#i am honestly tired on the needless ragging

[island-in-the-shadows]

Not for nothing but what's the damage with people being so negative about people who ship Armand and Daniel going a little nutty?

"Armand thinks of other things." Yeah no shit. Obviously. He's a complex character with an equally complex backstory. He's 514 years old, obviously there's more to him than how he's looking at one mortal man.

But also...Devil's Minion shippers get nothing. CONSISTENTLY. If you were in it from before the show (like I was) we got a chapter in the third book of a 13 book series. Daniel practically ceased to exist after book 3. Armand gets his own book and Daniel was literally a footnote in it and a negative one at that. And there's no real contact between them except maybe two passing sentences in two of the later books. Daniel isn't even mentioned in the last book of the series. We literally got a single chapter and after that, nothing.

We don't even have anything from the show except what's the equivalent of sucking on an ice cube to not totally dehydrate. That and the actors having fun about it in promo stuff. Hell, even if (and I hope the if is a when) they do ANYTHING with this pairing it likely won't be until S4 at the earliest, but realistically not until S5 (you know in 3-4 years if things are speedy).

This is the Louis and Lestat show. Obviously. They come first and that's how it should be. After that we have Armand and where he's concerned it's largely a character study that encompasses more than just his relationships. Obviously.

But ffs, leave people alone when all they have to go off of is some eye glaring. Eye glaring, mini little detail crumbs that could actually mean nothing, actors having fun, and a book chapter from 1988. I have my own Pepe Silvia crazy board and entertain myself based on practically nothing and I am aware that the likelihood of getting anything any time soon is slim at best. But I'm also gonna have fun with it on this the liking stuff and shipping stuff website. The hypothetical fun might literally be the only thing I get.

[atrial-ofhorror-if]

This is gonna be a long one yall, so feel free to skip and just send asks about my progress if you don't wanna read through it. Otherwise...

So, I didn’t really have much of an update for you all in February. Reason: it is my birthday month, and I was being a lazy little hedonist, teehee 🤎

In hindsight, February/March has also been one of the most rigorous months for my workplace as well. We have about 33 contracts that we have to get out to the organizations that we fund and unfortunately our legal department, our comptroller's office, and our commissioner has been H-Town stomping on our balls for the past 3 months.

Needless to say, ya girl is tired lol.

I am, of course, pushing through it because I promised this update a LONG time ago, and whenever I don't deliver I feel as if I age 20 years. I know technically I'm running myself ragged again but I can't bring myself to worry about it now. Especially, when I'm the reason why I'm working like a Yorkshire pig.

Clerical Update

Mostly just playing around in Twine, and answering asks. I wanted to do something for February cause it is the month of love, but I think I ended up getting overwhelmed with real life and other shit so that went to the gutter.

I think I'm gonna hire someone to make a special UI for me... I'm tired of fighting with twine, and I really just want to focus on writing, so if anyone has like recommendations for twine/tweego wizards or thinks that they can take a crack at it, let ya girl know.

I am paying.

Progress Update

So... Not a lot of progress was made in February month lol but again. The laz was real~

March was MUCH more progressive, (probably cause I ended up stressing myself out about getting the game out by Summer (June or July ???) Tentative of course 🥴🥴🥴)

Overall, i am at 80k+ words!

Progress for Routes

Search and Destroy: <1%

Interlude (TBA): 5%

To be well: Completed

Yes, you read that right... I have officially finished writing to be well and have transitioned into draft editing for that route🎉🎉

Writing the final part of that route has inflicted psychological and visceral damage to my soul 💀 I thought I would be ok honestly like I just knew I was gonna be able to keep chugging along, but it hurt a little more than I imagined.

I'm ok tho, and I promise y'all will be ok too! I think? So don't worry too much!

Now I plan on pushing this draft through editing at least 3 times. The first time will be solely for missing scenes, evaluation of scenes, and then re-working them. The second time will be more focused on the characters and how they feel in the game. I'm aiming to flesh them out, and add breath to their actions and words. So fingers crossed I'm successful 🤞🏿🤞🏿

The third and final draft will be solely grammatical. If I catch anything funky in there, I'll patch it up but the goal is that for the third draft the number of mistakes are gonna be few. Heh, like that will actually happen.

After this is done, I'll go ahead and plug it into twine, test out the codes, and then send it to beta testers.

I also want to talk about beta testing for a minute too, cause we are getting into that hour.

its gonna be SUPER important that I get a good portion of beta testers due to the variability of this update. (If y'all think this current update is bad just wait 🥴🥴) Like, I'm only one person, and unfortunately for me, there are only so many errors I can catch.

I'll be releasing a survey again for people to fill out if they are interested. It'll be open for a month, and then decisions made in the following two weeks.

Next Months and Remaining Month Plans

Edit, edit, edit!!

Finish the touches on the Interlude.

Technically the piece of that is going in the update is gonna be significantly smaller than what I intended. Which is ok, cause ya girl was gonna lose her mind 🥴🥴

Start Search and Destroy

I think that's it? Again if you have questions, please let me know! Love y'all 🤎🤎

[onceuponaloonatic]

thought i would do a little surrogate au piece from jihyo’s pov for a change

Jihyo sighed as she unlocked the door. Sana had given her a key years ago, telling her she was already basically family anyway. This key had been with Jihyo and her relationship with Sana through a lot. Through Sana’s falling out with Mina and Nayeon, through the night both of them needed just any sense of comfort, through finding out they had accidentally made a baby, through the birth of their daughter, through fights with Chaeyoung. Momo and Sana’s house had always been a comforting and safe place, and this key was how she got to that place.

Tonight, she needed that comforting and safe place. Her and Chaeyoung really didn’t fight very often, and  when they did fight it was little arguments over what to eat for dinner or who paid for what. Chaeyoung was not argumentative by nature, and Jihyo never really found anything about her girlfriend that annoyed her. Recently though, they had had some arguments about moving, and it all came to a head tonight. Chaeyoung had moved into Jihyo’s place when they first moved in together, and Jihyo thought everything would be fine. But there were a lot of issues Jihyo’s place had for Chaeyoung that had built up over time. For starters, it was really far from either of their jobs. Jihyo had never minded before, it was close to Sana and Momo’s plus the rent was cheap, so the commute didn’t really bother her. But now that she had Chaeyoung in her life, the hour commute she had to take was a lot more daunting. Chaeyoung’s commute was thirty minutes, still fairly decent but not as bad as Jihyo’s, and Chaeyoung was tired of having to watch Jihyo leave so early and get back so late. Next, the apartment was old and did have a lot of issues that needed fixing. Jihyo liked to say it had charm and she was able to save a lot of money for Nico’s future by living there, but Chaeyoung was starting to get tired of things constantly breaking. Chaeyoung argued it wasn’t a great place for Nico if things were breaking all the time, and if Jihyo was going to start taking care of her more often they would have to move. Jihyo just didn’t want to give up the location. She liked being able to walk to Sana and Momo’s and being able to walk to see Nico.

At first Chaeyoung had approached it lightly, but overtime things turned ugly, all cultivating in an argument that led to Jihyo practically running to Sana and Momo’s. She had had a rough day at work, and she just needed to see her daughter. Seeing Nico always made things better. 

She knew Sana and Momo would be asleep, but she still texted them she was coming over anyway. They would both be okay with her coming over at any hour, they had both been over to her place at odd hours multiple times. The night Nico was born, Jihyo was fast asleep and since she wasn’t waking up, Momo went to her apartment at two thirty am and poured water on her face to wake her up. The night of Momo’s birthday Sana had coerced Jihyo into coming over at five am to make her pancakes, an event that ended with all of them, the one month old Nico included, somehow ending up covered in flour. Needless to say, it would not be a big deal if she was letting herself in at almost midnight, she just wanted to make sure she did give them proper warning just in case they thought she was an intruder. Jihyo opened the door slowly, it had been getting a little creaky ately and neither Momo or Sana were particularly gifted at fixing or putting things together. Chaeyoung had promised to fix it for them when she got a chance. It seems that chance hasn't come yet. 

The first thing Jihyo noticed was the sound of the TV still blaring. Momo always listened to it so loud, she was amazed Nico had been able to sleep through it at first. She guessed Nico had inherited her patience when it came to the two, because even at her tender age she was still amazing at handling her mother and Momo at their worst.

Momo was on the couch, dead asleep with a stuffed doll in her arms. Jihyo smiled at that, Momo had a habit of falling asleep in the weirdest places. Jihyo decided to move her later, she knew Momo would whine about her back tomorrow if Jihyo let her sleep on the couch all night. She did make sure to turn the tv off though, just in case a loud scene came on and woke Nico. It had never happened before, but Jihyo was always worried about it. She worried about Nico a lot. She worried if she was growing okay or if she was uncomfortable or if she needed something. A lot of people told her she worried too much, even Sana. It was just hard not to, she wasn’t around Nico twenty four seven. Sana and her didn’t live together, and Nico needed Sana to eat. Jihyo had tried watching Nico overnight once, but she had thrown a huge fit when Jihyo tried to give her a bottle and Sana had to come whisk her away and feed her. They had mentioned switching who kept Nico more often when she was older, but for now Jihyo only got to see her daughter as often as she was able to come over to Sana and Momo’s. Momo got more time with her daughter than she did, and while she loved Momo and knew the arrangement was necessary, she also couldn’t help but want to be with Nico more. 

Nico’s door was left ajar, the mobile still turned on. Jihyo slowly approached her daughter, trying her best to not wake her up. Nico was weird. Momo leaving the tv on never bothered her, but if Jihyo made too much shuffling noise she would be waking the other two people in the house.

Jihyo felt all her frustrations and anger melt away as she laid eyes on her daughter. Nico was fast asleep, a tiny bit of spit on her onesie. Jihyo couldn’t help but smile at that, grabbing a spare rag from Nico’s dresser and gently cleaning her up. “My messy girl.” Jihyo whispered as quietly as possible. “Were you good today? Mommy sent me some pictures of you doing tummy time. I know you hate it but you're almost able to hold your head by yourself, pretty girl. I heard you spit up on Auntie Momo again yesterday, I know your mommy wouldn’t encourage this but it is pretty funny it keeps happening.” Jihyo couldn’t stop herself from taking one of Nico’s tiny hands. Nico was so beautiful, so perfect. Even if the situation was a bit different than Jihyo had expected, she loved every aspect of being Nico’s mama. Nico, her perfect daughter. She was so beautiful. Jihyo had always loved how tiny her baby girl was. Her little fingers as she held onto Jihyo’s hand to the best of her ability, her little feet that would always kick Jihyo when she was changing her, she was so small. So perfect. Jihyo honestly felt so honored she got to be a part of this girl's life. 

All of her anger and frustration was gone. Nico had that magical ability over Jihyo. She just filled her heart with so much love, it was impossible to hold onto her feelings. Yes she still had to deal with them, at some point, but for now she just felt so happy. 

“Hyo?” Jihyo giggled when she heard Sana’s sleep-laced voice behind her. She felt arms wrap around her waist and Sana’s chin on her shoulder, her whole body relaxing. “I saw your text, are you okay?” “I will be.” Jihyo sighed. “Chae-she just- it’s stupid.” “She has a point. Your apartment is pretty old. I know before her you were thinking of finding something a little nicer.” Sana muttered. “I just- there’s nothing good around here. I already feel so far away, I can’t go further.” Jihyo responded. “Hyo, she’s always going to be in your life, I will always be sure of that. We are her moms, both of us are. Not just me. And no matter how far away your apartment is, that won’t change that. Your commute is so long and expensive and it’s unnecessary. If you live twenty more minutes away from us, you will still be able to see Nico whenever you want.” “Thank you Sana…” Jihyo sighed, watching as Nico turned in her sleep. Her little feet kicked out and she rolled towards her parents. “I think she’s a little warm, I’ll go set the thermostat.” “You worry too much Hyo. It’s been the same temperature every night since she came home, I don’t think things suddenly changed.” Sana giggled. “Just a couple degrees.” “Hyo.” “One degree.” Sana giggled.

“She’s okay Jihyo. I’ll text Chaeyoung that you are here. You need some sleep, come to bed.” “Woah, calm down. Nico isn’t even one yet and we promised no more accidental babies.” Sana let go of Jihyo and slapped her arm. “You know what I meant. Grab Momo if you really want supervision, I know she’s asleep on the couch.” Sana stepped away and turned off Nico’s mobile, rearranging her blankets and kissing one of Nico’s hands.

“I know that’s a nasty habit of hers.”  Jihyo muttered. “We should talk to her about it.” “Tomorrow morning.” Sana whispered. “We need to sleep, Nico’s will be awake in a few hours.” Right as Sana said that, it was like something went off in Nico. Jihyo immediately moved to grab her, Sana retreating when she saw how Jihyo was moving. Jihyo held her tightly, bouncing her. “I’ve got this, go get Momo.” “Okay.” Sana smiled, kissing one of Nico’s hands again. “Have fun with your mama sweetheart.” “Very funny.” Jihyo rolled her eyes, bumping hips with Sana. “Go.” “Of course.” Sana giggled. “Mama.” Jihyo could only stick her tongue out at Sana as Sana giggled and Nico screamed in her arms.

[ninja-go-to-therapy]

Bound and Gagged

the red marks the prompts that have been filled, and the white marks the prompts that have been requested.

@badthingshappenbingo​

I edited this while a movie was on so I apologize if I missed something

Prompt: bound and gagged

Fandom: Ninjago

Character: Cole

Trigger Warnings: creepy adult acting creepy towards minor. Nothing sexual but the vibes are absolutely disgusting

2638 words

“Mr. Brookstone, come see me after class.”

Crap.

It was Cole’s last class of the day and he had really been looking forward to going back to his dorm and passing out. The day had been tiring enough already.

“Yes sir,” he said, biting his tongue. He had absolutely no idea what it was he’d done, but hopefully, whatever it was about would be quick.

The bell rang.

“Have a good weekend Mr. Hampton!” One of the boys chirped as he headed towards the door.

“Thank you, Mr. Turner.”

Within only a few minutes, Cole was the last one in the room. 

“I don’t want you to think you’re in trouble, Mr. Brookstone, you’re not.”

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

“But I do want to discuss your recent performance in this class.”

“Sir?”

“You’ve been sloppy, careless, your form has been, for lack of a better word, atrocious.”

Well that was always nice to hear.

“Now, I don’t like to fail my students without giving them a chance to fix their grades. I am an understanding teacher, after all.”

Honestly, Cole had never been very fond of Mr. Hampton, but yeah, okay, whatever.

“So what, like extra credit?” Cole asked, hoping to speed this up so he could get back to his dorm as soon as possible.

“Something like that,” Mr. Hampton agreed. “Now Cole,” he said, taking a few steps and practically circling the boy, “I’m going to need you to trust me.”

“Um, okay, sure.”

Something ugly settled in Cole’s gut, but he opted to ignore it.

“I’m going to ask you to do something strange, but I promise it’s only going to serve to make you a better dancer. It’s a very reliable technique.”

Cole stood there awkwardly while Mr. Hampton went to his desk. He shifted side to side, wishing he could just go back to his dorm. Still, it was whatever, this couldn’t take that long.

Mr. Hampton pulled out rope. 

That was… weird. 

“Hold still, now,” he said, walking back with it, and then he wrapped the rope around Cole’s chest. That was most definitely weird.

“Um… what are you doing?” Cole asked, uncomfortable.

Cole could feel a knot being tied. “It’s going to help your flexibility,” Mr. Hampton explained, continuing to tie the rope. Cole, against all voices of reason, didn’t even try to stop him. “It’s not going to hurt.”

Within minutes (and Cole really didn’t know how he felt about how quickly and expertly Mr. Hampton was doing this), his chest, shoulders, and arms were covered in a series of knots. His hands were behind his back, and Cole knew without trying that he couldn’t free himself if he wanted to. 

A small part of him hoped his discomfort would be obvious enough that his teacher would stop, but that didn’t seem to be getting him very far. The binding continued.

It was his own anxiety that kept his mouth shut.

More rope, more binding, and soon one of his legs was done up too. And then, then, to make matters worse, Mr. Hampton was beginning to thread one of the ropes through a hook-type-thing on the ceiling. He’d always wondered what those were for.

“I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this,” Cole said, very quiet. He told people that he wasn’t afraid of anything, and this wasn’t fear, it was just… anxiety.

“Nonsense,” Mr. Hampton said, hardly even pausing.

As all of this was happening, Cole decided the worst part was having his teacher’s hands on him so much. Sure, as a dancer he was used to having adults touch him, but that was always a firm, correcting type of thing.

This was different than that, and Cole didn’t like it.

Before he knew it, one of his legs was in the air, along with a rope holding the upper half of his body up by what felt like his bound arms. The only thing he could really move was his free leg, but he had to hold himself up with that.

All in all, Cole was incredibly uncomfortable.

“Is this really necessary?” Cole asked, hissing through the pain of the position.

“Believe me, Cole, it is absolutely necessary. Drastic measures must be taken when students are falling so far behind.” He fiddled with one of the ropes, bringing Cole’s leg higher into the air. At the sudden change, Cole couldn’t help but cry out.

“We can’t have you yelling like that,” Mr. Hampton said. “We wouldn’t want someone to come in here and get the wrong idea.”

Cole wasn’t entirely sure where he thought his teacher meant by that, but of all the things he thought he might have expected, he definitely wasn’t expecting a small rag-looking-thing to be pulled out of the bottom of a drawer, followed by a ring of duct tape.

“Hey, wait,” Cole said, “What are you doing with that?”

“This type of training takes silence. It takes concentration, meditation, even. This will help you achieve a focused state of mind,” Mr. Hampton said, gripping Cole’s chin and stuffing the rag into his mouth before he could protest. The duct tape went after, covering his mouth and effectively gagging him.

Cole couldn’t lie: he was on the verge of panicking. While he had technically said he was okay with this, or, at least, he hadn’t said no, he was beyond uncomfortable, and even a little scared, now. 

His legs were burning already.

He tried to say something, but with the gag, all that came out was muffled cries.

Instead of, oh, he didn’t know, removing the gag, instead, Mr. Hampton proceeded to pull a bandana out of his pocket and began to wrap it around Cole’s head. Over his eyes. So he couldn’t see.

Okay, now he was really freaking out. He was completely bound, unable to free himself or even move, completely at his teacher’s mercy. Needless to say, he didn’t exactly trust Mr. Hampton not to harm him.

He yelled through the gag, but it came out just as muffled as the first attempt.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, the pressure of it pushing his body down, against the ropes. Shit, that hurt.

“No talking. Just relax, focus on your balance and your flexibility. I’ll be here the whole time.”

That wasn’t very comforting. 

The hand left his shoulder, and Cole exhaled, trying to adjust his one free limb so the rest of his body would sit better. It didn’t work. 

He heard footsteps, something that sounded like the rolling of a chair, maybe? It sounded like Mr. Hampton had gone to sit down at his desk. Yeah, that would make sense.

Cole wished he could sit. He was flexible, yes, but his suspended leg was being lifted higher than he could go even after spending forever stretching. It burned.

Had the tick of the clock always been so loud? He usually hardly even noticed it, but right now, it was impossible to ignore.

The ropes dug into his skin, only adding to the mess of it all. Between having to support himself on one leg for this long, the positions his limbs were being forced into, the discomfort of the ropes, and the rag in his mouth, Cole was in a pretty bad position.

He breathed purposefully, trying to keep himself calm. Focus on the position. Maybe it would ease the pain?

It was hard to focus on the position when his mind kept wandering to things like the sound of the air conditioner and the ticking of the clock.

The longer he stood there, the more everything hurt. He was beginning to lose feeling in his arms, now.

He heard papers being shuffled, the clicking of a pen, and the occasional tapping of a keyboard.

He wished he could at least see. At least then he could focus on something other than the pain. He would gladly even count the tiles on the floor if he could.

He settled for counting the constant tick of the clock. He couldn’t decide whether it was soothing or maddening. 

Fuck, this was really starting to hurt.

A knocking startled him out of his thoughts. He would have jolted had he not been so… well, tied up.

He heard the chair rolling slightly, then footsteps again. 

Something akin to another rolling sound, but not quite. The room divider, maybe? He wasn’t entirely sure. He hated not being able to see what was going on around him.

The door opened.

“Hi Mr. Hampton,” someone said. “Is this a bad time?”

“No, no, it’s a perfectly fine time. What do you need?”

Cole found himself both listening and completely zoning out at the same time. His heart was pounding so hard, so loud, and it was all he could hear. 

He had no idea if whoever it was — definitely another student, he was sure — could even see him. Would he even want someone else to see him? 

No, no definitely not. He already knew people would make fun of him for it if they found out. Cole was a decent performer, in his own opinion, but he hadn’t had much luck with social interaction, and the other students didn’t seem to like him much. 

If anyone were to find out about this, he’d never hear the end of it. How pathetic he was.

He shifted as best he could, praying he wasn’t in sight. 

“Thanks! See you Monday,” the student said, and the door opened and closed again softly, followed by the click of a lock.

Cole exhaled, thankful he hadn’t been caught.

Well… not caught, per se. It wasn’t like anything bad was happening. But still, the thought of anyone seeing him like this, so vulnerable, left him feeling nauseous. 

He felt a hand pat his head. “Smart boy,” Mr. Hampton hummed. 

Cole groaned through the gag, hoping it would be taken as a plea to be released.

Unfortunately, he was just pat on the head again and told to “quiet down, now.”

More silence. More tick tick ticks, more shuffling of papers. Cole wasn’t sure whether to love or hate the sound of shuffling fucking papers. He supposed without them he’d be driven crazy by something else, anyway. 

His ears were ringing, now.

The ropes bit into his skin viciously. He wished they could at least be loosened, but no, they stayed burning into his flesh, holding him in place. His skin was probably red in the places that weren’t covered by his clothes.

Even his jaw was aching, now. How long had he been stuck like this? He felt like one of those dancer figurines you could find online. Forever frozen in the middle of a routine. That’s what this was, he decided. A frozen, horrible moment in time.

After an infinity of typing and papers and pen clicking all over again, he heard the telltale rolling of a chair.

Footsteps made their way over, and Cole’s skin practically crawled in anticipation.

He could feel the ropes being fiddled with, and finally, finally the relief that came with his leg being released. He could have cried.

“There you go,” Mr. Hampton said, messing with the other ropes too.

It didn’t take long to be completely freed, but each second dragged by so slowly that Cole wanted to scream. He was so close to freedom.

Finally, the last of the rope was gone, and then went the blindfold and gag. Cole’s knees buckled, and he could do nothing to stop himself as he collapsed on the floor. He stayed there, breathing heavy.

“Good work today, Mr. Brookstone,” Mr. Hampton said, collecting the ropes. “I expect to see an improvement in your form next class.”

“Yes sir,” Cole nodded, shakily getting to his feet.

And then, finally, he was allowed to leave. He made his way back to his dorm, falling into his bed almost immediately. He felt like he could sleep for multiple days on end.

It didn’t take long to drift off.

The weekend passed slow and uneventful. It was boring, but it was peaceful. For once, Cole didn’t mind it.

Thankfully, no one seemed to know about what had happened. He’d just about die if anyone were to find out. 

Eventually, class rolled back around. Cole made sure to be at his very best, hoping he wouldn’t need to go through another day of “extra credit”. He wasn’t sure he could handle it.

As class ended and everyone was filing out, Cole felt his heart absolutely stop when his teacher called his name.

Please don’t say it.

“Good work today, Mr. Brookstone,” Mr. Hampton said, and Cole couldn’t help the relief that came with those few words. “Your performance today was excellent.”

“Thank you,” Cole said.

“Run along now, Cole.”

Over the next few days of class, Cole slowly allowed himself to relax. Sure, he was still putting in effort, but he was finally loosening up.

Until about two weeks after the initial event. It began the same as the first time; Mr. Hampton pulling him aside after class, telling him his performance was dropping, and offering up a “solution”.

Knowing what to expect didn’t make it any better.

Cole just stood there, let ropes be looped around his body and a blindfold take away his sight. He tried not to make much noise, this time. The gag made it hard to breathe.

But after only a few minutes, out of nowhere, it was being pushed into his mouth.

Cole didn’t fight it.

He couldn’t if he wanted to. He was smaller and weaker than Mr. Hampton, even without the ropes.

Besides, it didn’t matter if he was uncomfortable. He couldn’t very well say no to someone who had almost complete authority over him, especially when it wasn’t even like the situation was that bad.

He was just overreacting.

This time, he was forced into the splits, while his torso was bent over forwards and his arms were tied behind his back, pulling in the opposite direction. 

It hurt, and he couldn’t help the low whine that escaped him. He had no way of knowing if his teacher had even heard.

It only happened three more times that month. Each time it was a different position, and each time, Cole thought it would get easier. It never did.

It always left deep imprints in his skin, the only evidence that anything had happened at all other than his aching limbs. But the imprints faded fast, and the aches followed sooner or later.

Honestly, the worst part about it was the way his teacher got more and more… he didn’t know the word for it. Closer. More touches. It made Cole a little bit nauseous to think about.

Inherently, the situation wasn’t bad. But Cole wasn’t stupid. Or maybe he was. It was his fault for getting into this in the first place, wasn’t it?

He kept his mouth shut for the next few months out of fear. Maybe as a punishment for himself.

He was stupid to get himself into this mess, and he was pathetic for not knowing how to get himself out. He supposed he deserved the pain that came with it all.

He’d wanted to run away long before this had started, and every day it seemed like a more appealing option.

Run away. Run from your problems, because you’re too scared, too pathetic, to face them.

He stayed a month longer.

He only made up his mind after waking from a dream. No, a nightmare.

He could barely remember it, but he had woken up crying, and he had woken up ready to go.

He shoved only the essentials into his bag, and before his roommate could wake up, he got the hell out of there. 

He didn’t look back. 

[razorblade180]

Twin Snowflakes pt12: A Guest

“Nicholas? Niiiick? Nicky, wake up sweetie.” Said a voice called out through a void of darkness. It felt...familiar. He knew that voice. Where was he?

“Nick, open your eyes”

‘My...eyes were closed? How’d that happen? Last thing I remember was the exa-‘ the haze started to clear. ‘The exam! Val! Summer!’

The darkness slowly faded into light. Intense, blistering light. Nick felt his body began to move as if he was sitting up until a thump hit his head and felt himself fall back down on something soft. “Ow…” the hit felt like walking into a door. Nick’s vision finally cleared up and the first thing he saw was bright green eyes and orange hair right above him.

Nick:Penny?

Penny:Hello Nick. Your head okay? If I knew you were going to sit up so fast I would’ve made sure to move.

Nick:Talk about hard headed. Wait, if you’re here then am I in a lab?

Penny:No silly.

The girl helped Nick sit up; this time moving out the way. He was still in his clothes from earlier and the bed looked like it should be in a hospital. As well did the curtains around him. “Wait a second. I’m…” he pulled them away to see identical beds and a little office desk across the room. Each bed was empty but the one right next to him which held his sister. Summer looked at him a bit tired. Pillows propped her up and made leaning against the wall comfortable. A cup of half eaten yogurt was in her hands.

Nick:.....

Summer:What? Not used to being in the Nurse’s office? Count your lucky stars. That bed you’re in is the comfiest one.

Nick:I….you….what’s going on?

Penny:Simple! You passed out! Been that way for almost two hours.

Nick:Two hours!?

Summer:Why are you saying that like it’s a problem? That’s short, like incredibly short.

Nick:Not as short as yours apparently.

Summer:Well….Shiva has her benefits.

Just saying that made Summer a bit annoyed. She slumped down a little in her bed and stirred her yogurt.

Penny:Between genetics, aura, and some other factors, I’m not surprised you both are already awake from your triumphant battle!

Summer:(Wouldn’t be how I described it.)

Nick: Triumphant? We passed!?

Penny:With flying colors! I heard from Harriet as soon as she called me to treat the three of you. Needless to say, she was very impressed.

Nick:Speaking of three, where is Val?

Summer:She wasn’t as drained as us and bounced back pretty quick. She left as soon as she could move.

Nick:Aww, it would’ve been nice to celebrate together. I need to tell her thanks again since I begged her to help. Just like now I have to learn whatever song you have in store for me.

He gave a smile that made Summer a bit happy. A duet with him was something she was looking forward to, but it didn’t help her bruised self esteem. Summer gave Nick a fake smile to him before choosing to lay down. Her hair slightly hiding her face.

Nick didn’t fall for that cheap smile for a second, but he also knew now wasn’t the time to pressure her about it. If she was in a mood like this then he could only imagine what Val might be feeling. Hopefully she was fine.

Penny:Uhhh Nicholas? There’s something I’d like to ask you about. *pulls out scroll* Your match was recorded by multiple people and I saw something I found pretty interesting.

Nick:We got recorded? Honestly that shouldn’t surprise me.

Penny:The crowd was very energetic from the sound of it. Take a look.

A projection of the recording springs out of the scroll for a fuller view. Nick watched the playback of him and his team flipping around like some sort of acrobatic performance. The crowd seemed to love it though. Then came the part where Summer got hit. He looked at his sister who didn’t say anything about it. Then came Valerie’s defeat shortly after. His eyes studying the glyph he had made in order to summon the Gigas.

‘How’d I do that?’ He pondered quietly. Figuring out what he did differently this time from the others was going to be tough. The video continued until Penny paused it right where he was controlling ice blades that seemed to spin around him and obey his movements. A slight blush showing on his face appeared as Penny grinned happily at him.

Penny:They say imitation is the best form of flattery. Most of your moves are undeniably learned by your parents but I can’t help but think you had another inspiration in mind.

Nick:Hehe, I was panicking a bit in the end and all I could think about was overwhelming it with swords. Looks like I was influenced by you.

Penny:It has been quite some time since I’ve done any real fighting so I’m glad I left a strong impression from what you’ve seen. I would love to teach you some basics whenever you want.

Nick:Really? You’d train me a bit!?

Penny:Why of course! Lab work is important but it does get a little tedious and repetitive unfortunately. Teaching sounds like a splendid way to change up my routine.

Nick:I might take you up on that offer. Thanks Penny!

Penny:It is my pleasure! I enjoy supporting the two of you where I can. Oscar feels the same. I’m almost a little jealous about how much he praises your strength and conviction Summer.

Summer:He….thinks I’m strong?

Penny:He’s not the only one. Truly you are quite exceptional.

Nick:Yeah she is! She’s my sister after all. I can’t tell you how many times she’s kicked my butt.

Summer:....May we please have the room to ourselves Penny?

Penny:Huh? O...kay. Let me just-

Suddenly the nurse door flew open and hit the wall. “There you are Nicholas!” Everyone immediately turned around and saw Eliza standing with her hands on her hips and her eyes beaming angrily at her school president.

Nick:Why hello Mrs. Marigold. T-

Eliza:Cut the crap. You get the information for the play or what?

Summer:Play?

Nick:....Are you not aware I’ve been doing an exam?

Eliza:I’m aware that you got rag dolled by choice because of how impatient you are.

Penny:(But isn’t she acting the same?)

Nick:Listen it doesn’t even matter. I just told you all that stuff to get you off my back.

Eliza:You what!? But-

Nick:Relax. Have faith in your president. Isn’t that part of your job as secretary? Scrap the whole play idea; Summer agreed to a concert.

Summer:H-Hello…

Eliza:Wait, you’re actually going through with it? No flaking or half assing this time?

Summer:I wouldn’t do that for something so important. You...you have my word!

Eliza:Hmmmm

Nick:Can we have this discussion another time please?

Eliza:By another time do you mean doing what you want while the rest of us adapt? Fat chance! You do realize by not accurately informing me of your plan I’ve wasted precious time making a list of proper things we’ll need for nothing! What am I supposed to tell the other members!?

Summer:She has a point.

Penny:Indeed, you have possibly wasted resources.

Nick:This meeting was the other day. How much work could you have possibly-

Eliza chucks a scroll right at his face. Nick flinches in pain as the device hits his nose. He picks it up and to see a list of concepts Eliza had worked on. Then he scrolled down, and down, and down…..

He kept going for minutes until he eventually gave up on reaching the bottom. Nick could feel her stare on him.

Eliza:That much. That much work. Unlike you, I don’t get a slap on the rest or the luxury to slack of. I’m not a Schnee.

Nick:....

Summer:That’s..not fair. Nick does a lot for this-

Eliza:Your money and name does a lot for this school. Yes the two of you have gained achievements on your own right but out of fun or convenience. Not because you acted in the interest of the school. If you bothered to school let alone a meeting then you might notice these things; sending in your treasury report via Nicholas shows just how much you actually care.

Summer:I care...honestly.

Eliza:Then start acting like it!

Nick:Hey, don’t yell at my sister. I promise we will-

Eliza:To hell with your promises! Prove me wrong by keeping me in the loop. From here on out. The quality of your work is never the problem. I’m sure this concert idea will be amazing, but if you expect me to even show up to help set up or catch any mistake then you two will personally ask me. Because I’m not going to be proactively crossing your t’s or dotting your I’s. My time can be spent doing other things. Like making sure I get enough practice in to knock that royal bum of yours right out of the ring dear president.

The room fell silent with that declaration of war. Penny watched Nick stand from his bed then hand his challenger back her scroll. He didn’t look upset or exactly thrilled either as he stared up into Eliza’s golden eyes. He could tell that all that anger was mostly frustration and mostly exhaustion from the dark rings under her eyes. Even her signature pigtails were undone. ‘I’ve put you through the ringer huh?’ He thought, slightly guilty.

Nick:You got yourself a deal. Good luck with training. The jump from third place to second is steeper than you think.

Eliza:Guess I’ll overshoot and try getting to first. Be sure to protect that pretty face of yours. I might feel bad scaring it. I’m going home. *walking away*

Nick:Why were you even after school? You always get your work done.

Eliza:I thought that would be obvious. I heard an idiot in my grade had tried talking the expedited exam with two more idiots. Someone had to make sure their parents were informed in case of an emergency. Now go home and get some rest. Your sorry state is bad for morale. *leaves*

Penny:I probably shouldn’t say anything but by the time I’ve gotten here, Eliza had gathered whatever medical supplies I might’ve needed. As well as given me the recording. I think she might’ve been rooting for you three. Or at the very least wanted you to learn from this experience.

Nick:She wants no doubt in her mind if she manages to beat me. Or that’s what I think. She benefits from this tournament even more than us. It’s no mystery why she wants it perfect.

Summer:Then that lecture she gave makes her look like a hypocrite. So much for the pride of the school.

Nick:This school is probably more of a home than her actual home. Mr. Marigold never struck me as the nurturing type. I suppose that’s more reason why she’s so uptight.

Penny:You could stand to be more….aware. Spreading yourself then and tunnel visioning on problems not necessarily your concern tends to make you oblivious to simple solutions.

Nick:What? Not sure I quite understand.

Summer:(Of course you don’t…) Hey Nick…?

Nick:Yeah?

Summer:(Tell him...tell him the truth. He’s your twin for crying out loud. Just…) let’s go home. It’s only going to get colder and I wanna walk.

Nick:Alright. Let me just get my things.

Summer watches him gather his things quickly; ignoring any soreness he might have. A glance in Penny’s direction shows a similar expression of concern and sadness. She couldn’t tell who it was directed towards though.

Summer:(I’m so….)

Pathetic….

xxxx

“Maybe….if I told you then. Things would not have gotten so dire. My dear brother who would stop the world for me if need be. I should’ve let you into mine. Why didn’t I let you in?”

xxxx

It was the afternoon, the roads a little backed up from workers going home. Valerie looked at the busy traffic lights through the passenger window. Stewing in her thoughts.

Ren:You okay? Haven’t heard a peep from you since you got into the car.

Valerie:I’m fine.

Ren:Try again.

Valerie:I’m extremely upset.

Ren:There you go.

Valerie:Did you see the video?

Ren:I did. It looked intense.

Valerie:Then you saw how poorly I did?

Ren:I saw how much effort you put into it. That’s something to be proud of.

Valerie:I was a burden.

Ren:Without you then the battle would’ve been lost. Summer and Nicholas couldn’t have shined without you.

Valerie:We barely passed and the only one shining at the end was Nick while I played victim.

Ren:So are you mad about your performance or the fact Nick was the one who bailed you out? Not that there’s nothing wrong in basking in a bit of limelight.

Valerie:You know I don’t care about that sort of thing.

Ren:I know, winning is your motivation. So are friends, but your friend winning for you all has you upset?

Valerie:You make it sound so strange.

Ren:It is when you are a sports player that always plays support. Didn’t matter if it was soccer, hockey, or football. You took pride in defending your team so they can score. Even your semblance is remarkable for keeping any team you are on as strong as possible.

Valerie:This is different though.

Ren:Would you be saying that if Summer landed the final blow, or was the one saving you?

That struck a nerve. One she couldn’t deny but refused to admit. Valerie opted to ignore her father. A tactic that only proved him to be on the right track.

Ren:He’s gotten stronger, that Nicholas. These days you two seem more equal than ever besides height. I remember when-

Valerie:Dad, what are you doing? Just shoot straight with me please?

Ren:Don’t let whatever people might be saying at school tarnish your relationship with him. You should be happy seeing him get stronger and independent; willing to return any help you gave.

Valerie:People think he’s great enough as he is and always tell me how lucky I am to have him but it’s never the other way around. Him saving me is only going to make people talk more.

Ren:So you would rather get injured and be of no help to anyone than let Nick save you? Also, are you saying that you don’t feel lucky to have such a person in your life.

Valerie:Of course I’m lucky to have him! Nicholas is so kind and sweet. Not to mention grateful! Just before the exam he told me how lucky he was to have me in his life. There is no one else besides Summer, no, even Summer agrees that he should get nothing but the best in life. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s annoying how people see me as an accessory whenever we are together.

Ren:....

Valerie:*red* But not together, together.

Ren:I didn’t say anything. So, what you’re saying is you’re upset that him getting stronger would make you feel like what everyone says about you needing him true?

Valerie:Exactly. Which is why I can’t lose that tournament. Staying on top is too important.

Ren:If you say so.

Valerie:.....Why do I have a feeling you’re disappointed in me?

Ren:I’m not disappointed in you. I just hope you take more time to really evaluate what you’re implying and what it actually means. You owe that not just to yourself, but Summer and Nicholas as well.

Valerie:You can’t just tell me?

Ren:If I did then it wouldn’t stick. Just know Nicholas cares about from the bottom of his heart and sees your accomplishments as that, yours. I think that means more than what any gossip floating around your school means.

Valerie still didn’t get what exactly her father was trying to get at. Even so, she could feel her cheeks getting warm from his words. Nicholas caring about her wasn’t new information. It was what everyone knew since forever. Another piece of the problem. She would say it was terrible but it wasn’t. It was simply confusing, and she felt weird? That’s what it always came back to in the end. Thinking of him felt weird and confusing

Ren glanced over and saw his daughter in a clear state of not being at odds with herself. Making similar expressions that his wife did countless times thinking about him.

Ren:(You’ll figure it out. Hopefully)

xxxx

Summer and Nick didn’t speak much on the way home. The twins were too busy processing today’s events. They had accomplished their goal but the ending had soured their experience. Nick found himself with more work while Summer was sulking.

It wasn’t too long before they made it to the manor gate

Nick:Phew! I don’t know about you but I could use a hot shower.

Summer:Go right ahead. I might skip one tonight: not feeling up to it.

Nick:....Weren’t you going to tell me something before Eliza showed up? Now is the perfect time. I doubt mom and dad will just let us sneak to our rooms.

Summer:It’s alright. It wasn’t too important.

Nick:Summer you’re not, mad at me are you?

Summer:Huh? What makes you say that?

Nick:I don’t know. You’ve just felt distant lately. I figured I did something wrong.

Summer:No, just a little burnt out. It’s pretty frustrating to see you perform a full summoning. I'll admit that. It seems like I’m always just missing people’s expectations. If only I could’ve done just a bit more.

Nick:You know that win would’ve been impossible with you right? I used the ice you made and the arm you managed to cut off.

Summer:Capitalizing off my effort and actually pulling my weight are two different things Nick. If I won a match because you tossed me your sword, would you say you really helped?

Nick:Point taken. Still, it’s not like I knew exactly what I was doing. It sort of happened. I doubt I could do it again without training. Adrenaline won that match honestly. Like I said earlier, you’ve kicked me butt before. You’re stronger than you look.

Summer:Yeah well, I’m glad one of us thinks that.

Nick:Don’t be like that. I bet even Veronica would- uhhh Summer?

Summer:Did you realize you were about to say something incredibly wrong?

Nick:No, well a little. That’s not what stopped me though. Yang’s motorcycle is parked in front of the house.

He pointed through the gates and there it was, clear as day. Along with two helmets. One yellow, and the other black with yellow stripes. Summer felt a headache coming on.

Summer:Son of a-

Nick:It could be Blake!? Then again, she always grabs the purple hand black helmet. Also Vee did mention about aiding in tournament setup if she could.

Summer:You’re not helping. I’m sneaking through the back. Keep her distracted.

Nick:Don’t be like that. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen her. Besides, I bet she’s tired from her trip.

xxxx

Summer:.....

Nick:Well I’ve been wrong before. Heheheh..

The two stood in the living room and saw Veronica stretched out on their couch, watching the fight recording. Specifically the part when Summer gets sent flying. The two hear a subtle snort followed by chuckling and what sounds like a pencil scribbling away.

Veronica’s ears perk up and she turns around to see Nick who’s face palming and Summer clenching her fist.

Veronica:Well look who’s back? Hello Nicholas! *swaying tail*

Nick:Hey Vee.

Veronica:I see you’re looking just swell after an eventful day. *turns head* Summer….

Summer:Veronica…..

…..

Veronica:You ate shit today huh?

Nick:Sigh...

Summer:Couldn’t help yourself huh? Then again, self control isn’t really your style.

Veronica:I’m just not afraid to be direct unlike a certain pop star.

Summer:I also do alternative rock, some acoustic. I’m multi-talented like that.

Veronica:If you say so.

Summer:What’s that supposed to mean?

Three minutes in and already testing boundaries. Worst yet, Summer had folded her arms and took a stance that Ruby has once described to Nick as the “OG Weiss” mom was apparently a lot to deal with when Ruby first met her. The attitude Summer got around Veronica was pretty uncanny. Yang and Ruby’s words, not his.

He was thinking about nipping this in the bud but they both seemed to be too tired to actually get into it. Maybe the trip had wore Veronica down because she went back to playing the rest of the video and laying down and Summer walked off.

Summer:I’m going to shower.

Nick:I thought-

Summer:I’m going to shower Nicholas.

Nick:Take your time. I’ll wait.

Veronica:Aren’t there like five showers here?

Nick:They share water pressure. Did you really have to antagonize her like that? We’re having a bit of a rough day. A calm welcome would’ve been nice for once.

Veronica:*folds ears* My bad. I’ll hold my tongue next time, for you.

Nick:Will you?

Veronica:Do I ever lie to you?

Nick:Not that I know of. Wouldn’t see why you would though.

Veronica:Then you have your answer.

Nick:Good to see you’re still coy as ever. I’m gonna change into something comfy. Please have something different on the tv when I get back.

Veronica:Oookay. *smiles*

Nick:Nice outfit by the way. Purple looks good on you. *leaves*

Veronica:*red* Huh….guess mom was right. Geez, now I really have to be on my best behavior.

Part 11

[depressed-sock]

21 Questions

Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people you want to know better.

Tagged by: @ortegatrash

Nicknames: Sage, Sock

Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Height: 5′6 

Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff (at least when I took the test honestly and didn’t actively try to get Slytherin) 

The last thing I googled:  Ace attorney strategy guide, (I’m watching someone play on youtube and wanted the answer beforehand)

Favorite musicians: Malukah and Imagine Dragons

Some song stuck in my head: none currently. (So in place of that current song that came on is Let it die by three days grace)

Following: 171

Followers: 128

Do you get asks: Occasionally!!

Amount of sleep: Eternally tired no matter the amount currently

Lucky number: 6

What you’re wearing: bright red shorts, darkish blue jacket, and a white shirt (wtf have I done??? the hazards of grabbing the nearest clothes)

Dream job: Currently I really want to be a concept artist

Dream trip: I don’t think sleeping counts so... Idk. I don’t really like going places.

Instruments: recorder when I was young. Was awful than and am still awful at it now.

Languages: English

Favorite songs: Coming back as a man and that man by caro emerald; glitter and gold by barnes courtney; I’m only human by rag n bone man

Random fact: I am completely oblivious to flirting.  Some guy once tried to chat me up and somehow I turned it into a conversation about computer viruses and only realized what he was trying to do after someone told me exactly he was doing.  Needless to say, I never saw him again.

Aesthetic: blacks, blues, and purples; i have a terrible sense of clothing style

I don’t want to tag 21 people so I’ll tag a few and anyone who wants to do this can! @superkawaiimothman @thenightdayblogger @ladyshivs  @kinokochouchou

[cjwritesfanfiction]

Looking For Love (In All the Wrong Places)

Part 1/??? Summary: Viktor Nikivorov has it all, great friends, a nice scholarship at a world renown university, a great job. Yes, Viktor had it all, well, except for love. Fearing he will never find love, he prays to the gods for someone to help him. Never did he realize his prayers would be answered when an awkward. clumsy man claiming to be the love god, Eros, falls into his life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Viktor Nikiforov had many wonderful things in his life he was thankful for. He was an A+ student going to a university that gave him a hefty scholarship for attending. He had many wonderful friends that supported every aspect of Viktor’s life that he was feeling less confident about. Heck, even his job managing a small café downtown was a godsent. The only thing that seemed to slip through his fingers was love. Love was the one thing that seemed to be out of reach no matter how close Viktor got to touching it. Don't get him wrong, he was very popular with the ladies (and even some men) around school, in the streets, and even the rag tag bars his best friend, Christophe, dragged him to on Saturday nights. Sometimes, people would charm and intrigue Viktor enough for him to date them. However, after a few days, Viktor found that the emotion he had been feeling all this time wasn't love at all. It was simply a childlike curiosity. He always wondered if they were "the one" No matter who he was with. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but the concept of love filled Viktor’s thoughts day in and day out. It was unhealthy how often he thought of love. He thought about love while he was in class, while he managed the café, heck, he was even thinking about it now taking the bus back to his apartment after a long day at work. In the morning, he had class. Then, someone had called in sick to work and he ended up working a gruelingly busy triple shift. Needless to say, Viktor was exhausted. Viktor slumped in his seat and looked around at the people on the bus. At the very front, an elderly woman with a hijab covering the top of her head and neck. She was a hard working woman who worked with her husband at a dry cleaner downtown. She and her husband were immigrants trying to save up for their son to go to medical school in America. Sometimes, she would go home before her husband when her joints started aching. Today was one of those days. Behind them a couple of rows back, a father and his daughter sat. The father was reading the paper as the girl leaned against his shoulder asleep. Some days, Viktor would bring the girl chocolate and enjoyed seeing her bright grin. They were poor and her father was always grateful. Behind Viktor, a couple slept waiting to get off the 3rd Street drop off. The man, Ethan, was a street performer trying to make it big. His girlfriend, Tiana, was a bartender at a little joint on 5th street. The two were dirt poor, but at least they were content with each other. Those were the usual people and Viktor came to think of them as his family away from home. Viktor laid his head against the cold glass of the window and sighed shutting his eyes. Maybe he could get some sleep. He sure needed it. . . The next thing Viktor knew, he was jolted awake by the bus suddenly stopping. He looked around. The old lady and the father daughter duo had gotten off, but the young couple were still on. That meant they were on 4th street. He turned around and woke the couple up letting them know that their stop was next. Viktor was pulled out of conversation when he heard the bus driver talk to someone trying to get off. "Look, pal. This bus stops at Avon and that's only five stops ahead. You got a ticket for that or what?" Another voice spoke softly, as if it were made of milk and honey. It was a voice Viktor didn't recognize before, but he couldn't see the owner of the melodic voice. "A ticket? I wasn't aware I needed one. . ." The bus driver scoffed. "All the city buses cost money, kid. You got any or no?" "Well. . ." Viktor quickly made his way to the front of the bus. It sounded like the voice hadn't used the public transit before and didn't know that these guys didn't mess around. He quickly inserted two dollars and fifty cents out of his tip money. "Give him a break, Johnny. I got this one." "Alright," the man grunted and pointed to Viktor. "Ya got lucky, kid. Not many people are as nice as Vik." Viktor turned his head to the left to see who exactly he had paid for to ride the bus. The man in front of him was beautiful. His skin was milky smooth and the color of light sand. He was pale, but not as pale as Viktor and seemed to have a certain glow that Viktor had never seen before. His mouth was the color of cherry blossoms and the way it curved into a smile made Viktor’s stomach drop. His hair was the color of raven feathers and swept over his forehead narrowly missing his eyes. But, the most distinguishing factor about the man was his caramel colored eyes. They shined like the brightest diamonds and were wide and full of curiosity as they stared back into Viktor's. Viktor had been told that his eyes were mesmerizing, but they didn't compare with the man's in front of him. "Thank you, but, Um, don't you think we should find our seats." The man asked cocking his head to the side as he looked Viktor up and down with a confused look. Viktor jolted again. "Yes, sorry." He apologized feeling embarrassed as he slumped back into his seat. The man sat across from Viktor and stared at him making him feel nervous. The man bit his lip and looked very confused. Viktor felt like the man was staring into his soul and did his best to ignore it. One stop later, the couple got off leaving Viktor and the mystery man on the bus. It wouldn't be so weird if he just had the man's na- "My name is Yuuri." The man said finally. "What's yours?" Viktor wondered if he should answer honestly. He didn't know the man after all, but what harm could that innocent face do. He smiled softly. "Viktor." "You look really tired, Viktor. Are you always this tired?" "Not usually. . . I had to work a triple shift at work." There was a couple moments of comfortable silence between the two of them, before Yuuri piped up again. "Viktor, do you believe in love?" What an odd question for someone to ask. Viktor chuckled folding his arms. "If this is some cheesy pickup line-" "I assure you, I am serious." Yuuri said blinking a couple of times. "So, do you?" Viktor raised his hand to his chin. He had to think about how he wanted to word this. "I've had bad luck in the love department, but, yes, I do belive in the concept of love." "Then, why don't you feel it?" Viktor stared back at him. How did Yuuri know that he couldn't feel love just by looking at him? It didn't make any sense. Yuuri had just met Viktor. He wasn't Christophe, who had helped Viktor through many depressive nights when Viktor wondered what was wrong with him. He wasn't Yuri, his cousin back in Russia who would switch conversation topics when the subject came up, knowing Viktor was uncomfortable talking about it. Most of the time, Viktor kept to himself anyway. In fact, last night he had actually prayed to somebody, anybody, who would help him find the love that he so desperately searched for. He narrowed his eyes at the man trying to find the fear behind them. "Who are you?" The man grinned. "I'm Yuuri, if that is who you would like to know me as." What? The man looked down into his lap embarrassed with his fingers interlaced together. "You don't remember? You just talked to me last night. But, then again, you've called to me many times before that too. I-i just thought I could help. " Viktor gave him an uncomfortable smile and laughed awkwardly. "Talked with you last night? But, this is the first time I've meet you, Yuuri. " The man shook his head and looked up at Viktor. "Not true! You talk to me all the time! Remember, you talked to me last week in math class... Or Friday when you called me at the cafe... Even yesterday in your room! You were crying with your dog and you asked me to help you find love, even if it's only this one time. I thought you would know by now. " The man huffed and rolled his eyes annoyed. Viktor froze. All of those times he had been talking to himself! He didn't ask anyone to help him, especially not this guy! His heart was beating out of his chest as he stared at the man wide-eyed and confused. Yuuri only smiled back at him as Viktor's own voice rang through his ears. "Who is this guy? He so certain he could help me find love. Is he a stalker? I have to know him from somewhere. I don't understand But, i-" Yuuri stood up and grabbed Viktor's hands with a grin. "My real name is Eros and I am the God of love. "

[fifteenstrawberries]

Surely Someday

So, once upon a time, I had an idea for a music au. and, well . . . 

Also please please check out the song in the description, you will not regret it, I promise.

Surely Someday

Modern college/ jazz band au. Title and the lyrics at the end come from “Because” by Yoko Kanno. Which is emphatically Not Jazz, but it worked so well I couldn’t help it. The legendary jazz quintet, Voltron, of Altea University, started out as just Hunk and Lance jamming out in an empty music room. They would get back from their afternoon classes, grab Lance's trumpet and Hunk's bass from the orchestra room lockers, then find a good space and chill for an hour or so, unwinding from the stress of the day. They never set out to play anything specific-- Lance liked to improvise and Hunk was good at riffing off his notes, but by the time Pidge found them, they'd practiced enough songs for a pretty decent length set.

Pidge-- better known as Katie Holt to everyone but Hunk and Lance-- was one of those child musical genius prodigy types, who came to the university for classes and was on track to graduate early with a degree in music composition. She took lessons for five different instruments (only piano was required for her degree, the rest were just for fun) and had apparently never heard of improv jazz before in her life. She had burst into their practice room and demanded to know what exactly they were doing, that chord would work much better if you raised the bass line by a half step, and could they please decide whether they were playing in four/four time or not? Her brother had dragged her out, apologizing profusely, as Katie shouted back questions, wanting to know if they actually knew how to play their instruments because that would explain a lot, really.

Needless to say, they kept her.

It was just the three of them for the first few weeks. And that was good! Pidge kept bringing different instruments to their jam sessions and had a knack for harmonizing, and kept bringing new music for them to play, either her favorite songs arranged for trumpet, bass, and clarinet, or pieces that she'd written for her music composition class with Professor Coran. They even performed during the Homecoming concert as 'the Voltron Jazz trio.'

"Which is why," Lance argued, as Hunk stapled another 'looking for player' notice on the student board, "We don't need another player. Jazz trios are a thing, dude."

"Jazz quartets are also a thing," Hunk gave him an amused look, "It'll be nice to have another person to play with. Besides, we're getting to the point where we could really use a decent drummer."

"Oh no. The legendary Voltron jazz trio does not need a drummer."

"Do you want to give Pidge an excuse to bring her metronome again?"

Lance shuddered. That practice had been a nightmare and didn't bear remembering.

"Exactly," Hunk said grimly. "The only way we're going to keep her from bringing that monstrosity again is if we put someone on drums." He stapled the next flier to the cafeteria message board with unnecessary force, muttering to himself, "Bringing a metronome to jazz practice, honestly . . . ."

Lance patted his shoulder in silent, sympathetic commiseration.

In the end, only one person got in touch with them. Hunk refused to tell Lance who it was, and it wasn't until Lance saw a familiar mullet sitting at a table at the student café, waiting to meet them, that he understood why.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Lance hissed, clutching at Hunk's arm.

"Nope."

"Keith? Really? Keith?!"

"He's the only one that responded and he's good, Lance, don't you dare ruin this because of that one thing when you were a freshman."

"It was marching band! Do you know how cool I would've been if I'd gotten into marching band?"

Pidge rolled her eyes at their whispered argument, pulling the café door open, "Hey," she said, walking up to Keith, "Are you here for us?"

Keith blinked at her, "I think so. Are you guys the--" He consulted one of Hunk's fliers, now wrinkled almost beyond recognition, "Voltron jazz ensemble?"

"That's us," Hunk said agreeably, pulling up a chair.

Lance flung himself into the chair opposite Keith, who eyed him uncertainly. "So, Keith," Lance drawled, "Since when were you interested in jazz?"

"I'm not, really," Keith shrugged, "But I need another extracurricular if I'm going to keep my scholarship next semester and the rock band I was going to join fell through."

"Lucky for us then," Hunk noted, ignoring the strangled sound Lance was making, "You said you play drums, right?"

"For the past ten years."

"Cool. I play bass, Pidge here plays either clarinet or saxophone depending, and you know that Lance plays trumpet."

 “Ummm . . . .”

Lance could actually see the moment where Keith failed to remember how he had ruined Lance's life.

No. No nononono no no nope, Lance refused to play with a guy who didn't even have the decency to remember his part in one of the more humiliating moments in Lance's life. Keith wasn't getting into Voltron. Period.

But Hunk might actually kill him if he just stood up and walked away, so Lance needed to figure out a way to dispose of Keith subtly . . . .

His eyes lit on Pidge.

Perfect.

"You the only person who replied to the flier," Hunk was saying.

"But we have a minor in our group," Lance interrupted, ignoring the strange looks all three were giving him, "So Pidge gets a final say in who joins."

There, Lance thought smugly. Keith looked nervous as Pidge inspected him over the top of her glasses. Hunk couldn't even give him a hard time about it, they'd already agreed that they would defer to Pidge's judgement since she was the closest thing they had to a conductor. And Pidge had ridiculously high standards when it came to the people she played with so there was no way she'd ever, ever--

"Keith can stay." Pidge said.

"Oh, cool," Hunk said, as Lance gaped, "Keith you heard her, you're in."

"Why?!" Lance exclaimed, staring at Pidge in betrayal.

Pidge pushed up her glasses, "He can play the percussion piece I composed."

Hunk and Lance paused.

"The one you brought in last week?" Hunk ventured.

"The one you wrote specifically to be physically impossible to play?" Lance yelped.

They both turned to Keith, who shrugged. "It was pretty challenging." He admitted.

Hunk and Lance exchanged long, speaking looks.

"Fine," Lance sighed, at the end of their silent conversation, "Keith," He paused, then said begrudgingly, "Welcome to Voltron."

Keith grinned.

"Do you have some time right now?" Hunk asked, as Pidge offered Keith a high five, "We're going to find a practice room to jam in. You can come and get a feel for how we play together."

"Yeah, sounds good." Keith nodded, still smiling faintly, and stood up.

"You're in charge of whatever sticks or tambourines or whatever you need to play." Lance told him, "Don't expect us to help you lug around your equipment. It's every man for himself."

Pidge cleared her throat pointedly.

"Every person for themselves." Lance amended.

"I . . . wasn't expecting you to?" Keith was frowning again, confused.

"Ignore him Keith, he's just mad that you don't remember him." Hunk said, holding the door open for everyone to walk outside.

"Oh," Keith gave Lance another confused look, "Sorry?"

Lance seethed.

Ten minutes later, walking through the halls toward the practice room, Keith stopped dead, "Wait, Lance, weren't you the guy who sent like five people to the hospital during marching band auditions?"

"Minor injuries, only three people, and it was your fault!"

"That's why you've been giving me a hard time? How was it my fault that you tripped over your own feet?!"

"I was distracted by your mullet!" _____________________________________________________________________________

Practices got a lot more . . . intense, after Keith joined--

("Keith, can you at least try to stay on the beat?"

"It's called syncopation, Lance, I know you know what that is.")

--But even Lance could admit that they were better with him than without.

Lance and Hunk finally got the paperwork together to get their little band registered as an official club so Keith could list it on his transcript. They played at the November Thanksgiving concert, the Christmas concert, the faculty holiday party . . . . Miss Allura, who planned college events on top of being Pidge's piano teacher, booked them for like three different alumni parties, telling them that since they were playing anyway, they might as well get paid for it. Things settled into a new kind of normal.

Until one day in early spring when Keith pulled Lance aside, and told him that his friend was joining their next practice. "So try not to be as much of an asshole as you usually are." He said, voice tight.

Lance bristled, "Excuse you, I am not--"

"You are," Keith interrupted, "And I'm warning you now, if you rag on him the way the way you do me, I'm going to melt down your trumpet and turn it into an asshole of the year trophy."

Lance gasped, clutching his trumpet protectively to his chest as Keith turned on his heel and left.

 He spent the rest of the night complaining to Hunk. How dare Keith threaten his trumpet! Would Keith deny the world the sweet music Lance made, over perfectly valid criticisms of his hair, and fashion sense, and ability to stay on beat?

Then Keith's friend stepped into the music room with a shock of white hair and tired eyes, the lower half of his right sleeve hanging empty, and yeah, Lance could see how even the good-natured teasing he indulged in might be out of place here.

Takashi Shirogane. Piano virtuoso and Altea University alumnus extraordinaire. The gift shop still sold recordings of his Carnegie Hall piano concert.

While Lance was standing there tongue tied, Hunk set his bass on its stand and walked over, left hand extended, "You must be the friend Keith was telling us about." He grinned, "I'm Hunk."

"Takashi Shirogane. Call me Shiro, please." Shiro shook his hand with a warm flicker of a smile.

"Good to meet you," Hunk said easily, "The tiny one with three different instruments is Pidge—“

 Pidge waved from where she was putting together her clarinet.

 “—and the guy emptying his spit valve on the carpet like a heathen is my friend Lance. He's the one that got this whole crazy thing started."

"Glad you could join us," Lance said, trying for nonchalant because holy shit, was Takashi Shirogane really going to play with them?? "So do you wanna practice with us or . . . ?" Wait, missing arm, shit.

Hovering at his friend's elbow, Keith's expression went from resting bitch-face to murderous.

The quirk in Shiro's smile was the only indication that he'd noticed Lance's faux pas. "Nah. I don't want to mess you up. Keith tells me you do a lot of improv."

"Oh, improv's not hard," Lance assured him, "Lots of people think that it is, but really, just pick a chord and a key and go from there. You could probably do it with one hand tied behind--" God dammit, if Keith wanted to kick his ass later, Lance was going to let him.

After a long pause where Lance tried to ascend to the astral plane and Keith tried to kill Lance with his brain— Hunk was standing with his eyes raised to the ceiling, hands pressed together in front of his mouth like he was praying-- Pidge said, "You are the living embodiment of tact, Lance."

"Thanks for the salt Pidge, makes the shoe leather taste much better."

Shiro laughed. “It’s okay, really.”

Huh. Maybe Lance could hold off on suicide by Keith after all.

"Seriously though," Pidge added, glancing at Shiro, "You're just going to sit and listen to us?"

Shiro’s smile turned wry, and he shrugged. The movement made the empty part of his sleeve sway.

Keith hesitated, unhappy, "Shiro--"

"It's fine," Shiro interrupted. He nudged Keith in the direction of the drum set, pulling out a chair for himself at the edge of the room, "Do your thing. Just pretend I'm not here."

Lance caught a glimpse of Keith as he walked past . . . .

"Hey Shiro" Lance said suddenly, "Can you sing?"

Shiro paused with his hand on the back of the chair, taken by surprise, "What?"

"Pidge has been working on some stuff with vocals," Lance nodded at her, "Right Pidge?"

"Oh yeah!" Pidge dove for her backpack, pulling out a pile of sheet music, "It started out as an exercise for my music composition class, but it turned out to be really fun, so I kept going."

Shiro blinked at the music she shoved into his hands, "Fall Out Boy?"

"Arranged for jazz band." Pidge agreed, "Now come on, get over here so we can hear you."

"I'm not really a singer," Shiro protested, pulling his chair over slowly.

"Can you carry a tune in a bucket?" Lance asked, arranging his music on his stand.

"Yes?"

"Then you can sing. It's fine man, it's jazz," Lance flashed him a smile, then turned to the rest of the group, "Let's get started. Pidge, Hunk, you all tuned up?"

"Of course." Pidge sniffed at him, picking up her clarinet and playing a short C major. Hunk plucked his strings a couple more times, then gave Lance a thumbs up.

"Keith, we've actually got someone singing with us today. Try not to drown us out the way you usually do."

Keith rolled his eyes, "Right back at ya, buddy."

Lance sneered elegantly at him, then turned to Shiro, "If you get lost, just keep an eye on Hunk, he’ll cue you in. And remember, if you mess up, blame Pidge."

"Hey!" Pidge squawked.

"I can read this sheet music woman! When exactly am I supposed to breath?"

"You talk that long without breathing all the time, you'll be fine."

"Ha. Ha. Everyone all set?" Lance glanced around. Pidge was rolling her eyes at him, Hunk was snickering, Shiro was trying to hide a bemused smile, and Keith kept stealing glances at Shiro.

Lance had never seen that expression on Keith's face before.

"We're ready," Lance decided, "On my count. A-five six seven eight!" _____________________________________________________________________________

They had been good before. But after Shiro joined, something locked into place, and now they were on their way to becoming great.

Shiro had a beautiful, strong tenor, and was surprisingly good at singing the blues for someone who had never studied jazz before. (Which was Not To Be Commented On.)

 It took them a while to convince him to come to practice. He kept trying to bow out, saying that he didn’t want to disrupt their practice, or that he wasn’t a good enough singer, or that he was too old, they couldn’t possibly want him around--

 (Pidge rolled her eyes, “Dude, just shut up and sing with us.”

 “It’s a little hard to do both.” Shiro said drily.)

 But once they’d finally managed to convince him that they didn’t care, he was took to jazz like he’d been waiting for a way to let music back into his life after . . . after. He started taking singing lessons, he audited Lance and Hunk’s music history class, he started making requests and suggestions, looking for ways for all of them to improve—

 Lance felt something warm and soft in his chest when Shiro launched into an impromptu lecture on the historical significance of Harlem jazz clubs, eyes no longer tired but shining with enthusiasm. He glanced at Keith, who was watching Shiro with the same warm, soft expression as Lance, and the two of them shared a smile.

 Shiro took over as music director, with Lance’s blessing. They had a little ceremony to transfer the tuner and everything. It was just as well, really. Shiro was much better at keeping them all in line, and with him in charge Lance could goof off with his friends instead of pretending to be responsible.

 Then Pidge set up a Youtube channel for them, they recorded a couple songs and put them up and . . . suddenly they were kinda sorta famous? People recognized them when they walked around campus now, and usually complemented them on their videos and asked when were they going to put up the next one. Miss Allura and Professor Coran helped them record their first album, carefully making no mention of the fact that this was Shiro’s second time doing this. After finals were over and school let out for the summer, they even got a couple gigs! Nothing too big, just a couple coffee shops in and around the tristate area and one wedding. But it was still enough to justify renting a van to take the Voltron band to their various locations.

 They turned it into a proper road trip. Mr. and Mrs. Holt drove and chose various places for them to stop and have fun, museums and parks and farmers markets. Shiro divided his attention between helping them navigate and keeping peace in the back seat, which became essential when they were forbidden from practicing in the car.

 It was different, more exciting and more stressful than anything Lance had ever done before, and he was sincerely grateful that Shiro was there to talk them down from their pre-concert jitters. Going out there, being on a stage and seeing a whole crowd of people watching . . . .

 Lance never imagined that him and Hunk jamming out in a classroom together would lead to this.

 Then it was over. They went their separate ways for the rest of the summer, promising to meet up when school started.

 Now here they were again, after the first day of classes, Hunk, Lance and Pidge with instruments in hand, and Keith twirling his drumsticks like a cheerleader’s baton, heading for the auditorium where they’d agreed to meet. None of them had heard from Shiro in the past month, but Keith promised he’d be there for practice in a couple hours. In the meantime they had an after-class jam session to get to, which was a tradition dammit, and they weren’t going to let things like an impending concert and a growing case of fame get in the way.

 Only it seemed like some one was already there. A slow melody plinked out from the baby grand on stage, and Lance craned his head to see who was playing . . . .

 That was Shiro.

 In the wings, Lance threw out a hand to stop the others, motioning for silence. Hunk clapped a hand over his mouth and Keith grabbed onto Lance’s shirt. Pidge rolled her eyes at them, but stayed quiet.

 Shiro was frowning in concentration as he picked out the notes, his eyes as tired as they had been the first time he’d come to practice with them.

 Lance couldn’t help but remember the two albums on his computer, played countless times. The piano on them had sung, the notes flowing like water, smooth and easy . . . .

 This wasn’t that.

 Stiff and clumsy, from lack of practice and the use of his non-dominant hand, the music bare without a second hand to play harmony, but he was still playing, and they would never ask for more than that—

 One of Keith’s drumsticks dropped, clattering against the ground. Shiro’s gaze flew up, eyes widening when he saw them in the wings.

 Lance tried for a grin as Hunk waved sheepishly behind him.

 Shiro flushed and looked away, his hand falling from the keyboard.

 No, dammit, that wasn’t—they hadn’t meant--

 Lance, Hunk and Keith slunk on stage, setting up and tuning their instruments guiltily.

 Pidge just stood there with her hands in her pockets, head tilted like a bird, “Why’d you stop?”

 “We’ve got a lot of work to do before our first concert,” Shiro didn’t look up, his remaining hand curled loosely in his lap, “If you’re all here we should start practice.”

 “You were already practicing though.” Pidge pointed out, frowning slightly.

 Shiro didn’t reply.

 Pidge slid onto the bench next to Shiro, picking up his hand and placing it on the keys when he didn’t move. “You take the top, I’ll take the bottom.” She told him, and started to play.

 Hunk joined in next, drawing long, slow, easy notes from his bass. Then Keith, with a soft, rolling beat on the cymbals. Lance took the descant, playing as quietly as he could.

 Then Shiro finally beginning to play again, the counterpoint to Pidge’s harmony, and all of them shifted to match.

 They played their way through the opening one more time. Shiro was smiling now, as music echoed throughout the hall.

____________________________________________________________________________________

 "Someday

Look back On a

Young day We shared

We learned We had

We lost Because

You know Tomorrow had another plan Because

We lose

The future is all we have left We have someday Surely someday Surely someday"

[unpretty-writer]

BITE BACK: Illegal Crossings

Waking up has always been a struggle for you. Between the warmth of the sheets and the call of sweet dreams why would anyone want to wake up. Needless to say, it has been easier to wake up since being forcefully turned into a werewolf by Kris. You were used to it by now, waking up trapped between Suho and some other warm body. What was new was the unexpected arrival of morning wood that one of them was sporting.

Who was behind you again? The body moaned as he began to stir, jolting your memory of whom it belonged to. Kai. Why did it have to be him? His melodic moan had your heart beating faster. He tightens his grip around your waist and you can feel him inhale the scent of your hair. Unconsciously you roll your hips down into his morning wood and are rewarded by an even more beautiful moan. You had been too busy the last week with everything being thrown at you to realize that you were a little sexually frustrated. It seems Kai might be feeling the same.

Before your thoughts go much farther than that you feel a hand start to caress your face and lips. You looked up with hooded eyes to see similar ones staring back at you. “Suho,” you breath out.

“As much as I love an orgy, we don’t have the time for one.” He smiles and winks at you.

“Then let me and Y/N finish this and we can get going,” Kai responds as begins to grind against you from behind.

Suho sighs “There’s still no time Kai.”

You feel Kai tighten his grip on your waist as he pressed himself harder against you. Then he was gone, rushing to the bathroom angrily. Soon the sound of the shower fills the room and the others use it to block out the heavy atmosphere of sex that fills it. It doesn’t work and you notice Chen and Xiumin trying not to look too needy.

“Well,” Xiumin starts gulping audibly before continuing. “I’d better go get ready for the day.” Then he’s up and sprinting for the bedroom door, trying to cover his own erection.

Chen’s eyes catch yours for a moment, you see his chest rise quickly as he takes in a ragged breath. “Fuck.” He moans out. He breaks eye contact and is running towards the door, unlike Xiumin he doesn’t try and cover his hardening member “I’m gonna, yup.” He says before running out.

The atmosphere remains thick, and you just wish someone would either fuck you or make it stop. Then Suho does, with one word the tension is broken and you can feel at ease.

“Don’t worry, this happens more than you’d think.”

“What?” you ask while turning to look at him. His eyes don’t reflect the sense of lust they had the last time.

“One person waking up sexually frustrated and then we all react the same,” He chuckles ruffling your hair. “I’m not sure if it was you or Kai, but it’s no big deal. If we didn’t have to head out to Seattle today it would have been a fun morning.” he winks at you before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

As Suho gets closer to the door, it opens and Kai exits with only a towel wrapped around his waist. You can tell he’s still a little grumpy.

“Kai remember we don’t have time. Go call Onew. Tell him we should be at the mountain pass by midnight, or if he’d prefer we’ll meet him at the town rendezvous at noon tomorrow.”  Suho says in passing. He sends you a wink before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Kai meets your eyes for a moment and you can feel your face flush. The weight of his eyes fills the room and all you can hear is your speeding heartbeat until you feel the plop of clothes landing on your head. “You hear Suho: we don’t have time. Put those on and go get something to eat. It’s probably going to be the last meal we have for a while.” You hear Kai exit the room and you hurry to pull on the clothes he left you.

You could smell him on every article of clothing and it made you smirk a little; you weren’t the only one having troubles this morning.

As you swallowed the food barely chewing in the process you noticed a pouting Sehun. “What’s wrong?” You inquired as food particles splattered onto Lay’s face.

“Come on, Y/N, chew your food,” Lay chuckled as he whipped his face of the flying food.

You mumbled an apology and then redirected your attention to Sehun. “Come on Sehun what’s wrong?” You pushed, further concerned about the melancholy look on his face.

“It’s just.” Sehun begins with a sigh. “It’s not fair, why aren’t I coming to Seattle with the rest of you?”

“Because, ” D.O. interjects while placing more food on the table. “We need someone here to feed Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Xiumin and Lay. We can’t very well all go. Who would keep Kris out?”

“Well, why can’t you stay?” Sehun whined.

“Because Key knows a bunch of chefs that agreed to meet with me. This not only will help me expand my cooking knowledge but will give me an opportunity to make better meals for us.” D.O. was just gloating now. Honestly, who could blame him? This was a major opportunity for him, and from what you heard he gave up his dream to be a chef in order to be a part of this pack. He had every right to go. If anything you felt guilty that you were going at all. A feeling that seemed to spread to Sehun.

“Y/N, don’t feel bad. This whole trip is for you anyway.” Sehun tried to comfort you, but it only made you feel worse.

“Now you are only making her feel worse Sehun!” Chen chimed in while smacking the younger boy on the back of his head.

“Listen to me Y/N, you don’t need to feel bad. D.O.’s only going because Key offered to introduce him to theses chefs. Kai is going because Suho already promised him he could come, but really it the same reason I’m going. We were there to help you transform and for the moment that means Kai, Xiumin and myself are the closest to you. We’ll besides Suho that is.” Chen was rubbing your arm in an attempt to make you feel better and it was almost working.

“But what about Xiumin?” you asked looking into Chen’s eyes. “Why isn’t he coming?”

“I’m going to Greg’s. It’s the garage I worked at before these idiots came in with their broken cars looking for some cheap repairs. I still go back every couple months and help out. I owe him so much, I couldn’t leave him high and dry.” Xiumin explained. He seemed rather excited as he finished off his breakfast. “So Chanyeol and I will drive you guys to the drop-off and then we’ll head back. I’ll be staying at Greg’s and Chanyeol will come back here. We’ll pick you guys up in about a couple of weeks when you guys head back.”

“Well,” began Xiumin.  “now can we please get a move on? It’s a long journey and I’d like to get to the pass by midnight in case Onew actually meets us there. Who knows with him.” Suho interjects as he comes into the kitchen stealing whatever scraps he can off the dinner table.

“Why does he even want to meet us at the pass?” Kai questions while picking plates up and taking them to the sinks.

“He’s worried about the wild packs in the area,” Suho responds.

You don’t miss the way Chen stiffens beside you. You grab his hand and take a deep breath hoping to help calm him down.

“He doesn’t want them thinking we are encroaching on the territory. He also doesn’t want trouble with his dad. Kai and I didn’t leave many friends behind when we left. He just doesn’t want any problems. That and he seems excited to meet you, Y/N.” Suho finishes with a smile. You can tell by the way Kai is angrily sulking that there is more to this story but now isn’t the time.

You say your goodbyes to those who aren’t driving down with you. It feels surreal everything that’s happened to you in such a short period of time. You seem to be lost in your thoughts as the three-hour drive to the drop-off spot seems to take less than half that time.

You all then head out as if you on a hike. Suho began to speak, “It the best way for us to transform without anyone seeing.” Finally, after an hour of hiking, you reach a deserted area that seemed as if no one ever traveled to. You along with the other began to take your clothes off and one by one they all transformed. You watched as Xiumin and Chanyeol gathered the clothing and boots and packed them away.

“Y/N,” Xiumin started when he noticed you were just standing there. “I know you are scared, but it’s okay. You’ve done it before and you can do it now.” He was holding your hand and looking into your eyes. He really believed in you but you still felt terrified.

“Xiumin, what if… what if… I make a fool of myself. What if while we are running I turn back into a human? What use am I then?” you confessed.

Xiumin let out a chuckle before he answered you. “ That’s very unlikely. You are only really able to accidentally transform into a wolf, not the other way around. That’s the way it works. You are returning to nature. Humans aren’t really nature. We evolved from it, but the wolf, the wolf is nature. So don’t worry. Now it’ll hurt but it’s going to hurt less this time I promise.”

Xiumin took a couple of steps back before gesturing at you. You looked at his smiling face and gained the confidence you needed to begin.

Closing your eyes you instantly found your wolf ones looking back at you, as if waiting for your return. You run forward and collided, ripping and tearing until you are whole again as a wolf. Xiumin was right, it fucking hurt but it was less than before.

You could hear them all gushing about how beautiful you looked. How red your fur was. It didn’t even phase you that you could hear them while you were all wolves. Of course, you shared everything in human form. They knew how you were feeling without even having to say anything in human form so, of course, it made sense for you all to be able to communicate this way.

“Now then,” Suho gathers all your attention. “Let’s get going it’s gonna be a long day full of running.”

Just as promised it was a day full of running. The only strange thing was none of you seemed to tire of it. It was if you could run for days and never tire.  By the time night fell you weren’t sure if you were still in Canada or the States. All that seemed to matter was going faster, testing who you could beat, who could keep up and trying to outrun each other.

You didn’t even notice the two wolves until Suho was coming to a dead stop in front of them. Stepping out in front was what seemed to be the Alpha between the two. He and Suho began to circle each other before suddenly the other one pounced. You watched in astonishment as the other wolf began to change in mid air and land screaming on a human Suho.

They both wrestled on the ground before Kai was howling to get their attention.

“Alright, alright, Kai, we get it. Onew, it’s good to see you again.” Suho was laughing as he pulled the other male up into a hug.

“And it’s good to see you too, Cousin. Now we’d better head out; Key and Taemin are with the cars and the clothes. You know how impatient those two are, but they wanted to stay where there was cell service. Taemin is texting some girl, and Key is up to something I’m just not sure what.” That seemed to be the end of the conversation. Onew began running just to jump and land as a wolf.

“Show off,” you heard Kai complain.

You followed the two wolves, but not without noticing a shift in the way everyone was acting. Kai and Chen seemed to be following closer to you now, while Suho and Onew ran at the exact same speed, maintaining an equal footing with each other. Even D.O. was acting differently, before he would fall back and snicker at you all as you raced each other. Now he seemed to be focused on separating you from the other wolf. Unlike the silvery gray fur that Onew had this one, had a lovely dark brown coat. It was similar to Kai’s but slightly darker. It intrigued you but you tried to keep this fact to yourself. Either the others didn’t want to bring it up or you were successful in keeping your thoughts to yourself. In all probability, it’s the former.

Everything passed in a blur. At some point, you had all reached the cars and were given clothes. You were so tired from the day and a half of running and transforming you fell asleep in between Kai and Suho.