#boy is NOWHERE near that popsicle

[killeray]

Kinda funny how Lysander who's the softest of the crushes can have the most devilishly sexy expressions

[nor-4]

Soooo Anxious

Oscar Diaz x Reader

It's been a really hot day the degree keeps increasing definitely because of climate change, those damn uncaring did this if only they cared more about the earth.

Good thing you are nice enough to make a Popsicles and snacks for everyone outside since they nag oscar to hang out and fix Oscar's car.

"God why is it so hot outside, I think I'm about to evaporate." Jamal squealed as he roughly swing the fan around, "Boy if you don't shut your mouth I wi-" Oscar was cutted off when you slam the door with you foot as you carry a tray of foods with both of your hands.

"Oh cesar you didn't told me you will be having your friends over." You said luckily you have more popsicles inside as you didn't include Jamal and the others on the list, "I didn't even know, they just passed by." Cesar stated receiving a smack from monse.

"Who's that?? She's so hot.." Jamal whispered as he scooted over to cesar as he eye you up and down, "I know right." Ruby popped out out of nowhere they arrived with him here but they just forgot him.

"If I were you I will not even say that." Cesar said as he catch a glimpse of his brother giving a side eye on Jamal and Ruby. He for sure knew what they said.

"Monse, Jasmine, dear I'm so happy you guys are here." you happily squealed as you walk near cesar to do a beso with monse and jasmine. Monse is like a little sister for you, you are the first person she run to everytime she has this girl problems, same goes jasmine. You are just old to be their sister, a sister that will have a girls night with them.

As for jamal and ruby they were quietly waiting for you to approach them and also do a beso on them but instead you just shook their hands, even though they are still grateful.

"Good thing i made more popsicles, wait.." As you started walking again inside as the two horny boys watch you walk with agape mouth, looking at your clothing which really fit your body. It will for sure make every man's hungry eyes full.

"Oy cesar, what this little friends of your staring for." Oscar said standing up from sitting on the small chair he own to use everytime he fix his wheels. "What who's staring, hey monse stop staring it's bad." jamal said nervously slapping over monse's arms earning a slap back from her.

"Been telling them that." cesar just shrugged walking to get a popsicle since heat have been bothering him since this morning, "You little putas better stop eye fucking my girl before i pull them out." oscar threatened as he started washing his hands so he can eat.

"Stop acting like a bitch in heat now oscar." You scolded as you handed out the popsicles on everyone, "Come on ma I'm just saying." oscar sighed in defeat.

Cesar still can't believe on how you can scold over oscar, he knows scolding on him is not a thing he would even tolerate. But look at you, you just make everything so peaceful by shutting oscar up.

"Here baby sit infront of the fan, it's been really smoking hot lately." Oscar offered quickly as he plugged the electric fan that jamal didn't even know it's there until oscar plugged it, "Thank you darling." You thanked as you touch his bicep after sitting on the chair.

"God she sound so hot, i wish she would call me that." ruby murmured as they sat comfortably infront of them watching oscar reach for a chair from God knows where and sat beside you.

"I swear this kids better stop looking at your boobs" oscar murmured as he stared back at jamal and ruby who was to focused on you, to shut oscar up from saying something about violent stuff you started feeding him with fries you made because you were craving.

"You made this? It's really good." jasmine asked as she almost choked from swallowing it all the way without even chewing it, good thing monse has a heavy hands to slap Jasmine's back.

"Yes i did, thank you.." You said it made you a bit shy but you love it when someone praises your cooking skills, "Do you want a drink monse? I heard the temperature will get higher later, you need to be hydrated." Cesar asked as he placed a hand on monse's shoulder.

"Yes please." Monse said as cesar quickly stood up to get a drink on the kitchen, "Get my queen some too" oscar commanded as you smack his face.

"You're being too cringe you know."

"Come on, i cannot care for my girl now?"

"Do you want me to tie your hair up?" Oscar asked again but this time more sincere than his sarcadm earlier, "Yes please baby, thank you." You said as your back faced oscar to tie your hair up.

It took a long time for oscar to learn on how to tie your hair so everytime it's getting hot you wouldn't even need to do an effort to tie your hair, plus oscar always carry two of your hair ties on his wrist just in case you forgot one.

After tying your hair up he kissed you shoulder like a light weight of feather which made both of you giggled like a high school teenagers as you face him, oscar used to be a not so affectionate significant others. But by the time being on a relationship with you he learned that it's very important to do, it's his favorite language of love.

He loves to touch you feel you in his hands, to hug you on a cold night, to hold you when you feel sad, to hold you and make you know that nothing can really change his love for you.

Another thing is he used his confidence to compliment you every second, to assure you, to tell you how much he loves you how much you meant to him.

"God I've never been more jealous in my life.." ruby murmured as he sadly munch on his burger.

[r0ttenhearts]

end of summer blues

thoma x situationship! reader

sypnosis: with the end of summer your relationship with him dwindles

a/n: super self indulgent this is a comfort fic for me sorry if he’s ooc

it was finally over. the day you had feared would eventually come. thoma was a sweet boy, holding a place near and dear to your heart as you both grew up together. with two confused teenagers came the need to have a certain type of closeness that’s reserved for lovers.

deep in your heart you knew it was wrong, you knew it hurt him. he loved you for awhile, and you loved him too. but you fell for him once he was in the arms of another girl. a girl that was everything you were not. you couldn’t hate her for it, she was just kind to him. and he had found it in him to move on from you.

it didn’t help the ache in your heart as you sat alone on the edge of your porch. a melting bright blue popsicle in your hand, the other half melting on the wrapper beside you. six years of pain, six years of memories, gone. the blonde haired boy slowly disappeared from your life, texts and calls going unread. his profiles on social media now matching ayaka’s, his bio’s filled with cheese love lines. it made you feel sick.

you remembered the last time you spoke to him, the tears in your eyes and the indifference in his voice. it was as if he was talking to someone he hated, not a friend of six years.

“what do you want me to tell you, (y/n)? sorry, we can still have sex and live together?”

“you’re such a fucking asshole, thoma.”

fat tears rolled down your cheek, the melting blue ice finally splatting on the floor.

“why can’t you be calm about this? just because i’m with ayaka doesn’t mean we don’t have to be friends.”

“it hurts too much to see you replace me and disappear. i don’t want you to only come to me when she’s not satisfying you.”

“you didn’t hate it, (y/n). don’t lie.”

your phone still sat in your pocket, his profiles all blocked and restricted from being able to view anything about you.

“just let me go, thoma. we both have other things to hold onto, different things that make us happy. i won’t do this with you anymore.”

“we’ve been friends for years (y/n). i’m not gonna throw away a quick fuck just because you wanna be dramatic.”

that sweet smile you once looked forward to seeing was nowhere in sight that night. the glare and scoff on his pretty features were unrecognizable. this is what he thought of you after years of friendship. after years of consoling each other and being there for one another.

“i’m done, thoma. taroumaru deserves better than what you’re doing now.”

taglist: @samarill @jaderose18 @whorerificstuff @lelemnh @linkookie197

a/n: gosh that argument hurt so bad i was shaking the whole time i hope i never see him again

part II

[st4rbe0m]

SUMMARY ▸ 20 years ago, a gruesome murder shook the town hard. A type of murder that should've never happened, much less in their quaint town. A lovely family killed in cold blood with an unforgiving axe wielding maniac - a mother, a father and a little girl.

It's been 20 years down the road, hasn't it? Then why are these 10 teenagers stuck in a loop of the same day, being haunted by a little girl who died 20 years ago?

PAIRING ▸ Park Jongseong (Jay) x fem!reader

STARRING ▸ Enhypen members, aespa members (Giselle and NingNing). Any pairings made between Enhypen and aespa members is with clear fictional intent

WC ▸ 2.7K

TAG LIST ▸ open!! send an ask to be added

A/N ▸ I'm so proud of this cliffhanger hehehe had my hands rubbing devious grin on my face and everything as I typed it out. Also thank you for the support on this fic! Pls PLS don't be silent readers and do leave comments and reblogs! I'd love to hear thoughts and remarks from you guys <33

WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE THE BODY SEARCH ?

▊ yes -> CHAPTER 6

▊ no -> CHAPTER 4

BODY SEARCH MASTERLIST

The salt air is sticky and tangy on everyone’s tongue, mouths wide open in shrieking laughter and joyous squeals. A much needed break, it was today, the repeat of the day before and the day after, that the group had decided to head down to the beach. 

“I can feel my lungs close around me. I can’t breathe guys. I can see the light.” Heesung was sprawled across the stone bench of the school park, while Sunghoon chewed on a mango popsicle and eyed his friend wearily, annoyed by his complaints. “Heesung, you’d probably stop dying if you complained less”, said Sunoo, equally fed up with Heesung - not because the boy was in any serious danger. No, he just missed his girlfriend. Giselle, it seemed, reveled in the time she had with Y/N and NingNing, which made her boyfriend’s spirits shrivel as he was left to hangout with the other boys of their group. “You don’t get it, you guys. It’s withdrawal symptoms. Oh Jungwonie, I can barely even see you, my vision is going out.” Jungwon called out from where he was - completely opposite and in no way near Heesung’s line of sight, as he exclaimed, “I’m nowhere even near you dipshit, of course you can’t see me!”

Jay was sort of done with Heesung’s whining, and if he had to hear about how much Giselle would save Heesung from his fate, his head would explode. So he did the only thing he could think of, the only solution - he dialed Y/N. He had just remembered to ask her for her phone number just yesterday, when they walked to class together. Hands intertwined, sharing warmth, it certainly made his classmates raise hell when they saw the school loner with the school’s golden goose. But it didn’t matter, because they didn’t remember anything today anyways. 

The memory of yesterday still had his heart leaping in gleeful somersaults inside him, as he remembered just how beautiful Y/N looked under the waning glow of the sunlight, hair caressing the sides of her face softly, skin that he was sure would feel like heaven under his touch. Maybe if he got bold enough, one day he’d get there. One day, where the sun rose for a second time to greet a different day. 

“Jay, you’re thinking something again”. Y/N pointed out as she noticed the furrow in his brow. “Nothing, nothing”. The pair kept walking down, hands now swinging in mild amusement of their circumstances. Now they were recounting their hilarious fails from all their deathly escapades every night - “I honestly don’t know how she found us in the pool! And seriously, I don’t know what got into NingNing that made her think hiding in the pool - a body of water where we can drown easily is a wonderful idea!” Y/N animatedly recounted to Jay, hands flying about as she chatted along in enthusiasm, Jay hanging on to her every word with wonder, as he gazed upon the girl who seemed more talkative than ever now that she’d broken out of her shell. “Wait, you can’t swim?”, asked Jay, who was now more than amused as he got to know of this little tidbit. “Hey, that’s not what you should be focusing on right now.”, she laughed and swatted his arm. “No, no. I just think it’s cute that you haven’t learnt even after the water park.” “Well back then I had you, didn’t I?”. Y/N looked at him with a twinkling mirth, which made his breath hitch in his throat. And having no idea where the surge of confidence came from, he just looked right back into her eyes, and said, “Aw, so you still need me to save you? Just stay close to me, like I said”, flexing a bicep up, he added, “I can fight.”

In any other case, this would’ve had Y/N cringing. But this was Jay. Tall, smart, muscular and chivalrous Jay. So obviously, it just had Y/N standing in a flustered mess as gaping eyes stared into him. Breaking out of the embarrassing stupor, she just continued along, tugging at the boy who was now sporting a confidence in his gait, “Alright, alright we get it, basketball captain.” Offhandedly, she also said, “At least we know Sunghoon can’t save me since he’ll be busy saving Ning”, in reference to the newfound knowledge she had about her friend’s feelings, when she gasped in realization about what she’d spilled. Looking at Jay in shock, she hastily waved her hands around, trying to undo the damage. “Forget I said that! Who even is Sunghoon? I don’t know anyone with that name!”, laughing unsurely. Jay just slowly grabbed the palm of her hand that she’d let go from his, pulling her closer by just an inch to him, as he said smugly, “Don’t worry, I know. Who do you think has been wingman for both of them?”. That’s when Y/N remembered why NingNing and Jay would hangout so often. Softening up from her slip up, her hand relaxed into his as they kept going again. “Yeah, Ning told me and Giselle while we were talking about our crushes.” “Our crushes?”, asked Jay, which had Y/N slightly stiffening up again. Damn Park Jay, she thought, he has me spilling everything out in the open just like that. “Ning has a crush on Hoon, we know this. Giselle and Heesung have been together since eternity. So ‘our’ here would also mean the crush you have on someone, right?”. Damn that Park Jay, was all Y/N could think as she laughed nervously and said, “Well not necessarily right? I don’t think so.” Jay halted Y/N again, still holding her hand. The smile he gave her was dazzling this time, and it seemed that Y/N was collecting all of his charming grins like a bouquet in her mind. “That’s a slight relief.” “Why?” Y/N was confused. Not meeting her eyes, he just said, “Wouldn’t want the prettiest girl in school falling for anyone else now, would we?”

That was yesterday. And today, as Jay had dialed up Y/N and explained Heesung’s lamentations, a half-annoyed, half-charmed Giselle had just asked the boys to meet the girls where they were planning to go - the beach. To have a day off, and as a celebration. Because the group had achieved something they were building up to for a while - they’d collected almost all of the body parts. In fact, only one crucial part was missing. The head. The head of the missing, dead girl was all they had to find, to brave past the girl covered in blood bent on haunting them. 

“Last one in the water loses!”, called out an excited Jungwon, breezing past the girls in his striped tank top and pineapple beach shorts. “Someone’s excited”, commented Riki, who was lugging along a picnic basket he’d arranged impromptu. The youngest of their group, albeit quiet, was one of the most thoughtful juniors Y/N had met. Thanking him for his gesture, he just laughed and gave her a cheeky salute as he joined Jake, wrestling the older yet shorter boy into the water. The excited screams of the group were a much-needed contrast from the blood-curdling ones they heard during their deathly games. The girls had quickly changed from their coverups into their beachwear, and Y/N was involved in a serious game of beach volleyball with NingNing on her team, against Sunghoon and Jay. Giselle was lounging on the beach towel as Heesung, who finally got the girlfriend time he was deprived of, sat next to her, lathering sunscreen onto himself. “How is this split even fair? You guys are literally trained athletes”, complained the ever-competitive NingNing, who also did have a fair point. “Fine then, let’s switch. Sunghoon, join NingNing. I’ll join Y/N”. The double intention of these actions didn’t fly past anyone, as all four of them seemed to be hyper aware of themselves now. Sunghoon, who simply greeted Ning with a nod and cleared his throat as he set his eyes on the ball that Jay was serving, stood opposite Y/N, who was also watching Jay, for completely different reasons. The way the heat beating down on them made him sweat, the sheen covering his tan skin deliciously. The way he posed with accuracy with the ball, slender yet toned arms accentuating his biceps. Jay served the ball with precision, and it was immediately received by NingNing as she expertly passed it over to where Y/N was, blushing as Sunghoon praised her as she did. Y/N also caught the ball with a dip, hitting right over the net by a bare minimum, which had Sunghoon pile diving into the sand to catch.

The game went on until Sunghoon and NingNing won, the pair high fiving each other, giggling to each other with burning ears, praising the way they both handled themselves. A teasing Jay made his way to where Y/N was, dusting the sand off her shorts. “You know what, let me buy you an ice cream. Let’s celebrate how we held our own against the Ice Prince and his Class President Princess over there.” Glancing over to where NingNing and Sunghoon were still talking amongst themselves, now much more calm and with eyes fixed on each other, Y/N simply nodded as she followed Jay along to the corner store right by the beach. After paying the vendor, the two of them sat on the staircase that led to the beach, simply enjoying the weather, the view and the company. A silence that blanketed them in comfort, not awkwardness. “Y/N.” Jay broke the silence suddenly, but not startlingly. “Hmm”, Y/N hummed in response, curious as to what the boy wanted to ask. “Have an ice cream with me tomorrow as well?”, he asked. “Sure, why not”, Y/N said, not thinking too much into it. Her and Jay were hanging out quite frequently anyways, and this was not all that of a strange request from him. “No, I mean the real tomorrow. A tomorrow that isn’t a Tuesday again. A tomorrow where the sun rises over a new time”. His eyes were determined as he looked at where she sat. There was no guarantee in this. This wasn’t one of Jay’s basketball games where the outcome of the match could be predicted. But the way Y/N’s hand was on top of his palm, her body leaned slightly into him, and from the way she smiled at him all the time - he had a feeling the odds were in his favor. “What do you say?”

The hope that was in the air was buzzing. It was thrown into the wind along with caution, and it was about whether Y/N would catch onto it. 

“Yes, Jay. I’ll have ice cream with you tomorrow.”

A promise. 

A promise between two hearts, young and beating with life and purpose. A promise that neither of the two hearts were sure they’d be able to keep. 

“Guys, come here!”. The urgence in the outcry of Giselle’s voice made the two run as fast as they could, kicking up sand to where the rest of the group had already assembled. Sunoo was on the sand, clutching the bag which contained all the evidence Jungwon had collected regarding the body search. “I was looking for my sunglasses in this bag, when I saw it.” There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary in what Sunoo was clutching, the newspaper article and the books. That’s when Y/N looked to see the color draining from Jay’s face, and the rest of her friends looking right at her in indescribable fear. And when she looked down again at the newspaper, she saw the difference. 

‘10 year old Y/N Y/L/N brutally murdered along with her parents at Sakcho WaterPark by unknown intruder ; body of the deceased is yet to be found.’

[delivish]

side effects may include: snippet

ypiac and werewolf bunny snippets here soon!!

His mom had bought him a fresh pack of multicolored rubber bands for his braces. 

Craig took his time picking out the colors he wanted (green, because green always reminded him of Tweek, and the orange was a no-brainer) and carefully applied them exactly where the orthodontist had shown him. He’d only had the braces for a week or two, and his jaw still hurt a little bit, but the deep ache he’d felt when he first got them had mostly faded, thank goodness. 

Dr. Shue — the orthodontist — had told him that some pain was to be expected, especially in the beginning and after every appointment to have them tightened. He could suck on ice cubes or popsicles or gargle warm salt water until he felt a little better, but above all, he needed to practice good oral hygiene, and Craig had been doing just that. Gargling salt water had struck him as a rather dubious method and was nowhere near as soothing as the popsicles, but, Craig had to admit, it’d worked. Dr. Shue was going to be so impressed with how well he had followed his directions. Dr. Shue was really nice, not at all like the “trumped-up quack” his dad had accused him of being. His mom had told him not to pay attention to his dad; “He’s just mad he had to spend a little fucking money. And on his own kid, at that. What else is new?” 

Craig bared his teeth when he was done, nodded in satisfaction, stuck his hands under the faucet, and ran his damp fingers through his hair to smooth down the flyaways. He was meeting Tweek in the park today, and he wanted to look his best. 

He dressed quickly: a pair of jeans with holes torn in the knees, his favorite Red Racer tee-shirt, a vintage-style bomber jacket with a NASA logo patch sewn on the back that his mom had picked up for 15 bucks at Goodwill. The bomber jacket was at least three sizes too big for him, and he got funny looks whenever he wore it around town, but his mom assured him that he’d grow into it. He had never loved his mother more than he did the moment she pulled that jacket out of the Goodwill bag. Craig started to reach for his chullo hat and thought better of it; spring had officially sprung in South Park. It was still cold enough to see your breath puffing in front of your face in the mornings, but the thick layer of snow that had blanketed the ground for the past three or four months had melted down to dirty slush, and there were hard, green buds on all the trees.

Craig turned to his desk and carefully studied the handful of semi-precious stones he had lined up there with all the aplomb of a sommelier preparing to sample wine. He had gotten a rock tumbler for Christmas and had been tumbling the rocks that had come with the kit for weeks now, polishing them until they were smooth and shiny. Craig picked them up one by one: a chunk of pink agate with milky eyelets, a thumb-sized piece of jasper so yellow it was like holding the sun in your hand, shards of quartz in a rainbow assortment of colors. He picked up the last stone almost reverently; it was a feldspar, ocean-blue, shot-through with swirls of white and green. Craig tucked the feldspar deep in the pocket of his jeans. 

He rode his bike hard to the park, skidding through puddles and crunching over last winter’s dead leaves. Craig slowed when he got to the playground, looked around, and saw Tweek sitting on the swings by himself, slowly kicking his heels back and forth. 

Craig paused. Tweek hadn’t noticed him yet, his gaze absently fixed on something in the distance. Craig gawked at the other boy, his heart slamming in his chest, breathless in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with his frantic bike ride over; he hardly ever got a chance to do this, because Tweek hated when he caught him staring, but gosh, he just couldn’t help himself sometimes. Tweek was so, so pretty — he’d thought so even before the Asian girls started shipping them together, desperate and helpless, filled with a shame that had been entirely his father’s doing. He wasn’t supposed to think other boys were pretty. If he did, he was a fag, and according to his dad, that was one of the worst things you could be. Thomas had come to accept their relationship — grudgingly — but sometimes, when his dad looked at him, Craig could feel him thinking it: fag.

Craig shook off those thoughts, admiring the wild strands of his boyfriend’s platinum blond hair, the way the early morning sunlight turned it to finely spun silver and gold; Tweek shivered like a Chihuahua in a high wind, kind of looked like one, too, with his large, deep-set eyes, but Craig really liked how big they were, how green they were, like chunks of uncut malachite, the way his dark circles only made them more vivid, the way Tweek was tall and thin and stoop-shouldered and angular everywhere, but had the most graceful hands. Tweek was full of contrasts, like holding a bit of unpolished rock in his hands, feeling all the interesting textures. 

Craig took a breath, got off his bike, and rolled it over to Tweek’s spot on the swing. Tweek whipped his head around, wide-eyed with panic, saw him, and relaxed by turns, gradually unclenching his jaw and lowering his shoulders. Craig smiled. Tweek didn’t, but that wasn’t unusual. 

“Hi, sweetie,” he said. Craig had a bunch of pet names for Tweek: sweetie, pookie, muffin, pumpkin (never baby or babe; he wasn’t sure why, it just didn’t feel as interesting). He liked the way the names felt in his mouth, the way they rolled off his tongue, filled with endearment: sweetie, sweetie, sweetie. 

“Hi — hi, Craig,” Tweek murmured. 

[currytorikatsu]

General relationship headcannons with Chongyun

* * *

Warnings: none

* * *

     ↳As it was stated Chongyun had a hard time socializing as he was always working on controlling his Yang energy, it was most likely you both met after being introduced to each other by Xingqiu.

     ↳You both ended up hit it off really well too!

     ↳If you’re on the more extroverted side, you probably were one hell of a ride for him, especially at the beginning.

     ↳Poor introverted Chongyun had to deal with a mischievous bookworm and a ray of sunshine, but he did enjoy your presences so he didn’t mind.

     ↳If you’re on the more introverted side, you probably related well to each other and you most likely also get bullied by Xingqiu.

     ↳Victims of Xingqiu alliance assemble

     ↳Anyways, I feel like he probably started having feelings for you a few months into your relationship.

     ↳Chongyun was probably kind of clueless at the beginning.

     ↳His heart would beat twice as fast when you’re around, he gets nervous and fidgety, his palms clammy and would feel his face warm up a little bit.

     ↳I don’t think Chongyun would be the “dense” type. Even so, he probably will figure out after a while (wether it’s through Xingqiu or other friends) that he actually just had a small crush on you.

     ↳Just kidding, he’s probably smitten for you :D

     ↳He now started to bring an extra popsicle with him whenever you’re around, just in case his Yang energy gets out of hands.

     ↳As for the confession, I think you’d most likely be the one to confess first, considering he’d probably be a nervous wreck if he ever tried asking you out and would end up triggering a flare up due to his condition which would lead to a possible near certain small disaster.

     ↳Anyways, since his condition triggers when he’s in contact/feeling anything warm, this would be a bit tricky at the beginning of the relationship.

     ↳Patience is a huge requirement in this relationship, but please be slow with him, he really loves you <3

     ↳Brush of a hand accidentally? Cue the ice boy’s face burning.

     ↳So you both started off mostly just being two lovebirds, slow to initiate physical affection and always giving each other a heads up when you do initiate it.

     ↳After a while, holding hands, cheek kisses, hugs, you know, the whole wholesome package, becomes something more easy to do.

     ↳No surprise kisses or sudden hugs out of nowhere, or his condition might flare up, so it’s best to still let him know beforehand.

     ↳Although a light pink always flourishes over his pale complexion whenever you do anything that involves affection. He’d get all shy and quiet while you most likely either look at him in concern or amusement.

     ↳The longer your relationship lasts, the more the gestures get more intimate don’t think wrong please.

     ↳Full on cuddle sessions, more kisses on the cheeks and the lips, etc.

     ↳He’d slowly get used to the affection in your relationship so his condition triggers less easily.

     ↳Even further into the relationship, you’d probably be able to initiate contact with little to no trouble with his conditions.

     ↳Being patient would definitely be worth it trust me-

     ↳He’d be so sweet amziajsjakjsjwiak

     ↳Overall, your relationship would be so wholesome and adorable-

     ↳Bonus: If his condition does act up, he’d be a lot more bold about his feelings for you. 

     ↳Being used to his reserved-ness even in the relationship probably was a bit surprising for you unless you have faced this before.

     ↳So he might just kiss you out of nowhere or be clingy and hug you (without ever letting go).

     ↳If this happens, just shove a popsicle in his mouth and he’ll probably go back to normal...

     ↳…or don’t if you like this side of him too- :D

~~~

Chongyun is one of my close friend’s favourite and he’s definitely an adorable and lovable character

PS: I love shy and/or socially awkward boys so that’s a bonus whereas when I wrote this (ヽ´ω`)

~~~

Word count: ≈595

[creativeashproductions]

Shattered Hearts // Luke Patterson

Summary: The teenage years are supposed to the best time of life but not when fate has other plans for Sunset Curve. Not feeling well reader stays home while Luke prepares for the performance of his life at The Orpheum. Shit hits the fan hard and the fallout ensues.

Warnings: Swearing, death, hospital, cancer (type is not detailed) angst, and fluff.

Words: 2.3k

Requested: @lolychu​

A/N: I didn’t go into detail about the kind of cancer because I didn’t want to, I want it to be as general as it could. I’ve never gone through it or had someone close go through it so it could be wrong and I apologize for that. Broken heart syndrome is REAL by the way.

Masterlist

Los Angeles, 1995

There are articles of some medical mysteries that can’t fully be scientifically explained, such as when someone dies in excellent health following the death of a loved one. The scientific term is takotsubo cardiomyopathy, but the world knows it merely by Broken Heart Syndrome. It was a day that was supposed to be the greatest of your teenage years, but the day couldn’t have gone any worse.

First, you woke up with an incredibly high fever and newfound bruises. Pain in a wrist out of nowhere but you wrote it off. You had plans, and illness wasn’t scheduled for the day. Your boyfriend and his band had gotten their big break, well their almost big break. Today was the day Sunset Curve would perform at The Orpheum, and you were gonna be backstage cheering them on.

Luke made his appearance at your house in the morning before early rehearsal, and you managed to convince him you were feeling okay. He went on to their studio, and your mother drove you to the hospital in fear.

Life was an asshole. While you waited for test results pale against the hospital sheets, an ambulance rolled in. Carrying three bodies that would go to the morgue for positive confirmation of death. You wouldn’t know for a full day, Luke’s parents too grief-stricken to call you and that’s okay. 

“Mom?” You asked as her form caved in on the floor near your hospital bed, “Mom!”

Her eyes filled with so much pain brought you fear and concern. With a struggle, she came closer to hold your hand tightly and spoke brokenly the fate that would snatch you.

“Baby, you don’t have the flu.”

“That’s good? So just meds and we can go home?” You asked heart clenching as her eyes closed tight and you knew whatever the doctor had told her after pulling her out of the room wasn’t good.

Couldn’t be good with the slump in her shoulders, the pain in her eyes and the guilt coating her every word. Mom wasn’t a housewife; she wasn’t a flower in need of protection, but she never kept something from you. Always said it straight and as it is.

“Sweetheart, they’re gonna move you to another ward.” You knew deep in your heart the news had to be the worst because Mom wasn’t telling you the whole story. Finally, she broke down, “The doctors got the results back as soon as they could. The fever, the bruises, and the broken wrist have a reason. You have cancer.”

Cancer. A word that sealed your fate. It left you reeling in shock. It shattered your dream with just one single name. Couldn’t be seen but made its presence known. The coming hour was spent with the specialist detailing the type and a tentative treatment plan he wanted to initiate immediately.

A nurse escorted your mother out as the orderlies and nurses prepped you to be moved to a new room. Knowing you were in good hands, your mom walked to the main doors for fresh air only to be astounded at the sight of Mitch and Emily Patterson. Equally shocked, they came together.

“Emily?” Your mom spoke, looking carefully at the parents of your boyfriend. She wondered how the Patterson’s had found out, “Did someone call you?”

“No.” Emily spoke with a numb voice. Your mom took a step back, understanding that one could only react that way for one thing. Something had happened to the Patterson teenager.

 “Luke isn’t here, is he?” Your mom asked, turning to look up at the tall building of the hospital, “Y/N, hasn’t had a phone. She only found out, but Luke hasn’t been with you-“

“The cops came,” Mitch spoke tucking his upset wife into his arms. He was equally as grief-stricken and bitter, but he had to be calm for his wife. They wouldn’t get anywhere if one of them couldn’t get answers.

Your mom gasped, “No.”

“I always knew that band-“Emily’s own sob cut her words off as her knees threatened to buckle. Your mom helped lead Emily into the emergency room before she jogged off to join you but not before turning to the Patterson parents.

“We’ll meet up. Discuss why we’re all here.” 

Being told you had cancer and then informed your boyfriend died all in one night was the most painful thing you had to live through. It was weeks of screaming, invasive procedures and therapy sessions. Your father came from his business trip to Dubai as soon as he could and didn’t leave your side.

A painful six months rolled with cancer stealing your hopes and a fucking bad hotdog taking your dreams away. Nothing made you curious. Nothing felt worth living for.

Not the realistic watercolour tattoo your parents let you get of Luke’s blue guitar you loved so much. It seemed to have a terminally sick child made it practically impossible to say no to, so you got a tattoo of your favourite lyrics of Sunset Curve.

In pretty font, it said ‘When all the days felt black and white. Those were the best shades of my life’ just like it said in Now or Never. One of your favourite songs, you got the privilege of watching Luke create.

“Mom, can I have a popsicle?” You asked from your bed. Eyes barely open as she nodded off her chair, “My mouth is dry.”

“Of course.” She nodded, leaving the room with a kiss on your forehead. Both of you mumbling I love you just in case. You felt like your clock was close to the end, so every word had meaning.

It was a good day so far; you hadn’t had to press for more pain medication like the last couple of weeks. You had managed to turn to stare out the window at the pretty sky. Your eyes fluttered shut completely content that this was it.

Your mom returned to a room with doctors and nurses trying to resuscitate you with your father screaming. No one could figure out if it was the cancer or the broken heart syndrome that killed you first. Your death was a double blow to Luke’s parents the most, along with Reggie and Alex’s own parents. 

Los Angeles, 2020

So much had changed since you died in 1995. Phones had changed, and buildings were torn down. You changed as well too. In relief physically, you had changed from the gaunt, skinny, pale patient to the girl you had been before the diagnosis.

Your hair now looked as healthy as it had been before you had cancer and you weren’t gaunt looking. You were looked just like you did a few months before you got diagnosed and you hoped so since you were dead. It would have sucked to be dead and beyond ugly.

“Do you think she went on to have a family?”

You kept your attention on the waves crashing the beach content to watch the waves doing the same movement they had since the beginning. You paid no attention to the group walking by. Not until one tripped over you landing in an awkward heap.

“Ouch!” The voice hissed. Your eyes flicked down to Reginald fucking Hastings’s blue eyes in pure shock. You scrambled away from the teenager with a sharp scream that pierced the ghoul group.

“Jesus.” You grumbled pushing the little sand that had stuck somehow to your body made of air.

“Oh my god. I think I just summoned Luke’s girlfriend.” Reggie hissed towards the equally astounded members of former Sunset Curve and current Julie and the Phantoms bandmates.

“No, you idiot we’re dead.” You spoke, taking a deep breath in, “After not seeing you for five years I thought you passed on. I’ve been travelling around America and Canada. Something felt like I needed to come home.”

“When did you die?” Alex questioned sadly when you were quiet. His sad blue eyes unable to leave your expressive face, he hoped somehow you had lived to your 90s and died to come back youthful.

“It’s wasn’t harm-“

“No, Luke. I don’t think I’ll ever positively know what happened, but the night you guys died my life ended as well.” You revealed sitting back, letting the three boys join you for an intriguing story to them. Luke wasn’t hesitant in grasping your hand in his, “Funny enough your bodies were being unloaded in the morgue while I was being told by my Mom, I had cancer. The battle was hard but short.”

“Cancer?”

“Our love story was destined to be tragic, whether it be cancer or a hotdog.” You told the teenage guitarist to experience in the afterlife to be gentle about it. The three boys flinched from the indifference, “Have you visited your parents yet? My parents are home for a few weeks.”

“My neighbourhood was torn down. Alex doesn’t know about his and-“ 

“-I’ve seen my folks once so far.” Luke finished playing with your fingers, “You say our love story was tragic, I say it would be tragic if we hadn’t had the chance in life that we did.”

You nodded your head, “Where have you guys been?”

All three boys took their chaotic turn in describing their last meal to Reggie tripping over you with the belief of walking through you. They were in a band with a lifer who made them visible to the public when playing music together. You told them that your parents would choose a destination from your dream travel journal; you would follow them on the adventures.

Slowly you met Julie who put up a distance as she acclimated to having the girlfriend of her crush around always. Julie couldn’t help the feeling of jealously when Luke focused on the teen ghost girl. She couldn’t even hate you! You were so lovely and welcoming to the girl with respect for boundaries, in fact, you were exactly the girl she would have been friends with. Julie loved Flynn, but she could be over the top and dramatic sometimes.

“Good rehearsal. I’ll meet you outside.” Luke spoke, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. You nodded before walking through the white, painted barn doors.

Everything put away properly; Luke was quick to meet up with his girlfriend for their date. Alex noticed the stare by Julie. He had seen it for the past few weeks since you were introduced to the passionate musician with a beautiful voice.

“I’m really sorry, Julie.” Alex softly told the sad Puerto Rican girl yearning to hug the teenager but alas his ghostly body couldn’t allow it.

“Did I have an honest chance before she came back?” Julie asked. Her doe brown eyes bringing Reggie’s attention to the conversation at hand. 

“No.” Reggie answered this time solemn with his blue eyes holding no mirth or childlike glee, “Luke’s been in love with her for years. She’s his all or nothing.”

“I didn’t have a chance between them, and I don’t want you between them either. It’s not a nice place to be even if I was mutually breaking up with his as well.” Alex soothed the live girl yearning to physically comfort her but alas that damn hotdog ruined everything.

“Luke also said when the first big payment came, he would marry her. He wanted to give her the wedding of her dreams.” Reggie unintentionally rubbed the salt in Julie’s wound on the topic of her tragic love story.

Julie learnt to deal with the pain of seeing Luke, so in love and happier than before you had reconnected. In her fashion, she had hidden a new box for her thoughts that was so well hidden the boys would never find it. It was filled with papers that progressively got less romance angst.

“I’m just saying,” Alex spoke, raising his hands in the air after another one of Luke’s emotional rants on the loss of things in death. Such as marrying you.

“Dude, we’re dead, and our ghost connections happen to either be our band, Willie or a very questionable sketchy vintage magician.” Luke snapped slouching on his couch sulking as you were spending time with your family no matter how oblivious they were to your presence.

“I’m ordained.” Willie supplied sitting next to the blonde drummer who had easily swayed from Caleb to the good side again. At the group’s looks of disbelief, he continued, “I was bored! Took some art classes too. It won’t be the average wedding, but you could still call each other spouse.”

“I can check local clubs for wedding dresses. Flynn can easily put together music and Alex can find a venue.” Julie piped up, avoiding the sympathetic look from Reggie, who still thought the teenager had feelings for his bandmate. She no longer did. 

“You can use one of your rings on a chain as well. Maybe hold off on getting a ring until we get money from the band.” Reggie gave his input, earning himself a proud expression from Alex; an expression the drummer rarely was able to give his friend.

“I guess I’m proposing.” Luke beamed already thinking of ways to make his proposal special, not like being ghosts wasn’t already impressive enough. 

It wasn’t the ideal wedding, but it honestly didn’t matter as long as the two of you were able to vow yourself to each other. It no longer mattered on the details other than you two.

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[harrytpotter]

It’s cuddles inside, baby — James Potter x Reader Request.

Requested by @prettysatan: “Hehe I saw requests. James Potter x reader where it’s cold outside and James keeps putting his cold hands underneath reader’s shirt”.

Pairing: James Potter x Reader.

Word Count: 1,6K

Warnings: None, it’s basically pure fluff.

A/N: It’s not the greatest, since it’s insanely hot here in my city it’s kinda despairing thinking about the amazing feeling of a cold weather hahaha. Hope you like it, tho! <3 (also, i’m the absolute WORST when it comes to titles).

The winter was falling hard upon Hogwarts. The days were slowly becoming shorter whilst the nights were becoming longer; it was officially sweaters and cuddles by the fireplace season and the latter was on at full force among the students. Today was the perfect day to do so, the snow was falling brutally outside, whitening the entire landscape that surrounded the majestic old castle that posed as the headquarters for the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

You let your head fall heavily into your arms – which were crossed above the table – and heaved a deep and audible sigh as you frowned in despair, mentally cursing yourself for taking Advanced Arithmancy Studies as an elective class instead of having a free period. Which was definitely something you could use right now to try and keep yourself warm; preferably with the help of your very smart boyfriend who had wisely chosen to have this time free for himself in the beginning of the school year.

“Just go,” Lily mumbled to you, leaning a little so you could hear her, her gaze never leaving the Professor.

You lifted your head a little so you could face her, a confused frown taking over your face as you blinked repeatedly, slowly coming back to reality after being lost inside your thoughts for the past hour or so.

“You look like a damn popsicle shivering and gritting your teeth,” she rolled her eyes at you. “Besides I know you’re thinking about how much you wanted a warming-up session with Potter right now,” she added with a lopsided grin.

Your cheeks acquired a crimson tone as you hissed embarrassed at Lily, “I’m not!”

“Yeah, as if I didn’t know you,” she mocked. “Go, I’ll cover for you.”

Glancing at the Professor – who had his back turned to the class as he waved his wand to the blackboard, writing something you did not care about – and then at the door, you shrugged, still a little hesitant, “I might take you up on that offer.”

“Go get cosy and warm with that twat boyfriend of yours already,” Lily rolled her eyes playfully, grinning at you.

“Thank you, Lils! You’re the absolute best!” You planted an excited kiss on her cheek whilst wrapping your arm on her shoulders before discreetly gathering your parchments and quill and tossing it inside your bag.

“Cuddles by the fireplace, here I come!” You wiggled your brows amusedly as you sang your excitement to your best friend, who chuckled and shook her head at your behaviour.

With a last expression of your gratitude towards the redhead, you sneaked out of class and almost ran along the corridors, desperately wanting to arrive at the Gryffindor Tower.

The temperature had significantly dropped since you had first walked to class, which made you pull your clothes tightly around your body in a desperate attempt to keep your body warm as the chilly windy currents flogged your skin. You couldn’t see a single soul wandering through the castle as the few students who weren’t in their Common Rooms, were shivering inside of classrooms.

“Oi! Pad!” You shouted at the familiar raven-haired boy as your eyes spotted him near the Tower on the seventh floor.

Sirius halted and turned on his heels, a warm smile spreading across his face as his grey irises focused on you.

“Is James inside?” You asked excitedly, getting closer to the boy and nodding in the direction of the Fat Lady portrait.

“I’m fine, thanks! How are you doing?” He teased with a grin.

“Feeling needy today, are we?” You hit back, smirking as you rolled your eyes.

“Always,” the boy winked at you. “I wouldn’t know that, sorry love. I was about to go in when I got a really important message,” he churned a scented piece of parchment in front of your face, a lustful look in his eyes.

“Why do I have the feeling that I wouldn’t want to know what it says?” You playfully crossed your arms in front of your chest, quirking your brows.

“Because these words are way too dirty for your precious eyes and ears, my pure little angel,” he lifted a brow teasingly.

“You rightful prick!” You bumped your fist on his shoulder with a laugh.

“Go find that whipped man of yours, last I saw him he couldn’t stop rambling about how much he wanted you in his arms; Remus almost strangled him because he wouldn’t let him read,” he shrugged with a grin before walking away.

Smiling, you made your way to the Fat Lady and whispered the password rather quickly. When the portrait swung open, you instantly ran inside and scanned the nearly empty room with your eyes, your smile quickly fading once you realised James was nowhere to be seen.

Heaving a sigh, you decided to try his dorm and motioned to the stairs that led to it, eagerly climbing up the steps as a hopeful smile slowly returned to your face.

Closing your fingers around the handle, you opened the door of the Marauders room with a poignant urgency, only to be left down at the sight of Remus Lupin reading a book under his blankets and a snoring Peter Pettigrew sleeping heavily in his own bed.

“Nice to see you too,” the brown-haired boy with kind chocolate eyes said, a lopsided grin on his face as he noticed your apparent annoyance.

“Sorry, Moony,” you sighed, plopping yourself down on Sirius’ bed, which was next to Remus’. “I just thought I’d find James here.”

“I had to kick him out so I could finish my book because he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he hated that you had a class when he wanted to cuddle,” Remus shrugged apologetically.

“So I’ve heard,” you chuckled. “Do you happen to know where he went?”

“I assumed he went after you,” he smiled sweetly amidst a frown. “Sorry, Y/N.”

“He didn’t,” you pouted, feeling defeated as you hopped off Sirius’ bed. “Anyway, thanks Moony. I might as well go take a hot bath and change into warmer clothes then,” you added, taking off your robes and holding it whilst walking towards the door.

The walk to your dorm felt disappointing, the cold air frustrating you even more. You had ditched class exclusively to warm yourself up with your boyfriend and not only were you still cold and shaking like a jelly as you also didn’t have James’ strong hold around your body.

However, once you entered the room you shared with other three Gryffindors, a nice surprise awaited for you: James’ figure was laying on your bed, one arm behind his head and another holding the picture you had on your nightstand of the two of you.

“You’re here!” You exclaimed happily at your boyfriend, who snapped his head towards the door at the sound of your voice, placing the picture back where it belonged.

“Where else would I be, love?” He got up and opened his arms pleadingly, a smile on his lips.

You tossed your robes on the floor, ran to James and hugged him tightly, almost knocking him off on the bed.

“Someone’s happy to see me,” he chuckled and placed a kiss on your temple, his arms enveloping your waist.

“Very much, indeed,” you quirked a brow with a smile before giving him a peck on the lips and wrapping your arms around his neck.

“You’re so warm,” he smiled at the welcoming and soothing feeling of your skin against his cold body, pulling you even closer to him and resting his head in the crook of you neck.

You and James stayed glued in this position for what seemed like forever before an unsettling ice-cold feeling hit your lower back, causing you to jump.

“Take those cold hands off my skin!” you slapped his arm as you felt as if your spine was freezing.

“Sorry, babe,” he chuckled, raising his arms apologetically.

“Don’t you dare do that again, your hands are as cold as ice cubs!” You threatened him with what you thought to be your deadliest glare.

“Have I already told you how adorable you look when you’re pissed?” He smiled devilishly at you as he once again slid his cold hands under your shirt.

“Seriously James?” You groaned, rolling your eyes, annoyed, and getting off his embrace.

“Come on, love,” he pouted, amused. “It’s not my fault that my girlfriend is bloody hot and can warm me up like nobody else.”

“You’re infuriating some times,” you rolled your eyes once again, starting to walk in the direction of the bathroom.

“Come here,” he whined, holding you gently by your wrist. “I’m sorry,” he added once you were looking at him again, pulling his sleeves up so his hands were covered.

“What are you doing?” You frowned confusedly, although you were still annoyed.

“Making sure you’re not mad at me,” he said before cupping your cheeks with his covered hands and place kisses all through your face.

“That’s not fair!” You groaned, but he could feel the smile on your lips.

James smiled before pulling you into a passionate and yet gentle kiss, filled with the sweetest love you felt for one another.

“I love you,” he whispered into your ear after you both pulled apart, once again sliding his bare hands underneath your shirt. However, unlike before, this time you didn’t care; despite his cold hands on your lower back, a warm wave was spreading inside of you.

[vechkinfan]

Jack

A/n: I found this little one shot while I was looking through the deep dark depths of my google docs the other day and figured I might as well share it. Its a young Joker fic, and my fist time writing for the joker so please take it easy on me!😁

Pairing: Joker x OFC

Summary: A brief glimpse into the Jokers past, memories that he would rather keep buried, memories that reminded him of someone that held his heart. A heart that now burned for Gotham's reckoning.

Warnings: Talks of abuse, swearing, angst, vague talk of death

Jack found himself climbing the dirty, half rotten stairs of his apartment building. The light bulbs on every other floor, blown out or stolen, casting a darkness over him as he made his way up. 

His mother had one of her 'friends' as she liked to call them, over. So he made himself scarce for the afternoon, like he always managed to. Jack weaseled his way out of the apartment when those creeps were over. Especially the ones who would come right in and give him those looks. Those perverted sideways eyes when his mother was too plastered to notice any different. Looks that sent a piercing shiver across his whole body, and an uneasiness to settle in his gut.  He much preferred the men who would come over and pretended like he didn't exist. 

The sun had long since started to sink in the sky  as he climbed the stairs towards home and Jack knew he had to make it before the streetlights in the narrows started to flicker. The evil in his apartment was one thing, but the evils that lurched about once all the sunlight was extinguished in the sky was much more frightening. 

Rounding the last flight of stairs, his eyes landed on a girl  sitting at the top of them. Her back pressed against the door jam of the closest apartment door.  One foot stretched out in front of her blocking his path and the other bent, shaking vigorously on the next step down. 

She was sucking on a red popsicle, as her fingers drummed against the skin of her knee that poked free from a hole in her ratty jeans. 

Jack knew she just moved in a few months back, but he never crossed paths with her before now. However every time he opened the door to let in one of his mothers 'friends', she would be sitting at the top of those stairs. Usually a pack of playing cards in her hands, flicking them one by one, aimlessly down to the next landing. 

"What flavor is that?" Jack asked, curious at what her voice would sound like. He'd been intrigued by her presence the moment he saw her all those weeks ago. 

Pulling the half melted popsicle from her mouth, the girl turned her head slightly to gaze towards him. Her dark brown hair in a curly mess that covered half of her face, but not enough for Jack to miss the darkness of her left eye. It almost appeared black, the deep brown of her iris engulfing her pupil, giving her a truly ominous appearance. 

"Cherry." She answered, her voice nothing what he expected. It held a delicate raspiness, nowhere near the point where it matched Ms. Emerson two floors up who had been smoking 3 packs a day since the depression. There was a softness to it though, one that made Jack want to hear more from her.  "You live in the apartment cross from me don't you?" 

Nodding his head, Jack shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. "Sure do." 

She sat in silence after that, and he stood a few stairs below quietly staring at her. His feet shuffling against the creaky old floor board, wondering if this would be the end of their talk. Perhaps it'd be the last time they spoke at all. Jack knew the Narrows had people shuffling around from place to place, like one of them scam shell games. She very well could be gone by morning. 

 "I can bring you one next time…. If you want?" Swinging her leg around, she sat so she was facing him. Both feet planted one step down as she licked the red sugary liquid that was starting to drip down the wooden popsicle stick and onto the top of her hand. 

"I got two left in the freezer." Her voice was soft and held a nervousness that made fighting off a sly grin for Jack very difficult.  

"Yeah, I'd like that." Hustling up the stairs, Jack found himself sitting down beside her. 

His eyes getting a better glance at the girl, in the low light of the stairwell. Now he could tell she was using her hair to hide the right side of her face. Her right eye was an awful shade of purple, and the lid swollen so badly Jack knew she must be having a hard time seeing. 

As he let his eyes pan across her face, he noticed her lip that was stained with cherry popsicle was also busted open. The girl next to him seemed to have come from a similar home as himself. It was near luck that Jack hadn't gotten his ass handed to him by one of his mother friends in a while. Talking back was a habit that he couldn't quit no matter how much he was beaten for it. Not to mention the fit of laughter that usually escaped his thin lips as a belt or a fist swung in his direction didn't help either. 

"You got a name?" He asked, finally dragging his eyes back to meet her dark gaze. 

"Billy." 

Furrowing his brow and giving his head a subtle tilt, he wondered if she was fucking with him.

"That's a boy's name." He puffed out a small laugh. However the girl beside him didn't react at all. 

"I know, you don't gotta remind me." She shrugged her shoulders, before finishing off the popsicle and throwing the wood stick down the stairs. 

"It's  your nickname right?" Jack couldn't quite stop himself with the questions. Usually he kept to himself and avoided people, but she…  there was just something  different about her. Something that drew Jack in like a moth to a flame. 

He knew his interest was purely the result of her moving directly across the hall and appearing to be close to his age, if she had moved three flights up and was a little frilly girl, Jack was sure he wouldn't have even batted an eyelash in her direction as he carried on home. 

Shaking her head and rolling her eye, she was the one to laugh now. "No, my momma lost her first baby, who was a boy when he was real little. She ain't been right in the head since." Jack watched as she picked at the frayed edge of the side pocket of her faded army green vest while she spoke. "So when she found out she was having me, she just knew I was a boy. The doctors told her different, but she didn't really care what they thought. So she named me Billy." 

Shoving her hands into her vest pockets now, she quickly pulled out her deck of cards and began to shuffle them absentmindedly. 

"Billy's not a bad name, I mean there was Billy the kid that robbed banks in the old west right? Like some badass cowboy outlaw… Maybe one day I could live up to that name." Jack's eyes watched as she expertly flipped the cards against themselves, the loud noise filling the hallway. 

"Hate to break it to you, Billy the kid never robbed banks. He's just known for murdering people."

Peering up at him from the corner of her eye, her posture deflated, "Oh…." Billy sighed. 

They sat there in silence after that, Jack feeling some form of regret telling her about Billy the kid. The girl had seemed thrilled in her blissful unawareness, so happy with only a shared name that connected the two. Which was utterly ridiculous, and in any other circumstance Jack would have enjoyed watching the girls dreams come crashing down from the clouds. However it was like a small light had been snuffed inside of her and Jack hated that he caused that. Which blew his mind, cause why would he care about some girl he just met and her no good thoughts. She'd be gone in a few weeks, out of his life for good! The narrows would swallow her up just like it did the other kids, and he really shouldn't have cared. But he did on some level, and it fucking bothered him. 

"Billy where the fuck you at, you little piece of shit?" An angry voice screamed from just beyond the door she had been leaning against. The abruptness caused the girl to flinch and drop the stack of cards she was holding. 

They fell like dominos down the stairs, fluttering off in all sorts of directions. Making a fucking mess. 

Jack watched as she threw herself off the steps and down the stairs chasing after all the playing cards. "Fuck I'm gonna be in so much trouble." She muttered to herself as she frantically began the daunting task. 

Without much thought, Jack did something that surprised himself again. He stood up and grabbed a few of the cards that had fallen towards the top of the stairs. Bunching them together in his hand, before looking down at the Ace of hearts that was face up. The corner dog-eared like a well read book, from constant use probably. 

"I said where the fuck you at girl." A man ripped the door open to her apartment, and stumbled out. The stench of bad tequila filling the air almost immediately.

"I-im I'm sorry I…" Billy stuttered out as she crawled on the ground grabbing the last of the cards.  Her hands trembled bad enough that Jack could tell from where he stood that she was terrified. 

Eyeing the man cautiously, Jack saw him take a step closer to the edge of the stairs. His arm raised slightly, fingers twitching, ready to strike her hard when she finally made her way back to him. 

"Sorry, I tripped into Billy while I was coming down the steps. Made her drop her cards." Jack lied with a laugh, and held up the few in his hands. "I was just helping her pick them up." 

The drunken slob of a man, took a steadying breath, probably knowing he couldn't pummel a kid that wasn't his own. The man's overtly round face, covered in a patchy beard and a badly trimmed mustache that had the remnants of cheese puffs littered throughout it, gave Jack a nasty look. His lip turned up in pure disgust. 

"Yeah well watch where you fucking walk next time." He flicked his hand at Jack, and then turned his attention to Billy. Who was now standing up straight at the bottom of the landing, cards in hand. "You, " He pointed at her with a chubby accusatory finger, "pick up your goddamn mess and get in the house, and don't make me fucking tell you again." 

Jack watched as the man turned ungracefully on his heel and stumbled back from the pit in which he came. Slamming the door behind him with such power, some of the cracked plaster on the ceiling fell to the floor.

"You didn't have to lie." 

"I know." He heard her take a few hesitant steps up, until she was standing side by side with himself. "I ain't in the mood to watch an ass kicking at the moment." He couldn't stop the tiny laugh that escaped him at his own humorless joke. 

Tilting his head towards Billy, he finally held out the few cards that he managed to collect. She greedily took them back into her possession, and Jack watched as the girl seemed to be counting them to herself. Her fingers flipping past each number making sure they were all accounted for. 

"Thank you." Her voice was softer than anything Jack had ever heard as she finished what she was doing and tucked the cards back into her vest pocket. 

"He hit you a lot?" Jack asked aloud, as the girl pushed past him and towards her apartment door. 

Shrugging her shoulders, Billy nodded her head. "Not as much as my real dad did, so I'm lucky enough. I know some kids got it worse than me, so I'm not complaining."

"Lucky?" He quirked a brow at her choice of words. Luck was nowhere to be seen in the Narrows, especially not in that girls apartment. 

Perhaps the girl had been struck in the head so many times it actually made her dense. It wouldn't be a surprise to him if that was the case, because no one, and he meant no one, would ever call themselves lucky with the life she seemingly led. 

"You got to believe in something, right?" She smirked. "Luck seems more plausible than some god or a superhero saving me. Plus I got this." Reaching back into her pocket the girl drew out a single card, and quickly flicked it over to him.

Jack caught it and huffed an amused laugh. His eyes falling upon the joker card that belonged to her deck. The jester was skillfully juggling three knives while he balanced with one foot on a large green and purple circus ball. The character itself was off putting, his face painted white, his lips smudged with red paint  that made his maniacal grin even more pronounced. His jester hat constructed out of oddly colored rattlesnakes, multiple wrapped around one another to give its iconic shape. Their rattling tails hung as the bells at the tips. It was clearly far from the typical playing card one could get at the Bodega down the block. 

"It's my lucky card, bad things don't happen as often when I have it on me." 

Jack couldn't help but continue to stare at it. The wheels in his mind spun endlessly with hundreds of questions, but he knew he'd never have time to get them answered. She was on borrowed time as it was, and he didn't want to hold her up further. Cause if he did, the girl probably wouldn't be able to see at all next time he ran into her. The guy inside, smashing her other eye to the point it was swelled shut as well. 

Looking up into her eyes, Jack attempted to hand it back. But Billy just shook her head at him. 

"You keep it, it's the least I can do after you saved my ass. Maybe it will bring you some luck." She smiled at him before turning and opening her apartment door making her exit. 

"If you give me this, won't your luck be gone?" His words stopped her in her tracks. But all Jack could focus on was her soft laughter.

Without turning to face him, she pulled another card free from her pocket, twisting it expertly between two fingers so the face of it was in Jack's direction. An inverted match to the very card that he held in his hands. "There's always two jokers." 

Just as quick as she pulled it free, Billy shoved it back into her pocket, "See you around." She chuckled before disappearing into her apartment. Leaving Jack alone in the stairwell, staring quizzically at the place the girl once was. His lip twitching up in amusement, before he shook his head clear of their encounter. 

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

The joker cracked an eye open as he startled awake. It was a rare occurrence in recent years that his dreams would startle him out of sleep. That was only reserved for a specific time in his life, and that was not now anymore. 

His half sleep blurred vision instantly focused on the ever growing water stain that was spreading across the ceiling tiles. It's dark brownish edges tainting the once white paint, giving the already run down room a greater sense of abandonment. 

His hand stretched out wantingly, his long fingers gripping into the cool sheets of the spot next to him. The spot that had been vacant for many years now. An emptiness that slowly consumed him in absolute sorrow, and then engulfed him in a burning rage, no one could ever put out. 

It was a pain that radiated through the Joker like a poison when his mind traveled to her. Pleading for him to remember, remember a time when things were pleasant. When she was by his side, and in his bed, places he could keep her safe. 

But he couldn't, the day Gotham took her from him was the day its reckoning started. They would all pay, every last one of them.

[dexiao]

Craving (m)

Synopsis: Jeno goes dumb for Jaemin’s cock for a full-scheduled day.

Pairing: Lee Jeno x Na Jaemin

Words: ~2.3k

Genre: boyfriends!au, smut

Warnings: oral sex, himbofication, himbo!Jeno, slightly softdom!Jaemin

 A/N: So, I thought this wouldn’t take SO LONG, but seems like translation isn’t such an exciting activity as I thought. Let me know if you find any mistakes :)

This is a work of fiction. It does not portray the real personality of the members.

He hadn’t been awake for even half an hour, but Jeno already knew he was screwed. He and his bandmates would have a day packed with comeback-related activities, with no forecast on going back to the dorm in less the sixteen hours.

To increase his misfortune, he wasn’t the only one who chose to wake up earlier and have a greater breakfast than the usual – after all, their others meals would be just snacks, coffee drinks and fast food in waiting rooms or in their van.

Jeno was sitting on the kitchen table still in his pajamas, lazily chewing on a fruit when is boyfriend entered the room, carrying on his face a sleepy expression that matched his own. The younger opened a coy smile as he walked towards Jeno.

By that time, Jaemin was even more attractive than his normal self. His platinum hair blended with the shape of his perfect features, making him look as if he was made of timid rays of sunlight. Just like Jeno, he was still wearing his sleeping clothes – a pair of gray sweatpants hanging onto his hips for dear life, and nothing on his upper body. The imprints of the bedsheets were still visible on his pale skin under the artificial light that engulfed the kitchen.

Jeno returned the sweet smile, shifting his head up to keep gazing at his boyfriend’s face when as he got closer and closer. He closed his eyes waiting for a chaste kiss, inhaling Jaemin’s soft and comfy scent. Besides his expectations, he only felt a warm touch on his right shoulder, making him open his eyes again and release a frustrated whine.

Before his gaze reached his own shoulder, Jeno noticed how Jaemin didn’t even lean in give him a kiss, although his smile was wider and expressed some delight.  His hips pended forward and the blond softly took his boyfriend’s jaw between his long fingers, slightly pressing his face and brushing Jeno’s lower lip with his thumb.

The older’s dark brown eyes screamed in confusion. Did he misunderstand anything between him and Jaemin?

Finally, Jaemin leaned and left a peck on Jeno’s lips, standing still for a few seconds.

“Good morning, my love” he murmured as he got away. The large smile went back to his toothpaste flavored lips.

The brown haired boy whispered a quiet “good morning” as well, the mess in his mind showing through his face and voice. He stared at the kitchen wall, trying to reason. On the background, he could listen to Jaemin searching for something on the fridge and coming back to the table. The silence was usual between them, it was ok to not be talking.

It was just when Jaemin stood right in front of him drinking water, letting a fillet of the cold liquid escape his lips, that Jeno got to understand what was going on. His dark eyes followed the string of water that ran across the pale body, his gaze tracing the same path through Jaemin’s naked torso until his erection – which moments ago was pressed against Jeno’s shoulder.

Realizing the shiver that crossed the younger’s body and the involuntary contraction of his ab muscles, Jeno was struck by a mix of feelings. First of all, he began salivating a lot, his mouth watered at the sight. Second, he shivered; his body unwillingly imitated Jaemin’s. Finally, his face heated up, the warm sensation spreading quickly and flowing in his body – especially to his cock.

Over the day, there were various moments where Jaemin noticed (curious, to say the least) his boyfriend carrying a blank expression on his face. Jeno stared at nowhere, his eyesight out of focus and mouth hanging open, as if his jaw weighted a thousand pounds. It seemed to Jaemin that a string of saliva was about to drain from his mouth at any moment.

At first, he thought that maybe Jeno only hadn’t got enough sleep the last night. However, older was already used to having packed schedules and usually wasn’t insecure about his body and image. So Jaemin decided it was best to check on him.

Jeno remained distracted while Jaemin got closer, hence he slightly trembled when Jaemin spoke, holding his breath without realizing.

“Jeno, is everything ok?” He stopped in front of his boyfriend just after the photographer announced they were having a short break. Jaemin brushed the older’s cheek with his right hand. Jeno murmured an assent, nodding positively. “Really? You seem to be spacing out a lot today…”

“Really baby, I’m just distracted, that’s all” he reassured, leaving a soft kiss on Jaemin’s hand before taking it in his hand and intertwining fingers.

Far from being convinced, Jaemin kept an eye on the dark haired boy for the rest of the day. He wanted to make sure that Jeno would eat well and take any chance he could to rest. Strangely, the younger realized an atypical pattern in his boyfriend’s behavior.

During the breaks in which they could eat, Jeno went for a pack of instant noodles and tanghulu (basically, a candy that consists on fruits on a stick, covered in hard caramel), besides the popsicles and candies that he devoured as time passed by – it’s pertinent to emphasize that the last ones were eaten in a much superior quantity than his usual. Jeno used to keep his diet under pretty tight limits, aiming to maintain his body in the physical shape the company imposed and that he even liked to sustain. Nevertheless, in this specific occasion, it was like he needed to have something inside his mouth all of the time, with no intervals.

To the other members, the only impression Jeno showed was tiredness; they read the constant brush of hands on his thighs and legs being squeezed against one another simply as attempts to stay awake.

Except, of course, for the moment when Jaemin perceived him dazing off and stole the lollipop Jeno had in his mouth. Imediately, Jeno felt his ears becoming hot. He swallowed dry, incapable of maintaining eye contact with the boy who just took his candy.

By the end of the day, when all schedules were over and the boys could head back home, Renjun suggested that they had dinner in a new restaurant near the dorm they shared. Jaemin instantly refused, claiming that Jeno was too tired to not go straight to their apartment. The very boy was totally out of the discussion, just watching the view through the van window.

What was left of the ride to the apartment went on in silence. Jaemin spared the older from having to be in a conversation.

Closing the door before himself after both boys had entered the apartment, Jaemin watched as his boyfriend jumped onto the red couch that sat on their living room. The blond boy released a nasal laugh, dropping his backpack on the floor and unbuckling his belt at the same time as he walked towards Jeno. The older sat facing Jaemin, his dark eyes gazing his boyfriend with a pleading shadow.

“You’ve been craving for my dick the whole day, haven’t you?” Jaemin teased, pulling his penis out of his pants and starting to make back and forth movements with his closed fist.

Jeno, now more than any other moment of the day, felt as if he was about to explode, to involuntarily burst into flames. His mouth already hung open again, without his permission or acknowledgment. The dark brown eyes wandered through his boyfriend’s body – wobbling especially between Jaemin’s face and the hardening cock in his hand. Jeno could feel the drool pooling under his tongue, the situation in his own pants becoming more bothersome as his cock twitched inside the layers of cloth.

The older nodded and murmured affirmatively, sticking his tongue out and low while he stared at Jaemin in a silent beg for help. The sight of Jeno sitting there so needy brought the younger’s nerves to the skin, to the point he could feel his boner grow harder by the second the brown haired male kept staring at him.

Releasing a sigh, the blond crossed the distance between the two and lightly rubbed the tip of his cock against his boyfriend’s hot and wet tongue.

In a silent agreement that came since the beginning of the relationship of theirs, Jeno waited for the younger’s avail before engulfing the tumescent member inside his mouth. Jaemin took advantage of that, dragging the head of his penis all along Jeno’s lips in a slow circular move that got both of them sighing.

Incapable of fully tasting the blond, Jeno felt the despair grow inside himself and tears suddenly filled his eyes. His hand reached out to touch Jaemin’s thigh, hoping that the younger would have pity on him. There was already a wet spot on the couch because of the drool that drained from Jeno’s mouth.

Pleased at the older’s reaction, Jaemin realized how Jeno could barely think due to how badly he craved to have the other’s cock in his mouth. Jaemin nodded.

“You can suck it, baby.”

Instantly, Jeno closed his lips around Jaemin’s cock, finally able to taste the blond on his tongue. He felt desperate for this moment since early that morning, so he took everything deep inside his mouth. The head of the blond’s cock hit the back of Jeno’s throat, moaning in an involuntary reaction. He closed his eyes in order to totally concentrate on the cock laying on his tongue, making the tears from moments ago shed down his red flushed cheeks.

Jaemin stared at the scene with full attention, capable to feel his pleasure being built up as Jeno moved his head, mouth and tongue. His fingers automatically rushed to the nape of the older’s neck, intertwining them with the brown hair and using his hand to help with Jeno’s pace.

“Is this what you wanted?” Jaemin asked between moans of complete pleasure and encouragements whispered with his raspy low voice. Jeno muttered around his cock without letting it out his mouth, the sole vibration bringing another moan to Jaemin’s lips.

Now with open eyes, Jeno attentively gazed at his boyfriend’s delighted expression, speeding up the pace of his back and forth motions, sucking the cock vigorously and hollowing his cheeks. Going as deep as he could, Jeno choked against the blond’s groin, so he had to back off in order to regain his breath. A string of salive still connected the brown haired boy’s mouth to Jaemin’s penis.

The blond cupped Jeno’s face in his head, giving him a loving stare.

“You’re so beautiful sucking me off like this, you know that?” he stuck his tongue out and pressed it on his boyfriend’s lips before beginning a wet and slow kiss, tasting himself on the older’s mouth.

He got away with the same look in his eyes – full of care and love –, stroking Jeno’s cheeks as he straightened his body.

“Can I fuck your mouth, baby?”

“Please…” Jeno whispered before swallowing the younger’s cock once again.

Holding the sides of the brown haired’s head, the blond began thrusting his hips quickly against Jeno’s face, moaning at each move. Jeno hollowed his cheeks again and pressed his tongue on the cock, making bubbles of drool collect on the sides of his mouth and go down across his pale chin.

When he felt the taste of Jaemin’s pre-cum on his tongue, Jeno tapped lightly on the younger’s arm, getting him to stop moving. The blond’s expression changed to concern as he moved away and faced Jeno.

“Is everything okay? Did I hurt you?” he soon asked, visibly worried that his actions could have hurt Jeno.

“No, no… It’s just… I want…” he hesitated, timid. “I want you to cum here, not on my mouth” he completed, pointing at his own face. Jaemin grew a dirty smile, happy with his boyfriend’s wish.

“So you want me to make a cum mess on that pretty little face, huh?”

Jeno felt as the floor had been removed from under his feet, opening his mouth for Jaemin to start fucking it again. Fitting the member on the older’s mouth, the blond began moaning even louder with the expectation to the next moments.

“Can you imagine it anyone come back and see us like this… see you like this… swallowing my cock like a popsicle…”

The words had effect on both of them, bringing the younger to his climax. Frenetically, he took his cock out of his boyfriend’s mouth and keep stimulating with his hands. The spontaneous contraction of his glutes made him bend his hips furthermore while he came. The strings of semen fell spread on the older’s beautiful skin.

Jeno watched the other’s climax full of joy and triumph, rubbing his left hand on his own clothed bulge. By the time Jaemin’s orgasm was over, the brown haired boy stuck his tongue to collect the cum near his mouth, feeling the taste even stronger. With his index finger, Jeno gathered some semen that dripped from his chin, taking it into his mouth right away. Jaemin contorted his body with such an erotic scene in front of him, while he himself was still out of breath from climaxing.

The blond bent forward to kiss his boyfriend, purposefully spreading the cum even more on Jeno’s face, but invariably smearing it in his own skin. He made the kiss as dirty and vulgar as possible, rubbing their faces on one another.

When he backed away and stood up again, he pulled Jeno with one hand and grabbed his backpack from the floor with the other. Then he faced the brown haired boy again.

“How about we continue this on the bedroom? I want to help you in another way now.”

Jeno smiled as he followed his boyfriend. Even though he remained rock hard, at least now he could think cleared than at any other moment that day, and he knew exactly what to ask Jaemin in the bedroom.  

[hanibalistic]

#779ED9 | HAN JISUNG.

genre | fluff, slightly bittersweet, slice of life au

word count | 1175

warning | none

note | so, this is neither very slice of life nor very fluffy, which i’m sorry about. but i hope this piece is still good enough ;-; thank you for requesting!

request | from anon

the bouquet of roses in jisung's hands seemed to be withering away.

he didn't even realize it when he got it from the street vendor selling single roses. it was an old lady. he felt bad when he saw her standing by the corner of the street. something about the way people continued to walk past her made his heart ache—a resonating sight, he supposed. being hopeless and ignored wasn't unfamiliar to him.

in an attempt to distract himself from a freshly pained memory, he had impulsively bought all of her roses and stuffed them together in a ripped newspaper, turning it into an impromptu bouquet. the gratitude he received from the old lady had run a waterfall of cold water past the wound on his heart, soothing him from the goodbye he just made at the train station.

at least something good happened today. even though he was just seeing the dry, crusted edge of the dark red petals. they were more black roses than red roses, which, in a way, jisung thought the bouquet was just as beautiful as it would have been if the roses were fresh and bright. if anything, the blackness of the flowers reflected the sky above him today.

it was gloomy and grim—he was more drawn to it than anything else.

the sun was setting and the residential streets were empty. the holiday season really does make a home a lot quieter than usual because everyone is away somewhere else. he wasn't sure if he liked it; sometimes he appreciates the quiet, sometimes he likes being annoyed as a distraction.

but if he has to choose, he'd rather have the loudness than the silence. maybe not forever, but he reckoned he would choose to live somewhere he could recognize rather than be stranded somewhere in a ghost town.

having people is always better.

"oh, jisung!"

he looked up from the flowers and came to a slow stop. standing by the end of the staircase was you, holding a plastic bag of snacks and wearing your summer clothes. you definitely headed out just for the box of popsicles and the bags of gummy bears, nothing else.

you probably didn't even head to the grocery store, just the mini snack shop ran by the old couple down the block by the public swimming pool. you would have never been caught dead wearing flip-flops outside your home's front yard unless it is for a short trip.

you walked up the stairs after waving at him and you stopped a few steps below him with your head arched up. "how was it?"

he clutched the bouquet slightly. "how was what?"

"the goodbye! you were seeing hyunjin off, weren't you? did you manage to tell him how you feel?" you asked innocently, shifting on your weight and leaning against the metal rail.

jisung pursed his lips. he wanted to roll his eyes at you for asking him about how his hastily planned confession to a boy he used to hate so much went. but of course, you would be interested to know! he has been bugging you about it ever since he learned that hyunjin and his family would be moving to seoul.

it was his disappointment talking. he was so shocked and upset when he saw that there was already a girl there by hyunjin's side when he made it to the train station, their hands unable to unlock from each other. he had to swallow his confession down his throat and he only dropped by with a brief farewell before he left the train station in haste.

and then he bought the roses just to walk around town with nowhere he wanted to go.

"it was fine," he replied quietly. "i said goodbye, told him i hate his guts, and then i left."

you blinked incredulously at first, realizing he did the exact opposite of what he had planned to do. then you softened, realizing that he did the exact opposite of what he had planned to do.

after everything—it was tragic. you wondered if things would have worked out better for him if they didn't have a rivalry phase. jisung may have seen his feelings earlier if he wasn't so busy keeping up his dislike for hyunjin, and he could have prepared himself for this better, even if hyunjin was already with someone else, which only made it even harder for jisung to say anything.

"i know how much you liked him," you pointed out, staring up at him with a wistful smile. "i know."

he looked down at you, feeling his chest tighten at your words. "what...?"

you gave him a little shrug as you raised your plastic bag. as you reached in, you repeated casually, "i said i know how much you liked him."

jisung sucked in a breath, his finger clenching around the newspaper.

it was true that it was a shame he wasn't able to deliver his feelings at the end of the day. it was all he ever wanted to do, to have his feelings heard, and he messed up at the last minute because of unexpected reasons.

he wasn't disappointed that hyunjin didn't like him back, or that all his affection would have nowhere to call home now that he was gone. jisung was disappointed that he would never get the chance to be acknowledged.

except he was acknowledged. you were standing in front of him, looking at him with stern eyes, and you told him you knew.

you validated his feelings. somebody out there knew—you knew that he liked hyunjin, so much to a point he could talk day and night about the boy. his affection hasn't gone to waste, it wasn't kept as a useless secret. you saw that he once loved a boy; you saw him and you knew him.

jisung's affection does have someplace to go. maybe not in hyunjin's mind, but it has somewhere to go, and that somewhere was you.

it was crazy you even figured that out in the first place. he would have thought you would go ahead and comfort him about failing to confess.

"want some gummy bears?" you asked as you handed a bag out to him.

jisung looked at it, then he looked at you, and he found that his smile was returning to him slowly.

he has never noticed it before, but maybe just having you now would be good enough for him. he could spend the rest of the summer with you trying to get over his feelings for hyunjin. things would turn out better for him, even if they were already fine now.

"yes, thank you," he nodded, "do you want some roses?"

you giggled and picked one out of the bouquet, thanking him quietly. placing it near your face, you smiled at it with the falling sun behind you, the golden gleam reflected in his eyes when he stared.

and jisung saw just now, that the edge of the roses was filled with glittery dust.

[jenn-i-guess]

Kiribaku Childhood Friends AU: Chapter One

Katsuki was pissed to say the least.

That would explain his stance right now, standing by his mother and absolutely fuming. He didn’t say anything, but if Mitsuki looked down she could clearly see a small angry pout on his lips, his small arms crossed over his red All Might shirt and his hair combed through.

“Oh come on, brat. It’s time that you meet new people.” Mitsuki sighed, patting her sons head before leaving to get her phone, already tired with Katsuki’s behavior.

Why should he have to meet new people? He was fine being by himself! Alone, with no one wanting to talk with him. He glared at the door internally cussing at himself when he started to feel those empty emotions again.

He flinched when loud knocks banged against the entrance, Mitsuki immediately getting in front of him and turning the locks.

“Hello!” A woman’s voice cried out cheerfully, the same reaction coming from his mother. Katsuki nervously wrung the bottom of his shirt as he went to stand behind tall legs. Nervous? No way. He was absolutely not nervous!

Flattening the wrinkles, he peered from behind his mother’s legs and frowned even more when he only saw a woman.

She was a petite lady with long black feathery hair, with bright red eyes and sharp looking teeth. Those crimson eyes locked onto him and she gave Katsuki a toothy smile.

“Why, this must be Katsuki! It’s nice to meet you.” She brought her hand down, which he noted were smooth and manicured. Short, stubby, but painted nails locked around him with a firm grip, shaking his hand for him.

Yeah, introductions were great or whatever, but Katsuki thought there was suppose to be a boy. He quickly got his hand back and stared up at his mother expectantly.

Getting the message, Mitsuki smiled at her friend, “Where’s Eijirou?”

Eijirou? What a strange name, Katsuki thought. But both of them got their answer.

All of a sudden, a small head peeked out from behind the woman’s legs. The boy’s hair was short and black like his mother’s, long bangs covering most of his face except Katsuki could see one red eye with one short scar over his eyelid. The boy only stared at Bakugou, his eyes wide and curious.

Katsuki shuffled around uncomfortably as the boy kept staring at him, but Mitsuki held him still with one hand on his small shoulder. “Why hello there! You must be Eijirou. This is Katsuki!” She gestured to her squirming son below her, smiling when the boy stepped from behind his mother.

“...hi.” He lifted his hand up to wave at Katsuki and that’s when he saw it. A plushie. A Crimson Riot plushie. Why would he bring that toy here? To play with? Bakugou had his own All Might figurines to play with, even if his collection wasn’t as big as Deku’s.

As Mitsuki allowed them in, they immediately left the boy’s alone, going to sit down on the couch and gossip. “Katsuki, make sure to play nice!” She said before she sat next to her friend.

Eijirou wasn’t looking at Bakugou anymore but around the house, clutching his hero plushie in both of his hands. This allowed Katsuki to finally look at him.

He was wearing an orange button up that was messily tucked into camouflage cargo shorts, wearing large black sneakers. Also on his legs, he has a few scrapes and bruises, along with one red band-aid with Crimson Riot’s face on it, placed directly on top of his knee.

“Follow me.” Katsuki gruffly commanded, watching Eijirou’s face light up. He didn’t know why, but seeing a small smile form on his lips made Bakugou’s chest feel jittery, like thousands of butterflies were flying around inside of him. He shook it off though as he guided Eijirou towards his room.

“Woah!” Eijirou gasped as he opened his door, quickly walking over to the many All Might figurines. “So you like All Might?” It seems the shy boy that was standing by his door only a few minutes ago was completely gone, replaced with an excitable version of him.

“Duh. He’s the best hero ever!” Katsuki gleefully shouted, placing his hands on his hips, watching as Eijirou crouched down to look at them more carefully.

Though after his sentence, the raven haired boy furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head, smiling with the same sharp toothy grin as his mother’s while speaking, “No way! Crimson Riot is the best!” He shook the plushie in his hands.

Bakugou growled, stepping forward as he towered over Eijirou’s crouched figure. “Are you saying I’m wrong?”

Eijirou seemed confused for a second before he shook his head again. “No. I like All Might too but Crimson is my favorite!” He showed Katsuki the toy, mimicking movements as he bopped it up and down.

“I’ve never heard of him before.” Katsuki lied, he has. He’s seen that hideous red hair on the news before, he just wanted to see Eijirou do more of those ridiculously cute movements with that stuffed toy again.

“What?!” Eijirou shrieked, staring up at Bakugou in surprise. “He’s so manly! And he’s super strong! Crimson is everything I wanna be!” He jumped up and down on the floor, squishing his cheeks in between his hands.

“You wanna be a hero?” Now they were getting somewhere. Katsuki could actually see himself liking this kid, smirking as he sat down next to Eijirou.

“Yeah! Well, kind of.” He stared down at his lap sadly, shocking Bakugou as he tried to get that happy smile back.

“What do you mean?” He nervously asked, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible.

“My quirk...isn’t that flashy.” Eijirou admitted, his shoulders slumping down. His hands picked at his toy, pulling on a loose string.

“Show me.”

Eijirou looked up at the blonde boy quickly, mouth agape in shock. He let his mouth open and close repeatedly, like a confused fish. “I-But I told you, my quirk isn’t cool or awesome. It’s dumb.” He muttered.

Getting nowhere with this conversation, Katsuki suddenly held his hand up, palm facing the ceiling before he let out a few explosions, small, almost looking like firecrackers were going off. Katsuki held back a wince as his palms tingled, not use to his quirk yet as he only got it a few weeks ago.

He grinned when Eijirou let out a small noise of excitement as the sparks faded, clutching the front of his shirt in anticipation, “Woah! That’s so cool!”

“I know. The doctor said I sweat some sort of explosive juice.” Katsuki stated, wiping his palms on his t-shirt. The he flicked a finger on Eijirou’s forehead, glaring at the boy, “Now show me yours.” He demanded.

He sighed, understanding that he couldn’t exactly go anywhere to delay showing it. Holding up his right arm, he let out a breath before Eijirou allowed his skin to turn rigid, jagged like a rock. He then used one of his pointed fingers, pressing it on a corner of his shorts before he slid it across.

They both watched as the fabric ripped open with ease. Eijirou quickly let his hand soften back up.

“You can cut things?” Katsuki asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Eijirou sighed pensively, “No. I can harden my entire body, sort of like a shield.” He explained, averting his eyes. But as he looked up again when there was nothing but silence, he saw Katsuki’s red eyes, as wide as saucers, looking at him up and down.

“So you can turn yourself into an unbreakable shield?! That’s so badass!” Bakugou remarked, watching as Eijirou gasped.

“Bakugou! That’s a bad word!” He stiffled a giggle as he whipped his head towards the door, in case Katsuki’s mom was there, or worse...his own mom.

“Whatever, it’s not like she’s gonna care.” Katsuki huffed, though he also looked towards the direction of his bedroom door. He crossed his arms and sunk back down towards the floor. “You could probably take some of my explosions.”

Eijirou let the silence hang in the air before he shrieked again, “What?!”

Bakugou rolled his eyes, spitting out his words again, “I said, you could probably have some of my explosions shot at you without getting hurt. If you use your quirk at least.” He spoke nonchalantly, furrowing his eyebrows when Eijirou shook his head.

“Let’s not test that...yet.” He stammered, nervously avoiding Katsuki’s gaze now, tightening his hands around his plushie.

An awkward silence passed through them, that is until Katsuki suddenly stood up, defiance clear in his eyes. “Lets get popsicles!” He yelled, before throwing his door open, Eijirou scrambling to follow after him, carrying his toy.

As they ran in the hallway towards the kitchen, Mitsuki leaned her head back from the couch when she heard the quiet pitter pattering of small feet, “Hey! What’re you doing, brat?” She addressed to Bakugou, smiling at Eijirou who stopped and waited for Katsuki, shyly staring at the two mothers.

“All Might popsicles!” Bakugou yelled out his answer, digging through his freezer as he brought out two wrapped desserts. He slammed the door shut and padded up to Eijirou, handing him one of the frozen treats.

Eijirou slowly peeled the plastic wrapper and smiled softly. The popsicle was in the shape of All Might’s face, with two blue bubblegum balls as eyes, yellow for hair and skin, and red and blue for the collar of the uniform. Though it was a bit...melted.

“Hm, it looks a bit melted.” Eijirou hummed, sticking his pink tongue out and licking up the sides, tasting the lemony flavor.

“Well yeah. The real All Might is flawless.” Katsuki muttered, taking out a large bite off the top. Eijirou winced at the huge bite mark left behind but slowly started nibbling on his own tasty treat.

Mitsuki sat up with her friend, grinning when she saw that Katsuki was actually sort of having fun with Eijirou. She was sad to have to break it up. “Kats.” She whispered, crouching down to her sons level.

“Mm?” Bakugou slurped the popsicle, eyeing his mother.

“I’m afraid it’s time for Kirishima to go.” She spoke, a frown etched onto her face as she saw the gears turning in his head.

“What!” He turned towards Eijirou who looked just as confused. “But he just got here!”

Now Eijirou’s mother came near, gently pressing her hand on his shoulder, “Sorry dear, I have to go back to work. Ei has to go home.”

Now he was even more pissed than before.

Katsuki dropped the popsicle onto the floor, leaping onto Eijirou and grabbing his arm in a tight grip. “No!” He pouted, pulling Kirishima closer to him.

“Wah? Bakugou?” Eijirou looked down at him, his arm starting to go numb. “We can meet another time.” He gave him a small smile but that still wouldn’t get the clingy boy to let go of him.

“No!” Bakugou yelled louder, even hissing at his mother as she crept closer.

“Listen you brat, we can set up another play date this weekend, but Eijirou has to go home.” Mitsuki scolded, trying to pull her son off of his new friend. Eijirou stared between the two, before he tapped on Bakugou’s shoulders.

“Nn?” Katsuki barely moved, only casting his eyes upwards at him. Eijirou smiled, tossing the popsicle down and holding up the Crimson Riot plushie he still had in his hand. He pushed it against Katsuki’s face, smushing his cheek.

Bakugou held up a wary hand and wrapped it around the torso of the toy, eyes nervously looking up at Kirishima. “You can keep it! So that you remember me!” Eijirou smiled brightly, his sharp teeth glinting.

His eyes sparkled and Katsuki quickly let go of Eijirou to wrap both of his arms around the plushie. Mitsuki rolled her eyes and ruffled Kirishima’s hair, sighing at her son’s expense.

“It was very nice to meet you Eijirou!” She grinned down at him, watching as the little boy’s cheeks flushed shyly.

Eijirou’s mother put both of her hands on her sons shoulders and led him toward the door, saying goodbye to Katsuki and whispering to Mitsuki that she would set a time and date for another meeting.

Kirishima seemed sad to go as well, but before the door closed he looked behind him and waved at Katsuki excitedly, knowing that hopefully they would meet again.

“Really had to take something from him, huh?” Mitsuki asked as the front door swung shut, sternly staring down at her son.

“When can be come again?” Katsuki ignored his mom with a question of his own, bringing the plushie up to his face.

“He’s only been gone for like-five seconds. I’ll plan something with his mom.” She laughed as Bakugou waddled away from her, shutting his bedroom door behind him.

As he jumped onto his bed, he brought the plushie up to his nose and inhaled, smiling when he smelled the same scent as Eijirou, like warm cookies.

He sighed to himself as he brought himself to a deep sleep, mind only filled with the happiness of seeing Eijirou again.

[absoluteindulgence]

How the Boys Give/Recieve

A/N: GOOD EVENING/GOODNIGHT Y'ALL IT'S 3AM WHERE I AM LOL. TAGS: @royaltywritesstuff, @burnedbyshoto, @ikinabi . I HAD ANOTHER NAUGHTY HEADCANON IDEA AND WANTED TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU GUYS. THIS HC IS LONG AF, SORRY IN ADVANCE BUT ENJOY THE FOOD. THE CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP (18+). THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT.

☀️🌞MIRIO🌞☀️

Give:

My baby is sweet and kind! Hella, eager to eat you like his last meal!

Will tell you to pee before and after sex (because he cares).

After you come out of the bathroom, there are towels for your body and pillows for your head. (He's always prepared).

He gets cocky when you get comfortable on the bed, telling you, “You’re gonna need the pillows big time.” You don’t even bother asking why, but your imagination roams. 

When he lays you down, he grazes your legs lightly. It’s therapeutic but also makes your senses aware and sensitive to his touch. Mirio is a little impatient to taste you, so he won't tease you longer than 30 seconds.

This dude will literally whisper "ITADAKIMASU" to your pussy. You're going to melt.

“Hey Sunshine, I’m sorry I lied to you. Remember how I told you I love to eat Ramen, it turns out that’s my second love. My first is you.”

Melt, reform, then EXPLODE.

His kisses are littered all between your inner thighs, reminding you how wonderful you are. Goes on to call you his Sunshine and Sunflower.

He's hella skilled because you taught him what you liked. He always pays attention to your body. From your breathing to the way your thighs shake.

His tongue on your clit is a signature of, many swivels, sucks, and spelling "I love you."

Receive

He’s a beefy boi, so imagine what’s underneath the underwear. Change your hero name from Lemillion to LePacking, honey

He's very enthusiastic, damn near antsy all from you just touching or staring at his piece.

He calls his cock "Your Love Rod" or "Man muscle" I'M CACKLING

It's really all jokes, but if you do say it while stroking him, dick gon twitch something crazy.

He gets all shy when you’re talking to him before placing your mouth on his tip. Jokingly tell him, “Your precum is enough to put in a cup, baby.” His face is gonna be RED.

Enveloping his cock in your mouth was trouble at first, but now you gobble him up like a thick ass banana. He’s always vocal, from light moans to deep groans. Very loud at times, groaning your name, telling you, “Damn, you’re so fucking good at this.” He’s usually out of breath.

He likes to grab your hair or the back of your head and apply a little pressure. He won’t always do it, but he knows you like the contact. Mirio’s eyes will occasionally be closed as his muscles tense. 

Sometimes you'll say, “Focus on me," and as soon as your eyes meet, you suck him off like a jolly rancher. His face is stuck in surprise and lust.

Bonus: Also, sidebar because thanks to @coconutnunnicorn​ , I will add that this fool does come home one day with that funny ass elephant hammock g-string, and it makes for a weird night. You spend an hour laughing, trying to breathe air back into your body, but that goes nowhere. He makes the noise, and you fucking lose it all over again. Imagine Mirio singing the chorus to Work It by Missy Elliot. We really love this dork lmao

❄SHOUTO🔥

Give:

His hands are so skilled, whether it's to massage your back, feet, or hands. So imagine how it feels when he massages your inner thighs.

Its the most sensual feeling imaginable. Shouto takes pleasure in pleasing you since you do for him in so many ways.

He doesn't just focus on your clit because that's not the only way of pleasure (he looked it up on google and tried new methods on you)

He likes to lick your inner and outer lips (labia majora and minora) since it shocks you, sometimes you'll hear a low chuckle and die on the inside from the heat of his mouth fanning over you.

His kisses to your clit are just as passionate as if he was kissing the lips on your face. He doesn't hold back from massaging your inner thighs, either.

He loves to squeeze and kiss them might leave a couple of hickies after stimulating you.

His thick fingers are always hooked inside you, waiting for your walls to clench around him.

Your moans are chaotic cries as you whisper or shout his name. 

Receive

So you pretend like you don't know what you're doing with him at times since his size is abnormally thicc. You tease him saying he can't fit in your mouth.

Shouto is so fucking sassy, so he looks at you like, "Oh yeah? And yet you called me during your break telling me to shove it down your throat."

You giggle while rubbing your hands down his chest, taking tiny licks at his shaft. They start gentle and rise to be longer. Your tongue circles his tip and boom, you’re deepthroating him.

His eyes shoot the deepest level of lust you can fathom as you give him eye contact. A cheeky smile creeps upon his face as he praises you.

“You take me so well” headass

Suck his tip like a Capri sun, and his toes will curl, but if you swallow his whole cock, he might lose control, and his quirk goes off. How do that D*ntyne Fire and Ice taste?

😈SHINSOU👿

Give:

Ultimate tease, swear to our lord and savior, cory in the house.

He likes to overstimulate you, lightly pressing his hands into your inner thighs, repeatedly saying that you're good enough to eat. Kissing your hip bones as he leaves hickeys and love bites from your belly button to above your knees.

"All of a sudden, I think I'm a cannibal" That line is gonna make you look at him with worry until his warm tongue meets with your awaiting bundle (compliments to Lyssa lmao)

Your moans make him suck and swivel faster until you release.

Your body heaves up and down fast as you try to regain your composure.

Shinsou is the type to close your thighs on his neck or face then ask, "You think we're done, Kitten?"

He gets back to business, and in between licks on your overstimulated clit, he says, "I - don't - think - you’re - loud - enough." His finisher move to end all your orgasms is spelling your name because you’re all he thinks about.

Waking up the morning after, your voice is gone, but he's already making you tea and your favorite breakfast.

Receive:

THICKY WITH THE STIFFY UH

He listens to 69 once, and that’s how he initiates head with you almost every time.

You wanna slap the shit out of him but take it out on his cock instead. Which he likes.

His cock is long with a decent girth. Like when you slap it up with your hands or lips, usually, he bites his own lips watching you do it. His dick twitches wild when you gargle him.

He likes to see how long you can keep eye contact, especially if he’s pulling your hair. I feel like he doesn’t mind your teeth grazing his skin because it’s a testament to how big he is in your mouth.

He’s disgusting in the sense where he likes you to spit all on his dick, “Wet it up nicely, Kitten.”

💥KATSUKI💥

Give:

Everything is a damn competition for this bastard. How many times can you cum? How fast will your legs shake? How many times will you pull his hair?

He pays close attention to your reactions.

He has a big mouth and knows how to use it.

So many times you'll tell him he's a shit talker and he grabs his junk saying, "And you know I can back it up. Now get on the fucking bed".

Sometimes he's rough on purpose because you react a little differently. And it's not the awkward way, but sometimes when you tell him to keep going, he goes beast mode on the pussy.

Grabbing your breasts or thighs, grunting as he eats. He licks your entire vaginal area. The first time he did it, you laughed because it tickled, but now it's become an overwhelming sensation for you.

You grab his hair with your thighs/legs tightening around his head, trying to push him away. But he grabs your thighs tighter, spreading you as wide as possible while holding them down.

You try to struggle, but he says, "Princess, I'm trying to eat. Are you going to let me?" After you nod, he says, "Then open your fucking legs, or I won't let you cum."

After you behave, he starts slow and but gradually gets faster and acts more ravenous than before.

He likes to spell out his (full) name fingers deep in you because, like I said, he fancies a challenge.

Receive:

He can be a real roughhouse at times

This asshole doesn’t care how you decide to suck him off, he’s a meaty big boi and loves threatening you with his dick.

EXAMPLE: “Bakugou, why the fuck did you delete the new episode of my favorite show.” “Because I’m tired of you fucking whining about you missing it.” “Well, how the fuck does this change what I’m going through?” “You’ll be quieter.” “Fuck you, Ratsuki” “Say it louder so that I fuck your mouth.” As you’re about to say something, he throws you DVDs of the whole fucking season. Before you can thank him, this entitled little bitch says, “You want an apology, you can suck it out the tip of my cock.”

Usually, you would get mad, but you happily oblige yanking his shit damn near from his body.

He curses you out, but you end up stroking him, a hand gripped tightly around his shaft with your mouth like a sturdy suction cup. He is surprised by your force as he adjusts while seated. He wants to hold your head down but wants to see how far you go without his help, shit-talking in the midst of it all, “Yeah, baby, I told you, you’ll be quieter.”

You roll your eyes and lick his tip gently.

Any other time he's not an asshole, you are a PRO with his THICC stick of dynamite. Sucking, Spitting, SLURPING (BECAUSE HE LOVES THE SOUNDS) HE THINKS HE'S BETTER THAN SPAGHETTI OR ANY POPSICLE YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH. You joke about how he's not gluten-free, and he will groan, making you laugh and making him nut.

Whether on purpose or accident, he says, "Here's your new skincare." If you know, you know.

Bonus: First, imagine your neighbors hearing this little argument, 0-100000 real quick. Second, imagine making Bakugou nut after you’ve over-stim him just because you laughed. Does that make him sensitive, or just hearing you laugh made him reach his limit? Also, I got the apology line from the artist ChuuRingo on Twitter!

🌋EIJIROU🌋

Give:

This man is so fucking gentle.

The first time he went downtown, he asked what you liked and wanted to know how you felt. The second time, did everything right/everything you wanted without asking.

Now every time after, your body is left in shakes and sweats.

He loves to leave you in a puddle.

Kiri loves to climb on top of you, kiss you all the way down to your sweetness. Breathy gasps escape your lips when his lips make contact with your neck, collarbone, the top of your breasts.

Sometimes he gets sidetracked playing with your nipples but still trails his kisses down your stomach till he reaches his right destination.

Kiri tries different techniques all the time, they all work wonders on you. He is so needy for your moans and touches. Rubs you wherever his hands will roam, his body worship coming into play.

He’s a little crazy because he loves when you squeeze his head between his thighs. Let him know you’re close to coming. There have been times where he almost passed out, he never told you. Kiri said that he would be happy to die between your legs, though. You jokingly tell him that’s manly but really apologize for having so much orgasmic strength.

Kiri loves to spell your name and his, his tongue is exceptionally fast so you can only imagine that he’s been practicing to do that with you for a long time.

Receive:

He loves to look at your lips and reminds you that you're so beautiful while giving him the good old skippity mmmmmbop

He's so cliche at times that he will tell you, "Damn, I haven't activated my quirk, yet I feel unbreakable already."

Cornball city, Mirio, and Kiri put your clown wigs back on.

He's so confident in your skills as he lays on the bed you share, spread the fuck out while you crawl in between his legs.

You tease him a little, but he's patient. He knows you're building up suspense or staring at his huge cock. Knowing that you love his size, girth, and the color of his throbber.

There are times that after he finished making you cum through oral that your orgasms lubricate your throat and relax your jaw. So it leads to super happy fun times for Mr. Red Daddy Riot.

Now you, like a challenge. Challenging how strokes, how many sucks, how many times you can lick his balls before he nuts.

His body shudders no matter where you put your tongue.

If you swallow, he goes above and beyond for you for the next six-eight sessions, or even if you seriously tap out. If you spit, he's gonna cuddle you into oblivion as you guys have a cheat day date with ice cream.

Finished 2:30AM EST 1.30.2020

[zecretsanta]

FIC: Four Times Hazuki Kashiwabara Almost Lost Her Kids (and One Time After They Found Her)

To: @mortellanarts​

From: @grumpsterkitty​

For mortellanarts for Zecretsanta 2020 – “Lotus and her kids on Christmas”. This story mentions a near miscarriage.

AO3 LINK

(1)

It was an accident.

An honest accident.  Not like the ones that would happen at home.

She asked to watch the surveillance tape, after, once she had seen the doctor and she had reassured her that everything was fine.  Even in black and white, she could see the horror on Wendy’s face as she tripped over the electrical cord.  She replayed the moment when Wendy stumbled into her, knocking her into the copier.  Watching as her pregnant belly seemed to compress to an impossibly small size.

If she had lost the girls, she probably wouldn’t have been able to forgive Wendy.

To be honest, she hadn’t forgiven Wendy.

Which wasn’t entirely fair; perhaps the bulk of the blame was on the repair technician, or whoever decided to put the copier against the west wall, which had fewer power outlets, or whoever built and wired the building to begin with.

The blood - her blood - looked dark grey on the video.  It looked innocuous, like spilled soda.

She left the job three months after the twins were born, when she was sure they’d all be able to transfer to her husband’s insurance.

(2)

She cursed under her breath as she dropped the first aid kit.  The alcohol wasn’t even in here, she remembered, as she saw the band-aids scattered across the ground.  A tiny drop of blood slid down her ear and onto the Ace bandage.

The doorbell rang just as she managed to find the alcohol in the clutter under the sink.  She sloppily splashed some on a cotton and glanced at herself in the mirror.  The blood hadn’t gotten on her outfit, at least.  The doorbell rang again, and again, and again, as she barreled down the stairs.

“Dammit, when did you get so impatient?  Girls, Liz is early, are you done with -?”

She was cut short when she entered the dining room and saw their dinner plates still on the table, barely touched, and her daughters nowhere to be found.

“Girls?”

The doorbell ringing continued, but she ignored it.  She went through the rest of the house, picking up the pace as each one was empty.  She was only upstairs for what, ten, fifteen minutes?  Just long enough to change and put on her damn earrings. She called out their names as their babysitter kept pressing on the doorbell.

In panic and rage, she stormed to the front door and flung it open, ready to scream.  But it wasn’t Liz, just Nona and Ennea standing there with popsicles in their hands.

“We didn’t realize the door would lock behind us,” Ennea explained.  The grating music from the ice cream truck got louder as it came down their street.

Hazuki allowed herself a sigh of relief before she chastised them.  “You left, without even asking, to get dessert, before you finished dinner?”

Nona just shrugged while Ennea at least had the decency to look embarrassed.  “Mom, come on.  You know they’re the only one who have the blueberry ones we like.  We’ll still eat our dinner.  We promise.”

“We promise,” Nona reiterated.  “Even the carrots.”

“Maybe half the carrots?” Ennea said, a grimace on her face.  “I read if you eat too many, you can turn orange.”

“You eat too many blueberry popsicles, you’re going to turn blue.  You have a perfectly reasonable portion of carrots on your plate and I expect them to be all gone when I’m done.”

Her daughter’s expression changed, from disgust to worry. “Mama, what happened to your ear?  Daddy … he didn’t come by, did he?”

“No.”  Hazuki kneeled in front of them.  “Remember that paper I told you about?  He can’t come here or he’ll get in a lot of trouble.  It’s just been a little while since I wore earrings and my holes must have closed up.  I tried to force it through and I shouldn’t have.  Now finish up your dessert and eat your dinner.”

Her twins exchanged a glance before heading to the dining room.  She took a deep breath and went back upstairs to finish getting ready.  As much as she had wanted to wear her new jewelry, she could see the earlobe swelling up.

There would be time for wearing earrings, later.  Now that she didn’t have to worry about her husband ripping them out of her ear.

(3)

It started to drizzle, but she stayed on the bench. She could see Deanna about to cross the street into the park.  She had her hand on the stack of hundreds in her purse.  Deanna waved at her and Hazuki clenched her teeth.

It was silly.  Nobody had tailed her, she was certain.

Deanna sat next to her, seemingly uncaring that the bench was wet. Hazuki handed over the envelope of cash without a word.

“It’s definitely done?” Deanna asked.

“I think he could appeal, but he probably won’t.  He didn’t actually want the girls.  He just wanted to hurt me.”

“I hate men.”  Hazuki must have made a face, because Deanna laughed.  “I can hate men and still be a hooker.”

“I thought women in your price range called yourselves ‘escorts’.”

“We’re all the same.  Just because I don’t stand on a street doesn’t make me better.”

“Well.  Thank you.”

The smile faded off Deanna's face.  "I've done this before. That wife wanted to get out of a prenup and take his money. Which I could respect. Guy was an asshole. Do you have a picture of your kids?"

The sudden shift in topic left her mental gears spinning for a moment. She supposed there was no danger in it; she had researched Deanna thoroughly before emailing her.  She dug into her bag and pulled out her keys, with the keychain the girls made for her last year.  The picture inside the heart-shaped frame was of the three of them, the girls flanking her on either side, all of them smiling.

As she handed it to Deanna, the other woman looked like she might cry.

"I see my boy a few times a year, and that's it," she said finally.  “My ex didn’t have a problem with what I did when he got to benefit from the money I made.  Then I found out he was having an affair and he needed to tell the court I was an unfit mother so I wouldn’t get custody and he wouldn’t have to pay child support.”

“System is biased against women.”  She took her keys back and tucked them back into her purse.  “I work hard, take belly dancing lessons, and already started dating again.  That was enough to make the judge question if I was a good mom.  If you hadn’t been willing to –”

“Nobody’s going to protect us.  We have to do it ourselves.”

They sat there in silence for a few moments as the rain started to taper off.

“What does your ex do, exactly?”

Deanna snorted.  “He works for a health insurance company.”

“Any idea how good their firewall is?”

(4)

“Excuse me? Hello? Does anyone work in this hospital?!”

The nurse who came over looked exhausted, with dark bags under her eyes; any other day, Hazuki would have felt bad being so harsh, but she had been there for almost ten minutes and hadn’t gotten a single answer.

“Which kid is yours?” the nurse asked in a near monotone.

“Nona and Ennea Kashiwabara. I got a call they were brought here.”

“Ah, the twins.  Yes.  I’ll find their doctor.”

“Wait, are they okay?”  The nurse seemed to ignore her as she walked down the hallway.  “Can someone just tell me if they’re okay?  What the fuck is wrong with you people?”

She felt a hand on her shoulder and almost took the man’s head off when she turned around.  He was entirely too tall, with a well-chewed pen stuck behind his ear.

“I’m Detective Lynch.  Can I help you?”

“I just want to find my damn kids!”

“Kashiwabara, right?  The staff here are a little overwhelmed, but your kids are in good hands.  And your girls are okay.  Nona has a scrape on her knee, but that’s the worst of it.”

“Did you interrogate them?  They’re minors. You can’t –”

He held up a hand.  “I met the detective who rescued them at the pier.  I rode with one of your girls here.”

“Did you say the ‘pier’?  The – but – I was told they were found in a building in Nevada.  Where – what the hell happened to them?  They were missing for days!”

Lynch opened his mouth as if to respond, but suddenly seemed distracted by something just off to her left.  She turned to see what he was staring at, but he reached out and took her hand.

“We’re looking into it,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.  “When the nurse comes back, go be with your daughters.  Take them home.  I’ll give you my card.”

He barely took his eyes off her as he pulled out a business card and scribbled something on the back.  He handed it to her and walked off without another word.  His cursive was sloppy, but she could clearly read the message – not safe, text me, I’ll call you.

“Mrs. Kashiwabara?  Your girls are in room 407.”

When she turned around, there was no one there but the tired-looking nurse.

“The … the policeman who found the kids, where is he?  Is he still here?  Can I talk to him?”

“No, ma’am.  I think he went back to the station.  407 is this way.”

She realized she was clenching her fists and had crumbled up Lynch’s card.  But the writing was still legible.

(+1)

“Are you really sure you’re both okay with this?”

Nona cracked open the oven and clucked her tongue.  “Not quite.  And yes, mom, although it’s a little late to ask again now.  And stop eating all the deviled eggs, or you won’t have room for dinner.”

Hazuki rolled her eyes; before she could grab another egg, Ennea swiped the plate out from under her hand.

“Need me to help with anything?”

“Sure mom, you can make the cranberry sauce.”  Nona handed her can and an opener.  Hazuki sighed heavily as she cut the lid off and schlorped the dark red jelly tube into the bowl.

“There, sauce is made.”

“It’ll be good to see Mamoru again.” Ennea told her.

“Oh, you’re on a first name basis now?”  Nona teased.  “What happened to Detective Watanabe?”

“He hates formality and you know it.  Did you know he shares a name with a porn director?”

“Seriously?”

“Girls.”

“It’s true, though,” Ennea insisted.  “The guy did a film called Virgin Rope Makeover.”

“Did Mamoru tell you that?”

“No, mom, the internet is a thing.”  Nona peeked in the oven again. “Ah, finally.”

Hazuki tamped down the urge to remind her daughter that the turkey pan would be hot and heavy and to be careful.  She had never been one of those mothers while her girls were growing up, but ever since … ever since, it was hard not to be overprotective.  As soon as Nona had the turkey out, Ennea put in the pie.  And then the doorbell rang.

“Okay, please no mention of porn directors,” she told her daughters.

Ennea rolled her eyes as she set a timer and followed Nona out to the living room.  When Mamoru came in, he had to duck his head to avoid hitting it on the doorjamb.  He inexplicably had a large cardboard box in his hands.

“Hey, so, uh, hi.  I brought wine, but then I realized I didn’t know if you liked red or white, to I got both, but the girls couldn’t drink it, so I got grape juice, but then I realized I didn’t know if they liked red or white, so I just got both of those, too.”

Nona took the box from him and grimaced as if she hadn’t anticipated how heavy it was.  “No worries.”

He shrugged out of his coat and Ennea giggled as she took it from him and put it on herself.  It was so big on her it was practically a dress, and when she held up her arms, it was clear her hands were where his forearms were supposed to be.

“I call it … Three and a Half,” she declared.  Hazuki smiled and Nona chuckled, but Mamoru looked puzzled.

“Oh,” he said finally.  “’Cause I was Seven.”  With that, he let loose a loud guffaw.

“Go on,” Ennea told him.  “Dinner is basically ready.  Do you feel like carving the turkey?  Mom and I usually butcher it when we try.”

“Uh, sure.”  He followed Nona as she hauled the box of beverages into the dining room.

As Hazuki put her arm around Ennea, she heard Nona ask, “Is it true you share a name with a Japanese porn director?”

(fin.)

[whitherliliesbloom]

beyond lulled waters

[ ffxivwrite2021 ] ★ [ masterlist ] ★ [ prompt #27 - benthos ]

[ alphinaud/illya ] ★ [ 1,452 words ]  ★ [ nagi no asukara au ]

benthos- a community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea with marine or freshwater sedimentary environments

where the sea meets the land, a promise is made between a boy and a girl who come from radically different worlds

In hindsight, perhaps buying a sea salt popsicle for a sea dweller was a bad idea - Alphinaud realizes a little too late as he watches bright violet eyes narrow in confusion, pink lips glistening as she purses them after taking a small cursory lick of the popsicle.

“T-This.... tastes like air.” -or rather... seawater, as the popsicle name would suggest. It tastes familiar, perhaps a tad more sweet than the salty ocean waters she was so acclimatized to, but not what she’d associate with a dessert - at least not for someone like her. She doesn’t quite understand the peculiarity of the bright blue frozen treat in her hands, and she furrows her eyebrows in deep thought until the boy beside her bends down, offering her the delightfully pastel pink popsicle in his hand instead. 

“Try this one, perhaps you would like it better.”

With a cautious yet hopeful tilt of her head, the girl exchanges the blue popsicle for the pink and takes a careful lick, before her eyes widen in pleasant surprise, more enthusiastic swipes of her tongue following soon after.

“T-This one tastes wonderful!” her voice rings out like a bell chime with delight, sending Alphinaud’s heart into a flip-flop that has his lips curling into a smile by instinct.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s strawberry flavored.” The boy notes, taking a single glance down at the blue popsicle in his hand in thought before biting into it quickly. He tries not to let thought of the girl’s lips freeze his head over with a grimace and a scrunch of his face. 

She doesn’t seem to notice however, merely peering down at the already half-eaten dessert in her hand, clearly far more used to the chilling cold than he is. Even with the summer heat warming the waters far more than it would during the frigid winters, living beneath the surface meant sea dwellers had to adapt without many of the luxuries one would find the land dwellers enjoying.

Strawberries being one of them, Illya notes with a pleasant hum, biting off the last of the popsicle before throwing the stick into a bin by the side of the boardwalk. She’s far more used to kelp, urchins and all manners of salty seafoods that gets frankly old over time - and she decides that she enjoys strawberries and the other warm, hearty food of the land she’s tried throughout the day.

By the time the pair have reached the pier, the sun has already begun to set, lowering steadily towards the distant horizon where the warm twilight skies meet the sparkling surface of the lulled waters. There are only a handful of small boats docked by the pier, and the fishing vessel from earlier in the morning is nowhere to be found - much to the girl’s relief.

Though she had already expected this, knew full well that the day, like many other things, will end as it had begun - the sensation of melancholy still wells deep in her chest as she sits herself down on the side of the pier, allowing the push and pull of the waters beneath her feet to splash loudly just a few feet beneath her soles. 

Alphinaud sits himself down next to her, eyes transfixed upon the radiant sunset as he allows only the sounds of the tides and calling of the sea gulls retreating home to fill the silence. 

“I suppose.. you’ll have to go back now.” He parts his lips to speak first, but he doesn’t take his eyes off the rays of sunlight reflecting against the iridescent waters. “How are you going to return? Do you need a boat?” He hears Illya let out a small, quiet giggle beside him at his question, and heat rises up to burn his cheeks when he hears her answer.

“I could just swim back.” 

“Oh-” he responds, a hand raising up to rub the back of his neck. “That makes sense.”

Of course she would swim back home - and it’d be easy for her too, unlike he who could barely swim a lap around an Olympic sized pool without feeling like he’s on the verge of drowning. They could not be any more different - both in their personalities and their biological make up.

There’s a reason why the sea dwellers have hidden themselves away upon the seafloor for as long as they have - why the land dwellers are bound by law to not dive down beyond a certain depth to the corals where they are... and why there was a cruel, yet undeniably profitable black market for sea dwellers who have been illegally abducted. 

Alphinaud feared to imagine just what would have happened if those poachers truly did succeed in taking Illya away. It would also explain why the girl had been so frightened up until she calmed down enough to let her curiosity about the land get the better of her. The beach town he lived and grew up in was his home, but to Illya it was an entirely different, foreign world.

Despite being so close together, with only the waves and the sandy shores separating their worlds, sea and land were never meant to intermingle. Their worlds should never interact - they should never even have met.

But by chance of fate, they did. She drifted to him upon the back of the waves - and here where the water met the land, he allows his overwhelmingly selfish desires take over his own rationality, and the boy turns his head to look down at the girl beside him.

“If it’s not too much to ask...could we perhaps meet again?”

The girl takes a second to think, closing her eyes before turning her head up to look back at the boy. The rays of the sun are harsh against the backdrop of the skies and ocean, and yet they glow with a comforting hue against her pure white hair - like woven starlight that reflected upon still waters, now fluttering like scattered dandelions against the cool sea breeze. 

And in a sea of lavender and ocean blue corals that sparkled with the light of a gleaming pearl, he saw hope and optimism twinkle in her eyes, as the fair complexion of her cheeks are warmed by the kiss of the orange sunset. 

“Of course.” she answers, as if she already knew the answer before he’d even asked the question. “I’ll visit you where the waters meet the land again.”

“Then it’s a promise.” he grins with a dip of his head, if only to affirm his own wishes, one that the girl of the sea repeats with her own nod.

“A promise.” 

She doesn’t say goodbye, has no intention to as she gets up onto her feet. And with a light curtsy, she takes a step off the pier and dives into the tranquil cool waters.

Alphinaud watches as the spindrift of white hair descends deeper and deeper, intermingling with the seafoam until it disappears out of sight, and he calls down to the waters in a loud voice that echoed in tandem of the splashing tides.

“I’ll buy you another strawberry popsicle next time!” 

She can just barely hear his voice - distant and muffled by the sounds of the water as it fills her ears, her legs kicking effortlessly against the current as she swims, allowing her body to sink deeper and deeper towards the sea bed. 

Illya can see familiar, distant fluorescent lamp lights, rainbow coral reef and the white of the mossy cobblestone buildings as the overhead scenery of the underwater city came into view. A school of tropical fish of all colors circle just directly beneath as if in wait for her - as if to greet her home. The groan of a blue whale from miles away rumbles in her ear, signaling the befalling of the night as the light from the sun grows fainter and is overtaken by the bioluminescent glow of the sea stars that hung over the city. 

She takes a deep breath in, exhaling as a flurry of bubbles leave her nostrils and past her flowing silken hair. It smells familiar, it smells like home and has the faint taste of melted sea salt. This is where she belongs, this is where she was born.

And yet, when a translucent blue jellyfish swims past her head, tickling her cheeks lightly with its tendrils as it rises up further and further, the girl could not help but to turn her head to look back up towards the surface, where the land she thought was beyond her reach beckons her to return another day with a promise. 

[hphmmatthewluther]

When Your Reflection Plots Against You: Part 1/3

Matthew Luther sighed, and leant onto a sink in the boy’s toilets. It had not been going well for him today. He loosened his blue and silver tie (he preferred it to the more traditional blue and bronze tie, and was glad to have a choice in the matter) and pushed the hair out of his face. No, today had not gone well. To start, he was nowhere nearer to finding his brother or the next Cursed Vault. Then, he found himself unable to focus on any lessons as a result, and finished the day with a shouting match with Merula Snyde, which led to Snape banning him from Hogsmeade for a week. These arguments usually made him feel a little better, though something was...off about today. Her insults seemed to hurt more, for some reason.

So there he was, looking up and seeing his hair flop in front of his face again in the mirror. Could nothing work for him today? He scowled at his own reflection.

“It isn’t fair. Everyone else seems to get by just fine. But oh no, not me. I bet even Merula does better than me. I have to be the one who struggles along...” He grumbled to himself.

“Hey...keep on stepping, my guy.” came a voice. Matthew scanned the room, hoping to see whoever had spoken.

“Nope, over here, in the mirror, you know?” He looked up, and was slightly surprised to find his own reflection replaced by someone else. He had black-and-white hair and was wearing denim jeans and a red flannel shirt. On his back was a large guitar case, which he put down at his feet.

“What’s shaking, dude?” he asked, in a way Matthew hadn’t heard anyone speak for nearly ten years. He had a smirk on his face that put Matthew off. However, it wasn’t like he had anyone else to talk to.

“Um...did you hear what I was saying?” he asked, looking around to make sure nobody saw him talking to a mirror.

“I caught a bit of it, y’know, this and that...” he said, looking around. “Sounds like you could use some assistance.”

“Well, that would be-” Matthew had to stop himself. “Hang on, who are you even?” he had to ask himself.

The boy in the mirror gave a laugh. “Right, right, sorry. I’m Edwin. Edwin Luther.” he announced, giving himself a small flourish as he did so. “And you?”

“Oh, well, funnily enough my name’s Matthew Luther.”

“Really?” said Edwin, his eyebrow raised. “Maybe we’re related.”

“Doubt it.” Matthew said, looking away. “My Dad was a Muggle, so that probably isn’t it...” 

Edwin sighed, and leant forward on the reflected sink. “So, you need my help. You want to be better around people, right?”

Matthew nodded. It certainly would be nice...sometimes, it seemed like everyone except him knew what to say, and anything he said or did only made things worse, and so often he was left doing very little...but he didn’t completely trust this guy just yet. “Okay, hang on. Before anything else...what’s your story?”

“Me?” asked Edwin, moving back slightly, “I’m trapped in all the mirrors of Hogwarts, y’know? Been here for a while, too. Most people just seem to blow me off, but you...you can see me. There’s something about you, dig?”

Matthew thought about this. One the one hand, he really ought to know by now that not everyone could be trusted. But his thoughts lingered back to his last argument with Merula...if he had done something different, maybe…

“How can you help me?” he asked, leaning closer to the mirror to get a closer look.

“Look, kid. I know people. Just, for now, you go about your day and I’ll give you advice.” Edwin explained. “In return...well, as you may have guessed, I’d like to blow this popsicle stand and return to the land of actual people...but that can come later.” He put his hand towards the mirror, and it appeared as a ghostly image on the other side. “So, we have a deal?”

Matthew looked at the spectral hand, then moved his own hand towards Edwin’s and shook it.

“Far out!” exclaimed Edwin, drawing his hand back. “Let’s boogie!”

“Before we carry on, when were you sealed in that mirror?” Matthew asked, “Cause the stuff you’re saying is...painful to hear.”

Edwin laughed and picked up his guitar case, slinging it onto his back. “Well, I was last out and about in, ooh, 1976, I think.”

Matthew’s eyes widened at this. “Blimey...ten years...okay, now what?”

“Do you have something reflective on you?” Edwin inquired. Matthew fished around in his pockets until he pulled out a silver spoon that he used in potion making. He watched as his warped reflection disintegrated, replaced by an in-proportion Edwin.

“Lovely jubbly, Matt.” began Edwin, moving around his new environment. “Now, what do you really want help with, hm?”

Matthew initially wanted to ask about the Cursed Vaults, but he somehow knew to keep that to himself. Ravenclaws were good at reading people, and there was something about Edwin that made him unsure about divulging information. Instead, he focused on what Edwin already knew.

“Well, I’d really like to do something about that argument with Merula.” Matthew whispered, as he left the toilets and joined the crowds of people in the corridors.

“Hmm...Merula, huh? So there’s a girl involved, I see…” “What? No, nonononono!” Matthew hissed, hoping nobody was paying too close attention to him. “It’s not...she isn’t...we’ve been enemies since our first year, ok?”

“Okay, you’re saying that, but it sounds to me like this bunny-”

“Don’t call her a ‘bunny’, she’d rip you apart for that.” Matthew noted.

“Righto, righto...” Edwin trailed off, “Still, it’s a route you could go for...”

“Trust me, Edwin, it really isn’t.”

They had made their way down to the Dungeons, for their last lesson of the day: Potions with Snape. Matthew was dreading this. He didn’t even have Rowan with him, as he was in Hogsmeade for the day. Then came a moment he was dreading:

“Oi, Luther!”

Matthew spun around and saw Merula Snyde walking up to him. He heard Edwin squeaking from his pocket.

“Wow, man...what did you say to her?”

“Nothing...” Matthew muttered before stepping forward to meet the Slytherin girl.

“Well, well, well. I suppose it’s time for you to make a fool of yourself. Again.” Matthew wanted to say something back, but something was stopping him from fully focusing.

“Why aren’t you at Hogsmeade?” he blurted out. He could hear Edwin sighing.

“Oh, boy...”

“None of your business, Luther!” she shouted, stomping on the ground. Edwin, who had been complaining for a few seconds, suddenly stopped.

“Hey...those are some killer boots...why don’t you talk about them? Change the subject!” he suggested. Matthew had to work very hard to mask his shock at Edwin’s advice.

“No, no, think about it. It sounds like you two talk about what keeps you apart all the time. You need to try different avenues.” Matthew was going to ignore this, but Edwin hadn’t finished. “Come on, dude. You hate each other already. I doubt her opinion of you can get worse. What do you have to lose?”

Merula was getting impatient. “Well? Cat got your tongue, Luther?”

“No, I just...never mind. Sorry for intruding, I guess. But, I...” Matthew sighed. Here we go. “How’d you convince Snape to let you wear combat boots?”

Merula looked at him, the malice in her expression replaced by pure confusion. She took a quick look at her feet, then looked straight back up at Matthew. “I...I...what?”

“Justify the question, mate. Doesn’t have to be anything good...I think her brain’s stopped working.” Edwin ordered, the smirk on his face palpable.

“It’s just...well, Flitwick’s always really on the ball about what we wear with our robes, and I’d imagined Snape would be even more on it, so...”

It was a few seconds before Merula’s brain started working again. “Oh, that...I mean, he’s never really said anything about it...”

“That doesn’t sound like Snape.” Matthew observed.

“Hah, yeah, I suppose not...” Merula pushed a hand through her hand, offering a rare smile. “I mean, if you’d seen the shoes they expect us to wear you’d do the same, if I’m honest!”

“Yeah, the dress code for boys is ever-so-slightly shorter for boys than for girls.” Matthew admitted.

“You can say that again!” exclaimed Merula, laughing at herself slightly, “You’re luckier than you know…” she paused and looked around. Nobody else was there. They had all gone to Hogsmeade, which made sense seeing as it was the first trip for the third-years. The crowd that usually watched their ‘debates’ had vanished. Now they were gone, there didn’t seem to be much point. Matthew sniffed the air. Merula coughed into her elbow.

“Um...where is Snape?” Matthew asked aloud. The two-third years looked around the Dungeons, but the man was nowhere to be seen.

“Do you think we could knock on his office door?” Matthew inquired, moving towards a dark green door that was near the empty potions classroom. However, before he could knock on the door, his arm was pulled back by Merula.

“Wait, you idiot!” she whispered, her eyes darting around the empty room. “I think he’s in there! If you interrupt him, you’ll get in trouble, and I’ll get in trouble, and...”

Matthew wanted to respond, he really did, but he was too focused on the hand that was gripping his arm. Merula must have noticed this, as she suddenly pulled her arm back, clearing her throat with it.

“Not an option, hmm?” Edwin remarked, “You two...compliment her again! Go ahead! Say how nice she looks!”

Matthew had half a mind to chuck that silver spoon out of sight, but before either of them could say anything, a ringing noise emerged from behind Snape’s door, causing both teenagers to jump. It was high-pitched and buzzing, and sounded somewhat...mugglish.

Matthew heard footsteps from the other side of the door. There was the sound of latches being undone, followed by the door being pulled open, and there in the doorway stood Professor Snape, looking rather surprised.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, the alarm still ringing, “Why are you not in Hogsmeade?”

“You barred me from going as punishment.” Matthew reminded the man, “Sir.”

Snape looked at Matthew like he had sprouted an extra head, then turned to Merula. He looked like he was about to say something, but stopped himself before doing so.

“There is work on the board.” he said hurriedly, flicking his wand at his desk to turn the ringing off. “I suppose if you finish early, you may return to your common rooms.” And with that, he was gone. Merula and Matthew stared at the corridor he had darted down before entering the classroom and getting their notebooks out. The silence was deafening. Matthew tried to focus on his work, but couldn’t help but wonder why Merula was here with him. Why hadn’t she gone to Hogsmeade?

“Am I blocking your view of the board or something?” she asked indignantly. Matthew quickly shook his head and looked back at his notes. He eyed the spoon. Edwin was smiling.

“I don’t believe it. Sev’s still at Hogwarts after all this time.” he mused. Matthew took a scrap of paper and wrote ‘You knew him before?’ on it before moving it so Edwin could see.

“Very clever, mate...and yes, I did know him. We got on well when we wanted to, but I doubt he’d be pleased to see me.”

‘Snape isn’t pleased to see anyone’ he wrote back. That got a laugh out of the strange wizard. Suddenly, something occurred to Matthew. Quickly, he wrote another note: ‘You are a wizard, right? Just checking.’

Edwin looked at the note and laughed. “Of course! Y’know, back in my day we started calling Muggles squares.”

Matthew could imagine Edwin calling a lot of people squares. He tried to focus on the work, but it was difficult to do so as Edwin kept moving across anything with a reflection, making loud observations as he did so (“That was there back then !”). What Matthew did notice, however, was that Edwin never appeared on the silver bracelet Matthew always wore. He had had an inkling that it was magical, considering how he got it, but knew very little about its origins. But no matter what, Edwin never crossed it. Matthew made a mental note of it; he was still a little unsure that he could trust him. It was then that he noticed Merula staring at his arm as well.

“What?” he said suddenly, the theories in his head quickly dispersing. “Am I doing something- I mean,”

“What is that?” she asked, pointing down.

“What?”

“No, not your bracelet, you dolt. That.” she said, poking at the biro Matthew had been using. He hadn’t even realised he was using it instead of his quill.

“Oh, that’s a pen.” Matthew explained. Merula still looked lost. “It’s like a quill, but you don’t have to keep dipping it in ink every few seconds. It’s way better.”

“Oh...” said Merula, glancing down at the several inkblots on her parchment. “Well, I think quills are better. We’ve used them for centuries, after all.”

“Yeah, I mean, so did Muggles.” Matthew reminded her, “But then we found a better way of doing things.” There was a silence, and Matthew could see Edwin examining the situation. But then, the obvious solution hit him. “Do you want one?”

Merula looked up from her parchment. “Do I...what?”

“I have loads of spare pens. I was asking if you wanted one.” Matthew fished an identical biro out of his pencil case and placed it on the table. Merula slowly moved her hand towards it, before snatching it quickly, eyeing Matthew with suspicion. She looked at her parchment, before slowly writing out a sentence with the pen. Then she kept going. She looked at the pen, then at Matthew.

“A-..And M-Muggles have been using these for...”

“A good hundred years or so, yeah.” Matthew finished. It only then occurred to him just how backward the Wizarding World could be. I mean, they had house-elves, they didn’t have electricity, and they still worried about ink stains. It was just so...trivial.

Matthew saw Edwin give him a thumbs up, before moving off to explore elsewhere. The Ravenclaw stared at his work, and quickly realised he had done very little. Furthermore, it looked like some of the most difficult potion work devised by wizardkind. A few minutes later, Merula slammed her quill on the desk in a rage.

“Aag! This is impossible!” yelled Merula, “Why isn’t this...in any way...for third-years?”

“Because it probably wasn’t for third-years.” observed Matthew, putting his own quill down, “I imagine he would have made it a test if he hadn’t been distracted by whatever that alarm was.”

“But...why would he give such advanced work to us?” Merula asked.

“Actually, he probably planned to give it to me.” Matthew looked over at the board again. “He wasn’t expecting you to be here, remember?”

Merula nodded at this, frowning. “Thanks for the extra work, Luther. Much appreciated.”

“Anytime.” Matthew replied with a smile.

Merula returned a smirk, before gesturing at the work before them. “Well, if you’ve got any ideas, I’m all ears.”

Edwin had been silently guiding Matthew for a lot of this, but was starting to get slightly louder now. “Okay, now flirt a little.”

Matthew really had to focus to keep his face still now. He stared at the problem at hand. With regards to a Dreamless Sleep potion, discuss whether the Fleamont or Daedalus approach is more effective at preventing Rapid Eye Movement, and-

“Oh come on, dude!” Edwin moved from the spoon to the various bottles around the room, passing by the reversed lettering on the labels. “You are alone with a girl. How much more perfect can this get?” Matthew was surprised to find himself considering the previously unthinkable. Sure, these sorts of thoughts had started showing up recently, but they were never...realistic. But he had to admit that Edwin had a point. Nobody else was around. They could talk without being egged on by anyone nearby. They could just...reflect on things.

“Well?” said Merula, leaning forward slightly to hover over the book, “Anything?”

Matthew shook his head, turning towards the Slytherin. “‘Fraid not. I mean, we haven’t learnt either of these approaches, and all I can tell you is that one of them is named after Fleamont Potter, but that’s about it.��

Merula didn’t move back, but pulled the book closer to her, albeit with Matthew’s hand still on it. She gazed at the question with clear irritation. Edwin looked on from a nearby flask.

“Hey, Matt...you thinking what I’m thinking?” Both boys turned around and looked at Snape’s office through the open door. Even from here, they could see a large file on the desk, but not what had caused the ringing.

“What is it?” Merula asked, noticing that Matthew had turned away from the work.

“This is going nowhere.” Matthew admitted. “We don’t have a solution, but I imagine Snape might...”

He turned back to her and pointed at the office. Merula eyed it for a moment, then turned back to him. She seemed to be processing what Matthew was suggesting.

“If he comes back, we’re dead.” Merula said, looking straight at Matthew.

“If we don’t do the essay, we’re dead.” Matthew reminded her, trying desperately not to sound stressed.

“You really think Snape’s stitched us up?”

“Well, if the Greatest Witch in all of Hogwarts can’t do it, who can?”

“Good point.” Merula got off her stool and moved towards the corridor. “Nobody’s there. Let’s go.”

They quickly slipped into the office, Matthew closing the door behind him. It was just as dark and dingy as the rest of the rooms in the Dungeons, although this room was slightly more colourful, with a large red chest of drawers behind the desk. On the left wall of the room was a large silver box with a bell on it, which he assumed had made the alarm. It reflected everything perfectly, yet for some reason Edwin didn’t appear in it. It was like he couldn’t even see it was there. Attached to the box was a note, which read:

Severus,

Before she died, she returned here to place one of these in each of the Heads of House’s offices to warn us when they rear their heads again. She also said that if one was ever to emerge, they would have to be banished again via the way they came in, if that helps any. The devices are a mixture of magic and “science” the likes of which the world has never seen. I can only imagine the things she could have done with her magic if she were still with us.

Good luck, and do Slytherin proud,

-Horace.

“Find anything?!” Edwin yelled from the other side of the room. He was awfully loud, yet it was odd to see Merula completely unable to hear it. Matthew quietly shook his head, and left the box alone. 

The two scoured over the room until Merula noticed an open book on Snape’s desk.

“Hah, here it is!” she exclaimed, leaning right onto the desk so that her feet left the floor. Edwin chose this moment to reappear in a nearby mirror.

“Wow, you choose well...that is one fine...”

“Shut up...” Matthew said under his breath. He didn’t just hate that Edwin was saying some outrageous things when Merula was right in front of them, but he hated that he found himself agreeing. He moved next to Merula, keeping his eyes away from her lower robes, and positioned himself next to her.

“Now how were we supposed to know that?” Merula said, scowling, before turning to Matthew. “Well, I mean, how were you supposed to know that. It’s...it’s...”

He nodded in return. “It’s bull. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been doing this the entire time. Hang on…” Matthew sifted through the papers, until he caught a glimpse of a tiny post-it note with three equations on it. There was one labelled “Slyth'', one labelled “Other”, and one filled with division signs called “Weaks''. Merula’s jaw dropped.

“He’s...he’s been...but that’s...” she stammered, taking the post-it note with her hand. 

Matthew didn’t know what to say. He knew exactly what sort of thoughts were running through her head, as they’d run through his head time and time again. What on earth could he do? Edwin saw them struggling, and pointed at a sheet of paper on the far side of the desk. It was a collection of raw test scores. Matthew allowed himself to smile.

“Merula, look.” he said, offering her the table. “It’s the scores before they’ve been altered.”

The two gazed down the list until they came to “Snyde, Merula”, under which there was a list of perfect scores. Merula took the file with both hands as a smile formed on her face, as her breathing began to relax.

“So...panic over?” Matthew asked hopefully.

She looked up at him, the happiest she had been for a while. “Panic over, Luther.”

After about half an hour, they had both written an essay which was good enough to get a pass but original enough for Snape not to notice. Matthew put his hands behind his head and leant back on his stool.

“Boy, I can’t wait to see the look on Snape’s face when he sees our essays.” he mused, “He can’t even punish us! We’ve done the work!”

Merula smirked as she packed her things away. “Don’t get smug, Luther. He’ll find something to get you for next lesson.”

“Maybe, though I doubt it.” said Matthew. “Now I know his secret he’s a lot less of a threat.”

“As if!” Merula retorted. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around at all. They hadn’t heard anyone nearby, not even the first or second years.

“It...really is quiet, huh?” Matthew said, turning back to Merula.

“Mm, funny that.” said Merula. She paused. “Are we really the only ones here?”

“Yes, yes you are, Matt.” said Edwin, grinning, “Think of what could be!”

Matthew’s imagination began to kick into high gear. Moving towards her. Telling her how he hated their rivalry. How he wanted to be friends. How he wanted…

“Well,” she said, moving towards the door. “That’s that, I suppose.”

“Wait!” Matthew said suddenly, surprising himself. Merula looked a little shocked at that too.

“Come on, the castle’s all yours, right?” whispered Edwin, “You can do whatever you want...” At this, an idea suddenly struck Matthew.

“I was just thinking.”

“First time for everything.” Merula remarked.

“No, listen. Most of the school’s in Hogsmeade, right?”

“Yes...”

“So, nobody’s going to notice us if we...look for clues for the next Vault?”

Merula stared at him for a moment, then smiled. “Alright, sure. I suppose you won’t get another opportunity, and why wouldn’t you want to work with Hogwarts’ Greatest Ever Witch?”

“Quite so. Shall we?” Matthew said, gesturing up the stairs.

Merula smirked, and headed up the stairs, Matthew following after. This could actually work out, Matthew thought, glancing at Edwin in the silver again. He was grinning wildly. He moved around all the metals they passed as Matthew and Merula scoured the grounds for clues. As they did so, something occurred to the Ravenclaw. Edwin was a wizard, and he clearly knew Snape, but something was off. He meant to ask the strange boy about it, but he was too close to Merula at any given time to risk it, and that was a distraction in and of itself. Nevertheless, the question remained:

Where was Edwin’s wand?