#been kind of down again this time of year from bad nostalgia (whats that called.) but rn im eating cherries and nectarines

[sodrippy]

a crisp cold snowy xmas is gorgeous but being at home again eating summer fruits while its hot asf sunny crystal clear skies outside will always be the realest xmas tradition to me

[seredelgi]

COME BACK TO ME

fandom: Attack On Titan/ Shingeki No Kyojin

pairing: Eren Jaeger x Reader, Toxic! Eren Jaeger x Fem! Reader, Eren Jaeger x You, Modern!Eren Jaeger x Reader, Dom!Eren Jaeger x Sub!Reader

summary: Not completely satisfied with her sex life and anxious about the impending day of her wedding, reader turns back to Eren, her ex, to get what she misses from her fiancee.

rating: Mature, 18+

warnings: toxic!eren, toxic!reader, toxic relationship in general, smut, sex, vaginal sex, breeding kink, choking, cheating, as in reader cheats on her fiancee with eren, profanity, mild degradation, kind of angsty too, dirty talk, raw sex, light dom! sub! undertones, edging, nipple play, modern au

word count: 3.6k

tags: @anniemika @vlsquuu

a/n: I'm usually not that much of an Eren simp but he honestly fits the toxic ex-boyfriend trope too well, so here. This is really the scrappiest scrap ever but yeah, enjoy. Let me know if I've missed any warnings. English is not my first language so forgive any mistakes.

You love your boyfriend. You really do.

There's no denying that when he proposed you felt kind of nervous about the idea of spending a lifetime with him, but that's no reason to doubt how much you love him.

He's sweet, he's caring, and most definitely very handsome. " He's quite a catch" your friends constantly like to remind you "Such a step up from that clown you were so down bad for"

Eren Jaeger.

Your girlfriends couldn't stand the guy. And honestly, how could you blame them? He's not been the best partner to you during your time together.

He was obnoxiously self-centered and way too jealous.

You were together a year, but you put up with his shit that long simply because he had one of those annoyingly difficult-to-replace redeeming qualities.

Boy, was Eren good at sex.

Your now fiancee is good too, but that's no match for the way Eren could make you feel back in the day.

And you know it is no excuse for what you did. It doesn't matter how nervous or weirded out you have been about the impending approach of your big day, you shouldn't have called him. You shouldn't have needed to hear his voice so bad, and most definitely shouldn't have hoped for him to invite you over to his apartment, sounding way too smug already in doing so over the phone.

But you can't help it, it's just the effect he has on you. You lose all common sense when it comes to him. He's intoxicating, and that, unfortunately, is part of his damn charm.

However, it is quite difficult to regret any of those decisions right now, sweaty and spread underneath him, taking him deep enough to leave you out of breath.

He's not been able to wipe that stupid grin off his face since he opened the door and met your big eyes, languid already with the denial of how much you missed him.

It's always been like that with him. You got carried away by the nostalgia, you felt the suffocating need to see him again, and then felt ready to bolt the second you were met with his piercing green gaze again.

He hadn't let you, of course.

He took hold of your wrist as soon as you turned around to escape from him. He'll be damned if he won't get his hands on you, after months of pointless abstinence.

He's never properly digested your break-up. He'd let you go reluctantly, but still messaged you, still lingered in your life like a ghost.

It didn't help that you'd continued living in the same neighborhood as him for a while after you two had split.

If you had to be honest, that was the very reason why you hadn't been able to be completely faithful to your new man in the first few months of your relationship. You happened to run into Eren a few times too many, giving in way too easily to his rumblings about how he was sorry, that he should've treated you better.

Well, it's too late now, you had found yourself saying, only to end up getting railed by him anyway.

Who were you kidding? You were too damn weak to resist him.

It only happened twice, and you felt so bad about it that you decided to move from the area as soon as things with your boyfriend seemed to take a good turn.

Eren didn't take it very well.

He called you insistently and left you so many messages that you had to block him on pretty much any social media. But he still reached out to you, one way or another, through some of his friends. He didn't have them write anything to you directly, but they always looked at your stories and your posts and you were positive they reported everything back to him.

That's why you're sure he knew you were engaged when he answered your call that very day.

He just didn't care.

Part of you knows you should despise him for it, that the fact that he invited you over anyway doesn't speak highly of him. However, that's exactly why you called him. You knew he wouldn't give a damn about your approaching wedding. If anything, he'd turn this into yet another stroke at his pride, yet another thing to hold you by the neck with.

And that's what he's doing now while burying himself into you. He wraps his hand around your neck and slaps against your ass so hard that all you can hear is the sound of your pussy milking his length and his rasping puffs of pleasure.

Man, you've missed this.

There's nothing quite like the way he makes you feel.

You're not sure what it is about him, and it's not like you don't get fucked properly by your fiancee. There's something about sex with Eren tho, that simply drives you wild. Maybe it's in the fervency of his touch, so eager to elicit a response that it often ends up ravaging you insatiably. It's like he needs you to like it.

It almost makes you wonder how on earth could you have let all of this go.

But then he brushes the strands of your damp hair off your face and whispers to you:

" Couldn't stay away from it, huh?" his breaths are heavy, and their warmth sinks into your skin like sin itself " Missed me that much?"

You can't help rolling your eyes at that. Whether or not his nonsense ranting is the only reason for it, only you know.

You dip your nails into the flexing muscles of his back and whine so loud into the otherwise quietness of his room that you're sure the whole building has heard that. He must've had the same thought too, because he snickers cockily back at you.

You hate to be so easy to break for him, but there's no helping it, and you can't stop your pitiful whining from pouring out anyway.

" Use your words, princess" he drags out, his hold on your neck tightening " Can he make you feel this good?"

You shouldn't humor him, shouldn't let him know the shameful truth of intimacy with your man, but how can you lie to him now that he's smacking so hard against you that you barely remember your name?

No way any of the men you've had in your life could even come close. And even if reluctant, some part of you needs for him to know.

" Nu-uh, Ere-hn" his name comes out amid quiet pathetic whimpers and he basks gloriously in them, pretty much drunk on the sight of your pleasure.

" Fucking knew it" you can hear his groans reverberating through you, shaking you up from within and making you shiver all over.

You're not prepared for the suddenness of his touch when his thumb comes to rest upon your already throbbing clit, applying the right amount of pressure where you've been aching for it, and you exhale a deep long moan that makes him chuckle and dive onto your neck, to pepper it with kisses and gentle bites.

You're already so close, but if you know him well enough he won't let you off the hook that easily.

" Look at you all dumbed down on my dick" the hand of his that had kept you in a chokehold up until then comes to brush down your lips, parting them sweetly as he looks into your half-lidded eyes " What'd he say if he saw you like this?"

You want to tell him to shut up, that you're not here to boost his ego a few sizes. However, you find compelling the way spite is turning him ravenous on you. And as he skates down your skin to squeeze your breasts you catch your breath, bracing.

He knows how much you like nipple play, something you've been missing lately. Your soon-to-be husband indulges in it, but he's way too gentle for your tastes, and even if you've reassured him that he can go hard on you, that you can take it, he just can't bring himself to.

Eren tho, is a whole other matter.

He brushes them lightly, teasing you, making you shiver from expectation. Your chest swells up to chase the warmth you can feel radiating from his hand, demanding it on you. It's like you're a puppet, dancing around at any pull of his at your strings.

You're dipping your teeth into your bottom lip so hard that you fear you'll cut it, but when he finally pinches you, you free a shrill sob of satisfaction. Pain curses through you like an injection drug, it haunts at those corners of your mind that had been, until then, still reticent to the heat of his touch.

He still knows you so well you can't help but melt into it now, tho.

" Still fancy this, darling?" he twists your right nipple in between his fingertips, toying with it, having you arch your back as a jolt of pleasure runs through your nerves to come pulse in your swelling clit. The little nub is desperately throbbing for him to speed up the pace that his thumb has been reserving it.

You nod enthusiastically, buckling your hips against his, eliciting the kind of hiss from him that reminds you how even though he likes to play dominant, he's just about as much at your mercy as you are at his.

" Shit- Easy, babe" his voice is croaked with arousal, this time around he's pleasantly taken aback by how receptive you still are to what he used to do to you " 'gonna have me nut into you like that"

You bite your bottom lip harshly at that, trying to refrain from letting him know just how much you would actually love that. You can't let a guy like him know. He'd attempt to knock you up in an instant, probably seeing it as the perfect opportunity to claim you back.

And even if there's no chance he could manage, you still don't wanna give him the satisfaction.

His thumb is still grazing lazy circles around your sweet spot, giving you enough to leave you impatiently waiting on the edge, craving your release so bad that you utter a little "please Eren" against his lips. Lips that are hovering way too close to be able to keep resisting them, and they look so good that you almost feel compelled to kiss him.

But you can't.

It would make this too sentimental, too real for you to able to take it.

" Please what?"

He's wicked, but hell, do you like it.

You hear the sound of your juices mixing with his as he stretches you out, a thin line of drool silently streaming down your chin, giving him yet another reason to smirk to himself proudly.

" Please Eren, make me 'cum, please"

Begging him for it has always proved to be effective in getting what you want. He usually felt spurred enough by it to give in immediately. Plus, you've always secretly loved that, too.

This time around it doesn't seem to be enough, tho.

" See, I'm not sure you deserve that, darling" his pace has become unabating, it's starting to sore you, it's starting to make you regret coming here in the first place, especially when he just won't let you have what you want " You were very bad to me, weren't you?"

Nuh-uh.

But you nod anyway.

And that's about the extent of the amount of power he has over you.

You're able to leave him and stop thinking about him, able to start a new life and date other men, able to accept a marriage proposal, even. But the second he's got you, you're not capable of denying him anything.

You're completely at his mercy.

" 'm-hm sorry" you keen, and see a genuine sparkle of surprise arise in his eyes at that, the quivering sense of loss he must've felt the day you deserted him still hidden in there, twinkling like a treasure he just won't surrender.

If there's something you know for certain, if there's anything you'd bet your life on is that he loves you. Sure, it's in that sick, toxic way of his that just about makes you twist your guts and ache for him at the same time. But he does nonetheless, and you've never doubted that.

There's definitive proof of it in the softening of his tone the second you apologize to him.

" Then leave him baby" he's breathless as he begs you, he kisses your lips and you can't deny him, even reveling at the contact, having craved it so bad that it almost hurts. It heightens your senses and makes you hungry for more.

You've missed it a lot, maybe more than you had the rest of it.

With him, it was always so needy. A desperate clashing of teeth and avid chasing of tongues, always wrapped in moans as he selfishly pulls you in. It is so intense that you'd dreamed about it for nights after you had ultimately decided to break up with him.

" Come back to me" whispered in between harsh puffs and meetings of lips " You know you want to, 'can feel it in the way you squeeze me"

Damn, he's so close to cracking you that it's almost scary.

" Can't let me go" chants and prayers of his just add up to the increasing intensity of his pressure on your clit, bringing you so close that literal tears stream down your cheeks, and somehow you know it's not just because of the gut-wrenching need to orgasm.

You just hate that he's right, and it hurts so much, even in the midst of all the pleasure you're feeling.

" You're still mine" fervid kisses cover the skin of your neck, humid little reminders of what you feel for him, and then you feel the fluttering of your walls welcoming the long-awaited approach of your climax.

He can feel it too, because he steadies his movements, and his eyes are trained on your features as you turn to jelly underneath him, incoherent pleads ecaping silently past your lips.

" Like that, yeah" you can hear him only dazily in the background of your pleasure as you shudder against him, and then you feel his lips claiming yours back, giving you no time at all to even catch your breath. He flicks his tongue in your mouth as you cry into him, and it's just the most excruciating kind of evidence that what he's said is all true.

You are his, and you always will be.

And it makes it all the more agonizing that you cannot be.

It's not long before he tears away way from you, his thrusts suddenly sloppier, his breaths ragged and uneven, and he looks at you, still weakly trembling underneath him, looking positively worn out.

That's how he likes you. Satisfied by him, and only him.

" Fuck- Gotta pull out, baby"

You flinch instinctively at that, your legs crossing behind his back, thighs clenching desperately at his hips, and you know you wouldn't do this if you weren't so high on him.

However you're still hazed from the aftermath of your pleasure, and you so don't want him to part from you.

He looks down at you, confounded.

" Don't you play with me babygirl" he threatens, his breaths so short you can feel he's holding on for dear life, waiting for a confirmation that you do in fact want him to nut inside of you " You know I'll do it"

The idea is appealing, and you recall that's something that you two have always played with in the past.

Back when you were together he'd told you to get off the pill, that he was very much capable of pulling out in time when necessary, when really, he just loved the risk. He got off on the idea that he could knock you up at any moment, his only restraint the one of his will.

It should've felt scary, to give him full control on something like that, but he'd always behaved.

It was a game, and it really did a trick on him. It makes him shiver even right now, against the sudden softness you reserve him as your fingers run through his long brown hair. He tilts his head back and hums, chasing your touch as if starved for it.

" Wanna feel you 'cum inside of me" you whisper in his ear, and his eyes roll back, his unchecked growl making you whimper against him when his hand closes around your throat again, shoving you back on the mattress. And then he starts railing into you with renewed intensity, your head bobbing up and down with his thrusts, and it feels like absolute heaven.

" So fucking desperate for it" it seems like your request has relieved his stamina, and you resume your moaning when his other hand comes to grip your hip to keep you steady, his fingers dipping into your meat so hard you close your eyes shut " -haven't changed a bit"

You feel the awakening of a new need, and you chase after it as you can feel him do with his, his cock piercing through you and hitting your cervix with every single snap of his hips into yours.

" Eren" you let out so quietly that he almost misses it, but when he feels you convulsing around him again, your pussy shamelessly sucking him in, he can't take it anymore. He 'cums with a deep grunt and spills all his warm seed into you, staining your walls and marking you down with his teeth buried in the curve of your neck.

You're so high on it that it barely registers, the way he's sucking on your skin greedily, how whatever he's imprinting on it will have to be covered with make-up before you go back home.

When he's done you're still puffing and tamely shaking, a sweaty mess, holding onto him to try and regain a shred of your lost composure.

He's got you good this time around. You didn't expect to come twice, not being used to it anymore.

His pants are thick and hot against your skin, and when he's finally able to better control them he levers himself up to look at you.

" Fuck, I hope I got you pregnant" he smirks wickedly.

You know it shouldn't, but your heart skips a beat when he confesses that to you.

You shake your head feebly and huff contently, you'd missed the feeling of satisfaction that good sex leaves you soaking into.

" I'm on the pill"

He frowns and slips out of you, evident disappointment washing over him.

" Ow, now that's no fun"

You sigh and look at him as he lays beside you, his cock still half-hard and glistening with the remains of your juices.

" See, that's why we can't be together"

He turns to look at you at that, this time around a hint of hurt clouds his green eyes, asking for you to explain yourself.

" Having a baby is not supposed to be fun" you say then.

" Says who?" he retorts promptly, " Damn y/n, that's one depressing way to look at life"

No use arguing with him, you two are just too different. And that's why you get up, the feeling of his 'cum leaking out from you and streaming down your thighs quietly stirring up your not-yet-silent arousal.

You can't lie to yourself. It had felt good to feel him empty himself into you.

Right is the best word that comes to mind.

But it isn't right.

And the disconcerting truth of it is, that no matter how inebriating in the making, Eren Jaeger is a threat to everything you've come to hold dear.

" I gotta go" you mutter before the sight of him laying comfortably on his bed like that could arise in you the need to cuddle up to him and sleep it off.

You can't let yourself, nor him, delude into that fantasy.

" So that's it?" he lets out, one of his hands behind his back, his muscles flexing and his eyes appraising the view of you getting rid of his 'cum with a napkin you'd hurriedly gathered from your purse.

You sure as hell cannot fathom the possibility of showering at his place, it is way too dangerous of an idea, even if very appealing.

You stay silent, unable to conjure anything that could sound remotely appropriate at a moment like this.

" You gonna hit me up again when you'll realize he's not enough for you"

His words sound resolute and resigned, and they hang over the room like venom as you look at him, baffled.

He's calm and collected, even if his eyes betray a hint of dejection that he would never let anyone else ever catch onto. But they're unwavering as if he can predict your future to be intertwined with his.

How can he even stand to feel like that?

How can you?

You gather your things and go for the door, before he could turn even meaner, before he would show his true colors.

" Give Reiner my best, would 'ya?"

You stop short when you hear your fiancee's name. Your heartbeats racing, your breaths quickening at the realization that you had been right.

He'd been watching silently this whole time.

A chill runs up your spine as you close the door to his apartment shut behind you, and you swear to yourself, that no matter how tempting, you'll never give in to the need to see him ever again.

[onepiecepetalfanfics089]

Enchanted~..

Chapter 3

Yandere! Strawhats + more x witch Fem! Reader ✨

_______________________________

“Ohh? So you’re hiding something now are you? I guess you don’t want people to see, so just let me see!”

Raising an eyebrow, a smirk now sprawled across your face, the feeling of eyes followed your every movement.

Multiple of them.

But at that moment, you weren’t focused on that. At that moment you were determined. Quickly, you uttered the words of your spell and surprise, surprise. A light forest green beanstalk spring beneath your feet to just meet his hight.

His observation haki wasn’t expecting that now wasn’t it?

For some reason, he didn’t stop you. Shocked expressions were plastered on everyone’s face from just your first step of what you were going to do. Staring into his red pink eyes meeting with yours, his constant muttering and talking (which you tuned out) was the only thing you could really hear now as you then grabbed his scarf abruptly and pulled it down with all your might!

GASP

….

silence…

You stared up at the sight before and then..your eyes softened.

“..seriously..? That’s It?..you had me thinking it was a huge scar or something!”

You laughed, now giving a closed eyes smile. His face was full of utter shock in surprise.

..what?..you weren’t scared..? You thought it was..not ‘that bad..?’

A soft smile rested upon your lips, letting out a soft chuckle, you sighed.

“There’s nothing wrong with you..that kind of beauty never really scared me anyways..”

…

Beauty..?

Slowly..his eyes watered..

Tears.

That was a natural response in the body but something else was going on..something was wrong.

__________________________________________

The sea was sparkling, the air was fresh, everyone was laughing and chattering, everything just seemed utterly perfect.

It had been about a week or two since you joined the infamous ‘strawhat crew.’ You were absolutely welcomed with open arms. Delicious food was served to you at all times, though sanji had to put tissues in his nose every time he got close to serve you, you honestly didn’t know why though?

Yeah, It had been exactly two weeks since you left that island you’ve been stuck on for years. The one you constantly dreamed on, dreamed of leaving, dreamed of living finally.

But something just..didn’t feel quite right.

You didn’t know how to describe it or how to even begin to describe this feeling, yes you were having the time of your life, making memories with these people you’d never thought you’d make, but something just seemed..

Off.

When you tried to tell Nami and Robin about, they simply just brushed it off, saying you were just home sick.

You could remember sitting in front of the mirror, feeling their hands tangle and brush through your hair while you stared longingly at your reflection.

Brush

Brush

Brush

Your curls easily ran through brush, and by now it was surely untangled. Yet, they still kept brushing..

The silence in the room was loud, almost deafening. So quiet..yet so peaceful you could call it, taking a deep breath and glancing at the window where you could see the water move, you decided to start a conversation, you needed information since you were now a pirate right?..

“So Nami, what island our we heading to next?..im very curious..I’ve never been anywhere new before..”

You softly spoke, almost a little embarrassed by the truth but you weren’t afraid to admit it. Just that sentence alone had you thinking.

By thinking, you remembered.

The nostalgia..oh the nostalgia..

Would you ever see a place like your original home again? You could almost feel the soft grass on your feet when you would run out and play in the sun. Feel the petals of the soft, beautiful flowers and plants you used for your spells. Hear the birds sing as you would lay in the garden, reading books upon books to cure you curiosity.

“-N..Y/N..!”

You jumped a bit, finally snapping out of your trance and not even noticing the fact that you just spaced out..

“O-Oh? Yeah sorry! Could you repeat that?”

You said, hearing a soft chuckle escape Robins lips as you saw in the reflection of the mirror that Nami had her eyebrow raised. A smooth, tan arm then sprouted from the back of the chair you were sitting in. Slowly, Robin turned your head with her pointer finger to face her, making your eyes look into her sky blue ones. She was truly beautiful..

“We’re heading to Jaya island..we need information on the other place we need to go, Skypia.”

Your ears perked up, did you hear that right?..Skypia?

Ever since you were young, you dreamed about hosting there. So many books you read about this strange world you lived in..ones you’ll never forget..

Although you had no idea what the place looked like, you kind of knew exactly what to expect. The culture and place itself was fascinating.

“Skypia? Really? I’ve only heard about that place in books! And we’ll get to go to another island before that?”

So far, being a pirate was great! You knew they explored the seas and what not, but the fact you could go so many places just perfect for you..for your need to explore..

For your need to be curious..

But, something told you that..your curiosity wouldn’t be the best thing..in fact..it told you it could possibly be your downfall..

There was only one way to find that out right?

A slow sigh escaped your lips. Just what was bugging you? Everything here was great! Yes, the crew could be a bit..overbearing at times..

They wouldn’t leave you alone for a second but hey, maybe they’re just excited for a new crew mate right?..

And you were happy to spend time with all of them! You kind of couldn’t really keep a schedule because there was so many of them..but no matter what you did on the ship it involved them.

For example, reading with Robin was always peaceful..but eventually it would get too quiet..so you would go ask to be with Zoro. You watched him work out sometimes, even joining in if you were THAT bored..but napping with him was always a pleasure..

Playing with luffy, watching Nami do her work with naps, talk with Chopper while he was in his office and so on so forth..but you just now noticed, they never really gave you time to yourself..

Hmm..

You decided to simply tell the one you were hanging out with you were busy, what’s the worse that could happen right?

…

..

It was now lunch time, everyone was eating peacefully now, Sanji flirting with you, Nami and Robin..usual..Zoro taking close glances at you every five minutes..the usual?..Usopp feeling the need to get your attention every second..the usual..

The only remotely wholesome behavior was Chopper’s really, getting every chance he could get to sit on your lap or get some of your sweet, sweet attention..cutely though of course.

This was definitely normal behavior..for them. In all the books you read however, this wasn’t exactly right though..but like Robin said, “books aren’t always realistic..”

Cutting a small piece of your food, you bit it off from your fork casually, chewing before speaking.

“So, once we get to Jaya island..where exactly are we going to get the information?..”

You asked, looking around at the table for your answer. Luffy, with his cheery grin answered in an excited tone, tearing a piece of meat off the bone.

“Me, Zoro and Nami are gonna try to go around and see what information we can find!”

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, you couldn’t help but glance up at him from under your eyelashes. This boy..

This pure boy with the big grin, so excited about everything, it’s like he could do no wrong or be mad about anything!

Right?…

“Ah yeah! Nami told me about that earlier..so since it’s the first island I’ve been on besides home….”

When you mentioned the word ‘home’ you saw the crew stiffen up..even Sanjis eyes widened before he continued to pour some tea into Nami’s cup..

Strange.

“I’m gonna go solo and explore! I’m sure it’ll be exciting don’t cha’ guys think?”

You said with a light hearted laugh, sipping your cup of tea. They all went silent for a while, staring at you intently or something else. Usopp and Sanji especially looked rather..zoned out.

Blinking and setting your cup down back on the table, you looked around curiously. Why in earth were they so..quiet?..this was very odd.

Nami seemed the first one to snap out of it.

“Uhm well…although we know that’ll be fun for you..”

“It’s a stupid idea. You might get hurt.”

Zoro butted in, his tone blunt as he now locked his gaze on you. Raising an eyebrow you waited for someone else to back you up on this yet..

No one did.

Sighing softly, you had gotten rather..tired of their protectiveness in the past few months..but you would never say that out loud however. Something deep down told you not to.

“Well, that is very sweet that you guys..care so much..I’ll be fine! You know I can fight, it’s not like town is known for how dangerous it is or anything..”

Squinting his eyes, Zoro looked as if he was about to say more, but Robin soon chimed In with her smooth voice.

“She’s right you know? Plus, we could get very useful information if there were more of us in different places..”

A smile was brought to your lips, thanks Robin!

It soon faltered a bit once you saw her give everyone a look. A look you couldn’t really..describe. Like a message, a code someone could decipher.

Luffy let put a low grumble, trying to stare that ‘it want safe and, I’ll miss her!’ But of course that didn’t work.

Finally, you would get SOME peace right?

.

.

.

.

The sound of your shoes clicking on the pavement as you walked was oddly soothing. Even though you knew this place wasn’t the most beautiful thing in the world..you were fascinated.

The sounds, the smells the people. Everything you could get your eyes on interested you. Of course you had to take up from Nami and go on a shopping spree, new clothes were just too hard to resist! You knew they would freak once they saw them!

Since the day was sunny, your curly hair was out up into a ponytail to match the heat, humming calmly along with the tube you had in your head.

A yawn slowly escaped you as you felt your eyes flutter softly.

“Hmm..who knew shopping and exploring all day could get me this tired out....I wonder..”

You said, feeling your eyes wonder across the street to grassy clearing. The crew wouldn’t mind if you stayed for just a little longer right?..a girl did need a nap!

Walking into the meadow of flowers, you smiled fondly, picking one up and twirling it in between your fingers. It was daisy, an English daisy. The most common but still beautiful. You tried to find beauty in almost everything..everything or anyone.

Gently setting the bags and your flower down, you plucked a handful of the flowers and uttered the words of your spell..

Shroop~!

A giant, yet lovely flower surrounded you. Enclosing on you and your bags with a little pollen bed for you to rest on. Slowly stretching you felt yourself slowly smile..finally feeling the most peace you could feel at last..

………………………………………………………………………….

A yawn slowly escaped you..what time was it?..waving your hand in an almost dismissive manner around, the flower slowly sprouted, its petals revealing the outside world at last.

Blinking a few times to get adjusted, you finally started to realize..

It was..

EVENING?!

Sundown and you’d still hadn’t come back to the ship!

Oh good lord what were they going to say now??

Even though you’d hadn’t been on the ship that long you just knew deep down..

You were screwed.

Quickly grabbing all of your stuff, you ran out of the meadow to the ship. While you were running however, you passed a man.

Not just any man though..

His aura..his vibe, felt different..

You looked at him, eyes slightly squinted once you were able to spot him clearly.Your eyes locked.

He was tan, big lips and beard with a big bottle of sake you assumed. A red ball necklace around his neck. He smiled. Wide too, revealing his missing and crooked teeth as you caught a glance of the golden ring on his finger.

You shivered..

Something about him didn’t seem quite right..like..

You were going to see him again soon..

Or were you just talking crazy?..

..

.

Lifting up the huge bottle, he took a long sip, the liquid slowly dripping down his chin and down to his neck as he wiped it off.

Still keeping that sane grin, a loud laugh escaped him. Remembering your face clearly as watched the people on the street pass by.

“Well,nice to meet ya too missy! I feel like I’ll be seein’ ya soon too..”

..

…

Did you get to the ship sooner than you expected? Yes. But did you still get very much scolded? Of course.

And they seemed very serious..almost possessive..

Just brush it off Y/N..

Brush it off..

These people were good.

Just something about the way Zoro immediately pulled you into his arms, forcing your head to meet his chest so you could feel his racing heartbeat while the others continued to chatter and scold endlessly at you for taking too long no matter how hard you tried to explain..

Yeah, they definitely weren’t leaving you by yourself..

Anytime soon.

Finally, once you got to the woman’s quarters, you couldn’t stop thinking about the eventful day you had..

Surprisingly, Nami and Robin met you do your night routine by yourself..

If you didn’t know any better, you’d suspect that the whole crew were talking about something while you were gone..

Stop it Y/N! This is crazy talk!

You thought yourself, letting out a soft groan, staring at the ceiling.

But it doesn’t hurt to check..right?..

There was a spell you knew..a powerful one that showed your future or fate..yet, it did great damage to your energy sometimes..but you had to know..you had to know if..this behavior was normal.

Sitting down in a circle full of cards you summoned, turned face down. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath..

“Secrets, secrets show yourself..show my fate,show my true self..for better or for worse I’ll know my fate..I’ll not have to alternate!”

Smoke soon filled the room, all of the cards soon floated and submerged into your head out hand. Taking a deep breath, everything went back to normal. Slowly fluttering your eyes open, you felt your shaky hands slowly start to turn the card over..

Would this finally be an answer?..

“Y/N! Come down to hang with us! We’re all gonna play a drinking game!!”

Luffy called out, causing you to blink.

Why at this time!?..

Glancing over at the card in your hand..you sighed softly, closing your eyes for a split second before gently setting it down on the floor.

Maybe it was best to not read it until later..maybe it was best to try to have some fun right now..the night was young wasn’t it?..

Getting up from the floor, you yelled down a ‘coming!’ Before hurrying down to the lower deck.

Little did you know that underneath that card..was a picture of a rose..a glittering red rose being reached out by many,many hands. Possessive hands, needy hands.

Though, that couldn’t mean anything serious..

Right?..

End of chapter 3~..

———————————————————————

A/N:HIIII MY LOVES~! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And yes, I did publish it late and yes it was TECHNICALLY on a Sunday 😭 but this chapter was basically getting to know Y/N, I promise other characters like all the strawhats, and more (wink, wink) will be shown more as much as their characters! I hope this is king enough honestly 😭 but I really enjoyed writing this and I must say, I’m so glad to be back! For now I will be working on my requests to try to get them back open again and since I have A LOT in waiting, then I will be getting back to this, which will be shortly so dont worry! 🌸💕

And don’t think I forgot to tag you @theg0ddesspersephone 🍀!

Until next time my pretty petals!!~

[jennay]

Last Night

Part 1

Masterlist

Noah Sebastian x Reader

If I missed any tags or you want to be added to the list let me know!

Tags: @lma1986 @jilliemiw86 @missduffsblog @thisbicc @yeehaw-my-guys @thescarlettvvitch @vinyardmauro @cheyyyyr @clubfairy @xxkittenkissesxx @lh3 @dominuslunae @myownthoughts12 @cookiesupplier @somewhere-diamond @bloody-delusion-expert @glitterydeputyshepherdwagon @aprosiacperson @skulliecadaver-blog @bangchan-ed @hey-diddly-ho-neighborino @itsafullmoon

You leaned against your kitchen counter, staring out the kitchen window, watching as the leaves continued to fall from each branch on this peaceful autumn morning. You sipped your coffee, letting the liquid warm your chest and stomach.

You landed in Oregon three years ago and were just now becoming accustomed to the weird weather changes. You'd be lying if you said you didn't miss the California sun but had to go; you couldn't stay there. No matter how often you tell yourself you can move to a different part of the state, your heart will never be happy knowing your past is that close.

Reflecting on things, they seemed like a mixed bag of sweet and sour. It's all about the could-haves and the lessons you learn the hard way, with a bunch of 'what ifs' buzzing in your head.

You remember being on your grandma's porch, flipping through those old photo albums. Those moments are frozen in time, safe behind that shiny plastic. Every time you look at those pictures, you get this pang of nostalgia, wishing you could return to those carefree, pure days. It's like this little ache in your heart that knows you can't rewind the clock; you could never go back.

"You know, you can't go back and change the past, but you've got the pen when it comes to your future. Take what you've learned, keep moving forward, and make the best of right now—that's fine," she told you. "You've got this; you're a smart cookie."

You exhale heavily, setting down your coffee mug with a clink. There's this hollow feeling in your gut, and man, you wish she was here to talk to. You could use a dose of her wisdom right about now. Life's not bad, honestly. You have a decent job and a cool apartment you share with your best bud. It's not like you've got significant stuff to gripe about. But there's this gap, you know? And deep down, you know it's about love. You've built these walls so high that no one's getting over them to hurt you again. No way.

So you've been playing the field, treating hearts like they're just another game. But it's not just a game anymore, is it? It started as a laugh, something you thought you could switch off whenever. But time's a sneaky thief; before you know it, you're looking at someone pretty damaged in the mirror.

And these games?

They've turned into habits, the kind of habits you don't shake off, the kind that people go to therapy for...the kind that your grandma warned you about.

The sound of vibration on the counter drags you from your thoughts, and you glance to the side, seeing your phone light up with Jolly's face plastered on the screen and the name Jolly Green Giant above it. You let out a small laugh every time he calls. The picture...the name. It's suitable for him.

You press the phone to your ear and tap the answer button, a reflexive smile spreading across your face. "Hey there, sunshine!" you greet with genuine warmth.

"Wow, you picked up!" Jolly's voice comes through, his accent coloring every word like an artist's brush on canvas.

"Caught me at a good time," you reply, leaning back against the kitchen counter. Your mind's eye paints a vivid picture of Jolly's familiar expressions. What's going on?" you inquire, keeping the tone light.

He takes a slight pause, the kind that signals something's coming. "So, we're here, in town, for that show tomorrow, remember? The one I've been talking about?" He sounds hopeful, as if willing to remember.

A nod, though he can't see it, and a whispered curse. "Shit. It slipped my mind."

He laughs, the sound teasing yet affectionate. "I should've bet on it, but hey, how about we make up for it? I'm free in an hour—how about you?"

A chuckle escapes you, the situation all too familiar. "Let me guess, time for our annual 'what's new and crazy' session?" You play along. "Just downed a coffee, but when have I ever said no to more caffeine?"

His laughter rings clear, a sound that's always been a prelude to good times. "Thought you'd say that. But let's switch it up and grab some lunch. I'm starving, and I bet you skipped breakfast again, didn't you?"

You laugh, "Yeah, I'm ready for lunch. Send me the address of where you want to meet."

"See you soon."

Your smile widens as you approach the restaurant, and you spot Jolly through the glass. He's engrossed in the menu, a picture of patience as he waits for you.

Anticipation bubbles within you, mixed with a flutter of nerves. You know it will be like old times, and he'll have many stories to tell you, but there won't be an awkward moment.

Pushing open the door, you walk over to the booth, his back to you. Stealthily, you slide up beside him, hovering until his gaze locks yours. His smile bursts, a warmth flooding his body—part of him had the sneaky suspicion you might duck out, but here you are.

He shuffles to make space, a silent invitation to join him. Then, in a move as natural as breathing, he pulls you into a bear hug, his head cradled against yours. "You made it!" he exclaims, his voice a mix of joy and disbelief.

Your laughter combines with his, and the embrace feels warm and safe. "You thought I'd miss this? Not for the world," you assure him, the ease of your friendship wrapping around you like the coziest blanket. "You look amazing." As you pull away and observe him, you say, "How do you never age?"

He shrugs you off and slides a menu in front of you.

"I think you're blind."

You laugh giggling as you order your food. You stand up. "I need to pee."

"Thank you for that." Jolly teases.

The fluorescent lights flicker overhead as you leave the bathroom, casting a sterile glow on the floor. The bathroom was supposed to be a brief escape from the diner's noise, a momentary pause from the laughter and clinking dishes.

But now, as you walk back to your seat, your heart clenches. He is bathed in the cold blue light of his phone screen, his face illuminated by a FaceTime call.

And then, the voice on the other end of the line—a voice you recognize all too well—cuts through.

His laughter dances in the air, a cruel melody that grates against your raw nerves.

"Who are you with?" The words hang in the air like a blade, slicing through the fragile bubble of denial you've carefully constructed.

You sit down, and your legs are suddenly weak.

Jolly turns the phone toward you, and there it is—the face you've been avoiding, the face that haunts your dreams. Noah. His eyes, once warm and familiar, now hold a storm of emotions: regret, longing, and something darker, something you can't quite name.

Your eyes blur with unshed tears. Why does it hurt so much? You thought you'd moved on, stitched up the wounds he left behind. But seeing him again, hearing his voice—it's as if the scars have split open, bleeding again.

"Fuck," you whisper, the word a prayer and a curse.

Jolly's oblivious, still laughing, unaware of the raging within you. You tear your gaze away from the screen, focusing on the flickering candle at your table.

You won't let this unravel you, not today. Not when you've worked so hard to rebuild the fragile scaffolding of your heart.

You stand up, pushing your chair in with a force that startles the people near by. The room blurs around you as you make your way to the exit. Memories flood your mind—the stolen kisses, the whispered promises, the nights tangled in each other's arms. But alongside the sweetness, there's bitterness—the lies, the betrayal, the shattered trust.

And Jolly, your supposed friend, the one who knew your pain intimately, who witnessed your tears and held your hand through sleepless nights—why would he put you in this position? Why would he expose you to the hurricane of Noah's presence?

Outside, the air is cool against your flushed cheeks. You take a deep breath, tasting salt and regret. The sky above seem distant, indifferent. You wrap your arms around yourself, a feeble attempt to hold the pieces together. But the ache remains a phantom limb that refuses to fade.

You walk away, leaving behind laughter and Facetime calls, leaving behind Jolly and Noah. The door closes softly behind you, muffling the sounds of the music and chatter. And as you step into the gloomy cold air, you wonder if healing is a myth, if love is a beautiful lie, and if betrayal is the only truth that matters.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

I Cherish You, Halcyon Days: iv.

“You’re gonna die, kid. In the worst way possible.”

tags: afab!reader (she/her), angst, slow burn

pairing: gojou x reader + onesided!getou x reader

summary: You’re 15 years old when you’re told you’re going to die. You’re 17 years old when you realize who your killer will be. And you’re 17 years old when you make peace with the fact you wouldn’t want it any other way.

index | previous chapter | next chapter

You hum in pleasant surprise when the taste of green apples and mango hit your tongue. This really could have been hit or miss, you sip again. Still as good as the first sip. Just because you like experimenting with food and drink, it doesn't necessarily mean there will be a good payoff. Fruit teas from random shops are always either too sweet or just right for you, never something tolerable in between.

Thankfully, this place understood that the sugar is only supposed to enhance the drink, not drown it. You look over at the tall and lanky boy a few short steps away. Tea isn't Gojou's thing, hence why he is the only member of the group who hadn't ordered anything, but you think this one will be right up his alley. "You've gotta try this," you angle the cup slightly above your shoulder. "It's this green apple mango flavor they're promoting."

Without taking the cup from your hand, Gojou simply leans down to take a drink. "It's alright," Gojou shrugs before sipping again with vigor. "Needs more sugar."

You snort and lean away, bringing your beverage with you, "well if it's only alright, stop drinking it then."

"You know," Gojou sighs and you already know it's going to be some bullshit spewed out of his mouth coated in false philosophy and maturity. "Here in Japan we have a saying that food tastes better when you share it."

You roll your eyes but grin at the fact you called it, "well we just shared it and it still tastes exactly the same so," when Gojou attempts to take your cup, you turn immediately. "You better follow your best friend's example and get inside that tea house and order yourself a drink!"

Gojou slumps over your back with a whine, "what if yours tastes better than mine for some reason and they give me a bad one?"

You're giggling but no dice, "no!" You shove your straw back into your mouth and lean over your drink protectively. Get your own drink, you point at the tea shop once again with a mumble. "You have pretty privilege, there is no way they'll fuck yours up!"

"Stingy," Gojou clicks his tongue but he drags himself across the street where Suguru is standing in line anyway.

Crisis avoided.

"... What was that?" Utahime's eyes widen while her brow furrows.

It's a chilly April day in Moriya and the lot of you are enjoying the last bits of spring vacation. School holidays work differently when you go to a jujutsu school, you learned quickly. As far as the higher ups were concerned, vacation just meant more free time to send students on missions. Sure you're in a completely different part of Japan doing a lot more traveling than you'd ever do in your typical high school experience.

But in reality, this trip to a ryokan in Ibaraki Prefecture is nothing more than a glorified work trip with sightseeing sprinkled in. They could have at least sent us to a coastal town if they were sending us to Ibaraki. You shouldn't expect much from an institute that still does school on Saturday when the rest of the country stopped doing it in 2002. At the very least, the mission had been wrapped up and this final week of spring break before the new school year started, you get to enjoy yourself.

Next week, I become a second year student, you did it. You managed to survive your very first year at Jujutsu Tech. You'll miss having Fujioka-sensei as a teacher, she was kind and had lots of fun anecdotes. But you can't stew in awe and nostalgia with how Utahime is staring at you like you've lost your mind.

"What was what? It's green apple mango fruit tea," you cock your head before sliding your cup to the traditionally-clothed girl's side of the table. "Wanna try it too?"

Utahime promptly slides it back in disgust. "After he put his mouth on it? No thanks," you only shrug in return before sipping at the fruity goodness all over again. That's more for me then. Your nonchalance drives your upperclassman into mania. She looks at Shoko like she's the only other sane person at the table. 'What the heck is going on?!' her lips move silently. "Why am I the only one freaking out about this!?"

The brunette holds up a hand in the most laidback display of defensiveness you've ever seen, "they've been like that for a while now, everyone just got used to it." Shoko's words only make Utahime's more aghast.

Oh right.

That.

You smack your lips together with a weak laugh, avoiding your friend's accusatory gaze.

Something shifted in the cosmos after December 8th, 2005 without your meaning to. You aren't exactly sure how long it took after your birthday for sharing food with Gojou to become habit, but it did.

Something is too sweet or too spicy? You swap plates.

You get an assorted bag of snacks and sweet treats from helping a random grandma cross the street? There isn't really a point of keeping any of the stuff you know Gojou will like.

But you never realized how ingrained into normalcy it became until one particular day you leaned over to eat a chip Gojou held in his fingers. "Does this taste kinda soapy to you or is it just me?" He asked, shaking the bag it came from. They were roasted cumin lamb skewer flavored chips imported from China.

"Yeah, I think it's just- wait, give me another one?" You chewed more slowly that time around, really feeling at the flavor. "No, I'm getting it too."

Suguru and Shoko made faces that looked exactly like the one Utahime is wearing right now. "[First]!"

"Look it isn't like we're friends or anything," you tell the soon to be fourth-year. "When there is food involved, the We Hate Gojou Alliance calls forth a truce," you explain seriously, folding your hands and resting your chin on them as if you are Ikari Gendo. "For how can we hate if we are not properly nourished?"

At the bullshit you spew, Utahime's expression shifts into one that is purely unamused as her brow furrows and she purses her lips. It takes a lot out of you to not laugh then and there. "And since when was that an addendum we agreed on?"

"It's one I made out of personal interest," you close your eyes, nodding at the memories. Food comes before any quarrel you have with an annoying classmate. If it came down to it, you'd become Gojou's best friend for a sandwich. "When food is involved, Gojou Satoru isn't that bad."

"You're full of it," Utahime fights the twitches of her lips trying to curl upward. "Very, very full of it." The upperclassman relents with a sigh a beat later, knowing her arguments are futile. "You're a traitor. I hope you know that you're a traitor to our cause, [First]," you bite your lip to prevent yourself from laughing again. You're failing the longer she goes on. Shoko is your mission partner, but you think it is arguably fair to say Utahime is who you're closest to besides her. When you transferred to Jujutsu Tech, it was Utahime who gave you a tour around the facility when the teachers were suddenly too busy. She was a kind and beautiful upperclassman who came with a lot less monetary baggage than Mei Mei. "First Getou and Shoko, now you," she sips her matcha with a pointed glare in the direction of the tea house windows. Whatever Gojou does, it makes Utahime's amused scowl turn into an annoyed glare.

"I was technically never part of any alliance to hate on Gojou, I'm only an affiliated acquaintance," Shoko laughs lightly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "Utahime-senpai, you just have to accept this as part of the new reality. [First] and Gojou have become friends," your mission partner rolls her eyes when you shoot her a pointed look. "Apologies, food-based acquaintances."

Satisfied with her correction, you nod.

It's then Suguru finally reappears, a beverage in hand. Gojou is still waiting by the window for his own order to finish. "What are you guys talking about now?"

"I was telling them about this convenience store by my old high school everyone went to to have mental breakdowns," it's always a pleasure when Suguru looks at you like you've grown a second head. Laughter slips from your lips as easily as breathing. "It's called Adachi's ー that's the owner ー but the joke was to call it Adachi 7-11 because it rips off the 7-11 color scheme. He's a sweet guy though," you quickly add before continuing your spontaneous tale of the incredible 7-11 knock off store.

You eloquently tell your friend that Adachi is the kind of grownup who understand kids have it rough. That it's unknown who it was from Tsubame High that started the tradition of finding aisle to just sit and cry and snack in, but eventually it just became the spot to have freak outs. If you stayed to eat while you freaked, you simply paid for what you ate or drank when you were ready to leave.

Respect someone else's crying space. If you couldn't avoid going into their aisle for something, just politely pretend they don't exist.

If you really needed a cry, Adachi's office is free for someone having a particular trying time.

And last but not least, Adachi's was a judgement free zone.

It was like having a bartender for teenagers. Except in this instance, the only services the bartender offered were snack food, cheap wagashi and a select variety of beverages.

"First, I promise people don't go there to cry as often it I made it sound. Second, I know it sounds weird but it actually was kinda cool," you chuckle as the cursed user shakes his head the longer you go on. "Exam week? We're all basically in there studying and freaking out while eating a bunch of snacks." It really built up a surprising amount of comradery among your classmates you make sure to tack on before taking a break to finish the rest of your tea. "Before you ask, if I'm gonna have a mental breakdown, I prefer having it in the privacy of my own room," or in front of a beluga whale, but that explanation will take forever and a half. "And that... is the story behind Adachi 7-11," you conclude dramatically.

Suguru shakes his head but his expression is playful, "I give you points for the improv, but I'm taking away points for how long your story was."

You click your tongue in mock annoyance, "everybody's a critic. I just wanted to cover all the bases in case you felt so intrigued you wanted to know more about your mysterious classmate."

"You don't have a mysterious bone in your body," Shoko chirps and when you lightly kick her ankle under the table, she kicks back. "Utahime-senpai just feels betrayed that [First] is getting along better with Gojou." At the reminder, Utahime squints in your direction again. 'And after all I've done for you. I should have gone to Kyoto Tech', Utahime sighs into her warm cup. "The We Hate Gojou Alliance is turning into the I Alone Hate Gojou Alliance."

This is when Gojou finally saunters over, drink in hand, "that's because I'm cool and charming."

"You know, if you have to say it, you're probably not as charming as you think you are," Suguru advises with a grin. Gojou promptly ignores it as if he never said anything at all.

"Sucks to be you, Utahime," Gojou sticks out his tongue at the songstress. "[First] and I are practically best friends. Right, [First]?"

The more you deny it, the less convincing you know you sound so you stop with a heavy breath. "Anyway," you pivot the conversation to something other than your food-based truce. "Does anyone know if there are going to be any new 1st years? Or is it gonna be a while before we start seeing some new faces?"

Suguru nods, "I heard from Fujioka-sensei that there are two first years coming enrolling," you perk up at this information. It's a small jujutsu world, so small you didn't even know if you'd be getting any underclassmen. Two 1st years coming in still just seem so small though. From what you've learned though, 2-3 students per grade is average and the school lucked out with your 1st year class having four kids. Suguru points a finger back and forth between you, "she didn't tell me much about them but they're recruits from non-sorcerer families, like us."

Sometimes, life decides to grant you little miracles. "Finally, we're growing in our ranks," you cheer, bumping your cup against Suguru's. "That's less clan politics to hear about!"

The closest you've ever gotten to clan politics in Japan were from anime and dramas and the occasional snippets you learned about the imperial family on the news. That changed when you became a sorcerer. It's a small jujutsu world, you learn things here and there whether you want to or not. Interesting as the stories can be, however, you're glad your family is normal. Everyone at your school from a sorcerer family makes clan politics sound annoying at best and harrowing at worst and that's just from the things you learned from Utahime, Shoko and Mei Mei.

Your other peers aren't so keen on sharing what goes on in their families.

Yamada isn't the friendliest of your upperclassmen.

As for Gojou ー the only one of your classmates from a family apparently worth mentioning ー he doesn't care about clan politics in the slightest and opts to ignore it.

Thus, the Big Three Families still are a mystery to you even with Gojou's close proximity to your person. Nor are there any students at your school that came from either the Zenin or Kamo Clans. There are a couple enrolled at the jujutsu school in Kyoto apparently but you haven't had a chance to meet them. You only had three summaries to go off of when it came to the big name families in jujutsu, all courtesy of Gojou back in May of last year since you couldn't participate in the Sister School Exchange Event in Kyoto.

(Apparently having two special-grade sorcerers for students gave Tokyo Tech the biggest advantage so only Gojou and Suguru got to go. Jerks. Utahime threw a big fit over it too, but at the very least Tokyo won last year.)

"Do you like having rights as a woman?"

"Um, yes?"

"Then you won't like the Zenin Clan.  You know Carnage from the Venom comics in the States?"

"Yeah, my mom reads those."

"That's the Kamo Clan."

"Okay, well what about your family? What's their deal?"

"They have me."

Vague, but clear enough descriptions to paint the necessary pictures ー the Amazing Sexists, the Bloods and the Jujutsu Jesus Havers Club.

Considering that this year the Sister School Exchange event will be taking place in Tokyo, you wonder if this will give you a chance to meet these fancy jujutsu folk. You tell your group as much, sighing in wonder. "It's a good thing you and Gojou won the exchange event, I wanna meet the kids from the other school." That was what you'd been most excited about before Fujioka-sensei dashed all your hopes and dreams. You wanted to see the differences in the campuses and what sort of crazy the teachers had going on. C'est la vie. "What were they like when you went there? Were the big clan kids more refined than Gojou over here?"

You barely dodge the definitely cold hand that was about to touch back of your neck in retaliation while Suguru chuckles out an explanation, "They have a couple folk from the Kamo Clan. They were... nice."

"You hesitated before you said nice," Shoko deadpans.

"They were polite," Suguru pivots his next selection of words in his attempt to remain neutral.

Gojou sticks out his tongue, unimpressed by his best friend's attempts to be cordial, "they were whatever. We didn't really talk to them."

"Boo, you're boring," you shake your head in heavy but mocking disappointment. "Should have just asked Utahime, she's seen them more." Your gazes turn to the oldest person at the table.

Utahime shoulders square off in satisfaction at being deferred to. "There are a couple of Kamo Clan kids at Kyoto Tech, one of them won't be coming because he'll be a fourth year student like me," her spirit drops for a moment and you offer a small smile of reassurance. Fourth year students don't get to participate in Sister School Exchange Event. Hence why she'd been so upset that she'd been unable to participate in it. There's not much you can do to comfort your friend, nor is there anything either of you can do about the past. At the very least, Utahime is nothing if not an optimist. She'll just kick ass in a different category. "As for the younger Kamo, Ririka, she's actually pretty nice when you talk to her but she can be a bit intimidating at times. She'll be a third-year student once school starts."

You make a noise of pleasant surprise, "Kamo Ririka, I'll keep an eye out for her." There's nothing better than a nice but intimidating woman, in your opinion.

"As for everyone else, they're all definitely a lot more tolerable than Gojou, it's not even a competition," Utahime glared at the sunglasses-wearing boy pointedly. He shrugged back without a care in the world, unperturbed as ever. "But while I was visiting home, my mother told me that Zenin Naoya is enrolling in Kyoto Tech so we'll be seeing him in a few months as a first year."

Whoever Zenin Naoya is, just mentioning him immediately makes Gojou groan in annoyance. "I was hoping that brat was gonna get homeschooled," he chews on his straw. You aren't sure how irritated he actually is but you do note how white brows curl in displeasure.

Gojou makes a face, "Zenin Naoya. I can't stand that guy."

You nudge him, lips curling into a light smirk, "I'm sure your fancy rich kid beef isn't that serious."

"No, Gojou actually isn't being hyperbolic this time," you glance over at Shoko. She and Utahime are sporting matching grimaces, brown eyes glancing at one another in understanding. "Zenins are bad but Zenin Naoya is the worst."

Well god damn. You share a look with Suguru who shrugs back, just as lost. That's the problem with not being born into the world of jujutsu, you're behind on all the history and beef going on behind the scenes. You have to learn little by little whether that be through being told or stumbling your way into procuring the knowledge on your own.

Zenin Naoya ー a member of the Amazing Sexists. You glance back at Gojou who has gone back to drinking away at his cup of tea. His partially obscured face doesn't make it any easier to read how he may be feeling underneath the surface.

Either way, you'll form your own opinion on this Naoya person when the sister schools converge in Tokyo.

Second year is definitely going to be something.

index | previous chapter | next chapter

Extra:

Fun fact for my fellow Americans and anyone else whose school holidays work differently, while here in the states, the end of summer vacation is when we go up a grade, students go up a grade at the end of spring break in Japan.

Summer vacation in Japan is about 30-40 days long depending on the prefecture from the end of July to the end of August. In Tokyo, I think it's from about July 21st to to August 24th. You come back and you're still in the same class. Winter break is from about December 26 to January 7th. And Spring break is about March 26th to April 5th. Like I said it can change prefecture to prefecture, but the mentioned dates are the standard for Tokyo give or take a few days or two depending on the ward.

Just wanted that knowledge to be shared, if you were curious as to why the reader is going up a grade after spring break. In Japan, the school year starts in April.

I really wanted to work on Reader's initial dynamic with her peers and her personal philosophies in these first few chapters before kicking off into the heavier stuff that comes in 2nd year. Considering how in canon, shit pretty much was smooth sailing for Gojou and co. during their 1st year until the 'Toji really beat the breaks out of 2 teenagers' mission, I wanted to reflect that in these initial chapters. Hopefully you guys have been enjoying it as much as I have. The Sister School Exchange Event is around the corner and those folks are coming to Tokyo, I wonder how that's gonna go >:3c (not that you can participate but there's plot, I assure you).

[rizatouchesthewalls]

Retracing the Footsteps of Those Who Got Lost in The Snow

so desperate for content they got me writing my own material

pjsekai card ass title 💀

stream arctic monkeys

cw: hurt/comfort, gn reader, lots of cuddling damn, implied family issues so true, so self indulgent that it’s insane

Deleting soon

New York always looks different painted in white—it sort of catches you off guard every time. Not in a bad way, but a more or less hopeful way. The world is still spinning and you’re still living. Somehow.

So after months of having little to no tension with your family mid-winter, you were sort of shocked at the sudden conflict that arose. You didn’t want to ruin an otherwise perfect winter—so you did what you always did whenever such things happened. Run into the always open arms of the Morales’.

“I’m sorry for bothering you all again,” You whispered. You were always on the quieter side but whenever fights went down you lost your voice far easier than any other time.

“Nonsense! You know us, we’re always going to be like a second family to you.” Ms. Rio said. She never failed to make you guilty, not because ever purposely did so—but because her kindness was overwhelming. You felt as if you could never repay that.

“Yes, we always have a home for you here,” Mile’s dad gave a rare smile, not that he didn’t smile, it was just more heartfelt than the ones he showed when he was joking or laughing. All these observations you knew over the years because you depended on them often. It had been easier when you were younger though, mostly only coming over because you were playing with Miles. You balled one of your hands up into a fist trying to fight that overwhelming nostalgia.

“(Name)? Are you alright? I’m going to call Miles to come dow—,”

“N-no sir. —Go up there myself… th-a-ank you.” You fought back tears and made your way to Mile’s room, avoiding his parent’s concerned gaze.

A knock on a door. Just a simple and quiet knock that takes you back that far. You can almost see your younger self racing around with glee, being reckless. When you didn’t lie about being loud and extroverted just to please a crowd; it felt so long ago but it was just a few years ago.

“Dad I’m not hungry!”

“A-ah! It’s not—!”

The door swung open before you could finish and you were quickly wrapped into a tight hug. You couldn’t help melt into it. It was so warm and comfortable—you could feel your heart pounding. You did your best to cling on to the wall that was holding back the hot tears that were basically begging to be released, but you kept it in anyway.

“It’s pretty snowy outside, huh? I’m drawing a picture of it—actually.” He always did his best to distract you. And who were you not to give in?

You nodded, signifying that you wanted to see. You entered his room and immediately felt calmed down by the familiar atmosphere. The tranquility of it was dear to you, but so ways a utter messiness of it that made it feel like home. The windows had those same yellow curtains draped over them, but in between the cracks you could see a winter scene outside.

Hopping onto the bed, you wrapped yourself with the blankets. Miles sat next to you, bringing you into his arms. He kissed your forehead and flipped through the pages of the art book, reaching a page with a sketch of Mile’s home from the exterior view. “Alright, now give me those art skills.” He nudged you.

Alright, yeah, you did art every once in a while. You didn’t do it as much though. Not after…

“Dunno… em…phasize the frost in the window. They wouldn’t look that normal.”

“See! You’re good at art without even trying.” He started to add shading to the windows, making sure to leave snowflakes on top of them.

“Th…” You didn’t want to stutter but at this point it felt like at any moment you were going to overflow. So you stayed silent. It engulfed the situation uncomfortably. In between those non-existent lines layers of trauma was stacked in your words. And it was separating you and Miles. You knew it was.

A tune interrupted the silence. It was so soft and quiet that if the two of you had been speaking neither would notice. You gradually made your way to the window and looked out down onto the street. There it was—a double decker bus decked out with Christmas decorations and playing to the tune of Jingle Bell Rock. You stared at it in awe with child-like wonder. Then the feeling of nostalgia hit you like a truck.

You remember begging your parents to take you on one of those busses, so short that you thought the top of those busses might as well be the empire skate building. That if you reached high enough you could touch the stars. Did you ever end up going on one?

You already know the tears are falling down your face. They are just as silent as the room was before. And you can feel the comfort of the Miles’ hands wiping them away, and just for that night, your fears and terrors were wiped away too.

And somehow someone found you in the middle of a blizzard.

[crow97street]

─── ⋆⋅it’s not just nostalgia, is it?⋅⋆ ───

part 1

synopsis ✦‧₊˚ chan discovers age regression and he finds comfort in indulging in light agere, also deals with not being ashamed/embarrassed about it^ - ^

warning/tags ✦‧₊˚ light age regression (not in this part), caring skz members, overworking, self-deprecating thoughts, also silly skz doing silly things

notes ✦‧₊˚ haiii!! this is my very first fic:) it will probably suck cos my only experience is a klance fic on wattpad 3 years ago… but anywho! i got sick of the only fics i enjoyed being member ship fics </3 so i made my own!! this fic is solely focused on chan’s agere journey with platonic relationships with the kids :) no i do NOT hope chan struggles with any of this i just find comfort in somebody i love being the same as me! OH AND THIS WILL BE MULTIPLE PARTS!! okay enough yapping i hope you enjoy!

word count ✦‧₊˚ 1,464

song rec for this ;)

⋆ ̊。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ̊。⋆

The familiar sounds of his ringtone woke Chan up with a grunt. He made some unintelligible noises before groggily opening his eyes to check the time. 2:31 it read.

“Shit.”

Chan cursed as he quickly swiped his fingers across the screen accepting the call.

“Channie-hyung?” Chan assumed it was Felix by the unique deep timbre in the voice, realizing he didn’t bother checking the contact.

“Mhm ‘lix?” Chan sleepily replied.

“Hyung? Where are you? You said you’d be home by midnight.” There was a worrying undertone to Felix’s voice that made Chan cringe.

“Sorry lixie, I fell asleep at the studio. I’m packing up now, I’ll be home in fifteen.” Chan answered as he began powering off his monitor and packing his laptop.

“It’s alright hyung, get home safe.” Chan heard Felix sigh near the end of his sentence.

“Course lix, see you soon.” Chan couldn’t keep the tiny smile from growing on his face at his dongsaengs concern. He hung the phone up and finished packing his things. Chan stood there staring off into the distance. Unable to shake the deep emptiness he’s felt lately. It feels wrong. Why is he lonely? He has so many friends and his members are always around. Why does he feel empty? He’s happy, he’s made it. Chan sighs once more trying, and failing, to pull himself together as he swings the door open.

⋆ ̊。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ̊。⋆

Chan heard as incoherent whispers died down at his arrival. He turned the corner to be met with, expectedly, Felix’s face. Unexpectedly, Changbins.

“Hyung! Your home.” Felix kept his voice soft spoken as he approached, Chan assumed to not wake the other kids sleeping.

“Hi lixie.” Chan warmly smiled at Felix before accepting his embrace with a content sigh. There was a cough leading Chan’s attention to the other person in the room.

“Hey Changbin, what are you doin’ up? Normally you're out by like, ten.” Chan laughs to hopefully ease the suffocating tension in the room. It didn’t work.

“Felix told me you keep coming home late.” Changbin clears his throat as he speaks , clearly trying not to come off too aggressive. Too bad Chan knows him better than himself.

“Oh, yeah uh sorry I fell asleep again.” Chan awkwardly replies with nervous eyes. Felix and Changbin share a discontent glance and Felix sighs before he speaks up again.

“H-Hyung we don't want to sound overbearing or anything but, you’ve been staying late kind of a lot lately and we uhm” a pause. “We just want to make sure you're sleeping enough and taking care of yourself.” Felix rambles on with nervous gestures and fidgets that make Chan’s heart squeeze with guilt. Why does he keep doing this to them? Just because he felt a little lonely? Chan was wracked with deep guilt and frustration towards himself.

“Yeah channie-hyung, everyone’s sorta noticed but lixie made us realize it was a bit more.. Concerning than originally.” Changbin sighed out with guilt in his gaze. No, that wasn’t right, Changbin shouldn’t feel guilt. Chan should.

Wait, ‘everyone’? Fuck chan really did it this time. He broke his gaze and shook his head lightly to clear his thoughts.

“I’m really sorry guys, I didn’t mean for this to become a recurring thing, I just got so focused on work and making sure we kept up with our schedule.” Chan confessed avoiding the twin pair of worrying eyes.

“It’s alright hyung, but try not to let it happen again yea? We aren’t mad or anything, we just want to make sure you're okay.” Felix gave him a tiny smile. Changbin nodded in agreement.

“Yeah of course, let’s get you to bed though sorry I kept you both up.” Chan returned the small smile before walking further inside, moving their shoulders along with him. He received two small nods before he led them into their respective rooms.

Walking into his own room he let out another deep sigh. How many is that by now by the way? Before turning to his bathroom to brush his teeth.

Chan let his thoughts run as he auto-piloted his night routine. How could he let it get bad enough the kids realized? Gosh he can’t believe he’d worried them so much, he needs to get over whatever this weird feeling is so he can be there for everyone, he's the leader for god’s sake, shouldn’t he know better?

“Fuck.” Chan muttered as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He looks terrible, no wonder they all noticed. Chan shook his head and returned to his bedroom flopping onto his bed and pulling out his phone. He’ll scroll on twitter for a bit before he sleeps.

Chan mindlessly scrolls, a few posts making him chuckle lightly, STAY’s were funny. He paused as he saw a post talking about the nostalgia of childhood cartoons. Chan felt himself smile imagining little Chris watching spongebob and adventure time in his living room. Chan felt a yearning grow in his chest. He wishes he could just be a kid again. Harmlessly watching cartoons and chugging down pineapple juice boxes, gosh he wishes. Chan feels his eyes tug, letting sleep consume him as thoughts of legos and car toys fill his mind.

⋆ ̊。⋆୨♡୧⋆ ̊。⋆

Chan’s eyes flutter open to a loud thud. He swiftly picks up his phone to read the time displayed, 11:21. Shit way later than he wanted. He begrudgingly dragged himself into a sitting position on his bed sighing. Fuck hes not 10 years old and watching cartoons is he. Why is that still on his mind? Whatever, no time to dwell. He took a deep breath before standing and making his way to figure out what the thud was.

Chan walked out of the hallway to, well, quite the sight.

Jeongin and Hyunjin were playfully arguing and pushing each other over some rpg game on the screen. Felix and Jisung were frantically running around the kitchen with - what Chan assumes is - pancake batter smeared and splattered in various areas. Timers and blenders are going off along with the pancake mess too.

Finally, Chan drags his eyes to Changbin and Seungmin lying on the carpet going through bags of old clothes. Wait where is-

“Leeknow?” Chan asks aloud, scanning his eyes across the room once more to be sure he didn’t miss him among the chaotic scenery. All eyes snap to him immediately causing him to tense.

“Bathroom!” He hears a distant voice call out in monotone from down the hall. Ah, there he is. Chan gives the kids an apprehensive nod before backing up and spinning on his heel down the hall.

“Soooo why are you in the bathroom and not joining the- well, i don’t know what it is exactly. I don’t think ‘hangout’ quite captures whatever is happening in there.” Chan drags his eyes around the bathroom as he speaks, finally landing them on the other boy.

Leeknow pauses brushing his teeth to give Chan a long glance before spitting out his toothpaste.

“I escaped.” He stated blandly. Fair enough. Chan cleared his throat to speak again before he was interrupted by a yell from the not-hangout in the living room.

“Channie hyung!! We need help!” Chan couldn’t decipher whose voice it was, it might have been multiple? Nonetheless he sped down the hallway to see what the dilemma was.

“What’s going on?” Chan asked as he reached the kitchen. Although it seems he doesn't quite need a verbal reply. Felix is trying to stop the electric mixer from spinning as it tosses even more pancake batter around the room. Chan’s eyes widen and he rushes over to look for a solution.

“We just wanted some pancakes..” He sees Jisung cry with a pout out of his peripheral vision. Chan sighs - fondly but he won’t admit that - before quickly running to pull the plug out of the outlet, stopping the mixer.

He gets multiple odd blinks before Jisung speaks.

“Why didn’t we think of that?” He asks dumbfounded as he shares a glance with the other boy in the kitchen.

“Thank you channie-hyung you’ve saved our lives!!” Jisung dramatically exhales as he drapes himself along Chan. Chan rolls his eyes and pats Jisung’s head.

“Yahhh, look at the mess you two have made.” Chan sighs as he scans the kitchen. The two boys' expressions grow sheepish as they nervously chuckle.

“Well get to cleaning!” Chan yells out as the two scramble to get rags and towels. Chan chuckles and helps them all begin to clean. The whole situation just reminds Chan of the time he caused a huge mess cleaning pancakes with his mom when he was young. Chan pauses his motion of swiping the towel. Huh, there it is again.

[popculturebuffet]

Nickmas: Rugrats Holiday Triple Feature! (Comission for WeirdKev27)

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah and Heri Za Kwanzaa to all of you! It's once again time for the n n nickest time of the year, Nickmas! We launched it with christmas and july this year and it's back again. This year the last night of Chanukah and first night of kwanza are both on the same night and the same week as christmas. So this Holiday Convergeance calls for a matching celebration, thus i'm covering three rugrats specials on all three holidays. I'll get to the rest of the rugrats specials next year

So we can focus on the good stuff, a nice spread that not only captures three great holidays , two of which are badly underserved by holiday specials but three distinct eras of rugrats: It's early years, it's revivial era after it's surge in popularity, and it's post movies era now with Kimmie and a sprig of dil. So join me under the cut for a fun holiday trek through christmas, chanukah and kwanzaa past!

The santa experince comes to us from season 2, when the show still had it's old fashioned coloring and more wobbly deisgns. It was a good time.

The Santa Experince reminded me why I loved rugrats as a kid. As an adult the baby talk, parental neglect and what not wore on me a bit last time I checked them out.. but this episode reminds me why the series works. For adults you relate to the parents: their joy in sharing christmas with the kids, their panic at getting it together and the perils of worrying about your kid's waning belief in santa. For kids there's the joy of the babies and their unique understanding of the world, their piecing together somethign WE get and the simple holiday trials of giving gifts or being scared of santa. Combine them and you get both warm nostalgia and relatable hyjinks and a fairly good show. Still not in my top tier of nick toons but I get more what I saw in it, especailly in these early days where they experimented more.

The Santa Experience is a solid special, and befitting a special it has a lot of plots going at once: Angelica has a run in with a store santa where she pulls his beard and finds out he's a fake, and in general is angelica about it. I love Drew's misguided belief she now isn't beliving in santa.. and missing the actual crisis as Angelica starts to worry her actions have consequences after she swindles Phil and Lil out of their presents. This includes your standard scarring for life rugrats nightmare. As a kid I didn't like this specail, felt it was mean... and found out why as santa putting COAL, COAL EVERYWHERE is still creepy as hell. It's not Angelica's little brother nightmare baby terrifying but it's still unsettling. Rugrats had a knack for both nailing down childhood terrors.. and creating them.

Childhood Trauma aside the rest of the plots are slight but still good fun: Chucky is, naturally, terrified of Santa, something Chas wants to help fix and Tommy is of course optimstic about him, while Phil and Lil have a gift of the magi plot thanks to angelica's machenations, using the free toys she gets from her santa encounter to steal theirs. It... exists.. and really works best as a vehicle for Angelica. Her guilt and attempts to right things are charming, especially since the parents shuffling her or the twins around on christmas eve makes her attempts to get on the nice list near impossible and you don't feel too bad for her as it's entirely out of self intrest: she dosen't have a genuine turn towards some noble goal, she just wants her presents. It's honestly one of the better angelica plots: she still bullies the babies but isn't as harmful and her own guilt is eating at her. She could TELL the adults why, but she knows she'd be punished so she instead twists in the wind and only gets out of it by doing something kind, gifiting the gifts she grifted back. The gift of the magi thing bores me as it's been done so many times and usually makes little sense, but Angelica's part of it is great. Chucky fearing santa is a neat runner.

Naturally the adults steal the show a bit as Chaz and Drew to have santa himself show up. Chaz wants to be Santa but Drew is a dick and decides "no i'lll hire an actor because you suck at this Chaz.' Drew is the kind of guy who has valid points, he is often right that Stu struggles to support his kids doing his dream job, but is so smug about it you just want him to be proven wrong. He can't just say "Chaz I want someone who looks more like santa" he has to mock Chaz' acting talent. When he points out repeadtly Stu's unstable he has to mock his talent as an inventor which isn't in question, the 90's just wasn't friendly to self enterprise. Nowadays a man making bespoke toys out of his basement.. would probably still struggle a bit, I say that as someone who does comissions, but would probably get way more work, especially from people wanting statues or custom toys. Also a lot of realdolls but Stu is a professinal and a non judgmental guys. He'd make you that sex doll of the fish from shark tale because he is a real one. Didi would probably get a bit upset and Drew would be judgmental but Stu gets it. Sometimes you want to fuck a cartoon charcter. As long as it's not a current one his kid watches he gets you. Stu Pickles gets your kinks.

I had a point.. ah yes. Drew Pickles sucks. If he were an ice cream flavor he'd be pralines and dick. He's a great character but the smuggest of the group, that judgmental asshole you hang out with because you have to: he's Stu's brother, he's one of Chaz's only friends and Howard i'm sure has opinons, but no one cares about howard so let's move on. I could dunk on Drew all day to be honest, he's just that kind of punchable man you have to deal with. Everyone has a Drew Pickles. It's why he works so well as a character.

Thankfully for me his plan fails as his santa calls to say he can't make it while lounging on the couch. And look man I get it: their at a cabin, they rented a cabin btw, it's nice and christmassy moving on, it's christmas eve you don't want to work and your job is probably not plesant. I don't want to work on christmas eve eve. But as a professional if I can't do something I tell my clients; if i'm sick or my works backed up I tell them, I give them their money, or I tell them it'll be delayed. I'm trying to get THREE reviews done today that piled up while I was sick son. I'm trying to avoid working on christmas eve but I will if I gotta because i'm a fucking professoinal. Have some respect fictoinal santa actor. Have some damn respect.

So the REAL santa shows up, gives everyone present.. and in my faviorite bit of the episode leaves some Coal in angelica's malibu synthia mojo dojo casa house as a reminder that she was good enough to get a present.. but he's watching. And he'll send the OTHER santa next time

All in all a decent episode. Not a new holiday faviorite but i'm glad I revisited it. Way better than I remembered once I got past my Coal Trauma.

Now to put on your yammukah for Rugrats Channukah. I'm not jewish, but this special was a yearly treat for me as a kid and taught me what Channukah even was and is the gold standard for covering the holidy for me. I grant there aren't a ton of Channukah specials: off the top of my head we have the excellent Ghost and Molly McGee episode I covered last year, occasional mentions in Christmas specials, and that holiday classic 8 Crazy Nights.

There's some good sitcom episodes, see the Goldbergs and Friends, which also tackle how hard is with Christmas encroacing, but there should be more hannkuah specials. Get on it peanuts, your active again. Make one.

Still this isn't just the best by lack of choice: RC treats the holiday with holy reverence, holiday fun and helps teach kids about it without stopping for several minutes. It organically threads everything: the story of hannkuah and the religious opression and the candle that burned 7 days thanks to god are all threaded in naturally. Didi makes Latkes. They go to a Hannkuah Festival at a temple.

Not only that but i'ts clear Didi's faith means a lot to her: She enjoys celebrating it and makes sure it's as important as christmas to her kids, with the babies, both Tommy and his gentle buddies, all enjoying it. Except Angelica but angelica sucks so she's the perfect "who gives a shit about hannkukah" kid. She just wants to watch her Cynthia special. She does not for some reason want to watch it's lead in santa vs the alien. That's right Santa's fighting Xenomorphs people!

Disney pay me to make that movie... or just take the idea but put the trans subplot back in Win or Loose and no one gets hurt. Specifically Pluto. He's the only one of your precious sensational six I'll dare harm.

The Pickles are all going to the Hannkukah Pagent at the temple, hence the festival, centering on Grandpa Boris. Grandpa Boris is a character i've grown to appricate over the years. The biggest reason is that he's an immigrant... and that fact's fully present and never hidden or fully laughed at. He brings up "the old country" a bunch sure and speaks with an accent.. but they mostly stay away from "HE'S FOREIGN" jokes. He's just Tommy's weirder grandpa and most of the humor comes from his arguments with his wife Inka, which themselves are just refeshingly "old married couple" and not "MARRIAGE IS A SINK HOLE FROM WHICH THERE'S NO ESCAPE".. something really common in rugrats. The major marriages all seem to be happy apart from Betty steamrolling over howard, and even then they seem happy. Granted it could just be that their mutual beards given the revival but they still seem to get along. Borris is just an old man with at thick yiddish accent who comes from russia.

It's also what makes the story work as he has a petty rivarly with his costar Schlomo, which Didi brushes off as "oh their just friends".. which they aren't: Schlomo is egotistical and Boris is resentful and they've hated each other since before they came to this country.

This in turn sets up our fun misunderstanding: The kids search for the "meaning of hannukah".. and see schlomo as the "meanie of hannukah" and want to protect him. It's honestly adorable as is the fact Tommy loves both his grandpas. His bond with Lou's more apparent, but he eagerly jumps in to defend boris as does everyone else.

Sadly the pagent ends up a mess: Schlomo and Boris end up getting worked into a shoot as Schlomo is playing king herrod and the two end up fighting for real, while the babies attacking Schlomo only gets them sent ot daycare. Focusing on that... while I like Didi sometimes... she really is far from the best parent when it comes to reading her children as she's utterly baffled. Deed, A bunch of kids attack a mean man who was attacking someone they clearly like. It's not rocket science. This is why your kids always escape. It's not because of neglect or plot convience, it's because you overanylize simple shit. Which i'll grant is my job 5 days a week, but but your not getting paid for it Didi.

Angelica also got thrown in as she pissed off a dredle she stepped on earlier. I shan't elaborate further. So she tricks the babies into stealing the tv then fights with them over it till it ends up breaking in front of scholomo, whose backstage while a random actor stalls because Stu is struggling to get the menora there on time with Lou. Oh Stu has a b-plot about a massive gaudy menora he made for the play that he had to fix. Only really notable because it's plot relevant and there's a great gag of him and Lou getting stuck in a parade by accident.

The ending is just.. the sweetest thing though: Angelica's tv breaks, so she breaks down and Schlomo has no idea how to calm her.. but Boris does, having them both sit and Scholomo read them the story of hannukah.. and thus when Stu arrives it rises on both rivals having set aside their diffrences to help the kids, all reading peacefully together. It's a touching tribute to the meaning of hannkuah, together and a wonderful capper to the specail as a whole and it's various segments of the babies acting out the story of hannkuah. Which includes tommy leading a fucking army. The reboot have better of had tommy as aragorn in some sort of lord of the rings parody.. or chuckie as bilbo int he hobbit. Jus tsomething tolkien with a lot of death.

This special is truly excellent: touching, informative for us gentiles, sweet and really funny: Angelica's subplot is nice and hilarious and relatable to any kid dragged to church when they'd rather watch holiday specails, and Stu's exists but has that one good gag and pays off real well. Easily the best of the three today.

Rugrats Kwanzaa comes to us late in the series. Santa Experince was early and while I didn't really talk about it in that seciond, Channkuah comes from the early days of the second production run, with slightly smotoher animation, digtial coloring etc by popular demand. BOth at least early enough to have played a ton. In Contrast Kwanzaa is from that era I barely watched the show and Rugrats, while still an instution, was no longer THE show for Nick but just A show for nick. It'd gotten them two great movies, would net them a third movie that's eh later, it'd kinda run it's course.

That being said it still could put out a good episode and a Rugrats Kwanzaa is solid. Admitely part of my love for it is who it focuses on: the Carmicheals, Susie's family. I forget about them as the show rarely used them compared to it's core families: They used Susie plenty but it took till the reboot for them to mingle more actively, and I feel it's a wasted opporunity as Susie's family is one of the most unique. Not just for the obvious reasons of "she's the only black character int he main cast", but that she's the only rugrat with older siblings. Phil and Lil are twins, Chuckie is barely older than Kimmi, but Susie has two older brothers both kids, and a teenage sister. It's a dynamic we don't really see. I ssupect her sibs didn't get as much focus as they can't understand the babies, but it's still neat.

It also drives the episode: Her Aunt T is visiting.. but her jerky older brother Buster, the sportier one and the asshole (Edwin, the geeky slightly older than susie sibling is my faviorite), says she dosen't have talent, something her sister Alisa backs up. So Susie spends the episode in self doubt not helpd that her gift from Aunt T is a scrapbook.. not getting it's signifigance.

Aunt T herself is great, a vivacious woman whose eager to celebrate Kwanzaa with her family, snarks at her nephews and nieces and is generally a hoot deciding to the Kramu, the celebratory dinner, early to bring the family together as the kids are too distracted with their own stuff: Alisa's new phone, Buster being a dick, Edwin.. edwin did no wrong. Edwin is a precious bean. I also love her snarking with Randy, whose career as a children's tv writer she dosen't get, as I forgot how prentetious randy could be. Like don't get me wrong, writing for a children's show is important, but he's a bit pompus about it.

The episode isn't as throught about Kwanzaa but hammers in the important parts of it: it's about your roots, family and what you can do.. and thus poor Susie thinking she has no talent as her sibs all have trophies tries to find one. She is pretty good at hair, having a new hair styling kit she uses on chucky. Chucky rocks those fucking bows. Also the other kids are here, but the focus is Squarley on Susie, something I don't remember the show doing often. She had spotlights and a really good episode at her house with tommy early on, but didn't have a ton of episodes that didn't involve angelica. here she's just.. a kid trying to find herself.

Aunt T Comforting her is touching as you'd expect, explaning it's about family as a whole not being specail and that even if it was.. Susie is. We also get some REALLY fantastic flashbacks over the history to show why susie's mom, Lucy, loves her aunt so much. While we're just meeting Aunt T it dosen't feel forced, everyone has relatives who live out of town, and shows why: It shows her and her husband meeting dr king, aunt t encouraging Lucy to sing in a choir and my faviorite... Aunt T giving LUcy the money to go to harvard. It's a smallt hing but it shows how that shit can be tough. That T was there for her and got her the life she has now. It's a sweet episode.. not much ot talk about honestly and not nearly as personal as Channkuah felt, but still a deeply sweet episode that both shows off it's holiday well and let's susie have an actual showcase, let's her be a character and the others just support. Let's Her family as a whole be the center. I"m honestly shocked their spinoff didn't take off as I think it woudl've been great.

So with that I bid you all a happy holidays. i still have one christmas treat left in the bag, but whatever you celebrate, enjoy it and remember i'm pulling for you we're all in this together.

[alice-angel12x]

Wait.. you're telling me Epel and Death have history together?! (Well more like his ancestors-) BUT STILL

Is that why instead of being afraid when he first saw them he was impressed with their fighting abilities??

Now I need more interactions with them OR even better! Epel inviting Death to Harveston because come on! And maybe there is a legend of Death there? As the kind person who helped the small town grow and become what it is today!

Also sorry about all of this, Epel is my favourite character and your writing brings me so much joy so I'm very happy right now! :D

"You're inviting me? To what I may ask?" Y/n asked.

" I only got the news this morning too, granny is so unreasonable," Epel sighed. "There’s an annual festival in the Harveston this weekend."

"Let me take a guess. A festival in Harveston, at this time of Year... Moln Mountain’s Kelkkarotu I believe it's called," Y/n said with a slight uncertainty.

"Y-yeah how did you know?" Epel asked in surprise.

"I have been around for a very long time," Y/n answered simply.

Epel ended up inviting a few other some with great interest others, not so much. Sebek, Jade, and even Idia came along to the trip.

As soon as the cool air of Harveston hit Y/n's cold skin, a wave of memories and nostalgia washed over them. The once small town had become a thriving community.

As Epel explained the geography of the land and it's lands, and apple specialty, he noticed Y/n seemed to be off somewhere in their mind. Y/n looked on with a sense of familiarity.

Jade would question this, but Idia would reason that maybe Y/n would have come across the town before. Maybe a few times.

When Epel offered Y/n an apple fresh from harvest. They learned that Y/n Death does not Eat... Furthermore lacked organs to digest so there is no point in eating.

So Down the road to Epel's house they went. It was a beautiful cabin, fit to stand the cold weather of Harveston. Y/n hurried them don't, to get warm clothes on. Wouldn't want them to catch their death out here. Speaking of which.

"Inside the shed? Are you actually an indoor type?" Idia asked.

"No, I played outside almost every day. Even in harsh rain, I couldn’t stand still. So in those days, I’d prefer to play in the shed which it’s wider and has fewer things than in my room.  I played with the farming tools, and even made treasures and a secret base there," Epel reminisced. "  But there’s one time when I was in the shed and the snow falls down really bad… And the door of the shed was blocked by the piled snow and it couldn’t open."

" You, as a child, alone in that shed? You lack caution as a mere human," Sebek gasped.

"And even if I shouted or banged my hand on the door, nobody noticed. It kept getting colder, and I was getting hungry… it was so bad that time," Epel reminisced.

"Then how did you manage to get out of the shed?" Jade asked. Epel thought for a moment and smiled.

"Well need a bit more context for that story. Which we will find in the center of town," Epel said mysteriously.

"Oh, alright. Hold on to your mystery for now," Jade chuckled

So Epel leads the group to the center of town. to get to the hall and to meet his grandmother Malya.

When Epel and his grandma chatted, the others were completely lost on what they were saying. As the two talk in their native dialect. But Y/n was happy to translate for them.

As the boys choose the fabrics that would be used to make their plushie sled pullers. Grim being Grim got hungry again and wanted more sweet apples.

As he scanned for unattended food and saw a treasure trove of some. At the base of some state were the biggest, ripest, ruby-colored apples he had ever seen. He's never seen such perfect apples.

As Grim made a mad dash towards them, he suddenly slammed face-first into a shovel. Grim hissed and looked up to see an old man glaring down at him.

The old man began to scold the fire cat, catching the attention of the NRC boys, and Epel's grandmother. Y/n apologized on Grim's behalf.

The NRC boys were wondering why he was so angry. So Epel explained the significance of the statue.

"This is the state of Harveston's Founder. When our ancestors were in a hard place, the founder came across them and lead them here. Were they would teach and raise the orphans to survive here," Epel said.

The boys looked up at the Statue. It was of a familiar figure, in one hand they held a lantern above their head. Lighting the path in front of them, while in the other held a baby close to their chest. Behind the founder were three children huddled up close to them. One was looking behind in fear, the middle one simply hugged close, and the last one looked up at the found in awe.

What they noticed was that hand holding the lantern, looked like it was broken long ago.

"Oh, Epel. What happened to the statue's hand?" Jade asked.

"Yeah, did the hand used to hold the lantern? Cause the drilled-in hook looks strange," Idia added.

"Oh, that's was the founder's doing," grandma Malya laughed.

"The founder's...doing?" Sebek asked skeptically.

"Yes, even all these the founder's spirit has always been watching over us. We've noticed their spirit loves taking their lantern and putting it in places to signify their presence," The old man spoke. "And even before that the people of this town pick their best apple from their harvest. And place it at the base to pay respects."

"What a kind spirit," Y/n commented.

"Indeed, you could ask any local here and they would have a story to tell about their encounters. Even Epel, when was trapped in the shed when he was younger," Grandma Malya chuckled.

"Oh yeah, that story. Epel you never finished that story," Grim said.

"Oh yeah. When I was freezing, I suddenly felt this warmth. Not in the hypothermia kind of way, but like there was a small fire nearby. And I remember hearing someone," Epel explained.

"Heard someone?" Jade asked.

"Yeah, they were whispering encouragements and telling me I just needed one more push to open the door. And I did, with one of the tools I managed to free myself," Epel smiled.

"Ah yes, and when we finally found Epel. My son, Epel's father, saw something in the shed," Grandma Malya smiled. "It was the founder's lantern, once again in a place where it wasn't meant to be."

Soon Malya had to go make the sled Plushies, and Y/n opted to help her. While the boys looked up at the statue.

"hey, you know. This founder statute looks a lot like Y/n" the fire cat commented.

Epel's went wide and he looked at the statue to Y/n and repeated 2 more times.

"No...No... It... They can't be right?" Epel gasped.

___________________________________________________________

Part 2? Maybe. well, see.

[vanderwoodlings]

fire escape: a dan&vanessa playlist (x)

Tracklist and commentary under the cut:

1. “We’re Going to Be Friends,” The White Stripes. Here we are, no one else/We walk to school all by ourselves is definitely the specific line that made this one for them as little kids need to be here—there’s a very specific way that Dan and Vanessa’s friendship involves (but quietly and unacknowledged) their family bullshit

2. “Kids In The Dark,” All Time Low. They left alone, the kids in the dark/To burn out forever or light up a spark

3. “You Get What You Give,” New Radicals. This whole damn world could fall apart/You’ll be okay, follow your heart/You’re in harm’s way, I’m right behind/Now say you’re mine

4. “Little Cellist,” Bears In Trees. Hmmmm yeah I think they’re a little fucked in the head

5. “Walk Backwards,” Maude Latour. We’re still early days, here, little fourteen year olds who haven’t quite had anything go wrong with them yet and so they’re orbiting closer and Dan hasn’t really noticed that Vanessa’s got a crush and neither of them know it’s a bad idea

6. “Bruises,” Reneé Rapp. …but the truth is I bruise easily/And sure I’m down to be the joke/Metaphorically though.

7. “Prodigal,” David Wirsig. In the beginning we were banished/Then we stoked the fires/And scrapped our songs for salvage. The thing is, like, Dan craves acceptance by the cool kids even as he holds up his pretentiousness as a shield and Vanessa is an outsider who wants people to meet her where she is and accept her

8. “Forgive Me Friend,” Smith & Thell feat. Swedish Jam Factory. This kind of tracks us into s1: And I, I promised that we would never change/That you and me would always stay the same/How I let you down

9. “That’s What Friends Are For,” Dionne Warwick, Elton John. Keep smilin’, keep shinin’/Knowin’ you can always count on me for sure/That’s what friends are for/For good times and bad times

10. “Old Friends,” Pinegrove. …Significant amounts of this playlist may be bitchy. Maybe I should have gone out a bit more/When you guys were still in town/I got too caught up in my own shit

11. “Platonic Cuddling,” Breakup Shoes. But significant parts are also sweet! Lovely day to watch the clouds race/Lovely day, nothing I would change

12. “You’re My Best Friend,” Queen. They are. So stupid for repeatedly trying to date. I love them

13. “Give It Up,” I Fight Dragons. The UES is a seductive kind of hell. Give it up for human nature/Give it up now, bit by bit.

14. “Misfit,” High Dive Heart. I know people say that you’re a misfit/But that’s the thing I like about you

15. “Everything I Had,” Sub-Radio. And sometimes you grow apart and you don’t want to admit that things are falling apart and here you are anyway

16. “Youth,” Daughter.

17. “I’ve Been Over It,” Geowulf. Time and time again, my head just wants to find a reason why/I needed another lesson in choosing who to give my heart. Wherein you date the guy

18. “Grow Up and Be Kids,” The Cab. But it’s still gone.

19. “Dial Tones,” AS IT IS. All we ever share are dial tones

20. “Twins,” The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. I didn’t mean to let you down/And now I know everything that’s good is gone

21. “I’m Not Calling You A Liar,” Florence + The Machine. I’m not calling you a liar/Just don’t lie to me

22. “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” Johnny Cash with June Carter Cash. Go away from my window/Leave at your own chosen speed/I’m not the one you want, babe/I’m not the one you need

23. “When We Were Writers,” Indigo Girls. This… might’ve been the first song on here? Idk the sense of artistic nostalgia just worked so very Correctly with their vibe

24. “Sober Up,” AJR feat. Rivers Cuomo. Won’t you help me sober up/Growin’ up, it made me numb/And I wanna feel somethin’ again. And we have arrived in early s4!

25. “Quarrel,” Moses Sumney. I love Moses Summey btw. Everyone should just go check him out. Quoting this as a quarrel so immorally implies/We’re equal opponents and we both antagonize

26. “i hope ur miserable until ur dead,” Nessa Barrett. She can be a little evil. As a treat. I hope you be yourself and lose your friends/I hope they call you out for shit you said/I hope you’re miserable until you’re dead

27. “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Gotye, Kimbra. But then she gets completely written off the show so… ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

28. “Please Leave A Light On When You Go,” fun. How do you fix something/That you can’t touch without hurting?/The lesson you’ve learned is leaving you dumb/Please leave a light on when it’s done

29. “Call Off Your Ghost,” Dessa. We’ve lived too close for too long

30. “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead,” Stars. I put this one one the Vanessa playlist, thinking about her and Dan, and I knew I was going to end with it the moment I started this one—it’s kind of both the best and most tragic ending for them, to me, saying ‘I’m not that person anymore’

[nylathriasoulseer]

A Cosy Night In

Where: Avalon - Sylaise Shore. When: After the Feywilds Standing stones Trigger warnings: Grief, emotions

Part of Nylathria wished she never answered that call to begin with. What a dumb idea that was, some of those people just reaffirmed her ideal that not everyone should know the strength of their soul. Bloody idiots, some of them with far too much unjustified confidence. But all that being said would she do it again? Even if it meant she would almost die again? Now that was the question.

She hadn’t realistically been away from Avalon that long, but there was nothing like its warmth, like the nostalgia. The memoirs of how Lyra would talk about the hero Isseya in front of statues in the Sylaise Shore. That woman was a nerd for Isseya, it was massively endearing, enough that their first kiss was in front of that statue, Nyla protesting it was the only way to shut her up. It had been her favourite pastime teasing her Wife.

Nyla must have been a sight walking through the streets of Avalon, she wasn’t exactly on her death bed but her face was bruised, gaunt, all colour gone from her cheeks. Thankfully most already thought she was the mad woman who lived by herself, drunk most nights singing her lungs out to some bad love ballad. Most who lived near here now were far too young to remember Lyra, to remember the joy that used to come from that memorial that's called a home.

Memorial was the right word, the home looked like it was frozen in time. It was surprisingly clean each memento of a person lost loveling cared for, their achievements in pride of place. A stack of closed letters all in the same hand writing addressed to Lyra claimed a desk in the far corner. Nyla knew exactly where to go when she came in, the kitchen. Retrieving a bottle of wine and a glass she kicked off her boot and went up stairs. The house had a chill about it, luckily in her room she had a fireplace and was quick about putting a few logs on, but while that warmed up the room she got herself a blanket and snuggled up on a rocking chair in front of the fireplace. Popping open the wine she poured herself a heft glass “ I know it will just be one glass… okay bottle.” she admitted but to what? On the fireplace shelf there stood what remained of her wife Lyra in her urn. 

“You would have been proud of me today, would have laughed at me too cheeky.” The blanket that was now tucked behind her shoulders so it wouldn’t fall down, what looked like two little hands protruded from the blanket to hold the glass of wine. “ I know, I know, don’t need to lecture me, I did the right thing.” The last part was almost in a mocking tone to an Urn that couldn’t respond. “I’m not a fan of this getting hurt part, that can fuck off. Did… did it hurt that much when…” Nyla didn’t have the strength to finish that question and instead opted for a big gulp of wine. “ I found out you could be out there, I kind of knew that already but confirmation was comforting, i don’t feel so crazy any more searching for you. Whatever you are now I don’t care I’m always going to love that soul of yours. But if you’re pining over Isseya again, girl we are gonna have problems.” Nyla was trying to talk to her wife with humour because if not she would cry and crying led to drinking bottles, she was trying to be responsible because her best friend would be able to knock her out of the next 100-year bender. “You wouldn’t believe what Lailani gone and done! She Sliver!” the night ensued from there gossiping to an urn. Given enough time Nylathria would drift off in her chair bundled before the fire with a content heart. 

[afreakingdork]

Hello Beautiful! Before I begin, I have to say I love you so much T-T I’ve been lurking in your shadows since the first chapter of A Crush To Much. I thought it was a one shot at first but was giddy when I saw a part 2, then part 3, then I went fucking nuts when I realized it was instead a multi chapter story! I’ve been stuck on you like a remora ever since.

Ok now my questions, please bear with me for we’re going waaay back here to the beginning of WS.

Even though it’s not from his perspective, we can see when Donnie interest begins to change with us the reader. But when does he transition from this person is intriguing to they are attractive (mentally, physically or both) and I want to fuck their brains out?

(Also, low key like to know if the other ((NOT)) brothers have so’s?)

… I had another ask but I can’t remember atm… OH I REMEMBER! We see Donnie finding his inner BootyShaker9000 (tears of pride and happiness) but will he ever discover his (canon) love Jupiter Jim?

Awwww! I'm so soft! I think I've been called beautiful like once in my whole life so right off the bat you liquefied me! Gosh! You can't my first post! I'm so honored to have had you around all this time! Thank you for reaching out!!

Alright, let's see what I got for you!

So I have written what I like to call my Midnight Sun, which is a summary of the beginning of Weak Spot from Donnie's perspective (the name comes from Midnight Sun aka the Twilight book that does the same from Edward's perspective, so I gift you this:

So like the companion comic, Donnie doesn't 'see' other people anymore; they're just blobs. When reader sasses him about the sandwich it's the first time he 'glimpses' someone in years and that makes him curious. From there, the first meeting is him basically watching a hyperactive puppy vie for his attention the whole time which he pities. The thing is, reader isn't just that though. They're intuitive and, several times, he finds them reading his cues which he didn't think should have been obvious. It leaves him impressed and curious enough to test this anomaly again. Chapter 2 was a test in that he upped the stakes to see how reader would act outside their element (aka shop they're familiar with). The chip thing was not apart of the equation though. He only quizzes them over it because he saw them freaking out. Again, the conversation doesn't go as planned. This hasn't happened in years. Everyone has been so terribly predictable up until this point. When reader asks him if he likes eggs, that was the deciding moment for him. It was completely out of left field, but most of all, it was fucking earnest. Reader didn't want the conversation to end so they asked something wild, but, at the same time, it happened to be something they genuinely wanted to know. How could anyone want to know anything so banal and asinine about him? It was then he realized he was interested in more them as an more than anomaly. From there everything is an upward trend from that revelation~

This has been added to since; we know from chapter 49 that Donnie revealed he first realized he was down bad and had recorded a record of his feelings for reader back in chapter 8. I think that taking all that into account and the fact that Donnie was fighting for his life to finish the dinner in chapter 9 that it was safe to say he was just as attracted to reader as reader was to him by their first real date.

The other bros do not currently have SO's! Leo I'm saving for something special, Raph I just never came up with anything, and Mikey is aroace and too busy for a relationship.

So Jupiter Jim is something he was raised on and that sort of low budget scifi isn't something I think he can come to anymore. You get a special kind of nostalgia for things like that and our Donnie here never had a chance to be fun and silly. Weak Spot Donnie was unfortunately 'raised' with an impressed view on how terrible fake people are. He despises them and fake worlds by extension. He'd watch Jupiter Jim now and be appalled by how hokey it was. I'm just as sad about it, but we'll see how that goes going forward 👀W̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶b̶e̶c̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶ ̶u̶s̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶g̶o̶o̶f̶y̶ ̶m̶e̶d̶i̶a̶

Thank you so much for these questions! It was a blast to share! Also thank you again for being so darling!!! Made my day!

[ignitedfms]

[ manny jacinto, cis-man, he/him ] Look who just landed! VALERIO “VAL” DIZON, I sure hope you packed all you need. Perhaps you’re not worried as FORCE LEADER of THE OVERSEERS. The city has plenty of spots for a 34 year old HEXTECH USER like you. You’ll be known in the city soon enough as THE MARBLE HAND, being RIGHTEOUS and CREDULOUS. ( jun, 30, PT, removed for discretion )

00000 - - INTERVIEW INCOMING - - - 001

001101 1- - ARE you A LOCAL OF MARS OR HAVE you LANDED HERE RECENTLY? WHAT IS your OPINION OF THE CITY OF NEW JAKARTA? - 00011011

Val settles into the chair in the interview chamber, hands folded, his white titanium gauntlets a stark contrast against the dark metal of the table. Across from him, the new recruit fidgets with the holographic console, her fingers slightly trembling. Val’s gaze softens with a touch of nostalgia. He remembers being in her very position, the first time he had to do these interviews. The young woman reminds him of himself at the beginning of his journey—full of potential but facing the daunting task of learning the ropes.

“Take your time,” Val says, hoping to calm the girl’s nerves. “This is your chance to get a feel for the process and learn. No need to rush. This is just practice.”

The recruit nods, taking a deep breath before starting. Her voice shakes a little as she asks, “Are you a local of Mars or have you just arrived? What’s your opinion of NEW JAKARTA?”

Val leans back in the chair, crossing his arms as a small, almost nostalgic smile plays on his lips at hearing the question. “Definitely a local. Haven’t you heard about me? It’s always ‘Val,’ never ‘Valerio Dizon’—unless it’s my mother calling me home for dinner… or I’m in major trouble,” he starts with a bit of a joke to hopefully lighten the mood. “Born and bred in the MAWAR DISTRICT. Can’t say I’ve ever thought of living anywhere else.”

He glances at the recruit, catching the slight tension still in her posture. It takes him back to his early days, back when he was the one trying to make a good impression, trying to prove he belonged.

“New Jakarta’s rough, sure. But it’s got a pulse, a kind of rhythm you can’t find anywhere else. It’s the kind of place that teaches you things, about survival, about people. And yeah, it can be brutal, but there’s beauty in it too. You just have to know where to look.”

He watches the recruit jot down notes, and for a moment, he sees himself in that youthful eagerness, the belief that they could change the world.

0101022 - - ARE you AWARE OF THE CRIMINAL CIRCUIT OF NEW JAKARTA? WOULD you BE WILLING TO INFORM THE OVERSEERS IF you SEE ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY? - 001200

Val’s expression hardens, just a fraction. “Aware? I grew up with it. You couldn’t throw a stone in Mawar without hitting someone with ties to the underworld.” There isn’t any bitterness in his voice, just a matter-of-fact clarity. “But here’s the thing—people aren’t inherently bad. I’ve seen good people make bad choices because they didn’t see any other way out.”

He leans forward slightly, meeting the recruit’s eyes. “That’s why we’re here, why we do what we do. To give people another option. And yes, if I see something off, I’ll report it. It’s our duty to keep this city from eating itself alive.”

The recruit nods, a little more confident now, and Val can’t help but feel a spark of hope. Maybe this one will make it. Maybe they’ll be the kind of Overseer who remembers why they joined in the first place.

000111311 - - HAVE you BEEN TESTED FOR ANY TRACES OF SIGHIR? HAVE your TESTS ON THE VIRUSES COME BACK CLEAN? - 0012133

She looks up, her voice laced with a hint of hesitancy as she asks the next question. Val doesn’t blame her. Just hearing the word “SIGHIR” ruffles people’s feathers these days. “Have you been tested for traces of SIGHIR? Are your tests clear of any viruses?”

Val laughs softly to try and break the tension again. He shakes his head with a knowing smile. “Tested more times than I can count. You’ll experience it soon enough. But yeah, nothing out of the ordinary. Clean, every time.”

He watches the recruit relax, just a bit, and makes it a point to add with a hint of seriousness, “But don’t let that make you complacent. The tests are important. This job will expose you to some crazy shit, and you need to be ready for that.”

0113114 - - DO your HAVE ANYTHING TO DECLARE? WEAPONS, AUGMENTATIONS, MECHANICAL PARTS OR AI-RELATED APERTURE? - 0012444

The recruit glances up, a look of relief on her face when she realizes she has reached the final question: “Do you have any weapons, augmentations, mechanical parts, or AI-related equipment that you need to declare?”

Val stretches out his arms, showing the gauntlets that have become almost a part of him over the years. “Just these—my Marble Hands. HEXTECH gauntlets, titanium white. They’ve been with me for years, and I trust them with my life.”

He pauses, letting the recruit get the details down before continuing, “No augments or AI. I believe in relying on whatever got you this far—your instincts, your training. That’s what keeps you grounded.”

As Val speaks, he reflects on how far he’s come from his early days in Marwar, wandering with no purpose, to becoming an Overseer, training the next generation and protecting this city’s people. His own path has been shaped by the lessons he’s learned along the way, and he hopes to pass on that knowledge to the new recruit.

There’s a quiet moment as the recruit finishes, and Val nods, a small gesture of approval. “You’re doing good work here,” he says, his voice steady and reassuring. “Keep at it, and remember why you started. That’ll carry you further than any tech ever could.”

[tsarisfanfiction]

Going Back

Fandom: Trials of Apollo Rating: Teen Genre: Family/Angst Characters: Yan, Jerry, Jerry's mother It had been a long time since Yan or Jerry had returned to London, but Jerry's mother was still there, waiting with open arms. TOApril day 23 - Cheesecake and Demons. This was an abstract prompt if ever I saw one, and what I was writing ended up going off the track rather significantly, whoops.

Returning to London felt weird.  Yan hadn’t been there for years, not since they were on the cusp of thirteen and facing their second sudden migration to another country for their own safety, although at least that time they hadn’t been alone.

They weren’t alone this time, either, which was helpful because they’d spent all of a year in England before jetting off to America and Camp Half-Blood, and six years of living separated from most of the mortal world entirely.  True, Jerry also hadn’t really spent much time outside of camp during those six years, either, but unlike Yan, he had the muscle memory and nostalgia of peak time London to fall back on as he led them through streets that were familiar but only vaguely.

Yan was going to have to relearn the quirks of the English transportation system if they were going to spend three years here.  They hadn’t yet settled on which university, exactly, they were going to attend, but they had no intentions of staying in America, and they did have fond memories of their year in London.

Maybe they wouldn’t live in London this time around, though.  Living in a busy city after six years of camp seemed like a bad idea, even without the justified paranoia of monsters lurking.  Britain wasn’t as bad as the Mediterranean for quantity or strength of monsters, but it was still part of Europe, and all of Europe trumped America for monster danger.  Yan wasn’t entirely certain why, but they had theories, and their dad hadn’t disproven or dismissed any of them when they’d brought them up.

This trip was just to visit a few of the universities in person.  They’d done virtual tours, but it wasn’t the same as seeing them in person.

Jerry, unsurprisingly, had jumped on the idea of a trip back to England, and maybe Yan was too used to being accommodating to their younger brother, but they’d had no problems with the insisted-upon side stop he’d proposed.

Maybe Yan was unlikely to see their mother again in person (they’d lost contact with her for a couple of years, until Apollo had made the effort to reconnect them, but time zones between America and Hong Kong weren’t kind, and she had other things to focus on in her life; Yan didn’t think either of them would make the journey to visit the other, although they thought they’d be happy if she proved them wrong), but Jerry had always been close to his mother.  Yan had sat in on many Skype calls, then Facetimes and WhatsApps as technology moved on and camp scrambled to keep up, while Jerry had nattered with his mother for hours on end.

Despite the frequent – weekly, at least – calls, though, Jerry hadn’t seen her in the flesh since the day they’d left for America, and Yan was never going to deny their brother the chance to visit her.  They’d rearranged the trip as best they could, around open days that wouldn’t budge for something as small as one prospective student’s travel plans, and it was doable enough to commute from London that Jerry’s childhood home worked well as a base.

Jerry had been an exhausting bundle of energy all journey, even though by all rights jet lag should have been settling in, and settling in hard.  Gods knew Yan was feeling the effects already.  Maybe Jerry was one of those frustrating people that simply wasn’t affected by it – Yan couldn’t remember if he’d been jetlagged or not when they’d arrived in America, but then again they’d been running for their lives for most of the time between touching down at New York’s airport and finally making it to camp.

There was a reason they hadn’t made the journey between then and now.  Yan still remembered the sight of their gutted satyr guide screaming for them to run and the sheer terror that had pushed their body to speeds far greater than they’d ever thought they could reach.

They jumped off the bus in a familiar neighbourhood, and Jerry didn’t hesitate as he led the way.  His mother hadn’t moved house, she’d assured them for the umpteenth time in their final call before leaving camp, and it was clear from his easy confidence that Jerry remembered the route well.  Yan’s host parents had lived a few roads away, but they hadn’t even tried to contact them to see if they were still there, or if they wanted to see them.

That didn’t matter, anyway.  Yan had never been particularly close to them, not the way Jerry and his mother were still close, despite the physical distance between them for the past six years.

Jerry’s house key still worked, and Yan was a little in awe at how he didn’t even hesitate when he put it in the lock, twisting it to one side and giving the handle an impatient niggle before the tumblers caught and the door swung inwards.

“I’m home, Mum!” he called out, and there was a rush of movement from inside the house, before the woman in question burst into sight, barely faltering before throwing herself around her son in a hug.

“Welcome home, Jerry,” she said into her son’s shoulder – Jerry was taller than her, now, but he was also taller than most of their cabin and several other campers besides, so Yan wasn’t surprised at that, even though they remembered seeing Jerry so small in his mother’s embrace when they’d parted.  Brown eyes, light like her son’s, flickered to look at Yan over Jerry’s shoulder.  “And you, too, Yan!  Make yourself at home, you remember the drill!”

Truthfully, Yan had only actually been to Jerry’s home a scattered handful of times during their last stay in England.  Being the year above him at school had left them with no reason to interact at all, until the monster attack that changed everything, starting with bringing the two of them together.  Still, they slipped off their shoes and nudged them into the corner by the door, and made sure the front door was shut behind them.

Unsurprisingly, Jerry had yet to make a start on getting himself comfortable, too busy embracing his mother, and Yan decided to slip past them to give them some privacy for their reunion.  They let their bag – lightweight, easy to run with, nothing to drop accidentally – fall to the floor next to Jerry’s and padded down the hallway in socked feet until they found their way into the kitchen.

Jerry’s mother had been baking.  That didn’t surprise Yan at all – Jerry had never been silent about his mother’s baking prowess, and there had been flecks of white powder on her cheek when she’d come to greet them.  She was a stress baker, Jerry had said many times, and given her day job, Yan’s younger brother had all but grown up on cakes for the first twelve years of his life.

Yan wasn’t sure if the spread of cakes was a stress response or a British hospitality thing – or a mix of the two, which felt like the safest bet if pressed – but it was magnificent and varied.  Jerry was a glutton for sweet stuff, and had regaled Yan with many stories of his mother’s baking prowess over the years, so Yan didn’t think there was any risk of it going to waste.

But even with Jerry’s bottomless stomach, Yan estimated it would take them several days to consume all of the evidence.

“Take a bite,” Jerry’s mother coached, just about out of sight but certainly close enough to notice their invasion of her kitchen.  “No point standing on ceremony here.  Not in my house, Yan.  And get yourself a drink – there’s squash in the cupboard by the oven.”

“Can I have a bite?” Jerry demanded from behind her.  “Mum.”  He peered further into the kitchen and his eyes widened, highlighting exactly which parent he’d inherited the colour and shape from.  “Mum- is that a cheesecake?”

“Black forest,” she replied proudly, throwing her chest out a little.  “Go ahead kids, I know you love it.”

Jerry certainly needed no convincing, digging in with a cry about how his mother was the best, and Yan wasn’t about to turn down a homemade cheesecake, either.  Camp food was good but it wasn’t this.

They did remember their manners, though, giving her a quiet but heartfelt, “thanks,” before they elbowed Jerry out of the way – the hog would have eaten the whole thing if they hadn’t, a lesson learnt the hard way one time at camp when there had been exactly one cake, and one very hungry Jeremy Allen with no concept of sharing – to liberate their own generous slice.

Jerry’s mother watched them with a soft look on her face.  “Welcome back,” she said again, softly this time, and Yan echoed Jerry’s immediate response with ease.

“It’s good to be back.”

[oh-three]

PJO S1E8:

Oooh, flashback to fighting Luke. That's poetry.

Percy over here having been in this world for like two weeks and already fighting one of the most dangerous Gods and foiling a plot meant to start a war.

The look on Ares's face as the wave came down 😂

Well, at least he gave up the helm. Maybe he really didn't know that Kronos was using him? Or was he on Kronos's side all along? Idr.

I fucking forgot about Alecto. Quite funny that she was after them for the helm and not the master bolt.

"Good luck on Olympus." See, maybe there is some honor in the monsters' side after all.

"I'm done running from monsters. This is too important. I have to try." / "You're gonna need all the luck you can get." 😭

And, it's back to New York.

Not Percy walking in like he owns the place. Good for him.

Luke over here instilling bad thoughts into Percy's mind thinking he can corrupt him.

Damnnnn, Olympus looks fucking amazing. 👀

There's something hilarious about the fact that Zeus looks absolutely nothing like his brothers.

POSEIDON!

Poseidon using Thalia's existence against Zeus in defense of Percy 👍

There is something hilarious about Percy and his father wearing shirts over such similar color.

"The sea does not like to be restrained." What a line.

"She taught me a lot of things." 😭

"Do you ever dream about Mom?" 😭

gets fucking dropped conveniently right next to where the other forbidden child rests Poseidon could have put him anywhere in the Camp, there's something very significant about this.

PERCY STARING AT LUKE AS HE REALIZES THAT HE IS THE TRAITOR.

Luke's first words not being of denial, but: "I didn't think you'd give them to Grover to wear" is actually kind of scary, especially in that almost-sad tone.

HIS SWORD JUST CUT REALITY OPEN

"I met your dad" being the line that provokes Luke is fucking perfect.

ANNABETH WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME, OH MY GOD. IMAGINE HOW SHE MUST FEEL RIGHT NOW. HOLY SHIT. HE WAS HER BEST FRIEND 😭😭

Chiron giving a heartfelt speech, with Dionysus coming up to fucking ruin the moment 😂

ANNABETH IS GOING BACK TO SEE HER DAD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIKE FOUR YEARS 😭

"Just...be a kid." I wish someone had told me that when I was their age.

I love seeing how close these three has become. And the way Percy made them promise to come back to see each other again. Goddddd, I love them so much. The childhood nostalgia is real.

Percy, you forgot to close the door.

Back to what I said about some monsters having honor...Hades kept his word.

Fuck off, Kronos.

Percy went from "You're better at this than me" to "Well, it turns out I'm pretty good at this" and I am so happy for him. Our boy's gained some self-esteem.

I mean, he's not wrong about calling Kronos his grandfather, but man is that funny 😂

AYYY, SHE DIVORCED GABE.

THEY DID NOT FUCKING SEND MEDUSA'S HEAD BACK TO PERCY. The fact that Gabe was the one to find and open it in his spite is the best shit ever.

Wait. If the box got turned to stone because he was holding it, does that mean the head just turned itself to stone as well?

Okay, so. I was googling who Lance Reddick was because of the tribute at the end, and. It is truly so tragic that last year two actors died before the release of a project they would likely end up returning in. Looking back at everything he's been in, I'm honestly surprised I've never heard of him before. But, man, he and Ray Stevenson...I am actually so sad about this.

[saiilorstars]

Ch.4: What's Left in the Past

Steve Rogers x OFC fic • squeeze your eyes for a Bucky Barnes x (2nd)OFC

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Story Masterlist • Seren’s Masterlist• Chloe’s Masterlist​​

Also available on Fanfic ○ Ao3 ○ Wattpad

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Seren Soul was ashamed to say that being home didn't feel like home anymore. The truth is that she hadn't felt like any place was her home ever since she left New York two years ago. In London, she spent most of her time working and now she was in D.C. to continue doing just that. As her jet was landing, she felt these feelings doubled by the minute. Maybe she needed a break, that's what her director in London had advised her before leaving.

"After we finish this introduction, you need to take a well deserved break before we start this again," Rebeca Hale was cheery with the implications of her words.

Seren wasn't all that happy about it. "Have they said anything else about another team replication?" Long ago, they had discussed the possibility of once again recreating a team in a different country just like she had for London. But that was so long ago and nothing had been set since then.

Rebeca shook her head. "No, but I'm confident that they will once we present the team. After the presentation, though, you will take a break. It's only fair."

Seren sighed in her seat. She wasn't sure how to take the news if it were to actually happen. It was so strange because she'd been so happy — so thrilled — when Rebeca first brought up the fact France wanted to work with them. Two years later today...Seren found herself wary of it.

When the jet finally landed, Seren gathered her immediate bag and started for the door. She thanked the attendant for the care and walked out into fresh air.

"Seren!" she heard Chloe's call almost as soon as she'd stepped out.

Of course. Seren had planned on a surprise early landing but she didn't expect for Chloe to come out and actually meet her. With a wide grin, Seren hurried towards Chloe and hugged her.

"Ooh! Welcome back!" Chloe had Seren in a bone-crushing hug despite the latter being, quite literally, twice as strong.

Seren laughed. "It's good to be back, honestly."

Chloe pulled back from Seren, wearing a grin from ear to ear. "We're going to have so much fun, I swear! Here, let's go downstairs and get you a cab or something." She helped Seren with her bag and then started walking towards the door leading down to Headquarters. "Natasha will pop by later. She got assigned."

"No worries," Seren said, following Chloe into the building. Already she felt the nostalgia for the building when she walked down the hallway. "Place never changes..."

Chloe chuckled. "You would know. I wonder if Fury ever thinks about remodeling or something. I know a thing or two about international interior designs."

Seren couldn't help but laugh thinking how that conversation with Fury would go. It seemed like Chloe was thinking about the same thing, judging by the threatening laugh on her face.

"I missed you, Seren," Chloe said a moment later.

"Seriously? But you always travel anyways," Seren remarked.

"Yeah, but it was always nice knowing that when I came back, you would be here. Kind of like home, you know?"

Seren smiled. "Well, you did have the others. I know you spent most of your time living with Steve. Was it that bad?"

"Course not," Chloe shrugged, "But you're my best friend. It's just different." She bumped shoulders with Seren. "We're going to hang out later, you know that right?" She led Seren into a new hallway.

"Yeah," Seren said, her attention drifting over to the elevator across them that had dinged as it stopped on their floor. As soon as the doors slid open, out came a crowd of agents with a few familiar faces in the midst. It almost scared Seren that she didn't immediately recognize some of the people. Have I been gone that long? She wasn't used to not knowing everyone at SHIELD.

"Winters," Rumlow called as he led his STRIKE crew.

"Oh, great," Chloe mumbled under her breath then, at a normal volume, told Rumlow she was off duty for the day. "Can't you see we have our old agent back?" She made a gesture at Seren beside her.

Seren rolled her eyes and pushed Chloe's hands down. "Hey," she greeted Rumlow with a polite smile.

"Long time no see, Soul," Rumlow remarked. "You back with us for good now?"

"Um...it's still being discussed," Seren said. "Everything been good around here?"

"Yeah, perfect," Rumlow said with a strange smile. "Winter's been hanging out a lot more around here, did she tell you? Almost like she was waiting for you to leave."

Chloe deadpanned the man. "Shut it. Don't you have an assignment to go do?"

The elevator dinged again.

"Yeah, we're heading there now," Rumlow said, "See you, Soul."

Seren waved goodbye as the STRIKE team walked around them to head up to the rooftop. Chloe wasn't as kind and started walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey! Look what the cat dragged in!" Chloe's loud exclaim drew Seren's attention up ahead.

It was a few more SHIELD agents coming out of the elevator but Seren's eyes fell on the only agent she truly cared for. She locked eyes with Steve and, with a wide grin, hurried towards the group. In her running, she knocked past Chloe's shoulder.

"Hey!" Chloe dropped Seren's bag in the process.

Seren would apologize later — if she ever realized what she did — because all she cared about in that moment was hugging Steve with all her might. And with him, she could totally do that.

"Hi!" Steve was breathless from shock. He had no idea she was coming today. As far as he knew, she wasn't due for another few days. He immediately saw Chloe's smirking face across from them and knew. That sneaky—

But Seren had squeezed him enough to claim his attention again. It'd been two years since he last saw her, touched her, held her. He couldn't be mad at anything right now. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath, letting his entire senses be consumed with Seren Soul. He could stay like that forever...

Chloe dismissed the rest of the agents towards the rooftop. She figured this was going to last for a bit. She would've left herself if the way to the elevator wasn't being blocked.

Luckily, Steve came to and set Seren on her feet, drawing away from her. Seren's hands still rested on his arms but it took her a while to meet his gaze. She looked at him from head to toe, blatantly admiring him. He was geared for a mission, clad in his stealth uniform and his shield. By the time she looked up at his eyes, she was red-faced and so warm.

"Hi..." she swallowed hard. She pulled her hands off his arms and stepped back, very self conscious about herself now.

Steve was grinning from ear to ear. He honestly felt like he couldn't breathe — Seren was right here. She was right in front of him, so dazzling and pretty—

"You guys okay over there?" Chloe had a hand beside her mouth, acting as if she needed to yell the question out to be heard.

The grin from Steve's face dropped when he looked over at Chloe. "You didn't tell me anything!" he accused her.

Once again, Chloe smirked. "I didn't? You know, I just have so many things on my mind. Literally!" She tapped a finger on her temple. "It's the Hive—"

"Oh, save it," Steve rolled his eyes. Seren's giggle brought his attention back to her. "I mean — I would have loved to know that you were coming earlier. I—"

"It's fine," Seren said, "Did I catch you at a bad time?" She may have quickly looked him over again.

"Kind of," Steve was regretful to say. "Actually, I sort of have to — sorry..." He was sure that Rumlow was already growing impatient up on the rooftop waiting for him.

Seren still smiled at him but behind that clean smile she was reminded why they were where they were today — not together. Work. "Yeah, of course," she nodded and stepped aside. "I'll see you later..."

"Definitely!" Steve jumped at the opportunity even when he had to start heading to the elevator. "Uh, just, Chloe can let me know if you're too busy—"

Chloe gave him a thumbs up on the spot. "She won't be!" Seren glared at her.

"Great!" Steve exclaimed and soon disappeared in the elevator. Before the doors slid shut on him, he flashed another smile at Seren. She could almost melt at that moment. She missed him and all his charming smiles.

"You guys are so pathetic, it physically hurts me," Chloe bluntly said as she walked past Seren.

~0~

Seren would be staying in a hotel close to where her gathering with the Council would be happening. Like her apartment in London, the hotel room was a luxurious one. Chloe was utterly jealous and warned Seren that if she didn't properly keep hold of her key card, she would take it.

"I oddly miss that, you know," Seren shook her head at the blonde. Chloe had left her suitcase in the middle of the living room for Seren to go through.

"Well, lucky Steve is getting all of my attention these past weeks," Chloe flashed a big smile at Seren. "But don't worry, I told him it wasn't going to work out between us. I understand that he's all yours."

Seren threw Chloe a look that screamed 'murder'. "That's not funny!" she said while Chloe laughed.

"I'm sorry, but it's so annoying the way you two act!" Chloe plopped down on the couch and threw her head back to rest for a bit. She had another headache coming. "Seriously," she brought a hand on her forehead, "you practically ogled him earlier and he didn't bat an eye."

"What!?" Seren went red in a matter of seconds. "I didn't — I was not—"

Chloe smiled when she lifted her head off the couch. "It's okay. I told him that he looked hot. You should've seen his reaction. Hilarious."

Seren was nowhere near amused with the conversation. "I don't need to know about that stuff and I was not 'ogling' him!" she insisted.

Chloe shrugged as she pushed herself up from the couch. She needed a drink of water. "I exist to annoy you and fluster Steve. I take my job very seriously but I'm also irritated with both of you for being so dumb."

"Did you bring me to my hotel to insult me all day?" Seren crossed her arms. "Because the door's over there."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "It's so funny how you get insulted by the truth, and just about every little thing I say. Steve has the same problem. You're even similar in that aspect."

"And I genuinely wonder how you and Steve have managed to live together for so long," Seren said.

"Because as annoying as I am, I'm also so loveable," Chloe said with a wide grin. "And as 'imprudent' as you like to say that I am, I do make him laugh and trust me, Steve needs to laugh some more. He always smiles but I know it's not real half the time."

Seren fell silent then. She knew Chloe was right.

"I mean, he's trying to navigate himself but I feel like he's just kind of...floating," Chloe continued. "I think he's missing you."

"Chloe..." sighed Seren. It always went back to this.

"No, for real this time," Chloe said, putting her hands together in a praying motion. "Like, he's learning the new things about our world — the customs, the food, the places, the language — but I think at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter because what he wants...he doesn't have. And that's you. Seren Soul."

Seren lowered her head for a moment. Her heart could explode in that moment hearing — thinking that she was that important to someone. "I think he might want his friends back too, Chloe," she said quietly.

Chloe chuckled. "Well, of course, but that doesn't mean you're any less important. I think that Steve just makes a habit of pretending to be happy and no matter what I do to try to get him to actually be happy, it doesn't work. You know I take him to the Smithsonian museum all the time to try and cheer him up?"

"Smithsonian museum?" Seren frowned. "What's that?"

Chloe all but gawked. "He never told you?"

"Told me what?"

Chloe groaned. "I'll kill him! I swear I'll kill him!"

"Chloe, what's going on?"

Chloe explained to Seren what the museum was all about. Seren was shocked, and maybe a little disappointed, that Steve never mentioned to her that there was a whole exhibit dedicated to his life.

"It's really cool," Chloe said. "I've gone on my own too, not going to lie. It tells Steve's whole life and then you get to see his friends there too!"

"Everyone?" Seren said, sounding like she was dreading something.

"Yeah," Chloe nodded, raising an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Well, maybe seeing his dead friends isn't exactly the uplifting activity Steve needs," Seren said, half smiling at her friend. "Did you ever think about that?"

"Dammit." Chloe smacked her forehead and then completely regretted it. There was definitely a headache now!

Seren chuckled. "It's alright. I'm sure Steve appreciates your intentions. I just think seeing his dead friends, and his dead best friend, might be doing a bit more harm than good."

"Well, yeah, now that you say it like that!" Chloe groaned. "I'm stupid. I'm definitely stupid."

"You're fine, Chloe. You always are." Seren had to always remind herself about that fact as well. As imprudent as Chloe was, she did always have the best of intentions.

"I'm going to get a glass of water now," Chloe said, rubbing her forehead. As she walked towards the kitchen, Seren watched her and noted the slight stumble in her pace.

~ 0 ~

Steve was able to get back to SHIELD in under a day. It was probably one of his quickest missions and he didn't want to talk about it. As soon as he had returned home, he went to get ready to leave again. He showered, got changed, and did all he could to make himself presentable. He was on his way out when he found Chloe lying on the couch fast asleep. He stopped with an almost skid on his feet.

Chloe never napped.

He often questioned what energy she ran on because their missions could go on for long periods of time and yet she was always bouncing off the walls with exceptional energy. He didn't want to wake her up, but he did promise himself that he would start bugging her with questions until she answered him clearly.

It was truly like he and Seren ran with the same signal.

He had surprised her at her hotel room and quickly learned that she was on her way out to run some errands. He was glad to join her and in the midst of their conversation on their walk, they stumbled on the topic of their mutual friend — pseudo-sister.

"Do you know what is going on with Chloe?" Seren finally got the courage to ask him directly. "I notice she looks more tired than usual. And she kind of walks funny too, like she's low on energy."

"You don't read minds, do you?" Steve couldn't help the words that flew from his mouth. He apologized not a second later with a meek smile. "Sorry. Yeah, I've noticed the same thing."

"Do you know what's going on then?"

Steve shook his head.

"I love Chloe like my little sister. I'd like to know if there's something wrong with her, something I can help her with."

"I'd love to have the answers, Seren, but I really don't," Steve sighed. "I've asked her dozens of times but she doesn't tell me anything."

"How long has it been going on?"

"A while," Steve admitted, feeling guilty. "I-I should have been more on it, but I have no idea what to do, honestly. I'm scared I might offend her or something."

Seren half smiled at him. "It takes a lot to really offend, Chloe."

"I mean, one moment she's okay but then suddenly she gets these headaches or she stumbles. She's usually very alert but lately she looks like shes could sleep a lot more. And she probably does."

"Chloe's never had insomnia, not even when I first found her," Seren said. "There were days where she wouldn't sleep but eventually she would. Has she seen a doctor?"

"I don't know, probably not." As far as he could tell, Steve was sure that Chloe had kept it all to herself.

"Why didn't you say something to me before?" As much as Seren wanted to keep the peace, she couldn't help the tinge of irritation in her tone.

"What was I supposed to say? I don't actually know if there's something wrong with Chloe. She doesn't say anything and I can't force her to say something either."

"But there's something clearly wrong with her!" Seren exclaimed and stopped walking. "Steve, you don't get it. I found Chloe when she was a teenager — a kid — and I have been with her every step of the way ever since then. I still remember the way I found her. It's permanently seared in my head." It was why she preferred not to remember it so much but sometimes moments like these sent her back.

"Agent Soul, we have one heat signature recorded in the building," a female S.H.I.E.L.D. agent reported over the comms. "Completely still but very much alive."

Seren and a few other agents behind her were making their way into said building. "But you're sure this is where the energy readings are coming from?" Seren asked.

"Absolutely," the female agent said. "It matches the readings we found in the explosion site."

"Be cautious everyone," Seren led her group into the corridor of the building. "If this is the same person, they're responsible for the deaths of twenty people. One bad move and we might all go down in an explosion."

"Copy that," the female agent over the comms. said. Behind Seren, the other agents agreed with dutiful nods.

Seren soon divided her in half so that each half could take the two doors of the room. As they got closer, they could hear the incoherent mutterings. For a moment, Seren thought she heard the voice of a girl. That couldn't be right. They were searching for a bomber. A reckless bomber with no regard for innocent lives. That was what SHIELD told them.

"On my mark," Seren readied her team. Her hands balled on her sides, creating a soft orange glow she would use to attack the bomber. She neared the door first and peeked through the crack of it.

'I didn't...I didn't...I didn't do...no...I didn't….'

A girl. It was definitely sounding like a girl was in the room.

"Be on guard," Seren suddenly said, "The bomber might have a hostage."

"Negative," the female agent over the comms. said, "There's only one heat signature coming from the room."

"Something's not right," Seren mumbled. She pushed open the door and cautiously stepped in. Her eyes swept over the dusty room bathed in a radiant blue glow. "No bomb parts in sight…" she informed the team.

"I didn't...no, stop it! I didn't...Stop talking!" A girl shrieked behind an overturned desk.

Seren forewent caution and ran towards the desk. She came to find a blonde girl huddled underneath the desk, her body trembling as she kept talking to herself.

"Hold fire," Seren told the rest of the team as she bent down in front of the girl.

"They need to stop. You need to stop! Stop!" The girl scrunched her face — a rather gaunt face. She was far too skinny and pale. She was dirty too.

Seren wondered if the girl had been homeless for a while now. Whatever she was, she couldn't be completely human. The blue glow was coming from her body. "Hey there…" Seren said softly, "My name's Seren. Can you hear me?"

The girl's eyes flickered everywhere before landing on Seren. "I didn't...make them stop!" her face scrunched. "They won't stop talking! They won't stop talking to me!"

"Who?" Seren looked around. No one was talking but her.

"Them!" The girl whacked her head hard. "They won't leave me alone!" She hit herself several times before Seren intervened and grabbed her wrists. "STOP! STOP!"

"Who won't? Who won't leave you alone!?" Seren tried to be louder than the girl.

"They're so loud! Loud!" The girl burst into tears. "They won't stop talking!"

"Who won't!?"

"The creatures! Whatever they are! They won't stop talking! Please help me!" The girl flung her body into Seren's, causing several agents to move towards them.

"Hold your fire! I said hold your fire!" Seren waved to the team to stop with her free hand. The girl had grabbed her in a tight hug that included her right arm. She was a sobbing mess. Seren slowly lowered her free hand to the girl's back. "It's alright, it's alright. What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Ch-Chloe. You gotta listen to me, I didn't...I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I can't control this," Chloe raised her head for a split moment. Her eyes flashed another bright blue before the entire glow left her body. "I didn't mean to kill anyone." Tears spilled from her eyes and suddenly Seren was her lifeline again.

Seren quickly cleared a tear from her eye. She didn't like thinking about that day, not when Chloe had come so far now. "Chloe was 17 years old when I found her. She was responsible for the death of 20 people in a bank. Her blasts left an imprint that S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly picked up on. I took Chloe in — she said her family was dead. We assumed it was another accident. She was terrified when I found her."

"She's never told me that story," Steve said quietly.

"I don't imagine she's ever said it to anyone else since that day. I know I'm not that much older than her but I helped her train, I helped her get better. If something is wrong with her, I need to know," Seren said earnestly.

"I'd love to help but I really don't know. She doesn't say."

Seren believed him. She couldn't imagine Chloe telling anyone what was really going on with her. She was a master of secrets. "But if you do find out, you'd tell me right?"

"Yeah," Steve nodded. "To me it looks like it's all from the Hive Mind."

"It's possible the Hive Mind is being more active," Seren started walking slowly. "We've never been able to pinpoint the origin of the Hive Mind. We don't know what the creatures are, we don't know where they're from. It's basically all unknown to us. I don't blame her for lying to us about her parents. They're not dead. She just ran away from them before she could hurt them."

"Do they know about that?"

"I don't think they know anything," Seren said, "Except that she's alive. She just made it seem like she ran away for the hell of it. She has an aunt and cousin here in New York, visits them on occasion. She knows that when she does, her aunt will call her mother to let her know that Chloe's well and alive. But she's never talked to her parents since that day."

Steve couldn't imagine what it had to be like for Chloe leaving all that behind, especially if they were still nearby. "All because of that tech?" Seren nodded. "Where'd it even come from anyways? Chloe's never told me."

Seren shrugged. "We have no idea. We know that aliens have been landing on Earth ever since before humans knew of their existence. It's possible that it was just left behind."

"Not even your grandmother could tell S.H.I.E.L.D. anything? Being a psychic and all…"

Seren smiled. "Yeah, apparently it's hard to 'see' things when it's a Hive Mind you're trying to see. No, we've never really been able to get the origins of that tech. All we know for sure is that it bonded with Chloe's body."

"Permanently?"

Seren met Steve's look. "I...don't know," she admitted. "When Chloe was first brought in, we tried to extract the piece but it was too far gone into her system for such a thing. But then again, that was years ago and years ago we didn't have the technology we do now."

An idea suddenly struck Steve, or rather an answer did. "Like Stark's tech?"

Seren shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Could that be why Chloe was seeing Stark for a while now? Steve suddenly felt a twinge of betrayal from Chloe. If she was really trying to get the tech out of her body, why wouldn't she say something? Confide in him? More than that, how could he not notice!?

"Steve?" Seren called to him. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" That was far from the truth and both of them knew it. Steve felt stupid for even trying. "No. Honestly, there's just too much going on."

Seren appreciated his honesty. "Still feeling overwhelmed sometimes?"

"More than sometimes."

Seren remembered what Chloe had told her about Steve's difficulties. She didn't know how to tackle them without outing herself either. "How's, um, how's SHIELD?" She figured that was as good of a place to start at. His reservations about the organization were pretty clear from the start.

Steve scoffed. "Ask Fury. According to him, it's 'damn near past time for me to get with the program'."

"Fury can be challenging but he does mean well." The next time Steve scoffed, it was hard enough to make Seren wince. "Or not…?"

"Look Seren, I get that you're probably one of the closest people to Fury but he and I...we don't see eye to eye. And if I'm being honest, I don't know if we'll ever see eye to eye."

"And?" Seren was sure that there was something else he wanted to add but was too reluctant to do so. "I know it's been a long time since we really talked but you do know that you can tell me anything, right? No matter what it is."

"Yes but I know what S.H.I.E.L.D. means to you…" He had no intention of getting into arguments about S.H.I.E.L.D. with her. He knew what the organization meant to her.

Seren stopped walking again, forcing him to do the same. She touched his arm and moved over to stand in front of him. Even though he didn't want to look at her, she eventually made him meet her eyes. When he did, she was able to read him like a book. "You're not happy there," she whispered.

Instead of being honest and agreeing with her — and thanking the stars that she was able to make it easy by just saying it like that — Steve went on the path that had him trying to deflect her assumption. "Who's actually happy these da—"

"Don't," Seren's command was soft but still enough to cut him off. "If you're not happy, say it. What do you think? That it'll hurt my feelings?"

"You've worked there for a long time, a longer time than you should have, and you've said it too. It's your life."

"So? It doesn't mean that I expect for you to stick around, especially if I'm not even around anymore."

"It's not that simple—"

"Why not?"

"Because I have no idea what I actually want to do. I don't know if I want to stay, I don't know if I want to leave!" It's what troubled Steve the most. If he wasn't happy at S.H.I.E.L.D., then logically he should just leave...but then what? What was he supposed to do? In a way, he felt stuck. "The only thing I know for sure is that I don't know anything."

"That's not entirely true," Seren said in a means to be optimistic. "I mean, you've been learning loads of new things from our world. You're not the same person you were the last time we saw each other. That counts for something, right?"

"Yeah, it's just..." Steve didn't know how to put 'it doesn't feel enough' into proper words, especially considering it was Seren he was talking to.

"Okay," Seren nodded, bringing her free hand to rest on his arm again. "Have you thought about taking a leave of absence? Clint does that all the time. Maybe you need it too."

"I don't know…" He was a broken record.

"Just think about it," Seren shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt. I think you sort of jumped back into things that you never really considered doing something else."

It was funny how easily she put together honest sentences like that. No, Steve had never really considered doing anything else other than fighting and missions. Whether or not he actually wanted to, he ended up smiling. It was such a fond smile that Seren shifted on its receiving end.

"What?" she asked for the sole intention of breaking the silencer that fell over them.

"I really missed you." It wasn't the first thing he was thinking of but it was certainly in the top three.

Seren sheepishly smiled back. "I missed you too."

"Hey, why don't we stop by for some cinnamon rolls after you run your errands?"

"Okay," Seren nodded. She hoped she didn't seem too excited. She led the way while simultaneously wondering if she really forgot how to walk suddenly.

~ 0 ~

Perhaps it was luck or perhaps it was sheer fate trying to tell him something, but somehow Steve ended up in the VA right where Sam Wilson was in the middle of a meeting. Seren was doing her last errand across the street — hence the luck or fate playing him — and so, not wanting to bother her, Steve crossed the block to come get a glimpse of what the building was like. He was pleasantly surprised to find Sam inside. He listened to the entire meeting, hearing other fellow soldiers' stories and sympathized with them. It seemed like no matter what the year was, things like these sadly stayed the same.

Sam had seen him early on and as soon as he ended the meeting, he met Steve outside in the hallway. "Look who it is. The running man," he said with a grin. "Is the not-running girl here too?"

Steve chuckled lightly. "Ah no, I don't make her run past nine."

"Just at 6 a.m?"

"The normal amount."

Sam shook his head, leaving a bit of silence to follow. Steve watched as a few of the people from the meeting lingered by the entrance. They seem a bit more calm and content rather than where they were five minutes ago.

"Caught the last few minutes. It's pretty intense..." He said, watching the group leave then looked back at Sam.

"Yeah, brother, we all got the same problems. Guilt, regret," Sam said with a familiar sigh slipping from his lips.

"You lose someone?"

"My wingman, Riley. Flying a night PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before, till RPG knocked Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch."

"I'm sorry." Steve knew that feeling so well. He would never get the image of Bucky falling from the train out of his head, even with the decades that had passed them by. It was still fresh as ever.

"After that, I had a really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?"

"But you're happy now, back in the world?" For a moment, Steve envied Sam. Sam seemed like the kind of man who knew what he wanted and got it.

"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero," Sam laughed a bit. "So, hell yeah. You thinking about getting out?"

"I don't know." There went the broken record again. "To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did." On some level, Steve understood what Seren often said about leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. behind. They were both so used to their way of living that to suddenly get out was unimaginable, terrifying even. Maybe that's why he barely considered such an idea.

"Ultimate fighting?" Sam's joke made Steve laugh. "It's just a great idea off the top of my head. But seriously, you could do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?"

Before Steve could say 'I don't know' — again — he heard his name. It was Seren coming over and unintentionally answering Sam's question. Steve had no idea what kind of work he'd want to do if it wasn't part of S.H.I.E.L.D. but he was sure about Seren and what she did to him. She made him happy.

And did she even look extra pretty today or was that just him being a fool?

"I thought you'd be here," Seren came up to the two men, none the wiser about anything of course.

"You just happen to know that?" Steve raised an eyebrow at her.

"Mhm," she nodded. "It wasn't that hard to put together." Her eyes flickered between them, curiously lingering on Sam. "Hi there…"

"Sorry, this is Sam Wilson," Steve motioned to the man who said a simple "Hello". "Sam, this is—"

"Seren Soul," she stretched a hand forwards to shake with Sam. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Sam said with a lingering gaze, "Sorry, you look familiar…"

Seren chuckled. "Uh, you may remember that big ball of colors that exploded in the New York battle 2 years ago?"

"Aha…"

"Yeah, that was me." Seren loved his wide-eyed reaction. Her laugh may have been slightly louder than what it should've been and then she felt guilty. "Sorry, I just love mentioning that. It was my finest moment but I probably should've just waited outside."

"You're fine," Steve told her. He was failing to keep his fond smile hidden. He just couldn't help it. Having her around was reminding him exactly why he wanted her in the first place.

"I'll just do that — I'm going to see if Chloe answers my calls anyways," Seren said, one hand already fishing for her phone inside her purse. "It was nice meeting you Sam."

"Likewise," Sam nodded at her. "Say hi to Chloe for me."

Seren chuckled. "Sure. I'll be outside," she told Steve.

"You don't have to wai—" He tried to say but Seren assured him it was fine. She really did want to call and check in on Chloe.

"It's okay." She couldn't help but laugh at how guilty he seemed, like he really did have something to be sorry about.

"Seren—"

"I'll be outside," Seren said. "Seriously, take your time, I'll be fine." She patted Steve's arm, assuring him one more time before heading out.

Sam watched them go back and forth for those few seconds until eventually Steve accepted his loss and turned back to him.

Sam was smirking all too knowledgeable. "Special lady?"

Steve couldn't help it. He smiled. "...something like that."

~ 0 ~

Seren was hanging up when Steve came out of the building. By the look on her face, Steve presumed that Chloe had done to her what she'd been doing to him.

"She says she's absolutely fine," Seren sighed and stuffed her phone back into her purse. "Does she think I'm an idiot?"

"Honestly, I don't know what goes through Chloe's head most of the time — besides the obvious of course — but hey, maybe she just needs some time and soon enough she'll finally tell us what's been bothering her."

"I hope you're right," Seren folded her arms, still looking mighty upset. Steve hated it.

"You want to get those cinnamon rolls now?" He asked her in hopes of cheering her up.

"I think so, yeah," she nodded.

"My treat," Steve said and motioned her to walk with him. "Did Chloe say where she was at least?" He doubted that she had stayed home all day after that strange nap.

"Just that she was out and busy," Seren said, sighing. "She got a bit defensive, mind you. Told me I should stop worrying about her so much and just...hang out with you."

Steve had to smile to himself. Even in moments like these, Chloe never wasted an opportunity.

"Which reminds me," Seren said, suddenly shooting him a squinted-eye look, "When were you planning on telling me about the Smithsonian exhibition?" Judging by the look on Steve's face, the answer was close to 'never'. "I didn't know you were capable of hiding things from me, you know. Don't know whether to be irritated or impressed."

"I didn't exactly see the necessity of telling you that some people made a whole exhibition about my life," Steve said, scrunching his face. "It's awkward, you know."

"But you still go," Seren said like she had all the certainty in the world. "Chloe said she brings you sometimes but it only worsens your mood."

"It doesn't—"

"And then I told her she probably shouldn't take you to the place where you see all your friends who are dead now," Seren said ever so bluntly. For some reason, it made Steve laugh. "But now I'm second guessing myself because if you really hated it that much, you wouldn't have gone with Chloe every single time she dragged you there which means—"

Steve was downright amused with her at this point. "What are you, a detective?"

"—you" — Seren poked his arm with a finger — "have been going there on your own when she's not looking. Am I right?"

"Can't keep anything away from you, detective Soul," Steve said with a mock salute. Seren was smiling pretty smugly (and looking adorable in the process). "Yeah, alright, I do go on my own. As hard as it is, it's all I have left, you know? I don't have any pictures of my own and...in some way, it's easier having them away from me. I decide when I see them. And I don't have to bring them home."

"Home away from home?" Seren presumed. Steve nodded. "It's hard being the only one left to remember something. I'm sorry."

"It's not like it's your fault," Steve said, "But if you do want to see it—"

"Oh, I don't have to — I wasn't saying it because I needed to—"

"Can I take you, actually?" Steve asked, startling her with the sudden request. "It is my home away from home. I'd like for you to see who I was before all this stuff."

"I know you, Steve," Seren said softly, resting a hand on his arm. "I don't have to see anything to confirm that."

"You know me — this me," Steve pointed out, bringing his hand over hers on his arm. "You don't know that stupid man before the war. Chloe didn't either, actually. And do you know what she said?"

"Oh God..." Seren groaned, "What did this girl say to you?"

Steve was half smiling when he remembered. "'How did you expect to win WW2 when you're pint-sized?'"

"I swear to God, I'm going to ki—" But Steve was laughing before Seren could finish, and the way he was so carefree and genuine is what made her stop altogether. She hated that he rarely had moments like these and wondered how many of these moments there had actually been while she was gone.

"Chloe helps me, whether she knows it or not," Steve said when he managed to calm himself down. "Her comments makes things seem lighter. I know for sure my old friends would've gotten a kick out of that."

"Oh, so they were all rude too?" Seren was smiling, wanting to keep the moment going.

"You think Bucky was all kind all the time? He'd insult me the most. I have to make sure Chloe never finds out the things he'd call me because I get the feeling she'd take on his mantle and keep it going."

"You know what, you might be right," Seren chuckled.

"So, if Chloe got to know the other me. Can I show you now?" Steve didn't know how anxious he could get so quickly and suddenly, but it always seem to happen when he was around Seren. It was true that with Chloe, she had helped him and that was that. She didn't make him nervous. He certainly didn't feel nervous when she saw the old videos and pictures of his old self. He was terrified knowing that Seren might be watching them now. But it was still important to him that she saw them. He didn't want to hide anything from her, not even those parts.

"Of course," Seren replied, and watched as Steve took her hand off his arm and kept it in his. "But it's not really going to change anything. You'll still be the same to me."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Steve said, truly meaning it with every fiber of his being. Because if she couldn't see him the same way, he had no idea what he would do with himself.

~ 0 ~

The exhibition was crowded. Seren was honestly in awe at how many people showed up, and even more to find out that it was more or less like this every day. And apparently, Steve wasn't exactly all for it. He still preferred to stay away from the crowds when possible.

There was so much to see that Seren didn't know where they could possibly start. Steve seemed drawn to certain parts so she followed him and even though he didn't say it out loud, she could tell he was nervous. He held onto her hand like he thought she would run away or something, especially when they wandered over to a corner of his very early days.

'Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare. One that would transform him into the world's first super soldier…'

Seren's chuckle subsided the more she watched the different footage playing ahead of them. It helped loosen some of Steve's nerves. If she was laughing like that, she wasn't appalled.

"I've seen pictures of you — the you before the serum — but it's never really looked so...real…" She said distractedly, a fond smile tugging at her lips the more footage she saw. "You're my size! Ha!"

Steve playfully rolled his eyes at her. "You know, now I can kind of see how you and Chloe are friends."

Seren flushed and sheepishly looked up at him. "Sorry." But Steve was smiling, shaking his head at her.

"Don't be."

"If this is what you had to show me, I gotta say that there's really no difference…" No sooner had Seren said that than Steve let out an incredulous laugh.

"Really?"

Seren knew exactly what he meant and so she looked at him again. "There's no difference where it matters," she said earnestly. "You were who you were before any of this stuff. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"That's one way to think about it," Steve said. He certainly never thought about it that way.

"It's the only way," Seren told him. "And I don't accept any insults towards yourself. Sorry."

Steve laughed lightly. "Good to know the rules, then. Do you know you have to follow them as well?"

Seren knew she'd walked into that one. "I'm a different case—"

"No, you're not—"

"I'm literally half alien, Steve. You're entirely human. People love you—"

"People love you too."

"Yeah, but there's always going to be a faction that sees me as a threat. I mean, what do you think your friends would've thought of me back then? What would you have thought of me before any of this serum and Hydra stuff? Before you knew about aliens and hybrids?"

Steve took one look at her and knew exactly what he would've thought. "'She's pretty'." The world had flown from his mouth but he didn't regret them one bit. The look on Seren's face was prize enough.

"I don't— I mean—" Seren laughed because there was nothing else she could think of at the moment. Her face was on fire.

"I would've told Bucky that," Steve continued, shrugging. He felt a surge of confidence he wasn't quite used to and surprisingly he was going with it. "He would've agreed."

"Mm, really?" Seren could barely look at him without blushing all over again.

"But truthfully, you wouldn't be his type."

Seren blinked. "Oh? I wouldn't be?" There was a hint of disappointment in her voice that Steve couldn't ignore. In fact, he very much felt jealousy spring in his chest.

"It's just — Bucky was always kind of — he just had a type, you know? And he himself was a…well…a bit rambunctious. He was always the life of the party—"

"Are you saying that I'm not the life of the party?" Seren laughed lightly.

"I didn't mean to—!"

But Seren patted a hand on Steve's arm. "You're fine. I don't actually party but you know who does — or did? Chloe. She's a bit, uh, rambunctious too."

Steve's lips twitched into a smile. He was fighting the urge to laugh. 'Rambunctious' was cutting it short to describe Chloe. "Well, I just meant the way your personality is…it wouldn't really match with Bucky's."

"Mm…" Seren hummed, "Well, if that's right, then maybe you're right."

'I am' almost slipped out from Steve's lips. He took her hand again and began leading her out of the exhibit.

There were plenty of other things to see in the museum. They wandered over to one display and Seren quickly realized that it was the telling of Steve's old team, primarily of Bucky Barnes himself.

'Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country.'

Seren felt her hand be squeezed just a tad tighter. She wondered how many times Steve had come into this place and watched this specific display.

To watch and hear how he lost his best friend…Seren couldn't imagine how she would handle that kind of situation if it was, say, Chloe in Bucky's place. She would go mad.

Seren felt like that whole museum did a lot more harm than it did good. Seeing the faces of the past wouldn't be easy for anyone, much less for someone who'd gone through what Steve had. By the time they finally stepped out of the museum, they'd gone through every display and available interviews, including Peggy Carter's. None of it seemed to put Steve in any better mood.

"If your intention was to drive me off because of all this stuff, you failed," she told him as soon as they were on the sidewalk. "I just care that it seems to hurt you. How many times have you come here on your own?"

"Uuh, a few times every now and then…" Steve gave a light shrug of his shoulders. He was very careful not to look at her.

"So I'm guessing every time you're feeling a bit down," Seren folded her arms over her chest. "Those people...they all seemed like very good people."

"They were." There was an etch of pain over Steve's face when he forced the last word out from his mouth. Were. Because they were, most of them.

"They're not all gone," Seren whispered to him, bringing him out of his sure-to-be grim thoughts. "I know it seems like there's no one left but that isn't quite true, right? Peggy's still around."

"She is but...at the same time she isn't." Steve felt his hand be taken by Seren. She was well aware of Peggy's deteriorating condition.

"Have you visited her lately?"

"A few weeks ago."

"Maybe you should consider visiting her again," Seren took her hand out of his to rub a comforting hand over his arm. "If you want to feel connected to your home, I think you should take advantage that she's close by."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, maybe." There was always a need to visit Peggy whenever he wanted to reminisce about the past but ever since Peggy started losing her memories, it became even more difficult for him to see her. If he lost her too then it meant he would finally lose everything from home. He would be the last one to remember everything.

Seren hated the way his face slowly fell. "Listen, we can skip the cinnamon rolls. I'm sure Chloe and Natasha can use my help or something. You should visit Peggy today, help ease your mind a bit."

"What? No!" Steve started shaking his head. Somehow the idea of letting go of Seren's hand made things feel ten times worse. "I told you we were going to get some cinnamon—"

"It's fine, really! I'll be here for about a week anyways."

"No, Seren, I promised you—"

"And I am happily liberating you from it!" Seren wanted to pull her hand out of his but he was gripping it. "I can take a few days without cinnamon rolls, I swear."

Steve smiled at her. Of course she'd do something like that. He often told Peggy about these selfless choices that Seren would make. Sometimes they were small, sometimes big, but always with the same intention: to help others. It was a shame that she couldn't really remember much about Seren.

"Seren, how about you come with me?" As he expected, Seren gave him an odd look. "I think you're right, visiting Peggy would be a good idea but it would be an even better idea if you came with me."

"But I…" Seren laughed nervously, "No, absolutely not. I don't...I don't have anything to do there — she wants to see you not the...the alien that S.H.I.E.L.D. adopted."

"She'd like to see you too, I know it. C'mon," Steve offered her his arm. "You're not going to let me go alone, are you?"

"Well, it's not like you wouldn't know your way back. Steve, no, it's...I wouldn't even know what to say. The last time I saw her she was...an adult and I...wasn't." She scrunched her face. Had it been that long?" Steve laughed. "Don't laugh! I was being serious! I don't...I don't know what I'd do or say…"

"It doesn't really matter because I already told her enough about you," Steve said so casually that he never considered how Seren would react to that admission.

It certainly brought her out of her nerves for a split moment and it was only to be replaced by surprise. "You talk to her about me?"

It was her soft tone that warned Steve to tread carefully with his next words. He didn't want to weird her out. "I talked about everyone," he said. "S.H.I.E.L.D., you know? But yeah, she knows you well enough to know what kind of person you are. Not to mention she did see what you did in New York."

Seren rubbed circles over her chest with her free hand. It was getting a little hard to breathe normally. "And what did she-she say?"

"She likes you...which is why I know that she would love a visit from you too. Please?"

Seren deliberated for another minute. She was nowhere near ready but she wouldn't lie to herself: meeting one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D. had always been one of her dreams. Plus, this was the Peggy Carter.

"If I end up looking like a fool, I am never talking to you again Steve Rogers," she announced as she now squeezed his hand.

Steve laughed. "You are literally incapable of doing that."

"I guess we'll be finding out, huh?"

~ 0 ~

It was breathtaking to see someone after more than 10 years, even more so when it appeared that Peggy actually did remember Seren more than the latter had anticipated.

"You didn't have orange hair…" Peggy made her first comment after both Seren and Steve sat down beside her bed. Peggy chuckled when Seren's hand flung to her short, ginger hair. "I do remember some things."

"Wild actions a young twentier takes," Seren poorly reasoned. It was like she could hear her mother's appalled yells again.

"If I had done that in my time, I can't imagine what they would've done to me," Peggy's eyes widened slightly at the idea. "What do you think, Steve? Orange?"

Steve bobbed his head for a moment. "I think very few people can pull it off. Seren is one of them."

Seren smiled bashfully. "Hair aside, it is very nice to see you again, Agent Carter."

Peggy laughed. "I haven't been called that in a very long time."

"It's how I remember you," Seren shrugged. "I remember before I was younger, my grandmother would bring me around whenever I was sick. S.H.I.E.L.D. is the only place where I could go for medical attention...and the only place where they could handle a pretty strong kid."

Peggy looked at her for a long time, so long that Steve started worrying she'd forgotten again. "You're the little girl that hated doctors." Seren flushed. Of course she would remember that. "You would kick and thrash even when you were this small." Peggy made the traditional notion of her index finger and thumb. "You had to have at least 3 agents on you back then."

"I never liked doctors," Seren said, glancing at Steve. "You know that too."

"Oh, I do," he agreed.

The last time she had been injured was during the battle against the Chitauri. She was beyond exhausted but the moment she was lucid enough, she pulled the IV tubes from her skin and jumped out of her hospital bed to get changed. On some level, he could understand the fear of doctors considering his own experience with them but he believed Seren had a degree or two more of fear.

"How is S.H.I.E.L.D. treating you?" Even with her own problems, Peggy was aware enough to know to be cautious with that question.

Seren briefly glanced at Steve. She wondered how many times Peggy had asked him the same thing.

"I'm doing good, though to be honest I haven't really done missions for them in over 2 years. I've been in London."

"Oh right, Steve's talked about it. Recreating the Initiative."

"Aha." Once again, Seren looked over to Steve. She wanted to ask exactly how much he would talk about her with Peggy. At that moment, Steve wished he hadn't talked about her so much.

"I have to admit that I was never quite on board with that Initiative," Peggy sighed. "One of my many regrets is allowing you, as a child, to participate."

"Agent Carter, it's not your fault…"

"Peggy, please, and as one of the founders it is partly my fault."

"Steve, that's not true," Seren had shifted in her chair to face him better. "By the 90s, she wasn't that involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore. She was with family."

"I know," he told her, touched that she was trying to clear Peggy's name even when he himself didn't blame her for anything. "But she's made it very clear that she's not backing out of the guilt thing. Some things never change."

Peggy rolled her eyes at him. "I think you're the least qualified to speak about never changing."

Seren laughed. "Ouch. That hurt from here."

"You know he's always been dramatic, right?" Peggy reached for one of Seren's arms to tap. "Don't let him do it."

"Alright, I think we can stop," Steve's attempt was done in vain. Peggy continued to point out things that he often did "to make himself miserable" as she pointed out. The only reason he wouldn't take it to heart was because it was nice watching her and Seren get along.

"I did not know that," Seren chuckled. "But I will definitely keep an eye on him."

"Through a screen?" Steve sarcastically retorted. "I don't think so."

Seren rolled her eyes at him. "I have ways."

"Will you be staying here long?" Once more, Peggy studied both of their faces as Seren worked up the courage to answer.

"Probably not," Seren bit on her lower lip. "My current director wants me back in London and when I successfully introduce the new team, France will most likely request my official transfer there."

"I see," Peggy said, eyes lingering now on Steve. He was obviously upset but he would never tell Seren how he felt about it. She could understand. What kind of person would he be if he told Seren to stay with him? But, if she was seeing right, it didn't seem like Seren was that excited about moving to France.

Seren felt the vibration of her phone from her purse on her lap. "Sorry, it's my director," she apologized.

"Go on," Peggy assured her it was fine.

"I'll be out in a bit," Steve told her as she hurried out to take the call.

"Rebeca? Hey, I'm not…" Seren's voice disappeared as she walked further away from the room.

"She seems lovely," Peggy didn't waste a second when it was just her and Steve.

"She is," he agreed. His hands weren't wrangled with each other, like they usually did whenever he wasn't saying what was bothering him.

"And she's leaving soon — again." Peggy smiled at him.

Steve nodded. "I can't say anything, Peg. I...back then, it was just the norm for women to stay at home for their husbands. Now women can do whatever they want. They can go out, have jobs — I can't imagine Seren doing anything more than what she's doing right now. The world would be a goner if Seren Soul was a housewife." He chuckled with Peggy.

When their laugh subsided, things fell quiet for a few moments.

"I'm not telling you to make her your housewife although if that's how far you've been thinking about this—"

"I haven't!" Steve said quickly, albeit with a flush on his face.

"I'm just telling you to tell her the truth," Peggy said, "And then let her make her choice too. She has that right, you know."

Steve drew in a shaky breath. Yes, he did know that Seren also had a right to make a choice like he did but the last time they talked about…she chose her job. He would never reproach her for that because he never knew what could happen to him. When things were for the greater good, they tended to go in that direction. It was in their nature, he supposed…their so-in-sync nature.