#dont worry this message might seem like we r in bed together but this is strictly bussiness

[shreque]

everyone attention please because TODAY IS A NATIONAL HOLIDAY BECAUSE A VERY SEKSI AND EXPENSIVE GORL @eau-de-low-budget WAS BORN! (I schelduled this post so this yr u get it rite away (im so sorry) but dw the seksi stuff is goin 2 b sent privately check ur line princess girl) ily and i hope you have the BEST 21st year you can have!  

[joontier]

mercedes midnight runs | drabble 

synopsis: ur thirsting over jk driving you around in a mercedes

pairings: jungkook x reader

rating: R

genre: smut, angst | warnings: pwp basically (the thirst is real and unquenchable) with lidol angst ; swearing ; degradation ; car sex (pls dont do this while driving fjlaksas)

word count: 2.1k

g/n: this is the first installment for my ‘between the lines’ collection! ackkk ive been wanting to do this for so long because ive always thirsted over the boys driving and imagining jk driving his mercedes around seoul is just,,,,, eye ---- btw, this is heavily unedited nhnghgnhgn i just had to share the thirst with yall real quick 

between the lines navi. |  navi. | m.list

You’ve already planned out a quiet night to yourself tonight to rest and get your mind off of things, but all of a sudden, just as you were about to settle in bed, Jungkook sends you a text, telling you to get ready in half an hour because he’s going to pick you up and take you out somewhere. 

It isn't new news anymore that he’s texting you at this hour because he’s only permitted to go out after his schedules, which usually also end late at night. Superstar problems, can’t relate. 

Well, that and because your relationship with him warrants these types of late night meet-ups. It’s that type of arrangement you’d never thought you’d agree to, but eventually, learned to cope with. Your phone pings - a new message.

[🕺] 12:45AM

im out front

When you exit your apartment, you see an unfamiliar silver car parked in front of the building, you back up the stairs, wary of who might be inside the mysterious vehicle. The window rolls down halfway, and you see Jungkook takes a peek through the small space. 

Going back down the steps, you quickly climb inside the vehicle. “New car?” 

“Yeah, you like it?” 

You hum in agreement, tracing a hand along the sleek design of the dashboard. “It’s very...you,” you remark, in awe at how this new Benz fits Jungkook so well. “C’mere,” Jungkook tugs at your elbow, closing the distance between the two of you. “Fuck, you don’t know how much I missed you.” He presses his lightly chapped lips against yours, nipping gently at your bottom lip. Abruptly, you pull away, worried. 

“Kook...what if someone sees?” 

“I got the windows tinted. I got this car for us.” His words resonate throughout the car, and you're afraid he might hear your heart thudding strongly in your chest. You choose to ignore the implications of his words, focusing on his presence and not your treacherous thoughts. 

You give him a chaste kiss on his cheek in reply, sending a smile in his direction. You hope he doesn't see your real emotions swimming in your eyes. “Where are we escaping off to tonight?”  Internally cringing at your careless choice of words, you take off your hoodie and place it at the backseat, along with your purse, all the while giving him a generous display of your cleavage as a distraction.

Jungkook’s tongue darts out to moisten his lips. “I’m having second thoughts now, if we should really leave or not,” he says, unabashedly staring at your chest, eyeing your nipples, pert against the fabric of your low-cut top. “No bra?” 

“You told me you’d be here in twenty minutes, so I had to hurry….” 

“Wearing a bra takes you twenty minutes now?” Jungkook snorts, shaking his head at your lame excuse. 

“Yup, especially when all I could think about is having you take them off. So be grateful, because I’m doing you a favor.” You give him a wink, giggling when he huffs and starts the car. You’ve outwitted him once more. Silently, deep within the recesses of your brain, you wish you had the same amount of control you had over your words with your heart, especially when you’re around Jungkook. 

Connecting your phone to the car’s music player via bluetooth, you scroll through your recents and pick on your favorite playlist when you’re with Jungkook. ‘Sexy Can I’ by Ray J and Yung Berg comes first on shuffle. 

“That sounds like a very promising playlist.” 

Your conversation slowly lulls into silence, the two of you seated there quietly as you feel the enhanced bass reverberate throughout the new car. Leaning against the headrest, you glimpse at the man beside you, studying his features. 

Sometimes you find it funny how never in a million years did you even dream of being this close to the Euphoria crooner. If it wasn’t for your cousin Eunkyung - an idol who debuted the same year as Jungkook did, who’s likewise a very good friend of the latter, then you don't think you would even come close to breathing the same air as the global sensation beside you. 

Judging by the movement of Jungkook’s lips, you reckon he’s been speaking to you for the last five minutes, but you definitely have not processed a single word from him, for all you care. You couldn't blame yourself though, and Jungkook is certainly the one who is to take responsibility for your momentary preoccupation.

“You okay babe?” 

“Mhmmhm” 

If you were going to be completely honest, you were far from okay. Besides the many thoughts swirling inside your head, your trusty menstrual cycle tracker app is telling you that you’re bound to welcome your monthly visitor in a week - which means you’re PMSing - which further means you’re only in one certain state of mind - you’re insatiably horny. 

Unfortunately for you, Jungkook is absolutely no help at all. Not when he constantly looks like sex personified - muscular thighs, veiny arms, the whole package. Plus, there’s something about Jungkook behind the wheel that’s ultimately driving you crazy. 

A major part of it is your hormones for sure, but then again, even your hormones are thirsting over Jungkook driving, veiny forearms on display as he grips the wheel, or the way he backs up with only one hand on the steering wheel, or the way he sometimes keep a hand on your thigh as he drives. The formula is clear: Jeon Jungkook will be the cause of your insanity.

Jungkook pulls up the sleeves of his Carhartt sweater, revealing his nearing full-sleeve-tattooed right arm. The sight instantly makes you water, or wetter. Whichever the case may be. 

You hadn’t seen him in a week, busy working on his mixtape, amongst other stuff. And you miss him terribly, sex with him included. As desperate and slutty that sounds, Jungkook is that type of person that leaves you wanting, yearning for more. 

“What’s going on then?” 

“If this is about Eunkyung…you know we already talked about that…”

“I don’t wanna talk about that, Jungkook.” 

“What’s wrong then?” 

You don’t answer, just silently watching the muscles on his forearm ripple as he pulls on the hand brake when you get to an intersection. You gulp, looking away as you push your thighs together, hoping that somehow the friction will help the desire pooling between your legs. The action doesn't go unnoticed by Jungkook, whose eyes instantly  darken, now all too aware of your state. 

“Tell me what’s wrong baby girl.” 

Your resolve nearly breaks at the pet name, looking out the window to avoid his gaze. The light turns green again, and as he continues to drive, he rests a hand on your exposed thigh, strategically placing it just in the middle, the action gentle, yet enough to add fuel to your frustration. 

His tattooed fingers gingerly trace patterns on your bare thigh. Fuck Jungkook and his thing for skirts. You weren't one to complain about his sexual fantasies though, not when wearing the skirts he buys for you gets you a good fucking afterwards. 

You stay quiet in your seat, not giving the satisfaction that Jungkook gets knowing that he’s getting you all riled up. Two can play at this game. 

Gingerly, you place a hand on top of his, gently guiding his hand north towards your core. The man driving beside you lets out a cough, sitting up straighter. Keeping his hand sliding up until he’s fully cupping your core, Jungkook chokes on thin air as he realizes you’re not wearing panties either. 

“Let me guess, wearing underwear is too mainstream?” 

Shrugging, you spread your legs wider, guiding his fingers to slide against your already glistening folds. A shot of electricity runs through your spine. “Fuck, baby girl, you’ll be the death of me,” Jungkook growls, taking a sharp intake of breath as he teases you, shallowly dipping a digit through your wet cunt. 

“You’re fucking soaked. You seem to enjoy the thought, princess. Christening my car seats like the slut that you are?” He drawls, this time fully pushing a finger in as you get to another stoplight. 

“Jungkook, don’t tease me like that baby.” Biting your lip to stop the moan that’s threatening to spill, your own hand reaches out to grab at Jungkook crotch. He hisses at the sensation. You smirk to yourself. Seems like you’re not the only one who’s greatly affected. 

Encouraged by Jungkook’s reaction, you slip a hand through the waistband of his sweats, taking hold of his already hard cock. “And you’re surprised I don’t wear underwear? Bit rich coming from you now isn’t it?” 

“Better watch your mouth and stop teasing me, baby girl. You might just get punished for that.” 

“And what if I want to get punished?”

Jungkook huffs, pulling out his finger as the light turns orange. He brings his slick-covered finger to your lips, “Suck,” he orders. You oblige, sucking on his slender digit and swirling a tongue around it. 

“You’re in for a fucking treat, naughty girl.” 

It’s green again. With a sigh, Jungkook gets back to driving, this time religiously looking for a discreet place to stop over so he can fuck you properly. He finally finds a filling station, now driving with newly found urgency. 

He parks in one secluded corner of the station, with just a singular parking space separating you from a parked truck, the driver snoring away happily. 

The tension is thick in the air, inevitably making you feel hot even with the air conditioning on full blast. With no words needed to get the message across, you both unbuckle your seatbelts hastily, finding each other in a heated kiss shortly after. 

Making another grab at Jungkook’s dick - outlining against the confines of his Puma sweats, you urge him to pull them down to his thighs so you can have a taste of your alleged ‘treat’. Likewise, he orders you to lift your skirt up, giving him easier access to have you writing on his fingers alone. 

Scooting closer, you bend over the center console, taking Jungkook’s length in your hands. You place a tentative kiss on the tip before diving in, taking his cock inside your mouth. Jungkook lets out a guttural groan at the sensation, taking your hair into his hands, forming a makeshift ponytail on your head. 

“You’re so fucking hot, you know that right?” His head throws back as you take him to the hilt, the tip hitting the back of your throat. At his compliment, you swallow and as you watch Jungkook visibly shudder, you give yourself a mental pat on the back. 

As you continue to bob up and down Jungkook’s length, your hand travels between your legs, fingers easily finding your nether bud. With Jungkook starting to buck his hips upwards, helping you with your task, you quicken the pace of the fingers toying with your clit. You’re so close, but you’re doubtful you’ll even get to orgasm, considering your perched precariously over the console - definitely an uncomfortable position for you to orgasm in. 

Jungkook senses your discomfort and tells you to sit down, and you’ll both do this together. As soon as you get seated, you scoot closer to the middle, when Jungkook’s hand extends to return its attention to your dripping cunt. You give Jungkook’s erection stands tall, likewise calling for attention. Heeding to its silent call, you wrap your fingers around his shaft, stroking his length languidly. 

For a full minute, you both stay like that, trying to get each other to orgasm. Jungkook’s breathing gets labored by the second - the tell-tale signs he’s getting close. As your hand momentarily leaves his dick to massage his balls, his phone blares, startling you both out of your wits. 

Letting out an annoyed huff, he grabs the phone and switches mute button down then thrusting the device somewhere on the dashboard. Pretending as if nothing happened, you continue your handjob until Jungkook can’t take it any longer, pulling you up from your seat and telling you to come and sit on his lap. 

As soon as Jungkook pushes his seat back, you crawl over to his side, unceremoniously sitting on his lap, gyrating your hips as you slide your wet folds against the muscular expanse  of his thigh. You’re almost there, Jungkook taking your breasts in his hands for more stimulation - that is until his phone vibrates loudly against the surface of the dashboard. 

“You should probably get that,” you pull away, retreating to your seat: cockblocked for the second time. You check the dashboard for his phone, and get a glimpse of the caller’s ID on his screen. Eunkyung. 

You place the device into Jungkook’s hands yourself. 

“It’s your girlfriend calling.”

© hhyungz 2020. All rights reserved.

[ashistrashhh]

here are some fic recs!! including sakuatsu, bokuaka, kuroken and matsuhana bc i couldnt help myself

if you want, ask me about a certain ship and ill give you some recs!

-sakuatsu-

Marble and Sandstone by red_camellia

rating: G words: 12,937 chapters: 2/2 

author summary: Miya Atsumu only cares about volleyball and nothing else. That is, until he develops a strange obsession with the marble statue of a young man that seems vaguely familiar in his university's arts department. One day that statue comes alive as the very real Sakusa Kiyoomi, and they are left with the mystery of why Sakusa Kiyoomi was turned into a statue and only came back to life when Atsumu touched him. Their new-found connection and the strange mystery turns Atsumu's life upside down, not least because of his growing feelings for Sakusa.

my notes: this was a rlly cute fic!!! 11/10 would read again!!

let it go (paint my body gold) by lunarism

rating: T words: 3,272 chapters: 1/1

author summary: It becomes a routine for them. Sometimes they go grocery shopping and make dinner together, other times they end up talking until Sakusa feels like his own shower and bed is calling him. Every single time Sakusa gets home, shrugs his coat off, balls it up, and proceeds to scream profusely into the fabric for a few minutes.

my notes: pining!!! sakusa!!! also casual painter!atsumu!!! and they paint together!!!

craft a miracle with these hands, lips, (silence) by chrysanthe (sonderesque)

rating: T words: 4,252 chapters: 1/1

author summary: ‘Someone is here to ruin your night,’ his door tells him. ‘You should let them in.’ “I’M HOMELESS OMI-OMI. HOMELESS,” yells the one here to ruin his night. “LET ME IN.”

(What does Kiyoomi sell his sanctuary for?)

my notes: hnnn rlly fuckin cute,, and domestic,,,,

Clipped To You by littleboat

rating: T words: 8,174 chapters: 1/1

author summary: It starts with Hinata Natsu, of all people.

Well, if Atsumu’s being honest with himself, it started way before that, but he’s not, so that’s besides the point. And thankfully, he’s just petty enough to blame all of his problems on a thirteen year old girl.

or Sakusa starts wearing hair clips and Atsumu is more than a little obsessed

my notes: minor kagehina, bokuaka // god these fics rlly make me simp for fictional characters even more than i should. but!! sakusa!!! in hairclips!!! and a pining atsumu!!!

learn how to lay me down in something other than danger, other than fury by rosevtea 

words: 34,211 chapters: 1/1

author summary: All of the ways fellow college TA Miya Atsumu reinvents Kiyoomi's definition of normal.

my notes: god i loved this. it’s a fake dating au and like,, even though they’re “dating” sakusa keeps letting his guard down little by little around atsumu and it surprises everyone. komori and akaashi just know  that they’re were genuinely pining for eachother

among probabilities and a thousand fates by aalphard

rating: T words: 15,675 chapters: 1/1

author summary: prompt fill for “in a world where the red string of fate exists, person a’s finger always twitches when person b, who can see the string, tugs on their string” | or sakusa thought he had a tic and atsumu liked to see his confused expression when it started to happen exclusively when he was around.

my notes: i! loved! it!! so basically atsumu and osamu have the rare gift of seeing the red string of fate, so they know its real but sakusa, like most other people dont believe it exists. so atsumu gives sakusa a (kinda) hard time. rlly cute!! i love soulmate aus!

-bokuaka- 

love in the time of wifi by dalyeau

rating: G words: 4,177 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Akaashi is coming to terms with the fact that he might be romantically interested in his volleyball captain. Hence, doing what any sixteen year old with a problem should do. He asks about it online.

my notes: really cute fic about akaashi asking what he should do about his crush on a site similar to reddit. its kinda a “i didnt know it was you” kind of fic and it made me happy

steam by orphan_account

rating: E words: 8,474 chapters: 1/1

author summary:

 bokuto: why is he so hot bokuto: why am i so gay kuroo: LMAO you mean your vice captain right bokuto: yeah

The coach blew the whistle for practice to begin, and Bokuto drummed his fingers against the bleachers, awaiting Kuroo’s reply. He was about to walk away, when his phone buzzed in his hand.kuroo: i got this bro bokuto: what bokuto: wtf does that mean

Bokuto started to panic.

my notes: explicit!!! but really wholesome. kuroo is honestly the best wingman. i also think this is my favourite bokuaka smutfic?? 

just to miss the sun by rosevtea

rating: T words: 15,126 chapters:1/1

author summary: Everything begins to implode when MSBY Jackals outside hitter Bokuto Koutarou crashes Akaashi's livestream.

my notes: akaashi is a booktuber and bokuto crashes one of his streams. fans begin to speculate. rlly fluffy and can u tell i like bokuaka

brain fish by iceblinks

rating: T words: 12,026 chapters: 6/6

author summary: Akaashi wakes up to a string of texts from an unknown number. 

my notes: i love text fics and i love wrong number aus so u can tell how much i loved this. really fluffy and i come back to it time to time

-kuroken-

us three by honey_s

rating: T words: 5,137 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Kuroo’s gaze flits over to the utensil. His eyes bulge out of his skull. “Wh—is that a meat hammer? Put it back!” Akaashi’s head recoils back in confusion. “I don’t understand the problem here.” “Why on Earth have you got a fucking meat hammer? We aren’t going to kill somebody!” “Well,” Akaashi begins, clearly taken aback, “I apologise for assuming. I had heard Kenma-san had been hurt in school and after getting a message from both of you to meet late at night, I merely filled in the blanks and assumed we were going to beat someone up, for lack of a better term.” “Not literally! I meant metaphorically, or figuratively, or something!” “Idiomically?” “That isn’t a word, Bokuto-san.” “Jesus Christ,” Kuroo groans, dropping his head into his hands. “We're going to jail."

my notes: bokuaka and kuroo are ready to beat someone up for kenma!! and we stan!! 

Cherry Pits and Cat Tattoos by strawberryriver

rating: G words: 6,141 chapters: 1/1

author summary: 

Kuroo has been in communication with his soulmate ever since they were kids. They've known each other for so long that he never really worried about when or how he would meet them. At least, not until he meets the roommate of Bokuto's soulmate.Soulmate AU in which things written on your skin show up on your soulmate. Companion piece/same AU as Serendipty

--------------------

Kuroo Tetsurou liked to write on his arms. Despite his mother's half-serious warnings about “ink poisoning” or staining his skin, he insisted on marking his arms and legs wherever he could. Not like his best-friend-since-always Bokuto Koutaro, who had to write on his arms or he’d forget to breathe, but artfully. He’d draw designs, animals, the occasional chemical compound. The whole idea behind soulmates fascinated him: how one person could mark their arm and someone potentially thousands of miles away, would have that same mark appear. The amount of articles, studies, and books he’d read about the topic, even at a young age, could put an undergrad researcher to shame.

my notes: again with the soulmate au bc i cannot help myself. but really cute!!! probably gonna read this again later!

Boom, Toasted by protostar (hearthope)

rated: T words: 6,782 chapters: 1/1

author summary:

 FROM: yuuji any bets on who hes texting??

FROM: eita He's smiling at his phone. Kuroo, probably

FROM: kentarou Kuroo

TO: fake family Have any of you ever once considered not prying

FROM: eita You deserve it

FROM: yuuji how can we not when ur in love!!

Kenma gets a text from an unknown number. He'd be lying if he said the guy behind it wasn't kind of endearing.

my notes: again, i love wrong number texts. it focuses more on kenma’s friendship, but kenma’s pov with texting kuroo is more than him realizing feelings and stuff. really cute, ive read it multiple times. 

Japan's most subscribed by NeverNothing

rating: T words: 3,631 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Kuroo Tetsurou @blacktetsurou changed his bio : volleyball player, co-owner of Bouncing Ball Corp. and so much more ;)

my notes: i! love! social media! fics!!! really cute and basically people wondering who the mysterious kuroo is to applepi. 

MATSUHANA!!! the underrated gem

texting (with a capital S) by parenthetic

rating: M words: 2,119 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Hanamaki breaks his No Texting In Class rule, and it's all downhill from there.

my notes: honestly more funny than it suggests, but its matsuhana, they’re meme lords.

rated m for by orphan_account

rated: T words: 10,692 chapters: 1/1

author summary: He should have known that there was a Specific Reason™ why it was so absolutely vital that he and Matsukawa specifically meet for a reading of the script. He should have known that there had to be some evil catch beyond sitting in a tiny, cramped studio with his newly sworn enemy.

Hanamaki stares at the title of the script he’d so gracefully neglected the night before.

FORBIDDEN PARADISE

“Excuse me,” Hanamaki starts, raising a pen in the air while staring blankly at the packet in his free hand. “Just to clarify, you want me to record a boy's love CD with Matsukawa?”

my notes: a very good voice actor au. there is some misunderstanding on hanamaki’s part bc he didnt finish listening to matsukawa, and this is really cute and i love matsuhana. 

In A Quiet Night, All Sounds Carry by levyovochka

rating: E words: 4,794 chapters: 1/1

authors summary: “Ah, ah, Too—!”

Hanamaki hates his university dorm.

“—ru, let me cum, please!”

Hold up. That’s a fucking understatement. Let him rephrase it: Hanamaki loathes his university dorm with passion. Detest the damned abomination, abhors it—

“—ru! Coming, coming—”

It has only been a month and Hanamaki already wants to die.

my notes: as u can guess minor iwaoi // rlly well written and bottom hanamaki rights and maybe my favourite matsuhana smutfic??? and hooh boy i simp for matsukawa

call me maybe by totooru

rating: T words: 33,689 chapters: 14/14

author summary: Hanamaki texts the wrong number when trying to extort tips out of Oikawa in order to defeat Iwaizumi in arm wrestling, and then continues to text the witty stranger who had answered.

my notes: minor iwaoi, daisuga, bokuaka // god i think this is my favourite matsuhana fic overall, maybe in general, but my god is it great. this is probably a common rec, but its understandable as to why it is. basically au where makki texts matsun (who goes to karasuno) instead of oikawa for tips to beat iwaizumi at an arm wrestling match. but they keep messaging. and holy shit i love their conversations. please read this, it is 256/10

there we go!! i might go a part two with more ships (kagehina, tsukkiyama and iwaoi) but this took up way to much time lol. i have an essay due in a couple hours. but hope u like these fics as much as i do!!

[youreonlylow]

Hey ! Can you do a continuation of the story w Lucas borrowing Elliot’s jacket and Elliot is acting a bit odd ! Idk if you’ve already done it so I’m sorry if that’s the case ! ❣️

Hey! I haven’t done one yet but even if I had it’s no reason to apologize! I would have just linked it to you💕

It gets a little r rated in the end I hope you dont mind! It will be after the cut so you dont have to read it if you dont want to!

I’m planning on writing a third part to this later. Sorry if there are stupid mistakes I wrote this on my phone because I had a lot of time on public transport lol.

Part 1 

When Lucas returned home after a long day, he found Eliott’s apartment empty. Well, it was theirs now. Technically. They had moved in together a few months after getting together. Which was fast and stupid but after Manon permanently moved into the coloc he had offered her his room, he would move in with Eliott.

Normally Lucas wouldn’t think too much of it. Eliott often went to cafes or the library to work on assignments or meet up with his old friends he had reunited with.

Even the atelier was frequented when he had big art projects that took up a lot of space and time.

But Eliott had seemed a little off when Lucas had left him this morning. He quickly texted Eliott about where he was and if he would be home for dinner.

Lucas situated himself on the couch to relax before starting his homework or dinner. He hadn’t decided yet.

A few episodes of Rick and Morty later, Eliott still hadn’t responded. He decided to call him. The dial tone continued for a while and Lucas grew more and more worried. Finally, Eliott picked up.

“Hey, babe! Sorry I didn’t hear the phone I have music playing,” Eliott said the second he picked up, “Why are you calling me? I miss you!”

“I just wanted to know where you were… If you were going to be back for dinner?” Lucas replied cautiously.

“Yeah! What’s the time? I haven’t look at my phone since I got here, I am at the atelier!”

“It’s almost seven. When will you be finished for today?”

“I am almost done! Wait till you see this! The sketch I did this morning was nothing compared to how this painting will be!”

“Okay… Let me know when you leave, then I will cook something. Love you,” Lucas said.

“Yeah, definitely! I will! I love you, so much! Bye!” Eliott hung up.

Lucas looked at his phone as if it held the answers. He had gone through a manic episode with Eliott only once before since he found out about his bipolar disorder. He didn’t feel comfortable assuming that was what was happening since Eliott could just be in a good mood just like anyone else could. He wouldn’t say anything. It wasn’t his place, not really.

He waited an hour without any information from Eliott. He wanted to call him again but he also didn't want to smother Eliott. He knew where Eliott was and he was safe.

Twenty minutes later a text from Eliott came through.

I lost track of time and now I am so far I might as well finish it. Can’t wait for you to see it!

Lucas looked at the message and replied. He got up and made some easy dinner for himself and got started on his homework.

It got late and Lucas was really tired from school and a bunch of homework. The final year was draining him more than he liked to admit. He decided to go to bed and wait for Eliott there. A little nap was fine.

When he woke again the other side of the bed remained empty. He checked his phone. 00:36 it read. He was worried about Eliott. Sure, Eliott had a portfolio assignment but he wouldn’t stay that late would he? Lucas sent a text to Eliott but he got no reply. He decided to just go back to sleep since he had school in the morning.

He was woken up a few hours later by Eliott’s arms wrapping around him. Eliott kissed the nape of his neck. Lucas hummed but he was barely awake.

“Why are you back so late?” He mumbled out.

“I was working but I’m here now. With you.” Eliott whispered, his hands wandering, one down to the edge of Lucas’s boxers the other up under his t-shirt to his chest.

“Eliott… It’s late… I am tired,” Lucas said halfheartedly.

Lucas couldn’t help but react to Eliott’s touch. He knew he should just sleep since he had school tomorrow. But he had missed Eliott and he couldn’t deny that he wanted Eliott as well.

“But we haven’t seen each other all day… And seeing you in my jacket left me all excited…”

Eliott’s fingers danced around the edge oh Lucas’s boxers right were the leg meets the hip, knowing it’s a soft spot for Lucas.

Silently asking for permission. A small gasp left Lucas’s lips. Fuck it. He will just be tired tomorrow it’s fine.

“Okay.”

As soon as Lucas gave Eliott the green light his hand dived down.

“You know how many times I have had to get off today because of this morning? I can’t get it out of my head.”

Lucas moaned and let out a little laugh along with, “What? Do you want me to wear it next time?”

Eliott moaned loudly and bucked his hips against Lucas searching for some friction.

Lucas giggled at the reaction and Eliott let out a little chuckle as well.

Eliott’s hand disappeared and Lucas let out what was going to be a whine but it was smushed as Eliott reached over Lucas, pushing his body into the mattress, trying to grab the bottle of lube.

“Eliott. I am too tired for that. I don’t think my body can take it. Literally.”

“That is fine, that wasn’t what I had in mind.”

Lucas turned his head around to look at Eliott now that he had returned behind him. A question on his face. He could barely make out Eliott’s face but he was grinning. Probably.

To answer Lucas’s question Eliott simply slid a flat hand in between Lucas’s thighs. Looking Lucas in his eyes to get permission.

“Oh. Yeah, that’s fine.” Lucas smiled at Eliott who sent that sun-like smile back at him. It was gonna be messy and gross because Lucas knew he’d be too tired to shower after. He would just deal with it in the morning.

Eliott dragged down their boxers and started rubbing some lube between Lucas’s thighs. When he was done he put a bit more on his hand and wrapped it around Lucas. A steady pace building.

Eliott moaned as he slipped in between Lucas’s thighs. He matched the pace he had on Lucas.

Eliott was loud and Lucas not much better. It had been a while due to school work and their uneven schedules.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” Eliott muttered out.

Lucas chuckled, “Yeah, I think I do if that thing between my thighs is anything to go off of.”

Eliott laughed a little, “I’m close,” he picked up the speed.

“Me too.”

The room filled with their moans and soon Eliott picked up the pace again.

A loud moan and the warmth that pooled between Lucas’s thighs let him know that Eliott had finished. Eliott then turned his attention fully to Lucas urging him on and Lucas soon followed.

After they finished, Lucas was exhausted. He could feel how sticky it was between his thighs and on the sheets in front of him, but he was too tired to do anything.

But Eliott got up and went into the bathroom. He returned with a hot damp towel and a fresh pair of underwear.

“Let me clean you up. It can’t be nice sleeping like that.”

Lucas opened his eyes and turned on his back. Eliott lifted off the covers and bent Lucas knees so he could get better access. The hot towel felt nice and once he was somewhat cleaned off, Eliott pushed a pair of boxers onto him.

“You okay?” Lucas asked, looking at the boy in front of him. Eliott crossed his arms and put them on Lucas’s knee, resting his head on them. A curious look on his face.

“I am great. Now sleep, you have school tomorrow.”

Lucas accepted the answer for now. If this continued he’d talk to Eliott. For now, he’d just let him be happy. He didn’t seem like he would do something irrational and potentially dangerous. At least not yet.

“You get some sleep too, it’s late.”

Eliott flipped the sheets, they would be washed in the morning.

He lied down next to Lucas, turning on his side to look at him. Lucas was already falling asleep. What a beautiful boy.

[survivor-iceland]

Ep. 3 - “hopefully failure does not turn into fracture” - John

Dylan C

oh nvm, it was Jack lol

Timmy

I was half a second from muting Ellie on my own during the tribal. Also JACK LEFT 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

John

first vote, check. first blindside, check. feels good knowing i helped spearhead the vote flip from stephen onto jack, but if jack comes back he might be out for blood. luckily enough for us worms, the vote morphed into a 7/1 landslide, so he might come after maynor or stephen or keith before me and my peeps. but only time will tell.

Timmy

ELLIE DRINK WATER CHALLENGE, DO THAT CHALLENGE

Keith John

Last night was a tough vote. Jack made people paranoid. Even though i wanted him to stay. No one in my alliance felt easy with him. Even though i wanted jack around as he was good in chllenge and wanted to work with me. But it is what it is. 

Raffy

I finally managed to get into an alliance with Ellie and Timmy. Though it is not the biggest, I feel confident that these two will serve me well, at least in the premerge. It's called the Just Go For It Alliance, courtesy of Timmy. And we almost got caught forming it because of Cormac which is iconic. Speaking of him, I don't really know what to make of him. He's very... weird. Like it's hard talking to him, but I feel the same way about Keith so whatever. Plus, I don't really trust Cormac considering he basically made a day 1 alliance with two people on my tribe and Sierra. I need to keep an attentive eye on him.

Ellie

I am so immensely thankful for the tribe call last night. It was filled with things I needed to hear, of course we joked around with the fact that I can’t turn on a stove but I was also so thankful for the amazing people in the call making sure that I take care of myself which I haven’t been doing lately. Life has been really hard on me and it feels like a never get a break, sometimes I neglect taking care of myself because I feel that I physically and mentally can’t. I function on caffeine and I get 2-5 hours of sleep on a good night. Last night was kind of a wake up call because I learned that I am putting myself in danger by neglecting myself and my needs. It was really hard for me to accept that but I feel like I have bonded with these people BEYOND the game, they feel like my family now. Life sucks and I get really unmotivated sometimes and can’t bring myself to get out of bed or even eat, but I’ve gotten a lot better and I hope to continue getting better and the people in that call have already played a huge part in that by motivating me to care about my wellbeing and take care of myself, I will always be thankful for that. 

Raffy

I feel like I am bonding well with people? It's hard to get a read on some of them, but I think it's fine for now. Other than that, John came up to me asking for a game bond that I thought we already have. Either way, that seems to be my way into an alliance with him. Hopefully we can grow our numbers and build a trustworthy yet powerful group. We're suspecting a swap pretty soon so I hope that I've bonded with the right people in order to be successful.

Dylan C

I haven’t been socializing enough lately with anyone, and wasn’t going to today but then today was Yikes so. I did miss the tribe call for the challenge because I was on the phone with my friend. Maybe I could’ve made it but eh. Hopefully that one point isn’t going to make or break us. And if it did, well I’ve also done a lot for this challenge already soooo

Ellie

I’m going to be picking flour out of my eyebrows for days

Raffy

I hope we win the challenge. I'm kind of scared that so many things were left blank, but this has got to be enough

Dylan C

BITCH

several of us on this tribe were just on a call saying we didn't wanna vote anyone out smh

I keep agreeing when people say they can't come up with a name for tribal but I do actually have one in mind. I'd say Justin since he seems to be around somewhat less, but it's still not great. I mean, I'd rather not vote anyone

So I've talked with Raffy and Joseph and they agree w/Justin. Haven't specifically mentioned names with anyone else. Ellie says she's just going to listen, and not throw out any names. Also didn't ask my thoughts lol. I'll expand on this more when I record my next video confessional

Timmy

Ughhh we lost, I say we but like I did nothing for the challenge so I was a big contributor to the loss. But now people want justin out and like Justin wants to work with me so I’m not here for that. Honestly I have an alliance that will half the tribe after tomorrow so i would like to have a majority group with him, but I’m still in a good spot without him here. I would rather get Joseph or Dylan R out this round though.

John

okay so apparently cormac wants sierra out after stephen now which is news to me. i just agreed and nodded and was like “okay cool” bc i don’t want to draw negative attention towards myself by acting like i’m trying to protect them, but like i don’t think blindsiding them would be the best move? this game is going to get crazy quick. plus if he’s thinking of taking them out, what if all of a sudden they wanna flip on me? in engineering terms, cracks are propagating on the surface of the material, and it’s not long until failure occurs. hopefully failure does not turn into fracture.

Timmy

Joseph and I haven’t spoken in a few days yet he messages just saying “so, tribal” in bold and I’m like wtf like I’m not gonna talk to you about tribal yet, I need to see if I can trust you first.

Dylan C

What is the big risk I'm taking for the idol and risking my vote at tribal? A fucking puzzle with a shit ton of blue sky and snow, and the piece are weird and r o t a t e. I'm not getting this shit done by 11pm tomorrow! Not when I'm in classes all day, and then have DnD not long after. And I made an account to save my progress, putting my name in it so if I do finish and end up on the leaderboard for someone else to see. You know what I've got tonight? BDE. That's right: big dummy energy. At least the vote seems almost unanimous at this point, so that could easily change, but if it goes like it seems like it will then my vote won't matter too much.

Dylan C

41 minutes and 40 second in, 32%, brain is fried JustinAlright so I am a bit nervous for this tribal considering I have not been too active for this round, but I am still confident I can move the target onto someone else. I was thinking I can possibly get people to vote out Dylan R considering he has been more inactive than I have. Although, the other tribe blindsiding Jack makes me weary because it might have caused people on my tribe to make a move against a more active player. So, I need to be on my toes to make sure that is not me. Also, remember how I said I want to work with Timmy? Well I messaged that bitch asking if he wants to work with me officially, but he hasn't answered even though he has been online since I have sent the message. So, honestly I might try to target him considering he has not been super active either.

Keith John

I have been a bit busy these past few days, havnt spoken to everyone much. Good thing we won immunity. So scrambling is at its minimum. i got a feeling a swap is coming up. Makes me nervous. I dont have many connections on the other side.

Except Justin, spoke to him a few times. Raffy and Ellie I spoke to but they feel like people who talk to everyone. so I dont know if they have my back. Whilst Timmy even didnt reply to my hi. As guess he is clear about not working with me

Stephen

Hi. My name is Mr Immune, which I almost misspelt as Mt Immune, wouldn’t that be entertaining? Anyway the tribes feeling good, John and Sierra are cool, Zoes nice, Maynors nice but oddly distant. Everythings middle of the road atm, nothing great but nothing sucky. I’ll probably try and cruise for a bit on social connections until swap or something equally spicy pops up.

Maynor

I have continued doing the puzzles and I have 3 of them left. Hopefully the idol isnt found yet. We’ll see. Im so happy we were able to win immunity cuz i was slowly freaking out that Jack said my name. Atleast i just screamed inside my head and didnt become as paranois as Jack. He literally made himself the target. Everyone agreed on Stephen then his paranoia happened and it switched onto him.

P.S. ❤️ Jay

Sierra

After Jack got voted out, I was worried that we were going to lose the next challenge. I was so relieved when we actually pulled through and won! We all really worked so hard to win that one... and even though I’m in an alliance, I’d rather not have to test things again just yet.

Raffy

God I hate tribal. It’s ugly. Though I instantly have a name in mind: Justin. He’s the person I trust the least and have talked to the least. I talked to Ellie and Dylan C about it. They seemed to be on board with the whole thing. We just need one more vote which should be easy to get. After all, I am in an alliance with Timmy, so it should be easy for me to get four votes. I’m just hoping that he doesn’t have an idol.

Last night, I was talking to Dylan a little bit. Apparently, they are are scared that they haven’t been added to any alliances and they feel like alliances are being made. So I suggested making an alliance with them and I. They’re in a vulnerable position which is great for me since it means they’ll be more willing to work with me. After tribal, I’m hoping that we can create an alliance together with some other people. I’m excited!!!

Ellie

So it’s between Justin and Dylan R and I have the deciding vote?? More drama coming soon

Justin

Ok these bitches are making me mad. I approached Ellie and Dylan C for alliances. Luckily, they both said yes to individual alliances, but as soon as I brought up the idea for all of us to join together plus Raffy they go mute. That is definitely concerning, but I brought up Dylan R’s name to all three as a target this vote and I can only hope they stick to their word to vote them out. I also made an official alliance with Keith, and he spilled the beans that he has been talking to Raffy a bit which makes me nervous. However, I have changed my stance on Raffy because he actually talks to me quite a lot. But, I am aware he is definitely playing this game hard and is talking to almost everyone. That is why I want to keep him close for the time being and then perhaps blindside him in a swap or early merge. Back to Keith tho, he is ITCHING to make a move. He told me it is his first time playing an ORG and he definitely wants to blindside people which as long as it ain’t me I’m good.

Joseph Collins

Me and Elle have been working so good together. I hope she doesn’t stab me in the back lol. The tribe consensus was Justin but I flipped them all to Dylan r. Blindsideeeeee coming. Hahahahaha. *evil laugh* *winky face

Joseph Collins

Lemme break down how I flipped the vote. I just told Dylan c that “look. I respect you. And I’d want someone to do this for me. The tide’s changing and I think the vote is gonna be Dylan R tonight. I don’t want you to be left out of a vote because I wanted to work with you so I feel like you should know” that establishes trust and kinda gets Dylan to switch her vote

John

i’m ready to make a legitimate move in this game. but it’s all about timing. our best move, if we lose again, is sending stephen outta here. WITH THAT BEING SAID, it’s on after that. bring on the bloodbath. not everything will be happy go lucky for long.

Joseph Collins

I orchestrated this blindside and took no credit in my voting message. Like a true mastermind. *maniacal laugh*

Justin

Biiiiiiiitch. I just found out bitches have been conspiring against me cuz of the time zone difference. So, I was right for being paranoid omg. The person who initially told me was Joseph of all people which was shocking since I probably talk to him the least besides Dylan R. But, I’m glad he did and then Timmy further confirmed it which I’m like hello again Timmy it’s been a bit bud. From what they have told me is that the majority is still on Dylan R. and I talked to Dylan C. about the vote and I straight up talked about the time zone difference not being an issue. They said they have a friend in Scotland so it doesn’t bother them so if at least those three and myself vote Dylan R. then I should be good.

Raffy

The tribe has switched their mentality and have decided to go with Dylan R. with this vote which I am fine with considering he does not talk to me at all either. Plus, Justin came up to me asking if we could align together in this game which is always a good sign. So, I was more inclined to keep him throughout the day. Either way, I think I should be safe at this tribal council.

Zoe

I’m a wild bitch.

For the scavenger hunt challenge, I definitely got a tattoo (of the water tribe symbol from avatar, don’t @ me) for a whopping 20 points, and we definitely won the challenge. While riding on that high I accidentally talked about the idol hunt and got a strike from the god-host, which made me feel like the ultimate failure. Other than that, I have several strong alliances which I am confident in going into the swap.

Dylan C

https://youtu.be/gpUevTrixLo

https://youtu.be/_Qpn_dE6fxs

Not feeling like typing this up in detail but the vote has now changed to Dylan R and I’m down with/that. I talked to some people about it and they agree. Joseph messaged me and was like “I feel I have to tell you since you said you wanted to vote Justin.” I was like “that’s sweet but I already knew.” And kinda tried to play it off after that like I’m a little worse at socializing than I actually am but idk how well that worked. I really should’ve made this confession 5 hours ago but oh well. (Those videos were filmed almost 12 hours ago). 

Dylan C

I actually finished the fucking puzzle and I can’t believe it. Also if I hadn’t, it would’ve counted against me next tribal, not tonight’s. Either way, I’m not losing that vote via that puzzle babey. 

[rndomdragon]

Chocolate Bunnies -part 3 of 4

(Ao3 -> http://archiveofourown.org/works/10634205/chapters/23601789) - "Darlin, wake up. Happy Easter." McCree placed a kiss on top of Hanzo's head, only to have his own head smacked away. "Ow! What was that for?" "Go back to sleep, McCree. It's our day off." Hanzo turned around, hogging all the blankets to himself on their shared bed. "That ain't nice. Well I'm going out. Reyes probably got some wild party going on." He got up and shuffled to the washroom, giving his scruffy beard a mini trim then pulling a shirt over his head and put some pants on. He took one one step out the door and- bam! He was hit in the face with confetti. "What in the world?" A piece of paper hung from an exploded canister above his head that read: "Come to the recreational room for the egg hunt! Happy Easter! -the little shits." His best guess was that the canister was rigged to shoot confetti at him when the door opened. "Hey Hanzo, you might want to come see this. Genji's probably involved in this." - "Bastion, my friend," Zenyatta called to the other omnic. "I just received word from Genji that there is a party that we were invited to. Let us go." "01000001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110011 01110101 01110010 01100101 00111111?" "Yes of course I am. Genji would never put either of us in harm's way." He headed toward the door of their shared room and turned the door handle. "Come on." "01001110 01101111," Bastion beeped frantically. "00100000 01110111 01100001 01110100 01100011 01101000 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100!" "Nonsense." Zenyatta pushed the door open with Bastion beeping warnings behind him. Confetti showered down upon him. "Ah, what a pleasant surprise! No fear Bastion. This is not ment to harm us." "01010111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00111111?" The other omnic pointed to a piece of paper hanging from the ceiling. "It reads 'Come to the recreational room for the egg hunt! Happy Easter!' It sounds fun." "01001001 00100000 01000001 01001101 00100000 01101111 01101110 01101100 01111001 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101." "Of course. After you." - "Hm." Reinhardt looked over at Ana, who was frowning in thought at the tablet in her hands. "Is something the matter?" "No. Nothing's wrong." Ana looked up at him with a strange look in her eye. "Fareeha just told me that there's something dangerous outside our room. I'm going to check it out." "What? No!" Reinhardt got to his feet, puffing his chest out proudly. "Allow me!" He marched over to their extra large door and swung it open with full force. Nothing was there. He looked around confused, until he heard the multiple pops going off, followed by a shower of confetti raining down on his head. "What is this?" He looked back at Ana who was trying to cover her smile with a hand. "It looks like we are invited to a party." She pointed to the note hanging from the door. He looked at her, dumbstruck as she flipped over her tablet, showing the message from Fareeha that read: "I've got something out the door that will scare our big lion." - //chatroom.private server 33.43. connection secure\\ [[Opening: 8:46am]] rabbit: set ups done in the rec room rabbit: what about the hunt sonic: yes ;) dr.eggman: ive tagged most of the eggs locations dr.eggman: wtf is my name? rabbit: lol [\\ dr.eggman changed their name to Sombra //] Sombra: why the fuck does everyone have a code name? rabbit: it might not be safe rabbit: u know hackers and stuff Sombra: dude Sombra: r u still salty? froggy: GUYS froggy: no fighting pls sparrow: get to positions sparrow: i need help with package Sombra: wtf is package edgelord: im coming. edgelord: if u damage it ill kill u. Sombra: and why isnt everyones name capped? rabbit: u would know if u payed attention sparrow: GUYS THEY R HERE sparrow: WHREE IS EVERYONE Sombra: just go urself sparrow: i sparrow: i cant sonic: why not?? XD sparrow: pls lena sparrow: dont do this sonic: no Sombra: ? bird: Don't worry. Angela and I are here. angel: We'll stall for time. sonic: wait for me sonic: ill b there [[Closure: 8:52am]] - McCree walked into the recreational room, not knowing what to expect. He knew for sure that Reyes wouldn't have missed an opportunity to help with the party, but when he stepped into the room, he was shocked. Usually Reyes would go over the top, hanging a huge inflatable ballon on the ceiling, or covering the lights with some kind of film to make the room all red. But everything looked normal. Everything was normal. Streamers hung off the ceiling, tables were covered with table cloth. Food was placed neatly in rows, next to baskets that he assumed were for the egg hunt. Not a single thing looked out of place. That was what scared him the most. Or perhaps Reyes had changed. As Reaper, he probably didn't celebrate a lot of parties back in Talon. Maybe he had lost his edge. Very unlikely, though. He saw Soldier 76 looking around, his eyes scanning the ceiling and the floors, looking for anything that seemed out of place. Guess he didn't feel this was right either. Angela and Fareeha smiled at them from the centre of the room. Angela, as always, he couldn't read, but Fareeha had that look on her face. The one where something big was about to happen. It was unsettling. More people filled into the room, and he noticed that most of them seemed to be covered in confetti as well. Looks like he wasn't the only one who got special treatment. "Good morning!" Everyone looked around to see who had spoken. Tracer stood at the door, a pair of orange bunny ears shoved into her wind blown hair. "You all here for the Easter egg hunt, eh?" She walked to the table with the baskets. "Gather around. Angela here will explain the rules." "Okay, so, first things first. No weapons or explosives. This is a friendly competition." Junkrat whined in the background. Ever the diplomat, Angela was. Always looking out for other people, McCree thought. He wished more people were like her, himself included. He let her voice fade into the background as he bent down to look under the table. There must be something they were hiding. "Jesse," Hanzo spoke from behind him. "What are you doing?" "What?" He tried to get up too fast, bumping his head on the table. "Ow! I was just looking for something-" he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Hanzo. "That I dropped." "Oh. Let me help." His boyfriend bent down as well, squatting down next to him. "Oh, no, no. It's okay, I found it." McCree quickly got up putting his hat back on his head. "Yeah, um- the Easter hunt thing? You wanna do it together?" "If you want to." "Great." McCree pulled his hat down to cover his red face. He was just being paranoid. Too many years living on the run. Just focus on the egg hunt. "We still need two more people in our team, then," Hanzo sighed, looking around the room. "What?" He looked at McCree, his face impassive. "Angela said the rules were that we are to be in teams of four to six. Were you not listening?" "Would ya be a darlin' and tell me them again?" Hanzo sighed. "We have five minutes to pick a team then an hour to find as many eggs as we can. No stealing from other teams and have fun." "Don't forget that the team with most eggs win," Zenyatta spoke from the side. There was an awkward pause between the two groups before the omnic spoke up again. "Bastion and I are two team members short. Could we perhaps join teams?" "That's a mighty fine idea." He looks over to Hanzo. "Is that okay with you, honey?" "Yes." "Great! Now we got ourselves a team!" McCree paused. "We're missing something… a team name!" Bastion raises their hand, looking between all of them. "01001000 01101111 01110111 00100000 01100001 01100010 01101111 01110101 01110100 '01001110 01100001 01110100 01110101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100010 01110101 01100100 01100100 01101001 01100101 01110011'?" "I think that is a wonderful name, Bastion," Zenyatta complements, nodding his head. "Are you two okay with that?" "Um… sure?" McCree stared back at them, dumbfounded. He looked at Hanzo but he just shrugged. "Alright, Nature Buddies, it is!" Zenyatta floated away to retrieve a basket. "Nature buddies? What, no!" McCree started after Zenyatta when Bastion stepped in front of him and let out an angry beep, their light turned red. "Okay, okay jeez. Nature buddies it is." - "Symmetra, will you be in a group with me?" She looked down at Mei, the shorter woman smiling hopefully at her. "Of course." She looked around at the other people getting together as a group. "We would still need two more people for our group to be complete." "Oh, Zarya there is alone. Maybe we should ask her!" Mei walked over to the Russian with a smile on her face. In a matter of seconds, the small Chinese woman came back holding the hand of a red-faced Zarya. "We would still need one more person." Symmetra frowned, looking around. Who else would join them? "Oi, girly! Lookin' for a group?" A loud voice with an Australian accent cut through the air, making her wince. "Me and Roady need one and ya look short a person." Symmetra opened her mouth to object, but Mei answered before her. "Of course! We would love to have you guys!" No. She wouldn't stand for this. How could they possibly work together? The junkers would just put her off balance. They looked so dirty and unclean. What if they accidentally brushed against her? The thought made her shiver. "I'll be my pleasure to work with you." The skinnier junker took her hand and kissed it. Her mouth fell open in shock, and he winked at her, moving away to retrieve a basket. It was utterly disgusting, the place where his lips made contact with her hand. Symmetra urged to wash it off or at least rub the spot with her hand. She was disgusted, yet, why were her cheeks flushed red? - //chatroom.private server 33.43. connection secure\\ [[Opening: 8:59am]] sonic: race about to start sonic: be ready to move sparrow: ok sparrow: reaps is here w me rabbit: dont screw this up genju rabbit: dont get seen sparrow: believe me I dont wanna Sombra: the trackers on the baskets r working Sombra: race started froggy: get movin [[Closure: 9:02am]] - "Found one!" Reinhardt smiled, picking a small pink plastic egg up in his hand. He turned back to the rest of the group, proudly placing it into the basket in Soldier 76's hands. He was so proud right up to the point where 'little' Fareeha and Angela came floating out of the sky, their arms filled with little multicoloured eggs. "We found some hidden in the cliff face." "That's my daughter," Ana beamed, smiling at the two woman. "Don't know about you two, but our victory looks quite assured to me with these two on our side." Soldier laughed and patted him on the back before stepping forward to collect the eggs from Fareeha and Angela. He met the younger Amari's eye, seeing the coy smile playing on her face. As Hana would say, game on. - "Where shall we go first?" McCree asked, scanning the outside of the building. "You think they put 'em on the roof?" "I'll go check." Hanzo started up the side of the building, swiftly moving up like a spider. "Hanzo! Wait up!" McCree called, trying to find a purchase on the wall. How did he do this? Hanzo looked back down at him, amused. "Are you sure about that?" "Yeah. I used to climb trees taller than this base when I was younger! If you could do it, so can I." McCree gripped onto a pipe leading toward a water drain and shimmied upward, his knuckles turning white. He could feel Hanzo watching him from above and Zenyatta and Bastion watching him from below, but he ignored their stares, trying to gain height. "We'll look on the ground level," Zenyatta called from bellow, amusement clear in his voice. "You two have fun up there." "Sure!" He smiled and looked down at the two omnics, and that was when he realized how high he really was. "01000100 01101111 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01100110 01100001 01101100 01101100 00100001!" Bastion beeped. The pipe he was holding onto seemed to be slippery and swaying with the wind. He got so dizzy, so high up. He felt his hand sweating and slipped, his cybernetic hand the only thing keeping him from plummeting to his death. "Jesse!" Hanzo's voice called him back to the present. He glanced up at him. "Look at me. Don't look down. You're half way there already." McCree swallowed nervously and gripped onto the pipe again, slowly inching his way up. It seemed like forever until he reached the edge of the roof, Hanzo's firm hand gripping onto his arm. He let himself be dragged onto the roof then lay there, panting. "Jesse?" Hanzo poked his side, concern laces into his voice. "I'm okay." McCree opened one eye and turned his head to look at him. "Did we at least get what we came here for?" "Yes." Hanzo held up one green egg in front of his face. "Great. All that for one little egg." He rolled over and smiled lazily at Hanzo. "I am never doing that ever again." "Oh, Jesse." Hanzo smiled cruelly at him. "We still have to go down." - //chatroom.private server 33.43. connection secure\\ [[Opening: 9:23am]] rabbit: check in guys sonic: so far so good angel: Jack is still suspicious of something happening. bird: Don't worry about it. We'll keep him unaware. sparrow: havent been spotted yet sparrow: but its slow going //whisper: edgelord: btw tracer. //whisper: sonic: ye? //whisper: edgelord: wtf did u make him wear? //whisper: edgelord: its bad. //whisper: sonic: i thought it suited him real nice :"( sparrow: well we still have lik 30min sparrow: so were good sonic: also winston isnt participating sonic: or widowmaker cuz sombra and reaps r not doing it with her angel: Torbjörn wants to do it himself. He quit our team. rabbit: sounds good rabbit: lucio u done the dj booth froggy: yep rabbit: okie rabbit: countin on yall [[Closure: 9:31]] - Despite their grubby appearance, the junkers were quite useful. They seemingly knew all the hiding places, nooks and crannies inside and around the base. When she questioned him, he merely replied, with a glint in his eye, that he had a lot of treasure to hide. "Gold," Junkrat told her. "I ain't just a wanted criminal for my good looks." He winked at her and sent her into a blushing mess. Symmetra walked alongside Mei and Zarya, the two quietly talking together. She had know for some time that the two were very close, but only now did she really feel the closeness between the them. The term she believed Hana would have used was 'third-wheeling'. She quickened her pace until she was in-step with Junkrat. "Hey there lil' Sheila." He grinned at her, showing his crooked teeth. "How ya doin' this fine day?" "What did you call me?" Symmetra frowned, not understanding the slang term he used. She didn't know if it was an insult or not. "Ah, nothin'. Just a nickname from my 'ol country." They continued to walk in a peaceful silence until she spoke up and interrupted, which was unusual for her to do. "Your home country? Where is that?" "Me? Oh, Roady and I both come from Australia, where the wild things grow!" He smiled at her again. "Ooh! Another egg!" He picked a blue one up, half hidden in a bush, and put it into the basket Roadhog was holding. "So where did ya come from? Some fancy palace up north where it snows all year long?" "India." Symmetra paused, not sure if she should go on. "The place I lived in did seem like a palace at the time, very different than the slums I lived in before Vishkar picked me up." Thinking about her past kicked up dreadful memories. Ones of doubt and fear of losing everything she ever had. Ones of betrayal towards the company that had literally raised her. She had long ago left the organization to join Overwatch, but looking back at her past always seemed to bring the worst things to the present. "Eh, we gonna win this egg thingy or what?" The junker seemed to notice her change in mood and tried to divert her thoughts. "'Cause I only came because there was gonna be a prize at the end, right Roady?" The larger man behind him let out a grunt. "And those two lovebirds ain't helpin' us one bit, so why don't ya summon yer teleportin' sorcery stuff and get a move on-" he paused- "please?" Symmetra smiled her appreciation at him and let out a quiet huff of laughter. "It isn't much sorcery, than it is science." She formed a teleporter in her mind, and wove it out with her hands, activating her cybernetic arm. "The path is open. Let us go." -

[their-destinys-writer]

Caged - Chapter 8

Rated: Teen

Chapter: 8/?

Word Count: 8,033

Ao3 / FFnet / Wattpad

Chapter 8 - Damage Control

A bright light shone over Marinette’s bed, but that wasn’t what woke her up. Even though the girl turned off her alarm and decided to ignore it, her phone kept making incessant noises. Marinette pulled her sheets over her head, trying to drown it out.

It didn’t work.

With a loud groan, the girl threw the sheet to the side, grabbing the cursed brick.

“What’s making so much…noise…” she trailed off, jaw hanging. A hundred and thirty-seven messages! From who?!

She immediately pressed the texting application, and saw tons of messages from unsaved phone numbers. Strangers. She scrolled down, looking at the previews of them.

Hey, I dont care wut ppl r saying…

You don’t deserve wat’s happeni…

Could you tell Chat Noir to visit…

You two are together, aren’t you?

I ain’t believing ur stupid attenti…

Hey, if anyone’s sending you ba…

“Maman!” Marinette ran down to the kitchen, where Sabine had just placed a plate of croissants on the counter.

“What is it, dear?” she asked, startled. Marinette shoved the phone to her face.

“I don’t know any of these people!” she practically yelled in her panic, quickly biting into her lip apologetically. After a quick scolding look at her daughter, Sabine took the phone in her hands to look it over. Marinette started fiddling with her fingers.

“Have you given your number to anyone recently?” Sabine asked, to which Marinette shook her head. The woman sighed before handing the phone back. “We’ll get you a new one when you get off class today.”

“Why is this happening?” Marinette pleaded miserably.

“We’ll figure it out, sweetie, I promise.” Sabine stroke her daughter’s bangs and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. “For now, get ready for school. Okay?”

“Okay…” Although there was a slight sense of panic still lingering, her mother’s warmth helped her regain enough composure to think clearly. Calmer now, she climbed back up to her room, where Tikki was waiting on the desk, munching on a chocolate cookie.

“Wha’ ‘appen’?” she asked with a mouthful of the sweet snack. Marinette went ahead to tell her, giving the phone to her little friend.

“Now my parents are gonna have to change my number. This is ridiculous! How did this even happen?” The designer was pacing around the room at this point, flailing her arms.

“Any idea who it could have been?” Tikki questioned, looking through the different numbers that contacted her charge, her cookie left forgotten to the side.

“It could have been anyone! A friend, a classmate, a client, someone who I don’t know who happened to have stumbled on my number, somewhere.” Marinette let out a loud breath. “This just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?”

“Mmm,” Tikki hummed. Marinette’s brows furrowed when she realized the kwami was distracted, her blue eyes squinting at the phone screen. Before she asked, though, Tikki spoke. “There’s a number that sent several messages. And they’re pretty positive, too.”

The girl snatched her phone to read the supposed positive messages. They started at six forty-five. And they were… nice.

Hey. Nice to meet you. Sort of. I just wanted to say you’re pretty brave and cool.

Hey, me again. I saw some people comment that they were going to tell you mean things, so I wanted to tell you to not listen to them. They’re just jealous.

Hey. I must be getting annoying, but the others are probably more annoying. Please don’t listen to them. They’re jerks. I think you’re amazing.

The messages continued in the same manner, telling her to not listen to the others and complimenting her on both her personality and looks. Marinette couldn’t help but smile. There was something about the messages that seemed very familiar.

They reminded her of Chat, when he was not in his pun-loving self. When he wasn’t being so extra. Could it be? She wondered. This person was the only one to keep texting her, so… maybe. The thought was enough to replace her anger with fondness, and motivating her to start getting ready for school.

After finishing up and eating breakfast, Marinette prepared to exit through the bakery. She knew that no matter which exit she decided to take, there would still be reporters, so may as well take the shorter route. Taking a deep breath, she swung the door open and shot right through the horde of reporters standing outside.

Luckily, the traffic light was red, so Marinette was able to sprint across the street and run up the school entrance stairs, skipping a few steps in the process. Reaching the large door, she threw herself in, like she had just reached home base in a baseball game, skidding across the floor. The move earned her a few odd stares from nearby students, but thankfully no comments. Except for one.

“Now that’s what I call an entrance.”

Marinette raised her head and was met by a pair of orange Gabriel high top shoes. She could feel her face becoming hot as her eyes traveled up to meet Adrien’s amused expression.

“Need a hand?” he chuckled, extending his hand towards her. Marinette gulped. Well, at least he found it funny, she miserably tried to comfort herself, accepting his help. “Sorry I didn’t help you this morning, but after yesterday… well, I didn’t wanna make it worse.”

“N-no, it’s fine,” Marinette assured him, dusting off her clothes. “That wasn’t your fault.”

Just then, her phone rang out. It had already made the notification sound several times since she got out of the bakery, but the run had distracted her from them. She was about to ignore it, but another message arrived, which prompted a growl from the girl.

“What’s up?” Adrien tilted his head.

“Somehow, the whole world has my stupid number, and now I’m getting texts like crazy,” she said as she scrambled to get the phone out of her pocket.

“Oh yeah, I noticed it this morning,” the model pointed out. Marinette stopped tapping on her phone to stare at the boy. So he elaborated: “Someone posted it on the Ladyblog forums. I tried to comment, but when I pressed ‘send’, it said the post no longer existed and the forums were closed. I think it’s safe to assume Alya was not happy about it.”

Marinette growled again.

“Good to know the source. Any chance you know who it was?”

“No, sorry,” Adrien responded with a shrug of his shoulders. “Most posters are anonymous or have a username.”

“Greeeaaat,” Marinette groaned. There went her plans on finding the culprit. She looked back at her phone and noticed the most recent message was from the positive person. The possible Chat? She wondered. Without thinking it twice, she tapped on the text.

Hey, again. Just want to wish you a good day in school. Hope people don’t bother you too much.

A smile tugged at her lips once again. She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, but ultimately deciding on tapping on the response box.

Hi stranger. Thank you for all the positive messages. They have made this morning easier. I don’t know you, but—

“I thought you were irritated with the texts.”

Marinette squeaked and flailed an arm, accidentally hitting Adrien on the face. Who had moved to stand behind her.

“S-sorry, I—” but she stopped, registering something as he rubbed his nose. “Were you reading my text?”

The reaction was instantaneous. The model stiffened, his cheeks turned a rosy color, and his hand went up to the nape of his neck.

“I-I didn’t mean too,” he said quickly, almost mushing the words together. “Sorry, you just looked to happy…”

Marinette blinked. “Huh?”

Adrien cleared his throat and straightened his posture. “Not everyone giving you a hard time?”

“Oh, no,” Marinette shook her head. “There’s this one person who’s actually been pretty cool. They keep telling me a lot of nice things, and… I don’t know… Adrien?” She asked suddenly. Adrien hummed in response. “Can I trust you?”

He smiled. “With your life.”

Marinette returned the gesture and finally voiced what had been in her mind the entire morning: “I think this person might be Chat Noir.”

There was a pause. Adrien arched an eyebrow.

“What?”

“This person keeps calling me stuff like amazing, brave, stuff that Chat Noir has actually called me. It reminds me of how he is when it’s just me, when he’s not trying to impress anybody.”

“I don’t think it’s him,” the model blurted out, narrowing his spring green eyes.

“You don’t know him like I do,” Marinette defended.

“Don’t you think Chat Noir would think it was a bad idea contacting you in his civilian self?”

“Well, Chat has a tendency of being reckless. Not that I can speak much better about myself lately, though.”

“Even so, that seems like pushing it. Wouldn’t he be more… discreet?”

“What could be more discreet that an anonymous text to a number that was released to the public?”

Adrien opened his mouth, but after a moment of hesitation, he closed it. His brows furrowed, something processing in his mind.

“You actually have a point,” he whispered, so low that Marinette almost didn’t catch it. She beamed internally, basking in her small victory.

“Perhaps you should learn to give my chaton a little more credit, Agreste.”

“Your chaton?”

It took her a whole second for the question to properly register. MY CHATON?! Why did I just say that to Adrien?! And why did I call him Agreste?!

“N-not like that!” she hastily tried to correct. “It’s just a stupid nickname, he’s not actually mine. He’s my friend, t-that’s it. I-it’s a joke, but he’s not mine, mine. I-I don’t even know why I said that. We can’t even see each other because of our mess.” What are you talking about?! “N-not like I see you, heh.”

“Actually, father told me not to be seen with you.” Marinette halted her antics to stare at the blond. She expected him to look at least a little upset, but he actually seemed beyond amused.

“Oh,” she uttered. “I…I guess that makes sense. Your father is not one for scandals…”

“Yeah. But don’t worry Prin-uh Mari,” Adrien spoke with a chipper tone, despite the little rain cloud Marinette suddenly felt on top of her. “I’ll still help you through this whole thing and make sure you get off unscathed from this.”

The storm going on in the girl’s heart reached its eye, and a bewildered look took over her face.

“W-wait, I-I thought your father doesn’t want you hanging out with me.”

“Correction,” Adrien placed his hands on his back in mock innocence and leaned towards her. “He said he didn’t want me to be seen with you. Since he was talking about the tabloids at the time, I assume he simply meant in front of them.” He finished his sentence with a mischievous grin Marinette had never seen on the golden boy. He looked so…proud.

It was annoying.

“Since when are you such a rebel,” she crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow.

“Pfft, please,” Adrien shrugged. “I’ve always been a rebel. How do you think I traverse Paris without my bodyguard? This ca-uh-guy is no saint.”

Without meaning to, Marinette groaned. There was something about his current attitude that was so… so… exasperating. It reminded her so much of—

Her train of thought was cut short when she noticed the blond’s expression slightly shift to a warm smile.

“What?” she frowned. Adrien shook his head.

“You’ve just never been like this with me,” he spoke softly. Marinette squinted.

“What do you—”

“MARINETTE!”

The two turned to the source of the call, only to see Alya running their way.

“Girl, please tell me your phone hasn’t been bombarded with strangers,” she pleaded, slapping both her hands on the designer’s shoulders.

“Sorry, no such luck,” Marinette grimaced.

“I’m sorry,” the redhead sighed. “I tried to delete it as soon as I saw it, but it was too late. I spent all morning looking through the forums, but—”

The first bell of the day rang, signaling that it was almost time for class. The sound made Alya remember her surroundings and realize Adrien was standing there with them.

“Hey Adrien,” she waved. “Mind if I borrow Marinette for a little bit?”

“Sure, we gotta get to class anyway,” he reasoned as he adjusted his bag. “See you in class, Marinette.”

With one last wave, he headed off to class. Marinette awkwardly waved back, the strangeness of their conversation finally sinking. Did I just have a normal conversation with Adrien?

“Well, see you too,” Alya mumbled. It was then that it dawned on Marinette that Adrien barely acknowledged the presence of her best friend. But the thoughts were cut short as Alya started speaking louder know. “This is becoming a nightmare. I can’t believe somebody actually used my own blog against you!”

“Any idea who it was?” Marinette pleaded to her best friend, as they started walking towards their classroom.

“Not yet,” Alya responded. “But I will find out. Trust me.” The redhead shook a fist in the air. “Ooohhh, and when I do, whoever it was, I’m gonna kick their butt so hard, they’re gonna need a spaceship to get back on Earth.”

Despite the designer’s distress at the moment, the comment managed to get a giggle out of her. Sometimes she forgot how protective her best friend could get when it came to her.

“Anyway,” Alya continued after composing herself. “I got you an interview for an evening talk-show. You think you’re ready?”

Marinette nodded. “I’m ready. I wanna get this over with as soon as possible. ‘Cause it’s seriously getting ridiculous at this point!”

“I know!” Alya nodded vigorously, arms crossed. “Can you believe people have started stopping me in the streets to ask about you?” She changed her voice in mock of random citizens. “Is she with Chat Noir? What does he see in her? Can she contact me to Chat Noir? She’s a nobody! She’s so lucky! Uuuggghhh!”

Marinette winced at the image going through her head. She had almost forgotten the toll that it was probably taking on the reporter, too. And Adrien. And her parents. Uuuggghhh, why did I have to be so stupid?!

“Hey!” Alya broke Marinette out of her self-deprecating internal freak out. “Don’t do that. Don’t beat yourself up. And don’t tell me you weren’t, ‘cause I’d know that face anywhere.” The redhead placed an arm around the bluenette’s shoulders. “Remember: I chose to help you, knowing full well you’re prone to disaster. I knew what I was getting myself into.”

Alya gave her friend a soft, encouraging smile, accompanied by a light squeeze. Marinette returned the gesture.

“Thanks, Alya. So, when and where is the interview?”

“Tomorrow, at the TVi studio building.”

“Wait,” Marinette raised a palm, “you mean in the same building Chat and I messed up?”

“The one and only,” Alya nodded.

Marinette groaned. She had been hoping to avoid the building as much as possible, leave it for last. But from the looks of it, her best friend thought the exact opposite.

“They were the first ones to respond,” Alya responded, as if she could read minds. “Plus, don’t you think it’s kinda poetic?”

“Or a bad omen,” Marinette sighed.

“Chill, girl,” Alya wrapped an arm around the pig-tailed girl as they headed to class. “I’ll coach you tonight, and you’ll do great.”

“Tonight?!” Marinette choked. Tonight it was her turn to patrol. “I-I got stuff to work on. Maybe tomorrow at lunch?”

“Hmm,” Alya pondered. “Fine, but at least practice a little tonight?”

“I will.”

“Great. So,” the redhead’s tone turned to a teasing one, “you and Adrien seem closer lately.”

“Whatta you mean?” Marinette frowned, bewildered.

“Well, first he rescued you from a bunch of reporters, then he went nuts looking for you after yesterday’s akuma attacked, then he defended you against Chloé, his childhood friend, and this morning, I find you guys actually talking,” the redhead concluded.

Marinette’s eyes became round. With all that had been going on in the last few days, she hadn’t noticed Adrien’s sudden closeness with her. It wasn’t like before, where he simply tried to form short, random conversations. He seemed to be deliberately looking for her. Sure, it could easily be attributed to Chat’s slip up about her crush… But what does that mean? Does… Does it mean that he likes me?

Her heart started drumming hard on her chest, but not exactly how she expected it. It didn’t feel right. It felt like it was partly dread making it run. Why would she feel dread? Isn’t this what I’ve wanted this whole time?

“Maybe Chat Noir did you a favor, after all,” Alya continued, patting Marinette’s shoulder. “Maybe Adrien hearing that you like him was the push he needed.”

“I guess,” the blue-haired girl whispered.

“Girl, are you okay?” Marinette raised her gaze to meet Alya’s hazel one. She shook her head and nodded to her best friend, assuring her that everything was great. While the reporter looked unconvinced, she was nice enough not to question as they entered the classroom.

Why do I feel like this? She thought. I should be happy. There’s a chance Adrien is finally seeing me as more than just a friend. So why am I not happy? Why do I feel dread? Am I just scared? It could be… Yeah, that has to be it. I’m scared, which is a very normal reaction. Yeah… that has to be it.

Yet something still felt wrong about her statement. It felt both familiar and alien to her. But as they sat on their desk, Marinette dismissed the thoughts. She already had enough on her plate. She didn’t need to add ‘boy trouble’ into it.

Classes went by as usual. Thankfully, most classmates seemed to have gotten the questions out of their system, making Marinette glad, for once, that she accepted answering them. Of course, things still weren’t exactly the same: someone had still released her phone number for the whole Internet to see.

Although midday arrived pretty quickly for Marinette, what came next, made the next hour feel like an eternity.

The second Mrs. Mendelev left the classroom, everyone started picking up their bags to follow suite. But none managed to even get near the door before Alya ran head first to it and shut it. Everyone stared. Kim and Alix, the only ones who had gotten up already, stopped on their tracks. Alya squinted menacingly.

“No one leaves this room, yet.” Her hazel eyes shifted from classmate to classmate, watching each one carefully. “Alix, Kim, get back to your seats.”

The two didn’t need to be told twice. They weren’t exactly scared of the redhead, but from experience, they knew that when the reporter set her mind to something, it was best to stay out of her way.

“I need to use the ladies room,” Chloé demanded from her desk.

“Your makeup session can wait,” Alya narrowed her gaze to the blonde. Chloé scoffed and crossed her arms, but said no more. Alya took a deep breath.

“I,” she started walking to the front of the classroom, “wanna know who was it.” Her fists landed on her hips.

Everyone stared. Some shifted uncomfortably, confused. Kim and Max exchanged looks. Chloé’s nails started tapping her desk, while her head rested on her other palm. Slowly, Rose lifted her hand in the air.

“Yes, Rose?”

“Who did what?” she pipped up.

“Who put Marinette’s phone number on the Ladyblog forums?” Alya cleared up. A few made noises of understanding, while others groaned in annoyance.

“Oh, this I wanna know,” Alix muttered, punching a fist to her open hand.

“Who cares?” Chloé said loudly. “It’s not like Marinette minds the attention.”

“We’re not getting into this again, Chlo,” Adrien quickly intervened. The spoiled girl scoffed again, but did not retaliate. She didn’t seem too keen on the idea either, considering the entire class ended up yelling at her last time.

“Seriously guys,” Alya drew the attention back to her. “I know for a fact not many have Marinette’s number, and most of them are in this class, and we need to start ruling out people. Anybody who has her number, raise your hand.”

Without missing a beat, almost the entire class raised their hands. All except Adrien, Chloé and… wait…

“What are you doing,” Chloé silently hissed at Sabrina, pulling her arm down. Marinette’s eyes narrowed at the exchange.

Alya seemed to have noticed too, because she stepped up to the girls’ desk, crossing her arms.

“Sabrina,” she said carefully, “do you have Marinette’s phone number?”

“N-no!” she squeaked. “I-I don’t have it. N-never have.”

“That’s a lie!” Marinette suddenly burst, standing up from her chair. Her classmates stared at her in surprise, but she didn’t care. Her vision had turned red. She knew. Oh, she knew. What was more, it wouldn’t be the first time the two girls did something of the likes.

She stomped down to their desk and slammed her hands on it. Alya had even stepped back to allow her the space. Marinette glared down at the blonde and the ginger.

“I know for a fact Sabrina has my phone number, ‘cause she called me a gazillion times when we had to do a project together,” she explained, her bluebells shifting between the two as she spoke. Then, she narrowed them to Chloé. “And we both know she often ends up doing your dirty work…” They glared at each other for a moment, the blonde doing so daringly. Daring Marinette to say it. And said it, she did: “It was you, wasn’t it?”

Chloé gasped dramatically, a hand on her chest.

“How dare you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!”

“Oh, cut the theatrics!” Marinette snapped. “If there’s anything I’ve learned from you, is that you’re capable of anything. So just admit it.”

There was a moments pause, where the entire class held its breath. It was already pretty common for the two girls to butt heads often, but this was a whole new level. None, not even Alya, had ever seen Marinette so furious.

At last, Chloé huffed.

“So what? It’s not like you mind the attention. I did you a favor.”

“I KNEW IT!” Marinette bellowed, just as she grabbed the blonde from her yellow jacket. “You little—”

“Marinette, that’s enough!” someone grabbed her shoulders from behind, but she didn’t budge. Her bluebells glared daggers into Chloé’s electric blue eyes. For once, Chloé actually looked scared of the small designer.

“You have any idea what I’ve been through this week?!” she continued yelling. “I’ve been publicly humiliated, all my commissions are on halt because of this mess and I almost lost a friend. Why do you always have to go out of your way to make my life even worse?!”

“Mari, stop!” someone else grabbed her by the arm, while the other person slipped his hand around her waist. Together, the two people succeeded in pulling her away from the Mayor’s daughter.

“LET ME GO!”

“STOP IT!”

The second scream came from the very back of the classroom. From the one that the students had learned to ignore, because they didn’t trust her. The other person who had not raised her hand when asked if they had Marinette’s phone number. Lila was standing up on her desk, using it as a stage, glaring at the scene in the front of the classroom.

“Just, stop it!” she repeated. Lila dropped down to the floor and stalked her way to the front. “You shouldn’t waste your time with her. She’s just a bully. She doesn’t deserve your attention.”

“Excuse me,” Chloé drawled to the Italian girl. “Nobody asked for your opinion.”

“I don’t need to be asked to defend someone from a bully looking to humiliate someone else.”

Marinette felt a pang in her heart. She knew exactly the source of her words: Lila knew what it was like to be humiliated by Ladybug. She slumped back to whoever was holding her by the waist, and the person grabbing her arm let go and stepped forward. Alya was now standing in front of her.

“She doesn’t need your help,” she growled. Marinette could only imagine she was still miffed about the girl lying on the Ladyblog. Lila looked the side, and was about to turn away.

“Wait!” Marinette blurted out. The redhead whirled to her in surprise, while Lila looked back at the pig-tailed designer. She took a deep breath. “You’re right.”

“She’s what?!” Alya and the guy holding her said in unison. Marinette felt her head finally clear, and was at last curious about the arm holding her in place. A hand wearing a silver ring.

“You think so?”

“Marinette,” Adrien warned to her ear, his breath making her body shudder and her heart skip a beat. Why did it feel so familiar?

She cleared her throat to respond.

“Look, I know everyone has every reason to mistrust her—”

“That’s an understatement.” Nino crossed his arms, glaring and the exchange student.

“She lied about Prince Ali,” Rose pipped up once again from the back. Looking around the classroom, Marinette realized Alix and Kim had stood up again.

“I say we kick Chloé’s butt. And Lila’s too, for good measure.” There was a murmur of agreement amongst the students, cut off by yet another scoff from the spoiled blonde on the front.

“Papa would get all of you suspended before you can even blink. At least Adrien still has my side, unlike you lot.”

“Chloé, I pulled Marinette away from you because I don’t want her to get suspended,” he corrected her. The girl’s expression deflated. “What you did was awful, and I don’t condone it.”

“Then you and I were doing for the same thing,” Lila spoke softly to the boy.

“I’m not gonna do anything!” Marinette interjected the conversation. “Goal achieved. Would you let me go, Adrien?”

It seemed the model had not realized he’d been holding her this entire time, for his cheeks became the reddest Marinette had ever seen. He quietly apologized and slipped his hand away.

It was probably the cutest she’d ever seen him. Yet… Why don’t I feel more nervous? Am I getting used to him? She shook her head, driving the thoughts away, just as she straightened her clothes.

“Come on, Alya,” Marinette implored, getting both hers and Alya’s backpacks from their desk. “We got work to do.” With a quick glance at Chloé, Lila and Adrien, she turned on her heels and yanked the door open. She didn’t even wait for her friend.

There was just too much in her mind. She was still angry at Chloé, but decided it would be best to not let those emotions take over. The last thing she needed was to become an akuma herself. She was also conflicted about Lila’s defense. Part of her felt like she didn’t deserve it, after how harsh she was to her as Ladybug. But another part of her saw it as a chance. Maybe she could redeem herself, and make sure Lila never lied again.

But above all, Marinette was confused about Adrien. She was still in love with him, she was sure. But there was something off today that she couldn’t quite place. Something both comfortable and alarming. She felt more herself with him, able to keep words coherent. Which was alarming in itself, because: since when? The question had been in the back of her mind since that morning, as much as she tried to keep it out. And she still had no answer for it.

Alya finally caught up to her, asking Marinette if she preferred sneaking to her home instead of the bakery, to avoid all the reporters. Marinette was grateful for her friend not asking any questions about what had just happened, instead offering her calm and serenity. As they both agreed, they headed off to Alya’s apartment for lunch.

It was Thursday evening, and saying Marinette was nervous was an understatement.

Marinette, Alya and Sabine arrived about thirty minutes early to the TVi studio. At first, the pig-tailed girl felt a little embarrassed about having her mom with her, but after seeing how she defended her honor a few times, she felt relief. It gave her a sense of security.

Once at the studio, they had time to familiarize themselves with some of the crew members, and as a plus, they got to see how the host treated his guests. So far, he seemed like a decent guy. But so was Nadja with her, until recently.

After a few minutes, they separated, Alya to speak with a few other crew members and Sabine to call Tom, updating him on everything in the studio. Meanwhile, Marinette stayed close to the stage, focused on the interviews happening before hers.

“Everything’s gonna be okay,” a tiny voice came from her purse. “You can do this, Marinette. You’re ready.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks Tikki.” She took a deep breath, and started talking more to herself than to her kwami. “I can do this. It’s a piece of cake. I’m ready for this. It could be worse. It can’t get any worse.”

“Hey, Princess,” a cheerful voice purred behind her.

Marinette screamed, raising her arms and a leg defensively. A move that earned her a snort from the stray. Who was not supposed to be there. Again.

“Chat!” she reprimanded, taking a quick glance at her now-closed purse once her initial shock ceased. “What are you doing here?!”

“Nice to see you too,” he retorted with a smirk, hands behind his back. “Looks like we’ve been tricked again,” he leaned towards her. “We really need to work on our communication skills.”

This can’t be happening!

“Hey, don’t worry,” a clawed hand warmed her shoulder. Wait… Did I say that out loud? “We got this.”

She looked up to his beaming face, and a sense of security rushed through her. Well, he was her partner after all. Marinette returned the gesture and gave him a determined nod. The move relaxed the cat, but almost immediately, the same hand went up to the back of his neck.

“Uh, while we’re on the subject of tricking, you should probably tell that Adrien guy when you have interviews, too,” he said, nervously. Marinette’s brows furrowed, and Chat quickly continued. “I-I mean because, uh—if, um, they trick me like this, they could do the same to him, and—uh—I-I’m sure you don’t want that happening. Right?”

The moment the words registered, she stopped questioning his strange stammering and a sudden panic overtook her thoughts. A gasp escaped her lips, hands going up to her hair.

“They’re gonna drag Adrien into this!” she burst, teeth clenching. “They’re gonna be all over him! Oh no, and they’re gonna make him so uncomfortable! He’ll never, ever, ever, ever speak to me again!”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry,” Chat reached out for her wrists and slowly brought them down. “Everything’ll be fine. And I’m sure there’s no way Adrien could think any less of you. I know I wouldn’t.”

The simple gesture was enough to calm her nerves, and just as another smile was tugging at her lips, a loud clearing of someone’s throat popped the bubble Marinette hadn’t noticed the two of them had created between themselves. She hadn’t even noticed when Chat’s hands had slid down to hers.

The two quickly let go, turning to Alya. Marinette gave a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. Next to her, Chat awkwardly waved.

“What are you doing here, cat-boy?” Alya reprimanded, fists on her hips.

And there he went again, with his hand on the back of his neck. A move that just got cuter each time he did it. Wait, cute? What do you mean cute? Marinette berated herself.

He’s cute when he does that. Can’t deny it, a voice in the back of her mind responded.

Yeah, if by cute you mean silly and ridiculous, yeah he’s cute, she tried to reasoned. But it brought no comfort. In fact, it brought the exact opposite. This wasn’t exactly news; she had admitted his good looks just a couple of days ago. Why did it feel different then?

“Marinette, you’re up in like five minutes. You can’t go on TV looking flushed,” Alya interrupted her thoughts. Marinette had been so engrossed in her inner confusion, she didn’t register the conversation Chat Noir and Alya had been having. A palm slapped to her cheek.

“Flushed?!” Unlike last time, she could actually feel heat on her round cheeks. Where the hell is this coming from?!

“Relax, girl,” Alya waved a hand dismissively. “You guys will do fine. Just need to go over a few things first.”

The redhead started reminding them of their last conversation about interviews, and Marinette used to opportunity to shoo away whatever those thoughts were earlier.

Sabine looked from afar towards the three teens. She had to admit it was a bit amusing seeing their exaggerated antics for the simplest things. More so, she could already see the closeness between her daughter and a pretty handsome boy. Honestly, she was a little disappointed that it wasn’t Adrien, but this kid treated her with such warmth and respect, she couldn’t help but like him, and hope for him joining the family someday. If he could.

She looked around to see if anyone was aware that a superhero had just walked into studio, when a flash of fuchsia hair caught her attention. There, amongst the crew members was Nadja, holding a microphone, looking for something. Until her brown eyes locked on Sabine’s grey ones.

Sabine huffed and turned away.

“Sabine!” Nadja called. The short woman turned her scowl to the reporter. She could tell the look cut through the reporter like a knife, sending cold chills down her spine. Nevertheless, she took a step forward and whispered: “Please…”

“What could you possibly want with my family now?” Sabine said coldly. “Do you want an autograph? Do you want my daughters baby pictures?”

“Sabine, I just wanted to apologize for what happened,” she spoke. Despite trying to keep a determined tone, there was a low shakiness to it. “But you have to understand that it’s my job.”

“Don’t give me that,” Sabine hissed. “Marinette is not some job. She’s my daughter, your daughter’s babysitter. You took advantage of our friendship and exploited a minor. Do you have no shame? Whatever happened to that young woman who swore would never sell her soul to corporate media?”

“You don’t understand,” Nadja almost pleaded, losing her composure. “It’s my job!”

“She’s my daughter!” Sabine retorted. “Thanks to you, she’s been through so much. She may be strong, but this is not something a normal fifteen-year-old should be dealing with!”

“I could’ve lost my job, you have to understand I have a little girl to feed,” the reporter continued trying to justify herself.

“Either way, you lost a babysitter,” Sabine scowled. Nadja took a step back.

“What?”

The small woman took a deep breath. “Nadja, you’re no longer welcomed in our home, and I will no longer allow Marinette watch over Manon,” she declared. “I am so disappointed in you,” Sabine whispered sadly and walked away towards her daughter, leaving a defeated looking Nadja.

As much as she loved her old friend, Nadja had crossed a line, and she wasn’t willing to forgive so easily.

Marinette tried her best to hide every time she shifted uncomfortably. She was too conscious about the fact that everyone, both the crowd and the cameras, could see every one of her movements.

But she had to get through it, one way or another.

I’m Ladybug, dammit, she repeated for the hundredth time already. I can do this.

“We go live in three, two…” the man behind the camera raised an index finger to signal the one, and then pointed to the host. The crowd started applauding as one of the cameras panned around the studio, and other two moved around the front of the stage, focused on the tanned man behind the desk.

“Welcome back to The Evening Show with Kudret, and we’ve reached our segment of the special interview of the night. Now, I’m sure most of you have dreamed of being saved by one of Paris’ own heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir. But what are the odds of one of you saving them instead? For one civilian, the answer is two! Ladies and gentleman, give it up for The Girl who saved Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, accompanied by none other than superhero Chat Noir!”

A sign lit up with ‘applause’ written on it, and the crowd released the excitement they had been holding for a few minutes already. Marinette tried to make her smile as genuine as possible, but her mind kept travelling back to her amazement in all this. It boggled her how scripted the show was, despite being live. On the armchair next to her, Chat Noir enthusiastically waved. Pfft, leave it to him to show off.

“So tell me Marinette,” the man continued as the clapping died down. “How does it feel to be known as a hero?”

What an ironic question, Marinette thought, fighting back a laugh.

“I wouldn’t call myself a hero, Kudret,” she responded flawlessly, channeling her inner Ladybug. “I only happened to be at the right place, at the right time.”

“And Chat Noir, did you ever think you’d be saved by a civilian?”

Chat Noir blinked. It seemed that he had been distracted by something, so Marinette widened her eyes a little, in warning.

“Oh, well,” he shook his head, “I believe any civilian has the ability to be a hero. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s very dangerous. Best leave it to the professionals.” He pointed a thumb to himself, and Marinette resisted the urge to groan. Rule number one: know when to stay quiet.

“So, I must ask: rumors have been going around that you two know each other more than mere acquaintances; how true is that?”

The designer could feel a sliver of panic rise up her throat. She took a deep breath. Rule number two: control the stammering.

“We actually don’t know each other that well,” she responded, once again almost effortlessly. “It’s just very easy to interact with someone who has a mask and you think you’re not gonna see again.”

The first two minutes were actually pretty pleasant. Kudret was polite enough to ask proper questions. Most of them could be responded with either the truth or the story the two teens cooked up with Alya. But alas, it was not to last.

“So a few things came out on your interview in FMi last Monday, where Chat Noir mentioned that you like someone called Adrien, and from what our sources have gathered, you are classmates with none other than fashion icon Gabriel Agreste’s son, Adrien Agreste. Is he the boy Chat Noir was talking about?”

Moment of truth. Let’s see if I can pull this off.

“You know,” Marinette started, appearing amused. “This is all just one big misunderstanding. And I think I know how it happened.”

And she started telling the lie they had come up with, about Chat mistaking her love to the Gabriel brand. The words came out so smoothly, she almost believed it herself. Which she took as a good sign of her acting.

“That conversation makes so much sense now,” Chat feigned surprise. Not that the crowd knew that. “I was wondering why you kept talking about his clothes. I thought you just liked his sense of style. Should’ve recognized that star-struck look after seeing your reaction the first time you met me.”

Unexpected to Marinette, Chat Noir wiggled his eyebrows. The hand holding on to her purse tightened, as she fought back a groan. She strained a smile.

Rule number three: no bantering.

“Yeah,” she said through clenched teeth. “I was pretty star-struck the first time we met. Just like any other person.”

“You should have seen her, all excited because she was gonna work with ‘the great Chat Noir’,” Chat started flexing his arms, much like he did in their first meeting. Marinette’s other hand flew to the strap of her purse, holding it tightly. He’s never gonna let me live it down, is he?

“Well, how often does a hero ask for your help, right?” she laughed nervously.

“Wait, hang on a second, when did you two actually meet for the first time?” Kudret intervened, his brown eyes sparkling with enthusiasm the moment he noticed he may actually get exclusive information.

“We met long before Entangler,” Chat started. “I believe the owner of the Ladyblog mentioned it in her article about the first time she rescued me.”

“That’s right,” and Marinette went on to tell the television host the story of The Evillustrator. Or at least the civilian version, where she wasn’t Ladybug.

“And does this boy still like you?” Kudret pushed this time. And it was a question that had never occurred to her. Did he? She never asked Nathaniel. She had thought it would be easier for him if she just pretended she didn’t know. Less awkward.

“I-I don’t know,” she confessed. What else am I supposed to say?!

“Let’s not get off topic here,” Chat suddenly cut in, rescuing her from what was about to be another disastrous moment with the press. “The real story here is how Marinette is a total fangirl.” Scratch that. “I mean, seriously, seeing her swoon about her idols, including me,” he added with another wiggle of his brows, “it’s probably the side of her I’ve seen the most.”

I swear to God, I’m gonna—No, Marinette mentally tried to calm herself. I can’t do that. It’ll only make it worse. Just follow his stupid lead.

“I guess I overreact often,” she said, doing her best to keep a neutral tone.

“Oh, I think we all know that already,” Kudret laughed. “Well, we need to take a short break, but stay tuned for more on The Evening Show with Kudret.”

The applause sign was lit up once again and a camera panned away from them.

“Cut!” the man behind the nearest camera yelled. A murmur rose up in the crowd, while Kudret turned to the interviewees.

“Thank you so much for your time,” he extended a hand to the two of them. “You did great. You have no idea how good this was for the ratings.”

“It was our pleasure,” Chat responded, shaking the man’s palm. “Unfortunately, we need to be on our way now.”

“Of course. I wish you two the best of luck.” The man winked, making Marinette almost choke with her own saliva.

“Oookay, good night,” she said with a tremor in her voice, scurrying off the stage to the back rooms, closely followed by Chat. When they reached and emptier area in the back rooms, near a clothes rack, they stopped.

“That went well,” he grinned, despite Marinette’s unamused look.

“Yeah, for you,” she mussed.

“Come on, you gotta admit looking star-struck helps dissuade suspicion.”

“At the cost of my dignity?” Marinette crossed her arms. Chat’s grin turned into a sheepish one.

“Too far?”

Marinette sighed. “Let’s just say that I had to fight every fiber in my being to stop myself from blurting out that you like Ladybug just to embarrass you.”

Chat Noir was taken aback, but then smirked. He opened his mouth to say something, but whatever it was, it was drowned by something else.

“Is it true?!”

The two teens jumped at the sudden outburst from an unknown voice, turning to see a man holding a camera, jumping from behind the rack with the colorful outfits. Marinette and Chat Noir stared wide eyed at the man, frozen.

“Chat Noir, are you really into Ladybug?”

This cannot be happening! A million thoughts ran through the girl’s head. A million emotions crossed her face in less than a second. But the top one was definitely anger. Anger with such imprudent people. Anger at the way her life had turned upside down. Anger at the lack of privacy. Anger at not being able to have one stupid conversation with a very dear friend.

“OH, COME ON!” she bellowed suddenly, making Chat take a step back and stare at her. It just occurred to her she hadn’t shown her temper in front of him as Marinette, but at the moment, she didn’t care. This is ridiculous!

The man, though, didn’t seem bothered by her outburst. In fact, he looked… delighted. Like his day (or his paycheck) had just been made.

“Does she know?” he prodded, ignoring their glares.

Marinette growled loudly. She was about to grab the guy from his shirt, much like she did the previous day with Chloé, but Chat grabbed her arm before she could.

“We just finished an interview with you people. What more do you want!” he growled dangerously.

“But is it true?” the man ignored Chat’s comments.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

The three of them jumped and turned towards the voice. Standing close to one of the entrances to the room, there was a woman, completely clad in black, and what looked like a rectangle over her eyes, similar to the effect used on television to censor people’s faces. Her short hair and full lips were a bright shade of green.

“You will no longer hurt Marinette,” she pointed at the paparazzi with what looked like a news microphone, with a picture of a purple butterfly on the carton decorating it.

An akuma.

“Get behind me!” Chat Noir instructed, stepping in front of Marinette. For the paparazzi, though, it was too late. The woman had shot a green beam from her microphone that hit him directly in the face.

“I can’t see anything!” the man said, but his voice was not the same. He sounded like he had a voice modulator. When he turned to them, both teens jumped, for his face was distorted by pixels. Not horrifying, but… weird.

“You are now censured,” the woman said as she swiftly walked towards them.

“Is that your name? Mrs. Censor?” Chat Noir mocked, hands steady on his weapon.

“No,” she stopped, standing tall before them. “I’m Damage Control, and I’m here to fix what we destroyed.”

“We?”

“Marinette,” she extended her microphone to Chat Noir, “I will fix your reputation, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Why would you care about—” but Marinette cut herself off, as the gears clicked in her head. “Nadja Chamack?”

“Don’t be bemused, sweetie,” she said with a dark tone. “It’s just the news.”

Just then, she waved the microphone and shot another green beam, this time towards Chat Noir. Luckily, his cat reflexes didn’t fail him, as he deflected it with his staff just in time. She shot him several more times, forcing them to keep stepping back, outside of the room. They were back at the large area with all the lights, cables and other recording equipment. Which worked as a disadvantage for Chat.

In his attempt to keep moving backwards without looking, he tripped on one of the cables, making him miss a shot and getting hit on his hand. The move made him drop the baton.

“Stop!” Marinette stepped between them, with her arms extended. “If you want to hurt him, you’re gonna have to go through me.”

Damage Control sighed. “Mari, Mari, Mari,” she lamented, pacing around while she fiddled with the bottom of the microphone. “I was really hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but,” she stopped to glare at the girl, “so be it.”

Before the two teens realized what was happening, the akuma pulled a cable from the bottom of the microphone and tossed it around Marinette. The designer became paralyzed, with her arms stuck to her sides. Immediately, Damage Control threw the other end over a beam on the ceiling and pulled the girl up, her feet dangling in the air.

She was stuck.

[racealle]

Til We Meet Again

It was my special day... with my special someone... my friends and family are all here... smiling happilly for me...     I've been dreaming of this day... walking down the aisle...  a bouquet of flowers in my hand... looking at the man waitng for me in the altar...   He was my best friend... She was my best friend... He was my savior... She was my partner...   Its the song I made just from him... singing it right now feels surreal..   I asked her to sing... Hoping it to be the first but not the last.. -------- Time Check : 2:02pm My head perk up with the sound of the door opening hoping to see the person i was supposed to meet.  We were supposed to meet at 1:00pm, today is Saturday, its not even traffic... Where the hell is he?    *looks at the reader* Oh Hi! I was waiting for someone, which happens to be late AGAIN. *reader: ahem who are you??* Ooppss sorry I kinda forgot to introduce myself :) Hi! *waves* my name is Catherine, 23 years old. Occupation: freelance model, instrumentalist, singer, and teacher :) Yip! that's me :) No Boyfriend SInce Birth... I'm still young and... boys kinda makes my head hurts, like this one im waiting rignt now.. so in the relationship aspect.. i think im good. :) thanks but no thanks.  hmm but you know what, I've been inlove like seriously inlove.. its the same man from fifteen years ago... the same boy who became my savior.... "Kitty!" a man's voice can be heard in the entire cafe.  Oh man! how embarassing! It's him, the guy I am talking about. Meet Steven, my prankster of a friend, a lunatic but my most trusted friend. :)   It quite funny to remember how we met 15 years ago...   Flashback *15 years ago* I was in my 3rd grade in Elementary, I used to be a chubby little girl, the same reason why most of my classmates often picked me to be bullied. One day, I was happily muching on my big candy while walking down the streets to school. I heard someone calling my name.   "kitty kitty little kitty hahahaha!  I looked back and saw my bullies. Way to go aiming to have a very nice day.    "What do you want Mark? I asked them grumpily.  "Give us you food, you pig!" They shouted at me. "I dont want to, Its mine. Why don't you tell your parents to prepare something for you?" *Smirking* "You don't want too? Hold her guys, let's get her lunch box! "No! Please stop! I shouted back, but to  no avail, they're still trying to get my lunch then I started crying.  "STOP what you're doing! Mr. Officer arrest them! The kids ran as fast as they could while i was left crying on my own. I didn't notice the person standing in front of me. "Stop crying now, here take this its smaller than the one you had earlier but its delicious, its actually my favorite"   I looked up at the person speaking, there I saw a boy smiling while peeling of a candy.  He hand it over to me and said "Here try this, its really good." When he noticed me staring at the candy in my hand, he nudge me and said. "Eat up!"  "Thank you." I started tasting the candy he gave me. "Hmm.. its good indeed." I said to him.  "See?! I told you so.. my name is Steven, starting today, we're friends, okay?" Don't worry those kids wont bother you anymore, I will protect you, promise!  "Okay! We're friends! Thank you once again! Starting that day, I found myself a friend, my most precious friend. :)     Present Day That's how we started our friendship and until now, we're still together.  "Kitty!"  "Speaking of the devil, here comes the trouble maker." "Kitty Friend!" He shouted again. "Argh! Do you enjoy shouting my name that much? Now the entire cafe knows my name." I said playfully.  *dear readers, meet my friend and long time lovelife (he doesn't know thay btw) Steven Salazar.*  "I missed you Kitty my friend!" he said while hugging me tightly.  ("Damn this man, dont be like that man, I've been trying to hold myself back from kissing you moron!"  silently grumbling myself.) "kitty, do you have a fever, your face kind red. What happened, I can hear your heartbeat and its really fast."  ("Really damn this guy, does he want me dead? Arghh and you my dear heart, you want to come out of my chest? arghh!!! Calm down!") "I'm fine, Im just startled because of you, you moron! We've seen each other last week, You called me as if we haven't each other in ages. hahaha" (He finally broke the hug and went to sit in front of me. He's still smiling widely while doing that flower pose, he's cheeks becoming more evident, he's looking so cute. I think I falling too hard again. Dont be like that.) (I stopped myself from writing and carefully removed my eyeglasses *clears my throat*)  "What happened to you? You seemed so happy. Did you win in the lottery?" Yah! share with me your prize! You let me wait here for an hour, I deserve a share of your winning!" (As if he didn't heard me, he's still smiling like an idiot he is.) *hitting him at the back of his neck* "Uy! You look like a a creep! What's with you? Are you in heaven?" "Ouch! That hurts Cath! and Yes, I'm in heaven and I've seen an angel."  "Wow, you're crazy." I went back to what I am doing. "Catherine" (I was surprised when he called me by my full name, he rarely use my fullname unless he will tell me something important. I put aside my files and looked at him properly this time) "Why?"  "I want you to meet someone." "If its another guys you want to set me up with, No thanks. You know what will I say." I said while rolling my eyes at him. "Idiot!, When will you have a boyfriend then? Anyway, Its not a guy. Its an angel. My angel."  "Angel? Who..."  (I wasn't able to finish what I am about to say when i notice a woman approached our table) "My dear friend, Kitty Cat, meet my Lisa, my GIRLFRIEND. Lisa this is Catherine, my BEST FRIEND." ------------------------------- (I was left speechless... Girlfriend, he said GIRLFRIEND) *waves in front of my face* "Hey dude, are you alright?" "Oh, girlfriend? Wow you had a girlfriend? I didn't know and i thought we're bestfriends?" (I told him jokingly but damn my heart feels like it dying.) "Yes, buddy, we've been together for quite long already but we need to keep it a secret because of her family, but now we're telling everyone about us. and I want you to be the first one to know." He said while still smiling happily holding his girlfriend beside him." "It's nice to finally meet you Cath, Steven has been telling me a lot of stories about you." (I looked at the girl while smiling, I hope they wouldn't notice how I truly feel. You're strong Cath, You can do this" "Its nice to meet you, Lisa. You're really beautiful. What kind of stories does this idiot told you? Come and sit with us." (I smiled and reached her for a hug. She was really beautiful and kind, I'm glad my idiot of a friend found her. It's nice to see them smiling at eacch other lovingly, but why do i feel like this? Damn, my aches while looking at them. tsk I've been cursing in my head too many times today.) (I reminded myslef of my role in this situation. I am the guy's bestfriend. I need to be happy for them. Forget your pain. I am nothing but the GUY"S BESTFRIEND.) (The couple informed both of their families of their relationship, they we're really surprised :) some of Steven's family said that they thought the two of us would be together because we were always together since 3rd grade. They didn't know tho how i feel tho...) --------------------------------- A month had passed, I'm stil the guy's best friend. but unlike before, now we rarely get to meet often. Well in my defense, I've been really busy, an offer from a Fashion Company sent me a letter for the France fashion event. I was reluctant to accept the offer at first, but after sometime, i realized maybe God is giving me this blessing to help me as well to forget and move on. Its a 1 year contract, maybe by the time I came back I already have a boyfriend to introduce to my family. Just maybe. :) That's why I've been really busy too.  I purposely didn't inform my family and my friends, specially Steven about my plans. I flew to France without informing everybody.  ______________________________________ Welcome to France!!! When I landed I called my family of what happened to not worry them so much. They were very mad at first. But i explained to them my purpose and supported me. During the 1st month, Steven and I were constantly updating each other through chats. He even told me, "Why did you have to leave like that? I didn't even have the chance to say goodbye. You're cruel, you know that? When you get back i want to have my presents. got that Kitty?"  But then after sometime, we lost contact with each other, I've been busy maybe he is too. After our rehearsals, I always go straight to my laptop to see if he sent me a message but nothing. Instead of message, what i saw in my TL are photos of hin and Lisa, they look so happy. I didn't notice how my eyes are filled with tears, tears rolling down on my cheeks while looking at those beutiful photos of Lisa and Steven.  It continued for the rest of my stay in France. I just glad that we are busy with the Fashion Shows. When I got home, I continued torturing myself, browsing my TL then I saw this qoute. "I'd rather live the consequences of the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done." It was like a wake up call for me. I'd rather suffer on my own than destroying my friends' relationship. I don't want to be selfish and beside they are happy. He is happy. I don't want himt o loose his happiness. That night, I cried myself to sleep, I didn't notice the creaking of my door. I felt a weight on my bed and someone hugging me. It was my friend Rose. I cried harder this time.  "Cath, its better to tell him, he might be with someone right now but atleast it will help to be free from what you are feeling. If you don't you might end up regretting not figthing for your love. We'll be in the Philippines by next week, grab the chance and confess your feelings to him. If he won't accept you so be it, atleast you let out what you truly feel." That night longer sobs and tears were my answer...  --------------------------------------------------------- Philippine Airport... *rings* "Mom, We just landed here in Ph, don't bother fethcing me anymore, Papa might be tired already, I just go home on my own. and its already late. Don't wait for me okay?" (When I arrived in front of our house, I stopped for a while and look at the surroundings, its still the same, my home.) I quitely opened the house, lol i still found the spare key under the rag, better tell Papa to hide it somewhere else.  "WELCOME HOME CATH!"  I was startled by their loud cheers, i thought everyone is asleep already. but here they are, my family, my friends and the most precious person in my live right now... STEVEN. I was enveloped in a tight hug by my family. Then someone took me in his arms and hugged my tightly.   "I missed you a lot, my best friend? how have you been?  (I allowed myself to melt in his hug, this will be the last time i promised to my self,) "I'm fine Steven, France has been good to me for the past year, I missed you too" I replied and hug him even tighter. "How is Lisa by the way?"  (There i saw the glint in his eyes again, the same time i heard my heart shuttering into million pieces once again. He smiled widely) "Let's meet tomorrow, same time, same place. I will tell you something important."  "Oh Sure, I need to tell you something too. See you tommorow then?" "Yes, my friend, you need to rest now. its a long flight. We'll see each other tommorrow okay?"  (He hugged me again my kissed my forehead." "Goodnight." (Yeah tommorrow, I'll tell you...  I LOVE YOU.)       ------------------------