#anyway. I'm done talking now i need to make breakfast before i faint

[nellasbookplanet]

I'm so sorry but I'm going to talk about supernatural in the year of our lord 2023, because I just finished good omens season 2 and the way these shows occupy a very similar space in fandom attitudes is driving me insane.

In so many ways, good omens feels like what supernatural could have been, had they actually committed and not flailed around with like 15 seasons of queerbaiting and the most unintentionally funny ending imaginable. You have the demons and the angels, armageddon, team free will vs god's master plan, years of pining and repression and no personal space and small declarations of love. But good omens does it with genuine vulnerability and comittment, not as bait or comic relief or last minute bury you gays. But, because it’s big and well-known and allows itself time and nuance to get where it’s going, so many people really treated it horribly before the drop of season 2 for not immediatelyand explicitly giving them what they wanted.

Like, after the end of season 1 you could really feel the way spn damaged viewers treated them as the same thing. It’s like people were so prepared to be tricked that they came in highly on guard and defensive. Thing is, this manifested as taking anything other than the most bland, on the nose and immediate gay rep as the creators queerbaiting and trying to worm their way out of committing to 'real' queer rep. Gaiman refuses to confirm your 'they are gay men' headcanons? Clearly him being a coward and not the characters, explicitly, being neither gay nor men. Characters have a very close relationship but no kiss? Clearly queerbaiting and not an affirmation of ace/aro relationships, queerplatonic relationships, or even plain old platonic relationships.

There is so much hurt from years of stereotypes and queerbaiting and bury your gays that any attempt to tell a complex queer story - one where relationships take time, or where they don’t always happen, or where horror or tragedy strikes, become nigh on impossible. It becomes hard to distinguish subtext used to be genuine and subtle and queer-friendly from subtext used to queerbait and make fun, and rather than making the effort to tell them apart and giving stories a chance (and taking the risk of getting hurt) all rep must be distilled into the epitome of 'gay' before it’s accepted as good, because that way you cannot be tricked. Hell, just the way it’s referred to as 'rep' rather than 'characters' is telling.

This is noticeable in the way spn fan spaces talk about Cas, too; he’s always 'the gay angel', never the bisexual angel (despite having had female love interests) or the asexual angel (despite being largely uninterested in sex) or the nonbinary angel (despite not being human and on occassion using female vessels as well as male). Does Meg Masters mean nothing to you. Just. Please allow stories their nuance and their time and their right to not always cater to your ship in the exact way you want (or at all) without declaring them bait. It makes you look very silly when you come crawling back the moment a kiss happens.

[queenshelby]

An Illicit Affair

Part 34: Unable to cope

Pairing: Cillian Murphy (46) x Reader (23)

Warning: Age-Gap, Taboo Relationship, Infidelity

Three weeks later

It was Monday, again, and you woke up to the soft light of dawn. The room was quiet and, just like every other morning, your breakfast was already waiting for you on the bedside table.

Your mother was downstairs, cleaning the kitchen and, every now and then, you could hear the faint sound of her humming to herself as she worked.

You sighed, stretching your muscles as you took in your surroundings before attempting to sit up in order to make your way to the bathroom.

Your wheelchair was waiting for you, right next to the bed. You had started to use it two weeks ago, immediately after you had been discharged from Liverpool Hospital and, whilst you were given crutches as well, using them was still too painful for you. 

"Fuck," you muttered as you carefully maneuvered your body into the chair, trying to avoid hitting any of your stitches, but your emotions got the better of you once again.

You couldn't help but feel frustrated at the limitations your injury had placed on you, at the grueling physical therapy that left you in a constant state of pain and exhaustion. At the fact that you missed out on your career, your dreams and aspirations to become a doctor for now, your life being put on hold.

You took a deep breath, closing your eyes as you tried to compose yourself, to push through the despair that threatened to overwhelm you. But it was no use. The tears came anyway, rolling down your cheeks in quiet, steady streams.

Your body shook with the force of your sobs, but you didn't try to stifle the sound. You let yourself cry, letting out all of the emotions that had been building up inside of you for the past few weeks. It was a release, a moment of raw vulnerability that left you feeling both exhausted and strangely relieved.

"Sweetheart, hang on," your mother said, hearing the sound of your cries from downstairs and rushing up to see you. "What's going on?"

You shook your head, wiping away the tears with the back of your hand. "Nothing. I just...I am fucking sick of this. I don't want to do this anymore," you admitted, your voice trembling as you tried to keep yourself together.

Your mother nodded, a sad expression crossing her features as she took a seat next to you on the bed. "I know it's hard, sweetheart, but you need to be patient," she told you before helping you to the bathroom.

"You have therapy at noon, and you'll feel much better after a shower. Now come on," she reassured you, her voice soothing as she helped you on to the toilet which, in itself, was embarrassing enough for you to dread visiting the bathroom.

You sighed, nodding as you looked down at your hands, still trembling slightly from the force of your emotions.

"I hate this," you muttered quietly, not expecting your mother to hear you, but she did.

"I know you do, sweetheart, but it's going to get better," she reassured you, her voice steady and confident as, after you were done, she helped you into the shower where a small white chair awaited you.

"I am not going to therapy today," you told her, not wanting to endure it anymore.

She raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything further, knowing that you needed time to process everything that had happened over the past few weeks.

"Let me help you wash up first and get you dressed, then we can talk about it," she said, carefully soaping your body while trying to avoid touching any of your wounds.

"There is no need to talk about it mum. I am not going. I mean, what even is the point, huh?" you growled while looking at the large scar covering your abdomen  . "Why did this have to happen to me? I had it all and now, I'm left with this."

Your mother sighed heavily, her gaze briefly flicking down to your belly before meeting your eyes once more. "Y/N, you can still have a good life. There are so many people out there who love and care about you. And yes, it might seem like everything is falling apart right now, but trust me, you will get through this."

You shook your head, your emotions threatening to boil over as you fought the urge to break down in tears again.

You knew that your mother was right, that there were still people who loved and cared about you, but it didn't make the pain of losing your dreams any less acute.

"I know that there are people out there who still care about me, mum. I do. But I also can't deny the fact that I feel like a completely different person now," you whispered softly, the weight of your words heavy on your chest as you tried to put into words the turmoil of emotions that had been plaguing you since the accident.

"You know Cillian called for you yesterday, to see if you were alright," she told you, her voice gentle as she looked at you with a mixture of sadness and hope in her eyes.

You nodded, swallowing hard as you tried to keep yourself from breaking down in tears once more. 

"Are you going to call him back?"  your mother asked carefully as she wrapped a fluffy white towel around your shoulders.

You sighed, leaning against her for support as you tried to gather your thoughts. The mention of Cillian's name brought back a flood of emotions that you had been trying to suppress for the past few weeks. The memories of his touch, his voice, and the way he looked at you - all threatening to overwhelm you with a longing that you weren't sure you were ready to face.

"I don't know," you finally replied, your voice barely more than a whisper as you looked away, unable to meet your mother's gaze and the truth was that, ever since you left the hospital in London, you were ignoring his calls and messages. "He should move on and find someone who isn't broken," you added, the weight of your words heavy in the air between you as you thought about the many interviews and media engagements on TV lately where he did well to pretend that everything was fine. He was promoting his new movie Oppenheimer again just before the upcoming Award Season and Oscars in three months, for which you now knew he received a nomination. 

"Y/N, that is not true. You are not broken," your mother said, and whilst she did not approve of your relationship with Cillian, she couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for you as she saw the pain that lingered in your eyes.

"Then fucking look at me! Look at me, mum!" you demanded, your frustration and anger boiling over as you gestured towards your scarred body with a trembling hand. Tears were streaming down your face as you looked up at your mother, pleading with her to understand the depth of your pain and confusion. You knew that you sounded harsh and unkind, but you couldn't help it. It felt like everything was spiraling out of control, and you couldn't find a way to make sense of it all.

Your mother did just that - she looked at you with a mixture of sadness and understanding while she helped you to get dressed. 

"I see you, Y/N. I see the pain and the struggle that you are going through, but I also see the strength and resilience that lies within you. You have always been a fighter and I have no doubt that you will overcome this," she said, her voice filled with warmth and encouragement as you let yourself fall back into the wheelchair before searching for some valium.  You needed to calm yourself down, to take the edge off of the overwhelming emotions that had taken hold of you.

"Thank you, mum," you whispered softly, taking a deep breath as you tried to push down the anxiety and despair that had settled over you like a shroud.

Your mother nodded, her eyes full of understanding as she leaned down to press a soft kiss to your forehead.

"I'm going to start making lunch now. Do you want anything in particular?" she asked, her voice gentle as she looked down at you with a mixture of love and concern.

"I am not hungry mum. I haven't even eaten my breakfast yet. I will just go back to bed, okay?" you told your mother, feeling utterly dejected. Your voice was small and barely above a whisper, but she heard you clearly.

"You need to eat something, sweetheart. And you need to go to your therapy sessions and treatment sessions. I cannot keep cancelling them for you," your mother said, her tone firm and unyielding, but you shook your head at her suggestions and demands.  "I do not want to go, mum. I am so fucking tired," you replied, your voice heavy with exhaustion and sadness. Your throat felt raw and sore from the force of your earlier sobs, but you refused to let your mother see you break down again. You couldn't bear the thought of her seeing you like that, it felt too vulnerable, too exposing.

You wheeled yourself away from her, back towards the bed and your mother simply sighed before, finally, giving up and heading back downstairs to call your father. She knew you needed space, that the past few weeks had taken a toll on you, but it didn't make her any less worried.

***

"I don't know what to do with her," she told him  later that day after he got home, her voice filled with a mixture of concern and frustration as she looked out at the rain beyond the window.

Your father sighed, his gaze flicking to where you were lying on the couch, your eyes glued to the TV as your fingers traced absentmindedly over the scar on your belly.

"She's been through a lot, love. Give it time," he said gently, but your mother shook her head.

"I know she's been through a lot, but this isn't like her," your mother explained. "She refuses to see the physiotherapist, she refuses to see the psychologist and she is taking too much valium," she continued, her voice tinged with a mix of worry and grief. 

Your father nodded, a frown etching itself onto his face as he watched you from where he stood, your eyes glued to the TV , lost in some drama you've probably watched a million times.

"Have you tried to confront her about it?" he asked, trying to reason with your mother and, of course, she nodded.  "Yes, I have. But she just shuts down and tells me to mind my own business. She has been isolating herself from us and from the rest of the world. She hasn't even had contact with..." your mother began to say, wiping away a rogue tear that had escaped her eye, just as your father interrupted her. 

"Don't you dare say his name in my house," he snapped, his eyes flashing with anger as he looked towards your mother. She recoiled at the intensity of his gaze before she continued. "If it wasn't for this man, she wouldn't be in this situation!" your father growled, his voice low and dangerous as he glared at your mother. "She needs time to heal and figure things out on her own. She doesn't need him complicating matters further," he added before pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, his anger palpable in every line of his body.

Your mother sighed, shaking her head as she looked at him with a mixture of sadness and resignation. "I know, but I actually think that she could benefit from his presence at the moment. He called last night, and it sounded like he's really worried about her, and I am worried too," your mother reasoned, her voice soft and understanding as she looked at your father with a mixture of pleading and hope in her eyes.

Your father sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to calm himself down. He knew that your mother was right - Cillian's presence could be just the thing that you needed. But something in him rebelled at the thought of it.

He had always been the overprotective father, and the thought of his little girl getting tangled up in a rather messy relationship with a man who was even older than him, made his gut twist in a way he couldn't quite explain.

"Fine," he finally conceded, nodding his head in agreement before looking at your mother. "Call him and ask him to come up to Liverpool for a week. Maybe he can get through to her and make her take her treatments seriously," he told your mother, his jaw set firmly in determination as he looked at her. "But there is no fucking way this man is staying here over night. He needs to organize himself some accommodation in town," your father added, his voice firm and unwavering.

"We do have a guestroom, you know," your mother countered, her eyebrows raised in a challenge. "It would be good for him to be here when she has a breakdown again. Maybe it will help," your mother replied gently, knowing that she was pushing the limits of her husband's patience. She had seen the way Cillian looked at you in hospital, and she knew that he cared for you deeply. 

Your father sighed, his gaze flicking towards the couch where you were still lying in silence.

"Fine," he relented, his voice filled with a mixture of reluctance and resignation. "He can stay in the guestroom," he confirmed and your mother nodded, relief flooding her features as she moved towards your father and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thank you. I know it's not ideal, and that it goes against every protective instinct you have as a father and a man of faith, but I truly believe this is what she needs right now," your mother told him before, without your knowledge, making the call. 

Tags:

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[eddiemuns0nl0ver]

Chapter Two: Don't Let Go

Steve x Wheeler 

Emma Wheeler is Nancy's fraternal Twin. 

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Her name was Eleven. Like the number, at least, that's all she gave us. Her hair was shaven off and she jumped at everything, but it doesn't help that the party was scaring her. "Alright, you three out right now." I said, looking at Mike, Lucas and Dustin.

"What, why?" Mike whined. I gave him a look of disbelief, pointing my finger at the door. As soon as they leave I gently sit next to her, making sure to keep space between us. 

"Hey" I say softly. "Whats your name?". She points to her wrist. "Eleven?". She nods her head. "I really like that name, its very unique." I said with a smile.

"U-unique?" El asks quietly.

"Yeah, like one of a kind" She smiles at me and scoots closer to me.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

"Do a lot of studying last night Nance?" Mike questions her with a smirk. I look over at him and smile.

"Actually, I did"

"What was your test on again? Human anatomy?" I snort after hearing Mike say that. Nancy glares right at the both of us.

"Hey, whats going on?" My mom asks.

"Nothing mom, Mikes being a pain" Nancy smiles sweetly at her while I gag.

"Whats your problem Emma?" She looks at me concerningly.

"I think I'm getting sick. Do you mind if I go down to the basement so I don't give you guys whatever I have?"

"Yeah thats fine, I'll let the school know that you won't be there today"

"Its okay, I can still go, I just want to lay down a little more" I smile at my mom as I get up and head to the basement. Once I'm down there I see El looking at Mikes super-comm.

"You found Mikes super-comm, pretty cool, right?" I see El nod her head. "Mike mainly talks to Lucas on it because Dustin and Will live farther away. Anyway, I got you some breakfast" She looks at the plate and then back at me. I hear a faint thank you as she takes the plate from me. "Listen, I have to go to school so you're gonna be by yourself for a little bit but you have all of the basement, my room, and Mike's room to explore if you want, and if Mike says something stupid about our mom seeing you, don't listen to him because I already know that your in trouble. I can see it in your eyes".

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

As I walk to my locker I feel a presents by me. I look over and see Nancy. "what did you want to talk about last night?" 

"What?" completely forgetting about trying to apologize to her and finally trying to move on from Steve. 

"Last night you went to my room when Steve was over and then you just kinda left before I could ask you what you needed"

"oh, it was nothing, I just ended up asking Mike" I lied.

"I miss our relationship Emma, what happened to us?" she asks with a frown.

"Don't act like you don't know Nancy, you stabbed me in the back and then got mad at me when I voiced my opinion on it" I ended up stopping my pace, looking her right in her eyes. 

"And you should be happy for me!" She yells.

"I'm not having this conversation in school, you can speak to me when your done being immature" I say before storming off. I accidentally bump into Steve and sent him falling to the floor and me dropping all my books on the ground. He quickly jumps up and helps me with collecting my books.

"Are you okay?" he asks. It seemed as if time had stopped for a second, his eyes met mine and everything was perfect, until it wasn't. Nancy quickly got the books from Steve and gave them to me. 

"yeah I got to go" I stutter as I rush away, trying to find Jonathan.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

"A molecule that can-" Barb is in the middle of helping Nancy study when Steve grabs them from her hands.

"I don't know, I think you've studied enough, Nance" Steve says, stopping right next to me at my locker. "Don't worry. Now, on to more important matters. My dad has left town on a conference and my mom's gone with him, - 'cause, you know, she doesn't trust him."

"Good call" Tommy interjects and I roll my eyes.

"So are you in"

"For what?" Nancy asks cluelessly.

"He's throwing a party dumbass" I say.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Carol says.

"But its tuesday!" Nancy states.

"Oh no! its tuesday! oh, my God. Come on" Carol says laughing.

"It'll be super lowkey, it's just gonna be us" Steve responds with. "And Emma, you can come" He turns to me when he says it and I look at Nancy glaring at me.

˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

"Something wrong with the meatloaf?" My mom asks, frowning.

"Oh, no, I had two bologna sandwiches for lunch. I don't know why." Dustin lies to her. I give him a look after spotting Eleven.

"Its delicious mom" I tell her.

"Thank you sweetie"

"So, theres this special assembly thing for Will tonight at the school field. Barbs driving" I roll my eyes at Nancy.

"Why am I just hearing about this?" My mom asks her

"I thought you knew" she says back.

"I told you, I don't want you out after dark until Will is found"

"I know, but it's weird of I don't go because of Emma and Mike, I mean Emma is going as well".

"I am?" I ask.

"Yeah, we talked about this earlier".

"Why don't you bring the boys as well"

"No!" they all yell as a put food in my mouth.

"Don't you think you should be there, for Will?" Mom asks right before Dustin slams his hand on the table.

"Sorry, spasm" he mutters. I look at him with a small smile.

"I've been with them mom, and they don't act like they're ready to have it all sink in yet" I tell her with a slight frown to try to get my point across.

"okay, just be back before ten then". my mom says.

​

[lunar-writes-things]

11) Eggs & Beacon

CW// BLOOD, DEATH, RESPAWN MECHANICS (Near the end)

Y/n woke up in Impulse's arms in their base. 

To be honest, they had no recollection of what had happened within the last 24 hours other than Pearl waking them up and grian offering a space where they could build a townhouse but that was it. 

"What the-" Y/n was cut off by Impulse's groan and him hugging them closer 

"Go back to sleep," He whined and Y/n couldn't help but swoon. His voice was husky and deep and he held Y/n as if his life depended on it. 

"Mhmm, no can do Puddin' We have work to do," Y/n murmured yet still laid back down and buried their face in his chest. A faint spicy spell of redstone lingered on him and the beginnings of the sweet smell of candy. 

"Nooo," he whined a smile etching on his face and Y/n playfully pushed him away with a laugh before sitting up and swinging their legs over the edge of the bed 

"Come on," They smiled and when they turned to look at Impulse, Y/n had learned he was already staring with a look in his eyes that made Y/n want to blush and hide "Get dressed, you have to work on that factory." 

"You don't like laying on my bare skin?" He teased and laughed when Y/n threw his shirt at him before he tugged it on "Anyways, I'm gonna take a shower. Will you be okay?" 

"I should be fine, but will you remind me how we got into this position?" Y/n asked, "I remember nothing from the time I got back from Grian's." 

"Mhmm, You were doing laundry for hermits when you caught me watching you. You came over, we talked and I offered to help you. You agreed and I ended up sleeping over after we finished." Impulse explained, "I can stay a little longer and make breakfast if you're not feeling well." 

"No, I'm fine. You sleep shirtless because you feel like it'll choke you in your sleep right?" Impulse nodded and Y/n sighed "Right, sorry it's been a bit since we've had a sleepover." 

"Don't worry. And hey, take it easy today, yesterday was one heck of a time for you Y/n." Impulse said and took her hand to give it a squeeze 

"Will, do." Y/n smiled and squeezed back "I do have to do something big but other than that I'm just gonna go material digging." 

"Be safe, Y/n," He smiled and left the tiny house and Y/n turned to her kitchen to make themselves some breakfast, eggs. 

After they ate, Y/n took a shower and got dressed and ready for the day. When they were done, Y/n grabbed some supplies while checking off a mental checklist. 

-Rockets. Check

-a spare bed to respawn. check

-their sword. Check

-some golden carrots. Check

-wither skulls. Check

-soul sand. Check

-their armor. Check

You know, stuff to kill the wither. 

Okay, so maybe they told Impulse they would take it easy today but Y/n had this planned out for a while now and there was no stopping them once they had something planned. As Y/n walked to open the door a knock echoed from the other side

"Y/n?" The voice asked 

"Scar?" Y/n asked and swung the door open to find the man standing there and grinning with that adorable goofy smile Y/n loved "Hi! What can I do for you?" 

"I was wondering if you'd wanna fight a wither together?" Scar asked sheepishly "I tend to die a lot and I figured it would be nice to have some backup." 

"Yeah!" Y/n smiled and walked out "I was actually just about to do that. I need a beacon for my build, a few actually for what I want to do but those can wait." 

"Oh!" Scar grinned "Well do you have a place in mind or-" 

"I do actually," Y/n smiled "I know Grian and you had a place but I scouted out this place a while back." 

"Alright what do you have in mind?" Scar asked 

A few hours later, Y/n and scar were on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean. There was a quiet wind brushing their hair in their face when facing the wrong direction but the setting sun gave them a golden shine. 

"We can set up here." Y/n smiled and swam under the water to create an air bubble to place a bed and a safe place to respawn 

Meanwhile, Scar set up the soul sand, molding the ghostly sand underneath his palms in the familiar shape that will allow the wither skulls to be placed perfectly to summon the deadly mob. After he put two of the heads he put the last one aside for Y/n to place while he got ready and put on all his armor and got his weapons. 

"Ready Scar?" Said man jumped when his name was called while he was tightening the straps of his chestplate and he watched Y/n come out of the water, helmet glowing with the aqua affinity enchantment and their boots lighting up with depth strider as they came out from the water "Don't forget to set your spawn, just in case." 

"Alright! give me a quick second to finish up." He mumbled and struggled with the last strap, even moving his hair to get it

"Here," Scar felt a shiver go down his spine as fingers that weren't his brushed against his spine to tighten the last strap "Is that okay?" 

Y/n's murmured as if they talked to loud then they would hut him, but scar could care less as their breath hit the nape of his exposed neck. He felt his muscles tense as Y/n's fingers gently dragged down the sides where his armor didn't touch. 

"Scar?" They asked 

"yeah-" He squeaked out before clearing his throat "Yeah- yeah that's- yeah thats fine. I'm good." 

Y/n then nodded and moved to grab the last skull from off the ground to place on the middle of the soul sand. With nimble fingers, Y/n placed the last skull and quickly braced themselves for the explosion of life that the wither gives off. 

and oh, did that wither blow Y/n into Scar's chest, who had luckily also braced himself with his sword behind him. 

And soon their match started, scar shooting arrows at the flaming bones that floated and moved while Y/n took to the skies, getting as close as possible to hit the wither without getting hit themselves. The first fight was easy, the two of them easily dodging and weaving with minimal damage. 

the second wither, however, scar had gotten hit by a skull. His skin immediately absorbed the hit and the wither affect that came with it and took him from full health to one more heart according to his comms. 

"I have to regen!" Scar called out and grabbed some golden carrots from out of his inventory satchel "Will you be okay?" 

"I'll be fine!" Y/n smiled back at him and the setting sun made a halo around their body that Scar immediately regretted looking into because now he had the sun in his eyes

Scar crawled his way to the beach shore, where the water was lapping at the sand. His beautiful suit was now torn, bloody, and wet from the beaches of the island and from him being hit in the face with a wither skull that started to decay his skin and face. 

as he regenerated he tried to help keep the speeding flaming skulls away by shooting arrows but to no avail. He was too far away. And he watched as Y/n fought the beast. 

"You go down just like Holy Mary, Y/n! Y/n!" Scar watched as the angel known as Y/n fought the wither for him, their hair whipping in the wind and the absolute power that radiated off of them made Scar want to bow down at their feet despite them looking to be on their last legs and about to fall to the ground "Your beauty never ever scared me! Y/n! Y/N!"

His last cry was panicked as Y/n was hit one last time and Y/n began falling to the ground. He scrambled to catch them in time and when he did, they were practically dust already and his comm pinged

<Y/n'sHarmony> withered away

"NOOOO!" Scar screamed as Y/n's corpse dusted away into nothing and their armor fell with a large clang and their inventory satchel exploded into nothingness

"I'm right here!" Y/n smiled, albeit forced, and picked their things and stuffed it into their inventory "You big baby, Come on, it has a few hits left!" 

Y/n charged into battle and Scar fumbled around for a healing potion and took a swig of it, immediately healing up and getting to his feet and charging the stupid thing with arrows. He had no idea how Y/n wasn't in excruciating pain right now, wither deaths hurt a lot when people respawn. Deaths in general hurt when people respawn. It was one of the many reasons people tried to avoid them. 

Y/n had gotten the final blow and the second nether star erupted from the charred bones. Scar caught it and gave it to them, cradling the shiny rock before gently handing it to Y/n who, like the other star, wrapped it in spare leather and tied it with string to protect it from anything that may crack it in their inventory satchel. 

"Thanks for your help Scar," Y/n smiled at him before they crumpled to the ground with a yelp 

"Are you okay?!" Scar asked, frantic 

"Mmhm- Just- Just tired." Y/n grimaced "Holy crap, Those hurt like a-" 

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?" a voice screeched 

"Whoops!"

Masterlist

[thatblackravenclaw]

Weak in the Knees

Masterlist

A/N: I'm so sorry y'all that I'm posting this later than usual. I was cleaning up my side of the dorm when my Keurig fell and bent back my finger, spraining it. Anyway, enjoy!

Sirius Black x house-neutral reader (kind of implied non-Gryffindor, but it could be, so I'll stick with house neutral)

word count: 1.4k

song: Weak -SWV

warning(s): cursing, pining, talk of sex but no smut, kissing, kind of proofread

I don’t know what it is that you’ve done to me

But it’s caused me to act in such a crazy way

“You don’t seriously have a crush on Sirius Black do you?” Chiara asks me.

“I wish I could tell you no. I don’t know what it is, but whatever it is that he doing to me, it’s a feeling that I want to stay.

“Okay, we have to go to class, but keep talking.” She says to me.

We start walking down the stairs towards The Great Hall. Walking around people while also trying not to alert the whole school about my crush.

“We were just hanging out in The Courtyard, and he puts his arm around me. It wasn’t in a romantic way or anything. I don’t think so anyway. I said some lame joke and he laughed. His laugh is so perfect. Have you ever noticed how great his laugh sounds?”

As soon as we make it to The Great Hall, I’m able to point him out almost instantly.

‘Cause my heart starts beating triple time

With thoughts of loving you on my mind

Chiara and I walk over to our table. I try not to look at him, but he’s just so.. so him. When we sat down I accidentally looked up and found him already looking at me. He waves and I feel my heart skip a beat. I smile and wave back.

“Looks like he feels the same way.” Chiara says suggestively.

“Oh stop it and eat your toast.”

After the little thing at breakfast I went through my day as usual, class after class. Boring stuff. I usually hang out with Sirius and his friends after classes are through since we get out around the same time, but I couldn’t really handle seeing him today. I knew once I saw him again I would go completely weak in the knees.

As I’m walking back to my house I start to wonder what it would be like to date him. How his lips would feel on mine. I bet they’re soft. I haven’t heard anyone complain about his kissing abilities yet. Literally everybody brags about how good of a kisser he is. Would he walk me to class? That seems like something he’d do, right?

My heart is beating so fast. I need a distraction before I go into cardiac arrest. Can you imagine me having to explain to Madam Pomfrey that I almost died because I was thinking about Sirius Black?

I get so weak in the knees

I can hardly speak

I lose all control and something takes over me

“l/n! where you off too? Thought we were hanging out?”

Damn.

“Hey Siri! We are. I just wanted to put my books in my room first. They seem heavier than usual today.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that love. I got it.” And then he holds my freaking bag.

He puts his arm around me and then we continue walking outside with his friends. We sit down in front of the fountain which I’m thankful for because the only reason I didn’t practically faint was because I was anchored to him. When he had wrapped his arm around me we interlocked fingers ensuring that I don’t move away from his grip.

I didn’t really hear anything they were saying due to still trying to calm my heart rate down. I would still nod my head or something to have some input but talking was not going to happen. I couldn’t even breathe so I did not trust my speaking abilities at all.

I have to get out of here.

“Hey, guys, I have some homework to do, so I’ll see you later at dinner.”

When I got up I kind of blanked out. I kissed him on the cheek, grabbed my bag, and walked back inside. Why the fuck did I do that? How do I talk to him after that? We don’t just go around kissing each other like that. We’re just friends. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Sirius POV:

She kissed me. Does that mean she likes me? Was it just a friendly kiss? Should I start kissing her on the cheek now?

“Pads! Earth to Pads! Are you gonna tell us what’s going on between you and y/n/n?” I hear Peter ask me.

“Nope.” I say with a shrug.

Knowing damn well that I don’t even know what going on between me and her.

Time after time, after time I try to fight it

But your love is strong, it keeps on holding on

I don’t know if kissing him was the best idea I’ve ever had or the worst, but he has been hanging around me a lot more often now. I know it’s just him being friendly, but sometimes I like to pretend it’s more. I keep trying to fight off my feelings, but it’s really hard when he’s always around. We have Herbology together and guess where he’s at? Right next to me. Every time we have that class. Whenever we’re not doing anything hands on, he holds my hand. I don’t mind.

When all of our classes end, right on dot, I see only Sirius and James.

I try hard to fight it

No way can I deny it

Your love so sweet

Knocks me off my feet

“Hey love, I forgot to tell you that we have practice today, but I was wondering, if you have time, do you mind watching?”

Don’t seem too available. Just lie and say you have something to do.

“Sure. I don’t mind.” I say with a grin.

Stupid.

Once we get to the field he kisses me on the forehead and runs off into the changing room with his teammates. Now that HAD to be more than a friend behavior. Since when do genius, rich, playboy, philanthropist kiss girls on the foreheads when they only see them as a friend? Let me go sit on the stands. I’ll read a book or something until they fly out.

James flies out first which indicated that Sirius wasn’t far behind because wherever James went Sirius followed.

Once Sirius flies out I notice that he seems to be looking for something in the stands. We make eye contact, and he smiles and winks at me. I’m so glad Chiara isn’t here because she would’ve made a whole big deal out of it.

“Bitch!”

I spoke too soon.

““Nothing is going on between me and Sirius” My ass!”

“Hey Chiara.”

“Don’t try to change the subject.”

“What are you doing out here anyway? You don’t even like quidditch!”

“Yes, but you like Sirius and Sirius has practice right now, so I figured wherever he was I would find you.”

“You still haven’t answered why you’re out here.”

“Oh, right. We can’t go back to our dorm until dinner.”

“Why?”

“Because our roommates are fucking.”

“Finally?”

“Yup.”

We end up talking for half of practice. I would every so often look over at the hoops to watch Sirius. Chiara ended up leaving halfway through practice and going to flirt with some chaser from one of the other houses. I don’t know I wasn’t paying attention to be honest.

Practice wrapped up about an hour and a half later. I paid attention the whole time. Not so I can go tell their little team secrets to my house, but genuinely because their practices were so interesting. Especially since it was mostly just Sirius and James fucking around.

“How was the show?” Sirius asks while flying in front of me.

“Actually it was quite boring.”

“I’m so sorry miss. Can I make it up to you?”

“You can try.” I say while smirking.

“Meet me outside the changing room.”

I just nod my head and start walking down while he flies to the changing room. Once I get down the stands I make my way over to the tent. It takes him about five minutes to change out of his quidditch gear and meet me outside.

There go the heart palpitations.

“Hey there lovely.”

“Hello. So, how are you planning to make it up to me?”

Before I know it he leaned in and kissed me. I return it after about two seconds before we pull apart. We only pull apart about an inch so he can rest his forehead against mine.

“Was that making it up to me?”

“No. I’m making it up to you by taking you to Hogsmeade this weekend.”

[becca-e-barnes]

hi lovely, I wanted to make a request about a sensitive topic, so it's ok if you decide not to.

But if you decide to do it, Zemo x Reader where she has been sexually abused and he comforts her, because I just need him to tell me that it was not my fault.

I sometimes remember the moment it happened and it makes me really sad and guilty. I'm really sorry if this request triggers you. Thank you in advance🖤

Honey omg, can I start off by saying whatever happened was absolutely not your fault. I woke up at 5am and saw this request and I just couldn’t get back to sleep until I had started writing it. I was in a similar situation a few years ago so this is really based off my experience and how I found I dealt with it. While it still upsets me sometimes I’ve found I don’t think about it as often as I used to so it does get better, I promise. I actually found this quite cathartic to write since it’s something I don’t talk about much. If you ever want a little chat, please don’t be scared to shoot me a message! Hope you’re doing okay 💗

Pairing: Helmut Zemo x GN! Reader

(Again, the fact this is gender neutral was a happy accident but I wanted it to be applicable to anyone that might find some comfort in it)

Word count: 1.5 k

Summary: You have a bad night and Zemo comforts you (list of international resources at the end.)

Warnings: TW: Sexual Assault mention, please don’t read this if those themes will upset you. There are no graphic descriptions, this is more just the reader dealing with the aftermath. Hurt/ comfort, quite dark, angst, Zemo does his best but everyone heals differently, fluff.

You weren’t quite sure how it had happened but it had become one of those nights where reality had become a little too heavy to handle. You had went to bed feeling fine but woke in the early hours, head swimming with the recollection of everything that had happened. All of a sudden, sleep was the last thing on your mind, your body jarred awake by the painful memories and the sickly feeling that always accompanied them. Rather than spend the night tossing and turning in bed beside your boyfriend, you got up, hauling your sleep deprived frame from the warmth of your bed, heading to the little snug at the end of the hall. Grounding yourself wasn’t easy when you felt like this, but you had to take the time to notice the little things or risk losing yourself in the past altogether. You let yourself notice the little breeze that came in through the window down your hall, the smooth feeling of the wooden bannister under your fingertips and the cold that travelled up your bare legs as your feet padded softly across the wooden floor. Your pyjama shorts tickled the tops of your thighs as you walked the short distance before you gently pushed the heavy wooden door, admiring how it manoeuvred silently under your touch, despite it’s weight. None of these things were particularly special, often lost in the monotony of day to day life but during these early mornings where the past felt all too real, they were little blessings, reminders of the present.

Closing the door behind you quietly, you made your way over to the little cushioned window ledge. It had been extended so it was easily large enough to sit on, giving you a vantage point to look out the topmost window of the house, completely unobstructed. You settled into the familiar spot, legs crossed in front of you. From here you could see everything that went on in the grounds of Helmut’s massive estate. You could see the little stream running down beside your house, often your favourite point of focus as it was ever changing and therefore, distracting. Huge birds swooped and dived at the lake, hoping to procure some breakfast for themselves and their young, some flying off triumphantly with a tasty fish while others left with nothing, frustrated by the difficulties of hunting. Apart from the running water and their squawks, there were no other sounds to disturb the early morning air.

The birds were an adequate distraction for around an hour before you began to lose interest, feeling your mind wander once more in a direction you didn’t want it to take. That pang of guilt hit you deep in the chest as you began to feel like your body was tainted in some way. Horrible memories flooded your head, memories of roaming hands and that feeling of being painfully helpless, your chest feeling like it might collapse under the weight of those memories. You had no more tears left to cry when you thought about what had happened, while it still hurt as intensely as it did, the memories weren’t often accompanied by tears anymore, rather a guilty ache in your chest that threatened to consume you and you honestly weren’t sure which was worse. A good cry used to get it all out, give you the opportunity to start fresh and you often felt all the better for it when you were done but the ache was harder to manage. You hated how this was now something you had to live with, knowing that someone else’s actions had such a huge reign over your life.

You were so lost in thought, you hadn’t even noticed Helmut slipping in behind you until you heard the faint click of the heavy wooden door.

“Bad night my love?” He asked softly, his voice barely disturbing the calm, his accent noticeably thicker after he had just woken up. He was still in a little thin pair of cotton pyjamas, hair messy and tousled from sleep. You could only nod in response, noticing how his lips pressed together so he didn’t voice his anger about the person that had done this to you. He didn’t want the focus of this to be on them and their selfish actions, that wasn’t helpful but it didn’t stop his blood boiling in his veins. Dealing with this was often as hard for him as it was for you, seeing the only person he loved so dearly feel the way you did, knowing you were hurting and he wasn’t able to take the pain away sometimes brought him to a very dark place.

“May I touch you?” He whispered quietly, knowing that sometimes having that contact could be worse for you.

“Please.” You nodded simply, feeling his body slot in behind yours. His legs bracketed yours, arms wrapped around your waist and his head buried in the crook of your neck as you both went back to watching the birds silently. His heart beating in his chest was comforting against you, the rise and fall of his breathing giving you something else to focus on.

“This is not your cross to bear alone, my dove.” He whispered, thumbs rubbing at the exposed skin of your waist where your pyjama top had ridden up slightly.

“I know I just… Didn’t want to wake you.” You replied, equally softly.

“How many times must I tell you sweetheart, I want you to wake me. Let me be there for you.” He pleaded, pressing little kisses to your shoulders, hoping to rid your arms of the goosebumps that had begun to form. He was not mad, not at you anyway, understanding that sometimes you just needed the time alone to come to terms with things but if you needed him, he wanted to be there. There was a heavy pause that hung in the air after that, both of you slightly weighed down by the gravity of the emotions this can inflict on you as a couple.

“Can I talk about it?” You asked softly. It wasn’t something you did very often, preferring not to burden Helmut too much with the details. He had heard it all before so nothing would surprise him but you were still conscious that it hurt him to hear what had happened.

“Of course.” He answered, gentle chaste kisses to your shoulders reminding you that this was entirely on your terms. He did not press you to talk further when you had said enough, he also didn’t let his own pain at the situation take away from yours, knowing if you needed to talk about it, he had to be there to listen. You took a deep breath, taking one of his hands in yours, clasping them together.

“I just feel… Tainted? I feel guilty. Feel like I could’ve done more to stop it.” You knew you couldn’t have done more but there was always a nagging sense of ‘what if’. Helmut nodded from behind you, giving your hand a little squeeze, waiting to see if you wanted to continue. “Feel like it’s my fault. And now I have to deal with it. But you don’t have to.” You explained quietly, ache in your chest growing to sharp pain.

“You are not tainted my love. Nor was it your fault. You could not have done more to prevent it and even if you could, that is not the point. You shouldn’t have had to do more. One ‘no’ should have been enough.” It killed him to know you thought like this about yourself. He didn’t see you like that at all. Your body wasn’t tainted from what had happened, it didn’t make him want you less. It made him admire your strength and courage, seeing how you got up every morning and took care of the body you blamed. “Your blame is misplaced my love. The blame is not yours to carry. You have done no wrong.” His words made warmth flourish in your chest, hearing him listen to you and truly understand meant more to you than he would ever know.

“Thank you Helmut.” You whispered, tears brimming in your eyes, spilling over your cheeks but not from sadness, more from the unconditional love Helmut afforded you, the time he took to make you be gentler to your body again making you feel more loved than you could’ve imagined possible.

“Not at all, my sweet.” He whispered, gripping you just a little tighter. He loved you, every single part of you. To him, you were perfect and nothing would change that. He just wanted to help you through your pain and absolve you of it, hoping some day you could see yourself how he saw you.

A/N: I’m going to drop this link here just in case it’s needed, this was the most comprehensive resource I could find. If you need it, please do use it. 💗

https://osapr.harvard.edu/international-resources-0

[loki--fics]

All For You - Part 2

Loki x Reader

Content Warnings: abuse mentions, violence, strong language

Word Count: 2,294

~

     Loki had only been partially right the night before - you did have a slight headache when you woke, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he had made it seem like it would be. It's nothing a couple of aspirin can't cure, You thought as you rubbed the sleep from your eyes.

     "Well look who finally decided to get up." Your head snapped to the side, your fiancé's voice startling you. "Did you have fun?"

     You sighed. "What are you on about now?"

     "As if you don't know," He scoffed. "Bringing that God back to our room, flirting with him, kissing him."

     "For fuck's sake, Ben, he kissed my cheek," You retorted. "I'd had a bit too much to drink so he walked me back to our room."

     Ben was visibly seething. "Is he better than me? Is that it? Are you going to leave me for him now?"

     "God, what is wrong with you?" You snapped. "I only just met him last night!"

     "What's wrong with me?" Ben shouted, grabbing you by the arm and yanking you off the bed. "I'm not the one behaving like some depraved whore! That's all you, Y/N!"

     You rolled your eyes. "Oh, yeah, because you eye-fucking Nat last night totally wasn't worse than a kiss on the cheek."

     The force behind the resounding crack that followed was enough to knock you to the floor. Your eyes watered as you held a hand to your burning cheek, the sour taste of iron filling your mouth as your head spun trying to process what just happened.

     Touching a finger to your lip, it came away bloody, and you looked up at your fiancé in shock. "Did you just hit me?" 

     Immediately, Ben's face softened as he dropped to his knees in front of you. "Baby, I am so sorry, I- I didn't mean to!" He kissed your forehead and pet your hair. "You know I didn't mean to do that, right? I just… You made me so angry, it wasn't my fault! I- All I could picture was Loki kissing you, and-"

     "Ben, stop," You said, too in shock to cry. "Stop it."

     "And then you said I was eye-fucking Nat, when you know I wasn't, right baby?" He continued. "You were just being jealous, and maybe you aren't as hot as she is but if I wanted her then I wouldn't be with you, okay? I love you."

     You looked at him in disbelief. "Maybe I'm not as hot as she is, Ben?" You asked coldly.

     "Baby, come on, don't be like that," He scoffed. "It's okay, I'm not going to go after her, I love you."

     Shaking your head, you scooted away. "You love me?" 

     His eyes welled up with tears. "Don't make me beg, please? I love you, Y/N. I didn't mean it, I promise. You know I wouldn't have done that if you hadn't made me so angry, don't you?"

     Your resolve broke at the sight of Ben crying, and you placed a hand to his cheek. "Please don't cry," You said softly.

     "Let's just forget this ever happened, okay?" He said. "Don't tell anybody, then they'll think I'm an awful person and they'll try to make you leave me, and you don't want that, do you?"

     "No," You sighed. "I know you didn't mean to, Ben. I'm sorry I made you so angry, it won't happen again."

     He smiled, kissing you roughly. "I know baby. We're leaving today anyway, so let's just get packed up, and-"

     "I'm going to take a shower," You interrupted. "Then I'll help pack, okay?" Ben nodded as you stood, and started to follow you to the bathroom until you turned around. "Alone, please."

     His smile faltered, but he nodded. "Okay, I'll just pack it all up myself then, I guess." 

     "Ben, I'll help when I get out-"

     "No, just go enjoy your shower alone," He said harshly before turning around and throwing your things into suitcases. You let out a sigh and walked into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind you. 

     Walking over to the mirror, you inspected your cheek. There was a very prominent angry red handprint, already starting to bruise, and blood was dripping from your split lip. You felt tears burn behind your eyes as you started the shower, undressing slowly before stepping in. You noticed bruises on your wrist and arm beginning to form as well, and it was like the floodgates had burst open as tears poured from your eyes.

     You sat on your knees on the floor of the tub, hunched over as you tried to sob as quietly as possible. You didn't bother with actually washing yourself, you just sat there and cried until you had no tears left and the water went cold.

     Turning off the water, you wrapped your body in a towel and grabbed a second one to dry your hair, ignoring the pain in your wrist as you did so. The bruise on your cheek would be easy to hide with makeup, and you could cover the bruises on your arm with long sleeves, but your split lip was another thing entirely.

     I'll have to come up with a story to explain that, You thought as you went about your routine. You splashed some cold water on your face, hoping to get rid of the puffiness of your eyes, and then brushed your teeth (and in doing so, reopened the cut on your lip). After it had stopped bleeding, you began layering concealer on your cheek to cover the bruise, trying to take your time before you had to face your fiancé again.

     Even with all of your stalling, you were soon finished in the bathroom, and walked back into your room to find Ben sitting on the bed, suitcases unpacked, with a sour look on his face.

     "What's the matter?" You asked. "I thought you said you were going to start packing while I was in the shower."

     He huffed. "There's a snowstorm moving in, we're not going to be able to leave for at least another few days."

     You tried not to show the relief that poured through you at the news. "I'm sorry baby, I know how much you wanted to go home today. This could be a good thing, though-"

     "How is it a good thing?" He snapped. "I don't want to have to stay here, with that slimy snake Loki just waiting to get his filthy paws on you."

     "You're right, I'm sorry," You replied quickly. "I was just trying to see a silver lining, but I guess there is none."

     "Whatever," He grumbled. "We'll just stay in here."

     You raised a brow at him. "Baby, if I have a few more days to spend with my brother, then I want to spend them with him, not hiding in my room." You saw him stiffen, and knew he was getting upset so you quickly continued, "Besides, would that not be suspicious, if we stayed holed up in here for days?"

     He sighed. "I guess you're right. Just… Stay away from Loki, if I catch that weasel anywhere near you, I'll kill him."

     Deciding that now would not be a good time to mention that he, a normal human man, could not kill a magic wielding God, you simply nodded. "Okay, I'll stay away from him. Let's.. Let me get dressed, and we can go eat breakfast, alright?"

     He rolled his eyes, but nodded, and you quickly picked out an oversized, cream coloured turtleneck and black fitted jeans, throwing them on after putting on clean knickers. 

     "Are you ready?" You asked, and he nodded. The two of you walked to the kitchen together, where you were greeted by your brother, who was very obviously nursing a hangover. 

     "How are you feeling, Tony?" You asked. "You must have one hell of a hangover, because you look like absolute crap."

     He chuckled dryly. "I'm surprised you don't, Y/N, what with all that Asgardian wine you drank last night." 

     You felt Ben stiffen beside you, but you didn't dare look up at him. "It's nothing that a couple of aspirin won't fix," You replied, looking for something to change the subject. "Did Pepper make breakfast? It smells amazing in here."

     "Yes she did," Tony said. "She just finished, went all out since you two are here. The whole shebang."

     You smiled. "Well, I'm going to go check if she could use a hand setting the table or anything. Ben, you can stay here and catch up with Tony, tell him about your new job."

     Giving your fiancé a quick kiss on the cheek, you escaped to the dining room, where you found Pepper laying plates down in front of the seats at the table. "Hey! Do you need a hand?"

     "Oh, no, Y/N, you're our guest," She said, smiling warmly. "I'd never ask you to- Your lip! What happened?"

     You felt anxiety prick at your chest as you forced a smile. "I'm a pretty rough sleeper, I must have smacked myself. But please, you put so much effort into cooking, it's the least I can do."

     You felt a wave of relief crash over you as she accepted your explanation and handed you the rest of the plates. When you had finished putting them out, you helped her carry the food from the kitchen, and Tony wasn't kidding when he said she made the whole shebang - French toast, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, crêpes, and fresh fruits.

     "That's everything," Pepper said, setting down two pitchers of orange juice. "Thank you for your help, Y/N."

     "Of course," You said, smiling warmly. "Is JARVIS going to let the others know breakfast is ready?"

     "Yes," Tony said, walking in with Ben. "But I'm starved, so I'm not going to wait for them." 

     You and Pepper laughed as the four of you sat down, and you filled your plate with some French toast, fruit, and hash browns as more of the Avengers began to trickle into the dining room.

     Everyone chatted amicably amongst each other, giving much deserved compliments to Pepper on her cooking, but you could feel Ben seething next to you. What had Tony said to him that would have made him angry all over again? It couldn't have just been about you drinking that wine, could it?

     Whilst you were eating, the cut on your lip reopened once again, and you had to excuse yourself to the kitchen to clean it up. Dabbing a paper towel to your lip, Loki meandered into the kitchen from the hall, eyeing you.

     "What happened?" He asked, eyes staring at your split lip and noticing the faint discolouration on your cheek. 

     "I'm a rough sleeper," You said. "I must have hit myself in the mouth while I was asleep or something." 

     "Did you hit your cheek as well?" He asked.

     You looked away from his intense gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about," You replied quickly.

     He was about to reply when Ben walked into the room, his eyes immediately falling on Loki. If looks could kill, Loki would be dust on the floor - but, to be fair, so would Ben. 

     "What do you want?" Ben snapped. "Here to mack on my fiancé some more are you?"

     Loki looked at you, and you looked at Ben. "It wasn't like that, Ben, we'd all had a lot to drink last night."

     "Yeah, I know you kissed him first," Ben said, his voice thick with barely-suppressed rage. "Tony told me."

     You froze, looking at him in shock. "It was on the cheek!" You hissed. "Ben, please just stop this!" 

     "What's the problem?" Thor asked, walking into the kitchen. 

     Ben visibly paled, and his shoulders sagged. "Nothing," He said, obviously defeated. "I was just leaving." 

     "What happened?" Thor asked after Ben left. "He seemed upset, is he okay?"

     "He's fine," Loki said quickly. "I provoked him."

     A look of understanding came over Thor's face. "Ah, yes, well that does make sense. You need to stop that, brother."

     Loki nodded, and Thor went back in the dining room. Turning back to you, Loki looked at you expectantly.

     "I do believe you owe me an explanation," Loki said. "That is twice now that I have witnessed your fiancé speak to you in such a manner."

     "I don't know what you're on about," You huffed.

     Loki stepped closer to you. "Have you forgotten that I am the God of Lies? You cannot lie to me, I will know."

     "Well, you're wrong." You turned away from him. He grabbed your chin and forced you to look at him.

     "Your lip is split open, your cheek is bruised, that oaf you call a fiancé speaks to you like you are his property, and twice now I have had to step in to cover for you." His blue eyes bore into yours, and you were at a loss for words.

     Taking a deep breath, you exhaled slowly. "I don't know what you want me to say, Loki. You don't know what you're talking about. Ben would never intentionally hurt me, he loves me." 

     "So he's unintentionally hurt you, then?" Loki asked, catching on to your careful choice of words. 

     You pulled your chin away from his grasp. "I would appreciate it if you would stop interrogating me and allow me to finish my breakfast," You said. "You're welcome to join."

     You plastered a smile on your face as you walked back into the dining room, ignoring the dread seeping into the pit of your stomach. Ben was livid, that much was obvious, but you tried to convince yourself that there was no way he would repeat the events of that morning.

     Right?

[giulsherondale]

"Now she is so glad that we are fighting because we give her what she wants."

I loved how Serkan tried to calm down Eda when they meet Semiha. And he's so intelligent that he knows exactly that grandma is only waiting that Eda go mad and make mistakes. She enjoy seeing her angry and Serkan knows that. My smart baby boy.

"Serkan will be mine."

Balca make me laugh... Dear... Serkan will be your only in your dreams... Perhaps...

"Eda Bolat... Eda Bolat. See how beautiful you smile. This is what we must do in the office in front of your grandmother."

"Serkan..."

"I'm listening..."

"You make me angry."

"Great. That's exactly what I wanted. Therefore I asked to write so. So that you get a little angry, splash out the negative, fell on me and then calm down. But you're not as angry as I expected."

"Because before that, you had already done what I should have been more angry with."

"But still... It's nice to hear that right? Eda Bolat."

"Serkan are we going to talk about this now?"

"No. But face it, I know what I'm doing. Eda Bolat. Anyways... I think this should be our topic for discussion."

Honestly... How many times did Serkan said Eda Bolat? Too many... But... I'm not complaining... On the contrary I loved that. And Eda Bolat sounds actually really good.

"Your grandmother is now a partner of the company, came here and finally show her face, and she will take revenge on me for my father. She wants to bankrupt me, devide us and ruin my life. Right? She won't succeed, so calm down. She can't do that."

I'm not so sure about that but I love that Serkan is so determined and sicure about himself, and I think that he doesn't want to show his worries at Eda.

"She will do what she did to my parents Serkan. But I'm not strong as you."

In this exact moment Eda shoe us that she is only 23. I often forget this because she is so mature but she is actually so young.

"You are the one who destroyed my family."

Semiha broke the flower holder where Serkan has put Eda's flower. I'm so mad and broken. Maybe I read too much in this scene but I think that this is a metaphor to Edser love. So Semiha will destroy Eda and Serkan love.

Aydan and Ayfer are the duo that I didn't know I needed. They are so hilarious, love them.

"What is her problem?"

"The problem is of course me. She came because of me. She will heal my wounds, change, you see. It turns out that you blinded me... She said so."

"Serkan blinded you? She said that."

"Yes."

"So everyone can see that you are madly in love with me except you."

"If you scoff, then I'm leaving."

"Don't go."

"Serkan I'm taking about..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I thought... If I leave the company..."

"What?"

"If I move away from the company, she may change her mind."

"That's it... You quit?"

"I do not quit, but move away."

"I understand you very well."

"Then why are you looking at me like that? What?"

"In this life you can so easily give up on me, is that so?"

"I didn't say that. You misunderstood."

"Yes. Maybe I misunderstood you from the very beginning Eda..."

I felt so sorry for Serkan in this moment. Serkan has always fought for Eda and their love. And now he feels that she is abandoning him, and we know that everyone he loves, in his life abandoned him. My poor babe. Sorry but Eda this time you are sooo wrong.

"Try to understand me. Before you I was like a machine. I was a flesh and blood man who went to work. Then you came and touched my heart and a lot has changed for me. And then you abruptly removed your hand from my heart. I cannot be as automated now as I used to be. And without you I can't bear the burden on my heart. Eda... Let it be your grandmother or any other problem... If your hand is on my heart... Then I'm ready for anything."

THIS SCENE WAS HOTTT🔥

Serkan was so sad in this scene, because he thinks that when there will be a problem Eda will always run away from him. She is his air, he cannot live without her. And he wants to spend the new year night with her😍.

I think that everyone should listen to Leyla, if she doesn't trust Balca and Semiha there is a reason. I repeat we should all listen to Leyla.

Balca make me laugh pt. 2. She is completely crazy, she admits that she knows Serkan only for a few days and says to Semiha that she is not in love with him... But she is right because she is not in love... But now that I think about it she is right... Because she is not in love with him... She is completely obsessed with him. She is so cringe.

"Eda... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine... Tonight I will have nightmares again."

"Nightmares? Why?"

"Because... When I was little my mother bought me a wishes bracelet."

"What is it?"

"On it there are figures, symbols, such as a star or a heart."

"Ah ok, got it."

"These are symbols of your desires. After my parents died, my grandmother came to pick me up, I told you. She wanted to take me to Mardin. At home she talked to my aunt, and I heard everything. I was very young but I remember. They were talking very loudly, I... I run away from home. I run away and began to run. I ran, I ran... There was a hill behind our house. I rolled head over heels from this hill... And when I fell... I broke my bracelet. Lost it. I cried, not because of my wounds, but because I had lost it. And then... In every nightmare I did, I did the same thing. I escaped from somewhere... I run, I run as if someone is following me. All the time I run away and I'm so scared to see the same thing."

"Come here. Come. The Eda Yildiz I know... Doesn't run from anything. So I'm sure you won't run away."

My poor baby Eda. She really has a tough life.

Honestly... The suits scene doesn't has any sense... But the chemistry was on fire🔥

"Serkan doesn't like to spend special days with everyone. Only with the loved ones."

That means not you Balca. So back off thank you.

Serkan face when he sees the throne😂

And obviously Serkan has a plans for grandma situation. I love my smart and calculating boy.

"One time, the most beautiful, the smartes and at the same time the woman who I liked the most told me that lemon reduces stress."

Loving and caring Serkan is the best.

"I'm not an easy target for you Mrs. Semiha. You will give your shares to Serkan and leave."

"So you decide when I have to leave Eda? The time I spend here depends on you."

"How does it depend on me?"

"Are you the lover of this Serkan Bolat?"

"No."

"You are interested in each other."

"We have a past. These are the connections of the past."

"There is nothing stronger than blood ties. In time you will understand this. You deserve better than Serkan Bolat."

"You know me very well. Bravo!"

"I'm trying to find out. I have great ideas for you."

"None of them interests me."

"Okay. I'll ask the questions differently. Are you interested in Serkan Bolat?"

"Let's say I'm interested. What will you do? What will happen?"

"Then I will not beat around the blush. If I notice that you have a relationship with Serkan Bolat I will destroy this holding. Neither his mom nor he himself can handle the failure of the firm. I will destroy their company, disgrace their name, reputation, everything. Overnight. If you don't believe me ask Alptekin Bolat. If he's able to answer you of course."

"Don't underestimate me. I'm not afraid of you Semiha Yildirim."

THAT'S MY GIRL🔥

"How do you understand that I'm interested in astrology? Are you too?"

"I'm interested in ASTRONOMY."

Serkan Bolat ended Balca.

"Eda come in."

"I won't Serkan. Grandmother moved in with us. She will drive me completely crazy. She is an unbalanced, very dangerous woman. Therefore do not be polite to her, just attack."

"Calm down."

"Grandma moved in with us. I'll stay with Ceren. I came to tell you something."

"Good. If you want we'll talk inside."

"No I won't come in. I'll tell you here."

"Okay. What do you want to say to me?"

"Serkan listen... We cannot be together. It doesn't work. We can't. I don't seem to able to. It's all the same, someday we will part. I'm bothering you. You are already tired. Grandma will tear us apart, she will do something."

"Eda..."

"What?"

"Stay here."

"What?"

"Stay here tonight."

"Serkan we cannot be together and you are saying 'stay here'?"

"Nothing will happen Eda. We won't spend the new year together so stay here tonight."

"Okay then. Last time..."

"Last time."

The cuteness of this scene, I was melting.

"We are going to look at the stars."

"I'm already looking at the most beautiful star."

Serkan bought chocolate for Eda. If that's not love I don know what it is. And obviously Balca has to interrupt the romantic moment.

"Eda? Are you okay?"

"Serkan? What are you doing here? It's not been 10 minutes yet."

"She lives close. Candles and all that... Are you comfortable?"

"I decided to take a bath."

"You did the right thing."

"If you leave, I'll come."

"Of course... Give me 10 seconds."

"Serkan... Can you hear me?"

"Okay... I'll remember this moment."

"Enjoy. Do not rush."

CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE CUTE... TOO CUTE💞

The whole bust scene made mi laugh, but someone can explain to me why Serkan did not for once looked at Eda? I don't understand.

Serkan brings her the breakfast to bed. My caring babe.

"Small steps towards a big goal."

Eda's gift to Serkan is so beautiful. She has this unique capacity to make every gift unique and original.

We don't deserve Leyla, she is too pure and angelic for us. She helped Ferit with Ceren's gift.

Engin has organized all the wedding with just the two of them. I love himmm.

Sorry but we have to take a moment to speak about Kerem speaking in Italian... I'm Italian so when I listened to him speaking in Italian I fainted. He's so sexy🔥

I'm an Ayfer and Alexander stan.

Even Serkan can't stand Balca anymore. She really is a snake, she's worst than Selin. What kind of crazy person are you?

"Serkan where are you?"

"In the place where I should be. Next to you."

"Where have you been?"

"You are so beautiful."

This scene was so beautiful. His gift was so meaningful. There's this thing that I've always noticed, he really listened and pay attention to what she say or do. He never do something by casualties, he's so carefully about her. This is one of the many thing that I love about Serkan. And obviously this beautiful and romantic moment is ruined by the arrival of the police... Arghh grandma what have you done?!

[neptunetheplanet7]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧 - 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐮𝐬

DM ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE PUT ON THE TAGLIST!!

;mikasa ackerman x fem!lesbian!reader

;modern au, band au

word count: 2.4k

warnings: swearing, angst IF YOU SQUINT

listen to the music masterlist

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Groggily wiping your closed eyes, you awoke from a deep sleep. It didn't take long to realize the sheets around you weren't yours. You weren't in your bedroom. You weren't even in your house.

You sat up on the pullout, more alert. Rubbing the sides of your head with your fingertips, you desperately tried to put the pieces of last night together. The clock next to the unmounted flat-screen told you it was two pm. What happened to you?

"Good morning, honey bunny! Or should I say good afternoon?" The cheery voice that broke your confused silence was easy to recognize as Sasha.

What you were doing in the living room of her apartment, you didn't know.  You turned around to see her cooking food for the two of you.

The early events of the night before were clear as day when you retraced your steps. Catching up with everyone, Hitch, Zeke's fiasco, and dancing around were all things you had no issue recalling. 

However, there was one last detail just out of your grasp. Dancing with your friends. . . then with Mikasa. . . but what happened after that? Was it- oh, fuck.

Realization set in and you scrambled off the couch. Clothes from the night clung to your body as you stumbled into Sasha's bright kitchen.

Sitting down on a stool with wide eyes earned you a concerned look. Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Y/n? You look a little sick."

You shook your head. "I'm such an idiot. Can you believe I kissed her? I bet she didn't even want to."

She chuckled and pushed a plate of food in front of you. "From what I remember, she's the one who initiated it."

"I can't remember anything that happened after that. Fill me in?" You started eating your breakfast as you awaited their answer.

"Well, to put it simply, you fainted."

"What?!"

"Yeah, right after you pulled away. You were just out after that. It's really weird how that happened, actually," She put a finger to her chin as she reminisced.

The food on your fork toppled off as you stilled in shock. "Sasha! You better be joking! That's so embarrassing, oh my god."

In an instant, she was leaning over the table to steady your frantic gesticulating arms.

"Hey, hey, honey bunny. Don't freak out. We were all pretty worried about you. Nobody laughed if that's any comfort to you. To help out Marco, I took you back here after I dropped off Connie. He didn't need to worry about you when he had the three drunk idiots to drive home." She took your free hand in hers.

"I should probably text them so they know I'm okay." You left your food unattended as you walked back to the couch to look for your discarded phone. Sasha took it as a sign that you were done and helped herself to the meal.

"I got a picture of you two if you wanna see it," she said nonchalantly through a mouthful of food.

You stopped your searching. "What? Mikasa and I? When?"

"Well, I got a few, actually. I have one of you dancing with her and one of you kissing her. And some others from when Connie and I were joking around."

"Sasha, why?" you groaned. "I already get enough cameras in my face."

She shrugged and continued eating your breakfast. You moved the couch pillows around in hopes of finding your phone.

A reoccurring buzz vibrated the carpet under the pulled-out mattress. You reached under to grab whatever the noise came from.

Luckily, it was your phone. Unluckily, it was blowing up with texts from Jean and Eren. The familiar ringtone sounded as a call from Jean came through. You rushed to pick it up.

"Hello? Jean? Woah, slow down, what's going on?" You could barely make sense of his frantic words on the other side of the line. 

"Y/n, thank god you picked up. Armin's hurt. We're heading to the hospital right now. We think he has a concussion or something."

"What? Oh my god, what happened? How is he?"

"We'll explain later. Come when you can. It's the same hospital we went to when Eren broke his arm."

"Got it, Jean. I'll be there. Keep him safe."

"Of course."

He hung up. You started towards the front door. "We have to go, Sasha."

"Why? What happened? You sound pretty worried. At least change before you got out. I have a spare set of clothes for you," she offered, already on the way to their bedroom.

"No time. I'll change on the way to the hospital." You unlocked the door. 

"The what?" Their confusion and worry were clear from their tone. Despite that, she nodded and frantically reached for her car keys, extra outfit already in hand.

Once she got a hold of them, you both jumped in the car and set off to the hospital.

"What the hell happened to you?" You were seated on the left side of the hospital bed with the rest of your bandmates scattered throughout the bland room.

"To tell you the truth, I fell down a flight of stairs," Armin said sheepishly.

"With a light push from Eren," Mikasa added.

"I didn't mean to push him! I bumped into him!"

"Yeah, nice one, Eren. You're a certified douchebag." Jean rolled his eyes.

"Coming from you, Jean, that's rich." Eren glared back at him.

"Man, why couldn't Eren fall down the stairs." Armin clawed at the bandage on his head in annoyance. "This thing is itchy."

"It's because you are stupid, and I am not," Eren fired back. You snorted.

"Oh yeah, definitely. Remind me who graduated early from college and who dropped out again?"

He scowled. "You dropped out too, idiot."

"Right, but I did it for the band. You did it because it was too hard," you snickered.

"Damn, Y/n. Go a little easy on me, will you? I spent my whole morning at the police station." He pinched the bridge of his nose like he had a headache.

Confused, you looked at Mikasa, hoping for an explanation. She avoided your eyes and stared at the ground instead. It was the third time she wouldn't directly look at you since you got there.

Armin noticed the interaction and frowned. "He went to get Zeke out of jail," they explained.

Eren sighed. "That was the plan. Until I changed my mind. The bail was a lot of money and, frankly, with all the shit he did, it wasn't worth it. It's a shame he'll miss my birthday again but what good would he cause anyways."

"Oh, I see." 

As distraught as he was the night prior, Eren was able to toughen up with Zeke instead of letting him back into his life so easily. It was admirable he could do such a thing after his previous reactions to Zeke's shenanigans. 

"What did he even do? I guess he pawned that guy's wedding ring but isn't he banned from Nebraska?" Jean pondered.

"Well, he didn't lie about some things. He is several million dollars in debt and he was on the run from the police. Explains why he looked like he was gonna shit his pants when the cops showed up last night," Eren said.

"Okay, but what did he do specifically?" Jean asked again.

"Oh, right. He robbed banks like it was a game. The motherfucker was literally bank hopping around Nebraska. Plus, he stole a bunch of shit from people and pawned it all. There were so many complaints filed against him that he was banned from a ton of pawnshops. He wasn't banned from the state. Just enough places that he felt like he was."

Jean's jaw dropped. "How many banks did he rob?"

Eren shrugged. "Around thirty."

"Thirty? What the hell is that guy on?" he mumbled.

You were surprised as well but glad it wasn't worse. Still, you couldn't believe that he'd been staying with you for less than a week and he already stirred up a whirlwind of problems.

Silence had fallen over the room for a moment before Armin broke it. "Y/n, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone," he said.

"Sure." You were curious about what he had to say to you. He'd been all fidgety during the whole half hour you were there.

Eren and Jean turned from their position on either side of the door and walked out. Mikasa stood from her seat to follow. She shot you one last glance but looked away before your eyes could meet.

Once the three were gone, you scooted your chair closer to the bed.

"What's up?"

Armin's brows furrowed as he brought his nail between his teeth. "Do you know what's going on with Mikasa? She's been acting weird all day. She's always been the closed-off type but she hasn't said more than a few words to us all day."

You frowned. If Mikasa was not only avoiding you but the others too, you could only assume what was on her mind. 

"You don't remember last night? Is amnesia a result of the fall?"

He blinked, confusion still evident. "No, I don't think so. Eren and Jean are just as clueless as I am."

Then you remembered how drunk the three of them were the night before. They must've lost track of things after having enough drinks. So Mikasa hadn't bothered to fill them in.

You tugged at Sasha's shirt collar nervously. "Mikasa kissed me." Armin's mouth fell open. Words came out fast as you tried to explain, "Or I kissed her. It's a little fuzzy, I fainted afterward. Sasha said Mikasa initiated it, though." 

"You- she what? You actually- wait, you fainted? Y/n, are you okay?" The panic in his voice rose as the confusion dissolved.

You placed a hand on his upper arm to stop him from sitting all the way up. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm not the one in the hospital bed, after all."

He smiled at that. "I guess that's true. But anyway, how was it?"

You felt your face heat up. You weren't expecting them to be so forward. Clearing your throat, you replied, "The kiss was. . . yeah, I'd say it was good."

They grinned. "I'm glad you finally acted on those feelings. Christ's sake, Y/n. You've liked her for how many years now?"

You smiled shyly. "Jeez, I don't know. Quite a few. But don't get your hopes up or anything. She clearly thinks it was a mistake."

Armin's smile disappeared. "You've gotta stop thinking like that. More likely than not, she needs some time to process. You know she gets reserved when she has to think."

So reserved to leave for two years?  Yeah, you knew. You were beginning to believe her behavior would lead to worse.

The blonde seemed to sense something deeper was nagging at you. "Wait, have you ever actually talked about what happened? I figured you spoke to Eren but now that I think about it, whenever anyone brought her up you shut it down."

That was enough to get you thinking. When Mikasa was gone, your friends knew better than to ask about her. Armin was right, you always shut it down. 

You never spoke about how her disappearance made you feel. You never even wanted to think about it. There were times when you couldn't push the feelings away anymore. Times when you couldn't do anything but cry.

Whenever that happened, you made a beeline for Eren. He was the only one you knew wouldn't pry. You never had to say anything. He would just understand. He never told anyone. He never complained. He never asked. He let you cry until you couldn't anymore. He was someone you were very grateful for.

Mikasa's leave was something that affected you more than you let on. Even if it was easy to tell that it was hard for you to deal with, no one knew the extent to which it was.

Remembering that time brought back every feeling you never dwelled on. You couldn't go through it all again. You knew why it was hard to think positively about that kiss.

"I don't want her to leave," you whispered, voice coming out more shaky than you intended. "I can't do it, not again."

Armin looked surprised. "Do you think she'd leave again? Why?"

Lifting your head, your gaze shifted from the floor to his wide blue eyes. "The last time something impacted her emotions so quickly she left us."

He nodded as realization dawned on him. "But the difference between now and then is that this is a positive thing. Come on, Y/n, I'm not blind. Before she and Jean were together, you were dancing around each other for years. Even Jean was shocked when she asked him out and not you."

You thought about that for a moment. Right he was again. There were always moments between you and her before Jean. You always thought you two had an unspoken connection until she asked him out. It seemed others thought so as well.

You smiled hopefully. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe this is a good thing. I mean, I've had these feelings for years so maybe it's good I finally acted on them."

They smiled back. "Hope so. Just give her some time and she'll come around. It's Mikasa, of all people she would never ignore-"

The door banged open just as Armin was finishing his sentence.

Eren stood in the doorway with his phone held up and Mikasa and Jean not far behind.

"Hannes called. Couldn't wait any longer to ask. Are you two down for a performance at the beginning of next month?" He exhaled heavily, out of breath for some reason. "Mikasa and Jean here are already on board."

"You're coming back to the band, Mikasa?" Armin asked.

"Yeah. I miss it," Mikasa said quietly.

"Of course I'm down. It's been so long since we've performed," you chimed.

"So it's settled then. First performance in three months plus Mikasa's big comeback on April 2nd," Jean confirmed.

posted: 9/15/21

neptunetheplanet7© 2021

no reposts, edits, or modification to my work by anyone other than me.

[xxisxxisxxis]

Gateway Drug | Part Fifty-Three

Words: 4.5K

Warning(s): explicit language, sexual situations, mentions of drug abuse

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I wake up to the smell of coffee drifting in under the bedroom door, and I stretch, seeing Nikki on his side of the bed, snoring softly.

Pulling the covers off of myself, I get up and throw on my robe to cover my naked body and step into the kitchen to see Karen at the counter.

Karen was Doc's best solution he could muster up to try to keep Nikki straight off drugs.

After calling Doc and Bob Timmons that night Nikki shot out our ceiling, Doc asked Karen, who worked at the Mötley office, to move in.

Hats off to her because she didn't argue, and Nikki did calm down a little when she was there because he was convinced she was a spy for Doc and was telling him what Nikki was doing at all times.

Nikki didnt want to hear shit from Doc, so he tried to hide his drug use from Karen when she was home.

"Good morning." She greets me, patiently waiting for the coffee to get done. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"No, no, it's fine, I needed to get up anyway, uh...what time is it?" I ask her, rubbing my eyes.

"About 9:00." She replies.

"Okay, I'm gonna wake him up and get ready and that reporter should be here around--"

I'm cut off by the doorbell and I look at her.

"You go wake him up, get him showered, I'll stall." She assures me, shooing me with her hand as she steps to open the door."

I rush to our bedroom and shut and lock the door, walking over to wake Nikki up.

"Babe, c'mon."  I nudge at him several times until he's groaning a little. "Nikki, wake up."

"Just climb on and get off when you're finished. I'm sure it'll still get up without me being awake." He mumbles tiredly, about to drift back off before I'm hitting his arm sternly.

"Nikki, you need to wake up. That reporter came early. We need to get dressed."

"Jesus." He lets out, frustrated, and I rub my lips together. His hazel eyes open to look at me and he smirks. "You're actually talking to me today?"

I've been ignoring him for nearly a week now ever since he broke our ceiling and embarrassed me in front of our friends.

"I'm getting into character so he doesn't write that I'm not talking to you in the article. Doc said to be as lovey as possible." I add. "So hurry up."

I walk to our bathroom and start the shower, quickly discarding my clothes and climbing in as he trudges into the bathroom.

By the time I'm rinsing shampoo from my hair, he's getting in, his eyes wandering up and down my naked body that currently has soapy water running down it.

"Don't get any ideas, Sixx, I'm still mad at you."

"What kind of man do you think I am?" He puts a hand over his heart as if he's hurt and I roll my eyes, finishing rinsing my hair.

"Move." I say so I can put conditioner in my hair and he grins, about to switch places with me, and his hands hold at my body as we trade spots and I glare at him.

"What? I was helping you move." He innocently states, the slightest hint of a smirk on his lips, and I cut my eyes at him.

He just wets his hair as I get the tangles out of mine with conditioner and we change once more.

By the time he's rinsing his hair again and I'm lathering up in body wash, I feel his finger trace down my spine.

"Nikki." I say in warning and I hear his faint chuckling.

"Sorry." He mumbles, taking his fingers off of me.

When I'm done, about to tell him I need to get under the water, his hands are sliding up my sides and he's getting closer to me, pulling me against him, taking my ear between his teeth in a nip.

"Nikki, we don't have time for this." I let out in a soft giggle.

"So?" He asks, pressing a kiss to my neck, his hands moving up to hold at my chest, rolling his thumbs over my nipples, causing me to take a sharp breath and push my ass against him.

He lets out a soft moan, and I turn to face him, our lips, teeth and tongues meeting in a rough, passionate, kiss, as my body is pulled against his.

"Are you still mad at me?" He says, running his thumb across my bottom lip, looking like he's confident that I'm not still upset with him.

"Get finished, we have stuff to do." I tell him, giving him one last kiss before sliding past him to rinse off.

"Change it to cold water before you leave." He grumbles and I smile to myself, changing the temperature of the water before getting out of the shower.

Once I get my hair towel dried and finish getting ready, I'm cautiously stepping into the hallway, walking where I hear Karen and the reporter talking at the dinner table. 

"Yeah, they..." Karen trails off, seeing me. "...Oh, here she is." She states.

He turns around to face me and I rub my lips together, extending my hand to him.

"Len Donoghue." He tells me, shaking my hand.

"Vivian Sixx." I reply, politely. "Um, Nikki's getting some clothes on now, he'll be here in a minute."

"Oh, starting Valentine's Day off right, huh?" He chuckles and I feel my face go red with embarrassment as Karen attempts to curve the conversation.

"You were saying earlier you attend night classes? What degree are you pursuing?" She asks him and I take the opportunity to step to the kitchen and grab a cup of coffee.

Nikki's already there, seeming to be stalling as he takes his time examining the array of coffee cups in our cupboard.

"You don't drink coffee, baby." I remind him and he glances at me before handing me a cup.

"I was supposed to wake up this morning to a blow job. Not a fucking hotshot know-it-all scribe jotting down every last syllable of shit I say only to fabricate and cut it up before printing it in a way that makes me look bad." He mumbles and I give him a soft smile, my fingers running through the ends of his hair.

"It will be okay, Nikki. Just smile and it'll be over before you know it." I encourage him.

He sighs out, kissing me briefly before I pour my coffee and we step to the dinner table, where Len is lighting up at the site of Nikki.

"Hey, man, Nikki." Nikki introduces himself, shaking Len's hand.

"Len Donoghue, it's a pleasure." He smiles enthusiastically at him and Nikki nods before motioning to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna cook some breakfast if you wanna start your interrogation in the kitchen." Nikki says in a joking tone, but in know he means "interrogation" literally.

"Sure." Len nods, the three of us stepping to the kitchen as Karen gets up and heads to her bedroom to hangout until we're done.

I hoist myself onto the counter, watching as Nikki pulls the eggs from the fridge and I tense up as I multiple paper bags on the shelves before he closes the fridge.

I hope Len didn't notice.

"You've even got that particular detailing in here." Len comments, looking up at the mirrored ceiling.

"Yeah, I read somewhere mirror creates the illusion of a more open room." Nikki tells him, grabbing a bowl to crack the eggs into.

"That's why the place is covered in mirror?"

"Yeah, why else would it be?" He pretends to play dumb, and Len glances at me before shaking his head a little. "No reason."

"When did you move into this place?" He asks us and Nikki starts cracking the eggs.

"Uhh...like..." He looks at me. "...Over a year ago? Year and a half?"

I just nod and he confirms it.

"Yeah, over a year ago."

"Who's idea was it to live out here?" He asks next and Nikki nods towards me.

"She liked the house and I got it once we had the money." He explains.

"That makes me sound like a gold digger." I say.

"Okay, we drove by one day and she said it was a nice house and I went behind her back and got it and surprised her with it once I had the money." He corrects and Len smiles.

"Is he always nice like that?" He asks me.

"Despite how he seems publicly, he's a nice guy." I tell him and Nikki shushes me as if I can't tell his secret, making me chuckle as he grins, pouring the eggs into the heated pan.

"There's a lot of mystery around you two, is that something that's good to you or backfires sometimes?"

"It's good." Nikki states. "It's really nobody's business unless we do stuff like this," he motions to Len, "And let people in on it."

"We don't necessarily understand what the big deal is about, honestly. There's plenty of people dating or married to someone who isn't quite like them. The fact we're in the public eye doesn't make it any more interesting, honestly." I add.

"Yeah, people would be disappointed if they saw how our relationship works just like everyone else's." Nikki puts in next.

"I think you two being together really invokes certain conversations because one of you is a by the book Christian, and the other has been accused of Satanism in the past." Len suggests with a small chuckle. "So you're pretty opposite of each other in that sense but you still manage to get along well enough to feel the need to marry one another."

"We're opposite of each other in every sense, almost." Nikki tells him, finishing on the eggs.

"Really?"

"She's more reserved, conservative, quiet, innocent, sober, religious, organized..." Nikki names off a few things. "...and there's me."

"I wanna touch on that, really, because 'sober' is not something associated with rockstars or really this industry much at all, really, with so much money and access to excess and so on, have you really never had a drink of alcohol or was that an exaggeration? I mean, really, your friends, husband, piers are doing God knows what and you've never at least been curious enough to try something out?" He asks me and I shake my head.

"No. And that's not something I ride through the streets and shout out or project at a party or use to talk down on other people with. I choose not to do that because it doesn't interest me, it interests some people, some people enjoy it, but I've never really been drawn to any of it. And especially the really hard stuff, I've never felt the need or allure to that because I've seen what it does to people. But I don't turn my nose up at people who want a beer after work or have some cocktails with their girl friends on a night out. I don't even think I'm any better than the addicts that claw their eyes out while they're on dope. That's their business." I tell him, and Nikki clears his throat, putting the eggs into a bowl to be scooped out by who ever that wants them as he pulls the package of bacon from the fridge next.

"So you're the trusted D.D. when it's a night out?" Len asks me and I nod.

"Oh, yeah." I nod.

"Back to the 'opposites' topic, how did someone like you, get together with someone like her?" He questions Nikki again and Nikki let's out a breath, smirking.

"The clean version." I warn Nikki and he laughs.

"Oh, c'mon, Viv." He nudges me and I raise my brows. "Okay, fine, we met at a club on the strip, Tommy introduced us, and he had told me she was coming down there to see us and that she was a dancer and her mom was super strict, and just telling me and Mick some things about her because he and Vince had grown up with her, but we'd never met her. So she comes down there, and she's dressed like a fucking--I don't even know, nothing like what I was use to seeing on the Strip. And we just couldn't stand each other, honestly. We would aggravate the piss outta each other, I'd harrass her and purposely do and say stuff that I knew would gross her out and she would pick at me and deliberately say shit to get under my skin and piss me off. I called her 'Saint Viv' and 'Virgin Viv' and she'd call me 'Devil Spawn' and we just really got on each other's nerves, man."

"What changed that?" He asks and I wait to see how Nikki's going to say "I screwed her into my ratty mattress" in a PG way.

"There was this one night, I don't even know what happened, but I just realized I was really, really into her, and I guess she realized the same because we've been together ever since." He tells him.

"So, it's worth all the criticism about you not being the real deal because you've 'settled down'?"

"I'm not an idiot, I know people dont talk shit because I've 'settled down', they talk shit about who I've 'settled down' with. And if being with someone who's got my back, and strives to push me be the best in can be, and supports me and helps me up when I need it, then I will loud and proud shout from the hills that I've 'settled down.' I write music based off what inspires me, some of Mötley's best songs have been inspired by the very girl I'm criticized for being with because they either think she's boring or isn't bad enough for me or whatever bullshit they drum up. But I don't need someone who's bad through and through, that would be a disaster. She's bad wear it counts." He informs him and I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Nikki!" I scold.

"I'm just saying." He shrugs. "And I'd hate being with someone who's exactly like me because then I wouldn't be learning new things, or having engaging conversation that challenges my views, or see a different perspective, and she wouldn't have that, either. So I think all the street rock posers downing on me for being with a 'goody goody' and the holier-than-thou Tipper Gore carbon copies that give Viv shit for being with a 'satan worshiper' can all kiss our asses and fuck off."

Len nods, looking impressed but not shocked with Nikki's words.

"Wanna add anything to that?" He asks me.

"Ditto." I reply and Nikki smiles at me for a moment.

After Nikki's finished cooking, we're sitting at the table, and get on the topic of music.

"Is there any idea when the new music will be coming out?" He asks Nikki and Nikki nods, taking a sip of his orange juice.

"Sometime this year." He says.

"Is it gonna have a 'Theater of Pain' feel to it or is it gonna hold the same change that, that album did compared to 'Shout at the Devil'?"

"Well, we change our sound because we grow. I don't think it's too far off, I think it's all still rock 'n roll, but the sound differs a little bit with each album because we evolve." He replies.

"Any album in particular that you've made so far that's a favorite or is the best yet to come?"

Nikki gets a happy, proud grin on his face.

"The best is yet to come." He states. "Some really cool stuff is in the works."

"I'm glad to hear that because I actually am a fan of you guys' so that's a good word from you." He tells him.

"Great." Nikki says, his bare foot kicking at mine under the table.

I kick back as Len is oblivious and continues asking questions.

"Are you into their music, too, or are you just along for the ride because you kind of have to be?" He nods to me as Nikki and I are now in a kicking war, despite acting like nothing's happening.

"Yeah, I like their music."

He looks a little taken back by my answer.

"You listen to Mötley Crüe without obligation?"

"Well, yeah." I tell him.

"She looks like a frilly flower girl so you don't expect that, right?" Nikki asks, and I kick him under the table and he kicks me back, again.

"What else do you listen to?" Len asks me.

"A little bit of everything. If it's catchy or has a good groove to it, it doesn't matter the artist, I'll buy it. I listen to ABBA, Chaka Khan, Hank William's Jr, Deep Purple, BeeGees..."

"And everything in between?"

"And everything in between." I chuckle. "I also have Bon Jovi but Nikki's always trying to steal it and get rid of it."

"You don't like Bon Jovi?" Len asks, seemingly insulted and Nikki looks at me with cut eyes and a devious smirk, like he's gonna get even with me, later.

"I like Jon, I've hung out with him several times, he's a cool guy. Vocally, he nails it every time. Lyrically, musically, I can't fucking stand it. It's like being stuck on the tea cups at Disney. You wanna get off before you throw up."

"So, you don't mind ABBA, but Bon Jovi's a no-go?"

"...Basically..." He rubs his eye. "But, I mean, I might tolerate some of it if she put it on and started doing a little strip tease or something. I'd consider it, then."

I glare at him and Len laughs, as Nikki smiles innocently at me.

Once we're done eating, we offer a tour of the house, which Len eagerly accepts.

"Obviously, living room." Nikki motions.

"What happened to the ceiling?" He asks, noticing the empty ceiling space.

"Nikki thought it would be smart to throw a baseball in the house. The whole ceiling suffered." I lie and Len raises his brows.

"I bet that was fun to clean up."

"We wouldn't know, we paid someone to come out here and do it for us." Nikki mumbles. "Alright, awards and achievements." He says next, motioning to his freshly reframed gold and platinum disc awards, and my ballet trophies I've racked up from childhood to the beginning of senior year, that Nikki practically made me put on display when we moved in because he thinks it's something I should be proud of enough to showcase to people.

"Guest bedrooms, and bathroom down here." Nikki motions down the hall. "Garage, here." We walk down a couple of steps to the garage door and open it up, switching on the light.

His bike, his Corvette and mine, greet us and Len nods.

"Nothing too extravagant." He voices to us.

"I'm looking at a blacked out Mercedes right now, I might end up getting it soon." Nikki tells him.

"Oh, really?" I ask, crossing my arms.

"I was gonna tell you about it later, babe." He assures me.

"Right, like you told me about the Jeep and the Harley?"

"Ha. Ha." He let's out sarcastically. "We have a pool." He quickly discards our disagreement, leading Len back up the steps and into the house to take him to the pool.

By the time the interview is at a closing, it's almost 1:00pm, and I hope he has enough material to make a decent article.

"Thanks for letting me come by, I really do appreciate it." Len thanks us, shaking my hand before shaking Nikki's hand one last time. "It was really an honor get to talk to you, man, good luck with the album. Can't wait to hear it."

"Thanks." Nikki replies.

"Alright, you two take care, have a good evening." He tells us, turning to walk to his car.

"You, too." Nikki says before shutting the door.

When it's shut, he's turning to look down at me.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"I'm probably gonna go get some stuff from town." He states and I nod.

"Okay, I'm probably about to hangout by the pool with Karen for a few minutes." I tell him, heading to our bedroom to put my swimsuit on.

I hear the fridge open and shut--he's grabbing some of his heroin--before he's telling me he'll be back in a few minutes.

Once the garage door shuts, I'm stepping out to find Karen in her bedroom.

"Hey," I start and she looks up from where she's laying on her bed, reading. "I was gonna go lay out for a few minutes, do you wanna come?"

"Yeah, I'll be out there in a second. Let me get changed."

The phone starts ringing and I head to answer it, hoping it's not someone calling to tell me Nikki's been in an accident.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Steven's voice happily declares on the other end of the line.

"Happy Valentine's Day." I reply, stepping to the kitchen to grab a Pepsi from the fridge.

"I-Is Sixx around?"

"Not right now, he's running errands in town." I explain to him.

"Oh...well when he gets back can you get him to call me back?"

"Yeah. Is everything alright?"

"It's perfect. Love you. Gotta go." He abruptly hangs up and I furrow my brows a little, hanging the phone back up.

A few minutes into sunbathing, I'm laying on my stomach with my bikini string untied as Karen chats away while I drift in and out of sleep.

"I'm gonna go use the bathroom." Karen tells me, getting up off her pool chair, heading into the house.

I give her a wave of my hand without opening my eyes, letting out a relaxed breath.

My body tenses for a moment at the feeling of Nikki's lips pressing the center of my spine, working their way up to my hair.

"Hi." I say, sitting up, tying my top back into place as he sits on my chair beside me. "Steven called and wanted you to call him back."

"He called again just when I got in so I already talked to him." He tells me and I nod. "I was out getting stuff for tonight." He wiggles his brows for a second and I try not to laugh.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Some more wine for me, the fizzy grape juice for you, and some more candles."

"You don't like just screwing around with a candle on because you can't see everything." I point out and he smirks.

"I didn't buy them for light." He says and I raise my brows, a lusty feeling washing through me at the thought.

"Race you to the bedroom!" I shout, about to take off but he grabs at my hips and pulls me down to his lap, laughing at my eagerness. "Nikki, we don't have time to waste. I have carbonated grape juice to sip on and hot candle wax to be dripped in, and that's not even including the sleazy stuff that follows, so c'mon." I struggle to pull his arms from around my waist so I can get free.

"Viv, we'll get to that later tonight, you gotta get ready for your surprise." He tells me.

"I have a surprise?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

"A surprise."

"Nikki."

"Viv."

"...Fine." I huff and he let's me out of his lap, handing me the roses he got me. "Where is this surprise?"

"Can't tell you. Just get changed, dress up a little bit if you want to." He tells me.

I guess he thought since he had died the year before, he should put his all into making up for it the following year.

I have to give it to him, he outdid himself that Valentine's Day...but he had some help.

"Okay, no peeking." Nikki says to me after securing the blindfold around my eyes and I grin, my hand in his as he helps me out of his Corvette.

I'm taken off guard by him suddenly picking me up, shutting the passenger side door with his foot.

"What are you doing?" I chuckle out.

"I don't want you to walk and hear your steps because it'll spoil the surprise."

"I feel you struggling to keep me up." I say to him, poking fun.

"I'm not struggling."

"Okay but if you drop me, I'm kicking your ass." I add.

"I'll kick your ass right back." He scoffs.

"Okay, then put me down and let's go, Sixx. Best two out of three."

"You're like a baby bird: all mouth." He taunts me.

"You're a baby bird: all whining."

"Virgin Vivian."

"Devil Spawn."

"Are you ready to see your surprise or are you gonna keep running your mouth?" He asks and I roll my eyes behind the blindfold and exhale.

"Fine."

He sets me down, and my heels click against the sound of wood.

"Alright, ready?"

"Yes."

The blindfold comes off, and Steven's firing off one of those tiny confetti poppers as he, Nikki and Duff all saying, "Tada!" at the same time.

We're standing inside of Mandy's old rehearsal space, except it's not shitty looking anymore.

The holes in the ceiling are patched up, it's got new lights, the floors are fresh and the once scratched up and worn down mirror is replaced, completely brand new.

I can't even form words, my eyes watering, my hand grasping Nikki's tightly.

"What do ya think?" Duff asks me.

"I-I..." I try to talk, but can't.

"Do you like it?" Nikki asks next and I'm turning to face him, wrapping my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly, nearly knocking him off balance. "Woah." He laughs, his hand rubbing up and down my back.

I'm wiping my tears when I pull away, catching his lips with mine when he leans down to kiss me for a second.

Knowing Duff was the one who bought the place from Mandy to begin with, I hug him to me next.

"Thank you." I sniffle out to him, giving him a tight squeeze before pulling away.

"It wasn't a problem, Viv." He assures me as Steven clears his throat.

"I wiped the finger prints off the mirror." He tells me and I smile, hugging him, too.

"Thank you." I say, ruffling his fluffy blonde hair.

Duff's grasping my hand, turning it over so my palm is facing upward before he's putting a key in it, closing my fingers around it.

I give him a genuine, grateful, closed-lip smile, and he returns it, his kind eyes seeming to have a spark of extra liveliness from being in his element of doing good things to make people happy.

I swear I can see Nikki scowling at us from the corner of my eye, but the look is gone from his face as soon as it arrives.

[vannahfanfics]

Yo, I just read your Haynette fanfic, and I gotta say, I'm impressed with what you've written. Would you mind making another one of this couple? They're super cute together, and I feel like they're the most "normal" couple in KH since they're just two teenagers who live normal lives in comparison to the other KH characters. How about a Part 2 where Pence finds out about the 3 a.m. meeting, and starts coaching Hayner on what to do in relationships (with copious amounts of teasing, of course). 😋

Hey there, Anon! Sorry it took me such a hot minute to get to this; this last year has been crazy for me, as you can imagine. But, at long last, here is your Haynette story! Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write for one of my favorite Kingdom Hearts rarepairs <3 

3 a.m. Musings and Cherry Lip Gloss Part II

Before you read, here’s Part I! 

Hayner groaned loudly as the persistent chirping of his alarm clock finally bled through his feather pillow down into his eardrum. While using one hand to press the soft, downy pillow further against his head, his other blindly slapped at his nightstand. After his palm thumped uselessly against the wood a few times, displacing a few knickknacks, candy wrappers, and coins, he finally smashed the snooze button. He groaned miserably again, burying his face into his mattress as he clung to the last shreds of sweet, sweet sleep. As he smacked his lips, the succulent taste of cherries bloomed across his tongue. 

“Oh my gosh!” he cried, jerking upright in bed with owlish eyes. His pillow sailed across his bedroom to smack into his dresser, shaking the framed posters and other baubles crammed on its top surface. Still bleary from sleep, Hayner’s hands rummaged nonsensically through his sheets and comforter a few times in search of his phone until he realized it was sitting on his nightstand. He snatched it up, using muscle memory to pull up Pence’s contact information to dial his number. 

“Yello?” the cheery boy answered quickly. 

“Pence! Hey! I got something important to talk to you about! Get your butt over here!” Hayner screeched into the phone. As he crawled across his bed, his foot became tangled in the linens; when he tried to step off, his leg lurched back and he face-planted into the carpet. He heard Pence hiss at the very loud thump Hayner’s body made as it hit the floor. “Agh… Just get here, man!” 

“All right, all right, I’m coming! I’m getting milkshakes.” 

“What? No, I don’t have time for—” His stomach yowled ardently, making the words die in his throat. Groaning, he smacked his forehead down against the floor. “Chocolate, please…” 

“Roger that!” Pence quipped before ending the call. Hayner dropped his phone down onto the carpet, just continuing to lay there with one of his legs still trapped in the blankets and reclined up over his body. He swiped his tongue gingerly across his bottom lip again; yep, faint as it was, there was the saccharine flavor of cherry lip gloss. His cheeks heated with a fierce blush. 

“I… kissed Olette…” he whispered. A giddy smile spread across his face, pulling on his cheeks until they ached a little. However, after a brief blip of dreamy euphoria, reality came crashing down, as did his stupid grin. Hayner had kissed Olette. He had confessed to Olette. Gasping, he snatched his phone back up to check his notifications— specifically, his text messages with Olette. A quick review of the conversation confirmed that they had in fact snuck out at 3 a.m., and unless he had blacked out on the road somewhere and had a strangely realistic fever dream, that meant everything in the Secret Hideout had also occurred. 

“Oh, man,” he groaned anxiously, fisting his tousled honey-blond hair. “What am I gonna do now?” Should he text her? No. No, that was stupid! Hayner would make a great big fool of himself for sure. No, he needed advice, advice from a smart person— and Pence was the smartest guy he knew. Surely Pence would know what to do. 

He plopped the phone back down before melting back onto the floor. If he was lucky, the molecules of his body would blend with the fibers of the carpet, turning him into a puddle of goo so he could avoid this situation. That did not happen. Instead, Pence found him still lying there after tromping up the stairs, following a jovial exchange with Hayner’s parents, of course. 

“Man. You weren’t kidding when you said you needed to talk,” the brunet said and took a loud sip of his milkshake— cookies and cream, probably. In reply, Hayner released a frustrated scream that vibrated the floor as the carpet muffled it. Pence clicked his tongue reassuringly as he rolled Hayner’s computer chair over and plopped down, his chest pressed against the leather back and his legs hanging over the sides. “Come now, talk to Pence,” he crooned as he set the milkshake down next to Hayner’s head. 

Hayner just groaned again and rolled onto his side so he could drown his anxieties in sweet, thick, sugary chocolate milkshake. He sucked the chunky concoction through the straw for two minutes straight before popping his lips off of it. His stomach whirled as the last dregs of cherry lip gloss slipped in, making a flavor reminiscent of chocolate-covered cherries. Should he provide context? 

Nah, better to rip it off like a bandage. 

“I kissed Olette.” 

“You did what?!” Pence spluttered. He had unfortunately been drinking his milkshake at the time, leading to him spitting it out all over his front. He scowled as he scrubbed at his face and shirt. “Dude! Are you serious?!” 

“Yeah, I’m serious! Do you think I would joke about something like that?” Hayner reported hotly as he pushed his upper body up with his arm. Pence sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his half-empty milkshake cup with the other hand. 

“Wait, wait, wait, wait… Tell me the whole story…” 

So Hayner did. As he explained it, taking long, stressed sips of his shake in-between, Pence listened intently. He pinched the end of his chin and nodded his head sagely, and when things got especially good, he took a long drag of his cookies and cream shake. By the time Hayner finished, the other boy was scraping at the bottom of the styrofoam cup to scoop ice cream chunks out with the straw. 

“So this morning you woke up and now you have no idea what your relationship with her is gonna be like?” 

“Exactly!” Hayner cried and slapped his hand down into the carpet. He followed by thunking his head down again. “Ugh, man… I should’ve known better. I’m too stupid in the early hours of the morning.” 

“You certainly do lose all common sense. Remember the time we stayed up for the new year and you tried to steal one of the trams?” Pence chuckled. Hayner rolled his head to glare at him from underneath one of his golden strands of hair. “Right, not helpful,” Pence said, adjusting himself in the computer chair. “Now then, do you like her?” 

“Uh, yeah. I wouldn’t have kissed her if I didn’t.” 

“Look, man, I’m no judge. People do what they do,” Pence shrugged while waving a hand placatingly. Hayner rolled his eyes and shoved his face back down into the carpet. He should have stayed in bed; dust bunnies and crumbs were definitely not a good substitute for soft sheets. “Anyway, so then, do you want to date her?” 

Hayner could feel his face flush so hot that it was a wonder that the heat didn’t singe the carpet fibers. Despite his immense embarrassment, he didn’t have the urge to refuse; even doing so defensively seemed sacrilegious. As his face continued to burn, he meekly spoke into the carpet, “Yeah… I do…” 

“Then date her!” Pence exclaimed, making Hayner jerk violently in surprise. The blond pushed himself up onto his forearms to see that his friend had thrown up his arms in exasperation. “What’s the problem, man? It’s pretty clear to me that Olette likes you back, considering she didn’t slap you silly when you planted one on her.” 

Hayner pursed his lips dourly. Pence made it sound so simple as if girls weren’t complex beings, like the inner machinations of their minds weren’t complete enigmas. Could it be that simple? Frowning, Hayner pushed himself into a seated position, crossing his legs and slumping over a little as he took out his phone again. As he pulled up his chat history with Olette, he found a goofy smile worming on his face just seeing her name. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, he shot her a message that simply said, Good morning. 

The bubble with three little dots popped up immediately, followed by a cheerful, Good morning! I hope you finally got some sleep~ Hayner leaned back a little as his smile widened, a warm and fuzzy feeling bubbling up inside of him to spread from his toes to the crown of his head. Pence, realizing that his work was done, strolled out of the room to call down to Hayner’s mother and ask what was for breakfast. Rather than text a response, Hayner took it as Pence’s silent demand to put on his big boy britches, so he hit the call button. 

It only rang once before Olette’s curious voice chimed on the other line, “Hello?” 

“Hey, Olette.” 

“Hey.” He could hear the coquettishness in her voice; she was probably lying on her belly in her bed with her ankles crossed, twirling a lock of her bouncy brunette hair around her finger. “So, um… Last night…” 

“Yeah,” Hayner gulped, turning to lean against his bedframe as he nervously scratched at the back of his neck. “Last night.” A silence fell between them. Hayner felt like a balloon was swelling in his chest, stretching him to the point of bursting. Unable to take the tension, he decided to burst the bubble himself. “I hope you know that wasn’t just 3 a.m. delirium— me kissing you,” he said, blushing at how silly it sounded. 

“I hope you know that kissing you back wasn’t delirium, either,” Olette giggled girlishly. Hayner melted against his bed in relief; if she was joking so casually about it, then perhaps he really had been freaking out over nothing. Olette grew silent on the other end of the line again, but he knew her well enough to know that she was chewing on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. 

Hayner drummed his fingers nervously on the floor, trying to find an eloquent way to ask her out. Instead, impatience got the better of him and he blurted, “So you wanna be my girlfriend?” 

He turned beet red as she snorted in laughter on the other end of the line, momentarily panicking. Did I misread the situation? I couldn’t have, right?!

“Sorry!” Olette hastily said though she was suppressing giggles. “Sorry, that was just— that was really cute.” Hayner never, ever thought he would think fondly of being referred to as “cute,” but he’d be damned if he didn’t admit that it made his heart flutter in his chest. “Anyway, I would love to be your girlfriend, Hayner.” 

“Great!” he exclaimed, unable to control the extreme burst of happiness that shot through him. Once he realized he’d said it aloud— evidenced by Olette laughing again— his face turned a deep burgundy color. “I-I-I-I mean, um, great. Um. Would you… like to come over for breakfast at my place, then?” He smacked his forehead immediately after. What was he thinking? It wasn’t romantic to have breakfast with his parents and Pence around! God, he needed smooth 3 a.m. Hayner back. Luckily, Olette was too sweet for her own good. 

“Sure! Your mom makes the best pancakes.” 

“Pancakes! Right!” Hayner jumped up, slipping and sliding on his carpet as he tried to scramble to the door so he could shout at his mom to make pancakes. He relaxed when she called affirmation (and demanded he tell Olette she said hello). Smiling wryly, Hayner turned around to lean against the hallway wall. He chuckled lightly as he threaded his fingers through his wavy blond tresses, still blushing a carnation pink. “Um… See you when you get here, then.” 

“See you soon, Hayner,” she said, and the warmth in her tone made Hayner melt against the wall in adoration. He continued to hold the phone up to his ear even after she hung up, smiling dreamily as if it made him closer to her somehow. He finally lowered it when Pence came tromping up the stairs, chewing on a cereal bar. 

“So?” 

All it took was Hayner’s big grin and Pence exclaimed excitedly. “All right! Good for you guys, man!” he said as he sauntered over, doing a happy dance for Hayner’s benefit. The taller boy laughed and gave Pence a high-five, then looked adoringly down at Olette’s contact information. After a moment of consideration, he smirked and hit the edit button to add a heart and a lip gloss Emoji to her name. Pence peeked over his shoulder, then laughed dryly and punched Hayner in the shoulder. “Man, you’re such a sap already.” 

“Shut up,” Hayner laughed and shoved him in the side of his head before stowing his phone. “Which one of us is single?” 

“Bro! You were single, like, two minutes ago!” 

“Keyword: were,” Hayner teased as he flashed him a wink. Pence groaned, muttering something about how he should’ve just ignored Hayner’s phone call, while the blond sauntered to the bathroom to do his hair. As he wrangled his locks into submission, he licked his lips again, smiling widely at the faint taste of cherry still lingering there. 

Maybe 3 a.m. Hayner had some sense after all.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[in-tua-deep]

Hi, I'm the anon who asked for the fluffiest most heartwarming headcanons and they really cheered me up thank you so much! ❤️

asdfghASFGHJ i can give some more random headcanons if you’d like >:3c

we’re gonna go with a theme of food since i went grocery shopping today

After a while in the apocalypse, some things started to grow back. Plants are tough, and a fantastic way to supplement a diet of insects if you know which ones are edible

that’s a long way to say that the siblings witness Five just stuff an Entire Flower into his mouth and he also randomly will stoop while walking and just grab some clover or something and stuff it in his pockets

“And y’all say I’m weird.” Klaus says while they watch Five absently pick and eat an entire patch of dandelions on their Forced Family Bonding Picnic

Five isn’t the only one with food issues - Klaus and Ben also come with food issues and surprisingly Luther also has food insecurity thanks to his time on the moon (everyone noticed that nice note which asked his dad to please remember to send more food right)

Klaus lived with homelessness and Ben hasn’t eaten actual food since he died regardless of the fact that Klaus always sets a place for him or saves him a cup of coffee or tea to include him, and the day that Klaus manages to make Ben manifest enough to actually eat and drink is going to be a Whole Barrel Full of Emotions

honestly what i’m saying is that there is some really wholesome mealtime shenanigans where everyone takes turns providing dinner or lunch and everyone has to attend because it’s family time and there is. varying level of success.

Luther’s food is a little basic but edible enough once they all grab some seasoning. He doesn’t do anything fancy with it, but he can put together a fairly solid meal - and if he actually genuinely studied for this and watched a bunch of youtube channels on cooking well he’s allowed to do whatever he wants on his free time thank you very much

Diego is. Well. He’s been living on his own for a while he’s technically capable of putting a meal together. And if everyone is served scrambled eggs on toast then hey it’s breakfast for dinner shut up that’s a real thing screw you all. (He might have forgotten it was his turn until someone casually mentioned it and he had to make do with whatever was in the kitchen oops)

Allison looks competent in her life but the first time it’s her turn to do dinner they end up having to order pizzas because Allison gets distracted and everything burns. There is some extreme heist shenanigans scrubbing everything down and busting out the air fresheners before Five gets back and Five scowls when he finds out but is actually endeared though he’d never admit it

Everyone expects Klaus’s dinner to be a fucking disaster and it was but that disaster is not what the family was fed so it all turns out okay in the end. Mainly because they went shopping earlier and ended up with a bunch of freezer food and so the family is served a wonderful mean of turkey dinosaur shaped nuggets with sides of kraft mac n’ cheese and microwaveable steamed broccoli

look Klaus is easily distracted and inclined to experiment to the point of inedibility which is not a fantastic combination for family dinner night. the only reason it goes decently is because Ben exists to act as Klaus’s one brain cell and Ben’s intervention depends entirely on how much his siblings have pissed him off this week so.

Five probably just fucking. Proudly dumps a bunch of cans of food on the table and considers his job in ‘providing’ for his family done. When question he defensively says “they aren’t even out of date yet!” and everyone is left squinting at these metal tubes containing their dinner

Next meal though, after much explanation on what they mean by family dinner nights, is probably some kind of stew?? probably a really bizarre and weird veggie stew because you can just kind of toss whatever in a stew pot and go with it which is probably one of the only real things he knows how to make. He may or may not build a fire in the courtyard to cook it since he isn’t sure how to do it making an oven and stove but like. baby steps y’all baby steps.

Ben gets to opt out of being in the roster for family dinner nights due to. his dead-ness. plus the fact that Klaus isn’t reliable in keeping him corporeal yet, but he does make some bomb ass desserts on klaus’s dinner nights when klaus has the energy to manifest him (as long as ben bugs klaus to remember to get whatever it is out when it’s ready)

Vanya makes so many casseroles y’all. When she was on her own she looked up stuff she could make that could be made in one dish and kind of went from there. Did she watch too many shows as a kid where a kindly neighbor brought over some casserole? probably. but her food is actually both edible, homemade, and freeze-able which puts her a leg up on pretty much all of her siblings tbh

the last day of the week, bc ben doesn’t cook, goes to Grace and everyone eagerly awaits those days because let’s be real Grace’s food is the best food and yeah, they might have come up with this thing to give her a break in the first place but damn if she isn’t the real expert and at one point or another they all end up seeking out her advice which she is always pleased by

Five might mainline coffee but surprise! He’s actually not alone in that. Vanya has long long hours of orchestra practice and needs a kick to stay awake, and Allison is completely unashamed with her starbucks obsession. Klaus is always eager to accompany Allison and gets the biggest most sugary drinks possible (as long as she’s paying)

Vanya does try to switch and keep to teas though. Especially after the whole apocalypse debacle. Look her powers are linked to her emotions and she’s going to drink whole gallons of calming whatever tea if it means she isn’t going to punt her idiot brothers through a few walls and go full on Carrie (even if they totally deserve it). She does have some regrets about the frequent bathroom breaks though

Luther is the sibling who tries the teas with Vanya. It’s quiet, they don’t really have to talk to each other, and it’s supposed to be calming so it’s their little bonding thing since god they both need it a lot tbh

Diego thinks coffee pollutes his system and probably keeps a whole bunch of sports drinks. and SMOOTHIES or like those dumb blended drinks? everyone loses respect for him the day they witness him voluntarily drink something with not one but multiple raw eggs in it

even Diego “my body is a temple” Hargreeves balks at Allison’s health smoothies which havekale in them. Allison insists they don’t taste that bad but everyone sees her grimacing when she thinks they aren’t looking. The only one that dares drink Allison’s smoothies is Five and everyone is convinced his taste buds died with the rest of the world in the apocalypse

Allison and Diego team up at least once to try and get the rest of the siblings to go on a health kick. Luther reluctantly joins their side because of the power of Allison and is regarded as a traitor by the rest. Vanya was almost persuaded until Allison said they were having spaghetti and brought out spaghetti squash. 

Klaus is ardently against this health kick because he wants waffles for breakfast, mainly. Five is only against it out of spite because they tried to throw away his marshmallows for his sandwiches

Klaus gets really hungry after using his powers to manifest Ben. His power is usually passive but when he’s actively using it, he’s burning calories. This probably leads to at least one collapse before Five elbows his way in to coach Klaus on How Not To Pass Out and to keep snacks on his person

Five’s power is similar in that jumps burn calories for him, which is why he almost never jumped in the apocalypse unless his life was in danger. The peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches were created to give himself some much needed calories and energy. He fainted a lot as a kid and knows how to handle this kind of bullshitbut Klaus is kind of garbage at taking care of himself so i mean. it’s a big old learning curve going on and tbh both Klaus AND Five don’t eat enough they��re both too skinny smh

Everyone takes turns going grocery shopping except for Five and Klaus. Five because he’s not driving to the store alone because he might get arrested (plus his grasp of paying for things is. very loose). 

Klaus because of the Incident that Shall Not Be Mentioned involving a local grocery chain store, an entire aisle of baby food, just a little bit of public nudity, and a wet floor sign. That, and Klaus always came back with the most ridiculous things possible anyway so

Klaus tries to wheedle everyone into letting him go because Ben is with him, guys! But no one falls for this. Ben is petty and will take Klaus’s side or egg him on almost as much as he acts as Klaus’s sole brain cell, and Klaus also has a history of ignoring Ben even when he is acting like that one brain cell

Klaus does occasionally tag along with the others. Mainly Diego, because Diego has a not-so-secret Klaus-shaped soft spot. Klaus usually demands to ride in the trolley and knocks things off shelves like a small toddler or particularly mischievous cat

Everyone in the house teams up to make sure Klaus eats at least one (1) fruit or vegetable at least every other day

okay that’s all i got for now i have to take a shower but enjoy ;3c

[smileyoongle]

Tsundere BTS! IDFC: In love with the best friend (Song Edition)

Alright so I discussed the need for BTS as tsunderes with someone and I suddenly got an idea. Please please please forgive me if any of it isn't accurate cause this was my first attempt so.... LET'S GET IT?!

Also this Imagine is based on the song IDFC by Blackbear. If you haven't heard it then please do cause it's so good.

Kim Seokjin:

Tell me pretty lies, look me in the face. Tell me that you love me, even if it's fake. Cause I don't fucking care...at all.

Jin cursed under his breath when you wrapped your hands around his arm and leaned your head on his shoulder. It would have been normal if you were his girlfriend. But you weren't. You were his best friend who had a boyfriend. And he was tired of it.

Tired of not being your boyfriend. Tired of hearing you cry only to end up going back to that bastard who just didn't know how to treat you right. Tired of pretending that he didn't have feelings for you. He wasn't good at showing his emotions anyway but he probably would have made an effort if he had a chance with you. But he didn't.

At this point, he just wanted you to tell him that you loved him. Even if it was a lie.

At this point, he just wanted you to look at him the way he looked at you. Even if you were imagining someone else at that moment.

He just didn't care, desperation had become his best friend lately.

"He took me for a long drive but it ended shortly. He got a call from Lila and she sounded hurt so he had to go look aft-" he scoffed at your words, earning a frown from you. He knew Lila very well, the campus it-girl who loved waking up in everyone else's bed but hers. She had tried seducing Jin too but it definitely didn't work on him. The cold wind made you shiver as you stopped walking beside Jin and crossed your arms, glaring at him. He rolled his eyes and turned to you. "Why did you react like that?" You asked, tilting your head to the side. With a sigh, Jin took off his coat and proceeded to place it on your shoulder. "Can't have you falling sick when your boyfriend clearly needs you, right?" He mocked, looking at you with the same cold eyes that you saw every day. You shook your head in confusion, frowning even more if that was even possible.

"And to answer your question, how else do you want me to react, Y/N? Honestly, I'm out of things to say when you keep talking about him whenever we meet. He doesn't fucking care about you. Lila is not a damsel in distress and you know that. If you don't then you're even more naïve than I thought." He stated, immediately regretting his words when he saw the tears building up in your eyes. You glanced down at your shoes and bit your lip before wiping away a tear that escaped your eye. "You talk as if you're so much better. Every time that I try to talk to you, all I get are vague replies. You don't care either, Jin! I really thought I could put up with your distant and cold self but it's hard an-" you explained, your voice cracking in the middle but Jin cut you off.

"Then leave."

As soon as you heard those words, your mind went blank. "What?" You whispered, looking at him with wide eyes. Jin's heart was tearing apart at how upset you seemed. But he couldn't do it any more. He wanted you more than just a best friend. 5 years of hidden feelings had too many consequences. But he knew it had to be done. "I don't want your friendship, Y/N. Don't mean to sound like a selfish ass but I want what he has. And he has you. And since you're very much happy with him fucking around then I can't stand by the sidelines and watch you get played. So do us both a favour and leave." Jin said, his voice sounding more and more distant as you watched him walk away. You pulled his coat tightly around you, telling yourself that everything was gonna be okay.

But were you gonna be okay?

____________________________________________

Kim Namjoon:

You're slurring all your words, not making any sense. But I don't fucking care...at all.

Your hands were lightly wrapped around Namjoon's as he rested his head on the palm of his other hand. Faint snores rang through the room as the sun began to rise, reminding him that he needed to get some shut-eye.

He couldn't believe that he had pulled an all-nighter just to take care of a drunk you.

The you, that had unwantedly confessed to him that you were, indeed, in love with him. Right after the words left your mouth, his mind went blank and his heart kept pounding. He tried so hard to keep himself calm while putting you to bed, trying to pry yourself off of him while you pouted and accused him of not loving you back.

Little did you know....

It had been too long. Namjoon didn't even remember when he first started having feelings for you. But it had definitely been too long. He wasn't the best at this. People avoided him because he looked rude. But to you, he was your best friend that you adored beyond description.

Namjoon tried to sleep but that seemed like an impossible task. He just wanted to sit and admire you while telling himself that you were drunk and you didn't know what you were saying. But his conscience was screaming at him. Because drunk words are sober thoughts.

Namjoon let his fingers rest on your cheek, smiling when you leaned into them unconsciously. But that smile disappeared just as it came when you opened your eyes, instantly wincing due to the terrible headache you had. With panic rising in his chest, Namjoon flicked at your cheek making you yelp. You glared at him while rubbing your forehead and your cheek simultaneously. "What the hell, Joon?!" You exclaimed, whimpering after. Namjoon returned your glare and grabbed the pills he had placed on the nightstand along with a glass of water. Handing them to you, he stood up and started to leave the room, stopping on hearing your voice.

"Okay, am I dreaming? Because by now I would have thrown myself out the window after hearing your lecture about 'Bad decisions and their consequences'." You stated, making quotation marks in the air. Namjoon frowned and turned around, glancing at the empty glass by your side.

"I don't feel the need to lecture you. You're a grown woman who can make her own decisions." He replied, making you frown in confusion. This was not how Namjoon reacted. He always told you how childish you were and only a miracle could change that thought of his. But the truth was, Namjoon couldn't say anything to you after your confession. Mostly because he didn't regret anything and also you weren't aware of what you had said.

"Did I...say something last night?" You asked, hoping to find out why Namjoon was acting this way. His eyes widened momentarily but you didn't notice.

It was really simple, actually. Or at least that's what Namjoon thought. There was no way that he could hold your words against you when they were said in the wrong situation. He cared about you but he was also afraid that you would laugh it off. That would probably hurt the most. He was willing to wait until you said it as if you meant it but if that never happened, he was also willing to forget his feelings, if that was possible.

"No. Now get ready. It's your turn to make breakfast today." And so he left, leaving your heart in pieces. But you didn't blame him.

You didn't blame him for not knowing that you were sober and it was an act. You didn't blame him for not knowing that your words were honest and sincere. You didn't blame him for not wanting you back.

You just didn't blame him.

____________________________________________

Min Yoongi:

Cause I have hella feelings for you. I act like I don't fucking care, like they ain't even there.

Damp hair and damp clothes. Smeared mascara and tear stained cheeks. A wreck is what you were. And the sobs leaving your mouth only added to your misery.

It was raining heavily and you were positive that you would have fallen sick by now if it weren't for Yoongi, who was holding an umbrella over your crying figure while standing in the rain himself. But you didn't notice because you were too busy loathing over being stood up on a date that you had with a guy who had flirted with you for over a month. It was definitely heartbreaking for you, but it was even more heartbreaking for Yoongi, because he had to watch his best friend cry over an asshole when he could've done something about it But this wasn't about him. This was about you.

So he let you cry your heart out as you sat on the concrete with your knees pulled up to your chest, shivering occasionally.

Yoongi had to watch you smile at your phone for a month. He had to listen to your late night conversations on the phone through the thin walls of your shared house. He had to help you dress up for a guy who didn't deserve you. A guy that wasn't him. And there was nothing more painful than that.

"Wh-why me?" You stammered, hiccups making their way through your lips. You had been crying for too long. You didn't even remember when you called Yoongi to pick you up, only to end up breaking down in the middle of the footpath. You didn't even remember when he got there or when the rain stopped hitting you because he placed his only umbrella above you.

Yoongi's heart broke even more on hearing your voice. It held so much pain, he wished he could take it away. "Get up." He ordered, his voice wavering a little. You looked up at him, frowning and sniffling at his sudden coldness. But you were used to it. Because you knew Min Yoongi like no one else. So you obliged, holding onto his arm as you almost fell down due to how exhausted you felt. You gasped lightly on seeing your best friend's drenched state. His lips were almost pale, making you feel guilty about being such a crybaby. "Tomorrow morning, the first thing you are doing is coming with me to that bastard's dorm. And when we reach there, you better slap him with all you've got, do you understand?" He asked, anger evident in his tone. You smiled slightly after hearing his words. And there was no need for you to ask him why. The answer was already before you, so you nodded.

"Good. Now let's go home and get you out of these ridiculous clothes. You look better in hoodies anyway." He stated, grabbing your hand and pulling you behind him. The warmth that ran through Yoongi when he held your hand was unfathomable. It just felt too comforting. He wished to hold your hand forever but that seemed impossible at the moment. He thought he was just your best friend and you'd never take it further than that.

Which is why he did it. Probably his most stupid decision but he did it anyway. He set up a date for himself with your friend, the one who clearly liked him. Not like you would be bothered anyway, right?

"Will you spend the entire day with me? Tomorrow?" He broke out of his thoughts on hearing your voice. He was buckling your seatbelt for you already. Your eyes skimmed over his lost expression. Something was on his mind.

"I can't. I have a date tomorrow. But we could do something after I get back." He replied, turning the engine on and pulling onto the road. You couldn't tell why but your heart felt like it was being ripped out of your chest. Obviously, he had his own life. He couldn't just be there for you whenever you wanted. Strangely, it hurt more than being stood up. Blinking rapidly, you tried to get rid of the tears filling your eyes again. Your eyes closed as you wondered if you had lost your only chance at happiness.

Wondering if you'd lost the only person who thought you were enough.

_____________________________________________

Jung Hoseok:

Cause I have hella feelings for you. I act like I don't fucking care, cause I'm so fucking scared.

You know, the nervous and anxious feeling that you get when you do something you've never done before, that makes you wanna run away? That's exactly how Hoseok felt, dry throat and clammy hands. It was as if he was gonna pass out but he couldn't afford to do that. Dance lessons for the day had just ended.

Which meant, time to talk to you.

Grabbing his water bottle, he watched as all the students left the room, leaving him alone with you. You, the best friend of the absolutely talented but misunderstood Jung Hoseok. He had first met you in this very room, when you had decided to join dance lessons to take your mind off of things. And now here you were, three years and an amazing friendship. A friendship that Hoseok was sure he was gonna ruin.

Taking in a deep breath, he walked towards where you were sprawled out on the floor, lying down in the same position beside you.

It had been precisely two years and 4 months since Hoseok had realised his feelings for you. No matter what he did, you were the only thing on his mind and he just couldn't imagine his life without you. Too much pain.

"I have to tell you something." He stated, staring at the white ceiling. He could feel your eyes on him but he couldn't bring himself to look into them, afraid he'd mess up his speech. "Me too." You replied, smiling at him even though he couldn't see it. You were beyond excited to see his reaction on hearing what you have to say. With a frown, Hoseok turned his head towards you, wondering if you had to say something more important. "You first." He urged, making you nod. You sat up straight and tucked your feet beneath your butt, biting your lower lip harshly.

"I like someone."

The words made Hoseok wanna throw up. His heart was beating faster and his breathing was becoming heavier. Side effects of a broken heart. He immediately sat up and turned away from you, not wanting you to see the distress on his face.

He couldn't even remember how many times this had happened to him before. Being rejected for someone else. It made him feel suffocated. He wasn't expecting you to do the same. After 2 years of preparing himself, this was definitely not what he wanted. He was scared of being in love but you made it seem like it was beautiful. How stupid of him to have let his guard down.

"Hobi, are you okay?" Your soft voice brought him out of his agony. His head was starting to hurt and he hadn't even noticed the tear that had fallen down his cheek. Quickly wiping it away, he stood up and rushed to grab his bag. "Fine." He mumbled, not wanting to talk to you anymore. It was a mistake and he had to fix it. He was better off without you anyway.

Seeing him walking out the door, you couldn't help but feel like things were going wrong when they weren't supposed to. It was supposed to be a simple beginning to a simple love story. You were going to confess to Hoseok and he was gonna say he felt the same. But for some reason, the words were stuck inside your throat.

"You had to say something too." You said, sighing in relief as he stopped in his tracks. After a minute of silence, he finally spoke. "I won't be coming here anymore. Don't waste your time trying to keep in touch with me. I really don't care."

You fell on your knees just as he left, your vision becoming blurry as painful tears filled your eyes. You clutched at your chest with a gasp because it hurt. It hurt too much to fix it. Everything went so wrong so fast. And you didn't even know what to do. Yes, he was cold at times but he did care. Or at least that's what you thought. You lay on the wooden floor, sobbing and complaining about how unfair this was.

About how love broke you.

___________________________________________

Park Jimin:

I'm only a fool for you. And maybe you're too good for me.

Hiding behind his stack of books, Jimin tilted his head to take a look at the entrance of the library. The doors were still closed, indicating that no one had come through yet. But Jimin knew it was only minutes until you barge in through those doors in search of him to help you with your upcoming test.

Jimin hated that you only needed him for studies or when you had to cry your eyes out over some boy who broke your heart. That's all he was. A second choice. And for some twisted reasons, he had ended up falling in love with you. His heart kept screaming at him that it was wrong. Because you were the popular girl and he was just the campus nerd. There was no way there could be something between you two.

Just like he'd predicted, the doors to the library opened and you walked in, glancing at the huge room to look for your best friend. Jimin sighed as he watched you disappear between a couple shelves, only to scare him by suddenly jumping at him from behind. "And what's my cute bean busy with?" You chirped, taking a seat beside him and chuckling on hearing his groan.

"I'm not cute." He stated, rolling his eyes and closing the book that was in front of him. You couldn't tell but Jimin's heart was pounding just because you were sitting too close to him. "Whatever you say, hotstuff!" You shrugged and placed your cheek on the palm of your hand, resting your elbow on the table. With another shake of his head, he shoved all his books in his bag and zipped it shut. Pushing his chair behind him, Jimin stood up and walked towards the exit as you followed him while holding his arm with both of your hands.

"Jiminie, I need your help." You said, pouting at him and batting your lashes. A frown etched itself on your face when Jimin raised his eyebrows and turned to you.

"Tell me something I don't know."

Your jaw dropped in surprise as you stopped in your track, looking at Jimin in disbelief as he continued to walk out of the campus.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" You yelled, chasing after him as he laughed softly at how offended you were. Just as you caught up to him, he pursed his lips, hiding all traces of the laughter he had just emitted. "Just tell me what you need, Y/N." He urged, squinting when the bright sunlight hit his face on stepping out of the campus. He heard you huffed beside him, growing a little concerned for you. Maybe you were really in trouble th-

"I need you to come on a date with me..."

He choked on his own saliva and turned to you with wide eyes. Did he really just hear you say that?

"... actually a double date."

Jimin shut his eyes and took in a deep breath before chuckling bitterly to himself. Of course, it was a double date. How could he even think otherwise? The thought of you going on a date with someone made his heart ache. This wasn't the first time but he still wasn't used to it. He could never get used to seeing you go out with someone who wasn't him. "No." He mumbled, quickening his pace towards where his car was parked. You whined and ran behind him, confused as to why he just rejected you. You had never heard Jimin say no to you for anything before. "Oh come on, it will be fun. My friend is bringing her boyf-" you started to convince him, only to be cut off when he let out a loud groan.

You knew this was a bad idea. Jimin would never actually agree to go on a date with you. You were only his best friend who he tolerated to no extent. Yes, sometimes you used him for different purposes but that was only because you wanted a reason to be by his side all the time.

"I said no, Y/N. Don't make me say something you don't wanna hear because you know I can. So please go and find someone else to play with. I'm done being your pet."

Ouch.

Jimin was so consumed by his thoughts that he didn't even listen to what you were trying to say. He just knew that he couldn't be in a one sided love story anymore. So he made it clear to you, not even sparing you a glance as he drove off. He didn't know what he had done. Because love is blind.

And so is pain.

____________________________________________

Kim Taehyung:

I'm only a fool for you. But I don't fucking care...at all.

The party had ended after the fight between your boyfriend and Taehyung. They both had mercilessly kicked and punched each other as if their lives depended on it. Taehyung couldn't explain the anger that he felt after hearing your boyfriend's disgusting comments about you. This wasn't the kind of disrespect that you deserved and he wanted you to know that. For years, he had tried to keep you away from boys who only wanted you for sex. In his eyes, no one could love you like he did. But this time, he had failed.

You pulled your hair in frustration and walked towards the front door. Everyone had left, including your boyfriend. You were mad and confused because of how the night turned out. The fight took you by surprise because you didn't think there was any bad blood between Taehyung and your boyfriend. Actually, no, you didn't think anyone could have any problems with Taehyung. Firstly, because he didn't really talk to many people and came off as an introvert. And secondly, he was the most loving person in this entire world. But then again, no one knew him as you did. Even though he never told you, you knew just how much he cared about you.

That wasn't the only thing though. Before leaving, your boyfriend had told you to stay away from your best friend. Why? Because he had feelings for you. And for some reason, your heart fluttered. You sighed on seeing Taehyung sitting on the front porch of your house and approached him.

Taehyung noticed you sitting beside him. He was currently debating with himself whether he should let you in on his feelings or not. Because there was definitely a possibility that you would change your mind about your boyfriend.

Maybe you'd leave him to be with Taehyung.

The thought made him giddy but anxious. "Tae, what was that back there?" You asked softly. The light from inside the house illuminated his face a little, making him look even more ethereal than before. "He talked shit about you," Taehyung replied, clenching his jaw on remembering the exact words. You couldn't bring yourself to defend your boyfriend. You believed your best friend. It warmed your heart to think that he protected you, like always.

"If you think I did this for you then stop assuming. I...I.... nevermind I did it for you." Taehyung slumped in defeat. He didn't want you to think he was weak for you but he didn't know what to say without making you upset either. You chuckled and leaned your head on his shoulder as he smiled softly. The cool air made you feel cold and you pouted while rubbing your arms to keep them warm, failing eventually. You grabbed taehyung's arm and placed it around your shoulder. His breath hitched and a blush crept up his cheek. "Tae, I have a ques-" before you could ask him, he answered.

"I like you, Y/N."

You lifted your head from his shoulder and looked at him. His face was so close to yours, you could kiss him. You could kiss him and forget all about your current relationship. You could be happy with someone you've known all your life. You could-

"I have a boyfriend, Tae."

The words were out before you could stop them. You wanted to jump off a cliff on seeing the hurt expression on taehyung's face. You had just broken your best friend's heart. The best friend that you probably liked. Taehyung immediately stood up and started walking towards his car. He couldn't see your face anymore. All this time he was thinking that maybe you'd realize that your boyfriend was a heartless bastard. Maybe you'd realize that someone could love you more. But no, you were still reminding him of why you couldn't be with him. He was a fool to think that you would give him a chance. Your voice called out to him but he didn't turn.

He didn't wanna stand by you anymore.

____________________________________________

Jeon Jungkook:

You've been out all night, I don't know where you've been.

Jungkook threw the phone across the room in anger, wincing internally on thinking about the damage that could have happened. He had tried calling you about 30 times but you hadn't picked up. It worried him a lot since he had absolutely no idea where you had gone even though you did tell him it was a girls' night out. You had never stayed out until 3 before so Jungkook thought there must have been something wrong.

You and Jungkook were housemates, mostly because you both were best friends but also to help with the expenses. College had treated you both well so far. Jungkook was the golden boy while you were just another average girl living her best life. You had to admit that a part of you actually really liked Jungkook but you figured it was wrong so you buried those feelings away. And Jungkook? He had realised the extent of his feelings only after he had seen another notoriously popular playboy hitting on you. It made Jungkook so pissed that he ended up punching Trevor while threatening him to stay away from you.

Because you were the most innocent and beautiful girl he had ever met. Your eyes, the curve of your nose, your plump lips, your soft skin and your long hair. Every single thing about you became a reason for Jungkook to fall harder. The distant but popular hottie of the college was hopelessly in love with his best friend. And she didn't know.

Loud music and cheers of people grabbed jungkook's attention as he rushed to the window in the living room, only to see you walking beside the very playboy who Jungkook had punched, Trevor Marshall. You smiled at him as his friends cheered at him from his car, oblivious to the person waiting for you inside your humble abode.

You flinched as soon as you opened the door to the house. Jungkook stood in front of you with his arms crossed, his eyes glaring at you with sheer intensity. You were about to greet him but then you remembered what Trevor had told you so you returned his glare and shut the door behind you.

"What was Trevor doing here?" Jungkook asked, making you shiver on hearing his voice. You gulped but composed yourself and dropped your coat on the floor after taking it off. Jungkook's eyes raked over your body. A skin tight dress hugged your body and showed off your curves in all the right places. How did he not notice what you wearing before you left the house? Oh right! The coat. "Dropping me off. What else? Oh and by the way, he told me something very interesting." You mocked, brushing past his shoulder and into the living room, not catching his eyes on your hips. Jungkook gritted his teeth and followed you. He was absolutely not worried about you knowing what he did to that stupid asshole. "What did he say?" Jungkook asked, watching as you stood in the middle of the room with your hands on your hips.

"You punched him and told him to stay away from me. What the hell, Jeon? You think you can do whatever you want with my life when you have girls throwing themselves at you?!" You bellowed, your chest rising and falling rapidly with how breathless you felt. At this point, Jungkook was equally mad at you. You were talking as if he wanted that life. "I'm protecting you, Y/N! I know that guy better than you and all he wants is to get in-" Jungkook hated being interrupted and that's exactly what you were doing. This was only riling him up more.

"All this time, I thought something was wrong with me but it was you. You kept everyone away from me. Why, Jungkook? Why?!"

"Because I'm falling for you harder and harder everyday!"

Your breath hitched and silence took over. Jungkook mentally cursed at himself for acting this way. He should've known better than to say this. Judging by your expression, it was clear that you definitely didn't think the same.

Misunderstandings.

These were the very words that you wanted to hear so badly. It made you feel all warm and fuzzy. But all of it went as soon as it came upon hearing your best friend's next words. "But don't worry, Y/N. I'll just take this burden off of you. Go and do whatever the fuck you want. I was stupid to think you'd appreciate this. But now I won't bother you. Don't come crying to me though. Because right from this moment, I don't fucking care what you do with your life." He spat and rushed to his room, slamming the door shut as tears filled in your eyes. Jungkook knew that he was too harsh. He always regretted the things he said when he was angry. How did things go from right to wrong so fast? How did you get confessed to and rejected at the same time? You sat on the couch and ended up crying yourself to sleep, your thoughts consuming you in an endless abyss.

How did love embrace you only to tear you apart?

Well, I kinda messed up some of the members but... can't blame me for trying, right? Anyway, I know my requests are closed but you can absolutely send in song requests too. Give me a song and I'll write what I interpret out of it's lyrics. Alright, goodbye!

-XX

[laytonsartblog]

How To Solve Everything

Little Spaces - Ch.2

Ch.1, Ch.2, Ch.3

Warning: This story contains violence, gun related violence, gang related violence, starvation, hypothermia, dysfunctional family themes, dysfunctional domestic themes, poverty, and homophobia/transphobia. Read with caution and at a good time for you. Take care of yourself.

--

Logan has a schedule he dedicates his life to.

First, to wake up at five am.

Next, is to get in the shower without a bucket. Why without a bucket? Because he's damn rich.

Y'see, when you're one of the most successful people in the country of Loríses, running a multi-billion dollar corporation on affordable apartment living and clean energy resources and steady bank loan agreements, well... you can afford some time.

That, and clean water.

Once that's all done and good, Logan likes to relax and have a nice breakfast in his humble top-apartment as he watches the news from the table.

The time didn't really matter when he woke up or finished eating because he never booked (or more accurately put, was forced to book) a meeting or council accommodation or ribbon cutting or something before eleven am.

Breakfast was his only sanctity; he made sure to have plenty of it.

With the news and breakfast over, Logan would head out to work with his classic polo and tie with a briefcase in hand, then spend about eight hours basically running around heading between business meetings and stock readings and introductory openings and apartment gatherings and- well, you get the picture.

Without a hitch, Logan'd get home at around seven-thirty pm, have some sort of dinner out with colleagues he really didn't care for, and get home to either sleep or do his favorite kind of work; charity work.

In the charity work's case?; he wouldn't get a wink of rest.

Today, Logan woke up like he would any other day, perhaps a little later than he thought he would, but that was due to his one am adoption centre charity bidding auction last night.

When he went to check his phone for any messages from his secretary for the day, he found only two from the uptight woman:

You have the day off, Mr.Corbett.

Have a nice day.

Logan looked on in confusion.

I have the day off? Why? he texted back.

His secretary immediately responded with a simple,You haven't used your vacation days at all for the past year, Mr.Corbett. If you don't use them by the end of September, you lose them. I took liberty of letting you off for the next week.

Logan was about to fight back and tell her he's coming into work anyway, but he found she's a bit faster with her hands.

You need it, Logan.

Go visit that old lady down the street, in the bookshop. Her name is Mrs.Tamry. She's my mother's sister and owns the place. She could use some company today.

Logan groaned. He wasn't moving the stubborn woman and that meant he actually had to take care of himself. Woe is he.

Logan grumpily put the phone to his bedside table before face-planting onto his bed. He groaned some more, kicking his feet and punching his hands into the pillows. Perhaps childish, yes, but Logan was never really raised to do much else than work. He didn't know what else to do.

Logan remembered the Mrs.Tamry from his secretary's messages a few minutes after his tantrum and sighed as he flipped over on the bed, rolling out of it.

After a shower he went over to his closet and picked out something a little more casual- a flannel and finer jeans -before stuffing down some toast to head to this bookowner.

Logan would admit that the bookstore part of the old woman was interesting; he's loved being read to and reading stories ever since he could recount the ABC's. It was one of the few pastimes he could be shown doing in public: his public advisor had once told him it made him look both gentle and intelligent, and the ladies would love it. Logan had just told him that he didn't care about the ladies and continued on his way to his office.

Logan finally made his way to the shop. He rolled his eyes at the name: "Book-Ends and Seller's Beggining." It was charming, if not a little corny, and Logan wasn't sure if this was really worth his time, but then he saw the little old lady through the glass sitting by her lonesome and let out a breath of air.

Dammit. Why do I have to feel so guilty?

Logan pushed his way through the tall glass doors and looked his way around, noticing the high bookshelves and neat working stations. It seemed grandma kept up with the times as Logan noticed a small table with a few charging stations attached to it, and a couple of teens doing their homework while plugging their phones in nearby. A stack of laps for rent stood on a shelf near the station.

Logan heard the old woman laugh hoarsely behind him.

"Well, now I wasn't expecting such a dashing young man in my shop so early in the morning!" Mrs.Tamry teased, still laughing. She got up from her weaved rocking chair and instead shuffled her way over to a flustered Logan. "Got some good bone structure- although the hair could use some work. A working man, hmm?"

Logan stammered at the guiding, touching hands and expert eye. "Yes ma'am, I- I am a businessman," he squeaked out.

Logan was used to just saying nothing while out in public, or worse, hosting everything and never getting a break. Having this conversation, if not an awkward one, made him sweat bullets. It was unknown territory.

"A businessman, huh?" Mrs.Tamry sang. She looked him over a few more times, noting the sweaty palms and pale face, before hollaring over to the kids in the corner, "Does this man look familiar?"

The three in the corner; a smaller, but colorful child, a tall but scraggly young fellow, and a boy with a star for his shirt all turned their heads.

The colorful kid snickered. "Nah, he looks too nervous to be any big shot I've heard of," they chided.

"Yeah, and what would he be doing here of all places if he was?" the scraggly lad questioned.

"Hey, knock it off!" the boy in the star shirt huffed. "The guy's probably super sweet and here to pick something up for his wife where they'll read fairytales to their kids and it'll be really damn cute!"

The colorful child started laughing hard; so hard, in fact, that they started tearing up. The scraggly kid did the same. The star boy just crossed his arms, looking to Logan with a much more innocent view.

Logan was sweating so profusely he was afraid he was going to faint. Mrs.Tamry just watched with a crooked smile at their imaginations.

"I am right, huh? You're just a nice guy!" the star boy asked, leaning in. The other two troublemakers got themselves together enough to lean in too, giggling.

"Yeah, tell us! Who are you?"

Logan couldn't stop himself before he even knew what his brain and mouth were going to say.

"I-I'm gay."

Well that was certainly new.

Logan realized what he said and covered his mouth with his hand, shock covering his entire face. Oh now you've done it, he roared at himself, you've told three kids and an old lady you're a disgusting pansy!

But the yelling and the chastising and the kicking-him-out-of-the-store never came. The other children looked to him in absolute glee, and the old woman just snickered.

"So what, dude? I'm like... mega gay too," the boy in the star shirt joked. He easily smiled at Logan.

Logan couldn't tell if he was being encouraged, or if he was doing the encouraging to the boy.

The other two children looked between eachother before looking to Logan. "We're non-binary. We use they/them pronouns. Could you please use them?"

Logan just barely managed a nod, his nerves in overdrive. He just outed himself and now these brave kids were coming out to him too? It was a hell of a thing to wrap around his brain. "O-Of course I will," he managed through chattering teeth.

Logan turned to the old woman last. He expected her to throw him out at first, but now he realized that she knew all this time. Now he looked to Mrs.Tamry in fear. The fact she could figure something like that out so quick was something Logan wasn't prepared to deal with, shock after shock being ran into him in the past ten minutes.

"Young man, you realize that this establishment has a 'We Accept You' sticker on the front, right?" she giggled, patting his shoulder despite him being a tree and her a stump.

Logan looked back to the glass and saw a mirrored version of that sticker on the door; clear as day.

Logan slumped his shoulders. "Oh."

Mrs.Tamry took his shoulders and guided Logan over to a seat, sitting in the one next to him with a sigh. "Ooh, that feels much better on my back."

Logan just stared at her, sweating and shaking and why had I not fought my secretary on letting me work-

Mrs.Tamry clasped a hand on top of his fussing one and smiled gently. The wild side of her had been turned down, and now something much more sweet laid itself out to the scatterbrained gay.

Logan felt himself calm down just a little.

"Now now, I've been told by my niece that her boss was coming in today to spend his day off. I'm to assume that's you, right?" she gently asked. The hand on Logan's softly rubbed it's thumb against Logan's knuckles.

Logan calmed down just a little more.

His tongue managed to unstick itself from the roof of his mouth enough to let out a small, "yes."

He didn't know why he was so freaked. Usually when he got this nervous he'd just bury it down like he had been for the past thirty something years but in this place, it felt like no matter how hard he tried, he was forced to feel everything he was feeling. Logan did not like it.

Mrs.Tamry sighed and used her other hand to tap a gentle rhythm in Logan's arm, giving him something to hold on to.

"Y'know, I didn't expect such a good man like you to be holding back so much fear. I could feel it as you stepped through that door," Mrs.Tamry commented, trying to make small talk.

Logan avoided her eyes. "Well, I haven't got much of a place to let it out."

Mrs.Tamry kept the rhythm on his arm while she hummed.

"Well that simply isn't good!" she preached. "Tell you what, if you're feeling so scared and trembling like you are now, you can always come to me, y'hear?"

Logan nodded a little. He could feel himself slowly relax, coming down from being so flustered and flabbergasted.

New places, new conversations- in which he made actual conversations instead of one-sided invites -new people, new ideas, new everything! It made his brain go into overdrive and his nerves alight. Usually he was able to handle it, bury it deep for later, but here? It seemed he couldn't stuff the feelings down.

Maybe it was Mrs.Tamry's wild but motherly approach, or the bookstore's inviting nature, or the teens he talked to earlier, but either way, Logan just sighed.

He was okay. He was safe. He was okay.

Mrs.Tamry pulled Logan up and rubbed his back while she headed him in the direction of the laptops.

"Why don't you do yourself a favor and find a game to play or- or a messaging site to talk to someone!" Mrs.Tamry then giggled cheekily. "It seems you don't have many friends, so now's a time to start!"

Logan took a seat next to the three teens with an awkward smile and a wave as he opened up the laptop. It was a little out of style, but it seemed fine enough as Logan booted it up.

"We never got your name, sir," the star boy asked politely while Logan logged in.

"Yeah! Like for example I'm Joan and that's Talyn, and he's Thomas, so now you know us!" the newly named Joan called out, tipping their beanie like a celebrity.

Talyn nodded along, playing with their colorful hair. "Homework is getting boring, we wanna know you!"

Logan turned to the three kids with a reserved smile as he signed up for a messenger site called GetAlong.

"My name is Logan Corbett."

--

Taglist

@amazable01 @vara-albion @sonicrainicorn @artist-of-the-moon @sparkedawg @unnipanda623 @kiibo57415 @anxious-sunflowe @thatonenerdphotographer @romanthestarstruckqueer @angels-and-dreams @midokiya @nedandn30 @chaosboitm @felicianoromano @supersoftsupersleep @icequeenoriginal

[artificialqueens]

Royals 4/9: I'm a Star and I'm Burnin' Through You (Branjie)- athena2

A/N: Thank you to everyone that’s read and left feedback! B and V are getting closer in this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy! A thousand thank you’s to Writ for betaing, you’re absolutely awesome! Your comments mean so much to me, and I would really appreciate it if you leave some for this chapter!

Chapter title from Love song by Lana Del Rey

—

In hindsight, the eggs were probably a step too far.

But this ‘spend a month with Brooke’ plan sounds exactly like something her mother would dream up, and it most likely would have happened even without throwing eggs at Brooke’s door.

They had definitely moved it along, though.

Hopefully Brooke knows she’s not to be messed with now, and won’t try to murder her in retaliation. Just because she didn’t follow rules as intensely as Brooke, or turn rigid as a soldier around her parents–she noticed Brooke do that this morning, there’s definitely some secrets in the Hytes castle–didn’t mean she wasn’t a good princess. Since when did following rules and doing well in lessons become the only qualifications of worth anyway? Though throwing eggs definitely wasn’t on the list, either.

Vanessa has always known she’s lovable, grins and handshakes and agreements blooming where she tred. She’s won over lords and ladies, princes and princesses. Her parents said she could walk into a room and have people on her side in minutes. So why couldn’t she act that way towards Brooke? Vanessa had fun skirting the rules for all they were worth, but what about Brooke made her take it to the point of throwing eggs? She thinks back to their interactions, trying to picture them clearly this time, not tinged with hatred. Brooke has been polite to her, if a little cold and condescending, but she probably didn’t deserve what Vanessa had done. She had overreacted. Again. It’s been a problem the past year—overreacting, letting her temper take control, not knowing when to stop acting out. Maybe she can be nicer tomorrow, turn on some of her charm. She knows the alliance is important to her parents, and she doesn’t want Brooke and her family angry at them. Besides, the month will only be even worse if she and Brooke aren’t on speaking terms.

Her thoughts are pierced by howling outside her window that chills Vanessa to the bone. Inside this creepy castle, where it already feels like the walls watch her, she can’t be sure the howls don’t sound like her name.

Great. Not only does she have to worry about Brooke poisoning her breakfast, but there’s also a chance she might get eaten by wolves. They probably wouldn’t even find her body out in the woods.

She rolls over in bed and sighs. This damn wedding couldn’t come fast enough.

—

Vanessa pulls on her favorite dress, gold swirling around her like the sun’s rays. If she has to spend an entire day with Brooke, she’s at least going to look good while she does it. She always wore her sun necklace with it, but that’s long gone now.

A knock at the door signals the start of the day’s suffering.

Brooke stares at Vanessa’s dress so long it’s like she’s trying to find the individual fibers in it. Vanessa’s cheeks burn as Brooke’s eyes take her in; it’s probably just anger. “You can’t go out there like that,” Brooke says, matter-of-fact, and all thoughts of being nice fly out the window.

The heat in her cheeks spreads to her whole body. “Now you’re telling me how I can dress? It’s bad enough I have to spend the day with you. I’m wearing what I want.”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I just…if you go out there obviously dressed like royalty, people might not be happy to see you.”

That’s not something she had considered, admittedly. She gave up on pretending to be someone else last year and flaunted around the city square in fancy dresses, not caring who saw her. People were always excited to see her, talking and smiling with her, telling her their stories. Figures that can’t happen in the north. This is the place where joy comes to die.

She can tell Brooke is serious–who is she kidding? Brooke is always serious. Vanessa thinks her whole face might crack if she were to smile. But there’s something–maybe an ounce of fear that passes across her face before it resumes its steely mask so quickly Vanessa might have imagined it–that makes her think she should listen, that Brooke knows what it’s like to have people unhappy at her presence.

“Fine. Do you need to watch me change?”

Brooke leaves and Vanessa exchanges the gold dress for a dull gray one, pulling her black winter cloak tight over herself. She can’t say they don’t fit her mood.

“Let’s get this misery over with,” she brushes past Brooke.

—

The village is a few minutes’ walk down the road, and it’s nothing like the bustling village home. The cobbled streets are a dusty gray brushed over by people with scowls plastered on their faces and eyes staring icily. Everyone seems hunched over, like the same force keeping their lips downturned is also dragging them toward the ground. It’s much quieter than her village; no children laughing or merchants chatting with customers. Two guards dressed in regular clothing trail a few feet behind them.

“Why did guards have to come with us? I thought no one is supposed to know who we are.”

“Well, not all of us parade around and fight people without guards–”

“I could handle myself,” Vanessa insists. She doesn’t bother telling Brooke that she wasn’t even the one to get in those fights. “Obviously you can’t take two steps from your door without someone watching you. Do you faint like an old lady or something–”

“It’s my father’s orders. They come in normal clothes and no one notices. It’s for our safety,” Brooke informs her, leaving no room for argument. “Look, I don’t like them any more than you do. I wish I could do one thing without people watching me.”

She’s about to retort that Brooke probably loved having people watch how perfect she is, but something holds her back. Brooke is less steel and more silk today, bags under her eyes dulling some of her sharpness. Maybe Brooke is just pretending to be nice, trying to talk normally to her, but maybe she really does mean it. And maybe Vanessa should do more to make this work and keep her parents happy. Either way, Vanessa understands, and she nods in agreement.

“Sometimes it feels like I can’t even take a bath in peace.”

“Yes,” Brooke agrees, nodding fiercely.

“It’s like you can’t just be you. Nothing you do is your own. There’s always something else involved.” It’s a feeling she was born into, royal rules and standards dictating a lot of her life, but it didn’t settle into her bones and cloud her mind, didn’t really squeeze her like a vise, until last year.

Brooke doesn’t speak, but her eyes are deep with knowing, and it occurs to Vanessa that she’s probably the only other person who can understand something like that.

Any further connection is interrupted by a woman swinging her basket in rage after leaving a butcher shop, almost beheading Vanessa. Another miserable northerner with a scowl, eyes on the ground rather than the light blue sky above.

“Is there a law against smiling here?” Vanessa demands.

Brooke shrugs. “It’s not a common practice. People mostly keep to themselves.”

“Well, I’m hungry,” Vanessa whines. “Do they have lunch in the village, or is that not a common practice either?”

And she swears, just for a second, that Brooke’s lips quirk up into a half-smile.

—

Brooke doesn’t talk freely; Vanessa discovers that their second day, as they chew roasted chicken sandwiches for lunch in a silence that makes her restless, but she answers questions like they’re in a lesson and she’s receiving marks for her responses.

When Vanessa’s voice grows hoarse after a day of rambling to fill the silence, she asks Brooke questions about the north and its villages. Brooke gives her answers like a human history book, and Vanessa is back in lessons all over again.

“Alright, let’s talk about something else,” Vanessa cuts off Brooke after her innocent question about northern trees becomes a lecture on tree bark exports. She wracks her brain for something to get them through the next hour until they went back to the castle as painlessly as possible. “What’s your favorite color?”

“I hardly see how that’s relevant,” Brooke splutters. “Surely there’s more important things–”

“Just answer the question.”

Brooke’s mouth opens but nothing comes out. It’s the first question she doesn’t have an answer ready for, and Vanessa wonders how she knows a dozen uses for tree bark and history going back several centuries but has to think about her favorite color. Was it possible that no one had ever asked her?

“What’s yours?” Brooke counters.

“Yellow,” Vanessa responds without hesitation. Yellow like the sun, like the lemon candies in her village, tart and sweet in the same bite, like the birds welcoming the morning outside her castle window. “Now you answer.”

Brooke bites her lip. “White,” she says finally.

“White?”

“Yes. Like the snow when it falls all fluffy like a cloud.” For a second, her voice has the wonder of a child and her eyes shine.

Vanessa nods, glad she didn’t laugh at Brook for choosing a boring color before hearing her explanation. She guesses the snow can be pretty, when it’s not numbing your legs. She’s just a little surprised that Brooke likes it so much when she sees it every year, but Vanessa supposes that just because something’s familiar doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful. Maybe it was even more beautiful when you saw something countless times and still appreciated it for all it was.

“Favorite food?” Vanessa asks.

Brooke describes the honey cakes and crusty rolls Nina makes, and Vanessa tells her about the roasted chicken with beans that she devours back home.

If this is what she has to do to make Brooke stop hating her, this is what she’ll do.

Only after exchanging favorite seasons (spring for Brooke and summer for Vanessa) does she think that maybe the questions are making her stop hating Brooke.

—

Vanessa didn’t think it was possible, but somehow the nightly dinners with both their families are more painful than days with Brooke. Tonight, Thomas has been talking about the wedding so long it might be here before he finishes, and the bread with roasted garlic that Nina made is the only thing keeping Vanessa from sprinting out of the dining room. She reaches for her fourth slice as Thomas lists names off the mile-long guest list, watching Brooke fiddle with her knife.

A clang sounds underneath her. Brooke has gone completely rigid and stares intensely at her empty hand, lips parted and brow furrowed, as if she’s trying to understand how she could have dropped it.

Vanessa’s body reacts without thought, sliding her own knife over to Brooke as heads turn their way.

“My apologies,” Vanessa offers. “The knife slipped right through my hand.”

From how tense Brooke is, Vanessa expects shouting, but there’s no reprimand from anyone. She doesn’t know if Brooke would have gotten in trouble for that, but she thinks of how stiff Brooke got when her father scolded her the day of the eggshells, how scared she was after the knife hit the floor, and Vanessa figures it’s better to let everyone think she’s clumsy if it keeps that fear from Brooke’s eyes.

One of the kitchen staff brings her a new knife, and the dinner continues like nothing happened.

Brooke’s fingers brush against hers, light as a bird’s feather.

“Thank you,” she whispers, and Vanessa knows she did the right thing.

It’s not until she’s in bed that she thinks of how last week she would have paid a bag of gold to see the Ice Princess slip up like that, to see a crack in her perfect exterior. But now that it’s happened, she wants to patch that crack up and keep her whole.

—

“Are there any shops that sell candy here?” Vanessa asks. They’re in a different village today, a little farther from the castle. This one is even more gloomy than the one they normally go to. The snow is a dirty gray and many shops are closed, empty behind broken glass. It’s been a week and though she no longer hates Brooke, they’re far from friends. Brooke is still too guarded, too composed for Vanessa to really know her. When Vanessa asks questions she always expects Brooke to say more, but she doesn’t; she just gives simple, exact answers. Vanessa considers if she just doesn’t want to talk or if she’s hiding something.

“There’s one on the next street. It has chocolate truffles,” Brooke says, and Vanessa needs no more.

She turns the corner to see the sign reading Scarlet’s Sweets hanging off its hinges, rocking in the wind. Thick dust and grime coats the windows. Looks like she isn’t getting chocolate today.

“I think it’s been closed for a while.”

“I didn’t know,” Brooke replies. “I don’t know much about the stores or people here, really.”

Vanessa knew all about the people in her village. She knew Honey, who appropriately owned the candy shop where Vanessa bought lemon drops and chocolates by the pound. She stopped in Ariel’s tailor shop to talk to her, bearing raspberry chocolates for Ariel’s little sister. She knew Ra’jah at the apothecary and Mercedes at the butcher shop, has listened to all their stories and helped her parents enact laws that protected merchants.

“You don’t? Thought you knew everything,” she teases, wondering what has changed over the past few days for her to venture teasing Brooke. Or what has changed that leads to Brooke not yelling at her, but flashing a half-grin–Vanessa doesn’t think she has any others–before resuming her frown.

“I don’t really go out much,” Brooke explains. “My parents like me to stay inside and do my lessons and go to meetings because that’s more important.”

She couldn’t imagine being stuck inside all day like Brooke. She was like a caged animal when she was inside too long, eyes flitting to the sky and dense green trees when she was in a meeting. Running along the village cobblestones or through the cornfields where the stalk towered over her was the best part of her day. Her parents had always let her, setting aside time each day for her to go outside, knowing how important freedom is to her.

“Oh.” she says, things starting to make a little more sense. Brooke’s parents keeping her inside all day, forcing her to study, is another piece that helps add up to the puzzle that is Brooke. It explains why she knows so much about history and commerce but so little about the world or even herself, why she seems uncertain of the shops they go in.

“There’s chocolate truffles in the candy shop closer to the castle,” Brooke offers.

“Let’s go then.”

—

The howling is back, jolting her out of a somewhat decent sleep. Now that she’s awake, the cold returns and digs into her bones like tiny knives, back aching as she shivers.

Maybe there’s more blankets somewhere. She grabs her robe and opens the door, only to narrowly avoid bumping into Brooke. Vanessa notes the deep bags under her eyes.

“What are you doing stalking around in the middle of the night?” Vanessa asks, holding her robe closed.

The light pink tinge to Brooke’s cheeks glows rosily in the light of the wall torches.

“I-I couldn’t sleep. Thought a walk might help. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Judging from those bags, Vanessa suspects this sleeplessness is nothing new. But Brooke looking so vulnerable, so small and lost without her glittery jewelry or dresses is new, and she softens, uncrossing her arms and waving Brooke off. “I was up anyway. Some animals outside woke me.”

“Right,” Brooke nods. “I’ll just be moving along then.” She turns smoothly and shuffles back down to the other end of the hall.

Sleep well, Vanessa thinks but doesn’t say, surging with a sudden warmth that makes her forget the blankets.

—

Vanessa’s grown bored with the village today, drumming her fingers on the tabletop in the square, and she jumps when Brooke asks if he wants to return early and have tea with Nina.

Snow is fluttering to the ground on their way back to the castle, sticking to her cheeks and landing bright on the shoulders of her black cloak.

“It’s so pretty when it falls.” Brooke is so quiet Vanessa isn’t sure whether she’s meant to hear.

“It is pretty,” Vanessa admits. “We don’t get it at all down south. It’s socold though. Especially at night. I’ve been sleeping with three blankets and I still can’t get warm,” she laments, but she lacks any real bitterness. It’s hard to be bitter about it when it’s falling so thick, fragments of a cloud like Brooke said, pearly-white and delicate as it lands on her forehead. Brooke nods, and Vanessa again gets the idea she’s holding something back, that she wants to say something but isn’t sure she should.

Regardless, Brooke is a little looser as the snow settles in her wavy hair, head lowered until they stride across the castle’s stone floor, when it snaps back up like she’s on a string.

Thomas is there to greet them. Brooke pales, her mouth twisting as she appears to bite the inside of her cheek, before becoming the perfect princess again, face a blank canvas. Thomas’s eyes are rimmed with hatred when he first sees her. He forcefully brushes the snow from her hair, muttering under his breath about presentation and that she needs to change for dinner. Brooke nods and Vanessa knows tea with Nina is out of the picture.

She considers the defeat in Brooke when she saw Thomas, and Vanessa’s thoughts have to regroup. Had she gotten it wrong? What if it wasn’t Thomas that was stuck with Brooke, but the other way around? It wouldn’t be the first time she had completely misread a relationship, seen things that weren’t there, missed the problems staring her in the face, changed the narrative to fit her emotions.

At least this time it wouldn’t cost her anything.

–

That night, there’s a stack of thick, fluffy blankets on her bed. She plucks the note off the top.

Stay warm.

The handwriting is so elegant and precise there’s only one person it could be from, and Vanessa finds her mind tracing the curves and swells of the letters all night.

—

“You’ve been watching every other day, correct?” the correspondent asks the man.

“Yes. I think I’ll increase to every day. I need more time sizing that one up, picturing that arrow going in,” the man says.

“If you think more surveillance will help, do it. Just make sure you aren’t seen. I’ll increase castle surveillance as well. Neither of them expect anything, I’m certain of it. And don’t forget to keep working on your aim.”