#i did not shade a single thing but i did spend just 8 minutes short of 3 hours on it :)

[wackylittlegal]

guys i love them more than anything, you have no idea

[aliwritesfic]

The Night Shift part 8 (F!Reader x Frankie Morales)

Summary: It's time to do what's best for you . . . also fuck Kurt

Warnings: physical violence, emotional abuse, brief mention of trauma

W/C: 2.2k

AN: So.... I'll be honest, I was quite sick when I wrote this (and I'm still not 100% but I'm at like 75% which is good enough) but I have a mentality of not editing or revising my work otherwise I embarrass myself and convince myself I'm The Worst(tm), but I hope this makes sense and the pacing is good <3

Spotify

Part 1 Part 9

Frankie was glad to see you finally opening up. Even if that meant tears he couldn’t wipe away, or a hand he couldn’t hold. The last thing he wanted was to put you in a position where you thought the only reason he was helping was to swoop in while you were vulnerable.

You sat next to him in his truck, your eyes were puffy and red from tears that once they started seemed to come in waves of intensity, from a few sniffles to shoulders heaving, gasping for air sobs. Manny sat beside you, holding your hand, which Frankie was grateful for. He was glad to see that you had people that cared about you. When he had messaged Manny that morning, it was more to find out if his suspicions were correct about the ‘friend’ you had talked about while drunk was you.

“You don’t have-“

“We want to,” Manny interjected for the fifth time. It occurred to Frankie that you weren’t used to people wanting to help you. “I’ve been praying that you’ll let me help you.” That made you sob again. You gave another apology, chest heaving as you tried to breathe.

Truthfully, Frankie was also glad that this was an excuse for him to skip talking about his own feelings. His own mind was a muddy mess of flashbacks and night terrors and bouts of anxiety that became so crippling he forgot how to breathe. How well would that have gone down in the little group he now found himself apart of? If he had to guess, about as well as it went down with Portia – pitying looks and urges to see a proper therapist, and a new distance that neither was willing bridge.

Manny answered a call as Frankie drove back. He wasn’t driving anywhere in particular, but when it had become clear you wanted to be anywhere but that bistro, he had suggested the three of you pile into his truck and see where the road took you.

“Mateo, honey, I need to ask you a few things,” Manny said into his phone. Out of the corner of his eye, Frankie saw you lean your head back and squeeze your eyes shut. Frankie wanted to reach out and squeeze your knee, take your hand, do anything to show that he was there, that he wasn’t going anywhere so long as you wanted him around.

Manny’s voice faded into the background as you turned to look at Frankie. He pulled up at a small nature reserve, which was just an algae slicked pond and a few oak trees surrounded by recently mowed grass. Frankie noticed how bloodshot your eyes were.

“You okay?” he asked, realising it was a stupid question.

“I will be,” you said, your voice hoarse. You cleared your throat with a wince. “I’m not upset . . . I’m just overwhelmed. Like, I’ve been holding this all in for so long that once the lid was opened it was impossible to put back on, and now I’ve just gotta let it all out. Does that sound stupid?”

Frankie shook his head. “Not at all.” You smiled weakly at him.

“Bet this is the worst lunch you’ve ever had,” you said.

“Nah, I think it ranks pretty highly,” Frankie said. “Mainly because of the company, though.” You rolled your eyes and Frankie could see the corners of your mouth twitch in an effort to keep a smile away.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” he said softly.

“What isn’t?” You asked, but before he could answer, Manny interjected.

“I’ve found you a new place,” he said. You shot up, confusion written on your face plainly. Manny smiled the type of smile when someone knows they’ve basically saved the day. “That was my dear friend Mateo on the phone. He is taking his first steps towards being a real estate mogul and recently brought a one bedroom apartment to rent out. And because he is such a dear friend and owes me like, a billion favours, I told him the minimum of what your situation was, and he has told me that he’s willing to rent the place to you for lower than market value. A hundred and twenty a week, including water.”

You’re silent for a few moments, and Frankie watched you carefully.

“When can I move in?” you said finally, and Frankie felt an invisible weight lift off your shoulders. He could only imagine how difficult this would be for you; making decisions that would change how you lived in a matter of hours, basically upending your life.

“He can get the keys to us on Wednesday, he’s just got to replace some fixtures and finish painting some walls,” Manny said. You nodded slowly.

“So, I just need to last till Wednesday,” you said.

“You can stay at my place, if you want.” Frankie said quickly, not exactly comfortable with the idea of you staying with Kurt. You had said he was never physically violent, but Frankie also knew how quickly a man could change when they didn’t get their way.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose,” you said carefully. Frankie nodded.

“Of course, you’re my friend, and friends help each other.” Just friends. Only friends. He wasn’t going to take advantage of you in this state just because he had a stupid crush. He had once had a conversation with a pissed off Eve Miller, who was ranting about the guys she thought were her friends instantly making moves the moment she became single. That had solidified Frankie’s resolve to not make moves on women he was friends with – it wasn’t fair to them or to him.

Before you could answer, your phone was ringing loudly. Your face crumpled as you looked at the contact, and Frankie frowned.

Kurt.

You took a deep breath and hit answer. “Hey! What’s up?” Your light and airy tone was at odds with your sombre expression. “No, I have lunch with Manny on Sunday, remember? You’re home already? But –“

Frankie listened to the angry buzzing coming from your phone, his revulsion growing.

“My phone died – no I just went out with Sara last night, she wanted to go to fight night . . . it’s not that short . . . No I didn’t fuck anyone else, Jesus Christ, Kurt! No! Look, I’ll be home soon, we can talk about this then.” You hung up with a shaking hand, your mouth twisting with effort to contain the tears.

Manny met Frankie’s eye over the top of your bowed head and gave a small nod.

“We’ll come with you to get some of your clothes,” Frankie said. “And anything else you need.”

“You’re really too sweet for this,” you muttered with a hiccup. “I’m sorry for dragging the both of you into my shit.”

“I crawled willingly into it,” Manny said breezily, “which I would only do for about five people in this world.”

The trio remained silent for several minutes, interrupted only but the sound of your occasional hiccups. Frankie reached out and patted your shoulder awkwardly, cringing internally while he did. Inexplicably, you leant into his touch, your damp cheek brushing against the back of his hand.

“Can you drive me home so I can get my stuff?” you asked softly. Frankie nodded and turned on the truck.

~*~

You were a ball of anxiety as Frankie pulled into the complex’s parking lot. Kurt’s car was already in the spot reserved for your apartment, sending you to the verge of a full-blown panic attack. You squeezed your eyes shut and counted to ten, then backwards from ten. Distantly, you felt Manny take hold of one of your hands.

“You’ve got this.” Manny’s voice sounded far away. “Francisco and I are behind you one hundred percent.”

“You’re calling the shots,” Frankie said, touching your arm. His hand was warm and calloused, and you didn’t know why that observation seemed to be at the forefront of your mind, but it was. You opened your eyes and met Frankie’s warm brown ones, suddenly feeling infinitely stronger.

You told them what you wanted to do – for you to go in by yourself and for them to wait outside the door, plug their ears if necessary, only come in if they felt like you were in any actual danger. Frankie’s face darkened at this, but to your relief he didn’t protest your plan.

You felt stronger with the two of them behind you. Every single step towards your apartment door solidified your resolve that this was the right thing, that this relationship hadn’t made you happy, fulfilled, in years. The click of your key in the door felt like one of finality.

Kurt sat on the couch, glaring at you. You left the door open a crack as you walked in, hovering by the dining table. You took him in fully and came to the conclusion that you were no longer attracted to this man at all. His skin was reddened by the sun, pale patches around his light blue eyes. His thin mouth was curled into a sneer.

“Care to explain what the fuck you’ve been doing while I was gone?” he said.

“Not really, no.” You replied. “Here’s the thing, Kurtis, you don’t get to go out with your friends for the whole weekend doing who-knows-what then turn around and get angry at me for spending time with the only friend from school that I still have! That’s not fair.”

“And who’s fault is that? You’re the one who pushed them all away!” Kurt stood up and advanced towards you. Normally, you would have taken a step backwards, given him space, but this time you stood your ground, clenching your fists tightly to stop them shaking.

“I’m still allowed to have a social life,” you said, struggling to keep your tone even. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“If you wanna go out and act like a fucking whore-“

“Think what you want, Kurt,” you said, “it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m leaving. You can’t stop me.”

Kurt spluttered for a moment, turning a shade of deep red. “Like fucking HELL you’re leaving me, you bitch!”

“I am!” you shot back. He was only a few inches from you now, so close his breath was hot on your face. “I’m miserable, I don’t love you anymore, and I’m done. I’ve been done for so long I can’t remember a time I was fully invested in this relationship! I deserve better! I deserve love that doesn’t make me so sad it hurts, and I can’t have that with you.”

Kurt’s face twisted into an ugly contortion of the features you once found perfect. “No. Nobody can love you the way I do! Nobody can understand you like I do! If you leave, I won’t want to live anymore. Don’t you remember? I can’t live without you!”

“Then go to a fucking hospital!” you snapped, moving to get past him. Kurt grabbed your wrist tightly. His grip was like a vice, cutting off blood supply to your fingers.

“Let go!” you begged. Kurt tugged you closer, spittle forming at the corners of his mouth, your noses almost touching. He’s going to kill me. Oh my god, he’s actually going to kill me. You saw movement by the door out of the corner of your eye, and your heart swelled.

“You heard her,” Frankie said, “let her go.”

Kurt didn’t let go, but instead gripped harder. He’s completely lost it, you thought dimly, the expression Kurt wore sending true fear into your heart.

“And just who the fuck are you?” Kurt demanded.

“Let her go,” Frankie repeated. He didn’t raise his voice, but you could still hear the power it held. Kurt scoffed and spat at Frankie’s feet.

“This is an issue between me and my girlfriend, now get out of my apartment before I make you.”

Frankie didn’t reply, instead, he strode forward, pushed the sleeves of his flannel over shirt up as he did. Kurt didn’t wait. He pushed you hard against the kitchen bench, knocking the breath out of you and sending a shot of pain through your back, and moved to meet Frankie in the middle of the room.

It happened in an instant, blink and you miss it. Frankie swung, his fist connecting with Kurt’s jaw with a sickening crunch. Kurt went down like a lead balloon, howling as he collapsed on the floor. Frankie stood over him, breathing hard through his nose.

Manny ran forward to help you, holding you to him like the protective brother you had always wished for. It took you a few moments to realise you were shaking, out of fear or adrenaline you didn’t know.

“Come on,” he whispered soothingly, “we gotta get your stuff.” You nodded and let him help you up. You didn’t feel like you were connected with your body like you were watching the whole thing through a separate set of eyes. You saw Frankie standing over Kurt, arms crossed and boot pressing into Kurt’s chest.

Manny held your hand as you walked to your bedroom. You were distantly aware of the aching in your body, your back, and wrist especially. It was Manny who packed your bag for you, grabbing anything he thought you might need. The whole thing was done in less than ten minutes. Before you left you turned to face Kurt.

“I’ll be back sometime this week to get the rest of my stuff. Do not contact me.”

You felt your strength returning to you as you left with Frankie and Manny with you. For the first time in a long time, you felt like you could breathe.

Taglist: @hnt-escape @sharkbait77 @1800-fight-me @annathewitch @darnitdraco @frankiecatfish @punkerthanpascal @nakhudanyx @gracie7209 @quica-quica-quica @pintsizemama @phoenix-of-loki

[hyperfixationtimego]

Happy little hcs to atone for my sins

Taka and Hina are study buddies

Sometimes Aoi manages to get Taka off track because she’s just so enthusiastic and wants to hear about all of her friends’ hyperfixations and special interests

37.2 minutes later

Taka’s infodumping about how he despises moral philosophy but also thoroughly enjoys it bc that’s how moral philosophers are

Or he’s infodumping about political science and debate tactics and how speeches were effective or not for various reasons

Sakura and Mondo work out together

It started off as a coincidence when they were in the gym at the same time but it kept happening so they called it a schedule

They talk about their SOs and they’re smiling

Sakura teaches Mondo certain stretches and exercises to help relax different muscle groups for whenever he pulls a muscle or has a flare up from the thing with the bikes

Leon constantly asks Chihiro to turn alter ego into a vocaloid or at least program a bit of that tech into their system

Bc he would rather shave his head again than talk to Sayaka about producing music

He just has so many ideas

And it’s cool when there are kinda punk rock songs that are covered in an 8-bit or a vocaloid style

Byakuya and Celeste have a small series of bets with low stakes about what their inferiors classmates will do to lead up to them jingling away morosely like the fools they are

Sayaka shamelessly advertises her group’s mercy to her classmates and friends

Everyone gets their nails painted at some point

Nobody knows how Byakuya got roped into it but it worked

Makoto has rainbow loom

Atua forgives you

anyway YEAH LEGIT?

Hina has fully and thoroughly fallen in love with all of her friends and classmates’ expressions whenever they’re talking about something that excites them omg 🥺

she sees someone rambling and having a good time and hears the enthusiastic pitch of their voice as well as the general Vibe™️ that they’re giving off and she just???? [Y E A R N]

:)

and also just???? her and taka being study buddies is so valid oh my god??? they’re really close because of it!!! And Taka always loves hanging out with her because he knows she’ll let him just Talk??? and he adores that about her????? And she’ll be ENGAGED which!!!!!! oh my god!!!!?????

hi in this house we love and adore hina

And Sakura and Mondo???? absolutely?????

they have friendly competitions over who can lift the most weights/do the most reps/etc. (they do it sparingly, ofc! bc Sakura at least knows that they’ll both be subconsciously trying to beat the other as opposed to listening to what their bodies need in the moment. Sakura is the single braincell of class 78 no I won’t take it back because it’s true)

and they totally doooooo like they both get such cute loveydovey pining expressions whenever it’s Their Turn™️ to discuss the latest cute thing their partner(s) did. and listening to the other talking???? oh my god it’s literally the neatest thing????

Sakura looking at Mondo: I would die for this man

Mondo looking at Sakura: this woman is literally beauty and perfection in human form

THEY’RE SUCH GOOD FRIENDS OKAY???

also chihiro joins them for training sometimes!!!! She obviously isn’t able to do as much as the other two are, but both Sakura and Mondo are always so proud of her progress??? They’re like “you are so cool and strong do you know that??? you better know that”

and speaking of chihiro hdbdvdvdvdvdvdvdvd on GOD Leon will Not leave them alone abt it and they’re just like

“y....you do NOT have the attention span,.......you’re gonna get frustrated within like the first five minutes......and then I’ll have done all that work for nothing..............”

but Leon’s >:( no I won’t!!!! music is my Passion!!!!!!!!

so it’s like *sigh* okay

and anyway leon genuinely does rlly like it???? like he gets burned out very easily and can only compose things in short bursts, but he’s always so so so proud of the finished products??? (Even if nobody else likes it but shush 😌)

and it makes chihiro :D to know that something she made (even if it was done with reluctance) has brought one of her closest friends so much happiness????? she’s also like good for Leon but also if he ever bothers them about something like that again they are Literally Going to Snap but that’s another story for another day vwv

AND YEAH LIKE. HE DOESN’T MIND TALKING TO HER ABT MUSIC IN GENERAL BECAUSE IT’S AN INTEREST THEY SHARE (quite possibly one of the only times they will have a conversation without one constantly insulting the other ❤️) BUT. ADMITTING TO HER THAT HE NEEDS HELP WITH IT IS THE WORST HE HATES IT HE HATES IT HSBDBSBD

god okay so. his first impression of her when they had just come to hope’s peak and met for the first time was “oh my god!!! she’s a pop idol!!! so she must know a lot about music!!! maybe she’ll help me become a popular musician!!!” and her immediate reaction when she first heard him ask was to literally roll her eyes and he was like oh okay fuck her actually

and then slow burn enemies-to-friends 💛

WHEBDVSVS CELESTE AND BYAKUYA JUST BEING RICH ASSHOLES IS SO FUNNY??? LIKE THEY HAVE WEALTH SOLIDARITY AND THEY ACT ALMOST LIKE alright your status makes you worthy of my time, I suppose-

they’ve had bets on everything from how many times kirigiri will pass out from exhaustion by the end of the school day, to how long it’ll take before Kirumi finally Loses Her Shit, to how many people will be harmed by Komaeda’s luck while hanging out with him.

Mfs about to die smh

and dhdbwvwbsvwvwb yeah like??? sometimes a normal conversation with maizono will turn into her being like “yeah, and by the way, if you’re looking for a change of style and wardrobe, you should check out the newest shirt my band just released as part of our merch drop, and-”

Makoto is the one who gets baited into her merch ads most often sndbsbsbdbdbw

even mentioning the word “merch” around Leon or Kaz will earn her a lot of groaning and sighing, and occasionally a pillow or other soft object being hurled at her face 💛

oh my god they all have a manicure spa day,,,,,,,class bonding 🥺

hdbdvdvdv they got Jill to break into his dorm and kidnap him ngl like the specifics they gave her were something along the lines of “use as much force as you need to without killing him” and she was like “DONE”

and okay I’m not gonna talk abt everyone’s nails but now I’m thinking about it and like-

Sayaka gets like a lighter violet background with gold and white stars smattered around them, more concentrated in some areas than others, and it’s generally very pretty 🥺

chihiro’s are a different solid pastel color on each finger!!! it’s very kidcore and fun and they love it so muchhhh!!!

leon gets a little self-conscious when it’s his turn because his nails are highkey disgusting from all the time he spends playing baseball - there’s dirt trapped under them and everything so he’s just like hhhhhhh anxiety go brrrr but anyway he gets solid black because he’s edgy and cool like that 😎

I think Taka gets a French manicure with little dark red flowers pressed towards the tips because!!! simple yet pretty!!!

Celeste probably takes the longest because her request is sooooo complicated like it’s black and red and long ass acrylics with overlapping patterns and everyone else just kinda sits there feeling h o r r i b l e for that poor nail stylist

Toko gets a checkerboard pattern, with each nail having a different neon color in place of white!!! Because she knows that Jill will find it cool and pretty and colorful the next time she fronts (visual stimming jill?? 👀)

Togami just picks whatever will get him out of the chair quickest hdbsvdvdvdbdbdb

anyway Makoto????? rainbow loom????? absolutely

he has so many bracelets!!!!! so many so many so many and he knows how to create such a wide variety of styles it’s so cool!!!!!! he wears a bunch of them at any given time because they are so fun to fidget with!!!! and rubber texture hvvvvhvv!!!!

and he creates personalized ones for his friends, too, like he knows their favorite colors and sometimes picks up on whether they prefer a certain style or not from the way they react to the other ones he’s made and it’s!!! just so neat!!!!!

I’m thinking about it and!!! he has a bi pride fishtail, a trans pride arrow stitch, a black and neon green railroad, a pastel pink/blue/purple/yellow ladder, a jelly yellow and green dragon scale, a rainbow double cross, and a bunch more!!! he also has a bunch with charms and beads added into them!!!!

He also makes them for his friends even if he knows they won’t wear them!! Like Toko, for example, isn’t the biggest fan of jewelry because she doesn’t like the texture, but he creates one for her anyway and fills it with so much love (it looks like a daisy chain!!!! because at least she’ll be able to look at it and hold it and still be interested in it without it needing to be on her wrist!!!)

he makes a ton of bright colored ones for Mukuro (usually either single or inverted fishtail because he knows she wouldn’t enjoy wearing anything too heavy or overbearing) so that she has more mobile visual stims!!!

similar for Jill!! although most of hers tend to be black and bright neon rainbow in various bulkier styles!!!! Jill will also force him to let her look at his bracelet-covered arm whenever they hang out because. my god,,,,,,so many Colors™️

he’s found that togami prefers black and white simpler styles, and that Kyoko absolutely adores singles, fishtails, and double fishtails in any shade of purple, and that Mondo likes any of the larger styles in darker colors + blacks and grays!!! Chihiro loves anything with jelly and glitter bands!!!

Leon usually only wears one at a time, but he cycles through every single one that his boyfriend’s ever made for him because????? GOD they’re so cool and his boyfriend is so crafty and incredible and just,,,,,,,,,hvvvhvv every time he looks at the one he’s wearing he’s able to calm himself down and remember that Makoto loves him........it’s also very good for stim and fidgeting <3

anyways sorry yes Makoto with a rainbow loom is filling me with serotonin and it’s canon now

[hanaasbananas]

Epiphany

Summary: For when she was with Chat; when she stepped into his embrace and let him hold her close, it was as though her heart, thumping steadily in her chest, rose and took flight instead.

Missing moment from Phantoms in the Dark but can be read as a standalone.

Takes place between chapters 6 and 8

AO3

Paris, September 1788

“—nette. Marinette!” Madame Daquin rapped her sharply on the knuckles, jolting Marinette out of her daydream. “Where’s your head at, girl?”

“Sorry, madame,” she murmured, resuming her stitches hurriedly, “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Well I could see that !” Madame retorted “you haven’t made a single stitch in ten minutes. You’re hardly going to finish that dress if you let your mind wander like that.”

“It won’t happen again.”

Madame sniffed reproachfully. “See to it that it does not!”

Marinette bowed her head over the fabric to hide the flush that coloured her cheeks; focusing instead on the repetitive motion of the needle going in and out of the fabric, creating a neat row of stitches along the hem of her dress. It was simple work, and often made it easy for her thoughts to stray elsewhere, focusing on other things. Or rather, other people .

It had been only two weeks since she and Chat had begun their romance. Though they had met only a handful of times since then, Marinette found herself becoming increasingly more distracted, her eyes searching for him wherever she went, no matter how many times she told herself he was not there.

Constance had taken to teasing her incessantly about it, delighted at how the tables had turned, and Marinette could not even refute her best friend's claims.

Some nights, it confused her, thinking about how quickly she’d found that her heart was no longer her own; how all it had taken was one kiss, one brush of his fingers through her hair for that heady, intoxicating feeling to settle in her bones, leaving her yearning, aching for Chat’s touch whenever he was near.

“Is that how it felt,” she’d asked Constance on one of the days she’d actually gone to see her friend, instead of using her as an excuse to meet Chat. “With you and Charles? When you were courting?”

“Yes,” Constance had grinned “it’s a delightful feeling, isn’t it?”

“It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

Marinette thought sometimes, that the intensity of her feelings should have scared her, and perhaps it did, a little, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. For when she was with Chat; when she stepped into his embrace and let him hold her close, it was as though her heart, thumping steadily in her chest, rose and took flight instead.

***

“Plagg!” Chat waved his kwami over from behind the inn, opening his coat to let the being settle inside as he made his way into the town. “Did you do it?”

“What do you take me for?” Plagg groused “of course I did. She’ll see the note as soon as she gets into her room. Now you owe me an entire pig's trough worth of cheese.”

“That’s not gonna happ- ow!” Chat hissed as Plagg bit him. Hard. “What was that for?”

Plagg glared up at him. “ We had an agreement!”

“I said I’d give you cheese, I didn’t say how much.”

Plagg bit him again.

“Oh for-” Chat veered into the nearest alleyway, reaching into his coat to grab the kwami, who continued to look at him with murderous intent. “You’ll get your cheese,” he promised. “It will not be a pig’s trough” he continued when Plagg opened his mouth to protest, “but it will be a sizable basket. Now stop biting me!”

***

The note was waiting for her on her bed when she came home, written in Chat’s hand. Glancing over her shoulder, Marinette shut the door behind her and leaned against it, breaking the seal and reading the message within.

Meet me by our spot at sunrise tomorrow.

Reading it twice over, she traced the letters with her fingers, held it to her chest, and smiled.

***

Marinette was already waiting for him when he arrived the next morning. She could have been anyone, with the hood pulled low over her head and her face concealed, but her cloak was pinned with the brooch they’d agreed upon for him to identify her.

Their meeting spot was a small grove of trees a mile or so down the road from her parents' inn-easy to get to, and away from the town and any prying eyes. Marinette stood just under the shade of the trees, though it was early enough that few people were out on the roads who might see them.

It was the ideal place for many of their short rendezvous’s, where Marinette would meet him during the day, or evenings when he didn’t come to the inn yard, but today, Chat had different plans for their day.

“Good morning, my darling!” Chat spoke cheerfully, dismounting from Voltaire as Marinette stepped forward to meet him. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her softly in greeting before taking her hand and helping her up onto his horse.

“And just where are you taking me on this fine morning, Chat Noir?” she asked, leaning back against his chest like it was second nature, and he grinned.

It hadn’t taken her very long to adapt to riding. He remembered the first time he’d taken her out on Voltaire, how unsure she’d been of how to sit, her back ramrod straight as she made sure that their bodies did not touch. Until he’d bucked Voltaire a little so that she fell back against him, and hearing his laughter, had found herself relaxing, and tucking her head underneath his chin.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Chat laughed, reaching around her to grab the reins, urging Voltaire forward. “We wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise now, would we?”

***

“I’m not taking another step until you tell me where we’re going.” Marinette’s threat lacked heat, occupied as she was with stomping on a bramble that had wrapped itself around her foot.

They’d been walking for half an hour now through the woods, and Marinette’s hair had begun to escape it’s braid, strands of hair plastered to her forehead with perspiration.

“I mean it, Chat!” He had gone ahead of her, forging their path, but Marinette didn’t follow, holding onto a low tree branch to keep her balance as she disentangled herself.

“Alright,” Chat turned around with a shrug, a mischievous glint in his eye that did not bode well for her. Marinette held her hands out in front of her, backing away slowly, but he continued to advance, laughing at her panicked expression. They might have found themselves all the way back on the road if her heel hadn’t caught on a large tree root, and as she flailed, her arms windmilling by her sides, Chat leapt forward and quickly swept her up in his arms, carrying her as though she was light as a feather and turning back the way they came.

“Chat, put me down!” Marinette exclaimed, hitting her fist against his chest but he hardly broke his stride, grinning down at her.

“Ah, but my lady, you did say that you didn’t want to walk again, didn’t you? I’m merely fulfilling your wishes.” 

Marinette shook her head in exasperation “you’re incorrigible.”

“Only for you, darling,” he winked, his grin widening when she flushed a deep crimson. “Now...it should be here somewhere..ah!” 

Anything Marinette might have said in response was forgotten the instant Chat set foot in the glade, all the breath leaving her lungs as she stared in wonder. She hardly noticed Chat set her down, her hand still gripping onto the front of his coat. 

It was as though they’d stepped into another world, the dense, overgrown trees and shrubbery of the forest behind them falling away to reveal the glade, full to the brim with wildflowers; a riot of colours and scents that made her head spin. A small stream wound through the glade, bordered by ferns and smooth stones, and beside it...beside it was a picnic basket. 

“I take it you like your surprise,” Chat sounded amused, though she detected a hint of nervousness in his tone. Marinette whirled around to hug him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. 

“Chat, it’s beautiful!” she pulled back, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

Just like it always did, kissing Chat sent a thrill down her spine, like lightning coursing through her veins. Tangling her fingers in his hair, she lightly scratched at his scalp, smiling against his lips when he hummed and pulled her closer, one of his hands coming up to cup her neck, the other wrapped tightly around her waist as his lips slanted over hers, his teeth tugging lightly on her bottom lip and making her groan against his mouth. 

When they finally pulled apart, breathing heavily and resting their foreheads together, they were significantly more dishevelled than before. Marinette blinked slowly, reveling in the pure adoration she saw in Chats eyes. “But what’s the occasion?” she asked. 

Chat raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth tilting up in a smirk. “Must there be one? What if I just wished to spend time with the beautiful woman that I am courting? We don’t do it enough as it is, and here, we can spend the entire day together.” He pecked her on the lips, “undisturbed. Come now,” Chat grasped her hand pulling her along to where the picnic basket sat beside the stream. 

As she watched him prepare their breakfast feast; pulling out all manner of fruits, and pastries, breads and cheeses and meats, Marinette realised with a sudden clarity that—

“Is everything alright?” Chat had caught her staring, and she nodded, feeling a smile tug at her lips. 

I love you, she almost said, but bit back the words. Too soon. It was too soon. But it was as though something had shifted inside her, making room for this one unshakeable truth to slot into place. A place she hadn’t even known existed, but was now keenly aware of with every breath that she took, every beat of her heart. I love you, she thought again, feeling giddy with the knowledge. 

Chat was still looking at her, his head tilted curiously to the side and she squeezed his hand, “It’s nothing,” she said, resting her head on his shoulder, smiling when she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. “I’m just…so very happy.” 

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Quick outline of the changes in Golden Kamuy Vol 21

Here is a general outline of the more relevant changes that take place in Vol 21 compared to the magazine. Note that as usual I won’t dig into minor changes or redraws unless they seem to be relevant for the plot or characterization (or I really like them).

Also, to better let you understand some scenes or from where they come out, in some scenes I replaced the Japanese test with either the scanlation test or an appropriate translation (most of them courtesy of Lusetoj). Remember that this is merely an informative post and you’re actually supposed to support Golden Kamuy and buy the volume, either in Japanese or in your country’s language and that no, I don’t know if I’ll do a similar post for vol 22.

This is just because they changed so many relevant things here I wanted people to be able to follow them as they might affect future chapters and our understanding of them.

So now let’s start.

We spend a moment on the cover, which sees the return of Tanigaki on it.

Tanigaki is kind of a surprise as in the past after a cover with Sugimoto we always had a cover with Asirpa.

Of course the first time we had a group of 8 volumes before we had a cover with Sugi again but the second time we had 9 so it’s possible the cover for Vol 19 with Kiro was a last minute change.

Maybe the Sugimoto cover was meant for vol 19, with Asirpa on 20 and, yes, Tani on 21. We’ll see if Tsurumi will be on 22. Otherwise it’s possible to specualte the cover order is purely coincidental.

It’s also worth to mention that the backcover this time have Cikapasi (in the past it has Nihei).

On a personal note I would have preferred if it was Cikapasi who was on the front cover as in this volume he’s more relevant than Tanigaki but whatever, overall Tanigaki in the whole story has more importance and more fans than Cikapasi so okay, I get why Noda preferred to have him on the back.

We then move to the colour page.

It’s the colour cover of chap 193. In Vol 20 I wondered if Noda would use it later. Well, now it’s later, I guess.

A colour cover that was in the chapters included in this volume and that instead go lost is the one of chap 203.

The one of chap 205 was included in vol 20 so it’s not lost.

It seems in this volume there’s no short summary.

Now something really noteworthy while in the past volumes included 10 chapters, this one includes 11, the last presenting heavvy changes... but we’ll get there later.

Other chapters too saw the addition of extra pages and panels to expand scenes that already were in  the magazine version so we can better understand what’s going on and of scenes that are redrawn, either to improve their quality, correct mistakes or add to the plot.

Note I’m not going to add them all but only those which are plot relevant (or that I particularly like).

Let’s start with chap 201.

Chap 201 is one of the most tame in terms of changes.

We can see that in the cover Ogata and Tanigaki now have their rifles and Koito his sword.

I was wondering if, now that vol 20 changed things so that Tsukishima was present when Ogata called Koito ‘barchonok’, hearing Koito asking about the word would ring a warning bell in his head but that’s not the case. The scene is as it was in the magazine.

The image of Vasily gets redraw so that some particulars are improved and his colours now matches with the ones he has in the other chapters.

The one relevant change in this chapter for me is in the final page. In the magazine Sugimoto had light in his eyes, now the light is no more.

Who has heard me or @chibivesicle​ ramble about the relevance of characters’ having light in their eyes know that we think when they have none is clearly a bad sign. Sugimoto is in full murder mode and Noda wanted us to see it (and he’s also holding the miso better but okay, this is not plot relevant).

The move to chap 202.

Not much is changed in this chap.

They only added some shading to Asirpa’s face in this scene in which Tani told her they couldn’t move because, if the sniper was Ogata, then the target was Asirpa, to imply how this affect her.

Poor Asirpa, a friend of her is under attack and she’s made aware it’s due to her this is happening. Noda did great to underline how this affected her.

We move to chap 203, which, as mentioned before lost its colour cover.

We’ve then a change, instead than a man in the sledge, the ones passing through the street are a man with his whole family all of them on a single horse, a dosanko, a particularly strong Hokkaido horse.

Sugimoto’s sentence as he spoke to Vasily was changed as well.

In the magazine he said something along the line of how ‘when I think to myself that the world Asirpa is seeing has me in it... I feel like I became clean somehow and can be saved.’

Now instead he says this:

The change fits more with what Asirpa will later say in chap 206 which in the magazine originally seemed merely Asirpa’s interpretation of Sugimoto’s words when now is a direct reference to them.

Noda added the Russian version of the sentences Tsukishima said to Vasily and to Sofia and Svetlana’s dialogue. Gansoku though still talk in Japanese and Sofia talk in Japanese to him as well.

Noda also added three small panels of Gansoku, fighting and showing his delight at being hit.

We continue with chap 204.

Chap 204 expands the Tanigaki/Cikapasi scene. Originally, when Cikapasi wondered if Inkarmat was well Tani said only he was sure she was and that they should go visit her when they were to get back. Now he talks about a telegram saying she’s well to which Cikapasi is delighted, with Tani now implying visiting her should be the first thing they’ll do once back.

When Tsukishima talks with Vasily they added the Russian version of his words.

Girel also looks slightly different.

There’s also some minor redrawing but, as you can see though, the changes aren’t really big.

So let’s move on chap 205.

There are some changes in what Sugimoto says to Tsukishima.

In the magazine Tsukishima urged Sugimoto to act because Tsurumi was about to come and Sugimoto replied although he’s sure hadn’t met Tsurumi yet he didn’t believe Asirpa would open up to a man like him. In the volume Tsukishima’s comment is cut and Sugimoto mentions Asirpa’s name when he says he’s sure she hadn’t met Tsurumi yet instead that when he says she wouldn’t open up to him.

Among the minor redrawing I found fun how ‘director Asirpa’ now also has a fitting hat.

Node decided to remove Asirpa calling the guys 3rd rate actors. She’s also not salivating anymore.

He also removed the ‘hey Inaba’ from this scene. I think the idea is to paint Asirpa as less of a rude director.

In place of Asirpa saying ‘We’ll do a story about the Kamuy’, Noda added a minor infobox about the tales of Pananpe and Penanpe.

For some weird reason Noda also redraw the scene in which Tanigaki hit the ground. It’s not relevant, I’m just sharing it because he changed Tani’s pose a lot... not really sure why as it doesn’t seem Tanigaki is making an effort to shield himself, unless it’s some sort of reference to another series.

And so to chap 206 we go.

It’s worth to note in this chap Girel is drawn same as in the magazine, in short he doesn’t wear anymore the glasses Noda geve him for the volume version.

Among the redraws I find worth to mention how not only Noda cut Shiraishi laughing at Tsukishima but changed the bit regarding Tanigaki, Cikapasi and Enonoka. It’s not just that the Tanigaki-bird flies more. In the following panel Tanigaki’s face is now visible but darkened. This remarks how Tanigaki is present in the panel, yet leaves the focus on Cikapasi and Enonoka. Tanigaki’s face is the focus of our attention in the following panel where, like in the magazine, he’s alone but his eyes are shining much more. Likely he too got emotionally involved watching that scene but those three panels are here to anticipate what will happen in chap 209, Cikapasi will choose to stay with Enonoka and leave Tanigaki.

We continue with new changes in the dialogues, specifically in what Sugimoto says to Asirpa.

While in the magazine Sugimoto gave his own interpretation of what Wilk told him ‘he said he raised you so you could fight in a war’, now he correctly reports Wilk’s words about wanting Asirpa to know how to hide and fight and that she would be the leader of the Ainu people.

He also corrected his words about Kiro. While in the magazine he just mentioned he took her to Karafuto and then died to as to push Asirpa into believing she had to think she had to fight, now he clarifies Kiro brought Asirpa to Karafuto to remind her how to break the code and died as a consequence of this (well, actually he died as a consequence of three men ganging up on him and they would have been four if Sugimoto could have a say in it). However this too, combined with what Wilk did, pushed Asirpa into thinking she had no other way but fight.

Another change is here. While before Sugimoto referred to “Stand at the head of the Ainu and die” and “Fight and kill people” as what they were telling her, now he calls all this as a curse casted upon her.

Next chap 207 & 208.

i couldn’t notice any relevant change in these chapters which is a pity as people might remember I pointed out how the skin count was wrong in them.

The same goes for chap 209.

Things start to change with chap 210.

We start tame with Koito now calling Hanazawa ‘former commander of the 7th division’ when in the magazine he called him just ‘commander of the 7th division’.

I mention this because now I wonder, who’s the commander of the division, the guy above Lieutenant colonel Yodagawa? Has such a commander be appointed? Is he in Tsurumi’s paycheck? Will he be relevant in the future?

Who knows?

Sugimoto and Asirpa’s talk is also different. Not only Shiraishi is present in the beginning and leaves after but Sugimoto replies to Asirpa’s question about what will happen to the Ainu.

Sadly Sugimoto’s idea they’ve an overwhelming advantage is a naive delusion... and maybe he too knows it and that’s why his eyes are completely black, without light. In his wish to save Asirpa he probably knows he’s sacrificing the Ainu.

This bit was also changed as in the original Tsuki didn’t mention Ogata.

This text is changed as well. In the magazine Koito said just ‘was because he wanted me to realize that we were being bade into pawns for first lieutenant Tsurumi, just like he and his father were!’

Now it mentions both Hanazawa and Ogata’s name and the sentence is visually split into two parts.

Then, although dialogues remained the same, Noda changed Tsuki’s expression in this scene. Tsuki now smiles when he says he was tricked too.

Tsuki also gets some new lines here as a flashback also expand the scene.

Noda changed a bit Tsuki here. Actually I wonder if he’s crying considering Noda added whiteness below his eyes.

Noda inverted Tsuki’s lines here as in the magazine he said:

“The first lieutenant is very skilled at saving people with “sweet lies.””

“So I don’t know what his true goal is.”

At the end of the scene Noda added Shiraishi spying them.

And so we reach chap 211... which is like a new chapter.

For start there are changes in the discussion between Sugimoto and Shiraishi here. In the magazine Shiraishi says Asirpa isn’t the Asirpa he knew anymore. In the volume he says she isn’t the Asirpa he first met.

... and here.

Koito’s expression is changed so as to show he’s not happy at all to see Tsurumi.

Now, when Tanigaki comments about how Tsurumi would let Asirpa see Huci she doesn’t say she’ll understand what kind of man Tsurumi is by looking at him. To make up for it Sugimoto says everything will go well and we get an exchange between Usami and Tsurumi showing what Tsurumi planned to do to Asirpa... clearly not even considering to listen to her demands.

As said before, the overwhelming advantage over Tsurumi, existed only in Sugimoto’s dreams.

Again Koito doesn’t look particualrly happy of being praised by Tsurumi contrary to the magazine version.

At this point the plot drastically diverges from the magazine to the point it’s no more an addition or a slight change but a real retcon and I’m not sure how Noda will deal with it in the future.

In the manga Asirpa and Tsurumi exchanged a glance, he was reminded of Wilk’s eyes and commented she had the same eyes as him. This words affect Asirpa (who previously has said she would get which sort of man Tsurumi is by looking at him, a scene removed from the volume) and, as Shiraishi throw up she prepare to toss her arrows.

In the volume instead things will go very differently... but let’s see them first.

All this is an important change as it shows Asirpa didn’t act merely due to her intuition or out of prejudice but because Tsurumi clearly acted in a manner that ended up creeping out even his own men, a manner that clearly implied he planned to part her from Sugi and keep her trapped (as he was doing with Inkarmat only in a much less friendlier environment) and that he had no friendly feelings for the Ainu and wouldn’t keep into consideration their wishes.

There’s actually much more to say about the changes but I’ll let it for a meta, if I’ll manage to write one.

Back to the changes, despite all he has heard from Tsurumi, Sugimoto now looks a lot less assertive and comfortable with Asirpa’s decision.

Tsurumi’s men are now better drawn and characterized, you can see Kikuta and Sugi now also informs them the arrows will kill them with just a scratch.

The last two pages are partially redrawn. but in them Asirpa also gets the chance to better clear up her position. Tsurumi also immeditely sends his men after her.

Anyway the volume ends here.

Enonoka do the thanks but her image is so tiny as Noda has used up all the pages he had hence the poor quality.

Anyway that’s all. As usual I recommend everyone to get the volume as it’s much better than the magazine version.

[halfandhalfshoto]

your blue is my gold | nishinoya yuu

- soulmate!au

- pairing: nishinoya yuu x fem!reader

- warnings: angst!(??)

- word count: 1,941

THE PHENOMENA OF THE SOULMATE TATTOO

A person is born with a small, black, faded tattoo on any part of their body. Each year, it becomes more distinct as the time it takes for two souls, with the exact same tattoos, to meet draws near.

Once face to face, their tattoos change color depending on how they classify each other. Blue for strangers, purple for acquaintances, yellow for friends, and gold for love. A person's tattoo turns white once their soulmate passes away.

Soulmate tattoos may appear on different parts of the body. One could have their tattoo on the wrist, while their soulmate could have their tattoo on the face.

The colors may jump depending on the nature of the relationship, such as when purple tattoos turn gold.

Of course, their soulmate's tattoo can have a completely different color than theirs.

——————————

He definitely cannot take his eyes off you as you introduced yourself in front of the class. He noticed the sparks in your eyes that made you seem ethereal to every other being that locked gazes with yours, the tone of your voice as it seemed like you were captivating an entire audience, and the smile on your lips that seemed to prove that you were a descendant of an angel.

Everything seemed too perfect for Nishinoya Yuu.

You were a transfer student from Tokyo, moved to Miyagi because your father had to work there. As someone open to new experiences, you didn't have a single complaint despite moving away from the city you grew up in and leaving all your friends. After all, you were sure you're gonna come back someday.

“Hi, I'm y/n! I love Gari-Gari Kun and Soba. I hope I could get along with everyone!” You finished your introduction with a bow and turned to the teacher for her to tell you where you'd be sitting.

She told you that you could sit next to Etsu, who was a seat behind Nishinoya.

Walking towards your designated seat, you fail to notice the pair of brown orbs glancing back and forth from his notebook to you in an obvious manner.

“Hi, I'm Etsu! Nice to meet you,” A short-haired girl with grey eyes greeted. You looked at her to greet her back, but you immediately noticed something under her right eye.

It was a tattoo of a quill with the word “perfect” written beside it,

And it was gold.

Etsu felt your fixation on her tattoo so she explained, “Oh, you noticed my tattoo! My soulmate's Akio over there,” She smiled as she pointed out to a black-haired boy a few seats away. You followed her gaze and saw that the said boy also had the same tattoo, the golden, very distinct quill on his left hand.

“It must be nice to meet your soulmate and have him reciprocate your feelings at this age,” You giggled as you felt a familiar wave wash over you. That eager yet fearful wave of wanting to find your soulmate, and at the same time, not wanting anything tying you down to a single entity for life.

You reached up to your collarbone, covered by your uniform, and thought about your tattoo. You noticed it was becoming more distinct day by day.

Could it be, that your soulmate was here in Miyagi?

—

“RYU, I'M TELLING YOU! SHE HAD A PERFECT SMILE, HER EYES WERE LITERAL STARS AND HER VOICE FELT LIKE SOMETHING I'D HEAR WHEN I ENTER HEAVEN!” Nishinoya went on, rambling about the girl who transferred from Tokyo. It was lunch break and you were all he ever talked about. Tanaka gave him a doubtful laugh, and proceeded to defend his case.

“There's no way she's on the level of our goddess Kiyoko! Seriously Noya-san, what you're saying is IMPOSSIBLE!” He defended, heart-eyes somewhat evident on his face.

It was true though. No one was on the level of Shimizu when it came to Tanaka and Nishinoya. Although somehow, in some way, you were on the same level as her in Nishinoya's eyes.

Hearing the doubt in his friend's voice, Nishinoya stood up from the bench. His confidence oozing out of him as he grabbed Tanaka's arm, pulling him towards the cafeteria where you and Etsu went.

He scanned the area looking for the target, and locked his eyes on your figure. He turned to the taller male, who was rubbing his arm that hurt a bit at how the other pulled it.

“There she is! See for yourself,” Nishinoya, who was smirking, told him.

Tanaka checked the girl who was somewhat perfect enough for his friend to equate her to Kiyoko.

You were sitting next to Etsu and facing Akio.

'Well, she's cute enough for Noya-san, but no one can possibly beat my Kiyoko' Tanaka thought, about to lead Nishinoya back to where they were hanging out, but the dual-haired boy was suddenly like a statue.

“Ryu, I t-think we j-just made eye contact. She s-saw us,” He stuttered. Tanaka's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He looked back and true enough, you were staring at them. Your eyes were filled with curiosity. Who wouldn't be though? Finding some boys secretly looking at you.

Both boys immediately show deep shades of red on their faces, their usual rowdy and confident selves suddenly nowhere to be found. They ran back to the halls as quickly as they could, before you could even get a chance to ask them what was up.

“Hey y/n, you okay?” Etsu asked, snapping her fingers in front of you. The trance you were in shattered, you nod to Etsu's questioning look and proceed to eat

'He's cute' were the words that popped into your mind as you pictured the boy who'd caught your eye.

—

There you stood in your home, stunned at the sight of the mirror in front of you.

“When did this happen?” you whispered as your fingers graze the blue ink on your collarbone.

'Shit. When did I meet them?' You were internally panicking because of this troublesome ink. Sure, you wanted to find out who they were, but falling in love and being tied to them forever? No. You weren't ready for that just yet.

'Maybe I shouldn't find out who they are for a while.'

—

Nishinoya was ecstatic to say the least. He'd dreamed for this day to come, for his tattoo to finally change its color.

The color blue, a stranger for a soulmate.

He wasn't the one who discovered it first, unfortunately. They were having a practice match against Date Tech, it was the 3rd set and the score was 24-22, match point for Karasuno. He went in for a dive after Azumane's spike was blocked by the Iron Wall, and that's when someone finally noticed it.

Hinata, who was waiting on the sidelines, noticed something when Nishinoya's shorts hiked up a bit as he went in for that dive receive.

“Noya-san!” The ginger head called out as they were cleaning the gym after the practice match. Karasuno won the 3rd set, much to their delight.

"Hey, Shoyo! What's up?” Nishinoya asked as he stopped cleaning the floor. He saw the way Hinata's eyes were in awe and thought that maybe he was on a roll with his receives today.

“YOUR SOULMATE TATTOO'S BLUE!” Hinata blurted out and suddenly all eyes were on the libero.

His eyes widen in shock as he looked back at his shorts. Hiking it up a bit, there it was.

His tattoo was placed on the back of his thighs, just above where the knee was placed.

It was a small tattoo of the solar system, the 8 planets orbiting around the sun.

Nishinoya knew it was almost time for him to meet his soulmate, as every night he spends a few minutes in front of the mirror, staring quietly at his tattoo. It became quite distinct these days, and now it was blue.

“Hey, maybe your soulmate's that new girl,” Tanaka joked, laughing out loud, thinking it was impossible. Oh, if only he knew that his soulmate was the girl they'd been chasing for years. If only he and Shimizu actually saw each other's tattoo.

“Well, it's not impossible,” Nishinoya retorted, a glimmer of hope in his heart that told him you were his soulmate. A little crush he had from his class.

—

A few months have passed, and Nishinoya still didn't know who his soulmate was. Yeah, he kept searching, but he can't just ask anyone to show them their tattoo.

In those months, Nishinoya's little crush on you grew a lot. You guys weren't technically friends, and you didn't really know him, but that didn't stop his affections from growing.

It was a shame he was never partnered with you, or be grouped with you during homeworks and projects.

One time, he saw you in Coach Ukai's shop. You were buying Gari-Gari Kun, soda flavor, his favorite.

Another time, he saw you on the street. You were with a kid and she was laughing loud enough for almost everyone to hear as you tickled her.

'Girls who are good with kids are cute.' He thought as he smiled.

Then, another time, he saw you feeding some stray dogs and cats food, petting them as they ate.

Did you have to be like that? Did you have to make his heart soar everytime he saw you? Did you have to steal the love he was supposed to give to his soulmate?

Nishinoya ignored these little things about you that made him happy. He ignored the thought of loving you because you didn't know him. Heck, you couldn't possibly be his soulmate.

His tattoo had already turned into a different color, which meant his soulmate was, maybe, one of his friends.

—

You made your way through the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym, along with Etsu and Akio, finding some good seats to be able to watch your school's boys' volleyball team play.

Karasuno had made it to Nationals, and Akio, who was a good friend of Nishinoya, dragged both Etsu and you to Tokyo to watch their games.

“Is this the first time our school's gone to Nationals?” You asked innocently, seeing the seats filled with people.

“Yeah, in years,” Akio answered as the three of you found some seats. They were close enough for the players to see you from the court.

“I hear that the first years were promising. Two had this crazy quick, one was good at blocking, and one knew how to do a jump float,” Etsu chipped in. Indeed, the first years of Karasuno were impressive, but the whole team was on another level.

The first match of Karasuno started, and it made you freeze.

—

Nishinoya switched out with Hinata, eyes glancing towards the bleachers. With that quick glance, he was able to see Akio immediately and waved. He looked over to the two girls sitting beside him, identifying one as Etsu.

The arm he'd used to wave was left hanging in the air, as you were staring intently at him, shock written all over your face.

That wasn't what surprised him. Not the fact that you came to the game, not the fact that you were staring at him. No, those weren't it.

You were wearing an off shoulder top, showing off your collarbone.

Your collarbone which had the exact same tattoo as his.

His heart shattered at the next thing he noticed.

Your tattoo was blue.

His was gold.

You were the love of his life, but he was a stranger in yours.

[legendofzeldaalinktothepast]

Opalescent Tides - Chapter 1

“Amethyst wakes up on the shore of Beach City, and she couldn’t be more confused.” 

Fandom - Steven Universe 

Pairing - Pearl/Amethyst 

Rating - T 

Human/Mermaid AU. 

Next Chapter 

* 

Waves crashed against the shore, and seagulls cawed from up above. Though her eyes were closed, the glaring sun bore straight through Amethyst's eyelids. She stirred, gritting her teeth as the sand ground against her blistering skin. Finally, she forced her eyes open, letting out an audible gasp as the sunlight hit her eyes. 

As soon as Amethyst's eyes adjusted to the sun's blinding rays, she finally managed to look ahead. She was the surrounded by beach, the dark and endless ocean... and just behind her was an even darker and more ominous patch of trees. Not a single grain of sand around her was familiar. Amethyst heaved herself to her feet and looked herself over -- her dark brown skin was covered in blisters... She must have been laying in the sun for quite a while, she observed. Amethyst hissed through her teeth as she pulled a layer of skin off of her sunburnt arm. 'Gross.'

To make matters worse, Amethyst was thirsty. The kind of thirsty that made her head throb and her throat feel like she'd swallowed a mouthful of sand -- though, to be fair, that wasn't entirely out of the question. Regardless, Amethyst crouched in front of the water and cupped her hands in it, taking a reluctant sip.

'Ugh, of course it's saltwater! Dumbass.' she thought with a groan, immediately spitting it back out. 'Guess I gotta find some fruit... Or even running water. There's probably people somewhere, right?' It was unlikely she'd waken up on a deserted island -- she had no memory of a shipwreck, or being on a ship in the first place, or... Anything at all, really. Now that she thought of it, she couldn't remember anything.

'Alright, don't panic. It's probably not amnesia, I'm just... really fucking sore and thirsty. Maybe I'll feel better once I get some water.' Taking a deep breath, Amethyst made her way through the patch of trees up ahead.

From the outside, the woods had seemed endless; but after only a few moments of walking did she hear a loud crack, followed by the sound of fizzing. Amethyst tensed for a moment and gazed upward, but her fear eased once she saw a beautiful red firework shimmering in the evening sky. 'And where there's fireworks, there's gotta be people!' she thought, her heart racing. She quickened her pace and headed towards the source of the noise, grinning even harder as another firework echoed in the woods.

Her feet soon met pavement, giving her a short moment of relief before the concrete burned the soles of her bare feet. So she quickened her pace until she reached a patch of cool grass.

Amethyst looked around at the quaint little town around her. The road was lined with various vendors; some were selling meats and vegetables deep fried beyond recognition, while others were advertising toys, games where one could pop balloons with darts, people selling fish in plastic bags... The latter of which made Amethyst shudder.

"Lemonade! Only twenty-five cents!" a tiny voice drew Amethyst's attention. She locked eyes with a small, curly-haired boy sitting behind a chipped wooden table. His cheeks were bright red from the sun, and he wore a pinkish-red tank top with a yellow star on it. On the table before him, there was a plastic pitcher filled with lemonade (the ice had already melted, but Amethyst sure didn't care), tiny paper cups, and a jar filled with quarters. "Get your freshly squeezed lemonaaaade!"

As Amethyst approached lemonade stand, she fumbled through her pockets in search of change, but they were filled with nothing but seaweed and grains of sand. Ugh, really? I don't have anything?' she thought. In all honesty, she was struggling to remember what twenty five cents even looked like. Trying to remember anything other than her name made her head ache... So she shook it off. Now wasn't the time for that; dehydration was getting to her, and if she didn't get something soon, she'd only descend even further into insanity.

"Hey, kiddo!" Amethyst greeted, shoving her hands into her pockets as she approached the boy.

"Hey, Miss!" the boy greeted. "Do you want some lemonade? I made it all by myself! Well, mostly -- my dad cut up the lemons because he doesn't trust me with knives, and he also helped me squeeze them because I wasn't strong enough... But it's delicious, I promise! And only twenty-five cents! My name's Steven, by the way!"

"Oh, that's awesome!" Amethyst licked her lips, her eyes locked on the pitcher. "Here's the thing, though... I don't really have any money. At least not right now, but uh -- I'm absolutely dying of thirst, so do you think I could -- "

"Say no more!" Steven said, thrusting a tiny paper of cup of lemonade Amethyst's way. "Don't worry 'bout the quarter. It's on me."

Amethyst smiled weakly. "Thanks, buddy. Next time I get my hands on a 'quarter', I'll be sure to pay ya back." She reached for the cup and downed it immediately -- it tasted purely of sugar, with maybe a hint of lemon, but to a woman on the brink of dehydration it might as well have been liquid gold.

"No problem! And really, it's no big deal if you don't pay me back!" Steven said. "Hey, you gotta place to stay? Not to be rude, but you look like you've been sleeping on the beach."

Amethyst blushed; with her soaking wet hair, sunburnt skin, and sand-covered tank top and shorts, it wasn't hard to guess, but she still felt self conscious nonetheless. Even after the cup of lemonade, she was still too dehydrated to think... She could barely even remember where her actual home was. But she wouldn't dare admit that; no, she'd find her way back home soon enough, and if not, she'd spend the night at a hotel until she was well again. "Mm... I'm just passing through." she said with a shrug.

"Ohh, I see!" Steven said, though he didn't look fully convinced. "Well, here's another glass of lemonade for the road! On me." he added with a wink. Amethyst smiled gratefully and ruffled his hair. "Thanks again, little dude." As she turned and headed off, she took another sip of the lemonade and continued on her way.

As she walked, she glanced around in search of something, anything that looked familiar. 'Do I... live in this town? Maybe I passed out drunk on the beach... But I've never heard of hangovers causing legit amnesia.' she thought, scanning all the little houses. None of them rang a bell.

She glanced back towards the direction of the beach, her stomach turning. 'If I'm not from here, then... Maybe I washed up in some kind of shipwreck? But from where? Ah, but there wasn't a boat anywhere, so maybe not... Or maybe someone mugged me and whacked me over the head...' she thought, tapping her head as if it'd shake a screw loose and jolt her memories back into place. Everything was so foggy... And the fact that it was getting dark wasn't helping. With each shade the sky grew darker, a feeling of unease grew within her gut... She could see some of the vendors starting to close up, which only sent her anxiety even further into the sky. The only thing scarier than being lost was being lost and alone, especially at night.

Amethyst seated herself on a nearby bench, drinking the last few drops of lemonade in her cup. She tossed it into the nearby trash can and rested her chin in her hands. She watched as a family of five walked by, the littlest of the three children holding onto the mother's hand. 'Do I have even a mother...?' she thought, gazing down at the pavement. 'Or a family? Anything? Ugh, what the fuck is even going on?'

She hated just sitting there; part of her knew that she needed to keep walking, looking for a hotel so she could rest her head, or even psychological help... But her body didn't want to move. She felt like she'd been hit by a train; maybe she was beaten and mugged after all. Nevertheless, for the time being, Amethyst leaned her head back against the bench and watched the seagulls as they swarmed above.

* 

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

With her chin in her hands, Pearl gazed at the worn down cuckoo clock. It had been gathering dust in the corner of the store for months, now; an antique worth a few hundred dollars, and it drew quite a bit of attention for Beach City patrons, but none of them had the guts to actually purchase it... And after weeks of living with it, getting startled by that obnoxious bird every damned hour, Pearl was starting to understand why.

On cue, the clock struck nine and the bird popped out of its little hole. It cuckoo-ed loudly -- nine times to be precise -- before retreating back to the safety of its little wooden birdhouse.

"Thank goodness." Pearl let out a sigh of relief. After the longest 8 hour shift of her life, she was finally able to close up. Before any customers could come in for some last minute shopping, she sprinted over to the door and tugged it shut, turning both of the locks and flipping the open sign around.

Stairs creaked from above, and Pearl turned to smile as Garnet approached. "Hey there! I was just closing up." she greeted.

Once Garnet reached the bottom of the stairs, Pearl saw that she was holding two milkshakes; one strawberry, the other banana. "Here you go." she said, handing the pink one over to Pearl.

Pearl beamed with joy. "Oh my goodness, Garnet -- that's too kind of you! Thank you so much, ah..." she said, immediately taking a sip.

"It's the least I could do. I still feel terrible that you had to work alone on such a miserably hot day..." Garnet sighed, leaning against the counter.

"No, no, don't you dare let yourself feel bad about this." Pearl reassured, resting a hand on Garnet's shoulder. "I'm the one that told you to get some rest. Working in this heat is already hellish enough -- I couldn't imagine doing it when you're dealing with those unbearable cramps."

"Still... You'd think I'd be used to it, getting it once a month and all." Garnet blushed, taking a sip of her milkshake.

"While that is true, sometimes mother nature decides to be a little extra cruel. She likes to keep us on our toes." Pearl smiled, giving her shoulder a comforting pat. "Since our sales were pitiful today, counting the drawer and cleaning the store should be a breeze... And after that, I was thinking of going out for a swim... Would you like to hang out by the pool, perhaps dip your feet in?"

"Not sure... I was planning to go up and lie in front of the fan, if I'm being honest. But if I start to feel a little better, I'll head over."

"Alright." Pearl smiled sympathetically. "Feel free to use my rice sock! And help yourself to my chocolate stash as well."

"Already have." Garnet smirked. She turned and made her way up the stairs.

Once she was gone, Pearl reached for a feather duster and quickly wiped down all of the little nick-nacks that lined their shelves. Then, she unlocked the cash register and pulled out the drawer.

"Twenty five dollars and thirty cents..." Pearl sighed once she'd finished counting. "Another week of ramen noodles, I suppose. Perhaps some rice and beans if we're feeling fancy." Shaking off her frustration, she locked the money up in the safe and made her way up the stairs. 'It'll be alright. Everyone has shitty days... Especially when they're first starting out. And besides, tourist season has just begun! Perhaps we'll need to advertise more...'

* 

Pearl slipped out of her sweaty work clothes and into her modest one-piece bathing suit. She grabbed a towel from the bathroom cabinet and headed back down the stairs, slipping out the back door. "See you later, Garnet!" she called, letting the door fall shut.

She hurried across the street towards the Universe household; an eccentric family of three, and regular shoppers at the antique store, they'd once told Pearl she was free to swim in her pool whenever she pleased... And she certainly wasn't turning down an opportunity like that.

Once she reached the house, she rapped on the front door. As she heard footsteps, she smoothed out her hair -- after all, there was a one-in-three chance she'd be greeted by the beautiful head-of-household known as Rose, and while she certainly had no intentions of being a homewrecker, she wanted to look presentable around her nonetheless.

"Good evening, Pearl!" Rose greeted, and Pearl's heart fluttered in her chest.

"Good evening to you as well!" Pearl grinned. "I had a long day at work, and thought I'd stop over for a swim -- if that's still alright with you, of course!"

"It's more than alright." Rose winked. "Come on in! Unfortunately, Steven's already headed off to bed, and Greg's watching a movie upstairs... As for me, Aunt Flo is currently visiting, so I can't join either -- otherwise I'd gladly swim with you."

"Oh, that's not a problem at all." Pearl said, admittedly a little disappointed; mother nature was particularly cruel today, it seemed. "I just wanted to cool myself off, anyway! It won't be a very long swim."

Rose smiled warmly. "Alright. Next time, though! Steven's been wanting to have a pool party... perhaps this weekend?" She shrugged. "Anyway, feel free to help yourself if you need anything to drink, or if you get hungry... I'll be in the living room. Gotta catch up on some reading, now that I've got some peace and quiet."

"Thank you! I think I'll be fine, though." Pearl nodded gratefully. As Rose headed back towards the living room, Pearl continued to make her way through the house and towards the back door.

* 

Before she knew it, the sun had set; the once beautiful sunset had turned pitch black, and stars appeared one-by-one. Amethyst had half-dozed on the bench for God knows how long; and in all honesty, her body was still sore -- if anything, even more so than before. As much as she didn’t want to get up, she knew she had to find shelter soon...

'Guess I should look for somewhere to sleep.' Amethyst thought. As she pulled herself up to her feet, every muscle in her legs ached in protest. 'Fuck's sake...' she thought with a grumble.

Amethyst began to head down the road, searching for anything that resembled a hotel... She gazed with envy at the houses and apartments that surrounded her, with lit-up bedrooms and people chatting loud enough to be heard through the window screens. Amethyst came to a sudden halt as she heard a familiar voice -- the voice of the boy who'd given her the lemonade earlier, to be exact.

"Ooh, mommy, look at the moon!" he shouted, pointing out the window. "It's a full moon! Do you think there's gonna be any werewolves?"

His question was followed by the sound of an older man chuckling. Amethyst's heart sank; for a reason she couldn't quite parse, she wanted Steven to notice her standing right in front of his house... Maybe if he did, he'd have some more pity on her and let her spend the night inside.

But the boy didn't notice; he turned back around and away from the window, saying something else that Amethyst couldn't quite make out, now.

Clenching her fists, Amethyst eyed the front door. 'Maybe I should just... Straight up ask. Worst case scenario, they tell me to fuck off. I think I can handle that.' Taking a deep breath, she took a step towards the house -- only to fall right on her face.

"Fuck!" she hissed through gritted teeth, gripping her knees. As she tried to right herself, however, her legs refused to obey. 'What the...?' She ran her fingers across her calves, noticing her leg hairs slowly disappearing; purple, opalescent scales began to take their place.

"What was that?" a voice called from inside the house. She no longer wanted to be seen -- not while this was happening. Amethyst dragged herself behind the bushes just before the front door opened. Silence filled the air for a moment, before a deep voice announced, "I don't see anything." and the door shut once more.

Amethyst would have let out a sigh of relief if her legs currently didn't feel like they were on fire -- if they could even be considered legs anymore. At this point, they had begun to fuse together, forming a shimmering fish tail. And to top it all off, her unquenchable thirst had returned.

'The beach... I need to go back to the beach.' Amethyst thought. Her arms trembling, she began to struggle through the grass, though she couldn't quite remember which direction the beach even was... But before she could feel completely hopeless, something on the other side of the picket fence caught her eye -- a massive pool of water. She could faintly smell chlorine, but that didn't matter -- water was water, and if she didn't get to it soon... She feared what would happen.

She spotted a small hole beneath the fence; probably dug up by a groundhog or other woodland creature. Amethyst dug her claws into the hole that'd already been started -- taking a short moment to gawk at the fact that her fingers were webbed, now -- raking out clumps and clumps of dirt until the gap was just big enough for her chubby body to squeeze through.

The pool was finally within reach. Amethyst dragged her body across the remaining grass and leapt in with a splash, and almost instantaneously did her pain begin to wash away. She drew in a long, deep breath, allowing the water to enter the gills that opened up on her neck. No longer did her throat crave water, or did her muscles ache; like magic, she was healed.

Amethyst was confused -- far more than she ever thought possible -- and yet... she was calm. Her eyes fell shut, and she slowly drifted down to the very bottom of the pool, sprawling herself out on the floor. 

* 

Pearl made her way through the back yard, her flip-flops squeaking beneath her feet with every step. Placing her neon beach towel on the lawn chair and setting her shoes aside, she approached the pool and dipped a toe in to test the temperature.

"Eep!" Pearl immediately jerked her foot away. 'Goodness, that's cold...' Bracing herself, Pearl climbed down from the ladder and submerged her entire body in the water.

"Ah... there we go." She let out a sigh of relief once she adjusted, gazing up at the night sky. The full moon illuminated the surface of the pool. Crickets sang from the nearby bushes and trees, and fireflies glowed on the other side of the yard. The row of moonflowers framing Rose's garden had bloomed for the night. ’I wish I could stay here forever…’ she thought, smiling warmly.

Pearl’s peaceful mood was soon interrupted, however, by the mosquitoes buzzing near her exposed skin. "Shoo!" she hissed, splashing water at the swarming pests. When that proved ineffective, she sank down into the pool until the water met her nose.

But as her feet met the floor, her toes brushed something... Soft. Slippery, too. Pearl turned her gaze downward, expecting it to be one of Steven's many pool toys -- only to see a fin covered in shimmering, opalescent scales... And attached to that fin was the torso of a beautiful, lavender haired woman.

[thepetulantpen]

Flowers/Sun&Moon

(I said I’d get these done and I did...a few days late. Here’s day 8 of @widomauk-week , it was so fun to participate!)

Under the sun, Molly and Caleb lay on their backs in the grass, soaking in the sunshine.

Molly has taken off his coat and his boots, letting the blades of grass tickle in between his toes. Caleb has taken off his coat and bandages, even carefully setting aside his book holsters in an effort to keep himself from overheating.

They lay there for a while, hands intertwined, talking about nothing and laughing about everything.

Molly’s eyes blaze with warmth, radiating happiness just as the sun exudes heat. Caleb’s hair fans out around his head on the grass, fire running through the color like rays off of the sun.

Caleb brings a hand up to shade his eyes, trying not to show how much the glaring sunlight is bothering him, not wanting to ruin this afternoon with Molly.

“Are Zemnians allergic to sunlight?” Molly giggles and sits up, leaning over Caleb to block out the sun with his head, “Is that why you’re so pale?”

Caleb smiles like the sun peeking out from the clouds, a bright patch that seems inordinately small compared to Molly’s full strength smile, sunny in a way that’s just shy of too much.

“Mm, yes. It’s why we rely on... other sources for vitamin D.”

Molly freezes above him and for a silent moment Caleb wonders if he somehow didn’t get the joke.

“...did you just make a dick joke? Are you possessed?” Molly puts his hand against Caleb’s forehead, “Are you sick?”

“A little lovesick, perhaps.”

Then Molly laughs and doesn’t stop laughing, falling backwards and cackling as if Caleb had done something much funnier than make a mediocre pun. He laughs and he looks at Caleb like he’s made of gold, like every joke he makes could change the world and every smile could save lives.

It’s flattering, it’s ill-advised, it’s Molly.

Caleb can’t say he feels the same about himself, can’t even say he’s completely comfortable with how highly Molly thinks of him, but right now they’re sitting in the sun and laughing and it all just feels too good to question.

Still, there are darker, colder thoughts lurking at the edges of his mind and interrupting logistics at the forefront.

“The others are probably wondering where we are,” Caleb props himself up on his elbows, “We should probably head back.”

“They can wait a little longer,” Molly grins mischievously and, before Caleb can protest further, stands up, “Stay here for a second.”

He’s tempted to look behind him and spy on what Molly’s doing but the sun is making him warm and lazy, he realizes he doesn’t want to leave or follow his own suggestion at all. He’d rather just sit here and wait for Molly to get back with whatever shenanigans he’s come up with this time.

Caleb doesn’t hear or see Molly sit back down behind him, but he does feel Molly’s fingers combing through his hair without warning or explanation.

“Molly, what-“

“Shh, it’s a surprise.”

It can’t be much of a surprise since he can feel the tugging on his hair that tells him Molly is braiding it, but Caleb appreciates the sentiment anyway. He closes his eyes and just feels for a while, the repetitive motion of Molly’s fingers against his scalp soothing him and erasing any more thoughts of leaving or being responsible. It takes longer than he would’ve thought, Molly must do something especially complicated to make the most of Caleb’s fairly short hair.

It’s nearly nightfall when Molly leads Caleb back to the inn, turning him around in front of a mirror to show off his handiwork: a complicated web of braids interspersed with tiny wildflowers. The sight of it takes Caleb’s breath away- he has no idea how Molly managed to weave such little, fragile things into his hair and make them stay there.

“Where did you learn how to do this?”

Molly sits cross legged on the bed behind him, tail waving excitedly as he grins at Caleb.

“I used to braid Yasha’s hair, when we were in the circus together. It’s pretty good, right?”

Caleb smiles at himself in the mirror for the first time in years, letting himself see what Molly sees for a moment: a man with a brilliant, soft smile and little flowers in his hair.

“It’s beautiful.”

...

Under the moon, Molly and Caleb sit on a rock ledge a little apart from the party, shivering in the cool night air.

Molly has draped his tapestry over his coat, though the thin material and sequins do little to warm him. Caleb is bundled up in his coat and a few layers beneath it, appropriately dressed for the cold now that he can afford it.

“Are you sure you don’t want my coat?”

Molly smiles and shakes his head, trying for nonchalance even when Caleb can see his teeth chattering. “I suffer for my art, darling. No offense, but I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something so dull and brown.”

“I’ll have you know this is high Zemnian fashion.”

“Mm, I’m sure Dirty-Chic is all the rage there.”

Caleb huffs and pulls on a mock offended scowl but moves closer to Molly, sharing his body heat in a cuddle. Usually, Molly is the warm one but this weather has taken a toll on him and Caleb can feel him shaking against him, shivers and laughter moving through his chest.

They sit like that for a while until Molly stops shaking so much and regains some of that hot-blooded warmth Caleb is used to.

In the meantime, they’re on lookout, or supposed to be on lookout. Caleb would be watching carefully, making sure there aren’t any threats on the horizon, but this road leads to the middle of nowhere and has had no monsters of any sort for days so he feels comfortable becoming entirely transfixed by the flowers growing all around them.

They’re glowing, casting dim light over the road and meadow in an array of fluorescent greens and blues. In the daytime, they were just patches of wildflowers, basically weeds, but at night they’ve come to life, dotting the landscape with brilliant light shows,

It’s breathtaking and it gives Caleb an idea.

“Here, hold this,” Caleb pulls off his coat and drapes it over Molly’s shoulders, ignoring the noise of protest, “I’ll be right back.”

Molly is tempted to bring the coat back, or at least yell after Caleb, but he stays put instead, curious to see what Caleb’s planning. He pulls on the coat because it’s freezing tonight and looks firmly at the ground, determined not to peek and spoil the surprise.

Caleb returns a minute later, settling on the grass behind Molly. There’s more rustling noises and a few huffs of frustration as Caleb struggles to work with whatever he’s collected. At the noise, and because the suspense is killing him, Molly turns his head a little and Caleb immediately stiffens, curling around whatever he’s working on.

“Turn around! It’s a surprise.”

Molly complies, only barely reigning in his energy for the next few minutes before Caleb speaks again.

“Ok, now close your eyes.”

Caleb’s fingers ruffle Molly’s hair, moving it as he puts something in it. He’s pretty sure he can guess what it is, based on the combination of sharp points and soft spots, but he keeps his eyes closed, preserving this idea of surprise that Caleb seems intent on.

“Scheisse.”

Caleb’s fingers fumble around his horns and Molly finally opens his eyes, looking up at Caleb’s face. He’s concentrating on adjusting his gift around the obstacle of Molly’s horns, face screwed up and tongue poking out one side of his mouth in a determined pout.

He notices Molly looking and fidgets with more fervor. “I can fix it, just wait.”

He ends up having to disconnect and retie the flower crown at multiple points, shuffling around Molly to perfect parts all around his head so it fits perfectly at the base of his horns.

Caleb sits back and smiles at Molly, looking more proud of himself than Molly has ever seen him. The smile is a gift in itself, Molly would give anything to see Caleb that happy with himself every day.

“Can I look now?”

“Of course.”

Caleb fumbles with his bag, presumably trying to find something reflective, but Molly unsheathes Summer’s Dance, adjusting it to get the best of his narrow reflection on the gold surface.

The flowers, with their wonderful glow, are truly stunning, lighting his face with an ethereal shine. The crown itself is meticulously crafted, the twisted bonds of twigs between the flowers seem sturdy, like Molly could dance or fight with them in his hair and not lose a single flower.

Caleb stifles a yawn next to him. The moon seems to sag in the sky, as tired as they are. Molly will have to test his theories later, when he’s not dead on his feet.

“Do you like it?”

It’s hard to read Caleb’s face in these moments, where darkness and perpetual uncertainty obscure most of his real intentions, but Molly doesn’t think it particularly matters, he knows his answer.

“I love it, Caleb. I’m never taking it off.”

Molly’s smile shines like a crescent moon breaking out of a twilight sky and Caleb’s eyes twinkle like bright stars in an endless void.

They spend the rest of their watch curled in each other’s arms, bathed in the light of flowers and their own glowing, powerful love.

[horansqueen]

BabyGirl 6.0

NOTES:

♥ this is based on a concept i received a few weeks ago and ppl asked that i made a story with it. ♥ i planned 3-4 long parts but i think it’ll be 8-10 short parts ♥ 3.2k. fluff. ♥ there may be smut but i doubt it and IF it happens it wont be as explicit as my other smut works. ♥ i didn’t proofread and if you read my stuff you know i never do because im a lazy ass. ♥ sorry this is late! i cant say i love this chapter? and there’s not much about the daughter, but i wanted to make it about the parents too. more about Chelsea in the next chapter i promise!  ♥ if you have any questions please dont hesitate.

♥ PART 1  // PART 2 // PART 3  // PART 4 // PART 5

                          6.0  ♥ DISCUSSIONS & CONFESSIONS ♥

NIALL

We decided not to put on music on the ride back home and after a while, I looked in my mirror to see Chelsea deeply asleep in her baby seat. I glanced at her mother but noticed she was staring outside, her forehead pressed on the cold window. It made me frown but I decided not to ask anything and put my attention back on the road. When I parked in front of her apartment, we remained motionless and in the dark for a while before she finally turned to me, sending me a sad and tired smile.

"I can't believe you bought a baby seat." she just said, turning gently to Chelsea as her smile turned into a fond one.

"I thought it would be better if I had my own." I whispered with a shrug. "It'll be easier than to always switch it from your car to mine."

This time, her eyes met mine and I smiled back.

"Thanks for the evening, Niall, we both had a lot of fun."

My eyes roamed on her face, trying to decipher her feelings and her thoughts, without much success. The night had been amazing, and spending time with Chelsea and her had made me happier than I had in a long time. Even performing on stage couldn't be compared to spending time with your children, and that was something I wasn't aware of three days ago.

I stared at her, the girl I used to love so much, and held my breath when the moonlight hit gently her profile. She was even prettier than what I remembered and once again, I tried to push away the happy memories I had with her. It was so hard to ignore the fact that we used to be in love, and even harder not to make up scenarios of what our life would be like if we were still a couple and had raised Chelsea together. I didn't want to think about it but at the same time, it was obsessing me.

I wouldn't admit it, but when she said she loved me too, and that the strength of her feelings was not the reason why she left me, it brought an indescribable emotion inside me, like my whole body was on fire. It changed everything, and if I had known that information before, I was pretty sure I wouldn't have given up on her. On us. I wouldn't have given up on what we had built, or the projects we had. I would have fought to save it. That thought makes me swallow hard.

"You're welcome, thank you for accepting my invitation." I added with a smile.

This whole exchange seemed too formal and polite and it bothered me. I got out of the car and she did the same, opening the back door and bending down right before I stopped her.

"Let me." I whispered, unfastening the belt slowly and taking Chelsea in my arms, making sure not to wake her up.

I followed her up the stairs, our daughters deeply asleep in my arms, and we walked inside. We reached Chelsea's room and I slowly lied her down on the bed, sitting next to her.

I felt her mother's presence next to me and turned my head slightly, quickly seeing the same t-shirt Chelsea was wearing the day before. My lips curled and I grabbed it as she bent near me. I could feel her warm breath against the side of my cheek and I shivered.

"Just leave the clothes in the basket near the door." she whispered. "I'll wait in the living room."

I remained a few minutes in the dark, staring at my daughter as she was breathing deeply. I had no idea why, but I felt my heart beat so hard against my rib cage that it started making me nervous. I finally took her shirt and sweatpants off as slowly as I could but had a harder time dressing her with my old shirt and when I was finally done, she groaned low. Her eyes only half-opened and she sent me a tired smile.

"Thank you uncle Niall."

I stiffened at her words, my eyes getting bigger and my heart jumping so hard I felt it in my throat. She simply closed her eyes again her lips still slightly curled, and I stayed a few more minutes just looking at her, not knowing how to feel exactly about what had just happened.

I finally grabbed the pink blankets on her bed to pull them over her body. She shifted on her side and her lips parted a bit, making her snore lightly. I got up, taking a few steps back as I stared at her and finally getting out of her room, closing the door extremely quietly. I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans and inhaled deeply before going back to the living room.

There was a beer on the coffee table, waiting for me, and I smiled, realizing she was still drinking the same brand I made her discover when we were together. I took a seat next to her, far enough not to touch her but close enough to be able to reach her if i wanted. She turned on the couch to face me and I did the same, my beer in hands, making it turn slowly with my fingers as I stared at it.

"She called me uncle Niall." I just expressed, pressing my lips together and taking a sip of my drink.

When my eyes finally met hers, I could read how sorry she was. It was a bit surprising for me to see her so open about her feelings. I remember she was quite secretive, and wouldn't talk much about herself. In the past few days, though, I had seen her express more emotions than I thought she wanted me to see.

"She..." she cut herself and sighed. "Chelsea calls people 'uncle' and 'aunt' when she really likes them."

I nodded slowly, looking back at my beer again.

"It may not seem like it, but it's a good thing, I promise."

I looked up in her eyes and sent her a smile, raising my eyebrows.

"It made me happy, and I'm not sure why."

It really did. The fact that my daughter, who had no idea who I was 3 days ago, already considered me family, was bringing me over the moon. She didn't know I was her father yet, but if she already liked me, maybe the shock wouldn't hit as much.

My ex girlfriend moved closer to me on the couch and it took me out of my thoughts.

"Probably because it's a sign of affection." she explained with a shrug. "She told me how impatient she was to see you again. She's been talking about you non-stop since you left yesterday."

My lips curled without thinking and my head moved up to look at her quickly.

"Really?" I asked, feeling my heart lighter again. "I haven't stopped thinking about her."

"Yes, really."

Silence took place between us and I swallowed half my beer, feeling better suddenly. We could always stay together in silence without things getting awkward and that night was not an exception. I tried to remember every single detail of our evening, from how excited Chelsea was to how incredible the fireworks looked with her sitting on my shoulders. I wanted to engrave all of it in my memories to be sure I never forget it.

"I'm sorry, Niall."

I shook my head slightly to focus on my ex girlfriend. She rubbed her eyes and put her beer away, her fingers now playing with the bottom of her shirt.

"I know nothing will make my lie okay, but I promise to do everything I can to make this better." she explained again. "We'll tell Chelsea when you're ready. You can spend as much time as you want with her. I know we can make this work."

"I know you're sorry." I let out with a sigh. "You don't have to keep apologizing."

She stayed silent and tilted her head, looking at me in a way no one had before. It made sense, since I never had such a complicated history with anyone else in my life. I tried to push away the obvious attraction I felt for her and shrugged, taking an other sip of my beer.

"I didn't want to admit it, because it was easier to pretend I didn't but..." she licked her lips and it made me frown. "I missed you, Niall."

I couldn't take my eyes off of her lips as she pressed them together and nibbled on the bottom on after her confession. Thin, a soft shade of pink, and in the shape of a small heart, I remembered how perfectly they fit with mine and how her moans would make my whole body vibrate.

"I really fucking missed you." she continued in a lower tone, reaching very slowly for my hand.

I felt my free one tighten around the beer and stared at her fingers moving in my direction and reaching the top of my hand. Did I want this? Was I honestly ready to open up to her again, after all we've been through, but mostly after all the years wasted?

I allowed her hand on top of mine, the warmth of it making my heart jump in my chest, and remained motionless as she moved closer again. She was close, so fucking close, and my eyes moved from her gaze to her lips as she bent towards me. It's only when her mouth brushed against mine that I moved back without thinking about it.

Quickly, she took her hand back and I felt my skin throb exactly where her fingers were a few seconds ago. She closed her eyes tight and swallowed hard, breathing in and out. I felt guilt invade my whole body and when her eyes fluttered open, I held my breath.

"I'm sorry I just... I can't."

HER

I didn't know if I felt humiliated, stupid, or embarrassed, but whatever feeling was invading me was not a good one. I was so scared to be rejected and there I was, being rejected by the only man that really mattered to me, the only man I didn't want to be rejected by.

When I opened my eyes and heard him apologize, I thought my heart had shattered. I could feel my heart beat all over my body in shame.

"No, i'm sorry." I said, shaking my head and avoiding his eyes. "I shouldn't have. I mean you said you used to love me, and, I don't know, I guess I sort of felt like we connected."

I put my hands on my face and rubbed my palm on it quickly with an other sigh, wishing I could be six feet under. It made me realize that the love I had for Niall had never died, and that I was still completely in love with him. I love Niall, and he didn't love me. Two truths I was not ready to accept just yet. I probably never would be ready for that.

"We do connect."

I held my breath when I heard his voice again and slowly, I moved my eyes to dive my gaze in his. The way he looked at me made my heart ache. His eyes had turned the same deep blue as his shirt and I could swear I was able to see his soul. Unfortunately, I couldn't read it. I was simply lost in his eyes as my heart started beating even harder, making my whole body throb. He had never been as pretty as he was now. He'd always been handsome, but now, after five years, he had grown and aged and the man he turned out to be was gorgeous. I loved him. I fucking loved him. I've always loved him, I never stopped.

"We connect it's true." he repeated after a few seconds of silence. "It's just been a lot of changed in a very short period of time. A lot of intense emotions, too."

I nodded at his words and licked my lips, breathing in and sighing low.

"I want to focus on Chelsea." he kept going. "She's all I care about. I want to get to know her. I want to be a part of her life."

It was legitimate and it made me love him even more. The way he cared about a kid he didn't know he had only a few days ago was endearing and I sent him a sad smile. I could never be mad for that.

"I understand." I replied, clearing my throat when I noticed my voice was breaking. "Chelsea is my priority, too."

We stayed quiet for a few minutes and even if i understood his words, I couldn't help but feel like he was trying to find excuses.

"You don't need any reason, you know?" I just let out, shaking my head. "If you don't have feelings for me, then you don't. You don't have to justify yourself."

I could feel my emotions move me in a way I didn't like and I swallowed my pain, trying to do the same with my tears.

"I feel betrayed." he let out in a different tone, making me look up at him. "You betrayed me, and you lied to me, and what you did I just- I can't just forgive and forget."

I started biting so hard on my bottom lip that it began to hurt but I kept doing, perhaps as some sort of punishment but also to stop my tears from falling freely on my cheeks.

"I don't know if I'll ever forgive you."

He didn't need to add that, I already knew it, but the fact that he said it so easily and harshly made me swallow again. This time, though, it was not enough and I started crying silently, staring at him. My thoughts were not making any sense now and all I could imagine was all the things he could do to get revenge and make me feel as powerless as I made him feel.

"Niall, please, you're not gonna take her away from me right?" I asked in a whisper. "Please tell me you won't do that."

I watched his face expression change from annoyed to confused and finally, I could read surprise in his traits. He moved as close as he could and grabbed my hands, making me hold my breath. The contact of his hands on mine was once again bringing me a sensation that shocked me.

"Listen to me, look at me,"

My eyes moved up to stare at him and my heart twisted again at the incredible color around his pupils. I couldn't believe I'd have to see him all the time without being with him. I didn't want to go through that, I didn't want to be in love with him forever.

"I would never do that." he expressed in a low but firm tone. "Chelsea needs you, and you are an incredible mother. I would never do anything to separate you two. Never. I swear."

I exhaled slowly and nodded as my breathing came back to normal. Of course he would never do that, I knew it.

"I know, I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's okay, I understand." he cut me, sending me a fond and understanding smile.

He squeezes my hands more into his and my gaze dropped down. I closed my eyes tight as I tried not to think of his skin against mine, but it was too hard. It's almost all I could think about. His thumbs brushed gently on the top of my hands and I felt myself melt despite myself.

"I'm sorry I tried to... kiss you." I apologized. "I just honestly thought I felt something earlier when you held my hands at the fair. We were so close, and I- I had this craving, this urge to kiss you. All these memories of us, and the fact that we were the three of us like a real family. It- It made me think we could try again, differently this time. It was all in my head, and I know that when you could have kissed me, you didn't. It should have made it obvious that this was only one-sided... I'm sorry, Niall."

He let me talk and when I finally sighed, I opened my eyes again and shook my head before moving my eyes back up. I truly felt like an idiot, but at the same time, I didn't want him to leave.  Once again, silent took place between us and it felt like he was trying to find the right words to tell me about his non-existent feelings to make sure I wouldn't be too hurt.

"I thought about it." he admitted with a sigh, still holding my hands. "I thought about kissing you over 10 times earlier."

The surprise made me hold my breath and nibble on my bottom lip. I was not sure exactly how he felt but somehow, I had the feeling he didn't know either.

"But every single time, I decided against it. I don't know what's happening between us. Is it Chelsea that's making us feel like that? Do we just... I don't know, do we just want to give her a family? Is it the excitement of seeing each other again, the excitement of spending time together? Is it just some feelings and memories we hold onto?"

He stopped talking and shook his head, letting go of my hands to slip his fingers in his hair. He scratched his head a bit and let his hand slip on his face with a long sigh. I stared at him, gripping my pants a bit too hard until he looked at me again. I watched him and couldn't control it anymore, I started crying. Slowly and silently, at first, but the more tears fell down my cheeks, the harder it was to hold on the sobs. I felt his fingers cradle my face and his palms ended up spread on cheeks. His thumbs brushed under my eyes, gathering the tears and I couldn't stop my heart from hitting my rib cage as his hands warmed my whole body with a simple touch.

"Don't cry, please. I didn't want to make you cry."

I wanted to stop crying for him but it was impossible. I had ruined everything a long time ago and I could only be mad at myself. And I was. I hated myself so much I suddenly felt nauseous until his face moved closer to mine. I moved back a bit and stopped sobbing, swallowing the lump in my throat while his hands still pressed softly on my cheeks.

"I don't want a pity kiss." I murmured, my breath reaching his lips. "It would only make things worse."

His eyes roamed on my face while his thumbs still touched lightly my cheekbones. One of them suddenly moved down, brushing extremely gently on my bottom lip and I wanted him. I wanted him so bad and so hard that I had to grip my pants again to make sure I wouldn't touch him.

"Maybe it's time you go home."

[freedom-shamrock]

A Once and Future Love - Chapter 2

Also on AO3 Chp 1  Chp2   Chp3   Chp4   Chp 5   Chp 6   Chp 7  

Adrien draped his towel over the back of a lounger tucked under the shade of a large umbrella out of splashing range of the pool.  He'd already applied sunscreen at home before getting dressed.  He didn't dare end up with tan lines, and he'd learned the hard way that it was best to just apply the first coat both well in advance and before he actually put on clothes.  It kept him from missing spots.

He put his small duffle on the table and looked around the Le Grand Paris' pool deck.  Several of his classmates were already milling about, sipping icy drinks, inflating tubes, or otherwise preparing to spend a few hours in the pool. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced up to see Marinette come out onto the patio.

He gasped, feeling like he'd been sucker-punched by an akuma. A tiny pair of black boy shorts hugged her hips, swaying as she sashayed toward him.  Okay, she was just walking, but his Mari-centric, seventeen-year-old brain immediately made it more than that, even though his pro-model brain knew better.  Above totally ripped abs that he would never have imagined hid under her clothes, she wore a black spotted red halter.  The overall effect was a suit that was perfect for an active day in the heat, but somehow more sexy than the least modest bikini he'd seen on the spring runways.

"Hi Adrien!" she called, waving and making a beeline toward him now that she'd spotted him.  "No Nino yet?" she asked as she claimed the other most shaded chair.

He shook his head, not entirely sure where his voice had gone.

"Alya texted me that she was going to be late."  She wrinkled her adorable face into a disagreeable expression.  "She had a wardrobe malfunction when she tested out her suit this morning, so an emergency shopping trip was necessary."  She shook her head.  "I told her she should have let me make her a suit, but she had to go mail order."

Adrien laughed.  "A huge mistake," he agreed, now that his ability to speak had come back online.  He gestured to her suit, making a concerted effort to neither gawk nor point to any specific part of her anatomy in case that made her self conscious.  "Uuh.  Did you make yours?"

Mari beamed and struck an exaggerated pose, the back of the one hand on her forehead as if the heat was getting to her, and one knee popped out.  "Yep.  It's my latest, and I love how it turned out."

"Ladybug is a good look on you," he said.  If it weren't such a risky thing, he'd ask her to cosplay as Ladybug to his Chat Noir at the next convention.  But he didn't dare tempt fate that way.  He avoided black whenever possible.

"Oh no,"she said, shaking her head.  "It's Ladybug."  She waved to the top.  "And Chat Noir."  She spun around to show off the single neon green pawprin on her right buttcheek.  

He wheezed in response, clapping a hand over his mouth to block the sound, but it was too late.

She looked over her shoulder at him, grinning mischievously,  "This just struck the right amount of sass to fit the personality of that kitty of ours."

"You post a picture of yourself in that suit, and I'm pretty sure he'll be all yours," Adrien said.  It was true, but he really needed to put a leash on his lips if he didn't want to out his identity.

She giggled, turning back to him with a hint of pink in her cheeks that could have been from the sun or his terrible attempts at flirting.  He couldn't help it.  He'd learned all his techniques from anime and over the top cheesy older models.  Ladybug hadn't realized he meant it, and Marinette probably didn't know he was actually flirting either.  

"And you're wearing the latest from Gabriel, I see," she said, waving her elegant little hand toward his navy striped periwinkle trunks.

"Fresh off the production line," Adrien admitted.  The suit had shown up shortly after he told Nathalie he'd be attending Chloe's late spring pool party, one last hurrah before they all had to buckle down for Final Bac.  He hadn't even gotten to choose the color.  "Do you make men's suits?" he asked, trying to decide if the angle of her gaze was directed at his suit or his abdomen.  Being Chat Noir had definitely not hurt his physique, and he really hoped she wasn't analyzing patterns and stitching.

She dragged her eyes up to his.  "I've got a design in mind that matches this one, but I haven't had anyone to make it for."  She shrugged.  "Nino didn't dare get a hero swimsuit before Alya, and I still haven't convinced her."

"Yeah, well you've convinced me," he insisted.  "I want one as soon as you can fit it into your schedule, without jeopardizing your studies," he cautioned.  "And I expect to be charged designer prices."

"You could just model for me, for my portfolio," she said quietly.  "If it won't get you in trouble with your father, I mean."

Adrien grinned.  "I'm not actually under contract right now, so there's no non-compete clause to watch out for."  He winked.  "I'd love to model for you. Just let me know what measurements you need, or when I should stop over for you to get them yourself."

30 minute speed write.

The @adrinetteapril day 8 prompt, pool parties.

[litsy-kalyptica]

Loves of My Life

Of polyamory and single fatherhood. (1/?)

AHamilton: My son takes first priority in my life —always from the day of his birth to the day of my death. But if I wasn’t otherwise occupied by my Pip, I would pass the bar in only six months.

And his class partners had not liked him much after that introduction.

But they were in this for the long-run now, bunched together either by fate or the whims of a professor not one of them had seen in person. Five in total, but Alex couldn’t remember their names beyond a slew of arbitrary usernames.

He wondered if he maybe could’ve helped himself by giving his name in that first response. He’d staked his claim on mastery of the program to faceless classmates without even giving his name! That would be it.

Alexander had posted to the discussion board three days ago, and still no response. No one had posted anything yet. Alex wasn’t sure whether he was more worried that his group was avoiding him, or that he’d been bunched with a group of slackers!

Probably the latter.

His phone rang. MARTHA. He flipped it open, pushing down the rush of anxiety. Calm down, Alexander. There’s no telling that she’s calling with bad news.

“Alexander?”

“Hey, how’s my boy?”

“Oh, he’s doing just fine. He’s lying on the sofa, almost falling asleep on his picture book. Poor thing can barely keep his eyes open. Tired and hungry.”

“Okay, tell him I’ll be back soon.” He was already closing his laptop. “Don’t give him any snacks unless they’re on the approved list. He can have some orange juice.” He slipped his hefty laptop into his satchel and chucked the cold coffee into the trash on his way out of the shop. “I’m three blocks away. Ask him to start counting, unless he’s too tired to count to twenty.”

“Will do, honey. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Alex tucked his phone back into his jeans and ran a hand over his burning eyes. He had lost track of time again. He’d gotten out of work at five, and wanted to get a bit of coursework done at the cafe before he got home, but suddenly five became seven, and seven became nine. And he was going to miss Pip’s bedtime.

“He’s asleep.”

Alex nodded and stepped quietly inside. In the warm glow of a side table lamp washed over his small son curled into an impossible position on the sofa. How could he have been comfortable like that? Alex tried to pick him up in a such a way that wouldn’t awaken the boy.

He held Pip close against his chest. He’d always adored this boy, but he’d been feeling especially sentimental lately. It was Friday. On Tuesday, Philip would be starting school. Alexander wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

Ideally, father and son wouldn’t spend more than six hours apart at a time. Alex was lucky enough to work within six blocks of the apartment building, and George always brought Pip for lunch. It was always the highlight of his day, and Alex told himself that it was all for Pip’s sake more than his own.

“Thanks again, Martha.” He shifted his hold on his son a bit, trying to keep his computer and the small child from dropping to the floor. His poor laptop would have to go first. “And next time, feel free to call me earlier.”

“I know you’re busy.”

“I’m never too busy to miss Pip’s bedtime.”

She smiled and headed into the kitchen. Alex heard the water running at the sink. “Good night, Alexander.”

“Good night.”

Alexander lived down the hall from the Washingtons, so home was just a short walk away. But even on this very brief journey, Pip started to shift a bit in his arms, face rubbing back and forth against Alex’s shoulder as he started to wake up. “Daddy?”

“Look where we are, Pip. We’re home.” He was just coming up on the door, and kissed his son’s head through a bed of dark curls.

“Time?”

“Bedtime.”

Pip sighed and tucked his head back against Alex’s neck, only to giggle through his exhaustion. “Your neck is itchy, Daddy.”

“Oh no. Pip, I think you need to help me shave.” He dug his key out of his pocket.

“I don’t know how.” He seemed to genuinely lament his inability to help with this.

Alex laughed. “You’re a fast learner.”

Alex got Philip through his evening routine, and the four-year-old climbed into bed a half hour later than usual, but Alex easily relented to reading him a bedtime story. “But only ten minutes tonight.” He set the timer to vibrate against his lap. Pip settled under his green wool blanket, and Alex read aloud from a secondhand copy of James and the Giant Peach.

He always did the voices. It sometimes hurt his throat, but it always made Philip smile.

Pip was asleep by the time the timer went off, but he still gently tucked the boy in and kissed his head, turned the nightlight on, and left the door cracked just a little bit open.

Alex thought that Pip would be just as nervous about school starting as he was, so he dedicated the weekend to doing all sorts of fun things. Most of it was at home: they drew and colored, put together puzzles, read together. They went out to the library and Alex took out eight books at Philip’s request, and carried to heavy stack back to the apartment.

Sunday was usually a day for rest at home, and the only day of the week Philip was allowed to watch TV on his own, while Alexander got some work done in advance of the long week ahead. But they would both be home for Monday, so Alexander pushed that time off a little, and they went to the park after breakfast.

George and Martha would often take Philip to the small asphalt park in the neighborhood, but Alex splurged on a trip to Central Park, followed by a lunch out and a movie in the theater.

Pip was already on the jungle gym by the time Alex sat on a nearby bench. Pip had no trouble making friends. He ran around on the playground with a group of two other boys, both white, and one little black girl. Pip seemed especially friendly toward the girl.

Alex caught the man sitting next to him watching the same group of children as himself, and he smiled. “What I wouldn’t do to have that… again,” he added as an afterthought.

The stranger smiled. “Which one’s yours?”

Alex pointed at the mop-headed ray of sunshine as he ran past the slide, nearly slipping on the woodchips. “Philip, be careful!” But he had a bright grin on his face. “Light of my life.”

“I know the feeling.” Shortly after Philip climbed up the steps to the slide, the same girl with whom he’d been playing came racing up after him, and in a similar childlike fashion she nearly slipped right off.

“Theo!” The man that had previously been sitting next to Alex suddenly rushed over. But the girl, Theo, was all smiles and quickly resumed the game of tag. The man took a slow step backwards, watching after her, before returning to the bench with some uncertainty.

Alex decided to help him lighten up. “They look like they’re having fun. Your daughter?”

“Yeah.” He laughed but without any humor behind it. “I wish sometimes she’d take a moment to slow down. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Alex couldn’t blame him there, but couldn’t help but think it might be better for both of father and daughter if he could relax a little. He almost voiced as much, but his brain short-circuited when he realized he’d lost track of his son.

“Philip?” he called out, starting to sit up. This seemed to get the other father’s attention, as well, and he stood to join him as Alex set off closer to the playground. “Philip? Pip? Where’d you go?”

“I’m here, Daddy!” Pip popped out from behind one of the walls of the playground set. “Hide-and-seek!”

Alex laughed off his peaked anxiety and ruffled his son’s hair. “Okay, but you can’t be hiding from Daddy, right?”

“Right!”

“How’re you feeling?”

“I’m good!”

“You’ll sleep well tonight.” He laughed, more genuinely this time. Pip giggled and scurried off into the slide as Theo rounded the corner.

Theo’s father was still standing next to him, and Alex caught back up with where they were a minute ago. Only a minute, he thought. “She’ll be fine.”

The man didn’t say anything.

“I’m Alex.”

“Aaron.”

“Nice to meet you.” Alex watched their children playing together some more. The other kids had wandered off to other games. It was just the two of them left in their game.

“We’ll have to arrange a playdate.”

Alex smiled. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9…”

Pip let a breath out on ten; slowly, as the doctor had taught him. “You’re getting better at this,” Alex noted with a smile, tucking the inhaler back into his bag.

“School starts this week, Daddy. I’ll carry it myself.”

Alex hummed quietly. Two more days. He just wanted to enjoy it, wanted both of them to enjoy it while they could.

It was around noon, and Alex and Pip sat under a tree so the boy could nap in the shade. Pip used his father’s shin as a pillow —“The boy could sleep anywhere, in any way,” Alex noted— so Alex could pull his laptop out and do some work while his son slept. The less he had to get done during the week, the more time he could spend with Pip in the evenings.

There were two new posts to the group forum: both from the same person, both on the topic he had posed to the group. Alexander was suddenly ecstatic and eager to reply. He looked over the thread. The first post responded directly to his first question (and, Alex would admit, rather intelligently), but the follow-up had less to do with the content Alex had presented.

ABurr: Alexander —you present an interesting argument here, but I get the sense you’re trying to outdo the rest of us at something. Call it a hunch, call it truth, but the way you’ve already been speaking to us on here you seem to think you’re better than the rest of us. Let’s agree to all stay on equal footing in this. I understand, and admire, your resolve to get ahead, but I ask that you make sure it doesn’t amount to showing off.

[aeticon]

French Bulldog 5 Things You Should Know About This Woman Dog Mom She Loves Dogs More Than Human Tee Shirts

Yesterday the French Bulldog 5 Things You Should Know About This Woman Dog Mom She Loves Dogs More Than Human Tee Shirts blm captured 57 horses from the four mile herd management area with no public observers present the agency had told the public that the roundup was cancelled for the day however they went ahead and rounded up more horses yesterday than any other day of the roundup out of public view how’s that for transparency the roundup continues today we’ll keep you posted blmabuse stoptheroundups. Throughout the month we’ll be working with invisible people to bring a face to the homeless epidemic in the united states hanesforgood givingtuesday. Line and define the latest in 90 s revival dark lips give your pout some definition with two new darker shades of our lip liner blending brush just 3 French Bulldog 5 Things You Should Know About This Woman Dog Mom She Loves Dogs More Than Human Tee Shirts

French Bulldog 5 Things You Should Know About This Woman Dog Mom She Loves Dogs More Than Human Tee Shirts, Hoodie, Sweater, Longsleeve T-Shirt For Men and Women

Premium Thank You Kobe Bryant Trending shirt this Season : Kobe Bryant

After using the French Bulldog 5 Things You Should Know About This Woman Dog Mom She Loves Dogs More Than Human Tee Shirts diapers for almost two years I must say it s sad to have to cancel the bundles their customer service is awful and I m not sure what s going on with their diapers my last bundle 6 out of the 7 packs of diapers didn t work the sticky tags rip when trying to put the diaper some kept falling off so the diaper wouldn t stay up I contacted them through email and the person asked me for pictures to show how they aren t working ummm no I can t email you pictures of my half naked baby then she says not what I meant I mean pictures of the diapers so you want me to keep diapers that I have use and take pictures it really makes no sense so upsetting I guess they are okay for smaller babies but not for active 17 month old. So this is going to be a bit long but bear with me I had what I believe to be a pointless and incredibly frustrating experience with the assistant manager jamie at your auburn hills great lakes crossing location today I have been coming here for three years I frequent your orlando san marcos and new jersey locations as well at least once a year when we stop we usually spend 5 to 10 thousand dollars on your products the system is simple I go in park in a corner and bring bins to my corner sort them bag them move them to the front register and repeat today I brought a personal duffel bag as it holds about 8 to 12 of your bags worth of stuff I get told that i’m not allowed to use it because it’s policy not a big deal at all I say okay i’ll do that for the rest rather than rebag all of this i’ll just go up in line and pay for it and it can sit behind the counter seems pretty reasonable to me nope I got obstructed suggested that I might be stealing something and not allowed to pass stating if I don’t want to follow the system I can leave he then takes my entire duffel dumps it onto the floor and then rebags it into victoria secret bags then moves it to the front counter so it can be rang in I thought this was a little odd but hey he was doing all the work rebagging it so whatever i’m like dude i’m going to be spending about 8k today all I want to do is come in spend some money get out without any drama what’s the problem whoevers in charge should be thrilled with a sale like this we’re spending 8k keep in mind that I told him that I would do what he wanted and it wasnt’ a big deal and the response was to the effect of stop being lippy and just listen I told him what do you want from me I just agreed with you and said I would use your bags i’m not being lippy at all I know this because I said okay dude not a problem i’ll use your bags his response was maybe if you get to buy it i’m like what are you suggesting that an 8 000 order is something you guys don’t want he’s like yeah if you buy it i’m like dude we are spending 8k today why would I bag up a bunch of stuff and spend 2 3 hours picking our your fabulous product to not buy it anyway so I had 4 credit cards one card had 2 000 one had 3500 one had 2000 and one had 1000 because I am buying for multiple people I had 4 different cards all in my name I wanted one receipt for each card not a big deal to me right wrong again he cited some policy and said if the order is more than 750 items that they aren’t allowed to ring in under 750 items on any one receipt id like to point out that that amount is higher than your employees said they could take as a cash payment I asked him to please show me that I would understand better if I could just read it he was willing to do so he brought out the policy book and to my surprise what it actually said was words to the afffect of cash payments cannot be split up or over 750 items I forget the second half my immediate reply was so what’s the big deal im using credit not cash he snatched the policy book away from me at that point and said you know what you can just listen to me or I don’t have to let you buy anything it’s up to my discretion I then called your orlando outlet and your new jersey outlet and talked to the store managers and cited your policy I was given I asked them to confirm if that was accurate and both said if it was a policy it was news to them I then asked if they would let me buy my order using 4 cards and 4 receipts the woman at orlando said oh my gosh yes we do that every single day I asked if I went to her store if I would have any trouble with this in the future and was told no then she said you can always come down here if you’re in the area and i’ll be happy to take your order after that phone call I tried again here’s the video of that attempt I said listen I have 4 credit cards your register girl said you told her she can’t ring up an order under 750 items that’s 3500 if it’s 5 items not all of my cards have that much I have done multiple receipts every time I came here heck I can even supply them to show it he tells me that because I am order so many items that I can’t have less tan 750 items per receipt so I point around to everyone else and ask what about everyone else you aren’t forcing them to spend a minimum of 750 items what about the final charge i’ll have 750 items for two tickets but the leftover isn’t going to be 750 items you’re not going to let me buy them he shrugged his shoulders to say no at this point I haven’t yelled ive been a bit snarky and sarcastic because I know he’s just giving me a hard time two people ring in our order almost every time I am up there and we were there 3 times in the last 6 months spent a bunch each time so at 730 8pm or so we are done shopping assuming that two people could ring us up ended up being a fantasy he forced one employee only to ring us up later on he comes up when its now close to 9pm and says hey you mind if we ring you up on both registers I chuckle and say no I don’t but you do you don’t want to be breaking that 750 rule do you he glared at me and then sent the employee away and walked off after blinking a few times I laugh because after telling me over and over he couldn’t do it he just got caught trying to do what should have been done to begin with a short while later after 9 I find out that everyone is standing uip front except for the one girl and another associate because none of the rest of them are allowed to help her ring us up the only two people left in the store with about 700 more items to be rang in if that’s not enough since it was a holidy all of these employees are apparently being paid overtime to stand around and wait at a bit after 10 all but two girls leave and one girl is waiting to count cash while the other girl sits and keeps ringing stuff in we apologize profusely we expected two employees to ring us up like always and timed our visit to be out around 9 if this had happened instead of having one literally stand there and watch her for 1 hour and 47 minutes after close we would have all been out on time and no overtime or extra hours spent so finally at 10 47 pm our orders are done we thank the lovely girl lauren and jasmine who got stuck staying 2 hours past close because a manager made up some random policy and had to double down when I pointed out he really needed to follow that 750 rule when he was going to toss another girl on the register if this is policy fine it doesn’t seem to be no manager at your other outlets knew what he was talking about the orlando one insisted that the only restrictions are on cash payments and verified I was paying cash or credit it’s a pretty humiliating experience to get hassled trying to buy panties and bras by someone who’s on some type of power trip the only thing I said sideways to him was that I flat out didn’t believe his policy and that credit absolutely is not the same as cash I didnt call him any names scream at him or did anything to disrupt the store beyond what you see in the videos if this is not policy i’d like an apology from that manager in person or over the phone admitting he was mistaken I would hope that the next time I go there I am not hassled but if not I guess there’s always orlando or new jersey who seem to be quite friendly I also want to give recognition to jasmine and lauren lauren is the poor soul who got stuck ringing everything in alone because of the manager’s silly rule and not allowing anyone to help because it would be in violation of the 750 item rule jasmine was the cash counter who had to wait until we were out of the store to count cash even more interesting is that I had a former employee with me helping me buy and she said she never heard of this policy either but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t added since she left she was just as confused because the manager spent over 30 minutes trying to explain and defend this when that time certainly would have been more efficiently spent doing productive things instead of hassling someone who literally sits in a corner and speaks to no one while sorting through your products one bin at a time id love a call back about this or to find out what exactly is going on ive never been hassled like this before and it was a little frustrating and very trying to keep my cool joe rossetti alexandria gunn. A sad day we’ve lost tammy grimes the actress whose voice brought molly grue so perfectly to life she was 82 years old

Another product: Sorry I Am Already Taken By A Freaking Crazy Guy He Was Born In August Shirts

Trending for this post: My Squad Calls Me Grammy Santa Snow T-Shirt

[breakingmllc]

Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Shakes Girl Silhouette T-Shirt

So this is going to be a Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Shakes Girl Silhouette T-Shirt bit long but bear with me I had what I believe to be a pointless and incredibly frustrating experience with the assistant manager jamie at your auburn hills great lakes crossing location today I have been coming here for three years I frequent your orlando san marcos and new jersey locations as well at least once a year when we stop we usually spend 5 to 10 thousand dollars on your products the system is simple I go in park in a corner and bring bins to my corner sort them bag them move them to the front register and repeat today I brought a personal duffel bag as it holds about 8 to 12 of your bags worth of stuff I get told that i’m not allowed to use it because it’s policy not a big deal at all I say okay i’ll do that for the rest rather than rebag all of this i’ll just go up in line and pay for it and it can sit behind the counter seems pretty reasonable to me nope I got obstructed suggested that I might be stealing something and not allowed to pass stating if I don’t want to follow the system I can leave he then takes my entire duffel dumps it onto the floor and then rebags it into victoria secret bags then moves it to the front counter so it can be rang in I thought this was a little odd but hey he was doing all the work rebagging it so whatever i’m like dude i’m going to be spending about 8k today all I want to do is come in spend some money get out without any drama what’s the problem whoevers in charge should be thrilled with a sale like this we’re spending 8k keep in mind that I told him that I would do what he wanted and it wasnt’ a big deal and the response was to the effect of stop being lippy and just listen I told him what do you want from me I just agreed with you and said I would use your bags i’m not being lippy at all I know this because I said okay dude not a problem i’ll use your bags his response was maybe if you get to buy it i’m like what are you suggesting that an 8 000 order is something you guys don’t want he’s like yeah if you buy it i’m like dude we are spending 8k today why would I bag up a bunch of stuff and spend 2 3 hours picking our your fabulous product to not buy it anyway so I had 4 credit cards one card had 2 000 one had 3500 one had 2000 and one had 1000 because I am buying for multiple people I had 4 different cards all in my name I wanted one receipt for each card not a big deal to me right wrong again he cited some policy and said if the order is more than 750 items that they aren’t allowed to ring in under 750 items on any one receipt id like to point out that that amount is higher than your employees said they could take as a cash payment I asked him to please show me that I would understand better if I could just read it he was willing to do so he brought out the policy book and to my surprise what it actually said was words to the afffect of cash payments cannot be split up or over 750 items I forget the second half my immediate reply was so what’s the big deal im using credit not cash he snatched the policy book away from me at that point and said you know what you can just listen to me or I don’t have to let you buy anything it’s up to my discretion I then called your orlando outlet and your new jersey outlet and talked to the store managers and cited your policy I was given I asked them to confirm if that was accurate and both said if it was a policy it was news to them I then asked if they would let me buy my order using 4 cards and 4 receipts the woman at orlando said oh my gosh yes we do that every single day I asked if I went to her store if I would have any trouble with this in the future and was told no then she said you can always come down here if you’re in the area and i’ll be happy to take your order after that phone call I tried again here’s the video of that attempt I said listen I have 4 credit cards your register girl said you told her she can’t ring up an order under 750 items that’s 3500 if it’s 5 items not all of my cards have that much I have done multiple receipts every time I came here heck I can even supply them to show it he tells me that because I am order so many items that I can’t have less tan 750 items per receipt so I point around to everyone else and ask what about everyone else you aren’t forcing them to spend a minimum of 750 items what about the final charge i’ll have 750 items for two tickets but the leftover isn’t going to be 750 items you’re not going to let me buy them he shrugged his shoulders to say no at this point I haven’t yelled ive been a bit snarky and sarcastic because I know he’s just giving me a hard time two people ring in our order almost every time I am up there and we were there 3 times in the last 6 months spent a bunch each time so at 730 8pm or so we are done shopping assuming that two people could ring us up ended up being a fantasy he forced one employee only to ring us up later on he comes up when its now close to 9pm and says hey you mind if we ring you up on both registers I chuckle and say no I don’t but you do you don’t want to be breaking that 750 rule do you he glared at me and then sent the employee away and walked off after blinking a few times I laugh because after telling me over and over he couldn’t do it he just got caught trying to do what should have been done to begin with a short while later after 9 I find out that everyone is standing uip front except for the one girl and another associate because none of the rest of them are allowed to help her ring us up the only two people left in the store with about 700 more items to be rang in if that’s not enough since it was a holidy all of these employees are apparently being paid overtime to stand around and wait at a bit after 10 all but two girls leave and one girl is waiting to count cash while the other girl sits and keeps ringing stuff in we apologize profusely we expected two employees to ring us up like always and timed our visit to be out around 9 if this had happened instead of having one literally stand there and watch her for 1 hour and 47 minutes after close we would have all been out on time and no overtime or extra hours spent so finally at 10 47 pm our orders are done we thank the lovely girl lauren and jasmine who got stuck staying 2 hours past close because a manager made up some random policy and had to double down when I pointed out he really needed to follow that 750 rule when he was going to toss another girl on the register if this is policy fine it doesn’t seem to be no manager at your other outlets knew what he was talking about the orlando one insisted that the only restrictions are on cash payments and verified I was paying cash or credit it’s a pretty humiliating experience to get hassled trying to buy panties and bras by someone who’s on some type of power trip the only thing I said sideways to him was that I flat out didn’t believe his policy and that credit absolutely is not the same as cash I didnt call him any names scream at him or did anything to disrupt the store beyond what you see in the videos if this is not policy i’d like an apology from that manager in person or over the phone admitting he was mistaken I would hope that the next time I go there I am not hassled but if not I guess there’s always orlando or new jersey who seem to be quite friendly I also want to give recognition to jasmine and lauren lauren is the poor soul who got stuck ringing everything in alone because of the manager’s silly rule and not allowing anyone to help because it would be in violation of the 750 item rule jasmine was the cash counter who had to wait until we were out of the store to count cash even more interesting is that I had a former employee with me helping me buy and she said she never heard of this policy either but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t added since she left she was just as confused because the manager spent over 30 minutes trying to explain and defend this when that time certainly would have been more efficiently spent doing productive things instead of hassling someone who literally sits in a corner and speaks to no one while sorting through your products one bin at a time id love a call back about this or to find out what exactly is going on ive never been hassled like this before and it was a little frustrating and very trying to keep my cool joe rossetti alexandria gunn. Face narsskin luminous moisture cream sheer glow foundation radiant creamy concealer soft velvet loose powder cheeks copacabana illuminator laguna illuminator for darker skin tones copacabana multiple south beach multiple for darker skin tones adoration dual intensity blush eyes audacious mascara brows matte eyeshadow shades blondie bali bengali and coconut grove depending on hair color oural brow gel lips never say never velvet matte lip pencil sex appeal blush. Official springsteenbroadway merch is available every show day from 6 11pm 1 6pm for matinees outside the theater this is currently the only place to purchase the exclusive theater merchandise line up and lets you skip the line inside the theater look for the easel and come say hi Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Shakes Girl Silhouette T-Shirt

Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Shakes Girl Silhouette T-Shirt, Hoodie, Sweater, Longsleeve T-Shirt For Men and Women

Premium Trending Trending shirt this Season : Flower

I want to give a Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Shakes Girl Silhouette T-Shirt shout out to the honest company back in february I ordered their prenatal vitamins I didn’t receive them and eventually looked through my emails they had been sent to my old house address assuming I forgot to update my address on file I figured it was my loss after awhile I recalled having a delivery to my current address here it is nearly may and I finally called the honest company it turns out that I had added my current address but somehow it was not set as default customer service made the address change for me and is sending me the prenatals I ordered back in february anytime I have called for help with an order the honest company has gone above and beyond to help me and btw the organic breathe easy rub has been a miracle for my baby’s chest congestion. Www ctube us. April showers bring may flowers what does coach create bring our customization experience lets you design your own bag in store and online

Another product: Scout Dad Like A Normal Dad Except Way Cooler Vintage T-Shirt

Trending for this post: Retro Easily Distracted By Cats And Garden Poster

[irlpinkiepie]

a house built on sand, chapter 5

a bnha fic

Dreams are fickle creatures.

Sometimes the most certain can fall apart at a moment’s notice, and sometimes, the most fantastic dreams have a chance of coming true.

Of course, that all depends on the dreamer.

[ao3]

Quick rundown. Breakfast, shower, get dressed. She had timed the train ride a few days before, and the earliest she could afford to leave for a 9:00 start was at 8:10, 8:12 if she ran. Look down. 6:28. That’s plenty of time.

As the dye soaked into her hair, Izuku sunk into her favorite habit. What is the exam going to be like? She knew there was some kind of practical component, so it probably had something to do with talent towards being a hero, but beyond that she was totally lost. Fighting villains was the most obvious choice, but villains didn't exactly operate on a schedule, and that would also technically be illegal since neither she nor any of her compatriots would be licensed heroes. Maybe some kind of quirk test? She sincerely hoped not, but she trusted All Might not to deliberately mislead her into false hopes. Unless he had as much of an idea as she did? She didn't want to think about that possibility.

7:31; hopefully that wouldn't hurt too much. Izuku closed her eyes as she rinsed out her hair in the sink, then opened them to look into the mirror. It wasn't perfect, to be sure; there were some waves of hue, and a couple of places where the roots still shone the same light brown as before, but she figured that would come with practice.

She stared into the bright green eyes of her reflection, and then smiled. She looked just like her mother.

Now, get everything else ready to leave. A jacket would probably be a good idea; Izuku grabbed one out of her closet and slid it on over her tank top. Shoes? A pair of white sneakers lay in a rack by the front door before she grabbed them and jumped into them. ID, railcard, and applicant forms were all set; she was practically bouncing at this point, desperate to hop on the train and not spend a single second more waiting.

So, not seeing any reason to stay, she called out a quick goodbye and dashed out the front door.

The train ride was a blur of expectation. The moment Izuku got on, she rushed straight to the back of the car and sat down in the corner, struggling to stay calm as the suburban scenery faded into cityscape. Unable to keep her mind wholly distracted, she took to scanning the car’s passengers, looking for other kids about her age who might be joining her for the entrance exam. A young girl with long, pointed ears poking out of her blue hair, sitting on the other side of the car; Izuku almost moved to say hi, but before she got the chance, the girl picked up her bag and got off a couple stops into the journey. Probably not, then.

A boy with golden blond hair, sitting by himself, but in a tuxedo and holding a briefcase? Doubtful.

Izuku was both relieved and disappointed to not see Katsuki anywhere on the train. There was something a little nerve-wracking about having to navigate such an important day on her own, but she had heard quite enough of his opinions regarding UA High, and she preferred her current uncertainty and nervousness to the contempt which that familiarity had bred.

That being said, she hoped to have a chance to talk to him after the exam; maybe once the pressure of school had been alleviated, he’d be in less of a sour mood.

When her stop was finally called, Izuku was the first one out of the door. School’s right around the corner. No sense in waiting after coming this far.

The sight that she beheld upon rounding the block and turning to her left was so much glorious than pictures could ever have done justice. Towers of glass rising high above the earth, the morning sun reflecting off the building bright enough she had to shade her eyes. A sparkling concrete wall encircling the premises, trees bursting up from behind its border whose leaves were just beginning to bud. And in the midst of it all, hanging gently over what Izuku could only assume was the front gate, was a plain white banner which read simply, “Exam day!”

A few minutes later, she managed to collect herself and walk through the entrance.

Cars are expensive, sure, and a big responsibility, but was being dropped off by Mom and Dad really necessary? It didn't seem dignified.

He was made for greatness, after all.

The school was bigger than his last, but that didn't hugely concern him. He knew there would be more students than in a local junior high, and besides, the school looked rich enough that some amount of this was just extravagance for the sake of it.

Take a look around, survey the competition. Almost everyone already went to the lobby already, he should probably join them, but who was this girl with green hair, wearing shorts in winter and just staring at everything? She seemed a little familiar …

Probably not important; he probably wouldn't see her again. Time to head inside.

Izuku was thrown from her taking in the scenery by the passing of a face she couldn't help but recognize. Katsuki.

She was glad he was okay, at least, but he didn't even say hi? Was the exam stress getting to him that much? She definitely still had a few more minutes before she had to go inside, so he couldn't have been in a rush…

Wait. The hair, the outfit - maybe he just didn't recognize her. She beamed thinking about that possibility.

Still, the inside of the campus was just as phenomenal as it looked from the outside. Despite the building’s apparently bureaucratic appearance, it was actually put together rather artistically; the glass blocks, when viewed separately, seemed almost as towers of a radiant castle. And the height! She could count up almost a dozen floors standing far away, but from this close all that Izuku could sense was just the sheer scale of the place, dominating everything else around it. Hopefully, at some point, she'd get used to this. If she got in. When she got in.

The pathways, too, seemed remarkably well-kept; Izuku knew this school had been around for half a century, but every single brick looked positively brand-new. Maybe there was someone on staff whose quirk related to repairs? That'd definitely make for a pretty useful hero in an emergency situation although the applicability of that sort of power would probably vary wildly so maybe that's why they would move towards an educational career so that they can more effectively benefit wait that pathway is getting closer really fast uh oh close your eyes--

But despite her panic, Izuku never hit the ground.

After a moment of stunned realization, she opened her eyes, and found her face inches away from the pavement - and staying there. She was flying, or, at least, she was floating. But why?

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry!” came a voice from behind her. “I didn't mean to scare you like that, I just saw you about to trip, and it felt like bad luck incoming! I had to do something. Here, spin around and grab my hand.”

Izuku reached out her left arm and gently pushed against the ground in an attempt to get herself at least a little bit further up. Face no longer pressed towards the path, she found herself being stood over by a girl with warm brown hair, holding out her arm and looking at her expectantly. Reaching out her own hand and grabbing on, Izuku felt herself being pulled weightlessly into a more or less upright position, before suddenly feeling the pull of gravity again as she fell the last couple of inches.

“My quirk is making things weightless,” the girl said, pulling a pink scarf down from her face and tucking it into the collar of her coat. “I know you’re not supposed to use them on people, but I hope you don’t mind too much.”

“O-oh, not at all!” Izuku stuttered in reply, not entirely sure how to react. “Thanks for the help.”

“Of course!” responded the brunette with a smile. “It’s like I said, I’d hate it if someone lost out ‘cause of feeling unlucky. I know it’s a bit silly,” she continued, stretching an arm behind her head, “but it can’t hurt. I’m Ochako, by the way.”

“Izuku.” There was something reassuring about Ochako’s presence, even if she couldn’t figure out what exactly.

“Should we get going? As beautiful as it is outside, it can probably wait until after the exam, don’t you think?” Ochako walked a couple of steps towards the door as she spoke, and then turned back to Izuku, motioning to follow.

She was still unsure of herself, but she didn’t have any doubts about this. Smiling back as best she could, Izuku followed her new friend through the school’s front doors.

“No, it’s actually rarer than you’d think,” Ochako said as the two of them found their way into the auditorium at the end of the hallways and arrow-labeled signs. “I was the only one from my school who applied. It’s like, self-selecting? Most of the people who wouldn’t get in don’t even bother going through the exam. Middle section alright?”

“Sure thing,” responded Izuku, as the two of them moved into the rows and set their sights on a pair of still-empty seats. They weren’t scheduled to start for a few minutes, but the seats were already filling close to the brim. “There seem to be a lot more people here than that, though,” she said gesturing to the room around her.

“Hm? There are a lot of junior high schools in Japan, you know.”

“Oh. Right.” For some reason, the idea that there were kids like her who had traveled across the country to chase the same dream had never occurred to her, but now that it had, her nervousness suddenly escalated far above what it had been all day. She had probably had more training, sure, but she wasn’t even the best in her class, let alone the entire country.

“Are you feeling okay?” Ochako said, and then her voice became static and swirled around her.

There wasn’t a single thing she had done to prepare herself for several hundred students who were all the best in their school, and now she was stuck and there was no way out and the walls and the students pushed closer and closer and a hand gently fell into her lap and she grabbed it as tight as she could and held on until the panic faded and the lights and sounds outside her returned to their sources and she followed the hand she held tight to its origin and looked up at her and smiled and said, simply, “Thank you.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright in the exam?” Gone was her previously cheery demeanor, replaced by an expression of worry.

“Yeah, I-I’m sorry.” Stay calm, don’t fret, just focus on what’s best possible. “I don’t really do well with uncertainty, and I was kind of thrown…”

Ochako nodded, a faint smile returning to her face. “Well, if it helps at all, orientation’s just about to start; should be any minute now.” Sure enough, Izuku looked down at her watch and saw the faint glow of an 8:59 screen, which she stared at expectantly waiting for the next change in time.

Just before it had the chance, though, it was interrupted by a hum of speaker static coming from the front of the auditorium, followed by an almost ear-splitting amplified voice echoing through the room which said only the words “EVERYBODY READY?” And with that, the lights dimmed, a projector shone onto the back wall, and a young man dressed in all black leather sauntered on stage, blond hair gelled back to a point.

Present Mic.

UA graduate of ‘38, top 10 in popularity polls for the first five years of his career, billions of yen earned lifetime, and now, it seemed, high school teacher. Honestly, as far as career paths went, Izuku didn’t think that one was so bad. She wasn’t sure how much he really needed a microphone given his quirk, though.

Still, as much time as she had spent with All Might, there was still something amazing about seeing a professional hero standing right in front of her and talking directly to her, especially one whose radio show she still listened to on a nightly basis.

“Welcome, everyone, to the first day of what will hopefully be a long and happy three years of study at UA High School! That is, of course, if you can pass the entrance exam! LET’S GET THINGS STARTED!” The projector, which previously displayed a blank white screen, now had additional lettering: plain black type which read ‘Entrance Exam Details’, and below that, in a smaller font, the words ‘By Hizashi Yamada’.

“So!” Present Mic continued, still excitedly shouting every word. “There is a written exam too, and that’ll be in a few days or so, but there’s nothing EXCITING about that! You kids signed up here ‘cause you wanted to be heroes! So let’s see if you can!”

He threw his arms out and yelled, “CURTAINS PLEASE!” At that, the title card behind him faded, replacing itself with what looked like a… video game screen? Complete with tinny music playing through the speakers.

Well, he seemed excited, even if the rest of the room was silent.

“Your test is gonna be fighting villains! Robot villains! Lots of them!” Pixelated figures materialized on the board, and were those Mario enemies? On second thought, this was clearly going to be weird; Izuku figured it would be better to just accept it. Each of the figures was labeled with a different number, and a similarly-styled Present Mic appeared and started wandering around the virtual city.

“Three types of robots! Each one’s worth a different number of points - try to get as many as you can in ten minutes! Don’t get killed!” Wait, how dangerous was this going to be? No, that was probably just a joke. Maybe. His shouting every word didn’t exactly make the tone of his words clear, as much as it was still a delight to listen to.

“Excuse me, sir!” Another voice rang out from the audience; Izuku was amazed that anyone managed to find room to get a word in edgewise. She looked to find the source of the interruption, and traced it to a boy sitting near the front, standing perfectly straight in his school uniform and raising his hand high in the air. Astonishingly, Present Mic noticed him too, and stopped his speech to respond, “Yes? What’s the matter?”

“You mentioned there being only three types of opponent,” the boy said bluntly, pushing his glasses to his face, “and yet the diagram you provided shows four plus yourself. Is this a problem with your speech, or with the presentation?”

“Worry not!” Present Mic responded before spinning back behind the podium and dramatically stretching out his arms again. “That’s just what I was about to mention! The mid-round game changer! Zero point robot! Just don’t get in its way!”

All in all, this ‘test’ seemed bizarre at best. They were just going to be set loose on a bunch of fake villains? But presumably still dangerous villains, otherwise the test wouldn’t be very useful, but also not too dangerous villains, since she hadn’t heard about any previous children killed by an entrance exam. She turned to Ochako making a confused face, and received only a shrug in response.

“Check your forms for your exam center! Buses leave outside in 20 minutes, so get ready! Break a leg! PLUS ULTRA!” Shouting his final words loud enough to put Izuku’s hair on end, he stood back and bowed as the screen faded to black. Izuku, for her own part, managed a couple enthusiastic claps before realizing that the rest of the room failed to share her sentiment.

The two of them both perused their sheets before finding a small, capital letter ‘B’ in the bottom right corner.

“Well… good luck, I guess,” Izuku said hesitantly. She wasn’t sure how she felt about having people she knew watching her during the exam, even if only indirectly, but she gave a thumbs up regardless.

“Thanks! You too.” Ochako blinked a couple of times before nodding and offering a faint smile alongside her words.

As the two of them filed out of the auditorium along with the rest of the students, neither said another word.

The bus ride was surprisingly short, and Katsuki was nowhere to be seen. Cherish blessings as they come.

This current situation, though, was nothing short of confounding. Izuku really wasn’t expecting to be blown away by architecture twice in one day, but it seemed like the school really had built enclosed cityscapes out in the middle of the countryside, and she could see the peak of a skyscraper rising out above the sheer metal wall in front of her. Seven buses outside before she left probably meant that there were seven of these, and if there was any damage to the interiors, they would have to be rebuilt every single year. Everything she had learned that day shocked her.

Looking around, she saw Ochako again - no longer dressed in winter gear, but instead sporting a light blue jacket and tracksuit. She must have gotten changed before getting on the buses, then - that would explain why she had left and Izuku hadn’t spotted her again until now. It felt wrong to leave the situation between the two of them unresolved, though, and she wanted to make sure her words had been taken sincerely. She only managed a single step in her direction, though, before her path was blocked by the straightened arm of another student.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” the boy stopping her said sternly. Izuku was surprised to see the same boy who had interrupted Present Mic’s speech standing in front of her. At this rate, it was more surprising that Katsuki wasn’t there with her.

“That girl over there is clearly trying to concentrate. It would be extremely inappropriate for you to interfere with your competitors in such a manner, and I ask that you please refrain.”

“I-- uh… okay.” No point in arguing; even in what was presumably a school P.E. uniform, he was still somewhat of a presence. Izuku gently backed up and walked off in a different direction as quickly as she could.

Wanting to avoid thinking about that awkwardness, Izuku decided to take a moment to strategize. While she hadn’t technically done it before, there was nothing about fighting robotic opponents that seemed noticeably different from human opponents with quirks, and she had been taught by the best how to do that. It was just a matter of being resourceful and thinking quickly, and with only three types of robots to contend with, it shouldn’t be tricky to get a feeling of how to defeat them all.

How would points be assigned for collaborative efforts, though? She didn’t really want to take any risks, so she should probably head out on her own and hope not to run into anyone. That being said, she wasn’t on the best of terms with the two students she had actually spoken to already, and not really being sure how much time there was before the exam actually started, trying to collaborate at this point seemed like a fool’s errand. Seeing the other students all standing apart silently in front of the open gate, she doubted anyone would even wait the gate was open.

Did that mean the test had started? No one else seemed to have noticed, and the worst that could happen is that she would be pulled out and have to start with everyone else. Besides, a head start was a tempting offer.

Just as she was about to cross the threshold into the artificial city, she heard the crackle of a loudspeaker, and nearly panicked before she heard its message: the voice of Present Mic angrily shouting, “Well, what are you waiting for? No countdowns in battle!” At that, the people behind her perked up and started running, so Izuku took that as a sign to do the same. Pulling off at the first corner and making sure no one had followed her, she wandered into the city looking for enemies, and it wasn’t long until she found one.

Never had Izuku been more glad to have accidentally left a screwdriver in her pocket. With as many electrical appliances as she had dismantled over the course of her beach training, there was often a temptation to hate its presence, but right now she couldn’t be more grateful.

The android standing in front of her had large shields over its arms, each emblazoned with the numeral “1”. Mutator-type quirk, she thought. Tackle the weak points, manipulate the mutation. Seeing the arms about to come down at her, she dodged out of the way, and then ran behind her opponent and held on tight to its back. A loose plate became looser, and a couple of wires were knocked from their slots, and the robot she was grabbing lost power and fell to the floor.

Izuku sat down for a moment to catch her breath. The moment she had stepped through the gate to the city, she had felt slightly uneasy, and that encounter had amplified that feeling to distress. Not panic, fortunately, but enough to start making her feel sick.

As soon as she could, though, she picked herself back up and kept moving. She wasn’t sure what a winning score was, but something told her that a single point would not suffice.

Walking through the cityscape was an oddly surreal experience. So many of the side alleys and narrow roads reminded her of her own home city - was that deliberate? - but for every familiar doorstep and street corner, there was a pristine concrete wall or row of darkened windows that reminded her that her surroundings were artificial. Given more time to ponder, Izuku would have wandered for days; as it was, though, her observations were minor distractions as she ran by on a quest to defeat more enemies.

When the loudspeaker rang out with a five-minute warning before she had increased her score any further, though, she realized that she was going to have to adopt a different strategy.

Concentrate. The simulation is likely to be accurate. Real villains don’t attack randomly, they attack population centers. Going right to the most open areas would probably mean competition from other students, but the access routes would probably be effective targets, as well as blocking off the other students. Plus, this was just a simulation, but there was something that seemed wrong about attacking villains in places where others could be endangered.

She listened out for the sound of commotion and followed it as best she could, but when another one-point robot crossed her path, panic suffused through her body and overrode her previous ability to fight back. When the metallic arm swung down towards her, she tried desperately to run away, but her legs were frozen in place, and she could only squeeze her eyelids shut and fret.

She wasn ’t entirely happy with how this whole situation played out, but at the halfway things seemed to be looking up. Her quirk was starting to wear her out, though; thankfully, this wasn’t an extended fight, so she could go home and rest afterward. For now, though? All out; there was something so oddly satisfying about the process of tagging the robots, pushing them into the air, and letting them fall to the ground, and she couldn’t help but smile every time she heard a crash behind her. The latest set had brought her up to a clean thirty.

While she had seen other students around, none of them ever tried to mess with her, though she couldn ’t count on that staying true as the number of robots dwindled. She was going to have to act.

A loud whirring noise sounded a couple of streets down; with any luck, she ’d be the first one to it.

Izuku opened her eyes to see the robot still in front of her, swinging wild strokes with its shield arms, not a single one in danger of hitting her. Curious, she stepped forward into their path, and the robot in its turn rolled back so that its attacks were still out of range.

The robots were never going to hurt them. This test was completely safe.

That realization now under her belt, she took to disabling the second robot in the same manner as the first, and it quickly fell down to the ground with a clatter. Not having to worry about staying safe, this test would become a cinch. Izuku rushed off towards the city center, the few remaining enemies in her path tumbling harmlessly as she passed them and deactivated them.

People talk all the time about missing the forest for the trees, but no one ever mentions missing the collapsing building for the giant robot knocking it down. Funny, that.

While she had managed to avoid most of the debris, the impact from what remained was enough to knock the wind out of her, and she doubted she ’d be able to clear all of it with her quirk right away. Still, she felt like she had a decent lead, and once the exam was over they’d come and rescue her.

As much as she wanted to focus on silver linings, she was still drowning in steel.

Izuku’s forward progress was halted by a sudden, loud whirring off in the distance. She hadn’t actually seen any three-point robots still intact, and the idea of a burst of extra points was too appealing to pass up on, even if it was some distance away. She made a dash for the sound’s origin, then stopped cold when a couple of blocks later, she found it.

Stay calm. Focus. Don’t worry. This was probably the zero point robot. If it was anything like the other robots, it wasn’t allowed to actually hurt any of the students.

Mixed in with the sea of debris in front of her was a familiar light blue.

It wouldn’t hurt them unless it didn’t know that they were there.

Her view to the outside was limited, but there was nothing comforting about seeing a sea of people running from the place where she was fixed. Baffling, though, was seeing this and noticing a single person heading towards her.

Only one thing to do. Dig as fast as you can. Her life depends on it.

The roaring motors grew louder by the second, but it felt as though the weight on her shoulders was lifting.

Reaching out a hand to Ochako’s now excavated body, she saw the hand in front of her and grabbed on, but no matter how hard she pulled, the rest of the debris still weighed down on her body, and she felt her body lighten as her control over her power began to waver and Izuku was floating.

“I’ll save you,” she whispered, and then pressed off the ground and flew into the air.

A rising, followed by a crashing.

The joint at the robot’s neck was crucially weak. A single, impulsive punch sent it flying backwards, as she did the same from the now lifeless robot.

She smiled, and then closed her eyes.

In the rush of the moment, she failed to notice that the pull of gravity had returned to her body.

A falling, followed by a landing.

Izuku and Ochako were both barely, luckily, alive.

[happyweddingblogs]

110 Most Romantic Wedding Couple Quotes

Wedding quotes can make any of your social media status more charming and worth reading. Here we are sharing with you some of the best wedding couple quotes. These quotes can be fit in aptly on any occasion from your wedding to your first wedding anniversary. You can even use these wedding couple quotes on your wedding invites or other wedding stationery.

It is a mix of cheesy, funny, and romantic quotes for all moods! So, without wasting any time, let’s move on to the quotes.

Source: Happy Wedding App

Here we go…..

#1. “Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone; it has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

#2. “There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.” — Sarah Dessen

#3. “I would find you in any lifetime.” — Kanye West

#4. “A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.” — Dave Meurer

#5. “I love your feet because they have wandered over the earth and through the wind and water until they brought you to me.” — Pablo Neruda

#6. “I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes; I am out of control and at times, hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” — Marilyn Monroe

#7. “I love you, not only for what you are but for what I am when I am with you. I love you, not only for what you have made of yourself but for what you are making of me.” — Roy Croft

#8. “I have, for the first time, found what I can truly love. I have found you.” — Charlotte Bronte

#9. “Marriage is another momentous life change. Choose right, and it might be the most positive decision you ever make.” — Patrick Foley

#10. “There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion, or company than a good marriage.” — Martin Luther

#11. “Hear my soul speak. Of the very instant that I saw you, did my heart fly at your service.” — William Shakespeare

#12. “When two people become one by way of marriage, it is not only their hearts that are united but their minds and souls as well.” — Julie Donner Anderson

#13. “Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be.” — Robert Browning

#14. “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” — David Viscott

#15. “When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.” — When Harry Met Sally

#16. “When you love someone, you love them as the person they are and not as you’d like them to be.” — Leo Tolstoy

#17. “Wedding is destiny, and hanging likewise.” — John Heywood

#18. “Marriage is the highest state of friendship. If happy, it lessens our cares by dividing them, at the same time that it doubles our pleasures by mutual participation.” — Samuel Richardson

#19. “A strong marriage rarely has two people strong at the same time. It is a husband and wife who take turns being strong for each other at the moment the other is weak.” — Ashley Willis

#20. “Love me and the world is mine.” — David Reed

Related:

Anniversary Wishes for Husband

150 Funny Marriage Quotes for Newlyweds

#21. “Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threaded, hundreds of tiny threads, which sew people together through the years.” — Simone Signoret

#22. “Don’t smother each other. No one can grow in the shade.” — Leo Buscaglia

#23. “Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” — Wuthering Heights

#24. “Only one is a wanderer; Two together are always going somewhere.” — Vertigo

#25. “As God by creation made two of one, so again by marriage, He made one of two.” — Thomas Adams

#26. “My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.” — Winston Churchill

#27. “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” — Epicurus

#28. “A good marriage would be between a blind wife and a deaf husband.” — Michel de Montaigne

#29. “Marriage a bond between a person who never remembers anniversaries and another who never forgets them.” — Ogden Nash

#31. “Who, being loved, is poor?” — Oscar Wilde

#32. “It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.” — Fredrich Nietzche

#33. “I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.” — J. R. R. Tolkien

#34. “To say that one waits a lifetime for his soul mate to come around is a paradox. People eventually get sick of waiting, take a chance on someone, and by the art of commitment become soul mates, which takes a lifetime to perfect.” — Criss Jami

#35. “In your light, I learn how to love. In your beauty, how to make poems. You dance inside my chest where no one sees you, but sometimes I do, and that sight becomes this art.” — Rumi

#36. “If I know what love is, it is because of you.” — Hermann Hasse

#37. “Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” — James Baldwin

#38. “Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” — Maya Angelou

#39. “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” — Mignon McLaughlin

#40. “You know, there is a name for people who are always wrong about everything all the time – Husband!” — Bill Maher

#41. “The highest happiness on earth is the happiness of marriage.” — William Lyon Phelps

#42. “Love can come when you’re already who you are, when you’re filled with you. Not when you look to someone else to fill the empty space.” — Deb Caletti

#43. “We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness–and call it love–true love.” — Robert Fulgham

Related: Lovely Wedding Captions (2020) for Status Updates on Social Media

#44. “Being in a long marriage is a little bit like that nice cup of coffee every morning – I might have it every day, but I still enjoy it.” — Stephen Gains

#45. “You know you’re in love when you don’t want to fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” — Dr. Seuss

#46. “Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.” — Plato

#47. “The essence of marriage is companionship, and the woman you face across the coffee urn every morning for ninety-nine years must be both able to appreciate your jokes and to sympathize with your aspirations.” — Elbert Hubbard

#48. “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.” — Shakespeare

#49. “If I had a flower for every time thought of you… I could walk through my garden forever.” — Alfred Tennyson

#50. “They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

#51. “You don’t love someone for their looks, or their clothes, or for their fancy car, but because they sing a song only you can hear.” — Oscar Wilde

#52. “For you see, each day I love you more. Today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow.” — Rosemond Gerard

#53. “The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.” — Audrey Hepburn

#54. “In other relationships, people are different entities but in marriage, the couple is considered as one. This is what makes marriage a different kind of bond.” — Mark McGrann

#55. “For the two of us, home isn’t a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.” ― Stephanie Perkins

#56. “Marriages are like fingerprints; each one is different and each one is beautiful.” — Maggie Reyes

#57. “A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.” — Andre Maurois

#58. “There are a hundred paths through the world that are easier than loving. But who wants easier?” — Mary Oliver

#59. “What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

#60. “Your absence has not taught me to be alone, it merely has shown that when together we cast a single shadow on the wall.” — Doug Fetherling

#61. “Many people spend more time in planning the wedding than they do in planning the marriage.” — Zig Ziglar

#62. “The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” — Rumi

#63. “The best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps they’re too old to do it.” — Ann Bancroft

#64. “You have made a place in my heart where I thought there was no room for anything else. You have made flowers grow where I cultivated dust and stones.” — Robert Jordan

#65. “For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” — Judy Garland

#66. “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you are the world.” — Taylor Hanson

#67. “If you want your wife to listen to you, then talk to another woman; she will be all ears.” — Sigmund Freud

#68. “I love being married. It’s so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” — Rita Rudner

#69. “Faith makes all things possible. Love makes all things easy.” — Dwight Moody

#70. “Yours is the light by which my spirit’s born: you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” — E.E. Cummings

#71. “You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope…I have loved none but you.” — Jane Austen

#72. “People are weird. When we find someone with weirdness that is compatible with ours, we team up and call it love.” — Dr. Seuss

#73. “In all the world, there is no heart for me like yours. In all the world, there is no love for you like mine.” — Maya Angelou

#74. “Love is like a beautiful flower which I may not touch, but whose fragrance makes the garden a place of delight just the same.” — Helen Keller

#75. “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” — Mignon McLaughlin

#76. “Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering.” — Nicole Krauss

#77. “Marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb. It isn’t something you get. It’s something you do. It’s the way you love your partner every day.” — Barbara De Angelis

#78. “A marriage is not a noun; it’s a verb. It isn’t something you get. It’s the way you love your partner every day.” — Barbara De Angelis

#79. “To find someone who will love you for no reason, and to shower that person with reasons, that is the ultimate happiness.” — Robert Brault

#80. “Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favourite.” — Anonymous

#81. “The greatest marriages are built on teamwork. A mutual respect, a healthy dose of admiration, and a never-ending portion of love and grace.” — Fawn Weaver

#82. “When someone else’s happiness is your happiness that is love.” — Lana Del Ray

#83. “Marriages, like a garden, take time to grow. But the harvest is rich unto those who patiently and tenderly care for the ground.” — Darlene Schacht

#84. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” — Lao Tzu

#85. “Marriage, ultimately, is the practice of becoming passionate friends.” — Harville Hendrix

#86. “When I have learned to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.” — C.S. Lewis

#87. “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” — Dr. Seuss

#88. “Love is like a friendship caught on fire.” — Jeremy Taylor

#89. “Love seems the swiftest but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a quarter of a century.” — Mark Twain

#90. “To be fully seen by somebody, then, and be loved anyhow–this is a human offering that can border on miraculous.” — Elizabeth Gilbert

#91. “Marriage is like trading in the adoration of many for the sarcasm of one.” — Mae West

#92. “There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.” — Ronald Reagan

#93. “For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” — Judy Garland

#94. “Marriage is a wonderful institution… but who wants to live in an institution?” — Groucho Marx

#95. “A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.” — Andre Maurois

#96. “Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” — Elizabeth Barrett Browning

#97. “Marriage is such a beautiful relationship and a gift from God. It’s God’s design, created between a man and a woman.” — Whitney Meade

#98. “So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s going to be really hard; we’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, every day. You and me… every day.” — Nicholas Sparks

#99. “The secret of a happy marriage is finding the right person. You know they’re right if you love to be with them all the time.” — Julia Child

#100. “To get the full value of joy you must have someone to divide it with.” — Mark Twain

#101. “When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” — Paulo Coelho

#102. “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave.” — Martin Luther

#103. “There is only one happiness in life: To love and be loved.” — George Sand

#104. “Great love affairs start with champagne…” — Honoré de Balzac

#105. “The greatest marriages are built on teamwork. A mutual respect, a healthy dose of admiration, and a never-ending portion of love and grace.” — Fawn Weaver

#106. “Remember, we all stumble; every one of us. That is why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.” — Emily Kimbrough

#107. “True love stories never have endings.” — Richard Bach

#108. “Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.” — Benjamin Franklin

#109. “A happy marriage is a long conversation which always seems too short.” — André Maurois

#110. “Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry.” — Tom Mullen

You can use these 110 wedding couple quotes in your wedding from your wedding invitation to wedding vows. These quotes can be fit in your wedding perfectly.

Happy Wedding….

[sootemptation]

FATED (Part 1)

(You can read the synopsis in the Masterpost below)

Masterpost  |  Part 2

Pairing: Suho x reader. (AU)

Warnings: none yet.

Words: 1615.

A/N: I know this part is short but it’s just to settle things down. I’ll keep going with the story from here. Opinions are always welcomed! ^.^

This is a part of the August challenge for my network. Here’s the prompt I used:

I work nights and you have an 8am class, so we always end up running into each other at the campus coffee shop.

(Gif credits to its owner)

When the clock finally hit 7:00 a sigh of exhaustion and relief left your mouth. You had been wanting to go home since you had started to work at 23:00. Every single day since they hired you, when the time to finish your work period was coming, you couldn’t help but wonder why did you accept a night shift, and wouldn’t find any valid reason. Of course, when the night was coming and your entry time was near you remembered exactly why you had accepted it. You were as poor as a rat and if you wanted to keep studying, you needed that job to pay for basically everything.

Rob came in cheerfully greeting everyone, as always. You hated him. He was a nice guy, but he used to come to work every morning with a shiny smile and his stupid rested face after having slept all night… Like you all had that chance! Sucker.

“Good morning Sweetheart,” he smiled trying to be nice, as he leaned on the counter in front of you, “How is our newest worker doing today?”

“Call me Sweetheart once again and I will rip your eyes out of your face using this teaspoon,” you answered showing him the one you were wiping and mimicking his pose.

“We get grumpy if we don’t have our beauty sleep hours, huh?” he laughed lightly, ignoring your bad-tempered ass and putting his apron on.

You gave him a fake smile as you went for the door, wanting to leave the place as soon as possible and avoiding to answer him, knowing that he was right and your reply wouldn’t be nice,

“Rest well! I’ll see you tomorrow!” he shouted before you grabbed your bag and crossed the door.

What an idiot. He knew you were going to spend most of the morning catching up on your homework and studying for your exams and your afternoon schedule was packed with classes. You were lucky if you managed to get a maximum of 4 hours of sleep. Thank God every five days of hard work there was always a weekend to have some rest…

As your feet carried you lazily through the street, the scent of freshly brewed coffee made you walk right in front of the nice building where it came from, as every morning of the last two months.

You opened the door making the small bell that was over it ring, and went straight for your usual table, waiting for the waitress to come and take your order.

It was one of your favorite places in the world. That coffee shop was on the campus, next to the building where you had most of your classes,  near your workplace and even closer to your dorm, but as soon as you crossed the door it made you feel disconnected from everything, like nothing else existed out of its doors. You didn’t know if it was an effect it only had on you or if someone else could feel it, but you were in love with it.

The huge windows in the front and the back let the sun rays light the place and, as most of the furniture was painted with bright colors, it added a special gleam to it, making you feel at ease.

Something that you would never understand was why so many students had stopped going to that place because of the Starbucks that had been opened a block away. For you, it wasn’t as nice as this coffee shop, as cheap as the one you were in or the coffee as good, but you were thankful for the stillness that could be breathed without an avalanche of people walking around.

“Hey! What can I bring you? Your usual?” asked with a huge smile the waitress, who had silently approached to your table.

“Yes please,” you answered, “and extra sugar. I need to keep myself awake.”

She nodded and turned around giggling. You didn’t know her name, but you used to be each other’s waitress every day. Before her shift began she would walk into the bar where you were working at and ask for an orange juice and chips. It wasn’t an ideal breakfast but you were not her mom so you would get her what she wanted and, around an hour later, you would go to her work place and order a big cappuccino and toasts. It was like you were friends but you had never had a conversation out of what you would serve each other, and despite it was weird, it still added an extra to the coziness of the place.

The bell over the door rang again and he came in. The guy you had been observing every day since you became a regular customer there. Well, maybe observing was not the word. You were not a creeper. It was more like you couldn’t refrain yourself from glancing at him from time to time. But how not? You were sure you had never seen such a beautiful man in your life. He was Asian, with soft eyes and full lips. His hair always up, showing his forehead, and his clothes on point. He did remember you of a cute small bunny sometimes, and still, everything he did was graceful and manly. His presence was not like something you could ignore. You had no idea if he knew that, but you did, and the rest of the female customers of the place knew that too.

“Your breakfast. Bon appétit!” exclaimed the girl carrying your order and making you jump in surprise.

“Thanks,” you mumbled blushing, ashamed that she had just caught you staring at the boy.

She walked from your table to his and asked the same question she had asked you when you came in. He was also a regular. Every single morning he would come in, look for his usual table, next to yours, and sit on the opposite side you did, so you were facing each other. He would ask for a black coffee and pull his tablet out of his bag while waiting. He would drink the whole mug at once, after considering it was cool enough to drink and keep reading something on the screen. A couple of minutes before the clock hit 8:00, he would look at his watch, course under his breath for being late, and hurriedly pick his things, dropping a couple of coins on the table to pay for his coffee, and then he would leave. Just to do exactly the same the next morning.

Despite knowing every detail of his routine, you had no idea that morning, for the first time, it would be different. He ordered his usual, read on his tablet, as usual, and drank his coffee in one go, as usual, but when he left the mug over the table he lifted his eyes and looked at you. Well... more like he caught you staring.

The heat on your face was an indicator that you were blushing, probably like never before, and you looked away as quickly as you could. He smiled softly, finding cute the shade of red in your cheeks, and then called for the waitress.

That was a new move. You wanted to know what was he doing, why did he change his every-day procedure, but you were ashamed enough to refrain yourself, at least for that day. You didn’t think you were able to hold his sight again.

The sound of the bell indicating that the door was being opened dragged your attention to it, and you saw the back of the bunny-guy who was already leaving the place.

Why was he leaving? Was it because of you? Did you make him feel uncomfortable? Oh God! Maybe he was aware of you watching him all the time and he just couldn’t stand it anymore. That was it. You were a creeper. You definitely were.  

“Here, this is for you,” The voice next to you made you jump again.

“Jesus!” you whimpered placing a hand over your chest in an attempt to soothe your heart. How was she that quiet? Did she even walk using her feet or she moved around just walking in the air? It was the third time she surprised you that day.

She turned to leave with a huge grin on her face, clearly amused with your reaction, but you called her again,

“Excuse me, I didn’t order this,”

“I know, he ordered it for you,” she sang pointing the table where the pretty boy was sitting a second before, “He left that for you to read and paid your bill too.”

Your heart froze for a second, just like the rest of you.

She said what?

He did what?

Turning the takeaway cup, there was a yellow post-it stuck to it with something written on it:

 You look tired. Go home and have some rest.

Kim Junmyeon.

 You didn’t know how to react. Like, on the one hand, a complete stranger was “kinda” telling you what to do with a note on a post-it, and you didn’t like it. But, on the other hand, the cute bunny boy who you “kinda” had a crush on, had just invited you to, judging by its smell, another cup of cappuccino and showed his concern for your well-being... Nice move.

“So Kim Junmyeon is the name that matches that face...” you whispered to yourself.

A small smile emerged on your lips as you found curious that he had asked for you to have some rest while paying for another cup of coffee that you had originally ordered to be sure that you didn’t fall asleep.

Masterlist  |  Let me know what you think