#he recently had a child and i hate her too nobody cheered

[3-aem]

good bye work im done with u im gonna draw gojo getting spanked

[theamberwriter]

Bouncing Baby [4]: Sick Day

Read the Series! [1] [2] [3]

Pairing: Shota Aizawa x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 5,613

A/N: Wow, hi guys! It's been a minute! I hope that you all like this next part! I'm so excited it's finally done after all this time. Hopefully you all still want to read it! This was a lot of fun to write. I hope you all enjoy!! Also, I hate editing on Tumblr Mobile, lol

~

You knew as soon as you woke up that morning, there was no way you were going to work. Your head was packed, your ears were stuffy and ringing, and your throat felt like sandpaper. You could barely open your eyes to shut off your alarm. You coughed, nearly puking as phlegm came up with it. You spit in the trash can next to your bed.

"Shota," you whined rolling over, and accidentally smacking him in the face with your hand. He grunted.

"You're not going to work today, are you?" he muttered, eyes still close. 

"Are you crazy?" You coughed and spit in the can again. "You know my quirk copies my physical state on other people. If I try to heal anyone, they'll all leave the office feeling like this."

"I figured as much, that's why I asked." 

Shota grabbed you, pulling your back to his front. You were worried about him getting sick. But you didn't protest the cuddles. They made you feel a lot better. You wished the two of you could lay there all day.

"I'll take Kohaku to work with me," Shota said as the third alarm rang. Reluctantly he sat up, placing his feet on the floor.

You rolled to face him, mostly asleep. Your head swam. "You don't have to. She's a handful."

"She'll be fine, nothing I can't handle."

"But your class - after everything that's happened...They still have so much left to learn. That's why I've been keeping her with me."

"Exactly, if they can't handle a child after this - there's no hope for them," your husband chuckled. You wanted to protest more. But your mind was getting dragged down into slumber.

You didn't hear them leave. Only waking to an empty house. For the first time in years, you were alone. No husband, no baby - it was unbearably quiet. But it was nice and serene. If only you didn't have a cold.

You glanced at the clock on the stove. Shota was three hours into work. You wondered how he and his class were faring. Little did you know, Kohaku would soon give them a run for their money.

Nobody had really questioned when Shota Aizawa walked through the halls with a baby that morning. A bag in his wife's favorite color was hung from his shoulder, and a black haired baby who was the spitting image of him on his hip. She was fast asleep against his shoulder. 

By that time in the school year, everybody knew he was married to one of the school's nurses and that the baby was theirs. The secret he'd been trying to keep, leaking out after only two weeks. All due to an incident where she phased through the walls, giving everyone a fright. 

It had been a regular occurrence after that that he'd watch the child in the classroom. Giving his wife a break to focus on her duties. So his class didn't much question the child either. Even though it'd been four months since they saw her last. The baby had grown much in that time.

Shota put his sleeping daughter in her playpen, then stood in front of his class. On his way to work, he'd thought of something fun. Something to give him a story to tell his sick wife to cheer her up when he got home. Maybe he'd even send her a video while the chaos ensued.

"Your morning classes will proceed as usual," he said. "However, your training later today will be different than normal."

Shota didn't answer any of his students questions. They would all just have to wait and see.

Their classes went by, lunch came and went. So far, Kohaku had been tame. He only had to erase her quirk a few times. Which she grew irritated at quickly. But she calmed down after All Might sat with her for an hour.

Kahaku napped after his visit. Shota right alongside her. He was glad she decided to sleep during the lunch period. He knew she was at her worst after nap time. But he wasn't concerned about it today. Today, her unruliness wasn't his problem. In fact, it worked great with his plan. It wouldn't have been as fun if she fell asleep in the middle of it.

Shota escorted his class to their training facilities once they all had changed. Kohaku was just beginning to wake up due to all the noise. She was still slumped against her father's shoulder. 

"Mr. Aizawa, what are we doing today?" Iida asked. "Is it some sort of special training?"

Shota smirked to himself. "Something like that. Today - you'll be taking care of my daughter."

There was a loud, collective WHAT?!

"We're not damn babysitters!" Bakugo growled.

"Don't curse around the girl, Bakugo!" Iida scolded.

Uraraka stepped forward. "She's only a baby, it shouldn't be too hard. Right?"

"Kohaku is very special. And not just to me and her mom. Kohaku is a year and seven months. However, as you may know, she already has her quirk," Aizawa explained. There were murmurs of oh yeah and shit, that's right. "My daughter can change the material her entire body structure is made of. Most likely to an atomic level. But, since she's only a baby, what she becomes and what she decides to do are totally unpredictable. 

"Your task is to watch her until the end of the day. I won't be erasing her quirk. Time out will only be called if Kohaku falls asleep or needs her diaper changed. If she's still in the facility at the end of the day, you've successfully completed the exercise. But if she gets out, even once, then I'm going to make you sit through sex education classes with Midnight for a week."

There was a collective shutter, aside from Mineta. He was way too into it. Nose bleed and all. Everyone else one could see them sifting through worst case scenarios. Shota knew Nemuri would be only too excited to show his class the ropes if BDSM. Quite literally.

Shota moved Kohaku's hair from her eyes. Checking if she'd gone back to sleep. But Kohaku leaned up, yawning as she rubbed her face. She grinned up at her father, then turned to look at everyone else. She leaned shyly back against his shoulder. There were a few aawwwws.

"You're playing shy now?" Shota chuckled. "You know them. They're going to play with you today. Would you like that? - I've brought a bag of her toys with us. Everybody take one. The first person she goes to gets to sit out a day of lessons if the class manages to fail. If the class succeeds, that person gets extra credit towards any class they're currently lacking in."

His whole class clambered for the bag. Pulling out cute little bunnies, and plastic rings, and soft books that crinkled when they moved. Bakugo was unlucky enough to get a teether that looked like a bowl of ramen that she'd recently chewed on. He turned white when her spit coated his hand. He seemed about ready to destroy it.

"I would like to note," Shota added. "That if any of the toys are ruined by a student, it's an automatic failure for the entire group."

Everybody turned to Bakugo. He glared them down, snapping an insult. Shota sat on the floor, and a few people followed. He put Kohaku on his knee, turning her towards the class. She seemed mesmerized by her selection of toys. 

"Do we have any questions before we start?" 

Iida's hand shot into the air. "Mr. Aizawa, could you please tell us what materials your daughter can turn herself into?"

Aizawa nodded. "I was wondering if any of you were going to ask. Lucky Iida did, so that you all can be warned. - So far, Kohaku has done four things. One, she can become a rubber-like substance. If she falls or jumps off something, she'll bounce. After each subsequent one, she will become faster indefinitely until she hits something she can't bounce off of.

"Two, she can become heavy metal. When this happens, Kohaku can't be picked up or knocked over. This is often how she pushes over her playpen. However, the metal is soft and scratches easily. Which means that, when she deactivates, she'll have cuts in her skin. Third, she can turn her skin into a diamond material. Unlike with the metal, she can't be hurt in this state. But she is light and can be moved. Finally, Kohaku has figured out how to make her matter permeable. You all have met Mirio, of the Big Three. It seems to be similar to his quirk.

"She may be a child. But children are unpredictable, and Kohaku is particularly rambunctious once she warms up to you. If you all can handle villains, I see no reason why you should have any trouble with my daughter. Does anyone else have anything to ask?"

When the class remained silent, Shota nodded. He bounced Kohaku on his knee for a moment while he spoke to her.

“Okay, Kohaku,” Shota started. “Which toy would you like to play with?”

He stood her on her feet, making sure she was balanced. She sucked on her thumb as she slowly started to wobble towards the class. Some began to shake rattles at her or crinkle books. A few started making the noise to call cats. Shota rolled his eyes, you couldn’t pspspspspsss at a baby.

Finally, she wandered over to Todoroki. He’d been sitting quietly, watching her. His eyes grew wide as she crawled in his lap, reaching for the rabbit in his hand. Todoroki froze as she pulled herself up to stand on his thigh. She held the rabbit closely, while gripping on to his shoulder for balance. Shota made sure to get a photo on his phone of Todoroki’s terrified face.

“Are you okay, Todoroki?” Asui asked. 

The corners of his mouth pulled down as he lifted up Kohaku and held her in front of him. She gurgled happily, jingling the chime in the rabbit.

“You scared of a stupid baby, Half and Half?” Bakugo snapped. He came over and took Kohaku from Todoroki’s hands, causing her to lose her grip on the rabbit. For once, Shota was glad when Kohaku started to cry. This was the beginning of the end.

Kohaku quickly turned herself into heavy metal. Bakugo cursed, trying to keep a grip on her. But she ultimately slammed to the ground. Kohaku gurgled happily, though Bakugo glared. She’d narrowly missed crushing his foot.

Shota watched on, laughing to himself, as Kohaku began to phrase through the large training terrain in the middle of the room. Students followed, leaping up into them. Trying to figure out where she might be in the structure. 

“There!” Kirishima called from the other side. 

Everyone followed, disappearing quickly, and Shota went to get a higher vantage point. Kirishima dove for Kohaku, but she went right through his fingers. He looked at his hands in disbelief, then watched as she teetered away. A few people tried to grab her, but she went through all of them.

“Oh, c’mon!” Kaminari whined. “She’s going to get out!”

“She’s not a dog, sweetie,” Ashido said, rolling her eyes.

“She’s still heading for the wall! Which means -” Kaminari paled, so did Ashido when she remembered what Kohaku’s escape meant.

“Todoroki,” Asui asked. “Where’s that rabbit you had?!”

Todoroki glanced over his shoulder. “I put it back in the bag.”

“That’s okay, I think I can replicate it.” Yaoyorozu flicked quickly through her book, then focused. Not long after a semi-perfect replication of Kohaku’s rabbit sat in her hands. She shook it, and the chime inside jingled. Kohaku stopped in her tracks, one hand held up to the wall. 

Kohaku searched for the sound, sputtering happily as she found the rabbit. She waddled over to Yaoyarozu , hands extending as far as her little arms could reach. Yaoyarozu picked her up, jingling the rabbit again. Kohaku seemed happy as long as made noise.

"That was way too close!" groaned Uraraka, slumping to the ground.

"I guess we gotta keep her entertained," Kirishima noted. "But how? Yaoyarozu can't keep making toys."

Aoyama butted in then, radiating sparkles. He grinned at Kohaku. "Allow moi to try. Prepare to be amazed, mon petit!"

However, Kohaku wasn't the least bit impressed by his belly laser. Even when he tried to make it flashy, like fireworks. Shota knew that'd never work on her. He chuckled at the display, taking a picture.

"She's just as mean as Mr. Aizawa," Aoyama whined. He curled into a ball, tears slipping out. The whole class groaned. 

Uraraka was next to try. She held out her arms, which Kohaku reluctantly went into. It took Yaoyarozu giving Kohaku the rabbit to hold.

"You wanna go for a ride?!" Uraraka grinned then activated her quirk. It was a moment before Kohaku could process what was happening. But when she realized she was floating high above the others she began to cry.

"Uraraka! Put her down!!" Ojiro yelled.

Uraraka panicked, flailing for a moment. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!"

When Uraraka released her, Kohaku fell right into Shoji's arms. Which she did not like very much. Kohaku wailed loudly, clearly not a fan of the multi-limbed hero. Mineta panicked and began trying to juggle some of his balls.

Ashido marched over, swiftly taking Kohaku. "Gimme her, you guys don't know anything about babies! It's okay, sweetie, Auntie Mina is here to save you from these idiots."

She sat down, Kohaku in her lap. Then started making faces at her. Kohaku's crying eased, and there was a moment of relief as she began to giggle. Though even that was short lived. Ashido decided to take Kohaku on a surf around the room. Only to have her goop splash and melt down Kohaku's newly made rabbit. That led to another bout of crying.

"And who were you just calling idiots?" Kaminari asked snidely.

Ashido whined. "Shut up, Denki! It was an accident! Here! - Tsu, you take her!"

"Me?" she asked, pointing to herself. But Kohaku was already in her arms. The two stared at each other. "You can definitely tell she's Mr. Aizawa's daughter."

Kohaku laughed as Asui's tongue hung out of her mouth. She reached for it, tugging, and catching poor Asui off guard. Kohaku stretched and pulled her tongue, gurgling in glee.

"Do you want me to take her, Tsu?" Midoriya offered. Kohaku has been playing with her tongue for five minutes at that point. Anyone could tell how uncomfortable she was.

Asui nodded. "Thanks."

"C'mere, little Kohaku," he cooed, trying to pull Kohaku off. She didn't want to let go. No matter how much he tugged and pulled. Asui even tried to retract her tongue.

Aizawa snapped a picture of the tongue of war.

Finally, Kohaku let go. But so did Midoriya. Everyone watched in horror as the baby went flying.

"What the hell, Deku, you dunce?!" Bakugo growled. 

Kohaku smooshed against the wall, then sprang back, careening towards the floor. She began to laugh and sprang off the floor as Sero and Kaminari hit heads trying to catch her.

"That's right!" Iida announced. "Mr. Aizawa said she can turn into rubber and bounce. - But she'll get exponentially faster. We have to catch her before she becomes too fast to see." 

"We better do it soon, look!" The sleeve of Hagakure's uniform pointed up at the training terrain. Kohaku was bouncing off one level then the other. Shota dodged expertly as she passed him, she was nothing but a blur.

A few went to catch her, but she even escaped Iida's swiftness. Soon there was nothing but ominous bouncing and maniacal giggles echoing. No baby in sight.

"We're too late," Tokoyami shouted. "It's going to be impossible to catch her now."

Jiro kneeled. "Not impossible. Hanta, when I signal -" 

Sero nodded, readying to shoot. Jiro plugged into the floor hearing every place she hit. The floor, the wall, the terrain, the ceiling…

"There!" she shouted, pointing to a space in the air.

Sero shot tape. To everyone's surprise, it wrapped around something. Kohaku appeared, pulling him with her velocity before she sprang back and hit him. Knocking them both to the floor. Kohaku cooed happily from her spot on Sero's chest. He gave a weak smile and a thumbs-up, trying to get the wind back in him. 

Kirishima went and picked her up. He grinned at her. But she seemed unsure of his pointed teeth. "That's an awesome power you got, little dude! Mine's not half as cool." 

He hardened himself up and Kohaku was instantly mesmerised. She turned herself into diamond. Clinking her hands against his hard skin, sputtering out happy gurgles. 

"Really? That's all it took?" Hagakure wondered.

Something strange began to happen the longer Kirishima played with Kohaku. She began to deform her skin. Eventually, it writhed and wriggled. Her whole body trembled. She took partial form once, twice - three times. Kirishima stared in awe as she settled on her final form.

"Oh wow!" He held Kohaku up to face his teacher. "Hey! Mr. Aizawa, look! She has a new ability!"

For the first time in over an hour, Shota joined his students. They all crowded around to what happened. In Kirishima's arms sat a baby that looked to be made of rock. Her skin was hard and rough, even crunchy! It had ridges, similar to Kirishima's when he hardened all the way up. Shota snapped a picture of the pair. 

Kohaku laughed, reaching for her father. Shota was surprised to find she was very dense. Not impossible to hold like the metal baby. But she felt like a small boulder. Very weighty and sturdy.

"Look at you," Shota chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "I'm very proud of you, Kohaku."

Kohaku went back to normal. Shota wrinkled his nose as soon as she did. He held her slightly away from him. Apparently all that effort to change made her soil her diaper. He wasn't the only one that smelled it. A few others were covering their noses. Some even gagging.

"I'm going to change her. I'll be back in a few minutes." Shota took her to a side room with the diaper bag. He decided it was time to give his wife a call.

"Hey," she croaked as the line crackled to life.

"You sound worse than this morning," he noted grimly. "Are you taking care of yourself?"

[Name] coughed. "Of course. I've had three glasses of water today. Plus I've been downing cough drops like candy."

"Drink more. I'll pick you cold medicine on my way home from work."

"I can go get it, you have Kohaku -"

Shota rolled his eyes. "I can handle her all on my own."

"Has she been good today?"

He grinned to himself. "Exceptional. I'm changing her now, so I thought I would call and check in on my lovely wife."

"I can't wait for you guys to get home," [Name] admitted. "It's unnerving how quiet it is. And I haven't been away from Kohaku this long before. I keep thinking I hear her crying."

"You need some rest." Shota frowned. "I'll call you again before we leave. We love you."

[Name] sighed in defeat, much too tired to argue. "I love you both, too. I'll talk to you later."

Shota hung up and finished changing Kohaku. He washed his hands, then took her back to the gym. "Are you ready to continue play time?"

All of his students had a new heir of determination. They'd seen what she could do now. Shota didn't know if they'd come up with a plan, or we're just being over confident.

"You have just over an hour until the end of the day," he announced. "So let's make this interesting."

"Wait - didn't Mina destroy one of her toys?" Midoriya asked. The class paled in realization. "Shouldn't we be out?"

Shota shook his head. "The toy Ashido melted down was made by Yaoyarozu. It wasn't one I brought with us. So you all haven't failed - for now. At the moment, only Todoroki and Kirishima are safe -"

"Why is shitty hair safe?!" Bakugo blazed.

"He helped her realize a new ability. I think that's a feat that deserves to be rewarded."

Kirishima grinned. "Awesome! Thanks, Mr. Aizawa!"

"Which leads me to the next part." This whole, honestly, couldn't have gone any better. This was better than he'd originally planned. "I want to see if anyone else can help Kohaku develop her quirk. As long as she isn't hurt, you can try to encourage her any way you see fit. The offer from earlier still stands. Anyone who succeeds is given extra credit, if you win. And gets to skip Midnight's, most likely elicit, sex education class, should you fail. - Your time begins now."

Shota put Kohaku down. She immediately went to Kirishima and rocked up. He hardened up himself as he picked her up.

"Maybe it isn't manly, but you're just so adorable," he said and gave her a little squeeze. 

"Oi, shitty hair!" Bakugo raged, marching over. "How is anyone else supposed to get a chance if you don't put the brat down?!"

"Insult my daughter again, Bakugo," Shota warned, eyes glowing. "And you'll wish Nemuri's class was the worst thing in your future."

Bakugo huffed. "Yeah, whatever."

"So…." Kirishima chuckled awkwardly. "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll give it a go!" Sato stepped forward, downing a thing of sugar. Kohaku was unimpressed as he powered up and flexed some. He gave up pretty quickly.

"It's okay, you tried your best," Ashido encouraged as he passed her. 

Kaminari stepped up next, flashing electricity in the palm of his hand. Kohaku seemed to enjoy the show, but there was no sense that she was trying to change. 

"Oh, c'mon," Kaminari groaned. "Don't you want to be an electric baby?"

"So she can fry herself and be as dumb as you?" Jiro teased. "I think not."

"Alright then, you give it a go!" Kaminari slunk away dejectedly.

Jiro and Kohaku exchanged a long glance. Then she extended her earphone jacks towards her. However Jiro retracted them immediately as Kohaku reached for them.

"Sorry, Kohaku," she said and jerked thumb behind her. "But you're not doing to me what you did to Tsu."

"You all aren't doing it properly," Iida scolded, stepping forward. "Allow me to demonstrate. Kirishima, put her down."

Kirishima did as he was asked. Kohaku was not very pleased. She went back to normal as she eyed Iida.

"Look here, little one," Iida instructed. He showed off his leg engines, revving them for show. Kohaku tilted her head. 

Iida took a sprint around the room. Then came to a stop in front of her again. Kohaku laughed at that, reaching her arms out. 

Iida shook his head. "Now you try."

Kohaku pouted. Kirishima laughed. "She wants you to pick her. Maybe if you took her on a run with you?"

Iida glanced between his classmate and the baby. Finally, he sighed and picked her up. He tucked her to his chest with one arm, then took off into a sprint. Shota had a feeling her hair was going to be a big knotted mess afterwards.

Kohaku looked slightly green as they came to a stop. Iida put her down, then gave her a small lecture on how his engines work. How she could incorporate them. But, honestly, she was a baby. So of course the whole thing was lost to her.

"You do know that's not how children work, right?" Uraraka asked.

Ashido crouched in front of her, conjuring a whole hand of grey mush. "How about you become a slime baby for Auntie Mina?"

"You sound stupid," Bakugo snapped. "Stop calling yourself that."

Ashido threw the slime at him. "Why don't you shut up?! Nobody asked you!"

It took a few people to cool him down. The sound as his hands began to pop got Kohaku's attention. She crawled right past Ashdio, who was still trying to coax out a slime baby. Kohaku sat staring up at Bakugo, watching as his hands crackled.

"What're you looking at?" he snapped, glaring at her. 

Kohaku stood as the popping stopped, and pulled one of his hands into her own. She looked closely at his palm and then flipped his hand over. She seemed dissatisfied. Kohaku made a soft pa, pa, papa, pa.

Bakugo frowned. "What are you doing?" 

"I think she wants you to use your quirk again," Sero pointed out. Kohaku continued to make the soft pa, papa, pa, pa, paap.

Bakugo sighed. But he did crouch to her height. "I need my hand back to make them pop."

Kohaku seemed to understand and immediately let go. Bakugo took a step away and lit his hands up for her. Kohaku squeezed in glee. She threw her hands up, making louder pa, papa, pa, pa!! She began running around again. Kohaku ran back through the terrain.

"Oh, way to go, Bakugo!" Mineta groaned. "You scared her. Now she's going to get out!"

"Shut it, extra," Bakugo snapped. "I didn't scare her."

"Not with his quirk, anyway," Kaminari snickered quietly. Bakugo turned to him, blazing.

Everyone went back up and over. Kohaku was nowhere in sight.

"Oh no, we lost her!" Ashido exclaimed. "I am not sitting through Miss. Midnight's class with you people!"

"She's not lost!" Midoriya exclaimed. "Look, over there!"

He pointed down by the far wall. Sure enough, Kohaku looked ready to go through it. 

"We won't reach her in time," Todoroki said.

Midoriya launched off. "I got her."

Unfortunately he went right through. Smacking face first into the wall.

"Idiot, Deku!" Bakugo took off after. "I'm not going to fail babysitting because of you!"

He landed, popping his hands again. Kohaku turned to him. She crawled over Midoriya, going to sit and watch the show.

"Wow, Bakugo is surprisingly good with kids," Ashido said, faintly.

Everyone dropped down to sit by Kohaku. There wasn't much time left. They just had to keep her entertained for a little while longer.

"Hey, Todoroki! Why don't you make some snow?!" Hagakure cheered.

Kaminari looked incredibly confused. "What?"

"Do you really think that will work?" Kirishima asked.

Hagakure nodded, even though no one could see it. "Sure, nobody can resist playing in the snow!"

Todoroki touched his hand to the floor. It iced up. Then a large flow started, not quite freezing all the way. Bakugo was not pleased as it crashed over him, dousing his flames. Kohaku's head popped out of the snow. She giggled happily as she looked around.

"What the hell, Half and Half?!" Bakugo yelled, melting the slush around him.

Kohaku crawled through the snow. She started taking chunks in her hand and compressing them. Everyone was a little confused when it congealed into ice. Until Kohaku started to tremble again. She stretched and jellied and shook. Then, finally, took form. This time, she looked to be made of ice. 

Shota snapped another picture. "Maybe we should let her see quirks in use more often."

"Aw, man, that's not fair!" Mineta whined.

"I mean, of course Todoroki would be good at this. He's good at everything." Hagakure shrugged. 

For the first time, Kohaku seemed to notice her. Just a uniform with no body seeming to be attached. Kohaku wandered over to her. She put her hands on where Hagakure's face should be. She was definitely surprised there was something there.

The disturbed look on Kohaku's face faded quickly. She patted Hagakure's face a few more times. Then began to shake again. She flickered a few times.

"This is amazing," Uraraka said in awe. "How do you think she's catching on to quirks so fast?"

"Observation, I suppose," Iida noted. "Look!"

Finally, Kohaku managed to flicker all the way out. Just a t-shirt and pants. She giggled to herself. Hagakure picked her up and hugged her tightly.

"I feel so flattered," she cried.

Bakugo grumbled. "She probably would've picked up my quirk, if you extras hadn't distracted her! Then she'd a real power!"

"No offense, Bakugo. But the last thing Mr. Aizawa and nurse [Name] need is another one of you," Kaminari said.

Bakugo was ready to argue again. A few people scrambled to cool him down. Shota admired the scene as they fought. Kohaku was coming along quite well. Better than he'd expected. He and [Name] had been afraid to let Kohaku around people while using their quirks. But he was starting to see how it's be beneficial to her.

Sure, there were things she'd figured out on her own. But she was very smart for her age. And her abilities with her quirk, the control, the range - it would make her something of a prodigy. He would have just to make sure to lead her down a good path. But not feel like she was being forced to do anything she didn't want to.

Shota wondered if any of the other hero courses would mind the exercise. That way Kohaku could be exposed to more, so she could learn. He'd have to have his wife take her to sit with the class beforehand. So she knew them. Then he'd take on the day of exercise. Just in case her quirk needed erasing.

"Enough of this," Iida yelled, finally. "We've nearly completed the exercise. Just a few more minutes, then you can argue about this outside."

Bakugo huffed. Kohaku became visible again and wriggled out of Hagakure's grasp. She went back to Bakugo. Pa, pa, pa!

"Yeah, pa," he groaned. He lit his hands up. But everyone nearly ran as Kohaku became an inferno. The flames were wild. Blazing and licking at people. She tottered from side to side. Melting the snow Todoroki had created.

As she tried to run off, fire still uncontrollable, Shota thought it was time to step in. He leapt down and joined his students.

"That's enough, Kohaku," he scolded. His eyes glowed and his hair flowed around him. Her flames were immediately doused. She tried to flick them back on a few times. But nothing worked. She wailed as she realized she couldn't do it anymore. "If you can't use your quirk responsibly, then you aren't going to use it at all."

Shota picked Kohaku up. She must've been getting tired from using her quirk, and playing so much the last few hours. She was getting cranky. But Shota knew she'd zonk in the car seat on the way home.

"We're calling it early, Kohaku is tired," Shota said. He wanted to add and so am I, to the end of it but refrained. "I'm proud of how each and every one of you did today. Surprisingly, you all passed. Congratulations. You're better with children than I thought."

"So - no Midnight?!" Ashdio asked excitedly.

Shota shook his head. "No, you saved yourselves. Barely."

"Uh, should someone take Deku to Recovery Girl?" Asui asked, leaning over his slumped form by the wall. "I think he knocked himself out earlier."

"Asui, you and Uraraka take Midoriya to the nurse's office while I finish up here."

Uraraka went and lightened up Midoriya, then her and Asui made their way out the door. 

"Todoroki, Kirishima, Hagakure, Bakugo - you all get extra credit. If you don't need, or want it, you're more than welcome to give it to someone else. Just let me know who."

"I know exactly what I'm using mine for!" Hagakure cheered.

"C'mon, man," Kaminari groaned, tugging at Bakugo's sleeve. "I know you have perfect grades! Give me your credit!"

Bakugo glared. "Get off me!" 

Kirishima awkwardly went up to his teacher. He grinned shyly. "Hey, Mr. Aizawa, if you ever want a babysitter, I'd be more than happy to watch Kohaku. Whenever you need."

"I'm sure she'd like that. I'll keep that in mind," Shota noted. And he would. Kohaku really seemed to like him, and he and his wife hadn't gone on a date in ages.

"Mr. Aizawa, is that all for today's exercise?" Iida asked. "Are we free to go?"

"Yes. But first - I just wanted to say thanks to all of you," Shota started. "You all did well handling her. There doesn't seem to be a scratch on her. She's learned a lot, but still has a long way to go. I know she'll keep today with her, even when she's older." Shota checked the time. They really had made it to the end of the day without an incident. "You're all free to go."

"Hey, Mr. Aizawa," Ashido started as the group left the facility. "Why did you bring Kohaku today?"

"Because even nurses have sick days." 

Kohaku slept on the way home, and while in the store. Shota couldn't wait to get home and tell his wife about his day. The one he'd planned all for her. He was sure she'd cry laughing so hard. It was all worth it if he could cheer her up, even a little bit.

The house was dark and quiet when they got in. He didn't bother flicking on any lights. Just in case it woke up Kohaku. Instead just setting down his things and going to look for his wife. She was curled up in their bed asleep in a mountain of tissues, some DVD rolling credits on her laptop. Shota laughed to himself. 

He moved everything and laid Kohaku down next to her mother. His stories would have to wait. For the time being, it was family nap time. That was truly the perfect ending to the day.

~

Taglist

@spiderwinchester @sinclairsamess  @dudesorriso @burningdragonfarmpainter @just-a-generic-username

 @lucinda-barnes-black @i-am-all-love-puns-and-lazy @heathers-inner-thoughts @cherraybomb @give-a-rookie-a-cookie @babayaga67 @asaucecoveredsomething @izzythefanfreak @blazelover132 @jacobsmemesibling @theravencawsatmidnight  

[opheliasbrokenmind]

lucky - will graham

that’s what i do when i have an important upcoming exam because i have no self-discipline... well someone’s gotta do what they gotta do, right? i hope you enjoy reading as much as i enjoyed writing and please please let me know what you think!! i got the idea from a fight i had with my sister recently -yeah i use shitty things that happened to me in my stories-

feel free to send me an ask for will, his character is so fun, and also painful, to write. GIF CREDITS TO THE OWNER, it’s an amazing one 

The cold breeze caused you to shiver as you walked to the house, it seemed like it was in the middle of the nowhere, as it was somewhere special only you knew. A shelter for me to hide from the real world, you thought and smiled with the idea, Will would smile if he heard that, looking at the many dogs of him. The clock on your phone showed it was 4.30 am and the lights weren’t on to your luck, meaning Will was asleep. You cheered for him, it wasn’t common for Will to get a good sleep. 

Before reaching for the keys in your coat’s pocket, you tried to open the door and as usual, the door wasn’t locked. You stepped inside, trying to be quiet as much as possible and left the small suitcase on the ground, turning to hang your coat. You weren’t ready to face reality yet, you just wanted to crush on the couch with the dogs on the ground and sleep until your boyfriend get up. 

‘Thought you were going to be in Nevada for the weekend.’ Will’s voice came from the kitchen and you froze, he sounded tired. ‘I was.’ You said quietly, walking to the kitchen, you were desperate to see him. ‘What happened?’ He asked calmly but you ignored the question, stepping closer to get a hug. Will welcomed you into his warm arms, he always did. He could feel your body relaxing in his embrace, you felt safe, you were home now.

‘Nothing, I just thought one evening is enough.’ You let out the lie, you both knew it wasn’t the truth but if you didn’t want to talk about it, Will would never push you. ‘Are you hungry or anything? I made some pasta for dinner.’ He asked softly as you stood in the dark, he sat on the counter while you rested your head on his shoulder, ‘You couldn’t sleep?’ You already knew the answer. ‘The new case is bothering me lately, and I’ve missed you.’

‘You could ask me to stay.’ Will knew he could do that and he knew you would cancel the trip without a blink, just to stay with him. But you haven’t seen your family for a while and he thought it was your right to go away to Nevada for a few days. ‘Yes, but they are your family, y/n.’ With that, you pulled away and smiled, ‘Oh, if you only knew... It was simply a disaster, Will. After dinner I was back at the airport.’

‘I... I can’t believe I thought it would be good, you know? I know my sister would be mad but I accepted to go anyway, I even thought she’d be nice. We sat for dinner, then my dad raised his glass, congratulating me for finishing my thesis. She said I had to make a show all the time, so dad will be on my side. That she’ll never have a second child, it’s such a shame she wanted me in the first place.’ Will stood silent, your words made him sad, he wasn’t there to have your back. 

‘Then I just said the facts, that it’s nonsense the talk about a second child when she had none. She screamed at me, shouting she wants to get married and have children, she hates still living with mom and dad. She went to her room and you know what, mom said I was rude and she was right. That’s why I didn’t invite you, I know you’d be nice to them and all, but I just didn’t want you to witness the fiasco.’

‘I wasn’t mad you didn’t invite me, y/n. I mean, I don’t like meeting new people obviously but well, they are your parents so I’d like to think I’ll meet them at some point. What they did is wrong and you don’t deserve to be treated like this, they may be your family but that doesn’t give them the right to hurt you.’ He spoke calmly, although he was angry at your older sister, still wishing he was by your side back there.

You sighed and held his hands, guiding him to the bedroom, you wanted him to get some sleep before the morning and his work came to overwhelm him. ‘I know I can’t understand her but I can imagine how’s she feeling. She failed at some things in life and here I am, achieving things she refused to work for. I don’t think it’s my mistake, or my parents’. They gave her every opportunity, Will.’

‘I remember, when I was six or seven they almost begged her to choose a university, they were ready to pay any amount and she said she wasn’t interested, that studying was too boring. She refused every offer and worked in a few jobs, quitted quickly, spent most of the days outside, almost got engaged twice and now I bet she’s regretting her choices. It must be hard, being almost forty and still living with your parents.’

You explained simply as he took his place on the bed, watching you take off your clothes, folding them neatly. Then you reached for one of his t-shirts, with the white one you reminded him of an angel in the dark. ‘You’re right but she’s not your burden, you have every right to be happy for yourself and you should be, you are kind, successful and caring.’ Will said quietly and patted the bed, ‘Come here.’ You obeyed eagerly, loving the feeling of being close to him. 

‘Dad asked about you by the way, he’s quite excited for the genius I’m sleeping with, you know?’ He chuckled softly with your words, ‘The genius, huh? I’d go with a different wording.’ You felt your smile fading away, exactly getting what he meant. A freak, he’d call himself after having another seizure. ‘You are not how you see yourself Will, believe me, and I already know he will like you because you’re the best thing that happened to me, ever.’

He sighed, your voice was sweet yet what you said was bitter, his insecurities attacking him just like the shadows of his nightmares. You were honest as always and he stopped for a moment, nobody has ever said the things you told him, he never thought he could be this important to a person without any intentions.

Then he felt your arm resting on his chest, drawing small, soothing circles. You felt he was thinking so you just waited until he was back with you, ‘Stop criticizing yourself, please.’ You reached to left a kiss on his cheek but he turned his face so you met with his lips, your lips brushing slightly as you smiled, finally connecting your lips. The kisses you shared always made you feel safe, you knew everything would be alright. 

Your fingers found his curls and you pulled a little, just so he gave you the access to his mouth, letting you take over the control. As if you were kissing for the first time, your blood rushed with adrenaline. Once you broke the kiss, he embraced you with his strong, long arms. ‘This feels real and I know it is real. You keep me sane, y/n, just you. I... I don’t where I’d be now without you.’ 

‘And you keep me going when I feel like I can’t do things anymore.’ You replied, tracing his biceps with your fingers. Will was relaxed now, he knew he was safe with you, even the dogs seemed to be calmer when you were around. ‘I know,’ he whispered, ‘and I love you.’ Then he kissed you goodnight and closed his eyes, knowing you’d be wide awake until you were sure he was asleep. At that moment, he felt like the luckiest man in the world. Little did he know that was the same feeling you had at that moment.

[princesssarisa]

A defense of the ending of “Wuthering Heights"

@astrangechoiceoffavourites, @theheightsthatwuthered, @wuthering-valleys, @heightsandmoors, @incorrectwutheringheightsquotes

 I’ve been reading other people’s opinions on Wuthering Heights this past year, I’ve noticed a small recurring theme.

It’s the idea that the ending feels out of place; tacked on; anti-climactic; too tame compared to the rest of the book. That it feels wrong for Heathcliff to simply lose interest in his revenge and then lose the will to live, or for the surviving characters to have any kind of happy or hopeful ending after so much brutality.

One book I read excerpts from on Google Books (I don’t remember the title or the author) suggested that maybe Emily Brontë originally wrote a very different, more brutal and Gothic ending, now lost. The author proposed that the final ending was probably the result of Anne and/or Charlotte urging Emily to tone down the book’s “immorality.” Of course this is pure conjecture. This same author also speculated that in the novel’s first draft, Heathcliff was explicitly Mr. Earnshaw’s illegitimate son, but that Anne and/or Charlotte persuaded Emily to change it. I’m not at all convinced by that theory, since @astrangechoiceoffavourites has argued very eloquently that to make Heathcliff and Cathy’s love forbidden because of the incest taboo rather than because of social class and race would go against the plot’s main themes and make nonsense of Heathcliff’s revenge on the Lintons and Earnshaws.

Still, this theorist isn’t the only person to think the ending (and possibly the whole second generation storyline) feels like the work of a different author than the rest of the book. Just recently I read a comment on Facebook arguing that a more cohesive, consistent Wuthering Heights would have had “a much darker and more explosive ending.” I assume a similar mindset is why some theorize that Branwell wrote the novel’s first half and Emily wrote the second. (I think I hate that theory even more than I hate the theory that Branwell wrote it all – “He didn’t write the whole book, but he did write the part everyone likes best.”) And if we compare the various adaptations’ endings to the ending of the book, there’s definitely a trend of giving Heathcliff a more brutal death.

I understand all of this. The ending of the book is ironic. Heathcliff himself knows it’s ironic: “It is a poor conclusion, is it not?” he asks Nelly, “an absurd termination to my violent exertions?” We don’t expect a towering, terrifying yet fascinating Byronic anti-hero like Heathcliff to become apathetic and ineffectual in the end and then die quietly (albeit mysteriously and eerily) in bed. We’d sooner expect him to freeze to death chasing Cathy’s ghost through a blizzard, or to be shot by his worst enemy, or to be lured by Cathy’s ghost to commit suicide by gunshot.

But I know I’m not the only person who thinks the entire book is fully cohesive and who sees nothing wrong with the ending whatsoever.

As far as I’m concerned, Heathcliff’s “absurd” end is more interesting than anything “darker and more explosive” would have been, precisely because it’s unexpected and yet makes perfect sense. Revenge never makes Heathcliff truly happy or brings him peace of mind: we know that all along. It might distract him from his pain, but it can’t cure it. While initially surprising, in hindsight it’s not surprising at all that, with no out-of-character repentance or remorse, he eventually loses the will to seek any more revenge. At heart it was never what he really wanted most; his real greatest desire is and always has been to be with Cathy.

Then there’s the strongest factor in his loss of his will for revenge: his grudging empathy for Hareton. Again, as far as I’m concerned, this is fascinating irony. Heathcliff has purposefully set out to shape Hareton into a copy of himself. Ultimately, that scheme “goes horribly right,” because he sees too much of his younger self in Hareton to hate him as much as he wants to, or to have the will to separate him from Cathy II the way he himself was separated from Cathy I. Then there’s Hareton’s resemblance to his aunt, Cathy I; even though Heathcliff’s passion for Cathy has been the motive for all his revenge on the two families that separated them, in the end it’s what makes him unable to ruin the lives of her lookalike nephew and her daughter, even though they’re also the children of the two men most responsible for taking Cathy from him. Again, it works because it’s handled delicately and without sentimentality. He still shows no remorse or regret for his past actions, and never shows any real kindness or fondness to Hareton or Cathy II, but despises the conflicted feelings they stir in him. But the fact remains that, despite all his efforts to be a monster over the years, he’s still a human being, capable of some empathy for people in whom he sees aspects of himself and of his beloved Cathy. I think it’s fascinating that this humanity, and not his monstrous actions, is what undoes him in the end.

Also, as some critics have pointed out, the very fact that Heathcliff receives no punishment for his sins (apart from his inner torment) makes the ending subversive by Victorian standards. If he had died a brutal death, it could easily have been viewed as his comeuppance, demonstrating God’s justice. From a moral and religious perspective, it might be all the more disturbing that instead he gets to die as close to a peaceful death as his character allows, with a devilish smile on his face.

Moving beyond Heathcliff’s death, I don’t see anything wrong with Hareton and Cathy II′s ending either.

First of all, it isn’t necessarily a straightforward happy ending. It’s definitely bittersweet if we have any sympathy for Heathcliff, and not just because he dies. This penniless, abused, disdained orphan of color defied the classism and racism of his society by clawing his way to wealth and status and by bringing down the two families who once oppressed him, but in the end, it’s all for nothing. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange go back to the Earnshaw and Linton heirs and the only trace left of Heathcliff is a single name and death date on a tombstone. He’s just as much of a “nobody” in death as he was as a homeless child. Of course it’s tempting to cheer for this fact because of his cruelty and because Cathy II and Hareton are sympathetic, basically innocent young people whom he unfairly punished for their parents’ sins. But in a way at least, especially in Marxist readings of the book (which I don’t fully agree with but do see validity in), the ending can be viewed as the triumph of the classist and racist status quo.

Nor, as some critics have argued, is it guaranteed that Cathy II and Hareton will live happily ever after. First of all, the fact remains that Hareton loved and loyally served Heathcliff to the end, and to please Hareton, Cathy had to stop speaking out against Heathcliff even though he had horribly abused her. There’s also the fact that Hareton once hit Cathy himself; only once, and before they were even friends, let alone lovers, but in the real world it rarely bodes well for a woman to marry a man who once slapped her. A few critics have wondered if Hareton is really permanently “tamed” in the end, or will eventually revert to the roughness Heathcliff bred in him and abuse his new power and status the same way Heathcliff did. On the flip side, there’s the fact that apart from her conceding not to criticize Heathcliff, Cathy seems to rule over Hareton almost as much as her mother did over Heathcliff when they were children. She educates him, he craves her esteem and does her bidding, and in his lessons she meets his mistakes and inattention (however playfully) with “smart slaps” and threats of hair-pulling. Some critics have wondered if we should view these as red flags; if Cathy II is destined to be an emotional abuser like her mother was.

But even if you don’t subscribe to those darker interpretations of the ending... even if you view Cathy and Hareton as fundamentally good people who genuinely grow and change for the better, find a healthy balance between the worlds of Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights, and will be truly happy together... well, what’s wrong with that?

Is it really so impossible to believe that sometimes the cycle of abuse can be broken, or so “out of place” to show it being broken at the end of a book that shows its horrors? Is it just naïve delusion to hope that, with effort, children can avoid repeating their parents’ mistakes and opposing social structures like the Heights and the Grange can be reconciled? That at least one young couple might manage to combine the good aspects of both worlds while discarding the bad, rather than combining the worst of both worlds the way Heathcliff did? Just because the book is dark as a whole, do we really need to be so cynical when reading it that we can’t allow it to end on a note of hope?

Besides, I’ve written before about the mirror-image character arcs of the two Cathys. Cathy I is born and raised at Wuthering Heights, but eventually leaves it for Thrushcross Grange when she marries the latter household’s heir; she initially loves the rugged dark-haired Heathcliff and wanders the moors with him, but then gains snobbery, treats Heathcliff with increasing disdain, and shifts her attentions to the prissy blond-haired Edgar, whom she marries; as a result, her life ends in misery. Cathy II is born and raised at Thushcross Grange, but eventually she leaves it for Wuthering Heights when she marries the latter household’s heir; she initially loves the prissy blond-haired Linton, whom she marries, and treats the rugged dark-haired Hareton with disdain, but eventually she loses her snobbery, learns to love Hareton, and wanders the moors with him. In no way is Cathy II’s positive ending “tacked on” – her entire character arc is structured to be the opposite of her mother’s tragedy.

I understand why some people don’t care for the ending and think it feels anti-climactic or out of place. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a thoroughly effective ending and fully consistent with what came before.

[angelic-serenade]

Alastor + disaster cook! S/O

headcanons

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

gif, original work and characters do not belong to me

you could not cook to save your life

any attempt at cooking would result in certain failure in the best case scenario and 5.4 magnitude earthquake damage in the worst

sure, you could make edible pasta and if you really put your best efforts into it, acceptable omelette too

but anything past that level of complexity was simply out of your league, a lost cause to put it mildly

don't you even think about making a cake, that shit's dangerous

as they say: as above so below

when you landed in Hell and found yourself joining the Happy Hotel soon after, you came to find out your culinary skills had not magically improved

which is quite ironic since Charlie had made you head chef of the hotel

the string of curses which had left your lips upon hearing the news had been legendary, even for Hell

you adored the demon princess with your whole heart (or whatever was left of it anyway), bUT REALLY CHARLIE? YOU DO NOT GIVE A GUN TO A CHILD AND EXPECT CASUALTIES NOT TO HAPPEN

at this point you were certain she was subconsciously auto-sabotaging

either way, you didn't have the heart to tell her no, so you decided to put your heart and soul into trying to learn how to properly cook, which didn't turn out to be the ideal choice of words since you were in Hell and your soul was probably rotten to the core

at least, nobody could say you hadn't tried your damn best

and hey! some days your cooking hadn't even been completely sickening

you decided to stick to easy, “safe” dishes though, you know, just to be sure

so pasta and eggs were definitely a thing

a constant and repetitive thing to be precise

you were trying your best, okay? nobody in your place with your limited set of skills would have taken the job, but you did and you deserved recognition for that feat alone

or a fucking donkey hat for your skyrocketing dumbness levels

things were not so bad at first

both Charlie and Vaggie were very supportive, each one of them in their own way - even though you had totally seen Charlie trying to swallow pure unadulterated fear that one time you had announced you wanted to try to cook something more elaborate

Angel Dust on the other hand... hadn't been as considerate as to lie to your face about what he thought of your cooking

"fuck me doll, this shit's disgusting"

*insert the I don't have friends they disappoint me vine here*

Vaggie had proceeded to give Angel quite the earful while Charlie tried her best to cheer you up

you went full hermit mode on them for two days after that

you were proud of yourself, handling criticism so well

anyway, the cycle kept repeating, with the only difference that most days Angel would grab something to eat outside of the hotel and join you during meals only to blankly stare at the plates and silvery

Charlie had tried to shield you from the truth, but you weren't that stupid

you respected Angel's choice, really, you did, and you had decided to be the bigger person among the two

that's why you began to put a lil bit of laxative into his portions whenever he decided to grace your efforts and actually eat your "disgusting cooking"

y’know just to spicy things up a little

at least now he had a valid reason to complain

with the whole fiasco on live TV and the sudden and suspicious appearence of the one and only Radio Demon at your doorstep, however, things started going haywire

Alastor's presence was eeirly demanding and unsettlingly charmimg at the same time

so it was only natural for you to gravitate the fuck away from him whenever you could

you always acted politely, greeting him whenever you bumped into him through the corridors of the hotel, but you only went as far as to appear courteous because you didn't want for him to go Hannibal Lecter on you. thanks, no thanks

“and what can you do my feminine fellow?”

“I can suck your dick!”

you had snorted a bit at that which immediately shifted the strawberry pimp's attention to yourself

“and what about you, pretty dame? I take it you're in charge of the kitchens around here?”

dressed in your chef attire, you were going to meekly answer him, but before you could, roaring laughter erupted in the room. it belonged to the one and only slutty spider you found oh so irritating

in the fraction of seconds, Alastor snapped his neck at an unnatural angle to stare at the spider with a strained smile on his face

needless to say, the cursed image would forever haunt your traumatized psyche

“hasn't your mother taught you it is rude to interrupt a conversation which you have no part in? that just won't do!”

static filled the air and you feared you were going to implode if the heavy pressure didn't lift off soon enough, so you decided to take action

“ugh... yes, I'm the head chef! but, well, I... could actually use some practice and proper training?”

you hated how uncertain you sounded, but Angel's comments and your own dissatisfaction with your culinary products made you quite self-conscious about your skills

“don't fret your pretty little head about it, my dear! I, for one, am a culinary connaisseur and wonderful chef, if I do say so myself. I'll be ecstatic to guide you through your training!”

how you'd be able to handle his booming voice during hours and hours of practice was your first and main concern, but you had never been one to refuse the chance to finally prove the people who had criticized you wrong *cough cough* Angel Dust

since that day, Alastor began to personally give you cooking lessons

he was exuberant and pretty sly when it came to veiled jabs about your dreadful cooking, but he really took his time to help you out

which you had been both grateful and suspicious about

“now, we can't have our future patrons starving to death, can we?”

he was strangely patient and an overall good teacher too (emphasis on overall)

he guided you step by step through each dish, simultaneously showing off his own flawless culinary skills

you hated that you daily found yourself boosting his already GIGANTIC ego, but you couldn't help it. you could only dream about reaching that level of artistry in cooking

he always came up with creative recipes to test your limits and cooked for you in order to make you more familiar with different tastes. his mother’s were your favorites, jambalaya being his one true specialty 

he had blindfolded you once and proceeded to present you with various samples of spices, oilments and all kinds of food so that you could acquaint yourself with the smells and flavors of the ingredients and figure out yourself which ones would best suit a certain dish

saying you were hesitant at first was an understatement, because you know? being completely at the mercy of a sadistic serial killer who had terrorized the seven circles of hell? not even being able to see him? not on your bucket list

he had tried to ease your nervousness with the whole “if I wanted to hurt anyone here, I would have done so already” thing, but it was getting kind of old pretty fast

“if I had been one to play with fire, I'd have joined a circus”

he found your sense of humor as endearing your sheer presence

(when he rolled up his sleeves to cook, you felt like you could catch fire any minute, you were a slut for strong skinny arms) 

yes, Alastor had always loved to show off his own impeccable skills but he unexpectedly found himself enjoying the moments spent in your company too

he relished in seeing you fail again and again, but he also admired the way you always managed to bring yourself back up to your feet each time

he had yet to fully understand if it was foolishness or stubbornness to guide your steps

either way, you turned out to be his favorite form of entertainment in the hotel!

no matter how many slights would he send your way, you'd always manage to find an appropriate remark that made his permanent smile stretch a little more in sheer amusement

“oh dear, this beef is so undercooked one could still hear the poor beast’s lament”

“the only noise I hear is the obnoxious ramblings of an arrogant boomer”

he wasn't technically a boomer but it was always so satisfying to irk him with terms he had no knowledge of

during your cooking lessons, when the only thing left to do with a dish was wait and pray for the best, you'd come to talk about everything and anything

he'd talk to you about his precious New Orleans as he remembered it and you'd fill him in on recent historical/social developments of your time

he always looked so taken when you shared with him that modern knowledge and it made you feel useful for a change

it was, dare you say it, almost adorable how he'd ask you countless questions about your home town, the catastrophes of the last century and had there been any other war since his death?

the topic switches almost made you dizzy though

once or twice, when the timing allowed, he'd even indulge in a musical show to pass time

on the days your mood soured because of a particularly complicated recipe or bad result, he'd drag you along and dance until you were so distracted by the absurdness of the circumstances that you forgot about your previous sadness

with time, his musical shows became more frequent as he realized you'd always offer him a genuine smile after his flashy performances

it was out of personal indulgence, not because he liked the way his music always seemed to cheer you up

he'd not been vocal about the way he tried to comfort you, but you were grateful nonetheless

the first time you managed to succesfully complete one of his complicated recipes, you had almost cried

“now, now deary, under my watchful eye, it was only a matter of time until you'd finally blossom into a fine cook!”

“Alastor can I... can I hug you?”

and how could he say no to such an adorable expression? he found himself stunned into silence, not being able to tell you yes either, therefore you slowly came closer as if trying not to scare a wild animal away

when Alastor passively stood before you, not moving away, you wrapped your arms around him

he really was such a dorky noodle

he didn't relax into the hug, but he kept still as you relished in the moment and let the pressure you had hoarded for months now loose

Alastor proceeded to show off your dish during dinner and even Angel Dust could do nothing but shut up and dig in

The all powerful Radio Demon was simply so proud of your progress - not that he doubted you'd prevail in the end, thanks to his expertise and guidance

from that moment onward things only got better and even if you didn't necessarily need Alastor's help anymore, neither of you ever mentioned going your separate ways

you were both secretly glad for the silent agreement

friendly banter and dad jokes were a daily occurrence and with your new-found confidence in the field, you'd always bite back showing off new delicious dishes instead than words

you still had trouble every now and then, but Alastor was always there to help you out

not that you'd ever hear the end of it if you actually asked him for help

“what was that, my darling? is the mightiest chef in Hell having trouble in Paradise?”

you had noticed however that he'd started sneaking glances your way more than usual lately and he also started following you around wherever you went in the hotel. he became your shadow both inside and outside of the kitchen

the attention soon became unnerving, even more so when you'd go in the kitchen only find a different flower on the counter each morning

you came to realize that Alastor's advances were rather old fashioned, but you would amuse the dork and yourself for a while before taking charge

gifts became an ordinary occurrence as well as praise and you preferred not to think about what praise could do to you when it came from Alastor

he enjoyed your reactions to his flattering words a little too much, he had to admit

you had had enough of his childish antics one day and you decided to finally put your plan into action

“Al, can you come here for one sec?”

he wasn't particularly fond of the nickname, but you just loved to get under his skin as much as he did when it came to you

“what can I do for you, my darling chef?”

“here, I have a gift for you”

he looked uncharacteristically unsure of what to do but slightly amused as well. in the end curiosity took the best of him and he finally decided to open the box you had handed to him rather unceremoniously

“what is this dear?”

the apron you had chosen was a perfect fit for your long boi

“read it, please”

“kiss the cook? well, if you ask me so nicely, I just might have to”

he then proceeded to peck your cheek and you swore you could have fainted right there and then by the sheer sweetness of the gesture

it hadn't exactly been what you had planned, but you weren't going to complain

your relationship was bound to be full of surprises apparently

[pedropascalonline]

Love is fire

Maxwell Lord x Reader 

Summary: Y/N is saving up to attend the university of her dreams,she is shocked to find out that her father got her a job as Maxwell Lord’s assistant. Y/N can’t stand him but soon enough they become infatuated with each other.

Warnings: Swearing. 

A/N : Hello everyone. I’m an absolute simp for Max Lord. I hope y'all like this and want me to continue. Feedback is appreciated and remember to let me know if you want to be tagged.

“I’m sorry Wyndham but there’s nothing to do, I just don’t have an opening at the moment.”

“That’s okay, Mr.Lord I was just hoping that maybe there would be a place here for my y/n I have worked here for years and I was kind of envisioning the same thing for her.”

Wyndham had been Maxwell's personal driver since he was 40 and Maxwell only 20, now that he was 65 the time came for him to go home indefinitely at the end of his shift today.

“Mr.Lord, I have them on the phone for you.” said his redhead assistant Anna. Who was visibly uncomfortable in her high heels.

“Are you alright Anna?” asked Wyndham noticing her uncomfortable walk.

“Oh yes thank you, I just can’t wait for this one to finally come out, he’s making my feet swell like crazy,” said Anna as she looked down at her swollen belly.

Max rolled his eyes at interaction.

“Right Wyndham I need to take this call I’ve been waiting for it all week, I’ll see you later then. Remember it’s straight home tonight.”

“Of course Mr.Lord.”

Wyndham and Anna took their leave and left Max to do his job, which seemed like lately, it was only screaming at people.

X

You sighed as you wiped down the sticky counter top, you couldn’t believe that it was the fifth time a child had knocked over their drink on your shift. Every time you reminded yourself to never have children.

“Y/N when you’re done there can you please come to help me in the back ?”

“Yes, Charlie I’ll be there in a minute,” you answered.

Charlie was your boss but also your best friend. He’s the one that got you your waitressing job after you finished high school together.

His family owned the cafe where you worked. Your family didn’t have enough money to send you to the university of your dreams so you decided you’d make the money yourself. It was proving to be more difficult than you initially thought.

“What’s up?” you asked Charlie.

“Are we going out tonight or what? This week has been exhausting and I need a distraction.”

“You can say that again but unfortunately not tonight, it’s my dads last night of work and I want to be there when he gets home.” You said smiling sadly.

Charlie sensed your change in mood and hugged you.

“Hey, cheer up. It’s the 80’s anything can happen, just don’t give up yet.”

“My parents are old, and now my dad won’t be bringing back money anymore, my mum is getting tired of looking after kids all day and now I’ll have to start helping with bills. I don’t mind doing it but this just isn’t how I saw my plan going yah know?” tears were spilling down your face at this point and Charlie pulled you in tighter.

“Listen, you’ve got this. If there is anybody that can do this, it’s you. I’ve never seen you fail at anything and I won’t have you start now.”

“I love you so much,” you said as you held him closer.

“I love you too babe.”

X

“You ready Mr.Lord?” Asked the elderly man.

“Always,” replied Max as he got into the back seat of his limousine.

Wyndham got into the car and adjusted his mirrors for the last time. He put on his driving hat. His eyes meeting Max’s in the rearview mirror.

“Going home, Mr Lord”

Maxwell only nodded as the car took off. He’s heard those words for over 25 years and now it’s suddenly stopping. His new driver will be picking him up on Monday morning and he sighed at the thought of having to get to know someone all over again.

The city was alive with teenagers partying, adults dancing and kid’s at the movies. Sometimes he wondered...

X

The view of The Lord mansion came into view as the large iron gates opened. The doubted rooted in the middle of the drive-in looking especially beautiful with the recently added lights. The head housemaids idea. Agatha practically raised Max since his parents were always away for business.

Wyndham and Agatha were about the only people Max could stand. Well, and of course the exception of his assistant Anna and maybe just maybe his Gardner but he never really saw him all that much but he reminded him of one of the friends he has as a child. Heck, he didn’t even know his name. Alec maybe? Or Rodney?

Wyndham opened the door for Maxwell and swiftly closed it behind him again.

“Well Sir, it was a privilege working for you. I’ll never forget how good you were to me.” The old man’s eyes turned glasses as he took off his hat, handing it over to Max.

“Keep it please, it won’t be same in somebody else. Are you sure I can’t give you any kind of compensation?”

“No Sir please we’ve been over this, I’ve managed to put away a sum of money each month, I couldn’t take any more.”

“This doesn’t feel right Wyndham, is there anything I can do? Anything at all.”

“Well, perhaps there is one thing...”

X

“YOU GOT ME A JOB AS MAX LORD’S ASSISTANT?” you were fuming.

“Oh come on Y/N this could be your big break,” said your dad trying to cheer you up.

“My big break? Dad, I’m not working for that prick.”

“Hey you watch your mouth, that prick is who paid your school fees and fed you your whole life.”

“I know it’s just...I’ve never liked him, he’s so cold and have you seen him on tv? He’s so full of himself and he doesn’t know what to do with all that money and...”

“Didn’t you use to have a crush on him? You would see his commercials and go all read.” said your mother from across the room.

“MOTHER !!!”

“Listen, honey, just give it a chance. It’s good money and it will look great on any university application.”

“Your father is right Y/N just see how it goes, we would never force you to stay if it’s unpleasant.”

You never could say no to your parents and half of the time they were right.

“What if I take the job but work at the cafe at nights with Charlie?”

“You could do that but won’t that be exhausting?” questioned your mother.

“Being a personal assistant can be a lot of work especially for Mr.Lord.”

“Maybe your right, I’ll go down to the cafe tomorrow and talk to Charlie. How did you get me this job anyway?”

“Well, his current assistant is pregnant and is going on leave soon. When I dropped him off tonight I asked him.”

“And how did he react ?” you hated that you were curious.

“Well he wasn’t surprised but since it’s only temporary he agreed, he mentioned sometime about how he cannot wait to meet you.”

“There she goes all red again.” said your mother giggling.

“Stop bothering the child Lillian.” said your dad grinning at your mother. Enjoy your embarrassment equally as much.

“Okay fine I’ll do it but if he gets on my nerves I’m quitting.”

X

“What on earth are you wearing ?!” Charlie practically had a heart attack.

“What do you mean this is all I had? I wore it to a christening.”

You shyly pulled down the hem of your dress to get the dress to cover your knees.

“We’re you the one being christened?”

“Oh shut up.”

“Okay listen if you were leaving me to work for Max Lord then you can’t go in looking like that. They will eat you alive. It’s business not pancakes.” said Charlie as he desperately tried to put your hair up.

“What do you suggest?” You asked defeated.

“We'll start by curling your hair if you are going to wear it loose or at least pin it up. Your make up shouldn’t be all over your white-collar and it’s the 80’s your allowed to wear pants, get rid of that dress and maybe buy a pencil skirt.”

“With what money Charlie? I can’t just make a new wardrobe appear.”

“I’ll tell you what. I know this cute thrift place downtown, I’ll take you there and give you your last paycheck early. Sides you get a gift as a thank you for your service yah know.” said Charlie as he grinned at you.

If it wasn’t for Charlie you probably would be a lost cause.

“Okay fine, you and me after work okay. I need your advice if I’m gonna take over the business world.”

Both of you started laughing. Your laughter stopped however when you saw Max’s commercial on the TV that was in the kitchen of the cafe.

“Shoot I’m late, I gotta go. See you later.”

“There she goes.” Mumbled Charlie as he watched you run off.

X

“Being late isn’t exactly a good first impression Y/N.” said Anna as her eyes landed on you.

“I know I’m sorry I lost track of time. Has he asked about me yet ?”

“You’re in luck, he’s not in today. He’s away for business he’s out the whole week. That’s good because if he saw you in that outfit he’d probably send you home.”

“He’d send me home for wearing a short dress what a - “

“No don’t even go there, he’s not like that, he’d send you home because you have terrible taste in fashion,” said Anna as she gave you a stern look.

“This is not an easy job but I trust in you. I’ll show you the basics today and then at the end of the week you’ll be starting on your own.”

The idea was scary. Would you be able to cope all alone in a big office? The one upside though was that Max’s assistant had their own little office away from the other workers which mean nobody could stare at you the way they did when you came up.

At least you could go shopping with Charlie after work, you didn’t want to admit it but you wanted to make a good impression now that you knew you had a second chance. Maybe your parents were right. This could be good for you.

X

Monday morning came zooming than you would have hoped. Your thrifting with Charlie went well and at least now you had a decent enough outfit.

Why did you even want to make a good impression, don’t you loathe this man?

Maybe it was just to avoid the uncomfortable stares from your co-workers. Everyone here looked like they belonged somewhere like they had to succeed.

To be honest, you felt intimidated walking to your office, maybe this wasn’t a good idea, maybe you should just go home and -

“Ohf, I’m so sorry I didn’t look where I was going.” you apologized.

Your bright e/c eyes traveled up to meet the dark brown ones of the man you had just bumped into. It was him. Max Lord.

“That much is clear.” His words sounded forced, almost like he didn’t even want to waste his time talking to you.

“I...I -“

“Out with it girl.”

“I'm new I’m filling in for Anna.” you managed to string together a sentence while still locking eyes with his.

“Oh yes, I was told you’d be here. Uh, why are you standing about? You know where to go.”

“Yes of course.” You muttered.

“Also, why don’t you get me some hot coffee. I’ll be in my office. Knock before entering.”

And just like that, he walked off. People seemed to be in awe of him, you couldn’t blame them, so were you.

You hurried down to the cafeteria and got Max his coffee, luckily Anna had shown you how to make it. No sugar, no milk, no cream no nothing.

“Black, like his soul.” Anna’s words came back to you. She chuckled when seeing your fearful face.

“I’m only joking, he isn’t all that bad. Just don’t cross him and by no means be a smart mouth.”

You wondered what she had meant by that, why would anyone want to talk back to Max in the first place?

You timidly knocked on his office door and entered when you heard his authoritative voice permitting you.

“Here’s your coffee Mr.Max.”

He looked amused at you, not in a good way.

“Mr.Max? Honestly are you that nervous, it’s pathetic.”

“So just Max then ?” And there it was. It’s his fault he made you want to talk back.

It was your turn to look amused as he almost choked on his coffee.

“Cat got your tongue, Max?” For God’s sake why couldn’t you stop talking.

“You may call me Mr.Lord or Sir if the former is going to be a struggle for you.”

“I guess we’ll have to see.”

You turned on your heels and made for the door, ready to go stick your head in a hole.

“Were you this much trouble working at that pathetic little cafe ?” He spat back.

“Oh, much more Sir.”

X

[notmydayjob]

a walk in two worlds | john laurens x reader.

words: 1.8k

warnings: a little bit about slavery just because its john, parent death, fluff and some possibly sexual comments if you think on it

desc: your father is british general whose been called to fight in georgia, with him gone and you alone in new york things are bound to happen, especially after you meet a certain soldier boy.

this is my first hamilton fic and I wanted to say a couple things before it got it started. First of all I am white writer and I write my fics to be inclusive but there may be things that I may not realize are excluding people because I’ve had the privilege of not being excluded so if you notice anything then please message me and I’ll be more than happy to edit it. second i wrote this at 3 am and even if nobody reads it i’ll probably make a pt2 but lemme know.

i kinda picked and choosed what i wanted to use from hamilton and real life so obviously not historically accurate 

There’s nothing quite like summer in the city, children running in the streets, the sound of hooves on the brick laid roads, and the hot sun shining down on busy men and women. You had just moved into the city with your father but soon after you arrived your father was called away to join the fight in Georgia. You were left behind with only your housekeeper who functioned as a Nanny when you were a child. Your mother had died when you were very young and your father worked so Joan was the closest thing to family you had. Before your father left he gave you three instructions. One, the city can be a dangerous place for a young beautiful girl, don’t go downtown. Two, if you must stray from the house never go anywhere unaccompanied. Three, the revolutionists are reckless and ruinous, stay away. Your father was a smart man but often worried too much especially for you. It took nearly three days to convince Joan to let you leave the house. “I will come with you then, just let me finish my chores, and then we may go, but we are staying uptown, it’s nice here, awfully quiet too.” She said when she finally caved. You thanked her profusely but unbeknownst to her when she turned her back to you, you slipped out the back door. When your father left he took the carriage with him and the coachman had not yet returned so you had to walk into the city. You weren’t complaining though, the weather was warm and the fresh air was refreshing after a  week of house arrest. As you approached the downtown district of Manhattan you noticed a noticeable drop in wealth due to many of its residents being either college students, revolutionists, or merchants. A young man stood on a soapbox in the city square ranting about the unjust taxes and the recent events in Boston while a large crowd cheered around him. Propaganda flyers were hung on every storefront and street lamp, you took one and quickly shoved it into the bottom of your basket next to a small bag of coins. For about 20 minutes you strolled around going between stands of vendors selling fruits, fans, furniture, and everything in between. You stopped at the stand of a man selling vegetables and began picking out a few. You clearly felt a presence behind you but stayed focused on your task. “What is a pretty young lady like you doin’ in the city all by herself.” The presence spoke smoothly. You looked up from under the brim of your hat to see a man around your age maybe a few years older. His curly black hair was tied up tightly at the back of his head. Your eyes then traveled to the rich blue coat he proudly wore. “Minding my own business.” You said flatly as you turned back to what you were doing. “You know there are a lot of dangerous people out here who might want to take advantage of such a pretty girl.” He said clearly thinking he was very smooth. “Is that so?” You responded as you paid for your goods. Maybe you were naive but he didn’t seem threatening, he seemed young, reckless, and a flirt which could be just as bad. “Yes ma’am, maybe I should be your escort to-” He began again but you cut him off. “What’s your name, sir.” You asked him curtly and for once turned to fully face him. “John Laurens.” He tipped his head to you. “Don’t you have something to protest Mr. Laurens.” You brushed past him and continued down the street but he was quick to follow you. “I’m a wonderful multitasker.” He chuckled softly at his own joke. You wanted to hate him, you wanted to believe everything your father said about revolutionists but this man was charming and had a gravitational pull that was nearly impossible for you to resist. You knew if he stopped following you then you would follow him, you just hoped he didn’t know that. “I’ve never seen you around here before.” “Is that supposed to be a question, Mr. Laurens.” From the side of your vision, you could see the grin on his face, he liked having you riled up. “My father and I just moved uptown.” “So a rich pretty girl.” He said to himself with the full intention of you hearing to which you scoffed. “Am I wrong?” He stepped out in front of you locking his honey brown eyes with yours. You simply rolled your eyes in protest. “That’s what I thought.” His smirk was so genuine and charming it made you smile back to which he beamed brightly. “So what does the pretty girl’s father do for such wealth.” He posed. “Old money.” You stated simply to avoid the topic but he was clearly not satisfied. “He’s a general.” You stared intently over at him to gauge his reaction. John immediately stopped in his tracks and the smirk on his fell. “I take it we’re on different sides of the war.” He nodded slowly not meeting your eyes. His sudden quietness intrigued you, it seemed like that would have only made him mouthier. “That’s right.” Your voice was nearly inaudible but your beg for him not to turn away was loud enough for him to stay even for just a moment longer. You were not content with those being your last words so you continued: “My father believes that the King is a just one.” You chose your words intentionally, hoping he would take the bait yet shocked when he did. “And what do you believe?” You didn’t quite know how to respond to his question. No one had ever asked for your political opinion, especially not a man. “Well,” The small grin was already appearing on your face. “The price of tea is far too high nowadays.” The smile was quick to come to his face though he played it off with a joking scoff and eye roll. “So, does the beautiful young lady have a name?” “Y/n.” “Y/n,” He repeated your words testing it out to see if he liked it, apparently he did because the next thing he asked was where the two of you were headed next. You went to the silversmith, and he talked about growing up on a plantation in South Carolina and the things he saw happen to his father’s slaves. You went to the bakery and he told you his dreams of giving those men their freedom so they could join him in fighting in the war. You found him more endearing the longer you talked to him. You let your guard down and showed him your interest in what he had to say and you no longer tried to hide the laughs and smiles that he pulled out of you. “What about you?” He asked as he held the door to the general store open for you. “What about me?” You asked promptly. “Oh, come on, I’ve done nothing but talk, you have to return the favor.” His smirk grew quickly. You simply rolled your eyes but let yourself smile to show that you found the joke at least a little funny. “There’s not much to tell until two weeks ago I stayed in my home back in London and did what I was asked.” You explained. “Will you grab the jam jar on the top shelf for me?” You could probably reach it but you wanted to see how quickly he would please you. He in fact did follow your request but not before taking a step closer to you, pressing you against the shelf as he reached over you to grab the jar above your head. “You don’t seem like the type to quietly obey.” John’s voice was low, lower than you’d ever heard it before and quiet enough so that you were the only one who heard his words. He did this on the purpose of course, what he said was only for you. He brought his hand down to give you the jar, your hand resting on his for just a moment. That’s when you realized this was the first time you’d touched, and now that’s all you wanted to do and the brushing of hands wasn’t nearly enough. As you went to stutter out an answer the shouting that was coming through the front door pulled both of you out of your moment. “Y/n M/n L/n, there you are, oh my god!” Joan ran straight for you. Her pale cheeks flushed and grey hair falling loose from her low bun. “I thought you’d run away, do you know how upset your father will be?” “Father isn’t here, you don’t have to tell him anything.” You proposed. “Is this your mother?” John interjected as he held his hand out for her to take. “No, she’s my handler.” You said with a hint of annoyance. Joan gave John her hand and he promptly placed a kiss on the back of it, you felt yourself become envious of her hand. Her cheeks turned bright red, you were sure she would tell you about how she hasn’t gotten this much attention from men since she was 20. “Joan this is John Laurens, John Laurens this is Joan.” You nearly groaned out. Joan quickly spoke up again right when you saw her eyes fall on Johns’s coat. “Oh my! Y/n we must be headed home now!” She grabbed your hand and began to drag you to the door. “Joan, Joan!” You shouted for attention before dangling your basket in front of her face. “I’ll pay for these.” She took the basket from your hands. “You wait outside.” She shooed you away. You exited the shop making sure that John was following. “Maybe we should make a run for it.” You turned to John as he chuckled. “I don’t think so, you’ll give the poor woman a heart attack.” He said then a silence fell between you. “I don’t want this to be the last time I see you though.” “Neither do I.” You said softly. “May I write you?” John quickly turned towards you, swooping your hands into his and holding them close to his heart. “Yes.” You nodded as you stared intently and how he held you. “John, this won’t be easy, my father would never-” “I know.” He said simply as he smiled at you and for just a moment you didn’t care about what your father would say. “Alright, Y/n, it’s time for us to head home,” Joan said as she came out the door. “Goodbye, Y/n.” He took your hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Goodbye, John Laurens.”

[excaliefur]

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better

Hello yes, i am posting this late i meant to post it a few days ago but whatever.

Also alcohol tw.

On AO3 just because I can :)

Wilbur, Niki and Jschlatt, the three of them had each other and their kids, that’s all they needed right?

The question lingered in their minds, will they ever be free if they don’t run?

“To the kids” Wilbur toasted, raising his glass. “The kids” Niki and Schlatt replied in unison. As Will drank, feeling the wine go down his throat, he thought about the kids.

It was always for them, god knows, without them, Niki Schlatt and will would be nowhere near this hellhole. Tommy, Tubbo and Ranboo. The three of them were too young to fend for themselves, too young to be left alone without guidance, much like Wilbur was. But if Will ever did to Tommy what Phil did to him, he’d urge the gods to strike him down immediately.

Hell would freeze over before Will ever even though about leaving Tommy to fend for himself. Will was ready to walk through hell for Tommy if that’s what it took to have a happy life. They didn’t need Phil or Technoblade. Phil was never a real dad and techno stopped being Wilbur’s brother when he stopped sticking up for Will. Nobody knew where they were, to be honest, Wilbur didn’t care.

Niki was slightly different. Wilbur resented Phil, that was easy to see. It was harder to see that Niki resented Eret. Sure, he had a good reason to be gone, but that doesn’t mean it was ok to leave Niki, a traumatised child who could barely survive on her own, in charge of another traumatized 5 year old. Ranboo was an angel and Niki couldn’t hate him if she tried.

Eret however, was a traitor to her. Yeah he maybe king and he maybe the best one this land has ever had, but if he was so wealthy and good why couldn’t he afford to help Niki. Niki lost her childhood raising one that wasn’t hers, much like Wilbur and Schlatt, maybe that’s why they got along so well.

Neither Niki or Wilbur knew if Tubbo was Schlatt’s son or sibling. It didn’t really matter though, he was stuck taking care of him just like Wilbur and Niki were. Schlatt seemed really intimdating, and he could be if he wanted to. Deep down, though, both of them knew how much he cared about Tubbo.

Both were there to comfort him when Tubbo got a deadly illness, both of them knew how worried he got. He didn’t leave his brothers bedside for days until Niki managed to get him to eat and rest, promising that neither she or Wilbur would leave Tubbo alone. Both celebrated with him when Tubbo said his first word, his first word was Schlatt. That was the first time they ever saw him cry.

From that day, all three of them promised that they would raise the kids well, and they’d raise them together. Their household was chaos, naturally. 3 toddlers with 3 teenagers left alone is bound to be chaotic. They still had their moments of peace though. It was a family, a real one, one none of them had ever had before.

It still got out of hand though sometimes, so once a month the grownups- ironic, isn’t it, calling themselves grownups was ironic. Schlatt had just recently turned 18 and yet he was so much more mature than Phil. No time to worry about Phil though, Phil didn’t deserve his attention.

Once a month, the grownups would have a night to themselves, kids around, just games, junk food and alcohol. Secretly, it was the night they all looked forward to. Yeah they love the kids but its nice to have a break once in a while. That was this night.

Schlatt looked old enough that they didn’t ask for his ID when buying the wine, and Niki bought the snacks while Wilbur got all the kids to bed. It was a nice night. Singing old songs from a time where they weren’t burdened by this responsibility, playing games and messing around as teenagers do. Telling tales of sorrow and misery over a cup of wine, telling secrets they couldn’t tell anyone else. It was nice. It was a breath of fresh air after everything.

“Why don’t we just leave?” Wilbur murmured. Niki was humming a old tune under her breath and Schlatt was getting more wine. “Sorry?” Niki inquired. “Why don’t we just up and leave this town? Go on an adventure?” He repeated, louder. Schlatt sighed.

“You know we can’t leave them, we’d be just as bad as them” He said, a trace of venom could be heard when he said them. Wilbur nodded, growing more confident and standing up from the rickety plastic table. “Yeah I mean, bring them along! All 6 of us just leaving and making it somewhere else, somewhere better!”

Schlatt looked thoughtful at that proposition, while Niki shook her head. “We don’t have the money for that, and besides that you know we can barely afford school here anyways, imagine how bad it’d be somewhere else”

Wilbur paused, he didn’t think of that. Feeling dismayed he sat back down. Schlatt stopped him though, with his hand on his shoulder. A frown on his face, not at Niki but, thoughtfully. “Do they really need to go to school though? Before you say anything hear me out”

He hurried to stop Niki who opened her mouth. She closed it and nodded. “Right so, Wills a geography nerd, he’s amazing at English and other languages, and also learns super quick. I have resources that will help us teach them, and you yourself did great in school, and can definitely help in maths and sciences!”

Niki thought for a moment. “Isn’t it illegal for them to drop out though?” Schlatt hesitated and Wilbur quickly swooped in. “We can apply for homeschooling them, and when we move, its probable we won’t need much of that, probably just survival skills” He said, looking at Schlatt for backup.

Schlatt nodded. “Exactly, and we won’t even need to pay for schooling.” Niki nodded “I, I think that’s smart” Niki smiled.

“Where would we go though?” She pondered outloud.

Will, feeling confident again, moved over to the window. “You remember the joyride we had when I turned 16? When they were at Sally’s place?” Niki nodded, joining him at the window. He raised his hand and pointed in the distance. “Around 50 km there, there was this large unoccupied territory, in Esempee right? So that’s where I’m thinking. It was completely untouched, a beautiful area where nobody could ever bother us, and we could build a home for all of us, a real one.”

Schlatt nodded as he spoke. He handed Niki and wills glasses to them respectively, and grabbed his own.

“So? What do you say?” He asked.

She hesitated, “Ok it might just be my drunk brain but, I say lets do this, lets get out of this hellhole” Niki said, raising her glass. Will cheered, high-fiving Schlatt who had a wide smile on his face. Will set down his glass and pulled Niki into a hug, inviting Schlatt to it too. Schlatt hid the smile on his face as he grumbled and joined.

After a moment, they broke apart, and Wilbur raised his glass. “To a new beginning” he said softly, a small smile on his face. Niki smiled and raised her glass, Schlatt following suit. “To a new beginning” they crooned.

As Niki drunk, she felt herself hoping that this wouldn’t fall through. Maybe for once she could be optimistic about this again. Maybe, it would be ok. For the kids and for them, they were just teenagers after all.

Maybe they would get the freedom they craved

Hi hello yes. If you made it this far, thank you :D

Uh remember to drink water and sorry for the quality of this, not my best work but i haven’t written dialogue in forever. 

[inyournightmares97]

Ultimatum (Part 6)

Park Jinyoung is a master negotiator. He’s used to preying on people’s weaknesses and manipulating them to get his way. So he can’t understand you; a lawyer who sees the world in black and white, as either good or bad. Conflict is inevitable.

But if the two of you can just set aside your differences, perhaps you can perform miracles together.

Word Count: 7.1k+

Warnings: Angst, office!au, enemies to lovers!au. Some language

Part 1: In Which You Win

Part 2: In Which He Wins

Part 3: In Which the Common Enemy Appears

Part 4: In Which You Work Together

Part 5: In Which Nobody Wins

Part 6: In which Everybody Wins

Part 7: In which Love Wins

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

You weren’t sure how long you sat in your car. 

It could have been hours, really. The sky darkened and night fell, but you couldn’t calm down enough to go inside. How were you going to tell your mother that you’d just been forced to resign? You had a decent amount of savings but elderly care was expensive and if you didn’t find a suitable job in two months then you were going to find it difficult to pay your mother’s bills. 

You groaned. 

How did this all go so terribly wrong? 

Maybe you shouldn’t have exploded at the CEO. Did it really matter whether he valued your work? You weren’t a child that needed praises. You were getting paid well and that should have been enough incentive for you to keep your mouth shut and just do your work. 

Maybe you should have listened to Jinyoung. He could be infuriating, but maybe he was actually much smarter than you. 

At least Jinyoung’s pride hadn’t lost him his job.

Either way, there was no use moping about it now. Your time with the company was over and once you broke the bad news to your mother, you would have to go home and fix your resume before sending out job applications. 

Fuck. You hated job-hunting. 

You stepped out of the car and walked to the entrance of your mother’s care home. The usual nurse was standing in the lobby and her eyes widened with delight as soon as she saw you. 

“There you are! Your boyfriend’s been here for a while, he kept asking when you would come!” she chirped. She giggled and leaned closer to whisper. “Where did you meet him? Is he rich? He looks rich, just something about the way he walks and his clothes-”

“Excuse me? What boyfriend?”

“The one who came yesterday!” she said. Her eyes narrowed. “Do you have more than one?”

"No, I don't..."

I don't even have one, was what you were about to say, but something clicked in your mind. The one who came yesterday. She could only be talking about Park Jinyoung. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he have gone home to pack for Busan after the disaster of today evening? 

Or was he just here to torment you? 

You went into the lounge and found your mother sitting in her usual armchair. Jinyoung was sitting beside her- his laptop bag strewn on the floor and his suit jacket slung over the back of the chair as he spoke to her with a handsome smile on his face.

You sighed. You didn't really want to face him tonight. Park Jinyoung had seen enough of your weaknesses tonight to last a lifetime. 

"Hi," you greeted them, interrupting their conversation. Your mother looked up with bright eyes and Jinyoung looked at you too. His soft lips curved into a smile. 

"Hey!" he greeted you cheerfully. "Where have you been? I thought you left work a long time ago! I tried calling but you didn't answer."

You forced a smile. "Jinyoung…"

"Yeah?"

"Not that I don't want you here, but I'd like a few minutes alone with my mother."

Jinyoung stood up and smoothed his formal shirt down with a nod. "Of course. But before that, I need a few minutes alone with you. Can we talk outside?"

You felt tired. "Can it wait? I-"

"No, it can't wait. It has to be now. Come on."

You were too exhausted to protest as Jinyoung wrapped his warm fingers around your forearms and steered you towards the exit of the care home. You found yourself back in the parking lot with a sheepish Jinyoung looking down at you and rubbing the back of his neck.

"What is it?" you asked. 

Jinyoung cleared his throat. "Well… I'm not sure how to explain this but…"

"You have one minute."

"Okay. I talked to the CEO again and he said everyone can stay here and nobody has to go to Busan," he blurted out. 

Your eye twitched. 

"Excuse me?"

"You can stay here. And keep your job."

"No, I heard you. I just don't believe you," you replied. You narrowed your eyes at Jinyoung. Was he joking? Was this some kind of a trick? You might have gotten along with the successful salesman in recent days, but you couldn’t forget that he was a manipulative asshole capable of anything.

"I'm not lying. Check your email," he insisted.

You fumbled in your bag for your phone and quickly checked your email. Park Jinyoung was telling the truth. There was an email in your inbox from the CEO stating that the transfer orders had been cancelled indefinitely. 

You felt weak.

"What the f-"

Jinyoung grinned. "I told you I wasn't lying."

"How did you manage that?" you demanded. You stared up at him in shock. "Park Jinyoung what the fuck did you do?"

Jinyoung wiggled his fingers in the air. "Magic."

You flung your handbag at him in frustration, and Jinyoung flinched when it smacked into his shoulder. Your red eyes showed how furious you were and he took a step back from you with a nervous laugh. 

"Hey, now calm down…"

"You did something stupid, didn't you?" you demanded.

Jinyoung shook his head. "No, I-"

“Park Jinyoung tell me what stupid, dick-head move you pulled to get us our jobs back or I swear to god-” 

Jinyoung backed away from you nervously. “Hey! Relax, I’ll tell you if you promise not to hurt me! Look. I didn’t do anything illegal. We had another negotiation where I pulled out another card I’d been hiding and it turned out that was his bottom line, so he agreed to let everyone stay. We’re not getting bonuses anymore.” 

Your heartbeat was thudding. “I… I don’t understand.” 

“Me neither,” Jinyoung complained as he rubbed his sore shoulder and pouted. “If I’d hit you with my bag then things would be a lot more serious, you know. You can’t just hit people. Even if you’re a woman.” 

“I-I’m sorry.” 

Jinyoung smirked. “And?”

Your eyes widened in shock. "Oh my god. I already emailed my resignation! So did Yugyeom and Youngjae! What if the CEO accepts them?" 

"He can't."

"Why not?"

Jinyoung folded his arms across his chest with a smug smile. "I talked to my friend in IT. He recalled the mails and deleted them from the server. They're gone, long before the CEO had a chance to see them."

"Wow."

"Don't you have anything else to say?" Jinyoung pressed. 

"What?"

“Let me give you a hint. An expression of gratitude. Two words, first word is five letters, second word is three-” 

“Thank you,” you mumbled. 

Jinyoung’s smile softened and as you looked up at him, you could see a quiet satisfaction in his eyes. It surprised you. 

This wasn’t the usual haughty, egoistic pride that was spread all over Jinyoung’s handsome face. It was something more innocent. 

The pleasure of having made someone happy. 

Jinyoung had never imagined it could feel so wonderful. 

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

“Well, well, well! Look who was gone for a whole minute! If it isn’t our Legal team.”

You looked up from your laptop to face Jackson Wang, standing over you. The entire office was in a cheerful mood this morning. News had spread that the Busan transfers had been cancelled and that the CEO had been forced to give in. 

It was a victory that everyone shared. 

People had been coming up to thank you all morning. You’d tried telling them that you weren’t sure how it had happened, but they wouldn’t listen. 

“Morning, Jackson,” you greeted. 

“Good morning. I see some bright and happy faces!” Jackson waved at both Yugyeom and Youngjae. Then he turned back to you. “Anyway, I’m here to check up on the sale agreements I asked you to look through?”

You nodded. “I’ll send them to you with my comments by the end of the day.”

“Good stuff, good stuff.”

“Was there anything else?”

With a nod, Jackson climbed up and sat on the edge of your desk with one leg. You frowned in disapproval. You didn’t like people sitting on your desk. Then again, Jackson Wang was hardly the most tactful person in the world. 

“What do you think about Jinyoung?” he asked eagerly. 

You raised an eyebrow. “Jinyoung?” 

“Yeah.” 

“What do I think about him? In what context?” you asked, confused.

“In every context.”

You folded your arms across your chest and leaned back in your chair. “I’m a little busy, Jackson. Can we save the games for outside of working hours?”

Jackson sighed. “You know, Jinyoung might seem a little selfish but deep down he’s a really sensitive guy. You get what I’m saying? He reads poetry in his free time. He likes little kids. He really loves his mom and he’s passionate about his work. And recently, I learned that he even has the potential to be rather… romantic?”

You stared at him. “Are you two dating?” 

“What? No!” 

“Then what the hell are you trying to say?” 

“Screw it. Never mind. You wouldn’t understand,” Jackson replied as he got off your desk and dusted off his pants with a frown. “You’re really cold, you know that?” 

“Please go away.” 

“Fine. I’ll leave. I just feel bad for Jinyoung, that’s all.” 

“Seriously Jackson, go away.” 

“Fine!” 

Jackson left and you rolled your eyes, accidentally making eye contact with Yugyeom who was watching the exchange with interest. You shrugged in bewilderment and Yugyeom grinned until his phone buzzed and he looked at it with wide eyes. 

“Hana?” he answered happily. 

You sighed and turned back to your laptop. 

Young love. You wished it was that easy for you. 

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

You had just sat down to eat your lunch in the cafeteria when Park Jinyoung slid into the seat across from you. 

“Hi,” you greeted him, mildly surprised. 

Jinyoung barely looked at you as he unwrapped his sandwich hastily. “Hey. Can’t talk for long, need to eat fast because I have a meeting with a client in about fifteen minutes,” he blurted out before taking a huge bite. 

“O...k?” you replied. You hadn't even asked. 

He looked up at you as he swallowed. “How’s your day going?” 

“Um, fine, I guess.”

“Just a heads up, don’t take any rumours you hear around office too seriously. Jackson might be saying some stuff, but that’s because he’s been smoking too much weed. Oh, but don’t tell anyone I said that either. HR might organize a drug test and I don’t want him fired.”

You stared at him. “Jackson shouldn’t be smoking.”

“I know, I keep telling him that but he doesn’t listen!” Jinyoung insisted as he took another huge bite. His sandwich was half gone and he rapidly drank half a bottle of water. 

“What kind of rumours, though?”

“Huh?”

“What kind of rumours is he spreading?” you repeated. “If he’s saying something that’s affecting you badly, or disparaging you then shouldn’t you talk to him? Or at least ask HR to talk to him?”

Jinyoung laughed and waved it off. “What? No. It’s cool.”

“If you say so.”

Jinyoung swallowed the last of his sandwich- you hadn’t even touched your own food yet- and crumpled up the wrapper before finishing his water bottle. Then he looked at you with a handsome smile. 

“Oh, and did I mention? I kind of need you to attend this client meeting with me.”

You stared at him. “Excuse me?”

“I’m negotiating a huge sale and the client is being stubborn. I know our good-cop-bad-cop routine didn’t work too well on the CEO, but it would be great if you could come along. I’m up for an award in March and I really need this sale.”

Your face turned white. 

“Park Jinyoung, I cannot believe you-”

“I’ll see you at Conference room 7 in… thirteen minutes? I knew you would be a sport. Thanks so much!” he gave you a friendly pat on the back and a charming smile before briskly walking out of the cafeteria. 

You stared down at your lunch tray and took a deep breath as you waited for the anger to wash over you.  

You should have been furious. Park Jinyoung had signed you up to attend a meeting during your lunch break with almost no notice and you should have been raging mad at the nerve he had. 

But you weren’t. 

Because taking someone from Legal to his negotiations was something Jinyoung had been refusing to do for the past year, no matter how many times you begged and pleaded with him. He always said that wasn't something he could compromise on. Maybe his failure to give you enough notice was annoying and inconsiderate but in the bigger picture…

You had won. 

You smiled to yourself and then glanced at the time. 

Oh, shit. You had barely 10 minutes to eat lunch. 

Fuck you, Park Jinyoung. 

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

"Oh excellent, you're here," Jinyoung greeted you with relief as you turned into the hallway. He looked smart and well-dressed; the suit jacket was only pressed and worn for client meetings and you could smell his cologne. 

Park Jinyoung smelled wonderful.  

You frowned at him. "You don't just spring meetings on people. That wasn't funny."

"It was to me."

You sighed. "Look. There's still 2 minutes left, at least give me a quick briefing and tell me what this meeting is about?"

"Relax. The deal is in the bag. The client's product specifications are really particular and nobody else in the industry is willing to accomodate them. So they need us badly. The issue is getting them to pay a better price. Right now, they're acting arrogant and low-balling us with the figures."

You raised an eyebrow. "How do we fix that? Price negotiation isn't my strong point."

Jinyoung chuckled. "Nobody in Sales is stupid enough to ask you to negotiate anything for them. Don’t worry.  That's not what I expect."

"Then what do you expect?"

"I just need you to be a bitch."

You bristled. "I'm not sure how I feel about you calling me that word repeatedly-"

Jinyoung blinked innocently and shook his head. "What? No, I'm not calling you a bitch. I'm saying that I need you to act like one, just for the purposes of this client meeting so that they get a little flustered and agree to a higher price."

"Still not an appropriate word to use in the workplace," you pointed out stubbornly. 

He groaned. "Fine. I'm sorry. Can you please come and be unreasonable and obstinate, like you always are whenever I ask you for anything?"

You folded your arms across your chest. "You can do better than that."

“This is absurd.”

“Asking for basic decency is absurd?” you demanded. 

Jinyoung groaned and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Fine. Let me try again. Will you please attend this meeting with me and help me strike fear in the hearts of the clients with your powerful and fearsome ways?”

You smiled. “I like that.”

“Come on, let’s just hurry up and go inside.”

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

“That won’t work.”

The client looked flustered. Jinyoung leaned back in his seat and watched as you handled the entire meeting yourself, cutting off the client at every turn, insisting that nothing would work and being an obstinate, unreasonable bitch. 

Jinyoung was having the time of his life. 

“But we’ve already compromised on a lot of the terms,” the client insisted. The lady had looked confident when she entered, but she was slowly buckling under your strength. Her desperation was leaking into her voice. “We’re offering the best terms we can and we want something that will benefit both parties-”

“Then how about you offer something that will actually benefit both parties? Because what you’re offering right now is a joke.”

Jinyoung leaned forward in a half-hearted attempt to control you. 

“Now come on. Let’s not be too harsh. Mrs. Kim is doing her best-”

“Mrs. Kim needs to do better,” you replied sharply. “What they’re asking for is something completely out of the box. There’s no standard protocol to follow to produce a product like that and we would have to customize all processes from the ground up. I’m a lawyer, should I really be teaching you about business processes, Mr. Park? Please bring your common sense to this negotiation.”

Jinyoung blinked in amusement. You were even turning against him, now? Even though your lips were pressed together in a frown, he could see a glint in your eyes. 

You were enjoying this. 

Fuck, Jinyoung thought as he gave up and relaxed back into his seat. He had never realized exactly how attractive you were when you were flaunting your power. Or maybe he had. Maybe this was just the first time he wasn’t at the receiving end of your wrath, so he could sit and watch you with leisure. 

Mrs. Kim bit her lip. “These are the final numbers I can offer you. Can you take a look?”

You glanced at the numbers and stood up. “This is really a waste of time.”

“What-”

“I don’t think this meeting is going anywhere like this,” you decided. You tossed your pen onto the table and it hit the surface with a thunk as you gathered up your belongings. Mrs. Kim looked shocked but you kept a perfectly expressionless face as you slung your bag over your shoulder. “Perhaps we can meet again, Mrs. Kim, once your company looks at the numbers and comes up with a more competitive figure.”

Jinyoung blinked. “Are you really-”

You stormed out, unable to suppress the giggles that were threatening to erupt from your lips. You waited until you were in the corridor and at a safe distance before allowing yourself to laugh. It was awful; you felt bad for the poor woman but she now understood who had the upper hand and she would be forced to concede to whatever Jinyoung asked. 

Still, setting aside the satisfaction of winning…

It was the most fun you’d had in a while. 

You heard the conference room door open and Jinyoung stepped out into the corridor. His eyes were shining as he walked towards you briskly. 

“Okay,” he said with a grin. “I knew you were good but I didn’t know you were that good.”

“I almost feel bad for her,” you giggled. 

“Relax. The numbers they were quoting originally were terrible. You finally brought her up to a more reasonable price. I can’t believe you just stormed out like that, though, that was…”

You bit your lip. “Excessive?”

Sexy as hell, Jinyoung thought to himself silently. 

“Effective,” he said out loud. “It was effective. I’m going to go back in there and comfort her and seal the deal, okay? Thanks for doing this, honestly. You saved me from having to accept her low-balled figure.”

“Park Jinyoung? Showing gratitude? I must be dreaming.”

Jinyoung frowned. “Hey. I’m a reasonable guy.”

“Sure.”

“And besides. It’s not too bad when we’re on the same team, is it? I always imagined you would get in my way during negotiations but honestly… when we’re on the same page I think we do pretty well,” he admitted. 

You nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. I guess we do work well together.”

“Anyway. I should go back before she cracks. See you.”

“Yep. Bye.”

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

You returned to your desk to find Yugyeom waiting for you. 

“What’s up with you?” you asked. 

“I feel like I should tell you something,” he began awkwardly. Yugyeom lowered his voice and shielded his mouth with one hand to whisper. “Hana told me that there’s some rumours going around the Sales department.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Really Yugyeom? Participating in office gossip? I expected better from you.”

“It’s about you,” he insisted. 

“What about me?”

He cleared his throat. “Okay. I know this sounds absurd, but... Jackson Wang is going around telling people  that Park Jinyoung is in love with you.”

You stared at him. 

“What?”

“Park. Jinyoung. Might be in love with you.”

You couldn’t help it; you laughed. The thought was so absurd that you couldn’t react in any other way. Jinyoung? In love with you? Wasn’t he always calling you a witch and a teacher’s pet and saying he found your moral superiority annoying? How could he possibly be in love with you, in any sense of the word? 

“Wow, I needed that laugh.”

Yugyeom frowned. “But it’s serious. People believe it.”

“What is this, middle school? Do we spread rumours about every guy and girl who talk? Park Jinyoung hates me. Sure, maybe we worked together on a couple of things and have some level of professional compatibility, but-”

“Professional compatibility?” Yugyeom questioned. 

“You know. We work well together. That’s it!”

“Huh.”

You flushed. “What are you getting at here? Just because Park Jinyoung and I managed to work together like decent human beings does not mean that he suddenly likes me in any way. He’s a selfish asshole and I’m not his type in the slightest. We have to struggle just to have a civil conversation.”

Yugyeom shrugged. “If you say so.”

“I do. Why is Jackson spreading rumours like that? Is he actually high while at work?”

“Jackson doesn’t smoke up.”

You blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, he quit smoking years ago. And he’s Jinyoung’s closest friend at work, don’t you think he would know what he’s talking about?” Yugyeom reasoned. “I know Jinyoung isn’t typically nice or flirtatious but he does seem to find reasons to come around here a lot and you get really worked up around him so it could be… you know.”

“No, I don’t know. Tell me.”

He lowered his voice with a childish grin. “Sexual tension.”

“Do you want to be fired less than a day after getting your job back, Kim Yugyeom?”

“No, ma’am.”

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

You were just getting ready to leave when Park Jinyoung came by your desk. 

“Hey,” he greeted. “Heading home?”

You nodded, feeling flustered at the sudden sight of him. As much as you wanted to brush off the rumours, you couldn’t completely ignore them. 

Could they be true? Had something changed between you and Jinyoung? 

“Yup, getting ready to leave. Did you need something?” you asked him. 

“Just thought I’d stop by and update you on how the negotiation went. We signed off on the deal, Mrs. Kim offered way more than I expected her to. She was relieved not to have to negotiate with you anymore. I guess you do have some skills, teacher’s pet.”

You rolled your eyes. “I’ve always had skills.”

“Anyway, I thought we should celebrate sealing another deal. Want to go get a drink?”

“I have plans tonight. Maybe some other time. You’re supposed to take someone from Legal along to all of your important client negotiations, I hope you remember that?” you demanded. 

Jinyoung chuckled. “Yeah, yeah. We’ll see.”

“No. Don’t brush me off. I’ll see you at the next negotiation.”

“You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?” Jinyoung asked with a chuckle. “You were in your element today. Fine. Who am I to deny you some excitement in your dull life of reviewing contracts? I’ll give you a call when I find my next client. Good night!”

“Night.”

Jinyoung left and you shut your laptop down, sliding it into your bag and zipping it closed. You had just slung it over your shoulder when you noticed that both Yugyeom and Youngjae were staring at you with wide eyes and open mouths. 

“What’s wrong with you two?” you demanded. 

“Park Jinyoung just asked you out!” gasped Yugyeom. 

“Huh?”

“He just asked you out to drinks after work! Right in front of our eyes! How are you so calm about this, you rejected Park Jinyoung!”

Your cheeks burned up. “What? No! I helped him close a sales deal so he probably wanted to celebrate by getting a drink, that’s all! Colleagues do that all the time, don’t they? Don’t the Sales guys treat you two to drinks when a deal you’ve been working on goes well?”

“No. The Sales guys are stingy as hell,” Youngjae replied. 

“But-”

“He just asked you out and you said no.”

“He did not!” you insisted, flustered. “This is so absurd, I don’t know why you guys are so hung up on this. Jinyoung doesn’t date women like me. I'm sure he goes for a different type.”

“Do you know what his type is?”

“... No. But-”

Yugyeom and Younjae both exchanged a meaningful look while you stared at them in bewilderment. 

What was happening?

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

You didn't realize it at the time but perhaps in his own subtle and clueless manner, Park Jinyoung was attempting to woo you.

“What’s this?” you asked. 

Hana had turned up at your desk early in the morning on Monday, carrying a small box with three take-away coffees in it. She set one down on your desk and smiled. 

“Coffee,” she explained cheerfully. “Mr. Park asked me to get some for the Legal team. I dodn’t know if you like sugar and milk so I just bought some extra for you to add. There are muffins too, if you guys are hungry.” 

“Wow,” Youngjae looked suspicious as he took his coffee. “This is a first. Do you think it’s poisoned?”

Yugyeom grinned as he reached for his own cup. “Thanks, Hana. Although maybe it’s our boss we should be thanking. We all know who Park Jinyoung really sent the coffee for, and it’s not you or me, hyung.”

Youngjae grinned and raised his cup in your direction. “Thanks, boss.”

You glared at them. “He sent it for all of us!”

“Sure he did.”

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

Jinyoung was pacing the corridor and talking on the phone loudly. 

It was mildly distracting but it wasn’t as if you could ask him to shut up; it was an open office space and people talking on the phone and discussing things was a common noise that you should be able to ignore. 

It still didn’t make sense that he wanted to take his phone calls here, so far away from his own desk. 

You closed your laptop and took two steps towards the corridor just as Jinyoung ended his phone call and fell into stride beside you. 

“Hey!” he greeted. “Going to get some lunch?”

You nodded. “It is lunchtime…”

“Great. I’m hungry too. Let’s go together. Do you want to hit that chinese place across the road? I have some discount coupons and their wontons are amazing. You don’t have any meetings right after lunch, do you?”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Not unless you spring one on me like yesterday.”

Jinyoung chuckled. “Me? Not today.”

You followed him out of the office, unable to find a reason to say no. And why shouldn’t you go with him? Colleagues could go out to grab lunch together, right? 

To be honest, you’d never really been close enough to anybody from a different department to have lunch with them but lots of people at work did it. Besides, Jinyoung had talked about discount coupons and nobody said stuff like that if they meant it to be a date.

Right? 

Why were you even thinking about this? Yugyeom and Youngjae must have gotten to your head. 

“Thanks for the coffee this morning,” you told Jinyoung as he opened the door for you at the restaurant. He smiled at you sheepishly. “Why did you ask Hana to get us all coffee and breakfast?”

Jinyoung shrugged. “I don’t know. You guys work hard. Just wanted to appreciate it.”

“Huh.”

“Why do you sound like you don’t believe me? Table for two, please,” Jinyoung said quickly to the waiter, who led you both to a corner table with a pleasant view.

“I just never pegged you for the appreciative type. Not to mention that I don’t think the company as a whole really appreciates anything my department does here,” you mumbled bitterly. 

Jinyoung stared at you, dark eyes concerned. “Hold on. You’re not still hung up on what the CEO said, are you? It’s his personal opinion. You can’t take it to heart. Most of us don’t feel that way about Legal. It’s just one guy.”

You sighed. “That one guy runs our entire company, Jinyoung.”

“I know. But…”

“But what?” you demanded. “He controls the policies and the way things run here. A company is moulded by its CEO. I don’t know how much longer I can stay knowing that he dislikes me. I’ll never be able to grow in my career, I’ll be stuck here forever.”

“You can find ways to grow!”

“Under his authority?” you scoffed. “You think the man is ever going to give me a promotion, after the shit I pulled with him? I’m not sure how you convinced him to give us our jobs back but I can guarantee he’ll bear a personal grudge against me.”

Jinyoung frowned. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t.”

You rolled your eyes. “You don’t control him.”

“I got him to cancel the Busan transfer, didn’t I?.”

“Yeah. How did you do that?” you asked with a frown. “I was too surprised to push you for an answer that day, but you never explained. What did you do? I hope you didn’t blackmail him or do something dangerous, Park Jinyoung.”

Jinyoung scoffed. “Please. I told you I didn’t do anything illegal.”

“Then how?”

“I just figured out his bottom line and threatened to rip it out from underneath him.”

“What was his bottom line?”

Jinyoung smiled cryptically as he picked up a lunch menu and flipped through it. “Maybe I’ll tell you someday. What do you think about shrimp wontons? They’re personally my favorite.”

“I hate them.”

“Fine, I’ll order a single portion then. Oh look! They have some Christmas specials. Speaking of Christmas, are you planning to go to the annual office Christmas party tomorrow? It’s a lot of fun. There’s free cocktails and they usually do this stupid little Secret Santa thing.”

You groaned. “God, I hate those.”

Jinyoung chuckled. “I thought you would.”

“I never get a nice present. I got socks one year, and this disgusting scented candle set the next. It stank up my house whenever I lit it. Besides, I can’t on Friday. They’re having a Christmas celebration at my mother’s care home and it’s really important to her that I go.”

“Oh. That’s nice.”

“Yeah. We used to have these huge family Christmases when I was a kid but, well… we don't anymore and I think my Mom misses them," you admitted. You sighed and flipped a page of the menu. "I know it’s hardly enough, but I should at least spend time with her myself, so she’s not completely alone."

Jinyoung blinked. "Huh. I've always found huge family Christmases a pain. Then again, I've never really spent Christmas alone."

You raised an eyebrow at him. "You have a huge family?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know, I figured your family abandoned you as a kid because they couldn't stand you anymore," you said flippantly. 

Jinyoung frowned. "That's not nice."

"I'm not nice. And I don't like shrimp wontons. Can we order chicken instead?"

Jinyoung sighed and closed the menu. "Yeah, fine, have it your way."

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

Your mother always looked sad around Christmas-time. 

“How much longer do we have to listen to her?” you whispered to your Mom with a playful grin, in an attempt to cheer her up. Another one of the elderly ladies at the care home was reciting poetry and she seemed to have an entire sheaf of papers to read from. “Is she reading us a poem or an entire trilogy?”

Your Mom hushed you. “Don’t be rude.”

“But it’s boring.”

“Yes, but it’s important to her that we listen to her poetry so let’s not interrupt her,” she insisted. She placed a weak hand on your arm and smiled hesitantly. “I’m sorry you had to come and stay here with me on the night of your office Christmas party.”

You rolled your eyes. “Come on, Mom. They do those Christmas parties every year. People just exchange cheap gifts and get extremely drunk. It’s no fun.”

“And listening to Mrs. Jung read her poetry is?”

“It’s fine because I’m with you,” you promised. 

“You should be out with your friends and coworkers. Or your boyfriend. What happened to that nice young man who came by here a couple of times? He seemed interested in you.”

You flinched. “Park Jinyoung?” 

“Yes, Jinyoung. I thought he liked you. He seemed very polite and charming.”

“He’s just like that. Besides, I don’t think I’m the type Jinyoung would really go for,” you replied. You turned to your Mom and bit your lip. “I think I’m going to look for a new job, Mom. Don’t worry. I’ll look for a company nearby so I can stay near you, and something that pays well, but… I don’t think I see a future for myself with this organization.”

You mother blinked. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’ve started applying already.”

“If you say so, dear. You’ve always been responsible about your decisions, I doubt there’s any advice I could give you.”

You chuckled. “You’d support me no matter what.”

“Of course I would.”

“What do you want to do on Christmas Day? I can ask the doctor to let you out for a bit and we can have lunch at my apartment. I’ll buy groceries and cook for us both. How does that sound?”

“It sounds lovely, dear,” she said softly. 

“You don’t sound so sure.” 

“I am, really.” 

You opened your mouth to press her further but before you could, a round of polite applause filled the room. Mrs. Jung had finally finished reading her poetry. Your mother waved for the nurse to come over and take her to her room. “I’m a little tired, dear. I think I’ll go to bed. Drive home safely, okay?” 

You nodded and gave her a hug goodbye. 

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

Outside in the parking lot, Park Jinyoung was losing his mind. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about you. The Christmas party had been a blast from the start; Jackson was a hilarious drunk and he’d even caught Yugyeom and Hana making out less than an hour in. Jinyoung should have been having fun but he kept thinking about how much he wished you were at the party. 

After drowning just enough wine to lose any remaining sense of propriety, he’d taken a cab to your mother’s care home. 

And now he was standing outside in the chilly winter air, wondering what the fucking hell he was doing outside an elderly people’s care home, drunk and clutching an expensive bottle of wine that he’d swiped from the party and waiting for you to come out. 

It was pathetic, really. 

And Park Jinyoung wasn’t pathetic. 

No. He wasn’t. Women fell for him, not the other way around. Park Jinyoung had never struggled to find attractive and willing female companions, even before he’d acquired a high-paying job and bought his own apartment. So why was he so fixated on you? 

Why was he sitting here in this desolate, pathetic, miserable place?

Perhaps it was because the moment you entered his line of vision, his mind went blank and all he could think about was how adorable you looked walking over towards him in the cold, your arms wrapped around yourself and face snuggled into your scarf. 

“Jinyoung?” you called out in disbelief. “What are you doing?” 

Jinyoung didn’t know how to respond. He decided that bare-faced shamelessness was the best way to go. He was drunk so he would blame it all on the alcohol later. He smiled and held up the bottle of wine. 

“I felt bad that you were missing the party, so I decided to bring the party to you,” he called out cheerfully. “After all, I am the party. What more could you want?” 

You laughed. Your laugh was beautiful, Jinyoung thought. Maybe it was all the more precious because it was so rare. Maybe the fact that you were usually frowning or upset meant that when you laughed, you really laughed, and there was nothing fake or forced about it. You never tried to please anyone. You never tried to seem friendly or polite to satisfy someone else. 

You were yourself, and perhaps that was what Jinyoung found so attractive about you. 

“Are you drunk?” you asked as you neared him. 

Jinyoung pouted. “Just had a few glasses of wine.” 

“How did you get here?” 

“I took a cab.” 

“Fuck, it’s freezing. Let’s get inside my car and turn on the heater and then talk, okay?” you decided, fumbling for your keys. Jinyoung had a stupid smile on his face as he slid into your passenger-side seat. He smelled faintly of wine and cologne. 

“Was the party boring?” you asked. 

“It was okay,” he replied with a shrug. “I found Yugyeom and Hana sucking face in the janitor’s closet but I swear I didn’t tell anyone about it.” 

You giggled. “I see.” 

“I may have suggested to Jaebeom from HR that he would find something interesting if he went looking for a mop, but I swear I didn’t tell on them myself, I would never do that,” Jinyoung insisted. His words were clumsy and you could see that he was a little drunk. 

“Is the wine for me?” you asked, pointing to the bottle in his lap. 

Jinyoung grinned. “I stole it from the party.” 

“Hand it over then.” 

You took a swig of the wine straight from the bottle and giggled when you saw Jinyoung staring at you in awe. “What are you gaping at?” you demanded. “You didn’t think to bring me a glass, did you?” 

“Nope,” he admitted. 

“So keep your mouth shut until I’m at least half as drunk as you.” 

“My pleasure.” 

You had never imagined getting drunk on wine with Park Jinyoung in the parking lot of an elderly care home, but a lot of things had happened in the last one week that you’d never imagined. Perhaps you should just let loose and take life as it came. 

You turned and looked at Park Jinyoung. His dark eyes were watching you closely. 

“Jinyoung,” you said. 

“Yeah?” 

“What’s your type?” 

His eyebrows furrowed. “Huh?” 

“You know, in women. What you look for in a woman. You must have some kind of a type,” you insisted. With all the gossip going around, you needed to know if there was a chance that Jinyoung could ever be attracted to you. 

“I just…” Jinyoung blinked at you slowly. “I don’t know.” 

“How can you not know?” 

“I just don’t know.” 

“But you must-” 

Jinyoung’s eyebrows furrowed, irritated. “Fine, I do know. But I’m not drunk enough to say it out loud in front of you, and you can’t make me so don’t try to trick me into it. I’m smart. I don’t blurt out stupid things when I’m drunk. I’m Park Jinyoung, and you won’t get a word out of me.” 

You blinked at him. “Fine, I didn’t know it was a secret.” 

“It is a secret and I won’t tell you.” 

“Fine, then. Why did you come here?” 

“Ha! Another trick question!” Jinyoung shook his head and smiled, leaning his head against the seat drowsily. “I won’t tell you. I’m not going to let anything slip. I won’t.” 

“Is everything a secret?” 

“Yup.” 

“So you won’t tell me anything tonight?” 

“Nope.” 

“So should I talk, then?” you asked, taking another swig of the wine. You sighed and leaned back in your seat. “I don’t know what to do to cheer my Mom up. I think she’s lonely and I try to spend as much time as I can with her, but I think even I can’t fix the loneliness she feels around Christmas-time. I think she misses big, traditional family Christmases.” 

Jinyoung grinned. “You can bring her to my house.” 

You blinked. “Really?” 

“My family makes a huge deal out of Christmas. My parents and my sisters and my aunts, uncles, cousins, they all cram themselves into that tiny house and break out of the food and decorations. Lonely?” Jinyoung scoffed and rolled his eyes. “She won’t have room to breathe in that crowd of overbearing nuts.” 

You giggled. “I still can’t believe that you come from a big family.” 

“Tell your Mom she has to come to Christmas at mine. Call her right now.” 

“You don’t mean that.” 

“I do. Call her.” 

You giggled as you took your phone out of your pocket. Your Mom answered on the first ring and the wine was the only reason you said the next words that came out of your mouth. 

“Mom, Jinyoung wants you to go over and spend Christmas at his house. What do you think?” 

Your mother sounded confused. “What, sweetie?”

Jinyoung gestured for you to hand him the phone. You gave it to him and he held it up to his ear clumsily. “Ma’am, you are most cordially invited to Christmas lunch at my house. My Mom makes the best chicken in the world but since you need to take care of your health please stay away from my sister’s gravy that shit is toxic,” 

You laughed and took the phone back from him. “Sorry Mom, he’s drunk.” 

“I think you are too,” your mother replied with a small laugh. “Good night, sweetheart.” 

“Goodnight.” 

You hung up and turned to see that Jinyoung was staring at you, his eyes glazed over. He ran his fingers through his hair and your heart skipped a beat when he smiled down at you softly. 

“Hey. We make a good team, right?” he asked carefully. “I like… I like it when we’re on the same side. Like at that meeting. And with the CEO. And now. I hated you when you were getting in my way but now it feels like we’re on the same team and it feels right.” 

You giggled. “You’re a good teammate, Jinyoung.” 

“Really? Why do you think so” 

“I don’t know. You’re… reliable. And smart. You’re a bit of a pain but honestly, I think you’re growing on me. Kind of like a fungus, except less disgusting.”

Jinyoung chuckled. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

“And I have a nice ass, right? I’ve seen you staring at my ass.” 

You laughed, unable to control yourself. This situation was absurd, this conversation was absurd and everything you were doing right now was completely absurd. 

But in some odd way, it also felt right. 

“You have a lovely ass, Jinyoung.” 

He scoffed. “I knew it.” 

“And now that I just said that, I realize I’m officially drunk too, so we're gonna need to call a cab to get us both home.” 

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

[shima-draws]

pls tell us more about the ocs! :0

[[Anonymous said: *Kicks down door* Tell me about your OCs!!]]

🥺 THANKS YA’LL FOR GIVING ME AN EXCUSE TO RANT

Okay so idk how many of you are familiar with Kaz and Ginni but long story short, they’re part of the Next Generation, 25 years after the main story of ATS ends, and where we get all of Team Star’s kids. Basically everybody paired up and made babies and now those babies are teenagers and part of the Amethystus Guild, along with Ginni who is the Guildmasters’ daughter. My new OCs all tie into Ginni and Kaz’s story!

There’s Olivia, Ginni’s best friend and partner in crime at the guild! Olivia is very cheerful, very friendly, and very loyal to her friends. She’s one of the most popular members in the guild because of how open and helpful she is to others. (However, she’s completely oblivious to the crushes that several people harbor for her lmao.) She can be a bit of a ditz sometimes and is occasionally clumsy but she tries her hardest! Ginni’s a known troublemaker but Olivia doesn’t mind helping her get into trouble lol so they both often get scolded together. I haven’t decided what sort of elemental type she is yet but I can say she’s very strong and has a great handle on using her magic—it’s something that comes easy to her, a natural talent that makes her flourish even more c:

On Kaz’s side of things, when he was with the Novune Forces he worked with two other high ranking soldiers in his sector—the colonel, ranked above him, and the first lieutenant, ranked under him. The colonel, like Kaz, doesn’t have an actual name. The first lieutenant picked a name for herself at some point, and her name is Mallary! The three of them are the child prodigies of the Forces and were raised under their care, so they all grew up facing the same sort of awful treatment and experimentation and were trained to follow orders without asking questions.

Mallary is...a very unstable sort of person regarding her emotions. Despite being around Kaz’s age she acts like a child most of the time and often throws tantrums when she doesn’t get her way, causing huge outbursts of magic. She is very attached to Kaz, the two of them having grown up in close proximity, and she thrives off of the praise that both of them get. She basically sees Kaz as a possession and treats anything belonging to her as a contest;; This mostly derives from her insecurities and trauma (thanks bad parenting!) and deep down she’s just afraid to lose the only person she truly cares about. Kaz has a soft spot for her too, since she’s practically his only friend growing up, and knows that she hides her fear by acting arrogant and cruel to others. But a rift forms between them when Kaz escapes the Forces with Ginni, and Mallary views it as a “Kaz picking this random girl over me” situation, so she hates Ginni with a passion lmao

And as for the colonel!! I haven’t picked a name for him yet, I’m debating between Hickory or Hiro, so let me know which one you guys like better c: Anyway, he’s considered to be the golden child between the trio, and despite being the youngest he has the highest rank out of the three of them. He’s kinda like a rubix cube if I’m being honest LOL he’s a very multi faceted character with a lot of different sides. Like Kaz he does what he’s told without any complaints and has a record for never failing a single mission the Forces have given to him. Any enemy considers him to be absolutely ruthless because he does not hesitate in battles and will kill with no questions asked. He’s a cocky little bastard around enemies lmao he loves to snark them and tease them. He’s extremely intelligent—he’s able to read an opponent just by looking at them, so he’s considered the most dangerous out of the trio despite not being the strongest one physically (Kaz is). He fights using his intelligence—he sets up traps and watches as his opponents fall right into them. Because of how clever he is he can come up with countermeasures very quickly.

Unlike Kaz and Mallary the colonel is actually the one person that gets sent outside of HQ on missions—so he’s been more exposed to the outside world than the two of them have. This eventually clues Kaz into the fact that maybe the colonel isn’t as loyal to the Forces as he thought, most likely because the colonel slowly began to rethink his loyalties after spending so much time around people with normal lives. Both the colonel and Kaz hate their upbringing and hold a grudge against their superiors for their treatment and experimentation on them;; And eventually Kaz is able to use this to get the colonel to act as Amethystus’ spy ;)

Kaz eventually asks the colonel why he doesn’t just leave the Forces if he knows how fucked up their very existence is, and the colonel’s just like well look at me. I was raised in this environment to be a killer and to follow orders, I am broken lmao who is going to want me after this. How am I going to make it in this world if all I know how to do is be a mindless slave. He mentions that the only person who’s ever treated him normally besides Kaz without any judgement or care for his position is Mallary—and the colonel has a HUGE crush on her, but it’s very unhealthy because she honestly doesn’t give a shit about him besides their weird. Tentative friendship. Mallary’s only got eyes for Kaz and the colonel is usually too busy to dedicate a lot of time to wooing her, but when he is around she basically has him wrapped around her finger and he’ll do whatever she tells him to. It’s just yikes. He deserves better.

Once Kaz, Ginni and the guild tempt the colonel over to their side, Olivia pretty much calls dibs on him and she’s like “Listen Ginni got to give Kaz his name so can I give the colonel a name?? Please???” So she starts calling him Hickory/Hiro! And finally baby boy smarts up and starts crushing on a girl that actually gives a damn about him and god dammit it’s the cutest fucking case of puppy love since Dusk/Nozomi. The colonel absolutely adores her, but he’s too nervous to actually do anything about it because he’s got huge abandonment issues (thanks again bad parenting! And Mallary!) and doesn’t want to ruin one of the only genuine friendships he’s ever had. But he is head over HEELS for Olivia and it’s so......softe. Ginni and Olivia get to crack open their boys and resolve all of their fucked up childhood issues and watch as they finally learn how to be stupid teenagers and feel human emotions. The colonel turns into a huge crybaby and nobody even blames him because he deserves to release his trauma okay

Anyway yes sorry for the long intro (you can tell I’ve developed the colonel the most despite him not having an official name yet fnnsnfndn) but those are my new kids!! Mallary has actually been a character for a while I just haven’t had the chance to flesh her out until now, and I added Olivia and the colonel to the story recently :’)

[crystalwillow]

When It Rains, It Pours

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x Casey Valentine (F!MC)

Word Count: 3K

Taglist: @kiteplayschoices @brycelahelalover @obsessedheehee @eleanorbloom @fuseboxmusebox @rookie-ramsey @princesslahela @deansmyapplepie

⚠️ Disclaimer: This fiction deals with themes of miscarriage/baby loss. If this is a sensitive topic for you please do not read any further. I would hate to trigger something within you that sends you into a spiral of negative emotions. I care for each and every one of you guys and would never want to negatively affect any of you so please. Is this is a sensitive topic. DO NOT read any further and I will be posting another fiction soon that is much lighter and happier in nature that you can hopefully enjoy. ⚠️

==========

The halls of Edenbrook Hospital didn’t look nor feel the same, as Bryce Lahela, normally a confident and flirtatious young man walked through them on the way to retrieve a patient for surgery. Normally, he would head towards the room with optimism, whistling a little tune and greeting others with cheerful hello’s. But today was different. He wasn’t just retrieving any patient, he was retrieving his girlfriend and fellow medical colleague, Casey Valentine. As he entered the room, the sight was enough to make him close the door and lock it behind him. Upon hearing the sound, Casey turned her head to the door and gave him a saddened smile as tears ran silently down her cheeks. He didn’t say anything as he placed the piece of paper he was carrying on the side and sat next to her. Sweeping her into his arms in a massive bear hug as she broke down sobbing violently into his shoulder.

“I’m so sc-scared B-Bryce.”

He wanted to respond to her so desperately, but the words died in his throat, because the words he wanted to say weren’t going to help. Not him. Not her. Nothing about the current situation was going to be okay. So instead he squeezed her extra tight. It was only a few hours earlier that they met up and happily made their way to their next ultrasound appointment together. Laughing and joking. Discussing if they wanted to know the gender of their little one or wanted to keep it a secret until the birth, blissfully unaware that in just a few moments their world would come crashing down at the news their baby had passed away in the womb. As he pulled back from the hug, Bryce pushed a few strands of hair from Casey’s face. Both of their eyes were red-rimmed and sore. They sniffed as they looked at each other, trying not to break down again. Casey took Bryce’s hand and squeezed it tightly, bringing it to her lips and kissing it. He bit his bottom lip between his teeth to stop anymore sobs escaping his throat, swallowing them with difficulty. Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Casey? Bryce? It’s Sienna. I’m here with Rafael and Aurora. Can we come in?”

Bryce looked to Casey for confirmation, giving her a quick hug before moving to unlock the door when she nodded her okay. He opened the door slowly, wiping tears from his eyes on his scrubs top, the three of their friends entering sorrowfully. Bryce sat back on the bed beside Casey, Sienna and Aurora took the chairs and Rafael remained standing. 

“Guys we..” Sienna said

“There are... no words that could make this easier Si.” Aurora cut in, sounding almost like a robot.

The five of them were talking and sobbing when a figure blocked the light from the hallway.

“What’s going on here?”

“Dr. Ramsey.” Sienna acknowledged sadly, nodding to the bed.

Ethan looked passed her and felt a pang in his chest when he saw Casey and Bryce. Their eyes the reddest out of everyone’s.

“Wh-what’s happened?”

Casey sniffled and pointed to her chart at the foot of her bed. Ethan moved, swiftly snatching it up, his whole demeanor changing as he read it.

“Casey. Bryce. I-”

His gaze moved between them as his own words became caught in the back of his throat. He knew how much this had meant to them. Especially Bryce, he was so happy and determined to be the best dad he could be to this kid. And now that had been ripped from them. From him. Bryce, stood with a sigh as he wiped his eyes and binned the tissues he had been holding.

“We should get you to surgery Cassie.”

“Wait.” Ethan commanded, everyone turning to look at him. “They’re making you work this surgery?”

“Nobody’s making me Dr. Ramsey. I want to do this. For myself. For Casey. For our child. I-”

“Bryce. That is absurd. You need to take the rest of the day. No, week off. Clearly.”

“Ethan. Some things aren’t that simple. You should know that more than anyone.” Casey squeaked before breaking down again.

Ethan looked at her. “You have 4 months off. Don’t even bother trying to dispute it. It’s paid leave. I suggest you do the same Dr. Lahela and try to get some time off to be with her. She’s going to need you as much as you’re going to need her.” With a gentle pat on Bryce’s shoulder, Ethan replaced Casey’s chart before turning on his heel and exiting the room. Aurora, Rafael and Sienna stood to one side as Bryce wheeled Casey out of her room and down the hallways. They followed behind closely in silent support, stopping outside the O.R.  

Bryce turned to their friends and they all surrounded him as they engulfed him into a massive hug, quietly giving him words of encouragement. Just then, Dr. Tanaka came out of the O.R.

“Dr. Lahela?”

“Sorry, Dr. Tanaka. I was just coming in, my friends were jus-”

“I’m taking you off of this surgery. You can observe but I will not allow you to operate.”

“But Dr. T-”

“No buts Dr. Lahela. It’s clear the distress you’re in that has recently been brought to attention is real. Therefore, you will not operate this surgery.”

“But I-”

“Bryce.” Casey said from the bed, he went round and looked into her eyes as he took her hand. “Listen to him. Please.” Casey pleaded, desperation for him to do so in her eyes.

Bryce looked from Casey’s gaze to Dr. Tanaka’s. When he looked back at Casey, he sighed. “Fine. I’ll observe.”  He said with a sniffle, Casey squeezing his hand and giving him a small and grateful smile. He nodded at her and watched as she was wheeled in to be prepped. Aurora and sienna gave Bryce one last hug before heading off back to work, leaving Bryce alone with Rafael. Once he was sure they were gone, Bryce broke down again. Only this time worse. He cried in pain uncontrollably at the situation he and Casey were in. Rafael’s heart ached as he pulled the broken surgeon close to his chest.

“Shhh. I’ve got you man. I’m here.”

Bryce could only nod as he limply wrapped his arms around his friend’s torso, soaking his shirt with tears. The pain-filled guttural sound he made as he sobbed echoed in the hallway. But he didn’t care anymore. He was hurting too much to do so. It felt like someone had come along with a bulldozer and aimed it at his chest.

“Why did this have to happen to us?” Bryce asked out loud as his sobs started to subside.

Rafael opened his mouth to give an answer, but shut it again immediately as he realized he didn’t have one. Instead he just consoled the usually confident surfer dude until he was called into the O.R.

--- several hours later ---

Bryce sat beside Casey’s bedside, zoned out listening to the monitors beep. It was about the only thing keeping him together right now. Knowing that she was okay. He had been sitting there for ages. His shift finished 4 hours ago, and he’d been sitting there for 3 of them. The first hour he used to get her favourite flavored water and soft drinks. Even her favourites from both Taco Bell and Burger King. He arrived and waited by her side for her to wake up. If he didn’t have 2 other surgeries that day he would have clocked out and stayed with her all day. But it wasn’t that simple. He had his little sister back at home that he had to take care of. Of course he loved her to death and if home was really as bad as she said it was, then there was no way he was going to send her back. He needed this money to help support both of them. He was deep in thought about how they would tell Keiki when he heard groaning beside him.

“nnnnngh...”

His attention came back into focus as he turned his head towards the bed, seeing Casey opening her eyes and blinking blearily around the room.

“What? Where? ... Oh.” A sadness washed over her as she seemed to realize where she was in turn answering her own question. Bryce sadly reached out and laced their fingers together.

“Hey gorgeous.” Bryce whispered with a soft smile as he brushed his more callous thumb delicately across Casey’s knuckles. Sadness still in his eyes.

“H-hey.” Casey croaked, throat dry and raw from sleeping for so long. Bryce brought a glass of chilled water to her lips with a straw.

“Slowly now. You don’t want to hurt your throat.”

“I know. I’m a doctor, Bryce.” Casey smiled gently as he placed the cup back on the side.

“I just want to take care of you, baby.” Bryce replied, taking Casey’s hand in both of his.

“Bryce. When can I go home?”

“When the doctors clear you to.”

“B-but... I.. I need to get home and lay in my bed. I-” Casey choked up. “It’s real isn’t it? We lost our b-baby. Our-Our...” tears fell again as she trailed off the end of her sentence. Bryce hugged her, sharing her sorrow. They spent the night comforting each other and listening to the gentle beeping of Casey’s monitors.

A few days later, Casey was chilling with Keiki and Bryce on the couch at his apartment watching television when there was a knock on the door.

“Are you expecting someone babe? Keiki?”

Both girls shook their heads no. “Are you?” Keiki asked her older brother, but he shook his head too. Sighing, Bryce got up and walked to the door, looking through the spyhole. Frowning when he saw who it was, he decided to ignore it and rejoin the girls in lounging watching TV.

“Who is it?” Casey asked as she tangled her fingers in his honey blonde highlighted locks.

“Our parents.” He whispered and Keiki froze before joining Casey and Bryce on the couch. Cuddling into Bryce’s chest as he snuggled into Casey’s. They all stayed snuggled under Bryce’s king sized duvet for hours before Keiki checked the spyhole to see if they had gone. She came back shaking her head and Bryce rolled his eyes.

“Maybe... you should let them in or tell them to shove it. Both of you, together.” Casey said before heading to the bathroom. The siblings looked at each other and set their faces in a stern expression, pressing their lips in matching thin lines. Bryce looked at Keiki waiting for a nod and when she gave the signal he opened the door, facing his parents for the first time in years.

“Keiki!” their mom exclaimed and moved to hug her daughter, but Keiki took a step back with a scowl on her face, causing her mom to look at her in confusion before turning an accusatory look at her son. “You’ve poisoned her!”

“I’ve done nothing of the sort you crazy woman.”

“Bryce Lahela! You speak to your mother with respect!” their father boomed

“...No. Thank you.”

Keiki gave her elder brother a subtle smirk before turning her focus back to their parents.

“Why are you two here now? It’s been 5 years. I’m 20 now, and... and a lot happier.”

“Keiki baby..”

Bryce winced as he heard that word. It stung like a deep flesh wound that was unable to be put back together. Their parents noticed, yet only spared a look of disgust towards him before turning back to focus on Keiki.

“No mom. Dad. If I can even call you that. It took you 5 years to care about coming to find me, yet you can’t apologize to your son who has been hurting so much longer from what you done and is going through so much more.”

“Why would we care to fix things with him? He’s a surgeon.” Their father replied, saying the last word like it was pure filth.

“As apposed to what father? A lawyer who does shady dealings to keep you out of jail for something you should still be serving time for? If anyone or anything here is pure filth... it’s you two. Call yourself parents? You’re pathetic. Now get away from my apartment and never come here again. If you want to see Keiki, swap mobile numbers or emails now and contact to meet elsewhere.” Bryce responded coldly before turning around and storming back inside the apartment, finding Casey on the couch nursing her mug of lemon and ginger tea. She gave him a small, kind smile as she placed her mug on the table and opened her arms to him. Sighing he fell into her arms as shouting continued at the door before it slammed shut.

“AND NEVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN OR I’LL GET A RESTRAINING ORDER!”

Keiki huffed and stomped through the living room and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Casey sighed into Bryce’s hair as she played with it, soothing his hurt and worries. She felt his breathing pattern change and tapped him hard enough to wake him.

“Honey.”

“Mmmm?” he murmured as he sat up looking around sleepily.

“Let’s get to bed. We won’t be very comfortable on the couch.”

Bryce mumbled his agreement, standing up and swaying slightly as he wasn’t fully awake but Casey caught him, holding his hand and leading him to the bedroom. Bryce laid in bed then looked up at Casey.

“Where’s our duvet?”

“On the couch. I’m just going to get it okay?” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

She settled in next to him after covering him with the warm duvet, his arm wrapping gently around her waist.

--- Two Weeks Later ---

Bryce had successfully gotten 2 months off of work to spend with Casey, but she was missing her friends and the team she worked with so left a note for Bryce in the kitchen saying she’d pooped in for a visit and would be back for dinner. As he woke up and found the note, he also found one from Keiki in the bathroom as he walked in to use the toilet. When he read it, it was like a bomb went off inside of him. He slammed his fists on the marbled side before swiping his products on the floor with a scream of anger. Keiki’s note had told him that their parents had forced her to go home. She had promised to find a way back but... Bryce had just lost not only his sister, but his best friend. Who was he going to make sibling jokes with now. Who was he going to tease. What was he going to tell her boyfriend? Had she already let the guy know? It was all too much. Bryce stormed into his bedroom and threw open his closet, throwing on whatever he laid his hands on first then left the apartment slamming the door behind him, grabbing his keys on the way out.

He got in his car and drove to a park over 2 hours away. He needed to be alone, even though he knew he would be home for dinner and Casey would be alone. Of course deep down he felt awful for that, they had just lost their child and things were tough for them both, but in the moment he didn’t care. He needed to get away. He parked his car, then sat in it. Just as if the world knew his emotions inside, it started to rained really hard. The heavy droplets popping on the roof of his car as they bounced off, and along with them. He cried. He had so much hurt, anger, confusion... so many emotions swirling inside of him that he felt as though he was suffocating. Eventually, his phone starting lighting up as it rang and vibrated in the center console. Yet he ignored it, even when it read “My Wife 🥰” and he didn’t really care because all he felt was numbness. Eventually when he returned home, it was 3am the next day. As he entered the apartment, he heard the TV talking and found Casey asleep in his clothes, under his duvet, head on his pillow as the light illuminated her features softly. He knelt beside her, kissing her cheek.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered, voice almost breaking. “I didn’t mean to worry you. It’s just... when it rains, it really does pour.” 

Casey didn’t open her eyes, but she acknowledged his presence with a small smile and taking his hand in hers. “You’re dinner is in the kitchen.” She whispered. “Dinner isn’t what I want right now.” He replied as he lifted her in his arms bridal style. “Let’s go to bed. I want to cuddle.”

As they wrapped themselves in the comfy duvet, snuggling into each other, Casey opened her eyes and looked up into his forest brown orbs as he looked back at her. “I love you Bryce. And I’m always going to be there for you, whenever you need me.” She said barely above a whisper, bringing her hand up to cup his face. Stroking his strong, soft to the touch cheekbone with her the pad of delicate thumb. He smiled sweetly at her as he placed his hand over hers, melting into her touch. “I know. I love you too Case. More than I’ll ever be able to let you know.”

He placed a soft kiss on her forehead, Casey placing one on his toned chest. And for the first time, Bryce knew he had something he didn’t want to lose.

[curewhimsy]

Symphony Saga Resonate chapter 1

I was inspired!

Notes: This fanfic is like, a middle/high school-centric fic so my OCs are all middle/high school aged here (youngest= 12, oldest= 18)

Also everyone is gonna age by 6 years eventually 

AO3 link

——————

Can a dream change the world?

Can a song awaken the soul?

Does our universe truly have limits?

Why am I asking all of these questions?

We all each have a story.

We all matter.

If we all join together, how big of a miracle can we create?

The story of Resonate unfolds...

———

Queen Rainbow’s Point of View

In a world where color was scarce... wonder was draining from people’s souls, and warmth was fading from their hearts. The warmth in their smiles were waning... And soon enough, they weren’t able to truly smile any longer.

This world... was called Monochrome.

Being the furthest planet in its solar system from the sun, Monochrome was already quite a lonely place. But everything froze over when Obsidian stepped to the throne.

Monochrome was a painfully boring place, filled with progressively more boring people. It got to the point where the most boring, bitter person of all would automatically be crowned as royalty.

Her name was Obsidian, and she became the Queen of Misery. She did not believe in fun, happiness, or love. Her heart was made of coal. When she breathed out, thick black smoke would fill the air, despite her never being a smoker.

Queen Obsidian’s very existence would always pollute the air with negativity and gloom that would make people lose hope. She was so boring, that her presence would transform sugary donuts into regular old bagels with nothing on them. She was so boring, that her royal fanfare was played on a single off-key kazoo. She was so utterly dull, that she even sent Planet Monochrome into a thousand-year-long ice age after telling one terrible joke.

But worse than all that combined, the Queen of Misery was a selfish, spiteful, and joyless person.

Nobody exactly knew why, but Queen Obsidian hated music... Possibly because of how positive and fun it could potentially be, not to mention the sheer raw emotion and vibes it could could convey.

One day, Queen Obsidian heard a song. It was awful. She hated it so much, that she ordered it to be sent to the Nowhere Of Permanent Erasure Void, or “NOPE Void” for short, where it would be deleted from our reality.

Queen Obsidian wanted to erase all the universe’s music from existence this way, and for people to never make or listen to it again. Ever.

Knowing that Monochrome barely had any worthwhile tunes to get rid of, Obsidian began to target the music on other worlds.

And what better place to start than the magical, colorful planet known as Whimsica?

Whimsica, a charming, fittingly whimsical world filled with magic... It may ideally be peaceful, yet we’ve been attacked by Monochrome for years just for being so idyllic. Apparently, our bright, rainbow colors that can be seen from space are an eyesore for them.

This is also where I come in.

My name is Queen Rainbow... and I’m the Queen of Whimsica. I’m only 16 years old, which is... actually pretty old for a monarch of Whimsica, believe it or not!

Whimsica’s monarchs are usually children nowadays! That’s because we have a childish kind of “whimsy” in our hearts and an arcane sort of innocence to see the world through rainbow-tinted lenses.

A long time in the past, Whimsica had a very strict older queen who forbid the royals, even the ones in the future, from ever befriending commoners.

That queen used a spell, so if a royal was caught being friends with a commoner, they would fall into a long slumber. The length of how long they would sleep corresponded to how strong the royal‘s bond was to the commoner.

Recently, the spell was broken, however! So now I can befriend and hang out with all the common folk I want. To be honest, being that kind of queen wasn’t so great, it was a little lonely, and I always hated feeling so unapproachable... and responsible!

Well, to tell the truth, the eldest of the three princess sisters actually does most of the work. 18-year-old Celestine is the responsible and proper eldest sister. Lunette, age 16, is the middle sister, and a bit mischievous. The youngest sister is 14-year-old Stelle, and she... well... is a bit of a problem child.

Anyway. I had proposed a new course of action against what Monochrome is trying to do. The princess sisters and I, along with Celestine’s best friend Nikamowin, and even the two royal anthromorph cats, Sparkle and Twinkle, have been using our magical powers the best we could to fight against Monochrome’s Queen and royal force, and the monsters they use against us.

But I still feel we need more help. We need the help of magical musicians.

I’ve been beginning to practice making music so I could harness its positive energy and make my songs into magic that can defeat Monochrome’s negativity. Nikamowin is also a skilled singer and can use songs to help us, but I still feel we need to power of more music.

So I assigned a job to Sparkle and Twinkle. Their job now is to look for passionate musicians with pure hearts, who are interested in joining our force to help save music for the entire universe...

———

Haku Yowane’s Point of View

Location: Earth

I zipped up my backpack to the faint scent of dust around the house, tied my shoes, wiped my long bangs from my eyes, and got ready to step out the door to go to school. Another gray day.

Even though I didn’t live with her, my world felt so empty now. My heart felt so hollow.

It was the little things.

Rain pattering on the roof... once a cozy and quaint sound... now just a gloomy and sad reminder.

An old notebook... once a source of joy and closeness... now just cold and distant.

A stuffed cat... warm and beloved... now even more well-loved, and irreplaceable.

All these things I saw right before I left my house to go to school reminded me of her.

My grandmother.

She passed away three weeks ago.

Right before I began opening my door, I looked back, and saw Snowbell, the plush cat Grandma gifted me long ago, eyeing me gently from my table.

I decided I couldn’t go to school without Snowbell. I couldn’t leave her alone.

I picked up the well-loved plush and hugged her gently and sadly, and made my way out the door with her.

Snowbell was special to me.

At the age of five, I was quite meek and lonely, with a reddish nose and wobbly knees. I would catch colds often, and constantly be sniffling, which was how I earned the nickname “Sniffles”.

I was a bit odd. I had strange habits such as pretending I were a cat, even lapping milk out of a bowl at snack time. I liked to draw pictures and play make-believe at recess. I didn’t like strangers or crowds.

In school, I was usually scared and overwhelmed. Once during indoor play time, I sat in my own little corner away from everyone and drew on the walls. When my teacher found the drawings I had drawn on the walls, I got scolded. I spent the rest of the day crying and sniffling, not understanding why I was yelled at.

That was when my grandmother decided my imagination was just too big for such a little girl, so she bought me a friend, a stuffed white kitten, to talk to.

My grandma told me that Snowbell was a special friend, and she was always there to listen. So when I was sad, I would hug and talk to Snowbell and felt I wasn’t alone.

Snowbell was there for me through the good days, and the many bad days... She was there when I graduated kindergarten. She was also there shortly after, when I was six years old, when my parents divorced...

Before my parents divorced, my brother Dell and I were very close. He was technically my half-brother. My father, who I was never close with, already divorced a former wife before marrying my mother. Dell was the son of my father and his former wife. His last name was Honne, his father’s last name. My last name is Yowane, my mother’s last name.

Dell and I would always play and sing together. Even though I was clumsy and fail at his games sometimes, he was very patient and would comfort me when I cried. Sometimes my dad would randomly yell at or scold me. When that happened, Dell would always stand up to my dad and protect me. Even when my parents were fighting and yelling so loudly that I got scared, Dell and I would hide together and he would comfort me. He was truly an amazing brother.

However, when my mother and father divorced, my father insisted on taking us with him. My mother refused to let him take us. There was a huge custody battle over us, and eventually, a heartbreaking compromise was made.

Dell was going to go with my father. I was going to stay with my mother.

I just wanted us to stay together. But in the end, we couldn’t.

One morning after sleeping in, I went downstairs to see around half the furniture in the house gone and my father outside in the moving van. My dad was about to leave. He left me without saying goodbye.

But Dell... He waited until I woke up so he could say goodbye before leaving. I cried with such intensity that he turned around. His face right then shocked me. He was seven years old... but had such a grown-up expression on his face... I had never seen such an look on his face before. So much pain... yet so accepting of his fate.

He hugged me one last time without any words, until I stopped crying. Once my tears stopped, he pat my head, and made his way out the door.

I never saw my brother, my best friend, ever again.

Two years passed. I turned eight years old. My mother, now single, talking to her sister, had an idea.

My mother’s sister had a daughter, who would be my cousin. My mom noticed that without Dell, I was very lonely lately. So she proposed to my cousin and I to meet.

My cousin’s name was Miku Hatsune. She was six years old at the time. The same age I was when my parents divorced. The first thing I noticed about Miku was how cheerful she was, and how accepting she was towards me. I quickly became friends with her, and even though she came over only around once a month and I only got to see her those times, we were really close friends.

The day we first met, we played in the backyard. I was still very shy and awkward at the time.

A butterfly landed on a flower nearby, and Miku urged me to try and touch it. I did, and the butterfly flew away.

I instantly burst into tears.

“Why?” I said, through my tears. “Why does everyone leave me? Like Dell? And my dad? Why...?”

“Don’t cry, Haku...” Miku pat my head to try to cheer me up. It reminded me of when Dell pat my head to say goodbye... it kind of calmed me down.

To cheer me up even more, Miku began singing me a song. She taught it to me, and I began to sing it with her.

We began to sing together, and soon enough, we were surrounded by butterflies. We began smiling and laughing. It was a great memory.

“Miku?” I looked at her fondly. “Promise me you won’t ever leave me, okay?”

“Okay!” Miku answered, smiling.

But one day, around three years later...

My mother called her sister as usual... and every single trace of her, her husband, Miku, and even Miku’s little sister Mizu, had vanished without a trace.

When I heard this, I was devastated. I began to wait a little while... but soon it became apparent that Miku and her family were gone... maybe in a freak accident or disappearance... and weren’t ever coming back.

I remember sitting under a tree, and just crying.

After that, I really only had my grandmother. My mom was always kind of distant and neglected me emotionally.

My grandmother, however, was warm and understanding. She was also very fun and always made me smile. She was the most magical person I ever knew, because she always told me amazing stories. Sometimes I wondered how she even thought of them. I always told her perhaps she should become a writer and make them into books.

I was inspired to become a writer myself because of her. I used many of her stories as inspiration, because I thought she needed a lot of recognition. She also always wanted to be a musician, and so did I, but I was always much too shy. My grandmother couldn’t pursue music because of her health condition and age, sadly.

Now that she’s passed, I think I will try to fulfill my grandmother’s dreams in homage to her.

Thinking of these memories may have left me sad... but I’ll at least always have the precious memories of these people in my heart, even though I may never see them again. In memory of them, may I live my every day to my fullest.

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Sweet Pea//To Be So Lonely

Request: Hi, I’m so sorry to bother, but I’ve been through a very bad break up recently... and I wanted to know if you can write something about reader finally giving up trying to get him to forgive her, and to get back with but in the end she see that he has a new girl and she’s even more heart broken and very lonely because she never talk about her problems to anyone and somehow Sweet Pea could notice and comfort or something like that? 🥺

Hey! So I usually write/posts things in order but I thought I’d do this one pretty soon after I got it. I hope this cheers you up, even if its just a little bit. And you will be okay, I promise!

Whoever said that time heals a broken heart was lying. 

Granted you had only been single for two weeks, but thats not the point...and it still sucks. 

Especially when he’s already moved on...and seems to be happier than ever. 

Breakups are the worst, no matter how they end. The ones that end messy, with shouting and screaming and crying suck. The ones that end with goodbye hugs and one last kisses are just made up for movies. And nobody ever stays friends with their ex, its just made up by people who want to make themselves feel better about that fact that the person they loved the most didn’t love them anymore. 

But the worst breakups are the one where you’ve fought for one another just for it to still end in heartbreak. Especially when you still have to see them everyday. 

The problem with living in a small town is the fact that there is only a small amount of teenagers, meaning basically everyone has the same friends. Meaning if you break up with someone, they have to chose sides, and even though they haven’t stated that they’re on his side, they are. You can tell. 

He probably told them all about your attempts to get back with him. And the shouting and arguing. And he’s definitely told them about his new girl, because well, she seems to be hanging out with them more than you are at the minute. 

But you don’t blame her. You’ve accepted your fate. She seems sweet, and he seems happy. And everyone seems to like her, well at least thats what you think. You’ve only been observing from afar, too afraid to actually approach your group of friends just in case you make everything awkward. Which of course you would. 

Plus, you don’t really feel like talking to them. When it first happened and everyone heard you got a few texts from them saying they were always around to talk to. And you appreciated it, of course. But like hell are you going to pour your heart out to your friends about something you fought so hard for, just for it all to blow back up in your face, and then for him to move on within a matter of weeks. 

Tonight is Reggie Mantle’s ‘my parents are away for the weekend so lets get so drunk we can’t remember our own names or the people we’re having very drunk sex with’ party. And to be honest you don’t really know why you’re here. Actually yes you do, to get drunk and forget your name and whoever you might possibly hook up with. But as you’re sat on the sofa with a cup of who knows what in your hand and two couples making out beside you, you don’t really want to do any of those things...you don’t really want to do anything. 

Looking around the dimly lit room you notice three things...

One. Veronica seems to have decided on Reggie for now. Good for her. Reggie’s a sweetheart even if he is kind of an ass sometimes, and Archie needs some time to think and work on himself after everything he’s been through. 

Two. Archie is making out with some girl from your Biology class and the irony makes you almost crack a smile. So much for finding himself, but at least he looks happy. Well you assume, he’s practically been swallowed by the girl leaning against the wall. 

Three. He’s dancing with her. The two of them pressed as close together as humanly possible. Her arms draped across his shoulders while his grip her hips, the two moving together as one. And they’re both happy. Really happy. You haven’t seen his smile that wide for a very long time. They’re both whispering and giggling and it reminds you of when that was you in her place. Both of you making stupid jokes as he spun you around. Him whispering how beautiful you looked making you blush. 

Yes you’ve accepted that he’s moved on, but it doesn’t sting any less as you watch them move off the dance floor and towards the kitchen, unable to keep their hands off each other. 

“You do know that you’re supposed to have fun at parties right?” There’s a very tall boy blocking your view of the makeshift dance floor and you internally groan, before looking up. 

“What?” You reply annoyed. 

“Parties! You’re supposed to have fun. Drink, dance, make out with a few people.” He says happily and kicks the couple to your left off the sofa, taking their space. 

“So, why aren’t you doing any of those things?” You quirk an eyebrow. 

“Because you looked sad.” He says suddenly more serious and you stare at him confused. 

“You don’t know me.” 

“I still know a sad girl when I see one. So come on, why aren’t you showing off your dance moves?” He asks with a wink making you roll your eyes and stare straight ahead again. “Come on.” He nudges your shoulder softly but you keep looking in front of you. “Come on.” He nudges you again. “Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on.” He pokes your leg and this time you groan audibly, unable to keep in how annoyed you actually are. 

“Will you leave me alone if I tell you?” 

“Yeah.” He says quickly making you sigh. He sits up a little bit, like he’s a child about to hear a story and you can’t help but roll your eyes at how ridiculous this whole situation is. Who even is this guy? 

“First. Tell me who you are.” 

“Sweet Pea. Lovely to meet you.” He sticks his hand out towards you and you stare at him. 

“Sweet Pea?” You repeat.

“Yep.” He shrugs. “Now tell me whats wrong...” 

“Y/n.” 

“Tell me whats wrong Y/n.” 

“Well I’m going through a very bad breakup and my ex is here with his new girlfriend. And all of my friends are here but I’ve kind of been avoiding them for the past three weeks because I don’t know how to talk about my feelings so they’s chose him over me and I’m all alone.” 

“Wow.” He mumbles. “Was not expecting that.” 

“I guessed.” You mutter. “Now can you leave me alone?” 

“No.” He shakes his head and lies back a little, stretching his arms out across the back of the sofa and slouching a little. 

“What?” You blink. “Why not.” 

“Because no one should be alone, especially if they’re going through a break up. So I’m gonna hang out with you. And if you want to talk I’m he-” 

“Don’t even finish that sentence.” You warn. You’re sick to death of that stupid sentence.

“Okay.” He holds his hands up. “But I am here.” He adds quickly making you glare at him. “Talking can help. And I’m a great problem solver. Maybe if you talk through your problems you won’t feel as sad.” 

“I’m sorry. Are you a licensed therapist?” You ask sarcastically. 

“No.” He shakes his head. 

“Well then stop trying to give me advice I didn’t ask for.” You snap making him sigh. A few minutes go by, the two of you staring at random people dancing and singing and kissing until finally you give in. “I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this.” 

“Its fine.” He shrugs. “I get it. We’ve all been there.” 

“Its just sucks you know?” 

“What does?” 

“You give your whole heart to someone. Like you’re entire self. They’re always with you, you share literally everything with them and then one day they’re not. And you fight for them to stay, you do literally everything you can so they don’t leave you. And then they leave you. And it just sucks. Because then what are you supposed to do? Sit around and be sad? Move on? Cry all the time? God, I hate crying.” You wipe the tears from your face quickly before looking back at him. “Anyway, thats as much as you’re getting from me. I’m never telling anybody else my feeling ever again. Its too much.” You add and he chuckles. 

“Okay.” He nods. “You don’t have to.”

“Good.” You sip your warm drink, your face scrunching as it burns that back of your throat. 

“Do you want my advice?” 

“Sure, great problem solver. Lets see what you’ve got.” You tease.

“I don’t know why you broke up or who’s fault it was, if any. But what I do know is that you fought for him. You did everything you could for him to forgive you, but in the end it was up to him to make that final decision. And he decided that it was time to end what you two had.” 

“I thought this was supposed to make me feel better.” You interrupt and he stares at you unamused.  

“I’m getting there.” He grumbles and you have to hide your smile. 

“Sorry.” 

“Anyway. I know it doesn’t seem like this right now, especially when you’re sat at Mantle’s party, sober, alone and sad, but its a good thing. You two met and made memories, memories that when you look back on in a few years are going to make you happy. Make you think, ‘yeah, I’m glad I did that with him.’ But you have to realize, you have your entire life to make more memories, with so many other people. Plus, look at him. He’s happy, even if its not with you, he’s still happy. And he’s going to go on and make great memories with someone who loves hi-” 

“Still not helping.” 

“And eventually. You’re going to do the same thing. You will be happy again Y/n Y/l/n. I know it. I can feel it in my bones.” 

“You can feel it in your bones?” You scoff. 

“Hey! That is a family tradition. Everyone I’m related to can feel things in their bones. And they’re usually right.” 

“Sure they are.” 

“They are. You can ask them yourself if you want.” He argues. 

“Yeah, I’m good. I don’t want to talk to some random boys family.” 

“We’re not strangers. I told you about my bones...we’re friends for life now. You could say we’ve boned.” He wiggles his eyebrows making you fake gag. 

“Thats disgusting.” 

“Oh, that was funny and you know it.” He throws his arms up in the air. 

“Sure it was.” You shake your head but there’s a hint of a smile hiding behind your frown which makes Sweet Pea smile triumphantly. 

“You know you don’t have to keep all your feelings in right? Its okay to talk to people.” 

“I don’t want to be a bother to them. Plus it makes me feel vulnerable and exposed and everything I don’t like. And I talked to him about my feelings and look where we are now.” 

“Sometimes being vulnerable is good. It allows us to be helped.” He replies. 

“Were your parents hippies or are you just really high right now?” 

“Honestly?” He asks and you nod. “A bit of both.” He whispers making himself giggle, and to both of your surprises, you actually smile. “Wait, you’re not a cop right?” 

“No.” You shake your head. 

“Good.” He smiles to himself. “I’m really hungry.” 

“Same. Apparently talking to people about my feelings makes me super hungry.” 

“Hmm. You learn something new about yourself every day. Do you want to go to Pops?” He asks. 

You look around the room. Your friends are happy, busy wrapped up in each other and having fun. Your ex is in the corner, his new girlfriend by his side the two of them talking and laughing with each other. The first time you looked at this scene you felt alone, so lonely in fact that if you disappeared into thin air nobody would notice. But now you have a feeling that maybe just one person might. 

And even though he isn’t going to fix all your problems, he can fix two. The fact that you’re hungry, and most importantly the fact that you’re lonely. Or at least you were. 

“Sure.” You nod and he smiles, grabbing your hand and pulling you through the large group of teens. As soon as your outside, the darkness of night envelops the two of you as you start to walk towards Pop’s, occasionally being illuminated by the street lamps or a passing car. Every so often he’ll glance at you and you’ll smile back at him. 

Both of you glad you’re not as alone as you thought you were in the world. 

“Come on, we better hurry.” He looks up at the night sky. 

“Why?” You ask concerned and look around.

“Its gonna rain...I can feel it in my bones.” He replies and as soon he finishes his sentence the rain starts, instantly soaking the two of you. “See. I told you. You’re gonna be okay Y/n.” 

[fymagnificentwomcn]

Women of Ottoman make me so sad especially when people hate on them. Those women lived horrible lives. Most of them were kidnapped, sold, thrown under a psycho Padisah. How can you wait for them to care for your kingdom? Of course they were going to survive for themselves and for their children. None of them deserves the hate they get. I hope God put all of them in peace. No human should go through such terrible things.

Totally agree Anon.

Women from Ottoman Empire cannot be for example compared with women from the West – first and foremost, they were slaves that at the very beginning lost their families, homes and even had to change their name and religion to have any chance at making a new life. Some lost their families very early, and often it also affected them emotionally when they grew up without having familial bonds. Even as consorts, they were one of many, and they had no legal status outside their children, Even mothers of princes other than hasekis were referred to as “Mother of Prince X” in records, and mothers of daughters were even more invisible. They had a very limited access to outside world, there was no way a woman could ascend the throne as a ruler in her own reign, other than as regent. Not to mention all matters connected with fratricide and kafes, it was living in constant fear. It’s hard to compare them to European queens, who had more stable and safe position even if they also had to face misogyny and oppression .

It was no fairytale, even in the show that didn’t show a lot of atrocities involved in slave trade and focused on those women who still somewhat “succeeded”.

I will use this opportunity to discuss some double standards about those who succeeded vs. those who didn’t pertaining to the TV show, but will later come to the crux, I promise.

The faux feminism in this fandom is astounding to me,including the glaring obvious double standards depending on who fan favourite is - and fan favourite is often who is simply “the coolest”, “most victorious”, “most stylish”, “most lucky”, generally young, beautiful, badass, and successful, not sad or depressed. We all know reactions to Hürrem and Mahidevran doing the same things back in original MY - when Mahidevran did awful things to Hürrem, she was just pathetic jealous woman, but when Hürrem did multiple times the same or worse things to other women it was “yass queen” and she ‘fights for her love, so touching, so strong, so great, self defence”. Suddenly Hürrem is allowed to do so because she”s “not like other girls, so not like these pathetic dumb losers”. Hürrem was strong, cunning, and smart, but she also had one clear advantage over all her “enemies” - the love of the most powerful man in Ottoman history. She made multiple mistakes too, but could always count on Suleiman turning a blind eye or forgiving her - something that Mahidevran or others could never count on.

Frankly, even Hürrem vs. Mustafa was often treated more as Hürrem vs. all this “pathetic” women that fought for Mustafa’s case aka Mahidevran or Suleiman’s sisters in fandom. Suddenly Mustafa cannot even defend his own mother because he immediately had it coming for “choosing the wrong side”. Even if you disapprove of him defending/not abandoning his mother, e.g. choosing to poison him sounds a little disproportionate, don’t you think? I said it and I will repeat it again – Hürrem is a character very similar to Cersei – yes, she suffered a lot because of a system devaluing women and yes she’s a survivor and a strong woman who managed to make life for herself in that system – but she’s not a feminist character because she actually only uses the system to her own advantage (and often perpetuates it), and actually displays a lot of traits of internalised misogyny, voicing multiple times how she is different from other girls and this is why she must be the only one by Suleiman’s side, while other women aren’t even entitled to dream about such things. She condemns Mahidevran for wanting to be the only one and being jealous, but then when Suleiman is with other woman she’s all “I’m not like pathetic Mahidevran, I must be the only one”. Same with multiple comments that she often makes… Hürrem was sassy &sarcastic, and had many good comebacks, but it makes me sad how people often cheered on and applauded those worst ones that again display internalised misogyny, like her mocking Mahidevran why she cares about her appearance so much when she doesn’t have a man to share a bed with? Or her again being all “I will give birth to many boys, and you won’t even give birth to a girl”. Again, that whole society was misogynistic and other women also were influenced by it, like they all wanted to give birth to a boy mostly…but often it is about status and wanting to raise/maintain rank, while Hürrem boasts the fact that she gives birth to many boys as again a trait to show how special&strong she is, even part of her reaction to Mihrimah’s birth is her unable to accept the fact that she could give birth to a girl and being disgusted by the fact.. yes, she accepts her later on and her reaction does also stem from being aware of how misogynist the system is, but it shows precisely that – yes, she is influenced by the system and suffered because of it, but at the same time she begins to display same behaviour that she suffered from, tries to cut herself from others in disadvantaged position. And yes, not all characters had similar reactions to giving births to daughters, and mind you Hürrem already had a son&became sultana, plus was Suleiman’s clear fave that could hope for more children. She wasn’t in the worst situation, even Hafsa and Suleiman were very happy at birth of a girl and nobody criticised her for it. Conversely, in MYK Kösem states multiple times that she wants to give Ahmed both sons and daughters, and when she’s pregnant with her second child, she says she wants a girl now for a change. Even when Ayşe hopes for a boy so that Murad’s anger may be melted, she’s happy about Kaya’s birth&clearly loves the baby from the start & is distraught when she is taken from her. Hürrem was never intended to be viewed as feminist, always justified heroine.. this is why instead of making her first bad deed be a revenge on Mahidevran, who had treated her horribly and unfairly, she attacked the person who was most kind to her of them all and who recently went through the same exact shit. Some people hate Gülnihal, but then say Hürrem wasn’t a homewrecker because she had the right to make life for herself in harem.. true, but so did Gülnihal, and it’s not like she could refuse to go to Suleiman’s chambers pls. It wasn’t to be seen as right, it was clearly shown that Hürrem can be both the oppressed and oppressor at the same time from the start. If they had wanted to make her character only all about revenge, they would have again made her gone after Mahi, not innocent Gülnihal, her “best friend”. And people going how Mahi is irredeemable, but with Hürrem it’s so okay because she’s cool while she slays..eh. I admit I never liked Hürrem because personally she never appealed to me, but I totally get why people stan her because she’s an interesting, three-dimensional character (and yes she does have a softer side too), I’m just bothered by some making her some empowered heroine who is excused for everything by the fact that she was a slave and suffered a lot because of it – because you know she is not the only one who went through the same shit – the harem is full of such women, for start. Even statesmen like Ibrahim or Rüstem are slaves (of course as men they have more opportunities for a career etc.), eunuchs attending ladies are slaves… This whole system is based on slavery, yet she often behaves & talks like she’s the only one who lost her family, was kidnapped & mistreated.

And even Nurbanu becoming her successor was accidental because she actually wanted her dead later, though of course Nurbanu was still clearly inspired by her. She never intended for anyone to follow her example and to make her elevation become a permanent element of Ottoman system, and it’s symbolised by her decision to bury the “ring of power” (lol) with her (though of course what Nurbanu did with taking it anyway was plain disgusting).

I think that trying to examine why this character behaves like that is more interesting than simply go YASSS QUEEN.

Thus said, I hate these reductive“takes” calling these women “bitches” because yes there are complex reasons why some of them have become pretty cruel, so while there are no excuses for some of the behaviour, the simple word “bitch” does not cut it at all.

/Yes, I discussed Hürrem here because out of all MY/K characters she seems to be the least hated among major female characters & biggest fan favourite,/

Anyway, the point is that neither Hürrem nor Mahidevran are the villains of the story. The show makes it clear in its last episodes that Suleiman is the true villain – he was the most powerful man at that time, when the padisah’s position was truly strong, as Gülfem put it in the finale “even leaf cannot fall without your approval”. He’s not as dumb or passive as it may seem at first glance -of course he needs to pretend to be objective and just, but he has his own agenda just as everyone else. Moreover, he pretended to be the one trying to ease conflicts… yet he was often the one enhancing them. Even from the start when he gave the ring he had promised Mahidevran to Hürrem&and in many ways humiliated her… then he did the same with giving Isabella necklace he had promised Hürrem. Bah, it was clear he often enjoyed making Hürrem jealous because it flattered his ego. He ultimately even enhanced the conflict between Selim and Bayezid to get rid of the latter, who was “the more dangerous son”. He was always pulling the strings.. he allowed Selim to buy Bayezid from Tahmasp by the way he conducted negotiations because he knew Bayezid would get rid of his brother on the road. It’s practically what Gülfem says to him in last episode again. He knew what backlash was directed at him following Mustafa’s death and he didn’t want another son killed in front of him. As Mahidevran said in the final episode to Mihrimah “It was your father who chose the lives we lived for all of us”. He was the one that determined the fate for everyone. And even if Mihrimah did not want to admit it in any way in front of her mother’s enemy, she pretty much understood then that Selim was also her father’s puppet in a way and it’s my guess why she ultimately decides to leave the palace instead of plotting revenge for Bayezid (and we know she would eventually be back). It was Suleiman who was pulling strings all along throughout the whole show, even sometimes by choosing to refrain from acting.

In MYK, the situation is different that we deal with incompetent, weak or even tyrannical sultans, who are also sometimes danger to ordinary people or break the Imperial law. Kösem acts here like the protector of sultanate and again we see different standards. Can you imagine how criticised Kösem would be if she had used similar methods to Murad’s or even once had gone to on “night spree” and executed people for banning all these dumb prohibitions? Yet for many Murad is the “cool guy” and “poor misunderstood Murad”. Calling Kösem a tyrant.. please you have an actual tyrant here. Look how much criticism she gets for saying “I’m the state”, while Murad calls himself “shadow of God on Earth” , “sole owner of the Ottoman Empire”, “I’m the justice” , “true death” etc. all the time and he’s “badass”. Or how she’s criticised because she dared to try to influence the Divan to convince Murad to change punishment for his prohibitions. She’s an “usurper”, not the guy who enacts unjust law and oppresses his subjects.

And here we come to crux – look at how Suleiman is treated in MY, everyone is flattering him, he’s the one who for most time isn’t blamed for what is happening, everyone strives to be in his good graces, his sons step on their toes around him and idealise him even when he behaves like a total asshat. Even when he dies people try to remember him for his “magnificence”

Now look at Kösem, a female ruler, who was turned by scapegoat by people when something went bad and she had far less freedom to make choices and yet far more criticism, blame shifting and insults thrown her way. Suleiman is credited “for making sacrifices for the Empire”… but he really didn’t have to execute all the people he decided to kill, and his decisions truly affected everyone badly and led to further mess, starting from Ibrahim’s.. It was especially visible in case of Mustafa – he was obviously innocent and didn’t intend to rebel, but after what happened rebellions did begin.Conversely, each difficult decision that Kösem made led to stabilisation in Empire and prevented unrest, yet what she does is interpreted by some as “wanting power for sake of power” because woman cannot act in favour of state nation or dynasty – there’s only personal interest or power hunger. Her life is clearly framed as tragedy both by the “curse” of her witnessing the death of everyone she loved and her death being a parallel scene to her capture - because she was never truly free.

Interestingly, IMO Suleiman for all his talent and his achievements, fucked up the succession issue – succession by combat truly began to run its course during that period & no longer even fulfilled functions for which it was practiced – to put on the throne “the strongest” contender, one with the biggest support, also most successful military commander – while it’s true that era of conquest was naturally over and Empire had to become more sedentary, it still doesn’t make Selim the strongest or best suited candidate for the throne after Suleiman – his not going on campaigns etc. and being more of palace sultan had nothing to do with him recognising the transformation, but simply lack of interest in state matters and preferring to have fun than to rule. He wasn’t some demon, but he was terribly passive & lazy. And him not being a warrior was the least of his problems. Suleiman had extreme power and authority, he introduced first law reform after Mehmed the Conqueror – the fact that he allowed such contest (and well his sons didn’t even wait for his death to start a civil war) was a bad decision when it came to long-term planning. Some may say maybe he would have done something concerning move to seniority if one of Hürrem’s sons had been the eldest… maybe, but we will never know. Contrary, while all Ahmed’s sons died during Kösem’s lifetime, we know her legacy connected with anti-fratricide law lived on – after her death fratricide was a rare occurrence with only a few special exceptions in specific circumstances.

Of course there’s also the matter that Suleiman’s era and Kösem’s era were totally different – here it was even a success to manage to stabilise Empire. And here we need to stress how important context is – I always stress how important it is to assess historical figures in context – for me it’s hard to even compare, let’s say Kösem and Hürrem, because they lived in different ages and fulfilled different roles, let alone comparisons between historical figures from other parts of the world, perhaps even from different age. I can’t understand e.g. why Peirce compared Kösem and Turhan to Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart in Empress of the East – both situations were completely different, the only thing they had in common was that there was a power struggle between two powerful women, which ended with one of them executing the other (and we don’t even have 100% confirmation of Turhan ordering Kosem’s execution because such thing wasn’t officially in her power). I appreciate Peirce a lot, but TBH this comparison was just dumb for a professional historian.

Kösem’s case really shows how loss of innocence may be used as weapon against you – very early on, she gets the lesson even with Ahmed – the moment she first became involved with scheming following the death of her father, he got mad at her for the duration of her whole pregnancy – he didn’t ask why she had done it or any other details – she wasn’t his “ideal fantasy” from the portrait anymore and this was what mattered – and only then changed his mind when after so many futile attempts made by Kösem to talk to him, she finally forced him to listen to her explanations & motivations, and subsequently he became all “I will make everyone pay for every tear of yours & for making us endure pain of separation”. Ah okay, but don’t forget about yourself ;) And once Kösem stopped being “şehzade’s dream” with death of Ahmed and was truly her own political leader, she became to be more and more exposed to this with the passing of time and once she acquainted more and more power.

And don’t forget some male historians praising Turhan for “giving the power back to the rightful hands aka men”… it tells you all, and it’s false anyway, since it didn’t mean Turhan losing interest in state affairs and only caring about the harem (and honestly, “Köprülü was “her man”, she didn’t choose someone she had no influence upon). That was what she decided the Empire needed at that particular moment, not because she realised that politically involved women sucked lmao.

- Joanna

[idkwhoiamanymorebutwtf]

EXPLANATIONS FOR EACH SLOT BELOW-

Favorite Character: Cassandra because who wouldn’t love her? She’s badass as hell, she’s super smart, she’s got such an interesting, complex character arc, and she’s highkey super pretty too. Of course Cass is my favorite.

Character Everyone Else Likes: Adira because people just tend to talk about how great she is and all but like...she’s just so egotistical and talks down to people like she’s so cool but she’s actually talented which means nobody can ever tell her off for being a bitch even though she is since she’s still helping. Adira just gets on my nerves tbh but a lot of people love her.

Character I Didn’t Like At First: I mean, Edmund. He still isn’t my favorite character, but when we first met him I found him super annoying and was particularly upset by how he was kinda pushing himself into Eugene’s life after...you know...abandoning him. However I understand him a lot better now and I don’t hate him anymore.

Characters I Want To Know More About: Both Eugene’s mom and Varian’s mom!! I know that’s two characters and the format only asks for one but idc. Honestly we know basically nothing about either of them but i’d really love to learn more so that sucks. Mom’s matter too, lol.

Most Hated Character: Shorty. Idk why he exists. I mean, comedic relief and all, yeah, but I honestly don’t even find him funny, and the other characters are capable enough of having jokes around them that idk why Shorty had to be in the show at all, much less as often as he was.

I Like The Look, But Don’t Like The Character: Lady Caine actually has a pretty cool design to me. She’s visibly badass and I actually really like her hair. And her tattoo. However, as a character, she seems kinda lack luster. Not only is she just a nasty person, but her motivations don’t make much sense and she really just doesn’t have a lot of depth to her. I almost put Stalyan here, but she’s got a slightly more interesting character.

I like the character but don’t like the Look: Idk man, Friedborg is just cool to me. I kinda just enjoy her existence. She has funny moments and I like how nice everyone is to her despite her clear...difficulties. However I generally don’t like her appearance. I feel like most people don’t, tbh. Lol. And kinda how close her color scheme and outfit is to Cassie is uncomfortable to me too.

Character Most Like Me: Rapunzel!! I like to think i’m a generally cheerful person like she is, and I definitely don’t like seeing people hurt or upset. I also know I can be a bit oblivious to other’s feelings, though, and I do tend to pretend things are alright when they’re not just because I find dealing with serious situations rather awkward. (plus Cass is my favorite character and Cass is definitely Rapunzel’s favorite too, let’s be real.)

Favorite Ship: Cassunzel!!! I almost put New Dream here (or ot3 with all three of them), but I had to put this one in the end. Their relationship has meant a lot in the show and it’s super sweet to me tbh. It’s special and I just had to put it here.

Most Hated Ship: Guys please don’t ship Cass with Varian. Please. Varain’s a child and Cassie’s an adult woman (not to mention that she’s totally a lesbian tbh, lol). And I enjoy their friendship. I’m super glad Cass is wearing the Cassandrium necklace because friendship and all. I even thought Varian’s little crush on her was adorable. But as an actual relationship? No. Never.

Could Be My Friend Irl: I mean i’d let most characters in this show be me irl friend tbh, but Varian is not only such a sweet, dorky kid that i’d probably hang out with, but he’s in my age range too, unlike a lot of the characters I love most.

Could Never Be My Friend: Zhan Tiri, duh. She’s an abusive, manipulative bitch who also just kinda seems like she’s no fun in general.

Most Underrated Character: Lance has been a major character for like the whole show but the fandom tends to focus a lot more on other character’s. I mean, I do it too. Honestly I can’t remember ever talking about him on my blog, however when I think about who the major characters of the series have been, it’s always ‘Cassandra, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Lance’ and i’ve just recently realized that a lot of people don’t actually include him.

Needed More Character Development: We got some characterization of Arianna throughout the show, but we didn’t get much, and that bugs me more than if we didn’t get any at all tbh because I just want more development for her after seeing how cool her base character is.

Needed More Screentime: Angry and Catalina! They get quite a bit of screentime in season three, which I appreciate, but they only have like two appearances beforehand and I frickin missed them and really wanted more of the girls in earlier seasons.

Favorite Animal Sidekick: Owllll! He’s tough and protective and he loves Cassie and honestly anyone who loves Cassie get’s points in my book and he’s honestly super cute but nobody tell him I said that.

[yunaffie]

Desiderium

Ghost Swap exchange fic for @temsikghosts

Prompt: “ Finally some angst with Manipulator!Yomiel coming to visit FianSissel's grave and reflecting about his loss “

Happy Ghost Swap! Here’s a fic for you all about our dear angsty boy. Hope you enjoy! :)

Dawn has arrived, bringing with it the chirping melody of birds in the treetops. The sun is slowly rising over the horizon, casting its pale morning light over the rows of gravestones. Yomiel weaves his way past them, his feet softly thumping over the well trodden grass. One hand clutches a bouquet of flowers while the other holds firmly onto the bag at his side. He stops still for a moment, his gaze scanning the cemetery. It takes a moment before he remembers exactly where he is going and then he sets off again toward his destination.

There it is. Her name, carved forever in that slab of stone, followed by two dates and a few words in commemoration. There are a handful of flowers lying before the gravestone, long wilted away. It doesn't look like anyone has visited her recently. Her parents lived abroad and she never had much of a social life. There had been nobody at her side when she grieved. Nobody to support her. Nobody to stop her from plunging into despair. 

Yomiel takes away the withered flowers and sets down the bouquet he brought. "Hello, Sissel. I'm sorry it's been so long since I last visited." He sits down before the grave and pops open the top of the bag. A few seconds later, a cat pokes its head out from the badge and utters a soft mew.

"I brought the other Sissel along as you can see." Yomiel reaches out to rub Sissel's head, smiling fondly at him. "He's very well behaved, and he's been a good friend to me over the past few years. I'm sure you would have liked him too."

Sissel had loved animals, even she didn't have a pet of her own. She had been such a gentle, sweet and kind woman, always happy and laughing. It was hard to believe that someone as cheerful as her could have fallen so hard, been driven to such despair that she felt there was no option but to take her life. That was how much she had loved him. She chose to be with him in death.

But he was still here, still walking this earth, denied the peace of death. In choosing to take her life, she had gone to a place that he couldn't follow.

"I wish I could come and see you more often, but it's too dangerous. As far as the world knows, I'm dead. If anyone was to recognize me, well, it wouldn't be good. I can't stay in this town. I can't visit all the places I used to. There are other people living in your house, you know? All your furniture, everything you owned, it's all just gone." Yomiel curls his hands into fists. "Everything that reminded me of you, erased, just like that."

Now all he has are the memories of her, and the single picture of the two of them he took from the house the day he found her. The memory is still so vivid in his mind that he can picture every little detail. He will never forget the sight of her prone body, skin as white as chalk, sprawled across the couch. On the cluttered coffee table, scattered with various clues to how she had taken her life, he found her last message to him. She had passed on with the belief that she would be seeing him again but that had been a huge mistake.

"Gods, I miss you so much." Yomiel gazes down at his lap, grinding his teeth. It feels like he really should be crying at this point but he can't, no matter how much he wants to. Even as he had clutched her dead body and screamed her name, the tears never came. This body is now nothing more than a sack of meat he can control like a puppet on strings. "I want to hold you, to bury my face in your hair, to hear your voice, your laugh..." His voice hitches in a sob. "I just want to be with you, Sissel."

Yomiel closes his eyes, hunching over with shaking shoulders. It's so painful, thinking about how he'll never see her again. The loneliness, the longing, he just can't bear it. He hears a mew and opens his eyes to see the cat in his lap. Yomiel smiles and hugs the cat to his chest, stroking his dark fur. It doesn't take long for Sissel to start purring.

"I keep going over to his house, over the phone line. I know I shouldn't be doing it. It's not healthy for me, is it? I hate it. I can't stand watching them. They all look so damn happy. Him, his wife, his kid... and that other man. How dare they. Those detectives have no right to be happy after what they did to us! It's just not fair. What about us? We weren't even allowed to continue our lives together. We could have been married by now, living in the same house together, but we were denied that future because of them. I just..." Yomiel clenches one hand into a tight fist. "I want to punish them. I know I shouldn't be thinking this way, but I do. I want them to know my pain, to feel it."

Yomiel looks up toward the cloudy sky. The birdsong has faded away and all he hears is the distant traffic. Not a single person has entered the cemetery, a fact he is thankful for. 

"I could do it. My powers have changed now. I've been practicing. Controlling adults is still a little tricky, but I think I could easily handle a child. Who knows? Maybe..." Yomiel trails off and shakes his head with a short laugh. "Part of me still can't believe I'm even thinking like this. I think you would be shocked too, Sissel. This isn't the man you loved. This... this bitter, vengeful man who would even think of hurting people. I know, it's not right. I shouldn't be thinking this way but I can't, I can't go on like this!" He hugs the cat a bit tighter, burying his face in his fur. "Every day, I'm losing a bit more of myself. All I can think about is making them pay. It's all their fault you're lying there in the ground right now."

That's right. It's their fault. Detective Jowd, Detective Cabanela, that little girl Lynne, they are responsible. They killed him and they killed the woman he loved. 

"Maybe I'll do it," Yomiel whispers. "I'll tear that happy family apart. I'll make Detective Jowd learn how it feels to lose the woman he loves." His mouth curves into a smile. "Yes, I think that's only fair, isn't it?"

After a minute, Yomiel breaks out into laughter, putting a hand over his face. "Oh gods, I'm really losing it, aren't I? I'm going crazy. I can't believe I'm actually thinking about murder. Just what is happening to me?"

Sissel shifts around and releases an annoyed sounding mew, causing Yomiel to realise he's holding him too tight. It's difficult to know with a body like this.

"Sorry, Sissel." Yomiel relaxes his hold and gently scratches Sissel's head. The cat's yellow eyes stare unblinkingly back at him. "I don't know what I would do without you." He lifts his gaze to the gravestone. "It's just so lonely without her, without anyone else. Everyone thinks I'm dead and I can't go back. I can never return to my old life. Especially not without her. If I could just go back to that day..." With a shake of the head, he breaks off. "But that's impossible, isn't it?"

Those days are far beyond his reach. No matter how much he wishes for it, they will never return. All that faces him is an eternity of complete and utter isolation. Yomiel heaves a sigh and takes a look around the cemetery. It is still as isolated as when he came.

"Well then, we should get going." Yomiel places Sissel inside the bag and gazes at the gravestone one more time with a sad smile. "I'd better be off. Can't be hanging around here too much, you know, being a dead man and all. I'll visit you again sometime soon. See you, Sissel."

Not for the first time, he briefly wonders if she can hear him right now. While the thought of their loved ones watching over them might bring comfort to some, it only makes Yomiel feel dread. He can't bear to think of Sissel up there knowing her efforts to be with him only pushed them further apart. It's too cruel. Better to think his words are going unheard.

And yet, he still feels the need to come to her grave and pour his heart out to her. It's something of a paradox, he thinks, just like his entire existence. A man trapped between life and death, dead and alive. 

With a heavy heart, Yomiel rises to his feet and walks away, his head hung low.