#decided wannabe is a joke from when they hooked up

[aquvmarines]

# xoxo

name:  rosie ringtone:  wannabe  by  spice  girls. last  text:  (  mack  📲  rosie  )  finally  googled  it.  apparently  there  really  aren’t  bears  in  the  alps  😓

send  me  “#”  for  cell  phone  headcanons  (  meme  )

[youarejesting]

Jinnie

[MASTERLIST] Beta: @hoebii​ Pairing: Jin x Reader Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Mystery, Angst, Adventure. Rating: All Words: 11.3k

Summary: Jin is a genie, who as folklore warns trick humans, to get their souls. He twists their words and taunts around into actual wishes to be used against them if it is phrased properly. But as a law student you are careful with your words and beat him at his own game.

Stepping out of 5330LAW ‘Wrongful Conviction: Journeys to Freedom’ you rubbed your temples, trying to ease the pain coursing behind them. It was like your brain had just been filled with wood chips and the sharp edges were trying to dig their way back out. How could learning hurt you so bad? There were so many dates, legislations, different clauses, and terms that you had to memorize- BUT, you forced yourself to move your thought process along.That would all have to wait. 

You would rather not think ever again, so you rushed off to the little convenience store where you spent the night scanning products and taking money. You were like a robot repeating a script over and over. 

“Welcome” “Can I help you?” “Just these items today?” “That will be twelve forty, on the card?” “Whenever you are ready” “Have a nice day”

It was easy. You happily lost yourself in those mundane tasks whilst standing there and growing bored. Suppressing a yawn, you cleaned the floors, tidied, and restocked the shelves. Eagerly counting down the final hour until you could go home and take a nap. While cleaning you had cut your hand on the plastic shelf display, quickly purchasing an antiseptic cream to cover the injury, it was the only thing that stood out about your shift today. Or so you thought. 

Counting the till slowly you allowed for a few last-minute customers to come in and purchase what they needed. Most paid by the card so it wouldn’t ruin your count. They bought alcohol and snacks and other little things one might need. When it was finally time to close up, you headed around the counter walking towards the door ready to flip the sign from OPEN to CLOSED. As well as turning off the little neon ‘OPEN’ sign on the window.

Leaning down you reached for the plug, fingers so close to the switch ready to turn it off, you stretched down a little more, smiling triumphantly when you flicked the switch when the bell above the door rang a man ran in painting. “Excuse me miss,” 

Ah! This is why you didn’t close off the till until the door was locked, allowing people to buy things last minute, if they needed something urgently. The amount of single parents who need baby wipes that barge into the store last minute was more than you could count. 

“Good evening Sir, What can I help you with?”

“Please take this and make a wish?” He spoke, voice panicked as he kept nervously looking over his shoulder, “It is the lamp of a genie, it will grant you one wish, but you have to use it now” 

Without a chance to refuse, the lamp was thrust into your hands. You stared at the beautiful gold and ruby lamp. This looked expensive and you wanted to refuse but the man had already started hiding behind the fridges. There was a bright flash of light coming from the street as a figure appeared outside on the sidewalk. The figure was quick, pushing open the door and practically gliding across the room where he grabbed the man.

You heard the man scream and you couldn’t help but run away in fear. You got into your car shaking, throwing everything on the passenger seat. Your breathing was shallow and erratic as you drove away as fast as you could, the adrenaline quickening your reflexes and keeping you alert to the road ahead.

When you got to your apartments, you scooped everything into your arms and ran up the stairs and along the corridor until you reached your door, your breathing wasn’t coming any easier and the pain in your chest was so sharp you felt like you were going to pass out. Fumbling with keys trying to find the right one for the door, the next-door neighbor started shouting about the ruckus you were making running in the hallways. It wasn’t until you were successfully inside the safety of your home that your breathing slowed down. That’s when you noticed the fancy lamp in your hands.

It looked like real gold, it looked like real jewels, did the man steal it and try to hide it with you, did the other man that showed up kill him. There were so many questions and you didn’t know what to do, so you ran out to the hall and threw it down the garbage shoot, hoping no one came for you.

Sleep didn’t come easy, you felt like there was someone on your balcony or someone walking down the hall, and every time you closed your eyes you saw this horrible-looking man. His eyes were dark and his skin was like Ash. Though you hadn’t seen any specific features your mind conjured the creepiest man; with a pointed hooked nose and a narrow protruding chin. You had seen his hands which were boney and each finger bent a little oddly like they weren’t natural human joints.

Deciding around midnight to study and use the time not sleeping wisely, you were well into the third chapter of the night when you finally dozed off, the textbook still opened.. Waking the next morning to a call you jerked awake, heart racing from the fright. Still adorning your uniform, you lunge across the floor to your bag where you heard your phone ringing. It was a stupid ringtone. From the floor you could see the gold lamp gleaming on the kitchen tiles and remembered the events of that night. Looking at the phone you saw the caller ID and groaned. It was your boss and you did not want to work. It was your first day off in two weeks and you were wanting to do some cleaning school work and chill out. 

That and any thought regarding the shop had the barely repressed memories clawing at the edges of your mind. You had decided it was obviously a prank and two people were joking around. Reluctantly you cleared your throat before answering, sitting up straight and rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

“Hello, this is Y/n speaking,” You said politely and waited to hear what the store owner had to say with your fingers crossed. He was a nice guy and you knew it was stressful for him to have to fill shifts as the younger employees tended to take multiple days off in a week but you were really in need of this free day.

“Hey Y/n, it is Choi,” He said his voice seemed a little stressed but also slightly amused and you felt your shoulders slacken, “I was wondering if you could see me this morning in about half an hour?”

“Of course, I will be there in fifteen minutes,” You replied, getting changed and retying your hair in a bun before racing out the door. You drove to the shop and began planning your chores for the day. When you get home you would have to do your laundry and then sit and try to get a start on more assignments and essays. You were feeling really productive after reading from your textbook last night.

The boss wasn’t asking you to work today so it must be about something else, you frowned pulling into a parking space outside the store. What if he is going to fire you? No, you were one of the best and most experienced, also the only one he trusts to lock up the shop.

The shop.

Oh hell. Last night you left those two wannabe psychopaths in the store, they could have stolen anything. If you were fired today you were going to have a breakdown. What if that weird guy had actually killed the other man, he had seemed so panicked and you just locked them in and left.

Taking a deep breath you stepped out of the car and strode into the store, bracing yourself for the worst, like to see the cash register ripped from the counter and snacks and shelves raided for free products. What you didn’t expect was the man to be sitting at a table being served coffee from the boss.

He was handsome. He was looking at the owner who was talking adamantly about compensating for something, the bell on the door had alerted the young handsome man of your arrival, his eyes flickering to you. They were so beautiful, a dark caramel and his lips pulled up into a soft smirk as he looked you over. He took a sip of his coffee to repress the smile and you looked away feeling your heart speeding up and your face flushing.

He was very handsome, unlike anyone you had ever seen. Better than any idol, he didn’t look human and you were feeling the adrenaline starting to pump through your veins, your fight or flight was prompted last time by the man’s scream and you had run away. However, this time was different. Your flight was to just freeze up and pretend you were dead like a possum.

“Ah, you are here,” Choi smiled and walked over to you and led you out the back of the shop where he had a small office/staff room which was beside a small bathroom. The boss walked you inside and explained that you had accidentally locked the handsome young man inside alone for the entire night. “We are lucky he is an honest man who said he didn’t touch anything all night but sat and waited for someone to come and open the store.

“He what?” You said, confused this man had been locked in because he was trying to kill another man, did you forget, maybe it was lack of sleep that made you see things. You had heard that stress and not enough sleep leads to hallucinations. Had you thought it all up and locked an innocent man in the shop?

No. If he was truly innocent he wouldn’t look at you like that, like he knew you, like he knew how much he scared you, like he knew you were confused about the other man and where he had gone. He knew what he was doing. You didn’t trust him and he left a sour taste in your mouth.

The boss told you, that they were lucky he wasn’t pressing charges and that he was thankful you were not hurt, “I thought that maybe this man had done something to you last night, the closing was in shambles”

“Yeah, I think lack of sleep got to me,” You admitted your cheeks flushing in embarrassment, if this was all in your head, you must be in need of a long night’s rest. You looked at the old man and touched his shoulder, “Thank you for thinking of me, I am so sorry this happened, I will go apologize to the customer and head home and rest.”

“Wait, did you check the footage?” You asked the owner, his old eyes looked up at you as he rubbed his face, pushing his wrinkles around his face with equally pruney fingers. You almost cringed at how stretchy his skin looked.

“I can bring it up,” He said and brought up the footage from last night. You could see the door open but there was no one there and you were surprised that you were looking and talking to no one. That was suspicious, had you actually imagined it all and locked up some poor young man last night? 

Walking through the aisles you saw him leaning back in the seat and you sighed, “Are you okay? I am so sorry, that I had locked you in, I haven’t been sleeping well and I think I had a moment when I started seeing things. I thought you were a murderer and was killing someone, that’s why I locked the door and ran.”

The young man threw his head back and laughed, you almost spat your drink at him. What was that laugh? It was dorky and sounded like a broken squeaky toy, you couldn’t help but laugh as well in surprise. 

“That explains why you ran and locked me in,” He wiped his nonexistent tears from his laughing and smiled at you, his teeth looked so white and perfect it made you feel self-conscious. He touched your arm and your breath hitched, “I am sorry, I frightened you, but I promise you, you can check the footage, I was the only one who came in last night.”

“No, it wasn’t your fault” You blushed again laughing and shaking your head, “I must have gone crazy”

You were happy that he didn’t seem angry at all, if anything he seemed really charming, he brushed his fingers along your arm soothingly. “You do look like you need some sleep, Would you like me to drive you home?”

“Uh... no, it’s okay” You waved your hands in protest, “Thank you for thinking of me, but I think I will be fine”

He took your hands in both of his and leaned in, you were struggling to breathe, why was this brunette bombshell so forward, “If there is anything you need, I am happy to help or even just listen. He reached behind his back and brought his hand back with a card and grinned, “My card, call if you ever get scared, or when you are tired. Imagination can make you see the scariest things.”

He held out the card and you noticed his fingers were bent strangely and you starred, “Ah, it’s a medical condition, they are called swan neck fingers, they are pretty weird aren’t they?”

“No sorry, I was just thinking about what I saw last night, you aren’t what I remember but then again I was so scared I think I imagined you more like a monster.” You laughed and he rubbed the back of his neck with a small laugh.

“Speaking of last night, have you seen a small watering can, it was a shiny yellow metal and had red polka dots on it.” He smiled but this was different, heavier, his eyes weighed you down, it was like you were being squished and your heart thumped in your chest as if repeating a mantra. Run, Run, Run. 

“A watering can?” You asked leaning away from him in your seat but the back stopped you from going as far as you wanted, “I don’t remember a watering can, I am sorry, But I can keep an eye out for it.”

His grin split huge and unnatural and you knew. You knew that he knew. You were lying to him. He could tell and he liked it, he licked his lips watching you get out of your seat and talk about your pending chores calling you.

As you walked out of the shop you could feel his gaze on you and tried to stop yourself from shivering. You failed and when you opened the car door you looked at the window and saw him laughing. 

You could practically hear the squeaky sound that didn’t fit the refined face. You drove home, stopping in the underground parking lot you looked at the business card he had given you and scoffed, scrunching the paper and throwing it onto the floor. 

You froze there was a feeling like someone was watching you and from the corner of your eye you saw something in the rearview mirror and when you looked up you thought you saw his clothes pass the back of the car but when you turned you saw the old man from the apartment next door was there knocking on the window. 

“The bins are for average household garbage only, not furniture, not metals or glass, I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t fill the garbage with your cheap metal figurine. That and last night it hit the walls of the disposal shoot on the way down making a clatter, try to keep it down.”

“Sorry, Mr Choi, I had a bad night last night, I was almost killed at work, I was scared” You admitted trying to get his sympathy, he faltered and nodded before walking away, leaving the conversation as it was. 

You were standing there with the lamp in your hands and with a frown you hurried into the elevator and into your apartment. From the safety of your home, the tension in your shoulders relaxed. Taking out a pen and paper, before quickly jotting down the evidence and the memories you had. You knew it wasn’t a plausible case and wouldn’t stand in court. The evidence against you would tear your whole case into pieces and it made you mad.

You took the crumpled business card from your pocket and opened it reading the name “Kim Seokjin,” You started an online search of the name and the business but nothing appeared, you decided to ring him. Taking your phone from your pocket you hesitated to dial the numbers, getting up you punched in the numbers with determination wilting when it came to pressing the green call button. 

“Come on, he is just a guy, albeit really attractive and charming and probably a murder psycho who probably eats people” You were shaking something about calling him made you nervous, and amongst your arguing, you had accidentally bumped the call button. Placing the phone up to your ear it began speaking.

“Sorry. The number you have dialed is no longer available. Please check the number and try again.”

“Oh thank gosh,” You sighed relieved only to squeal and throw your phone in response to a sharp knock at the door. You stood there frozen in fear as the knock occurred again. Slowly shuffled over quietly, your socks muting each step as you peered outside through the peephole. When you looked you squealed again clutching your chest. Two very familiar faces were almost pressed to the door staring back at you a little distorted. Throwing the door open you practically shrieked. 

“Kim Namsoon don’t you dare do that again I almost had a heart attack, Yoonji you should know better, get in here.” You grabbed them by the jackets and pulled the two girls inside, they chuckled brandishing a bag of snacks. It wasn’t long before you were revealing all the little details of the incident that occured in the shop. You told them everything that happened hypothetically of course.

“Easy, if I was handed a lamp from a random guy on the street and told to make a wish, I would make a wish?” Yoonji shrugged.

“Well, that depends. Hypothetically, if genies were real you have a few options classic folklore genies or djinn’s are beings who snatch souls, they claim they can grant a wish but say you said I want to be rich for as long as I live, then they will hand you money and kill you instantly because you were rich until the moment you died which means that was all of your life.”

You nodded glad that Namsoon was smart and well versed in all different genres of books fiction and otherwise. She twirled her hair thinking. 

“Your choice of words would have to be specific otherwise they can use different interpretations of the words and bend the wish to their benefit. You ask for a million dollars, they might give you Monopoly money.”

“I see, that would be annoying” Yoonji huffed, arms crossing over her chest as she began thinking over her wish if she had a genie. 

“Also not to say they wouldn’t make your life miserable with your wishes, you ask to be popular or the centre of attention and you will never have a moment of peace, even the wishes they do well are so over the top it is torture”

“How would you trick a genie, while still getting the reward?”

“You would have to think of a really good wish.” Namsoon said with a small sigh, “but I don’t know how you would do it.”

The three of you watched a few movies and devoured an almost embarrassing amount of snacks. You managed to finish all your washing and after lunch Namsoon and Yoonji decided to leave you for your school work. Waving them off at the door, you had decided that whatever happened last night was all in your head. The coffee table doubled as your work area, so it needed to be cleaned before you could even think about studying. Amongst the rubbish you saw Yoonji’s headphones.

A Lazy knock at the door made you smile, that would be her. Scooping the treasured device of one of your closest friends and heading to the door. “I got them, I know you can’t live without them Yoo~oooooooou”

You physically jumped back at the sight of him standing there, your body locking up. Yet he smiled as if it meant nothing. As if he was just standing at a bus stop, not like he had somehow found out where you lived got through the security system of the apartment block and found your door.

“Ah hello,” You breathed the words like you were deflating. 

“Good evening, Miss y/n, how are you this evening?” His smile brightened flashing his shiny Colgate grin, he gave you no time to think as he reached out, was this the end. You scrunch your eyes but felt him touch your hair, peeking an eye open he took a piece of fluff from your hair. He looked at it between his fingers for a moment before blowing it away.

Something woke in you as you slammed the door in his face and locked it. Backing away nervously, you decided to call the police. You turned your back on the door and ran for your phone instead slamming nose first into a broad chest. There he was, in your house, your safe place from the world. You flailed back, tripping over nothing and falling onto your behind.

“How did you get in?” You accused from the floor

He smiled striding over and squatting beside you, holding out his hand. “Your friends let me in,” you shivered. How did he know they were your friends. This guy was beautiful but he was starting to scare you. There was something about his calm nonchalant way of his words that made it seem worse. 

“Okay, is there something you needed? Or can I get back to my work now.” You asked ignoring his helping hand, you stood up and turned to him crossing your arms across your chest. You saw him still in the same position, hand outstretched, his smile had fallen and his face was dark. He didn’t like how you ignored his hospitality you could tell as his eye twitched in annoyance, and his fingers curled up. 

Standing he brushed his hands on his pants and gave you another sweet smile, “Is there anything you need?”

“What if there is nothing I need?” You asked defensively, trying to get him to tell you why he was here, was he a genie from the strange lamp you had been given the other night or were you going crazy and he was just a murderer. Whatever it is, you wanted him to leave you alone.

“Everyone needs something, you’re humans, you always need something.” He scoffed and you pointed at him with an Aha!

“So you admit you aren’t human?” You accused, watching him walk over towards your kitchen and sit atop the bench throwing one leg over the other and intertwining his fingers together atop his lap. 

His smirk grew again in that creepy way, “what would o be if not a human?” 

“You are a genie aren’t you?”

“Gold star human, Genie is one of my names but I go by Jin J-I-N” He spelt it with his finger and the letters appeared in a pink font, like something in the harry potter movie, his name didn’t form any pseudonyms. Instead he batted the word away and it disappeared in a light pink dust. “What can I do for you, human? You can wish for anything. Choose carefully, I can get you anything you have ever desired. But I have limitations, You only get three wishes and you can’t wish for more. Other than that, have fun.”

“Wait that’s it?” You asked confused and he looked taken aback that you weren’t jumping on the chance to make wishes.

“What do you mean?” He scoffed jumping down from the bench, “Yes that is it, but why are you worried about the conditions when you just have to make a wish. I can make you beautiful or rich or have everyone love you, you just have to clearly say ‘I wish’ before you ask”

“I don’t want that,” You walked away and sat on the couch turning on the tv, “I am already beautiful and I make enough money, and I am nice so the right people like me.”

“Look you have to wish for three things and then I can move on,” He said, standing in front of the television and you sighed.

“But what is the catch, what do you get in return for granting wishes?” You asked him curious and he looked away for a moment before heading over to you in quick strides dropping to his knees and holding your hands while you leaned back on the couch stunned by his sudden forwardness. 

“This is my job,” He said sincerely and you knew he was hiding a major clause in his deal.

“I will think about the deal, and I will call you when the time comes” You said with “Close the door on the way out” 

“Fine! Where is my lamp?” Jin asked, you didn’t let your eyes stray from the television as you answered.

“You mean the metal teapot thing, I threw it down the garbage disposal, Why?” You feigned shock, “Oh no, was it really gold and rubies?”

“Yes it is real,” He exclaimed horrified, you held your ground knowing the real thing was in your dresser, but you weren’t going to tell him that. He seemed to try to calm himself down asking in a clipped tone, “Where is it?”

“I told you I threw it out, it would be crushed into scrap metal by now the bins are emptied overnight.” He looked like he was going to scream, his body flailing as he began shouting in a language you didn’t understand, whilst pacing smoke literally poured from his ears. “How was I supposed to know, just lay down on the couch”

He huffed, reluctantly crossing the room and flopping onto the couch, practically kicking you off when he outstretched his long legs. You decided to forfeit the cushioned seat and slide onto the floor, losing yourself in you studies. Admittedly it was difficult to relax having a stranger in your house lounging on your couch behind you. But, you were more interested in observing him, so you feigned indifference and let him watch television. 

Part way through your essay you heard a growl tensing once more, you had almost forgotten he was there. Turning to the offending noise, you heard it again, locating the sound to Jin’s stomach, “are you hungry?”

“I’m fine,” he mumbled, watching what seemed like the fourteenth episode of ‘Say yes to the dress’ there must be a marathon or something. You faintly remember him complaining during the previous episodes about people not just saying what they wanted, giving death glares into the back of your head “It is your dress not theirs. Ughhh… just say what you want so the people can get on with their jobs”

“I’m going to make something to eat,” you had said it loud enough that you hoped it would peak his interest and he would accompany you for a meal. But he didn’t seem to move an inch, it wasn’t until you had added the seasoning to the ramen purposefully leaving the lid off so you could lure him away from the Television. 

It worked. Strolling in casually as he could muster but you knew from the sound of his stomach and the tilt of his nose in the air your kitchen skills had done the job. 

“Cheese Ramen and steak?” You asked, showing him the food cooking and his lips which had been parted in awe closed with a swipe of his tongue and he swallowed heavily before looking up at you. “It’s okay to say you are hungry, I will feed you”

His ears were turning red and you grinned, “Look go grab some plates from that cupboard there,” you used your leg; sticking it out in the direction, your foot tapping against the lower cupboard, just left of the sink, “and bring them over to the bench.”

Your apartment was small and you loved it. In your kitchen everything was within reaching distance and being able to touch both walls was claustrophobic to some, but comforting to you. That and there were only six tiles on the floor that needed to be cleaned. You had never thought your kitchen was small until Jin stepped into the kitchen, You turned slightly to watch him as he slid past the bench, your hand casually stirring the ramen making the noodles had all separated.

With his eyes looking into yours, he went to step around you, his chest pressed to yours and you blushed eyes faltering and looking at his wide chest. He grabbed out the plates and began his journey back and you turned to face the stove not wishing to be face to face with the handsome features again. 

You felt his clothes brush yours as he slipped past and placed the items on the bench. Letting out a breath you began serving the dinner and he licked his lips once more. “It looks good, huh?” 

“Yeah, thank you,” JIn smiled and looked up, “Maybe I can repay you, you could wish for a grand house?”

“No thanks, that’s too much, I live alone that would be too lonely,” You laughed sitting at the tiny table, “But I would like to discuss your clauses and limits.”

“Of course, what can I tell you?” He asked curiously

“You killed that man didn’t you,” You didn’t look up from your plate not wanting to appear judgemental, who knew this was what he had to do, it never meant he enjoyed it.

“Hey, I didn’t kill him,” He said and you knew the meaning, he may not see it as killing but taking payment for the wish. You watched his expression as he ate and looked at the suit he had been wearing when you met.

The two of you ate in silence, and you raised an eyebrow, “Do you have any other clothes, or do you roam around in formal attire?”

“I have more clothes in my lamp, but I feel as though now I will have to go see someone about making me another, I need it for strangers to pick up and use” He frowned, “You wouldn’t happen to know where I could get another lamp made?”

“Can’t you just magic yourself one?” You expressed your confusion, pouring him some juice and he laughed while taking the beverage.

“No, I can’t really perform wishes on myself, I live to serve until my debt is paid. I can do tiny things but nothing like that,” He laughed dryly, you were curious as to what his debt was.

“What is your debt?” You spoke concerned as you gave Jin the other half of your steak he had been eyeing, was it because he looked so nervous to ask for more food or was it a bribe to get information from him? You liked to think it was your professionalism taking over to get information but deep down you knew it was the look in his eyes.

“It’s just something that I stupidly accepted from the beginning that I regret,” He blushed eating the steak you had given to him, you took your plate and glass to the sink and began slowly washing the plates and pots.

“So, you don’t have any other clothes?” You asked him, you knew it would be best to pull back on the questioning until you two had a better bond, there were many ways for you to get the information you wanted. You had to appear like a trustworthy friend, give him the freedom to confide in you with even the smallest things without judgement and then perhaps he would tell you what you would like to hear.

“Only what I am wearing,” He sighed, “Are you sure they have taken my lamp? The thing is wherever my lamp is I am bound to it, my master holds the lamp and calls me and I appear to grant them a wish.”

“Listen, you want people to pick you up, you have to modernize, no one uses lamps anymore, let’s look around and maybe I can buy you some sort of replacement that will work similarly,” you started, “But for now, we have two hours until the department store closes and I was wondering if you wanted me to buy you some pj’s for tonight. I can’t afford a lot but, I can get you something that isn’t this suit to sleep in.”

Grabbing your bag and coat the two of you ventured out, it was along the way that you picked up some ice cream as dessert, the two of you talked and laughed until you reached the department store. Guiding Jin through the store, he seemed to get distracted or lost in the sea of people easily. Reaching out you took his hand and guided him through until you reached the menswear section. You found him some pajamas, blue button up with an Alpaca on the front that said ‘Adventure? Al-Pack-a my bags’. It made him laugh and you giggled, you loved when he laughed, it was so silly.

You had to purchase them, it would have been a crime if you hadn’t. You had him try on the tops, so you could compensate for his shoulders and when you decided on a size you headed on and grabbed him a toothbrush and more things to get him through the night. It was a last minute decision to get him a plain white shirt and black lounge pants. With all the things in hand you started heading home.

Once home he went for a shower and came out dressed and giggling in his pajamas, he looked youthful with his hair done. He was a smart businessman with it slicked back but done he was so boyish. Shaking these thoughts you went for a shower drying your hair and stepping out in your silk camisole and shorts. You saw him tucked into your bed and you blushed, “Uh Jin, that is my bed?”

“Oh, I am sorry, I just saw a bed and assumed it was where I was staying, I forgot,” Jin sat up and went to get out of the bed and you raised your hand.

“It is a queen sized bed, I am sure we can share it without any troubles.” You got in beside him, and he settled awkwardly, now a little unsure of the situation. “Unless you are uncomfortable, I have to sleep. I have classes in the morning okay?”

“Okay, I will sleep too,” the two of you turned in opposite directions, in an effort to forget the others' presence.

It was easier said than done, the two of you shuffled around all night trying to will yourselves unconscious and yet there was no forgetting the others presence. In the dark it consumed you, the warmth from his body so close to yours made your heart race, he was handsome and you barely knew him. Your feet accidentally brushed and you retracted them muttering a sorry in the cool night air.

“‘S okay,” Jin said under his breath, the gravel in his voice told you just how tired he was as well, it made you laugh, you were both suffering in each other's company. Picking up your pillow you moved it to the end of the bed and slept the opposite way. “What are you doing?”

“It was awkward so I thought instead of laying side by side and neither of us getting sleep, we could just top and tail and then it would be like a sleep over and not so weird,” You smiled, “but since we are both still awake we can talk until we fall asleep”

“What do we talk about?” He said rolling over and looking at you from the top of the bed, “I have never had a sleepover?”

“Wait really,” You sat up and frowned, he sat up mimicking your posture unsure if he was in trouble. “So at sleepovers, you talk about everything, like the people you like, and you play games and paint each others nails and braid hair”

“And this happens at every sleep over,” He said looking at his nails, your smile broke your face as you switched on the lamp and ran from the room, he called your name in concern and when you ran back into the room arms filled with snacks you saw Jin on his knees looking like a scared child who heard a bump in the night.  

You ate snacks and painted his nails, he didn’t know what colour to choose, so you gave him a ballet pink, something cute but still subtle. “Okay, when I was thirteen I fell out of tree and got this scar on my temple, that was three stitches”

He tilted your head to see the faint scar and traced the line with his finger, he listened intrigued about your stories and soon the two of you fell asleep. The next morning your alarm sounded and you realised you were going to be late for class. You raced around getting dressed, thankful you had gotten him a white shirt, you told him to wear it and his suit pants and blazer. 

He stepped out looking breathtakingly handsome, with little effort. You gestured for him to follow and began traveling down the hall, he was smart but unsure. He made up for his confusion with the modern world with his ability to lie and conjure up needed items and documents. 

“We are taking the bus, do you have a ticket?” He nodded, brandishing a paper ticket, out of nowhere making you smile. He followed you on the bus and when you sat down he sat beside you, for a second you hadn’t expected it and you forgot you were babysitting some other worldly being.

“So, what are your classes?” He asked trying to strike up a conversation, or just genuinely curious you explained you were in a law degree, it took little time to reach the auditorium and you thanked the heavens today for only lectures, anyone could sit in on a lecture.

Halfway through the lecture your stomachs were growling, you handed Seokjin some money and you asked him to get you both something to eat. “Where from?”

Sighing you took back the money, “we will have to wait for the lecture to be over,” He pouted at the thought of not getting fed and rubbed his tummy, a little uncomfortable. 

For whatever reason you felt pity, and searched your bag, for any snacks you might have left in the bottom just in case, finding a small granola bar, you handed it over for him.

He opened it happy and when he was done he heard your stomach growl and he felt a little guilty that he didn’t share. He thought you were a bit strange. Every human he met was always quick to make their wishes, money, fame, looks, the three most common things but you were the first person that made him wait. You were the first person to give instead of take, you worried about him and took care of him, reveling in his happiness.

He offered you money and a big house last night and you didn’t want it, he wondered if there was something wrong with you. After the lectures you went to lunch, Jin sat down at the table as you ordered burgers and drinks and a plate of fries to share. Sitting across from Jin, you watched him look around at the other patrons in the neighboring tables eating burgers and chips and you smiled cheekily behind your book.

“I didn’t have much money so i just got chips to share and a drink” you lied without moving your face from behind the book.

“Ah, that is okay, I can give you money if you ask for it” He assured you

“I don’t want money?” you waved his statement aside.

“What do you want, if you could have anything in the world?” He asked 

“If I could have anything in the world, I would want to work hard for it, not make a wish, it is a waste to just have something, if I have everything I ever wanted what is the point of living” you saw the food coming towards the table and closed your book. “What’s the point of reading a book if you know the end, what’s so special about happiness if that’s all you feel, it just becomes boring.”

“What’s the point of being a genie if all you do is grant wishes and never get to live a little, you have to admit sleep overs were pretty fun huh?” You continued your lecture knowingly as the plates were placed down. “What’s the point of life if there aren't surprises to make it fun?”

He was smiling hard at the food, a little bit bashful about being tricked, he was starting to understand your point of view but he thought, this couldn’t be possible, you couldn't be the only human in the world who thought this way, could you? Then again you were the only one Jin had the pleasure of meeting and yes it was a pleasure to meet someone who actually cared about him for once.

Your phone rang, your friends were asking to come meet you at the uni and you were quick to answer and agree. You were too invested in your food that you didn’t even think about the man across from you and your friends heading your way.

“Hey, Y/n,” Yoonji and Namsoon took seats on either side of the table before looking at Jin, they turned back to you, their mouths open. You were not a professional lip reader, but your best guess of the words they were relaying were. 

‘Oh my gosh, he is so hot! Is he single? What is his name? What are you doing eating with a man this gorgeous?’ Namsoon gushed over the handsome man.

You blushed, swallowing down some soda, so you could explain. “Hey, this is my friend Kim Seokjin, he and I met at work,” not a total lie, “and we became friends”

“Oh what do you do?” Namsoon asked curiously

“Yeah, do you go to Uni?” Yoonji searched the menu not phased by his beauty. His ears went red and he looked at you for help.

“Hold that thought, go order and then we can talk,” You waved them away, laughing as they went to order obediently. “Life is full of surprises Jin, live your life today, as if you were normal, just bend the truth a little, you could say you're an entrepreneur or a life coach because you make people's wishes come true.”

“I am excellent at charming people and making up stories, don’t worry,” He sat back in his chair putting one leg over the other, “Sit back and watch the master at work”

“I haven’t even started my assignments yet,” Yoonji said walking back to the table and flopping into her chair. “I was too busy sleeping”

“Okay we are back, as we were saying, what do you do for a living?”

“I am a life coach, I make people's wishes come true, help them figure out their life and make things happen” He smiled “It’s a pretty rewarding job.”

“That sounds interesting,” Namsoon smiled “So what do you do outside of work?”

“The usual sleep, eat, watch tv, I slept over Y/n’s last night and it was fun, we stayed up a little too late, so we had to rush to get dressed and get to the lectures, we didn’t even eat breakfast we were that late” He said with a smile at you that was proud at his skills of charming the girls.

“He slept over,” Namsoon hissed at you, “You had this man in your bed last night?”

You were bright red and you tried to settle them down, but it was useless and better yet, Jin was just sitting there smug, which didn’t help the image he had painted in their heads.

“You know, good on you, you haven’t been with a guy for a very long time,” Yoonji smiled

“It’s really not like that,” You blushed, waving your hands in denial, “um Yoonji these are your headphones you left them at my house”

“Oh yeah no wonder I didn’t get any study done,” she smiled softly as you put your bag over your shoulder. “You got work?”

“Yeah I have to go or I will be late,” you sighed taking one last sip of your beverage. 

“We will clean it up you go,” they sat giggling as you and Jin left from the small fast food restaurant. 

“Ah, Jin why did you say that?” You hissed at him, “I thought you said you were a master at charming people”

“What did I do wrong? They loved me”

“They thought you and I did things last night, not just sleeping” you said and he blushed, his ears, cheeks, and neck turning bright red. 

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh is right” you sighed dragging him to your house where you rushed to dress for work you told him to wait at home, “help yourself to water and up to three snacks in the cupboard no more okay, watch tv, it’s a tiny shift I will make dinner when I get home” 

He nodded, “okay, water and only three snacks”

You patted his head and grinned “you are such a good listener, such a good young man”

“I feel like either I’m a dog or you're an old woman,” he poked your side playfully as you pulled your hair up into a ponytail. 

“I will be home soon,” you left and headed to your car and drove to work, you were serving customers when the lady next door came in.

“Good evening, how is business in the bakery,” you grinned cheekily, as you got her usual order ready. A cold bottle of iced tea and kimbap. 

“Not great, I haven’t sold half the stock,” she sighed, “I have so many items left.”

“Do you have an apple pie, or a strawberry shortcake?” You queried wanting to help the woman and also eat something sweet. 

“We have everything mini’s and family sized?” She sighed, opening the iced tea and drinking slowly. At the mention of family size you thought of Jin and wondered what he might like.

“I have a friend but I don’t know what he would like in ways of sweets?” You thought allowed, “but if you have something nice I would be happy to get us something to eat after dinner”

“I have just the thing,” she declared running off faster than you had ever seen her, she came back with a white box wrapped in the stores signature blue ribbon and she smiled taking only half the payment for it as she wanted you to have the cake for free but your pressed to at least pay for the ingredients. 

You carried the cake to the car and drove home, nervous to see him. You took the elevator and practiced what you wanted to say, “it’s just something the lady next door was throwing out, no that’s too like iffy, I get this all the time it’s no big deal, no that’s too indifferent and sounds a bit unhealthy”

The elevator doors opened revealing the hall filled with your neighbours and a thin blanket of smoke. Walking towards your apartment heart sinking as you saw everyone gathered at your door pushing your way inside to see a mess, there was smoke in the air and the smoke alarms were disabled. 

Putting the cake on the bench you began cleaning up thanking the neighbours for their help and concern.

“What happened?” You asked angrily, “why were you cooking—”

“I tried to cook ramen, you made it last night so I tried to do the same,” he coughed and rubbed at his smoke strained eyes. “Are you mad?”

“I am a little mad not because you almost burnt the house down, because you could have been hurt, life is full of surprises, remember and this one is one of the bad ones, but we learn and we grow from them. Now, are you okay? You seem to have inhaled a bit of smoke.”

“I’m okay, I promise” he said “I really am sorry, it’s just I have never cooked before, I wanted to surprise you with dinner”

“Well let’s sit on the balcony and have dessert instead?” You smiled and you opened the cake to see a love heart red velvet cake and you laughed. “The lady at the bakery heard I was buying a cake for you and she picked this one”

“It’s tasty” he hummed, “being a human is hard, I wish I had my lamp”

“I think you are doing wonderfully, remember the bad times make the good times good” 

You sat in silence devouring a cake together and the two of you reentered the apartment and started cleaning the kitchen until it was spotless. “I will need to buy a new noodle pot”

“You could always wish for one,” he suggested, and then upon thinking shook his head “actually that’s a silly wish, don’t wish for that”

You were surprised he said that he had been trying to get you to wish for anything since you met, but this was the first time he told you not to wish for something.

After everything was cleaned you ordered in and ate, Seokjin’s obsession with ‘Say yes to the dress’ was becoming unhealthy. It was during the fourth episode that your eyes got heavy and you thought, maybe it wouldn’t be a problem to rest your head on Jin’s chest. He wrapped his arm around you and the two of you stretched out. 

You woke the next day and was happy that you didn’t have work but you had assignments and you had to return a book to the library. Leaving Jin at home once more you swapped the book before taking a detour to the mall and getting a new sweater and pants for him. Walking inside you handed him the bag with a small smile, “I saw these and thought you might like it, try them on and see if they fit?”

He put on the sweater and pants and you felt your heart flutter, he looked really handsome. His hair was a little askew from pulling the sweater over his head, so you told him to sit on the couch running your fingers through his hair in order to style it. It seemed all this achieved was you getting lost in his handsome features, staring up at you without even trying to charm you. You messed his hair up, unable to stand how he made you feel, he whined “what’s wrong?”

“You look weird” You huffed, and crossed your arms, looking away with a pout. 

“What do you mean? I am handsome!” He said in disbelief. 

“That’s the problem, it’s hard to look at you when you’re that handsome, it makes my heart race” you admitted “if only I could just become immune, get used to it until it doesn’t bother me”

“You can look at me all you want, I don’t mind,” he said innocently, “but is this what you call life’s surprises, is it not good to see a beautiful face”

“It is nice,” I admitted, “it just makes me nervous”

Knee deep in assignments you realised you had been devoting too much of your time and attention to Jin. It was time to get to work, you had your books, snacks and drinks at your side and it was time to tackle the ethics of law assignment worth half your grade. 

Telling Jin to entertain himself, he nodded immediately flicking through the channels frowning when his favourite wedding dress reality show wasn’t playing. You eventually picked a show for him when you heard the intro to keeping up with the kardashians. He didn’t need to learn about that just yet. 

Halfway through your assignment, he saw an ad for the bite market. A market place full of food stalls where you can try all different delicious foods. Once he saw the ad he began begging you to go, he wanted to try the tornado potatoes and the crepes they had shown cooking deliciously on the TV. 

“Can we go please?” He asked rolling around on the floor and shaking you as you wrote. It wasn’t until he was sitting across from you and grabbed your cheeks bringing your face to his that you decided to take a break from your work. 

“You were saying?” You said as he held your face in his hands. 

“Uh, yeah sorry, I got distracted,” he blinked letting your face go, and looking at his hands as if they had burnt him. “Can we go to the bite market”

“Okay, let me get dressed, put on your coat and shoes” Stepping into your room, you changed into a beautiful red dress, it was one you bought online one year because you wanted the classic red dress for a romantic date, but turns out you had no one to wear it for. Until today. 

The dress hugged your curves and smoothed you out paired with heels. It gave your legs a longer appearance and your butt a more prominent appearance. You let your hair out doing a quick brush and style and some quick make up, a little eye shadow and a rosey lip stain. Topping it off with a dash of perfume you were feeling elegant and beautiful. 

You nervously stepped out into the living room and saw him handsome as ever dressed and ready with his shoes on. He looked at you, his mouth falling open and his hand immediately trying to flatten his hair in nervousness. 

“Life’s surprises, is this a good one?” You grinned cheekily

“Yes, but I am not used to it, it makes me nervous” he patted his chest as if trying to ease indigestion. You grabbed your purse and headed out to the bite market, Jin’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas you could see the sparkle in his eyes as they reflected the fairy lights between the stalls. The place looked magical and had everything you could think of. 

The two of you tried the foods and were having fun sharing a rather delicious crepe with fresh strawberries, You gave Jin the majority of the strawberries seeing how he eyed them, and he hummed “I love strawberries”

“Me too, they are delicious” you hummed happily, knowing he was happy was good enough for you, you wouldn’t tell him but this is what you would wish for just days of fun and new experiences and a friend to share it with. 

“Then why did you give them all to me?” Jin was confused, and you laughed 

“Because it made you happy, seeing you enjoy them was enough for me,” you wiped his chin of the sweet cream and laughed “they said there will be fireworks today,”

“Oh I like fireworks” he said and you kept walking and you bumped into a small group of older gentlemen. One of them turned and grabbed Jin by the collar, punching him so hard that he fell.

“Gentlemen I am so sorry that we bumped into you, how about you get something? On me” You handed them a fifty in a panic and they took it and turned to leave. 

“You’re lucky your girlfriend is smart and beautiful, or we would have beaten you to a pulp, pretty boy” once they started walking away you walked to Jin. 

You looked at him and pulled him to his feet, “are you okay?” You held his face and  frowned, there was a small thin cut near his cheek bone maybe from the man's rings. “Why is it you still look handsome? Come with me,”

You went to the open field, Jin laying out his jacket and the two of you sat on top, you would have the perfect view of the fireworks. However, fireworks weren’t on your mind. You opened your bag and pulled out a small antiseptic cream and knelt in front of him. “This will help, I got it for my hand the other day at work, it helps soothe the cut and keep it from getting infected”

He quietly let you pull his face gently closer, “are you okay, it must have been scary?”

“You stepped in front of me, what if you got hurt?” He asked, wincing as you dabbed the medicine on the cut “you also gave them your money?”

“If it’s for a friend it doesn’t count, I would give them one hundred dollars to stop you from getting beaten” you blew a stream of cool air onto the affected area the whistles and pops of the fireworks bursting in the sky behind you. But you didn’t turn around, stuck looking at Jin, like a magnet. 

You hesitated, starting to turn away, “Ah the fireworks are my favouri—” Jin grabbed your cheeks in his large warm hands and pulled you in for a kiss. A delicious twang in the pit of your stomach accompanied by the fluttering in your chest. The kiss was beautiful and like a fire burning up a match, the two of you came alive. Your hands diving into his hair as the kiss deepened and you felt him hum happily the sound rumbling his chest.

You fell apart a mere inch panting and you swallowed, trying to form words. “We shouldn’t miss the fireworks,” you scrambled to sit beside him and the two of you watched silently. Had you done the wrong thing. 

“Thank you,” he said softly, you weren’t entirely sure what he was thankful for, but you were happy anyway. 

The two of you headed home flushed from the cold wind on your cheeks, but your car heater was working to warm you both back up. You arrived at the underground parking and headed towards the staircase when you heard your phone ring. 

“Hello?” You answered into the device

“Y/n, it’s your father. He is in hospital, he really needs surgery but I was wondering if I could borrow some money from you? We will pay you back” your mother said her voice cracking with intense emotions. 

“Which hospital? I will come straight over.” You asked, heading back to the car and Jin looked confused. “Go upstairs you know the pincode for the door and rest I will be home as soon as I can” 

He nodded and followed your instruction retreating upstairs, you drove to the hospital and you got there and spoke with the doctor and your mother. Taking your savings and asking for a loan double the amount, you were able to pay for the surgery but it had left you in debt.

You waited until the surgeon stepped out to tell you how everything went and put your mind at ease before driving home knowing there wasn’t anything more you could do at the hospital. Jin was waiting on the couch looking nervous and you sat beside him on the couch.

Throwing your arm over your eyes and laying your head back on the couch, you let your tears flow. You didn’t know what you were saying when you turned Jin cheeks wet, “What would I get if I wished for money right now?”

“What happened to lifes’ surprises?” he teased, wiping the tears from your face with his thumbs, he pressed down as he rubbed them away as if they were personally offending him. His voice sounded scared and desperate, “The bad days make the good days good remember?”

“I don’t know, but, I will just have to make it work” You said crying into his chest until you were about to pass out and he scooped you into his arms and carried you to your bed where he tucked you in.

“If I asked, would you promise me to never make a wish?” He whispered, pressing a kiss to your head, you had woken when he moved you but you didn’t want him to know that.

You fell asleep soon after, emotionally exhausted, waking only to the sound of the front door closing. Looking beside you and stretching out your arm, the sheets were cold and empty. Jin was gone. You ran out of bed and out the door. 

You raced down the stairs but when you arrived he was disappearing on your doorstep, you paused panting feeling a weird sense of sadness you let him go heading back to the elevator the doors closed and you stared at the floor. The doors opened and you shuffled back to your apartment and sighed stepping inside. 

There was a note in the drawer where the lamp had been.

To y/n, 

I have always felt the presence of my lamp and found it on the first day, but out of curiosity about your intentions I stayed and over time I found myself enjoying the experiences you gave me. I admit my feelings began to grow from you being my client to being my friend. I realized I didn’t want to hurt you, I didn’t want you to use this wish and end your life. Your life's better off without me, don’t ruin it, never trust anyone who says they are a genie, they will screw you over and take your soul as payment. I couldn’t stay. I don’t want to take you from this world. You and your fathers debts will get easier, you can get through this without me.

The handsome,

Jin

You saw wet spots blooming on the paper before you realized you were crying. He had just made the decision to leave for you, because you were now his friend. That is a boat load of crap, friends don’t kiss friends the way he did the night you were watching the fireworks. What were you supposed to do now? With him by your side you felt like you could take on the world, now you just felt your tiny apartment was too big. 

Things weren’t easy, you were working twice as hard trying to pay the loan repayments. It had been three months since Jin had left and you just woke up at 10, the late shift and uni were kicking your butt. Dragging your feet you headed down the elevator in his pajamas to get the mail. Collecting the mail and heading back upstairs. You curiously opened the bank statement regarding how much you still owe when you saw your loan was already halved. There had been another account paying your debt as well. Your mother would send you half of the money to your personal account and you would pay the full amount, but who was this third party?

Your heart skipped a beat thinking it could be Jin, but you knew you couldn’t jump to conclusions. He had left and wouldn’t be bothered to do something like this. Looking at the statement it read in store payment at your local branch at the same time on the same day of the week.

12:30 Wednesday.

You looked at the clock, it was almost noon, you threw on your coat and shoes before running out the door. You rushed to the bank, racing inside. There he was standing in line in the pants and sweater you had bought for him. You were frozen in the doorway as he approached the woman at the counter.

“Back again?” the woman asked, “The same amount today?”

“Yes please,” He grinned. He handed over the cash and yawned,

“Have you been working the late shift again?” He looked tired, the dark under his eyes was a little scary, the woman gave him the receipt and he turned heading to the door. The very door where you were standing, his eyes met yours and he faltered, stopping. 

He didn’t know what to say but he looked down and grinned for a moment, “You look good,” Looking at your clothes you remembered you had been wearing his oversized blue alpaca pajamas. 

“You need to fix what you have done to my house,” You hissed and he looked confused, as you grabbed him by the hand and led him down the street. “Everything is wrong, I don’t know what you did but I want you to fix it, I can’t believe you would do something like that and then just leave, like it’s some sort of joke or prank.”

“I swear I didn’t do anything,” He said quietly, he was confused, not remembering having done anything when he left. “What happened to your house?”

“See for yourself,” you pulled him into the elevator and pressed the number for your floor, you felt an overwhelming emotion building up but you tried to swallow it back down.

He followed you to the door and you opened it up and pushed him inside, not wanting to risk that he might disappear behind you. He looked around as you pressed your back to the now securely closed door your arms crossed. “I don’t understand, what did I do?”

“Like you can’t see, Look how big the living room is, and the kitchen is too spacious and here when we used to sit there was so little space our knees would touch and now it's huge” You dragged him into the bathroom, trying to hide the way your chest was shaking with every breath, “This bench is too empty, your things used to sit there and there was hardly any room. And, And the bed, I don’t know what you did to the bed but it’s too wide, I can barely touch both sides and not too mention its always cold, it was never cold when you were here”

He looked at you sadly and he reached up wiping the tears from your cheeks, “I have done nothing to the house” He tried to soothe you, clutching his shirt you had buried your face against him and cried. “You know I didn’t do anything to the house.

“You left me alone and I don’t like it,” You whimpered,

“I wish I could stay and be just like a normal human who can love you but I can’t because I am not human,”

“I wish you were a human” He froze, pulling away and holding your face, he seemed a little excited.

“Do you really mean that?” He asked and you nodded looking up at him. Jin moved away and opened the lamp, tipping everything out, clothes and shoes and a million other things and he granted your wish. He still held the lamp and he grinned, spinning it around his finger and said “We could pawn this for a fair bit of money, yeah.”

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[artificialqueens]

Someone I Genuinely Love (Taywhora) - pureCAMP

A/N - I feel like a broken record but it must be said, I feel like I exclusively write for Ortega at this point and I am not mad at it, I love her more than I love myself. Here is a short little Taywhora for my favourite scottish queen <3

The night - er, morning - was a disaster.

To be honest, Tayce had seen it coming from a mile off, and she had warned Lawrence that inviting both A’Whora and Tia was going to be an absolute shitstorm. They just plain didn’t like each other, which was fine, but A’Whora had trouble holding her sharp tongue at the best of times, and mixing in a bucket-load of alcohol and a pretty cramped house, and you had a recipe for chaos.

(And, really? A house party? Were they still seventeen?)

Nevertheless, it was Lawrence’s birthday, and she called the shots, and she drank the shots, and she got to choose who came to her house to get unreasonably pissed into the wee hours of the morning.

Tia was there pretty early - or, at least, she was on time like most of them. She was stood in the kitchen with a Smirnoff Ice in her hand, happily chatting away to Ellie, wearing a dress that Tayce had complimented, if only to make some brief conversation. It was… passable, really, a half-decent outfit if she went that far, but nothing to write home about. Unfortunately, Tayce knew A’Whora was gonna hate it, and A’Whora with a loose tongue was almost certainly gonna make a comment about it.

The girl in question rocked up late and sloppy, as per her usual style. She stumbled through the front door and leant in the frame with a tipsy smile, plush lips painted pink and dabbed with glitter, eyelashes fluttering. Her skin-tight dress was fuchsia, bright, emphasising her soft tan thighs that the fabric rode up against and clinging to every inch of her. Once neat, her dark hair was messily piled on top of her head, falling tantalisingly in front of her face.

Tayce couldn’t help but feel relieved that she’d decided to come.

“The party can finally start!” A’Whora exclaimed, raising her drink in the air with a flourish and slamming the door behind her with her heel.

“It already started, ya lazy fuck!” Lawrence yelled from the back of the house. Tayce, standing at the bottom of the stairs and looking onto the front door, made eye contact with A’Whora and giggled at their friend.

“Isn’t she charming?” Tayce gestured towards the general vicinity of Lawrence’s voice.

A’Whora crept closer, her eyes wide and expectant. “Okay, listen. I saw Tia’s snapchat earlier. Tell me she got changed before coming out tonight.”

Here we go. Tayce bit her lip. “Aurora. A’Whora Borealis. You be nice.”

“I’m not trying to be rude or anything but she looks like a fucking Year Nine at her first party wearing a Pretty Little Thing dress that her mum chose for her. I mean, is she serious about it? Is it like a joke?” A’Whora covered her mouth with the side of her hand, her tone conspiratory and judgemental. 

Tayce rolled her eyes, both fond and irritated. “Whory, be nice. She clearly likes it, let her have fun. She’s not hurting anybody.”

“She’s hurting my eyes.” A’Whora rebuffed, pursing her lips. “Not like you, though. You’re a sight for sore eyes tonight.”

Internally she was pleased, but played it off smoothly. It wasn’t like Tayce had cleverly thought out her oversized blazer and thigh-high boots combo with A’Whora in mind, of course not. It wasn’t like she’d tailored her outfit hoping for a good response from her… friend? What even was A’Whora besides a hot girl she’d known forever who she spent 50% of her time blatantly flirting back and forth with and 50% of her time denying that she was doing it?

Lawrence burst through the corridor in a flourish of colour to greet A’Whora and groaned, fanning herself with her hand. “Fuck me, I am sweating.”

Tayce blinked. “It’s October. There’s no way you’re hot, in October, in Scotland.”

“Not from the heat, fuckin’ braindead supermodel. From the weight of the crushing sexual tension in this room.”

She looked pointedly between A’Whora and Tayce, neither of whom were particularly shocked by Lawrence’s openness, having grown used to it. However, in an embarrassingly same wavelength move, both girls cocked an eyebrow.

“Aye, I’m talking about you, pinchin’ your Botox lips at me Miss A’Whora the Explorer.”

A’Whora shook her head. “The cheek! Cheek of you to suggest that something’s going on here.”

“Not sure where you’re getting your sources from, but I’d consider leaving The Sun’s team out of your investigations,” Tayce added, A’Whora trying and failing to conceal her smile as Lawrence playfully whacked her arm.

“Get to fuck with those accusations. You carry on living out your little Gavin and Stacey storyline and I’ll go ask the Pope if he’s still shitting in the woods or if bears are still Catholic. Have fun ya fucking lesbians.”

As she disappeared back into the living room, where Bimini had started blasting something with a heavy, pulsing beat, A’Whora turned back to Tayce with an offended look on her face.

“Did that William Wallace wannabe just imply that I’d be the man in the relationship just because I’m English?” She asked, reeling backwards. “Fucking cheek!”

Tayce laughed. “Well, you don’t have legs like mine…” She trailed off, predicting A’Whora’s outburst.

“Hey! Listen, we’d be a great Naomi and Kim, so shut your beautiful face and stop seducing me with that gorgeous accent.” She paused for a second, thinking, and then blinked. “I mean Naomi Campbell and Kim Kardashian, I realise that sounded like something different…”

Tayce looped her arm through A’Whora’s and started trudging down the hallway, making their way into the living room with most of the others. “I love that you think you’re anything like a Kardashian, babe. The Kylie lips maybe, but you’re no Kim.”

As the music grew louder and louder in their eyes, Bimini wrapping a drunk sweaty arm around them both and bellowing something inaudible, Tayce leaned in close to A’Whora’s ear and added, “I’d much prefer what you’ve got to what Kim’s got.”

That was the game; cat and mouse, a game of chase and coy avoidance. After that, she slipped away to dance with Asttina, sipping on her drink and trying to hide her eagerness. The next move was A’Whora’s, as they both knew, and she could play it whenever she wanted.

It was after maybe another hour of drinking and gushing with her friends about how beautiful everyone looked and how drunk they all felt that Tayce realised the atmosphere in Lawrence’s living room was a little too kind. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and a house full of drunk girls was basically the club bathroom scenario elevated to an extreme level, but a kind atmosphere meant that A’Whora had clearly gone into another room. Not good.

Making to find her, Tayce got all the way to the doorway before Ellie and Lawrence stopped her to chat about whether or not it would be stupid to play spin the bottle (it would) and whether or not they should all do some more shots (they did). Then I Wanna Dance With Somebody started playing, and by the first “Woo!”, she’d totally forgotten about her earlier mission, and ran back inside screaming and grabbing at Asttina to dance with her. 

She had to give Lawrence some credit, because her playlist was incredible. Nothing but banger after banger after banger.

About half way through Good As Hell, Tayce became aware of what sounded like shouting, underwater and garbled and messy. Though she carried on grinding against Asttina and singing along to Lizzo’s affirmations, her head checked out a little as she tried to focus on the background voices over the blaring music. It proved to be quite the struggle, being as drunk as she was, but as it turned out, she didn’t need to pay too much attention, as she wasn’t the only one that had noticed.

By the time Tia was standing outraged in the living room doorway, all eyes were on her. She looked furious, cheeks red and eyes spilling over, her fists clenched and trembling.

Lawrence quietened the music.

“So, were you gonna tell me that you all think I look like shit or did you nominate A’Whora to be the nasty cunt she usually is?” She looked down at her dress, back up, and choked back a sob. “Fuck off, the lot of you.”

Immediately, half the room started to follow her with choruses of love, their words getting tangled in a web of you’re beautiful and she doesn’t speak for us and A’Whora’s just a bitch and I like it! 

The living room felt significantly emptier with just Lawrence, Ellie and Tayce in it, the three of them frozen staring at the doorway like they couldn’t believe it had finally kicked off. After a few moments, The 1975 now playing at an awkwardly low volume, A’Whora passed the living room, peered inside with brimming eyes, and broke into a run. 

Tayce followed her on instinct, leaving Lawrence and Ellie behind. Her heart sank as she rushed through the house; one part of her took in the group of girls gathered in the kitchen, their arms hooked over a crying Tia, their tongues slicing away at A’Whora’s character with every dirty look that they sent in the direction of the now wide-open front door. 

As bad as she felt for Tia, no one was going after A’Whora. And maybe that made sense, but Tayce had never cared too much about making sense - not when it came to her. 

Luckily, she didn’t have to go too far. A little way down Lawrence’s street, a familiar figure was sitting crumpled over on the curb, her face hidden in her hands, head leaning against the lamppost under which she was illuminated. Like an angel, Tayce thought. Like a sad, stupid angel. 

“Whory. What did you do, babe? I wanna hear it from you.”

A’Whora looked up. Flecks of black mascara stained around her eyes, the shadows beginning to smudge into the eyeliner from her tears, and her lip trembled. She lowered her head, prompting Tayce to sit down on the curb next to her, legs stretched out into the empty road. 

“I told her the dress was fucking ugly, because someone’s gotta do it. I was just trying to help but I know that was an asshole thing to say and I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.” 

Tayce blinked. She hadn’t expected the remorseful part of A’Whora’s answer, if she was being honest. She usually never gave in, never admitted defeat, proudly shrugged off any offence caused while Tayce tried to interject some kindness into her. It never worked, which she’d always found frustrating, but now it was unsettling that it had. 

“I mean, I’m right. She looks like the embodiment of the fucking kid’s section of a TK Maxx.”

Tayce kissed the side of her head, A’Whora responding by resting it on Tayce’s shoulder. “I thought she was the Year Nine girl in her mum’s choice of Pretty Little Thing dresses?” She teased gently. To her relief and simultaneous heartbreak, it received a short, wet laugh. 

“I didn’t expect her to - to rip into me like that. Like she did.” 

“What happened?”

“She stood up for herself. Which is good, right?” A’Whora sniffed. “She told me I’m a vapid self-absorbed little bitch, and that she can change her shitty fashion sense while I’ll be stuck with my fake face and dog shit personality for the rest of my life. And that at least our friends like her, ‘cause they barely tolerate me.”

Tayce squeezed her eyes shut and hugged her tighter. “You gotta understand she’s coming from a place of hurt, darling. I know you know this, but you have been pretty mean to her in the past.”

A’Whora nodded weakly, throwing up a peace sign. “Karma,” She sang, the humour in it betrayed by her wobbly voice. “I deserved it, but… I didn’t realise it would hurt this much. Especially because she’s right.”

“She’s not right,” Tayce cut in immediately, a little surprised by her own fierce defensiveness. “She was just angry and upset.”

A moment of silence fell as A’Whora lapsed into thought, her face still smushed into Tayce’s shoulder. She scuffed her shoes into the stones gathered at the edge of the curb, kicking them into the road and scraping her heels into the gritty dirt. As cold as the night was, Tayce could hardly feel it with A’Whora so close.

She laughed bitterly. “Tay, look at us. Do you see any of our other friends out here? No, they’re all telling Tia how much they love her. Because they do. And I’m the nasty fucking bully that won’t go away so they just put up with me until I give them a reason to talk shit.”

“That’s not true, Whory. Sure, we gotta work on controlling that lip of yours, but the girls still love you.” Tayce paused, and then peppered a few more kisses to the top of her head. “You may be a bitch, but you’re my bitch.”

“Kinky,” A’Whora giggled, softening into her side. “You still like me?”

“I always like you.” Tayce whispered. 

Above them, the orange street lamp flickered and turned off, casting them into darkness. A crescent moon shone just above them, partially covered by clouds, and the night was quiet. Tayce leaned back, pulling A’Whora with her, until both girls were laying down, half on the pavement and half into the road, their arms around one another and heads facing the sky. A lifetime or even a minute could’ve passed as they just watched the stars, endlessly fascinated by the tiny pinpricks of light, but when Tayce turned her head, it struck her that A’Whora’s eyes sparkled better than any night sky she’d ever seen.

“I should apologise to Tia.” A’Whora murmured.

“Tomorrow.” Their voices were barely above a whisper, something unspoken and sacred about maintaining the tranquility of the silent night. “Give her time to cool off.”

“And you promise you still like me?”

Her eyes were wide, hopeful. Their faces were so close it was no effort at all. It never was. 

Not with her.

The night - er, morning -  was a disaster, but A’Whora’s lips tasted like cherry gloss and her touch was soft and gentle, and maybe things didn’t always end badly. Maybe it would be okay as long as Tayce had A’Whora and A’Whora had Tayce. 

Maybe Lawrence fucking Chaney was right.

[cryptidcutiesstuff]

I’m Stronger than you think!

this is a Bucky x reader thing i decided to write. the story is actually my own OC’s backstory so i would appreciate if you didn’t take any “inspiration” for your own characters :) i just thought people would like to read it through their own eyes :D

in this chapter there isn’t any Bucky unfortunately, its just an introduction to Y/N, but Bucky should appear in upcoming chapters :D 

pairing: Bucky x Reader :) 

chapter 1

warnings: mentioned infertility and adultery

 I met him in Highschool, a nice sweet boy who helped me pick up my books that had been so carelessly pushed to the floor by a blonde haired wannabe. I was always bullied, sometimes for my appearance but mainly for my personality. Now you see being a strong independent woman was not very appealing in the 1930s, but for some reason he didn’t care about that. We went on dates, and eventually fell in love and were a couple for more than 4 years until he popped the big question. I thought everything was fine, I was happy, but apparently he wasn't. And it was because I was infertile, unable to have kids.

That lying son of a bitch! I stomped through the crowded office building in my black heels, angrily walking up to my car ready to drive away from him, how could he do this to me after everything. “Y/N, Please!” I turned around and tore off the chain of metal that was hanging round my neck, throwing it carelessly at the man who I once loved. He bought me that necklace on our first date. I always kept it on me “here! Keep it, or better yet give it to the nice secretary in the office!” I said as tears rolled down my flushed cheeks. 2 years we had been married, I cared for him, stayed at home for him, cooked, cleaned. I was even willing to bear his children if I was able but instead he betrayed me and my trusting nature.

“Y/N, I'm sorry, please forgive me!”  he pleaded, grabbing my hand. I pulled it away from his grip, “how long?” “what?” “how long have you been sleeping with her?” I looked into his eyes, my eyes being full of pain and sorrow. “A year and a half” he weakly stated, breaking eye contact with me. My eyes widened in disbelief, I had been ignorant for nearly the entirety of our marriage. “Why then?” he began to get irritated, curling his hands into a fist, “Joshua! Why?” I repeated. “Because you can't have children!” he shouted at me. I just stood there stunned, that simple sentence stabbed me straight through the heart. I quickly recomposed myself and then spoke up furious and yelled  “yeah. Believe me I know that! It's the one thing I am meant to do as a woman, and I can't do it! And I'm sorry that I can't!”  My outburst seemed to shut the both of us up. “Josh, obviously this isn't working any more, we don't work, so maybe…..maybe it's better that we go our separate ways, I'll stay with a friend temporarily, I'll go get my belongings now.” I said as I turned around, Joshua didn't say anything but watched me get into my car and drive away.

For the duration of the drive I was trying to contain the rest of the bottled emotion that was threatening to spill, I just needed to get to my friends current apartment, Peggy Carter, she was leaving in a few days for the war. When she told me her brother helped her get a place in the war as field agent I couldn't help but have my worries. Women weren't exactly treated well by men, and unfortunately she was going to be surrounded by them. How different things would be if women were respected and treated as a males equal, instead of being sexualised and thought as the “weaker sex”. Pulling my car up on the pavement, I momentarily sat there until I let my head drop onto the steering wheel, unbeknownst to me I slammed my forehead right into the car horn, causing a loud beep to rupture from the vehicle startling me. Clutching my heart I stepped out trying my best to ignore all the staring faces of the civilians around the area while walking over to Peggy’s apartment complex. I ran up to her door knocking on it frantically, she opened it wide not expecting me to be there. She looked at me, eyes softening when she saw my broken expression. “Oh Y/N darling.” her British accent rang through my ears as she invited me in for a hug. The exact moment she placed her head on top of mine was when I broke, I sobbed while she held me tightly, “what's the matter? What happened?”  “ Its Josh, he's been cheating on me for most of our marriage.” I said but I came out as a muffled sob from her shoulder. She pulled away, brushing hair behind my ear. “Oh Y/N, I'm so sorry. Tea and talk?” I sniffled and nodded in agreement as she shut the front door, walked over to the kitchen and placed the kettle over the stove.

When it was done, we began talking about Joshua and how I should have known he was cheating from the strange behaviour, he stayed out late often, didn't kiss me as much and never really wanted to get intimate with me. As the pieces added up I became more frustrated at myself for not noticing it earlier, I could have saved myself the heartbreak of finding him making out with his secretary in his office. I decided to flip through a few newspaper clippings Peggy kept on her kitchen island in an attempt to take my mind off Joshua. ”you could have punched him in the face you know.” Peggy piped up. “I know you're pretty good at a few hand to hand combat techniques courtesy of your father!” I looked up from the small newspaper clipping. “yeah, I know but I didn’t wanna waste my famous right hook on ‘im you know”  We burst out into a fit of giggles at the thought of Joshua on the ground. “You would probably be good at fighting in the war, Y/N.” I gave her the ‘yeah right’ face.

The conversation died down and a peaceful silence covered the room, the smell of the tea helped put my mind at ease a little. “So you’re going to war soon?” I broke the pause. “Yes I am, I'm quite excited actually, I'll be doing field work mostly but I hope I'll be of some help at least.”  I smiled “I’m sure that you’ll be great! it must be fun, I would give anything to go there myself. Maybe beat some sense into those brainless misogynistic pigs.” my smile turned into a smirk as Peggy laughed at my statement. “Well I could always recommend you to the colonel, he's the one that kind of runs the place.” I placed my china teacup down carefully onto its matching coaster. “Thanks for the offer peg, but I doubt they would even let me, a woman, near any tactical equipment.” there was a long pause once again until I made a quick snappy joke “unless I somehow dressed as a guy and infiltrated their army base.” I giggled at the silly thought, however Peggy didn't, I looked over cautiously not knowing if I had pushed any the wrong buttons. That was until I saw the look of determination in her eyes. “Peggy NO!”, “Peggy YES!”. 

“That’s a terrible idea! And what happens if they find out huh? What then?”  I crossed my arms looking at her from across the kitchen island. “By the time they find out it would be too late!”. “No Peggy it ain't happening, they wouldn't let me!” she stood there for a while “fine!” she sat down with a huff and we left it at that. We finished our tea and as the day began to end she walked me to my car, talking about when the war would be over, not knowing what the future would hold. Once I reached my car I threw my coat into the passenger's seat and closed the door for a moment while I gave Peggy a goodbye hug. “Thanks peg I needed that, I'll be on my way to Jacqueline's place, I'm staying there until I can get away from Joshua.” we parted and she gave me a gentle, reassuring smile. “You know that offer is still there.” “what offer?” there was a pause as I tried to remember what we spoke about, a light bulb went off in my head as it clicked. “PEGGY NO!” I stared at her in disbelief. “Y/N, come on, you know you really want to join. I could find someone willing to help you!” I knew she wasn't going to give up on asking me, so I reluctantly agreed. “Fine, you can try.'' I loved Peggy truly. but I unfortunately didn't have much faith that she would help me join the war. “Great! Well I hope you sort everything out with bloody Joshua.” I nodded in agreement and got into my car. I waved Peggy goodbye as I drove to Jacqueline’s ready to announce that I would be having a sleepover for a long while. Little did I know that I wouldn't be staying there for very long.

[obxlife]

Coat Closet (Rafe x Reader)

A/N: Another Rafe fic! I loved this idea but it took me a while to even think about how I would have to make Rafe act sweet towards the reaer but keep up his attitude with the Pogues. Also, btw, this happens in an AU where Rafe didn’t kill Peterkin.

Pairing: Rafe x Reader

Request: Can you write a Rafe fic about him having had a crush on the reader for a long time and one night a party turns into a smaller get-together and they end up playing truth or dare + reader and Rafe get dared to do a 7 minutes in heaven type thing and he confesses to her 🥺🥺🥺

Summary: As Sarah´s birthday party comes to an end, the remaining people decide to play truth or dare.

Warnings: I believe only swear words and teenagers insulting each other lol

COAT CLOSET

It was ironic, really. The fact that Rafe Cameron had fallen for Y/N Y/L/N was just simply ironic. 

After all, Rafe had always had a special place in his heart to hate the Pogues. But for some reason, he never seemed to be able to hate you. 

It all started the first time he saw you. You had been hanging out on the beach with JJ and Pope during the summer before high school began when Rafe had shown up along with some of his friends. He had been trying to piss JJ off when you had come back from the water. 

Rafe swore he had never seen anyone so perfect. Your smile was shining against the bright sun, you skin was glowing, your eyes were twinkling, and you hair was drifting along with the ocean breeze. He fell silent at once. 

“Cat got your tongue?” JJ joked. But Rafe was too busy staring at you to even hear him. 

When you had approached the group, you frowned. What are the Kooks doing here? 

“What’s up?” you asked. You knew from what JJ, John B and Pope had told you that Rafe and his pack of frat-boy wannabes were trouble. 

Rafe cleared his throat and replied before JJ could even open his mouth, “Nothing. Nothing at all. We good here?”

Rafe’s index finger was motioning towards JJ and himself, making JJ frown. As far as he knew, Rafe never gave up a fight. “Uh... yeah. I guess.”

Rafe smiled slightly, before turning towards you and saying, “It was nice meeting you.”

With that he turned away. The rest of the Kooks that had been with him stared at his back before following him, finding his actions to be very unlike Rafe.

JJ shared a look with Pope as if to say, What was that? However, their thoughts were interrupted by you. 

“Well, he seems nicer than what you guys make him out to be.”

JJ scoffed as Pope coughed. “Nice, my ass. He probably thinks you’re cute or something. He’s never acted like that with us and the only difference to the other times we’ve been with him is that you’re here.”

This made you laugh. “As if.”

Pope shook his head, knowing that both your stubbornness and JJ’s was going to lead to a possible fight. “C’mon, guys. Let’s just head back to the water.”

You quickly pushed Rafe out of your mind. However, Rafe didn’t seem to be able to do so.

He kept on imagining what your tan skin would feel like under his fingers, or how soft your hair must be. He was completely smitten with you, and that made him feel disgusted at himself. How could he have taken even a slight liking towards a Pogue?

As time went by, Rafe continued to torment the Pogues when you weren’t around. The Pogues would tell you about this all the time, but you never really believed them. 

“He’s just really nice to me,” you’d say. It was true, he had never bothered the Pogues when you were around. 

John B would laugh and tease you. “That’s because he likes you.”

“Stop!” you’d exclaim with a laugh. “You don’t know that! For all we know he could be crushing on Kie or something.”

Kie would only scoff and say, “Yeah, ‘cause Rafe is so nice to me.”

Meanwhile the Kooks would laugh at Rafe’s behavior. 

“Dude,” Topper would say, “just hook up with anyone else and forget about her. How could you even think about liking a Pogue?”

“Shut up,” he would mutter.

The Kooks would continue to tease him and question his feelings, but this never made them waver. He was still enamored by you and your presence. 

When Sarah began dating John B, Rafe secretly thought it meant he might get closer to you. Sure, he hated the Pogues, but if Sarah was hanging around them that meant she was hanging out with you. And yes, he would give Sarah shit for being with the Pogues, but he knew that this was the only opportunity he was going to have to get you alone, ever. 

This was why he was so nervous for Sarah’s birthday party. It was happening around him at that precise moment, and he had been looking around for you all night. 

Since you were here, Rafe had not tried to start anything with the Pogues. He even broke a possible fight between Kelce and John B just because you were here. 

However, Rafe hadn’t even seen you. He just knew of your presence around the house because he had specifically asked Sarah (about twenty times) if you had arrived. 

You, on the other hand, hadn’t even thought about Rafe during the night. You had been dancing around with Kie and Pope for most of the time and would sometimes be joined by JJ, John B, and the birthday girl herself. You had also been drinking, just enough to be buzzed, and you were just enjoying the night. After all, you were going to be staying at the Cameron residence until the next morning, so you didn’t have to worry about your parents finding out that you had been drinking. 

As the party began to simmer down, people began to leave. It was just past midnight when the group had been reduced to the Pogues, Rafe, two or three of his friends, Scarlet (Sarah’s Kook best friend) and a couple of more stragglers, including some of the Cameron’s cousins. 

It was the first time Rafe had seen you all night, and he felt his breath get caught in his throat. You were dressed in really simple clothing, but Rafe thought you could make literally anything look amazing. You were also wearing makeup, which he assumed Sarah had applied, which truly surprised him because he had never seen you wear makeup before. He tried to approach you as to start a conversation but was interrupted by his younger sister. 

“Hey,” she screamed over everybody else, “Let’s play truth or dare!”

The fifteen or so people that had stayed back sat down in a circle in the living room. The couches had been pushed back to make space for a makeshift dance floor, and that was where they were seated. 

Rafe began to walk towards you, so that you could both be seated together and strike up a conversation, but backtracked when he noticed you were already surrounded by people.

He took a seat next to Jason, his best friend, who only chuckled at his luck. “Just get over her, dude.”

Rafe ignored him, staring at you in a longing way. 

You were pretty much oblivious to his stare on you. You were actually pretty much oblivious to his whole crush on you. Sure, the Pogues would tease you with him but you were almost certain that whatever they were talking about was false. 

However, their teasing had made you reflect on Rafe a lot. You had decided a long time ago that, if it ever came down to it, you would happily try dating him. He had always been nice and sweet to you, and would always ask about how your day had been whenever you would bump into each other. He made you feel important, and you really liked that. 

Sarah had arrived at the circle once again, this time with a bottle of vodka in her hands. She placed it down in the center of the circle before announcing she would be the first to spin. The bottle landed on Kimmy, who chose truth. Sarah made her cousin confess the most embarrassing thing that had happened to her, to which she responded she had peed her pants in the seventh grade. 

It was then Kimmy’s turn to spin the bottle. It landed on Kie, who chose to dare. Kimmy made her take off her shirt for the following two rounds which Kie did, as she had a bathing suit underneath. 

The game continued for various rounds, during the which JJ had to kiss Pope, John B had to jump into the pool, Scarlet had to down three tequila shots, and many other dares. Suddenly it was Jason’s turn to spin the bottle, and he smiled in a menacing way when it landed on Rafe. 

“Hmmm,” Jason pretended to think while “I dare you to go into the closet and do 7 minutes in heaven.”

Rafe’s eyes widened. He didn't want to kiss anybody except for you, but he also didn’t want to kiss you if it was part of a dare. 

“U - um, with who?” Rafe asked, not really wanting to know. 

Jason pretended to have a look around the circle, even though he knew exactly who he would call on. 

You stared back at Jason trying to decipher who he would call. When his eyes fell on you, you noticed how his pupils stopped moving. A smirk grew on his lips. 

“With Y/N.”

A jolt of nervousness went through your body before you told yourself to calm down. Nothing had to happen, right?

You stood up, brushing off your clothes, and walked towards Rafe, offering a hand for you to help him stand up. 

The Pogues were shocked. They did not expect you to agree to the dare. 

Rafe stared at your hand not believing how quickly you agreed. Does this mean you liked him, too? He continued to only stare at your hand. 

“C’mon, Rafe,” you ushered him, wiggling your hand in his face. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

Rafe nodded, dumbfoundedly. He took your hand and stood up, surprised when you didn’t let go of him and lead him towards the coat closet that was in the living room. 

Trying to seem confident you opened the door and dragged Rafe in. Closing the door behind you, you turned around and placed your back against it. 

“Hey,” you said to Rafe. 

“Hey,” he replied scratching the back of his neck. 

“So, how are you?” you asked trying to make conversation while looking around at all of the fancy coats there were in the closet. 

“Oh, um, good, good. Yeah, I’m good,” Rafe swallowed a lump in his throat. What the hell is wrong with me? “How have you been?”

You smiled while walking towards a big fur coat hung right beside Rafe. “I’m great.”

Pulling the jacket out, you tried it on. You giggled as you said, “Look at this coat! It makes me look huge!”

Rafe smiled at your childish antics. He still thought you looked tiny, and the coat seemed to be eating you up. “Yeah, it kind of does.”

“C’mon, let’s find a coat for you!”

While you began searching for a coat, the rest of the partiers outside had counted a minute since you and Rafe had disappeared in the closet. 

“Oh, wow!” you exclaimed pulling a coat out. Rafe was staring at you, smiling and lightly biting his lip. “Come here! Let me put it on!”

Rafe stepped closer to you, trapping you between the wall of the closet and himself. You placed the coat around him and helped him slip into the coat. 

“Now we both look huge!” you stated a goofy smile on your lips. 

Rafe chuckled again. You could only smile back. 

You turned around once again but lost your balance. You would have landed on your butt if it weren’t for Rafe’s strong hands catching you and pulling you towards him. 

“Careful,” he said looking down at you. 

“Yeah. I know,” you replied looking up at his eyes. “I’m just really clum...”

The words had died in your mouth. His green eyes were staring straight into your soul, and you felt the tension rise around both of you. 

Outside, the rest of the partiers had counted to three minutes since you and Rafe had disappeared in the coat closet. 

You smiled up at Rafe. “Hi,” you said softly. 

“Hey,” he grinned back. 

The both of you were leaning in. Your hands, which were on his chest, could feel his heart racing. Is he nervous? you asked yourself. 

Rafe stared at you, expecting you to pull back. If she doesn’t pull back in the next five seconds, I’m going to kiss her, Rafe made his mind up. 

One.

You were still smiling up at him. 

Two.

His eyes turned down to your lips.

Three.

You stared down at his lips. 

Four. 

He looked back up at your eyes, looking for reassurance.

Five.

Rafe leaned in, the only thought on his mind was you. 

Finally, you thought as you pressed your lips into his. 

Explosions. That was what Rafe felt. His stomach felt like it was going to explode because he finally, finally got to kiss you after two years of wanting you. He could finally wrap his arms around your body, under your big coat, as your hands traveled up to his hair, making his signature hairstyle fall apart. Your lips felt like heaven to him, and he could only hope you thought the same thing about him. He shuffled, moving one of his legs between yours and slowly moving his hand down until it reached the bottom of your thigh.

Pulling away, Rafe latched onto your neck and hoisted you up so that you could wrap your legs around his waist under the coat he was wearing. His tongue danced around your neck as you were sure he was going to leave marks upon it. You moaned softly, his lips feeling like heaven to you, and you could only hope he thought the same thing about you. He smirked at the noises and whimpers leaving your mouth, pressing you further into the wall so that he could have a better angle to kiss your neck. 

One of your hands was pressed against his chest again, and you slowly moved it down so that it was close to the waistband of his pants. He pulled away and stared at you. 

“Hey,” you said, smiling. 

“If you go there, there is no going back,” he said quickly. “I really don’t think I’ll be able to control myself.”

You giggled and smiled at him. Pulling your hand back. “We’ll leave that for next time.”

Rafe smiled, before kissing you again. 

Outside, the rest of the partiers had counted to seven minutes since you and Rafe had disappeared in the coat closet.

Sarah approached the closet and knocked softly. 

Both you and Rafe were startled and pulled away. You turned towards the door and listened. Had seven minutes really gone by so fast?

“Hey guys, your time is up!”

You pushed at Rafe’s shoulders signaling for him to let you go. He let you down softly but did not remove his hands from your body. 

“Let’s go,” you smiled at him. You took off your coat and hanged it back on the rod where it originally was. You fixed your hair as quickly as you could and moved towards the door. However, before you could reach the door knob Rafe pulled you back, making you fall into his chest, and kissed you one last time. 

“Okay, let’s go,” he said with finality. He opened the door as you both tried to nonchalantly sit back down in the circle. The Pogues stared at you with a questioning look, trying to figure out what had happened. 

“Is it my turn?” you asked, a small smile playing on your lips. 

“Yeah,” Sarah answered. You spun the bottle, which landed on Jason again. 

“Truth or dare?” you asked him.

“Dare,” he said. You felt a particular pair of eyes on you, which made you blush softly. 

“Hmm, I dare you to go skinny dipping at the end of the dock.”

Jason smirked. “Oh, it’s on.”

Jason quickly moved towards the outside of the house, followed by the rest of the partiers. You stayed still waiting for the room to empty. Rafe had stayed behind. 

“Are you not going to watch him complete his dare?”

You nodded and stood up. “Yeah.”

“Good, because I really want to see this.”

With that Rafe took your hand in his, and you both moved down to the dock, where Jason had already jumped in. The rest of the teenagers were taking off their clothes, ready to follow him. You and Rafe removed your clothes and jumped in to the ocean, and he didn’t let go of your hand for the rest of the night.

[syntaxeme]

One Good Turn ch. 2

[Read on AO3] | [First Chapter] | [Next Chapter] Rating: T Story summary: Angel’s clean streak is broken when Val forcibly calls him back to the studio. On principle (and not at all out of concern for Angel's wellbeing), Alastor takes it upon himself to free Angel from Valentino's control. But what started as a simple favor becomes something much more complicated, all because of an innocent thank-you kiss.

— — – 

Angel sat quietly in the limo, not daring to speak even though he could feel Valentino’s eyes on him. Val’s cold smile was in place, as usual, his gaze as intense as ever…but he didn’t speak. Not yet. Much to Angel’s dismay, he waited nearly half an hour, until they’d reached the studio again, to say any more.

“Angel cakes,” he purred, gesturing toward the door as the limo came to a stop. “Go on inside, baby.” Despite knowing it was stupid, knowing there was nothing good waiting for him in there, Angel sidled out of the car and strutted inside as if he wasn’t aware that all of Val’s thugs were watching. Or maybe because he was aware. When he got inside and upstairs, he found a couple of Val’s recent favorite girls sitting by on one of many plush couches and watching him expectantly.

“What’re you bitches lookin’ at?” he growled, sneering at them disdainfully, and they giggled at his anger. Who the hell did they think they were? Who the hell did they think he was? As if he hadn’t made Val more money in the last five years than they would over their entire careers combined.

“You better watch that mouth, honey.” Val’s voice sent a cold chill up his spine, and he turned quickly to see the boss strolling into the room, self-assured as always. Striding over to the couch to stroke one long, thin hand over one of the girls’ hair, he went on, “Champagne and Sherry ain’t the ones in hot water here. They been keepin’ me company since you up and walked out on us.”

Angel rolled his eyes, hating himself for being jealous of Val’s attention. “Great. Well if ya like their company so much, what do ya need mine for?”

“What’d I just tell you?” In a flash of movement, no warning at all, Valentino closed the distance and grasped Angel’s throat roughly in one hand, lifting him off the floor despite his height. “You been away from me too damn long if you think you can shoot your mouth off without me doin’ somethin’ about it.”

“I-I’m sorry!” Angel gasped, all four hands grasping at Val’s arm, trying in vain to pry his hand away. Angel might’ve been scrappy, he might’ve been capable, but in terms of strength, he was nothing compared to Val—and he had the scars to prove it. Remembering a thousand punishments in the past, he quickly went into full submissive mode and panted, “I know better, Daddy. I’ll be good, okay? I swear.”

After a moment more of restricting his airway, Val let out an irritated “tsk” and released him, letting him collapse to the floor. A snap of his fingers sent Champagne and Sherry from the room, leaving the two of them alone, and he wandered away to seat himself on the thick-cushioned couch against the far wall, spreading his arms out over the back of it.

“The fuck is this shit I’m hearin’ about you at Princess Purity’s little redemption parade?” the boss demanded, all charm utterly void from his voice, all efforts at false sweetness dropped. He crossed one leg over the other and drummed his fingers along the couch’s arm. “You been outta the studio for months, not even workin’ the streets, just sittin’ around on your ass at that joke she calls a hotel. If you’re not makin’ money, I’m not makin’ money, baby. So what am I supposed to do here? What do you think?”

“You got other girls,” Angel pointed out, rubbing his throat absently while he tried to catch his breath. “I ain’t your only moneymaker.”

“No, just the biggest. You know what you are to me, Angel.” Valentino leaned back against the couch and patted his thigh. After a moment of hesitation and an impatient sneer on the boss’s lips, Angel Dust forced himself up and went to sit on the couch next to Val—but Val was unsatisfied and pulled Angel over to rest in his lap instead, fingers deliberately combing through pale pink hair. “Don’t tell me that goody-goody daughter of Lucifer’s has got you thinkin’ you’re Heaven-bound.”

“Yeah, as if,” Angel scoffed, ignoring the chilled pit in his chest. The hurt and disappointment he felt weren’t even so much for his own salvation as for Charlie’s dream. Despite himself, he was almost starting to believe in it, to believe in her. But Val was right; it just wasn’t realistic. “I’m not an idiot.”

“What the hell are you doin’, then?” Long fingers slid slowly up and down his spine. “You have a place here. Somewhere you belong. That’s more than most demons can say.”

“I know, but—”

“But nothin’,” Val hissed. “You’re supposed to be here, full stop. What’d you say when I took you in? What’d you promise?”

“…I’m yours?” Angel answered quietly.

“Goddamn right. If you think you’re about to walk away from that scot-free, you got another thing comin’.” His grasp on Angel’s thighs tightened—but Angel surprised them both by shoving to his feet and taking a step back.

“I’m so tired of you touchin’ me,” Angel Dust barked, wrapping both pairs of arms around himself. “I’m so fuckin’ tired of everyone fuckin’ touchin’ me when I don’t ask for it. I don’t wanna do this anymore, Val.”

A few seconds passed in tense silence. When Val spoke, his expression was placid, but his voice was like ice. “You ungrateful fuckin’ skank. What do you mean you ‘don’t wanna do this’? How long’ve you been workin’ for me? How long since I took your scrawny ass in?”

“About sixty years, give or take. Haven’t I given you enough since then? Haven’t I paid you back?”

Val surged to his feet, too tall, too menacing, and despite himself, Angel flinched again. “You tell me, Angel.” Sharp teeth framed a frown so dangerous it could’ve torn him in two with ease. “Think about everything I’ve done for you. Think about how much you owe me. Where would you be right now if it wasn’t for me?” When Angel didn’t answer, Val took a step closer and grabbed his jaw tightly, forcing him to look up. “Think about it and tell me.”

Angel wanted to thrash, to jerk away from Val’s touch, but he didn’t want to get slapped. “Look, I get it,” he said, trying hard to stay firm on this. “I know how much you’ve done for me, and I ain’t sayin’ I’m not grateful.”

“Bullshit. If you were grateful, you wouldn’t be tryin’ to walk away. So what is it at Hazbin that’s got you hooked?” The anger in Valentino’s voice had turned quiet, speculative, which Angel recognized as part of his pattern; he would sling insults and threats, he would get violent, and then he would tone everything down into something smooth and gentle, something calm and charming. This little song and dance had gotten to Angel a million times before, and even though he could see it happening, he still had trouble resisting it. “You got someone over there fuckin’ you right? Somethin’ like that?”

“No.” In fact, despite his flirtatious attitude, it had been weeks since Angel had gotten any, either because he was in the hotel with all Charlie’s wannabe saints or because of…something else. He didn’t really understand it himself. Charlie probably would’ve said it was because he was realizing that sex and drugs couldn’t fill the voids in his life forever—but he figured it was more likely he just didn’t have many options at the Hazbin. Maybe he just needed a real specific kind of person to fill his ‘voids.’ Maybe, he realized with horror, he had actually missed the way Val manhandled him. At least that meant he was wanted.

“No? They got drugs, then? Booze? I know you, Angel cakes, and there’s only so many things you care about,” Valentino chuckled. Even while keeping his firm hold on Angel’s chin, he contradicted it by softly petting his hair.

“It ain’t like that,” Angel muttered. Sure, there were reasons he chose to stick around at the hotel, but he wasn’t about to explain them to a fucking Overlord of Hell who wouldn’t recognize empathy if it bit him in the ass.

“Then it sounds like I did you a favor gettin’ you out of there.” Val’s hand slid down the back of his head, down his neck, down his spine, to come to rest on Angel’s hip and pull him closer. His voice rumbled from somewhere deep in his chest as he crooned, “You know I missed you, baby. All this time, I been waitin’ on you to come home. You know how that felt?”

Please. As if he felt anything. His whole big victim act was nothing but a joke, a game, and Angel knew it—but there was something about Val when he got like this that made him irresistible. Maybe it was some kind of demon voodoo that came with being an Overlord, especially a creature of Lust, which Angel had always been painfully susceptible to. Whatever the reason, when Valentino decided to really switch on the charm, he could seduce anyone into doing, saying, or thinking pretty much anything.

“I…I missed you too,” Angel said quietly, not sure whether it was true or not but willing to say whatever was necessary to please him.

“Then I bet you’re glad to be back where you belong,” Val agreed, leading him, and he nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Good boy.” Val’s thumb glided over his lips to pull them apart, then deliberately swiped across the sharp points of his teeth. Hot, rich blood dripped onto Angel’s tongue, and he let out a moan of perverse pleasure as he swallowed it. God, this is so fucked up. But he knew that was part of the reason it turned him on so much. What the hell was he thinking, playing along with Charlie’s hopeful anyone-can-be-redeemed philosophy when this was the kind of thing that got him going, when he was totally aware of how toxic this ‘relationship’ was but didn’t care as long as it meant he got screwed by someone who knew what he was doing?

“Fuck,” he whimpered, the word slightly slurred from Val’s fingers between his lips. Maybe he was right. Maybe this was where Angel belonged. Not just there in the studio, but there on the couch, on his back, pinned down by someone who was willing to use him, his mouth full to keep him quiet.

If nothing else, it was the easiest place to be.

[damndaehyung]

Tyler Lee Must Die ll PT 1

Daniel Choi John Tucker Must Die Au

Prologue.

One.

“So i don’t suppose you are actually going to stick around this time? You know maybe have a sophomore slump on campus,” Emily said as she pulled at her garlic bread tearing it to tiny pieces, a nervous habit she had since she was a baby.

Daniel raised an eyebrow running a finger around the rim of his glass, “Emily you do a sophomore slump isn’t a good thing right? It usually means you didn’t do as good as your first attempt,” he frowned. “Surely my lovely baby cousin wouldn’t be suggesting that i would flop at an art degree,” he snorted. He joked about it but in all honesty, he wasn’t doing well with online learning, infact he was doing so bad that Caleb and Dongwoo had told him he’d would be missing out on the entirety of the Spring/Summer fashion season and Fall/Winter was up for discussion depending on his grades.

“No what i was hinting at was you staying on Campus so i have someone i know i can completely rely on,” Emily sighed, a small frown making its way onto her lips. “I know i should be able to handle it on my own and i have been, I made a bunch of new friends , even gotta job - in the cafe down the road,” she added. “It would just be nice to have -”

“Your favourite cousin here as well,” Daniel suggested with a grin. “Aww Emily you are such a cutie,” Daniel cooed. Emily’s cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink and eyes narrowed.

“I take it back leave -” Emily huffed taking a bite of her garlic as threateningly as possible, which in Emily’s case was not very threatening at all. Daniel snorted, swirling his wine around before taking a sip, looking around the restaurant, nose scrunching up as he watched a guy kiss attack his girlfriends neck. Daniel scrunched his nose up, straight people - disgusting, he contemplated grabbing one of the rolls and tossing at them but thought better of it, it would be such a waste of bread.

“Oh you noticed Tyler Lee,” Emily said rolling her eyes. “Apparently he is a big deal,” she scoffed. Daniel smirked glad that Emily seemed to still find men disgusting, one good thing about him staying on campus would mean he could make sure she never grew to be interested in some good for nothing man.

“I mean with the way he is attacking that girls neck i can see why, it’s not every day you get to see a vampire in real life,” Daniel commented with an eye-roll. “How is it that I, a gay man, know more about woman erogenous zones, than that guy,” he said shaking his head.

“Well i get the feeling that her pleasure isn’t number one on his list,” Emily said. “And please never say erogenous zones again, you spent way too much money on this meal for me to vomit up because you decided to try and make me sick,” she joked.

“Erogenous zones,” Daniel said with a smirk. “If you want a tip the most pleasurable spot on a man is -” he started to speak before a piece of garlic bread landed in his hair. Daniel blinked owlishly pulling the piece of garlic bread out of his hair and glaring at Emily. “Seriously Em,” he shook his head.

Two.

“And who is that?” Daniel whispered to Emily nodding towards the shorter barista he hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off. Emily swirled around to see whom he was talking about, one day he would talk to the girl about not been so obvious.

“Oh Sungjae,” she said raising an eyebrow at Daniel. “One of my new bosses so whatever you are thinking no -” she said seriously.

“Emily,” Daniel sighed dramitically, “What i am thinking would get you a promotion and a raise,” he commented wriggling at Emily, images of what he could do to Sungjae floated into his head, he liked what he saw a lot.

“Gross,” Emily said nose scrunching up. “And knowing you i’d be fired in a week if you actually got your way,” she huffed. “And really i thought M would be your type,” she said looking over to the other barista, he was indeed an attractive guy, those dimples he was flashing every customer was enough to make Daniel aww but the way Sungjae was putting down a frat boy who thought he was above lining up was more interesting, plus something about Sungjae was doing it for Daniel.

“I mean he is okay -” Daniel shrugged, “If they were up for a threesome i wouldn’t say no,” he said as Emily made a vomiting sound. “Look Emily, I won’t do anything too bad, I’ve been thinking having an actual boyfriend might be nice, just for a little bit, so is he single or -” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Emily said with a shrug. “No go find a booth, I gotta get back to work before just your mere presence gets me fired,” she said shoving him towards a free both. “Go,” she huffed.

“Fine, fine,” Daniel laughed. “Go make some money,” he said. Daniel wrinkled his nose opening the menu, eyes flickering across it. Maybe Emily will actually be nice and send Sungjae over to him to take his order.

He was broke out of his fantasy before very feminine giggles and a low moan coming from the both behind him. His eye twitched in annoyance why were hets so gross. He scoffed counting to ten in his kind normally he’d turn around give these people a piece of his mind but he didn’t want to cause a scene at Emily’s work. She’d never forgive him, plus he didn’t want his first interaction with Sungjae been him potentially getting thrown out of his cafe.

“Ty stop,” the girl giggled. Yes please Ty stop, Daniel didn’t want his ear to start bleeding. It seemed for a moment that “Ty” listened to his girlfriend because there was silence, beautiful wonderful silence that Daniel really should have appreciated more, until a loud groan and Ty proclaiming how much he loved it when his girlfriend spoke French. Daniel had never been more disgusted in a language in his life infact France as an entire nation had been wiped by him and that half of Canda that spoke that bastardized version of French.

Much too Danie’s relief Ty had suggested he and his partner ‘go somewhere more comfortable’, Daniel nose scrunched up in disgust but he supposed he should be thankful they were actually leaving. It seemed he was being rewarded for being a good cousin because he spotted his barista boy making his way over. It seemed this couple had something against him because by sneaking out of their booth had blocked Sungjae from getting to him. He glared at the couple getting a proper look at the guy, recognition hitting him, it was the wannabe vampire from the restaurant but the girl he currently had his arm wrapped around was not the same victim. He almost felt sorry for the girl, or he would have but given she had in a hand in causing Daniel’s temporary deafness and blocking him from meeting his new beau he felt no sympathy - some people were so selfish.

Three

“So you are really doing the whole college thing?” Joshua asked nose wrinkling in disgust as he sat on the edge of Daniel’s bed, Daniel hummed in acknowledgement as he riffled through all the ‘gifts’ he had received, designers had sent him the newest ‘ready to wear’ pieces in hoping he would become a walking billboard for them and Joshua had come bearing gifts to apparently mourn his career. “Why can’t you just sleep with a few professors like i did?” he asked laying back on Daniel’s bed.

“Because unlike you I have some standards,” Daniel snorted. “I take it this is from you?” he asked holding up a little black bag with the words for your pleasure on it.

“Since when?” Josh laughed. “And maybe, or maybe some designer really wants you to be their ‘muse’,” he said with a giggle. “But seriously Dae, you are doing this? I mean early morning classes? An ungodly amount of hoodies? Pretending to care about your schools pride?” Josh said disgust getting clearer with every word. “Babe there has to be a way out of this, i can’t let my best friend slash greatest rival go down this path,” he whined.

“How are you being a bigger sook about this than i am,” Daniel laughed. “I thought you’d be happy, maybe now you can finally get booked,” Daniel said earning a pillow to the face. “But really i will be fine, I’ll just go to class, hang out with Em and hopefully hook up with her cute boss,” he said with a grin.

“Hopefully hook up?” Josh questioned. “Since when do you have to hope to hook up? Oh god you’ve been here five minutes and your already losing sex appeal, next thing you’ll be telling me you’ve got a boyfriend and a cat -” he gasped. “No no,” he said shaking his head. “I can’t let this happen, c’mon lets get going we need to get you dicked down properly,” he said a determined look on his face.

“What you can’t do that yourself anymore,” Daniel teased climbing on top of him. “Oh that’s right you could never keep up with me could you,” he said leaning down so their faces were inches away from each other. “Joshie, your heart is racing and I can feel you against my thigh - you wanna tell me again how i lost my sex appeal,” Daniel whispered in Josh’s ear causing the shorter boy to throw him off him. Daniel winched landing with a thud, asshole.

“I hate you,” Josh pouted. “But seriously let's go out, I have some shopping to do and after that we can go out for dinner and then hit a club unless of course you’ve got some college frat party you want to go,” he said leaning down to look at Daniel, a shit eating grin on his face “Should i get you a snapback just incase.”

“Haha,” Daniel deadpanned, “And mock it all you want but you know i would look amazing in a snapback or beside a frat boy,” he huffed.

Josh shook his head, “The fact that you even said that proves that you desperately get out,” he said swinging his legs over. “I can’t have people know my old hook up is hanging out with frat boys, my reputation will be ruined,” he sighed dramatically.

“Your reputation, “ Daniel snorted. “Sweetie everybody knows exactly what you are like,” he said, causing Josh to roll his eyes.

“Yeah yeah, anyway let's get going, I am bored and way too hot too be stuck in your bedroom,” he said, leaping up. Daniel rolled his eyes biting back the truth which was he wasn’t hot enough to be in Daniel’s bedroom.

--

“Ugh it’s them,” Josh groaned with an eyeroll. Daniel downing his sake, gesturing vaguely for Joshua to continue. “The couple who thought they owned the La Perla store,” he huffed. Daniel scoffed in recognition, ah yes he remembered Joshua complaining about them, Joshua’s shopping included picking up some garter belts because apparently one of the many, many people he was seeing was into that and when he went to go get them a couple was treating the store like their personal property and having their own little fashion show. Daniel who choose to stay outside spent his time playing on his phone outside of the store and really could have lived without knowing any of it.

“Where?” Daniel asked. “And why do we care?” he said bored. The dinner had been going so well, The Araki, a wonderfully exclusive restaurant that focused on Japanese cuisine. It had them reminiscing off their times spent in Japan back when they were more friends then whatever they were now and now he choose to focus on a couple who couldn’t care less about him. “Oh do you want to join in? Make it a ménage à trois?” Daniel teased.

“He isn’t my type, I like pretty people,” Josh commented. “And over there,” he said barely nodding in the direction. Daniel raised an eyebrow pulling his phone out and making sure it was in selfie mood, in the corner of the screen and saw the couple Joshua had been referring to.

Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he placed the phone back down. Ofcourse it had to be him, Tyrion or whatever his name was. This was the third he had seen this guy out with his girlfriend and once again the girl was completely different from the previous. “Do you know him?” Joshua asked. “Please tell me you haven’t,” Joshua said. “Dae, that isn’t the barista is it because if so i don’t care what Cal says i am taking you with me,” he huffed.

“No, not exactly,” Daniel said. “And don’t compare Sungjae to that,” Daniel snapped. “No, apparently he is the college casanova,” he said rolling his eyes. “If you are finished we can just go, I seem to distinctly remember you mentioned something about going to a club to get me dicked down,” Daniel laughed. Joshua just grinned pretty much leaping up. “Let’s get you laid baby.”

four

“Look what i got,” Joshua said, bouncing over to Daniel, looking the very image of sin, blonde mused in every direction, lips swollen, neck littered in hickies, shirt hastily buttoned up and fly undone.

“An STD? Daniel said, raising an eyebrow taking a sip of his rum and coke, looking at him judgemental. The night that was supposed to be for him, had quickly turned to Joshua ditching him pretty much on arrival. Daniel couldn’t even enjoy his drink in peace though because despite being in the VIP lounge he had been hit on by several men and even a few women - none of which was his type. Looks like it would just be him and his hand tonight.

“Funny,” Joshua said with an eyeroll, sliding into the booth. “Apparently frat boys have a use after all,” he giggled holding up two baggies, one was obviously pot but the other was a bag full of tiny white tablets. Daniel’s eyes widened as harshly told Joshua to put them away. He wasn’t one of those ‘don’t do drugs’ kind of people, he himself had enjoyed a joint every now and then but that was it. He had told Joshua many times that he wasn’t interested in any hard drugs but the boy just rolled his eyes and told Daniel to stop being a baby.

“Joshua,” Daniel sighed. “Why would suddenly start trusting frat boys?” he asked.

“Well since one of them had a massive di-” he started before bursting out into a fit of giggles. “Don’t worry i already tested the products , it safe and its good really good,” he said sliding closer so he was practically on Daniel’s lap . “Don’t you wanna have some fun Dae?” he offered, hand reaching out and caressing Daniel’s face. Daniel shook his head seeing how bloodshot Joshua’s eyes were.

“Okay,” Daniel said causing the other boy to grin leaning forward, Daniel moved just in time to dodge Joshua’s kiss, instead the boy landed awkwardly on his jaw. “But first we have to get you some water, don’t want you passing out before we start do we?” he said as Joshua groaned but shook his head.

“Okay you stay here, you can be a good boy for me can’t you pretty?” he whispered into his friend’s ear, sliding out from underneath him.

Once he escaped Joshua’s grasp he made his way over to the bar, pushing past the mess of bodies on the dancefloor. He finally got to the busiest part of the club, the bar. Squeezing next to a couple who were pushed up against each other, giggling like stupid school kids.

“Hey what can i get you?’ One of the staff asked looking at Daniel before Daniel could respond. The couple pulled away from each other, the male letting out enough annoyed huff. Daniel turned to them, shaking his head as he saw who it was. Ofcourse it would be him, apparently all straight couple’s in the greater London area included Tyson or whatever his name. “Is there a problem?” the bartender asked.

“No,” the girl, notable a different one responded, two girls in one night - what a classy guy. “It’s just we had been waiting here for a while,” she said. Daniel had to bit his tongue to stop himself from pointing out that maybe the whole attached at the lips, hips and whatever other areas were intertwined together probably didn’t help out getting their drink.

“Right,” Daniel said , “Look, can I just get water and whatever this lovely couple is having infact double it,” he said before anyone could say anything else. The bartender nodded turning to the couple to ask what they are having before taking Daniel’s card and returning with it and a bottle of water a few seconds later before turning to make the couple their drinks. Daniel started to push away before the guy grabbed him, Daniel swore if he started some sort of i don’t need your charity or don’t buy drinks for my girls bullshit he would honestly lose it.

“Here,” he said shoving a few 50 pound notes into his hand. Daniel looked down,tempted to throw it on the floor but deciding he didn’t need an extra drama. He nodded quickly pushing past him and back to the VIP booth only to find Joshua making out with some guy.

Why does he even bother.

Fifth and last

“Was that that Typhoon guy and another girl?” Daniel asked incredolously as he saw Tyler sat on the campus greens with yet another girl. “It’s the fifth one, doesn’t he get tired?” he said. As M who offered to be his tour guide laughed. “Seriously does he have a magic dick? Why would all these girls waste their time on him?”

“Why does it bother you?” M asked raising an eyebrow. “Does young Daniel have a crush?”

“On that man?” Daniel asked before laughing. “Sweetie no ,i want to suck your bestfriend’s brain out through his dick, pretty sure Taylor isn’t my type,” he said bluntly ignoring the way M face contorted in disgust. “I am just confused, straight people make no sense, why would you want five girlfriends,” he said nose scrunching up at the mere thought.

“Well technically it’s only four girlfriends,” M said, “that we know off,” he shrugged. “But the girl he is currently sitting with his little sister, “ M supplied. “How they are related i will never understand, Tara is pretty cool while Tyler is -”

“A whore?” Daniel offered. “But still four girlfriends,” he shook his head.

“Yeah it’s pretty awful, he even has a whole system,” M said frowning. “He dates girls from different cliques because he knows they would never talk to each other,” M explained, how M knew this was not Daniel’s concern but he felt a brief respect for the Tybalt guy, he was creative. “And he tells them that if his mother finds out he is dating anyone she will tell the basketball coach to drop him, so they all keep it a secret,” M continued.

“And the believe that?”

“Love is blindness Daniel,” M laughed.

[nctzendreamz]

Crazy, Rich, and They Hate Me :: Part Five

Jaehyun x Reader ft NCT

Angst/Fluff

It was officially bachelorette party time, and as much as you didn’t want to be invited, here you were. You were pretty silent as you and Jaehyun sat on a golf cart; you nervous that you were about to be alone with strangers, and him nervous for you. Let’s not forget the elephant in the room that was his mother, who clearly didn’t like you.

Your eyes rested on the beautiful scenery of the ocean, allowing it to calm your nerves. You were able to blank out and just listen to the sound of the waves with your eyes closed. Suddenly, you felt a hand slowly grab yours, rubbing your knuckles. You snapped out of your trance slightly, looking at your boyfriend. He also seemed to be in a trance, but not at the scenery. At you.

[[MORE]]

“You okay?” You whispered, knowing you weren’t mad at him. If anything you were mad at yourself. Clearly you weren’t good enough or his mother would’ve been pleased.

He didn’t speak, but instead pecked your cheek gently, and then pecked your lips. “I’m always okay when I’m with you.”

“I’m nervous.” You avowed. “It’s going to be weird without you.”

“Don’t be. Just show them how amazing you are. Plus, Rosé will be there for you.”

“It’s her bachelorette party, Jae.” You giggled while pinching his cheek. “She’s going to be focused on her friends.”

“I’m so sorr-

You kissed him quickly to calm his concerns. “Baby, I’m just being dramatic. I will be okay, I promise. Just focus on making this Johnny’s best day and have fun. Not too much fun though.” You connected your lips again.

His laugh echoed and made your lips vibrate as the cart slowed, indicating you had arrived at your destination. “You know I’ll always be a good boy for you.” He whispered, peppering kisses all over your face.

“Okay lovebirds.” Johnny’s loud voice yelled, interrupting your flirting. “I promise I’ll bring him back safely.” His pearly whites blinded you.

“Thank you Johnny~” You smiled back brightly.

Jaehyun pressed his forehead to yours in childish annoyance before kissing you once more and allowing Johnny to drag him out. He winked at you, letting it tell you he loved you before he dissapeared around the corner.

Now it was just you, and your brain didn’t know what to do. Should you try to talk to someone? Were you even capable of that? You grabbed the beach bag that sat on the back of the golf cart, placing it on your shoulder.

“That is such a cute bag.” A light voice said, carressing it gently.

When you looked up, you were met with an extremely beautiful girl. Her skin glowing even though the sunlight was not currently shining in the area. Her smile was perfect, and her hair was long. “Thank you.” You were just happy that someone was talking to you. That was more than you thought you would get. “You are absolutely goregeous.”

“Well, I can say the same for you.” There was a short silence before she spoke again. “Yuna.” She smirked, placing her hand out to shake. “And you’re the famous Y/N? Right?”

“That’s me.” You said in an awkward tone. “Am I really the talk of the town these days?” You sighed.

“Don’t look at it as a bad thing, darling.” She tapped your chin. “Enjoy the spotlight.”

All you could do was laugh, following her lead to the rest of the girls. You didn’t know what you were doing today, but you were sure it would be lavish considering your boyfriend was on his way to a yacht party.

..................

Music was blasting, girls were everywhere, and Jaehyun was currently watching his cousins take multiple shots.

“You guys sure are drinking a lot.” He commented slyly as he watched the groom to be take a shot as well.

“Oh don’t get all uppity on us now, Jung Jaehyun.” Lucas slurred. “Let’s not pretend you didn’t get drunk basically every night and hook up with any girl you saw when you were at university.”

Jaehyun gasped in fake offense.

“I can confirm being drunk every night was true, but Jaehyun could never hook up with any girls.” Johnny laughed.

“So he’s been a nerd all his life.” Haechan snorted, causing everyone to burst out into laughter.

Yuta fought to catch his breath. “First of all, nerds get pussy, not Jaehyun, but you know.”

“It wasn’t because of that.” Johnny corrected. “It was just because Jaehyun is all romantic and stuff. He was trying to love them, not take their innocence.”

Everyone pouted in a plastic manner minus Taeyong, laughing once again.

Haechan placed a hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder. “How cute. Speaking of, Y/N is really cute.”

“Hell yeah.” Lucas raved. “How did you end up getting to hit that? Is it good?”

“Hey.” Jaehyun spoke up, eyeing the younger one deeply. “Watch your mouth.”

“Yeah Lucas, maybe you’ve reached your limit.” Johnny defended, taking his drink and finishing it for him.

“What?”

“Clearly Y/N isn’t a random hookup, dumbass.” Taeyong spoke.

“I didn’t say she was, I just asked what we all wanted to know.”

“While we do want an answer to that question, I think the real question is how does your mom feel about her?”

“Why would my mom feel any way about her?”

“Uh, everyone has looked Y/N up and you know what comes up? Nothing.” Haechan said.

“And?”

“And, you already know how this family works. I mean I brought home the daughter of the richest hotel owner in South Korea; he owns a share if not full of literally every single one minus like ten, and my parents were barely impressed. What does Y/N do?”

“She’s a hairstylist.” Jaehyun trailed off.

Lucas spit out his drink. “A what?”

“He didn’t stutter.” Taeyong said.

“What is your problem, Taeyong?”

“My problem is the fact that all this family does is judge other people instead of worrying about themselves.”

“You’re only saying that because your family doesn’t approve of you making video games.”

“Fuck you.”

“Look, Taeyong literally sits in cash, so let’s not hate on him.” Yuta interrupted before things got serious. “But I’m serious, Jaehyun. I don’t believe this girl is using you for money or anything, but how are you going to run your dads company while she sits at home and barely makes enough to provide?”

“I can provide for her. Why are you acting like we’re not the richest family in this country?”

“It’s not about that and you know it. Our mother’s hate a woman who isn’t swimming in cash and you know that. And if she just doesn’t work? Phew.”

Johnny could see his cousins frustration, and knew he had enough of this conversation. “Guys, let’s not forget that it’s one of my last days as a free man. Plus, I like Y/N. She’s a lot cooler than any of the girls you’ve brought home.”

“Yeah whatever.” Lucas sighed. “With that body, I would be struggling to leave her too.”

Jaehyun was up as soon as the words left his mouth, and Johnny struggled to hold him back. “Alright, that’s enough let’s go!”

“No! Let me go.”

“It’s not worth it, Jae.” Johnny whispered. Suddenly he realized he needed to calm down and leave. The two of them went to another area.

“Fucking idiot.” Taeyong scoffed at Lucas, getting up to go back to the bar.

.........................

The big surprise was a free shopping spree and a full spa day, curtesy of Johnny’s mom. By the time you got to the rack, a lot of the good things were gone, but you still picked up a nice dress. After you placed your dress on your temporary bed, you prepared yourself for a massage. You spotted Yuna and her friends already getting theirs, so you figured you could take the table beside hers.

There was a weird silence when you showed up, but you figured it was your brain playing tricks on you. As you laid down for your massage, you wanted to try and be more social. “So, did you get anything good off the rack?”

“That rack is incomparable to my suitcase, girl.” She laughed, turning her head to look at you.

“Well I can’t relate.” You laughed with her, already feeling the ice break.

“It’s okay. Not everyone can be a fashionista. You have your own style and it’s cool.”

“Thank you.” You said sincerely. “I never asked you, who are you related to? Jaehyun or Rosé?”

She laughed again, this time differently. “I’m not related to either one of them. I’ve known Rosé since I was a little girl, but I’m actually more close to Jaehyun’s family as I am his ex girlfriend and all. God, that boy stole my heart. His parent even wanted us to get married.”

You froze in place, not knowing how to feel or what to say. Why did everyday get worse and worse? “Ex girlfriend?” Was all you could manage.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you? Really?”

“Not a lick.”

“Guess your relationship isn’t as good as ours was. He used to tell me everything. Literally even the smallest things.” She giggled as well as the rest of her friends before getting up and walking away.

You thought Jaehyun told you everything, but now you realized you were wrong. Now you had to deal with his wannabe meangirl for an ex girlfriend, and on top of that you were back to square one with nobody to talk to. How could you let her play you like that? Usually you could see a snake from a mile away. Damnit, all you wanted to do was call Jaehyun and vent to him, even though it was him you were mad at.

You decided it would be a good idea to lay down, try to calm down before the bonfire tonight since you couldn’t leave. You walked in your room with your eyes closed, horrified when you saw the bed covered in fake blood, with “broke bitch!” spray painted in red on the headboard to put the icing on the cake. Suddenly you heard the door opening, and Yuna, as well as her other bullies were laughing at you.

“Did you really think I wanted to be friends with you? A poor girl from Los Angeles that thinks she can keep Jung Jaehyun? Worse, thinks Jung Jaehyun will actually keep her? Biggest joke I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Get out.” You said taking deep breaths.

“Gladly.” Was all she said before leaving.

You closed your eyes, trying to remember every technique possible to not cry. Unfortunately tears rolled down your eyes, but you refused to let your chest cave. You wouldn’t let her get to you, nor would you leave. You were raised to be stronger than this.

You stayed in your room until it was time for the bonfire.

........................

The yacht party had ended, leaving everyone to go their separate ways minus Johnny and Jaehyun. The two of them sat on a wooden log bed that sat in the ocean as they watched the sunset together. It always felt better like this, and it was a bittersweet feeling as they both knew it would be the last time in a while. The orange and yellow made their skin shine, personifying the happiness they felt. Well Johnny felt. Jaehyun wanted to be happy, but he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to you.

“Remember when we used to do this all the time as kids?” Johnny questioned.

“Yeah.” Jaehyun chuckled. “We used to think we were pirates keeping watch of our country.”

“We were so cool.”

“The coolest.”

The two continued to overlook the wildlife, and Jaehyun took a swig of his beer.

“You’re not okay, are you?”

Jaehyun looked down at his toes, trying to find a good distraction from his thoughts. “I don’t think I am.”

“What’s bothering you?”

“We can’t do this, man.”

“Do what?”

“Talk about me. None of this is about me.”

“Seeing you this upset isn’t making me happy though, bro. If anything, knowing you talked to someone will make me feel a lot better. I know the guys said a lot of dumb things today.”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, have you told her about the business yet? How are you going to work here, while she goes back to LA? Have you thought about it?”

He sighed, rubbing his temple. “Maybe they’re right. Maybe I should just do what my parents want.” Jaehyun said, not even believing his mouth right now. He knew they weren’t right. He knew he couldn’t lose you.

“You don’t mean that.” Johnny corrected. “You’re just angry. You’re angry that they can’t accept her. You’re angry because you didn’t think it would be this bad.”

“Am I wrong for that though? Was it foolish of me? You can say I’m blinded by my love for her, but in reality what has she done? She’s been trying so hard to make everyone happy and come out of her shell just to be treated like less than by my own mother? The one person who’s approval matters the most to her?”

“I know.”

“She was so excited to come here with me Johnny. So excited. She couldn’t wait to meet you, and Rosé, and experience this country with me and I can’t even stand up to my own mother for her? What type of man am I?”

“You’re a man who loves his mother. Who doesn’t know who’s side to choose because on one hand, you have the woman that raised you, and two the woman you love. I know I can’t relate because Rosé was excepted into my family pretty easily, but I understand having to choose. It’s hard.”

“That’s the thing, Johnny. It’s not hard at all. I choose Y/N. I can’t imagine a life without her. I love her so much.” He whispered, touching his wrist until he found the beaded bracelet you made for him a while ago. It always helped him calm down.

“Enough to marry her?”

Jaehyun dug in his pocket, pulling out a velvet box and opening it, revealing the engagement ring he had purchased the first night you two arrived here.

“More than enough.”

The two of them stared at eachother before embracing one another in a tight hug.

“Are you serious?”

“I’ve never been more serious in my life. Ever.”

“I’m so happy for you. So happy.”

.....................

You sat on the beach, watching everyone enjoy themselves while you couldn’t wait to go back home. It was almost time, you could survive.

“You okay?” You heard Rosé say, her Aussie accent thick with concern.

“Perfect.” You whispered, your chin resting on your knees.

“I heard about what happened today in your room. I’m so sorry for that. I feel horrible.”

“Not your fault. I figured you didn’t know all fifty of us on a personal level.” You joked, getting a laugh out of her.

“Honestly, I’m pretty sure you’re my only friend here.” She confessed, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Well I won’t deny that I’m your friend.” You smiled. “But what makes you think that? I’m sure you have at least five people that truly love you. You’re so sweet.”

“Yeah, but what if I wasn’t me?” Her eyes were locked on the body of water. “You know? What if I was just a normal girl, no rich parents, not about to marry Johnny Suh, none of that.”

“You’re a normal girl even with those things. Anybody who tries to hold you to a higher expectation just because you come from a wealthy family doesn’t deserve to have you. It’s nothing wrong with being a normal person and doing normal people things like staying in bed all day, watching Netflix until you fall asleep, stuffing your face. And if you want to shop until you drop, wear expensive clothes, it doesn’t matter. Just be yourself. Don’t let anyone put you in a box and you damn sure better not let any of these girls make you feel like if you’re not bragging about your wealth, you’re not worth it. You’re better than that.” You rubbed her knee affectionately. “Plus, Johnny doesn’t love you for your status. I can see if in the way he looks at you.”

“Wow.” She sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. “I see why Jaehyun is so in love with you.”

“I hope he is.”

“You think he isn’t?”

“I think he is, but I also think he isn’t thinking at all. He’s just living in the moment and I’m waiting for the day he drops me like the bad habit I am. I mean, if his own mother doesn’t like me, how is this going to work?”

“I think we’ve both had enough of this party.” She sighed, placing a head on your shoulder.

“Agreed.”

“You know Y/N, when all of this is said and done, I would love for us to still talk. I don’t want you to leave and I never see you again. It would also suck to lose such a good friend.”

“I promise if you will.” You stuck your pinkie out, and she latched on.

“You have my word.”

....................

You sat on the couch inside of the building where you were originally dropped off at, waiting for Jaehyun to come pick you up. Yesterday had been a long day, and all you wanted to do was sleep until it was time for the wedding. That was a lot of sleep, but you needed it. You tossed and turned all night. You felt something cold on your neck, and turned around to find the familiar face of your boyfriend looking at you with those beautiful eyes of his.

“I feel like I haven’t seen you in days.” You whispered, wanting a kiss from him, but remembering you’re mad. You could see he noticed this, but still kissed you anyway, feeling your lips didn’t move.

He moved to sit on the couch with you. “What’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t you tell me about Yuna?”

His eyebrows scrunched up, as they always did when he was nervous.

“I just...I don’t know. Was she there yesterday? Damnit.” He whispered to himself.

“She wasn’t just there.” You huffed. You took the smoothie, taking a long sip of it. Of course it was your favorite. He always knew what to do even when he didn’t know you were mad at him. “She made me feel so stupid, and to put the icing on the cake, she trashed my room. She put fake blood on the bed and called me a broke bitch.” You sighed resting your head on his shoulder.

“Are you serious?” You could hear the anger in his voice.

“I wish I wasn’t. Why am I not good enough, huh? What is it? I know I’m not rich, and I know I’m not up to the standards of anyone here but I love you. Shit.”

He couldn’t speak, trying to process everything he just heard. “I’m sorry.” He finally said. “I’m sorry for not telling you about Yuna. And I’m sorry about not telling you I was rich. And I’m sorry that you’ve hated every second of being here. This is not what I wanted at all. And you damn sure are the standard. I hate myself for doing this.”

“Hey.” Your voice was soft as you talked to him. “I know you didn’t mean it in a malicious way. I understand.”

“I just...” he rubbed the nape of your neck softly, encouraging you to drink some more of your smoothie. “Do you regret coming here with me? Do you regret being with me?”

“No, Jae.” Your eyes locked with his. “Mama didn’t raise no weak bitch.” That got a small smile out of him, but he was clearly upset. “Is it hard that your family sees me as the poor girl? Yes. Did it hurt to get treated how I was treated today? Absolutely. But I’d do it all over again if it meant I still had you at the end of the day.”

“Why are you so perfect?”

“Well, I’m with the closest definition of perfect pretty much everyday. Plus, that Yuna girl is jealous of me anyway. She’s a sad woman.”

“That doesn’t make it right. I promise I will handle her.” He kissed you again, this time you kissed him back. “What can I do to make it up to you, huh? I’ll do anything, you know that. A movie night? Fries with extra ketchup? Tell me and I’ll give it.

“You can tell me about you two. According to her, your parents wanted you two to get married.”

He rolled his eyes, bringing you closer to him. “I dated her when I was 21 years old. She was mean to everyone so I dumped her. Yes, my parents wanted me to marry her, but only because she’s rich. That’s all they care about.”

“So they don’t want you to marry me then I assume?”

“I don’t care what they think.”

“Did you just admit you want to marry me?”

Jaehyun stayed quiet, allowing his ears to shine red. “Guess you’ll have to stay and find out, won’t you?”

“I guess I will.” You kissed his neck. “Now back to what I actually want...is you. I just want to be with you as always. What do you want to do?” In reality you were so sleepy, but you could sacrifice.

“I actually have somewhere we can go.” He answered, rubbing your thigh gently.

“And where is that?”

“To go make dumplings with my grandma.”

You sighed in defeat, knowing you wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to socialize no matter how much you wanted to. You had to prove to everyone you loved Jaehyun, and if allowing his family to look at you like they despised you was what needed to be done, so be it.

“Lets go make some dumplings, baby.”

[autumnslance]

Lmao I got three I'm particularly curious about for you on the character meme. Thancred, Lahabrea, Igeyorhm. XD Feel free to do as many or as few as you'd like of course!

You asked for it. We’ll start with That Damned Rogue. The Ascians will be below.

This of course got long, so behind a cut it goes:

Thancred

First impression: I started in Gridania and took like 2 years to finish ARR 2.0, was already spoiled on the possession angle (I spoiled myself, no big), and had just @erickgage‘s affectionate joking summary of Thancred being the guy who shows up 5 minutes late with Starbucks to all the early battles. So I didn’t really get to meet the guy ‘til the Waking Sands.

And honestly, he was stereotypical generic bland anime prettyboy competent guy. His 1.0/ARR model is…just sorta there. He was a flirt, also generic as heck. Really didn’t register too much, until I finished 2.0 finally and then went hard on the MSQ through the patches and into HW and StB 4.0, when I finally caught up to content.

Impression now: Godsdammit.

My first replay through the game was on PunchyCat, starting in Ul’dah, which meant I got to meet Thancred much earlier. I was immediately amused by his nickname for Nanamo, and Papashan’s assessment of the witty Archon. I was more into the lore, getting the first lorebook and reading the short stories on the main site, and playing through all at once instead of piecemeal over months/years made things make more sense. Thancred hits a lot of tropes I commonly like in a lot of characters, so he jumped up to being a favorite.

Gunbreaker suits him as a tank job (thank goodness he can stop trying to tank warmachina as a rogue, ffs Thancred), and tanking in general suits him when it comes to fighting for those he cares about.

I’m interested in the ShB story mentioning why he wears white in all his gear iterations; I’d previously made a post about his color choices and that aspect of character design, but having a lore explanation for his affinity for that color was interesting. I didn’t think his HW model suited him, honestly; way too rough mountain man hobo. His model in ShB is closer to his ARR model, but different enough, and imbued now with actual character, that he’s a bit more visually interesting and while still pretty typical handsome anime protagonist in appearance; his true personality just comes through a lot more.

I’m still forever mad about the unintentional character ‘ship with Aeryn, tho. It took a 3rd playthrough for it to happen.

For myself, mind, when I got into playing and learned his canonical age, it was at the time the same difference between myself and my younger brother. My assessment of the Scion “family” with Thancred being the middle child (esp his behavior pre-HW) maybe helps that. I’m getting to a point, really, where I look at the characters under 35 and think “OMG disaster children, all of you.”

Favorite moment: Oh goodness. There’s some good ones.

‘How was I supposed to know all my girlfriends would track me down and show up at HQ all at the same time: a master class in how to not to deal with multiple paramours by Archon T. Waters.’

His dramatic reappearance and duel with Ardbert in HW 3.1.

Taking out his frustrations by soloing the Coerthas cyclops boss so we can get on with the Tournament and fight Raubahn. (Side Bonus: pre-tournament when he jokes about fighting for the other team to even up the odds, and then: “It looks to be a veritable who’s who of the Eorzean Alliance. The only question is: who came to watch and who came to fight? Hmm…Nanamo. Definitely Nanamo.”)

Making sure Urianger knew he was still part of the team post-Soul Surrender climax.

“All right, which one of you triggered the obvious trap?” Also learning he can hold his breath for 10 freaking minutes–but still gets to be jealous of the WoL, Lyse, and Alisaie for their kojin blessing.

That dramatic teamwork with Urianger to knock Ran’jit down the pit in Rak’tika.

That frickin’ Trolley duty and it’s aftermath with the completed checklist of anime death markers and then just sitting there battered and bleeding and smiling and then giving Ryne a name and a headpat and “You’re family.” Bastard.

Idea for a story: Have you seen my Ao3 account? *grumbles*

Unpopular opinion: While he likely used drinking as a bad coping mechanism at times in ARR’s patches, I doubt he ever really went to blackout, as losing control to that extent, after having been controlled and probably losing a lot of time while possessed, would be awful. We see him drink a few times, but I don’t think he is/was an alcoholic.

I also agree with @ahlis-xiv that his flirtatious persona was mostly adopted. While he probably does have a healthy libido and enjoys time with paramours (that Urianger keeps a handy list of), there’s a lot that’s likely exaggerated, allowed to be assumed, and otherwise used as a cover, given his specializations. It’s also noteworthy how he’s mostly acting the same even after being lost in the wilderness, right up until our foray into the Antitower. The wit/humor gets toned down a lot, but the flirting is cut out entirely after that. He still charms some ladies in the First, based on incidental dialogue, but that seems a general reaction to him being a handsome hero type rather than any intentional flirtatious act on his part.

Favorite relationship: Thancred and little sister types. I do wish we’d seen more of his relationship with Minfilia outside of informed moments and the short stories. I feel like he has a semi-older-brother relationship with Lyse, too, given their antics in the 2.0 patches (particularly the “Hoary’s fighting the WoL, come watch!” and Thancred not even considering how one of his girlfriends would see him sending Lyse to retrieve an item until after and going “oh yeah, whoops”). And now there’s Ryne, and she is totally running things if you watch their background conversations/body language. But that’s kind of where Thancred likes it; find a girl who needs a protective older brother and do what she asks and whatever she needs.

I do have a special place in my heart for the expanded broship with Urianger that Shadowbringers gave us, though. I’ve already spoken on that one.

Favorite headcanon: Everything people assume about how he spoils the nutkin. And really, focusing on taking care of and doting on a pet would be good therapy. Goodness knows he needs it.

Also I assume he and Hilda hooked up at least once during the HW patches. Part of that expectation and cover, sure, to immediately flirt with the pretty, tough, half-elezen guard captain. But also, he spent however long mostly alone, and then only with the Vath and a nutkin for company; the guy was probably touch-starved and lonely and just needing a connection to another person he could relate to (that wasn’t a bug).

Otherwise, again, have you seen my Ao3? Ugh. Damned snarky smart rogues…

————

Lahabrea

First impression: Laughing Organization XIII-wannabe is obvious villain. Wonder what their deal is.

Impression now: So much lost/wasted potential thanks to being stuck as the ARR villain when it was so hastily rewritten and acted, and so little was decided on the Ascians and their motivations yet. A lot of what we learn now retroactively makes him more interesting. The fact he was a workaholic who looked at the workaholic Scion and went “ah yes; that one will do, perfect” makes me laugh.

Favorite moment: I like his interactions with Elidibus. And I am actually fairly fond of his theatrical reveal in Praetorium about the Ultima Weapon, the Heart of Sabik, and casting Ultima.

Idea for a story: Maybe stuff while he’s possessing Thancred. Maybe stuff between then and the Reactor. I dunno; I’ve been enjoying a lot of others’ stories about our first Ascian antagonist.

Unpopular opinion: Dunno if this is unpopular, but some of the retroactive information is to excuse why he seemed so much less powerful than other, later Ascians, but I do think the Speaker could be quite devious and powerful, if he had better writing around him. He suffers for being from ARR.

Favorite relationship: I am not ashamed to admit I am a Lahabrea/Igeyorhm shipper and Hades Ex seems to agree with me so there.

Favorite headcanon: The Speaker likely also had a good singing voice. Another thing good about possessing a man whose primary cover was a bard–excuses to indulge that.

————

Igeyorhm

First impression: Wannabe-Organization XIII also hires women, cool. Wonder if she’ll get to do anything?

Impression now: I’m sad so much got cut from HW; as great as it was, a lot got left on the editing room floor and it shows in spots–particularly where the Ascians connect with the plot. We learn much about her retroactively as well, including how she worked for/with Lahabrea thanks to being the one to wreck the Thirteenth, and change Ascian policy on how to bring about Rejoinings. I still wanna know more about her.

Favorite moment: You beat the whale, good job–thanks, that’s my key now. It’s such a perfect dick move. Excellent timing and taunting. 

Idea for a story: Maybe some of her inner thoughts working for/with Lahabrea. She was a raised up shard, so does that mean they found the scattered pieces of her original soul and force-merged them? I doubt it, since Emet-Selch mentions raising up those who are a piece of the previous office holder, but I wonder if it came with imbuing the new title-holder with some of those memories and knowledge. Perhaps she wonders if some of her interactions/feelings/whatever with Lahabrea are her own, or her tapping into her previous life’s memories. Something to think about, anyway.

Unpopular opinion: I dunno, she shoulda gotten to stick around longer? Or been allowed to do a lot more? Should have been much more of a presence in HW, but I don’t think that’s unpopular so much as unconsidered.

Favorite relationship: Lahabrea is really the only one she gets significant interactions with. Though I wonder about her interactions with the other few women in the Ascians.

Favorite headcanon: See above with the story ideas, really; she didn’t get a lot of time onscreen so there’s a lot of room to make things up, and retroactive info from ShB to make her more interesting, or at least her situation as an upraised Ascian.

[thepurplebutterflythings]

Damsel in Distress (Part 1) - Jason Todd

Gif: Dxnninja on Tenor

Word Count: 4.3K

Paring: Jason Todd (Titans) x (f)Reader

Summary: Robin saves Y/N on a Friday Night when held at gunpoint.

Warnings: Attempted Assault. Guns. Violence.

A/N: This is a little series I am doing about Jason Todd in Titans. I don’t know Comic!Jason very well so I’m taking all of this from the show, and at the moment he hasn’t been in very often, so please forgive any mischaracterizations.

Masterlist | Damsel in Distress Part 2

_____________________________________________________________

“I think Bruce Wayne has a knack for taking in the hot ones,” Y/N’s friend, Kacey, whispered to her as they watched the newest Bruce Wayne adoptee stroll confidently through the hallways of their prestigious university, although it was in Gotham, so how prestigious could it be? At least that was what they liked to joke about. It was more prestigious than you liked to admit to your friends who, for a lack of a better word, were ‘poorer’ than yourself, but to the friends you had in the same standing as yourself, you always joked about it.

“What’s his name?” Jessica asked as she chewed on the end of her pencil watching him.

“Jason Todd,” Y/N said, “he’s in my physics course. He’s a total ass!”

“With a great one himself, if I say so myself,” Kacey grinned letting her eyes land on Jason’s rear end.

Y/N couldn’t help but peer at it herself. It was a nice ass, that couldn’t be denied, but she couldn’t help but remember his careless attitude and his continuous flirting with all the girls in her class. She wasn’t jealous, she told herself, that Jason flirted with all girls but her. She had nothing against Jason Todd, she just didn’t want to be another girl he flirted with for entertainment, with no actual interest in her. He got into fights with no repercussions, only a small slap on the wrist, and the day continued. Y/N wasn’t one to judge, but she knew he got some slack because Bruce Wayne took him in. Although she couldn’t be too high and mighty, her parents were some of the richest in Gotham. She had just as much, if not more, money than Bruce Wayne waiting for her in her inheritance, but she didn’t swagger like Jason Todd she told herself.

“Watch yourself,” Y/N warned, “he could hear.”

“Unless he has super-hearing, I’m not worried.”

“Come on, Y/N/N, you really aren’t going to say if you think he’s good-looking or not?”

“The outside is appealing,” she shrugged, “his personality needs some fine-tuning though.”

“As long as he keeps his mouth shut, I’ll be fine spending hours with him,” Kacey grinned widely with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Hang on, if you’re not talking then what are you – oh, don’t worry. I get it.”

“Anything to say about that, Y/N/N?”

“I’m your friend, not your mother.” Y/N shrugged, standing up “I gotta class with the a-hole now, I’ll be sure to tell him your offer of fine hours with his mouth shut.”

“Thanks, bitch.” Kacey jokingly stuck her middle finger up at Y/N as she left for physics.

 ______________________________________________________________

Jason swaggered into Physics ten minutes after Y/N and gave her a once over glance before taking the seat opposite hers in the aisle. Y/N was slightly curious as to why Jason took notice of her, not because she saw herself as lesser in appearance or personality than the other girls at her university, but because Jason seemingly distanced himself from the ‘Rich Folk’, choosing to hang around the students who got in on Scholarships, people from similar backgrounds to him. It was as though he hated the rich ones, although it was tempting to point out the reason he got into the same university as the rich ones was because of him being taken in by Bruce Wayne.

“Y/N Y/L/N, right?” Jason leaned over to her.

“Yeah, why?” Y/N looked him up and down, wondering why he was talking to her. Was it her turn on his flirting router? Please God no! She thought. Y/N made sure to approach the conversation with caution. There were many girls in class she had seen who were smart yet turned to putty when Jason Todd grinned at them with that boyish grin and playful eyes.

“Caught up with Professor Hayley before class, seems like you and I are gonna be working on the latest assignment together.”

That caught Y/N’s attention. She turned her head to stare at Jason with a confused expression. Jason merely smiled and shrugged, leaning back in his seat, stretching one leg out and tucking the other beneath his seat.

“One of the benefits of taken in by Bruce Wayne is knowing the facts before the rest of us?” Y/N cocked her eyebrow. Jason just grinned and looked at Y/N, clearly amused. “Can Bruce Wayne get us a pass on this assignment?”

“Thought maybe the Y/L/N’s could do that,” he shot back, shrugging and twirling his pen between his fingers “pull their weight for once.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/N frowned. Family was a sensitive topic for Y/N. She had been judged and commented at regarding her family before. The Y/L/N’s were one of the few clean rich families in Gotham, but that didn’t mean people liked them. According to many others, the Y/L/N’s were too forward in their beliefs about the Vigilantes that were popping up in Gotham, and not just Gotham but other places too. This led to a lot of ridicule and criticism, not just from other families, but the news and the general public who saw the vigilantes as the causes of the problems rather than the solution.

“Be honest, what has the Y/L/N family done for Gotham?”

“Pardon?”

“Look, the Y/L/N’s aren’t exactly helping the people,” Jason shrugged.

“And Bruce Wayne is? What the hell is that Boo-Radley-Wannabe doing that my family isn’t?”

“He does more than you think.”

“Bullshit!”

“You sit up in your Ivory Tower with your Silver Spoon and consider yourself the saving grace when you do the bare-fucking-minimum of being a human being.”

“This assignment is gonna be a fucking nightmare!”

“At least we can agree on that.”

The two of them glared at each other and then turned their eyes to the front to see Professor Hayley walking in and confirming what Jason had told her. Jason Todd and Y/N Y/L/N were working together on the latest physics assignment. They didn’t speak again until after class when they were forced to exchange numbers to communicate about the project.

“Look, I don’t know what you have in mind about this project, but its equal weight, okay?” Y/N huffed, “I’m not letting you do all the work and there is no fucking way you’re gonna dump it all on me.”

“Likewise,” Jason nodded, holding his hand out to be shaken. Y/N reluctantly took it.

For ages the pair met in the library and worked in silence on their project, only breaking it every now and then to ask the other to look over what they had done. It became a comfortable quiet routine between them. No talking, only working.

Y/N had to admit, she was impressed by the work that Jason had done. He never struck her as the hard-working academic type, but maybe he felt he had to prove himself, especially with being seen as the latest Bruce Wayne Charity Case. She heard the rumours and comments from her peers. That Jason Todd was a street urchin. That Jason Todd paid his professors off his grades. That Jason Todd did this. That Jason Todd did that. Y/N imagined it must get quite irritating after a while, grinding a person down day after day.

“Heard about the party at Chelsea Quinn’s tonight?” Jason asked on Friday, breaking the expected routine. Y/N put her pen down and looked at Jason.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Are you going?”

“Against my will,” Y/N chuckled a little, “Kacey and Jessica are insisting on dragging me there. They say I need to get out more. What about you?”

“Nah, got something else,” Jason shook the question off. Y/N felt tempted to ask what he had planned, but decided against it when she caught a glint in his eye, something which discouraged her, but didn’t frighten her, only intrigued her.

“Why’d you ask?”

“I know a few people are worried about going,” Jason said, “it’s kinda a sketchy area – not something you Ivory Tower bunch are used to.”

“And you’re asking to see if I’m quaking with fear in my Gucci boots?”

“You’d never be caught dead in Gucci – I know that much about you, Y/N Y/L/N,” Jason flashed her his infamous grin and then bit down on his pen, “you’re a Chanel kinda gal.” He pointed the end of his pen at her.

“Maybe my father can get you to do the Christmas shopping this year instead so I don’t get yet another Gucci product.”

“Jason Todd: Personal Shopper,” Jason laughed, “I can see the business card now!” He dropped his pen, “I actually asked because I wanted to tell you to be careful, be safe, y’know, all that stuff.”

“Is Jason Todd concerned about me?”

“Fuck no,” Jason scoffed, “I don’t wanna finish this project alone because you were stupid enough to be shot in an alleyway for a damn necklace or something.”

“Very wise analogy considering your benefactor, Mr Todd,” Y/N huffed as she started packing her things, “don���t worry, if I get murdered on the street I’ll be sure to leave a not to tell Professor Hayley to grade on a curve, you’ll be fine. You have my word.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Jason said watching her put her books away, “I don’t wanna have to bring you back from the dead just to kill you again for not keeping your word.”

“If there is one thing the Y/L/N’s are good that, Jason, it’s keeping their word.”

“Whatever,” Jason rolled his eyes, “enjoy yourself tonight.”

___________________________________________________________

It seemed that Jason’s words were coming back to haunt Y/N that night. Jessica and Kacey had left with guys to hook-up with while Y/N was forced to make her own way home and had gotten lost. She had spent the past ten minutes silently cursing out her friends, but that hadn’t seemed to have made a difference. No idea where she was. No signal on her phone. No way to tell anyone where she was. Quietly, Y/N prayed that she would run into someone, even Jason Todd. What Jason said to her was playing on a loop in her head, about being lost in an alley, getting killed, getting mugged, and his ‘enjoy yourself’ seemed to taunt her.

Before she could even comprehend it, Y/N felt something pressed against her back – the end of a gun.

“Now,” said a gruff male voice, “you ain’t gonna scream; that shit wouldn’t do ya any good around here anyway. What you’re gonna do is keep walking and turn down that alley. Got it?” Y/N bit her tongue and nodded fervently trying to keep tears at bay. “Use your words.”

“Yes. I’ve got it.”

“Good. Now get walking.”

Y/N couldn’t stop shaking as she started walking. It was as though her legs were about to collapse beneath her. The moment they were down the alley, the man placed his hand over her mouth. Despite what the man had said, Y/N tried to scream out and struggled against the grip of him. It was sad that the man was right and no one paid any thought to her.

“GET OFF OF ME!” She yelled.

“Shut up, bitch,” he huffed when he realized she was fighting against him.

“Please!” Y/N begged.

“Maybe you should listen to the little lady,” called a voice from upwards. The man stopped trying to grab at Y/N and let her go. Both the man and Y/N started looking around when the voice came again. “Now, dumbass, I’m really gonna enjoy this next bit.”

They jumped down from the roof and Y/N was taken back to see Robin in front of her, defending her. Robin looked over his shoulder at Y/N and gave her a grin before leaping at the man who grabbed her. It all happened so quickly and so savagely. One moment the man and Robin were standing each other off, the next Robin was standing over the man, punching him repeatedly in the face, cursing him as he did.

“You. Shit. You. Fucker. You. Complete. Cunt.”

The man looked like he’d been hit by a truck. Y/N gingerly placed her hand on Robin’s shoulder and he stopped hitting the man, turning to look at Y/N. She was taken aback by how young Robin was – part of her expected that Robin would be a little older, but this guy looked about her age, give or take a few months.

“Please,” she whispered, “take me home.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Robin nodded and put his hands on her waist to steady Y/N as she looked like she was about to drop to the floor at any second, “let me just contact Batman about this pig, I don’t wanna leave him where he can get away.” Robin sat Y/N down on the stairs for an apartment building, “get yourself calmed and steady, yeah? Don’t want you fainting on me.”

Robin went to step away to contact Batman but before he could, Y/N grabbed his hand and stopped him. Robin frowned and looked at her in confusion.

“Thank you,” Y/N said quietly, still gripping onto his gloved hand. She started crying, all the emotions crashing onto her at once. Robin crouched down and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Robin comforted her, “let it out.”

“Thank you,” she wept into his shoulder but quickly pulled away, lowering her head and wiping her tears away with a cough, “I should let you call Batman, don’t want him getting away,” she moved her eyes to the man who was unconscious on the floor.

“Yeah, then I’ll take you home. If that’s okay.”

“Please.”

Robin brushed the hair out of Y/N’s face and gave her a warm smile as he stepped away and contacted Batman. The call took longer than Y/N expected, but she put it down to him having to explain the whole ordeal and that he would be escorting her home now.

“He’ll be a minute or so,” Robin assured her, sitting next to Y/N. “Take a moment to breathe and we’ll go as soon as he’s here.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to keep saying that,” Robin put an arm around her and lightly squeezed her forearm.

“Sorry.”

“Or that,” Robin smiled at you, “It’s my job, and it’s the right thing to do. Police don’t do shit.”

“They’re not that bad.”

“Prison’s too good for that motherfucker,” Robin scowled at the unconscious man, “if it weren’t for Batman then I’d kill him.”

“Then you’d have murder on your warrant as well as assault,” Y/N pointed out.

“It’d be worth it.”

Y/N didn’t get a chance to respond before a whoosh sound shot through the air and Batman landed on the ground in front of them, causing Y/N to yelp in shock and lean into Robin, who rubbed her shoulder and gave her a comforting word.

“Take the girl home, Robin,” Batman said, “I’ll take care of him.”

“Thank you…” Y/N whispered to Batman as Robin helped her to her feet. Batman stoic expression cracked for a second when seeing Y/N, giving her a kind look.

“That’s alright, mam.”

“Please, just call me Y/N.”

“Take care of yourself, Y/N.”

“Yes, Batman Sir, I will.”

“Come on,” Robin said starting to lead Y/N away from the scene, “let’s get you back home.”

_________________________________________________________

Y/N stayed close to Robin the majority of the walk, even when in the familiarity of her own neighbourhood, although Robin had taken his arm off of her in case Y/N was feeling a little uncomfortable. Y/N missed his arm around her, protecting her. It was noticeable that Y/N was getting more and more comfortable and confident when in an area she felt safe, but she enjoyed being close to Robin.

“I know you said to stop saying it,” Y/N sighed, “but thank you again.”

“Can’t resist helping a Damsel in Distress,” Robin gave her a boyish grin with playful eyes.

“Is that why you became Robin? All the helpless girls to save?”

“It’s a perk of the job, that’s for sure.”

“What’s another perk?”

“Driving the batmobile, duh!”

“That’s so cool” Y/N gasped and stopped in her tracks, staring at Robin. Then she grinned, “so you could have driven me home in the batmobile?”

“Thought walking you was more romantic though,” he bumped her shoulder with his own, “next time, I’ll drive you.”

“Next time?”

“Oh, I know many a lovely lady has gotten into repeat trouble for me to save them.”

“Someone’s a little egotistical, aren’t they?”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Robin held his hands up in surrender with a smile, “and I’d never encourage that behaviour either.”

“Good little vigilante boy,” Y/N teased.

“Man,” he corrected.

“Most guys would’ve pointed out the ‘little’ part.”

“I’m confident enough in myself to not let that bruise my ego.”

“I’m both impressed and a little disturbed by that,” Y/N poked Robin in the side and he laughed.

“Takes a lot more than a poke for me to feel it through this suit, Damsel.”

“Good thing too,” Y/N said as she looked around her. She hadn’t realised how far they had walked. Just across the street was her building with her family penthouse. She saw the lights were off still, meaning her parent’s had gone to bed. They didn’t mind their kids going out and drinking and partying, they always had faith they’d be home safe and sound, and if not? Well, damn good lawyers would make sure those responsible will pay. “That’s my home.”

“The whole building or…?”

“Penthouse, top floor.”

“In a nice crisp white building,” Robin chuckled, “an ivory tower for a damsel in distress.”

“I’m not in distress anymore,” Y/N pointed out, “thanks to a knight in red armour. Get it glossed and I can call it shining.”

“I’ll talk to Batman about it.”

Y/N’s mood dropped as she realised that she’d have to go inside and leave Robin behind. She looked down at the ground and then around them. It was late and there was no one around to see Y/N Y/L/N, second youngest of the Y/L/N children, standing on the street with Robin from Batman and Robin. Being there with Robin was like she was in a nice little fantasy, escaping reality and there she could stay in that little realm forever.

“I don’t wanna go in there,” she confessed, “I don’t wanna go back to the real world.”

Y/N felt Robin watching her closely. It was cold now too. Y/N was shivering a little and Robin put his arm around her again to warm her up. He leaned in close and spoke quietly into her ear in comfort.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Robin told her. Y/N turned her head to look at Robin, seeing his eyes beneath the mask. They were so nice and warm, a lovely chocolate brown. Robin then wiped away an imaginary piece of dirt from Y/N’s cheek. “You won’t have to worry about that guy and he won’t hurt anyone.”

“Thanks, Robin.”

“It’s nothing,” he smiled, “just the job of Robin.”

“That’s why my dad is trying to convince the law to ease up on you and Batman,” Y/N leaned her head against his shoulder, “think’s that vigilantes are needed to an extent. Without them… Gotham would be Hell on earth. You do good things, like tonight.”

Y/N didn’t see Robin’s face with the position her head was in on his neck but he stroked her hair and sighed deeply. She said the truth, and it was also the right thing in her mind, and assumedly in Robin’s too, otherwise he wouldn’t be Robin.

“You better go inside, it’s late and you must be tired,” Robin told her pulling away.

“Yeah,” Y/N nodded, suddenly overcome with immense tiredness, holding back a yawn. “Thank you again,” Y/N smiled, “You’re a good guy, Robin, be safe and take care of yourself.”

“Back at ya, Damsel,” Robin smiled.

“Are you calling me that because you can’t remember my name?”

“Y/N Y/L/N,” Robin said, “you aren’t exactly a ‘nobody’ in Gotham City.”

“Alright, you know it, so why Damsel?”

“I don’t know,” Robin shrugged, looking at Y/N closely, “but I mean it, Damsel, take care and be safe. Although you have been lovely company tonight, I don’t wanna have to save you again.”

“You won’t - trust me. I never wanted to go to that party in the first place and there is no way my friends are getting me out like that again.”

“Good,” Robin nodded before silence fell over them, “maybe I won’t save you again, but maybe we’ll cross paths again.”

“I hope so,” Y/N smiled.

“See you around then, Damsel.”

“See you around then, Robin.”

 ________________________________________________________

Sadly, Robin wasn’t completely right. Y/N did have to worry, as apparently that Alleyway had a CCTV camera from a liquor store down it, which caught the whole scene from Y/N walking down at gunpoint to Batman arriving and sending herself and Robin on their way. The owner of the store recognised her as Y/N Y/L/N and obviously released it to the news for a good payday. Her parents asked her why she didn’t tell them and she said what Robin told her.

“I didn’t think I’d have to worry about the guy anymore,” she said, “he can’t hurt anyone and I got away.”

“I’ll damn well make sure he won’t see sunlight again,” Mr Y/L/N said, “thank the Lord for Batman and Robin.”

“Now, Y/N,” Mrs Y/L/N sat next to her daughter, “we aren’t going to force you to go and do interviews, but we want to ask… would you mind us saying that incidents like this are why those like Batman and Robin should not be condoned for their actions?”

Y/N smiled and nodded, giving her permission. She thought of Robin that night and how good he was, and how comforting he was and how he calmed her and took her home. She didn’t mind her parents doing this, not one bit.

“He’s nice,” Y/N said, “both of them are, they’re good people.”

“Apparently, that guy with the gun is in custody,” Mr Y/L/N said, “I’ll call the lawyers, attempted assault, kidnapping, something – I am not letting that man get off scot-free and go on to hurt a poor innocent girl.”

“Thanks, dad, I’ll feel better if he’s behind bars,” Y/N smiled at her father, although Robin’s words of prison being too good echoed in her mind.

____________________________________________________________

On Monday Y/N walked into her University to be bombarded with questions and comments about the Friday previous. What was it like being saved by Robin? What was Robin like? What was Batman like? Was Batman truly as stoic as he seemed? And so many more about Batman and Robin. Y/N answered all of them to the best of her ability, remaining calm and smiling throughout all of it.

Y/N had finally found some peace and quiet in the library, working on her half of the physics project. Jason wasn’t there though.

“Hey,” said a hushed voice and Y/N turned to see Jason Todd standing there behind her with a small smile. He stood differently. Jason had his hands in his back pockets, backpack hanging off of his shoulder. He appeared almost shy when Y/N looked at him, kinda giddy at her, like he knew something, or was eager to ask something. Y/N suspected he was going to ask about Batman and Robin like everyone else had been doing.

“Hey.”

“I saw the footage from Friday, about you being saved by Batman and Robin,” he said, “It’s viral, trending number one on Twitter.” He told her, but she already knew.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Y/N.” He said. Y/N was quite taken back. Jason was so sincere and he had a look of sympathy on his face that made her heart stop. She couldn’t pin why it rang a bell in her head. The giddiness had gone from his face, replaced with concern, as though he was holding himself back from hugging her and whispering that it was okay, she was safe now.

“It’s okay,” she had been saying that all weekend and all Monday, to friends, family and curious strangers, “Dad is making sure the guy never sees the outside world again,” Y/N told him.

“I would too if that was my kid.”

“And people are finally listening that those like Batman and Robin are actually needed in the world.”

“But it shouldn’t be at your expense,” Jason shook his head, “How are you?”

“I’m good.” Y/N nodded, “I was lucky that Robin was in the area.”

“No, Y/N,” Jason said, “How are you? I mean it.”

Y/N sighed and leaned back in her seat as she looked around. It was empty and the librarian was in the back, here she could talk without fear of being heard or of judgement. Somehow, she trusted Jason now. There was something different about him, something which made him seem closer to her. She didn’t know how, but she trusted that instinct.

“I feel like everyone, except my parents, keep asking me about Batman and Robin,” Y/N said, “and not about me, and how I am. Not in a vain way, but I just want one person to pause and say ‘I’m glad you’re okay, Y/N’, but not a single person outside of my family has said that to me.”

“Well, I hope you know I’m not just saying this, but…” Jason took the seat next to her. “I am so glad that you are okay.” He placed a hand on her upper arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you, Jason,” Y/N smiled, placing her hand on top of his.

“If you wanna talk, about anything, don’t hesitate,” he offered.

“Okay, who are you and what have you done with the Jason Todd I know?”

“You don’t know me, Ivory Tower,” Jason teased.

“And you don’t know me,” Y/N smiled back.

“I hope to change that.”

[bybibucky]

Give Me All - Pt. 4

Bucky Barnes x reader Modern AU

     After a series of disappointing experiences with wannabe-doms, you give this last new one a chance and he not only makes you forget every other man you’ve been with but also your own name.

     word count: 5.5k

     warnings: smut (18+ please), angst, language, oral (m/f receiving), daddy kink, a bit of a medical incident, super short mention of sexual harassment

A/N: I’m doing it again, writing fic instead of working on my thesis assignment (honestly fuck Mozart and his Magic Flute)

You didn't know where else to go, honestly. All your friends were still at the club and you couldn't bear being alone tonight. Not after what had happened.

“Thanks,” you mumbled and tossed the taxi driver some bills from your purse that were worth more than you had to pay and scrambled out of the car into the pouring rain.

What you were to do if he wasn't there – or worse, not alone – you had no idea but rang the doorbell nonetheless.

And, to your luck, the door swung open a minute later and revealed a sleepy Bucky dressed in sweatpants and nothing more.

He was rubbing his eyes as he spoke, “Y/N? What are you doing here?”

“I-” You didn't know what to say, feared to make even more a fool of yourself. “I was out with friends and I- fuck. Bucky, I'm sorry.” You were a babbling mess and there was nothing you could do about it. Your wet clothes were sticking to your skin and it only added to awful you felt. “I shouldn't have come.”

“Shit.” Bucky was almost fully awake now and concern was written all over his face. “Come on inside, you're shaking.” He pulled you into the warm comfort of his home by your shoulders and closed the door behind you. Then, he disappeared to the back of the hallway.

You kept standing there, unable to decide what to do with yourself and instead chose to wait for him to return.

Shortly enough, he was in front of you again, having put on a shirt, and handed you a pile of clothes and a towel. “Here, put those on. We can't have you get sick.”

You glanced at his face, then at his extended hand. Hesitantly, you began peeling your wet clothes off your body, drying yourself as well as you could before you slipping into the shirt and sweatpants that were way too big on you but you felt immediately safer. To keep the pants up, you tied a knot with the fabric.

All the while, Bucky had his attention trained away from you although he had already seen you naked. His manners brought a small smile to your lips.

“Done.”

He turned back around and took your dripping clothes from you. “I'm gonna put those in the dryer. Gimme a sec.”

When he returned you were still glued to the same spot he had last seen you. You nervously fiddled with the hem of his shirt.

Taking your hand, he slowly guided you to the sofa in the living room. He sensed that he had to be very careful with you right now. Something had severely shaken you but before he could question you about it, he wanted you to get more comfortable.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked, “tea, coffee, water or some juice?”

You shook your head.

“Alcohol?” he added but you shook your head again.

“Are you sure?” He wanted to make sure you were being honest.

“Tea,” you whispered.

It took him a while to prepare the tea and it took you the same amount of time to silently start crying. You desperately tried to keep the noises down so he wouldn't notice but when he came back to the living room, you couldn't hide it any longer.

“Shit, baby,” he cursed, setting the cup aside and falling onto the couch next to you, “what's wrong?”

You shook your head, not wanting to bother him more than you already had.

With a gentle hand, he swept a strand of hair out of your face. “Talk to me, please.”

He let you cry for a few minutes, comfortingly running his hands over your body and giving you the time to sort yourself out.

“I was out with friends at this club,” you began, lower lip trembling, “Brock was there.”

Anger clouded his features at your words. He knew exactly who Brock was and what he had done to you. “Did he hurt you?”

You shook your head.

Bucky sighed in relief. “Did he touch you?”

When you didn't reply, he nudged your chin up to have you look him in the eyes. “Kitten, did he touch you?”

You closed your eyes and started to cry harder. Bucky let go of you completely and stepped away from the couch.

“I'm sorry,” you sobbed, reaching out to him but remaining seated, “I tried to tell him that I was seeing someone but he wouldn't listen. I didn't want it, I promise.”

Bucky felt his blood run cold and stopped pacing through the room. “What?” He was in front of you again in an instant. “You think I'm angry because that dickhead touched you?”

Eyes screwed shut, you could barely allow yourself to nod. “Please, I'm sorry.”

“Fuck.” Bucky pulled you onto his lap where you clung to him for dear life. Silently, he sat the both of you down onto the sofa and positioned you so you were straddling his legs, stroking your back as he whispered soothing words into your ear. “I'm not angry at you. Baby, I'm furious that he would even dare come near you after what he did to you.”

You pushed your face into the crook of his neck. “You're too good to me,” you mumbled into his skin, “I'm being pathetic.”

“No you're not,” he stressed, pulling you even closer, “you're amazing and I can't believe you let me into your life. I’m so lucky to have you, Y/N.”

Your heart stopped beating and all of a sudden, you couldn't breathe anymore.

He noticed your state of shock. “Fuck, I'm such an idiot. I shouldn't have said that. It's way too early.”

You stared up at him with big eyes. “Are you serious? Because if this not a cruel joke, I feel the same way.”

“I would never joke about that,” he promised and captured your lips in a heated kiss that he intended to showcase what he felt for you.

“Bucky,” you sighed as he started to kiss down your neck.

“What is it, Baby?” he asked, his lips never leaving your skin.

“Mhm, Bucky.” Your hands got lost in his soft locks as you tucked at his hair for support. “Bucky.”

He let go of your neck to search your eyes. “What do you want, baby?” he asked, voice much deeper than before but soft nonetheless, “what do you need?”

“Make me forget he ever touched my skin,” you whispered, “make me yours.”

“Anything you want, darling.” He kissed you again, deep and slow, and it set the tone for what was going to happen. On his lap, you rocked your hips forward, desperate for friction.

“Patience, baby.” Bucky brushed his shirt up your body almost in slow motion, exposing you to him inch by inch. “Fuck, you're so gorgeous. I can't believe you're mine.”

“Yours,” you whimpered as his teeth captured one of your nipples and playfully tugged. Fingers back in his hair, you tried to hold him in place but he came back up to kiss you once more.

“Arms up,” he said so he could rid you of the garment before untying your sweatpants. “Stand up for me.” His fingers slipped underneath the waistband of your panties and pushed both garments down together. They pooled at your feet and you took a step back out of them, making room for him to stand up and quickly get rid of his own clothes.

You were so close to him, the heat radiating off his body sent a shiver down your spine. “Kiss me.”

Bucky gladly obliged. Running hungry hands over your body as he let his tongue slide against yours, he lifted you up by the back of your thighs. You hooked your legs around his waist on instinct as he started to walk you both to the bedroom.

He laid you down carefully and pressed tiny kisses up your inner thigh. When he reached your centre, you were dripping for him.

“Please.”

“Please what?” he mumbled against your skin.

“Touch me,” you gasped. The middle finger of his flesh hand circled your entrance two, three times before pushing in. He pumped the digit in and out as he gave kitten licks to your pussy. The moment he brushed your clit, you were gone for. Your back arched off the bed, mouth opened in a silent scream.

He had never been this slow before, this detailed in his actions and it comforted and drove you mad at the same time but you wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

“Bucky,” you sighed, pulling his head up gently by the strands of his hair. “Can I be on top this time?”

Bucky growled lowly and had to close his eyes to regain composure. “Anything you want, kitten.”

He positioned himself so that he was sitting at the head of the bed, back leaned against the wall. As you cautiously approached him, he took you in fully, lazily pumping his cock.

You kissed him again and used his shoulders for leverage. This was by no means your first time, not even being on top but this was different and it made you nervous.

His hands on your hips offered silent support as you lifted your hips and guided his cock towards your entrance.

Both of you sighed in bliss as you sunk down on his thick member inch by inch. Its dragging against your walls was an entirely new sensation, you could feel everything against your skin and it had you moaning helplessly.

“Move, baby,” he begged, not able to take the suspense any longer.

His head rolled back against the headboard of the bed as you rolled your hips again and again. “Shit, baby, yes!”

Although you kept the pace slow and almost torturing, all you could feel was blinding pleasure. “Bucky,” you moaned, eyes closed.

He used his hands on your hips to guide you over his cock and when he felt that you couldn't take it anymore, he flipped you over. He hooked one of your legs over his shoulder and thrust back into you.

“Ah!” He hit your sweet spot dead on and concentrated on that point, eager to make you scream his name.

Bucky fucked you slow and deep, pulling out almost all the way before pushing back in and it had you gripping his shoulders, fingernails leaving angry red trails on his skin.

“Bucky, I'm so close.”

Repositioning both your legs around his waist, he pulled you close with one arm, the other used as leverage beside your head. “I know,” he panted, “I'm right there with you.” He kissed you again and rubbed tight circles on your clit. “Come, baby. Come for me.”

And you did. Your orgasm hit you like a tidal wave and it shook you to the bone. You met his thrusts with your hips, chasing your pleasure. It felt incredible. Never had you made such a connection with anyone.

Bucky was right behind you, the way your walls clenched around his cock sent him over the edge, emptying himself inside of you with a shudder of his hips. “Shit, Y/N. You feel so good. So tight around me.”

He pushed into you a few more times, not really wanting to end the moment, his softening cock bringing you both back down.

You grasped his face with both hands and pushed a stray strand of hair back. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

:::::

You woke up on your own. When you stretched out a hand to reach for him, his side of the bed was cold. He had been gone for a while.

Angry at yourself, you pushed thoughts of insecurity and doubt out of the way and got out of bed dressed in nothing but a bed sheet.

The fabric dragged behind you as you quietly tip-toed through the hallway towards the kitchen.

When you heard voices that you could only name one of, you stood still in your tracks.

“Don't you think you're taking it a bit fast? You only know her a couple of weeks.” The words came from the person you didn't know. Somehow, you seemed glued to the spot, intrigued by what Bucky's answer would be.

“I don't know what to tell you, man,” he sighed, “she's different from any other girl I've ever met.”

The other person barked out a laugh. “She has you wrapped around her finger and turned you into a sap. That I would ever see the day!”

You peeked around the corner of the wall to see Bucky slap the man's arm.

“Okay, I'm gonna see if she's awake yet,” Bucky said, standing up from the stool at the breakfast bar. Startled and scared you were going to be found out, you scrambled back to the bedroom where you launched yourself into the sheets.

“Hey,” he whispered, silently approaching you where you were snuggled in the cushions pretending to have just woken up.

“Hm?” you mumbled, slowly blinking against the light.

He cupped your cheek. “I made breakfast.”

“I don't have any clothes.”

Bucky chuckled, walking towards his closet. “Here.”

Whilst you pulled on the shirt and pants, both garments too big on you to stay up like before, he sat on the edge of the bed. “Um, I forgot to tell you yesterday. My best friend from the army, Steve, is staying over for a few days.”

You nodded as if you hadn't known already that you weren't alone. “Is he here?”

“He's in the kitchen and I'd really like you two to meet.”

You felt your heart swell up at his words knowing that he cared about you like this. “Let's go then.”

:::::

Steve was a nice man, just like Bucky, but seeing as they were best friends, it wasn't really a surprise.

He firmly shook your hand with a warm smile, introducing himself. You did the same.

Next to Bucky and Steve, you seemed tiny although you weren't exactly small. It gave you the need to sit on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. Your feet dangled far off the ground in your seat as you watched Bucky make blueberry pancakes.

With the way he almost danced around the kitchen mixing the batter and flipping the pancakes, you couldn't help but stare at him especially when his shirt clung so tightly to his abdomen.

“So, Y/N,” Steve interrupted your thought, “what do you do for a living?”

Not wanting to be rude, you turned towards him. “Uh, just an office job in a law firm. Nothing much but I like it and my colleagues are nice.”

He nodded appreciatively. “Sounds quiet. I wish I had that nowadays.”

“How many tours have you done?” you asked.

“Three,” he told you.

Bucky set a pile of pancakes on a plate in front of each of you and sat down himself.

As you took your first bite, you would have almost moaned around your fork but managed to stop yourself last minute. You weren't alone in the room after all.

He saw your expression and grinned proudly into his own food.

After breakfast, Steve stood up and moved to gather all the plates.

“You don't have to, Steve,” Bucky stepped in, “I'm gonna clean up everything.”

“It's the least I can do,” his friend insisted, “you're already letting my stay here.”

With a nod and a hand to the small of your back, Bucky guided you to the couch. The forgotten cup of tea and the clothes from the day before, the ones you had carelessly lost in your haze to get to the bedroom, had miraculously disappeared.

He had an arm around you as he scrolled through the programmes on his laptop with the other. When he opened the mail application, he remembered something.

“Baby, I have to leave for a few days next week,” he said as his voice got lower, “that means that I'll have to think of something for you to occupy yourself with.”

You nodded against his arm as you were lazily curled around it, already excited. “Will it be good?”

He looked down at you. “That depends,” he said almost threateningly, “will you be good?”

Your eyes flickered to his lips as you slid your hand up his chest. “I'm always good,” you replied and in a moment of bravery, added, “for you, daddy.”

Snapping the tension in between the two of you, there was a loud bang echoing from the kitchen followed by a string of curses.

At your expression of shock and embarrassment, Bucky couldn't help but chuckle as he gave you a peck on the cheek. “It's fine,” he said, “I lived with him way before I knew about the club. There's little that can shock him anymore.”

“I'm gonna call my roommate and tell her I'm alive,” you mumbled anyways, wanting to escape the situation, “do you have a charger?”

“Bedside table.”

“Thanks.” You got up and leaned down to your purse to get your phone and Bucky used this opportunity to give your ass a light smack, making you yelp and glare at him.

He laughed loudly this time, enjoying how easy it was to mess with you.

:::::

Whilst you fought with your phone to be able to call your friend, Steve plopped down on the couch next to Bucky.

“I know what you're gonna say,” Bucky interjected before Steve got the chance to speak up, “but it's not like that.”

“Like what?”

Bucky rolled his eyes briefly. “Like we're pretending that she's a little girl, baby even, and I am her dad and we have sex. This,” Bucky gestured between where you had disappeared through the hallway minutes ago and himself, “is different.”

Steve knew what buttons he needed to push for his best friend to admit the truth. “Different how? She really is younger than you.”

Bucky scoffed. “But only a few years. It has nothing to do with it. The word slipped out during a session we had and I found I quite like the title,” he explained, “for us, it doesn't mean we have a thing for incest. We use it as a display of dominance and trust at the same time.”

Steve nodded. “It's your life,” he said, “do whatever makes you happy. I'm glad you found her, actually. She makes you soft.”

Bucky gasped in mock horror. “She does not! I am stronger than ever.”

“Whatever you say, big guy,” Steve chuckled and glanced over to where you had reappeared in the doorway. “Y/N, you can have your man back now. I'm gonna go for a run.”

You smiled. “Thanks,” you replied, stepping closer, “now that I have reported to my roommate, I can stay away for a while longer.”

Steve stood up and left. Though not before saying, “please don't be fucking on the couch when I get back. I have seen a lot of terrible things and I would just like it to be different this one time.”

Bucky flung a cushion at his back but then completely discarded his attention to his friend to focus it on you. “C'mere.”

His hands instantly slipped under your shirt as you straddled his thighs. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him in.

“Baby,” he mumbled against your lips, “you're forgetting that I am calling the shots here.” He accompanied his words with a slap to your ass.

Your hips snapped forward on their own accord, chasing friction. You couldn't help yourself. “Bucky...”

“Y/N,” he tutted, “you're being naughty.”

You shook your head. “Daddy,” you mumbled and slid down between his legs to kneel in front of the couch. Silently asking for permission, you ran your hands up his thighs towards his crotch.

He answered by pushing his sweatpants down to his ankles before putting his hands behind his head, nodding.

Happy, you reached out for his hardening cock but Bucky stepped in.

“Mouth only, baby girl.”

Your eyes trailed up to his and you held the gaze tightly as you lowered your head, taking his tip in.

His hips snapped up at the first touch but you followed the movement, not allowing him to slip further inside. You licked small strokes on his head before gently sucking.

“Kitten, don't tease,” he growled.

Closing your eyes to fully concentrate, you relaxed your jaw and took all of him in one agonizingly slow motion. You flattened your tongue up against his cock and started to bob your head up and down.

With the first noise he made, your panties got soaked, cunt aching to be touched but you didn't know if you were allowed.

“Faster, baby,” he said, “make me cum.”

And you desperately wanted him to. As you did your best to get him closer to the edge, trying to take him deep down your throat as much as you could, you had an idea.

You slid back up his length and accidentally let him slip from your grasp but you wanted to ask first before continuing. “Come on my face, daddy. Please,” you requested.

Bucky's eyes snapped open and he sat up straighter. “Are you sure?”

You nodded hastily. “Mark me,” you almost moaned.

His eyes rolled back into his head as he cursed. “Go on then, make me come. I was so close,” he said, “then you'll get your reward.”

You whined as you leaned back down, letting him hit the back of your throat instantly. Your tongue ran along his thickness and it had him panting, letting you know he was close.

When he dug his hands in your hair, pulling you off of him, you sat back on your calves as he moved to the edge of the couch, frantically working his cock.

“Close your eyes,” he breathed and before you could fully do so, you felt the hot liquid hitting your mouth and face in thick ribbons. You moaned at the feeling. It was one of the hottest experiences you could imagine.

Licking up what your tongue could reach, you opened your eyes. Even in the haze of an orgasm, he had been careful enough not to get any of his come in there.

“You look so good like this, absolutely gorgeous,” said in awe, “can I take a picture?”

Although surprised at his request, you nodded. For him and the camera, you put on your most seductive expression.

When he was done, Bucky threw the phone carelessly to the side and ran his thumb across your cheek, gathering some of the liquid.

He offered it to you and you gladly began to suck on his thumb. “Such a good girl for me,” he said proudly, “you wanna come, too?”

You nodded around his finger.

“Then lay back on the couch, legs spread.” He handed you a tissue first to clean up with. “Take off your pants.”

You looked at him expectantly after you were positioned, eager to have his hands on you.

“Now touch yourself however you want but don't come.” And with that, he turned back towards his laptop.

Not again, you thought but he made the rules. So you ran one hand up to your breast and one down to your dripping cunt. You were going to ruin the couch but you didn't care. Slowly, you started to circle your clit before slipping the fingers into your cunt and then slid them back up to your clit. You repeated the actions until you were hot and breathless, the shirt beginning to stick to your heated skin, all the while also playing with your breasts. “Daddy,” you moaned, not because you really wanted his attention, you knew you already had it, but because it was what you usually did when you touched yourself whenever you were allowed.

“If you feel like you're one stroke away from coming, you can take a break,” Bucky said, “but you have to continue until I say you can stop. Hold the edge for me.”

It was torture. Sweet, sweet torture but agonizing nonetheless. You were a moaning, sweaty mess within a few minutes.

“Daddy, please,” you begged.

Bucky sighed deeply. “What did I tell you?”

“Be patient,” you replied, whining, “but I was so good. So good for you.”

He pretended to think about it, keeping up the suspense that made you feel like you were about to snap and come. “That's true. I gotta give you that,” he said, “you really are my good girl.”

At his words, your hips bucked up against your own hand, chasing the friction and you were a millisecond away from disappointing him. “Please. Please, daddy.”

He shot you a wicked grin before he dove down between your legs. He batted your hands away and was on you within a second. Your back arched off the couch and you almost doubled over but the hands that buried themselves in his hair kept you upright as you all but rode his face, coming hard. It felt so good you couldn't even care that he hadn't given you permission yet.

“Daddy, ah!” you practically yelled as you came down from your high and then, it hit you. “Oh God, I'm sorry.”

Bucky gave your sensitive clit a few more slow strokes with his tongue before he climbed up your body. “It's alright, baby,” he reassured you before he kissed you softly. “I should have told you could come. You're good.”

You nodded against his lips as he kissed you again.

“Oh my God,” sounded the voice behind you at the doorway, “you really were fucking on the couch I can't believe it.”

Bucky shook his head and buried it in your chest as he stood up and pulled you with him, careful to keep your butt hidden by the shirt. He carried you out of the room without a word.

You didn't know the way around the apartment that well yet and so you had no idea where he was going until you reached the bathroom. He sat you down on the counter and stepped away, though not before kissing you once more.

There was a big difference between Bucky the dom and regular Bucky and now that you had gotten to know both, you found yourself loving him even more. To know that he was capable of tormenting you in every delicious way and could still be so nice and caring afterwards had you feeling like you needed to buy Tony a big, big bouquet of flowers or something. He really had found the perfect man for you.

You watched as Bucky turned on the bath faucet and filled it with some expensive smelling soaps and bath salts. He even took out a few candles from the shelf and placed them around the bathtub and all over the room.

“What did I do to deserve that?” you asked.

Once he was done, he walked back to stand in front of you. “It's a thank you and a sorry,” he said.

You raised an eyebrow. “For?”

“A thank you for putting up with me and being so good for me.” He kissed you. “And a sorry for having to leave soon.”

“It's not a big deal,” you said, “I can live without you.”

Bucky chuckled. “I know you can. I still want to spoil you in every way I can and I feel like you deserve a nice long bath with a happy end.”

You bit your lip, intrigued. “A happy end?”

Bucky cocked his head to the side and grinned. “You are dating me, are you not?”

“Fair enough.”

He pulled your shirt over your head and kissed you again. You did the same to him and also pushed down his sweatpants. Bucky lifted you off the counter and back onto your feet. After stepping into the tub, he helped you in as well before sitting down, you in front of him between his legs.

The water was a tad too warm for your taste but figured you were going to get used to it as you relaxed against his chest.

For a few moments, you both just sat there and enjoyed the feeling. Occasionally, Bucky gathered some of the water and poured it over your chest, kissing the back of your neck.

“Is it dangerous,” you asked, “what you do?”

Bucky shook his head against your neck. “I know several different types of combat fighting and I'm really good with weapons.”

“Did you have to use them before?”

“Not as a bodyguard, no,” he replied, “in the army, though, yes.”

You nodded. You didn't want to think about him out there risking his life.

“Baby,” he whispered, “nothing happened. And nothing will. I'm very good at my job, trust me. It's basically just walking and keeping people away from my client.”

In his arms, you turned to press a kiss to his jaw. “Just be careful,” you insisted.

“I will.” His hands slowly found their way to your breasts. “Now let me get your mind somewhere else.”

You leaned back into his chest, closing your eyes. Sweat was gathered on your forehead as he started to palm your breasts with one hand and pinching a nipple with the other. You sighed and arched into his touch.

“You like that, baby?”

You nodded, biting your lip. His metal arm was warming up to the temperature of the water and the heat got you all hot and bothered. Behind you, you could feel Bucky's excitement against the small of your back. You wanted to reach out to touch him but he batted your hands away.

“This is about you, darling,” he said and his metal hand slipped down under the surface of the water and even further down to your core. You whined high in your throat as his middle finger circled your clit.

“Bucky...”

“Mhm, that's right,” he mumbled, “feel what my touch is doing to you. Take it all in.” With his words, he added a finger from his right hand to tease your entrance before pushing in and pumping his hand in and out of you. To give him more access, you lifted one leg over the edge of the tub as he nibbled on your earlobe.

“You getting closer, baby?” he asked and you replied with a moan as his fingers ran over your g-spot and clit at the same time.

“Right there, please.”

It was getting hot in the room as you steadily grew closer to your orgasm. With the water and his warm arm, it was getting almost too hot, you suddenly found and your vision began to swim slightly. This was getting too much and not in the good way. Cold sweat formed on your skin.

“Bucky,” you mumbled but he didn't understand it as the warning you were trying to give, only increased the pressure on your bundle of nerves. “Bucky, I can't...” And with that, you slumped against his chest as the world around you turned dark.

“Shit!” Bucky cursed and managed to hold you up before your head could immerse in the water.

:::::

You woke up a few minutes later laying on the fluffy rug on the bathroom floor, a cold washcloth on your forehead, Bucky holding your feet up in the air. He had them propped up on his shoulder as he knelt, staring at you expectantly.

“Thank fuck,” he breathed as he saw your eyelids fluttered open, “you scared the shit outta me.”

“Sorry,” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes. The cold of the washcloth sent a welcomed shiver down your spine, a nice clash to the heat in the room.

“What happened?” he asked, “you just passed out on me.” Bucky had a towel wrapped around his waist and you yourself had one draped over your body.

You made a face. “It was suddenly getting very hot and I sort of couldn't breathe anymore,” you explained, “I tried to warn you but it was too late. Why are you holding my feet?”

“Makes the blood flow back to your brain, helps with dizziness.”

You nodded. It did help. “I think I can get up now,” you said and moved to do so. Once you were in a sitting position, though, you felt the world around you spin again. “Nope,” you groaned and lied back down.

It took a couple of more minutes until you felt better.

“You're gonna take it easy today,” Bucky warned as he led you to the sofa again after getting both of you dressed, draining the tub, and blowing out the candles, “and I'm making you something to eat.”

Not wanting to sit there on your own, you padded over to the kitchen on your bare feet only to jump onto the counter when you got there, Bucky’s hands instantly on you.

“What's going on here?” Steve appeared in the doorway. “Didn't you say lunch would be ready in twenty minutes?”

Bucky let go of you only to throw a kitchen towel at his best friend. “I got distracted.”

Steve chuckled. “I can see that.”

[cartoonfangirl1218]

Winner’s Curse Ch. 18

Another long one but I felt it was needed to flesh out Jade who is basically a blank slate in the books, and it was fun to dive into the family dynamics of Aladdin villains. TW: abuse. Enjoy! 

“All right let’s go” Uma commanded as Gil ran off at his captain’s behest/ The group began walking when Jordan stopped to ask the figure still standing by the balcony.  “Aren’t you going with them?”

Uma audibly sighed, showing her irritation but Jade flopped back down on the ottoman to listen, she was curious, besides she hated the political meetings. It was all just infighting and boundry setting and for people like Uma to fight who was more powerful.

“No. My mom wants me to be the high priestess of Opar, not it’s princess. I’m not needed for political meetings if I’m not destined to rule.” Lala’s tone was all nonchalance but Jade sensed it was a lie.

And a lie she found when she searched her face, and saw the tall tale sign. Several signs actually. She was examining her nails rather than looking them in the eye, licking her lips and clenching her teeth.

Liar, liar, liar.

Sooo obvious too. Jade had learned to control those revealing twitches when she was like 7.

“Aziz can join me. You can watch me practice the magic of ancient Atlantis. Lost to all time and elusive to all.” Lala swung her arms dramatically, her accent becoming more pronounced and loud, mimicking her mother’s self-indulgent proclamations.

Seeing that Aziz was about to walk out beside Lala like he was a regular every person of equal standing and not the slave boy they were trying to sell him as.

Honestly did these people not know how to sell to a lie. They had to make it believable!

“Hey!” Jade threw an arm out, “Few steps behind. You’re not a prince here, slave boy.”

She added her trademark wicked smirk to soften the words. Well she hoped it made the words gentler. Sometimes the wicked smirk backfired and people misinterpreted it as her rubbing it in. Or other times when she was trying to goad someone like the Gaston twins and they thought she was flirting. Ugh it was so annoying that she couldn’t control the reaction to her smirk.

At least Aziz seemed to understand her intent and mockingly bowed to her, “So sorry princess.” He turned to Lala and grabbed her hand and kissed the back of her hand as he followed her out, “My priestess.”

With that settled the genie girl went back to her bottle that Calix was holding and they set off in silence which unnerved Jade.

Silence was never a good thing in her experience. It always signaled an impending ambush.

“He didn’t kiss my hand.” Jade fake pouted thinking of the first thing that came to mind as they stalked through the long dark hall.

“Yeah yeah, let’s just go to the Coven meeting before Nerissa complains that we’re late again.” Uma rolled her eyes, picking up the pace, and Jade bristled. She knew people tended to underestimate her friendly, joking attitude. That’s what she wanted, it made people drop their guard low enough for her to steal but still... it was annoying how people thought they could just roll their eyes in front of her.

She was the best thief on the Isle. She had skills and they knew it even if her attitude didn’t always reflect how serious she took her pickpocketing. Come on, she practically stole every one of Captain Hook’s pirate hats without getting caught by his rowdy, drunken crew. She was not to be underestimated.

They didn’t need to roll her eyes when she talked as if she was an insignificant idiot.

So she pushed past Uma who was in the lead and strutted her way to the large half circle table that Morgain Le Fey had suggested to be their meeting table to avoid even more fighting. The adults sat on the interior and their kids on their interior so they sat across from each other with a clear view of the rest.

Jade slowed her swaying hips as she approched her seat across from her mom whose lips were already turned down in disgust. Her mother was forever exasperated when Jade did things like flirting or strutting or simply acting nonchalant, seeing it as more evidence that she had no ambitions and was too flighty to make something of herself.

Not that she cared. At least she had to remind herself that she didn’t care. It was part of her new “Keep yourself sane” plan ever since Mom decided to take an interest in her life and make her into a sorceress like she was.

15 years of neglect, only paying attention when Jade was in trouble and now she wanted Jade to make someone to be proud of?

No way. She would try to learn sorcery just to get her mom off her back and hold off the rain of punches but she wasn’t going to waste her time acting the part of evil sorceress to win her mother’s approval.

She gave up a long time ago the hope that her mom would ever change her mind to love her. Or her mother would change in general.

Jade looked around at the rest of the room. Most of the people were here. Like Celia and Dr. Facilier were at the right end of the half circle playing some sort of bakor card game and next to them were Zevon and Yzma crabbily whispering to each other. Well Yzma was whispering and pulling at Zevon’s ear while Zevon just cowered. Yzla was no where to be seen which made sense. Yzla usually ditched anything that involved spending time with hercrazy, hairball hacking mom, preferring the chance to concot chemistry explosions in the secret lab without her family’s interference or unneeded advice.

Next to Yzma was Uncle Jafar, polishing his staff and brushing Iago off his shoulder wheneverthe ornery parrot got too close to take a look at his beak. Jay was still a hypnotized statue, standing in front of his chair, waiting to be instructed on what to do.

Jade had to resist the urge to command him to sit down and generally not ignore him. But it wasn’t her place to. 

They were just cousins and on the Isle that was the same level of trust and caring as a sidekick and his boss. There was none. She couldn’t act like she gave a damn about Jay’s well being, not if she wanted to have her mom kick her bleeding heart out of her chest like she was always threatening to do.

The seat next to her mom was occupied by a brooding Mozonroth, tapping his fingers impatiently as he stared at the empty seat across from him/next to her that should be occupied by her nephew. Strange that he hadn’t arrived yet. Antiqam was so like his father being meticulous and punctual and methodical in everything he did. Being late just wasn’t him.

It was just as well. If there was a relative that she didn’t give a damn about. It would be her half brother, Mozonroth and his equally repulsive son, Antiqam.

Her half-brother just creeped her out with how he always sounded like he was flirting with everyone. The suaveness belying his ruthless demenour underneath and Antiqam followed in his footsteps being too touchy-feely with groping someone’s chest as he described how he wanted to stab them in the heart.

Most people were in awe of their ruthlessness, hoping to aspire to them like those who wished to be the next Mistress of Evil after Maleficent. Or they feared them for those same reasons. But, she, she saw nothing to fear and nothing to idolize. Just hate.

And if she was being honest, a part of her dislike toward them was pettiness because they were her mother’s favorites. Like it was her fault that she was born on the Isle and she had had no chance to take over any area in Agrabah. Even if she was to conquer some place on the Isle, what would it be? The garbage shack on the South Side? What a score.

She looked to her left, hoping to distract herself from thinking of annying family members and saw thst Uma was absentmindedly drawing words and drawings on the table, no doubt planning out the next steps of whatever it was they were doing. Her mother was boredly finishing off a plate of fish and chips from her resturaunt and Mother Gothel and her daughter were simultaneously admiring themselves in grimy mirrors. The rest of the left side was crowded by the mothers without kids around like Queen Grimhilde, Queen Nerissa, Maleficent, Queen La, and Morgain Le Fey with Circe and Calix rounding out the end, not speaking to each other.

She had heard the loud fights between them in the parlor next door to her room. The unofficial area to air out secret plans and have family fights. From what she could hear through the walls, Calix was still an Auradonian good guy through and through and trying to convince his mom to leave the Coven and help them fight when the time came while his mom was all onboard the revenge train and didn’t trust the Auradons after they sent her to the Isle and tore her away from her home.

It was very very interesting. Almost as good as the soaps Jade sometimes caught when she--

“Have you’ve mastered levitation yet?” Her mom’s reedy voice cut through her thoughts.

“Um I was..” Jade took a small breath in and smiled sweetly to her mother who scowled, “I was getting a nice foot massage from my new slaveboy. It’s important to use our enemies and degrade them.”

Nasira rolled her eyes, angrily huffing through her nose. Jade instinctively leaned away from her when she saw that. It never ended well for her face.

Shockingly, the person she least expected to be thankful for came barging through the doors, red with rage.

“Who the hell stole my genie!” He bellowed, his black robe billowing around him and dark hair dishelved and plastered against his forehead in a rare image of him at his least presentable.

“Zevon did it.” Uma said cocking her head toward the oily wannabe emperor who was sinking down in his seat.

“Why would yaaargh? She’s mine!” Antiqam lunged at Zevon who fruitlessly tried to squirm under the table but Antiqam was faster. He pounced on the teen like a coyote, twisting Zevon’s high collar around his neck causing blue veins to bulge around his forehead to match the angry red one throbbing at Antiqam’s temple.

This was one example where Antiqam strayed from being exactly like his father. Antiqam was cool and calm, scarily collected most of the time with all his ‘I”s dotted and “T”s crossed. But when his plan was derailed, that all snapped.

Jade looked out of the corner of her eye to see how her relatives were acting to this, all expressing various levels of exasperation as Antiqam thrashed Zevon around on the table.

Uncle Jafar was looking gloatingly at her mother as if to say, “So that’s how you grandparent?” and Mozonroth was facepalming, vexed at his son’s unchecked anger and violence.

Even the “accomplished and perfect” Antiqam disappointed his father by not keeping control of his emotions. How satisfying.  

Jade personally thought it made sense. Antiqam acted so calm and suave all the time, and repressed all his emotions like annoyance and anger. So when he reached the breaking point, he became a incoherent rage, letting it all out on the poor fool.

Similarly, Zevon had no parental support on his side as Yzma rubbed her temples, “I’m so disappointed in you.”

“Antiqam. Tawaquf.” Mozonroth punctuated his commands with two sharp raps on the table with his armored gauntlet, grabbing his son’s attention who promptly dropped a bedraggled Zevon to the floor.

Antiqam didn’t say anything. He just inhaled deeply and brushed some invisible dust off his shoulders as if that would draw attention away from his outburst that left a bruised Zevon who was on the floor groaning and grappling to get back on his chair.

“He shouldn’t have stolen my lamp. What did he want it for?” Antiqam hissed through his teeth, his anger still audible but starting to retreat under his usual self possessed attitude.

“What you wanted it for. Genie sex.” Calix answered with obvious disdain, earning him a glare from Zevon across the table for ratting him out.

“How do you know all this?” Antiqam turned to look suspiciously at him.

“We caught him.” Uma said, referring to herself and Calix.

“Then give i the lamp to us.” Mozonroth’s dark eyes seared across the table belied by his strained smile that revealed he was refraining from bashing someone’s head himself.

Antiqam cocked his head, a cat-eating-the-canary-smile playing about his lips, “Wait, aren’t you friends with my genie? Circe said she knew their family back in Auradon? Have you’ve been hiding her from me? Protecting her?” 

Jade flinched. She knew the punishment that would ensue if they were found protecting someone. 

“Even after you two said you’d join and obey the Coven?” Queen Nerissa finished the train of thought that was forming in everyone’s heads.

No, no no, no. This was bad. Very bad. Why did Uma and Calix say they’d infiltrate from the inside? If either of them stepped a teeny bit out of line, they’d be done for. No one here would trust a former Auradonian or the sea witch that left the Isle for months. They were viewed too much as invaders. They had something to gain if the Coven failed.

But she… people thought she’d have everything to lose if the Coven failed and that was why Yzla chose her as the perfect double agent.

Time to prove to Uma that her breezy attitude was nothing to roll her eyes at.

The adults’ voices were beginning to raise in anger and confusion with Circe’s cutting through the noise with the fierce proclamation,

“Don’t you dare accuse my son of anything. He is a loyal person unlike you backstabbers.” Circe hissed.

Hmmm maybe there was hope for getting the Grecian sorceress on their side. Hope enough that even if she didn’t actively help them, there’d be hell to pay if someone hurt her son.

“Oh, Queen Nerissa, you must be really insecure about your intimidation if you think two former goody goodiness would disobey you.” Jade laughed, jumping up to wrap her arms around Uma, “They’ve been far too busy the pleasures of being in the Coven to even think of ever going back to such sacherrine goodness. After all, they don’t have me in Auradon.”

To make her point, she kissed Uma’s neck and was promptly pushed away with a hiss, “Don’t touch me!”

Ursula looked disbelievingly at Jade, and Jade shrugged, “Yeah, it only happened once. Can’t say Uma really knows what she’s doing in the bedroom. Too uptight.”

Uma clenched her fists, mouthing some obscene threat but Jade rolled her eyes at her. Ha!

“As for this guy,” Jade walked over to Calix and planted a deep kiss on him, relishing in the surge of performance as everyone watched their tongues tangle, completely oblivious to her fingers wrapping around the lamp that Calix had been holding under the table.

She pulled away from Calix, smiling at the slightly punched drunk gaze she left him with. Slipping the lamp into her long sleeves that almost fell to the floor.

When she returned to her seat, her mother was the one facepalming while Uncle Jafar looked surprisingly impressed at her manipulative seduction abilities. Uncle Jafar always prided manipulativeness while her mom didn’t. 

Her mom preferred more direct action and said that her brother had his priorities messed up if he did everything manipulatively. Maybe if he was more direct, he would have made sure to kill Aladdin so that street rat wouldn’t have defeated him in the end. 

She turned to Antiqam holding the lamp to his face, “You’re being overdramatic for no reason. I have the lamp, dear nephew.”

“Why didn’t you return it to me once you caught Zevon, dear aunt?” Antiqam asked tersely.

“Because I wanted wishes.” Jade smiled, inspecting the pretty brass object for the first time, tracing her figures across the curling cuticles.

It was so ordinary. Brass was one of the easiest metals to find on the Isle. And lamps like these were utterly useless to beat back the cold, windy winters on the Isle. She’d thought if a genie had a lamp it would be something sparkly and shimmering with a thousand encrusted jewels or sparking off like a firework just like the genies were themselves.

But it also fit. Jade mused to herself. Something so unsuspecting and ordinary could change her life.

“Jade, I know listening isn’t your forte, but we went over the plan. When we take over Agrabah, we’ll each have a genie. Jafar will have the male, your mother will have Eden and we’ll have this one.” Mozonroth explained slowly, smiling at her as if she was a child.

“I did listen. But I wanted wishes now. And unlike Zevon, I am actually thinking out what my wishes will be and not going to get tricked out of my genie.” Jade said, “I have plans of my own.”

Her mother looked up at her curiously, a strange smile spreading across her face.

Pride.

A proud smile. Her mom had a proud smile for her!?

Jade couldn’t stop the hopeful lurch of her heart at the sight. She never thought she was capable of making her mom proud of her.

After all her heists, the wrestling matches she won, this was what made her mom proud? Stealing  genie lamp from her grandson?

….Or was it the “I have plans of my own.”

How many times had she heard her Mom lecture that she should have plans of her own.

Her mom was sure proud of her. For echoing her. Not for Jade’s own actions.

“Jade should have the wishes.” Her mom said, interrupting whatever retort that was about to come out of Mozonroth’s mouth. “What?!” Jafar, Mozonroth and Antiqam stared at her mother, the rest of the Coven sporting similar shocked looks at the small family drama unfolding.

“She’s already been using Aladdin’s son as her slave boy. I’m sure she’ll think of something equally degrading for the genie when she makes her three wishes.”

“Thank you, Mom.” Jade clenched her jaw tightly to prevent any traitorous sound of glee from coming out of her throat.

She didn’t care. She didn’t care. She didn’t care. She had to keep reminding herself that. She was not about to do things for her mom’s approval. And if she accidentally recieved her mom’s approval she shouldn’t be happy about it. It was like fool’s gold Shiny and wonderful but temporary. It would not last or provide any substance later on.

“Well then, I’ll go spend my wishes now!” Jade said brightly, deciding to add to her mother’s newfound pride, “And I’ll go study magic now too.”

Hey, might as well keep her mom off her back for the rest of the day.

“Wait, we’re making plans!” Queen Nerissa called out, “This is a Coven meeting not an episode of As the Crown Turns.”

“Oh I love that show! Did you see the latest one where the mermaid found out her husband slept with her twin sister?” Gothel cried.

“I saw that coming from a mile away.” Queen Grimhilde hooted, “Why wouldn’t he. I mean the girl’s a fish. At least her twin had legs to-”

“Ladies.” Queen Nerissa shouted, until there was calm once more. “I’ll get this over quickly since some people claim they have “better things to do.”

The plan will commence on next Sunday at the height of summer solstice. We must start our preparations on Monday and work throughout the week. That means no one is leaving the castle or exiting,” she made a significant side-eye to Uma and Calix. “All magic user must rest and save their strength for the takeover. Remember we strike to kill. No more of this “make them suffer first” nonsense. That allows them time to think and take over and that’s how you all failed the first time. Think on that. That’s all. You’re dismissed.”

Jade jumped up and ran to the door where Uma and Calix quickly met her. “Give me.” Calix grabbed the lamp possessively and Uma pushed her back, “What the hell was that out there?”

“One, I can’t give this to you. It’s called committing to the lie. And two, it’s called kiss. You clearly haven’t had much experience with that, Shrimpy.” Jade shot back.

They didn’t have much time to talk more since Circe and Ursula swept by, taking their kids with them.

“Congratulations.” Celia grabbed Jade’s arm and gently shook it.

Jade felt herself melt a little seeing Celia’s sincere congratulations and genuine smile.

It was a stupid, sentimental feeling but she preferred kids to people her own age. She didn’t have to act cool. She was older, she was automatically cool. So that was one less stress on her life.

Kids were the opposite of everything she prided herself for. They didn’t know how to hide their emotions that well. They didn’t feel the need to act cool and were very eager to praise others when someone did something cool. They couldn’t lie very well which was annoying when she was among her peers but when kids did it, it was adorable.

And Celia was a pretty cool kid if she had to call a kid cool. She was feisty, sassy, and was always quick with a scam. If there was one thing that bought her respect was someone who knew how to make a quick buck.

Also since she joined the Anti Hero Club, her respect for Celia had elevated a bit. Not only could she con people out of their money, but underneath the Facilier smoothness was loyalty.

She knew she should have expected it since it was a club for secretly heroic kids despite the confusing name but to see it in action brought an unfamiliar yet comforting feeling to see people that were capable of trustworthiness and loyalty and that if succeeded, she could meet other like-minded people. Instead of being constantly on guard and acting casual among villains who’d be willing to stab her in an instant to rot when all she wanted to do was be alone and safe.

Yzla informed her it was called hope. She was pretty sure that was also a good guy thing. Another strike against her if her mother ever found out she was capable of feeling such goodness.

“Thanks. Bye!” Jade waved as Dr. Facilier grabbed Celia’s hand to take her back to their shop.

Jade headed toward the stairs where the dungeons were, watching as the rest of the family headed up to the rooms.

“Jay follow me!” She clapped to get hypno-Jay’s attention and wiggled her fingers at Antiqam’s scowl. If she hadn’t been on Antiqam’s radar before she knew she was on it now. Hell, she may have made his hit list by getting to use the wishes before he did.

But she repressed those concerns to the back of her mind. She’ll deal with it later when the time came. Hopefully never.

She reached the dungeon floor, it’s dank smell of blood, and seared flesh filling her nostrils as she entered the hallway. The only open door was at the end of the hall, the one leading to the torture room and she could already hear the faint gurgling sound of someone choking. 

She winced and moved quickly through the hall, opening each door as she went.

Each Coven got their own magic workshop, each styled for their specific magic and decorated so people wouldn’t get confused since all the doors looked the same.

She checked each room, opening it fully to the one that smelled of blood lilies and the walls were dusted with sand from her attempts at levitating.

Jade stared at the book that was still left open on the table and sat her chair. Jay standing at the door staring blankly at her.

“To levitate an object, one must “flap and clap” your arms focusing on your third chakra. Fire is needed blah blah blah.” Jade read outloud and shut the book in disgust. She read those words like thirty times this morning, she practically memorized it but that didn’t help her in actually doing the magic.

The closest she’d come to levitating the sand was by throwing it against the wall in frustration, and then her mom checked on her and..

Jade slumped in her seat and tried to get herself to focus on the book again. She had to learn something. She had to show her mom she could do something or else.

A wave of phantom pain washed over her as she thought what would happen if her mom decided to stop by to observe her progress.

The beginnings of a migraine were pounding in her temples as her mom’s distinct hiss bounced around her head. “You can’t do anything? Nothing! What is wrong with you, Jade? No, don’t answer that. I know exactly what is wrong with you.”

Jade instinctively flinched, feeling the invisible blows her mom pounded on her.

“You have no discipline! No ambition! You’re acting like a slut with no wants in life! You are a waste of space! Nothing is in your head! I should have left you to die in the desert like I did after I had Mozonroth! He made something of himself. Here, I am telling you to do better and you do nothing!”

She had managed to speak a little. That she was a good thief. More like a whisper, but her mom with her cold calculating senses picked up on everything, “A thief? That’s what you want to aspire to? You’re descended from sorcerers and you want to be a fucking thief! You’re disgrace!”

Her voice raised and lowered in random intervals, as if Nasira couldn’t think of whether to laugh at such foolish, unambitious dreams or be even more enraged. She chose the latter, Jade remembered. She had the marks to prove it though she didn’t remember much. It went by in a haze, her mom’s face contorted monstrously as she yelled. The persistent, never ending hits to the stomach and face.

She could feel a heavy weight press down against her just like when her mom leaned over her. Pressing all her weight and bony knees into her chest that Jade was sure she was going to puncture it. Her spindly fingers clawing into Jade’s mouth, drawing blood on her tongue to stop her “ear bleeding screeches.” Those screams were just the sort of thing that showed people how weak she was. She needed to toughen up.

Jade cursed herself internally. She knew this lesson already. Just act happy, just act casual, act nonchalant, act angry. Her casual attitude may irritate her mother but she would usually leave her alone. It was when she acted sad or scared her mother would get vicious. When she sensed weakness, she attacked.  

Her throat closed and her thoughts jumbled into one overarching message, “She was a failure and her mother was going to kill her for it. She was a failure and her mom was going to kill her. ShewasafailureMomwasgoingtokillherShewasafailureMomwasgoingto killher.FailureDeadDeadFailureShewasgoingtodie.Uselesswasteofspace.

Jade experienced these sorts of panic attacks before. She needed some water for her throat. Her lungs were heaving with sobs and air that fought to win over her tired body. Her hot tears streaked down her face and the overwhelming pain, sadness and hopelessness within that threatened to engulf her. She needed to get out of this room with its levitating spells and reminders of her mother.

“Hi Auntie Jade!” A cheerful voice giggled and Jade slowly turned her head to see the chubby small form of her little nephew, Malik. “Antiqam wanted me to check up on you.” Despite the swirling thoughts in her head and the overwhelming waves of panic, some seperate part of her melted at Malik’s complete inability to lie and that, out of all people, Antiqam chose to send his 5 year old brother to spy on her despite the kid being incapable of spying or understanding the bigger chess game they were playing. 

The kid was too young to do subterfuge and even if he did, he was too sweet. He wasn’t corrupted yet to hate her.

“I’m great,” Jade gulped past the lump in her throat, lurching unsteadily to the door, “I need the bathroom.”

The migraine made the rest of her body feel heavy and unsteady when she walked to the bathroom in the middle of the right side of the hall. Once she approached the bathroom she threw up into the sink.

It disgusted her. Not so much the contents of her stomach but the fact that she did it. Just thinking about her mother's abuse and this is what she was reduced to? Throwing up in fear of what the witch would do to her.

She knew she could handle it. It was practically predictable at this point. Curl in a ball as she hit and kicked and scratched, hide in her room, do makeup, act like nothing happened until the next time she did something wrong. Even now she felt ashamed that that was her strategy in dealing with her mom. She could grapple with the Gaston twins with no fear, but with her mom, she just froze up. She had survived the pain of living with her mother for years, why was she so scared now?

Maybe it was like Antiqam's rage? She’d been repressing it so long, all the anxiety and fear was hitting her now.

Whatever it was, she didn’t need it at this moment. She had important things to do for the Anti Villain Club. She couldn’t fall apart now.

Jade trembled against the cold tiles of her bathroom and clenched her fists in an effort to still her quaking body. Her breath was coming in short desperate pants and it took all of her willpower to remember to focus on her face in the mirror, watching herself as her breath became slower and slower.

She blinked rapidly to try to clear her eyes of the tears that were still threatening to fall and scrubbed at her face with some of the brown water that came out of the rusty faucet. Even though the Coven had their powers, and were able to create jewels, transformations and shadow spirits out of thin air they still weren’t able to magick up some way to get better pipes for fresh water. They would get those sort of things when they went to Auradon.

Jade patted her cheeks, making sure the blush wasn’t rubbing off and noticed with distaste the smudgeness of her mascara dripping down her cheeks.

Then Lala walked out of the other stall, her ever-present leopard staff under her arm as she washed her hands, and Jade froze.

Quickly splashing water over her face, she rubbed the remnents of her makeup off and reached into the small pocket she had sewn into the underside of her sleeve for emergency makeup supplies.

She sniffed and forced herself to smile. That’s what people expected of her. She was the flirty thief with no care in the world.

Maybe it was time to work on Operation: Future Friendship with Jungle Girl, part 22. Concentrating on other things usually helped her to not dwell on the memories.

Jade was used to getting what she wanted. Whether it was a one night stand or Queen Grimhilde’s youth moisturizing cream. She was going to get this girl to warm up to her if it was the last thing she did.

She couldn’t believe she was trying so hard to do this. A mere 3 months ago, she would have laughed at such an idea of working to be friends with someone on the Isle when they were bound to betrayal.

But three months ago she wasn’t part of the Anti Heroes Club, working to undermine the Coven and her mother from inside.

It all began when Yzla invited her to the Anti Heroes Club, and they'd gotten closer to the hope that they’d get off this forsaken place that she started considering the idea of a real friendship.

Yzla introduced the concept to her first. She had been practically salivating over the idea of unlimited fresh food  when she said, “Imagine. We could actually act like friends instead of claiming we’re just an alliance.”

Jade was taken aback by Yzla’s outspoken proclamation and admittance that she wanted to say she was Jade’s friend, one simply did not say they were friends after all it was a mushy princessy feeling, but then again, Yzla was more progressive than other Isle kids, being a budding scientist and researching all those newfangled theories.

Jade hadn’t been sure how to respond. Sure at the moment she smiled and agreed, keeping up the friendly facade she usually kept among people, but she still had to think about it. And when she did, she realized Yzla was her friend.

With Yzla, she didn’t feel the need to act like the edgy yet friendly dreamgirl she was with everyone. She was just comfortable with Yzla, she wanted to hang out with her just to talk or rough up some pirates on the docks. Hell, that’s why she joined up on this mysterious club so quickly. If Yzla said it was legit, it was legit.

Beyond their first meeting, Jade hadn’t hung out with her with the intent to steal. She had been careful never to express any personal, emotional topics, they always edged around the “too real” conversations but she had come close a few times. Almost admitting that she wanted to stay at Yzma’s house so as not to go home and face her mom who may or may not be in a bad mood.

But if they were friends…. if all the Isle rules about being tough and no honor among thieves was gone… then she’d tell Yzla in a heartbeat. And she’d want to hear hers about Yzma’s insanity and Zevon’s bullying in all its gory details.

She felt safe with Yzla. They mocked each other at times but ultimately, they had each other’s back. That was a rare thing to feel but if that’s what friendship brought to her life, she wanted more of it.

She supposed she could count herself friends with Gil LeGume too. She also enjoyed hanging out with him, and she knew he would never hurt her on purpose. But he was loyal to Uma’s side. Which she could respect. But she had no idea why he’d want to voluntarily hang out with such a bossy sea witch.

Although she was still a bit insulted by his suggestion that she join their crew for protection. Protection! As if she’d go crawling to them for help like she couldn’t handle her mom on her own.

Well she couldn’t handle her mom to be honest, but others didn’t need to help her either. She had been just fine surviving alone all her life.

So though she wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of joining a crew or gang, yet from the few friendships she had seen, it didn’t make the people in it look as weak and manipulatable as her mom claimed.

Uma’s Crew for example.They were so in sync they were unstoppable. And it was Jay’s bond with his three friends that allowed them to stay in Auradon and defeat Maleficent. And she might as well start planting the seeds now and get one jump ahead.

So that’s why she approached Lala and tried to talk to her, she figured having a trained warrior would be a great asset in her future friend gang. Especially if she hadn’t really fought anyone else on the Isle so people wouldn’t be familiar with countering her moves. But it turned out Team Genie or Uma or whoever the leader was already got her on their side before she defected out of fear of her mother.

Jade wished she couldn’t relate.

She wanted to get Lala back on their side, and actually join the fight. She had a feeling they would need the experience fighting skill. And if she ended up getting a genuine connection out of it. Bonus for her.

However, her usual tactics to chat Lala up hadn’t been working. Even though no one trusted anyone here, most people were easy targets to her charm.

A bit of flattery, admiration, acting like she wanted to be friends with benefits with all the trust and intimacy and Auradon-like crap. But none of that was working. Lala was too reserved and solitary. She didn’t get any of her sarcastic jokes and when she did it was a light laugh like she was about to cough.

Jade supposed being raised in a jungle probably accounted for the poor socialization still…..

How can this girl not fall victim to her and her flirty, friendly girl talk? She was everyone’s type!

She thought she got the jungle girl to warm up to her a little when she suggested Aziz become Jade’s slave boy. It had been clear when they saw Aziz in the dungeon that Lala wanted to help him out of there but didn’t know how. After all, why would the daughter of Queen La care anything about the son of Aladdin whether he lived or died.

However, it made perfect sense for Jade to want the son of her family’s enemy to suffer. That’s why she suggested they let him live to serve as her slave. Uncle Jafar had been all in for the plan and even her mom grudgingly approved of her idea to degrade his morale.

That’s why Yzla dubbed her the unofficial queen deception. Make it to look like she was satisfying her family legacy of evil while secretly protecting Aziz. Albeit with a few perks like the free massages and feeding her grapes. To make the lie convincing, of course.

Lala looked briefly, dare she say grateful, but although Lala hung out with her and Aziz more, she still maintained an impersonal distance that Jade couldn’t crack. She’d react to Jade’s conversation but she would with monosyllables. As if conversing with Jade was beneath her. 

Jade managed a friendly albeit watery smile which Lala responded,

“A break?”

“Nope, meeting’s over. I'm taking a break from magic to redo my mascara. Want some? It would really go a long way to lengthening your eyelashes.”

“Hmmph” Lala sniffed, the highest indicator of someone about to make a bitchy comment, “You should go back to working on your magic. Makeup is a useless vanity. Trying to cover up the fact that you weren’t born pretty. They’re more important things like survival and fighting skills. Makeup doesn’t help anyone.”

Jade inhaled. That was the thing everyone thought.

That makeup was a silly girly thing for beauty-obsessed women like Mother Gothel and the Evil Queen. That on the Isle, she should be focusing on more important things. That liking makeup made her a weak girly princess as if her gender and her less muscular physique wasn’t enough to count against her.

Her mother’s voice echoing in her head that all that makeup made her a slut. A slut who wasn’t even being useful or smart to use her sluttiness to steal from people. She was acting like some sidekick or a future harem girl with no ambitions.  

Jade clenched her teeth, her mother’s words fueling anger instead of fear in this instance. Jade told herself over and over that her mother wasn’t right about that. Just because she didn’t share her ambitions, didn’t mean she was devoid of any brains or wants.

And everyone else was wrong too! They thought makeup defined her. Confirmed what they already thought. She was a silly girl, waltzing through life, occasionally pickpocketing. Not a serious person. Not a serious threat. That’s what they think makeup said about her. But they had no fucking clue what was underneath the makeup.

They didn’t see how most of her personality was just an act so she could steal from them. They didn’t see how good of a thief she was. Jay got all the glory for that. Even though he was gone, people still thought he was the King of Isle Thieves even though she was right there!

She could fight as well as Jay too. The years of taking Nasira’s abuse made her faster and more nimble in getting up again while others laid groaning and nursing their wounds.

While Mozonroth and Antiqam and the rest of her family used fear to make people give their money, she worked in subtleties. Acting like a cool friend, and being able to seek out others weaknesses for later blackmail purposes. She made people like her so when she stole from them, they were less likely to go after her in revenge. How was that for intelligence?

And makeup was a part of that. It didn’t make her vain and frivolous. It made her fit the part of a beautiful, charming thief. It helped her survive the Isle.

“Makeup is not only about vanity! Makeup is as much a survival technique as punching someone’s nose. The right shade of lipstick can make you a ravishing seductress or.. or a monster. Makeup makes you invincible.”

Lala snorted but Jade interrupted her before she could speak, her teeth clenched tight to keep herself from the loud volume she wanted to emit. The loudness that she wanted to shout so people would stop underestimating her and her subtle lies.

Subtly that allowed her to survive this long.

Everything went slower. She slitted her eyes like she’d often seen her mom do before attacking. She took in every inch of Lala’s body,, searching for the one thing she could use to make her point and bring the jungle down a peg.

Her face looked fine. Slightly flushed. The rest of her body was also fine she supposed. Jade wasn’t sure since it was all covered with clothes so….

That was it.

“It does make you invincible. Makeup covers all your imperfections and bruises.”

Time for the final blow. She was going to make that girl pay for thinking she was better. She was as weak as the rest of them under the thumb of their parents.

“You look as if no one has ever beaten you in a fight.”

Lala didn’t talk much, she was all action. And what Jade observed of her action was that ever since Lala got a supply  of non-animal skin clothes, her clothes covered everything. And she’d stand in front of the mirror making sure it did.

Jade knew that action well.

How many times had she stood in front of the mirror, looking from every angle to make sure her bruises didn’t reveal how weak she was under her mother? That her makeup didn’t let the abuse show?

She could bet that Lala was trying to cover up the same thing despite her superior than thou attitude towards makeup.

“So yeah, makeup is important. And…” Jade made a point of knowingly looking Lala up and down, “You look like you need it.”

It was almost comical to see how Lala froze up in front of her, her brown cat eyes wide with shock that Jade figured it out. Followed by a quick offensive.

“How DARE you!” Lala growled, “I am Que- I mean, Princes- no. I-I’m Ranavalalona! Heir ugh warrior of-“

Crap crap crap! Jade could tell by the tense way Lala clutched her staff that she was about to engage in a major street brawl and this bathroom was too tiny for it to be a fair fight for her.

All the anger she had been building up dissipated in an instant. Time to backtrack to friendly mode!

”Okay calm down,” Jade lamely grabbed her mascara wand and held it in front of her and oddly enough, the small item made her feel safer. She could manipulate the situation. This is what she did, and maybe if she played it right, she could turn Lala into a genuine friend for later purposes.

“Calm down and cut the bullshit.”

The move was a risk but she knew she made the right one when Lala’s grip lessened. Her gut was right. Lala responded to no-nonsense than friendliness.

“Stop the whole “How dare you inferior peasant” act. I know that’s how our parents act but we’ve seen where that got them. Auradonian heroes and us, their kids are rebelling against them. Besides, we can try to act like our mothers all we want but that’s not going to make them any more proud of us or magically decide that we’re worthy heirs. I know how you feel. That it’d be easier to give in and hope that we’ll become their favorites. But it’s never going to happen whether we obey them or not.”

Lala didn’t respond, but she did lower her staff, and she wasn’t breaking eye contact. Jade could practically hear the unsaid dare.

“Prove it. How do you know how I feel?”  

So Jade said what she had wanted to tell Yzla, what she never admitted out loud. That she hated being “toughen” up and that even though she didn’t want to follow her mom’s legacy, she hated being the unfavorite. And maybe, just maybe Lala would agree and sympathize.

“My mom wants me to be a sorceress but I suck at it. I can’t even do a “simple” levitating spell. At least Uncle Jafar is proud that Jay is a thief and doesn’t have all these unrealistic expectations for him to become a genie or something.

I’m an even better thief than Jay and no one is proud of me for that. People don’t even realize it! That’s how good I am. People still don’t know their stuff is gone!

But noooo. Mom’s favorite is still Mozonroth because he has magic, he conquered the land of the Black Sand, he accomplished things. That’s not even an accomplishment! No one was living there. He didn’t conquer anything, he basically saw a bunch of sand and put a palace on top of it.” Jade ranted, relishing the chance to criticize her mother’s unspoken favorite since even when Nasira was putting her down, she still wouldn’t declare that she loved anyone. Even her children.

“So yeah, I could try to put effort in doing what my mom wants. But it’s not worth it. She’s done nothing for me and she never will. She wants me to survive life on my own and conquer others, and that’s exactly what I’m doing by taking her down.”

Lala didn’t say anything, she opened her mouth, closed it and then pushed past her to the door.

Jade felt a sinking feeling. Allah, she rambled on for nothing. Now Lala probably thought she was such a weak, needy person who complains about her abuse and..

“Can you find makeup for me?”

Jade whipped her head around to see Lala looking at the floor, but she understood the deeper meaning in the question.

“Yes! Totally!” Ugh need to dial back the enthusiasm, she may have spilled her feelings but she still had a reputation, “I’ll find something when I have time.”

Lala nodded, a little less curt this time and swept into the hallway where Aziz was patiently waiting for her to leave the bathroom.

Jade was so enthused by this new potential ally-ship she decided to neglect her mascara for once and get back to her workspace where Malik was tugging at hypno-Jay’s arm, chattering on excitedly.

“Malik, alhabiba, he can't really talk now.” Jade pulled him away.

“Why not? Why is he frozen?” Malik asked

“Uncle Jafar hypnotized him.” Jade answered.

“Why?”

Jade knew she could go the honest route and explain how awful Uncle Jafar was and how he just wanted to control people. But she knew it wouldn’t go over well for them to find out she was trying to turn Malik against them. “Well, you know how your dad always says to respect your elders. Jay wasn’t doing that so Uncle Jafar decided to make him.”

“Oh okay,” Malik easily accepted the answer, his eager amber eyes already scoping out something more interesting to catch his attention. And his eyes landed on the lamp.

She knew what he was thinking. No doubt his older brother had explained to Malik the power of genies and everything wanted to ask for his wishes.

Though she doubted Malik had started his malicious streak yet. She heard Mozonroth had started grooming Antiqam when he was around 7 so Malik was a pretty innocent kid for now.

Nonetheless, she didn’t want to call the genie out of her lamp for personal wishes. From her weekly Anti Villain lessons conducted by Yen Sid, it was not good to force people follow your command without asking if they wanted to. Which Jade personally didn’t think it made sense in the case of genies. Wasn’t that what they were for?

But Jade was trying to follow the good path and so she wasn’t going to use the wishes for her personal gain, and she wouldn’t allow Malik to do so either.

Though it was tempting. Jade stared at the gleaming brass. So tempting. One rub, one wish and she could be the sorceress her mom always wanted her to be, maybe be even better than, exceed her in power and prestige and pummel her into the ground for once.

But she knew that they could go wrong too. She heard the stories. Aladdin tricked Uncle Jafar to become a genie confined to his lamp. Abis Mal complained that his genie tricked him out of his victory over Aladdin. Zevon being tricked by Jordan via “genie sex” whatever that meant.

Yeah, maybe she shouldn’t touch that lamp.

“Malik, go play with the book. Maybe you can do magic.” Jade suggested, handing him the leathery tome.

“Like Daddy?” Malik asked gleefully.

“Yep, just like your dad.” Jade smiled as Malik eagerly dragged the heavy book across the floor, making blasting sounds as he did, “Woosh bam bam! Pshaww!”

The lamp caught her eye again as the shine glinted off her jade necklace. She shouldn’t touch it but she still wondered.

What would she do if she had three wishes right now?

Jade leaned back to fully admire the lamp and bumped into the motionless Jay.

Jade sighed. Poor Jay. This unmoving hypnotized Jay may have his face but none of his spirit. The real Jay would never stay still this long nor go without inserting his opinion or boast. If he was there right now, he’d waste no time and impulsively rub that lamp.

She turned to fully face Jay and unknot the crisp and perfectly neat manbun from his head. There, his fly-away raven hair was much better. Wild and free like he was.

Even though she and Jay weren’t close like people expected them to be, what with being cousins and making a killer thief duo, she still felt like they were unconsciously close. They had the sqame background, a similar lifestyle, same interests and attitude towards life. She’d hate to be hypnotized against her will just because her mother didn’t like what she was doing with her life and she’d like to think Jay would try to stop it from happening.

And maybe if they had been from Auradon, or if they had had different parents, they’d be a lot closer like she’d seen on tv of Queen Ariel’s sisters all hugging each other.

She remembered the day they grew apart. Unwillingly but they had obeyed their parents and stopped treating each other as close relatives. Barely acting like a friend.

She had been 6. Jay 7. Uncle Jafar had come to visit their tiny shack shuffled up against the block dubbed Hun-Town, since that's where Shan Yu and his armies’ families settled. It had been fun, Jade remembered. Things were usually fun when Jay visited. Their parents were all too eager to not be bothered with them as they bemoaned their forgotten glory days while she and Jay ran around, leaping over fallen bricks and assorted piles of trash and jumping off of roots in early attempts to parkour.

They had run into the living room, at least they called it a living room. It was just half a room with a sheet in the middle to separate it from the kitchen. The only thing that made it a living room was a sagging bean bag chair where everyday some new mutated bug would come crawling out of it.

Jay and her had been play-wrestling. They had gone through 4 rounds at least. He had won 2 and she’d won 2 and they were trying to break the tie.

Jay had her in a headlock, choking off her air and she couldn’t break free no matter how much she shoved and punched at his ribs.

“Mercy.” she cried as per agreed stop word. “Mercy!” She pleaded too loud that time.

Jay loosen his grip slightly giving Jade time to resume her attack again. She punched and prodded at his sides, surprised and delighted when he let out a snort.

“You’re ticklish?” She yelled.  

“No-no I’m not! That’s not-That’s against the rules!” Jay laughed trying to push her away while simultaneously getting back at her.

“Tap tap”

They were so caught up in their play fight they didn’t hear the sound of her mother’s approach until

“What are you doing?”

They looked up innocently at her mother whose fierce scowl made her look like one of those broken gargoyles that Claude Frollo used to decorate his home.

Before either could answer, Nasira took a step toward Jade and Jade instinctively scooted backwards.

“Did I hear you ask for mercy? Is that what you do in a fight, give up and hope your opponent will accept your plea for mercy?”

“We were just playing.” Jay’s sole voice piped up but he was young and small and faded in the background compared to her mother’s angry presence that was cornering her against the wall.

The corner of the wall that was becoming oh-so familiar already at the age of 6.

“And what was that tickling and laughter about? I expect you to be better, Jade! If you’re going to play-fight, you need to act like it is a fight to the death. Why did you ask for mercy? Because you were acting like it was a game or you knew you are too weak to win?”

Jade didn’t look at her. She wanted to be invisible.

“Answer me!”

Jade pressed herself against the wallpaper, hoping against hope that this would be the time she would finally blend into it or at least her mother wouldn’t bother snatching her from her corner so she could beat her on the open floor.

She could hear the frustrated snorts as her mother inhaled and exhaled angrily, she could sense her mother’s shadow looming above her but she couldn’t bear to turn her face away from the wall.

There was a pause and a suffocating silence as her mom looked down on her.

Jade’s insides trembled though she kept the rest of her body as still as a rock. She bit her lip, feeling the drip drip of blood down her chin but she wouldn’t make a sound. She couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t. The moment she whimpered or twitched, her mom would strike.

But she was a child and she couldn’t keep still forever.

She didn’t know what she did. Was it an exhale that had signaled her mom to attack. Had her mother noticed her fingers scrambling against the wallpaper? Maybe for once, her mom hadn’t waited for a sign of movement or weakness but simply chose that moment to begin her blitz.

She dragged her by the ankle to the middle of the living room as Jade screamed in a mixture of pain from the rough wool and splinters on the floor and fear for what was to come.

The worst part was how silent her mother was. The only sounds were Jade’s screams which honestly scared her even more because she knew she was the only one who seemed to hear them. That no one was going to help her escape this.  

“Look at me.” Her mother hissed. The second most horrible sound next to the silence. Her mother didn’t say words, she hissed them, her teeth constantly clenched together with a little air seeping through. “SS ss ss.”

Jade meekly curled into a ball on her back, her knees up to cover her stomach and covering her eyes with her hands but not enough so she could peek through her fingers at the horrifying sight of her mother’s eyes wild with rage and the rotten wood of her mother’s crude replacement staff poised to bring down blows.

She tensed waiting for the familiar but insufferable pain. Instead she felt something warm, and soft and slightly leather pulling her close like in a hug? She opened her eyes, it wasn't something but someone!

Jay jumped in front of her just as her mother was about to give a blow on her head. Her staff came inches from smashing Jay’s face when she reeled back in horror.

“Are you protecting her?” She screeched.

Before Jay could reply, Nasira stalked off to yell into the kitchen, “JAFAR!”

Jafar came pushed past the sheet, crumbs from the meal of molty apples and spoiled honey staining his pajamas and mixed with his small beard and Iago pecking at his fingers for a bite.

“Look at this! How have you’ve been raising your child? He’s protecting her!”

“Jayal iban Jafar!” Jafar yelled, roughly plucking Jay off of her and cuffed him about the face, “What have I’ve told you? There is no team in I. You do not help others. You don’t protect.”

“But she’s my cous-” “That does not matter. You can ally with each other for stealing but you should not protect each other. It will not help you in the long run. What if one of you gets captured? Are you going to stay behind to help and go to jail too? Ridiculous! Boy, you only got to look out for number one.” Jafar explained with Iago yelling “Yeah!” for emphasis after each sentence.

“Sorry, Aunt Nasira.” Jay mumbled after Jafar’s lecture which Jafar groaned, “Don’t say “sorry,” Jayal!”

“Just take him away.” Aunt Nasira scowled in disgust and glared at Jade, “I hope you listened carefully to that, daughter. That this was a lesson for her to take to heart too. If I see you exhibit such selflessness…” she trailed off leaving Jade to cower and move back to her safe corner. Her mother rolled her eyes and followed her brother and Jay as they went back to the kitchen, and Jade licked her wounds in silence.

Jay looked back at her. His large child-eyes sympathetic for that brief moment they made eye contact but Jafar grabbed his ear and turned his attention away with the promise of an extra helping of food.

After that, Jafar didn’t bring Jay over anymore. Probably at the behest of her mom that they were getting too friendly.

She had forgotten about that incident. Shoved it far down the trove of her memories until she was around..hmm 15 maybe?

She had asked her mother how come Uncle Jafar and Jay didn’t come over? Did they have a fight like the De’Vil siblings?

Mom had replied that they weren’t Auradonians, family wasn’t important, they didn’t have a need to hang out with each other or protect each other.

Protect each other.. That had brought back all the memories. She nearly dropped the costume jewelry she had been holding, they came to her so fast and so vividly.

She didn’t think Jay remembered that incident either. Maybe he hadn’t been as important to him as it was to her? Maybe bigger traumas came to him after? Maybe he also repressed it?

Though she had no proof, Jade had a feeling memory repression was something a lot of kids did on the Isle. With pain coming every day in various methods and forms, it was the only way to cope, forget some of the pain instead of feeling the weight of it all.

The first time they had talked was after an Aladdin-haters club. Mom had already headed home but she stayed behind, hoping to find some good steals for dinner. Jay approached her from the backdoor and gave her a high-five.

“What’s up, Jade? Man, I haven’t seen you in forever.” “Oh you know, items to steal, people to charm, I’ve been busy.” Jade shrugged with her standard reply when meeting up with people she hadn’t seen in awhile.

“Nice. Yesterday, I stole Ursula shell necklace.” Jay bragged.

“Oh, really? For the first time? I took that ages ago.” Jade tried to puncture his pride with a little white lie but he was unruffled.

“I’m not surprised, you always go for the easy targets. I just went because it was a slow day.”

They smiled at each other, waiting for the next one-upmanship when Jay burst out laughing and Jade had to laugh too. They both knew the other was lying. It was second nature and they could either go on like this all night, coming up with more ridiculous and outlandish heists that they supposedly got away with so they decided to drop the pretenses.

“So how’s Aunt Nasira?” 

“She’s..” Jade bit her lip, unsure of which of the many adjectives to describe her. Hostile? Neglectful? Annoying? Stranger that I happen to live with? 

“Herself. And Uncle Jafar?” “He’s still the Prince of Pajamas.” Jay informed her, “Iago came up with that. Dad loves it.”

“I’m sure.” 

“It’s too bad that he and Aunt Nasira had some sort of fight. I’m mean I know they were never close but-“

And that’s when she knew, he didn’t remember.

Sure, he would brag about how he was a lone wolf and there was no “I in team,” but it truly seemed like he didn’t remember how “no I in team” applied to them.

She laughed it off, echoing her mother’s words, “Jay, we’re not Auradonians. Family is not important.”

And so, she kept her distance from him. Yeah, she met up with him for occasional heists and on the odd birthday celebration or other, but she didn’t seek him out. She didn’t want to be too friendly.

Perhaps she was protecting him via avoidance which would be going against what their parents wanted. That they would not protect each other from harm. But she couldn’t help it.

She’d seen her cousin around the Isle with that gang he hung out with. She could tell from the slightly defensive stance and the way he positioned himself at the front of the others. Jay may like to be in the thick of the fight, but he was also protecting the others from receiving the harder blows. It was in his nature to care. Just like he was the first to come roaring with honor and pride when the Gaston twins insulted Jafar for his faltering figure. Jay cared about his family, his father included despite him not being the father of the year. He protected them from the insults of the strangers.

And if given the chance, he’d protect her from the people within their family too.

And so she had to make sure Jay never had a chance to be the protective cousin for her, it was better for him. He wouldn’t have to deal with the fury of her mom and the punches that came with it.

She experienced that enough that she didn’t wish that upon anyone. It was hers to bear alone.

Suddenly a strange tingling came over Jade. Like a hum in the air that something was about to…

“What’s happening now, guahhwhoareyou! Who are you?”

“Ahh!” Malik and Jade yelled, Jade jumping away from her thoughtful standing position to face an unfamiliar stranger in her room that was enveloped in pink smoke.

Jade coughed, flapping away some of the fumes and realized that the strange girl was the genie she had seen justly this morning. Only she looked so normal. What was it she said? Yeah, mortal form. She looked mortal like she could pass as Aziz’s sister.

His very ticked off sibling.

“Why do you have my lamp?” Jordan demanded of her.

“I- I didn’t touch your lamp I swear! I just had it for safekeeping. I’ll-I’ll explain. Malik? Did you rub it?”

“I wanted to see the genie.” Malik said, not taking his awestruck eyes away from the other girl.

Jade couldn’t blame him. She had been very intimidated by the genie girl when she first saw her this morning. In her true smoky pink genie form. She was overwhelming to fathom. The perfect hourglass figure. Looking gorgeous and magical and she was real. In a land of impossibilities and disappointments and broken dreams, a real life genie of myth and legend was standing in front of her with the ability to grant any wish she could imagine.

Jade felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff as she looked at her. Adrenaline pumping, it was thrilling, and  horrifying to imagine all the ways her life could be changed with three wishes. Everything would be in reach. The impossible genie was real and nothing would be impossible for her anymore.

And like falling from a cliff, she had no idea how she’d feel when she went through with it and what would happen to her at the end.

“Hello? Anybody there?” Jordan impatiently waved her hand in front of Jade’s face.

Jade snapped out of her reverie and swatted her hand away, “Ye-Yes I’m here.”

“Is this thing with you stuttering and staring off to space going to be a regular occurrence?” Jordan crossed her arms

What was wrong with her? According to her relatives, genies were supposed to be zany and somewhat annoying with their showboat personalities? Not rude.

“No.” Jade scoffed, annoyed that she had been thrown off her composure. “I’m sorry Malik rubbed your lamp. But he’s just 5, he’s not good with rules.”

“You don’t look like a genie.” Malik blurted out, apparently ignoring the conversation that was going around him, about him.

“And he has a thing to learn about tact.” Jordan raised a sardonic eyebrow, “You’re a lot like your cousin, Jay, little one.”

“Jay’s not his cousin. Wait.. actually yes he is. Just um I think Jay’s his second cousin.” “Huh?”

“Mozonroth and I are Jay’s cousins. Malik and Antiqam are Mozonroth’s kids so they are Jay’s second cousins and my nephews.” Jade explained.

“Your family tree is very confusing.”

“Yeah I want to have a family tree done up after all this is over. My brain hurts if I think about it too much. I mean Mozonroth’s my half brother and Aladdin’s half brother but Aladdin and I aren’t related at all so that’s just weird. And-”

“Can I have my wishes now?” Malik interrupted.

Jordan pursed her lips in what Jade could tell was a suppressed smile as she bent to her knees to answer him, “Yes, alhabiba. First off, some ground rules. No wishing for more wishes. You only get three. Next, can’t kill anyone so if you’re looking to make someone croak” at this the girl transformed into a hopping pink frog croaking,  “I cant do it so don’t ask.” 

Jordan popped back to human form, “I can’t make people fall in love either but I don’t think we have to worry about that yet.” 

“Girls have cooties,” Malik wrinkled his nose, “And they are unholy temptresses that lower weak men to the fires of hell.” 

Jordan’s jaw dropped at Malik’s innocent voice proclaiming such a bold, sexist statement. 

Jade hurriedly covered his mouth before he could continue repeating the things he heard at night, “He lived next door to Frollo.” 

Jordan’s tight smile stiffened, “Charming. So what would you like?”

“You’re not going to trick him right?” Jade jumped in, a sudden fear entering her mind as she remembered the stories.

“Of course not! He’s a child.” Jordan said defensively.

“So? I’m the child of Nasira and you Auradonians are fine with leaving me here to live with her.” Jade pointed out. “I had nothing to do with that. I’m trying to rescue all of you from the Coven and change things a bit.” Jordan said.

“You still-”

“How about you don’t judge me for the mistakes of the adults in my life and I won’t judge you for the mistakes of Nasira and Mozonroth and the others.” Jordan suggested, and turned her attention to Malik, “What would you like?”

“Candy! Unlimited supply of candy!” Malik said.

“Hmm that’s nice but wouldn’t you prefer an unlimited supply of food?” Jordan suggested.

“I want candy.” Malik insisted.

“Food includes candy.” Jordan said.

“You sure?” Malik eyed her suspiciously.

Jordan gave him a genuine smile, and Jade shook her head in amusement. Why were kids so cute like this? He’d be an excellent manipulator when he got older with those big brown eyes of his. People would want to give him stuff.

“Let me think, let me think. How did Mom do this with Dhandi? Oh right. Malik, repeat after me. I wish…”  

“I wish,” Malik repeated slowly.

“To have an unlimited supply of food and never go hungry again!”

“To have an unlimited supply of food and never go hungry again!”

“Done!” Jordan snapped her fingers and a giant fridge dropped in from one where the door burst open with the sweet smell of fresh fruits, vegetables and yes, several tubs of ice cream.

“Is that cotton candy ice cream?” Jade gasped, her mouth already watering at the sight of Malik digging in. She hesitated for a moment before diving in herself, she deserved it after her panic attack earlier.

“When I deliver, I deliver.” Jordan flipped her ponytail.

Jade ripped the lid off and savored the cold sweetness. It stung her tongue with its freezing temperature but it was so refreshing and delicious she ate through the pain.

“Oo oo can I ush mugh wishto fly?” Malik asked with his mouth full and ice cream dripping down his chin.

“Yes, whatever you want. Just swallow the food first.” Jordan told him.

“I wish I could fly!” Malik commanded.

“A little faith, trust and some pixie dust.” Jordan clapped her hands letting the boy float up and start doing somersaults in the air, nearly crashing into the ceiling.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea to grant his wish to um” Jade paused to swallow past a large lump of ice cream and began to hack.

“Oh it’s fine. He didn’t wish to fly forever. He’ll come down in an hour.” Jordan waved off her concerns and patted her on the back till she got the food down. “He’s so sweet. It’s amazing how you all are related.”

Hmm so much for no judging based on the sins of their relatives.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jade asked with a false sweetness, scooping another piece of ice cream that trickled down her fingers.

“Oh you know. Antiqam’s a monster. Malik is such an adorable sweetie. You’re...uh I’m sure you’re a nice person. I mean you saved Aziz so..thank you.”

Jade was taken aback by the thankfulness in Jordan’s voice. She had never been thanked before. Not that she remembered. And the sincere meaning held into that one “thank you,” it gave her a warm feeling inside. For a brief moment, she thought if she didn’t gain anything from helping Aziz, she wouldn’t mind. That thank you would be enough.

Heh maybe that’s why Auradonians did good deeds like this all the time? It felt good.

But not as good as the ice cream. On second thought, she wouldn’t be able to live on “thank you”s alone. She wanted the other perks too.

“And Jay’s..Jay’s himself.” Jordan finished lamely.

“Himself? That’s not an answer. What are you holding back?” Jade questioned.

Jordan sighed, “He’s a jerk.”

“He saved Auradon! Twice!”

“Still a jerk. So greedy and self absorbed and a kleptomaniac. He acts too much like his father for my taste.”

“So? You can’t expect him to throw off years of habits just because he lives in Auradon now. He’s saved your kingdom and he’s trying to be good. Is that not enough for you people?” Jade retorted, feeling a deep need to defend her cousin.

What did she know? She was an all powerful genie, she never wanted for anything. She lived with the good guys who never hit her. She never had to scavenge for food or try to survive winter with only the scraps of clothes that she had since she was 8.

“I’m just saying. Carlos grew up on the Isle and he’s incredibly sweet. He’s not into all the fighting and lies like he breathes.” Jordan snorted.  

“You’re right, Carlos didn’t really know how to fight and because of that, he got abused by Cruella.” Jade shot back, “If Jay acted like a goody goody all the time how do you think Jafar would react? He was already disappointed enough by Jay when he lived here because he couldn’t get that “big score.” Don’t judge him, you hardly know him.”  

“Fine, you have a point. But still, just because he’s back on the Isle, it doesn’t mean he has to revert back to it. He doesn’t have to use people anymore. And lie and make false promises about wish.. I-I mean. May-maybe just think about others besides himself.” Jordan ranted.

“He cares about others! Have you’ve seen how protective and caring he is of his friends?”

“But what about you? You’re his cousin, and he never talks about you. I didn’t even know you existed until we came here. Some caring guy.” Jordan said sarcastically.

“That’s not- that’s not his fault. He would if I let him care about him but..” Jade shrugged feeling a foolish emotional lump gather in her front.

Not again! She wasn’t going to cry twice in one day.

Jade frantically blinked back her tears, “I pushed him away because.. because… We’re better on our own. Lone wolf, all that. You wouldn’t understand. It’s a family thing.”

“You really care about him even though he acted like he forgot about you?”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s my cousin and I care about him enough that I don’t want to see him hurt or used. And I know that even though we don’t spend much time together, he would still do the same for me. He has a family honor that you don’t see. And if he chooses to care about you, there is no other big brother figure you’d want by your side.”

Jordan stared at her curiously but the look in her eye showed that she believed her. “Wow.”

“Yeah well. It’s true.” Jade crossed her arms defensively.

What was with her today? Two emotional speeches unleashing her own baggage in one day.

“Would you say Jay is like your platonic soulmate? Like if you could trust one person, he’d be that person you’d put your trust and well being in? While having the most fun ever?”

It was a weird question but all it took was Jade to look at Jay’s hypnotized face, even though she never let him protect her like a big brother would, she still trusted him to have her back in other ways. He still acted like a big brother of sorts when they did hang out. He inspired her to be more fearless in an effort to keep up with his impulsive activity. Though he didn’t mean to, he comforted her after a bad day by helping her forget.

One particularly good memory she had was Jay’s 13 birthday. Jay never favored one of those lavish parties the other kids had who had delusions of retaining their semi-royal status like Evie or Anthony Tremine. He just spent the day getting into mischief. He bumped into her and she joined him celebrating his day by scavenging Madame Medusa’s pawn shop and then ending it with getting lower back tattoos. He got a striking cobra and hers was a coiled viper.

She had to pay for impulsive her decision when she got home. Her mom hated that tattoo. She thought it was vulgar and unbecoming for her child but Jade felt it was worth it anyway. She was her own person, she wanted a tattoo, and because Jay had a similar one, she felt it immortalized their relationship. Two different snakes form the same family.

So yeah, she trusted him, and she loved raising hell with him. On a way he was her first real friend before Yzla came along. He was her platonic soulmate if that’s what it meant. Only in a lot less sappy way.

Smiling at the memory Jade came back to earth and saw Jordan smiling way too happily for her taste.

“What? Do I have ice cream in my teeth?”

“No, you don’t have to say a word, your face answered my question. Let me handle this.”

Jade let the genie girl do her thing because honestly she didn’t know what it was.

Jordan pulled some sort of invisible string that brought Malik down from flying around and making parrot noises.

“Hey, know what would be a fun third wish?” Jordan clapped her hands excitedly, “For your third wish, let’s make Jay fun again. This Jay is boring right?”

“Yes,” Malik nodded sagely, “He’s very boring. He hasn’t said a word in three days and follows others around like the dog he is.”

Jade and Jordan looked at Malik curiously which Malik shrugged innocently, “That’s what Antiqam said.”

“He’s such an asshole,” Jade muttered.

“Alright, so repeat after me, I wish for Jay to be unhypnotized.” Jordan held his hands intently and Malik nodded in agreement, obediently repeating, “I wish for Jay to be unhypnotized.”

“You could have unhypnotized Jay this whole time?” Jade cried under her breath as Jordan settled into a lotus position.

“No. One, I’ve been under Antiqam’s care until now so I haven’t had time. Two, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I’m a genie. People can do whatever they want from me. But I can’t transform a human or hypnotize him or manipulate him in any way unless he is in my lamp or if he wishes for it. It’s a shitty universal double standard. But now I can since Malik wished it. So shush. I haven’t done a big wish like this before so I need to concentrate.”

Jade stood back with Malik gripping her leg to keep from floating up again, waiting awkwardly for something to happen while Jordan seemed to do some sort of weird yoga breathing as smoke grew taller and taller around her.

“Is Jay unhypnotized yet?” Malik whispered, “Shhhhh.”

The smoke began to build and so did the humidity in the room making Jade’s hair plastered to her face and sweat drip down uncomfortable places on her skin, and she was beginning to feel faint.

Then all at once the heat of the room whooshed out of the room and the smoke cleared.

Jay was swaying uneasily, holding a hand to his head, “Wha? What happened?”

“Jay!” Malik flew to Jay knocking him against the wall much to the teen’s confusion.

Jade felt a wide smile spreading across her face, and she didn’t care at all about her reputation and her promise not to be too friendly with Jay for fear of her mom’s wrath.

Things were changing, and she wasn’t going to wait any until they defeated the Coven to start openly disobeying her mom. She would do it now, and if she got caught and her mom wanted to hit her, she’d figure out a way to get out of it. That’s what she did.

For now, she was going to allow herself to be hugged for once, and enjoy the safety that was Jay and his protective instincts.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Jayal.”

[ill-skillsgard]

Dirty Demons, Part 3- Axel Cluney/Zeitgeist

Title: Dirty Demons

Description: It's nice to have a companion on the road to total self-destruction - a continuation of Sweet Demons

Warning: 18+ for sex/language/violence/drugs/kinks of all sorts etc.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

He looked me straight in the eyes and I smirked when I noticed again that one of his irises tended to slide out of place from time to time. It was always the starting point of my analysis of Axel's face. The scar that dashed his cheek stood out right after and led my gaze across the summits of high cheekbones to a nose that turned up more innocently than what should have been allotted to a man of his perversions. Aside from his wandering eye, his face was entrancingly symmetrical with lips a shade shy of rose red. Down his neck, I fixated on the vulgar tattoo that he had marred his pale skin with long before we had ever met. Eat shit and die. The only thing about Axel that seemed different was that he didn't sport as many metal rings. His choice of fashion was still unsettling and he had an undeniable aloofness that only seemed to melt away in the face of... Well, me. He was a chin-up, take-no-shit-from-no-one menace to society that liked to spit in the eyes of authority and enjoyed drawing attention to himself in the worst ways possible yet somehow, I still found him exquisitely cool and magnetic. Being with Axel was like carrying around a polished loaded pistol. Equal parts empowering and terrifying. I couldn't deny that I was still paranoid that word would get out about Axel's return and that somebody would decide to collect the bounty of having put a bullet between the eyes of a deserter. When we rode together I found myself checking my mirrors more than what was necessary just to make sure nobody was tailing us. After the encounter we had had at the Four's clubhouse I was almost certain that we would run into trouble somewhere along the line. Maybe not immediately and maybe not soon but something screamed inside of me that danger would find us on our journey. Axel did his best to distract me but I could tell that he was overcompensating for his unwillingness to let me in on the details of the last two years of his life. Sex was always his weapon of choice and I had to admit that it did work on me for a little while. The first thing we did when we got into our hotel room- proceeding a long and drawn-out argument about where we should stay- was drop our bags and our pants again. Axel had fountains of stamina and an unrelenting libido that my body was constantly being charged with. To be on the receiving end of Axel's remorseless fucking was not without its benefits though and he never neglected my pleasure for too long. Bouncing on his lap or being forced up against a wall, taken from behind, on top of the hotel bureau, in the shower and everywhere he saw fit to sully became the altar of ceaseless passion. The hotel room sheets didn't stay fresh or crisp for long and by the time we took a breather they could have used a changing. When Axel stared at me with his assaulting eyes it was easy to pick out the flecks of nebulous green and slices of dull blue. I drew back to better take in his expression. It looked like a thousand different things scrambled to pour from his mouth but the only thing he managed to ask sent me reeling. "Marry me," he whispered. "Axel... What the fuck?" I laughed but he did not crack a smirk. "Don't laugh." I couldn't help but giggle in anticipation of a smile that never appeared. It wasn't until he drilled me even harder I realized he wasn't just kidding around. "You're not serious," I scoffed. "Does it sound like I'm fuckin' joking?" "No, I guess not." "Well?" Fleering still, I let another laugh slip from my throat and it only served to knit his eyebrows together more tightly. "Are you going to lay there and laugh at me or are you going to answer me?" "Axel... We can't get married." "Why not? Don't you love me?" "Oh my god, Axe... Where is this coming from?" He sat up in bed with a huff of frustration. "What does it matter where it's coming from?" "You don't strike me as the type to let yourself get tied down so easily." "Easily?" He grew tired of my derision. "Angel... You think it was easy for me to find you? You think it was fuckin' easy for me to endure months and months of self-discipline and torture just so I could finally say with confidence that I'm not scared to murder somebody by accident?" "Torture? What torture? What do you mean?" "The shit I had to do to harness control of this... This fucking curse was worse than anything your spoiled ass could ever possibly imagine." When I reached out to touch his arm he flinched away but I did not surrender to his flaring emotions and chose to instead grip him harder and pull him down to the bed again. "You're a fucking asshole, Axe. We argue all the time. Why would you want to... Do that?" I asked. Axel gripped my face and kissed me hard before pulling away, "I like it. You're not afraid. You're not scared of me even though you should be. I'm scared of myself." "Why are you scared of yourself? I thought you had everything under control?" He relaxed back into the bed, sinking into the fluffy hotel pillows and sighed as his gaze rolled to the ceiling. "I do. At least... I think it's under control. You're certainly testing my fucking limits though, woman. If anyone's going to make me choke up a ball of acid, it'll be you." We laid there in silence for a couple of minutes, Axel no doubt reliving his past traumas and me biting my tongue and mulling over the thought of us becoming an old married couple. When I looked back over at him exhibiting the same look of unease, I squeezed his tattooed bicep to take his attention back. "What happened after you left?" I pressed. Axel continued to stare up at the ceiling as though the peaks of stucco were revealing secrets to him. He shrugged his shoulders and I watched the bones shift beneath his pale skin. With his right hand, he raked his hair back and heaved out a sigh. "I killed somebody. That amount is true. We were at some party. One of the other clubs was hosting this big bike show and some kid got in my face. Guess he didn't like the way his woman was staring at me." "Oh, of course, this is about a woman," I huffed. "No. It wasn't like that. Trust me. I was on my best behavior. I was still thinking about you and imagining breaking your neck for trying to ruin my chopper. This kid was just another biker wannabe looking to stir shit up. I saw him egging people on all night until he finally got to me. It all happened so quickly that I hardly remember a thing. All I can remember was the smell of burning flesh and the way it looked when his face started melting away from his skull. I watched his fucking eyes drip out of his sockets like egg yolks, Angel." "My god, Axel. That's disgusting!" He shot me a grave look as if to assure that I had no idea exactly how bad it was to be present for the carnage he inflicted. "He was a recruit. No patch or anything... But still. If it weren't for Max, I would have been hung on a hook and used for target practice. He somehow managed to work that Sweet charm and got me out of there, bullethole-free." "What happened after that?" Axel sat up in bed again. He couldn't get comfortable as he readied himself to tell the rest of the story. "The club sort of turned on me after that. Nobody wanted to come near me. Even Max was afraid to get close to me. I was 'volatile' as they liked to put it. They pretty much had me quarantined. So I left." "But you didn't tell Max, did you?" "Not until I was already gone." "So you did desert them then?" "I had to. I don't expect anybody to understand me or my reasons for leaving but I wasn't going to hang around while everyone flinched the moment I walked into a room. They were waiting for me to get pissed again. They were counting down the seconds until I went off and killed somebody else. I got sick of being the fucking carnival freak." "Where did you go?" "Down South. I had heard about this woman who could take away certain afflictions of the body," Axel rolled his hand. "I thought it was just some witch doctor voodoo bullshit but I'd have tried anything at that point. I met her but she wasn't anything even close to what I thought she would be. She wasn't a shaman or a witch and it wasn't as easy as me asking to be healed. She made me stay and surrender everything I had otherwise she wouldn't help me. I thought she was just going to brew up some potion shit and I would be on my way but it wasn't like that at all." "What happened? What did she do to you?" "She practically beat me to death with sticks and dowels. This weird woman. She had these, I don't know... Henchmen, I guess? Big fuckers and dumb too but they did whatever she told them to and they held me down while she hit me with rods and shit until I got so angry that I... Y'know... Let loose.  Every single day she would make me so fucking pissed that it would just come up. She had me locked up in some kind of barn like a fucking animal and every day she would come down with these two huge bastards and they would just push me and push me until I couldn't be pushed any further. But I realized what she was doing after a while." "What was she doing?" I pried. "Forcing me to control myself. At first, I thought she was trying to kill me but I knew that couldn't be it. She kept me too well-fed." "And did it work?" "Yeah... I think so. Eventually, it started getting harder and harder for her to trigger me but that just meant that she busted my ass even harder. It was straight up torture. They tied me up and... Did shit to me that no person should ever have to endure." "Wow. Axel... I had no idea." "Of course you don't. Nobody does! Nobody has any idea that I went through Hell just to be able to come back here confident enough to know that I'm not a ticking fucking time-bomb." "So are you... Cured?" "There is no cure for what I have. I only have control of it now. It comes only when I want it to. As much or as little as I want it to." A presage of a smile plucked at the corners of his mouth. "Which means I'm that much more dangerous." "Axel... People will start looking for you. What are we going to do if the wrong person catches wind of where you are? What if somebody tries to kill you?" Swallowing hard, the smile that ghosted over his lips caught on and he looked up at me with those peculiar eyes twinkling. "I'd love for somebody to try." "I could kill you in your sleep, you know," I reminded him. "As long as you agree to marry me first." "Fuck you, Axel." "I'm not hearing no." ~*~ The haul up North was long, scenic and punctuated by piss breaks and pulling into truck stops so we could find something to eat, smoke and drink. The food selection on the road was unimpressive in between cities and we happened by possibly the shadiest bar that we possibly could have to break for burgers and beer. The only two patrons in the tavern looked like they could have been related to the bartender and provided us with uncomely sneers when we went in holding our helmets and making noises with our boots that cut into the old twangy country music crackling over two long-lived box speakers. Luckily the bar was so unwelcoming that we ate our food, chugged down a pitcher of beer, rolled joints in the bathroom and took off before anyone of them thought up a reason to assail us. I tried to get used to the fact that no matter where we went, somebody would have mean looks to give to Axel. He was a walking visual punching bag for the greater majority of people but it made me cling to him even more. He didn't know it but I silently swooned over my big, tall, inappropriately dressed lover who had ridden across countries just to find me and had subsequently and unceremoniously asked me to marry him. I refused his marriage proposal only because I knew it wouldn't be the first or last time he would ask. If we made it to Mumby and Lovesick Park without tearing each other's throats out and he could survive a meeting between my mother and me, then I could entertain the idea of us being together permanently. For Axel had his own problems and I knew nothing was going to prepare him properly for what was to come next. There was an emotional eruption surging beneath the crust of my skin and finding my mother could become the tectonic shift that caused me to burst. I feared for the hour of reckoning as a hundred undesirable scenarios taunted me. Landscapes of broiled orange, searing red, golden yellow and green sprawled for miles as we rode through roads carved from great hills of jagged stone. We sailed bridges overlooking vast lakes that shimmered in the selective sun. It was a cloudy day that changed a little bit with each small municipality we passed through. Sometimes it was clear and bright with blue skies dusted in wisps of scant clouds and other times it was grey and threateningly windy. The trees always responded to the atmosphere by shaking and shedding leaves or standing tall and vibrant in the Autumn air. The air whipping at me aroused all of my senses and I sped up, unable to keep myself from smiling as I gained momentum. The further we got from major cities the more beautiful the land became and I couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to buy farmland and live away from the constant blathering of urban life. Axel could have his own shop and I could have acres of the forest all to myself to disappear into whenever I didn't want to be found. I had spent most years of my life dreading the thought of settling down and becoming a wife but when I glanced ahead at the back of the Widowmaker and saw Axel's face clothed with a black bandanna in his mirrors and the sunlight glinting off the dome of his helmet, I couldn't deny that it was crossing my mind. He could have been the one to change it all. Then I remembered all of the time and labor my father had put into the Motorcity Clubhouse and the bike shop that was home to years of tradition. I could hear his distant voice in my head shouting at me for even thinking about selling my childhood home and the one asset that set us apart from the rest of the world. Dad had spent too much time holed up in his garage tinkering with bikes or fixing cars for his friends and the locals for me to contemplate stripping it down and selling it off. I shook my head and tried to let all thoughts of my parents melt away. At least until we breezed by a big blue road sign welcoming us to Mumby Lake. Population: 2,045. ~*~ We didn't reach the park until night had fallen and the streetlights illuminated a big arcing sign with painted red letters that spelled out the name Lovesick Park. The quaint little trailer park was fenced away behind a thick stone wall and rows of fragrant pines to ensure the privacy of the park's residents. We rode through the entrance and followed a narrow dirt road that swiveled between trees and trailer lots until we saw what looked to be an administration office beside a large empty pavilion. The chugging of our bikes roused the attention of the lone attendant who had been sitting down with his dirty work boots propped up on a simple wooden desk. The kid had a fresh-out-of-high-school camp councilor look about him and when we walked in he dropped his feet to the ground and stood up, nervously eyeing Axel as though he was afraid of having a knife pulled on him. He shuffled from side to side and I could tell he was having trouble deciding whom to direct his attention to. The kid was tall but not as tall as Axel and just growing into his looks despite being smudged with dirt and sweat. "Hi there. I was wondering if you would be able to give us some information?" I cut right to the point to alleviate the obvious internal struggle the teen was having. "Sure. What can I do for you?" He answered. "I was wondering if you would be able to tell me if someone is in this park or if they have been here recently." "Oh," the kid's voice lowered. "I don't think I can help you with that." "Well, you see darlin'... I've been looking for my mom. Her name is Darlene Lockley. Goes by Dar-dar by those that know her well. We've been riding a very long way to find her," I pressed myself up against the desk with my arms tucked underneath my chest to draw the kids eyes downward. Axel watched his troubled brown eyes drop down to my cleavage then shoot back up to my face. Blinking as though he had looked into the sun, he let out another nervous chuckle and tried to avoid Axel's lethal stare that he could probably sense was beginning to burn into him. "I'm sorry ma'am, I can't really talk about the people that come and go here to strangers." "Can't you just look it up on your little computer there for me? I really need to find her. Like I said... We've come a long way looking for her. It's very important that I locate her as soon as possible." The kid wrung his hands and shuffled his feet again. "I don't have access to those kinds of records, ma'am. I'm sorry. It's all password protected, all the records and stuff. I couldn't look if I wanted to." "Somebody around who might have the password?" Axel piped up. "N-no. Sorry. Just me for the night." "What's your name?" I asked. "Greg," the kid replied. "Okay, Greg. My name's Angel and this is Axel. We came a very long way, as I already told you. Any information you can give to us would be extremely helpful. She rides a motorcycle. Probably had dark hair like me. She's a very difficult woman to miss. Can't you just tell me if you recall seeing somebody like her? I'm kind of getting desperate here. She's been missing and I've been doing everything in my power to find her and... if you could give me anything I will be extremely grateful. Think of it this way... if your mom went missing, wouldn't you appreciate any and all help you could get to try to find her?" "My mom's dead but... Yeah. I'm real sorry ma'am. I don't recall." I squeezed my fists and clenched my jaw. Greg was going to be of absolutely no help. He watched dumbly for our reactions in hopes that we would concede and leave him to continue watching whatever garbage television program was playing on the old tube TV perched on the corner of the desk. The dead end that we had hit suddenly blinded me and I could feel anger begin to boil in my gut. There was nowhere left to go. "Very sorry to hear about your mom, Greg. I suppose... If you really have no information at all, our search ends here." "How much for a campsite?" Axel sighed heavily, making his annoyance known. "Campsites are reserved only for trailers. You need a trailer and you have to complete the registration to station one here," "Damn, Greg... You're really a stickler for the rules, huh?" Axel scoffed. "I'm sorry. I just work here." "What if I said that we do have a trailer? Then would you let us rent a site?" Greg leaned over and peered out the screen door, saw our bikes glinting in the moonlight and then looked back at us. "But... You don't." "Whatever, Axe. I'm too tired for this. It's almost midnight and I'm exhausted. This really has been one shit pile after the next." "We have to find somewhere to sleep for the night, Angel. Let's go. We'll come back tomorrow." Greg grimaced as I turned away from the desk. "Wait... I'm... I'm really sorry. I wish I could help. But, I might be able to give you a place to stay the night. Maybe." "Maybe? What do you mean?" I asked. The kid peered through the screen door again and smirked when he saw our bikes still parked where we had left them. "I might be able to let you stay in one of the abandoned trailers if...-" "If what?" Axel pushed. "If you let me ride that green bike," his voice quickened with excitement over the thought of getting on the Widowmaker and taking it down the road. Axel nearly howled with sarcastic laughter. "Dream on, kid!" "Just around the park? Once? I know how to ride one. I ride dirt bikes all the time." "Dream. The fuck. On. Nobody rides the Widow unless they're on the back and have a pussy. Now, I'm not one to make assumptions but unless you have a hole and not a pole between your legs, it ain't fuckin' happening!" "Come on, Axe. Just let the kid ride it." "No! He can ride yours." "I don't want to ride the pink one." "Hey! My bike is just as good as his. Colours don't make it faster!" "Like fuck! No. No, no, no. We are not having this conversation. Now come on, we're tired. Just let us stay in one of your sites and I won't keep contemplating ripping your eyeballs out of your skull for staring at my woman's tits!" "What? I wasn't-" "Or even better... You tell us if you've seen Darlene then give us the keys to a trailer and maybe I won't duct tape you to your chair and set the building on fire!" Axel bumped into the counter threateningly, warning the kid that there wasn't much separating them and that he was crazy enough to make good on his promises. I watched the kid's eyes grow wide and the swift movement sent him reeling back, kicking away the rolling chair that he had been sitting in further away. "I like you Greg, but I don't have a tonne of patience left. So what's it gonna be? Are you going to let us stay here the night or are you going to make us get back on our bikes and leave? Because you know, I could really use a good sleep right about now. Might make me a little more open to suggestion tomorrow. Maybe I might feel a little more generous after a solid eight hours. Hm? Catch what I'm trying to say?" "Okay. Yeah, all right. Let me just go grab the keys," Greg poked his thumb over his shoulder. "Atta boy," Axel clapped his gloved hands together once, victorious over the teen. I sighed when Greg came back with a single key attached to a bent metal ring. He looked back and forth between us like he had another disappointing thing to say. "It's not going to be very welcoming but... There's electricity," he explained. "There a bed?" Axel asked. Greg gave a portentous nod that rose our suspicions about the state of said sleeping quarters. "Good enough for me then," Axel shrugged. We were led down a dirt road flanked by trailers that had been permanently affixed in their lots by solid wood awnings and decks that had been built around the portable homes. Some of them looked more like cottages and less like trailers and no two were exactly alike. Some were rusty and the tin sidings still had flakes of old paint spelling out names like "Predator Junior" or "Tundra Eagle". Lawn chairs and fire pits were abundant at first but the longer we walked down the road the less cozy everything looked. There was an old tube trailer that looked like it could have been housing a drug lab or the den of a deranged sex pervert and I held my breath in silent hope that it wasn't the trailer Greg was leading us to. I only let my breath escape me as we walked on by but I couldn't see much else besides the edge of the stone wall that wrapped around Lovesick Park. That was until we turned down the road and saw a squatly dilapidated trailer no bigger than a camper van and tall enough that the top of Axel's head may have scraped it if he wore his boots in. The roof was concave and about ready to collapse inward. The glass shutters were opaque and dirty, incapable of letting in much light, not that there was any to be welcomed. It made the silver meth-lab trailer look a lot more appealing by comparison. "Wow, Greg. Looks like there's been a whole lot of rape and ritual sacrifice performed in there," Axel chuckled. "Sorry, I know it doesn't look very appealing but... You can at least sleep on a bed." "A bed of nails, maybe. When was the last time someone was in there?" Axel kicked at the overgrown grass shooting up around the perimeter of the trailer. "It used to be my uncle's. He ran the park for a while." "We're not going to be expecting him back any time soon, are we?" "Nah. He's long gone. Bought a park out East after he sold this one to my dad. He used to let the groundskeeper stay in here for free." Axel and I stared at each other, unease permeating between us until he turned back to Greg with a smirk. "And the groundskeeper is now where?" Greg held out the keys for Axel to take. "He's gone too. We have a team that comes in every week now. They just come in with a big van, do their thing and then take off." "Well, that's nice. I'm glad Lovesick Park is making improvements," Axel handed the key to me with an amused grin. "Axe... Our bikes?" "Yeah. Give me your keys. I'll bring the bikes over. You go on inside and spruce up the place for us, okay, honey? Turn this little shitbox into a nice, livable little temporary home. Chase off the raccoons and you know, dust off the cobwebs and shit," Axel joked. "Greg and I will ride the bikes down." The kid's face lit up so much I could see it despite the streetlight barely reaching over the parapets of pine trees standing guard along the edge of the park. I accepted the key and once Axel clapped his hand on Greg's shoulder and started off towards the pavilion to get our bikes, I stepped up to the locked door of the trailer and shoved the key in. The lock resisted being opened and it took two hands for me to get it to budge. Once it finally turned I pulled on the handle and the door opened with a nasty ringing of old rusted springs. Scowling into the darkness, I felt a shiver go up my spine. I wanted to wait for Axel to come back before I set foot inside but I also didn't want to stand at the edge of the entrance for too long staring into the gloom of the forlorn trailer. Musty air and waterlogged wood panels were all I could smell and taste as I stepped inside and let the screen door slam shut behind me. The roof was so low it made me feel claustrophobic and I ran my hand along the walls to find a light switch. Once I located the switch I flipped it on and immediately wished I hadn't. The front of the trailer had a small table built into the wall opposite the entrance and one white plastic lawn chair tucked away underneath it. There was a glass ashtray filled to the brim with yellowed peeling cigarette butts and chalky ashes that had spilled over onto the surface. The many uniform nicks in the wood looked like they had come from the point of a blade and dust clung by the inch to everything from the blinds to the floor. When I took another step in, my boots crunched over dried leaves that formed a less-than-romantic path into the shallow depth of the rest of the trailer. The tiny kitchen was barren and I peered over into a little metal sink that a fat spider had turned into prime real estate. Tiny fruit fly carcasses were trapped in it's netting while it made quick work of wrapping another dead thing up in its silken threads. There were cupboards overhead but I dared not rifle through them for fear I might come across bigger skeletons than just beetles and flies. The bed was in the back and although it was big enough for both Axel and myself to sleep on, that was about the only thing about it that didn't give off a forbidding aura. Swathed in an old knitted blanket and bedecked with outdated throw pillows, I frowned and found myself wishing for a motel room of all things. I heard the sounds of two blaring engines approaching and went to the front of the trailer to see Greg riding the Widowmaker up the dirt road and Axel riding my bike behind him. As they pulled up and touched down to park, I could hear the kid laughing heartily. I didn't blame him for wanting to ride Axel's bike. The Widowmaker looked like a toy that a nine-year-old kid would design for themselves come to life. Greg gave it one more rev for good measure before turning it off and handing the keys and helmet over to Axel. "All right, junior. That's enough fun for tonight. Might want to get back to your post, eh?" "Yeah. I guess so. Well... Have a good night," I heard Greg call out. "See ya tomorrow, champ," Axel concluded, pocketing both my keys and his before securing our helmets. He opened the trailer door after locking our helmets and peered in with as much caution as I had. "Honey!" Axel exclaimed as he stepped inside and immediately noticed that he would have to duck to fit. "I thought I said spruce up the place?" "I think this is as spruced as it's going to get, husband." His eyes darkened lustfully at me before he scooped me off my feet and walked me down the narrow hall to the back room. The heaviness of his footsteps set the whole trailer rocking and I squealed when he tossed me onto the bed. "God, it looks like the spirit of someone's grandma lives in that fucking bed," he grimaced as he took in the image of me sitting on the shabby slab of a mattress with clouds of dust settling around me as I ran my hand over the wool blanket for him to join. "How many people do you think fucked and died on this bed?" I asked with a teasing smirk. Axel dove onto the bed beside me and rolled around until he had me completely encircled by his arms and legs. "Who knows. We'll probably be next," Axel gave a casual shrug. "I thought you weren't going to let that kid ride your bike?" "I know, I know. Small price to pay for such a luxurious accommodation though, right? I mean... Look at this place! Mold on the ceiling... These fine linens that definitely don't smell like old piss. And I don't even want to see how nice the bathroom is! It's so roomy! We should just stay here forever." "You know how I love the taste of dust," I mused. "Exactly! And look," Axel pointed to the crushed leaves littering the warped linoleum floors. "You get the rustic look all year round!" We giggled and made our jokes about the state of the little trailer until Axel rolled onto his back and sighed dreamily. He clutched at my hand for a moment before realizing his gloves were still on. After he peeled them off and set them on the checkerboard-sized table at the side of the bed, he resumed holding my hand until that bored him enough to pull me closer. "I could be happy here," Axel joked. "We could build a port for the bikes, get friendly with the neighbors. We could become permanent residents of Lovesick Park. Doesn't that sound nice?" "Hell no... If we ever get a trailer, it's going to be one of those big ass Winnebagos with everything in it. Smart fridge, microwave, leather seats, fifty inch TVs, king-sized bed in the back. Everything!" "Oh yeah? And where is all this money gonna come from, missy? You got seven figures in the bank?" I squirmed on the bed until Axel let me loose from his grip. I turned to face him so I could speak seriously and not have him fondling my tits while pressing his half-hard dick into my ass. "It's kind of weird for me to actually say this out loud but... Yeah. I have millions now, Axe. My dad left everything to me." "That makes sense." "No! It doesn't make sense! It makes no sense. Up until the last year he was around he had it in his will that the club and the property would go to my mom. I thought that's how it stayed. He knew that I didn't want anything to do with his shop or any of the bikes. Hell, I was supposed to go back to school." "But you didn't." I placed my hand on Axel's chest and toyed with the distressed neck of his shirt, pulling it down so I could properly read his tattoo again. "After he died, I got a call from his lawyer. I didn't even know he had a lawyer." "A good outlaw usually has a good lawyer." "My dad was hardly an outlaw in the end. Maybe more of a town mascot." "He was a legend. He is a legend." "Anyway, he must have had the will changed without me knowing because the lawyer told me I had a bunch of shit to sign and when I asked he said it was to sign the property over to me." "So how does your mom fit into all of this?" "I just need to know, y'know? I need to know why she just jetted and I need to know why she didn't come to his fucking funeral. My dad's exes from high school came to pay respect. Once I have both sides of the story, maybe I'll feel more comfortable owning a world-famous club." "Or less comfortable," Axel remarked. "I'm sitting on a gold mine. The property value is huge. If I sold it we could get that million-dollar motorhome and just cruise. We could go everywhere. Anywhere we wanted." Axel blinked rapidly, "wait, wait, wait. You're thinking of selling the club? Your house and the shop?" "I don't want to stay stuck in the Port like my dad was. Fuck... After he couldn't ride anymore he never left that place once and I just... It's full of bad memories and ghosts. I don't want my life to revolve around one or two fucking days of the year. I just want to be free and just fucking... Ride. I don't want to be tethered to an old tradition that my dad invented with his drinking buddies." "That doesn't mean you have to sell it. What about... What's his face? Bird-man? Your fuckin' loverboy back home running the shop," Axel snapped his fingers to help jog his memory. "Braun?" "Yeah. He already knows his way around. Why don't you just let him run the show? Isn't that what you're doing right now?" "See, that's where this fucking paradox comes in and makes me think about how I don't want anybody else to run my dad's business. He left it to me. Me! When he knew that I wanted nothing to do with the club for years. I can't neglect it. It would be such a slight on his name if I dumped all the work on Braun and collected the cheques." He stretched his long limbs out over the bed and gave a great yawn. I was feeling tired too but it felt good to finally talk to him about the inner struggle I had been toting around with me for months. Staring at me with his unforgiving eyes, he smiled and I felt like no matter which route I took, everything was going to be fine. I had him back and whether we were on the road or cozied up in a derelict trailer that barely blocked the wind, he would protect me. Axel would have my back. "We'll figure it out. Not right now though because I'm tired. But we will. We'll figure all our shit out and then... Then we'll get married and buy a fuckin' Winnebago and a trailer for our bikes." "I love you, Axe." "I know," he snorted "I love you too, brat."

[megamanx1994]

The Legend of Kuzon Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Date with Destiny

(disclaimer! I own nothing of Korra or Kirby!)

We were playing a new original song Kuzon came up with for the battle of the bands match.

Our rival band Iron Sixes played before us and we were nervous, but thanks to Kuzon's leadership we managed to pull off a great performance.

I saw someone looking at us and she looked familiar.

After we finished playing I decided to introduce myself to her, and it was none other than Korra who was wearing an oversized flannel.

"Korra, glad you could make it," I said.

"Hey Saria," said Korra smiling, "Where's Kuzon?"

"C'mon I'll take you to him," I said bringing Korra into the band room.

Kuzon was packing his instrument up.

"How is it that you can come up with songs just from doing art?" Anana said, "I swear its like magic."

"I asked myself the same question when I did it the first time," answered Kuzon.

I came in with a grin.

"Someone wants to see you," I said.

Korra came in and gave Kuzon a hug.

"You were incredible out there," Korra said, "You've come a long way from having a toy guitar as a kid."

"I really appreciate you coming," Kuzon said before noticing the way she was dressed, "You're wearing flannel."

"Yea like you said," said Korra, "You said you like it when girls wear flannel didn't you?"

"I did?" Asked Kuzon.

Korra showed him a text on the phone.

"Could you excuse me for just one second?" He said.

He went to the room Kanji was in and threw a shoe at him.

"I told you not to send texts on my phone without my permission!" Said Kuzon.

"You like how she's dressed don't you?" Kanji asked.

"….Yes," admitted Kuzon with a shade of red.

Cidney appeared giving Kanji a kiss on the cheek.

"You sure know how to bang the drums don't you baby," she said, "We saw the whole thing."

"Well if it isn't our number 2 fan," Kuzon said.

"Oh be quiet, you're just jealous because everyone in the band is dating someone and you're not," Cidney said teasing him.

"Um… about that," Korra said.

"Wait a minute…." Cidney said, "You're dating the avatar!?"

"We're actually going on a date tonight," Kuzon said.

"I asked him out earlier," Korra said.

"Oh man we're happy for you Kuzon, you finally found someone," Cidney said, "Guess I can't make wisecracks about you being single anymore."

"Alright, the moment of truth," said the announcer, "The winner of this round of the battle of the bands….. is The Tone Benders!"

We all cheered for joy as we won.

The frontman of our rival band just scoffed.

"Ok, now that this is all settled, you ready?" Korra asked.

"Sure just give me a moment to pack up my stuff and I'll be out," Kuzon said.

Later he was walking to Korra who was waiting outside for him.

"So ready to go?" Kuzon asked.

"You bet," said Korra taking his hand, "So any special place we're going to?"

"My favorite restaurant that's in Cappy Town," said Kuzon, "Its a city not far from here."

"Sweet," Korra said.

As the two of them were walking they were talking about how their years have been and what they've been through.

Korra found herself enjoying quality time with her childhood friend.

"Trust me, you're not the only one who thought Asami and I were a couple," Korra said, "Besides, she's engaged to Mako."

"I found out from Zoe," Kuzon said.

They made it to Chef Kawasaki's restaurant.

It was just a steak and noodles restaurant, nothing really fancy, but the food was to die for.

"Kuzon its great to see you!" He said, "How have you been?"

"Can't really complain," Kuzon said, "Just had a successful battle of the bands round and I figured what better way to celebrate than with food from my favorite spot?"

Kawasaki got a good look at Korra.

"You must be his date, its very nice to meet you," he said.

He showed them to a table and gave them their menus.

"This place is pretty cool so far," Korra said.

"Just wait til you try the food here," Kuzon said, "Its incredible."

After deciding what they were looking for, Kuzon and Korra were talking some more.

"Its been years since we could hang out and talk like this," Korra said, "I mean not that this is just hanging out, its a date."

"Yeah," Kuzon said, "Life was kinda boring til I met my future bandmates, and since then I've been doing music to keep me occupied."

"I think I can finally have a break from the avatar stuff now that things are peaceful," said Korra, "And plus Kuvira has been reformed."

"That's great to know," said Kuzon, "I know she meant well but her methods were…."

"A bit extreme," Korra and Kuzon said in unison.

"Jinx," said Korra.

After a few minutes their food was ready.

Korra took a bite.

"Wow!" Said Korra, "This is incredible!"

"Told ya," Kuzon said smiling at her, "Do you think you got room for desert?"

"I think I do," Korra said before looking at someone, "Who's that?"

Kuzon looked.

"Shit," Kuzon said, "Its Emma, the frontman for the Iron Sixes."

Emma saw them and approached.

"Well if it isn't the Jimi Hendrix of Republic City," she said.

"What do you want?" Kuzon asked.

"Just to say how nice it was that you managed to beat us with your lame sound," Emma answered.

She got a good look at Korra.

"And you must be his date," Emma said, "No wonder he asked you out. You're stunning."

"Hey back off jack," Kuzon said.

"Why don't you make me," Emma said.

"I said back off!" Kuzon said pushing her away from Korra.

"Oooooooohhhhhh," said one of her bandmates.

"You best get outta here before things get ugly," Kuzon said.

Emma did a water bending move and pushed him to the ground.

"That's what you get for messing with Emma!" Said her guitar player.

"That's cheating!" Kuzon said

"My bending is just another part of me, like my hands and feet," Emma said, "You're never gonna have that part of you. You're just a bender wannabe and that's all you'll ever be."

She turned to Korra.

"What do you say you ditch the nobody and hang with a real person," Emma said.

"You wanna go toe to toe with me pretty girl?" Asked Korra getting in her face.

She whistled and Naga came through scaring her.

Emma fell to the floor.

"This isn't over Kuzon," asked Emma.

"I beg to differ," said Kawasaki with a pan in hand.

"Oh shit," Kuzon said.

"Now you better get out my restaurant before I cook you into a meal!" He said.

"Hmph," she scoffed as she got up and left.

"Um…. Sorry you had to see that Kuzon," Korra said as she helped Kuzon up.

"You're joking right?" Asked Kuzon, "That was hilarious! I've never seen someone other than Saria stand up to her."

Korra smiled.

Later the two of them were walking around the city sightseeing, and then on the way back to Republic city, Korra took Kuzon to a chocolate restaurant as Kuzon has quite the sweet tooth.

"I think I have to use the lady's room," Korra said, "Excuse me for a moment."

She went to the ladies room and noticed a car driving fast.

Kuzon saw the same car.

"Zoe, you seeing this?!" He asked.

"Yes I am," Zoe answered, "You have those things I gave you?"

"Of course," Kuzon said approaching a car.

He placed them on the car and Zoe went to one of her inventions.

It was made to drive any vehicle her sensors were attached to.

"Wait, how do you drive a jeep?" Asked Zoe.

"For Spirit's sake just drive!" Kuzon said.

"Alright I'm on it!" Zoe said.

Korra jumped on Naga and chased the car.

One of Tokuga's thugs saw the Avatar chasing them.

"Let's split up!" He said.

The cars split up.

"Don't lost that car!" Kuzon said.

"On it big brother," Zoe said.

She took a shortcut aiming for the leader's car.

"There he is!" Kuzon said.

Some of his thugs had guns.

They were about to fire when Naga pushed them out of the way.

"Good girl Naga!" Korra said.

Kuzon was surprised to see her.

He jumped onto another truck and pulled out the driver.

Korra was doing her part in stopping the other drivers.

Tokuga was getting frustrated.

"I'll handle them myself," he said.

He jumped to the top of the car.

"Avatar Korra, face me!" He said.

Kuzon noticed a red glow around his suit.

"What's happening?" Kuzon asked.

"Every hit you take is charging your suit with kinetic energy," Zoe said, "Release it to do something pretty amazing."

"Alright," Kuzon said.

Kuzon jumped on another truck and punched it.

An energy wave released pushing the truck into the air and making it drop.

"Awesome!" He said, "I love this suit!"

He saw Tokuga fighting Korra and went to give her a hand.

"You're Knuckle Joe!" Korra said.

"That I am," Kuzon answered.

"The more the merrier," Tokuga said pulling out his hook swords.

He tried attacking Korra and she evaded him.

Metalbenders showed up preparing to fight him.

"Looks like I'll have to use my full potential here," he said.

He used chi blocking to paralyze the metalbenders.

"Chi blocking?" Asked Korra.

"I know many techniques to defend myself against bending," Tokuga said, "How about you find out what they're made of."

Kuzon shot a fireball at him.

"your fight is with me punk!" Kuzon said.

"If you insist," Tokuga said.

He evaded his fireballs and ran towards Kuzon.

He was able to do a chi blocking move on Kuzon.

"You're not as strong as I assumed," said Tokuga grinning.

Kuzon smiled and did a rising break.

"What?!" He said, "Why aren't my chi blocking moves disabling his bending?"

"Because my bending isn't chi based if you have to know," Kuzon said.

Korra started to recognize his voice.

Kuzon and Tokuga kept fighting.

Kuzon remembered his training from Anana about dodging.

When he was close enough he went for the uppercut knocking Tokuga off the car.

His mask was partially damaged.

"Not so tough are you?" Kuzon asked.

One of his henchmen was about to attack.

"Knuckle Joe watch out!" Korra said.

She blew a gust of wind at the henchmen.

"That was a close one," Kuzon said.

Police started to show up.

Tokuga started to put his hands up but secretly had a smoke ball.

He threw it down and made a run for the helicopter.

"Another day Knuckle Joe," he said, "Another day."

Uncle Wenyan was watching the news about Knuckle Joe.

"People like him are exactly why criminals keep appearing," he said to a few people.

President Raiko was part of the audience.

"So therefore we must ban together and drive people like Knuckle Joe off the street," Uncle Wenyan said, "In fact….. I think I have a better idea."

I was secretly listening.

Later Kuzon and Korra were on top of a building.

"Thanks for the save back there Kor… um, Ms. Avatar," Kuzon said.

"Its no prob, Kuzon," Korra said.

"Kuzon?" He asked disguising his voice, "I think you may have me confused with someone else."

"Relax, I know its you, we've known each other since the day we met," Korra, "Besides, nobody can pull off a Vulcan Jab like Kuzon Tao can."

Kuzon took off his mask.

"How long did you know?" He asked.

"I didn't!" Korra said laughing, "But I do now, I can't believe you're Knuckle Joe."

Kuzon smiled.

"So this suit is made to mimic fire bending?" Korra asked.

"That's right," Kuzon said, "It was gonna be used by my brother before what happened, and so its been given to me."

"I'm sure your brother would be proud of what you were doing," Korra said.

She had an idea.

"The night's still young and I got some place I wanna show you," she said.

"What's that?" Kuzon asked.

Korra smiled.

[thelegendofkuzon]

The Legend of Kuzon Chapter 4

Chapter 4: A Date with Destiny

(disclaimer! I own nothing of Korra or Kirby!)

We were playing a new original song Kuzon came up with for the battle of the bands match.

Our rival band Iron Sixes played before us and we were nervous, but thanks to Kuzon's leadership we managed to pull off a great performance.

I saw someone looking at us and she looked familiar.

After we finished playing I decided to introduce myself to her, and it was none other than Korra who was wearing an oversized flannel.

"Korra, glad you could make it," I said.

"Hey Saria," said Korra smiling, "Where's Kuzon?"

"C'mon I'll take you to him," I said bringing Korra into the band room.

Kuzon was packing his instrument up.

"How is it that you can come up with songs just from doing art?" Anana said, "I swear its like magic."

"I asked myself the same question when I did it the first time," answered Kuzon.

I came in with a grin.

"Someone wants to see you," I said.

Korra came in and gave Kuzon a hug.

"You were incredible out there," Korra said, "You've come a long way from having a toy guitar as a kid."

"I really appreciate you coming," Kuzon said before noticing the way she was dressed, "You're wearing flannel."

"Yea like you said," said Korra, "You said you like it when girls wear flannel didn't you?"

"I did?" Asked Kuzon.

Korra showed him a text on the phone.

"Could you excuse me for just one second?" He said.

He went to the room Kanji was in and threw a shoe at him.

"I told you not to send texts on my phone without my permission!" Said Kuzon.

"You like how she's dressed don't you?" Kanji asked.

"….Yes," admitted Kuzon with a shade of red.

Cidney appeared giving Kanji a kiss on the cheek.

"You sure know how to bang the drums don't you baby," she said, "We saw the whole thing."

"Well if it isn't our number 2 fan," Kuzon said.

"Oh be quiet, you're just jealous because everyone in the band is dating someone and you're not," Cidney said teasing him.

"Um… about that," Korra said.

"Wait a minute…." Cidney said, "You're dating the avatar!?"

"We're actually going on a date tonight," Kuzon said.

"I asked him out earlier," Korra said.

"Oh man we're happy for you Kuzon, you finally found someone," Cidney said, "Guess I can't make wisecracks about you being single anymore."

"Alright, the moment of truth," said the announcer, "The winner of this round of the battle of the bands….. is The Tone Benders!"

We all cheered for joy as we won.

The frontman of our rival band just scoffed.

"Ok, now that this is all settled, you ready?" Korra asked.

"Sure just give me a moment to pack up my stuff and I'll be out," Kuzon said.

Later he was walking to Korra who was waiting outside for him.

"So ready to go?" Kuzon asked.

"You bet," said Korra taking his hand, "So any special place we're going to?"

"My favorite restaurant that's in Cappy Town," said Kuzon, "Its a city not far from here."

"Sweet," Korra said.

As the two of them were walking they were talking about how their years have been and what they've been through.

Korra found herself enjoying quality time with her childhood friend.

"Trust me, you're not the only one who thought Asami and I were a couple," Korra said, "Besides, she's engaged to Mako."

"I found out from Zoe," Kuzon said.

They made it to Chef Kawasaki's restaurant.

It was just a steak and noodles restaurant, nothing really fancy, but the food was to die for.

"Kuzon its great to see you!" He said, "How have you been?"

"Can't really complain," Kuzon said, "Just had a successful battle of the bands round and I figured what better way to celebrate than with food from my favorite spot?"

Kawasaki got a good look at Korra.

"You must be his date, its very nice to meet you," he said.

He showed them to a table and gave them their menus.

"This place is pretty cool so far," Korra said.

"Just wait til you try the food here," Kuzon said, "Its incredible."

After deciding what they were looking for, Kuzon and Korra were talking some more.

"Its been years since we could hang out and talk like this," Korra said, "I mean not that this is just hanging out, its a date."

"Yeah," Kuzon said, "Life was kinda boring til I met my future bandmates, and since then I've been doing music to keep me occupied."

"I think I can finally have a break from the avatar stuff now that things are peaceful," said Korra, "And plus Kuvira has been reformed."

"That's great to know," said Kuzon, "I know she meant well but her methods were…."

"A bit extreme," Korra and Kuzon said in unison.

"Jinx," said Korra.

After a few minutes their food was ready.

Korra took a bite.

"Wow!" Said Korra, "This is incredible!"

"Told ya," Kuzon said smiling at her, "Do you think you got room for desert?"

"I think I do," Korra said before looking at someone, "Who's that?"

Kuzon looked.

"Shit," Kuzon said, "Its Emma, the frontman for the Iron Sixes."

Emma saw them and approached.

"Well if it isn't the Jimi Hendrix of Republic City," she said.

"What do you want?" Kuzon asked.

"Just to say how nice it was that you managed to beat us with your lame sound," Emma answered.

She got a good look at Korra.

"And you must be his date," Emma said, "No wonder he asked you out. You're stunning."

"Hey back off jack," Kuzon said.

"Why don't you make me," Emma said.

"I said back off!" Kuzon said pushing her away from Korra.

"Oooooooohhhhhh," said one of her bandmates.

"You best get outta here before things get ugly," Kuzon said.

Emma did a water bending move and pushed him to the ground.

"That's what you get for messing with Emma!" Said her guitar player.

"That's cheating!" Kuzon said

"My bending is just another part of me, like my hands and feet," Emma said, "You're never gonna have that part of you. You're just a bender wannabe and that's all you'll ever be."

She turned to Korra.

"What do you say you ditch the nobody and hang with a real person," Emma said.

"You wanna go toe to toe with me pretty girl?" Asked Korra getting in her face.

She whistled and Naga came through scaring her.

Emma fell to the floor.

"This isn't over Kuzon," asked Emma.

"I beg to differ," said Kawasaki with a pan in hand.

"Oh shit," Kuzon said.

"Now you better get out my restaurant before I cook you into a meal!" He said.

"Hmph," she scoffed as she got up and left.

"Um…. Sorry you had to see that Kuzon," Korra said as she helped Kuzon up.

"You're joking right?" Asked Kuzon, "That was hilarious! I've never seen someone other than Saria stand up to her."

Korra smiled.

Later the two of them were walking around the city sightseeing, and then on the way back to Republic city, Korra took Kuzon to a chocolate restaurant as Kuzon has quite the sweet tooth.

"I think I have to use the lady's room," Korra said, "Excuse me for a moment."

She went to the ladies room and noticed a car driving fast.

Kuzon saw the same car.

"Zoe, you seeing this?!" He asked.

"Yes I am," Zoe answered, "You have those things I gave you?"

"Of course," Kuzon said approaching a car.

He placed them on the car and Zoe went to one of her inventions.

It was made to drive any vehicle her sensors were attached to.

"Wait, how do you drive a jeep?" Asked Zoe.

"For Spirit's sake just drive!" Kuzon said.

"Alright I'm on it!" Zoe said.

Korra jumped on Naga and chased the car.

One of Tokuga's thugs saw the Avatar chasing them.

"Let's split up!" He said.

The cars split up.

"Don't lost that car!" Kuzon said.

"On it big brother," Zoe said.

She took a shortcut aiming for the leader's car.

"There he is!" Kuzon said.

Some of his thugs had guns.

They were about to fire when Naga pushed them out of the way.

"Good girl Naga!" Korra said.

Kuzon was surprised to see her.

He jumped onto another truck and pulled out the driver.

Korra was doing her part in stopping the other drivers.

Tokuga was getting frustrated.

"I'll handle them myself," he said.

He jumped to the top of the car.

"Avatar Korra, face me!" He said.

Kuzon noticed a red glow around his suit.

"What's happening?" Kuzon asked.

"Every hit you take is charging your suit with kinetic energy," Zoe said, "Release it to do something pretty amazing."

"Alright," Kuzon said.

Kuzon jumped on another truck and punched it.

An energy wave released pushing the truck into the air and making it drop.

"Awesome!" He said, "I love this suit!"

He saw Tokuga fighting Korra and went to give her a hand.

"You're Knuckle Joe!" Korra said.

"That I am," Kuzon answered.

"The more the merrier," Tokuga said pulling out his hook swords.

He tried attacking Korra and she evaded him.

Metalbenders showed up preparing to fight him.

"Looks like I'll have to use my full potential here," he said.

He used chi blocking to paralyze the metalbenders.

"Chi blocking?" Asked Korra.

"I know many techniques to defend myself against bending," Tokuga said, "How about you find out what they're made of."

Kuzon shot a fireball at him.

"your fight is with me punk!" Kuzon said.

"If you insist," Tokuga said.

He evaded his fireballs and ran towards Kuzon.

He was able to do a chi blocking move on Kuzon.

"You're not as strong as I assumed," said Tokuga grinning.

Kuzon smiled and did a rising break.

"What?!" He said, "Why aren't my chi blocking moves disabling his bending?"

"Because my bending isn't chi based if you have to know," Kuzon said.

Korra started to recognize his voice.

Kuzon and Tokuga kept fighting.

Kuzon remembered his training from Anana about dodging.

When he was close enough he went for the uppercut knocking Tokuga off the car.

His mask was partially damaged.

"Not so tough are you?" Kuzon asked.

One of his henchmen was about to attack.

"Knuckle Joe watch out!" Korra said.

She blew a gust of wind at the henchmen.

"That was a close one," Kuzon said.

Police started to show up.

Tokuga started to put his hands up but secretly had a smoke ball.

He threw it down and made a run for the helicopter.

"Another day Knuckle Joe," he said, "Another day."

Uncle Wenyan was watching the news about Knuckle Joe.

"People like him are exactly why criminals keep appearing," he said to a few people.

President Raiko was part of the audience.

"So therefore we must ban together and drive people like Knuckle Joe off the street," Uncle Wenyan said, "In fact….. I think I have a better idea."

I was secretly listening.

Later Kuzon and Korra were on top of a building.

"Thanks for the save back there Kor… um, Ms. Avatar," Kuzon said.

"Its no prob, Kuzon," Korra said.

"Kuzon?" He asked disguising his voice, "I think you may have me confused with someone else."

"Relax, I know its you, we've known each other since the day we met," Korra, "Besides, nobody can pull off a Vulcan Jab like Kuzon Tao can."

Kuzon took off his mask.

"How long did you know?" He asked.

"I didn't!" Korra said laughing, "But I do now, I can't believe you're Knuckle Joe."

Kuzon smiled.

"So this suit is made to mimic fire bending?" Korra asked.

"That's right," Kuzon said, "It was gonna be used by my brother before what happened, and so its been given to me."

"I'm sure your brother would be proud of what you were doing," Korra said.

She had an idea.

"The night's still young and I got some place I wanna show you," she said.

"What's that?" Kuzon asked.

Korra smiled.

She guided Kuzon to a glowing light in the middle of Republic City.

"I can't believe I'm actually going to the spirit world," said Kuzon excited.

"Asami is the only other one I've shown this place," Korra said, "Now I get to show you."

She turned to him.

"One thing though… what was up at that restaurant," Korra said, "You seemed offended with that girl trying to flirt with me."

Kuzon sighed.

"If I ever come off as homophobic against her…. Its because my first girlfriend cheated on me, and dumped me for a lesbian girl," Kuzon said.

"Do me a favor," Korra said holding his face, "If something like that is bothering you, talk to me about it and i'll try to cheer you up. After all that's what girlfriend are here for."

"Girlfriend?" Asked Kuzon blushing.

"That's right," Korra answered with a grin, "I'm your girlfriend now, and you gotta deal with it. Now let's check out the spirit world."

They went inside the portal and were in the spirit world.

"Wow," Kuzon said, "I'm actually here."

"This world gets pretty unpredictable at times so stay close to me," Korra said, "I don't want us to get separated."

"Sure thing," Kuzon said, "Sooooo…. Where do we start?"

Korra and Kuzon were jumping on top of giant mushrooms and then rode on a dragon creature.

They also climbed on top of a rock creature.

"I did this with Asami once and she managed to beat me," Korra said.

"Uncle Dedede told me about the spirit world, but I can't believe I'm seeing it with my own eyes," said Kuzon.

"You're the king's nephew?" Asked Korra.

"Not exactly," said Kuzon, "He's a surrogate uncle."

Later they were staring at the stars.

"This place is incredible," Kuzon said smiling.

"We should probably head back before people wonder where we are though," Korra.

"Well before we do, there's one thing I wanna do," Kuzon said.

Korra smiled knowing what that thing was.

The two of them came closer to each other until their lips made contact.

Kuzon's arms wrapped around Korra's waist while her's wrapped around his neck deepening the kiss.

After a few seconds they broke apart.

The two of them were blushing but smiling.

[superjumpintomyheart]

Love [Pearl x Marina]

In which Pearl has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she knows how to love others, but not herself. Slightly angsty but some heartwarming fluff at the end to balance it all out. 

-

For the first time in almost her entire career, Marina was tired of hearing the same techno beat coming from her turntables as she tried to create something fresh to go with Pearls new rap. The key was all wrong and the timing was off, there was one note she couldn’t decide if it needed to be sharp or flat, so needless to say, she was getting rather frustrated. Writing songs usually came to her and her partner naturally, but today was just an off day for the octoling. She sighed and shook her head and looked to Pearl who was on the other side of the sound booth, headphones secure on her head and paper in hand ready to give it another go. But the motion Marina had given her told her they should call it a day now.

Pearl nodded somewhat disappointedly and exited the soundproof recording room, coming out to the other side where Marina was sitting with all the equipment. “I can’t get this one right, nothing is matching up with your rhymes, I think I should scratch the whole thing and start over tomorrow,” she sighed and put her head in her hands.

“Keep the base of the beat,” the inkling commented. “That part sounds good, it’s the fillers that are killing it.”

“I know, I’ve scrapped the fillers three times today though, and nothing has come out right.”

Pearl looked down for a moment, trying to think of what other options they had. “Don’t scrap anything you have now then, we’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll see what we can do about it.”

Marina nodded and stood to her feet, turning off her equipment as she did so. Off the Hook was blowing up in the music industry, they were idols in Inkopolis now, and there were bound to be some octarians down in Octo Valley who were a fan of them because of Marina’s presence. She was glad she could bring some of her culture to the music they wrote, and a lot of that came out in her beats, so getting it just right was something that could quite often be difficult. Finding the perfect balance between inkling music and octarian music was a challenge. Pearl usually ended up being her saving grace, so she figured that she was right, and a good nights sleep would help get her back in the game.

“Let’s go home then,” she said once everything had been turned off and saved. “Can’t wait to lay down after all this.”

“You’re excited to lay down? I was sitting in a stool the whole day, my back is killing me!” Pearl complained, bringing a hand behind her to rub at her lower back.

The taller girl laughed softly, covering her mouth a little as she did so. “Let me rephrase, I’m excited to lay down with you.”

Pearl gave Marina a fond smile, when they were in the studio, they were music partners not romantic partners. But once they got out and the stress of creating just the right sound for their band was gone, they were able to just enjoy each other like regular couples could. It made her happy when they got out after a hard day like this and her usually reserved girlfriend would express her frustrations but claim that Pearl would help her through it just with some simple actions or words. She felt needed, loved, important... words she didn’t hear too often. She must have really gotten lucky to get a girl as sweet and loving as Marina to be hers, someone who could make her feel special without having to say it.

“I am too, ya sap,” the inkling responded. “Got enough energy in that supposedly exhausted body to super jump home or do you need me to carry you back the long way?”

Marina rolled her eyes at the joking question, “I’m fine, Pearlie, don’t worry.”

The pair walked out of the building together and super jumped back to their penthouse, which did take a lot of energy out of them, but they planned on going straight to bed. Once they were inside, Marina slipped off her boots and removed her headphones while Pearl took off her shoes, heading to their bedroom to finish undressing.

The room was obviously a mix of their two styles, pink and teal accessories displayed along the top of a dresser, a Squid Sisters poster hung next to a window (despite them both knowing Callie and Marie personally, the two still fangirled over them whenever they released new music or announced an event), and various other things. Somehow, it fit perfectly together, as if their differences were what made them so special to each other. And maybe that wasn’t too far from the truth.

As Marina sat down on the end of the bed, Pearl stood in front of her between her legs, her hands gently pushing aside the octoling’s tentacles. It was almost uncharacteristic of her to be so... soft, but she knew it was what her girlfriend needed when she got down about something.

“Don’t worry so much about it babe,” she whispered and gave the DJ a short yet sweet kiss on the lips. “It’s gonna work out, it always does.”

Her hands moved down from Marina’s shoulders to the zipper on her top, asking silently if she could help undress her. It wasn’t meant to be taken in the wrong way, she meant it as a completely innocent action, they were both too tired for anything else. When the taller girl gave a bit of a shy smile and a nod, Pearl undid her zipper and slid the leathery material off her shoulders and arms. It would get thrown into (or near) a laundry basket along with the rest of their clothes, and get washed over the weekend.

The octoling lifted her hips off the bed to allow Pearl to slide off her shorts and leggings, which left her almost completely nude save for some underwear. Pearl grabbed her oversized pink and cream colored hoodie from the closet behind her and pulled it over Marina’s head. While it was oversized on her, it would just fit loosely on her girlfriend.

“Good?” She asked, to make sure she didn’t need anything else.

Marina nodded softly and smiled, “Can... I help you too?” It was a simple request, one that she shouldn’t have gotten flustered over, but she couldn’t help the teal tint that spread over her cheeks. After all, she had done it before multiple times, but seeing her Pearlie like that, it never failed to get the ink in her body flowing.

“Don’t even have to ask, Mar,” she teased lightly.

“I like to make sure,” the other girl replied, looking down slightly before she reached up to slide the zipper down Pearl’s dress. Once it was unclasped at the bottom, she pushed it off of her shoulders and, again, couldn’t help the blush on her cheeks. Before she got too shy, she finished undressing her small girlfriend by pulling off her leggings and tossing them aside as well. She had to stand up from her position on the bed to look for something of hers that Pearl could wear to sleep in, even though they slept right next to each other, the inkling liked to be surrounded by Marina in every way possible—which meant stealing quite a few sweatshirts and other things of hers.

After doing a brief scan of her more comfortable clothing items, she pulled out a black to teal gradient sweatshirt (with no hood, since the last time she let Pearl sleep in a hoodie, she woke up complaining about a sore neck from sleeping on it wrong) and helped the smaller girl get into it. Marina kissed the crown of Pearl’s head, “There,” she said in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper, “all done.”

They both chose to sleep without pants or shorts on most nights, it always got too hot between the two of them, and between cooling off and cuddling, they both favored the latter. Besides, neither of them minded the extra skin on skin contact, it felt nice and like they were more connected to each other in a way. So, with each other’s clothes adorned and their eyelids droopy, they crawled into their decently sized bed and turned off the lamps on the sides, sending the room into darkness.

“Marina?” A soft voice asked a few minutes after settling into bed.

“Yeah Pearlie?”

The inkling cuddled into the octoling’s side, “Do you think things will ever get better, the people’s opinions of me?”

Pearl had always been fully aware of the hate towards her, how she was ugly and nothing more than a Callie wannabe. How her raps were terrible and Off the Hook would be great if it was just Marina, and some days stuff like that really got to her.

Marina turned her body to allow herself to wrap an arm around her girlfriend, pulling her in closely, “You cant ever make them stop completely, some squids just won’t change. Trust me, I know a thing or two about that. But... if you find the people who like you for you, all that hate, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“What if those people don’t even exist?”

“Well, I can tell you now that they do exist, even if it’s just one person,”

Pearl smiled and scoffed, “I don’t think you count Mar.”

“I’m your girlfriend, I should count the most,” She retorted, bringing a hand up to play with the smaller girl’s tentacles.

“Okay,” the rapper sighed, “so you count the most, but you’re still just one person. Everybody else... they love you, all our fans are here mainly for you and your beats. I bet if we took out all of my parts in our songs people would say our music is so much better, they would rather listen to you spin turntables for sixty minutes rather than listen to me rap for three.”

Marina frowned, not sure how else she could prove that people really did love her and her raps. Sure, a lot of the inklings (and octarians) liked how Marina looked more than Pearl, but she heard plenty of good things about the rapping portions of their songs. Color Pulse, Ebb and Flow, Acid Hues, all those songs wouldn’t be the same without Pearl’s voice on them. She shook her head lightly, “I’ll prove it to you one day, people do love you, right now let’s just get some sleep.”

Though her thoughts were still filled with hate, Pearl agreed and let herself relax in Marina’s arms. It felt like hours before her breathing became steady and her eyelids no longer fluttered open, even the octoling had fallen asleep before her. As her mind started to clear and she felt herself drift off, she sighed and whispered to her sleeping lover one final sentence before she fell asleep.

“I wish you could, Mar. I really wish you could...”

-

It had been a week or so since their conversation about Pearl had occurred, and she seemed to be doing okay. Nothing was off when she was announcing stages, she still waved hi to fans that passed by their window, and she hadn’t brought it up again during their free time. Marina was still worried about her though, how could she not be? Even now as she was playing a round of turf war to try and ease her mind, thoughts of her girlfriend still floated in and out while she splatted the enemy team with her Splat Brella.  Speaking of Pearl, she usually joined in to play with Marina, but she had opted out this time, saying something about wanting to get a new pair of Duelies before she went in.

When the match ended and the results had been displayed, the octoling set out to find Pearl and make sure she was alright. But as she exited the lobby, she was stopped by a girl inkling with light blue tentacles that were tied up in a bun.

“Hi Marina, so sorry to bother you but I’m such a big fan of Off the Hook and I was wondering if we could take a picture?” The girl asked timidly, which reminded Marina a whole lot of herself.

“Oh, uh sure!” She said with a shy smile. “What’s your name?”

“Parker,” she replied. “I know it kinda sounds like a guy name...”

Marina couldn’t help but frown at that, “N-no your name is... really pretty I think, it’s unique.”

The inkling wore a hopeful grin on her face, as if she hadn’t ever heard something like that before, and the singer wondered what kind of good she had just done in her heart. Parker pulled out her shell phone and turned it sideways to fit them both in the picture, she smiled and Marina did her and Pearl’s signature pose with a smile as well. The picture was snapped and the girl checked her library to make sure it had come out alright.

“This looks so amazing! Thank you for letting me snap that pic,” she put her phone away and turned to the pop star. “Where’s Pearl?”

Marina looked out across the square, “I was actually just going out to find her, I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“Oh, I was really hoping I’d get to see her,” she replied in dejection. “I like you guys both, but I think her rapping is so cool, I want to write my own rhymes like that one day, your band is such an inspiration to me.”

“Really?” The DJ said with excitement, “Pearl’s rapping has inspired you that much?”

Parker laughed nervously, “Well, you too—Off the Hook wouldn’t be the same without either of you guys—but Pearl drops the sickest bars and I’ve loved her raps since your debut concert.”

“Cod, Pearlie would love to be hearing this right now,” Marina mumbled and grabbed her weapon she had just been using in the last round of turf war and started to make her way to Sheldon’s shop. “I’ve gotta go, but it was really nice to meet you, if I see you again I’ll introduce you to Pearl!”

The blue inkling waved at her idol, “Tell her she’s my favorite if you can!”

The octoling waved back and gave a thumbs up, bee-lining for the place she hoped she’d find Pearl. When she walked in, she only saw Sheldon polishing a few different guns.

“Marina! Good to see you, what kind of weapon are you looking for?” He exclaimed and put away the stuff on his counter.

“Oh, well, I’m not looking to buy today... I was just wondering if you had seen Pearl lately,” she questioned.

Sheldon shook his head, “Haven’t seen her, I would have remembered if such talent entered my store.”

“Clam it,” she muttered, “thank you for telling me, I’ll see you next time Sheldon.”

“See ya around!”

-

Marina felt like she had looked everywhere, her friends list told her she wasn’t in a match, she checked all the shop owners to see if they had her stop by, she even asked Murch if he had seen her in the square. But, all of it was to no avail. She decided to head back home and check if she had just come back instead of playing at all, and she could have sworn her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she unlocked the door.

The living room was empty upon her first glance into their penthouse, as was the kitchen and dining room area. She headed down the hallway to where their room was and quietly opened the door. Inside, sure enough, there was Pearl—a sleeping, tear stained, exhausted Pearl. The blinds hadn’t been shut, which lead Marina to believe her girlfriend had been in here crying and accidentally cried herself to sleep. Her heart ached at the sight, the inkling still in her pajamas from the night before and the blanket draped only halfway around her.

Marina tiptoed to the window that still had sun peaking through it and closed the blinds, sliding a teal curtain over it for good measure. Immediately, the room was a lot darker and more pleasant for sleeping, so she slipped off her shoes and shorts (a different pair than the ones she usually wore, all her current clothing was her turf war gear) leaving on the short sleeved shirt. She fixed the blanket so it was covering all of Pearl’s body and slipped into bed beside her. Just the octoling’s presence was enough for her girlfriend to roll over into her arms, even asleep she craved the attention.

“Oh Pearlie, my precious Pearlie...” she whispered and held her girlfriend close. “If only you knew how much they loved you.”

It felt like forever until Pearl woke up, but Marina had stayed in bed with her the whole time she was napping, she wanted to be there when she woke up. The pink inkling shifted once she started to wake up, confused by the weight next to her. Her eyes peaked open and found the dark skin and tentacles of her partner, she wasn’t there before she fell asleep...

“Marina,” she said and the octoling shook her head.

“I know.” She stated simply.

Pearl didn’t know what else to do besides shrink back down into the bed, as if she was suddenly exhausted again. Her reason for staying home was to get out all her stupid feelings without worrying her girlfriend, but she screwed it up and made her worry even more. What was she supposed to say to that, sorry? No, there wasn’t an excuse for her actions, she was trying to push everyone out and deal with it on her own, but none of that ever worked out, she should’ve known better. Marina was probably mad, disappointed, upset, she hadn’t said anything else and the tension was killing her. She was pondering if she should’ve said something more when the other girl’s voice spoke up.

“There’s a girl, big fan of ours, light blue tentacles and a messy bun with the freshest gear I’ve seen, her name’s Parker, she wanted a picture with me today. After we took it she asked where you were, and she told me all about how your rapping inspired her to write her own. I went to look for you and she told me to tell you that you’re her favorite.

“When I stopped by Sheldon’s place, he told me he would have remembered seeing you come in because you’re so talented. For cod’s sake Pearlie, even Murch was telling me how much he likes your spin on the songs. People. Love. You. I don’t know how else I’m supposed to get that into your head, all those squids are just immature and trying to poke fun at you. So please... believe me when I say I love you, believe me when I say other people love you too. Do you think I would have been able to make it on my own here as an octoling without a partner like you? I couldn’t even imagine it, and all of this... the success, the songs, the fans... they aren’t just here for me. I can guarantee you that.”

Pearl looked up at Marina who’s eyes had glossed over with tears, and she felt so... so stupid for letting this all get to her. She was starting to think that Marina was right, people did love her, but she had gotten caught up in all the bad things people were saying, she didn’t stop and open her eyes.

“Mar,” she tried again, her voice cracking slightly. But she didn’t continue, she couldn’t, the tears had returned to her and before she could stop them, they were spilling over her cheeks like waterfalls. She tried to keep her sobs quiet, she always hated the sound of her own crying, but it reduced her ability to breathe clearly and Marina was gently wiping the tears away with the pad of her thumb and she couldn’t keep back her feelings anymore. She let herself gasp and shudder and cry like she needed too, all while in the safety of her girlfriend’s arms.

Pearl didn’t say anything else, all that was needed to be said was said. So as her tears turned into stains and her gasping turned into quiet, shaky breaths, Marina began to sing quietly to soothe the inkling. Their own songs were a little too upbeat for the moment, so she decided to sing the Squid Sisters’ song Fresh Start. It seemed fitting for the moment, and it was slow and melodic, perfect to relax to. She sang the melody for the most part, only dipping into the harmonics when she felt it sounded nice or for effect. She lengthened the song with some improvised Octarian singing as well, it was mostly just a translation of the original version but she added in her own stuff as well. Pearl had always enjoyed her singing, and if she couldn’t sleep she would ask her to sing to help her fall asleep, and while the goal wasn’t sleep this time around, relaxation was.

“I’m always here for you, Pearlie,” Marina whispered when she was finished with her song, not sure if the inkling was even awake to hear her. “Always.”

-

The rest of the day was spent cuddling in bed and lounging around the house, all means to record were put off until tomorrow when they had free time after work. Marina had advanced quite a bit on the song she was having trouble on a while ago, it still didn’t sound quite right, but she wasn’t concerned about it too much that she needed to record at that very moment. Her only concern was Pearl and her mental health, her physical health too, but not as much. She didn’t ask or mention any more of what had occurred earlier, she just hoped her words made a deep enough impact to help the inkling see what was really going on around her.

Pearl on the other hand, didn’t like the silence that Marina was giving her. The extended periods of time without talking made being in her mind unbearable, especially with all the thoughts that were bouncing around in there. But she couldn’t start up a conversation herself, if she opened her mouth, all her thoughts would spill out into words and she didn’t need to deal with any of that right now. She just wanted noise to fill the silence and her girlfriend to kiss her until she forgot everything bad about the world and herself. That wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it? Once again, she was afraid of trying to speak, but... maybe she didn’t have to.

As the pair were laying in bed together about an hour or two after their talk, Pearl wiggles herself free from the octoling’s arms and the blankets surrounding them. Her bare legs were hit by a burst of cold air, but it didn’t bother her enough to put pants back on, especially since she’d just get right back into bed.

She didn’t glance back at Marina when she walked over to grab her phone from its place on the dresser, but she could sense there was some confusion coming from her. With her phone in hand, she set up their wireless speaker and connected her phone to shuffle through various songs by all their favorite artists (yes, including themselves). She’d be able to adjust everything from their bed, but she made sure that the volume was at an appropriate level and that they started on a good song.

When she set the phone down on the table next to her side of the bed and crawled back under the covers, Marina simply looked at her with those big, innocent eyes and offered her arms to cuddle into. But when Pearl shook her head, the DJ cocked her head to the side slightly.

“What’s all this for?” She asked, but didn’t receive an answer immediately. The inkling looked like she was debating something, but it was hard to tell what was going on in her mind lately.

The answer, when she did finally get one, was not what she expected. Instead of an explanation, Pearl had just tilted her head downwards and pressed her lips firmly to Marina’s. She wasn’t complaining, just a little confused, but if this was what Pearl wanted then she’d be happy to give it to her.

Her tentacles curled up and swayed slightly as they kissed, indicating that her ink was definitely pumping a little bit. Not too much, but the element of surprise was what had really got her. Pearl began to shift her body so it was now on top of Marina’s, her small frame resting on her girlfriend’s much taller one.

“Just kiss me,” the inkling muttered as she separated their lips momentarily. “That’s all I need.”

“You could have-“ before she could finish her sentence, Pearl was back to locking their lips and Marina swore she felt a smirk on the girl’s face through the kiss. The spontaneous make out session seemed to brighten Pearl’s mood a little, like the kiss was the best medicine for her.

“Next time you’re sad, could you tell me where you’re actually gonna be? I was worried about you,” Marina told the inkling, looking into her eyes as they both took a moment to breathe.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just—“ didn’t want you to know how I was actually feeling. “I just wanted some time to think.”

The rapper couldn’t keep the eye contact, she felt strange and uncomfortable under her gaze, so her golden eyes darted off to the sides and looked down, anywhere but the blue and pink eyes staring back at her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told her girlfriend, maybe it was just in fear of how she would react, or something to that extent. Despite feeling bad, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about her feelings to anyone at all, she had never been the type to be open like Marina was. It was just the way she was raised, she learned to deal with things on her own, including her mental health. She had been able to take care of herself, she didn’t need to rely on other people to get better.

“That’s okay, just tell me next time okay?” Pearl nodded.

A broken bone will heal on its own, but without something to help it properly heal, the injury only gets worse.

-

After a concert Off the Hook had just performed, the duo were out signing CDs and posters and anything else the fans had for them. They were able to take pictures with some and make quick small talk with others, hearing stories about how they came to love the band and their music, most of them saying they had loved them ever since the debut concert. As they reached the end of the line, a girl with light blue tentacles tied into a bun approached them.

When Marina recognized the inkling, she gasped and ran to hug her, “Parker!”

Parker smiled in shock, surprised that her idol had remembered her from that one day in the square, and her other idol was standing no more than five feet away from her. To say she was a bit star struck was an understatement. The octoling let her free from her embrace and turned to Pearl, waving her hand and motioning for her to come meet the fan.

“Pearlie, this is Parker, probably your number one fan besides me.”

The inkling waved a shy hello to the rapper, blushing a vibrant blue and fiddling with her CD. She glanced up every now and then to try and make eye contact, but it was quite the challenge as she choked out her words, “Um, I really, really look up to you guys—you especially because I want to write my own raps and you have been such an inspiration and influence to my writing and style, I just wanted to say that you’re my favorite rapper in probably the entire world.”

Parker laughed nervously at the end, but she did mean every word she said. She loved Marina as well, but knowing the octoling encouraged her to tell Pearl she was her favorite took a bit of the nerves away from her. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to feel like she didn’t like the other equally, so the support was a big help.

“Well kid, I’ll tell you it’s tough out here in the music biz,” Pearl replied casually, hoping to lighten the mood. “But don’t let it get to you, I... I let it get to me and things didn’t turn out so well. You have to stand your ground, and I bet with your rhymes you’ll be taking our spot in no time.”

“Really? You think I’ll do that good?” The inkling asked, her eyes full of hope as she looked up to the pop star.

“Sure you will, one day when you make it big, we can do a collab together and drop the freshest lines Inkopolis has ever heard.”

Outside, Pearl was her usually calm, collected, laid back self, but on the inside she was freaking out. It was so refreshing and reassuring to hear something like that, she was an inspiration, she meant something to somebody. She glanced at Marina, who was beaming at the two inklings, her tentacles curling in excitement.

“Would you mind signing this for me then?” Parker pulled a pair of studio headphones and a marker out of her backpack. “I use this when I’m recording, so I thought it would be cool to have my idols sign it, for like... good luck maybe?”

Pearl took the marker with a smile, “it’s no problem squiddo, I’d be happy too, and I’m sure Marina would too.”

After she signed her name, she passed the marker to the DJ so she could sign on the other side, adding a little heart along with her name. Cod, with their current status those things could go for a lot of money online, but she got the feeling the blue inkling would keep them as her own treasure forever.

“Hey, I heard last time you got to take a pic with Mar, but not me, so let’s make up for that right now,” Pearl offered, receiving agreement from the other two.

They passed Parker’s phone to a security guard who was nice enough to take the picture for them, and posed for the camera. Parker was in the middle, Marina to her right and Pearl on her left, both of their arms around her. They were all smiling as bright as the sun, and happy as could be.

They took the photo and a few more just for good measure, and bid farewell to Parker, who had to get back to her place before it got too late. As the inkling walked away, Marina couldn’t hardly contain her excitement anymore and hugged Pearl tightly while spinning her around. “I told you! I told you they loved you, baby!” She exclaimed, probably a bit too loudly if they still wanted to keep their relationship secret.

Pear laughed and hugged her back, “Okay, okay, Marina you gotta quiet down, there’s still a few fans around.” She warned her of the bystanders who were fairly far away, but most likely still in earshot. Even if they weren’t, it was still a good idea to be quiet just incase the paparazzi was around.

“Right, sorry,” the octoling apologized and let her lover out of her grasp. “But this is what I was talking about, people adore you, you just have to find their voice in the crowd.”

“I really would like to see Parker again sometime, maybe hear some of her raps too,” Pearl said with a smile as they made their way to the backstage area and their dressing rooms.

“Should’ve gotten her friend code,” Marina commented.

“Clam it, I didn’t even think about that,” the rapper sighed at her lack of thinking ahead, oh well, they’d hopefully see her again one day in a turf war or another concert.

Once they were ready to leave, they thanked the staff and crew members for all their hard work and super jumped back home together, absolutely exhausted for the night. Pearl went straight to their bedroom to get undressed with Marina following just a few steps behind. They look less time getting dressed this time, practically dancing around the room together as they avoided getting in the other’s way. Once they were ready for bed and they had curled up with each other under the warmth of their blankets, Pearl kissed her girlfriend’s cheek.

“You think we’ll finally get that new song done tomorrow?” The inkling asked hopefully.

“I think so, we just need those final recordings done and we should have ourself a new hit.”

There was silence for a moment while Pearl debated on speaking her mind again, sharing her feelings still wasn’t her thing. After a few minutes of convincing herself to squid up and just say it, she whispered—just in case Marina was already asleep, “Thank you for showing me what love really is.”

And after a minute with no response, the rapper figuried the octoling was sleeping and did her best to fall asleep herself. That was, until she heard an equally soft voice whisper, “You’re welcome Pearlie.”

She was so in love with Marina.