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tdcloud · 2 years

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DVerse Lore + Updates - Triarii, Nicciave, and Loremasters (blog#14)

I seriously can’t believe it’s already March. Am I the only one who thinks the months go by faster the older I get? Well, anyway, there’s no time for existentialism—we’ve got a lot to discuss this time and there’s no time like the present to get down to things!

First order of business: I’m freshly back from Anime Crossroads and ecstatic that the first convention of 2023 went so well! I met a lot of fans, new and old, and managed to hawk my wares to a lot of new readers, all without losing my voice! If you’ve ever met me at a convention before, I’m sure you know how amazing that last part is. 90% of my business is gained by talking to people who stop by my table. I have to give summaries, discuss my writing style, and listen to many aspiring writers, casual readers, and overly-effusive porn enthusiasts for three days straight. It’s a lot on the vocal cords, believe me! But ACross was great, the people were phenomenal, and I’m gearing up for Evillecon later this month with full faith that it’ll be just as good if not better than what I just experienced last weekend.

So, here’s your reminder that I’ll be attending Evillecon in Evansville, IN! Mosey on over to my Schedule page for more information on that, and definitely swing by the table to say hello if you’re going, too. I’d love to see some more friendly faces from that neck of the woods!

Second on the docket: Ossuary. Another novella published, and a whole slew of new readers to traumatize with my particular brand of erotic horror! I hope you all managed to snag yourselves a copy, be it physical or ebook, and if you ordered a signed copy from me, rest assured, the books are on their way if they aren’t already in your hands! Please keep in mind that I offer signed copies of all of my work at all times. Merely mosey over to the Books tab and click on the form link at the bottom of the page, and I’ll personalize a copy and mail it to you myself.

And hey, if you’ve already got your book and enjoyed it thoroughly, here’s your regular reminder that the best way you can continue to support me after your purchase is to leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. Seriously, there is no better way to help my work read new readers than by leaving a kind review. It helps boost my work in the algorithm, and helps me find new markets I wouldn’t otherwise reach. So… get to writing if you’ve already finished Ossuary! Just a few sentences can really move mountains on those sites!

And lastly, the third topic of discussion: What’s coming next?

Well, a hell of a lot, to be honest with you! With Ossuary wrapped up and freshly off to market, the next title on deck to be published is Infaust, my Pied Piper inspired dark romance. My artist for this book is currently tied up with some other projects at the moment, but the manuscript itself is fully finished and ready whenever she is. Tenuous plans have this book launching sometime this Summer, if not into early Fall. More details to come as we get closer to June, but trust me, I’ll keep you all informed!

I don’t like making promises on for-sure publication dates. Lord knows there are a million little things that can send a project back several months, and at this point, I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to promising things that aren’t set in stone. But, while I wait for Sun’s time to free up for Infaust, I’m also working on preparing the first of the Vigilante novellas, too! We may see Pride/Stray published late this year, but please, don’t hold your breath. Three publications in one year is the dream, but until Infaust comes out, not much else will. Get excited, though! If it doesn’t drop this year, it will drop first thing in 2024.

Anyway, that’s enough preliminary business for the time being. We have an actual topic of the month to discuss, so let’s get to it and delve into the next category of DVerse clans: the Triarii, Nicciave, and Loremasters!

The Triarii are one of my favorite clans to talk about because they don’t seem like they’ve got all that much going on with them at first blush. They’re the “strong” vampires, the big ones, the jocks as Gabriel in Letifer termed them, but they are so much more than that. Boy howdy, are they so much more than that. They’re a very tumultuous bloodline that has seen great rises and great losses in power. For much of the Dark Ages, they actually stood alongside the Luminaries and were, in some ways, far more akin to a ruling class than their landed gentry contemporaries.

The first Triarii isn’t known, but exemplary Triarii stand out in history as the leaders of countries, the winners of wars. Most notable of all the Triarii we’re likely to encounter in the DVerse books is Marcu, a Roman Centurion who single-handedly changed the course of European history after a rampant spree of vampiric over-feedings combined with an intense population growth threatened the human species at large. We’ll get into the specifics fully in the final books of the series, but he essentially saw the writing on the wall, realized that there would be nothing left if someone didn’t do something and soon, and took matters into his own hands. The first great cullings began under his watch. Lesser clans found their numbers purged in droves, and prominent families who had the foresight to place their support behind the winning side (Marcu’s) found themselves elevated in the new world order while the rest were left out to receive a last sunrise.

This was the golden age of the Triarii, and it lasted as long as Marcu did. Marcu lost power in an nebulously understood part of vampiric history known colloquially as The Fall. After he was gone, the Triarii splintered, scrambled, and lost their hard-won supremacy. Luminaries who realized they no longer wished to be puppet rulers behind their muscle-bound pseudo-servants took back control and reinstated the pecking order we see persisting into modern nights.

In modernity, we see most Triarii occupy a tenuous position of power and unimportance. They’re often found in ancillary roles of bodyguards, drivers, hired muscle, and confidants to the high bloods. Nary will you see a Luminary operating in public without a Triarii close behind, and because of this close proximity to power, Triarii enjoy being in the know in ways few are. They seem to be working towards something, accumulating power, contacts, and information, but what, exactly, they’re hoping to accomplish is a secret known only to their ranks, and if there’s one thing Triarii don’t share, it’s secrets that benefit the clan as a whole.

Might makes right to the Triarii. First and foremost, they are a clan built upon the belief that the only way to hold power is through conquest, battle, and proving definitively that you are stronger than the one you’re up against. In a time of constant war, in the time of Empires, it’s easy to see why they would have risen above their intellectual counterparts. Triarii embrace from the ranks of soldiers, generals, hardened veterans, and those who have proven their will is stronger than their foes—stronger than anyone, in fact—and their blood assures that’s true.

Similar to the Cultists, it can be difficult to survive the transformative bite of a Triarii. It’s strong blood. Only the strong can withstand it, and even then, a will of steel is needed as well. Because of this, most Triarii tend to be big and bulky. They were fighters in life, or soldiers, or thugs. Athletes, hired muscle, the sort of humans who led an active life and have the body to prove it—but that’s just one sort of Triarii. The strongest powerlifter could be felled by a Triarii embrace just as easily as the weakest pencil pusher if they don’t have the mindset, the sheer force of will, to overpower the blood before it overpowers them first. So, any Triarii you encounter demands respect outright. There is no such thing as a Triarii pushover. They all fought to survive in ways most can’t comprehend, and because of that, they’re all worth consideration, no matter the package they come in.

My favorite thing about this clan is that they are, as I fondly call them, “team sports.” What makes the most dangerous isn’t their enhanced strength, their ability to channel ungodly strength and bloodlust through blood rages, or their unbreakable willpower. It’s that they all come into the night with an innate sense of loyalty that is nigh on unshatterable. For most, this loyalty is directed to the clan as a whole. There shouldn’t be such a thing as a Triarii who isn’t willing to lend aid to a fellow Triarii. They are all bloodkin, and in this sense, blood is far, far thicker than water. Triarii talk. They share everything. If one works for a Luminary in Chicago and hears some secrets on the job, you can guarantee every Triarii they’ve come into contact with in that city also knows those secrets too. They rarely if ever act in ways that wouldn’t benefit their fellow clanmates at large.

Of course, there are always outliers. Triarii have to be loyal to something. Most are loyal to each other, but that doesn’t have to be the case. Some are hyper-loyal to the groups they were affiliated with in life (a gang leader may remain loyal to his gang as opposed to the Triarii who turned him, for example). The thing is… this is the sort of loyalty that’s meant to be shared. If it isn’t given to a large enough group, or God forbid, is only given to a single person… Well, there are a few freaks in this world—Rience being one of them, as discussed last month—and there is nothing scarier than a Triarii who doesn’t share.

We’ll get into that in the next novel, Philaimatos, and believe me, it’s fucking wild.

Triarii Power breakdown:

Insanely enhanced strength, speed, and physical ability.

When hurt/angered/triggered, can engage in a “Blood Rage” and essentially go full primal instincts. Become a killing machine with no sense of pain or consequences until their blood lust is satisfied.

Enhanced loyalty to the clan/group of influence. Fixations occur if this need for camaraderie/kinship isn’t disseminated to a big enough pool.

But let’s move on to the exact opposite of the Triarii. No more jocks—let’s move onto the nerds, namely my favorite clan, the Nicciave!

I’m not sure who the progenitor of the Nicciave was, but I can guarantee they were a paranoid bastard who probably wasn’t well liked. They were instrumental in the Triarii’s rise to power during the Dark Ages and select Nicciave benefited greatly from sensing which way the wind was blowing during that initial conflict. Many were culled, but those who aligned themselves with Marcu early on saw unprecedented prestige, status, and power placed upon them as they sold out their fellow kin, clanmates and strangers alike, all in the hopes of receiving a good seat in the new world order Marcu built off the bones of the culled. We’ll see a lot of that in the story of Cassius, another key player in the final books of the series. No spoilers here though. Just know it’s a doozy.

When I describe the Nicciave, the best analogy I’ve found is that they are rats fleeing an eternally sinking ship. They are the most Type-A neurotics you can imagine, and they have good reason to be that. Unlike most clans who are gifted with physical abilities, their claim to fame is purely mental. No one in the vampire world has a stronger mind than a Nicciave. They can compel humans and vampires alike without breaking a sweat, mesmerize as easily as breathing, and destroy minds on a whim. On top of that, they’ve got one hell of a self-preservation tactic under their belts: minor precognizance. If there’s a fist being thrown in their direction, they’ll know about it before it happens—or before it could happen.

For better or worse, they are grossly aware of how dangerous the world is. They have the unique ability to know exactly how bad things are about to get just before they happen, and because of that, they are constantly doing everything in their power to better their positions. It’s not paranoia to think the whole world is out to get you when you know that it is, and in a world built on shadowy politics, back alley alliances, and cutthroat bargains, the only true safety is found in power—absolute power.

Nicciave are opportunists. They are shadow brokers, spymasters, kingmakers, and power hungry to a fault. There’s no other way to attain security than to know every single danger out there and have it under lock and key—or better yet, have it owe you so you hold the leash and direct what direction the danger points. Beside every great leader are a dozen Nicciave lurking just behind the seat of power, whispering in the King’s ear to guide him this way or that. They are loyal only to themselves, and even then, that loyalty is a fickle thing when their own minds tell them they’re constantly under threat.

No one trusts a Nicciave: they are a resource to be used carefully, and always at a cost.

Nicciave have a wider pool in which they sire from than most clans. They don’t look at scholars or athletes or royalty—they look at everyone and choose based on their own set of standards. And even after a fledgling is turned, whether or not they live up to their sire’s standards is another matter entirely. Some watch a single individual for years to weigh whether or not they’ve met some arbitrary set of standards, some invisible check-\list that meets their expectations for a good lackey. Others treat it more like a job interview with the human unknowing what, exactly, that job will entail until it’s too late to turn it down. Some employ “tests'' that range from innocuous to utterly inhumane just to see how the prospective fledgling bounces back.

Regardless of how they get there, Nicciave sires are… difficult mentors to impress. It’s hard to tell who has it better, those with micromanaging sires or utterly detached ones.

Despite their typical unsavoryness, Nicciave remain in high demand to those also seeking power, prestige, or a leg up over their rivals. Most Nicciave have a price they’re willing to sell just about anything for, and their loyalty comes at a figure most couldn’t scarcely begin to afford. Anyone who’s anyone has the number to a few prominent Nicciave on their phone, and if you’re smart, you can benefit greatly from a relationship with one. Just be prepared to lose a few secrets in the process, naturally.

What I love most about Nicciave is that while every bloodline has some flaw or facet of their personality cranked up to eleven, these bastards prove to be their own worst enemies 99% of the time. They are self-destructive in their need to climb the ranks, and even those who seem level headed have at least one trigger topic (or person) that will send them spiraling. Anxiety, OCD, unsavory fixations, and paranoia are prevalent, and no Nicciave has the exact same flavor of brain rot. I adore shadow lord type characters, but they’re always so much more fun when they’ve got some kind of Issue that keeps them from fully achieving domination. They don’t seek power for power’s sake—it’s a self-defense mechanism, and the thing that might provide them with true safety, happiness, or satisfaction will always take a back seat to the thing they perceive will keep them ahead of the dangers they see around every single corner. It makes for very interesting characters and dynamics, something you’ll see in our next duology of novels!

Nicciave Power breakdown:

Enhanced mental acuity—compulsion, mesmerism, mental dominance, and control. Can compel humans without effort and almost all vampires with ease. Only Luminaries would present a challenge.

Minor pre-cognizance (mental “vision” of incoming danger/threats).

Exacerbated anxiety/paranoia. Will distrust instinctively.

Our final topic of the month comes in the form of the other nerds of the vampire world, the Loremasters. In some ways, these are the truer form of “nerd.” They seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge and not for some desperate grab for power, dominance, or security the way the Nicciave do. They’ve got their own issues, but they’re far less dramatic, and there can be an argument made that these bastards are the saddest of all the clans. I sure as shit know my editor thinks so XD

For as long as there has been history, there have been those dedicated to recording it. Vampiric history may transpire in longer epochs than most history, but there are still record keepers, or in this case, Loremasters. Built from enclaves of scholars from every order under the sun, the Loremasters navigate the centuries with the marked goal of recording its passage as accurately and unbiasedly as possible. If there is a progenitor of this bloodline, they would know it. They try to know everything they can as quickly as they can because unlike all other bloodlines, the Loremasters do have an expiration date.

Yep, you heard me right. Loremasters are not immortal. The average Loremaster has a lifespan of roughly 900 years, and for every decade they exist as such, they age. It’s slow at first, but persistent, compounding until their bodies fail them while their minds—the lone aspect of their bodies untouched by age—continue on.

It’s common practice for younger Loremasters to mercy kill their elders once they reach the last stages of bodily autonomy—and once they’ve finished conveying the bulk of their own knowledge. No one wants to exist as a sentient brain on the floor, which is what tends to become of them if they’re not dealt with when their bodies begin to break down.

There’s definitely some possibility of some weird sci-fi shit with this clan once technology catches up to the Futurama heads-in-a-jar concept, but I’ll leave that to you guys to postulate on.

These guys don’t solely live just to die though. Some believe that the fact that they do die gives their longevity more meaning. You would be hard pressed to come across a single Loremaster that doesn’t give their duty 100% of their focus, and that duty is vast, varied, and fascinating. While Loremasters tend to all maintain some contact with their order in whatever area they may inhabit, Loremasters have a variety of positions within vampiric society. Their number is few and always has been, but their worth is undeniable to those with the common sense to appreciate it. Luminaries who desire uncontested proof of their claim over an area always have at least one Loremaster under their employ to attest to their historic legacy, and those with fledglings in need of guidance are often assigned younger Luminaries to document their growing deeds as preemptive guarantees that their rises to power go uncontested.

You can view Loremasters as counselors, scribes, and historians all in one. Most remain situated in one area for most of their lives, but others, typically younger Loremasters, travel frequently, gathering new sources of information for the clan as a whole while their bodies are strong enough to facilitate travel. A common coming of age task for young fledglings is to venture away from the enclave alone and bring back the truth regarding long-held folk beliefs, rumors, or events that have gone uninvestigated by frail elders. The acquisition of new knowledge is paramount to the clan, and the best way to prove your worth is to bring back something juicy.

Older-but-still-spry Loremasters oftentimes have ongoing research projects under their belts. Sometimes they’re pet interests, and other times they’re assigned duties they’ve been tasked to delve into. The quintessential Loremaster is an unbiased observer, a witness to the events of history as history is made. Most subscribe to this mentality. Most. It’s uncommon to see a Loremaster engaged in any physical or bloody feat to uncover secrets. It’s even more uncommon to find a Loremaster engaged politically in any capacity other than as an apolitical advisor/historian. But there are exceptions to every rule, and like all exceptions in the DVerse, it’s those individuals who leave the most ripples in their wake.

While writing this series I’ve found that the most fun vampires are the ones who don’t fully fall into their clan bias. All three of this month’s clan spotlights will get that proven true in the next duology, so trust me, y’all are in for a treat.

Loremaster Power breakdown:

Photographic and eidetic memories. They never forget, and no other bloodline can say the same.

Longevity, not immortality—they age roughly a decade every 100 years after they’ve caught up to their physical age (someone turned at twenty will look twenty for two hundred years and age 10 years physically every century after that).

Enhanced strength, speed, and senses are average in terms of most vampires. Nothing to write home about compared to anyone else under the vampiric sun.

That’s enough of all of that for the moment. Let’s open things up to a question! I only got one this month from Twitter, but that’s fine. I’m a bit pressed for time at this point in the month, so I won’t complain.

Do you have a list of character names or words (made up or otherwise) you’ve set aside as title words or scene inspiration that you want to use in future works?

This is a fascinating question! I don’t typically have lists of names stored up—I��m really more of the “picks a name when I absolutely have to because choosing names is like pulling teeth half the time” but I do have a few names I came across while reading this big ass text book on horror cinema history that I decided to store for a rainy day. I think I’m going to use them for a future polyam erotica I want to write. The names are Zattiany, Diodati, and Aloysha.

When it comes to stories set in fantasy spaces where I don’t have any real-world applications or correlations, I tend to make up names based on how they sound phonetically, and those are always in-the-moment type choices I make while looking at my keyboard and Frankensteining syllables until a name emerges. For real-world based things, I usually look up census records from the time period/location for inspiration or I pull up the various family trees my mother has researched and find fun names from there. Some examples of the latter could be seen in the pirate story I want to write sometime: Rook Sinclair, Avery Tremaine, and Olivier d' Aubrecicourt (father’s name)/de Malet (mother’s name). I’ve also got a Lyde and Nikita on deck, a Lucas, Pierce, and Ilya for a spy novella, and a whole range of various vampires (Felix, Jericho, Eden, Blair, Asher, Ricca, Naoya, Nebraska, Charon, etc.)

As for title words, lord, where do I begin? We already know I almost exclusively title my stories with obscure, one-worded things. I usually find words for that kind of thing by using obscure word dictionaries or online resources like the Haggard Hawks twitter (if you don’t follow this twitter you are missing the fuck out). I also keep a running list on a desktop sticky note of words I come across that I’m fond of and might potentially use if I come up with a premise that suits the word. The DVerse novels in particular required a lot of long hours of research and digging to find Ancient Greek/Latin vocabulary that fit the overarching themes of each book without sounding jarring or bad as title words. For those I’ve got things like Thanatoses, Skiamakhia, Aletheia, Nepenthe, Dakethumos, Philaimatos, etc.

Current words on my list I’d like to write stories around/for would be Philamot (the brownish orange of dead leaves) or Aiteall (a fine spell of weather between showers of rain), with that latter one being one of the few reasons I’d ever consider doing a sixth Tempest book, simply because it fits the overarching title theme of that series.

As for words that may inspire scenes, that’s trickier. I do have one example that sticks out in my head. When it comes to the sequel to Ossuary, Reliquary (oh look, another title word teaser), a large part of what made me want to write it came from the idea of “infestation.” I don’t want to go into a ton of detail since Ossuary only just came out and I’d hate to spoil the ending for anyone, but as I was working on the notes for it, that word just stuck in my head and wouldn’t let go. The idea of something inhuman and wrong “infesting” a mundane, domestic space, worrying away at the once-comfortable trappings and existing within its confines in a way that is just patently WRONG wouldn’t leave me, and it’s become a large feature of what makes that sequel so horrifying. In Ossuary, the horror of Thierry’s surroundings was obvious. He’s in a crypt. He’s surrounded by the dead and dying; it’s simply human nature to recoil from dead things. Domestic horror, though, and the idea of the once-comforting domestic setting becoming “infested” with something that shouldn’t be there…

Well, that’s a hallmark of lots of horror, and it helped me define what sort of terror I want the audience to feel as they read it.

I think that’s the only concrete word I’ve currently got influencing any specific scenes or themes in a story right now. Typically, I’m more guided by “feelings” or specific energies I want to convey to a reader, and a lot of that isn’t so easily captured in just one word.

Only one question, which means we’re going to wrap things up a little shorter than usual this month. There’s plenty to make up for it though in terms of upcoming events and projects, and on that note, I hope I get to see some of you guys at some conventions this year—lord knows I’m going to be attending and tabling at a lot of them—and that you’re enjoying Ossuary. We’ll finish up the last of our clan deep dives next month and move on to some more fun things come April, and not just in our blog rotation! But more on that later. I’ve rambled on long enough here, and I’d hate to spoil the surprise.

Until next time,

T.D. Cloud

#author blog #blog #dverse #the dark vagaries #vampires

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hes-writer · 2 years

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Notes on Camp

summary: harry is the head counsellor and y/n is new

warnings: none for this chapter but angst and fluff coming your way

word count: 1.7k

a/n: this piece has been on my patreon as an early access fic for a while now and i've finally got the balls to upload it here! i'd say it's one of my fics that are not completely drowning in angst so i guess that's why i've been having some doubts about it.

i aimed this to be an 'x reader' piece but it might fit better as an 'x oc'

___

There was nothing that calmed Harry down like watching the stillness of the lake. The faint waves were sculpted by the crisp air, creating junctions on the body of water with dips of the blue spectrum from light and dark as the shadows of the sun highlighted the twilight zone. Trees surrounded the large lake. A backdrop of swaying branches and pine needles that fell to the dirt in a life cycle that passed through months at a time. The sound of birds chirping in the clear blue sky. His shoes plateaued in the slightly sinking sand. Beside the deck that bridged metres away to the cerulean water, a stack of kayaks piled high on the rack. Colours of bright green and sunny yellow dried with the excess sand grains as Harry hauled it across the shore a few minutes ago.

He loved the summer season. Even as his red hat collected sweat on the rim, his sunglasses tanning his face unevenly resting on his slant nose. The smell of sunscreen adorning his pale body which he knew would change to a golden bronze by the end of the season. Mosquito bites lingered on his skin when he forgot his bug spray for the day. And most especially, Harry adored the sounds of excited chatter as the campers exited the bus near the entrance of the camp.

Harry craned his neck just in time to see the crowd of children looking for their friends, some were still stepping down the raised stairs of the yellow school bus when the other counsellor stationed to welcome them opened the carriage that contained their bags for the next two months.

“You ready for this, H?” Belle, a fellow counsellor, spoke up from behind him. Her pitched voice reached his ears as her manicured hands rested on his shoulder, recalling the day she arrived that she had just come from the nail salon to have her fingernails painted with peach acrylics. Belle jutted her chin towards the vehicle, waiting for his response.

He nodded, a smile stretching over his skin making his dimple pop out. Belle giggled, “Of course, you are,” Their legs walked in stride with each others’, her tall stature keeping with Harry’s large paces.

“What’s that s’pposed to mean?” Harry teased in mock offence, the metal clipboard in his hand swinging back and forth.

“I mean,” Belle emphasized, “You’ve been here for what? Four years? And you’re still not sick of children?” She asked incredulously, blonde hair flowing as a gust of wind relieved their balmy bodies from the rays of the sun.

Harry was a camper himself before becoming a counsellor at the age of eighteen. It started as a summer job while he took a gap year from his studies. One year turned into two and soon enough he was promoted as the head counsellor just last year at the age of twenty-two.

He chuckled at the facts, “Wha’ can I say, I love making children happy,” Harry had always enjoyed seeing the campers’ laughter as he told them one of his jokes. Their excited cries of his name as they reach the top of the climbing wall while he gave a thumbs up, one hand gripping the rope.

A shrill squeal echoed in the open space followed by a wailing cry coming from a little girl with pigtails. “And so it starts,” The blonde smiled as they reached their destination. Harry stood in front of the lines of children, separated into their cabins.

“Hello everyone!” Harry greeted cheerily, “I’m Harry and I’m the head counsellor here,” He paused as everyone repeated his name, “Hi, Harry,”

“I’ll be seeing your faces for the next two months and I will be seeing yours every day. I hope that you enjoy your time here. Make friends, follow the instruction that your camp leaders plan for you and most importantly, have fun,”

From his peripherals, he could see a girl wearing a purple shirt crouched on her knees. Her mouth moved to console the crying little girl as she wiped her chubby cheek with the back of her hand, nodding slightly. “Today, we’re going to be settling in your cabins, have lunch and do our first camp bonding activity,”

He could see the antsy feet tapping on the gravel, beaming faces looking back at him, “Does that sound good?”

“Yes, Harry,”

“Great! Do you guys have any questions before you head to your cabins?” Harry tilted his head to see if any hands shoot up. “Yes, you over there. What’s yer name?”

The shy boy near the front clasped his hands together, swinging his upper body back and forth. The children around him nudged his hip, “I’m Jacky,”

“Shhh, Jacky has a question for me, don’t ya’?

The boy nodded, “Will we be having s’mores?”

“S’mores? Of course, we are! What kind of camp would we be if we don’t let you guys have s’mores?” Harry bugged his eyes out in delight, deepening his dimple into his skin when he heard a collective cheer. He turned his attention to his co-workers, assuring them that everything was alright before leaving the responsibility to them.

“Great speech, Harry. Can’t wait to have somethin’ sweet later,” Belle whispered in his ear, causing shivers to run up his spine. She bit her lip as she walked backwards, “Alright, Beaver cabin. Follow me!” He watched Belle and her pre-teen campers walk to their cabin, a mass of brown-coloured shirts moving amongst the crowd.

“It’s alright, don’t cry,” A gentle voice quipped from behind him. It was the girl with the purple shirt holding a camper’s hand.

“Oh no, what seems to be the problem, little one?” Harry asked, going down on one knee to inspect the child’s face. The girl stared at the ground, small lips held in a pout. Her thick lashes glistened with tears.

“She forgot her favourite stuffed bunny at home,” The counsellor answered with an empathic tone. Her shirt read ‘bunny cabin’, yet Harry had never seen her before. He assumed that she was the new hire for the season to replace Brie. “Told her it’s okay because we’re gonna be making stuffies in a few days, right Emy?”

Harry smiled gratefully, “That’s right! You’ll have your own bunny in no time,”

“Okay,” Emy answered with a shy voice, grinning up at Harry. She let go of Y/N’s hand to clap her hands.

Harry stood to his full height, patting Emy’s head adoringly. “Hi, ‘m Harry. Head counsellor,” He stuck his hand out for a friendly shake.

“Oh hi! I’m Y/N, I’m kind of new,” She grinned sheepishly, but her bright eyes showed Harry just how excited she was to be here. “Bunny cabin counsellor, so I better get going.” She gestured to the line behind her, a sea of purple shirts follower her. “Nice to meet you, Harry,”

“Want me to come with?”

Y/N shook her head, “It’s fine. I studied the map for ages,’ She drawled out, giggling slightly. “Don’t wanna pull you away from your duties,”

“Nonsense, s’ my job to help out,”

“If you say so, c’mon then. They’re getting antsy,” She directed the kids to follow her, Harry preferring to stay at the back in case anybody gets sidetracked and loses sight of their cabin leader. Harry watched as Y/N walked ahead, often looking back to make conversation with the campers, laughing frequently as they exchanged jokes. There were only five campers per cabin and hers were around six-year-olds.

“Y/N, Y/N!”

Her hand grasped the doorknob of the cabin, “Yes, lil’ missy?”

“Do you like bunnies?”

“I love bunnies,” She gasped out animatedly, pawing at her chest for an effect that made Harry bolster a laugh. Y/N looked at him, almost forgetting that he trekked along. “Are you guys ready to see your beds?”

Before he knew it, the door was pushed open. A storm of footsteps stomped on the wooden cabin. “Here it is!”

Harry stepped closer to Y/N, the smell of old wood engrossing his senses, but not as captivated as he was with her. “Thanks for walking with us, Harry. You really didn’t have to,”

“Don’t mention it, jus’ helping a counsellor out,”

She beamed at him, “You’re really nice, Harry. The kids love you already,”

“Jus’ the kids?” He joked, raising a brow in suggestion. Her fist punched his shoulder, “Ow, ‘m kidding, but really, you like me?” Somewhere deep inside him, his narcissism and people pleaser personality coincided with each other, searching for validation from a cute stranger. “Need t’a know if you can work with me for the next coupla’ months,” He added, seeing the surprised look on Y/N’s face.

“Well, it’s hard not to,” She responded, absentmindedly twirling her finger in a loose strand of hair.

He returned a smile, “Same goes to you, Y/N,”

She blushed at his comment, glancing at the ground.

“Harry!”

“Hey sweets,” He called out, stretching an arm as Belle tucked against his side, “Y/N, this is Belle. Belle, this is Y/N. She’s the new counsellor that Lydia hired,” His kind nature introduced the two to each other, scanning back and forth to see their interaction.

Y/N plastered a smile on her face as she shook Belle’s hand. “Sorry but I need to steal Harry away,” Belle tugged on his tattooed arm, fingers clasping around his wrists as he started walking along with her.

“See you, Y/N!” Harry greeted, turning around with his arm draped over Belle’s shoulder.

“See you,” She whispered under her breath, looking at his retreating figure towards the cafeteria. Y/N couldn’t help the disappointment she felt, her shoulders slouching at the realization that it was too good to be true. Of course, he had a girlfriend. A gentleman with chiselled features and a caring personality complimenting her? No way.

Still, she wasn’t too sad about it. It wasn’t like they’d known each other for long. Plus, they were co-workers! It would feel wrong to start a relationship anyway. Y/N pulled the door close, shrieks and squeals filling her ears as soft pillows smacked her body, having entered a pillow fight.

______

let me know what you thought!

#harry styles one shot #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles smut #harry styles fanfic #harry styles x oc #harry styles angst

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deejadabbles · 4 years

Text

Parkside Confessions (Yami x Reader drabble)

Due to upheavals in my personal life I’ve been unable to write much of anything for several months, so, to help get back into the swing of things I figured I’d make some presents for some people I appreciate here on tumblr. You could also say these are very very, very, very late Christmas gifts. The first one is for @readerinsertfanfiction who is not only an amazing writer and someone I admire, but also someone who wrote me a couple fantastic drabbles not long ago.

I know it’s February but I set this during spring time because I’m desperate for winter to be over before I break my ankle on ice while walking to work bc why not. I also kinda tried to give this a Not Quite Unrequited vibe while still making it it’s own thing, so hopefully you like it, Rif <3

Yugi took note of the way his brother was holding himself; arms crossed tight over his chest, eyes locked firmly on the ground, and lips pursed in a pout unlike any he had seen on Yami before. Yugi was struggling between wanting to laugh and actually feeling sympathy for his big brother.

Instead, the younger man put a comforting hand on Yami’s shoulder, “Hey, you don’t have to be so nervous! Just think of it like any other conversation, you guys have talked a million times before!”

He was glad to feel Yami’s muscles relax a little under his hand, though it only really served to make Yami start shifting his feet in a one-step dance of restlessness. Fidgeting was rare sign in Yami and Yugi fully started to appreciate how shot his nerves must be.

“But this isn’t just any other conversation, Aibou,” Yami muttered and if the sounds of nature in the park were any louder, Yugi might not have heard him. “I’ve practiced what I might say in my mind for over a week, yet I still feel no more prepared to say it face to face than I did two weeks ago.”

That made sense, Yami always did his best thinking on his feet. He was amazing at plans and strategies, but this wasn’t exactly the same as putting good card combinations in your Duel Monster’s deck.

Yugi felt his lips curl into a frown as he turned and peeked out from behind the line of trees they were conveniently settled behind. As always when the weekend weather was nice (and the gang had no plans to hang out) you were there, enjoying the outdoors as you worked on your tablet. Your usual bench was a bit isolated from the main part of the park, set off in the grass some ways away from the play ground and flat field others frolicked through. It was also surrounded by a spattering of trees, so a thick umbrella of leaves protected you from the sun, though your favorite hat did that job well enough. This was the third time Yami had passed through the park when you were here- only to powerwalk passed you without so much as a wave or awkward hello, despite his previous intentions of stealing some one-on-one time with you.

Living up to the ‘ray of positivity’ title his friend’s bestowed upon him, Yugi quickly though of a solution to get Yami over there and under those trees with you. “Okay, new plan. What ever you’ve been practicing in your head- forget it, throw it out!”

Yami finally lifted his eyes from the uneven grass to blink at him, “What?”

Yugi grabbed his brother by the arm and started tugging, “You always come up with your best plans in the spur of the moment, so stop overthinking what you’re going to say and just go over there! It’ll come to you when you need it, I’m sure!” Yami’s eyes went wide as Yugi actually started (gently) shoving him in the direction of your spot.

“Aibou, I-”

“No buts!”

“I didn’t say but!”

“Just get over there!”

Another shove with surprising strength behind it and Yami was stumbling out into the open. You hadn’t noticed, him being too far away and you too engrossed in your tablet. Yami stood frozen, like a cat caught climbing the curtains, until he let out a breath and stood straighter. That literal push was helpful, and just like other points in his life, Yami found strength in his brother’s encouragement. He could do this, it wasn’t like talking to you was anything new! It would be fine if he could forget the fact that this was the only time you two had spent alone...and push exactly why he was wanting to talk with you alone to the back of his mind.

Yami watched your bench for a moment, felt himself smile at how at peace you looked. When the breeze picked up and swept through the park, he saw the way it caught and lifted the strands of your hair. Your eyes closed against nature’s intrusion as you tucked some flowing strands behind your ear and Yami felt something warm and fluttering swell in his chest at the almost cinematic sight. That bubbly heat wasn’t new to him, he had actually grown quite accustomed to it the last few weeks. Warmth clawing up his neck and face when you smiled at him, head feeling light and stupid the few times he managed to get a laugh from you, how he wanted bury himself in the moments where you talked about your passions with that look in your eyes. All of these were signs even he couldn’t ignore.

He had tried, gods had he tried, but he hadn’t managed it for long, he couldn’t. Couldn’t deny the way his eyes followed you like a smitten school boy, or how he scowled in disappointment (and perhaps a drop of jealousy) when he couldn’t snatch the seat next to you, nor how he longed for you to look back at him with similar feelings hidden in your gaze.

With another deep breath, Yami finally moved his feet in something other than nervous fidgeting. He could practically feel Yugi’s eyes on his back as he took strong and sure strides towards you. He passed a young couple on a walk as his mind worked through encouraging words. He tucked his hand in his pockets for a bit of security when he thought of how you would look up at him and greet him in your usually fashion. He took more calming breaths as even that mild imagery made his face heat up. He was closing in on you now, all he had to do was call out and wave and he would be one step closer to everything he had been planning and-

And without breaking stride Yami spun on his heel in a sharp U turn, stormed for a few hot-faced paces, and planted his butt firmly on a bench that was definitely not yours.

He was staring forcefully at the ground again, lips tight in annoyance, and fists clenched over his knees so tight the knuckles were already whitening. He knew he heard Yugi’s voice carried to him on the wind, but at the moment his mind was too busy scolding his love-struck cowardice.

Back in their hiding spot, Yugi huffed, wishing his beloved brother was in reach for a good shaking. “For the love of...”

Now, Yugi was not usually one for acting on impulse, but seeing his brother look so frustratingly hesitant made him act on the first plan that came to mind. Yami just needed a little push, that’s all.

Yugi ran out into the field, put his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, and in the best possible impersonation of his brother’s baritone he could muster, he yelled your name.

On the lonely bench, Yami’s heart sank when he heard a voice (trying to sound like his??) shout your name so loudly it carried across he park. His head snapped up in time to see Yugi retreating back to their previous hiding spot, darting out of sight- but not before the young man flashed him a thumbs up.

A few choice words to hurl at his brother ran through his mind, before Yami heard the voice that made a fresh wave of bubbly heat start in his chest.

“Yami? Is that you?”

Taking an almost audible gulp, Yami turned his head towards you sitting not far across the field. He prayed his dark skin would hide the blush he knew was scorching his face.

“Hello,” the tone was flat and awkward as he lifted his hand in an equally awkward gesture.

You didn’t seem to mind, or maybe you did and were trying to spare him further embarrassment, because you nodded in greeting with a half smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

“I was- I” Yami cleared his throat in a hurry, “I was just taking a walk.” Somehow through the haze of panic and mortification he managed to stand up and start walking towards you. Of course he noted how his legs felt like jelly and his stride was likely very odd looking as he closed the distance. “I see you’re enjoying the nice day,” he observed, scrambling for any start to a conversation.

You nodded, “Just until it gets too hot anyway, we won’t have many more cool day like this with summer getting closer.”

“Right. I’m sure Anzu will try to get us to go to the water park when it gets hot.”

When you huffed in bemused laughter he felt some of his tension ease, especially when you said, “Probably, so I’m definitely going to enjoy the spring days while I can. Hey, you want to sit down?”

He found his lips lifting in a smile as you scooted over a bit and patted the newly freed spot beside you. He took it, glad to give his jelly legs a rest, though they were getting better with every passing moment.

“What are you working on? If you don’t mind me asking.”

And just like that you two fell into easy conversation. It didn’t take long for Yami to forget that he was alone with you for the first time, in a nice private setting. Rather it felt like any other day: you and the rest of the gang coming over for an anime marathon, all of you going to the arcade, or playing Monster World at Ryou’s house. It was...simple. Well, almost, but it was getting easier with every word and sentence.

Of course, he eventually realized that the words to tell you the deeper things in his heart weren’t coming, like Yugi thought they would. Yami wasn’t even able to conjure up the speech he had planned when he took a second to think about it.

Then again, maybe it just wasn’t the right time. Maybe this was all he needed for now. Some time between the two of you, one on one. Something simple, though no less special. Something to help ease him into the things he wanted to say someday.

Yes, this was more than enough right now. He could tell you those deeper feelings held in his heart another day, right now he was more than content to sit by your side and enjoy your smile, your voice, and your company.

#atem x reader #yami x reader #ygo x reader #ygo #yugioh

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sassyduckqueen · 3 years

Text

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis Shanghai Special

Finally! My Shanghai special is done!! Whoop!! I hope you guys like it because this was pretty fun to adapt. So chronically speaking, this is set after the NY special and before Truth. Also due to the recent episodes, I had work in some good lukanette/adrigami content so enjoy :D

Translations:

Nǐ hǎo, wǒ néng wéi nín fúwù ma? - Hello, how may I help you?

Móshù zhīzǐ- Son of Magic

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

Miraculous World: Legend of Lady Dragon

Luka... Luka gasped as he tossed and turned in his bed, making Tikki look over at him in worry. Ever since the Blackout incidents, he had started to have terrible nightmares. The akumas certainly didn't help but this seemed like his worst one yet. Normally, he didn't toss too much in his sleep but tonight seemed to be different. She floated over and gently placed her paw on his forehead, frowning as he felt extremely hot.

"Luka?" She whispered as he gasped and flinched. She frowned deeply as he mumbled something that didn't make much sense to her. She flew out of his room and to the kitchen. She searched through the cupboard and found a little bowl that she could carry. She filled it up with some water from the tap and flew back over to Luka's room, placing it on the bedside table next to him before flying back into the kitchen and ripping a small piece of cloth from the dish cloth. She flew back over and dipped it into the water before ringing it out and gently dabbing Luka's forehead as he took short breathes, similar to how he was when he got possessed by the akuma. She frowned to herself and glanced over at his phone, thinking about phoning Master Fu if he got worst. However before she could, he suddenly gasped and sat up, making her jump. "Luka?"

He ignored her and got up, walking over to his draw before opening it and taking out the notebook that he used for his ideas as Anatis. She flew over and watched as he wrote it in before gasping as she realized he was writing something in a different language. She couldn't quite read it but it looked like it could be Chinese. She looked up at him and blinked as she saw his eyes weren't his usual blue but silver. She frowned deeply as he continued to write.

"Luka?" She asked as he suddenly stopped before he dropped the pencil and jolted, blinking as he did. He frowned and looked over confused before looking at Tikki. She frowned as she saw his eyes were now back to been blue. "Luka? Are you ok?"

"I... what happened?" He asked, confused as she frowned before pointing to the notepad. He picked it up and looked at it before frowning. "Did I write this?"

"Yeah," Tikki replied as he looked at it in confusion. "I think it's Chinese,"

"But I can't writing in Chinese," Luka gasped, looking at her. "I can only say very basic phases that Master Fu has taught me,"

"Then we should see Master Fu," Tikki gasped, making Luka look at the note. "He can speak Chinese so maybe he could translate it,"

"That's a good idea," He replied, placing the note down. "We should go there now. Tikki! Spots on!!"

He transformed into Anatis and picked up the notepad, frowning a little as he looked at it before closing it and placing it into his yoyo. He placed a couple of cookies in his yoyo for Tikki as well before opening the porthole and climbing out. He threw his yoyo up and wrapped it around a lamp post before pulling himself upwards and landing on it. He dived off it and threw his yoyo, swinging through the city before landing on in the alleyway, dropping his transformation. He caught Tikki and placed her in the pocket where the cookie was before walking into the building. He carefully made his way to Master Fu's apartment before lightly knocking on the door and opening it.

"Master?" He asked, hearing a snoring noise. He glanced over and saw Master Fu asleep on the massage mat. He let out a sigh and came inside, closing the door behind him. He knelt down and gently shook him. "Master, wake up,"

"Huh?" Master Fu asked as he woke up before blinking and sitting up. "Luka? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Everything is fine, Master. There's no akumas or sentimonster," He replied as Tikki flew out of his pocket, making Master Fu frown. "And I'm sorry to wake you like this but..."

He reached into his pocket and took out the notepad before opening it to the page he wrote on before handing it to Master Fu.

"Can you translate this?" He asked, making him frown a little more before Master Fu took it and glanced at it. "Tikki think it's Chinese..."

"She is quite correct," Master Fu replied as he read over it. "Interesting thing about Kwamis. They can speak any language in the world but they find it very difficult to read them,"

"Really?" Luka asked, looking at Tikki who nodded. "Oh... can you read what it said, Master?"

"Yes, I can. It appears to be some kind of riddle and instructions," He replied, making Luka and Tikki frown. "It reads as follows. Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix,"

"What does that mean?" Luka asked, confused as he looked at Tikki, who shrugged. Master Fu pulled a face.

"Well, the red dragon happens to be a nickname for China," He explained, making Luka look at him in surprise. "I think it's telling you to go to China,"

"But what about Hawkmoth? And what does the rest of it mean?" Luka gasped, moving near to him. "What does it mean locate the pearl? The pearl of what? Does China even have a pearl?"

"Actually, it does," Master Fu replied, making Luka look at him with surprise. "If the red dragon is china, the pearl you must locate is Shanghai. You see it is known as the Pearl of the Orient but I do not know what the Dragon's cave is or what the secrets of the Phoenix is but maybe it has something to do with Master Feng. Did you have one of your dreams before you wrote this?"

"Yeah..." Luka replied, frowning. "But I don't remember writing it. Do you really think it's linked to him?"

"Yes. Master Feng took the name Hao Feng because of what it means," Tikki explained, making Luka look at her. "He thought it was suitable for him,"

"Why?" He asked, frowning a little. "What does it mean?"

"It means Good Phoenix," Master Fu explained as Tikki nodded.

"Wait so the secrets of the Phoenix could mean Feng's secrets?!" Luka gasped, looking at them. "We have to find them! It could explain how I'm connected to him,"

"But I do not know what the dragon's cave is," Master Fu sighed. "And we still need to worry about Hawkmoth,"

"Oh right..." Luka sighed, looking down. Part of him wanted to go to Shanghai and locate the dragon's cave but he also had to be here at the same time and it's not like he could be in two places at once. He let out a sigh, unsure what to do. Master Fu, however, smiled at him as he passed him a cup of tea. "What do I do?"

"I think you should go there," Master Fu answered as he took a sip of his own tea, making Luka look at him with surprise. "But ultimately the choice is up to you,"

"I think I should talk to Lady Noir," Luka muttered, finishing his drink and standing up. Tikki flew over to him and settled on his shoulder as Luka put the notepad into his pocket before he looked up at Master Fu. "Thank you for the help, Master Fu. Sorry for waking you up so late,"

"It is quite ok, Luka," He replied, nodding. "If you experience anything else or come to a decision then please come by again and let me know,"

"I will do," Luka replied, walking over to the door and opening it as Fu began to tidy up. "Good night, Master Fu,"

"Good night, Luka," He replied as Luka left. He exited the building and re-transformed before swinging through the city. He decided not to go home straight away and made his way to the Eiffel Tower, setting on the top of it as he sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair before taking out the notepad and looked at the note he wrote. He traced his fingers over it as he frowned. It really was in Chinese but he barely knew it. He could say a number of phases that Master Fu taught him but that was as far as it went and he knew he definitely couldn't write it.

"What is happening to me?" He muttered as he frowned. He put the notepad back into his yoyo before looking out to the city as the sun began to rise. Taking a deep breathe, he stood up and leaped from the tower, free falling as he did before he threw out his yoyo and swung through the city. He landed on the Liberty and flipped down before sliding through the porthole into his room. "Tikki, spots off,"

His transformation dropped as Tikki reappeared, causing him to catch her before he gave her the other cookie. She grinned and took it as he gently placed her on his desk before heading outside. He carefully made his way past Juleka's room and climbed up onto the deck before scaling the mast and hooking his legs over part of it before letting himself fall backwards so he was hanging upside down before he began to start his workout as he thought about things. He really needed to get to the bottom of this. It was bad enough that Hawkmoth had been trying to target him and he didn't want to think about what happened with the press. He was just glad that today was the last day of school. He had a lot of plans for the summer holidays, both as Luka and as Anatis. He would be hanging out with everyone when they got a chance and he was going to try and track Hawkmoth as Anatis. Since Hawkmoth had made an appearance in New York, Luka had been trying to work out his identity more then he already had. He had investigated a couple of his suspects but so far nothing had turned up. Apparently, Hawkmoth had been taking precautions himself. Probably because if he didn't, the government would arrest him for war crimes and terrorism. As Anatis, he had also kept in touch with Jess and asked her to locate any clues that Hawkmoth may have left in New York. She was due to video call him and Lady Noir tonight. She had also informed him of the appearance of a native guardian whom she had began to work with to create a new generation of heroes. Luka had advised her to be careful in case of anything but he had yet to meet any of the new guardians himself. Gradually, he lowered himself back to his original position and took a deep breathe as he hung upside down with his eyes closed. The sound of the door opened, causing him to open his eyes as Juleka walked over to him.

"What are you doing?" She asked, looking up at him. He smiled and grabbed on the beam, freeing his legs before sliding down the mast. Juleka rose an eyebrow as she looked at him. "You're getting weirder and weirder,"

"I'm just working out," He replied, making her frown. "What? It helps with my flexibility,"

"Right..." She asked, rising an eyebrow. "Are you trying to impress Marinette? Cause trust me when I say she's already impressed,"

"Really? I mean... I'm not trying to impress her," He gasped, going a little red before sighing. "I'm just trying to make sure I can actually escape if akumas continue to come after me,"

"Oh, right... that makes sense," Juleka nodded, frowning before looking down at the floor. "You know I'd protect you right?"

"I know," He smiled, ruffling her hair as he walked by. Juleka gasped and shouted at him as he laughed and headed downstairs. He headed to his room and grabbed some fresh clothes and a towel before heading to the bathroom. He took a quick shower before getting changed. Once that was done, he headed back to his room and dried his hair before putting on his shoes and socks then packed his bag for the day. He opened his jacket for Tikki, who flew into his jacket before he headed into the kitchenette and made some breakfast for himself as Juleka sat down. "You ok?"

"I just want today to hurry up and pass," She replied, looking up at him. "I'm so ready for the holidays!!"

"Same here, Jewel,"

~Later That Night~

"Dragon's Cave?" Anatis sighed as he tapped the pen against his chin. He was sat at on top of the Arc de Triomphe, trying to work out the last part of the riddle. He sighed and looked up as he saw Lady Noir land on the building and walk over to him. "Hey, Kitten,"

"Hey, Annie," She grinned, sitting down. "So I checked the south side and west side. No akumas over there. What about you?"

"North side and east side is clear as well," He replied, looking up and putting his pen away. Lady Noir rose an eyebrow as he closed the note book. "I'm trying to solve a riddle,"

"Anything I can help with?" She asked, moving a little closer to him as he reopened the book and showed her. "Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix... hmm so you've solved some of it I see,"

"Yeah. Master Fu helped me with it but I don't get what the Dragon's Cave is," He sighed, making Lady Noir think.

"Maybe it's a nickname for a place?" She asked, making him look at her. "I mean... Red Dragon is a nickname for China and the Pearl is a nick name for Shanghai so maybe the Dragon's Cave is also a nickname,"

"That's a really good suggestion," He smiled, writing down 'nickname?' on the paper before putting it away. "I'll research it later,"

"Ok," She grinned, looking up to the sky. "Think we're gonna get an akuma tonight?"

"Probably not," He replied, lying down and placing his hands behind his head. "It's been pretty quiet for the past couple of days,"

"Think Hawkmoth is planning something?" She asked, lying next to him.

"Possibly," He replied before looking at her. "Do you ever have weird dreams?"

"Like what?"

"Like of the past,"

"You mean like when you dreamt about Bunnyx?" She asked, glancing over at him. He sighed and nodded. "Well.. sometimes I have dreams about past cat holders but they're very few and far between. Though I did once have a dream about been a princess in Ancient China once but I think that might have been my imagination. Why? Are your dreams getting worst? Do I need to be worried?"

"No need, Kitten. I was just curious," He replied, making her let out a sigh of relief before he looked back at the sky. "For the record, I think you would be an amazing princess,"

"Nah... too formal for me," She grinned, making him laugh. "I'd be like Hua Mulan. A totally badass!"

"I see it," He chuckled before stretching and yawning, making Lady Noir laugh before he stood up and offered her a hand. She took and he pulled her to her feet, causing her to grin and stretch. "I'm thinking one more check around the city then home,"

"Sounds good to me, Annie," She grinned before running over the edge of the building and diving off it. He chuckled as he saw her jump across to the other building before heading the other way and jumping. He threw out his yoyo and swung through the city but nothing seemed to be happening at all. Once he was satisfied, he headed back to the Seine and landed quietly on top of the Liberty before slipping through the porthole and dropping his transformation. He caught Tikki and gently placed her in her little bed as she stretched before handing her a cookie. She muttered a thanks and began to eat it as he got changed into his PJs before getting into bed. Tikki looked over as he sighed a little.

"You ok, Luka?" She asked as he moved his hands behind his head.

"Yeah," He replied, glancing up to a ceiling as he thought about what Lady Noir suggested. "A nickname huh?"

"What was that?"

"Something Lady Noir said," He replied, turning on his side so he could see Tikki a bit better. "She said that Dragon's cave might be a nickname for an actual location in Shanghai,"

"That's a good idea," She replied, yawning. "But maybe google it in the morning,"

"Yeah," Luka agreed, yawning as well. He leaned over and turned off his lamp. "Good night, Tikki,"

"Good night, Luka,"

~Fuzanglong Waterfall, approximately 4000 Years Ago~

"Hello?" The man shouted as he walked into the cave hidden behind a waterfall. He wasn't a young man but neither was he old. He had dark hair but it had began to turn silver and he had a few winkles across his face. His clothes were simple but well made and he had a blade at his side. He glanced around before noticing another man said in the middle of the room. His legs were crossed and his eyes were closed. He had his hands resting on his knees and appeared to be asleep. He was dressed in a dark gray hanfu with matching pants but had no shoes on. He was sat in the middle of the cave surrounded by a lot of colorful quarts crystals. The man gasped before getting down on his knees and bowing to the mediating man as he opened his eyes, revealing them to be silver in color. "Master Feng, it is a honor to see you again,"

"No need for formality, Bao," He replied, getting up as Bao stood up. Feng smiled and hugged him, causing the man to gasp in surprise before returning the hug. The two men pulled part as Feng smiled. "It is very good to see you,"

"And you," He replied, looking at him. "I see time has been kind to you. You barely look any older then the day we met,"

"I have good genetics," Feng laughed, making Bao chuckle as well. "How is your school going?"

"Very well thank you," He replied, nodding and smiling as he thought of his students. They were all full of honor and respect but he shook his head before turning to Feng. "But I have to ask... why are you here?"

"I have a favor to ask you," Feng sighed, making Bao frown a little as he reached into the side bag he had one and took out a small wooden box. He placed it on the ground before taking out another box and something wrapped in cloth. Bao rose an eyebrow. "I need you to guard these two items,"

"For how long?" He asked, making Feng sigh.

"For as long as necessarily," He replied, making Bao frown a little. "I know it is a lot but I can't trust anyone else with this,"

"Not even Piao and Hēi?" He asked, making Feng's eyes fill with sadness. "Feng?"

"They are gone," He replied, frowning before blinking away tears. He sighed and gave Bao a smile as he looked at him. "I'm fine... anyway, this is more important. Will you look after them?"

"Of course," He nodded, making Feng smile before he walked over to one of the walls and traced his hand around it. "But can I ask what it is?"

"Something that could be very dangerous in the wrong hands," He replied before moving his hand back, causing the wall to crack as a small cave was created. Bao watched in amusement before Feng stepped inside. He opened the little box and touched the amulet inside it, causing kwami like creatures to appear but only he could see them. He looked at them as they looked back at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"This is for the best," The Dragon, Long Long, declared. "Mei Shi can test any human who seeks the Prodigious to see if they are worthy,"

"As long as you are happy to stay here," Feng replied, causing Bao to give him a confused look before he removed his fingers from the amulet and closed the box, causing the creatures to disappear. He moved his hand again, creating a pedal of stone. He sighed and placed the box on the pedal before walking out of the cave. He glanced up over at an opening off the cave before moving his hand. The rocks began to move, creating a closing so a single of beam of moonlight was pointing towards the thing before Feng closed his eyes and held up his hands, muttering in a different language. The cave closed and a green seal appeared of it before a flat circular stone rolled in the way of it before Feng walked back over to Bao, who was looking impressed. He had always found Feng's gift for magic amazing. He shook his head and looked at him as he held out a box. "This is the key to unlocking the seal. You can only use it on a full lunar eclipse. If you do, it will summon a dragon spirit called Mei Shi. Only he can open the cave and he'll want to test any who wishes to wield the Prodigious,"

"I see," Bao nodded, putting the bracelet on. "I will guard it with my life,"

"Thank you," He replied, picking up the item covered in a cloth. "I need you to watch over this as well,"

"What is it?" He asked, making Feng look at it but he didn't answer. Instead, he just walked over to the other side of the cave and moved his hands again, creating a second cave. He stepped inside as rocks formed a second pedal. He placed it on it before walking over of the cave and lifting his hands, once again speaking in a different language, causing it to close. He finished his incarnation before taking off his glove and reached into his bag again. This time he took out a blade and slid it down the palm of his hand, making Bao gasp. "What are you doing?"

"Blood magic," He replied, placing his bloodied hand onto the wall before muttering the language again. This time, the blood moved and took the shape of a bird before glowing gold then disappearing. Feng sighed and held his good hand over his injured one, healing it as he walked back over to Bao. "It's a special seal,"

"Are you sure sealing that is a good idea?" He asked, frowning. "What if you need it?"

"The seal can be broken by the one who bears the soul of a phoenix," He replied, making Bao frown. "But it is safer here then anywhere else,"

"Feng... are you in trouble?" Bao asked, making Feng look at him and smile a little.

"I'm fine, Bao," He replied, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'm just taking precautions that's all,"

"You can tell me you know,"

"I know," Feng nodded, placing the dagger back in his bag and placing his glove back on. "But now I must take my leave. It was good to see you, Bao,"

"Are you sure you need to go?" He asked as they turned to walk away. Feng stopped and glanced over at the corner, smiling as if he could see someone there before leaving with Bao...

Luka gasped as he jolted awake. He sucked in a breathe and let it out before getting up and heading over to the bathroom. He ran the tap and splashed his face with water before grabbing a towel and drying in face before looking in the mirror. He jumped as he saw Feng stood behind him before quickly looking over his shoulder. He frowned as he saw no one there before glancing back in the mirror. However, Feng was gone. He shook his head before walking back into his room and glanced at the time. 4am. He groaned and crawled back into bed, curling up on the side as he tried to get back to sleep. However, his mind kept drifting back to the cave so he got up and turned on his lamp before grabbing his notepad and wrote down his dream before going onto his computer and researching Dragon's cave in Shanghai but nothing came up. He groaned and shut down his laptop before getting back into bed and curling up again. This time he managed to fall back asleep but it was pretty restless sleep. Soon, his alarm went off and he got up, stretching out before getting ready for his day and the summer holidays. He had set up plans for it both as Anatis and as Luka. He would patrol a couple of times a day but also spending time with his friends. Since he wasn't at school for the next six weeks, he could work some extra shifts at his job. The summer holidays would be great.

~One Week Later~

"You want me to go with you to Shanghai?" Luka asked as Jagged played his guitar. He looked up and nodded. "Why?"

"Because it will be rock and roll!" Jagged declared, standing up. "I'm doing a couple of shows there so I'll be there for a week and I figured we could use the chance to spend some father and son time together!! What do you think?"

"I don't know, Dad," He replied, making Jagged frown as he put down the violin and flopped on the sofa. Fang crawled up onto his lap, causing Luka to pat his head. "Won't you be busy with set up on the show?"

"A little bit yeah but since I'm only playing two days, we'll have like five days to do whatever we like," Jagged explained as Luka scratched Fang's chin. "I get it if you don't want to spend some time with your old man,"

"It's not that, Dad," He replied, sighing. "I doubt even with my job I could afford a plane ticket plus I have commitments here,"

"I'd pay for your ticket, expensive and we'll be staying in the best hotel in Shanghai!" Jagged declared with flair. "Fang will becoming with us and it's ok to get away from responsibilities from time to time you know,"

"Alright... I'll think about it," Luka replied as his phone vibrated. He checked it and smiled, getting up before putting his jacket on as Fang moved over to Jagged. "I gotta get going. I need to meet up with Marinette,"

"Tell the little lady I say hi!!" Jagged sung, making Luka shake his head before he rushed out and began to walk to the party where he would be meeting her. He thought about Jagged's suggestion. Feng's riddle pointed to Shanghai and now he's given the opportunity to actually go... but who would look after Paris while he was gone? Sure, he could trust Lady Noir but part of him wouldn't want to leave the burden all on her. He could talk to her on their patrol tonight and see what she thinks. Entering the park, he felt his worries melt away as he saw Marinette. She was stood by a tree, glancing in the opposite direction. Her hair was loose and she was wearing a pink summer dress with matching sandals and her signature purse. He walked over to her and cleared his throat, causing her to look at him and smile brightly.

"Hey," She smiled, pushing a stand of hair behind her ear. "Ready to go?"

"Whenever you are," He smiled, offering her his arm. She giggled and took before the two of them walked off, heading to the summer fair that the school was hosting. "I like your hair by the way. It looks beautiful like that,"

"R-Really?" She gasped, blushing as he linked their hands together, making her giggle. "How was your time with Jagged?"

"It was ok," He replied as she waved to her parents from their stall. Sabine waved back but Tom looked like he was about to burst into flames with how excited he looked. "He wants me to go with him to Shanghai for a week,"

"Really?!" She gasped, making him look at her. "You should go!! We could arrange to meet up there!!"

"You're going to Shanghai?" He asked, making her nod excitedly.

"I was gonna tell you when we had finished looking around here," She replied, sheepishly as he smiled. "Uncle Cheng invited the family. Mama and Papa can't make it as it was too short notice so I'll be going on my own... which I'm a little bit nervous about but maybe we could arrange it so you and Uncle Jagged are on the same flight? If that's not too weird... actually forget it... it's too weird and I'm sure you probably have other things-"

"Hey, it's not weird at all," He smiled, making her smile as well. "I wasn't really sure if I should go but... it would be nice to see a different city with you... I mean... um..."

"You're adorable," She grinned, making him blush. "I'll be staying with Uncle Cheng so you and Jagged can come by. Oh we could visit his restaurant!"

"Y-Yeah, that would be great," Luka smiled, making her grin. "Jagged's doing two shows so I could ask for some VIP tickets if you want..."

"You don't have to," She replied, smiling again. "I'd just be happy to spend some time with you. Of course, if you want to that is. I mean Shanghai is a very beautiful city and I'm sure you'll want to do some sight seeing yourself..."

"I'd be happy to spend some of my time with you," He smiled, making her blush before they heard their names been called. Marinette looked over and waved as Kagami and Adrien walked over to them. "Hey,"

"How's it going?" Adrien smiled as Kagami said hi to Marinette. They were both dressed really nice. Kagami was wearing a black shirt with black tights and a red vest with a white jacket over it, causing Marinette to gush at how cute she looked where Adrien was wearing blue jeans and a green shirt that had a tiny little snake on it. One of Marinette's hero inspired tops. This one was clearly inspired by Aspik. Luka clapped his hand against Adrien with a smile as Marinette continued to gush over Kagami, making the girl blush a little.

"It's good," He smiled as Marinette hugged Kagami. "How's everything with you?"

"Same old, same old," Adrien sighed. "Father is going out of town for a week. He wanted me to go with him but Kagami and her mother convinced him to let me stay,"

"That's good," Luka smiled, glancing over as Marinette took Kagami's hand and lead her over towards one of the stands. He smiled before Adrien grinned at him, making him look at him. "What?"

"So you and Marinette huh?" He grinned, making Luka go red and nervously rub the back of his neck. "You a couple then?"

"W-We're just see how it goes," He mumbled, going redder. "Like we're not like dating dating... but I guess you could say we're testing the waters?"

"I see," Adrien grinned as Kagami came back over and took his hand. "Well, we'll leave you to it. Have fun,"

"You too," Luka smiled as they walked off before he walked over to Marinette, who was still looking at the stall. "Everything ok?"

"Oh, yes... sorry, I didn't mean to run off," She gasped, making him chuckle. "I just saw that,"

She pointed to a bracelet made from silver and dark leather. It definitely wasn't her style and was more something he would wear. She looked up at him.

"Do you like it?" She asked, surprising him but he slowly nodded. "Then I'll get it for you,"

"You don't have to," He replied as she turned to the merchant. He nodded and gave it to her before she gave him a note. He turned his back and grabbed her change, giving it to her. She thanked him before turning to Luka. "Melody?"

"I know," She replied as she took his arm and fixed it on. "But I want to,"

"Thank you," He smiled, gently leaning down and kissing her cheek lightly. She blushed and smiled shyly as he looked at it. "I love it,"

"L-Let's go on the carousel," She gasped, gently grabbing his hand and leading him to it as she continued to blush. Luka smiled softly as he followed her, glancing at his new bracelet with a happy expression.

~Later That Night~

"So if we're both going away for a week, what do we do?" Lady Noir asked as she looked up at Anatis. She had her head on his knee and he was gently stroking her hair. "I mean I know Hawkmoth has been super quiet but still..."

"We could test out some of the others," He replied, making her look up at him. "Culpeo would be a good idea since she can create an illusion of us and Abeille's ability would be extremely useful. I could take the Horse miraculous with me so I could teleport back to Paris as soon as there's an akuma alert,"

"Oh and I could fly back here as Lady Cosmic!" She gasped, making him nod. "That's a good idea but will Master Fu let us do it?"

"I think so," He replied, making her nod. "Plus it would be good practice for them,"

"So it's settled then," She grinned, making him nod as he continued to stroke her hair. She closed her eyes and began to purr a little, making Anatis chuckle. "Do you think it's been weird how quiet Hawkmoth has been?"

"Yeah, it is odd," Anatis sighed, frowning. "The last time he was this quiet, he attacked New York,"

"I messaged Falcone," Lady Noir stated, looking up at him. "Apparently, everything is ok there but she said she would keep an eye out and let us know if Hawkmoth shows up again,"

"That's good," Anatis nodded before stretching, causing Lady Noir to sit up and poke his cheek, making him look at her. "What?"

"You looked tired," She stated, making him frown. "Bad sleep?"

"Feng keeps on turning up in my dreams," He admitted, sighing. "I feel like he's trying to show me something but I don't understand what,"

"Well, what are your dreams?" She asked, making him look at her.

"I keep seeing this cave and Feng talking to a man called Bao," He explained, making her nod. "Feng is asking him to guard something but I can't remember what it is exactly. Like I've wrote down the dream but some of the details are hard to remember,"

"What do you remember?" She asked as he sighed and thought about it.

"The moon was red," He muttered, making her nod. "And there was a lot of colorful crystals in the cave..."

"Anything else?"

"He talked to something that looked like a kwami but wasn't a kwami," Anatis continued, making her nod. "And he loss someone... no, two people... he seemed sad about it. I think they died but that's all I remember,"

"Well, it's better then nothing," She mumbled, making him nod before she looked at him. "Maybe you'll get some clarity from this journey?"

"Yeah," He muttered, glancing down to the side. "I hope so,"

"Speaking of journeys, we should go and talk to Master Fu," She replied, getting a nod of him and standing up. He stood up as well before the two of them dived off the building and made their way to Master Fu's apartment. They landed on his window seal and knocked, causing him to get up and invite them in.

"Ah, Anatis, Lady Noir," He smiled, opening the window. "Come in,"

"Thank you, Master," Anatis replied, helping Lady Noir inside. "Master, we have something to talk to you about,"

"Go ahead," He replied, making them tea. Lady Noir looked at Anatis, who took a deep breathe.

"Me and Lady Noir are going away for a week..." He stated, making Master Fu look at him with surprise.

"Which is why we came here," Lady Noir gasped. "We have a plan to make people think we're still here,"

"We want to give Culpeo and Abeille their miraculous for the week so Paris is defended," Anatis explained, making Master Fu frown a little. "I know you're not comfortable with other miraculous been out and about but this is something that can't be avoided for us. Our families are insisting we go with them but if we use Culpeo, she can create an illusion of us which will make it look like we've never left. I also would like to request the horse miraculous so I can travel back instantly if there is an akuma,"

"This is risky..." Master Fu replied, frowning.

"Please!!" They both begged, surprising him.

"Hawkmoth and Mayura have been super quiet all week," Lady Noir gasped.

"All the more reason to be careful," Master Fu replied, frowning. "Is there no way for you to say no to your families?"

"I can't," Lady Noir sighed, frowning. "My parents are insisting I go and spend time with my other family so I can learn about my culture,"

"I see," Master Fu sighed before glancing over to Anatis. "And you?"

"My family is insisting I go as well," He replied. "Plus I think this trip might help me with those dreams I'm having,"

"Oh... I see," Master Fu nodded, turning around and walking over to phonograph. He took out the miracle box and placed it in front of them. "In that case, I will allow Culpeo and Abeille to use their miraculous on a full time basis for this week and I grant you permission to use the horse miraculous, Anatis but you both must get back to Paris as soon as you can if there is an akuma alert,"

"We will, Master," Anatis gasped, taking the horse miraculous and placed it in his yoyo before he took out the fox and the bee miraculous. "I don't leave just yet so I'll have Abeille and Culpeo shadow me for a couple of patrols. Lady Noir, if you can make it that would be great,"

"I'll see what I can do," She replied, nodding. "I don't think we're leaving just yet though,"

"Ok we can get them to shadow us for a couple of days then," Anatis replied, nodding as Master Fu closed the box and put it away. "Thank you, Master. We owe you one,"

~The Next Night~

Anatis landed on the lamp post near where Juleka and Rose were. They had gotten themselves some ice cream from Andre's and were sat on a bench by the Seine. The sun was going down and they were bringing a romantic date to an end. Anatis whistled, getting their attention before he jumped down and walked over to them.

"Sorry for interrupting but I require Culpeo and Abeille," He replied, holding out the box. Rose grinned and took her box as Juleka did the same. The two of them transformed into Culpeo and Abeille. "Follow me. We're meeting Lady Noir at the Arc de Triomphe,"

"Ok!" Abeille declared as she and Culpeo followed him across the rooftops as he informed them of the plan. It was a very clever plan but they were a little surprised that he trusted them enough to trust them with this. However, it was also really nice that he trusted them as well. When they got to the Arc de Triomphe, Lady Noir was sat by the edge with her leg swinging down as she waited for them. She looked up and smiled as they landed on the building and walked over to her. "Hey, Lady Noir!!"

"Hey, Bee. Hey, Kit," She smiled, jumping and walking over before looking at Anatis. "You informed them?"

"Yeah," He nodded, turning to the two girls. "You two ok with doing this?"

"I'm good with it!!" Abeille grinned before looking at Culpeo, who was holding onto her flute and looking panicked. Anatis gently placed his hand on her shoulder, making her look at him.

"You ok?" He asked, making her shake her head.

"I d-don't know if I can do this," She gasped, looking at him. "I me-mean what if I mess up?"

"Then we'll fix it but you won't mess up because you can do this," He replied, making her look at him in surprise. "You were made for this, Kit. I know you were,"

"R-Right," She nodded, feeling a bit more confident. "I can do this,"

"Sure, you can sweetie," Abeille grinned, hugging her. "And I'll be here so you won't be alone,"

"R-right," She nodded again before looking at Lady Noir and Anatis. "A-Are you leave tonight?"

"Not tonight," Anatis explained, making them nod. "We actually don't leave for another two days so we plan to use these two days to help you get use to the patrol thing,"

"So tonight, Culpeo will be with me while I take the north and east side of the city while Abeille goes with Annie in the south and west of the city," Lady Noir explained, making the girls nod. "Once we've completely that, we'll meet back here then one more round of the city then home,"

"Tomorrow night, Culpeo will be with me and Abeille, you'll go with Lady Noir," Anatis explained, making them nod again. "Any questions?"

"How long does patrol normally take?"

"Usually about an hour," Anatis answered, making them nod. "But we also use the time to discuss akumas and potential suspects for Hawkmoth and Mayura,"

"Ooh do you have any suspects?" Abeille asked, making the two of them look at each other.

"The list is really long," Lady Noir replied, rubbing the back of her neck as the two girls nodded. "Alright, let's getting go then! See you soon, Annie,"

"Alright, Kitten," He smiled as she and Culpeo ran off before he turned to Abeille. "Shall we?"

~A Couple of Days Later~

"This is gonna be rock and roll!" Jagged grinned, hugging Penny as they drove to Marinette's to pick her up. They had already picked up Luka so it was just Marinette they needed to pick up. She was gonna be staying with her uncle during the actual week where Luka would be staying with Jagged and Penny at a hotel. However, they both agreed with was perfect. They would be able to do their own exploring as well as meet up in the city later on. Jagged had also insisted on giving them tickets and VIP passes to his shows. The limo pulled outside of the bakery, causing Luka to undo his seat belt and get out, helping Marinette put her suitcase in the trunk next to his. She smiled shyly as she thanked him before the two of them got into the limo. "Mari!! Isn't this gonna be rock and roll?!"

"Hi, uncle Jagged," She smiled as he grinned, causing Luka to shake his head as they begin to drive off. Marinette moved so she was leaning against his arm, making Luka look at her and smile a little. The drive to the airport didn't take too long and soon enough they were in the sky on Jagged's plane, watching a film together. Luka couldn't help but yawn as Marinette leaned against him. "You should sleep if you're tired,"

"You sure?" He asked, yawning again before nodding. She smiled as he moved his arm around her and rested his head against her, closing his eyes. When he next opened his eyes, Marinette was curled up next to him and was also asleep. Someone had put a blanket over them as well. He smiled a little before glancing over at Jagged. Penny had fallen asleep next to him, along with Fang. He smiled before closing his eyes again. He was quite happy to sleep a bit more. He moved his arm around Marinette and closed his eyes again drifting into sleep again.

Luka frowned as he looked around the little hut that he recognized as Feng's home. He had a few dreams like this since the first time but they were few and far between. He glanced around before walking over to the door and tried to open it. As usual, it was locked. He frowned and turned back round. He jumped a little when he saw Feng sat cross-legged on the bed in the corner of the hut. Luka frowned and walked over to him.

"Why am I here?" He asked, not expecting an answer. He never answered. He waited but Feng didn't moved. "Can you even hear me?!"

Nothing as usual. Luka sighed and walked over to the door again, trying to open it.

"It's locked..." Feng's voice made him stop and turn around. The man was still sat on the bed in the way as before, making Luka frown before he opened his eyes and looked at him. "You haven't got the key yet,"

"Key?" He gasped, running his fingers through his hair. "What key? What are you trying to tell me?! Why am I having these dreams? Let me guess! You're not gonna answer me?!"

"Would anything I say make you understand right now?" Feng asked, surprising him before he shook his head. "No, I know it won't. You must come to the truth by yourself,"

"Or you could just tell me," Luka sighed. "I want to know. I'm afraid and I don't understand what is happening to me so please just tell me,"

"I can't," He replied, looking over at him. "I'm sorry, Luka but this is the only way. You must learnt the truth slowly,"

"Why?" Luka sighed but he already knew the answer. It would be too much for him to find out straight away. He let out a small sigh before looking at Feng. "I know... but can you at least give me a clue?"

"I already have," He replied, making Luka frown. "Find the red dragon and locate it's pearl. Hidden deep within the Dragon's cave, there lies the secrets of the Phoenix,"

"Ok but seriously a riddle?!" Luka sighed, shaking his head. "I'm terrible at those,"

"I find them entertaining,"

"You would," Luka sighed, sitting down on the bed."So how do I get out of here?"

"Wake up," Feng replied as if it was simple. Luka gave him a look, making him smile before he closed his eyes. "You should know that this isn't a dream by the way,"

"If it isn't a dream then what is it?" Luka asked as Feng began to mediate again. "Feng?"

He ignored him.

"Feng?!"

Luka jolted awake again, blinking as the plane shook a little before he stretched and looked over. Marinette was sat talking to a now awake Jagged but Penny was still asleep. She looked over and smiled at him, making Luka smile back before he moved the blanket and undid his seat belt. He stood up and stretched, yawning a little.

"We have some good food over here," Jagged grinned, making Luka nod before he wandered over to the bathroom. Once done, he washed his hands and came back out, sitting next to Marinette.

"How long until we're there?" He asked, sleepily before reaching for some of the food and eating it.

"About another 2 hours," Jagged replied, surprisingly calm but Luka figured he hadn't been awake long either. He stretched and grinned. "So what you two plan to do in Shanghai then?"

"Well, my uncle Cheng has his own restaurant so I was hoping you guys would like to join us for a meal there at some point," Marinette smiled, making Jagged grin. "But in general, I'll be doing some sight seeing,"

"I'll be doing my own sight seeing as well but we plan to meet up at some point during the week," Luka replied. "Not to mention your gig, Dad,"

"Ooh yeah!!" Marinette grinned, making Jagged smile. "That will be so much fun,"

"I'm looking forward to it as well," Luka smiled, making Jagged grin.

"Young love is so cute!!!" He grinned, making them both go red. "I should write a song about it!"

"Dad!!"

~At the Airport~

"Uncle Cheng!!" Marinette grinned as she ran over to him and hugged him. He chuckled and hugged her back. "It's great to see you,"

"Likewise, Marinette," He replied, making her grin as his french had improved a lot since they last spoke. He looked over as Luka and Jagged walked through with Penny. They had all changed into something a little more inconspicuous. Jagged was wearing a hat over his hair and sunglasses over his eyes while dressed in normal jeans, t-shirt and denim jacket. Penny was still in a suit but it wasn't her usual style. She also had sunglasses on. Luka had just switched his usual blue hoodie for a dark gray and was wearing a matching beanie hat, making Marinette giggle as he brought over her suitcase to her. Cheng frowned before he clicked his fingers. "I remember you. Mr Stone right?"

"Ah, Chef Cheng, the world's greatest chef," Jagged grinned, shaking his hand before grabbing Luka and pulling him next to him. "This is my son, Luka,"

"We've met before," Cheng smiled, turning to him. "I recall you were on the set of the world's greatest chef with Marinette,"

"Yeah, I was sir," Luka nodded, making Cheng nod. "I was really honored to try your signature soup. It was amazing,"

"Thank you," Cheng smiled as Marinette yawned. "We should head home?"

"Yeah, it's been a long flight," Marinette nodded before turning to Luka and gently kissing him on the cheek, making him blush a little. "See you later kay?"

"Right," He nodded, smiling a little as Cheng placed her suitcase in the boot before closing it and getting into the driver's seat. Marinette got into the passenger seat before doing up her seat belt and waving to Luka. He smiled and waved back as another car pulled up. Penny walked over to the driver and talked to them as Cheng drove off, causing Jagged wrap his arm around Luka's shoulders and grin.

"You two are so cute together!!" He grinned, making Luka blush as Penny walked over.

"Leave the poor boy alone, Jagged," She ordered, making him grin before the three of them got into the car, along with Fang. Luckily, Penny had already explained to the driver about Fang.

~On the way to Cheng's Home~

"I'm so glad you were about to come by," Cheng smiled as he drove them through the city. Marinette smiled and glanced outside. "I do wish your parents could have come by as well,"

"They do too but they just can't afford to close the bakery for a week," She replied, making him nod in understanding. "Mama was worried you wouldn't get your present in time so I'm glad I was able to bring it with me,"

"Ah, you're the best gift I could ask for," He smiled, making her smile as well. "Your mother mentioned you wanted to connect with your roots and learn more about your culture,"

"Yes, I really do,"

"It makes me really happy that you want to," Cheng smiled, making Marinette smile as well. "I have a lot of reservations at my restaurant this week but I cancelled them all so I could spend time with you. Thanks to you, I'm on holiday for the first time since... your mother left for France,"

"You did all that for me?" She gasped, completely surprised.

"Of course," He replied, nodding. "Family is sacred after all,"

"You've made really good progress with your french since I last saw you," She smiled, making him smile back.

"I have worked really hard and practiced often so I can communicate with you," He smiled, making her smile even more.

"I've been trying to learn Chinese as well," She replied, making him smile. "I'm not very good at it but I can say a few more things then before,"

"I'm sure you're doing well," He smiled before looking ahead. "I can tell you all the stories about our ancestors and we can visit Shanghai. Oh, I can teach all the traditional songs of our family!"

"We have traditional songs?"

"Yes!" He grinned, excitedly. "Oh and you can bring your boyfriend along,"

"O-oh me and Luka aren't quite there yet," She blushed, looking to the side as Cheng looked at her. "We just kind of testing the water with our relationship and enjoying each other's company. Luka is very respectful and sweet,"

"He seems like a kind and gentle boy," Cheng smiled before frowning. "I hope I didn't hurt you or him when I was Kung Food,"

"Oh no! You didn't," She gasped, holding up her hands as they pulled into a parking space. "Luka actually went to look for you during that time as we were worried about you. Anatis ended up telling him to hide while he and Lady Noir tried to save you,"

"Anatis? That's the ladybug boy, isn't it?" He asked as he killed the engine and got out. Marinette followed and got out as well before they opened the boot and took out her suitcase and the present for Cheng. "He seemed like a nice boy too,"

"He is," She nodded as they walked over to a door. "Could you tell me more about our family?"

"Of course," He smiled, unlocking the door and letting her inside. "Your great great grandfather would draw for Pekin's opera artists,"

"Really?" She gasped, amazed. "I do fashion myself!!"

"Yes, your mother has told me all about it," He smiled, putting the box down as a gray parrot flew over to her and flapped in front of her.

"Marinette!! Marinette! Marinette!!" It cawed, making her jump before it flew over to Cheng and landed on his shoulder, making him laugh.

"This is Bastille," He smiled, gesturing to the bird. "Bastille, I'm really proud to introduce you to my niece, Marinette,"

"Delighted to meet you, Bastille," She replied, walking over to him and Cheng before noticing the pictures on the wall. She stopped in front of them and looked at them.

"Bastille has been in the family for a long time," Cheng explained, pointing to the picture. "Look, he was already there for your Grandpa Yen and Grandma Chun and he was there for your mama, Xia Ping,"

"Xia Ping?" Marinette asked, making Cheng nod.

"Yes, she only named her Sabine when she moved to Paris," He explained, making her frown a little. It was sad that she felt like that she had to change her name to something that was more accepted. She looked back at the picture.

"I've never seen this picture of Mama before," She stated, smiling a little in. "She looks so happy and beautiful,"

"She was," Cheng replied, nodding before Marinette yawned.

"Sorry," She gasped, holding up her hands but he chuckled.

"Why don't we have some dinner then you can get some rest?" He suggested as Bastille said 'magic ingredient' repeatedly, making Cheng smile. "I already have one for today. You remember my style of cooking, don't you Marinette?"

"Yes," She smiled. "You always improvise with something destiny sends your way,"

"And today, destiny placed you in my path,"

"But I didn't bring an ingredient," She replied as her phone vibrated. She took it out and saw Luka had texted her. She smiled softly before sending a text back then looking up at her uncle. "Should I find one?"

"No need," He replied, smiling. "Sometimes improvising isn't about the ingredients but the chef themselves,"

"You mean... I can help you cook?" She gasped, looking excited. He chuckled and nodded before picking up her suitcase and taking it to her room. Once that was done, the two of them headed to the kitchen and began to work on dinner. Once they had finished, they sat down for a meal before Marinette helped Cheng clear up then retired for the night. As she settled into her bed, she smiled to herself. Tomorrow she would go and explore Shanghai for a little bit.

~The Next Day~

Marinette gasped as she looked around the city in amazement. Despite that he had booked the week off, Cheng had to go into his restaurant to fix something but promised to spend the rest of the day with her as soon as he had sorted out the issue. Since she was free for the rest of the day, she decided to explore the city center and had texted Luka. They had arranged to meet for lunch since Jagged and Penny were busy setting up Jagged's shows. She walked over to the traffic light as she headed to the shopping center but a girl knocked into her, causing Marinette to gasp.

"I am so sorry!" She gasped, making the girl look at her in surprise. She realized that she probably didn't realize what she said so she just gave her a weak smile and when on her way. She stopped at the traffic lights and looked around as she waited. The girl who had bumped into her stopped nearly by and opened her purse, causing Plagg to go still. She frowned to herself when she only found her phone, a block of cheese, a weird cat plushie and Marinette's id. She turned back and looked at her before moving closer to her. The traffic was still going and the Marinette seemed lost in a day dream so the girl lifted her necklace from her, her earrings and her ring before turning to walk away but three boys gasped and began to shout at her. She backed away and ran from them, knocking into Marinette who frowned as the boys moved past her. "Oh no. That girl seems in trouble,"

She ran across the road and followed them down into an alleyway before slipping into an alleyway herself.

"Plagg, claws out!!" She shouted, punching the air but nothing happened, making her gasp. "Plagg?!"

She glanced down and realized her purse was gone, making her gasp before she touched her ears and realized her earrings were missing as well. She quickly searched herself discovering all of her valuables were missing, including her phone. She gasped before shaking looking down at her hand and covering her mouth when she saw her miraculous was missing.

"Plagg!!" She screamed, falling to her knees as tears filled her. She had somehow lost Plagg.

~Meanwhile~

Fei, the girl who had pick-pocketed Marinette, ran as fast as she could before suddenly tripping over. She frowned and quickly got up before disappearing into the crowd, away from the boys chasing her. She switched her hat for a new wig and looked at her before noticing a boy stood in the crowd. Like the girl who she robbed, he stood out and was clearly a tourist. She walked over and knocked into him, slipping her hand in his pocket but to her surprise, he suddenly grabbed her arm. She gasped and looked up at him.

"What are you doing?" He asked as his clearly silver eyes bored int her eyes. It actually scared her and she quickly snatched her hand from his, stepping away before running off. Luka frowned as his eyes turned back to blue. He wasn't sure why he sensed that she was trying to pickpocket her but he did and something wasn't right either. He was suppose to be meeting Marinette for lunch but he had this nagging feeling that he needed to follow this girl. Deciding to follow it, he turned around and headed in the direction she had gone. He stopped at a stall and brought a baseball hat. He tore off the label and put it on before taking off his blue jacket and put it inside his rucksack. Tikki looked up at him from the hoodie with a confused look. "I'm following a feeling, Tikki,"

"Ok," She nodded as he followed the girl. She didn't seem to notice him and seemed to be pretty clumsy for a pick-pocket. She walked into a number of things, tripped up a few times and even knocked into a lamp post. Luka frowned as she cursed at it before heading down some stairs, which she proceed to fall down.

"Seriously!?" She gasped, getting up and dusting herself down before a phone began to ring. She took it out of a familiar phone and disconnected it, causing Luka to narrow his eyes.

"That's Marinette's," He whispered, frowning before he gasped, causing Tikki to look at him. "If she robbed Marinette, she has no way to contact anyone or navigate her way around Shanghai. We need to find her,"

"If that girl robbed Marinette then maybe she can't be far too away," Tikki replied, making Luka nod. "I also wouldn't transform just yet. If you find Marinette as Anatis, she might get suspicious,"

"Good point," He replied, frowning as the girl came out of the shop, looking disappointed. "We could get Marinette's things back though,"

"Is that a good idea?" She asked, making him frown. "That place seems bad,"

"You're right but Marinette might not get her things back this way," He replied, moving from his hiding place. He walked into the shop and walked over to the desk as the man was trying to get something to work. It appeared that his till had broken down and a light was flickering in the back. He looked up at him, causing Luka to get a very deep shiver. Every part of his being was telling that this man was bad news. He took a step back but noticed Marinette's purse and phone to the table. The man moved his hand and gave him a dark smirk.

"Nǐ hǎo, wǒ néng wéi nín fúwù ma?" He asked, making Luka frown. "Oh, are you a tourist? I speak French and English if that helps,"

"Y-Yeah..." Luka replied before pointing to the purse. "That purse and phone... how much for them?"

"5000 yuan," He replied, making Luka frown. He knew that was over priced and he certainly didn't have that kind of cash at all. He frowned and sighed. "Ah you don't have that kind of money, do you? I'll tell you what. You give me those ear plugs and I'll knock the price down to 3000 Yuan,"

"No," Luka gasped, glaring at him and causing the man to frown. "I'll leave it,"

"Very well," The man smiled as Luka turned on his heel and walked out. The man smiled and clicked his fingers, causing a couple of his men appear. "Go and get what you can from that boy,"

"Yes, sir," They exited the shop and caught up to Luka, causing him to frown as he noticed them.

"Tikki, stay close," He whispered, turning down an alleyway. The men turned down it as well, making him frown even more. He was certain that they were following him now. He broke into a run and climbed onto a dumpster before scaling a building, pulling himself on a roof, causing the men to growl as he ran across it before jumping onto another one, running across it until he lost them. He jumped across another roof and leaned down before seeing Marinette arrive with the girl who tried to rob him. He frowned and knelt down. He wanted to get down and warn her but something was holding him back and he couldn't explain what. He just knew things would work out worst if he did.

"Fei, look, I found my ring!" Marinette gasped, making the girl... Fei... move over to her.

"Oh, that is lucky," She gasped, making Luka narrow his eyes before the two of them grabbed the ring and disappeared into the shop. Luka narrowed his eyes. He was about to climb down when Fei and Marinette suddenly rushed out of the shop. He stopped and watched them as Marinette looked upset. She shouted something about getting her ring back but Fei suddenly put something in her hand.

"My ring?!" She gasped, looking up at the girl. "You stole it back?"

"Didn't you want it back?" Fei asked, making Marinette frown.

"Yes but not like that," She gasped but Fei shook her head. "Stealing is very wrong!"

"Cash was trying to con you," She gasped, looking down to the side. "He is not a good man,"

"But-" She gasped but three men ran out of the shop, causing them to gasp. Fei grabbed Marinette's hand and ran off with her, causing the men to follow. Luka frowned but decided not to follow. Despite wanting to help Marinette, he had a feeling that staying here and waiting would lead him to her quicker then if he chased them. A few minutes later, the owner of the shop... Cash... came out and frowned before turning in the other way and walking. Luka narrowed his eyes and lowered himself down before shadowing him.

~Back To Marinette and Fei~

Marinette ran as fast as she could from the men that were chasing her and Fei. They seemed really annoyed but she had gotten her ring back. She glanced at it as a black blur appeared, making her gasp and smile.

"Plagg," She gasped, opening her jacket and letting him fly in before she ducked into an alleyway and slipped her ring on her finger. "Plag-"

"What are you doing?!" Fei gasped as she grabbed Marinette's hand and pulled her away from the Alleyway. "Those men are really dangerous and we need to keep running!!"

"But those other guys who were chasing us were really dangerous as well?" She gasped, making Fei frown before she pulled her arm from her. "Fei, what is going on?!"

"Cash was trying to rob you blind because he knew that ring was precious to you ok?!" She gasped as they looked around. However they had reached a dead end. To make matters worst, the men who Cash had sent after them turned up. Fei stood in front of her and took a pose. "Stay behind me, Marinette,"

"Fei," Marinette gasped. "Let me help you,"

"Marinette, these men will hurt you," She gasped as they moved closer. "At least, I know how to defend myself,"

The men went to charge at them but before they could, the three boys that had chased Marinette came down the alleyway and gasped.

"What is going on?!" Marinette gasped, clearly panicked. However, the guys seemed to see the bigger guys as more of a threat and declared themselves as some sort of neighborhood watch. Fei told them to go home but they said something about not taking an order from a thief. Marinette looked between them but Fei shook her head and told her to ignore them. Cash's guys smirked to themselves and walked over to the young boys, causing Fei to grab Marinette's hand and run. They briefly saw Cash's guys trying to chase after them but the other set of boys jumped on them, allowing Fei and Marinette to run as fast as they could through the alleyways. Gradually they came to a stop as Marinette caught her breathe. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe," Fei replied as they began to move. Marinette nodded before following her to a burnt down school. She frowned as Fei entered it. "Where are we?"

"It's my father's old school," Fei replied, looking down as Marinette glanced around. She noticed a bed and a small altar with a photo of a man. "I'm sorry it isn't much but it's home. I live here and now..."

She walked over to a small little table and poured a drink before handing it to Marinette.

"Sorry, I don't have much else to offer you," She muttered, making Marinette nod as she took the drink.

"It's fine, Fei," She smiled, taking a sip before looking around. "But why did you bring us here?"

"I have to protect my father's heritage," She sighed, looking sad.

"But... your father..." Marinette glanced over to the picture of the man as Fei nodded.

"He's dead..." She mumbled, frowning. "He died when this place went up in flames..."

"Oh," Marinette replied, frowning. "I'm so sorry,"

"They did everything to make us leave," Fei gasped, looking down as tears threatened to spill. "I mean everything. Intimidation, robbery... they took everything from us. Even the bracelet my father had entrusted me with. The jewel I told you about. I was as attached to it in the same way that you are to your ring but this jewel was something else. It had a sort of power,"

"Oh," Marinette gasped, surprised. Did this girl have a miraculous? "These people you are talking about... who are they?"

"That's the problem," Fei sighed, frowning. "I don't know. It was my quest to find them that put me in your path. I... I have something important to tell you... It was-"

"Did you really think I wouldn't find you here, Fei?!"

~Back to Luka~

Luka frowned as he followed Cash through the alleyways. Occasionally, he would stop and turn around but he never noticed Luka following him. Of course, he didn't think to look at the rooftops. Luka frowned as he came to a burnt down building and walked inside. Luka frowned and jumped downside, moving over to the window and glanced inside. Marinette and Fei were inside, making him frown deeply.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find you here, Fei?!" Cash growled, making both girls step back in fear. Marinette looked between the two of them.

"You know each other?" She asked, confused.

"Of course, I know her," He laughed, making Luka frown as he stalked over to them. "How do you think I ended up with your ring, Little girl? She stole it from you then she stole it from me,"

"Y-you... stole from me?" Marinette gasped with tears in her eyes as she dropped her cup. Fei gasped and held out her hand.

"I was just about to tell you I swear," She gasped but Cash laughed as Marinette's eyes watered.

"Y-You saw how much it meant to me!!" She cried, making Luka's heart ache. "And you knew I would pay any price!!"

"I'm sorry!!" She gasped, making Luka frown. "He said he would tell me who murdered my father but he was asking for a huge amount of money in return,"

"There is always a price to pay," Cash grinned, making Luka grit his teeth. This guy was awful. While he didn't agree with Fei's actions, he could understand why she did it now that he knew she was trying to find who killed her father. "You can't get anything for free in this world, baby,"

He turned and stalked over to Marinette, making Luka growl.

"You are going to phone your uncle now!" He demanded, making Marinette step back as he shoved a phone at her. "And ask him for the money he owes me!"

"I won't let you!" Fei cried out, knocking his phone out of his hand and moving in front of Marinette. "Marinette! Run!!"

"I want my money!!" Cash shouted as Fei kept her pose. Luka narrowed his eyes. He had been trying to avoid transforming as he didn't have an excuse as to why Anatis would be in Shanghai but if this guy keeps threatening them, he would interfere without hesitation. "And you're gonna give it to me or you'll never get your answers!!"

"Do you even know who killed him?!" Fei shouted back, making both Luka and Marinette frown.

"The truth is if this girl doesn't get my money, you'll both meet the same fate as your father!!" He shouted, causing Luka to transform into Anatis without a second thought. He was about to jump in when Fei kicked Cash across the room before he heard shouting between the two girls. Marinette ran out a few seconds later, causing him to frown as she wiped her eyes. She looked over and gasp.

"Anatis?" She asked, making him sigh. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been tracking down Hawkmoth," He replied, making her gasp.

"I just saw an akuma in there!" She gasped, pointing to the building. Anatis frowned and looked inside, just as Fei ran after something. He frowned and turned to Marinette.

"Wait here while I go and deal with this," He ordered, making her nod before he walked inside. He took out his yoyo and ran out into the garden. However, he came to a stop as his eyes widen. He recognized the place but he didn't know why. He just knew he had seen it before. He snapped out of his surprise when he saw Fei flying towards him. She landed in a well, making him frown before he rushed over and lowered his yoyo, causing her to look at him as she tried to climb up. "Grab on to this,"

She nodded and took hold of it, causing him to pull her up and out of the well.

"Thank you," She muttered before looking at him."Who are you?"

"I'm Anatis,"

"I'm Fei," She replied, looking down a little before she looked back at him. "Are-Are you one of the good guys?"

"Yes, I am," He replied, taking his yoyo and sliding it open as it vibrated. He answered it. "Perfect timing, Kitten. I was just about to phone you,"

"Lucky me," Lady Noir purred as he chuckled. "So I was just checking in like I said we would,"

"As I said perfect timing," He chuckled before going seriously. "I just found Hawkmoth, which is concerning. Can you get here quickly?"

"I'll be there in a flash," She replied before they hung up as Fei hugged herself. Anatis turned to her.

"Did you see where a man in a purple suit went?"

"He broke into the cave," She gasped before going to run towards it. Anatis, however, grabbed her arm, causing her to look at him. "I need to protect it!"

"Rushing in isn't gonna help," He replied, making her blink before he smiled at her and ran across to the water fall with her. She blinked in surprise as he walked inside with her. "Hawkmoth is after something here. Do you know what it is?"

"It's a bracelet," She gasped, making him look at her as they walked into the cave. "Is he... bad?”

"Yes." Anatis asked, making her nod. "He’s called Hawkmoth and is very dangerous. We need to defeat him,"

"We?" Fei asked but she jumped as another person joined them, landing next to them. This time it was a girl dressed as a black cat. "Who are you?"

"This is my partner, Lady Noir," He replied before holding up his hand and pointing to the colorful quarts. The three of them hid behind a rock as Hawkmoth walked over to one of the walls. His akuma was stood nearby, making Anatis frown before he glanced up at the sky. The moon turned fully red, making the beam disappear and causing the circular stone to move, revealing a seal. Anatis frowned as Hawkmoth walked over and placed the bracelet against the seal, causing Fei to gasp.

"That's my bracelet," She gasped, looking at him. "H-He was the one... who took it,"

"Does it have any special features?" Lady Noir asked, making Fei shake her head.

"I don't know," She replied, frowning. "I was just suppose to protect the cave and the bracelet... but I failed..."

Lady Noir frowned as Fei went to move but Anatis grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back down.

"Stay down," He ordered as a green light came from it. It began to take a form, transforming it into a statue. Anatis' eyes widen as he looked at it. "Meishi?"

"You know that thing?" Fei asked as it began to talk. Anatis frowned and shook his head, making both girls look at him with confusion.

"It's complicated," He hissed as Meishi turned to Hawkmoth.

"Human, are you ready to face the judgement of Meishi, the protector of the Prodigious," It stated, making both girls look at Anatis with surprise. He shrugged before continued to watch as Meishi moved aside, letting Hawkmoth walk into the cave and retrieve the Prodigious. Anatis narrowed his eyes as he walked out. "Put the the Prodigious around your neck, human, and prepare to face my judgement,"

"I can't let him take it," Anatis gasped, moving away as the two girls looked at him. He glanced over at them as they went to follow him but he shook his head. "Stay here,"

He slipped past the rocks as Hawkmoth walked out of the cave.

"What makes you think I have the slightest intention of confronting you, Guardian," He replied, walking over to his akuma as Meishi looked take back. "Silver King, it is time for me to keep my end of our deal. Use your power on him and turn him into a gold statue that will be yours to do as you wish,"

Silver King smirked and lifted his fan as Meishi gasped.

"What?!" He declared, looking at Hawkmoth as he walked away. "You can't do that! I forbid you!! You don't respect the rules!"

"Rules are for the weak," Hawkmoth replied, walking away. Anatis narrowed his eyes before throwing his yoyo towards Hawkmoth. It wrapped around his feet, causing him to yell out as Anatis jumped through a large hole in the rocks. Using his weight, he lifted Hawkmoth in the air, causing him to yell out and drop the Prodigious. "No! You!!"

"Nice to see you too, Hawkmoth," Anatis grinned as Fei ran out and grabbed the necklace. "What are you doing?!"

"I am going to complete my father's mission!" She declared, looking to Meishi.

"So you shall face my judgement," He replied, sitting down as Hawkmoth growled.

"Silver King!" He yelled, making Fei and Anatis look at him. "Get me that amulet!"

Silver King smirked and charged at her, making Fei gasped

"Fei!" Lady Noir shouted, rushing out. She pushed Fie out of the way but Silver King knocked her into a wall with a lot of force before he grabbed her and threw her into Anatis. He let go of Hawkmoth and tried to catch her as best as he could. "Sorry,"

"It's fine," He replied as the two of them jumped out of the way of Silver King's attack. Anatis jumped over him and threw his yoyo at Hawkmoth, wrapping it around his cane as he stalked over to Fei. He growled and yanked his cane free before swinging at Anatis. He blocked it but Hawkmoth came in with a blow with his cane before grabbing Anatis by the neck and slamming his head into his, causing Anatis to drop to the ground. Hawkmoth lifted his cane as if to stab Anatis but he slammed his foot into his stomach, causing Hawkmoth to gasp before he jumped up. Hawkmoth growled and threw his fists again as Lady Noir blocked Silver King's attack, causing Fei to frown. She looked down at the Prodigious before narrowing her eyes and putting on the Prodigious. One by one, it's dots lit up with symbols before a glow that resembled embers came from it. She gasped in surprise as she felt an energy surge through her before slamming her right fist into her left hand. The glow moved across her body, changing her clothes in a red and orange suit with gold detail. She moved her hands upwards and over her face, creating a red mask with a golden trim and turning her eyes to gold. Her hair changed color to a pinkish red and began longer as well. She moved her arms in kung fu moves as extra detail appeared on her suit before striking a pose. Once her transformation was completely, she blinked as the Prodigious glowed and a number of small creatures appeared.

"Greetings to our new Renren!" They yelled in union as Anatis jumped out of the way of Silver King's attack. Lady Noir jumped over him and landed a kick to Silver King but he blocked with his fan. Hawkmoth charged at Anatis, causing him to jump out the way.

"New what?!" Fei gasped in surprise, causing the other two heroes to look at her.

"Renren," The Dragon like one stated, making her blink. "The person who wears the Prodigious,"

"Who are you talking to?!" Anatis asked as he wrapped his yoyo around a rock and threw it towards Hawkmoth before jumping over to her, blocking Silver King's attack.

"Only Renren can see us," One of them explained, making her nod.

"It has a species of magical bugs but only I can see them,"

"Useful!" Lady Noir shouted as she jumped and wrapped her baton around Silver King's neck, causing him to try and throw her off. "I guess these magical bugs are like Kwamis!"

"They're Renlings!" Anatis replied, blocking Hawkmoth's cane before kicking him back as Fei rose an eyebrow and when to ask how he knew that. "Don't ask because I don't know but whatever they tell you, listen!"

"What?!" She gasped as Silver King threw off Lady Noir and charged at her, under Hawkmoth's order. She jumped away as he went to swipe at her but Lady Noir jumped up and dived at him. He blocked her with his fan again before grabbing her leg and throwing her into a wall as Anatis went head to head with Hawkmoth. Silver King swiped his fan, causing gold spikes to come towards her.

"Your friend is right about our name," The Praying Mantis one stated, making her blink in surprise. "We are the Renlings and represent human values,"

"Anyone of us can transform into a wild animal," The Snake one explained, making her nod as she listened. "Provided that you are worthy of the values we represent,"

She jumped out of the way of Silver King as he tried to attack her again before slamming her foot down. He blocked and she jumped back as Lady Noir dived in front of her and began to engage with him as the Renlings reappeared.

"For example if you want me, Tang-Tang the Renling of Patience, to transform you into a preying mantis, you have to be patient," Tang-Tang explained, making Fei sigh.

"Thank you but I don't have time for patience right now!" She gasped as Silver King threw Lady Noir in Anatis before trying to hit her. She jumped out of the way and landed on the ground as the bear one moved in front of her. "Huh?"

"Xung-Xung, Renling of Calm," They stated, making her look at them like they were crazy.

"Of calm?!" She gasped. "How can I be calm?!"

"Calm like a bear," Xung-Xung declared, moving their paws downwards. "Big and Strong like a bear,"

Anatis threw his yoyo towards Silver King as he charged towards her but Hawkmoth intercepted it, grabbing it. He yanked it and kicked Anatis to the ground before placing his foot on his neck as Lady Noir went to jump at him. He grabbed her and threw her down, pointing his cane at her neck. She growled and when to summon her power but before pressed on Anatis' neck.

"Don't even think about it, Cat," He stated, pressing on Anatis' neck even more, causing him to gasp for breathe and try to get Hawkmoth off him. "You summon your power and I'll break his neck. Silver King, get me that necklace!"

Silver King grinned and charged at Fei but she took a deep breathe and calmed herself down.

"Xung!" She declared, causing her eyes to turn purple as one of the symbols lit up before she glowed and turned into a bear, causing Silver King to look surprised before she swiped at him, sending him flying into Hawkmoth and knocking them both into a wall. Lady Noir rushed over to Anatis as he coughed, helping him up.

"I'm ok," He muttered before Fei came over to them in her bear form. "Thanks... um...?"

"Lady Bear I guess," She replied, making them both nod. "What's the plan?"

"We need to get his fan off him and destroy it," Anatis replied, taking out his yoyo and throwing it up in the air. "Lucky Charm!!"

A ball appeared out of thin air, causing Anatis to catch it as Fei rose an eyebrow.

"What are you gonna do with that?" She asked as Hawkmoth and Silver King got up.

"No idea. Mind distract them while I work out how to use this?" He asked, causing both Fei and Lady Noir to nod. Lady Noir charged at Hawkmoth as Fei took on Silver King, switching forms as she did. However, she failed to transform into the dragon, making Anatis frown. "What happened?!"

"Normally, if I can turn into a dragon, I can use all of the elements," She gasped, slithering away in her snake form. "I'd like to hit his armor with some lightening but I can't use it!"

"The power of the dragon is the most powerful of them all," Meishi explained as Anatis dived out of the way of an attack. Lady Noir jumped at Hawkmoth, kicking before he returned the attack as Anatis looked around. He frowned as nothing lit up yet. "Your intentions need to be just and noble for you to earn the right,"

"My intentions are noble!" She declared as she dodged Silver King. Hawkmoth grabbed Lady Noir and threw her up onto a rock before hitting it with his cane, causing it to fall on her leg and trap her. "I want revenge on the man who ruined my life!!"

"Revenge is against the dragon's value," Meishi replied, glancing over at Fei as Hawkmoth charged at Anatis, causing him to throw the ball straight at his face before using his yoyo as a shield. "Your intentions and your judgement are troubled,"

"Isn't revenge and justice the same thing?!" She asked as Lady Noir tried to get the rock of her leg.

"No, it isn't," Meishi answered as Anatis tried to get to Lady Noir but Hawkmoth hit him with his cane, causing him to fall on the ground before he dived at him. Anatis rolled out of the way and jumped up.

"Then we'll find another way to defeat him!" She shouted before turning into a monkey. She jumped at him, repeatedly hitting him and biting his armor but he grabbed her and threw her into a deep puddle before slicing one of the pillars, causing it to land on her.

"No!" Anatis shouted as it landed, apparently crushing her. Hawkmoth laughed and turned to him as Lady Noir continued to try and free her leg. Anatis took a step back as Hawkmoth and Silver King stalked towards him.

"Your partner is trapped and your new ally has fallen," Hawkmoth smirked as Anatis' back hit a wall. "Who thought today would be the day I get your miraculous and the prodigious? Silver King, you know what to do,"

Silver King smirked as Anatis felt something hit his foot. He glanced down and noticed his lucky charm, causing it to light up before looking up as Lady Noir freed her foot with her baton before getting up and giving him a thumbs up. She lit up as Silver King charged at him. He lifted his fan above his head, causing it to light up before Anatis grabbed his lucky charm with his foot, kicking it up and causing it to knock Silver King's fan out of his hand. Lady Noir dived down towards it, wrapping her hand around it.

"Cataclysm!" She shouted, causing it to turn to dust before she landed in front of Anatis as he kicked the ball up and caught it before catching the akuma in his yoyo and releasing the purified one. Silver King stumbled back and turned back into Cash as Fei slithered from beneath the pillar, moving over to them as Anatis swung his yoyo around. Lady Noir took out her baton as Hawkmoth looked down. "You're alone against the three of us, Hawkmoth,"

"It's over," Fei declared, turning into a bear but Anatis frowned.

"Something isn't right,"

"Always so prospective, Anatis," Hawkmoth declared as he lifted his hand. A second akuma landed on his finger, making the three of them frown. "I think it is over for you,"

He suddenly threw the akuma away from him. Anatis threw his yoyo but just missed as it entered Meishi's orb, making them gasp.

"Meishi!" He shouted, causing Hawkmoth to laugh.

"Not anymore," He replied as the butterfly mask appeared on them. "Yan Woshi, I am Hawkmoth. You're certainly not going to let this little girl who thinks vengeance is the same thing as justice, be the holder of your prodigious, are you?"

"Hawkmoth, no!" Anatis shouted, stepping forward before looking to Meishi. "Meishi, don't listen to him!!"

"I will give you the power to reclaim the Prodigious," He declared, ignoring Anatis. "In return, all I ask is for you to help me squash this annoying bug and his friends,"

"Meishi! Don't!!" Anatis gasped but his cries went unheard.

"As the infernal demon Yan Woshi, I will sow carnage and destruction until she gives me back the Prodigious!" He declared, transforming into a hulking, red creature as the three of them stepped back in horror. The four of them ran out of the cave as it burst through it, causing Anatis to grab Cash and throw his yoyo up as Yan Woshi lifted himself up and swallowed the ball that contained his akuma, making them frown. He yanked on it and pulled them up to safety as Lady Noir and Fei landed next to him before rolling on the ground as Hawkmoth jumped over to Yan Woshi. Anatis jumped up and threw his yoyo, hitting Hawkmoth and making him look at him. "Tremble, humans!"

"You idiot!" He shouted, causing Hawkmoth to look at him in surprise. "You don't know what you've done!"

"Give me your miraculous and I-" He started before noticing Yan Woshi was heading towards the city. "Yan Woshi! I order you to destroy Anatis, not the city!!"

Yan Woshi ignored him, causing Hawkmoth to growl.

"Yan Woshi! Stop or I'll take back your powers!" He declared, causing Yan Woshi to turn towards him. He smirked and turned to Anatis, pointing at him as Anatis took a step back, gesturing for the girls to do the same. "Now, attack-"

"I take orders from no one!" He shouted, firing at Hawkmoth with his red eye beam. Hawkmoth shielded himself but it was too late. He turned to Anatis as he gasped.

"Anatis! Help me!" He shouted before screaming as he turned to red dust, causing the three of them to blink as Yan Woshi headed towards the city.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Lady Noir asked as their miraculous beeped, causing Anatis to frown.

"We need to recharge and then we need to stop him. We have to find a way to get that ball," He declared before running off. He hid behind a rock as he detransformed and gave Tikki a cookie. He saw a blink of green light from a rock nearby before sighing and turning to Tikki, handing her a cookie before taking one for himself. He would need the energy. "How do we fight a dragon spirit that has been akumatized?"

"You're gonna need help," She gasped as she ate a cookie, making him nod.

"Fei will have to help us," He muttered, frowning. "Is this why Feng locked up the Prodigious?"

"I don't know," Tikki frowned as he finished his cookie. "But it's a good job we came here. Imagine if Hawkmoth had gotten to Prodigious or unleashed that thing on the city,"

"I don't want to," He replied as she finished her cookie. "Charged up?"

"Ready when you are," She smiled as he swiped his earrings and transformed before jumping back over to Fei, who was looking down.

"You ok?" He asked, making her jump as she looked at him before nodding as Lady Noir jumped over. Anatis frowned as her song was one of guilt and sorrow before turning to the two of them. "Ok, we're gonna need all three of us to defeat him,"

"Right!" Lady Noir grinned, spinning her baton. "We need to get to the city fast,"

"Space power ups," Anatis replied, reaching into his yoyo and retrieving a purple macaron. "We can fly there,"

"Good idea," Lady Noir nodded, taking a chunk of purple cheese before the two of them ate them, transforming into Asteroid and Lady Cosmic. "Fei, you got a way to fly or do you need a lift?"

"Oh," She muttered, frowning. "I can fly. Ying!"

She turned into a bird before the three of them flew towards the city. Anatis frowned as Yan Woshi continued to destroy the city before pointing to one of the buildings. Lady Noir nodded and the three of them flew over before landing on the building.

"Spots off," He declared as Lady Noir said Claws in, turning them back to their normal selves as Fei landed next to them. Anatis threw his yoyo, wrapping it around Yan Woshi before Lady Noir dived at him. However, he grabbed her and threw her into the floor before yanking Anatis towards him. Anatis yelled as he flew by before landing in a tree as Fei jumped off the building and turned back in her bird form. She flew over to Yan Woshi and transformed into a tiger. She landed on his nose and tried to scratch him but he grabbed her and threw her to the ground before firing his beam at her. She managed to turn into a horse and run from it before hiding behind a newspaper stand. She looked behind it before gasping and looking away.

"This is all my fault," She gasped with tears in her eyes.

"Give me back the Prodigious!" Yan Woshi declared, walking towards her as Anatis climbed down from the tree. He swiped back the stand, making her gasp as she stepped away. "You're not worthy of wearing it!"

His eyes charged up but before he could hit her, Anatis grabbed a piece of metal and threw it at him, causing Yan Woshi to turn to him and fire his beam at him. Anatis jumped back but Yan Woshi slammed his fist down on the ground, sending a shock wave that knocked Anatis onto the ground before firing at him.

"Annie!" Lady Noir gasped as she ran and pushed him out of the way, taking the hit.

"Lady Noir!!" Anatis screamed as he tried to grab her as she screamed, turning to dust. He felt to his knees as tears filled his eyes before letting out a scream, his eyes turning silver as he did. Yan Woshi turned his attention back to Fei as his eyes charged up and fired at her but Anatis suddenly slammed his feet into his face, making him stumble and causing the beam to narrow miss her. She gasped and turned back into the bird, flying off as Anatis landed on the ground, looking up at Yan Woshi with glowing silver eyes. He jumped out of the way of the beam and threw his yoyo, pulling himself onto a building as Yan Woshi went back to destroying the city. He punched a wall before hearing a bird. He looked up and noticed Fei landed on the balcony below him before turning back into herself and curling up as she began to cry.

Talk to her.... He nodded and jumped down, de-transforming as she hugged her knees. She looked up and wiped her eyes before gasping as she looked at him.

"Y-You," She gasped in surprise as he walked over. "Who are you?!"

"Luka,"

"But what are you doing here?!" She gasped. "You should try and find safety,"

"Your song called to me," He replied, making her blink before he looked at the Renlings too. He was a little surprised he could see them but he would worry about that later. "And so did theirs,"

"Y-You can see them?" She gasped as he nodded. "B-But how?"

"It doesn't matter," He replied, sitting next to her. "You know this isn't the first time I've seen destruction like this. Back at home, we face things like this every day,"

"Re-Really?" She asked, making him nod. "I caused this..."

"How?" He asked, making her look at him.

"I was selfish and took this to take vengeance on the man who ruined my life," She answered, showing him the Prodigious. "Instead, I messed up. I tried to rob you, I robbed a really sweet girl, I lied to her and everything that is happened is my fault. I can't do anything right. I can't even use the dragon's power right and it's what we need to get the ball but... Yan Woshi is right...I'm not worthy of it..."

"I disagree," He replied, making her look at him in surprise. "Besides, he's an akumatized villain. He isn't in his right mind,"

"It doesn't change that I'm not worthy," She replied, frowning. "My father would be so ashamed. I wanted vengeance on the man who took my father from me and destroyed my life, despite the fact that my father wouldn't want me to. He would have wanted me to do good but instead I've brought ruin onto Shanghai because I couldn't move on! How can I ever come back from that,"

"By trying to do the right thing," Luka replied, making her look at him again. "People make mistakes but that isn't what defines us. What defines us is how we try to fix them. Yes, you messed up but you have a chance to change that. You can help save this city. You just have to accept that you made a mistake and try to fix it,"

"You really think I can do that?" She asked, wiping her eyes as he placed her hand on her shoulder. She looked at him as he gave her a smile before nodding. "Thank you,"

She smiled before looking at the Renlings but before they say anything, Yan Woshi walked towards them and glared at them.

"My Prodigious," He growled, making them jump. Fei transformed back into her super form as Yan Woshi growled and fired his beam at the building, causing it to break. Luka jolted forward as the brickwork gave way and began to plummet towards the ground as Fei fell after him.

"Luka!" She screamed as she tried to reach him. She wanted to save him. She had to save him. Despite her trying to steal from him and barely knowing her, he believed in her. He believed she can fix her mistake. A complete stranger who had no reason to believe in her yet did. She would not let him die. "Long!!"

She transformed into the dragon and flew towards him, weaving wind around him and stopping him from falling. She directed the wind to a building, causing him to land on there before she flew over to Yan Woshi.

Well done, Luka... Luka nodded as he watched Fei try to reason with Meishi and redirected water towards him while she flew around. He fired at her but she pushed it back with lightening breathe, making Luka step back. He hid behind a building and transformed back into Anatis before throwing up his yoyo.

"Lucky Charm!!" He shouted, summoning a mink vase. He gasped and caught it before placing it down. "Really?"

He shook his head before looking back over to the scene. Fei lit up then the water and finally the vase. He smirked and moved over to the edge, just as Yan Hoshi overpowered Fei. She flew away from him and used her power to wrap him in water.

"Calm down, Meishi," She gasped. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm not here to destroy you or to satisfy my revenge. I only want to save you and bring you back to your senses!"

"I am no longer Meishi!" He declared, breaking free from the water and running towards her. "I am Yan Woshi!!"

He went to punch her but she flew out of the way. However, he turned around and punched her out of the sky, sending her fly as she scream. Anatis threw his yoyo and wrapped it around her, pulling him towards him before catching her and putting her down.

"Anatis?!" She gasped. "You're alive?!"

"Of course, I am," He smiled but she noticed his eyes were silver, just like Luka's. She frowned but decided not to say anything about it as he leaned onto the vase. "And I have a gift for Yan Woshi,"

"Red with black spots?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "Funny design for a vase,"

"That's because it isn't a normal vase," He replied, making her tilt her head, "It is our solution,"

He suddenly jumped into it, surprising her.

"As I said it's a gift for Yan Woshi," He smirked, pulling himself up as she gave him a questioning look. "Think of it as one big pill that requires a lot of water to swallow if you get my drift,"

"Oooh... that's insane," She replied, making him laugh. "You're insane,"

"Of course I am. How else would I get my crazy plans to work," He replied, making her laugh before he grinned at her. "Mind getting me to the river?"

"No problemo," She grinned as her eyes glowed. "Long!"

She transformed into the dragon before using the wind to move the vase into the river as Yan Woshi continued to destroy stuff.

"Are you sure this will work?" She asked as she flew towards him.

"I'm sure," He replied, disappearing into the vase as she called for Yan Woshi's attention. Once he was facing her, she flew around the vase at a high speed, causing the water to lift it up before directing the stream toward Yan Woshi, forcing it into his mouth and down into his stomach. Once in there, Anatis threw out his yoyo, hitting the ball and causing it to crack before the butterfly flew up and Yan Woshi threw up the water, along with the vase. Anatis stepped out of it and smirked. "Ta da! Now where's that akuma?"

He took out his yoyo and opened it before catching the akuma with it. He freed it once purified as Yan Woshi turned back into Meishi before Fei flew back over and landed in front of him.

"What happened?" Meishi asked before looking at her. "You mastered the powers of the dragon?"

"Yes..." She replied, smiling before gesturing to Anatis. "With some help,"

Meishi smiled a little before looking up and gasping as he saw the destruction of the city.

"I did that?" He asked, causing Anatis to step forward. "I have failed my mission,"

"No, you haven't," Anatis stated, making him look at him. "Hawkmoth took advantage of you but that's what he does.... and fixing this is what I do..."

"Fixing it?" Fei asked as she looked at him. "You can do that?"

"Of course," He smiled, lifting the vase as Fei watched. He smiled and nodded to it, causing her to help him throw it up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybugs!"

The vase burst into the cure and flew around Shanghai, fixing the damage and bringing back the dead. It swarmed around one area before moving away and leaving Lady Noir in it's place. Anatis rushed over, tackling into a hug before she could even blink.

"Annie!" She gasped, hugging him back.

"Kitten," He gasped, looking at her as his eyes turned back to his normal color. "I thought I lose you,"

"Nah, you can't get rid of me that easily," She grinned but he hugged her again, causing her to hug him back before they walked over to Fei. "Aww, Meishi's back,"

"You overcame your mistakes and renounced your vengeance," Meishi stated, looking at Fei. "You have all the human values required. The Prodigious is in good hands with you, Renren,"

"Thank you, Meishi," She smiled before he turned to Anatis.

"And you," He stated, making Anatis to look at him. "The answers you seek are in Fuzanglong Waterfall, where the Prodigious rested..."

"Oh! That's why it was called Dragon's Cave!" He gasped, making both girls look at him as Meishi bowed to them and disappeared into green dust. "It's a long story but we should head back to the cave regardless. Hawkmoth has probably gone by now but Cash is still there,"

~Fuzanglong Waterfall~

"It is time for justice," Fei stated as she stalked over to him. Lady Noir and Anatis just stood there, waiting for her to do her thing.

"W-Wait we can forget the past?!" Cash gasped as she glared at him. "Just tell me what you want? I'll give you anything!"

Fei walked over causing him to panic.

"Wait!" He gasped, flinching. "I swear I'll do whatever you want!"

"You destroyed my father's school, made me an orphan then forced me to steal for you!" She growled as he looked at her with surprise before she stood up and turned back into her normal self. "Because of you, I renounced what my father had taught me to find the man who took him from me but it was you all along! You are the source of all my misfortune and for what?! Money! There is no words that describe what you are but today I have decided..."

She turned around before directing a kick at him, making him gasp and hold up his fan. Not that it did any good. It broke from the impact of her kick, despite that it never touched him.

"To let justice take it's course," She replied, lowering her leg as the two heroes grinned at her. She took a deep breathe as the Renlings appeared to her, congratulating her on been wise enough to let justice take it's course. She transformed back into Lady Dragon as she had taken to calling herself before taking the bracelet from the wall and putting it back on with a smile before it began to glow green before a small lion like creature appeared. It was dark blue with a light blue mane and red eyes.

"It's not too late!" It declared, making the heroes gasp. "I was wondering if you would put it back on,"

"Meishi!" The three of them gasped, causing him to smile.

"You thought my mission was over?" He asked before shaking his head. "No, it's just begun,"

"Anatis, Lady Noir," Lady Dragon smiled as she turned to them. "Thank you for everything... but Anatis... I'm not sure what you're looking for but Meishi said it was in here?"

She turned back to him as he nodded before flying over to Anatis.

"Can you show me?" Anatis asked, holding up his hands so Meishi could sit in them.

"It's over there but only the one who has the soul of the phoenix can unlock it," He replied, making Anatis look over at wall. He turned towards it and walked over before placing his hand on it. At first nothing happened but then golden lines came from Anatis' hand and spread across the wall, forming the image of a bird before the wall cracked and opened. Anatis walked inside and picked up the item before unfolding the cloth, revealing a book with a phoenix drawn on it. He stepped outside before the wall closed as Meishi flew over to him. "So it was you I sensed,"

"Me?" Anatis asked, frowning. "Wait sensed?"

"I felt it as soon as you entered this cave," Meishi replied, making him frown. "You are something else, Anatis,"

"I'd say," Lady Noir grinned, walking over and leading on his shoulder. "But I wouldn't change him for the world,"

"Thank you," He smiled before turning to Meishi. "This... am I ok to keep it?"

"It is yours, Móshù zhīzǐ," He replied, bowing to him. "Come, Renren. We have much to do,"

"Right," She grinned, transforming into her bird form before she grabbed Cash and flew out, making him scream out before Anatis put the book in his yoyo.

"Sorry for dropping in your holiday," He mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's fine," She giggled. "I'm glad you were here...but I should get back to my holiday. See you later, Annie,"

"Bye," He smiled as he waved to her as she ran out of the cave. "Well, time to get back to Marinette,"

~Uncle Chen's Home, A Couple of Days later~

"Ah, Marinette, could you get the door?" Cheng asked as the door rang. Fei was helping set up the table and Bastille was helping Cheng. Marinette nodded and opened the door, gasping as she did.

"Luka!" She gasped, hugging him before letting go. "Oh no! I didn't turn up to lunch!! I'm so sorry!!"

"It's fine," He smiled before taking out her purse and things including her Kwagatama, causing her eyes to water a little. She took her purse and put it back on before putting the necklace back on.

"I can't believe you got them back," She gasped, hugging him again. "Me and Fei thought they were gone forever! Oh, you haven't met her, have you?! Fei!!"

She grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

"Fei! This is my bo- I mean friend... This is my... Luka! This is Luka," She gasped, blushing as Fei looked at him in surprise. "Luka, this is my new friend Fei. We got off on the wrong foot but she's really cool. Thought you already know that cause it's you,"

"She has a nice song," He smiled, making Marinette grin as Fei stared. "It's nice to meet you, Fei. I'm Luka Couffaine,"

"L-Likewise," She nodded before Cheng came over.

"Luka, it's good to see you," He gasped, hugging him.

"Thank you, Mr Cheng," He gasped, smiling before turning to Marinette. "Dad said gave me an extra ticket so if you want we could bring Fei?"

"Oh yes!!" She gasped, turning to Fei, who looked at her with surprise. "We've got VIP tickets to Jagged Stone's show. Want to come with us?!"

"Really?" She gasped as they nodded. "Sure,"

"Oh, I got this for you," Luka stated, handing Cheng a small gift. "Marinette told me it was your birthday yesterday so I hope you don't mind. It's not much,"

"Not at all," He smiled, opening it. It wasn't much but it was a bar of rich dark chocolate, making Cheng smile. "Thank you, Luka. I can use this for one of my dishes. Will you join us for dinner? Marinette made most of it,"

"I would love to if you don't mind," He smiled, making Cheng laugh.

"Have a seat,"

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charincharge · 4 years

Text

Cruel Summer, Part 23

cruel summer masterlist

AN: Sorry if there are mistakes in this. It’s 7k words long (as opposed to my usual 2-3k). We’re maybe kinda getting somewhere? Anyway. I have enjoyed hearing your responses so much, especially as we come up on the end of this thing. Have I mentioned how much I adore you all? All angst to be blamed on Miss Taylor Alison Swift, and not me in the slightest, okay? xo.

Aelin is so completely exhausted. All she wants to do is sleep but it seems her body’s forgotten how. It’s as if every time her eyes are about to close, her brain startles her awake, making her heart race with adrenaline, anxiety spiking and coursing through her body. This must be some sort of sick punishment, she thinks. Around 5 am, she gives up trying to get any rest and gets out of bed. She may as well have a productive morning if she can’t get any sleep. She throws on her sneakers and plays an exercise video on her television, her feet stepping in time with the hip-hop cardio she used to do every morning at home. The familiar moves relax her, raising her heartbeat so she can’t feel the difference between her endorphins and her prickles of anxiety. Aelin is surprised to realize it feels… good. She smiles when realizes she’s found the magic cure for her restless mind today. Exercise. She doesn’t plan on stopping moving until her body gives out. By the time her parents wake, Aelin has finished two exercise videos, gone for a swim, and walked Fleetfoot. She makes a hearty breakfast of fried eggs, bacon and fruit salad. And is skipping toward the coffee machine for her third cup of coffee when Aedion, Lysandra, Evie and Gavin stride in for the day.

Aelin pauses, realizing her extended family’s appearance means she’ll have to go to the park shortly. The park where Rowan is. Her mind flashes back to their farewell embrace, less than twelve hours ago. She wonders what it’ll be like to see him again. Will he avoid her? Will he say hello? Will he pretend like nothing ever happened between them?

Nope. Aelin isn’t ready to think about that. Instead, she hops from foot to foot around the kitchen, skipping through patches of light like a cat, looking for the best sunshine to curl up under. However, Aelin has no intention of sitting and napping any time soon. She skips all the way to the coffee maker, refills her giant mug and hops back, careful not to let the hot liquid slosh over the side. She must look ridiculous, a constant flurry of movement, but she can’t stop. If she stops, she’ll have time to think. And she can’t do that.

Aelin knows her family thinks she’s gone crazy — she doesn’t care.

“Visual noise,” Aedion complains from behind his coffee mug, waving at Aelin’s ridiculously moving body, but Aelin ignores him, continuing to dance around the kitchen, humming to herself as she sips.

“Did you not get enough sleep, sweetie?” Evalin asks her son, and Aedion laughs.

“I have two kids under the age of ten.” He pauses with a wry smile as a well-timed squeal peels through the kitchen as Gavin chases Fleetfoot out to the back patio. “I never sleep.”

“If that’s true, then why does Lysandra never complain about it?” Aelin asks, and her brother casually flicks her off.

“Because Lys sleeps like the dead.”

Lysandra appears in the doorway, fresh faced, her pink lips curling into a grin as she laughs at her tired husband. “It’s not my fault that a pin dropping would wake you up.”

She pushes his blonde hair back affectionately and kisses his forehead. Aedion looks up at his wife with such love in his eyes, it nearly knocks Aelin out. She takes a large gulp of her coffee, and looks down at the ground where her feet move in tiny circles, tracing the tiles beneath her toes. Up, up, and around. She lets her eyes follow the pattern of her foot, practicing tendus as if she’s back in elementary school ballet.

“Do you want to stay here and rest while we take the kids to the park?” Lysandra asks, and Aedion shakes his head and brushes his lips against Lysandra’s hand. Aelin brings her leg off the ground, tapping it lightly to her knee, before placing it down again. She focuses on the position of her turn out and pointing her toes, just like her old dance teacher used to tell her.

“No, I’ll be fine. Just. Coffee, please?” he begs, and Lysandra rolls her eyes at him, but continues smiling. “If Aelin didn’t drink it all. Seriously, how much caffeine have you had? You’re vibrating the entire room. Sit down, it’s exhausting just looking at you.”

Aelin sticks her tongue out at her brother and watches as Lysandra pours Aedion his coffee with two packets of sugar in the raw and a splash of vanilla creamer. Aelin briefly thinks about how Rowan also needs to put a million things into his coffee to drink it – in fact, last week she filled a glass halfway with coffee and filled the rest with milk, and he still said it was too strong for him. She remembers the way his eyes gleamed when she told him he needed to toughen up, and he smiled and just said he liked things that tasted sweet and then kissed her.

Aelin stops herself. She shouldn’t be thinking about that. She and Rowan are over. Finished. He made that perfectly clear. Aelin slams her mug against the counter a little too hard. It clunks loudly against the marble, silencing the room as she finally stills.

“So, should we get going or what?” Aelin asks, her foot swinging back and forth distractedly. If her movements are any indictaton, she’s not nearly ready, but she needs to pull off the band-aid eventually.

“Are you okay?” Aedion asks, raising an eyebrow at her odd behavior. But Aelin simply smiles and reassures him with the mantra she’s been saying over and over for the last twelve hours.

“I’m fine.”

The walk to the park seems longer than ever, for some reason. Aelin’s heart thuds loudly, beating in time with each step, filling her with unease as she grows closer to the park. When t finally comes into view, Aelin starts to feel nauseous. It’s probably her third cup of coffee that pushed her over the edge into jittery illness, but she suddenly wants to go back home and tell her mom she’s sick. She’s not ready for this.

But before she knows it, they’re at the entrance. She won’t be a coward, she decides, stepping through.

Aelin keeps her eyes wide open, searching for a flash of silver hair, her stomach roiling with knots as her family heads to their first ride. It gets worse with every corner she turns, holding her breath in anticipation of seeing those dark green eyes and wondering what emotion they’ll hold. Her constant anxiety works its way through her body, exhausting her quickly, and soon Aelin needs a snack break, desperate for a sugar boost.

As soon as she’s ordered her ice cream, Aelin is interrupted by a widely smiling Elide. Aelin smiles back at her beaming friend, knowing that she had a much better weekend than Aelin did and not wanting to bring her down. She heard all about it on the ride back home last night. And she assumes Elide and Lorcan went for a repeat as soon as they were off the bus.

“Hey!” Elide wraps her arms around Aelin’s waist, coming in for a giant hug.

“Hey yourself,” Aelin laughs. “You’re in a good mood again,” she quips, and Elide shoves her arm.

“Shut up. Let me be happy,” Elide grins.

“Judging just the size of Lorcan’s hands, I’m sure you’re very happy.” Aelin winks at her friend, whose cheeks flush and her brown eyes sparkle with glee, confirming Aelin’s suspicions.

“You’re the worst.”

“No, I’m the best,” Aelin says with a chuckle, and it feels good to smile, even if it’s not quite genuine.

“Speaking of, how’s your other half feeling?” Elide asks.

“Dorian?” Aelin replies. “I haven’t heard from him yet today.”

“No, you idiot.” Elide looks at her with narrowed eyes. “Rowan. Lorcan said he called in sick this morning.”

Aelin freezes, the nauseous feeling spilling into her stomach again. “He did?”

Aelin’s pause gets Elide’s attention, an Aelin tries to force a mask of calm on. She’s not entirely sure it works. Elide quirks her head to the side, trying to figure out what’s going on, looking like a confused animal.

“You didn’t know?” Elide asks slowly, and Aelin shakes her head as the snack attendant hands her an ice cream bar, but she’s not feeling hungry anymore. “I assumed you would have been there decked out with soup and juice or whatever.”

Aelin gnaws at the skin on her lip and shrugs. “Rowan and I actually…” She breathes deeply and plasters on a small smile for her friend. “We didn’t have as good a weekend as you. We actually, um, ended things.”

Elide gasps, horrified, and opens her arms to hug Aelin as she apologizes. “Oh my god, Aelin, I’m so sorry, I didn’t—" But Aelin stops her quickly.

“It’s fine,” she says with a shrug. “I’m fine.” Aelin sighs, her heart beating loudly in her chest as she repeats her practiced words, the ones she stayed up all night rehearsing and repeating over and over in her head until it became her truth. “We both knew it was just a summer thing, and now summer is over, you know?”

“Yeah…” Elide says sadly.

“Seriously, Ellie. You don’t need to give me that sad face. I’m fine,” Aelin repeats again.

“Okay.” She knows Elide is appeasing her, but she appreciates it. She doesn’t want to keep having this conversation. “Well, if you feel like coming out tonight and getting wasted, a bunch of us are hitting the Mason Jar after work,” Elide says. “You’re welcome to come.”

Aelin smiles, grateful at her friend for dropping it. “I think Dorian and I are supposed to hang later, but we could probably come after? I’ll let you know.”

Elide accepts Aelin’s half-committed response with a small nod, gives her another hug and heads off to her next shift.

Aelin takes one lick of her ice cream, hoping it’ll settle her stomach, but it does the opposite. It tastes like chalk in her dry mouth and she struggles to swallow it. She makes it back to her family, getting ready to go on the log flume. She gives the ice cream to her mother instead, who accepts it with a happy smile, completely unaware of her daughter’s upset. Aelin starts to dance in place again, needing something, anything to do.

Aelin thought she’d be relieved to know that Rowan isn’t in the park, but it’s brought her anything but comfort. Instead, she feels antsy that he’s in his apartment and not at the park. She said she’d see him in the park, and the first day, he goes and stays home? Aelin has a distinct feeling he’s not sick and wants to call him out.

Aelin pulls out her phone, ready to text Rowan and ask how he’s feeling, call his bluff. But she knows she can’t. Who is she to judge him for staying home and avoiding her? Rowan asked for space, and her checking in with him on day one is the absolute opposite of that. She’s furious with herself for even contemplating it. Why is she such a selfish bitch? She can’t even give him a single day off from her? Her chest tugs uncomfortably with the realization that he’ll have the rest of his life off from her. Aelin points and flexes her foot and reminds herself that she’s fine. She stands on her toes and plies, again and again, as she repeats the thought to herself.

She shoves her phone back into her pocket and doesn’t take it out again until the day is over.

When she pulls it back out, she’s not surprised to see she has no notifications. She’s been with her entire family the whole day. Who else would be texting her?

Instead of going back down that spiral, she texts Dorian, asking him if he’s still up to hanging out tonight.

He texts her back immediately. What do you want to do? Movie night?

Aelin pauses. The idea of sitting and watching a movie for hours sounds like torture. She needs a way to get out of her head. She impulsively texts him if they can go for a run instead. Dorian’s response is immediate.

A RUN?! We don’t run.

We do now. Dorian doesn’t reply, and Aelin starts feeling her heart pound again with nerves.

Please? Aelin texts again. She’s not above begging. She can’t help but feel ansty as she waits for his reply.

Fine. But I get to pick where we get dinner after.

Aelin smiles and walks home quickly. Dorian is already waiting on their back patio, running shoes in hand when she arrives. And she can’t help but smile.

“You’re the bestest best friend in the whole world,” she says, hugging him tightly, and Dorian shrugs her off, but she sees his pink ears as she showers him with praise.

“Where to?” he asks, shoving his feet into his shoes, and Aelin doesn’t wait for him to be ready to take off through the house, startling her parents who are opening a bottle of wine and settling in for dinner.

“Try and keep up, Dor!” she shouts, winding her way to the front door and taking off down the long driveway.

Unsurprisingly, Dorian catches up quickly. Despite him complaining about running, Dorian is actually fairly athletic. He played lacrosse all of high school and into college, and running comes second nature to him. He keeps stride beside Aelin, who breathes loudly as she finds her pace.

Aelin isn’t much of a runner herself – she danced and swam as her sports, but she can’t deny there’s something meditative about the even-paced tread of running. Her body falls into a solid rhythm, and she listens to the soft thud of her feet on the hot asphalt to center her as they take off into the neighborhood, the sun starting to set behind them.

“So…” Dorian starts, and Aelin turns her head lightly towards him to see what he wants to talk about. He doesn’t continue, so she assumes he’s trying to prompt her into some conversation, but he’s going to have to work harder than that.

“Ace,” he continues, breathing her nickname out like heavy sigh. “Talk to me.”

“About what?” Aelin asks, pumping her arms harder so she can talk and run simultaneously.

“You don’t need to pretend,” Dorian says carefully, his lips pursed. “I know.”

“Know what?” Aelin asks, turning her focus back to the steady thump, thump, thump of her footfall on the street.

She’s not looking at him, but she knows Dorian is staring at her like she’s the biggest idiot in the world.

Aelin swallows loudly as she croaks out, “How?” And she watches the tension pull at Dorian’s neck and shoulders as he contemplates his next words.

“A little gay birdie told me.”

Aelin stumbles, losing her footing for a brief second, before ploughing forward. “Manon?” she pants, and Dorian nods.

“We’re actually, uh, friends now?” Dorian tells her nervously as he runs beside her. “I’ve been hanging out with her a lot since she’s started dating Nimi. They’re moving in together.”

“I didn’t know…” Aelin says quietly. Sweat beads run down her forehead and into her eyes, and Aelin wipes at them with the hem of her shirt, refusing to break step again as she thinks about all that she’s missed this summer. She hasn’t spent nearly enough time with her best friend. Yet another thing to add to her ever growing list of things to feel bad about.

“You’ve been busy.” Dorian shrugs and blots off his own sweat. “But you’re… not… anymore?”

Aelin shakes her head. “It was just for the summer. You knew that. It’s fine,” she says for the millionth time that day. “I’m fine.”

She watches as Dorian slows down his pace, so he can turn to her fully, his blue eyes piercing through her. “No, you’re not,” he says, and Aelin’s entire body stiffens under his intense scrutiny.

“Yes,” she insists, not letting his slowed pace affect her. She needs to keep moving and moving fast. “I am.”

“Aelin, come on. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter,” he says, becoming more agitated. He grabs at his curly bangs and tugs them off his forehead, a sure sign of his annoyance with his friend. “I know you. I’ve never seen you like this before. You were so wrapped up in him, I’m surprised anyone could pull you two apart. You can’t just end something like that and be fine.”

“Well I did, and I am, okay?” Aelin can feel her pulse racing as she stares at her best friend. She’s always run a little hot, but she never snaps at him.

“I just don’t understand why it ended at all. You’re obsessed with each other and—”

“Dorian, stop!” she hisses as her feet stutter to a complete stop. His lips part in surprise as he stops just in front of her, but he gives into her demands, hands up in defeat as he quits talking.

Her shoulders heave with her heavy breath as she struggles to tamp down her sudden burst of anger.

“Can we please just finish our run and not talk about my no-longer existent love life? Please?”

Aelin knows she can’t handle this conversation. There’s a reason she needs to keep moving, and it is so she doesn’t have to think about this. About being obsessed with Rowan, about being so wrapped up in him that she almost convinced herself she could have him forever. She can’t think about all that she’s lost. Not yet. So, she’ll keep moving instead.

“Can I give you a hug?” Dorian asks, and Aelin shakes her head immediately.

“I appreciate that so much, but… I just can’t, okay?”

Dorian nods, though she’s not sure he really understands what she’s saying. She doesn’t really understand what she’s saying either, honestly.

They pick their feet back up and start their run again, although it doesn’t distract Aelin as much as she wishes it would. Now that Dorian’s poked that tiny hole in her wall, she can feel the sadness start to mix with her anxiety, creating a cacophony of heartbreak seeping into her body. It threatens to drown her in a deadly tidal wave of her own creation.

By the time the pair finishes their run, Aelin is desperate to keep the emotions at bay. She will literally do anything to erase them.

“Dinner?” Dorian pants as he wipes sweat from his brow.

“Yeah,” Aelin breathes heavily. “Where do you want to go?”

Dorian shakes his head. “Lady’s choice.”

Aelin sighs. She doesn’t want to have to make any more decisions right now. So instead, she chooses Dorian’s favorite restaurant. A small Mexican restaurant with cheese coated everything and killer spicy margaritas. If Dorian is surprised, he doesn’t say anything – though he knows Aelin isn’t the biggest fan of the place because cilantro is in literally every dish, and she can’t stand the herb. But Aelin can’t help but think that a margarita sounds pretty damn good right now.

They agree to shower and meet up in an hour, and Aelin takes the time to put on a full face of makeup and do her hair. She needs protection from the real world. If she’s going out and seeing people, she’s not going to be Aelin tonight. She’s going to bury herself beneath layers of hairspray and makeup and too tight clothing. She takes the time to blow out her hair straight, something she hasn’t done since the very first week of summer, and cakes on foundation, dark eye shadow and liner and finishes with a thick coat of mascara. She stands in front of her closet, needing the proper clothes to accompany her non-Aelin look, something to act as armor. She finds a pair of old ripped jeans, which are far too tight, but she manages to shimmy into them, and finishes with a strappy black crop top from her college partying days.

She stares at herself in the mirror, armed with cleavage and sultry eyes, she doesn’t look like herself. And she feels a modicum of relief. She can be someone else and forget her problems. Just for the night.

Dorian whistles when she enters the restaurant, spicy margarita already waiting on the table for her. She brings it to her lips and takes a long sip as Dorian peruses her look.

“All this for me?” he asks, raising an eyebrow, and Aelin can’t help but roll her eyes at him.

“I thought we could go out dancing after dinner,” she says, quickly swallowing a large gulp of her margarita. It’s spicy and sweet and salty and tingles all the way down as it settles in her stomach. She knows dancing is a long shot – Dorian hates dancing. In public, at least. He can’t stand the bad club music and overheated floors and gaudy lights and overpriced drinks. It’s not his environment; he’d rather do karaoke at a dive bar any day of the week, but Aelin is desperate to keep her endorphins up. Karaoke just won’t cut it.

“Dancing?” He looks put out, and Aelin crinkles her nose at his frown.

“Yeah, you know. Loud music, sweaty bodies, dimmed lights, more drinks...” “I hate dancing,” Dorian scoffs. Aelin is undeterred by his less than enthusiastic attitude, already prepared for his pushback, as she grabs a chip and dunks it into the bowl of salsa between them. “You do not,” she says, exasperated with her best friend already. “You’re just a music snob. But once we get enough liquor in you...”

She lifts up her margarita, already half empty, and Dorian finally cracks a smile. She’s breaking through to him. She knew she’d be able to. Knew the restaurant would help bribe him. “Elide texted me about drinks?” he says, and Aelin sighs. She knew she should have just told Elide they couldn’t come. “Why don’t we just get drunk at The Mason Jar with everyone else.” “Because there’s no dance floor at MJ’s. Pleasseee?” Aelin begs. “Are you going to yell at me again if I tell you you’re acting a little manic?”

Aelin pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. She knows she is. She’s been chasing an adrenaline high all damn day – running and twirling and skipping from activity to activity, unable to stop moving. She can’t think about what happens when the endorphins fade. “I just. Want to dance. Please, Dor. Please.” She pauses and waits for him to answer, hoping against all hopes she can get him to agree to dancing. She knows it’s a long shot, but she’s willing to do anything at this moment to get him to agree .

“If we go dancing, then will you actually talk to me about you?”

Ugh. Anything but that.

“Tomorrow?” Aelin asks, hope blooming in her chest that she can push those feelings off for another day – or ideally until she’s back home in Adarlan and completely alone, and Dorian frowns again.

“Let’s eat first and then decide how we’re feeling,” he says.

Aelin isn’t completely happy with his answer but agrees. She’ll never get him to agree if she pushes too hard.

Instead, she asks him about the last few weeks. She wants to be informed about everything. What has he been up to? How did his friendship with Manon form? What have they done together?

Aelin listens closely as Dorian launches into his stories of what he’s been doing with Manon, following every word as he describes their adventures around Terrasen. He tells her about their time at the brewery and getting free drinks all night because Manon and Nimi convinced the bartender they were newlyweds. And how Manon let him bleach her hair, and he ended up bleaching his arm hair by accident. He pulls up his sleeve to show the evidence, and Aelin cackles wildly at the orange tinted hair on his arm. Dark hair doesn’t bleach well without toner, he explains, causing Aelin to laugh hysterically again.

It feels so good to laugh. Dorian can tell and continually tells her stories, one progressively more absurd than the other. By the time he’s explaining the first time Manon wing-manned for him, and picked up a dude, because she “just assumed,” Aelin is having a hard time breathing through her giggles.

“But you do like dudes,” Aelin says through her laughter.

“Yeah, but only on occasion! And I can’t believe she even didn’t ask.”

Aelin laughs at her best friend, who is clearly acting put out to get her to laugh more. She appreciates his efforts.

“You still hooked up with him, though, didn’t you?”

“Oh, yeah,” Dorian says with a fiendish grin. “He was hot.”

Aelin smiles so widely she feel like her face might crack. “I missed you, Dor.”

He runs his hand through his dark curls and bats his dark lashes at her overzealously. “Yeah, yeah. Me too.”

Aelin bites her lip as she begins to launch into her one last plea for dancing, but it turns out to be unnecessary.

“Alright, to Red Square?” he asks, and Aelin squeals with glee.

“Are you sure?” she asks, wanting Dorian to have a good night, too. “You could invite Manon if you want.” Dorian raises an eyebrow at the suggestion. “Won’t that be a little weird?” “No, I already told you, it’s fine. I’m—“ “You’re fine, yeah. I heard you.” She knows he doesn’t believe her, but as long as he’s willing to go dance with her, she doesn’t particularly care. He bites his lip and Aelin smiles, knowing he’s convinced.

Dorian shoots off a quick text to Manon, who replies quickly that she’s at drinks with Elide – of course, Aelin should have known – but that if they get drunk enough, she’ll be happy to watch Dorian make a fool of himself on a dance floor.

“I like her,” Aelin snorts as she links her arm with Dorian, who pulls her close and kisses the top of her head. Her heart stutters as she thinks of all the times Rowan ghosted his lips across her hair and forehead; his favorite spot to kiss. But she shakes it off quickly, thinking about all the liquor she’s about to consume. She’s ready to have her mind erased. There’s exactly one dance club in all of Terrasen — a Russian vodka bar with a cramped dance floor in the back, where barely twenty people can smush their bodies against each other like sardines, swaying to the bad DJ playing hits from five years ago. Just ever so out of touch. They’re famous for their signature cocktail. The nanotchka. A sugary combination of strawberries, champagne and vanilla flavored vodka. They taste like candy but are seriously lethal.

Aelin immediately orders three.

Dorian lifts an eyebrow. “Manon isn’t coming for a little while yet…”

Aelin smirks and picks up the drinks off the bar. “I know. These are both for me.”

She wiggles her hips as she slurps down half of the strawberry concoction, feeling it warm her immediately. Dorian laughs and grabs the third one for himself, watching Aelin throw back the first drink in record time.

“Dance time?” she asks, feeling looser and lighter already.

Dorian holds out his hand for Aelin to lead the way, and she makes her way from the empty front bar to the back room, which is already pulsing with heavy bass and flashing colored lights.

“I love this song,” she says, traipsing onto the dance floor. Bodies part for her and Dorian, making room for them as she slides into the middle, hips swaying with the steady thrum of the bass. She closes her eyes and lets the music flow through her. With Dorian next to her, she feels safe enough to let loose. She sways happily to the music, sipping at her second drink just enough to keep it from spilling. He matches her pace, grinning at her as she sings along to the song blaring overhead.

We're all here -- the lights and boys are blinding We hang back, it's all in the timing It's poker, he can't see it in my face But I'm about to play my Ace

Dorian spins her around, and she whirls in a circle, her hair spinning around her shoulders as she continues to sing too loudly for the small dance floor.

Baby, we're the new romantics Come on, come along with me Heart break is the national anthem We sing it proudly We are too busy dancing To get knocked off our feet Baby, we're the new romantics The best people in life are free

Her heart swells with the lyrics, singing her affirmations. Before she knows it, her second drink is empty, but Dorian replaces it with a third quickly.

Some time between her second and third drink, Aelin’s head starts to swim, and her body floats away. She’s no longer in control of her limbs – she’s just moving. A body unto someone else. Three quarters vodka, one quarter sweat. And one hundred percent unencumbered by feelings. This is exactly what she wanted. She’s almost forgotten about the persistent painful tug against her chest. Almost.

Aelin is completely wasted by the time Manon arrives with Nimi. She knows they’re not exactly friends, but she can’t help running off the dance floor to greet them with big smiles and hugs. She throws her arms around Manon’s shoulders, stumbling slightly into the tall blonde. They both sway momentarily while Manon regains her balance, but Aelin barely notices, as she moves onto greeting Nimi.

“Whoa,” Manon mutters under her breath at Aelin’s forceful hello.

“You both need drinks!” Aelin chirps, and insists that she get their first round, despite their insistence that they can’t stay for that long. Aelin shushes them and promises the nanotchka will change their lives.

At the bar, Aelin orders another round, and feels someone pressing into her, trying to get to the front. She attempts to move to the side, but the hand on the small of her back just shifts to her hip as she moves. She looks up into the eyes of a tall man with shaggy brown hair and blue eyes. He’s looking at her like he knows her, but she can’t place him.

“Well, well, well, never thought I’d see heiress Aelin Ashryver at Red Square,” he chuckles darkly, and Aelin sways on her feet and narrows her eyes, trying to remember the man in front of her.

“Do I know you?” she finally asks, trying to gather her drinks quickly, but she’s much drunker than she initially thought, because she knocks one over immediately, spilling it all over the bar.

She apologizes to the bartender, but the man in front of her smirks and offers to get her another.

“No, it’s fine,” she says quickly. “I probably don’t need another one anyway…”

And it’s true. As Aelin looks up, she realizes the floor is tilting slightly. She forgot how strong these drinks were. She definitely should have paced herself more.

“Cairn,” the man finally says, and Aelin struggles to remember why that name sounds familiar. “I’m a friend of Sam Cortland’s,” he clarifies. “We met briefly at his party.”

The main thing Aelin remembers of that night is kissing Rowan under a streetlight and how handsome he looked. Everything else was a blur. She shivers and grabs the remaining two drinks, trying to steady herself enough to walk back to the dance floor.

“Right. Well, my friends are waiting,” she says, motioning back to the dance floor, and he finally releases his grasp on her hip.

“See you out there,” he says with a wink, and Aelin can’t walk away fast enough. Even wasted, she knows that guy gives off bad vibes. She finds Manon, Nimi, and Dorian, who have taken their spot in one of the booths, which surround the dance floor.

Dorian pouts upon seeing her two drinks. “None for me?”

“I could only carry two!” she says with a laugh. “Now, who’s coming to dance with me?”

She braces herself on the side of the table and pointedly looks at her friends, but they all avoid her.

“We really are leaving soon… our ride is on the way,” Manon explains, and Dorian grimaces as he pleads a break. His feet are tired. He’s sweaty, and he’s almost ready to leave, too.

Aelin looks at her phone. It’s already after midnight, somehow. She asks Dorian to give her twenty more minutes of dancing, and then they can head out. He nods and says he’ll be waiting at the table for her whenever she’s ready to go.

Aelin slides between the mess of sweaty bodies, finding her place on the floor again. She doesn’t go all the way to the center, wanting to be able to flag down Dorian, should she need him. But, she gives into the music again and starts moving.

Her drunk feet barely leave the ground as she flails her arms and hips. She thinks that’s safest. But she lets herself ascend again. After a few minutes of moving, she feels someone’s hands on her hips as a warm body presses against her back.

She stiffens as she looks over her shoulder and sees a leering Cairn, trying to look down her shirt. She expertly spins out of his arms, and takes a step away to keep dancing alone, but he follows her, undeterred.

“What are you doing?” she shouts over the music.

“Dancing with you,” he says, his hands reaching out to grab at her waist and pull her into himself again. She can feel him hard against her, and Aelin is completely disgusted. Her head swims as she tries to regain her senses, but she’s too drunk, too out of control, and she’s not strong enough to pull out of his grasp as he moves their hips together, his erection poking into her stomach uncomfortably.

“I want to dance alone,” she says, trying to extract herself again, but his fingers are hooked into her belt loops, and Aelin is stuck. She looks over to Dorian’s table, trying to get his attention, but the table is empty. Her heart pounds, suddenly feeling very alone and unsafe and abandoned.

“No one who’s dressed like you are right now wants to dance alone,” Cairn says and dips his head to her bare shoulder. He skims his nose against her skin, and Aelin focuses and pushes against his chest as hard as she can. He barely moves. “Sam told me you were a little tease,” he sneers, and Aelin starts to feel sick.

“Just, leave me alone, please,” she begs, her eyes darting around the room for Dorian or Manon or Nimi. Where did they go? She’s way too drunk for this. Her heart pounds wildly, and not just from the hours of dancing she’s done.

“I don’t think I will,” he says, letting his hands slide down her thighs and grope her ass.

She’s about to shove him again when she’s pulled back aggressively, whipped out of Cairn’s grasp by two strong arms. She stumbles back into her savior and immediately feels warmth creep up her back and neck. She knows his grasp before she even spots his face or hears his voice over her shoulder.

“She said to leave her alone,” he says lowly, and Aelin can’t help but look over her shoulder at her silver haired protector. Part of her thinks she’s dreaming, until she sees the coldness in his green eyes waver when he looks down at her. His anger hardens again as he looks back at Cairn, and she trips over her feet again. The floor is definitely not even, Aelin decides as she stumbles back into Rowan’s chest. His grasp steadies her, and she can’t help but relax into it slightly.

“Who are you?” Cairn sneers. “Her boyfriend?”

“No,” Rowan sighs. “Not her boyfriend.” Aelin can hear the pain behind his exasperation. It’s enough to shatter the walls she’s attempted to keep in place all day, and she can feel tears start to prick at her eyes. God, she’s so, so stupid. Here he is, still saving her. Always saving her.

“Well, then, fuck off and mind your own business,” Cairn says, reaching for Aelin again. Aelin pushes backwards, away from Cairn, and Rowan pulls her with him as he takes a giant step back.

“There you are!” Dorian calls, jogging up beside her. Rowan immediately releases Aelin, and she feels the loss of his warmth acutely, despite Dorian wrapping his arm over her shoulders. “Hey Cairn,” Dorian coos at the sleazy man in front of them. “Should have known you’re the type to prey on drunk girls.” He stares at him, waiting for a comeback, but Cairn stays, staring. “I think you’re done here,” Dorian says again, firmly, and Cairn finally rolls his eyes and stalks back onto the dance floor.

“Are you okay?” Doran asks, looking her over, and Aelin nods, but she can’t help but be distracted by Rowan’s hovering presence.

“I thought you were sick,” Aelin says, and Rowan’s shoulders stiffen as he looks down at her, his face unreadable.

“I figured I was allowed to play one day of hooky.” He pauses. “Is that a problem? You’re not going to tell your parents and get me in trouble, are you?”

Aelin’s brow furrows. “No, of course not,” she mumbles, suddenly feeling nauseous on top of everything else. The wall crumbles in front of her, and pain rushes in, knocking her senseless. “I’m sorry…” She tries to look at Rowan, really look at him, but her head is swimming, and she can’t stand up straight. She slumps against Dorian, who holds her up.

“Let’s get you home,” Dorian says, leading her out of the bar, but Aelin can’t focus on anything except for the slight warmth coming from Rowan’s body, just inches away.

She ignores Manon and Nimi’s concerned looks as Rowan piles them into the cab of his truck. Rowan pauses, staring at them. Aelin wonders what he’s thinking.

Dorian speaks up. “We’ll be fine. Our Uber is already on its way.”

Aelin wants to apologize again, but she can’t say anything. All she can do is watch as Rowan slams his truck door shut and drives off, leaving Aelin slumped against Dorian, her head pounding and her stomach clenched.

The Uber arrives quickly, just as Dorian said, and he pulls her in after him. The Uber driver chats aimlessly with Dorian as Aelin leans against his shoulder. She tries to breathe steadily, but all she can see is Rowan’s angry face, and all she can feel is her broken heart.

At first, just a small tear falls down Aelin’s cheek, but she wonders what she’s fighting it for. Her shaky breath gives way to a loud cry, and she shocks the entire car when a sob rips out of her chest, and her shoulders heave as she lets out her tears. What is her problem? Why did she do this to herself?

She needs to apologize to Rowan, needs to tell him how much she cares about him, how much she wants to be with him. But, she has no idea how to make that future work. She thinks about giving up her life in Adarlan and staying in Terrasen with him for the first time ever. What would that even look like? She has no idea what she wants to do with her life, still. And even if she decided to do that, would Rowan even have her anymore? Her heart splits painfully as she tears herself apart. Sobs wrack through her body as her shoulders heave with the weight of her sadness.

She briefly hears the Uber driver ask Dorian if she’s okay, and she holds up her hand, repeating her mantra over and over – “I’m fine. I’m fine.”

But she and Dorian both know it’s a lie. She’s not fine. She hasn’t been fine since she pushed Rowan away. And for what? To make them both miserable?

She wants him. No, she needs him. So fucking badly. She can’t imagine feeling this empty hole in her chest for the rest of her life. She needs to figure out how to fix it. She just doesn’t know how. She ruined everything.

Aelin’s tears don’t stop, even as Dorian leads her up the stairs of her house and sits her down in her bathroom to wipe away the caked streaks of mascara from her cheeks. He pours her a large glass of water and helps her change into her favorite shirt of Rowan’s to sleep in. Aelin is infinitely grateful when he curls beside her in her bed, without her having to ask him to stay, as her tears continue to pour down her face.

“I’ll take that hug now,” she whispers, and Dorian doesn’t wait a second before wrapping her up into his tight embrace. He rubs at her back and lets her cry it out.

“I don’t know what to do, Dor,” she says, her voice cracking. “Every second I’m not with him I feel like I can’t breathe.”

Her tears fall in earnest again, dampening her pillow.

“You’re so dramatic,” he chuckles, pushing her tear dampened hair off her cheeks.

“I leave in five days,” she cries, and Dorian hugs her tighter.

“You’ll figure it out,” he says. She nods, not sure that’s true, but she’s grateful for her best friend. He stays with her, smoothing out her hair and whispering hushed affirmations until Aelin finally falls into a fitful sleep.

~*~*~*~

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#rowaelin #aelin x rowan #cruel summer au #charincharge writes #tog fanfic #throne of glass #angst #blame taylor swift

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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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June Review Schedule!

Hello all you happy people. So while I prepare to wrap up my may reviews with A Goofy Movie, I thought i’d be neat to try and show off my schedule for a change. While it is ALWAYS sitting there on my blog it may be hard to see for people on mobile. If this is your first time seeing my blog, my name is Jake and I review cartoons and comics. And this is what I have planned for June!

This month is Pride Month! Like last year I intend to celebrate with a ton of queer content though unlike last year, where I did the Saluna arc of Loud House and the Rednid Arc of OK K.O., this year’s a bit more freeform since I really DON’T have an arc that fits into what slots I have avaliable.

But that dosen’t mean this year’s pride selectoins are any less awesome:We’ve got the start of what will be at LEAST a year long look at one of my faviorite comics of all time (After an attempt to do that for New X-men has kinda fallen through, though I will try and finish that at some point), with Transformers: More than Meets The Eye. It’s Gay Robots, it’s space opera, it’s a bunch of misfit weirdos trying to do good in a cruel universe who happen to be giant robots. it was built for me.

After that we some trips to the Owl House: a trip back to season one for Amity’s gay Panic attacks, then REGULAR COVERAGE of Season 2, with a new review every week except the first week of july, i’m on vaction, and that episode covered the week i get back. If that wasn’t enough for you, next up to bat is The Mask, my faviorite Courage the Cowardly dog episode rife with gay subtext, chiling domestic abuse and a serious examinaton of Eustace and Muriel’s relationship. Following that I have one of two looks at Queer Duck, a 2000′s flash cartoon made by a well meaning straight guy. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

Finally we have two big swings: A look at the first VoxMore episode as purple boy meets cyborg also boy while said cyborg has kidnapped purple boy’s son. And biggest of all a look at the best 12 episodes of one of the best shows of the 2010′s, i’ts my top 12 episodes of She Ra and the Princesses of Power! For the Honor of Greyskull baby!

Queerness isn’t the only thing i’m celebrating this month though as with my boy Donald’s birthday, i’m having another theme week! It’s Donald Duck week! That means a look at two Quack Pack episodes that were bundled together on VHS (God Help me), another shortstacular (and if you want to pick a short for it you have FOUR DAYS LEFT so HIT UP MY PATREON NOW and pledge at least a dollar to pick a short!, a look at Donald and Della’s adventures with Scrooge before the Spear of Selene Incident via the magic of mediocre comics!, a house of mouse episode featuring a black and white duck who likes sammiches, and some classic carl barks to finish us off as Donlad Goes on Vacation.

Other reviews this month including my continued look at the Season 2 arcs of Ducktales, the Danny Phantom episodes that lead to Reign Storm, Green Eggs and Ham and the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. In addition to that I finish my look at the Scott Pilgrim comics with his finest hour, and the Ducktales pilot mini treasure of the golden sun with some artcitc adventures and gold fever, dive deep into Final Space with it’s Third Season, and finally celebrate Sonic’s Birthday by making everything archie. So join me for some summer fun won’t you?

5/31 Ducktales: The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye: Liars A To D Danny Phantom: Public Enemies The Owl House: Wing it Like Witches Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour Ducktales 87: Cold Duck and Too Much of a Gold Thing 6/6 Quack Pack: Ducks Amuck (Ducky Dearest and All Hands on Deck) Donald Duck Birthday Special 2: Electric Waughaloo Ducktales: Della in Comics House of Mouse: Dennis the Duck Carl Barks: Vacation Time The Owl House: Separate Tides 6/13 Final Space Season 3 Ducktales: Whatever Happened to Della Duck?! Courage the Cowardly Dog: The Mask Queer Duck Top 12 She Ra and the Princesses of Power Episodes The Owl House: Escaping Expulsion 6/20 House of Mouse: Everybody Loves Mickey Top 12 Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Stories Ducktales:The 87 Cent Solution Green Eggs and Ham: Fox Ok KO: We’re Captured The Owl House: Echoes of the Past 6/27 Ducktales: The Golden Spear Queer Duck: The Movie Ducktales: Nothing Can Stop Della Duck! Life and Times: The Dreamtime Duck of Never Never Ducktales: Raiders of the Doomsday Vault!

#ducktales #transformers more than meets the eye #danny phantom #the owl house #scott pilgrim #quack pack #donald duck #house of mouse #carl barks #final space #courage the cowardly dog #queer duck #She Ra and the Princesses of Power #sonic the hedgehog #archie comics #archie sonic #ok ko #voxmore

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justanalto · 3 years

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Violet rose and prussian azure ✨

hello there! thank you for these lovely watercolor asks 💜🥺

violet rose: what does your dream house look like?

one that isn't terrible to keep up maintenance with, lemme tell you that. on the thought that I will buy a house, probably one that has a really open-air concept? I like a lot of sunlight in my houses. A breakfast bar is a definite. And a reading nook, because why the hell not? Front porch, if I can — I'd love to have a porch swing. And a deck out back. Climate change nonwithstanding, I'd love to be by the beach. Get that nice oceanfront view on my front porch. :)))

prussian azure: what's your favorite scent?

this one's tough! a lot of my favorite scents are ones that I catch very quickly and in fleeting moments. they're things like satisfaction on a summer's day or the barest whiff of sea air when you're by the water. the crisp air of fall when it's just cold enough for the slightest snap. petrichor, sometimes. my friend got me a candle that's supposed to smell like new york city and it's my favorite thing, because I miss it with my entire heart. I can't explain how it accomplishes it, but it absolutely does.

thank you again <3

send me a watercolor ask :)

#watercolor asks #ask things #ohwriteiforgot

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leejihoonownsmyheart · 4 years

Text

Playground

Summary:

When you went out exploring all on your own, you never expected to see a boy about your age walking around on the railroad track. He looked like a kid whose parents had let him run around in a playground all on his own. He was barely keeping himself upright on the rails, and his clothes were too big for him.

You watched him silently, and when he saw you he didn’t even smile.

But you couldn’t look away from him.

Why couldn’t you look away from him?

There was a lot about the world you didn’t quite understand.

There was a lot about it you would never understand.

You had come to terms with this a long time ago... Well- you said a long time ago, but a year wasn’t really all that long in the grand scope of things... Was it?

It all started the summer before your freshman year of high school. Your grandparents house wasn’t the most exciting place to be for the summer as you didn’t know of any kids your age anywhere within a twenty mile radius of you, but one aspect of being there that wasn’t too boring was the forest behind your grandparents yard.

Being in the middle of nowhere had its perks when you could just disappear into an unknown wilderness, unbeknownst to the world.

You were mad too. Mad at your family for being so controlling... For bringing you out here, for moving you this school year away from all of your friends, to a whole new place where you would have to start all over.

You didn’t want to start all over.

You hated new things.

So, you decided to run away.

When your mom said to be back by dinner when you left that early, early morning, it was worth noting that as you tied your shoes and grabbed a bag of lunch, you didn’t plan on returning.

You planned to leave your home, just like Buck in Call of the Wild, and make the world you had never explored before, of forestry, and shrubbery, and creeks all your own.

That is, that was your plan until you saw him.

Him, being the stranger, of course.

You weren’t deep into the woods. Not really, you had only just found the railroad, and had decided to follow it for some way, when you heard someone else’s feet crunching the leaves on the forest floor.

You were surprised anyone else was out here.

You expected to see older people. Maybe teenagers trying to stir trouble, or adults on their way to work, but instead you saw a boy.

He was all on his own, wearing oversized colorful clothes and dragging his feet. He had on worn tennis shoes and a complacent look on his face.

You could sort of hear him humming something, but you didn’t recognize the tune.

He jumped up onto the railroad track, his feet slowly taking step after step. His shoes clicked silently against the tracks. It was clear he had a clear path in mind. He had been on these tracks many times and he had likely gone this way a lot.

You tilted your head slightly as you watched him. He took a large over exaggerated step, his arms swinging through the air like a windmill. He planted his feet together in the wrong direction and then hopped to the other side of the rails.

You realized with a start that whatever he was doing, he was doing it to the beat of what he was humming.

Was he... Playing?

Just then he did a spin on the tracks and his eyes landed on you. He stopped his movements, just as fluidly as he had started them. His eyes bore into yours, rendering any thought of movement completely useless.

Suddenly, the world wasn’t yours to own. The world around you was this boy's playground, and you were just another toy on it for him to play with if he thought you were worth his time.

The boy raised a hand into the air, your breath hitching as you waited to see what he would do.

Would he shoo you away? Call you over?

He waved, and a short smile graced his lips.

“Hello.”

You smiled and waved back.

“Hi.”

He gestured to the railroad.

“This leads to a lake. Do you want to come?” He asked. Your eyebrows furrowed.

“Isn’t it dangerous?” You asked softly. “What if a train comes?”

“Trust me, when you’re with me, a train is the least of your worries,” he assured.

You weren’t sure what that was supposed to mean but you knew that he knew best. You weren’t familiar with this deck of the woods, but he was. This was his domain, not yours.

Besides, you didn’t really have anything better to do.

“Okay.”

You didn’t move at all as you stared at him, not sure exactly what he expected you to do. He seemed to notice that and gestured to the other side of the tracks.

“You have to walk on the railroad tracks.”

You furrowed your eyebrows.

“Why?”

He rolled his eyes.

“You just have to, it’s the rules.”

You bit the bottom of your lip unsurely but walked over to the other rail anyways. You looked at him before you stepped up, but he didn’t offer any other solutions, so you stepped up onto it. You teetered for a moment on the metal, but it didn’t take you long to catch your balance.

You had good balance.

“There are rules?” You asked suddenly. “Isn’t the point of being out here that there aren’t any rules?”

“You have to have rules anywhere you go. If there weren’t any rules, we wouldn’t be safe,” he replied.

You scrunched your nose, but you figured his words made sense. You sighed and he started to walk again, still doing that strange walk, like he couldn’t really keep his balance.

You just walked normally, giving him a weird look as you walked.

“If there are rules what are they?” You asked. “Who came up with them?”

“I came up with them,” the boy responded.

He met your eyes.

“There are ten rules,” he continued. “I won’t tell them you all of them right now though.” “Why not?” You asked him stubbornly. He rolled his eyes.

“Because I haven’t figured them all out yet. I’ll tell you when I know them for sure,” he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“You can’t make rules up as you go,” you mumbled back. He rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well you can’t make up the rules at all so what do you know?” He asked you. You pouted at him and stopped walking on the tracks.

“Why am I even going anywhere with you?” You asked suddenly. “All you are is mean.”

“Because of Rule Number Two of course,” the boy responded. “Once we are together, we aren’t allowed to leave one another.”

“You skipped rule number one,” you replied bluntly. He made a face at you as he lifted his foot into a giant wobbly step.

“No, you just don’t listen,” he stated. “Rule number one is to walk on the railroad when going to the lake. Rule number two is to not leave one another once we are together.”

He seemed to think over that rule for a moment.

“Well, at least not until our adventure is over.”

“These rules are dumb,” you replied. He ignored you and kept walking.

“You’re dumb,” he countered.

You sighed, but walked on forward anyways, afraid that you would lose the boy if you let him get too far ahead of you.

You two walked in silence for quite some time. You weren’t sure exactly how long it had been, but it was long enough that you were able to see the thick lines of trees thin out, showing you some rolling hills covered in green. It was only a little after you were able to feel the suns warm rays exclusively on you that finally the boy stopped and looked across the tracks at you. He looked surprised to see that you were still following behind him.

“What’s your name?” He asked you. He didn’t stop walking. He was just filling the air around you two. You told him without really thinking better of it. Proudly pronouncing your full name for him.

He rolled it around in his mouth but didn’t say anything past that. You decided to continue the conversation.

“What’s your name?” You asked him. He stared at you, as if he was unsure if he should tell you or not.

“It’s…” He trailed off. “Not important.”

Your mouth dropped open.

“What? That’s not fair,” you grumbled. He shrugged.

“My dad always says life isn’t fair.”

You rolled your eyes.

“That’s just a stupid thing adults tell you when they don’t want to let you do something fun,” you spat back. He looked at you, seemingly to somewhat consider your words.

“You know a lot about that huh?”

Now it was your turn to fall silent.

You hadn’t come into the wilderness to talk about your parents. If you had wanted to do that you wouldn’t have ever run away. You would have stayed at home, and you would have gone to school and told your actual friends about it. Not some stranger you had just met.

You knew however that this guy wouldn’t take a no for an answer. He seemed particular like that.

So instead of doing that, you looked away from him.

“Nah, my family is fine,” you stated. You felt like you had just swallowed a rock.

“Rule number three,” He replied. “No lying.”

You rolled your eyes.

“I wasn’t lying,” you mumbled defiantly. The boy stopped wobbling on the railroad in order to glare at you. You stopped walking too and initially just ignored him but after a long moment decided you couldn’t handle the scrutiny anymore. “Fine, I don’t get along with my parents. They’re too controlling.”

The boy seemed satisfied by that and turned away from you, finally going back to walking down the train tracks. You stared after him for a while, keeping yourself still on the tracks, before taking a deep sigh and following him once again.

The tracks were a little difficult to keep your balance on. You wanted to say that you understood why Jihoon had been stumbling around earlier, but seeing him now, walking on the tracks effortlessly you knew that the way he had been wobbling around earlier had just been a sort of show for himself.

You huffed and tried to catch up to him but found yourself still frustratingly enough behind. The boy didn’t seem to mind either way. He stayed quiet and simply walked along the tracks. You thought he was an odd person for doing this- Inviting someone to go on a walk with him only to not talk to you at all.

You didn’t comment on that of course, you just held your silence trusting that saying something to him wouldn’t really help you in anyway.

As you two walked, you noted with a sigh that you were coming up on a large bridge that spread across a large chasm. You were nervous suddenly, thinking about being on those tracks.

You weren’t really scared of heights- well not any more than the average person. But looking at the tracks knowing that if you took any wrong step, you would fall made your heart begin to beat nervously in your chest.

The boy you were with was clearly unbothered by the whole situation. He was quick to step onto the part of the tracks that began over the river. You noted that the boy wasn’t scared at all, no hesitation in his steps whatsoever.

Despite his confidence, when you stepped on that part of the bridge you bite down on your lip.

“Are you sure this is the only way to go?” You asked him, trying not to be so nervous.

“Rule number one,” was all he called back.

You sucked in a breath and nodded once.

Right. The rules.

You tried to push down your fear and got back onto the tracks. After all, if this boy didn’t think that there was any reason to be afraid, you figured there wasn’t. You decided to just, keep your eyes on the boy, and keep your arms spread out straight to make sure that you kept your balance.

After you guys had made it a good part of the way across the bridge you could feel the tracks beneath your feet beginning to rumble and fear clenched your heart. You glanced back over your shoulder and noticed in the distance a pile of smoke billowing just above the tree line.

You didn’t need to hear the tooting of the horn in the distance, to know what that meant.

You pressed your lips together, and opened your mouth to say something, worried about the fact that you were stuck in the middle of a bridge with a train coming, but instead you just froze.

The boy you were with didn’t seem to notice your fear. Instead, he just continued to peacefully wobble on the tracks, making his pace just a tad bit quicker.

“There’s a train coming,” he mumbled without even looking up from the rails. You didn’t respond. You didn’t move, you just stayed frozen. If he wasn’t worried you knew you shouldn’t be either, but you suddenly had an impending sense of doom overcoming you that you just couldn’t shake.

You hadn’t really realized it when you left but this adventure you were out on now was a bit dangerous for someone your age.

The boy turned around when you didn’t answer, and his eyebrows raised at you.

“Hey, come on. What’s wrong?” He asked. He stopped on the tracks and stared at you from afar. He called your name, but you didn’t answer. Instead you raised your eyes up to him, letting your fear shine in them. He pressed his lips together. “If you don’t move, you’ll die.”

That didn’t make your racing heart calm at all. It only sped up at the sudden confirmation. You felt yourself begin to breath more heavily, your hand raising to your chest so that your fingers could clutch tightly at your shirt.

“My name is Jihoon,” he said suddenly. You didn’t understand what that had to do with anything, but you didn’t even have a chance to voice your confusion before Jihoon was speaking again. “Rule number four: If you’re scared, say my name. I’ll protect you.”

He wasn’t moving towards you, but you could tell that he wanted to. He had been so calm up until now, but the moment that your life was on the line, he was suddenly a little bit more antsy, his hands had a tad tremble to them.

“Jihoon.”

Jihoon was quick to retrace his steps to you, holding his hand out to you as soon as he was directly beside you.

“It’s going to be okay,” he murmured. “Just walk with me.”

You were still nervous but feeling his warm hand against yours- despite the fact that both of your palms were sweaty and hot already- made your racing heart a little less unstable. You felt your fingers tighten around his hand, especially as he quickened his walking pace.

The rumbling of the train was only getting louder and louder, and you knew that just meant that you needed to pick up your pace more. Still you were glued to Jihoon, reminding yourself to walk fast and everything would be okay.

Lucky for you with Jihoon’s urging, it only took a short moment before you two were back on solid ground, and he had dragged you off the tracks. You watched as the train rumbled past you two on the tracks. The train roared loudly on the tracks as you two watched it fly past. You didn’t even realize how close it had been in the end until you were looking at it now.

You had been moments from death- Even scarier Jihoon had risked his life and his safety just for you- a person that he had just met.

You looked over at the boy, a newfound respect suddenly coming over you.

“Jihoon,” you mumbled. He turned to look at you, an eyebrow raising just so.

“Hm?” He hummed.

“Thank you.”

He wrinkled his nose slightly and then turned over his shoulder to look back at the river.

“Once the train passes, we can start walking again.”

The last thing you expected to see while out with Jihoon was another group of children in the woods.

Running into Jihoon had been surprising enough to you, but as you two walked on the tracks and the sound of other children’s laughter filled the air you became even more surprised than before.

Your eyebrow raised uncertainly, and you looked across the train rail at Jihoon, unsure of if you should be worried or not.

As per usual he was a few paces in front of you- not nearly as far ahead as he could be, instead just enough that he was still clearly the leader of this whole escapade.

He didn’t seem phased by the sound of other children laughing, and when you looked forward you realized that may have just been a front he was putting on as the children in question were on the railroad not far in front of you two.

You swallowed hard and clasped your hands behind your back, noting that these children- whoever they may be- looked to be quite a bit older than you and Jihoon. Maybe even high school kids.

You wanted to voice your concern to Jihoon, but his air of confidence was so unwavering that it made you feel small in comparison rather pathetic. So, you held your silence, ignoring the fourth rule of the pact.

The children’s chattering stopped when they grew closer to you, and the head of the pack of other kids (there were four of them in total) gave Jihoon a long look. His eyes ran from his toes, to the top of his head, seeming to try and assess whether or not he was a threat.

Jihoon’s response to such a look was to tilt his chin up just so and slid his hands into his pockets.

“Hey,” was all he said. “I’m Jihoon.”

The boy snickered at Jihoon’s nonchalance, his nose scrunching slightly as he did so. You couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t look like the sort of person anyone would want to be caught hanging around. He was tall, and lanky, with a sharp chin, and bushy eyebrows. But his gaze was hard, as if he wasn’t afraid to hurt anyone who dared to get into his way.

You swallowed thickly, assessing with some discern that none of the boys in the pack looked to be all that friendly.

“I’m Yeongdo,” he replied back. He quirked his head back at a boy standing further behind him, who had a rounder face then Yeongdo did and was more your height. “This is Nautilus.”

He quirked his head to the other side and gestured towards a boy standing there with a green jacket on and curly brown hair. He looked nicer than Yeongdo did but not by much. “That’s Inho.”

The last boy was more the height of Yeongdo, and looked just as mischievous as him as well. He had paler skin then the rest of them and had clearly dyed white hair with dark eyes. He didn’t look very interested in the conversation at hand and was instead looking off into the forest. “That’s Sihoo.”

Yeongdo turned his eyes back to Jihoon, and they flickered briefly back to you. You jumped slightly at the sudden attention and quickly dropped your eyes to the tracks to pretend like you hadn’t been frightened at all.

“Who’s your dog?”

Jihoon glanced back at you, his eyebrows quirked slightly- almost as if he had entirely forgotten that you were with him. He looked back at Yeongdo and shrugged.

“Just someone tagging along. Met not far back.”

Yeongdo’s eyes turned back to you, and this time as he did so, so did pretty much all the other boys in the area. You had hardly ever had this much attention on you and quite frankly, you didn’t like it that much. Again, however you didn’t want to seem afraid, so you just met Yeongdo’s gaze and gave him a smile.

“Hello.”

You opened your mouth to tell them your name- Just like Jihoon had, but before you had the chance to do so, Jihoon pointed past Yeongdo on the tracks.

“Well, we’ll be on our way then,” he stated pointedly. You thought it was odd that he stopped you from saying your name, as you knew that he could tell that’s what you were about to do. You noticed that Yeongdo seemed to have noticed it as well, because his eyes flitted suspiciously between you and Jihoon.

“So soon?” He questioned. “And here I was excited to get to know you and... Your friend over there.”

Jihoon laughed.

“Well we might be young, but the day won’t be forever,” he stated pleasantly. He suddenly let himself step off of the metal rail that he had been balancing himself on up until this point and wandered over to you.

He took your hand firmly in his, without even really looking at you.

“We have a lot of travelling to do, and not much time to do it. Maybe we’ll run into you again.”

Jihoon then pulled you forward, dragging you into the center of the group. He pushed past Yeongdo, their shoulders bumping as he walked past them, and you almost ran into Yeongdo’s body at the small space that the bump allowed, but somehow managed to emerge from the wall of boys without having bumped any of them.

Jihoon was dragging you, faster than before, but not fast enough that it would seem as though he were doing so and his grip on you... It was tighter than you thought it should be.

“Rule number five,” Jihoon murmured as soon as you were far enough from the group of boys for them not to hear. “Trust me and only me.”

You weren’t sure what he meant by that exactly, or why he hadn’t wanted that other group of boys to know who you were. What you did know however, was that you felt like that rule, was going to be one of the most important ones that you would ever follow.

“So, tell me,” Jihoon stated after a long moment of silence. “Why are you running away from home?”

You looked over at him, wanting to say you were surprised by the question- the fact that he knew you were running away, but you couldn’t really say so. After all, Jihoon knew you all too well. There didn’t really seem to be any hiding anything from him at all.

Still you decided to play dumb and looked away from him.

“I’m not running away from home,” you stated stubbornly. He rolled his eyes at the statement and reached across the track grabbing your wrist.

“Rule number three,” he reminded you. You sighed.

“I’m running away because I’m tired of my parents, why else?” You asked him. Satisfied with the truth, Jihoon let go of your wrist. You missed it but didn’t say that you did.

“You shouldn’t run away,” Jihoon reprimanded. “After all your parents only mean the best.”

You rolled your eyes at the action, your mouth dropping in an exasperated expression as you began to copy his mouth movements with your hand. He looked back over at you over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at the childish behavior. You gave him a somewhat embarrassed expression, your hands dropping back to your side.

“Sorry, I just-” You sighed, and your eyes dropped to the ground. “I’m frustrated.”

“We all get that way sometimes.”

“Angry,” you snapped back. He shrugged.

“People feel emotions,” he murmured. “We can’t let the decisions we make when we’re angry make who we are as people.”

You wanted to be mad at his words but... You couldn’t help but think that they made sense. The way he spoke. Gave you advice... He was like a character from a Disney Channel movie. Seemed to be so wise for his age.

“What about your parents?”

He looked back at you, his eyebrows scrunching just so.

“My parents?”

You nodded, taking a confident step towards him.

“Yeah, what happened to your parents? Why are you out here instead of with them?”

Jihoon stared at you. His expression hard as he peered at you, trying to figure out what to say next. He seemed to be at a loss for words by your question, and sort of just stood there motionless for a moment.

Such a reaction from him was honestly a little jarring.

“Jihoon?”

His eyebrows rose suddenly, a calmer expression spreading over his face.

“My parents are a little absent,” he mumbled. “They aren’t around the house often; I sort of take care of myself.”

“That must be....” You trailed off, and started to walk again, not stopping until you were side by side with Jihoon. He looked at you, for once seeming to be smaller than you. For once actually looking scared over what could be happening. “So lonely.”

You pressed your lips together.

“Honestly?” He murmured. “Yeah, it is.”

He looked down at his fingers and shrugged.

“But that’s why I come out here. Being out here in the nature... Getting the chance to meet someone like you? That makes it worth it.”

You were surprised that he said it like that.

To meet someone like you.

It made you wonder who exactly he thought you were. The kind of person he believed you to be after only knowing you for such a short time. Today all you had done was follow him and learn his rules. It wasn’t the sort of thing that you were used to doing. You weren’t much of a follower.

And yet, following him? It seemed natural.

“I won’t run away again,” you decided. “I mean, I won’t run away from you.”

Jihoon smiled, his lips curling up in the corner. It was at that smile that you noticed that he had a small dimple on his cheek. You felt your heart skip a beat when you saw the dip in his cheek, and it made your eyes drop down to the ground.

“So how far exactly? Until we get to the lake?” You asked him, desperate for a conversation change. You weren’t sure why but suddenly your heart was racing in your chest. Your whole entire body just felt so warm, like your skin was literally on fire.

You hoped that the water in the lake would be cool. That it would make you feel more like the normal you. And less like the shaky feverish mess that you felt like right in that moment.

“Oh, we’re close.” He replied. “Actually, we can leave the tracks now.”

He didn’t warn you before taking your hand this time, and the action made you jolt just a little bit. It was such a surprise to have his hands on you. He immediately withdrew his hand.

“I’m-”

Before he could apologize you reached forward, grabbing onto Jihoon’s hand again. Once again, the touch made you feel a little shaky. You weren’t really sure how to look Jihoon in the eyes when you were holding onto his hands like this.

“No, no, I was just a little surprised is all,” you assured softly. “Lead me to the lake. You don’t have to worry about a little jump.”

The lake was probably one of the most beautiful places that you had ever been in your entire life. Honestly it may have been one of the most beautiful places that you would ever visit in your entire life.

You had imagined that if there were a lake of this magnitude near your grandparents' house you would have heard of it before, but you hadn’t and this lake... It was probably the biggest one that you had ever seen. You could barely see the shoreline across the water, only able to see the tips of the of pine trees in the distance.

The view was breathtaking, and you found yourself stumbling to a stop as you looked at the shimmering lake surface.

The beach that Jihoon had brought you to had soft white sand, that you honestly couldn’t wait to bury your feet into, and the air that drifted off of the water in the cool breeze was so refreshing that you really couldn’t help but close your eyes and take a deep breath.

When you opened your eyes again you tried to find Jihoon, wondering if he was as amazed by the shoreline as you were. Instead you found him staring at you, a strange look in his eyes. One you didn’t think you had really seen him give you yet so far.

You wondered if you should say something to him. Maybe ask him what he wanted to do next or something of the sort, but instead he just turned away from you and went running down to the shore, past the white sand and over to where the tree limbs were dipping into the water.

You weren’t sure what he expected to do in response to such an action. So, you just did what felt natural.

You dropped your bag on the ground and followed him over to the tree.

“Do you think kids our age can fall in love?” Jihoon asked you softly. You looked over at him and watched as he kicked a pebble into the lake water. You thought over the question for a moment and then, shook your head.

“No,” you stated. “Not the way our parents do at least.”

Jihoon hummed back, and you watched yet another pebble fall into the lake.

“What about you?” You asked him. He kicked another pebble into the water.

“I don’t think so,” he agreed. “Maybe we can feel the beginnings of what love is, but I think love is a little bit too complex for us. Dating at our age is like... Mirroring what we think love should be.”

“And what do you think love should be?” You followed up. He sat down on his feet, and patted the ground next to him, for you to sit down as well.

You sat down next to him and watched as he scooped up a handful of pebbles.

“Love is needing someone in your life. Even if you can’t have them, or if they don’t feel the same way. Love is a memory that you remember every detail of, but others think is completely insignificant. Love lasts forever and hits you when you least expect it.”

“You sure seem to know a lot about it,” you murmured back. Jihoon looked over at you, his cheeks a little red as his eyes fell on you.

“Well, at first they were just words that sounded a little right to me,” he stated. “But... I’m starting to think that maybe I’m starting to feel it.”

“Love?” You asked, feeling a little confused by the statement. Jihoon laughed and shook his head.

“The start of it,” he corrected. “You know what my favorite thing to do here is?”

Your eyebrow raised and he let out a short laugh, pulling his shirt off of his body and throwing it onto the shore. He grabbed you by your hand and pulled you up to your feet.

“Swimming!”

And just like that, Jihoon’s hand slipped from yours and he raced into the water, diving into the deep as soon as he could. You were mesmerized as you watched him splash around in the water, already seeming to be stuck in his own world. It was adorable how easily he could lose himself into such a meaningless thing as going swimming.

He dove under the water, and emerged a few meters away from you, shaking the water out of his hair like a dog with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” He asked you.

In all the times that you had ever gone swimming in the past, it certainly hadn’t ever been like this.

You had always been with a large group of friends, parents watching, and (most importantly) swimsuit on.

It wasn’t that you were scared of swimming in the lake. You were a fairly strong swimmer, and you were sure Jihoon would save you if you started to drown for any reason. But for some reason, you were still nervous.

“I don’t want to get my clothes wet,” you mumbled back. He shrugged, letting his feet float upwards as he pushed himself deeper into the lake.

“You can just wear my shirt afterwards,” he offered. “Come on what’s the point in coming to the lake if you don’t go swimming?” You supposed he had a point. Shyly you toed out of your shoes, leaving them on the sandy beach, your toes burying into the grains. You looked down at the sand as it seeped between your toes, feeling the sand burn the pads of your feet.

You then nervously shimmied yourself out of your pants, allowing your previously tucked in shirt to fall to your knees. You considered taking off your shirt too, knowing that it wasn’t a huge deal if you were left just in your undergarments- after all it was the same as wearing a swimsuit- but you decided quickly that you would rather just leave your shirt on and get it wet.

You began to slowly wade into the water, but apparently your whole routine just frustrated Jihoon. He got back to his feet, wandering over to you and before you could protest, he smiled, grabbed your hand and dragged you into the freezing water.

You let out a surprised laugh as you fell back into the water, which only made Jihoon smile brighter.

“Took you long enough,” he teased. “You scared of water or something?”

Jihoon’s fingers let go of yours once you were completely down in the water. You rolled your eyes and ducked your head under the surface to get your hair wet, wading away from him. You splashed him playfully.

“More like scared of who is in it.”

Jihoon laughed in surprise at your words and splashed you back.

“And I suppose there is good reason for that.”

All of a sudden Jihoon lunged forward, his fingers brushing against your shoulder. You shrieked in surprised, the biggest smile spreading over your face despite your scream.

“Tag you’re it.”

He quickly began to swim as far away from you as he could possibly get. At first you were frozen in place, too busy processing everything to go after him, but after he had submerged under the water and re-emerged a couple of feet over from you, you smiled.

If a game was what he wanted, a game was what he was going to get.

Tag turned into marco polo, which turned into a splash war, until the sun burned brightly in the sky above you two and you and Jihoon were floating quietly beside one another in the water, your fingers brushing his.

“You know what I like most about being out here?” He asked softly. You hummed but didn’t look at him. “It’s so... Different than being at school or with other people. These moments, in the sun, in the nature, disconnected it feels like a whole other time. Like the time I spend here with you is completely different than any other moment I’ll ever experience.”

You looked over at him, watching the way that his short strands of hair floated around his head in the water. You hummed.

“It’s like this moment is just for us,” you whispered.

Jihoon smiled and rose his fingers up towards the sun.

“Rule Number Six,” he mumbled, but you noted that it was mostly to himself. “The promises we make here must be held forever.”

You snickered at his words.

“We haven’t really made any promises out here Jihoon,” you reminded him. He hummed back at you.

“Not yet,” he agreed. “But we will and one day we’ll be older, and we won’t really need the rules anymore.”

You sat up in the water, feeling it drip from your hair over your shoulders. You wanted to say something, but instead you just let Jihoon muse over what he believed your future with him looked like.

“The rules don’t really apply outside of the woods. Once we’re back in school and stuff, I can’t be there for you,” he continued. He didn’t look at you. No, his eyes stayed stubbornly on his hand that was raised to the sun. “But if at least one rule does I want it to be that. If you promise me something, don’t ever break it, and I’ll do the same with you.”

A lot could be said about Jihoon and his rules. It seemed to you honestly like he was in the middle of some sort of power trip. Obsessed with being able to hold things over your head, and get you to blindly follow him without a word, but you knew that it was the small moments like these when Jihoon was so clearly human that you remembered why you trusted him so much.

Because it was in the moments like these that your heart knew that you wanted to be with someone who made you feel like this forever.

And just like that the illusion was broken- and not because of what you two had going on but because of a laugh not far from the two of you. Jihoon was up in a flash, a disapproving look crossing his eyes.

“Crap, crap,” he mumbled. His fingers wrapped around your wrist and he tugged you close very quickly. “You need to hide.”

Concern etched over your face.

“What?”

“Rule Number Five, I don’t have time for you to question me, I just need you to hide,” Jihoon urged. He pushed you urgently out of the water, and you scrambled so fast to a nearby tree that you didn’t really have time to grab your shoes.

You felt your fingers dig into the wood bark of the tree and after a moment of uncertainty, you gathered your senses and began to climb up into the branches.

You wanted to ask why you were hiding and what you were doing, and why Jihoon was suddenly so intent on hiding you, but after a few moments you didn’t have to ask why.

Emerging from the brush were the guys from earlier, at the lead was Yeongdo. Jihoon was quick to let his chill expression from before cross back over his face. His shoulders relaxed, his fingers fell at his sides as he knelt down in the sand, pretending as if he had just been messing with it all along. He looked up when Yeongdo approached a surprised expression on his face.

“Oh, hello,” he murmured, giving them a look. “Didn’t think I would run into you again.”

Yeongdo’s expression only darkened at that.

“Where’s your dog?” He asked. Jihoon shrugged and rose back to his feet, his fingers sliding into the pockets of his wet pants.

“Left.”

“Huh. Seemed like you had a pretty tight leash,” Yeongdo responded.

“Didn’t,” Jihoon replied back.

For some reason, the tension between the two boys only grew at the interaction. You could tell that mentally they were both in the middle of an intense argument. It was a little bit intimidating. You swallowed hard, and shifted in the trees, trying your best not to shake the branches too much.

“Alright.”

Yeongdo cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. For a moment you were terrified that he was going to look up into the tree, and spot you up there. Your whole body tensed, and you weren’t completely sure why, but something about him looking up freaked you out.

Maybe you were just overreacting. After all, thus far Yeongdo hadn’t really done anything yet that should be scary.

So then why was Jihoon so hell bent on keeping you two apart?”

“Me and my boys were going to walk up the riverbank and set off some firecrackers we found lying around,” Yeongdo said, his eyes slowly lowering back to Jihoon. Jihoon’s expression didn’t falter, his stance practically rock solid. “Want to come?”

Jihoon didn’t miss a beat.

“Why would I want to go anywhere with you Yeongdo?”

Yeongdo didn’t like that response, and his gang didn’t seem to understand the growing tension between the two boys (which came to a relief to you as you had no idea why they were at one another’s throats). He stared at Jihoon, daring the boy to take back his response.

Jihoon didn’t.

“Lee Jihoon, you better watch your damn-”

“Choi Yeongdo, you better tred lightly,” Jihoon snapped back.

This time there was no silence, no shift in attitude. Instead, he pointed up into the trees, right to where you were.

“Get the dog.”

Yeongdo’s group all looked up at you and you looked down at them complete and utter shock spread over your face.

How had he- “Run!”

Jihoon pushed forward, knocking his shoulder roughly into Yeongdo’s knocking him to the side. You jumped down from the tree, hissing out in pain when your feet hit the dirt, but before you could complain Jihoon was pushing you up to your feet.

“Move, move, move,” he insisted. You didn’t question him. You stumbled to an upright position, feeling yourself get yanked forward as Jihoon latched onto your wrist.

“Why are we running?” You blurted out. At first Jihoon didn’t respond. He just continued to pull you through the woods, worming you both in and out of the area. You could hear the cracking of branches behind you- proof that Yeongdo and his gang were chasing after you.

“Rule Number Seven: Do whatever I say.”

You were starting to get a teensy bit annoyed at Jihoon and his rules.

“That isn’t an answer!” You snapped back.

Jihoon didn’t say anything back, instead he continued to run which just made you even more annoyed.

“Jihoon!”

“Do you ever shut up?”

The outburst was uncalled for and was more shocking then you expected it to be. You started to slow your pace, and the change made Jihoon’s hand slip from your wrist.

Maybe it was your childish attitude, or maybe it was because you deep down desperately seeked Jihoon’s approval, but you couldn’t help it. You let your running pace slow, the actual pain of running barefoot actually getting to you.

The minute that your wrist slipped from Jihoon’s hand, he turned to look back at you, his expression still ice cold. You let yourself stop running completely, and you dropped down to your knees, sniffling as tears began to senselessly run down your cheeks.

Jihoon stumbled a little over himself.

“Wh-What are you doing?” He asked you. You didn’t respond instead you let your eyes drop away from his and rubbed the tears from your eyes with balled fists. You could hear Yeongdo and his others chasing after you and Jihoon, but you didn’t care. You couldn’t really run when you were crying anyways.

Jihoon walked up to you and reached out to touch you, but when his fingers got too close to you, you flinched away.

“I don’t want to go on an adventure with you anymore,” you snapped stubbornly. You stumbled away from him, your fingers burying themselves in the dirt as you crawled clumsily. Jihoon’s eyebrows furrowed at the action, as if he had never expected you to just go against something that he had said, but even so, you continued to move away from him.

He took a step towards you, his expression hardening again.

“Don’t be stupid, if you keep wasting time like this Yeongdo will get you,” he stated.

“I’m not stupid,” you argued. “And who cares if Yeongdo gets me, he’s just a kid.”

“So?!” Jihoon retorted. “I’m just a kid and I could do anything to you. In fact, I don’t have to listen to you at all.”

You were confused by the statement, but not for long. After only a few moments Jihoon walked purposefully towards you and grabbed your wrist. You tried to say something to him, your eyebrows furrowing in frustration, but he just tightened his grip.

“You shouldn’t just trust people,” he snapped. “You shouldn’t have just followed me so deep into the woods, and you shouldn’t be so nonchalant about Yeongdo getting you.”

He sharply tugged you forward, back into a run. You wouldn’t have let Jihoon pull you again, but you knew that you were just being stubborn. In the end, Jihoon was right, and whether you understood the whole thing with Yeongdo, you vaguely understood Jihoon’s point.

He didn’t stop running until he had pulled you off into a thicket of deeper tree branches, far from the train tracks that you originally came from. He pulled you into a tucked away hole, paved by weeds until you two emerged into a small clearing, that was barely big enough for you to stand in.

“Alright, we should be good if we hang out here for just a little while,” Jihoon assured. You didn’t respond to him. You just sat down and stared at your hands where Jihoon had been holding onto you. Jihoon turned around to face you, but you didn’t look at him.

“Are you okay?” He asked you softly. “You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

Again, you didn’t respond to him, which clearly made him even more suspicious of your sudden behavior. He crawled towards you, his hand outstretched, so you made a disgruntled noise and shifted further away from him.

He sighed and pulled his fingers away from you. He withdrew completely and settled back on the ground.

“I...” He trailed off unsurely, so you just kept your eyes on the ground. Your fingers trailed through the dirt as you waited to hear what Jihoon had to say. Instead of actually speaking he didn’t say a word. He just sighed out in frustration.

You didn’t know Jihoon very well, you supposed that became more and more clear the more that you actually got to know him this trip. It was obvious to you that he was close to Yeongdo. Why they had introduced themselves to one another in the woods was a mystery, and you supposed it would remain so until Jihoon decided to explain it to you- which he probably wouldn’t but in the end you thought it was probably because this was all a huge game to everyone.

After all, these woods to Jihoon weren’t what they were to you. He knew them. He knew every tree like it were a slide, each branch like it was rubber mulch. The railroad was just a path that wove from one end to the other, and the river was some sort of fountain. These woods to Jihoon were a playground, and in the end, you were all just kids playing on it.

Jihoon was just playing the game that he was taking just as seriously as he would take anything else in his life right now.

Sure, he had gotten mad at you, sure he had grabbed you, but you weren’t playing the game as seriously as you should have been.

“I won’t do it again,” Jihoon mumbled.

And you knew that was true. You knew that he had learned, just from that one time, just from you crying. You knew that Jihoon had learned his lesson. You don’t grab people and you don’t yell at them. He had tried two different techniques with you to get you to run in these woods, and only one of them was effective.

“You can make the next rule if you want,” Jihoon stated softly. “I... I feel like that’s only fair.”

You didn’t think Jihoon needed to be nearly as apologetic as he was over what had happened. You two were just kids it was only reasonable to overreact at certain things. But the idea of making your own rule... It was much too appealing to pass up.

You smiled.

“Okay, uh, let me think about it.”

You two walked for just a moment in silence. Your mind was racing over what rule you could possibly make but it was hard to listen to it all when Jihoon was just...

“Jihoon...?” You mumbled. “Are you planning on stopping staring at me anytime soon?”

“It was just... I was really mean earlier, and you just... Forgave me,” Jihoon mumbled. “I didn’t deserve that.”

Maybe Jihoon was right, maybe Jihoon was too mean. Maybe you shouldn’t ever forgive him for grabbing you the way he had earlier, for yelling at you and for making you cry.

But in the end, outside of the outburst, you knew that before everything, Jihoon was a gentle person. Someone who wasn’t quick to anger, and somebody who only meant the best for you.

“Okay, okay, I figured it out,” you mumbled. “Rule number nine, if I ask you to hold my hand, you have to let me.”

Jihoon’s worried expression dissolved and his face actually turned a little flushed. You just smiled at the expression and held out your hand towards him. He looked away from you, but took your hand, mumbling a very soft: “Rule number nine” which made you chuckle.

With your free hand you raised your hand up to your face, once again brushing the remaining tears from your eyes.

“Sorry I’m a baby,” you mumbled softly. The apology clearly made Jihoon uncomfortable. His fingers clenched around yours and he tugged lightly on your hand.

“You’re not I was just...” He trailed off, again hesitant to say something. You looked over at him, your eyes squinting just slightly. “Yeongdo and I go to school together.”

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise at the confession, but you didn’t say anything in response in fear that he would stop talking entirely.

“We’re always fighting. He hates me and everyone knows it. Whenever we fight it ends with Yeongdo fine, and me with a black eye and ten new bruises.”

Jihoon shifted uncomfortably.

“I didn’t want to drag you into it. If he thought we were friends... Well, he wouldn’t hesitate to hit a girl,” Jihoon explained. “I just really didn’t want you to get hurt.”

Your lips fell into a grimace.

“You should’ve just told me,” you stated. “I would’ve listened better if you had just told me.”

Jihoon chuckled, a reaction that made your eyebrows furrow.

“I have a feeling you don’t listen very well,” he stated pleasantly. You snorted and let your hand slip from his, brushing your hands off on your pants. Jihoon smiled at at that and tilted his head down to look at the dirt.

“We shouldn’t have to stay here for very long,” Jihoon stated pleasantly. You nodded and stared at Jihoon from behind. You didn’t mean for him to catch you staring, but after a few minutes he turned around his eyes catching yours.

“What?” He asked.

Color crept up your cheeks, but you didn’t explain it. Instead you just let your eyes flit to the side.

“Nothing, nothing.”

Once you and Jihoon had been in the thicket for a while, he led you out back to the railroad. You didn’t question Jihoon as you two got back on the railroad, following him excitedly over it as you moved, trying your best not to be obtrusive as you two ventured.

It was a lot cooler out now. The sun was dipping lower in the horizon, and the sun was painting the sky a pretty pink blue color. You were so distracted staring up at it and the clouds and the sun that you almost didn’t notice the scenery and how it was getting more and more familiar until you noticed that Jihoon had stopped on the tracks.

You gave him a curious look, but he just gave you a smile.

“This is where I met you.”

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise and you looked away from Jihoon to the surrounding shrubbery only to realize that he was right. You could even clearly see the pathway that lead back to your grandparent's house, tucked away back towards civilization.

“But-”

“You can’t run away from your life,” Jihoon said with a sigh, pushing his hands into his back pockets. “You have to stay. You have to wait until you get older. You have to wait it out.”

“But I don’t want to wait it out,” you argued stubbornly. “Why can’t I just stay here? Spend the summer with you.”

Jihoon gave you a look that you knew meant that you should keep your mouth shut, but you didn’t mind it too much. Instead you sighed and raised your eyebrows towards him.

“Well? You get to spend this whole summer out here in the woods and I don’t? It’s not fair. You’re running.”

“And that’s how I know it’s bad to run,” Jihoon argued back. He shook his head slowly, a scoff leaving his mouth. “But if you’re going to be stubborn- and you are being stubborn. Fine.”

“Fine?” You asked.

“Be here tomorrow,” Jihoon replied. He shrugged off-handedly. “There’s a couple of pretty neat places off the tracks that we could go.”

Your eyes shone with excitement and you rushed over to Jihoon, wrapping your arms around him in an excited hug. Jihoon didn’t seem to like it too much, but it didn’t last long either way. You pulled away from him and bounced on the balls of your feet.

“Do you mean it?” You asked him.

“Would I lie?” He replied back. You just beamed at him at the response, thinking about all the fun things that you would be able to do tomorrow. You figured you could bring extra snacks and maybe extra clothes this time. You wondered if you would run into Yeongdo again-

“Hey.”

Jihoon’s soft voice jolted you back into reality. You looked back at him, noting the seriousness in his eyes.

“Go home okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You nodded, and watched as Jihoon gave you a half smile, wandering away from you.

“Wait!”

You weren’t sure why you called after him. There was no reason to do so, there was no reason for you to feel so upset either. He had said it himself. He would be waiting for you at the railroad, excited to lead you on another adventure tomorrow.

But for some reason, this felt so final. The way he looked at you made you wonder if you would ever see him again.

“You never told me what the tenth rule is,” you stated. He hummed, his head falling to the side.

“I suppose you’re right. It’s the easiest rule actually.”

He walked up to you, taking your hand without asking you anything about it. He wrinkled his nose as he looked at you. He tilted his head left. Then he tilted his head to the right.

He leaned in close to you and pressed his lips to yours. He pulled away after a very strange moment where neither of you really knew what to do. Then he sighed.

“Rule number ten is to never forget me.”

And like that, he let go of your hands and walked out of your life.

When that summer ended, you had a lot of confusing feelings that you couldn’t find it in you to explain. Even as you got older, you weren’t sure exactly who Jihoon was, or what that summer had truly meant for you.

All you knew was that no matter how old you got. No matter how much you changed. One thing stayed the same.

You always made sure to keep Rule Number Ten.

Rules of the Playground

Rule Number One: Walk on the railroad when going to the lake.

Rule Number Two: To not leave one another once we are together.

Rule Number Three: No lying.

Rule Number Four: If you’re scared, say my name.

Rule Number Five: Trust me and only me.

Rule Number Six: The promises we make here must be held forever.

Rule Number Seven: Do whatever I say.

Rule Number Eight: I can never scare you like that ever again

Rule Number Nine: If I ask you to hold my hand. You have to let me.

Rule Number Ten: Never forget me.

#This was a monster #I've been working on it off and on since last summer #So it's like fucking really nice to have finally finished #Lee Jihoon #Lee Jihoon seventeen #lee jihoon fanfic #Lee Jihoon fanfiction #seventeen woozi #Woozi #Woozi Fanfiction #Woozi Fanfic #Woozi Svt #svt kpop #Svt #Seventeen Kpop #Seventeen #Seventeen Fanfiction #b: ‘cause you’re my happiness #This work is like almost ten k #And tbh I had no clue where it was going #And i still kinda don't #Cause this is obviously done but also not done #Like I could do a part two #But I feel like no one will read this and it took so long to write and do that I didn't want to put the time into it rn #if no one would really end up reading either?#Like either way I'm writing a part two at some point #but I have requests that I'm also working on and want to get out soon #So it was like a decision of requests over this p much

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marvinswriting · 4 years

Text

a beautiful roar (that’s in my head)- one

THIS IS A NEW AU?!?!?!? AND A NEW MULIT CHAPTERED FIC?

welcome to the first fic in the mean heathers au. thats right. a crossover au. bear and i have so many hcs and ideas about this au, and this was so much fun to write. keep in mind, this is only chapter one....much more to come

Tw: d slu, the ususal

mean heathers au ft bmc

Veronica stared at the hotel room laid out before her.

"Well, it's nice." Heather McNamara said, stepping into the room and lowering her suitcase.

"Yeah."

It was a nice hotel room. A bathroom, mini corner kitchen, two beds, a closet, and a dresser. Just-

very small.

"Remind me why we're here again?" Veronica places her suitcase on the edge of the bed Mac didn't pick.

"Veronica," Heather says resembling a disappointed mother. "We are here for Ram and Kurt. This is a big sport tournament for them and we're lucky enough to be able to come here through the school."

"And?"

"And it's an excuse not to be in school." Heather finishes.

"Mhmm." Veronica teases.

Westerburg was attending some big event for schools across the nation. It featured sports for both tinies and giant and was only for the best of the best teams.

To have the tiny football team here was an honor.

"Maybe they'll fund the teams properly now," Heather said. "The tiny cheer squad and the football team have always been the better ones. They just won't fund us because we're smaller. Literally."

Veronica cackles, flopping on her bed. "This is why I don't bother with sports."

Heather grins. "No, it's just because you're lazy."

"Yo! Heather! Ronnie!" The hotel door swings open, Kurt popping his head in. "Heather wants us in the lobby, stat."

Veronica rolls her eyes standing up as Kurt disappears. "We should remember to lock that door."

"Yeah." Mac grins, getting up. "Better not keep them waiting."

The lobby was a lot nicer than the tiny room, as most things are. It was furnished with expensive-looking couches and fancy coffee tables. Sitting at one of those nice sofas already was Duke, Chandler, and JD.

Veronica, Heather, Ram, and Kurt stood at the platform where the tiny hotel ended, flagging down their friends.

Chander noticed them first, whispering something to Duke before the green Heather got up and walked over.

"Hi, Heather." Mac said.

"Hello, Heather."

Even to this day, the whole Heather, Heather, and Heather never got any less confusing for Veronica.

Duke let Veronica and Heather on her shoulder before scooping up Ram and Kurt.

She walked back over to the coffee table, dropping the two jocks roughly.

Veronica and Mac stayed on the shoulder, where it was safer.

"So, what I was about to say," Duke continued what she was talking about before grabbing the tinies. "Another school here, Northshore, they're here for soccer and football, their HBIC is a tiny. Regina George."

"Really?" Chandler's eyebrows raised.

"Mhmm." Duke nods. "Their social hierarchy is all out of wack too. Regina kicked a friend off the squad and ruined her social life only to befriend her again later, with her social life still ruined. And the tiny got replaced by a giant only for Regina to rule again."

"Must be one strong tiny." Mac said.

"Or a little bitch." JD offered, not even bothering to look up from his phone.

"It could be both." Veronica said.

"Wait I'm not done."

"Do tell more. I feel like I'm hearing the summary of a bad Netflix show."

"There's rumors of this dude, Damian. He's punched Shane Omen."

"Shane Omen?!" Chandler leaned forward. "You're kidding."

Northshore and Westerburg might not be close schools, but popular kids know popular kids, no matter what. Veronica who was still fairly new to the popular kid life- had no idea who Shane Omen was.

Gotta be a pretty big asshole to get a reaction like that out of Chandler though.

"Jesus, okay. Let's not piss off this Damian."

Duke nodded. "Apparently broke his nose."

"Really?"

"Damian's got a tiny friend, Jane, Janis, something with a J. Shane was fucking with her- as one does- and Damian just decked him."

"So, all I'm hearing is that J girl is off-limits," JD says.

"You're not threatening tinies." Veronica scolds.

"It is fun to do though," Duke says.

Veronica held the shoulder underneath her tighter.

Her giant friends would never actually hurt her, but that didn't mean they didn't like to fuck around.

"Ha! Shane's a loser." Kurt said from the table.

"You've never met him," Duke says. "Quiet."

"Who is Shane?" Veronica asks tentatively.

"A boy Heather and I would party with a couple of summers back," Chandler explained. "He came to Westerburg every summer up until highschool. Biggest asshole I've ever met but man. He's a pretty good kisser."

Okay.

Sure.

"I wonder if Shane's here this year since Northshore is here." Duke questions out loud.

"Maybe. Northshore is here for tiny soccer and giant football." Mac answers.

"Two? Holy shit." Ram exclaims from the table. "You think we could take on their giant football team?"

"They'd use you as the ball." Duke deadpans.

"This place is big and loud and I'm just not having a good time." Janis sinks further into Damian's jacket pocket.

"We're doing it for Aaron, love." He reminds her, opening the door to the hotel room Damian has.

Janis was supposed to share with Regina, but since Damian got his own room, well- Janis was definitely staying with him.

"Couldn't we have just gotten him a 'wow you're a good soccer player' card and moved on?"

Damian chuckled. "No, sweets. We're good friends. Unless you just want a card next art show you win."

Janis huffed but provided no further argument.

Aaron was playing a game right now, actually, but the rest of the gang had to check-in. If they rushed, they could probably make it to the end of the game.

Not that it mattered. Tiny games were recorded and live-streamed into a theater where giants could watch or playback later on the tournament's website. It wasn't the same as being in the bleachers watching the game live.

Still, Damian dropped their luggage and went to meet everyone else back in the lobby.

Cady was already in the streaming room, supporting her tiny as usual. Gretchen picked up Regina and met Damian and Karen before walking to the rooms themselves.

The room was pretty empty because once again- replay online.

Cady saved three seats in the front row for the other giants and grinned hen everyone sat down.

"It's a tie with one minute left."

"I don't understand soccer," Janis said, trying to make sense of the commotion on screen.

The ball was passed to Aaron and she watched as he dribbled it down the field, shooting it into the goal.

The goalie reached out but the ball just bounced past the tips of his fingers, landing in the net as the whistle blew.

Cady jumped up with a cheer. "Yeah!"

"Did Aaron score a winning goal? I don't understand soccer." Gretchen asks with a nervous laugh.

"Yes!"

"Is that good?" Janis says.

"Yes, it's good! Northshore won the first match!"

"Hell yeah!" Regina cheered.

The live stream ended as Cady called Aaron.

"Where do we meet you?"

There was silence as Aaron responded to Cady, something the rest of the gang couldn't make out.

"Okay, we'll see you there."

Cady hangs up the phone turning to her friends. "The team is taking the bus back to the tiny part of the hotel, Aaron will meet us in the lobby."

"Okay but how long with that take," Janis says. "Tiny bus means a long ride."

"Bout an hour."

"So let's explore for an hour!" Karen says. "This place is huge."

"I don't think I can put into words how badly I hope you fall." Duke remarked, watching Kurt trying to do pull-ups hanging off the edge of the table.

Veronica laughed from her spot on JD's shoulder. "Ram, push him."

"Okay."

No hesitation, the jock pried his friend's fingers off the edge of the counter.

Chandler rolled her eyes. "None of you know how to act."

"Please be careful." Heather McNamara said worryingly, peering over the edge of the table where Kurt fell.

"You don't have to be." Duke sneered.

"Heather." Chandler turned to the girl sitting next to her. "I want to go look around. Come with me. JD, please try not to kill the tinies."

"Okay, Heather." Duke stood up, lifting Kurt back to the table in the process.

"Heather, you're in charge." Chandler pointed to the small girl on the table.

"Okay!"

"So, tell me moth about the other schools."

Veronica watched as both giants walked away, their conversation fading.

"You've reached Regina's voicemail. Either I'm busy talking shit about you or I don't want to talk to you. You know what to do, beep!"

Janis sighed, lowering the phone from her ear and looking around the room.

She lost Regina about ten minutes ago and there was still no sign of the blonde.

The was on one of the rooms off the lobby that was tiny accessible. More specifically, she was standing on the tiny platform.

There were lots of people in the room, both big and small, but no Regina Geroge.

Janis's eyes trail over the giant crowd, trying to find some of her bigger friends.

"You lost, shortie?" A voice calls out.

Janis looked to see who girls, both wearing ridiculous costumes, staring at her.

The girl who spoke was wearing green and had sleek black hair tied into a low ponytail by a scrunchie.

"No, I'm not." Janis states flatly.

Shes had enough of asshole giants from Northshore. She doesn't need it from other schools.

The girl in red looks her up and down silently. She gave off an entitled vibe and Janis didn't like it. Very pre-bus Regina.

"Can I help you?"

The red chick suddenly reached out and Janis stepped back.

"Use your words, not your hands, bitch."

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused."

"My name is Heather Chandler. You don't get to talk to me like that."

Who does this bitch think she was? Heather Chandler. Okay? Doesn't change anything.

Janis was having a pretty shitty day She didn't need this.

"And I'm Janis Sarkisian. Great, we're on a first-name basis. Leave me the fuck alone."

The green chick seemed to have a moment of recognition but didn't vocalize it. Before Janis could say anything about it, a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Sorry for leaving you, I saw somebody I knew." Regina explained. "C'mon, Damian's looking for you. Don't want him to lose it."

Jains groaned. "He needs to stop worrying about me."

"Damian?" Heather asked. "Are you two- from Northshore?"

If Janis didn't know any better she'd say she looked scared.

"What's it to you?"

"No, it's nothing. Never mind. Sorry about earlier."

Heather turned away, dragging her friend with her.

"What was that?" Regina asked.

"No fucking clue," Janis said, turning to the tiny exit. "Let's go."

They walked through the tiny halls, making their way to the lobby. "Those girls were confusing," Janis said. "One minute it's all, I'm Heather Chandler, don't talk to me like that, and the next its all, I'm so sorry. What a bitch."

"Okay, somebody isn't having a good day."

"No, I'm not. Thanks for noticing."

The anxiety of being in a whole new crowded place, mixed with exhaustion, and just lots of things going wrong today was the perfect formula for a pending breakdown.

"I need a nap."

"Ohhh me too," Regina said as they entered the lobby. "Let me call Gretchen, let her know we're here. Oh, twelve missed calls from Janis."

"Yeah. Stupid."

The whole gang sat at one of the dining tables where the hotel was hosting a Sunday bar in celebration of kicking off the tournaments. Gretchen dropped Janis and Regina off at the tiny table to get food telling them to flag her down when they were done.

To be honest, Janis wasn't that hungry. Just tired. So fucking tired.

"Yo! Space Dyke!"

God damnit.

"Not today, Shane. Seriously."

Regina and Janis turn around to see Shane Omen, backed up by a boy they've never seen before.

Janis huffs stepping back as Shane reaches his hand. "Dude. Not fucking kidding."

Not that she's kidding normally. But, with a new environment and piles of stress, she might just start sobbing.

Like that would hinder Shane anyway.

"Please, I just want to introduce you to my friend."

"We've heard a lot about the little space alien." The friend sneers.

Space alien over dyke anyway.

Whatever.

Janis was pretty desensitized to the name.

"Well, now you've met me. Leave me alone."

"Damn, she's got a bite, huh?"

Bite.

Not a bad idea.

Regina wrapped her arm around Janis. "Shane. Please take you and your goons and leave."

Shane grins. "This ain't Northshore, Reggie. You think I'll listen to you?"

"It be in your best interest too." A voice calls behind Shane.

The duo turns around to give view to Gretchen and Damian- neither looking too pleased.

Shane's friend shugs. "And what would you do about it?"

Gretchen raised her eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

Without a warning, a hand grabs Janis off the platform. "What. Would. You. Do. About. It?"

Why doesn't Regina get picked up and messed with?

"Hey!" Janis pushed at the fingers wrapped around her. This was pretty par for a school day, but-

This was supposed to be a fun week to support Aaron.

What the hell.

"Put her down!" Damian steps forward.

"And who are you to do anything about it?"

Gretchen pauses for a moment before ginning, stepping next to Damian. "That's Damian Hubbard."

Shane's friend holding me laughs. "Damian? You're kidding. Shane- this is the dude who broke your nose?"

Shane huffs but can't defend himself over his friend's laughter.

"Jesus, and here I thought I should be worried."

The fist around Janis tightens, further then Shane's ever fucking done.

She almost preferred Shane.

Almost.

"Stop-" She couldn't breathe.

Her ribs hurt.

What the fuck.

"What you gonna do about it, Damian." The dude holding Janis mocks. "Punch me? I'd like to see you try."

"Oh fuck! Get em, Damian!" Regina cheers.

If Janis could breathe, maybe she'd laugh.

There's a whacking sound as the fist around her releases and Janis can only assume Damian did fact, punch him.

She had bigger worries though as she went from an extreme lack of air to being surrounded by nothing but-

This truly felt like your average school week.

It felt just like Northshore.

The hands, the grabbing, the freefall and the-

Janis landed on a warm surface just like normal

-the catch.

Damian's fingers wrapped around Janis the second she was securely in his hand.

Janis looked up as she was brought to Damian's chest to see Shane's friend bent over, holding his nose.

Regina was cheering, still on the ice cream bar counter.

"What the fuck was that for?" Shane asked stepping forwards aggressively.

Damian shrugged. "Did he not literally say he wanted to see me try?"

"Yes, he did!" Regina grinned.

Y'know when a cornered dog lashes out? Yeah, Shane resembled that.

He stepped towards the tiny platform. "You're a fucking bitch Regina George. I hope you know that. I could fucking kill you if I-"

"Hey, Shane?" Gretchen tapped him on the shoulder, making him turn around.

"Wha-"

There was a loud smack that echoed through the room- over the other conversations around up.

Shane's hand shot to his cheek. "Did you just slap me?"

"I'll do it again." Gretchen stood to her full height, chest to chest with Shane. "Fuck. Off."

Janis felt Damian's fingers tighten around her. Not painfully just- defensively.

Fortunately, Shane and his friend walked away, both clutching their faces.

"I guess that solidifies the rumors," Gretchen mumbled, glancing over the crowd, most of whom were staring at the four of them.

"What rumors?" Regina asked, allowing herself to be scooped up by Gretchen.

"Nothing lets just- eat ice cream."

Heather and Veronica sat in one of the tiny spaces in the hotel.

They were just little areas with sofas and vending machines but- they were tiny-sized and it was nice.

"Have you seen Kurt or Ram?" Heather asked.

"No, maybe it's for the best. They're probably doing something stupid." Veronica said, glancing up from her phone.

"Yeah."

Three kids their age walked into the room, making way to the vending machine. Veronica didn't may them much mind, a lot of students stay at the hotel for the event, there have been lots of kids walking in and out. They typically didn't interact.

"Um, excuse me?"

Typically.

Veronica looked up to see a girl with two-toned length hair. She wore a baggy denim jacket covered in paint and fancy patterned fishnets.

"Do you happen to know a Heather Chandler?"

"Uh, yes? Why?" Heather responded.

The girl shrugged. "You all have a similar get-up. Wasn't sure if it was a coincidence." She stepped closer as her friends finished up at the vending machine. "I'm Janis."

"Veronica."

"Heather."

Janis' eyebrows raised. "Two Heather's in the same friend group? Doesn't that get confusing?"

"Actually there's three. And yes, it's confusing as fuck." Veronica nods.

Janis grinned. "Sounds rough."

The boy she was with stood next to her holding candy from the machine. "I'm Aaron, the girl kicking the vending machine for her chips is Regina."

There's a clunk and Regina bends down. "Got it!"

Janis shook her head. "Well Heather and Veronica, maybe we'll see you around."

The trio waved bye and they turned down the hall, their voices fading.

Heather waved after them before turning back to Veronica. "Well, they seem nice!"

oh ho ho when i say me and bear have talked about this for weeks- i mean weeks. this will be fun

@realmisspolarbear @musicallygt @smallsoysauce @sourishlemons

#mean heathers au #g/t mean girls #g/t heathers #tiny janis #tiny regina #tiny aaron #tiny mcnamara #tiny veronica #tiny kurt #tiny ram #giant damian #giant cady #giant karen #giant gretchen #giant chandler #giant duke #giant jd

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digitalworldbound · 4 years

Note

miyako and hikari (platonic) for 133?

Number 133: “Slushies aren’t just for kids. Fuck society!”

Characters: Miyako & Hikari. Finally, one of my 02 babies! This is set while the girls are maybe around 15 and 16.

I wrote this in first person as Hikari, just to give it a more casual, carefree feel! I hope you enjoy these teenager-y, summer vibes. The ending kind of sucks, but please ignore it. (Minor swearing)

Send me a prompt!

As a certified teenager, it’s safe to assume that I love summer. Why wouldn’t I? It’s the time of the year when you can pretty much do whatever you like. Summer is the grand time where the months-long prep and countdown for family vacations actually come in fruition.

But there’s danger that lurks during summer. It’s the trap of monotony where sleeping late, waking up at noon, watching endless TV, and playing video games for hours become a routine. Well, not if you are friends with Miyako.

Despite chatting with friends into the wee hours of the morning, the girl is an early riser. She’s the “get up and go” type, only grabbing a banana for breakfast as she sprints out the front door. Afterall, an object in motion in stays in motion.

It was the first Saturday of summer vacation when she barged into my room, a flurry of purple hair and lipgloss. “Hika!” she screeched. Miyako was one of the only people that called me by a nickname, and never failed to abuse this privilege. “What are you still doing in bed? If you want to go scope out hot guys on the beach with me, you have to get up. We’re burning daylight!”

I didn’t even have to glance at the clock to know that it was inhumanly early. The coffee machine in the kitchen was silent, and the sound of my brother snoring permeated the apartment. Somehow, I managed to pull myself away from the warmth of a slept-in comforter, yawning all the while. Before my feet hit the floor, Miyako was rummaging through my wardrobe, clicking her tongue in disapproval at my large collection of borrowed basketball t-shirts. “Hmm, where do all these come from, I wonder?” she asked pointedly. She laughed airily, flashing me a wink.

“Ha, ha, Miya, very funny. You know me and him are just friends,” I offered, attempting to stretch the sleep out of my joints. She shook her head in disapproval, purple ponytail swinging behind her.

A note about Miyako: she fancies herself a matchmaker, and believed I was her perfect target.

For years, she has tried everything to pair me up with my best friend. A few summers ago, she locked us both in the hall closet, smushing us between the extra linens and a scratchy, wool blanket. Takeru and I are pretty close, so we weren’t particularly bothered by our close proximity. We might have been able to enjoy our time together had Miyako not forgotten about us. It wasn’t until my brother came home from soccer practice that someone heard our desperate pleas for freedom. Ever since then, she has stayed out of it.

With a hum of approval, she tossed a sundress in my direction. I barely had time to catch the flimsy, yellow fabric before she barked out another order. “Go to the bathroom and put that on, we need to hurry.”

Another note about Miyako: Never argue with her when she gets in one of her Moods.

My socked feet padded their way silently to the bathroom, pausing only to check the time displayed in the hall: 7:45 in the morning. Changing quickly, I slipped the sundress over last season’s bathing suit, adjusting the straps as the material settled around my hips. Miyako, being a full year older than me, had taken puberty gracefully, filling out gradually and evenly. My body, it seemed, had other plans. The hips seemed to be its first priority, leaving the top of my dress little to fill itself out.

I made my way back towards my room, careful to avoid any creaky floorboards. Miyako sat atop my bed, flicking through a stray magazine. She hadn’t noticed my arrival, and I took my few extra moments of silence to study her.

This past semester, she had shot up several inches, giving her legs the slender look of a model. Her cut-off shorts only emphasized this fact. Her Hawaiian-esque button down should have been tacky, but she left the buttons undone, showing off her camisole underneath. A bathing suit top poked out from underneath it, accentuated her new curves. Compared to her, I felt like a little girl playing dress up.

While I struggled to coax the tangles out of my horrendous bedhead, Miyako gave me the rundown of the day. “Okay, so I was thinking we hit up Starbucks first. They have some new fruity lemonade that I’ve been dying to try, and I’m also kind of hungry.” As if to punctuate her statement, my own stomach growled, and I grinned sheepishly up at her. “Make that two of us,” I laughed.

She rambled on about sunbathing and beach volleyball, the metallic jingle of her bracelets accentuating every point. Miyako talked with her hands, making gestures large and small as if it would help the listener understand her better. Spoiler alert: it never did, but it was fun to watch all the same.

My hair finally tamed, I applied some light concealer, desperate to rid myself of the dark circles clinging underneath my eyes. “You know,” her jingling stops, “You really don’t need any makeup, Hika.”

I only snort in response; taking compliments has never been my forte. Grabbing my purse and phone, I slipped on a pair of sandals. “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Let’s rock and roll!”

As one could expect on the first weekend of summer vacation, Odaiba beach was cluttered with people. For mile it seemed the white sand was obscured by sunburnt bodies and an array of towels, but that was understandable.

The passing heat wave had been brutal. One could not go outside without sunscreen, lest risk getting sun poisoning. Within minutes, Miyako sucked her lemonade dry, settling on chewing the left-over ice. “Oh!” she squealed, bits of ice flinging about. “An empty spot, just over there!”

Years of running away from evil Digimon looked like practice as we narrowly dodged the ample bodies of beach-goers. Arms linked together; our feet kicked up sand behind us as we ran. Just as we were about to secure our small area, a blue beach towel obscured the white sand.

I was panting too hard to notice Miyako’s eyes light up or the stranger’s shadow obscure the sun’s rays.

“Hey, guys! What are you two doing here?” a familiar voice asked, humor lifting at the end of his question. My breathing stopped mid-pant, silently cursing whatever deity that would listen. Once my heartbeat was under control, I managed to stand up straight. Raising a singular eyebrow, I challenged our guest. “Well, Takeru, the last time I checked, this beach is open to the public.”

His blonde hair reflected the sunshine, a soft, golden glow haloing around him. As if I needed any more reason to fall in love with him. He laughed in good nature, smiling a boyish, toothy grin.

“You took our spot.” Miyako pointed out, arms crossed over her chest. Wrinkles formed between her brows, her effort to look more menacing. A pair of heart-shaped sunglasses shielded her hazel eyes, and I almost giggled at the thought of her trying to look domineering while wearing something so innocent.

“Who says we all can’t share?” he countered; blues eyes illuminated by mischief. Never one to back down from a challenge, Miyako stood her ground, “I don’t think so.”

Anxiety clenched at my stomach. As of late, being in a close proximity to Takeru made me nervous, especially when he was shirtless with little rivets of water trailing their way down his abs. He was no longer the cute little eight-year-old that sat with me by the campfire. Years of basketball practice had solidified his athletic figure, and two summers ago, his growth spurt had him towering over his own brother. Seeing him in nothing but a pair of swimming trunks did not help my flushed state.

“It’ll be fine, Miyako. We can just squish our towel beside his.” Rolling her eyes, she begrudgingly pulled out her Hello Kitty! themed towel, spreading it haphazardly on the ground. “Let’s just get in the water. That’s where all of the cute guys are, anyway.”

Takeru, for his part, pretended not to notice the hostility in her voice. He was as used to her moodiness as I was. Standing there awkwardly, he only made the move to leave as we began to strip down to our bikinis. “I should probably go find Ken and Daisuke. I’ll catch you both later,” he stammered, eyes intently focused on the granules of sand that had clung themselves to his hands.

Looking at each other, Miyako and I burst into a fit of giggles. She had a twinkle in her eyes as she wiggled her eyebrows in my direction. “No, absolutely not.” I deadpan, knowing exactly where this was about to go.

Her glossed bottom lip poked out, her attempt at a puppy-dog look. In my opinion, she looked more like a Kardashian, and when I told her exactly this, the lip was sucked right back in.

Though it was still pretty early, the sun was high in the sky. My cheeks were warm, and my shoulders had turned a light shade of pink. “We need to put some sunscreen on before we fry.”

“Nah, I’m good. I need to work on my tan anyway.” Miyako’s high-waisted bikini bottoms and halter bathing suit top suited her figure, the cornflower blue color complimenting the slight tan she had already developed. She raised an eyebrow at my pink one-piece, but I just shrugged. Shopping for a skimpy bathing suits had never been one of my priorities.

Neither of us felt comfortable oogling guys when our friends were here and apt to make fun of us, so the though of swimming was abandoned. I smeared sunblock on any bit exposed skin, using the technique a toddler would when icing a cake: all hands on deck.

The pair of us sprawled out, Miyako’s body covering most of the cartoon cat. My pale legs claimed Takeru’s towel as my own. His blonde hair had disappeared in the throngs of beachgoers, and considering that he wasn’t the sunbathing type, I figured he wouldn’t complain.

Rays of sunshine encapsulated me, and the muscles in my shoulders slowly unwound. Eyes closed, I only half-listened to surrounding conversation. A child begged his mother for ice cream while some teenaged girl made her move. A nearby volleyball game was in full swing, both teams shouting at one another. The summer air was stagnant, smelling of sunscreen, sweat, and salt.

We laid around, soaking in the sunshine and the freedom that came with summer vacation. Those last few weeks of school had been stressful. Between taking pictures for the school paper and studying for any upcoming exams, I had been ready to lose my mind. Takeru had also been acting strange, flip-flopping between avoiding me at all costs or never letting me out of his sight. It had all be so intense that I was grateful for Miyako’s distraction, even if it meant waking up at the ass-crack of dawn.

“Psst.” I whispered. I rolled onto my side, doing my best to ignore the way iced coffee moved around in my belly. In our haste to get to the overcrowded seaside, we had forgone any breakfast, hoping that caffeine would be enough to fuel us throughout the day. The rumble in my stomach proved otherwise.

Miyako groaned, peeking at me through her ridiculously long lashes. Note to self: interrogate her about the brand of mascara she uses.

“Psst, Miyako.” She ignored me once again, opting to rotate like a rotisserie chicken.

“Ugh, fine, I’ll go find food on my own.” I stood up, dusting invisible debris off of my legs. Sure enough, I had my friend’s full attention. Anything that involved eating always got her going. In a flurry of purple hair and sand, she was up on her feet, eyes searching for the nearest snack source. A laugh bubbled out of my throat. Miyako tended to do all things with a theatrical flair, making even the most mundane tasks enjoyable.

Once, in middle school, we were both sentenced to lunch duty. Our job was simple: serve food to our peers. Dishing out food was easy; just ladle the mystery meat on a plate and voila! You were finished. It would have been simple enough, had we not had to wear hairnets and white smocks that made us look more like a middle-aged lunch lady than we ever wanted to. Miyako was never the type to wallow in self-pity. She ignored the looks of sympathy other girls gave us and found pleasure in the odd slurp sound the food made when hitting the trays. Soon, it became a competition of who could create the best squelch, testing out different flinging techniques until we were satisfied. By then end of lunch period, our smocks were littered with oil stain, and our cheeks were sore from smiling.

Miyako channeled her inner lunch lady food-flinging abilities as she practically pushed innocent bystanders out of her way. God help those who stood between Miyako and, well, whatever it was that she wanted. Her ponytail navigated through the crowd, giving me no choice but to follow. Her legs lead us to a slushie cart, manned by a woman who was all smiles and sticky syrup. It might not have been solid food, but I wouldn’t deny myself a sugar high.

A small line had already formed, several children tugging on their parents’ sleeves. My bathing suit clung to my skin uncomfortably. I tried to shift in place, but the air was thick with heat. Aside from seeing my childhood crush half-naked, waking up early hadn’t been the best idea. The sun was high in the sky, my morning shadow disappearing.

The line moved quickly, and before long, the pair of us stood at the front, pondering our choices. Finger resting on her lip in faux-concentration, Miyako made a show of deciding on a flavor “Could I have a mix of wild cherry and blue raspberry, please?”

“Why pretend to chose when you get the same thing every time?” As a woman of few pleasures, I found a great joy in calling Miyako out. Her flush of embarrassment was a rare sight. Turning towards the employee, I order the first flavor to have ‘strawberry’ in its name.

A few minutes later, we found ourselves walking along the shoreline. The waves lapped at our bare feet and we slurped on our slushies, rambling on about anything that came to mind.

“You know,” I said, disrupting the natural lull of conversation, “The last time I drank a slushie like this was before I even met you.”

By now, Miyako’s slushie had melted into a dark purple, the last remnants of red dye staining her lips. “But slushies are, like, a summer staple. What’s up with that?”

I twirled my straw around, savoring the last bits of pink ice that had collected on the bottom of my cup. “Well, my brother would probably make fun of me. He already gives me a hard-enough time about my ice cream addiction; he says sweet things are for children.” Switching voices, I lowered my pitch and curled my arms, much like an ape would at the zoo. In a horrible attempt at mocking my brother, I continued, “ ‘Hikari, sweets bad, protein good. Eat more meat.’”

I took a few more steps before I realized she was no longer beside me. Turning around, I barely had time to register the shocked look on her features before she cried out: “Slushies are not just for kids! Fuck him!” Apparently, my friend took summer treats very seriously.

If her passionate outburst hadn’t of attracted attention, her colorful language sure did. Quickly, I grabbed her arm, hastily pulling her towards our belongings. Embarrassment colored my cheeks as I attempted to dodge the gazes of judgmental bystanders. “Miyako, you can’t just say things like that,” I whispered to her, clenched teeth giving my tone a pinched quality.

“C’mon,” I thrusted her towel into her arms, “let’s get out of here before we get kicked out.”

Pulling on her shorts, she cast me a sideways glance. “I’m sorry, Hika, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Sighing, I held both of her hands between mine. “You said what you did because you care about me, and I can’t fault you for that.” I gathered up the rest of my own belongings before continuing. “Besides, you forgot to feed me today. I’m thinking we get some McDonald’s. Your treat?”

She laughed, hands now busying themselves with her shirt. “Isn’t McDonald’s for kids?”

Tossing my purse over my shoulder, I turned around and winked. “Fuck society.”

#miyako inoue #hikari yagami #digimon adventure 02

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miraclesnail · 4 years

Text

A little bit of magic, a little bit of logic (and a whole lot of coincidence)

Summary: It’s not so bad growing up in Camp Jupiter. Sure, there’s little annoyances here and there: like, Octavian always glaring at him, him being stuck in the fifth cohort, his inability to learn Latin that well, his weird preferences for the Greek names over the Roman ones, and the most annoying of all, an itching, indescribable feeling that somebody is waiting for him. Somebody… which is ridiculous because he has nobody outside of Camp Jupiter.Or my self-indulgent AU where Connor grew up on Camp Jupiter while Travis is still on Camp Half Blood.

ao3 link

ffn link

aaaaaaaaaaand chapter 5 is finally done.

Chapter 5: I have to say, I am a pretty great friend.

Written for Writer’s Month Day 22: Summer

Connor climbs onto the ship not so gracefully and rolls over the rail onto the deck, sliding the grappling hook onto his belt. He surveys his surroundings. By the ballistas, Percy and a blonde are beside an unconscious body. In the middle of the deck is Jason, unmoving, — oh gods. Is he dead?! No, wait. His chest is rising. Jason’s okay. Jason’s fine — and another girl, conscious and tending to Jason.

Nobody notices him yet despite his rather loud landing. If he hurries, he can bring this down without fighting a single —

“Go! Get us out of here!” Percy yells and the blonde nods, standing up with speed and turning around. She freezes though when she sees him.

Their eyes meet.

Her eyes widen. She mouths a name. ( His name). A blast of icy cold wind chills his core (someone) (someone is waiting for him), but he pushes that thought away.

Camp Jupiter first. Everything else second. Prove your worth and all of your problems will be solved.

Connor uses the only asset he has, his slightly above-average speed, and takes off for the helm. The blonde follows after him unfortunately.

He doesn’t want to fight.

(You can still back out)

But there’s no other choice. There’s no backing out.

He reaches the helm seconds before the girl will. At first glimpse, it’s obvious everything at the helm is handcrafted. The navigation system is… unorthodox. No traditional steering wheel. Just a variety of game controllers plus a dubstep keyboard and an aviation throttle all linked to several big screens.

The girl is nearly here. Make a decision, Connor. And make it fast.

He lunges for the aviation throttle, but before he could push forward the girl screams that name again.

Travis.

Travis…

That name… that name sounds so familiar, even as it tears a hole in his chest. Travis… Travis… Travis is… Travis is someone important… someone he treasures. But that’s ridiculous. He never met a person named Travis before at all (Liar. Think harder.)

No. Stop it. Camp Jupiter. You’re going to prove Octavian wrong, remember? Don’t you want to rub it in Octavian’s face? Don’t you want to rub it in all their faces about his success? Then stop listening to the voice and just do it, you loser.

Connor grits his teeth, grips the throttle, and pushes it forward. The ship angles downward slowly. Not exactly what he wants to do. How does he lower the ship? Ah, whatever. He doesn’t have to bring the ship down. As long as he keeps it in place until the eagles could get here.

The dubstep keyboard probably controls the ship’s cannons, oars, and mast. He stabs his dagger into the keyboard, flinching from the resulting sparks. The Wii remote he doesn’t have a clue as to what it does, but he jabs it with his dagger too. As for the monitors, he cuts the wires on the back and watches the screens turn black.

Looks like they made a stop at McDonald’s before coming here. The soda cup sitting on the dashboard is half full and from the transparent lid, he can tell it’s definitely not water. Great!

He’s about to reach for the cup when the girl pushes him aside with enough force to knock him to his back.

“Crap. Crap. Crap. You couldn’t have made this simpler could you, Leo?” the blonde curses as she spends a second to stare at the controls in confusion before she finally spotted the throttle. That second cost her. Connor sweeps his foot on the back of her knees, watching her lose balance and hit her head on the dashboard.

She glares at him and oh man, her glare? It’s definitely enough to make him want to quiver in fear. But that’s something Octavian loves to poke fun at so he fires up whatever specks of courage he still has left and says, “You shouldn’t have attacked my home.”

“Your home?” Her eyebrows furrow. “Jason wasn’t lying. You’re really not Travis, are you?”

Connor clenches his eyes shut and wills the pain away with minimal success. Why does that name always do this? He doesn’t understand. His head… his whole body… it feels like he’s been shot and dunked in an ice bath. Fuck. He hates this. He hates everything right now.

“I’m not,” he starts to say, but the world spins dangerously. Don’t pass out again. Don’t pass out. Now’s not the time. “My name isn’t Travis. It’s Connor. I’m an only child.”

The girl hums. She probably doesn’t think he noticed her hand itching back up to the controls, but he sees it and he tackles her. Not that it did much. In seconds, he’s pinned on his back in a rear chokehold.

“Are you sure you’re an only child?” the girl grunts into his ears, tightening her hold. “We have someone who looks exactly like you back in my camp.”

“Sure you do,” Connor mutters and tries to roll around, failing spectacularly. But at least the girl is too occupied to reach the controls. If he can keep them this way for a while longer, then—

“Annabeth! We need to go!” Percy yells, running into view. “Terminus is firing up an attack and I don’t think this ship can withstand it.”

“Kinda busy, Percy,” the girl — Annabeth — yells back, “I’ll hold him down. You get us out of here. Pull the throttle all the way back.”

Connor sucks in a quick breath, pulls his grappling hook from his belt, stops himself from crying when Annabeth tightens her hold, and aims the hook at what he hopes is the dashboard. Annabeth attempts to snatch his weapon away. Or maybe she was trying to mess up his aim. Either way, the pressure on his throat lets up slightly and he elbows her hard in the side. She hisses in pain, pulling back more and Connor lets the back of his fist rocket back and hit her smack in the face.

As she curses and clenches her nose, Connor rolls back up to his feet and takes aim again, focusing on the dashboard and pressing the trigger. The hook shoots forward.

Amazingly enough, Percy notices the hook firing despite the barely noticeable gush of air released. He spins and swings Riptide down on the hook to knock it out of the way. But Connor kinda already knows Percy is that capable. He saw the guy fight.

The hook fell to the ground, right next to Percy’s shoes.

Did he feel any guilt when he retracts the hook, the hook snagging on the shoe, and watches the son of Poseidon fall flat on his face?

No. Not really. His favorite boba shop was blasted to pieces because of them. This is just penance.

Connor stands and dodges Annabeth’s lunge, tossing the gun on top of her head. He runs to the controls, leaping over Percy’s groaning body, and grabs the soda cup again. If he pours it over the controls, it should fry the mechanics, shouldn’t it? If it doesn’t… two versus one isn’t ideal but all he has to do is hold them here long enough for Terminus to attack then boom. Goodbye ship. Hello Justice.

“Connor.”

Now isn’t that a familiar voice? Connor bites his cheeks, but he doesn’t let go of the cup. Pour it.

“Connor, wait.”

“... why should I, Jason?” Connor says. Pour it. What are you doing?

Connor chances the second to glance up at Jason, standing with the help of a brunette and wearing an orange shirt. He’s not a friend. He let his Camp be attacked. He’s an enemy.

Even still...

“You’re hurt,” Connor states, watching blood trickle down Jason’s temple. “What happened? Did another brick get to you?”

Jason rolls his eyes as the brunette stares between them. “Yes, it was a brick just like two years ago. Funny, I know. Absolutely hilarious. We can laugh about this later but Connor, I need you to listen to me. Put down the cup.”

Connor raises it instead. “No.”

“Connor,” the brunette begins to say, voice calm. “Put down the cup. Let’s talk this out.”

For some reason, her voice just makes him all the more angrier.

“No.” He pops the lid.

“I know you’re angry,” Jason says, tone slightly hurried now, “I know you think if you stop us from leaving, they’ll accept you. But the truth is—”

“Angry is kind of an understatement, Jason,” Connor snaps.

Jason continues like he never talked. “Octavian and his lackeys were never going to accept you. You fought in the titan war. You defended it the same as any of us. That should have been enough. Doing this won’t change their opinion.”

(He’s right, you know.)

His vision swarms, hard blinking no longer working on curbing the nausea away. A hand grasps his shoulder and he knocks it aside. Somehow Jason stumbles to his side. More than anything in the world, Connor hates the concern on Jason’s face. It makes him feel incompetent. Worthless. Weak.

“I don’t care about being accepted. You attacked us. You need to face justice.” His voice breaks towards the end.

“It’s to save the world,” Jason states. His hand grips his wrist holding the cup.

(Let’s leave.)

“The… world? Come on. You’re exaggerating,” he snorts, but he could feel his resolve crumbling.

Jason shakes his head. “No, I’m not. This is to save the world.”

(Let’s go east)

The pounding in his head isn’t making understanding any of this easier. He blinks hard again, rubbing the heel of his hand over his eyes.

(And then you can finally find him.)

“The titans are rising.” (Leave)

Ah.

“Me, Piper, Leo, all of us. We are going to stop it.” (Go east)

It’s happening again.

“So please.” (Someone is waiting for you)

That dream. That woman with two kids in her arms. He can’t see their faces. He could never see their faces. But they’re important. He needs to see them again. He needs to find them. (East.)

“Connor? Hey? You okay? Are you still there?”

When Jason places a hand on his shoulder again, he doesn't bother knocking it aside. He looks down at the controls, not believing what he’s going to say next.

“It’s… really to save the world?” (Someone is in this world. Might as well let it be saved as you go east and find your—)

Jason nods and Connor’s chest tightens like a hand is squeezing over it.

“I really, really hate you,” Connor says, pouring the drink onto the deck and stepping back.

The three fates appear behind Jason, wrinkly, old faces judging him and judging him hard.

Yeah, yeah. My promise. I didn’t forget.

“Wipe that smile off your face, Jason.” Connor scowls, bumping his friend’s shoulder as he turns around and walks to the rail. “You destroyed my favorite boba shop. When this is all over, I’m making you buy me as many boba drinks I want forever.”

The stupid grin doesn’t drop from Jason’s face. “5 boba drinks a month. I can’t afford to spend hundreds of dollars for your boba addiction. Hey, Connor, where are you going?”

Connor didn’t answer as he stops by the rail. He can see Frank as a dragon distracting Terminus down below. He can see Hazel putting out the fires on the sails. He can see he’s thousands of feet above the ground. Everybody is just a dot. The giant eagles are finally here and racing towards the ship, but they’re probably not going make it.

“Connor?” Jason asks quizzically.

He steps atop the rail.

“Connor!?”

I can’t believe you gave up so easily .

“Connor, get dow—”

And jumps down back to Camp Jupiter.

Out of the four seasons, Connor has to say summer is his favorite. It’s warm. It’s bright. It’s full of life. Going out of camp with his friends and visiting the sea lions at Pier 39 is his favorite activity to do ever.

(And the summer atmosphere reminds him of someone. He likes summer too.)

Someone catches him as he’s falling, her cheerful voice telling him who saved his life. But Connor opens his eyes just a tad to double check, resting his head on the uncomfy armor.

“Thanks, Gwen,” he mumbles.

“You’re welcome, you idiot. Octavian was going to let you fall to your death, but I wasn’t about to let that happen.”

“Thanks.” It might have been better if he’d just fallen to his death though.

He listens to the eagles’ flap their wings, but they’re not going to reach the ship. Octavian’s cussing confirms Jason and the others are gone. He still opens his eyes though to see the tail end of the ship disappear into the clouds. The glares he gets from Octavian and the others are enough to make him squirm closer into Gwen’s arms.

“Don’t let them get to you,” she says to him with undeserved support. “They couldn’t even get on board the ship.”

“Gwen,” he murmurs, “I let them go.”

But she just says it's okay, smiling with her saccharine grin. “I kinda figured you will. Jason can make you do anything he wants. Don’t worry though. I’ll protect you from Octavian.”

Connor pouts. “No, he can’t.”

(Yes, he can.)

“Yes, he can,” Gwen says, her smile dropping in concern. “Connor, you should sleep. You look like you need it.”

(She's not wrong.)

Why don’t you just shut up?

But that annoying voice of his is right. And he hates it when that stupid voice is right. It makes it so much harder to question its validity.

#fanfiction #archive of our own #connor stoll #jason grace #pjo #hoo #au #ao3 #it's been 5.5 months #i have to say #that's pretty good

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ladyfogg · 5 years

Text

Cold is the Night - 19/20

Fic Summary: You and Pat have known each other for years but this summer, everything will change. As the two of you start to grow close, your matching tempers threaten the foundation of your rocky friendship and prevent both of you from realizing your true feelings. Cold is the Night Masterpost.

A/N: I don't really have words to describe how I feel about this story coming to an end. I was so nervous when I posted the first chapter and you all were so welcoming and amazing, it overwhelmed me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!

Fic Song: Cold is the Night by The Oh Hellos. Fic playlist can be found here.

Pairing: Pat Murray/Female Reader

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Language, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut, Multiple Chapters

Pat awoke on the morning of the last game of the season in a sour mood. He was home in his own bed but only because he needed to rest for the game. He knew if he stayed over your house, he'd be up all night.

He had barely opened his eyes when his phone dinged. Checking his texts, he found one of you, naked except for his D-Backs hat. He had gotten a replacement a few days prior, insisting you keep his original.

Good luck, handsome. One way or another you're scoring today.

Grinning like an idiot, he typed back. Stop being so sexy. It's distracting.

He pushed himself up to sit, glancing at the clock. The draft would be starting soon and his stomach was a mess of nerves on his friend's behalf. Maz was so good, there was no way he wouldn't get picked.

Pat's phone dinged again.

But I love distracting you. <3 Have a great game.

He was sad you weren't going to be there but he tried to remind himself that it was only a game. It wasn't right for him to expect you to shirk your responsibilities on his behalf. He knew you supported him and that's all that mattered.

After showering and getting dressed, he wandered into the kitchen to find something to eat. His father was sitting at the table, the newspaper in one hand and coffee in the other.

"Good morning," Brian said. "Surprised you're home. Haven't seen you in a few days."

Pat poured himself a coffee. "Don't start with me, Dad. It's too early."

"I'm not starting anything," Brian denied. "It was just an observation."

"No, it wasn't. Your tone was confrontational."

Brian sighed and put his paper down. "Well, I didn't mean for it to be. I'm sorry."

Pat studied him carefully before his shoulders sagged. "Me too. I didn't mean to snap. I'm just stressed."

"Yeah, I know." Brian kicked out the seat across from him. "Sit. Let's have a chat."

Steeling himself, Pat sat down across from his father. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything, everything. You've been gone so much lately, I've barely seen you. How are things?"

"Good. Really good." Pat took a sip of his coffee, welcoming the caffeine as it entered his system.

"I saw you switch to night shifts," his dad commented. "Any particular reason why?"

"They can never find people to do nights, so I'm guaranteed forty-hours. Plus, I can see my girlfriend more."

At that, Brian smiled warmly. "You two are pretty serious then?"

"I love her."

The phrase became easier to say each time. Pat couldn't believe how scared he used to be. Now, he said it without hesitation.

"Wow, Patrick, that's big."

"She loves me too. It's...indescribable."

"I know what you mean."

Heaviness fell over his father and Patrick suddenly understood what it must have done to him to lose the woman he loved. Just the thought of losing you was enough to make his heart seize and stomach twist. Yet, his father had lost love and still managed to go on, to raise his son. Their son.

"How did you and mom meet?" Pat asked.

Brian leaned back in his chair, eyeing Pat with surprise. "You never ask about her."

"I know. But I should."

His dad studied him for a moment before looking away, his mouth twisting into a small smile. "High school sweethearts," he said. "Married as soon as we turned eighteen. She wanted kids right away but we didn't have much luck. It took years for us to conceive. She was worried she couldn't have any. Then you came along. She loved you so damn much."

His voice broke and he cleared his throat.

"You look just like her, you know."

Pat gave him a soft smile. "I know."

"I'm really happy for you, Pat. You got a good partner. I can tell you're crazy about each other. Not to mention she's fiercely supportive."

Pat chuckled, remembering how you stood up for him in that very kitchen. "You could say that."

Brian reached across the table to take his son's hand, squeezing it affectionately. "You kids are in this for the long haul. I couldn't be prouder."

Blinking away tears, Pat squeezed his hand back. "Thanks, dad."

A moment later, the tension broke and the two men pulled themselves together. "You should go get ready," Brian said, looking at the clock. "Garvey called last night. They want everyone early for BP."

Pat groaned, slumping forward and dropping his head on the table. "Fuck. Today is going to suck."

"No, it won't. Stop being dramatic."

"No. I refuse."

Eventually, Pat finished his coffee, ate a small breakfast, and got dressed for the game. He kept looking at his phone, hoping Maz or Maz's father would text him about the draft. But he got nothing.

By the time he got to the field, his anxiety had taken hold and his whole body was filled with tension.

"What's up?" he mumbled to his teammates as he entered the dugout.

"What's up, Murray," Ty greeted him.

"What's up you talk to him?"

"Yeah, you get a call?"

"Thirty-fifth round, I haven't heard a fucking thing," Pat told them.

"Not even a phone call? The Padres guy and Mets guy that was scouting him?" Dell asked.

"I said not a thing, Dells!" Pat snapped. He was in no mood to be pestered.

They left him alone after that. Pat sat on the bench, sulking. It was difficult not to. Between the lack of information on Maz and you not being there, he'd rather be anywhere else.

When he eventually got a text, it wasn't good news. Maz wasn't drafted.

Pat's anger was now doubled.

Maz eventually joined them and then, the game started. It was slow going. Everyone on the D-Backs was sluggish, not caring or even wanting to be there.

When he was on deck, he put his helmet on and grabbed a bat. As he stepped out of the dugout to take a few practice swings, he heard something that made him whip around.

"Yeah! GO, PAT! WOOOO! You got this, babe!"

Pat heard a familiar voice and he turned toward the sound. His heart nearly burst when he saw you in the crowd. You were decked out in D-Back colors, wearing his hat as you cheered him on.

His mind went blank and he almost forgot it was his turn to bat. Suddenly, the pressure he was feeling got a thousand times worse. He had wanted you to be there so bad and now that you were, he was scared of looking like a fool.

He tried to get out of his own head but it didn't work. He struck out. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the bat tight as he walked toward the dugout. Anger bubbling over, he swung the bat into the fence.

The rest of the game didn't bode well. The Bulldogs were fucking annoying with their chanting and their pitcher was a cocky asshat.

His mood didn't improve much. By the time he had to bat again, he was still on edge.

This time when he struck out, he lost it. With a scream, he slammed the bat against his helmet several times before attacking the fence so hard, the bat broke. His rant didn't end there. Frustrations bubbling over, anger at his lack of skill took hold and he screamed at himself as he took to the field, going so far as to bury his face in his glove.

It wasn't just the strikeout that got to him. Maz should have been drafted. His best friend deserved it more than anyone he knew. The same friend helped Pat overcome his trepidation, encouraged him to act on his feelings. Maz wanted so much for Pat to be happy, he deserved happiness too.

After nearly throwing hands with Zapata, and venting his frustrations, Pat collapsed on the bench. "No one gets what they deserve, good or bad," he declared.

His father lost the love of his life. Maz wasn't drafted. Why did he Pat get to be happy when those around him weren't? They deserved it just as much if not more than he did.

Pat got up and stepped just outside the dugout, muttering curses under his breath. He heard you call his name. Spinning around, you were standing on the other side of the fence a few feet away.

Pat immediately made his way to you. He leaned on the fence, as close to you as he could get given the circumstances.

"Baby, you okay?" you asked.

"I thought you had work. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to surprise you. I switched my shift so I could come see the game," you said. "Didn't you want me here?"

"I did...do." Pat sighed, resting his forehead on the fence. "I just didn't expect to be so nervous with you watching."

"Hey," you said, curling your fingers around his. "I'm with you no matter what. Don't focus on me or what I think. Just focus on the game."

"Easier said than done."

"Pat, you know I believe in you. I just want to see you enjoy the game you love. Okay?"

Pat smiled. "Okay." Seeing your face calmed the storm inside. But then he remembered Maz and the conversation he had with his father and the smile faded. "It's not fair."

"What's not?"

"Maz, my dad losing my mom...I'm happy and they're not. I feel so fucking guilty."

Your eyes softened and you leaned in close. "Patrick, look at me." His downcast eyes met yours. "Don't do this to yourself. Don't self-sabotage. You can be upset for them but don't make their anger yours. They love you. They're thrilled your happy. Your dad has been talking about it this whole game. It's okay to be happy and you don't need to feel guilty about it."

Pat took a deep breath. "What would I do without you?"

"Kill someone probably," you said with a small smile. "Also, do me a favor and don't hit yourself again. You gave me a fucking heart attack."

Pat winced. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. I'm staying right here for the rest of the game. You feel like losing it again, just look at me."

"I love you."

"I know. I love you too." You kissed his nose through the fence before pulling away. "Back to the dugout, Murray. You're in the middle of a game."

He gave you a mock glare before returning to his teammates. He jogged back to the dugout, this time with his anger in check.

The game dragged on. The Bulldogs led two-to-one and Pat wanted the game to be over so he could take you home and leave his anger on the field.

All that changed when Garvey got hurt. It happened so fast, Pat wasn't sure what was going on until he saw Vinnie punch the player from the other team. Pat looked at you and when you yelled, "FUCK HIM UP, VINNIE!" he took that as a sign you were as pissed as he was.

"Oh, let's go!" Pat threw his hat and glove.

Running across the field, he leapt into the fray.

The fight lasted several minutes and by the time the teams were separated, the cops were there. Vinnie and Ty were led away in cuffs but it was declared the game would continue.

Pat felt a surge of determination. With Maz leading the team, the energy in the dugout changed. The next time he was at bat, Fotch was on first and Pat was trying desperately not to fall back into his anxiety.

Maz came over to check on him. "You alright?"

"Any advice?" Pat asked, gripping the bat tight.

"Get a hit."

Pat rolled his eyes. "Thanks." He glanced your way. You gave him a smile and thumbs up.

Taking a deep breath, Pat approached the batter's box.

"Please don't blow this. Please don't blow this. Please don't blow this. There's so many people here, please don't blow this right now," Pat muttered under his breath as he readied himself. "Please don't blow this. Please come through one time. Don't blow it, don't blow it…"

He managed to hit the first ball but it was a foul. Dejected, he went back to the plate, taking a deep breath.

"Okay. Alright. You can do this. She's here for you and she loves you no matter what," he told himself, picking up the bat. "It's gotta be the fastball. Please throw a fastball. Just throw me a fastball one time. Just one fucking fastball…"

It was like time slowed down. Pat saw the pitcher throw and the ball came hurtling toward him. He thought about what you said, how proud of him you were, and how you loved him no matter what happened.

He swung the bat and it collided with the ball, sending it flying. Pat ran faster than he had ever run in his life. At the last second, he slid into first and was declared safe.

"YESSSS!" Pat screamed in excitement. He heard your voice above the crowd, screaming just as loud as he was. "I GUESSED! I FUCKING GUESSED! YES! I'M NOT OUT!"

"I LOVE YOU, BABE!" you screamed.

"FUCK YEAH YOU DO!" He heard scattered laughter but he had turned his attention back to the plate where Palacco stepped up to bat. "Go! Go, Palacco! KILL HIM!"

And he did.

Palacco got a hit on the first swing and then bases were loaded. When David stepped up to bat, Pat tried to feel hopeful but it was difficult. Then David struck out...and it was Maz's turn.

The crack of the bat sent Pat running. Ahead of him, Fotch reached home. Pat rounded to third and kept going, running as fast as he could. He scored. Palacco right behind him...

They won. Somehow, they won.

Pat couldn't hear anything over the sound of the blood rushing in his ears. He had scored and, more importantly, you were there to see it. He turned toward the crowd just in time to see you climbing the low fence, too impatient to fight through the crowd.

He broke away from the team to meet you halfway. You leapt into his arms, legs wrapped around his waist as you practically slammed your mouth against his.

Pat was sore, sweaty, scratched to hell, and covered in dirt but he didn't fucking care. All that mattered was that you were in his arms. He kissed you back just as feverishly, ignoring the cheers and whistles from the guys.

"I'm so fucking proud of you!" you gushed, forehead pressed to his.

"I love you so fucking much." Pat kissed you again and in that moment he knew, whatever happened, whatever the future held you'd be right there by his side, facing the world together.

#joe mazzello #undrafted #pat murray #pat murray x reader #pat murray x you

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 5 years

Text

no more wasted opportunities

Summary: “Friends are all we’ve got, and I’m glad we have each other.” She believed those words to be true; Louis is her friend. Aside from AJ, he’s the one person she’d deem her best friend within the walls of this school. However, to say her feelings halted there behind the line of friendship would be a lie.

Based on Louis’ friendship route.

Author’s Note: Hello. I’m still seriously sick. I forget what being healthy feels like because all I feel is bleh. But, while answering asks the other day I was reminded of this in my drafts and thought, “Haven’t posted a story in a while and I remember really wanting to write this one after ep4 dropped and then I went and abandoned it because I’m the worst ahhh!”

Still working on [with you] but that’s taking forever and I don’t wanna be inactive in my story writing so here’s a thing.

Read on: AO3 | FF.net | Wattpad

Clementine thinks about that night in the music room a lot.

The soft song lulling through the dark hallways, Louis’ comforting smile at her uneasy silence and the tenderness she showed when speaking to her, trying to pry the smile out of her. Every so often, his foot would brush hers, their knees would press together, and despite a faint chill brought upon that music room, his touch was warm. Everything about him emanated warmth; his voice, his smile, his eyes, this touch.

She remembers taking the knife from him, their fingers brushing sparingly. Knife in hand, eyeing the L he carved into the old wood before adding her own, the thought to carve a heart around their initials quickened the pulse in her neck. It would’ve been so easy to lean forward and do it.

Of course, her embarrassment was only inflated when he reached over to carefully take the knife out of her hand, calling her, “Charming, but also sometimes scary.”

Now, every time he brings her to the music room to play for her, her eyes wander to those initials and she can’t help but wish she had taken the chance. Perhaps if she had, she would’ve had the courage to tell him how she truly felt.

The opportunity was there. He’d opened up to her, stared at her with those dark, hopeful eyes with a steadily falling smile, and the words were there on the tip of her tongue.

“I like you, Louis. A lot. As more than a friend.”

But, on that night, even with the knowledge that the raiders could come knock on their doors any moment and all hell could potentially break loose, Clementine choked.

Instead, all she could manage was, “Friends are all we’ve got, and I’m glad we have each other.”

She believed those words to be true; Louis is her friend. Aside from AJ, he’s the one person she’d deem her best friend within the walls of this school. However, to say her feelings halted there behind the line of friendship would be a lie.

Hell, saying those words, hearing them dissipate in the air… they didn’t even scratch the surface of what she felt for him.

And she could see it- the disappointment furrowing his brow, fluttering his eyes shut as if he’d been hoping for something else. Something more. Something she wanted to give him.

That sullen look was brief, soon covered with a smile and a joke. And a fist bump.

A fist bump.

“Clem?”

Broken of her thoughts, Clementine glances over at Louis.

She’d asked him to help her sit on one of the tables outside, allowing her to rest her good leg down on the bench seat while her injured leg hung over carelessly. From the high spot, she can feel the cooling evening air press against her skin much better.

Louis sits beside her on the bench with one leg under the table and his cheek resting in his palm. She notices the bandage around his thumb; apparently, he sliced it open doing something, but he was rather dismissive about telling her what that something was. His gaze darts down to her leg before meeting her eye.

“Are you hurting?”

“Hm?” she blinks down at him. “Oh, no, I’m okay.”

Louis frowns, cocking his head slightly, the concern prominent in his brow. “Your face says otherwise.”

“It’s not my leg, I’m-” she sighs, shifting to stretch her good leg out, “-just thinking about things.”

He nods, offering her a comforting grin. From the deck of cards beside him, he pulls the top one off and offers it to her. “Joker for your thoughts?”

She smiles at that, taking the card and studying it. The corner’s bent and the Joker's face is smeared on one side, likely from water damage. Running her thumb over the damaged corner, she says, “I was thinking about the piano. You promised you’d teach me to play.”

“Ah,” he grins. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

“You did.”

Something strange dances over his face, a thoughtful expression of hesitation and something else she couldn’t pinpoint before it’s gone, replaced with another smile and a soft, “I’d love to teach you.”

That tingle in her gut is back. Her fingers twitch, wanting to reach out and lock their hands together as a thank you. Her skin feels warm despite the setting sun, likely due to a combination of the hot, setting sun and the effect of the boy beside her.

“Just give me a time,” he says. “Morning, noon, night... Perhaps all three? A full day of nothing but piano and very sore fingers.”

“In the morning,” she says. “After breakfast.”

With a smile, Louis twists his body around to peer about the yard. Most everyone’s gone inside with the exception of Omar and Violet.

It’s Omar’s turn for the first night watch, and while Violet’s sight is anything but the 20/20 vision it used to be, he still brings her up with him, insisting she’s good company and a terrific listener.

Even AJ isn’t out here, instead inside with Ruby for his weekly medical lessons. Learning how to fully and properly treat any sort of wound became a clear interest for him after he cut her leg off and watched Ruby work over her. He wanted to be more prepared for anything thrown at them in the future.

Seeing that it’s only the two of them out here, Louis takes a deep inhale of the summer air, floral from the blooming flowers surrounding the school grounds.

“Speaking of pianos…”

He swings his leg back over and stands to climb up beside her. He’s close enough that their forearms press together and their knees knock softly, and Clementine has to bite her lip to repress a smile at the closeness.

Clearing his throat and shooting her his flashiest smile, that cocky, happy-go-lucky persona surfaces again.

“I made you something.”

Her brows shot up, eyes widening as she watches him reach into his coat to pull out a small, gray pouch with a cinched drawstring keeping it closed.

“Think of it as a ‘sorry you lost your leg, but that leg was going to kill you so I’m glad it’s gone and you’re still alive’ gift,” he says before his grin falters. “Uhm, I mean, not that I’m glad you lost your leg, per se. If it were up to me, you’d be alive with both legs but, uh… It’s just that if I have to choose between you alive with one leg and you dead with two, I’d pick one leg every time, so...”

His shoulders slump defeated as his voice trails off. His flustered expression makes her smile, a giggle shaking her shoulders.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she says, then elbows him. “And for the record, it wasn’t my favorite leg, anyway.”

A smile of his own resurfaces at her somewhat dark joke. They stare at each other, and in those seconds Clementine takes in those features of his that she’s grown to love, gaze darting from his kind eyes to the freckles scattered along his nose and down his chest.

Louis, realizing the intimacy of such a shared stare, glances away.

“I wanted to wait until you were up and outta bed, and mostly outta pain.”

She runs her fingers over the velvety material, briefly wondering where he found such a pretty bag. Slipping her fingers inside, she hooks a thin piece of leather cord and pulls it out. At the end to form a necklace is a small block of wood painted white. It only takes a moment for her to recognize it as a piano key.

Her eyes snap up to his, lips parted in a silent, questioning gasp, but she can’t find any words. Seems to be an unfortunate habit she has whenever he’s around.

“It’s the C key. Y’know,” Louis grins sheepishly, shrugging a shoulder, “for Clementine.”

While small, it’s carved smooth, the hole drilled through the perfect size for the black leather cord to slip through, and the paint has very few visible brushstrokes.

“You made this?”

“With my own two hands.”

No one’s ever given her a piece of jewelry before, especially not something beautifully handmade like this. Her cheeks, surely rosier in color by now, strain from her smile as she says, “I- thank you, Louis.”

“You’re welcome,” he grins. “I just… wanted to make you something to prove that I’ll always be here for you. I’ll have your back no matter what. You-” a nervous chuckle catches in his throat as he looks away again, “-You’ve done a lot for me, even when I didn’t deserve it. I see a lot of things differently now, y’know? About the world, about our home, about myself, and you made me see it.”

“You made me see things differently, too.”

“Me?”

Her eyes dart down to his lips.

“Life’s about more than just survival,” she says, holding up the necklace to him. “Help me put it on?”

She turns away from him as Louis brings the necklace over her head and begins to fasten it behind her neck, struggling with his shaky fingers. She touches the wooden piano key against her chest.

She can’t be the only one feeling this. It’s thick in the air between them. How could they keep ignoring it?

While Clementine isn’t exactly an expert when it comes to boys or dating or romantic feelings in general, she knows that by those endless stolen glances, those nervous fingers, those tender words… he has to feel this, too.

After they escaped the cave after defeating the delta, he’d come looking for them. The way he looked at her, so elated to see she and the boys survived, brought back that desire to kiss him.

“...but you came looking for us?”

“Never would’ve forgiven myself if I didn’t.”

Hug him, kiss him… something.

So many opportunities were wasted, and thinking about what could’ve happened to him on the bridge…?

What if it had been too late? What if AJ hadn’t reacted the way he did, as fast as he did? Losing Tenn had been heartbreaking, but losing Louis as well would’ve been devastating.

And if he had died on that bridge, she never would’ve forgiven herself for not being honest with him.

Hell… she hasn’t forgiven herself, anyway.

Clementine turns to glance behind, taking a risk in leaning back against him. His fingers pause, then finish securing it before resting his hands on her shoulders.

“There,” Louis says.

She holds the key in her fingers, twisting it around to admire it.

“I love it,” she beams.

“It suits you,” he grins.

“I wish I had something to give you.”

“Nah,” he waves his hand dismissively at that. “I don’t need anything. You’re enough.” Then, as if realizing he said that out loud, his eyes widen as he faces fully forward, stuttering, “Uh, shit, I mean-” he sighs, contemplation knawing at his lip.

When he doesn’t continue, she quietly asks, “What do you mean?”

“I mean… your friendship is enough.”

Somehow, that sinks her heart just a bit.

While being his friend is something she’d never reject, she still wants more than that. Is the possibility of them being close friends and together romantically so far fetched? Certainly, it couldn’t be…

That is, unless he really doesn’t-

“You’re important to me, Clementine.”

His voice is barely above a whisper, narrowly drowned out by the noise of the nature surrounding their walls, and the urge to kiss him is strong.

It’s stronger than the moment they shared before infiltrating the delta when he asked her to slap him. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the impact. Holding him in that moment, telling him he’d be okay…

All she’d have to do it lean forward and press her mouth to his, maybe even sneak a hand behind his head to deepen the kiss. Would he be okay with that? Would he kiss her back, or would the shock of it leave him dumbfounded, frozen until she pulled away?

Louis’ warmth is gone. He’s on his feet, reaching down for her crutches and saying, “We should go inside. It’s late and we have morning watch. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not sleep in and have to deal with Ruby’s wake up call.”

She didn’t realize how dark it’s gotten. While not totally nighttime, the sun’s fallen completely and the air is skin-tingling cool.

Clementine peers around. It’s still just them, again with the exception of Violet and Omar on watch.

Louis nudges her, offering the crutches.

As she stares at them, something’s bubbling in her throat.

This isn’t working.

Ignoring her feelings- both of them ignoring it… She has enough to deal with; the loss of a leg, worries about AJ being more independent and going off on his own most of the time, keeping everyone fed, the lack of Violet’s sight, working up a trade with the traveling caravan…

And she could argue that pursuing this with Louis would bring up more worries, more potential to be heartbroken, but the idea of never giving it a chance only hurts more.

It’s like what Louis himself told her once.

“There’s only one guarantee: this moment.”

“Clem, c’mon-”

“-Might as well enjoy it.”

“Lou?” she interrupts. “Can… can we stay out here a little longer?”

Louis quirks a brow. “You don’t have your jacket. Won’t you get cold?”

“-this moment.”

“Not if you’re here with me.”

Her words have a small effect on him, she can see it in the way his hands grip the crutches tighter and how his brows furrow. She can see the debate playing in his eye of if he should argue.

“Only for a little while,” she says. “Please?”

His shoulders slump.

“Can’t say no to a face like that,” he murmurs to himself. “Okay, but if you get sick I’m putting you on bedrest for an entire week.”

“A whole week, huh?”

“Yep!” He sets the crutches aside again, moving back to his spot beside her on the table. This time, though, he’s more aware of how close they were and scoots away to give her more room. “And don’t think you’ll be able to escape. There’ll be top security watching your every move.”

“And where exactly will you find this top security?”

Louis smirks. “His name is AJ and he takes his job very seriously.”

That gets a laugh out of her.

They laugh together as they sit on that table, peering out at the trees hanging over the walls. They remain out there until goosebumps rise along her arm and she has to control her body from shivering.

Louis seems to sense her tensity regardless of her efforts.

“Are you cold?”

“Maybe.”

“Do you wanna go in?”

With her heart thumping so damn loud against her ribcage, Clementine shakes her head and scoots closer to him until their arms and thighs are pressed together. He watches her closely, exhaling shakily through his nose. He doesn’t move away, and he doesn’t say anything. She takes this as a good sign.

“We don’t have to stay out here if you’re cold.”

“It’s a nice night,” she says. “Peaceful, like the dead aren’t out there walking around. I just want to enjoy it a little longer.”

“Well,” he hesitates, scratching the back of his neck. “Do you want my jacket?”

“Won’t you be cold, then?”

“Nah, I don’t get cold easily. Here-” Louis leans away to shrug off his jacket and helps wrap it around her shoulders. The warmth soaks into her chilled skin, making her smile as she pulls the material closer.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

Louis nods up at the sky. “Stars are starting to come out,” he says.

She follows his gaze up to the one lonely star occupying the darkening sky. The more she gazes, the more stars seem to appear until they’re all scattered across an inky sky. She finds herself peering up at the moon, or rather the half moon, and thinks of how dark the world would become if it weren’t there, how cold it would be.

Clementine anxiously picks at her cuticles, glancing over at him and speaking before she loses her nerve.

“Lou?”

“Hm?”

“Can I hold your hand?”

He cocks his head to look at her, blinking in confusion, clearly wondering if he heard her right.

Clementine reaches over to run her fingertips over the top of his hand before flipping it over and lacing their fingers together. His hand is much bigger than hers, rougher. Not that she has silky smooth hands, but they’re different. Slimmer, more delicate, and not nearly as warm.

“Is this okay?”

“Oh, uh, heh-” Louis shakes his head, nervously chuckling. “Yeah, no, I don’t mind. We can- we can hold hands.”

He doesn’t say it out loud, but she knows he’s thinking it: Friends can hold hands! It’s no big deal!

But, rather than genuinely thinking that to be true, it’s an excuse.

Clementine moves even closer, taking his hand in both of hers and resting her cheek against his shoulder. This gets another anxious chuckle out of him, so she runs her thumb in calming circles along his wrist and hums lightly to herself. She lets her eyes fall, savoring the closeness as she racks her buzzing mind for something to say.

She hadn't been completely honest with him back in the music room those many weeks ago and has had nothing but regret ever since.

It's time to take the risk and change that.

She won't miss another opportunity.

Clementine turns so that her chin rests upon his shoulder, her nose nearly grazing his cheek. If he were to look at her now, they'd barely be an inch apart. He doesn't, fully aware of her every movement, fully knowing that if he did, everything would change.

Within the quiet of the night, she whispers, “You know you’re important to me, too, right?”

He doesn’t say anything, but his hand tightens around hers.

"You're one of my favorite people."

That makes him smile.

"I'm honored."

He doesn't look away from the sky, forcing a fascination with the stars.

Clementine pulls back to see his face, catching his glance towards her movement.

"Louis?"

Another glance.

"I like you."

Silence.

"A lot."

Then, he says slowly, forcibly light, "I like you, too."

Her heart drums in her ears, heat vibrating in her cheeks.

"You-" Louis' eyes fall shut, and with a sigh, he says, "You're an amazing friend."

"...So are you."

His eyes fall shut as he slips his hand free of hers.

Before Louis can move off the table, she asks, "Is that all you want?"

"What?"

"An amazing friend?"

"I- ... we should go inside. It's late."

This time, Clementine rests her hand on his knee, stopping him from getting off the table. He finally looks at her, and she can see it again. That disappointment mixed in a cocktail of melancholy and frustration, trying to hide beneath a cheery exterior. However, it seems that said exterior is starting to crack as he glances down at the hand touching him.

"What do you want, Clementine?"

"You."

Louis searches her face, trying to find something to doubt, looking for a double meaning behind that single word.

All he manages out is, “...We’re friends.”

“We are, but…” Quietly murmuring, just loud enough for him to hear, “That’s not all we have to be.”

“What, uh-” he clears his throat, scoffing and attempting to joke only for it to come out somewhat bitter, “like we could be super awesome best friends?”

“We can be that, too-" she removes her hand from his knee, trailing it up his neck to press against his cheek, "-and also be something else."

His hand moves on top of hers, conflicted on what to do here.

"Like what?"

That thought blares in her mind again as her gaze darts down to his slightly parted lips. He notices, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth, waiting.

"Louis?"

A glance.

"Can I kiss you?"

A shaky sigh.

"Please."

An experimental press, there and back again, quickly turns into the kiss that continued to linger in her mind after that night in the music room. Warm, slow and unsure, but comforting yet thrilling. With every kiss, Clementine grows bold, keeping on hand on his cheek while the other pulls him closer by the nape of his neck. A pleased sigh escapes her, and she feels his lips curl into a pleased, giddy smile as he kisses her.

When they break apart, Louis' giggling to himself and staring at her with those dark, loving eyes.

"Didn't know best friends did this," he jokes.

"They don't," she smirks. "But boyfriend and girlfriend's do."

"Well, too bad we're super awesome best friends then, huh?"

"Louis."

He laughs, so happy and warm.

She can’t help but kiss him again.

And as she kisses him, she makes a mental note to fix those initials during their piano lesson tomorrow.

#twdg #twdg fanfics #twdg louis #twdg clementine #twdg clouis #clouis #louis twdg #clementine twdg #twdg louisentine #louisentine #twdg aj #twdg violet #twdg ruby #twdg omar

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