#anyway that’s all. g’bye

[kingbaguette]

¡Rise Raph headcannon time!

Raph often gets hit with intense body dysphoria because of his size.

I have this Headcannon for a few reasons.

1, It’s angsty.

2, Most of the time people just refer to him as “big” or “heavy” or something along those line’s, and after a few years it starts to take its toll on him.

3, It’s not just about his weight here. It is also about his spike’s. Both on his shell and all around his body. (If you’ve seen my design for Raph you know what I mean).

I’d assume this reason would arise from when he was little and maybe he accidentally poked one of his little brothers with his many, many spikes. So in the mind of a child, you’d want to get rid of the thing hurting your family, so he’d find like a nail file in the bathroom and started filing them down. It hurt like hell but it’s not like he could stop, he couldn’t let himself hurt his family again, no, he wouldn’t! Thankfully one of his brother’s, let’s say Leo, got concerned on why he was in there for so long, saw what he was doing and ran to go get Splinter. When Splinter does show up, it’s not like Raph would just stop filing them down, no way! He needs to protect his family, not hurt them! He is the big brother, the one that is the biggest, he wouldn’t ever hurt them again! Splinter has to literally pry the file out of his hands in order for him to stop. His shoulder’s, elbow’s, knee’s, and a bit of his thighs are bleeding from the damage, many spike’s are now a lot smaller and dulled than they’re meant to be, and the spike’s on his shell have a few chips and scratches on them. Splinter doesn’t bother to ask why right now since Raphael is crying to much to answer, all he can do right now as his father is comfort him and wrap his injuries before they get infected.

Later when he asked Raph why he would ever do something like that, he answer’s with a hiccup, tears returning to his eyes, and a sorrowful smile and say’s;

“I-I don’t want to hurt you guys anymore. My spikes hurt you guy’s, I don’t wanna anymore! Don’t want them anymore! I keep doin this an-and I don’t want to!” Splinter felt horrible, down right horrified at the thought that he hadn’t even noticed his eldest son’s— Who is only seven mind you!— greatest fears and insecurities get even worse to the point that it would get this bad, in fact, he’d been neglecting them for so long that- Wait, did he even know what his biggest fear is? What’s his favourite food? Colour? He’d just gotten so used to red looking out for his brothers when he was out looking for food that he’d begun to neglecting them completely. Oh god, he didn’t even name them, they named themselves. How horrible of a father was he? As these thoughts began to plague and infect his mind like a virus, he could do nothing but helplessly cling his bandage covered child in a fit of sorrow before another depression episode kicked in, and the cycle would just repeat.

HAHA! Surprise Splinter angst at the end there! Anyways, if you guys like it, you can adopt it, but please credit me.

Now, have a lovely day/night/whatever your time zone is, g’bye my bakery subject’s!

[ruebetweenthestars]

This was supposed to be a short fic about her turning into a cat 40 pages later its a full fic longer than anything I've ever written. my oc Johari x Harry Hook. She's the daughter of scar.

 “Awe now why the long face?”  Harry Hook teased with a fake pout as he did slow taunting circles around a severely scowling Johari. Her sharp canines were bared in a silent snarl as her chin rested in her hand. She was doing her best to ignore him at all costs today.

His chirping laughter said that he knew the full situation already. The other core 4 were picked to make the journey to Auradon, the only one in their group that was left behind was Johari. While Uma’s crew took over the rest of the Isle they also took no time taking over the other group's territory including Johari’s home. She really had no choice but to join them. 

It seemed cruel even to him, like it had been done on purpose. Knowing Maleficent it probably way, still funny though. Johari had stubbornly insisted that she didn't want to go anyway. She wouldn't be pouting so hard if she didn't. What a bad liar. He enjoyed pushing her buttons because they were so easily visible to anyone else on the Isle now.

“Your little Jay-Bird didn't even say g’bye did he?” Harry gave a sarcastic wave to punctuate his sentence. “Is that why you're so sad?” He pantomimed mock tears with an exaggerated frown. A former member of Mal’s little group was a sitting duck in his pond. This was too much fun. 

The great daughter of Scar had been knocked down a few pegs and he was loving it. She swiped at him with black tipped claws which he easily dodged with just a casual lean. The smile never left his lips. 

Johari huffed as she glared at him waving her hand in dismissal now like she was trying to swat away a fly. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” She was a lion left without her pride and Harry wouldn't let her easily forget it, he was driving her crazy. “And he isn't my Jay-Bird.” She spat through gritted teeth. 

He pretended to ruminate on the question for about half a second before pulling up a chair and spinning it around to sit beside her. “Not really.” Harry answered with a hum as he tilted the chair so he could bend even closer. “Ye could’ve fooled me. But I wouldn’t pout so much if I were you. I--” 

Before he could open his mouth to continue teasing, the sound of Uma’s voice calling his name caught his attention. At once he was on his feet again, snapping up like a soldier at the ready. Johari rolled her eyes at his sudden reaction. And he was the one teasing her for having feelings for Jay. What a dog. She stuck her tongue out at him while he momentarily had his back turned. 

“Harry!” She called again. Uma had been formulating a plan for a long time now. None of the ship’s crew members would fill Johari in on any details, likely on purpose. Johari huffed.  She was getting frustrated with the hushed whispers and glances her way. It was obvious that whatever was going on involved her in some way. She wouldn't let that happen. A defiant snarl pulled at her lips as she got to her feet and stormed towards the ship’s exit. Johari was sick and tired of everything happening lately. It was going to stop today.

To her surprise her path was blocked by Gil hulking in the way. His smile was wide and lopsided. He was so unthreatening yet he towered over her. “Sorry Johari, I can't let you leave.” He raised an arm to block the door further as she tried to duck bob and weave her way past to no avail. 

“Why not?” She barked back. Her nose scrunched as she looked up at him in defiance while still trying to spot any gaps in his defenses. Before she could continue she felt a hand and hook on her shoulders, she jumped about a mile seeing Harry just behind her with a wide grin. 

“Because you, little kitty, are a part of Uma’s plan.” Harry stated simply. Johari tried to shake off his grip with a roll of her shoulders. Harry held his hands up in a fake innocence while cackling like the hyena he was. 

She was vastly outnumbered and already surrounded. The situation didn't look good. “Plan?” Johari said the word as if it were foreign. As she spun in each direction trying to search for an alternate exit the crew continued to close in. What were they going to do now, turn her into fish bait? 

The crowd parted to let Uma emerge. So this was the one Mal always called Shrimpy. She was grinning confidently with her arms crossed and her head was held high. “You are my in.” Uma stated simply as she pointed her dark eyes and stared Johari down. 

She wondered if Mal made enemies for fun around the Isle at times. Back then none of them seemed as threatening as they did now. The safety she had in numbers with the core four was gone. “You’re goin’ to Auradon.” Gil stated happily in a sing-song tone as if it were good news his arms were wide open like a wingspan as he continued to stand in the way with that goofy smile.

“Maleficent only agreed to let your friends go to Auradon to get the Fairy Godmother’s wand. Hasn't been much of a secret.” Harry gave a happy waggle of his head as he stated the news. 

“Last thing I wanna do is sit back and watch while Mal and her little group get all the credit.” Uma raised her chin confidently while her crew continued to close in. Johari was frozen where she stood. If she moved she ran the risk of running herself through from any direction. “You were one of ‘em. Now you’re with us. You’re gonna get that wand and get it back to me. Doesn't matter what you gotta do to get it.”

“Th-There’s no way. I can’t go.” Johari’s usual faux confidence began to slip as she caught herself stuttering as she held herself . There was no way of getting out of this she suddenly realized. “How do you even plan on getting through the barrier?” All she could imagine was getting fired through a cannon. Ridiculous. This wasn’t much of a master plan. 

 Uma presented a long pearl chain necklace with an iridescent scale strung neatly to the bottom. It dangled gently in the air. “I got this from Dr Facilier.” In truth it was underwhelming. It looked cheaply made as if it were a child's toy made from plastic.

“So you got scammed and bought some costume jewelry?” Johari spat. A few crew members were reaching for their swords at her comment. Uma rolled her eyes at the response. 

“This is your ticket through the barrier.” She waggled it a bit making opalescent rainbow colors shine and dance along the tiny scale. “It’s from a mermaid.” A rare piece indeed. Johari had never seen a mermaid in her life. She also avoided water if she ever could. It was a surprise to hear that they existed in the first place. 

“What makes you think I’ll do this?” Johari barked back again. She knew she was quickly losing ground. It still seemed like a flimsy plan, especially on Uma’s part. She was much smarter than that. So what was the catch? “I can’t even swim.” Johari argued weakly as if it were going to really help her case.  

“That’s why Harry will be going with you. He’s going to make sure this all goes smoothly.” Uma smirked confidently as she tossed the necklace to him which he easily caught with his hook. He spun it a bit in a short victory. 

“See? Told ya there was no reason for you to pout. You get ta’ see your little Jay-Bird.” Harry sarcastically wiggled his fingers in Johari’s face with a chuckle. “ain't that exciting?”

----

Gil followed the both of them on the short journey to what would be their boat. He was happy enough to be included in the plan if only to keep Johari from running off. It was a good thing too because there were more than a few attempts on the short walk there. 

Harry wore a cheshire grin as he spun the mermaid’s scale round and round on his hook. Uma was trusting him with something like this. Her plans were so sound he was sure that this would all be done in a flash. Revenge would be oh so sweet. Ah what a day. He was humming a tune unfamiliar to Johari who was still struggling to find a way out. 

“Look, Hook- You don't really need my help.” She protested as she tried to catch Harry’s attention with Gil looming behind her. “Why can't Uma just have you do it? She obviously trusts you. Why keep me around? I’ll just slow someone like you down.” The ocean was getting much closer now as the rocky hill that they were walking down became steeper. The beach stretched on for miles with no end in sight. How far could she run? Not far before Gil would catch her. 

“Oh please. Yer not gettin’ out of this that easy.” He spoke sarcastically and offered a fake pout as he glanced back at her. “I’m only following the Captain’s orders. Bound by duty and all that.” Harry answered with a sarcastic bow. “If she says you're going to get them to hand it over, then you will.” Harry’s confidence in Uma was staggering. It was almost disgusting. 

Gil gave a jovial laugh. “Yeah what Uma says goes.” He was still keeping Johari caged in place as the boardwalk disappeared behind them. 

“And by the way, you’re terrible at negotiating.” Harry stopped only a few steps from there happily chirping as he gestured in a grand manner towards their ride. “Here we are. Ready for take off?” 

Their boat…wasn't much of a boat at all. Maybe it had been in another lifetime. Or many. It was so ancient it could have been the first ship on the Isle. This was ages older than it should be. The wood was gray and splintered, cracked and squealed audibly at even the gentle drifting lap of the salt water. The bottom was encrusted with barnacles, starfish and other sea life. 

Johari’s eyes widened in horror as she wondered if it was even seaworthy. She knew she would drown before she reached either shore. Not only could she not swim, there was another problem that she couldn't bear to tell either of them. Especially Harry. She wouldn't. There had to be some sort of way to get out of this before they got through that stupid barrier.   

In a last ditch effort Johari tried to catch Harry off guard and snatch the mermaid’s scale from his grasp. She leapt forward, almost grazing the last edge of a pearl in her claws. Unfortunately Gil was at the ready plucking her easily off of her feet and lifting her into the air while pinning her arms at her sides. She squirmed in his grasp yet it didn't do much at all except make her look like a small child. 

The two pirates had a good laugh watching her struggle aimlessly in the air. “Maybe you'll get promoted when you get back.” The wide genuine smile and positivity in Gil’s voice only served to stoke her temper further. He placed her in the boat easily as if she were a doll instead of a full grown person.

 Harry jumped in beside her causing the small vessel to rock back and forth over the shallow water. Before she could stop him Harry was already kicking off of the sand waving a confident goodbye to Gil. The distance between the water and the shore was growing rapidly thanks to the strong ocean currents. 

Harry looked the happiest Johari had ever seen him before. He was enjoying torturing her like this and she knew it. Smug jerk. She was still frantically looking from side to side trying to gauge the swimming distance if she dove in from this distance. Her features grew ever paler as she watched the Isle begin to shrink. 

“Hook I'm sure you can be reasoned with- I can't go to Auradon.” She began to plead as her hands latched onto either side of the small vessel. If she wasn't careful she’d splinter it further with her claws which were already causing deep gauges in the old wood. Her bright hazel eyes were wide and owlish.

 He briefly entertained the idea as he watched how the mermaid scale glistened in the light and almost blended into the seaspray. It wove in and out of view as it became one with the sea and then sparkled wonderfully in the air against the open sky. Uma must have paid a pretty penny for something like this. She trusted him of course, but her? There was a part of him that was almost offended that Uma was putting so much faith in Johari of all people. Maybe this was a challenge. 

“Don't ignore me Hook!” She tried to keep her voice firm as she pleaded for his attention. It cracked halfway through her sentence as a short stray wave made the boat sway. So much for pride.  

“Face it. Yer out of options lass.” Harry cast her a short glare over his shoulder. Harry for once was silent as he raised his hook in a threatening manner as he slowly eyed Johari.Their constant back and forth was beginning to get on his nerves. The barrier was coming into view now. They were getting closer to the goal. Once they were through it would be smooth sailing. 

If this was his chance to prove something to Uma then he had to make sure it all went well. The daughter of Scar looked pretty pathetic this way.  It would be so easy to gut her like a fish right here and leave her out to sea while he did the rest of the job. Uma really wouldn't be that mad as long as he came back with the wand. Right? Harry turned his gaze forward as he heard no further complaints. 

He felt his heart lurch in his chest as he suddenly felt hands wrap around his hook trying to pull him backward. She was crazier than anyone he’d ever met for trying that. “Yer out of your fuckin’ mind!” Harry growled as he tried to shake off the iron grip and the boat began to severely rock from side to side in the struggle.

 Water was flooding the floorboards. Waves upon diagonal waves were beginning to get too close for comfort. As he cast his glance backward he realized it wasn’t Johari trying to pry the mermaid’s scale from around his hook. They were scaled green webbed hands tipped with black twisted claws. His eyes widened in awe. 

A large decaying mass of seaweed resembling hair began to pull itself from the waters with a spindling groan. There was nothing musical about that sound. The both of them stifled screams as Harry tried to shake off its grip. Johari lurched forward in an attempt to free him.  

Before either of them could register what was happening the boat creaked and began to dip to the side with a push from a large unseen wave. It held them there in a gravity defying right angle. It kept the small boat suspended in the air like a skateboard before slamming it down into the angry spray with a heavy and deafening crash. There was a rush of salt water and bubbles then nothing but engulfing darkness. 

-- 

When Harry awoke the night had already taken over. Stars hung lazily in the sky and a gentle breeze blew along the shoreline. He groaned as he picked himself up, his body ached with every movement. So they made it through the barrier. Maybe not in the way he had imagined, but they were through now. He wiped at the sand caked onto his face in disgust. How long was he out? His head pounded with every beat of his heart the pain rivaled any hangover he’d ever had.

Only after finally calming his nerves he saw that his hands were covered in deep bleeding welts. The sea salt and debris made them sting. Harry hissed as he put the pain in the back of his mind, only now remembering that he didn't come here alone. The beach was quiet, only the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the occasional bird call could be heard. He was the only one there. “Johari?” His voice echoed in the wind to no answer. “Fuck…” 

Whatever had attacked them meant business. He guessed it wanted the scale back even if it was no longer attached to anything alive. How did Dr Facilier even manage to get such a trinket? It made sense why he sold it so cheaply now. 

So the trip to Auradon didn't go quite as planned. Apparently the barrier didn't go underwater and the ocean did the rest of the work for them. Fine then. That cut out parts one and two of the plan. He knew he had to be careful now, he was in enemy territory after all. It wasn't as if he could disguise himself and sneak in this way. He had to keep a low profile. 

He surveyed his surroundings seeing no remnants of the boat or the supposed mermaid. Quickly he realized that his hook was missing. Panic rose in his chest. He began to rapidly comb the beach in frantic search of it. He was too preoccupied to notice the lurching tail in the nearby waters watching him search. It followed his every move daring him to venture back into the water.  

Now he could see broken pieces of wood scattered haphazardly around the beach. Some were floating in the water. The rest of their boat he presumed. So much for the getaway plan. The ocean could have spat the two of them out anywhere. The last thing that he wanted was to play this game of chase. “Johari?” His voice carried in the wind once more to no answer. This was going to take a lot longer than he thought. All he could do now was find her and his hook hopefully in the same place. 

----

The core four were making themselves at home in Auradon. Mal and Evie were talking about cosmetics and discussing the intricacies of formulating a love spell. Carlos was busy trying out the new thrill of video games for the first time. Then there was Jay. They were all too preoccupied in their new little worlds to notice Jay brooding behind them in the corner. 

 It seemed to him as if the others had suddenly forgotten that they had left one of their group behind. Of course it wasn’t their choice. Maleficent made half hearted reassurances that they would all see eachother again shortly, repeating old phrases like ‘distance makes the heart grow fond or something’. He didn't have the heart to tell Mal that he didn’t believe a word out of her mother’s mouth ever. It certainly didn’t do much to make Jay feel any better, that was for sure. 

He was leaving one of his best friends back on the Isle. Maybe they were more than that. He wasn’t sure even now. They had been whisked away in a limo before he could really confirm those feelings. Just how  was Johari doing back home? This place was plenty of fun, sure. There were so many things to steal and get into from the contents of drawers or closets and bags he was having the best pick pocketing day of his life. She would love this. But without the whole team it felt as if there was a large piece missing. 

“Hey Mal?” Jay heard himself question. Her head popped up from between the pages of her spell book as she hummed in answer. “Is there anything in there that could get Johari here?”

“No sorry Jay.” Mal could only shake her head. “I could try a transportation spell but I'm not sure I could even get her here in one piece.” Her eyebrows knit in concern as she bit her lip and  thought of all the possible ways that kind of spell could go wrong. “Wouldn’t be pretty if I messed up.” Well that wasn’t very reassuring. 

“Want me to check my mirror?” Evie prompted as she continued to admire her hair. Everything looked so much better here. There was a natural sparkle to everything. Maybe it was the lighting or lack of dirt. Both? It was sad watching her friend mope when there were so many fun and exciting things here. 

If Maleficent’s plan worked then it would all be theirs too. She didn't wait for an answer before reciting a short incantation. “Mirror, Mirror, in my hand- show me where Johari is in the land.” The mirror sparkled lightly. Considerably less than usual. The magic that Evie was used to sputtered and popped. She wondered if the mirror had somehow suddenly broken. 

 The images came up slowly and blinked in and out of view like a laggy computer. There was a large rolling wave towering far above and then a spray of silt and sand before going to a black screen. The mirror refused to show anything more despite any of Evie’s desperate efforts (tapping it rather hard on the corner of the nearby dresser). 

“Oh-no.” She tried to show a smile to defuse the group's growing worry at her reaction. She covered the mirror with a gloved hand. 

“Did she try to swim?” Mal tried to keep her voice low, she was sure that any of the other Auradon kids could be listening just outside of the door. 

“I don’t know.” Evie gave a hushed whisper as she continued to try to revive the last image the mirror displayed. It only showed up as a murky green color without many clear details.  

“What did you see?” Jay stood then craning his neck so he could try to peer over her shoulder. 

“Nothing!” The look of concern on his face only grew as the girls looked back at him. Their overly confident answer in unison gave him the creeps. They were always doing that. Whatever had happened it wasn't good and neither of them were doing very well at trying to convince him. 

“Did something happen?” Carlos was distracted by the sound of his friends' voices over the excitement of his video game. He took his headphones off to glance at the rest of the group. 

“You’re telling me she tried to swim here?.” Jay was looking ready to bolt out of the door. He was shifting his weight eagerly from foot to foot.  

Evie was the one to stand quickly in front of him to keep him from even doing so. “We can't just jump to conclusions!” Yet the nervous glance that she gave the mirror in her hand said otherwise. “Maybe it wasn't that bad.” Her half hearted smile didn't go very far. 

“She’s right. We can't just go swimming across the ocean to go and check. I’m sure she’s fine.” Mal tried to calm the situation. She pinched the bridge of her nose in thought. “We have to focus and get the wand, anyway. The faster we get it the faster our problems will disappear.” 

Jay crossed his arms as he continued to glance towards the spell book mirror and door. He had a limited knowledge of magic and how it worked. Jay knew he couldn't do anything if he had either item in his possession. Stealing them for once wouldn’t work in his favor. It was really no use trying to convince either of them that they had to go back. Yet he didn't want to give up on the subject. 

“I found a love spell earlier, we should get to the kitchen. Once this is all over we’ll see eachother again.” Mal announced and nodded to herself as if agreeing with her own plan. “Let’s get going guys.” The way she sounded like her mother was only continuing to make Jay nervous. He followed behind her anyway.

--

The morning light as the sun rose was dazzling as it glimmered along the ocean waves. It blanketed the beach in a warm yellow summer glow. It made Johari’s head pound. Too bright. As her eyes slowly opened she felt the sudden pain of a splitting headache. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. What had happened? 

A silver hook lay in the sand ahead just out of reach shining brightly in the rising morning sun like a silver beacon. The reflection it was making burned her eyes. The mermaid’s scale was missing. Anything she’d ever heard about them was wrong. They weren't pretty and sweet, mermaids were vicious. She had yet another reason to fear open water.

Where was Harry? He was never far from his hook. She silently hoped he wasn’t hurt. The last she saw of him was a bloody struggle. A few gashes stung her arms as well. She paid them no mind. She tried to get to her feet but found herself crashing back to the ground. No. This wasn’t the Isle, it was Auradon! 

The only thing that her father had ever given her before departing to some unknown place on the Isle was a curse. When she wasn’t home with the barrier blocking the dark magic she took the form of a small lion like the rest of her family, unable to speak in any human way. Her paws felt awkward and clunky on the soft malleable sand. She almost fell forward a few times as she struggled to get used to the feeling. 

Johari was alone. There were no other prints around. If they had made it to their destination she had to find her way to one of the VKs before anyone else did. Johari pawed at Harry’s hook, momentarily forgetting she no longer had the use of her hands. 

Instead she had to awkwardly carry it with her mouth. Her sensitive feline nose wrinkled in disgust at the thought of tasting nothing but dirty briny metal for weeks. It smelt heavily of the sea, the thought dawned on her of why Mal had given the Captain that nickname. Ugh. The evident disgust on her wrinkled feline face would have been rather funny to any passerby. 

Did she really need to give it back to him? No, not really. The mermaid had done what she only thought of doing. Maybe if she wasn’t distracting him so much the both of them could have noticed something lurking beneath the water. Johari shook her head trying to free it from her thoughts. She was sure that Harry Hook was fine. If she got the hook to her friends she could tell them what was going on. 

The grand towering halls of Auradon prep stood before her with her friends safe inside. The trek would take twice as long now to even reach the school premises. Johari huffed before steeling her nerves. She was Scar’s daughter. What couldn’t she pull off? If she was careful she could do this her way. Maybe her size would be an advantage. She confidently started up the path towards the school’s entrance.  

---

It was time for Tourney and Carlos was absolutely dreading the thought. The sun was high in the sky and made things far too hot already. They hadn’t even really started yet. This was only what the coach kept referring to as practice. Things were going admittedly well for Carlos up until that point. That was until he heard barking. His blood ran ice cold. Dogs. Here in Auradon. 

He’d heard a rumor that they allowed them here but he didn't expect he’d be running for his life so soon. Before he knew what he was doing panic set in and Carlos barely stifled a scream. He was bolting head first into the woods. The stout mutt was hot on his trail while yapping loudly. 

As soon as he reached the cover of the forest he did his best to scale a tree in order to save his life. Only then did Carlos realize that he wasn’t the only one being chased. What looked to be a cat-like creature was bounding only just behind him. It used his head as a jumping pad before launching itself high into the tree he had partially climbed. There it clung onto a high branch yowling loudly in distress. 

Ben had come to the rescue ready to save Carlos from the dangers of the Campus’ mutt. As the future king explained that there was no real danger he helped the son of Cruella down from his perch. Neither of them paid much attention to the cat far above them struggling to balance on twin branches. Dude was the only one who noticed as he continued his barking mantra in an alarm that neither of them could understand. 

Ben barely had the time to heed the mutt’s warning before he was assaulted with something hard and metal. It cracked him in the head on its way down and it was sure to leave a good welt and bruise. 

“What was that?” Ben groaned as he held the growing red spot along his temple. Carlos stifled a laugh as he heard the normally well mannered future king swear profusely under his breath. He lifted a hand in an effort to hide the smile he’d cracked. It was a nervous habit that often got him in trouble. 

A familiar metal hook lay on the ground at their feet. Carlos recognized it instantly and swiped it up while hiding it behind his back. To divert the future king’s attention he came up with a lame excuse. ”Does the uh,- sky fall here too?” He tried giving Ben a weak grin hoping he wouldn't see right through his paper thin line. 

“What?” Ben retorted, there was a thin droplet of blood running along his forehead. His eyebrows knit in confusion. 

“Uh, nothing.” Carlos tried to recover. “You should get that checked out at the nurse’s office. Why don't you uh, show me where that is.” He nodded at his own suggestion while placing a gentle hand on Ben’s shoulder. 

Carlos gave an awkward laugh as he tried to steer him towards the Tourney field again. Since Mal’s spell had worked he was thankfully vulnerable to most suggestions. “Oh, uh yeah, sure.” Ben went along with it, seeming to be too preoccupied with the sting of his wound to care much about the new kid’s logic. 

It wasn’t the weirdest thing he had heard from a Vk lately. “C’mon Dude.” He called and whistled weakly for the dog to follow. Carlos only hoped that the hook hanging from his belt loop behind his back wasn’t as noticeable as he thought it was. 

----

“Where did you find that?” Mal demanded as she snagged the hook from Carlos. What could this mean? Her already pale complexion went even lighter at the whiplash of possibilities. Was Uma and her crew somehow in Auradon? If so, how?

“Fell from the sky when I was being chased by Dude.” Carlos shrugged as if it were an everyday situation. The sky is raining the tools of their enemies from back home, just another Tuesday no need to worry. Now he held the shaking dog which was still rapidly searching for the overgrown feline on the school’s premises. 

“The sky?” Jay prompted. Was it possible that Uma’s ship was overhead? At first it sounded ridiculous, but since coming here they had all seen magic and things that they would never begin to believe on the Isle. 

Carlos sighed. “Look, I don't know where it came from either.” Dude was on high alert with his ears perked up high and his little nose quivering. “I don't think it means Uma’s here, though. The ocean could’ve taken it from anywhere.”  

“All the way from the Isle?” Evie kept her tone light yet the disbelief in her voice was evident. It was unlikely. Ocean currents were strong but not that precise. The son of Hook never let it go if he could help it. Her fingers nervously drummed along the night stand beside her. Maybe that meant that he wasn't far. Or he had something to do with Johari possibly drowning. Evie didn't dare voice those thoughts. 

“Wouldn’t we notice right away if they were here?” Jay asked as he ran a hand through his hair. “Vks aren’t really that subtle, y'know?” It still didn't explain the hook's sudden appearance. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. None of this made much sense. His head was beginning to hurt from trying to make so many connections.      

Dude was ready to launch himself out of Carlos’ arms, his gaze was fixated on something far in the distance. There was a movement in the trees that was unnatural. He growled in a low, very unthreatening rumble. He sounded like a squeaky toy engine instead of a fierce canine. Before the group could continue to argue Dude bolted forward leaping down half the stairway in one jump. He was barking in a frenzy excited about the hunt. 

“What do you think he’s after?” Mal stepped forward while following his trail into the woods.

--

The plan was supposed to be easy. So far it was anything but that. Harry continued to comb the parameters of the beach in search of his Hook. As the morning continued to creep on it became harder to stay out of sight. People were everywhere! How did they ever get a moment's peace? Every few minutes he found himself ducking past buildings and hiding in the shadows like the world's most self aware thief. 

Looking for Johari in such a crowded place was difficult. All of these people looked alike with their fancy pastel dresses and gem encrusted everything. The entire place was an eye straining spectacle with too much glitter. In a way, it reminded him of flamingos. That’s what they all looked like. 

He was sure that the other Vks would come around eventually. Keeping himself hidden from them would be the real challenge. If he was lucky he could find Johari first and take control of the situation before she found her friends and ratted him out. This wasn’t his first mission by himself, no. Uma had trusted him, that's what mattered. He didn't want to disappoint her by coming back empty handed, of course. 

Speaking of empty handed, the absence of his hook was beginning to severely bother him. That supposed mermaid was ready to exact a much more gruesome revenge, he’s lucky he was still in one piece. A nagging voice in the back of his mind wondered if Johari had suffered such a fate. He knew she couldn’t swim. Had she even reached the shore? Things would be a little more complicated if that were the case. 

Harry’s grim thoughts were interrupted by a loud piercing howl of a bark. It only sort of resembled a hunting dog. The sound was more like a squealing tire. It was abnormally small sounding and considerably less fierce. 

A purse sized dog was pelting across the Tourney field like a force of nature. Just behind it were the rest of the Vks who were barely keeping up with the mutt. As they passed his hiding place Harry noticed a familiar bright silver glint. His hook was hanging off of Mal’s belt. How did she get a hold of it? He barely had time to process the thought before his feet were moving in their direction while being careful to stick to the treeline and stay out of sight. 

The group had come to a large twisted tree with long winding branches that reached at least ten feet high. Carlos made a remark about finding the hook here of all places. Harry’s eyes squinted as he tried to take in all of the details. What the hell were they looking at?

The core four were distracted by whatever was lodged in the top of the tree. He was too far away to hear their muffled conversations. There had to be a way to get his hook back while they were all so conveniently distracted. 

Mal was busily leafing through the pages of her spell book in search of some solution to getting the creature down. Dude only ceased his incessant yapping as he heard another sound, his attention was drawn towards the nearby shrubs. He couldn't make the decision, it was such a hard choice. Go after the new smell or the cat in the tree that was  just in (not really) arms reach. 

He made his choice. Dude continued to attempt to blast off and get himself up off of the ground with each barking effort. The other three had their attention on either Dude or the animal stuck up in the tree. Harry took advantage of the confusion as Mal was finishing her incantation. He did a quick dodge roll in an attempt to swipe his hook off of the daughter of Maleficent while she had her back turned. 

Unfortunately Mal’s spell was a complicated and delicate one, the mere bump from the other villain was enough to make her stutter. The green lit magic sputtered before blinking out completely dropping the small lion on top of them all. If not for the larger than average feline plummeting out of the tree above Harry may have gotten away with it unnoticed. 

The core four immediately noticed him in that moment as he had also been knocked down. “You!” Mal hissed as she made eye contact. 

“Sorry, can’t stay and chat.” Harry could only flash a quick grin as he reached for his hook. Before he could, the cat bolted from the scene snatching it before his eyes. The immediate deadpan would have been funny if not for the situation he suddenly found himself in. 

Losing your only leverage so quickly was certainly embarrassing. Harry knew he had only seconds to get away and it was already four against one. His speed was rather impressive as he went after the lion and his hook. 

“Get him!” Mal demanded as she struggled to get to her feet. The other Vks tried to keep up, each splitting off in a different direction in an attempt to trap them. Carlos managed to catch up to Dude and easily scooped the ever barking dog into his arms. 

The cat and Hook were still pelting across the Tourney field. Jay was the one to come close to catching him, Harry was surprised by his speed. They were neck and neck for a short while. Since being here Harry had almost forgotten that this was their home turf now. The glint of his hook in the sunlight was almost blinding. He was so close he could finally see what was carrying it. The large feline continued to glance back at him, its bright hazel eyes were wide with adrenaline and panic. 

Harry stopped short, almost tripping in a short ditch. There was a human familiarity in those eyes. Jay came extremely close to tackling him down at that moment. 

If the feline hadn’t suddenly made a U turn he would have been caught. Instead of Hook, Jay landed squarely on the feline while easily restraining it in his arms. He retrieved the hook from its mouth only to promptly get bitten by the lion. 

Harry took advantage of the situation  snatching his hook away as Jay dropped it and ran treeline again while easily disappearing into the cover of the thick brush. 

The other three caught up to Jay while trying to catch their breath. He struggled to keep a hold of the little lion as she continued to thrash in a panic. What the hell was this thing? He’d seen a lot of interesting things and animals in Auradon but not something so large. Dude was still barking and yapping in alarm despite anything Carlos tried to console him. 

“How did he get here?” Evie’s voice was concerned as she winced at the sight of the deep and freshly bleeding bite mark on his arm. 

Mal was fuming with her eyes glowing a piercing green. “Forget how I want to know why.” Her hands were balled fists at her sides. Harry getting away was worse than losing track of a spider in your bed. You’d have to burn it down. The entire thing. Knowing he was on the loose sent her brain into overdrive. “What does he have planned?”

The feline continued to struggle while being almost wholly engulfed in Jay’s arms. It was writhing in a way that was all too human, trying to twist and turn to pass her head through the small gap that was available. Any other cat would have torn him to pieces by now before running off. “Anybody seen one of these before?” Jay was surprisingly okay with being so severely clawed at and bitten. 

Evie’s eyes widened a bit. “I’m not sure. It doesn't look much like any cat I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure that’s what it is.” The lion’s eyes shone with a glint of familiarity at seeing her. Slowly she unlatched her teeth from Jay’s arm and gave it a ginger lick instead. Jay winced a bit at the feeling but still didn't drop her. 

“Where’d it even come from? I don't think I’ve seen any since we got here.” Carlos was still trying to keep Dude calm enough to not attack again. He was small but Dude was convinced he was the school’s one and only guard dog. Failure was not an option. Death before dishonor.

“Does that thing belong to him?” She cast a worried glance at the rest of her friends. 

“Who knows.” Mal sighed. “We need to find Harry, and fast.” She gave the woods a cursory glance. She was afraid the rest of Uma’s crew were lurking in the shadows. “The last thing we need is anyone from Auradon finding him before we do.” Anxiety was evident on her face as she could only imagine what sort of chaos could ensue if someone else found him first. Trying not to blow their cover here wasn’t even going to be an option with him running around. 

“Maybe we should split up? Auradons a big place.” Jay offered as he gave a shrug. The lion in his arms resembled a wide eyed deer in headlights. They still had no idea. Johari struggled considerably less. There was no getting out of this. 

“Wait wait- what are we supposed to even do when we find Hook? We can’t just send him back, even if we wanted to.” Carlos’ eyebrows knit together in concern. It wasn’t like they could hide him from the rest of Auradon before they could find the wand themselves. Could they possibly convince him to join their cause instead of whatever plan he was already following? It would be even bigger trouble if he wasn’t alone. 

“He’s right,” Evie agreed with a nod. “Maybe we should cross that bridge when we get there.” 

Mal gave a roll of her eyes as she gave an exasperated sigh. “If we get there.” 

“Maybe we should get that arm of yours patched up first Jay.” Evie scrunched her nose a bit at the comment before she placed a gentle hand on Jay’s back while steering him towards the main building of the school. She didn't give him much time to argue at all. Every few steps she gave the lion a cautious glance.

 Mal and Carlos broke off each in their own respective directions to very nonchalantly search the school for another villain.

---

Harry had managed to get fairly far into the nearby woods in a short amount of time. Adrenaline was singing in his veins. This was the most excitement he’d had in a long while. As Harry attempted to catch his breath he caught a fit of laughter. He pressed his back to a tree in a weak attempt to stay somewhat hidden. 

Finally he’d retrieved his hook. Relief flooded the back of his mind.  It looked far more banged up and scuffed than when he’d had it last. That was to be expected after the journey it had. Bite marks scoured the sides. At least it was back in his hands again. He would have been caught for sure if not for that cat suddenly turning around with it. Those hazel eyes were so familiar. Far too human. No animal behaved that way.

Another laugh. He couldn’t stop it. So it was her. That was why she was fighting him tooth and nail to stay on the Isle. It was on purpose. Maleficent didn’t allow her to come to Auradon for a good reason. He was close to cackling like a hyena as he made the connection. The look on her face. So she really was a fuckin’ animal. It must’ve happened the second they crossed the barrier. 

 If he wasn't careful someone would hear him laughing away like this. What was he supposed to do now? The other Vks knowing he was in Auradon was going to make things complicated. The oh so easy plan of waltzing into the museum to steal the wand with Johari wouldn’t work quite as well now. Everyone would be on high alert. 

He mulled over the idea of somehow swimming back to the Isle and leaving her behind. It might make life simpler. Then again there were savage mermaids in the waters, he now knew. Getting turned into immediate fish food wasn’t really on his agenda. 

“Hey!” A nearby voice startled him so badly he almost leapt out of his own skin. Harry's head whipped around in each direction while searching for the source. “Down here!” His eyes were drawn downward towards a nearby pond. It was more of a stagnant puddle, really. The surface was lightly shimmering while small waves erupted from its center. He knelt down to peer at it, searching for a fish or some other new magical creature. 

He was greeted by the face of an angry looking Uma. Her eyebrows were tightly knit and her lips were pulled back in a snarl. “Harry, what are you doing?” her voice was demanding as it echoed throughout the water. It must have been some sort of magic from her mother’s necklace. 

He flashed a charismatic grin hoping it would ease the tension. Nothing was going according to plan and of course he couldn't let her know that. “Getting tha’ wand?” He punctuated the sentence with a short giggle. His heart was still racing. Making her angry now would only make his life worse. 

Uma almost growled. “You better be.” Her eyes slowly squinted as she examined his reflection from her end. “Where’s Johari?” She craned her neck to see if she was somehow hiding behind him. When she didn't see much she quirked an eyebrow in silence.

“About tha’.” Harry only laughed again as he glanced backward in an effort to make sure that none of the others were still on his trail. “Ya forgot to tell me somethin’ important.” His fingers idly drummed against the tree behind him. He was getting an uneasy feeling of being watched. 

“And what's that?” Uma was already losing what little patience she had. The plan was supposed to be easy. Walk in, walk out. That's it. What could have gone so wrong? Things usually didn’t go wrong when it came to Harry. The waters around the Isle were getting abnormally rougher. There was a storm brewing somewhere and it was keeping her on edge. 

“Ya didn’t tell me she’s a cat, y'know for real.” He eyed his captain’s reflection in the rippling water as if it were somehow a glaring mistake on her part. He waved his hands a bit as he spoke, twirling the hook as he pointed it towards the shallow water. “Puts a bit of a ding in things doesn’t it?” 

He could hear the gullible laughter in the background from Gil. “You didn’t know?” The son of Gaston was attempting to cram himself into the shot beside Uma. She only rolled her eyes and gave him a light shove to the side. 

“What he said. She always told us she was cursed.” Uma spoke as if she were stating a universal truth that everyone else knew. Her arms were crossed as she shook her head slowly. “She’s Scar’s daughter. What do you mean you didn't know?” Uma’s curt laugh only made Harry feel worse in the moment. 

Embarrassment was making him feel rather small. “She only ever threatened to curse me.” Harry retorted as the other two stifled their own laughter. He held his arms up with his palms facing upward. Okay, so fine. Everyone but him knew then. The light dusting of heat on his cheeks only made him feel more awkward.  

“I wonder why.” A slow smirk pulled at her lips. “Harry, I picked her because I figured it would be a nice distraction for the others. Don't lose focus. Get that wand. I don’t care how.” As soon as she gave the last word her image began to flicker in and out of view. 

Harry heard nearby voices coming down the forest trail. He swore to himself under his breath as he scaled the tree he was standing against in an effort to stay out of sight. Now he would have to somehow keep an eye on Johari while staying out of sight. Which was easier said than done. 

He held his breath as he watched Jay and Evie carry her towards the school.  

---

Making it back to their room without being noticed wasn't really easy. Plenty of the Auradon students couldn't miss the sight of Jay running full speed ahead with a child sized cat in his arms. Was he bleeding too? The villain kids made each day interesting, that was for sure. No one wanted to say anything about them having so many pets so suddenly. At least most of them averted their gazes and pretended not to openly stare the entire way down the hall. 

Dude had to be kept on the complete opposite side of the room from the small lion. It would be a fight he couldn't win. Carlos held him close while eyeing the feline from afar. 

Despite being bitten rather harshly Jay continued to carry and pet Johari like a normal cat, completely unaware it was one of his closest friends. She was purring rather loudly against her own wishes as she got a scratch behind the ears. It would be humiliating when they found out. Her heart was racing at the notion.They were doing rather well by themselves here. Did they even notice her absence? 

Mal was the frustrated one. She was repeatedly pacing back and forth with her arms crossed as she continued to brood and brainstorm solutions.  Evie was worried she would run a rut through the nice carpet. None of this seemed very right. Why would Hook come here by himself? He was usually latched onto Uma’s side at all times. 

Evie’s attention was drawn towards Johari who prickled a little as she felt eyes on her back. “Jay, are you sure you should be petting that..thing?” She pointed with a twirling of her finger. “It already bit you.” She gestured towards the fresh bandages wrapped neatly around his arms. “A few times, actually.” 

“Dude doesnt like it at all. It doesn't look normal.” Carlos peered from around the guard dog in his lap and shook his head slowly. The mutt had his teeth bared in a permanent but silent snarl. 

Jay clicked his tongue. “Dude was chasing it first. It’s just a cat.” He tried to argue while keeping his voice low. Their dorm room was wide open, other students were running by here and there. Some poked their curious heads in before being easily scared off. 

“What I want to know is why it had the hook in the first place.” Mal stopped her rapid pacing and lifted her head with the sudden idea. Johari’s eyes were wide. Fuck Mal was always observant.  She squinted her bright green eyes as she looked Johari over slowly. Stiffened thinking that if she kept still maybe they wouldn't notice if she tried to slip away. Mal was a dragon not a T-rex.

Jay cracked a smile and laughed at his own joke. “You think Harry Hook is a cat person?” His tone was full of disbelief. “Maybe all this pressure is getting to us. I don't think there’s much to worry about.” Johari squirmed. If only she could speak.  

“What do you mean, nothing to worry about?” Mal practically spat dragonfire. She straightened her back and flashed a very fake smile as Ben passed by on his walk down the hall. Her facade dropped the second he was out of sight, replaced by a short scowl. 

“Maybe he’s right.” Evie placed a gentle hand on her friend’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay Mal.” 

Mal sighed and the tension slowly began to leave her shoulders. Evie was always the diplomat. How could they all be so nonchalant here? There was no way they could all go back out in search of Hook all day and night without being asked a million incriminating questions. The last thing that she wanted to do was drop the subject. But their backs were against the wall. 

“Fine then. Let’s get started on making that spell we talked about.” 

----

Night finally fell again. The Vks had fallen asleep at last. Johari had been treated like a stray all day. Sleep had evaded her for most of the night as she waited for the others. One of the Auradon kids had even offered her kitty kibble. That was especially humiliating. She was beside Jay who had kept an eye on her since the tree incident. If these were different circumstances she might be elated. This however, was not like the romance of her dreams. 

This entire trip was like a bad nightmare that she couldn’t wake from no matter how hard she tried. Uma’s orders echoed at the back of her mind. Would she have to steal the wand from her friends? They had barely noticed her absence from the group, that was for sure. She had never felt so alienated while being so close to them all. 

She sighed heavily. Uma’s crew wasn’t much better but it was a place to belong. Even if she didn't really belong. She never thought she would long for that broken down hammock at the bottom of the ship. Johari had her eyes shut tightly in an effort to fall asleep and forget everything that had happened that day. 

The moment a wave of relaxation washed over her her sensitive ears picked up the lightest of sounds. Footsteps. Not the normal ones either. They were heavier than usual. Jay only mumbled in his sleep and rolled over, leaving her space enough to crawl away ever so slowly. Her paw pads barely made a sound as she landed onto the cool marble floor. She gave him a cautionary glance backward as she held her breath. At least he was a heavy sleeper.

Even with her nightvision she couldn’t see who was approaching. Johari instinctively kept her head and shoulders low and her breathing controlled. The footfalls were heavy despite being so slow. Whoever they were, they were doing their best to sneak around. The second they rounded the corner she felt her feline eyes widen to take in every detail. 

Harry glanced nervously over his shoulder as he fumbled throughout the halls. He wasn’t very good at being stealthy at all. He was bumping and knocking into various pieces of furniture. It was a wonder that no other students had awoken to find him and sound the alarm. Johari could hear him swear under his breath as he peered through another dormitory door just next door. 

The moment his head was turned she slowly coiled her muscles and launched herself forward with claws outstretched. Thankfully the only audible sound they made was a thud as the two rolled and landed on the regally carpeted floor. Johari purred softly in triumph as she had him easily surprised and pinned, the look of genuine shock on his face made it all worth it.

Harry came to his senses quickly and pushed her to the side as he righted himself. “You.” His voice was a hushed whisper as he nodded and pointed back towards the way he came. For once he looked stern. Johari only responded by giving the deep welts along his arm a soft lick. 

The sensation made him jump as it stung. The wounds were a deep itching red. He had been ignoring it since he’d gotten them. He pushed her away with his free hand, it was almost as big as her feline face. “Enough.” He kept his voice low in spite of the pain that he was trying to hide. The look of hurt on her face was evident, with a soft growl she turned away from him. He was lucky she hadn’t bitten him too. 

They both gave a cursory glance back at the other Vks who were surprisingly still sound asleep. Harry wondered silently if they could sleep through a cannon going off. He gestured again for Johari to pick up the pace as he led her through a winding passageway through the halls the way he came. Each creak and groan made them both jump. For being the evil masterminds behind stealing the wand, they weren't very threatening at this moment as they huddled together through the halls like a couple of teenagers out past curfew. 

They only broke their silence as they passed the grand hall which seemed to echo with every step of his boots and click of Johari’s claws against the finely polished surface.  Harry tried to make a shushing motion as he pressed the tip of the hook against his lips. The entire school felt eerily quiet. It felt too easy. Had there really been so little guard around this place? 

The squeal of the front door hinges was sure to alert everyone, right? They both glanced backward before making a run for it. For as far as they ran no one came after them. The path they continued down was a long one. As they both ran the main trail towards the woods seemed longer than usual with Harry leading the way. Johari was questioning silently where he was going. 

While Johari was stuck with the others he took his time to survey the area. The rolling hills sloped steeply towards the Enchanted Lake. He’d overheard it had the power to wash away certain enchantments. He was surprised that something like that had even existed here. He didn’t believe that it would really work at all. Magic water? Then again his arm had almost been torn to ribbons by a mermaid the day before. He was learning to expect the unexpected.

 Harry watched Johari as she ran on all fours. She was most certainly a lion, there was no mistaking it the longer he looked. There was still a sharp humanity about her eyes though, it gave him the creeps. A part of him still wanted to laugh at her for looking this way. She seemed so small and unthreatening. He’d had his fun back home messing with her and all, but pushing any further was excessive even for him. 

Harry stopped short before the rolling slope of the hill dropped towards the water, his feet barely caught a tree root to keep him from toppling forwards. Johari almost crashed into him as she skidded to a rapid stop. She was still trying to piece together why he’d even come back for her at all. If he could sneak that far into the school he could certainly find the wand alone, she thought. 

As she stared down at the water below she cast him an inquisitive look almost silently asking why he brought her here. He averted her gaze quickly. “Just go on in. It should fix your-,” He paused for a moment before licking his lips in thought. “Situation.” Harry gave a sort of forced smile like he was asking for some sort of trust here. Johari huffed slowly as the look in her bright hazel eyes became skeptical. She gave his leg a short headbutt as if to say she wasn’t willingly going in alone. 

“What, you don’t trust me?” He had half a mind to start a one sided argument but the ground beneath them both had had enough. The soil was already soft and damp, the hillside that they had been standing on was beginning to crumble and collapse as it sank slowly. They both plummeted to the water below. 

Harry held his breath very suddenly remembering that he was the only one that knew how to swim. As he opened his eyes underwater he was met with a blinding kaleidoscope of neon colors refracting in all directions. It was nothing like normal water. This was like swimming in the air. As he broke the surface he searched left and right for Johari. 

Harry barely had the chance to open his mouth to call her name before he felt a hand cover his mouth. He had his hook at the ready at first before he saw familiar dark hair rise out of the water.  “You finally look like yourself again.” He barked a dry, almost humorless laugh. “You could’ve warned me.” His voice was accusatory as he pushed her hand away. 

Johari huffed as she brushed hair out of her face. “I tried. A few times actually.” She huffed as her hands splashed lightly in the shallow water. Things were quiet now. The lake was calm other than the small ripples their movements made. Fireflies and moonlight were the only light in the night. She mumbled something that he couldn’t quite hear under her breath as she drew her gaze elsewhere. 

“What was tha’?” He prompted. His grin only widened as she continued to huff stubbornly looking away in any direction but his. 

“I said thank you, Hook.” Her arms were crossed as she begrudgingly repeated her words. “I’m not saying it again.” Her nose was scrunched in that signature scowl. Every now and again she would steal a glance at him but refused to make full eye contact. What a princess. 

“Ya looked so comfy in yer little Jay-bird’s arms. Hate that I had ta’ take you away.``Harry sneered. As if he had done her any favors. Harry laughed at his own joke as he gave a fake bow. “But we have business to take care of.” His smile faltered when she only nodded in agreement without a word. Slowly she made her way towards the shore, even in this water she was struggling to keep her head above it. Where was the fire? She’d usually threaten to curse or hurt him by now. 

He quietly called her name, still afraid that there could be anyone else lurking by. She gave him a dismissive wave as she kept her back to him. “Glad you aren’t hurt either.” Johari spoke flatly with an aloof shrug. She wouldn’t look at him. 

She was right, he realized suddenly. Harry looked towards the welts left by the mermaid. Pink barely raised scars adorned his skin now. They were painless, as if they had never even happened in the first place. The magic here was constantly a marvel to him. As he looked up again Johari was attempting to pull herself up out of the water. It was awkward watching her struggle to claw at the mossy stones like a child. 

 He wanted to laugh at the sight. Under normal circumstances he would. This all seemed like rubbing salt in the wound. The other Vks had barely recognized her right in front of them, that must’ve stung. They certainly wouldn’t trust her if they knew she was working with him. Uma had planned this to make her part of the crew. He was the one making that extremely difficult. He still wasn’t sure if she meant that. 

 As her claws continued to scrape uselessly against the rocks Harry swam closer, catching her wrist in the process. Johari gave a startled scream as she was pulled back into the water. “What are you d-- ahh!?” 

Her voice was cut off by the small splash as they landed. The feline look was back in her eyes as she surfaced again looking about ready to drown him if she could. She coughed a bit and shook what water she could off. “Dammit Harry, are you trying to make me miserable!?” It would have come out more threatening but her tone was strained as she looked up at the son of Hook with her chest heaving. 

“In the beginning, maybe.” He cracked a bit of a smile as he shrugged and agreed with the sentiment. That was the first time he’d heard her call him his name.  It was an inappropriate time to be grinning like the Cheshire he knew. The immediate furrow in her brow at least let him know that he struck a nerve. It was nice to see that fire again. “Aw don’t look at me like tha’.” he chided. 

“How am I supposed to look at you, then?” Johari’s tone wasn’t as argumentative as usual as she glared up at him. Their height difference was evident now. She barely reached his chest.  

“Maybe the way you look at your little Jay-” Harry was cut off mid sentence as Johari raised a clawed hand to swipe at him. He easily caught her wrist. There was barely any fight back as she hesitated before dropping it completely. The look of defeat on her face wasn’t what he was aiming for. There was a gentle fluttering in his stomach. The look of shock on his face was evident as she shook her hand out of his grasp. She wasn’t fighting back? 

“Can we not talk about him right now?”Johari asked with a short humorless laugh. Maybe the enchanted water was getting to him. She looked cute when she wasn’t pissed off.

“Aye..” Harry agreed slowly. He seemed to be ruminating on his words for a moment. He felt light headed.

Johari began to back away from him slowly. Harry was still trying to push her buttons, he didn’t expect her to just give up. “Wait just...Just a minute.” There was a plan that he had to follow, wasn't there? He was starting to forget about it.  

Her hazel eyes threatened to burn holes through him. “What Harry?” Her voice was steely and flat. Oh if looks could kill. He would be dead 100x over by now. 

“You can hate me if ye want. Just let me apologize first.” His voice was uncharacteristically soft. She watched him inquisitively. Her disbelief was evident. Did he even know how to say he was sorry? She wasn’t sure he was familiar with the concept of guilt. 

Before she could open her mouth to argue, Harry bent forward to capture her lips in a soft and gentle kiss. Johari was as stiff as a statue in shock, barely reciprocating at first. He felt her kiss back and lightly bite his bottom lip with those fangs. Fuck those butterflies they were being incinerated by some kind of fireworks in his stomach. They stayed that way for a long while holding one another gently. 

Her hands rested on his chest, she could feel his heart racing. Kissing him back felt like the greatest sin she’d ever committed. It felt scandalous treating each other this sweetly like high school sweethearts in the Enchanted Lake. This kind of life wasn’t meant for either of them. They both knew it.

Johari couldn’t believe herself. For the longest time she hated Harry Hook’s guts. He had treated her and her friends horribly. Yet she couldn’t help her pulse quickening at the feeling of his hands cradling her face so gently. This couldn’t be real. She melted into his touch.

She was so uncertain he thought. Had she ever been kissed before? The look of shock on her face told him she hadn't. Harry couldn’t lie, he was enjoying the moment thoroughly. He’d had a lot of flings back home but nothing felt as intense as this. It was nice though, being somewhere so secluded. He didn’t have to keep looking over his shoulder. He was used to using sweet talk to get his way, he never thought he’d end up in a situation where he would let himself be vulnerable.

The other girls on the Isle weren’t lying when they said he was a good kisser. She didn't want to think about how he got all of that experience. In this moment Johari could almost fool herself into thinking she could be like the princess she was for once. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that Harry could be so princely. 

The lake reflected the night sky and the gentle glow of the fireflies dancing about. It was truly a fairytale. A faint sigh left her lips as she pulled away with a heavy dusting of blush on her cheeks. She told herself that there was no real love here. There couldn't be. Yet the glint of hope in her bright hazel eyes was undeniable. “What an apology.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Maybe it was the inherent magic of this place. It was making him light headed. “Don't you want to stay with me? Forget about them..” He heard himself say. 

Did he really mean that? He’d never been in love and had no intentions of ever doing so. He didn’t think he had the capability to feel any romantic feelings in him until now. This though? It was nice, intoxicating even. He could get used to it. Lost in the moment he tried for another kiss,  something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

 An unnatural ripple was shimmering on the water’s surface, and it was only visible to him. The familiar visage of Uma’s stern face appeared on the crystalline water. She didn’t look very happy about being kept waiting. Johari noticed his attention wavering and suddenly felt self conscious. “Is there something wrong?” Her voice was breathy and soft in his ear, it made him shiver. 

“Wrong?” A bolt of electricity ran through his heart. “No, nothing's wrong here.” He licked his lips in thought before sweeping her in a romantic dip as a quick improvised distraction. As they both stepped back it made a wide splash effectively erasing Uma’s image from the lake.

Johari made a small squeak as she held onto Harry’s surprisingly strong arms for support. She kept telling herself not to fall for it. His smile was mesmerizing.

 Harry knew that ignoring Uma was a mistake on his part. When they got home he would certainly get an earful. If he played his cards right would have the wand in no time. He laughed to himself as he pulled her back to her feet. Less fighting would help him in the long run, wouldn’t it? She wasn’t so angry now after all. 

Johari thought of Jay and the others soundly asleep back in their dorm. Jay had never held or kissed her that way. Was going back even worth it? Her faith had been shaken in both directions. Johari barely believed they could get to the wand let alone break the barrier. It was more likely that the two of them were going to get caught red handed and thrown back home. And where would that leave her? God she was falling for it.

In truth she couldn’t understand his intentions. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t read anything behind those ocean colored eyes of his. A voice deep down knew she was being lied to and it kept screaming in the back of her mind. Her racing heart didn't want to listen. 

Conflict was evident on her face as he still held her hands close to his chest. He had that charming smirk that made her uneasy. Whatever honeyed words he had prepared were interrupted by the sudden sound of nearby voices coming from somewhere up the dirt trail. They both locked eyes before glancing back and forth in frantic search of a quick getaway. The voices were getting closer and they were both running out of time. 

It felt like it happened in the blink of an eye. As Mal came skidding down the forest path with her green eyes aglow, Harry had let go of Johari’s hands and dove into the lake. Even with its magical properties she couldn’t swim after him, he easily disappeared beneath the surface. “Harry!” She was left stranded looking wide eyed like a deer in headlights as the other Vks came trailing behind her equipped for a fight.

Johari held her hands up showing she was unarmed. All she could think to do was make herself look less threatening in hopes that she didn’t get blown to pieces by Mal’s magic. Jay was already barreling down hill running at top speeds, the second he laid eyes on her he picked up the pace. “Johari!”

She was easily engulfed in his arms again, her feet easily leaving the ground below. This time she didn't struggle, she tried to keep up the happy facade she gave a weak and toothy smile.  He seemed so excited, could he feel her heart racing? It was for all the wrong reasons now. 

Harry was holding his breath and struggling to see what was going on. He should have remembered that she wasn’t a good swimmer. There wasn’t much he could do without giving himself away. In the reflection of the water’s surface he could see Jay holding onto Johari. So she would get what she wanted. 

He had to find a way out now. He couldn’t hear their hushed conversations through the water as they all slowly began to depart. Harry only came up for air when he was absolutely sure that they were gone. He carted a hand through his hair in frustration. 

If he was lucky he had somehow won her over. What if he hadn’t convinced her? She could tell them everything now. A foreign stinging sensation of fear crawled into the back of his mind. This could all backfire so easily. Jay was the real prince she always wanted and he was sweeping her off of her feet. He chastised himself for entertaining the notion of having any real feelings about this.

-----

A thunder storm had hit the Isle and it hadn’t stopped since Harry and Johari left. Uma’s fist practically went through the bartop as she slammed it down in frustration. This was taking far too long. It was supposed to be quick and easy. Harry had been ignoring any attempt she made to reach him through her mother’s magic. There was no other mermaid scale at her disposal; it was the only ticket through. That’s what Facilier said. 

She was a captain. Sitting back and waiting for someone else to do all of the work was driving her mad. Especially when she couldn’t see or hear what was going on. The raging storm outside threatened to rip boards off of the ship. The intense winds slammed relentlessly against the windows and tore away anything that wasn’t bolted to the ground. 

It felt like she’d been double crossed by Harry’s silence. He had always followed orders without question. Surely her first mate wasn’t slipping away. He would never really turn coat would he? She didn't want to pay the thought any real attention. The more she worried the less got done. Gil was the only one that seemed ever optimistic. It was rubbing her the wrong way. He was so carefree.

 “Don't worry so much Uma. Harry and Johari will be back with the wand soon.” He was gleefully eating from a tray Uma had previously slammed down. It must have belonged to another customer. They wouldn't want it now, anyway. He was preoccupied with whatever was flashing across the television screen tacked to the wall. 

Uma came close to lobbing the remote through the screen in anger. “How can you be so sure?” She had her hands on the bar as she suddenly had his attention. “The longer they take to get that wand the more likely they are to get caught!” Her eyes narrowed as she watched Gil simply shrug it off. 

He idly chewed a soggy french fry seeming to be unphased from Uma’s wrath. “Maybe you could get another mermaid scale from Facilier. If he got one he could get another right?” He happily drew his attention back towards his food. 

The sale wasn’t made directly. Dr. Facilier’s daughter Celia had practically given it to her for pennies. Uma should have known there was something wrong then and there. She didn’t ask questions, only went with what she was told. If it could break the barrier and help her plans she would take it. 

Finding her again during this storm would be difficult. Could she cut out the middleman and find a mermaid herself? The spark of an idea brewing in the back of her mind showed in her slowly growing grin. That was it. “Gil, you’re a genius.”

The son of Gaston was surprised by the sudden mood change and compliment. He took it in with a smile feeling like tomorrow was going to be a good day. Uma thought he was a genius. 

--- 

The trek back to Auradon prep was a cold one for Johari. She was left soaked to the bone from her escapades in the Enchanted Lake. Silently she wondered if Harry had gotten somewhere safe. Why was she so worried for his safety? He was the one that ran. Johari was mentally kicking herself for being in this situation in the first place. The silence was deafening as they made their way quickly back to the dorms. 

None of them dared to say anything the entire trip. Their heads were ducked down low in hopes that if anyone saw them creeping through the hallways in the dark that no one would notice they had another member in their group. Mal looked deadly serious as she kept her burning gaze trained forward. She was already trying to piece things together, Johari assumed. 

The second the heavy doors to their dorm room slammed shut she felt somewhat trapped. “Surprise?” Johari gave a weak and awkward smile. It dropped almost instantly. There was a lot of damage control to be done. 

“How did you get here?” Mal’s voice was demanding as her eyes reflected a neon green glow. This could have cost them everything.

Jay had been right beside Johari the entire time. Normally the close proximity would be nice. Now it was making her chest tight with anxiety. “I thought you’d all be excited to see me.”

“We are but-” Jay tried to speak and Johari gave a short side step to give herself some distance with a short humorless bark of a laugh in disbelief. She glanced between her former friends trying to gauge just how angry they were and how much they knew about what had happened. Could she even begin to explain? 

They were all looking at her like they’d already been caught and it was all her fault. It wasn’t very much of a welcome party. She tried to nonchalantly lean against the wall. “No, no I get it.” She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “You don’t have to lie.” If she played things cool maybe they wouldn’t see right through her. “You didn’t really want to see me again did you?” 

“No, not really Johari, how'd you manage to get through the barrier?” Carlos was the one to step forwards, the look on his face was deadly serious. His voice was a lot firmer than she remembered it being. Dude was glaring Johari down in a silent snarl. Okay a lot of distrust there. Gross. She tried not to make eye contact with the beady eyed mutt of a thing that was staring her down. Since when did Carlos like dogs?

“A mermaid’s scale.” The answer came flying out of her mouth. Johari felt herself bite her tongue to keep anything more from accidentally slipping through. Why wasn’t she telling the whole truth? Uma couldn’t reach her here. Harry was gone. Off somewhere unknown. The ghost of the feeling of his kiss still buzzed gently on her lips. She obviously wasn’t appreciated here either. Her loyalty had never been so torn in such a short time. They didn’t want her back anyway…

“Woah, wait aren't those like super rare or something?” Jay interjected. It didn’t sound right. “And you hate water.” He cocked an eyebrow. Jay had never seen her willingly touch any large body of water before. Johari silently chastised her friends for being so observant. 

“How did you even get something like that?” Evie’s brows knit first in concern, searching Johari for any battle wounds. “Mermaids are pretty savage.” Then skepticism slowly took over her features. “How are you not hurt at all?” 

Johari scoffed. “You all think so little of me?” She kept her head high with a haughty laugh.This was some of the best acting she could muster since her early schooldays. If they were really falling for it though, she couldn’t tell. She pretended to casually admire her claws. “I stole it. How else?” 

“From who?” Mal was quick to challenge. Her gaze was unwavering this entire time. Johari had never really been on her bad side before. She didn't really want to ever make her angry on purpose. Dragons tended to be a lot bigger than lions. It hurt her pride but If a real fight broke out Mal would have the advantage. 

Johari’s faux confidence only faltered slightly, she hoped no one noticed her heart skip as she paused to think of a convincing answer. “Harry Hook.” She tried to make it look as if it were no big deal as the answer came out of her mouth. Even she heard her voice waver at saying his name. She mentally kicked herself again. Nothing like walking right into it. “Glad I went through the trouble.” 

Evie quickly turned to Mal. “Is that where the hook came from?” Her voice was down low as if the others weren’t all standing there right in front of her. 

“Maybe..” Mal’s answer was still unsure. Her hand was behind her back concealing her spellbook with her fingers laced through the pages to keep a spell at the ready. 

“Woah woah woah guys-- weapons down.” Jay came between Johari and the rest of the group with his hands up. Mal slowly lowered her spellbook. “What are we fighting for? This is a great thing!” Jay was ever the optimist. 

“It is?” the other’s looked at him as they all blurted the same thing out in unison before resuming their previous glares at one another only seconds afterward. They had never fought like this back home. Johari felt herself bristle as anger began to creep into the back of her mind. So they  had their weapons at the ready? Her eyes narrowed slowly. Some friends. 

“The coronation is tomorrow. What do we really have to worry about?” Jay looked surprised at their wary reactions. He glanced back at the dorm room door. He tried to keep his voice down as he attempted to mediate the situation. 

“Coronation?” Johari echoed in question. She scanned the other’s slowly. A chord deep inside the core of her rotten heart snapped. The sensation was as unpleasant as the day they’d left. They had no plans to trust her or keep her in the loop at all. Johari watched them all intently. The devil and angel on her shoulders were waltzing in an intricate dizzying circle. 

Evie looked conflicted. Jay was right. The last thing she really wanted was a fight between her closest friends to continue. She sighed as she placed a hand on Mal’s shoulder. “Jay’s right. No one will notice with so many people if we have one more person in our group.” 

Mal and Carlos both shared a silent look of suspicion. “We should get ready, it's already late.” Evie chirped. Neither were very convinced. Jay and Evie had hopeful expressions as they looked to Mal for some sort of confirmation that they were all on the same page. All this time away gave them all room to change. 

Evie was always so sweet. Johari almost believed that sugary diplomatic smile as she led Carlos and Mal out of the door in preparation for whatever they were scheming. She tried to follow only to be blocked by Jay standing between her and the heavy doors. 

“You know I can’t let you do that.” His wide brown eyes were so sincere, it made her heart melt.  Before they all left if Jay told her to run off a bridge she would have. Now he barely trusted her at all. 

Johari’s eyebrows knit together quickly. “So I’m not allowed to be part of this?” The hurt in her voice was possibly a little too real for her own liking. She was getting her usual anger back and it was getting harder to bite down on. 

“That’s not it, really.” Jay held his hands up as he glanced down the hallway making sure the others had fully disappeared.

“Then what is it?” She heard herself hiss. The venom in her voice sounded like an overkill.

 “Mal’s just,” Jay paused as he considered telling her the real truth. “On edge, you get it. She has a lot on her mind right now.” Jay sighed. “‘Hari we aren't stealing the wand. We want to stay here.” 

“What- !?” Johari swallowed thickly as the words got caught in her throat. She was interrupted by the bright trill of the school bell going off signaling that it was morning. Students were beginning to rise and already mill throughout the halls in a roar louder than usual. Their conversation came to a railing end as preparations for King Ben’s coronation began. It was time.  

---- 

Jay wasn’t okay with any of this. None of his friends were getting along and the one person he was close to seemed cold and distant. She wasn’t happy about the news. He always dreamed about bringing Johari here. He knew that things would change when they came to Auradon but it really was like they stepped into a different world when they all crossed that bridge. She didn't want to be a part of it. Telling her only made her angry.

The large babbling crowd dressed to the nines in tulle and lace was making him uneasy. It was an alien feeling being so crammed into one place. The heat and chatter was overwhelming. He’d never really been to a big fancy party before. His tie and formal wear were feeling tight under the pressure. Were these stupid things necessary? The tension between his friends was palpable too. Evie and Carlos kept whispering amongst themselves beside him. He couldn’t believe them right now. 

That familiar cat-like stare was back on him again. Johari stood beside him looking nervous. She was wearing a spare dress that Evie had given her. The glitter and ribbons looked rather funny and out of place on Johari who usually favored pants. His best friend would never normally be caught dead wearing that. It made his chest tighten at the thought of his former team being so divided. If Johari had been invited in the first place none of this would have had to happen.

Jay wanting to put it to the back of his mind he gave her a playful nudge and he couldn't help but laugh a little at how she wobbled in those ridiculously high heels. She instinctively held onto his hand before she toppled over. The glare she gave him wasn’t scornful but rather playful. “No fair!” Her hiss was jovial. “You don’t have to wear deathtrap shoes.” Even in heels she barely reached his shoulder. She was right he’d break an ankle if he tried wearing those. 

It was nice to hear her being so mischievous. She had been so quiet since the fight with Mal and the others. They were all convinced that Johari was lying. Jay didn't want to believe it. Even if all signs were pointing that way. He'd rather turn the other cheek if it was for a friend. Paying it too much thought would prove them right. They were villains since when did they care so much about the technicality of right and wrong? 

“Hari.” He leaned in close in an effort to keep his voice low. Her constant jittering told him that there was something else on her mind, he could tell. They had been childhood friends, Jay could read her like a book. So why was she holding back? She was keeping him at arm's length and it was killing him. “You’ve gotta tell me the truth. How did you get here?” 

Johari froze. “Truth?” A muscle barely moved on her face. A bright fiery red jacket weaving through the crowd of pastel frills caught her attention. She crossed her arms and averted her gaze. Harry was lurking ever so slowly on the outskirts of the party while taking advantage of everyone’s attention being elsewhere. “I told you the truth already.” It was only sort of a lie. 

“‘Hari I know you’re hiding something from me. From all of us.” Jay hated how guilt was written all over her face. He sighed as he gave Mal and the others a backwards glance. He didn't want to admit that there definitely was something wrong. “I thought that we were closer than that.” 

Johari felt her heart seize in her chest. “So did I.” She peered up at Jay slowly. Her tone was bitter. Even Jay was losing his trust in her. There was still time the angel whispered on her shoulder as it slowly danced, she didn’t have to do this. The devil swayed along in tandem. “You weren’t planning on coming back then, were you?” 

“No I-” Jay began only to be suddenly interrupted by trumpets sounding off and the choir beginning their song. From far across the room Harry met Johari’s gaze and her breath caught in her throat. He gave her a slow and encouraging nod towards the wand as he hid in the shadows just behind the stairway. That was it.

Everyone began to bow as the heavy wooden doors ahead slowly opened to reveal Ben. All of the walking and talking of the ceremony felt like it had lasted forever. It was time to get it all over with Harry thought.

He gave his fleeting attention towards Johari. She was standing beside Jay. The other three didn't look happy about it at all. So much for reunions eh? A slight smirk pulled at Harry’s lips. Johari looked miserable. It didn’t look much like a tender romance. He didn't want to analyze why that thought brought him so much joy in the moment. 

Slowly the crown was placed onto Ben’s head. The entire crowd had been holding their breath in anticipation for this moment. There were bright smiles, cheers and happy tears all around. “It is my honor and my joy to bless our new king!” Fairy Godmother stood high on the stage as she removed the wand from its glass casing with a dramatic flourish. 

So they wanted to stay here so badly? Fine then. Johari was sick and tired of being left behind. As soon as the Fairy Godmother had her back turned Johari vaulted forward off of the balcony. 

Jay's hands barely brushed her wrist as he tried to catch her before she went over the rail. ”No!”

Completely unaware, The Fairy Godmother slowly approached Ben. Before the wand could touch Ben’s shoulders Johari snatched it from her hands. “Child, what are you doing?” The FairyGodmother ran forward gobsmacked only to stop short. The end of the wand almost touched her nose.

“Don’t come any closer!” Johari’s voice was a deep snarl as she threatened them all with it like a sword. The Fairy Godmother was the first to get blasted backward. A shocked gasp of horror ran over the crowd as they all scattered. Ben backed away slowly down the stairs. The tip of the wand crackled a deep and sinister green as it jolted with power. Mal and the others ran desperately trying to fight through the throng of guests and guards to get to the front. 

As Johari began to prepare an incantation with the wand held high, another pair of unexpected hands fought for it. Jane the Fairy Godmother’s daughter was fighting roughly for possession of the wand shouting something about saving her mother. Johari hadn’t even seen her before now.

The resulting stray magic beam blasting from the wand went through the floor before crawling up a banner and through the skylight in a haphazard buzzsaw. The entire building shook heavily as a roar of thunder sounded above. Rain poured in through the shattered glass drenching the hall. Jane stopped fighting as the small earthquake pushed her backward. 

Harry began to cackle like a hyena at the sight.“ You really did it!” He ran forward in an effort to block the other Vks from reaching her as she continued to clutch the wand. “I knew you were on my side.” 

“So you were working with him?” Mal accused as her fists clenched at her sides. Evie and Carlos didn't dare approach any further. Mal’s eyes glowed brightly as she stared Johari down. “I knew you were going to betray us!”  

Jay was the only one to come forward. He eyed Harry slowly who frowned at being ignored as he approached Johari. “Look ‘Hari, you don't have to do this. We could be happy here.” Jay pleaded. “We could go back to the way things were!” 

“Get back.” Johari growled softly. She was pointing the wand at all of them now. “I know you don't mean that.” Hot tears threatened to prick at the corners of her eyes. “You were all going to stay here and forget about me!” Thunder roared in the distance. The wand snapped and crackled. 

Harry chuckled. “Oh ya hear tha’?” He raised and waved his hook dismissively at the other Vks and continued to laugh. Oh, victory was sweet. “She said back off Jay.” He pressed the tip of his hook to Jay’s chest as he spoke. The son of Jafar didn’t move.

As Johari raised the wand her spell was again interrupted by a tendril of green smoke smashing through the rest of the unbroken skylight accompanied by wicked laughter. “I’m baaaaaack!” Maleficent’s form appeared through the green smog as she gave a sassy snap. 

“Finally, do you know how long I’ve been waiting?” Only a slight surprise decorated her features as she saw that it wasn’t her daughter who stole the wand. She shrugged it off with a dismissive wave as she gestured toward Johari with a ‘give it to me’ motion. “Be a good little cat-thing and hand it over. Come on now.” Maleficent spoke impatiently. 

“Cat thing?” Jay echoed slowly as his eyes went to Maleficent. Bitter realization dawned on him. 

Mal was pushing past him with arms outreached to face her mother and Johari. “Don't give it to her!” The crowd parted further as the number of haywire villains grew. Many royals and innocents were already rushing for the doors. A storm raged outside, the skies remained black and rain came down in angry sheets through the broken ceiling.

“‘Hari give it to Mal!” Jay pleaded as he tried to fight his way past Harry to no avail. “You don't have to do this!” 

“I said give me the wand!” Maleficent’s anger was beginning to show through her ice thin facade. Johari was hesitant. She saw the disappointed and shocked faces of her friends. Harry looked elated and high off of the adrenaline of the moment. There were too many people and too many voices shouting all at once. 

Her hand trembled as she slowly moved her aim from the other Vks towards Maleficent. Johari’s chest was heaving. She was tired of being thrown around. The wand wasn’t her only power though. Her eyes screwed shut tightly before she uttered a deafeningly loud roar herself. It came in time with the nearby thunder sounding like an entire pride of lions roaring across the skies at once.*roar bass boosted* 

Maleficent was blown back only barely keeping herself from falling with a hard slam of her staff on the slick marble floor. “How dare you use your father’s stolen power on me. You are going to regret this!” Maleficent warned. A trail of sinister smoke began to gather at her feet. The others backed away slowly as the cloud grew to the size of the room. It only dissipated with the large crashing boom of Maleficent’s dragon form landing on the floor with a guttural and menacing roar. 

Johari could only stare with her mouth agape as the dragon’s head rose up and out of the smoke. The people that dove out of the way were bite sized to her dragon form. Johari’s feet felt cemented to the ground as her knees began to buckle beneath her. She flinched and pointed the wand forward like a child. Mal was chanting something that had snatched the wand from her grasp. It only sputtered uselessly as it magically flew from her hands leaving her defenseless.

Maleficent’s behemoth sized claws came down. The sound of the impact was deafening. Johari didn't feel pain at first. Just warmth. Harry was screaming something she couldn’t hear over the panic of the royals and the ongoing ringing in her ears. She was sure to be eaten engulfed wholly by saw blade teeth if she didn’t move. Her feet felt as if they were made of iron. A solid body came crashing into hers. She crumpled under the weight. 

Maleficent’s attention was only drawn as her daughter used the wand to conjure another magic bolt. It bounced easily off of her scales. She turned her large head with a deep rolling growl as fire began to gather in her gaping maw.

The distraction was enough for Harry to lace his arm around Johari’s urging her to her feet.

He looked out to the sea in the far distance.  He could easily make it by himself if he left her there. It stung deeply when he realized that he couldn’t let himself do that. Through the violence of the continuing storm he saw a familiar silhouette against the horizon. Uma’s ship was a mere speck on the water. He could recognize it anywhere. 

 The commotion of people still scrambling for the exit was a good cover. He had no qualms about leaving Mal and the others behind. Johari lagged beside him almost as if she were in a trance. Harry didn't want to look at her directly. If he did it would no doubt tell her just how badly she was injured. Blood was free falling down her face. He was counting on sheer adrenaline. There was no real escape plan without the wand. 

Johari leaned on Harry’s shoulder for support as she began to wilt further. Pride was keeping her on her feet. Her wounds from Maleficent’s dragon claws were beginning to ring to life stinging heavily through the adrenaline. With each beat of her heart she could feel everything in her body trying to escape through her open wounds. Using the Roar of the Ancestors made her throat burn intensely. She couldn’t speak even if she had tried. It was a power that her father had stolen and she was feeling the ramifications instantly. 

Harry’s piercing blue eyes were wide. “Johari, do you trust me?” She looked back at him owlishly as if she didn't understand. Blood was free falling down her face in a gruesome red cascade. Harry could barely believe that he’d convinced her to do this. He never expected her to really betray them all. The look on Jay’s face would have brought him immense joy if not for the impending danger so close by. There wasn't time for thinking of how that was affecting her.

 He gave the entrance a cautionary glance backward as they passed through with the throng of people rushing forward. They had to get down to the water. He put his fingers to his lips and whistled as loud as he could muster. There was no way it cut through all of the sound. 

The shriek of Maleficent could be heard only a short distance away. He held onto Johari’s hand tightly. “We have to run. Don’t let go.” All she could muster was a slow and dazed nod. They stumbled only lightly as they rushed down the winding brick path hand in hand. 

Maleficent came crashing through the rest of the stone wall obliterating everything in her path. Her massive jaws narrowly missed them, Harry could feel the hot air of her dragon breath brush against his back. The ground beneath them was beginning to crumble. Mal and the rest stood at the threshold of the remains of the great hall with the wand in hand only able to stand and watch as Harry Johari and Maleficent plunged towards the angry churning sea below. 

-----

Uma had successfully stolen another scale from Dr Facilier. In fact, she had taken the entire rest of his stash in revenge. The angry paranormal storm was caused by the mermaid’s resentment at being hunted down by a human. They wanted their revenge.  

So Facilier thought he could trick them into being fish food. Uma had half a mind to string him up to the bow as mermaid bait before she left. It would have to wait until she got back. The barrier had been busted through letting Maleficent and various others escape the Isle.

Her crew was thankfully at the ready as her ship sped throughout the turbulent waters. Getting to Auradon wasn’t the problem. Neither was the storm. The massive dragon attacking made her hesitate. Had Harry somehow failed? Maleficent wouldn’t have resorted to her true form if they hadn't given her a reason. If they were still alive she’d have only a limited amount of time to get them out. 

Uma chanted a whispered incantation into the golden shell of her Mother’s necklace. It gave the ship a sail of golden magic that sped them forward like an engine. Her crew kept casting her nervous glances as they approached. The situation in Auradon was looking worse by the minute.  Maleficent was on an utter rampage ripping through the cathedral walls as if they were toy blocks.

The stone bridge above them came plummeting down. Maleficent’s dragon form connecting with the already violent water made a massively engulfing tsunami of a splash. It would have sunk the ship if not for Uma’s magic keeping it protected. In the rush of the deep churning brine she saw a flash of a red jacket. Instinct took over as she made a running leap into the deep waters. 

Magic swirled through the sea. As the golden shell began to glow with power transforming Uma into a form like her mother's, the ever growing light acted as a barrier around her of its own. Viciously hissing and spitting mermaids churned and circled something in the center of their underwater tornado. Uma caught Harry’s hand before he could sink any farther. 

Another blast of magic from above broke the water’s surface. Maleficent’s unconscious dragon body began to slowly lift from the waters as it gradually shrank in size. Uma came up for air successfully getting Harry back onto the ship. He broke out of his stupor rather quickly searching his surroundings. He had his hook in hand but nothing else. His eyes were wide with panic as he caught his breath. 

Gil had to keep him from leaping over the side again. Uma could barely make out what he was trying to say. They had to get out of here and fast. Harry kept shouting something unintelligible as he continued to fight to get back to the open water. It didn't take Uma long to piece the situation together. She dove under again. 

The pod of mermaids were circling their prey in a whirlwind of refractive iridescent scales. Blood was floating freely through the water. Uma herself could smell it. Johari floated unconscious in the center of the mermaid’s hungry spiral. One of the sharp toothed sirens turned their gaze towards Uma with a savage underwater hiss. 

First one lurched towards her. Then others in the group slowly began to draw their attention to the young sea witch. As their spindling claws came forward Uma removed a hidden knife from a holster on her arm. The golden flash of the blade cut through the mermaid’s skin easily. The first attacker snarled and writhed at the unexpected sensation.

More blood was in the water. Deeply fanged mouths suddenly had their attention on the profusely bleeding mermaid. It was a gruesome sight as the entire pod came after it in a shredding red underwater mass. Uma took advantage of their teeth elsewhere as she snatched Johari’s comatose form from them. 

The moment she broke the surface she was met by ecstatic cheering from the rest of her crew. The raging storm around them was beginning to die down. It was escape now or never they had no other options. In the far distance she could see Mal standing high on the rubble of the cathedral with the Fairy Godmother’s wand in hand. 

Uma wouldn’t let this stand. She would have that wand one day. Right now her crew’s safety was more important. With Mal commanding the others the danger in Auradon itself was dissipating. Uma boarded the ship and commanded her crew to set sail for home before the daughter of Maleficent had a chance to do anything more to stop them. If she was lucky the carnivorous mermaid’s would keep them from following.

-----

So they were home again. The rest of the crew were celebrating loudly above. It wasn’t a total loss; there were multiple ways in and out of the barrier now. Gil was happy about being back. Even if the Isle was a prison to some it was still home to him. Getting Harry back was a victory in and of itself as far as Uma was concerned. 

Johari, who was still recovering, slept soundly in Harry’s bed, not the broken hammock she’d had below deck. They were upstairs above the party and most of its noise. Harry knew that Uma should be angrier about this. By a long shot. They were all in one piece and that counted for something she had said. Harry wasn’t sure he could think of any of this as a victory. They were right back where they started. Without the wand. His head rested in his hands as he sat beside Johari.It felt like she had been unconscious for forever.

 He could still barely believe she tried to fight not only her closest friends but Maleficent too. Heavy raw claw marks decorated every inch of her exposed skin. Harry didn't want to examine them too closely. The mere thought made him sick. That the mermaids almost finished what the dragon hadn’t. It was his fault. If he wasn’t so intent on tearing her down and making her do the dirty work she could have stayed with her friends back in Auradon. She would have been happy there. Wouldn’t she? Jay wouldn’t have let this sort of thing happen to her. He would be surprised if she didn't hate his guts when she woke up.

A large blowout of a jubilee continued back in Auradon. The fireworks and flashing lights were visible from the Isle. The barrier hadn’t been fixed and the bridge was still broken. He guessed that they were all too preoccupied with their thoughts of victory to notice. Uma was no doubt already formulating another plan to get the wand back again. He gave a heavy sigh. Because he fucked up the first time. Failure usually wasn’t an option. This had never happened before.

A part of him was thankful to be alive. If Uma hadn’t shown up when she did he didn't want to think about what would have happened. A heavy sigh left his lips as he hung his head and gently squeezed Johari’s ice cold hand.

“Please wake up.” He normally wasn’t one for real manners. Niceties felt foreign on his tongue.  He hoped that if he kept his voice soft she would actually listen. Johari was morbidly still just the same as she had been before. “C’mon lass.” 

Her chest only rose and fell in that usual gentle rhythm. “You can hate me if you want.” He heard himself pleading as he swallowed thickly. That's what crazy people did, right? Talk to themselves. He’d been responsible for death before, even directly sure. That went hand in hand with being the villain that he was. This however set a feeling of deep unease in his bones.

Memories of their time in the Enchanted Lake continued to assault his mind. He pressed his lips together tightly. “You can hit me if you want.” He laughed humorlessly at his own joke as he tapped his cheek. It did nothing to ease the tension he felt. Being responsible for this? His heart felt as if it were burning in his throat as it threatened to come up. “I think I deserve tha’. Don’t you?” 

Silence was her only response. He heard a gentle knock on the wooden door frame behind him. Uma stood beside Gil with her arms crossed. “Harry.” Her tone was uncharacteristically gentle as if she were talking to a young child. He looked up quickly with his shoulders arching tensely. Was he really in trouble this time?

“The party is still going on. You should join us.” Gil offered. His usual goofy smile seemed slightly forced for once. The plate of food he was picking at was still mostly full. He weakly offered a haphazardly baked pastry.

Uma nodded slowly. “She’ll still be here when you come back.” Seeing Harry so worried wasn’t like him. In truth she half expected him to leave her behind on his way to get the wand. The last thing she had thought he would do was come back empty handed asking so desperately for her help. 

“Yeah Harry, she isn’t going anywhere. I thought you didn’t like ‘er anyway.” Gil nodded and winced as Uma gave him a short elbow to the ribs. A few chips fell to the floor. “I mean-,” He trailed off before finishing his comment as the captain rolled her eyes.

“Harry, you look like hell.” Uma crossed her arms with a sigh and her tone was stern. “You need to get something to eat and rest. Captain’s orders.” 

The mere thought of leaving Johari alone still filled him with dread. What if she didn't wake up at all if he left? “But Uma-,” Harry stood reluctantly, meaning to argue. His sudden dizzy spell felt like it came out of nowhere. The room around him spun in a nausea-inducing vertigo. So maybe she was right. He felt like a child being scolded. Harry hated it. 

“I can stay with her if you want.” Gil offered as his smile returned when Uma gave him a curt nod of approval. 

“See?” Uma placed a gentle hand on her first mate’s back in an effort to steer him towards the door. “Just for a little while.” She meant it as reassuring. All he wanted to do was dig his heels in further. But he was in no mood to fight. 

Every muscle in his body was screaming at him from the tumultuous journey. Getting tossed off the top of castles and cliffs took a number on the body. Harry sighed in defeat. “Uma none of this was supposed to happen.” 

“Harry, I get it.” Slowly they began to descend the stairs. “These things happen.” Her halfhearted attempt didn’t really make him feel any better. 

“I almost got us killed.” He said with a bark of a laugh. If they had tried to sneak the wand out on their own like the initial plan and got caught he didn’t want to think of what sort of punishment Auradon was capable of. They had barely made it back by the skin of their teeth. “You can’t really mean that.” Harry kept expecting a rightly deserved punishment. 

Uma only gave a heavy defeated sigh in response. “Look, I do and I don't.” She pushed the doors open to the rest of the pirate crew continuing their bash. It was a lot smaller than usual. The barrier was broken, any villains that could have already escaped surely. “What matters is you’re here in one piece.”

“Uma?” His voice was low yet hopeful as his captain made the rounds to find him something to eat. He was expecting her to say something negative like a dejected parent as she returned. Harry carted his hands through his hair in an effort to fix his appearance if only a little. He still had his pride as injured as it was. “You were serious about lettin’ her stay, weren’t you?”

All of his favorites were piled high on a platter, some of its contents spilled over the sides as she practically shoved it into his hands. Harry’s brain was filled with constant alarm bells. Even villains never treated one another so nicely. It could only mean he was in severe trouble. Uma could only stare him down in response as she drummed her fingers idly against the fabric of her sleeve. He was only idly picking at the food she brought for him as a short time passed. Her silence didn't answer his question. This kind of approach was making him feel worse. He was beginning to dread the notion of his captain saying something far worse than no.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before.” Uma her arms as she leaned against a nearby pillar. “I don’t think you’re leaving me much of a choice here.”

“What do you mean by tha’?” His brows knit together in slight distrust. 

“Harry, I don't know what happened between you two in Auradon.” She eyed him slowly. “But you want her to stay, don't you?” 

He swallowed thickly.  “Aye..” Harry heard himself hesitantly agree. Cautiously he eyed his captain, trying his best to read her mind. Usually he could if given the chance. Then again his entire perspective on life had changed in such a short time. It felt as if his brain were short circuiting lately.

Uma’s expression was unusually flat as she crossed her arms and ruminated on her own answer. Harry’s heartbeat quickened. Had he said the wrong answer? He could have sworn that she was ready to serve him back to those mermaids. For Uma it might have been a nicety. “I guess I have to. Guilt doesn’t suit you much, Harry.” With a short shrug her expression softened as she gave him a lopsided smile. 

He felt like hugging her. If he did he was sure to be stabbed. Before he could make a move Gil came blazing down the stairs his usual beaming smile was back again. Harry didn’t have to listen to his garbled speech. He knew she was awake, he moved headlong for the stairs before giving his captain a cautionary glance backward. “You’re serious?” 

Uma sighed and waved him off. “Don’t ignore my orders again, got it? Go before I change my mind.” 

Harry scaled the stairs in only two eager bounds; it was a wonder that he didn't fall backward. As he practically broke his own bedroom door down he was met with the sight of  an empty dark room. Cautiously he stepped forward. The bed was vacant with the sheets strewn about. Light from the bedside table candle had faded to only a dwindle of a flame. 

Harry held his breath as he glanced about. Abruptly a body crashed into him. He toppled over  onto the bed with his arms easily pinned above him. He had half a mind to hook whoever- His thoughts were interrupted by Johari’s chirping laughter. “Gotcha!”

 The satisfaction was clear on her face as she saw him freeze in awe. Her fangs were visible with that wide smile, a rare sight. She let him go just as quickly as she had caught him. Her expression only dropped when he didn’t move much afterward. “Harry, Are you okay? You’re shaking.” 

Harry engulfed her in a tight embrace. Johari could only lightly squeal at his sudden counter attack. Her wounds were still raw, he cradled her gently in his arms. His ocean blue eyes staring 

Into hers made her heart flutter in her chest. “You scared the hell out of me.” 

She blinked quickly in surprise. “I did?” They had seemingly forgotten their position with their limbs strewn about as they sprawled across his bed.  “I didn’t think that was possible.” Johari gingerly brushed a few stray locks away from his face. The closeness was leaving him breathless.This all felt so unreal. Harry felt small and sheepish being caressed so sweetly. Hadn’t he made her life a living hell before now? If he blinked he was afraid that it would all come crashing down around them and they would be stuck back in Auradon in some dungeon. 

“Johari?” His voice felt foreign on his own tongue as he said her name. This was all so unlike anything he’d ever felt before. She only hummed gently in response as she continued to run her hands through his hair. He thought he would melt before he got the words out. “I meant what I said back in Auradon.”

Her gentle touch became hesitant at his words, her hands only ghosted and hovered in the air as she momentarily froze. She looked inquisitive, the fresh welts on her skin contorted with her features. Those bright burning hazel eyes were on him again.  “Meaning..?”

“Johari, I want you to stay with me.” Harry caught his breath as the words left his lips. “I think I’m in love with you.” He surprised himself at his own confession, she still hadn’t moved. Harry wanted to cover his own mouth and take the words back if he could. Never in his life had he uttered those words. 

“Y-You don't really mean that.” Her voice was strained as she searched his face for any inkling that he had been joking. That would be a low blow even for him. There weren’t many places left to go on the Isle but he was sure she would run away from him at that moment.

“But I do.” Harry cradled her hands in his. He could only hope she could feel everything that he did. His heart was racing so rapidly in his chest he was hoping it wouldn't break free. “I want to treat ya’ like you deserve. Like a real princess.” Harry kissed her hand gently.

 As he did so she leaned forward to press a sweet kiss to first his cheek and then his lips. His breath hitched at the sudden feeling. “I never thought it would be like this. Harry, I think I love you too.” 

They stayed that way holding each other gently as the Isle continued to celebrate their victory on the ship below.

[ludi-ling]

how do you think remy reacted when he first found out about rogue being caught in terrigen mist and when he realized rogue wasnt in a good place mentally when she was in avengers?

Sorry it took so long to (at least half) respond to this. I needed to wait for the creative inspiration to strike, so to speak. Covid over the holidays is great for sitting round and waiting for your muse to rock up.

I hope you still get to see this anyways, anonymous asker. Merry Christmas. 🎄

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

Next-of-Kin

               Avengers Mansion, dead as a doornail, quiet as a mouse. Everythin’ packed up and ready to be sold or auctioned off. Anythin’ here worth stealin’? Maybe, probably. Very likely.

               It’s only out of respect for the person I’m here for that I don’t go rootin’ around to find out.

               I turn a box-lined corridor and who should I see but Deadpool, lackadaisically standing guard outside the door I’m supposed to go into.

               “You’re an Avenger?” is the first thing that comes to my mind, and I can’t help but say it.

               At the impromptu greeting, he pushes away from the wall, arms spread.

               “Me? An Avenger? Pfft, naw. Who’s dumb idea would that be, to make me an Avenger?”

               “My thought exactly,” I respond as I draw near.

               “Yeah, well… Stark’s gone bankrupt,” Deadpool shrugs. “Not enough money in the game to make it worth my while.”

               “I hear that.” I glance at all the boxes, ready to be moved out. “How the mighty have fallen. Or somethin’.” I run a hand through my hair, expecting the worst, hoping for the best, wanting this to be over with either way. “Thanks for callin’ me,” I say; but he just waves me off.

               “Don’t thank me. This was Cap’s idea. Said you were on her next-of-kin list. Told me I should call you.”

                ‘Next-o’-kin’? I don’t like the sound’a dat. The past few months all I been doin’ is playin’ sympathetic-ex-boyfriend to whatever the hell she sees herself right now, and this feels like an extension of those duties. If she’s put me down to be the executor of her will, I’m gonna be real pissed.

               “Is, ah… Is Cap in there?” I ask nervously, figuring Wade doesn’t need to know a damn thing about my current relationship with Anna.

               “Don’t worry, Gumboid,” he replies. “The old man said that since you have a warrant out for your arrest, it’s best if he ain’t around if you happen to turn up.”

               Whew. Thank fuck for that. Don’t think I could handle Captain Boy Scout hovering over my shoulder at a moment like this.

               “Thanks,” I say, reaching for the handle. “And by the way. There are at least 5 warrants out on my head.”

               I lean into the door, and I’m just about to open it when he stalls me.

               “Hey, Gambit. While we’re on the topic, you know a guy named Chalmers?”

               I pause. I level him a look.

               “Deadpool, dis ain’t the time for dis kinda shit…”

               “I know.” He grins. At least I think he does behind that mask. “I’m just sayin’. You’re a thief. There’s a fun li’l gig lined up for you, if and when you can squeeze one in-between your ‘next-of-kin’ duties.”

               “G’bye, Wade,” I shoot acerbically at him, and let myself inside.

               I ain’t prepared for what I see on the other side.

               Rogue, lookin’ like shit.

               I shut the door behind me quietly. I let out the breath I’ve been holding in. I walk to her bedside and see just what the Terrigen Mists have done to her.

               “Oh, Anna,” I murmur to myself. “Whatchu gone done to yourself, chere?”

               She can’t hear me, hooked up like she is to all this equipment, in what I can only assume is an induced coma. The fact that she can’t hear or see me is the only reason I’m here. We laid out some ground rules for one another after all. I gave her permission to walk away, and she took it. I’m your home, your harbour, I said to her in one of my rare, earnest moments. You’ll come to me when you know that. But don’t come to me before. Which means – for now – don’t come to me at all.

               I scratch the back of my head awkwardly at the memory. Those words had felt unnecessarily harsh at the time, for both of us – but it had obviously been what she needed to hear. She had never come back to me. Not once. Sure, we’d run into one another, now and then. Traded kind words, smiled. Hugged. Perhaps even flirted now and then. But she’d never come back in the way that mattered, in the way I wanted, or hoped for, or both.

               Y’know, I hear things. I know about Mags. I know about Johnny Storm. Can’t keep things hidden for long wit’ the X-Men. S’like livin’ in some podunk town in the middle of nowhere. Everyone knows everybody, secrets will out. Jubes loves secrets.

               I’m a big boy, but there are some secrets I wish I didn’t haveta hear.

               I dunno how contagious this disease is, but I’m all gloved up, so I reach out and touch her blistered hand. It’s a simple thing, but how many times has she pulled her hand away from mine? How many times have I only been able to touch her like this? Gloves on, skin covered? The moment she gained control of her powers felt like the moment she started to withdraw from me, like she wanted to try to touch everyone and everything that wasn’t me. That smarts. It stings, when we’re both here, and I’m touching her like this.

               I draw up a chair beside her and sit. Again I think about how I’m breaking some sort of rule in being here, this understanding we have, the one I don’t want. The one where I step aside and make way for her to live her life. Where I wait for her to figure out I’m the one she wants.

               Fuck that.

               “I get it, chere,” I murmur into the quiet, half resentful, half helpless. “You want me when you’re on death’s door. You put me down as your next-o’-kin so I turn up by your side when you’re so fucked up you don’t even have to be conscious to know I’m there. You trust me with your life. You just don’t trust me with your love.”

               It’s infuriating. It’s infuriating to know that’s how it is, despite everythin’. I didn’t make no grand sacrifice, voluntarily stepping away from her, for purely altruistic reasons. I did it because I knew she wouldn’t choose me. I knew she’d choose Mags. And I just hadn’t wanted to be there to see it.

               And this is the prize I get. Havin’ the privilege of bein’ with her again when she’s like this.

               I link my fingers with hers, raise her hand to my cheek. Careful our skin doesn’t touch. Conscious of how we’ve both played this game before. Don’t touch!—her perennial warning. Me, pushing the boundaries, so damn hard, all the fuckin’ time. All I ever wanted was this. To feel her warmth.

               “Guess I should be flattered you put me down on the list of people you wan’ around when you’re dead or dying,” I tell her. Am I sounding bitter? Maybe a li’l. “They tellin’ me they’re workin’ on a cure, that Hank and Stark are optimistic, that you’ll pull through. They don’t need to hide it from me though. They’re worried. Real worried.” I slide her a weary smile. “They dunno how often you and I danced dis tango though, do they, chere? You, on death’s door. Me, sittin’ here by your side, willin’ you to wake up, be strong, get better. And you always do.” I laugh softly, squeeze her hand. “Y’know, for someone who’s ‘well-nigh invulnerable’, you don’t half end up in a coma often, mon amour. Why is dat?”

               She don’t answer. She might look like a hot mess right now, but that pretty li’l face of hers don’t even twitch in reply. The soft blip of the heart monitor is the only response I get. I’m used to this. Not gettin’ answers from her. Her, runnin’ away when shit gets real.

               Shit’s real now, chere. They tell me you could die. And if you do, would all’a dat runnin’ been worth it?

               Not dat you’d be alive to care.

               But I’d be. I’d be.

               The harried smile drops from my face. I take her lifeless hand between both of mine. I press my lips to my knuckles, cos I can’t press them against hers.

               “Lissen, chere. Word is, you could die from dis. Too early to tell yet, nobody knows what dis M-Pox thing means. Me, I think you’re too much of a fighter for this to end you. I know you, chere. But if you don’t… if you don’t get past dis… I want you t’know somethin’. I love you. I put a space b’tween us knowin’ I could deal with it because you were out there tryin’ t’be happy. But if you weren’t out there… if the space between us means you ain’t never comin’ back… I don’t think I could live with it. Livin’ in a world wit’out you wouldn’t be worth livin’, chere. I mean it.”

               I pause. As always, no answer.

               Go figure.

               “So you live, girl. Live, so we continue to get that chance we might never take.”

               I gently rest her hand back down by her side. I don’t think there’s anything more I can think of to say. I stand. I give her hand one last squeeze.

               “Love you, Anna Marie,” I say, before I leave.

               I’m surprised to see Deadpool still standing sentry outside the door.

               “You still out here?” I ask.

               “Hey, Cap said I should keep a look out for her while you were here. I hear things about you, y’know, Gambit. I know all about your weird kinks!”

               I raise an irritated eyebrow at him. Why the hell Cap’s lettin’ him run wit’ de Avengers is beyond me.

               “Yeah, well, takin’ advantage of my comatose ex-girlfriend ain’t one of ‘em.”

               I turn to leave.

               “You goin’ already?” Wade asks.

               “Yeah. She looks stable. I’m trustin’ Stark and Hank will take care o’her better than I could. Just make sure you call me again, if things look bad.”

               “And if they look good?”

               I stop, think about it.

               “Yeah. Lemme know. Just don’t expect me to rock up again. She won’t appreciate it if she wakes up and finds me there.”

               “Huh. She wants you there when she’s about to kick the bucket, but not when everythin’s all fairy dust and unicorn farts. Sounds like my kinda woman.”

               Ugh. I’m outta here.

               “G’bye, Wade!” I nearly holler at him.

               I’m halfway down the hallway when I think of something. I halt, spin round.

               “By the way. That Chalmers job?”

               “Yeah?”

               I grin.

               “Deal me in.”

-END-

[zecoritheweirdone]

so,, you remember a while back when i said i was taking a break from noglb until i get the motivation back? yeah, that’s still happening, but i have finished, like, two lil short drabble that take place in noglb,, and one slightly bigger one still being worked on,, (i mean i haven’t touched it in a long time but, like,, shhh,,,,),,, so i have decided to share the first two. bc. like. why not.

here is the first one,, ignore the title,, i’m not good at names,,, it basically takes place in, like,, an act 2/sequel version of noglb, i suppose? and that’s about as much as i can say, w/out giving out too many spoilers(not that i have it planned out that much, but still). may or may not leave this part out of the final product, who knows.

and here is the second one,, takes place during what was planned of noglb,, and that is also as much as i can way w/out giving away anything important.

[luna-spacedoodles]

Hello💜

[ghoul--doodle]

The worst part is I don’t know which one of my emails I archived or if it was important

So even if I find it again I Won’t Know

[toshigimmemilk]

genre: ANGST!!! mainly for kuroo than reader

characters: !timeskip kuroo x !gn reader

now playing: two slow dancers by mitski. next up: i bet on loosing dogs by mitski

1:05 ───|────── 2:54

|◁ II ▷|

“hey it’s been a while” a voice spoke behind you.

“…hey” you hesitatingly replied, recognizing the voice immediately.

“c’mon don’t be a stranger now” he joked trying to get you to smile.

“i’ve never been a stranger kuroo, never to you atleast.” you replied with a tight-lipped smile.

“t-tetsuro…you mean tetsuro right?” he asked stepping closer to you, near the balcony where you’ve been overlooking the scenery.

the party had been too much for you. too much talking, the fake laughing, and people gossiping. all you wanted was a breath of a fresh air, not have a old memory strike up a conversation with you. oh well the universe has its cruel ways.

“i said what i said kuroo. i think we’re back to where we started. don’t u think so?” you gave him a sad smile.

“i’m sorry. for- for how i treated you when we were together. i realize now that i was being stupid when i younger.” he spoke looking up at the sky. seemingly at nothing but knowing him he probably didn’t want to make eye contact.

“i miss you y’know.” he continued, “i miss you so much sometimes it feels like my heart has been ripped out. please y/n, i’m not the same person i was before. i promise to be better. please just-” he turned to face you to tell you how he really felt. to tell you how much of a hell his life had been since you had left him all those years ago, it seems ages ago since you’ve called him yours and of sweet nothings about a future that would not come true. “y/n- i have to tell you-” but you interrupted him.

“you bought this on yourself kuroo. i would’ve looked stupid if i stayed when you treated me like how you did.” you told him seriously now attention fully given to a reminiscent conversation

“i know but- why can’t we just run away?” he huffed out, “just you and me and i promise i’ll be the best you’ve ever had and will ever have. please y/n” he teases you walking a fine line between seriousness and playfulness. “let’s blow this popsicle stand c’mon” he says jokingly and his eyes hint more to the fact that he wants you to say yes, he wants you to take his hand and run away from everything and everyone.

“i see you’re still a dork kuroo” you tease back at him rolling your eyes at him.

you both quiet down and it seemed like the music playing during the slow dance was filling the empty silence between the both of you.

“y/n i wish- i want you b-” he starts but gets cut off by someone else.

“hey babe are you ready to leave?” the sudden voice startles you with butterflies, even after all this time and kuroo couldn’t help but notice how big u smile when you turned your head as soon as you heard his voice.

have you ever smiled like that when you were with him? kuroo thought

how bright your eyes shined with love when you answered him back, “yeah baby. let’s go.”

have your eyes ever shined that bright when you looked at him? kuroo couldn’t help but ponder as his heart sank with each insecure thought he had about your shared past.

he looked down and caught a glimpse of the shiny rock resting on your finger.

have you always worn such shiny rings around him? he thought. A RING?! oh- you- and him- married- wow- a million thoughts raced around kuroos head which stopped the moment you spoke.

you turned to kuroo with a soft and sad smile, “i’ll see you around tersuro. g’bye..”

and with that beautiful smile that he held onto so dearly and the soft goodbye only make his heart hurt and if he could die from a heartache, he would’ve died right then and there watching the love of his life walk away with their true love.

“who was that babe?” kuroo heard him question you.

“just an old friend” you replied as u leaned your head into your husbands bicep and kuroo can hear the slight smile in your voice.

yes, it was true kuroo thought you as the love of his life but you didn’t think of him as yours.

a/n: pls i have a good idea once in a while but i never know how to go on implementing it. i suck at writing ik 😭✋🏽 anyways i hope y’all enjoyed this <3

[i-am-bitterly-jittery]

Currently unnamed Virgil/Remus/Janus/Patton fic part 1/2

Part 2,

Breakfast, Three’s A Crowd, Four’s A Party, Janus’s Plan To Win Patton’s Heart

Word count: 3112

Rating: teen

Pairings: Virgil/Remus/Janus/Patton, logince

Warnings: swearing and minor suggestive language, oh and Remus typical stuff (talk about someone dying in a plane crash but no one really dies)

~~~START~~~

“You’re really going to be going to be gone for two whole months?” Patton asks for probably the hundredth time since Logan told him that he and Roman (as student body President and Vice President respectively) would be going to a Students in Government camp in Washington D.C. for two of the three months of their summer vacation.

Unlike all the other times he’d asked, however, this time, Roman and Logan were actually all packed and set to go as soon as Roman’s mom got off her business call. The three of them were waiting for her in the foyer, and this is going to be the last time Patton sees his best friends for two. Whole. Months!

“Fret not, my dear padre,” Roman says, grabbing both of Patton’s hands in his own. “We shall return before you even notice we're gone!”

Patton frowns. He highly doubts that. Roman and Logan are his best friends, the longest he’s ever gone without hanging out with at least one of them has been two weeks.

Two months is going to feel like hell.

But Patton plasters a fake grin on his face anyway. Roman and Logan are so excited for this trip, and Patton isn’t going to let his own feelings get in the way. “I’m sure you’re right!”

“Of course I am!” Roman agrees heartily.

“Do not worry, Patton,” Logan says, much less dramatically than Roman. “We should be able to Skype every weekend, as we will have Saturdays off.”

That actually does make Patton feel better. He pulls his best friends into a hug. Gosh he’s going to miss them.

Their moment is ruined when Roman’s mom comes walking into the room, yelling behind her for Roman’s twin brother. “Remus! Come say goodbye to your brother!”

Remus comes bounding down the stairs moments later, covered in green slime.

“G’bye bye, Roro!” Remus says happily, skipping over to hug his brother.

“Get off me you heathen!” Roman cries, shaking his brother loose.

“Roman Preston Kingsley!” His mom scolds.

“Mom! He got slime on me!” Roman complains. “I have to get on an airplane like this!”

“Remus Duke Kingsley, apologize to your brother!”

“I’m sorry Roro!” Remus grins, not looking at all sorry. “At least it wasn't fake blood!”

“I have to change!” Roman cries.

“We’re already running late, you can change your shirt in the car,” Roman’s mom dismisses, ushering Logan and Roman out the door.

Remus continues to grin as he throws an arm over Patton's shoulders, causing the shorter boy to blush slightly.

“Don’t worry, Roro, Pattycakes and I are going to have so much fun this summer!”

“Re-!” Roman starts just to get impatiently cut off by his mom.

“Roman, lets go!”

“You’re the reason we’re running late in the first place!” Patton hears Roman complain before the door shuts, leaving Patton alone with Remus in the Kingsleys’ foyer.

“What are the chances their plane will crash, killing them in a fiery inferno?” Remus asks, not taking his arm off of Patton.

“I, um, don’t think the chances of that happening are very good,” Patton stutters. Something about Remus has always made Patton nervous. In the past, he would have claimed that it was because Remus is scary, but recently Patton’s been thinking that there’s a little more to it.

“Oh well, one can dream,” Remus responds, unperturbed that they’re discussing his brother’s chances of dying. “Wanna come to a party with me?”

“Oh, well, uh,” Patton’s mind blanks on an excuse, but he really doesn’t want to go to a party with Remus. If Remus is scary, then his friends are downright terrifying.

Probably.

Actually, Patton isn’t entirely sure who Remus is friends with, but that only makes him want to go to the party even less.

“It’ll be fun!” Remus promises. “And if you don’t like it there, I’ll take you home, pinky promise!”

Remus finally lets go in order to properly extend his pinky towards Patton, and what’s a boy to say to that? Patton knows that both Kingsley twins take pinky promises very seriously, so if Remus is offering a pinky promise, then he means it.

“Okay,” Patton hooks his pinky in Remus’.

“Yay!” Remus cheers. “Oh this will be so much fun!”

He grabs Patton’s hand and leads him out of the house and towards the twins’ shared car. He only lets go of Patton’s hand long enough to get in the car and start the engine, but other than that, he holds his hand the whole way over to the party, causing Patton’s face to go entirely red.

The house Remus eventually pulls up to doesn’t look like it has a party inside, but Patton isn’t sure how Remus’ parties usually go, so who knows what’s behind the door.

Remus lets go of Patton’s hand to get out of the car, but he immediately circles around to open the door for him with a little bow. Patton giggles a little as he gets out of the car. Once he’s out, Remus seizes his hand again and drags him up the walkway to the door, swinging their joint hands between them.

Remus stops at the door and rings the doorbell. At first, Patton thinks that this is oddly polite for him, but after Remus continues to hold the bell down for more than a couple of seconds, he supposed that Remus hadn’t been going for ‘polite’.

“Jesus Christ!” The door finally gets thrown open a minute later, revealing one very annoyed Janus Parcel, probably the most intimidating student in the whole high school. If the snakebite piercings weren't scary enough, he’s got a long pink scar that starts just below his hairline and runs down his face, over his left eye, across his mouth, and towards his chin stopping almost dead center between the piercings - rumor has it that he got it in a knife fight. His usual beanie is gone, but his yellow gloves are still firmly in place.

Patton wants nothing more than for the earth to crack open and swallow him to fall into the center. Janus Parcel has never been, strictly speaking, mean to Patton, but he has a reputation. One that suggests that Patton is the kind of person Janus would step on.

“Fuckin stop!” Janus hisses, pushing Remus’ hand off the doorbell.

Patton can’t help the small squeak that escapes his mouth, drawing Janus’ attention to him.

“You brought a pet?” Janus asks, raising his eyebrow incredulously and staring at Patton like he’s a bug under his shoe.

“Roro and his boyfriend left for D.C. so Patty’s going to hangout with us now!” Remus says proudly, letting go of Patton’s hand so that he can throw his arm over his shoulder. That’s enough to snap Patton out of his embarrassed stupor.

“Roman and Logan are dating?” He asks, finally peeling his eyes off Janus and looking to Remus instead.

“I dunno, but if they’re not now then they will be by the time they come back.”

That sentence causes an uncomfortable knot to form in Patton’s stomach. It’s not that he has a crush on either Roman or Logan - objectively he thinks they’re both very attractive, but he thinks of them as his brothers more than anything - it’s just that if they start dating, then Patton will end up being the awkward third-wheel, and he doesn’t want to accidentally insert himself where he doesn’t belong. “Oh.”

Janus rolls his eyes, but he steps aside and waves them into the house. “Don’t break anything.”

Patton isn’t sure if he’s talking to him or Remus, but Janus is already walking away. Patton’s only given a second to wonder about the lack of people and noise, before Remus is dragging him forward, through the entryway and towards the doorway Janus had gone through moments prior.

Remus brings him to a living room that, other than for furniture and sparse decorations, seems empty.

“This is going to be so much fun!” Remus cheers, grabbing Patton’s other hand and spinning him around in circles. “Party time! Party time! Party time!”

Patton giggles as he becomes used to the circles and begins matching Remus’ enthusiasm. Until Remus let’s go of both of his hands at the same time.

The momentum sends Patton stumbling back a few steps before his foot catches on something, and he starts falling. He stumbles back a few more feet before the back of his calves hits something soft but solid, and he tumbles onto the couch.

Or at least, it should be the couch, but the uneven texture and the startled hiss both alert Patton that it is not the couch that he landed on.

Guess the living room wasn’t empty after all, Patton thinks hysterically as he imagines the anger he’s going to find on Janus’ face when he looks up.

Except when he looks up, it’s not Janus that he sees. The face is paler than Janus’, with dark eyeshadow smudged under mismatched brown and green eyes, and instead of anger, those eyes are looking at him in shock.

Emo Nightmare! His mind supplies, thankfully though, the path between his brain and his mouth seems to be closed for construction, so the stray thought doesn’t get voiced. He’s not actually sure what the boy’s name is, but Roman often refers to him as ‘Emo Nightmare’ so that’s how Patton usually thinks of him. That or ‘purple-hair cute boy’.

The emo has just as many - if not more - rumors floating around school about him as Janus does - and Remus, but Patton is a little more aware of whether a rumor about Remus is true or not (usually they’re true). Patton’s never had a class with him, and no one who has had a class with him can tell you his name. People often theorize that he’s a ghost, cursed to haunt their school until he’s successfully passed every class the school has to offer. Another theory is that he’s a Russian exchange student who doesn’t understand English and that’s why he never talks or smiles. A slightly more realistic theory is that he’s the one Janus got in a knife fight with, though that one now seems unlikely as Patton can’t imagine anyone inviting someone who scarred them over to their house.

Actually Patton hadn’t even known that Remus or Janus were friends with the emo, he’d never seen purple-hair cute boy hangout with or talk to anyone at school, so he’d just assumed he was a loner.

“S-sorry!” Patton squeaks, going red for what felt like the twentieth time today.

Weirdly enough, the emo goes just as red as him.

“It’s, uh, it’s fine,” he stutters.

“Movie!” Remus screeches at the top of his lungs, jumping onto the couch.

The jump ends up jostling the emo and he instinctively wraps his arms around Patton’s waist to keep him from falling off.

Patton lets out a small, startled squeak.

“This is going to be the best party ever!” Remus crows as he throws an arm over emo’s shoulders.

“Four people is hardly a ‘party’, Remus,” Janus says, entering the living room with two bowls of popcorn. “Sweet or salty, Patton?”

“Um, sweet?” Patton answers, not quite sure what he’s being asked.

“Excellent, you and Virgil can share.” Janus hands him one of the bowls and Patton realizes that the emo - must be Virgil - still has his arms wrapped around his waist.

“Four people is absolutely a party!” Remus defends, grabbing popcorn out of the bowl Janus still has. Janus sits on Remus’ other side and grabs a remote, turning on the TV. “Two’s company, three’s a crowd, and four’s a party!”

“That’s not how that saying goes,” Virgil says, unwrapping one arm from Patton to grab some popcorn out of Patton’s bowl. Patton tries some popcorn himself, and realizes that it’s sweet! Happily, Patton grabs another handful stuffing it in his mouth all at once.

“Of course it is! Patton, back me up!”

All eyes turn to Patton who unfortunately, has a mouthful of popcorn so the only thing he can say is “mufunph.”

Remus seems to take this as an agreement though, loudly declaring “see! I told you so.”

“We’re watching WALL-E,” Janus says, rather than continuing this pointless debate.

Yay! Patton thinks, settling back in his seat, only to remember that he’s still sitting on Virgil, but rather than push him off, the emo just tightens his arm around Patton’s waist to make him stop squirming. Well if he’s fine with me sitting here then I’m not going to complain.

At the scene where WALL-E tries to hold EVE’s hand, Remus unhooks his arm from Virgil’s shoulders and reaches over to grabs Patton’s hand again. Already used to Remus holding his hand, Patton doesn’t even think about pulling away.

Patton doesn’t make it to the end of the second movie, falling asleep with his head tucked against Virgil’s chest and Remus’ hand still firmly in his.

•<>•<>•<>•

There’s no place like home, Roman thinks as he steps off the airplane. Two months is a long time to be away from home, but Roman wouldn’t trade the experience for the world. He made new friends, learned some new things, and even started a new relationship!

Yeah, Roman’s not ashamed to say he’s been holding Logan’s hand almost nonstop since boarding the plane back in D.C. He can’t wait to tell Patton!

Logan’s dad is the one to pick them up from the airport. They drop Roman off at his house, but not before Roman can promise to call Logan in the morning.

Telling Patton can wait for tomorrow since it’s nearly 10 pm, and Roman is super tired.

“I’m home!” He yells as he opens the door, trying not to be insulted when no one is in the foyer to greet him. There’s a distinct clatter from the kitchen which is the only warning Roman gets before Remus is bursting through the door and running at him at full speed, covered in flour.

“RORO’S HOME!” Remus collides with him, sending them both sprawling on the floor.

“REMUS! Why are you always covered in something when you hug me?” Roman whines. He had to take a shower anyway to wash the plane off him, but that doesn’t mean he appreciates being covered in flour.

“I was helping Pattycakes bake cookies for you!” Remus says excitedly, pulling Roman to his feet.

“Patton?”

“Roman!” Patton calls from the doorway, also covered in flour, but at least he’s wearing an apron. “You’re back!”

“Patton?” Roman asks again, not falling this time when Patton launches himself into a hug. “Why are you hanging out with Remus?”

“Oh, well, uh…” Patton pulls back from the hug blushing. “We, uh…”

“Patton and I are dating!” Remus crows excitedly, draping himself over the shorter boy’s back.

“WHAT!?” Roman can’t- he can’t- what?

“I wanted to tell you!” Patton says quickly. “But it seemed like something that should be done in person so I prepared cookies for you- OH! My cookies!”

Patton runs back into the kitchen to save his cookies from burning. Roman turns to glare at his brother.

“What did you do?”

“What do you mean?” Remus asks innocently.

“What did you do to trick Patton into dating you!?” Roman hisses, trying to keep his voice down so Patton won’t hear.

“Roman I’m offended,” Remus says with mock-indignation. “I did nothing to trick dear Pat-the-Bunny into dating me! He liked me, I liked him, both of us liked Jan and Virge, so it all worked out!”

“‘Jan and Virge’?”

“Oh yeah!” Remus grins. “We’re in a polyamerous relationship!”

“You’re in a-” deep breath, Roman, breathe. “Who are Jan and Virge?”

“Janus Parcel and Virgil Knight!”

“Janus Par- knife-fight kid?”

“I’m back!” Patton says, carrying a plate of fresh cookies.

“You’re dating knife-fight kid!?” Roman screeches. Patton jumps, almost dropping the cookies.

“Janus is really nice-“

“Jan wasn’t in a knife fight,” Remus rolls his eyes. “Besides, you’re dating the nerd.”

“Logan isn’t a psychopath!”

“Neither is Jan!”

“You’re dating Logan! That’s so exciting!” Patton squeals, ignoring the twins’ hostile tones.

“That’s it! I’m calling Logan!” Roman huffs, pulling his phone out and putting it on speaker.

“Roman?” Logan’s voice comes through the phone speakers. “I thought you were going to call tomorrow? I was just about to go to bed.”

“Patton is dating my brother and Janus Parcel!”

“...is this what you’ve called me for?” Logan sounds exhausted. “Patton is perfectly capable of making his own decisions. Who he chooses to date is none of your concern, and you have no right to be mad at him for not telling you as you insisted on waiting to tell Patton about our relationship in person.”

“Thanks Lolo!” Patton calls.

“Hello Patton, if it is permissible with you, I would much rather continue this conversation in the morning after I have gotten my eight hours of sleep.”

“Okay! Bye Lolo!”

“Goodbye Patton, Roman, and I shall assume from context Remus.”

“Nighty-night Nerd!” Remus yells.

Logan hangs up without another word. Roman huffs, crossing his arms petulantly.

“I don’t like it,” he mutters, glaring at the ground.

“I’m sorry you don’t like it, Roman,” Patton says, leaning into Remus’ side. “But I really like Remus, and Janus, and Virgil. So can you be nice, please? For me?”

Sigh. “Fiiiine.”

“Yay!” Patton cheers, placing the plate of cookies down. Then he turns to his boyfriend, grabbing his hands. “C’mon Re, you have to drive me home!”

“Why can’t you just sleep here?” Remus whines, following his boyfriend to the door.

“Because Roman needs to rest without worrying what we’re doing!” Patton responds.

“Wait a minute! Who’s Virgil?” Roman asks, suddenly remembering a very important part of their conversation, and desperately trying to ignore Patton’s implications.

“G’night Roman!” Patton says as he heads out the door, completely ignoring the question. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Who the fuck is Virgil!” Roman yells as the door closes.

Grumbling under his breath, Roman calls Logan again, but this time it goes straight to voicemail.

“You have reached Logan Crofter, I am unable to answer the phone at the moment, but if you leave a voicemail I will endeavor to call you back at a later time.” Beeeep

“Do you know a ‘Virgil Knight’?” Roman asks, ignoring that Logan prefers all voicemails to start with the caller’s name. “Patton said he was dating Remus, Janus Parcel, and Virgil Knight, but I don’t know who that is. Also I know that you ignored my call, but it’s fine, I won’t let that fact hurt my feelings. Good night, dearest.”

~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~

Originally I wasn’t gonna post this until I wrote the whole thing, but the second half is being difficult, so I’m hoping getting reactions to this will convince my brain to write the rest (it’s not going on AO3 until I’ve finished it though)

Taglist (if you voted A then you’re tagged)

@queen-of-all-things-snuggly

@pixelated-pineapple

@the-sunshine-dims

@taylorxoxo22

[ashisbaeee]

The reader getting insecure when she hears her boyfriend, Tom, talking about how hot and talented Zendaya is. Hope your blurb night is going well❤

A/N: And I oop, sis. This is kinda like my most recent series, minus all of the dramatics and not as long(well I hope it’s not too long), haha. Anyways, I hope you like it. Sorry for the delay in getting this out to y’all.  Thanks for your request!  :) blurb night is going well, I’ve just been super busy so I’m trying to catch up and do as many blurbs as i can. 

thanks for your request, @tom-hollands-blog 😌💗

heck, this is as angsty as aforementioned series, OOF. 

1.4K of pure angst, oops😬

_________________

After a rather long and particularly busy day at work, you wanted nothing more  than to come home to your boyfriend, Tom, and just cuddle with him. Just being with him and being in his presence really uplifts your mood. 

Just as you entered your shared apartment, you went on a mission to find him, desperately needing his cuddles and warmth. 

Following the sound of his voice, it led to you his office. The door was slightly ajar, just as you were about to enter, you realized he was on the phone. Just as you were about to leave and give him some privacy, your actions were halted at the sound of your name. 

“Y/N can’t know of what I am about to tell you Haz, okay.  I just have to share this with you,I don’t think I can hold it in anymore. Did you see how great Z looked today? Like oh my God, she looked absolutely gorgeous, she literally took my breath away. Law really outdid himself  styling her today. I mean not that he didn’t before, it’s just wow, she’s flawless, she’s breathtakingly beautiful. And don’t even get me started on how talented she is.  Like in all seriousness, I don’t think I’ve met someone my age who has such an incredible work ethic. And the movie?  I mean come on. I don’t think I’ve ever clicked and had so much chemistry with a costar. It just came out so naturally, effortlessly too. Z, she brings so much passion and it really shows. The amount of time she prepared to be MJ, and her character Rue for Euphoria? my God. geez. I’ve never realized how talented she is, like I’ve seen her work and I was fortunate enough to work with he in Homecoming but to experience it firsthand, and have both our characters as the main ones for Far From Home,  just wow, I’m amazed, she’s truly amazing. I can’t wait to show everyone the finished product. I can’t wait for all the press tours and getting to hang out with her and Jacob some more” he rambled. 

You were at a loss. I mean can anyone really compare to Z? As he had said, she’s flawless not one zit on her face, breathtaking beautiful, without a doubt. She took his breath away? Wow. okay. Just hearing his words seemed like daggers piercing your heart. Your insecurities, all of your doubts, your worst fears were coming to life. Of course you’d never compare to her. She’s who she is and you’re just plain old you. His words meant nothing at this point. His constant reassurance he’d give you, how you were amazing and whatnot seemed like just one big old lie. How foolish of you to really believe his words. 

Of course he’d fall for her, I mean what sane person wouldn’t? 

You refused to hear what Haz’s reply would be so you quietly made your way downstairs. 

Once you got downstairs, you put on your AirPods and decided to listen to some music while you cleaned the kitchen. Although there was music playing you were distracted. Going over and repeating his words. Forever ingraining them to memory, burying them deep inside your mind with no intentions of ever coming out, no intentions of forgetting them; wishing you never went upstairs and listened in on his and Haz’s conversation but in a way you were kinda glad, seeing his true feelings for his costar. If all the TomDaya stans were around to hear this, ooh would they have a field day.

Just as you finished doing the dishes and started to prepare for dinner was when you heard him coming down the stairs. You quickly brushed off the tears that managed to pool in your eyes as you pretended like nothing happened. 

You quickly grabbed an onion and started to chop it, a really sad but yet somewhat believable excuse for the reason of your tears. You decided the quickest and easiest thing to make was chicken and veggie stir fry. He came up behind you and hugged you. You took off an Airpod and quickly replied hello to him. He had offered to help but you declined, saying you had it under control. He opted to sit in the breakfast bar as he watched you work your magic, making small conversation. 

Once the food was ready, you sat and ate. You ate in silence, your hunger long leaving your body. You wanted nothing more than to just sleep your heartache and sorrows away. This was by far one of the most painful things you’ve ever experienced. And the fact that he wasn’t aware that he was the cause of all this? Ugh. 

He assumed that your lack of conversation was due to your exhaustion. Oh how wrong he was. 

You decided to take a shower after dinner. It gave you some time to clear your head and process what you heard. Had he really felt this way about her? And if so, for how long? And a plethora more  questions yet to be answered. How were you going to address this to him? Will you even address him? that was the even bigger question. 

You were in the shower for quite a while. You lost track of time. You stood under the shower as you let the scorching hot water wash over you. Something to help alleviate the pain you were feeling. 

You decided enough was enough and got out. If you could’ve you would’ve stayed under the showerhead forever. But sleep was calling your name. 

You quickly got dressed in sweats and a baggy sweater  and headed to your room. Seeing as he had fallen asleep, you proceeded to pass him and head into the kitchen to make yourself a cup of tea. 

As you sat in the darkness with your mug in hand, you thought of how and what you were going to say to him. He was clearly thinking of his co-star as something more. 

He thought you were in bed so he scooted to your spot. Finding it empty, he got up to find you, missing and wanting your body next to his. He made his way down to the living room, seeing it was empty he headed into the kitchen. Due to the pitch black darkness, he didn’t see you, he didn’t even know you were there until he heard you sniffle. 

Quickly he switched the lights on and rushed over to where you sat. 

“Darling, is everything alright?”

No you asshole, nothing is alright. I am not alright.

You didn’t answer him. 

He knelt right in front you, holding your hands in his. A worried expression on his face. 

“Darling?”

“How long? H-how long have you felt that way towards her? I feel like I’m in the way, so I’ll show myself out. I don’t want to get in the way between you two” you spoke as tears endlessly fell, no point in making an effort to wipe them away. 

“W-what, darling, where is this, oh. Oh my God. no, no, please, let me explain?”

“That came off as a question. It’s okay, you don’t have to explain anything. I best be on my way. Go call her and let her know how you really feel about her. Haz can attest for you. I’ll be back later this week to collect my things”

“Please, love, please. Don’t. Don’t walk out, don’t leave me. I need you. Hear me out, please, I’m begging you”

“Please, don’t make this any harder than it already is. You clearly said those things for a reason. I don’t blame you for falling for her, I mean who wouldn’t? I just wished I would’ve known sooner, y’know? Save us all this time and heartbreak. Guess better now than never right? If there was anyone I’d rather see with you other than me, it would be her. So go. Go get her. G’bye Tom”

You muted out his begs and pleads. You grabbed your bag and keys and proceeded to walk out the door, out of his life forever.

[sonder-writes]

I just want to apologise for not updating any of my fics in forever.

The reason being, every time I decide to continue writing one of them, my brain supplies me with an idea for a new fic instead, and then I start getting more into that, oof. So I’ve got like a hundred wips, and it seems that every time I come up with a better idea, I abandon the others. But anyway, hopefully I’ll get back to updating the others, and when I do finish the other wips, y’all can have a steady flow of updates, because I want to completely finish them before I publish any just so you guys don’t have to wait ages for updates once I start publishing them. Plus I rarely plan, so every time I try to write a new chapter, I have to try and think of a whole new idea to get to the main point, which is annoying, but if I’ve got it all finished before publishing, I can make sure all the chapters are interesting and important.

And another thing, I think I’ll be deleting Harriet Snape and the Philosopher’s Stone, unless anyone actually wants me to continue. Honestly, I’m not that interested in it, and I didn’t plan a proper plot either, so I don’t know where it’s going. I was also going to delete Rusted Reputation, but then one person wanted me to continue, so I’m doing that now :3 again, let me know if you want me to continue it, or I’m gonna delete the Harriet Snape thingo.

That’s all, g’bye!

Oh yeah and once again sorry for not updating in ages, I’ll hopefully update a few soon though!

[jungshookz]

*kicks open door* kiNDERGARTEN TEACHER!TAEHYUNG THAT HAS A FAT CRUSH ON THE HOT SINGLE MOM HE SEES WHEN SHE COMES TO PICK UP HER CUTEASS KID

→ pairing: kim taehyung x reader

→ genre: kindergartenteacher!taeHYUNG aka THE FLUFFIEST FLUFF like i don’t think i’ve ever felt so SOFT in my entire life great googly moogly please prepare yourselves 

→ wordcount: 3.3k

(gif isn’t mine!)

“shit shit shit shIt shit” you curse to yourself as you vEEr right into the first parking spot you see

you immediately crank the brake and unbuckle your seatbelt

“i was going to park there, asshole!” you hop out of the car to see an angry looking mother glaring at you from her minivan and you give her a sheepish smile

“i’m sorry!!!! my kid just got off from class and i can’t be late because i need to drive her to ballet and-“ you’re definitely oversharing with this stranger and she obviously doesn’t care because she rolls her eyes and flips you off before zoOming off to find another parking spot

soccer moms are so aggressive

you double check that you have everything with you and you fish your parent lanyard out of your backpack and sling it around your neck quickly as you approach the front doors

you thought that once you became a mother you would instantly become more responsible more organised more matuRe

obviously you were mistAken because you’re still late to almost everything you go to

some things never change!!!!

you hurry your way down the hallway and pick up the pace when you see the swarm of parents standing outside the classroom

as you approach the crowd you get up on your tip-toes to see if emma’s been excused yet

you accidentally bump into a couple and a bit of your coffee splashes onto their shoulders and they turn around and give you a dirty look

“oh, sorry!!!! ….fridays, am i right?” you joke and they both scowl before shuffling to stand somewhere else

oof

tough crowd

none of the parents here like u that much

which is a real shame because you think you make greAt company

you’re just,.,, there’s a big age gap between u and most of the parents here

you’re one of the younger parents in the class

actually you might be the youngest

min yoongi and his wife (you forgot her name whoOps) are pretty young but they’re still a couple years older than you

and side note their daughter is adoraBle

emma is actually friends with hwayoung so you talk to yoongi sometimes

it’s nice to talk to someone who’s around your age

he’s just veRy businessman-y so it’s difficult to joke around with him

but he’s still a nice guy!!

speaking of yoongi and hwayoung

a bright smile makes its way onto your face when you see yoongi nudging hwayoung through the crowd of people before grabbing onto her small hand

“yoongi!” yoongi looks up and he smiles politely

he’s still dressed all spic and span in his suit from work

“ah! good afternoon, y/n. hwayoung, say good afternoon to auntie.” he hums before bending down to zip up her backpack that’s just wiDe open

relatable

“good afternoon, auntie!!” she looks up at you with bright eyes

she’s sO CuTE

“hi, hwayoung-ie!” you bend down and pinch her cheek before reaching into the pocket of your coat and fishing out a little caramel “don’t tell your dad,” you joke and yoongi snorts in response

“thank u!!!!!” she snaTches it immediately and you coo before pinching her cheek again

you get back up onto your feet “you guys on your way home now?”

“mhm. is emma still available for a playdate this sunday?” yoongi swoops hwayoung off her feet and props her up onto his hip and she immediately rests her head against his shoulder

“affirmative, sir.” you salute and yoongi rolls his eyes playfully “i-“

“emma y/l/n?” you perk up when you hear emma’s name being called

“yeah, we’ll see you sunday! have a nice night!” you turn to squeeze your way into the crowd and once you make your way to the front your heart immediately starts going boom-boom because

it’s taehyung

emma’s teacher

kim taehyung is uh

whOo

putting it simply he is a very attractive man and he’s only a couple months older than you so like you’re preTTY sure this is god’s way of telling you it’s meant to be

the only time you’ve really talk to him is during the parent-teacher conference and even theN you can barely get a word in because emma’s a little chatterbox (one time she almost let it slip that ‘mommy dressed extra pretty for you!’ and you were literally about to pounce on your child in the middle of a classroom)

he’s really sweet n nice and when he smiles that boxY grin you can’t help but smile aNd he’s endearingly dorky and super charming aND funny and he’s so good with the kids and OH my god his voice is like..,., silky smooth dark chocolate.,,.,. rich caramel.,, that u want to driZZLE all over your BODY

okay no R-rated thoughts when there are children present don’t be weird

since he’s your kid’s teacher so you’re not sure if that’s even allowed

the whole parents dating teachers thing

anyways

he looks so soft today

he’s wearing a crisp button up with a pair of jeans

he obviously let the kids mess with his hair because he has a little sproUT in his hair

and you’re pretty sure you have a glasses kink because you’ve never felt this way when seeing someone with their glasses sitting on the top of their head

“hi, yeah, that’s me- i mean, that’s not me, but that’s my child- you know what i mean” you blow a strand of hair away from your face before adjusting your backpack with a sheepish grin

woW what the hell was that lol  

taehyung presses his lips together to keep himself from bursting into chuckles

you’re so awkward sometimes but he supposes that’s just part of your charm

he wants to tell you you look real cute in your periwinkle sweater

and it’s endearing how the laces on your converse shoes are undone

no doubt from your frantic running down the hallway (he notices everything)

but of course he has to keep it professional because you are the parent of one of his students it doesn’t matTer that you’re the same age as him and that he’s very very very veRY attracted to you

“hi miss y/l/n.” taehyung smiles kindly before ticking next to your name on the clipboard “emma’ll be ready in a minute! we did finger-painting today so the kids are taking a little longer to wash up. how was your day?” he suddenly remembers the little ponYTAIL in his hair and he yanks the hair tie off quickly

“oh, y’know, the usual. i don’t know why i thought it’d be a good idea to keep studying after four whole years of studying.” you snort before pulling your own hair tie from your ponytail and letting your hair down

“i admire that! education is important.” taehyung hums

your hair looks so soft

it probably smells good too

o god he’s being creepy stop being creepy

“i suppose you’re right. what else happened…uh… had a really good caramel macchiato and a mediocre turkey sandwich for lunch-“  

“mommy!” you snap out of your little trance when emma suddenly ziPs out of the classroom

her little backpack bounces against her back

“hi baby!” you grin and swoOp down to scoop her up into your arms

you smoosh kisses against her chubby cheek while she giggles away before you plop her back down onto the ground

it takes everything within taehyung not to mELT into the ground because even tho he sees you do that basically every day it never fails to turn him into a pile of mush IT’S SO CUTE

“we finger-painted today!” she cheers and holds her paper up for you to look at

“yeah, mr kim was just telling me-“

“that’s me, n that’s you, n that’s mr. kim!” she grins and points to the third figure in the painting and almost immediately bOTH yours and tae’s faces go bright red

you think you might actually be on fire right now (even tho this isn’t the first time this has hAPPENeD) ((ur referring to the time the class made play-doh people and emma made one of you and one of tae and the play-doh versions of you two are holding hands))

“oh! that’s, heh, uh, that’s nice! that’s so good, you did a good job, baby” you clear your throat and your eyes flicker over to taehyung

he tilts his head and offers you a meek smile

“will you put it up on the fridge when we go home?” she asks as you tuck it into her backpack for her before ziPping her bag up

“mhm…” you get back up onto your feet and dust your knees off “say g’bye to mr. kim”

“bye mr. kim!” emma turns around and hugs his legs

her face is like on the same level as his knees so he’s basically kneeing her and are u an awful mother if you kinda laughed at that

“goodbye, sweetheart!” he replies with the same level of enthusiasm as he gets down onto his knees so that he can give her a proper hug and she gives him a sweet lil kiss on the cheek “have a nice weekend, hm?” his eyes flicker up to you and you feel your heart skip a beat 

emma pulls away from him and skips over to you 

“oh, and don’t forget to tie your laces, emma.” taehyung hums as he gets back up onto his feet 

you look down because you remember putting emma in slip-on converse this morning not- 

“he means you, mama.” emma not-so-subtly whispers and you look down at your undone laces before looking back up at taehyung who’s looking very amused at the moment 

there it is again 

that fuzzy feeling in your stuPid heart 

u know what you have to get over it because it’s never going to happen 

you’re an adult 

you can get over it fine 

you’ll be finE 

this is just a silly little crush

“how do you feel about spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner?” you clutch emma’s little hand in yours as you guys make your way down the empty hallway

“yummy! with extra cheese?”

“it wouldn’t be as yummy without the extra cheese… but we obviously have to go to our usual place to get a hot chocolate first…” you’re rambling on and on about hot chocolate but emma isn’t really paying attention

because she has concocted a sneaky plan in that tiny brain of hers

she knows you like mr. kim

and she’s positive mr. kim likes you back

you always get so red around him

and he always gets so red around you

and red is the colour of love

which means that you must love mr. kim and mr. kim must love you

and she’s been trying her hardest to try and get you guys to hold hands or touch butts or whatever it is grown-ups do to prove they love each other

but each time she does something she’s never successful!!!

she tried to tell mr. kim about you dressing extra pretty for him but you smacked a hand over her mouth before she could get it out

she made a play-doh mommy and a play-doh mr. kim and presented them proudly to you and mr. kim and the both of you just laUGHED in hER FACE

do you people think she’s just a SIMPLE F O O L

and she has to admit the painting of you and her and mr. kim is probably one of her weaker moves but it’s better than nothing

and u know what

she just wants you to be happy

because she loves you a lot

and you’re a good mommy

and good mommies deserve to be happy

SO

this next part is all part of her evil plan and she’s positive that this time something will happen

all of her peers (including herself) have their own cubbies in the classroom

emma purposely left her snack box in there so that you’d have a reason to go back

AND she left a little note in there for you and (hopefully) mr. kim to read

emma is your child after all

meaning she’s a very verY clever girl

she just has to wait for the right time.,.,.

and the right time is noW

“mommy, my snack box is still in the classroom!!” emma stops in her tracks and you nod before pointing to the direction of the classroom

“go ahead, go get it”

“but i need to pee.” she squeezes her legs together and makes a face of discomfort “you need to get the snack box, mommy”

“i-“ you look back at the closed door of the classroom “mommy can wait for you to finish peeing and then you can go-“

“no, no, you need to go get it i need to pEE” the next thing you know she’s spRInting towards the washroom and you’re left standing in the middle of the hallway with question marks floating around your head

what in the hickory ham is going on

“gO GET MY SNACK BOX MOMMY” you hear her voice echo from the washroom

“alRIght alright” you snort before turning and heading back to the classroom

you don’t know why you’re suddenly so nervous

you’re retrieving your daughter’s snack box from her super attractive teacher that you definitely have a crush on there’s nothing to be nervous about

hi tae! emma left the ol’ snack box up in here!

whaddup mr. kim! mind if i just pOP right in??

yo Yo yOOoo have u seen a purple box anywhere?? because it belongs to emma and i need it

o god

all of these options are terrible

you need more time to rehearse your lines-

you’re about to reach up to knock on the door when suddenly it swiNgs right open and you stumble back in surprise

“oh shit!” taehyung reaches out and grabs onto your waist before you can fall flat on your aSS and you let out a squeak

in the midst of your almost-fall you’d grabbed onto his bicep and now.,.., he has an arm…, wrapped around your waist.,., while you have one hand on his bicep and one hand curled around the nape of his neck.,,,..,.,

the two of you snap out of your respective trances when you hear a door open down the hallway and you immediately leT GO of each other

also tae was right ur hair does smell really nice

“hi. sorry about that! i was on my way to the washroom and i didn’t know you were outside…” he clears his throat and prays to god he’s not as red as a tomato right now

“no, no! it was my bad, i’m sorry.” you reach up and scratch the back of your neck “i, uh, emma said she left her snack box in here.” you breathe out

“oh, uh, come in! i’ll help you search for it. it’s probably in her cubby. she’s always leaving things in there.” taehyung falls back into his ‘mr. kim’ persona as he leads you towards the cubbies in the back “let’s see… emma… here~” he bends down and you follow suit

oh my go d he even smells good is this aLLOWed

you perk up when you spot emma’s box

“hey, you’re right! here it is-“ you reach in and grab the box but you’re surprise when you notice the piece of paper stuck to the back of it

it’s an A4 piece of paper with a little card stuck to it and a note written in crayon on it

you recognise the card

it’s the business card of that little cafe you take emma to every friday after school

the one that you’re supposed to take her to right noW

‘mommy’s faveriate drink is karomal makkiatoe and mr. kim’s faverieote drink is hot chalklate’

“huh.” both you and tae are kinda just staring at the note

the gears are click-click-clicking away in both your guys’ heads

and then it hits the both of you at the same time

oh.

oh.

taehyung isn’t typically a ballsy guy but like

he’s feeling vEry brave all of a sudden

“can i take you out sometime?” he blurts out and your eyes widen in surprise

oh

well

you certainly weren’t expecting that

the both of you get back up onto your feet and you tuck emma’s box into your backpack

your cheeks flare up and you let out a little chuckle before scratching the back of your neck “i… uh…”

“i mean, don’t feel pressured to say yes just because i’m emma’s teacher!” taehyung stammers “i just, y’know, i don’t want to overstep here but i think you’re a very beautiful woman and-“

“i would love to.” you clear your throat and take your bottom lip in between your teeth “yeah, i would love to. actually, uh- emma and i, we usually go to this cafe every friday - if you’re free right now, maybe you can come and join us?” you rub your slighTLy damp hands on the back of your jeans and taehyung immediately lightS up and nods quickly

“i would love that. yeah, just… just gimme a second to clean up real quick! i’ll meet you and emma outside?”

“great! yeah, totally. she’s just.. she’s peeing right now so i should probably go check and see that she hasn’t flushed herself down the toilet or anything” you joke as you make your way towards the door and tae splits off to head to his desk “i’ll see you outside!”

you shut the door behind you and you have to quickly press yourself against the wall and you nearly bite your bottom lip off to keep yourself from screaming

your heart is going a million miles an hour and there are butterflies just having a raVE in your stomach

as soon as you leave the room taehyung pumps a fiST into the air in victory because Y E S  HE DID IT

“did you find my box?” emma’s sitting outside the washroom as you approach her and you raise a brow before nodding

“mhm.” she gets up and grabs onto your hand before looking back at the classroom door

huh

did her plan not work

she knows she’s not supposed to say bad words but what the h*ck

she really thought her plan would work!!!!

“mr. kim’s joining us for hot chocolate today, by the way. hope you don’t mind.”  you add casually and a cheshire-cat grin takes over emma’s face

the whole time you and emma and tae are at the cafe emma can’t help but feel proud of herself

you and mr. kim are sitting very vEry close to each other in your booth chatting away while she sits opposite of you two quietly nibbling at a scone and taking small sips of her hot chocolate

S U C C E S S has never tasted so good

help me help you make your wishes come tru (aka send me a request)

masterlist

[drennalynspast]

[ Online Relationships ]

Monday, Oct. 07, 2013

I’m going to recap several gaps in my life in which I haven’t focused a particular topic on. Online relationships have transformed me in a way in which I couldn’t have imagined. There are a lot of positive aspects as well as negative aspects to it. I used online relationships as a form of escapism from reality. It granted me immediate feedback, gratification and attention if I was lonely, stressed, and needed someone there.  The art of communicating with written words is something that helped me express myself more in depth and allow myself to be more open to the other online people.

t’s has been noted that my online friendships with people have lasted for several weeks, some several months, and others that lasted a year.  That feeling of greeting someone in the morning with an msn text and then closing an msn text before going to bed was a warm, cozy, reassuring feeling.  When I feel more open to someone, I feel comfortable around them and have some sort of emotional connection with that person.  A lot of my online friends were males. I could easily talk to them.  I will admit, a lot of it had to do with some sort of personal validation and being flattered from the praise and attention I received. 

Some of these friendships at first seemed like platonic friendships. Eventually it got to that point where I felt like I appreciated them more and wished to see them in person. I became jealous when I found out that they eventually got a girlfriend or wife.  At some points, I became confused if they just saw me as a friend or something more than a friend.  

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

Thunder was my first online friend. We randomly became friends through a social networking site that my Indian friends introduced me to [the site].  He added me thinking I was 18+, but I lied about my age, and I was like 16-17 lolol.  He does some sort of computer graphic design or drawing tutorial work. He was kinda disappointed I was young, but we were just friends. Eventually I got older and was shocked he eventually found a wife from his workplace. I had no idea he was seeing anyone. We met each other in person once before he and his wife left to move to California. He and his wife were pleasant to be around. It was a positive meeting experience.  After he moved, we gradually communicated less and less. He divorced his wife. We remain FB friends.

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

I met “J” through my sister. He was an admin on an anime forum. He basically helped give me emotional support through my struggles in freshman year in college while I battled loneliness and adjustment. He eventually found better employment somewhere and married a woman. Our communication dissipated quite a bit. Those phases of friendships come and go.

Being a part of that anime forum lead me to connect with a lot of other online people out there. Everyone was fairly around the same age, young and clueless about life with no obligations. I easily rose to awareness and attention by being sisters with a former moderator.  I posted my picture, and a lot of the male users complimented me and wanted to get to know me more.  One of those people stood out to me as far as being an amusing friend goes. And here I embarked on some sort of journey with Tom. 

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

He was rather notorious on the forums, a bigshot member who posted frequently and was able to instill humor and witty jokes here and there.  I was impressed by his boldness and charisma.  We started out as friends. He became jealous of me when I went through that FWB phase with Dave. Eventually it lead to me being more than friends after a while. I clung to Tom when the whole Dave friendship failed. I just wanted someone to care about me and be there for me emotionally.  I wanted some substance. I wanted to have a boyfriend. I felt like I could be a “good girl” and hold off on sex. I didn't want to be a slutty girl who slept around with a lot of men, so I used this online relationship as some justification for me to force me to be more pure.

 I’ll also note that I was a stupid, naive, dumb girl who fucking webcammed for this guy when I didn’t have a fucking clue what he looked like. I just wanted attention and the shit. I wanted someone to revere in my body and appearance.

It’s always exciting and interesting discovering and talking to new people. You become flattered at the person they seemingly are. You see how amazing and confident they are.  As you get to know them more, you discover the darker side of the person. And that is what happened.

We would have minor arguments here and there that eventually did resolve.  It was an emotional struggle, but sometimes the arguments made us feel closer after the resolution. He had several red flags that I should have paid attention to. He was controlling, he was socially withdrawn from other people, he had no close real friends who he maintained a consistent communication with, he was antisocial in the real world, he also would talk about physical workout regimens but he was always reluctant showing pictures or videos of him.  But somehow despite all that shit, I was somehow convinced otherwise that he is a good and caring person that was genuinely caring about me.  That’s what I wanted right, someone to care about me?  

I had to go through a ton of bullshit with him. I was frustrated about how I was the only one who cammed, and I couldn’t even see or hear shit from his side. He made fucking excuses where he was unable to cam or talk on phone more often.  Typing this entry is also making me feel angry and disgusted as shit.  

It was like a 3 and a half year pseuedo relationship.  We messaged each other online everyday, getting into a routine of “hi, how are you etc”. And then we complain about random stuff to each other. It got to a point where I was all, “hi, when are we going to meet?”  I finally had an apartment, but he had issues with finances, no car, still living with parents.  I felt awkward if I had to drive there to meet him first. I shouldn’t be the one to go there and fucking meet him first anyway.  I already did my part by camming to him the first time. What a bastard.

Anyway, I felt like I was struggling. I told him that we shouldn’t label ourselves as BF/GF anymore. We are just friends. He took it with some difficulty, but agreed. Eventually we phased out the *kiss* in our closing statements at bedtime. Even as just friends, I felt all weird and smothered by him. It was an unfulfilling friendship that didn’t seem to be going anywhere.  I was also talking to an online guy (MMO) dude that I probably wrote an entry in a couple months back.  That MMO guy bailed out on me and didn’t seem interested in maintaining friendship with me.  MMO guy lived in Oklahoma, and I wanted to meet him too. 

Whenever I saw the new pics that Tom finally decided to show me, I was pissed and disappointed. I guess I was lying to myself thinking that he would somehow miraculously drastically change his appearance from the old 2006 photo that he showed me first.  He was sort of slightly overweight and his facial expression was that of apathy, boredness, blankness, no smile.   It was like the way he described himself in words was that of a lie compared to his actual appearance. I was lied to in a way, or deceived, or I just tried to ignore shit in the beginning and have some sort of blind hope it wasn’t true. 

I tried to give him a chance, but I suppose the physical aspect became a point to where it was starting to be more of a turn off.  I also just felt bored of him. There was nothing new in his life. He didn’t seem to have any goals or passion in his life for anything.

So yeah, throughout all this, I’m so fucking sexually frustrated and deprived  a 3 year dry spell.  I hate this idea of being faithful or devoted to someone who would never be there for me in person. There’s always that talk of someday we will meet, just wait, it will happen.  3 years of this talk and still nothing happened. I got that emotional support and attention, but I realized that I needed both- physical and emotional needs met.  It was time to say, G’bye. 

 And that’s when I met Andy in January.Tom was pissed I met Andy and just.. had sex with him on the first date.  It was unexpected and he felt like he was betrayed. But I told him, we aren’t even BF/GF anymore, no need to be worried. Somehow he felt like he had some sort of entitlement. 

I probably could have. Should have? Given him some warning as far as “hey, I’m talking to this guy and am going to go on a date with him”. kind of thing.  I probably treated him like shit. But there wasn’t any obligated rule for me to be devoted or faithful.  I don’t want to be held back. I want to do what I want. In some way, I may have used Andy as far as trying to make a stepping stone to get away from Tom. I needed to cut the strings off and tie off any lose ends. 

Tom and I discussed things further. He eventually understood what I was going through and agreed to give me space. He wanted to still see me. He wanted to still be my friend. I still felt constricted and smothered. I kept him on FB, but I wasn’t going to go on MSN anymore. He made several comments on my FB activity and feeds. I was beginning to get annoyed and pissed off at his slight actions that weren’t trying to be harmful or intimidate me.  He still tried to cling to me sometimes sending a random mail once a couple of months or weeks of self reflection.  Of course I would respond back in some manner. I told him I didn’t want to be angry all the time whenever he tried to post stuff to me. I told him that I was going to remove him from my friends list and block him.  We still have each other’s email if he wishes to contact me randomly.

I wonder if this is all considered running away.  But I feel better about myself. I feel like I can focus on myself in the real present world.  I am more away from being glued to the internet.  I appreciate Tom’s friendship and care about me. I did care about him more too at some point.  I learned several things about myself throughout the whole process. One lesson I learned was to never do online relationships again or even online friendships for that matter too.

There is so much to do and experience in the real world: meet and hang out with local people, go to places and engage in fun activities, eat with people and share stories with people in real time. Seeing their smile, seeing their humorous antics in person, and also feeling their touch in person is something that words on a screen simply cannot replicate.

After having my first boyfriend/real relationship, I felt like those 3 years talking to Tom I was missing out on a lot of things.  Even though I feel shitty about being sucked into that 3 year confusion and mess, it was still a valuable experience. I sometimes look back and imagine the pain and sadness I have inflicted on Tom. I gave him false hope and crushed his hope and anticipation.  At the same time, I need to worry about and focus on myself more.  Sometimes we all need a harsh reality check about life.

[kikicocobell]

Just thinking out loud...

y’know how some people... maybe most people, idk, make different Tumblrs for different fandoms or content or whatever on here? I kind of don’t get it- I mean I do... but in the sense that it makes sense to keep your different content separate from each other... but if you’re trying to juggle different Tumblrs for EVERY SINGLE FANDOM you join and make content for, along with your personal Tumblr(s) (if you have any), wouldn’t that get really tiring having to swap between Tumblrs all the time?

AND NOT TO MENTION STRESSFUL! I mean, lets say you’ve got a Tumblr dedicated to... oh, I dunno- Kingdom Hearts or something and you’ve also got a couple others, say, for an anime you like, maybe you have one for otome games you’re into, and maybe some other game related stuff. and along with all your fandom and interest Tumblrs you have your personal Tumblr where you just like to shitpost and talk about your life. one big anxiety would be that you forget to check what Tumblr you’re on and accidentally post something meant for your personal Tumblr onto one of your other Tumblrs, or the other way around. THAT SEEMS WAY TOO POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE LIKE ME AND ONLY SEEM TO FEEL LIKE WRITING WHEN IT’S REALLY LATE AND YOU’RE TOTALLY EXHAUSTED!

anyway, my crippling anxiety aside, those are just some stupid thoughts... I honestly had no idea where to go with it... so... yeah.

g’bye.

[ambershadowed-moved]

famous last words

Send ‘famous last words’ for my muse to say goodbye to yours | No longer accepting

(I apologize in advance for this, because the first thing that came to my mind was an AU of that first thread of ours where things went wrong,,, because honestly it very easily could have happened if I hadn’t wanted things to go relatively okay dJDKJDJKDKJ)

- - -

“Rapunzel- Rapunzel, I don’t think there’s- there’s anything you can do about this.” Varian was injured. Badly. It had been bound to happen, as many near misses as he’d already had. The boy just kept accidentally triggering the rocks to react to him, and this time he hadn’t been as lucky to get out of the way unharmed.

He hadn’t been impaled. Instead it had more or less grazed him, but it still wasn’t good. At the angle it hit him at, it ripped a gash all the way up his leg, which was now profusely bleeding with no way to easily stop it.

Sitting on the floor, he kept his eyes fixed on Rapunzel and not on the injury or the blood, trying to avoid fainting just from the sight of it. But he was starting to feel like he was going to anyway for a different, scarier reason.

Watching the princess frantically try to help him, even though he knew there was nothing she could do made him feel a little bit sick. It was guilt, he realized, that he’d legitimately thought she didn’t care.

“Please just stop.” He whispered, looking down a bit, and shutting his eyes tight as he briefly caught sight of the brutal injury that had been inflicted on him. Taking a shaky breath, he laid down on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

He was tired. He had been the whole time, honestly- he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually properly slept. But this was different. And it scared him. But he didn’t show it, stubbornly bottling up his fear. Just like everything else.

His gaze traveled back to Rapunzel, and again, he felt sick from guilt. It wasn’t her fault. None of it was. He’d gotten them into the situation they were in. It was his fault he’d been hurt. It was his fault his father was trapped to begin with.

“… Rapunzel?” He said her name, voice quiet and weak. “I’m sorry I got us into this mess. I’m- I’m sorry for all of this.” There was a lot he wanted to say to her, now that he was thinking about. Now that he was letting himself think about it.

Too bad he didn’t have the time to say it all.

“I-I told you I didn’t know how I felt about you… other than- other than still being mad. That… wasn’t a lie. Not- not really. But I can tell you that I-I don’t hate you. And I don’t- I don’t blame you for this.” He motioned vaguely around them.

“I don’t…” He trailed off. It was get harder to speak. He was out of breath, a little bit. He lowered his voice further, and continued. “I don’t blame you for any of it. N-Not anymore. It wasn’t your fault.” He paused, taking a shaky breath.

“… It was mine. I-I’m just.. I’m just sorry I won’t be h-here long enough to fix it. G’bye, princess. Pl- Please don’t blame yourself for this.”

[di-pierro]

A week had passed. One week since an anonymous email sent to E Corp contained a key that decrypted their files, one week and news outlets high and low were already reporting an economic boom the likes of which the world had never seen ~ just in time for the upcoming Christmas season. It had only been one measly fucking week since Dom had her whole life taken away from her. She didn’t have much of one in the first place but at least she had a soul then. Now it was stolen, held tightly in the grasp of the Dark Army. Never to be seen again. 

As the world at large became more optimistic, Dom grew less so. She was a shell of her former self and damn, did she feel like one. At least the crying had stopped. “I’m sorry, Jamie,” despite herself, Dom still tried to perform what she’d lost and laughed into her phone. “You want a what for Christmas?” She listened to him repeat himself as she walked the streets of Chinatown. He spoke loud and clear, as much as a four year old could anyway.

 He wanted a Tyrell Wellick action figure. Of course those existed. Jamie quickly stipulated, before Dom could respond, that the action figure had to be an exclusive and authentic E Corp figure. He wouldn’t settle for anything else. “I... will see what Santa can do.” She didn’t make any promises.

 She didn’t want to buy him a fucking Tyrell Wellick poseable action figure. She didn’t care that it had recorded Swedish catchphrases. If she saw one in the streets, she’d take a lighter to it and burn it like the evil it was. That being said, Dom was definitely going to buy it for little Jamie. This Dark Army gig was what was keeping her family alive. There’d be no point in compromising herself if absolutely no one was benefiting from this. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Dom held the phone, pressed against her shoulder and her ear, opening the front door to the apartment building and entering. “Love you too. G’bye, Jai.” In a swift motion, she hung up and slid her phone in her pocket. Dom made her way up to the fourth floor. She stopped in front of one of the apartment doors, opened her palm and slammed it on the door three times. “Elliott Alderson, open up. It’s ASAC DiPierro.” Yes, the Dark Army had been swift with granting Dom a promotion. All the more money to buy Tyrell Wellick dolls with. Hurray.

“I don’t have all day, Mr. Alderson. I have a habit of kicking in doors when I’m impatient.”

// Dom is knocking on @mrf34r​‘s door!!

[sadboyharwin]

My Good Pure Vault Hunting Boi

Okay okay okay can I just ramble about how much I love about what Borderlands 3 is doing with FL4K, one of their new playable characters?

First of all, FL4K is an example of my favourite trope, the AI-figures-out-how-to-people thing, I love that shit so much but that’s not even the point. FL4K is non-binary, you can see they use they/them pronouns in the official bio.

This is really really important to me. For one, hell, I’m a big fan of Borderlands so seeing representation of someone like me in my favourite game franchise is just fuckin great, honestly.

But also, can anyone think of another non-binary character in this high-profile a release? That excites me all on its own.

And yeah sure they’re a robot, they don’t have a biological sex so some might reckon it’s a bit of a cop-out, but all other robots in the franchise so far have used he/him or she/her! And then there’s this little detail in the recently-released Cosplay Guides that blew me away-

I need that badge, the one on the right. It is both a fucking pun and a goddamn non-binary pride flag!!! Then I realised that’s the thing - they’re using the Emergent AI side of their story as a metaphor for being accepted as unusual and the hesitation or outright refusal some people have to accept non-binary people as just being ordinary people and just, I’m so excited!

This is just, such a big deal for me it really feels like the creative team were trying to support people like me and fuck it’s so so validating to see someone like this in media, let alone a game I was going to end up hyped about anyway

Sorry, I just, I needed to shout about this I’m so in love with this character and we haven’t even been able to see their gameplay yet (like, fuck, we don’t even know who’ll be voicing them) but I’m so happy to see some real, in-your-face non-binary representation and.... yeah, I’m running out of steam but I can’t think of an actual conclusion so, g’bye, be well.