.

"Are you okay? Or does rain change you?" Laughing hard you realised that the mini towel was worse than you. Taking off your jacket to put off the wet feel.

"I blame the rain then" Minho smirking visibly under the city lights as he drove silently. Both couldn't find a proper dinner and he got a call from work, so back home it is. Minho cursed softly and looked at you like u were an abandoned kitten.

"Im extremely sorry"

"No no it's fine. I'll just make is dinner and you can make your calls" You couldn't wait to change out of the sticky clothes anyway. A warm shower while the water boiled in the kitchen and it struck you. Forgot to do the laundry. Shoot. You only had very short shorts and A long white shirt. Snuggling into it and hiding ur feeling-exposive body you couldn't think straight. Simple hot noodle bowl that would go amazing with the weather. Setting the table you sat down going through your messages. Your teammate invited you to a dinner party on Saturday and for some reason you wanted to go for it. The cat purred at your feet meaning the little wanted attention and dinner. Knelt down to fill his bowl when...

"Dinner ready? -" Minho stood frozen for some time and continued walking to the table like he was controlled.

"Yeah just simple noodles"

"P-Perfect for the rain" Minho wore his usual sweat pant and loosely hung shirt. Lazy.

"Yeah" You came over and sat with him as your wet hair made things worse for him. The water dripping down your white shirt exposing your skin tone.

"Ahem...I-I have another call in A few minutes. So, I'll take my dinner to my room. Thank you by the way" Scooting away you sat stunned. Tasting the noodles you realized you forgot salt. Quickly rushing up with salt, blasting open his room to find him....

*Gasp*

[hyunnows]

some people | teaser

POSTED!

PAIRING(s): Taehyung x reader, Dowoon of day6 x reader

RATING: pg13

WORD COUNT: 6k+ / 521 for the teaser

CONTENT/WARNINGS: unrequited love, friends to strangers, angst, un healthy friendship, lowkey toxic Taehyung, swearing, pretty minor fluff and happy memories mentioned

SUMMARY: You’ve been Taehyung’s best friend for a while, in love with him from the sidelines as he chases after others. You’ve always given him a hundred percent, while he’s struggled to give you more than twenty-five. After all this time, you finally realize that while you were once “best friends”, he’s never been your “best” friend.

PREMIERE DATE: February 13, 2022

A/N: this is my submission to the anti-romance collab hosted by @rockwithwoo and @astramoonchild <3 thank you so much for allowing me to participate in this collab, im really excited to post the full oneshot when the time comes! Thank you to my betas @starry-paris, @nightshadevinter, @diorkoo, @sunshinejunghoseokie, you all were such big helps <3 i really enjoyed your feedback and input and im ever so grateful for the time you gaave to look over this for me <33 I hope you all enjoy the teaser, feel free to comment or send me a dm/ask if you would like to join the taglist! Have a great day/night and take care of yourselves!

Jimin’s eyes roll back, displeased to see Taehyung at your door, get well soon package in hand and a shameful expression painted on his face. “She said I could come over to pick up some notes…” The taller boy mumbles, abashed that even with all the trouble he caused you, you still prepared what he needed, just as you said. “I’ll leave after I make it right.”

“You hurt her, I’ll hurt you.” Is all your roommate grumbles out before stepping aside and letting the slightly unwelcome guest into your humble abode. “You know where her room is.”

A gentle knock sounds at your door, but your head feels too tight for you to do anything about it besides blow into another tissue. “Jimin I don’t want to talk about it—”

“I’m not Jimin…” He murmurs, eyes failing to meet yours from the guilt pitted in his stomach. “Before you kick me out, I just wanted to give you these. This is soup, your mom’s recipe, some cough and flu medicine my grandma used to use when I got sick, and a weighted blanket because I know how much you’ve been wanting one.”

He flinches as you hack loudly, eyes red and puffy, struggling to focus on his face. “How did you get in here? We changed,” you choke out another cough, “we changed the locks last week and I haven’t given you a key yet.”

Trying not to smile, he mumbles. “I might’ve told Jimin you knew I was coming. In my defense, I just wanted to give these to you in person and apologize again, although I know that apologies don’t do much…”

His head hangs low as his voice fades away, and you can’t help but shake your head at him. “I’m not mad anymore Taehyung. I’m sorry for overreacting yesterday, I was just upset.”

“I get why. I’m not reliable or a good friend, really. I don’t know why you keep me around.” He chuckles a bit, setting the things he brought for you on your bed gently before straightening back up. “You deserve a better best friend than me, huh?”

You shake your head. “No, you’re amazing, honestly I don’t think I deserve someone as sweet and thoughtful as you half the time.”

“You’re just saying that.” He laughs, the two of you falling into your usual banter. After a bit, he winds up beside you, the two of you watching an old comedy flick when he leans closer to you, closing his eyes as he leaves a kiss on your head, his lips lingering as he maffles against your skin quietly. “No date is worth more to me than you are, I promise. You’re the most important person to me.” His body gradually begins to shudder against you as a quiet sob leaves his lips. “I’m so sorry…”

Somehow, even when he messes up so grandly, you always end up letting him off the hook, even comforting him when it truly should be the other way around. Your hand rubbing his back to soothe his sadness while nobody’s there to wipe your own silent tears.

[ladyxskywalker]

hello, my lovely friend. 🥪☕️💌 i'm going around and asking the writers i most admire on here about their process. how are you so prolific? what are your tips to writers re: carving out the time to write? i know for a lot of us it can sometimes feel like we don't have any pockets of free time between work, life, families, etc. any wisdom you could share would be greatly appreciated <3 :3 take care!

hello my dear ! 💗🌸🌻

thank you so much for this message about writer things !

how are you so prolific?

when I first got into writing during 2020, I had a lot more time to devote to it then. everyone was staying home, & I always had other creative interests that I would spend time with because it would help my emotional health & well being. I would write almost every day (in between crochet or daily life things), & a lot of the time when I couldn't sleep from fear or stress, I would stay up during the quiet early hours & have these super late night writing sessions. all of my dreams or daydreaming would eventually turn into full fledged stories, & would just come to life when it felt like I was losing myself. personal struggle & intense grieving also was a huge part of my writing process (both then & now). I felt like if I didn't put this emotion somewhere positive, I was going to fall straight down into a black hole. I couldn't let myself get there to that point. So alot of the writing that came out of that just kept building up over time. I just felt like I had to do something.

It was a lot of fun for a while, staying up really late & feeling like a silly coffee lady, but now I just physically can't do that anymore. & I'm trying to be better about time management & being realistic about how I spend my time. Taking more walks & reconnecting with friends.

Then when autumn & thia started doing the writer weds writing challenge, I would always participate & try to push myself to write something based on the photo prompt every week to get the creative juices flowing. I had more time last year to do all of that when I was helping take care of my grandma on my off days. That's probably why my fanfiction works number is so high on ao3 because I would write all of those little stories no matter what. & alot of those fics were also requests for friends, or series that I started & never picked up again for whatever reason. writing during all of that just really helped me & brought comfort not only to myself but other people too. In a strange way it felt like I was doing something good & like I had a purpose.

I feel like it's definitely much harder now to balance creative interests with daily life & family responsibilities, & sometimes my free time is chosen based on if I get lucky & have like a random 2 hour break time window in my day. Or when the feeling strikes completely out of the blue & if I don't quickly write something down I will absolutely forget it all (because my brain sometimes is on multi task / auto pilot mode).

which is why it is so incredibly important to take breaks, & to listen to your body & mind if or when I am pushing myself way too hard. !! because the burn out is so real. I'm trying to be better about perfectionism & slowing down more, because sometimes I set unrealistic expectations for myself.

anyway this kind of went way off topic *waves hand* but I do hope this answers your question in some way ! I always love chatting about the creative process, & would love to also hear your thoughts about it all too !

thank you for being a friend & for sharing in this little community we've made for ourselves here. super happy & thankful to have connected in the way that we did. ☕️💗🌸 xoxo

[dysfunctionalcrab]

babysitter

pairing: georgenotfound x reader

pronouns: gender neutral

description: george is left to babysit your niece

warnings: mentions of a future family? just in case that makes you uncomfortable.

[y/n/n] - your nieces name

[y/s/n] - your siblings name (gender neutral too)

note: i’m not too sure about this imagine, please a like or reply if you actually enjoyed! - niss

you woke up to the sound of your alarm blasting your ear off, if you hadn’t turned it off right there you probably would have gone deaf.

george was sleeping like a baby beside you, you could hear his quiet snores. you were surprised he didn’t wake up to the sound of your ear-piercing alarm.

turning on your phone, you glanced at the time that read 12:30. you sighed in annoyance as you registered that you only had half an hour before you had to be on your way to university. so you got up and began your normal morning routine, brush your teeth, shower, have breakfast and finally get dressed. however, as you were packing your bag, almost ready to go, you received a notification from your [sibling]

[y/s/n]: we’re 5 minutes away!!!

[y/s/n]: thank you so much for agreeing to do this :)

fuck.

it completely slipped your mind. you had promised to take care of [y/n/n] for today, your 7 year old niece, while your [sibling] was at their job interview. regardless, you texted them a quick ‘no problem’ before rushing upstairs to wake up george.

he was still sleeping, but now he was completely hiding under the covers with one arm sticking out. you hated to interrupt his beauty sleep but this was more important. you began to shake him awake.

“babe,” you shook him

“wake up,”

“george,” you removed the covers off his face

“wake the fuck up!” you started poking his sides. usually, you would be a little less... harsh, but you were panicking.

finally the boy rose from his slumber, groaning and stretching all his limbs. he blinked a couple times before meeting your eyes

“good morning,” he said softly, as if he completely just disregarded your tone of desperation and worry.

you pulled him by his arm and he sat upright,

“you need to get up right now,” you told him

“what’s going on?” he questioned, clearly confused as you weren’t giving him any context

“you need to take care of [y/n/n] for today, i have classes today, and i need to leave in 5 minutes and [y/s/n] has a job interview and there’s nobody else to take care of her,” you rushed out all in once sentence.

“are you serious?” he narrowed his eyes at you. “you know how bad i am with kids, especially [y/n/n] , she hates me,”

that was partly true. unfortunately, your niece wasn’t exactly fond of george. ever since you even started dating,m, [y/n/n] acted cold towards your boyfriend, it only got worse when you moved in with him. she always refused to play a game if george was going to participate, or never accepted any high fives or hellos from him. you felt sympathy for george. this child despised him and now you were asking him to look after her.

“please, i’m begging you,” you looked at him with pleading eyes. his eyes softened up after recognising the urgency of the situation.

“fine,” he agreed. you sighed out of satisfaction that you didn’t have to stress out [y/s/n] over finding a new baby sitter.

“thank you so much,” you pressed a small kiss to his lips appreciatively.

right at that moment, you two heard the doorbell ring. you urged george to get ready as fast as he could while you went down stairs and greeted your [sibling] and your niece.

“auntie/uncle [y/n]!” [y/n/n] yelled as you opened the door, immediately rushing into your arms. she looked a lot taller than the last time you saw her

“how’s my favourite girl?” you picked her up and swung her, before placing a little kiss on her head

you gave your [sibling] a quick hug. they handed you a bag full of toys, teddies and colouring pens, along with a spare set of clothing just in case [y/n/n] got a little messy throughout the day. and some quick reminders about her favourite foods or how to get her stop crying. you’d looked after her before, so all of it was pretty familiar to you

“again, thank you so, so much, you have no idea how much you’re helping me.” they told you. your [sibling] gave [y/n/n] a kiss on the cheek and told her to be a ‘good and kind little girl’ before finally exiting the household.

george, at last, made his way down. wearing a decent pair of jeans and a hoodie, giving an awkward wave to [y/n/n]

you checked the time and knew you had to get going. you had to explain to her that uncle george was going to be the one looking after her today. and after one whole tantrum, you managed to convince her to be a good girl by promising to give her a big reward afterward.

finally, you kissed [y/n/n] and george a goodbye , then shut the front door behind you.

george and [y/n/n] stood opposite each other. there was an uncomfortable silence in the air. george felt so...he didn’t even know. what do you say to a child who hates you? [y/n/n] tightly clutched her bag of toys.

“so, [y/n/n],” george cleared his throat, he bent down to her level. “i hear you like toy story?”

[y/n/n] pouted “i don’t like you” she said, and stomped away.

george sighed. this was going to be a long day.

and it was.

-

it started off with [y/n/n] innocently using her colouring pens and drawing random things, you know, as children do. but when she ran out of paper, she made her way to your office, where all your uni work was. she grabbed the closest piece of paper that was sitting on your desk, deciding it was going to be the next canvas for her art. this paper just happened to be a very important assignment.

when george caught her in the act, he had to physically tear her away from your office, in defiance of all her kicking and screaming.

-

then, when george accidently left the door to your shared bedroom open. [y/n/n] waddled in without him noticing, she started playing with all of his devices. his computer, his microphone, and somehow she got a hold of his headphones, and took out the battery. george didn’t realise until he noticed the cover missing. he tried to ask her nicely where she threw the battery. but she insisted that she wasn’t going to give it back unless he stopped being ‘mean’

-

when lunch time rolled around, george put a pizza in the oven, he remembered clearly that [y/n/n] loved pizza, specifically pepperoni. nothing could go wrong here.

but when he called her to the kitchen so she could receive her lunch. she just stared blankly at the pizza, and then at him. she crossed her arms

“[y/n] usually makes a smiley face with the pepperoni”

george just felt all his will to live just disappear

-

coloured pens and toys were spread out all across the living room floor, [y/n/n] was sitting in front of the tv, george put on one of her favourite shows which thankfully distracted her for a bit, allowing him to relax. he pulled out his phone and texted you

to [y/n] <3 : help me please

to [y/n] <3: i cant take this anymore, i’m literally dying rn

to [y/n] <3: come home quick

he exhaled heavily, throwing his phone to the side. he was so exhausted.

[y/n/n] was roleplaying with her toys, making them move around and doing squeaky little voices. george smiled at the innocence

“purple bear doesn’t play with us anymore. princess giraffe, mr. george took her away from us,” she spoke in a high pitched voice

george’s ears perked up. how funny that she had a teddy named ‘mr. george’. curiously, he watched the little girl.

“koala george, is a meanie, he stole purple bear and now they don’t want to hang out with us!”

it didn’t take a genius to find out what [y/n/n] was displaying through her role playing teddies.

that was why she didn’t like george. before they got together, [y/n] mentioned they almost spent every weekend with [y/n/n], playing with her and having fun with her.

she felt abandoned by [y/n] and felt as if george had taken them away from her .

george felt at fault as he noticed the girls eyes started to water.

“does purple bear love us any more?” she continued to play.

george decided it was enough and he switched off the television. he joined [y/n/n] on the floor and grabbed the teddy that was supposedly ‘koala george’

“[y/n/n]” he spoke softly. the little girl looked up at him expectantly. he held up the teddy.

“is this supposed to be me?” he questioned her.

“that’s a koala bear,” she answered

“no-, [y/n/n],” he said. he thought about how to ask her, and just chose it was best to be flat out with the child,”

“did i steal auntie/uncle [y/n] away from you?”

the question took her by surprise. she gazed at him with big wide eyes. she thought about her answer and grabbed the purple bear, which was supposed to be you.

“they don’t play with me as much anymore, they’re always with you, because of you, they don’t love me anymore,” she pulled a face, it wasn’t angry, it wasn’t annoyed.

it was a genuinely sad face.

george was sure he physically felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. he never even comprehended the fact that a child could feel so rejected.

“listen... [y/n/n],” he said gently. he thought about his words. comforting someone wasn’t exactly his strongest point, particularly not a child who detested him “[y/n] will never stop loving you, okay? they love you very much, and i’m sorry you feel like i stole them ”

[y/n/n] continued to listen.

“but don’t forget that [y/n] has so much love to go around! look, they love you, and they love me, they love grandma and grandpa too! they will always love one another even if they can’t see each other often,”

[y/n/n] stayed silent. she fiddled with the purple teddy, folding its ears and patting its head. she loved that bear. it was actually gifted to her by you, when she was first born. she brought it to her chest and hugged it. george tried a different approach.

“listen, how about- this weekend, we can all go to the park together, and have a picnic. you, me, [y/n], and your parents too,”

she continued to just stay silent. george didn’t know what to expect, she was unpredictable, was she going to throw another hissy fit? or start to cry? he wasn’t sure

“can we also get ice cream?” she asked

george smiled and felt himself relax. thank god. “all the ice cream you want,” he told her

[y/n/n] stood up and giggled. like her whole entire mood did a whole fucking 180. “okay! let’s go play dress up now!”

———

7:45 pm. you finally arrived home. you were tired out of your mind. [y/s/n]’s interview was delayed by two hours and was currently half way back home, meaning you had enough time to spend with [y/n/n]

you unlocked the door, expecting to see a giant tsunami of toys and colouring pencils and pens, but what you saw was the most heart warming thing ever.

george was sleeping on the couch, his head resting on the armrest. he had a couple pink bows in his hair, his lips were painted a hot pink, he was wearing a couple sparky bracelets and a purple floral necklace.

in his lap, [y/n/n] rested her head, she was wearing a fairy costume with matching pink bows and sparkly bracelets.

you quickly snapped a photo of this wholesome moment. because, who wouldn’t? you spent a few minutes just watching the two sleep, they were probably just as tired as you.

moments like these made you really appreciate the people you had in your life. the people you love so dearly much.

you didn’t want to disrupt the ambience but you felt it was better for your [sibling] to collect your niece when she wasn’t covered in glitter and an overload of pink accessories.

you quietly woke george up,

“baby, wake up.” you shook him awake, gently. in a very different way than you did this morning. he opened his eyes. and immediately smiled upon seeing your face. you ran your thumb across his cheek

“it looks like you two had a lot of fun,” you teased.

he quietly chuckled. “she’s okay,” he told you. looking down at the little girl sleeping in his lap.

you slowly and carefully picked her up, removing any accessories you thought may seem uncomfortable to sleep in. she was a heavy sleeper.

you carried her upstairs, tucking her into you and george’s bed and placing a kiss upon her forehead. you turned back to george and rushed in for a bear hug

“thank you so much for doing that,” you said. “i love you so much, i know it probably wasn’t easy, she can be quite the handful,”

george chuckled. “handful is an understatement,”

“you’d better be willing to dress up like that with our own kids one day.” you stated, hugging him tighter.

his face broke out into a small smile, having thought of an image of you two playing with you future kids. he kissed top of your head and then your nose

“maybe one day”

———

masterlist

[edendaphne]

“Discordant Sonata” Chapter 19

>>Click here to read on Ao3<<

>>Click here to read on Wattpad<<

–––––

CHAPTER 19: ATTACCA

Music glossary:        Attacca - "To attack at once"; used as a direction in music at the end of a movement to begin the next without pause

–––––

(Mood music: "The Conversation" - Pearl Django)

Being mere months away from graduating lycée meant that their group of friends didn’t have as many classes together, due to their diverse individual interests and talents. However, they always made sure to make time to hang out after school before their extracurricular activities began.

And thus, Adrien, Nino, and Alya made their way to the classroom where the art club gathered to meet up with Marinette. From there, Adrien would make his way to either fencing lessons or Chinese, depending on the day of the week. Marinette would join him on days when he had Chinese (as she’d become determined to master the language ever since her uncle visited from Shanghai a few years back), Alya would go to her journalism club, and Nino would travel to his part-time internship at the local recording studio.

“–and the backlogs just keep piling up!” Alya spoke as they walked, voice full of vigor and excitement. “I’ve had to recruit yet another mod to help me keep order in the forums! Especially since the Ladyblog has started going international and we’ve had to organize servers in different languages. You wouldn’t believe how crazy it’s gotten in there recently!”

“Dang, babe,” Nino interjected. “Sounds like things are super rough for you right now.”

“Not really, more busy than anything. Especially because I have that big research article due next week, there’s just not enough hours in the day to try to read everything that goes on in there. But I have my mods report to me daily, ‘cause I always like to stay on top of everything that goes on in the chats!”

“What’s gotten everyone so riled up in the Ladyblog lately?” Adrien chimed in. “I don’t recall it being nearly this busy last year.”

The trio entered the art club’s classroom and settled down at the table where Marinette sat, getting her various sketches organized. The art teacher was quite easy going, so they didn’t have to talk in hushed whispers and could come and go as they pleased.

“Well, to be honest, it’s because of Chat Noir,” Alya replied.

Adrien tried to contain his surprise. “R-really? What– uhhh, what do people have to say about him?”

He winced inwardly. He knew he shouldn’t ask. But curiosity got the better of him today. Maybe learning the news through the filter or Alya’s paraphrasing instead of reading the negative comments firsthand would lessen the sting of what people said about him.

Marinette whipped her head around at the mention of his alter ego. “Wait, what about Chat Noir?” she inquired.

“Girl,” Alya replied, her voice filled with renewed exuberance. “You would not believe how much we’ve had to censor and moderate all the inappropriate things people have been saying!”

Adrien flinched in his seat. “Wow… do people really hate him that much?” he asked, trying to conceal the dejection in his voice.

Alya busted out into loud guffaws. “Hate?! Dude, most people don’t hate him; they LOVE him! By ‘inappropriate’ comments, I mean the kinda stuff you wouldn’t want your grandma to catch you reading! There’s a whole giant section dedicated to his new fan club!” she said as she removed her glasses so she could wipe away the tears of laughter.

“WHAT?!” Adrien squawked in confusion, his face feeling hotter than the ovens back at the bakery. “A fan club??”

Marinette burst into uncontrollable snickering. “Has it really gotten that bad?!”

Nino joined in, “Bro! Adrien, I can’t believe you haven’t heard Alya rant about these rabid fans before! They call themselves the ‘Noir Nation’, and the kind of things they’ve been writing would make adult romance authors blush like schoolgirls!”

Alya nodded, thoroughly amused. “And that’s not including all the fanfiction people have been writing.”

“Wait– the WHAT?! There’s fanfiction?!!” Marinette gaped in shock, as if she’d been hit in the face with an enormous pie. “Alya, how come I never knew about this?!”

“Why? You wanna read em? Girl, you’ll get no judgment from me. If you wanna check ‘em out for yourself, just go check under the hashtag ‘Ladynoir’.”

Marinette stammered as her arms flailed in her bewilderment, accidentally knocking her phone off the table and onto the floor, her eyes bigger and rounder than Adrien had ever seen them. “They have a ship name?!” she screeched.

“Just mind the ratings though,” Alya advised. “Some of them can get pretty steamy. You wouldn’t want someone to catch you reading those in public,” she added with a wink.

Marinette continued to sputter incoherently. “NO, I am NOT gonna read it!! It would be different if they were fictional characters, but I could never read fanfiction about real people!”

Alya raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. “Mm-hmm… Sure.”

Marinette’s hands flew to her face, trying to hide how red her entire face had gotten, and released a long squeak that resembled a hamster on helium. As shocked as Adrien was about these rather unexpected news, seeing Marinette’s over-the-top reaction brought a wide grin to his face and he busted out laughing.

He bent over to retrieve Marinette’s phone, since she was too busy being mortified to notice it had fallen to the floor. As he was about to hand it back, the screen lit up and Adrien saw the lockscreen wallpaper: it was the same photo of Ladybug and Chat Noir that he himself had saved earlier that day. He smiled, not exactly sure what to make of it, but finding it adorable that she’d liked the photo enough to set it as her lockscreen.

He tapped her shoulder, waiting for her to respond. She emerged from behind her impromptu hand shield and turned her head, then her eyes widened once again as soon as she saw what Adrien was showing her. She jolted straight up, stiff as a board, and her eyes met his, cheeks turning tomato red. He winked at her, amused about this little secret between them, and handed back her phone without a word.

Marinette accepted it with a meek-sounding, “Thanks,” looking like she wanted to explain the photo, but not able to do so unless she wanted Alya and Nino to find out that she was potentially a… ahem– “Ladynoir” shipper.

Switching the conversation to something else (which Marinette seemed to be eternally grateful for), the group chatted until it became time for them to scatter to their next destinations.

With a wave, Adrien exited the classroom and headed towards fencing practice, one of the few activities he decided to stick with despite not being forced to participate. Fencing, along with Chinese lessons, were not only enjoyable, but were also quite useful. Sadly, he didn’t have access to a piano anymore, so he wasn’t able to pursue that hobby for the time being. Hopefully later down the line, when things had settled down and he’d found his own place to live, he’d be able to finance one.

Thinking about the future had become an exciting pastime instead of an anxiety-inducing one, and it was all thanks to his friends and those he cared about. He smiled as he reached the door to the locker rooms, continuing to daydream of what was to come.

(Mood music: "Recollection 3" - Shirō Sagisu (BLEACH OST, "The Diamond Dust Rebellion")

Adrien finished getting dressed for fencing, his head still blissfully floating in the clouds. He stored his belongings into his assigned locker, shutting it with a loud clang, which echoed through the empty room.

Huh...? Empty?

He swiveled his head around, surprised that there was no one beside him. He stood up and began walking down the large room, peeking down the other locker rows looking for his classmates; but there was nobody.

Where was everyone? There’s no way that every single one of them was running late. Had his lessons been cancelled and he’d somehow missed a text message or email? He began heading back towards his locker to check his phone for any schedule changes.

Before he reached his destination, however, heavy thudding footsteps broke the eerie silence. Adrien whipped his body around to greet whoever they belonged to.

The owner of those footsteps was one of the last people Adrien expected to meet here.

“Gaspard?!”

Adrien stood agape, face to face with his old bodyguard, whom he hadn’t seen in a couple of years; not since he’d resigned and moved out of the country. Nathalie had mentioned that in his resignation letter, Gaspard said that he’d become involved in an overseas business venture involving the market of rare action figures. Nevertheless, Adrien couldn’t help but suspect that his father’s ill temper and poor treatment of their employees was the true reason for his departure.

Adrien’s first reaction was surprise and joy, and he rushed forward to greet and embrace him. However, as he approached and got a better look at the man’s face, Adrien’s mood instantly morphed into confusion and apprehension. There was something odd about his eyes.

Something wasn’t right. Why was Gaspard here? And why now?

He came to a halt about a meter before reaching him. An oppressive weight seemed to press in all around him, and he had to suppress a shiver. “Wait. Gaspard, did–” he gulped, “–did my father send you?”

His old bodyguard did not reply, but took a heavy step towards him. Adrien stepped back.

“Please… I can’t go back. I live somewhere else now, and I’m very happy there. Whatever he told you about the situation, it’s a lie.”

His bodyguard continued to approach him, his stare vacant and unsettling.

Fighting the urge to panic, he pleaded, “You don’t have to do this. If he’s offered you compensation, I can match it; it’ll just take me a bit of time. But we can work something out, right?? For old time’s sake?”

He continued walking backwards until he bumped into something firm, but it wasn’t a wall; it was another person. Before he could turn around, they grabbed him by the shoulders, detaining him and preventing him from running away.

He was about to shout for help when something sharp jabbed him on the side of the neck, injecting a cold liquid. Adrien’s eyes grew wide in terror.

Shit.

Adrien swore as he jerked away, elbowing whoever was behind him and managing to break free. Rubbing at the spot where the syringe had stabbed him, he glanced back to take a look at his other assailant, only to see... another Gaspard?

Why are there two of him??

This was wrong. Gaspard didn’t have a twin; he knew that for a fact. He’d worked for the Agrestes ever since Adrien was a toddler and was too young to even pronounce his name correctly (hence the nickname “Gorille”, which stuck around for years afterwards). Additionally, there was something uncanny, otherworldly, even, about the way these two men looked and moved.

He shook himself out of his stupor. He didn’t have time to contemplate any possible explanations. He had to get out of there fast.

He sprinted towards the exit, but only managed to travel a few paces before he lost his footing and tripped. He fell to the ground hard, almost hitting his head on a nearby bench. As he struggled to get up, he realized that his fingers and toes had already gone numb.

Not good.

Time was running out. Adrenaline coursed through him and, with a grunt, he hefted himself to his feet and scrambled towards the exit, as fast as he could despite a heavy limp. Though his heart was hammering and his legs felt like they were filled with sand, he pushed himself, concentrating on reaching the door.

After taking a few steps, however, he realized that even if he did manage to exit the locker room, the area beyond was an open courtyard. Meaning he wasn’t going to be able to reach someplace safe before getting caught. He had no choice but to transform into Chat Noir, and hopefully Plagg’s powers and strength could help him escape and find somewhere to hide.

He’d scarcely uttered the first syllable in the transformation phrase when he was tackled to the ground. A giant hand swiftly covered his mouth and Adrien felt his hands get bound together with thick zip ties behind his back. A muffled scream of writhing frustration made its way up his throat as his limbs became more and more useless by the second.

No… This can’t be happening! Please, this can’t be how it all ends!

Just when his life had finally gained a semblance of normalcy and he’d found happiness again, it would get ripped away and he would disappear without a trace, leaving everyone to wonder what had happened to him. Leaving his friends to think that Gabriel had pulled him from school and they would never see him again. Leaving Ladybug to wonder if Chat had abandoned her forever. Leaving her to fight Hawkmoth alone. Again.

He couldn’t let that happen. He thrashed and struggled as furiously as he could, fighting the feelings of overwhelming helplessness that threatened to consume him. Nearing despair, he was too distracted to notice Plagg phrasing through the wall, away from the skirmish, in search of the only person who could save him.

(Mood music: "Run" - Ludovico Einaudi)

Marinette fidgeted with her pencil, her feet wiggled and bounced under her desk. She didn’t understand; when she’d arrived at the art club, her head had been filled with inspiration and ideas that she’d been excited to draw and execute. However, at the moment, her mind was filled with noise and disquietude.

Having had enough, she excused herself to visit the restroom. Once she’d walked far enough from the classroom, she opened her purse to talk to Tikki about her current dilemma.

“It’s the same feeling as last night, Tikki! Except that would mean one of three possibilities. Option A.) It’s nothing and I’m going crazy. And— don’t give me that look, Tikki! I can see what you’re thinking and I don’t have time for your cheeky sass right now!” The kwami snickered while Marinette cleared her throat and continued, “Option B.) that Chat is here, at this school, which is impossible because his school’s on the other side of the city, that’s why he always leaves the house super early for his long commute.”

Tikki opened her mouth and looked like she was about to say something, but then didn’t (...or couldn’t?).

Marinette resumed, “Or, C.) that my–– what do I even call it? My ‘Spidey sense’??–– that it’s got a long distance mode, and Chat is all the way across Paris and he’s in trouble! But what am I supposed to do about that from here?! I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking!”

Tikki shrugged. “Follow your instincts, Marinette. There’s no harm in taking a quick look around the school, right?”

Marinette groaned. “UGH! It doesn’t make sense!! Am I going to get interrupted like this all the time from now on?” She shook her head resolutely. “No. I can’t just go off on random field trips every single time I feel a random fit of anxiety. I’m sure it’s just leftover jitters from last night. I’m supposed to call Master Fu after school anyway; he can help me figure everything out. I’m just gonna go back to class and forget about it.”

Tikki frowned, not quite convinced, but deciding not to press further.

Marinette made her way back to the classroom in a frustrated huff. But as her hand reached to turn the handle, the feelings of danger and urgency multiplied tenfold. Without a word, she sprinted away in the opposite direction, not even knowing where she was running to, only knowing she had to get there immediately.

She reached the large common area of the school downstairs. Her head whipped around, frantically searching for something, anything. In her haste, she didn’t notice a small black creature zoom into her open purse.

A few moments later, she felt a frantic tugging at her shirt from below.

“Marinette!! Over there! Check the locker room, quick!!!” Tikki whisper-screamed as she peeked outside the purse, her tone uncharacteristically frantic.

Marinette nodded, then sprinted to the locker room.

“Wait! You should transform first!” Tikki added.

No time!

“Marinette, wait!!”

Despite Tikki’s protests, Marinette raced towards the double doors, tackling them open.

Three sets of eyes landed on her as she skidded to a halt, but only one pair consumed her entire attention. She gasped in horror, hands flying to her face as she stared at what was occurring in front of her. Adrien let out a desperate, muffled scream urging her to run.

His panicked voice snapped her out of her dazed shock; but instead of running, she stood her ground, eyes darting back and forth across the area searching for something useful. The room was remarkably barren except for a lone broom a short distance away from her. She grabbed it and leaped towards the closest attacker (the one holding Adrien down), swinging it like a baseball bat.

The man didn’t even try to avoid the hit; the broomstick merely bounced off the side of his face where Marinette had hit him. She frowned in confusion, then tried hitting him again, bringing the stick down on the top of his head like an axe.

SNAP.

The end of the broom flew off, and Marinette stared in shock at the broken broomstick.

“What the hell are you?!” Marinette exclaimed, shifting her grip on the shortened wooden stub.

She pounced at the second bodyguard, bringing her weapon down in a stabbing motion; but he swatted at her hand, disarming her. She yelped in pain, leaping backwards to get some distance between them.

She was outmatched. The only strategy available was to use their own size against them. With a feint to the side, she shot at his legs for a takedown, hoping to catch him off balance. He called her bluff and shoved her backwards with his giant palm, then kneed her in the stomach.

Winded from the impact, Marinette doubled over with a gasping wheeze, fighting with all her might to keep herself from collapsing onto the ground. She forced herself upright and attacked again. With a clumsy jerk, she lunged forward, swinging wild punches at her opponent. The shots connected but his expression barely changed; it was like beating a breathing punching bag.

The bodyguard backhanded Marinette across the face. Pain shooting across her cheek, she staggered, almost losing her balance. In her daze, she watched helplessly as the man reared his arm back. There was no chance to dodge. His fist connected with her abdomen, delivering a liver shot that shut down her entire body. She crumpled to the floor as if boneless. She tried to call out Adrien’s name, but her mouth merely opened in a silent scream.

Marinette could hear Adrien’s distressed screaming, but it sounded distant, like they were underwater. The edges of her vision grew black and fuzzy, the entire room dissolving around her. She had to consciously force her lungs to inhale, but couldn’t fill them all the way, as if a boulder had been placed on top of her chest.

Faintly, she felt herself getting picked up off the ground and carried away over someone’s shoulder. Disoriented and semi-blinded, the sudden movement and rough jostling made her head spin and gave her vertigo. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block it all out.

A few moments later, they stopped moving, and she heard a door burst open. Where were they? Before she could gather her senses, she was in the air, thrown several meters away, landing with a hard thud. A sharp pain traveled down her body as she rolled into the wall across them. The shriek that tried to escape her throat emerged as a strained, shallow whine.

The man stomped out, leaving her alone in the room. “Stop…!” she rasped out, managing to tilt her neck upwards, head pounding.

The bodyguard slammed the door shut, followed by a bang and a clattering sound that could only mean he’d broken the doorknob of whatever room she was in.

Marinette's vision became more and more blurred. At the verge of losing consciousness, she fought to keep her eyes open as tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

No, she couldn’t pass out! She had to save Adrien! Stay awake, Marinette, stay awake!!

She bit down on her lip hard, focusing on the sharp sting, on the swelling that was already forming around her right eye, forcing herself to feel the pain her body was in. At this moment, feeling pain was better than falling unconscious. She concentrated on her breathing, slowly regaining her senses.

She reached down to open her purse and get Tikki’s help… only to be met with emptiness. Panic settled in her gut as she realized that sometime during the skirmish, the purse had slipped off her shoulder. She sat up, slowly, so she wouldn’t risk feeling faint again from the change in positions.

She squinted, adjusting her eyesight to the darkness of the room. It seemed to be some sort of supply closet. After a failed few attempts to stand, she crawled towards the door instead, careful not to bump into the crates and shelves that filled the area.

The girl eyed the broken doorknob wearily. She was pretty proficient at lockpicking and breaking into things, but not as good at breaking out. Her only hope was that Tikki would be able to find her… if she was even nearby.

She swore to herself. Why had she rushed in and attacked two grown ass men (who, incidentally, may or may not be supernatural to boot!) instead of hiding and creating a strategy?! Now she was useless, Tikki was gone, and Adrien was surely on his way to get auctioned to the highest bidder in the criminal black market and ransomed off for an enormous sum. Great job, Marinette. Adrien’s been abducted and it’s all your fault.

Gathering all the determination she could muster, she tried to call out for help. But her voice was still too hoarse, and only a weak croak came out. She clenched her fists, grumbling irritably. Time for a different approach. Somehow, she needed to make noise.

After a brief search, she found a hard, metallic object that she could use to hammer on the door. She tested it out; it was surprisingly effective. She doubled her efforts, making as big a racket as possible. Hopefully, it would only be a matter of time before somebody heard her, let her out, and she could go find Adrien.

She couldn’t let anything else happen to another loved one. Not again.

–––––

I'M REEEAAAAALLY SORRY FOR THAT CLIFFHANGER JSHDKFJHSKDF ᕕ(╯°д°)ᕗ  I tried splitting up the sections differently but it didn't really flow as well.

But the next chapter is almost done, so I'll have it ready by next weekend!!

[drowningbydegrees]

Something Ordinary - Part 1

This is my Novigrad Exchange gift for @aalizazareth who asked for fluff, road trip, or hurt/comfort, and I figured how about all of them? I hope this delivers! 

A huge thank you to @goodheavensgwen​ for betaing, but also for all the brainstorming and cheerleading along the way. This fic is so much better for having your input. <3

It’s in the same verse as Noonwraiths and Other Woodland Forest Creatures, but it’s not necessary to read that to understand this one. Not, this is largely fluffy and ridiculous, but there’s some canon typical mention of blood and injury.

Read on AO3

Ordinary people don’t… date witchers. Granted, Geralt has been coming to the diner where Jaskier works for the last year and a half, just about. Twenty-one months, but who’s counting? It isn’t a precisely educational experience, but between the pancakes and mediocre coffee he’s come to realize that Jaskier is anything but ordinary.

Geralt had never meant to do anything with that information. If he sometimes goes out of his way to stop in between contracts, it’s no one’s business but his own. It’s just nice to have one place he can go where someone is genuinely happy to see him. And alright, Jaskier is more alluring than he has any right to be. And perhaps Geralt spends his visits wordlessly nursing a cup of coffee just to have an excuse to listen to Jaskier chatter on about nothing in particular a while longer.

Well, he did, anyway. Things are different in the months since they exchanged numbers after Geralt stumbled in half dead after a contract. Jaskier’s conversation demands more participation, his smiles are more intentional. And though Geralt would like to think he put up at least a token resistance over these last few months (in which he has received what he’s sure are more text messages than his entire life before), somehow Jaskier has pulled Geralt right along with him.

The point is, Geralt doesn’t do this. He doesn’t let himself get attached to people. He doesn’t give himself a reason to maybe stay in one place a little more. He definitely doesn’t go for coffee shop dates. The fact that their current circumstances started with an attempt to do exactly that is completely coincidental.

Wednesday

2:15 p.m.

Like many things in Geralt’s life, things go sideways before they even start. They don’t even make it inside the coffee shop before his phone rings, and given the only person who calls him for frivolous reasons is right next to him, it’s probably important. All of which is why Geralt had to cancel and is pulling into the gas station before a six hour trip to Oreton.

He’s still not sure how Jaskier got here, though. It’s a bewildering leap from a coffee date to committing to hours in an enclosed space together, but by the time Geralt wraps his head around that Jaskier is already in the passenger seat.

“I’ll get snacks,” Jaskier offers, already opening the car door. “Do you want anything?”

Geralt motions to a box in the back seat. “I’m good.”

“Are those granola bars?” Jaskier makes a comically disapproving noise, sliding out of his seat. He leans over enough to poke his head back in. “Do you know who thinks granola bars count as road trip snacks? My grandma.”

“What’s wrong with…” Geralt starts, but Jaskier is already gone.

To Jaskier’s credit, he’s emerging from the gas station once more by the time the gas tank is full. Well, Jaskier along with a bag of what looks like more candy than someone could eat in a week and the two cups he’s juggling.

“I promised you coffee! I can’t guarantee it’s good coffee, mind you, but it is coffee,” Jaskier explains before Geralt can ask, circling the car to press a cup into the witcher’s hands.

He doesn’t do this, and supposes he could be mistaken, but Geralt is pretty certain the coffee isn’t actually the operant word in ‘coffee date.’ Still, it’s… it’s something he doesn’t quite know what to do with. Jaskier has always been friendly, but he’s taken up doing all sorts of things as of late that can’t be chalked up to it being his job, and they never seem to leave Geralt any less unmoored than he feels right now, staring at the paper cup aggressively warming the palms of his hands.

“It’s for drinking,” Jaskier prompts, and as silly as it is, the whole thing only gets more absurd. Because the glare Geralt responds with is normally enough to make people shy away, but Jaskier doesn’t even have the decency to pretend to be alarmed. He laughs, soft and lilting in a way Geralt never wants to let go of, like there’s nothing strange about any of this. Like the two of them are made for these ordinary things Geralt has never given himself the space to want.

But Jaskier has never been ordinary.

3:07 p.m.

He’s made a terrible miscalculation in this plan, Jaskier privately acknowledges about thirty miles from home. This plan. The one that was definitely an actual plan and not just an impulsive desire to go on an adventure and see Geralt in action. Does it count as a plan if he invents a purpose? Maybe he’ll write a song about it. The subject matter is a little niche, but that’s half the appeal.

The other half of the appeal is the man sitting in the driver’s seat, silently watching the nearly empty highway stretch out in front of them. He’s always pretty, but working third shift Jaskier has never really gotten to see Geralt like this, drenched in sunlight that softens his features and mutes the slight frown that seems to own permanent real estate on his face. It’s haunting, the way it lights up Geralt’s silvery white hair, like some particularly attractive ghost.

Therein lies the miscalculation, because the thing is, Geralt is no different than any other time Jaskier has been around him, which is about as talkative as the pet rock he had when he was six. Normally, that’s fine. Geralt tolerates Jaskier’s chatter at the diner. And since it’s Jaskier’s job, he usually only wanders to Geralt’s table for minutes at a time. But there are no places to wander off to in the passenger seat of Geralt’s car, and he’s barely gotten three words out of the witcher since the gas station.

“So, what are we hunting?” he tries, because it’s the one topic he’s seen loosen Geralt’s tongue. A lot, actually. He doesn’t remember even half of what Geralt tells him, but it’s terribly endearing all the same. Even if it leaves him longing to know more about what else Geralt cares about.

“I am hunting a leshen. You are staying in the car,” Geralt replies without so much as a glance his way. If he notices Jaskier’s exasperated sigh, he gives no indication.

“I… remember you mentioning those, I think,” Jaskier focuses on the leshen because it was very definitely on the list of things Geralt told him about the first night he successfully got the witcher to have anything resembling a conversation. He resolutely ignores all the words Geralt just said around that. If he doesn’t lie and say he’ll stay put, then he won’t be lying when he inevitably does not do that. Sheepishly, he ducks his head. “In my defense, there was kind of a lot going on that night. Maybe tell me again?”

That earns Jaskier a smile, however small and brief it is. It’s a win as far as Jaskier is concerned. Now if he could just wrangle a conversation.

“Tall. Sort of humanoid. Covered in branches.” Geralt says nothing else until Jaskier clears his throat, trying to prompt the witcher to give him something at least. “They have antlers.”

“Very informative,” Jaskier chides, shaking his head. He supposes he should have known better than to assume this would work. “Anything else?”

“They live in the forest.” Jaskier is so surprised to actually get an answer, he almost misses the way the corner of Geralt’s mouth twitches upward. “You know, like noonwraiths.”

Jaskier gasps, holding a hand up to his chest as if in shock. “Was that… I’m sorry. Was that a joke I just heard?”

It’s been a ridiculous joke between them for a while now, but it hits differently this time. It’s always silly, but for the first time it sinks in that it’s theirs. They have A Thing, and it leaves Jaskier all but vibrating to realize because that’s… well, that’s significant. It feels significant at any rate.

“You were serious about the woods though, right?” Jaskier asks once he remembers they were in the middle of a conversation.

“I was serious about the woods.”

Jaskier cocks his head to the side, trying to make sense of that. “Then, how is it an emergency?”

“This one was in someone’s yard,” Geralt clarifies. As much as Jaskier would like to be annoyed by the brevity, he has to admit that that actually more or less clears it up.

Jaskier tries to imagine this tree branch antler person… thing creeping over the fence of some poor, unsuspecting homeowner like a nosy neighbor. It’s a mistake, because Jaskier doesn’t know the shape in which those descriptors fit together, so it’s much more comical than frightening. He tries and fails to stifle an amused huff of laughter, but of course that would be the thing that finally gets Geralt to look at him for a second.

“Sorry, I…” Jaskier pauses, not sure he can actually explain why that’s funny since Geralt has the benefit of knowing how all his sparse descriptors fit together. “So, what are you going to do? Bribe it to go home?”

“Not this time. They’re intelligent, but you can’t reason with them. Most creatures kill because they feel threatened or to survive. Leshens are hostile. Always.” The explanation makes sense. It doesn’t sound like there’s any way around killing the creature, but Jaskier knows he isn’t imagining the sadness clouding Geralt’s features.

He has no idea how someone could possibly meet Geralt, who never takes a life if he can save it, who spends his existence keeping people safe, who has so much compassion for even the most unlovable of things, and think witchers are anything but good. Underneath the caustic disposition he shields himself with, Geralt is kinder than most humans. It makes Jaskier yearn to coax the world into seeing what he does.

Maybe he can. There’s the beginning of an idea, but before Jaskier can follow that thread, he’s distracted by Geralt. More specifically, he’s distracted by Geralt being distracted, something finally luring the witcher’s eyes briefly from the road. So, of course Jaskier turns his head to see what could possibly be so interesting.

“Horses?” Jaskier winces when he realizes he’s asked the question out loud. It’s not really even a question. They were definitely horses, one chestnut and one gray, happily grazing along the fence containing them.

“Witchers used to travel that way,” Geralt murmurs, before Jaskier even asks a question. It’s a good tactic, giving one piece of information to steer away from Jaskier’s pursuit of another. Or it would be if Jaskier wasn’t onto him.

“Yeah. Witchers and everyone else. It’d be pretty inconvenient now though, what with all the… highways and stuff. So, I’m not sure I’m following the significance.” Jaskier watches carefully, but Geralt’s expression betrays nothing. “Unless this is the part where you’re gonna tell me you’re three hundred years old or something.”

Geralt is conspicuously silent. Jaskier has never met someone who can express so much with the various ways he chooses to express nothing. It’s an exasperating quality, but impressive.

“Wait. You’re not actually, are you? I mean, not that that’s a problem, per se. Just that—” Jaskier pauses in the midst of his babbling when he catches Geralt turning his head away just the tiniest bit. It’s not fast enough to hide that Geralt seems to be biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

3:34 p.m.

There’s a lot of farmland out this way, miles of cornfields, sure, but animals too. Jaskier briefly entertains the notion that maybe Geralt grew up on a farm and is homesick or something. He’s a storyteller by nature, after all, and Geralt is such an enigma, surely he can’t be blamed for trying to fill in the gaps. Jaskier curiously watches Geralt when they lapse back into silence. They’re surrounded on both sides by… actually, Jaskier has no idea what those fields are. The only crop he actually recognizes is corn. But whatever it is, if Geralt has any attachment to it, his expression betrays nothing.

Jaskier is about to write his previous observation off as him reading too much into something ultimately unimportant when crops give way to a green, open meadow. It’s the kind of place Jaskier thinks looks about perfect for a picnic or laying out to watch the clouds drift by, or something. It’s also the kind of place where someone keeps a rather striking-looking horse, its coat a shade of gold just a touch warmer than Geralt’s eyes. “I’ve never seen one like that.”

“It’s a palomino,” Geralt replies, though Jaskier doesn’t think he’s actually looked that way. Either Geralt is even more subtle than Jaskier gives him credit for, or something about that merits remembering.

“The breed?” Jaskier presses. This is even more fascinating than coaxing Geralt into talking about monsters. It’s not a subject Jaskier knows a damned thing about either, but it’s an unexpected thing Geralt seems to be interested in, and that all by itself makes it worth pursuing.

“It’s not a breed.” Maybe ‘talking about’ is a little too charitable a description for the handful of words Jaskier gets Geralt to part with at any one time. That’s a puzzle too. Jaskier hasn’t quite sussed out whether Geralt actually doesn’t like talking or if it’s a side effect of the way humans tend to respond to witchers. It’s a shame either way. Jaskier quite likes listening to him.

“Okay…?” Jaskier prods. It’s only afterwards that it occurs to him that if Geralt truly isn’t interested in talking, maybe when the witcher is stuck a foot away from Jaskier and can’t extricate himself from the situation is not the right time to push the matter.

“It’s a color.” After a slight pause, Geralt adds, “Gold coat. White mane and tail.”

There’s more after, not that Jaskier can keep up with most of it. Often, even when Jaskier is actively trying to engage, all he gets from Geralt is a wordless hum or a raised eyebrow. So, the fact that there are a number of words in a row is noteworthy already. That Geralt is continuing to speak without being prompted is nothing short of a miracle. Maybe pushing wasn’t the problem so much as finding the right subject matter.

And thus, a new game is born. Whether out of some sense of dignity or something else, Geralt doesn’t actually mention when they pass by horses. It’s the very slight shift in Geralt’s body language, something Jaskier would probably say was him perking up if it were more explicit, that clues Jaskier in if he doesn’t see them himself. But the minute Jaskier mentions them, Geralt appears all too happy to talk about the precise measurement that differentiates horses and ponies (14.2 hands or less, which then becomes an extended conversation about why horses are measured in hands), the Lippizaner stallion troupe (which Jaskier will admit he would really like to see if they’re even half as impressive as Geralt suggests), and that one breed of wild horses that are maybe possibly completely divergent from domestic horses (Jaskier immediately forgets how to pronounce their name, but he does remember they sort of look like especially stocky donkeys).

“How do you know all this, anyway? I’m starting to think you should have gone to work in a stable or something instead of being a witcher,” Jaskier teases after a particularly emphatic explanation about what an utter failure Redania’s wild horse adoption program is. “I mean, it would definitely be my loss, but…”

He trails off, teasing smile immediately fading as he happens to look over at Geralt. Even when he’s happy, Geralt’s expressions tend to be a bit muted, but there’s no trace of anything like happiness now. His head is subtly bowed, like he’s ashamed of something, and that just won’t do at all. There’s nothing shameful about the details that make up a person. Before Jaskier can ask what exactly dampened the mood, Geralt softly replies, “I was going to.”

“You were?” It might be a mistake. This was meant to be fun. It’s just that Geralt so rarely gives Jaskier anything about himself, and Jaskier so desperately wants to know him. He rationalizes that if he drops the matter, Geralt will think he doesn’t care and won’t ever try again. “What happened?”

“Not important.” The words are clipped, but Jaskier has at least known Geralt long enough to differentiate between the witcher being actually irritated and any of the multitude of other emotions that make him sound irritated. This is definitely one of the latter.

“Of course it’s important if it makes you look like that.” Impulsively, Jaskier reaches out to lay a hand on Geralt’s shoulder. The way Geralt nearly jumps out of his skin is a stark reminder that he’s not quite so instinctively tactile as Jaskier is. Geralt doesn’t pull away, but he doesn’t answer either, so Jaskier only lingers briefly before pulling his hand back into his lap.

“I thought everyone was exaggerating about how things would change when they made me into this,” Geralt explains, so quiet that Jaskier has to listen carefully over the engine. It’s an aching, vulnerable thing, as human a confession as Jaskier has ever heard before Geralt’s expression abruptly shutters.

“I’m so sorry… Wait, made you?” Jaskier realizes, not for the first time, that he knows nothing about witchers. Nothing true at any rate.

But whatever strange magic had coaxed Geralt into speaking has passed, and the witcher doesn’t even acknowledge Jaskier has said anything. He longs to know more, to soothe whatever it is that hurts so much, but Jaskier has at least enough sense to realize that if he presses now, Geralt will think twice about telling him anything later. The minutes stretch out between them like taffy, the silence deafening until Jaskier absolutely cannot take it. He impulsively reaches for the radio, turning the dial until the static of a station that’s long since out of range is coming through the speakers. “So… music!”

Geralt’s lips purse in… actually Jaskier isn’t all that familiar with this particular expression yet. His default state is so grumpy, it’s hard to tell this time if he’s annoyed or uncomfortable. Neither one is what he’s going for, so he pointedly does not ask what that station is, immediately setting about adjusting until a melody cuts clearly through the hissing noise. Fic Masterpost

[dianapana]

SH Day 10- The O-bon Festival

@sasuhinamonth

Rated T, OOC

I looked a little bit into this festival and from my understanding, it's somewhat similar to the day of the death from my country, hopefully, it's somewhat oki. I hope you enjoy ~Love, Dia

There’s a saying my grandma used to repeat “You’ll find comfort in the strangest of places” it was a saying that I had forgotten about, until this very moment. The years after the war made me hate the O-bon Festival and what it signifies, I stopped going where all the dances happen and where the food is prepared in the village centre. I participated only by spending the whole night in the cemetery. The festival is meant to celebrate the dead, remember their lives and legacies, but for me, the festival wasn’t a celebration, all I could think about was the death of the people I loved, I mourned their passing more than I enjoyed the memories I had of them. I still refuse to join in the dances, but now holding his hand helps ground me, helps me remember that this is a festival meant to honour the dead, it is about them and not about my own pain, I can’t keep wallowing in despair aimlessly forever.

“Are you ready?” Sasuke looks down at me, his face may look expressionless to others but I could see gentleness in his eyes, I could hear softness in his voice and I could feel his support in his steady grip of my hand. I push open the cemetery door and we make our way slowly to where the ‘big’ clans have reserved places of rest. This is where we met three years ago, I was on the ground crying in front of Neji’s grave, feeling just as much sadness as I did at his funeral, Sasuke was a standing statue in front of Itachi’s grave, unable to move, having no idea how to properly ask for forgiveness, how to honour him. During the festival’s ending fireworks, we both looked at the sky, looking at the colours that danced into the dark sky, listening to the loud booms of the explosions, and when they ended, the cemetery felt darker than before, the silence was loud enough to drive one mad. That’s the moment when I looked around me, maybe hoping to find another lonely figure, and I found him, already looking at me. I watched as he slowly walked to where I was.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said in a low voice and placed his hand onto my shoulder. His touch made me feel better and worse at the same time. I was glad not to be the only one there, but he also opened the gate of my sadness and all the pain I thought I locked up came rushing out. My silent cries turned into loud sobs that I wasn’t able to contain, sobs that made it hard to breathe, made my stomach hurt and made me dizzy. After a few moments in which he only watched while having his hand on my shoulder, Sasuke lowered himself to the ground, pulled my body to his in such a way that my face was on his shoulder, not caring that my tears would wet his shirt. He allowed me to cry for as long as I wanted and only rubbed my back from time to time.

When I finished crying, he helped me up and with an expression filled with pain thanked me. He said I had cried enough for the both of us, that I had mourned his brother too in ways he was unable to. As fast as he appeared he disappeared too. I had not seen him for a full year until the following O-bon festival. Much like before, we were the only ones in the cemetery, but this time we weren’t strangers linked by coincidence, a connection was formed between us regardless of our lack of contact. We mourned in different manners, I cried and he stood still looking as if he was suffering greatly. After the fireworks, we started talking reminiscing our most prized memories with our older brothers, the talk changed to our mothers which we found to be similar, I listened as he told me about many of his deceased relatives and this time, I was the one holding him in a hug. When the sun rose that night, we went our separate ways once again for a year.

Three weeks before last year’s O-bon festival I received a massager crow from Sasuke asking whether I was able to house him in the village for the week of the festival. He wanted to restore some of the graves, plant some flowers maybe and all in all, take better care of everyone in his clan. I sent him an immediate reply that he was welcome to come whenever he chose and to stay for as long as he wanted. When he turned up at my door 3 days later, I offered to help him with the graves and we worked slowly and in silence, having finished with his clan we moved on to the graves belonging to the Hyuugas. Each day we’d work together, each night we’d go back to my apartment to eat dinner together and sleep in different futons, yet in the same room. This went on for almost two weeks until the festival, thus went it was time for Sasuke to go, the separation was much more difficult. I had grown used to being in his presence and the first few days after his leaving I found myself preparing two cups of tea, arranging two futons. A week passed and I received a message from him which brought immense joy, I replied and got a reply back a few days later. Our communication went on for a year uninterrupted, so when Sasuke showed up at my door two weeks before the festival my heart sped up. I had almost forgotten he was a real human being and not a simple idea I created with who I exchanged messages. I hugged him close just enjoying his presence once again.

We spent this past two weeks together, feeling as if that is our normal, I had feared that I would need time to accommodate to him being here just as much as I needed when he suddenly left, but that wasn’t the case at all. The only thing I was conscious about was my own feelings, the way my skin would flare red and heat up whenever he was close, how my eyes would follow him around, how my heart sped up with each little bump of the hand.

Even at this moment, when we are walking hand in hand through the cemetery, I can’t help my body’s reaction to his touch. I know I’m selfish, because I should focus on the dead and honour them, but all I can think about is the fact that once the sun rises, he will be gone for another year. I’m not sure I will be able to survive another separation. When we reach Neji’s grave and he lets go of my hand to brush the side of my cheek and move some of the hair that was in my face, the tears that start to fall aren’t for my cousin, however disgusting this makes me be, I am crying from the fear of him leaving, I want to ask him to stay but I don’t know how, and I don’t know how I’d feel if he refused. He’s holding me close, yet I weep for his imminent departure.

[binniewon]

Midnight Roses Epilogue (repost)

Prev|

Pairing: DarkAngel!BTS/ Female!Reader

Warnings: Mention of death!

A/N: Yes this story is mine I am just reposting because my links weren’t working!  Tears so many tears when I started this story I didn’t expect it to get any attention but to my surprise it did and I am so so thankful to everyone that has read and supported the story I love you all so so much!

That day will be etched in your memory forever. When you first heard your name called, you thought that it was your mind playing a sick joke on you. But when you heard the little beep of the heart monitor, you realized that it wasn't your mind. They didn't leave you. In fact, the first thing that they said to you after the doctors checked them out came from Jimin who said, "You didn't think it would be that easy to get rid of us, did you?" You were crying so hard that you couldn't do anything but punch him in the shoulder, but he just gave you a light hearted laugh.

 After the doctor released them from the hospital, they went back to their kingdom, where they accused their parents of treason and attempted murder, and the fate would be decided by the citizens. And that is how they got the throne and sentenced their parents to death. But they did spare Taehyung's dad and Jimin's dad--only because they didn't actually want them dead and were forced to participate in the crimes.

 The first thing they did was take their siblings in and give them the life they never had. And because they were so young, it was like they were your own children.

 The boys knew that they couldn't just leave the idol life behind, so during the day they were idols, and at nighttime they were kings and you their queen.

.

.

 After you realized that your soulmates were actually fine, you decided to look into your heart. More specifically, you forgave your best friend. You knew that it wasn't exactly her fault that they had almost died, and if it wasn't for her they wouldn't be alive. So a few months later, you went to visit her grave, and since then, you try and go there every day. And sometimes one of the boys came with you.

 The boys had also convinced you to get a job at their company as their manger so that you guys would be together all the time. At first, you declined because you liked your job at the bakery and being around your owner, who had become your best friend after he told you about his late boyfriend. You quickly applied for the job after the pain of being away from them had become too much for you, and you surprisingly got the job. But you figured your soulmates had something to do with it.

3 years later

 "What's on your mind" Yoongi asked as you both laid in bed together, waiting for the others to wake up.

 "Nothing much; just how thankful I am that you are all here with me." Yoongi chuckled at your statement, but you just rolled your eyes and slowly got out of the bed, careful to not wake up your sleeping soulmates.

 One of the things that you loved about this kingdom was the mornings. You would get up every morning just to watch the sunrise. "We never told you something that happened when we were in that coma," Yoongi said behind you as his arms wrapped around your waist.

 "What was it?" you asked, genuinely curious.

 "We saw your grandma." You gasped and turned around in his arms. "It wasn't for long, but we think it was after they pulled the plug. She was standing over flowers that looked like they were just growing. When we looked closer, we realized it was midnight roses. But we think that if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be here now." You furrowed you eyebrows confusedly.

 "She told us that the midnight roses were us--we might think that our relationship started to bloom when you decided to come to Korea with us, but that just wasn't true. She said that sometimes people have to lose themselves to gain themselves, and we had lost ourselves. But you lost us and you had made us your life. And the last thing she said was, 'Y/N is too fragile to leave left alone.' She said that she regretted not being able to tell you goodbye and that she made you suffer because of the words that she chose to speak instead of what she should've said. She wanted us to tell you that she loved you more than anything and that she hopes that one day--not soon--she hopes that she gets to see you again." At this point, tears were running down your face. Yoongi quickly wiped them from your cheek and planted his lips on yours. You knew he was trying to distract you, and yes. It was a great distraction.

.

.

 Never in your life would you have expected that on your eighteenth birthday, your life would change forever. You would have never expected to fall madly in love with people who weren't even humans. And you never thought that you would go through the greatest loss in your life, just to gain it back in the end.

 You learned so much from these few years with them. When you thought back on the question you asked yourself in the cell, if you had the choice, you would never change what happened. Because if you did, then you wouldn't have found yourself, and you wouldn't have found the loves of your life.

 As you all sat in the bedroom thinking about what you were going to do today, Hoseok said something without really thinking. "You know, we heard you when we were in that coma." You threw your hands up in defeat.

 "Four freaking years later, and you decide to tell me this now?!" They all laughed and nodded their head as they each got out of the bed and grabbed something from the drawer. But Taehyung hid it behind his back before you could see what it was with a silly smirk on his face.

 "The day that you fainted at our concert, you became the love of our lives. We knew that we would go to the end of the world and back just for you when we all fell in love with each other and were kicked out of this very kingdom. We thought that we would only have each other to rely on, but you showed us that that wasn't true." Namjoon finished speaking and Jin picked up where he left off.

 "After almost losing our lives and having the chance of never being able to ever hold you again or be there for you, we knew that we would need to do something as soon as we got the chance." He looked and Yoongi, who then looked at Hoseok.

 "It was supposed to be your turn, Yoongi," Jin said through gritted teeth. Yoongi shrugged his shoulders.

 "I already said what I needed to earlier." Hoseok snickered but continued anyway.

 "We are just now getting the chance to declare our love for not only you, but each other as well. We knew that when we became soulmates that this would have to be brought up eventually, but we never knew that it would be this soon." Jimin nodded in agreement.

 Jungkook shyly looked at you. "We want to be with each other forever and never have to fear judgment or regret if this opportunity passes us by." You smiled at them confusedly and scared, but the butterflies in your stomach contradicted what your heart was feeling.

 "Y/N L/N, we love you more than we should, and we love you more than words can describe. So with that being said--" you all turned you attention to Taehyung, who smiled and walked closer to you. His grin quickly turned into a smirk when he saw the look in your eyes as you witnessed him get on one knee.

 "Y/N L/N, will you make us the happiest dark angels alive and marry us?"

.

.

.

“Yes!”

                                                 The End

[dreatine]

Fic: Nirvana

Title: Nirvana

Author: dreatine

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Elle/Spencer

Summary: This story is part of @fortheloveofcriminalminds 600 celebration. The two sentences to be used are :       "Just so you know, this isn't my first rodeo." and " In the likely event that this all goes pear shaped, just remember I told you so."

Plot: Elle/Spencer undercover at a casino.

Word count:   1723 (give or take since I handcounted it in longhand)

Phrases Used: Both. It will be in bold.

Notes: I own nothing/CBS owns all.

Notes 2: Thanks to Sharon for betaing. Title comes from reading a 33 1/3 book on the making of 'In Utero' by Nirvana.

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

Glancing one last time in the mirror. Elle dabbed at her lipstick with a tissue. It had been awhile since she'd worn this dramatic of makeup but knew she had to look the part of glamorous girlfriend as part of the undercover operation with Reid. Chuckling to herself, she remembered the conversation from the precinct earlier in the day.

"We know the unsub targets couples of older women with younger men at casinos. It's most likely the place where he lost his wife or girlfriend to a younger man. It's the location of the stressor." Hotch explained, eyeing  Elle. "So, we're going undercover."

"Why're looking at me?" Elle asked, incredulously. "You're acting like I'm Grandma Moses." She shook her head."No way. This isn't going to work."

"You're the oldest woman here." Gideon replied, matter of fact.

Elle shot him a look. "Thanks."she huffed. " Fine. But, I have to buy a dress and I'm charging it to the Bureau."

"I'd expect nothing less." Hotch answered. Turning to Spencer, he said. "Reid, you get dressed too."

Spencer looked up. "What?"

"Reid, you're the youngest man. It has to be you." Gideon answered. " Derek is too old."

"Thanks, man." Derek smirked.

"But...umm..." Spencer stuttered, fidgeting nervously.

"Besides, you play poker." Hotch reminded him. "You'll be able to stay in the game for awhile."

Swallowing hard, Spencer replied, dejectedly. "All right."

Elle got up and went to him. "Thanks,Reid. I'll try not to take your reluctance personally."

"What?" Spencer replied, surprised. "No! I didn't mean.."

Elle smiled at him. "I'm just kidding." she patted his shoulder. "FYI, in the likely event that this all goes pear shaped, just remember I told you so." She pointed to everyone before dragging JJ out the door to keep help her buy a dress.

Elle smiled at her words to Reid. She was only teasing him about his reluctance to be paired with her. She knew or she hoped it wasn't because he didn't want to paired with her even as pretense. She was fond of the genius, perhaps too fond if she was honest with herself. Especially after the train incident.

'Stop thinking that.' she mentally chastised. 'I can't think about that now.'

Looking at the full length mirror once more, she grabbed her purse and left the hotel room.

*****

Spencer combed his hair back a few times, his nerves getting the best of him. Going undercover was nerve wracking, pretend to be someone he's not wasn't exactly his forte. But, doing with Elle was causing him to stroke out. He recalled his conversation with Derek at the precinct after Elle left to buy a dress. The thought alone of Elle in a dress causing him to get hot under the collar.

"Man, good luck with Elle."

He glanced up curiously. "What do you mean?" he asked, worrying that his unrequited crush on Elle was starting to show through. Ever since the events on the train, he noticed that they had gotten closer since then, talking more, sitting together on the jet, being more comfortable around her. Having to be in a pretend relationship with her was definitely not going to be comfortable. He had a crush on her before, but now, if he was honest with himself, he was a little bit in love with her. And having to pretend was going to be hard without admitting his feelings outright.

"I mean." Derek sat next to him. "She can be a handful."

Twirling a pencil, Spencer quickly answered. " I've never thought that. She's professional and.."

"Reid, I'm not criticizing her." Derek assured him, " I'm just saying she's more experienced that you at..well.." he trailed off.

Blushing, Spencer picked up his belongings and replied. "Derek, don't worry. Both are virtues will be intact."

He sighed recalling the conversation.Of course, Spencer knew he wouldn't be in Elle's league but he hated to be reminded of it. Smoothing down his jacket, he glanced at the mirror once more.

It was going to be a long night.

*************** Precinct later:

"All right, you two." Hotch explained, going over the plans a second time, which was needed because both Elle and Spencer hardly paid attention. Both couldn't keep their eyes off the other.

'Reid's hot.' she mused, running her tongue over her lips which thankfully Spencer didn't see because he was too busy blatantingly staring at her, his pupils blown.

'She's the most beautiful woman ever.' he thought, his eyes roving over her, admiring the way the red sating hugged her curves. This wasn't helping with his feelings for her.

"Reid, you got that?" Hotch barked.

Nodding, he answered. "Yes. I'm ready." he glanced at Elle who was smirking at him. 'Great.' he thought.

********

At the casino:

Looping her arm through his, Elle whispered to Spencer. "Nervous?" she asked, looking out at the potentials in the place.

"A little." he replied. 'But, not why she thinks' he mused. Clearing his throat, "Just so you know, this isn't my first rodeo." he told her, a sense of confidence peeking through.

She raised her eyebrow in question. "Really? Pretending to be a couple?" she asked, a little bite in her query that didn't go unnoticed by Spencer.

He shook his head." No, not that." he looked down at her. "I mean that I've participated in poker tournaments before."

"You have?"

He nodded. "I can count cards. I used to win all the time until I got banned from the casinos in Vegas, Laughlin and Pahrump."

"I'm impressed." Elle replied, smiling beatifically at him.

"I'm glad." he answered, grinning widely at her, causing Elle to laugh at his response.

"Guys, get going." Gideon blasted in their earpieces, breaking up their intimate conversation.

"Right." Spencer said, steering Elle to the tables. "This way, milady."

Elle grinned. *****************

Elle had never felt more alive than she did at this  moment. It had nothing to do with the potential nabbing of an unsub or the slightly chaotic tense atmosphere. No, it had to do with Spencer himself. Watching him play poker, beating every opponent mercilessly, admiring his long fingers caressing the cards, imagining them caressing her. It was a sight to behold. It was intoxicating. Adding to the fact that they had to be a couple and every so often, he would wrap his arm around her waist or place a kiss on her cheek was driving her crazy. She was falling fast, her defenses around him collapsing.

'Keep it together, Greenaway.' she chastised. reminding herself to focus on the case at hand.

"Hey, baby." She leaned down, her head resting on Spencer's shoulders "How's it going?"

He whispered. "Good. Just need one more card." An involuntary shiver went through him at Elle's breathy words in his ear. Spencer didn't know if he could take it anymore. Not the poker playing, which came naturally to him as breathing, not counting of cards or profiling bluffs. No, what was driving him to distraction was Elle. All night having her so close to him, whispering sweet words in his ears, kissing his neck was igniting at fire in him that he was afraid would explode soon. If they kept this up any longer, his feelings for her wouldn't be kept a secret much longer. 'My resolve is wavering'. he thought as he got his card.

"You're gonna bet or what?" A gruff man said, tapping his hand against the table. Both of them glanced toward him. This guy, mid-50s, big and demeanor throughout the tournament, alternating between obnoxious and quiet, fit the profile to a T.  As the night wore on, he became increasingly agitated as the losses kept piling up and his stares toward them anytime they kissed or cuddled, confirmed to them that he was the unsub. They just needed to wait till he made a move.

"Um..yeah." Spencer laid down two chips. "10." As in 10,000 dollars.

"Call it."

The unsub laid his hand down, grinning triumphantly. "Straight flush." The audience gasped.

Spencer lightly tapped his fingers, pondering. "Well?" the unsub asked, impatiently.

Without missing a beat, he softly laid down his cards. "Royal flush."

Elle smiled widely, pride surging through her. He was in his element. 'He wasn't lying when he said this wasn't his first rodeo.' she mused. as the crowd cheered.

"Fuck!" The unsub yelled, slamming his hands on the table. "I'm out."

"Hotch, he's leaving." Elle whispered. "He's wearing a black leather jacket, black newsboy hat."

"Gotta it."

Quickly, Spencer gathered his winnings, staying at the table a few beats, not wanting to arouse suspicion. Leaning down, Elle stated loudly. " Honey, we should leave while you're perfect." She kissed his cheek as he looked slightly taken back at her words."Don't want you to get cold."

"You're right." he answered, squeezing Elle's leg. Standing up, he grabbed the chip holder and Elle, leaving to the immense relief of the other players. Out of eyesight, they walked briskly to the exit, when the heard Gideon say in their earpieces. "We got him."

******************** Later that night:

Entering the hotel, Spencer held the door for Elle. "Thank you." "You're welcome."

Walking slowly to the elevators, each one was quiet, lost in thought. Ever since they wrapped up the case, they hadn't had a chance to talk, only able to sneak glances at each other.Both had taken a lot of ribbing, primarily from Derek on their undercover work. He kept making comments about the cuddling they did and how they'd make a cute couple, which did hit a little too close to home for both of them. Neither one had been so thankful to get back to the hotel after Hotch let them go.

Trying to break the tension, Elle offered. "Too bad you couldn't keep the money."

"I know." he smiled softly.

"What would you have done with it?" she asked, curiously.

DING! The elevator door opened and Spencer, ever the gentleman, let her enter first. She gave him a smile in thanks as she pushed the floor button.

"I'd given some to my mom. Some to local charities." he answered, as the car went up.

"Nothing for yourself?" she inquired.

He shrugged." Maybe some books, I guess."

DING! They arrived at their floor. Spencer indicated for her to go first, and they began to walk down the hall.

"So, just books?" she asked again. wanting to keep him talking. "No cars, no IPods? Or new clothes?"

Smirking, Spencer shook his head. "No." They arrived at her door, when he asked in sudden seriousness. "Do you think I need new clothes?"

She shook her head, looking into his honey brown eyes. 'He's so beautiful.' she thought. Aloud, she replied. "I meant what I said earlier. You're perfect."

Staring into her dark eyes, searching for something. He must have found what he was looking for because the next thing she knew, he grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her. She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him into her.

The kiss went on for what seemed like forever, neither one willing to let go of the other, fearful that if they did, it would break whatever spell that cast over them.

Reluctantly, the need for air became too much and the broke away, panting harshly. Spencer was the first to recover.

"Elle." he strangled out.

She shook her head, putting a finger to his lips. "I don't want to pretend. I want it to be real."

Grinning widely, Spencer replied. "Me too."

They both stood outside the room, smiling brightly, both basking in the new development in their relationship. It felt right, it felt perfect. It felt like nirvana.

******

The End

[canyouhearthelight]

The Miys, Ch. 124

Second half of the exhibition!  Mac’s performance here is based on an actual incident that occurred with one of the many actual cats that Mac is based on.

Trigger warnings for blood here.

Thanks go to @baelpenrose for his beta-reading and Arthur, @zommbiebro for Jokul, @books-and-cartoons for GK, @werewolf2578 for Michael and all the other characters you have added to this story, and @charlylimph-blog for her characters. <3 you both!

“Who is competing in the canine rounds?” Coffey asked, steering the topic smoothly. 

“Myself,” Grandma Kim gestured. “Michael and Sparkles, Derek and Machiavelli, for the service round. I believe there are a few more for the security round, but I don’t recall whom.”  From GK, that was basically saying they were so far beneath her notice that she refused to learn their names.

A chime sounded, indicating that the intermission had ended. Arthur, Coffey, and I made our way back into the stands, waving to Simon as he worked his way onto the sidelines. Ivan had initially come down ahead of me and Maverick, but was also packing the floor with the competitors for the upcoming events. As soon as we took our seats, Evania announced the next event - sure enough, it was the service and security animal exhibitions.

Rather than the participants stepping forward, Antoine took the floor after Evan. “Previously, these events were separated and considered the ‘canine’ events.  However, it has been brought to my attention, most ardently, that service and security animals are not limited to canines, even with the limited amount of animals we currently have on the Ark. As such, we are combining the service and security events, and this year there is a non-canine participant.  Due to the nature of the exhibition, I will be personally monitoring from the sidelines in case there is any need for interventions.  Also, as with in the past, please be assured that all participants in these events are volunteers and a med bay is on standby.”

Medbay is on standby? I wondered. I didn’t recall that before, but I also hadn’t paid more attention than was necessary to know how many jerky treats to give Lyric and Sparkles.

First up was our veteran, Lyric the First. The elder stateswoman of Ark companions may have hobbled onto the field, but she went through her paces as a service animal with tidy precision. On top of that, the second the ‘security’ portion started and someone brandished a weapon at GK, all concept of ‘elder’ went out the window and Lyric became 120lbs of teeth and fury, daring the faux-attacker to come within six feet of her charge.

I could feel Coffey shudder beside me, at the same time that I could see Arthur nod with approval.  I couldn’t lie - there was a part of me that remembered this same dog standing over me when Maverick first dropped by unexpectedly, and I was warmed to know that I had been so safe in that moment.

After the applause due such a respected member of the community, Lyric the First was taken off the field, and it was Lyric II’s turn to show how she lived up to the name.  Sure enough, she displayed the same precision in the service animal rounds, but it was clear that she knew this was for show in the security segment.  Rather than the degree of savagery her mother had shown, Lyric II was clearly a little confused by the fake-attack.  She still received her applause and treats, however, while GK was obviously considering how much more training was needed.

Michael and Sparkle were next, and their performance was on-par with Lyric the First. Rather than having Sparkle function as a service animal for Michael, Sam had volunteered. The moment loud noises started to upset Sam, Sparkle nudged him into a prone position and brought his ribbon over.  If someone tried to step to close, she calmly pushed them back. Due to her youth, Michael did step in for the security portion - Sparkle wasn’t trained to decide between security and support yet - and that was where she shined.  Without hesitation, she took a defensive stance at any aggression toward Michael, and really did Lyric the First proud.

And then, the fourth round happened. That was what set the crowd’s eyebrows on end, the round with non-stop chatter throughout.

On the contrary to the rounds with both Lyrics and Sparkle, there was no leash, there were no steps to walk through. Instead, the crowd saw Derek Okafor walk out, carrying a lavender blanket and pillow, with a solid mass of feline ink trailing behind him.  Rather than lead Mac through any actions, Derek set the pillow down, curled up on the floor, and covered himself with the blanket.  In an action I had witnessed on more occasions than I could count, Mac curled his impressive mass on the blanket, just outside of Derek’s elbow.  Directed audio amplified Mac’s purring so everyone could hear it, even in the furthest seats.

Suddenly, the audio in the gym played discordant noises.  Not even waiting for Derek to flinch, Mac darted under the blanket and a lump erupted where Derek’s ear had been.  After a moment, the sound cut off, and instead a bowl of food - one so strong-smelling that I could catch it from my seat - was brought out. Mac poked his nose out and started sneezing convulsively, hissing at the bowl as he moved towards it.

The coup de grace was what came next. Without warning, as soon as the bowl was taken away, someone darted towards Derek from the other side. I could actually feel my soul chuckle for this poor slob as I anticipated what would happen.

Sure enough, Mac became a blur of void and vaulted over Derek, clawing the interloper from elbow to wrist, then from thigh to knee. He hissed and spat, clawing at anything and anyone that came within reach.  Nothing could stop the ball of feline fury until Derek darted out an arm to scoop Mac back under the blanket while the poor volunteer - who looked like they had a bad date with a Cuisinart - was led to the aforementioned med bay.

“I’m not sure they knew they were signing up for this,” I murmured to Maverick and Coffey.

Coffey made a firmly negative gesture. “I assure you that they were aware. That particular volunteer? She has been Machiavelli’s training target for three months now.”

“Why?” I sputtered.

“Some people are afraid of dogs,” Coffey shrugged. Given his clear discomfort watching both Lyrics perform, it made more sense suddenly.  I knew he wasn’t afraid of dogs - he kept treats in his pocket for Lyric and Lyric II, at all times - but we weren’t far enough removed from Earth to make everyone comfortable with the kinds of dogs that worked best as service animals.

A cat, though? I knew from a lifetime of experience that nothing was as persistent or vicious as a cat, when properly motivated.

The audience was respectfully silent until Mac and Derek left the gym, before cheering wildly.  Even from where I was sitting, I could hear people talking about the potential of having a cat once the colony was established.  As a firmly devoted cat owner, I couldn’t even make up an excuse to argue.

Arthur leaned over so I could hear him clearly. “You never told me you have an attack cat.”

“I’ve always had them,” I admitted. “I just didn’t know it wasn’t a normal thing.”

“Mac is a good kitty.”

“The best kitty,” Coffey corrected with a grin. At some point, he had adopted Derek as a younger brother/nephew figure, and by extension doted on Mac to the point of chemical warfare.

“The only kitty,” I pointed out. I would have loved for the Ark to have ship cats, but we had learned - the hard way - that genetic enhancements were necessary for them to thrive in the gravity we were operating under.  It was part of the reason Mac was so large - four years ago, he had actually undergone a heart transplant so his vasculatory system would function in the increased gravity. Where Lyric II and Sparkles had benefited from what Miys learned from the original Lyric, Mac was the original.

The next event was thrown projectiles, so I took the opportunity to go grab some popcorn and sausage-rolls for the last two events. No one in my family was participating in the javelin/spear exhibition, but I knew that Xiomara and Evan would be eyeing these candidates closely for colonial security, so I made a point to pay attention. However, despite my original reason for keeping an eye on the event, I found myself fascinated. Each spear had a different range for accuracy, a different technique for throwing… I found myself filing the information away for later, anticipating a very rousing conversation with our Councillor of Security and her protege. Ivan Thorsson, to nobody’s surprise, excelled.

However, the last event of the exhibition was finally at hand - archery.  Charly had made several attempts to have this event be its own exhibition - the projectiles were not thrown, nor were they combustion - but a sheer lack of participants inevitably led to the sport being included with the ‘non combustion’ weapons exhibition, in the same way the animal companion events were.  On the plus side, participation this Von-year made a strong case for archery being its own event.

Participants were allowed ten arrows, ten targets, and fifteen minutes to fire all arrows. Bows could be any size, but had to be pulled by hand - no crossbows, no hooks to draw. Targets were only 25cm in diameter, and any shots that missed the desired target were counted off, with a double ‘friendly fire’ deduction if the arrow hit an entirely different target.

Even with all the restrictions, there were no less than twelve participants in this event, more than any other.

Maverick was first. While he was exceptionally precise, his Shinto-style did not lend itself well to speed. Next came Tyche, who landed killing hits on every shot, though with far less aplomb than her knife-throwing had shown. Arthur had a similar result - fast and deadly, but less accurate than Maverick - before MIchael Smith took the stage again, to my surprise.

My jaw hit the floor as he pulled just as fast as Tyche and Arthur, with the same accuracy of Maverick. Very few people took part in multiple exhibitions, and to see him do so well in three was a shock.  Nonetheless, he swapped out with the next participant with zero acknowledgement of his performance.

After that, the event continued: several people I did not recognize, before all that was left were Conor and Charly.  Similar to his style of throwing knives, Conor drew ambidextrously and over the shoulder. The connection was crystal clear as you watched his motion - a smooth draw, looped into a pull and release.  The only difference was that, where he would throw a knife, he would draw the arrow.

Next, I expected Charly, but what I saw made my head spin: Simon Rodriguez stepped out of a back room, with a longbow and a quiver full of arrows.  Even more incredibly, he did not stand in front of any specific target, but stood in the center of all ten.  With one deep breath, he started drawing from his waist, firing and drawing, arrow after arrow, in a smooth, mechanical motion.

Every arrow struck the center of the target.

The blood drained from my face as I realised why Tyche had threatened Conor with allowing Simon to use him for target practice…. I had no idea, at the time, that Simon was such an incredible shot. Immediately, I felt guilty.

Before I could apologize to him, Charly and her bow walked out. Speaking now felt like an obscenity, since this was the reason so many people were still here. Sure enough, as soon as the targets were replaced, she displayed a foreign calm as she fired shot after shot.

Ten shots. Ten exact centers. Ten arrowheads protruding from the back of targets by a minimum of two inches.

Twelve seconds total.

The transition between Simon and Charly took place so quickly that I had no idea who the applause was for - the Twelve Second Sorceress, or her clear protege. Either way, the end of the exhibition was explosive, to say the least.

I turned to Conor, ready to apologise for not taking the previous threat as serious at it was, when he said something that made me slap my face and groan.

“Bless it, do you think Simon will show me how to do that?”

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[jingyismom]

got tagged by the wonderful @mylastbraincql to post 10 Things About Myself, which, are there even 10 things other than cql and writing fanfiction??? let’s find out

1. i don’t want to be one of those people who are like ~i love languages~ but...i do. oops. i’m only fluent in english and french (my college degree), but i’ve put work into at least the basics of...well. this is under a cut so let’s just go: latin (a whole minor’s worth), greek (classical and modern), mandarin, american sign language, spanish, german, sanskrit, and arabic. i particularly love medieval french. i kind of wanted to be a linguist but academia is a hellscape, so i’m just a hobbyist language learner and that’s pretty fun. i need to really work on my spanish and start korean next, but right now my brain is deep in mandarin mode (thanks c-dramas).

2. i wish i had the tenacity and drive to be a musician. i love playing music, my mom started teaching me when i was 4 so i should be super good right? wrong. i still play piano like a 4yo. string bass is my ~instrument but it’s been years since i played it seriously. i am mediocre at guitar and an enthusiastic but unstudied singer. maybe some day i’ll put real work in again but for now that executive dysfunction’s a real bitch, so even thought i am a Music Person, singing in the car is about as wild as i get.

3. i was a substitute teacher for 4...5? years. 4 years of regular substituting here after 1 year of working as a language assistant/substitute english teacher in france. teaching is excellent fun and i love it dearly but the field of education is currently pretty soul-crushing in the US, so i have been trying to figure out what...to do.

4. the town where i lived in france was where jeanne d’arc was captured (i was already a huge fan, and getting to kneel where she prayed her last free prayer was...something. i’m not even religious), and one town over from pierrefonds, the castle where they shot bbc’s merlin. alas, they had just finished shooting the final season when i got there. but it really does Look Like That. once, when i was bringing some friends to see it, we missed our stop and got off the bus at a countryside cemetery (i am a goth, this is my jam), and walked back to pierrefonds, since it was a sunny day. until it started hailing. we took refuge in a spooky, empty church from the 1100s and got to explore some of its catacombs and reliquary. it was an absolutely perfect day.

5. i have never not been a Big Fan of something. i have an entire shelf of Tolkien volumes that has lived in my room since the 6th grade. i used to go to warped tour and san diego comic con every year. i have slept on the sidewalk in line for things...many, many times. but this is somehow the first time i’m...trying to participate in the fan community? trying to contribute and talk to people? it’s wildly nerve-wracking but also SO rewarding because everyone? is so? nice??? i love you all

6. i’m a distant cousin of George Gordon, Lord Byron, and EXCEEDINGLY proud of this fact. he was so ridiculous, and stupid, and marvelous, and queer. sometimes i’m like, it couldn’t have been wilde? or shakespeare? but i do love my horrible cousin. it was shocking studying in athens where they have actual monuments and museum exhibits dedicated to him...i was like...this guy? this drug-addled sex addict? okay...okay, good for you, cuz.

7. really all i want is to make people laugh. i feel like i come across weirdly stiff on the internet, and i have apparently horribly intimidating vibes with new people, but really...i am basically just jack black. i don’t mean that positively or negatively it is just neutrally true. i am a clown.

8. i wish i had cool physical skills like martial arts or dance or even a sport but...my body is...uncooperative. i am not necessarily clumsy or uncoordinated i am just Too Tired. oh, and also i have a funky little arm birth defect which is mostly unnoticeable, just makes me a bit awkward and painful. instead i do grandma things like knitting and sewing, which are cool in their own way. it’s very satisfying to make something with your hands. i’ve made an entire (simple) ren faire costume and edwardian ballgown, as well as lots of various odds and ends. oh and i’m pretty good at makeup! i did wedding makeup for a friend, and not in a “wedding of questionable taste” kind of way. i did lots of research and several practice runs and it was all a very classy vintage affair.

9. if you ask me to pick between books and movies i Cannot. i just...love stories. i love seeing them and hearing them and reading them and telling them. there’s nothing better or more important than stories. whether it’s pacific rim or hamlet, philadelphia story or dogsbody, i cannot live without it.

10. i used to work as a street character at a renaissance faire. please do not hold this against me. if you want some ABSOLUTELY WILD stories (”baaa means no”), just ask

this was wildly difficult and i feel like it swings wildly from depressing and self-effacing to ridiculous bragging but i would like to see my mutuals do it anyway! i’m just gonna randomly tag @valarinde @milkcrates @universesvisiting @cendiar @habibinasir @fapamir if you want a fun little distraction but seriously if you see this and want to do it, i tagged you! you’re tagged!

[eves-library]

How to Lose a Man in Ten Days AU//Bucky Barnes x Mexican!Reader Latina!Reader

Chapter One: The task

Summary: In the hopes of saving her friend’s love life from being publicly exposed Y/N takes on the task of writing about her love life while leaving her out of her article. 

Word Count: 1668

Warnings: Mention of breakup and some stereotyped characters (?)

PSA: PLEASE READ First I want to thank @allaboardthereadingrailroad for the opportunity of participating in her Diversity Challenge. I gotta admit I haven’t read a lot of latina!reader or mexican!reader. This was not only a challenge for me to write but I took it as a chance to read stories with that certain type of reader too. The reason I haven’t read too much of these reader inserts is that I don’t always feel identified with the way latina!readers and mexican!readers are portrayed. This is my version of a reader I feel identified with being a Mexican girl. I still left the reader mostly uncharacterized, but there are certain hints here and there that are a telltale for the reader’s background and culture. It will be more evident as the series progress. Finally I just want to say that I took the decision of writing the reader this way because I believe we cannot encapsulate a certain type of girl just by mexican or latina, we share a nationality and culture, yet just by changing states (here in Mexico) traditions change and sometimes the difference is a lot. 

A/N: I’ll be posting a chapter every 3 days. Enjoy

Y/N finish tipping on her computer as Natasha read over her shoulder, “With not only families being torn apart but human beings being treated like animals, the question of immigrant laws being changed should not be a question but a pressing matter.” Y/N turned to look to Natasha as she finished reading, “What do you think Nat?” Natasha gave her a smile and a shoulder squeeze, “I believe it is one hell of an article and I would print it in a heartbeat, but I am not Lana and she will never print it.” With a defeated sigh and her face falling, Y/N saved the document and closed the tab, “I can’t believe I busted my ass to get a master’s in journalism at college just so I could be ‘Y/N How’? Maybe mom was right and I should have not left home.”

Y/N turned her chair completely so she could look at Natasha face to face as Natasha leaned on the bearly there wall that separated their cubicles, “I think you should send some of your work to a big new’s paper, I’ve told you hundred times,” Natasha said to Y/N and before the girl could say anything in her defense, Mandy or “Mantis” as she liked people to call her popped her head next to Natasha on the division of the cubicles “Ladies, don’t forget we have a staff meeting in thirty minutes!” she said softly and as suddenly as she had appeared she disappeared, Natasha was the first to speak up in a low tone so not to be heard by anyone but Y/N “How does she always manage to sneak up on us!” and once again before Y/N could speak up Mantis appeared, “Don’t forget to bring all your good vibes and ideas!” she pipped in before she left for good, prompting both Y/N and Natasha to laugh. 

As their laughter died Y/N stood up looking around the office of cubicles “Have you seen Wanda today?” Natasha turned her gaze directly to Wanda’s cubicle and found it empty of her things, “No, I don’t think she has arrived yet,” Y/N looked at her wristwatch and sighed, “Okay, it is my turn, you go get us a coffee.” Y/N went to grab her coat and purse and as she was making her way out of the office Natasha called for her, giving her a bag with samples, and Y/N grabbed a dark red jacket from a passing cart of clothes used for photoshoots. 

Y/N arrived at Wanda’s apartment in less than 10 minutes, she knocked on the door two times before Wanda finally opened up, a small fake smile on her face which lasted for two seconds before tears started streaming down her cheeks once again, “Oh sweetie, come here, what happened?” Y/N questioned as she stepped in and hugged her friend, Wanda sniffled and cleaned her tears before speaking as she let Y/N walk inside her apartment. “Vision, he broke up with me last night!” Wanda said as her eyes filled with tears once again. 

Y/N walked in to check the state of the apartment, and just like Wanda, it was a little disheveled, especially the area where the couch was and where Wanda had been watching rom-coms and eating icecream. Wanda then walked past her and directly onto the couch but before she could lay back down again, Y/N grabbed her arm pulling her in the direction of her room, which Wanda did, only protesting a little before Y/N finally asked, “Oh, honey, I’m sorry but you can’t let a guy get you fired at work! Come on, I promise after we are done at the office we’ll come back and watch all the rom-coms you want I’ll even get you my grandma’s special hot chocolate you like so much!” Wanda’s eyes glinted at the prospect of Y/N’s offer. 

Y/N went through Wanda’s closet getting a pair of tight black dress pants and a loose black blouse that will look great with the dark red jacket she had brought from the office, and as Y/N was looking for the perfect heels to go with the outfit Wanda plopped down on the bed, “What is wrong with me Y/N? Why doesn’t anyone wants me?” Y/N turned around and took a seat next to Wanda on the bed letting Wanda rest her head on her shoulder, “Listen to me, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You are a beautiful, talented, successful woman, that when she falls in love she does it fast and deep. Sometimes that scares men, which makes it their loss because you, my dear, are a great catch, and you’ll find a catch too.” 

Wanda smiled softly up at her and Y/N gave her a squeeze before getting up, “Now get dressed! we have fifteen minutes before the staff meeting starts, and I’ve brought samples!” Wanda chuckled and in less than five minutes the two of them were on their way back to the office, Wanda finishing her light makeup on the taxi cab. 

The two of them arrived at their building with three minutes to spare, time enough for the elevator ride up. They met up with Natasha at the doors and each took a cup of coffee. As they were making their way into the building Natasha asked what happened and Wanda told her Vision had broken up with her, “Did he gave you any explanation?” Natasha asked and Wanda let out a long sigh, “Just the same, it was not me, it was him, but I really thought he was the one you know?” Natasha turned to look at her with skepticism “Wanda, you dated the guy for a little over a week!”

Wanda blushed a little over Natasha’s comment, “Maybe… but I just had a feeling you know?” Both Y/N and Natasha chuckled at Wanda’s expense and Wanda blushed harder. Y/N shrugged and send a wink her way, “It’s okay Wanda, it’s only that your heart loves easily and lightheartedly if guys don’t know how to realize that it is on them.” Wanda smiled at her and they soon arrived at Lana’s office, everyone taking their place around in the couches and seats.

Lana entered the room at last and her authority voice boomed around the place, “Good morning family! Shoes out everyone!” Y/N turned to her right to see Wanda and Natasha sitting down and taking their shoes off as Y/N did the same. Once everyone in the office was settled, either on a couch or the floor, Lana spoke again. “How are we doing for this month’s number?” Mandy was the first to raise her hand, going on about an article on plastic surgery and how it ruins people’s life “it is kind of gory but surprisingly… optimistic.” Mandy ended with a smile on her face, Lana went on asking everyone in the room and suddenly it was Wanda’s turn, who had an off look on her face, probably still thinking of last night’s events with Vision. 

Natasha nudged Wanda lightly just to bring her attention back to the meeting at hand and Lana kept on looking at her expectantly “I’m sorry Lana I had a bad night,” she started and Natasha explained shortly, “She got dumped.” Wanda turned to glare at her and Natasha mumbled a silent “Sorry” Wanda turned her look back at Lana with an embarrassed and sad smile on her face. Lana smiled at her with a surprisingly empathetic look before she spoke “I’m so sorry, isn’t it sad everyone?” She asked and everyone in the room started nodding and mumbling soft “sorrys.” Lana then looked down at the notebook on her lap before she spoke again “Write about it, and get it off your chest” Wanda turned to look at her and started protesting “Lana I’m sorry but I can’t do that, it is my personal life!” Lana looked up and smiled again “Of course, you’re right,” and she looked around the room “Who wants to write about Wanda’s love life?” 

Wanda was so shocked by the lack of empathy her boss was showing that she just opened and closed her mouth trying to figure out a way to protest and then a hand was raised, Mandy enthusiastically asked for the opportunity “Great, you’ll do it, Mandy, what’s next?” Lana said and Wanda finally spoke up, “I’m sorry Lana but I can’t let Mandy write about my personal life!” Natasha and Y/N had been watching everything unfold before them and suddenly Y/N had an idea, “I’ll do it” she said and Wanda turned to look at her as if she had stabbed her in the back and Y/N continued “I won’t write exactly about Wanda, but she’ll be… my inspiration.” Y/N said and Lana was intrigued, she made a sign with her hand motioning for Y/N to continue, “Look at Wanda, she is a beautiful and strong woman, yet she has trouble keeping a relationship,” Wanda looked confused and a little bit hurt, Y/N mumbled a silent “Sorry” her way before she continued “So… I’ll write about the common mistakes girls like Wanda make when they first start dating,” Lana considered it for a moment before she spoke, “I like it, yeah, you’ll date a guy and then lose him.” Y/N nodded trying to work for a title “Yeah! I’ll call it ‘The Common Mistakes of Dating…?’”

Lana stayed silent for a couple more seconds “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days!” Lana noted it down on her notebook and was about to move on when Y/N asked “Sorry Lana but why in ten days?” Lana turned to look back at her “Well five days is too little of time and we print in eleven days, so it has to be done in ten days.” Y/N nodded and the meeting went on.

[osakaso5]

Torao Mido Twelve Hits! Rabbit TV Part 1: Twelve Hits! 

Part 2 | Part 3

Haruka Isumi: "RADIO STATION Twelve Hits"?

Torao Mido: Ah... Isn't that the radio show IDOLiSH7 was on last year?

Minami Natsume: TRIGGER and Re:vale also participated in it.

Toma Inumaru: That's right! And we're gonna be on Twelve Hits! this year!

Torao Mido: Hmm.

Toma Inumaru: Why dont you look more interested!?

Torao Mido: It's not like we haven't done a bunch of radio shows before, right? If anything, you're a little too excited.

Toma Inumaru: Hold on... This is Twelve Hits! we're talking about! The famous radio  show practically everyone in Japan’s  heard of!

Toma Inumaru: It's been on air ever since we were kids, so you've got to have listened to it at least once, right?

Haruka Isumi: Nope. I like RabbiTube better, anyway.

Torao Mido: Haha, you're such a modern kid. Not that I've listened to it, either.

Toma Inumaru: You've gotta be kidding me!

Minami Natsume: I've listened to it. It's a monthly broadcast that has a new host each time.

Minami Natsume: I even appeared in it once when I was still a child actor.

Toma Inumaru: Seriously, Mina..!? That's awesome..!

Toma Inumaru: I've sent a couple messages to it, but they never got read on air. ...So you've already been on it, huh..!

Minami Natsume: Oh dear. If you open your eyes so wide, they'll fall out.

Minami Natsume: Though I must say, I like being gazed at so intensely that it might result in your loss of sight.

Haruka Isumi: Eek... Don't say scary stuff like that..!

Torao Mido: I see. In other words, this radio show is amazing enough that some people would even sacrifice their precious eyes for it.

Toma Inumaru: ...Ahem. In any case, we've got a really cool job ahead of us!

Toma Inumaru: The shows from last year were a lot of fun, too!

Torao Mido: You listened to them?

Minami Natsume: So, you listened to them.

Haruka Isumi: You did?

Toma Inumaru: S-should I not  have..? Why are you all looking at me like that!?

Torao Mido: No reason.

Haruka Isumi: No reason?

Minami Natsume: No reason in particular.

Toma Inumaru: You three always work together perfectly at times like these...

Minami Natsume: I was simply commending you for having a genuine interest in even the hosts   who weren't your friend, Nanase-san, without so  much as gathering intel on them. 

Torao Mido: Hmph. Nothing we could've done about that. Toma wants to be friends with those guys. Probably because he's not satisfied with us.

Haruka Isumi: Torao, stop sulking like  a little kid. He's not gonna understand that  you want him to pay more attention to you  unless you tell him. 

Torao Mido: I'm not sulking. I was just pointing out that he goes on and on about people other than us. 

Toma Inumaru: ...I just thought it looked fun, the way they were giving each other requests for the show... I kinda wanted to try it, too...

Toma Inumaru: Listening to them made me think about how fun it'd be to do that with you guys!

Torao Mido: Oh..?

Haruka Isumi: Hmm..?

Minami Natsume: So, you want us to complete requests for you.

Toma Inumaru: That's right! Some of them could get pretty crazy and extreme, but it just seemed like something members of the same group do together!

Haruka Isumi: Yeah... I guess Tenn Kujo seemed pretty happy when he got a request from his little brother.

Toma Inumaru: Yep. So you did listen to it, after all!

Haruka Isumi: Huh? Ah..!

Haruka Isumi: N-no I didn't! I just happened to hear it from a car radio on my way somehwere.

Toma Inumaru: If you already know what the show's like, then that makes things easier! Apparently we'll also get  requests from the listeners.

Toma Inumaru: Make sure to come up with good ones!

Minami Natsume: Very well. You'll answer anything, won't you?

Torao Mido: Feels nice to be on the asking end of a relationship for once.

Haruka Isumi: Let's rebel like we always do, even on radio! 

- - - -

Toma Inumaru: Okay, we're all here! Let's start coming up with   requests.

Toma Inumaru: Tora, I'm really glad to see you here right on time today! You must be pretty hyped for this.

Torao Mido: Yeah, I didn't have to stay up late last night.

Haruka Isumi: What's that supposed to mean?

Torao Mido: I wasn't with a woman, that's what.

Toma Inumaru: You of all people weren't with a woman..!? Did you quit sleeping around for our sake!?

Minami Natsume: It really is unbelievable... Though we may never know when he gets back into the habit...

Haruka Isumi: Lame... You got dumped by a girl! If you're free, then let's play games together. I can teach you how this one works.

Torao Mido: It wasn't for you, and I definitely wasn't dumped!

Minami Natsume: ...Let's forget about Mido-san's nightlife and cut to the chase, shall we. In accordance with our birthdays, he will be first in line.

Toma Inumaru: Yeah! Let's think of something we want Tora to do.

Torao Mido: I'll grant your wishes just this once. For my birthday.

Toma Inumaru: Hehe! Thanks!

Haruka Isumi: No takebacks.

Minami Natsume: The thought of you reluctantly fulfilling my request makes my heart throb.

Torao Mido: What exactly do you have in store for me?

Minami Natsume: Hee hee, I have a most fascinating and thrilling request ready for you.

Haruka Isumi: Ugh... I'm getting kinda scared of my own turn now...

Toma Inumaru: W-what kinda request is it..?

Minami Natsume: Could you let me try my hand at hypnotizing you?

Haruka, Toma, & Torao: Hypnotizing!?

Haruka Isumi: Hypnotizing as in the "You feel sleepy~" kinda stuff? You can do that, on top of your fortune-telling?

Minami Natsume: No, I just saw it on TV the other day. I was curious to see if I could do it, myself.

Torao Mido: ...Hey. You're not planning to use me as your guinea pig, are you?

Minami Natsume: Why, I'd never. I was only trying to come up with a way to spice up your show.

Haruka Isumi: Honestly, that sounds like a lot of fun, but wouldn't it be hard to do over radio?

Minami Natsume: Don't worry. I will prepare a hypnotism video for him to watch during the broadcast.

Torao Mido: That's a little much... What kind of hypnotism would I be under?

Minami Natsume: When I snap my fingers, you would meow like a cat, or talk in a high-pitched voice.

Toma Inumaru: Pfft..! Tora, meowing like a cat..!

Haruka Isumi: It fits, since he's a tiger! ...Ah! I've got a good one.

Haruka Isumi: You should also try making him only speak in musical notes.

Minami Natsume: Oh, that would be wonderfully glamorous.

Torao Mido: Hold on a second. Do you guys really want to see me like that..?

Minami, Haruka, & Toma: We do.

Torao Mido: No thanks. Come up with something else.

Minami Natsume: I'm afraid you'll just have to cope. We seem to be working under the rule of "no takebacks".

Torao Mido: Urk...

Torao Mido: ...Whatever, on to the next request.

Toma Inumaru: Oh! Can I go?

Torao Mido: Give me something proper.

Toma Inumaru: Say 100 things you like about ŹOOĻ!

Torao Mido: 100? That's too many.

Toma Inumaru: I thought I'd take this chance to hear lots of your thoughts.

Torao Mido: My rule is to only say passionate words and sweet nothings in the bedroom, though.

Haruka Isumi: Should I bring a comforter to the recording booth with you?

Torao Mido: That's not the issue here.

Toma Inumaru: ...Fine! I'll get you a pillow, too!

Minami Natsume: Does this mean I'm in charge of bringing the mattress..?  It'll be tough to carry something so heavy.

Torao Mido: ...I guess we'll be doing my show without any requests.

Haruka Isumi: You're not getting out of this. Mine's gonna be a good one.

Torao Mido: Let's hear it.

Haruka Isumi: I'll write you a letter, and you have to read it on air.

Torao Mido: A letter? ...You'd go out of your way to do that for me?

Haruka Isumi: Yeah. The kind they have in TV that always make you cry. 

Minami Natsume: My, how earnest.

Torao Mido: A thank you letter for everything I've done, huh. Not bad.

Toma Inumaru: That's a great request, Haru!

Haruka Isumi: I know, right. I've got a lot to say to Torao.

Haruka Isumi: Like that he needs to stop flirting with female staff during  work, or that he needs to stop keeping  in touch with my grandma. 

Toma Inumaru: ...Wait, so you're just trying to call him out!? Tora, why  are you talking to his grandma?

Torao Mido: No reason in particular. The other day, I asked her what Haruka was like when he was little.

Haruka Isumi: You're seriously the worst..!

Torao Mido: Haha. Make sure to put some of my plus sides into that letter, too.

Haruka Isumi: ...Hmph. I guess you can be surprisingly gutsy, and your dancing's improved pretty quickly. I'll write that much.

Torao Mido: Highlight those parts in red, so I can only read them.

Minami Natsume: We turned out to have very diverse requests.

Toma Inumaru: The listeners will be sending requests in too, so you might not get ours, but it'll still be fun to see what you end up with!

Torao Mido: You better listen to my show with rapt attention. 

End of Part 1.

[geckolady]

Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – It's a girl!

Stephanie has just turned twelve years old

For her twelfth birthday, Stephanie wanted to see her friends and she was refused. So, she asked her friends, through Gordon, to see her. Gordon refused, and they had had an argument. It seemed so petty now, to have had such a silly argument when she now knew that he just wanted to make sure she had every chance to do everything and anything in the world, but it had hurt that she couldn’t at least see them over lunch or go on walks with them.

At Gordon’s funeral, she had wept her eyes out, the only one crying. She had overheard the rest of her family in the parlour of their home, Gordon and Stephanie’s home, chatting ideally about who got the fortune, who got the house, who got the kid. She had screamed at them and then had to sit in the car with them looking ashamed of themselves going to the burial site. They tried to comfort her, but the damage was done. Honestly, she was more upset about the argument they’d had weeks ago and apologised for, and of her relatives, than she was that she was at the funeral of the last person that cared solely for her being her.

The rest of her was numb. It had happened again. It was hard to not look at things with irony and with cynicism when this was the thirdparents figure that had died.

She had seen her six friends in the corner, all in black suits and looks of genuine upset on their faces but hadn’t dared go up to them. Gordon hadn’t wanted that. She fiddled with the priceless emerald necklace Wolf, who was really Dexter, had sent her after she had won a dance competition a few months ago.

The wake was a little easier as the coffin was out of sight and it felt a little more final. She had been told by her Grandma, who had picked her up from the police station after Stephanie had called them to report Gordon being dead in his study and thus taken her in temporarily since she was a minor, that the funeral was being taken care of by Gordon’s friends. The ‘Reading of the Will’ was partway through the wake, though only a few of them were leaving.

Stephanie was led by her Grandma out of the wake after a wonderful meal at a fancy restaurant, Gordon’s favourite – she’d ordered his favourite, no one else had that she had seen – and into a small back room where a short man with massive pores all over his face stood with a hunch back and awkward smile. She looked at her Grandma over her shoulder and the woman shrank away a little.

She’s been very harsh and vocal about Gordon earlier. Stephanie, Ireland had found, was a much louder shouter than her. She didn’t want to see her again after today.

She sat it one of the chairs, purposefully not looking at the others in the room. The door was closed. She took a deep final breath. This was it. Then it was over, and she could go back to her life. She was a fighter. She could do this.

She looked at the man squarely, who avoided her steely gaze, and went for the least harmful participant, Beryl.

Times were rough for this little man.

“Can we start now?” Beryl quipped. “I want to get back home soon.”

“Yeah, we have things to do today,” Fergus frowned at him.

Stephanie glared at them and bit her tongue.

“Erm, yes, that is everyone after all. Firstly, allow me to offer my deepest condolences to you, his friends and family. I understand this is a–”

“Can we please skip this part?” Fergus asked. “I want to know who gets the boat? The house?”

“The royalties,” Beryl joined.

“The fortune.”

“Of – of course,” he said, adjusting his glasses and looking at his paper. “To my dear brother Fergus and your beautiful wife Beryl, though we have not always agreed or, indeed, enjoyed each other’s company, I have always respected your steadfast ability to ignore great details. I wish I could have seen the world through your eyes sometimes. To thank you for your company as children and through the years since, I leave you this. I hope you enjoy it as much as me.”

The man brought out a small box. They stared at it before slapping each other’s hands and Beryl snatched it up. She opened it and went deadly white.

“What is it? A pin number? A key? A bar of gold? Wife, show me!” Fergus worried.

“A broach,” she said faintly. “He gave us a broach.”

Fergus looked sick. “What else do we get? Come on man, there has to be more!”

The little man wet his lips and Stephanie glared more at her least loved uncle. “I’ll have to read on. ‘To my long standing friends, Ghastly Bespoke, Anton Shudder, Erskine Ravel, Saracen Rue and Dexter Vex, I have only advice. Remember that though you may all wish for different things, reality is a lot simpler than you first think. I found that in my, albeit short, life that all I thought I wanted to possess and worked hard to make happen was not what I truly needed, nor what gave me joy. I hope you achieve what took me so long to find and can find the brotherhood I feel you have begun to forget.”

Stephanie looked at them slowly, her eyes softening. She knew they had once been soldiers. War was not kind, or so she’d been told, and she had learned a lot about PTSD and other soldier things when she was at school once. She hoped they found what they needed too. They hung their heads in to mull over their late friend’s advice.

“And to my perfect niece, Stephanie Edgley. When I saw you in the hospital for the first time, I fell in love. I loved you and always have since the moment I saw your little feet in the air and you chewing your teeny tiny fingers. I am so, so sorry that you have had to lose both your parents and now myself. I never wanted this to happen. You wanted me to be there so badly, and I know I have made mistakes and I worry that I made a massive one it not allowing you to see our friends. I only wanted to do what I thought was best for you. I hope that I make up for it here. I know this is what you need in your soul. I think this is the path for you, and I am certain you will see it too. So I leave you, firstly, something to think about: Even some butterflies are poisonous. The world is so much darker than you think, but holds beauty you cannot even begin to imagine. So I hope you take to heart my warning to be tough, but never rough. To be quick but never dismissive. To be upfront but never horrid. To be blunt but never enjoy the pain. To fight harder, tougher, longer, stronger, smarter and with wit, more than anyone else in the universe, but never forget your heart and those you shelter in it. You are my daughter in soul. You have made me so proud already. And, with every expectation you will be the bluntest, sharpest, prettiest woman to rule the world, I leave you my fortune, my home, my villa, my boat, my car and every asset and net worth to my name, including all the royalties from my work to receive upon your eighteenth birthday. Don’t spent it all at once.”

Stephanie tried to memorise his words. She wanted to make him so proud. She nodded at the man to continue before her relative could make an argument.

“And finally, to my dearest friend Skulduggery Pleasant, some more advice, though I know there isn’t much more to give. Use your eyes. I know what you need and want, and it is all in front of you. Grasp it and never let go. Take it down kicking and screaming. And remember, my niece is a lot more hard-headed than you think. I leave you sole custody of her to raise as your own and to take on as many adventures as you can. She will be the Dead Men’s prodigy. The greatest force this world has seen. She’ll need her brothers-in-arms to make it through this world. She loves you all so much.”

The man lowered the paper and Stephanie stared at the man in shock. All of them were staring at her. The minutes dragged on. Fergus and Beryl launched out their seats and slammed the door behind them at some point. The will-reader left too and Stephanie could only stare at the wall.

“Well, that happened,” she said quietly, looking slowly at Crow who was standing in the corner. Crow. Skulduggery Pleasant. “Hi.”

Panda stood up slowly and stood behind Crow. He placed his scared hand on his shoulder. “Congratulations. It’s a girl.”

Wolf jumped her and pulled her into a hug. “I have a sister! I always wanted one. How did Gordon know?”

“Gordon’s pretty great like that,” she murmured. “I should probably – I don’t – I’m sorry.”

She felt the first tear fall down her cheek and had almost made it to the door when thin arms wrapped around her and pulled her into a wide, cold chest. She tried not to sob.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he whispered to her.

She hugged him back and finally, after a week of numbness, the sobbing came.

He carried her to the car and set her in bed after she had passed out, exhausted.