#but ye purple gods i am heading towards a nervous breakdown

[metanoianmayhem]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

That is all

[peachyunjinnie]

❝dear dori...❞ lmh ― f.

― summary:

you find a stray cat, and as the kitten rushed outside, she ran to the coffee shop to reunite with her owner and the barista minho.

barista!minho/female!reader | fluff | 1.9k ↬ content warnings: -

a/n: had this idea and it seemed so cute and soft. also this is for @mikoto-ica-fics​. i think the threesome will be the worst fic ever and the most time eating shit but i am working on it!  <3

plus for the other two minho stans i know uwu @mini-meanhoe​ & @nightshade-minho​

→ blogs masterlist

“Go! Go back!” I said to this thing following me, for a good 20 minutes straight. The fast walking of it scared me even more than I usually does. Yes, I am scared of cats, but here I am going home but this cat is not going to leave me. 

“Come one! Go!” I tried and tried, but this kitty is not going to leave me alone. With another look at this cat, I saw that it has no collar. This cat is no way older than a year and is just going around the dark streets of Seoul? 

The broken sounds of this probably exhausted and tired kitten was echoing in my ears. I looked back at this cat, deciding if this cat looks hungry or just having a walk, maybe this cat just wants to annoy me. Gladly my house was just in this area. I got inside but before I could do anything this little thing just stalks in my apartment. Just walking right past me and making itself comfortable on my small couch. I quickly went up to the kitten and started to freak out since there were no animals allowed in here.

“Hey, little kitty. I know you are probably very tired and just want to sleep a bit in a warm place but I wi- Wow I am talking to this cat.” I interrupted myself mid-sentence. 

The meows of this stray cat was translated into a simple and easy ‘let me sleep and shut up’. I couldn’t keep this thing in here. What if someone sees this cat? what if this cat attacks me? what if its owner is searching for this cat? So many questions but sadly no answers.

I decided to close the door and just leave her here for tonight. I couldn’t really do anything else than that, so I got out a plastic bowl and filled it with some tuna. I heard a loud grunt from the cat as it agreed to my decision of the food choice.

The small paws of the cat was visible around the corner as it came towards me and my heart began to beat faster. Even though I made some food for this stranger, doesn’t mean I will stop being scared of this thing.

“G-Go to the couch!” I once again talked with a cat. I shook my head as this cat came closer and closer. I stood completely still and closed my eyes as this kitten stroked against my leg, my knees trembling hardly. What have I gotten myself into? Why am I like this? But the much bigger question is why is this kitty so calm and relaxed?

The purrs of the kitten was vibrating on my leg and my foot. The sound calming me down instantly. I opened my eyes again and peeked down. The cats expression was something in between ‘give me the goddamn food already’ and ‘calm down, im not gonna eat you’. I instantly relaxed a bit from the softness and the fluffiness of this little curled up ball.

I kneeled down and carefully touched the head of this little thing, still having a little distance. My shaking hands caressing this kitten. I couldn't believe how I was doing what I was doing, but it seemed so easy and...kind of good.

The purring and the vibration was getting louder. The cat was falling down my hand and just pushed itself to me, shocked of how desperate this kitty really was to be pet was not what i was expecting.

"You are tired...aren't you." I said more to myself, starring at the weak and already closed eyes. I couldn't tell if this cat is like that because it is tired or if this kitten really accepts me. I shook my head, trying to get all lf this out of my head and put the tuna down.

The instant standing up from the cat scared me and I stumbled backwards to the counter. The kitty couldn't care less and ate the food in a matter of seconds. I was shocked by the fast pace of this kittens eating and I stepped back and watched the bowl get emptier and emptier. How can this little thing eat so much and so fast? Well, at least a thing we had in common.

I shrugged my shoulders and walked to my bed to finally lie down. This day at uni was awfully hard, geometry and math quite literally killed me in every single way. Inhale exhale, enjoying this little moment of peace and silence. Not being trapped in the noisy traffic and just escaping this busy city that is Seoul.

I let the door opened and there was this kitty standing at the door frame, staring at me with a tilted head. I don’t know what to do or how to process this cat that has now eaten is strutting to my bed.

“Oh boy.” 

“Meow.” The kitty hasn’t meowed once yet and this sound scared the living shit out of me. 

“Come on. Go to the couch!” The cat didn’t seem to care about my anxiety rising and just jumped up the bed.

“Go!” She lay down and rolled around on her back, her paws in the air and her playful eyes fixed on me. I saw the little eyes shining and the pupils being small, which meant that she is relaxed...right?

I took my hand and stroked the kitten a little. The purring of the cat became louder and the soft 'meow' was less loud than the other one. The cat stretched out to me and closed its eyes for a little rest. My hand patted her automatically and I lay down again to rest also like the cat.

"No, I did not. Can I please have Nara's transport box?" I asked my sister on the phone, begging to use her

"Y/N, why don't you call animal services? They could help you better than I could."

"I don't want to. I don't want to leave this kitten to those people. I'll go to Mom's and drop her off. She wanted a cat."

"You're seriously giving this kitten to our mother?"

"What else can I do? I myself am afraid of cats and I'll have nervous breakdowns if it meows or moves or even exists in my presence."

"Come on, give it a try. You can bring her to me and I'll take care of her." "You mean it?"

"Yeah, you can't have her with you and I don't want her with Mom." "Why not?"

"Because I know Mom, and she can use everything right now, but not a pet." With that she hung up and a notification came up from a text from her.

‘I’ll be here in 10.‘

A loud knock on the door after I was just done cleaning up the messy kitchen echoed through the apartment. I saw paws hushing to the door and loud scratching noises, trying to know who was having the audacity to interrupt the nap of this stranger kitten.

I stopped mopping the kitchen floor and tried to get to the doorknob to open it somehow. What was interesting is that this cat did not look at me or acknowledged me standing there. The tail was wiggling and I was feeling my angst rise and my hand shake. I opened the door quickly and the cat just rushed outside to the streets. Me and my sister had a moment of staring at each other and not knowing what to do now.  One or two seconds have passed and my sister reflex has kicked in better than mine, as she sprinted after the cat and I stuck to the ground and waited for my brain to process the situation. 

I quickly realized the situation and ran off to catch my sister in this sprint. I saw her hair blowing in the wind of her fast pace and the shadow of the cat that was chasing something quickly. After the 10 minutes I could finally see that the cat was getting slower but after 15 minutes the cat has crossed the road and entered a coffee shop. 

“A coffee shop?? Really?” I asked and was clearly as confused as my sister was at the moment. How could this cat just run for 25 minutes and then casually walk inside a coffee shop with no hesitation at all. 

“This cat is as weird as you are, Y/N.” She laughed, well she tried to laugh even though she is kind of having an asthma attack at the moment.

I stepped inside the coffee shop and was still breathing hardly and was greeted by a very floral and very well decorated. The pretty and visibly pleasing to look at cafe was something between what I would imagine heaven would look like if you would think that heaven was a white and pink and blue paradise. I was instantly calmed down by the pastel colors. The chairs and tables were in a purple warm tone that melted well into the scheme of the place. I was greeted with 2 customers who were each sitting on the end of the room and were minding their business. I walked up to the one barista that was working there. He had brown hair and the prettiest brown eyes, the brightest beaming smile on his face and as I got closer to the counter I saw this little ball of fluff curled up in his arms.

“Oh- Sorry. Do you want to orde-” He started but noticed my big eyes on this kitten, not leaving the sight of it and the kitten escaping his clutches to go on the counter to stroke towards me to push it’s head on my hand that was resting on the hard wooden table. 

“W-Wow, do you know my little Dori?” He smiled and exposed his beaming smile. I couldn’t tell if my world was turning or if I was feeling dizzy. I couldn’t stop starring at his beautiful facial features. I couldn’t keep my gaze from him and stop starring at this stranger that I do not know at all but this magical feeling this man gave me, was absolutely and undeniably the nearest example I could give for love at first sight.

And it seemed that he was doing the exact same with me, scanning me and not looking at me. He was looking through me and straight stared into my soul. My god, I couldn’t tell you if I was dumb or if time and gravity has stopped for a minute. 

“N-No, this cat h-has followed me and I fed her and let her sleep at my pl-place.” I stuttered and never left my gaze from his deep brown eyes that were forming into an eye smile.

“Wo-Wow. That is so nice of you. I was looking for her last night- Can I maybe g-get you something to drink? It’s my last shift a-and we could-” He was as nervous as I was but I couldn’t help but smile hard from the tint that came onto his face.

“Of course, My name is Y/N. By the way.” I smiled at his eyes not knowing where to look at. My face heating up as well and my smile not losing it’s intensity.

“I am Minho.”

[starstruck-xavier]

Panicking Stranger

ao3 || wattpad || fanfic masterpost || main masterpost || inspired by this post <3

words: 1647 ships: prinxiety (no romance implied / they just met), background logicality, background dukeceit characters: roman, virgil, everyone else mentioned warnings: panic attack extra: thank you to @coconut-cluster for giving me the idea! i may write a follow-up involving those tags where they keep running into each other also loll

summary: “Can you tell me your name?” He’s confused and moderately concerned when he’s met with a shake of the head. “No? You don’t know your name?” The stranger nods, puzzling him even more. “Yes… Yes, like you do or yes you don’t?” He’s met with a frustrated huff of air. “You know your name but can’t tell me?” Roman feels like he’s reached a little for that last question, but then he receives a nod. Upon tilting his head with curiosity, the stranger pulls his hands away and holds them up. Can you sign?

The city is beautiful on these days. Waves of laughter rise above the base of chatter and the chitter of the birds in the trees while various groups of people mill about the public garden. Photographers, high schoolers ditching, adorable old couples, you name it. The spring weather is perfectly pleasant, not uncomfortably hot but not particularly chilly either, and the sun is framed by the distant terraces beautifully from the angle where the artist sits cross-legged by the bushes with his sketchpad, which has the name ‘Roman’ embellished into it in elegant cursive. He brandishes a variety of pencils and has colourful little paperweights scattered about him, protecting his drawing references from the gentle breeze. Everything is serene, calm, almost perfect.

The only thing that could possibly bring Roman out of his wistful trance is the sound of heavy footsteps, accompanied by equally heavy breathing. There’s a small thud some distance away, and he looks over to see someone about ten feet away on the grass. He looks visibly upset and shaky, with smudged makeup under his eyes and faded purple hair. His arms are secured tightly around his own middle as if he’s trying to cut off circulation to the lower half of his body.

“Hey, are you okay, buddy?” Roman calls out softly with his eyebrows furrowed in concern. It’s not often that he sees someone so distraught; perhaps at the college library during exam season, but never so out in the open. The stranger turns his head sharply towards Roman and pauses, then nods with a grimace that’s so obviously forced that Roman nearly ignores the yes and moves over anyway, but he decides to only press, just once. “Are you sure?” Another forceful nod.

Roman watches for a moment longer as the stranger goes back to hunching over himself and shakily breathing, wondering if he should ask again, but decides against it. If he doesn’t want to spill his brains to a stranger, that should be respected, he tells himself as he turns back to his sketches.

About ten minutes go by, in which he’s back to being fully immersed in his art. He has a pretty good light outline of the terraces and has even added in some birds and flowers for extra embellishment. As long as he can get this done on time, he’s confident he’ll get a top grade for this project. Just thinking about it makes him excited. He takes a short break, fishing around in his backpack for a water bottle when he catches a glimpse of that mysterious stranger again, and he looks more upset than ever, tears streaming almost passively out of his eyes and his body rocking back and forth. In fact, Roman instantly notices the telltale signs of a panic attack and feels a pang of guilt in his heart. Then, he hears a soft whimpering over the breeze and he decides he can’t just ignore him.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” He makes an agile movement over to the stranger and sits down in front of him. “Can you hear me?” The stranger looks up at him. He has one of his hoodie sleeves pressed over his nose and mouth and an awful, gut-wrenching sob escapes his throat, but there’s a glint of human recognition in his eyes, so Roman continues. “Take a deep breath in for me. C’mon, in…” He inhales with exaggeration and watches the stranger drag the air into his lungs like trying to breathe tarmac, just barely, the fabric of his sleeve hindering him. “Can I take your hand away from your face, sweetheart?”

There’s a moment when Roman suddenly regrets letting the nickname slip, unsure if it’d even be received well, but eventually, he’s holding a tearstained hand to his chest so that the stranger can feel his lungs expand and contract. They spend the next few minutes just breathing together, forgetting that they don’t even know each other, oblivious to everything else going on around them. The chitter of the birds and the chatter of the city dwellers go ignored because all that matters to Roman right now is calming this ball of nerves in front of him.

Once the stranger seems calm enough despite the tears and little hiccoughs, Roman reaches out to take his other hand and moves onto grounding exercises. “Can you tell me your name?” He’s confused and moderately concerned when he’s met with a shake of the head. “No? You don’t know your name?” The stranger nods, puzzling him even more. “Yes… Yes, like you do or yes you don’t?” He’s met with a frustrated huff of air. “You know your name but can’t tell me?” Roman feels like he’s reached a little for that last question, but then he receives a nod. Upon tilting his head with curiosity, the stranger pulls his hands away and holds them up.

Can you sign?

Oh. “Why, yes.” Roman speaks out loud but starts to sign with his hands while he talks out of habit. “I’m fluent in sign. Would you like to talk to me that way?”

The stranger nods and briefly swipes his hand across his teary face before signing again. My name is Virgil. I can speak but being overwhelmed makes me unable to for a while.

Roman nods understandingly. “Ah, you’re overwhelmed. Is there anything that usually helps you that I can do, Virgil?”

Just grounding techniques, I guess. Virgil makes a flicker of eye contact with Roman before looking down at the grass, but he seems to be trusting him.

“I was just trying grounding techniques by asking your name,” A playful smile tugs at the corners of Roman’s lips. “but I’ll continue. Do you know where you are?”

The public garden.

“Good. Are you in college or anything?”

Yes, I'm in English Literature. Virgil cracks a tiny smile. Sanders University.

“Hey, that’s where I go!” Roman claps his hands together excitedly, forgetting that he's supposed to be asking grounding questions yet again. “You might know my brother, Remus. He’s in English Lit too.”

The breathy laugh that leaves Virgil’s mouth is enough to fill Roman’s heart with warmth. Virgil’s smile reaches his eyes, and he looks almost ethereal suddenly, and on top of that, he then starts to speak. “Oh my god, that’s your brother?” His voice is quiet and a little hoarse, but Roman falls in love with it nonetheless.

“You know him?” Roman beams. He’s filled with a multitude of emotions, happiness being the main one as he’s successfully brought Virgil out of that awful looking panicked state and then made him smile.

“Yeah, you must be Roman, then.” Virgil says, then Roman suddenly remembers he never even told him his name.

“Ah yes, I’m Roman. I never told you, my bad.” He hums bashfully, but Virgil smiles again.

“It’s alright. Remus kinda rubbed me the wrong way when I met him, but he’s my good friend now. He’s talked about you a few times.”

Now it’s Roman’s turn to laugh. “Hopefully he’s not besmirching my reputation. However, I’m not surprised he conflicted with you. He does that with a lot of people. I'm glad you get along though.”

Virgil hums in agreement. “He told me you’re really loud and boisterous, but you’ve been rather calm with me.”

“I am quite loud usually,” Roman muses. “but I know when I need to be calm for someone else. When I saw you panicking, you were reminding me of a friend of mine, Logan. Last year he had a series of nervous breakdowns from work overload and I learned to help him through each one. The first time, I kinda panicked with him because I didn’t know what was going on and the noise made him worse, so I was quieter with him for the rest of them. I guess I saw him in you.”

“Aw,” Virgil wears a kind expression. “You’re a real good friend.”

The compliment only causes Roman’s heart to melt even more to the point where he’s not sure he’ll recover, smiling so widely his face begins to hurt. “Thank you so much, Virge. I really do try.”

“And, it’s a small world, isn’t it?” His voice starting to strengthen again, Virgil turns the questions onto Roman. “I’m sure my friend Patton has a boyfriend called Logan who had a massive mental break last year. He was telling me about it.”

Roman gasps with awe. “Oh, wow. We really should’ve been introduced sooner, huh? Anyone else we both know?”

Virgil thinks for a moment, then smirks playfully. “Remus’ boyfriend, Janus?”

“Boyfriend?! Ooh, he never told me he and Jan finally got together!” The two share a laugh, talking the hours away and forgetting about the circumstance that had them interacting in the first place. Virgil’s eyeshadow has smeared across his face after crying, but he’s unexpectedly enjoying himself today when he’d previously thought that today was going to be a bad day. Meanwhile, Roman had been enjoying today already, even if he’d only describe it as ‘almost perfect’. Almost. Then, it appeared to worsen when he saw that stranger having such a hard time, but now the stranger’s become a friend. Unknowingly, a friend of many other friends. And this means they’ll most definitely be hanging out much more often. And neither of them reject that idea.

Even after such an emotional rollercoaster, they can both still hear the usual waves of laughter rising above the base of chatter and the chitter of the birds in the trees. The weather is still pleasant, neither of them are too hot or cold, even with Virgil in that thick hoodie of his, and Roman suddenly remembers that his sketchpad and paperweights are still sat just ten feet away by the bushes, his drawing references protected by the gentle breeze. Gentle.

And it’s all gonna be okay.

[thepetulantpen]

Tarot/Formal Event

(Working on catching up! Day 3 of @widomauk-week , more soft bois.)

Caleb fidgets with his suit, tying and retying his tie over and over. He pulls it tighter, looser, then just unties it and starts again.

“Gods, Caleb, you’re going to give me a nervous breakdown if I have to see you tie that thing one more damn time. It’s fine, stop messing with it.”

That’s easy for Beau to say, she’s not even wearing a tie as she lounges effortlessly in her well-fitted suit, the top three buttons deliberately left undone.

Caleb tears himself away from the mirror, finally, and reluctantly sits down on the plush, red velvet couch next to Beau. His foot starts tapping, shaking almost violently with his nervous energy, and Beau growls.

“Caleb, I swear to the gods-“ she pulls up short at the distraught look on Caleb’s face and sighs, voice softening, “It’ll be fine, alright? It’s a free party, what could go wrong?”

Caleb turns to her, disbelief plain on his face.

“What if someone there recognizes me, or I spill wine on a diplomat’s shirt, or I step on Molly’s foot-“

“That was a rhetorical question. Listen, I can almost assure you that Molly is going to make more of a fool of himself than you are, and he’s going to have fun doing it. Lighten up, just for the night.”

Caleb leans back against the couch, crossing his legs to keep them from shaking, and stares at the ceiling, wishing it could give him some assurance that he wouldn’t fuck this up.

“Why aren’t you nervous? Yasha is going to be out there.”

Beau’s face heats up, but she doesn’t compromise her suave, casual pose on the couch.

“Because, I know how to relax unlike someone in this room. It’ll be a fun, no pressure event. We don’t even live in this country.”

“But Jester does. Oh, gods, what if we get her banished or something-“

“She’s done a pretty good job of that herself, actually. And she’s going to disguised anyway, so she’ll be fine.”

Caleb nods, running a hand over his face. He’s about to ask more questions, or fix his tie one more time, when the door opens and one of Marion’s servants gestures for them to follow.

Beau stands and stretches, walking quickly after them and forcing Caleb to keep up with her.

“It’s party time!”

...

Molly looks stunning, as he always does.

He’s dressed in a flowing peacock feather pattern gown, purples and greens trailing behind him and swaying with his every movement, every laugh or hand wave. Purple feathery down adorn his wrists and there’s a whole feather stuck just behind his right horn.

Only the Mighty Nein can see that he’s toned it down a bit for the night, whether due to restraint or limited resources. Caleb thinks he can guess which.

Caleb’s outfit is, of course, much more plain. A simple black tux with a blue tie- Marion had insisted, since it complemented his eyes so well. Beau took the full cobalt blue suit she had offered originally.

He just wanted to blend in, though he now sees that his choice to go so plain makes him stick out amongst the high, and frankly ridiculous, fashion all around him.

Maybe it doesn’t matter, since it allows Molly to easily pick him out of the crowd, the only monochrome in a sea of rainbows.

This party is meant for rich people who can afford Marion’s company, who are accustomed to living in these lavish hotels with rich red walls and expensive wines, not adventurers who wear borrowed outfits and still smell of life on the road, all dust, bruises, and growling stomaches fueled by magically created nutrients.

This party is not meant for people like Molly, who don’t have a coin to their name, who was traveling with a circus less than a year ago, who fall in love with broken souls. But damn does he make it work.

Molly moves through the crowd smiling and winking at people as though he is the most eligible bachelor here, as if everyone is secretly after him or, if they’re not, they should be. Maybe he is, based on the intrigued looks he gets from every patron he brushes against, men, women and everyone in between stopping to watch this mysterious tiefling make his way towards Caleb.

It makes Caleb impossibly more nervous, sensing all the eyes on him, the mysterious tiefling’s partner, but he’s frozen in place by Molly’s stare and smile. When he finally reaches Caleb, he holds out a hand and Caleb takes it, letting himself be lead to the dance floor.

Stopping at the edge Molly looks at Caleb, that soft, seductive smile replaced in a moment by his usual grin, wide and unabashed. He leans in to Caleb’s ear.

“Do you know how to dance?”

“Uh,” Caleb nods slowly, before he’s able to think about it, “sort of. Yes?”

Memories of stiff, formal events and polite dancing fill his head. Astrid’s laugh and Caleb’s sure, deft feet. Peers and teachers, rotating slowly around him like ghosts.

Caleb blinks, dispelling the images like waving away fog. Molly is pulling him onto the dance floor and gesturing for him to take the lead.

Caleb takes a deep breath and Molly’s hands then he... dances. Just like he used to. Back and forth and back and forth, feet moving in tandem to music that barely breaks through the cloud of Molly Molly Molly filling his head.

He doesn’t remember the specifics of this dance, couldn’t tell you what it’s called, but he knows his peers once called him talented for pulling it off. Molly keeps up like he knows the dance, graceful, acrobatic steps adapting quickly to the fast paced pattern Caleb sets. He’s always liked a challenge, and Caleb is happy to entertain.

Across the floor, Beau smirks at him over Yasha’s shoulder. It seems they’re leading their own dance, Beau with enough grace to cover her lack of experience and Yasha’s clumsy, heavy steps.

In the crowd to their left, Jester dances by herself in her human disguise (though, she does make frequent attempts to coerce the half orc on the sidelines to join her), finding time in between her spinning to give Caleb an encouraging wink.

Beyond the crowd, Nott, wearing Veth’s face, watches proudly, tugging on Caduceus’ sleeve and pointing.

Higher up, out of Caleb’s sight, Marion Lavorre smiles to herself. She’s watching from the balcony, keeping track of all Jester’s new friends.

She’s always quite liked that Molly fellow, and always been a little worried for Caleb. It’s good to see it all work out.

Caleb barely notices any of them, eyes locked on Molly’s face, looking over all the details he’s already memorized and replaying the hits- the crinkle at the edges of his eyes, the fang poking over his lip, the feather tattoo curling on his cheek.

He doesn’t trip. Not even once.

...

It’s the end of the night and the stars shine beautifully down on the private balcony Marion lent to Molly and Caleb.

Molly holds Caleb’s hand, confident that Caleb’s obvious nerves are masking Molly’s own nerves and uncertainties. He may worship the Moonweaver, may have spent many nights in the beds of beautiful strangers, may be able to blend seamlessly into any party, but Molly knows nearly nothing about true love and doesn’t pretend to understand the singing of his soul when he’s in Caleb’s presence.

He doesn’t know if he’s doing any of this right, but the dancing was certainly lovely and Caleb is smiling, which is a difficult feat somedays.

“You’re a wonderful dancer, I’m surprised,” Molly grins, teasing, “No offense, but I didn’t expect my stinky wizard to be trained in ballroom dancing.”

Caleb doesn’t turn his head away from the stars but he slides his eyes over to meet Molly’s, putting on a smirk that Molly hasn’t seen on him before.

“I am full of surprises, Mollymauk.”

Here, on a romantic balcony in the starlight after a night of dancing, Molly’s heart starts to race. Caleb makes Molly feel alive, not like the thrill of battle but like a safe, warm shelter. No adrenaline-charged risk taking here, just comfortable, assured survival.

Caleb’s hair is slicked back in a short ponytail, beard perfectly trimmed for the first time in months, eyes bright and brought out by his tie, smile a balance between sexy and sweet.

He’s perfect and Molly is so happy to call him mine.

Caleb looks back up at the stars, head tilting upwards to allow the moonlight to highlight his face.

“Are the stars speaking to you today?” Caleb asks Molly, “What can you foretell, about my future?”

Molly looks up at the stars and hums, tail swaying contently behind him.

“The stars are very talkative- but you know how the night sky is, too gossipy,” Caleb giggles and Molly continues, triumphant, “it might be easier to consult the cards.”

Molly flicks his free hand and card appears, which he presents to Caleb with a bowed head, as if giving a revered prince an expensive, powerful gift.

“Two of cups? And what does that mean, oh wise fortune teller?”

Molly takes both of Caleb’s hands, rotating so his whole body faces him.

“Two of cups is about... a union, between two forces. Most commonly it means... well, there’s love on your horizon, you lucky man.”

Caleb leans in and Molly freezes in surprise, gaping like a fool as Caleb gets close enough to kiss.

“The horizon, hm? So far away?”

Molly remembers to breathe, exhale brushing against Caleb’s mouth. His voice is a whisper, Caleb’s piercing blue eyes leaving Molly breathless.

“Maybe not that far.”

Caleb closes the gap between them with the same confidence he had in the dance floor, kissing Molly with a choreography he studied and mastered long before he even heard the music.

“You’re right, Molly. I am very lucky.”

[yamiivance]

Fictober 2019 - 1

                             Cracked Bottles can’t hold pressure

Prompt number: 1: “It will be fun, trust me.”

Fandom: Nightmare On Elm Street(2010)/Dead By Daylight(Personal AU/verses)

Rating: T

Warnings/Tags: Overprotective Parents, Abusive parents, References of some bad collage culture + references to Freddy Krueger, emotional outbursts, parents refusing to talk about things? 

(Please let me know if I missed anything I should tag)

—

“Hey Mama?” Hazel eyes scan around curiously bright eyed and as usual a small old camera in hand- occasionally taking photos of buildings or angles on street signs as they pass them.

Her Mother's brown eyes meet hers with a raised eyebrow.

“Hm yes my sweet little Cassey?”

A smile split across Cassandra's face as she giggled hiding a bit in her grey-blue denim jacket shyly.

“Mama- please!” She gently nudged into her Mother's side with a nuzzle- who simple returns the laugh and smiles back, sometimes Cassandra forgot how beautiful her Mother was, she was wearing her nice clothes since she was sure Her father had shown her off to clients before allowing her to show her around town like this.

Her Mother was wearing a nice dark suit jacket, a purple dress shirt and matching skirt with black tights and short heels to appear a bit taller well still being easy to walk in.

“...Mama...?” Her voice rang out in question again the hesitation to ask it and the nervous expression on her Mother's face told her most of what she had already guessed but-

“...Is this the preschool- uh... is this the place... Dwi- uh big brother went too?”

Of course her Mother was quick.

“Of course not you know what school you and your brother went too.”

Hazel eyes widen and she glances away tears burning her eyes.

“N-No Mama not that-”

“WHOA HEY- LOOK OUT-”

A young teen's voice shouted out the sound of a skateboard skidding to a halt and the sound of a metal fence shaking a bit she glanced up and blinked as the teen looked at her and laughed.

“Ma'am are you ok- I'm so sorry I got a text from my Dad and it distracted me- he can be a bit overprotective but sometimes I don't think he realizes it that he can cause more harm then good-”

His laugh – his brown hair was stuffed under a grey hat- curls stuck out from under it- brown eyes- a strangely familiar face. She'd seen a face like that in her big brother's photos...

“Quentin-”

The teen? Young adult maybe? blinks shocked. She wasn't sure if he was older or younger then her big Brother but she knew that face from some photos he'd shown her of his preschool days.

“...Uh yeah... um how do you-”

“You were my big brother's friend! Dwight!”

She squeaks out the joy of finally being able to say his name to someone- to not have to dance around questions or be met with glares or sharp movements from her Father.

“...Uh--- Y-Yeah wait are you haha- oh my god you're his little sister right? Cassandra? He used to write to me about you he adored you so much from what I can tell! I hope you too are still close- how is he? - Hello to you as well Mrs. Fairfield!” He bows gently at her politely.

Her Mother's smile was polite but she'd grabbed Cassandra's arm tightly and goes.

“I...I am sorry Mr. Smith but... we must be going-”

“...But... but Mama-”

Cassandra's voice cracked, her whole body shook with distress- as her Mother went to drag her away- the worlds leave her mouth desperately.

“You haven't heard from him Mr. Quentin- I- They- Mama please- I...!”

“No buts. Cassey.”

But of course Quentin was already cutting them off-

“H-Hey wait- whoa now- ho-hold on- what you haven't heard from him ether- what- is -... you like photography too- that's his first camera huh? He trusted you with it...”

And yet his hands asked. 'Are you safe? Do you need help?'

She hesitantly responded with one hand well speaking something else.

“Yes of course he would I am the world's best little sister- hehehe!” Though it was a bit forced due to the sobs still wrecking her breathes.

'...Mostly, I just... need someone to talk to- they won't talk to me.'

He stayed alongside them- Mrs. Fairfield not even glancing at the two not realizing they were signing.

“Mama please let me go I'm fourteen not a toddler! I want to talk with Quentin- I swear I'll call if he does anything funny please-”

Finally she pauses glaring at Quentin but her glare wavers when she saw the kind and concerned expression on his face- she glanced away guilty.

“I...I am sorry- of course you can go- but you better text me if there's so much a HINT of trouble understand?”

“Of course Mama! I always do!” She hugs her before skipping over to Quentin, who gives her a little high five.

“You're a little smooth talker huh? You must get it from your Mother huh? She's a smart lady- here Mrs. Fairfield- here's my cell number if you need to contact me ok? If you're worried just call me- or her I promise one of us will pick up at all times!”

The women stares at the paper for a moment but smiles and takes it.

“Thank you Mr. Smith please do watch her- though if a hair is out of place I will contact your Father.”

The threat in her eyes was very real, and yet Quentin simply nods. “I understand.”

“What's it like Skateboarding?”

A laugh escapes him now. “Ah I see interested?”

She looks nervous now, her Mother had already started walking away.

“No- I mean... well it's not very lady-like and I- I wouldn't know where to start-”

Quentin shakes his head.

“Come on I'll take you to the skate park nearby ok? It will be fun, trust me!”

She nods shyly, and much to his surprise he pats his skateboard. “I can push you if you want so you can get used to it a bit?”

Her mouth opened a bit in awed shock.

“Are... are you sure?”

“Of course I am!”

She happily skips towards the board and sitting down, pressing her knees against her chest and holding onto the board with her hands, she was glad she decided on her nice jeans instead of her skirts today.

“...so you haven't heard from Dwight ether...?”

Her voice was soft, shy.

“...sadly no last I heard from him was he mentioned starting collage and being really excited about his photography classes... He even mentioned taking ASL courses again just to keep himself refreshed.”

Cassandra nods slowly watching the world go by from her spot on the skateboard.

“...But he... hasn't been in contact with you or anyone else, you two seemed pretty close- that camera proves it...?”

Tears burned her eyes and she hiccuped mumbling out.

“...t-they... won't tell me anything- he... he came home and- l-locked himself in his room w-wouldn't come out so... so I sneaked in and- he was all beat up- and and he was so upset and looked scared and- I... they won't tell me what happened and now he's just gone and they won't even let me say his name and and-” She sobbed shaking and gripping the skateboard tightly.

“Dad calls him a pervert and our brother believes him- and I try to tell him Dwight is NOT a pervert but he doesn't- Dad has him on a leash and he doesn't even notice everything's wrong!”

“A-and... and-”

She sniffs rubbing at her face still trembling and hiccuping but seemingly trying to calm herself down.

“I-I'm sorry- I... just- I just... no one will... listen to me and t-they treat it like- he was-”

“You don't have to explain that to me...”

Quentin's voice was soft.

“I understand my Dad's always been hiding stuff from me honestly... it's... confusing... Maybe Dwight is still writing me and my Dad's just taking the letters- he does that sometimes- I promise I'll see if that's the case ok? So don't worry so much relax. You're only a kid you can solve these mysteries in time, but don't forget I'm sure Dwight would want you to enjoy yourself too! Like learning to skateboard perhaps?”

“hahaha, m-maybe maybe... yeah I know I-I'm sorry for putting all that on you Mr- um. Quentin... I just... needed it off my chest thank you for listening...”

She sniffs as she stands up off the skateboard and stretched a bit, wiping her eyes and glancing to him. “...So... how do we um, start?”

He smiles at her, an excited one, adjusting his blue jacket a bit and making sure his necklace is tucked away safely.

“Heh, why not you watch me for a little bit, relax calm down and then we'll get start on those lessons huh?”

Cassandra nods softly as she goes to sit down, crossed legged on the ground and taking a deep breath, gently she glances at her camera which hung from a makeshift necklace Dwight had made her for it.

Scanning though the new photos she'd taken on the way here before her breakdown- the photos even before that back with her Mom.

Most of it was Scenery just slightly blurry from motion images of trees, houses and street signs, a few sneaked pictures of her Mother and the decayed Preschool as they passed and a very blurry image of Quentin skidding to a halt on his skateboard.

Glancing up away from the small red and black camera she watches as Quentin does a kick flip on one of the ramps, landing and grinding on the edge, though she can see he swayed a bit and quickly slid back down with his board and to a stop.

“Heh, heck yeah- what you think of that? I'm a little rusty but- it's not something I'd forget how to do ether like riding a bike!”

Cassandra smiles softly hazel eyes sparkling with excitement.

“It... was... AWESOME!” She'd got to her feet, dusting off and moving towards the ramp more. “Do I get to try?”

He laughs. “Of course but let's try and easier spot yeah? Maybe somewhere flat so you can work on your balance and how to move around first?”

Nodding excitedly she steps closer to Quentin- “Here hold my Camera ok?”

“Sure- can I look at the pictures Dwight used to show me the ones he'd take- any old ones still on here?”

She winked at him. “Of course, I'm sure he has copies of them but, I couldn't bring myself to delete some they seemed important?”

Quentin glances at the camera and starts looking though the photos. “Shout if you need me, but try seeing how you do on your own, just put on foot on and then the other and just practice balancing like that, then we'll work on moving and stopping.”

“Ok!”

He hums looking though the simple pictures of scenery. “These are really nice I'm assuming these are the ones you took today yeah- pffff hey that's me!”

“Yeah that's you dummy almost killing us!”

“hahaha I did not almost kill anyone you dork-”

He blinks staring at a smaller version of himself next Nancy and Dwight- and... in front of Badham Preschool's sign- and just above the little sign was what looked to be a gardener smiling with them... His heart gripped in his chest he wasn't sure why, he'd been young maybe that's why he'd simply forgotten preschool- but not his friends- or not entirely... but...

He scroll though more images of Nancy holding up a really nice picture and her looking happy- the gardener there again- Quentin on the man's shoulder him running- motion blurr and all- and then just... an image of the strangely familiar man again, wearing a red and green sweater and fedora smiling at a picture he was handed in what looked to be a basement? Boiler room?

...He wasn't sure why that image made him feel... uncomfortable, they all seemed perfectly innocent obviously Dwight must have liked the man to have such a good few high quality pictures of him- they all must have... but... who was he and why couldn't he-

“...M-Mr. Quentin are you ok?”

Cassandra's voice shot him out of his thoughts as he glanced to her on the skateboard looking worried.

He hadn't realized it but he was hyperventilating- and now the worried look on Cassey's face. He forces himself to get his breathing under control, not even sure why he'd been panicking in the first place...

“...I-...I'm fine? Sorry I'm not really sure... what... uh happened there- do you- did Dwight ever say who this man was?”

He points at the man in the photo hesitantly.

“Of course! That's Mr. Krueger! Dwight said he was always very nice to him- that he missed... having an adult figure like that-... I-... uh... I think he was the gardener of the preschool right...? Um... sorry that's... all I know really?”

Quentin nods simply a confused expression on his face. “...hm... thanks heh, I guess it's not always easy to remember things from when your five huh? -Anyways let's get started on those lessons!”

“Yay! So I think I have the balancing thing- but how do I move without tipping over?”

Quentin chuckles.

“That's the not so easy part but no worries here just try and copy my stance?”