#i had finished it and was contemplating climbing the tree at the end

[ivory--raven]

rebrand reminded me I missed my anniversary this February so

Aquila chrysaetos

golden eagle.

[midsummer-semantics]

the hint of a spark

Written for day 3 of @steddieangstyaugust.

Prompt: "The sunset looks lovely, doesn't it?"

Rating: G | WC: 2k | S4 Canon Compliant

Title from "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie

divider from @steddiecameraroll-graphics

The calm before the storm is always Steve’s least favorite part. The idle waiting they all have to do before a plan can be set in motion. It’s worse now, somehow, than it was in ‘83 or ‘84 (he doesn’t think about ‘85, when most of the waiting was done tied to a chair under the heavy influence of Russian drugs). Now, half of their group is AWOL and there’s a new person that shouldn’t have been involved in the first place.

It’s still early, their plan not beginning until after the sun goes down, but Steve is restless. He wants to finish this. Finally. Three years of his life tied to the bullshit that this Vecna guy has pulled and for what? What’s the goddamn point?

“Brooding all by yourself, handsome?” a voice comes, startling Steve out of his… okay, he was brooding. He looks over to find Eddie climbing the ladder that leads to the top of the caravan, which Steve had retreated to with a flimsy excuse of ‘keeping watch’ while the others tried to get some rest, charge up for the night ahead of them.

He waits until Eddie takes a seat next to him, offering a crooked smile before responding. “Got an image to maintain.”

Eddie snorts as he settles, one leg extended so his foot hangs off the side of the RV, the other bent so he can rest his elbow on his knee. “Even in the face of impending doom, you’re still the formidable King Steve,” he quips, but it lacks the bitterness that Steve’s used to hearing when that nickname comes up.

Steve bumps his shoulder to Eddie’s, a silent acknowledgment of the joke.

It’s quiet this far away from downtown. Not the suffocating quiet of his house or the droning quiet of Family Video on a slow day. A peaceful quiet. The kind of quiet that Steve hasn’t experienced in a while. The kind that lets him delude himself into thinking that the world is a quiet place, where the leaves rustle on the trees and crickets chirp to give the temperature and there’s no alternate dimension ready to rise up and raze the town. 

It’s a shame it’s March, he thinks. If it was summer, the fireflies would be beginning their nightly dance, one turning to two turning to a hundred as the sun sets over the open field. There’d be the smell of impending rain as another summer storm rolls in and a fox or two running to find a burrow.

Steve’s always been a big fan of summers: the sunshine and the adventure, the possibilities, the liminal space between school terms that allows him to just exist without thought for what came before or what comes after.

He still likes summer, even if the beginning of July is likely to be less exciting after last year. A lot of things have been ruined thanks to the crap they’re going to face later.

“How do you do it?” Eddie asks, once again breaking through Steve’s contemplative silence.

“Huh?”

Eddie flicks open his zippo, which is the only thing that survived the dive into the Upside Down since his cigarettes didn’t. Steve watches him spark a flame, snuff it out, open, spark, snuff, repeat.

“All of—” Eddie waves his free hand over them then the RV they’re sitting on, “—this. The battles. The interdimensional plot twists. The fucking….” He sighs, shaking his head, his hair swiveling around under the bandana he’s already tied over it. “Everything.”

Steve takes a moment to look, really look, at the man sitting beside him. Eddie’s eyes are huge, pleading, but beyond that they glisten in the fading daylight. They contain the horrors that he’s faced in the last few days, but they also contain galaxies, the beginning and end of worlds as they sparkle and shine.

He’s a little pale, sure, like he hasn’t seen daylight in two years, but the color rising to his cheeks as Steve studies him gives heat to the simmering in Steve’s stomach that started since Eddie held a broken bottle to his throat. 

Since before that, probably. The first time sophomore-Steve saw Eddie Munson stand on top of a lunch table and wax poetic about the system and forced conformity. 

The first time Steve really thought ‘I want to be like that.’

He doesn’t mean loud or angry or volatile, he has plenty of that hidden between the bricks of his carefully crafted walls. He knows what attention feels like, knows that, at one point, people looked to him like he brings some sort of message only they can get from him. No. He means unapologetic, open, himself.

He hasn’t really felt any of that since November ‘83. He’s made an active effort to feel nothing at all, because feeling means hurt and pain, and nothing means…

“You get used to it,” Steve states, tone light despite the tempest swirling in his being.

Eddie stares at him for several beats, enough time to have the younger man almost turning away. “That’s pretty fucked up, Steve.”

Steve scoffs, mostly because Eddie’s right and he knows that, but also because it’s second nature. Scoff at the drama, the trauma, the ridiculous things. 

Old habits die hard.

“No, but really,” Eddie continues. “You’ve been through a lot. Way more than you’ve told me, I know for sure. So…”

Steve shrugs, brings a hand up to scratch the back of his neck. “Well, normally we have—”

“The girl with super powers, yeah, I get it,” Eddie snaps. “But that doesn’t explain how you get through it all. Because if I’m honest, man, I’m about three seconds from running at every moment and you just…” He inhales and exhales heavily. “You just keep going. How?”

Steve sighs, turning back to watch the sky begin its change from blue to orange. 

“I dunno, man. I haven’t really gotten a chance to stop and think about it since it all started.”

That’s not entirely true. There’s been lulls between events before, time when Steve probably should have processed everything he’s been through. But again, it’s easier to just ignore it. Count his lucky stars that he survived another fight and then move on in the hopes he doesn’t have to do it again.

Eddie continues to fiddle with his lighter, occasionally spinning it between his forefinger and thumb before going through the motions once more. Open, spark, snuff, again.

“I guess that’s part of what I don’t get. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since it happened.”

Steve doesn’t ask him to clarify, he doesn’t need to. Not when he gets it completely.

“Barbra Holland died in my pool,” he says, once again looking out over the field. The sun has dipped below the treeline now, the sky darkening.

Eddie’s movements stop altogether. “What?”

“Yep,” Steve says, popping the P. “The night Will Byers went missing. The demogorgon that took him also killed her.”

He can feel Eddie’s eyes on him as the metalhead speaks. “And… where were you?”

Upstairs. Taking Nancy Wheeler’s virginity.

“Inside with some friends. It happened so fast, no one even heard it.”

“Shit, dude. So you’ve really been in this since the very beginning.”

Steve nods absently. “Yeah, I guess so.”

He doesn’t really think of it like that. Or, he hadn’t until now, he supposes. Mostly, he just blames himself, even though realistically he knows there’s nothing he could have done at the time even if they’d all been outside with Barb. It likely would have resulted in all of their deaths instead. There was no nail bat or firearms at that point. Just four stupid kids and an innocent girl who didn’t deserve to die.

“Billy didn’t die in the mall fire either,” he redirects.

“Oh jeez,” Eddie groans. “Don’t tell me, another demogorgon attack?”

Steve chuckles, can’t help it. “I wish. No, Mind Flayer that time.”

“It’s really uncomfortable the way all of these monsters are named after D&D characters.”

Steve laughs again, fiddling with the zipper tab on his vest. He wishes Eddie still had his cigarettes.

“Yeah, a bunch of people went missing and it turned out they were all melting into goo to create this 50-foot monster thing,” he explains, glancing over at Eddie’s horrified look. Honestly, it sounds unbelievable, like something entirely made up, so it’s a little sad to see in real-time that Eddie believes him. “Billy was working for it, I guess. I don’t really understand the connection even now. Anyway, we tried to take it out with fireworks—”

“Fireworks?” Eddie guffaws. 

Steve snorts. “Yeah well, it was all we had available. Well, that, and Nancy had a pistol, but there’s no way it would have stood a chance against this thing. But yeah, Billy tried to fight it, it was going to kill El, er, Supergirl, and Billy… I don’t know. Had a change of heart?” He shakes his head. “It was too strong, though. And he… he didn’t…”

Steve trails off, memories of that night flashing through his mind. It’s still, even now thanks to the drugs that had been in his system, but the crunching of bones and the piercing scream Max let out still ring in his ears if he listens close enough.

“So yeah,” he says after a moment. “I just try not to think about it.”

Eddie still looks scandalized when Steve looks at him again, his brows furrowed and his eyes shining in the dying daylight. He’s thinking, Steve can tell by the way his jaw flexes and his eyes dart over Steve’s face. Finally, the metalhead brings a hand up, resting it on Steve’s shoulder.

“And here you are, about to run head-first into battle again. You’re pretty amazing, Steve.”

Steve’s heart thumps hard at Eddie’s words, the touch to his shoulder that he can’t really feel through the tactical layers, but the weight of Eddie’s hand is enough.

“Thanks, man,” he replies, hesitating only for a moment before bringing his own hand up and resting it on Eddie’s bent knee. He can feel Eddie’s skin under his palm through the rip in the denim, and he absently drags his thumb across it. “So are you.”

It’s probably too forward. They barely know each other, and Steve might be overly familiar with what a crush feels like, but this doesn’t seem like the ideal time to explore that feeling. Although, if they’re going to die tonight, then he might as well let it ripple out in the open while he can.

Eddie drags his gaze away from Steve’s face to look down at his hand on his knee, this breathing a little shallower. Steve doesn’t stop touching him, won’t unless Eddie tells him to. But Eddie doesn’t, he swallows harshly and looks back up at Steve with a question in his eyes that Steve gives a nod and small smile to. They don’t need to talk about it. Either they survive tonight and can talk about it after, when the dust settles, or they don’t and talking wouldn’t make a difference anyway.

Instead, they sit in the quiet calm before the storm, Eddie only moving to brush the hand on Steve’s shoulder across his back to the other side, scooting a little closer to lay his head on the now free shoulder. Steve keeps his hand on Eddie’s knee, moving it just enough to cup the inside of it, holding him a little tighter.

“The sunset is lovely, don’t ya think?” Eddie asks, hushed, like it would shred the little blanket of night that’s folded over them.

“Yeah,” Steve replies, resting his chin on the top of Eddie’s bandana-covered head, wishing it wasn’t there so he could press his lips to Eddie’s hair, feel the curls against his skin, take in his scent if it’s the only chance he’ll get to do so. “It is.”

[deandoesthingstome]

Hall Pass - Chapter 3

Paring: Henry Cavill x Reader (RPF)

Series Summary: You run into Henry Cavill at the start of a two-week house-sitting vacation. You had some previous plans. Some were ruined by your now ex-boyfriend. Some were made better. Guess by whom?

Series Warning and A/Ns: Check out the Masterlist

Playlist: I will add to Spotify with each chapter.

Word Count: 4K

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

You almost squealed with glee but somehow managed to keep composure while you finished drying off as Henry emerged from the water with one giant step up to the ledge. You did not miss a glance at his sculpted thighs and well-rounded ass. You and your friends called him thicc. 

With the towel still wrapped around you, you slipped your suit off before pulling on your comfy sweater. The ride back would suck if you put your clothes on over the damp suit, so while Henry made for the pine tree dressing room again, you stepped into your leggings. You would just suffer with no bra or underwear, not a big deal. And you’d have time for a quick rinse when you arrived back at the house after untacking the horses. 

Henry returned and helped you finish packing the saddlebags before giving you a boost up to Butterscotch. His firm, large hand gripped just a tad tighter around your ass than you thought strictly necessary to help you into the saddle but you were not going to argue about it.

Once he was settled in his saddle, you turned the horses home. Henry gave a whistle and Kal came bounding out from the trees. 

“Oh my God, I feel terrible! I completely forgot Kal was with us. Is it okay he was gone on his own for so long?” you asked with what you assumed was a look of horror on your face.

“Well, let’s see. Kal?” Henry called down. “Everything alright?” Kal gave a sharp, happy bark and ran around, leaping and bounding with abandon. Henry turned to you and offered a laugh to lighten your concern. “He seems perfectly fine.”

After arriving back at the house, you and Henry untacked the horses and headed inside for quick showers. For a brief moment, it seemed Henry was contemplating asking you to just join him in his shower.

“I think we’d end up missing the appointment after all,” you mused, to which Henry groaned just a little but acquiesced and headed into his guest room without you.

For maybe the first time in your life, you made it out of the room, showered and dressed before anyone else. And by anyone else, you meant Henry at this moment, who was clearly still behind a closed door and you did not want to knock, afraid to intrude so you set about stoking the morning's fire so it would be ready and roaring for the massages. 

When the team arrived, you asked David and Alexa to set up in front of the fireplace. You were about to go get Henry when your phone chimed.

ready?

Yup! You?

on my way

Henry strode into the room with such confidence you were almost blown away. He introduced himself and chatted with the massage therapists for a moment, putting them at ease with the obviously unexpected circumstances. He asked if they could understand why he’d like to ask for their complete discretion about the service and that for their trouble he was willing to triple their fee. 

When both David and Alexa were done picking their jaws off the floor, he asked for their full name and cell numbers and sent them on in a text, which he explained was to his assistant who would be sending standard NDAs in just a few moments if they could agree to spare a bit more time to organize everything before they got started.

He turned to you with a small apologetic smile and you mouthed a quiet “No worries. Me?” to which he gave a slow shake of his head. With the forms e-signed and the curtains drawn to darken the room as much as possible, you and Henry took turns disrobing and climbing onto the massage tables and under the modesty sheets.

When Alexa smoothed her hands down your back over the sheet, warming you up and preparing you for her actual touch, you couldn’t help but think there were probably three people in the room right now just barely containing themselves over the fact that Henry Cavill was mostly naked on a table next to them.

You took some deep breaths to try to push that thought out of your head and just focus on focusing on nothing except the way the strong hands swept down your back again once the sheet had been folded down. With just a few more deep, long strokes you were fully and completely in your head enjoying the massage and you stayed that way, almost oblivious to the movement beside you, until you heard a low moan.

You were snapped back to the reality that you were barely covered and getting a massage next to Henry Cavill. It took a few more moments to let that sound sink away and out of your consciousness as you returned once again to luxuriating in the relaxing motions. A little over halfway through, Alexa invited you to turn onto your back, holding the sheet in a way to shield you from both her eyes and those of anyone at the table next to you. As you settled back into a relaxed, prone state, you noticed David bent down in a hushed conversation with Henry, but again, you worked hard to remove any concern from your thoughts and just enjoy the moment.

With the short delay at the beginning, your 90-minute massage had reduced to about 80, but you were still just this side of sleep when Alexa pressed her hands gently into your collarbones with a deep exhale and thanked you quietly for the time.

You blinked your eyes open and thanked her as well, taking your own deep inhale and letting go of the last of any stress you had been feeling about the day and the situation. As you sat up, holding the sheet around you, you noticed Henry was still face down and David was just offering him a closing press on his shoulders and gracious thanks as well.

“I’m just gonna go get dressed,” you whispered to Alexa, who nodded and began packing her supplies. When you returned, Henry was gone and Alexa and David were just zipping the bags around their folding tables, giggling and chatting quietly. David noticed you and cleared his throat.

“I just have to ask. I know this wasn’t the name of the person originally booked for this appointment. I would have remembered that. How is Henry Cavill in your home right now?”

You gave a gentle laugh as you handed the now folded sheet to Alexa. “It’s a long story.”

“Well, you are one lucky lady. This may be the best thing that has ever happened to me in my dull, short life,” he beamed.

“But you’re keeping it quiet, right? I would hate for something to get out about this and ruin anything for him,” you asked with a subtle hint of concern.

“Who’s ruining what for whom?” Henry’s voice reverberated through your chest as he reentered the room, now clothed in sweatpants and a comfy looking sweater.

“Mum’s the word,” David replied, motioning as if to lock his mouth and throw away the key.

“Well, may I help you out with your equipment?” Henry asked.

“Oh, lord, no. And have you ruin any progress we made easing those back muscles? Absolutely not.”

“Well, then, here.” Henry held out his hand and small stack of folded bills. “For all your trouble.”

“Thank you very much.” David took a sheepish peek at the amount before he let out a small gasp. “This is really too…”

“Exactly what we agreed to and you two deserve,” Henry interrupted. “I sincerely appreciate it.”

Alexa and David loaded their equipment and left with the rather large sum of money Henry just randomly had available on his person. You were amazed.

“Alright then, what say you let me make you a sandwich tonight,” Henry offered. “I’m sure not the anniversary dinner you had planned, but there is no reason for you to slave over a stove for me again tonight, and I think something light sounds perfect. Okay?”

You didn’t argue. You were so relaxed, and besides, you’d already used the sauce meant for tonight on dinner the night before. So there was no longer a planned anniversary meal available anyway.

If Henry’s mind was already back on the connection made in the hot spring, he didn’t show it. He was friendly and cheery as he crafted two tremendous looking sandwiches and grabbed some cut veggies for a side. He popped the cork on a nice bottle of white he found chilling in the fridge and poured two glasses before dishing a bowl of kibble for Kal.

You took your plates and drinks to the great room and Henry stoked the fire again before sitting down to eat. You made more pleasant conversation, completely avoiding the elephant in the room: that Henry Cavill had made serious passes at you earlier in the day and that he was likely going to continue his efforts once dinner was done and dishes were put away.

You were not wrong. As you closed the cabinet where you stashed the newly dried plates, you felt his presence as Henry stepped behind you. You turned to face him and leaned back against the counter with a smile.

“May I kiss you again? Now?” he asked and you just nodded, still at a loss for the words to explain how this was happening to you at the moment.

Henry took a step closer, caging you in his arms as he placed his hands on the counter to either side of your waist and bent to place his lips against yours. This kiss was more insistent than that at the hot spring, as if he had been holding back and now decidedly wasn’t. Neither were you.

You closed your eyes and let him taste you, relishing the feel of his tongue along yours. The soft moan only spurred him on and it wasn’t long before you felt him place his hands on your hips and lift you to sit on the counter. You opened your eyes to watch him step inside your thighs, spreading your legs so he could ease his way closer to your core, where you now felt the length and firmness of his obviously hard cock.

Henry pulled away, leaving your lips longing for him. The way he tilted his head left and bent ever closer to lick and nibble at your neck made up for the loss. When he found the spot he was looking for, you felt him smile against your skin as you let out another moan, louder and filled with want.

“The things I’d like to do to you,” Henry whispered into your ear with a low growl.

“I'm pretty sure I’ll let you,” you responded, then gasped as he moved your legs around his hips and stepped back from the counter. You wrapped your arms around his neck and shoulders, hanging on while he made his way out of the kitchen and into the bedroom hallway, where he paused for a brief moment.

“Yours,” you suggested, with a chuckle. “I’m not sure the twin in mine will sustain you.”

“You’ve slept in a twin bed because of me?” he asked, with a hint of mortification.

“It’s fine, please do not start apologizing again. Could we just…?” you nodded your head toward his room and pleaded with your eyes for him to keep moving you in the direction of assured bliss.

Henry laughed, then dipped his head to kiss you again, pressing you back into the wall behind you. He finally made his way into his room, stepping to the bed and depositing you at the edge before reaching for the hem of his sweater and lifting it over his head. You reached for him as he dropped it to the floor, almost touching his chest before drawing your hand back. Henry grabbed your wrist and flattened your palm to his torso.

“If I didn’t want your touch, I don’t think we’d be here.”

“It felt a little like I was treating you like an animal at a petting zoo. I thought I ought to ask first,” you admitted.

“Appreciated. You don’t need to ask anymore. I think we’re a little past that now, don’t you?”

“Maybe. I’ll still probably ask a few things,” you smirked, dragging your hand down his impossibly firm chest and over his belly. “Like, can I take these down?” You gripped the waistband of his sweats, fingers tucked against his skin and thumb pressing on the fabric. At his nod, you began to pull, using your other hand to nudge the pants down his thighs while you tried to avoid catching them on his engorged member. 

You did this all by feel, your eyes still locked onto his, watching as they darkened with lust. When you could finally tear your gaze away, it fell to his waist where you couldn’t suppress an audible gasp. You had an inkling, seeing him in those tight swim trunks and feeling him against you, but you were not prepared for the specimen before you. 

Henry settled a hand under your jaw and tilted your head back toward his.

“We’ll take it slow. Don’t worry.” 

Hidden behind those words was the obvious fact that Henry was larger than any man you’d ever been with and he knew it. Also unspoken was the truth that he had likely been with many women who were unaccustomed to a man of his size and therefore he’d developed a skill for easing into it.

He started by making a motion to lift off your sweater. You hesitated to lift your arms, suddenly realizing that as much as you would never forgive yourself if you let this opportunity pass you by, you were maybe not as prepared as you thought you were.

“Still okay?”

You furrowed your brow and sought the words to help him understand you were absolutely not rejecting his advances in any way at the moment.

“It’s just…”

“Intimidating?” he asked, with no judgment in his tone.

“I mean, yes, but not in the way you might be thinking. I’m aware of my initial reaction, but, no…it’s…” How could you say this without falling back into a pit of despair about your recent relationship?

“Would it help if I pulled these up for now?” Henry asked, bending as if to grab his pants.

“No!” You cleared your throat and laughed a little. “I mean, no, please. I realize things are a little lopsided at the moment, but…”

“Why don’t you scoot back up on the bed?” he interrupted you, stepping all the way out of his pants as he watched you shift and crawl backwards at his urging. You could feel your heart beat faster as he kneeled onto the bed and made his way to your side. You did not hide the way your eyes watched all of him. 

“You know, I did see you in that swimsuit. And I do have quite the imagination, especially with the right inspiration in front of me. But we have time. If you’d rather wait a bit…”

“That’s just it, Henry. I don’t want to wait. I haven’t wanted to wait from the moment you got into your car and followed me back here yesterday. It’s just, well, you’re you and I’m me and, well it’s been a while, okay? Not like ‘years' a while, but certainly months…” God, this was bordering on humiliating again. You remembered that even when Jeremy had made it home from work trips, he’d ignored that aspect of your relationship. But you didn’t want to say his name again or even mention it in the current situation. What a fucking mood killer.

“How about I first tell you that how hard I am for you right now is exactly how hard I was thinking about you naked on that table next to me? It’s why I convinced David that all I cared about was a shoulder and back massage. I think I disappointed him a little.”

Your eyes went wide at the admission and you smiled affectionately. “You most certainly did not disappoint him.”

“Still nervous?” he asked, and you gave a small nod in return. “Then how about I just kiss you again for a bit?” Henry offered, propped on one elbow and the other hand on your hip. You nodded again as he leaned in and proceeded to kiss you with a skill you’d only experienced once before in your life and that was a few hours ago in a natural hot spring. 

The man was adept, there was no denying it. He nibbled softly at each lip, eased his tongue inside to open your mouth wider, slid his hand up your side to caress your neck and hold you in place while he launched into the sweetest assault possible.

His touch lit you on fire and his kiss had you moaning for more. More of his kiss. More of his caress. More of him. Minutes passed with his mouth on yours and you almost forgot for the time that Henry Cavill was naked in your bed while you were decidedly not. When he pulled away, dragging your bottom lip with him for a brief moment, your whimper made him chuckle.

“Feeling better?”

“Not now that you've stopped kissing me again, no” you answered with a small pout.

“Oh, I’m definitely going to keep kissing you, but what do you say we even the field here a bit? Up for it?”

You nodded with a lingering shyness, but vowed to just breathe deep and let him undress you. He sat you up and pulled your sweater over your head, dropping it to the floor behind him. He pressed you gently to your back again, dragging his palm down from your shoulder to your chest. Braless after the massage, you relished the way his fingertips glided over the swell of your breast and onto the nipple, palm molding to the shape and squeezing gently. You expected his mouth to return to yours, longed even for the talent of his tongue. But instead he dipped his head to capture your other breast in his lips, tongue circling the pebble and teeth teasing a bite.

You had enough will to watch his eyes flick to yours when he heard the hiss, but once you were sure he was sure you didn’t mind, you closed your lids slowly and let him kiss you this way instead. So taken with the feeling of heaven you were floating toward, you barely noticed the way his body moved over yours as he settled himself between your legs, kisses moving along your sternum and across your belly from side to side.

No, it wasn’t until you felt his grip on the waistband of your leggings, fingers brushing against your hips, that you realized he wasn’t coming back to kiss you like before. He apparently had another kind of kiss in mind and your eyes flew open to beg him to … what? Stop? No, you didn’t want him to stop. Not one bit.

And he knew it, too. This smirk felt different, cockier, less cautious.

“Alright if I take these off too?”

“Yes. God yes, please.”

There was something about the way he knew what he was doing that made your apprehension disappear completely. He had no trouble removing your leggings and replacing them with his arms as he wrapped your legs around his neck and lowered himself between your wide open legs, stretched to accommodate the breadth of his shoulders.

When he put his mouth against you, it was an explosion of sensation. Warm, wet, strong, searching, specific. He held you open so he could drag the tip of his tongue slowly all the way across from one side to the other and halfway back again before dipping it low to tease its way just inside you. And you heard him groan, felt him take another taste before pulling himself away to focus as much attention as he could on your clit. But he groaned again and now this was all you could hear. 

His sound reverberated through your pussy and you clenched around nothing but the ache you felt for him. 

“Henry,” you moaned. “God…”

“You taste amazing,” he managed before returning all his attention to licking and sucking every millimeter of your nether lips. When he finished, he went back to running his tongue along your slit seeking any juice that managed to escape before finally wrapping his lips tightly around your clit, sucking lightly then flicking his tongue against it. 

He continued each and every one of these motions for what seemed like a million years, moaning against you every now and then. Every prickle from his beard and mustache against the tender flesh of your thighs only served to heighten the sensations. When you were done screaming his name he gently held your bucking hips in place with a large palm as he shifted and crawled his way up and along your side. The pleasant burn left between your legs didn’t bother you one bit.

You turned breathless to meet his gaze and leaned forward to capture his lips with yours, tasting yourself on him and reigniting the moans you had just tamped down.

“That good, eh?” he teased and you tapped his chest in fake protest.

“Please. Like you don't know by now how good you are at that.” You gave him another kiss before pressing your palm against his shoulder, nudging him to lay back so you could climb a leg over his waist and haul yourself up to straddle him, careful to set yourself away from his rock hard cock.

“I suppose that’s true. No use in pretending, clearly,” he winked at you and you laughed at how ridiculous the whole thing really was. 

“Do you want to show me what else you’re good at?” you asked in a suddenly low and provocative voice. Henry took note of the change and you saw his eyes darken again just before he grabbed your waist and moved to flip you over to cover you once again.

“Yes. I absolutely do. Will you wait right here?” He began to edge off the bed. “Don’t go anywhere. I mean it now, leave those legs exactly where they are.”

You were mesmerized at his insistence and offered no resistance, leaving your legs spread wide for him. You saw him bend over to reach for something in his bag and set to admiring the naked backside of Henry Cavill, here to fuck you already.

When he turned back to crawl onto the bed again, a handful of condoms spilling over next to you, you noticed the way he also smirked again, pleased to find you exactly where he’d asked you to stay. As if you could say not to this man.

Somehow he also produced a small tube of lube, which he also dropped next to the condoms as he moved to slide up next to you again, his chest pressed up against your side. He kissed you once hard as his fingers inched over your thigh and onto your awaiting pussy. He pulled away from your mouth so he could watch your face as he began to press a finger into your already soaking core.

Since he could see how good that felt for you, he went ahead and slipped a second finger inside so he could tease and twist and stretch you open, making way for him. He knew you were wet enough. There wasn’t any question about how much he’d made you come and how much wetter he was making you as he moved his fingers in some sort of magical dance inside you.

When you felt the third finger enter you cried out in a pleasure you hadn’t ever known before.

“Yeah, that’s it. That’s really good. See how well you're taking that?” Henry growled in your ear. “You’ll feel that and a whole lot more in just a few more moments. You think you’re ready for me?”

“Yes, please. Yes. I’m ready, Henry.”

“What is it you are ready for? Will you tell me?”

“I’m ready for you to fuck me,” you told him.

“Yeah you are.”

Chapter 4

Tags: Please let me know if you want on or off or moved.

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[sharlulu]

𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫..?

Wolf Keum x gn reader

"Hey, are you sure we should be doing this?" you nervously ask, sitting behind Wolf on his motorbike, tightly holding onto him from behind. An unconcerned answer followed shortly: "Kinda late to turn back, don't you agree?" …That didn't calm you down the slightest.

The sky was brighter than it was supposed to be; and it frightened you. Though being with Wolf lessened your anxiety, you didn't quite feel at ease—you could see the cityscape steadily disappearing out of the corner of your eye, meaning that you two would soon reach the train depot.

Wolf parked his motorbike behind a tree that looked like it hasn't been watered for ages. "Doesn't look like a safe place to leave a bike," you pointed out, as you strolled around the tree. "Quite easily noticeable from this side." "I doubt anyone's coming here at this hour," scoffed Wolf, rolling his eyes. "Come on, hurry, let's go."

He took your hand and lead you along a narrow path to the trains. They were a bit eerie-looking and seemingly abandoned, even though you knew that some hours ago they were full with people.

Going to the train depot was Wolf's idea. "It will be fun," he said. "Anniversaries should be memorable," he justified when you expressed disapproval. Seeing the sunset among a see of wagons sounded much more interesting than at some cafe, except you oh-so doubted the "legalness" of trespassing private property. "It's me, what did you expect," retorted Wolf; after bickering for a while you gave in—and as a result here you were, going onto the tracks, heart pounding in fear of the security personnel seeing you.

As you came closer you saw the little aluminium ladders near ends of the white wagons. 'So this is how we are going to climb to the roof, huh,' you thought. The ladder was, however, not tall enough for you to clamber up to the top of the train, so you ask Wolf, who was somehow already there, for help. "Grab my hand." The answer came so pat, as if he'd expected your request.

You two sat there, gazing at the landscape—which was magnificent—in complete silence; the sun was getting low, your surroundings were flooded with a pleasant light. Feeling a bit drowsy, you lay your head on Wolf's shoulder and close your eyes.

The tranquil atmosphere didn't last long as you hear: "You there! What are you doing here? I'm calling the police!"

After that everything went like in a fever dream; you hardly remembered how you got down or what your dear partner-in-crime shouted to you—it was all a blur. You could only recall being surprised with your agility; you never knew you could run like this, jumping between the rails, flying through the bushes, disregarding the scratches left by the leaves on your skin. Nothing could stop you, not even the tall fence in front of you.

Huh? A fence?

You stopped in your tracks. Your legs freeze up, the adrenaline rush no longer helping. "Come on," urged Wolf, "just climb and then jump—I'll catch you!" And so you clambered up and jumped—Wolf caught you as promised.

"Why is there a fence here?" you ask, barely managing to catch your breath. "I don't remember seeing it earlier." "Great question!" Wolf retorted. "I think we are lost," he then added, nearly whispering. It was dark and cold; all you could think about was lying in a cozy bed covered by a warm blanket. "How do we get home," you mumbled. "Why are you asking me?? Ask google." "Right, I still have my phone."

It took you 15 minutes to get to the nearest bus stop. The usually dimly lit signs seemed so bright in the dark. Too bright even. You sit down on the bench and look up at Wolf who had a somewhat strange expression. "I forgot my bike." "What?" "My motorbike, we left it there—. I'm going back; don't wait for me." "But you can get it tomorrow and—" Wolf ran off before you could even finish you sentence. "Do you even know the way…"

You didn't even have time to contemplate whether to chase him or not, because the bus arrived seconds later. Without much thought you step on the bus, leaving Wolf to handle everything on his own (he was strong and experienced after all!)

Few minutes into the ride you switch on your phone and start typing:

╰▸ You: How are you? Home yet?

╰▸ You: Today was fun! Let's try again tomorrow? 🙃

A/n:  im finally back from the dead

[iamchaos1234]

Day 11 June of Doom: I'm not okay (alternative prompt) (mentions of death and abuse)

Luz took Hunter's hand in hers, dragging him out of the house. "H-hey! I don't wanna-" he squeeked, but was cut off by Luz rolling her eyes.

"You've been hiding inside all day Hunter, you need to touch some grass." She said with a hint of sarcasm, but her intent was genuine.

Hunter groaned, running a hand down his scarred face as Luz yanked him out the door and shut it with her foot behind them.

"And, there's a pretty place I've been meaning to show you near the lake anyways." Luz rambled, holding on firmly to Hunter's wrist, him stumbling to keep up.

It had been a week since everything ended. Since they got back to the demon realm, since they finished off Belos for good. And it had been... hectic, to say the least.

Camila had given Luz the weak off from school to help out with fixing the Boiling Isles, Vee easily filling in for her while she got her bearings and tried to fix things up. It would be a lot of work with the condition the place is in...

Hunter had been helping too obviously. Using the newly made portal, curtly of King, he had been switching between staying with Darius and Camila. He loved his friends and the Boiling Isles, just... too many memories for him to process at the moment.

He tried to keep up as Luz scampered down the diety path towards the lake hidden in the forest behind the shed. Hunter remembered him and his friends came down here while they were stuck in the human realm, playing around in the water and having a picnic by the side.

The thought of being remotely near water sent a shiver up his spine. Thankfully Luz took to a different route which included climbing up a steep slope. Thankfully, due to Hunter's experience and Luz's adventurous nature they both managed fine getting up the slope.

Luz gently pulled him over to an overlook of the lake. The view was beautiful, the view of the forest and lake below them.

"It's... beautiful." Hunter murmered, his eyes shinning slightly. Luz glanced over at him with a small smile. He hadn't shown much positive emotion since he was possessed and...

Luz sat down in the soft green grass, brushing a hand through the small wild flowers and ground cover. Hunter copied her, sitting down pressing his back gently against hers.

Both looked out at the scenery, birds twittering to one another, the wind brushing through the trees. Both Luz and her brother were just wearing socks, having run out of the house without another thought.

Hunter had been acting really disconnected since the Halloween hayride, since Belos took him over, since he killed Flapjack. Of course he was happy, Belos was gone! It was finally over, him and his friends, they could live peacefully now!

So why was that pit of guilt gnawing at his heart feeling worse than before? Why did he just want to sleep all day, yet he never slept because of the nightmares that plagued him.

"Hunter... you've been acting odd lately. I-... I know it's been hard... I just, are you doing alright?" Luz murmered, glancing back at him a bit worriedly.

There was a long period of silence where neither spoke. Hunter contemplated the question. Was he alright? He should be. Everything was far better than before, the Boiling Isles was saved! So why did he feel so terrible, like something was missing?

Luz nudged him in the back gently. "Hunter?" She questioned, leaning her head back a bit to look at him better.

Hunter dug his nails into his palms. He should keep it hidden. She shouldn't have to worry, she's already been through so much. But Camila's words rang in his head, "Refusing help may hurt them more in the end".

"I-... I'm not okay..." he murmered. Another pause.

"So much has happened... i- I should be happy, shouldn't I? We finally defeated Belos, we're safe now... but somethings eating at my heart a-and it hurts and I know it shouldn't but-" Hunter cut himself off when Luz took his hand in her own, giving it a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

"Take it easy Hunter. I get it, it's alright." She said gently. "You... didn't get much time to process Flapjack's death... it makes sense that it hurts..." she said gently, resting her head against his.

"It'll take a while to feel alright again... losing someone hurts, and the grief won't go away... but with time, it'll be easier." She said, shutting her eyes.

Hunter sighed quietly, tearing up a bit. "I don't want to burden you all... w-we have to fix the Boiling Isles, and I just-" Luz cut him off with a gentle squeeze to his hand.

"Don't worry Hunter..." she said gently, opening her eyes and gazing out at the view.

"We have all the time in the world"

@juneofdoom

[devinescribe]

Through the Canopy of Our Memories

Ch. 1 of “My Sunshine” [Treech TBoSaS x reader]

Warnings: cursing, war, violence, uhhh your dads an asshole. Not physically abusive. But he's an asshole 😡

It was always a struggle for you to make friends. So when your book was taken out of your hands by some other kids, you just resigned to the fact you wouldn't get it back.

"Hey, give it back," a voice said.

You looked up shyly, seeing one of the boys in your class. Dark messy curls, dark eyes that were filled with rage at the moment.

The other kids scoffed, throwing your book down.

"You alright?" He whispered, walking over to you.

You grabbed you book and looked at him with a smile.

"Just dandy... thanks for helpin' me..." you said, noticing him fidgeting with his hands, his foot kicking some dirt near him.

"It's no problem... my names Treech..."

"My names (Y/N)... it's nice to meet you."

The day went on and you two became quick friends. Your only friend. He was a jokester. But quiet, calm, contemplative... and protective.

****

"My Pa says that we might be a target next," you mumbled on your walk to the school with Treech next to you. You had heard your father talking this morning about the bombings, and how the rebels and Capitol had a midway point here in seven to try and kill each other.

"Don't you worry. They'll stay out far, wayyy farther than the lumber yard and our part of the woods... and if they're here in town we'll be ok. Don't worry alright?" He gave you a toothy grin as you reached the school building.

His words made you feel comforted as you entered the classroom. The lecture was dull. And boring. Much like the day outside. You liked the clouds however. Made the sunshine seem even more beautiful when it was out. What wasn't dull and boring were the small pieces of paper, Treech would pass you under the desk. You had to stop yourself from laughing out loud, or risk getting caught.

When it was time for recess, you both ran to the big willow tree near the end of the playground. He grabbed your hand and smiled widely as you raced to it.

"Betcha you can't climb this one," he said with a small grin.

"Betcha I can," you smiled, starting the climb.

Soon you were both sitting on one of the highest tree branches that was sturdy enough for you both to sit on.

A yawn escaped you lips as you lay your head on his shoulder.

"Later tonight... the-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as all of a sudden you heard kids and teachers screaming. Everyone ran back inside, and you tried to look between the thick leaves of the willow.

You saw smoke from the building next door, and some men with weapons. Rebels. Some men in uniform showed up not long after, going after them, shooting at them. Capitol soldiers.

A teacher cried out that this was a school and there were children to be careful and to leave, but that seemed to make them angry. You didn't see which side did it, but they shot her.

You gasped and started to cry, but Treech was quick to comfort you, trying to calm you down. You two were safe up here. No one should be able to see up into where you two where and besides, your clothing matched the tree almost too well. You always wore green.

Some rebel soldiers came close to the tree and shot up at it. Scare the birds away. Mocking Jays. One bullet scrapped by you, grazing your arm.

You almost scream in fear, and a little pain, but Treech's hand quickly goes over your mouth and he pulls you as close as possible.

With his other hand he puts a finger over his lips, making a shushing motion.

You two spent hours up there, waiting until someone came to say it was ok.

You heard his mom and dad calling for him, and you both quickly climbed down. He got down first and held his arms out for you. You took the short jump, and he caught you grabbing your hand tightly as you ran over to his parents.

His eyes filled with tears as he shouted for his mom.

"(Y/N), Treech! Oh sweethearts, oh goodness, are y'all alright?" His mom ran to the both of you, falling to her knees to hug you both.

"Mama, w-we were in the tree we-we- and then the rebels and the soldiers and we-" he couldn't stop stammering or crying so you gripped onto him tightly.

Your protector.

——

Tears rolled down your cheeks. It has been a week since your dad told you you would be packing up and moving to the capitol.

You told Treech to meet you out in the woods at your guys' spot.

"Hey there sunshine, long time no see," he chirped, using the stupid rhyme you'd come up with as kids as his greeting.

"H-hi lumberjack, did ya get stuck in a t-tree?" You whispered.

The smile immediately dropped from his face.

"Hey? You've been cryin'? Who made you cry I swear I-"

"Treech... Pa said we're movin' to the capitol. I-I should've told you sooner i-I," you stammered as tears rolled down your face.

He wrapped you up in his arms, hugging you tightly.

"When?" He asked. You could tell he was trying not to cry as he would never give you one word answers.

"Two days... two days and we're takin' the first train out... I don't wanna go... I-i-... this is my home. You are my home. I don't wanna go," you sobbed, gripping onto his shirt.

His eyes well up with tears and his voice cracks as he speaks the next words, "Then we are gonna make these last two days the best damn days."

Walking home, hand and hand. Like you'd done all your life. Treech demanded you let him walk you home.

"Mama says I can't let you walk home alone. Says she'll kill me. I believe her."

He had said that so long ago, back when you were little little kids. Yet he still walked you home everyday.

He left you on your porch with a smile and a promise of going out to the lake tomorrow.

Entering the door of your cabin you saw all the things packed up in boxes. You stared at them blankly and curiously. You weren't supposed to pack until tomorrow.

"Ma?" You called out. "Why are all of our things packed?"

"We leave tomorrow. First train in the morning," your father said, coming out of the room.

You shook your head.

"No. Pa, you said I have two more days. Two. No I'm not-"

"You said your goodbyes today. From tomorrow on out you'll be a Capitol girl, and you'll forget all about this... district. You'll forget all about Treech. Everything."

You shook your head, tears falling down your face. You turned around, running out the door.

Your heard your mom screaming out your name, but you ran. Down the dirt roads down the pathways until you reached the familiar cabin. You went around to his window and knocked on it.

It was only a few seconds before he pulled you into his room.

"What... what are you doing here? What's wrong? You're cryin' again..." he mumbled, drying your tears.

"Pa lied. We leave tomorrow. First thing in the morning..."

The next morning, Treech took you down to the train station. You'd stayed overnight with him. Your parents were already waiting.

Treech pulled something out of his pocket and placed it in your hand.

It was a beautiful ring, made out of polished wood. There were small flakes of gold inside it. A small, dainty golden chain was put through the middle. It was obviously much to big for him as of right now.

"Treech, I-.. I can't take this from you it's too fine-"

"It's for you to remember me... and plus, when you come back when we see eachother again, you can give it back."

You took your necklace that had your great grandmother's ring which was in similar fashion to the one he'd given you. It was much to big for you now, so you kept it on the chain. You handed it to him.

"Remember me?"

"Always."

You hugged him tightly, his arms wrapping around you as you cried.

You felt another pair of arms pull me away. You kicked and screamed and begged to have just five more minutes.

Treech grabbed your hand one last time as your father pulled you into the train.

****

It was reaping day and you couldn't believe that your father had made you late. You rush in quietly, seeing Sejanus had save you a seat.

"They already called your name by the way..." he whispered.

Dean Highbottom turned and gave you a questioning look.

"Sorry, I take responsibility for my being late. My father had a meeting and I needed to attend," you whispered apologetically.

He nods and continues on the list.

"You got the boy from district seven-"

You cut Sejanus off before he could finish.

"My Father has been hinting at something all week. And I am not ready to face if he is tellin' the truth..." you mumble.

Sejanus places a comforting hand on your knee.

"I got the boy from district two... used to have class with him," he mumbled.

You placed your hand on top of his, "I'm so sorry..."

After seeing Lucy Gray perform it brought a smile to my face.

"Coriolanus, you've got yourself a beautiful song bird," I whisper after we all stand up.

He turns with a small, fake smile.

"I uh... I have a favor to ask of you," he whispers, leading you out into the hallway.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of you needing my help?" You tease.

While you and Coriolanus had never been 'close', you two knew each other. It was through his cousin that you knew him and his family's situation.

"Cut the act. It's weird not hearing you talk normally," he muttered.

You raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"What do you need?"

"Tomorrow. I'm heading to the train station to meet my tribute. I need her to trust me. I... I need to win. And Highbottom favors you, it's no secret. If I do something stupid and you're doing it too, maybe I'll be forgiven, or let off the hook easier...I know I haven't always been... the nicest to you.... But, please." he looks at you with pleading eyes.

"Alright. I'll see you then."

YIPPEE IM BACK INTO WRITING BOOM ANGST BOOM HAPPY? Boom 🤯

[meinradsocien]

Agama the Lizard and Foxy the Lazy Fox (A short inspirational story by Meinrad Socien)

Agama had quick morning routines. Filling his belly was priority number one, but never allowing it to fill was his ordeal. So, he happened to meet his usual friend who was up to a hundred times his size, Foxy the lazy fox. The two had grown up together and had shared glorious moments not to be forgotten.

In the morning, they met. Confess, if their future is correct. Separate, hunt eat get fat.

“Each time I see you, my friend, you are running at supersonic speeds,” Foxy said, temporarily putting a halt to Agama’s dash. “It could have been interesting to watch only your skeleton running at this speed. I’d love to see it rattle and burn.”

“I have a meal to catch,” Agama said. “It is my priority. But should there be a need, ordeals can be addressed ahead of priorities. A meal is my priority. Life is my ordeal.”

Agama sped past. Throwing his body in the air, covering distances between rocks with jumps and briefly becoming airborne. The act of getting to the meal was exhausting and Agama’s worst fear was to arrive late. Today he was lucky.

A pride of lions were taking an early daybreak. No one would tell the kings when to work or rest because their work is usually easy to see when there is something to their credit. Agama’s breakfast climbed up and down the lion’s mane because it was attracted to the head region. The juicy green flies had picked up the scent of animal meat that the lions had eaten early in the morning. The smell was a signal and flies were answering quickly.

Agama was skilful. On two feet he jumped and caught a fly in mid-air. It was just an appetiser. He needed forty such at this dining table to walk off a lizard with no need for an extra supplement for the whole week. But halfway to the target, the lion roared, having noticed Agama diving into the mane.

Agama had heard the message. He was not going to overstay his invitation. He left, respecting his ordeal. A lion would not have taken a minute to end Agama’s ordeal if it ever wanted to.

From a distance, the fox was watching. So he waited for Agama in the path of the latter. “Well, your dining phase did not last long enough to tickle all the corners of your tummy.”

“Well,” Agama cleared his throat enough to offload his internals at once. “If you are digging through the refusal pit in the king’s compound, set your satisfaction standards lower. Even when you are digging after he has permitted you to do so, he may decide again and consider you a thief. Since you will never know which decision of his is final, take the fewest you can and take off.”

If you are digging through the refusal pit in the king’s compound, set your satisfaction standards lower. Even when you are digging after he has permitted you to do so, he may decide again and consider you a thief.

The fox laughed, his jaws separating wide, “He who set virtues that stop him from achieving his intentions, is scared. Fear is the enemy. Fear keeps you hungry.”

“If you wish, you can turn down a piece of advice, countering it through words of wisdom and they may help anyone while ruining you, Foxy. What qualifies words of wisdom is not the words themselves, it is relevance. I…” Agama could not finish his wordy response. Foxy had taken off.

Closer was a tree. A Martial Eagle had left a whole rabbit on the top branch. Habitually the Martial would let its prey roast on tree tops in the scorching heat of the savannah. It would wait for the result at the end of the day. A tender sun-cooked meat.

Having located the rabbit through scent, Foxy climbed the tree. He salivated on the rabbit. In his words, he was, ‘marinating the rabbit with oral spices.’ He dissected it into two and left one half as he climbed down with another.

In a cave nearby, Foxy ate steadfastly and his belly was full. He contemplated snatching the remaining piece of the rabbit. But just in time Agama, who had been looking for Foxy entered the cave and warned, “The Martial would not want you to steal from him for the second time.”

“You know I usually go back and steal the remaining meal. Why are you trying to stop me now?” Foxy licked his mouth, wiping it clean of the blood stains.

“I have noticed what the Masai humans do when they steal from lions.” Agama gestured in the direction he wanted them to take, leaving the cave. He was like a tour guide. But Foxy was not in love with the direction he was being led.

“What silly humans do?” Foxy was unconcerned. He was trying to close this dry conversation with his friend. It was only respect that was stopping him. He needed to be up in the tree and steal the remaining meat.

Agama convinced his friend to follow him. They rushed through the jungle until they rested on top of a rock pile mother nature had arranged millions of years ago to be Agama’s “viewpoint”.

“Do you see the lions,” Agama said, lying flat on the rock to capture the reserves of its heat. I want you to observe closely.”

“You just took me to a rock because you love sun basking here,” Foxy said in a giving-up gesture, feigning to return to his routines. “It is not a legend that lizards die of heat, cooked alive, enjoying the heat of the rocks. You came here to show me how you die?”

“Look,” the lizard calmly gestured with the head where the lions were beginning to dig into their buffalo meal. “The Masai men are getting closer, and they will rob the lions in daylight.”

Three Masai humans imposed themselves as the real threat to the lions. In a rare display of confidence, they kept advancing towards where the lions had started to dissect the Buffalo. Agama commended as the lions dispersed leaving all their meat to the there humans, “If you must steal from the king of the jungle. You need to believe that you are unstoppable. Once you start walking towards your target. Do not pull back. Because your target can turn you into its target once you give it your back.”

“So, am I here to be taught about how lions are chased away by the Three Musketeers? Coach?” Foxy looked down on Agama. Sitting down with his forward legs upright.

“No,” the lizard shook its rock-hard head. “Since you are a thief. You are here to witness and learn from the Masai method of stealing.”

Two Masai men remained in standing position, their weapons in ready position. Lions were observed at a nearer distance. One Masai man dissected two hind drumsticks with haste. Once done the three men walked off.

“Have you noticed that the lions were not afraid of humans, it is just that their confidence could not match that of the humans,” Agama said as he started to retreat from the rocky outcrops. “And before the Masai left, the lions were already getting closer to their kill. Meaning, humans could have been in trouble if they had delayed.”

“I don’t care,” the fox interjected. “I don’t steal from lions and I am not a human.”

“Learn from humans. Do not overstay your invitation, and when you rob allow perfect trimming to trick those you robbed to feel as if they have not been robbed. Leave something behind for them to feast on and forget about you as you depart.” Agama could see that his friend was feeling accused of being greedy. But he finalised the advice before calling it a day, “Bravery without strategy is a waste.”

The two friends headed separate ways. The lizard went to find a mate; the fox retreated into the covers of its burrow waiting for time to pass. And, of course, as time passed the advice from Agama quickly lost its grip in the cores of the Fox’s memory.

Three days passed and these friends could not and were not going to meet in the future either. On the fourth day, The Marshal left its rabbit prey to cook on the same tree top. Foxy stole his share and returned for the remainder.

The Martial quickly came to notice. It followed behind and grabbed Foxy off his feet and took him away. This is the day Foxy became died. His flesh fed the Martial Eagle that once fed him.

[sweetstielow]

Life, Death and Food Poisoning in Mexico City.

Abel and I landed at Mexico City's international airport on a Friday afternoon to a casual immigration line that felt more like waiting to check out at the supermarket.

Our bags were dispatched on a conveyor belt that came to a full stop before they all finished coming out. Mine was sitting on the threshold, barely peeking out, so I had to climb up the belt to fetch it. Mexico.

The Uber ride to Condesa was just over half an hour. Traffic was bad. We passed through what felt more like an endless neighborhood than a big city; small houses with life pouring out onto the streets and little taco stands or meat markets or cafes on every corner. Somewhere between the architectural outskirts of Madrid and the battered charm of Havana, I was thinking.

My experience with Mexico spanned from dancing with the devil at a club in Acapulco, the poverty stricken border town of Matamoros, predictable American style resorts up the west coast, to the jungle on the Caribbean side. But I had never experienced it as a metropolis.

Starbucks and other American chains were ubiquitous. But at least it was the kind of Starbucks situated in an interesting historical building.Our Condesa hotel was an old mansion that blended into a quiet tree-lined street. It was both peaceful and brimming with life. What Palermo in Buenos Aires aspired to be. Somewhere between the bohemian polish of European cafes and the wild intrusion of a jungle.

The first night we had a late dinner at Blanco Colima in Roma Norte. The moment we sat down a DJ started playing loud music 30 feet in front of us. Dinner was a vibe. A pregame with people of all ages. They greeted us with complimentary mezcal. We had ham croquettes, pig tacos, an octopus sashimi and steak tartare. The fancily dressed waiters properly served us each tapa as if it were an entree, changing out the silverware we barely touched.

After dinner we winded through the trendy Roma Norte to see every cute restaurant and bar packed with people sitting outside. I randomly selected one from a recommendations list, and when we sat down I ordered a glass of red wine while Abel wisely stuck with mezcal. The wine was as terrible as my decision to order wine. I was reminded that even though we were in a major metropolis, it was still Mexico. And I was the butt of his jokes for the night.

Saturday morning we set out for a long walk to el Centro, stopping by a few plazas, el Mercado Central - a market sprawling with artisanal goods, and el Barrio Chino. We walked through streets made prettier with tiled buildings, some empty and under construction. We witnessed both the beauty of colorful outdoor floral shops and the sobering sight of pick up trucks packed with the national guard standing upright, holding assault rifles.

The more we got lost in the side streets and strayed from Condesa, the more I saw the non-trendy heartbeat that makes Mexico City what it is. The rich, European-style Mexico City, the tourists' Mexico City and the reality lived by most all came together to coexist as a very heterogenous capital. El centro was one of the busiest downtowns I'd ever seen. Every shop hustled to get us inside. Every corner had hordes of people trying to get every which way. The museum of tiles proudly stood in the chaos as proof that Mexico City was for artists.

In our short walk to Plaza Zocalo, the gravity of human existence haunted me. I understood why Mexican culture held onto ideas of heaven and superstitions from the past. It's unbearable to think about how one day our life just ends, and with that, becomes insignificant.

In Mexico City, the fragility of life felt visceral. While I was in that contemplative state, my mom called me from home to tell me she had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. It was like I divined it. Luckily, everything is ok now. But, I will never forget how that dark, superstitious energy of Mexico City led me to that moment.

Downtown was overwhelming. We walked back towards Roma Norte to have lunch with Abel's friends who drove up from Cuernavaca to meet us. A Spaniard named Alberto and his Mexican wife Miriam. We chatted in Spanish over a massive plate of 20 tacos at a very unassuming taco join on one of the plazas. True to Latin style, we were in no rush and continued on for coffee, and then postre, and then beers. A Mexican friend of mine joined us and talked to me about how people in Mexico City chose family over isolating themselves during the height of the pandemic, no matter how at risk it put them.

Not even the threat of death can tear the Mexican idea of togetherness apart, I thought.

We walked Abel's friends back to their car and discovered it had a boot on it and couldn't be moved.

"Joder."

This wasn't the first time it happened to Alberto. The police, he told us, were notorious in Mexico for demanding "multas", or bribes. It could be for a parked car or a random pullover on the highway for speeding. They abused their power and they would tell you what you needed to pay to get out of it. In this case, Alberto's plates were from outside of Mexico City. He would have to go to a local pharmacy to pay the fine, and we would all sit in the car and wait for hours until a guy on a bicycle who worked for the police came to remove the boot.

By the time we got home we were too tired to go out to dinner, so I ordered sushi delivery to our hotel. It was an even worse decision than ordering red wine.

On Sunday we went to El Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which tells the story of Mexico before it was conquered by Spain. There were masks symbolizing mythological and religious practices. Pyramids that required a feat of human sacrifice to build in the middle of the desert. Civilizations that were confronted with death on a daily basis and still linger in modern Mexican culture.

After strolling through Polanco, Abel's sense of humor and boundless energy came to a full stop. Something was wrong. We used the bathroom of the W in Polanco and as I called my mom, he carelessly napped on one of the banks at the hotel's entrance.

We walked the 45 minutes to Mercado Roma for lunch. Abel sat lifelessly in front of his paella, barely touching what he loved so much. Food was not the answer, it was the problem. I gave my boyfriend food poisoning, because I had the foolish confidence of ordering raw sushi in a landlocked Mexican city.

On our way out of the market I stumbled on something, and Abel yelled loudly for all to hear in Spanish "lo siento, es rubia!" (I'm sorry, she's blonde!) and all of the Mexican chefs and workers erupted in laughter. Latin men.

Once again we had to ditch any plans for dinner out and spend another night in the hotel. It hit Abel like a bomb. And 12 hours later, it hit me. We spent Monday in bed, taking turns walking to the pharmacy to get more drugs. We pushed our flight to Sayulita.

Laying sick in bed with the Aero Mexico operator on speaker phone repeating "el sistema está un poco lento" and "estamos trabajando en ello" for two hours was not the idea I had for Mexico City.

As we finally took off two days later, I left thinking about all of the things we didn't experience in Mexico City. I did not make it to the trendy Rosetta or Pujol. We didn't see the Frida Kahlo museum or Diego Riveras' murals.

Mexico City kicked our asses. It humbled me. It reminded me of how human I am. It told me to take nothing for granted. And while the world is seeing it as a creative place that's new and intriguing, I felt the spiritual weight of 10,000 years of history overcome me. I didn't see the thin line between life and death, but I felt it.

[kpopfanfictrash]

Raise the Barre (Ch. 11)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: Jimin / Reader

Rating: 18+ (Eventual Smut)

Genre: Enemies to Lovers / Dance Academy!AU

Warnings: ANGST part 3! But again, with progress attached.

Word Count: 10,246

Summary: You and Park Jimin have been rivals for as long as you’ve known one another; ever since he tripped you in the front row of your first dance convention. When you graduate from high school and enter Russet Ballet Academy, you tell yourself you’re leaving all past quarrels behind. The main problem with this though, is that your past seems determined not to leave you alone.

Worse still, the obstacles you face while out in the real world might prove more challenging than anything your enemy has to offer.  

When you woke Saturday morning, you felt clearer about things than you’d felt all week. Your nap had lasted longer than intended, so when you woke around ten and groggily looked at your phone, you realized you’d missed your opportunity to talk to Finn.

He’d called around seven, but you seemed to have slept through this, and he’d left you no voicemail. Shooting him a text, you tried to stay up but promptly fell back asleep. When you woke to the sun streaming through your windows the next morning, you realized this was it. You’d reached a breaking point.

Pushing aside your covers, you climbed down from bed and began to get ready. Staring at yourself in the mirror, you fixed yourself up as best as you could before leaving the dorm. It was still early in the morning, the air containing a chill while you walked to the coffee shop. Finn still hadn’t responded to your text from the night prior, so you decided to give him an hour before you went over.

It had been three days since your fight in the library. If he didn’t know what to say to you by now, he could figure out what to say when he saw you in person. Steeling yourself for this possibility, you entered the shop and walked to the counter.

Staring at the holiday specials on the board, you felt nothing but numbness. As you ordered a peppermint latte and left a tip, you made a mental note to pick up Noelle one on your way home. She’d been the best friend to you this week – all weeks, really. Despite not knowing what was wrong, she’d done her best to cheer you up and be there for you.

Sipping your coffee at a table in the corner, you stared blankly at your phone. It was strange, being in a place you’d once been happy with Finn and no longer feeling attached to the memory. It was strange, contemplating the idea of breaking up with a cool sort of detachment, as though it were happening to someone other than you.

You wondered if all relationships reached a point where you simply felt tired. Maybe all humans had an emotional cap; a quota wherein all emotions following simply went unfelt. If this was this case, you imagined you might have hit yours.

Once your drink was finished, you stood and walked to place your mug in the bin. It had officially been an hour, which meant it was time to confront Finn at Redfield. Hiking your bag higher, you were about to leave the shop when you heard a familiar voice coming from behind a potted plant.

“Mom, are you serious?” Sabrina said, sounding upset. “This is a good thing.”

Uncertain, you paused. When you glanced around the fern, you saw Sabrina seated with someone unfamiliar at a table. The other person was a woman – older than you and, judging by the conversation, she seemed to be Sabrina’s mother.

Whoever she was, the woman sighed with the tone of someone who’d had this conversation before. “Tell me what’s good about it, Sabrina,” she demanded. “Vlad Copson is recommending you take additional classes outside of Russet.”

“I know.” Sabrina faltered. “It’s just because I asked about the contemporary dance program, though. I don’t… I don’t have a lot of experience in that area.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“I’m not saying it’s anyone’s fault, I’m just saying I want to–”

“We’ve been over this before, Sabrina. You need to work harder.”

Sabrina stopped talking. “I know.”

“Do you, though?” Pulling out her phone, her mother scrolled through her email. “You’ve had every advantage money could buy. Private lessons, an elite dance academy. How could you possibly be falling behind? It’s barely even the first semester.”

“Everyone’s talented at Russet, mom.”

Realizing you were staring, you side-stepped until you were hidden partway behind the fern. Mind racing, you wondered if this was what Sabrina had wanted to discuss. You’d had no idea she was interested in contemporary dance. She hadn’t seemed comfortable in the master class last week – but then again, maybe that’s what sparked this conversation.

It was strange to hear her sounding so small, so defeated. You were used to Sabrina being larger than life. If nothing else, the Sabrina you knew was confident – as soon as you thought this, a different memory came to mind. Something Jimin had said to you inside Dr. Gonzalez’s office.

He’d compared you to Sabrina and mentioned she was more insecure than you were.

“Why don’t you ask one of your friends for help?” said Sabrina’s mother. “Kelsey… or Alex?”

“Katie and Allison,” Sabrina stiffly corrected. “I asked them but um, they didn’t have time. You know… end of semester and stuff…”

She trailed off, sounding uncomfortable and you frowned. Again, you remembered last week’s master class. Sabrina’s friend Katie had stood beside Jungkook instead of helping her out. You’d thought it was weird at the time, but maybe they weren’t as close as you thought they were.

Or maybe they were similar, in that Katie wasn’t the type of person to help someone else when she had the chance to pull ahead.

Her mother made a noncommittal noise. “We’ll, you’ll just have to figure something out then, won’t you? I told you something like this would happen. That boy was a distraction. You’re better off now that you’ve ended things with him.”

Stiffening, you wondered if the boy they spoke about was Jimin, but then Sabrina scowled.

“Eamon was not a distraction,” she said, sounding sure of herself for the very first time.

Eyes widening, you stared. You’d had no idea Sabrina and Eamon were even a thing. Frantically, you thought back and tried to piece it together. You remembered Eamon leaving the dance floor at the club to head upstairs, which was where Sabrina had been sitting. Ten minutes later, she’d stormed into the downstairs bathroom in tears.

Based on what her mom was saying, it sounded as though Sabrina had broken up with Eamon. Immediately, your heart fell, and you wondered if your fight with Sabrina in the bathroom had been part of this aftermath.

“Still,” her mother said. “The time you spent with him was time you could’ve spent practicing! You’re young, Sabrina and ballerinas only perform until they’re thirty-five – if that. You’ll have plenty of time to date later on.”

“I barely even saw him as it was!”

“Maybe I need to cut the hours on your phone again.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Sabrina said tightly. “I need to go.” She stood from the table, chair scraping beneath her. “I told Katie we’d meet to head to a ballet class uptown. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Alright, then.”

Her mom didn’t seem concerned, waving goodbye like one might an acquaintance. Sabrina hovered a moment before hitching her bag to walk past. You realized you were still standing there, gawping at and swiftly sprang into action.

Pushing your way out the door, the bell jingled above you. You saw Sabrina’s head move but left before you could see if she’d noticed your presence. Hurrying down the sidewalk, you pulled your jacket tighter and kept your head down. That hadn’t seemed like a conversation you were meant to overhear.

Also, you weren’t sure what you’d overheard. As your steps began to slow, Sabrina’s comment from earlier in the year began to make sense. She’d relayed her mother’s advice on success – that only a few women ever made it to the top and as such, if Sabrina helped you to succeed, it’d be detrimental to her.

Having now seen Sabrina’s mom in action, you understood where she got this from. At the time, you’d been mad at Sabrina but now, you felt a strange sense of pity. The possibility of Sabrina falling behind had never crossed your mind and yet, it seemed Mr. Vlad had recommended extra classes. This made you think about what Jimin had said. Everyone at Russet was corrected, at some point of another.

At least you had a support system to fall back on, though; Sabrina had nothing. Her so-called friends had fled at the first sign of conflict and her mother didn’t seem interested beyond her ranking in class. This struck you as indescribably sad.

Unfortunately, you didn’t have time to linger upon Sabrina’s situation – as soon as you entered Redfield’s campus, all thoughts of Russet flew from your mind. Redfield University was such a short walk you’re your campus; if you did break up, it would be so awkward to run into Finn later on.

This was something you would’ve considered in high school, but you hadn’t imagined this to be a factor once you went to college. The realization made your heart sink, realizing how distant you’d become despite living so close together.

As you walked under Redfield’s archway, you exhaled a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. Orange-brown leaves crunched underfoot, seemingly having fallen from trees overnight. As you wound between dorms, you saw only a few people about at this hour. Pulling your bag higher, you hoped Finn would even be at his dorm.

He’d talked about moving off campus a few weeks ago – there wasn’t much space in the city for dorms, so students often moved out after freshman year, or even during their second semester. Maybe Finn would move further away and solve your concerns about running into each other.

Startled, you realized you were thinking about Finn in the past tense. Shaking this thought from mind, you stuffed your hands in your pockets and walked to his dorm. It took longer this time for someone to let you in – it seemed most of Redfield didn’t wake before 10:00 AM – but soon enough, you were climbing the steps to his room.

Your hands trembled as you walked down the hall, the lack of noise oddly suffocating when you stopped at his door. It took you a long moment to knock; several heartbeats you counted out like a watch.

After a second, you heard movement inside.

“Ben?” Finn called out, a bit groggy. “I already told you. I don’t want to get breakfast, I –”

He pulled open the door, revealing the entire room and you froze.

It was difficult to choose what to focus on first. Finn, in his boxers, Madison tugging on jeans, or the unmade bed behind them in the corner. Your gaze darted to each one in turn until, feeling suddenly nauseous, you stumbled backwards.

When he saw it was you, Finn froze in place. As soon as he came to his senses, he stepped into the hall and tried to shut the door, but it was too late. You’d already seen.

Every emotion you’d felt over the past couple of days rose to the surface. All the horror you’d felt, the self-flagellation you’d done – it had all been for nothing.

Suddenly livid, you began to see red.

“No,” you said, pushing past him. Shoving open the door, you glared hard at Madison. “I think I’d rather have this conversation in here. You should leave,” you informed her.

Finn muttered something which sounded like a curse. Madison glanced at him, startled and Finn slowly turned. Wrestling a hand through his hair, he seemed slightly panicked as he nodded at Madison.

“You should probably go, Maddie,” he said.

Hearing him speak, your vision blurred. He’d called Madison ‘Maddie’ in the library, but it suddenly struck you how familiar it was. How casual, how intimate her name sounded on his tongue. Closing your eyes, you forced the image from mind.

It refused to go.

Swallowing hard, you realized you couldn’t do this. You couldn’t have this conversation right now; couldn’t stay any longer.

Opening your eyes, you quickly shook your head. “I have to go,” you said, pushing past him. “Forget it, Finn. We’re done.”

As soon as you left, you bolted for the exit. Heading for the stairs, your blood pounded in your veins and drowned out all thought. You were grateful for this, since if you had time to think rationally, you’d think about Finn and Madison, half-dressed in the dorm.

Slamming open the door to the stairwell, you were halfway across the lobby when the elevator dinged and slid open.

“Y/N, wait!” Finn gasped, running out. He hopped on one foot as he slid on a sneaker. “Please – please, talk to me.”

You continued to walk. “There’s nothing to talk about, Finn.”

“There is,” he insisted, grabbing you by the elbow and turning you to face him.

Roughly, you shrugged him off.

“Please,” he begged, sounding desperate. “Please. I fucked up, Y/N. I fucked up so badly and I’m sorry.”

Freezing in place, you met his gaze.

You honestly couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Finn was asking you to forgive him. He was asking you to forgive him as though he wanted you to stay. He had cheated on you. Finn was an absolute idiot if he thought you’d forgive him after that. If he thought you could trust him after that.

Immediately, your heart sank because you’d cheated on him, as well – maybe not like this, but you’d cheated all the same.

Some of the anger drained from your body.

“What are you sorry about?” you said, turning to face him.

Finn shook his head. “For… that,” he said. “For you having to see that.”

“Are you sorry for sleeping with her?”

He winced. “Yes.”

Releasing a low laugh, you looked away. A strange thought occurred to you, and you remembered Yoongi’s reaction when he’d said the name Madison. It seemed too coincidental for you to have walked in on their first time together.

Still facing away from him, you asked, “How many times?”

Finn paused. He exhaled, sounding pained and you felt your heart stumble.

“Just once,” he whispered. “But… we kissed last weekend. I was really drunk on Halloween and I… apparently, we kissed.”

It hurt more than you thought it would. Like a physical punch to the gut, you imagined Finn with his body on hers, their lips molded together, and his hands tangled her hair.

Swallowing hard, you nodded. “Oh.”

“It was stupid,” Finn insisted, stepping forward. “The kiss on Halloween – I didn’t even remember it until Madison told me on Thursday. She was there when I came back from our fight and asked if I remembered what happened Saturday. I said that I didn’t. She explained what happened, we got to talking and I…”

“I get it,” you said tightly, looking back. “I don’t need a play-by-play.”

“Sorry.”

“I called you, Finn. Multiple times.”

“I know.” Lifting his palms, he rubbed at his eyes. “I know, but when I got your message… I didn’t want to talk anymore. I thought what I wanted was to break up with you and Madison… she was simple, you know? I was hurt, she was there and it just kind of happened.”

His words sounded so crushingly similar to how you’d felt with Jimin. It was like looking at a warped mirror of yourself and this was when you realized nothing about this was normal. The two of you had hurt each other too many times to ever get back.

“Please say something,” he said. “Y/N, please.”

“What do you want me to say?” you said quietly.

“I – I don’t know.”

After a moment, you said, “Do you still love me?”

“Yes,” Finn murmured.

When you made a dismissive noise, his gaze narrowed.

“It’s true,” Finn insisted, stepping closer. “I do love you. That’s what I realized when I woke up this morning. I rolled over and saw her and I just… I knew, Y/N. I’d made the worst mistake of my life. I woke up this morning and knew I didn’t want to break up after all.”

“Don’t… don’t do that,” you exhaled, looking away.

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t try and put this back together,” you bit out, eyes flashing. “If it took you sleeping with someone else to make you realize you wanted me, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

Finn was silent for a moment.

“I know,” he said miserably. “I know that you’re right, and I’m sorry.”

The words hung in the air and you couldn’t help it – you ached. The temptation to give in was right there. The temptation to forgive, to forget and let things go back to normal. But when you looked at Finn, you saw her, and you knew this could never be fixed.

“Why?” you said, voicing the first question you thought of.

He blinked. “Why, what?”

“Why her?”

“I…” He looked down. “I don’t know. She was my friend and then… I don’t know. She was there. Maddie listened to me, she paid attention and it felt like you were slipping further away.”

“So… you slept with her because she listened to you?”

Finn groaned and closed his eyes. “I don’t even know why I’m trying to explain. I can’t. I can’t explain this away, it can’t be excused… I’m sorry, Y/N.” Slowly, he shook his head. “So, so sorry.”

After a moment, you looked at the elevator. “Is she still up there?”

Finn opened his eyes and nodded.

“Tell her to go.”

Silently, he pulled out his phone and sent a text. Finn waited for a reply and once he got it, slipped his phone back in his pants.

“She’s taking the stairs down,” he said.

“Then let’s take the elevator.”

While you waited for this to come, you crossed both arms over your chest and stared at the numbers. You weren’t going upstairs because you thought Finn deserved a second chance. If anything, his infidelity made it clear you both wanted out. Your constant hurting each other meant more than the love you’d once shared.

This wasn’t love, anyways.

Hanging onto that ideal would only demolish you further. You were going upstairs because you owed that much to yourself. You deserved more than half-explanations and you weren’t leaving until you got them. You and Finn had been together two years at this point. If you left now and ran away, you’d always wonder what if.

When you entered his room, you came to a stop in the center. Yoongi wasn’t here and you felt a twinge of regret, realizing he’d been trying to tell you something Wednesday. Turning around, you slowly sat on the edge of his futon. This seemed a safer option than his bed.

Finn hovered a few feet away.

“So,” you said, looking up. “You still love me?”

“I do.”

Gently, you closed your eyes. “And you think that’s enough?”

Finn didn’t say anything at first, sensing a trap until at last, you sighed.

“It’s not enough,” you said, opening your eyes. “That’s what I was coming over to tell you. Finn, you haven’t even texted me since our fight on Wednesday. You just ghosted me, and I know – I know I’ve done that to you, too. But that’s the point! We keep hurting one another. Is this really the relationship you want?”

“No,” he said miserably.

“Then, what do you want?”

“What do you expect me to say to that?” he said, sounding frustrated.

“You’re the one who’s saying you love me,” you pointed out. “You’re the one who’s saying this was all a mistake. Do you really want to be together still, Finn?”

“Yes.”

“Bullshit!” You gave a bitter laugh. “Don’t just say the word without knowing what it means. Do you want to be in this relationship, Finn? I don’t mean the idyllic version of us. I mean the messy, right-now version. Do you really want that?”

He stared at you, uncertain. “I just… I want us how we used to be.”

“Don’t you see, though?” you whispered. “We can’t be that. I want that too, Finn, but so much has happened. Not just the cheating, but everything else. All the fighting, all the miscommunication. You have a specific idea of what your girlfriend should be, and I’m not it. Not anymore.”

“I don’t need any of that though,” Finn finally said. He sat beside you on the futon. “I mean, yeah. I’d like to see you more. I want to be with you more. But that’s just it. I want you. I –”

“I kissed Jimin.”

Finn immediately stopped. He stared at you a second, as though struggling to make sense of the words. When you turned and met gaze, you felt your heart break again. This wasn’t how you’d planned on telling him. You had wanted to explain, wanted to ease him into it, but it was clear Finn wouldn’t stop until he knew this was over.

His lips parted, and then his gaze narrowed. “When did this happen?”

“Wednesday.”

“So, after…” He paused, as though calculating. “After our fight.”

“Yeah. After you accused me of cheating with him.”

Finn sat back on the futon, a bit dazed. He stared at the wall for a long moment, then looked your way. “Was our fight… was that the reason…?”

“No,” you said sadly. “Or maybe. I don’t know. There were a lot of things. I was confused and upset, so I went to dance and Jimin was there…”

Trailing off, you heard the words said out loud and knew how similar they sounded to his. You had been upset and Jimin had been there. The main difference was, after Finn had cheated he’d realized he wanted to stay and you’d realized you needed to go.

Glancing at him, you waited for Finn to speak, but he didn’t.

“I was crying,” you whispered. “Jimin saw me and he asked what was wrong. He was being so nice and I just… I kissed him. I don’t know why.”

Finn slowly closed his eyes.

Now, you were the one waiting desperately for him to speak. “Say something.”

He shook his head. “I don’t… don’t know what to say. Do you want to be with him? Is that what this is about?”

“No, I – well, I don’t know.”

He opened his eyes in disbelief.  “You don’t know?”

“I wanted to come and talk to you,” you said, a bit frantic. “We haven’t talked since Wednesday and I needed to see what you felt.”

“What I felt?” Finn stared. “I felt like I’d fucked up, but I still loved you and wanted us to be together. Now, you’re telling me you don’t want that.”

“It’s not that I don’t want it. It’s just – how?” you blurted. “Finn, you cheated on me. How am I supposed to trust you after this? How are you supposed to trust me?”

His face crumpled a little. “I don’t know,” he said hoarsely. “And please… don’t say that’s all I seem to be able to say.”

You managed to smile, although this disappeared quickly.

“Guess you know me pretty well,” you said quietly.

Finn sat there and stared at the floor for a moment. “Yeah, I guess I do,” he exhaled. “Which is why I have to say… this thing with Jimin. It’s not just a kiss, is it?”

Slowly, you shook your head.

He closed his eyes. “Right. So… what now?”

“I think you know what now.”

Finn leaned back on the futon. “Were you planning on breaking up with me when you came over this morning?”

“I wanted to talk things out with you, Finn. Things have been so bad lately.”

“So, yes.”

“I honestly didn’t know.” You looked at him helplessly. “But after seeing you with her, it all seemed so clear. Finn, what are we doing? We’ve hurt each other so much and we keep on hurting each other.”

“I know.” Miserably, he looked away. “I just… I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too, Finn.”

Honestly, you weren’t sure if you loved him anymore but seated on this futon, faced with the prospect of not being together, you couldn’t help but reminisce about the past. All the good times you’d spent, the laughter, the kisses and firsts that you’d shared. Finn had meant so much to you at one point. How your relationship ended didn’t change that.

Slowly, he turned, and you saw his eyes were red. “So, is this…” Choking a little, he swallowed. “Are we…?”

Heart breaking, you leaned in and wrapped your arms around him. Something wet landed on your shoulder and you realized he was crying. Hugging Finn tighter, you buried your face in his chest and felt your eyes start to water.

For a long time, you simply held one another and cried. It felt therapeutic, as though everything had changed but for only this moment, you’d found your way back. For a single moment, you let yourself believe the semester had never happened and none of this pain had ever come between you.

It didn’t work completely.

In the back of your mind, your heart continued to ache. The image of Finn with someone else remained and you couldn’t fully erase it. For a moment though, you let yourself play make-believe.

When you left his dorm hours later, you felt utterly exhausted. Finn had tried to convince you to stay longer, but you’d flatly refused. At some point, you needed to draw the line.

Coming to a stop outside Redfield, you stared at the brick archway and realized you wouldn’t see it again. You were single.

For a word which was supposed to feel freeing, it felt oddly heavy. Turning around, you began to walk in the direction of Russet. It didn’t take long to get there, entering Grace Hall and climbing the steps to your room in a numbed haze.

Noelle took one look at you when you entered and immediately shut her laptop. Dimly, you realized you’d forgotten her coffee. You needed to remember to do that tomorrow. Before you could make it two steps inside though, you felt the tears forming.

“Oh, no babe,” said Noelle, descending her ladder. “Don’t cry!”

As you plopped down on the futon, she joined, rubbing your back while you buried your face in your hands.

“I’m sorry,” you said, choking up a little. “I just – Finn…”

“What happened?”

“We… we broke up.”

“Oh, no, babe.”

“Yeah,” you said, wiping your eyes on your sleeve.

“What happened?”

“I…” You hesitated. “He cheated on me.”

“He what?” Noelle rose from the futon. “That crusty, limp lint ball. I will… I will cut off his balls with a rusty spoon!”

“I also kissed Jimin.”

Startled, she turned. “Oh.” Noelle paused. “Well. I’m still going to cut off Finn’s balls.”

Weakly, you laughed. Taking a deep breath, you found the whole story pouring out of you again. Noelle sat down, listening to you speak and nodding encouragingly. Oddly enough, as you told her everything, the weight on your chest seemed to lighten a little.

You’d thought it would be the opposite. This was one of the main reasons you’d kept things inside you for so long, not bothering to tell anyone what you were going through. The idea of burdening others made you feel guilty but talking to your mom had made you realize some truths about yourself.

It was the same thing with Noelle. Seeing her face when you described walking in on Finn and Madison was enough to reinforce you’d made the right decision. She was so livid when you told her, you needed to tug her back to the futon again.

“Okay, but you only kissed Jimin,” she insisted. “You stopped right away! And you know what Finn did? He avoided you for days, decided you were going to break up and then slept with someone else. He kissed her!” she said, arms flailing. “And thought hm, better go in deeper! God, I hate men.”

It hurt to laugh, but you couldn’t help it. Noelle was right. It was ridiculous when she put it like that. Yes, you’d fucked things up but at least you’d tried to fix it. At least you’d been realistic about what had happened. Finn had messed up and just wanted you to forgive him.

“The worst part was he tried to get me to stay,” you whispered, knees curled into your chest. “That really hurt, you know? It was like he didn’t realize how much he wanted me until he’d had someone else. I couldn’t stop thinking… what about the next time? What if every time things got hard, he ran off and stuck his dick in someone else?”

Although Noelle snorted, she shook her head. “He’s dumb, babe. And immature. Men that age always are.”

“I know,” you said quietly, staring at your knees. “But he was my dumb and immature guy. And now… I just feel kind of empty.”

“Ah, Y/N.”

“I know.” Closing your eyes, you shook your head. “It’s stupid, but I keep thinking about all the small things that’ll be different. Like, Finn loves this one video game and I used to send him memes I found on Twitter all the time. Or we were watching this TV show together and now, I’ll have to watch the next season alone. Or Finn won’t text me good morning, or tell me good night and I just…”

“Hey.” Noelle pulled you closer when you began to cry. “It’s okay, babe. Even if he hurt you, even if it was the right decision to break up – you can still be upset about it. You can still love him. Feelings like that don’t go away overnight.”

Weakly, you nodded. You knew Noelle was right but couldn’t help feeling broken. Everyone said the only thing which healed heartbreak was time. It was the only balm to this kind of pain, but on the first day of your breakup, time seemed like such a cruel concept.

“If it makes you feel better,” Noelle offered. “I’ll watch the TV show with you.”

“You don’t even know what it is.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Weakly, you smiled. “You might end up regretting that.”

“I might,” she agreed, smiling as you pulled away.

Standing up from the futon, Noelle went to your minifridge and opened the freezer compartment. “Fuck weigh-ins,” she said, retrieving your ice cream and grabbing two spoons.

You both dug in, taking a large bite of fudge ripple. The treat tasted like sawdust on your tongue – somehow, you didn’t seem to have an appetite.

“I think you did the right thing, for what it’s worth,” Noelle offered.

“Yeah?” you said, taking another scoop. “Then, why does it suck so much?”

“Love sucks.”

“True.”

“He cheated, babe,” she said, a bit gentler.

“Yeah. I think that’s the worst part, though. I can kind of understand why he did.”

“Oh, no.” Noelle clucked her tongue. “Don’t go down that road.”

Weakly, you smiled. “It’s just… Finn was right. I never had time for him. I didn’t really fit in with his Redfield friends. His schedule always took a backseat to mine and I just… I can understand him not feeling like a priority in my life. What kind of girlfriend does that make me?”

“The strong kind.”

When you looked at her, Noelle seemed deadly serious. Lowering her ice cream spoon, she slowly exhaled.

“You’re a woman with ambition, Y/N,” she said quietly. “I won’t lie, that terrifies a lot of men. A lot of guys want their ego stroked and when their self-esteem can’t be fixed by someone else, they’ll blame you. You’re not a bad person for knowing what you want, though. When you find the right guy, he’ll love that about you.”

Immediately, your eyes watered. It was exactly what you’d needed to hear right now. Leaning forward, you hugged her again and silently thanked Russet Academy for pairing you as roommates.

You stayed awake for a while, ordering a pizza which Noelle forced you to eat. As she put on a movie and you settled into the futon, you thought more about Finn and what Noelle had said.

She was right, you knew. Finn didn’t want the kind of woman you’d become. The kind of woman he wanted wasn’t bad – not inherently. He wanted someone who fit into his life, someone who wasn’t defined by their career. Someone who could leave their job at five and spend time with him after.

It was fine to want those things, but it wasn’t okay to place those things on you. Possibly if you’d realized this earlier, none of this would’ve happened. It was pointless to wonder what-if, though. Before you came to Russet, you hadn’t even known this part of yourself existed.

You and Finn had spent two wonderful years together in high school. That wasn’t something you wanted to forget, but things between you were different now. It would be foolish to stay together while trying to ignore the fact that you both walked on different paths.

Somewhere in the middle of the second movie you dozed off and when you woke, you found Noelle turning off the lights and putting things away. Mumbling good night, you climbed into bed and plugged your phone into the wall.

Finn hadn’t texted, for which you were grateful.

Jimin hadn’t either.

Rolling over, you found you couldn’t think about him right now. There was too much to unpack, especially fresh off your breakup with Finn. You’d said things about Jimin you needed to digest, but you couldn’t afford to do that right now.

Right now, all you could do was start to recover.

By Monday morning, you felt like a zombie. Noelle had done her best to distract you over the weekend, but the looming prospect of Monday drained whatever progress you’d made.

It was the closest you’d ever come to being late to class. The second hand was between 7:59 and 8:00 when you and Noelle entered the room. Setting your things down at the barre, you caught Mr. Vlad’s disapproving gaze before he shut the door.

He began to teach pliés and you found yourself falling into the familiar rhythm. All weekend long, you’d dreaded coming to dance because you knew you’d be distracted. In the past, whenever your personal life had fallen apart, this usually had resulted in mistakes in your professional. Not today.

Today, you let the soothing movement drag you under. The repetitive nature of warm-ups gave a much-needed break to your overworked mind. For the first time in days, your eyes didn’t water for unknown reasons. Overwhelmed with gratitude for the momentary peace, you threw yourself into your exercises at center.

When the time came to find your partner, you spotted Jimin for the first time today. He found you first, winding across the room to stand by your side.

He was silent for a moment, then glanced in your direction. “Hey.”

“Hey,” you said softly.

Jimin’s brow furrowed. He searched your face and seemed about to speak, but then Mr. Vlad began to teach. Falling quiet, Jimin learned the steps alongside you. He didn’t say anything more during adagio, but you caught him occasionally looking from the corner of your eye.

Feebly, you hoped you didn’t look too terrible. This was probably a lost cause, given you’d barely glanced in the mirror before leaving. Not that how you looked was a priority right now. It didn’t even crack the top ten, but you couldn’t help wanting Jimin to see you. Your conversation with Finn had been eye-opening in so many ways.

Not least of all was how you felt about Jimin. Finn had asked if you wanted to date him and you’d replied you didn’t know.

Just a week prior, you would’ve blustered your way through a response. You would’ve said of course, not but you would’ve been lying. Something important existed between you, but along with it came a sinking feeling.

Breaking up with Finn had been the most difficult decision you’d ever made. Everything Noelle had said was right – feelings didn’t disappear overnight, no matter how badly you wanted them to. No matter the pain he’d put you through and no matter the pain you’d caused him.

You had a lot you needed to learn before you began dating someone new. You’d thought you’d known what you wanted before and had been proven wrong. It would be equally foolish to think you knew what you wanted right now.

Besides, you had kissed Jimin while still dating Finn. That was a terrible foundation to a new relationship. Your own words came back to you about trusting Finn. He’d cheated on you with Madison and you knew that if you’d stayed, you would have always wondered if he’d do it again.

Maybe Jimin would always think this about you.

The thought made your chest ache since it could’ve been avoided. If you’d done something differently, if you’d been less stubborn and ended things with Finn earlier, you wouldn’t be feeling this way now.

Such thoughts were pointless though because they weren’t what had happened. It was meaningless to wonder what-if because the point was, you hadn’t. You hadn’t ended things earlier. You hadn’t left when Jimin found you that night. You’d made the choices which made the most sense at the time – or in a moment of weakness – and now, you needed to live with the consequences.

At the end of class, you were packing your things when you felt a shadow fall over your bag. Glancing up, you expected to see Jimin and found Sabrina before you.

Surprised, you sat back. You’d nearly forgotten about the conversation you’d overheard in the cafe but now, it all came rushing back. As you straightened, you caught sight of Jimin as he walked out the door and felt your stomach twist.

You had been hoping to catch Jimin after class to tell him – what, exactly?

You didn’t know what you’d wanted to say. You didn’t know what would be appropriate. Should you say you’d broken up with Finn? You didn’t want to give Jimin any kind of false hope. He should at least know you were sorry, though. You were sorry for kissing him, sorry you’d run away and sorry in general for messing things up so badly.

“Hey, Y/N.” Sabrina adjusted her bag. “Can we talk?”

After a moment, you nodded and zipped your bag shut. “Yeah,” you said as you stood. “Yeah, okay.”

Noelle walked past, hovering when she saw you speaking with Sabrina. Her gaze moved between you. “Are you heading back to the dorm, Y/N?”

“In a second,” you said, managing to smile. “I just need to do something first.”

Noelle nodded, but her gaze lingered before she walked away. You couldn’t blame her for her suspicion. Sabrina had been nothing but rude to you the entire year but now, you had a little more insight as to why.

Somehow, you couldn’t bring yourself to hate her. You kept contrasting your last phone call to your mom with the conversation you’d overheard. If Sabrina received that kind of support in her own home, it kind of made sense for her to be the way she was with ballet.

Sabrina turned, leaving the class as you followed. You walked beside her in silence until you reached a secluded part of the hall. Here, Sabrina turned and hesitated when she saw you. The difference was startling; you were so used to the version of Sabrina who was constantly on the defensive.

“Hey,” she repeated.

She didn’t add on, so you arched a brow. “Hey. Don’t take this the wrong way, Sabrina but – what do you want?”

Her upper lip quirked. Just as quickly, her expression smoothed to normalcy. “I thought I saw you on Saturday,” she said bluntly. “Was that you in the coffee shop near Grace?”

You paused, debating whether to lie but deciding it wasn’t worth it.

“Yeah,” you said. “That was me.”

“Did you hear what me and my mom were saying?”

Again, you hesitated but before you could respond, she rolled her eyes. “What am I saying?” Sabrina muttered. “I know you were close enough to overhear.”

Unwittingly, you almost smiled. It was kind of refreshing to hear her speak like this again. Your last interactions had thrown you, making you rethink who Sabrina was. Her bluntness was oddly comforting in its normalcy.

“Well, if you know I overheard, why are you asking?” you shot back. “Look – you don’t need to worry about me telling anyone. I’ll forget what I heard, and we can go back to hating each other. I don’t care about your personal life, Sabrina.”

A flicker of something unknown passed over her face. She nodded, curt and you turned to leave – but then she exhaled.

“Wait,” she said quietly.

Stopping in your tracks, you looked over your shoulder. “What?”

Sabrina made the oddest expression, halfway between regret and disgust. “I wanted to apologize,” she said at last.

Eyes widening, you froze. Seeming to mistake your silence for anger, Sabrina barreled on.

“That’s why I wanted to talk the other day in class,” she admitted. “It’s been bothering me all week what went down on Halloween. I wasn’t in a good place then and I took that out on you. I – I’m sorry about that.”

Finally, you managed to shake yourself free.

“You’re… apologizing? To me?”

“Yes. Listen, this is awkward enough without me having to repeat myself.”

Again, you suppressed a smile. Folding your arms over your chest, you forced a stern expression. “Yeah, well, forgive me if I’m having trouble comprehending,” you said. “You don’t really seem like the apology type.”

“I’m not.”

“Then, why are you now?”

Sabrina exhaled and looked away. “I’m not going to pretend I regret everything that’s happened between us this year,” she said. “Most of it I stand by. But… it wasn’t your fault I snapped at you on Halloween. I was down and I was feeling jealous.”

Your eyes widened. “Jealous? Of me?”

She nodded, then looked back. “I got crappy feedback during the master class and then you came over, inviting me out on Halloween like some pity invitation. I know,” she said, catching your look. “Maybe that’s not what you intended, but that’s what it felt like. And then I was at that party, looking around and… I just realized no one liked me.”

More than anything else, this startled you. You hadn’t seen Sabrina much at the party but hadn’t heard anything negative, so you’d assumed she had a good time.

“I never really thought you’d be worried about something that,” you said cautiously. “Whether people liked you, or not.”

“Most of the time I don’t.” Sabrina paused. “Well. I don’t know. It’s hard,” she admitted, playing with a thread on her bag. “For the most part, I don’t. But sometimes…”

“Sometimes you do,” you finished.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “I know it’s no one’s fault but mine. I’m the one who pushes people away, who refused to help you when you asked. I was the one who left Jimin on read when he said he just wanted to be friends.”

“He… what?” you said, snagging on this thought.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “You two really need to work through whatever’s going on between you. But anyways,” she continued. “I was going through a lot and… and I just lashed out. You were the one who happened to be closest.”

 “That sucks, but… I get it,” you said.

You really could. It was what you did, after all. You’d done the same thing to Jimin after you got bad feedback at Russet. You’d eventually moved past this as a habit, but you couldn’t fault Sabrina for having the same journey as you.

“Seriously, though.” You tilted your head. “Why are you telling me this? It seems very… out of character for you.”

“I know.” Sabrina considered. “Honestly? I’m not sure. It’d be easier not to, but… then you overheard my conversation with my mom.”

Awkward, you shifted your weight. “Ah.”

Again, you thought you understood. It was difficult to reveal vulnerable parts of yourself. Sometimes it was easier when someone else did it for you.

“So,” you said and then paused. “Is your mom… always like that?”

“Like what?”

“So… intense?”

She gave a bitter smile. “That was her being chill.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah.” Sabrina shrugged. “She means well, I guess. My mom raised me alone after my dad left when I was young. She’s the top lawyer in the city, so she has firsthand experience on how to get there.” Here, Sabrina hesitated. “I just don’t think it’s always been the happiest road for her.”

“Probably not,” you admitted.

“I always thought that’s what I wanted,” Sabrina said softly. “To be like her, but with dance. At the top of my field, not needing anyone but myself. Now… I don’t know.”

Knowing this put a lot of things in perspective. Sabrina had been raised to believe she could only rely upon herself. It was no wonder she’d turned you down so many times.

“Well,” you said slowly. “I don’t think anything is set in stone, if that makes you feel better. It’s only the first semester, after all. There’s still plenty of time to make friends if that’s what you want.”

“Yeah.” She paused. “Maybe.”

You hesitated, and then nodded. “I appreciate the apology.”

“No problem.”

Glancing away, you wondered if this was all. While it helped to understand where Sabrina was coming from, you couldn’t imagine having sleepovers with her anytime soon. It was nice of her to apologize, but that was only a first step. You didn’t have much in common.

Except that wasn’t true, you realized. You had a lot in common, possibly more than you’d given yourself credit for. You understood more than you wanted about where she was coming from.

Turning back, you met her gaze. “So, Eamon?”

Her eyebrows shot upwards. “You heard that?”

“Kind of,” you said, offering a guilty smile. “What happened there?”

For the first time, a touch of sadness entered her gaze. “It’s a long story,” Sabrina said, and then hesitated.

You considered, then said, “I have time. Are you heading back to Grace Hall?”

Although Sabrina seemed surprised, she nodded, and you turned around. As you fell into step alongside her, you thought about how weird this all was. Returning to the dorm with Sabrina, talking and not being at each other’s throats.

Maybe you wouldn’t ever be friends, but you appreciated her attempt at an apology. You hadn’t realized how exhausting it was to have an enemy. To be constantly directing negative energy at something you couldn’t control – you had to give Sabrina credit because apologizing took courage. Taking a step forward was always an act of bravery.

As you walked, you felt your gut twist and an unknown voice whispered in your ear. It’d take an equal amount of courage to make things right with Jimin. Steeling yourself as you left the building, you determined you would do just that.

One step at a time, you’d move yourself forward.

Sabrina didn’t stay long, just long enough to explain about Eamon. Apparently, they’d been hooking up at the start of the year but had become something serious. Sabrina had broken it off at her mother’s insistence, but they hooked up again shortly before Halloween. When she’d ended things a second time, Eamon had been understandably frustrated.

It seemed clear Sabrina liked him, but you kept that thought to yourself. She’d either realize this on her own, or you’d eventually get to the point where you could give her a reality check. Once she eventually left, you lounged on your bed and scrolled through your phone.

As odd as the encounter with Sabrina had been, it’d taken your mind off Jimin and Finn for a moment. Now, left alone with your thoughts, you had time to overthink all your actions.

On Sunday, Noelle had made you go through your phone and delete all old conversations with Finn, blocking him on social media so he couldn’t reach out. You’d balked at this but eventually given in. Clearly, you were a creature of habit – it made sense to set physical boundaries.

Oddly though, it hadn’t been difficult not to text Finn today. Maybe because you’d been growing apart for so long. There had been multiple weeks since the start of the semester when you and Finn hadn’t even spoken for days.

Rolling over, you opened your photos and released a sigh. Finally, you began the arduous task you’d been dreading. Although you’d blocked Finn on social media, you’d yet to go through your old albums to delete. It had felt somehow wrong, as though you were ridding yourself of memories you one day might want.

Starting at the beginning of the semester, you began to delete. You found one from the night you’d moved into Russet and another from a walk at sunset along the river. There was one of Finn in his dorm room, pulling a stupid face at the camera. You deleted each one with a heavy heart, moving on to the next grouping and pausing.

Your scrolling had brought you to Halloween night. You found several photos of you, Noelle and Irene dressed as the PowerPuff girls. More from the pregame followed, with you playing flip cup and Jasmine cracking up. There were some from the couch and a few from when Hoseok had stolen your phone – when you scrolled to the next one, you froze.

The shot was candid, not taken by you, although you were in it. Paulo had made you laugh, nearly doubling over while you sat on the sofa. Irene and Jasmine were also in the shot, but it was Jimin who made you stop scrolling.

He was in the photo too, also laughing but his gaze remained focused on you. The look he gave you – it made your breath catch. You couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at you like that; like they simply enjoyed seeing you happy.

Suddenly, you threw aside your covers and descended your bed. As you tossed on a coat, you hastily checked the mirror before deciding fuck it, and hurrying out the door. Your coat flapped as you walked, trying to zip this up with one hand.

It was only a block to the boy’s dorm, but it might as well have been across the entire city. Your teeth were chattering by the time you arrived, hurrying into the warmth of the lobby. You took the steps two at a time to Jimin’s floor, hurrying down the hall before you could second-guess yourself.

When you finally reached his doorway, you paused.

Eyes closed, you willed yourself to breathe. You could do this. Completely unconvinced by your lukewarm pep talk, you opened your eyes and forced yourself to knock.

You heard movement inside, saw the handle turn and then Hoseok flung open the door. When he met your gaze, his eyes widened. This fact made you wince, since it was obvious Hoseok knew about the kiss between you and Jimin. Either that, or you looked like an absolute mess. Possibly both.

Staring at you, Hoseok made a noise which sounded like, “Argh.”

Before you could respond, Jimin called out.

“Is that Alex?” he groaned, sounding closer. “Did he break the showerhead again? Because I swear to god, if he –”

Jimin stepped into the doorframe, stopping once he saw you. He stared at you for a moment and Hoseok awkwardly eased himself backwards.

“Uh, I forgot I need to go to the store,” he said, grabbing his coat. Shoving his feet into sneakers, Hoseok grabbed keys from a chair. “Just um, need to grab a few things. Ice cream. Condoms. You know, the usual. Bye, guys!” he said, edging around you. “Have fun!”

Hoseok fairly ran down the hall, his coat flapping behind him.

After a moment, you returned to Jimin. He still hadn’t moved, continuing to stare at you from inside his room.

“Hey,” you said weakly, giving a wave.

His gaze hardened.

“Wait,” you blurted, throwing out a hand in case he shut the door. “Please, Jimin. Just let me explain.”

“There’s nothing to explain, Y/N,” he said, a bit quiet.

“Yes, there is. Can I come in?”

Jimin hesitated, warring with something but finally, he sighed and stepped aside. You nodded your thanks as you passed, stopping inside his room.

It smelled like him. There were the usual dorm smells of plaster and concrete but beneath that was his cologne, his detergent and something unmistakably Jimin. It made your heart clench as you turned around.

Jimin continued to look at you warily.

Seeing him like this tore something within you. It hurt, seeing such blatant mistrust in his gaze. It hurt to stand here and wonder if he was the reason you were single. Deep down, you knew this wasn’t the case, but all the pain mingled and was hard to separate. Looking at him made you feel hurt, yet hopeful; confused, yet still longing.

Broken, you inhaled as you shut your eyes. “Finn and I broke up.”

“You – what?”

You could hear the shock in Jimin’s voice. Shock, confusion – and maybe something else. Something more, which made you long to move closer.

“Yeah,” you continued. “We broke up on Saturday.”

Jimin was quiet for a moment, long enough for you to open your eyes. His expression had softened a little, but not by much. Instead, he cocked his head.

“That’s why you looked so sad in class today,” he said at last.

Apparently, you’d done a worse job of hiding things than you’d thought.

“Yeah,” you said. “That’s why.”

Jimin swallowed and nodded before looking away. He pushed a hand through his hair, leaving several strands ruffled as he lowered his hand. Multiple emotions fled across his expression until at last, he exhaled and looked back.

“How are you?” he said.

It was such a Jimin response, your eyes immediately filled with tears. Of course, with all this between you, his first instinct would be your well-being.

His eyes widened in response. “No – Y/N, no,” Jimin said, rushing forward. Forcing himself to stop, he held himself still. “I didn’t mean to… shit,” he cursed, hanging his head. “Even when I’m mad at you, I just… I don’t want you to be sad, Y/N.”

The simplicity of his statement settled over you, making your heart ache in all its jagged pieces. Jimin was so good. He was so good to you, and you didn’t deserve him.

“Well,” you said with a hiccup. “I’ve been better, but that’s not why I came here.”

“No?”

“I came here to apologize.”

He blinked, but didn’t respond, so you took this as a sign to continue.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you,” you said in a rush. “I had a boyfriend and no matter how bad things were between us, I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. At the very least, I should’ve stayed when you asked me to talk. I – I’m so sorry, Jimin. Things have gotten so messed up.”

While you were speaking, his expression began to change. No longer did he seem angry, but something within his gaze had changed to uncertainty.

Swallowing hard, Jimin looked away. “It wasn’t your fault, Y/N.”

“No, I –”

“It wasn’t.” He looked back. “I knew you had a boyfriend. I knew it, but it didn’t stop me from feeling something for you. I was the idiot. Of course, the kiss didn’t mean something to you. It wasn’t fair of me to… to expect that from you and –”

“It did, though,” you said, cutting him off.

Jimin paused. “What?”

“The kiss. It meant something to me”

Breathing hitching, he stared at you in confusion. “What are you saying, Y/N?”

“I’m saying kissing you wasn’t about Finn,” you whispered, wrapping both arms around your waist. “I didn’t kiss you because Finn and I were fighting. I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. Because I’d been wondering for weeks what it would be like. That’s why I kissed you, Jimin.”

Staring at you, his expression turned wondering.

“He was cheating on me,” you said, wanting him to know the whole truth. “That’s what I found when I went to see him on Saturday. My boyfriend was cheating on me.”

At this, his face hardened. “He’s… a fucking idiot,” Jimin said, low and intense. “What was he thinking, cheating on you? I swear, I’ll–”

“I cheated on him too, though.”

Jimin stopped talking.

He stared at you for a moment, and something within him seemed to falter. In that moment, you knew he understood. The kiss had been a mistake. You had been in the wrong and still, you couldn’t bring yourself to regret it. Neither of you did.

“That was different,” he said at last.

“Was it?” you said. “I think Finn and I have been drifting apart for a while now. Maybe if I had ended things earlier, things would’ve been better. I don’t know.”

“Maybe,” he allowed. “But you can’t blame yourself for that, Y/N.”

“I think I can a little. I didn’t want to admit we were growing apart. I couldn’t see things were over between us because there wasn’t some big, glaring reason.”

“That’s hard for anyone to do, though.”

“It wasn’t for you,” you pointed out. “You broke up with your ex before college.”

“That was different. We weren’t in love. You loved Finn – or you did at one point.”

Slowly, you nodded. “I did.”

“And now?” The look he gave you was cryptic. “Are you saying things between you are truly over?”

“Yeah,” you said quietly. “Things haven’t worked for a long time. I just didn’t want to see it.”

Jimin stared at you a moment, then his face gradually fell.

“I hate seeing you like this,” he said.

“Like a mess?”

“No. Sad.”

Staring at Jimin, your breath caught in your throat. The way he was looking at you made your heart ache and for a moment, you let yourself imagine a different reality. One where you’d never become enemies and instead, all the passion between you had been put into your friendship. Maybe even more than that.

At some point, Finn had looked at you the way Jimin did now. You just couldn’t remember the last time he had.

Even so, the fact that you’d compared Jimin to Finn in the same sentence was exactly the reason you needed to say what you did next.

“I’m not confessing to you,” you whispered, before you could stop yourself.

His expression flickered. “I didn’t think you were.”

“It’s just…” Trailing off, you shut your eyes. “I’m still hurting, Jimin. I might not be in love with Finn anymore, but I still love him. I don’t want to start a new relationship and have it become a mistake.”

“So. A new relationship would be a mistake?”

“It would be,” you said, opening your eyes. “At least, it would be right now. Finn and I broke up barely two days ago. I’m still hurt and confused and it just… I don’t want to mess anything up by diving into something else.”

Jimin looked at you intently, seeming to understand what you wouldn’t say. You couldn’t be with him until you’d moved on from Finn.

As intense as your feelings for Jimin were, it would be a mistake to start dating right now. The embers of your previous relationship still burned and if you entered something now with Jimin, he would always exist in the shadow of Finn.

If you wanted a chance at happiness – a real chance – you needed to give yourself some time to heal.

“I get it,” Jimin said, however quiet. “You should take your time.”

“Okay,” you said.

You stood there a moment, the silence lengthening between you but not in a bad way. It felt like a new kind of moment – one where you looked at Jimin and for the first time, saw possibilities and not only regrets.

“That’s all I came here to say,” you said softly. “I just wanted to tell you –”

“Y/N?” he said, interrupting.

Blinking, you stopped. “Yeah?”

Meeting your gaze, Jimin kept his own steady. “When you’re ready,” he said quietly. “You’ll tell me. Right?”

Thrown, you stared at him a moment. Finally, you nodded.

“Yeah,” you whispered. “I’ll tell you.”

Jimin smiled. You stood there another moment before realizing there was nothing more to say. You’d apologized and he’d apologized. He knew you were single, but you needed more time. You’d tell him once your heart became available again.

Saying goodbye, you left Jimin’s room and when you entered the hall, you felt completely unburdened for the first time in months. This sadness still lingered, a heaviness in your heart from everything which had happened but for the first time in ages, the future felt open.

As you exited the building, you came to a stop on the sidewalk and took a deep breath. The inky sky above you was full of city light and beyond that, were the stars.

When you inhaled, the air burned your lungs but somehow, this provided the clarity you needed. Winter could be like that. It was painful, withering away dead things, but it also made way for new growth to come.

Smiling faintly to yourself, you began to walk home.

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading 😊 WE ARE ALMOST DONE! Only the Epilogue remains! New chapters of Raise the Barre will be posted weekly; dates are listed on the series Master List. Requests for updates will be deleted.

RAISE THE BARRE MASTERLIST

© kpopfanfictrash, 2020. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[panic-at-the-fiction]

True Love’s Kiss

Summary: Jefferson loves his family but when Regina puts (y/n) under a sleeping curse he risks it all to save her only to end up separated from them for more than 28 years. Also shout out to @fangirltrash15 for asking for this fic. I know you didn’t ask me specifically but I hope you like it.

Warnings: Spell check? We don’t know her!

A/N: This is the longest story I have ever written in one sitting and I loved writing it. I honestly love writing for Jefferson. He’s such and untapped potential for fanfiction and I blame that for his lack of screen time which I blame on the fact that he was dating Jennifer Morrison and they broke up so I guess it was weird for him to be on the show but there was a wonderland spin off and there is no reason he shouldn’t have been on that.

Jefferson was making his way down the street like he did every night. Only stopping outside the Tea Grove cafe to look through its window on the other side of the street where he couldn’t be seen. He watched as the young woman in the store turned off the open sign and began to sweep away at the floors. He just loved walking by her store to watch her close up at night. He knew he could never talk to her. In this life she didn’t know him and he couldn’t tell her what he knew because knowing was the worst curse.

The enchanted forest.

(Y/n) was running through the forest. Dodging every tree she could and jumping over the big roots of trees that stuck out of the ground. She ran until she eventually found a hollow tree to hide in. She did her best to remain silent while she caught her breath but her hiding place must not have been good enough...

“I found you!” Said the little blonde as she popped her head into the tree (y/n) had hidden herself in.

“So you did sweet Grace,” she laughed “at least tell me you found your father first.” (Y/n) climbed her way out of the tree and finally stood up.

“She did.” Said a slight grumpy voice from behind the tree.

“Oh well good, that means at least I didn’t lose.” (Y/n) said smiling and laughing at the handsome man who was leaning against the tree.

“Just because grace found me first does not mean I lost.” He huffed.

“It kind of does,” He rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, admit it, you're just upset that you lost to a girl at hide and seek. Come on admit I beat you.” She said teasing him and pointing at his chest.

“Ok find you beat me, you always do.” He laughed.

“Damn straight.” (Y/n) said finally getting close enough to Jefferson to throw her arms around his shoulders and pull him down for a quick kiss. Making a mental note that grace was still there.

She had been living with Grace and Jefferson for a couple of years now but she was always sure to keep things g-rated around Grace. Especially since she wasn’t Grace’s actual mother, though she loved Grace no less, (y/n) knew she could never fully replace her like that.

“Come on papa let’s go back to the house and have our tea party.”

“Of course my dear Grace,” Jefferson said holding his hand out for his little girl. Grace took her fathers hand and then offered her other hand for (y/n).

Present day.

(Y/n) finished locking up the store and turned to head toward her car. It was pouring down rain and as she opened her umbrella a gust of wind blew it out of her hand and down the street. She quickly chased after it down the road. She paid no attention to the road as cars tried to swerve around her. As she made it to the other side of the road she ran down the sidewalk never getting much closer to her umbrella till a strange man finally caught it and walked over to her.

He set the umbrella straight and held it over her head. “You uh... dropped this I think.”

“Thank you, so much really.”

He seemed nervous or even panicked. She had never seen him around before which was so strange for this small town. “Here I’ll walk you to your car.”

They both walked back up the street till they reached her car. He helped her get in and handed her the umbrella. “Thank you so much, uh I actually don’t know your name.”

“Jefferson,” he said with pain on his face.

“Well it’s nice to meet you Jefferson, I’m (y/n). I guess you’re sorta like my knight in shining armor tonight aren’t you? You really saved me out there.” She laughed.

He frowned at the ground before looking at the girl in the car again. “Trust me I’m no knight and you didn’t need my saving.” He said before walking away from the car.

The enchanted forest

After having visited the market that evening with Grace, (y/n) came back home to find the queen's Carriage sitting by their house. (Y/n) bent down to her knees so she was at eye level with the young girl. “Wait, stop Grace. We should hang out in the woods for a bit ok? We can play our game for a while.” She smiled at the little girl.

“Who’s at the house with papa?” She questioned being the smart girl she was.

“I think it’s the Queen.”

“The Queen, at our house. What does she want? Shouldn’t we go inside and check on papa?”

(Y/n) rubbed up and down Grace’s arms. “No sweetie. Me and your father made a deal a long time ago that if our past ever came back that one of us would stay with you. He doesn’t want you to ever be alone. Ok? So for now let’s go into the woods and play our game. Your father can handle this.” She smiled.

After spending sometime in the forest the girls walked back to the house. This time with no carriage in sight. When they went inside they found Jefferson sitting at the table in the kitchen contemplating the box in front of him.

“Papa!” Grace ran and hugged her father.

“You're both back late. Did you enjoy yourselves at the market?”

“Yes we did but when we got home we saw the queen's carriage so we stayed and played in the woods for a while.”

“Oh I see. Grace why don’t you go play in your room while I talk to (y/n) for a moment.” She smiled and ran off to her room.

(Y/n) frowned and set down beside Jefferson. “What did the Queen want?”

“She wanted me to portal jump.” He said running his hands through his hair.

(Y/n) began to rub calming circles on his back, “and what did you tell her?”

“I told her I didn’t do that anymore. I have a family now.”

“And so she just left?”

“Yeah I think so.”

“ I doubt that she doesn’t have a plan to come back.”

“I know. When Regina wants something she’ll get it. Whatever the cost.” (Y/n) rest her head on his shoulder.

“Is that why you brought out your hat? Incase she comes back?”

“I don’t know. I just keep thinking maybe it wouldn’t hurt to just do one more job. We wouldn’t have to worry about money ever again. You and Grace wouldn’t have to live so poorly.”

“Jefferson, me and Grace are just happy with the life we have. We don’t need money to be afamily and we need you here. With us.”

He smiled faintly and kissed the top of her head. This was why he needed (y/n) she reminded him of why he put that hat away. He belonged here.

A couple of days later

It was getting late and (y/n) still wasn’t back from the market. She left hours ago and it was almost supper time. She should be back by now and Jefferson was beginning to worry.

With the sun beginning to set he grabbed his hat and told Grace to go stay at the neighbors house till either he or (y/n) came home. He knew they had once said that in times like these one of them would always stay with Grace but he needed to bring (y/n) back home.

He knew exactly where she was; he didn’t need to look. He quickly made his way to the queen's castle and by nightfall he marched through the doors. No guards stopped him so obviously he was in the right place and the Queen wanted him here.

He finally reached the queen's quarters and tossed his hat bose on to the floor. “Here that damned hat Regina, now where’s (y/n)!”

“Calm down mister Jefferson. We both know that I don’t know how to use that hat without ending up somewhere useless. Only you know how to use it properly. It’s useless to me but if you're looking for your little girlfriend I’m sure I can help you with that.” She stood up from her seat and walked over to the middle of the room where Jefferson stood.

She waved her hand and a mirror appeared. “Here this will show you anyone you wish to see.”

He cautiously took the mirror from Regina and held it in his hands and thought of (y/n). The mirror in the cloud of smoke showed through a picture of (y/n), she appeared to be unconscious, almost appearing to be dead.

“What did you do to her!”

“She’s fine Hatter. She’s only sleeping.”

“Wake her, I know you can!”

“Well of course I can but why would I do that? Not to worry though, if you want to wake her on your own all you have to do is give her true love's kiss.” Jefferson's face dropped. “That is if you believe in your true love?”

“I love (y/n)”

“Yes but is it good enough? I mean does she truly love you? All you can offer her is a small house with little money and a daughter who's not even hers.”

“And what do you want? What would I have to do in exchange for you waking her?” He said through gritted teeth.

“Like I said before. I want to go to wonderland of course.

Present day.

Jefferson set alone in his house like always, using his telescope to check on his family. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about (y/n) since he last saw her on the street.

Ever since Emma came to town he’s had this annoying hope that maybe she could break this curse and he could be with his family again. He knew it wouldn’t be that easy though. He abandoned his family many years before the curse, who says they would want him back now. Besides, Emma was convinced in not believing in magic. He tried to show her and despite all his proof she didn’t believe him.

As he peered through his telescope he spotted a glitter in the sky. It seemed as though it was moving closer like a wavy. Before he could even process it the wave washed over him. At first he felt nothing, like nothing was different but he looked back through his telescope this timing aiming it at the town square. He could see everyone coming out of their shops and houses and hugging and reuniting with people on the streets. He couldn’t believe it, there was no way this was possible. They were waking up.

Jefferson passed back and forth through his whole house. This was all he had waited for for 28 years, even longer when counting the time he spent in wonderland. But he couldn’t muster up the courage to go find his family. He finally forced himself to go outside onto the street. Families and reunited loved ones pass him all around. He slowly made his way down the street but not long after the first wave he saw another come toward him. This one was like smoke, purple smoke. No one had time to cover for shelter but as soon as it covered the street it was gone. Everyone began to panic but he knew what this was. He had been a dabler of magic; he could feel it here.

Pain rang through him as he thought of what would happen now that magic was in town. He quickly ran down the street toward the little tea shop he had passed millions of times before. When he finally reached the shop there was a small crowd of customers who crowded around the entrance. As he approached the crowd and tried to push passed through them, he heard a familiar voice.

“Papa!”

“Grace, my darling” he hugged his little girl as hard as he could, too scared to let her go.

“I was going to find you but (y/n) found me first. She was fine but when the smoke came by she collapsed. I don’t know what’s wrong with her papa.” He did his best to calm the girl and then stood up and pushed the crowd away to finally reach (y/n).

“No no no, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen. You were supposed to be fine in this world.” He knelt beside (y/n) and held her unconscious form in his arms.

“We tried to help her but we can’t tell what’s wrong with her. Someone already called 911.” Said some man in the crowd.

“They won’t do her any good. This is a magic problem and it needs a magic solution.” He snapped. He tuned the rest of them out as they all stood around them. He leaned his forehead down to hers as he brushed some hair out of face. “(Y/n) if you can hear me… I I need you to wake up. Ok?” He paused for a second but she didn’t move. He closed his eyes and pressed a small kiss to her forehead.

(Y/n) eyes flew open and she jumped as she quickly awoke from her sleep. She looked around her and saw Jefferson and sweet Grace by her side. She smiled, finally being able to remember them after seeing them everyday but never truly seeing them. She cupped Jefferson's cheek with her hand and smiled. “How did you know that would work?”

He laughed slightly as he took her hand and placed a kiss in her palm. “I didn’t.” He swiftly pulled her into a passionate kiss with all the love he could conjure. “I love you”

(Y/n) smiled, “I love you too”

Jefferson pulled his family into a hug as they all sat on the floor. He had been dreaming of this day for too long. “Let’s go home” he said smiling at his small family.

[little-nightmare-gt]

Finding Family

Probably the one and only SMP Minecraft fic I'll make.... probably. Join us with Tommy and Tubbo, two borrowers living out in the wilds. Borrowers, Fae etc. Creatures are rare and sought after by wealthy people. Giants (Humans and some Hybrids) are considered monsters to borrowers, and often feared. Comms are a thing for everyone. @baka-monarch you wanted to be tagged.

Warning: Abandonment, blood, implied burning, growth in small areas, near death experience, near crushed experience, Technoblade.

Tommy and Tubbo weren't bad kids, they were young with no parents. They were taught the rules by strangers who abandoned them the moment they could borrow.

They were born in captivity and sold to a rich child with a fascination with hurting things, if by Tommy's missing wings and Tubbo's scared face had anything to do with it.

People didn't stay with them for long.

Tommy was always too loud and Tubbo too easy, and they only stuck together.

They were a bit upset at being alone but both deemed to not need anyone else.

The two decided to leave and find another place to live, somewhere not many monsters dare to go. The Artic.

Tubbo built their first house, near a tree close but not part of the forest. Tommy began the underground gardening system which Tubbo ended up making it automatic, but continued to make touches and railroad tracks into caves and mines.

They hunted rabbits in the area for meat, and often take from the near by village.

One day though, Tubbo noticed an abandoned cottage near the village and quickly messaged Tommy about it, who immediately agreed to scoping it out for a hideout.

After gathering their supplies for the day, they went to explore the cottage.

There was a small enough crack in the door frame the the two borrowers to slip into. They froze at the large still warm room.

It wasn't dusty, so it couldn't be more than a few days that someone had been there. Tommy was a bit confused about it seeing as he would have noticed someone pass through here.

Tubbo pointed out that they lived near a forest and most people avoid them, but froze at the sound of a clatter.

Tubbo, with the better ears could hear aggressive whispering, "Someone is in my house Phil, the door didn't open, where are they?"

Tubbo nodded to his friend and pulled him closer to the counter and skimmed closer to the wall, taking out his hook, he and Tommy climbed up the counter at his urging.

Tommy made it first seeing three of their kind, "Sup Bitches!"

Tubbo made it up in time to see three grown men jump in fear, examining each one as Tommy talked.

The tallest looked to be a piglin Hybrid, the smaller usually stay in the Nether where their known about and treated equally. He wore a surprisingly nice long sleeve blue shirt and cloak.

The next looked human but his features suggest he's a piglin as well...just more human looking. He wore a similar cloak and shirt and the tall one.

The final man was shorter than Tommy, he had wings which was surprising in itself. That he still kept them after all, he wore a similar shirt but instead of a cloak he was a ponch and a bucket hat. What startled Tubbo, was that he seemed to be studying them like he was them.

There eyes met briefly as Tommy waved his arm in front of him sounding heated, causing him to tone in.

"I'm calling as I see it! The old man's gonna get it if he doesn't stop staring at my friend!"

"For someone so small, why are you so loud? Don't call us pets!" The middle one growled out.

"Where's the monster of this place anyway, we've never noticed anyone coming to and from here." Tubbo interrupted.

He watched the tallest flinch as the shortest puffed up angrily ready to defend their owner when Tommy interrupted, "Tubs, they could be one of those people."

Tubbo flinched, and looked at the older men, "Surely Not, Big Man, something is off about them but we can leave if you want."

"What! After you insult us! What kinds of people!?"

"Monster apologists, their pets who do anything for their Master. Even capture more of our kind, we've been here to long, let's go." Tommy led the way, leaving the shocked men on their counter top.

Tubbo stares at them, "Do you not have a rope to climb down? I didn't see and ledges and stuff to move around on."

The shortest still glared but it soften a bit, "I can get us down, where do you live? Can we visit?"

Tubbo looked down at Tommy as his friend shook his head no, "We'll visit you."

The kid jumped, catching the rope instead of plummeting to his doom. The three men looked over the ledge with eyes in shock as Tubbo pulled his hook down.

Tommy grinned up, "Have fun with your Monster folks!"

His friend yanked him along as the middle one made offended noises, something not sitting right as they squeezed through the door and made their way home.

"Tommy, I think they were in captivity. They didn't know how to react to us and two of them were piglin Hybrids, they probably got sold."

"Poor blokes, we'll visit them tomorrow, I'll apologize to them too." He didn't want to, but even he was a victim of only knowing monsters.

Tubbo began to start dinner, it becoming darker and darker outside.

========

The snow beginning to pick up, Tommy was working on his stone sword when someone knocked on the door.

Tubbo had a hunch on who it was.

He was correct when three familiar faces were shown shocked at the sight of them, "If you're coming in, please hurry."

Tommy shut the door with a knowing look as the grown men inspected their home, "So you two live alone? How old are you seven?"

Tubbo could hear the concern but Tommy huffed, "We are fifteen thank you very much! What about you old people? Huh? Ancient?"

"Well let's introduce ourselves huh? I'm Wilbur, I'm the very charismatic of the bunch. My brother here is Technoblade, he's the fighter. Here's the old man, Philza or Phil."

Tubbo can just feel Tommy roll his eyes, "I'm Tommy the handsomest in the whole land and the biggest man, and over there is Tubbo, he is my best friend and brother. Wilbur, your names shit, I hope you know that."

Tubbo continued to say nothing as he finished making dinner and Tommy continued, "So, how did you end up in a mon-"

"Before you finish that sentence, Mate? What monster and why do you call him that?" The newly dubbed Phil asked.

Tubbo answered as he approached, "That's what our kind call big folk, you know, giants? Human and Hybrids? They're monsters, all of them."

Wilbur narrowed his eyes, "How about size shifters? Reckoned they're good."

Tommy tilted his head, "Haven't met one that wanted to shrink to our size, seen a few go Titanic but they tried to kill everyone."

Tubbo might have been the only one to see the oldest man frown a bit before smiling, "How about you two show us how to survive, like without the big folk."

Tommy caught on to the fact he didn't say Monster but said nothing, "Don't know, you three are pets-"

"We are not pets!" Technoblade finally spoke, his eyes peering down at Tommy and him being unfazed.

Tubbo sighed, he honestly didn't know what to think about the implications he was getting but no harm in being prepared, to bad this was the last time he'd think on it.

For a moment, the other teen seem to contemplate it.

Tommy's face finally grew Stony, "Nope, you're better off as pets or being self taught. You can spend the night but leave after."

Unfortunately, years of being abandoned is still a fresh wound.

Wilbur tried reasoning, "You're the only ones we've met like us! We've no idea how to do things on our own! Also if we run away-"

"You'll lead your monster straight to us and get us all caught, I'm not risking our lives like that." It was rare that Tommy put his foot down, but even rarer for Tubbo to object.

"If we don't, they could still tell their Monster where we are." Tommy looked shocked but resigned.

Technoblade looking a bit uncomfortable before speaking again, "He wouldn't bother you even if he did know."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Riiiight."

====An image of drawn on wings appears on Tommy's back and tears on Tubbo's face.====

It started off slow, teaching basics of climbing and mending clothes first. Technoblade was great at mending, nearly on par with Tubbo. And he and Wilbur both Excell at climbing. Philza was actually on par with Tubbo for mending and pretty decent at climbing without rope, though he had wings he referred to it as handicapping himself.

They were decent in keeping up with Tommy and Tubbo themselves, but the two found that they were better fighters.

Now the teens needed fighting lessons, though the sneaking and stealing was the difficult part.

It's kinda insulting for these grown men to ask for help and not need it, and Tommy let them know.

They were sheepish as Tubbo led Techno to the farm, they bonded over the automatic farm he and Tommy created. Technoblade suggested and easier way to do it but Tubbo shook his head sadly.

"Mobs love going after our kind, not Endermen, even when we look them in the eye. But other mobs will Hunt us down. We try not to dig that deep, and avoid getting Iron ores...not that we can use them." Understanding reached the older Hybrid's eyes as Tubbo led him away.

It had been two weeks after that conversation that Tubbo finally let them see his horns, rubbing at them as they matured and needed a day.

Philza remain with him as Tommy took Techno and Wilbur hunting with him.

The elder man asking the hard questions as he made the child some tea, "Tell me, how did you get your...wounds."

Tubbo flinched and backed away from Phil before taking a deep breath, "Tommy and I...we were born and raised in captivity, we got sold to be a child's pets. They hurt Tommy so bad, then they tried to set me on fire with a torch...their mother stopped them before they touched me. But they believed me and Tommy were too...broken. so we were thrown out.

"More of our kind found us, but after teaching us what we know they left us. It's why we live outside instead of in the walls of a Monster's house...Tommy was too loud and I was too dumb to leave him."

Phil looked on the verge of tears, "You're not dumb, you're pretty wise for your age."

Before dozing off Tubbo managed to speak again, "No choice when you and yer friend are alone."

In the month, Tommy managed to let slip that he used to have wings and broke down in Tubbo's arms as the adults looked on in horror.

A child, ripping off his wings just because he asked them for an hour of rest. Then proceeded to play with said wings, nobody said anything as Phil flutted his own wings and occasionally covered the two children like a shield.

====The Next Month====

Tubbo laughed as Wilbur and Tommy shouted at each other about the best way to hunt. Phil would disappear once a week before returning with soft material for clothes, but Technoblade.

Technoblade was acting peculiar and even Tommy noticed, the two would ask if he were okay but he would nod and shoo them off.

The piglin Hybrid had been looking uncomfortable for the past few days, Phil and Wilbur seem to be waiting for something while Tubbo tried everything in his power to make him comfortable.

Tommy was concerned, not that he would show but got the material for Tubbo's gift to the older men.

For Philza, Tubbo made another ornament for his hat, a bee and raccoon.

For Wilbur, Tommy and Tubbo managed to have enough redstone for a music room. Tommy himself listen to Will play the most.

Tubbo was nervous about his gift to Techno, as Tommy gifted him a stone axe with self made design.

Tubbo, still focused on the Hybrid's discomfort, made his a pillow that looked like a ravanger. He gave a toothy grin and hugged the kid, keeping it close as he dozed off.

Tubbo will deny his tail ever wagging.

It wasn't until the next morning things made sense and seemed...bad.

Tubbo's horns hurt as Techno himself grunted in his discomfort, so they couldn't get things done.

Wilbur and Tommy got into another argument but this time about borrowing iron from the village which Phil helped Wilbur understand why not.

They were due for another hunting trip but with Technoblade and Tubbo out of commission, Phil had to go with them despite not wanting to leave the two.

Technoblade decided to stay on the couch instead of his newly added room and Tubbo remained near in case neither could handle the stairs.

When Tubbo blinked awake, it was to the noise of rushing wind and screams.

The ground shook under him as the house quaked, Pillagers

Tubbo quickly crawled over to Techno, too dizzy to stand and a shock went through his body.

The piglin Hybrid was much larger than their little couch that he slept on, Tubbo could place two hands on the older Hybrid's face and attempted to awake him.

"T..ech..no, we need to move, please wake up." Just as Tubbo stuttered that out, a booted foot came through the borrower's home, a pained and fearful cry escaped him as he missed a single red eye open.

Something wrapped around his waist, startling him as he looked up fearful at Techno.

The Hybrid looked pained as he began to expand higher through the ceiling, Tubbo watched in horrified fascination as the hand he was in curled closer to an eye.

"Tubbo, you know me, you know I'd never hurt you. Please hold on to me, I don't want you getting hurt." Tubbo's body went on autopilot as the hand was brought closer to the mon- the neck of Technoblade.

Tubbo held on as the body finally broke through the house, shielding him from danger.

A gleam brought Tubbo to attention, a light blue axe appeared in the giant's hand shimmering with unspoken enchantments. Tubbo had only heard of diamonds before, he was not disappointed.

Technoblade slashed through all his enemies, all the while keeping an eye and ear on Tubbo.

The beat of large wings alerted Tubbo to another person, Philza. The oldest coming from the air like an Angel of Death.

Tubbo could make out two people against his own throat, Tommy and Wilbur.

Unfortunately Phil didn't catch sight of him and the borrower was being grabbed in a tight fist, "Come on Mate! You're not prepared enough for this."

Technoblade's ear twitched and the scared pain Yelp, "Philza! Let go! You have Tubbo!"

The crushing weight was immediately gone as the kid took deep breaths barely hearing Techno's instructions, "Tubbo, I'm going to have to fight my way through. Hold on the best you can."

As that was said, the older hybrid began to lurch forward. Tubbo caught glimpses of Phil fighting alongside, but his focus was on not falling.

Not being ripped away wasn't part of this, a small glowing Fae creature tackled Tubbo and flew him away.

========

Tommy watched as his best friend got carried away by a Vex, "TUBBO!"

Wilbur flinched at the volume and Phil slightly stiffen but didn't falter in his fighting, Technoblade visibly looked around when it happened.

The small army was thinning down as the two watched out for the vex with the ram Hybrid, carefully taking out other vexes that went for Tommy or Wilbur.

Techno knew there was one left as bodies turned to emeralds, but the snow began to become blinding and Tubbo's scent getting fainter.

Phil had to physically drag him to the cabin, Wilbur had grew to his full size and started a fire and proceeded to hold Tommy.

Who was using all his energy in fighting Wilbur's hand, "I have to find Tubbo! Wilbur let go!"

The small being froze as Techno and Phil entered the space, "Don't worry Tommy, we'll find him. But we'll be useless in this weather."

Phil attempted to comfort, suddenly feeling too large compared to the child. The man can barely see his facial features, but even he could tell that he was terrified.

The silence was thick and tension high and the broken voice to an all too small child spoke up, "So... this is it? You...you really got us to trust you-"

Wilbur knew where this was going, "Tommy, Tommy no-*

"You shithead's are really fucked up! What next? Am I a pet? Did you honestly sell Tubbo!?" Tommy continued, the only one about to tell he's crying was Wilbur.

Techno didn't say anything as Tommy yelled, guilt too strong in his gut. He slowly turned to the window, the snow falling harshly as Tubbo got farther and farther.

They were getting Tubbo back.

========

Tubbo wasn't feeling well, his head throbbed because of his horns and he was cold. His cagemate wasn't much better so he can't complain.

Enderfae were quite rare on the market, Tubbo had only met one that he called The Captain. Well sorta, he was of Dragon variety.

Tubbo doesn't like to think what happened to him.

The Enderfae was crying, as the Pillager added their cage to his wall. A pillager outpost.

"HHey, it'll be okay, I'll find a way out of this. My... family will come for us." Tubbo tried to soothe knowing that he was making empty promises.

"Its okay, I've come to terms with this the moment I got captured. I hope my friends are okay. My name's Ranboo."

"I'm Tubbo."

========

The cabin was dark, Wilbur slept curled around a pillow which held a borrower.

A borrower who's trust they destroyed...one of two.

Upon closer inspection, you could see the tear stains down his face. Filling the larger three with guilt, sympathy, and rage.

Technoblade added more Regen and Health Potions to his pack, his old red cloak was taken from the closet and put on. A large netherite axe lay strapped to his back along with his trusty trident.

His bright golden crown lay on his head once again as he readjusted his armor.

He stood in full netherite armor, his hair lay hazardous around his head. Stiffening as hands began to braid it into a ponytail.

"Be careful Technoblade, Tubbo is fragile compared to me and Wil. He might be afraid, try not to hurt him and try not to get hurt." Philza warned.

Techno responded in a snort, He was the Blood God, of course he'll be careful

========

Technoblade isn't always the lovable dope he shows his family, he was ruthless, dangerous, and incredibly protective.

Everyone knew of him, but very few knew him.

When something happens to his family, he hunts down the threat and if it's killable...need he continue?

A pillager kidnapped his little brother, his pack, and expects not to be hunted down like prey? Pillagers are not known for brilliance.

"Technoblade?!" A familiar voice rang out behind him, a feral growl escaped him.

Dream, Sapnap and George ran up to him. All equipped in their own armour, oddly enough Dream was without his mask and tear stains on his face.

They hesitated, they each had seen Technoblade in his most feral and bloodthirsty before, so they new to be cautious.

Sapnap spoke in Piglin, "Techno? Did something happen to Wilbur and Phil?"

"New Pack, Pillagers took him!" It was no secret that Feral Technoblade couldn't speak common, but it was still a surprise each time someone heard it.

Sapnap nodded, "We'll help, Pillagers stole my Inferno. Work together?"

The trio watched as the Piglin Hybrid nodded in agreement, it had been a while since they teamed up. What better way than to save family.

~~~~~~~~

Tubbo and Ranboo talked quietly, trying to brighten their seemingly dark future.

Ranboo talked about what he remembered before being bought by his Haunting, then finally trusting them and calling them his.

Tubbo spoke of his Herd, how he met the older three and how he knew one was just giant. How he observed them long enough to trust them, and their names.

Both promising the other that if they live or die that the other tell their family.

Not that it was necessary, about three minutes later an alarm went off, alerting the occupant of intruders.

Hope filled the two as yells of fear and agony echoed through the building, scaring the Evoker that captured them.

The pillager didn't have time to cast a spell when a familiar face burst through the doorway.

Tubbo could see the rage in his red eyes, but his happiness clouded judgement.

"Techno!"

For a moment, his rage cleared only for it to return full force at the Evoker.

Not long after that, he was struck down and Technoblade gently took the cage off the wall. He noticed the Enderfae and looked around for others.

His clawed hand wrapped around the small cage at the sight of small bones and jarred tiny insides, the only other living thing in the room was a small zombie Piglin hybrid in a jar next to the taxidermy book.

He took the jar and opened it, grabbed the child and opened Tubbo's cage and passed them to him.

As the building began to burn, Technoblade left just as fast as he arrived.

Tubbo watched as Ranboo called out to three individuals, he recognized one being a Mushroom hybrid but not the other two.

The baby zombie Piglin Hybrid curled next to him, both shivered just realizing the cold.

The bandana wearing man looked to Technoblade, "I can carry them if you want, keep them warm. You did agree to let us spend the night at your place."

He didn't understand the snorts and grunts but it seemed like the baby did because he copied.

That brought a soft smile to the bandana boy and Technoblade, the later grinned at Tubbo.

Soon they were on the move again. Tubbo and Ranboo huddled the baby Piglin, more relieved than before that they were saved.

========

Tommy hadn't eaten anything since Tubbo was taken, he hadn't interacted nor did he call Wilbur name and claim he was bald.

The two sizeshifter knew deep down that he wouldn't get better unless Tubbo was with them again.

The front door swung open revealing a steaming Sapnap holding something against his chest with the protective determination that was only in reserve for his friends and family.

Soon the rest of Dream Team and Technoblade entered the cabin, they were covered in soot smudges and looked exhausted.

Phil could see Tommy stiffen and move further from the door but settled on Technoblade, "Tubbo?"

Sapnap moved his arms to reveal a small cage with three small beings inside, one Phil recognized immediately.

"Tubbo!" Philza approached the younger man, who backed away at the same time as Ranboo flinched.

But the old man was patient, and the cage was released again, this time Tubbo was halfway through the door and jumping into Phil's hands.

"Hi Phil! Where's Tommy!?" Tubbo looked exhausted as well.

As gently as well as fast as he could, Phil brought his hands on the table so Tubbo could run to Tommy.

"Tubbo!"

"Tommy!"

The duo hugged until Tubbo passed out and caused a mass panic from everyone but Ranboo.

It wasn't ideal, but it was a new beginning for the clingyduo.

[flyingflosser09]

Cursed / Armando Salazar x OC / Chapter 26

“Here you go, miss.”

This time, I’m fully prepared when the two dimwitted pirates dump a bucket of salt water on me. However, not before contemplating whether or not it will actually work, considering my injuries are internal – a broken back. In those five minutes, I’ve finally learned their names. Murtogg and Mullroy.

But like all the times the ocean healed my wounds, it did the trick and I found myself sitting up a few minutes later.

That was one of the worst injuries I’ve had so far, and that says a lot. It’s not the pain of hitting the deck that left me traumatized, but rather the feeling of not being able to feel anything below my neck. I was completely paralyzed and vulnerable, unable to run to Armando and forced to watch him leave.

And he took Henry with him.

For leverage perhaps? I don’t know, but I hope he won’t hurt him. He knows that I care for Henry.

All I know is, the Trident is the only thing that can save us all now, the Spanish officers, Armando, Henry, even the pirates. And we have to find it quick.

The sun is slowly rising, its golden rays leaking over the rocky hills and revealing the true nature of the island we sailed on. My jaw drops when the light reflects on millions and millions of crystals and gemstones littered all over the land, glittering like the stars in the night sky. It’s a perfect reflection of the heavens.

The pirates around me have gone silent in awe of what they see. Even Murtogg and Mullroy don’t ruin the moment with some dim question or comment.

But the moment ends when Carina, Jack, and Barbosa make their way to the deck. The former two begins climbing down the Pearl to start the search for the Trident, however, the latter stops at me.

“Ready to receive your heritage, Miss Samira?”

I know what he really wants to ask: Am I ready to give him what’s rightfully mine?

But the situation now is more dire than my concern over a power-hungry captain. Fed up with his constant pressure, I decide to make a deal of my own. “How about an accord?”

Oh, how they love that word.

Barbosa’s eyes – blue like Carina’s underneath all that redness – narrow at me. “I’m listening.”

“I will give you everything you asked for on two conditions. One; we break all the curses of the ocean first, and two, you promise to take Henry and Carina to Port Royal, alive and in one piece.” As I doubt either of them would want to sail with a crew of former cursed Spanish officers. I can formerly introduce Armando to my best friend another time.

Barbosa goes silent as he considers my conditions, almost making me roll my eyes. Honestly, it’s two, very simple terms with no grey areas. A yes or no would suffice.

At last, he says, “We have an accord, missy.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Without waiting for him, I begin the climb down the Pearl to catch up with Jack and Carina.

The four of us make our way across the rocky surface of the island. There are no trees or any other plant in sight, only hills encrusted with shiny rocks and gems. Sapphires, diamonds, emerald, every gem under the sun is right here. I’m glad no one has found this place yet. Imagine the damage they’d do if they see all this.

Carina walks ahead with her journal in hand, heading for a rocky pedestal with a ruby at its top. Unlike the other stones, it’s dim and lifeless, and I hardly would’ve seen it if Carina didn’t know to look for it.

We stop at the pedestal and study the stone.

“Why is it not glowing?” Carina wonders out loud, searching her journal for answers.

Barbosa opens his hand to reveal a ruby fragment in his palm. “Finish it, Carina.”

“The missing star,” she mutters as he hands it to her. “For my father.”

“Aye, do it for him.”

In that brief exchange between them, I thought I saw the captain’s demeanor change. Gone is the greedy glint in his eyes when he thinks about the Trident and gone is the hard exterior he carries on his expression. I’m baffled to find him looking at Carina with the softest look I’ve ever seen in his eyes – the same blue and Carina’s.

And that’s when I realize, he is her father.

I’ve said it many times before, I’m not daft. They both know a lot about the stars, they’re both driven to their goals, and their eyes…they’re a dead giveaway.

However, I choose not to say anything for now as Carina places the fragment onto the ruby. The moment it’s become whole again, it lights up and a line of red, glowy light connects it with four other stars a few yards off. To my surprise, the form the same constellation we’ve been following through the storm earlier.

But as soon as the pattern is complete, I feel a force expanding within me, stirring in my chest before spreading to the rest of my body. I gasp as every inch of me comes alive, filling me with so much power and clarity, I can almost see the horizon up close and feel every living creature swimming beneath the waters.

“Samira are you –” Carina begins to ask but never finishes that sentence.

The next thing we know, the island is quaking and shaking beneath our feet. Behind us, the ocean rumbles as waves roll sideways instead of toward the land. My breath hitch in my throat when the sea begins to part, watery walls forming left and right to clear a path to the bottom of the ocean.

But when I look down, the ground beneath us is cracking.

“Brace yourselves!” I cry just before the land gives away, sending us falling.

I only have enough time to shove Barbosa backwards before following Jack and Carina down the steep slope – not because he wants the power of the ocean for himself, but rather because he’s Carina’s father and clearly, she doesn’t know it. If we survive this, there will be a chance for him to tell her.

The slide downward is anything but enjoyable. My arms enclose my face to protect it from damage as rocks and corals grate the back of my attire to shreds, eventually even scraping by shoulders and back.

Below me, Jack and Carina are screaming all the way down, not having the best of luck either on the journey. Even worse, Carina is wearing a dress that keeps getting caught on every obstacle in the way. Despite the agonizing pain I’m experiencing, I’m grateful that I’m still wearing the cabin boy clothes I used to sword fight in.

When we reach the end of the slope, I’m relived to feel myself falling onto the cool, soft sand at the ocean floor. But it doesn’t help to muffle the agonizing gasp that escapes me when I try standing up. I imagine my back is probably scraped raw and red, no doubt bleeding like my elbows and hands.

Come to think about it, ever since this journey started, I’m either constantly falling to my death, or getting myself grated like cheese.

Pushing myself up, I take a moment to gawk at our surroundings. We are literally at the bottom of the ocean. Watery walls tower far above us to the surface, where the sky is turning orange in the early dawn. I slowly turn in circles to admire the coral and reef, ranging from every color under the sun, to the schools of fish passing by in the wall.

It’s so beautiful, I can’t help but laugh.

Reaching out, I dip my hand into the wall and feel the saltwater travel up my arm to heal the wounds in my back. A few curious fish swim up to me and against my hand, and, to my shock, even a whale passes by elegantly, its fin poking through the wall right above my head.

“Amazing,” I breathe, smiling uncontrollably as I run my hand over the fish’s spine.

By now, Carina and Jack have found their feet and are also drinking in the magnificence of this place.

“Poseidon’s tomb,” Jack says as we face the path through the corals and rocks.

“The Trident is here,” I say to no one in particular as a certain pull tells me to venture deeper. “I can feel it. Follow me.”

…

Above the tomb, the Silent Mary keeps close to the island.

The whole crew is gathered on the deck with Henry in Magda’s hold, as Salazar paces in rage.

Why didn’t Samira return to the Mary when he told her to. That way, she’d be here right now and not in the hands of the pirates still.

There are no words to explain what the Capitán  felt when he saw her fall from the mast. He could feel the impact she made with the deck all the way from the helm and hear the sickening crack that came after it. And when she didn’t come running at him right away, he knew. He knew.

She was badly hurt this time.

Now, he knows water can heal her, but seeing that happen to the woman he loves, he can’t forget it. What if something like that happens to her after her curse is broken? Water won’t heal her anymore. She’ll be vulnerable to everything.

And this fills him with even more anger. He blames Jack Sparrow from the very start, cursing the day he was born. He will have his revenge and kill the Sparrow for everything he’s taken from him, and once the pirate is dead, he will be free to pursue life with Samira.

And that’s where the boy comes in.

Ghosts can’t walk on land, but the boy can. The plan is simple: he will possess the boy, enter the tomb of Poseidon, and kill Jack Sparrow. And once he’s mortal once more, he will personally walk up that island to take what’s his: Samira. And he won’t leave a single man – pirate – alive to tell the tale, this time.

“Capitán , you know the danger. Don’t do it,” Lesaro tries changing his mind about possessing Henry.

“We have no choice,” says Santos as Salazar keeps pacing, “Jack is on land going for the Trident. The pirates have Samira. Both are on land.”

Lesaro nearly flinches at the mentioning of Samira’s name, admitting to himself that he’d too possess a living soul to get her back. But this is madness, and Salazar knows it. “Capitán , there must be another way. Once you possess the living, there is no coming back. You will be trapped in his body forever.”

Henry’s eyes widen at the mentioning of that.

“The Trident will set me free!” Armando barks at the Lieutenant, losing more patience by the second.

“But what if it kills Samira?”

As soon as he said that, Salazar, along with every officer on the Mary, stills. Turning around slowly to face Lesaro, he says gravely, “What makes you think breaking the curse will kill her?”

“Because…” Lesaro hesitates, “…she is the daughter of Poseidon.”

“You believe the lies the pirate told?” He is fuming by now. But Armando has to admit, even he pondered that possibility the day before. He just can’t believe it coming from a pirate.

“Capitán , think about it,” the Lieutenant remains calm despite Salazar’s fury, “the Trident controls the ocean and its curses. If she is indeed the daughter of Poseidon, won’t she lose her power at the cost of our freedom? And I don’t even want to think it but…what if we lose her.”

The conflict between Armando’s head and heart makes it impossible to think rationally. Unable to make a decision, he finds himself trapped between the outcomes of each scenario.

Risk the woman he love’s life for his freedom, or spend an eternity cursed for her live.

Love or freedom?

Freedom or love?

The more conflict he feels, the angrier he gets. But as the rage begins clouding his judgement, it all just…disappears. He knows what he has to do.

Turning to the boy, he says darkly, “Time to kill a sparrow.”

[neologyro]

Robbed by a Crow Series:

Matsukawa Issei

Your day gets worse when a crow steals your transit pass from you, luckily a cute middle blocker is there to help you.

Word Count: 2457

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

You heaved a sigh of relief as you exited the school building. You stretched your arms out, shaking out all of the stress and tension that had built up in them over the course of the day, you rubbed one shoulder trying to get rid of the tenderness that had developed in the last hour. You had just spent the last 2 hours hunched over books, hastily finishing an essay that was due at the end of the day. Maybe you should have managed your time better, then you wouldn’t have been trying to get a 10 page essay done in two hours, but alas, your procrastination had gotten the better of you and it had been down to the wire trying to finish it before 6 so that you wouldn’t get late marks.

Now you were tired, and going home and just relaxing for the rest of the evening sounded heavenly. But when you rounded the corner you caught sight of the gymnasium. Specifically the gym that the volleyball team practiced in. For a moment you contemplated stopping by, all of their practices were always open, though by now all the good spots in the viewing gallery would be taken, so you’d likely have to stand, and your back certainly wouldn’t thank you for that.

But still you started heading towards the gym, even if you didn’t go in, you might be able to catch a quick look, and the train station was that way anyway.

You hadn’t made it very far before remembering that your friends had mentioned that they would be watching today, and you knew they’d never miss an opportunity to tease you about your crush on a certain middle blocker. It wasn’t fair they’d always tease you for your crush, but heaven forbid you bring up their crushes.

So you decided to spare yourself the headache and potential embarrassment, you’d just head home and maybe, just maybe, you’d get up early tomorrow and catch some of their morning practice, your friends never went to those.

You were just nearing the gym when you felt your phone vibrate, pulling it out you looked at the notifications, you saw that you had a few texts from your friends, apparently the volleyball team had closed practice to the public a bit early as they were working on some new things, so they had gone home. The other message you had was from your mom, asking if she needed to add any more money to your transit pass.

You unlocked your phone, navigating to your transit app so that you could check, upon opening it you saw that it had updated and you needed to out your information in. Sighing you started to dig through your bag, looking for your wallet, once you located it you pulled it out, opening it so that you could find your card.

Almost immediately after pulling your shiny transit pass out of your wallet you saw a shadow fall over you, and the card was tugged out of your hand.

“Hey!” You shout, turning around to give whoever just took your pass a piece of your mind, only to be met with… no one? You stood in confusion for a moment before you spotted a crow sitting a few meters away, pecking at a piece of plastic on the ground in front of it. Upon further inspection you determined that the piece of plastic was in fact your transit pass.

You started towards the bird, hoping to startle it and make it leave your card alone. Unfortunately your attempt did not have the desired effect, rather than dropping your card and flying away, the crow flew away, with your card. Luckily for you it didn’t go far, landing in the large tree near the volleyball gym.

You quickly made your way over, planning on getting back your card no matter what. However now that you were at the base of the tree looking up at it you realized just how big the tree was and how high up it you would have to go to get to the nest.

For a brief moment you debated just texting your mom to let her know that you had lost the card and would need a ride home (because there was no way you were walking home, it would take you an hour and a half, and you were already tired), however you quickly tossed that option out, this was the third transit pass you had gotten this year, your parents would kill you if they found out that you had lost another one.

Having decided what to do you began scanning the area for anything that would help you climb the tree as the lowest branches were just out of reach. Sure, you could reach them if you jumped, but you seriously doubted that you had the upper body strength to pull yourself up. So you knew you needed something to give you a bit of a boost... something like the garbage can beside the gym doors.

You quickly took your bag off, placing your blazer and phone inside of it before zipping it up and leaving it on the ground next to the tree so it wouldn’t get in your way. You then made your way over to the gym doors, hoping that you would be able to get the garbage can without being noticed.

You were in luck, the doors were only partially propped open, so someone would have to be trying to look through to really see anything, so you were in the clear to grab the bin. Reaching the bin you had a second bit of luck - it wasn’t one of the bins that the campus bolted to the ground, so you would actually be able to move it. Your luck ran out when you tried to do so; it was heavy, and you couldn’t quite lift it, so you had to drag it.

The scraping sound it made pierced through the stillness of the evening causing you to wince. You really hoped that no one had heard it. Luck was partially on your side in that area, not many people had heard it, but the quartet of third years that happened to be standing near the door certainly did.

You however were so engrossed in your task of dragging the bin to the tree that you didn’t notice a head poking out of the gym doors, watching you in confusion and amusement. His friends called him and he went back into the gym and you were none the wiser.

It took you much longer to get the bin to the tree than you thought it would, but once you finally had the bin under the tree you carefully studied it, making sure that it would hold you without tipping over. You didn’t fully trust it, but felt that it would likely get the job done.

And so, after psyching yourself up a bit, you began your careful ascent. You carefully lifted yourself onto the lower branches, you were almost off the bin when the sudden sound of the gym doors being thrown open and loud voices of people exiting the gym startled you, causing you to kick the bin away from you. It made a loud noise as it fell to the ground, however since it was so dark no one noticed you dangling precariously on the lower branches of the tree and simply ignored the fallen bin, carrying on with their evening. Everyone but one curious middle blocker who recognized the bin on the ground as the bin that had been beside the gym doors, the same one that he had watched you drag away.

He couldn’t help his curiosity, he waved goodbye to his friends before making his way over to the tree. The tree that you were once again trying to climb, however you were finding it rather difficult, you did indeed lack the upper body strength to pull yourself up, and with nothing to push off of to get yourself fully onto the branches you were simply left partially hanging out of the tree.

You swung your leg around, hoping to build up some sort of momentum to help swing it onto a branch to help you climb. You were shocked when it hit something solid. Glancing down you saw that someone had caught your foot. Your eyes trailed down his arm, and eventually landed on his face. Standing beside you, with your foot in his hand, was none other than Matsukawa Issei, your crush.

He just stood there for a moment, smirking up at you before he spoke.

“How’s it hanging?” He evidently found this situation hilarious, you did not, and your face showed as much. Infuriatingly however, as your frown grew so too did his smile, until he couldn’t hold himself back and began to laugh.

It took a moment for him to calm himself before he addressed you again.

“Come on, not even a smile?” His smile grew exaggerated as he continued to tease you. “I thought it was a pretty good one.”

You still didn’t respond, partially out of annoyance, and partially out of embarrassment. Not only did someone find you in this situation, but it was Matsukawa, the boy that you’d had a crush on since you first watched him play. You had wanted to gather your courage and approach him, tell him how good of a player you thought he was, maybe even ask him out, but you still hadn’t quite got there yet. This was a terrible first impression, now he was just going to think you were some sort of weirdo that he found dangling out of a tree.

Seemingly unfettered by your lack of response he tried again.

“Come on cutie, you’ve gotta give me something to work with.” He gave you another smile, but this one seemed softer and more genuine, it seemed less like he was making fun of you, and more like he was being friendly. It was then that you realised that he had probably come over to help you, not make fun of you, he just couldn’t help the joke.

“The bin, it uh, fell over.” You finally spoke, internally berating yourself at how lame you sounded.

“I saw.” His eyes trail over to the bin, spotting it laying on its side a few feet away, your bag on the ground nearby. “So, do you need a hand?”

You didn’t trust yourself to not make a fool out of yourself if you spoke again, so you just nodded, you really could use his help with getting down.

“Up or down?” He looked at you expectantly, waiting on your response. You weren’t even really sure what he was asking. When he noticed your confused look he clarified, “Do you need me to help you up the tree, or down, out of the tree.”

Oh, that made much more sense, you looked up the tree, seeing where the crow was still perched. You thought for a moment before replying. “Down please.”

Smiling he adjusted his grip on your leg before reaching up with his other arm to wrap around your waist, gently pulling you out of the tree before gently setting you down on your feet, back on solid ground.

You turned to him, bowing while thanking him for his help. You could hear him chuckling above you and you began to feel your face heating up. Slowly you straightened out, once again facing him.

“So… Do you climb trees often? Or is this a new hobby?” He was studying you curiously, evidently very interested in why you had been up the tree.

“Oh, uh,” You searched for the words to properly explain what was going on, “I uh. No.” You fumbled over your words again before continuing. “I needed to get my transit pass back.”

He looked confused for a moment, looking between you and the tree. “How’d it get up there?”

At this point the embarrassment of the situation was taking over again, and you simply pointed up at the crow, pointing out the culprit to Matsukawa.

He followed where you were pointing, and when he saw the crow he quickly put two and two together, bursting out in laughter.

“No way, the crow took it?” His laughter trailed off, and he wiped a tear away before continuing, “Man, that’s some bad luck. Here, hold this.” Suddenly he thrust his bag into your hands, you almost dropped it but managed to keep your hold on it.

You looked in his direction, about to question why he had given you his bag, however the question died on your tongue when you saw him. He took his blazer off, tossing it to you as well, before hopping up into the tree, climbing it with ease. His presence startled the crow, causing it to fly off, luckily it left your card in the nest. Matsukawa quickly retrieved the card before making a quick descent, hopping out of the tree once he was close enough to the ground.

He passed the card to you, and you gratefully took it, a wide smile taking over your features.

“Thank you so much! I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

You bowed again before handing him back his things. He smiled at you, finishing putting his things back in order he reached out towards you. You, confused simply cocked your head to the side, watching his hand with confusion. Suddenly his hand was on you, ruffling your hair, further messing it up. You yelped and quickly ducked out of the way, bringing a hand up to try and fix it. You gave him an unimpressed look, causing him to smile more.

“Well, I’ve got to head out, got early practice tomorrow. You get home safe.” With that he started to walk off, leaving you underneath the tree, staring after him.

He got maybe a few meters away before he turned back to you.

“Oh, and try not to let any more birds rob you, I’ve heard the chickadees are especially vicious, you might want to be careful.” Heat rose in your face again, and you weren’t sure if it was annoyance or if you were just flustered, but you weren't able to come up with a comeback before he turned back around, waving a hand over his shoulder in parting.

You just stood there for a few moments, before the caw of a nearby crow startled you out of your reverie. You tightened your grip on your card before grabbing the rest of your things, hastily shoving it back into your bag, you’d check the balance later, when there were less birds around.

[alouispo]

part two :D

“Is that a flying island?” Techno questions aloud, slowing down to a walking pace as he made his way towards the earth in the sky.

“I think it’s pretty obvious that it is Tech,” Phil deadpanned, straightening his hat and following his friend over the hill. 

They both pushed through the leaves and trees, soon enough ending in a much less dense part of a flower forest. Blue eyes scanned the area, shocked at how nice this place looked. Phil remembered seeing something that looked like a flower forest back towards the main area of the SMP, but it didn’t appear as vibrant as it was here. Bits and pieces of that forest were destroyed or wilted away, some parts of it not even having flowers anymore due to them being picked or trampled on. 

Was the SMP so much nicer when you got out this far? 

“Well, Phil, I think anyone would be skeptical of there being a random piece of land in the sky without any warning,” the piglin retorted, pausing to let Phil catch up, who was currently too encaptivated by the landscape to actually pay attention to where he was going. 

Rolling his eyes, Techno grabbed his friend’s sleeve and marched towards the spawn coordinates on his compass, ignoring the protests the older male made at being dragged along. 

Soon enough, the two of them reached the top of the hill. IF Phil was being completely honest, it was not what he was expecting at all. He looked around with shock; there was a bunch of people living here! There were so many different buildings -that were all finished, he noted- and there was a huge lake right in the center of all of them. 

“Hey Tech, can we go down there?” Phil questioned, trying his best not to freak out. This place looked nearly a million times better than the Dream SMP, and it only fueled his excitement. It reminded him of his hardcore world, which was only more welcoming to the bird hybrid. 

“We have to anyways, it seems like spawn coords are right near the center of the lake,” watching as Phil immediately jumped down, chuckling to himself before following right after. 

“Techno this place is great! Look at all the flowers!” the hybrid exclaimed, kneeling down to touch the wildlife that appeared so unnaturally for him. “Have you ever seen flowers like this grow near the SMP? They look like they are practically glowing!” 

“Nope. We also live in the arctic so it wouldn’t make any sense for them to grow there,” Techno replied nonchalantly, stepping over the flowers in order to not step on them. “Now stop gushing over plants Phil, we have to find who runs this place so we can see what’s going on.”

“Oh you’re one to talk Tech-” he was cut off by the sound of wings beating loudly above them, making them both pull out their weapons and look around. 

“Hello!” the pair turned towards the lake, watching as a blur of feathers floated outwards and a man stood before the flowers. 

“Heh?” Techno questioned, staring at the newcomer as Phil dropped his sword. 

“Welcome to the Origins SMP! I am the Crow Father, protector of these lands, and ambassador of The Circle. What are your-” the Crow Father paused, staring right back at Phil as their eyes met. 

The newcomer looked exactly like Phil. Same eyes, same hair, same hat. The only difference was that this man had not been fated to war, one who still had his wings intact. They appeared much brighter in color compared to Phil’s, who had resembled the color of oil but still had all the colors in at the same time. He also adorned a white gown under a familiar-looking robe.

“Phil?” the man in question stared a while longer, grabbing the sword and putting it into his inventory as he stood back near Techno. 

“Are you alright Phil?” the anarchist tried again, placing his hand on his shoulder. 

He nodded,” I’m alright, don’t worry about it.” 

“Well then,” the Crow Father said, brushing himself off as he smiled warily. “I don’t think you are supposed to be here? Am I right?” he asked, a crow of similar color as his wings landed on his hat, tilting its head to the side in at the pair. 

“No, if that wasn’t obvious enough by there being two of you,” Techno remarked, putting a hand on his hip in slight annoyance. 

“Uh, right. So, uh, mind telling me how you got here, mate?” the Croaw father questioned, putting his hands behind his back politely. 

Phil frowned, examining the other. Did he really look like that? It seemed odd to see another version of himself standing right in front of him, behaving almost exactly as he would. He made eye contact with the Crow Father, as he called himself, realizing that he was doing the same thing. 

“Well, we got transported here by the God of our SMP cause we broke one of the rules, and now we are here and have to try and get back before we die or something,” the piglin hybrid stated as if it was just another day of the week. He paused. Actually, it was another day of the week, what was he talking about.

“Oh, well that’s fine mate!” and he smiled, which made him feel strange. Phil hadn’t remembered how to smile like that for such a long time, it looked off on his own face. Which technically, wasn’t even his face at all. 

“I’ll help you in the best way that I can since after all, it is my job.”

“You sure about that? You don’t seem like the type that would be able to help us with what we need,” Phil turned and punched Techno straight in the arm, glaring at the much taller male in playful annoyance. 

“I was just being honest!” the piglin retorted, appearing unfazed by the action. 

“Honesty is what is going to make me kill you one day, you whiny bastard. You’re worse than my Cshat,” he replied, narrowing his eyes and turning back to Crow Father, who was watching with great interest. 

“Well, it still is my job of course, so I can at least try to help you. That’s what the boss appointed me to at least,” the other Phil said, looking up thoughtfully as he tapped his cheek. 

“The boss?” Phil questioned, catching both of their attention. 

“Oh yeah, the boss of this place,” the Crow Father said, sweatdropping as the bird on top of his hat started beating his wings aggressively. 

“Do you think we could speak to him?” Techno asked, looking at Phil and then back at the protector, who appeared to be forcing a smile on his face as the bird pecked at his hat.

The Crow Father paused, jumping slightly when the crow started squawking incoherent words very loudly before flying away. “You little shit!” he shouted at the runaway bird, plucking the stray feathers out of his hair and dropping them to the ground. 

“Sorry about that,” he started, brushing off his gown. “The natural wildlife don’t really like the admin. Not exactly sure why but hey, really nothing we can do about that,” he shrugged. 

“Yeah, uh anyways, can you take us to the admin of this place?” Phil questioned, tapping his foot albeit so impatiently. He didn’t really like the Crow Father, as much as it was another version of himself. 

He was not jealous of his wings, that was not it. Shut. 

“Are you really sure about that?” The Crow Father asks adamantly, looking to his right and back at the pair anxiously. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?” Techno asked, adjusting the chains keeping his cape on his shoulders. “It’s the best choice we have anyways unless you know a way to go back to a server where you most likely wouldn’t exist?” he added, crossing his arms and glaring. 

“No, no, you’re right,” the other Phil said, resigned. “Come now, follow me, I’ll take you to the pube.” 

“The what?” 

It was not in fact, a pube, it was a pub. Very interesting pronunciation there. 

After climbing up the unnecessarily tall ladder, Phil noticed that on top of the flying island was what the Crow Father had described as the pube. He had said that he was the one that built the place, although he didn’t necessarily own it. Another thing that the Angel thought was strange. 

“Here is the pube, place where the admin resides,” the Crow Father said as he walked inside rather loudly, startling what looked like a full enderman. Phil and Tecno followed behind, eyeing the newcomer warily. 

“Ranboo!” the other Phil called, making the pair look between the two in shock. This was Ranboo? 

“Oh, hey Crow Father! What brings you here…” he trailed off, noticing that there were double of Phil and a really different-looking Technoblade both behind the hero. “Uhh..” 

“These two are from a different server, which is why there are two of me and Techno looks really different,” the Crow Father explained nonchalantly. 

“Oh, that makes sense. Anyways, what brings them here to the pube?” the other Ranboo said, standing up making Phil do a double-take. This version of Ranboo was even taller than their Ranboo, although it may be because this one didn’t have a massive slouch. 

  “They’re here to talk to admin to try and get back to their own server,” he replied, scratching his chin nervously. 

“Oh.” 

The four of them stood in silence as Ranboo looked up towards the ceiling, scratching the top of his head and contemplating something. 

“The boss isn’t busy is he?” the Crow Father asked, his wings twitching subtly. 

“I don’t think he is. Nothing has really been happening with the locals so he’s most likely doing some paperwork,” Ranboo replied cheerily. “I’ll take you guys to him!” he added, going up towards the ladder to the second. 

“Only the regulars are here today, so there won’t be too much problem with you guys talking to the boss today,” he added once they had gotten to the top. 

“Thanks, Ranboo!” the Crow Father said, going to knock on the door. 

“Wait a minute,” Techno said, staring at the sign on top of the door in horror. 

“No way,” Phil added, taking a step back as he paled. 

The sign on the top of the door read the words ‘Innit Incorporated’, carved hastily into the wood in messy handwriting. Techno and Phil looked at each other, dread pooling in the bottom of their stomachs as realization dawned upon them. 

“Sorry bout that, sometimes he’s talking with people so he doesn’t hear much,” the Crow Father said apologetically. 

“Coming, I’m coming!” a very recognizable voice shouted from the inside of the room, making Techno groan as his fears came true. 

In a burst of his above-average glory, a very similar-looking but not quite Tommy opened the door, looking irritated as he overlooked the people in the room. He had a bunch of feathers neatly placed in his hair and much brighter eyes than the Tommy they knew. 

“What?” he asked, annoyance obvious in his tone of voice. 

[thatsgay-writes]

Day 12

PREVIOUS

The days after finding water we're pretty chill, minus finding out that Jeanette's body was gone. There was still some obvious tension between you and Toni and Toni and Martha and Shelby. You hadn't really interacted with either Toni or Shelby in the past few days either, opting to hang around Fatin. You hadn't talked to Toni because you didn't know what to say after the argument the two of you had and you had revealed your feelings for her in front of everyone. Shelby on the other head, had seemed to be the one ignoring you... Well maybe not ignoring she was just very short with you which was totally against her personality. You all had also made a schedule, seeing as you were going to be here for a while. Everyone got one chore a day and every once and a while a day off. Today happened to be your day off and you were glad, your chest pains had been happening more often and that concerned you.

It also concerned you that you didn't know when you would be rescued. The hospital, who was against the retreat but couldn't exactly do anything about it, had given you medication to help with your problem. It was enough pills for three weeks, just in case, but they had been lost like the rest of your stuff. You had checked the pilot bag that held all the medical stuff you guys had but it didn't have what you were looking for either. You've managed to hide coughing up blood by coughing into the elbow of you red shirt or spitting it out while in the woods. You had also been losing your appetite, which has been harder to hide. You'd force down some food and pretend like it was a lot so the other wouldn't worry. But today, luckily, you were starving and prepared to fully eat whatever Rachel brought for food.

---

"Let's feast!" You hear a Rachel suddenly yell as she stand on top of a little hill, carrying what looks to be a big amount of food. You stood up and attached your leg before joining everyone around the fire. You watch, mouth watering, as Dot cooks all the mussels over the fire. When they're done cooking, the mussels are laid out in a big pile in the middle. Everyone stared at the pile wondering who will go first, since they all understood how little food they had been finding the past couple days. "Eat as much as you want guys, there was enough of them to fill 3 more bags. I just ran out of room." At Rachel's words you all dive in and eat the mussels, except for Shelby. "Why aren't you eating any?" Leah asks as she looks suspiciously at Shelby. Not this again. You think as you eat your tenth mussel, what could you say you were hungry.

"I'm actually allergic to shellfish. Ate one at a birthday party and my throat swelled up like a balloon." Shelby responded as she watched everyone else eat. "That's rough." You say as you grab 3 more mussels. "Damn y/n. Is it good?" Fatin asks jokingly as she grabs another mussels for herself. You roll your eyes and let out a chuckle as you flip her off before grabbing more food. "You know what this looks like..." Toni says, grabbing everyone's attention with a smirk. You mentally facepalm because you know exactly where this is going. "A pussy!" Nora yells out causing everyone to laugh, the girl had definitely come out of her shell more the past few days. Toni nods her head before licking the mussels shell provocatively. "I bet y/n knows what that feels like!" Dot yells out causing everyone to make an "ooo" sound like kids when their peer got in trouble. You and Toni's face both heated up at Dots words and you made sure to give her a hardy punch in the shoulder.

"Can you all stop!?" Shelby suddenly yells out causing everyone to freeze and look at her questioningly. "Shelby, chill out we are just having some fun." Dot says, not really understanding what all the fuss was about. "I am chill, I just don't find that very amusing." Shelby responded, her voice getting a little harsher when she says the word that. "What do you mean by that?" Toni asks as she send you a quick look and you almost immediately understood where this was going. The look was one you or Toni would give the other when known homophobes where in the area or if the two knew you were being judge for doing pda. Was this why Shelley had been short with you the past few days? You did not like where this was going and neither did Toni. "Just... pornographic gestures. I'm from a very Christian home and no one ever does things like that."

You wanted to believe Shelby, you really did, but it explained why you always felt this weird vibe from her. "Don't lie Shelby, I always knew I felt some sort of vibe from you, it's clear now what it was. Toni and I have felt that vibe enough times to know what you really mean." You say, glaring at Shelby. "What... What are you guys trying to say?" Martha asks getting worried now. She knew what you meant when you said vibe, you and Toni had both told her about it. "She's a fucking homophobe." Toni spits out glaring at Shelby. You nod you head in agreement, putting back the mussels you had picked up before all this started. Martha's eyes go wide and she sends a Shelby a pleasing look, hoping she'll deny what Toni had just said.

"Look..." Shelby says as she lets out a big sigh. "I have no hate in my heart for y'all. It was just that I was taught that that way of life is a sin." Toni immediately jumps up and point her finger angrily at Shelby, "Why you little..." Toni was too mad to even finish her sentence. Martha had dropped her head in disappointment and let Fatin wrap and arm around her in comfort. The rest of the girls were just watching as everything unfolded. "I feel sorry—" Shelby starts to say, digging her into an even deep hole. "Fuck you." Toni interrupts her before storming off, you nod your head repeatedly in agreement, not looking at anyone as you finish putting your leg on and following after Toni.

---

"Toni. Toni. Toni!" You yell as you follow the girl. "Goddamn leg... Goddamn sand..." You mumble as you follow Toni down the beach. Luckily, she does finally stop after she deemed that she was far away enough to breathe. Toni kicks the sand angrily, as she stares out into the water. "I can't fucking believe this, no I can I just hoped..." Toni trails off as she wraps her arm around herself. You walk up to her and wrap your arms around her in a comforting hug, "I know, I know..." "We just get so much shit at home..." Toni trails off as she lets herself relax into your hug. "I know." You say again because that's all you can say. You relax for a few minutes before you get hit with a sudden nausea.

"Oh fuck." You mumble out as you unwrap from around Toni and throw up near the two of you. "Y/n?" Toni reacts in shock as she watches you kneel over as you try and spit out the taste of vomit and blood. Toni ends up turning around to throw up as well. "I didn't know you were a sympathetic puker..." You try and joke as you take deep breathes and slowly lay in the sand, feelin exhausted from throwing up. Toni wiped her mouth before turning back around, "C'mon, we can't stay here the heat wont help at all." Toni says as she pulls you to your feet, trying to ignore how she slowly started feeling worse. Toni has to practically drag your body back towards camp. "Help!" She yelled out as soon as she saw people and Fatin came running over. She took your other arm and most of the weight so Toni could relax some.

Luckily, the other girls seemed to be doing better than you and Toni. Both you and Toni were splayed out on the ground with Martha sitting near by as the other girls moved around the camp doing whatever.  "Come on, lay on your side y/n." Martha mumbles worriedly as she listens to your labored breathing. Toni was at least a little more responsive and had tried to swallow water, while you didn't even react to someone moving your body. "Fuck, she's getting worse..." Dot said as she walked up to check on the three of you. "Where the hell is Leah with that medicine!?" Fatin almost yelled as she looked between you and Toni. Right as she said that, Leah broke through the tree line and ran towards Dot. "Why are they all dirty?" Dot yells out as she roots through the bag. "Only 2? I thought we had 3, I know we had 3!" Dot pulls out two tablets of halophen. "It's obvious who needs them the most." Shelby stated as she sat a little ways away from the group unfold. Dot bites her lip and looks at Martha, "Martha, you good?" "Yeah, I'll take a Pepto."

Dot nods her head and turns towards Fatin and hands her one of the tablets, "Figure out a way for her to take it." Fatin nods her head as she looks down at you. "Toni, I'm going to need you to take this." Shelby said as she took the other halophen tab from Dot. "I'm not taking shit from you." Toni says as angrily as she can. "It'll save your life Toni. Take the damn pill." "Should Shelby really be the one doing this." Rachel questions. "Am I not allowed to help her!?" Shelby says exasperatedly. She climbed on top of Toni and held her nose closed until she opened her mouth. As soon as she did, she stuff the pill in her mouth and covered it, forcing her to swallow. Shelby got off of Toni and turned her attention to you, ignoring how the other girls were looking at her.

"Have you gotten her to take it yet?" Fatin shakes her head no, "She's barely reacting to anything. I'm surprised she's still conscious." The girls sat silent for moment contemplating what to do. They start to panic when you cough up more blood. "Here, give it to me." Dot says as she snatches the tab and a nearby rock. She starts to crush the tab up as much as possible. "Just pour some in front of her nose and breath deep." The other girls don't really question Dot's idea and just follow what she says. "C'mon y/n, just one big breath and then you'll start to feel better."

---

You were leaning heavily against Toni as you and all the girls sat around the fire. You were still exhausted from today's earlier event. Luckily, they associated you coughing up blood to throwing up to much and you didn't have the heart to tell them otherwise. No one knew about what was wrong with you except for the people at the hospital and yourself. You were finally clear to sleep by Dot because she wanted to make sure the meds had actually worked and that you wouldn't fall asleep just to never wake up again. You were almost asleep when Toni suddenly stands up yelling Martha's name and running over to her. You shake yourself awake and shakily stand up to see what was happening. Your heart stopped when you noticed that Martha had fallen and made no attempts at getting back up.

"Toni you were dying!" "Who cares? I don't matter! fuck, I don't matter. I don't fucking matter."

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