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angelicyouth · 1 year ago

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Lavender ; Chapter 1

⇢ pairing: stan marsh x broflovski!reader

⇢ genre: summer romance ; soulmates AU

⇢ synopsis: ❝You looked forward to attending the sleepy, beachside town's famous carnival every summer. But not because you got to see your cousins or your friends after a year of not seeing them—it was to see the boy behind the ring toss booth.❞

⇢ [series masterlist] ; [next]

// THIRTEEN:

A large grin stretches across the expanse of your excited face, the sheer size of it hurting your bunched up cheeks as you burst out through the wood of the front door. There’s a giddy hop to your step as you skip down the stairs leading to the house before you jump down onto the gritty asphalt of the sidewalk.

Your cousin belatedly rushes out after you and yells at you to stay safe, his bright red curls beautifully gleaming from underneath the sunlight shining down on the sleepy beachside town. Yelling out your affirmations to his overprotective worry, your hands work to haul up your bicycle from its laid position on the still damp grass from where you carelessly threw it the night before.

The early morning brought upon a dreamlike haze as the sky was prettily painted in an arrangement of orange hues of today’s beautiful sunrise, the slight taste of seawater tickling the edges of your lips as the air gently breezes through your soft locks of hair. Pushing off, you begin to ride down the quiet streets as your legs hurriedly pump up and down on your pedals to quickly bring you to your destination.

With summer coming, your parents decided to send you off to stay with your cousins Ike and Kyle for a week. But upon your first day here, you met Clyde near the town’s local liquor store one late night when you went out for a quick trip to get some ice cream to soothe your heated red cheeks.

With a popsicle in your month, you delightedly hummed around the well-welcomed coolness of your sweet treat until you heard the muffled sounds of what sounded like someone yelling. Curiously following the noise, you were greeted with the sight of a few older kids pushing around a sniveling, snot-nosed brunette before you impulsively threw down your wooden stick onto the floor and rushed to defend him.

Ever since that fateful evening which landed you with bandaids and a handful of bruises (let’s not forget about the earful you got from Kyle for being a reckless idiot), you’ve been hanging out with the brunette and his group of friends as opposed to your cool older cousin or his endearing baby brother. This mostly entailed riding your bikes to the corner store to buy snacks (the boys always dumped them into the woven basket of your bike) or running around the heated sand of the beach when everyone decided to go out for some fun.

When the heat became unbearable, the time spent with one another involved playing video games or watching movies enclosed in the coolness of someone’s air conditioned house. If the whimsical melody of the ice cream truck sounded out, you would all hop onto your bicycles to hurriedly follow the vehicle down the streets until you were granted reprieve from the heat with blessed cold goodness (Tolkien always treated everyone which made it that much better).

Tonight though, out of all the days you’ve been here, was special. While it brought upon endless tears streaming down Clyde’s face at it being your last day, it also meant that you got to finally attend the town’s famous summer carnival.

You’ve seen colorful posters of it plastered all over stores during the duration of your stay, the pretty artwork and promise of fun always catching your awed eyes. And while it lasted for three days, you could only attend one of them. But it honestly wasn't so bad as this was the first time that your visit to your cousins coincided with the date of the event.

Now, it seemed like a momentous occasion—the last big bang before you got picked up and had to head back home in the bustling city away from your new friends. Before the leaves turned brown and the chills of fall began to creep through every breeze, the monotonous daily life of middle school soon to resume.

After picking up Clyde and forcing the brunette to wipe his dirty hands onto his basketball shorts before getting onto his bike (he was busy digging up worms in his front yard when you arrived), the two of you were off to pick up the rest of your friends. You ecstatically smile as you race behind the loudly cheering teen, his brightly colored bike a flash of pastel pink (it was a hand-me-down from his older sister and still had their training wheels screwed on them) to those watching as you both let out twin whoops of laughter into the warm summer air.

Gathering everyone else and hanging out until the afternoon, you were soon approaching the flashily decorated boardwalk and could only vibrate in place at the anticipation of how much more beautiful the site will look when it’s brightly lit up at night. A cacophony of deliciously tempting smells hits your nose as you impatiently wait for Tolkien to make sure that all of your bikes are properly locked up—the heavily greasy foods that definitely should not be deep fried and the sickly sweet smell of churros quickly invading your senses.

Clyde messily tangles your fingers together as you bound up to Tweek, interlocking your arm with his trembling one as your scuffed up sneakers happily pad down the wooden structure of the boardwalk. Everyone eagerly crowds around the ticket booth as Craig slides your combined money though the little semi-circle of the transparent enclosure, the bored teen running the stand curling her downturned lips even more at the sight of your obnoxiously rowdy group.

All of you were able to gather money from your generous parents and from your measly allowances (in your case, from your Aunt Sheila and your cool older cousin Kyle when you told him of your plans) which came to a combined total of 50 dollars. Tolkien’s hand quickly follows after Craig’s as he contributes two crisp hundred dollar bills, the rest of you barely containing your smiles as your group evenly divides the tickets amongst every one of you.

The day continues with your eager friends taking you on every single ride and playing all of the games, only taking breaks in between the fun to drown yourselves in unhealthy amounts of junk food before repeating the cycle all over again (it gets broken once when Tolkien has to stop to throw up, the fucking pussy). But it isn’t until Clyde is pouting from horribly losing against the mechanical arm wrestling machine (“It’s because my arm still hurts from when we played football yesterday!”) when you notice an indiscreet booth tucked at the far back of the boardwalk, the ember hues of the warm sunlight not quite touching the stand all the way.

“… Who’s that?” You curiously ask around a mouthful of fries, Craig’s head angling slightly away from where his chin pointily rests on your shoulder as he chews and tries to look at what caught your eye.

Although overcast in almost entirely by shadows, there was a slight fluorescent glow from what you guessed to be a phone screen from within the stand. You hadn’t noticed the boy sitting behind the rows of colorful stuffed animals hanging overhead at first, his body terribly slouched and hidden from sight.

“Forget it, N/N. He’s a fucking asshole.” The ravenette rolls his eyes as he decisively says, his arms curling around your waist to turn you body away from your staring.

In his forced adjustment, your distracted hand completely misses Tweek’s mouth from where you were in the middle of hand feeding him a bite of your shared snack. A frantic ack! gets yelped out from the surprised blonde when remnants of salty crystals hit his cheek, Clyde roughly pushing Craig away as he throws his arms around your shoulders to hug you from behind.

“Why? Is there a prize that you want, N/N? I can get it for you!” The brunette asks in puppy-like excitement, prompting a soft giggle to escape from your upturned lips as you bring a hand out to playfully pinch him on his side from where he was crowding your space and his chin was painfully digging into the top of your head every time he spoke.

“Don’t—we’d be stuck here all fucking night watching Clyde attempt to try to win you something. It’d be cheaper for Tolkien to just buy you what you want than to have that dumbass waste all of our tickets and time.” Craig grits out through clenched teeth, harshly shoving at the brunette to reclaim his previous spot next to you before opening his mouth so that you can feed him a fry.

“His name’s Stan.” Tolkien helpfully supplies before his lips wrap around the straw poking through the large sized slurpee that the rest of you are sharing, his mouth ridiculously tinted blue from the flavor you all decided to get (Tweek has his own straw stuck into the brightly colored slush completely separate from the other one that the rest of you share, complaining about how Clyde always has leftover food around his mouth from his disgustingly messy eating habits).

“… Stan?” There was something about the way that the syllables of his name felt in your mouth. Not quite like the familiar taste of the ocean in the air that you’ve become accustomed to from your stay here, but more similar to the salt-water taffy that the rest of you chewed on after a game of basketball—sweet and sticking to the roof of your mouth.

“That’s what he just said, dumbass.”

“I’m…” You cast a quick glance at your quickly dwindling amount of tickets as you ignore Craig’s snark, the paper crumpled in your hands and slightly darker in some areas from the humidity of the air as you count. Low, but…

There were enough.

“I’m going to try to play.” Looking towards your friends for validation of your impromptu decision, Craig just scoffs at your stubborn nature as he takes the container of forgotten fries from your other hand.

“I fucking guess… Only if you want to deal with his shit, though. He’s an older boy: a high schooler. But if he does something then you better let me know—I’ll fuck him up for you.” The ravenette is clearly unhappy with your decision despite his vulgar warning and you make a mental note to find out more of the apparent beef your friend has with your new object of interest later.

“He’s not that bad, Craig. We were on the elementary school football team and little league baseball team with him when we were younger.” Clyde admonishes the pessimist of the group, your small hand reaching out to wipe off a stray piece of parsley from the side of his lips before the guys noticed and ruthlessly made fun of the brunette.

He continues to speak, completely oblivious of the mess he’s currently making around the immediate vicinity of his mouth. “All the girls in town can’t keep their panties on around him because he’s quarterback and he’s the lead singer of a band and everything. But recently… He’s started to become more closed-off, I guess. Keeps more to himself to everyone else except for his friends.”

“Hmm,” You nod in response to the information, your eyes every so often sending lingering glances in burning curiosity at the aforementioned teen.

“We’ll go on that roller coaster then, okay? If we’re not out by the time you’re done then just wait for us. And don’t talk to any strangers or wander off too far! I’m fucking serious, N/N! Ngh!” Tweek yells after you before the boys impatiently pull him into the quickly growing line.

You nod in confirmation with a cheery wave before turning around and beginning to confidently march up to the stand. But when the boy (Stan, you remind yourself) looks up at the sound of you steadily approaching, you suddenly begin to falter in your steps.

From a distance, you weren’t able to make out how Stan looked.

But now, you could clearly see the soft slope of his nose and the pretty shade of pink decorating his soft lips. The way the bleached yet still soft locks of his tousled hair rested perfectly against his forehead, the sliver of the only sunlight shining upon the booth accentuating his attractively sharp features.

It was almost hypnotic as your eyes slowly trailed down the sight of his defined veins running along the length of his arms towards his longer, ring-adorned fingers as they tapped against the glass screen of his phone. You were correct on noting his bad posture but it became more apparent to you how lithe yet muscular his body was.

But, that wasn’t what was special.

What was special was his eyes—the crystal blue of deep cerulean that looked reminiscent of the ocean you and your friends often swam in. It was like the waves when the sun reflected off of the beautiful water, every hue of his iris distinct despite the darkness surrounding the booth.

There wasn’t even an expression on his handsome face when he looked up but after you opened your mouth and no words came out of your slightly parted lips, he looked just a fraction annoyed. “Yes?”

Your eyes unconsciously follow the little flash of pink that was his tongue when his mouth sounds out the ‘s�� of his one-worded reply, a vivid shade of vermillion quickly painting your cheeks when you take note of your actions. “I uh—I want to play.”

“No shit. It’s ring toss, you know how to?” There’s a lazy drawl to his words, a stark contrast to your hands as they clumsily fumble to pull out your crumpled tickets from the pocket of your shorts.

“Duh. I mean, of course I do.” You quickly correct yourself when a voice in your head that sounded eerily similar to Kyle admonishes you for your poor manners despite the older teen being a complete asshole.

“If you get more than seven over the bottles then you get a prize.” Is all he says before his eyes resume their previous task at starting down at his phone.

It was embarrassing to say but you couldn’t help but to stare in awe at how effortless the older teen in front of you was acting, his words exiting his mouth in a way that made you feel like they were the last things he wanted to say but had to because it was his job. In your middle school mind, you couldn’t help but to think he was cool—even cooler than Kyle.

But then… That gets ruined when your mouth curves into a pout, your body heaving a huff when you notice that he isn't paying any attention to you anymore. You look away as your hand curls around the faded color of orange tinting the worn ring, your fingers releasing its hold only for it to just bounce off of the bottles and fall to the ground.

Stan’s eyes flicker towards you before they go back to his mobile device, the quick dismissal causing your eyebrows to furrow and your jaw to clench shut in further concentration. You cast him a quick glare before throwing another different colored ring and much like the first, the purple item meets its similar fate to the floor.

The rest of the rings end up pretty much the same but unlike before, the older teen never pays you any more attention after the initial glance of your first throw. When all of your rings are gone, your body agitatedly swivels to properly face the bleached blonde with your tiny fists tightly clenched by your sides.

“I played baseball in little league, I’ve even been on the basketball team—I’ve been playing those sports all summer with my friends.” This was all your pursed lips could frustratedly grit out.

“Good for you, kid.” Is all you get back in return, his monotonous tone pushing you even further to the edge when he still doesn’t spare you a glance.

“No, it isn’t! You don’t get it! What I’m asking is if this is fucking rigged or some shit!” You can’t help but to childishly stomp out a foot to further emphasize your quickly mounting frustration, a pout decorating your face when you catch yourself committing the same action that your little cousin does when Kyle tells him it’s bedtime.

He finally looks at you but it doesn’t help to quell your rage, a flat expression on his face as he quirks an unamused eyebrow. His face leans closer to yours and his voice is low, “Don’t you know? Every game in this fucking place is rigged.”

Your anger spikes even higher—from the game and at Stan, his stupid fucking face looking even more worn out than a prostitute after a night out. You internally scoff at the notion that apparently all the girls in town wanted to fuck this asshole, your arms defiantly crossing over your torso for not finding the appeal.

Indignantly stomping away, you feel slight satisfaction when your thundering steps make loud thumps! against the wooden boardwalk as you begin to walk away. I’ll tell Craig that he was a dickhead, you smirk as you pettily think to yourself and scheme.

“Hey!”

Stopping in surprise, your body turns to locate the source of the sudden noise to see that Stan was standing from his previously seated position on his stool. He must have been the one to call out, you can’t help the rapidly fluttering feeling you begin to experience in the inner depths of your chest.

It was an ounce of effort from the other, finally.

And just like that, you went back to swooning in child-like admiration at how cool Stan was, your teeth harshly biting down onto your bottom lip to fight your growing smile. When you skip back to the older teen, the bleached blonde is busy rummaging through the piles of stuffed toys within his booth before he hands you a cute butterfly.

“I saw you looking at it—the game’s rigged so just take it. I promise I won’t tell.” You blink in surprise before your fingers wrap around the soft tufts of material decorating the plush, your eyes slightly wide at the sudden turn of events.

“Thank you.” Your voice is suddenly soft from the warm feeling threatening to overtake not only your heart but your whole entire body, your hands gently bringing your new friend towards your chest to hug as you feel a tingly sensation overtake your elated form from the tips of your toes to the top of your head.

“Sure, kid.” Stan distractedly says as his eyes resume their seemingly permanent position at the front of his phone, your lips slightly parting to indignantly tell him that you’re not a kid and that you’re probably not that much younger than he is.

But then you think about how he has most likely kissed a girl or boy already and that he has probably drunk alcohol at a high school party or smoked. All the while, your friends and you buried an obliviously sleeping Clyde with sand and sculpted it into the shape of a phallic dick just yesterday.

And with that thought deterring you from speaking up, you turn in the other direction and run to find your friends.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

// FOURTEEN:

Keeping you going through your first year of high school was the thought of finally reuniting with your new friends residing in the beachside town that you often daydreamed about. You could almost taste the iridescent sea that was waiting to crash down on your taller body if you closed your eyes, for the fragrant smell of lavender to softly waft into your nostrils from the secluded part of the beach that has been appointed as your group's top-secret spot.

When your parents finally pulled up to the Broflovski household, you all but shoved your father aside as you thundered past the waiting arms of your Aunt Sheila to excitedly greet your baby cousin Ike. Your cheeks burrow closer to his smaller shoulder as he delightedly giggles, your hand reaching up to gently ruffle the soft locks adorning the crown of his head.

You can’t help it when your arms greedily wrap around his waist, as if someone could just yank you away from the place you’ve been yearning for all year. Not until you notice something different.

“Where’s Kyle?” You ask over the tufts of your cousin’s raven-colored hair, the younger boy suddenly indignant at the fact that you weren’t giving him your undivided attention any longer.

“Oh, he’s on a road trip with his friends. He doesn’t really like to be here at this time of the year.” Your aunt’s voice is gentle, a half-smile adorning the soft features of her face before she reassures your parents. “But don’t worry, Y/N will be fine with all the friends she’s made here.”

Heaving a fond yet tired sigh, (your excited energy caused you to relentlessly fiddle with the dial of the car’s radio and endlessly drum your hands against the dashboard), your mom says her goodbyes. Thankfully, you don’t notice when she mutters a quick good luck to your Uncle Gerald as she finally departs with your dad.

And although the drive was excruciatingly long, you waste no time in perching yourself back on your bike to follow the familiar path that leads you to your friends.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

“Why aren’t you talking as much!” You loudly whine, your head resting along Craig’s firm stomach as your eyes stay trained on the handheld gaming device in your hands.

“Yeah, Craig. Why aren’t you being an asshole like you usually are, shitmouth?” Clyde slyly teases from his resting position beside yours on the hardwood of the floor, his voice almost robotic sounding from speaking directly into the blaring fan of the room.

“Shut the fuck up, dickwad! And quit hogging up all the cold fucking air—those tacos you love to eat so much made you take up even more useless space on this world compared to last year! I thought you were Cartman’s fucking fatass when I saw you from behind on the first day of school!” The ravenette angrily yells out, his leg stretching out to harshly kick the brunette on his ribs, hard.

The action causes you to abruptly jostle but you don’t pay it any mind as Clyde screeches back, “Fuck you! I’ve just gotten big-boned over the past few months, asshole! You fucking know that! It’s called puberty—I’m just growing into my body still!”

“Hate to break it to you, Clyde, but if someone calls you that then that just usually means you’re a fatass. It’s only said in a nicer way so that pussies like you don’t start to cry.” Tolkien lazily speaks up from the couch, his hands preoccupied with fanning his face with a comic book and his eyes still closed from the nap he got rudely interrupted from.

Tweek snickers as the brunette theatrically wails out loud in protest, his hands grabbing onto your body to use you as a human shield from the relentless assault of Craig’s legs. Your eyes don’t leave the glass screen displaying the boss battle that you’re currently engaged in despite being roughly handled, Clyde screeching right beside your ear.

“Well if I’m a supposed fatass with a taco addiction then Craig is a stupid space nerd with a fucked up set of teeth that only his mother could love! No wonder your family had to take out a loan to correct that fucking shitshow!”

“Fuck you! They didn’t do shit like that and your family’s even poorer than mine—your dad has to make enough money by himself to support your path to future obesity! Should I get used to calling you Cartman the Second before it happens or should I wait for the inevitable?”

“Craig!” Tolkien barks out in admonishment because everyone knows that you don’t mention the topic of Clyde’s late mom to the sensitive brunette (along with triggering him with the word toilet).

This gets your attention, your fingers quick to pause your game as you crawl towards the ravenette furiously backing up and covering his mouth to pry his larger hands away. You can’t help but to coo when you see the blinding glint reflecting off of the metal of his braces, the rest of your friends mockingly taking up high-pitched baby voices as they echo out your sentiments albeit with different intentions.

And even though Craig has braces now and the boys have grown much taller in comparison to last year, everything else was the same again—like the smooth lilt to Tolkien’s baritone voice as he calls out everyones bullshit or the way Tweek shrilly goes off on his paranoid tangents when provoked.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

A mixture of both excited and fearful screams of a multitude of people fill the air as metal contraptions promising thrill quickly whizzes overhead your excited body, your arms tightly locking around Tweek’s neck from the piggyback ride that he was giving you before a sudden ack! forces you to loosen your hold lest you accidentally asphyxiate your friend. Much like last year, Clyde intertwines his fingers with yours as the both of you enthusiastically lead the rest of the boys into the fray of fun awaiting you all.

It isn’t until the second day of the carnival (you were sure to carefully plan your visit this summer so that you could attend all three days this year) that you remembered. Not because you had any reason to but because when Craig had to run off to the bathroom before he pissed his pants (or shit, you didn’t ask), you saw the secluded booth carefully hidden in the shadows casted over the end of the boardwalk.

“I’m going to try the game again!” You blurt out, the boys stopping midconversation as they send you surprised looks from the abruptness of your exclamation.

The ends of Craig’s lips begin to involuntarily lower when he realizes what you’re talking about before Tolkien decides to speak up first, his eyebrows slightly raised in shock as he swallows his bite of funnel cake. “The ring toss game..?”

You rapidly nod your head before your eyes land on Clyde when he quickly lifts his face away from the paper plate of food, his mouth messily covered underneath a thin layer of powdered sugar and a smudge of chocolate syrup. “Wh—I didn’t know they still had that.”

“Yeah, well they do even though no one else seems to stop by and I’m going. Bye!” You roll your eyes before you hastily walk away from the group, not allowing them to get a word in and try to sway you to not play like they did last year (Well, Craig did. And he wouldn’t speak to you when you joined the group again before you promised to split a stick of cotton candy with him using your own money and not Tolkien’s, the fucking jerk).

As you step closer to the booth, you can’t help but to notice that it looks exactly the same way it did last year—as if the teen behind it never moved an inch from his spot during the year that you were away. It’s like a sudden rush of nostalgia overwhelming your body as you feel the familiar thrum igniting underneath your chest and the sticky film of sweat beginning to develop on the palms of your hands.

And it’s not from the heat, but because of him.

“Yes?” The uninterested drawl in his voice is the same as last summer except this time, you didn’t get mesmerized by the depth of his eyes.

“I was here last year.” You say before your head physically recoils into a wince, feeling stupid at the thought that he might have remembered you when he probably sees a ton of people during work when you only stopped by for about ten minutes one night so long ago.

“... I don’t recognize you.” The bleached blonde says after a quick glance at your face and you can’t help but to feel hurt that you weren’t as significant to make a mark on his memory as he was to you.

He seems to take a little pity on you when a stilted moment passes by, a tired sigh deeply heaving out of his parted lips. “What’s your name?”

“Y/N.” Like a pathetic puppy that was overager to gain affection from its owner, your mood quickly turns around at the attention he gives you as you answer back.

“Hm. Doesn’t ring a bell.” And just like that, your metaphorical tail that was once happily wagging quickly drops down at the cold and ruthlessly blunt tone of his words.

It’s extremely sad when all you can think of is how he’s as cool as he was last year, your mind bitterly supplying to yourself in displeasure because you weren’t a fucking middle schooler anymore, goddammit.

“What’s your name, then?” You ask even though you already knew the combination of letters belonging to the person in front of you, if only to hear his voice a little longer.

“Stan.” He says and you feel utterly confused at the way it sounds out of his mouth—how it wasn’t as sweet in yours or as scornful in Craig’s, but completely empty in his.

“Okay, Stan. Well. I’m not going to play this stupid game, so.” Despite giving you his name, Stan still doesn’t look away from his phone to pay you any mind.

“Then why are you even here?” He snorts and you angrily puff out your cheeks, entirely unsure as to why you’re still wasting your time and trying to get his attention when he’s still such a dick.

You just forlornly kick at the ground, glaring over your shoulder at the rest of the bustle of the boardwalk behind you before shrugging despite the fact that the teen is unable to see what you’re doing. “I don’t know.”

It was a painfully honest answer to a condescending question, your eyebrows beginning to furrow as you just stood there and watched. Like last year all over again.

Look up.

Hear me.

Fucking care, you frustratedly think to yourself when all that greets you is the teen’s side profile as he looks down at his phone.

“I know it’s fucking rigged.” This finally gets his attention as he looks up at you, causing your cheeks to begin to heat up at the prospect of succeeding.

So you continue, deciding to further bullshit in an effort to keep his hard earned attention. “I can tell that no one will win it just by looking.”

The older teen slips his phone into the denim material of his jean’s pocket before seamlessly heaving his body to hop over the counter acting as a physical barrier between you two, his hands picking up the stack of rings from his new position beside you. His fingers effortlessly throw rings one after the other and despite hearing each object clatter against the glass lip of the bottles, your eyes never look away from his face.

It wasn’t how Clyde looked when he concentrated, the brunette slightly sticking out his tongue from the side of his mouth. Or how Craig did, his jaw tightly clenched shut and the skin in between his eyebrows intensely furrowed.

No.

The way Stan concentrated was with an expressionless look on his face where only the deep cerulean of his eyes lit up in mirth after every successful throw, a slight curve to his pretty pink lips as he smirked in a smug way. As if he knew he could do it and was confident in his ability to make it. It was like—

“Are you even paying attention?” The bleached blonde mockingly asks, the notion of getting caught staring quickly forcing you to turn your head in time to watch as the last ring landed perfectly on the bottle.

Why do I always end up feeling like a dumbass in his presence?

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

When you get to your cousin’s house later that evening, Ike will find you in the garage at the late hours of the night as you continuously throw a horseshoe towards the set of bowling pins you found in the attic. He’ll wrap his soft wool blanket around his tired shoulders, his head drowsily nodding off until he falls asleep from his seated position behind your form to keep you unconscious company as you try again and again.

But it was all to no avail.

Stan had made it look so fucking easy—the effortless way he simply flicked his wrist to send the rings spinning gracefully into place. You want to sleep but you can’t, not when thinking of his condescending gaze ignited a fire within you every single time you thought of your past interactions with one another.

Not when he barely found you worthy of a glance.

You close your eyes, deeply inhaling and exhaling as you gather your bearings. You’re trying to dispel the thoughts of his cocky smirk and the way he spoke to you as if you weren’t worth even a second of his time.

In, and out.

Repeat again.

Concentrate.

Your eyes are still closed as you bring the heavy metal of the horseshoe forward, the edge of the object just barely touching the top of your lip. Letting your arm fall before quickly shooting back up, you let go until you hear the tell-tale clatter of an item making contact with another to finally grant yourself your vision back.

Clank!

You can’t help the high pitched squeal that escapes from your excited yet disbelieving form, apologies rushing out of your mouth for disturbing Ike from his sleep when he shifts at the disturbance. With newfound motivation, you practice until your fingers begin to ache and the light of the morning sun streams in through the windows within the garage.

When you make all of your throws with no horseshoe left to go, you finally go to sleep with a smile on your face.

・ ─ ・ ⋯ ・ ─ ⊹ ♡₊˚๑

You’re excited when your friends and you meet up to hang out as usual until it was time to hit the boardwalk because you were finally going to have the upperhand with the boy working at the ring toss booth. You don’t tell your friends where you’re going when you find an excuse to part with them for a bit (Craig relentlessly teased you when you met up with the group after your interaction with Stan yesterday left you angry).

You hum to yourself as you skip your way to the stand, spotting the bleached blonde sitting as he usually did with a leg tucked up towards his chest. He looks up when he hears the telltale sounds of a patron approaching, his face as expressionless as always and his voice blank.

“You’re from yesterday.” The older teen says, your chest puffing up as you count it as as win that he at least remembers you, even if it was just a day ago that you saw one another.

“Yup! And I’m here to win!” You confidently say, your eyes unwavering as you hold eye contact with Stan’s.

He tiredly heaves out a sigh at your enthusiasm and you just roll your eyes, thinking about how it wasn’t like he got any business besides you anyways. It was probably because he’s such a fucking asshole but the teen had no right to look utterly exhausted when no one ever came.

Holding out a larger hand, you ignore his outstretched limb to pettily throw your tickets out if only to watch him send you a blank look before bending over to painstakingly grab each piece of paper (the grudge was still there and maybe you were a petty bitch—what could you say?). Bringing the ring up just like you practiced all night (without letting it touch your lips because ew and Tweek has taught you better about nasty germs and scary diseases and all that crap), you let your arm drop as you watch the worn out object soar.

You wait with a bated breath as you see it hit the glass bottle a few feet from your anticipating form, the ring twirling around a few times before it finally settles. You withhold the excited squeak threatening to sound out from your throat, letting out a discreet cough to cover up the noise because Stan wouldn’t do something uncool like that.

Throwing one after the other, most made it but some didn’t but that was okay. It was only last night that you decided to hand the bleached blonde’s ass over to him in this one-sided rivalry, so as long as you got seven in to win a prize then you’d be satisfied.

But in a cruel twist of fate, when Stan finally put his phone away to watch you prepare for your last throw, the mounting pressure of having the eyes of the person you wanted to so badly acknowledge you made you miss. Even though he was bored, his eyes settling onto your form felt absolutely electrifying—as if providing you with the feeling that you could do anything you wanted to in the world without a single worry of failure.

Yet, you failed.

Your hands tightly clench by your sides until they become white from the exerted force, a thin film of tears quickly filling your eyes as you harshly dig your teeth into your lower lip to beg your body to hold it in. You tried so hard—you put all this time and energy into this that it not only affected you but poor Ike’s sleep.

Turning quietly, you felt stupidly embarrassed at how you didn’t keep your bold declaration of winning and just wanted to run over to where the guys were to cry into the comforting solace of Clyde’s arms. After a whole entire year, you still felt like an absolute child in comparison to Stan.

“Hey.” Dejectedly moving your head, you watch as the older teen walks over to the last ring laying on the ground and drops it over the stack that successfully made it over the bottle.

You’re confused, the influx of multiple different emotions you’re feeling at once causing your brain to lag when processing the situation. “... Uh?”

“Pick a prize, idiot—you won.” And just like that it’s back, the high admiration you have for the teen as you think about how that was such a cool high schooler thing to do.

“Oh.” A pretty pink slowly coats your cheeks, a soft smile curving along the edges of your lips as you desperately try to fight the grin threatening to break free on your face.

“I don’t know what I want, I don’t even have any stuffed toys anymore.” You shyly mumble because even though that was a huge fucking lie (you absolutely begged Craig to win you something just an hour earlier and wouldn’t stop annoying him until he relented), you said that because it just seemed like it was something that an older kid would say.

He studies your for a while, your fingers beginning to fidget at the undivided attention you’re finally being presented with. “I’ll pick for you, then.”

Just like last year, he rummages through the influx of stuffed toys along his booth before he pulls out two that he deems satisfactory. He holds them out, switching between looking at your face and the soft material of the plush in his hands a couple of times before resolutely putting one away.

“I love this flower.” You say around a grin, your hands delicately clutching the offered prize as you hold onto one with petals of a pretty pastel purple and a cute smiley face in the middle of it.

“Hm. I didn't know that, I only picked it because it looks like you.” He quickly dismisses your sentimental words, your eyes scanning over the soft pink of the blush of its cheeks and finding an appreciation of how he thought something so adorable reminded him of you.

Quickly turning around so he doesn’t spot your heated cheeks, you mumble out a grateful, “Thanks.”

“Whatever, kid.” And you couldn’t bring yourself to get mad at him for basically calling you a snot-nosed baby as you hugged the present closer to your chest, almost lightly cradling the lavender plush in your arms.

When you meet up with your friends again, there’s a bright grin on your face when Tolkien and Tweek compliment you on your prize before you yell at Craig for grabbing the plush and teasingly holding it away from your smaller frame.

#south park #south park x reader #stan marsh x reader #stan marsh #south park fanfiction #lalawrites

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bronzeageyuri · 11 months ago

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Dance of Our Nature (1/2)

Summary: Theseus, former King of Athens, brings Asterius to the blessed fields. While there, he meets someone very dear to the king.

Notes: Originally a fic about Theseus n Asterius I scrapped due to it feeling too aimless 💔 I took my favourite chapter and reworked it so I could put Dianthus in it too :~) I didn’t do any major edits cuz I’m kind of tired of working on this so be nice….

There’s some background info established in the sort of “prequel” fic to this, but I’m not sure if I want to link it here… but it shouldn’t too hard to understand without that context.

~2878 words. Contains Theseus fishing for compliments and being generally so cringe and fail, awkward first interactions, fruit eating, and Asterius trying to remember that he’s just as much as a man as he is a bull.

No particular warnings as far as I can think, but Theseus and Asterius do have a little bit of an unbalanced dynamic so early on into their relationship. They’ll work on it as time goes on, of course!

🎵: Cicada | Here We Are!

Theseus was not what the Minotaur would have expected a king to be like. Some of the traits he remembered from his short time spent on the surface were there: Theseus was imposing when he wanted to be, his voice could fill a room, and despite his small height the way he presented himself made him seem almost god-like in stature. He was the king who unified Athens, famed for being fair and honorable even to those who too had been cursed by gods. Such nobility could only be afforded to one such as himself, who was scholar, leader, and warrior alike.

Despite all this, Asterius realized that Theseus was still only human. And because he was only human, Theseus was also clumsy, teetering on the side of accident prone: several times now he had managed to fall over nothing, or nearly trip (again!) into one of the underworld’s many river branches, or even get distracted by his own dramatic speeches and end up walking face first into a pillar. (Theseus attempted with great gusto to pretend that he intentionally smashed his face in, so that the bull may watch as he seductively wiped away the blood from his injury. Unfortunately for the king he was wincing in pain all the while, and instead looked more silly than anything else.) Asterius also noticed how Theseus struggled to focus on anything other than what interested him at the moment. What interested him right now was Asterius himself, and seemingly only that, for each time the bull spoke in an attempt to direct Theseus’ attention elsewhere it took the king some time to even realize that something had been said, and even then his reply would be short and distracted. Immediately after he finished talking he would return to simply gazing at Asterius’ face with some unidentifiable emotion, or stroking his large biceps with a curious hand. When he did wish to talk, however, Theseus could easily hold entire conversations by himself. It was charming in its own way, and only slightly grating. “…And that is why I despise my cousin Menetheus!” Theseus finished his story with a grand gesture, exasperation clear in his voice. Asterius paid close attention, half out of genuine curiosity, and half out of having nothing better to do. “Such an insufferable cur was undeserving of the title of king! Don’t you agree, Dear Asterius?”

Asterius nodded in response. He’d not spoken much during the duration of this journey— he wasn’t quite sure what to say in this strange situation he’d somehow ended up in, and the king already spoke so much on his own. It felt almost unnecessary to make any further additions…

Still, Theseus gave him an almost expectant look just now, as if he were waiting for input.

“You were… much better suited for the role than he.” said Asterius with uncertainty. He did not have much experience with complimenting people, and that was clearly what Theseus’ sought. “You were Athens’ greatest king, certainly.”

Despite his stunted words, Theseus still beamed brightly with a smile, and gave Asterius’ hand a tight squeeze. “How kind of you to say, my friend! And I must say I agree! There is none other than myself who is more suited for the role of— ah, hold a moment. I believe we have reached our destination! And here I’d been expecting more of a challenge in reaching our shared goal! Bah!” “Yes,” Asterius agreed, neglecting to bring up how the many ways Theseus accidentally hurt himself during their journey together were certainly a challenge in their own right. Together they stood before a large gate, its metal slightly browned with age. Asterius could swear there was something massive swimming beneath the water nearby, but Theseus seemed not to be concerned by it, and so Asterius would choose to ignore it as well. When met with Theseus’ touch, the gate lifted with a groan, allowing them both to enter a small rest area. Asterius took a moment to brush ash out of his fur; how strange that, despite Asphodel being a land of clear waters and ordinary scruffy grass, embers floated in the air. Once he’d finished, he found Theseus waiting at the other end of the corridor, waiting patiently to be rejoined by his companion. (Or rather, as patiently as he was capable of. While he made no push to rush Asterius, his casually leaning against the door did not make the tapping of his foot go unnoticed.) “Are you ready, Asterius? Here is where your new life shall begin! You shall finally have a chance to live as a prince should! Aha, such a thing must be nerve-wracking for you. But fear not, my friend! I shall support you every step of the way!” Asterius snorted in response; he was beginning to realize Theseus had a habit of announcing his own emotions, but would never attribute them to himself. The king was surely nervous, but it was much easier to say that Asterius was the nervous one. But the bull saw no reason to complain about such a thing, and thus did not mention it. He wouldn’t have had time to regardless, not with Theseus opening the final gate, and the blessed fields being within reach.

“Here we are!” To Asterius’ surprise, the gate opened to a small copse of trees. Theseus stepped out first, fallen leaves crunching beneath his feet. “There is someone here expecting us! Let us not keep her waiting for longer than we already have, yes?”

Asterius in turn poked his head out… The breeze was the first thing he noticed, cool and refreshing, gentle against his fur. Then, the scent… fresh and green, but also slightly sweet, like fruit being carried on the wind. He felt nearly enticed to follow the direction of it.

He stepped out behind Theseus, and was nearly startled at the sound of twigs and dried leaves being crushed beneath his weight. The sound was foreign to him… could he be blamed if he wanted to kick his legs against the ground, and see what other interesting noises could be made?

Soon, Asterius allowed the strange king to gently guide him forward. It took both of Theseus’ hands to be able to fully wrap around one of the bull’s wrists… it was strange realizing that the man who stood so large within his memory was so small in reality. It was strange to be continuing on in silence, but Asterius was certain that even if Theseus had spoken, he would not have heard him. The new sights and sounds around him were too much of a distraction, nearly to the point of making him dizzy. “Now, where could she be… ah!” Across the distant fields, Asterius could just barely make out a woman decked out in bright pink, sitting upon a marble bench beneath a flower-covered trellis. She seemed to notice them first, and stood. Upon seeing this, Theseus released Asterius’ hand, and bounded down to meet with her. “Ah, my lady! How I’ve missed you!” (At this distance it should have been difficult to make out the king’s words. But Asterius’ hearing was very good, and Theseus himself was very, very loud.) “I told you I would return, did I not? Let this be a lesson to you, my lady, that I am a man of my words!” Asterius watched as Theseus lifted the girl into his arms with ease, and she erupted into warm laughter in response. He kissed against her jaw once, then again, then against her cheek, and soon the girl’s laughter turned to squealing. Asterius’ chest felt tight at their affection— he didn’t know why. “Asterius, dear bull!” Though reluctant, he returned the girl to her feet, but not before giving her a final kiss upon her forehead. “I would like you to meet Lady Dianthus of Oenoe, my… erm. Ahem. A-anyways! It was with her help that I was able to bring you here to the blessed fields. You must be curious as to how that happened, hmm? Allow me to start from the beginning! Some great many years ago, I…” “Theseus, I don’t imagine your bull-friend would want to hear about that right now! He’s probably tired, and you should be too! Besides, I didn’t do anything that impressive…” the girl waved her hand dismissively, causing Theseus to gasp rather dramatically. “Ah, my lady is far too modest! To reason with the gods themselves is impressive indeed.” Theseus squeezed the girl’s hand. For a moment, his typical cocky expression faded into something warm and soft. He brought her hand up to his lips, for a kiss. “And you have done both Asterius, and myself, a great kindness.” The girl pouted in an almost childish fashion, though her cheeks did darken at Theseus’ gesture. Instead of trying to further combat the king’s words, she turned her attention elsewhere. “It is… nice to meet you, Asterius.” Her voice was soft, but did not hold the nervousness Asterius would have expected from one who was laying eyes upon The Minotaur for the first time. Asterius nodded.

"Now, let us celebrate this victory! Asterius, my dear friend, stay here a moment with the lady. I shall return quicker than any bolt of Zeus!” Theseus rushed off before either could ask just what it was he intended to do, though Asterius had an inkling it would be something indulgent, as the king seemed to value pleasure above all else. He turned his attention to the girl before him. She was small, Asterius noted, but not much smaller than the king himself. Her long hair was covered in a variety of spring flowers and green vines, connecting to a halo of fresh fruit. He watched closely as the small bud of a flower bloomed open, just as another near it took its final breath, and fell to the ground below. He supposed she was like his mother in that regard; a nymph, but only in part. “Asterius…?” The bull nearly jolted, suddenly hearing his name. He had been starring, he now realized, though he hadn’t intended to. “You seem awfully meek for someone of your reputation, you know. Ah, but that’s not what I wanted to say… what I mean is, you don’t need to be just standing there. Come sit next to me- if you’d like to, that is.”

Her voice became quieter with every word, as if she was concerned she might’ve said something offensive. Not that Asterius would have particularly cared either way. “I will take you up on your offer,“ Asterius replied, "thank you.”

Here was a nook buried deeply within a section of trees, their branches bent over a trellis so they’d form an arch. It was shady, but Asterius could still easily see the world beyond. He gazed first outwards, observing the sounds and sights of Elysium’s nature; the rush of a waterfall, the songs of birds. Then, again to Dianthus. With her fine clothing and jewelry Asterius might have thought of her as a noblewoman, but her poise was at odds with what he remembered of the few court women he saw in life, with her legs open and her shoulders casually rolled back. “So, what do you think?” she asked, “Is Elysium everything you assumed it would be?” Asterius titled his head. “A shade once told me the trees here grow fruit of gold. A ridiculous story.” “It is ridiculous. If the trees here really bore gold instead of fruit, us shades would have no fresh produce to eat! Or at the very least, no fruit.” she hummed, clearly amused at the story. “The shades here value their ability to indulge in whatever treats they desire! Even Theseus is no exception.” Asterius thought of his time in Erebus, and how a determined Theseus once braved the very depths of the underworld with the sole goal of sharing a basket of fresh bread from one of Elysium’s bakeries. “True,” he sighed. The girl, he noted, did not use Theseus’ title when talking about him. A sign of disrespect coming from others, but the way she spoke implied she’d known him for quite some time, and therefore was simply used to referring to him casually. Still, Asterius struggled to trust his own instincts, and so he asked: “Are you very close to the king?” “Oh! Well, that is… complicated. It isn’t a very interesting story, either.” Uncertainty into her voice, or maybe, she was just shy. Asterius did not want to push her, and yet… “I would be interested,” he admitted. Not knowing how to reassure her, Asterius copied what he saw Theseus do earlier, and took one of her small hands within his own as gently as he could manage. Unlike the king, whose hands were calloused after centuries of battle, hers with soft to the touch. “It’s not very interesting,” she repeated, her voice now softer, “and it is very long. You’d probably get bored listening to me ramble!” I’m interested in listening. I’m interested in you, he wanted to say, but he could not help but feel as if such words would be unwelcome. And so he fell silent, the lady’s hand still held within his own, peacefully watching out over the wide expanse of nature before him. So focused on the peacefulness of the nature before him, he nearly did not hear Theseus calling out “Bull of Minos! My dear maiden! I have returned t— oof!!” Asterius and Dianthus watched as an over excited King Theseus tripped and fell face first on Elysium’s soft grass. Before either could react, he was quick to stand back up, brush off his chiton, and grumble a curse under his breath. Slowly, he continued his way towards them. “Asterius, Dianthus,” he said, out of breath, “I have brought with me a gift!” Theseus lifted the pack he’d brought with himself into Erebus, and slowly loosened the drawstring. When Asterius peered over, he saw that its contents had now been entirely replaced with freshly plucked fruit. “Theseus! If you wanted to pick fruit, you could have asked me to bring a basket.” “Pshaw! Such a thing is unnecessary for one such as myself! And besides, this gift is, eh… rather spur of the moment?” Theseus replied with a huff, “Here, Noble Asterius! This is for you.”

Theseus pressed a fruit into Asterius’ hand, some small red-and-purple berry with a unique texture. He did not eat straight away. Instead he stared at Theseus’ finger tips, dyed purple by the berries. He watched as Theseus, noticing the excess syrup, brought his hand to his mouth to clean. (“Oh, nasty! Go wash your hands in the Lethe or somethin’.” Dianthus huffed, before doing much the same after grabbing a berry of her own.)

The bull eyed the fruit with curiosity- the same sweet scent that had carried on the wind earlier again filled his senses, but much more intensely this time.

Curious, he first brushed his tongue against the fruit. To his surprise, it was just as tart as it was sweet. The taste reminded him of the way the forest smelled, thick and woody and warmed by the light of Ixion.

“Do you like it? Mulberries were my mother’s favourite fruit! A large tree of them stood sturdy by my childhood home, so I’ve become an expert at identifying when they are at their ripest and most delicious!"

"It’s good…"

"They’re rich in antioxidants, you know.” Dianthus added between handfuls of berries, “Good for your health!”

“What the hell is an antioxidant,“ Asterius replied.

When Dianthus pouted, Theseus tensed for a moment… then erupted into howling laughter, nearly falling over yet again in the process.

"What’s funny?”

“I apologize, my companion! I was merely surprised to hear you speak in such a way!!”

The king stifled his laughter, covering his mouth with a hand. “Now, scoot over, my friend!“ "Hmm?” Asterius shifted to the side, but was surprised when Theseus settled between himself and Lady Dianthus, so close that their shoulders were together (or as together as they could be- even while sitting, Asterius was much taller than them both).

Theseus held his berry-filled pack in his lap, their vibrant colours dying the fabric in an array of deep purple-red hues. Each berry was plump and ripe and looked utterly delicious- Asterius couldn’t help but to gather a number of them in his hand, despite the way that they made his fur sticky.

There was something deeply pleasant about this togetherness, Asterius found. He did not have much experience with companionship, and yet he found the warmth of it enchanting. Dianthus continued to scold Theseus for his impulsiveness, but at the very same time plucking fresh fruit from where he held it in his lap, which in turn makes Theseus laugh unflatteringly. It was a strange feeling. He was used to being out of place in the world. He never thought it would be possible for another to look at him as anything other than a monster. But here he’d been shown kindness… He didn’t know if things would be able to last this way, but for now…

He was more than happy to indulge in the new pleasures Elysium had already given him.

~ Authour’s Notes Mulberries are featured in the myth of one of Asterius’ siblings, his baby brother Glaucus… they’re used to solve a riddle regarding something that changes from white to black to red. I have a fic with Glaucus as a character in the works as well :~)

For those who have never played Hades; Asphodel was once an ordinary grassy land, but the river Pheleghton flooded over and into it, turning it into a Lava World. I like to think Theseus came and got Asterius from Erebus before this happened! Also the hydra guards the gate exiting from Asphodel into Elysium (but didn’t bother Theseus because Theseus has “”Special Clearance”” aka the thang just didn’t really see him as much of a threat)

#📚 codex #🌺👑🐂 love in idleness #posting that song made me wanna repost this fic over here </3 #maybe ill finally finish the second chapter..... meanwhile ill put it up on my neocities while im at it

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kingsbride-moved · 1 year ago

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Dance of Our Nature (1/2)

Summary: Theseus, former King of Athens, brings Asterius to the blessed fields. While there, he meets someone very dear to the king. Notes: Originally a fic about Theseus n Asterius I scrapped due to it feeling too aimless </3 I took my favourite chapter and reworked it so I could put Dianthus in it too :~) I didn't do any major edits cuz I'm kind of tired of working on this so be nice.... There's some background info established in the sort of "prequel" fic to this, but I'm not sure if I want to link it here... but it shouldn't too hard to understand without that context. ~2878 words. Contains Theseus fishing for compliments and being generally so cringe and fail, awkward first interactions, fruit eating, and Asterius trying to remember that he's just as much as a man as he is a bull. No particular warnings as far as I can think, but Theseus and Asterius do have a little bit of an unbalanced dynamic so early on into their relationship. They'll work on it as time goes on, of course! 🎵: Cicada | Here We Are!

Despite all this, Asterius realized that Theseus was still only human. And because he was only human, Theseus was also clumsy, teetering on the side of accident prone: several times now he had managed to fall over nothing, or nearly trip (again!) into one of the underworld’s many river branches, or even get distracted by his own dramatic speeches and end up walking face first into a pillar. (Theseus attempted with great gusto to pretend that he intentionally smashed his face in, so that the bull may watch as he seductively wiped away the blood from his injury. Unfortunately for the king he was wincing in pain all the while, and instead looked more silly than anything else.) Asterius also noticed how Theseus struggled to focus on anything other than what interested him at the moment. What interested him right now was Asterius himself, and seemingly only that, for each time the bull spoke in an attempt to direct Theseus’ attention elsewhere it took the king some time to even realize that something had been said, and even then his reply would be short and distracted. Immediately after he finished talking he would return to simply gazing at Asterius’ face with some unidentifiable emotion, or stroking his large biceps with a curious hand. When he did wish to talk, however, Theseus could easily hold entire conversations by himself. It was charming in its own way, and only slightly grating. “...And that is why I despise my cousin Menetheus!” Theseus finished his story with a grand gesture, exasperation clear in his voice. Asterius paid close attention, half out of genuine curiosity, and half out of having nothing better to do. “Such an insufferable cur was undeserving of the title of king! Don’t you agree, Dear Asterius?”

Asterius nodded in response. He'd not spoken much during the duration of this journey— he wasn't quite sure what to say in this strange situation he'd somehow ended up in, and the king already spoke so much on his own. It felt almost unnecessary to make any further additions…

Still, Theseus gave him an almost expectant look just now, as if he were waiting for input.

"You were… much better suited for the role than he." said Asterius with uncertainty. He did not have much experience with complimenting people, and that was clearly what Theseus’ sought. “You were Athens’ greatest king, certainly.”

"Here we are!” To Asterius’ surprise, the gate opened to a small copse of trees. Theseus stepped out first, fallen leaves crunching beneath his feet. “There is someone here expecting us! Let us not keep her waiting for longer than we already have, yes?”

Soon, Asterius allowed the strange king to gently guide him forward. It took both of Theseus' hands to be able to fully wrap around one of the bull's wrists… it was strange realizing that the man who stood so large within his memory was so small in reality. It was strange to be continuing on in silence, but Asterius was certain that even if Theseus had spoken, he would not have heard him. The new sights and sounds around him were too much of a distraction, nearly to the point of making him dizzy. “Now, where could she be… ah!” Across the distant fields, Asterius could just barely make out a woman decked out in bright pink, sitting upon a marble bench beneath a flower-covered trellis. She seemed to notice them first, and stood. Upon seeing this, Theseus released Asterius’ hand, and bounded down to meet with her. “Ah, my lady! How I’ve missed you!” (At this distance it should have been difficult to make out the king’s words. But Asterius’ hearing was very good, and Theseus himself was very, very loud.) “I told you I would return, did I not? Let this be a lesson to you, my lady, that I am a man of my words!” Asterius watched as Theseus lifted the girl into his arms with ease, and she erupted into warm laughter in response. He kissed against her jaw once, then again, then against her cheek, and soon the girl’s laughter turned to squealing. Asterius’ chest felt tight at their affection— he didn’t know why. “Asterius, dear bull!” Though reluctant, he returned the girl to her feet, but not before giving her a final kiss upon her forehead. “I would like you to meet Lady Dianthus of Oenoe, my… erm. Ahem. A-anyways! It was with her help that I was able to bring you here to the blessed fields. You must be curious as to how that happened, hmm? Allow me to start from the beginning! Some great many years ago, I…” “Theseus, I don’t imagine your bull-friend would want to hear about that right now! He’s probably tired, and you should be too! Besides, I didn’t do anything that impressive…” the girl waved her hand dismissively, causing Theseus to gasp rather dramatically. “Ah, my lady is far too modest! To reason with the gods themselves is impressive indeed.” Theseus squeezed the girl's hand. For a moment, his typical cocky expression faded into something warm and soft. He brought her hand up to his lips, for a kiss. “And you have done both Asterius, and myself, a great kindness.” The girl pouted in an almost childish fashion, though her cheeks did darken at Theseus’ gesture. Instead of trying to further combat the king’s words, she turned her attention elsewhere. “It is… nice to meet you, Asterius.” Her voice was soft, but did not hold the nervousness Asterius would have expected from one who was laying eyes upon The Minotaur for the first time. Asterius nodded.

"Now, let us celebrate this victory! Asterius, my dear friend, stay here a moment with the lady. I shall return quicker than any bolt of Zeus!" Theseus rushed off before either could ask just what it was he intended to do, though Asterius had an inkling it would be something indulgent, as the king seemed to value pleasure above all else. He turned his attention to the girl before him. She was small, Asterius noted, but not much smaller than the king himself. Her long hair was covered in a variety of spring flowers and green vines, connecting to a halo of fresh fruit. He watched closely as the small bud of a flower bloomed open, just as another near it took its final breath, and fell to the ground below. He supposed she was like his mother in that regard; a nymph, but only in part. “Asterius…?” The bull nearly jolted, suddenly hearing his name. He had been starring, he now realized, though he hadn’t intended to. “You seem awfully meek for someone of your reputation, you know. Ah, but that’s not what I wanted to say… what I mean is, you don’t need to be just standing there. Come sit next to me- if you'd like to, that is.”

Her voice became quieter with every word, as if she was concerned she might've said something offensive. Not that Asterius would have particularly cared either way. “I will take you up on your offer," Asterius replied, "thank you."

Here was a nook buried deeply within a section of trees, their branches bent over a trellis so they'd form an arch. It was shady, but Asterius could still easily see the world beyond. He gazed first outwards, observing the sounds and sights of Elysium’s nature; the rush of a waterfall, the songs of birds. Then, again to Dianthus. With her fine clothing and jewelry Asterius might have thought of her as a noblewoman, but her poise was at odds with what he remembered of the few court women he saw in life, with her legs open and her shoulders casually rolled back. “So, what do you think?” she asked, “Is Elysium everything you assumed it would be?” Asterius titled his head. “A shade once told me the trees here grow fruit of gold. A ridiculous story.” “It is ridiculous. If the trees here really bore gold instead of fruit, us shades would have no fresh produce to eat! Or at the very least, no fruit.” she hummed, clearly amused at the story. “The shades here value their ability to indulge in whatever treats they desire! Even Theseus is no exception.” Asterius thought of his time in Erebus, and how a determined Theseus once braved the very depths of the underworld with the sole goal of sharing a basket of fresh bread from one of Elysium’s bakeries. “True,” he sighed. The girl, he noted, did not use Theseus’ title when talking about him. A sign of disrespect coming from others, but the way she spoke implied she’d known him for quite some time, and therefore was simply used to referring to him casually. Still, Asterius struggled to trust his own instincts, and so he asked: “Are you very close to the king?” “Oh! Well, that is… complicated. It isn’t a very interesting story, either.” Uncertainty into her voice, or maybe, she was just shy. Asterius did not want to push her, and yet… “I would be interested,” he admitted. Not knowing how to reassure her, Asterius copied what he saw Theseus do earlier, and took one of her small hands within his own as gently as he could manage. Unlike the king, whose hands were calloused after centuries of battle, hers with soft to the touch. “It’s not very interesting,” she repeated, her voice now softer, “and it is very long. You’d probably get bored listening to me ramble!” I’m interested in listening. I’m interested in you, he wanted to say, but he could not help but feel as if such words would be unwelcome. And so he fell silent, the lady’s hand still held within his own, peacefully watching out over the wide expanse of nature before him. So focused on the peacefulness of the nature before him, he nearly did not hear Theseus calling out “Bull of Minos! My dear maiden! I have returned t— oof!!” Asterius and Dianthus watched as an over excited King Theseus tripped and fell face first on Elysium’s soft grass. Before either could react, he was quick to stand back up, brush off his chiton, and grumble a curse under his breath. Slowly, he continued his way towards them. “Asterius, Dianthus,” he said, out of breath, “I have brought with me a gift!” Theseus lifted the pack he’d brought with himself into Erebus, and slowly loosened the drawstring. When Asterius peered over, he saw that its contents had now been entirely replaced with freshly plucked fruit. “Theseus! If you wanted to pick fruit, you could have asked me to bring a basket.” “Pshaw! Such a thing is unnecessary for one such as myself! And besides, this gift is, eh… rather spur of the moment?” Theseus replied with a huff, “Here, Noble Asterius! This is for you.”

Theseus pressed a fruit into Asterius' hand, some small red-and-purple berry with a unique texture. He did not eat straight away. Instead he stared at Theseus’ finger tips, dyed purple by the berries. He watched as Theseus, noticing the excess syrup, brought his hand to his mouth to clean. (“Oh, nasty! Go wash your hands in the Lethe or somethin'.” Dianthus huffed, before doing much the same after grabbing a berry of her own.)

The bull eyed the fruit with curiosity- the same sweet scent that had carried on the wind earlier again filled his senses, but much more intensely this time.

"Do you like it? Mulberries were my mother's favourite fruit! A large tree of them stood sturdy by my childhood home, so I've become an expert at identifying when they are at their ripest and most delicious!"

"It's good..."

"They're rich in antioxidants, you know." Dianthus added between handfuls of berries, “Good for your health!”

“What the hell is an antioxidant," Asterius replied.

When Dianthus pouted, Theseus tensed for a moment… then erupted into howling laughter, nearly falling over yet again in the process.

"What's funny?"

"I apologize, my companion! I was merely surprised to hear you speak in such a way!!"

The king stifled his laughter, covering his mouth with a hand. “Now, scoot over, my friend!" "Hmm?" Asterius shifted to the side, but was surprised when Theseus settled between himself and Lady Dianthus, so close that their shoulders were together (or as together as they could be- even while sitting, Asterius was much taller than them both).

Theseus held his berry-filled pack in his lap, their vibrant colours dying the fabric in an array of deep purple-red hues. Each berry was plump and ripe and looked utterly delicious- Asterius couldn't help but to gather a number of them in his hand, despite the way that they made his fur sticky.

He was more than happy to indulge in the new pleasures Elysium had already given him.

~ Authour's Notes Mulberries are featured in the myth of one of Asterius' siblings, his baby brother Glaucus… they're used to solve a riddle regarding something that changes from white to black to red. I have a fic with Glaucus as a character in the works as well :~)

#[ sing o muse! the story of... ]#👑🌺🐂 | love in idleness

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youvebeenlivingfictional · 4 years ago

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The Long Con Part Three

Previous Part | Masterlist | Next Part Pairing: Marcus Pike x Reader Rating: T Notes: I hope y’all had a good week! 💕 Warnings: Cursing; a little angst; mostly fluff tho Summary: When Marcus had first come to your lecture to ask for your help, he had been hesitant.

Over the course of the following week, you spent more time with Marcus - both on the phone and in person - for the sake of getting a little more comfortable with one another. But to your surprise, there really wasn’t much that needed to be eased into. You went over to his place a couple more times, and he surprised you by showing up at your office once. He even plopped himself down on your crummy little office couch with a stack of quizzes and an answer key while the two of you chatted.

You’d been stunned to find how easily conversation flowed between the two of you, beyond his work at the Bureau. Sure, the two of you talked about his work, but he liked to hear about yours, too - about the student that had come to you for help with her thesis on Han Van Meegeren; about the freshman in your Art History 101 class that had turned up reeking of weed and raised their hand to clarify that you were discussing Michelangelo the painter, not the Ninja Turtle. Now and again, though, as things quieted between the two of you, Marcus would remind you how grateful that he was that you were doing this - that you didn’t have to, that he owed you one. You’d always lightly wave him off, tell him you’d never been to Austin and were getting free cake out of it. Marcus told you about growing up in Austin, living there; the band he’d been in in college, playing bass and singing; he told you about his ex-wife and ex-fiancé, and that he hadn’t given up on love yet. You told him about the endless days that you had spent at museums and galleries as a child, taking tours and falling in love with art and history. He never pressed you for details about your grandmother, about how you were moved from place to place, about when and how you began to fence her work for her. With Marcus, those things really didn’t seem to matter. But you felt so safe with Marcus, so comfortable that, well— You would’ve told him, if he asked. -- When Marcus had first come to your lecture to ask for your help, he had been hesitant. When the two of you got off of the plane in Austin, he was downright nervous.

The two of you used the flight going over your story again, running through some of the particulars of the week’s schedule that you hadn’t gotten to go over the week before. You also began to ease into that casual PDA that you knew his family would expect from the two of you - holding hands intermittently, touching the other on the knee to draw the other’s attention: twice, he’d leaned over and murmured in your ear to comment on the show that the person sitting in front of you was watching; once, you’d reached out and brushed back a stray strand of hair that had come loose from his otherwise controlled coif.

He’d been a little uneasy as you’d gotten on the plane, and slightly jittery during the trip. It wasn’t a lengthy flight, so it didn’t take terribly long for his nerves to intensify. His leg had started bouncing somewhere over Atlanta. It hadn’t gotten any better as the plane had started to descend. What discomfort had triggered in Marcus was a hometown fact info-dump that you could never have seen coming. And god, it was some of the nerdiest shit that you’d ever heard. “You know this airport has one of the country’s longest commercial runways?” He told you as he hauled your suitcase off of the baggage carousel. “Really?” You asked teasingly. Marcus nodded, seeming to miss your tone as he lifted his own off of the carousel and set it down. “It used to be an old Air Force base, back in the— the 40′s? It actually opened to the public in, uh—1999 and—” “Hey,” You reached out, cupping his face to focus him. He went quiet, lips parted in surprise. You offered him a gentle smile. “It’s going to be fine,” You insisted. Marcus’ shoulders relaxed a little, and he turned his head, pressing a kiss to one of your palms. The feeling sent a wave of warmth through you, and you smiled, sweeping a thumb along his cheekbone before you let your hands fall away. You had to remind yourself that those little touches would be commonplace throughout the week.

“Before we get out there,” He said quietly. “Mm?” “I know I’ve said this before, but I really, really appreciate you doing this. I mean you didn’t have to, and… I wanna thank you for being here with me.” You felt your stomach flutter at his thanks, and you nodded. “Thank you for trusting me to be,” You returned. Marcus’ eyes searched your face for a moment, warm and kind, and the urge to hide bubbled up in your chest. You didn’t know what he was looking for, and you didn’t know if he would find it. “C’mon. We don’t wanna keep your mom waiting,” You added, taking hold of the handle of your suitcase. Marcus nodded, shifting his bag onto his arm and taking hold of your free hand. You intertwined your fingers, glancing up at him to make sure it was alright. He smiled, giving your hand a squeeze in turn. “How do you know so much about the airport, anyway?” You asked curiously. “Oh-- I’ve got a cousin that works here.” “You’ve got all the inside dirt, huh? I see how it is.” “Marky!” You heard crowed from a little ways away. “Marky?” You repeated quietly, glancing up at him, and grinning when you saw an embarrassed flush tipping his ears. “Do not start using that--” “Oh I’m so using it,” You laughed as the two of you approached the woman that had called out to him, “Gimme your bag,” You urged, gently untangling your hand from Marcus’ to take hold of his duffel so that he could hug his mother unencumbered. “Thanks-- Hey, mom,” Marcus grinned, embracing his mom. You grinned, watching the two of them, listening as the two chattered a little as they held to one another. He was nearly a head and a half taller than she was. “Is there someone you’d like to introduce me to?” She asked, peering at you around his arm. Marcus smiled, leaning away from her. “Yeah, there is. C’mere, sweetheart,” He murmured, holding a hand out to you. You felt yourself thrill a little, bashful as you ducked your head a bit. The two of you hadn’t discussed pet names, but ‘sweetheart’ sounded...so terribly dear coming out of that man’s mouth. You stepped closer to Marcus as he introduced you, passing his bag back when he gestured for it. “This is my mother, Jill Pike.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Pike,” You said lightly, holding your hand out to shake hers. “Call me Jill-- Oh, come here,” Jill laughed, tugging you in for a hug without a moment’s hesitation. Your brows rose at the tug, but you took the hug that was offered, smiling and laughing a little bit. “Jill-- it’s a pleasure to meet you. Marcus talks about you all the time.” “Oh,” Jill leaned away, holding you at arm’s length, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too! I’ll admit Marky has been light on the details,” She shot Marcus a look, as he made careful study of his shoes. “Oh, ma’am, I’m afraid that’s my fault,” You cut in quickly, “I’ve been told I’m a little hard to pin down.” Jill’s brows rose. “Mark, this one is a firecracker! Where’d you two meet?” She asked, hooking her arm through yours and steering you toward the exit. “Work. She’s been kind enough to assist us on several cases. We’d be lost without her.” You shot Marcus a thankful smile over the top of Jill’s head as the two of you walked through the parking lot. “He’s being too sweet-- You guys’d be fine.” “No, not true,” Marcus volleyed back, “That break in the Rosepoint case? It would’ve taken us months to find that dealer-- and the forger.” “Weeks at best.” “You cut the time down, sweetheart, just-- Take the compliment,” Marcus pouted a little, and you rolled your eyes, smiling. “Well, I’m glad I could help.”

“You wanna sit up front?” Marcus offered, taking hold of your suitcase and lifting it into the trunk of his mom’s car.

“Why don’t you? Give you and your mom some extra face time before the week gets busy,” You said.

Jill smiled, giving your arm a light squeeze before letting go. Marcus rounded the car, opening the back door for you and pecking your cheek before you got in.

You’d been a little apprehensive when Marcus had told you that you’d be staying with his family for the duration of the visit. But apparently Marcus always stayed with his family when he went home now, and you didn’t want to further mess with the family dynamic. He’d reassured you that the house had room enough for you all to be comfortably situated. “My parents can be a little old-fashioned,” He’d warned, “You know-- unmarried couples can’t sleep together, that kinda thing, but the house has three bedrooms. I’ll be in my old room, and you’ll be bunking in Marnie’s with her massive canopy bed-- and her Air Supply poster.” You’d appreciated his reassurances. The two of you had certainly gotten more relaxed around one another in his apartment and your office, but it was one thing to be nearby one another. It was another entirely to share a bed. You felt your nerves roil up in you as Marcus and Jill chatted in the front seat. You contributed to the conversation a little, answered questions when they were asked of you, but said little else. You were careful not to use your phone for the duration of the car ride, not wanting to seem rude, or like you weren’t paying attention. As Jill pulled the car into the driveway of the house on the wooded hillside, you found yourself perking up a bit more, despite your trepidation. You noted Marcus glancing back to look at you, but couldn’t bring yourself to meet his eye as you tried to take in each new little detail. He and Jill were still chattering as the three of you got out of the car, but you bring yourself to contribute. You just couldn’t help stop yourself from looking around. You looked over the two-story home with exposed brick exterior and dark wooden door. You spotted someone peering out at you through the front window before hurrying away when you met their eyes. Marcus’ hand rested on your lower back as he murmured, “Are you alright?” In your ear. “You grew up here?” You asked, a little dazed. Moving around as much as you had, the places you’d stayed had never been any bigger than a two-bedroom apartment. You couldn’t imagine spending your whole childhood in a house— especially one as beautiful as this. “Yeah,” Marcus chuckled softly as he steered you up in the front walkway, “If you think this is nice, wait until you see the back porch.” “You have a porch?” “Oh, honey,” Jill laughed as she opened the front door, “We’ll have to get you down here more often.”

Marnie was a streak of dark hair and lanky limbs that launched herself at her brother with a squeal of excitement the second Marcus crossed the threshold. He dropped his hand from your back just in time to catch hold of her, clearly anticipating the charge. You smiled, taking a step to the side to give them adequate room as Marcus lightly rocked them side to side. “Do you have any siblings?” Jill asked softly as the two of you watched the reunion, the two chattering between one another. You shook your head a little bit, glancing over at Jill and smiling. “Do you?” “Five sisters. Imagine that bathroom when we were all late for school,” Jill laughed. You turned back as you heard Marcus say your name. “Oh, I know who she is,” Marnie waved Marcus off as she broke away from her brother, “Honestly, no name has puzzled me more since you told me that you were talking Shlomo Ziegler to prom.” “Was...Shlomo going with someone else?” You frowned. “There was no Shlomo Ziegler. He heard the name on an episode of the Golden Girls,” Jill explained. “Oh, honey,” You turned a sympathetic smile up at Marcus before taking a step closer to Marnie. Marnie had the same kind eyes that her brother did. Their noses were the same, too, but her cheekbones and lips were like her mother’s. She pulled you in the same way that Jill did, giving you a light squeeze before leaning back to get a better look. “It’s nice to meet you,” You smiled, “I’ve heard a lot about you-- About all of you.” And that was technically true. “I’ll grab your bag and run it up to Marnie’s old room,” Marcus reassured, resting his hand on your lower back. “Oooh,” Marnie cringed, glancing between the two of you, “I meant to mention, um-- I’m staying here this week.” Marcus froze, glancing between you and Marnie. “W-Why?” “Well, Hazel and I thought it would be kinda cute, you know, spending the week apart. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and stuff.” “So I’ll...Sleep... On the couch?” Marcus frowned. Jill waved him off. “Oh, you and your sweetheart can sleep in the same room. You’re all adults now, christssake,” She laughed, reaching up and pinching his cheek. You glanced back at him, raising a brow at his stunned expression. This was going to be an adjustment, but part of the reason you were down there with Marcus was to help him roll with the punches. He could only do that if you did. “Yeah, Marky,” You smiled, reassuring, “We’re all adults.” Tag list: @hufflepuffing-all-day-long ; @spideysimpossiblegirl ; @blueeyesatnight ; @elen-aranel ; @yespolkadotkitty ; @artsymaddie ; @phoenixhalliwell ; @lunaserenade ; @winniedaboo ; @empress-palpat1ne ; @randomness501 ; @nutmeg-20 ; @leonieb ; @the-feckless-wonder ; @lou-la-lou ; @captain-jebi ; @supernaturalgirl ; @naturenebula21 ; @evelynseventyr ; @giselatropicana ; @heatherbel ; @marydjarin ; @annathewitch ; @absurdthirst

#The Long Con #marcus pike x reader #Marcus Pike x You #Marcus Pike/Reader #Marcus Pike/You #Marcus Pike Imagine #Marcus Pike Fic

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sagemusesoutloud · 3 years ago

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Anti-Romantic, Part 1

(credit to the original owner of the image)

Character | Jaehyun x reader Genre | nonidol!au, Mutual Pining, Slowburn, Fluff WordCount | 3.6 K Author'sNote | lmaoooo the fact that I intended this to be a oneshot type of thing oops. Wellllll, I tried. Most likely to be a two part series, but we'll see.

This is part of a series I intend to call "If Songs were Fics" and this particular one was loosely inspired by TXT's Anti-Romantic bc I'm obsessed. I hope you enjoy reading as much I enjoyed writing it!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

I don't know who loves me

And I don't care, It's a waste anyways

A romantic feeling, Kinda scares me

“Any plans for you birthday next week?”

Jaehyun shakes his head at you, “no, not yet, don’t you have that date with that barista?”

“I’m not sure, he’s been acting weird over text lately. Might not be worth it,” you shrug your shoulders. “Besides, it’s your birthday! You only get one of those a year, we should plan something.”

You were on your way to the gym, a ritual you and Jaehyun had ever since you both found out you worked for the same company. You had been childhood friends, but ended up losing touch since you went to separate universities.

It was a nice surprise to see a friendly face on the first day of orientation and throughout the duration of your training for the next six weeks. Although you were both from different departments, you enjoyed taking your lunch breaks together and sharing small gossip about your old class-mates.

“ugh, don’t remind me,” he let’s out a long sigh, “every year, it seems like my family won’t stop pestering me about starting a family.”

“What’s so wrong about that?”

“Nothing, just not for me. Or at least not yet. I don’t think I’m the type to settle down,” he shrugs again as if it were no big deal.

You gasp, “how could you say that? I’ve seen your insta account. It’s got your cousin’s kids all over it!” You stop to take a good look at him as he holds the door of the gym open for you. “Back in school too, you used to tutor those elementary kids for volunteering hours. Even when you didn’t need them. You’ve always liked kids.”

“That’s different…”

“Right. Totally different things. Got it,” you roll your eyes. This wasn’t the first time he mentioned not wanting to settle down. At first, you had thought it was because he liked ‘keeping his options open’ like back in high-school. Or, not that you knew for sure, but if the rumors were true then it meant he slept his way around. Apparently, he never slept with someone twice and despite the cold shoulder the other party would get, all you had ever heard were praises. Not that you paid that much attention or anything.

You and Jaehyun had the same circle of friends, but despite that, he had never made any advances towards you. You’d be lying if that didn’t bother you at least once or twice. You just assumed that he didn’t want to make the friendship awkward or mess with the friend dynamics of your group. Which was why your crush on him in junior high ended as soon as you got to high-school.

You ended up going on dates with other people, but nothing that kept your interest. Nothing that compared to how you felt around him. Not that he seemed to think the same, so you tried your best to stay the good friend you always have been. You didn’t want to push something he clearly didn’t want; not that it didn’t hurt any less. Throughout the years it’s become bearable, at least. Almost like a painful habit.

You check in and head to the locker rooms to change. His nonchalance about the subject had always puzzled you. You’d seen first hand how all the female coworkers seemed to sway their hips as they walked by him, how some would pop a blouse button more than usual when around him, and you swore no one else was getting that much help throughout training more than him. He was handsome and a gentleman, that much was painfully obvious.

You meet him outside by the water fountain, “ready for warm-up?” he guides your way to the treadmills.

“When’s the last time you dated?”

You would have laughed if you weren’t so shocked to see him trip from the corner of your eye. “why the sudden curiosity?” He finally responds.

“Not sudden, I’d always wondered.” You defended. “You’re good looking and you’re very…I mean, you live on your own and have your own car. You have good relations with your family AND you’re good with kids. So, what is it?” You hadn’t realized how troubling you thought it all was. But now that you started digging you couldn’t stop.

“I just—” you pause, “it doesn’t make sense.”

You hear him chuckle, “you might wanna slow down before you pull something.” You look down and realize that your pace had gone from a relaxed jog to a borderline run during your rant. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to psychoanalyze your only friend in the city.

“Well, I just don’t know how to let people in. It’s just that.” He finally responds. “I love kids, but I don’t know or think I’d be a good partner.” He slows down before stopping, ending the conversation. He waves you off with an easy smile as you stay running.

Huh, maybe you pushed him too far. Your eyes can’t help but follow him around the gym.

Sweet and bitter chocolate, The taste at the end is always the same

Like the saddest movies, Only tears in my eyes

Your hands were sweaty the entire morning, anticipating your lunch time. It was his birthday today, and while you hadn’t made any concrete plans you ended up agreeing to go over to his place after work. Your gym bag was ready with snacks and comfy clothes to stay over. You remembered him saying he was excited to watch that new Marvel movie that had recently come out so you had bought it online to stream it at his place as a surprise. But what had you nervous was the small heart shaped box sitting in your purse. You didn’t know what possessed you to buy it but you had immediately thought of Jae when you passed by it at the mall. You remember vaguely mentioning that it was a special occasion to the sales lady (as in, his birthday), but she must have thought it was your significant other rather than friend because she changed the box to the red velvet shaped one while giving you a wink. In her defense, you could have protested but…why didn’t you?

You hear a knock on your door, “hey little miss sunshine.” Ah, Nakamoto, this couldn’t be good news. He was only sickly sweet to you when he needed a favor.

“What do you want?” you deadpan. He only laughs as he makes himself comfortable in your office. “Well, nothing in particular. Can’t stop by and see how you’re doing?” he feigns hurt.

“Right—the last time you ‘came by’ you left me working over-time through the weekend,” You sigh, “so what is it this time? Missed meeting? Late proposal?” To be fair, your supervisor WAS overworked sometimes. And since you were the only worker under him, it was normal for him to sometimes share some of the load with you.

He smiles at you, “nope. Just have a proposal for you. I know you’ve been working hard these past few months and I’ve been really impressed by your work ethic.” He stands and moves closer to your desk, “And I thought some sort of reward was in order, as well as celebration.” Ok, now you’re confused. You were ok with the reward part, it usually came in the form of a gift card to your favorite coffee shop, but celebration?

“Why would we celebrate? Did I miss something?”

“Not yet, but I did recommend you to the partner position with me. And I wanted to be the first to tell you that the boss approved it earlier today. So, what do ya say? Dinner on me?” he extends his hand out to you and wiggles his eyebrows playfully.

Oh.

Shit! You were hoping this would happen eventually, moving up from the entry-level position you had. But you had never thought it would be this fast. “Oh my gosh, are you serious?” You give him your hand and he shakes it in mock salute.

“Of course, some people will come by to move your computer to the office next to mine. You start Monday!” he winks, “So, wanna go to that new rooftop restaurant? This is a once in a life-time ticket, so you best say yes.”

But your dinner with Jae…He’ll understand, right? He has to. It’s not like he seemed that excited about it anyway. And you could always spend the day together tomorrow, too. It would be pretty rude to turn down Yuta after he pulled some strings for you…

You smile at him, “Thank you Mr. Nakamoto, I won’t let you down as a partner. Yeah, dinner sounds great. Wanna meet there?”

You sit down on the small table, now nervous for other reasons.

Jae sits opposite of you, a small smile on his face. “Hey you,” he greets.

“hey…” you start, “I hate to change plans so suddenly, but…” crap, you feel really shitty. But you really were between a rock and a hard place.

“everything ok?”

“yeah, no. I actually just got promoted,” you start.

“You did? That’s awesome! So fast, too. Wow—but shouldn’t you be more enthusiastic about it?” he chuckles.

“I am, just—my old supervisor wanted to go to dinner to celebrate. And I don’t think I could say no after helping me out like that.”

“I mean, did you want to skip it or?” Now he’s confused.

“Well, he wanted to go out tonight since I start Monday and today’s Friday…I don’t think I can come over tonight,” you explain.

Realization crosses his features before he gives a small smile. “Don’t worry about it, you’re fine. And he’s treating you! You don’t know when the next time he offers might be,” he continues, “we can celebrate another day anyway.”

“Are you sure?” now you feel like shit.

“Of course I’m sure.”

For the rest of the lunch, a thick silence settles before he excuses himself back to work.

Jaehyun knew this was coming. Nothing ever went his way; it’s why he kept everyone at a distance from his heart. But he was weak when it came to you. This game of push and pull was bound to keep happening, and it only brought him that all familiar foul taste in his mouth.

I know, that sweet love song, Those words of promise

When you turn around, It's just an unfamiliar someone

It was why he decided to go else-where for university, instead of joining you and some of your friends to the one closest to home. He chose to go across the globe—far, far away from the curse of you.

It had started on a windy day, back when you were 4 and new to the town he grew up in. Jaehyun didn’t want to leave his mother’s arms, he didn’t like the thought of being with strangers until later in the day even if his mom promised that she would be back. A little girl with jean overalls like his came up to him and his mom, “why are you crying?”

“I am not!” he sniffed. He didn’t need to make new friends like his mom was trying to tell him. All he needed was to go back home. You took out something from your pocket and showed it to him, “look, my mom said I could give one to my first friend. She said it was sharing. Want one?”

In her little palm, were two kiss chocolates. “You’re not my friend,” he grumbled, “I don’t know your name.” At that, you giggled, “I’m Y/N!” you took his hand and placed a chocolate there, “there, now we’re officially friends.”

“See, Jae? You can spend some time with Y/N and have fun. Before you know it, I’ll be back,” she promised.

“Yeah, Jae! Come play blocks with me, and then we can try the coloring.” You held his hand as you led him deeper into the classroom. Just like that, Jae began to feel a little warmth in his chest. He didn’t mind that his favorite thing to do was play tag outside or that he wasn’t really good at coloring inside lines yet. But that didn’t matter to him. As long as he had this one friend around, he was content.

Sorry I'm an anti-romantic, I want to run far away

My heart that already chases after you, Blazes up as a small flame

Looking back at it now, it was a little funny. All it took to let you in back then was a simple chocolate kiss and your little sticky hand in his leading the way. You were always larger than life to him, sometimes he forgot that you were just as human as him.

As you two continued to grow, nothing seemed to change your friendship. But he knew that the depth of his feelings wasn’t mutual. It was in the way that you brought a lot different people together and decided to call it your family. Another of your friends, Jungwoo, liked to joke that you collected introverts for fun. To Jaehyun, it was more likely that you just didn’t see the fun in leaving people out. You were charming and passionate. Traits he wished he had. Your empathetic nature and gentle disposition were all that Jaehyun needed, even if he wasn’t the only recipient.

Once you guys started to hit puberty, things started to feel rocky. Jaehyun couldn’t help but physically distance himself from you, his ears were always red-hot. You had always been pretty to Jaehyun, but you were starting to become really beautiful. And if the boy’s locker rooms’ talk were anything to go by, then other people were definitely starting to realize “what a great catch” you were.

It really pissed him off. Who were they to say things as if all you were was a piece of meat? It disgusted him. But what disgusted him more was the fact that sometimes, he couldn’t help but also feel the way your body felt in his when you hugged in greeting. He hated the way his body reacted to everything you did.

He first messed around with a senior girl back when he was a sophomore, Sooyoung. She was leaving and he couldn’t take it anymore. Your boyfriend was a piece of trash and he was tired of hearing the way he would share what Jae considered to be intimate moments that had no business being public. But you seemed so happy… that next game, Jae stole the ball from him and scored on his own. Even if it cost him a three hour lecture from the coach, he would do it again. Fuck being a team, that guy was an asshole.

What he hadn’t planned on was liking messing around. He would never admit it, but the reason he couldn’t commit was because he couldn’t get rid of that small grain of hope that glowed in his chest every time you stared at him longer than would be deemed normal. It wasn’t often, but he knew he wasn’t seeing things. So, he succumbed to the cycle of push-and-pull that you guys had going on.

Jaehyun wasn’t blind, he knew that your work definitely spoke of your professionalism, but he’s also seen the way Nakamoto stared after you. Of the way his hand would often touch your waist when walking together. Even now, as he hears you apologize through the phone again as you get ready for your “date” with him he can’t help this heart feel heavy with anger. Anger at himself, for letting you slip away once more. He usually hopes for nothing but the best for you, but this time, he wishes you had an awful dinner.

Sorry I'm an anti-romantic, I don't believe in romance

I'm afraid that after burning my whole heart, It will only leave behind ashes

Throughout the entire dinner, you can’t seem to get Jae out of your mind. It keeps you from enjoying the delicious food, keeps you from keeping your usual banter with Nakamoto.

You’re about to call it a night and thank Nakamoto for inviting you out when he beats you to it, “damn, I was hoping this might be a good break from the usual overtime we do, but something tells me your mind has been elsewhere,” he offers good naturedly, “I know it’s valentine’s, so maybe this is why we feel so awkward, right?”.

You grimace a bit at that, “ah—I’m sorry. I really am grateful for the way you look after me in the company and I’m also thankful for this lovely dinner,” you stop a bit, afraid you might offend him, “I agreed to come out tonight, so no need to feel awkward.” You offer a smile.

“Alright then. I guess you already have your sights on someone?” he prods. Should you be honest? There was no rule against dating outside your department, and you were pretty sure your new boss’s wife also worked within the company. “…I do. But I’m pretty sure they don’t feel the same way. It’s been so long since we’ve known each other. Surely if something were to have happened, it would have by now.” You were loosening up, definitely the wine’s fault.

Nakamoto sighs at that, “damn, and here I thought I could woo you after this,” he winks jokingly but you laugh him off. You knew he didn’t care for you that way. “I really hope you’re talking about the guy you always eat lunch with. I swear everyone thought you guys were married when you were released from training.”

“What?! No, I—we’ve been friends since we were children—”

“Aha! So it was him then,” he smirks. “Good.”

You groan, “Please, no.”

“What, it’s not him? You sure about that?”

“I will neither confirm nor deny that statement,” you groan. Why were you discussing your love life? You push the wine away and take a sip of your water.

“Hmm. That’s too bad. Could have sworn that guy was after you.” He stands up. “But fine, I’ll stop prodding.”

You sigh in relief—“for now.” You groan. “What do you even mean by that? You don’t even know him. Or me, or at least personally at least.”

“Mmm, I don’t have to. Some things you just know. Like how he wishes I was six feet under every time we run across him at work,” he sobers up at that. “He seemed like a cool dude, but his glare isn’t too friendly. I don’t know how you fell for that.”

You scoff, “just because someone has a resting bitch face doesn’t mean they’re a bad person.”

You both make your way to the underground parking. “You’re right, it just makes them unapproachable. Is that why you won’t confess?” His genuine tone rubs you the wrong way, you don’t need be given false hope.

“Stop it, you said you would drop it,” you frown, “Anyways, thank you for the food boss—”

“—not your boss anymore. Just call me Yuta, we’re partners now.”

“Aren’t you two years older than me?”

“And?”

You shrug at that, “well, thanks Yuta. For the food, not for the interrogation.” He chuckles at that, nodding while pulling out his car keys. “see you Monday!” he waves you off.

You sigh as you get home. It wasn’t as late as you thought it was, only a few minutes past nine. You really wanted to see him. Would he be busy?

You fish out your phone and dial his number before chickening out.

“Hello?”

“Jae! It’s me. Are you busy right now?” your heartbeat is pounding so loud, you’re scared he could hear it on the other end. “Right now?” you hear shuffling on the other end, “no, I was just reading that book Jungwoo sent me. Might have dozed off a bit into it but don’t tell him I said that,” he chuckles.

“Why, is everything ok? It’s still early, did you end dinner that fast?”

“Oh, Yuta and I called it a night pretty early. Too many couples were out and about and it got a bit awkward,” you explained.

“Yuta?”

“Ah, yes. Yuta Nakamoto, but now that we’re associates, he said it would be better to address him less formally.” You waive him off, “actually, I was wondering—if it’s not too late, can I still come over? If not, that’s cool. We can still hang out tomorrow, but your birthday is today and I thought—”

He laughs at your rambles, “of course you can come over, you know you don’t have to ask. How many times have I told you that?”

“Ok, ok. Just checking,” you still had your comfy change of clothes in your car, so you opt to save those for tomorrow and change into something causal for tonight.

“Do you want me to go get you? We can get ice cream on the way, hopefully they don’t close early.”

“Sounds like a plan then,” curse your heart for melting at everything he says.

“Alright, give me 15 and I’ll be there.” He hangs up.

You look at your bag, resting on your sofa and you sigh. The entire night, it’s almost as if you could feel the weight of his gift weighing it down. Yuta is known for being very observant, it’s why he was so good at his job. Closing deals and making contracts in advertisement. Would he be right about this? You know you desperately wish he was, but is it worth risking your best friend?

EndNote | Woooow, that was a longass ride. Let me know if you liked it or if there are other typos I missed! Or just to let me know what you thought, that would be much appreciated. I'm thinking of finishing it by Sunday 6/13, so hopefully the next part is up by then. Until then!

Here's Part 2!

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marblesphere · 3 years ago

Text

Dream or Reality (Noctis x Reader)

I wrote this fic years ago. So, I fixed up a little and decided to post it here. I have also posted it in devianart under LastMoogleHunter. Happy reading!

“Aaaaahhh….what a boring day, always the same. There’s nothing new, nothing makes me excited.” I sighed for the umpteenth times. I see, I haven’t introduced myself, my name is [Name] [Last Name], I am 12th grade in Destiny High. This is my last year, thus was recommended in making good memories. Though…there is nothing fun, I wish Final Fantasy characters are real people. That’ll so much fun, especially if there is Noctis.....

Kyaaaa!!! I am so embarassed... ahem, let’s put that aside and let’s get onto the story.

This morning also has the same routine, wake up, bath, breakfast, school, home, dinner, sleep and so on. And coincidentally my literature teacher decides it’s fun to see her students suffer, and thus given us a homework about composition. I groan, this is going to kill my brain cells. “God, please let my life get interesting such as Final Fantasy character come to life..... Just kidding, it’s not like it can be granted anyway.” I exhaled. I put my homework and stationery on my desk and start thinking about the theme I am going to write. Not long after I start doze off.

My internal clock woke me up from my slumber. Groggily, I glance my clock and it shows 6.30 a.m. I blink once, twice and rub my eyes to make sure I am not mistaking it. In instant, all sleepiness fades away. ”Aaaahh!! I am late!!” I freaked out and with lightning speed I took a bath. While I was stripping though, something fell from my shorts’ pocket. I pick it up and examine it, it was a golden watch. Curious, I open it and something was craved on the lid ‘aeternam vinculo’ ‘what’s this mean? More importantly when I got this thing?’ I was thinking and completely forgotten the time.

“[Name]! breakfast is ready!” Kaa-san called.

“No way!” I yelped and resumed my activity.

I run down the stairs and eat breakfast quickly, “[Name], there’s still some time.” Kaa-san said.

I gulp down my orange juice, “Gotta go. Bye Kaa-san, Tou-san.” I said as I ran to school. Fortunately, the distance to school from my house is not that far. Upon arriving there, I still see a lot of students leisurely walking to the school. Looks like I am safe. I sigh in relief as I pat my chest. suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn around, but the sight of that ‘someone’ tapping my shoulder made my eyes widenend.

“Morning.” He said, while I blinked once, twice, titled my head and stare at him as he is an alien landing on earth. The person who greeted me is no other than the famous Chocobo head, Cloud Strife.

I keep staring at him without blinking. “You…” I could only manage a word to come out from my mouth.

Cloud looks at me oddly, “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Good morning you two.” A new voice called. Our head snap to that direction and find Tifa and Yuffie are walking toward us.

My eyes widened ‘[Name].exe is shutting down.’ I can practically hear a robotic voice said that. ‘What exactly is going on?’

Seeing my confused blank looking face, concern made to Tifa’s face, “[Name], what’s wrong?” She asked.

So, I did the most logical action I could at the moment, I pinch my left hand, “Ow…” ‘It hurt.’ I rubbed my reddening left hand.

“[Name], are you really alright?” Tifa asked again. “Don’t worry Tifa, I bet she just woke up.” Yuffie grinned.

‘It’s not a dream....? t-they are really alive...?’ I am still confused, I am still not sure if I am having a realistic dream or this is the reality. But if so, what about yesterday and the day before yesterday and the days before today? Was that reality a dream? And this is the real reality? My mind is in jumbled mess, but I am happy. My wish has come true, my wish for the Final Fantasy characters are real people and as a bonus I have befriend with them. There’s no more I could ask for.

I feel someone shakes me. “Huh?” I snapped back to the reality.

“Maybe we should get her to infirmary.” Tifa said.

“Whooa. [Name], you really sick?” Yuffie was shocked by the news.

“Let’s go.” Cloud said as he prepared to drag me.

“W-wait! I’m fine, I just dozing because I just woke up.” I said putting a sheepish grin.

“See, she’s just woke up.” Yuffie grinned again, but I can see she was relieved as well.

‘Well, I did wish something interesting like this happen. Well, dream or not let’s enjoyed it to the last.’ I smiled at my thought as we walked to the class.

Upon entering class, I no longer panic on what I saw. There are some FF characters here and there, but I spot no Noctis, ‘Well, I’ll be lying if I am not disappointed.’ I sigh softly. ‘Well, nothing goes smooth now.’

Then I heard giggles and squeals. ‘Don’t tell me this is a famous scene from shoujo manga. The moment when male lead and his group enter the classroom. If so, then… Those girls will be the mortal enemies of the female lead. After the plot milked her usefulness, she and her sidekicks will fall into ruin.’ I blinked as I looked at those girls. ‘What a shame. They look nice enough though. But, I wonder who they’re fangirling about.’ I follow the crowd’s eyes, then the door opened revealing ‘Emergency! Mayday! Mayday! All staffs please evacuate! The ship will sink soon!Eh? EEEEEEHHHHH???!!! What is happening?! Why is he here?! No... I mean… I am happy that he is here. But he being here is a problem itself to me, in many ways.’ The one who opened the door is no other than Noctis.

I stiffen when he walks to me. “Good morning.” He muttered as he walked past me to his seat which is behind me.

“Mo-morning…?” And the problem is I was suttering when I replied, ‘Now I’ve done it…. he officially think I am one of his fangirls.’ I sighed earning a few snickers from Tifa and Yuffie which I give them an odd look.

“Morning, Hime-chi.” Prompto greeted.

I am not sure who is Hime-chi is. But seeing no one responds to him, it must be me, right? “Morning…?” I greeted back hesitantly.

During the duration of the lesson, I can’t concentrate at all. Part of it is because Noctis is sitting behind me. The other part is I am frantically thinking what should I do, what is my relationship with him and the other characters. Just because some of them are my friends, that doesn’t mean all of the characters must be my friends. And I have to be careful how to act around them, so they didn’t notice my awkwardness.

The bell rings signaling lunch break. Finally, me and the group which included almost all of the alvalanche members plus some other go to school cafeteria. Minus Cid and Barret cause they’re too old to go to school anyway which I found out later the two of them are school staffs. Barret as P.E teacher and Cid as engineer. And of course, let’s not forget Zack and Aerith. We go to cafeteria to eat lunch, while the others eat and talking each other, I am thinking about a lot of thing and that mysterious golden watch.

“[Name].” A voice snapped me out of my own world and I found all of them were staring at me.

“Huh?” I blinked owlishly.

“Are you okay?” Aerith asked worriedly.

“Did they bully you?” Prompto frowned.

“Eh? Bully? Who?” I tilted my head not understanding who were they talking about. ‘…For the first time in my life I was bullied…’

“WHAT!? Those girls are bullying my little sister?! How dare they!” Zack raged.

“W-Wait a minute. I am fine. No one is bullying me.” I said quickly calming them down.

“I heard something about bullying [Name]. Who is daring enough to do that?” Another new voice chimed in.

“Ah.” I blinked at the newcomers, twins exactly.

“Stella, Luna. Where were you guys?” Yuffie asked.

“Sorry, the teacher needed us just now.” Stella apologized.

“So, I heard someone is bullying [Name]? Which idiot?” Luna smiled scarily.

“No one was bullying me.” I shook my head quickly. ‘Scary…. Does Lunafreya is this kind of character?’ I sweatdropped.

“If we are talking about bullying, then I am sure it’s no other than her and her little group.” Tifa rolled her eyes.

‘I wonder who and why would people bully me? I don’t think I’ve ever made someone mad enough to be bullied by them.’ I scanned the cafeteria and spot a group of girls glaring at me, ‘Ah. So, they are the bully group.’ Then a mop of blond caught my attention, I narrow my eyes to get better sight, ‘…Who is she? I have never meet her before, but strangely her name popped out in my mind. Tachibana Kirika-san, Noct’s fangirl…. Ah, no wonder.’ I looked at her object of affection.

“Ignore them” Noct said.

“Umm...okay.” I answered.

After that staring contest, all is well. No war break between us. The last bell finally rings, signaling the end of school. And so, as per usual ritual, apparently we always go home together. “See you tomorrow.” I waved to them when I arrived at my house.

“See you.” They waved back. I open the door only to find it is hollow of life. I found a note one dinner table ‘Business trip one week, there’s a leftover for dinner. We’ll get your cousin to stay at the house tomorrow.’ I sighed. It’s still the same,’Oh well, I’m used to it.... wonder who is my cousin. This is the first time I heard about having a cousin staying over.’

Tired and still in term of accepting what has happened today. I am feeling really sleepy, but I didn’t dare to sleep. What if this is just a dream and I’ll wake up in the same position on my desk, as selfish as it may sound I still don’t want this to end yet. So many thoughts race in my head, absetmindedly I take out the golden watch and finally fallen asleep holding that.

I wake up with a start and glancing at my room, then realize something, FF charas. ‘Is it a dream?’ I sighed and I felt something in my hand. The golden watch, it’s still here. That means ‘It’s not a dream.’ I grinned widely, they are real. Thus, I quickly begin my routine of the day.

Arriving to the class, I greet them. Them as in the group. “Morning.” I greeted.

“Morning.” They replied. I sit at my seat and put my bag on drawer, but then a sharp pain creeps through my hand, instictively I take out my hand and trail of blood is dripping from my hand. My eyes flicker at the sound of giggles, there Tachibana Karin stand proudly at what she have done, she even raises her chin up to which I reply with raised eyebrow.

‘Truly, this is the first time I am being bullied for real.’

Seeing my bloodied right hand and still bleeding. Cloud quickly take my hand and examines it. “You okay?” He asked.

“As okay as someone will be with bleeding hand.” I remarked. Zack is definitely pissed off by the look of his face and stalks toward them.

“Why you little-“

“Zack. There’s no need to get angry.” I called to him.

Ignoring my call, he still stalks toward them, that is until Vincent holds him, “Ignore them. We should take her to infirmary.” He said.

“No no no. we can’t let this kind of things go.” Stella stepped in.

“Indeed. We’ll need to teach her a lesson.” Luna easily agreed with the older twin.

“Stella, Luna. Not you two too.” I sweatdropped.

“Let’s just take [Name] to infirmary first.” Tifa said. With that, the group accompanies me to the infirmary.

“The cut isn’t deep, it will heal in few days.” Nurse Quistis said after she finished bandaging me.

“Thank you.” I thanked her.

“It’s my job, now off you go to class.” She ushered.

“Yes ma’am.” I give her mock salute as I get out of the room.

Entering the class, I was bombarded with questions. Quistis kicked all of the out for being so noisy and too much. “I am fine.” I said for the umpteenth time.

Then Tachibana-san comes to me and asks with her sickly sweet voice, “How was your hand? Is it hurt?”

“Well, why don’t we try it to your hand. And then you’ll know whether it’s hurt or not.” I smiled eraning a few snickers from my friends as they heard my reply.

Tachibana-san’s face is red with anger and opens her mouth to say something. But then, the door opened revealing Noctis and Prompto. she quickly puts her sweet façade again to which I know that isn’t fooling anyone with decent IQ. “Good morning.” She greeted him which was ignored and laughter rose from our throats.

“If you didn’t do something like bullying his friends, you might have a chance.” I told her.

“You!” She gritted her teeth.

‘Aaah… She really didn’t get it.’ I sighed mentally. “Good morning you two. How unusuall for you to almost late.” I greeted.

“Good morning, Hime-chi. You see, we are almost late because we met an old woman on the street. She… Hime-chi, what happened to your hand?” Prompto frowned when he saw bandage on my left hand.

“Your hand...”

“Oh, this..” I said as I lift my hand. “Apparently, someone with a bad hobby finds it interesting to get me scream in pain. Unfortunately, they didn’t get what they want.” I smiled. Noct opens his mouth to ask something when the bell rang, signalling the start of class. All of us goes back to our seat. Well, in my case after recieving a hateful glare from Tachibana-san.

‘More importantly I wonder… Why is she targeting me? I mean, Noct’s female friends are not only I. There are Luna and Stella too…. Does she know I like him…? Well, I do like him as character in games before. And meeting him right now does make my feeling stronger… but, I am not sure if I like him as man… Besides…’ A certain scene from the game flashes in my mind. It’s overlapping in a scene I’ve seen here. ‘I am such a fool… obviously they are together…’ A bitter smile graces my lips.

The lessons went well, save for the ocasion hateful glare... okay scratch that, hateful glare all along. Lucnh break bell rings..... “Okay class, that’s all for today... oh and there is winter ball on the 28th December. All of you MUST come, it’ll be the last event for you. Class dissmissed.” Then the teacher goes out of classroom.

I groan inwardly, ‘Great… a ballroom.’ Note the sacarsm. The students scatters, chatting about the ball, while the group (girls only) advance to me.

“Soooo.....” Yuffie begins the conversation. “Who is going to be your date?” she asked excitedly.

“I don’t want to go.” I groaned again.

“You shouldn’t idle too long [Name], he will be snatched away.” Aerith said gigglig slightly.

“He? Who?” I titled my head. ‘Do I like someone?’

“Of course it’s him.” Yuffie answered.

“Tsk tsk tsk. As if [Name] will like another boy except from him.” Stella raised her brow.

“That dense man is too dense.” Luna giggled.

“Who is he exactly?” I frowned. But to them, my expression right now is quite funny because they are giggling.

“Don’t play dumb [Name]. all of us already know who is he. He is the one who gifted you the golden watch on your birthday.” Tifa said.

‘So, that was a gift from someone. And that someone is my crush so to speak…’ I blinked. ‘Who is…’ Suddenly the answer appeared itself in my mind.

*Poof* my face explodes to a blush. ‘It’s him. That man who is a trouble to me just by being here.’ I covered my face looking away from the evil grins on their faces.

“That time he was so shy. It’s funny, right?” Yuffie exclaimed.

“Hey, you guys.” I was saved by Reno. “Who are going to be you girls’ date?” He asked excitedly.

“Not again…” I groaned. “Reno, you don’t have any delicacy at all.” I whined.

“What happened to her?” Reno blinked.

“Just girl trouble.” Stella giggled followed by the rest of the girl.

“I mean you guys have fixed date already. Is there any point to ask?” I pouted. “I’m sure Tifa is going with Cloud, Aerith and Zack, Yuffie with Vincent. Stella is with Prompto and Luna will be going with No-.” I said.

“My date is a secret.” Luna cut my sentence.

“Secret?” I blinked.

“Yep. You’ll know when the time comes.” She smiled mysteriously.

“So, what about you [Name]? Wanna be my date?” He winked.

I snort, “No, thank you.” I flat out rejected him. “If I go with you. Your group of angry girlfriends will be waiting for me. Nuh-uh. I still want to be perfectly healthy, thank you.” All of them excluding Reno who is now sulking are laughing at his misfortune. “I am probably going alone. There’s no rule I can’t go alone.” I smiled. “…What’s wrong?” I blinked when I found them stared at me oddly.

“[Name]… You are quite dense…” Tifa sweatdropped.

“Huh?” I titled my head.

“[Name] you know, you are quite popular. If you say you are searching for a date. Everyone will probably line up.” Aerith giggled.

“…You are teasing me, aren’t you? I have a plain face you know. The one that is neither pretty, beautiful or cute. Besides, if I mean if I am quite popular, how come no one talk to me or better yet flirt to me?” I put an unamused face.

‘That’s because a certain someone made sure no one will not talk to you more than necessary. How can they have a gut to flirt with you with him hanging around you like a guard dog.’ All of them sweatdropped.

“Enough about me. What about the prince?” I turned my question to the prince that walked past me back to his seat.

“About what?” He sat back down.

“The winter ball. Who are you escorting?” I asked.

He snorts. “I don’t want to go.” He said.

“Me too. But we are forced to go.” I chuckled.

“I am waiting for someone.” He answered shortly. His answer makes the boys laugh. I raise my eyebrow at their odd reaction.

“You should hurry and ask her out, or else she’ll out of your reach.” Zack chuckled.

“Yep. After all the effort you put into.” Cloud nodded.

Zack’s word make my chest stings a bit. ‘What is this feeling?’ I blink the I shake my head to ignore it and chat with the rest of them.

Zack’s word is still ringing in my head. I am indeed curious as who is he going to ask, but I am more curious about the feeling in my heart just now. ’They are just characters from game, right? So, why did I have this feeling? Besides, I am sure he is going to ask Luna. No need to think that hard. They obviously are going to reveal it at the winter ball.’ I finally asleep while thinking about this.

Again, I wake up from my peaceful slumber before the alarm rings. I rub my eyes to get rid the alimighty power of sleepiness. The calendar on my wall made me realize this is Saturday. ‘Oh, it’s finally this day.’

As usual, I did my everyday routine, and then off to school. My peaceful day was once again ruined by Tachibana-san and the rabid fangirls follower.

“You! You dare to embarass me the other day, in front of my Noctis no less.” She screehed.

“My...Noctis...? Wow, I am not sure how to reply to that statement... Besides, weren’t you the one asked me about my hand, I just answered that it would be better for you to experience it first hand.” I answered effortlessly.

“You bitch!” She swung her hand to slap me. I am ready to dodge and prepare some wise words. But, her hand was caught midair by a more masculine hand.

I turn my head to get a better look of my savior. ‘Squall.’ I blinked at the unexpected character. ‘Rinoa shouldn’t be too far from Squall.’ I giggled inwardly at my own thought.

“You better stop this or you’ll get more than just slapping.” He growled. Tachibana-san turns pale. She and her follower quickly retreat back.

Then suddenly a girl pops out from his side. “Are you okay, [Name]?” Said girl is no other than Rinoa. ‘As I thought, Rinoa is not far.’ I chuckled at my own thought.

“I am fine.” I answered. “But, why are you two here?” I asked, I am not surprised with the characters popping out as my friends anymore. Last time, I found out Ignis is our Chemistry teacher and Gladioulus as our school security guard.

“Listen well! this isn’t over! I’ll make your life a living hell!” Tachibana-san sreeched which we of course ignored. The she stomps out here with her rabid fangirls follower.

“Just like always, you are a trouble magnet.” Squall Leonhart, which like to be called Leon sighed.

“You haven’t answered my question... Squeon.” I added my personal nickname just to annoy him.

“Your parents were worried, so they asked me to take care of you.” He said ignoring my nickname.

“I am fine, Squeon.” I said again.

Squall snorts, he lifts my bandaged hand, “And you said this was okay.”

“[Name], you are injured. What happened?” Worrywart Rinoa asked.

“I am okay. It’s just a small wound, Quistis said it will heal in 2 or 3 days.” I said calming Rinoa down.

Then, we heard some footsteps running toward us. The group are rushing to us. “Squall! Rinoa!” They exclaimed happily when they saw them.

“It’s Leon.” He grunted.

“Nooo, it’s Squeon.” I laughed. Squall only glares at me using his infamous glare.

“Long time no see.” Rinoa smiled.

“[Name], are you alright? I heard from some people Tachibana was bullying you, what did she do to you?” The now panicking Tifa asked.

“I am okay. she was just going to slap me, but Squeon stopped her.” I answered.

“WHAT?! She was going to slap you?! That damn bitch! How dare she!” Zack cursed.

“Calm down. I am not strupid just standing there waiting her slaps me.” I snorted. ‘Besides, which idiot will stand still when they are going to be hit.’

“By the way, if Squall and Rinoa are here. Does that mean they are going to be your care taker again?” Cloud asked.

“Yes, they are.” I said grinning.

“Oooooh, it’s rare that we can gather here together. So, how about we go to Chocobo Land tomorrow?” Yuffie exclaimed excitedly.

“Chocobo Land.... Well, it’s been a while, the last time we go together was on [Name]’s birthday.” Aerith said. With that said, all of us decide to go to Chocobo Land tomorrow. Unbeknwon to me, I am playing right to their trap.~”~

“Eeeeehhhh~ Why can’t you go with us?” I asked, dismayed at the fact we couldn’t spend time together.

“Rinoa isn’t feeling well.” Was Squall short answer.

But I can’t shake the feeling that something is off. “She was fine yesterday.” I mumbled.

“Yesterday and today are different.” But all I did was stare, stare and stare. He sighs, “Just go already, you don’t want to be late, right?” He ushered me to go.

“Yes~” I sulked.

Arriving at the Chocobo Land. Only Noctis is at the rendezvous point. “Hey, Noct, where is the others?” I asked.

“They still haven’t arrived.” He answered.

‘Weird. They are usually on time. Maybe Yuffie will be a little late.’ I blinked at the unusual happening. And suddenly our phones ring at the same time signalling there are messages in our group chat.

Tifa

“Sorry, my parents are out of town suddenly. Need to housesit.”

Yuffie

Some brats in neighborhood are hunting my treasure. Need to safeguard it.

Zack

Am grounded. T.T

Luna

“Sis and I have trouble escaping from arranged marriage.

Stella

“Have fun. We will arrive there late.”

Aerith

“The shop is crowded. I can’t go out yet.”

Squall

“Rinoa is sick. Need to take care of her.”

Rinoa

Sorry guys.

Cloud

“Fixing my bike.”

Vincent

“…Sleepy…”

Prompto

“Helping acquaintance in photoshoot.”

‘What kind of hellish timing is this?’ I sweatdropped. ‘…No matter how I think, they are definitely setting us up.’ I sighed softly.

The two of us look at each other and sigh. “We were set up.” He said. “So, what should we do? Should we go home?” He asked again.

“Hmmm… We’re already here anyway. So, let’s just play. Just the two of us.” I grinned. A small smile is tugging on his lip hearing my sentece. But, unbeknown to us, we were followed by eight enthusiastic stalkers plus two reluctant stalkers and cameras.

Everywhere and anywhere as far as I can see, all I can see is Chocobo. The excitement is building up. “Chocobo♪~ Chocobo♪~.” I hummed out with sparkling eyes.

“Your love for Chocobo is something else.” Noct sweatdropped.

“What can I say, I just love Chocobo.” I giggled. “Then, our first ride will be that.” I pointed to the Chocobo Jet that was quite far from our meeting point.

“Figures you will ride that first.” Noctis chuckled.

“Let’s go!” I giggled excitedly. ‘Just for today. Let me spend a quality time with him. Yes…Just for today.’ The Chocobo Jet is really exciting. “I want to ride it again.” I said enthusiastically.

“Let’s ride the other attraction first. We’ll ride the roller coaster again later.” He sighed helplessly.

“It’s a promise, okay. I won’t go home if I don’t get to ride it again.” I stuck my pinky to him.

“Yes, yes. It’s a promise.” He hooked his pinky to mine. And then seamlessly warps his hand around mine and tugs me along.

I blink at the action. ‘Alert, alert. The parameter is rising.’ A slight blush adorns my cheeks. I quickly put a hand on my cheek to cool it down.

“What’s wrong?” He asked when he saw my weird action.

“Nothing!” I squeaked in high pitched voice.

He blinks, “You are so weird.” He laughed.

“I don’t want to hear that from you.” I stuck my togue out to him.

The next ride is Chocobo Cup. “Spin faster!” I laughed cheerily as I spun the cup faster.

“You’ll get dizzy later.” Noct smiled.

‘Hm…?’ from the corner of my eyes, I think I caught a glimpse of a familiar chocobo head. ‘Was I mistaken?’

“What’s wrong?” Ncoct asked when he realized I stopped spinning.

“Ah, nothing, I thought I saw Cloud.” I shook my head. “It must be my imagination. I mean this is Chocobo Land.” I laughed. All of the visitors are wearing Chocobo headband which we get as a free gift in the entrance.

“What do you want to do next?” He asked.

“Hm…Oh!” My eyes are drawn to the shooting range not far from us. More accurately, drawn to the prizes in that shooting range. “That! Let’s compete!” I turned to Noctis.

“Yes?”

“Let’s see who will get the grand prize first!” I exclaimed.

“Yo, ojou-chan, an-chan. The point for the grand prize is 150. The rule is easy. Your gun has 3 bullets. Knock down the plate with the point written on it. collect 150 points and you have the grand prize. Easy, right?” Baku explained.

“Yep!” I nodded.

“One game is 150 gil.” He smiled.

“Give us two guns.” Noct said as he handed him the money.

“Haiyo!” Baku handed us the bullet.

“The game is on!” I grinned.

~One Round Later~

“Not fair….” I sulked. In the end, Noctis wins with overwhelming victory. I don’t understand how he managed to get 200 points, while I couldn’t even get the 10 points plate down.

“Bwahahahaha! Ojou-chan, you are the best! Your skill is one in one hundred!” Baku laughed merrily.

“Sh-shut up!” I cried out.

“An-chan, your skill is amazing. Usually, the guests will spend more than 3 games to get a hang of this game.” He smirked.

“This is just a fluke. My friend happens to be good at this kind of game. I was only following his advice.” Noct answered.

“Heh. I want to meet this friend of yours.” Baku smirked.

“Next time, I guess.” Noct shrugged his shoulder.

“Bahahaha! I can’t wait!” Baku laughed harder.

While those two are chatting. I am already at my own land of misery. “I am sorry Chocobo. I can’t get you. I am sorry I am such a failure.” I murmured.

“So, what happen to Ojou-chan?” Baku sweatdropped.

“She just happened to love Chocobo a bit too much. Too much that I am jealous.”

“Bwahahaha! You win the game, but lost the war. I really pity you, An-chan” Baku patted his shoulders.

“Haahh…” He sighed. “[Name]. Here, this is yours.” Something is shoved to my face. It’s the grand prize of the shooting range, Golden Chocobo.

“For me?” I blinked.

“Of course.” He rolled his eyes. “If I don’t give it to you. You’ll keep staring at me as if you are having a grudge on me.” He smirked.

“I-I will not.” I flushed.

“Ojou-chan!” Baku called.

“Yes?”

“Here. A consolation prize.” Baku gave me two droppy chocobo hat. “Thanks to Ojou-chan, I have a great laugh today.” Baku grinned.

“Thank you!” I quickly put it on my head, while keeping the headband I got on my small backpack I brought. “Noct, you wear one too.” I gave the hat to him. The said man obediently bends down his body so I can put it on him. “We match!” I laughed happily, completely missing his softened look to me.

“Bahahaha! I pray for your success, an-chan.” Baku laughed.

“Thanks.” Noct replied. While I completely don’t understand what they were talking about. “Let’s go. We still have many attractions to ride.” He tugged my hand along.

“Yes!” ‘I think whether this is a dream or reality, this will be the happiest day of my live.’

Our next destination is, “Chocobo House!!!” I shrieked at the sight. I rush to the house, wanting to see it up close and personal.

“Hey! Don’t run!” I heard Noct’s warning.

“Don’t worry! I am not a child. I won’t fall down. Hurry up! Hurry up!” I urged him.

“We need to buy tickets first.” He sighed.

“Ah.” I blinked, completely forgotten that. Noct rolls his eyes as he pays for the tickets.

“Thank you for the purchase. Please enjoy the house.” The staff smiled.

Chocobo House, truly befitting the name. The house is basically Chocobo den. Look right, there will be a lot of Chocobo. Look left, there will be a lot of Chocobo. Look up, there will be a lot of Chocobo lantern. Look down, the tile is Chocobo pattern. And in the center if the house, there is the fat Chocobo.

“….Can I take that home?” I muttered out loud.

“Will it fit in your room?” Noct sweatdropped.

“I have an unused room. It will fit there. I can just move my Chocobo shrine there.” My eyes sparkled.

“Oi oi oi. Will they even let you buy it. Rather, even if they are willing to sell. Does your pocket money enough?” Noct sighed.

“Hmmm…. I should really get a part time job.” I muttered as I trying to calculate how much the Fat Chocobo will cost.

“Wait! Wait! They are selling the miniature version of Fat Chocobo. Let’s take a look.” Noct dragged me to the merchandise counter. In the end, I buy the Fat Chocobo plushie. More precisely, it was bought for me.

“I could buy it myself. You’ve paid for the rides and tickets. I can at least buy the merchandise myself.” I pouted and frowned as I hugged the plushie.

“It’s fine. I just want to. My father told me I need to spoil you to win your heart. He even willingly and happily to let me spend money to make you his daughter in law.” He muttered.

“Hm? What did you say?” I couldn’t hear the second part of his sentences.

“Nothing. Let’s ride that next.” He pointed to the Chocobo-go-round.

“Okay!” ~”~

“I am hungry~” I whined as I sat on the park bench.

“It’s already 1.00 p.m.” Noctis said as he looked at his watch. “The food court is over there.” Noctis said.

“Yosh! After lunch, we are going to continue.” I beamed, while my companion just shook his head at my antics. “Hey, don’t tell me you don’t enjoy it. Because we know it’s a lie.” I pointed my finger to him.

“I never said I didn’t.” He chuckled.

“Then all is well.” I grinned.

We are sitting in the food court, waiting for our order. The topic of our conversation is the hellish timing our friends have. “They are definitely…” I trailed off.

“…Doing this in purpose…” He finished.

“There’s no way they have this kind of convenient timing of not going. Well, in Zack’s case… he might be really grounded.” I giggled as we glanced secretly to the seats behind us.

“He-hey! Don’t be too noisy, they’ll find out.” A familiar voice of Tifa was heard.

“But, I can’t hear what are they talking about.” Yuffie whined.

“What a sloppy tailing.” I sniggered.

“They really… have too much free time.” Noct sighed.

“They seem don’t know that we’ve know they tailed us from the start.” I laughed merrily, really enjoying this charade. From the corner of my eyes, I can see now they are fighting for food, Zack and Cloud plus Yuffie. “Let’s caught them red handed later.” I laughed.

“Here are your orders.” A kind waitress set down our food.

“Thank you.” We thanked her.

“Please enjoy!” She smiled cheerily.

“Thanks for the food.” ~”~

“Noct. Let’s go over there.” I pointed to an ice-cream stall.

“Didn’t you just eat lunch?” He blinked.

“If it’s for ice cream, I am sure my stomach will make more room.” I answered.

“….What flavor?” He could only helplessly ask.

“Sea-salt ice cream!” I said excitedly.

“Wait here.” He told me and he is off to the stall.

“Ah, I want ice cream too.” I heard Yuffie whined.

“If we go now. We’ll be caught.” Stella reminded.

“But… ice cream…” I could already imagine her face looked like a kicked puppy.

“We need to endure.” Luna said sternly.

“Here.” Noct came back with an ice cream.

“Where is yours?” I blinked as I took the ice cream.

“I am good.” He said.

“Is that so?” I licked the ice. “Mmmnn… It’s delicious.” My eyes sparkled. “Here. Have a taste. It’s delicious. Delicious food should be shared to double the deliciousness.” I grinned.

“…Then, I’ll be happy to oblige.” He smiled softly as eat the ice from my hand.

“How is it? Isn’t it delicious?” I asked animatedly.

“Yeah. It’s delicious.” A ghost smile on his lips.

“See! I told you, you should buy one for yourself.” I said smugly. I quickly devour the ice cream until I realize what have I done. *Poof* ‘He ate mine…. Indirect kiss… No no no, let’s not think about it.… Okay, breathe in… breathe out… It’s okay. It’s just indirect kiss. No biggie….NO! it’s not okay for my heart! Does he even realized what he has done! I know I was the one offered it to him, but…’

“Why is your face red? Is it heatstroke?” He frowned.

“No! I am fine! Completely fine. It’s only a little bit too hot! It’s not a heatstroke!” The completely flustered me squeaked out. “Let’s go there!” I randomly pointed a ride and hurried there, missing the knowing smirk on his face.

The clock has shown 5.30 p.m. the only remaining ride is, “Hey, Noct. Let’s ride Chocobo Wheel.” I dragged him to the line. The said man allows me to drag him, he’s suprisingly obidient.

The Ferris Wheel stops when we are at the top. “When are we going to catch them red handed?” He smirked.

“You’ll see.” I grinned mischievously. “As expected from the highest point. I can see all of them park from here. It’s beautiful.” I was awed by the breathtaking view.

“Indeed…” What I didn’t know is, he wasn’t talking about the view.

The ride has ended. We are back on the land. “Ah! I have to call Squeon, first. I am worried about Rinoa.” I said out loud, letting our stalkers hear. “If he has something he needs, I can swing to the nearest drug store.” I fished out my phone from my bag. Can practically hear the nervous choked sounds from our stalkers. I push the speed dial button number 1. A familiar ringtone rings. My smile widens when I heard that.

“Hello!” I waved to them. We catch our stalkers red handed. “I thought you all have some kind of troubles.” I raised my brow.

“Ahahahha… We were just...uh…worried about you two. Yes, we were worried.” Zack laughed nervously, which then elbowed by Aerith for stuttering.

“So, did you guys get nice pictures? Because I am expecting it.” I snickered.

“I thought you were grounded, Zack.” Noct smirked.

“Hey, everyone! The photos are done. What are- “Yuffie stopped in mid sentence when she saw us. “Ahahahaha. Hello, [Name].” Yuffie greeted me.

“Geh! Noct!” Prompto gasped.

“Yuffie~, Prompto ~ What about those pictures in your hands?” I asked with a smile etched on my face.

“O-oh, th-this is..” She trailed off, senaking a glance on me, I still waiting her answer with a smile. “Eheheheh.... Okay, I give up. Here, all yours.” She gave us the photos they took. To put it simply, those are our candid photos. There are also the others but mostly about me and Noctis.

“Awww, this one is soo cute.” Tifa cooed. The pictures she chooses is the one when Noct was eating my ice cream. The angle is good. It’s just quite embarrassing.

“Heheh. Mine is this.” Luna chose the time when I put Chocobo hat on Noct.

“Oh. I like this one.” Stella picked our competition in shooting range.

“This one is good.” Aerith liked the one where I hug the huge Fat Chocobo in Chocobo House.

“Oookay. Let’s save this for later. For the last ride, we’ll go on Chocobo Jet. I will not allow any objection.” I exclaimed happily. For the last ride. We are fortunate the ride is enough for all of us.

“It was fun! It’s been a while I play this much.” I stretched.

“We should come here together again.” Rinoa smiled.

“Agreed! But no more stalking.” I laughed.

Time sure flies fast. It’s already one week before Christmas, we the girls are shopping for Christmas gift. ‘Sooo, what should I buy? Let’s just buy what they can use everyday.’ The other girls already busy choosing their own gifts. I am just strolling in the accesorries shop. After all of us finished, we head back to home. ~”~

It’s finally Christmas. The girls agreed to gather at Tifa’s house and give a make-over to each other, while I opted to not involved which is not an option. I am also dragged in to the whole fiasco. Exactly 7 p.m. We heard the knock, signaling the boy group has come.

“Merry Christmas.” Zack said excitedly.

“Merry Christmas.” We greeted. After we greeted each other, the party starts. I give them their respective gifts. Earrings for Tifa, bracelet for Yuffie, a necklace for Stella and Luna, a phone case for Vincent, a dress for Aerith, a google for Cloud, another dress for Rinoa and a for Zack, my self proclaimed brother, I gave him a pair of shoes. For my dearest cousin, it’s a leather jacket.

I am now down to the last person, but the said person isn’t in the room. The gift is still clutched in my hand. I see Tifa tilts her head to the yard, I nod and flash a grateful smile.

I found him gazing stars. “Not going to enter?” I asked.

Noctis glances at me and then back to the stars. “Too noisy.” Was his short answer. I laugh lightly at his short, but clear answer.

There is a comfortable silence between us, until I remember the reason I searched him. “Here.” I gave him the small blue box.

“For me?” I nodded at his question. Then he also pulls out something small from his pocket and gives it to me. I look at the gift curiously. I try to guess what’s in this little black box. Seeing the blatant curiosity on my face, Noctis chuckles. “Open it.” He said. With that said, I open the box excitedly. There, in the black box there is a ring necklace. My name is carved on the ring. My eyes widened and let out a small laugh. Noctis only stares at me with raised eyebrow.

“Open my gift.” I said still laughing. With a strange look he opens the box. His eyes also widen, there in the blue box I gave him, there’s also a same ring necklace. the only difference is the carved names. Then a small laugh also escapes from his lips.

“Will you allow me to escort you in the winter ball?” He asked.

This question caught me off guard. I never thought he will ask me let alone think about it. I look left, right and then behind me to see if someone is there. “…Are you practicing so you can ask Luna?” I blinked.

“Why are you bringing up Luna?” He frowned.

“Eh? Why? Because isn’t that so?” I was taken back.

“It’s not.” He sighed exasperated.

“Then… If you are fine with me. I’ll be happy to take on your offer.” I smiled. ~”~

The day before the ball. The girls agree to meet up again in Tifa’s house right after school. They are going to match the dress they’ve bought with their accessories. “Hm? [Name], where’s your dress?” Luna asked.

“Ah, I don’t have one I was sure I am going alone, so I didn’t buy dress. I am going to wear school uniform. The rule didn’t specifically say the dress code is an evening dress.” I smiled sheepishly.

“School…” (Stella)

“Uni…” (Aerith)

“…form” (Tifa)

“You said?!” (Luna)

“Huh? Isn’t Noctis escorting you?” Yuffie blinked.

“He did two days ago. It’s just, I don’t have time to pick up dress. So, I am going to wear school uniform.” I nodded.

“Change of plan.” Stella said seriously.

“Yes. We have a change of plan.” Luna agreed.

“Huh?” I blinked.

“We are going to shop for your dress right now.” Aerith smiled.

“Eh? Right now. We don’t have that much time…anymore.” I finished timidly, seeing their scary smiles.

“Sorry [Name}. Even I can’t help you.” Yuffie said. ~”~

At last, the most dreaded day that I wish never come is finally here. 28th December, that means the winter ball. ‘Why it has to be a ballroom, can we just change to more casual party?’ I groaned.

“[Name], you shouldn’t put that kind of face. You are the prince’s date, are you not?” Zack teased.

“The said prince has the same opinion as me.” I said unamused. The girls and the boys wear a matching color, including Noct and I. Apparently, Luna called Noct and asked, no demanded him to wear a cobalt blue suit, so he can match with my dress.

The hall is decorated just like a real ballroom. There are also snacks and drinks there. Once we enter the hall, Reno instantly flies to the other side of the hall sweet talking to a group of girls. The others asked their dates to dance with them. Being a gentleman he is, our favourite prince also asks me to dance. “I can’t dance.” I smiled wryly.

“Don’t worry. Just follow my lead. Waltz is an easy dance.” He said taking my hand. We dance peacefully until someone with the name of Tachibana Kirika ruins it.

“Noctis dear~” She called with such coquettish voice that it actually made me had a goosebumps. “I am sure I can be a better partner than this plain looking girl.” Tachibana-san winked at him.

“Sorry if I am plain looking. At least, you should learn how to wear a proper make up. The color doesn’t suit you.” I rolled my eyes.

“No, thank you.” He refused politely.

But that sets Tachibana-san in rage. “Exactly what did you see in this girl?” She screeched and pointed her finger to me. “I am prettier and a ton of guys asked me to be their date.” She yelled.

Noctis narrows his eyes. “Then, you can have them to accompany you. Listen, I am tired of your antics. Don’t you dare badmouth her! The next time you do so, I won’t forgive you!” Noctis snapped. Then, Noct storms out from the hall, leaving the said girl there standing dumbfounded and biting her fingernail.

‘Wow, this is the first time I see him angry.’ I too, quietly leaving the hall searching for my partner.

“So, you are here.” I said after I found him on the rooftop. He only stands there unmoving. “Still angry?” I asked.

“Not anymore.” He answered.

“I doubt she will stalk you after your outburst just now.” I laughed.

“She better be.” He let out a snort.

“Hey, Noct.”

“Hm?”

“What was the meaning of the word carved in the golden watch?” I asked as I took out the watch from my dress’ small pocket.

“Are you curious about that?” He asked.

“Very.” Was my answer.

“That is-” He walked closer to me without breaking the eye contact. He stands right in front of me, making me wait with bated breath. He bends down so his mouth right beside my ear, and whispers softly. “Eternal bond.” After saying that, he stood straight. A small smile on his lip, satisfied with my now blushing face.

“You-! Can just say it normally.” I glared at him. The futile glare only makes him smiles. He pulls me toward him. “Wha-” I blinked rapidly as he pressed his lips to mine.

‘Unable to process. [Name].exe crashed.’

I suddenly wake up from my nap and look at my surrounding. I am in my room, the same room before all of that happen, my workbook is still on my desk untouched. “I see, that was a dream after all.” I said disappointed. I blush again remembering the last part of the dream. “What an outrageous dream I had.” I sweatdropped. I put my finger on my lips as if I can still feel the warmth.

“[Name], you idiot. That was just a dream.” I scolded myself. “Rather than thinking about it, I should take a bath.” I mumbled walking to the bathroom. Unbeknown to me there are a ring necklace with my name and a golden watch with its lid opened on my desk.

“Our bond is eternal”

#noctis x reader #final fantasy #FF #fluff #ffxv #ff series #ff fic #noctis lucis caelum #noctis x oc

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queenclaudiabrown · 2 years ago

Text

Ocean Eyes | VII: Atlantis (Part Two)

Stephen’s residence was a cave in one of the city’s rock formations. The ‘door’ was a curtain of seagrass covering a narrow opening in the rock, small rocks placed on parts of the curtain and set into finger-deep or shallower dips in the rock used to hold it in place. Stephen unweighted one side of the cover to let the others through, Nick leading the way, before putting it back in place behind them.

Through the doorway was only a small space, barely big enough for a Mer, but it promptly expanded downward and then horizontally deeper into an underground cavern. Said cavern seemed to be divided naturally, with doorways- some curtained, some not- carved into the cave walls.

Nick showed Danny to a mostly empty chamber, where only a chunk of coral reef with a net on top was located. “Uh, you can wedge yourself onto that, or use that net to tie yourself down to it. Or you can just float. I prefer to float, so does Stephen, but Abigail usually wedges herself into a reef or a rock.”

“Right. Gotcha.” Danny said, but by his tone, he didn’t get Nick at all. This was lunacy- utter and complete lunacy. How could someone sleep wedged into something or tied down, never mind floating?

Leaving the hybrid to figure that out by himself, Nick swam back out to the main chamber, where the entry tunnel met up with the majority of the cavern. Abby was nowhere to be seen, presumably having retired to the chamber she usually slept in. Stephen, however, remained in the main room, tinkering with the things on his shelves.

“Daniel’s settled in. I’m guessing Abby is too?”

Stephen nodded, passing a seashell back and forth in his hands in thought. “She’s pretty tired, but it’s not from the swimming. Something’s been on her mind.”

“Mm, I noticed. She hasn’t said anything to me, though.”

Stephen put the shell back on the shelf. “Something’s been on my mind too.” He admitted, turning to face the blond. “Have you ever thought about legs? Walking on land?”

Nick nodded. “Aye, I have. It’s not fair to Claudia that every time she wants to see me- or I want to see her- she has to come down to the water. I’d like to be able to go to her.” He hesitated. “Have you been thinking about walking again?”

“I’ve only walked once before a few days ago, and we both know when that was. I…I want to know what it feels like, to walk without needing to. To walk just because I want to. Sarah was very helpful a few days ago, and…I don’t know, I guess it made me realize that walking doesn’t always have to be unpleasant.”

Nick smiled. “I don’t suppose you want to walk for Dr. Page, do you?”

Stephen scowled. “What are you insinuating?”

The blond shrugged, faking innocence rather transparently. “Oh, nothing, nothing. Only, I’ve noticed how you look at her. It’s how I look at Claudia and how Abby looks at Connor.”

Stephen perked up at the latter two names. “Speaking of, I’m not sure how well that’s going. So if you’ll excuse me, your cousin has been in a mood ever since we left and I’m going to find out why.”

With that, Stephen ended the conversation swimming out of the room and heading for Abigail’s.

Abby had spent the duration of the trip since their departure fuming over Connor’s girlfriend, angry and irritated without knowing why she was. She hadn’t been hiding it, but she also hadn’t been expecting Stephen of all merpeople to pop into her room and quiz her on it. Yet that’s exactly what he did.

To be fair, he was full of surprises lately.

“So, what’s been eating at you?” He opened the conversation.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”

He gave her a look that explicitly told her he would not be falling for that.

“Alright, I know exactly what you’re talking about.” She admitted.

“You sound like Nick.” Stephen commented with the ghost of a fond smile. “He can’t lie to me either. C’mon, what’s going on?”

“Fine, I’ve been moody lately. So? It’s not that odd. Why don’t you just let me work it out myself like we always do?”

“This isn’t like any other sour mood you’ve ever had. And believe me, I remember them all. Vividly. Why don’t you just tell me how you feel?” He suggested.

The blonde sighed. “I’m feeling…angry. Hurt, I guess. I keep asking myself if I’ve done something wrong, but I keep coming up blank. And I miss Connor. I feel like he doesn’t want to be around me anymore.” She admitted.

Stephen nodded slowly, considering. “You know I struggle to understand humans and their behavior, but I think I know what’s making you feel this way.” He decided.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

He smirked. “Jealousy.”

Abigail recoiled at the word. “‘Jealousy’? I’m not jealous.”

“Sure you are.” Stephen replied- a little too cheerfully- with a shrug. “You’re jealous that Connor’s got another woman around. Flirting with him, getting his attention and affection. You feel replaced.”

Abby scowled. “I’m not jealous.”

Stephen huffed a laugh of bubbles and put up his hands in mock-surrender. “Fine, fine, have it your way.” He swam toward the chamber’s exit. “Denying it won’t solve anything, though.” He called over his shoulder. “Believe me, I’ve tried.”

With that, he left her to stew and consider his opinion.

It was just before noon the day after they’d left that the Atlantis entourage returned.

The group split once the Inn’s docks came into view, each going their own way. Nick made a beeline for his and Claudia’s (unofficially claimed) dock, where she had apparently been visiting as she was now walking away. He quickly popped out of the water. “Claudia!” He called.

She spun around, a wide smile on her face. “Nick!” She ran back down the dock and dropped to her knees, throwing her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in his neck, paying no heed to how it must’ve hurt to go down like that or how wet she was getting. He reciprocated the embrace gladly. “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth.” He admitted, chuckling. Reluctantly he pulled back, putting his hands on her arms to steady her so she didn’t pitch headfirst forward into the briny. “I’ve been thinking about it, and…if you’d get me some towels and trousers, I’d like to walk up to that lovely inn of yours and spend some time with you there.”

Claudia was overjoyed and made no attempts to conceal it. “Oh God, yes! I’ll ask Danny if I can borrow something of his- he’s the closest in size to you.” She pulled back to stand but paused, bending back down to kiss his cheek. “I’ll be right back!”

She practically ran back toward the inn, bumping into Danny in the process. “Oh! Hi, Danny. Odd question- can I borrow a pair of your trousers? Nick wants to walk.”

He shrugged amicably. “Sure. Hey, where’s Jen?”

“Probably at the cliff- yes, I know she showed you. She tells me everything. Thanks for the trousers!” She was off again before he could get a word out edgeways, a spring in her step.

Abby had calmed down a bit, but her annoyance bubbled up again hotly when she found Connor on the dock with the wench practically in his lap. ‘Jealousy’ a voice suspiciously like Stephen’s sang in her head.

She ignored it.

She grabbed the side of the dock and flipped her tail up onto the surface, almost gleeful at the amount of water that consequently splashed onto the couple. She heaved her upper body onto the dock and rolled with the momentum, bumping into Connor’s side as she did. “Hey.” She greeted, beaming up at him.

“Abby, you’re back!” He exclaimed excitedly, turning and leaning down to hug her, completely forgetting his girlfriend.

“I am.” She replied brightly with a thousand-watt smile.

Said girlfriend cleared her throat pointedly behind them. Connor seemed to suddenly remember her existence and sat up, helping Abby do the same. “Oh! Abby…this is Caroline.” He introduced.

Abby thrust out a hand, causing Caroline’s dark eyes to flare wide at the sheer size of it. Fighting a wince, she put her own comparatively small, very manicured hand into Abby’s and struggled to keep her smiley façade up as the mermaid gripped it crushingly tight and shook it near-violently. Abruptly, she dropped Caroline’s hand and redirected her attention to Connor again. “Can you give me your jacket so I can dry off? I overheard Nick and Stephen talking about switching over to legs so they can walk on land, and I’ve decided I want to do that too.”

“Wow! Really?” Connor asked enthusiastically.

“You’re worth it.” The blonde’s tone was flirtatious, but Caroline was the only human that noticed.

Connor blushed. “Aw, thanks Abs.” He shed his jacket and offered it to her. She mopped off the excess water, whenever possible pushing it at Caroline, who gritted her teeth and forced herself not to flinch.

“Alright, if you can just help me up….” Abby put her arms around Connor, and he awkwardly obliged her wishes, managing to help her stand on her newly-forming feet. She leaned on him heavily, genuinely apologetic for that.

“I’m very ashamed to say this, but I can’t get you in the house myself, Abs.” Connor admitted.

“Oh, that’s alright.” Abby unwrapped one arm from around Connor and slung it over Caroline’s expensively-dressed shoulders and flashed a mischievous smile full of teeth. “Caroline’s got my other side, doesn’t she?”

Caroline gritted her teeth, biting back everything she wanted to say and grudgingly put the effort into helping Connor bring the mermaid inside- dripping onto her pricey Louis Vutton heels all the while.

Danny, upon reaching the docks, had shaken out his tail and dried off with a towel that probably Patrick had left, then dressed in the pile of clothes also there. He headed for the inn, passing Emily and Charlotte’s favorite garden on the way. Unsurprisingly, Patrick and Charlotte were there, sitting in the padded bench swing and looking utterly content. “I’m back, by the way. Thanks for the towel and clothes.” He called, not pausing to stay.

“‘Hi Patrick, how’ve you been while I was gone?’” Patrick yelled after him, annoyed by the ‘greeting’. “‘Boring, Danny, I missed you!’ Unbelievable, Charlotte, unbelievable.”

Danny wanted to see his brother, of course, but he was missing Jenny something fierce at the moment and wanted to reunite with her (for lack of a better term) first. After bumping into his girlfriend’s twin and being informed by her of where Jenny probably was, he headed in that direction.

Sure enough, Jenny was there, sitting in the shade of the tree closest to the edge- which was still a few feet back- and watching the ocean intently for her boyfriend’s return. He softened his steps and crept up behind her, then squatted down beside the tree and put a hand over her eyes. “Guess who?”

“Danny!” She shrieked, jumping in place. He took his hand back and she twisted in her spot to see him. “God, you scared me! How long have you been back? I’ve been watching for hours.”

“Only just got back.” He replied, causing her to relax.

“How did it go with the great and mighty King Lester?”

He sighed. “Not terribly, although for a minute I thought he was gonna kill me. They don’t know who my dad is, but they’ll tell me if they find out.” She nodded and opened her mouth to say something else, but he held up his hand, causing her to shut her mouth and frown adorably. “No more questions right now. C’mere and give me a kiss.”

The frown turned upside-down and she cheerfully leaned in to oblige.

Meanwhile, Stephen spotted Sarah walking on the lawn near the docks, causing his already pleasant mood to brighten even more. He heaved himself up onto the dock, making sure to be as loud as possible to attract her attention without shouting. Sure enough, she heard the ruckus of splashing water and turned to see. A smile spread across her face and she headed over, waiting for him to shake out his tail before stepping onto the dock.

“Hey.” She greeted, offering a soft smile. “When did you get back?”

He returned her grin with one of his own. “Just now. C’mere, I brought you something.” He beckoned for her to come to him, swiveling himself so his tail hung off the edge of the dock to make more room for her.

She found a dry spot and sat down next to the merman, who even sitting towered over her. He placed a pouch of what looked like some sort of sea grass between them. Sarah unlaced what she presumed to be the closure seam of the package carefully and drew in a breath of awed surprise. “Stephen, this is incredible.” She said, looking down at the large assortment of shells and starfish skeletons. There were even a few sand dollars, shark’s teeth, and pearls. “How long did it take you to collect all these?”

“A long time.” He confessed. He picked up a long auger shell. “This was my first. I was twelve.” He turned his hand to offer it to her, which she accepted, running her fingertips up and down it, feeling the ridges and texture. “But I’m not showing you these to brag. I want you to have them.”

Sarah floundered (no pun intended), having not expected that. “Stephen, you don’t need to do that.”

“Isn’t that what humans do? Give gifts to the ones they care about?”

“…Sometimes, I suppose, but-”

He cut her off gently. “Well, this is my gift to you. This is what I want to give you. Besides, they remind me of you.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed. Strong and hard, and dependable, but beautiful. Very beautiful.”

Sarah blushed furiously, a reaction that was becoming commonplace in his presence. She ducked her head, covering her face with a curtain of glossy black hair. “Anyone ever tell you that you’re a real charmer?”

Stephen smiled broadly. “Mm, not in a while.” He reached up and swept the hair away from one side of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “I hate to ask, but I don’t suppose you could find me another towel? And maybe a pair of trousers? I’d like to get comfortable with walking.”

She smiled, her happiness for him overriding her embarrassment. “I’m glad to hear that. Yeah, I can do that. I’ll be back in a minute.”

On her way to get said towels, she bumped into Claudia, who was carrying a bundle of her own. “Is Nick gonna be walking around?”

Claudia startled at the sudden question. “…Yeah. How did you know?”

“Oh, um…Stephen wants to as well. I came to get towels.” She confessed. “Where’d you get the trousers?”

“Danny said we could borrow some of his, since he’s built bigger than most humans. He won’t mind if Stephen takes a pair too.” The inn co-owner said. “I’m glad to see him coming out of his shell- no pun intended.”

Sarah laughed. “Me too.”

Sarah collected some towels and a pair of trousers from Danny’s room, bringing them down to the docks and passing Claudia helping Nick walk on her way back, a sight that made her grin.

She helped Stephen dry off again, and get dressed, and once she’d collected the towels and the seashells- the collection now her most prized possession- she helped him walk up to the inn. They found Nick sitting on a sofa in one of the inn’s living rooms and Abby seated in an armchair on one side, her new legs propped up on the coffee table and resting on a stack of Caroline’s Italian Vogue magazines, so Sarah eased the brunet down into an armchair opposite Abby’s.

“You too, huh?” Abby commented with a knowing smirk.

“Surprised Connor managed to get you in here himself.” Stephen admitted.

She wiggled her bare toes, her smile turning naughty. “Caroline helped.”

He tipped his head back to rest on the top of the chair’s back. “You didn’t.”

“I can’t believe she didn’t spontaneously combust. Although that probably would’ve ruined her ridiculous ‘designer’ clothes more than the seawater did.” Abigail cackled, making air quotes with her fingers.

Nick shook his head fondly.

Claudia entered the room a few minutes later, carrying a tray of teacups on saucers. “Alright, here’s that tea. It’s cold and there’s no sweeteners or lemon or cream in it- I thought it might not be so bad that way.”

She set down the tray on the coffee table before Nick, who leaned forward to take a mug. The sight of him carefully cradling the alien dishware in his giant hands had her coughing to cover a laugh. Carefully he took a sip of it- an abhorrently noisy slurp- and looked up at Claudia with big, wondering eyes. “It’s good.”

She exhaled in relief, visibly relaxing. “Thank God. It’s not too…I don’t know, herby?”

Nick shook his head, going in for another drink. “No, it’s good. I like it.”

Stephen impulsively decided to lean forward and pick up a teacup of his own, taking a drink. It was horrible, in his opinion, but he’d known Nick long enough to know that the blond did honestly like it. He forced himself to swallow and set it back down. “I don’t think it’s for me, I’m afraid.” He admitted. He smirked wickedly. “But I’m not the one whose favor you’re trying to gain.”

She laughed bemusedly, brows furrowed like a frown but mouth smiling awkwardly. “What?”

Stephen and Abby exchanged mock-exasperated looks, shaking their heads fondly. “What?” Claudia repeated, a little shrilly this time. She huffed. “Fine, have your inside joke.”

“Don’t be mad at us, Claudia.” Abby piped up. “It’s more frustrating for us to watch you completely deny how you feel.”

“Oi, Claudia, come look at this.” Becker said, entering the room and cutting off any unladylike retorts she might’ve had. There was a familiar tablet in his hands, the one he used to check the security camera’s he’d set up.

“Don’t tell me it’s another bloody bird. It wasn’t funny last time and it won’t be this time.” She said, walking up to him to see what he was looking at. She was referring to an incident in which Becker had pranked Claudia, knowing her fear of birds (mainly seagulls), and showed her a seagull abruptly flying into one of their security cameras. She had refused to speak to him for two days, and he had learned his lesson.

“It’s not. I wouldn’t do that to you.” He said. She raised her eyebrows pointedly and he amended, “Again. I wouldn’t do that to you again.” Satisfied and smirking, Claudia took the tablet from his hands and peered at the short looping clip recorded the previous night.

It was a tall, slender figure- a woman, judging by how the shirt fit the torso- standing under a tree next to the streetlamp closest to the Inn’s property. The choppy clip wasn’t much, just the figure turning away.

“Well, that could just be someone having a fag.” Claudia reasoned. “Do you have any other footage?”

Becker nodded, taking the tablet back for a moment and tapping on the screen. “This is in the parallel parking right on the edge of Inn property. I can’t see him in the car, but if the plates are right it’s Oliver Leek’s car.”

“It’s probably just a friend or girlfriend or something.” Claudia reasoned, taking it back. Despite being a short black-and-white security feed clip, the person on the screen was still easy to make out. It was a woman in probably her late thirties, with dark hair just past her shoulders and even darker, hard eyes set above a hard mouth. When her gaze, surveying her surroundings, turned and aimed straight at the camera, a chill went down Claudia’s spine. There was something oddly menacing about her that unsettled Claudia, especially that stare. It was almost…predatory.

“Maybe I should ask Mr. Leek who she is.” The inn owner suggested, changing her tune. “There’s something about her I don’t like.”

“Can I see?” Stephen stood up carefully and asked, simply curious. He wasn’t really thinking about it or in any way suspicious, just curious.

“Sure.” Claudia turned the tablet so he could see the close-up picture.

Stephen whitened, eyes widening in horror. He stumbled backwards a step, then hastily sat down in the nearest armchair, white-knuckling the armrests. Every muscle in his body was tense and taut, as if bracing to be hit by a truck, and his chest was expanding in short and shallow yet rapid breaths.

The Browns and Brown-relatives exchanged wary glances. They had seen such behavior before- in Emily, when she went to court during Henry’s trial. He had snarled and sneered and glowered at her, biting out threats and insults, and had it not been for security and police being present, Emily’s relatives would’ve torn the man to bits on the spot for just that. Stephen’s reaction, so painfully familiar, was practically a screaming announcement.

Whoever this woman was, she had hurt Stephen. Badly.

“Nick….” He spoke, voice choked with emotion. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me it’s not her.”

The blond merman reached over and carefully took the tablet from Claudia’s hands, holding it awkwardly. The moment his eyes landed on the image he also stiffened, color draining out of his face, but his reaction wasn’t as intense and terrified as Stephen’s- whatever trauma this woman had inflicted had been less severe for him, apparently. “Oh my God.”

Sarah gently pulled the device from his hands and gave it back to Claudia, leaning over the arm of the couch to lay a gentle hand on one of Stephen’s. “What’s wrong? Who is she?”

Nick swallowed hard. “Her name is Helen Ambrose.”

“We have to get her away.” Stephen uttered abruptly, eyes staring off intensely at nothing, indicating he may not even have heard Nick. “We have to get rid of her. Or all of us- even the humans- need to get as far away from here as possible. No one is safe.”

Nick nodded solemnly in agreement and let out a deep, heavy sigh, suddenly looking ten years older. “Claudia, there’s something I haven’t told you.”

“There was no point in saying anything. It was a long time ago, in the past. All I wanted was for it to stay there.” Stephen added wearily, glancing at the deeply-concerned Sarah.

Nick took a deep breath and launched into the story of what happened eight years ago.

Strolling out of the hair salon, Helen Ambrose smiled at her phone screen, pleased at her accomplice’s progress. She would need to meet with him later to iron out a few details, but for now?

She had a dissection laboratory to prepare.

dividers are used with permission from their creator, @animatedglittergraphics-n-more . "Soaring silver colonnades" is from Doctor Who and some other lines are from Primeval

Author’s note: I have no experience with trauma strong enough to elicit a reaction like what I wrote, so I apologize if this is inaccurate. The reasons for those reactions will be explained in the next chapter, but it still might be inaccurate.

Author's note 2: I know there wasn’t a picture for Atlantis, but I couldn’t find a good enough one. Look up Petra, Jordan; Ellora caves and Ajanta Caves in India, and stuff like that for a general idea of what Atlantis looks like.

Author’s note 3: Also, for those of you who don’t know, Helen’s canonical maiden name is ‘Ambrose’, so since Nick isn’t human/doesn’t have a surname/didn’t marry her in this AU, she has no reason to have the surname ‘Cutter’.

Author’s note 4: For those of you who don’t know, ‘fag’ is British slang for ‘cigarette’, so this is in no way homophobic, it’s just slang. I’ve heard it used in British television shows in the context of smoking and Googled it before I wrote this, so before you come after me for homophobia, please realize that was not what I was saying.

Author’s note 5: Once again, please check out my Ocean Eyes Aesthetics Masterlist. I’ll be uploading couples’ aesthetics as well, and if you see an engagement ring in the Patrick/Charlotte one(s), that’s her engagement ring.

Ocean Eyes Masterlist

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sailorfailures · 5 years ago

Photo

I fell in love with these postcards from the Girl’s Night Out popup cafe the moment I saw them! I knew I had to get my hands on them, and the lovely @blaze-rocket was able to help that happen.

I cannot get over how perfect these postcards are. To me, this is what Sailor Moon is; a testament to the little moments from the series that made us fall in love with the characters, especially how their personal preferences were reflected in their fashion choices. In a world of merch where it’s easy to just slap a random crescent moon on something pink and say “look, it’s Usagi,” the designer responsible for these graphics went the extra mile to take imagery from the show itself that needles its way deep into our nostalgia-cortexes.

How many references do you recognise? Quiz yourself against this comprehensive (image-heavy) list! 👇

The inners’ postcards all reference the eye-catching sign for Game Center Crown, the iconic arcade where Motoki Furuhata worked and the gang would all congregate to play games and share information.

Starting in R they switched to hanging out at Fruits Parlor Crown, a cafe attached to the arcade staffed by Motoki’s sister Unazuki, which the Inners’ postcards all also reference. They would often get brightly-coloured drinks there, but the drinks pictured on these postcards seem to specifically line up with the real drinks available at the Girls Night Out popup cafe.

Sailors Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto’s postcards all reference “Café Étrangère,” which was the name of the cafe they were seen dining at in the Sailor Moon S movie. Even the logo is replicated faithfully from a scene only a few seconds long.

All the girls’ clothes are hanging on coat hangers shaped like Luna/Artemis/Diana.

Ami / Sailor Mercury’s references:

Ami’s casual outfit is an unusual choice since she only wore it a handful of times over the entire series, and half the times she wore it, it was given a different colour scheme with a green jacket instead of the yellow version pictured here.

Her “mini data computer” is her most iconic tool/weapon/accessory, revealed in episode 009, directly after her introduction.

The pink package is how Usagi and the other girls wrapped up her transformation stick and communicator watch as Ami’s going-away present in episode 062.

The ice cream may be a reference to the same episode, as she shared a cone with Chibi-Usa before she left, and returned to the store to protect her friends from the Droid Nihpasu.

The flash cards are a method Ami commonly used to help her study, and are particularly similar to the ones shown in the SuperS short “Ami’s First Love”.

Rei / Sailor Mars’s References:

Rei wore her casual outfit fairly frequently, starting and most notably in the beginning of the Sailor Moon R movie.

The small red o-mamori charm is from Hikawa Shrine, seen frequently but introduced in episode 010.

The paper ofuda ward was used frequently by Rei to fight evil, even before she could transform, but most notably in the attack sequence for “Akuryou, Taisan” (“Foul Spirit, Begone”).

To my knowledge the purple bag isn’t a specific reference, but Rei did throw a similar purse at a Cardian as a makeshift weapon in episode 048 before she got her Guardian memories back.

The gift-wrapped shopping boxes are the exact same ones as carried by Rei in the Sailor Moon Sailor Stars opening sequence before she trips and falls, right down to the patterns on the paper...

... which in itself may be a reference/callback to Rei’s tendency to make Yuuichirou carry her shopping (maybe so she doesn’t trip).

The phoenix-shaped pendant is a reference to episode 183; it’s made of glazed ceramic, crafted by Rei’s cousin Kengo Ibuki, given to her as a child after she convinced him not to smash it even though he his pottery a “failure”.

Makoto / Sailor Jupiter’s References:

Makoto didn’t start wearing her casual outfit until around S, but she wore it frequently after that, especially as she became more confident wearing “feminine” clothing. They even remembered her iconic gold wrist watch worn over her sleeve!

Her uniquely decorated bento bag debuted in episode 026, her introductory episode, along with the rounded green cutlery. The pouch has been featured a few more times since and its design is a mainstay in almost every Sailor Moon canon.

The teal hairtie and the rose-shaped earrings are two of Makoto’s iconic accessories, some of the only non-magical fashion accessories in the entire series to stay the same whether the character is transformed or not (the other being Minako’s infamous red bow). Her earrings also served a dual purpose as makeshift projectile weapons in episode 025.

The blue book is 月夜の天馬 (Tsukiyo no Tenma, “The Moonlit Pegasus”), a novel which was written by Tomoko Takase and introduced in epsode 134. Makoto knew Tomoko from her old middle school, before she transferred, and was the first one to read her first draft after retrieving it from bullies. She encouraged Tomoko to try and get it published. Makoto meets with her again and helps her overcome her writer’s block to finish her sequel, 天馬幻想 (Tenma Gensou, “Pegasus Fantasy”).

Minako / Sailor Venus’s References:

This is one of Minako’s most-worn casual outfits, especially if you consider the additional outfits based off it. Despite its prevalence, she didn’t start wearing it until the beginning of S.

Minako’s red hair ribbon is her most iconic accessory, but did you know why she started wearing it? The Codename: Sailor V prequel manga explains that she started wearing the ribbon instead of her usual red hairtie on the suggestion of her “first crush” Higashi. But when he turns out to be an enemy in disguise, she decides she looks good with a ribbon anyway, and keeps wearing it for her own benefit.

The red mask is a reference to Minako’s role as Sailor V before joining the team as Sailor Venus. Sailor V was known as a mysterious vigilante superhero and a fictional video game character as early as episode 001, but in episode 033 Minako revealed herself to the rest of the Sailor Team, dramatically removing her mask one final time.

Minako was known to be a skilled volleyball player, especially in the manga, and it was especially relevant in episode 100 where she had to delicately return the serve of an energy sphere containing the Pure Heart of her old volleyball crush, Asai.

The sign with Minako’s name can be seen hanging off the front of her bedroom door in episode 192.

[Manga scan courtesy of Miss Dream.]

Usagi / Sailor Moon’s References:

Usagi wore this outfit in the Sailor Moon R movie, making it a memorable choice. Although the movie aired roughly midway through R, Usagi didn’t start to wear this outfit casually again until the S season.

Usagi is shown eating a lot of food, especially sweets, but she seems to have a particular fondness for crepes, snacking on them in several different episodes.

In episode 143 we can see that Usagi is very technologically trendy - for the times. She’s carrying that blue-and-pink pager which she and Mamoru use to contact each other by way of goroawase, that is, deciphering messages based on the different pronunciations of numbers, a precursor to modern texting. Mamoru pages her the numbers 84 51, which could be read as hachi yon go ichi; reading only the first syllables, and substituting go for the related sound ko, Usagi would interpret the message as hayo koi, which sounds a bit like “come quick” - she’s late for their date. Oops!

By the way, pagers were often called “pocket bells” (pokeberu) in Japan, and became so rapidly popular they even found their way into the lyrics of Rashiku Ikimasho, the ending song for the SuperS season; 「泣きたい時にはポケベルならしてよんで、戦士の休息」 [Nakitai toki ni wa POKEBELL narashite yonde, senshi no kyuusoku] “If you feel like crying, send a page thru the Pocket Bell, take a break from [being a] Guardian”

Chibi-Usa / Sailor Chibi Moon’s References:

Chibi-Usa doesn’t technically have a school uniform, but her casual clothes are often styled after sailor suits as a reflection of both her idolisation of the figure of “Sailor Moon” and of her desire to be seen as older and more mature than she appears. She changes “uniforms” every season, and this pinafore outfit is the version she wears in SuperS. She wore the other outfit in the SuperS premiere episode.

The handgun is from episode 060, Chibi-Usa’s introduction to the series and arguably one of the most iconic absurdist scenes in all of Sailor Moon. The gun itself is actually a toy, probably a transformation of the Luna-P sphere, which Chibi-Usa uses to try and threaten Usagi into giving her the Legendary Silver Crystal. When she “shoots” Usagi, the bullet is revealed to be nothing but a suction-cup flower, also pictured. (By the way, if you were wondering, Chibi-Usa’s fake gun is based on a real Colt M1911A1.) She transforms the Luna-P into a toy gun to shoot Sailor Moon again in the Sailor Moon R movie, this time as a way to motivate Usagi to fight.

The Luna-P sphere was a mysterious gadget Chibi-Usa kept with her for the duration of R and parts of S. It’s unknown where it came from, but it could be assumed to have been created from advanced 30th century technology. It was a combination toy and tool which could transform itself into a variety of objects, formulas, and even weapons, though none were shown to be particularly powerful. It could also be used to communicate with Sailor Pluto at the Time-Space Door. When Chibi-Usa was manipulated into becoming Wicked Lady in episode 085, the Luna-P sphere also transformed into an “evil” and much more dangerous version.

The Space-Time Key was a special tool given to her by Sailor Pluto that allowed her to travel between the past and the future, though it was difficult for her to wield effectively.

The sunhat was given to Chibi-Usa by Ikuko, so she treasured it greatly. In episode 112 it got blown away and was retrieved by Hotaru Tomoe, which allowed her to meet Chibi-Usa and marked the beginning of their close friendship.

The blue-and-red package was a gift containing two manga books (”Drop Drop” vol. 1 & 2 by Ukon Katakuri) which Chibi-Usa intended to give to her new friend Hotaru in episode 113.

In episode 127, Chibi-Usa returned home to the future, and the girls all made her some going-away gifts. Ami made her a floppy disk (lol) to help her study, Rei made her a casette tape (double lol) of her music, Makoto packed her a lunch, and Minako made her a photo album of their time together. Usagi hand-sewed Chibi-Usa the rabbit-shaped backpack using a real outfit she used to love when she was a child.

Michiru / Sailor Neptune’s References:

This is a somewhat unusual choice for Michiru’s casual outfit, as she only wore it for two episodes, and that’s only because they made up a two-part story. But perhaps because the episodes were so pivotal - with Haruka and Michiru almost learning Usagi’s true identity - the outfit itself became more memorable.

Not only do they include Michiru’s violin, but they included the lemon she bounced off the instrument as she played to show off her skills in episode 093.

The teacup, teaspoon and saucer are the same set Michiru was seen drinking from at Fruits Parlor Crown in episode 094.

Michiru and Haruka both reference episode 095, where they had to enter a “true love” contest as part of their investigation. The contestants were asked to find their partner’s hand in an anonymous lineup, and Haruka was able to identify Michiru’s hand immediately.

Michiru used Haruka as a model for an illustration in her green sketchbook in episode 106.

Michiru’s Talisman is the Deep Aqua Mirror, revealed in episode 110 and used in her attack Submarine Reflection. She could also use it to receive prophetic visions. Visually, it was based on real-life art nouveau hand mirrors, and symbolically represented the mirror from the Three Sacred Treasures.

Haruka / Sailor Uranus’s References:

Conversely, Haruka wore this outfit a lot. Maybe more than she should’ve.

The teacup and saucer is the same set Haruka was seen drinking from at Fruits Parlor Crown in episode 094.

Haruka’s postcard also references the lovers contest in episode 095 (see above).

The purple scarf is from episode 096; Haruka was wearing it as a necktie when she almost ran into Makoto on her motorcycle. Haruka used the scarf to bandage Makoto’s road rash, which she returned later, though now smitten.

Not only is Haruka’s motorcycle included, they also referenced (one of) her car(s), the 1968 Toyota 2000GT.

Haruka’s Talisman is the Space Sword, revealed in episode 110 and used in her attack Space Sword Blaster. Symbolically it represented the sword from the Three Sacred Treasures.

Setsuna / Sailor Pluto’s References:

Setsuna didn’t have a school uniform, since she wasn’t a student, so she got to double-up on her casual outfits. Her mauve outfit is her most recognisable, wearing it so often it may as well have been her uniform. In fact, she was rarely seen wearing anything else until Sailor Stars, where she started experimenting with other outfits, including the Time Lord-esque suit on the right.

The potted plant is a Tellun, the energy-draining plant created by Tellu in episode 121. Setsuna was investigating it when it attempted to attack her, but she was protected by her Talisman, the Garnet Orb (also pictured, representing the jewel in the Three Sacred Treasures). She then went on to destroy the remaining Tellun plants and defeat Tellu with the help of Sailor Moon, Sailor Chibi Moon, and Tuxedo Mask.

The teacup and saucer are the same set Setsuna is seen drinking from at Cafe Etranger in the Sailor Moon S movie.

In episode 182, the girls are discussing the mysterious arrival of Chibi Chibi while eating ice cream on a hot summer’s day. Setsuna appears out of nowhere to confirm their suspicions... carrying that popsicle of her own.

Hotaru / Sailor Saturn’s References:

Hotaru tended to wear the same thing, mostly all-black, but she did occasionally adventure into rich colours like this bottle green two-piece outfit and iconic raspberry beret.

The sunhat belonged to Chibi-Usa; it symbolises the beginning of their friendship, when Hotaru caught it after it blew away in episode 112.

Chibi-Usa gave Hotaru the rabbit backpack in episode 116, using it to pass a note inviting her on a picnic.

Hotaru collects lamps, and the two referenced here are seen in her bedroom, which she keeps dimly lit to manage her pain.

The window might seem random, but it was random in the series, too - it’s one of the curtained window which looks out from Hotaru’s bedroom, and when a Daimon experiment goes terribly wrong in episode 118 and transforms her house into a Bamboozled-like inter-dimensional maze, one window overlooks a vast ocean while the other overlooks a strange jungle.

Hotaru’s weapon as Sailor Saturn is the Silence Glaive. It’s said that she possesses enough power to destroy the world with a single drop of her scythe.

That’s it! You made it! How many references did YOU know? 🌙

#sailor moon #long post #I couldn't have done this the easy way. I couldn't have just posted the pictures and been like 'ooh look pretty'.#it was fun though and I actually learned some things in the process #I feel like I slipped through time somehow and designed these for Toei and then blacked it from my memory #again: sincere apologies to those on mobile

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rae-is-typing · 5 years ago

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So glad to see your feeling better. Could I request 12 and 31 where it's movie night in the Evans household just some classic fluff? 💜

Every Night is Movie Night

12: “C’mon! It’s movie night. You can’t skip movie night!”

31: “ Stop eating the raw cookie dough.”

Description: In the Evans household, every night is movie night. Literally.

Warnings: Being picked up against one’s will, mentions of the pandemic and underlying health conditions

Word Count: ~780

Two months ago, during the beginning of what you like to call “The End of the World as We Know it,” you were in Boston shooting a movie with your co-star and longtime family friend, Chris Evans. Your guardian had gotten stuck in your home, and by the time shooting was called off, you couldn’t go home because of your guardian’s underlying illness. You went to Chris crying because you didn’t know what to do. He offered to take you home with him. When you declined, he called his mom, your Aunt Lisa. You, Aunt Lisa, Chris, and your guardian worked out a plan: you would stay with Lisa, Chris, and Scott until life could return to normal.

Even though each of them stated multiple times that they don’t mind and that they love having you around, you still felt bad. No matter how many times Aunt Lisa said “I miss having older kids in the house, darling. You don’t need to feel bad at all,” or Chris said “Don’t worry about it, kid.” or Scott said “I love not being the youngest child anymore,” it still bothered you.

But within the first couple weeks, you began to feel better. A routine was established for you: wake up, breakfast, lessons, training with Chris, lunch, playtime with Dodger, dinner, movie time.

Yes, movie night happened every night.

Every.

Single.

Night.

Now, it wasn’t that you hated movie night; it was quite the opposite actually. You loved curling up under the biggest comforter you could drag out from the basement and cementing yourself under it for the duration of a few movies. You loved the cookies Aunt Lisa would bake for the monthly movie nights you had when you were a little girl, you loved the candy and sweets, the popcorn, the soda, and you especially loved falling asleep on the couch halfway through the last movie.

But every night was overkill for you.

You had managed to avoid the movie nights for three days in a row, but Chris and Scott were determined to get you to spend the night pigging out and watching Star Wars with them. You were holed up in Shanna’s old room, hiding under the blanket and scrolling through instagram when they knocked on the door.

“C’mon, kiddo! It’s movie time.” Scott said, opening the door.

“Oh, no thank you.” You responded, still scrolling on your phone.

“Mom made those cookies you love. We’ll eat them all if you don’t come out.” Chris warned, sitting on the end of your bed, shoving your leg. “We know how much you adore those cookies.”

You scrunched up your face. Those cookies did sound tempting, but so did staying in bed. “Enjoy them for me, will you?”

Scott and Chris share a pointed look.

“Y/N, movie night means we spend time together.” “We already spent time together.”

“As a family.”

“We already spent time together as a family today. I’ll join tomorrow, promise.” “You said that yesterday,” “And I mean it today.”

“Mom said you have to.”

You stopped responding, pulling the blanket around you tighter.

“Y/NNNNNN...” Scott draws out your name. “C’mon! It’s movie night. You can’t skip movie night!”

When you don’t respond, Chris takes action.

“All right sour puss, let’s go.” Without much warning, Chris gathered you and your blanket in his arms, lifting you out of bed without so much as a grant. You yelp as he throws you over his shoulder. The phone slips from your hand and clatters to the floor. “Hey-”

“I got your phone, N/N. Don’t worry.” Scott winked at you.

“No, put me-”

“I’ll put you down on the couch!”

“Boys!” Aunt Lisa yells. “What are you doing to your cousin?”

“They’re kidnapping me, Aunt Lisa, help!” You shout as they take you to the living room.

She let out a hefty sigh. “I told you to convince her, not drag her out kicking and screaming…”

You pout as Chris sets you on the couch. He grinned at you, hair messy and face scruffy. Rolling your eyes, you stand up.

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Scott teased, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Snacks. They’re in the kitchen.” “I’ll get them for you. What do you want?”

“The cookie dough.”

It was Scott’s turn to grin. His trip to the kitchen was swift. He returned moments later with the mixing bowl and three spoons. He plops between you and Chris. Chris queues up the first movie and then reaches for his spoon. Just as you were all about to eat the dough, Aunt Lisa’s voice rang out from the kitchen.

“Stop eating the raw cookie dough!”

#chris evans x teen!reader #chris evans fluff #chris evans x reader #scott evans x reader #scott evans #teen!reader #movie night #quarantine #every night is movie night #drabble #mcu cast x reader #avengers cast x teen!reader #avengers cast imagines #avengers imagine #mcu imagine

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i-like-plan-m · 4 years ago

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About your LWJ can hear lies AU- I can’t help but wonder how he would react to Nie Huaisang and Jin Guangyao since they are both known for being expert manipulators, especially since it’s hinted at that Nie Huaisang had a lot to do with the WW and MX thing. So I wondered if Huaisang would find a way around LWJ’s lie detecting or if he even knows about it? Also, I can just imagine the PAIN LWJ would be in if he had to talk to Jin Guangyao

Oops, I forgot to link this on tumblr! My bad! This is chapter 3 of the lies au

The trip to Qinghe was familiar by now.

Years of flight between the sects meant Lan Zhan could make the trip with his eyes closed. He kept them open, because the sight of the Qinghe mountain range always brought a sense of relief that was as sharp as the cold air.

The sight at the gates was becoming a familiar one, too. Nie Huiyin waited for him with all the patience she was capable of, her constant restless energy directed into a small but impeccably crafted blade that she was sharpening like it had done something to offend her.

It was just her way, Lan Zhan had learned. Nie Mingjue’s cousin was as brusque as he was, infinitely more cheerful and possibly the loudest person Lan Zhan had ever met in his life. She was also, however, the most refreshingly honest person in all five of the great sects, save for perhaps Nie Mingjue himself.

“Ah!” She said brightly as he landed before her, stepping gracefully from his sword and sweeping it back into the sheath on his back. “It’s our little Lan Zhan, back again!”

He refused to acknowledge the blush heating his ears and instead nodded in greeting. His composed response did not deter her from tossing a friendly arm around his shoulders and hauling him through the open gates, past the grinning guards and into the towering grasp of the Unclean Realm walls.

“How have you been, shidi?” She asked. The Nie Sect, Lan Zhan had quickly discovered, lived up to their imposing reputation of strength and honor. They were also the friendliest people in the world, once they’d decided you were theirs.

Once Lan Zhan's was unofficially acknowledged as a member of the sect leader’s family-- or at least someone held in high regard by Nie-zongzhu himself, the floodgates had opened. He couldn’t decide whether their open affection was embarrassing or not, but it did fill him with a warmth he was unfamiliar with, one that felt like unconditional acceptance. As though they wanted him here. As though they liked him.

He had never had friends before.

Well. He wasn’t entirely positive that he had any now. But regardless, the Nie Sect disciples treated him with regard. They smiled when they saw him. They welcomed him in their training exercise despite the differences in their sects’ fighting styles.

Some, like Nie Huiyin, treated him as though he was a part of their sect. Another of Nie Mingjue’s little brothers to look out for, to keep tabs on like he was incapable of taking care of himself.

It would be insulting if it hadn’t felt so much like acceptance.

“I have been progressing,” Lan Zhan reported dutifully. “My control has improved further since my last visit.” He didn’t react to lies like someone had stabbed him in the ear the way he once had. With age came control, and a higher pain tolerance, apparently.

Nie Huiyin made a sound of exasperation. “You Lans, I swear. I meant how have you been? Done anything fun lately?” She jostled him to punctuate her questions. He was slightly cheered by the fact that she had to reach higher than usual to rest an arm over his shoulders; he’d finally hit his growth spurt this summer and was nearing his brother’s height.

“I mastered Inquiry,” he offered.

She squinted at him suspiciously. “Is that what you do for fun?”

“I enjoy it, yes.”

“Hm. Acceptable. Though my rock climbing offer still stands if you want real fun. There’s nothing more exhilarating than free-falling from a thousand feet, shidi!” Lan Zhan gave a doubtful noise in response that made her laugh. “We catch ourselves before the bottom and take the rest of the fall on our sabers. And then!”

And then they raced through the most dangerous mountain pass in Qinghe on their sabers, chasing adrenaline with as many death-defying stunts they could manage until the pass ended in a dead-drop of a hundred feet. Most of them followed the waterfall straight into the large lake at the bottom. Most of the Nie disciples were reckless enough to try it at least once.

“Scorpion Alley,” he said, familiar with the sect’s unofficial rite of passage.

“You got it,” she agreed cheerfully. “We still haven’t gotten you out there, have we?”

“You will not,” he assured her, and bit back a smile when her laugh echoed across the training grounds. It was so different here than in his sect. There was little composure in Qinghe, no reason to stifle laughter or keep words hushed.

Composure, he’d learned, was another word for concealment. Disguising one’s truthful feelings to reflect serenity instead. A mask that hid the turmoil beneath for the sake of propriety.

It was a lie all the same.

“I hear your sect is hosting guest disciples next year,” Nie Huiyin said, steering him towards the main hall.

“Yes.” He made a halfhearted attempt to sound neutral. He must have failed, because she snorted a laugh as she shoved open the doors of the main hall where Nie Mingjue sat, sorting through a stack of reports with a cranky expression. A slender, unfamiliar man with a dimpled smile stood beside the desk, holding a massive accounting book and waiting patiently for Nie Mingjue to stop muttering under his breath.

Nie Mingjue looked up as the doors swung open. He brightened almost immediately, standing to welcome Lan Zhan with such genuine delight that Lan Zhan ducked his head, pleased.

“Welcome back,” he said, clapping a hand on his shoulder and leading him to one of the nearby tables, gesturing for a servant to bring tea. He sat across from Lan Zhan while Nie Huiyin leaned against a column behind him. “How was the trip?”

“Fine,” Lan Zhan said, and tried not to sound petulant. He was almost sixteen, perfectly capable of making the trip from Gusu to Qinghe without trouble.

“It’s the da-ge instinct, little Lan,” Nie Huiyin said with a laugh, nudging Nie Mingjue with her knee when he scowled up at her. “He can’t help himself.”

The unfamiliar man hovered in the background as though unsure what to do without Nie MIngjue’s attention. Lan Zhan blinked at him, still unclear on who this newcomer was or how he’d climbed to Nie Mingjue’s side so quickly. Lan Zhan visited often enough that he would have noticed a new person in Nie Mingjue’s inner circle before today, surely.

Nie Mingjue noticed his distraction and turned to wave the man over. “Ah. Apologies, you two have not met.” The stranger obediently crossed the room and bowed low to Lan Zhan. “This is Lan Wangji, the Second Jade of Lan. And this is Meng Yao, my new deputy.”

“It is an honor to finally meet you, Lan-er-gongzi.”

Lan Zhan nodded politely in response and wondered at the faint whisper of a slipped note that accompanied his words. Not quite a lie, but there was something underlying that sounded… off.

“Da-ge,” Nie Huisang complained, sweeping into the room with a sulking expression. “I already did my saber training today as promised, and Nie Zonghui is trying to make me do more. This is cruel and unjust and-- oh, hi Lan Wangji.”

“Nie Huaisang,” Lan Zhan murmured.

“Lan Wangji,” Nie Huiasang said brightly, throwing himself down beside them. “Tell me, doesn’t your clan have a rule or twelve about keeping promises?”

“A-Sang,” Nie Mingjue said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Behind him, Meng Yao hid a smile like he’d witnessed many similar discussions like this one.

Then again, so had Lan Zhan. The Nie’s bickering was as constant as stars in the sky. It had taken some getting used to, but now Lan Zhan let it pass over him as background noise. It was all born from a place of love, and even the small lies (like Nie Huaisang’s mistruth about the duration of his promised saber practice) were easily ignored.

Meng Yao, though. He was odd.

Lan Zhan kept his face carefully neutral whenever Meng Yao’s smiles rang false, which was… often. He smiled like he knew it was expected of him, not because he wanted to. Like he was playing a role, either for the sect leader’s benefit or his own.

It had been a few years since his lessons with Lan Xichen on the reasons why people lie, but most of it was… still hard to understand. So when Meng Yao responded to direction throughout the rest of Lan Zhan’s visit with a demure, “I would be honored, Sect Leader” and it rang discordant every time, Lan Zhan thought it was perhaps time to ask for help.

Only a few years ago, Lan Zhan had accidentally exposed an advisor in Qinghe who had been bought off by merchants in the city. Every bit of his advice and own influence had been manipulated to support the merchants.

Of course, when Lan Zhan was in the room and realized the advisor’s input sounded like a drunkard playing a dizi, he’d signaled to Nie Mingjue, who then rooted out the reason for his lies. Lan Zhan was not capable of doing so himself-- he only knew when people lied, never their reason for it.

Shortly after Nie Mingjue had personally tossed the advisor out of the Unclean Realm’s gates, Lan Zhan had discovered a shadow wandering around on his heels.

“How’d you know he was lying?” Nie Huaisang asked curiously. He continued when Lan Zhan stood frozen in place, unsure how to respond. “I saw your cue to da-ge. The hand signal?”

“I…” He had no idea what to do. Brush him off? Explain his mother’s gift? Deny it entirely?

No. That was dishonest.

He swallowed hard and admitted, “I can hear lies.”

“Really?” Nie Huaisang’s eyes brightened. “So you knew the advisor was corrupt?”

“No. Just that he lied.”

“Hm. Interesting. So just the lie, not the intention?” The ever-present fan fluttered as Nie Huaisang stared thoughtfully at him. He nodded once in agreement. “You hear it?”

Lan Zhan realized he’d been absently following Nie Huaisang’s meandering pace along one of the walls. They were alone, so he reluctantly shared, “It was a gift from my mother, before she died. I hear conversations like music, and lies are…”

“Horrible, mangled sounds?” Nie Huaisang asked dryly. “My music tutors tell me that’s what I sound like when I play, anyway.”

His face did not show the flicker of humor he felt. “Yes.”

“Is there anything other than the curse that tells you when they lie? Like, if their voice sounds nervous or their breathing is too fast?”

Lan Zhan paused. He’d never thought of that, of looking past the sound of the curse to identify the physiological aspects of the liars. Why would he? There was irrefutable proof from the curse.

But not looking further felt… lazy. Like willful ignorance. That he could not abide.

“I will observe from now on,” he decided.

“Me too!” Nie Huaisang caught his skeptical side-eye, because he sighed like he alone bore the weight of the universe and said, “I’m just saying, it seems like a useful skill. That advisor got past me, too, you know, and I spend a lot of time listening to their incredibly boring conversations.”

“Boring conversations about running the sect.” If the disapproval wasn’t clear on his face, it was evident in his tone.

“Exactly,” Nie Huaisang agreed. “But I learned my lesson, Lan-er-gongzi, all thanks to you! We should practice together, don’t you think? How about just before lunch every day?”

“That is the time of your saber training,” Lan Zhan, who was not an idiot, said.

“Is it?” Nie Huaisang asked, blinking innocently at him. “Ah, well, da-ge can’t complain if I’m busy making our favorite guest feel welcome!”

“We will spar together before lunch,” Lan Zhan decided, ignoring Nie Huaisang’s horrified expression. “And then study during lunch.”

“No,” Nie Huaisang wailed. “How can I learn to read people if I’ve been pummeled into the dirt by the Second Jade of Lan?”

“I would not,” Lan Zhan said, offended. “You are not capable of a legitimate spar--”

“No shit!”

“--so instead I will help with your training.”

“Somehow this turned out very badly for me,” Nie Huaisang muttered, but he was at the training grounds mostly on time later that day all the same.

That was two years ago.

After two years of shared study, they had something that was not quite a friendship. Lan Zhan had never lost the sense of awkwardness around Nie Huaisang-- he was never quite sure how to interact, wasn’t sure what his role was in this relationship.

Nie Huaisang mostly just complained to him about everything under the sun. But every time Lan Zhan visited, he showed up to the training grounds with an expression of utmost suffering. He only remembered his saber half the time, and he tripped over his own feet often enough Lan Zhan feared for his life, but he showed up.

So Lan Zhan knew his concerns would be heard if he took them to Nie Huaisang. Maybe he would have more insight into Meng Yao’s oddities-- Nie Huaisang understood people the way Lan Zhan didn’t. He couldn’t hear lies, but he could see them.

Most of the time, anyway. He’d learned to read faces where Lan Zhan heard the mistruths. It was a training method with guaranteed reliability, and Nie Huaisang’s success had surprised him. Apparently he was highly capable when he actually applied himself. Too bad he didn’t want to.

Still. He would listen to Lan Zhan, and he would help. That much was certain.

#this is late #sorry i forgot to answer the actual prompt lol #featuring my chaotic lesbian oc #nie huiyin #because i wanted more women in it #in the shadow of moonlit flowers #my fics #my writing #the untamed #mdzs #asks #anon #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #lan wangji #lan zhan #meng yao #prompts

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yaz-the-spaz · 5 years ago

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But I want to know your theory. :(

ok ok i guess i’ll spill…i was kinda hesitant to share just cause i’m still not all that solid in my belief in it myself but basically it seems like maybe ziam has made it a tradition to have some kind of couples trip most years (if not every year) in february ever since 2014…

(btw for future reference this ask is a continuation of this ask re ziam both being publicly in vegas earlier this year)

ugh sorry guys! hit enter by accident and posted this wayyyy before i was anywhere near finished lol…this will be updated within the hour (if it doesn’t take me too long to get my thoughts out)

narrator: she did not finish it within the hour.

…

ok so part of the reason i’ve been hesitant to share this is because a good portion of it is VERY speculative and just based on a lot of guesswork and assumptions, but also there’s the fact that it feels like this is something major that more people in the fandom (or at least someone, other than little ass me lol) would have noticed before now and it kind of freaks me out that maybe no one else has?? (unless ofc i just haven’t happened to see any other posts there are about it idk)…

also fyi a lot of what i propose throughout this is heavily based on info from this post just to make sure i remember to site my sources before we get into it lol

alright now onto the actual theory…

SO. all this started with me scrolling through old posts from late 2013/early 2014 and being reminded of the fuckery that was zayn’s bday that year (with the douche canoe crew and everyone pretending like liam was barely there as seemingly some sort of weird over-the-top cover-up)…the same party that seemed kinda like liam’s possible “introduction” to the malik family as more than just zayn’s friend/as his possible significant other. which was also only a month after that suspicious engagement-looking ring first showed up on zayn’s ring finger in december 2013 from bts midnight memories mv footage (and which stayed around as a necklace throughout january 2014 and early febuary 2014 right before the first appearance/debut of the mandala tat in mid feb).

bts midnight memories mv with the ring in view - dec 2013:

(suspicious?) malik family outing/celebration with the ring in view - dec (or possibly late nov?) 2013:

[putting the rest under the cut cause as per usual with me this got insanely long]

liam and aunt zileh at zayn’s bday party - jan 2014:

liam and one of the little cousins at zayn’s bday party - jan 2014:

then sometime in between late jan and early feb 2014 liam went on a trip to barbados with his whole family (and supposedly also sophia lol more on that later*) while zayn was SUPPOSEDLY still home and steadily “posting” pics of himself at home with various members of his family (with the ring on a necklace clearly visible in the pics lol), anddd as some have also pointed out his hair was suspiciously unchanged in these pics despite his claim of getting a haircut BEFORE most of the pics were posted lol

zayn in family pics with the ring on a necklace - late jan/early feb 2014 (sorry i’m not the one who cropped his fam out lol):

but yet we’re supposed to believe zayn - who had just gotten awarded the asian ambassadorship for the VERY FIRST time - mysteriously (and willingly) MISSED the ceremony on feb. 5th with absolutely no explanation. which…we all know how big a deal that was to him from the way he talked about it and how honored he was when he went in 2015…which begs the question if he was really just home not doing much of anything at the time in 2014 why in the world would he just pass/bail on that HUGE HONOR with no explanation??? mayhaps because he was actually already an ocean away with liam and fam in barbados celebrating his engagement (and getting his own “introduction” to the payne family) and literally COULD NOT ATTEND?

anyway so then, we have him getting the mandala tat around feb 18th 2014 - or at least this is the day he debuted it on his old ig, so the date may be a few days off from when he actually got it - but this still would’ve been shortly after they got back from the barbados trip when he debuted this particular tat (aka another solidification of the engagement??)

THEN we get the very first ig ziam likes from the famous and beloved aunt zileh (!!!) in this same month (still feb for reference, but she continues steadily and heavily liking stuff all the way through april when she seems to cool down again). fast forward to the 2014 brits at the end of february where we have the infamous moment with 1) ziam giddy as fucking ever, 2) zayn whispering into and practically mawling liam’s neck in public, 3) liam talking about how it was great to “fill each other in” on what they were up to during their break while zayn’s just steady standing there smiling like a loon and then 4) liam still later being like ‘you don’t wanna know’ when asked what he got up to (and zayn still grinning like a fool)

ziam being gross at brits 2014:

so to sum up so far: 1) one of them possibly proposed around nov/dec 2013 (or that’s my best guess anyway based on the evidence lol), 2) then zayn shows up with a suspiciously-engagement-looking ring in dec 2013, 3) then all the weirdness with liam’s attendance at zayn’s bday party a month later (possibly also liam’s formal intro to the malik family), 4) then liam takes his barbados trip with his fam (and supposedly sophia lol*) just a couple weeks later while “zayn” stays home and posts family pics (but is very likely secretly on the trip with liam lol which is also possibly zayn’s formal intro the payne family and a belated celebration of their engagement), 5) and then we get the beginning of aunt zileh’s likes, 6) the debut of zayn’s mandala tat, 7) and the 2014 brits wildness…all in the space of like 3 months. and most of it happening in FEBRUARY. what a wild fucking journey right?

*side note/fun fact: liam and his fam were posting stuff regularly throughout the duration of the barbados vacay but there were literally zero pics of sophia posted from this trip until like dec 2014 or sometime around then when like ONE random pic suddenly surfaced/was posted and lots of ppl had already speculated that sophia was never there in the first place so once this one pic came up that idea got upgraded to people theorizing that they maybe had some of the fam go back a second time later in the year just to stage take photos to retroactively prove/authenticate the narrative that sophia was there lol

but anyway so back to the actual matter at hand - most of that shit happened in february right? specifically the barbados trip (aka the possible engagement celebration trip)…and when i was talking about all this to a friend we realized ZIAMI WAS ALSO IN FEBRUARY. AND SO WAS THIS YEAR’S VEGAS SHIT. AND THEN. AND THEN. My friend did some research and there was apparently this little known/barely talked about article (or at least barely talked about that i’m aware of) about liam taking a TRIP TO THE MALDIVES IN FEBRUARY 2016… which coincidentally (or not lol considering these shady ass hoes) is also around the same time he got his 4 tattoo (I believe this was the first article, or at least one of the first articles, that mentioned the tat’s debut)

BUT WAIT.

THE INSANE SHIT DOES NOT END THERE FOLKS.

GUESS WHICH MONTH THE CARTIER BRACELET FIRST DEBUTED?

FUCKING FEBRUARY 2016.

specifically on liam’s wrist in preparation for the 2016 brits (photo posted to his brits stylist’s ig on feb 23rd). and he didn’t take it off till like june.

so. quick timeline:

february 2016 - maldives trip and debut of liam’s 4 tattoo (around feb 21st); debut of cartier bracelet via liam (feb 23rd); (there was also that valentine’s day roses pic liam posted feb 14th of this year which was quite interesting considering he and c hadn’t even been officially announced as a “thing” yet…ofc we know it still got retroactively attributed to her anyway but whatever, we all know who it was really for lol 😏)

february 2017 - i don’t have anything on this year, partly cause i stopped paying as close attention due to heavy ramping up of stunts, although if anyone has more concrete info on this period that hints at anything please do hit me up and i will add it in, but anyway just based on a little light research there does appear to be a good period of inactivity from both of them during this time (as in both of them had quite a bit of time in february where they were pretty inactive on sm, not being papped, and essentially mia and would have potentially had time to go on a private trip) - UPDATE: HOLY SHIT I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT THIS BUT THIS IS THE YEAR LIAM SHOWED UP AT THE BRITS WITH THE MOTHERFUCKING 25 ON HIS JACKET AND FUCKED SIMON ALL THE WAY UP BY SWERVING ON HIS UGLY BITCH ASS SPEECH IN FRONT OF GOD AND ENTIRE WORLD (and i think also thanked zayn in his speech if i’m not mixing that up with another year??) - all on feb 23rd to be specific.

february 2018 - ZIAMI OBVIOUSLY (which specifically started feb 22nd, or at least that’s the day i’m counting it as ‘started’ cause it’s the day liam joined zayn in miami, can’t recall the exact day zayn arrived but pretty sure it was only a couple days before that)

february 2019 - zayn starts wearing this distinctive fishhook earring in all his ig pics, which on the surface seems like a pretty small thing, but quite possibly commemorates their famous august 2014 fishing trip (directly after which he also started wearing a fish hook pendant on a necklace back in 2014); this was also another period they were pretty quiet/mia as far as i can recall, although again if anybody has more concrete info from this time that could point to something please let me know, but anyway point being they again would have had a good chunk of time to possibly go on a private trip together

february 2020 - VEGAS BABY

ofc i’m sure you all will notice one year was left out - february 2015 they were on tour with no breaks coming anytime soon so they obviously weren’t able to go on a trip that year. BUT. february 14th 2015 (aka valentine’s day lol) is also the day liam was famously papped with some small shopping bags that looked suspiciously but precisely like the type that usually come from a jewelry store, and then later that same night they had a performance (for otra tour) where we have zayn pictured wearing a new gold bracelet (as in he hadn’t been seen wearing it ever before on tour or anywhere else) - btw the op of this linked post actually marks this day as the debut of the cartier bracelet but there’s a lot of counter speculation that it’s not and given that it doesn’t quite look like the cartier bracelet looked in later pics (it’s more round and more gold than the cartier bracelet which imo looks more angular and more kind of a two-tone/silvery-gold than this vday bracelet) i’m inclined to lean more towards it just being a regular but still very sweet vday-gifted bracelet. but anyway back to more important stuff. now considering this was literally just a little over a month before zayn left - and one of my theories for zayn leaving was that it was possible he felt it was the only way to save his relationship with liam…i mean if they were still giving each other vday presents they were clearly still VERY in love at this point. like that’s not the kind of thing you’d expect from a couple that was on the rocks and on the verge of breaking up and i know a lot of ppl (myself included for a brief minute) speculated that zayn leaving the band meant he maybe left liam too/or things weren’t working out b/t them or whatever, but given this context of the vday gifts just a few weeks before him leaving that doesn’t really line up…what does line up though is him being so in love and so sick of the bs that he might be driven to just be done with it all (as far as the stress of the band and mgmt bs is concerned at least). and ofc liam did say that zayn is the most emotionally impulsive/emotionally driven out of all them so when you think about it it really shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise…

anyway, in conclusion:

it appears quite possible ziam has made it a couples tradition (ever since that first honeymoonish vacay in 2014) to go on some sort of trip/getaway together around the end of every february (or at least do something special together/for each other when they can’t) and in further conclusion I AM NOT OKAY AND WILL NEVER BE OVER THIS REALIZATION OKAY THANKS BYE 😭😭😭😭😭🌈🌈🌈

#asks #anons #ziam #ziam february #ziam engagement #ziam anniversary #ziam theories #ziami #ziam vegas #(btw ziam vegas 2020 was feb 23rd but i didn't wanna ruin the aesthetic of the line by putting it in there so i just added it here lol)#ziam jewelry #ziam bracelets #cartier bracelets #aunt zileh #ziam tattoos #mandala tattoo #zayn's mandala tattoo #liam's 4 tattoo #ziam coincidences #ziam masterposts #zayn leaving #ugh i'm soooo sorry guys i did not anticipate this taking me a full 4 goddamn hours wtf #(i started this at 10:30pm and it is now 2:18am what in the actual hell is my brain whyyyy am i like this)#but anyway i really hope this gets a a good amount of notes for all the work (read: blood; sweat & tears lol) i put into #getting all this together in a coherent way lol #(cause y'all do not wanna see the mess of a convo this spawned from - honestly it is A PIPING HOT MESS lol)#anyway enjoy folks #(good lord what is wrong with me i literally just added a whole nother extra hour of work for myself by deciding to add gifs and pics #and more links...it is now past 3am...i have a PROBLEM)

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brostateexam · 4 years ago

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annual tradition

Under a cut because this is long and maybe not interesting to anyone else but tl;dr don’t get on an airplane for fun y’all

My cousin has been attached to a Spanish woman since a few years after he got his master’s degree in chemical engineering. They both work for a pharmaceutical company here in the Bay Area, where they both are chemical engineers on clinical trials, and every summer they return to the small town where she is from. This uses up basically all of their PTO for the year but it’s apparently a very pretty town and she loves nothing more than being home among her family, so this is not so bad. Also, it’s near the beach and there are lots of people who like to play soccer, so it does not make my cousin too unhappy.

I was invited to their wedding last fall but the combination of its location (from the airport, it would have been an 8 to 10 hour trip) and the timing (two weeks after @branza‘s wedding in Bucharest) didn’t quite work out. I would have had to stay in Europe for about 2.5-3 weeks and I was planning for another vacation with Shane in February/March of this year. So due to a combination of factors, I cannot personally attest to the beauty of the town but I’m told it’s very nice.

It is perhaps this pleasantness, plus the strength of their tradition of summering there, that made them decide to board a plane this summer despite the complete non-necessity of the trip. I should also mention that my cousin-in-law is often sick and in the hospital due to a complex and rare medical condition that I don’t fully understand, and the fact that they have a very small baby who is not yet two years old. Regardless, they bought business-class tickets and made their way to Madrid via Dallas. They were tested and found negative for coronavirus when they left.

When they arrived in Spain, they quarantined in my cousin-in-law’s mother’s house, who presumably vacated to live with one of the many relatives in the town. My cousin started feeling ill shortly after they arrived. His condition worsened throughout the mandatory quarantine period, and the second day after the quarantine was over, he went to the ER of the small town for severe abdominal pain. They diagnosed him with gallstones, and advised him to return home for the surgery, as gallbladder surgery is considered elective unless it’s emergent and, as a non-EU citizen, he would be liable for the costs.

They decided to return home a bit early, as he was in pretty severe pain and was, to put it mildly, not enjoying the trip. Shortly after getting home, he spiked a fever. Worried that this was the feared emergent gallbladder situation he had been warned about, he went to the hospital here in the US and was diagnosed with covid.

Because he lives with his immuno-compromised wife and infant son, he is quarantining with two of his friends, who drove him home from the hospital, and willingly exposed themselves to covid to take him in. His condition so far is stable and he has not had a need to return to the hospital.

Given the timing of his symptoms and his negative test prior to his departure, it seems most likely that he was exposed while he en route from the Bay Area to Madrid. Despite sitting in business class, he told my mom that the person next to him basically kept ordering complimentary drinks for the duration of the flight from Dallas to Madrid so that he could remain unmasked.

I’m thankful that he is not in worse shape. I’m furious they thought it was a good idea to go to Spain, and route through Texas to boot, for a pleasure jaunt with their tiny baby, especially given his wife’s chronic health concerns. I was already feeling kinda iffy about setting foot on an airplane until there is an effective treatment or vaccine, but I’d thought that if I had to, business class would be the way to go to avoid infection. I’m less sure now.

#*coronavirus

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summahsunlight · 4 years ago

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We Belong to the Stars, CH.30

Rating: Mature (18+ only)

Pairings: Poe/Skywalker!OC

Characters: Poe Dameron, Leia Organa, BB-8, Kaleb Skywalker (OC), Evelyn Skywalker (OC), Karé Kun, Iolo Arana, Snap Wexley, Jessika Pava, BB-8

Taglist: @ms-dont-care, @liadamerondjarin

Final chapter! Like reading this? Please feel free to leave a comment on the post, in an ask, or even a reblog. I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU❤️

Slipping into Terex's compound was easy--thanks to Oddy. However, now that they were on the inside, Poe felt incredibly anxious. If they were caught there was no doubt in Poe's mind that Terex would hold them for bounties or kill them. He didn't know about Kaleb, but he was quite ready to die yet--and he certainly did not want to be a prisoner of the First Order. They needed to find Evelyn and get out of here as quickly as possible.

Poe gripped his blaster. They had also talked about the possibility that this was a trap sprung to capture Kaleb as well and Poe would just be the collateral damage. The pilot was certain Kylo Ren would have no problem executing him. They had never actually gotten along well as children.

Kaleb sensed the unease in Poe; he had the same concerns. Silently he reached out and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. He noticed that Poe took a deep breath, and whispered to BB-8 to lead the way, to the cell that Oddy said Terex was keeping Evelyn in.

BB-8 cautiously led the two men through the dark, dank corridors of Terex's compound; alerting them when his sensors picked up another lifeform in the presence so Poe and Kaleb had time to conceal themselves before being spotted. The members of Terex's gang didn't seem to care about a little astromech droid. He led them down a dank corridor and stopped outside a small door, informing Poe and Kaleb that this was the cell that Evelyn was being held in. "Go on, Bee," Poe whispered, glancing down the hallway. "Open it. We'll keep watch."

"If we say run--move that little droid body of yours as fast as you can," Kaleb instructed.

"And meet us back at the ship," Poe told BB-8. "Don't wait for us, Bee."

Chirping in reluctant agreement, BB-8 got to work on getting the cell door open. The locks clicked and the door slid open. Poe waited for the droid to roll out of his way before stepping inside. He was partially ready for her coming at him--after all she had no idea that the Resistance had sent anyone after her--but his reflexes kicked in and he grabbed her wrist before she could hurt him. "Evie, it's me!"

Evelyn stepped back, blinking and then she lunged for him again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Poe could feel her legs give out as he wrapped his arms around her, and he held steady against him. "It's okay," he whispered in her ear, "I've got you. We're gonna take you home."

Kaleb watched as his sister let go of Poe and now threw one arm around him, drawing him into an awkward three person hug. He didn't care; they had managed to get to her before their cousin and General Hux. "Poe, we gotta get going before we get caught."

"Yeah," Poe whispered, releasing both of them. "Evie can you walk?"

"I...I think so...they gave me something... I'm a little dizzy," Evelyn replied.

Poe wrapped one arm around her waist and instructed Kaleb and BB-8 to go a head of them. He'd drag Evelyn back to the Mirror Bright if he had too. It was evident that Evelyn had been given some kind of drug, probably to control her Force abilities--she was clumsy on her feet, which wasn't like her at all. She normally moved about with such grace that at times she could appear to be floating.

BB-8 stopped, alerting them that someone was approaching. Kaleb and Poe scrambled to hide, squeezing Evelyn between them in an alcove. All three of them held their breaths as Terex and several Stormtroopers walked by them. "Kriff," Poe cursed, as he realized Terex was heading for Evelyn's cell. "We don't have a lot of time."

Kaleb unclipped his lightsaber. "Well, fortunately for us, Terex didn't give me drugs to affect my force sensitivity."

"What are you going to do?" Evelyn snapped at her brother. "Use your lightsaber to slice their blasters in half while all of them are firing on us?"

"Those drugs have made you snakier."

"Deal with it."

"Children," Poe scolded. "Can we get moving? I really don't want to become a prisoner today."

BB-8 beeped in agreement and then led them onward. Poe was pretty that none of them breathed until they were well out of Terex's compound and making their way back through the city. Even though, they weren't quite out of the woods yet. Once Terex realized that Evelyn was gone, he'd have his gang out looking for them.

Halfway outside of the city Poe was starting to get suspicious that their escape had been way too easy when Evelyn stumbled, an almost soundless cry leaving her mouth. 'Evie? What's wrong?"

Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut, tightly. "It's Ren. He's here--he knows where I am."

Kaleb grabbed her by the arm. "Push him out Evelyn!"

"I can't... the drug..."

"Get her on her feet, Poe; we don't have a lot of time."

"Don't have a lot of time for what?"

"Ben is using Evie to find us."

Poe looked at the painful expression on Evelyn's face as he dragged her, along with Kaleb, towards their ship. "What are you talking about?"

Kaleb yanked on Evelyn's arm, lifting her over a jagged rock. "He's pushing into her mind--he can probably see everything she can see."

Evelyn struggled to keep up with the two men. She doing her best to keep her cousin from entering her mind, but the drug made it difficult. It had completely inhibited her from tapping into the power. Which is exactly what General Hux and Kylo Ren would have wanted when they brought her before Supreme Leader Snoke.

Somehow, Poe and Kaleb managed to get her back to the Mirror Bright. They didn't mean too, but they dropped her roughly on the floor on their way to the start the ship up. Evelyn closed her eyes tightly, reaching out the Force and attempting to fight back against Ren's invasion. Vaguely she could hear Poe and Kaleb shouting at one another as they tried to escape--she wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she knew that her cousin had sent a squadron of TIE=fighters after them. Poe was attempting to get assistance from Black Squadron.

Come with me Evelyn and I'll let them go. I'll let them live.

Stay out of my head! I'm not going with you!

"Black Leader to base! We need some back-up!"

"Black Squadron is on their way, Commander."

They'll all die, Evelyn. If you stay with them, every single one of them will meet a quick death.

She tried to ignore him, fight back, push him out of her head--but with ever effort, Ren just fought back harder. Evelyn eventually couldn't handle it anymore and she succumbed to the pain, the intrusion, and blacked out of the cold durasteal floor of the Mirror Bright.

---------

At the age of six, Evelyn had caught some nasty virus on a trip with her parents to the capital. Upon their return home she had spent a duration of two weeks in bed with fever, aches, and chills. She could feel the fear her parents had--that she was so sick she was going to die--but one morning she woke up and the fever had broken. She didn't remember much, just flashes of images of her parents taking care of her, of the medics checking up on her.

It was much like how she was feeling now as her eyes slowly opened to reveal the medical bay on D'Qar.

Everything was quiet now--Poe and Kaleb weren't shouting, Ren wasn't forcing himself into her mind--all she could hear was the steady drone of medical monitors. Flexing her fingers, Evelyn took a deep breath, realizing that her memories of what happened on the Mirror Bright were quite fuzzy. Had she even been on the ship at all?

"Hey sleepyhead," Poe's voice interrupted her thoughts. She gazed up to see him step into her room. He brushed her hair back from her forehead and kissed her. "Feeling okay?"

"Been better--but I've also been worse," Evelyn answered, honestly. "What happened?"

Poe's eyes grew heavy, sad. "Black Squadron came to help us, but we wouldn't have gotten away if it weren't for Oddy. I tried to tell him not to do it, that the First Order would know he was the one that sabotaged the ship--but he didn't listen. We got confirmation about an hour ago--Hux had him executed."

Evelyn closed her eyes in an attempt to stop her tears. She felt Poe's fingers in her hair, his lips softly pressing kisses to her cheek. "It's my fault. If the First Order wasn't after me then Oddy never would have been blackmailed by Terex and none of this would have happened."

He sighed, sitting down on the bed. Reaching out, Poe put an arm around her. "This is not your fault."

She shook her head, violently. "But it is. If I wasn't so strong in the Force..."

"Don't you dare apologize for being you."

"But...Poe...if I..."

Poe took her face between his hands and look at her, intensely. "You are exactly who you were meant to be. Do you understand me? The First Order...they don't care about you as a person--they just want to exploit your talents. And they only want to do that because they know--you can destroy them."

Evelyn shook her head again, this time not with as much vigor. "You're wrong, Poe; I'm strong enough to destroy them. I couldn't even stop them five years ago--when they were murdering my friends, when they murdered my mother--nothing has changed. I won't be able to do it."

He pulled her tightly into his arms. "Not alone," Poe whispered in her ear. "But together--we can defeat them. It might just take time and patience."

She blinked her tears away and laughed, sadly. "I never thought I'd hear you talk about patience."

"First time for everything I suppose."

"Yes, I guess there is."

Leaning back ever so slightly, Poe lowered his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly. He had been so afraid he was going to lose her, especially when he had failed at keeping her safe. Resting his forehead against hers, Poe sighed. "Force, Evie, I thought I was going to lose you. I didn't think we'd make it in time. I've never been more afraid than I was when they took you."

Evelyn's thumbs ghosted over his cheeks. "I knew you would find me. I never doubted you for a second because you're so damn stubborn that you would have searched every corner of the galaxy for me--and never given up." She was silent for a moment, before she sighed, heavily. "It's only going to harder from here, isn't it?"

Poe took a deep breath, tightened his arms around her waist. "I'm afraid so, sweetheart."

"We need to find Master Tekka."

"We need to find your father."

She knew this; this had been the only thing on her mind for some time now. "In order to do that," Evelyn whispered, "We need to find Master Tekka. He has the map."

He pressed his lips to her forehead and slowly stood up, holding his hand out to her, Poe smiled, sadly, "Then what are we waiting for? We have a map to find."

#star wars #star wars fanfiction #poe dameron #poe dameron fanfiction #poe x oc #we belong to the stars

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alexannah · 5 years ago

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MLB: Félix Rewatch (Again)

Félix has officially become my favourite MLB episode ever, overtaking Oblivio for first place. The scene where Adrien gives Gabenath his blessing is my favourite scene in the whole show, period. I love how I get my top four favourite characters in it, and my top two ships. I am also intrigued by the Graham de Vanilys and love to hate them, for reasons I have already gone into in my previous rewatch post. Now whenever I watch Amelie talk, I mime strangling her.

Some new things I have noted since that post:

“You’re not Adrien! He would never be so pushy!” Occurs to me that now Félix knows that Ladybug knows Adrien well enough to know what he wouldn’t do. That could one day turn out to be a problem …

Since my last rewatch post, I have been educated on the Miraculous PV and the original series concepts, so the kiss attempt scene has taken on a whole new meaning. Recently read a post which theorised that although it could just be a nod to the fans who were familiar with Félix’s original story, there could be more to it. Not sure what I believe myself, but I’m not willing to rule it out, especially as I really don’t understand MLB’s time travel ideology (I’m composing a post on that), so I suppose anything is possible.

“It’s been a long journey from London ...”

Yeah, a really long journey. Assuming they came by Startrain, as they returned by it, then it really wasn’t that long. In Backwarder it’s stated that the Startrain travels from Paris to London “faster than by plane”. Well, I looked up flight duration times between Paris and London a while back for fanfiction purposes (to work out how long it would take by Startrain), and the flight is about an hour and a quarter. So by Startrain must take less than that. (The Eurostar, real-world train line that makes that journey, takes 2 hr 16 mins.) It takes me about an hour and a quarter to get to central London, and I live on a London commuter line. So, yeah. Short of a major delay and/or they live right on the outskirts of the city, not really that long of a journey. Could be inconsistent writing of course, or perhaps Gabriel is patronising them. Wouldn’t put it past him!

“... you may want to rest a bit.”

To be fair, I would need a rest after an hour’s journey. But then I’m not the average person, having health issues that affect my energy levels. So I could be reading into this, but perhaps Emilie and/or Félix do? Or maybe it’s been so long since I’ve been healthy that I don’t remember what it’s like for a healthy person to travel for, let’s say a couple of hours.

Think I’ve digressed a bit now. Anyway, back to the episode ...

As far as I can tell, the Graham de Vanilys arrive unannounced until they’re actually in Paris, and with suitcases. (Assuming Gabriel didn’t know in advance and simply didn’t mention it to Adrien, but the impression I got was they had not been expected.) A bit presumptuous, no? “Hello, brother-in-law, I’ve invited myself and my son over to stay with you in your time of grief, by the way I want your wedding rings.” I am convinced wanting the rings is the only reason why they made the trip, since Amelie is clearly disrespectful of Gabriel’s grief, and the way she squeals over Adrien doesn’t feel very sincerely affectionate to me. But maybe I’m biased.

I’ve read a theory that Emilie’s situation and Félix’s dad’s death are connected because they seemed to occur around the same time, but I’m not sure that canon supports this. Adrien says “I’m really sorry I didn’t come to your dad’s funeral. My father thought it would be too hard on me, considering everything that’s happened this year.” To me this says that some time passed between Emilie’s ‘disappearance’ and Félix’s dad’s death. But who can say.

I love that Adrien, when given the opportunity to complain about Gabriel’s strictness, simply says “He’s very protective of me”, clearly not meaning it in a bad way. I mean just look at his face. He sees Gabriel’s overprotectiveness as what it is: an expression of love. A greatly misguided way of expressing love, yes; but an expression of love all the same.

Love Adrien’s attempt at an evil laugh. (Also, seriously, Adrien? Your cousin is a mean teenager, not a supervillain. Though maybe given time ...) He should ask his father for some tips; Gabriel’s the pro.

“Now his father isn’t here to stop him from getting into mischief--”

Er, hello? He still has one parent! Way to avoid responsibility, Amelie. That has to be the lamest excuse for a son’s delinquent behaviour I have ever heard. Of course, there could be a lot of truth in it, since she clearly encourages Félix’s delinquent behaviour. Whether his father really did (try to) keep Félix out of mischief or not, we don’t know, but I would be interested to find out.

Also I can’t help but note that they left after less than a day. After arriving with suitcases, as mentioned above. Yes, Gabriel had hoped that akumatizing the Punisher’s Trio would get rid of their “unwanted guests”, but by now they’ve been de-akumatized, so Félix is no longer in danger, correct? I think that Amelie, realising that “after everything that happened” Gabriel was not going to be open to discussing handing over the twin rings, decided there was no point in staying longer. More proof that getting the rings had been her only objective of visiting.

Since Félix only got hold of Gabriel’s ring, and they’re a pair, might he try and get hold of Emilie’s at a later time?

Saw this in Instagram recently, and was immediately concerned. Assuming the official Instagram accounts can be taken to be canon (I don’t know, are they? I’m new to Instagram and signed up almost exclusively to follow the characters; was disappointed to find there are only four official ones), Félix has clearly been back to visit since that episode, as it was implied that he and Adrien hadn’t seen each other in quite a long time.

This concerns me for two reasons. One, that since Gabriel is now wearing Emilie’s ring, it’s proof to Félix (and Amelie if she was there as well--and I think I’ve seen an Instagram post with her in too, so I’m guessing she was ...) that Gabriel did, indeed, have both rings. As mentioned in my previous post, I think she thought he would have both because she thinks Emilie left them. But if they ever have reason to think something tragic happened to her, the fact that Gabriel had her ring wouldn’t look very good, would it …

The second thing is Adrien’s comment, and the fact that he put a picture of Félix on his Instagram at all, says he’s probably forgiven him for the video stunt he pulled. (Despite calling it “unforgiveable”, but this is Adrien we’re talking about.) But we know that, despite what Félix said to him about “coming back a better person”, he didn’t seem very sorry/sincere. Which means Adrien will have his guard down if Félix tries anything else.

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captainscanadian · 5 years ago

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Exception | Carter Baizen x Reader (Part 1)

My Masterlist

Prologue

Summary: After fifteen years of being away from the Upper East Side, you return to your home in hopes of making amends with your loved ones. But unbeknownst to you, the past that you had chosen to run away from was about to start haunting you. You had no choice but to face it. You could not run or hide away from it any longer.

Word Count: 7100+

Pairing: CEO!Carter x Lawyer!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, Gossip Girl References, Heart Attack, Mentions of Death, Capitalism (I HAD TO!)

A/N: As you all know by now, this is my entry for @baezen‘s writing challenge. I am super excited to be posting the first part because this is going to be quite an intense emotional roller coaster for everyone. I would like to dedicate this one to Her Majesty, the Queen of Carter Baizen, because if it wasn’t for her, I never would have convinced myself to write this fic. I love you, Steph! Tag list is open, just send in an ask to be tagged. Love you all! <3

June 14, 2020

According to Dan Humphrey, the Upper East Side was like something from Fitzgerald or Thackeray. Not that you would ever consider the perspective of an outsider trying to get in when looking to describe your own home. You felt that your own experiences of growing up here would be more than enough if there ever was a need to describe life in the Upper East Side. The Upper East Side of Manhattan, as much as you hated it for its opulent wealth and snobbish residents, it had always had a special place in your heart. It was your home.

Being born into an affluent family that belonged to Manhattan’s elite was not something that you had asked for. But you had been born and raised in the Upper East Side, with a silver spoon in your hand and a trust fund under your name. It had been your birthright to be a part of this world; a birthright that you had chosen to leave behind fifteen years ago. Not that you had a choice in that matter either. Leaving New York City had not been a choice that you had willing made. Hell, you did not even know that you would not be returning to the city when you had first left. The circumstances at the time had made it impossible for you to do anything else but run away and never look back. You never looked back, no. Not until now. Sometimes, you just had to be forced into returning to the past that still haunted you to this day. Fate was just so fucked up like that, making you leave involuntarily and now making you come back, also involuntarily.

As the pilot made the final announcement that you would be landing in New York momentarily, you leaned over in your seat to stare out the tiny window. The city that you had left behind all those years ago with your hopes and dreams that had been crushed soon after you had left; in an instant, your entire life had turned upside down. The next thing you knew, you had fled the life of the Upper East Side for good.

This city had waited long enough to see your return. As you flew above the sky, inching closer to the ground, your eyes glazed over with salty tears. They pricked at the brim of your eyelids before they rolled down, your heart breaking as you finally came to terms with the day you had left. Young and barely exposed to the real world; spoiled and stupid you had been. You had no idea back then, that your life was about to change so drastically just days later. But look at you now, you were finally home.

Once you had landed, you stretched your bare feet, hearing you ankles crack as you let out a yawn. You made a mental note to book an appointment for a pedicure sometime, not that the reason for your trip was to revel in the luxuries that you had left behind immediately after you arrived. No, if you had your way, you would not even be here right now. You were left with no choice but to return after that scare you had received a few days ago. You could not stay away for so long. Fifteen years were more than enough.

Your Louboutin heels clicked as you descended from the Y/L/N Industries’ private jet, your eyes darting towards the familiar man who stood by the limousine to greet you. Your lips curled into a smile as you recognized him in an instant. How could you forget that man? “Walter!” You exclaimed, for your heart swelled at seeing your old friend. He looked a lot more seasoned than the last time you had seen him; quite literally, his hair looked as though it had been sprinkled even with salt and pepper. He wore a pair of rimless spectacles now, his eyes probably blinding with age. But he was still the same man otherwise, still your personal chauffeur and the first best friend you ever had.

“Welcome home, Miss. Y/L/N.” His voice cracked as he greeted you and in a moment, he held out his arms to wrap you up in an embrace. “You’ve grown so much.”

You choked back your tears as you returned his hug, taking in his scent as you shut your eyes for a moment. “It’s good to be home.” You admitted, pulling back from the hug to fondly tap his nose. It had been a habit of yours ever since you were a little girl. “You’ve grown so much too, Walter.”

“It’s good to have you back, sweetheart.”

You nodded as you watched him grab your luggage and load it into the limo. “Walter, how is he?” You asked the man as you crossed your arms against your chest, pressing your lips shut as you inhaled a sharp breath of New York’s fresh air. You were home now, but you were worried sick nevertheless. There was a reason behind your return.

“The doctors discharged him this morning.” He replied, sighing as he turned back to look at you. “He’s back home now. Would you like me to take you to see him first?”

You breathed out a sigh before shaking your head. “No, take me over to my mother’s place first. I’ve been on a plane for eight hours. I really need a shower and then... I’ll see him when I’m ready.” You told him with a frown. Truth be told, even though you had finally returned to New York, you were still not ready to face the mistakes of your pasts just yet. You knew you had to come to terms with them somehow, the sooner you did the better it would be for the duration of your stay here. But you could not help it. Your guilt had been eating you away for years now.

The limo ride from the airport to your mother’s penthouse had been rather quiet. You could not stare intently into the streets of New York City through the tainted windows no matter how hard you tried. You could not get a glimpse of the world you had left behind. Perhaps, that was a good thing. Otherwise, your anxious mind would have tried to convince Walter to take you right back to the airport and you would have flown straight back to London with no further explanation.

While you had deemed that your life in the Upper East Side was complicated, your childhood spent in this city had been wonderful. Despite the fact that your parents had divorced when you were merely a toddler, they had chosen to put their differences aside when it came to raising you. Their split was amicable nevertheless and they remained good friends even today. Your father is the CEO of Y/L/N Industries. Your mother, a British heiress and a distant relative of the van der Bilt family, you had always been showered with the love that came from family, along with the wealth that you would inherently inherit. Your parents had done their best, but you had been the one to ruin the life that they had given you. It was all on you.

The moment you arrived at your mother’s penthouse apartment, you were greeted by your beloved maid and former nanny, Annalise. The woman had been working in your childhood home for as long as you could remember. Even after you had left town, she had been the one to update you on how things had been going on in New York. She had helped you keep tabs on your parents. “Miss Y/N!” She exclaimed as you stepped out of the elevator, tackling you with a tight hug that you had grown to miss so much over the last fifteen years.

“Annalise...” Your eyes glazed over once more and you found yourself choking back your tears again. “Oh how I missed you.” You admitted, sighing as you pulled back from the hug. “We have a lot to talk about. But first, where is my mother?” You looked around the familiar home as you entered through the foyer, heading towards the living room to hear your mother’s chatter coming from down the hall.

“Your mother’s in the dining hall. She’s been on the phone with her cousin since she woke up this morning. I would suggest that you save her from that hell.” The maid informed you before she grabbed the cart that held your suitcases up to your bedroom.

You chuckled softly before giving her a nod. “Thank you, Annalise.”

“Anne, I hate to be the one to tell you what to do. It’s his wedding and none of this is your call to make.” Your mother spoke intently on the phone, rolling her eyes as the other woman before she looked up at you. “I would suggest that you back off and just let them do their thing. They’re not kids anymore.”

You chuckled softly, biting down on your lip so that the woman who was ranting to your mother could not hear you through the speaker phone. Despite the fact that Anne Archibald was a distant cousin of your mother’s, no one in the family could stand her. After the drug scandal that landed her husband in prison and William Van der Bilt had managed to cut her off, your mother had been the only one who still spoke to her, much to your insistence. You walked around the table to pull your mother into a hug from behind, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

“Alright Anne, I hear you but I should let you go. Y/N just got home and... I’ll be busy for the next couple of days.” Your mother was relieved to finally say goodbye to her cousin, for the woman had always been a talkative soul who had no sense of time whatsoever. “Yes, of course, I will see you at the wedding.”

You pulled back from the hug before letting out a laugh. “When were you going to tell me that Nate was getting married?” You asked her as you sat down on the chair next to hers, reaching for a pastry that had been laid out on the table and popping it in your mouth.

“Even if I did tell you, would it have been reason enough to get you back here?” Your mother asked, teasingly. “I would have told you if I could, baby. But the whole wedding planning has been kept a secret and I didn’t know if you would be interested in finding out that your beloved little Nate’s getting married anyways. I assumed he would have told you, since you two do talk... right?”

“Mom...” You sighed. “Nate’s the closest thing I’ve had to a brother and if he wanted me at his wedding, I would have certainly made the effort to be there. I haven’t spoken to him recently though. The last time we spoke, I tried to talk him out of running for mayor and that did not end well. I did’nt think it was best to call him up and gloat when he lost the election.”

“Y/N, that was over two years ago.”

“I know, I know... I... I might go down and see him while I’m in town, you know... though I’m not sure if he would want me at his wedding.” You agreed with a shrug.

Your mother nodded. “How was your flight?”

“Good.” You replied as you swallowed the last bite of your pastry.

“And how do you feel now that you’re back here...?” She asked you, biting down on her bottom lip as she picked up her steaming cup and sipped her Earl Grey. When you had made the decision to never return to New York, your mother had been the one who had offered you her estate in London for you to stay in. While she had been disappointed in the way you had handled things, she had stood by every other decision you had made since then. Your mother was the rock of your life; she had always been.

“I don’t know.” You admitted, looking down at your hands as your mind wandered to that dreadful night once more. “I... it doesn’t feel like home anymore, but it’s only a matter of time until it does. I just... I don’t want to think about any of that.”

Your mother nodded, understandingly. “Have you been down to see your father yet?”

“No, not yet.” You replied. “I wanted to come down here and see you first. I... I don’t know what to expect when I see him, you know... I feel like a failed him sometimes. Mom, I crushed all of those plans that he had for my future by... running off and doing my own thing for all these years. I don’t want him to think that I abandoned him, when... I didn’t... that was not my intention when I left, mom. But it sure as hell seems like it now, doesn’t it?” You knew that you had to face him at some point. You had to face your past and your mistakes. You had to make amends with your loved ones. You had been gone for long enough and things had changed. Perhaps, it was time for you to let go of everything and move forward, seek redemption. You needed redemption as much as anyone else who had left behind their life on the Upper East Side.

Eight hours on a private jet had certainly not had any physiological effects on you. You found that having a few glasses of champagne during takeoff had pretty much knocked you out for the remainder of the ride. You had slept plenty and you were ready to ensure that the jet lag did not get the worst of you. New York was only five hours behind London anyways; it would not be so bad.

A cold shower had certainly done its job in keeping you awake. You found yourself strutting around your familiar childhood bedroom, wandering through the suite in reminiscence of your old life within these walls. Your mother had certainly had her touch in changing up the decoration of your bedroom in hopes that one day you would return. As the only one in your immediate family to have frequently visited your home in London, she was certainly familiar with your preferences in interior decoration. She had ensured that your childhood home would still feel like home when you came back.

A knock on your door made you fall back on your bed, staring up at the familiar ceiling as you let out a sigh. “Come in!” You called and Annalise entered with a cart of pastries and tea for your breakfast.

“Walter’s waiting outside, Miss Y/N. He said that he can drive you over to your father’s when you’re ready.” She told you as she set the cart next to your bed. “You’re still not dressed? I’ve already unpacked your clothes. They’re all in your closet.”

You let out a sigh as you sat up. “You want to pick me out an outfit like the old times, Annalise?” You asked her as your lips curled into a small smile. “Please...”

You watched as her eyes grew wide and she beamed down at you. “Of course, Miss Y/N, I would love to. Of course!”

“Thank you.” As you stood up from your bed, you reached for another pastry and took a bite of it. “Hey Annalise, can I ask you for a favor?” You asked her as you followed her into your walk-in closet. It was filled with all of the latest collections of designer clothes, despite the fact that your childhood bedroom had not been inhabited by anyone in fifteen years. Your mother had stocked up your closet in light of your arrival and you did not think you were even deserving of that kind of love. Needless to say, you had hurt both of your parents by what you had done fifteen years ago. “Do you happen to know how to get an appointment with the Editor-in-Chief of the New York Spectator?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Your maid replied as spun around to face you. She had picked out a Louis Vuitton dress for you to wear, a matching pair of Prada shoes in her hands. “I can call their office and book you an appointment with him for this afternoon.”

“This afternoon? Isn’t that short notice?” You asked her with your eyebrow raised. “I’m sure the man’s quite busy, Annalise. I don’t want to make his day any worse.”

“First of all, have you forgotten what I’m capable of?” She asked you as she handed you the dress. “Second of all, he’s your little cousin, isn’t he? I’m sure he’d push back whatever the hell he has scheduled for today the moment he hears that you want to see him. I’d say he’d be running over here the moment he hears that you’re back in town. Believe me; no one keeps my dear Miss Y/N waiting for them. I’ll make sure of it.”

“You’re a real one, Annalise.”

Even if the limo ride to your father’s apartment was ten whole minutes long, it had been a rather awkward one for obvious reasons. Walter had made sure to turn down the music, as he was aware how sensitive it must be. He knew how you must be feeling at that moment. Fifteen years it had been since you had last seen your father, not that you did not want to. But from the moment you had run off to live in your mother’s estate in London, he had resented you. He was disappointed in you. He could not forgive you for the way you had let your life turn upside down in an instant. You had walked away, not from your life in the Upper East Side alone, but also from your family’s legacy that you were meant to carry on after him. You had left him and his company and he had never forgiven you for it.

Your mother had been the one to call you a week ago. You had just gotten out of a meeting to see fifteen missed calls from her. She was not one to call you like that. She would always text you before to make sure you were not busy. However, seeing as many missed calls from her as you did, you began to worry.

When you had called her back, she had informed you of how your father had suffered a heart attack. It was not a complete surprise to you, for you were aware that he had high blood pressure for a while now. You even knew that you were a source of that, unfortunately.

Once your mother had mentioned that the doctors had to do a minimally invasive surgery to fix a blockage in his heart, you had begun contemplating whether you should fly down to New York in an instant. Your mother had told you that you had nothing to worry about; your father was fine and he probably would not want to see you, being as stubborn as he had always been. But you, you could not stay away from him any longer.

You had lasted fifteen whole years without him. You wanted to see him. You wanted to apologize. You wanted to make amends, because you were terrified that he might not be here for much longer. Unbeknownst to you, it was partially true. He might not be here for much longer, but he wanted to see you either way.

“Your mother did mention that you were coming back.” Your father mumbled as he saw you enter his bedroom. “I told her I would believe her when I actually saw you in the flesh.”

You looked over at the nurse who stood by his bedside, motioning her to leave the room before you walked up to your father. “I couldn’t stay away forever; you know... not when you almost died.” You admitted as you sat down at the edge of his bed, a sigh of guilt escaping your chapped lips as you reached for his cold hand. “I know I’ve been a fucking disappointment to you, but thanks for not actually dying on me, Pop.” You could feel your heart beating right out of your chest as the tears began to slip. “I don’t know what I would have done with myself if you weren’t sitting in front of me right now.”

Your father took your hand in his. “Y/N, sweetheart...” He frowned, wincing slightly as he reached over to you. “Honey, you... you’re not a disappointment. You were never a disappointment. You... you’ve made mistakes but... don’t we all? I’m sure your mother and I are no strangers to the effects of being young and impulsive. As much as I resented the fact that you had committed those mistakes, you’ve... you’ve only ever... you did not let any of that destroy you. If anything, it made you stronger... resilient. You’ve built a whole life for yourself, Y/N, and that too... without my help. You chose to do that and as much as I would have loved to have had you take on after me, to take the company from me, I know I raised a self-made woman and I’m proud of that. I may be a little disappointed that you did not need me after a while... but... I’m proud of you for not letting all that shit destroy your spirit.”

You choked on a sob as you pulled him into a hug. “I’m sorry, Pop. I’m sorry I fucked up. I’m sorry I was young and dumb and didn’t know what else to do than... run away from you. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean any of it.”

He wrapped his arms gently around you as he rubbed your back, trying to calm you down. He knew damn well that he had given you quite a scare last week. He had heard from your mother of how much you had freaked out when you had heard what had happened to him. Knowing that his daughter cared that much about him was more than enough for him, but being able to hold you in his arms like he had done all those years ago, that was his redemption.

“I know, sweetheart. I know... it wasn’t your fault. I should have been there a lot more for you when your mother wasn’t around. I should have watched over you as I had promised her that I would. I didn’t do that. I was so caught up on my own quest of finding the love of my life that I fucked up. It was partly my fault and you had every reason to find comfort in your mother at a time like that. But... I wouldn’t call it a mistake, when you’ve turned it all around into the best things you could have ever done. It’s been fifteen years and it’s about time we all moved on. It’s time we all became one big family again.”

“If that’s what you want, then your wish is my command.” You admitted, pulling back from the hug to give him a warm smile. “I might need to make some calls but I’ll see what I can do. But I’m not going anywhere for now. I’ll be here for as long as you need me.”

“Well, that reminds me... my doctors told me not to think about work and I left your mother in charge of the company while I’m gone.” He informed you, frowning as he looked down. “But I have something I need from you. I know that you’ve been clear about not wanting to take the company from me and I wouldn’t blame you for... not wanting that. Look at what the stress of running that company has done to me; it’s put me in a hospital. But it was always meant to be you and... I want it to be you. I want you to take care of something for me while you’re in town.”

“Mom told me that you were stressed with work and that’s why you... what’s going on, Pop? What’s bothering you?” You knew more than ever that your father’s business meant everything to him.

Your grandfather had built Y/L/N Industries from dust to dynasty. For decades, the company had been dominating the food product industry as a leading brand. But due to the loss of a recent lawsuit regarding contamination in one of your factories, something that your father had not been in control of, the company had begun to struggle.

You had done your best to keep up with the news regarding the court case, aware that your father was certainly struggling with the bad press and the debt that followed the lawsuit. No wonder the stress had driven him to have a heart attack. “I’ll do anything you need me to. I’m here, aren’t I? I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

“As you know, the company’s in a lot of debt.” Your father informed you with a sigh, certainly guilty about the way in which he had handled that whole thing. A part of him was well aware that it was his arrogance that had led to his demise. But what made him feel worse was the proposed solution to his dilemma. “And I am now in a position to sell a majority of the shares of the company to one of our competitors in order to keep us running. It’s not a choice that I would have made. But the CEO of the next leading brand has offered to... buy the entire thing from us and save us from this debt. Millions of people might lose their jobs otherwise. But this also means that Y/L/N industries would no longer be Y/L/N industries. What made us... us... is the fact that we kept the thing going for all these years because it stayed within the family, the family name and the legacy. It was all that your grandfather had ever wanted, Y/N. I can’t get myself to just... sell it off. By selling his company, I would be letting go of our family’s legacy and... As much as it is financially necessary, I don’t agree with it.”

“So, what do you need me to do, Pop?”

“Well, I want you to... I would be honored if you could offer your time to... take over from your mother and be the interim CEO of Y/L/N Industries while I remain in bed rest.” Your father replied. “Y/N, you’ve shown me that you are more than capable of running your own firm. You’re one of the best corporate lawyers London’s ever seen. Take a seat at the table and try to find a way to not let our legacy be taken away from us. Make sure that we find a way out of our debt without losing the family name.”

You did not think twice about your father’s request, for you knew that this was not only what had always been expected of you. It was also what you were meant to do. It was your legacy as much as it was anyone else’s. “You have my word, Pop.”

By the time you had left your father’s apartment, you were determined to find out what was going on with Y/L/N Industries at the moment. While you had been out of touch with the recent events, you had a corporate brain nevertheless. Corporate companies across the pond feared you, for they saw you as a vulture when it came to settling disputes. Mergers were your strong suit.

Your father’s inability to ask you to represent him in court may have led to this dilemma, but he had asked you to clean up his mess on his behalf. You were going to do just that, do what you had always done best.

Whoever the guy who offered to buy your dad’s company from him may be, he was going to make one hell of a run for it now that you were taking matters into your own hands. The prodigal daughter returns.

Annalise had called you to let you know that she had managed to book you an appointment with Nate Archibald. Not that you would ever need one to see him, as she had pointed out that morning. But things had changed between the two of you in recent years.

After he had informed you that he was running for mayor, you had tried to talk him out of it. Although you hailed from a family of politicians, you could not see him in any position of power. Nate had too good a soul to be engaging in the brutality that was politics and you had tried to protect him from that, as the honorary big sister that you had always been to him.

Unfortunately, this had led to a drift within your relationship. While Nate had lost his mayoral race and learned his lesson, you two were not on speaking terms. The next thing you knew, he had not even mentioned that he was getting married and you had to find that out from your mother, unwillingly. You were surely going to give him a piece of your mind for keeping that from you.

Walking into the office of the New York Spectator seemed surreal. You remembered when you had heard that a woman named Diana Payne had initially created this daily newspaper as an attempt to dethrone Gossip Girl.

A grown woman starting a news website to compete with a teenage gossip sharing site seemed like the most stupid thing to do, at least until William van der Bilt had purchased it and sat his grandson on the head of the table.

That seemed like a bold move on his part. Nate had clearly turned the Spectator around into a major news outlet in the country over the last decade. If it was not for him, you could not have been able to keep up with everything that had been going on in the Upper East Side.

As you followed the anxious receptionist who seemed extremely intimidated by your appearance the moment you had introduced yourself, thanks to whatever strings Annalise had pulled to get her to schedule you into Nate’s busy day, you could not believe how well he had done for himself. You had not seen him in person since he had vacationed in Europe after he had graduated high school. But that seemed forever ago now. Your little boy was all grown up now.

“Miss. Y/L/N for you, Mr. Archibald.” The woman entered his office with a knock.

You gave her a nod before you followed her into his office, giving the woman a moment to walk out and close the door behind her. “Mayor Archibald.” You teased your younger cousin as you walked up to his desk, a mocking tone in your voice before you snickered.

Nate gave you a wide eyed look of disbelief, unable to comprehend the fact that you were standing right there before him, in his New York office out of all places. If anything, he knew how much you despised being in New York and he knew why you had chosen not to return for all these years.

He never would have thought that you would ever return to America, let alone to your not-so-humble home of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Yet there you were, in the flesh, he was surely surprised to see you. But a part of him was slightly terrified, for he wondered what might be the reason behind your visit. He could only hope that your arrival had not been accompanied by any of your unfinished business.

“When my assistant told me that she got a call about a certain Y/N Y/L/N wanting to see me, I thought it was some prank call.” He admitted as he stood up from his desk and walked around to greet you. “It’s good to see you, Y/N.”

“Well, you know Annalise. She can be a little... aggressive, for the lack of a better word.” You admitted with a chuckle before pulling him into a hug. “Wow, you’ve grown up so much since the last time I saw you.”

It was true, he really had. Nate Archibald was a grown man now, but you had always seen him as that four year old boy who used to bug you at van der Bilt family reunions. He was your little brother from another mother, the closest thing you had to a sibling. He was the only one in the Upper East Side aside from your immediate family who knew where you had been for all these years and why you had left in the first place. He knew everything.

“So have you, mom.” He teased back as he wrapped his arms tightly around you. “How have you been though? How’s London? How are you? How’s Carter?”

“Good. I’ve been doing great, you know... running my own corporate law firm in London and teaching at Cambridge part-time. It’s great.” You told him with a bright smile, holding onto him a little longer as you recalled everything that the two of you had been through in the last fifteen years.

You did not know why you had chosen to trust him with your deepest, darkest secret before you had left town. But you had done the right thing by putting that trust in him. He had kept your secret with him for fifteen whole years now and not a single soul in the Upper East Side would know the real reason why you had left in a sudden or where you had been for all these years. You never would have wanted that.

“Man, I can’t believe you’re still here. It’s so good to see you after all these years.” He admitted, grinning widely. “I wish your mother would have told me beforehand that you were coming back to New York.”

“Well, I wish she would have told me that you were getting married, but that just makes us even, doesn’t it?” You pulled back from the hug. “

“You’re getting married and you didn’t think to tell me? I had to catch my mom on the phone with yours to know this? Really? Nate, I know that we haven’t been on speaking terms lately but the least I would have expected from you was for you to have called me to tell me that you were getting married. How could you have kept that from me? I thought we were friends. We’re family, for crying out loud! Just because we’re fifth cousins or whatever, that does not give you any right to keep me out of such important moments in your life.” You hit him playfully on the chest.

“What? Are you still so pissed at me about me giving you unsolicited advice regarding you running for mayor that you didn’t want me at your wedding? Is that what it is? Are you holding grudges now? Is that what I taught you, little bro? I thought you were so much better than that!” You crossed your arms against your chest as you stared at him with disbelief, expecting an answer but getting nothing in return.

Nate was visibly nervous as you brought up his wedding and he looked down at his feet, letting out a sigh of disappointment in himself for keeping the events of his love life from you for as long as he had. “Well, that was... certainly not my intention.” He admitted, looking up to meet your eyes but only to look back down again. He had never been able to lie to your face and he was not planning on doing that now.

“I just didn’t think you’d show up, to be honest, even if I told you about it. I know how you feel about coming back to New York and I didn’t want to be the one to put you in that place. I didn’t want you to feel like you should... be there. You really don’t... but now that you’re here anyways, Y/N, I would love for you to be at my wedding. You’re a part of my family and I do want you there. I’m sorry, I haven’t been able to call you sooner. I should have... but I got so busy and my mom’s been causing a lot of drama with the wedding planning-”

“Oh so you say...” You cut him off with a chuckle. “She was bitching about it to my mom all morning until I walked in. Honestly, I’m not mad. I’ve kept away from all of the... celebrations in the Upper East Side for a while now. I had no choice in that matter, but... I’m trying to be more present in my own family matters nowadays so, why not start with my dear little cousin’s wedding?”

He bit down on his bottom lip with a nod. “Oh... yeah, for sure, I’m happy that you’re back. I’m sorry to hear about your father, by the way. I know it must have scared the crap out of you. I’m glad he’s okay... my mom told me that it was a close call.”

You gave him a nod. “Oh yeah, I... no wonder I’m back in New York in a heartbeat, am I right? I was so terrified to lose my old man that I hopped on a private jet and flew my ass down here, just like that.” You admitted with a chuckle. “He’s okay, he’s happy... I think he really did want me here so... it’s all good.”

“So, I take it you’ll be in New York for a while.” He noted.

You nodded. “Yeah, I got some things to take care of for my dad so I should be here until that gets sorted out.”

“And Carter?”

Across New York City in another sky rise building was the office of the CEO of Baizen Industries. As Carter Baizen got off the phone with one of his lawyers regarding their recent business endeavor, he heard the familiar clicking sound of a woman’s red bottom heels against the tiled floor. “Oh for fuck’s sake...” He muttered under his breath before rolling his eyes, clearly not in the mood to deal with her drama at that moment. “Not now, Caroline. I’m busy...”

“My mother-in-law is a monster.” Caroline Baizen groaned as she entered her brother’s office, not caring at all that her brother’s mind was rather preoccupied by his business at that moment. She clearly needed someone to keep her from going full-on Bridezilla and she knew Carter had the emotional maturity to keep her sane throughout the remainder of her wedding planning.

She sat down on the chair across from him, clearly exhausted from having to spend the entire day with the woman who had given birth to the love of her life. “She’s... my monster-in-law, to be fucking honest, trying to act all pretentious and dictating how to plan my fucking wedding. It’s my fucking wedding, Carter. I think I have all the right to decide if I wanted roses or tulips at my fucking wedding!”

Carter rolled his eyes once more as he closed his laptop and leaned forward, resting his hands on his desk as he let out a sigh. “Caroline, as much as I love you, I think you’re being irrational right now. I really don’t see a point in freaking out over the flowers at your wedding. You chose to marry Nate, so the fact that you’re going to be marrying him should be the only thing that matters.”

“Easy for you to say, Carter... the groom’s job in a wedding is to just show up and say his vows. You couldn’t even do that.” She retorted, rolling her eyes at her brother. “Nate loves me, but... he’s too soft-spoken. He won’t tell his mother to back off that easily.”

He shook his head as he recalled his own wedding a decade ago, which had eventually led to him being cut off by his father. To say that he had learned his lesson since then would be an understatement. “But he loves you, right? He loves you and he’s marrying you, which means he’s choosing to spend the rest of his life with you.” He reminded her. “Do you really think that if push came to shove, he wouldn’t choose your side over his mother? I don’t think starting a family drama over roses and tulips is worth it.”

“Yeah, he loves me. But what do you know about love and being married? You left Beth Buckley at the altar, for crying out loud.”

He did. He was no saint and his past was proof of that. But what most of his family or anyone else did not know about him was that Carter did indeed know what it meant to be in love. He understood what it meant to love someone, long before he had even left Beth Buckley at the altar. “I may or may not know more than you do, believe it or not.” He admitted as he recalled that early morning almost fifteen years ago.

As the two of you laid hand in hand in the back of the limo, barely clothed as the sun had finally risen over the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Carter Baizen looked over at you with his bloodshot blue eyes. His soft pink lips curled into a smile as he reached over to stroke the side of your cheek. “I love you, Y/N.”

You chuckled, sleepily as you laid your head against his shoulder. “You probably say that to almost every girl in the Upper East Side, you know, just to get them to sleep with you again.”

“But I mean it this time.”

“Oh really?” You asked him with your eyebrow raised at him. A part of you knew better than to put all of your faith in him. Carter Baizen had a reputation for being the bad boy, the heart breaker, the one who could never be trusted. The Constance girls called him an apocalypse and warned each other in the name of sisterhood to steer away from his gaze at all costs. But you had known Carter since you were very little. Your parents had been friends since long before the two of you had been born. You thought you knew who he really was, so you had no choice than to trust that version you knew. But it would have taken you less than twelve weeks to know how wrong you had been about that. It was too late now though. It was way too late now.

He nodded his head as he licked his lips. “You’re my one exception.”

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