#gives u guys my friendliest smile

[mittsushi]

ffxiv au!!!!!! ft vergilius and charon

(…and garnet)

[cheesy09]

Defenseless

Lo and behold, my first Helios fic! Phew, this took a while but I finally managed to get it complete. WARNING: UPCOMING ANGST. Oh, and also a sprinkle of Helios fluff. Also, I maaay have added a reference to one of Kiro’s cancelled R&S. This takes place after Chapter 17, in-between Kiro’s Thorns Date and Light Pursuit Date. 

Dedicated to @kudoriee​ / @church-of-helios​ whose amazing fics and friendship really allowed me to grow in this fandom. Thank you so much, rie!! 😭 Also dedicated to @thatfanfictionchick​ whose insatiable thirst for Helios provides me endless amusement as well as some of THE GREATEST FICS I HAVE EVER READ. You ma’am, are my Kelios Queen and I hope you know that. 🤣

Anyway without further ado, enjoy!

Pairing: Kiro/Helios x Reader Genres: Angst/Fluff Word Count: 4,102

A loud sigh escaped your lips as you walked home that evening. Work had been much stressful today than normal. The guest speaker for today’s show had been a handful, constantly demanding things at the last moment and just being a complete douchebag. You had to practically restrain Kiki and Willow before they could judo-flip the dude. But honestly, you’d be lying if you said that that guy hadn’t been getting on your nerves as well. Especially with the constant passes and winks he’d throw your way…… you had to suppress a shiver.

Why couldn’t we get someone better?

A certain blonde-haired superstar came to your mind and you felt your heart clench painfully tight, threatening to drag all the air out of your lungs. You bit your lip hard.

Kiro…

Where are you…?

It had been weeks since you had last seen him. The last thing you remembered was that agonizing farewell, his blazing gold eyes, and that dazzling smile.

“Miss Chips… wait for me!”

His clear words that day still resonated in your mind. His voice had been so tender then, full of promise and hope. It was just one sentence, but to you, it was as valuable as a lifeline; something you clung to desperately—wishing, praying, believing that Kiro would come back home someday. That’s all you had to do. As long as you believed in him, you were sure he’d come back to you. After all, he was your hero. There was nothing in the world that Kiro couldn’t do.

That being said, it didn’t make the process any easier. It had been hard enough when he’d have to go on tour, but at least then you had known where he was. But now that you didn’t, it just made this so much harder. You missed him. Terribly so. And the fact that you couldn’t see him, hurt. You missed his unreserved, joyous laughter, dyed with the colors of youthful innocence.  His sincere, affectionate gazes that he’d direct at no one but you. His voice, that would whisper sweet nothings to you whenever you’d feel stressed or worried. His slender arms, that would wrap around you in the most secure embrace, driving all of the darkness away. You missed the way he’d run his fingers through your hair, or the way he’d softly press his forehead against yours to look into your eyes. He had been all the warmth and gentleness that you’d ever want in your life, and you missed him.

But that wasn’t all.

Besides all that warmth, there were other things about him you missed as well. That other side of him; the one he’d show to no one else but you. Like the way his eyes would darken with sheer want and love when the air between you two would get heated. The way your blood would boil whenever he’d touch you. The way your cheeks would light on fire every time he’d confess his feelings to you.

The passionate kisses.

Stop...

The soft caresses.

Stop.

The longing filled in every ‘I love you.’

STOP!

You had to pause your footsteps as the memories flooded your mind, rapidly blinking away the tears that blurred your vision. You choked on your sobs, the tightness making it hard to breathe. People brushed past you, occasionally throwing questioning glances your way, but you were too heartbroken to care.

That was, until you felt a tap on your shoulder and a kind voice say, “are you okay, miss?”

You looked up and found a woman looking back at you, concern evident in her kind brown eyes. You quickly wiped away the few tears that had managed to slide down your cheeks and gave her a strained smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you.”

Her eyebrows were still scrunched in worry when she began to dig around in her purse for something. “I should have a few tissues around here…” she mumbled to herself.

“Oh, no, it’s okay!” You immediately exclaimed, feeling guilty from making a total stranger worry about you. You took out a handkerchief from your own purse. “I have a handkerchief. You don’t have to trouble yourself. And besides, my place is just a few blocks away. I’ll be fine.” You gave her a reassuring smile, just in case.

The woman finally let out a soft smile. “Oh, okay. You take care then.”

You nodded gratefully, thanked the kind lady again, and continued your walk home. Unfortunately, contrary to what you had told her, your home wasn’t just a few blocks away. It was still quite far, in fact. You had to take the subway there, which happened to be jam packed at that time of day—much to your chagrin—and by the time you neared your apartment complex, the sun had already set.

Making a firm decision, you entered an alley which also happened to be a shortcut to the complex. All you wanted, was to get home as soon as possible.

The alley was dark, with hardly any light to spare. Shadows flittered across the wall in a creepy dance, causing you to break out in nervous sweat.

That’s when you heard it—the sound of heavy footsteps right behind you. They sounded quick and alarming, causing a shiver to run up your spine. Without looking back, you quickened your own pace while you slowly brought your purse to the front, attempting to dig out your phone so you could the police.

As if sensing your motives, your pursuer’s footsteps increased in speed.

Suppressing the urge to scream, you broke out into a run, your heels sounding loud in the cold, dark night, wishing nothing more than to reach your apartment complex so security could catch whoever it was that was following you. But just as you reached the end of the alley, about to turn the corner, you ended up bumping into something flat and hard.

You lost your balance, your body tilting towards the ground as you braced for impact. But instead of falling, you felt a slender hand grab your arm and pull you back on your feet, steadying you. You looked up on reflex, ready to thank whoever it was that helped you, when a pair of familiar blue eyes entered your vision. Your eyes widened in shock and the name that escaped your lips belonged to one that you never would have expected you’d run into.

“Helios?!”

Helios looked just as amazed as you did, his lips parting ever so slightly. But then a second later, his features contorted into a look of exasperation, as if he was not at all happy to have run into you (which, he probably was). “Not you again,” he grunted in that cold voice of his, letting go of your arm in the process. Only then did he notice the person behind you and motioned with his head, his silver bangs brushing over his beautiful eyebrows. The hard lines on his face grew even more fierce. “Is this a friend of yours?”

You carefully looked behind you, knowing what he was referring to. It was the creep who had been following you, an inconspicuous middle-aged man who now stood frozen in his tracks, carefully eyeing the two of you. You immediately shook your head, trembling slightly. “N-no,” you whispered. “He isn’t.”

“Is that so…?” Helios muttered, not taking his eyes off the man, who now seemed to be getting nervous under his icy glare. Not that you could blame him. Even if Helios appeared to be relaxed, casually stuffing a hand in his pocket, nothing could hide the aura of danger that seemed to be radiating off of him—strong and oppressive. You didn’t know whether to feel comforted by his presence or feel even more intimidated by your predicament.

“H-hiya, pal…” the man began, his voice sounding shaky. He took out a dagger from his pocket and held it up for him to see. “If you know what’s best for ya, you better leave the lady with me an’ leave.”

Upon hearing his words, Helios’ indifferent expression slowly morphed into a sneer and his gaze turned mocking. “Or what? You gonna stab me with me with that little toy you got there?”

“What did you-?!”

Before the man could finish, Helios held up a gun in his direction, the silver steel glinting with a deadly light as he aimed it right at the man’s heart. “I give you three seconds,” he said, voice devoid of emotion. “Leave this place and never come back. Or else…”

Helios didn’t even have to begin counting. With a terrified yelp, the man had quickly scurried away, leaving nothing to show he was there to begin with. Helios quickly slid the gun back into his holster.

“Tsk, stupid low-lives. They’ve got way too much of free time,” he grumbled, running his fingers through his platinum hair. He glanced at you from the corner of his eyes and found you staring. “What?” he asked coldly.

Until now, you had done nothing but watch what was unfolding in front of you with wide eyes, much too shocked to move. To think that Helios, a member of Black Swan, would be the one to save you… again, despite the fact that he was a part of the enemy…… you didn’t think it was possible.

And yet, here you were, in said ‘impossible’ situation…… Just what had your life come to?

Helios glared at you impatiently and you cleared your throat, finally getting the words out of your mouth, though it still sounded weak. “U-um, thank you for saving me…”

“Again.”

You were taken aback. “I-I’m—excuse me, what?”

“Again. I saved you, again. Don’t make me repeat myself,” he growled, a tremendous anger belying his tone. It made you shrink, still unable get used to his ferocity. But then again, it was understandable; you had only met the guy for a total of three times so far and they weren’t exactly in the friendliest circumstances. “You really have a knack for getting into danger, don’t you,” he sneered, eyes cold, distant and mocking.

“It’s not like I ask for this,” you frowned. You didn’t know why, but the way he spoke made you feel misunderstood and wronged somehow. The fear that you had felt just a few moments ago, suddenly came crashing back at you with full force. Overwhelmed, you turned your head to the side as you felt tears start to sting your eyes once again.

If Helios didn’t show up when he did… what would have happened to me?

Helios must’ve noticed your sudden silence and he pursed his lips, eyes darting off to the side. He didn’t say anything, probably not know what to do with the unexpected situation. After a few moments of stretched silence, slowly, you felt an awkward hand gently being placed on your head. “Relax. The bad guys are gone now,” he said, sounding uncharacteristically gentle. Well, as gentle as Helios could be, anyway.

You wanted to laugh; so hard your lungs would burst. Gee thanks, you wanted to roll your eyes. But all of that was caught in your throat. Instead, you found your cheeks unexpectedly heating up.

You were caught off guard. Helios’ sudden soft tone in that moment sounded so painfully familiar, like you should’ve known it like the back of your hand. It was right on the tip of your tongue, so close you could taste it. But there seemed to be a fog clouding your memories. A gap in your soul that desperately needed to be filled. It clenched your heart so painfully tight, it almost sucked out all the air from your lungs. Yet you couldn’t put your finger on it, and that frustrated you.

Deciding to ignore whatever it was you felt whenever this man was close by, you slowly took a step back from him. Helios’ hand fell back to his side.

“Anyway, gotta go,” he turned to leave, not bothering to give you a second glance. But before he could, your hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. He paused and turned back to look at you, clear confusion washing over his face. Honestly, you couldn’t blame him. You were just as dumbfounded by your actions as he was. But the fear you felt if he left was so tangible, so utterly terrifying that it was enough to make you forget about the logic behind your actions. “C-could you accompany me till I reach home, please?” You stammered, not daring to look at his expression. “I-I’d be much too afraid on my own.”

Helios let out a snort. “And you want me to accompany you? How is that any better?”

You shook your head. “I know you. You wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Oh?” He narrowed his eyes sharply. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“But I know you enough to know that you wouldn’t do anything bad to me.” You gave him a slight smirk. “Call it a woman’s intuition.”

He side-eyed you for a while, as if trying to figure out something, his cold cerulean eyes calculating. Finally, he let out a resigned grunt. “…Tch, whatever. Only up until your door. After that, you’re on your own.”

You nodded. “That’s all I ask.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The walk to your apartment was quiet, as expected. Helios was a rather stoic man, only speaking up when necessary, or when riled up. But rather than feeling awkward about it, you actually welcomed the silence. It was comforting, in a way. Sure, the though of relying on Helios for protection at the moment was rather weird, but you knew you could trust him. For some reason, even though he was a member of Black Swan, you couldn’t sense any malice coming from him. It felt like, rather than supporting Black Swan’s ideals, Helios seemed to be occupied with his own agenda; not once had he said anything about you being the Queen. Wait, did he even know you were the Queen? You figured it was something every member in Black Swan knew about…… unless you were wrong.

The two of you passed through the entrance of the apartment complex where the security guard had been fast asleep. You heard Helios let out a soft snort behind you.

Once you got to your door, a memory from not long ago surfaced to your mind and you widened your eyes. “Oh, right! I still have the jacket you gave me back at the greenhouse.” You turned your keys, opened the door and walked in without looking behind you. You switched on the lights and dumped your bags on the couch. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll return it back to you.”

“You don’t need—”

“You don’t have to stand out there. You can come in, if you want,” you said without thinking. You heard Helios sigh behind you as you disappeared into the bedroom to get the jacket he had left behind when the two of you had last met. Although Helios made it clear that he didn’t need it to be returned, you had still carefully washed it. Maybe you had an inkling that the two of you would meet again, by some weird twist of fate.

You walked back to the living room where Helios was waiting. But as soon as you reached the entrance, you stopped in your tracks. He was hovering close to the entrance, busy looking at a photograph that was placed on top of the wooden counter nearby.

It was a photo of you and Kiro.

The photo had been taken during your trip to Japan, when the two of you had gone flower-viewing together. You had requested a kind passer-by to click that picture while the two of you sat over a spread-out picnic blanket. You were seated in-between Kiro’s legs, your back pressed against his chest while his arms encircled your waist, the both of you flashing bright smiles at the camera, laughter dancing in your bright eyes. The happiness that the two of you radiated was infectious to anyone that laid their eyes on you.

Kiro……

You suppressed the storm of emotions that threatened to overwhelm you and shifted your gaze to Helios. You couldn’t see the expression on his face from where you were standing, but the loneliness that he exuded tugged at your heartstrings. You tightened your hold on his jacket, fingers curling into the rough fabric. The vision of loneliness that came from this man gave you a sense of déjà vu, almost like you’d seen it somewhere before. Before you could dwell on it further though, you heard a slightly teasing voice calling out to you. “Just how long are you going to stand there and look at me?” Helios asked, shooting you a look with a raised eyebrow. “Or do you just love admiring me that much?”

You grew flustered and glared at him. “I wasn’t admiring you!”

A corner of his lips tugged upwards, the motion so slight, you almost didn’t notice it. For some reason, it made butterflies flutter in your belly. “Oh really?”

You puffed your cheeks in exasperation and strutted up to him, shoving the jacket in his hands. “Anyway, here’s your jacket. I washed it for you, so you don’t need to worry about stains or anything.” You paused, then added “thank you for lending it to me.”

He looked down at his jacket, then looked back up to meet your eyes. You were taken aback by his gaze. At the unfathomable emotions swirling in its otherwise-emotionless depth. Your breath caught in your throat. You knew that look. You’d find it on your own face every time you thought about Kiro.

……Yearning.

As if catching himself, Helios looked away almost immediately. “You know, between the shabby security of this place and your attitude towards your safety, you’re gonna get yourself killed sooner or later,” he said dryly, as if the look he had just now was nothing but a lie.

Maybe it was.

You shook your head and snorted, ignoring your pounding heart and flushed skin. “Don’t underestimate me, Helios. I may be a girl, but I’m more than capable of protecting myself.”

He scoffed. “Says the person who was fleeing for her life just a few moments ago…… Admit it. You were utterly defenseless.”

“……W-was no—!”

You didn’t get to finish your sentence. Your vision blurred as you felt a sudden force grabbing you, two strong hands latching onto your wrists and pinning you against the wall, your front pressing against the cool surface. You felt Helios’ hot breath right next to your ear, sending shivers down your spine. He was so close; you could smell him. It was a chilly fragrance, one that was foreign to your senses, but still drew you in. His jacket was left forgotten on the floor.

“See?” He whispered; his soft voice dangerous yet alluring. “Defenseless.”

“I-I get it, I get it. N-now, could you please let go of me?” You pleaded, your mind a complete blank. Having him so close made you unable to think straight.

He chuckled. “Relax. Just like you said; I won’t hurt you.”

His hands left your wrists. But instead of pulling back, he wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you against his firm chest, the force almost knocking the air out of your lungs. His palm was scorching through the thin fabric of your blouse, setting your skin ablaze. It confused you to no end. Helios confused you to no end.

You registered his chest pressed against your back, the chin brushing against the top of your head. You fit so perfectly against him, as if your bodies were molded for each other, like two pieces of a puzzle.

This wasn’t the first time you felt this body pressed against your own.

Your mind raced as the blood rushed to your cheeks. You struggled to remember something, desperately seeking through your hazy memories. But no matter how much you searched, you just couldn’t get past the murky fog that blocked your hunt. You let out a shuddering breath. Why? Why did this heat feel so familiar…?

Involuntarily, you pressed yourself further against Helios, trying to feel more of this familiar warmth.

Startled by your actions, Helios visibly stiffened against your back. His fingers tensed on your waist, slightly pressing the supple flesh. “What are you doing?” he asked, voice low and guttural.

You tilted your neck backwards, eyes meeting his from under his chin. Your locked gazes seemed to have added a layer of intimacy to the surrounding air, thick and lingering. You had never gotten a closer look at him than you did right now. Immaculate features graced his face, along with deep blue eyes, fair skin and pretty silver hair. You had to admit—when he wasn’t busy sneering at you, or when his eyes weren’t so hurtfully cold, he actually looked… beautiful…

“Why are you so……” Your voice trailed, unable to finish. Unconsciously, your hand landed over his at your waist, your fingers brushing against his knuckles.

……familiar? You finished internally.  

Helios’ eyebrow twitched, seeming to have been irked by your words and he let go of the embrace. He picked up his jacket from the floor and swung it over his shoulder, acting as if nothing ever happened. He nonchalantly walked up to the front door, tossing one last glance at the photograph on his way out. “See ya. Don’t get killed.”

And just like that, he was gone.

You looked at the photograph sitting atop the counter. Kiro’s smile shone through the frame, the corners of his eyes crinkling ever-so-slightly. You picked it up and pressed it against your forehead, feeling the tears starting to sting your eyes.

“Kiro…… I miss you……”  

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Helios walked through the night, the moonlight reflecting his lithe figure, making his silver hair shine with a beautiful but deadly glow. His combat boots let out an audible crunch as he stepped over the dead leaves that scattered the ground. The breeze that blew that night brought with an unusual chill with it. But the warmth that emanated from the jacket he was wearing seemed to block that out. It felt like the sun’s rays, wrapping warmly around him.

Just like her.

Helios hadn’t expected to run into her when he did, and especially not like that. He’d done nothing but try to avoid her as much as possible and yet… It was like there were magnets stuck to his back, drawing him to her.

He couldn’t help it. That’s what seventeen years of feelings does to you.

She had looked thinner since he last saw her at the greenhouse. And there had been dark circles under her eyes, as if she wasn’t getting enough sleep. Not that he could blame her. He knew of the burden she carried, being the Queen that Black Swan was after. The one factor that could single-handedly change the fate of this world. And knowing her, she wouldn’t just sit by and let herself be swallowed by fate. So he had decided to support her, by doing what he could on his side, as well as complete the mission his master had given him.

But still……

The memory of her in his arms from just a few minutes ago flashed through his head and he clenched his jaw. His self-control in that moment had been astounding. She had been so close, enough that he could’ve just leaned down to kiss her. He wanted to. Almost did, but he held himself back. And he was glad he did. Leaving her had been hard enough, but treating her coldly and making her forget about him had been pure torment.

He knew it was selfish, but he just couldn’t bring himself to show her this side of himself. If she knew about the things he’s done, about the sheer amount of people he has killed, how would she look at him…?

Just the possibility of her pretty smile disappearing from her face, or her pure, starry eyes being laced with disgust every time she looked at him, utterly terrified him.

So he had no choice but to make her forget. Even if it tore him up inside, if she was able to live with the happy memories of Kiro the Superstar, that was enough for him. After all, he didn’t plan on staying in this darkness for long.

Even if she was experiencing pain for now, he’d make sure to return to her side again someday and take all her pain away. And when that happened, he’d hold onto her tight and never let go.  

───※ ·❆· ※─── ───※ ·❆· ※───

Thank you so much for reading! If you’re interested in checking out my other works, you’ll find them in my Masterlist.

[hiddles-evans-hallucinations]

Picnic as OUR start

Request: “Can I request a Chris with a younger actress(22)and they worked on a movie together and so they do a buzzfeed quiz interview and one of the questions is like "whats your ideal date" and she picked a picnic date bc shes never been on one & so on her bday Chris decides to surprise her with one even though they're just friends(for now) & she gets shy and kisses his cheek as a thank you which surprises him cause shes not usually affectionate or shy with him... just a small idea can u add more to it.” - By Anon

Pairing: Chris Evans x Famous Reader

Genre: Fluff 

Warnings: None

Note: Inbox me for another request! <3 

Taglists: @patzammit​ @joannaliceevans-fanficblog​

*gif are not mine*

After the movie is out, you and Chris are busy doing press interviews and going to premiere here and there. Chris was paired with you romantically in the movie, the two of you became close throughout the process, you become good friends and the chemistry on and off set completes your relationship with each other. 

“Hi, I’m (Y/N/L/N).” 

Chris added, “Chris Evans here and we’re doing the Buzzfeed Quiz.” You grin goofily at the camera. 

“Do you want to read the question together or do you want to take turns? When I was doing this with Mark, we read the question together so..” You shook your head no at him because you know that he reads fast and loud and you’d end up losing it. 

“What is your character flaw? Caring too much, too loyal, easy to persuade, hard to commit?” 

“I think I’m too loyal, right, Chris?” You joked, bumping your elbow with his. “If you haven’t seen the movie, you should, and you’ll know.” you said to the camera winking as Chris turns his head to you with his mouth open. 

“Not cool, I’m loyal!” 

You roll your eyes at him. “Uh....” you respond making fun of him as everyone laugh. 

“I think you’re hard to commit.” You whisper to him but making sure everyone in the room heard it too as they laugh again. Chris scoffs, shaking his head as he clicks the answer caring too much. You burst out in laughter as you bury your head on his shoulder. 

Chris has been really comfortable around (Y/N), since the first time he lays his eyes on her, he likes having her around and he was fortunate enough to work with her and spending a lot of time together on and off set. She’s outgoing but she’s not over the top, she can be if she wants to. She’s so nice, Chris always thinks that he’s kind of a nice person, but (Y/N) is like the friendliest person anyone could ever want to meet, the fame doesn’t get her over her head like people her age, but she’s kind, and she’s funny and her personality makes everyone loves her more. 

You’ve been close with Chris as friends, you have the same sense of humor, same desire when it comes to a party and your chemistry off set comes naturally, nobody is pushing the two of you to do anything, when the trailer was out and there was a scene of you two kissing, the media went crazy talking about the age gap between you two. You didn’t care, you never feel like age is something that can hold someone’s back from doing something, like having a profession to stay in. Chris, on the other hand grew concern when he was asked in an interview how it feels to make out with someone half his age. But, you back him up. “It’s not like he shoved his tongue to a 12-year old girl, gosh.. what is it with you guys and age difference?” 

Chris saw your maturity there, you weren’t snapping at the interview with raging anger, you were annoyed because you don’t want anyone to think that your co-star is less than who he is. You always think that he’s more, because out of everyone you worked with, he’s different, he’s very easy going and you don’t feel like you have a title of someone who’s fortunate enough to be famous or anything like that. 

Chris feels the same way, he feels secure when you’re around and somehow he wants to make you feel the same way as he does; secure.

“Okay, last one.” 

“What is your ideal date? Walk in the park, dinner date, picnic date, movie date and just turning it up.” You read as you laugh at the last sentence. “What does that mean turning it up? Like getting turnt?” You playfully dance with both of your hands up in the air as Chris joined you dancing and making everyone in the room laugh. 

“I would choose a picnic date, cause I’ve never been.” 

Chris raises his brow at you. “You’ve never been?” 

You shook your head no. 

Chris says “whoa” under his breath and you frown at him. “No, no, no it’s not like that.” he said with a chuckle and lean back to the chair to see what he’s going to answer. 

“I love a movie date at home so, that’s my choice.” 

You nodded your head at him as both of you wrap up the interview and leave the room. “I heard it’s your birthday tomorrow,” he said as you both walk back to the room Buzzfeed provided for you two to wait, eat, did your makeup and change clothes and so on. 

“Yeah, what are you gonna get me?” 

Chris laughed. “A snake.” 

Your eyes widens. “Well, might as well throw spiders at you.” 

He made a disgusting face and shivers making you laugh. “Oh no.” 

“What’s your plan this year?” he asks. 

“Just staying at home, I’ve been to tired so I’m gonna stay in.” 

He nodded his head. “Alright, I’m gonna go home and sleep.” You said to him as you wrap your arms around him hugging him tight. 

“See ya, (Y/N).” 

. . . . 

You were lounging around your house in LA, you bought it about a year ago, it wasn’t that big not like a mansion but when you live alone it’s big enough. You were wearing your navy silk pajamas with its shorts, sitting on your living room after talking with your family over Facetime. You were watching Brooklyn 99 when someone rings your bell. You check your phone but there’s no one telling you that they’re coming over. 

You walk to your door and find someone standing there with a sunflower bouquet over his face. You waited until he reveals his face and it’s Chris. 

A smile appears on your face just immediately after he poke his head over the bouquet. 

“Happy birthday.” 

You feel your cheeks blushed as you shyly walk over to him and hug him. “Thank you, but what are you doing here?” you ask but before you invite him in, he lifts up a picnic basket causing you to look at him with your mouth slightly open. 

“Chris..” 

“We’re going on a picnic date cause you’ve never been before.” 

Chris looks at you nervously, he was bargaining with himself if this is a good idea or not because you already told him that you wanted to stay in for your birthday. 

“Chris, that’s so thoughtful.” You lean forward to plant a kiss on his cheek which took him by surprise, you’re not as affectionate as this before.”Thank you, again.” you said. You’re known to not be an affectionate person to anyone, yes, you’d hug them, but on a daily basis, you just think that it has to be done with the right person or people, cause one of your fear is when you’re too affectionate with someone, you’d end up hurting when they turn against you. 

Chris stood there, surprised. Trying to calm himself down of what you just did. “Are you ready?” he jokes. 

You look down to what you’re wearing and frown. 

“No, but come in, give me 5-minutes to change.” 

You put on your dress, you didn’t bother to put on a makeup, you just spray some perfume on you and walk out to find Chris smiling at you. 

“Do you wanna go to the beach?” He looks over outside of your backyard and shook his head as he smiles. 

“Nah, out there is fine.” Chris said holding out his hand to you. 

He sets the mat as you hold the basket and watch him sit and invite you to join him. Chris took out the polaroid camera out of the basket and say, “I have to make this as memorable as possible.” You laugh as you tuck a hair behind your ear shyly. 

You can picture your cheeks as red as a tomato. Chris noticed that you’re so red as he took out all of the fruits, he even brings pizza and PBJ. “Champagne?” 

“Yes, please.” 

You leave your phone inside so you can enjoy the picnic with him. Chris holds his polaroid to you and say, “Smile.” you smile shyly at him as the it rolls out the picture. 

You take it from him and tell him to smile. 

You never realize how beautiful he is, you know he is, but you never spend time alone just the two of you. 

As you eat your food, you talk about what you’re going to do, what’s your plans, he asks if you have any other dreams that you haven’t achieved. 

“Probably just thinking about myself.” 

He arches his brow. “I always think about others, and I couldn’t seem to get myself close to someone. I’m afraid about losing a lot of things.”

Chris managed to place his hand on your cheeks. You shut your eyes as you let out a sigh. 

“Comere.” he said as you bit your lower lip and he leans lower to you and press his lips to yours.

Once Chris pulls away, he said, “Well, let’s make this picnic a start of us, and you will never have to be scared of losing me, or anything, cause, I will do everything to keep you with me.” 

You smiled and kiss him again, more passionate and deeply this time. 

“Don’t make me take you down here.” 

You arches your brow at him. “I don’t mind, do you?” 

The rest is history. But for now, you’re glad that his idea on taking you on your first picnic date turns into something that you’d never imagine of. 

[cynergy-laughter]

Meet the Family: Obey Me! One Master to Rule Them All!

Fanfic Series by: @cynergy-laughter

Featuring: (Defined MC), (Comedy, Fluff, Shipping, Angst) (PG-Rated)

Chapter 4: The Things We Do to Love You

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“Brendon!! It’s really you!” An excitable voice called out from the other side of the phone.

“Oh my gosh, Dion, is that you?!” Brendon chuckled and smiled excitedly.

“Yes! Guys! This is Brendon’s new number! Come on and get in on this!” Dion said, chuckling.

“Brendon!! Where the hell have you been?!” A stern voice came through the phone. “We were worried about you! You had Mom worried most of all!”

“Hehe, sorry Patrick… I broke my phone when I first came on, I got a new one but I couldn’t get any of the phone numbers I lost…” Brendon said, chuckling uneasily.

“Well, you bet your butt I’m gonna give you a hard time when we see you, that’s right Davey told us that he made you promise.” Patrick said as a matter of factly. “And don’t go breaking your promise.”

“I won’t… I always follow through with my word.” Brendon said, reassuring him.

“Move over ya big lug! Brendon~! It’s Ivan! It’s so good to hear from you again! We all miss you and we can’t wait to see you in Kyoto!” Another happy voice butted into the call.

“Hehe, Ivan, it’s good to hear your voice again! We have to catch up later!” Brendon went back to washing dishes, a bit quieter so he could listen to his brothers.

“Definitely! Actually, Mom and Davey dropped hints that you might be bringing people with you to Kyoto? Something about… ‘roommates’?” Ivan said, his smirking could be heard in his voice.

“Ivan, you’re gonna meet them when they get to Kyoto, I’m not spoiling anything.” Brendon smirked.

“Why?! Why can’t you tell me about your roommates? At least tell me if they’re single! Do they have brothers?” Ivan groaned. “Come on, you’re not usually one to withhold secrets!”

“That’s because it’s my secret and my surprise,'' Brendon laughed, “No Spoilers~!”

“Ugh, Brendon you are such a brat! Fine… oh! And someone wants to say hi to you!” Ivan handed the phone to the next person.

“Brendon? Is it really you?”

Brendon sounded like he was about to burst into tears when he heard that voice. “Will… oh my gosh… I’ve missed you so much… how are you?”

“Well, for starters, I’ve been missing you, and I didn’t know what happened to you. But other than that, I’ve been writing, doing alright for myself.” Will said.

“Will… I’m sorry for not contacting you sooner… I…” Brendon’s voice trembled.

“H-Hey, Brendon, I was just giving you a hard time, don’t cry… gosh, I keep forgetting you’re emotional… now I feel bad…” Will sighed.

“Don’t make Brendon cry!” Patrick called out, “apologize to him!”

“It was an accident! And stop shouting, you’ll wake up Mom and Shawn!” Will hissed.

“Oh? Shawn’s not awake? That’s odd, he’s usually up and about at night.” Brendon inquired, still a bit teary.

“No, he’s trying to adjust his sleeping schedule to match Kyoto’s day and nighttime hours. He went to sleep around 4pm.” Will said, “Sorry for making you cry.”

“No nononono… these are good tears… I’ve missed you all something fierce…” Brendon sniffled and chuckled.

“We all miss you too Bren, Shawn has been desperately trying to find a trace of an update from you on all your social media.” Ivan said, listening into the conversation next to Will.

“Yeah, my phone got smashed when I arrived, the headmaster gave me a new phone when I arrived at the school.”

“What’s the school’s name again?” Will asked, “Cause I heard about exchange students making their home at your college, they didn’t really say anything about who the 4 students were…”

“Uhh… The Royal Academy.” Brendon said, a drop of insecurity suddenly hitting him.

“The Royal Academy?” Will asked, Brendon could hear Will’s eyebrow raise.

“The Royal Academy of Arts?! I knew you were in Europe!” Ivan said excitedly.

“N-No, just the Royal Academy… it’s… down under!” Brendon was panicking, but not technically lying.

“So your roommates are Australian?!” Ivan exclaimed and then began to parade through the room. “I’m gonna meet some Aussie hunks, I’m gonna meet some Aussie hunks~!” Ivan chanted, dancing excitedly. “I am so jealous!!”

“I mean… they aren’t really Australian… it’s very complicated… and kind of disturbing…” Brendon was sweating, he just wanted to scream in the sudsy water that accumulated in the sink... Oh no, the sink!! “Ahh! It’s overflowing!” Brendon screamed.

“Brendon? Are you okay in here?” A voice asked, walking into the kitchen.

“A-Asmo?!” Brendon said, turning the faucet off, but slipping on the wet floor.

“Brendon?! Are you okay?!” Will asked frantically, on speaker.

“Bren!! You better be in one piece when you get here, cause I won’t forgive you for hurting yourself!” Patrick growled.

“Oh my gosh… that voice didn’t sound Australian… is that one of your roommates? Yoo-hoo~! Hi roommate!!” Ivan called out.

“Guys, you’re hogging my phone! Brendon, it seems you got your hands full, so we’ll let you go, we’ll see you in Kyoto! Good night!” Dion took over once more.

“Dion! We need these questions answered!” Ivan exasperated.

“No you don’t!” Dion grunted, hanging up.

Brendon was lying face up on the kitchen floor, sighing in many emotions. He sighed in relief because the brotherly interrogation was over, in frustration because he didn’t tell them the truth, in pain because of the slipping, and in embarrassment because he slipped in front of Asmo.

“Brendon! Oh my gosh, honey, are you okay?” Asmo asked, helping Brendon up from the floor.

“Yeah… nothing but a bruised ego, and wet pants…” Brendon said, snorted in humility.

“I’m glad you’re okay… who were you talking to? Oh my gosh, were they your brothers?!” Asmo reassured, then asked excitedly.

“Ehehe… yeah, those were my older brothers and my younger brother.” Brendon rubbed the back of his head, and then Asmo started laughing, “W-What?”

“Hahaha! I’m sorry, it’s just… you look so cute when you’re embarrassed!” Asmo said with a smile.

Brendon blushed and looked down, before getting his phone back, putting it in his pocket. It was a miracle it didn’t fall into the sink. “U-Ummm��� how much did you hear?”

“Well… I know that you didn’t really tell them the truth about us.” Asmo crossed his arms sadly. “But, I get it. Some families might not know how to take us being demons and all… but, your family seems pretty cool. I know they also love you.”

Brendon looked down and frowned, he didn’t want to lie to them, but he didn’t know what else to say, who knows how they would react if they found out the reason they didn’t see him for a whole year was because he was basically stuck in hell? Not quite hell, but it still complicates the explanation. Suddenly he got a ping from his phone, he took it out and he froze, it was a few texts from Will.

“Hey, it’s Thoth, you’re a terrible liar, and I expect you to tell us everything the next time I see you.” The text read. “I hope you sleep well.”

Asmo read the text over Brendon’s shoulder and blinks. “Oh my… it seems that someone’s not as dense either…” he said.

“Will has always been a perceptive person… he can tell when I’m lying… but, I just couldn’t tell them over the phone… it would have made them worry more about me…” Brendon sighed. “I didn’t want them to worry more, they’ve been worrying enough.”

Asmo gave a small smile and pat Brendon’s back. “I don’t think it’s fair to lie to your brothers either… and for the record, we are far from being Australians.”

Brendon and Asmo both started to laugh as they began to wipe the water up off the floor. Asmo began drying the dishes as Brendon continued to wash the remaining ones. Afterward, Asmo took Brendon up to his room and began to help Brendon combat the dryness of his hands after the dishwashing. Brendon really did love and appreciate how helpful, and charming Asmo was. He was a social butterfly, loved to entertain, and thoughtful. Although he was a bit extra, a bit of a flirt, semi-competitive, and soaked in vanity every night before bed, he was the friendliest and most approachable of the brothers.

“Thank you for cheering me up, Asmo… and you’re right… I need to tell my family about you all when we get to Kyoto.” Brendon said.

“I agree. I just think it isn’t fair to your brothers. Especially if we might eventually become brothers-in-law~.” Asmo winked playfully.

Brendon didn’t say anything to that, instead he leaned in and began tickling Asmo’s sides, just what Asmo hoped for.

“AH! Nuuuhuhuhu~! It was only the truth! Hahaha!” Asmo wiggles around, trying not to pull away but instinct betrayed him.

Brendon chuckles as he had stopped tickling, and shook his head with a smirk before hugging him close. “Seriously though, Asmo… thank you for setting me right.” He said, kissing Asmo on the cheek.

Asmo smiles and tried to kiss Brendon’s cheek back. “Hehe~! Anytime. And as much as I would love to have you play with me all night, I got some plans for tonight. And you need to continue packing. After all, 2 months is a long vacation~!”

“O-Oh, that’s right! There’s still some things I need to pack… I’ll see you tomorrow, Asmo!” Brendon said, getting up from sitting on Asmo’s bed and leaving out of his room.

“See you sweetie~!” Asmo said, then reached into his bag and pulled out a packet. “Ugh… the things I go through for him… well, I think he’s worth it.”

Brendon was walking back down toward his room when he heard music coming from the library. He walked over to the library and saw one of the bookcases were open, revealing the stairs down into Lucifer’s study. Brendon sighed contentedly as he let himself walk down to the study and saw Lucifer sitting at his desk, doing some paperwork. He only got down halfway, when he heard papers calmly shifting.

“Brendon, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you down to my study at this hour?” Lucifer asked all suave.

“I was heading back to my room, and I heard music. You know if you don’t want me to come down here, it would do you well to close the bookcase.” Brendon chuckles.

“Who said that I didn’t want you down here?” Lucifer leaned in, interlocking his hands together, “Tell me, cause I will not have anyone put words into my mouth.”

“Hehe, I only assumed, but I guess I assumed wrong.” Brendon shrugged and sat in front of Lucifer’s desk.

“Well, I suppose when you first arrived here, I wouldn’t have wanted you to be snooping down here, but now it’s different.” Lucifer said, putting his pen back in the inkwell. “Have you made your decision on who to pick for the trip to Kyoto?”

“Umm… no… I haven’t… it’s pretty difficult to choose…” he said, biting his lip. “Everyone has cons and pros about going… and it’s challenging to weigh in on everyone , cause this will be 2 months in the human world…”

“I personally would not have a difficult decision. I would either pick Satan or Asmo, because they are the ones who usually don’t cause too much trouble.” Lucifer said, “Mammon and Levi wouldn’t be a good combo at all, Beel in the human world would be catastrophic, Belphie, you can never really know about him…”

“Well, I see all the good and bad they contribute to daily life. And I think they would behave as much as they can if I can stay frosty.” Brendon clenched his fists in determination.

“Beel and Mammon would drain your wallet very quickly.” Lucifer pointed out, “if not yours, then one of your family member’s.”

Brendon slumped into the chair and sighs. “This is gonna be a disaster, and I already promised my older brother I’d go… I just wish I could bring you all…That way I don’t have to worry about any of you getting into trouble...”

Lucifer blinked and smiled, before getting up and walking over behind Brendon’s chair, and he placed his hand on Brendon’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m sure it will work out, Brendon. You have a talent for having everything work out.”

Brendon opened his eyes and looked up at Lucifer, giving a small smile. “Well… I don’t know about that… I guess it all depends on the situation… Diavolo said his decision was final…” he said, but then he stood up gently with Lucifer, and they began to dance to the music that was playing in the study.

Brendon was swept off of his feet and away from his mile-a-minute-mind but Lucifer’s leading waltz. Lucifer had to be the most charming of the brothers, he was thoughtful, considerate, hardworking, and sensual when he wanted to show it. Even though he was a bit of a sadist, authoritative, stubborn, and sometimes had too much pride in himself, he knew how to make Brendon feel like the closest thing to a Prince as he could.

“You really know how to make a guy feel special, Lucifer…” Brendon blushed as Lucifer stepped back, both their arms extending out, and pulled in Brendon, who spun toward him, his kilt catching air lightly in the twirl until their bodies came into contact, and so did their gazes upon each other.

“It’s because you are special to me, Brendon. There aren’t many people in this world who have traded hearts with me.” Lucifer said, putting his hand securely on Brendon’s waist and dipped him back gently. “In fact, you are the only one who managed to.”

Brendon smiled and leaned up to give Lucifer a kiss while hanging on by Lucifer’s grip on his back. Lucifer leaned in as well to the kiss and they held it for a good second or two before a pounding knock at the front door startled the pair, into the upright position.

Brendon and Lucifer looked at each other. “Who could that be during this time of night?” Lucifer asked, eyebrows raised.

Brendon chuckled a bit. “Lucifer… It’s always night in the Devildom.” Brendon let go of Lucifer, “Let’s go see who it is, it might be important.”

“I surely hope so.” Lucifer said, walking with Brendon upstairs to the front door.

“Hehe, unless the Devildom has door-to-door sales-demons, or Cain’s Witnesses, I doubt it would be anything less than important.” Brendon said as Lucifer opened the door.

“That is where you’re correct, Brendon.” A proper voice came from the front porch.

“Barbatos? What are you doing here?” Lucifer asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Pardon the visit at such a late hour, but Lord Diavolo wishes to speak with Brendon,” Barbatos said, bowing his head slightly, arm over his chest, “Privately.”

[inkrabbit]

The Yearbook

This is an older story, little over 2 years old, but the next shipping story for Sucker will revolve around the suggestion by Vance. Also I think Bully deserves a bit more content on here.

Pete frowns slightly as he stares down at the yearbook's generic cover. He'd had the thing for over a couple days and no one's come around to sign it. He didn't really go out and ask people to sign, either. He figured he was too much of a loser to ask the other students, or even teachers to sign his yearbook. And the thought of this made his frown worsen. However, when the bell finally rang and the few students who had stayed for the remainder of their English finals got up to leave, he met a smiling Mr. Galloway, beckoning him over. He figured the man was just drunk and wanted to give him a lecture about being more social and whatnot his sophomore year.

"Ah, Peter! How are you?" Mr. Galloway greets, his nose redder than Rudolf the Reindeer.

"I-I'm fine. What did you need?" he questions. With a warm smile, the man waves his hand, gesturing to the yearbook still clenched firmly in his hands. Hesitantly, he gives it to him, chewing on his bottom lip, anxious to see what he'll write. He watches him intently scribble away on the first page. He can see the familiar sloppy handwriting that had come back on so many assignments and tests. And when he's finally done, Galloway caps his pen and closes the book, handing it back to the student with a smile.

"Have a good summer, Peter," he tells him warmly. With a small thank you and goodbye, Pete leaves the classroom. He quickly opens the book once he's out, excited to see what the man had written.

"Such a pleasure in class. Have a good summer! Can't wait to see you come back as the official head boy with so many friends! ~Mr. Galloway"

It's short but really sweet. Galloway had always been one the coolest teachers at Bullworth, even if he was a drunk. He appreciated the message.

Walking out of the main building, Pete decided to take one last lap around campus before he sheltered himself inside his dorm room all summer, seeing as his parents didn't really send any letters saying how they missed him and couldn't wait for him to come home. And not even after a few steps away from the last stair was he met with Russell, the town's biggest – and scariest – junior. He could feel himself tremble at the sight of the bully.

"O-oh. H-hey, Russell," he greets timidly, giving him a nervous smile. The teen just grunts, though a grin spreads across his lips and for a moment, he's terrified he's gonna beat him with his yearbook.

"What that?" he questions with his poor English skills as he points to the book.

"This? Just my yearbook," he replies, acting nonchalant about it with a soft chuckle. Russell extends his hand, motioning his fingers for him to give it over. He's reluctant to do so, but he knows what will happen if he doesn't obey. So with a sick feeling in his gut, he hands the bully his yearbook. He just looks it over before staring at Pete.

"Got pen?" The question stuns him and the expression on his face says it all. Russell starts laughing as the younger teen fumbles to find a spare pen for him to use. He takes it softly from his hand, too, instead of snatching it away like Pete had anticipated. He stands there completely dumbfounded as Russell scribbles away and he wonders what he'll say. He's sure it'll be nothing but broken English and poorly spelled words, but the thought meant so much to him. Russell, the leader of the bully clique, was signing his yearbook, and not stealing it! After a bit of waiting, the junior hands it back with the same grin, but something else in his eyes that he couldn't catch onto.

"Thank you so much, Russell!" he speaks as the book is handed back to him. There's just a soft grunt and he waves, giving him a small wink before walking off. Pete's confused by the action until he looks down at what's been written.

"I'll see you over the summer, Pete. Don't be such a stranger to everyone when the school year starts up again, okay? ~R."

No way. No way did Russell Northrop, the walking caveman himself, sign his yearbook with such beautiful handwriting and perfect spelling. Not to mention how nice he was about all of it. Pete can't keep the smile off his face and he holds the yearbook close to himself. He feels all giddy and if he didn't want to look like anymore of a loser, he would've let out a squeal. But this still perplexed him. Russell wasn't smart – not that anyone knew anyways. Where did this come from? Did he have a sudden epiphany that he wanted to be smart? Or was it all an act?

Either way, he still felt great about it and he made his way around to the side of the school. His trip was cut short when he noticed the whole greaser gang walk his way, though, their newest member grinning at him.

"Pete! I've been looking for you!" He's surprised to hear that someone wanted to see him and without, what he assumed and hoped, malicious intent.

"Hey, Vyv. Hey… everyone else..." He feels nervous when he sees Johnny look him up and down, Lola right by his side with his arm hooked firmly around her waist. "What's uh… what's up?"

"Heard you got a yearbook," Johnny speaks, though his expression doesn't change to a friendly one like Vyvyan's had. "How's 'bout we all sign it for you?"

"Y-you guys really wanna sign my yearbook?" he asks. Peanut nods, a green sharpie in hand. And that's when he notices each of them have a different colored sharpie. He can feel himself smile, especially when he notices a pale pink in Norton's grasp. "Alright! Cool!"

He hands the book over to the closet greaser, Peanut, who's quickly going to work. While this goes on, the others are either look over their friend's shoulder or chatting with him.

"Any big plans for the summer, Petey?" Vance asks, giving him a smile. He just gives him a small shake of his head. This earns him a chuckle. "No plans? Maybe you'll stop by the tenement sometime, then?"

"You'd want me over there with you guys?" he questions. Lefty steps forward, hooking an arm around him with a smile, his free hand going up to mess with his hair.

"Of course! Or else we wouldn't have asked!" he tells him with a laugh, "Any friend of Jimmy's is a friend of ours, anyways."

"Thanks," He feels lucky to know the most popular kid in school now. At least they weren't bullying him like he had expected. And he can't help but smile widely.

It takes a bit for everyone to sign the yearbook and in that time, he's talked with every greaser, even King Johnny and his Queen, Lola. They were actually really pleasant and Lord knows he wishes he could just have an ounce of cool in him like they had. Even if they dressed from another time period. And just like Lefty, Johnny invites him over to the tenement whenever he's bored and wants someone to hang out with. It's nice to feel like he has people to call friends, even if he's never really spent much time with them. And when he's gotten his book back, different colors of goodbye and good luck messages hit him. From Peanut's simple "see you next year" to Norton's "go hang with the gang whenever you're alone." He feels lucky. Ricky and Vyvyan shared the same message, just both signing their names at the end. He even notices Vance's phone number and he can feel the heat rise to his cheeks. The greaser just gives him a wave and a wink as they all walk away from him. He spends a couple minutes rereading the messages the clique had written him and, once again, he holds the book close to him. Maybe he would get rid of his shell and actually text Vance over the summer.

Walking towards the fountain he's stopped by a couple preps. Pinky and Gord stride over, their aquaberry uniforms pristine and spotless. He's worried that they're going to belittle him for being poor, especially with the smirks on their faces.

"And what's this?" Gord speaks, going to snatch the yearbook away from Pete. He just frowns, slowly cowering in on himself. "Ew. You let those poor losers sign this before us?"

Gord scoffs as he looks over the other signatures. The comment replays over and over in his head. Pinky pulls out a pen from her purse, squealing slightly when Gord finishes signing it himself. He's still just as stunned when they're both finished and he takes it back with shaky hands. The two just give him a goodbye as they continue their way to the Harrington House, talking to each other. He's almost too nervous to look, but the cursive writing catches his attention. The messages aren't the friendliest, of course, but it still makes him feel good.

"You're not the most pathetic commoner at this school. ~Gord"

"You're okay. Too bad our social circles aren't the same, or we'd totally hang out over the summer! ~Pinky"

He just smiles nonetheless, going to close his book as he makes his way for the gym. He had a couple things in his locker that weren't meant to stay in there over the summer, but he had procrastinated for so long, just trying to avoid the area. But, seeing as he didn't want to be yelled at by either Dr. Crabblesnitch or Ms. Danvers, he had to visit today.

"Hey! Look who it is!" Ted's voice makes Pete shudder and he looks the jock who's walking towards him, Damon and Juri in tow.

"Yeah, look who it is," Damon repeats, Pete biting his tongue to keep back a mean comment. "What's that you got?"

"U-uh it's nothing," he chuckles softly, going to hide his yearbook. But Juri simply goes to snatch it from his hand, reading over the previous signatures.

"Oh, dude! That the new yearbook?" Ted questions, now taking it from Juri and looking in it. "Sick! I haven't even picked up mine yet!"

"I-it's not that great," Ted rolls his eyes, thumbing through the book, commenting about how great his senior picture came out. Pete stands there awkwardly, watching them look through every page before Damon pulls out a pen. Just like everyone else, they take turns signing it. And when they're done, Juri hands him his book back, ruffling his hair just like Lefty had done.

"See you next year!" he speaks, turning to leave. Damon gives him a noogie, following his friend and Ted gives him a pat on the back.

"Do this school good, 'kay, bro?" he tells him, "Jimmy'll take care of you."

"Yeah, thanks, Ted," He watches the graduate walk away with a small smile. "Good luck in the football career!"

Ted gives him one last thumbs up before he's gone. He feels good inside, like he's finally no longer a ghost at Bullworth. He can't contain his wide grin as he goes into the gym with a pep in his step.

Finally the sun was setting, Pete sitting in his dorm room with his yearbook in his lap. He looked over the signatures he had gotten. Beatrice, Cornelius and Earnest had signed the last page on the front, a couple of the kids had signed as well, along with Eunice, Christy and Angie. Ivan had doodled in the small spaces, and Ethan used a page to draw a few ninjas. Even Michael had decorated a page full of dinosaur stickers. However, even though so many other people had signed his yearbook, he noticed how Jimmy didn't. He didn't even see the ginger! Where had he gone to?

With a soft sigh, Pete lays down in his bed, the yearbook on his dresser. Maybe he could find him tomorrow? He was tired right now and sleep sounded amazing. But as he got close to sleeping, he heard a loud knocking on his door.

"There you are, Pete!" Jimmy bursts through his door, looking around his room. "I heard you had a yearbook. Where is it?"

"On my dresser," he replies tiredly, "Why? Where have you been, anyways?"

"Out," Jimmy goes over to the yearbook and snatches it up with a pleased look on his face as he thumbs through the pages. "Man, look at you! Signatures from so many people! Finally popular, huh, Petey?"

"I guess," He goes to lay back down, watching as Jimmy heads for the door.

"I'm gonna borrow this for a few, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, the ginger's out the door and going to his own room. Pete just groans softly. As much as he liked Jimmy, he wasn't always up for how quick he did everything. But he didn't let it fully get to him as he closes his eyes once more, finally drifting off to sleep. He doesn't even hear Jimmy return a couple hours later, set his yearbook back on the dresser and wish him a goodnight.

The next morning, Pete wakes up fairly early, everyone else still asleep. The first thing he notices is the book sitting where Jimmy had left it and he smiles. Finally a signature from his best friend. But as he searches for a message, he doesn't find one. Instead, on the last couple pages, there are drawings. Portraits of him and Jimmy, along with a small one of Gary. He was still a sore spot for both, but the ginger knew Pete had liked the senior before he went crazy. And he smiles, small tears in his eyes. He had admired Jimmy's art skills, and he felt lucky to forever have his work. It's better than any message.

[lnarizakis]

a two-player game (2 lives left!) | k. kenma

masterlist

2 lives left! | a two-player game: kozume kenma x f! reader 

STATISTICS

PLAYER ONE: KOZUME KENMA.

SHOCK: — — — — — 5/5

OBLIVIOUSNESS: — — — 3/5

ADVICE-GIVING: — — — — 4/5

FRIENDLINESS: — — — 3/5

IN LOVE: — — — — — 5/5

PLAYER TWO: (L/N) (Y/N).

SHOCK: — 1/5

OBLIVIOUSNESS: — — — — 4/5

ADVICE-GIVING: — — — 3/5

FRIENDLINESS: — — — — — 5/5

IN LOVE: — — — — — 5/5

(U/N): hello? u still there?

(U/N): hellooooo

(U/N): afk much? haha

(U/N): u didnt finish what u were sYing\

Kenma stared at his screen, wondering what he should say. His mind wandered, thinking about the fact that (Y/N) was somewhere out there, in the comforts of her own home, sitting and playing the same game he was playing. He thought about how she was probably sitting cross-legged, or slouched, or her back completely straight as she probably wore headphones over her ears, or earbuds tucked in the confines of her ears, or blasted the game soundtrack through the speakers of her computer. Kenma sighed, as he slouched back in his chair. A blush crept over his face. He was talking to his crush over a video game. It was practically like texting her. Kenma began to type once more.

applepi: yea im still here

applepi: so abt my crush

No, no, no! What was he doing? He couldn’t possibly tell his crush about his crush! Why? Why would he do that?! He immediately typed in a “never mind.” Despite some protests from the other person, the two pretended to forget that ever happened.

—

All throughout the weekend, Kenma sulked and sulked. There was no particular reason, but he just felt so uncomfortable knowing that he told his crush that he had a crush on someone. There was also the factor that (Y/N) didn’t seem quite interested in what he had to say about his predicament, unlike past times where he could talk about anything he wanted and she would gladly contribute all she had to offer to help the poor boy out.

And so the terrible weekend had ended. It was a nice break for Kenma, being away from everything and everyone; he immersed himself in the virtual world as he let go of all of his worries. But now he had to face reality once more - he had to face (Y/N), the terrible final boss. He had so many more enemies he had to defeat (his teammates, according to Kenma), but the powerful weapon of ignoring them always beat them in the end.

He wanted to stay in his bad mood for the entire school day. It was his plan, and it was a really good plan, but (Y/N) just had to ruin it.

Kenma sat at his desk in his classroom that morning they returned from the weekend. He stared at the nothingness that lay before him on his desk until he heard the sweet sound of (Y/N)’s voice when she came through the door to the classroom. He heard her laugh as she greeted those around her a good morning. He relished in the music as she walked towards her desk.

“Good morning, Kenma-kun!” (Y/N) chirped, as she sat down. Kenma jumped at the sudden words, and he felt warmth everywhere, especially in his cheeks. He smiled at the sound of her greeting, and said one back. God, no one could make him feel the way she makes him feel when he’s around her. He took a deep breath, knowing that his unrequited love consumed his whole heart. Ah, if he were only as smooth as Kuroo was and knew his way with words.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

Kenma frowned; from a mile away, one could tell he was clearly in a bad mood. He hung his head down low, as he was reminded of (Y/N)’s date last weekend.

“Kenma-kun, are you okay? Is there something wrong?” (Y/N) asked, her voice laced with concern. Her eyes studied his face, discontentment written all over it. She wondered what she should do; if only she could consult applepi in this situation. The setter faced (Y/N) and he smiled.

“Ah, it’s nothing, (Y/N)-san, please don’t worry,” he murmured, hoping that she would get the feeling that he would like to be left alone.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

And so for the rest of the time they sat next to each other during class, (Y/N) thought about everything that applepi had advised her to do with every problem that she had:

(U/N): help!!! i cant decide between buying a sword or a dagger from this shopkeeper

applepi: hm get a sword bc u will get more gold out of the enemy

—

(U/N): theres this one friend i have & i feel like she rlly hates me??/?

applepi: are you only focusing on the small details?

applepi: look at the big picture & notice her behavior around u,

applepi: is it different from when shes around other ppl?

—

(U/N): do u think its weird that talking to u feels like an escape from reality?

applepi: no i feel the same.

applepi: i think that talking to someone u barely know is a good way to let loose bc they dont know who u r

—

(U/N): how do you get rid of the feeling of missing someone?

applepi: i talk to them thru text as if they were sitting right next to me

applepi: like how im talking to u right now

...

(Y/N) looked down at her notes to see that she had written nothing compared to all the complicated words written on the blackboard. She had been staring at the blackboard daydreaming about how she had fallen in love with her internet best friend. (Y/N) thought it was silly, really; it was stupid how she had fallen in love over text on a screen. But those words, all of those words that some guy out there named “applepi” had accompanied her throughout her best and her worst times. She could stay up all night to see them up as well, fighting away enemies to clear the level. From in-game items to wise words of advice, (Y/N) owed so much to this person.

And Kenma had no idea that his crush liked him back.

+1 OBLIVIOUSNESS!

—

(Y/N) was a very friendly person; everybody in the volleyball club could see that. It seemed to Kenma, of course, that (Y/N) was the friendliest with Kuroo Tetsuro, the captain. All throughout practice they would constantly make jokes with each other, teasing and pushing each other around. It hurt Kenma; it really did. But (Y/N) did not know that.

In fact, after that dreaded date over the weekend, (Y/N) and Kuroo promised to each other that they would not go out on a second date. They realized that they were better off as friends, for Kuroo could sense in (Y/N)’s eyes and her words that she had the ability to break Kenma out of his shell, even further than Hinata had done. She also told off Kuroo, telling him that she couldn’t date someone who had such weird bed-head hair, much to his disdain. He couldn’t get rid of it! And besides… she already had someone in her heart.

But the point of the matter is: Kenma was taking this completely the wrong way. He watched with jealous eyes as Kuroo and (Y/N) shared playful banter. Her beautiful laugh rang in Kenma’s ears for all the wrong reasons.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

As they practiced serving, Kuroo used this as an opportunity to try out his jump serves. He was consistent, but the one time he hit it into the net, (Y/N), who was watching for stray balls, called out to him, teased him to no end. The other teammates laughed on, especially Haiba Lev, whose serves were just as bad. Kenma mentally cursed at Kuroo, for stealing away (Y/N). He could never possibly curse at him for real; everyone would be in shock at his sudden outburst and ask him what was wrong. (Y/N) would ask him what was wrong. And if that happened… he would freeze up and definitely lose another life.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

When they began practicing receiving, Taketora called out to Yaku to try out Karasuno’s libero’s “Rolling Thunder,” or whatever it was called, to which Kuroo made a sarcastic remark that Yaku could never pull off something as flashy as that. (Y/N) laughed, despite not knowing what the “Rolling Thunder” move was. Once again, Kenma mentally told off Kuroo to stop saying funny things that (Y/N) could laugh at. His jokes were the ones that made (Y/N) laugh; he knows this because she laughed at all the jokes he made over their chat in their video game.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

During their water break, Kuroo and (Y/N) played a little chasing game as she playfully refused to hand him his water bottle. She tossed his bottle to Taketora, who then threw it to Fukunaga, handing it over to Yaku. Kuroo chased the libero around, who passed it on to Inuoka. He gave a hearty laugh as he tossed it to Lev. Silly, clumsy Lev called out to Kenma as the tall boy threw it to Kenma, who with his slow reaction did not catch it in time. The lid of the bottle flew open, and water poured out everywhere. Everyone else watched in shock, but the initial shock passed by them as they all began laughing.

Kenma thought they were all laughing at him.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

The same ordeals continued even after the water break, and after a millennia later, the practice ended. Kenma, along with everyone else, helped clean up after practice. They also cleaned up the little water spill, which (Y/N) thanked Kenma for helping clean up.

Kenma changed his clothes in the club room. He was the only one inside, as Kuroo and (Y/N) were outside waiting for him. He could hear their laughter through the doors. Then they suddenly went silent. Kenma groaned, knowing that they were probably making out or something, as he buttoned his uniform back up.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

He opened the door, and to his surprise, Kuroo and (Y/N) were actually not exploring each others’ mouths with their tongues. Instead, he opened the door to see a smirking Kuroo and a very, very flustered (Y/N). She gasped slightly when she caught sight of Kenma and she turned her flustered face away from his prying eyes. Poor Kenma thought that he had accidentally caught them making out and they pulled away right as he opened the door.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

And so he walked away, leaving them in the dust.

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

He thought he heard her call out, “Kenma-kun, wait!”

10 DAMAGE TAKEN!

1 LIFE LEFT! FINAL LIFE!

—

hello! thank you for reading! next part is the last part, so please comment if you want me to tag you on the last part! whatchu guys think so far? lemme know! i also take requests too........... B)

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[all-you-need-is-paul-mccartney]

The Couple Next Door II (Roger Taylor x Female!Reader)

Find Part I Here

A/N: Been a long time coming. I know it’s been literally half a year. I’ve been working through stressful family things, prep for university in the coming fall, spending as much time as I can with my boyfriend before we go our separate ways for a few months, etc.

 Stuff just got busy and I am SO sorry I haven’t addressed any of that. I know many of you want part two, and here it is. I don’t know if it’s as good as my other works on here, but the only way to find out is to post it, right? 

But anyways, yes, this chapter is here, and it’s kinda a filler. there’ll be more plot development in the next chapter, and I promise, if this part does well, I will not hesitate to post a continuation. 

Like I say in my other author’s notes, feedback, and any sort of note, whether it be a reblog, a like, or a comment, is greatly appreciated. it inspires me more to keep writing. So thank you!

Summary: Moving day is here, and you and Roger had the honour of meeting the neighbours across the street, the Garrisons.

(This can be read as Borhap!Roger or IRL Roger. Whatever mows your lawn)

WARNINGS: Swearing, mild sexual content (but NO smut), and zero knowledge of U-Haul History (I know they no longer exist in the UK, but I’m Canadian and I’m too lazy to do any research to make sure the timeline is matched)

Like the previous fic in this series, it’s rated a T for Mature Subject Matter

It was a bright, sunny morning in London (shocking, right?). 

The day would have been hot, but the wind chill cooled down the city rather nicely. 

Not only was this a wonderful day, but it was moving day. 

Roger was pushing the last box of vinyl records into the trunk of his car. He shut the trunk, and huffed a sigh before running his fingers through his sweaty hair. He didn’t remember the last time he’d lifted so much.

He took a minute to catch his breath, two ladies roughly the same age as him, jogging past. He drank in their appearances before winking at one of them and retreating to the apartment in which he and you once resided. 

He made his way down the hallway leading to your room, and although he was planning on going to the empty room that once was his own, he figured he could receive the same amount of nostalgia when looking at your now vacant bedroom. 

Roger found it so strange– The bare walls and stripped mattress. The empty closet and the unoccupied corners of the room. 

“Weird, eh?” Roger asked you, who was simply packing away the last of the books on your shelf. You turned to him, and he leaned against the threshold of your bedroom door, arms crossed over his chest. 

You shrugged your shoulders, glancing down at the floor and scratching the back of your head. 

“Just a little, yeah.”

Roger playfully pouted at you, shoving his hands into his jean pockets as he entered the bedroom. 

He looked around silently, and you went back to shoving your final books into its box before closing it up and labelling the cardboard. 

“I’m gonna miss this place,” you said, frowning at the realization that you’d already slept, ate, showered, cleaned, and cooked for the last time in this apartment. 

Roger took immediate notice of your upset tone. “Don’t get all melancholic on me now, y/n,” Roger teased, taking a seat right next to the box you just packed. 

“But won’t you?/" 

"Miss this place? Of course.” Roger smiled a little. “And Brian will miss us." 

”Oh yeah. He’ll definitely miss my awful singing in the shower every morning, and your extremely loud noises when you bring a girl over to bed.“ 

He just shrugged. "What can I say? I’m not about to fake being unsatisfied, especially when I’m trying to get a girl off." 

You shuddered. "I don’t wanna hear about your sex life, Roger." 

He laughed loudly, rising to his feet and picking up the box of books on your mattress. "Then I don’t wanna hear you complaining about how loud I am in bed." 

"You’re making it sound like we fuck,” you crossed your arms accusingly, your face twisting sourly. 

“Might as well be. We’re basically a couple.” He turned on his heel and left the room, but not before he sent a teasing wink your way. 

You simply shook your head, mumbling “gross” under your breath jokingly and moving to the bathroom to retrieve your remaining possessions in the medicine cabinet. 

_____________________________

“Are you sure you don’t need my help, guys? Christine isn’t going to get here for another few hours." 

"I think we’re all good, Bri,” Roger assured the tall guitarist, giving him a kind slap on the back. 

“But if we do, we’ll give you a ring,” you added, to which Roger smiled. He liked that about you. You were so humble, but weren’t afraid at all to ask for assistance. It was an admiring trait of yours. 

“Will do,” Brian confirmed with a grin and a simple nod of his head. You and Roger returned the nod, and walked to the car. 

After climbing in, and giving one last look at the apartment building the both you and Roger once called home, he drove you both off to your new humble abode.

____________________________

“We can just put it here,” Roger directed as the both of you lowered the piece of furniture on the floor. When it was set where the both of you wanted it, you plopped down in the chair on the other side of the living room, sighing loudly.

“It was real nice of Christine to give us some of her furniture,” you commented, watching as Roger collapsed on the sofa in exhaustion. 

“Well she’s got all Bri’s stuff now, right?" 

The question sounded more like a statement, and Roger wasn’t surprised when you didn’t respond. 

”… d'ya know what’s left to bring in from the U-Haul?“ 

"The mattresses and all the boxes from the car, I believe." 

Roger groaned, and got to his feet, much to his dismay. "Then we can rest,” he exclaimed with a sigh. You just smiled at the idea, pushed off from your place on the chair, and followed Roger out. 

He walked straight towards the moving truck and into the back, where one more box hid with the mattresses, which were now the only things occupying the truck. You, on the other hand, stood at the steps of the condominium, your eyes wandering around the complex. 

Roger, who was just about to pass you with the final box in his hand, bumped your hip playfully with his own before slipping away into the building. You turned to where he was a moment ago, smiling to yourself at the idea of just how childish Roger could be. 

Your eyes shifted to the right a little, and you caught the gaze of a man and woman who appeared to have been in their early to mid sixties, across the complex’s main stretch of road. You smiled, and waved at the couple, something you’d expect them to return. 

What you didn’t prepare for was when they waved back, and began approaching you to properly greet themselves. 

Your eyes widened and you began to internally panic. Roger was just exiting the front door, and you extended your wrist out, grabbing his arm tightly and pulling him back before he could go any further. 

You turned to face him, your expressions hidden from everyone but him. “Neighbours’ coming,” you warned in a hushed tone, your eyebrows bent in worry, and your bottom lip rolling between your teeth anxiously. 

“Hey, hey, nothin’ to worry about. I’m here. All you need to do is hold my hand, yeah? I can do all the talking." 

You let go of his arm after a moment, and he slowly curled his fingers around yours. He took a deep breath, as did you, before putting on bright smiles, and turning towards the neighbours, who just appeared from in behind the truck. 

"Hi! You two must be the new couple. Welcome to the complex! I’m Anna Garrison, and this is my husband, Charles." 

You and Roger branded the friendliest smiles you both could muster. You watched as Roger let go of you to reach out and shake the couple’s hands. 

"I’m Roger Taylor,” he introduced, glancing down and snaking an arm warmly around your waist. 

“… and this is my beautiful girlfriend, y/n.” You tried to ignore what Roger said despite feeling your face grow hot. You reached out and politely shook the Garrisons’ hands as well, keeping the smile plastered on your mouth no matter how much it ached. 

“I remember when we were that young and in love,” Charles mused in a soft tone. Conversations like this, Roger knew, you wanted to avoid at all costs, and he did as well. He was just… really good at lying. 

Although the Garrisons looked nice, there was something about them that made them seem rather nosey. 

And your suspicions were proven true when you watched Anna’s gaze fall on your bare wedding finger despite just hearing Roger and you were only “boyfriend and girlfriend”. 

“So… do you two plan on marrying soon? You may be young, but time does pass." 

You knew you should have remained quiet, but you began to panic, and you let out a laugh. "Yeah. We… we kinda talk about it. Not much." 

"We wanna settle in first,” Roger offered, knowing if he didn’t start talking soon, you would have said too much. 

You wondered how Roger could do that so easily: pretend, yet be so believable. You wondered if he simply tossed extra words in without thought. Like adding “girl” before “friend”, something he’d called you since you met. 

You wondered if he found it awkward to hold your hand, or have you so physically close to him. Then again, you two never exactly had/ personal space. 

You knew he had a method of doing this, but you couldn’t quite place exactly what he was doing, or how he did it so naturally. 

“Well, it’s gonna be nice, having another couple to have over for dinner." 

You could feel your throat swelling. If you made a list on everything you wanted to avoid doing with these neighbours in this complex that you were gonna end up having to do, a quarter of the list would have probably already been crossed off. 

"That sounds lovely,” Roger nodded politely, silently wishing himself that the day never had to come, for your sake. 

But it seemed Charles and Anna thought differently, and when the married couple made eye contact with one another, you and Roger just knew this invitation was not going to be forgotten about. 

“Why don’t you two come tonight?” Charles asked, to which his wife nodded in agreement. 

“Don’t worry about having to cook after a long day of moving in. I’m making a lovely casserole, and we can send you home with leftovers. There’s always too much for Charlie and I to eat anyways, with our kids having moved out and away long ago." 

Roger opened his mouth to politely decline the offer, but like a few moments before, you panicked and spoke again. "That sounds great, actually!" 

The blond looked down at you, and you could see in your peripheral that Roger seemed lost, though the Garrisons didn’t even notice. 

"Perfect! We’re right across the road. I suspect it will be done near six-thirty. Gives you two some time to yourselves after everything is moved in." 

"We’ll see you around six then?” Charles asked Roger, his old grey eyes wide and expecting. 

“Six it is,” Roger agreed, matching smiles with the older gentleman. 

“Six it is,” Anna repeated before linking arms with her husband, bidding farewell, and returning to their condominium. 

As soon as they closed the door, you tightly grabbed Roger’s wrist, and stepped inside your new home. When the door shut, you let out a long groan, bending your knees and squatting, your face in your hands. 

“I thought this is what you wanted to avoid!" 

"I know, I know, and I panicked and I fucked up and now we have to have dinner with them,” you whined helplessly. “You’ve known me for years, you know I do this all the time!" 

Roger, whose knees were bent, palms flat against his thighs as he thought, took a deep breath, and regained a neutral posture. 

"You know what,” he raised his hands in a calming sort of gesture. 

“It’s not as bad as you think." 

 "What do you mean "it’s not as bad as you think”?!“ You were horrified with Roger’s words. 

 "We do this once, and we never have to go back!” You raised your head from its once defeated position in your hands, but you could see Roger’s reasoning. 

"Oh my God…" 

"I know! Then we’re home-free!” He explained with a grin, his arms wide open. 

You leaned backwards, falling on your ass and leaning your head up against the wall in relief. 

“Oh God. We just gotta get through tonight.” You opened your heavy eyelids and smiled up at Roger. “We’ll be fine." 

 "Yes we will. Now, c'mon, Love. Let’s get those mattresses in here before someone takes notice we have different beds." 

And that’s exactly what you did. 

 And after the car was all unpacked, you and Roger took a well-deserved nap together on the couch.

_____________________________

A/A/N: Thank you all for your patience. Happy reading!

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[geekygoddesss]

The Boyfriend Tag [Luke Edition]

Summary: an unfiltered interview featuring Luke Hemmings and his girlfriend.

Words: 8k

“Hi, I am Luke Hemmings from 5SOS” He waves at the camera 

 “Hi, I am (Y/n)”  I introduce myself shortly. 

“and this is our take on the Boyfriend-Girlfriend tag” he explains shortly, holding in his hands the IPad, with all the questions “Let’s do this”  

When and where did we first meet?

“Good question” Luke takes the lead before I can  “It’s kind of complicated because we met back in high school, before I started with the band and all that, but, we met again on a frat party here in the states” he shortly explains. 

“It’s a really small world, I’ll tell you that” I chuckle “We were on a couple classes together in school and I was always aware of your existence, you’ve always been popular, me not so much, we never really knew each other” I keep on explaining  “but long story short, I study here in California and I was at this party and we...” I start, not really finding the friendliest way I could put it, it was complicated. 

“Hooked up” he completes for me, not finding it to be a big deal, apparently. 

“Yeah” I admit, not helping it but blushing “Which is funny because I don’t think he recognized me at any moment”

“I didn’t” he says, raising both of his eyebrows at that fact “When we left the party I was drunk, I’m not going to lie, but I just kept looking at your face and I was like... I know you from somewhere” he points at me and smiles, almost mimicking the moment. 

“Of course” I roll my eyes, bumping his shoulder with mine “but I look a lot different now, I don’t blame you, In high school I was -y’know- pretty big and I wasn’t the one who talked with guys or people, but I got in better habits and lost so much weight, by now I look completely different than I did before, I wouldn’t recognize me either��� I shrug, completely understanding why he wouldn’t know who I was. 

Looks are looks and we didn't see each other for a long time, it’s normal. 

“You do look different but still I feel a bit guilty because I remember you helping me back in the day in like... chemistry and stuff, maybe physics” he mentions, shaking his head “We weren’t complete strangers” 

I nod “Your mom used to tutor me too” I mention as a fun fact, laughing when his eyes widen a bit at the reminder. 

“Geez, that’s true” he chuckles, rubbing his forehead with the back of his hand “Why didn’t you ask for my help? I knew a lot too” he asks in curiosity.

I shake my head “I don’t know. First, I didn’t know you at all and two, you’re distracting” I scoff, caressing his cheek “your face is trippy” “I know it’s so ugly” He laughs, following my joke and leaning into my touch “I wouldn’t like to have to see me while tutoring me, That’s like study suicide, right?”

I nod, laughing hard at his statement, which wasn’t completely true but still it was funny to hear from his mouth. Luke is a smart guy, but the two of us together could be messy. 

“Dork” I laugh, nudging his head aside playfully “Moving on“ I announce, grabbing the IPad and moving on with the questions. 

Where was our first date?

“Our first date was adorable” I say, letting a pout show on my lips at such an adorable memory. 

Thinking about it only made me smile the brightest, I’m glad this question came up. 

“You think so?” Luke said with a smile, looking over at me. 

I nod, I thought it was obvious. “Yeah, it has a special place in my heart” I admit with a little shrug “It was about four days after the party, after we slept together I left your house in the morning and gave you my number, four days later you texted me saying ‘u good?’” I say, not helping but letting my laughing slip into my story while I talked. 

It was such a simple thing, but quite funny, for me it was such a miracle that he even remembered my existence after that night, he seemed like the kind of guy who always had a better girl to do. 

“Literally” he laughs with me, leaning in to bump my shoulder with his “No, I took her to this parking lot, sounds really creepy but it’s not I promise, it’s on a hill so it had a great view of the city” he explains in all seriousness. 

“And he bought pizza and some Ice cream, I enjoyed myself” I smile, going in to grab his hand. 

“It was nice” he answers, lacing our fingers together  “I also realized, you’re pretty cool, we didn’t talk at all in high school and I came to realize I might have missed out” he shrugs, looking at me with those big puppy eyes.

My heart melts.

 “Aw” I lean to kiss his cheek shortly “It’s funny, you and I weren’t friends but I was friends with Calum, not Michael, but Calum” I mention as a fun fact to the camera.

He nods “Yeah, he told me” he chuckles, squeezing my hand  “Anyways, that was our first date, I think it was a pretty good start” he says, finishing the question up and grabbing the IPad from me. 

I have nothing else to say more than to agree, that was the whole story, short and sweet. 

“Hell yeah it was” I nod once to the camera, and we move on. 

What was your first impression of me?

I look over at him for a long second, already knowing my answer and trying to moderate the weird smile coming out of my lips. 

“You’re going to hate me for this” I mumble, raising my eyebrows at him and taking a peek of his weird look, to then explain it all. “it took me a second to actually go and talk to you and when I did, later on when I noticed you were flirting, I thought, isn’t he the guy who’s dating that X factor girl?” I admit, letting a playful chuckle come out of my lips as i dropped the bomb. 

His eyes widen, I bet he didn’t saw that coming, we never mention stuff like this, but I was speaking the truth, I would be lying if I said anything else, that was exactly what I thought. 

“Goddammit” he cursed, shaking his head at that mention “don’t tell me you used to watch that show” he said and I nodded “this is new, by the way, I didn’t know this crossed your mind” he said, totally amused. 

“Yeah every week, and your ex was there, I remember that clearly, She won” I chuckle, almost needing to mention some kind of proof that I actually did know his ex from way back. “but that’s my point, I saw you together before and I thought you were still a thing and I was like, Is he cheating...?” I said, almost imitating my exact thought on that moment. 

“No” he immediately answers shaking his head “We were a thing, like four months prior we met, but not at that time, I was alone” he explains, looking at the camera shortly “She’s cool though” he shrugs, not really making a big deal out of it.

Not like it was a big deal anyway. 

“Yeah, she’s nice” I shrug, for the couple times I’ve seen her, she was pretty cool. I move on and turn to him with a questioning look  “What did you thought about me?” I ask with a small smile.

He clicks his tongue, almost making some time to think of an answer, but apparently, his mind is a bit blank. 

“If I’m honest, I don’t remember the very first thing I thought, I was drunk, so things seem a little blurry from the start of that night but I remember once you we were talking about something, I thought...” he says, leaving a dramatic pause “She talks to me like she’s known me forever and I like that” he mentions, looking over at me. 

“I mean.... not exactly, but almost” I shrug, leaning to kiss his cheek. 

“Almost” he mumbles, turning to my direction and staring at me directly “I also thought you were really sweet and I like your sense of humor, in general I just Felt really Welcome”

That answers makes me melt, it was so sweet, he is so sweet. 

“Aw, that’s so cute” I say in adoration, leaning straight on his lips and pecking them shortly “crap, now I feel bad, my first impression was the worst ever” I pout, staring up at him.

“It’s fine” he shrugs, not really mind it, apparently. 

But really, we never really made a big deal about stuff like this anyways. 

When did you meet my family?

Now, this was an easy answer. “The first time I met your family we were in Sydney” I start explaining “It was not long ago, we were there for a week and we had this big family getaway for one day, It was the very first time I met your entire family” I smile, looking over at him and leaning in to kiss his shoulder. “Oof That was such a good day” he says, smiling at the memory. 

I smile too. “It really was” I chuckle, nodding at the camera  “my mom made the biggest batch of ravioli, his mom loved so much that it had them talking for hours” I explain, sighing dramatically at that mention. Luke just laughs. “honestly, the woman just kept speaking until the conversation was so strong, not even Luke or me could interfere to talk to our own mothers” I shake my head, being kind of dramatic, but having a fair reason for it. 

Luke stares at me funny for a couple seconds and keeps himself silent, I wondered if he wanted me to continue the story, but by the way, his eyebrow raised, I guessed he had something to say and I certainly did not want to miss that. 

“Are you saying that because your mom shushed you?” He asked, giving me a funny look, like he was suppressing a laugh. I nod harshly “Yeah! What the heck?” I exclaim, shaking my head  “She is sometimes a bit rude but I love her, anyways” I roll my eyes at the reminder of that moment. 

Long story short, my mother happened to be so in the story that when I tried to add something, she shushed me and moved on with the story, which Luke’s mom didn’t seem to notice at all, but I was certainly outraged about for a good minute, but I went back to my boyfriend and eventually forgot about it, it wasn’t a big deal anyway. “My dad was in charge of the barbecue and it was funny because where the grill was there was nothing but a whole lot of man there” Luke added as a good fact. “Your brother, your dad, me and my brothers, it was man zone and you” he chuckled, sneaking his arm around my waist and squeezing. “I blended in well, thank you very much” I bragged, rolling my eyes “I mainly did a lot of this and a lot of this” I say, hugging him tight and then pressing my lips against his cheek “but it was better than being shushed by mom a second time” I shrugged, with a winning smile, kissing his cheek again. “Our first family event was good, it was the first time we got to know each other’s family and it also felt like a reunion, because oddly enough some of our family went to school together, so there was a lot of catching up too” He nodded to the camera, adding a lot more to our little story. “It was adorable though, don’t you think?”  I ask him, looking up at him and looking for his eyes to meet mine. “Definitely, it was cool” he turned to me, pressed our lips together and looked back at the camera “moving on” he announced, so we do.

Who said “I love you” first?

Luke blushes instantly with this question. How cute. 

“Aw, I did” he admits, looking down at his hands as he spoke. 

I smile “Yes he did” I say, leaning to kiss his shoulder “Who gets to tell the story? I think both points of view are great” I mention, looking up at him.

I didn’t mind telling the story, but I knew he also would like to be the one to tell it, so it was up to him to say who should be the one on taking the lead. However, he looked just as clueless as I was with that question, and as he shook his head, he said to me. 

“Flip a coin, flip a coin”

Making it the biggest and only solution we had for something like this. It was dumb, but flipping coin has been our decision picked by choice since the very beginning of our relationships. 

“This is exciting” I mention, taking my phone off my pocket “I have an app for that in my phone” I say to the camera as a fun fact while I look around the screen and select the handiest app I have. 

“Heads” Luke called first when the coin starts flipping. He always said the same thing.

So it lands and it drops in heads, he won. He always did, it was not the app, he was just a lucky guy and now I had to sit down and listen, my side of the story would have to be told some other moment, now is not my time. 

“I tell it then” he said with a big smile, sitting up straight and looking at the camera “Basically, until this day, I can’t help but feel saying it might have been a bit rushed, we haven’t been dating for long and she was never in a real relationship before so, I think maybe for the time we have had going out and about, I still feel like I might have said it way quickly” he admits, pursing his lips together as he shrugs. I frown a little. “Aw, I don’t think so, it felt right, you know?” I shrug, not really agreeing on its entirety with that statement. “Yeah! I mean, of course” he nods as he keeps going with his explanation “it was this day when we were traveling back from... Mexico, if I’m not mistaken” he said, starting the story “We were on the plane back and we were literally sleepless, we had one full night of sleep and completely active mood on the way back” he mentioned  “I think the difference between this time and the past times I’ve done this first step, out of all of them this one has been the one who felt more like a moment of realization other than something I thought of for a while” he admits to the camera “We were watching a movie and she was like completely distracted with it, I got distracted from mostly my thinking and I just said it” he shrugged, finishing the story. 

.That was the big story, that’s how it happened. 

“It sounds like a simple moment but for me it felt like a lot” I added, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “For me too, I didn’t think much about it beforehand, but once I said it I was like, shit” he said, his eyes widening a little “But I really meant it, it came from heart even when it was brought up at a random moment” he shrugged. “I loved that” I admitted “because now only I got to see what your feelings were in a moment where all you were doing was reflecting on your own mind, this isn’t something you felt forced to say, you just spoke your mind in a pure way” I said, smiling at the thought. 

My boy was a pure soul, he spoke his feelings straight from his heart and I appreciated that in so many ways, I guess that's why we connect so well. I love him just the way he is. “I love you” he mumbled to me. “I love you”  I repeat, leaning and kissing his lips shortly. I look at the camera “Isn’t he cute?” I say, squishing his cheek, even when I knew he didn’t love that, but I couldn’t help it. 

I could do it all day, he is the cutest guy I’ve ever known. 

What dressing do I always wear?

“funny” I say with a teasing tone as I look at him up and down and point “those stinking boots, that’s my answer” I said, laughing as he looked down at his own shoes and frowned. 

“Hey” he said, acting offended, crossing his leg over his knee and showing off his left boot “they’re nice, don’t call them stinky” he pouts to me innocently. “Sorry, I can't help it, they’re ridiculously expensive and that kills me” I admit, shaking my head “plus, they’re like good but not that especial”

I spoke my truth. The day Luke spent that much money on a pair of boots was the same day we had a bit of an argument, not that extreme, but still it was a lot of money he could have spent in more useful things and those pair of boots were certainly nice but not worth that much money. 

“Ah” he said, looking down at it and touching the leather of the boot “I like them lots” he admits  “they’re casual, for me, I like wearing them because my stylist mentioned it makes every outfit more elegant but doesn’t make it fancy looking, if you know what I mean” he explains to the camera “it’s an everyday kind of deal, you got this black leather, not real leather, may I say, and then this stars around here, that I think plaster my style pretty good” he shrugs, not caring at all on my thoughts on them.

“They really do” I say, agreeing with him on that part  “they’re still like so expensive, though, damn” I hiss, as an instinct.

He laughs at my reaction, finding it funny in a way. He leans forward, put his finger over my mouth and makes a quiet “Shush” with his lips. I don’t fight it, I just shut my mouth, I can’t really question his purchases when it comes to style, that’s his deal. 

“For you, I’m going to say, denim” he answers, looking at me straight “you were denim a lot on the daily basis, however, asides from that, the one thing that has been like your staple ever since I’ve known you is this guy” he says, reaching out for me and grabbing my hand to raise it up high. 

Something really outstands from my wrist and it is a couple of fabric rings that are covering it and that never move from where they are, it’s not a surprise at all that Luke chose this as his answers, he would be right. “My scrunchies” I point out, smiling at the camera “Yeah, these are usually essential, since I was very young really, living in such a hot place made this a vital piece in my looks” I shrug “you never know when you’ll need them”

That was just the pure truth. “Right” he nods, letting me put down my arm  “I actually remember you back in high school, on this school dance, you wore like a full formal dress and a red scrunch, it stood out for me” he laughs at the memory “Damn, Yes” I cringe because that was certainly a hard one to remember “I mean, that was probably those times when Sydney was just a living hell, I’m just going to say that” I shrug, mentioning that fact before someone could forget. 

As much as I love our home, it could sometimes get too hot. “Agreed” he nods at that mention “Just from remembering that I’m sweating” he says, pulling a little bit on the edge of his shirt. 

I laugh, I can’t deny I found that quite funny. “Uh Huh, right” I say, rolling my eyes. This time I go and steal the IPad from his hands because now it was time for me to ask the questions.

Weird habit of each other?

It doesn’t even take me ten seconds to answer that question. 

“Luke sings, all. of. the. time” I say, emphasizing my answer by slapping my hand on the table. 

I can see from the corner of my eyes how Luke starts blushing from that, apparently not finding this one the most suiting for an answer. I can hear him laughing in my ear, I bet he was waiting for some other answer that could expose him, but now was not the time to reveal those. “Hey” he says, acting offended “that’s not a weird habit, I object” he shakes his head, but nothing he could say would make me change my answer. “No, i think it is” I nod, being strong with my answer “even on the most uncomfortable moments you will hear him try to reach like falsettos in the kitchen” I chuckle “I once had Jazz playing in the living room, I love jazz so I usually play it when I am having a good day and all, and you know there’s parts were musicians just kind of loosen up and improvise” I explain a little “well, like was in the garage and I heard him bopping and beeping a whole melody by himself, all alone” I laugh a little, not really containing myself  “or maybe it would be at four in the morning in his studio, whatever suits him best” I shrug. “Point taken” he laughs with me, shaking his head as he turns to look at me straight  “does it bother you?” he asks me before he can move on from this. 

I shrug. I love to hear him sing, he’s very talented, and I love that he experiments with his talent as much as he can, but sometimes his little habit could be a lot for some people. Lucky for me, it never really bothered me, but there were times when maybe his singing could become a little stressful. 

“Not at all, I just think it’s funny” I answer him, reaching out to caress his cheek lightly. I didn’t want him to feel attacked, I was not that serious about it. “really babe, really” I kiss his cheek, feeling him soften up with my touch. “Alright” he mumbles, turning to the camera to say his part “Well as in for you, I do have a weird habit, I don’t know if this is anything new for you but it is a little weird when you are like chillin -like- on the couch and from one moment to another your leg just goes” he doesn’t say much, he just raises his stretched arm up high and goes back  “and you keep it there” he laughs, making it more exaggerated when he goes with his other arm and squeezes my thigh. “I’m trying to pop my hip bones!” I argue, completely blushing at that “It’s difficult okay? And I’m flexible I gotta make that useful” I excuse, like that would make it less weird. “Sometimes it would be like, she stands up and goes like a crab” he tries to explain, going to stand up to do the motion, but the second he tries to get up his seat I am the one taking the lead and grabbing his arm. “Lies!” I exclaim, making him sit down again “Oh my gosh Luke” I laugh, hiding my red face on his shoulder and from the rest of the word. He laughs hard, apparently finding extremely funny his comeback to me, and I gotta say, this is probably his best move he’s ever done to me and I respect that. He definitely got me speechless with that one. 

“Don’t be embarrassed, babe, it’s okay” he comforts, still laughing as he hugs me. 

I shake my head “Can we just pass onto the next?” I ask, not wanting to carry on with this at all. 

He nods, and with that, we just go on with the interview.

How long have we been together?

“We are six months long” He answers before I can “We turn one year in February, next year”

“On Valentine’s” I compliment his answer as I smile and lean my head on his shoulder. That answer alone made me smile the brightest.

“Yeah, fun fact” he chuckles to that mention “that’s how you know we actually have big plans, not just a date or whatever” he nods, turning to me and kissing my forehead.

“I’m looking forward to that” I say, already growing excited  “See, we usually throw the best dates, best getaways, I love those so much and being our first anniversary, god...” I sigh, imagining all of the possibilities  “it will be quite a ride” I state, letting that dumb smile take over my face.

“Yes it will” he assures me, kissing my forehead softly “You don’t even know”

I look up at him and he looks up at me, I don’t want to ask or say anything, but there is something in the way he is looking at me that tells me he already has plans and that makes me nervous. I go to say something but I immediately shut my mouth, I try to say something else, but I shut up again, I don’t know if saying something will trigger something else. “Okay” I say, looking away from his blue eyes “I don’t even want a hint, I’m excited already” I chuckle to myself, looking down at the device in my hands “So..” I say, dragging my finger through the screen. 

So, we move on.

What is the most public thing we’ve done together? 

“We do this thing sometimes where we will go on Instagram and actually do lives together, every once a week or so” I explain shortly as I shrug, not really hesitating with my answer since it was already obvious. “Unlike others in this band, this is not the most public thing we’ve done, I would say that for social media we are pretty transparent” I state, looking at my boyfriend just to see his reaction to my answer. 

Answering for both of us could be a lot, especially since we often differ on a lot of things. 

“I agree” he nods, looking at me shortly  “I actually like doing lives with you, we have a good laugh on those” he smiles, nudging me. 

“We do” I chuckle “Fans ask the craziest questions, I think I have never been asked more in my life about our sex life than in the last three or four lives” I laugh. I could quote every single of those questions right now, but this is a family-friendly show and we must keep it that way. 

“I mean, they asked you if I kept it 70’s” Luke mentions with that teasing smile on his face that can only remind me of my reaction when that came up.

“Dude” I say, my eyes widening to that “I am glad I didn’t have to answer that about myself if I am honest” I chuckle, shaking my head to that. 

Sometimes too much information could be too much. 

“I could have” He teases back, going in to kiss my forehead. 

“Anyways” I say, waving that away before something could slip out  “in conclusion, we do go unfiltered in social media and real life, obviously, but still we don't really overexpose ourselves, if you know what I mean” I add to our question, making that clear before people could jump to conclusions. 

“We manage to keep it low in a way” He clarifies, complementing my answer. 

I nod, agreeing with that. “I was saying this earlier actually, but even though we don’t hide from the public, I like posting pictures of us, however I don’t like bragging, which is a common misconception that sometimes fans like to use referring to how sometimes I would share things of us, but I don’t do it out of a bragging feeling” I say, also making sure I clarify that. 

Out of the couple pictures I have posted with Luke, there is always people that like to do those kind of statements. It hurts, it will never stop hurting a little bit, but the best I could do for that was to suck it up and move on, I chose this, now I gotta live with it. 

“I know baby” he comforts, rubbing my back  “It’s normal though, it happens” he says in all honesty “I think how we keep things by the time, seems like the right thing to do” 

I couldn’t agree more with that. We like going public and it is fun, but there are things we don’t like to show and keep it to ourselves, that’s our magic and we’ll keep it that way. 

“It does” I agree, not having anything more to say.

We stand strong with our answer, that is all that matters. 

First thing you noticed about me?

“Dude, your eyes” I say, very fast, as soon as I read the question out loud “I don’t think I remember anything clearer than that” I say in honest words. His eyes were something that I won’t ever forget. 

“But, from when we met in high school or…?” He says awkwardly after I stated my answer. There was always going to be that question since we practically met twice. 

“Yeah, all the way back in high school, I don’t remember very clearly how you approached me but I do remember thinking, wow” I say, mimicking that moment  “Yours are honestly the brightest blue eyes I have ever seen” I say, staring into them “I like that a lot, it’s trippy” I admit shyly. 

He blushes a little, I love that. 

“Well, thank you, I guess” he says, chuckling awkwardly  “it’s nice to know eye contact isn’t dead after all” he shrugs at that. 

I laugh “Of course it isn’t” I say shaking my head  before nodding on his direction once “so?” I ask, waiting for his answer. 

“The first thing I noticed about you was probably your moves, at that party” he admits, with a bit of a smile on his face “boy you do know how to dance” he nods at the camera, almost proud of it “That’s how we re-met actually, I danced with you and then I introduced myself” he said, adding that up before moving on. 

“Which is like every story from everyone who dances as much as I do” I chuckle a little bit, he rolls his eyes “But thank you, I am glad you like my moves” I say, almost flattered for this. 

“Of course” he smiles, going in to kiss my forehead “It is really a boring answer, I can’t go deeper than night, for the tenth time, I was wasted” he clarified once again. 

“Yeah you were” I confirm “that night you woke up and were like oh you’re here” I laugh, remembering that exact moment like it had happened yesterday. 

He woke up completely disoriented, with a headache and hungry. Finding me there was certainly a surprise and I could understand why. 

“We-” he starts saying, but seems to be completely cut off as he laughs “We don’t need to talk about that” he says with difficulty, not helping his laughing as he remembers that moment. 

Those were our first steps as a couple, we weren’t proud of it at all, but it was a start. However, even when our start was rushed, we still had a lot to look forward too, and we were sure as Hell it would be better. For now, all we can do is show the world just that. 

Tell us a fun fact about you 

We both stay silent, trying to think of anything to answer this question, but apparently, nothing really comes to mind with this one. It feels like forever. It takes us a minute, then two, by the time minute three comes around, we both look at each other with that clueless look, trying to see if any of us got something to say, but apparently, we were both blank. 

“Oof, I have no idea” He sighed, leaning over and resting his weight on his forearms. 

There was only one thing I could say, but in my opinion, I didn’t find that any interesting. 

“I have one” I announce, getting his attention “Remember that time when we were camping and a bee stung you and you had to take off your shirt because you couldn’t find the bee?” I ask, he nods. By the look on his face I realized he had no clue where I was going.  “I realized we have the same birthmarks” I revealed, raising my eyebrows, trying to make that a bigger deal than it actually was. 

It sounds weird and not realistic, I know. 

“No way” he frowns, looking over at me “I think that is impossible, babe” he says, shaking his head. 

I knew that already, but I was being serious. 

“No, it isn’t” I shake my head as well, getting up from my seat to prove a point. 

This needed to be shown. 

I raise my shirt first halfway, probably alarming the sound crew and Luke at the same time, making myself seem like if I was about to show anything else but that was not it. I turn around and show him my lower back, where a small stain lays on my right side.

“See, this one, you have it too” I tell him and I show everyone. Then turn around and show the one on my stomach “and this” I point. Fix my shirt and then show my wrist  “and this” I finish revealing, to then take my seat “Tell me it’s impossible now” I challenge him, waiting from him to prove me wrong. 

He is just blinking as an answer, probably trying to find any logic that can explain all this, it was very weird. 

“I can’t” He says, his eyes completely wide “Now that is a fun fact” he chuckled nervously  “Is this like those movies? Where everyone is like ‘you’re my soulmate’?” he says in a bit of a mocking tone. 

I laugh “I’ve been waiting for you all my life baby” I follow his lead, throwing both arms around him and kissing his cheek  “My love for you shines like a thousand suns from the moment you touched my butt” I recite dramatically, leaning in and pecking his lips. 

He laughs hard. Who would have thought I would reveal a pure fact from the day we met?

“Expose me, why don’t you?” he rolls his eyes after I let out my joke. 

He is embarrassed, I can sense it, but that’s okay because it is all for the sake of playing around. I knew it didn’t totally bother him. 

“I’m joking” I clarify, just in case, kissing his cheek again “but yeah, for now, that’s all the fun facts we have” I speak directly to the camera, to then slide the IPad on his direction and consider him the honors. “Next”

He takes the device, and with that, we carry on. 

What’s the biggest thing you’ve done for each other? 

I am not the one answering at first, he is. Before I could even think of something he was already taking the lead and revealing an answer from his side. It was like he already had it thought out. 

“One day we went on this date, she was just coming back home after like, two weeks in Sydney, didn’t have a clue I was planning on it, neither that I was in town so when she came back to her dorm I made sure to build a surprise up” he explained, trying to paint a picture for everyone. “I bought her a dress, we went out,  we walked around the city until sunset, it was crazy” he said as his conclusion, leaning back on his seat and staring at me, looking for a reaction. 

My face lights up instantly, I was loving that answer and I loved that this was the one thing he chose to say because that was for sure one beautiful day I would not ever forget.

“That was the best date ever” I say, resting my heart on my chest “Still can’t believe you’ve managed to do that” I say, leaning over to kiss his cheek. 

He deserves all the kisses in the world just for that. 

“Honestly, I’m very proud of it, not going to lie” He chuckles, turning and kissing my forehead “As far as our relationship has gone, I think this is the biggest thing I’ve done” he mentions with complete honesty. 

“Aw” I smile to him, reaching to caress one strand of his hair  “I don’t know, I think the biggest thing I have done for you it’s baking things for you, I’m always on that deal” I shrug, making that the only answer I had. 

I haven't had the time to plan out a good surprise for him ever since we started dating. For me it was complicated, I had too many things going on at once in my life, constantly; thinking of an elaborated surprise was almost mission impossible, but I would find the time for that, sometime, I don’t know when, but one day. 

“Oh my god, those are fire” he says at the mention of my baking  “She’s a good cook” he points at me with a proud look. 

“I love cooking” I shrug, not having much to say about that “so every time I see he’s super busy or just wanted a bit of relax, I try to bring something, it’s fun for me and I like how excited he gets, so it’s a win-win” I chuckle, at my small explanation. 

He nods, agreeing with my words. 

“It’s a win-win however you want to see it, because after eating we are always energized” he says, smiling at the camera and nodding, then nodding again and again. 

I didn’t know if it was awkward or if I should ignore all that, but something in his look told me, this came with second intentions. 

“Dude” I frown, nudging his side, even though he wasn’t saying much. 

He turns to me, acting surprised and with wide eyes, he looks at me weird and says  “What?” he asks with a funny look, I throw another look back at him. “Oh you’re the overthinking it, not me” he laughs, waving this whole thing away. 

I roll my eyes, he laughs. Sometimes I swear he is worse than a twelve-year-old, for real. 

“Anyways” I say, shaking my head “Lets keep going” I announce before he could go any further with his silly jokes. 

Tell us a secret 

Like in previous questions, for this one, we both stay quiet, almost as if we were thinking of something to answer that but couldn’t find anything worth saying. The truth is, none of us felt like putting a valid answer there; it would be too much information and we didn’t need that to be public. 

So I take the lead on this one. I lean on the table in front of me, look straight to the camera and say three little words that had gotten me through various situations and lead to different outcomes. 

“Luke sucks balls” I whisper to the camera, then leaning back on the chair and making myself comfortable. 

There was silence in the room as if no one really dared to comment on that and I get it; but in this situation all I had to do is look at my boyfriend and see his reaction, because is the only one that really matters. 

“I am supposing you say that because you have balls” He says in a serious tone, looking at me in the eyes. 

I chuckle “Yes, bigger than yours” I state, nudging his side softly. 

“Ooo” He said, acting offended, opening his eyes wide open like he was actually surprised “This took a turn” he said, laughing, to then shake his head and say back to the camera “We’re not telling you secrets” he says, shrugging. 

I nod, agreeing with that  “The mystery keeps the flame alive” I tease “or so they say” I say, winking to the camera. 

“Indeed, baby” he nods, kisses my cheek and grabs the IPad. We were almost done with this one. 

Favorite feature about each other?

“Your eyes” he answers first. Which almost seemed like a competition because I already had my answer and was about to speak. He laughs, points over at me and says  “I stole your answer” he mocks, kissing my cheek. 

“Yes! you bitch” I laugh, pushing him away playfully. 

He shakes his head, kisses my forehead in comfort and says “Well, I mean it” he says with a smile on his face “They are pretty and I enjoy a lot looking at them” he admits, being honest in his answer. 

My heart melts a little “Thank you” I say, kissing his cheek softly  “I will say, your complexion” I answer, going in and stroking his cheek slightly “Bad side of it, whenever you get a pimple you can see it from a thousand miles away, but, it’s funny because it matches mine” I laugh, pinching his cheek “It matches so well that he has worn my foundation” I shrug, stating a fact. 

“Yeah, true” he nods, leaning in my touch “we match so well” 

I nod “Soulmates” I say, singing it out a little as I look at the camera  “Get on our level” 

What do we argue about the most?

“Dude” I answer first, my eyes wide as the answer came to me “For some reason our biggest discussion ever has been how it is apparently impossible for us to harmonize” I laugh, founding it so funny that I couldn’t really say that sentence without breaking to laugh. 

“Did we actually argue about that?” Luke asks, being a little weird out by me laughing so much. 

“Yes, we did” I laugh, not being able to hold myself together at all “Let me explain, it was this day were they were working and Luke had to record and stuff” I start the story “In the meantime, Calum and I were just messing around the piano and we sang a song and then Luke came in and was like ‘what the…’” I try to imitate the moment, along with the face he made, but I was laughing so much I was losing it, obligated to stop talking before I lost my breath. 

“It’s treason, I’ve been trying to tell you how to do it but you don’t listen” he excuses his tantrum with one proud voice. 

“Excuse me” I touch my chest in one defensive move “it is actually not my fault I can’t harmonize well with you and I can with Calum, babe, you know that” I say, making that clear before he went on. 

He hisses, he knows he can’t really argue with that, so he shuts his mouth from whatever he could say and just accepts that I’m right. 

“Yeah, that’s true” he said sighing “Oh man, this is pissing me off a little bit” he admits, shaking his head slightly. 

I pout “No” I say in a whine, leaning my face on his shoulder and kissing it better. He could be sensitive sometimes. “Let’s continue” I say, waving this all off and moving onto the next.

Nicknames for each other

“I call you bubba a lot, actually”  I answer first, not really thinking about it twice. This answer just came out naturally “You could say that is my nickname for you, aside from the usual Lu and stuff, I always call you bubba or bub” I shrug.

I don’t dig on it too much, those were already the usual names I would go for on the regular ever since I started dating, it was the default so I went with it a lot. I wasn’t the most creative either, so in my defense, I was not the best for making up new ones, I would always stick with my usual ones. 

“Yeah” he nods, to then move on with his side “I usually go with your childhood nicknames that your mom told me” he chuckles “Bunny, nugget, sort of that stuff”  he mentions just a couple, even though he could probably name hundreds “If I am feeling spicy I would say bumblebae” he adds in a proud voice. 

“Which is considerably terrible” I mention, but I don’t mean it at all. 

“I disagree” he shakes his head with decision  “my personal favorite, cuddle muffin” he said, again, being really proud of his answer. 

He looks back at me for a second, then back at the team, seeing if anyone had anything to say about his choices on nicknames, but no one said a thing. It was not a terrible nickname, but it was definitely not the best, if someone asked me. 

“Jesus” I sighed, shaking my head  “you made that up I swear” 

He laughs. “It’s a thing” he says in some kind of defense “Personally I think I am the king of nicknames” he states, giving himself a title out of the blue.

I laugh. “You swear” I say, shaking my head. 

Because apparently now Luke is putting himself on a pedestal. 

“I do” he winks at me and takes the tablet from my hands. 

We were almost there, we didn’t need to stay in this one any longer. 

What’s something you are thankful for?

We didn’t know what to do when this question came up. If we were supposed to hold hands, stare at each other deeply, take this in private, we didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. When Luke shifted into his seat and put the IPad down I knew he was up to something, because he was about to say some serious stuff and he wanted me to listen. 

So he grabbed my hand, made me focus on him and started speaking. 

“I am thankful for finally finding someone who really feels like could be the person that will bring some kind of stability into my life” he says in soft words as he starts his answer  “I have had a rough couple of years, when it comes to relationships. For me, I have been hurt a lot, one of those relationships ended badly and the others didn’t  but still when you break up with someone you will always feel that emptiness which always makes you wonder weather if you are doing things right or not” he explains, painting a pictures of what has been going through his mind “I am thankful for finding someone who I feel I have known all my life and that I feel like I can continue growing with as time passes, I know this is only the beginning but I love you a lot and I am hoping for many more years with you in the future” he says, raising my hand to his lips and kissing it softly. 

The honestly reflected in his words makes me completely head over heels for him. My throat feels like it has just been tightened in a knot and I can’t speak clearly, but I go past that. Grabbing his other hand and pressing both close to my chest, I make sure he hears me because now it was my turn to speak up. 

“I am thankful for having a person that makes me feel loved and has taught me to love myself like I have never done” I say, speaking from my heart as I look at him straight in the eyes “it might sound stupid but with my situation, after losing more than a hundred pounds and literally stepping into a new lifestyle, living in Los Angeles has been anything but easy for me, people look good, people is confident and even when I want to pretend I am, I feel

like I am none of those things” I shrug, my voice cracking slowly as I speak “I am thankful that you’ve known how to look past my past and have come to appreciate what I am now and showed me why I should always put me first, even when I know you could be with someone better” I say, and this is when I lose it. Tears start rolling down my face and I sob. 

I don’t think I have ever said all of those things out loud in front of him, and it felt incredibly difficult. 

“I love you, Luke” I say, going straight for him and wrapping him into one tight hug. One that felt intimate and needed. I needed him close to me. 

“I love you” he says in a whisper, kissing my hair “so so so much”

He rocks me softly in his arms, he holds me until my sobbing quiets down and I am ready to face the world. I didn’t expect myself to break down like this in the middle of an interview, but sometimes I get a little sensitive. Once I feel like my breathing goes normal, I look up, everyone is looking at us with awe and that makes me blush, I almost can’t believe this just happened, I would like to just sit back straight and act as this didn’t happen but that would be silly, so I just look at the team in front of us and nod at them.

“Thanks a lot for this” I say with a soft smile, thanking them for their time. 

“Thank you” Luke repeats right behind me “That what fun!” he says, and I agree. 

This has been an interesting experience, I was truly thankful for it, so, until the next time, this is a wrap! and I had a hell of a good time with it. 

[princess-of-luxure]

Masquerade [1]

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You moved to the capital city, Altadellys, in search of job opportunities. You had anticipated several significant changes in your life, but nothing could have prepared you for almost getting robbed in an alley, only to be saved by a mysterious masked vigilante. Their mysterious appearance throws your life into chaos, and you soon find yourself swept up in the high-stakes underground operations of a group of... supervillains?!

You didn't ask for any of this, but there's just as much excitement amongst the potentially lethal drama. As secrets hundreds of years olds begin to unfold before you, can you be the missing link in solving a dangerous mystery, or will you bring everything to ruin?

Fandom: Reigning Passions (Visual Novel) Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Gen (so far) Characters: Lyris (Reigning Passions), Main Character (Reigning Passions), Amara (Reigning Passions), Piama (Reigning Passions), Hazel (Reigning Passions) Content Warnings: Attempted Robbery, Knives

Welcome to Masquerade! This is a reader-interactive story putting the characters of Reigning Passions into the setting of Villainous Nights. There will be choices for you guys, as the audience, to vote on, which can influence the direction of the story's plot (including the potential deaths of characters!) and also can influence who gets together with who. It's assumed that everyone is poly so don't worry if MC doesn't get together with your favourite LI - you've still got a shot! Plus, any characters with compatible sexualities can get together if you nudge them in that direction, so if you're a fan of, say, Amara and Xenia? Depending on the choices made, they can totally get together.

This is cross-posted on my AO3, which you can find here! You can cast your vote in the comment section there, or send me an ask/DM me here on tumblr! You can also vote in the replies of the appropriate tumblr post for each chapter.

Chapter below the read more.

Altadellys, you were finding, was bigger than you had ever imagined. Prior to moving to the capital city of Lysende, you had lived in a small town so remote it didn’t even have a name. Everybody knew everybody in your little community, but looking around the big city, you only saw the faces of strangers, not a single one sparing you a glance as they rushed to where they were going.

It was also far warmer in Altadellys than in your hometown, you noted as you shucked off your coat and tied it around your waist. The climate where you’d come from was so frigid that it was practically winter year-round, and you were eager to learn what a true spring or fall felt like, let alone a true summer.

“Alright, all you’ve gotta do is make it to Hazel’s place, and then she’ll walk you to your apartment,” you muttered to yourself, fishing around blindly in your bag. “She said it’s near Central Park, which shouldn’t be too hard to find, just follow the map.” Your fingers closed around the object you were looking for, and you pulled out your phone, attitude bright and chipper. “You’ve got this!”

These turned out to be famous last words, as you went to turn on your phone and found that the battery had died on the car ride here. “Shit,” you muttered, because, well, it was an appropriate word for the situation. Chewing your lip, you tossed your phone back into your bag and glanced around. To a local, you were sure finding Central Park would be no problem, but you weren’t a local.

Wait, a local! That’s it! Approaching a man in his late twenties walking a dog, you gave your friendliest smile. “Excuse me, could you—”

“Get lost, lady,” the man growled, and you flinched, drawing back. No one in your hometown behaved so aggressively, their voices dripping with venom as they bared their teeth in a snarl.

Swallowing your fear, you clutched onto the strap of your bag, trying to appear more confident than you felt. Maybe you had just gotten off on the wrong foot. “Sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to ask—”

“Didn’t you hear me?” The man jabbed a finger at you, and you stumbled back a few paces, squeaking. “I said, get. Lost.”

You hid your burning cheeks and frightened expression in the curtain of your hair, mumbling out apology after apology. After several minutes of this, you realized the man had left and was nowhere to be seen, so you lifted your head and took another look around. Every intersection was plastered with signs, but none of them seemed to point towards Central Park, and given your last interaction, the idea of asking a local suddenly seemed a lot less viable.

You fiddled with your hair as you took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. Rather than being a beautiful new wonder, Altadellys now just seemed like a living nightmare. “It’s okay, you’ve got this,” you mumbled, your half-assed attempt at a pep talk doing little to restore your confidence. “It’s a big park in the middle of the city. If you just keep walking, you’re sure to find it eventually.”

After what felt like an hour of walking with no change in scenery, your faith in that assumption was beginning to waver. You wrestled with your steadily increasing anxiety as you stopped at the corner of an intersection. Warmth and mouth-watering scents seeped out from underneath the door of the cafe you were stood by, and your stomach rumbled as you found yourself wishing you were inside. God, what I wouldn’t give to be sharing a cup of coffee with Hazel right now.

“Hey there little girl, are you lost?” You nearly jumped out of your skin as you whirled to face the person who had spoken. Most of their face was obscured by their black hoodie, but you could still make out the leer that painted itself across their features.

You swallowed, taking a step back. The stranger took a step forward, and as you continued to try and put space between the two of you, you became hyper aware that they were backing you into a dark alley, out of sight from the rest of the world. “U-Um, no, not lost at all! Just… enjoying the scenery!” Why did my phone have to die now?!

“The scenery, huh?” You were pressed up against a wall now, the stranger’s hand pinning you up against the stone. You could hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears, your breathing verging on hyperventilation as you stared up at your assailant with wide eyes. “It would be a shame if that was cut short.”

Those last words were a whisper, as cold and smooth as the metal blade now pressed against your throat. You couldn’t even squeak, fear stealing the sound from your lungs. You began praying to every deity you could think of, even ones you weren’t even sure were actually from real pantheons, anything to get out of this mess.

“Robbing pretty girls in dark alleys?” A new voice made your heart jump—whether it was in relief or further fear, you didn’t know. It evidently startled your attacker just as much, the surprised flinch of their hand just barely nicking your skin. A single bead of blood welled to the surface, but you didn’t have time to process it before your assailant was being pulled away from you. You remained frozen in place, too shaken to fully comprehend what was unfolding before you.

When you finally came out of your shock, the first thing that occurred to you was holy hell was your savior attractive. His face was partially obscured by a blue-green mask, trimmed with gold and decorated with what were, as far as you could tell, real peacock feathers, but you could still see the steely glint in his mismatched eyes. One was purple, the other gold, and you would’ve probably wondered how in the world he got lucky enough to end up with that genetic combination if you weren’t so busy taking in the rest of him. He was certainly a striking figure, with long golden-brown and green hair, a simple but somehow still shockingly elegant suit to match his mask, and fingerless gloves revealing blue and pink nails (toxic masculinity who?).

All of this paled in comparison to the wings that emerged from the slit on the back of his suit. The shining green plumage made him look like some kind of majestic angel, or bird. Actually, considering the look of his mask, you were pretty sure he was going for the latter.

Your savior said something to the would-be robber that you didn’t quite catch, still feeling in a somewhat faraway daze. Whatever it was, it sent them running, the masked vigilante folding his arms and watching them go with a look of utmost contempt. When they disappeared from sight, he turned to you, approaching with slow, gentle footsteps, the concerned look in his eyes at odds with the easy smile that curled his lips.

“That was a pretty nasty experience. I wouldn’t want to be in your position,” he commented, his tone casual as though he was discussing the weather, and not the fact he’d probably just saved your life. His expression shifted as he came to pause in front of you, gaze flickering to your neck. “Are you okay?”

Numbly, you placed two fingers to where you’d been cut. They came away wet with blood, but even so, you could tell that the injury was shallow—you’d gotten incredibly lucky. “I’ll—I’ll be fine. It’s not serious.” Your voice quavered, barely able to force the words out.

Your savior didn’t seem entirely convinced. “May I see anyway?” he requested, and moving on autopilot, you tilted your head to show him the cut. He stepped closer, fingers brushing against your throat as he inspected your injury, and you tried to ignore how the simple contact sent shivers down your spine. After a moment that lasted both eternity and no time at all, he drew back, humming in satisfaction. “You’re right. It’s not that bad, you’ll survive.” Apparently content with your health, you saw a teasing gleam enter his gaze. “I’d do more, but my power isn’t exactly to do with healing.” He fluttered his wings once to prove his point, and that’s when the reality of the situation came crashing down onto you.

“Your power. You have powers.” The words came out in a breathless rush, and you were completely helpless to stop them. You clapped your hands to your mouth, but too late; you felt the heat rising to your cheeks already. Leave it to you to make an absolute fool of yourself in front of an attractive guy.

He didn’t seem to mind though, evidently amused as he folded his arms, shifting his weight to one leg. “Well, I sure hope so. If I didn’t, my entire life would be a lie.” With the danger gone, he bantered with you in the way one might banter with a best friend, nevermind that you’d never seen him before.

You had enough grace to not try to continue that thread of conversation. “What’s your name?” you blurted out, and as your question processed, you felt your blush darken. You know what? No more talking without permission from my brain, mouth.

Your savior chuckled, pulling you out of your flustered thoughts. “My name is a secret I’m going to take to my grave,” he replied, and yeah, fair. What else were you expecting? “However…” He leaned forward to whisper in your ear, close enough that you could feel his breath tickle your neck. “You may call me Peacock.”

In a single breath, he had drawn back, leaving you struggling to collect your scattered thoughts and calm your racing heartbeat. First things first. His alias was Peacock—unsurprisingly so, given his general aesthetic and the prideful smirk that curled his lips. He was evidently playing things up for the drama, and you couldn’t honestly say you minded.

“I’m…” You took a deep breath to try and scrape together at least some of your composure. Once you felt like you weren’t about to faint from the situation, you finally offered Peacock your name.

He repeated your name back to you, humming in curiosity as you nodded. “A lovely name indeed,” he complimented, and you felt your cheeks burn. So much for composure, but then again, he probably said that to all the girls he rescued. Seeing the intensity of his gaze, though, you weren’t so sure.

You almost missed when he started speaking again, too wrapped up in your flustered thoughts. “...you going, little lady?”

You were going to have to ask the pretty peacock vigilante to repeat himself. God, today just wasn’t your day, wasn’t it? “Sorry, could you repeat that?” you mumbled, burying your face in your hair and doing anything not to look Peacock in the eye. Even if he had very beautiful eyes. Goddammit, you were too bi for this.

Peacock laughed, the sound just as charming as everything else about him. Fuck. “I know I’m handsome, but you shouldn’t let yourself get distracted,” he reprimanded lightly, a teasing smile quirking his lips, and yup, you were going to die. You may as well just go dig a hole and lay down in it. “I asked where you were going.”

Okay, focus. If you manage to screw this up you may as well move back to your town because your pride will be completely gone. “Central Park,” you replied, finally lifting your face from your curtain of hair and clutching the strap of your bag. “I’m supposed to meet my friend at her place, but my phone died, but her house is near there so I thought if I just found my way there…”

You trailed off as you saw Peacock already shaking his head. “Altadellys is a big city,” he explained. “Bigger than you think. I could direct you to Central Park, but you’d still get lost trying to find your way to your friend’s place, and I can’t always be around to save you.” He paused, but before you had time to begin to panic, he was already asking another question. “Do you know where you’re staying?”

“Yes!” You turned your eyes to the sky, eyebrows creasing as you tried to remember the name of the building. “Spring Apartments.”

You’re sure you didn’t imagine the shock that briefly flickered across what you can see of Peacock’s expression, the way he was caught off guard if only for a moment. “Spring Apartments? You’re sure?”

You cocked your head to the side, uncertain as to what about your place of residence would elicit this kind of reaction. “Yes? Is there a problem with that?”

If Peacock’s gaze on you had been intense before, it didn’t come close to comparing to now. You had to fight the urge to hide yourself away from his scrutiny, unable to help but feel like he was committing every detail of your visage to memory. “Not at all.” His easy smile was back as quickly as it had vanished, leaving you feeling out of the loop. “I can take you there.”

“That would be nice, thank you—” You paused, blinking owlishly as his words fully processed. “Wait. Take me there?”

“Let’s just say that helping you will help me as well,” Peacock replied cryptically, as if that clarified things at all. Still, it was hard to be frustrated at his vagueness as long as that unbearably attractive smile remained. “Of course, that’s only if you’re okay with it.”

“I’m okay with it, but how—ah!” Your words dissolved into a yelp as you found yourself unexpectedly scooped into Peacock’s arms. His almost ethereal nature belied how strong he truly was, you realized as he held you securely against his chest, hoping desperately that he couldn’t hear the thudding of your heart. That really would be the icing on your embarrassed cake; the final nail in your flustered coffin.

“Sorry,” Peacock apologized, and this close to him, you could feel the rise and fall of his chest, his warm breath tickling your neck with each exhale. “I’ve never been one to walk in the front door.”

You didn’t have time to even begin to process that before Peacock took to the air. You let out a decidedly undignified shriek, burying your face against his suit and clinging to him like your life depended on it (which it technically did, but you were trying not to think about that).

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Peacock murmured, and between his soft voice and assured grip, you realized he wasn’t saying that just to comfort you. You really were safe in his arms, even as buildings and people blurred past beneath you. It was a surreal feeling, to be truthful, but one that once you got used to it, you couldn’t honestly say you minded.

It was over all too quickly, Peacock placing you down on the roof of the apartment building within minutes. “This is where I leave you,” he explained, flashing you another one of those damned smiles. “I trust you can handle things from here?”

“Well, unless the apartment building is as difficult to navigate as the rest of Altadellys, I should be fine,” you replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Pride swelled within your chest as Peacock laughed at your joke.

“You’re quite the witty one, aren’t you? I like that,” he complimented, winking, and by some miracle you didn’t fall over then and there. “Keep me in mind? Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again.” He leaned forward slightly, and you stared up at him. Wow, his eyes are even more enchanting up close…

Your name fell from his lips, and this time you nearly did fall over. For a second, you wondered if he was going to kiss you, but instead he took a step back, leaving your heart thudding and your chest filled with a strange sense of disappointment.

There was silence for a brief second, before you took a deep breath. “Thank you for saving me,” you murmured, figuring you at least owed him that.

Peacock paused, tilting his head as he regarded you, a smile curling across his lips. It was different to the others, somehow—more real. “The pleasure was all mine, my lady,” he replied, giving a mock bow before walking to the edge of the roof. Before you could get another word in, he spread his wings and jumped, disappearing before you had a chance to call after him.

It took a minute to recover from the excitement you had just experienced, but you made your way inside from the roof stairwell, finding your apartment with blessed ease. I deserve this much mercy after the day I’ve had, you mused as you knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly, revealing a small and delicate-looking woman. Her most striking feature was the floral tattoos that swirled across her whole body, though the gorgeous flowers pinned in her white, yellow-tipped hair came a close second. Her white and pale yellow dress was deceptively simple, the flowers stitched into the opaque overskirt being the most complicated detail of the design.

“Hey.” You introduced yourself, putting on your friendliest smile. “Is this your apartment? If so, I’m your new roommate.”

“That’s today?” The woman huffed slightly, glancing around. “Damn it, Lyris…” She muttered a bit more to herself, leaving you feeling more and more confused, before she finally addressed you. “Oh, but where are my manners? I’m Piama.”

She extended a hand for you to shake, and you reached down to take it. “Nice to meet you, Piama,” you offered, uncertain what to make of your new roommate.

Piama cast an appraising eye over you. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

You blushed, not exactly embarrassed but still shy about being so easily placed by a beautiful woman. “Yeah. My hometown’s pretty far away.”

“That much speaks for itself.” Piama pressed her lips together, resting her chin on her hand as she considered you. “Your clothes are so last season, we’re going to have to do something about that.”

You had no idea how to respond to that. Initially, her words came off as rude, but the context implied she was only trying to help. “Um.”

Before you had a chance to come up with a more intelligent response, there was a melodic chime from Piama’s pocket. Pulling out a phone that looked more expensive that all your past phones put together, Piama scanned what was presumably a text before letting out a huff. “About time!” she complained as her fingers flashed across the screen. “I was supposed to go out with Lyris an hour ago! I called him four times and texted him like, fifty, and he just got back to me!” Putting her phone back away, she rolled her eyes. “This has been happening more and more lately. I’m starting to think he’s gotten a partner and hasn’t told me about it.”

Despite yourself, you couldn’t help a small laugh. “Well, don’t let me keep you. I can settle in by myself.”

Piama let out a relieved sigh. “Thank God. Lyris and I have been planning this for weeks, and I would die if I waited a second longer.” She paused, looking like a realization had just struck her. “Not that I’m trying to get rid of you, of course. You seem like a lovely girl, it just seems impossible to spend any quality time with him lately.”

You waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, no offense taken.”

Piama flashed you a small smile, wishing you a quick goodbye before sweeping past you. You wasted no time entering the apartment, quickly finding an outlet to plug your phone into. With that done, you fixed yourself a cup of coffee before flopping on the couch, sighing deeply as you finally began to process the day’s events.

You’d arrived in Altadellys, only to find your phone was dead. Asking a local for directions had proven useless, and soon after that, you had gotten yourself hopelessly lost. You’d nearly been robbed in an alley, only to be saved by an attractive masked vigilante calling himself Peacock. He’d taken you to your new residence and then disappeared. You’d found your apartment and met your roommate, an extremely pretty woman named Piama, and had a brief conversation with her before she’d had to leave. Now, you were here, relaxing in your new home while waiting for your phone to charge.

A distinctive chime alerted you to the fact your phone was now alive again. Carefully grabbing it, you switched it on, seeing that you had five unread texts from Hazel. You wasted no time in unlocking your phone and swiping over to your messenger, finding that the first of the texts was from around two hours ago.

Hazel: Hey did you make it to the city safely?

The next message was about half an hour later, around about when your phone had died.

Hazel: Freckles?

Hazel: You’re starting to worry me

The next two messages were from around half an hour ago, and you can tell Hazel’s increasing worry from the fact they were typed with perfect grammar.

Hazel: Okay, this is totally weird for you.

Hazel: If you don’t message me within the next hour, I’m calling the police.

Guilt and affection mingled in your gut. Guilt that you’d made her worry so much, and affection over the fact that she cared that much for you. Placing your mug down, you quickly typed out a reply.

You: I’m fine Hazey dw

You: My phone died on the way here

Hazel’s response was immediate, and you wondered if she’d been waiting for your message for the past half hour or so.

Hazel: Holy hell don’t scare me like that Freckles

Hazel: Ppl are saying crime rates in Altadellys are higher than they’ve ever been

Hazel: I was worried you’d gotten murdered or smthin

You couldn’t fight back a chuckle, smiling as you responded.

You: Not dead yet, amazingly

You: I’m at my apartment now but getting here was a nightmare

You hesitated as you went to type your next message. You definitely wanted to tell Hazel about your encounter with the mysterious Peacock, but would she believe you? ...of course she would, she was your best friend! She’d definitely heard far weirder stories from you.

You: Hey I’ve got a kinda crazy story to tell you

Hazel: [eyes emoji] [eyes emoji] [eyes emoji] 

Hazel: You know crazy’s my middle name hmu

You: It might be too much to put in a text

Hazel: Np we can meet up in person

Hazel: I’ve been dying to see u again anyway it’s been way too long

You: Agreed

You: Text me your address and I’ll be there ASAP

Plugging the address Hazel sent you into your GPS app, you discovered that her place was only a ten-minute walk away. That was a small miracle; you didn’t feel like tangling with a taxi right now. Draining the rest of your coffee, you got up to place your cup into the sink and write a note for Piama explaining where you were going. Once your phone had charged enough to the point where it wouldn’t die again while you were out, you grabbed your bag and made your way out of the building.

Finding Hazel’s house proved to be blessedly simple now that you had directions, and soon you found yourself standing in front of it. It was modest only in comparison to the other houses along the street, one story with a moderate backyard rather than two stories at least with sprawling acres of land.

“Looks like just the kind of place Hazel would love,” you mused to yourself as you moved to ring the doorbell. As you waited, you noticed that the door also had a knocker in the shape of a lioness’ maw. Interesting—had it been there before Hazel moved in? You couldn’t imagine why she’d have both a doorbell and a knocker.

The door opened shortly, a wide grin breaking across Hazel’s face. “Freckles! It’s so good to see you again!” She wasted no time pulling you into a giant bear hug that nearly crushed your bones.

“Good to see you too, Hazey,” you gasped, hugging her back as best you could. “Uh, you’re kinda crushing me.”

“Whoops.” Hazel quickly let go of you, though she didn’t move back far. “Sorry. Kinda forget my own strength sometimes.”

You smiled, but before you could respond, a new figure appearing over Hazel’s shoulder stole your attention. Blonde hair spilled over her shoulders in waves, her golden eyes shining with a gentle warmth. She wore a simple red and white tunic that looked like it could have dated back to medieval times (and here you thought your fashion was out of date). “Hazel, who’s this?”

“Oh, this is my best friend from my hometown!” Hazel quickly introduced you to the unknown woman and—holy mother of God she was ripped. Lean muscles rippled beneath her clothes, and you were so distracted staring you nearly didn’t catch Hazel adding, “And this is Amara; she recently moved in with me.”

Callout to myself: too bi to function. You tried to push down the thoughts of how attractive Amara was to extend a hand for her to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Amara.”

Amara accepted your proffered handshake, her grip deceptively light. “You as well. Hazel has spoken highly of you.”

You felt your cheeks turn red as Hazel laughed. “‘Course I have! Gotta make sure everyone knows how amazing my best friend is.”

“Hazel!” you exclaimed, trying desperately to cover your darkening blush. First Peacock, then Piama, and now Amara. Were you the protagonist of a romance visual novel or something? If you met one more attractive person you were going to die—which was a problem because Altadellys seemed to be full of them.

“Hey, you never know, Amara might find you just as amazing.” Hazel winked conspiratorially and yup, this was how you died. There was no way Amara wouldn’t notice the obvious wingwomaning—

“Well, I wouldn’t know, but any friend of Hazel’s is a friend of mine.” —or not. Was Amara seriously oblivious to your evident fluster and Hazel’s teasing? Whatever, you would take what you could get. Your poor bi heart still hadn’t recovered from your earlier encounter with Peacock, anyway.

You took a deep breath, praying your voice wouldn’t wobble. “Likewise,” you agreed, shifting your weight awkwardly and flicking your gaze to Hazel. “Also uh, Hazey? Can I come inside or am I going to be standing on your front porch for this entire conversation?”

“Is something wrong with my porch?” Hazel teased. Amara’s brow creased with concern and she quickly added, “I’m joking, Amara, don’t worry. We’ve teased each like this since we were kids.” She stepped back from the door and disappeared into the corridor, calling behind her, “I’m gonna make drinks. You two get to know each other!”

Amara offered you a polite smile. “I apologize for this. Hazel is a dear friend of mine, but I remain bemused by her antics.”

She really was oblivious to Hazel’s wingwomaning. You weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth though, chuckling nervously. “Yeah, she’s always been something of an enigma, but you know how best friends are.”

Amara didn’t respond, and you began to worry you’d said something wrong by the completely blank look on her face. “Amara?”

Amara shook herself, her expression taking on the polite, friendly smile again. It didn’t reach her eyes, and you couldn’t help but feel you’d touched on a sensitive subject, though you had no idea what it was. “My apologies, I was lost in thought. Allow me to show you to the living room.”

As you followed Amara, you couldn’t help but note she carried herself with the posture of a soldier, complete with the famous Murder Walk™ that tumblr loved to talk about. That sent alarm bells ringing in your head and your heart panging with concern—what had happened to her to cause her to always be on her guard?

You knew better than to ask, settling into the cushions of one of the simple white couches in the living room. Amara sat across from you, studying you with a curious expression. “You are not from Altadellys?”

Somehow, the question made you feel less self-conscious than when Piama had commented on it earlier. “Yeah, I’m from Hazel’s hometown. What about you?”

“I’m not from Altadellys either,” Amara replied, confirming a growing suspicion. “I moved here many years ago.”

“Didn’t exactly embrace the lifestyle?” you guessed, gesturing to her clothes and praying your inquiry wouldn’t be considered rude.

To your relief, a genuine smile lit up Amara’s features, a soft glimmer in her eyes. “Not exactly,” she agreed. “I have never been able to immerse myself in the glitz and glam of the city, though I have nothing against those who do.”

“My roommate’s the complete opposite of you,” you mused, trying to latch onto this thread of conversation. “She’s stunningly beautiful, but in a way I feel like I’ll never compare to, you know?”

Amara considered you thoughtfully. “Sometimes simpler is better,” she remarked. “If it is of any comfort to you, I think you look wonderful just the way you are.”

You were saved from spontaneous combustion by Hazel reappearing, carefully holding three mugs full of hot, steaming liquid. If it were anyone else, you might’ve been worried about her spilling or dropping them, but you had complete faith in Hazel. “Coffee for me and Freckles, and tea for Amara!” she hummed, placing down two of the mugs before flopping onto the couch next to you.

“Thank you, Hazel,” Amara responded politely, carefully picking up her drink, blowing on it gently before taking a sip. You echoed the sentiment, retrieving your coffee and nursing it as your thoughts wandered in the direction of gay again.

“So Freckles,” Hazel interrupted, and you nearly spilled your drink as you were jolted out of your thoughts. “You said you had a crazy story to tell?”

“Oh! Yeah, I did, but…” Your gaze flickered hesitantly to Amara.

She caught the look and smiled, gesturing for you to continue. “I assure you, I have heard many extraordinary stories in my time. I promise I will not judge.”

Amara was so open and kind that you found yourself believing her without a second thought. You nodded and took a deep breath. “So like I said in my texts, my phone died getting here. I thought I’d just go to Central Park and find this place from here, but I uh…” You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly, averting your eyes. “I kinda got lost.”

“Understandably so,” Amara said, and you glanced over at her, surprised at her input. “Altadellys is a city of enormous proportions. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, things could’ve gone seriously wrong,” Hazel agreed, concern painted across her features. “Seems like you hear about more and more robberies and people going missing everyday.”

You figured that was as good of a leadup to the ‘crazy’ part of your story as you were going to get. “I’m alright, but it was a close call. Someone tried to rob me in an alley.” You tilted your head to expose the faint scar on your neck.

“What?!” Hazel gasped. “Did you see what they looked like, Freckles? I’ll give them a piece of my mind for daring to lay a hand on you—”

“You should calm down, Hazel,” Amara interrupted gently, but you could see the concern and fury shining behind her golden eyes. “How did you get away?”

“I was saved by a masked guy with wings. He called himself Peacock,” you explained, scanning the pair’s faces for reactions. Hazel’s eyes were wide, her surprise evident, whereas Amara remained more composed, shock passing over her expression for only a moment before she closed her eyes, presumably lost in thought.

“Peacock, you’re sure?” Hazel checked, before shaking her head. “Who am I kidding, you said he had wings, that can’t be anyone else.”

“Yes?” You couldn’t help but feel surprise of your own at Hazel’s reaction. If she recognized his name—and knew about his powers—then just who was Peacock? “Do you know him?”

“Only by reputation,” Hazel replied. The look of awe on her face almost felt surreal. “After Fox disappeared, he took over as Altadellys’s protector of the night!” She struck a pose, then paused. “Okay, so I’m pretty sure he’s more active during the day, but details.” She chuckled to herself. “Seriously though, you’re super lucky, Freckles. Getting saved by Peacock is almost every girl’s dream at the moment.”

You picked up on the phrasing, unable to help quirking your lips at the subtle quip. “But not you?”

“Nah, I’m too much of a lesbian for that.” Hazel grinned, obviously amused by her own joke, before leaning in. “But what about you? Is he as dreamy as they say?” She waggled her eyebrows.

You knew she was only teasing you, but you couldn’t stop the heat that flooded your cheeks as you thought back to your interaction with the masked vigilante. Visions of those beautiful eyes and that breathtaking smile filled your mind. “Um…”

You were hardly subtle. Hazel caught on immediately, and she burst out laughing. “Oh my God! Freckles, you have a crush!”

“I do not!” you immediately defended yourself, already knowing it fell on deaf ears. “He’s as attractive as they say, okay? But that doesn’t mean I like him!”

Hazel wiped a couple tears from her eyes. “Sure, sure, you keep telling yourself that, Freckles. But man, you had one hell of a first day in Altadellys, didn’t ya?”

You really couldn’t disagree with that, though you were just glad Hazel seemed to have dropped the teasing about your non-existent crush on Peacock. Absently, your gaze slid over to Amara, who had yet to rejoin the conversation. You found her staring off at a black-and-white photo hanging on the wall—looking closely, you were pretty sure it was of her, along with a man you’d never seen before. A family member or best friend? I’d consider that it could be her boyfriend, but I get the idea she’s not into guys. But why is it in black and white?

“Freckles? Were you listening?” You jumped, embarrassed at having been caught zoning out. 

I’m really off my game today. “Uh, not really,” you admitted sheepishly. “Mind repeating that?”

Hazel rolled her eyes affectionately. “I asked how the job search was going.” Her tone was filled with the fond exasperation only a best friend could capture.

“Oh, that.” You sighed, wishing you had better news on that front. “Not well, honestly. None of the places I’ve applied to have even called me in for an interview.”

Hazel winced sympathetically. “Yikes, that sucks. I’d offer to help ya, Freckles, but I don’t think my line of work is exactly for you.” She gave a meaningful look at your less-than-impressive physique and you laughed.

“Probably not, but thanks anyway.” You ran your fingers through your hair, thinking. “It’s a problem, though. Rent isn’t cheap here—I’ll get kicked out pretty fast if I don’t find a job soon.”

Hazel gave a thoughtful hum. “Well, why don’t you apply for an internship at Optimus? Seems like your kind of place.”

“Optimus? Are you sure?” Amara’s sudden interruption startled you, and you glanced over at her. Her expression was completely closed off, betraying nothing about how she felt. You had to fight the urge to swallow, somehow feeling like you’d just stepped into a social minefield.

“I don’t really know anything about Optimus,” you confessed hesitantly. “Should I?”

“They’re the world’s foremost authority on powers,” Amara explained, still completely neutral. “They help connect people with places that need their powers the most.”

“They donate to a bunch of charities too, and help with a bunch of other stuff,” Hazel added. “It’s like, the dream job for everyone living in Altadellys, and the pay’s incredible.”

You exhaled softly, considering your options. Hazel was right—it did sound like a dream job. You’d been interested in powers since you were little, always wishing you’d been one of the lucky ones, but nobody with powers had been born in your hometown for generations. “That does sound amazing Hazey, but there’s no way I’m qualified for that sort of thing.”

“If it’s just an internship, I have a friend who may be able to help.” You gave Amara a curious look. “I can let him know. He’s a private man, but he’s reliable.”

You were burning with questions you wanted to ask about Amara’s friend, but given that she still had that blank look on her face, completely devoid of any emotion at all, you didn’t want to push your luck and risk her rescinding the offer. “I guess it’s worth a shot. Thanks, Amara.”

She nodded in acknowledgment, but gave no other response. Suddenly, Hazel gasped, bolting to her feet. “Oh shoot, I totally forgot! I was supposed to meet with a client like, ten minutes ago!” She turned to you apologetically. “Sorry Freckles, I gotta run. If you want, though, we can meet up in like an hour or so? There’s a cafe right around the block, Sweet Enchantments, it’s the best cafe this side of Altadellys.”

You chuckled, unable to pass up the prospect of hanging out with Hazel again after all these years. “Sure thing Hazey, sounds great.”

“Awesome, catch you later!” Hazel darted from the room. Amara stood as well, brushing off her clothes.

“I’m afraid I have places to be as well,” she apologized, and even though it didn’t compare to earlier, you were relieved to see a hint of genuine regret in her eyes. “Before I leave, however, perhaps we should exchange phone numbers.”

“Oh!” You were going to get a pretty woman’s phone number. Yeah, this was a first. “That’s probably a good idea, yeah.”

Amara didn’t stick around long after giving you her number, and you headed back to your apartment, feeling awkward hanging around Hazel’s house while neither of its occupants were home. To your surprise, you found Piama perched on the couch, deeply engrossed in some kind of nature documentary and sipping at a cup of tea.

“Hi Piama,” you greeted, gaining her attention. “Weren’t you hanging out with Lyris?”

Piama waved a dismissive hand. “We just went out to a nearby cafe,” she explained, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same one Hazel had mentioned. “Besides, he needs to get his stuff out of your room.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Piama sighed, as though the reason Lyris’s stuff was apparently in your room was of great disdain to her. “He’s been half-living here for years,” she replied, turning her attention back to the TV. “He would have moved in, but he has a cat, and if his fur ball wasn’t the most annoying creature on that planet, I might’ve considered putting up with my allergies for him, but as it is, ‘Madame Whiskers’ has it out for me. Of course, I’m not going to ask my best friend to give up his cat for me, so now he lives on the floor above me while dumping half his stuff here.”

“Piama, who are you talking to? Is your roommate home?” a very familiar voice called from the hallway. You couldn’t quite place it until he stepped into the living room, and your jaw dropped as realization dawned on you. You wasted no time in appraising his physical appearance; his hair, his build, his general aesthetic, even his nails—everything matched up to Peacock. Even so, you might’ve chalked it up to a coincidence if not for his eyes. His damned eyes. His damned, beautiful eyes. Deep purple and breathtaking gold; even if your mind didn’t recognize them, your heart would’ve.

Peacock—Lyris?—was staring at you just as openly, and you could see the recognition and shock blooming across his expression as well. If Piama replied, you didn’t hear it, too swept up in the feeling of holy shit I’m meeting Peacock as a civilian and he’s my roommate’s best friend.

Your phone chimed, shattering the moment. You coughed to cover the awkwardness, quickly pulling it out and glancing down at the texts you’d just received.

Hazel: Client cancelled [rolling eyes emoji]

Hazel: U still wanna hang out at the cafe tho?

Oh, was all you could think as your fingers hovered over the keyboard, having literally no idea how to reply. Glancing up didn’t help, as you saw Lyris staring at you with the same shocked expression he’d had moments ago, Piama looking between the two of you in confusion.

Oh shit.

CHAPTER CHOICE

You're in a bit of a tricky spot here. You did say you were going to hang out with Hazel, but if you do that, the situation with Lyris is going to get... awkward. To say the least. Do you: A) Commit to going to the cafe with Hazel B) Stay to try and diffuse the situation with Lyris and Piama, and hopefully get some answers

[whispersof-allout]

j e a l o u s | oharano etsugo

Fandom: All Out!!

Paring: Oharano Etsugo x Reader

Word Count: 1500

Request:

Notes: I hope you guys enjoy, especially the person that requested this! I wasn’t sure if you wanted NSFW type stuff, since the end of your request kind of hinted towards that? But to be safe, I decided to make it SFW friendly - please leave another specific request if you’d like otherwise! 

Thank you for reading. ღ

“Sorry, I’m not interested right now.”

How many times would you let it replay in your head?

Shocked, and deathly embarrassed you stood there before him – Oharano, your mouth slightly agape at his quick and seemingly thoughtless answer. The small envelope you held out in your hands as an offering to him now seemed to weigh a ton as you finally brought your eyes to look up at him.

You could feel the tears burning at the rim of your eyes but continued to stand there at a loss for words.

Was it really that easy for him?

The last two years you pinned for him, ever since you met in your second year of junior high. Since seeing him at the opening ceremony at JinKou, you figured it was the universe telling you to take your chance.

You wanted to believe in fate, but the stoic look that graced Oharano’s face ruined all chances of that.

The same face you always glanced looks at whenever you could. The same face you fell in love with.

You quickly snapped your arms back towards your chest, slightly crumpling the envelope that was meant for him in your fists. You bit your lip slightly before forcing a smile to grace your face, pulling your shoulders back slightly to seem a little more unphased.

“Of course,” You began, a little taken aback at the volume of your voice. “You’re busy with rugby, and school just started so…”

You watched as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, turning his head slightly to the side in what you thought was a show of his annoyance.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Oharano. Forget I ever said anything, okay?”

You just barely saw as he glanced back over at you, his eyes slightly widened before you turned on your heel and rushed away from him, quickly turning the corner of the hallway before starting in a full sprint.

You didn’t see, though, the light blush that dusted his cheeks, or the mental slap he gave himself for being so careless with his words.

Honestly a confession from you was the last thing Oharano would expect – and everything he had hoped for.

And yet, here he was. Ruining what fate had planned for the two of you.

  A couple days had passed, and Oharano knew that you had been avoiding him like the plague.

He’d never admit how much it annoyed him. He’d never admit how much he missed catching you glancing at him from the corner of his eye, how much he actually looked forward to every time you’d find an opportunity to greet him – even though he never proved to be the friendliest guy.

As much as he hates to admit it, he just missed you.

So finally seeing you a few days later as he walked off the rugby field, he couldn’t help but stop the slight smirk that pulled at his lips – which quickly fell away as he watched a classmate trail behind you, catching your attention and leading you off to one of the walkways that lead around the sports clubs area.

He didn’t give a second thought as he followed the two of you, his face set in a scowl of annoyance as he turned the corner, his eyes setting on you and the guy that had approached you.

He gave it a second, listening in to what he could pick up on the conversation you were having.

“I know we haven’t spoken to each other much, [f/n],” The boy started, leaning in towards you and causing you to take a half-step back, “But I’d really love a chance to take you out on a date.” The boy paused, “Just me and you.”

“A date?” You repeated, your hand idly fiddling with the hem of your uniform skirt. “I’m sorry, but I’m really not inter- “

“Give me a chance?” The boy interrupted. “It’s not like you’re interested in anyone, right? What would it hurt to try?”

You took another step back as the boy reached out to you, your hands raising up to try and keep an amount of distance between you two.

“I said- “

“She’s mine.”

You startled slightly at the familiar voice that boomed down the walkway, your head shooting over to look at Oharano, who was now storming your way.

He took a light but firm hold on your elbow, his shoulders squared, and his chest slightly puffed out. You couldn’t help but notice the film of sweat that coated his face, the single bead that ran down his cheek and along the strong veins in his neck as he continued to glare at the guy.

You’ve never seen this side of Oharano before.

But you’d be lying if you said that you didn’t like it.

“She’s mine, and she’s not going on a date with you.” His voice was definitive as he continued to stare the guy down. “Didn’t you hear her turn you down? Do you need to hear it again before you understand it?”

The boy seemingly shrunk before Oharano who, despite not being the tallest guy at JinKou, made up for it with the aura he was putting off now. “Don’t even think about approaching her again, got it?”

And without waiting for a response, Oharano led you out of the walkway, back towards the main building of JinKou.

Dazed, you let him lead you through the hallways of your school, finally coming to a stop in one of the lesser used ones. He didn’t let go of your elbow but lessened his grip on it as he stood there, his head bowed slightly, his shoulders raising and lowering with every deep breath he took.

“Ohara- “

“What were you thinking? Letting another guy confess to you like that?”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his words as you watched him turn to look back at you, his face and lips lightly flushed from what you that was adrenaline.

“What? What was I thinking?” You began, taking your elbow out of his grasp, “What does it have to do with you? You’re the one that turned me down a couple days ago. You should be happy that another guy is trying to take me off your hands.”

“Happy? About a guy taking away what’s mine?”

“What’s yours?” You scoffed, your arms coming to cross underneath your chest. “Last time I checked, you couldn’t have cared less about me. You made that pretty clear when you didn’t even give my confession a second thought.”

“[f/n], I- “

“And now you have the audacity to decide who I can and can’t date?”

You didn’t notice the small steps that Oharano was taking towards you, or the fact that he was slowly backing you up against the hallway wall. You were too focused on the group of emotions that railed through you – anger, confusion. Happiness?

You were a little happy that Oharano seemed to be interested in you, just a little bit. But didn’t he take it too far? Is all of this, your feelings towards him, just a joke to him?

“I like you Oharano, but that doesn’t mean that you can just pop up whenever you want and- “

The sound of his palm hitting the wall that he backed you up against silenced you. He took another step closer, almost completely closing off the distance between you, his gaze glaring into your eyes as his lips pulled back into an almost possessive smirk.

“I’m a jealous guy, [f/n]. You ought to know that by now.” His free hand rose to cup your cheek. It was warm and inviting, you couldn’t help but slightly lean into the touch of it. “I may have screwed up once,” He paused, leaning in closer to you, your lips almost touching his. “But you know that you’re mine, you always have been.”

He didn’t give you enough time to respond before crushing his lips into yours.

The kiss was hard and yearning, almost as if he wanted more of you but barely held himself back. He took his hand off the wall and brought it behind your head to pull you closer to him, deepening the kiss.

Your eyes were screwed shut, your legs felt like jelly as you were thrust into a complete state of shock and daze.

Oharano. Oharano was kissing you. Claiming you. All because he was… jealous?

It almost didn’t seem real, but when he finally pulled away from you, his face still lingering just a few inches away from yours, you knew that this was everything but fake.

He smirked at your lost expression, your eyes searching his for who knows what. He leaned his head against yours, placing another light kiss onto your lips.

“Consider this as my confession, [f/n].” The pad of his thumb ghosted over your bottom lip. “And don’t even think about declining.”

The thought of declining could have been further from your mind.

You were finally Oharano’s.

And fate made sure that Oharano was yours, too.

request an All Out!! fic of your own

[fandom-imagines101]

Princess ( Sweet pea X Reader)

Summary: You live on the north side but your best friend Sam is a serpent. she invites you to the Whyte Worm on a very busy night. where you just happen to run into a certain someone. 

Warnings: Some swearing 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight I was invited by my best friend Sam to southside serpents hang out spot The White Wyrm. Sam has been a Serpent since she was pretty much born, her family is very invested in the gang. Our parents met within the gang but once they had me they stepped back but are still are close friends with Sams parents. My parents wanted me to have a better life outside of the gang because that was how they grew up. But Sam and I still grew up together because my mother was always babysitting her or we were having sleepovers. Since now we both go to different high schools we try to remain close as much as possible so when the weekends come we are together a lot.

I saw a text from Sam light up on my phone " Please come tonight, I want to introduce you to some of my friends". At first when she asked me I had said no because I figured it would be weird but she guilted me into it and I texted her back " Fine I will go cu at 7 :) ".

I had been studying for my math midterm coming up and it turned to be 6:30. So I got dressed in loose light-washed jeans with a black tank and my white and a black plaid baggy shirt. Decided to keep it casual so I threw my hair into a messy bun. I got in my car and started my drive in the rain to the Whyte Worm. Upon arrival, the place looked packed with tons of bikes out front. I had been here many times with sam over the years. But this time it just wasn't a couple of gang members everyone was here tonight. I walked praying to god no one would notice me and no one did everyone minded there own business. I was walking through the crowds seeing if I could locate Sam. But I was stopped when I handsome dark-haired boy with a serpent tattoo on his neck stopped in front of me.  

“ Hey, Princess you're in the wrong place this is a serpent hang out” I was a little taken back by his rudeness but I wasn’t gonna let it get to me

“ I'm aware”

“ Well, you must know that the northside is the other way then. or do u need to paint a picture?"

“ Look asshole I don't know what got you serpent tail all up in a knot for but I'm here to see a friend so back off!" just as you said that you see Sam waving you over to a table in the corner of the room. I then walked past the boy and moved over to her table and sat next to Sam at the table with her group of friends.  

“ Sorry I took so long, that guy was a real asshole ”

Jughead said to me “ And that would be Sweetpea, not the friendliest person in the world but once you get to know him he is an ok guy. I'm jughead by the way" he extended he his hand for me to shake.

" Oh, ( Y/N) nice to meet you, his name is sweetpea? " I said shaking his hand and questioning

" Yeah, don't ask," he said sarcastically

“ Oh, ” I said locking eyes with him from across the room and him giving me a smug smile. I looked away when Sam introduced me to her other friends Toni and Fangs. They started having different conversations and I felt like someone was staring at me.

I looked across the room near the bar I could see Sweetpea checking me out. Then Toni got the great idea to play pool, I didn’t want to at first but I did it anyway. I have always been great at pool me and Sam have been playing it since we were about 8 and we could reach over the table. As we were walking over to the table Sweetpea walked up.

" I see you have enough of the view, Now you're ready to try and beat me at the pool now," I said to him confidently as he walked around me

“ Oh Princess, I think you mean you're going to have to try and beat me ”

“ let's just see about that," I said with a smile

We both played pool for hours getting half of the bar involved both of use heavily competitively flirting with each other. Sam had left with Fangs on his motorcycle back home after realizing you had things handled here.

" as much as I love beating your ass at 8-ball I should be getting home"

" Oh come on, you beat me so many times I at least owe you a drink"

" just one," you say making your way over to the bar

we ended up talking for the next hour flirting making jokes getting to know each other.

" I really should get going home I have school tomorrow "

" Yeah sure let me drive you, home princess"

" wait, you're not driving me on that death machine out there called a motorcycle, I can take my car thanks"

" Okay walk you then?"

"  Sweetpea being a gentleman I never thought I would see the day," you say pretending to be fake shocked

" Oh shut up," he says smiling

As we were walking out I could feel his hand brush by mine. We got to my car and I leaned against it wanting to maybe get a kiss by the end of the night. I didn't know what to say so I just grabbed his hand and started playing with his fingers.

He reached down and gently pulled my chin up to look at him " Your not like the others, you're like us"

" Not really, I mean..."

I was just about to say something when instead I felt sweetpeas lips on mine.  I then decided that may be hanging around the White Wyrm wasn't so bad after all.

[heavyscottishaccent]

Friends on the Other Side

The Isle had many quirks that most would find pretty disturbing if not outright disgusting. The way the sun never seemed to shine through the dense fog or the fact that the air always tasted slightly of iron; may it be from the exposed pipes or from the "questionable" dark stains that sometimes covered the walls in the small island. On good days, it reeked slightly of sweat and hot garbage. On the bad, well, there's really no point on wasting time talk about literal waste, is there?

All these little details made the Isle an endearing home for those who lived there. Like the fungus that grew on almost every surface, it grew on its inhabitants. Forcefully. With a sledge hammer. Or a wand if you want to be technical.

In the twenty-some years that the Isle had first come to be, no one had managed to escape. Not even the toughest or the scariest of the lot could find a way to stick a single toe across the barrier that kept them trapped inside. It wasn't until six months ago when the new king of the United States of Auradon proclaimed a new "project" of sorts to integrate the children of villains into their high society of pampered poodles. Only after the first four, no word had come back about taking in any more kids. Figures.

Most grew angry, bitter at the small speck of hope they offered before brutally crushing the dreams of the few handful of kids who wanted nothing more than to be chosen next. It was all they showed on tv or played on the radio stations in the Isle. Mal, Jay, Evie, and Carlos getting everything; all the food and clothes they could want and even a damned education that didn't involve a basic how to on spiking a stranger's drink. They were supposedly the worst of the new generation of villains yet they were the first to be rewarded refuge?

The hate and resentment that laid dormant for so long within the children festered. Gangs regrouped and violence resurfaced tenfold. At first it was a ploy to get attention from the other side to remind them there were still kids here, waiting. But still nothing came out of it. Even after a short outbreak of a terrible illness that swept through the Isle did nothing to hurry them along. But even then, it was the people in the Isle who were called cold hearted and vicious.

And yet, seeing three of the four traitors did nothing but bring a cold smile on Frank's face.

"Well I'll be damned," Frank laughed. The teen leaned against the wall, relishing as the four turned their heads every which way searching for her. Besides the slight tan and a little weight gain, the three seemed to have gained, they looked just about the same as before they left.

They looked good. "Out of all the fun surprises I expected today, this was not one of them! And Carlos, my boy! Did you grow an inch?"

"I'm not your anything," Carlos called out on reflex.

"Show yourself," Jay said at the same time. Frank laughed but did as he asked anyways. She smiled when the four turned in her direction, looking perplexed as the shadows seemed to move with her.

"Frankie," Evie greeted with a hesitant nod.

"Oh none of that sugar, we old friends aren't we?" Frank extended her arms, an invitation for a hug but soon dropped them when no one moved to embrace her. "Well, that's a bit rude. Woulda thought them Auradonians or whatever would have taught you all a speck of kindness."

"Frank," Jay said with an irritated sigh. The teen cocked her head to the side, wondering what has got them so wound up before her attention settled on the one boy she did not completely recognize. His clothing screamed Isle but his stance said something entirely different. At first Frank waved him off as one of Uma's quieter lackys. She seemed to gain a new one every minute so Frank gave up on trying to remember who's with who. It wasn't until the bra shifted closer into the light that it hit Frank why he looked so familiar.

"Hold the phone, boo," Frank said, her tone dropping from her almost warm tilt to an icier one. "This whole time I've been thinking the King would take us little folk to his side of town, not the otha' way around."

"Not by choice, I assure you—" the King tried to say before Frankie lifted one hand to stop him.

"It be nobodies choice to come here, I assure you," she mocked. "What, here to handpick the next little ones for your project? If so, I can point my finger at any direction for you to start looking."

"U-um no, that won't be needed, thank you. We are actually here for—"

"My mistake then, however, if I may ask, when exactly will the next group be chosen. Forgive me but some people have grown… impatient as you could imagine." The King looked pained at her question. The tension between the five thickened as the other four shifted uncomfortably. A moment of silence passed before Frankie nodded in understanding. "I see."

"No, no! I swear I was planning on crossing more kids over! It's just—"

"Your majesty," Frankie sneered, effectively cutting off the boy once again. The other three Isle kids looked about ready to jump to his defense but a quick look from Frank had them backing off. "I knew I shouldn't 'ave gotten excited about yous new decree but I did. Same with plenty a other children down here on this island. You know we got about six working telly and radio channels here and all of them is about you. About yous and Mal going on dates, fining and dining the most luxurious of meals with them heroes we youngins have somehow wronged just by being born. Even planning a fabulous party with every last one of them; we heard all about that too. Well, you can imagine we have grown a little sour at being forgotten."

Frankie relished in the shame that crossed on each of their faces. She had grown with the idea of revenge tasting as sweet as the southern tea her father told her about once. Though as quick as that feeling came, it didn't last long. This particular flavor of tea turned out more bitter than sweet. She shook her head and stepped back away from the King. She didn't even notice herself advance towards him in the first place.

"You should go," Frankie whispered. "Before Uma or one of hers figures out y'all are here."

"We can't leave without Mal," the King bravely said, though Frankie did catch a slight quiver in his voice. Good, he got the message.

"Mal is here too, huh," Frankie mused. "Figures all that commotion would be her."

"What do you mean? Did you see where she went?" Evie asked. Frankie sighed and crossed her arms. She definitely saw where Mal went. She hadn't known or cared much on who the devil on the purple steed was before and she couldn't care less now. She gave them an unimpressed stare before rolling her eyes and turning her back.

"That information is something I cannot give."

"Cannot or will not?" Carlos asked for clarification.

"Either? Both? Take your pick." Frank knew she was being petty but the last thing she wanted to do was help them. The more she heard their voices the more she wanted to shout and scream, however, she wasn't inclined to have the sort of attention that usually attracted after making too much noise.

"That's fine," the King said quickly before calling the former three Isle kids back. "That's fine. Thank you, Frankie." The sincerity in the King's voice made Frank pause. That kind of kindness is something you could not fake plus, Frankie had never had anyone thank her before. Frank inwardly groaned as she turned to the four as the made their way down the alley, carefully sidestepping anything that would make a sound. It's been months since Evie, Carlos, and Jay were on the Isle. They definitely wouldn't know about the new traps that laid around these parts.

On one hand, if they were caught, Frankie knew they wouldn't blab on her for not alerting anyone of their arrival. Which would be bad. They would be out of her hair and none of her concern but even Frankie wasn't mean enough to let a stray puppy get itself killed, especially one with such a sweet face. That and if they, more so the King, left the Isle soon and went back to Auradon, her chances of being chosen may raise if the King owed her a favor or two.

"Wait," she called, her face pulled as though in pain. The four turned to her in confusion and, to Frank's displeasure, slight smugness. Those turds. "Don't go that way."

"Frankie?" The King asked unsurely.

"Yall havent seen the type of things hidden in the darker corners of this rat trap. They built some fancy new do dabs that almost ripped off my pa's leg once. Some bastardized contraptions built from things found in De Vil's tree home." Carlos winced noticeably at that to which Frankie nodded. She gestured towards the opposite direction before walking away. Frank didn't have to turn around to know the others were following her.

Despite the King never living on the Isle like the rest of them, he did a rather good job in staying as incognito as any other thug in training. Though there were a couple of times Frank or Jay had to push and pull him in the right direction. Nonetheless, the King would had made a fine henchman given the chance. That's to say, if he worked a little on his arms. Damn noodles seemed sway in every direction when he moved.

"Your purple demon was lucky," Frankie finally whispered.

"Mal? What do you mean?"

"She sped past here so fast, nothing had a chance to even nip at her ankles. That bike of hers sure is something."

As they made their way towards the center of the Isle, Frank couldn't help but notice how the four other teens moved together in sync. She was impressed with how the King was able to fit in with them as flawlessly as if he were Mal herself. It was no wonder why these guys were quick to warm up to him. Again Frankie stamped down the jealousy that arose in her. She never was one to accept or be accepted quickly. Even on the Isle where friends was a no-no there was still some type of camaraderie within the masses. Frankie, however, didn't have that. Even Dizzy, the friendliest kid in the Isle acted weird around her.

She only had herself and her shadows for company and that was fine with her. Sorta.

"So Frankie," Evie huffed as she hurried over to run beside her. "Anything new happen while we were gone?" Frankie considered the question for a moment. There was a lot she could say. She just didn't know how to say it.

"You bet it did," Frankie muttered. "You three changed the game."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked. Frankie scowled back at him; she hadn't noticed him approach.

"I mean what I say. After yous four gave up the wand, people back home got antsy. Saying they was gonna be the next ones to go and do your jobs. Pa told me if I got picked and did what you four did, he'd find a way to cross that barrier just to throttle me one last time before he got our friends to finish the job." Frankie shuddered. She had no doubt that her pa would figure something out given the chance. "It's a free for all now, people joining any gang just to stay alive."

"That's terrible," the King muttered, horrified. The change of rhythm their feet made as they criss crossed around the dark alleys quickened. No doubt the others, including Frankie herself, wanting to put as much distance from others as fast as possible.

"I heard talk of Yen Sid getting worried too," Frankie said thoughtfully. "He be sending messages every week now instead of once a month. Don't think he be getting any replies either though." Frankie didn't expect for the King to reply to that. Which was the point of mentioning that last bit as the boy had the horrible knack of fraying her nerves. Just because he was cute and nice meant that Frankie was going to forgive the fool so quickly. Or at all for that matter.

"What about our parents?" Carlos hastily asked. That question made Jay and Evie stop in their place, causing the King to run straight into their backs. Frank looked back at the sudden noise and quickly shushed them all before pulling them into a dark corner when she thought she heard someone walk towards them. Frank bit her lip once the coast was officially cleared. She didn't know how to answer that question either.

"Well," Frankie started awkwardly. "With the big bad dragon gone, her goons just kinda linger around, not knowing what to do. I don't see much of Miss De Vil but I heard from others that she doesn't leave Hell Hall much but when she does… well, you could say mister Hook needed a new hook."

"As for Jafar, he and my pa were on not good terms before because Jafar been taking things from his shop and vice versa. A few days after the wand fiasco Jafar comes over like his ass was on fire and destroyed my pa's shop thinkin we took some of his. No one bothers him much nows."

"And the Queen," here Frankie paused for a moment. She glanced at the four kids staring at her intently before looking down at the ground. She hated playing messenger. "She don't do nothing."

"My mom? What do you mean she 'doesn't do anything'?" Evie pressed.

"She don't do nothing," Frankie stressed out. "She won't come out or even talk no more. Like a ghost. No one mess with her either. No fun when there's no fight I hear."

Evie looked close to tears as Jay pulled her into a tight hug. Even Carlos looked upset which was more than a bit shocking as Frank heard stories of Cruella treating her boy like nothing more than a slave. The girl looked away from the three teens. Showing this much emotion was another no no on the Isle but she figured they needed a little time to get a hold of themselves without a judging eye. Instead she looked at the King who merely appeared shocked at the news. Seeing as he wasn't going to say anything to lighten up the frustration, Frankie quickly suggested they move again less they be caught by someone who held a grudge; which, honestly, was pretty much everyone on the island.

"That's why we're going through the back streets," Jay concluded angrily. "So you don't get caught with us. Or maybe you're just leading us straight into the thick of the mob, huh?" Frankie's eyes flashed with vindication. This is what she gets for helping? She snarled and moved to slam her fist in Jay's stupid face but a someone pulled her back.

"Stop," the King yelped. "I'm sure that's not true, Jay."

"You don't know her like we do, Ben," Jay hissed. "She's Facilier's kid. I thought it was weird she'd help us out without making some sort of deal. We shouldn't have trusted her in the first place. She's jealous we made it out and she didn't. She's nothing more than a con with a plan. Just. Like. Her. Dad."

"Fuck you, man," Frankie spat. She jerked her arm out of the King's grip before shoving Jay as hard as she could. Jay didn't look affected as he swung out his arm to catch Frank on the side of her head but the girl merely ducked and body tackled the taller teen onto the ground. Frankie heard the other three yelp and move out of their way as they rolled around the cobblestone ground, landing as many hits as they could before Frankie felt herself being lifted off the thief, or former thief now, entirely.

"That's enough," the King growled at them both. Frankie tried to pull herself out of his hold but the other teen kept a tight grip against her arms. It took both the effort of Evie and Carlos to hold back Jay. Frankie growled but eventually stopped struggling. This wasn't worth the effort. Ben held her for another minute, making sure she was calm enough before letting go. He kept his hands hovered over the smaller teen for a moment just to be sure before stepping back completely.

"This was a mistake," Frankie spat before turning her heel and walking away.

"Yeah," Jay responded just as viciously. "It was."

Frankie shook her head angrily. Just as she was about to turn the corner, she stopped. She wasn't going to let Jay have the last words. She had genuinely tried, but even then it wasn't enough. What made it worse was that Jay, someone who had been in her exact position for the last six months couldn't put past his own prejudices.

"The way you four was heading was directly in the path of Jafar's shop. His regulars hang out around that alley and no doubt would have told your pa for a quick buck. There's also Uma's gang you need to worry about. Her gang has grown, about a quarter of Shan Yu's old troop, all armed with swords. The traps are real and are about the size of the palm of my hand. Tiny things can blow your arm off, I told you. That and not to mention nearly everyone on this island would love to get back at you all for the wand fiasco couple months back," Frankie cast one last angry look at the four before pointing at a dented sign hanging above them. "We're here by the way. I'm sure you remember how to use it."

"Frankie!" The teen stopped mid step and turned her head towards the King, a deep frown still on her face. "Thanks."

A few hours had passed since Frankie had seen the King and the three Isle traitors. Frank could feel bruises blossoming across her body. Luckily most could be hidden under her clothes however she still had to come up with an excuse for the one on her cheek bone. That is, if her father even cared to ask.

The teen huffed as she expertly shuffled a deck of cards in her hands. She glanced around the not too busy street for someone to play a game of cards with. There weren't too many people on the Isle who chose to play with her. Everyone claimed she cheated; which was completely true but so did they, not as good as her obviously but they still did.

Frankie frowned down at her cards. Her deck of fifty-two were compiled from three different decks. She merely covered the backs with a thin layer of duct tape to hide their differences. The edges were frayed and the ink was faint but for the life of her, Frankie could not find good enough replacements. Looking at her shabby cards now and thinking about the group she had helped earlier left a acidic taste in her mouth. Life sucked.

"Hello, Frankie," A voice drawled above her. Frankie glanced up with her eyes before looking back down at her deck. She shuffled the cards before dealing them out; two face up, two face down.

"Harry," she greeted disinterestedly before looking up at the boy with a slight smirk. "Up for a game?" Harry shrugged before lifting the cards slightly with his hook.

"Hit." Frankie placed a card face up. Harry smirked down at the cards before looking straight into Frankie's eyes. "Twenty."

"Natural," Frankie replied immediately as she flipped all the cards face up to show the other the game.

"Cheater."

"Always," she dralwed. "What brings you over to my casino, Hook?"

"Uma want's to see you," Harry replied. He crouched down so he was face to face with the girl, a devilish smirk still playing on his lips. "And I'm afraid this time she won't take no for an answer."

"I ain't interested in joining her crew, Hook."

"We know. This is different and I'm sure you'd love to hear about it. We gained a new friend today. A royal friend." Frankie's mouth twitched into a frown before she could stop herself. Inwardly she screamed at herself for the tell as she saw Hook's smirk grow into a wide grin. She shrugged, hoping for Harry to catch on that she didn't care. If they really had the King and he squealed to them about her, she'd kill him herself. Though she didn't worry too much, the King looked like a smart boy. He'd know better than to talk.

"Harry," Frankie finally said. "You seem to be under the impression that I care."

"Oh, of course not," He practically sang. "Except that you should."

Shit.

"See, we know Mal is back on the island. We also know her crew is here too and guess who Gil saw leaving them in front of Maleficent's old home?"

Double shit. Frankie huffed as Harry used his hook to trace the dark bruise on her cheek, the metal cold against the throbbing heat on her face. The fight must have been loud enough for someone to find them and of all people it had to be Gil to see it. The little shit would do anything to get on Uma and Harry's good side.

"Let's go," Harry ordered as he pulled Frankie up from the old crate she used as a seat, the cards in her hand clattered on the floor. He held her arm at a vice grip as he dragged her down to the wharf, not caring if his hand left a mark or if Frankie was literally tripping over things and people to follow him. Luckily the trip wasn't too far. They had used the main streets to get there after all. Frankie glared at everyone who looked at them; she should have stayed inside the shop today.

The crew laughed and cheered as they climbed onto the deck of the ship, Uma standing proudly in front of them all with her arms crossed against her chest. Frankie rolled her eyes at the power display before quickly glancing around for the King. Seeing him tied up on the ship's mast did little to ease Frankie's anxiety. He would be no help whatsoever in his current predicament.

"Frankie," Uma called, her lips turned down into a little pout. "I thought we were friends."

"Uhh, no," Frankie said playing innocent. "I don't got any of those. Fresh out."

"Obviously, I mean look at you," Uma said with a laugh. "Though to be fair I did offer you a spot on my crew."

"You sure did. I also remember saying no," Frankie leaned her top half towards Uma as though telling her a secret. "To tell you the truth, I get sea sick."

"Well if we are telling each other the truth, how about you tell us another," Uma shouted, hyping up the rest of her crew. The gang laughed and started to tap their swords on the deck. The ominous sound made Frankie inwardly cringe. This was bad. "You can trust us. Do you know him?"

Uma pointed at the King and Frankie begrudgedly turned to look at the teen tied to the mast. The crew were still stabbing their swords against the deck, taunting her to speak but Frankie kept her mouth shut. The King didn't seem to know who to look at; her, Uma, or Harry's hook that rested against her neck.

"Ok," Uma finally said with an understanding nod. "I see you're a shy one. I'll just ask… King Ben." the King looked startled at being named outright and jerked to attention. His eyes were blown wide as he frantically looked back and forth between the two girls.

"Ben, do you know this girl?" Uma asked kindly. "It's ok to tell us. Making friends is a good thing, right?"

"No," Ben finally said, his voice full of determination. "I don't know her." Uma nodded thoughtfully before looking back at Frankie. She stepped forward and gently twirled a piece of Frank's curly hair in her finger.

"Well that wasn't so hard, was it? I heard telling the truth to a group of friends made you feel good," Uma said she yanked her hand away roughly and sneering at Frankie. "And since you don't know her, then you wouldn't be bothered if she went for a little swim! Harry!"

Harry sighed contently before he bellowed out a loud laugh. The hook against her neck was removed but before Frankie could so much move, a pair of arms hugged her from her middle, trapping her own arms against her sides.

"Aye, Aye Captain!"

Frankie's eyes widened, her heart leapt to her chest as she fought against the other's hold. She kicked her legs out and beat her arms against Harry's chest but mourned internally as nothing seemed to affect him. The crew cheered them on, stepping aside as Harry walked towards the plank with her still captive in his arms. The teen grunted in pain as she was unceremoniously dropped on top of the plank, the bruises on her knees throbbing from the sudden collision. She shakily stood on her two feet and carefully turned towards the crew and Uma.

"Uma!" Ben shouted over the noise. "Don't do this!"

"I don't understand, your majesty," Uma responded innocently as she inspected her nails uncaringly. "I thought you said you didn't know her. Why do you care?"

"I do care! She's still a person!"

"She's from the Isle," Uma said, finally looking at the King. Ben turned his focus on Frankie and watched as tears gathered in her eyes however she held them back as she glared hatefully at every one of the crew members jabbing their swords toward her. "People from Auradon don't care about people from the Isle."

"I do! I do care! I messed up! Forget this and I'll fix everything!" Ben shouted. Harry jumped onto the railing of the ship expertly. The sudden movement making the plank and consequently Frankie wobble precariously He pointed his sword at Frank, forcing the girl to take a hesitant step back. "UMA!"

"Can't hear you," Uma sang.

"I know her!" Ben finally shouted. "I know Frankie!" Uma smirked down at her hand before loudly snapping her fingers once. Immediately all the noise the crew was making died down, well all except one.

"Gil!"

"Sorry!"

Harry growled as he sheathed his sword and roughly pulled Frankie off the plank. The girl couldn't catch herself in time from the sudden movement and fell onto the deck with a loud thud. She gave a shuddering breath as she looked back at the King, her face contorted in pain.

"Now was that so hard?" Uma cooed as she looked down at Frankie's falled form. She stared down at her for a moment, ignoring the downright murderous expression the other girl sent her before snapping her fingers twice and pointing at the mast. There was no hesitation in following her silent order as three kids managed to roughly tie Frankie to the mast besides the boy King. Frank didn't bother trying to squirm away this time.

"I'm so sorry," the King whispered to her. Frankie didn't look at him and stared at the barely visible barrier that flickered occasionally in the horizon. "Frankie."

"Stop," she whispered back harshly. "Just stop."

"I didn't mean for this to happen," the King forcefully continued. He leaned his head back, exposing his neck for everyone around him. He didn't try to speak much after that. The two watched as the crew walked around the deck, most impatient for some reason or another. It wasn't until the King had enough of waiting when he finally brought Uma's attention back on himself. Frankie let the two of them speak; She had nothing to say to the sea witch's daughter. The King, however, was a different story.

"She's right, you know," Frankie finally said after Uma had turned her back. "Uma. She has the right to be mad."

"I know," the King replied hoarsely.

"They're all mad. Me too. I didn't think I could hate someone as much as I hate you and everyone else on the other side." Frankie gave a shuddering laugh and shook her head slightly. "I wanted to leave this place so bad. I wanted what Mal and the others had. I was so… excited— for such a long time. Waiting for my invitation. Or for anyones invitation for that matter but nothing ever came. I told myself that I didn't care no more. That I never cared, but who was I kiddin'? You tried to play Pan's shadow and let me tell you, boo, I left my window wide open and nothing came out of it! For all the bad they teach us down here, I don't think anyone here would be able to pull off something as vicious as what you did."

"I-I'm sorry," the King repeated, this time with more emotion. Frankie paused for a moment before finally looking up at the King beside her.

"Ain't no apology gon' fix this, your majesty." The two fell silent once more. Neither wanting to be the first to speak after something like that. Frankie even dozed off for a while but was rudely awakened when the ropes around her began to shift. Her head snapped up and quickly turned toward the King but Harry was already pulling him away. The ropes tightened around her once again, causing her to groan slightly from the force put behind it.

Frankie tried to ignore the crew's boisterous shouts as she looked around for whatever was causing all the commotion. She finally found it at the bridge to the ship in the form of the once all powerful, or at least the daughter of the "all powerful", standing toe to toe with Uma. The two squared off, Mal only sparing a single glance in the King's and, too Frankie's surprise, her direction. Frankie leaned forward as far as the ropes allowed in order to see what Mal was holding in her grasp. She couldn't make out what it was exactly but Frankie couldn't help but feel ridiculous knowing they were squaring off over a fancy stick.

"The wand," Uma said in lieu of greeting.

"Give me Ben first," Mal said. "And Frankie."

"What?" Frankie whispered in shock. No one heard her but no one needed to as almost every head swiveled towards her in surprise.

"That wasn't part of the deal," Uma laughed. "The wand for the King."

"Huh," Mal laughed, though there was no humor behind it. "You know me. I always want more."

"Ain't that the truth," Uma snarled. "Hand over the wand."

"Ben and Frankie first." Uma sighed in annoyance before snapping her fingers. Harry was quick to drag the King over to the two but Gil seemed to have a little trouble figuring out the ropes holding Frankie down.

"Watch it," Frankie yelped when the other teen's blade got too close to her arm.

"Whoops." Once free from the mast, Frankie was dragged forward, the squeaking from her boots as they dragged across the wooden floorboards awkwardly filling the silence that fell upon the whole group. Mal nodded contently once both teens were in her reach. Frankie felt Gil's hands slowly let go of her arms before a sudden shout from Uma made him pull her back once more.

"Wait!" the captain shouted. "Test it first."

"Always was one for dramatics," Mal muttered.

"And nothing big or Ben here gets to swim with the sharks," she warned. Mal didn't look at all worried as she quickly glanced behind her to her gang. Frankie was pleased to note she brought Jay, Evie, and Carlos with her; along with another girl she didn't recognize. However, the spell of relief shattered when she realized Uma's crew still outnumbered them nearly two to one. Frankie caught Jay's gaze and held it for a moment before subtly nodding in his direction. If there was going to be a fight, which she could feel that there was, their current bad blood would not help them in anyway. Luckily, Jay seemed to catch on and returned the gesture. Frankie then turned to Mal and watched as she toyed with the wand in her hand. The purplette turned and leaned on the railing, her eyes trained on some random mutt watching them from the ramp above. Frankie watched in bated breath as the other girl considered him for a second before pointing the wand at the pup.

"I know this sounds absurd, but turn this bark into a word," Mal chanted before flicking the wand in some fancy pattern. Frankie actually recognized her father doing a few times before when he was deep in thought. It must have been a reflex because she was sure he didn't even realize he was doing it. She never dared to ask him about it though. It was better to have some things unspoken in their household. Frankie and the rest of the teen's present watched, simultaneously holding their breaths as they waited for something to happen. After a few seconds of silence, Mal seemed to get agitated as she regarded the dog once more. "Talk, dog."

"Does this vest make me look fat?" Frankie blinked in shock, taken aback by the very human like voice that came out of the dogs mouth, er, muzzle. "Does anyone have any bacon?"

"Ha!" Uma laughed joyously before turning to Mal with a determined look on her face. "Give me the wand!" she demanded.

"Give me Ben!" Mal shouted back immediately afterwards.

"And Frankie!" the King was quick to add. Frankie couldn't hold back a snort at that. It was pretty awkward being involved in so much drama. It would have been funnier too if she hadn't almost been forced to walk the plank earlier; which was why she felt so awkward honestly.

"Cut him lose," Uma ordered, not once looking away from the wand still in Mal's hand.

"I never get to have any fun," Harry muttered as he did what he was told. Frankie held her breath for the second it took for them all to figure out how the trade was going down. Just as Mal thrusted her hand holding the wand forward towards Uma, Frankie felt Gil pushing her from behind her. The teen nearly tripped forward but managed to catch herself on the railing with a little help from Evie's steadying hand.

"Are you alright," she muttered as she quickly pulled Frankie off the ship's ramp.

"Never better," she gasped out. Evie nodded before pulling her towards the stairs quickly. Frankie followed without hesitation and only sped up when she heard Uma's shout of frustration behind her.

"Run now, Ben!" She heard Mal cry out. Unfortunately The teens didn't get too far before Uma's crew managed to escape the bright smoke that erupted in front of them before they were swinging their swords in their faces. Frankie yelped as on pirate swung their blade inches from her face. She would have been killed if not for the sudden instinct to duck her head at the last second.

"Frank!" The girl kicked her attacker in the chest before whipping around to face Jay. A short warning followed by a saber being thrown to her was all she got before she was suddenly stuck in a parry with one of Uma's mates. The teen growled in her face, causing Frankie to lean back in disgust when a bit of spit flew out of his mouth. The teen huffed in agitation as she then ducked under the boy, using his weight to throw him over her shoulder and over the docks railing.

Frankie had no chance to recover from the short fight before another one of Uma's goons was right on top of her. She quirked a quick smirk at the raging teenager, tossing her saber up before catching it in her left hand. Not one to be baited so casually, the new component rushed Frank with her sword extended to the sky. Frankie stood still, her saber posed upwards in front of her, right until the other girl reached her and swung down at Frankie's head. Frank spun around the other girl, landing behind her, before kicking the back of her knees. She didn't waste second after the other girl fell to the ground and slammed the hilt of her sabor on her attackers neck, knocking her out instantly.

"Hey! We gotta go!" Someone shouted from behind her. Frankie spun and gave the girl who came with Mal and the others a thoughtful look. The teen nodded and grabbed her extended hand, gasping in surprise as the other girl easily pulled her up to the next platform. Frank considered asking the girl her name but even she knew it probably wasn't the best time for introductions. Just as the two girls were about to leave the warp via industrial pipe, another mini pirate in training jumped out right in front of them. He growled at the two girls as he pointed a sword at each of them. In return, the girl and Frankie shared a bored look. Sure wielding two swords looked cool but even someone without any experience using them could tell that the weight was seriously throwing the other teen off.

"I got this," the girl muttered to Frankie. Frank only shrugged and took a step back, content with watching the new girl play with the pirate teen. She had to hand it to the princess, though. The way she moved and baited the guy was hilarious. The girl didn't bother using her saber besides blocking once or twice. Instead she stayed an inch out of the pirates swings, easily dodging every move he threw at her.

"Impressive," Frankie laughed.

"Thanks!" the girl said without missing a beat. "I'm Lonnie, by the way!"

"Frankie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Frankie."

"...Same to you, I guess." It didn't take very much conversation for the pirate to listen to before he grew agitated by the seemingly uncaring way Lonnie fought him. He finally abandoned one of his swords in favor of dealing heavier attacks. Now Frankie could see the fight was finally a fair one. Too bad no one cared about "fairness" on the Isle. With the guy's back turned toward her, Frankie used the opportunity to slink behind him and land a surprise blow to the side of his head. The teen dropped like a heavy sack of potatoes, garnering a surprised huff from Lonnie.

"Frankie!" Lonnie gasped in surprise.

"What?" she muttered. "You were taking too long." The two stared at eachother for a moment before laughter broke out between the two. Stepping over the unconscious male, Lonnie pulled Frankie into a side hug before walking stepping into the pipe side by side. Frank had stiffened under the sudden contact but didn't pull away from the embrace. Once they made it to the other end of the tunnel, the two broke away and made quick work with the tarp covering the limo. It wasn't long before the other teens made their way to them and began to move around the car.

"Let's go," Mal shouted at everyone. Frankie stood near the end of the tunnel entrance, her hands fisted in the tarp she helped pulled off, with a frown on her face. She knew the others expected her to go with them. It would have been the smart thing to do but Frankie's gut told her otherwise. A few hours ago she would have done anything to stow away in this car but now Frankie knew this wasn't the right time for her to leave. She had to make things right first.

"Frankie we have to go," the King said. Only instead of moving, the girl shook her head.

"I can't," she said. "Not yet."

"We don't have time for this," Evie cried.

"I'll be fine," Frankie said. The others looked dubious, no one besides the dog moving to get inside the car. Frankie smiled before turning to the King with a slight incline to her head. "Let's make a deal. I'll go when I get a real invitation but only after you take the kids who really deserve to go as well."

"Come with us and make sure it happens!" the Lonnie pleaded.

"No," Frankie shook her head with a miserable laugh. "I don't deserve to go. Not yet, at least. Take the kids who deserve it first then I'll consider it. Until then, I'll do my best around here to help get them ready. And Ben? Don't make us wait too long."

"...I won't," he swore. "I promise."

"Good," Frankie nodded. "Now go! It won't be much longer before Uma and her crew get's here!"

Frankie smiled at the group, waving off their concerned looks with a determined one of her own. Things were going to change around here and she was damned sure she was going to help it along herself; Even if it meant braving a pirate crew on her own. Though thinking about it, Frankie did know a few people who would be more than willing to help her cause if it meant getting off the Isle. Some persuasion would be needed but she was sure she could do it.

"Be careful out there, Frankie," Evie told her from inside the car. "And don't get into too much trouble!"

"No promises."

I’m pretty new to Tumblr but I’m hoping on taking on some requests! (This is cross-posted on fanfiction.net) 

[yoonmiined]

My Friend is an Angel | Chapter 1

Title: Friends

Genre: fluff, angst

words count: 902

JIMIN’S POV:

The sound of my alarm ringing on my phone had woken me up. I groan and with my eyes still closed. I attempt to turn off the alarm, and with 3 taps on my phone, it finally turns off. I open my eyes to check the time and it reads 5:30am.

“Hey..”

I say to my roommate, my voice still husky from just waking up. I sit on the edge of my bed which is across his bed.

“Hey..Taehyung, wake up. It’s time to exercise.”

I recite to Taehyung. Still not waking up, Taehyung rolled over and continued snoozing, so I stand up and walk to his bed. Now standing in front of his bed, I look at him still sleeping peacefully. His mouth was slightly open. I let out a small chuckle at the sight of Taehyung hugging his blankets like a baby panda. I stand there for some seconds and then smirk, an evil idea popping into my head.

“HELP! KIM TAEHYUNG, AAAHH!”

Startled by my yells, Taehyung finally wakes up kicking his blanket up in the air and hitting his head on the wall next to him. In shock, Taehyung gets up off bed and looks at me wide-eyed. I start laughing really loud at his reaction, tears forming at both ends of my eyes, my stomach feeling like it’s going to burst if I keep laughing. Taehyung, seeing that everything is fine, gives me a death stare. Before I know it, he grabs me by the neck and starts rubbing his knuckles on top of my head making my hair even messier.

“What was that for, eh? You almost gave me a heart attack!!”

Taehyung yells at me, still ruffling my hair with his knuckles. I kept on laughing still thinking of his confused and anxious expression. He then pushes me aside and let’s out a big sigh before scanning me up and down with his arms crossed. He takes a few seconds looking at me who is still laughing. Then, he began laughing with me. His mouth making a squared shape, and his eyes making a “V” upside down. I reach out to Taehyung who took my hand and embraced each other, giving a few pats on our backs.

“Alright, now that we are done laughing let’s get change and go exercise”

“Okay, let’s go!”

“Oh wait. I need to water our alstroemerias” I say as I walk to the desk in the middle of our room with a water bottle in my hand. I pour some water to the red and pink alstroemerias and with that, we both went to change into comfortable, fresh exercising clothes. Me wearing some random black basketball shorts with a semi-loose white shirt. Taehyung wearing some black shorts that he used yesterday and a red shirt with holes on top of his shoulders that he made himself. We grabbed some drinks and headed out of the dorms to start our daily jog. Throughout our routine I can’t help but remember how long it’s been since we became friends.

Taehyung and I have been friends for the past 6 years. We met on our last year of middle school. He moved from his hometown Daegu to Busan and had the same class as me. Some students made fun of him for not so wealthy situation, and because of this it made him different than the others. The first time I saw him was when he was sitting alone. When I first approached him, I immediately saw that he expected me to make fun of him. He looked up from the book he was reading and gave me a timid face, expecting some form of insult.

“Hi! What’s your name?”

“...Taehyung, Kim Taehyung”

He replied in a volume barely above that of a whisper and looked down to his book, avoiding eye contact. Either out of fear or out of shyness I couldn’t tell.

“Let’s be friends! My name is Park Jimin, I heard that you come from Daegu. I’ve never had a friend who isn’t from Busan so I’ll be happy if we can be friends!”

I responded with the friendliest smile I can make. The corners of my mouth going ear to ear, my pink cheeks lifting up. Seeing his shocked expression was worth it, and I’d never trade it for anything. Afterwards seeing how enthusiastic I was, he smiled back with his mouth making the purest smile I’ve ever seen, he then let out a tiny laugh.

“Okay! Nice to meet you Jimin.”

Ever since then, whenever someone would bother him or make fun of him I would stand up for him and defend him with all my heart. It didn’t matter whether they were rich, poor, big, small, or anything, I’d do my best to defend him. Although there were rough times here and there, especially from people at school, it only helped our friendship grow. The last thing I’d let anyone do is to hurt my precious friend.

That summer, we went everywhere together. We would go outside most of the time. When we weren’t outside playing, we would read our favorite mangas or books at the library near the school. One day I remember finding 500 cents on the floor, so both Taehyung and I took it to the police station. We did almost everything together. We were in essence brothers in all but blood.

A/N: Hello guys! So this is my very first fanfic that I’ve written so I really hope you guys like it! The next chapter will be out soon and it will be longer than this, so please stay tuned and please keep reading~ Thank u so much <3

[bleusarcellewrites]

Don't Repeat History

I couldn’t help myself ;u;

Important stuff:

This small scene is BASED on this beautiful comic of @kaxpha Lost Lance Au.  (Art: http://kaxpha.tumblr.com/post/159880198382/kaxpha-part-22-hell-go-back-and-apologize)

Credit to my amazing amazing talented funny wonderful @kaxpha who just keep making cry.

This is not cannon in her Au. This is just my take on it, so yeah, keep that in mind!!

Ok, I’m done. I did this like, in half and hour and stuff so it’s pretty simple but yeah. *Shrugs* 

Disclaimer: Voltron doesn’t belong to me and neither does the AU.

The words leave him before he could stop himself.

“This is the Blue Lion?” He asks, voice small as he stares up at the big lion in front of him, something inside him urging him to come closer but he pushes it back stubbornly.

Allura nods besides him, a pleased smile on her face. “Yes, you used to be her paladin. The Blue Lion is known to be one of the friendliest of Lions; your bond with her has been so strong since the beginning, never wavering in the least. It is said that –”

Lance tunes Allura’s voice down, leaving behind a faint ringing noise in his ears as he stares wide eyed at Blue’s motionless eyes.

He feels a tug inside him one more time and this time he winces, feeling it more physically than mental.

The ringing turns into purrs and soft growling and Lance breathing come out short as he watches Blue’s dim eyes lighten up with life.

One, two, three ticks and then it’s like Blue’s eyes snap open and images fill his head.

He can’t make sense of anything. The faces are blurred, the noises that start as laughter turn into painful screams and sobs. Every feeling overwhelms him: there’s anxiety, excitement, stubbornness, determination, pride, love.

There’s relief. There’s a soft comfort feeling in the back of his head but it’s not enough to calm his breathing, to ease his tense shoulder and beating heart.

Lance vaguely notices that he started shaking, barely hearing the muffled drowned voice of Allura near him, calling to him, asking for him.

He doesn’t understand the words, but he doesn’t bothers to. He just needs to go, there’s too much around him and inside him. He can’t be here, he can’t deal with this, he needs to leave.

He needs to leave.

“I...uh…” Lance blurts out, licking his lips nervously before he clears his throat and tries again, “I...I need to leave...I’m….I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t wait for an answer. He turns around and heads towards Blue haggar’s exit, footsteps quick and hurried.

He faintly acknowledges Allura running behind him, once again calling for him, asking him not to go but the purring inside his head is getting louder until it they become sad panicked cries and they make his heart ache painfully.

“Please, just stay for a little while longer, I still have so much to tell you.” Allura pleads, eyebrows furrowed in concern as she watches him shake,“Lance, please –”

“That’s not my name!” He snaps, turning his head to the side to glare at her and Allura stops short at the intensity in his misty blue eyes, “That’s….that’s not my name.” He repeats weakly, scowl disappearing as he catches Allura’s shocked face.

“I-I’m sorry.” He stutters, biting his lower lip guiltily before he gives her his back and starts walking away. “Please, just…leave me alone.”

She does. Allura lets him leave sadly before she turns around to look at Blue and tries her best to comfort the crying Lion in silence.

Keith doesn’t hesitate to step into the brunet’s way when he turns the corner.

He knew something like this would happen. Keith had known from the moment Lance stepped into the Castle that the brunet will be a ticking bomb and something will set him off, forcing him to leave again.

Keith couldn’t let that happen.

“Hey!” He shouts, making his presence known behind the corner he has been hiding in, “Lance, wait up! You can’t just –!”

“Don’t start with me, Keith.” Lance says, exasperated and annoyed, “Just –Just leave me alone. I didn’t ask for this. I told you back then when we first met: I don’t belong here. This is not me. I’m not the guy you guys need or miss. I’m not –”

“But you are!” Keith shouts, small angry tears gathering in the corner of his eye, “You’re Lance! We need you, we have always need you –!”

“Just stop, okay¡?” Lance snaps, not bothering to wipe away the tears streaming down his face, “Just...stop, Keith. I need to go. I can’t –” Lance sighs, dropping his shoulders in defeat as he looks away from the black haired man and turns around, “Goodbye, Keith.”

As if Keith would let this happen.

He promised. Keith promised himself.

He wasn't going to lose Lance again. He can’t, he can’t, he can’t –

“No!” Keith snaps furious, “No! Goodbye? That’s all I get? A goodbye after everything –! You can’t go, you just can't, Lance!” The brunet doesn’t stop his walking and Keith’s breathing just grows more panicked, hand already raised to reach the brunet, “You really are going to go, just like that?” He snarls, hand grabbing the Lance’s shirt and Keith sees the way Lance stops short and clenches his hands into a tight fist.

“And what if I do?” Lance challenges and Keith stays silent.

Lance scoffs, his eyes narrowed angrily as he looks over his shoulder to meet Keith’s eyes, ready to fight his way out and –

Lance’s breath leaves him when he sees the tears running down Keith’s face.

“Do you really not get it?” Keith asks quietly, voice cracking with emotion, not caring in the least when more tears fall from his eyes, “We all fell apart last time.”

Lance frowns and purses his lips in concern when he feels the faint shake of Keith’s hand on his arm and turns around to face him.

“I-I don’t think I could –” Keith takes a sharp breath, dropping his head and watching as some of his tears make their way to the floor, “I-I couldn’t survive it again, Lance. I...I can’t.” Keith confesses, realization hitting him hard in the stomach as he looks up at the brunet, his eyes wide and frighten.

Keith gulps, his shaky hand dropping its grip on Lance’s shirt as they stare at each other in silence, both of their features monotone, neither of them knowing what's going through the other’s head but then –

Then Keith’s being wrapped up in a warm embrace and he feels the sharp flip his heart does when Lance’s hands curls around his waist and the other one holds his head tenderly, stroking the back of his neck in soothing motions.

Keith’s frozen. He can’t think or even make a coherent sentence, but he pushes himself and asks what it’s on his mind. He asks what scares him to know the answer of.

He asks anyways.

“Why are you hugging me?” His voice is small and unsure, because maybe if he spoke too loudly Lance would disappear along with the warm feeling inside him.

“I’m...I’m not sure.” Lance replies, equally as quiet, against Keith’s ear, “I just… really hate seeing you cry for some reason.” He confesses, nose brushing the side of Keith’s temple as he nuzzles deeper into the hug and Keith melts.

“Oh.” Keith breaths out in surprise, his hands slowly raising until they are firmly placed against Lance’s back, “Okay.”

One question. Just one more and this could become a reality, this could be Keith’s hope, it could be his future.

“Does...Does this means –?”

There’s not point of finishing the question when Lance’s lips are being pressed against his temple.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Lance promises, voice cracking with unknown emotions but strong enough to ease Keith’s heart.

Keith lets himself go at the words before he’s sobbing on Lance’s shoulder freely.

They don’t move in a long time.

[randomnessunicorn-imagine]

Hiii. May I get a 2p! Hetalia matchup please? I'm 5'6" female. I am kinda awkward &shy when you first meet me but once I open up I'm extremely dorky, quite sassy, and a bit loud. I randomly dance, make weird faces into space, and smile. I am very caring about the people around me & I hate seeing anyone I pain. I care about the world which I want to travel so badly to see different cultures. I am open minded but really opinionated. I am not afraid to stand up for what I believe in. Thank you!!

{ Oh, my, I love somuch the 2P versions °u°

Sorry for the time youhave waited for!}

🍬~🍬~🍬~🍬~🍬~🍬~🍬~ Second Player England  ~🍬~🍬~🍬~🍬~🍬~🍬 ~🍬

Oliver is one of thefriendliest 2P in the world so you will enjoy so many great times with him.

He finds so cute shypeople so he will always spoil you with sweets and cakes seeing you so timid,he likes offering the things he cooks to others and friends, and don’t worry,the desserts he prepares are not poisoned, it’s only an urban legend. If it wastrue you would never know, so it’s a secret, but even if it was real, he couldnever hurt you. Then, sweets are the only things he can cook well, he’s not ahorrible chef like Arthur (the original version is the worst in the universe),so Oliver is not so bad, you can still eat his normal food, it’s edible,no problem-!

Oliver truly needs apositive person like you in his life, someone who is caring towards others,sweet and funny, so he can rest himself without thinking about the problems hegot. He appears like the most cheerful and positive person alive, but his darkside is real, it comes from his obscure past. He does not like talking aboutit, and he is trying his best to not evocate it because the present is now, andhe still has a possibility to become a better person. You have to help him torealize this dream.  

Oliver is very caringabout the people around him just like you, maybe he acts so much like a motherhen without realizing. For example, he sends cakes and sweets to America evenif he hates them, and Oliver knows that the American does not give a shit abouthim, but his parent’s instinct wins every time. This makes Oliver very sad,because he wants to spend some days with his ex-colonies, they can remainfriends despite everything, but nobody of them seems interested to see him. Hecan really become a blue boy sometime, so you have to rescue him, helping himto see the sun again.

The English man lovestravelling, he has visited so many places in his life, and he got memories about allthese places so he will be happy to tell you about them –sometime with a bit ofmelancholy-, and you will find his innocent and vulnerable side. He is not really abad guy, he did a ton of mistakes in his existence, but who has never did a mistakein life? Oliver is ready to learn from them, trying to be a better person.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

The Marvel of Trelsi (Part VI)

I have resorted to the crude methodology of using screenshots as I’ve wasted over an hour trying to find pictures of Troy and Kelsi on Google Images, amongst other such procrastinating habits. Apparently, the Internet does not believe in the power of Trelsi. Google Play and Dropbox are beautiful things, people. :D 

In this instalment, I continue with the following question:

Question: What makes the Trelsi friendship and dynamic so friggin’ special? Why does it make me want to weep and write poetry?

I am using the following website link: 11 Signs of A True Friendship to demonstrate the worth of Troy and Kelsi’s friendship throughout their lamentably short scenes together in the HSM franchise. As I’m coming to the end of that list, I will also discuss the overall disadvantage of having Troy spend so little screentime and off-screen time with Kelsi.

9- “They don’t talk about you behind your back.”

As I have repeatedly demonstrated when answering this question, the Wildcats ostensible displays of friendship are heralded by the franchise script as being emblematic of true friendship.

This includes the notable examples where the Wildcats are implied to have talked about Troy, negatively, behind his back. Returning to my example from yesterday, where Chad owns up to his part in the HSM I Wi-Fi/camera stunt, the lead-up to this rare moment of humility for the Wildcats could only have been possible if the Wildcats had been muttering about Troy behind his back. After Coach Bolton tries to pressure Troy into focusing for the upcoming game, and Troy storms out of the gym in a terrible mood, the rest of the Wildcats (none of them coming to comfort Troy, of course) are headed in a different direction to plan their next move. Which would include, of course, muttering about Troy’s alleged insanity in trying out a new interest so close to the game. 

Their decision to meet with the brainiacs to put their plan into action counts as talking about Troy (and Gabriella) behind his back, for the purpose of destroying a potential relationship based on selfish interest. In HSM II, I have already stated that their decision to shun Troy appears heavily pre-planned and I’m sure that Chad had been muttering about Troy behind his back prior to his personal decision not to speak with the latter. After all, he told Taylor and Gabriella, “there’s a guy out there that looks just like Troy Bolton, but I have no idea who he really is.” Not only is this patently absurd, but the melodramatic glum faces of Taylor and Gabriella give one the implication that their lunchtime was spent slanging Troy. 

Oh, and speaking of HSM II, let’s not forget Taylor’s instigation of Troy-bashing; telling Gabriella that Troy “forgot” his date without waiting to hear his side of the story (to Gabriella’s credit, she defended Troy!), encouraging Gabriella to hold Troy to ridiculous standards in a relationship (”ALL dates are official. Whether the boy knows it or not.”), planting suspicion in Gabriella’s head that Troy might be straying from her to get in good with Sharpay and the Evans despite there being NO evidence for this, implying that Troy’s motivations are completely unethical throughout despite Sharpay blatantly chasing him and harassing him throughout. Taylor is an excellent friend to Gabriella, and a rotten friend to Troy.*

All of the above scenes are supposed to be glossed over, because hey! We’re all in this together! Indeed, when it comes to stabbing Troy in the back, they are all in this together. However, the ONE scene where Kelsi stands by Troy in the silent Lava Springs kitchen and communicates with him UPFRONT the reason for this undeserved silent treatment once again pours scorn on the alleged Wildcat unity and friendship. Once again, one small gesture in a Trelsi scene outshining everything else. This makes me certain that Kelsi was not involved in the mutinous mutterings against Troy that most probably accompanied Chad’s shouting match earlier on, let alone the plan to ignore him. 

10- “They allow you to have other friendships without getting jealous and possessive.”

Consider the value of being friends with Troy Bolton. You have earned instant status points, you’re considered cool, you have direct access to East High’s Primo Boy, you get to hang on his every word and make sacrifices at the altar of eternal worship. Being friends with Troy Bolton is like being elected Cardinal to the Vatican. You have entered an elite circle. It is my firm belief that Troy was Kelsi’s first real friend, at least in high school. She is never shown with anyone else with whom she shares the same level of familiarity, comfort and affection as she does with Troy. This makes their friendship doubly fortunate. Beforehand, she was sitting with the Drama Club students, working on her music. Now, she is well-liked amongst the Wildcat gang and has graduated to sitting at the Cool Girls table, made up of Taylor (who appears to be the head), Gabriella and Martha. People actually notice her now, they know her name and they appreciate her talent as a composer. Mega status points for Kelsi. 

But throughout the entire movie franchise, she never seeks to impose her own presence upon Troy’s life. In fact, I may have noted before that they rarely ever hang out outside of musical-related activities; Troy still spends the vast majority of his time with the Wildcats and with Gabriella. Kelsi is respectful to all of Troy’s other friends, is pleased when the Wildcats display unity and support Troy’s ambitions and goals, and does everything she can to maintain this harmony. In such benevolence, during HSM II, she appeared shocked when Chad and Troy had a row in the Lava Springs kitchen (TINY scene)-- later on, she persuaded Chad to forgive Troy. Now the BASIS upon which Chad was to forgive Troy is completely bogus and nonsensical in my view; Chad agrees to the following comment: [T] “I was a jerk.”, which as I have stated time and time again, is categorically untrue. 

However, Kelsi certainly never considered Troy to be a jerk throughout this film, and clearly saw that Troy (unjustly) renouncing his privileges in a show of solidarity with his team would appease Chad’s anger. So, either before or after finding Ryan, she runs to Chad, the very same person who called her “small person” in HSM I and with whom she has only shared a little dialogue** previous to plead Troy’s case.*** She doesn’t want to see Troy and Chad’s friendship ruined for anything and seems happy when they get along. This is evidenced by yet another TINY scene where Kelsi is smiling as Troy and Chad do that skipping routine in the kitchen. Scenes like that restore my hope in Troy and Chad’s friendship. 

Due the fact that Troy is one of the friendliest, most open and likeable characters in the entire cast, almost everyone is clamouring to be his friend. Those who get there first consider themselves to be the rightful owners. Cue Chad Danforth, whose has turned possessiveness into an art form. Remember, these two have been friends since pre-school, and although Chad was written as the sidekick, he is clearly the more dominant of the two. “For the record? I was a much better superhero than you were.” I know, I know I criticize Chad a lot, but I do REALLY LIKE Troy and Chad’s friendship. It IS a true brotherhood. They have great banter, their friendship is resilient as hell (secretly filming your BEST friend to destroy his relationship? Wow, Troy forgives like there’s no tomorrow), they make great partners in sport, they clearly bonded quite quickly as kids have great complementary qualities. BUT out of the two, it is Chad who feels that his blueprint must be followed. Troy NEVER imposes any idea upon Chad-- not in their professional spheres or in their social spheres. Rather, it is Chad who decides what Troy should think, what he should like, who he should hang out with, what he should decide and what he should do. And that presents a stark difference between how Chad treats Troy and how Kelsi treats him:

(What Troy should think)-- “The music in those shows isn’t hiphop... or rock. Or anything essential to culture. It’s... showtunes. Costumes and makeup. It’s frightening!”

(What Troy should like)-- “You’re a Hoops Dude. Not a musical singer person!”

(Who he should hang out with)-- (This one is indirect) “...the Drama Geeks and the Brainiacs think that they can... talk to us! Suddenly everyone wants to do other stuff, okay: stuff that’s not their stuff!”

(What he should decide)-- (Upon hearing that Troy is undecided about Juilliard) “That’s not what I wanted to hear!”

(What he should do)-- “You and me... we’re goin’ to U of A.”

Now, perhaps it is worth reiterating that despite all this, I still like their friendship! :D But with no such dialogue coming from Kelsi, who rather encourages his decisions and treats his ambitions with respect and is thoroughly devoted to his success, the glaring problem in Troy and Chad’s dynamic becomes clear. And yet they tell me that Troy is the jerk...

I will discuss Gabriella’s controlling tendencies later on, but the Wildcats’ possessiveness of Troy becomes clear when he’s becoming popular with the Redhawks. After all, they invite him to scrimmage within moments of meeting him, give him a jacket and a ride in their (cool!) car. They talk and joke with him like he’s their best buddy, and he gets lunch with them and Mr. Evans. Of course, Troy is cultivating friendships with them for good reasons (and don’t let anyone deceive you otherwise), but to the Wildcats, this appears as though Troy thinks he is too good for his friends. (Their interpretation, not mine). As a result, they shun and insult him. According to Zeke, who has no reason to be so insulting, “...Troy bailed on us, so whatever!” In other words, the Wildcats act like a spurned lover when Troy doesn’t lavish them with the attention they feel entitled to. This gives the impression that they friendship with him is at least partially motivated by the status boost they receive, and if Troy’s attention is on other people, that threatens their own popularity. Interestingly, they do not apply this theory to Kelsi, who is quickly absorbed into their group despite her high uncool points. But maybe this is because Troy likes her, so they see this as a sign of approval.

Long story short: the Trelsi friendship NEVER has these problems. 

11- “You have so many inside jokes and funny memories with them that you’ve lost count.”

I have to use speculation here, since there are no scenes to give an appropriate insight into what Troy and Kelsi hanging out what look like. But there are several canonical points worth remembering: 1)- their friendship is uniquely esoteric, 2)- it is built upon unspoken understanding, 3)- they both have a great sense of humour, and are fond of sarcasm, 4)- they share many great friendship moments together. In light of this, I can see them having inside jokes and funny/great memories were they allowed more scenes together, particularly scenes that didn’t involve preparation for the musicals. Perhaps there are some canonical funny memories though: (Kelsi, from HSM II about the Ladies Luncheon) “Won’t exactly be rocking out!”. My screenshot way up above shows Troy’s amusement and somewhat affectionate indulging in Kelsi’s sarcasm. And Kelsi certainly finds his decision to steal Jimmie’s clothes in HSM III hilarious. (Don’t ask me). In the same film, we get a glimpse of the potential teasing, sarcastic sense of humour that could characterize their off-screen conversations: “Hoops Man! Over here! You look like you’re having the time of your life!” To add to the esoteric nature of their relationship, the use of nicknames seems likely. 

On the topic of nicknames, Troy and Kelsi are the only ones who use nicknames in a reciprocal fashion. Gabriella calls Troy “Wildcat” (in an often patronizing fashion), but Troy just calls her “Gabriella”. Chad calls Troy “Hoops”, but Troy just calls him “Chad”. With his and Kelsi’s friendship, such is the equal nature of it that even the nicknames are shared. He confers on her the status of Playmaker, she calls him Hoops Man. Interestingly, Troy does not mind this coming from Kelsi-- most likely because she has never viewed him entirely through the prism of being a basketball player. Even MORE interestingly, she uses a basketball-related nickname during THEATRE rehearsals. The very side of Troy that he still struggles to reveal thanks to how his basketball career overshadows his past, present and future. Why does Kelsi do this? At first glance, this might appear counter-productive. But consider this in context; they have had a disastrous rehearsal, everyone is pissed with Troy, the energy is down. Kelsi calling him Hoops Man snaps him right back to attention. He’s focused. It’s like the Coach during practice, and Troy knows this like the back of his hand. Instantly, he turns around, his attention drawn away from the disastrous rehearsal. So Kelsi is once again bringing him back from the brink of self-doubt and endless blame. Also, the nickname “Hoops Man” is a definite compliment. Chad calls him “Hoops”, which makes him sound like an inanimate object. Kelsi calls him “Hoops Man”, showing there’s a human being behind the skill. This is coming from someone who doesn’t know what a Game Ball is and wanders around twirling it in her hands, looking extremely awkward, not to mention “basketball class”, and “Playmaker...??” And by referring to Troy’s skill in basketball, she is basically telling him that he can kill it on stage just like he does on the basketball court. The results of this pep talk (minus the odious Gabriella worship!) are to calm Troy considerably so that by the next scene, when he is preparing for prom, he is showing happiness and excitement for the first time in a while. (Of course, this is cruelly crushed just moments later, but... *sigh*) 

I will expand on why Troy and Kelsi NEEDED more scenes together in the next instalment and provide some areas where this might have helped.

TO BE CONTINUED

(*FOOTNOTE-- I like Taylor McKessie. She’s fierce and fun and bubbly and smart. But her prejudice and subsequent behaviour towards Troy is inexcusable. What is interesting is that prior to Gabriella taking an interest in Troy, Taylor was quite happy for the world to hear about her disdain for Primo Boys/Sports Stars. During the detention scene in HSM I, she barely uses a whisper when she mocks Chad, who is sitting right in front of her: “That’ll be tough for Chad since he probably can’t count that high!” And later, she has a derogatory poster of Troy made with no shame whatsoever. (Again, I give Gabriella credit for not finding this amusing or persuasive). It’s hilarious and completely uncalled for. But she’s openly disdainful. By the time we get to HSM II, she’s smiling to Troy’s face and denigrating him behind his back. Why the change? I think it’s because she can’t bring herself to admit that Troy DOESN’T represent any of the stereotypes that she attaches to Primo Boys; her apparent vendetta against him is based on his status more than it is on him. In HSM I, she called him a lunkhead twice. In HSM II and HSM III, she no longer does this. Sadly, based on her behaviour in HSM II, it’s not because she had some moral epiphany, but she’s found another way to criticize him. You can see the rationale in her head: based on HSM I, she now concludes “Troy’s a nice guy”, and then BUT... Cue the new round of criticism. This is astonishing, as out of the two it is CHAD who is more of a douche throughout the movies, but she’s willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because of her feelings towards him. As she has no feelings for Troy, it is easier to maintain her prejudices against Primo Boy status. And Chad, who is supposed to be Troy’s best friend, allows her to talk smack about his buddy in front of him with no comment whatsoever. ([C] “Troy would never do that!”/[T] “You’ve got eyes: use them!”) Insane hypocrisy, but I’ve come to expect this from the Wildcats by now).

(**FOOTNOTE-- Despite Chad’s dismissive way of addressing Kelsi in HSM I, it appears by HSM II that he quite likes her. I am intrigued by what they were discussing prior to the Silent Treatment scene. [K] “It’s okay, Ryan can help!” Help what? By this time, they know that they will not be able to participate in the Lava Springs Talent Show, and yet I am always led to assume that Kelsi meant something dance-related. Maybe I am wrong. And the recipient of this help appears to be Chad, who says, [C] “I don’t know...” But Kelsi remains optimistic: [K] “He’ll get it, eventually!” I have no idea what they are referring to, much less when Chad and Kelsi were on friendly chatting terms over breakfast. Not that I object to this, as Kelsi would no doubt be a good influence on Chad! But the show never shows the transition from calling someone “small person” to discussing something like one might discuss the weather. However, I will draw the viewer’s attention back to early HSM II, where Kelsi babbles on about her beloved Talent Show, claiming “I’ve got ideas for EVERYONE; you guys can sing the lead, and maybe CHAD and ZEKE can do backup and everyone can dance!” (Capital emphasis my own). How did Kelsi come upon the information that Chad was capable of doing backup vocals? Did Chad suddenly show an interest in music in between the Winter Musical and the Summer Holidays? Did Kelsi do a survey? It would have been nice to have these details. Anyway, this apparent knowledge that Kelsi has of Chad’s musical skills further undermine his silly pantomime of braggadocio in that glorious waste of time called “I Don’t Dance”.)

(***FOOTNOTE-- It apparently never occurs to Troy that his “forgiveness” from Chad in HSM II was entirely engineered by Kelsi. Indeed, that’s the first thing that Chad says is “Kelsi told us what went down between you and Sharpay”. It appears not to affect Troy that Kelsi is responsible for this, nor that Chad, who had previously been ignoring him outright, was now making eye contact and walking over to him. Given Troy’s attempt to muster up the courage for his “apology”, I assume he had expected a struggle to get Chad’s attention. (Perhaps one of his pre-prepared speeches). The “apology” scene went off without a hitch, and that’s all due to Kelsi. And yet Troy is never shown to have taken note of this fact, let alone thanked Kelsi for helping him repair his friendships. Neither does Kelsi hang around to take the credit. There are two possible reasons for this: the first, that Troy has been so worn down by the Wildcats’ spitefulness and is desperate to get back into their good books. The fact that Chad is willing to lend him an ear engenders sheer relief. In the resulting friendships that are fixed, he has no time to consider how this was possible. His only objective was to stop the Wildcats giving him dirty looks, avoiding his path and refusing to speak with him. Remember, the beginning of the Silent Treatment was at breakfast time, but Troy appears to speak with Sharpay during the afternoon. That’s six or more hours work-time with no one speaking to him. He leaves his omelette untouched, but what about lunchtime? What about when he crosses someone’s path from the kitchens? After going through the humiliation and upset, the only thing on Troy’s mind is putting an end to it; he cracks like glass. The second reason is that the screenwriters don’t care enough about Troy and Kelsi’s friendship or basic continuity, even though they took the care to demonstrate this friendship as being superior to the main romantic couple in almost every way!)