#azul x piano

[cheapshrimpysheep]

You Will Stop the Wedding! - Azul Ashengrotto

SUMMARY: YOU were the one being kidnapped by Princess Eliza to marry her. How would he react and how would he save you? With the aggravation of he already having a crush on you.

CHARACTERS: Azul Ashengrotto x Reader

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; Declaration

WORD COUNT: 1.110 words

Riddle Rosehearts / Leona Kingscholar / Azul Ashengrotto / Jamil Viper / Vil Schoenheit / Idia Shroud / Malleus Draconia

Rescuing You - Deuce Spade; Jack Howl; Floyd Leech; Kalim Al-Asim

COMMENTS: What have I done? Why did I commit to writing this? And why did I write so much? Why was I so inspired? There were seven of them! Why do I do this to myself? So yeah, this took me a long time. But I hope it was worth it, for me and for you.

CONTEXT: Someone was kidnapped to marry some ghost princess and might end up turning into a ghost too. And he just found out that someone was you.

Azul had already offered to help if he had something in return. So when he heard your name, he managed to cover up his concern with that excuse.

When rescue groups are formed, he asks to be in the last one. He first needs to analyse the behaviour of the ghosts to try to figure out the best approach. He is extremely cautious, so he needs all the information he can get first. After all, it's your life that's at risk and he doesn't like to leave things to chance, especially something like this.

When it's the last group's turn, whenever someone needs to stay behind to tie up the ghosts, Azul asks one of the others to do so. And when they ask him why he doesn't stay behind, he starts bargain and trying to make deals with them. He manages to be the only one to reach the ceremony hall.

He followed the plan. He analysed the other teams' data and came up with the perfect approach by the ghost's standards. He even managed to reach her with a bouquet of roses in perfect condition.

He is a man of words, of many words, perhaps even too many words. At a certain point the princess asked him to stop talking. She says everything he says is very flattering. And you even recognize that way of speaking, it's very similar to the way he speaks to potential valuable clients. And perhaps because of that, the princess had realized that it was not sincere.

She was about to rejection-slap him when he asked for one last chance because he had a song to sing for her. She decides to give him this last chance because she was curious.

Surprisingly, there was a piano in the ceremony hall. He sat down, placed his fingers on the keys and began to play. It had a clear, bright, and uplifting sound. He really was talented at the piano. He started to sing, a love song, of course. However, more than in speech, it is in singing that his lack of sincerity would be even more easily captured. The song was a clarion love song, about strong feelings of love, joy, and hope. And the others could tell he didn't genuinely believe in what he was singing. He realized this too. That was his last chance.

Then, when the guards were preparing to take him away from the piano, he subtly changed the melody. And his own way of singing too, now it was starting to sound sincere. It got slightly sadder and in the lyrics he admitted he didn't believe what he had sung until that moment. That he never understood those songs, but that he always hoped that one day he would. And then he met “you”. He was singing in second person. The song talked about how the two of "you" had started off on the wrong foot, but that didn't stop "you" two from overcoming it. That didn't stop "you" from seeing something worthy in him, and from giving him a second chance. And it ends on a note of hope despite the uncertainty.

When he finished, the princess and some of the guards were crying emotionally. She starts to say how beautiful that song was, and he turns back to her, as if he had woken up, as if while he was playing he had forgotten what was around him. But he quickly regained his composure, and he went back to his act.

And one of the guards notices this. The guard who is in love with the princess. And he accuses Azul that that song wasn't for the princess. She starts to defend Azul, and this almost makes the guard take back what he said. But he said that Azul should prove it by saying some of those words looking directly into the princess's eyes. You, because you know him, noticed that Azul was slightly apprehensive, but accepted with a charismatic smile.

He went in front of the princess, took her hands, looked into her eyes and said one or two of the phrases from the song. And the tone was completely different from what he sang. Proving that music really wasn't for her. Shocked, she slapped Azul. But... he was still able to move.

Everyone gasps, including the princess. When the guards ask what's going on, the princess says it can only mean one thing. The thing is that her slap is capable of petrifying anyone, except those who have already found their true love. The reaction from all NRC students is like "What the F-?!" And Azul’s reaction was blushing, as if he had been caught.

The princess became even more depressed about that. His song was actually true, but it was for someone else. She starts to feel sorry for herself and that's when the guard starts to consulate her. Saying that she also has someone who feels that way about her: Him. And that whole ending of the princess realizing that she loved him too happens, they get married and happily ever after.

After everything and while the first-years were getting ready to tidy up and clean the cafeteria, you asked Azul to wait a bit. You leave the room so you can talk alone. You tell him that song was very beautiful and ask him who it was for. After all, that slap thing revealed that it was true and for someone. He blushes a little and acts like he's admitting something, reluctantly.

“I know I made the song more ambiguous so the princess would think I was singing about her, but I know you are more insightful than this.” You wonder out loud if he was singing about money or Mostro Lounge. “Wha-?! Who do you take me for?” He wasn't acting offended, he genuinely seemed a little offended. “Do you really think I would love money as much as I love you?” and then, realizing what he had just said, he shuts up. And blushes even more. “N-No, w-wait, I...”

You laugh. He says, extremely embarrassed: “I just saved you, don't laugh at me like that!” You explain that you're not laughing at him, but more at the situation. You say that the way he spoke, in the heat of the moment, only revealed how truthful he was. And it was cute that he declared himself like that.

If you also tell him that you feel the same way about him, how you loved the song, eventually you will have to prove it with a kiss.

If you would like to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[mochinomnoms]

I love the Shrimpy Chronicle's! The Tweels x Shrimpy stuff got me thinking of the Azul x Shrimpy possibilities and Octapolycule possibilities. The Tweels encourage Azul after they had a set of Elvers Twins that look very leech. Azul is scared about being a father to the twins much less to a little hatchling! But his partners are great support alongside Mama Ashengrotto who nearly sobs in joy when she sees the hatchlings. The twins wanna play with their ten limbed Sibling but they have to be careful (a term they are still learning). Granny Ashengrotto is also extremely happy with her grandshrimp, grandeel, and grandcecelia in her tentacles as she tells them stories of their Baba, Papa, and Dada as fry.

Their first excursions on land would be so cute as Crewel has all the clothes the Kids could wish for and Nurse is enjoying teaching them to use their land legs. (Plus they see Crewels Dalmatians for the first time and "puppy" became their favorite word).

Needless to say, Yuu's kids are spoiled Rotten on land and see.

(Again, thank you for being a octatrio brain rot haven)

(I'm always happy to have octotrio brain rot)

Let's set this in the same universe as the shrimpy chronicles fic, so the twins are Pearl and Coral! Azul is very fond of them, but feels a bit out of place as a fourth parent to the twins. If he feels this out of place with them, how will he feel with a hatchling?

But his partners are a great support, as you said, and really he just can't help the surge of emotion that comes through him looking at the pale green little hatchling in his arms. Plus, the (baby) twins absolutely love him and happily call him Baba; he might even be their favorite father, if the way they cling to him and cry when he leaves is any indication. The (adult) twins can't even be jealous, it's so cute seeing their partner curled up with their babies! And Coral and Pearl are nothing but excited about their new brother.

The little Beryl was an immediate topic of fascination for Coral and Pearl! They love their Baba Azul, and now he brought them a little brother! They want to play, but Pearl is a rough-play loving elver, and Coral matches that energy despite being a berry. Beryl is a hatchling, and much squishier and softer, so they have to learn to be careful. But Mama Ashengrotto is a sweet woman that is happy to teach them how to be gentle.

She indeed loves telling them stories about their fathers as kids, and the sort of things Azul got up to as a kid. The twins aren't sure if they're a big fan of the idea of studying a whole bunch like their Baba, but they like the idea of being in a band with Beryl when he gets older! Maybe Papa and Dada can teach them their respective instruments, and then Beryl can learn the piano when he gets older from Baba!

And of course, let's not forget how much Crewel and the Nurse are happy to get another grandchild! While I think Crewel is still mentally processing that Yuu got married with not one Leech, but both, when he got told that they were also married to Azul (and he to the twins), he felt a bit of his soul leave his body. Nurse Goethel, on the other hand, is just happy to have another son-in-law, and a grandchild!

But Crewel is just as happy, he never expected to have children, let alone grandchildren. Once the fry are brought on land and have their human legs, Crewel is quite excited to dress them up in the latest Rosarian fashions. Indeed, they fry are as spoiled on land as they are under the sea.

[lyneira]

♡ How to gain the cephalopod's adoration ♡

-> things you can do to make da boss swoon over you

azul x reader (fluff!)

Check out malleus' ver. / leona's ver. here!

Be thoughtful and kind, do little things for him!

Is it busy at the Mostro Lounge? Offer to help out! Are you eating Azul’s favorite food, fried chicken? Save some for him! Found any interesting coins? Hand them over to him to examine and keep! Do him little favors and give him small things that you know he’ll like. Show him that he’s been on your mind because it's about to boggle his own. This boy will be so confused at your actions because he sees the idea of giving without expecting anything back as unusual, sketchy, even. After all, many of his interactions with people have been transactional, especially with the use of his contracts. So he will ask you directly for your motives, and you’d give him an answer that would further flabbergast him: “Why not?” (which would make this guy "aaAAA MOU YADA!!" himself away from you lmaooo 💀)

One thing is for sure– he'll never forget anything you'd given him or had done for him. He wouldn’t forget a single detail because he's planning to return the favor. It wouldn’t sit right with him if he didn’t do so. And so he would pay you back by helping you study, giving you free meals at the lounge, and offering other things that would help you, all without even having to make you sign a contract.

The extent to which he does all this will also surprise you that even you will have to ask him, why? What would he gain from this? And he’ll respond that it was to simply pay you back.

Tut tut.

Keep your gaze on him because he’s not done yet. Not until you’ve seen him avert his eyes from yours, the redness in his cheeks growing brighter, and he'll softly reply,

“...Your time. I would get to spend more time with you, y/n.”

And in time, he’d eventually like to gain your heart as well, teehee ♡

(But after he says that, he'll be an absolute mess, so try not to tease him too much about it please! Dude is already so insecure about himself, don't give him another reason to be 😭 If you give him a peck on the cheek though, he might not be able to survive that either ;) )

Remind him of home by hosting a feast for him on his birthday!

In his Birthday Vignette, it’s clear to see that Azul loves his family. During those times he can’t come home for break or especially during his birthday (since it’s still wintertime), find a way to set up a feast for him like he used to when he was younger. Bring Jade and Floyd into the plan if you have to! (If you’re trying to set up the feast in the Mostro Lounge without Azul noticing, then you’ll really have to include them) Your thoughtfulness will warm his heart.

Sing with him!

Don’t be shy now. He has a thing for singing voices, so you’ve got to let him hear yours! Have him hop on the piano, chirp a few notes, and sing along with him (Or at least try to!) Have some jam sessions together, singing through both of your favorite songs, and maybe have Jade and Floyd hop in with their instruments too. (Y’all can basically be a band LOL) He’d find it so endearing! spending a good time with his favorite ppl :)

Collect coins with him!

I've already briefly mentioned this in the first bullet point but let me elaborate a bit. Whatever interesting-looking coins you have laying around or that you find outside, bring it to him. Some of them might not be worth much, but he'd enjoy examining them and figuring out its origins. If you manage to find a rare coin, the joy that will bloom on his face will be priceless (no pun intended heh) and it'd be a different type of happiness than the composed type he'd usually show. We want to see more of that!

Compliment the Mostro Lounge!

The Mostro Lounge is Azul's baby. Take notice of the things he's doing with it and how he's trying to improve it. He invests so much into his business and he will have just as much appreciation for you if you notice all these details he puts into it. Whether it's the color he chose for the tablecloths or the brand of dishware he serves with, let him know you're aware of it! It'll show that you care about what he deeply cherishes, and so will he cherish you too.

Though some parts of his childhood were rough, remind him of the best parts and have him focus on that instead. Make him feel comfortable enough that he can allow himself to truly open up to you instead of holing up in his octopus-pot 🐙

a/n: I know that description is funky but you can't tell me azul and the leech bros aren't basically the fish mafia of NRC and therefore he's *with a Brooklyn accent* da boss.

I also wanted to mention for that first bullet point, there was another thing that I was thinking of writing instead. Ok so when Azul asks you about your motives fo being so kind to him and if you were to say, "To make you happy" or smth like that, he'd probably say, "You want my happiness? Then let me have your time. It's a fair deal, no? ;) " but I scrapped that idea bc I don't think he'd be so smooth around his crush ngl LOL 😂

Anyway, Idia is probably gonna be next! Then maybe Vil or Jade, hmm

© 2023 lyneira. PLEASE DO NOT COPY, PLAGIARIZE, TRANSLATE, OR REPOST MY WORKS ONTO OTHER PLATFORMS

[yuri-is-online]

Hi Yuri! I hope you are doing well<333 I really enjoy reading your writing and I am always more fond of reading the little octatrio fish gang! I dont really know how this usually works because I never send in any asks at all nor do I see your rules list or anything but if you dont mind I would like to make a request<3

A mc who finds an out of tune and old piano and fondly remembers that they used to play piano back in their world. And perhaps Azul hears in on this and despite the piano being old and out of tune, it is rather beautiful how you play it because of how imperfect the notes are being played out. (SORRY I WAS LISTENING TO FALLEN DOWN AND THE FEELINGS WERE JUST SURGING AND THE BRAINROT WAS TOO MUCH)

You dont have to force yourself or anything! Please take care and dont feel too pressured! <3

The Most Romantic of All Arts (Azul Ashengrotto x Yuu)

Hello dear friend and I am doing quite well thank you! I'm pleased you like my writing; the octotrio is what finally cracked my resolve to check out Twisted Wonderland and put FGO on the back burner so I suppose I shouldn't beat myself up too much for writing about them so much. I am sorry I caused you stress with my lack of rules, I don't usually send requests or asks myself, so I felt really bad to have frightened you. Not too sure if this will end up being what you had in mind, it got away from me a bit.

Also when you say Fallen Down, you do mean the Undertale soundtrack piece right? It's a soothing song I listened to it while I was plotting this to try and get into a similar headspace.

notes: they/them used for Yuu, header taken from the painting Spirit by George Roux (1885) which I found on this wordpres blog article I took the title from, it's a neat painting, Azul learning to find beauty and love in imperfections is important to me ok? Other works can be found on my masterlist here.

Sometimes you wonder if Ramshakle is sentient. The old building has more rooms than you know what to do with, and lovely as the ghosts are they don't fully remember what they were used for, if they remembered in the first place. But still there was something about those rooms that seemed to love you; he guest room almost built itself up around you, the kitchen had only needed some basic repairs before it was ready to help play host again, and no matter where a fire place was found it was always eager to burst to life and warm you and Grim.

It does not have the same love for Azul, he'd complained as much when you talked about just what it was he wanted with the building after the events of his overblot had cooled between you.

"It's got a graveyard in front of it, though?" That really had been the crux of your whole argument. It was hard to be annoyed with his laugh when it sounded so nice, the genuine amusement a refreshing difference to his previous performitive indifference.

"Yes," he muses, sipping at his real before he continues, "I'm not bothered by that much, ghosts and grave ships aren't uncommon sights under the sea, but I always forget how unusual humans think they are."

"There's a lot of superstitions about places where people are buried." You mean it as an explanation, but it brings an odd look to Azul's face, like there's an emotion bubbling beneath his surface he doesn't want to acknowledge but is too strong to suppress. It settles over you both, as you try to focus on drinking your tea while your host seems content to let his grow cold.

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing that ruin isn't really sentient." He sounds almost bitter, disappointed in how long he has let his drink cool you decide as he reaches for the pot and warms it with some fresh tea. "Otherwise, I'd accuse it of trying to keep you."

It's a silly thought, but the sight of this latest discovery really does have you wondering. You are supposed to be in that wonderfully accommodating kitchen making snacks for when Azul decides to "coincidentally drop by" later this evening to "go over the Lounge's expenses" in your guest room. On a Tuesday. When it was almost guaranteed business would be slow enough to keep anyone from wondering too hard about where he'd gone or the twins from being too upset about running things. But instead of "just wanting to try" a new recipe, you are here, tucked in a room just a bit further down the hall from the guest room watching Grim give his best impression of Ace after completing a magic trick. Because stars know he has never seen any other magicians.

"TA-DA!" He puts both of his paws out to really sell the piano at the window. "See, I told you I had a great surprise!"

"I'm sorry for not believing you." You say and try not to laugh with just how much more proud that seems to make him. "But where did you find this? Or how I guess, unless you moved it?"

"Nah." He shakes his head before remembering he's supposed to be the "great" Grim. "I mean I could have! But I'm just so cool I managed to find a piano here already, so all I had to do was clean it up instead! You're welcome henchuman." You scratch just behind his ears and politely ignore his purrs as you examine the piano and its bench. They're old, likely just as ancient as everything else in the dormitory and likely extremely, achingly out of tune. But the mere sight of it makes your fingers itch, and Grim barely has to whine "Well ain't you gonna play somethin'?" Before you're at the bench, experimentally pressing the keys to try and sound out something.

Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are-

You hum it rather than sing, irrationally worried Grim will somehow figure out it's a lullaby and complain that you're babying him instead of cutely dancing along with the music like it's one of the cassettes Deuce let you borrow. He cheers for another, and you oblige, letting your muscle memory carry you as far as it can as you try searching your brain for just what it was you wanted most to hear from yourself after all this time being unable to play.

And missing the click of a heavy door down the hall in the effort.

Azul hears nothing at first, and though it does disappoint, it does not bother him. He's had a long day, one about to be made longer still by the grey zone already draping itself around his thoughts as he shrugs his blazer off to his shoulders while en route to the Ramshackle guest room. He pauses, for what he tells himself is only going to be second, at the kitchen door and is left unrewarded for his detour.

You aren't there: and that does bother him somewhat, even if it should not if his pretext is to be believed. These visits were too commonplace to be random, but maybe you'd made plans, deciding not to look past his excuses for the evening. Maybe you were asleep, tired of the day or just plain tired of him. But there is a kettle sat on it's base, mercifully not on just yet, but two mugs and the pour over cone set next to as if it was expecting company. The nerves remain knotted in his stomach, though the cause shifts towards something more welcome.

So you do have a mug purposefully set aside and designated just for him, and is that a little recpie card with notes on coffee taped to that tin? These things should worry him, the picture he snaps and immediately hides in a folder should be for a purpose. But it's separate from those ones, labeled something inane and barely full with how careful he is to have his longing remain unseen. He wonders, briefly if it would be an intrusion to make the drinks himself. If it would reveal to much to show outright he knows the way you take yours instead of just saying it in time with your order, but knows that would not be the exact issue here. He is a guest, and guests limit themselves to the halls and that room he forces himself, with haste that would be noticeable if you were there to see it, back down the hall and back towards the guest room. Azul has work to do, he can content himself with the warmth the mental image the cups on the counter produces until something forces him to pause at a door once more. The piano is old, droning out a tune that is unpolished and rusty from the player's lack of practice but filled with such a specific sort of joy it has him actually running towards it.

You sit at the bench, a serious look of determination on your face so unlike the usual Yuu it can't help but be cute. Grim sleeps contentedly on your lap as you continue searching for the threads of melody still trapped inside your head from years of only occasionally reluctant practice. It's an unfamiliar tune in composition, but not in feel. There's words to this song, maybe not in the form of lyrics, but there all the same for him to stumble even closer to as he comes to a halting stop just behind you and the music ends in a surprised crash as you whip your head around to see him.

"Azul!"

"Very sorry to interrupt." He holds up both hands in surrender, composure only just maintained as you check to see Grim still asleep and laugh nervously. "I didn't know you could play."

"Can't really." You say somewhat bitterly and more confidence comes to Azul as a slight plan froms in his mind. "I'm really out of practice ugh. I know it shouldn't annoy me! But with how everything's been since I showed up, it's just not been on my mi- Oh hello?"

Azul fully removes his jacket and sets it on a side table close to where he had been satanding, moving to sit on the bench next to you. He has enough mercy not to loosen his tie or do anything else scandalous, but the close examination he gives to the keys could have fooled you. "Pity it's so out of tune, this is a nice piano."

"I know right! I'm really happy Grim found it." You resist the urge to poke his cheeks some and Azul lightly, trying not to too openly relish in your surprise reaches one arm around your back to place his hands into a similar position as you had been earlier, tucking you close to his side.

"May I?" He's smug. Too smug it's robbing you of sanity.

"What's it going to cost?" You try too hard not to sound like you're flailing as you look to see your question hasn't even phased him at all.

"Oh normally I wouldn't dream of charging for a performance," he clearly lies "but it's been such a long day I wouldn't say no to a cup of coffee." And he's off, music only marred by the off key of the piano in a clearly purposeful display of talent meant to sear itself into your mind enough that you don't think about his request too long. You and he are from two different worlds, but he knows that music has a way of gapping that if the stories of the mermaid princess told him anything at all. So when he purposefully slows the song at its end, he knows you know, that tricky smile he swore once he'd always hate kicking his heartbeat up again as you lean fully against his shoulder.

"Beautiful." You say, not bothering to give the compliment direction as he can't help but agree. "We should play together next time."

"I-" You pick yourself up and what he wants to say slows when you pick up his jacket for him and hold out a hand. Later, he all to easily decides. Later, without Grim and with specific time set purposefully aside so you know just how much it matters. "I would like that. You'll have to show me the songs that you can remember from your world." And he takes your hand just to soothe some of the ache, trying and failing not to show just how happy he is when you keep it.

[merakiui]

MERAMERAMERA!! whats your thoughts about ddlc x twst au!! maybe azul as yuri..

-risska anon^_^

Hi hiiii, risska!!!! :D omg yes I love this concept!!! Azul as Yuri is so very fitting (even more so after I saw Kheyy's lovely art about it). In my mind, this is who I think can fit into the roles:

Sayori -> Kalim

Natsuki -> Riddle

Yuri -> Azul

Monika -> Malleus

But then I feel as if it can be interchangeable!! Jade as Yuri also fits because sometimes I like to imagine him acting like a kind, shy maiden in love (like Yuri), but beneath the sweet, kittenish façade he's actually just a freak. Jade with his knife collection........ orz or maybe even Silver as Sayori, but then Kalim is just so bubbly and optimistic like Sayori (so it will hurt even more when that scene happens). Riddle as Natsuki is fitting because both have abusive parents and I imagine Riddle would also like to spend as much time as possible in the literature club like Natsuki does because it's much safer than being at home. But also the infamous "manga is literature!!!!" line can easily become "the rules of the Queen of Hearts are literature!!!!"

And I can't give the role of Monika to anyone else but Malleus. It just suits him so well. Self-aware Malleus is a terror to behold. The thought of him singing "Your Reality" while playing the piano!!!!!!

[kazoohaa]

boyfriend headcanon for azul please?

𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒. twisted wonderland

— notes. im actually catching up on requests now 😭

— details. azul ashengrotto x gn!reader. fluff.

honestly it came as a shock to everyone, including azul himself, when he realised that he’d caught romantic feelings for someone.

it was definitely not something that he had planned to do throughout any of his years in nrc — he didn’t think that he’d be interested in relationships past friendships or business deals, but here he was.

smitten.

...as much as he hates to admit it.

his overblot (and the events leading up to it) kind of reset everything that he’s worked towards over the years, so he had to start from scratch, in a way

wwwait, when in the great seven did he find himself falling for someone? azul didn’t even notice when he’d caught feelings, it took a while for him to even realise it.

it also took quite a lot of teasing from the leech twins (LMAOOO), since they noticed the smaller things that azul would do differently when it’s a matter regarding you. to the untrained eye, to others that weren’t personally familiar with the way that azul usually acts, they probably wouldn’t notice any difference with him. but the leech twins knew better. they’ve known him for years, after all, so they were able to spot even the smallest of details that made it obvious (to them, at least) that azul thought of you in a more special way compared to how he treats the other people he interacts with.

azul only decided to act on his feelings after the mess of events that was his overblot. in fact, he had an elaborate plan (so that he would be able to know what to do or say when he confesses, because he doesn’t want to be really awkward about it all!!)

but you had completely thrown off this plan when you confessed first, which was the last thing he had expected to happen. oh no, he didn’t have a course of action that was thought out beforehand for a situation like this!!

azul had absolutely no idea on how to go about with relationships. he’s never had a relationship like this with anyone before. it takes him some time, but eventually he gets more comfortable with you and opens up more.

it takes even more time to talk about his insecurities about his mer form, but you were patient. you waited for him until he finally felt brave enough to bring it up. while he displays himself as a confident person outwardly, he lets down those walls and is more vulnerable when he finally feels like it would be okay to talk about his underlying fears/worries about things. but you supported him all throughout it, and he appreciates that about you so, so much <3

azul’s very adamant on the idea of fair exchange, so whenever you do something nice for him he always makes a mental note of it to make sure that he can repay that ‘debt’ of sorts (even if you insist that he doesn’t have to do anything in return), because he doesn’t want to make you feel like he’s always taking without giving — he makes sure to let you know he loves and appreciates you a lot!

on another note, he probably gives you discounts in the mostro lounge. and it’s very obvious in the sense that he’s always trying to justify it and make excuses like ‘it’s xx date, which is why you get this discount!’ or ‘you’re the xx person to have visited today/bought xx meal’, so it’s honestly a little funny to see how many excuses azul can come up with every time.

azul would sometimes find some free time to play some jazz tunes on the piano in the mostro lounge when you visit, and he’s occasionally accompanied by jade playing the bass and floyd on the drums. “it’s for the atmosphere”, he says.

[bcyswannabeher]

ei !! você viu FLORENCE WU-FENMORE por aí? você sabe, aquela aluna da graduação que tem 34 ANOS e se parece muito com LUCY LIU. acho que ela se formou com especialização em CIÊNCIAS POLÍTICAS e em 2014 se parecia muito com HAVANA ROSE LIU. dizem que ela era ❝ THE JOCK ❞ e toda vez que passava pelo dormitório dela, ouvia-se YOU & I da ONE DIRECTION tocando pela porta. todos que a conhecem dizem que ela costuma ser EXTROVERTIDA, mas também pode ser COVARDE. será que em 2024 ela ainda é assim ??

❥ perfil apelidos flo, flossie, ren. pronomes ela/dela. nascimento 6 de julho, câncer. cidade natal pasadena, califórnia. educação ciências políticas - ucla, classe de 2014; pós-graduação em direito - uc berkeley, classe de 2017. profissão advogada. orientação sexual bissexual. família jinzhu "lily" wu (mãe), william j. fenmore (pai), thomas s. fenmore (meio-irmão mais velho), felix n. fenmore (meio-irmão mais velho).

personalidade entp. traços generosa, criativa, avoada, justa, inconsequente, cuidadosa, competitiva, perfeccionista. hábitos dedilhar superfícies, mastigar canetas, assoviar. habilidades dança, piano, caligrafia, mandarim (intermediário), persuasão. o música pop, filmes românticos e besteirol, festas, a cor azul, cachorros grandes, miojo, longas caminhadas, one direction, pizza. x copos vazios, gente séria demais, a família do seu pai, o seu emprego, mentiras.

❥ história

antes de 2014

quando engravidou, lily wu tinha vinte e quatro anos e uma ambição: ter uma grife para chamar de sua. seus pais imigraram ilegalmente da china para os estados unidos quando seus irmãos mais velhos ainda usavam fraldas, atrás de provar o gostinho do tal sonho americano. lily, a caçula, nasceu em solo californiano e era a única menina entre os três. enquanto seus irmãos acompanhavam a rotina de trabalho do pai em uma fábrica de embalagens, ela aprendia com a mãe tudo o que podia sobre tecidos e costura; aos quatorze anos, auxiliava a sua progenitora em seu ofício em uma loja chique de vestidos de noiva, onde passou a trabalhar oficialmente a partir dos dezesseis. 

antes de william fenmore, lily conheceu cassandra — sua noiva: foi ela quem costurou o vestido de casamento da futura senhora fenmore. lily e william tiveram um caso durante os dez meses que antecederam o seu casamento com cassandra. na época, lily não tinha ciência do seu noivado — muito menos de que ele estava noivo de uma cliente, com quem ele já tinha até filhos! mas a verdade veio à tona depois da notícia da gravidez de lily. william foi bem-sucedido em esconder o seu caso e as suas consequências de cassandra e do resto da sua família por exatos dois dias; o escândalo fez esfriar o relacionamento do casal, mas pelo bem das crianças eles decidiram seguir com o casamento, na condição de que ele seria fiel à sua esposa dali para frente. e ele foi. 

ao contrário de lily, william vinha de uma família abastada e influente. era mais velho e tinha um bom emprego no escritório de advocacia da família. quando florence nasceu, embora william não tivesse muito contato com a filha bastarda, nunca deixou que a ela algo faltasse — além, evidentemente, da presença recorrente de uma figura paterna. até mais ou menos os treze anos, seu pai era uma assinatura em cartões de aniversário e natal. apesar da ausência do seu progenitor, a menina teve uma infância relativamente boa e normal; da família por parte de mãe ela recebeu todo o amor, carinho e atenção que ela precisava e merecia. 

na escola, florence se destacava pelo seu talento na dança, mas principalmente pelas suas companhias. talvez tivesse alguma coisa a ver com o fato de ela ser uma líder de torcida e, como tal, sair com um dos caras do time de futebol, mas todo mundo sabia quem era florence wu. e, por algum motivo, todos a idolatravam, bem como suas companheiras. florence amava a atenção e amava fazer parte do time de torcida, tanto que a sua dedicação para com o esporte não passou batida pelos olheiros das universidades. o único monstro erguido entre ela e uma bolsa de estudante-atleta em alguma boa universidade era o seu desempenho acadêmico, que era péssimo. 

por parte de william, a vontade de se aproximar da sua filha bastarda surgiu de um lugar de orgulho e vaidade: precisava ter certeza de que a sua filha (que era sua filha, no fim das contas) seria tão bem-sucedida profissionalmente como os seus meio-irmãos. na sua concepção, isso significava que ela tinha direito a usufruir dos mesmos privilégios que os seus outros filhos: formaria-se em uma boa universidade, em direito, e teria um emprego no escritório de advocacia dos fenmore. na adolescência, assim, florence passou a conviver mais com o pai e a sua família. ele era, afinal, a sua chance de entrar para uma universidade — a sua chance de dar continuidade à sua carreira como líder de torcida, mesmo que ela tivesse que chegar a um fim... eventualmente. 

em 2014

florence está correndo atrás dos sonhos… do seu pai. mais alguns anos e a caçula dos fenmore se formaria advogada, a sétima da família, e ganharia uma plaquinha dourada com o seu nome gravado na porta do famigerado escritório de advocacia compartilhado entre o pai, os meio-irmãos e os primos mais próximos, em pasadena. fazia o que podia para adiar a chegada desse momento: pegava o número mínimo de matérias por período e se deixava ir muito mal nas provas dos cursos obrigatórios de propósito, só para ter que refazê-los. nessa brincadeira, florence demorou mais do que o esperado para chegar ao seu último ano. não era nem de longe e muitos menos de perto a aluna mais brilhante do campus, mas gostava de frequentar a universidade — mais pela oportunidade de socializar do que por uma necessidade latente de buscar conhecimento. não fosse o renome (e as contribuições monetárias) do pai, certamente não teria sobrevivido nem ao primeiro ano de faculdade. na época, ela andava só com três coisas na cabeça: coreografias novas para o time de torcida, opções de roupa para usar na próxima festa e o zayn da one direction. era evidente que ela se preocupava muito mais com o desempenho das suas líderes de torcida em campeonatos do que com o próprio desempenho acadêmico, pois dedicava horas e horas dos seus dias para o time, enquanto quase nada era voltado para as suas apostilas.

em 2024

com muito custo, florence se formou em ciências políticas pela ucla em 2014. no mesmo ano, não sem o auxílio (vulgo dinheiro) do pai, ingressou em uma pós-graduação em direito e se formou advogada aproximadamente três anos mais tarde. teve a sorte, ou melhor, o grande azar de ter logo de cara um emprego para chamar de seu, na firma dos fenmore. por mais que o tipo de trabalho não lhe apeteça, ela não consegue não fazê-lo bem: suas melhores qualidades brilham quando ela está em um tribunal, bem como faziam quando pisava no ginásio para treinar ou quando chegava a uma festa. o tempo a transformou em uma mulher séria, mas não menos gentil e solidária. em 2019, um de seus primos foi eleito prefeito de pasadena; não foi até o último ano do seu mandato que florence descobriu que ele e o resto dos fenmore estavam envolvidos em um esquema de corrupção e desvio de dinheiro público. florence foi convencida a não levar o caso à mídia; isso porque qualquer escândalo envolvendo a sua família poderia arruinar as suas próprias chances de ser eleita para o mesmo cargo neste ano — ideia que ela mesma tinha tido para tentar fazer algo que pudesse a satisfazer mais, mas sem comprometer os bons laços com a sua família. ela carrega esse segredo como tijolos nos bolsos, dividida (como sempre) entre fazer o certo e o que a sua família quer. 

❥ trivia

i. durante o seu tempo na ucla, além de ser capitã das líderes de torcida, florence também fazia parte do time de debate e era membro do governo estudantil. seu pai a convenceu a participar de tais atividades extracurriculares no intuito de enriquecer o seu currículo. ii. em 2024, florence é obrigada a esconder a sua paixão por música e divas pop, embora a sua obsessão fosse extremamente aparente no passado. iii. florence é uma ratinha de academia. ela se exercita por puro prazer. iv. adotou o péssimo hábito de fumar cigarros recentemente, como uma válvula de escape para todo o estresse do trabalho somado à sua campanha para as eleições, que estão mais perto do que nunca.

[rosehearrt]

Cont. from x.

“I’ve not had much experience with music; only what’s been written out in books.”

The confession came as his enthusiasm died down slightly. He pressed his lips together as he reluctantly recalled all he’d been kept from. He still struggled, even now after he’d Overblotted, to think of mother as being ‘ wrong ‘ about anything. And she’d never approved of the arts. But now, Riddle was being offered a chance to hear anything he should like, and wasn’t that quite the offering; quite the gift. He wasn’t so sure he knew well what to do with it, for his expertise in the area was limited at best…and yet he wanted to learn so much. He’d already spoken of books, however, and there was something he’d always wanted to hear with his own ears, something he’d spent much time analyzing…

“Beethoven. The Kreutzer Sonata, do you know any of it? ‘ Music makes me forget myself, my true condition, it carries me off into another state of being, one that isn't my own ’. It’s from the novel of the same name, one of Tolstoy’s greatest.”

He breathed the words out quickly, lacing his fingers together as a nervous excitement grew within him once more. 

“Oh, mother never truly liked the book; it is quite morbid. Though, Tolstoy was always approved reading material. I must’ve gone through the entire thing at least a dozen times; I’ve always wondered what the real thing sounds like. I’m aware a violinist is usually required, though part of it can still be played on the piano…”

He trailed off, thinking for a moment.

“Anything of Shakespeare’s would be pleasing as well, scores from Romeo and Juliet, or a Midsummer Night’s Dream…they’re all things I would find deeply worthwhile to listen to.” 

His lips morphed into a smile then, wide and bright, exhilaration prompting a delighted laugh, which he attempted to stifle with one hand.

“Really, I never thought this sort of thing would happen today! To hear music, and to have it come from you! You’ve caught me off guard, Azul.”

[chrancecriber]

1.FM - Chillout Lounge Radio (February 28, 2023)

22:36 Nouvelle Vague - Love Will Tear Us Apart 22:24 Chillsurfer Armada - Relax Your Mind (Cafe Buddha Del Mar Luxury Lounge) 22:18 Freemasons - Love On My Mind 22:09 Universe Music - Guitar Beach Lounge 22:02 Tommy Awards - Hotel Odemark 21:58 Verbal Kint Feat. Judie Jay - Break My Dreams (Original Live Mix) 21:54 Cold Blue - Underwater Love 21:49 Coastline - Adriatic Sea - Dj Lounge Del Mar Vs. Milews Ambience Mix 21:44 Kitty The Bill - Cabriolet Tour 21:34 Mysticage - The Lips Of The Sun (Original) 21:31 Emapea - Laka 21:27 Ultraviolet - Ready Or Not (Chilled Out Mix) 21:23 Lemon Sol - Beautiful Morning (Piano Cafe Chillout To Ibiza Del Mar) 21:19 The Weeknd - Earned It 21:13 Steven Solveig - Boa Noite 21:07 Jjos - Foolish Game (Feat. Deary's) (Evolution Vocal Mix) 21:02 Exit Mars - Gliding (Comfort Version) 20:55 Noel - Hold Me (Relax Lounge Cafe Chillout Mix) 20:50 Peter Pearson - With All My Love (Bliss) 20:44 Cafe Del Mar - Leftfield - Fanfare Of Life 20:39 Sine - Morning 20:33 Bay Area - Santa Monica Blvd (No 17 Mix) 20:27 Frank Borell - Somber Moods 20:24 K Vassiliadis Ft Marien - Den Efiges Lepto (Dub Mix) 20:18 Afterlife & Kid Stone - Sleazebag 20:12 Sven Andersson Iii - Journey To Your Soul (Cosmic Cycle Buddha Lounge Bar Mix) 20:07 Alessandro Boschi - Sentosa 20:02 Fragile State - Every Day A Story 19:57 Beach Armada - Ocean Eyes (Oriental Chill Groove Cafe Mix) 19:53 3 Liquid Hz - Metropolitan 19:44 Chilloutlounge - Track 2 19:40 Erotic Lounge Deluxe - Gimme The Night 19:35 Omnimotion - Cozy Life 19:30 Cafe Easy - Summerbreeze 19:24 Ralph Hildenbeutel - Hommage A Noir 19:19 Joey Fehrenbach - Untouchable (Feat. Vi Flaten) 19:12 Boot Cut Rockers Feat. Mica Wanner - Sunflowers 19:07 Manoa - Repeat It In Slow Motion (Trippin Clouds Mix) 19:03 Vibrasphere - Tierra Azul (Omnimotion Feat. Krister Linder Remix) 18:59 Camille - In A Manner Of Speaking 18:53 Gary B - Set Me Free 18:49 Flume Feat. Andrew Wyatt - Some Minds 18:42 Rue Du Soleil - Troya 18:37 Cdm - Many Rivers To Cross 18:31 Avalona - Empty Streets 18:25 Wonderphazz - Memories (Chill Guide Mix) 18:21 The Fray - How To Save A Life 18:15 Night Loungers - A Little Lazy Morning In Paris - French Kiss Del Mar Instrumental 18:15 Costes - Stéphane Pompougnac - Green Tree 18:11 Plasma - Spring 18:05 Pilgrims Of The Wind - Nothing Can Pull Us Apart 18:00 Bedroom Surfer - Make It Happen - Meet Her At Costa Del Sol Mix 17:54 Mamani - Glowing Desert (Aloe Trumpet Mix) 17:49 Shivana Faction - Talking In Whispers 17:45 Jjos - Don't You Want Me (Chilled Mix) 17:40 Listening Deluxe - Guitar Dreams (Short Aqua) 17:33 Hirudo - Spy From Cairo (Classic Instrumental Mix) 17:27 Aurosonic, Denis Karpinskiy & Kate Louise Smith - They Wait For Us (Chill Out Mix) 17:20 Blue Chakra - Free From You (Half Tempo Long Chill Mix) 17:16 Ac - Meditarrean Sundance 17:12 York Ft Asheni - Iceflowers 17:06 Art Of Lounge - Moments In Love (Buddha Bar Mix) 17:03 Adrien Aubrun - My Last Poem 16:58 Mastermind - Empty Road 16:52 Moon De Lounge - Melodia Amore - Buddha Lounge Bar Chillout Mix 16:45 Alpha X - Nocturnal Trip 16:41 Jjos - Breathe 16:36 Orange Music - Islandlover (Monotonic Trip Mix) 16:31 Ziller - Pearl & Dean 16:26 Mahoroba - Faire On Tour (Jazzmatic Lounge Mix) 16:23 Oh Wonder - Technicolour Beat 16:19 Alex Baratini - My Play (Chill Out Mix) 16:13 Coronado (Pianofly Mix) - Bay Area 16:08 Sam Swift - Wonderful World 16:02 Michael E - Sark Of Searenity 15:59 Synkro - Memories Of Love 15:52 Frank Borell - Wake Up In Paradise 15:48 Mirrored - Stand Still 15:42 Gary B - Love Rain Down 15:38 Re:locate Vs Robert Nickson - Resource (Rechill) 15:33 Jo Manji - Lazy Loungin 15:30 Urban Phunk Society - Spring 2 Summer 15:26 Alex Cortiz - Phusion 15:20 Pacator - Tränen (Marcielo Ambient Mix Instrumental) 15:15 Airstream - Electra 15:10 E-love - Cause I Love You No More (Alster Lounge Chill Out Vocal Mix) 15:05 Solanos - Shameless 15:00 Monique Bon - La Musique 14:56 Andras & Oscar - (I Know) What You Want 14:48 Detson Engeneering - Wonderland 14:41 Sweet Velvet - Recalling The Rising Sun 14:37 For - For Want Of Her 14:32 Rhodescreen - Peace System (Original Mix) 14:25 Royspop - Mid Summer Nights (Luxury Deluxe Del Mar Mix) 14:20 Un Homme Et Une Femme - Une Rose Pour Emily (Cafe Hotel French Del Mar Mix) 14:14 Gary B - Set Me Free 14:09 Green Lemon Feat. Bernd Langer - Rauchy Stranger 14:03 Triangle Sun - Beautiful 13:58 Pusteblume - Cold As Ice (Beautiful Chillout Mix) 13:54 Jjos - Back To Me 13:47 Matenda - Orphean Layback Remix 13:40 Phil Mison - Lula 13:37 Five Seasons - In Your Town 13:30 Blank & Jones Feat. Cathy Battistessa - Miracle Man (Beached Mix) 13:27 Afterlife - How Does It Feel 13:19 Dr Drummer - Galactica Soul 13:15 Vio Beach - Piano Chillout (Ambient Dream Mix) 13:09 Blank & Jones With Jason Caesar - Hideaway 13:05 Gelka Feat. Phoenix Pearle - Flying On Clouds 12:59 Ohm-g - Relax 2 The Max 12:55 Amethystium - Calantha 12:50 Chris Coco Mts Afterlief - Home 12:44 Tosca - Mango Di Bango 12:39 Liedschatten - Seaside (Original Mix 2006) 12:36 Tall Paul Vs Inxs - Precious Heart 12:31 Chillwave - Massage Del Mar (Beach Cafe Mix) 12:26 Limelight - Oxygene 4 12:20 Steen Thottrup - El Alba 12:16 Conjure One - Make A Wish 12:10 Lullaby Lounge - Chill Del La Mer (Blank Cafe Relax Mix) 12:05 Strange Voices - All Right For Now (3 Times Infinity Mix) 12:02 William Orbit - Love My Way 11:58 The Avener & Mazzy Star - Fade Into You (The Avener Rework) 11:53 Ra-qi Gong - Rainy Days In Shanghai (Buddha Cafe Del Mar Bar Mix) 11:47 Smooth Deluxe - Ibiza Sundown (Cafe Buddah Mix) 11:41 San Martino - Es Cavalett (Piano Dream Mix) 11:37 Lemon Sol - Beautiful Morning (Piano Cafe Chillout To Ibiza Del Mar) 11:33 Alex Cortiz - Glamourgirl 11:27 Machomovers - Smooth Operator 11:22 Dreamscape - Electric Emotion 11:15 Balearic Lounge Boyz - Leaving Home (Feat. Guitaragi) 11:10 Sofa Sweeper - Voice Of Core 11:05 York - Bye Bye Baby (Chill Out Mix) 11:00 Atb - Remember That Day 10:56 Noise Boyz - With My Own Eyes (Keys Of Da Sea Mix) 10:51 Mark's & Henry's - The Making 10:45 Vargo - Get Back To Serenity 10:40 Pensees - She 10:35 07 - Paradise Circus 10:29 Thomas Lemmer - I Like It 10:24 Martin Bro - To Lose Part 10:18 Jazz L'amour - Summer Dreams - See The Light Mix 10:14 Va - For Want Of Her 10:07 Kosta Rodriguez - Purple Sky 10:01 Lemonjazz - Gypsy Woman (Erotic Bedroom Affairs Lounge Chill Mix) 09:56 Rae & Christian - Still Here 09:50 James Bright - Set Me Free 09:43 Yagya - The Phantom Of Us 09:38 Autopilot - Seen It All 09:33 Réve De Cabaret - Trust Me 09:28 Sunsea - Light The Fire 09:24 Kalabi - Clear Skies 09:19 Mark Gorbulew's Manhattan Groove - Dreamsville 09:12 4tunes - Where Are You Now (Feat. Hed) 09:07 Moorcheeba - Moog Island 09:04 Air - Lost Message 08:57 Milews - Miami Beach View - Sunset Del Mar Cafe Lounge Mix 08:51 Alex Cortiz - Deja Vu 08:45 Synthetic Substance - Unreal 08:37 Groove Armada - Inside My Mind 08:32 Omega3 & Guitarigi - Food (Original) 08:28 Jjos - Know Me 08:24 A$ap Rocky - L$d 08:19 Va - Majorca 08:14 Sunyata Project Feat. Miyabi - Inner Lights 08:08 Remote - Postcard 08:05 Energy 52 - Cafe Del Mar 07:59 Green Lemon Feat Magica Fe - 11 O Clock (Pure Beach Cut) 07:53 Chicane - Saltwater 07:46 Joey Fehrenbach - Edison Cylinder 07:42 Mystique - Essences (Rico Van Basten Chill Mix) 07:38 Triangle Sun - Beautiful 07:32 Coastline - Adriatic Sea (Dj Lounge Del Mar Vs. Milews Ambience Mix) 07:27 Heso - Never Ending Time 07:23 Karminsky Experience Inc - Departures 07:17 Peter Pearson - Smooth Talking (Moonrise) 07:13 Jeff Woodal - Your Love (The Dark) 07:08 L'art Mystique - Le Jardin Secret 07:05 Michael Hummer - Coffee 06:59 Kiss Audio - The Voice Of Freedom (Spiritual Version) 06:52 Royspop - Summer Nights (Luxury Deluxe Del Mar Mix) 06:47 Jjos - Lonely (Feat. María La Caria) Manu López-saxo (Lounge Mix) 06:41 Koolsax - Evasion 06:37 Ibizarre - Smooth Temptation 06:34 Vibraphile - Waiting For You (Instrumental) 06:30 Sued - Feel Me 06:26 Faith Hill - Love Ain't Like That 06:19 Puff Dragon - Lava 06:15 Peter Pearson - Bossalove 06:09 Sine - Flying (Original Mix) 06:04 Nujazzy - On A Sunday Morning (Facebook Affair Mix) 06:00 Alex Cortiz - Smooth 05:54 Gold Lounge - Only A Dream 05:48 Bright And Beautiful - Night Rains (Sound Of Ibiza Mix) 05:42 Verda - Es Vedra 05:36 Kaxamalka - True Vibe 05:29 Jjos & Fede Garcia - Foolish Game (Feat Deary's) 05:26 Ben Leela - Dreaming A Dream 05:18 Magic Waves Feat. Mirjam - Tonight 05:12 The Man Behind C. Feat.debora Vilchez - Fluye 05:05 Kosta Rodriguez - Blue Grass 04:59 James Bright - Be 04:55 The River Gods - Acadia House 04:49 Boozoo Bajou Feat. Wayne Martin - Every Hour 04:45 No Logo - Matter Of Time 04:40 Soleil Fisher - Beautiful Nights In Ibiza (Tribute To Cafe Del Mar Mix) 04:34 Banderas - This Is Your Life (Easy Life Mix) 04:28 Digby Jones - Pina Colada 04:22 Ficci - Edge Of The Night 04:17 Dj Pippi - A Touch 04:13 The Fairchild - Piano Colors 04:06 Rediophonic - Desert Wind 04:01 Jupiter Jack - Blank Space 03:57 Pathetique - Dis Moi - Instrumental Cafe Costes Del Mar Sunset Hotel Chillout Mix 03:50 Language Lab - Burning Disaster (Groove Armada Bedtime Story Mix) 03:44 Chilloutlounge - Breather 2000 (Arithunda Mix) 03:37 Caya Levantado - Caribbean Daydreaming ( Jazzy Del Mar Cafe Lounge Mix0 03:32 T Mo - La Ritournelle 03:27 Polished Chrome - Beautiful 03:23 Cafe Americaine - Kashmir Wanderer (Nylons Cut) 03:15 Salt Tank - Sargasso Sea 03:09 New Beginning - Another Day 03:04 Farbor Resande Mac - Stockholmsnatt 02:58 Cats Love Dogs - Sunpearls (Paradise Lounge) 02:54 Starlive Cafe - Playa Del Mar (Chillout Mix) 02:48 Philip Aniskin - Evening On The Waves 02:44 Vanilla - Dreamcatcher 02:38 Hirudo - Waiting For The Sun To Rise (Out Of Style Mix) 02:35 K. Vio & Tim Tonic - Out Of Atlantis 02:32 Isan - No. 1 (Lent Et Douloureux) 02:27 Phillip Ashmore - Luxury Living 02:21 Thievery Corporation - Incident At Gate 7 02:16 Dab - Pure Joy 02:10 Noise Boyz - Honeytrap (Keys & Trumpet Mix) 02:02 Toka Kakabadze - Urban 01:56 Koru - I Believe 01:52 Shakes Seven - Best Friends 01:47 Floatation Feat. Pierre - Beautiful (Dub) 01:44 Bryan El - Ascension 01:40 Aaron Bass - On The Beach 01:34 Moon De Lounge - La Mer Se Calme (Mounier Oriental Sunset Dub Mix) 01:29 Riccardo Eberspacher - I Feel Love 01:25 Sunsea - Light The Fire (Chillout Mix) 01:19 Nimino - The Back Of Your Hands (Ft. Ashe) 01:13 Bedroom Surfer - Make It Happen (Meet Her At Costa Del Sol Mix) 01:06 Vibrasphere - Spring Flood 00:57 Joey Fehrenbach - Grandfather 00:51 Schwarz & Funk - The Dawn 00:45 Jerome Isma-ae - Underwater Love 00:39 Esteban Garcia Vs. Subworks - Runnin (Jazzy Dub Mix) 00:35 Mandrave & Miyagi - Asian Lights 00:31 Out Of Sight - Comfort (Afterlife Mix) 00:24 Aural Float - Still Here 00:16 Deep-dive-corp. - Relaxer 00:10 Simon Bareilles - The Sound Of Silence (Feat. Sara Keys) 00:04 Sangar - My Breeze

[goddessesofeverything]

A Gift for Piano-san!

Hi Piano-san (@twistedrhythm)! I was inspired by your post on how you opened up requests again. I hope I’m not overstepping anything but this fic is a thank you for all the character interactions you provide. Thank you for your contributions to the Twisted Wonderland community. The music and scene I’m trying to reference is from Episode 18 of Your Lie in April but done a little differently. *Gently places fic on piano stool*

Tagged: @twistedrhythm

Fic under the cut. 

You began to play a piece you’ve known for a very long time. It was one of the pieces that motivated you most. When you reached the end of the composition, you were met with an enormous round of applause by all present in the ballroom. You stood and took a bow. The other guests in the room went back to their mingling and you sat back down on the piano stool to rest and have some water. 

You heard clapping behind you and you swiveled in your seat to see the dashing form of a certain businessman approaching you. He stepped up onto the stage with a smirk. “Very well done, my little angelfish. You gave quite the performance.”

“I was just doing what I felt was natural.”

His smirk widened. He stepped closer, having you lean back near the keys of the piano. He stared deep into your eyes. Your breath hitch and you knew he heard it because of the slightest twitch in his eyebrow. He leaned in to whisper,  “And, yet, you have not been playing to your fullest potential.”

A tick mark made its appearance on your forehead. Despite his proximity and the feelings he stirred inside you, you would not let him insult your art, nor your capabilities.   

You jabbed a finger into his chest. “Listen here. I’m better than you think and I played the music I wanted to play. You can’t tell me I’m not playing to my fullest potential after only hearing one piece.”

Azul smirked once more and slid down to sit beside you on the piano stool. “I’m so very glad to hear that.” He placed his fingers on the keys. 

You frowned and raised an eyebrow at him. “What are you doing?”

He chuckled, “I’m certain you can keep up with me, yes?” He began to play a piece that you were very familiar with. A piece that you never had a chance to play before on account of not having an adequate partner for it. But Azul, the scheming, perfect punk he was, was playing the bass accompaniment to the music of a piece written for piano four hands. A medley of Rachmaninoff’s arrangements of The Sleeping Beauty Suite II - Adagio Pas d’action and The Sleeping Beauty Suite V - Waltz. 

So that’s how he wants to play. Not to be outdone, you immediately leapt into the melody, matching up to his playing with finesse and grace. The both of you glanced at each other in the peripheral of your eyes and smiled. As the song progressed, you kept trying to gain the upper hand. Pushing each other to keep on their toes. Every chord, every note was a battle to be on top but also a battle to match and harmonize. If either of you backed down, you’d never let the other live it down. Constantly letting Azul know you would never let him win this musical battle easily, you kept trying to trip him up. But he matched you, part for part. Neither of you would be left behind. 

By the end, your fingers were tired from having to keep up with Azul and you had some sweat trailing down the side of your face from your temple. 

That’s when the room erupted into uproarious applause. You startled to see that everyone had witnessed your duel with Azul on the piano. There were a couple wolf-whistles to add some flare in the beats of the clapping. 

You felt Azul’s breath in your ear as he whispered, “Well, angelfish? Isn’t it time to take a bow?”

Determined not to let him affect you, you took a step forward, letting him follow, and bowed. 

[mcdonaldsnumberone]

no, no breathing

beach date hcs ig

gender neutral reader

Like a fish in water, a beach date with Jack is the perfect opportunity for him to spend some quality time with you while not having to worry about the chaotic backdrop that Night Raven College is. This is the chance for him to genuinely show himself to you while building memories that characterize the youthfulness of what it means to be a student: stealing moments like these in between the crunch of the world, fleeting ephemerality within the constant hubbub that defines so much of the society that he’s learning to pave his path in.

Even while at the beach, Jack guards over you loyally: a knight in swimming trunks fending off the great threat of everything that the beach holds. From accompanying you wherever you want to go to making sure you’re well hydrated and staying safe in the sun, you can feel his comforting presence floating near you. It’s an amalgamation of amusement and relief for you; you get the chance to refresh and recharge on the beach while knowing that someone fully has your back.

When you press a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose, thanking him under your breath with a whisper only you could have, he melts into your touch. This is what love is, the warmth of the sunset mingling between the two of you and the electric buzz in his head when you smile, and this is what he wants to feel with you for as long as the world will let him. Love is something he holds dear to his heart, revering more than his conventional peers might, and he cherishes you with that same respect.

He makes a promise to himself that day, both to himself and to you, that he would do all he can to protect that same happiness the two of you shared. Whether that takes the form of continuing to stay by your side once your regular schooldays resumed or a shared love that would span the course of your entire life, he vows with the vigor and sincerity that only he could hold to fill your heart with nothing but joy and all the sweetness that love has to offer.

“Did you have fun? It looked like you did. I’m glad you agreed to come here with me. I like spending time with you like this, alone, with no one to bother us.”

Going to the beach is a complicated subject to Azul, but he knows more than well that refusing to come to terms with his own past means that he would only live with nothing but fear over something that he could easily unravel with his own hands. His journey to going to the beach is a personal one, but he doesn’t want his own trepidations to cloud your experience, so he does his best to keep his contemplations to himself to deal with accordingly.

Azul reminds you to stay safe while you’re frolicking on the beach, always keeping an eye at you from where he rests in the sand while you dip your toes in the beach, preferring to engrave the image of you smiling back at him while iridescent water drops cling to your skin like a string of pearls adorning a water nymph’s body. The idea of being loved was something so distant to him at one point in his life, and he wants to hold onto this blissful feeling until the day he dies.

If there are no other people around and he feels generous enough, he might entertain you with a small song of his own. His voice travels the span of the pink sands, washing over the pulsating waves as if tempting the God of the Sea to come up and listen, and his dulcet tones makes him appear even more angelic, letting go of his business persona and giving in to the normalcy of a date that lasts for a few hours: the luxury of what it might be like to be an average student with their lover by the beach.

By the end of the date, he’ll offer to take you on a walk by the sand so that the two of you can observe the sunset together. The ends of his pants are hiked up slightly, and he rids himself of his jacket, taking your hand in his as the two of you slowly shuffle down the beachside. Azul’s casualness is a side he shows only to you, and you accept it wholeheartedly, admiring both the sunset and him as the day winds to a close. He laughs joyously, genuinely, truly, the rays of the setting sun dyeing the pale color of his cheeks and making his happiness all the more radiant. 

“Ah... What a beautiful sight. Don’t you wish you could capture something like this before your eyes forever? My dear, let’s try to see more views like this one. Together, always.”

A beach date has Cater’s heart soaring in anticipation: Magicam pictures, fun with you, a chance to escape the restricting collar of his normal life. He knows he does all sorts of “fun” things most kids would consider to be monumental, but his hedonistic desire and his chronic inability to form a meaningful connection with anything in his life makes normalcy difficult for him. But maybe—much like the wish he always makes—he can at least live that normalcy vicariously through you instead.

He clings to you a bit harder once the two of you are actually on your date, cutely claiming that he needs to stick close to you, lest he lose you to the waves. You can’t help but wonder how much of that is true: is that another excuse of his to hide the fact that if you leave him alone, he’ll disappear into the waves of his self-imposed destruction by himself? Regardless of how you feel about it, you make sure to follow his request, and you stay with him the entire day.

The final itinerary of the day is for him to photograph you standing at the beach. A perfect moment captured in time—your trembling eyes looking into the camera as if you’re staring into something deeper than a mere phone lens, the oxymoron of being the one who understands the anomaly that Cater is the most yet knowing almost absolutely nothing about him when the lens lifts, and it’s his clear green eyes that stare back at you. 

Is the pang in your chest out of pity or out of love? Neither of you can answer honestly. The only thing you know for certain is that the ride back to school will be in silence, and the weight of his empty smiles and glassy eyes will rest on your chest the entire night and even far into the future. It’s at times like this that you wish you could decipher the lock to Cater’s heart, but what can you do when Cater himself is that hesitant on acknowledging the padlock he willingly placed on his feelings? 

“Look at how cute you look! Perfect for Magicam, isn’t it? Man, we really ought to do more stuff like this! You can’t get pictures like these if all we’re doing is staying in school!”

Is there anything Ruggie loves more than taking you out somewhere nice and letting all the worries of the world slip away? When he’s running through the crisp ocean waves with you in hand, laughing like he hasn’t done so in forever, things like his own struggle for survival, the weight of expectation from those he loves most, the reality of inequality that has tainted every bit of his life, simply fades away into the distant peals of your giggles.

Ruggie lets his more playful streak run free on the beach with you. From splashing you mischievously with cold water to burying you up to the neck in sand, a date to the beach with you is a chance at the normalcy that had been snatched away from him since he was born. Here, he isn’t the hyena that scrapes by in the slums or the older brother that shoulders the burden of providing for the young ones back home, but he’s just Ruggie, who loves you lots and wants to have fun with you.

In between the shenanigans, he still makes sure to shower you with plenty of affection. He’ll offer to help you put sunscreen on your back and steal a kiss every now and then, the salty taste of the sea bream making you scrunch your nose up cutely. He doesn’t want to spend a moment of the day away from your side, so he sticks as close as he can to you: fingers linked, smiling big, and ready for adventure.

He stays there as long as he can with you, until the dawny sun sets on the horizon and the stars make their quiet entrances. He’ll scan the galaxies up above for the brightest star he can find before he carefully points it out to you, murmuring about how even his dearly departed mother seems to be twinkling in approval down on the two of you. He’s happy, so happy, that he’s found a chance at love and at life with you, and he wants to capture this moment for as long as he can.

“Pretty, isn’t it? I bet Ma’s real happy that I brought you out to see her. I can see her the most clearly on nights like these, so thanks for letting me drag you all the way out here.”

x

[greninjajeje]

Pareidolia

Pareidolia: Azul Ashengrotto. Did you see it? It was there from the beginning. Foreword: TWST Fandom, I present to you, my love letter <33 Word Count: 4, 140 words. Warnings: She/her pronouns, I would call this xreader-ish, hurt no comfort; Azul being Azul, you have been warned…

1

It was a pale, yellow thing; the language of fools and all who had spoken it, held tightly by both his hands, spread neatly with all it's rectangular glory. And once neat and straight, is placed atop of it's family of the same face and number; 'thirty-five…' he muttered, and stacked another on top of it.

"That thing won't grow legs, you know―thirty-seven," her eyes pointed at the corner, and he turned his attention to the thing barely clinging on the table rim, a carbon copy of the fine materials towered on the table, that he clawed on two fingers, as if it was the divine word newly excavated. "Yes, thirty-seven. These things can very much grow legs, my dear, you underestimate the tenacity of magicians."

"I know only one magician who'd cast a protection spell for those. If they fly, so be it. What's one less?"

"There could be one more," it was followed by a dry sigh, as every conversation went, "and brought us to a total of eighteen-thousand five-hundred Madols, adding to a grand total of over fifty-thousand…since you're fiddling around Maths, why don't you assist me instead of sitting idly there?"

"And you'd blame me if you missed a penny: 'did you take it?!' It was a penny! I was honestly offended."

"So it unfortunately rolled under a rug, but it's my habit to salvage every single penny in my periphery, I'd never lose a penny."

"And, you'd blame me…so I politely refuse." Her chin was held up, scoffs were shared, and silence followed after.

Today was an unusual weekend. Instead of the Saturday morning crowds of caffeine-induced sophomores, he was instead left with a few, about fifty customers, desperate to buy points to whatever promise was in his menu, but not too desperate, as the usual six-zeros were cut into half. This was further affirmed with the face scrunching, he perhaps did it more than twenty times this hour, and he was the type to believe that scrunching results to wrinkles (which unfortunately does), but he scrunched again either way, a sour, wrinkled face, that would perhaps leave a mark he'd cry over later.

"It's just a few M's less―"

"Those few M's accumulate to an estimate of over eighty-thousand Madols! Thrice of today!"

"We can always try tomorrow."

"Of course, I will," the creases on his face softened as he turned to her, "other than that, my darling, what would you want for the weekends? Well, next weekend."

"Your time and effort."

"Only? There's a bazaar this Saturday, would you want me to accompany you? My treat, of course."

A laugh followed as a reply, "your time and effort, Azul. That's what I want," she gazed at him, and onto the towers on his desk, thin and gold, some were circular and solid, and his hand was a mere inch away from the stack of thin, shreddable things.

"Just that? Then you'll stay and watch here, wouldn't that bore you?"

"Not really, just talk more."

2

It was a long tower of blocks, such as: is she the shy type? Does she like the color blue? If so, she's more attuned to logical young men. How can you ask out someone like that?

The list goes on and on; she likes sweets, or she doesn't, the indication of glucose addiction; the continuous tapping of fingers might indicate…; habit of biting her nails. It was an assortment of embarrassment and proof of inexperience, and now, at the blank bottommost level, did he type a new bullet point: 'why does she not want to go out on dates?'

The answer was simple: ‘she doesn't like you.’

But now it was contradictory, the words ‘I like you’ came directly from her lips, it left there, and so did her voice with the very same words pronounced. I like you.

Therefore, she lied. But from the algorithm of a machine versus her words, who tells better lies?

Her, of course.

Scrolling to the topmost of the document, was her name written, followed by a colon, and the words 'relationship plan' on three times the paragraph text size in bold capital letters.

3

It was glass clinking and jazz, indulgent on it’s own, and on it’s own, it was nothing, the noises fading in the background of silence. There was a reason for the silence: first and foremost, it was the usual. Silence was necessary, any inkling of noise was a cause for disturbance in this small room. While Azul would entertain the calculator on one hand, and write an itinerary on the other, she would lay on one of the couches and read whatever business magazine she could find in this business-centric environment. “‘What was you isn’t you?’ See, his name here, Jacques―he had a capita of ten million a month, and he made a lottery business. Is it normal for people here to be so reliant on luck?” His face was ambiguous, they met each other’s eyes, then he looked as if she turned into a book. “Why? Did I say something?” She asked.

“No, no. I was just thinking, that, well, maybe you could talk more.”

“I talk a lot!” Angrily, she pursed her lips, maybe two or three times the exaggerated curve. “You just won’t talk back, is all…you should talk more.”

“Well alright…the man, Sir Jacques Ros, is a professional in metaphysics and astrology, and an alumni from Night Raven. It’s not ‘lottery’ in the literal sense, it functions as science. You see, my dear, mere education was never his key to success. Jacques is a dogmatic person, and his words shake towers. Astrology by the Sorcerer of Sands was fluctuated into a personal enterprise because of the charm of words. Mere simpleto―no, from the public eye, it’s perhaps a few given sentiments, adding the prior popularity of the Lord as one of the Seven, but the words that were bygones written in parchment, he transformed to something feasible to the public’s understanding! Now, he earned millions from something so obvious; don’t you see? Magic is inherently powerful, but power in its superior form, it’s―”

“M’s. Yes. M’s. The world, however round it may be, revolves around money! And when the talk is money, you turn to a dictionary.”

“You wanted me to talk more, here I am.”

“But not Madols. I’m not growing into a businessman.”

“You may very well be. I studied his tactics of thought process, and it was undoubtedly charisma and analytics. I cannot stress his charisma enough. His business breakthrough had been integrated into modern astrology, website algorithms follow his design, and had he been alive, I would shake his hand in two years or so. If you’d like, I can lend you my notes.”

“You write notes? On Jacques???” Giddy she was, chuckling, and he huffed. And a round of her laughter followed after.

“I’m not crazy!”

“Yes! You are a Madol-maniac!”

In sync, the small room was now a music room, from both his groan and her laughter combined. In her midst of vertigo, he interrupted with a dry sigh: “do you have plans for the weekends?”

“W-well―ahem. Yes, where were we?”

“Weekends. I made a reservation at Tiana’s, I saw you browsing through the menu.”

“Oh, I’ve never been to other food facilities other than Mostro…and, I heard their beignets are to die for!”

“Excellent. I’ll look forward to Saturday,” he put his pen down, and rested his back against the chair. Then they gazed at each other, and that was ticklish, her laugh was too contagious, he couldn’t help but stretch his lips further as she reciprocated his smile with hers. Today, he was content.

4

It was quarter to one; he’s still awake, and everything was blurry.

Things were silent, no one talked here. Of course, things were supposed to be silent, he wasn’t in his usual nighters; there was no keyboard tapping, there were no calculators, no pen against paper, no humming her; he laid there in bed, awake. Today was Friday―well, early Saturday morning, and it was eight hours until their date. It brought upon his thoughts if she was as awake as he was, and as much as he wanted to whisk his thoughts away to REM, but even closing his eyes never made him any less awake. He’d blame it on her, why she nagged him earlier for an afternoon debate on marine anthropology, ‘so you really have lungs? Air doesn’t magically, magic in you? Are your lungs like mine?’ And he had explained everything by definition, and redefined debate from ‘to argue in a formal manner’ to ‘I ask the most ridiculous questions after you explain the previous by definition,’ and now everything was about marine anthropology.

He exhaled. Then followed a ding from the bedside, and he begrudgingly took his glasses, which was placed conveniently beside the noise, and the buzzing phone itself.

‘Hey smarty, does fate really exist here?’

He sighed, ‘why are you awake?’

‘Why are u awake?’

He clicked his tongue, ‘Fate exists, I suppose. The Moirai, from the records of the Lord of the Underworld, predicted a cause, as well as death. However, historians are still looking for more evidence. You’ll cover this in your second year.’

‘So it isn’t real? Whachu think bout fate tho? Ur opinion.’

‘Hm…’

‘Don’t give me the ‘according to…’ YOUR OPINIOOOONNN!!!’

‘If you can get something by your own accord, why rely on fate?’

If I were to secure an investment, then wouldn’t it mean that the hard work wasn’t mine but fate’s―

‘Zuuu, don’t turn this into money discussion’

He erased the passage; ‘I wasn’t planning to.’

‘Oh.kay. Sleep, we still have sumwhere to go tom’

‘You sleep first.’

There was a pause. The room was silent again. After two minutes, still no reply. Was she asleep now?

Ding!

Probably not.

‘So, I was thinking abt smthing: “If you sign here, all your necessities will be provided for, as well as your wants on occasions. The requirements are simple, really. You are to accompany me through tours in a span of three months, then I’ll decide if we are compatible.”’

‘…’ Two minutes passed. He did not reply, and consequently was he speechless.

‘Why? Embarrassed~?’

‘I thought you promised never to bring that up again.’

‘Correction, I said, not promise~ your confession was weird.’

‘It wasn’t a confession! It was a contract. A CONTRACT.’

‘Sure~? When did u start liking me?’

‘Go to bed.’

‘I am on my bed. Answer, or I’ll spam.’

‘You tore the paper and had the audacity to kiss me.’

‘I would have done it on the lips ;)) C’moon, when? Your honest opinion, Sir. Please~’

Huh, when did he start liking her? ‘Sleep, or I’ll cancel the date.’

‘Cancel the date, and I’ll spam. No sleeping toniigghtt Azullyyyyyy’

He huffed, and his tapping turned into aggressive pinching, ‘Alright. It was after Scarabia, I think.’

‘Why? Was I pretty?’

‘Probably.’

‘D’awwwww. U think we’re fated?’

He sighed, then looked at the screen. Perhaps fate did bless him this opportunity to ask: ‘Why do you like me?’

‘You’re smart, Azul. Kk, goodnyt. I’m sleepy.’

He blinked, squinting his eyes, and trailing the message all over again. And again, and again. He read the passage ten times, probably more. Why?

‘Goodnight too.’ Then preluded silence.

5

“It costs three-thousand Madols…you know, that thing. The jittery, alive one from Sam’s, the yellow one―the one he kept in jars. What do you call that again?”

“Butterfly wings,” he replied. Today was their date, and they sat opposite to one another.

“Oh, so the one from the Queen of Hearts section? But they’re literally bread, sliced in quarters, that moves, resembles no insect, and costs three-thousand Madols per piece!”

“If I were Sam, I would have sold it to ten-thousand, it’s rare to cultivate the species, and if you’re a devout to the Queen of Hearts, you won’t complain if I demanded a hundred-thousand Madols from you.”

“Oh…that’s cheating.”

“I prefer the term ‘wise-stocking’. NRC’s dorms have their fair share of traditions, and it just so happens that Heartslabyul requires Buttertoast-fly on one of them.”

“What does it taste like?”

“Must we discuss this at dinner? …Although, I did hear it tastes like…butter.”

The clinking stopped; she paused, as she looked at her plate, her knife sliced halfway through her butter steak, then gazed at him, mouth agape. “Appetizing.” She shook her head, up and down, swiftly bringing a piece to her mouth, and he scoffed.

On his plate were three halved zucchinis, arranged in rows, stuffed with an assortment of vegetables, with three red slices of tomatoes on the side; the pretty crème decorations won the presentation. It tasted wonderful, as one would expect no less from a five-star dish, but he ate barely a quarter of the first piece.

“Ah, here’s the Beignets! Zu’, Zu!” He heard a small thank you when he turned to her, then sweetness was shoved in his mouth and suddenly he couldn’t breathe, then he stretched his mouth, and what he chewed was soft, and in a second melted into his mouth. “How was it? Tasty?”

He nodded, “a-ah, but! I’d rather not partake in dessert.”

On the table center was a basket placed with ten or fifteen more of those abominations. As much as the dessert was equivalent to a pillow, coated in white sweetness, and crispy golden brown, fried in the hottest oil, and was extremely delicious, he couldn’t possibly take another bite.

“It’s their specialty, not partaking is a no-no,” she took a piece and bit it, chewing in bliss. She took another and placed it on his plate, “i’sh fine ta’ eat nishly onsh in a―” she swallowed, “―while.”

“Manners,” from the piece on his plate, he performed a neat slice with his knife and stabbed the tiny cut portion (the size of his thumb) with his fork, and took a bite. Thereafter, he took the remaining piece by hand and chewed it whole.

“See?”

“I shimply codnn’t ‘elp it.”

She chuckled, taking her knife and fork and stretched her hand to his plate, slicing half of his main dish, and ate it. “Stuffed Zucchini’s yummy, but you should have ordered something you’d like. This is our date, it won’t be fun if I’m the only one enjoying it. Want mine?” She pointed her fork to her plate.

“That has too much butter.”

“Alright, you can take the Beignet and zucchini, then.”

“With the most grateful of heart,” he hummed, taking another dessert, and plopped the whole portion within his mouth. “How’s your steak?”

“…buttery. And good.”

“Just good?”

“Yeah. I ate these almost every dinner…”

“Oh,” he uttered. She had a somber expression, contrary to her usual silly smile. “Why choose it, then?”

“It reminds me of…home,” she sliced a portion, and ate it. “The Buttertoast-fly thing? I don’t like it.”

“…oh.”

Thereafter, was an exchange of clinking utensils, as they continued on with their meal. He looked at her, whose attention was on the food at hand, to which the meat was cut into even slices. He looked at the basket of dessert, to what divided their portion of table space in half, and stabbed his fork into one. He placed the beignet on her plate, and she looked up to him.

He smiled; “Enjoy.”

6

It came to his mind one day that he was walking in reality, his feet were on marble, and he was standing on the halls to the cafeteria, and there were no towers. And she was beside him, walking. She said it was a custom, holding hands as for the longevity of their relationship (she lied about that part).

“Azul,” her fingers captured his hands tightly, swinging their arms back and forth. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“What question?”

“The other night…‘do you think we’re fated?’”

“Darling,” he chuckled.

“Your answer, ‘Zu.”

“…No.”

She stopped walking, “…No?”

“I don’t believe in fate, darling,” he didn’t turn to look at her, only towards the open cafeteria doors. She loosened her grip, he clenched her hand. “I like you. Fate did not tell me to do so,” he finally turned to her; “what about you? Do you believe in fate?”

“I want to, Azul,” she yanked her hand from his, he was slow to catch it within grasp. She smiled, “They’re serving Cheese Soufflé today, I should catch up to the line.”

She walked in front of him, perhaps a little faster, but stayed within reach's distance, and he was walking right behind her. Today, the grand pillars of Night Raven were large in comparison to both of them, and today, his feet were firmly planted on the ground. “Darling…”

“Azul―” stopping her tracks, she turned to him, “where are you looking at?”

“You.”

Followed was glass clinking, and jazz, fading to the background. He looked at no towers, nothing else, only her.

7

‘―: RELATIONSHIP PLAN’

Today, he built no towers. On his desk, there were no yellow things, no masterplans, and he wasn’t on his desk at all. His hand sits on keys, pressing the F minor, then to A, thin melodies echoing within the vicinity. There are a total of eighty-eight keys in this grand thing, and it was a secret he could play such a grand thing. Today, he builds notes. He writes what ‘like’ is, to redefine ‘was’ to ‘today’. Words he can’t string with voice, ideas incomprehensible to mere words, and the ‘like’ that a contract can never satisfy. Many are thoughts that hang about: “thank you for the food,”; and, “I’m grateful you’re here,”; or, “please, stay.”

How juvenile it was to eat barehanded in a five-star restaurant, but she laughed anyway. Their interests never aligned, and they had few in common; he was ambitious and she was a simpleton; he was a liar and she was an even better liar. Words, more often than not, mean not the word at all.

Instead of words, there are notes, and in notes, would he ‘like’. Truthfully, his reunion with the piano was awkward; he would play, once, twice, to entertain, but it wasn’t the intimacy he felt when his little hand pressed a key for the first time, the world was in his hands that time. To relive the experience, a song for her; that’s what he wants.

Words like “what was you isn’t you,” are what a dogmatic person would say. And he admired the dogmatic, wanting to entitle himself one who could shake towers with mere words alone. Charisma is what brought him this far, but he emulated charisma, molded ‘Azul’ to ‘charismatic’, as he was born uncharismatic.

In tunes are the whispers of his secret hates, as it follows to a crescendo. He’ll never eat zucchini again. In music are the undertones of his wants. He wants to eat those beignets again without the formalities of a gentleman.

He wants to be a little more honest now, of what he hates.

In his secret room is him, the piano, and his thoughts, “I want to go out on a date with you again.”

―: RELATIONSHIP PLAN.docx File deleted.

8

‘I have something to discuss with you, do spare time from 6-8 pm, I’d like to clarify derivatives…’ sent nine weeks ago.

Yesterday was yesterweek, and he said these words: “If you sign here, all your necessities will be provided for, as well as your wants on occasions. The requirements are simple, really. You are to accompany me through tours in a span of three months, then I’ll decide if we are compatible.”

He was dressed in a flashier attire than usual: he wore no hat, and was dressed in a black tuxedo, with red accents in the cuffs and in the inner cloths; on his left breast pocket, a bright red rose; his hair was swept back, and his curl was tucked behind; the only thing that held semblance to himself were his glasses. His chin was held up, as his right hand was pressed down on the table center, over a thin yellow thing (for all eternity displayed in big bold letters) and a space that was desperate for a signature. Beside it was a pen; it served no other purpose than temptation, as the ink desired intimacy for the paper.

She sat opposite to him, narrowing her eyes when she turned her gaze to his. Then, she stood up, took the pen and paper, walked to the opposite couch, and sat beside him, for the yellow, thin thing indeed meet the pen, but not her signature; instead, it was met with heaps of squiggly lines, and scratches over printed words, ink over the legislations, and everything. Now, it was a scratch pad. Thereafter, she placed each of her hands on both ends of the paper and tore it in half, until it was shredded into little things. He only watched wordlessly.

“I think it’s better if it’s white.” She turned to him and smiled, leaned over, and gave him a chaste kiss against his cheek. “You see,” she sat back, and kept his gaze on him, “I like you as well, but I hate contracts.”

“Oh,” he uttered.

“But. I think we’ll be good!” She chuckled, as she brought the pen to his open palms, “I prefer zero signatures, but you’ll have to go with me to wherever, then we’ll decide if we’re compatible. How about that?”

“B-but…”

“It’s your confession, take responsibility for my feelings.”

“I-I…alright,” he clutched the pen. “I’ll also be in your care…”

That was three months ago, and today is the present.

‘Meet me in the Lounge at 6, I have a surprise,’ and sent.

9

There is a secret room in Mostro Longue, and it’s rarely used. It’s a smaller room than the main interior, a private grotto for the Dorm Prefect since his term from the beginning of his second year. She is taken through walls of water, glass as the thing that separates drowning from air. Everything glows blue as the living marines thrive on the outside waters. On one hand is a big white envelope, hugged against his chest, and on the other was hers―guiding her to wherever that secret of his is.

“How much further?” She asks.

“Almost there…”

Then they stop by a door; it looks like any other door in the establishment. Twisting the knob, he smiles, “lady’s first.”

Entering the room, she is greeted with the interior dome, white intricate arcs spin into a spire, vanishing to the center when she looks up. It is akin to the pretty shells she’d seen in pictures, and when she turns her gaze below the center, is a piano. Honoring the aesthetic, the walls are painted in lavender, and in the back was glass separating water from air, where fishes swam about, the piano, the only thing painted in black in this light-colored room. And then there stands Azul beside the piano.

He opens the white envelope―inside are white papers, littered with ink―and places the papers on the music rack. In his eyes is what ‘liking’ is, and he smiles, “Darling.”

“Azul,” she looks at him, she isn’t smiling this time. “I think…”

“Yes?” He beams at her.

“We should…pursue our interests.”

…

He blinks. Once, twice. “…Pardon?”

“You know this isn’t working.”

“…H-huh? But, it’s working just fine!"

…

"W-what did I do?”

“…Nothing. I just…don’t know anymore.”

“But. Why?”

“You’re smart, Azul. You should know.”

“But you can’t just―I was beginning to…I-I’m trying…”

“I’m sorry.”

“―BUT I LIKE YOU!” From the top of his lungs, his voice echoes in the small room.

She looks at him, neither smiling, nor is it remorseful, “I like you too…but we should just stick to where we were heading to.”

“I’m happy with you.”

“Yes, you are. But will we be?”

Then follows silence…followed by a sigh. Then clicking, she turns her gaze to the door, and walks towards it―

“Wait.”

She stops. “…Yes?”

"I want to play. Please, stay. For a while. Stay until it ends."

“…okay.” She stands there.

He places his hand over minor F, presses the keys all-over again. Ping! Ping! Ping…it falls to a crescendo, the sound echoes in the room. He keeps his eyes on the keys, the black and white alternated things as he presses another, and another. What’s left in the piano is his ‘liking’ and the tears that stained the keys, they won’t stop flowing, neither will he stop playing. She’ll stay for a while…even in that little while he will cry, and he will play.

On the music sheet flattened against the rack, the topmost part is his own handwriting, things written in letters, ‘liking―’ followed by her name; a beautiful calligraphy.

Afterword: #1 When it comes to Azul, there's always a sense of intrigue in relationships, as he is a skeptical character. He would question the further indication of habits, and I want to frame him as a paranoiac with habits. Take for instance: He would count the times you would blink, and draw a conclusion to it. She blinked the regular twenty-times this minute, but the trend increased to thirty, thus implying she was nervous. Why was she nervous? That is a case to be investigated. I think his obsessive compulsion comes with a cause, there is no certainty of anything. Thus, he fails to see the big picture. #2 "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Frog Princess" references #3 For the reader's character, I'd like to leave the interpretation up to you. #4 Lastly, this fic wouldn't have been made possible if it weren't for a bet that I owe to a friend. Thank you.

[supimjustwriting]

Dancing Beneath The Depths

Azul Ashengrotto x Reader

Summary:

It was another day at the Monstro Lounge. Students idle chatter could be heard, mixed with calming music of the restaurant. Yet something was amiss. Hidden in the corner of the lounge, you’d find a certain octopus buried in work. Deciding he should have a change of pace. A sweet melody fills the room, drowning Azul’s protests. Now the pair of you share the dance floor. All eyes on the couple as they get lost in the music.

~

Inspired by an ask I gave @twistedrhythm​ Song Honeymoon Un Deux Trois My personal favourite version can be found here.

I’m writing this as a thank you for your writing and making this blog possible. I may be mostly writing for myself at the moment but as long as people enjoy what I write I don’t mind. 

“Lean in close, I’ll cast a spell over you.”

~ Honeymoon Un•Deux•Trois Lyrratic

“Come on Azul! The whole establishment won’t collapse just because you took one little break. If anything things will become much worse if you push yourself too hard. So, please?” You offer your hand to the silver haired male, a sheepish smile painting your lips. With a defeated sigh hitting your ears. Your smile couldn’t help but widen.

“I suppose one dance won’t hurt. Just please wipe that smile off your face, you’re embarrassing me,” he muttered, a soft blush blooming upon his cheeks.

Taking his hand, you gave it a quick squeeze of reassurance before draping your arms around his shoulders as his hands hovered, nested themselves upon your waist. Soon enough piano notes danced across the room, signaling the couple to start.

It was a clumsy start to say the least. Quick apologies given with each stumble and each toe stepped on. Yet such things were easily brushed aside with a childish laugh and playful turn.

Chasse ‘n Whisk ‘n Natural turn,

Lean in close I’ll cast a spell over you.

The sound of your voice enchanted him, inspiring him to shyly hum along. Sliding one hand down his arm. You inlace your fingers together, chuckling childishly at his flushed cheeks.

Honeymoon, now Un Deux Trois, Slowly we entwine our fingers while dancing along. Singing, swinging, Sweetest Song Humming to the tune of our dreams till the break of dawn

So, that was your plan. What a playful angelfish you were, reenacting the lyrics of the song. Well, two can play at that game. He thought to himself as he purred the next lines in your ear.

“I believe this is where-”

You interrupt him with a sudden kiss. Both your faces red as vampire squid.

“I place my lips on yours while humming along,” you finish for him. Embarrassment clear with each word spoken. Yet nonetheless delightful to your partner’s ears.

He simply smiles knowingly before spinning you once again, dancing to the tune as if you were the only two in the world.

As the night grew older. Laughs and chatter began to fade. Azul pulled you into a soft embrace before sighing contently, planting a kiss on the crown of your head.

Between the two of us, dance the tune of love ~

[khoipyan]

shaken and stirred!

(GI) diona!like reader x octavinelle trio

(diona is a character from genshin impact. for more information, you refer to this wiki page.)

warnings; gn!reader, reader is not diona herself, just similar. READER WILL NOT BE A CHILD LIKE DIONA! can be seen as platonic or romantic, im not writing about diona!reader's daddy issues im sorry :sob: reader is not stated to have cat features in this (ears, tail), sorry :( i can write for a partial cat reader sometime else though ^_^

notes; im very tired and sleepy skull BUT I LIKED THIS IDEA TOO MUCH TO PASS IT UP LMKODHIUHD i got a bit too self indulgent in azul’s whoopsies ALSO THERES AN OMORI REFERENCE IN ONE OF THE PARTS!! see if you can find it >:)

azul ashengrotto

you can... mix anything into a drink and it'll still taste good? even butterflies, conches and lizard tails..? well, you know... if you need a job—

first thing he does once he hears about this is try to get you to do a contract with him, of course! you don't want your magic, and he can give you something you actually want. however you just narrow your eyes at him, cross your arms and sigh. this isn't magic; it's actually a curse.

is appalled at the fact you could call such an ability, a skill! a curse. he would die to have that skill. however, he softens just a bit when he hears your story.

"when i was younger, i believed in the spring fairy. i spoke my feelings and poured out my soul to the moon reflected on the water's surface... on my seventh birthday, i heard a voice talk to me. surprise surprise, it was the fairy herself! that was the day i received the blessi— i mean, curse." you explained.

it was silent for a few seconds.

"you don't have to believe me, but you're the one who aske— STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!"

besides your curse of making the best drinks ever, your tsundere-like personality really confuses him. VERY.

you offered to walk him to his dorm one time while you both were hanging out in the library, fearing that he may get lost or something of sorts. when he told you that he was fine by himself, you shot him with a:

"whatever! i wasn't worried at all, i just wanted to make sure nothing happened to you so that you wouldn't blame me."

...????././??

azul has yet to understand by what you mean with your confusing and contradicting sentences, but he's willing to try! after all, you seem to care for him with actions, not words.

jade leech

you picked the wrong guy to be a tsun-tsun with, i'm telling you that.

picks up an interest with you right away, but keeps it confidential to himself for a week or two before approaching you to learn more.

the first time you two met is when he caught you scheming how to take down the wine industry... in which you told him to leave immediately.

“oh? what do we have here?”

"H-HUH? DON'T LOOK AT MY PLANS! AAAGHH, GET OUT-"

although he knows it’s probably not possible, jade has to admit that he admires your burning rage passion in taking down the wine industry.

haha, remember what i said about him being the wrong guy to be a tsundere with? well, he teases you SO much and pretends to be a complete saint about it. you absolutely CANNOT catch a break from him but hey, you brought this upon yourself!

(not really, but we all know how jade is…)

he notices very quickly under all the light slaps to his arm and the ‘cross arms and turn away’ motions that you seem to care about him very deeply. how interesting.

and for this, this must be what he loves the most about you.

…

oh well, it’s a shame that the show must go on. after realizing this (which doesn’t take too long), he uses it as even MORE material to tease you with.

jade feigns sadness, but it’s getting hard not to crack a smile at your exasperated expression. “i thought you were concerned about me getting hurt just now, were you not?”

“SCREW. YOU! I HOPE A PIANO FALLS ON YOU!”

“ouch. so hurtful… at least you didn’t wish that i had fallen down the stairs.”

floyd leech

just like his twin brother, floyd's interest with you is almost instant. you can make beverages out of anything? even the most nastiest things to ever exist? and your personality makes you even BETTER for him to target you.

when he heard about your ability, he absolutely convinced you to make drinks with him and give it to the people at mostro lounge. one, he wanted to see if it was true. two, MAYBE he needed an excuse to slack off from work.

to floyd’s surprise, it was true; anything you made into a drink was surprisingly delicious. floyd even had to try it for himself, because even he doubted you for a second.

tries convincing you to join mostro lounge. aww, why not?? come ooon! you can make money, make delicious drinks for customers AND he gets to mess around with you on shifts!

he laughs when you tell him about your plans to destroy the wine industry.

what’s so funny, floyd? stop laughing! this is a serious matter—

so playful yet teasing with you, especially seeing how annoyed and frustrated you get when he does something that even slightly inconveniences you.

“give me my textbook back!” you’re chasing after floyd in the halls. it’s bad to run, but you need your book back!

“when you catch me!” floyd responds, running at a fast pace.

ultimately thinks it’s so cute to see you deny how you care for him. floyd is smarter than he makes out to be, he knows. he acknowledges the times you get flustered when he compliments you, or the worried glances you spare him when he’s having a bad day.

he appreciates you so much! even if you do punch him a bit hard sometimes, he’ll always be sure to playfully bite back (but be more gentler, of course).

— due to be edited at anytime —

[viviennevermillion]

Hello!! 💗💗

Could I ask for a head canon with Leona, Azul and Rook with a s/o who has PTSD ? Like how they would comfort them while they are having flashbacks and such?

(I read your rules, I hope dis is ok if not you don’t have to answer ☺️)

Thank you !! 💫💫

With an s/o who has PTSD

notes: Thanks for the request! Sorry it took so long to answer it! Usually as per my rules I decline requests about things that I don't know much about (which includes a good chunk of mental illnesses) but since I have PTSD myself, I'll be able to do this one! I'm leaving flashbacks specifically out because I only had one so far and I don't remember it very well and I'm not really sure what they're like for other people :3

Also while I've known other people with PTSD, I never talked to them about how they experience their symptoms so I'm the only example I have to base this on. Sorry Rook's is so short compared to the other 2.

And I made new headers for my writing, I hope y'all like them!

contains: character x gn!reader

warnings: descriptions of ptsd symptoms

If you happen to suffer from nightmares related to your past, Azul gets them too. He has nightmares a lot and he knows how distressing they can be, so when he notices that you seem distressed in your sleep or jerk awake or scream something while waking up, he's immediately alarmed but doesn't let you notice that. "Hey....shh.... I'm here", he whispers and pulls you into the safety of his arms if he knows you're comfortable with that. He'll pat your head and press a kiss to your forehead. "It was just a dream, it's over now", he'll continue whispering and gently massages your hand. If you can't sleep again after that, Azul stays awake with you or makes sure you're fine before sleeping in your lap. He'll let you play with his hair if you want to.

He offers you to tell him what the nightmare was about but makes it very clear that you absolutely don't have to if you don't want to.

Will make you a tea to calm you down. He won't leave your side though if you need him there with you. You could go to the Mostro Lounge kitchen together.

Tries his best to distract you when you have intrusions about the traumatic event. Will play you a song on the piano or quietly sing something for you. Or watch a movie or series with you. Whatever comforts you most at the moment. If you're somewhere in the school building when this happens, he'll try to converse with you about a different topic but he's willing to listen if you need to talk

100% respects and remembers your triggers from the moment you tell him. If you get into situations where other people are talking about something that triggers you, Azul will use his communication skills to divert the conversation to a topic you're comfortable with and that will in the best case distract you.

Will deal with people's confusion or irritation if you want to leave a situation that triggers you and don't want to explain to people why or don't have the energy for it.

If you need to expose yourself to a situation that reminds you of the traumatic event in any way, Azul will reassure you and try to prevent you from procrastinating taking care of whatever task you have to do. He'll accompany you if that makes you feel safer and more comfortable.

If you're upset or feeling intense negative emotions he will try to reassure you. Also isn't too irritated if you ever snap at him impulsively. Azul is calm and he has patience and unless this is a recurring thing, he won't be mad.

If you doubt yourself or feel bad about yourself, Azul will basically hold you a long speech about how you're amazing and the most precious person in his life and he'll occasionally press a kiss to your forehead or your lips in-between.

Does his best to give you hope about the world and your future with him. He'll remind you that you two have a life together to look forward to

Rook will read poems or some pretty descriptions of calming atmospheres to you if you struggle to sleep. He'll let you sit in his lap and has an arm wrapped around you and occasionally presses a kiss to your cheek. Rook is very good at adjusting his tone when he reads something, so he's able to calm you down with voice quietly reading the words aloud to you.

Rook basically has a whole collection of creative stuff to help you cope with stressful situations. He's got entire playlists of ambiences and calming music to play for you when you're stressed, need to calm down after nightmares or need some help to sleep.

Rook has a habit of appearing in situations without being noticed but if he knows you suffer from hypervigilance, he makes sure he never startles you.

He's very good at comforting you with words and reassuring you.

If you're in Pomefiore, Rook makes sure Vil never reprimands you for struggling to do the same amount of tasks as the other dorm students or being overwhelmed and exhausted despite not having done that much that day. He never wants you to feel bad because you're not able to get as much done as expected of you. He knows you're giving your best and he tells you often that he's very proud of you for that, pressing several kisses to your face.

Rook always listens to you when you need to vent and will give you a long passionate speech about why everything will be okay. He'll hold both of your hands in his and gives you a comforting smile.

If you experience any psychosomatic symptoms, Rook will make sure to pay attention to these as well. He'll get painkillers if you experience headaches, gives you a massage if you have muscle tension or makes sure no one makes any loud noise around you if you suffer from sensory hypersensitivity.

Rook is very empathetic, observant and somehow always seems to know what you need in different situations, even if you do not expect him to be able to tell how you're feeling or what support you currently need. He tries his best to make you feel okay when you're struggling.

Leona is a very deep sleeper but when you wake up from a nightmare, he's instantly awake. It's like he's got a protective sense. He needs a moment to register his surroundings before he looks at you with his typical shocked Leona expression and goes "Holy fuck, herbivore, are you okay?"

He's unsure of what to do and whether you're okay with him holding you right now, so he asks you. If you say it's fine, he will pull you into his arms and wrap his tail around your waist. He asks you what happened and listens to you if you wish to vent. Leona is not very good at supporting you verbally, but he'll tell you "It'll be okay. I'm here for you." and cups your face with his hands before placing a soft kiss to your lips. He tries to soothe you by running his fingertips up and down your back.

Leona doesn't know much about PTSD before meeting you, so it takes him a while to get used to it and support you properly. He's at a loss at first because he's not very good at expressing how he feels or comforting another person so he might mess up a couple of times and not be a very great help in the beginning, but the longer you two are together, the more he adapts to your needs and is able to offer you support when you're suffering from your symptoms.

He'll even pick up a book from the library about it, so he can learn more and support you better when he notices that he isn't really doing as much as he wants to

He also asks you to tell him what helps you in different situations and what he can provide for you to feel better. Leona is aware he doesn't really know how to do that so he'll be glad if you tell him

He'll also accompany you to situations / places that cause you distress. He'll have an arm wrapped around you or gently holds your hand in his and glances at you from the side often to make sure you'll be okay.

If you're overwhelmed with a situation and you can't leave it atm, he will offer to hold you in his arms. He'll wrap both of his arms around your shoulders and lets you bury your face in his chest / neck, making sure you can blend out the world around you for a second. It's like his embrace shields you from the rest of the world for a while.

If anyone ever gives you shit for wanting a topic change for a conversation or leaving a social situation because something triggers you or just for "acting strange", Leona will make sure they don't bother you over it. Unlike Azul, who just tries to cover for you or change the topic, Leona hisses "Mind your own damn business" and gives people a warning glare

If you struggle to fall asleep, Leona will actually make an exception for you and stay awake to help you sleep before going to bed himself. He holds you in his arms and draws circles on your back with his fingertips. He also lets you sleep in his room with him every night.

If you're overwhelmed with your daily life, exhausted or struggle to concentrate on tasks, he will help you out. This is enough motivation for the lazy lion to get his ass out of bed. He'll also help you with your homework or offers to do it together with you so it's easier for you to stay focused on it.

Leona also helps you rationalize your way out of situations where you overthink or doubt your own decision making skills or feel vulnerable / unsafe because it's so uncertain. He validates your feelings but he also provides arguments as to why you don't have to worry.

[merakiui]

[vi.] ⁿᵒᵗ qᵘⁱᵗᵉ ⁿᵉʷˡʸʷᵉᵈˢ

serial killer!jade leech x female!reader cw: yandere, captivity, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, drugging, mentions of death/murder, dissection, gore chapter v│chapter vi (you are here)│chapter vii

It could have been you. You should be more conscious of your surroundings. Those were scolding words from Azul—words that you had deemed useless and carelessly shrugged off. He’s been known to fret over you and your, according to him, problematic lifestyle. In your defense, you’ve gotten better over the course of time. The you from two years ago is nothing but a phantom now—a lonesome memory you’ve shoved to the dark recesses of your brain—and if she could see you now she’d be shocked at your progress. 

And at the fact that you’re currently being held captive in a killer’s house. That’s not the trajectory either of you had expected your life would follow. You suppose that’s why intertwined fates are often the mother of unforeseen situations. You can step around them and take as many precautions as you’d like, but you can’t truly avoid them. Not when they’ve already wound around your destiny, so tight they’ve made a lasting imprint.

Azul was right, in an unsettling, psychic way. Now, as you inspect the ring on your finger, you realize his offer wasn’t terrible. His home is all crystal and dark blue tones, furnished with delicate fish tanks, a grand piano, a spiraling staircase, and so much opulence that it’s nearly palatial in design. It provides you with a view of the stunning cityscape, all reinforced glass and metal frameworks, brightening the night sky like individual holes poked in the foil lid on a jar. But as ideal as it looks, the isolation would soon creep through the longer you stay in his high-rise penthouse, sectioned off from the world below in a private slice of luxury. 

You’d take permanent residence in your Sea Trench over his penthouse any day. At the very least, your mediocre apartment feels like a home. A sad husk of one, sure, but it’s home nonetheless. Your entire life is packed into that space. From the coffee maker that’s had better mornings to the posters and trinkets strewn about, your apartment is layered in bits and pieces of your personality. It’s a place you fit into with much comfort. With Azul you don’t truly belong. You just exist alongside him, often shadowed by his radiance, like gloom cast by a tantalizing flame, flickering between care and criticism. 

But it doesn’t have Azul, you think, sinking into the water until it’s up to your chin. It feels weird to admit, but I kind of miss him. He’s fun to be around, and he always knows what to say. Even his fake proposal was good. You drag your hand over your face, groaning weakly as the daydreams begin to snuff logic. I wonder if anything would change if we were actually married. Maybe it would feel less like lust and more like love. Or maybe it would be easier to pretend we’re married. Acting like newlyweds would be fun. We’re together, but we’re not quite there yet. Not quite newlyweds…or something like that.

A knock at the door almost drives the soul from your body and you sit up with a sharp intake of air. The fluffy images disperse like dandelion tufts in the wind, mere specks of faux cumulus against the vast sky that is your mind. Now you’re brought back to reality, the tranquility of an empty, silent bathroom shattered by the arrival of a calamitous monster. 

“I’ve brought your clothes and a towel,” Jade says, his voice muffled through the door. “May I come in? I’d like to bandage your ankle after you’ve changed.”

You’d prefer it if he stayed outside, as far from you as possible, but you can’t let your ankle get any more grotesque or else it’ll cause future inconveniences for you. 

“Fine. But don’t look!”

“There’s no need to be shy. It’s just skin.”

“I'm not shy, you freak!” You hold your tongue and huff. “Just keep your creepy eyes off of me.”

The door opens and Jade steps in, bringing with him your dress, a towel, and the scent of something scrumptious. You can’t tell if it’s earthy or savory—or both—but it has your stomach growling irritably. He smiles as he sets both items down on an empty towel rack before opening a cabinet and withdrawing a first aid kit.

“My, how vicious. And I thought my eyes were perfectly pleasant.” He hums as he bends down to gather the blanket and pillow you’d previously slept with, gracefully tossing both through the doorway and into the bedroom. “I suppose I’m just not your type.”

“My type isn’t murderous, backstabbing, lying criminals,” you seethe through grit teeth.

“That’s most unfortunate.”

Scowling, you snatch the towel he offers. His face is angled away from you, and you get a view of his striking side profile while you dry your upper body. He’d make for a good cover model if he wasn’t so eerie. Knowing the true shades of Jade frames him in a gruesome portrait​​—one that oozes coppery gore and shields well-aligned skeletons behind a disarming picture. It’s a shame, considering how desirable his build is. With his height, broad shoulders, muscles in the right places, and a handsome face, he could craft quite the career for himself. Any business-oriented photographer would be a fool to ignore his potential. 

But he’d look even better behind bars in a striped jumpsuit.

Your gaze slides from him to the drain in the tub, and you give it a tug until it pops free. Water is sucked into the waiting abyss in a swirling vortex, traveling down, down, down into the darkness. You wish you could drain alongside it.

“Why humans?” 

Jade straightens at that. Not in surprise, you realize. He’s correcting his posture, standing rigidly upright while he rifles through the first aid kit. 

“The same reason everyone enjoys animal meat,” he answers with a half-shrug.

“It can’t be that good. I mean…” You try to picture a world in which human meat is readily harvested, packaged, and sold at butcher shops and supermarkets. The imagery only succeeds in souring your appetite. “It’s human meat, Jade.”

“Would you have preferred I make a meal out of Azul instead?”

“What difference would that make?”

And yet the snappy disinterest in your tone doesn’t match your thoughts. Don’t you dare touch him. Your fingers curl into the towel, nearly strangling it, as your face darkens in displeasure. Thinking about that possibility, no matter how teasing it may be, sparks an unfamiliar emotion in you. Leave him out of this.

“So ignorance really is bliss,” he muses, humor spotting his tone. 

He’s joking, you think, incredulous, as your grip on the towel loosens. Hours ago he was going to kill me and now he’s joking.

Casting your vexation aside, you wrap the towel around yourself once the bath is fully drained and, with one hand grasping it tightly to prevent it from falling, you place the other upon the wall to steady yourself before slowly standing. Your foot slips with an ear-grating squeak and you yelp as you tumble onto your back, your tailbone hitting the bottom of the tub. Pain bolts through your hips and you release a disgruntled hiss. 

I need to be more careful. Take it slowly.

“I could help you. Alas, a certain someone has forbidden me from touching her.”

“I don’t want your help.”

“Very well.” He brings his fist to his mouth as he witnesses you stumble like a newborn fawn on shaky legs, hiding a growing smirk. “For someone who was so terrified earlier, you seem comfortable.” 

“What part of me looks comfortable?” you spit, glowering.

“Your sarcasm suggests you’re at ease to bicker.”

I hate you so much, Jade Leech.

You give up on standing with an aggravated sigh and scramble awkwardly over the lip of the bathtub, falling to the tiled floor with a wet smack. The chain rattles like a death knell. He hands your clothes off next and you stare at the folded dress, its fabric smelling pleasantly of lavender. You glance at Jade with a frown, recalling that he had taken it off while you were in the throes of unconsciousness. An unsettled shiver crawls through you as you imagine cold fingers tracing over your skin, over every curvature, feeling and examining. And then there was the chilly press of a marker against your abdomen, circling your biceps, inking words into your flesh as if every inch of you is swine not yet butchered. 

Not all of the marks could be washed away, and so you’re left with the faint reminder that they exist—that they were placed there with a very macabre intent. 

“Turn around so I can get dressed.” 

Jade complies, pivoting on his heel. He even raises his hands to his face. With his back turned to you, you entertain all sorts of revenge while you slip your dress on, the material sticking to your body like a barnacle on a whale’s back. It had been nice to wear when you were with Azul, but now it’s just burdening you with discomfort. Even the chips in your golden nails remind you that every inch of finery you’ve wrapped yourself in is manufactured and just as easily tarnished. As you struggle to zip the back, you wonder if you’d even have a chance to exact revenge. He’s strong, but surely even he has his weaknesses. What those could be, you haven’t the faintest clue. 

You slide your underwear on next and by the time you’re finally clothed you throw your head back against the tub and exhale slowly. New aches are just beginning to sprout when you flex your fingers and curl your toes. Even your sprained ankle has its own unruly heartbeat. 

“I’m done.” 

He turns and picks up the compression wrap from where it rests on the sink. Indicating it with a shake, he asks, “May I?”

Your stiff nod has him lowering to his knees, where he takes your leg in large, warm hands and lifts it to meet the unrolled bandage. You count the number of times he wraps it, starting at the ball of your foot, circling around the arch of your sole, crossing over the top of your foot and toes, until he reaches your ankle. The taut bandage is oddly familiar around your leg, its coarse texture a reminder of doctors in white coats, dull, monochromatic rooms, and a hulking observation tank. With scrutinizing, mismatched hues, he observes his handiwork after he’s finished and a content hum rumbles low in his throat. 

“Thanks.” You intend to pull your leg back, but he keeps hold of it, his fingers digging into your skin. Blunt nails form unsightly crescents in your leg, each one deliberately bruising. “Thank you,” you repeat forcefully, but it has no effect on him. 

Jade continues to press, press, press into your leg, so hard that you’re certain he’ll tear into your skin and you’ll see blood puddle between his fingers. His lips are pursed in a thin line, his brows just slightly furrowed, and he looks as if he’s seen legs for the first time. And then his mouth parts, revealing dreadfully sharp points, and he’s leaning in, closer and closer. Panic seizes control of your body and you kick at him on instinct. Your unwrapped foot collides with his stomach, and he’s shaken from his daze, slouching back against the toilet with an odd, indecipherable expression. Your breaths come out in trembling huffs and the two of you hold eye contact for a taut minute. Questions smolder in your horrified stare while he remains completely unfazed. 

He was about to…

“Forgive me. I’ve overstepped my boundaries.” He stands briskly, pats his front down as if it’s been tainted by dust, sweeps that black streak of hair behind his ear, and begins to pack the first aid kit.

“You were going to bite me just now!” You hunch into a smaller version of yourself, teetering on the verge of hyperventilation. “You said you wouldn’t touch—you promised that… You said—”

“It won’t happen again.”

Like hell it won’t! The whole reason I’m here is because you’re hungry! Your hands curl into fists just as horror shivers through you. He looked so emotionless. It’s terrifying. I feel like he was looking at me like I’m not quite human. Like I’m less than a human and more like…

“I’ll handle my own wounds from now on,” you snap. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again.” 

“Don’t give me permission then.” 

“Here’s a suggestion: Don’t let your cravings control you! I’m not on your sick menu for the next nine months, got that?” 

“And here I was getting ready to retrieve some ice for your poor ankle…” Jade sighs mournfully as he sets the first aid kit onto its respective shelf. “I’ve also prepared a meal for you, but it seems you have more than enough energy.”

“I don’t want your cannibal food.”

His laughter is about as melodious as shattered glass. “Unfortunately, I’m not like Azul. I won’t leave your favorite at the door when you’re being a picky brat, so I’m afraid you’ll have to trust what I’ve made if you don’t want to go hungry.”

“I’d rather starve.” 

“Your parasite might say otherwise.” 

“Then we’ll starve together. I’m not eating human meat.”

“No one said you had to. Besides, do you really think I’d waste precious ingredients on someone whose palate is limited to her moral compass?”

The shadow Jade casts swallows you whole when he looms over you, and there’s a calculation shrouded in his heterochromatic gaze. You wonder what enigma he’s working out as he observes you, pupils tracking your creased brow and sliding down to your neck. Maybe he’s looking at you as if you’re a dissection specimen again, considering the various ways in which he can effectively slice you. If your lie hadn’t worked, where would he have started? Would it have been like the fetal pigs in biology, marking their stomachs and cutting along the lines before peeling back each skin flap to reveal organ structures? Your professor had once said that a pig’s internal layout closely mirrors that of a human’s, hence why it’s much easier to identify a pig’s innards than it is a frog’s. 

Perhaps he would have looked at you the same way biologists look at fetal pigs: with detached, analytical indifference. 

The impatient gurgle from your stomach breaks Jade’s trance and scatters your ruminations.

“What was that about starving?”

Exhaling noisily, you fix your eyes on the floor to avoid his growing smirk and mutter, “Fine. I’ll eat.” 

Content with your acquiescence, he strides out the door. You watch him as he walks through the bedroom and out another door into, what you assume, is the hallway. And then you hear faint footsteps, each more muffled than the last. You’re certain you count a total of nine footsteps with a silent delay after the third step. 

Assuming the staircase is broken into two parts—a small one consisting of three or so stairs, a landing, and another staircase with five or so stairs—I’m on the second floor. Your fingernail scratches uselessly at the floor tiles. Two floors… I wonder why he’s keeping me up here. Wouldn’t you want to keep a captive somewhere else? Like in a basement or a soundproofed room? 

The ring’s gemstone winks at you under the light and you sigh. Azul would have a solution for this, wouldn’t he? He’d probably say something like, “I told you so. This is exactly why you should’ve listened to me. My security system is top-notch and flawless and blah, blah, blah. I’m rich. Move in with me.” No, stay focused. What would Azul do in this situation? We’ve seen horror movies before and we’ve always noted that the brainless ones die first. But how do you outsmart a killer? More importantly, how can I beat Jade? I’m shackled to his wall, my ankle’s hurt, and I’m not strong enough to fight right now. 

If you want to con a conman, you’ll have to think like one, a hushed voice interjects.

Right… Since he thinks I’m pregnant, I’ll have to act pregnant. It’s not going to be a convincing lie if I don’t show him signs. You pull your knees up to your chest and rest your head in your arms. Damn it. None of this would be happening if I wasn’t so stupid. I never even wanted to break up with Azul in the first place. I was just…scared.

Tears prick your eyes. 

I was scared that his proposal was real. I was scared of ruining what we have. I was scared of the idea that he might actually, truly love me. 

And then they come falling, tracing down your cheeks in salty streams.

And because of that I drank too much again and left his house drunk and allowed myself to—stop. What’s done is done. You have to focus. Crying isn’t going to solve anything. Lifting your head from your arms, you wipe furiously at your eyes. If I was Azul, I’d listen and learn. Gather as much information as I can and try to use it to my advantage. Knowing that I’m on the second floor is helpful. It means there isn’t a clear path to the front door, but with this I can get a general idea of the layout. Bathroom, bedroom, hall, stairs, and whatever else is in between and below that.

Inhaling briefly, you hold it for a few seconds and then release. You do this a few more times until your frazzled nerves have calmed and the panic that once produced a rapid-fire train of thoughts has subsided. 

It’s a start, so don’t cry. Azul doesn’t like it when you cry. 

When Jade returns, he’s holding a tray that has dishes and a towel balanced on it. Something else is held under his arm and you don’t register what it is until it’s being unfolded before your very eyes. A child-sized wooden dining table is placed at your feet. You stare at him while he sets a bowl and a glass of water on top of it, along with accompanying utensils and napkins. The towel is handed to you next and when you unwrap it you find an ice pack snuggled amidst the fluffy fabric. You waste no time in positioning it under your ankle. Jade ducks into the bedroom to drag a table and chair over to the doorway, where he sits with his own meal. 

Peering at the serving, which smells and looks deliciously appetizing, you weigh the chance that it might contain bits of human on a tilting scale. 

“What is it?” you finally ask, prodding at it with your fork. 

“Mushroom and spinach pasta,” he answers with a pleased smile, and the more you poke through the dish the more relieved you are to see those exact ingredients. “You can stop playing with your food now.”

“And it’s not poisoned?”

“You wound me. I’m a chef, first and foremost.” His hand splays over his chest and you sneer at the obvious feint. “You’ve tried my cooking before, haven’t you?”

“That was before I was locked up in your house.”

You twirl a small amount on your fork and turn it over dubiously. On one hand, if it’s dangerous you’ll be freed from this madness. On the other hand, it could be a normal dish. You glance at Jade. He’s staring right back at you, waiting with his own fork poised at his mouth. At least, if it has been poisoned, you hope it’ll kill you quickly. Gathering your nerves, you stuff the portion into your mouth and chew. You expect to swallow fingernails or hair or bone, but all that goes down is a mouthwatering bite of creamy mushroom and spinach pasta.

Jade smirks at you from where he sits. “See? It’s an honest meal after all.”

“Yeah. Whatever.” Despite that, you’re quick to eat another mouthful. Apparently, near-death terror works up a grand appetite. “Pasta feels a little repetitive, though.”

And kind of sickening. This entire charade is like a meal on death row with my executioner. 

“Is it not to your liking?”

“No, it’s good. I don’t think it’ll kill me, so I can’t complain. But… Well, I had pasta when I was with Azul. It just made me think of him.”

“He does resemble pasta.” Lifting his fork, two strands of linguine hang limply from the prongs. Upon noticing your baffled expression, he chuckles. “Forgive me. The comparison is a little inaccurate right now.”

“Do you always think with your stomach?”

“Would you prefer I think with this instead?” He gestures towards his lap and you glare in disbelief. “That was the foundation of your relationship with Azul, wasn’t it? Should I try that method for myself?”

“Don’t even think about it.” You point at him with your fork, pasta coiled around it. “I’ll bite it in half if you put it anywhere near me.”

A needle-toothed grin sharpens on his lips as he withdraws something from his pocket. It’s a leather wallet, much to your chagrin. “Whatever did you think I was referring to?”

“Nothing.” You shove another bite into your mouth with a grumble. “I can’t believe you can make jokes at a time like this. Are you even the same Jade from before?”

He chuckles and licks cream sauce from his fork. “I’ve heard it’s comforting to make light of unpleasant situations. You shouldn’t be so tense. I’m not fond of tough meat.” 

You groan and run your hand over your face. “What time is it?”

“Eight-thirty. I’ll be leaving for work soon, so you’ll have to keep yourself occupied while I’m gone. If you’re good, I’ll bring you Azul’s jacket.”

“Don’t treat me like a pet.”

But a jacket would be nice. A strapless dress isn’t very warm.

“A pity. You seem to wear your collar without complaint. Azul’s trained you well.” 

“It’s a ring, and it’s because we’re engaged. There’s no training involved. It’s love.” Before you can say anything else, a sudden realization hits you. “Wait. Eight-thirty at night? It’s already been a day?”

Jade nods, sipping from his glass as if this news isn’t revolutionary. It may not be to him, but knowing that a full day has passed and you’ve been trapped inside a bathroom for the entirety of it crushes you. If you weren’t stuck here, you’d still be with Azul, most likely waking for your shift in the golden hours of morning. He’d insist on driving you even though you’ve told him time and time again that he shouldn’t go through the trouble. You’d sit in the passenger seat and gaze at the city as it passes by in a blur of colors and shapes while Azul grouses over how the summer humidity frizzes his hair and makes him look like he just crawled out of a cave.

You’d tell him, with brimming confidence, “Good thing I like cave-dwelling beasts,” and he’d laugh that flustered laugh you adore—the one that’s half-gasp, half-chuckle—and you’d immediately regret spouting such foolish flattery. He never runs late, so the two of you would stop at a café, chat the hour away over pastries and tea, and then you’d be standing on the pavement in front of your workplace, waving to his car as it grows smaller against a sunny horizon. 

Your eyes find the ring. What would Azul do?

“I… I want his jacket. But what’re you going to want in return?” 

“Your silence.” 

“And if I don’t give you my silence?”

“Need I remind you that you’re not in any position to challenge me?” He peers down at you with a disapproving frown. 

“Ah, r-right. I’ll be quiet, and in exchange you have to bring me Azul’s jacket.” Mulling over the length of a typical night shift, you’re quick to add, “And a book! If I’m going to be stuck here for hours, I want something to read.”

Varying levels of consideration pass over his face. “Have you ever read any nature guides?”

Your brow furrows at the sudden inquiry. “I read one about the solar system and another about the ocean. Why?”

“I recommend A Hiker’s Guide to Fantastic Fungi. It’s very informative.”

“Oh. Uh. Thank you?” Silence threatens to consume the bathroom and so you rush to salvage this dying conversation. “Do you like fungi?”

“I enjoy hiking,” he corrects. “The flora and fauna on land are quite enthralling. Fungi species are just part of the experience.”

I never knew that was his hobby, you realize. I mean, of course I never knew. I don’t really know Jade. 

“Then…” You gesture at the framed artworks on the wall. “Did you make those?”

He nods. “I sketch most of them in the wilderness. I’ve found it’s beneficial to surround myself with my muse when I’m drawing. It keeps me motivated.”

“That’s…really cool, actually.”

And surprisingly tame for a guy who wants to eat me.

“I’m pleased you think so.”

“You’re really talented.” The words tumble from your mouth without your meaning to, and Jade blinks at you. “I’m serious. Your sketches are beautiful.”

If I’ve learned anything from my time with Azul, it’s that good food and not-so-honest praise are the ways to a person’s heart.

Although this time you’re telling the truth. Every plant has been drawn with such careful precision, each meticulous graphite stroke a testament to Jade’s patience and skill. He’s sketched all sorts of wildlife, from moss on stones to mushrooms on a fallen tree. Among each drawing, there are flowers. Little clusters dotting the corners of the page. Some bloom from a grassy field or on the side of what looks like a mountain, and others are single blossoms backdropped by pristine paper. He’s labeled some of them, detailing certain parts in elegant script, and from the way he’s placed his art in simple, yet aesthetically fitting frames it’s obvious he’s proud of his work. 

Jade wipes nonexistent sauce from his mouth, his stare lingering on the cutlery in his other hand. “You flatter me.” 

“Maybe I’ll read that nature guide you recommended.” His gaze slides over to you, shoulders rising in what you think might be anticipation. “As long as you’d be willing to lend me a copy.”

A covert smile tugs at the corners of his lips. “Of course.”

Dinner carries on without incident. You’re able to put aside last night’s horrors and focus on civil chit-chat with Jade, which proves to be more disconcerting than anything else you’ve endured thus far. How he can carry on so normally after he’s kidnapped and threatened his former friend with death is beyond you. 

By the time you’ve finished your meal, Jade’s already begun cleaning. You watch him as he works from where you slouch against the sink, your legs extended outwards. The ice pack has gone soft with the passage of time and when Jade holds his hand out to take it you place it in his palm. He promises to bring you another before he leaves. 

Your eyelids are heavy when he returns minutes later with a novel and a fresh ice pack. You catch part of the title as sleep drags you under. A Hiker’s Guide…to something. Jade smiles down at you, victory splayed on his countenance. 

“Sweet dreams.” Slender fingers wrap around the door knob and he holds his index up to his lips. And then the door shuts, locking you inside a cubic prison.

Liar, you think as you fall into a drug-induced slumber. 

Azul joins you on the deck, a mojito in hand and a cloth pouch in the other. Framed by a sprawling azure sky, thin strands of cumulus decorating the vast blue, he looks every bit the serene vacationer he currently is, albeit slightly annoyed. Azul wouldn’t be Azul if his brilliant hues weren’t always narrowed in critique. Your eyes rove these items, considering them briefly, before flicking up to view the octopus- and palm-patterned sun hat that sits atop his head, and a broad grin stretches on your face.

“You’re wearing it.”

“The designs are conflicting.”

“I think it’s cute.” You sip idly at your strawberry daiquiri. Condensation coats your fingers. “It suits you.”

“It most certainly does not,” he says around an indignant huff, peering out at the churning waves below the massive cruise ship. “But I appreciate the sentiment.”

He holds the pouch out to you and smiles. You’d think it’s an offering with how his features soften graciously, but you know Azul’s merely paying you back for the hat you bought him when the ship docked at the previous island. You’d perused all sorts of designs, but the one he currently wears stuck out to you solely because palm trees can’t exist under the sea like an octopus can. Azul didn’t see the humor in it and had continued onwards, sandal soles slapping a steady pace against the cobblestones, while you slipped the amount to the seller with a wink, who’d been more than happy to stow the surprise inside a gift bag. 

You set your drink on the ledge and take it from him, prying it open with skilled fingers. With a knit brow, you withdraw a sterling silver necklace. A jellyfish pendant hangs from the chain, its tendrils cradling a single cerulean pearl. A delighted squeal slips past your lips and you hold it up to compare its likeness to him.

“It matches your eyes!” He reaches out to take the necklace from you, but you’re already fastening it around your neck. Azul withdraws and leans against the ship railing instead, elbows propped on the ledge. He sips from his mojito. “Thank you. It’s gorgeous.”

“Not as gorgeous as you.”

You bark out a laugh and reclaim your drink. “All right, charmer. Allow me to return the favor.” Sidling up to him, you lean in to place a chaste kiss upon his cheek. “Now we’re even.”

“Hardly.” His cold fingers find your chin, guiding you into a sweeter smooch, and he tastes pleasantly of rum and mint. When he pulls away, there’s a smirk crowding his handsome features. “Strawberry is a fitting flavor for you.” 

You nudge him playfully. “I could say the same about you and mint.”

“You think so? I’d say I’m more sweet than refreshing.”

“Really? Then how about this?” You angle yourself towards him and he places one hand on his hip, challenging you with a raised brow. “I’m mint and you’re strawberry.”

“Or we could settle for pineapple.” He plucks the fruit wedge from your beverage and traces it along the circular rim of his glass. 

“At this point, we might as well make a smoothie.”

“Smoothies would fit the tropical theme. We are in paradise, after all.” With a sweeping hand motion, he directs your attention to the sea that surrounds you on all sides, cradling the ship in white-capped surf. He places the pineapple slice in his mouth, where it vanishes in a single bite.

You tilt your head at him, certain that the alcohol is to blame for your warming body. Despite that simple scapegoat, adoration tingles throughout your nerves, ending at your fingertips in electric fizzles. “I like talking nonsense with you.”

“Is that right? Perhaps we should do this more often.” 

Like a bee drawn to flowers, you’re inching closer to him, unable to stay away. Before either of you can seal the distance, someone’s arm is thrown around you and you’re shoved harshly against Azul.

“Enough flirting! They have a basketball court. Let’s go play!” Floyd announces merrily, tightening his grip in lighthearted warning. 

“Be careful! I nearly dropped my drink!” Azul snaps, rounding on him with a scowl. 

“Oh my.” Jade appears beside Floyd, sporting a collared shirt patterned with palm fronds, khaki shorts, sandals, and a plain sun hat. Floyd’s outfit matches Jade’s in terms of tropicality, but flamingos dot his unbuttoned shirt, which reveals a nicely toned torso for curious eyes, and his swim trunks are speckled with sharks. Much like the opposing graphics on Azul’s hat, Floyd also wears two very different animals, one confined to land and the other confined to sea. “So this is where our lovestruck duo have run off to.”

“Jade, good timing! Help us settle this debate.” You shrug Floyd off—he pouts at you—and link arms with Azul. “Between the two of us, who’s mint and who’s strawberry?”

Azul, who had once looked so bitter, brightens, laughter lacing his syllables when he adds, “This is very important, Jade.”

“I can tell.” He glances at you, mismatched eyes tracing your summer dress and the jellyfish necklace tied around your throat, and then turns his attention to Azul. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think either of you fit those flavors.”

“Okay, next twin! Floyd, between the two of us—”

“If I were to compare the two of you to fungi, Azul would be the Psilocybin mushroom and (Name) would be the Amanita verna or, more commonly, the destroying angel.”

“Gross. Jade’s talking about mushrooms again,” Floyd mutters, nose scrunching as if his words carry an undesirable odor. He seizes your wrist and pulls you away from Azul. “Come on! Let’s go!”

As you’re dragged towards the waiting court, you hear Azul say, “Those comparisons are hardly flattering.”

Jade chuckles. “This is merely my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt.”

Floyd weaves through the people lingering on the deck and as you pass them you begin to realize they’re all stationary—as if frozen in time—and when you look back at Floyd his features have morphed into something sharp and cruel. He’s dressed in a lab coat and rubber gloves, and when he speaks his intonation is clipped. 

“Reckless behavior leads to reckless accidents.”

Your mouth moves on its own accord. “But I saw something!”

The mysterious man lowers to your height, and suddenly you’re child-sized. His hands rest firmly on your shoulders. 

“It’s nothing you should concern yourself with.”

“But it was—”

“Sickly thing… Arguing serves no purpose here.” He rises to his full height, and when you gaze up at him he’s illuminated by a single milky-white eye. It casts a strange film over the now empty deck, as if a thick fog has descended upon the cruise, and it blinks seconds later when the man adds in a voice reminiscent of the woman on the intercom, “Today’s color is blue. As vast and wide as the sky and sea, as deep and dark as water’s soul, blue is the color of trust and sincerity. It is the color of bruises and sadness. It is the color of loneliness. It is the color of you.”

You grab hold of the lab coat before he can vanish altogether. The dream is beginning to come undone at the seams, ripping itself apart as consciousness dawns on you. 

“You’re wrong!” An obsidian tentacle bursts from the deep, coming down upon the man in a resonating slap and you jump away just as another swipes across the polished deck. “The color of loneliness is—”

Sound returns to the deck all at once. You spy Floyd amidst the panicked passengers, and when you blink he’s disappeared. In his place, a woman stands facing the sea. Her arms are folded behind her back, and you weave through the crowd in pursuit of her. 

She’s within touching distance now and you reach for her, hoping to grasp her sleeve, when you’re suddenly yanked backwards into someone’s chest. Strong arms cage you against him, and you can hear his frantic heartbeat. A hurried succession of buh-bum, buh-bum, buh-bum, buh-bum, buh-bum. On and on, never ceasing.

“I was so worried! You’ll never leave me again, right? You could have gotten hurt—or worse! If you want to go somewhere, tell me. I’ll be more than happy to take you. Just please—whatever you do—don’t leave me.”

You crane your neck to look at him, but all you see is that milky eye. It reflects an aquatic monster and it’s reaching out for you with deathly pale, stick-thin arms. 

Wait! Don’t go! We’re so close! I’m almost—

Gooey strands of dream snap at once, saving you from a sinking ship, and you wake hours later, confined in the quiet of Jade’s bathroom. You count your breaths as you look up at the ceiling, feeling strangely empty. As if you’re missing a vital component of yourself.

I'm almost there...