#i am gonna get the phone crack fixed soon hopefully

[thistransient]

things seen on a monday night

[robust-cicada]

Fade Out Again (Thom Yorke X Reader)

For @shehangsbrightly

prompt: honestly i would be allll over the bends era thom, and i think something angsty is what i’m feeling rn. do your magic 😌

Gender Neutral and SFW

CW: angst, burnout, arguments, swearing, guilt, break up, bad mental health.

“I really don’t know what you want from me! I thought you’d be happy to see me after, I don’t know? Nearly a year? But no, I’m the bad guy as always!”

“You think that you’re the only one this tour has taken a toll on? I haven’t been in the comfort of my own home in a year. I haven’t seen my friends or family in a YEAR! You can’t always expect to be my top priority!”

“Obviously. You know, every tour you do the more of a self-centered asshole you become. Just because your band is ‘making it big’ doesn’t mean you have to treat the people in your life like shit, Thom! It isn’t just me. Ed literally has told me numerous stories from when you got too drunk to even perform! You promised.”

“Oh enough of that promise bullshit Y/N! I’m sick of it!”

“Well, that shows how much you fucking cared about it, huh? Shows what a promise means to you? You’re pathetic. The amount of love and support I have poured into you since fucking college and one hit song throws every promise and hope for our future away.”

“Oh fuck off.”

I let out a dry laugh and walked to our bedroom. I grabbed a suitcase and packed as much as I could shove into it.

“What are you doing now?”

“Fucking off. I’m done, Thom. Absolutely done.”

“Yeah sure. You won’t last more than two days Y/N, and you know it. We’ve been through this before.”

I stormed towards him, his back colliding with the wall. I looked into his eyes, trying to look for any sign of remorse in his cold, blue orbs.

“Not this time Thom. I’m tired of crawling back to you with hopes that things will be how they used to again. I am tired of endlessly longing for you to return the love I give to you. You’ve changed and if this is you now? I want no part of it.”

He scoffed and looked away from me.

“Anything to say? Or are you too good for that, Mr. Big Rockstar?”

“Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

I scoffed and grabbed my stuff. I stormed out onto the snowy streets. It was freezing but I didn’t dare look back. It felt like I had been walking for hours before I found a phone booth. I put the change in the slot and dialed the only number I could remember through my rage.

“Hey, Eddie? It’s Y/N..”

“What happened this time?”

“Well, what usually happens when he gets home I suppose. Are you busy?”

“Need somewhere to stay?”

“Ye-ah.” My voice cracked as tears swelled my eyes.

“Where are you, I’ll be there as soon as I can?”

---

It had been nearly two months since we broke up and not a word was spoken between us. Ed had generously let me rent out the spare room in his house until I got my shit together, which did not seem to be happening. All I could seem to do was cry, work, and sleep. Eddie was wonderful and tried to help when he could, but he tended to keep his distance. At some point, I knew Thom would end up stumbling into the house, however, I did not expect to hear his voice breaking downstairs as he talked to Ed.

Thom’s POV

“Ed, it’s driving me mad! Do you know where they are, have you heard from them, anything?”

“If they wanted you to know where they were, they would’ve contacted you. I can’t really help you, man.”

“I just. I can’t do this anymore. I need them, so badly. You don’t fucking understand.” I crumbled to the ground in tears. “It’s my fault. Every time they leave it’s my fault and- and I just expect them to come back. What happened to me, Eddie? What... happened?”

“Thom. You’re the only person who’s gonna be able to fix this and you know it. I’m not helping you anymore. We’ve been through this too many times. I’m not a fucking couples counselor!” He grabbed his hair in frustration.

“You… You too? You’re supposed to be my best friend, and you’re giving up on me too?”

“You know what, Thom? That’s your problem. You can’t take any fucking responsibility for anything, can you? It’s always somebody else’s fault with you!”

I couldn’t even form a response. My thoughts spiraled rapidly as I tried to figure out where everything went to shit.

“I-I’m so-rry. I don’t know what to do, a-and I don’t mean to throw it all on you, Eddie, you… You’re just always so good with this stuff and you know them so well and- and- and..”

“Thom,” He held his head in his hand, “take a breath. There’s no need for all the blubbering.”

“But-”

“Just shut up for a minute okay? I’ll be right back.”

He marched up the stairs and disappeared. A few minutes later he came back down. Followed by Y/N.

Y/N’s POV

His face was tear-stained and puffy. He was in a pile on the floor looking as hopeless as an abandoned puppy.

“Y/N..”

I felt my jaw clench as I looked at him. I wanted to slap him and yell at him for everything he put me through, but my body betrayed me. Instead, I found myself kneeling in front of him, arm reaching out to cup his face in my hand. Tears streamed down his cheeks once again as he rested in my palm. He turned to kiss my fingertips.

“I’m sorry Y/N… I took you for granted. I thought you would always come back, and this time you didn’t, and my ego left with you. I need you, I need you so badly love. I can’t do this without you. Please I will do anything to have you back… Please.” He was barely speaking and as he whispered he looked me in the eyes for the first time in years.

“I... I can’t, Thom.”

His posture snapped to attention and I watched his heart shatter again.

“Why not..?”

“You hurt me.”

Tears of my own now mimicked his.

“Please.”

“Thom, stop.”

“I can’t. I can’t because I love you, and if you ever loved me then you would come back.”

“Don’t you fucking dare with that bullshit Thomas.”

I stood and walked away, but he followed.

“Love doesn’t go away Y/N, you told me that yourself. If you loved me you wouldn’t walk away like this. You’re really willing to throw everything away like that?”

“Stop. Thom, I- I can’t do this, just go.”

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“And I’m not leaving with you.”

He approached me and gently grabbed my hands, giving me the same damn look he did every time he wanted to get his way.

“No, Thom. Stop. Please.”

“One more chance, that’s all I ask. If I fuck it up again I promise you will never hear from me again. I’ll take you on the next tour, I’ll let you get a puppy like you’ve always wanted. Literally, anything you want is yours. You don’t ever have to work again. Just, please?”

“You still don’t get it. I don’t want material things or money. I don’t, well I do want a puppy,” We chuckled, “But that’s not why I left. All I want is your love, some of your time and attention. I want to feel safe with you. I want to feel at home. I don’t feel like that with you anymore. The only feelings that run through me when I look at you are sadness and insecurity. You make me feel like a child being scolded by their mother. I just can’t live like that again.”

“I promise that I will fix what needs to be fixed and will do anything I can to make you feel safe again, just trust me.”

“We both know promises aren’t your thing.”

“I’ll keep this one.”

“I can’t believe that, Thom.”

“I’ll let Ed take over the band if I break this promise and I will never perform with Radiohead again.”

“Oh, shove off you lunatic! I’m not worth that. Your fans would have my head.”

“I’m serious.”

“You make everything so hard on me.”

“Jesus, Y/N would you please just say yes? All you have done the past two months aside from work is cry and sleep. I can barely get you to eat. Just get it over with. If he fucks you over again I will personally skin him alive, just, get it over with you two!”

Thom looked at me hopefully. I sighed.

“Fine.”

“THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!”

He planted kisses all over my face and pulled me into a tight hug.

“Jesus, Thom, you smell! When was your last shower?”

“I... I have no clue,” He scratched his neck and looked at the ground.

“I mean, you are rank! You smell like a secondary boys locker room after P.E.”

“Okay, in my defense, I didn’t think you were going to be here.”

“Yeah, so it’s okay that I suffer in your stench then?”

“Well, we’ve shared a tour bus, I figure that you’re used to it by now.”

“Well, by that logic, if Y/N is coming on tour with us, they better get used to it too, because you’ve smelled worse after a show.”

“Lovely.”

He laughed and engulfed me in a hug again. I gave in and dug my face into his neck, letting him rock us side to side.

“Let’s get you home then, yeah?”

“If anyone needs to get home it’s you so you can shower!”

“We can shower together if you’d like.”

“Okay, yeah, if you could leave the dirty talk for the car ride home it would be appreciated.”

We laughed once again.

“I’ll go pack,” I placed a soft kiss on his cheek before walking up the stairs.

“I love you, Y/N!”

“I love you too Thom.”

[readingtherooms]

Vanilla

Summary: After a long day, you just want to lay down on the couch. Unfortunately, our resident genius got there first. 

Pairings: spencer reid x fem!reader

Requested: nope!! just me being in love w baby spence

Warnings: fluff, so much fluff. 

Word Count: 1568

A/N: hey guys! sorry this is a little all over the place, but i thought it was cute. I wrote this with season 1 in mind, but it’s really up for interpretation. I don't currently have a taglist but I think i'm going to start one so let me know if you want to me on it! The moodboard below was made by me however the images are not mine!

It’s almost midnight, and the team is flying back to DC from Seattle. The case had ended well. (Y/n) should be relieved. She wasn’t. She had fought with her brother right before she left, and going home means she’s going to have to talk about it.

 “I’ve never been good at that. Talking. I much rather just hug it out, I've always been tactile”, she explains to JJ as she gets out of the car. 

Boarding the jet, everyone is welcomed by fluorescent lighting and the overwhelming essence of day old coffee. Spencer quickly makes himself at home on the couch, as Hotch and Gideon settle into a game of cards. (Y/n) tries to read, but after twenty minutes of staring at the same page, lost in her own head, she debates giving sleep a shot. She glances over at Spencer. He’s awake. 

“Is there any hope of me convincing you to give up the couch”, she mumbles as she sits down across from her best friend

“Is there any hope of me convincing you to come to the Jacques Delille convention with me on Saturday?” He quickly responded. (Y/n) sighed - her and Spencer had been friends at CalTech, long before she got the job with the BAU. Over the years, she grew quite fond of the eclectic conventions he would drag her to. She loved listening to Spencer go on his signature tangents, it gave her a chance to just listen. Not worry about being awkward or saying the wrong thing, like she did around most people. With Spencer, all she had to do was listen, and she loved it. Unfortunately, she was going to be spending her Saturday in a much less pleasant manner. 

“I already told you, I have to go to brunch with my brother” she groaned. 

He chuckled, ���Well then I’m not moving”. 

“You know what, screw it” she thought to herself. She was tired, she kept getting caught up in her thoughts, and if she was being completely honest with herself, she was in desperate need of physical affection. 

“You don’t need to move” she stated bluntly.

“Wait, what?” Spencer responded, not even attempting to hide the surprise in his voice. He didn’t know (y/n) to go down without a fight.

“But you can’t stop me from laying on the couch” she countered. He responded only with a slight tilt of his head, and a look of confusion. (Y/n) stood up and walked over to where he had propped himself up. 

“Can I lay on you?” she half-whispered, her confidence starting to falter. 

“W-What?” he looked up at her with bewilderment in his eyes.

“Nevermind, it was a stupid idea.” She said, barely loud enough for him to hear. The fleeting confidence she had only moments ago, had completely drained out of her. She turned to walk towards the bathroom, attempting to escape the situation.

“Wait” he stopped her, despite still being perplexed by what she had just asked. “You can, uh, lay on me - if that's, uh, what you want.”  He clears his throat. 

“Are you sure?” (Y/n) responds, equally as flustered. He nods in response. 

After an uncomfortably long pause, she begins to lower herself onto the tan leather, leaning back as she does so. 

The next three minutes were chaotic to say the least, with neither of them not knowing exactly what to do. However, after those three, awkward, giggle filled minutes, (y/n) found herself lying between Spencer's legs, her head gently resting on his chest. She knew he wasn't always great with physical affection, she kept asking him if he was comfortable. He, in return, continued to reaffirm that he was, in fact, comfortable. 

A few more minutes went by, and soon (y/n) felt herself drift asleep, lulled by the soft fabric of his cardigan, and the gentle movements of his breath. 

Spencer, in contrast, was anything but peaceful. 

This just isn't the kind of thing that happened to him. Pretty girls don't just want to lay on him. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. He had just about convinced himself that this was a dream, when (y/n) shifted slightly, snapping him back into reality. 

He was suddenly very conscious of his arms. He had them resting lightly over her shoulder blades, in a position which he originally thought to feel natural. Doubt started to wash over him, he had never really done this before. Despite Derek's mocking, he wasn't actually a virgin, but it was in that moment that he realized he had never actually cuddled before. What if his arms were in the wrong place? What if (y/n) is judging him? Wishing she had never asked to lay on him? 

He lifted his right arm off of (y/n), and managed to pull his cell phone out of his pocket without too much movement. He really didn't want to do this, but he honestly couldn't think of a better alternative. He cursed himself internally, and reluctantly opened his phone, tapping on his second contact - “Derek Morgan”

Spencer : Derek, please turn around. Do not make a scene. 

Spencer sees Derek's head whip around as he reads the message, eyes widening when he notices (y/n). Despite being fairly certain that she was asleep, Spencer shifts his arm so that his phone was out of her line of sight. 

Derek : MY MAN!!!!!

Spencer : Don’t be dramatic, I need help. 

Derek : Dramatic?! Help?! Man you’ve liked this girl since COLLEGE 

Spencer : Trust me, I know. However, what I don't know is how to do this.

Derek : Do what? Cuddle?

Spencer : Yes, where do I put my arms?

Derek : Dude, you just gotta be natural

Spencer : That is completely unhelpful. Are you aware who you are talking to? Yesterday you watched me walk into a door. 

Derek : Yes, and I got it on video. Alright I guess I’m going to have to coach you through this. 

Spencer : Yes please. 

Derek : You owe me

Derek : Okay, take your right hand, and set it right above her waist

Spencer : My right or your right?

Derek : The hand with your phone in it

Derek : Now, your left hand, set it parallel to your right hand

Spencer : Does this look right? 

Derek : You’re doing great loverboy, are you finally gonna ask her out? 

Spencer : Maybe. 

Derek leaned over the back of his seat, clearly taking a photo. Spencer furrowed his brow. 

Spencer : Why did you take a photo of us?

Derek : Penelope. 

Spencer chuckled to himself lightly. He felt much more at ease than he had five minutes ago. Scanning the jet, he noticed that Derek had gone back to staring out the window. Everything seemed at ease. Hotch was facing away from Spencer, with a passed out Gideon across from him. JJ and Elle were both sleeping across from Derek, JJ lying on the brunette’s shoulder. 

Then there was (y/n). She was so peaceful as she slept, Spencer found himself entranced by her. He tucked back a strand of hair that fell onto her nose, and he felt her hum lightly with contentment. She smelt like vanilla, she always has. It was more than just perfume though, she must use vanilla body wash, shampoo as well. Is it possible she’s been using the same body wash since college? 

That is how Spencer Reid fell asleep that night, with (y/n) in his arms, thinking about the smell of vanilla.

-

Two hours later, Spencer’s eyes slowly started to crack open. (Y/n) was awake, nestled into the crook of his neck. 

“Hey sleepyhead” she teased. She received only an incomprehensible mumble in return. She looked at her watch, 4 AM. 

“We’re going to land in about a half hour, so I’m going to untangle myself and hopefully avoid a disapproving look from Hotch” she whispered in his ear. She placed a kiss on his forehead, before leaving the couch and returning to her original chair. 

The kiss was so soft, so light, that Spencer wasn’t even sure that it was real. The morning light was just beginning to spill through the small jet windows, and he waited for his eyes to adjust, before escaping to the bathroom. He was desperately trying to process what had occured in the past few hours. His mind was flooded with questions. 

Does this mean she likes me like I like her? 

Did she just need the comfort of a friend?

Is Derek going to make a big deal out of this?

IS THIS a big deal?

Hotch was awake, was he watching us? Does he care?

How does she always smell like Vanilla?

He finally realized that he would never find answers to all these questions standing in the jet bathroom. He fixes his hair, and steps back outside. 

“Hey (y/n)?”

“What’s up Spence?” 

“How do you always smell like vanilla?”

(Y/n)'s face lit up, giggling at his question. Suddenly, all the questions in Spencer’s brain felt like they were melting away. 

“Everything’s going to be okay” he thought to himself.

Everything is going to be okay because (y/n) is sitting in front of me

She’s smiling 

That smile could grow roses in the desert. 

Everything is going to be okay because she’s sitting in front of me

She’s smiling 

She’s smiling and she smells like vanilla

Oh, how I love vanilla. 

[cityofimagines]

My Angel – JJ Maybank x Reader

Summary: your relationship with JJ is still relatively new, but that doesn’t stop you from showing just how much your care about him after his has an episode with his dad.

A/N: this popped into my brain randomly because im in love with fluffy jj, and jj in general. i literally just wanna give him the biggest hug in the world 🥺 this is also my first real obx imagine so lmk what you guys think!! 

warnings: mentions of abuse

word count: 1841

It was currently a perfect day in the Outer Banks. 86 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, on your way to meet your friends on the dock. You finally found a time when everyone was off work simultaneously for the first time this week. John B’s boat was practically rotting from not being used in five days.

You fast walked down the hill to get to the meeting spot. As you got closer, you noticed most of the pogues plus Sarah Cameron, the newest addition to the group thanks to John B, all chatting.

“Hey guys!” You exclaimed as you neared them at the end of the dock.

“Hey (y/n)!” Kie smiled and ran up to give you a short hug.

“What’s up (y/n)?” John B asked, giving you a nod.

You shook your head. “Not much. Just excited to finally see you guys!” Which earned smiles from the rest of the group. Everyone was clad in swimsuits, t shirts, and flip flops, signaling that they were more than ready to get this day going. But before you could, you noticed something major was off. “Where’s JJ?” You asked looking around for your boyfriend.

“We were gonna ask you the same question.” Pope said.

“That’s so weird. We texted earlier and he was obviously down to come...I assumed he’d be the first one here.” You continued.

“Who knows maybe he’s just running a little late. It wouldn’t be the first time anyway.” Kie smiled and put a hand to your arm. “We can wait a few more minutes.”

You had been friends with all of the pogues for about two years now, pretty much since the week you moved here. However, you and JJ had only been dating for less than a month, so this relationship was still fairly new. You couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he was having doubts about you or your relationship. After that thought passed you wondered if something bad happened to him. JJ is known for having not the cleanest record, much to your dismay, so you couldn’t help but think he was in trouble. As more time passed, the more negative overthinking you did.

You checked your phone for any sign of him, but the only notifications present were from Apple telling you to update your software for the millionth time. The rest of the group had descended into a random conversation, but finally after 10 minutes of waiting for him you decided to speak up.

“Hey guys? I think I might go look for him…” You trailed off, looking in the other direction towards the rest of the island.

“It is pretty weird...JJ isn’t one to miss out on days like these.” John B added. “You want us to come with you?”

You smiled at his offer, but declined. “No it’s fine honestly. You guys go have fun. Don’t let me ruin your day.”

“You could never.” Kie said. “You’re sure?”

You nodded. “I promise it’s okay. I’m just scared something happened. I’m gonna go look for him and maybe we’ll meet up with you guys later if we can.”

Since your relationship with JJ was still so new, you were still learning how to manage spending time with him alone and spending time with the rest of your friends. You felt bad for leaving them because you hadn’t hung out all week, but something was pulling you towards JJ in that moment.

“Sounds good.” Kie finished. “Good luck and hopefully we’ll see you later!”

“Thanks guys.” You smiled one last time before turning to walk back towards where you came from. Your car was parked in a lot close by, so it didn’t take long for you to get in there and gather your thoughts. Where could JJ be? He couldn’t be at work, because he’s been working with Pope and his dad lately, so obviously if Pope was at the dock JJ would be too. The only other place he could be would be...his house?

The second that thought dawned on you, your face sank. His house.

JJ opened up about his home life to you pretty quickly into your relationship. You had known each other for so long before that he felt like he could trust you explicitly. He told you all about how his mom left when he was young, and how his dad is a disgusting physically and emotionally abusive alcoholic. This revelation led to a few tears and more than a few sleepovers at your house.

You backed out of the lot and sped down the streets as fast as you possibly could without it being able to technically count as speeding. Your heart was now pounding at the thought that something bad must have happened today involving his dad.

After a too fast car ride you came up on his street. You parked across the street in front of his house, not even daring to go near the driveway because who knows what his dad would do. You weren’t even completely sure his dad knew you existed.

You felt crazy walking around to the back door dressed in a bikini with nothing but an oversized t-shirt covering you, a messy bun sitting on top of your head, sunglasses behind your ears, and cheap flip flops.

Once you got up to the door, your hand hovered in front of it in a knocking position. Suddenly you were terrified. What if JJ wasn’t even here? What if you were just being a stupid worried clingy girlfriend? What if his dad answered? What would you even do in that situation?

A crazy thought came over you and you decided to forego knocking and reach out for the doorknob instead. You turned it quietly and the door clicked open. You closed it behind you and took a look inside at the house you had only seen a couple times before. Beer bottles lined every open surface. Clothes and dishes were strewn everywhere, medicine bottles sat on the kitchen counters. You bit your lip to keep from tearing up at the sight. The fact that this was the only place the boy who had your heart had to call home broke you.

You walked into the living room and jumped a mile when you saw an adult figure on the couch. Luke Maybank, luckily asleep. Still no sign of JJ.

You walked deeper in the house, down the hall to where you knew JJ’s room was. The door was cracked slightly, and you held your ear up to it. Your heart broke even more when the sound of crying filled your ears. You opened the door and it creaked, causing your boyfriend’s head to snap up in your direction.

“JJ…” You began.

“(Y/N)? What the hell are you doing here-” He said, cutting you off.

No words came out of your mouth for a minute as you took in the sight. He was hunched over sitting on his bed, clutching his side. His shaggy blonde hair looked more oily than normal most likely due to his hands running through it excessively. He had a black eye and a split lip, with random patches of dried blood around his mouth. You had heard about his dad’s horrible parenting, but nothing could have prepared you from seeing its effects in real life for the first time.

Finally you came to your senses. “I was looking for you.” You started. “We were all waiting for you on the dock and when you didn’t show up I just had a feeling something was wrong…God JJ why the fuck didn’t you call me? I would’ve come as soon as I cou-”

“Shh baby. It’s okay. I’m okay.” He said. “C’mere.”

You couldn’t help the tears that welled up in your eyes as you took all of three steps towards him. He wrapped his arms around your torso and pulled you in. Your head rested on his.

“It’s not okay!” You cried out, his hair muffling your voice. He shushed you and started rubbing your back.

“I’m fine sweetheart. You shouldn’t even be here anyways-”

“Will you shut up?” You said, the question coming out harsher than you meant. You quickly pulled away and looked down at him. “Shit- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...I’m just fucking frustrated that you have to go through this. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

JJ reached up to wipe the tear that had fallen onto your cheek. “It’s nothing I can’t handle. I promise I’m fine. Go back out with everyone. I’ll catch up later.” He said.

“No.” You shook your head. “We’re going to my house. I’m fixing you up.”

“(y/n)...”

“Either you come with me or I’ll help you here.” You gave him an ultimatum.

He sighed and his head fell forwards on your stomach. He was still sitting on his bed and you stood in between his legs. You grabbed his hand in yours. “Please baby. Let me take care of you.”

“Okay. Your house it is.” You helped him up and walked him out to your car. You even helped him into the passenger seat, much to his dismay. Seeing him like this had you seething inside, you couldn’t help but want to love on him with everything you had.

A short drive to your house later, you walked inside and told him to sit down on the couch. Your parents were both at work and you assumed your older sister was with her own friends. You ran to the bathroom to get bandaids, rubbing alcohol, and an ice pack for his eye.

You sat down with everything and began tending to his cuts. You felt like crying again, but reminded yourself to be strong for him.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” You asked after a few moments of silence.

He shook his head. “There’s nothing to talk about. He’s just an asshole.”

“I wish I could do something more to stop it.”

“You do enough. I don’t deserve you.” He said quietly.

“Stop it. If anything I don’t deserve you.” You replied. You took the ice pack off his face for a minute to look into his eyes fully. “You’re the best part of my life JJ Maybank. When you’re hurting so am I.”

He leaned down to kiss your forehead. “My angel.”

You wrapped your arms around his torso delicately so as to not hurt him. You weren’t sure if words could adequately describe what you were feeling regarding JJ, so you just sat in his embrace. He wrapped his arms around you after a few moments. 

“I’m so sorry you have to deal with all of this. I hate making you upset.”

“Not your fault.” You whispered into his shirt. “I would do anything for you. You know that.” 

He pushed your head up to his and planted a passionate kiss to your lips. He pulled away and rested his forehead to yours. You ran a gentle hand up and down his side, feeling him get chills as you traced the muscles that hid underneath his soft skin.

“You wanna sleep?” You asked.

“Honestly...yeah.” He said quietly.

You patted his legs twice signaling for him to stand up. You switched positions so you were sitting behind him.

Once he got comfortable in your lap, you started running your hands through his hair and on his cheek. His eyes fluttered closed.

“I got you sunshine. You’re safe with me.”

[weuschoiceheart]

🔑 Keiys to Your Heart - Romeo and Juliet (2)

Taglist: @mysticpenguincreation @soft-black-teabag @dusk-carnival @raftel-is-waiting @bluejayjay @lifeisamuffin @sparkling-nights @thenoceurgirl @affectionaterainoflove (send an ask if you want to be tagged!)

(This part is pretty long, probably the longest fic I’ve written so far, you have been warned).

Genre: fluff, mostly CrAcK, pining, Pining, PINING, theater!au, Seon playing matchmaker with Jaeho as his sidekick, K x female!reader

Warning: cursing, prepare yourself for cringe 

Summary: In which Seon is sick of seeing K and Y/n pine for each other, so when the school play started up, he forced the K to audition, hoping he’ll get the main role while Y/N (typical theater student) gets Juliet. To his shock, however, another student snatches Juliet’s role and Seon is forced to rethink his plan.

Part 2/? : <— Previous      Next —>

————— ————— ————— ————— —————

“Stop pacing, it’s making my head spin.”

Ignoring his friend, Seon continued pacing. Jaeho was only here for the food anyway. Well, food and maybe to lent some extra braincells (not that he had any, for that matter).

“What are you thinking about?” Jaeho asked, popping another potato chip into his mouth. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.”

“I have to find some way to convince him to audition....” Seon swung around in a u-turn, bumping into the coffee table. Jaeho let out a yelp as he just barely stopped the snack bowl from tipping over.

“Ok, what is it? What are you so agitated—”

Seon’s phone rang from the couch, and Seon instinctively went to grab it. Seeing the caller ID, he raised his eyebrows at Jaeho, who only frowned at him, confused. “Who is it?” he mumbled through a mouthful of gummies.

Seon answered the call and put it on speaker, K’s loud voice instantly spilling through the phone.

“Seon, this is all your fault!”

“Huh?” Jaeho turned to Seon, now more puzzled than ever. A slow smile spread over Seon’s face, having an inkling of what K was talking about.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, K.”

He heard his friend take a deep breath over the phone, and there was a pause, before he finally forced the words out. “I told her that I would audition for the play.”

“Wait, what?” Jaeho sat up quickly, the snacks in his hands flying everywhere. “You’re going to try out for Romeo and Juliet?”

“Yes...” K’s voice sounded almost mournful. “I’m going to try out and fail miserably in front of my crush.”

“Oh, don’t say it like that,” Seon responded gleefully. Well, that’s the first part done. “Just practice your lines, and you’ll make it. Now go start writing out your confession, lover boy.”

“What—I don’t—” K spluttered upon hearing Seon’s words. “What do you mean, confession?!”

Too late, Seon had already hung up.

K threw the phone onto his bed and flopped onto his stomach. Grabbing a pillow, he screamed into it.

Seon put down his phone and clapped his hands together. “Well, let’s get to work.”

“I don’t even know what we’re working on,” Jaeho sighed as he picked up the chips on the floor with a napkin. He pouted slightly. Poor snacks.

“We’re gonna make sure K confesses soon, and since Y/N is also auditioning, well, let’s just say her Romeo will finally express his undying love for his Juliet,” Seon answered. “And to do that, I’ll need your help.”

Jaeho flicked a piece of chip at Seon. “Why are you so invested in his love life when you can’t even handle yours with Artz-”

Seon grabbed a gummy bear from the snack bowl and threw it at Jaeho, who caught it in his mouth, effectively shutting him up. “Look, we knew that idiot has been in love with Y/N for years already, and if we don’t do something, he’ll probably regret it later after he graduates and never sees her again. Now here’s his chance. So grab whatever braincells you have and help me.”

———————————————————————————

You were not ready to face an angry mama dragon.

Well, your day was already ruined already, so you’d prefer hearing Giulia nagging at you for not bringing an umbrella than having to face another day at school.

And the auditions for the play too.

You mentally screamed as you dashed across the courtyard and ducked under the school awning, finally out of the rainstorm. With sleep deprivation at its peak, school projects, and exams, you had barely squeezed in time to practice for the play.

Great, now you’ll try out and fail miserably in front of your crush.

Letting out a yell in frustration, you stamped your feet, accidentally stepping in a puddle. Lovely, this is absolutely lovely. You tried to shake the water out of your shoes and looking up, you saw nearby students cast you weird glances. Ducking your head in embarrassment, you sighed and decided to drag your sodden body inside.

At least it’s warmer in here, you thought glumly. The bell hasn’t rung yet, so maybe you can go to a secluded area and practice your lines, that is, if you can just stop dripping water on the floor and hopefully don’t slip on the way to your locker—

“Y/N!”

You almost slipped when you heard the voice, shutting your eyes tight. Please not now, not him, he can’t see me in this mess, oh god, can this day get worse?

“Y/N.” K caught you before you can fall on your face and embarrass yourself further. The two of you stood there, staring at each other. You can see his face turning red at your touch, and you can feel yours heating up too. Clearing your throat awkwardly, you pulled away, much to his disappointment.

“Are you alright?” K felt dumb asking the question, since it was clear from your frazzled appearance that you were far from alright. Suddenly thinking of an idea, he put his bag down and rummaged through it. “Here,” he brought out the towel he always kept with him for track team. “Use this to dry yourself off.”

Blinking in surprise, you shook your head. “It’s fine, you need it—”

“I have another one in my dance bag, don’t worry.” Before you can refuse again, K started to dry your head and face, his hand brushing against your lips slightly, and you swear your heart was about to stop. “You need it more than I do right now, anyway.”

Never in your life did you expect to be standing at the entrance hall of your school, with your crush two inches away from you as he fixes your messy self. Never in your life did you think your heart will pound any faster. Or that you’ll ever get this opportunity again.

“Thank you,” you mumbled shyly as K stepped away, a gentle smile on his face as he studied you. Maybe this day isn’t so bad after all. “Sorry for wasting your time, my dumbass forgot to bring an umbrella to school today.”

“Yeah, um, no problem,” K stuttered out. Damn, how did I even have the courage to stand that close to her? “Wait, you don’t have an umbrella?”

“No, no, no, I’ll be ok,” you said, not wanting to trouble him further as he held out his umbrella to you. “I’ll share with my friends, I don’t want you to end up like me.”

“I’ll be fine, really,” he looped the handle of his umbrella onto your wrist. “I’ll just share with Jay. Besides, by the time track practice ends, it would stop raining anyway.”

“Oh...thanks,” you said, flustered by his kindness. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

He titled his head, confused. “You don’t ever have to repay me, Y/N. I’ll gladly do anything for you.”

At this point, you’re sure your heart was about to burst. K, realizing what he just said, turned a darker shade of red. The two of you stood there awkwardly, staring at anything but each other, and you were about to speak up again before another voice rang out from behind you.

“Hey! What are you two lovebirds up to?”

Artzyy strode up to you, looking between you and K. Noticing the tension in the air, xe grinned. “Oh, am I interrupting something?”

“No, nothing,” K hurriedly scrambled to grab his bag, his train of thought broken. “I have to meet up with Hanbin for dance practice, see you two later!” Sending you a wave, he walked away.

“So I did interrupt something,” Artzyy turned back to you, eyebrows raised. “Care to explain what happened?”

You barely registered what xe was saying, still staring at K’s back disappearing around the corner. A smile stretched across your face as you touched the spot where his hands met your lips, the warm feeling in your chest expanding. Noticing your dazed expression, Artzyy couldn’t help laughing. “You look like a lovestruck fool.”

“Maybe I am....or maybe this is a dream and I need to wake up...”

“Well, wake up you will because the bell should ring any minute now,” Artzyy snapped xyr fingers in front of your face, shaking you out of your reverie. “Gods, you really are more whipped than Moona.”

You shoved xyr side playfully, as you shouldered your bag. “Don’t compare me to Moona when you’re the same.”

Artzyy eyes widened at your statement. “I- I don’t know what you’re talking about, let’s just go.” Xe grabbed your arm and pulled you along, and you laughed to yourself. It’s so easy to embarrass xem.

“Mhm, sure. Like Choi Seon isn’t your phone wallpaper.”

“I’m who’s wallpaper?”

Artzyy whipped around upon hearing the voice, and you almost laughed out loud at xyr expression when xe noticed that Seon was walking behind you two. Deciding to spare xyr embarrassment, you calmly said. “Hey, Seon.”

“Do you know where K went? I need to talk to him about something.” You can feel Artzyy let out a breath behind you, relieved that Seon wasn’t going to interrogate xem. Huh, and you said my love life needs work.

“He went to the dance studio, to practice with Hanbin,” you answered, right as the bell rang. Seon nodded his thanks before turning to go. Artzyy slowly peeked out from behind your shoulder, then hid again when he faced you once more.

“Good luck at the auditions.” Flashing you a mischievous smile, he ran off. Frowning to yourself, you wonder what that look could mean, as Artzyy tugged at your arm to go. Following xem, you took a deep breath and grinned as your mind flashed back to your encounter with K.

Yeah, maybe today isn’t going to be so bad after all.

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

K fidgeted nervously in his seat, uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the room. If he had been smart and kept his mouth shut, he would’ve been practicing choreography with the rest of the dance team right now. But instead, he’s sitting in the auditorium, with the lights off and spotlighted on stage, waiting for an audition he wasn’t prepared for. Well, he tried his best to prepared for it (Hanbin, bless his kind heart, had volunteered to do Juliet’s lines so K can memorize Romeo’s, with Jay and Geonu laughing their asses off in the background), and he did, somehow, know the lines, but once he get up stage, he knew all of that would fly out the window.

“Didn’t expect to find you here, K.”

K turned at the familiar voice, seeing a tall girl sit down next to him. “Oh, hey.... Minsoo. Long time no see.” He hadn’t seen her for over a year, ever since they broke up last summer. He suddenly remembered that she was also a theater student, like you, and realized that she must be auditioning for the lead role as well.

The girl hummed in response, then gestured to the script in his hand. “You’re trying out for the play?”

“Oh, yeah...” K muttered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Minsoo tilted her head to the side, an amused expression on her face. “Really? When did you become so interested in theater?”

“Oh, uh-” K racked his mind for some excuse, and stuttered out, “I just decided to, I don’t know, try something new.” He shrugged, as if it was no big deal, and mentally cringed inside.

“Ah...” Minsoo, looking unconvinced, sat back in her chair. “Lead role, too?”

“Yeah.” K’s gaze became distracted as he saw you took center stage, and he leaned forward, curious to see your audition. Unlike previous years, you seem to be more nervous this time, tapping your feet anxiously, fiddling with your fingers. Across from you, K saw Youngbin, one of the vocal students and Jake’s friend, who seem to also be trying out for Romeo as well. The director, Ms. Jino, signaled for them to start.

Following K’s gaze, Minsoo snickered upon seeing his besotted expression as he watched you perform. So that’s why...

“I really hope she gets the role...” K murmured as your audition finished. He started fidgeting again as he waited for his name to be called. Any minute now.

“Well, there’s a lot of girls trying out for Juliet this year,” Minsoo remarked, “I’m actually surprised by the amount. Maybe they’re trying to get on Ms. Lee’s good side by auditioning.”

“Really?” K scanned the room, and found out that she was right. The auditorium was half full with people coming in for auditions, and more were coming in as well. Most of the girls look almost as nervous as he is, anxiously practicing their lines. Y/N would still get in though, I know she would.

Minsoo shrugged. “I’m sure Ms. Jino would find the perfect one for the role among the people who just do it for a grade.”

K quirked an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure you’re not doing this for the grade?” he teased.

“Hey, I’m offended,” Minsoo replied, pretending to sound affronted. “You know I’m not like that.”

“Sure you aren’t,” K playfully bounced back.

“At least I’m not doing it for a crush.”

“I’m- what?” K blinked in surprise. How did she know?

“Gotcha,” Minsoo laughed, “Oh, hey, there she is right now.”

You dragged yourself from backstage, head low and spirits even lower. Seriously, Y/N? Is this all you got? The audition went by pretty smoothly, except for some parts where you just blanked out and had to improvise on the spot. But you knew that you have to be better than this to get in, because judging by the mass number of girls auditioning, you knew that the teachers would analyze every part from the facial expressions to line delivery. Another failed audition, you thought to yourself, sighing as you closed the stage door, stopping at the sight in front of you.

You knew you shouldn’t feel this weird feeling in your chest, seeing K joking around with his ex-girlfriend, but you couldn’t help it. They only dated for a few months, and Minsoo has always been nothing but nice to everyone, so why do you have this terrible feeling of jealousy?

You really thought this day would get better just because your crush helped you out? Now you screwed up your audition and he probably likes someone else.

Pushing these thoughts out of your head, you swallowed a lump in your throat and rushed out of the auditorium. You can hear K calling your name behind you, but you ignored it and hurried on, afraid that if you turned back you’ll just burst into tears right there and then.

K deflated, eyebrows knit in worry as he slumped in his seat. “What happened? Why did she run off like that?”

Minsoo frowned in thought, looking at your retreating figure. Her eyes wandered to K and herself, then mentally face-palmed. “K, you’re a dumbass.”

“What?” Girls are so confusing. Right at that moment, he heard his name called, along with Minsoo’s, and he scrambled up, heart pounding. It’s time.

“When you’re done with this, make sure to go and talk to her, ok? So she doesn’t get the wrong idea,” Minsoo said as they climbed the stage steps. K nodded, casting another worried look at the auditorium’s doors, even though you were long gone.

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

“Why the hell does he keep calling his lover Bambi?”

“It’s wordplay, Moona. “Bambi” in Korean means night shower, and he uses this imagery along with Disney references throughout the song, and the album itself, to enhance the music.”

“So he’s basically calling his lover a deer.”

“It’s a metaphor. Besides, the only deer you know is Heeseung, anyways.”

“Hey, there’s no need to attack me like—Y/N, are you ok?”

You plopped down on one of the seats outside the cafe, where you and your friends decided to meet up after school. The rain has cleared up earlier than expected, so you didn’t have to use the umbrella that K lent you, thankfully. Using it might just cause your emotions to spiral out of control again. I’l just return it tomorrow, you thought, forcing a smile on your face as you looked at your friends.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“Oh, stop lying, you’re not,” Star studied you carefully. “What’s wrong?”

Sighing, you buried your face in your hands. “I failed the auditions.”

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t think like that,” Moona pushed a slice of cheesecake over to you. “You just did the audition, and they won’t announce the results until at least next week. Calm down and eat some cheesecake.”

“You should copyright that slogan and put it on a mug,” Star snickered. She pushed a cup into your hand. “Here’s your comfort drink, by the way. We know how stressed you get after auditions.”

You finally let a small smile settle on your face, taking a sip of the drink. Gosh, what would you do without your friends. “Thanks guys.”

“Nah, no need to thank us, we got you.” Taking a sip of her own drink, Moona said, “Hey, there’s Giulia now.”

“I’m so so sorry, I swear to god, if I have to hear that stupid customer yell at me one more time, I’ll scream,” Giulia plopped down next to you, then turned concerned at the look on your face. “Honey, you ok?”

“No,” you took a bite of cheesecake, savoring the sweet flavor in your mouth. You just wanted to distract yourself from this horrid day. “Wait, where’s Artzyy?” you asked, realizing that someone was missing.

“Xe had a group project with Seon,” Star grinned mischievously, wiggling her eyebrows. “So xe had to cancel today.”

“Oh.” On any other day, you would’ve joined in on teasing Artzyy, but xyr relationship with Seon just reminded you of how you ditched K back in the auditorium, and guilt started piling up inside you. Even if you were jealous, you shouldn’t have abandoned him like that, and he’s probably worried that he did something wrong. Which he didn’t. It’s just this crappy ass day of yours, and this dark cloud hanging over your head, shrouding your emotions, your thoughts, your stupid feelings—

“Alright,” Giulia clapped her hands together, interrupting your thoughts. “I know you always get stressed over auditions, but you’re not like this. What is wrong, Y/N? You can tell us, we’ll listen.”

You looked up to see Moona and Star also giving you similar troubled expressions, and you shook your head. “It’s just...a bad day. Nothing is going right.” Your voice cracked at the last syllable, and you will yourself to not cry. Everything felt too much, school, the play, your love life.

Your friends shared a look, before they scooted over to embrace you in a group hug. You relaxed against their arms, feeling comforted at last.

“Things will get better,” Giulia soothed. “Hang in there, ok? You’re stronger than all of this, Y/N.”

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

“What’s the matter? You look like someone just rejected you.”

K glared at him, and Seon comprehended that maybe that wasn’t the right choice of words. He sighed and took a seat beside his friend on the bleachers. “What’s wrong?”

K flicked through his phone, before turning it off with a defeated sigh. “She’s not answering my calls, or my messages. She just dashed out after the auditions without even looking at me. Even though I called after her.”

Seon frowned, puzzled by K’s words. “Why?”

“I don’t know!” K threw his hands up in frustration, running a hand through his hair. “She just...ran away.”

Seon opened his mouth to say something, but K’s coach yelled for everyone to get on the field to start practicing again. Seon watched as K, with a broken expression, climbed down the bleachers and headed onto the tracks. Staring after him, Seon started to feel like everything was not going according to plan. At all. He took out his phone to text Jaeho about the latest development.

Seon: Something’s wrong….

Jaeho: Why? What happened now?

Seon: The couple dynamics are weird.

Jaeho: The only weird couple dynamic is you making kissy faces at Artzyy while she tries to avoid looking at you when you two were working on the project.

Seon: I was NOT making kissy faces! And this isn’t about Artzyy, I’m talking about K and Y/N.

Jaeho: Oh. So….change of plans?

Seon: No, not yet. Not until they announce the audition results. I just….have a bad feeling about this.

[the-delta-42]

Jack & Miko

Jack and Miko

“A new bot!” Gasped Miko, rushing over to them. The Burns had gathered around Cody, as Arcee and the other Autobots stopped short of the group, “Who’re you?”

“Prowl.” Said the Bot, shortly. He looked like Smokescreen, except his optics were covered by a visor that looked like a pair of sunglasses and his chevrons resembled Ratchets and he looked like the type of police officer that was an asshole for no other reason than to be an asshole.

Wheeljack groaned and slumped, he and Prowl did not get along.

“I am correct in understanding that Optimus is communicating with Autobots in the field?” Asked Prowl, looking around the group.

“Er, yes, sir?” Responded Heatwave, not sure how to respond to Prowl.

“I’ll save my report until he has finished,” Stated Prowl, “I’d rather not repeat myself.”

The atmosphere was tense, while they all waited for Optimus. Optimus exited the Communications Centre to be greeted by the Autobots, Rescue Bots and Prowl.

“Sir!” Saluted Prowl, snapping to attention.

“At ease Prowl.” Said Optimus, looking at the tactician.

“Sir, I regret to inform you that the Decepticon known as Roadkill was able to escape capture.” Reported Prowl, “I have been following his trail for the past four Earth Stellar cycles, before I tracked him to this Island, where he escaped through a space bridge portal.”

Optimus sighed and closed his optics, “Chief Burns, I take it that Agent Fowler alerted you to the course of action that would be taken if the Decepticon would escape.”

“He did.” Confirmed the Chief, his tone flat.

“Wait, course of action? What course of action?” Asked Kade, looking between his father and Optimus.

“As long a Cody remains here, his life is at risk,” Said Optimus, looking down at Kade, “as well as yours.”

“So, what, we all go into hiding or something?” Asked Graham, confused.

“Normally, that would be the case,” Said Optimus, shuttering his optics, “however, as Cody is the only target, and that the Rescue Team has been assigned here, Cody, and only Cody, will be placed under Autobot Protection until Roadkill has been dealt with.”

“H-how long will that be?” Asked Dani, getting Optimus to look at her.

“I do not know, Danielle.” Said Optimus, “Hopefully, sooner rather than later.”

J&M

Jack helped Kade and Graham lift Cody’s bags into Bulkhead. Miko was hanging around Prowl, no doubt trying to cheer Cody up, Raf was ecstatic when he found out that Cody could understand Bumblebee as well. When Optimus gave him the key to Vector Sigma, he’d said he was impressed by how much Jack had matured. Personally, Jack thought the same thing about Miko, the girl had matured greatly, especially after the business with Hardshell. Cody looked close to tears, which Jack could understand, after MECH and Airachnid kidnapped his mom, Fowler had said about relocating both of them and giving them new identities, Jack also knew that Raf was aware of the stress of being move away from your home. But in their cases, they were with family. Cody just had himself.

Optimus had assigned Prowl as Cody’s guardian. Jack sighed through his nose and approached Cody.

“Okay, that’s everything.” Said Jack, looking down at Cody, “You okay, bud?”

“Yeah,” muttered Cody, despondent looking around is home for what could be the last time, “I guess I never thought I’d leave.”

“Don’t worry,” Said Miko, slumping against Bulkhead’s side, “There’s nothing the Bot’s can’t handle.”

“Miko.” Said Bulkhead, turning his engine on, “It’s time to go.”

Cody walked off to say goodbye to his family, while Jack remained with Miko.

“He looks so lost.” Mumbled Miko, Jack nodding.

“His entire world’s just been knocked off kilter.” Said Jack, his heart felt heavy, “The only thing we can do is help him with the transition.”

Miko cracked a smile, “Look at you, Jack-timus Prime.”

Jack gave Miko a flat look, “Never call me that again.”

Miko threw Jack a smirk, before climbing into Bulkhead, with Jack getting on Arcee. Cody finished saying goodbye, with Prowl transforming and opening his door for the boy. Jack got ready to set off, when Cody’s friend, Frankie, turned up and started with her own goodbyes. Jack knew that Cody was doing his best not to cry.

Jack just hoped that what they could do for Cody was enough.

J&M

Miko absently plucked her guitar strings, a small shuffling sound catching her attention. Glancing up, Miko spotted Cody staring at her, or more accurately her guitar.

“You ever play?” Asked Miko, lifting the guitar up. Cody shook his head, ever since Cody had moved, he hadn’t been talking, “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Miko patted the seat next to her, giving Cody welcoming smile. Cody made his way over to next to Miko, the Japanese girl placing the instrument into Cody’s hands, adjusting his hand placement and grip.

Jack looked up from his homework, his eyes freezing on Miko with Cody, teaching him how to use the instrument. Jack’s heart warmed at the sight, Cody was around Raf’s age, twelve-to-thirteen, but he suffered from recurring nightmares of Roadkill and his mother.

“You’re doing great.” Praised Miko, placing a hand on Cody’s shoulder.

Cody gave a shaky smile. Jack had a smile of his own, he was glad that at least one of them was connecting with Cody. Miko notice Jack looking at them, throwing him a discreet thumbs up, a small blush on her cheeks.

Over the next few days, slowly, but surely, Jack, Miko and Raf got Cody to start opening up. A week later, Cody came into base in tears and Jack came in with a broken hand.

“What happened?” Demanded Ratchet, as Miko sat next to Cody on the sofa, doing her best to comfort him.

“Vince,” Snarled Jack, pacing around, “happened, he thought it’d be a good ‘make an example’ of Cody.”

“Vince got physical with Cody,” Said Miko, as Cody’s face was buried in her shoulder, “since Raf and his family are house hunting and he found out that crossing us was a bad idea, he decided to go for the weakest loner he could find. Jack did knock some sense into him though.”

“Part of me wishes I just settled with one punch.” Muttered Jack, wincing as he felt his hand, “I’ve been suspended from school for breaking Vince’s nose and taking a few teeth out. It would’ve been worse, if Fowler didn’t turn up. How did Fowler know to show up, anyway?”

“Speed dial.” Said Miko, as Cody sniffled.

“I don’t know what Fowler said, but it was enough to scare both Vince and the principle.” Remarked Jack, wincing as he found the broken bone, “This is gonna hurt.”

There was a crack as Jack reset the bone, Jack let out a pained whine, “Shouldn’t’ve done that.”

“I’ll say,” Said Miko, looking sick, “I hope you plan on fixing that in a hospital.”

Jack looked at his hand and then glanced down to his pocket, “Miko, this is going to sound weird, but can you get my phone out of my pocket for me?”

Miko looked at Jack and smirked. Miko strutted her way over and slipped her hand into Jack’s pocket and grabbed his phone, “Cody appreciates what you did today.”

“It wasn’t enough.” Mumbled Jack, as Miko pulled his phone out. Instead of giving Jack the phone, Miko flipped it open and started going through the contacts and calling Jack’s mother.

“Nurse Darby?” Asked Miko, her voice taking a formal tone, “I’m afraid Jack’s broken his hand and need help with it.”

Miko paused for a moment, “How did he break it? He knocked some sense into the guy that was bullying Cody.”

Miko was silent, “No, Cody’s not very hurt, physically at least.”

The pair glanced at Cody, who was now being comforted by Prowl. Jack saw each person who been laughing and encouraging Vince and decided that he wouldn’t be associated with any of them, Sierra included.

Cody gave another sniff, before slowly drifting off to sleep. Jack and Miko had identical soft looks on their faces as Cody gave into his exhaustion.

J&M

Jack was kicking himself, He watched as Cody, trapped in a jar, in the hands of a Decepticon that looked like Roadkill. Cody was curled into a ball and shivering, Megatron demanding each of them for an Omega key, claiming Jack was worth two. The warlord opted to use Cody to get the relics to be handed over. The only bright side that Jack could find was that Roadkill had been killed before they were brought to Cybertron.

Then, Megatron turned the Omega Lock on Earth and Optimus acted. It was over in a blink of an eye, Optimus destroyed the Omega Lock and removed Megatron’s arm. Then they were back in the base, with Fowler asking the Autobots to step outside. Jack glanced at Miko, who was doing her best to coax a reaction out of Cody. Then the Autobots came rushing back inside, with Optimus telling each Autobot to take their charge and leave via the Ground bridge. Prowl went first, taking Cody, then Bumblebee and Raf. Jack sat on Arcee, as Bulkhead prepared to leave with Miko. Jack looked over and met Miko’s eyes, Jack felt his eyes start to burn and quickly looked away. Bulkhead sped out of the base, prompting Jack to put his helmet on, before Arcee sped through the ground bridge.

Jack looked around, he and Arcee were in the middle of a dirt road, if Jack had to take a guess, they were in Texas somewhere. Jack’s thoughts went to Raf and Cody, before settling on Miko. Jack only prayed they were safe.

J&M

Bulkhead drove through the Rocky Mountains, Miko sat slouched in the passenger seat looking through the pictures on her phone. She was glad that Bulkhead bought the new game excuse, she knew it was silly to hide that she missed everyone, but she didn’t want Bulkhead to know that most of the pictures were of Jack. Bulkhead was the older brother Miko never had, and she had heard what older brothers did to their sister crushes…at least that what happened on tv.

“Wheeljack should be here soon.” Said Bulkhead coming to a stop and jerking Miko out of her thoughts.

“Cool.” Said Miko, climbing out of Bulkhead, allowing him to Transform into his robot mode.

Miko gnawed at her bottom lip, keeping watch for Wheeljack. For the next few hours, the pair waited for Wheeljack to arrive. The sound of a car engine reached them, signalling Wheeljack’s arrival.

Miko felt herself smile, at least one of the others made it.

J&M

Jack stumbled when Miko hugged him, Bulkhead and Wheeljack spoke to Arcee, Prowl and the Rescue Bots.

“Where’s Cody?” Asked Miko, looking around.

“He been left with his Family,” Said Jack, looking up at the Autobots, “The Decepticons attacked Griffin Rock, the islanders were hiding in some cavern, the Bots called it the Sanctuary.

“Is he okay?” Asked Miko, getting a nod from Jack.

“Prowl made sure that Cody would be safe with his family,” Said Jack, taking a step back, “He plans on collecting all of them once this is done.”

“We’re tracking the last two Autobot signals now,” Said Jack, glancing up at Arcee, “It could be Optimus and Ratchet or Bumblebee and Smokescreen.”

“The Decepticons have already taken out two of our number.” Said Prowl, looking down at the humans.

“Or they could be shielded.” Countered Arcee, resting a hand on her hip.

“It is more logical to conclude that they are offline,” Said Prowl, folding his arms, “Then, if they are alive, it’s a pleasant surprise.”

“Did…did Prowl just give a good argument for being a pessimist?” Whispered Miko, getting a snort from Jack.

J&M

Jack, Miko and Raf listened as the Autobots attacked Darkmount, silently hoping for the best. Ratchet made a comment about an Autobot signal being airborne. Then, to their delight, Ultra Magnus spoke, “Optimus Prime is Alive and quite well.”

“Yes!”, “Awesome!”, “Yeah!” were the cries from the Humans. Jack, acting purely on impulse, grabbed Miko and kissed her. Miko froze for a moment, before returning the kiss.

They don’t know how long they were kissing, but Ratchet jerked them back to reality, “Are you two finished?!”

Jack and Miko jumped apart, their faces red. Jack awkwardly cleared his throat and looked to the floor. Raf had a look of disgust that explained itself when he spoke, “Jack, you just got her cooties.”

Jack and Miko both froze, before they broke down laughing. Raf just looked confused, and Ratchet looked irritated.

J&M

Miko sat and spoke with her host parents, as the trucks began to drive into the City that Optimus was having built.

“Whoa,” Gasped her host mother, “it’s massive.”

“Probably so the Autobots can fit inside the buildings.” Dismissed Miko, before spotting a group of Autobots scanning vehicles. A red one with two giant cannons on his arms scanned a GMC Topkick, while one the size of Bulkhead scanned a 4X4, “Ooh, there are Brawn and Ironhide.”

Her host parents looked over and saw the pair of Autobots transform into their alts and join the procession going into the City. The truck they were in came to a halt.

“Alright, kids,” Said Hound, getting their attention, “You have reached your destination, thank you for choosing Autobot Bus service as your method of travel.” Then, without warning, Hound Transformed and looked over the city, “Eh, could use a few drinking places.”

Miko laughed, before spotting a blond-haired boy the same age as Raf.

“Cody!” Yelled Miko, running towards him.

Cody turned and spotted Miko, just as the girl grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, “Miko!”

Miko suddenly pulled back, “We need to find Jack!”

“He’s at the hospital helping his mom.” Said Cody, making Miko stop.

“Of course, he is.” Sighed Miko, before looking around, “Have you seen Raf?”

“No,” Replied Cody, looking over towards the stealth bomber that arrived at Sector E a week before, “but Blaster might be able to find him.”

Miko nodded and grabbed Cody and his friend, Frankie, and pulled them towards Blaster. The Autobot started transforming when he noticed their approach.

“If you’re going to ask me to get Warpath to demonstrate his cannon again,” Said Blaster, frowning at them, “The answer is no.”

“Relax,” Said Miko, waving her hand, “we just need a little help finding Raf.”

Blaster blinked, before pointing towards the new Base for the Autobots, “He’s in there with Ratchet.”

Miko smiled and pulled Cody and Frankie towards the base, “You haven’t met the other Bots, have you, Frankie?”

“I’ve seen them.” Said Frankie, as they walked into the base.

A rose and white Femme glanced at them and raised an eyebrow, “Let me guess, looking for the final part of your group?”

“What’s Raf doing in there?” Asked Miko, as Elita guided them into the main area.

“Finishing the Ground bridge.” Said Elita, folding her arms as Raf opened the Ground bridge.

Miko spotted Jack hanging around Fowler’s office and quickly went to join him. Cody and Frankie went up to Prowl, with Cody telling him how the Firehouse had started construction, as well as the access tunnels that would lead out of it and around the city.

“Hey.” Mumbled Miko, folding her arm and glancing at Jack, “We obviously need to talk.”

“Yeah,” Whispered Jack, taking a deep breath, “Look, Miko, I’m sorry for what happened on the Harbinger, I guess I got caught up in the moment and acted on impulse.”

Miko frowned and grabbed the front of Jack’s shirt. Jack looked up at Miko, then the girl pulled him towards her. Miko kissed Jack and then pulled away, “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

Jack gave Miko a small smile, before his eyes widened at something. Before Miko had a chance to turn around, Jack wrapped an arm around her and pulled her away from the object, allowing the lobbing ball slam into Agent Fowler’s office door. Fowler’s door slid up, allowing the agent to get a full view of the ball blocking his doorway. The man sighed, of course this would happen.

J&M

Miko looked over the park and sighed, it’s been a year since Megatron was defeated and the Autobots left to rebuild their home. It’d also been a few months since Ratchet had gone to Cybertron and returned with news of Optimus’s death. Ratchet was puttering about running experiments, while Jack was frowning at a report Raf just gave him.

“So, you want me to proofread your work,” Asked Jack, his tone sceptical, “on a subject that I know nothing about and tell you how to improve?”

Raf nodded, making Jack close his eyes and sigh, “Raf, couldn’t you get Graham to look at this or Doc?”

“They were too busy,” Answered Raf, “and my teacher say I can’t have an Autobot proofread it, since they may have more knowledge on it than we do.”

Jack looked at the fifteen-year-old and blinked, “Raf…why don’t you have one of your classmates proofread it?”

Raf froze, before looking to the floor, “They couldn’t read my handwriting.”

Jack sighed, before opening the paper, “You spelt ‘inconclusive’ wrong.”

Raf grinned, before rushing over to Miko with a copy of the work, “Miko, I need someone else to proofread my work, since it has to have feedback from at least two people.”

Miko sighed and uncurled from her sitting position on the sofa. The bump was barely noticeable, but it was visible if anyone looked. Miko took the paper and balked at the first page, “Where’s the contents page?”

“I didn’t think it needed one, it’s only thirty chapters long.” Said Raf, frowning.

“But each chapter is like a hundred pages long.” Argued Miko, looking over the paper, “There aren’t any diagrams to help illustrate your point.”

Raf frowned, as Jack got up and walked over to Raf, “Have you ever been tested for dyslexia?”

“No, why?” Responded Raf, as Jack presented Raf’s work to him.

“You misspelt ‘which’ as ‘witch’.” Said Jack, pronouncing the t in the latter.

“Oh…” Said Raf, as Miko scowled at the paper.

“Raf, when did you write this?” Questioned Miko, looking up at the boy.

“Around three a.m.” Said Raf, getting a groan from Jack and Miko.

“Raf, go home, get some sleep.” Ordered Jack, running a hand down his face.

Raf looked ready to protest but decided not to say anything when Jack levelled him with a flat look. Rad reached out for the papers, but Jack and Miko drew the papers closer to them and frowned at him.

“Proofreading, remember?” Miko reminded the young genius, making the boy drop his hand.

Raf left, rubbing his eyes as he walked away. Ratchet looked up at Jack and Miko, “Perhaps you two should head off as well.”

Jack checked his watch and winced when he saw the time, “He’s right, it’s almost midnight.”

Miko groaned and held her hand out for Jack, grasping it, he pulled her to her feet. Jack held Miko’s hand as they left. Miko caught sight of Wheeljack fiddling with some widgets that he meant for military use. The Wrecker spotted Miko and gave her a smile, before going back to his work. Jack and Miko reached Jack’s car, when they heard an explosion. Not three seconds later, they heard Ratchet bellow, “WHEELJACK!”

“I’m going to guess,” Said Jack, as he and Miko got into the car, “boomstick.”

“Well, it wasn’t going to a grapple glove.” Snarked Miko, leaning back in her seat. Miko frowned at something, before squinting at it, “Is that Cody?”

Jack followed her gaze and froze, “And Frankie, by the looks of it.”

The pair watched the teenagers, Jack went to turn the headlights on, before Cody and Frankie kissed each other.

“Wow, okay,” Said Miko, after a moment, “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Just think,” Commented Jack, “we were like that.”

“Yeah, then I ‘somehow’ wound up pregnant.” Sniped Miko, leaning back in her seat again, “I’m glad we don’t have to hide it anymore, though.”

Jack smiled, “Yeah, no more hiding.”

“But it’s going to be interesting to see how they approach it.” Smirked Miko, as Cody and Frankie walked off.

J&M

Miko watched the Autobots frantically search for Cody. The boy had been missing for a week, having vanished after the Decepticon attack on Autobot City that ended when Optimus returned from wherever he’d vanished to. Miko watched Optimus battle an ancient Decepticon who called himself Megatronus, who was better known as The Fallen.

There was a sudden the ground shook, with Jack immediately covering Miko and Miko curling up to protect her bump.

“Was that an earthquake?” Asked Raf, looking around once the shaking stopped.

“No, too brief,” Said Russel, looking around him, “it almost felt like an explosion of some kind.”

Optimus frowned, “Ratchet, search for any power spikes near Autobot City.”

Ratchet looked up from the screen, “I was about to tell you, I just detected an energon explosion roughly seven miles from our position.”

“An energon explosion?” Asked Blaster, his left wing missing, “But there aren’t any energon mines near the city.”

“There are not any Autobot mines,” Said Optimus, frowning, “However, we cannot rule out the possibility of Decepticon mines.”

Optimus turned to Ratchet, “Target the coordinates and open the Ground bridge, Bumblebee and Strongarm, you’re with me.”

Ratchet opened the ground bridge, allowing Optimus and the two other Autobots to roll out. The bridge remained open and ten minutes later, Strongarm returned alone, Cody riding in her passenger seat.

Cody looked at the ground as he got out of the Autobot. Strongarm transformed and looked visibly sick.

“Cody?” Asked Ratchet, incredulous, “Where did you find him?”

Strongarm looked at the Medic, “We found the source of the energon explosion, as well as the remains of Thundercracker.”

Ratchet frowned, before spotting the bag Cody had with him. It was too small to hold a change of clothes or any other basic human necessities, from how the fabric was stretched it looked like there were pipes in it. Ratchet froze, before crouching down and took the bag and looked inside.

“Wheeljack, we found your missing weapons.” Said Ratchet, as Optimus and Bumblebee returned.

Miko looked around for Cody, only to see he’d vanished again.

“Wait, what happened?” Asked Miko, looking around the Autobots.

“We found Cody at the sight of the explosion,” Started Optimus, his tone grave, “he was staring at the remains of Thundercracker. Cody…tortured and killed Thundercracker with the tech that he stole from Wheeljack.”

“He basically did what you did to Hardshell.” Said Bumblebee, looking around for Cody, “Where’s he gone?”

Everyone suddenly looked at when Cody had been standing, Miko shook her head as the Bots started looking for Cody again, she had a good idea where he might’ve gone.

J&M

Miko closed the door to her and Jack’s apartment, before leaning against it and sliding down to the floor.

“Miko?” Asked Jack, poking his head out of the kitchen and spotting his fiancé sitting on the floor, “Is everything alright?”

“They found Cody,” Said Miko, her voice hollow, “he managed to find a Decepticon mine, as well as the ‘Con that killed Prowl. He’s…he’s broken, Jack. He gave the Bot’s the slip again and I found him outside the City near that glade Prowl liked and he…”

Miko took a deep breath, “He was crying, asking why killing Thundercracker didn’t make him feel better…he felt guilty for killing him, despite what he did to Prowl.”

Jack joined Miko on the floor, wrapping his arm around her. He knew that Miko viewed Cody as a younger brother, especially after the incident with Vince. Miko knew what Cody was going through, after Bulkhead’s near death at the hands on Hardshell. But Miko had been lucky, Bulkhead had pulled through with no long-term injuries, Cody lost his guardian and his leg on the same day. Jack considered contacting Arcee about it, but she was busy on Cybertron.

“Cody’s a fighter,” Said Jack, carefully choosing his words, “He’ll pick himself up and move forwards.”

“You didn’t see him, Jack,” Murmured Miko, looking up at him, “he was devastated, like he wasn’t able to live with himself.”

Jack frowned, before pulling Miko closer to him, “I’ll speak with Cody tomorrow, let’s see about getting something to eat.”

Miko swallowed thickly and nodded. Jack helped her to her feet, and she followed him into the kitchen.

J&M

Jack dropped himself onto the sofa and ran his hand down his face. Dealing with Prescott took a lot out of him, but the reporter had been dealt with, now they just had to deal with Luskey, who tried to suspend the Rescue Team, despite him not having any political presence in the City. Jack heard a rustling sound behind him, he turned around and spotted Cody curled up on a plush chair he and Miko bought.

“Cody?” Asked Jack, making Cody jump.

“Oh, hi Jack.” Muttered Cody, going back to looking at the floor.

“What are you doing here?” Asked Jack, looking around.

“Miko said that if I needed to talk, I could go to her.” Said Cody, looking at his knees.

Jack sighed, “If it’s about what happened at that mine, you needn’t beat yourself up over it. Over our time with Team Prime we all killed, from anything from a spider to a Decepticon. Hell, there was one time I electrocuted a MECH agent so much he was practically cooked.”

Cody looked disgusted, “Well, at least I won’t be hungry for a while.”

“Cody,” Said Jack, crouching in front of him, “you didn’t know about the humans, no one did. You’re not a murderer, despite what that Luskey guy says.”

“It’s still weird,” Confessed Cody, “how people I’ve known for years like they’ve never met me before.”

“Are you talking about family, friends or Frankie?” Asked Jack, raising an eyebrow, “Don’t give me that look, Miko and I noticed how you and Frankie act around each other.”

“The only other one who knew was Prowl,” Cody choked out his Guardian’s name, “He made sure we were able to keep a low profile. He was out there because of me; I couldn’t find Frankie and I went out looking for her and Prowl died because I was too fucking stupid to think of calling her.”

Cody broke down as he finished, Jack’s heart sank, Miko had her work cut out for her.

“Did Miko ever tell you about Bulkhead’s run in with Tox-En?” asked Jack, making Cody look at him, “She went through what you’re going through, she blamed herself for what happened to Bulk and she even hunted down the ‘Con responsible.”

Cody wiped his eyes, looking back down at the floor, “Did you know that flesh melts of the bone in an energon fire?”

Jack froze, “No, I didn’t. Cody,” He started firmly, “that Decepticon you downed during the attack, do you regret that?” Cody shook his head. “Why?”

“He was going to kill people.” Said Cody, as Jack smiled at him.

“That’s what Thundercracker and those MECH agents were going to do,” Said Jack, gently touching Cody’s shoulder, “what you did, while rash, quite probably saved hundreds of lives.”

“Then why do I feel horrible?” Asked Cody, desperately.

“Because you’re a good person.” Stated Jack, with a tone of finality, “The good mourn and regret. The evil don’t.”

J&M

Jack watched Arcee speak with Cody, he contacted her and asked it she could check on Cody, just in case if he and Miko weren’t able to get through to him. Jack froze when Arcee handed Cody something, it looked like a pair of EMP cannons…Arcee wouldn’t give Cody weapons…would she?

“I heard that Wheeljack is trying to get Cody inducted into the Wreckers.” Said Miko, sidling up against Jack. Miko let out a low whistle as the cannons Arcee gave Cody transformed into a watch and a bracelet, “Nice.”

“I really hope Arcee didn’t sneak those into the city.” Said Jack, as Cody activated the watch cannon and accidentally discharged it. Miko let out a snort as the recoil sent Cody sprawling on his back, the sound of Cody’s laughter made them crack up as well.

J&M

Jack watched as Aurora threw flower petals at the guests, she got to the end of the aisle and immediately went for his knees. Jack watched his mother pick up her granddaughter, while Raf worked a video camera. Almost the entirety of the original Earth-bound Autobots and their partners were here, with the exception of the Rescue Team and the Burns family, who were forced to leave when they received an emergency call a few minutes before hand.

Jack looked around again, freezing as he saw the Burns’ and their bots skulk back in. Cody had the same look on his face that he always sported when dealing with Prescott. Cody dropped himself into the seat next to Frankie and whispered something in her ear.

Everyone went silent as Miko started making her way down the aisle.

[sassyduckqueen]

Miraculous: Rise of Anatis 56

~WARNING!!!~ this chapter contains scene of violence, physical and verbal abuse towards minors, mentions of child abuse and domestic abuse! Please be careful when reading this as it may act as a trigger ~WARNING!!~

So that is Mob Boss. This was a very interesting chapter to write. I got to go into some lore and history in this and there will be references. The ending scene was a little bit inspired by the Crow's final fight scene (you can watch it here). This chapter also marks the end of Issac's arc. He will appear again but he won't be causing Luka trouble anymore and probably won't have a speaking role. If he does speak, it will probably insane ramblings about demons. Anyway, hope you peeps like it :D

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Chapter Fifty-Six: Mob Boss

Marinette frowned as she looked at her phone but no text had come through yet. It had been an hour and a half since Luka had left for the metro. Even if he was going to the Liberty, he should have gotten back and texted her by now. She picked up her phone and dialled his number, putting it to her ear as she paced. She bit her lip as it rang but he didn't pick it up. Instead, it went straight to voicemail, causing her to frown and hang up. She scrolled to the Captain's number and dialed it, putting her phone back to her ear as it rang.

 "Hello?" The Captain asked, sounding pretty merry. 

 "Captain, it's Marinette," She stated, frowning as she heard Jagged in the background.

 "Hello, Lass!" The Captain roared happily. "Did Luka get back to the Liberty ok?!"

 "That's why I'm calling," She replied, frowning. "I told him to text me when he got back but it's been an hour and a half and he hasn't texted. I tried to call him but it went straight to voicemail. I'm worried..."

 "Jagged! We need to get to the Liberty!!" Anarka yelled, making Marinette jump. "We're gonna go look for him and hopefully he'll just be asleep and had forgotten to text,"

 "Yeah..." Marinette replied but she had a terrible feeling that it wasn't that he forgot. No matter how tired he had been, he had always made sure to text her first when he got home. It was extremely out of character for Luka not to. He knew she would worry and worried she was. The Captain hung up, causing her to put down her phone and pace around her room. She bit her lip and poked Plagg, who was snoozing on his little bed. He groaned and woke up, ready to tell her off for waking him for his cheese coma but that thought dropped out of his head as soon as he saw her expression.

 "Dollface, what's wrong?" He asked, floating over to her as tears filled her eyes.

 "It's Luka... I don't think he's ok," She gasped, fear clear in her eyes. "He hasn't texted me to let me know he's home. He always texts to let me know, Plagg and his phone went to voicemail,"

 "You don't think he ran away again, do you?" He asked, frowning. He thought Luka had enjoyed the party.

 "N-No, he was in a good mood. He enjoyed the party," She gasped, making him frown before her phone vibrated. She hoped it was Luka and looked at it but it was the Captain. She swiped the answer button and held it to her ear. "Did you find him?"

 "No, he's not at the Liberty," The Captain gasped, sounding panicked. In the background, she could hear that Jagged and Penny shouting his name. "The gate isn't even locked. It's like he never got here..."

 Marinette's eyes widen as a possibility hit her like a ton of bricks. Her phone slipped out of her hand as she realized it was the only plausible reason as to why Luka wouldn't text back, answer his phone or not be on the Liberty. She knew he would text her or answer if she rang, meaning only one thing. He couldn't text or call her. She felt stupid as she should have realized it sooner. She quickly picked up her phone as she heard the captain calling her name.

 "C-Captain, call the police," She gasped as Plagg looked at her. "I t-think h-his step father-"

 "Oh god," The Captain gasped before she let out an angry growl. "If that son of a bitch has hurt my son, I'm gonna kill him!"

 "Captain, stay calm," Marinette ordered as she realized that Hawkmoth might try to take advantage of this situation. "Getting akumatized won't help him,"

 "You're right, Lass," She gasped before shouting at Jagged. "Lass, I need to get going to report this to the police so try and get some sleep,"

"R-Right," Marinette replied. She knew she wouldn't sleep until he was found. The Captain said her goodbyes, hanging up before Marinette pocketed her phone and took a deep breathe as Plagg moved over to her as she looked up at him. "We're gonna go find him. Plagg! Claws out!"

 She transformed into Lady Noir and climbed out of her skylight. She jumped across the rooftops and searched every part of Paris she could think of, trying to find Luka. Minutes turned to hours as she searched but she couldn't find him. She searched in the Eiffel tower, the sewers and the catacombs. She searched the different parks and his usual hangout places but he wasn't there. Finally, she searched the top of the Grand Paris, hoping that maybe he had gone back there but she knew the truth. Luka was missing and it was her fault. She should have insisted that he stay over at the bakery or she should have walked him back home. As the sun rose, she landed on her balcony and went back through the skylight as she dropped her transformation. Plagg flew over to her and hugged her cheek as tears rolled down her face.

 "It's ok, Dollface," He whispered, frowning. "We'll find him,"

 ~Issac's Warehouse, 1 am~

 Tikki and Kaalki carefully followed as Luka's kidnapper carried him inside a warehouse near Paris' airport but far from the main part of the city. They had managed to sneak out the drive there without been seen and had been following since. They hid behind some boxes as the kidnap dropped Luka on the floor as a tall man walked in. He had a cigar in his mouth and was dressed in a fairly nice suit. His hair was mostly black but he had some silver hair from aging. It was gelled back and he had a trimmed beard. His eyes were an ambery brown color and his skin was fairly pale. To a certain degree, he resembled an older, male version of Juleka, making Tikki gasp as she realized who he was. It was Luka's stepfather Issac. He moved Luka's face with his boot before tutting.

 "Handcuff his hands behind his back," He ordered, causing his goon to walk over to Luka and handcuff his hands behind his back. Luka groaned as he slowly came round, causing Tikki to gasp quietly as he did. As soon as he was fully awake and saw Issac, he tried to get up and away from him but failed, falling back onto the floor. He looked up at Issac with pure terror in his eyes, making the man smirk. "Hello, Luka,"

 "I-Issac..." He gasped as he got up and walked over to him, towering him. "W-what do y-you want?"

 "Did I say you could speak?" He asked before backhanding him, causing Luka to fall onto the floor. Issac sneered as he looked down at him. "It seems that you forgot your manners in the time that I've been gone,"

 Luka didn't answer.

 "First, you bite me and break my friend's nose then you ran away and now you speak out of term," Issac continued as he clicked his fingers. The goon who kidnapped him grabbed Luka's hair and made him sit up as Issac walked in front of him. "Clearly, I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, boy,"

 Tikki looked away, causing Kaalki to hold her as Issac slammed his fist into Luka's face, knocking him back to the ground before he began to kick him. Tikki gasped and covered her mouth as she heard a crack. Tears filled her eyes as she wanted nothing more to fly over to him and get him out of there but if she revealed herself, it would endanger Luka more. She and Kaalki held their breath as Issac continued to kick Luka. Tikki let out a small cry as she heard Issac beat him until they both heard a thump, causing him to look over. Luka was curled up on the floor, shaking as Issac fixed his hair, pushing it back as he looked at him with disgust. Issac walked away with his goon, leaving him there. As soon as they were gone, Tikki and Kaalki flew to him, scared for the young hero.

 "Luka," Tikki gasped, gently touching his face. He had a large cut on his cheek, a busted lip and his right eyes was swallowed up. She cupped her mouth as she realized he was crying. Kaalki hugged him as well. "It's ok. We're going to get you out of here,"

 He didn't argue, just nodded and tried to get but fell back down and cried out. He took a deep breathe as he tried to calm himself.

 "I c-can't..." He gasped, trying to look at her. "M-My r-ribs... I t-think he b-broke t-them..."

 Tikki went to say something but her and Kaalki gasped as they heard footsteps. Luka whispered to them, telling them to hide. Tikki carefully placed a paw on his cheek before Kaalki and her flew off to the boxes again. Issac's goon came in and dragged Luka over to a pillar near the boxes. He uncuffed his hands before moving them so they were around the pillar, trapping him there. Luka hissed in pain as the man walked off. As soon as he disappeared, Tikki and Kaalki flew back over.

 "We'll unlock the handcuffs and you can transform to escape," Tikki gasped as Luka tried to take a deep breathe but they both stopped as they heard footsteps again. Tikki and Kaalki hid behind the pillar as the goon came back in with a chair. He placed it in front of Luka and sat down, causing Tikki to frown. Now Luka couldn't transform. The two kwamis bit their lips as Luka carefully looked up at the goon.

 "W-what does he want?" He asked, making the man look at him.

 "I don't get paid to ask questions, kid," He replied, making Luka frown. He frowned even more as he heard talking. It sounded like a number of people. He heard a door open and multiple footsteps approaching him. He glanced up and saw Issac had returned with a number of other men. Like him, they were dressed in nice suits and were talking to Issac like they were friends. All of their heart songs were strange and messed up, making Luka feel more uncomfortable then he already did. One of the younger ones glanced over at him and frowned.

 "Who's the kid?" He asked, making Issac sigh.

 "Jagged Stone's boy and our ticket to more money then we've ever gotten before," Issac smirked, roughly grabbing Luka's hair so he was looking at Issac's friends. Luka hissed and flinched as Issac smirked a little. "Micky, take a photo. I plan to send it his father,"

 Micky took out his phone and snapped a photo before Issac let go of his hair and walked back over to Micky. He took the phone and smirked at the picture.

 "Good job," He stated, walking away with the phone as he dialed a number. Micky glanced over at Luka, frowning a little.

 "What happened to your face, kid?" He asked as Issac spoke on the phone. Luka didn't answer. Micky frowned before looking over at Issac as he came off the phone and walked back over. "Hey, what happened to the kid?"

 "I had to rough him up a little as he tried to escape," Issac replied as he typed on his phone before he looked up at Micky. "You got a problem with that?"

 "Y-You're lying," Luka gasped before Micky or the other guys could answer, making Issac look at him in surprise. He honestly didn't expect Luka to actually try and talk back. "I d-didn't try to e-escape. You j-just s-started t-to b-beat me a-as-"

 Issac growled and backhanded him, cutting him off.

 "Did I say you could talk back?!" He growled, roughly grabbing Luka's shirt. Luka gasped in pain as his ribs ached before Issac punched him again before dropping him. He began to kick him again, causing Luka to try and curl up as best as he can. However, Micky and one of the others grabbed Issac and pulled him away. "Get the hell of me!"

 "What the hell, Issac?!" Micky gasped as Luka carefully breathed in. "Look, I'm all for beat the crap out of guys but we don't hurt women or kids... and that boy is a kid,"

 "That boy is a freak of nature!" Issac shouted, surprising his men and causing Luka to flinch. "And I'm in charge here so what I say goes and I say I can do what the hell I want to that bastard! Got it!?"

 The guys nodded fearfully, causing Issac to smirk.

 "Good," He stated, clicking his knuckles before turning to the goon who was guarding him. "Jose, I want you to keep an eye on him. I'll be back later. I have a meeting to attend,"

 Issac clicked his fingers and pointed towards the door, causing his men to leave before he followed, leaving Luka alone with Jose, who got up and out of sight. Luka frowned and tried to move his hands, seeing if he could free his hands but the handcuffs were too tight. Tikki and Kaalki flew back over and landed on his shoulder.

 "Kaalki has a plan," Tikki whispered. "She's going to go and see if we can get help to rescue you,"

 "H-Help?" Luka asked quietly. "A-As in Master Fu? T-Tikki, y-you can't... he's t-too old... Issac will hurt hi-him."

 "I know which is why we're not going for him," Tikki replied, causing Luka to frown. "Kaalki is going to the miracle box to the other Kwamis,"

 "W-what?" Luka gasped, hissing in pain. "Y-you c-can't bring them here..."

 "Luka, we have to get you out of here. Issac is dangerous and he is determined to hurt you," She gasped, making him frown. He knew she was right. His song was dark to say the least. In the time since he last saw him as a kid, Issac seemed to have gotten worse. "I'm gonna stay with you while Kaalki goes and gets the others,"

 "I'll be as quick as I can, Master Luka," Kaalki gasped, placing her hoove against his cheek as he slowly nodded before she flew out and out of the warehouse.

 "Ti-Tikki..." Luka whispered, causing her to look at him but before he could say anything, they heard Jose walking back over. Tikki quickly flew back over to the boxes as Jose came into Luka's line of sight before he sat down and began to read a news paper.

 ~At The Grand Paris Hotel, 5 am~

 Anarka paced up and down as she tried to remain calm. Luka had been missing eight hours now and despite calling the police, she had been told that she couldn't report him missing. She had screamed down the phone at that point and hung up. She had then gone on to phone Roger's personal phone and told him what had happened. Roger had told her to remain calm and he would do what he could. She took another deep breathe as someone knocked on the hotel room door. She walked over and answered it, frowning deeply when she saw it was Bob Roth.

 "What the hell do you want?!" She growled, surprising him. He blinked before holding up his phone. To her horror, she saw a photo of Luka. His right eye was closed up, he had a cut on his cheek and a busted lip. Issac was smirking at the camera as he roughly held Luka's hair. The message below it read as 'Bob, let Jagged know I have his son. If he wants to see him again, he needs to pay me five million euros and drop it off at the louvre. He has twelve hours to complete this or he'll never see his son again'. Anarka blinked before she suddenly grabbed Bob by his collar and dragged him into the hotel room. He tried to pull away from her but she punched him, sending him flying on the floor. "Where is Issac keeping him?!"

 "I don't know," Bob gasped as she grabbed the phone. "I swear, Anarka, I do-"

 "Don't lie to me, you pirate!" She screamed, making him blink as Jagged and Penny rushed into the room. "You know Issac so where would he hold him?! Where is Luka?!"

 "Bob?" Jagged asked, looking at him before Anarka shoved the phone in his hand. His eyes widen as he saw the picture and the threat before he looked over at Bob with a dark look that didn't suit him. "Roth, I want you to think very carefully about your next answer because if you know where Luka is and you're keeping it to yourself, I will not hesitate to feed you to Fang. Got it?"

 Bob nodded as he looked pale. He had never heard Jagged speak so calmly. 

 "Good," Jagged replied, still eerily calm. Fang came over. "Now where would Issac hold Luka?"

 "H-He has a warehouse near the catacombs," He gasped as he eyed up. "I don't know the exact address but I swear, Jagged... I didn't think anyone would hurt the boy-"

 "Shut up," Jagged growled before turning to Penny and Anarka. Penny was already on the phone to the police and Anarka looked like she was about to kill Bob. Jagged was honestly surprised that there were no akumas yet but right now, they didn't care. They couldn't rush to Luka's rescue as they didn't know the address but Penny was telling everything to the police that she was on the phone to. Within an hour, Roger and a number of officers were at the hotel and actually taking the case seriously. They took Bob away for questioning and asked a number of questions to Penny, Jagged and Anarka before promising they would do their best to find him before the deadline. Once they were gone, Jagged held Penny and Anarka as they sat in the hotel room, terrified for Luka.

 ~Back at Issac's Warehouse~

 Luka tried to move to try and get more comfortable as his ribs ached. He glanced up and saw the sun was slowly peaking through the windows, making him frown a little. Jose was still reading his news paper, making Luka frown. He moved his hands a little and glanced back over to Tikki, who was keeping an eye on for the other kwamis. Luka jumped as he heard the door open and Issac came into view. He tapped Jose's arm, making him look at him.

 "You can head back now," He stated, causing Jose to nod and get up. He folded up his news paper before walking off, leaving Luka with Issac. He turned to Luka. "I thought we could talk, Luka,"

 "Y-You never w-want to t-talk," Luka gasped, causing Issac to look at him as he gave him a nasty smirk. "W-What do yo-you want?"

 "Money," Issac replied, walking over to him and crouching down. "And your mother of course. She was the love of my life you know. We dated when we were younger and then she ran off to join the 'circus' so to speak. That's where she met that sinner, Jagged. He seduced her and then she had you..."

 He roughly grabbed his hair again, making Luka flinch as he leaned closer to him.

 "You should have never been born!" He snarled, making Luka flinch again. "But I guess that couldn't be helped. It wasn't Anarka's fault that she was seduced and I was even willing to look past you been the son of that devil worshipper... until I realized that you were a witch,"

 "W-What?" Luka gasped, looking at Issac in surprise. "I'm n-not-"

 "Don't answer me back, boy!" Issac roared, causing Luka to flinch again. "I saw you using magic when you were little. You would 'talk' to demons and evil spirits and your mother... bless her... she couldn't see what evil she had given birth too. She tried to say it was just imaginary friends and that you were just a sensitive child but I knew the truth. You're a witch and in league with the devil,"

 "Y-You're insane," Luka gasped, causing Issac to punch him. "I-I'm not a witch!"

 "Don't lie to me, boy," He growled, standing back up. "I know what you are and I made a promise to myself that I would protect Anarka and my daughter from you. I thought I could beat it out of you and force it out of you through pain. I came close but you used your magic on your mother and forced us to break up,"

 "Sh-she left you bec-because you were a p-psycho!" Luka gasped as Issac walked back over to the chair. He unbuttoned his suit jacket and took it off before unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up. 

 "She left because you enchanted her!"

 "I-I'm not a witch!"

 "Then explain how you woke up from a coma that you shouldn't have woken up from?! Or how you had no brain damage?!" Issac shouted, shocking Luka. He briefly remembered been in hospital for a number of weeks when he was younger but he didn't know he was in a coma. Issac growled and punched Luka before roughly grabbing his shirt again. "You are a witch and you should have stayed in that coma but I'm going put you back there and this time you won't wake up!"

 Luka's eye went wide as Issac punched him repeatedly. Tikki cupped her mouth as she tried to look around for something to distract Issac with. She saw a rope and flew over to it before glancing around in luck vision. She pulled on the rope, causing a chain reaction to make a number of boxes fall. Issac stopped attacking Luka and looked up, dropping him back down. Luka's head flopped down as Tikki back to her hiding place before Issac turned back to him.

 "What did you do?!" He growled, lifting his head. "Answer me,"

 "I... didn't... do... anything," Luka gasped, causing Issac to growl and hit him again before his phone rang. He rolled his eyes and answered it. He frowned and said something. He hung up and walked towards the back of the warehouse. He came a few minutes later with a roll of duct tape. He ripped some off and knelt back down.

 "Don't want you to draw any unnecessary attention, don't we?" He stated, pressing the tape over his mouth. "Now we'll have to continue this later so don't go anywhere,"

 He smirked and stood up before grabbing his jacket and leaving. Luka tried to look up but he was finding it hard to stay awake. He was in a lot of pain, felt close to collapsing and was more then terrified. Issac had made it clear that he had no intention of letting Luka leave this place alive. He flinched as Tikki flew back over and placed her paw on his cheek, frowning as tears rolled down his face. He was shaking as well, clearly close to having a panic attack.

 "I'm getting you out of here," She gasped, flying over to his handcuffs but she stopped when she saw an akuma and an amok fluttering towards him. "Oh no,"

 "Hmm?" He tried to say something, making her fly back towards him.

 "Luka, whatever you do stay calm," She gasped, making him look at her with a confused look. She decided it was best to warn him. "There's an akuma and an amok,"

 Luka's eyes widen, causing Tikki to place her hand on his cheek.

 "Just focus on my voice ok?" She stated, making him nod. "Hawkmoth and Mayura only target those who have no solutions but you are Anatis. You always have a solution,"

 He nodded and tried to take a breathe but he had to breathe through his nose, which was hard in itself as his nose was busted. He wasn’t sure if it was broken but it hurt trying to breathe. He flinched as the akuma and amok entered his bracelet, opening the connection between him, Hawkmoth and Mayura.

 "Escape Artist, I am Hawkmoth," Hawkmoth declared as Luka froze up. "You're trapped and afraid hm? Well, I can give you the power to esca-"

 The slightly buzzing noise interrupted his speech but it currently wasn't too loud.

 "All I ask in return is-" The buzzing noise got louder. "Miraculous,"

 "Escape Artist, I am May-" Mayura declared as the buzzing noise interrupted her as well, getting louder and louder by the second. "I will give you Cell who will assist you in your escape and help you capture others. It will be-"

 The buzzing reached a new height, causing his eyes rolled up in the back of his head again. Just like last time, his body began to shake and convulse violently but this time, it was more violent and he was finding it hard to breathe due to the duct tape around his mouth and his busted nose. Tikki flew over and grabbed the tape, pulling it off his mouth as he continued to shake and fit. It only eased up the seizure a little.

 "Luka, focus on my voice!" She gasped, feeling afraid too. She gasped as she heard the door to the warehouse opening and hid inside Luka's jacket. She tried to calm him down silently by place her hand on his chest.

 "Issac?" Mikey's voice echoed as he came in. She could hear other people walking as well. "Yo, Issac! Are you- oh my god!"

 Mikey rushed over and grabbed Luka's shoulders as he continued to convulse. He frowned deeply when he saw the akuma mask around his eyes.

 "Shit, John! Keys to the handcuffs now!" He demanded as blood dripped down Luka's noise as the seizure got more violent. Mikey moved his hand behind Luka's head so he didn't hit on the pillar. He was lucky that he hadn’t already. "Kid, can you hear me?!"

 John rushed over and unlocked the handcuffs, causing Mikey to move Luka onto the ground and place him in the recovery position. Mikey let out a sigh as he held Luka's head still and tried to keep him calm. He only knew what to do because his sister was epileptic. Who knew that Akumas could trigger seizures? 

 "What's wrong with him?" John asked, looking at Luka with concern. 

 "He's having a seizure," Mikey declared, making John frown. "He must be epileptic. Call an am-"

 "What the hell is going on?!" Issac roared as he came in. Jose walked behind him. Issac stopped and glanced at Luka with an emotionless look. "Nice try, boy but you can stop pretending now,"

 However, Luka continued to shake, making Issac frown. He pushed Mikey away and grabbed Luka by the collar, pulling him up. Luka's eyes were rolled up in his head and he was convulsing. The butterfly mask was clear around his eyes.

 "I knew it," He growled, dropping him. "Behold, gentlemen, proof of evil. The boy is possessed,"

 "By a fucking akuma!" John gasped, making Jose step back. "We should break the item! It might stop the seizure,"

 "He isn't having a seizure!" Issac growled, making them look at him. "It's just the evil inside of him taking a hold!"

 "Issac, he's having a fucking seizure!" Mikey gasped, surprised of the lack of empathy from Issac. He may have been a criminal but he had rules that clearly Issac didn't. He took out his phone and dialled 112 but Issac grabbed his phone and threw it on the floor, stamping on it until it broke. "He needs help!"

 "As I say before, I'm the boss and I say he doesn't!" Issac yelled, causing his goons to frown as Mikey knelt back down and put Luka back into the recovery position. "Besides, if we alert the authorities, they'll arrest us because in case you have forgotten... we kidnapped him! What do you think they are going to do if they find us?"

 "We can't just leave him like this!!" Mikey argued, making Issac frown. "We should break the item with the akuma,"

 "And let the akuma go free? Possibly possess someone else?" Issac pointed out, making them frown. "It's not like the bug is around to purify it,"

 The men mumbled as he had a point but they also couldn't do anything. It was clear that Luka needed help.

 "What if we did it as an anonymous phone call?" John suggested, causing Issac to look at him as the seizure slowly came to a stop. Issac and his men stepped back as the akuma and amok suddenly broke free from the bracelet they had been in. "Did he just reject them?"

 Mikey went to answer but to their surprise, the akuma lose it's purple look and turned white and the same happened to the amok, making it into a white feather. Issac blinked as Luka had stopped fitting but was still laid still. His eyes were still rolled up his head but he was still. However, his eyes moved back to their normal position and he suddenly sat up as if nothing had happened. However, his eyes were no longer blue but a beautiful silver color that resembled stars.

 "Demon," Issac growled, going to hit Luka but before he could, they heard the sounds of shouting, causing them to look up. Kaalki pointed to them as the other kwamis came in through the window.

 "Charge!" Kaalki declared, causing the kwamis to shout and flying towards Issac and his men. Issac tried to hit and attack the kwamis as his men ran away while been chased by them. One of the goons went to call Sass cute until he hissed and bit them, causing him to shout and warn the others not to be deceived by their cuteness. Barkk, Kaalki and Pollen rushed over to Luka as Tikki poked her head out. "We need to go, Master Luka,"

 Luka, however, didn't answer. He just simply tilted his head to the side.

 "Luka?" Tikki asked, looking up at him. "Are you ok?"

 "Tikki, his eyes..." Kaalki gasped, looking at them. Pollen and Barkk gasped as they looked at them. Tikki flew up and looked at them as well, gasping as she did. It was impossible yet there was no mistake in whose eyes they were and they certainly weren’t Luka’s.

 "...Finni?" She gasped, surprised. He merely smiled and placed his finger across his lips before he carefully stood up. He hisses quietly, holding onto his ribs before a golden glow came from his cuts. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Kaalki's miraculous before putting them on. 

 "Kaalki... full gallop," He whispered, transforming into Appalo. He turned his hand as he created a ring of energy. "Voyage,"

 It opened a portal out of the warehouse. Luka or Finni as it techqually was turned and whistled loudly, causing the rest of the kwamis to fly over after tormenting his captors. They all stepped through, causing the portal to close but not before Issac shouted and tried to run towards them. The Kwamis looked around as they saw they were now on some rooftop.

 ~Luka's POV~

 Tears rolled down Luka's face as he curled up and covered his ears, trying to push away the sound of the buzzing noise. Like the last time, he had ended up in the same hut that he had met Hao Feng but this time, he was alone. The buzzing sound was louder then ever and he was more scared then before. He thought the first time was terrifying but this time was a hundred times worst. He just wanted it to stop. The sound of footsteps caused Luka to glance up as someone walked over to him. They stopped in front of him and crouched down, gently placing their hand on his shoulder. He looked at them as the buzzing noise calmed down but unlike last time, it didn't go away.

 "F-Feng," He gasped, tears in his eyes. "W-Why is this happening?"

 "We have always been chased and condemned by those who are darkly influenced," Feng whispered, making Luka frown. "I can't help you today. Not in the same way I did before. The akuma and the amok are stronger together but I can bring you to someone who can,"

 Luka nodded as Feng held out his hand, causing the younger to take it. In an instant, Feng had pulled Luka to his feet and led him over to a door. He pushed it open and brought him inside. It was just a separate room and part of the hut but inside there was a pile of ash, making Luka blink in confusion. However, he slowly let go of Feng's hand and walked over to it. His instincts took over as he knelt down and gently touched the ash. To his surprise, it began to glow a golden color before swirling up in the air as it reformed to create a beautiful bird unlike anything Luka had ever seen before. It had orange, yellow and red feathers and had a golden circle on it's forehead. It's wings were multicolored and it had three feathers coming from it's head that were blue, purple and green. They also matched it's tail feathers. The bird's eyes opened, revealing that they were silver like Feng's but in a different way. When looking into them, Luka felt like he was seeing the stars. It was eerie but beautiful at the same time. He slowly reached out, causing the Phoenix to lean it's head forward, placing it against Luka's hand. Luka blinked as it nuzzled his hand a little before looking back at him. He jumped back in surprise as it suddenly disappeared in flames, causing him to look at Feng.

 "A Phoenix?" He asked, looking at Feng. "Why did it leave?"

 "To help you," Feng replied, walking back over to him. "He will be back once your body is safe,"

 "My body?" Luka asked, frowning before he gasped and looked at Feng as he sat down next to him. "I'm having a seizure again, aren't I? Why does that kept on happening to me? Is there something wrong with me, Feng?"

 Luka glanced down as he thought about Issac's beliefs about him. Issac believed him to be evil and right now, he was beginning to wonder if he was correct.

 "Am... I evil?" He asked, looking up at Feng. "Is Issac right about me?"

 "No," Feng stated with certainty. "Luka, your stepfather isn't right about you. You are not evil,"

 The way he spoke was bitter, surprising Luka but he didn't question it. Somehow, he knew that Feng understood what it was like to be an outcast. Feng gently placed his hand on Luka's shoulder.

 "Your stepfather is like most of his kind. He fears what he doesn't understand and unfortunately, that means he's afraid of you," Feng explained, making Luka frown. "But that is on him. Not you. He chose to be afraid. He could have tried to embrace your differences and gifts like your mother did but instead he refused to try and understand and his ignorance only fueled his fears,"

 "You know what it's like, don't you?" It wasn't a question but a statement. Feng frowned and looked to the side.

 "Like you, I was born... different..." He stated, frowning. "I saw things that other people did and had visions. I saw spirits as well and I didn't realize that other people didn't so I would talk to them. It caused my village and family to grow afraid of me. I would predict things and they became convinced I was the cause. They feared me and thought I was a demon too but I'm not. I was an empath like you and just happened to have the ability of foresight,"

 "You were an empath?" Luka asked, surprised as Feng nodded. "Did you hear songs as well?"

 "I admit I'm not quite the same level as you," Feng replied, making Luka frown. Of course, it made sense though. Feng would be more powerful. "You are much more advantaged than I was at your age,"

 "What?" Luka asked, surprised. "I am?"

 "Yes," Feng nodded. "But I know some ways to using that you don't. For example, you can give the emotions you felt to other people,"

 "I can?" Luka asked, completely surprised. "How do I do that?"

 "Hold out your hands,""Feng replied, moving so he's facing him. Luka nodded and did as told. Feng placed his hands on his, causing Luka to gasp a flood of emotion waved over him. He could literally feel what Feng felt but then he realized it was more then just feeling. He could feel Feng's experience. He could feel the way Feng pushed his emotions forward. Feng was sharing his experience with him, teaching him how to use the method without instruction. Luka closed his eyes and followed the technique. He took the emotions he felt and in his mind pushed them forward, showing Feng what he felt in return. He could feel a connection between them begin to forge. Well, it felt more like he was repairing a connection between them. However, Feng cut it off, causing Luka to frown and open his eyes. "You're not ready for that yet,"

 "But-"

 "It will hurt you if you do that right now," Feng replied before standing up and holding out his arm. The Phoenix appeared in a flame and landed on his arm. "Besides, it's time to wake up,"

 "What?" Luka gasped before suddenly it went dark. He blinked and looked around in confusement, finding himself on a roof surrounded by kwamis. His ribs still felt sore but not as bad and his other injuries were healed. He looked at Tikki as she floated over to him.

 "W-where am I?" He asked, glancing at her. "Tikki? How did I get out of there?"

 "Kaalki got you out but are you ok?" She gasped, deciding not to tell him the full story yet. "You had a seizure again and Issac had beaten you. Are your ribs ok?"

 She looked at him and blinked in surprise. All of his cuts and bruises had been healed. Luka moved his hands onto his ribs ad pressed them. They felt bruised but no longer broken.

 "I'm ok," He stated, making all of the kwamis let out a sigh of relief before they suddenly tackled him, making him smile a little as they hugged him. "Thank you for coming for me. Now let's get you guys home and then me. I'm sure Ma is worried,"

 He reached into his pocket and took out his phone, trying to turn it on but found it was dead. He frowned before calling his transformation on and heading towards Master Fu's with the kwamis.

 ~Hawkmoth's Lair~

 Both Hawkmoth and Mayura stared in surprise as their connection to the akuma and amok was completely cut it off. They couldn't even recall them back. Somehow, the Couffaine boy had not only rejected the possession but actually cut off their connection to it. However, it didn't put Hawkmoth off and he could feel a strong emotion he could take advantage of. Issac's anger made him perfect prey for his akuma. He held out his hand, causing a butterfly to flutter over but Mayura placed her hand over his.

 "Are you sure you want to akumatize him?" She asked, making him look at her. "He doesn't just dislike the boy. He loathes him and blames him for everything that has gone wrong in his life. What if you can't control him?"

 "Don't worry, Mayura," Hawkmoth smirked. "I can simply cause him a lot of pain to get him in order,"

 She frowned but let go of his hand, causing the butterfly to land on it. He turned it into an akuma before letting it fly away.

 "Fly away, my little akuma and evilize his angered heart," He ordered as it escaped through the window. A few minutes later, the connection between him and Issac opened, causing him to smirk. "Mob Boss, I am Hawkmoth and I'm giving you the power to hunt down Luka Couffaine and prove that he is in fact a force of evil. All I ask in return is for you to take Anatis and Lady Noir's miraculous and bring them to me. Do we have a deal?"

 "Let the hunt begin, Hawkmoth,"

 ~Back to Anatis~

 Anatis stopped on a roof and leaned his hands against his leg as he took a breathe. Despite been better then he was, he still felt weak, his ribs ached and he felt ill and warm, like he had a fever. He took a deep breathe and shook his head, jumping back across the roofs. He stopped a few more times but finally, he came to Master Fu's place. He jumped across and landed on the edge of Master Fu's window seal, opening it carefully before climbing inside and turning to the kwamis. 

 "Alright, you lot... back to the box," He stated, making them nod and head back apart from Kaalki. Wayzz headed in the back to where Master Fu was. He let out a sigh and turned back to the window but his yoyo buzzed, causing him to open it and press on the notification. He almost dropped it as he saw Anarka, Penny and Jagged on the video. The three of them were tied to stakes by the louvre and were surrounded by some sort of mob who were yelling and shouting as Nadja Chamack appeared on screen. Two of the members of mob shoved the mic in her hand and demanded that she report what they wanted her.

 "An a-akuma calling himself m-mob boss has taken over the louvre and- ah!" The akuma grabbed the microphone from and roughly backhanded before she was dragged off by the crowd. He turned to the camera, revealing his skeleton face and blazing eyes. He was dressed in a suit with a dark gray trench coat.

 "Luka Couffaine!" He growled, making Anatis feel pale. "I know you're watching this so listen up, you  brat. If you don't want your father, his bitch and your whore of a mother to burn then come and face me like a real man!"

 "I-Issac?" Anatis gasped, feeling sick and fearful. The kwamis looked at each other.

 "You have ten minutes or they will burn in your place," He stated before lifting his arms, causing the crowd to yell and chant 'burn!' repeatedly. Anatis shut off the screen before turning back round and swinging towards the Louvre. He landed in an alleyway close to the scene as the kwamis caught up to him. Issac was throwing up his arms, making the audience chant louder. What disturbed Anatis the most was he could see his friends and some family members there. Juleka and Rose were there and so were Marinette's parents. Luckily, Marinette wasn't there but he was concerned as to where she was. Mob Boss turned back to his hostages as the crowd continued to chant. "Time is almost up,"

 He roughly grabbed Anarka's chin, causing Anatis to flinch.

 "Still think your son isn't evil?" He asked, making her narrow her eyes before he laughed and let go. "Once that brat turns up, I'll be able to get rid of him once and all and finally things will be right again,"

 "You laid a hand-"

 "One minute!" Mob Boss shouted, causing Anatis to frown.

 "Tikki, Spots off," He whispered, making the kwamis gasp. "Stay here,"

 "Luka, you can't!" Tikki gasped but he shook his head.

 "I can't let him kill them," He gasped, looking at him. "And I can't be certain that he won't burn them if I turn up as Anatis..."

 "Luka, this-"

 "This is the only way," Luka replied, turning on his heel and running out of the alleyway as the crowd counted down. "Stop!"

 Mob Boss moved his arms, silencing them as he smirked evilly.

 "Let the witch through!" He shouted, causing the crowd to part. Luka took a deep breathe and began to walk through the crowd. Issac frowned and narrowed his eyes as Luka walked over to him. He roughly grabbed his arm. "Where are they?!"

 "Whe-Where are what?"

 "The demons you summoned!" He growled, making Luka frown. He must meant the kwamis. However, he apparently took too long to answer, causing Issac to hit him. Jagged, Penny and Anarka shouted out and tried to break free from their binds. "Answer me, boy!"

 "I d-didn't summon any demons," Luka gasped, making Mob Boss growled and hit him hard enough to knock him to the floor and bust his lip again. He roughly grabbed his hair, dragging him back.

 "You can burn with your father and his bitch," He snarled, going to drag him over to the fourth stake but before he could a baton came flying at him and slammed him in his face, causing him to stumble back as Lady Noir jumped down, causing Mob Boss to growl. He yanked Luka up and wrapped his arm around his neck and placed his other on his head.

 "Let him go!" She snarled, beginning to stalk as her eyes glowed a little. Luka couldn't help but feel a little fear of her. He had never seen Lady Noir look so fearsome. 

 "Move closer and I'll snap his neck," Mob Boss snarled, making her stop. "Now why don't you be a good cat and hand over that ring of yours, sweetheart?"

 "Lady Noir, don't!" Luka called out as she actually looked down at her ring. However, Mob Boss suddenly let go of Luka as he swore. Luka blinked and saw his hand was burn, confusing him but Mob Boss charged at him. A crack appeared in the platform as Lady Noir suddenly slammed her hand down onto the platform and summoned her cataclysm. The wood broke from Mob Boss's weight, causing him to fall through it as Lady Noir suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled her to him, causing them to fall and him to land on her, causing a blush to appear over his cheeks. "S-Sorry,"

 She didn't answer as she rolled them over and jumped up as Mob Boss climbed back up and threw fire balls towards them, using her baton to block them.

 "Get your family free while I distract him!" She ordered before jumping across and attack Mob Boss. Luka rushed over to Penny, Jagged and Anarka before freeing them. Anarka hugged him before pulling away and cupping his face.

 "How did you get away? Do you know why his hand got burnt when he touched you?" She asked, worry clear in her eyes. It become stronger as she noticed he was hot to touch. "Luka? What happened? You're burning up,"

 "I'm... fine..." He replied as Mob Boss punched Lady Noir and got on top of her, trying to strange her. Luka gasped and rushed over to the pillar, grabbing a plank of wood. He slammed it into Issac's face, causing him to stumble as Jagged and Penny helped Lady Noir up as Luka stumbled back, feeling dizzy. His eyes flicked silver but luckily no one saw it. Lady Noir rushed over to him and picked him up like a bride as Anarka punched Mob Boss before Penny broke a plank of wood over his head again, knocking him down before Jagged kicked him in the first. Luka held onto Lady Noir as she used her baton to propel them away from the scene as the three of them ran off, away from Mob Boss. Once they were a safe distance away, she lowered him down to the floor but he was taking swallow breathes, reminding her of when he got possessed by an akuma.

 "Luka, you're sick," She gasped, placing her hand on his cheek. Even through her glove she could feel how warm he was. "I need to take to the hospital,"

 "N-No, he'll look there," He gasped, making her frown. He was right. Mob Boss would look for him there. She frowned as she thought about the most unlikely place that Mob Boss would look. An idea popped in her mind, causing her to click her fingers before she picked up Luka again and jumped off. She set him back down and opened a manhole before helping him climb down. She closed the manhole as he leaned against the wall, breathe in and out but his breathing sounded heavy. She picked up again, making him blush a little but he held onto her as she ran off with him.

 "So why is Mob Boss after you?" She asked as they moved through the tunnels. "You don't seem the type to have enemies,"

 "H-He's convinced I'm evil..." He whispered, making her frown. He sounded out of breathe and tired. "H-He kidnapped me and I managed to escape s-so he's pissed..."

 "I know about the kidnapping," She stated, kicking open a door and bringing him in the room. She set him down on a bench and gently moved his hair, making him blush a little as she looked at him with a soft but concerned look. "Marinette asked me to look for you when she realized you were missing,"

 "S-She must have been worried since about me..." He sighed, looking down. "I o-owe her-"

 "No, this is not your fault," She gasped, making him look at her before her ring beeped. "I have to go and charge up my kwami then I'll deal with Mob Boss but you need stay here. As soon as Anatis and I have defeated him, I'll get you to the hospital ok?"

 He nodded, causing her to run out but only to wait a few moments before Tikki and Kaalki flew in. He went to get up but stumbled and fell back down, making Tikki gasp and rush over to him. 

 "I'm ok," He whispered, making her frown. "We need to transform and help Lady Noir,"

 "Luka, you're in no fit state to-"

 "I have to," He gasped, making Kaalki and Tikki look at each other. "I can't let her fight that monster alone,"

 They both remained quiet as they knew he was right. He took a deep breathe and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself and replicate the feeling he had when he faced Blackout. Slowly but surely, he felt his energy come back to him as the same feeling washed over him. He opened his eyes as they turned silver, causing Kaalki to gasp a little. 

 "Luka?" She asked, making him look at her. She wasn’t sure if it was Finni again.

 "I'm fine, Kaalki," He smiled, standing up. Both kwamis look nervous. "I take it my eyes are not blue right now?"

 "No, they're silver," Tikki stated, biting her lip. "Just like when you faced Blackout,"

 "Then it worked," He replied, making the kwamis look at him with surprise. "I kind of learn that I might be able to trigger the same thing that happened during Blackout from Feng . Admittedly, I still don't understand what it was but it gave me enough strength and energy to face him,"

 "I see," Tikki gasped, nodding. "So if you can trigger it, it would do the same,"

 "Exactly," Luka smiled before frowning. "I just hope I don't faint this time when I go back to normal... but we're worry about that when that happens. Right now, I need to help Lady Noir. Tikki, spots on!"

 He transformed into Anatis and took out his yoyo, opening it. He frowned a little as he saw Lady Noir's location wasn't moving but she was at the Louvre again. He put his yoyo away and gently patted his shoulder for Kaalki to sit on it. She flew over and did before he ran out of the room and to the nearest exit. He climbed up and threw his yoyo up, pulling himself into the air and swinging through the streets. He landed on the building opposite the Louvre, frowning as he noticed the flames surrounding the area. He scanned his eyes before noticing Lady Noir, trying to use her baton as a shield against Mob Boss' flames. However, he managed to knock her baton out of her hand and smirked to himself, stalking over to her.

 "Kaalki, hide," He ordered, causing her to hide in a nearby alleyway before he jumped down and threw his yoyo. It wrapped around Mob Boss' arm as he lifted it to punch her. Anatis yanked it, pulling Mob Boss into the air and slamming him down into the ground. Anatis freed his yoyo and rushed over to Lady Noir, helping her up.

 "You ok?" He asked, making her nod. "Sorry, I'm late,"

 "No worries, Annie," She smiled, pushing a bit of her hair out of her face. "You're just in time,"

 He went to answer but quickly blocked a fireball from Mob Boss with his yoyo, moving Lady Noir behind him. Feeling a shiver down his spine as they backed away, he took a deep breathe. 

 Any advice on facing him? He mentally spoke, hoping that Feng might answer.

 Don't hold back. This man will take advantage of any weakness you show... Feng's voice echoed in his mind, making Anatis nod. Mob Boss growled and summoned fire balls in his hands, causing a few of his goons to flinch and he heard Lady Noir whimper a little. His flames grew in size, making Anatis gasp as he realized how his flames worked. Show him you're not afraid...

 "Of course... fear is his power..." He whispered as it clicked into place. Of course, Issac would be an akuma who feeds off fear. Mob Boss threw the flames towards them, causing Lady Noir stumble back in fear as they flew towards them at full speed. Mob Boss smirked evilly as Anatis stopped spinning his yoyo. Instead, he swiped it up and bring it down, cutting through the flames and destroying them. Mob Boss' smirk turned to a look of shock as Anatis glare at him, standing tall in front of Lady Noir, who was looking up at her partner with awe in her eyes. He turned to her and offered her his hand, causing her to take it before he pulled her to her feet. "He's just like Horrificator, Lady Noir. Fear fuels his flames, making them bigger. He uses his mob to power himself up by making them afraid. Well, I got some news for you, 'Mob Boss'..."

 Anatis narrowed his eyes towards him.

 "I'm not afraid of you," He stated, enraging Mob Boss. He summoned more flames and threw them at him, hoping to make him coward but Anatis didn't. Instead, he stood his ground, not even trying to block his attack. He had a feeling that the flames only hurt you if you were afraid. Lady Noir gasped and went to take out her baton but he gently placed his hand on hers, making her look at him. "Trust me,"

 She looked into his eyes and even though they were silver, she could still see what he was feeling. Smiling to herself, she nodded and turned to face Mob Boss as well.

 "We're not afraid of you!" She declared as the flames got closer but as soon as they touched them, the flames completely snuffed out. "Whoa!"

 "No!" Mob Boss screamed enraged before summoning a massive amount of flames. "I'll burn it!!! I'll burn it all!!"

 "Ok, he's lost it," Lady Noir gasped as Anatis took out his yoyo and threw it into the air.

 "Lucky charm!" He declared, causing a hose pipe to appear out of thin air as Mob Boss began to create a fire tornado. His mob became even more afraid, making it get bigger. Lady Noir stepped back as fear got to her as well.

 "Annie! Please tell me you have a plan!" She gasped as he looked around in his luck vision. It lit up a fire hydrant and the hose pipe. He smirked to himself.

 "I have one!" He declared, making her rush over to him as he opened the fire hydrant. He worked quickly, attaching the hose to the fire hydrant before standing up and pointing it towards Mob Boss, who's flames were huge. He was laughing like a manic as well. "Hey! Mob Boss!! I hope you like rain!"

 "What?!" He gasped as Lady Noir turned the switch on the fire hydrant to full power. A powerful stream of water burst through the hose and hit Mob Boss straight in the chest, sending him flying into a wall, causing him to gasp and splutter as he tried to push back the water. His flames completely disappeared as his influence on the nearby crowd weakened. Lady Noir ran up to him and summoned her power, tapping his ring. It turned to dust and the akuma climbed out as Anatis turned off the water. He threw his yoyo and captured it, pulling it back to him. He released the butterfly then unscrewed the hose before throwing it up in the air.

 "Miraculous Ladybugs!" He declared, causing it to burst into the cure and swarm around Paris, fixing the damage Mob Boss had done. With him defeated, he turned back to Issac, who looked around confused before seeing the heroes. Almost instantly, he jumped up and ran off, clearly afraid of what the heroes might do to him.

 "Should we go after him?" Lady Noir asked but she got her answer when her ring beeped. "Oh no! I need to go get Luka!! He's pretty badly hurt,"

 "Ok," Anatis nodded as his earrings beeped as well. "We'll track him down later,"

 She nodded and went off before Anatis went the other direction. However, he slipped into the alley Kaalki had hid in, making her fly over to him before he took out his yoyo, reaching into it. He took out the horse miraculous and put them on.

 "Tikki, Kaalki... unify," He declared, turning into the merge form. He threw out his arm as he created a ring of light. "Voyage!"

 It opened a portal into the room Lady Noir had left him. He stepped inside, causing it to disappear.

 "Tikki, Kaalki, divide," He ordered, causing him turn back to Anatis. "Spots off,"

 He caught Tikki before sitting down on the bench as his eyes began to turn back to blue. A wave of nausea to wash over him making him to feel weak again as he covered his mouth to stop himself from gagging. Slowly, a headache began to creep through. He took a shaky breathe and held his jacket open, allowing Tikki and Kaalki to hide in it. A few minutes later, the door opened and Lady Noir rushed in. 

 "Sorry! I had to charge my kwa- Luka?" She gasped as she reached him. He had closed his eyes and was taking short breathes as he felt himself warm up. "Oh god, you're worse than before,"

 "I-I'm... fi-" He started but she helped him to his feet and began to lead him outside. As soon as he stood, he felt very weak and ended up leaning against her. It didn't take her long to get him out of the sewer before taking him to the hospital. The doctors and nurses took him from her as she promised to bring his family. Soon, he found himself in a hospital room, lying on a bed while the doctors try to get down his fever as they asked him a number of questions. He answered them as best as he could, even telling them about the almost akumatization and amok. The doctors and nurses shared concerned looks when he told them about it but he felt tired and just wanted to sleep. Seeing how tired he was, the doctors concluded their tests. As soon as they left, he ended up falling asleep and when he next woke, the Captain was sat next to him. Her eyes were closed but he could see how stressed she felt. "M-Ma?"

 She groaned and stirred, opening her eyes.

 "Luka?" She gasped before standing up and hugging him. He hugged her back. "Oh I am so sorry, Lad. I should have walked with you-"

 "It's n-not your fault, Ma," He whispered, gently pulling away from him. "Issac was convinced that I'm the reason you left him. He said I was evil and a witch... I don't understand why..."

 Anarka frowned and sat back down, taking his hand.

 "He was afraid of you," She stated, making him look at her. "When you were younger, you had what I thought were imaginary friends but I realized very quickly it was something else when I saw you talking to something in your room. You must have been three years old when this happened but when I asked you who you were talking to, you told me it was your grandmother,"

 Luka frowned a little.

 "The thing was she had died two years before you were born and I hadn't told you about her at all. We didn't get on," She mumbled, looking down. Luka frowned as he listened. "You knew her name and described her down to a tee. I do not doubt that it was your grandmother but it scared me and I told you not to make up stories. You never told me if you talked to anything like her again after that but I would hear you speaking to other things but then Issac heard you talking to them and he became convinced you were 'in league with the devil'. That's what we argued about a lot of the time and it just got worst as time pass. I told him you had imaginary friends and were just sensitive but he didn't believe me. Soon, you stopped talking to things that weren't there and I thought you had grown out of it. I didn't realize Issac had hurt you every time he caught you talking to them. It got worst when you showed an interest in music. He would scream that it was the devil's influence and would break anything that could cause that then he went too far and you ended up in hospital in a coma for a week. It wasn't long after that when I realized he was hurting you. I had been at work that day and Issac had called me, saying you had fallen and hit your head. I only found that it had been him that had hit hit you and caused you to hit your head months later during an argument. It was the moment that I decided to leave him. I hated myself because I should have realized sooner that you were been hurt by him. I packed our bags ready to leave but Issac..."

 She took a deep breathe as Luka listened.

 "That was the day Issac got physical with me. He then threatened to take you and Juleka away from me if I left. I realized that I would need to be clever and crafty to outwit him so I saved up any spare money we had while trying to protect you and Juleka while we were still there. That's why we were so poor. Issac would spend whatever he had on booze and I was putting anything I could into an account he knew nothing about," She explained, making Luka frown as he listened. "The christmas he walked out, I saw a chance and got the locks changed but he kept coming back. He would try to kick the door down and even tried to take you and Juleka from school one day. After that, I had you both home schooled. Since you were frequently ill, it helped to keep you at home. During the time of having him locked out of the house, I contacted an estate agent and sold the house, which gave us our money. Since I had finally enough money, I brought the Liberty. I packed up our basics and moved us to Paris with the Liberty,"

 "How did we get away from him?" Luka asked, causing her to sigh. "Didn't he try to wait outside the house?"

 "I called the police that day and had him arrested. I knew he would get out but it gave us a few hours to escape. While he was in jail, we left the house for good. I don't know if you remember but I legally changed our names. Not by much admittedly but before our surname was Couphène but I had it changed legally to Couffaine. It's slightly different pronunciation and spelt differently. The change was small but it was enough that Issac wouldn't be able to find us. Besides, you and Juleka always pronounced it as Couffaine anyway,"

 Luka frowned to himself as he listened. He did briefly remember spelling his surname different and got confused when he was first corrected but he assumed that because he was a kid, he just didn't realize how to spell it properly. It never occurred to him that his mother had changed it.

 "Why did you change it?"

 "So if Issac ever looked us up, he wouldn't be able to find us. It's also why I brought a boat. We could move it and would never be in the same place," She admitted, frowning. "I thought it was safer that way...  but I should have protected you better. I'm so sorry, Luka.,"

 Tears rolled down her face as she cried, making Luka frown. He carefully moved so he was closer to her before opening his arms. Anarka looked up at him before moving so she was sat on the bed and hugged him. 

 "It's ok, Ma," He whispered, hugging her before they pulled away. "I was afraid to say anything and when I got old enough to say, Issac threatened to hurt you and Juleka. I wasn't going to let that happen,"

 "You shouldn't have had to," She whispered, looking down as she wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry.."

 "Ma, it's ok," He smiled, glancing to the side. "But I don't remember seeing them?"

 "The coma you were in..." She muttered, looking down. She had beaten herself up for ages when she had realized it was Issac who had caused it. She still felt guilty to this very day. "The doctors... they thought you wouldn't wake up and warned me that you would have brain damage if you did but then you proved them wrong and woke up. Despite been in a coma for a while, you only had a little bit of memory damage. You just didn't remember seeing spirits or ghosts... The doctors and I called it a miracle..."

 "But Issac saw it as proof of me been evil, didn't he?" Luka asked, making her frown. "He called me a witch and said I was evil..."

 Anarka frowned as she saw the expression on his face. He thought it was possibly that he was.

 "Luka Couffaine, you listen to me," She stated in a firm voice. He looked up at her. "Issac is wrong about you, Lad. You're not evil or wicked. You're a pure and gentle soul and he's the evil one for harming you. People like Issac fear what they don't understand... and I was afraid too but not because of you seeing ghosts. Our family have always been different and strange but that's what had me afraid. I feared that people would treat you differently and I was wrong. We should celebrate our differences and gifts, even if other people are afraid of them. If it turns out you are a witch then I will be proud of my witchy son,"

 "Thank you, Ma," He whispered, hugging her before pulling away. "Though I think Juleka might be the witch of the family,"

 Anarka laughed and ruffled Luka's hair, making him smile before someone knocked on the door and entered. He glanced over and smiled a little as Juleka, Rose and Marinette looked at him. Relief flooded their eyes and before anyone could move, Juleka had rushed over and hugged him, causing him to hug her back as she cried.

 "I'm ok, Jewels," He whispered, stroking her hair before he looked up at the other two and stretched out his arm. Both of them rushed over and joined in with the hug. Rose was crying worst then Juleka and Marinette was holding back tears. The three of them pulled away as a doctor entered and asked to talk to Anarka. She got up and walked out as the girls sat on the chair. "Is Dad here?"

 "He was talking to the doctors," Juleka mumbled as Luka leaned against the pillow. "And Penny is looking to get Bob Roth in trouble too. He's been arrested as Issac had sent him a photo of you with a message for Jagged. He wanted 3 million euros to release you,"

 "Why did he give the message to Bob Roth?" Luka asked, frowning. Juleka looked at Rose who bit her lip. "Jewels?"

 "I overheard Ma and Jagged shouting at Mr Roth... apparently he was friends with Issac. He admitted to confirming that it was us to him when Penny threatened him. He's the reason why Issac kidnapped you," Juleka explained, making him frown. "He tried to claim that he didn't know that Issac would do that but Penny, Ma and Jagged don't believe him,"

 "What about Issac?" He asked, looking at them. Juleka and Rose looked sad and pale and Marinette looked angry. Luka sighed as he felt their emotions. Disappointment and rage. "He got away didn't he?"

 "The police are looking for him," Marinette stated, taking his hand. "And they've placed an officer here in case he tries to come after you..."

 "I see," He frowned, making a mental note to track him down as Anatis. "I hope they find him soon. I want this nightmare to be over,"

 "I hope it ends soon," Marinette whispered, linking their hands together. Rose gently tapped Juleka and pulled her up, leaving the room so Marinette and Luka were alone. "I'm sorry..."

 "For what?" He asked, looking at her.

 "Letting you walk home alone and not insisting you stay the night. Mama and Papa wouldn't have minded. They like you," She whispered, looking down. "So I'm sorry..."

 "Marinette, none of this was your fault so please don't blame yourself," He whispered, making her look at him. "It's Issac. He's always hated me and this was just part of that,"

 "How are you so calm?" She asked, wiping her eyes. "You got kidnapped and you're in hospital and you must have been so afraid..."

 "I was..." He admitted, looking down. "It was terrifying. I was almost akumatized too but-"

 "Oh no, did you have a seizure again?!" Marinette gasped, looking more worried. Luka nodded and went to continue what he was saying. Only for Marinette to hug him again. "I'm so sorry!!"

 "It's ok," He mumbled, making her look at him. "I'm ok. The seizure... it passed pretty quickly and actually helped me escape. Issac and his men were arguing about taking me to the hospital so while they were distracted, I slipped away. Admittedly, it was hard because I was tired and just wanted to curl up but I got out. Anatis found me once I got out of the warehouse he kept me and helped me get away properly... but then Issac ended up akumatized and threatened to hurt my family so I slipped away from Anatis to go and save them..."

 "You're so brave, Luka," Marinette praised, making him blush as Jagged and Anarka came back in. Marinette gave them a small smile. "I'm gonna head home but I'll come and visit tomorrow,"

 "Ok," Luka smiled, nodding. She smiled back before getting and leaving the room. Jagged hugged him, causing him to hug back as Juleka came back in and took a seat with the others. He yawned and laid back down, trying to stay awake.

 "Go to sleep, Lad," Anarka ordered as Jagged sat down. "We'll be here when you wake,"

 He nodded and closed his eyes, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

 ~A Week Later~

 "You sure this is the place, Barkk?" Anatis asked as they stood opposite a warehouse. After he had left hospital, he went straight to Master Fu to ask if he could borrow the kwamis. He wanted their help in finding Issac. Since Master Fu was aware of the situation as he had visited Luka in hospital to make sure he was ok, he agreed to let the kwamis help Luka. It had surprised him but since Lika had decided it was time to end Issac's reign of terror, Master Fu had agreed to let the kwamis go with him so he had some kind of back up. At first, Master Fu had tried to convince to let the police do the work but Luka told him he couldn't let it go. Issac hadn't just tried to kidnap him. He was intent on killing him and hurting his family. He knew that if Issac got him out of the way, he would go after Juleka and his mother and he was not about to let that happen. No, he was done living in fear and he would protect his family at any cost. With his mind settled, Master Fu tried to come along himself but his back began to play up and Luka told him to stay back. Part of him wanted to ask Lady Noir to come with him as well but he also knew that this was something Luka had to do and not Anatis. 

 "This is the place, Master Luka," Barkk replied, making Anatis sigh before the little dog kwami looked at him. "But are you sure you don't want to go in as Anatis?"

 "I have to do this as Luka," He replied as the other kwamis surrounded him. "You guys keep back but the moment Issac shows any possibility of hurting me, attack him and don't hold back,"

 "Yes, sir!" The kwamis declared, saluting him before he jumped from the building and landed on the ground. As soon as he was on the ground, he detransformed and caught Tikki, giving her a cookie. She took it before flying up and kissing his cheek lightly.

 "Good luck," She smiled, making him nod before he walked over and tried to the door. It was lock so Kaalki flew over and unlocked it, causing him to smile and step in. He walked through glancing around as he recognized the place he was held in. He kept his hand on his phone as he walked through. He felt his fear sneak up on him but he pushed it to the back of his mind. He stopped as he looked around. The warehouse seemed completely emptied. He frowned but stopped when he felt someone walk up behind him. Judging by their song, it was Issac. He flinched a little when he felt Issac stop behind him.

 "Well, I knew you were dumb but I didn't think you were this stupid," Issac growled as Luka took a deep breath and slowly turned around.

 "You'd just come after me anyway," He answered, staring at the man who made his life a living hell. "I'm here to end this,"

 "You? Want to fight me?!" Issac laughed before taking out a gun and pointing to him. "You don't stand a chance,"

 "I'm not here to fight you," Luka stated, keeping his mind clear and calm. Fear would do him no good.

 "Then what do you want?"  Issac growled.

 "To prove you wrong," He stated, making Issac frown. "Hand yourself over to the police and let this grudge. It will only cause you more pain so please, give yourself in. It’s not too late to change,”

 "You are pathetic!" Issac growled, making Luka sigh. He had given him a chance. "You think I'm going to listen to an evil bastard like you!"

 "I'm not evil, Issac," He stated, sighing before his eyes turned silver, making Issac stare at him. During his rest in the hospital, he had dreamt a few times of Feng and the bird that he learnt was called Finni. Feng had finally told him that he had natural magic and started to teach him how to chanel it. He still had ages to go and he was still confused about a lot of things but Feng had taught him more about projecting emotions onto others. He could show them love, hope and even feelings like fear and sadness. "But I am different,"

 "Demon!" Issac shouted, going to fire his gun but the kwamis flew him, taking the gun out of his hand. "No! You trickster!"

 "I'm not a demon and I'm not a trickster," Luka stated, walking closer to Issac. He tried to back away but tripped over when Pollen, Kaalki and Barkk pushed a box behind him. He scrambled backwards until his back hit the same pillar that Luka had been chained to. He went to get up but the kwamis had handcuffed him to it, stopping him from getting up. 

 "No!" He gasped as fear caught up with him. He didn't expect Luka to reverse their roles. He was the one in charge here. Not the demon child. Luka sighed and crouched down in front of him. "You bastard!! I'll kill you!"

 "I have something for you, Issac," He stated, making him blink. "Something I don't want anymore,"

 He reached out his hand, causing Issac to try and pull away.

 "Don't touch me, you demon!" He shouted but Luka ignored him and rested his hand against his cheek, causing Issac to flinch. For a second, nothing happened but then Issac started to scream in absolute pain and terror as he looked at Luka, who eyes slowly turned from silver to a glowing golden color that resembled the sun. If anyone else had seen them, they would have described them as beautiful but for Issac, they just added to his fear. His eyes widen as he saw a golden aura round Luka that resembled a bird. However, he let out a scream of pain as Luka's touch actually hurt him. Slowly, Luka pulled away as Issac screamed and cowarded away from him, crying as he did. Tikki flew over to him as Luka stood up and looked at him with a mixture of pity and sorrow.

 "What did you do to him?"

 "I gave him the fear and pain he caused me," He explained, wiping a tear sliding down his cheek as the kwamis flew over to him. "All sixteen years worth and all at once..."

 The kwamis looked over at Issac, who was reduced to a crying, broken mess. Receiving all that fear and pain at once had broken him but they could not think of a better punishment for him. This way, he would never hurt anyone ever again. Luka blinked again and wiped his eyes before taking out his phone and placing a call to the police but hung before they could ask his name. He left the warehouse and transformed into Anatis before swinging off. Once he got to the Liberty, he slid in through his room and dropped his transformation before curling up on his bed and began to cry, surprising the kwamis.

 "L-Luka?" Tikki asked as Luka shook. She looked at the other kwamis as he slowly sat up.

 "I'm s-sorry," He whispered, wiping his eyes. "It's just... I find it hard to believe it's over..."

 "It's ok, my prince," Pollen gasped, hugging his cheek. The other kwamis followed suit and hugged him, making him smile despite his tears.

 "Thank you for coming with me,"

 "Luka!" The Captain called, causing the kwamis to hide as she burst in. "He's been caught!"

 "What?" He gasped, pretending to be surprised.

 "Issac! Officer Roger called me. They got a tip about where he was hiding and arrested him!" She gasped, hugging him. "It's over, Luka. He's never gonna hurt anyone again,"

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

Next Chapter: Chapter 57

[muwur]

haikyuu x otome: masterlist | rules

prologue

» synopsis:   a haikyuu x reader au where you, the player, are bound for university in a metropolis several hours away from home. hope and excitement are replaced with dread as you come to realize that juggling life as a student and a part-time employee takes a toll. from demanding classes to a ruthless manager, life just can’t seem to give you a break. that is, until you meet a certain someone who reminds you how to live and follow your dreams. somehow, when you’re with them, time stands still. maybe things are finally starting to look up. if only you could stay in those moments for just a little longer.

» gn reader

» ngl came out longer than i expected but thats ok LMAO,, them otome intros be unnecessarily long too mb; 3.1k words

» note: if u rllyy want u can kinda skip or just skim this, the gist is that you move in n meet like 3 ppl LOL

The train hummed as it zoomed through the landscape, leaving behind the familiar people, sights, sounds, and smells. Yawning, you rubbed your nap away from weary eyes and peered out the window. Just hours ago you had waved a bittersweet farewell to your town, friends, and family, who woke at the crack of dawn to send you off with tight hugs and teary-eyed wishes of good luck. 

Your heart lurched at the memory. You’d miss them. In an effort to part happily, you promised to come back for the holidays, call often, and hook your friends up with any cute people you just knew would match them. Glancing down at your phone, you smiled at the excited text messages from your friends. Your fingers tapped away at the keyboard in response.

‘Just woke up from my nap. I think I’m here!’

Outside, buildings scraped the clouds and their windows shined in the light of the afternoon sun. Cars honked, bikes swerved, crowds bustled. On one end of the block, a man on a ladder was painting a sign for his store, while on the other end , a street performer danced energetically in her black shoes. Smoke emitted from a food vendor’s stand, where a man skillfully flipped some meat and vegetables on a stove, even throwing his spatula into the air to entertain his customers. The city was alive. 

Stepping off the train, you clutched your belongings and felt a sudden rush of exhilaration. You were finally here. You intended to take a deep breath, in order to take in your first taste of this city’s air, only to stop halfway in a short hacking fit to expel train exhaust from your lungs. 

‘That was pleasant,’ you grumbled to yourself, still coughing as you made your way off the platform towards the street. Luckily, Lyft existed. And it was cheaper here! Within minutes of your order, a black Toyota pulled up in front of you. The driver smiled and stepped out of the car, their wavy brown hair bouncing against their shoulders. “Let me help you with those,” they smiled as they offered to take your bags and put them in the trunk. 

“Oh, thank you so much!” What a kind person, you thought as you opened the backseat of the car. Ooh.

On second thought, maybe you were too optimistic. Who knew a 10 minute ride could feel so long? It seemed at least twice that much when you were squished in the backseat with some handsy couple. Just your luck, someone was already occupying the passenger seat. Oh well, a minor inconvenience in the name of saving money. All you could do was shift closer to the door, fix your gaze outside the window, and try to ignore the strange purrs coming from your seatmates. A familiar building caught your eye and you let out a sigh of relief when the car came to a stop. You thanked your driver as you stepped out and pulled your bags out of the trunk. Looking back and forth from your phone to the townhouse before you, you had to admit the real thing looked a little more worn down than how it was advertised, but you couldn’t blame them. I mean, your pictures on instagram aren’t exactly the everyday representation of yourself, either.

Aged wood creaked as you hoisted your bags up the front steps. You tapped  your knuckles three times against the brown door and rang the buzzer to the landlord’s office. 

“Hello? Miss Q?” you asked, hoping the landlord you’ve been contacting for the last two months would answer. “It’s me, y/n, I let you know I’d be coming in today.”

No answer. 15 minutes, a few text messages, and a phone call later, still no response. You groaned. Were you at the right place? Looking back at the address of the building and your location, you were sure this was it. Did Miss Q happen to be out? Or was she napping and just happened to be a heavy sleeper? Maybe her phone died. Whatever the reason, you were stuck out here for the meantime. Shrugging it off, you took a seat on a dusty patio chair and started to scroll mindlessly through your phone to pass the time. Hopefully she’d reply soon. 

The screech of a vehicle coming to a stop caught your ear. You looked up to see that the mover’s van you ordered pulled up across the street. Well, at least your things arrived. You stood up and waved to the man driving the vehicle. Making your way to greet and thank him, you helped him unload your things and set them down on the free space in front of the complex, making sure to keep the pathways clear. Placing down the last of the things onto the ground, you wiped the sweat off your brow, tipped the man, and watched him leave.

20 minutes of that and still you remained stuck outside. The late summer sun was beginning to get unbearably warm. Sitting amongst your pile of things, you couldn’t help but groan inwardly at the thought of all the unpacking you had to do. On top of that, classes begin in a week, and you needed to search for a job as soon as possible to help pay the bills. 

“Erm, hello? Are you y/n l/n, by any chance?” a gentle voice asked.

Lost in your thoughts, you failed to notice anyone had approached you. He was a fairly tall boy with dark hair half pulled back into a messy bun. Freckles adorned his face, complemented by his soft brown eyes and warm smile. He wore a pair of white shoes, slightly distressed lightwash jeans that were rolled up at the bottom, and a loose fitting, olive button up half tucked into his jeans. In his arms was a brown paper bag with a loaf of bread peeking out. 

(I STAN LONG HAIRED/HAIRBUN YAMS SO HARD SO HE’S GONNA HAVE IT OK)

“Yeah, I am! Do you live here?” you responded eagerly, getting up to your feet.

He nodded with a smile. “I do! Apparently Miss Q’s sick and staying at her daughter’s place for now, so her daughter messaged me to help you get settled in. Let me put these groceries away and get your key.”

He disappeared into the townhouse, then returned a few moments later with a key dangling between his fingers. “Miss Q needs a better hiding spot for her spare office key. The plant pot is way too obvious. Anyways, I can show you to your room, now. I’ll help you carry your things up,” he offered.

“That would be great! Thanks again for all your help, otherwise I’d probably have been stuck out here all night,” you said, gently handing him a box to carry.

“Y-Yeah, no problem! Though, Tsukki might’ve let you in if he saw you out here, too. Oh, and my name’s Tadashi Yamaguchi, by the way. Some people call me Yams. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Yams,” you huffed in amusement at his cute nickname. “Call me y/n.” Carrying some boxes, you followed Yamaguchi into the building. Luckily you were on the first floor, second door on the lefthand side. He fumbled with the key, searching for the keyhole before turning the unlocked knob and opening the door. 

Much like the outside, the interior of the place was also outdated. You both stood in front of the quaint living area connected to the kitchen. In the back, you could see the hallway leading to the bathroom and your single bedroom. The plain, white walls of the room were illuminated by daylight coming in from the windows on the rightmost wall. You could overlook the worn couch and scuffed dining table, though, considering the place was fully furnished and leased at a great price. Miss Q had even told you both the kitchen and bathroom had actually been remodeled recently. 

Going back and forth to take your belongings inside, you thought to get to know your new neighbor. “So, how long have you lived here?”

He pursed his lips in thought and stacked the box he was carrying on top of another one. “Mm, only since the start of summer, actually. My friend and I came here to start university, and one of his favorite museums also happens to be in this city. We come from about 2 hours north of here, though. What about you?”

You set down a particularly heavy bag onto the floor with a grunt. “I’m from a place several hours west of here. I came here for school, too! Are you going to Central University, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I am!” he responded with pleasant surprise and wide eyes. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other on campus, too. Remind me to show you the closest bus stop you can take to get there.” A soft smile formed on his lips.

After finally taking in all your belongings, you collapsed onto the couch in exhaustion. Your eyes flickered over to the brunette, whose chuckle you could hear from across the room. “Long day?” he asked, settling into a spot next to you. 

Groaning, you replied, “I’ve been up since 5 am to do some last minute packing and catch my train.”

“Yikes. Sounds early.”

“Tell me about it.”

A comfortable silence hung in the air for a few seconds. Curious, he piped up with another question. “So, what made you decide to move all the way out here?”

“Hmm,” you began. “Well, I wanted to settle into a new, unknown place, y’know? Explore the world a little more and see what it’s like out here. Be on my own for the first time.”

Yamaguchi nodded thoughtfully in understanding. “I get you. My best friend and I kinda came here for the same reasons. We wanted to expand our worlds a bit. I’ve only been here a few months, and already so much has happened. You’ll definitely get to explore and experience a lot in this city. Things are always busy around here...” he trailed off, checking a notification on his phone that just dinged with a new message. His brown gaze flickered back to you. “Ooh, would you like to have a drink with my friend and I at my place? I live in the room right across from here. You seem like you need a break.”

You could feel your lips curve upwards. “I’d really enjoy that, actually.”

Thus you found yourself in your new friend’s apartment, sinking comfortably into his black beanbag chair, a bottle of cold lemonade in your hand. Taking another refreshing swig, your eyes traveled over to the blonde seated next to Yams on their tan sofa. You could hardly feel welcome when the first words that came out of his mouth after seeing you was a disgruntled “you brought someone here?”, which made Yamaguchi smack the back of his friend’s head.

“They’re our new neighbor, Tsukki! Be more welcoming,” he chided with a roll of his eyes. “Y/n, this is Kei Tsukishima. Tsukki, this is y/n.”

He rubbed the back of his head and glared at Yamaguchi. The blonde sighed, extending a hand out towards you. “Tsukishima. Nice to meet you, I guess.”

“Erm,” you tried to smile, “nice to meet you, too, Tsukishima. Just call me y/n.”

‘How is someone as sweet as Yams best friends with this dude?’

He couldn’t be all bad, you reasoned. Maybe he was just having a bad day,,, or always having a bad day. Regardless, even if your first impression was kinda substandard and underwhelming, you hoped you’d get along. He seemed like the type to need to get to know someone before warming up to them. 

You set the empty bottle atop their maple coffee table. Two hours had creeped by, consisting mostly of lighthearted exchanges between you and Yamaguchi, with a brief, occasional response from Tsukishima. He spent most of the time flipping through the pages of a novel and lightly tapping its hardcover to the beat of whatever he was listening to on his headphones. Yamaguchi suggested getting delivery from a Thai place he liked a few blocks away, and even insisted on covering the cost for you. 

“No, you really don’t have to..! I appreciate the offer, though,” you pleaded.

He shook his head, smiling as he tapped away at postmates on his phone. “Don’t worry about it.” He logged in both your orders and nudged Tsukishima with his elbow. “What do you want?”

Pushing up his glasses, Tsukishima leaned over to look at his friend’s phone screen. A few moments passed before he pulled away and said, “Pad Kee Mao sounds good.”

30 minutes later and there was a ring at the front door. A voice on the buzzer sounded. “I have a delivery for, uh.. Tadashi!” 

“Looks like they’re here,” Yamaguchi said as he stood up. You followed him out to the main entrance. Behind the door was a boy with tousled orange hair and bright brown eyes, carrying a plastic bag filled with takeout boxes. “Here you go!” he exclaimed as he handed you the order. He peered at the brunette beside you, his face scrunching in thought before lightening up with clarity. “Hey, you were with the guy I crashed into the other day! I-Is he okay by the way? Sorry, I was in a really big rush...!”

Eyebrows shooting up in surprise and eyes widening with familiarity, Yamaguchi nodded, “Oh yeah, I remember that! Don’t worry, he’s alright, just bitter and annoyed. I’m glad you seem to be okay, as well.” 

The redhead scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and looked down at his scuffed shoes. “Ah, thanks! Um, is he around? I’d like to apologize for yesterday...”

Yamaguchi smiled. “I’ll go grab him,” he said briefly before heading back to his apartment. 

The delivery boy sighed with relief. “Man, I felt really bad about that yesterday...” he muttered. He looked back up, his eyes brightening when they met yours. “My name’s Shoyo Hinata! People usually call me Hinata.”

“I’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you,” you smiled, offering your hand. He shook hands with you a bit too vigorously, and you nearly dropped the food held in your other arm. “Are you new around here?” he asked.

“Hah, is it that obvious?” you joked.

“Nahh, just a wild guess. You’re just really refreshing, is all! Most of the people I meet seem burnt out, but I don’t blame them. We’ve all got busy lives. Talking to you is nice, though! I haven’t learned any customer’s names, well, since I started working! Then again, it’s only been two months... Anyways, where you from? I was born and raised here.”

If anything, you thought Hinata was the refreshing one. A tad talkative, but refreshing nonetheless. He effused a radiance that matched his vivid hair. “I’m from *insert place here*, a few hours west of here. I just arrived today!”

Before he could give you a response, however, you both heard footsteps approaching. You could recognize Tsukishima’s voice muttering a low “let’s get this over with” from behind you. Now standing at the doorframe, the blonde towered over Hinata. His countenance displayed obvious annoyance. However, he maintained his composure, pressed his finger against the bridge of his nose, and sighed out, “What do you want?”

Hinata bowed. “I’m sorry I crashed into you with my bike the other day! I was rushing to volleyball practice and I wasn’t looking. It was my fault.”

Eyes narrowing, Tsukishima allowed several moments of silence to achingly pass before letting out a small huff. “Fine. Apology accepted.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he turned around to return to his room. “Watch where you’re going next time, idiot. You’d better hope you don’t run into me again.” A door shut.

‘That was quick.’

Hinata looked up to watch him leave and straightened his form again. Lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed, he crossed his arms across his chest. “Geez, what’s his deal?” Yamaguchi cast him an apologetic look. “Ah, he’s just like that. He appreciates the gesture, though.” 

A high-pitched ding caught your attention. “Ah, I gotta go make another delivery! It was nice to meet you all!” 

Quickly grabbing a bill out of your pocket, you stopped Hinata mid-step. “Wait! Here, please take this. Thanks for the food!”

He accepted the tip from your hands, looking back and forth between you and the money. “Wow, thank you so much! I really hope to see you around. Have a great night!” With a final smile and wave, he bounded off the porch steps towards his bike, hopped on, then disappeared down the street. 

After having dinner and exchanging contact information with Yamaguchi and Tsukishima, you thanked them for having you over and retired back to your room. Drained, you only had enough energy to make up your bed and unpack your bathroom essentials. You trudged into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, weariness was evident in your dull gaze. ‘Ugh, I can’t wait to sleep,’ you thought as you turned the sink on. The cool water felt refreshing against your skin and livened your senses. You brushed your teeth before retreating to your bedroom and changing into a comfier pair of clothes. 

You checked the time on your phone. How was it only 11 PM? The darkness, coupled with your exhaustion, made it seem at least three hours ahead. You plugged the phone in to charge and set it down on the bedside table. ‘No need to set an alarm,’ you thought, ‘I just wanna sleep.’ 

You took a few minutes to stare at the dark ceiling overhead, thinking about all the new changes coming your way.  New faces, cool food, and exciting places. Hopefully you had some time these first few weeks to explore and familiarize yourself with the city. Excitement mixed with a prick of anxiety as you thought about how you could manage on your own. However, you had faith in your independence. You would be okay. Besides, there were friendly people out here like Yamaguchi, Hinata, and maybe Tsukishima who you could trust if you ever needed help.

It didn’t take long for you to drift off into a deep slumber. You lazily woke up the following morning, yawning with outstretched arms. ‘That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages,’ you thought as you sat up. It was half an hour before noon. The sun shone brightly through your windows, whose curtains were left undrawn. ‘Surprised that the light didn’t wake me up sooner.’ A loud honk made you jump in your seat. ‘Or the noise.’

You drew your legs over the side of the bed and took in the state of your room. Surrounded by stacked boxes and luggage, you were reminded what you came here for. Anticipation collected in your chest. This was the start of the life you’ve been waiting for the past few years. 

‘We’re gonna make the best of this, y/n.’

[lukehughes43]

not before dinner - jack hughes

word count: 1,566

a/n: so this was made to help put my bestest friend @fratboyzegras​ and i’d like to think it helped. so hopefully if you’re having a bad day this helps cheer you up:) 

-

“jack, stella, i’ll be right back,” you started to speak. eyes glancing over to the pair who were glued to their stools. giggling the entire time while you were trying to make the sauce for dinner. “i have to go get laela up from her nap, so j can you please make sure to stir this?” at the mention of her baby sister stella’s blue eyes were turning to you right away. 

“waewa!” she squealed, hands clapping together before she looked back at jack. “waewa, daddy!” jack joined in on her fits of giggles, leaning over to pick her up and plop her in his lap. 

sighing you glanced back over to your husband who was smiling so wide down at your first born. having ignored everything you had just said besides the fact you were going to get your four month old baby. “mommy’s gonna go get laela, stel! until then you get to hang out with daddy. how does that sound, baby?” he questioned your three year old. jack used to live to play hockey and make you smile, only now at twenty four years old, he lived to make your daughters smile. and that’s exactly what he made them do. he didn’t even have to try hard and both stella and laela would crack smiles.

“babe,” you called, e/c eyes glancing down towards the baby camera on your phone. watching as laela had started to stir. “can you make sure to stir this, please?” right away he hummed, waving a hand at you as he pressed his lips against stella’s chubby cheeks. another high pitched squeal falling from her lips. her little fingers trying to push herself away from his body as she laughed. “and, babe?” his blue eyes were solely focused on your after he noticed how firm your voice was. “no more ice cream. stella’s already had a lot since she spent all day with your mom, and you.” 

his hands shot up in defense of himself, “hey! i can give my daughter as much ice cream as she wants to eat. it’s only fair seeing as i give you all the ice cream you could want, love.” you let out an amused hum before rolling your eyes at him. heading in the direction of the stairs to go up the nursery. “don’t worry, stell bell won’t get anymore ice cream from me. just go and get laela, i wanna spend time with all of my girls.” 

“so demanding,” you teased, blowing a quick kiss over to stella. her brown curls bouncing out of the pig tails jack had given her this morning as she laughed with delight. happy to get any sort of affecting from either of her parents. “i’ll be right back, my loves.” with that you were disappearing up the stairs. leaving the two peas-in-a-pod in a fit of laugh together. you opened the closed door, peaking your head in to see that your baby was slowly starting to wake up. “hi laela, who’s my sweet girl?” you cooed in a baby voice. you carefully picked up your daughter that actually looked like a perfect mix of you and jack. “let’s get your diaper changed, sweet girl, then we’ll go see daddy and sissy? how does that sound?” right away she was trying to make a form of communication at the mention of them. 

all while downstairs jack had stella peering up the stairs as a look out. “is mommy in laela’s room yet, stel?” he asked while looking back at her from over his shoulder. 

“mommy’s in waewa’s woom, dada!” she answered, quickly making her way back to your husband. “ice cweam now?” the blue eyed girl added on once her arms were wrapped around her father’s legs. chin resting on his calf to look up at him. 

jack hummed while smiling down at her, “ice cream now, baby.” in his one hand he held the vanilla ice cream since it was his favorite, and if something was jack’s favorite it was stella’s as well. in the other he bent over to pick up the girl. “now what do we tell mommy?” he practiced, making sure to cover his bases so stella didn’t accidentally get herself or him in trouble. 

“we didn’t have ice cweam, mommy!” she replied as if she was trained to, and she was. the start center set your daughter down so she was sitting on top of the island, making sure to stand right in front of her so she didn’t fall off. “spwoon daddy! spoon!” she cheered, hands reaching towards the ice cream container he had also set down on the quartz countertops. 

laughing he nodded his head, “i’m getting one, princess. see?” he pulled out the silver spoon to show it to her. “now let’s dig into this ice cream shall we?” 

“you know, laela, it's a miracle that you didn’t wake up during your nap,” you stated to your baby. already well aware that you wouldn’t get an answer from her. “normally you wake up crying if you have a dirty diaper.” as you spoke you finished wrapping the filled diaper to throw it in the diaper genie. the whole time she had a gummy smile on her cute little face. hands flailing in the air as she waited for you finished giving her a clean diaper. “don’t worry laela, you’ll be in my arms in a couple of seconds.” with that you made sure that both tabs were stuck down before buttoning her onesie back up. pulling her pants on. “let go see daddy,” you smiled while picking her up. 

the small baby giggle she let out was music to your ears. both laela and stella’s laughs had to be your favorite sounds. you held on to laela tightly, her head resting right on your shoulder meaning she was hungry, while you walked down the stairs. “don’t worry my sweet girl i’ll feed you after i get dinner done.” you kissed her forehead, just in time to hear jack’s voice again.

“one more bite, stell bell.” your mouth dropped open as your feet hit the hardwood flooring, watching as your husband stuck the metal spoon into her mouth. stella sucking all of the vanilla ice cream off of it. 

walking into the kitchen you gasped, “what are you guys eating?” 

stella’s pretty blue eyes went wide as she looked over at her dad, “we didn’t have ice cweam, mommy!” she recited, even though it was bluntly obvious that she had been eating ice cream. the melted dessert lined the corner of her mouth, and dripped down on to both her and jack’s shirts. 

“ice cream,” jack answered with a wide smile, before he put the lid back on the container. 

with your free hand you ran your hand over your face, “i told you no more ice cream before dinner,” you chastised, walking to check on the sauce your husband was supposed to tend to. and right away it was clear that he didn’t. sighing you stirred the white sauce with the wooden spoon before looking back to the rule breakers. laela giggling the entire time from how much you were spinning around. 

“she just wanted one more bite, y/n/n,” jack drawled, trying his hardest to get you to crack a smile. 

right away you saw stella’s bottom lip tremble, afraid she had gotten in trouble with you. “i’m sorry daddy!” she exclaimed, ready to start crying as the crocodile tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. 

“hey shh, it’s okay sweetheart. it’s okay, stell bell,” he answered, quickly pressing kisses all over her face. trying to get her to smile. he then looked back over at you and laeal, nodding over towards your oldest who wasn’t smiling yet. 

fixing your hold on laela you walked the short distance to the island to stand next to jack, his one arm immediately going to wrap around your waist to pull you and your daughter into him. “it’s okay, my love,” you mumbled, stella slowly looking up towards your eyes. “i’m not mad at you stella jane.” as soon as you had said that she was smiling up at you. a toothy grin really. “but i am mad at you, jack rowden,” you added, turning your body so you were facing the hockey player.

his mouth fell open as stella had started to laugh. jack’s blue eyes darted between all three of his girls, his two daughters laughter filling his ears, while you gave him a pointed look. “daddy’s in trouble!” stella called, making her little sister clap her hands together to cheer. 

“why am i in trouble, sweets? i didn’t do anything wrong!” jack exclaimed, his arm around your waist tightening. “i was just trying to make our daughter happy!” 

you gave him a tight lipped smile before shrugging your shoulders. “maybe you’ll remember while i go clean up stella, and you finish dinner,” you suggested. “come on stella girl, laela and i are gonna go clean your pretty face, so daddy can finish our dinner.” 

her head nodded right away as she got help from jack to get off the counter. the three of you left him standing there, and from the bathroom you could hear him yell, “but i’m a horrible cook!” leaving you and your girls in a fit of giggles in the bathroom.

[macaronsforchat]

Ladynoir July Day 30 - Rooftop Dates

@ladynoirjuly2020

read on ao3!

Marinette was asking for Tikki to transform her before she could really think, just wanting to get some fresh air after burying herself in homework for hours on end. She was sure there was something else she was forgetting to finish, but right then she just needed to breathe.

Becoming Ladybug made her feel better immediately, her muscles feeling stronger and not so exhausted. She flipped off the lights in her room and left from her balcony, swinging past the school and loving the sensation of the cold night air breezing past her.

She swung for a minute or so, but then caught sight of Chat Noir waving her down. She changed her course, landing beside him and wondering what he was doing. When she saw the setup he had surrounding him, her heart dropped.

I forgot!

Ladybug’s eyes widened before Chat could say a word, immense guilt flooding her system.

Chat Noir had invited Marinette out for a rooftop movie date, bragging about his fancy projector and the inflatable couch he’d invested in. There were numerous snacks laid out, a cooler full of drinks she knew he’d handpicked for her, and he’d popped some popcorn that had undoubtedly gotten cold.

She’d forgotten about their date.

“Hey, Ladybug,” he spoke, sounding more worried than sad. She lifted her wide eyes to look at him, frozen solid in horror. What had she done?

“U-uh, hi,” she said, swallowing hard and trying to smile.

“Didn’t know you’d be out tonight,” he said, rubbing his arm and glancing back at the setup that looked so fun. “Marinette was supposed to meet me here, but she hasn’t shown up,” he told her, making her heart sink at the sadness in her boyfriend’s voice.

“Oh,” was all she could get out, seeing him nod and tilt his head.

“I really hope she’s okay,” he sighed, scratching the back of his head and then looking up at her quickly. “I’m gonna go check on her.” His words hit her like a wave, horror crashing over her once more.

“I could go for you,” she offered quickly, trying to quell the determination in his emerald eyes. He shook his head, shooting her a smile.

“She hasn’t answered any of my calls, so something must be up,” he told her, stretching his arms a little and making her more guilty. He’d been waiting for at least an hour, and her phone was probably dead on her desk.

“Plus, she’s my girlfriend,” he smiled, leaping from the roof and leaving her gaping. She’d really messed up.

Ladybug chased after him, frantically trying to come up with an excuse so that he wouldn’t discover that Marinette wasn’t home.

“Chat, wait!” she called out when they reached the school. Landing hard on the roof, she ran over to him, pressing a shaky hand over her heart.

“I’ll go in, okay? What if she’s super mad at you?” she tried to reason, seeing him mull it over for a moment. She watched him hopefully, but then he met her eyes again with that stubbornness.

“What if it’s an akuma?” he said, and she grit her teeth, unable to come up with a good argument against that before he made the jump to her balcony. He gently tapped on the trapdoor after looking through it and not seeing her asleep on her bed, making four light raps on the glass. They waited for a few moments, and she couldn’t help but watch his face, feeling the worry radiating off him.

“Something’s wrong,” he said through his teeth, pulling the door open and slipping through the opening.

“Chat, wait,” she pleaded, completely lost as to what she was supposed to do. The situation had spiraled a lot faster than she’d expected, and she felt panic spreading through her body like a wildfire.

She followed him through the opening, seeing him jump down from the loft and look around. She walked up next to him, her throat running dry.

“Maybe she’s downstairs,” he spoke quietly before she could come up with anything at all. She moved to follow him, but right then, she heard footsteps coming up the stairs leading to her room. Chat’s eyes lit up in anticipation, but she knew it was probably her mom, everything in her body going into high alert.

“Marinette?” she heard her mother call up, knocking gently on the trapdoor. Her blood ran cold as she watched Chat’s expression turn to confusion, and she felt sick. The moments that passed them by in silence felt so heavy that she could suffocate, scrambling for how to fix the situation.

“Honey? Can I come in?” her mom called again, beginning to push open the trapdoor and letting in some light.

“One second, Mom!” she called out. “I’m changing.” Her words made her mother close the door again and chuckle a little.

Chat’s eyes moved to her, becoming wider than she’d ever seen. His lips had parted in shock, and she watched as he started to speak, her hand coming up to cover his mouth before he could alert her mother that there was someone else in her room.

She’d gotten so close to him so quickly, their chests pressed together. They were both taking quick shallow breaths, wide eyes staring into wide eyes. She slowly removed her hand, pressing a finger to his lips.

“Hide under the covers on the bed,” she whispered as silently as possible, watching him search her face in the darkness before disappearing from her side silently.

“Tikki, spots off,” she whispered, her heart pounding like mad in her chest. Her transformation released, making her feel more frazzled than ever. Tikki flew off to hide, and Marinette wondered what she would have to say about the situation. Taking a few seconds to breathe, she moved to flip the lights on once Chat had stopped rustling around on her bed.

“Come in!” she called to her mom, her voice cracking a little. The trapdoor pushed open slowly, revealing her mother’s curious eyes.

“Everything okay, honey?” she asked, stepping up into her room slowly. Marinette nodded, holding her hands behind her back and playing with them anxiously.

“Yeah! I was just trying on a new design,” she lied, biting her tongue behind her closed lips.

“Okay. I just wanted to let you know that your laundry is done,” Sabine said sweetly, glancing around her daughter’s messy room.

“Oh, thanks Mom,” Marinette smiled, watching her start to go back down the stairs.

“Head to bed soon, okay sweetie?” her mom said, and Marinette nodded, trying to make her heart stop spasming in her chest. When her mother closed the door, she let out a deep breath, wobbling on her stiff legs for a moment.

Glancing up to her loft, she felt her stomach twist into knots, wanting to hit herself. Forgetting about her date that night had led to her identity being outed to Chat Noir. She pressed a hand to her forehead, almost wanting to laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all.

When she didn’t hear any movement, she furrowed her eyebrows.

“Chat?” she called as quietly as possible, still not picking up anything. She felt her heart drop, wondering if he was upset. He was probably really mad for a lot of reasons, right?

Marinette steeled herself, taking a deep breath and starting to climb up to her bed. Her eyes landed on the form of him curled up under her blanket, not moving. She frowned, crawling towards him and putting a hand on the outline of his shoulder.

“Chat?” she called again softly, but he still didn’t move. She felt a few tears well in her eyes, wishing she’d been more careful.

She pulled the blanket away from his face slowly, feeling her heart stutter when she saw the giant grin on her boyfriend’s face.

“It was you all along,” he whispered, looking up at her with such a happy look that her frown lifted immediately. When she didn’t say anything, finding herself at a loss when he wasn’t upset, he pulled her down into a tight hug, knocking the breath out of her.

“You’re so amazing!” he laughed quietly, making the tears in her eyes gather a little more.

“You’re not angry?” she wondered, trying to release the tension from her body.

“No! No,” he sighed, pulling away from her to look at her face. “Not at all,” he said, gazing into her eyes with such a soft, delighted look that she almost sobbed.

Marinette hugged him again, falling back against him and bringing more laughter out of him, the joyous sound echoing all around her. She melted into him, forgetting all about any consequences for the time being and just being happy that her boyfriend wasn’t upset.

After a few more moments, she heard him chuckle to himself.

“Do you wanna know who I am now?” he asked cheekily, making her snicker a little. She pulled away to see the smirk that she knew would be there, shaking her head through her smile.

“Not quite yet, kitty,” she said, making him laugh a little. Her smile fell just a little when his eyes drifted to her lips and then back up to her eyes.

“Can I kiss you? I really want to kiss you,” he whispered, making her blush brightly. She nodded, leaning back into him again and seeing him smile right before their lips met. The kiss was short and chaste, but the love she felt coming from him was enough to make her want to squeal.

When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead against hers, grinning.

“Now, how about that date?” he said, and she blushed in chagrin, pouting through her smile.

“Sorry about that,” she replied quietly, making him laugh and hug her again happily.

“No apologies! Let’s go!” he grinned, helping her up and out onto her balcony once more.

As Chat scooped her up, she grinned, realizing that her boyfriend was pretty much the best.

~~~~~

sorry for another late update! this one was super fun to write, and i hope you enjoyed it!

thank you for all your support, and stay tuned for the final day tomorrow! <3

[blackmissfrizzle]

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Frank Castle x black!reader, Billy Russo x black!reader

A snippet of one of my WIPs for my 800 followers celebration.

“Who is he?” Billy’s voice pulled you from your thoughts.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Who’s the man you’re seeing” Billy annoyingly clarified for you.

You were confused. Why would he think you were seeing anyone? “Not that its any of your business Russo, but I’m not dating anyone. You kind of fucked up dating for me.”

Billy used his height to tower over you to intimidate you as he backed you into the wall. “Fuck that. Remember I can you read you so fucking well. What other man has you hesitating to taking me back?”

When you didn’t answer, he kissed you roughly and what a wonderful feeling it was. Billy looked like he would be a gentle lover, but in reality, he was rough and you loved it. Abruptly, he ended the kiss. “Does he kiss you like that? Does he know how you like to be man-handled? Does he know that you like it doggy-style with your hair pulled?” In between each question he would kiss you with his hands roaming your body.

Someway, somehow you ended up on your couch with Billy on top of you, pulling off each other’s clothes. Both of you were very close to getting naked when Billy’s phone went off. Angrily, he answered the phone and by the sound of it, you wouldn’t be continuing your little rendezvous.

“Work emergency,” he explained while putting his clothes back on. “But this is far from over. I’m picking you up at 9 tomorrow morning for breakfast. No arguments. I love you.”

“Love you too,” you replied back, before he kissed your forehead and rushed out the door.

With one door closing another one opened and you finally remembered about Frank. When he came out he had a look of despair on his face and you felt so fucking bad. How could you almost have sex while he was in pain.

Pushing him to the chair you apologized. “I’m so sorry, Frank. I just get so caught up in Billy that I forget about everything. I should’ve never let him in. I’m sorry.”

Frank grabbed your hands just like Billy did earlier. “No, I’m sorry.”

Now you were definitely confused. Why in the hell is Frank apologizing to you? “Umm for what,” you dragged out.

“You know I used to nag Billy about finding a good woman and settling down and now look at me. I’m falling in love with his girl. Some fucking friend I am.” Frank confessed, keeping his head down.

You couldn’t believe what you just heard. Frank knew Billy. It wasn’t far-fetched, both were in the marines and at the same time. Great, it was just your luck that you fell for two best friends.

“Did you guys meet in the service?” You whispered, not trusting your voice to crack.

Frank shook his head yes. “Yeah, saved my ass more times I can count. He was on that special ops team with me that Rawlins and Schoonover headed.”

Nudging his head, you got Frank to look at you. “Frank, I didn’t know,” remorse filling your voice.

Frank held your face in his hands. “No, no, no. Its not your fault, sweetheart. Just my luck to fall in love with my best friend’s girl, huh?”

“You love me,” you asked, tears pricking your eyes.

“Oh yeah, who wouldn’t? But I already had my chance at happiness, now its Billy’s turn. You won’t see me again. I’ll get Liberman to fix me up.” Frank claimed, walking towards your door.

You grabbed his hand to try to pull him back, but he snatched his hand away with ease despite being hurt. “Frank don’t do this,” you pleaded with him.

Nodding his head to himself, he looked down at the ground. “I got to. Billy needs you. He needs a strong woman in his life. If you can make an angry, bitter fuck like me happy, you definitely can do the same for Billy. I can’t be around you, because I’ll do my best to keep you for myself.”

The both of you let reality sink in. This would be the last time you’d see Frank Castle. Just before he crossed the doorway, he slammed the door shut, gripped your face and backed you against the door. “Shit, I’m gonna regret it if I don’t do this.” Suddenly, his lips were on yours and it was divine. His kiss was gentle, but no less dominant or passionate than Billy’s. He just expressed it in a different way.

Before you got to truly relish in the kiss, Frank released your lips and leaned his forehead against yours. “Take care of Bill for me, ok,” and with one last kiss to your forehead Frank was gone.

You hear that? That’s my heart breaking. Hopefully, I’ll get this one done soon, so y’all can get the full fic. 

@twistedcharismaaa​ @titty-teetee​ @guccicloudz​ @gollyderek​ @harrysthiccthighss​ @angievii @gabytodd​ @frantic-realm @mmabodybuilder​ @breanime​ @veryfastspeedz @mbaku-babygirl​

[calpalirwin]

Touring Days

Summary: Ashton goes on tour

A/N: Y’all ready for this?

Word Count: 1.9k

And away, and away we go!

__

Four months. That’s how long Ashton was going to be away for tour. Four months that would be over before they could ever blink is what they told themselves. He’d be home before they knew it.

It was a reality Vanessa had been aware of when she started dating Ashton. Much like she came with the package deal that was her kids, his package deal had been his job. Yet, in their year long relationship, they had been lucky. If he had left at all, it had been for a week tops to do a few short gigs.

But the giant suitcase packed tightly on their bedroom floor didn’t sit right with them, no matter the reassurances they whispered against each other’s skin as they held each other tight in a sea of blankets.

Three weeks. Ashton had been gone three weeks. Three weeks of coffee dates through the phone, and daily messages sent back and forth. Tour was great, but he missed them. Everything was going okay back home, but they missed him too. More promises that he would be home soon. More assurances that everything was fine and not to worry about them. Excited talks about how they couldn’t wait to see each other at the LA show and unspoken words about how they wished it could be more.

~~~

Vanessa wandered aimlessly around the house. With Bailey now old enough to be with Finn, every other week just dragged on. Thankfully it was Saturday, so she’d have both her babies soon enough. But without the kids and without Ashton’s music, the quiet was suffocating. She felt a ping of empathy wondering if this was how Finn had always felt, drowning in silence.

“You okay?” Finn asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.”

“Never knew silence could be so loud, huh?”

“It’s like I don’t know what to do with myself. Like my identity is tied to the kids, to him, to you. Like I don’t know who I am without you guys. And I hate how pathetic that is. I was a person before all of this. How did you find the person you used to be?”

Finn shrugged. “I didn’t. I didn’t want to be him. My kids are the best parts of who I am. There’s nothing wrong with being tied to people, Ness. But I started with doing things I remember I liked doing. Like remember how I used to surf?”

“Oh, you loved to surf,” she remembered fondly.

“Yeah. So I do that too. I make time for the old hobbies I let go by the wayside. When was the last time you painted?”

“Oh, god…” She paused as she thought about it. “Far too long.”

Finn chuckled. “Sounds like you should fix that.”

The next day, she did. With Bailey down for her morning nap, Vanessa broke out her box with all her painting supplies. “Momma?” Mason questioned as she set up in the backyard.

“We’re gonna paint, sweet boy,” she chirped happily at him. “You want to paint?” She dipped a paint brush in paint and swiped a small stroke across the canvas. “See? Like that.”

She handed the brush to Mason who copied her movements. “Momma!” he told her excitedly, pointing at his brushstroke.

“Good job, sweet boy! Keep going.”

They painted together for a good while until Mason set his paintbrush down with a sad, “Papa…”

“I know, sweet boy. I miss him too.”

He pointed at the ground with a longing sigh.

“Basement?” she guessed. “You wanna go play with your instruments?”

He nodded.

“Okay. Let’s clean up and we’ll go play.”

The moment they were down in the basement, Mason headed straight for the little drum set Ashton had put together for his birthday. 

Mason flip flopped back and forth between his drum kit and the guitar he had also gotten for his birthday for the better part of a half hour, while Vanessa recorded every second, wishing desperately that Ashton was here to share the moment with her in real time.

When they made their way back upstairs to retrieve Bailey from her nap, she sent Ashton the video captioned “We miss Papa.”

She barely had time to pick up Bailey before her phone was ringing. “Hi, love,” she answered quickly, already feeling better as Ashton’s face appeared on her phone screen.

“Hey,” he sniffed.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. I just got your video so I figured I’d call.”

“Papa?” Mason asked, recognizing Ashton’s voice.

“Yes, sweet boy,” Vanessa told him, bringing down the phone so Ashton and Mason could see each other.

“Papa!” Mason cried in excitement, grabbing for the phone.

“Mase!” Ashton matched the enthusiasm.

Vanessa let them talk with each other which was really just Ashton asking Mason questions and getting varied versions of “Papa,” as a response, as she got Bailey changed. “Let me see, Momma, Mase,” Ashton directed once Vanessa was situated on the couch in the living room with both kids.

“Hi, love,” Vanessa said again when she took the phone from Mason.

“Hi, baby.”

“We miss you.”

“I miss you guys too. So fuckin’ much.” He wiped at his face and sniffed. “Fuck, it’s so stupid. I’ve gone on so many tours and said so many goodbyes, but this… I’ve never wanted to come home more in my life. Like this is fuckin’ killing me…”

“Ash…” she pouted. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have sent you the video.”

“No,” he rushed. “No, I’m glad you did. The guys are gonna love watching him play when I show them later. I just wish I could be there with you guys. Or have you here with us.”

“We’ll see you in LA, love,” she reminded both of them.

“Yeah, I know. Just wish it could be for longer than just the day.”

“Maybe it could be?” she suggested hopefully. “Maybe we could travel with you guys for a bit?”

“Would you?” Ashton asked, trying to keep his excitement at bay. “Like meet us in San Diego, and stay with us through San Francisco?”

“Yeah!” she agreed. “Like that. That would be fun.”

By the time they ended the call so he could go do sound check, both of them were buzzing with excitement at the prospect of getting to spend longer than a short afternoon with each other.

~~~

Are you sure you’re fine with this?” Vanessa asked for what felt like the millionth time. She was packing up the rented minivan to drive down to San Diego with Y/N and Lily to meet up the guys on tour. While Finn had more than happily agreed that Vanessa should take both kids to see Ashton on tour, she still felt bad that the week she would be gone was cutting into what would have been Finn’s week. 

“Ness, for the millionth time, it’s fine,” Finn told her as he helped buckle Mason into his seat. “I’ll see you guys in two days for the LA show. Now, drive safe, text me when you get there, and tell the guys I said hi.”

“If you change your mind…”

“Ness, I swear to God if you don’t get in that car and drive, I’m driving you myself. Y/N, a little help, here?”

The other woman held up her hands defensively. “She’s a mom, Finn. We’re wired to worry.”

“Yeah, about the kids, not the exes. I’m a grown ass man who’s been living on his own for over a year. I’ll be fine, Ness.”

“Finn?”

“Oh my God, woman… what?”

“Go on a date when I’m gone, yeah?”

Finn playfully shook Vanessa’s head in his hands. “Go!”

“Alright, alright…” she huffed.

A drive that should have taken two hours at most, took closer to five between the toddlers whining that they had to go to the bathroom and Bailey fussing every fifty or so miles.

“Papa!” Mason called out, immediately thrashing in his seat while Lily cried out for Luke in a similar fashion when they finally pulled up to where the guys were staying, and found Ashton and Luke waiting for them with Calum and Michael. “Momma!” Mason yelled in frustration.

“Patience, sweet boy,” Vanessa told him as she got out of the van and opened the back door to help him down. She was just as excited to see Ashton as Mason was. And the sooner Mason stopped squirming so she could get him out…

“Papa!” Mason called again as his feet hit pavement, running full speed at Ashton.

“Mase!” Ashton crouched down, a huge grin on his face as he swooped the boy into his arms. He jogged over to Vanessa who put Bailey on her hip. “There’s my girls!” Ashton greeted, wrapping Vanessa and Bailey into him with Mason. “Fuck, I’ve missed you guys.”

“We’ve missed you too,” she croaked back, a little surprised at the crack in her voice and the tear rolling down her cheek.

“I’ll be home the week after you guys leave,” Ashton reassured, his voice low in her ear as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.

“No, I know,” Vanessa sniffed. “It’s just…”

“Harder than you thought? Yeah, I know. C’mon, let’s get you guys inside.”

“Yes! And Mason can show you guys his new trick. Luke’s gonna love it.”

“New trick?”

“We’ve been working on names. He can say everybody’s now. Although I’m not sure if he’s saying ‘Luke’ or ‘Duke’ but still. It’s really cool.”

Ashton smiled at the boy in his arms. “You can say everyone’s names? Good job, bud! Who’s that?” he asked, started out simple by pointing at Michael.

“Ikey!”

“And who’s that?” He pointed at Calum.

“Cal!”

“That’s right!” Calum praised, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“Who am I, Mase?” Luke asked.

“Uke!” Mason told him while Lily answered, “Dada.”

“That’s my boy,” Ashton beamed with pride.

“Papa,” Mason said, nuzzling his face into Ashton’s chest.

“I missed and love you too, Mase.”

~~~

The fans were pressed frantically against the barriers, excitement lacing every movement. Vanessa tightened her grip on Mason’s hand, but he angrily let go, pushing his small body in front of her, a scowl on his face. “Baie,” he whispered, putting as much menace into the name as he could muster.

Ashton laughed and picked up the boy, while Vanessa told him, “It’s okay, sweet boy. These are Papa’s friends. Do you want to say hi?”

He shook his head, reaching out to grab Bailey’s hand. “Baie.”

“Bailey’s fine, bud,” Ashton said.

Still, the scowl remained on Mason’s face while the fans cooed over how cute Ashton and Luke’s family were. The scowl didn’t come off his face until sound check was over and they were all safely backstage. “See?” Vanessa said, gesturing about the room. “No people. Just us.”

“Baie,” he responded, making grabby hands for his sister.

“Yes, you can hold her.”

“Me too?” Lily asked softly with big soft eyes.

Vanessa laughed. “Yes, you can hold her too, sweet girl. Here, watch how Mase holds her, and then you can have a turn.”

Lily watched intently while Mason held his sister. “Baie, Baie, Baie,” the both sang softly to the baby, Mason shifting closer to Lily so both of them could hold Bailey together.

“She’ll make one hell of a big sister some day,” Vanessa commented to Y/N as all the adults watched the three small children with soft smiles.

“Who better to learn from than the world’s best big brother?”

~~~

“I’m really glad you guys are here,” Ashton murmured as they got settled in for the night after the show. The kids had been out for close to an hour, and the adults were slowly making their own way to turning in for the night.

“I’m really glad we’re here too.”

“I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.”

__

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[shedontsmelltoogooddarious]

Creeper the mechanic.

"Darry."

"Yeah?"

Darrius asked as he was sitting out on the porch swing, cradling his daughter in his arms as she was asleep. Her webbed face was buried into his chest while her tiny wings were spread out all relaxed. The Creeper and Darry had been staying with Trish on her former farm, until they could move into a new lair.

Trisha sat down next to him and gazed down at her little niece, smiling softly as she stroked her hair. 

"Your um, your…" She still couldn't bring herself to say it, not after all the trauma she had been through. "Your partner is in the barn fixing up the car, you know the…"

Trish sighed as she leaned her head against Darry's shoulder and watched the child below yawn. If only she was brave enough to confront it all. Darrius wrapped his arm around her and pressed his lips against his sister's forehead. "You're still a huge brat." 

Darry rolled his eyes before his attention was turned towards the Creeper, suddenly standing right before them with a grin on his face and covered in grease and motor oil. "Y'all, I fixed up that old thing and made it all right again. Just need to spit shine it tho, anyone willin' to offer up a good, juicy tongue for it?"

He darkly chuckled, unaware of it making Trish deeply uncomfortable as flash backs went off in her head. Darrious stood up, giving Creeper a slight glare and mouthing 'shut up' before turning to his sister and helping her up.

Creeper was a bit confused from Darry's reaction, usually he found his black humor hilarious. But he simply shrugged it off and led the pair of siblings to the old barn, cracking open a door as he motioned them to go through.

Trish was hesitant, and for good reason. But once she heard Darrious call for her, she sighed and peered in to see her car restored. With a shocked grasp, Trish took a step inside. "Its beautiful! He-Creeper, how?" 

The Creeper answered by whistling softly, before getting inside and starting the engine with ease as it roared to life. Every dent, tear, and rusted spot was gone. Of course it needed to be shined, and a few touch ups with the paint job, but the Creeper had brought it back to life.

"Well Trish, the car wont get stuck on yah for a long, long time. It also got some new modifications that you'll find mighty handy, but I'mma have to show yah around them before you take her out for a drive."

Creeper said as he stepped out and patted the roof softly. He took Ash from Darry's arms, kissed and licked his cheek before purring, checking their daughter as she was still sleepy. He gave a quick nod to Trish, patting her shoulder before climbing up to the hay filled loft where he was staying, putting himself and his child down for a nap. 

"He's changed Trish, just need to give him a chance." 

"Ball sniffer."

"I think you mean monster ball sucker." 

Darrius snickered as Trish sighed heavily, before both froze as they could hear Creeper growling.

"You both stop with dem dirty words! Ash don't need to be repeating em."

Trish rolled her eyes, as if Creeper needed to be worrying about cuss words when his and Darry's daughter was exposed to corpses everyday. A baby wouldn't even remember, would it? Trish thought as she sat in her car. Emotions she was holding back were bubbling to the surface, causing tears to roll down her cheeks as her brother climbed into the passenger side. He was different now…something within him had died long ago and Trish knew it.

Why couldn't she had been one that was taken instead of him? Better yet, she wished that they had never encountered the Creeper at all. Darry broke her train of thought as he reached down and played with the radio, twisting the knob until he came to a station he picked up.

Every breath you take

"Trish…." He spoke, his dark eyes dull. There were wrinkles around them now. Trish looked up before suddenly hugging him, closing her eyes as she sobbed.

Every move you make

Darry held her instantly, stroking her hair as he gently murmured. "I'm here now…and I won't ever leave you again." He promised, but he knew deep down that it would be hard to keep...there was still something inside him that feared being killed by the Creeper. 

Every vow you break-

Suddenly, Trish got up and started the engine. It roared to life as the engine purred smoothly. She wanted to drive through the barn doors, taking her brother with and not look back. But suddenly, the Creeper landed in front of the vehicle and leaned forwards with his palms on the hood. He growled deeply, his eyes glaring at both siblings as if he knew what was up. 

I'll be watching you.

"Yah think I'm stupid? I know what you're planning and I ain't gonna see it go through-"

Trish wondered how the Creeper read her mind. Darrius on the other hand seemed unphased as he was about to open the door when Creeper suddenly did it for him. 

"Trish yah need to wait before you can take this thing out on the road, I said I'll show you how to use it when I'm done sleeping." 

He rolled his eyes before taking Darry into his arms, purring at the man. Before Trish could reply, the Creeper was already gone to where he was napping now with Darrius. She groaned, before going back to her home to get ready for her evening date.

It was 7:00 PM, and Creeper was still asleep along with her own brother. Trish had no time to wait, she was already running late. Her other vehicle was an old rusted pick up truck...of course she wanted to make a good first impression on the guy she started seeing. Trish climbed in and started the engine, praying that it wouldn't awaken the Creeper as she drove off into the night. 

"Hopefully this goes well." Trish muttered to herself as she pulled up beside the large country house. A well dressed, sharp looked man walked out to the car as was wearing a western hat that made him look ridiculous, it also reminded Trish of the Creeper- no, he's not going to spoil this night.

She reached over and rolled down the window, grinning at him with her red lips. "Hey, thought you'd never get here." 

John said as Trish nervously chuckled. "I would have been here sooner but my brother in law needed help with something."

That was partially true, more or less that Trish needed help with something. But for what she wasn't sure. He reached down to open the door, pulling up on the handle which tonight was one of his biggest mistakes. Ivory stakes drove through his arm as they burst forth from the door, impaling him to Trish's car as he screamed out in agony. He fell to his knees as Trish rushed over to his aid.

"What the fuck?!" 

He snarled at her as she worked feverishly to pull his arm off. John shoved her back as another fresh wave of pain crashed through him and through his right arm. "I am so sorry! God damn it Creeper!"

Trisha cursed, digging for her phone through her purse to call an ambulance. John cussed and screamed at her while she was dialing 9-1-1. 

Trish returned home at five AM, her murderous car seemingly having self retracted its spikes out once the paramedics arrived. There was blood still stained to the door with Trish now being a newly single woman.

Of course, the Creeper was waiting. But instead of giving her shit, he draped a blanket over her shoulders and laid her on the couch as she instantly fell asleep. 

"Hopefully soon she begins to trust me." 

Creeper growled softly.

[jennie-writes]

damaged goods

pairing: jennie kim x kim jisoo word count: 1.8k words genre: angsty & insecure jennie  warnings: cursing author’s note: i'm back! this time with jensoo content. hopefully someone appreciates this. i think i put a lot of myself into jennie

jennie has her demons and maybe she needs a little saving

Fresh air. That was the first thing Jennie thought of when she finished her part of the group’s comeback photoshoot. That’s how she found herself sitting on the edge of a pier in one of Seoul’s hottest summer evenings. Their shoot had ended a little past 4pm and a little bit over an hour later, Jennie was sat on the pier at their “secret” lake (the girls and her had stumbled across this place on a random adventurous night when they were still trainees. It became their safe space, almost. A place the girls would escape to when their world gets too overwhelming). The last time Jennie was here by herself must have been over a year ago. Right after news of her & Kai broke the internet and when Jennie painfully finds out that people only love her when she’s perfect.

Jennie lets her feet dangle over the edge, her toes gently skimming the water’s surface.  The lake stretches out for miles and Jennie lets herself imagine that somewhere over the horizon, an alternate life waits for her.

Jennie has always been a fan of water (the group’s Hawaii trip being proof of that. There wasn’t a day where Jennie wasn’t out by the beach, simply admiring the way the waves crash on the shore, over and over again. The only constant she can believe in at the moment, she thinks). So right now, staring down into the calm lake, the water looks deep and inviting and Jennie almost slides off the pier in favour of letting the cool water engulf her.

She had been sitting out there for a couple of hours now. The skies were no longer a bright blue, instead transforming into beautiful hues of yellow and orange as the sun slowly makes its descend. Jennie sat facing the setting sun, her back to the world. Looking down, she finally sees herself on the reflective surface of the murky, blue water.

Jennie sees what other people see; A beautiful young woman with cat-like eyes and an almost dangerous smile. Her face is nothing short of perfection, as if God himself took the time to sculpt Jennie Kim’s face with the image of an ethereal goddess in mind. Men wanted to sleep with her and women wanted to be her. Sometimes, the other way around too. She doesn’t usually indulge but there were a couple of nights where she entertained some fans and they were lucky enough to have seen Jennie Kim behind closed doors (an NDA was always signed because Jennie was many things but she isn’t an idiot). A girl with a seemingly perfect life. Little did anyone know, her life strayed far from perfect.

“Hey.” Jennie hears an all-too-familiar voice greet her. It didn’t surprise her one bit. Honestly, she wonders why it took so long for someone to come find her. She had been gone for a few hours now at this point, her phone successfully ignored. It’s not like Jennie had the freedom to just…disappear. Though sometimes she wishes she could.

Jennie doesn’t look up, content on ignoring the woman that interrupted her peace. She keeps staring at her reflection in the water, carefully mulling over each feature on her face, silently loathing herself more and more as the seconds tick by. After a few minutes of silence, the woman gently sighs and plops down next to Jennie. Jennie scrunches up her face in mild annoyance, not at the other woman but at herself. She wasn’t sure why.  

“Jisoo” Jennie finally acknowledges the presence of the woman sitting next to her.

“Jennie” Jisoo echoes back, almost teasingly.

Jennie almost cracks a smile at that. Almost.

“I called you a few times. When you didn’t answer, I immediately knew you would be here. So, I came here to check on you,” Jisoo admits.

Jennie searches her eyes and found that Jisoo was being completely honest and sincere. A surge of over-whelming emotions course through her. Jennie does not deserve this. She doesn’t deserve Jisoo’s kindness.

“You deserve the world and more, Jennie.”

Jennie looks at Jisoo, confused. Realisation dawns on her. She must have voiced her thoughts out loud.

Jennie takes a moment to properly look at Jisoo. Jisoo, with soft, luscious hair gently framing her perfect face. Jisoo, with her pretty eyes and heart-shaped lips. Jisoo, Jisoo, Jisoo. Gosh, she was beautiful.

“Thank you, Jendeuk.” Jisoo says, almost shyly.

Jennie curses under her breath. Apparently she can’t keep her fucking thoughts in her head today. Jennie turns her face away from Jisoo and back to the setting sun.

Jennie thinks of all the times she had pushed Jisoo away and ran. Both figuratively and literally. Jisoo just kept coming back into her life, quipped with a witty remark and unparalleled kindness that could put a smile on her face, even on the worst days. She had never felt so grateful.

Tears silently stream down Jennie’s face without her realizing. She lets out a strangled cry as she tries (and miserably fails) to control her emotions.

Jisoo, poor Jisoo, was not in the slightest bit prepared for the sudden outburst. A crying Jennie wasn’t new by any means. Jennie has cried in front of her more times than she could count. Usually, Jennie lets out gentle sobs and cuddles into Jisoo’s side as she works out whatever war that was raging in her head that day. But right now, Jennie wasn’t gently crying and she wasn’t tucked into Jisoo’s side. This Jennie was crying her heart out and hiding her face in her hands as heartbreaking sobs wrack through her whole body.

Jisoo thinks she can physically feel her heart crack when she realises Jennie’s whole body is shaking as she tries to regain control over her emotions.

“Hey, Jennie. Shhh. It’s okay. It’s okay.” Jisoo doesn’t hesitate to pull Jennie into her embrace. She murmurs soothing words into Jennie’s ears and holds Jennie in her comforting arms as Jennie freely sobs into Jisoo’s chest.

“Everything’s gonna be alright, baby. I am here. I love you,” Jisoo murmurs soothingly, running her fingers lightly through Jennie’s soft, wavy strands.

Jisoo feels Jennie stiffen in her embrace as the confession sinks into Jennie’s mind. Jennie tears herself from Jisoo’s arm and stares incredulously at her. Jennie was surprisingly met by Jisoo’s determined expression. Jisoo knows what she said and long gone were the times Jisoo would play her confessions of love off as ‘friendly’. Jisoo firmly decides that she’s not taking it back anytime soon.

“Why?” Jennie manages to get out in between sobs. “Why do you love me? I’m damaged goods, Jisoo. Damaged fucking goods. You deserve someone better.”

“No.” Jisoo says, a little too harshly. She immediately softens up as she saw Jennie flinch at her harsh tone. “Never, Jennie. You are the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I have ever met. And I love you.” Jisoo feels light. As if her confession finally sets her soul free. “I am in fucking love with you, Jennie Kim.” Jisoo says, her smile wide on her face.

Jennie lets out a humorless laugh and it almost immediately wipes the smile off Jisoo’s face. The atmosphere suddenly turns cold as Jennie fixes a challenging stare towards Jisoo.

“I am damaged goods,” Jennie starts. “Damaged goods. Broken beyond fucking repair. You cannot fucking love me, Jisoo. You just can’t-,” her voice gets more and more hysterical with each statement.

Jisoo silences Jennie by crashing their lips together. Jennie can only widen her eyes as her senses were engulfed in all things Jisoo. Jisoo’s soft lips. Jisoo’s hand gently resting on her thigh. Jisoo’s intoxicating scent. Jisoo, Jisoo, Jisoo.

Neither girls dared to move a muscle and Jisoo almost pulls back with an apology ready at her lips when she suddenly feels Jennie’s soft lips tentatively move against hers. Jisoo slowly reaches out and caresses Jennie’s face. They stay like that for a while, just kissing softly and relishing in each other’s presence.

When Jennie finally calms down and physically relaxes into the kiss, Jisoo pulls away slowly so she can look Jennie in the eyes.  Jennie has never looked more beautiful in Jisoo’s eyes. Her eyes were glazed over and a small smile was playing at her lips. Jisoo wants nothing more than to spend the entire evening mapping Jennie’s entire body with kisses. Jisoo gently shakes herself out of her stupor as she carefully phrases her next words.

“You are not damaged goods, Jennie Kim. You are a perfect and whole human being. You’re so so beautiful and kind and just-“

It was Jisoo’s turn to be surprised as Jennie grabs her face and silences her with a searing kiss. There is a sense of urgency behind this kiss, unlike the first kiss they shared. As if Jennie is trying her hardest to take in Jisoo’s words and fight against everything she believes in. And Jisoo lets her.

Eventually, breathing becomes a necessity and they pull away from each other. They rest their foreheads against each other as both girls slowly regain their composure. Jisoo takes this moment to take in Jennie’s appearance. Her disheveled hair, her heaving chest and her kiss-bruised lips. God, Jennie was sexy. Jisoo takes a deep breath and continues her rant from earlier before she was rudely (not really) interrupted.

“You deserve to be loved, Jennie. Let me love you. You are not damaged goods and you never will be.”

Jennie just stares at Jisoo as she tries to process what she just heard. Jisoo can see the insecurities in Jennie’s eyes and she wordlessly brings Jennie into a comforting hug. Jennie can feel the tears start to fill her eyes as she takes in a shaky breath to try and quell her overwhelming urge to just launch herself into the water. Jisoo says nothing and proceeds to rub soothing circles on Jennie’s back.

Jisoo gives Jennie some time to process all that she had said. Jennie is grateful for that. Jisoo never pushes her. Jisoo always gives her enough space, even when she never asks her to. Jisoo understands Jennie. Jennie looks into Jisoo’s unguarded eyes. As Jisoo looks at her with a soft, loving gaze, Jennie realizes something.

“I love you too.”

It took all of 2 seconds before Jisoo’s face split into a wide, toothy grin. She gathers Jennie up into her embrace and kisses her like her life depended on it. Jennie lets out a long, contented sigh. She finally feels relaxed for the first time in years. Years of cooped up frustration burst out of her and she allows it to flow out of her system. As Jennie sinks into Jisoo’s embrace, she thinks ‘finally’. Jennie knows that this is only the beginning and that they still have a long way to go. But, right now, at this moment, Jennie thanks her lucky stars that a certain Kim Jisoo is in her life. Jennie thinks that maybe one day she can learn to defeat her demons and become a better Jennie Kim. The Jennie Kim that Jisoo deserves.

Jisoo is Jennie’s castle that stands firm and protects her from all evil. Jisoo loves Jennie and Jennie loves Jisoo. And Jennie can only dare hope that they can finally live their happy ever after.

[mamaskillerqueen]

Beautiful Crazy || Ben Hardy x Fem!Reader

A/N: Hi! So my brother played this song for his wife the other day at a party we had and I immediately fell in love with it. The song is called Beautiful Crazy by Luke Combs (I think... I’m not a big country fan so I may have that artist wrong) Anyways, I was inspired so here is this thing. Warnings: I don’t think anything... Word Count: 2097

Her day starts with a coffee

The first thing he saw as his eyes peeled open was her smile. She leaned over him, pressing kisses into his cheek, jaw, and neck. Her attempt to wake him was successful and the winning smile could have nearly melted his heart. One day he would figure out how he got so lucky.

“Good morning, love.”

His voice was raspy and thick with sleep, making her giggle before leaning in to place another kiss to his lips quickly.

“Good morning. I’ve already made coffee. Come have breakfast with me.”

He could never turn her down to their morning dates. She couldn’t head off to work without them.

And ends with wine

The door swung open with a sigh, Ben could even hear it from the kitchen where he was making them dinner. Stepping away from the stove he pulled her favourite wine glass from the cabinet and the bottle of white they just opened the night prior.

He had just gotten home from filming and they decided to celebrate with a bottle he brought home from France. She had practically moaned as the flavour spilled over her tongue. The memory brought a smile to his lips even before her arms wrapped around his waist from behind.

Her cheek rested on his shoulder and a huff of air she blew out could be felt through his shirt. She had a long day, he didn’t need to be told to figure that out. With the hand that wasn’t busy preparing their dinner, he grabbed hers and unlocked them so he could pull her around to face him.

“Welcome home, Y/N.”

He was quick to lean in and kiss her lips. It had been far too long since he’d seen her this morning. After being away for so long, finally getting to come home to her, just for her to leave most of the day wasn’t ideal.

“I got the wine out, and your glass.”

Her eyes lit up and that beautiful smile turned her lips up. His heart still raced every time she flashed that at him. If he was honest, he hoped it never stopped. Turning his attention back to dinner, he watched from the corner of his eye while she poured a generous amount in her glass.

She took a small sip and let out a contented moan at the taste, he assumed. Probably finally being able to sit down as well. When he cooked she always perched herself up on the counter beside him, watching what he was doing. When they first started dating she couldn’t cook a thing and so he taught her. It still seemed to fascinate her that he was as good in the kitchen as he was.

“You. Me. Bubble bath after dinner.”

She announced it as soon as they sat down at the dinner table and he couldn’t help but chuckle while nodding in agreement. He would do anything she asked.

She takes forever getting ready so she’s never on time for anything

“We have to go now, Y/N..”

The woman in question was still in their shared closet trying to decide what to wear. Her hair and make up had been done to perfection almost an hour and a half ago. He had told her to pick something last night, knowing full well they would be late if she didn’t.

“I’m almost ready!”

She called back, her voice muffled from hopefully getting dressed. He huffed a sigh as he took a seat on their bed and checked the time on his phone for the millionth time. They were supposed to be at the restaurant right now. Even if they left this very second it would take another twenty minutes to drive there.

“Y/N!! If you don’t pick something right now I’m picking it for you!”

Just as he was finishing his sentence she stepped out of the closet while adjusting the straps to her red dress. She looked stunning and his previous annoyance was forgotten for a moment. He rose from the bed and took the two strides towards her. Placing his hands on her hips he leaned down to her ear and whispered about how amazing she looked.

A giggle left her lips and she reached up to carefully place a kiss on his jaw before wiping off the red lip stick that was left behind.

“We have to go, remember?”

And he did, so he grabbed her hand and rushed them out the door. The guys were gonna be so mad that they were late for this dinner.

Beautiful, crazy, she can’t help but amaze me The way that she dances, ain’t afraid to take chances

The dinner had gone well, and he was pleasantly surprised to see his old cast mates turned friends didn’t care at all that they arrived late. Laughs were shared, good news spread as they all discussed the new roles coming their way. Throughout the entire dinner, her hand never left his. Even as they ate. Joe made sure to tease them for that.

Perhaps one of the most incredible things about his girlfriend was her ability to take a joke and deliver one right back. Her witty comebacks at Joe had him turning up his teasing to ‘maximum effort’. Ben was continuously amazed at her speedy replies and her subsequent laugh.

Standing outside of the restaurant they all decided they weren’t ready for the night to be over. The chilly air was raising goosebumps on Y/N’s arms though, so he shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around her. They got left behind a bit as the others continued towards the club Lucy was adamant about them going to dance at. Unable to stop himself he gave her a chaste kiss before they both rushed off to catch up, laughing the whole way.

He was stood at the bar, watching as she and Lucy danced all over the dance floor. It was a week night, summer reluctantly coming to a close so the club was rather empty. Neither of them had a care in the world. Again, he was struck by how lucky he was and how absolutely incredible the woman he called his girlfriend was.

And wears her heart on her sleeve

The evening had been filled with a lot of drinking and so he knew the morning was going to be a rough one. What he didn’t expect was to be woken up by the sound of the blender at 8:00 in the morning. With a groan he got out of bed, shuddering a bit as his feet hit the cold wooden floor before padding out to the kitchen.

Her face was set in stone and he could see that she’d been crying. To say he was confused would be an understatement. She was never one to hide her feelings. If they were hurt, she let you know. He actually quite admired that about her. Vulnerability was not his strong suit.

“Y/N...?” he asked but was met with silence. “Love?”

She still didn’t say a word and so he came up behind her, placing one hand on her hip to pull her into his chest and the other reached out to turn off the blender. When there wasn’t any protest he turned her around so she was facing him. Her gaze remained in his chest until he used a finger to lift her chin.

“What is it, love?”

She huffed and rolled her eyes, still trying to avoid his gaze. He wracked his brain in an attempt to remember if he’d done something wrong last night. Coming up with nothing he sighed.

“I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing to fix.”

Her tone was cold and clipped. Whatever happened wasn’t good. In the years that they’d been together he had never once heard her this upset, and she wasn’t exactly the most emotionally stable woman he’d ever met.

“Y/N...”

“I answered your phone call this morning...”

She finally caved with a heavy sigh, making him crinkle his brow. He didn’t remember hearing the phone ring. Not to mention, who would call him at 8 in the morning? She must have noticed his confusion because she began to elaborate without prompting.

“It was an number you didn’t have saved and so I thought it might be important. They woke me up at the crack of dawn so it must be important. Instead it was some woman who immediately asked who she was speaking to and where you were and when I said I was your girlfriend they hung up.”

Throughout her recollection of the call she grew more upset, tears filling at the brim. His heart ached in his chest knowing where her mind had gone. He knew she trusted him, and he knew that if he’d answered her phone first thing in the morning to another man he’d be upset too. Carefully taking her face in his hands he swiped at the lone tear trekking down her cheek.

“Love, I have no idea who that could have been but I promise you, you are it for me.”

His words didn’t seem to stick because she tilted her head down and stepped away from him. He felt his world shattering. She disappeared into their bedroom but only for a moment. When she returned his phone was in her hand.

“Do you recognise the number?”

He did.

He was sure the colour drained from his face. The conversation made sense now. The woman hung up because she was the jeweller he’d been in touch with for the last few months. She was the woman designing Y/N’s engagement ring, and she must have panicked when she figured out who she had been speaking to.

“So you do recognise it then.”

It was a question. He could practically hear the heart break in her voice.

“It’s not what you think... you have to believe me, love.”

When she scoffed he knew he had to ruin the surprise.

“Call it. Put it on speaker phone. I promise you, it’s not what you think, Y/N.”

When the woman answered the phone, stating who she was and where she worked he watched the love of his life lit up like a Christmas tree. She quickly hung up the phone, guilt over taking her features.

“I am so sorry, Ben... I overreacted. I-I... oh my god.”

She had turned around so she wasn’t facing him, hiding her face in her hands. The embarrassment was clear in the way she stood but last night he realised he was tired of waiting. Tired of calling her his girlfriend. She felt like so much more than that.

“Y/N... turn around please.”

He had dropped to one knee behind her and when she turned and saw him her hands moved again to her face, this time covering her mouth. He could have sworn he heard a little gasp of ‘oh my god’.

“Y/N... you’re absolutely crazy. Some may even say insane. Honestly, who wakes up first thing in the morning with a smile.. unless they’re a deranged killer.”

The sound of her laughter made his heart swell. The tears on her eyes encouraging him to keep going.

“And yet, you’re the most beautiful person I have ever met. Inside and out. You’ve made me a better man just by being the wonderful woman you are. You’re constantly amazing me. You’re unpredictable, and unforgettable. I never want to live a life where I don’t get to come home to you.”

She had dropped to her knees in front of him and he couldn’t help but reach out for her. His hands reached up to remove hers from her face. There was never a time where he would be okay with her hiding it from him. Especially in this moment.

“I don’t have the ring yet.. I had a huge luxurious night out planned. This feels more like us though.”

He smiled when she nodded in agreement, seemingly still too shocked to say actual words. His heart was racing in his chest, while every bad thought rushed through his head. Like her saying no. But she wouldn’t. He knew she wouldn’t. Why was he so nervous now?

“Y/N... will you please do me the honour of making me the happiest man on this planet and agree to marry me?”

His answer came in the form of a kiss... that quickly lead to a passionate love making session on their kitchen floor.

Yeah, she’s crazy, but her crazy is beautiful to me

[imbumkyung]

I Saw It In A Movie One Time (ch.2) - reincarnation

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

“She’ll be okay,” the man said

Kaileia lay on a towel that CJ and Miko set up. A man that was out surfing saw Kai getting washed up by the ocean and quickly pulled her out

“She probably just took in some water and passed out from shock but she’ll be good,” He finished, offering a nod to her friends.

“Oh, okay. Thank you so much,” Miko smiled before he went on his way, his wetsuit and board leaving a wet trail behind him. She was thankful they didn’t need 911 because to be real honest here, they were all broke as heck.

Not too long later Kai coughed a few times before waking up.

“Dude are you okay?” CJ asked

“Yeah I’m fine I just have a headache right now,” Kai replied, her voice filled with fatigue.

“Oh my god I thought you died,” Melissa said, half joking.

-

Kaileia didn’t remember what happened the rest of that night, only that Miko let her sleep over at her place. So when she awoke the next morning in a room that wasn’t hers, it wasn’t alarming at all.

What was alarming though was that she was asleep way longer than she thought she’d be. Usually she slept in until it was about ten to eleven a.m. Now, it was already two p.m. She stayed in bed for a little nonetheless, her inner monologue explaining the tasks of the day: walk the dogs, go to the gym, get that TB test and fingerprint scan done so you can start working soon. Mustering up as much leg strength as she could, she got up to go get ready for the day. She searched for her backpack with her change of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste and all her other things, the only thing missing was her phone for her morning music. Puzzled, she couldn’t find it anywhere in her bag and come to think of it, she’d never seen this room in Miko’s house before. And the day looked a lot more glum than the usual Kauai sun.

“Miko? Have you seen my phone?” She questioned aloud enough for her to hear if she was downstairs. To no avail, she tried again, “Miko?”

Silence

Did Miko have somewhere to be this morning? She couldn’t call her without a phone so she figured she’d find a house phone and made her way downstairs. As soon as she openned the door of the bedroom, she froze

I have no idea who’s house this is.

A white hallway with a room straight across, a bathroom to the right and a staircase to the left. Carefully going down the staircase she was even more shocked and afraid— I really don’t know who’s house this is.

She found a smaller sized kitchen and a living room next to it, big enough to fit two couches and a TV, the front door on the upper right corner.

She picked up the house phone hanging right by the kitchen, only to realize she didn’t even know Miko’s number— it was saved to the cell phone she couldn’t find. Was I kidnapped? Am I in a murderer’s home?

Call mom, you idiot

Her hands scrambled in panic as she dialed her moms number,

“You have reached the voicemail box of pause Susie May, please leave a message! At the to—”

Who the fuck is Susie May? Spotting a pair of car keys on the table, Kaileia didn’t know where she was going, or what she would do, but she needed to get out of this murderer’s house as fast as she could. She ran up the stairs, her knees quivering from fear she paid as least mind to as she possibly could, grabbed her backpack, took the keys and ran outside. Walking as fast as she could, she smashed the lock button until she heard a beeping from one of the cars. Discovering which car the key belonged to, she put it in ignition and drove.

Nothing was familiar. Absolutely nothing. The island she lived on was small enough for her to have explored it all as she lived there for a whole 19 years, so it made no sense she’d never seen this place before. Her conclusion: the kidnapper took her to a land unknown. And she couldn’t go back to that house. Ever.

She made a right, and a left, and another right, trying to find something familiar. It took one wrong right at a stop light she didn’t realize— and a cop was right there. He signaled for her to pull over, most likely to ticket her for this minor mistake. Kai sighed— this is the last thing right now. I’m literally fleeing my kidnapper.

She rolled down her window, “Is there a reason you didn’t stop at the stop sign, ma’am?” The officer in black sunglasses asked. There was no reason for the sunglasses, really.

She shook her head, still in shock from everything that’s happened, especially from being questioned by a cop— the last time something like this happened, she had to pay so much money to fix her own car, and still needed to pay because the lady she crashed into went to physical therapy— taking the advice of her claims assistant, even tho Kai had left nothing more than a crack of paint on said lady’s car. In short, Kai wasn’t ready to be broke all over again.

“License, registration and insurance, please,” He requested.

She nodded, and scrambled the compartment to look for the information she knew she didn’t have. It surprised her though, she did find the registration and insurance. She left that into her lap to find her license in her backpack. She froze. It had her name and her picture but it was missing the rainbow and the blue letters reading “Hawaii”. It was instead a normal creme colored background and read “Washington” across the top. She scrambled back to the registration and insurance in her lap— both under her very own name. She couldn’t think. Shakily and obviously very nervous, she handed all three documents to the officer.

He received them with a nod, then took them to the police car, most likely to run her records. But how is this car under her name? How did she end up in Washington, and why Washington? What the fuck was here, that brought her here? Theres literally no reason to be here. It’s cloudy, it’s cold, it’s depressing.

He brought all three back to her, “Well there’s nothing on your record, and I’ve decided I’ll let you off with a warning,” he concluded.

Kai sighed gratefully, “Thank you so much Officer”

“You be careful now,” he advised, and his radio went off

“Chief Swan, do you copy?” A man said over the system

He nodded to her before dismissing her. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Washington. I’m in Washington. What am I doing in the mainland? How is this car mine? Everyone here dresses weird. Could it be, that the house is also mine? Don’t be stupid. You might fall into the murderer’s trap. You should have told the officer while you had the chance. I mean you still do, technically. They haven’t moved and neither have you.

Maybe we could just check? You’re seriously gonna take a chance on death? Maybe.

Without thinking, she circled around the town before going back to the house she woke up in. It was now 6pm. If the murderer was to return, they’d have surely been home by now, right? But the sight she saw in front of her house was anything but a murderous aura. It was a father and his son riding on his little tikes bicycle in front of the drive way, just passing through. Warily but quickly, she walked to the front door, the umbrella she found in the back seat now in her right hand, ready to stab whoever it was that was gonna grab her as soon as she opened the door— only there was no one. All she saw was the house with everything in the exact position it was left.

I should call 911

She quickly searched for any cabinets until she found one filled with documents, proving ownership of the house, so she’d have an address and hopefully a name to provide whoever would assist her on the other line. Only for her heart to stop after reading the name of the homeowner: Kaileia Mahelona

Brows furrowed and eyes wide, she read the name over and over again, searching for any documents to prove otherwise but— nothing. Did this house belong to her? She stood frozen in that spot, no reaction, no other thoughts, just her trying to grasp onto the concept that this is either all some sick joke, a dream, or she is actually in another reality. Maybe I was reincarnated early?

Kaileia stalked across the kitchen and grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. None of the news was out of the ordinary— well at least for someone who didn’t pay too much attention to the news regularly. Immigration protests, some world cup final, tainted spinach and the shocking news on the Crocodile Hunter’s death. Surely they meant his death anniversary.

No. It was his actual death. With a photo of him and the words underneath reading “Steve Irwin, 1962-2006”

Two-thousand what now?

“This ain’t it, sis” she whispered, hands of stress running through her hair. She shook her head in disbelief.

Definitely not real. Wake up Kai, come on wake up. If it’s 2006, you’re literally six years old right now.

Her peripherals caught a computer she hadn’t seen there before. From there, she discovered that she was actually in Forks, Washington, it was definitely 2006, and that the Marvel universe exists here. So talking about Spiderman wouldn’t make her look like a mad man. Which is great, because she loves Spiderman. Also Deadpool. Okay that’s besides the point.

“What am I to do? I don’t think I have a job and I’m definitely not in school,” she thought to herself. Without a second thought, she left the house yet again and drove.

“Another hiker presumed dead, searches still going on for the killer animal—” a voice on the radio spoke. Killer animals? What the hell is going on, Forks? Distracted by her thoughts while driving along the never ending path along the mountain, a wolf suddenly ran across about 50 feet from her, still close enough for her to register that this was in fact NOT a normal sized wolf. It was about five times the size of what she’d expected.

She rounded a corner and caught sight of a party. “Forks High School Prom” a giant banner read across the entrance of the venue. She decided to park here, the lights were a pretty sight as she tried to pay no mind the awkward couple dancing in the middle of the lawn. The girl wore a purple dress with a boot and the boy with a suit on, skin paler than the Korean pop stars her friend Miko was obsessed with. It looked like that scene from Twilight. She was unknowingly staring— he dipped her low and placed a soft kiss on her neck. Another action that reminded her of the twilight movie. Kaileia hadn’t seen it since Elementary school.

The couple were about to exit the canopy when Kai thought, “careful girl, he’s probably a vampire”. It was only a joke, alluding to the Twilight movie that happened in Forks with this exact ending scene when the boy froze. He turned in the direction of Kaileia’s car and— ah shit.

“Can he hear me? How did he know to look exactly where I’m at?” She panicked

There’s no way this is happening. Hurriedly, she started the car and drove off.

Was that Edward Cullen? Was that really them? It has to be a real coincidence. Twilight is fiction. It’s literally cringe culture. But it could also explain that big ass wolf that jumped out of nowhere. It would explain why that girl looked so much like Bella.

Kai decided she couldn’t say or think anything about what she knows anymore. Edward can definitely hear her thoughts.

I can’t change the storyline. Everyone made it out alive at the end of Breaking Dawn. Don’t change that. I could die here. But if I died here would I go back to my old life? Possibly. It happened to that girl in Scarlet Heart: Ryeo.

Kai, that was a kdrama.

Twilight was a movie series!

Touché.

All I have to do is survive. Don’t change the story lines. Try not to get involved.

She parked the car in the driveway this time instead of across the street, rounding the corner to the door but froze as she saw the same boy who was just dancing at the prom.

“Can I help you, sir?” She asked him, trying her best to project her voice and mask her timidness

He turned, his eyes going first then the rest of his body behind him, “Hi, I’m Edward Cullen”

She nodded, “Hi. What are you doing here?” She asked, wanting to get straight to the point

He paused, realizing he didn’t prepare a lie to tell her and having no real justification besides “I heard your thoughts. How do you know what I am?” Of course, he didn’t say this out loud, he can’t jump to conclusions and expose his kind. Instead, he excused, “I must have gotten the wrong house.”

Kai nodded, keeping her thoughts silent and slipping past him, rushing to get inside and lock the door. She let out an exhale of relief after being inside.

He’s onto me.

Tags: @sunflowerspectre

Thank you for reading!