#i thought i would take a nap but instead i drew cat taking a nap

[lethargyinafishbowl]

nyanpo

[cottoncandy-cult]

Tiny Mistakes

Chibi! Misaki Yata X Reader

(Y/n) hummed softly from her spot on the couch, she was in the HOMRA bar waiting for her big brother and the other clansmen to return from their "walk". She decided to stay back at the bar, knowing well just how out of hand these "walks" could get. Little did she realize that today she would learn, she just didn't know the half of it. Not a half hour later she heard the jingle of the doors bell, everyone began filing in. Many had sheepish looks, that was when she noticed that the fire ball that was her boyfriend wasn't there. She also noticed that Mikoto, her king, had a cat carrier. Now she never thought of Mikoto as a pet person, but he was somewhat similar to a cat, so she figured he wanted a nap buddy.

That was until the cat carrier was set in front of her, she raised an eyebrow when she saw her king take a step back from the corner of her eye. The soft growling from within drew her attention, upon peeking inside she was greeted with the sight of a 6in tall Misaki Yata. Now this gave her a mix of conflicting feelings; on one side she was concerned with a million questions swirling in her head, on the other he was so adorable she just wanted to cuddle him. She turned her head and looked at her king, while the others seemed a little afraid, he was stoic as ever. "Mr. Mikoto... What is this?" She was hoping to hear that it was a prank, that it's some weird hologram or something. She watched the king take his time as he removed a cigarette from the pack he fished from his pocket, lighting it with his fire before he focused on her. "It's Yata." He stated it so matter of factly that she felt her eye twitch, she couldn't figure out if he was doing this on purpose or not. "I can see that, why is he little... And in a cat carrier?"

Mikoto took a slow draw from his cigarette, letting out a sigh. "He wasn't paying attention and bumped into some kid, he popped off and the kid gave him this dirty look before there was a puff of smoke. The kid ran off and when the smoke cleared well... There he was." She nodded her head and sighed, she warned Yata that he'd get in trouble if he let his attitude get the better of him. She rubbed her forehead before looking back into the kitty crate, before glancing at her king. "Ok but why is he in a crate?..." Kusanagi spoke up next, Mikoto meanwhile made his way to his usual couch to lay down and Anna wasted no time curling up at his side.

"Well... He bit Chitose, he tried to set Kamamoto on fire, and kept hitting Bando in the shin with his bat... Which had also been shrunk by the strain. The only way he'd calm down is if Mikoto set down beside him, but even then he kept growling a everyone. It was Dewa's idea to get his cat Mochi's carrier so that we could get Yata back here." Another sigh escaped her, when she looked back to the carrier she noticed Yata was sitting infront of the door. He watched her with big chocolate colored orbs, a blush on his cheeks. (Y/n) could only smile as she poked her finger through one of the little squares, everyone tensed up but were surprised by her giggles as Yata hugged her finger. She wasted no time opening the cage, watching him slowly walk out. He had looked around a little before looking up at her and reaching out, this brought a loving smile to (Y/n)'s face as she gently picked him up in one hand. She leaned him against her chest as one would a kitten, lightly running her finger over his back and watching him relax into her soft skin.

"Heh maybe we should have called you instead, it makes sense he'd let you hold him. You two have been dating a while." This had been Erik speaking up, he had kept his voice down though to not disturb the little cherry bomb. (Y/n) had giggled a bit, nodding her head. "I'll take care of him from here guys, I think we'll go to one of the spare rooms upstairs and take a nap." Kusanagi had chuckled as everyone dispersed to get comfortable, he himself went to his place behind the bar. "I got a new bed for the room at the very back, why don't you use that one and tell me how it is later." (Y/n) had nodded, moving to stand as she gently held the Chibi Yata. He was in fact awake, simply watching what all happened around them. "Will do, thanks Mr.Kusanagi."

With that out of her way (Y/n) carried the little bean upstairs, the whole way he watched her closely. He was like a kitten curious of it's new owner, his little hand reaching out and carefully touching her chin. This earned him a grin and a kiss to the head, he blushed darkly but did nothing more than watch her with his big soft chocolate gaze.  Before she knew it she was at the room, she slowly opened the door, and a sigh of relaxation left her when she made it to the bed. She sat on the edge and lied back, closing her eyes as Yata moved to make himself and comfortable on her tummy. (Y/N) felt instant relaxation, the bed had been beyond comfortable and the warm little mass that was Yata helped to lull her into sleep.

-

-

-

(Y/N) awoke a few hours later when she couldn't move, a heavy weight held her in place. She stared groggily at the ceiling; it took a few minutes for her vision to clear. When it did, she gazed down and was met with Yata, only he wasn't a chibi anymore, but he did have his head buried in her chest and his hands certainly weren't on your hips. A deep blush struck her, but even still she stayed calm. This was the most peaceful she'd seen him in a while, he was usually a wild sleeper. A gentle smile graced her face, she reached up carefully and removed his beanie before placing it to the side. Her fingers gently ran through his hair, enjoying the soft texture.

After a few moments she felt him shift and she stopped moving, she could make out his chocolate-colored orbs thanks to the moonlight filtering through the window. He looked into her eyes a moment, though he suddenly seemed to realize their position before he jumped up to quick and fell on the floor. Of course (Y/n) laughed a bit before she sat up, even though they had been together a while he still got flustered with anything that could be considered perverse. "You ok Yata?" She spoke softly since it was a little late, Yata had sat up quickly as he now sat on the floor. His head was turned to the side as he tried to hide his blush, though she knew full well it was there. "Y-yeah.... Sorry about... Ya know..." His voice grew softer the more embarrassed he got, but hearing her laughter made him smile a bit as he relaxed. She would always be his biggest weak spot, so knowing he made her happy made him truly ecstatic. He may be a wildfire, but she was quickly becoming his oxygen.

[paikothecateater]

Chapter #5

Iceland tried desperately to replicate the dream in his sleep, but it felt off. It wasn't the same. Before he knew it, Denmark walked in with glass of water and woke him up.

He sat up with a defeated sigh and took the water.

"sleep well? You look hungover."

Denmark chuckles and runs a hand through Iceland's hair. Iceland forces out a weak smile.

He gets up and heads downstairs. Sweden and Finland had been back for half an hour at this point which was nice.

Sealand was tired from the long walk and climbed into Norway's arms, who had still been reading in the window seat.

Ladonia was trying to teach Hanatamago tricks. It was going about as well as it could go with such a boisterous dog.

Iceland sat on the sofa beside Sweden.

Instinctively, Sweden's arm wraps itself around him.

"nice walk?"

"mhm..."

"Hana give you too much trouble?"

"not more than usual. She seems to like being walked by Ladonia more. Sealand got tired pretty quickly."

"I can tell."

Iceland glances at Sealand all cuddled up in Norway's arms. He smiles.

"yes, well, they wanted to follow your trail. Ended up leading us pretty far out."

"oh really? Sorry about that. Latvia wanted to meet at a pretty remote spot, so no one would see him."

"well, it's not like it's your fault. Though I did find a piece of paper there. Assumed it must be yours and picked it up. Sorry if I shouldn't have."

Sweden hands Iceland the little paper. It had a small drawing of a flower.

"oh it's okay. I just drew it to show Latvia. It's my national flower. The one I saw in my dream."

Norway seems to lose focus with his book.

Sweden slightly smiles.

"it's very beautiful."

"thanks..."

Norway eases up and continues to read and cradle Sealand.

"I remember back when you were a child, you were obsessed with them. Whenever I found the time, I'd take you to go pick some for tea."

Sweden smiled fondly at the memory before pulling Iceland closer.

"yeah. I was a weird kid. Sue me."

"I think it's a good thing. You were pretty darn quiet for a kid, it was rare to see you get excited over something. Let alone a flower."

"or I was just too stupid to get excited over anything actually worth it."

"no, you were just very reserved. We actually made sure to teach you a bunch of stuff really early on."

"cool."

"yes, but Denmark thought you had a speech impedement because you were 'pronouncing things weird'. That was until he realised that you just had Nor's accent."

Norway peers up from his book with an indignant look.

"which, for the record, was absolutely impeccable, he's just the one with the weird accent."

Sweden nods.

"sounds ridiculous. Like a cat that swallowed a rooster whole."

Norway laughs at the comparison.

"like a drowning seagull."

"guys don't be mean."

Sweden briefly chuckles then rubs Iceland's back.

"alright alright, we'll lay off him."

Ladonia looks up from what he was doing, much to Hanatamago's relief as she could now freely do as she pleased. He gets up and sits down next to Sweden and Iceland.

Norway realised that Sealand was slowly starting to wake up and put down his book.

Surely enough, his eyelids flicker open and he glances around in confusion. Norway laughs at his disoriented expression.

"have a good nap?"

Sealand sleepily nods.

Norway pushes the hair out of Sealand's eyes and sits him up.

"alright, well, I have to get up at some point, kid. You should probably also try to not fall asleep again, so you don't give your dad a hard time at night."

Norway leaves the window seat and is immediately replaced by Mr. Puffin who would absolutely stick his tongue out at him if he could.

Norway pretends not notice the withering glare coming at him and instead turns to head upstairs.

Only...

Iceland could swear he saw Norway give a concerned glance in his direction.

[ghostflowerdreams]

I don't want to exist.

So why was I born?

I wish I could've been someone's house cat. I bet that would have been a lovely, simple life. Maybe in a past life I was one, or maybe that's what I'll be when I'm dead?

Because what is the point? I have no interest in relationships and to do things like leave the house to go see a movie. It's exhausting and stressful to do.

I'm always scared, especially when something breaks my routine, and it's worse when I have to do it alone. So much worse when it's something I don't know what to do or how to fix. I spiral.

I can't. I can't talk on the phone without messing up or forgetting something I needed to tell them. I can't stay in touch with love ones because I don't want to bother them. I feel like I'm burdening them with my presence. Even if I do try, I struggle to keep it up. I can't offer them anything either because I have nothing.

I can't take a train. I can't learn to drive. I can't find a job. Even if I somehow got one, I know I would be fired. I can't speak to people. I can't even remember how to use the washing machine. I can't do any of these things alone without freaking out. I need someone to be there, practically holding my hand the entire time and instructing me what to do. And even then they need to do it multiple times because I'm slow and constantly doubt myself. I'm too much of a burden that I think it'll be easier on everyone if I wasn't around. That's how I feel most of the time.

I try, but it's tiring. I find reasons and things to keep me going. That bring me a bit of joy so that I can think to myself, 'see, you would've miss out on this and that'. But I know that eventually something is going to happen that I won't be able to snapped out of.

It's been hard these past years. My anchor is gone. I grieved so much for her. Fluffy was such an amazingly sweet cat. She made this emptiness less lonely and dark. Her just napping on my lap. Sunbath by the windows or trying to play with my pencil as I drew always bought a smile to my face.

The nights are the worst. I can't sleep. Sometimes I need to exhaust myself to sleep. It annoys my mother with how late I stay up on the computer. But it won't make any difference if I went to bed early, I'd be spending the hours still awake anyway. Even more so because I'll be stuck with my thoughts and worries. I hate it. My worries consume me and won't leave me be until I solve it or someone reassures me that many of them are inaccurate/unfounded. It's why most of the time I'm still asleep til the afternoon. I don't want to wake up, but I have to when my body demands it. If I could, I probably sleep forever. I don't need to think such thoughts when I'm asleep. I don't need to worry about food, about bills, about responsibilities...

Thankfully, most days it's been good, but not today. But like always, when something unexpected pops up for me and I don't know how to handle i, I begin to spiral. I don't know how other people can just take it easy or brush things off. Why do I have to be like this?!

I was doing okay at first, and managed to last nearly the whole month without any issues, but the topic that scares me and stresses me out was bought up, and my thoughts have now gotten out of my control. To the point where I needed to write this because apparently journaling negative thoughts is helpful and better for your mental health?

That it's better to get it out onto paper instead of keeping it bottled up in your head. Some people even throw it into the trash or burn it soon after they're done writing. But I don't like wasting paper, and it feels wrong to use my hands to write such things when I could be drawing instead. So I figured the next best thing would be to write it like this and post it on here, which would be like the equivalent of throwing it into the void. It's probably better for the planet, too.

No one reads these posts.

They haven't before, so why would it be any different now? I'm certainly no one special. But if some random person does come across this. Please do not worry. I'm just doing my best to manage my thoughts and feelings.

People often gain a better understanding of themselves and if not, maybe in the process they found a way to manage the problem or ease their worries.

I don't know. I guess I feel slightly better. Probably because I'm less emotional now?

I hate being like this. How do other people handle these things so well? How can they interact normally with other people without constantly thinking they're being judged? Judged in their appearance, in the way they talk, in their intelligence, in their actions or the lack of? How can they brush off mistakes so easily? Or handle issues without stressing over it 24/7 and not think of the worst possible outcomes? How???

I keep asking these kind questions, but the answer to them is probably something simple and disappointing, like people are just not built the same way and everyone handles things differently. I know that, but it's like I expect there to be some kind of formula or step-by-step guide that ultimately enlightens me while answering and solving everything at the same time.

[fairy-tale-writer]

Sweeter Than a Rose and Just as Beautiful

Malleus Draconia x Fem!Reader

Prompt: The reader is surveying the garden for a few flowers when her eyes settle on roses.

Note: Sorta AU to the first meeting with Malleus?

Cheers!

Grim was less than happy about your plan to renovate the Ramshackle Dorm on the weekend. He was planning on taking a lovely cat nap in the sun but instead-much to his dissatisfaction-he was currently awake and breathing in dust.

You were on your hands and knees scrubbing the hardwood floor with a bristled brush. You had swept all the floor, thrown out broken or far too worn items, mopped the floors, dusted, and lit some incense to help with the smell.

This place was almost unlivable.

"Why not just have one of your friends use their magic?" Grim mumbled as you tasked him with cleaning the chandelier.

"They all are probably very busy-and besides we got nothing better to do! Not like I can go onto social media or play video games." You mumbled the last part under your breath.

Eventually, the mysterious stains on the wood were cleaned and you sighed with relief. As you scanned the area your bedroom was much cleaner and the Headmaster was kind enough to buy you a new bed set and a few necessities.

"Ya know, this place could use something..." You thought out loud.

"Like what?" Grim asked swatting at the dust particles flying into his fur.

"Oh! Some flowers!" You spoke out loud.

"Flowers?" Grim winced.

"Plants really bring a lovely atmosphere and aroma. Let's go to the garden and pick a few!"

"Hmmm...do I have to?" The flaming cat thing grumbled.

"No Grim, you can take a break. I'll be right back."

You grabbed a woven basket on your way out and headed into the gardens...

"What flowers should I bring back home?" You mumbled to yourself.

Lilies? Not quite fitting.

Bleeding hearts? You could imagine creating something using them for Riddle later.

Forget-me-nots? Beautiful but not quite what you were looking for.

Carnations? Snapdragons?

Then your eyes settled on them.

Roses.

Their soft petals are as red as blood in perfect bloom. Your eyes widened as you almost hypnotically walked over. You knelt down in front of the bush and caressed one of the soft petals with your thumb.

You just had to have one! These would be perfect to match the color scheme of your room.

Just as you went to pluck it you were quickly reminded that roses also had a dangerous side.

"Ow!" You yelped as you quickly drew back your index finger.

A thorn had pierced through your fragile skin and a pearl of blood started to bulb.

"Roses have thorns you know," An unfamiliar voice spoke.

With a gasp of surprise, you turned your head to see someone walking into your field of vision. Their green cat-like eyes shone in the garden's gentle sun lighting and his black hair glistened like a crow's feather. His pale skin was ashen in color but only seemed to give him a more regal appearance.

Your eyes finally settled on the inhuman horns that protruded from his head making him appear taller. With a soft blush, you realized you were staring and averted your eyes back to the rose bush.

"Uh...right...sorry I got over-eager." You explained.

He continued closer, his shoes tapping against the brick floor until he crouched down beside you.

"Use these."

You hummed and looked down at his hand holding something out to you. It was a pair of clippers used to cut roses from their stems.

"Oh thank you!" You took them from him and started to snip at the best roses until you were satisfied you had the minimum amount needed without ruining the beauty of the bush itself.

"Why are you picking flowers?" The horned man questioned.

"Just to bring some atmosphere to my dorm. My friend and I have been renovating it-the Ramshackle dorm."

"So you're..."

"The new girl? The only girl in this school? Yeah, you probably know me from everyone calling me 'Girlie' or 'MC' but really my name is (Name)."

A faint smile broke out on the man's pale lips, "(Name)? Such a beautiful name."

You blushed and quickly stood, a wave of dizziness knocked into you from standing too fast but you pushed it aside.

"I have to get back to my dorm-my friend Grimm is probably waiting for me." You babbled, "Uh, what's your name so I may thank you properly?"

He stood as well and nodded, "My name is...actually, it doesn't matter. Call me whatever you wish, it was very nice to meet you."

"You too." You bowed your head before holding out the clippers to him, "These are yours."

He hummed and took them from you, a dissatisfied look crossing his face when he noticed your finger was still bloody.

"Your finger..."

"Huh? Oh! It's fine! I'll just head to the nurse and grab a bandaid." You waved it off.

He took your hand and you were rather surprised by how soft and warm his hands were. His long fingers hovered over yours before he leaned down and left a gentle kiss on your wounded finger.

You stiffened sucking in a breath but didn't say anything as his pointed tongue pressed into your wound. His kiss only lasted a few seconds but it felt like a lifetime.

When he pulled away the wound was gone.

"How...?"

"Have you heard of the power of a healing kiss?"

You blushed like a school girl at the word...kiss.

"I apologize, I did not ask for your consent." He abruptly said, mistaking your staring.

"I...I'm still adjusting to magic existing in this world." You rubbed your thumb over the tip of your finger but it was indeed gone.

"Thank you," You smiled up at him and you could see his pale cheeks turn the slightest shade of pink.

"I hope I'll see you again shortly. I need to hurry back to my dorm before Grimm gets worried." Oh, who were you kidding Grim could care less about your safe return.

Sadness seemed to flash for a second in his green eyes but he nodded and didn't stop you, "We will meet soon again...(Name)."

With a final thank you, you hurried off our of the garden.

"That girl..." Malleus said out loud, "She wasn't scared of me...?"

"(Name)...(Name), a Beautiful Rose..."...

[mochegato]

Even the Losers

Chapter 18

Chapter 1     Chapter 17

Mari waved up at Nightwing before turning toward the café.  He grinned and waved back.  No sense of embarrassment at getting caught like Red Robin had the day before.  She didn’t know enough about him to know if it was because he wasn’t hiding, Red Robin had given him a warning that she knew someone would be there, or because he had no sense of embarrassment, or most likely, a combination of all of those.

Adrien looked up and grinned too.  “What time did he take over?”

Marinette shrugged and cut through the café’s outdoor seating.  “Later than yesterday.  When did Dick leave?  It was some time after that.”

Adrien looked at him for a moment and shook his head. He looked back at Marinette before the memory of sleep deprived Marinette hit him.  He grimaced.  It was hit or miss whether she would be funny, emotional, or a danger to herself. If Batman was the same… “I really hope Batman doesn’t have a day job because with all the all-nighters he’s pulling, he would have to be a zombie at work.”

Marinette giggled at the idea.  “Can you imagine Batman with a day job?  What do you think he does?  Like, could you imagine him as a kindergarten teacher?”  Marinette’s giggles grew into full blown laughter. She finally was able to gasp out, “Batman complimenting some little kid’s rainbow and assuring them that making the entire rainbow the same color was extremely creative and beautiful.  Or trying to guess what animal they drew.”

Adrien laughed and patted her arm to get her to stop.  “Wait, wait. Batman crouching next to a toddler and explaining for the eighth time in the last three minutes that Pete the Cat is in fact a cat, not a dog before patting them on the head and walking away to scream into a nap mat.”

Marinette Laughed hard enough she almost missed the door handle.  She jumped when Adrien suddenly grabbed her arm.  She turned to him wide eyed but she immediately relaxed.  He was bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement.  “No, no, no.  A PA to some… NO, to M. Wayne!  Batman as M. Wayne’s PA.  Oh my God, can you imagine?”

Marinette giggled and shook her head at him, pushing through the door.  Well, that would certainly explain why the bats seemed so close to the Waynes.  She spotted Duke and waved.  He jumped up and waved them over.  “Hey, Duke.  I hope you don’t mind that I brought Adrien.”

“Not at all,” Duke gave them both a hug.  He looked toward the bathroom with a smile. “Good to see you again, man.  I hope you don’t mind that Cass and I both brought someones too.”  Cass and Stephanie were walking toward them with a red headed woman in a wheelchair. Duke leaned toward them and lowered his voice so the women approaching couldn’t hear him.  “Brought is a really liberal term for what happened.  I am so sorry.  I knew we shouldn’t have mentioned meeting with you in front of Stephanie.”

“Hey Cass,” Marinette called out.  She and Adrien waved at her.  “Good to see you again, Stephanie.”

Cass waved back and nodded with a wide smile. “Marinette!” Stephanie chirped. “I’d say what a coincidence we ran into you guys here…”

“But that would be a lie,” Barbara finished for her. “Hi,” she held out her hand for them, “I’m Barbara.”

Marinette smiled and stepped forward to shake her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.  I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Well yeah we crashed,” Stephanie rolled her eyes and dropped into a seat across from Marinette.  She sent a playful glare toward Duke.  “You guys have been keeping her all to yourselves all week.  It’s our turn to hang out with her again.  Not to mention I wanted to catch up with the woman who fed the Riddler’s own balls to him for everyone to see.”

“And we wanted to see how you’re doing after it,” Barbara added with a chastising look to Stephanie.  She turned to side eye Duke.  “We tried to check with the boys but they were less than helpful.”

Marinette shrugged and leaned back slightly, not enough for anyone else in the café to notice but everyone else at the table picked up on it.  “I’m fine. It wasn’t bad.  More embarrassed he caught me in the first place.”

Stephanie waved her off.  “Please,” she scoffed.  “He had to knock out like an entire block just to get you.  That’s better than some of the bats.”

“Well, you look like you’re healing well,” Barbara nodded with a supportive smile.

Marinette smiled as naturally as she could and tried to control how much she was shifting in her seat.  She really, really hated talking about the whole thing with not only people who didn’t know she had been a superhero, but with the Waynes after that dinner, so that was two strikes against discussing this right now.

She’d been able to joke about it and moan about how contrived the whole setup with Alya and Nino.  They’d laughed all night about the audacity.  Not only had he thought he could stump her with a question about Chat Noir, he thought he would win against her in a game that relied on luck or rather bad luck not striking.  It was almost enough to make her forget the way the dinner had ended.  It was exactly what she had needed.  But she couldn’t do that here.

“Yeah,” she chuckled anxiously.  “My cheek seems to be doing well.  I’m hoping I can cover it with makeup by next week.”

“How’s your shoulder?” Duke asked motioning toward the shoulder she’d rammed into the doorframe when she was running away.

Marinette blinked at him a few times before she quirked her head to the side, her face scrunching in confusion.  “How did you know about that?”

She could see the rest of the table tense up, Adrien included but for the same reason as her, confusion on how he’d known. She had no idea why the rest were tensing up.  Duke chuckled awkwardly, sending looks over to the women at the table.  “He’s covering for me,” Barbara finally spoke up.

“Why is… what is he covering up for?” Marinette asked cautiously.

“My father is the police commissioner,” she said quietly.  “I may have snuck a look at the police report… slightly illegally… and read about your injuries.”

Marinette shook her head.  “But, I didn’t tell them about that.”

“No,” Barbara acknowledged, “but Signal did.”

Marinette nodded, trying to process that information. “Huh,” was all she managed to eke out. Her mind raced trying to figure out what to say next.  She was saved from trying to figure out how to move the conversation along by the waiter. The topic seemed to fade away naturally as everyone put in their order.

As soon as the waiter left, Duke clapped his hands with a bright smile.  “So, Steph, you said again.  I take it you guys have met before?”

“At the gala,” Adrien nodded.  “Only briefly though.  We,” he motioned between him and Stephanie, “spoke for a little bit, but Marinette only spoke with her for a few seconds.”

Stephanie grimaced at the reminder.  “Yeah… not exactly the ideal meeting.”

Marinette waved her off.  “Not your fault.  Don’t worry about it.”  She sent her a sincere smile.

“No,” Stephanie agreed.  “It’s Bruce’s.”

Cass pulled out a credit card with a wicked grin. “On Bruce.”

Barbara nodded.  “Exactly.  Therefore, this lunch is on Bruce.  Maybe we should go shopping after this too?”  She raised an eyebrow at Marinette.

Marinette giggled and shook her head.  “No, thank you.  That’s okay.  I’m good.”

Stephanie’s eyes lit up.  She leaned closer to Marinette like she was sharing a secret. “Speaking of the gala, how did you get tickets to the gala anyway?  We never figured it out.”  Barbara groaned lightly and smacked her on the shoulder.  They had just changed the subject.  Marinette probably did not want to talk about the gala, where they raved about their family and the newest member, which was not her and did not did not include her.

Instead of freezing up or withdrawing, like Barbara worried she would, Marinette started laughing.  Her eyes were sparkling with mirth.  She leaned closer to them over the table and lowered her voice. “I pimped out my friend,” she confided with a smirk.

The rest of the table froze until Adrien groaned and Stephanie and Duke started laughing loud enough to draw disapproving looks from neighboring tables.  Cass raised an eyebrow, but her lips were quirked up in amusement.  “Say that again,” Barbara prompted.

Marinette shrugged and took a sip of her drink.  “I don’t know if it counts as pimping if he did it willingly.  He was willing to do it for Max.”

“Oh my God, Marinette.”  Adrien ran his hand over his face in exasperation.

“What exactly was he willing to do?” Barbara’s voice was now less amused and more wary.

“That was the worst possible way to say it,” Adrien groaned.

“You know, maybe I don’t want to know the answer to that…” Barbara hedged.  She leaned away from Marinette cautiously.

Marinette laughed at Adrien’s frustration and bumped his shoulder with hers.  “I offered up a date with Luka Coffaine to Audrey Bourgeois’ PA in exchange for the tickets she turned down,” she explained.

There was absolute silence for a few seconds until Stephanie broke the silence.  “You know Luka Coffaine?” she yelled.  

Everyone in the café turned slowly to look at them. Marinette’s eyes widened and looked around at them.  She gave them an awkward smile and a wave before turning back to the table.  Before she could chastise Stephanie, Cass was already on top of it.  She pointed sternly around the restaurant and back at Stephanie.  Stephanie nodded guiltily.  “Yeah, yeah.  Sorry.” She turned back to Marinette excitedly. “I just…” she lowered her voice and leaned closer to Marinette.  “You know Luka Coffaine?”

Marinette rolled her eyes at her excitement.  It was always so bizarre to see people’s reaction to Luka.  It was Luka. Just Luka.  Calm, reserved, laidback Luka.  The hysteria around his name just never seemed to fit.  “Yeah, I mean, we dated for a while so… yeah.”

“You dated Luka Coffaine!” Stephanie yelled again, receiving glares from everyone at the table.  Marinette shrunk down in her chair and gave a strained, apologetic smile to the rest of the café.  Cass slapped Stephanie’s shoulder and shook her head.  Stephanie waved her off and focused back on Marinette.  “Yeah, yeah.  Discretion.  Whatever. She dated Luka freaking Coffaine,” Stephanie insisted, motioning to Marinette.

“You dated Tim Drake,” Duke pointed out.

Stephanie snorted.  “That’s just Tim.  He’s just a big dork.  She dated…”

“Yeah we got it,” Barbara cut her off.

“Really, so is Luka,” Adrien shrugged.  “Probably more so, just about music.”  Marinette cocked her head to the side in thought for a few seconds before nodding in agreement.  He really was.

“Holy shit.  Did he introduce you to his dad?”  Stephanie was bouncing in her seat at the idea and the potential for an inside scoop on Jagged Stone.

“No,” Marinette answered.  She smiled internally at the way all their faces, except for Adrien’s fell, just a bit, almost imperceptibly, as if trying to hide their disappointment.  “I already knew him.”

“You know Jagged Stone?” Stephanie yelled. Marinette cringed as she sent the other patrons another apologetic smile.

Duke leaned over closer to her so he could whisper in her ear, though his voice intentionally carried across the table. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this anymore.”

“No!” Stephanie screeched, before catching what she did and settling down, a mask of composure settling on her face.  “I’m fine now.  I just needed to get that out.  I’m calm.” She stared at them for a few seconds before almost lunging across the table.  Adrien deftly moved his and Marinette’s drinks before she knocked them over in her zeal.  “Please tell me more.”

Marinette’s eyes widened and she started laughing.  “You realize you’re basically a daughter to the richest man in the world.  If you wanted to meet Jagged Stone, you could.”

Cass shook her head.  “Different.”

Barbara nodded.  “She’s right it is different.  You dated his son.  That’s a different type of knowing someone.”

“So you met Luka through Jagged?” Stephanie pressed.

Marinette suddenly looked uncomfortable.  She was not really excited to talk about their family dynamic and secrets.  It was a little too close to her own and she really, really wanted to move past that, not dwell on it more.  “No… I met Luka through my friend Juleka, his sister.  We went to school together for ages.  They’re both some of my best friends.”

“And she introduced you to Jagged?” Duke asked curiously.  He could tell something was off about this based on the way Marinette responded, but he wasn’t sure what.

“No… um…” she stuttered.  “I met Jagged through a school project.  Designed some sunglasses for him and we’ve been close ever since.”  Adrien grabbed her hand and squeezed it under the table

Stephanie looked between the two of them and plastered on a bright smile.  “So what I’m hearing is you can hook us up with some tickets next time he comes into town.”

Marinette laughed lightly.  “Either one of us could, yes.”

“Or for Clara Nightengale,” Adrien added in. “She loves Marinette, too.  She wanted her in one of her videos.”

“She wanted you in it too,” Marinette reminded him.

“No,” he corrected her, “Gabriel got me into it. She just had to deal with it.  She didn’t choose me.  She chose you.  She worked to get you in the video.”

Marinette opened her mouth to refute that but snapped it shut quickly as the words resonated in her head.  She meant more because Clara chose her.  He was thrust on Clara.  But it didn’t mean he was unwanted.  She looked down at her food and took a bite, trying to cover her sudden inability to breathe.  Trying to give herself time to process.  She needed to pack that away for later when she could properly unpack that statement, deconstruct it, and then finally reconstruct it in some skewed, perverted version of the original situation.

Adrien immediately froze seeing her reaction. He opened his mouth to say something but Marinette squeezed his hand under the table before he could, a silent message they could talk about it later, when they were alone, or at least not with an audience comprised of Waynes.

“So how did you meet Mons…” she stuttered.  It felt strange to call him M. Wayne when everyone else at the table was calling him Bruce.  Should she call him Bruce too?  Like they did.  Like Dick did?  Or B, like Jason did?  “…M. Wayne?” she finally settled on.

Duke grimaced.  They had a cover story, but was he really going to give Bruce’s daughter the cover story?  The truth involved Batman.  But Bruce hadn’t told her about that part of their lives yet, and even if he had told her, he certainly hadn’t told Adrien.  “It’s a long story…”

Marinette smiled encouragingly at him.  “We have time.” She saw him falter and felt her own smile falter.  She took note of the way the women had frozen up as well.  God, what was she doing?  M. Wayne had said how they met.  Why was she bringing that up now?  What was she thinking?  Even if he was okay discussing that trauma, he probably didn’t want to open up about it with a stranger.  

“You don’t have to tell me,” she assured him.  “It’s… it’s fine.”  She looked around desperately for something else to talk about, a change of topic to make the conversation not so awkward.  “You graduate from school next year, right?”  Duke blinked a few times before he let out a breath and nodded.  She let out a breath as well when the rest of the table seemed to relax at her question.  “Do you have plans for after you graduate?  Are you going to take a gap year or go to university or get a job?”

“I haven’t really decided yet.  Go to Gotham University, I guess,” he shrugged.

Marinette smiled disarmingly at him.  “You don’t have to decide now.  You have time.”

The waiter interrupted Marinette’s response with their food.  They gave their thanks and started eating.  “So what have you missed the most while you’ve been here?” Barbara asked.

“My parents’ cooking definitely,” Marinette grinned as she looked at her food. It didn’t look bad, but compared to her parents’ cooking… well not much compared.  “And the atmosphere.  Gotham is…” she looked around them as she thought of an unoffensive way to end that sentence.

“Dreary as Hell,” Stephanie finished for her.  “Yeah, we know.”

“I swear you guys have more gargoyles than we do though, which is just strange to me,” Adrien added.  “We were supposed to have the market cornered on gothic architecture.”

“Oh, you still do.  We just took the most depressing, dismal, gloomy, nightmare inducing parts and ran with it,” Duke grinned.  “But I would like to see Paris sometime.  Go see the Eiffel Tower… and jump off it.”

Barbara, Stephanie, and Cass all groaned at him.  Barbara gave him a stern look and pointed a warning finger in his face. “Not during the day.”

Duke laughed at her.  “Well I’m not going to do it at night.”

“Do it at sunrise,” Marinette advised.  “Less gendarmerie around then and if you angle it correctly, you get the most gorgeous view of the sunrise.”

“Bring sunglasses if you jump that way though.  I didn’t and I saw spots for hours.  Oh, and stretch first too,” Adrien added.  “You’re going to have to parkour for quite a while to try to ditch the GN.”

The rest of the table stared at them, jaws dropped in shock.  There was absolute silence at the table except for the sounds of Marinette sipping her drink and Adrien chewing his food. “You’ve…” Duke started almost too in awe to be able to finish the sentence.  “You’ve jumped off the Eiffel Tower?”

Marinette nodded and motioned between the two of them.  “Both of us have.  Both during an akuma attack and not.  Not was much preferable to during.”

“Isn’t that illegal?” Stephanie asked slowly.  She was like 90% positive it was but during akuma attacks, who knew what was legal anymore and Hell, maybe they had days where they gave exceptions. Stranger things have happened.

Marinette speared a bit of food and pointed it at her.  “Only if you get caught.”  She popped the food in her mouth with a triumphant grin.

Barbara blinked at her a few times and shook her head because dear God, there was another one.  She was going to fit right in.  No wonder she and Duke got along so well.  Both creative, smart, kind, thrill seeking, dumbasses.  “I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works,” she deadpanned.

Adrien shrugged and took a sip of his drink.  “I don’t know.  We didn’t get arrested, so I’m pretty sure it is.”

Duke and Stephanie started laughing hysterically.  They looked over at Cass with raised eyebrows when they settled down. Cass stared intently at Marinette and Adrien for a few seconds, staring into them like she was reading their souls. Marinette and Adrien looked at each other with identical unsure looks and subconsciously leaned back at the same time, shuffling in their seats.  Cass stared at them for just a few more seconds before she nodded.

“Holy shit,” Duke muttered in awe.  “You were telling the truth.”

Marinette looked back over at Adrien for an explanation he clearly didn’t have, judging by the blank look on his face before looking back at Duke.  “Uh… yeah?”

“What just happened?” Adrien asked tentatively.

“Sorry about that,” Barbara sent them a disarming smile.  “Cass is kind of like a human lie detector.  She is exceptionally good at telling if someone is lying.  She just confirmed that you two were not.”

Marinette blinked at Barbara a few times before turning to Cass and blinking at her.  “Huh… good to know,” she nodded slowly.  Her eyes stayed on Cass but it was clear her mind was running a mile a minute behind them.  After a few seconds she spoke up again.  “Can you tell the lies people tell themselves too?”

Cass quirked her head to the side and studied Marinette for a moment and shook her head.  “Have to know.”

Marinette nodded and silently took a bite of her food. “Well, that has to come in handy,” Adrien chirped.  “Remind me to take you with me when I meet people.”

Marinette could feel eyes boring into her.  She looked back over at Cass and raised a curious eyebrow at her.  “Hero,” she finally said.

Marinette coughed for a second and looked back at her with her most convincing blank look.  “I’m sorry.  What?”

Cass nodded toward Marinette.  “Eiffel Tower.”

Marinette chuckled disarmingly and shook her head. “You think I’m a lot more honorable than I am.  You think it’s more likely that I was a hero than that I knowingly, intentionally, purposefully violated the law for fun.”  She leaned closer to Cass with a smirk.  “But I can assure you, I regularly did.”

The others at the table looked to Cass.  She quirked her head to the side and gave a small smile before nodding.  “Truth.”  Cass pointed to herself.  “Next time.”

Marinette grinned and nodded excitedly. “Absolutely.”

Duke cleared his throat.  “And Duke,” Cass added.

Marinette chuckled.  “Of course.  We can make a New Kids Club event out of it.”

“And me!” Stephanie chirped.

Barbara sighed and turned to Adrien.  “Dick said you had a job interview yesterday.  How did it go?”

Marinette beamed at Adrien as he responded. Adrien’s face lit up.  “It went well I think.  I think I’d really enjoy working there!  I met the department chair and other professors.  It looks like a really supportive department and University, very research oriented.”

“Where is it?” Duke asked between bites.

“Metropolis,” Adrien answered, his fondness he’d already developed for the city bleeding into his tone.

“Oooh, Conner lives there.  If you’re still deciding if you want to live there or if you need a tour guide, or recommendations on where to eat, he’d be more than happy to help,” Stephanie offered.

Marinette’s smile turned into a pointed smirk and Adrien groaned quietly.  “Conner, did you say?”

Stephanie looked between them, her brow furrowing in confusion.  “Yeah?”

“That wouldn’t happen to be Tim’s single friend would it?”  Her eyes never left Adrien as she asked, her smirk somehow getting even sharper.

Adrien groaned even louder when he looked over and saw Cass’ smile matched Marinette’s and Duke and Stephanie both had devious, familiar looking glints in their eyes.  This was clearly payback for all his attempts to set Marinette and Chloe up with different people.  “Why yes, yes it is.  How about that,” Duke grinned.

Cass pulled out her phone and moved her finger around the screen for a second then finally looked up with an innocent looking smile.  Adrien groaned and dropped his head into his hands.  “I’m not even in this family.  Why am I being punished?”

Barbara laughed and popped a bit of food in her mouth. “That’s funny.  You think just because there’s no paperwork, you haven’t been adopted already.  I made that mistake at first too.”

Chapter 19

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[lazuli-bloom]

Roses and Styx

Chapter 3 – Kids' Games To Pass The Time

Beetlejuice x Reader

Word Count : 5,399

New day, new problems. Sure things aren't the worst they could be, but that new hire isn't making things all that easy at work.

Last Chapter | Archive | Next Chapter

--=--=--

An annoying, rhythmic buzz cut through silence. Light seeped its way in, chasing away the shadows of sleep. You groaned and rolled. It was too early to face the new day.

Compounding your groggy state was the fact you didn't sleep for shit last night. The chilly October night sucked the warmth from your room, and you had only a few blankets to shield yourself from it. And the chill didn't stop your mind racing most of the night. When sleep came to you, it brought restless dreams.

The first wasn't terrible, just strange. A weird bug followed you home wanting to be friends. The other dream, however... A vile pit formed in your stomach.

Your thoughts drifted to the dream. You couldn't move. Arms, legs, head, nothing. You couldn't budge an inch no matter how hard you fought. Something wanted you to stay still. And it wasn't as if your surroundings gave you any clues either. Darkness blanketed the room. No details, just a barren inky void. The only thing you found with you was a set of pinprick lights.

A voice spoke. It whispered beautiful words coated in honey. Your guts twisted. A warm touch held your face, and the voice asked you a question. Your words caught in your throat. The entity glared at you with icy eyes, and the sweet words soured to a nasty venom.

You clutched your chest as the memory of searing heat replayed. It sank blazing claws into your waist and arm, blistering and cooking the flesh.

You drew in shaky breaths and wiped away the leftover tears. It was just a dream. It was just a bad dream. You're safe.

You took in one more breath before getting up to start your day.

Normally you would go straight to the bathroom, but you wanted to check something. You stepped out into the main living space and found it empty. A DVD case sat on the coffee table, but the TV screen was dark. The couch laid devoid of any unexpected house guests. No sign anyone else was ever there. Your heart sank as you realized the encounter you remembered was just another dream cooked up by your tired brain. A frown pulled at your lips and you sighed. No time to mope. You needed to get ready for work.

You opened the bathroom door and peered inside. Rigel napped on the top of the toilet's water tank, surrounded by shredded toilet paper. At least it was less of a mess than yesterday. You clean up the ribbons and tossed them in the garbage under the sink. After you topped off his food and water, you hopped in the shower.

The water in your apartment only ever got up to lukewarm on a good day. And that was not a good day. Frigged rain pelted you, giving you goosebumps. Not wanting to linger, you got out and dressed a few minutes later.

You combed your fingers through your hair as you looted the kitchen. Damn cat, why'd it have to throw up on your hairbrush? You grumbled to yourself and pulled out the off-brand cereal to fix breakfast.

"What 'cha doing, babes?" A voice from nowhere spoke in your ear.

Your knees buckle and you collapse, taking the bag of cereal with you. You gripped at your chest to still your heart, and rolled to sit with your back to the cabinets. A man in a rotting striped suit floated in your kitchen, clutching his rounder stomach as he cackled.

"Oh sweets, that's great! I wasn't even trying!"

As the shock fades, your features scrunched up. You got to your feet and tossed the bag on the counter. With crossed arms you pivot to glare at the ghost, still laughing his ass off.

"Giving me a heart attack first thing in the morning," you said with a huff, "I came out here and you were gone. I thought I had dreamed the whole thing, you jerk."

"So you're saying you missed me?" He batted his eyes at you, setting your cheeks on fire. You would not dignify that with a response. Instead, you turned back to the counter and fixed your breakfast.

"Where did you go then?" you asked and riffled through the silverware drawer for a spoon.

"I was checking on your neighbors. Did you know the guys a few doors down have a shit-ton of electronics?"

"Yeah, and old lady Smith has a garden in her closet."

"Really? Which one is she in? I didn't find that."

"She's on the third floor, but don't bug her too much. She's nice. Plus she bakes amazing cookies for me whenever I help her."

You scarfed your breakfast, and double checked you had everything done. Rigel was in the bathroom with his things. You had your wallet and phone. After you finished the last bite, you set the bowl in the sink along with the one from last night.

You rinsed out the bowl and hummed to yourself before you glanced over your shoulder to the ghost. He grinned at you with a tilt of his head. You gave him a small smile, only to frown.

"I have to head to work."

That simple sentence wiped the grin from his face. His shoulders sank, and the color of his hair shifted. A dull purple seeped in and overtook the green. That couldn't be a good sign. "You're leaving me here?"

"Well, you could stay here, or..."

"Or?"

"If you can be out of the way and let me focus on my work when I need to, then you could tag along with me. It’d be nice having someone other than my boss to talk to during the downtime."

His grin stretched across his face again, and he spun up to you, batting his eyes. "Oh babes, you do care! Of course I'll go with you! Not my idea for a first date, but I'll take it."

You pressed your lips tight. Was this a mistake? Not like you can take back the offer, though. That would crush him. You let out a long sigh and rubbed at your temple.

"Not a date, dude."

"If you say so," he purred.

You shook your head and grabbed the keys before heading to the car. The ghost trailed you, with an ever present chill at your side. On the way to the car, he pointed out each of the apartments and spilled whatever secrets he found out. You had an inkling of some of your neighbors' crimes, but you weren't one to go tattling. It was best to let them deal with their lives and you deal with yours. So you ended up nodding along to what the ghost told you.

When you got to your car, you sat behind the wheel for a moment. Once your ghostly friend floated into the passenger seat, you took in a breath.

"Okay. A few things before we get there," You said as you fought to start the car, "If either my boss or a customer comes up and needs to talk to me, I would appreciate it if you hang back for a minute and let me handle them. Otherwise, I mostly just front-face merchandise and I can talk with you so long as I'm quiet. Also, I take my lunches in the cemetery, so I can talk a bit more freely there."

"Sounds good to me, toots."

You rolled your eyes and got the hunk of junk started. The car protested with clangs, but you drove off with a little more of a fight. On the scenic drive to work he asked you to turn on the radio, which got a dry laugh from you.

"What's so funny?"

"Radio's broke. Most things in this car are broken. Radio, heater, a/c. All of them are broken."

"Can't you get a new one? There's cars all over the place, just take one."

"Th-this isn't Grand Theft Auto,"

"It will be once you take a car!"

"Okay, technically true. I meant this isn't the game GTA, this is real life. And I would get arrested."

"Not if you had help from the ghost with the most!"

You rolled your eyes and turned onto the main road, heading for work. The rest of the drive, the "ghost with the most" filled the air with his own voice, singing a medley of songs. Some of them you recognized, others you suspected he made up on the spot.

You pulled into the employee parking and parked your car alongside the two much nicer ones there. As you collected your things, Beetlejuice pointed to the sleek mustang.

"That car looks fun! We should steal a car like that!"

"I'm pretty sure that's Brandon's car. I'm not stealing my coworker's car to take for a joyride."

"But it would be so cool!"

"Maybe later," you said, stepping out of your junker.

The bell chimed as you entered the store and caught your boss's attention. He came over to greet you and made sure you were doing better. You gave a small laugh and rubbed at the back of your neck.

"Yeah, I'm doing better." You glanced sidelong to the ghost wandering over to the front counter.

"Good. Now hopefully I can focus on training Brandon without as many interruptions. He keeps breaking away to chat with every customer that comes into the store. So I need you to handle the customers so he doesn't have an excuse."

"Got it. And if you need help with him, I can always smack some sense into him. The new order of mallets is in the back, right?"

Mr. Turner laughed and turned to go back to teaching Brandon. You smiled to yourself and meandered over to the counter. Your ghost pal sat on the countertop next to the computer.

"You never mentioned you get to hit people at your job, any openings?"

"Sorry, spot's filled. For now, anyway. But who knows, maybe we'll need a replacement soon."

"Save it for me. I would kill to get to hang around a pretty little breather like you all day and get paid for it. But doing that for free is nice too."

"You're a shameless flirt."

"How can a sexy beast like me not be with you around and able to see me?"

You shook your head and glanced at the computer. There was something you wanted to look up, you were sure of it. But what was it? You stepped closer and opened a new tab for the search. It sat blank for a moment as you retraced what the topic could have been.

"What are ya doing, babes?"

"I can't remember what I wanted to search for."

"One hundred great ways to skin a cat?"

You raised a brow and frowned at him. "I'm not hurting Rigel." A light flicked on in your head.

You typed in the cat's name and clicked on the page for the star. A picture of the Orion constellation to the side of the page showed off the stars. Most of them had fancy looking letters next to them, with a few having numbers attached. Rigel marked the lower right star, while the upper left was the only other star with a word.

"Beh-tell? Goose? Wait..." You jerked your head over to the ghost, who wore a Cheshire grin. "That's how you spell your name?"

"Yep. That's me. Behtellgoose."

You read the name once more. Betelgeuse. Such a strange spelling to sound like beetle-juice. Kind of cool though. You smiled and closed out of the tab when an unfamiliar voice called out to you.

"Good morning, Art. Great to see you doing better!"

"Heh, yeah. Feeling better." You forced a tight-lipped smile to prevent yourself from frowning. Brandon stayed still with his own fake smile plastered on his face. After a beat of him not saying anything, you asked, "Do you need something?"

"You forgot to go grab your apron. What if a customer came in? That would look very unprofessional. Here, I'll watch the counter and you can go grab your apron."

The corner of your mouth twitched, and you took in a deep breath. You stepped away and grabbed your stupid apron. As you threw it on, the bell chimed. You rushed back out, hoping to catch the customer before Brandon.

The counter stood unattended and you found Brandon down one aisle with a woman discussing products. You groaned and pinched the bridge of your nose.

"Isn't that what your boss wanted you to stop him from doing?"

"Yes, Beetle, it is."

You hissed out a sigh and shook your head. As you walked over to them, you prepared yourself to speak in your chipper customer service voice. Brandon insisted he could take care of the customer, only for Mr. Turner to order him to get back to training. Brandon grimaced and stepped away to let you take over.

Your smile was easier to keep on your face after that. You helped the customer find what she needed and rang up her items. She left with a wave and you went back to the computer.

"What the hell is that guy's deal?" Betelgeuse asked, gesturing with a thumb to Brandon.

"I don't know. I don't know if I really care." You leaned back onto your heels and let your mind wander. Whenever you were alone, stuck at the counter, you always pulled up simple web games on the computer to pass the time. But with Betelgeuse there, you couldn't ignore him to play games.

"What are ya thinking about, sweets? How hot it would be to make out right now?"

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms. "No, you flirt. I'm thinking of what we can do to pass the time. All I'm coming up with are twenty questions and I spy."

"I'm fine with that," he said as he flashed you a sharp grin. "Okay, I'll start. I spy with my rotten eye, something... metal."

"Well, that narrows it down."

The two of you spent the rest of the morning going, taking turns playing those silly kids' games. Betelgeuse huffed and whined whenever a customer, or worse, Brandon, pulled you away to help them. Any time you called him out on his grumbling, he denied it as the color in his hair shifted.

He caught you staring at his hair once or twice, which exacerbated the shifting colors. Each time that happened, Betelgeuse quickly picked up whichever game you two had been playing. You left the topic alone for the moment, but stashed it away to ask about later.

Halfway into a difficult game of twenty questions, Mr. Turner came up to the counter. You ignored Betelgeuse's smug punchable face and greeted your boss, hoping your frustration didn't bleed into your tone.

"Cass, I'm stepping out for a bit to pick up something. I should be back for you to take your lunch break. Keep an eye on the store and Brandon for me, while I'm gone, okay?"

"Got it. Burn down the place and leave no evidence. Can do."

He shook his head with a laugh. Mr. Turner said, "you turd," before he waved goodbye and left the shop.

"Ooh baby, I love you talking about crimes like that! Tell me how you'd light up the place."

You turned back to the ghost. He floated with his stomach parallel to the ground as he held his scruffy chin in his hands and swung his legs pointed upward. You laughed at the dork and smiled.

"Well, the kerosene is over there, and the rolls of rags are an aisle over. There's a blow torch with some of the other tools."

"Artemis!" You whipped your attention to the stick in the mud, frowning at you. You didn't even get the chance to speak. "That kind of talk is highly unprofessional! Going over ways to burn down the store, shame on you."

"I was joking dude, it's not—"

"Well, I don't find that funny. And you shouldn't address your elders as 'dude', it is very disrespectful."

"Alright, I'm sorry."

"Good. Now I need your help."

You gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded. Brandon motioned for you to follow him, and once he turned back, you brought two fingers to your temple and jerked your head away.

In the middle of a tedious and painful walkthrough of creating an order of paint, the bell rang. Brandon broke away the second it chimed and went straight to helping the customer. That was irritating enough, but after the regular said they didn't need any help, Brandon insisted on assisting them.

You took in a deep breath and let the man dig his own grave. If he doesn't value your help, then he's not getting it. You marched back to the counter and found Betelgeuse picking his teeth.

He licked a striped tongue over his sharp teeth then said, "What a douchebag."

"Tell me about it."

The customer came up to the counter a minute later, followed by Brandon. You greeted the regular and switched the computer over to its register display. Your new coworker nudged you aside and insisted on being the one to ring up the customer.

"Artemis, you should have stayed at the paint desk. I'll meet you back there in a minute, after I help this gentleman."

You wanted nothing more than to slap that man. Who the hell does he think he is? Calling you unprofessional and pulling stunts like that? You grit your teeth and forced a smile before excusing yourself to head back to the paint desk.

Betelgeuse floated after you and lounged on top of the desk. You spared him a glance, but stuck to pacing the small paint pit, waiting for that douche-canoe to get back there. The customer didn't even have a lot of things to buy, so it shouldn't take Brandon that long.

"That freaking jerk," you said under your breath, "I can't believe Mr. Turner hired a guy like that."

"Want me to kill him?"

"Tempting, but no. I'm just going to talk to my boss when he gets back." You checked your phone for the time. A quarter after one, which means only fifteen more minutes until your lunch break. "God, I hope he's here soon."

You tapped your nails against the metal top of the tint machine, the speed of which accelerated the longer you waited. What the hell was taking him so long? Did another customer show up? This was getting infuriating.

"You sure you don't want me to kill the guy?"

"No, Beetle, I don't want you to do that."

"Art, who are you talking to?"

You turned around to the voice. Brandon stood at the threshold of the paint pit with his hand on his hips and raised a brow at you. Your face burned as you laughed, attempting to cover up your embarrassment.

"Oh, just this annoying little beetle. It was crawling under the tint dispenser."

"Do you regularly talk to disgusting bugs?" he asked. You opened your mouth to speak, only for Brandon to keep talking. "It doesn't matter. You shouldn't act so childish. How old are you? Late teens?"

"No, Brandon, I'm closer to my thirties than my teens."

"And you're talking to bugs, where any customer can come up and see that behavior. You ought to grow up and act your age, Artemis."

The bell chimed again, and you shuffled to the side to get an unobstructed view of the front. Mr. Turner stepped in with a smile and a wave. You waved back and checked the clock on the computer. One twenty-seven, perfect. You pulled your apron's strings and took it off in a swift motion.

"Where do you think you're going, Artemis?"

"Lunch."

Brandon frowned, and you folded up your apron with a smile. He probably wanted to stop you from leaving, but that shit would not fly with the boss back. Betelgeuse hopped down from his spot on the counter and followed. You tossed your apron behind the front counter and greeted Mr. Turner. After a quick rundown of what had happened, you left for your break, with a quick stop to your car to grab your food.

On the walk to the cemetery, Betelgeuse mocked the stupid things Brandon said. He was dead on with his impression, too.

"Artemis, do you think I give a shit? I'm a giant douche with a stick up my ass! There's no fun allowed in the store."

You did your best to hold back your laughter, but that only caused you to snort. A laugh roared out next to you in Betelgeuse's voice. You covered your mouth with your free hand, but that couldn't stop your shoulders from bouncing. As the two of you crossed into the graveyard, you glanced sidelong at the ghost, who shot you a grin.

In the cemetery, devoid of any other visitors, you veered towards your usual spot, off in the corner and near the front gate. You sat on the stone bench, setting your lunch beside you. Betelgeuse, however, sat on a gravestone, with his feet propped up on the one next to it.

You opened up your small bag of chips and started snacking on them. Betelgeuse looked over from picking at his nails and raised a brow at you.

"That's all you're going to eat, babes?"

"I have a granola bar too."

You grabbed the other half of your lunch and showed him. He tilted his head with a frown, but said nothing. It grew quiet, save for your munching on the chips. Your mind wandered, and you zoned out, staring unfocused in a random direction. Betelgeuse moved, catching your eye, and you studied him.

He gnawed at his black nails with jagged yellow teeth. Stubble covered his round chin, matching the same green mixed in his hair. Has his stubble changed color like his hair has? And why did his hair change color to begin with?

You hummed to yourself after finishing the last of your chips.

"What's up, sweets?"

"I... was hoping to ask you something."

Betelgeuse tilted his head to the other side and raised a brow and pursed his lips. You gave a half smile and laughed. He looked like a curious puppy. How could this ghost-demon look so cute?

"What is it?"

"I've noticed that your hair isn't always green." 

As soon as the sentence left your mouth, the color of his hair shifted to a deep purple. You shrank back as your stomach twisted into knots. Even without knowing what the colors meant, the frown on his face and sudden dodging of eye contact weren't good signs. On no. You messed up, didn't you? Why couldn't you have just kept your mouth shut?

"I'm sorry. You don't have to say anything. Forget I ever mentioned it."

You dug your nails into your palms and turned your gaze to your knees. Betelgeuse produced a mix of a growl and a groan, and you peered up at him through your hair. His lips pulled into an almost smile as he kept sharp eyes pointed at his hands, where he raked his nails through the hair of one.

"I might as well tell you, you'd figure it out eventually. My hair changes color with my mood."

You dared to lift your head more. Your lips parted as your brain processed the new information.

"Like a chameleon?"

"Like what?"

He tilted his head and raised a brow as his nose wrinkled. You forced out a small laugh and smile as you wrung your wrists. "A chameleon, the little lizards that change color. It's to communicate their mood. Darker colors like black are when it's stressed, neutral tones are when it's calm, and vibrant greens, or reds can be excitement or aggression."

Betelgeuse lurched forward with a growl and ran his hands through his hair, shielding the deepening purple from view. Your stomach twisted into knots. This wasn't getting better. You parted your lips only to press them shut a second later. Why did you have to screw up and bring up his hair in the first place?

Your nails dug deeper into your palms. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"If you're going to strip a guy naked like that, babes, you could at least buy me dinner first."

Your face wrinkled as you tilted your head at him. Betelgeuse still held himself curled and closed off, but he wore a weak crooked smile. Your lips twitched, and you huffed out a dry laugh.

"Alright, we can go through the drive thru to get a few things off the dollar menu."

"Ooh! I wanna try one of those green sludgy shake things from that Old MacDonald place."

"Sorry to break this to you, but they only sell those in March."

"What? That's lame!"

"Everything is pumpkin spice right now."

He pouted and crossed his arms with a huff. Despite the childish act, the purple in his hair faded back to a muted green. You chuckled to yourself as relief washed over you. With a soft smile, you grabbed the other half of your lunch and hummed before you opened it.

"Hey Beetle."

"Hmm?"

"I won't bring it up again if you don't want me to, but I wanted to say I think your chameleon hair is pretty cool. Like, is it magic? Or is it a demon thing? Or—sorry. I'm sorry. I'll shut up about it now. Sorry."

Your eyes darted to focus on your granola bar. You fumbled with tearing open the packaging for a second, only for the wrapper to give. The force sent your food tumbling to the ground. You stared at the broken bar and heaved out a sigh. Just wonderful.

Your pocket buzzed, veering your attention to it. You pulled out your phone and checked the caller id. Unknown number. Chills cascaded down as you stared at the phone.

"Something wrong, babes?"

"Nope. Everything's fine. Just some spam call."

You shoved it back into your pocket and let it ring. If the caller wanted anything, they can leave a voicemail. Besides, you needed to get back to work.

You picked up your trash and nodded your head to the gate. Betelgeuse hopped up and floated alongside you. After a few steps out of the cemetery, your phone rang again. Every fiber in you tensed up, but you left your phone in your pocket. The third time your phone rang, Betelgeuse spoke up again.

"Who the hell keeps calling you?"

You shrugged and laughed despite your dry throat. "Who knows? I have to get back to work though."

With a hurried pace, you made it back to the store in a few minutes. The bell swung, chiming away as you beeline for your apron behind the counter. Brandon stood at the register with a phone up to his ear.

"There you are, Art! I've been calling you and you never once answered!" Brandon frowned at you and slipped his phone into his pants pocket. "You're obligated to pick up if I or Mr. Turner ever need to call you."

"O-oh, that was you calling." A small breath escapes passed your lips and you relax, only to register what he said. "Wait, how did you even get my number? I've only ever given this number to Sam and Mr. Turner."

"Why does it matter how I got your number? The issue is; if work calls you, especially if you have a shift that day, you need to answer."

"Fine, okay. I'll save your number so I don't panic again when I'm called three times in a row."

"Oh please, three phone calls make you panic? Artemis, you're an adult. You should know better than to be worried about something as simple as a phone call."

You grit your teeth and smiled. This conversation wasn't going anywhere you wanted, and you didn't plan on sticking around. You threw on your apron and marched to a far corner of the store to get away from everyone. Well, save for the ghost haunting you.

"Wow, babes, that guy is a major piece of work."

"Piece of shit is more like it."

You grabbed at products on the shelf and pulled them forward, turning the labels when needed. If you looked busy, maybe Brandon would mind his own fucking business. You clenched your jaw and growled as you brought more things forward.

"I shouldn't be worried about phone calls? What the fuck does he know? He's never had to put up with the shit I have!"

"And what shit would that be, babes?"

You glanced up to the ghost laying on his stomach across the top of the aisle shelving. Betelgeuse tilted his head. Soft and earnest curiosity graced his features. The corner of your mouth twitched before you closed your eyes and let out a hiss.

"I don't want to get into it," you said, keeping your voice quiet, "but I've had someone call me over and over before. It wasn't fun."

You pulled the rest of the items forward within arm's reach before sidestepping to get more. Betelgeuse floated after you as you inched down the aisle. He picked the games back up, and you welcomed the distraction.

There were one or two rounds of I spy, several goes at twenty questions—which you're positive Betelgeuse cheated and switched his topic multiple times. Towards the end of your shift, well after Brandon left for the day, you two asked a few "would you rather" questions. While he asked a few risque questions at the start—bite or be bitten, top or bottom—his questions took a tamer turn, similar to the ones you asked.

"Okay babe, would you rather find a rat in the kitchen or a roach in your bed?"

"I mean... I guess I'd prefer seeing another rat in the kitchen over finding more roaches?"

"M-more?"

"Donna hires her incompetent nephew to do the pest control for the apartments." You swept the line of dirt into the pan and tossed it into the trash. "Actually, speaking of, I should double check the traps and make sure something isn't rotting somewhere in the apartment."

Betelgeuse watched you finish the last of the closing routine. You clicked the pan back around the neck of the broom and stuffed it into a corner behind the counter. The only thing left was Mr. Turner to finish locking up the cash and heading out. You leaned against the counter and rolled your head back to look at the ceiling.

A quiet stillness overtook the store. It lasted a few seconds before Betelgeuse spoke up again.

"Would you rather have a nicer place but the same landlady, or the same apartment with a nicer landlady—"

"Alright Cass, you ready to leave?"

You turned your attention from the unseen ghost to your boss. He smiled and gestured to the door. You returned a half smile before exiting. Mr. Turner locked up, and you waved goodbye. A minute later you sank into the car seat and rested your hands on the wheel.

"Well babes, this certainly seems familiar."

You glanced his way and rolled your eyes before getting the car started.

"Yep, it's been an entire day since a demon followed my home, like a lost puppy."

"I'm way cuter than any puppy. Plus, you can keep me in your apartment all you want and your shitty landlady can't do anything about it!"

"Nicer landlady, by the way," you said as the car sputtered to life.

"What?"

"I'd rather have a nicer landlady than a nicer place. Donna would just let a nicer place fall to ruin."

You pulled out of the parking lot and drove home. At the first red light, you tapped your finger on the wheel and hummed.

"Hey Beetle, would you rather stay in a comfortable and familiar place with people that don't believe half of what you say, or cut all contact with them and be alone if it meant freedom?"

Betelgeuse tilted his head from one side to the other, closing his eyes as he mulled over your question. As he thought, the light changed, and you continued on your way home. A sharp grin stretched across his face a moment later.

"Easy. I'd take my freedom."

Your lips twitched up. "Yeah... me too."

[roll-da-credits]

A Special Kind of Average - Kenma x Reader

Word Count: 1.2k

Why were you so special? You're not the main character, you're not the main villain, hell you're not even the main character's best friend. You were just the side character, and yet Kenma couldn't take his eyes off you. Like the beautifully drawn character in an anime that only showed up for two episodes but everyone seems to love it.

A/n: Not even going to lie this is a ridiculous fic AHAHAHAH, I’m struggling through a writing block and decided to just post one of my old fics that makes barely any sense if I’m being honest. And this is sort of edited? Mostly not though, got too lazy and felt like I needed to post something. Anyhow, hope you guys like it.

🖤❤️🖤

Despite what people may think of the pro-gamer, Kenma Kozume is rather sensitive.

He worried about what others thought about him, but he ignored it with his gaming.

He feared people staring at him, so he grew out his hair to cover his face.

Everything the former Nekoma setter did was to cover himself up from the world and only show them what he wanted to show them.

At first, you weren’t any different.

Just another streamer who wants to have a collab with him. He’s heard of your streaming handle before. You were after all, quite popular online. But he’s never taken the time to actually watch you.

And yet, as hard as he may try to seem unbothered by your presence. Something about you made him feel something.

Something odd.

Like an ache in his stomach that won’t go away. An itch in his mind that won’t leave him alone.

Was it your voice? It wasn’t as sweet as honey, nor was it soft like silk.

It was average, perfectly average.

Was it the way you played? You weren’t at the same level as a pro gamer, but you didn’t seem like a new player either.

You were standard, perfectly standard.

Was it your personality? Maybe.

But nothing truly stood out.

As the collab grew to an end, both of you and him doing your respective outros. He noticed himself doing his outro slower than usual.

He took his time saying thank you to each and every individual person who donated. And you waited with a smile, followed by a snarky remark every now and then.

You weren’t special in any way shape or form.

Nor did you stand out.

But for whatever reason, Kenma found himself watching your videos every night after he finished his streaming.

He talked to Kuroo about it as well, how his mind wouldn’t leave the image of you. Whether it was when you were screaming into the mic at your death. Or your cheers when you won.

His days were plagued by you.

It wasn’t as though a specific object or thing reminded him of you.

Nothing connected with you.

In his eyes, you shouldn’t be special to him.

Hell, you shouldn’t even be interesting to him. He has even said to one of his closest friends that when they get boring, he’d drop them.

But you.

You were normal.

You weren’t the prodigy volleyball player who could spike higher than anyone. You weren’t the genius setter who had hair like a rooster.

You blended into the crowd, you weren’t special.

At least that’s what he saw other people think about when they talked about you.

To him you were special. Why? Till this day he couldn’t find out.

But it was that curiosity that piqued his interest in you.

It was that same averagely beautiful that made him reply to your messages every time you’d chat.

It was that same odd fascination that landed him in this situation.

~

“That’s bullshit!”

The corners of his lips slightly turned upwards. “You shouldn’t have picked Yasuo.”

“Shut the fuck up. I’m respawning soon.”

You said, frustratingly clicking away at your mouse and keyboard beside him. You on his bed playing on your laptop whilst he on his table playing on his PC.

Was it your foul language that drew him close?

There was no way. A lot of gamers acted like you. It was almost a trademark for gamers to rage and curse.

“Behind YOU!!!” his eyes quickly refocused back at the game and killed whoever tried to sneak up on him.

You scoffed. “What’s gotten you blanking out?”

“You.”

He said without even pausing to think.

You, even whilst already knowing how straightforward he was with people he was comfortable with, still got flustered.

You felt heat rise to your cheeks and opted to ignore the comment and continued playing.

“Well,” clearing your throat, you spoke again, “Focus on the game. I want to win.”

There was a satisfying feeling in Kenma’s chest when he found you to be flustered. He grinned ear to ear, only half focusing on his game.

Maybe it was how cute your reactions were to his remarks. But there were so many people out there who would make those same reactions just to get his attention.

The match ended in a flash.

Your team won.

You cheered and went off to hug him from the back. Leaving a small kiss on the top of his head before making your way back to the bed.

He turned his chair to look at you.

That aching feeling in his stomach coming back again. Just like how he felt when he first got to know who you were.

You weren’t a personality on streaming websites, nor were you a celebrity in the gaming world.

He got to know you as you.

To others, it might not be as special. After all, you didn���t exaggerate your reactions like you usually would. Nor did you use a few make-up products to make yourself look more presentable on screen.

He got to know you as the raw, average, normal, human being you.

And he liked that.

He liked that he didn’t feel like he needed to hide from you.

He liked that he didn’t feel like anything he’d say would weird you out.

Because you’re you.

In his mind, there wasn’t any kind of explanation about why he loved you.

He just did.

“You’ve been staring at me with those cat eyes of yours for ten minutes. Are you ok??”

He didn’t respond.

How could he? How could he explain how much he loved you in words when he could barely form it in his mind?

Instead, he stood from his chair and stalked his way over to you. Setting your laptop aside and opting to pull both of you inside the covers and cuddle.

“Hmmm. You look like you’ve got something to say.” Intuitive as always.

He knew you could read people like a book. As plain as a person may be, your intuition soared above the rest.

Perhaps that was the special thing about you.

Or perhaps, “Everything about you is special.”

He accidentally spoke the rest of his thoughts out. But instead of you getting flustered or confused like he’d thought you would. You beamed.

A bright smile decorated your face. Both your hands wrapped around his torso and squeezed him tight. “You idiot. You’re more special than me.”

He won’t listen to you undermining yourself just to compliment him. “I can’t put it into words you know.” He started, “How much I love you. I can’t put it into words. Any time I think about it, everything would just go blank in my head.”

“The only thing there would be flashes of memories we shared together.” He gazed into your eyes.

It was normal.

But perfect.

“I’m fine with being the romantic one in this relationship.” You smiled back at him and nuzzled your head closer to his chest.

Slowly dozing off to a small nap.

He found his answer-

He loves you not because of how your voice was more beautiful than the rest, nor was it because of anything unique about you.

He loved you because everything about you was perfect. To him.

Even your flaws were perfect.

To him, you’d be the only perfect person in the world.

🖤❤️🖤

[thenovelartist]

Burned Beginnings, Chapter 8

<<Previous  Next>>  

22. Anniversary

“Happy three month, one week, and four day anniversary!”

Marinette snorted, hanging her head instead of looking up to see him. “We are not doing that, are we?”

“Yup!” Adrien said, beaming.

With a sigh, Marinette looked back up at him, an accepting smile on her face. “And why, pray tell, are we celebrating this specific anniversary?”

Adrien gave his best pout. “Because it’s been almost three weeks since we’ve been able to have a date and I miss you.” The bakery had been busy the last couple weeks, packed with longer lines than normal and more special orders. Sadly, this meant he hadn’t been able to spend time with Marinette, and their attempt last week to get together ended up with them falling asleep in the middle of Fruits Basket.

Which attested to just how tired they were, because that was really hard to do in the middle of season three!

He supposed a nap date where she’d laid huddled against his chest while he snuggled her wasn’t a bad thing. On the contrary, it had been one of the best naps he’d ever had. But still, it wasn’t quite what he’d label as a date.

“Has it been that long?” Marinette questioned, her brow furrowed. “I feel like the days have all blended together lately.”

“Yeah. Our last official date was when we went out for breakfast and then around the park before coming back and working that first chaotic night shift.”

“Oh yeah,” Marinette said, eyes brightening in realization. “I totally forgot about that.”

“How could you forget me?” Adrien pouted.

“Easily,” Marinette sassed back with a wink.

He theatrically grasped at his chest above his heart. “Ouch, ice princess. You put Elsa to shame.”

She leveled a flat look at him.

“Oh? Does the princess wish I’d let it—”

“You’ve been banned. Good bye.”

“Wait, wait,” he cried, quickly catching the door before she could slam it in his face. “Come on, that was funny.”

“That joke is already dead. Don’t continue to beat the dead horse.”

“But it’s still relevant.”

“No. No, it’s not.”

He pouted, shooting her with his best pair of puppy dog eyes he could manage.

“I don’t care how cute you are.”

“Ouch,” he said, smile growing. “That was a cold one, princess.”

“Yeah, and don’t you forget it,” she said with a smirk.

“I won’t,” he assured. “Now, may the lovely royal princess of the bakery deign me worthy of entry into her humble abode?”

“You are such a dork.”

“Your dork.”

“My amusing peon.”

“Ouch!”

Giggling, she opened the door, letting him in.

Adrien happily walked in to the house that had become his second home. “So, for our anniversary, you want to go grab an ice cream on this nice day?”

Marinette frowned. “Actually, I’m really not up for going anywhere.”

“Oh? Are you not feeling we—”

He stopped, his eye catching the plastic Marinette had wrapped around her left arm. More accurately, catching sight of what was underneath the plastic.

She grinned, looking down at what looked like a fresh tattoo. “Yeah. Guess you could say that, but supposedly, that’s pretty typical.”

“Yeah, it is,” Adrien said, walking over to her so that he could examine the design better. “Mine hurt for days.”

“You have a large cat that wraps around your entire forearm. I don’t have anything that big.”

It wasn’t too big, but it was pretty. A few ladybugs sitting on some swirly flowers, a design that took up half of her inner forearm. The design was only about a quarter the size of his, but it felt very similar design-wise, each having an animal in a colorful, misty background that he believed was referred to as a watercolor affect. Hers was just pink compared to his green.

“It looks great,” he eventually said. “And really suits you.”

She grinned. “Thanks. And now, we match.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, look.” With that, Marinette bounced over to his right side, same side he had his tattoo on, before sliding her left hand into his right. “See? You’re the bad luck cat, and I’m the good luck ladybug. We match.”

Adrien stared at their conjoined hands, his eyes slowly drifting up to where his tattoo and hers met. “You got a tattoo… to match me?”

Marinette grinned. “Maybe it’s a little early for ‘matching couple tattoos, but I thought ‘why not?’ I’ve always liked your cat tattoo, so I planned out what I wanted to get so that we could match. I got yesterday after work, and since it’s the beginning of my ‘weekend’, I have time to just relax and let it heal.”

Adrien stared at it, his grin widening. “It suits you.”

“Thank you.”

“You know what this means, though, right?”

Marinette cocked her head. “What does it mean?”

“It means…” he drew out, leaning closer to her with a grin on his face. “You’re stuck with me forever, now that we have a couple tattoo.”

With a grin of her own, she leaned in closer, her nose just a centimeter from his. “Not until I get a ring.”

Without any hesitation, Adrien reached into his pocket. This was just intended to be a gift that he saw that made him think of her. One he impulsively bought one day going home from work. The tag said it was for the right hand.

But at the moment, he could think of no better place to put it than sliding it on her left ring finger right then and there.

“There you go. You’re mine now.”

Marinette froze, staring at the ring for a moment before chuckling awkwardly at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

Adrien knew why she felt so awkward. He did to. It had taken too long to realize for his head to catch up to his actions, and when it did, he himself had froze.

What did he just do?

It wasn’t like he didn’t want to marry her. On the contrary, he had actually already talked with her parents, gotten a blessing from her father, her ring size from her mother, and had ordered a ring last night. He’d planned out just how he was going to propose to her. It was going to be during a perfect date with dinner and candles and a chance to let her dress up. Basically, the whole shebang.

And here he was, proposing with an inexpensive cat ring.

Actually, he realized he hadn’t proposed at all. He’d just stuck the ring on her finger and called it good.

He had to fix this. He had to get his mouth to formulate words first.

“I… I mean…”

Great, his face was red, Marinette was waiting for a well-deserved answer, and he was incapable of giving it to her.

“Adrien, you are not serious.��� Her words came out flatly, but Adrien knew her well enough to hear the undertone of panic in them

“Um…” he fought hard for the words that came to him next. “About marrying you? Yes. Absolutely. Without a doubt, I’d chase you to the ends of the earth to make you mine. About this ring being the engagement one, though, no. Most certainly not.”

“You are not serious,” she repeated, her voice weaker than before while her knees began to bend as though she might collapse. Tears began welling in her eyes, and Adrien was growing nervous.

“I’m sorry!” Adrien finally got out, panicked. “I had something so much better planned out, and I definitely should have thought that through—”

“I’m not talking about that, you stupid idiot!” she cried. In a flash, she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung tight. “That was so unromantic and I shouldn’t have expected anything less from you.”

By now, Adrien could hear the tears in her voice, but considering the way she clung to him, she wasn’t too mad about this poorly planned out engagement. “Yeah, it will be one for the books,” he surrendered, hugging her back tightly. “But, is that a yes?”

She nodded, clinging to him tighter. “You’re such an idiot.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said with a sigh, the tension leaving his body. “But you’re okay with that, right?”

She sniffed. “Yeah,” she admitted. “Unfortunately, I’m a little too okay with that.”

Adrien just chuckled. “I’ll take it.”

 23. Sunset

Marinette looked at the little black kitty ring on her finger. Under normal circumstances, it signaled that she was engaged.

In her case, it signaled she was engaged to an idiot.

“I still can’t believe I did that.”

Marinette chuckled at the blonde man beside her hanging his head in his hand. At the moment, they were finishing up their impromptu date of actually getting the ice cream Adrien had wanted to get last weekend before staying out the rest of the afternoon and finding a spot to grab dinner. But dinner had ended and they hadn’t wanted to hog the table at the restaurant, so Adrien was escorting her home. However, as per usual, neither wanted to part, hence why they were procrastinating their parting on a bench in the park while they watched the sunset.

“Can’t get more spontaneous of a proposal than that,” she teased. Shockingly, she didn’t mind it, though. Adrien looked like he hadn’t even realized what he’d done until after he did it. The horror on his face still shone clear in her memory, bringing a grin to her lips. It really would be one for the books.

But still, he’d made it clear that he earnestly wanted to marry her, and in the end, that’s all that mattered to her.

“You have to know I meant it!” he cried, looking up to her with a faint blush on his cheeks. “I just… did not think that through.”

“At least you’re pretty.”

“Hey, I am plenty bright!”

“Really? Because I think a few bulbs need to be changed in your attic.”

“Says the crazy woman who not only accepted that proposal but is still wearing the cat ring.”

She sniggered. He had her there. “Well, I guess I’m a sucker for honestly.”

Adrien shook his head, a bemused smile on his face. “I’m glad that part came through, at the very least.”

Looking over at the man next to her, Marinette couldn’t help but feel happy. Botched proposal and all, she didn’t mind it one bit. They would always be a little chaotic, they’d always have their back-and-forth banter, but they’d also always have each other’s backs and ultimately would always be each other’s biggest support. The proposal just felt par for their course.

Plus, it would not only make for great stories but great teasing fodder, and Marinette was always down for anything that gave her the upper hand.

“Hey,” she said, voice earnest as she reached out to grab his hand. “Just so you know, I’ll probably never let up teasing you about it.”

He huffed in amusement. “I would think there was something seriously wrong with you if you did.”

“But,” she finished, “I am still very happy.”

His smile turned soft, and Marinette thought she might as well melt right then and there. “Well, I’m glad about that,” Adrien said, raising her hand to his lips so he could kiss her knuckles. “But there is definitely one thing I have to fix.”

Marinette quirked a brow, confused for a second before realizing what he was referring to. “The ring?” she asked, wiggling her left ring finger. “Because I’m not gonna lie, I would like an actual one.”

“Yeah? Well how about this one?” That’s when Adrien slid off the park bench, getting on one knee before her and reached into his pocket. Biting her lip to withhold a girlish squeal, Marinette found that she really didn’t care what the ring looked like.

But she wasn’t going to lie, the stunning blue sapphire he presented her with was freaking gorgeous.

“I know diamonds are traditional,” he said, tugging her left hand closer to him. “But you’re not some average girl. I didn’t think something like that would suit you. Marinette, I would like to apologize for not doing this right the first time, but I’m so grateful that you accepted anyway. I’m so thankful to have you in my life, so much so that I want you to stay by my side as my life-long partner. So with this ring, I’ll ask you properly this time. Marinette, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Marinette felt the tears prickling her eyes. It was such an easy question, and yet, getting the word to roll of her tongue was difficult. She nodded fervently. “Yes!”

With a grin, Adrien took off the kitty ring and replaced it with the one glittering in his hand. Once he did that, she threw her arms around his neck, clinging tightly to him just as she had the first time he proposed.

There were a few cheers and a round of applause from the people around them, but Marinette couldn’t care less. For better or worse, she was going to marry this idiot.

She couldn’t ask for anything better than that.

 24. Balcony

Adrien stood out on his tiny balcony, looking up at the stars and purposefully ignoring his phone.

More specifically, the message his father had left him.

It’s been over a year. The message said. What are you doing with your life now?

Good question.

Adrien sighed, his eyes shutting as he hung his head. Well, he was still working at Tom and Sabine’s bakery, and honestly, he was pretty happy with that. He got to work with people he loved doing something that he did find enjoyable. He never really fancied himself to be the creative type, but finding himself in the kitchen while crafting desserts and making bread had brought more joy into his life than modeling ever had. On top of that, he was getting married. He thought that was a good accomplishment.

But he knew it wouldn’t be good enough for his father.

He heard his phone buzz again and groaned. The last thing he did was want to answer it.

What would I even say? He thought, rubbing his forehead in a vain attempt to relieve the growing stress headache.

Unfortunately, he was too curious for his own good. And that curiosity won out over his reluctance.

He walked inside to where he’d left his phone sitting on the bed side table. Bracing himself, he tapped the screen, only for all tension to instantly drain form his body upon learning it wasn’t a text from his father but rather from Marinette.

You want to go do something tomorrow?

He smiled, collapsing back onto his bed with a smile. Of course he wanted to do something tomorrow. What, he didn’t know, but didn’t really care, either. They always had fun together whatever they did.

He opened the text and started a reply before stopping and deciding to give her a call instead.

“Hey, hot stuff,” she said. He could hear the flirty grin on her face. “Missed the sound of my voice?”

He grinned. “Yeah. Guess you could say that.”

There was a pause on the other side of the line. “Something wrong?” she asked, all teasing gone from her tone.

Adrien sighed. “My father.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, you know, he kicked me out and now is wanting to know what I’m doing with my life.”

He heard her scoff over the phone. “Really?”

“Yeah, but I don’t really want to talk about that right now,” he said. “Right now, I just want to hear your voice.”

“Oh? What do you want to talk about then? My thoughts on that new anime you showed me?’

He chuckled. “You could talk about the weather and I’d be cool with it.”

“Well,” she began in a smooth voice. “Tonight’s forecast includes clear skies with no stars due to light pollution. A light breeze blows through the city tonight towards the Eiffel tower, whatever direction that is. It is an undetermined temperature, but comfortably cool enough to be outside in a short sleeve tee-shirt. How’s that?”

Adrien could feel his worries ease away at the sound of her voice, her sass, spunk, and sarcasm still coming through even through her calm tone. He really loved this woman and was the luckiest guy alive to be marrying her. “It’s perfect.”

[itsthemoofacewriting]

It’s heaven in your arms - Chapter 2

Welcome back!

You guys, I was so nervous posting this and everyone’s been so lovely ;_;

I don’t know if anyone picked up on it, but my title has two meanings. One, because it’s a bed sharing trope and two, because Ace died in Luffy’s arms. I’m a monster, I know.

Summary: It may have been two years since Ace’s death but, for Luffy, sometimes it still felt like just yesterday. Or, sometimes, something beautiful can blossom from a place of hurt. Raining: K+ 

You can also find this on AO3 and FFN. 

Enjoy!

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

But when he’d shot her those excited puppy eyes and asked if they could have another sleepover, she’d found herself caving. Even more so when the thought cropped into her head that maybe he was asking because he was struggling. She’d rather know where he was if he was going to be upset than worry about him being all alone out on the deck.

She’d raised an eyebrow when Luffy had arrived with Zoro in tow but that had been quickly snuffed out when he’d smugly said, “A one-time thing, huh?”

From there on the second time turned into a third time and then a fourth and now she’d lost count of how many times this had happened. It wasn’t every night, mind you, as they all had watches and if one of them couldn’t be there, then it was an unspoken rule that the others would sleep separately. Although she couldn’t be sure that Luffy and Zoro didn’t in the men’s room, but she’d seen those bunks and they’d never mentioned it.

The point was, it’d turned into a routine that no one blinked an eye at, and she’d even got them bathing regularly because there was no way either of them were getting in without being clean.

She’d also never slept better than she did when she had those two in her bed, piled in whichever way they found themselves throughout the night. Luffy liked to be the big spoon, which was something she felt like she shouldn’t know but did, he almost insisted on it even as he climbed in first and took an end. It was a funny sight when Zoro ended up in the middle, his hulking figure being cuddled up to by Luffy. The person on the other end was hardly left out when he stretched his arm to curl around them. It was like he was trying to keep them all close.

When they weren’t being spooned by Luffy, another favourite was when Zoro would lay on his back, an arm thrown out either side and she’d naturally gravitate towards him until her head was on his chest or tucked into his shoulder. His beefiness made a nice pillow, something Luffy must have agreed with as he normally mirrored her on the other side.

She’d stopped being flustered by all of this long ago, it was easy to get over when they did it all the time and neither said anything about it.

She did, however, question whether it was right that she had a preferred sleeping preference with the both of them and that she was ranking them.

.

.

.

Nami was sunning herself on her lounger, it was a pleasant day with the sun out, the ocean still and the background noise of Luffy, Chopper and Usopp running around in the distance. Footsteps approaching caught her attention only to see Robin making her way over, two drinks in hand that must have come from Sanji and a third arm holding a book. She greeted the other woman silently, turning her head to smile at her before facing the sun again and closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth on her skin.

There truly was no better way to spend the day-

“My invitation to your little sleepovers must have got lost in the mail.”

Nami was ripped from her peace as she gaped, feeling heat flush through her body at this finally being acknowledged. She shot a nervous look at Zoro who was sleeping only a few feet away from her sun lounger against the railing. Just because he looked like he was asleep, didn’t mean he was, but when he didn’t move or twitch or give any indication that he might be awake, she let herself relax slightly.

And focus back on the woman next to her still staring her down for an answer. Even though it was a statement, she felt the need to explain herself.  

“No- Robin! It isn’t… like that?” She could almost feel the ghost of Luffy’s breath against her skin and Zoro’s arm wrapped around waist, an unwelcome reminder to contrast her words.

Robin hummed, a look in her eye that told Nami she didn’t buy it. “You three looked adorable all cuddled up this morning.”

Of all the ways she thought she was going to die throughout her life, at the hands of Arlong, dropping from Skypiea or on Whole Cake Island to name a few, she never imagined this would be it. Embarrassed to death.

How was she going to explain that this had started with comforting Luffy and snowballed into whatever the hell they were doing now.

She didn’t have to either as Luffy came barrelling over with a chirp of “Nami!”, unaware of their conversation or her embarrassment only to make it worse by squeezing himself onto her sun lounger, ignoring how close they were or that he was practically laying over her. He chattered excitedly next to her, telling her about what him, Usopp and Chopper had been doing, at one point using her straw to take a long gulp from her drink and all the while she was very aware of Robin’s eyes on her the whole time.

“It’s sweet. I’m happy for you three,” Robin said as soon as Luffy bounded off after telling her his short story.

He was out of sight soon enough, but her eyes naturally trailed over to Zoro, only to find his eye trained on her already. She couldn’t be sure whether he’d heard what Robin had just said, but the smile he gave her before closing his eye again certainly didn’t help.

It was full of warmth.  

.

.

.

‘It’s sweet. I’m happy for you three.’

Robin’s words replayed in her head, over and over.

The last couple of weeks washed over her. Robin’s words bringing to the forefront how Luffy and Zoro’s behaviour had changed.

Luffy was the first one up in the mornings, unable to wait for either of them to wake up as he heard Sanji bustling around the kitchen and the lure of food too strong that he’d hastily take off, plastering a hurried kiss on the cheek or forehead of whoever was closest. Sure, it’d stunned her at first, but he’d done it to Zoro too and the other man hadn’t even blinked, so she’d let it go. Even if it did take her by surprise each time.

Then it just left Nami and Zoro by themselves to wake up together. He was so casual as he stretched, murmuring out a “mornin’” as he removed his arm from wherever it was laying against her body and it lingered a second too long, brushing against her skin. It was more subtle than Luffy’s gesture, but this was Zoro. It might as well be the same act.

She felt like an elephant in the room needed to be addressed, yet neither of them acted like anything had changed.

Outside the bedroom it changed too.

Where she used to be alone in the library as she drew maps, Zoro would now be napping against her desk or on the sofa, saying how it was quieter in there and because she was so cranky, they wouldn’t be disturbed. Luffy would soon gravitate towards them, asking questions about her maps that he didn’t really listen to the answer to, or he’d go lay his head on Zoro’s lap whilst he slept, a rare moment of calm that would punish them later as he bounded around.

Luffy would find her more often too, clambering over her seat if she was sun lounging or bringing over things that he’d found and deemed ‘cool’. Kind of like how a cat would bring mice to its owner to impress them… not that she was Luffy’s owner.

They still hung out with their other friends, but instead there’d be Zoro’s arm casually thrown over the back of her chair and Luffy at her other side, a hand constantly finding a way to touch her or draw her into his chaos.

Small shifts, so subtle it had taken her this long to piece it together.

It was almost like…

Almost like they were in a relationship. The three of them.

It made her stomach churn, but she didn’t know if it was in a good or bad way, like how it did when she was dreading something or excited.

And then the final puzzle piece slotted into place.

Oh.

She was in a relationship with them. Or at least the early stages but it was all there, for everyone to see and she’d missed it every step of the way. Her thoughts were jumbled. Too many fighting to be at the forefront and how had she not figured this out sooner?

Her mind had been running for hours whilst she was squished between Zoro and Luffy, staring up at the ceiling. It was still dark outside and all she’d done all night was drift in and out of sleep. She had more hours left to sleep, but she couldn’t calm her mind enough for it.

She rolled onto her side to face Zoro, in his sleep Luffy sensed her movement and filled the slither of free space to spoon up behind her, his breath heavy against her neck. She studied Zoro’s profile, from the scar covering his eye, which when he slept like that she couldn’t tell if he was awake, to the strong line of his nose, the normal severe expression softened in his sleeping state. Even when he slept on the deck, he didn’t look that relaxed, this was something privy to her and Luffy.

There was no way around it. She was attracted to him, and she couldn’t deny looking down at his lips a few times recently as he spoke. They looked dry, like he needed a good slather of lip balm over them, but she it didn’t stop her from entertaining the thought of pressing her lips against his. Luffy’s on the other hand, looked softer and she wondered if the texture was the same as his skin, still soft like human skin but there was a hint of resistance, of elasticity there. She was attracted to Luffy too, his carefree grin and contagious enthusiasm. How weir-

What she wasn’t expecting was for Zoro to suddenly stretch and stir, making a noise of contentment before he rolled over to face her and she didn’t have the sense the clamp her eyes shut in time. She stared back into a lone grey eye.

“Y’alrigh’?” Zoro slurred out, still caught in the grasp of sleep as he settled into his new position.

“Yeah.” She sounded too awake for how early it was and too vacant, unsure, that it caught his attention.

“What’s wrong?” More coherent now.

“Zoro… is this not a bit weird?” Luffy’s arm tightened around her, and he snuggled further into her back.

Zoro had already turned to face her, his arm haphazardly thrown over her, but after her question she could feel the shift, how he was looking at her before but now she could tell she had his full attention. He stared at her, all the signs of sleep or tiredness from before gone from his face. His eye was trained on her and it felt like she was being accessed, that he was trying to look through her.

Another second passed until he answered with a shrug.

“I dunno, maybe, but when have we ever done anything by the book?”

He made a good point and when had she ever cared what others thought?

Her silence seemed to make him take a step back, second guessing the intention of her previous question, as he asked, “Do you want to stop doing this?” The arm over her waist lightened, like he was ready to remove it at a moment’s notice and if she thought she was being accessed before, it was nothing compared to now. His gaze scrutinizing, flittering around her face for any sign of discomfort.

She considered it for a second but the thought of going back to an empty bed permanently made her ache. There’d be no whispering as they tried to go off to sleep, no elbows digging her in the night, no snoring in her ears and it wouldn’t be like an oven all the time with their combined body heat. It’d be cold and silent.

It sounded awful.

“No,” she whispered and Zoro’s arm rested back over her body like before, palm splayed across her waist and squeezing slightly, like he was encouraging her to continue. “But what if- what if this…” ‘doesn’t work out’, She wanted to say.

It didn’t matter, he was on the same page. “This is Luffy we’re talking about. And it’s me.”

He was telling her to trust them. Trust that this would all be okay regardless of the outcome because it was them, and they’d been through hell and back with each other since the very beginning.

And she did, the instinct flaring up instantly to calm her down.  

“Yeah, okay,” she agreed, body relaxing and mind going blissfully silent with that little piece of reassurance.

“Good, then go to sleep, you’re gunna wake up cranky otherwise.”

He was pushing his luck, but she’d let it slide right now mainly because one, she didn’t want to wake Luffy (he was almost as bad as a baby when woken) and because he’d just been very sweet just then, in his own gruff way. And she was feeling generous.

A moment after closing her eyes there were warm lips pressing against her forehead and she sensed a slight hesitation there before they were gone. She cracked her eye open to look at him, but his eye was clamped shut stubbornly, pretending that he hadn’t done anything. There was no mistaking the blush on his cheeks though.

In the morning, when Luffy performed his routine of frantically jumping out of the bed to chase Sanji to the kitchen, he placed his usual hurried kiss on her cheek but this time around, she leaned into it with a smile on her face.

.

.

.

Since that night, things had changed. Everything seemed easier, casual touches that she no longer overthought and, if anything, she leaned more into them.

All of it felt more natural but then maybe that was because she’d relaxed.

Like déjà vu, Nami was on her sun lounger the next day. The hot weather from the day had simmered down into a mild evening and she was making the most of the quiet before they did it all over again tomorrow. Robin was next to her too, reading with the little light naturally left, she’d be moving indoors soon to carry on.

Nami’s eyes stung a bit, from the lack of sleep the night before and she hadn’t napped, but she felt lighter after last night. So much so that she confessed, “I’m in a relationship with Luffy and Zoro.”

Robin stopped reading and turned to smile at her patiently. “It would appear you are, are you happy about it?”

“Yeah,” she said, feeling her cheeks go rosy. “We can make arrangements though, it’s your room too,” she added as an afterthought.

“As long as it stays pg, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

She spluttered, her previously rosy cheeks turning red as it spread hotly across her face and down her neck. She’d only just wrapped her head around the fact she was in a relationship with them, she couldn’t even think about that yet.

“Besides, I believe I have somewhere else to sleep tonight.”

Robin looked over her shoulder and Nami peered behind her to see Franky walking off to his workshop.

Oh.

Nami’s grin turned teasing, it was only fair with what she’d had to put up with recently, except her fun was interrupted by Luffy calling from the women’s room stopped her in her tracks, Zoro poking his head out of the frame to grunt at her. Honestly, as if it wasn’t her room.  

“I believe you’re being called for by your boyfriends,” Robin teased, twinkle in her eye.

“This isn’t over!” Nami pointed her finger at her.

“I didn’t doubt it.”

She crossed the deck, on her way to her room when the thought from last night popped into the forefront of her mind and how she could actually act on it now.

Zoro’s mouth opened when she appeared in the doorway, no doubt something snarky about her being the last one present but she couldn’t hear it over the blood thumping in her ears.

She marched over to them on the bed, a woman on a mission and Luffy looked at her curiously until he yelped as her hands cupped his face and brought him into a kiss. He hesitated for a second until his hands gripped her arms and his lips responded in kind. Whilst it was clear he lacked experience, enthusiasm dripped from the kiss and it more than made up for it as his lips moved eagerly against hers. She angled her head, encouraging him to do that same and trying to keep up with the frantic pace he was setting, all the while batting down a smile. It was him all over, joyful and chaotic and she didn’t know if she’d ever get enough of it.

They pulled apart and there was a split second of relief in his eyes, like maybe he thought this moment was never coming, before it was trampled by his excitement, and he beamed at her.

“You want one too?” She teased, looking over at Zoro, eyebrow raised in challenge.  

Zoro’s response was a heavy palm on the back of her neck that had them both leaning in, over Luffy, to meet in the middle for a kiss much different from hers with Luffy. Zoro’s pace was slower, more thorough as he took his time against her lips, yet it was firm. He had a bit more knowledge, he was surer in himself, and it showed as she sunk into the kiss, for once letting herself be led. She enjoyed it just as much and she knew she’d relish taking her time to pull apart the differences between them, savouring the way they both made her feel.

A daring swipe of her tongue across his bottom lip and then they broke apart, Luffy in the background demanding another kiss when Zoro smugly said, “Took you long enough.”

He wouldn’t look so smug when she pushed him off the bed tonight.            

Luffy’s pleas weren’t ignored when Zoro said, “Captain,” to capture the other boy’s attention and tugged on his vest to kiss him and it made her feel warm, a flutter in her stomach because whilst she wasn’t a part of the kiss, she was a part of them. The three of them.

Luffy looked dazed and then elated when they broke apart, grin splitting his face and there was a glint in his eye that told her more kisses would be demanded before they went to sleep.

She’d get changed and brush her teeth before getting in bed, maybe check that both of them have done that already because she didn’t remember smelling or tasting mint on their breath, when something caught her eye.

There was a space in the middle for her already.

And she smiled; her boys.

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

It’s been a while since I’ve had a fic practically write itself, I’ve missed that.

Luffy and Zoro may be idiots most of the time, but they’re both emotionally smart, it’s been shown time and time again. Nami, on the other hand, is in some cases but she’s also a bit of a worrywart too. So yeah, they kinda eased Nami into what was developing because they didn’t want to freak her out.

As always, please excuse any errors.  

If you got this far, thanks for reading, it means a lot.

[tanyawritesstories]

Frozen Hopes | The Mandalorian x Reader

This is part 3 of the Frozen Series I have going. At the current point of me publishing this chapter, I'm almost done writing the entire series. I hope y'all are enjoying so far. If you think it's boring right now, trust me, it picks up 😉 enjoy!!

Series Masterlist

Word count: 3.9K

Warnings: fluff, feelings 😱, Din's unique way of parenting, more fluff, the kids are adorable

•••

He had never seen anyone in such awe just from the lights of hyperspace. (Y/N) was still in the cockpit, holding Mandi, and it appeared she hadn't taken her eyes off the viewports since he went down into the hull to look for something. "Don't get dizzy," he said, startling her.

It's been so long since I was in hyperspace. I forgot how hypnotizing it was.

Din hummed and took his seat in front of the controls. "It can be nice sometimes," he mused. They sat in silence for a bit, both just gazing out as millions of stars whizzed by. A hand was placed on his arm and he looked over his shoulder to see her standing with Mandi, awake and looking around, in her arm. She signed that she was going to get some rest and he nodded. “Do you want me to take her?” Y/N thought for a second and nodded, passing Mandi to him. Din had given Y/N permission to touch or tap him if she needed his attention to tell him something, since she couldn't use her voice.

Mandi had just woken up from a nap and was not going back to sleep anytime soon. It was up to him to keep her entertained. Luckily, Y/N had left a couple toys on her seat, Din reached back and grabbed one. It was a badly designed version of a Tooka cat, even if it didn’t look the greatest, he could tell she made it with love. He dangled it above her and wiggled it, a big smile came to Mandi’s face and she reached her little arms up for it. Din tickled her face with it before letting her have it. She put the toy in a small death grip, taking a hold of his finger along with.

He smiled, tickling her chin affectionately with his other hand. Mandi let go of the toy and instead held onto Din’s leather-clad finger. He let her pull his finger towards her mouth. “Why do you like my fingers so much?” He wondered aloud. He pulled his finger away from her, causing her to whine until he replaced it with a toy. “If you want to suck on something, suck on your own fingers."

All of a sudden the Razor Crest was jolted out of hyperspace and was floating slowly through space. Din sighed. Totally not worth the 1,000 credits. He cradled Mandi in his arms while he got out of his seat. He took a small panel off the wall behind the ladder and, when shining his light, could see wires smoking at the very back of the small space.

“Y/N!” He called. He heard her footsteps on the hull and looked down to his right, seeing her at the bottom of the ladder. “Could you bring the kid up here please?” She nodded and scurried away, coming back with the kid in her arms, cooing and inquisitive. “Come up here, I need your help too,” he said. She clumsily made her way up the ladder. “Ok you take her,” Din swapped Mandi for his little womp rat, “I need his help with this.”

He instructed her on what switches and buttons to press and when as his little one clambered into the hole. Y/N watched with a questioning gaze as Din attempted to instruct his son on how to fix the electrical problem. After watching with an amused expression, she turned the pilot’s chair around to face the controls in order to do some troubleshooting of her own. Her concern spiked when she heard and smelled wires burning. She whipped the chair around and saw smoke billowing out of the hole. Din sighed and she knelt down next to him, clunking her head against his helmet as she looked into the hole to make sure that the child was ok.

The little green kiddo coughed once and looked back at both of them, appearing to be just a little shook up. “You okay?” Din asked, the child whining adorably in response. Y/N sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging as she let the tension seep out of her muscles. She and Din turned to look at each other, only now realizing that they were only inches apart.

Din sucked in a breath as he took in the details of her face. She smiled warmly at him, unbothered by how close they were. There was something so intimate about being this close to one another, even though he had his helmet on. The way she looked at him made him feel like she could see into the deepest parts of his soul, like she could see him through the helmet. There was no judgement or rejection in her eyes, only welcoming love and peace. He wanted to beg her to share it with him, to reach into her soul and take out some of the light and innocence and fill himself with it.

She lifted her hand up, just holding it there for a moment before slowly reaching towards him. Towards his helmet. He didn’t stop her, he didn’t want to. Why did he feel like this? Her fingertips grazed the beskar where his cheek would be, simply feeling the metal against her skin. Her smile widened and she drew her hand away. She was merely curious. It brought back memories, one specifically from his time on Sorgan. Omera. He remembered her, how she had wanted him to stay and tried to remove his helmet. He hadn’t let her, he’d wanted to at the time, but at the last minute he stopped her. He was scared then, evidently he still was now. He knew he couldn’t stay with Omera then because of the kid, and he would’ve had to stay put.

With Y/N, she was going with him and would be for quite some time. He couldn’t escape his feelings this time, or find some way to run from them. Mandi had already captured his heart and now Y/N was too. It was dangerous and Din didn’t like the feeling of not being in control. He shook his head slightly, as if it would expel the emotions he was experiencing. The kid had crawled back to the opening and Din picked him up. “Can you pilot? I’m going down to get some food for me and him,” Din said quietly. She nodded with a smile, standing and taking her seat in the pilot’s chair. He stood and stared at the back of the chair, sighing and making his way down into the hull.

~~~~

“At least this landing was better than the previous two,” Din mused as he leaned against the back of the pilot’s chair. They had finally set down on Navarro. Just from here Din could see how much the city had changed. The market seemed bustling again and all the structures had been rebuilt, it was as if nothing had ever happened. “Let’s go,” he said. Din helped Y/N get Mandi into her chest wrap carrier and he held his child under his arm. Din pressed the ramp release button and it started opening, only to get stuck halfway and refuse to go down any further. He heard her chuckle behind him. And he walked forward, jumping off the end of the jammed ramp to be greeted by Greef Karga and Cara Dune.

“Looks like someone could use some repairs,” Karga remarked. Din greeted his friend with a solid handshake and otherwise silent friendly acknowledgement. Y/N hung back in the shadows at the opening of the ship while Din talked with his friends. She watched as the man and woman both greeted the child as well as his father, they must love the little one too. The thought made her smile, at least this Mandalorian had friends and he wasn’t alone. She found herself suddenly wondering why she cared so much, but it seemed as if she had cared the moment she saw him and his little one. When she first saw him walking into the cantina on Mos Eisley with a dozen and one items strung onto the arm of a speeder bike that he carried on his back.

She watched as the older man called to a couple of mechanics near the city gate before fondly plucking the child from Mando’s grip and talking to him. She smiled and giggled, finding the man’s treatment of the child alike to that of a fun loving uncle. Apparently her presence hadn’t gone completely unnoticed as the man quirked an eyebrow in her direction. “And who might you be?” He asked loud enough for her to hear. She shrunk down a bit, shy. Din turned around and saw Y/N standing in the shadows. “It’s alright, you can come out,” he gently encouraged. She walked to the end of the ramp and sat down, Din reached up and grabbed her legs. She scooted off the edge and into Din’s arms, letting him set her feet on the ground gently.

He put an arm around her back and led her towards Greef and Cara. “This is Y/N,” he introduced. She smiled and waved at them. “Hello, young lady. You been keeping Mando company on his trips?” Karga teased. Y/N smirked and signed ‘a little bit’, Greef looked confused for a second. “She’s mute,” Din explained. Greef nodded in understanding and motioned towards the town. “Come on, I've got a few things to show you,” he said. Before they went anywhere he noticed Mandi, awake and squirming in her carrier. “You’ve got another little one. One wasn’t enough, huh Mando?” He joked. Din tensed a bit but saw how relaxed and happy Y/N looked. Greef turned and started walking into town with Y/N right beside him while Din and Cara trailed a few feet behind.

Cara shot him a knowing glance as they started walking, Din could hear Karga cooing over both children from a few feet in front of them. “Clearly a lot has changed since we last saw you,” Cara said, “a woman, another kid, never pegged you for the family man type.” Din blushed under his helmet, he hadn’t expected people to assume that Mandi was his and Y/N’s child. He was embarrassed but at the same time there was a spark of pride. That he had a woman and two children to protect and care for, it made him feel special. He cursed himself for thinking such things and drove the thought from his mind. “Mandi isn’t mine,” he said. Cara gave him a confused look. “It’s a long story.”

They continued to talk about the bustling town and what improvements had been made to it, how his ship was damaged, and the state of the outer rim. Karga brought them to a stop outside of the old cantina that had been nearly demolished the last time he saw it. They all went inside and Din was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. “A school?” Cara smiled proudly. “Things have changed a lot around here,” she said. Din saw Y/N standing between his friends looking around in awe. “We’re gonna leave the little one here so we can talk business,” Greef said. “Wait, wherever I go, he goes,” Din insisted. Y/N crossed in front of Cara and put her hand on Din’s pauldron. She began signing to him.

I will stay here and keep eyes on both the kids. You go take care of whatever you need to.

Din sighed nervously but he trusted her, her kind smile relaxed him. She gently squeezed his arm reassuringly as Greef set his little one down at one of the desks. Y/N sat down on the stairs at the back of the room and observed the setting before her, taking Mandi out of her wrap and holding her against her chest. “C’mon,” Greef ushered as he and Cara exited. Din lingered for a moment, looking at his child and then at Y/N and Mandi before finally following his friends.

“Seems a lot has changed for you, Mando,” Greef remarked as they walked to his office, “you’ve got yourself a wife and child now, can’t say I expected that from you.” Din blushed again, worse than last time. Thank the Maker for this helmet. He sighed, “she’s not my wife, and Mandi isn’t my baby.” Greef too looked confused and Din figured he had to clear things up. “I hired her to help take care of the kid. She’s also a mechanic and a pilot,” he explained. “Ah, well here we are,” Greef said as they entered his office building. Whatever they needed his help with Din hoped it wouldn’t take long.

~~~~

The mission they needed his help for was much bigger than he thought, which he should’ve seen coming. First they discovered there were more troops than they thought, then it was the fact that the base was fully functional, issues just kept piling on top of each other. They had gotten the main object of the mission over with, that was the easy part, now they had to get out alive. Then they found the room.

At first Din had no idea what he was looking at. What looked like some sort of freakish, alien experiments were encased in tanks with a mysterious blue fluid. It looked like the Imperials were trying to create something, some kind of monster. Din didn’t like it, it made him feel uneasy and he couldn’t shake the feeling that they, as well as Y/N and the children, were in danger.

Listening to that hologram made his blood run cold. For the small amount of time that the Imperials had the child, Maker knows what they might have done. It sounded like they had used his blood to create the horrifying creatures in the tanks, but that couldn’t be, could it? The hologram ended and Din could’ve swore his heart skipped a beat. He didn’t want to believe it. No, Gideon couldn’t be alive, the hologram must be old and it was just sent again recently or it was a duplicate or faked. Even with all the excuses Din tried to come up with for his own mind to believe, deep down he knew it was true. The child was still in grave danger, so was he, and now so was Y/N and Mandi.

He needed to get back to them, they didn’t know they were in danger. He couldn’t let anything happen to them.

~~~~

Y/N sat on the stairs watching the children learn and making sure the child was behaving himself. She had stayed there for a while after Mando had left, she knew it was safe and left for a little bit to buy a few things. She had used up the last of her own money buying food, water, a few tools, and a new set of bottles for Mandi, since her last ones were left on Nexlar. Fortunately, the prices on Navarro were much lower than on Nexlar and after getting the essentials she had enough credits leftover to purchase a small blaster for herself. It wasn’t anything special, a simple DT-22 pistol that happened to have a detachable ascension cable with it.

She was happy with her purchases and everything was in the shoulder bag she had on. She played with Mandi, trying not to make too much noise and distract the other kids from their school work. Everything was going well until Mando burst through the door. She immediately stood and held Mandi close to her, his urgency concerned her. “Are you alright?” He asked. She nodded. “Where’s the kid?” She pointed to the desk where he was still sitting and eating the cookies he stole, content with his mischief.

“We need to go,” Din said. He marched over and scooped the kid and his snacks up into his arms. Y/N tucked Mandi back into her carrier and made sure she had everything she bought.

What’s going on?

“We could be in danger, we’re all getting back to the Crest. Now,” his voice was stern and she knew this was serious. Din tucked the child into his arm, the other he put around Y/N and led her through the city back to the Crest. The two mechanics had just finished with the repairs as the pair walked up the ramp, Y/N pressing the button to close it behind her. Din placed his child in her arms as he climbed up into the cockpit. “I need you all up here and buckled in, this could take some fancy flying,” he called out. Y/N was able to climb the ladder with Mandi strapped to her chest and the other in one arm. She strapped his son into one of the passenger seats before buckling herself into the other one.

Din powered up the ship, it started as good as new. They lifted off and the sound of TIE fighters could be heard getting louder. Y/N clutched Mandi to her chest as Din flew faster. He saw three fighters after the vehicle that he assumed held the rest of his comrades and took off after them, singling out the middle one and shooting it down with precise accuracy. The other two split off in separate directions and he chased the one on the right, ascending straight up after it. They were all forced firmly back in their seats as the Crest climbed higher and higher. The Razor Crest was faster than the TIE fighter and easily caught up, putting it directly in Din’s line of fire. He pulled the trigger and the fighter exploded with a few shots.

He maneuvered around the shrapnel and spun the Crest around, stilling it in the air with its front facing the ground. He saw the last TIE fighter heading straight for him, he flung the power lever forwards and the ship dove right for the oncoming ship. He turned both handles sharply left, sending the ship spinning into several rolls. He could hear the kid giggling from over his shoulder. While Y/N had Mandi held tight to her chest, covering her eyes while she held her own shut. Even with the Crest locked onto, the Imperial pilot still couldn’t hit them. Din pulled the trigger again, hitting his target with only a few missed shots.

The Crest descended from the clouds, victorious. Din slowly let the tension seep from his muscles and he looked over his left shoulder, Y/N had opened her eyes and was now breathing normally again, a relieved smile on her face. “Not bad, huh?” He smiled under his helmet. She chuckled and shook her head, just glad it was over. Din looked over his other shoulder to see his own child. “Right, kid?” His little one looked more green than usual and before Din could figure out why, the child vomited up the blue remains of the cookies he had been eating. “Oh boy..”

Y/N noticed and rummaged about in her pockets for something to clean him up with. Meanwhile Din opened his frequency and Karga’s voice came over his comm system, applauding his flying techniques. Y/N hadn’t found the spare cloth she kept on her to clean Mandi up and before she could do anything else, Din was reaching back and cleaning the kid up with the bottom of his cloak. She looked at him in mild disbelief while he cleaned the kid, and his clothes, off while talking to Karga and flying all at once. He refused Greef’s offer and knew he had to continue on to Corvus without stopping, or else the Imperials might catch up.

As soon as they were steady in space, Y/N unbuckled herself and the kid, inspecting his soiled clothing. She shook her head affectionately and held him on her hip, also noticing the damp and slightly blue stain on the bottom of Mando’s cloak. She smiled, she’d have to clean up both of the boys. She tapped Mando on his arm.

I’m going to get him cleaned up.

“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Y/N climbed down, setting his child on the floor for a moment while she got Mandi situated. She placed her safely on a blanket on the floor, surrounded by a few toys so she wouldn’t get bored while her mother was taking care of the other child. Y/N got some water in a small cup and sat down near Mandi, putting the other kid comfortably in her lap and letting him drink the water to get rid of the undoubtedly nasty taste in his mouth. She grabbed a clean cloth and applied a small amount of cleaning solution to it, getting to work on cleaning the spot on his little coat.

Din set the course for Corvus and climbed down into the hull, seeing Y/N cleaning his son’s coat and face while Mandi wiggled happily on the blanket next to her. He walked over and sat on the other side of Mandi, sweeping his cloak out of the way so he didn’t sit on it. At one point his little one cooed and reached out towards her face, she nuzzled his forehead with her nose, smiling as the child giggled. He whined still and reached towards Mandi, Y/N picked up a toy Mandi wasn’t playing with and handed it to him. It kept him occupied while she finished cleaning his coat.

Din played with Mandi until Y/N set his little one down next to her. He waddled closer to Mandi and reached out to touch her arm. “Be gentle,” Din told him. The child looked up at his dad then back at Mandi, reaching for her again. To their surprise Mandi also reached out towards him, the children’s hands found each other and they awkwardly held hands. Din looked up at Y/N who also looked at him, an amazed look on her face. Mandi seemed to calm down and his little one cooed at her.

What are they doing?

“I don’t know,” Din answered. “Maybe they know they have the same powers.” It had sounded better in his head, when he said it out loud it sounded ridiculous. She nodded, considering the possibility. Din leaned over them, playing with them both with the toys laying around. Mandi whined and her little face scrunched up, Din picked her up and held her, trying to figure out what was wrong. He felt a tap on his elbow.

She’s probably tired, been awake all day.

Din nodded and noticed that Y/N had the end of his cloak in her hand and was cleaning it the same way she had done with the child’s clothes. “What are you doing?” She looked up with an amused expression.

Cleaning your cloak, what does it look like?

She smiled and giggled, clearly joking with him. “It’s always dirty, you don’t have to clean it,” he told her. She shrugged and continued.

I want to.

Was her reply. Din found it strange almost, why would she want to clean his cloak all of a sudden? Unless it was that she enjoyed looking after people and she simply wanted to take care of him too. It didn’t matter, Din sat and watched the kids until she was done cleaning the spot off his cloak. “I’ll pilot first while you rest, then we switch?” He suggested. She nodded and took the kids to get them situated. Din climbed into the cockpit and engaged the hyperdrive. Heading off towards Corvus and their next adventure.

[sly-merlin]

Killing Me - 7 | n.y

pairing : law student!reader + yuta

genre :    angst , mafia au/ arranged marriage au , smut

warnings of this chapter : cursing and mention of a knife.

words :: 6k

summary : “life’s never fair y/n. realise it as soon as you can . it is the only secret for living a regretless life.”                                  

  or              

                       “  curiousity got the cat hitched”

taglist :: (not tagging the old ones because they have read it already bt if u want , lemme know! )  @yiyi4657 @sorrywonwoo @sillywinnergladiator @suhweo @exfolitae @minejungwoo 

@kafenetwork​ @neowritingsnet​

K.M masterlist

k.m 6     k.m 8

*************************************

It was 10 a.m. Not too late! but if someone has a long check list for the day, waking up this late in the morning was obviously not an ideal option. Groaning, you removed the sheets to get ready for a busy Sunday. As much as you didn’t want to tread in that direction, there was only one way out of the room. Keys jingled as you opened the door from inside, mentally thanking Kun for providing you the separate keys for it’d have been impossible to get the little nap that you took after 3a.m.

You were surprised at how door didn’t creak at all when you opened it. Your brows drew together as your eyes darted east and west to find any sign of life but hopefully the door of the other room was closed. You sighed, dragging your feet towards the bathroom.

unconsciously bolting the door, you looked at your reflection in the mirror. Eye bags adorned your deep eyes, cheekbones seeming dull and a bit hollow and all of this has happened in just a week. No matter how comforting the bedding was, the panic had already seeped through your bones when you saw that knife in yuta’s hand. With broken resolve of staying away from them, your anxiety had forced to to call taeyong at midnight, hours after fighting with your thoughts.

“Y/n you need to calm down. I told you already there’s nothing to be afraid of!

“How am I supposed to calm down when he literally threatened me with a knife!” your voice came out in loud whisper.

“He’s just finding a way to control you. I know he might have sounded aggressive but he’s not-

“Aggressive? You are defending that asshole!.... but it shouldn’t be a surprise to me. After all he’s your own kind. I can’t put-

“No y/n. you said yourself he looked drunk! and when I’m telling you you are safe th-

“I don’t think there’s anything to believe. I won’t be surprised if this was just a ploy to kill me in some more satisfactory way.” and you had hung up the phone on him.

After the call, you had realised there were flaws in your accusations towards taeyong but you were not in the wrong here and caring for your own life never counts as overreacting!

Finishing the morning routines, you were about to enter your room to get ready for the day but your feet instinctively led you to the living room.

Knife was gone. But the mark it left was a reminder of the alarms that went off in your head hearing yuta’s words.

You shook your head, deciding to stick to your original plan. Live and leave!

your to do list was not lengthy but still time consuming and luckily you won’t return until eight or nine so maybe you won’t face him today.

Tutoring, returning the boxes and some groceries.

You were recalling everything you had to do as your privilege to delay things was already gone a week ago. Being a senior in the same uni, you were the best option for the juniors, who could teach them the tips and tricks of attempting subjective exams and it was filling your bank account so you were not going to complain about teaching on Sunday as well.

The stack of plastic boxes seemed to be teasing you. There was no Johnny or jaemin, so it’d take atleast two rounds to get those downstairs and moreover you had to spend extra money on the taxi as well.

You whined loudly. The load of glitches in your life was not ending at all.

And all for the courtesy of none other than nakamoto yuta.

*****************************                                        

“I’m back!?” yuta announced his presence in the house in his loud good morning voice. “What’s for breakfast?

“Your favourite!” jungwoo replied cheerfully, tying his shoelaces.

Yuta glanced around finding most of them busy with one task or another but one particular scene going about in the corner of the hallway caught his attention.

“you lost yours! this is mine!” ten was shouting at doyoung, the same so-done-with-everyone look on doyoung’s face and between their hands was a mask that was getting harassed by both of them.

“You haven’t been active since two months, so no chance that this is yours!”

“I just went with you few days ago-

“What the heck are you both jumpy for?” yuta interrupted their bickering. They both stopped instantly, taking in yuta’s appearance. with hair looking like a bird’s nest and clothes all crinkled like he was wearing his sleepwear which he was not!

“Hyung! he is not giving me the mask. Its mine. I can’t go out for mission without it!” doyoung whined pointing at the black face mask aka cover at yuta.

“Since when are you nursing such macho interests doyie?” yuta snickered at doyoung , ten joining as well.

Doyoung gave them a stern look before throwing the mask on ten’s face. “ I’m not going with you anymore” he grumbled before making his way upstairs but stopped midway, pointing towards yuta, “ and I’m telling yong you are here again!” and he ascended upstairs.

“Give him my cover ten.” yuta patted ten’s shoulder but before he could ask or say anything to him, yuta made a beeline for the kitchen.

There in the kitchen, chenle and Kun were already gossiping minus chenle’s screaming, so it was visibly something serious. They both stopped as soon as yuta neared them and he definitely noticed the transition in the mood.

“What you hiding lele?” he asked the boy, settling himself between him and Kun.

Chenle simply giggled in response, his face lighting up yuta’s mood.

“What’s for breakfast?” he curiously asked Kun.

“cereal.” Kun replied.

“What! But jungwoo said it’s my favourite!”

“Yeah. You can definitely have your favourite cereal!” Kun exclaimed, sharing a high touch with chenle who couldn’t stop giggling at yuta’s scrunched nose.

“Don’t you have a mission to attend?”

“Mission? Pfff. why are you calling it that? It’s just a regular deal and why do you smell like...” chenle pretended to sniff yuta before completing his verbal assault. “Like someone poured egg mixture on your head.” kuns eyed widened as he tried his best to control his laughter by pursing his lips.

Chenle let out a high pitched scream as yuta grabbed his neck from behind, chenle’s body squirming under the pressure.

“Don’t you want to live few more years!” yuta playfully warned him, leaving his neck. As soon as he was released, he ran out of the kitchen for his dear life.

“You ain’t being a good father Kun!” Kun shook his head at yuta’s remark and turned towards the coffee machine instead. Yuta on the other side trudged across him to find his cereal box.

“Did jaehyun called you?” Kun asked him.

“He would call me for what now?” yuta backfired pouring the milk into the bowl.

“Taeyong hyung had a message for you but he was a bit busy.”

“Busy my ass. His backyard is always stuck to that ten feet chair. Haven’t you noticed how flat he has become!” he said with mouthful of cereal making Kun chuckle and cough at the same time, the coffee tickling his throat.

“What’s so funny here?” taeyong arrived in the kitchen, his hand poorly covering his yawning.

At the very moment, Kun coughed harder, trying to divert taeyong’s attention. After few more seconds of pretending, he calmed down.

“Done?” yuta asked Kun, smiling at him. Kun frowned at him in response as taeyong watched the exchange amusingly.

Taeyong made his way towards the cabinets to get himself something to eat but yuta circled backwards, blocking him with his long legs, feet now placed at the lower cabinet.

Taeyong glared at him through his hooded eyes. “Go back to your home and let us live in peace!”

“This is my home and I have pledged to not let anyone live in peace, especially you.” yuta replied pointing his spoon at him.

“Not . anymore!” taeyong declared, emphasising each syllable.

“Why are going to the deal in pyjamas? Are you trying to impress someone there? Perhaps li-shan, Taiwanese weapon mogul. But I don’t think you can amaze her without showing your ugly face boss.” yuta jabbed at yong, wiggling his brow at him. But with each word leaving his mouth, he was annoying taeyong more than ever.

“Why not talk about you instead. Let’s explain kun what you did last night hmm!” taeyong brushed his palms together before folding them against his chest. Kun titled him head at his words. He was missing something probably.

“I don’t know what you are talking about yong.” yuta replied calmly but moved his legs to clear taeyong’s path, hoping he would slide away, taking his precious mouth with him.

taeyong that was facing yuta now rotated his body in kun’s direction, addressing him, “our dear yuta welcomed y/n into his life by slamming a knife into the coffee table, telling her to leave the fuck out of his life, all while being under influence of alcohol, which we all know was nothing but a façade.” the composed manner with which taeyong spoke was enough for yuta to break down his frisky mannerisms. He didn’t think you would rant him out to taeyong.

“So she is a whiny baby like our doyoung!”

“This is not what I mean and you know that!” taeyong’s voice rose, staring yuta down with his hands tucked in his pyjama pockets.

“It was a mistake”, yuta tried to explain, threading a hand through his hair, “I was drunk.” he completed quietly.

“Then how did u drive home? Were you drunk and driving?”

“I told you alre-

“Cut it yuta! I’m done hearing your stupid excuses for impulsive actions. Because of you she doubted me! Fucking me! Am I seriously a man of my words or was this all some stupid drama. She thinks I’ve hired you to slaughter her in her sleep! What the fuck, don’t you laugh at me now!” out of nowhere, yuta has started laughing and nobody knew what was so funny to him in the whole conversation.

“I seriously don’t remember anything except the knife part but now I feel like she might have peed her pants yesterday!”

“Bring her here tomorrow and you’ll apologise in front of me!”

Suddenly yuta’s face fell at his order. “No way in hell I’m doing that. And she’s never sitting in my car. ever.” he emphasised, leaving the stool to put dishes in sink.

“Oh wow. Ohkk. Then you are bringing her to the district office tomorrow. For registration. At sharp 9a.m and i don’t need any lame stupid excuses. And she’s sitting in the passenger seat of your car. Or you are apologising to her in front of everyone. A or b. you choose now!” taeyong stated with a flash of authority in his voice. They both eyed each other down as Kun whirled around to leave the negativity. He was done and that too for good.

“I’m going to shower.” yuta announced, rounding the counters to follow Kun but stopped once he reached the door.

“I don’t know what has come over you but I’ve never seen this much hatred in your eyes ever. not for anyone we know. never expected it from you yongie. why it has to be me hmm!”

taeyong’s anger reduced to one of puzzlement as he took in yuta’s word. He raised his hand to stop him but he was gone. Sitting on the stool and resting his head in between his hands, he could sense yuta’s hostility for him. Yuta has always been messing up with his head. That was nothing new. But when did his gamesome disputes got twisted into antagonism, taeyong was unable to find an answer for that. His intentions might not have been bonafide but they were truly far away from the malice yuta was accusing him of. He didn’t hate him. Never had. And never will. But now was not the time to repair their cuts. Because yuta won’t allow him to even try.

***************************************

16:00

“Do you think of all the topics, Mrs. Kang is going to choose double jeopardy?” your junior or student at the moment, asked you in confusion, flipping through the pages of his constitution reference book.

“Yes she would. Definitely. And subjective on that. How many times do I have to repeat! There are just 73 pages of Article 13 on this book. Just pick and choose the precedents and landmark cases and you are done.” you concluded.

Just when you were about to taste your now cold chocolate latte, another one chirped up.

“Can’t we skip some of the civil rights? She gave us an assignment of ex post facto laws instead and we don’t think she’d question us on the topic she didn’t even taught in the first place!”

You suddenly chuckled, resting the cup on the small table. “That’s nothing new actually. For all I know, she has been doing this since she joined fifteen years ago. Topics differ but same pattern follows. She gives an assignment a month before exams, adds the grades as extra credit, imprinting a false presumption through her actions that she’d go in hell if she ever questions from that topic in exams. Everyone is happy that they can skip at least one topic without worrying about it and then boom!!!.She puts that very topic in subjective part. Voila! and everyone’s scores drop.” you sighed looking dramatically at the opposite wall. “But not actually everyone is that naïve so people like me and you actually do the chore of consulting our seniors. And this chain is as old as her career. So do you want to take the risk of doubting me?” you completed looking down at them with furrowed brows.

If words could kill, it’d have been the ones you just threw mercilessly at the young ones right now! They looked like seconds away from passing out. Your own face dropped at their helplessness so instinctively, you assured them.

“Hey! No pressure. You have one of the best guide here so I’ll make sure you ace the civil law!”

Their stiff shoulders relaxed for once in last 3 hours. Another forty five minutes and you would be leaving this small study room. The occasional yawns were not going away by coffee either. You were tired as hell but still had plenty to do. The visit to supermarket was still pending and you were not going to waste your precious money on taxi. Not again. You’d rather travel for an hour by bus to reach your new residence.

You were consumed in your own restless thoughts when the ringing of your phone woke you up.

Yugeom.

“Oye y/n, we are going to itaewon. A new restaurant has opened. At eight. Get ready and I’ll pick you up from dorms.”

no hello. No formalities. He commanded you like you were his junior soldier in a war waiting for his directions to act.

“Slow your roll! I’m busy. I can’t join you today.”

“What are you doing at this hour? Your tuitions ended an hour ago.”

“No. I missed previous sessions so I’m making up for It.” you heard a long sign from other side.

“Ok. So you are only fifteen minutes away from dorms! You can make it. If you say we’ll delay for an hour. How about now?” you cringed at his antics but you had no other option than to burst his hope.

“I’m busy after that. I’ve some grocery shopping to do. I moved out so I’m busy setting everything up.” you deliberately mumbled the last part.

“What the! You moved out. When and why” the happiness in his voice suddenly turned into one of annoyance, “Why is everybody hiding stuff from me these days? Jungkook is busy every other day doing don’t know what! And now you! You changed address and probably I’m the last person to be knowing this!” he huffed at the end.

“I don’t know about kooky but I just took the decision in emergency. And I promise I’ll treat you to bulgogi next time.” your peace offering to him was his favourite food so you knew you were in safer zone. that was the only way you knew. food.

“yeah yeah whatever. Its not like I expect you both to visit my grave or anything. just don’t miss yeong’s birthday. she would chop off your hair.”

“Yeah sure. Now bye. I’m busy.” you hung up with a smile plastered on your face, your students already waiting for you with knitted eyes.

“Oh sorry. What is it?” you apologised for distraction and moved your chair further to take a look at the book.

“Umm what should be the beginning sentence? I promise I’ll get through this, just give me a kick start.”

“Me too! I don’t want any less than an A.”

You rolled your eyes at their competitiveness and their dedication to cling to you for head starters. Last time, you told yourself that you won’t help them with papers next time. But their puppy faces got through you resolves. Every time.

“Doyeon, you can start with the maxim “autrefois convict” and how it is applied in other countries, indirectly giving a comparison with our system. And you!” you continued, concentrating on mingi. “You would give beginning of civil law and how it was admitted in Korea and then explain the article 13 while giving subtle hints about how our system is a bit shitty at this but don’t forget to sugar-coat or Mrs. Kang will make sure your stupid ass never completes law. afterall…Her husband is a judge in the high court !” you advised rather sarcastically, glancing back and forth between them in silence. As they understood the reference, a burst of loud hearty laughter covered the small room before all of you returned to your studies.

*****************************************

9:30 p.m.

Your sneakers squeaked as you dragged your tired body out of the elevator. The apartment ,besides being just few steps away seemed miles away for now. By the strength you were holding and pulling the jute bag up from the floor, you were sure the red marks would be visible by now. Odds were never in your favour these days, but still to save yourself from the wrath of the monster, you had decided to take a longer route instead. Travelling, dinner, shopping, you had turned these everyday jobs into a mission to avoid yuta. But you had forgot about the discomfort that’d be caused by these extra efforts.

So now here you were, wishing the door itself would come and welcome you!

As soon as the door came into sight, you dropped the bag just when your body slumped against it. You groaned again realising chelin is not there to drag your almost dead body inside, so you picked the bag again. 2610 and the entrance was in vision.

As if some sort of warning, three pairs of shoes welcomed you. You took a deep, harsh breath before entering the hallway mutely. You walked straight for the kitchen but were not unnoticed by the two male figures sitting on the couch. Their heads turned like owls when you placed groceries on the counter. yuta and mark. You peeked through your hooded eyes to notice that they were playing some sort of game on the t.v and it wasn’t hard to read that the sour look on their faces was due to your presence in the vicinity.

So you did what you initially intended to! Leaving the bag on the counter, you left for your room but apparently everything has a limit excluding your bad luck.

You turned around ,muffled exhausted moan leaving your pursed lips only to find that the filled jute bag was now halfway empty, little red balls rolling and rolling towards the couches and the little marathon of apples stopped only at mark’s feet. You stood there like a deer caught in headlights until your admirer spoke out.

“That’s not how you feed your guests Mrs. y/n and especially not your husband.” the third man, jaehyun, who was hidden behind yuta till now, voiced his very genuine concern for your manners.

You initially rolled your eyes at his comment, deciding to avoid him as much as possible and removed your backpack to pick up the fruits and candies. But while you were picking up the stuff, a very annoying laughter erupted from the opposite side, definitely from jaehyun so you decided to address him directly.

“Hate to burst your bubble jaehyun, but uninvited guests seldom meets a welcome. so the problem here is maybe not me!” you  gave him a tight lipped smile and started with your scattered groceries again, placing them one by one in the bag again, the jute now balanced nicely to contain them.

“Well I’ve have an official invitation to be a guest here. Anytime I want. So isn’t it your duty to be a good host!” his snarked.

“Oh then someone who can adopt you, can feed you as well! And I’m sure you are in good hands jaehyun ” you only heard a snicker and someone’s shushing voice as the oranges in your hand started to roll out again. You were already frustrated enough to handle jaehyun and now the oranges were not cooperating either.

You started collecting them again when a pair of legs shadowed you.

“Wait I’ll do it!” mark said sheepishly, his hands already holding the other apples.

“It’s ok”

“You are wobbling. Lemma help.” mark gestured towards the fruits ,  fixing his glasses with his knuckles.

“Thanks” you merely mumbled as he filled and picked the bag only to place it in the corner of the further counter, secured properly.

After he was done, you thanked him again before picking your bag to leave for room.

“y/n don’t play the ‘lets catch criminals’ game in your sleep, who knows you might not wake up from the trauma of the consequences.” he shouted at you, chuckling along the way.

You were sure if frustration and idiocy had a face, jaehyun surely matched them perfectly.

“登録事務所。明日。 9時に”

Your mouth hung open as you stopped with the hand on the knob, trying to decipher what he said but obviously it was of no use. You didn’t know any Japanese so you just shut the door behind.

Loud laughs and yelling disturbed your sleep and that continued till 11p.m and after multiple trips to bathroom, you were able to rest a bit.

And one more thing you noticed during your frequent visits, yuta had officially moved in as your roommate.

*****************************

Turning off the alarm, you hid your face further into the summer sheets. The night was a bit peaceful as compared to the ones you have been experiencing lately but in no way blissful. You missed your small single dorm bed, your comrade in the battles of stress. The rooster alarm had woke you up at 6 but for every student, the desire to be in the embrace of bed swells on the day called Monday. Reluctantly, you rubbed your eyes, sitting on the edge of the bed. But as you beheld the sight with squinted eyes, a smile crept on your face, your legs taking you towards the balcony. As you opened the sliding door, the warm of the morning sun welcomed you, making you close your eyes at the feeling.

After staying there for a few moments, you decided to get ready as the university was now actually too far away for anyone’s liking and you were supposed to attend the lecture of Intellectual property law at 9 a.m sharp

Collecting the clothes for the day, you pushed yourself for the bathroom. As you opened the top cabinet, there was everything but what you stacked a day ago.

There was a toothbrush, but clearly not yours. There were cleansers and toners, but again, not yours! Even your sanitary products were gone!

Yesterday night, the new hand wash that also didn’t belong to you had indicated that yuta has settled down but it was only now that you noticed, he had thrown out yours to accommodate his own stuff! You pulled your hair in frustration at his thought. He was a jerk, for sure, but of very senior kind. If hundred jerks were grinded in a mixer, only then one yuta could come into existence again.

Looking around ,your eyes fell on the cabinets below the sink, a bit inwards, that were probably used to put cleaners or something. But as you opened them , a squeal left your lips. There were no toilet cleaners but still your essentials were haphazardly thrown over each other. At least these weren’t thrown outside!

Huffing and puffing, you properly assembled them, ready to get through the day. Your main focus was not to trip yourself into another blunder but that yuta was scheming against you even in your absence. Not that you could do anything, but if there was a slightest probability, you’d slice his bitter tongue at first attempt. But no violence, even in thoughts. For now.

Somehow, the running water had managed to wash your cold head and you happily got ready for university in black long sleeved top and washed jeans. There was no need for scarf and yeong won’t be seeing you due to her paper presentation, so the fashion exercise was also cancelled. Putting your hair in a low ponytail, you grabbed your heavy backpack and went out to get some breakfast. The thought of cornflakes topped with apples was watering your mouth. So you ran out of the room, throwing bag on the couch, then made your way to food paradise.

Thanks to Kun or Johnny, the kitchen was already well equipped with the utensils and cutlery but still it was hard to navigate to find a small bowl for cereal. Once the hunt for glass bowl ended, you gasped!

In your hurry to dodge the them yesterday, you had totally forgotten to refrigerate the milk and there was no doubt the milk was spoiled by now.you sighed digging through the bag for your milk cartons but wow! there was cereal, apples, which needed to be stored as well, the chocolates, but no milk. you were sure that you indeed paid for the two milk cartons but no nothing, nada!. biting your nails, you eyed the fridge. Could it be!

Yes, it was. The cartons were stored in the fridge fresh and packed. You would thank that mark boy someday, if he remain cordial with you! of course.

The milk was too cold for your preference, but everything’s better than starving! The watch on your wrist read 7:40, you were on time like always. You stored the milk back and washed the dishes. Last thing you wanted to hear was that man taunting you for not keeping the space clean. Tossing two apples into the bag, you marched for the door.

“Where are you going?” rotating in your steps, you noticed yuta standing by the counter, shirtless, wearing only jeans, drying his hair with a towel and his orbs staring into yours in a showdown.

“A student with a backpack at 8a.m! I won’t be going to a fight club right!” you replied impulsively but immediately regretted opening your mouth, noticing his warning gaze. You again turned to continue but he paused you again.

“You are breaking the deal here then! Taeyong hates deceivers and results of his rage are not very pleasant either. Not that I would mind anything here”

Your face twisted as to why would taeyong would feel being defrauded at your uni trip! He himself told you to continue study.

As you dictated your same thoughts to yuta, you were met with a questionable look.

“I’m talking about district office. The place where we are going to register this peaceful treaty. Today. At 9 a.m.” he air quoted peaceful as you took in his words. He could be lying right! As if he heard your thoughts, he clarified with a smirk garnishing his lips, “It’s not an assassination attempt. You won’t be walking right now if I wanted to kill you so much.”

You gulped at his words but regained composure moment later, “but taeyong didn’t inform me about this and I’m late for my lecture. I can’t miss it without informing my teacher. So go alone.”

“I would love to sweety! But I had informed you yesterday and they need both of us, unfortunately.” he was still crushing his blonde hair with the towel.

“We didn’t even talk yesterday!”

“You didn’t. I did. I told you right when you were outside your room so don’t lie. If you want to go, wait here. Or else take the bus. I don’t mind.” he concluded, walking away. And you thought he was shit-talking in Japanese.

“I don’t understand Japanese. So talk to me in Korean or English next time.” you shouted at his back, frowning in annoyance.

“DON’T YOU STUDY LAW OR SOMETHING?”

You groaned loudly at his illiterate comment. “Japanese isn’t a law subject you moron!” you mumble to yourself, fishing out your phone to shoot taeyong a text.

You: district office meeting is today?”

Waiting, you moved to the couches. His response came immediately.

Taeyong b.n: hmm. Johnny and doyoung would be there so jaehyun won’t be a trouble to you. If yuta does anything, do tell me. Bye.

You threw your head at the back, moaning in an ugly tone. The idea of travelling with yuta was daunting and nerve wrecking. And jaehyun was just cherry on top. Single minute in his presence made you felt like an intruder. So much for new family. Then there was Johnny who could be counted as totally normal if placed in same balancing scales as these foolish brains and Kun had same vibes as jungkook, positive and put together. And from jungkook, your mind floated to chelin. You had decided to let her choose some skirts for you as it would make her happ-

You craned your neck at the sound of utensils. Yuta, now properly dressed ,was making food for himself. And he was wearing black shirt and washed jeans. Same as you. How insufferable. You were going to be looking like his little sister or something!

“Hurry up!” you exclaimed. “I have a lecture. I want to attend the half of it at least.” crossing your arms, you tried to focus on the t.v instead. Your previous happy mood was nowhere to be found in the reflection that faced you!

“We aren’t going on a bicycle. And we are going to a govt. office. Forget about the lecture, you’ll die of standing in the queues anyway.” he scoffed at you, taking a bite of the bread.

Cabinet open. Cabinet shut.

Refrigerator open. Shut.

Another thud. Maybe of glass bowl. By the sound of it, the bowl he was using won’t last for too many days.

A few moments of silence.

at this point, you could hear your own heartbeat, but still you were on edge. Your legs were restlessly shaking, fingers crossed, and thumbs fighting for dominance. Then suddenly, you face contorted at a certain sound.

Slurping. And it continued to breach the silence for few more moments. A louder thud.

“Are you sleeping or what? It’s not like I’m dying to drive you!”  The repulsion in his voice was clear.

Not choosing to answer, you picked the bag, walking outside, stopping only at the shoe rack.

“Oops. Wait. I think I forgot my sweetheart inside!” he announced before going back.

A small seat was attached with the shoe rack. You were tying your shoelaces when yuta sat beside you, picking up his own shoes. You gave a side glance to his shoes, the sight making your eyes round with surprise. A knife was clearly visible through his white sock. and maybe one of many. You jerked your head to focus on your own shoes. You got up before he did, smoothing the sleeves of your top.

What you missed were yuta’s eyes. On you. More specifically, on the ring, decorating your forefinger. His hooded eyes travelled upwards from finger to your waist, he gulped at the sight of your chest which was slightly pushed out due to straps of the bag but he halted right there, opting not to look further. He suddenly wanted to look anywhere but you. He peeked again but was glad that you were busy with your ponytail, instead of giving him any attention. He abruptly got up, cleaning his hands with the sanitizer he had kept yesterday right there.

While walking away, he looked behind, “wait outside the building.” he said like he was reading a morning newspaper, in stoic and emotionless voice. Opening the door, he stilled again, “and wear the ring in the third finger. Got to make them believe!” and he was gone.

You looked at the platinum which was shimmering due to the light. You closed your hand tightly after changing it.

**************************************

The entire car ride was silent. Not comfortable one but the kind that could make one nauseous. As the district office was approaching, the discomfort intensified. your gnashed you teeth in an attempt to control your movements, moved the zipper of the bag up and down , sideways but your heart beating sped up like never before as yuta parked the car.

You jumped out as soon as he opened the door, craving for fresh air. Taking deep breaths, you gave light pats on your churning stomach. Once feeling a little better, you circled the car to reach where yuta was standing. He didn’t say anything but you followed him mindlessly.

“Morning y/n. how are you?” you peered at Johnny, who was smiling at you, expecting a response. You merely nodded at him, hugging your arms,.

“Hurry up. Its almost 9. I don’t have much time.” jaehyun said, not even acknowledging your presence.

“How much time do we have to wait for our turn?” you asked Johnny, now fumbling with the bag straps like a nervous school kid.

“Not even a sec!! jae got it here. Just witness signatures have to be done and then they’ll make you sign on a register.”

Reminder to not believe a fuck yuta says!

“Give me your bag. It won’t look very smart,” you handed over your bag to Johnny as everyone else was already miles away.

It was not even a room, if you could say. It was just a cabin with a small sign marriage registration written on it. There were plenty of people waiting but somehow you were the first or at least it looked like it.

“Please sit.” the lady offered politely, pointing towards the two chair opposite hers. You and yuta took seats as jaehyun opened the papers for her. She went through all the three pages in painfully slow speed, intermittently glancing at you both through her round glasses.

You were focused on her as she matched the details of birth certificates with papers when Johnny nudged you. He was trying to say something ,by actually not saying anything.

A smile. Then he looked at yuta. And he kept repeating it until you understood.

Smile. Yuta. Smile yuta. Smile yuta???

Ohh smile at yuta!!

You nodded profusely before turning towards yuta who was receiving the same instructions from doyoung but was too oblivious to catch anything. You waited for him to pick up and when he faced you, found you already doing the same. He plastered a smile on his face, you mirroring him instantaneously. And that was when you noticed, the twinkle in his eyes, howsoever fake, but still a beautiful sight. Your curved lips almost dropped at this. His eyes didn’t left your face as he scanned it completely. You, for a fact knew, your smile didn’t reach your eyes. You were just unable to do that. And nobody has ever questioned it but yuta’s eyes! , his eyes were teasing you. That he was better at this game. And that you were lacking something when compared to him!

“You kids are so fine!” you broke your eye contact at her voice, thanking her internally. “Most couples these days just come here, being all over each other and blah blah but the ones who try to find the shine in other’s eyes are like rare diamonds. Keep looking at each other and you’ll both find your paradise someday.” she clasped her hands together, tilting her head slightly to look at your figures. Her smile seemed …hopeful! How could she not realise that you both were faking being happy!

“You can sign here!” she exclaimed. You both signed at mentioned space. Afterwards Johnny and doyoung also signed as immediate witnesses.

“Collect the certificate in two days.” she said, an indication for you that you were over with another drama. You bowed to her before leaving, not forgetting to briefly smile at her.

Were you both that believable? Maybe faking being intimate wasn’t that of a trouble! Or maybe it was because you were both good at the art of pretence!

“Your bag y/n.” you took it from Johnny, putting it on your shoulders immediately. Taking out your hair tucked in the back side of the bag, you nodded at Johnny as goodbye, making your way outside.

“Hey wait!”

You stopped at his voice.

“Taeyong gave a message. The reception is on Friday evening. And lemma drop you. I’m not going with them.” you didn’t even know how to react at his words as you shook your head in refusal, your tummy giving you active signs of running away.

“No. I’m fine. Bye. take care.” you concluded, sprinting outside for a wave of fresh air, leaving Johnny behind, dumbfolded.

“Quite a runner!” jaehyun laughed as he and others joined Johnny.

“Yeah. She was shouting about some lecture at 9 a.m. maybe if she runs like bolt, there’s a chance to attend it!” yuta spoke. jaehyun laughed as if what yuta said was actually really funny.

“No. she is just hurt and upset.” Johnny explained, following you but immediately stopped at yuta’s words.

“shield cant be a sword johnny. Shield can never be a sword!”

***************************************************\

“登録事務所。明日。 9時に”  = registration office. tomorrow. 9 o’clock.

[votederpycausemufins]

I... don’t know what comment to make about this chapter. Oh, uh? i got like maaaaybe an hour of sleep last night? not even? I read fanfics.  @petrichormeraki

Grian ignored the other smp members as he tried to get through the portal. Stupid watcher form and stupid small portals! He just needed Tommy. Tommy needed to be safe. Mumbo wasn’t leaving so he would be safe, but Tommy was through this portal. That wasn’t safe.

He went through the portal himself, just leave him. No, obviously Philza pulled him in there. We are going a little crazy though, maybe it’s safer? No way!; We were protecting him, not Dadza. Should we even be calling him dadza? Watcher.; Release them from the portal. Is there any way to get smaller. I take back what I said about the 6 wings being cool, they’re just in the way now. Make one of the bots go there for him? If Jrumbot goes, he won’t be coming back. Lol yeah, he wouldn’t.

There were a lot of good suggestions, though two similar ones stood out. He could send someone through to get Tommy. Grian started to make another watcher portal to pull someone out, but then shook his head. No, why grab one of them? That wouldn’t be safe for Tommy. He closed the portal again, then looked around and grabbed Mumbo. The redstoner didn’t expect it and had no time to resist and now could only rest helplessly in Grian’s talons.

Grian plopped down on the ground to get better movement of his legs. For a moment things got even fuzzier. What did he have? Was it food? He moved it closer. Oh no, that’s Mumbo! That is not food. Why did he have Mumbo?

You idiot we need Grumbot. Is Grian okay? Guys, what if this is our fault? Mumbo can probably get us to Grumbot. DO NOT EAT THE MUMBO! Guys, it’s obvious why he thought Mumbo was food. Dude, say it and you might get banned. Watcher.; Release them from the portal. Lol I’m only joking. What if he just uses Mumbo instead of the bots? He can rebuild Grumbot if he dies. Dude, not cool. Noooo what if grumbot diesssss!

Grian briefly thought about opening the portal again. Grumbot wouldn’t like it if he got broken and Grian didn’t want to send Mambo there. Mambo. Mambo is a fun type of music. Is there any music around? That would be nice to listen to.

Aaand we’re losing him again. Is Zloy going to come fix this or what? Pixlriffs might instead. Guys, Caterpillar rave! Oh no what have you done! Boo chee boo chee boo chee bu.

Grian started dancing. The voices were making nice music. Oh and what was that? Mamb- Mumbo was saying something. “Grian? Are you okay? What’s going on?” That’s right, he wanted someone looking for Tommy! And Mumbo could do that, couldn’t he. So Grian put Mumbo through the portal. No the infinity portal. Why did he almost put Mumbo in the watcher portal. In fact, why was that there? He was supposed to get something from there right? Why did his head hurt so much?

Grian stopped thinking about that when Mumbo came back through the portal, but he didn’t have Tommy, so the Watcher pushed him back. But again he returned. And again and again and again! He couldn’t get Tommy back if Mumbo didn’t get Tommy. Wait, he was talking.

Grian focused on Mumbo as he spoke. “Grian, that portal that keeps appearing, did you put Xisuma and Tubbo in there? Yes or no.” Oh he was always so nice. He knew just what to do. “Yes. And. No.” Mumbo’s own voice came back.

“What do you mean yes and no?” Oh wait, how do I put it so you can answer. Hmm… Oh, maybe one at a time? Is Xisuma in there?” “Yes.” “Is Tubbo in there?” “No.” Mumbo rubbed his chin. “Okay, well, we still need Xisuma back.” Why did he need Xisuma back, he would just keep letting these enemies in. “Your form is a bit dangerous right now, and if you somehow killed one of us, there’s the chance we couldn’t come back.”

Grian scoffed at the idea. He wouldn’t hurt his friends. They were his friends! How could Mumbo suggest such a thing! But… Tommy probably had that fear. Maybe he had gone willingly because he was scared of that. Oh no what had he done! Grian opened the portal again and then flew into it.

Crumb had curled up on Iskall’s back and started to sleep. None of them had any idea how long they had been falling, just that slowly they had gone from one to two to four and now to seven. Iskall was projecting a game of checkers with his eye which two smp members were playing with to pass the time.

There was a noise, and everyone paused to look up, expecting to see someone new falling in to join them, but they were surprised to see Grian. The lack of gravity proved a problem as some smp members drew their swords and axes with enough force to actually start them spinning around. The Watcher stared down at everyone before speaking. “What is going on? I thought, well last I saw there were only four of you!”

“Grian?” Xisuma spoke up, hopeful about his lucid state. 

“Right, this is a watcher plane!” He ignored Xisuma for the time being. I wish I could remember what I was doing before I came in here.

“Maybe you were here to get us out?” Xisuma spoke up again, getting Grian’s attention.

“Oh X, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean I literally don’t know since I can’t remember what I was doing just a minute ago. But yeah, getting you all out of here does seem reasonable and… oddly familiar. Probably just me trying to remember.

“Are you doing okay?” Xisuma asked, really taking in Grian’s form.

“Yes and no? I don’t know what’s happening. The other Watchers pulled me away to help me sort of figure out what’s going on, but it’s not the perfect method to let me know what’s going on. For all I know the moment I leave, I’ll try to throw you all back in here.”

“Woah, dat’s a giant bird man!” Crumb exclaimed, waking up from her nap. Grian looked down at her, cocking his head to the side.

“Hello there. I don’t think I’ve met you.”

“Oh! I’m Crumb! My dad is Sprinklez!”

“Sprinkles?”

“Jordan Sparklez. One of my friends from the vault days.”

“Right. Vault gods.” Grian frowned. “Never were a fan of them. Freaked me out when no one could see where you three went.” He then chuckled. “You know, if all of you were here, I would have thought it was their fault.”

“Yeah, well Antonio didn’t make it, though H did.” Iskall pointed to Hbomb, who waved.

“Well, that might do it. I can’t be sure but… once you’re out, before I can do anything more, you’ll need to shout out about it possibly being Vault gods. Zloy should see.”

“Zloy?” One of the smp members asked, making Xisuma look over at them.

“Grian Is a Watcher who just resides in Hermitcraft. There are Watchers, normally multiple, that watch every world. Grian’s told me that one named Zloy is a Watcher of Hermitcraft.”

Grian nodded. “Yeah, you guys have a number of them, but the one in charge is Gxrgeous.” Grian shook his head. “We’re getting off topic. I’ll grab onto some of you and the rest hold onto me.”

After everyone was situated, Grian flew them up and out through the portal he came in through in the first place. The sudden change of energy affecting him made him crash, sending most of the rescued people flying. Immediately, Xisuma was shouting into the air the message Grian wanted sent and just as he finished, he was grabbed again by Grian.

This was good. He got Xisuma out. Mumbo would be very happy. But wait, there are more people out. Why are they out too? They are supposed to go in the portal. They must have escaped when he was grabbing Xisuma. That wouldn’t do. 

Grian tried to grab the others that were rescued from the portal, but a few of them followed Mumbo’s guidance to the infinity portal and escaped that way. Grian was upset, but ultimately it was fine. They were still gone. There were just two left to get rid of. This cat thing and one other person. 

Isn’t that thing a shapeshifter? Oh, what if she turns into a giant cat? Small brain: Godzilla vs King Kong, Big brain: Grian vs shapeshifting cat. Cat vs bird will not go well. If grian is tweety and the cat is sylvester, he’ll be fiiiiiine. Hey, if it’s really Tommy’s friend, maybe it’ll also leave.

Grian stopped listening to try and grab Crumb before she could do anything more. Just before his talons could wrap around her, a form moved in front of her, holding a sword of some purple material. “Stay away from my kid.” They spoke. For a moment Grian was upset at the new opponent before realizing it would be much easier to get rid of these people with them now in the same place.

A portal formed behind Crumb and Sparklez. Grian could see as the cat noticed it and panicked, though her dad refused to talk his guard down. When the watcher attempted to push them in, he was stopped by Xisuma. “Grian, you need to stop.”

“You need to stop.” Grian replied, wanting the admin to get out of the way.

We kinda did just try to save X, so we don’t want to get rid of him again. Maybe these two are fine and we can just leave them. Why does that guy look familiar? Watcher; Tubbo. What kinda sword is that? Ah yes, I too call my cat my child. Again, isn’t she a shapeshifter?

Grian was trying to figure out why the voices thought this person was familiar. And why had someone mentioned Tubbo. Suddenly one idea popped in his head. “෦႑፩㍘¹١₁𝟘 ꘠❶᱑⓿౸۰༳๑ ႐Ⅰ㍘〇¹႞٠१ ౦Ⅰឱ꣠༠৴០߁” He asked, but no one seemed to respond well, most of them covering their ears. A few people cried in pain, but one stood out. Grian looked at Mumbo and immediately regretted saying anything. The mustached man looked like he was in agony.

Right now everything else could wait. Grian moved and grabbed Mumbo. Grian heard someone try to stop him, but this was important. He took to the air and let magic swirl around him until he was suddenly back at his mansion. The watcher ignored whatever Tubbo was saying to focus on the redstoner, hoping nothing too horrible would happen to him. “M-Mumbo…” Grian mumbled, worried about what might happen.

Tubbo moved closer and immediately Grian was ready to attack them. How dare he try to get closer to Mumbo! But then Grian saw how terrified he looked. Tubbo was Tommy’s friend. He cared for Tommy as much as Grian cared for Mumbo. Or almost as much. Grian… Grian should bring them back together. He needed to. Why did he need to? He didn’t question it and just grabbed Tubbo. The teen seemed to yell in fear, but the Watcher didn’t listen, just took the two of them back to the infinity portal.

Grian put Tubbo through the portal before sitting down in front of it. If anyone could bring Tommy back, it would be them. Their world wasn’t safe and Tommy would want to come back. So he would. It was just a matter of time.

Zloy mumbled as he looked at the documents Pixlriffs had brought. Vault gods weren’t common to deal with, but it would help explain why none of the Watchers could figure out what was going on. Zloy sent for someone to find Pritt since they had the most experience with Vault gods in recent times. The biggest event had been when three of Zloy’s hermits were taken by the Vault gods, but smaller events had occurred after that. 

In an accident, they had tried to make claim to Grian, not recognizing his Watcher status. Immediately after that, they tried for Mumbo, but that was also shut down. He doubted they were attempting to go after Grian again, but at the same time, he knew there was some truth to their claim on him. Vault gods were powered by the voices that were channeled through a person. Everyone had the potential for that, some more than others. The three hermits had taken days to recover from the sudden silence that met them on their return. And Grian had always been hearing them. He had learned to block them out, but maybe that wasn’t enough anymore. And if it wasn’t a Vault god, what could do all this?

Dream got the notification of Tubbo’s return. Everyone was back. He could close the portal. But an idea crept up from the back of his mind. What if they tried it again? What if one of them built a new portal and it led to somewhere else. Using a Watcher was helpful, and Dream didn’t want to give that up.

The former admin turned to look at the still unconscious form of Tommy. He could try and use the connection to convince the Watcher to come here. Then he could close the portal. It would be perfect.

[thischickwritessometimes]

MYSME RBB

Hey!! I joined my first ever collab this year for the Mystic Messenger fandom! It was totally awesome, and I lucked out and got someone super cool as my artist. Shout out to @thedum1, who was my partner for this. Go check out their amazing art that goes along with my writing, and give them some love. Without further ado, here’s the fic!

(You can also find this on ao3!)

Saeyoung decided that he’d been sitting in one place for far too long. His back was screaming in agony, his eyes were trying desperately to make the computer screen focus, and his head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. All of those combined to make him feel miserable, like he was going to explode if he sat there for even one more minute. 

He shut down his workstation, making sure that his work remained where it was, the computer encoded carefully to make sure that no one could get into it and change things. Of course, if someone was going to get in, they’d have to break through the security in his house, which wasn’t likely to happen. He’d just figured out the best password for his front gate, after all. As Saeyoung idly considered his password (and other possible future ones), he slid on his shoes and grabbed his jacket. 

He stopped in the kitchen to grab a package of Honey Buddha Chips and then was off, heading into town on some form of a quest. The destination isn’t important, he tells himself, just the experience. He just needed some fresh air, a sight that wasn’t his computer screen (or, more recently, the wall slightly above and behind his computer), and perhaps a reminder that there were other humans in the world outside of himself and Vanderwood.

He hummed to himself as he walked, enjoying the sun on his skin and the sounds of birds and people talking. Couples were walking just about everywhere in the park, each chatting and laughing happily. Some younger kids were running around chasing each other. A dog sprinted past Saeyoung, chasing a stick that had just been thrown. 

The dog reminded him of Elly. She always was willing to run around his feet happily as he played with her in Jumin’s apartment. He missed the white cat. It’d been far too long since he last saw her, and he mentally decided to schedule a time to break through his friend’s security to see the fluffy Persian again.

As he walked along, a flyer for a pet shop caught his eye. It was advertising a day to come play with the animals, both cats and dogs alike. As he stopped to read it more thoroughly, Saeyoung realized that if he headed to the shop right now he could get in at least an hour and a half with the cats (and maybe some dogs too). Now armed and ready with a plan of action, he set off with a purpose, striding quickly to the pet store.

As he neared it, he noticed that not many people were lingering around. Saeyoung realized that this must be one of the less popular pet shops and was sad to see that, especially because it looked very charming and quaint. As he pushed open the door, a bell above his head let out a quiet sound to alert an employee that someone had arrived.

Sure enough, a slightly frazzled-looking young man appeared. His hair was shaggy and black, long enough that it was falling into his eyes just slightly. The eyes in question were a stunning blue-green that Saeyoung wouldn’t mind looking into for a while. He tried to shake off that thought. He was here for cute cats, not cute people.

“How can I help you?” The guy asked, a small smile on his face. 

“I’m here to play with the cats. I saw a flyer saying that you guys had free time for that?”

“Oh, of course! Right this way. I think there’s only one other person in there, so it shouldn’t be that much of a crowd. Feel free to use any of the toys out. And don’t worry, the only one that scratches is our resident sourpuss, Yoshi.” The employee opened the door carefully and Saeyoung peered in, amazed at all the cats running around or napping. 

There was one girl sitting happily in the middle of the room, surrounded by cats. She had a dark skin tone and was wearing a pink skirt and what Saeyoung was pretty sure was a halter top. (How he knew that? Well, let’s just say that he had been considering one for cosplay for a long time.) When she turned to look at him, he spotted glasses and heterochromatic eyes. One brown, the other a bright blue. 

She’s cute, was his first thought. It only amplified when he realized that her hair had a piece sticking up that looked to be meticulously formed into a heart like you would see on a lovesick anime girl. Her dedication spoke volumes and he knew that he would probably end up liking this girl if they talked. 

He shook his head slightly. No, he couldn’t be thinking about that. Not today! He was here for cute cats, not cute girls or cute boys. His mind was set firmly on petting all the adorable creatures. 

So he walked past the girl, giving her a faint smile. She returned it with a glowing one that practically lit up her entire face, and Saeyoung had to hide how his heart pattered at the sight. He focused his eyes on a particularly cute orange cat that was napping peacefully in a ray of sunlight.

As he reached out to pet it carefully, the cat responded by purring softly, like this was everything it could have dreamed of. However, after a while it tired of his antics and scratched softly at his hand in warning. He chuckled and pulled his hand away, letting the feline relax by itself. His eyes scanned the room for another willing friend and they snagged on a little black and white kitten.

It was pawing at a toy, obviously bored. Saeyoung crawled over carefully and picked up the toy, which appeared to be a feather on a string. He bounced it around, and the kitten started to paw at it. It got into the game, eventually leaping at it until it tired itself out. 

Saeyoung made a “pspsps” noise, trying to attract the kitten to him. Its ears perked up and it headed over to his lap, where he petted it softly. The cat seemed like just the perfect companion, and if he could adopt a cat right now he would definitely consider this little guy as the one.

There was a quiet intake of breath over his shoulder, and Saeyoung looked back to see the girl gazing fondly at the kitten. As soon as she noticed his gaze, she colored, blushing slightly. “Ah! Sorry to bother you!”

“Oh, it’s not an issue,” he said, giving her a smile. “He’s a cute one, isn’t he?” He gestured to the kitten that had made itself comfortable in his lap. 

“Yes, he really is. I must admit, I may have been looking at him the entire time… but I got a little nervous he wouldn’t like me.” She looked away, seemingly embarrassed. 

“Well,” Saeyoung said, an idea coming to mind. “Let’s test that out, shall we?” With that, he scooped up the feline and plopped him directly in her lap. The cat seemed stunned at first, and Saeyoung worried that he would hiss and claw at the abrupt change. Instead, the cat sniffed at the girl and then settled in again, seemingly unconcerned by what had just happened. 

“Oh,” the girl said, smiling. “He’s lovely.” Her hands went to softly pet him. 

After a few minutes, she looked up. The cat was happily asleep in her lap, purring softly. She spoke again, her voice quiet so as to not disturb the kitten. “I’m sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Jasmine, but you can call me Jas. It’s good to meet you…”

She trailed off, searching for a name. Saeyoung smiled at her before giving her his fake name. “I’m Luciel. It’s good to meet you as well, Jas. It seems like you’ve got a way with cats, huh?”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” she said with a laugh. “I do love them though. Cats are some of the best animals, in my opinion.”

“You have a top-tier opinion then. I’m inclined to agree!”

“So I take it you’re a cat enthusiast as well, Luciel?”

“Yep,” he said, popping the ‘p’. “I have a friend who has a gorgeous cat and that’s kind of what kickstarted my love for them.”

“Have you ever considered getting one?” She cocked her head, but her hands never left the black and white kitten.

“I’d be lying if I said no. But my job is kind of crazy, and I can honestly say that I don’t think a cat would be good for me right now. Someday soon, hopefully. What about you?”

“I actually came here today hoping to adopt. I’ve been looking for a while but I never found one that I really loved. Well, until today. But I’m still not completely sure…”

“Well the little guy loves you, I can tell that much. And if I’m wrong, which is not very likely, let me tell you, he’s the kind of cat that will always be able to find a new home.” Saeyoung stretched and winked at her.

“Well in that case… I guess I’ll need a name for him, huh?” She looked down with a smile. “Got any good ones?” Jasmine’s heterochromatic eyes twinkled with a hidden glee when Saeyoung’s face lit up. 

“Oh boy, do I! I’ve been saving up all sorts of names for this. Okay, there are the classics, like Fluffy, Batdude, Charles. Oh, and you can’t forget Toast!” His rambling list of (admittedly awful) cat names went on for a long time, leaving Jas halfway to tears with laughter as he continued. When he finally drew his list to a close, both of them had laughed so hard that the kitten had woken up and the employee had poked his head in to make sure that nothing bad was going on.

“Okay, okay,” Saeyoung said once he’d calmed down slightly, “any names catch your fancy?”

“I mean Fuzzbucket was a pretty good idea, but I think I decided on Tama.”

Saeyoung and Jas looked down at the same time to inspect the cat. The black and white kitten released a soft mewl and butted his head at Jas’ hand to request more pets. The two scheming partners in crime looked at each other and smiled. 

“Tama is perfect.” They both said at the same time, then blushed and looked away. Saeyoung swore that when he looked at her cradling the tiny cat next to her chest she seemed to glow with happiness.

Soon enough the time to play with cats was over and the employee was putting the animals back in their cages and thanking them for coming to play with the cats. Jas told him about her interest in adopting Tama, and the employee got her the forms she would need to sign before she could take the kitten home. Saeyoung stayed with her as she filled the forms out, the both of them laughing and chatting the entire time. When all was said and done, Jas hoisted the carrier that held Tama up and exited the building, Saeyoung holding the door for her.

Jas scanned the street, then took a deep breath in, steeling her nerves. “I had a really good time today, Luciel. I was wondering if you’d like to do it again some...time?” She turned around to see the man gone. Her brows furrowed as she swiveled her head to see where he’d gone. “Luciel?”

Saeyoung, who had darted behind a pillar beside the pet store, let out a quiet sigh of disappointment. He gritted his teeth together when he heard Jas whisper sadly to Tama that “he must not have wanted to talk anymore, huh?” 

He leaned his head against the pillar and stayed there until he heard the quiet clip-clop of her shoes walking away. Then he tore himself away from the pillar and walked towards home, hands shoved into his pockets, knowing that he would always remember the girl from the pet shop.

The sounds of music coming from a radio fill the kitchen. A black and white cat races around its owners’ feet as they try to dance. Laughter and pure contentment fill the air as the redhead twirls around the girl with one blue eye and one brown one. 

Years ago, when I was younger, I kinda liked a girl I knew. 

“Do you remember when we first met?” Jas asked, her skirt swinging wildly as Saeyoung spun her enthusiastically.

“How could I forget? That pet shop must be the most magical place on this Earth to me.”

She was mine, and we were sweethearts. That was then, but then it’s true.

“I was so upset when you disappeared, you know. I thought you’d gotten sick of me.”

“I was just as upset, trust me. But I thought I had to, because of the agency. And with Rika and the RFA… it just wasn’t a good time.” Saeyoung shook his head, but then pulled Jas closer to him as they waltzed across the floor.

I’m in love with a fairytale, even though it hurts. Cause I don’t care if I lose my mind, I’m already cursed.

“And then I showed up at Rika’s apartment a few weeks later. Crazy how fate works like that, huh?”

“Oh trust me, I was incredibly surprised to see you appear on the CCTV feed. If my life had a playlist of all the moments where I nearly fell out of my chair, that would definitely be on the top ten list.” 

“I was just as shocked as you were, trust me! I had told myself that I would never see you again, but then there you were!” Jas shook her head. “I had half-convinced myself you were some figment of my imagination.”

Every day we started fighting, but every night we fell in love. No one else could make me sadder, but no one else could lift me high above.

“I feel bad that I tried to push you away while we were both in the apartment. It was hard for me because you were the thing that made me happy and also frustrated me to no end. After all, I was sure I would hurt you.” 

“I wanted to punch you so much, I hope you know. I was at my wit’s end when you finally opened up a little bit!”

“But I did, and look at where we ended up. I opened up, got my brother back, and I got the privilege of having you in my life as my girlfriend and now fiancee.”

“I’m glad that it all worked out because there’s no one else I’d rather spend the rest of my days with.”

“The same goes to you, Jas.”

“I love you, Saeyoung Choi. Bad cat names and all.” Jas said as the music started to slowly die down.

“And I love you, Jasmine Luna, no matter how much time you spend in the bathroom doing your hair.” Saeyoung responded, dipping Jas as she let out a quiet squeal.

The two laughed and continued dancing late into the night, Tama observing from his perch high above.

I’m in love with a fairytale, even though it hurts. Cause I don’t care if I lose my mind, I’m already cursed.

And there’s the fic!! Reminder to check out the awesome @thedum1 for their amazing art!!

[rat-father]

Part 6! FLUFF

No angst, just wholesome.

This one is a bit longer then the others. I wrote 2k words instead of the usual 1.3k

I was just really in a fluffy mood so it's kind of like a treat

Again, I didn't proofread so if you see mistakes then shhh

Tagging; @skunkandgrenade

-- tw;; it as pronoun, pet whump/captivity --

For Cub it was like master never disappeared in the first place, it just went back to its normal self no questions asked. For the others it wasn’t as easy.

Xanzi got some bad wounds that needed bandaging which made it hard to do mundane tasks at time, while Lexi tried her best to treat them. Lo went back to his own place while still being a bit upset with him.

The pet did stay a lot closer to master then before, and always tried to give a helping  hand. It was also allowed to sleep in his room for a couple days. If anything it was like its bond with him grew closer. And because of that he wanted to take it somewhere new, to the city! He bought a new harness for it knowing it would be busy as always, even on a quiet day.

“Are you excited?” Master asked, already knowing the answer.

It nodded it’s head with joy. It was allowed to go to the city for the first time! Master made sure it was well hydrated and wearing warm enough clothes before they left. It was gonna be just the two of them, they had the entire day for themselves. I also got to wear a new harness and leash which it thought looked  really pretty.

It even enjoyed the ride to the city. It stared out of the windows the entire way.

Xanzi felt bad for the pet to an extend, it had never even seen a city before, or any public place. But then again he didn’t care much, it was a great opportunity to bond with his pet and make it trust him even more, if that was even possible.

The parking lot what surprisingly empty, usually it was filled to the brim but today Xanzi managed to find a spot quite fast. He could see his pet already getting more excited in the corner of his eye.

“Alright, we’re here. I brought water so if ya get thirsty just tell me okay?”

“Yes master!”

“Good. If ya behave well we can go here more often.”

It started practically jumping in its seat, eager to go out and explore. Master stepped out first and took opened the door for it after. He clipped the leash on its harness and they started heading towards the city.

There were still quite a few people around which made it a bit anxious, so it stayed close to master and made sure to check if he was still there every now and then. After a bit of walking it saw a cute little shop selling tons of plushies and stuffed animals. It really wanted to go see it and dragged master along to it.

The walls were pastel yellow on the inside with relaxing music playing through speakers. It immediately went over to the sections with stuffed animals and looked at all of them with amazement. Some of them had pretty pinks, greens and purple mixed in with their fur and were glittery!

A pink narwhal caught its attention, it was big and fluffy and master said it was allowed to have it. It held the narwhal in its arms as it continued looking around the store.

Aside from plushies and stuffed animals, the store also sold clothing. The pet knew it didn’t need new clothing, but a frog hat really intrigued it and it just couldn’t help itself. Everything there was so pretty and it could stay there for hours, but it also wanted to explore more of the city. Master paid for everything and they continued down the city, narwhal in hand and frog hat on.

There were street performers playing outside and Cub wanted to listen for a bit. Of course it never had heard music before so it was very amazed at the songs they were playing. When they were done Xanzi gave them 20 euros before the pet dragged them further.

It stopped in front of a pet shop, it seemed a bit unsure, but hesitantly went inside. At first it walked slowly, until it saw it the toy section which it basically darted to, almost making Xanzi fall out of shock. With its free hand it held up a small mushroom chew toy in front of his face.

“Ya want that one bud?”

“Yes please, master.”

He faked thinking about it for a second. “Alright, I guess you can have it.”

It smiled as they walked up to the cash register to pay. The cashier lady was nice and complimented the pet on how cute it looked as master paid.

It couldn’t wait to see more of the city, everything looked beautiful and the weather was perfect for a walk. Sometimes it would just stop and admire some of the trees or buildings, which master thought was just adorable. He couldn’t help but wonder whether all pets were like this, or if it was just his pet that was this curious.

Cub lightly tugged on master’s sleeve trying to get his attention.

“Hm? What is it pet?”

“It is hungry, can it have food please, master?”

“We can stop at a cafe and get some food there if you want.”

It frowned, looking confused. “What is a cafe, master?”

It didn’t know what a cafe was, of course.

“It’s a place where you can get food and drinks. You’ll see.”

Xanzi knew the city by heart, he lived there for most of his life before buying his mansion. There were tons of cafes nearby. They went to the one that was the most quiet, he didn’t want his pet to get overwhelmed.

In the cafe the pet got a lot of weird stares, pets were a common thing, just not often seen outside. Or in good condition.

Master ordered it a slice of cake and cola, with coffee for himself.

It didn’t take it long to finish its cake, it was starving and it tasted really good. But it waited a bit before drinking the cola, it didn’t understand why there were bubbles going up. Master told it to just try it, that it wasn’t something to worry about. The taste was, odd, but it liked it.

Master suggested they’d go to the nearby art shop too. He thought it might like drawing or painting. It didn’t know what drawing or painting was, but if master said it was fun then it must be fun.

The art shop was significantly bigger then the other stores, it was also packed with all kinds of stuff. The pet wasn’t sure where to look first, this was all new to it. It look at its master, hoping for some directions. Luckily he got the sign and directed it towards a shelf with different types of sketchbooks. They all had things written on them but it couldn’t read. Master picked one out for it and handed it to them. It had a nice yellow cover with a cat on it.

”Do you like this one?”

“Yes master. It’s very pretty.”

Master also showed it some colored pencils, he said it could use them to draw anything it wanted in the book. It still didn’t quite understand but it sounded like fun.

The store also had an upstairs area with big white blocks, master called them canvases. Apparently people painted stuff on them with brushes and different types of paint. It all sounded confusing and complicated.

When they were done there he took it to a book store. He wanted to teach it how to read and needed some books for it.

It didn’t like the book store very much, it felt like there were endless amounts of books everywhere it looked. It was too overwhelming. It held onto master’s arm with one hand and hugged its narwhal plushie with the other.

Master didn’t take long to find what he needed so they weren’t in there for too long.

“Master? Its feet are starting to hurt.”

”Let’s head back home then, I’m also getting kinda tired.”

Master held its hand as they made their way back to the car. It had a big smile on its face, master rarely held its hand, it loved it when he did.

The walk back made its feet hurt even more, but they stopped to get ice cream which made it easier to deal with. Ice cream had always been its favorite.

The drive home was very relaxing to Cub, it had spend all its energy in the city and now it could just sit and watch the sky while cuddling with the narwhal.

Master didn’t talk to it while driving which it was fine with. The soft music playing from the radio made it even better.

It didn’t notice it had fallen asleep until it felt the car stop moving.

“Ya took a nice nap?”

Oh no. It slept without permission. Was master mad?

“Sorry master. It didn’t mean to.”

”It’s fine dear,” he gave it a polite chuckle. “You can sleep whenever you want. I don’t mind, understood?”

“Yes master, thank you.”

He took it out of the car and walked it back to the mansion. It hurried off to its room to put its new plushie and toy away. It was excited to try this ‘drawing’ thing out with master.

It came back downstairs with the sketchbook and colored pencils in hand. Lexi cleared some room on the table for it so it could dump the pencils out of the box. It opened the sketchbook and, felt a bit lost. Where was it supposed to start?

”Just make some lines, whatever you want. There’s no right or wrong.” Master reassured it.

It picked up a purple pencil and went for it. The paper felt smooth each stroke it made, it was a nice feeling. It wasn’t entirely sure what is was drawing at first, but it was drawing it! Next it took a blue pencil and continued scribbling on the paper. It then set the pencils down and held the sketchbook up to master sitting in front of it.

”Master, look! I drew narwhal!” It had a proud smile on its face.

“Wow, that looks amazing! You’re a really great artist.”

He was lying, of course, but it didn’t matter if it look good anyway, the pet was having fun, and that’s what was important.

It giggled and continued scribbling with other colors on the next page. He was right to assume drawing was something it would like. It never got the chance to be a child, so he would give it to them.

Lexi joined them after an hour of the pet drawing various things on the white pages.

“You guys are having fun drawing I see.”

The pet silently nodded, not taking its eyes off the drawing it was working on. It was drawing the mansion, but with all types of colors.

It finished it and showed it to both master and the maid who said they loved it.

Eventually it was time for dinner and Cub had to stop drawing, it didn’t want to stop, but it didn’t want to be a bad pet either.

Master said it could continue drawing after it was done with dinner. It was looking forward to it.

Bonus;

It wasn’t long before Cub became obsessed with art, drawing specifically. It really enjoyed scribbling in its sketchbook and then showing it to its master with a proud smile. And like any good master would do, he put its best drawings on the fridge. 

[crazyyanderefangirlfan]

Bring on the Mania Pt 7

"I can't believe you're a designer."

"I can't believe you've been living under a rock."

After their encounter with Vil and Rook, the pair made their way back to Ramshackle. But not without Amane playfully scolding the girl.

The girl flushed at his response. "W-Well, I don't really watch fashion shows or anything related to it. But after coming here, I do now." She confessed.

He quirked a brow. "Only now?"

"Well, yeah." She said, re-adjusting the crate on her arms.

"I don't really pay attention or follow the trends, too much of a hassle. But, I am beginning to watch them after meeting Vil. Just want to support him, even if I can't understand everything."

Amane blinked at her answer, felt the corners of his mouth twitch to a smile. Despite admitting her lack of knowledge of the subject, she still made an effort to understand it for his sake. She's so sweet.

Though; that begs the question...

"So, you don't have a preferred style?" He asked.

"Not really. I just wear what makes me feel comfortable. My mom doesn't care as long as I'm happy, and my grandparents just remind me to wear shorts under my skirts."

Wow.

What felt like an hour, they finally spotted the gates of Ramshackle. Beyond the gate, Valerie could vaguely make out Gerald's ghostly form watering the flowers he planted last month.

"Hey, Gerald."

Her loud voice made the ghost pause and lookup. Upon recognizing her, Gerald placed the watering can down and flew over to open the gate. When his eyes landed on their items, he smirked.

"Ya, feeding an army, kid." He joked.

"Nah, just a chubby and over-indulgent trash cat." She retorted. The ghost chuckled.

Gerald flew overhead and opened the front door. He even offered to carry the two other bags for Amane, but the demon declined, saying it was good exercise. The ghost went back to watering.

When they entered Ramshackle, they found Grim on the couch. Taking a nap with an empty tuna can next to him. When they entered the kitchen, they found Lisha picking on some stray beetles on the counter. When the little strix noticed them, she grabbed a piece of paper next to her and flew over to Valerie. Dangling it for her to read. What it said made her bit her bottom lip.

Crowley may be the closest thing she had for a father, but sometimes she wants to shove a transformation down his throat. Turning him into a real crow, and breaking a wing, so Grim can hunt better,

She shook her head from those morbid thoughts, not the time.

"Sorry, Amane, but I have to do something. I'll come back as soon as I can to help you." She said, putting the crate down.

"Oh? What happened?" He inquired, placing the bags on the counter. She sighed.

"Crowley asked me to clean his office; while he has something to attend to."

"The fuck? Why would he do that?" Above all things crow shit makes her do...

"It's okay. In fact, I was first a handywoman and cleaning lady, along with Grim. But after a certain incident, we became students." She explained, running her fingers through her ponytail.

"Okay, let's go." He announced. The girl sputtered.

"I-I'm sorry, w-what?"

"Let's go to Crow shit's office. I wanted to see more of this school again. It's been ages." He answered, taking her hand and leading her to the door.

"W-Wait! Amane, I have frozens!"

"Don't worry, we'll handle it." As if on cue, Bennett and Wilbur floated down and began arranging.

"Well, you heard your ghostly guardians. Let's go!"

"Alright, I'll be quick, don't cause any trouble." The opal-eyed girl begged. Standing in front of the office.

"No promises, Sugar tits." The hetero-eyed male winked playfully. The brunette rolled her eyes and went inside.

With the two monsters back in Ramshackle, the demon was alone. Free to flirt with any one of these gorgeous boys without Lisha clawing his eyes out; or having her turned into her original form and trying to eat him.

He smirked.

"Get ready boys, this demon is on a hunt."

For the past hour, Amane happily flirted with several students; some even try to give him their numbers or ask for his. But he turned them down, he may love good-looking guys, but he ain't touching that.

"Oh baby, maybe if you and your dick grow a few inches, then I'll see." The incubi playfully boop a pouting student's nose before happily running away.

He turned to the corner to catch his breath, but the grin never left his face. This was too much fun!

In the corner of his eye, he found something glinting under the sun. Curious, he walked over. It was a blue tablet; it looked like it was charging. Intrigued, he pressed the power button. What he didn't expect was a voice on the other end.

"W-What a-are y-you d-doing?"

Idia felt the world finally turned against him. First, he forgot to charge his tablet last night, making him replenish it in solar mode. Next, he missed a rare event that won't come back in six months. To top it all off. A normie found his tablet.

Joy.

"Oh fuck, it talks." The person on the other side of the screen said in surprise.

'Ugh, go away. Talking to people like you drains all my health.'

"Hon, if you don't reply. I'm just gonna grab this thing and drop it somewhere-"

"No!"

Idia could feel their smirk from the screen. He wants a restart.

"The name's Amane Mania, you?"

The flame-haired male wanted to deny but decided he should if he tried anything.

"I-Idia S-S-Shroud."

"Idia, huh? What dorm are you from?" Amane questioned.

"I-Ignihyde." Idia could feel a severe drain of his energy.

"Ah, Ignihyde. A bunch of shut-ins, but high in sex drive." Amane sighed blissfully.

"What!?" The man barked in laughter.

"When I was still here, I had an occasional fuck with guys. What they lack in skill, they make up for enthusiasm."

There was silence from Amane's end; before purring his following sentence.

"Let's test that with you~" Idia's hair flared up. But, he didn't stop.

"Would you like me to call you daddy or master?"

Great seven's he cannot handle this. Please, Lord of the underworld, save him.

Fortunately, his prayer was answered.

"Excuse me!"

Startled by the loud voice, the incubus turned around and faced a...Kid?

Huh?

"That's my brother's tablet. May I have it back, please?" Innocent amber eyes stared at him.

"Umm, sure. Give me a moment." Though still confused on why a child was here, he was not going without the last word.

He whispered to the tablet, making sure the kid didn't hear him.

"Until next time, Dom switch."

Amane could have sworn something exploded on the other end, but he paid no mind. Instead, he gave the tablet to the young cyborg.

"Here ya go, Kid."

The child beamed. "Thank you!" Then zoomed off.

_______________________________________________

"Anything interesting happened when I was gone?" Valerie asked.

Just as she said, the girl didn't take too long and now walking back to Ramshackle.

"Well." He began his retelling his meeting Idia and a short cyborg.

"Oh, that's Ortho. He and Idia are considered one student. Like, me and Grim."

"Except, the little guy had a better personality than the gremlin." Amane retorted, earning a playful slap on the shoulder.

"Hey! Cut Grim some slack. Yes, he can be too much sometimes, but he has his moments." She defended. Amane just pulled her hood to her face.

"My~ Is this the infamous Amane I've been hearing so much about?"

"Fucking crack whore hell!"

The suddenness of the interruption causes the incubus to cling to the girl like a frightened cat.

Hanging upside down in mid-air was Diasomnia's playful vice-dorm leader, Lilia Vanrouge. The vampire had an amused smile on his face when he perceived Amane's shocked expression.

"Fufufufu, forgive my sudden appearance. I was merely interested to know the demon who cooked that delectable food Sebek brought."

The shock quickly wore off his body, replacing it with a familiar smugness Valerie knew.

"So, my cooking became legendary already? I'm flattered." The incubus fluffed up his hair and shot Lillia a sensual look. The ex-soldier chuckled.

"I believe we haven't been properly acquainted." Lilia landed in front of them, took Amane's hand, and kissed his knuckles. Flustering the demon and surprising the girl.

"My name is Lilia Vanrouge, a pleasure to meet you." His eyes were half-lidded, his smile fanged and filled with flirtatious mischief. For the first time Valerie has met him, Amane was blushing.

"Amane?" She called out hesitantly.

That seemed to snap him out of it; the poor man tried to laugh it off.

"Well, aren't you a gentleman? But I welcome change of pace." Amane smirked.

"Lilia!"

Recognizing the voice. The young brunette peered behind the senior. Jogging his way over was Silver.

"Finally found you, old man." The young knight huffed, relieved that his search is over.

"Good morning, Silver!" The girl beamed up at him.

The aurora-eyed male smiled softly in her direction; he took her hand and placed a lingering kiss.

"Good morning to you too, Valerie."

Lilia let out a small gasp as if realizing something.

"Oh, Dove. I forgot to greet you as well. Let me fix that."

Coming near her face, he gave her cheek a sweet kiss. The girl smiled, especially feeling the strands of his hair on her face.

"Lilia, your hair is on my face." She giggled.

Standing on the side, Amane could only freeze and stare with wide eyes and raised brows. A man was kissing her cheek, which lasted longer than necessary, and not even the slightest bit affected.

Just how dense is she?

"Okay, old man. That's enough."

Silver forcefully removed the shorter male off the girl. Jealousy bubbled in the pit of his stomach. But he tried his best to ignore it.

Lilia pouted. "Your no fun, Silver."

"Remember why we needed to find Valerie, and it's not just to thank Amane for the food." The silver-haired male sternly reminded.

"Yes, yes, I know." Lilia waved him off. Reaching to his coat pocket, he drew a small velvet pouch with a yellow rope. The sound of coins jingling can be heard within it.

Valerie groaned.

"You two know how I feel about this." She complained, rubbing her temples.

"I know, Valerie. But please, accept it just this once." Silver coaxed the girl, giving her a reassuring smile. However, she shook her head.

"Tell him, I appreciate that he's trying to help me. But like all the other times, my answer will still be no." The vampiric fae sighed at her declaration.

"You are absolutely stubborn, Dove." He said, pocketing the pouch.

"But then again. It is one of your charming points." The raspberry-eyed male flashed her a fanged smile.

"We'll be going now. We at least completed one thing needed. Though once we inform him that you refused again..."

"I'll deal with him once he comes to Ramshackle." She can already picture his pouting face in her mind.

Lilia nodded and gestured Silver to follow, giving the girl one last kiss on the cheek (Lilia) and hand (Silver). They walked away.

"Hold on." Amane broke in. "Someone wanted to be your sugar daddy?"

"My, what?"

A hoard of bats attacked the poor demon.

_______________________________________________

"H-Hey! Be gentle." Amane hissed as the cotton swab touched his face.

It took a while to get the bats off him. Thankfully, they left on their own accord, and an injured Amane too. Bite marks littered across his body, more so on his body; the skin on his arms was punctured and bleeding. Some even left small scars on his legs and stomach.

The midnight-haired male never felt so relieved for the girl's abnormal strength, carrying him bridal style and dashing all the way to Ramshackle. Without breaking a sweat or looking remotely tired.

Currently, the man was having his face nursed by Wilbur. His arms, legs, and stomach were neatly wrapped in bandages. Meanwhile, the girl was in the kitchen preparing lunch.

"I am being gentle. You keep fidgeting." The ghost remarked, dabbing Amane's face.

"What did you even do?" Grim chimed in.

On the coffee table, Grim and Lisha were waiting for his answer. Concern shone in the little Strix's eyes while Grim looked bored.

"I...Might have said something wrong." He confessed.

"Not surprising." The feline snorted.

"Hey-Ouch!"

"I told you to stay still." Wilbur chided.

"I dearly hope you won't influence Valerie too much."

Speaking of which.

"Hey, Grim. I need to ask ya something." Amane gritted his teeth, feeling another sting of pain on his face.

"Oh? So you require my wisdom? The great Grim will happily provide, what is it?" A smirk formed on the monster's face. Lisha rolled her eyes at his cockiness, and Wilbur chuckled under his breath.

"Where does Valerie get her money? I know Crow shit gives her allowance, but I'm not convinced."

"Mmm? that's it?" Amane nodded. "Alright, I'll tell ya."

"Yeah, bird brain gives her money. But we do random jobs to earn extra; she even works part-time in the Monstro Lounge sometimes." Grim explained.

Amane carefully regarded this new information and came to one conclusion.

"So, in other words. Valerie is deadass close to being broke."

"Pretty much."

Amane grimaced. This girl seriously needs help.

Loud knocking brought their conversation to a halt. Amane tilted his head, brows furrowed. Please don't tell him it's crow shit.

"I'll get it!" Bennet's voice rang through the air. There was a thick wave of silence; before a sound of footsteps and Bennet's uneasy voice were coming to the lounge.

"H-Hey, now wait for a second"

"Where is the child of man?" A deep voice interrupted the ghost.

Entering the lounge was a tall male with black hair, lime green eyes, and horns on his head. Behind him was Bennet, who shifted his eyes to Amane.

Lime green eyes fell to the demon, raising a brow.

"And who might you be?"

Amane had to seal his mouth shut to keep himself from drooling. This male before him is positively gorgeous! Tall, dark, and cool air of mystery, piercing green eyes stared into his very being, made him chew his inner cheek. Damn, he wanted to see those in the bedroom, and judging by his size, he has to be packing under his pants.

"The name's Amane Mania. I'm pretty famous here for my notorious good looks."

The demon flashed him a flirtatious smirk but cringed when he felt something stick to his face. Weakly glaring at Wilbur, who held a pack of band-aids. The ghost gave him a warning glare, but Amane stuck his tongue out at him.

"Ah." Realization dawned on the tall male.

"The demon currently living with the child of man and the one who cooked that exquisite meal."

"Damn straight. Now, I would like to know your name, handsome."

Everyone, save for Lisha, stared at Amane like he actually said, something prude.

"A-Amane." Wilbur stammered.

"You...Don't know who he is?" Bennet questioned, just as stunned. Amane shook his head.

"Even you, Lisha!?" Grim shouted in surprise. The little strix shrugged her wings, just as confused as the incubus.

"Interesting." Mused the ebony-haired male.

"Oh! Malleus, you're here."

The lime-eyed male, Malleus, straightened his posture when he heard her voice. Valerie peeked through the door with messed-up hair.

"Child of man, may I have a word with you?" He inquired.

The tone of his voice made the girl fidget in place. His stare prompted her to clutch her apron.

Looks like he's upset with her rejection.

"Fine, but let talk outside." She answered. She took off her apron and gave it to Bennett. She followed the tall male out, leaving the rest of the inhabitants to process what they witness.

The pair walked a safe distance away from the dorm; and sat on a bench underneath a tree large enough to shade them.

"Why did you reject my gifts? You need the money, correct? So, why?"

As soon as they sat down, the fae prince wasted no time questioning her. Confusion and hurt shone in his eyes, completed with a pout.

Valerie sighed.

"Malleus." She began. "I know you want to help me, and I'm grateful for it. But please understand, you giving me money so freely? It makes me...Um, well." She paused to find the right words.

"I feel like I'm leeching off you-"

"You're not." He firmly objected. Taking hold of her hands. Eyeing down at her in all seriousness.

"Even so, accepting money; I didn't earn leaves a bitter taste in my mouth."

Silence befell the two students. Malleus seemed to contemplate on her words, rubbing the back of her hand in small circles. After a few tense seconds, he sighed in defeat.

"Very well." He conceded, reluctantly pulling her hands away.

"However. If I ever find you struggling even more as it is, please don't refuse what I give you."

His tone made it clear that he was not giving her a choice, but there was a tinge of desperation.

"Okay, fine." The fae smiled in relief.

"Although. If you want to properly earn the money I give you, you can always come and cook for Diasomnia. I cannot count how many times Sebek has eaten Lilia's cooking for my sake."

The smile faded from his face to a tired frown upon remembering the times Lilia made those horrendous concoctions and insisting for the entire dorm to try. Out of everyone, Sebek suffered the most.

That earned a sympathetic smile from her. "I'll think about it."

She stood up, re-arranged her hair into a neat ponytail again, and faced him.

"Would you like to join me for lunch, Tsunotaro?" Her smile radiated warmth like a fireplace.

Ah, that nickname such fond memories. Enough to muster a small smile and a response.

"I would be delighted."

_______________________________________________

"So...He's a prince."

"Yes."

"And one of the top five powerful wizards."

"Yes. I'm surprised you didn't know about this."

"Eh, not into that sort of stuff."

Meanwhile, the residents of Ramshackle were busily explaining who Malleus was to the two ignorant demons.

"You could at least know he was royalty. Doesn't your family branch over Twisted Wonderland?" Gerald asked. He got back from the kitchen, and here he was.

"I honestly have no fucking interest that shit." Amane's heated reply stunned the ghosts. This is the first time they saw him this angry.

Those who had witnessed it reacted in their own way. Lisha had an understanding look in her eyes. Grim, however, yelped in fear and accidentally shot a fireball at him. Who immediately dodged.

"Gah!"

"Grim!"

"What the fuck, you little shit!"

"Screee!"

"You were about to go on demon mode!" Grim argued, swatting the flames with his tail.

"No, I wasn't!" Amane protested. He grabbed the bowl of water Wilbur used to clean his face and splashed it on the burning couch. It worked, but now they were left with a charred piece of furniture.

"Oh, boy." Gerald muttered under his breath; as he scanned the mess.

Valerie won't be happy with this.

"I'm back!" Speak of the devil.

"I hope you won't mind that Malleus will join-" Valerie blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Yeah, this is real.

She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply; before letting it all out.

"Alright." She finally said. Opening her eyes, she surveyed their tenses expressions.

"Grim, what did you do?"

"Why me!?" The monster complained.

"You're the only one who does fire magic." She deadpanned.

"I thought he was going on demon mode, that's why." The cat explained, pointing an accusatory paw at the incubus.

"No, I wasn't, ya little shit!" The midnight-haired male furiously retorted.

"You were!"

"Why I oughta-"

"Okay! That's enough." Valerie interrupted, stepping between the demon and monster. Both looked more than eager to fight.

"Since this is clearly an accident, and Grim just went on instinct. So Grim, please apologize to Amane." She calmly instructed the monster, who looked offended.

"What? Why should I-"

"Do it, or I'll make you go on an all broccoli and spinach diet for two weeks." Her smiling face did not match the threatening tone in her voice.

If Grim was human, he would have paled at the thought only to eat those for two weeks straight.

"Sorry, Amane." The monster mumbled, but it was audible enough to hear. Valerie smiled at her accomplishment.

She turned to face everyone and clapped her hands.

"So...Ready to eat?"

Lunch had been thankfully more tamed. Even Grim didn't give his (loud) compliments on her cooking. Looks like her threat left him silent. She did well on lunch.

Kung pao shrimp, roasted salmon with green beans, and tomatoes. A chicken and radish salad, followed by pink lemonade.

"You're an excellent cook, Valerie." Malleus complimented. Taking another bite of his salmon.

"Thank you." Valerie smiled.

"Yeah, not bad. You're almost better than me. Almost." Amane emphasized the last part with a teasing grin. To which the girl rolled her eyes.

After lunch Amane's phone went off, taking it to the lounge with Lisha on top of his head. Leaving Grim and Valerie to do the dishes, Malleus decided to stay and talk to his favorite human more.

Once that was done, she scooped Grim onto her arms, walking out the kitchen with the fae prince in tow. Making their way to the lounge, they paused when they heard Amane's voice. There was slight aggravation in his voice.

"I see. In that case, please forward it to my assistant."

Valerie peered from the entrance. The man sat on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. He finally turned his head, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw her head.

"Lover of cow tiddies!- Don't do that!" He cursed. Amane slumped on the burned couch, mentally drained from the call.

"Is something troubling you, Mania?" The fae prince questioned. Taking a seat on a nearby chair, and the girl sat next to the demon.

"Nothing to sweat about. But it looks like I have to cut my time short." The incubus confessed, tiredly rubbing his face. Lisha rub his cheek in comfort.

"Huh, why?" Valerie's face wrinkled in concern. But the demon chose to ignore what she said.

Amane got up and dragged his feet out of the room. Disregarding the concern or curious gazes of the others.

The girl wordlessly watched the man walked out. As much as she wanted to help him, she knew it wasn't her business and might anger him.

"You care for him quite a lot." A deep voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Malleus has been observing her reactions ever since they came back to the dorm. Safe to say, he was a bit jealous of the demon. The fae prince had been vying for her attention since the VDC. Even more when she saved him from his overblot.

The girl rubbed her arms. "Y-Yeah, he opened his heart towards me the last time he stayed here. So I have to be worried for him."

The lime-eyed male stayed silent.

"You didn't forget anything, right?"

"Nope, and don't worry about cleaning the room. I already did that."

The pair stood in front of the entrance door. Amane carried a small bag filled with the items be brought and bought. In the background was Malleus, who was holding Grim at the moment. Lisha was on top of the incubus' head.

"Really? How sweet." Valerie gave him a small smile. Appreciating the gesture.

"You suffered enough bullshit from this school. It the least I could do." The hetero-eyed male playfully pinched her cheek, earning a whine from her. Making him snicker.

"See ya next time, Sugar tits, and you too ya, fat gremlin."

"Quit calling me that!" The monster fumed. Long and slender fingers scratched under his chin, causing him to purr in content. Malleus let out a mirthful chuckle at the action.

Retrieving his hand, Amane gave the girl a mock salute and stepped.

_______________________________________________

Valerie hummed as she fixed her hair into her signature style, albeit replacing her pink ribbon with a black one.

It was getting dark, which meant it was time for her shift in the Monstro Lounge. Malleus left hours ago after watching some historical movie, knowing fully well Sebek and Silver would go out and bring him back to the dorm. Meanwhile, her little monster was sleeping peacefully on her bed.

Valerie checked herself on the mirror for the final time. She was currently wearing a female version of octavinelle's dorm uniform. Except, she replaced it with a black mini pencil skirt, lavender stockings with garters, and black kitten heels.

Once she deemed herself presentable, she grabbed her phone from the bed to check the time. However, when she opened it, there was a text. Her eye twitched when she noticed it was from the headmaster.

"Please don't let this be another errand." The poor girl prayed before reading it.

'Ms. Kemonohito, I'm happy to inform you that all your student debts have been by none other than Mr. Mania. He will also pay for your schooling and accommodations from now on. Ahh, it brings my heart such joy that Night Raven alumni can be as kind as their headmaster.'

Valerie had to re-read the text five times to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks. She stood there, frozen in shock.

Just why?

A loud knocking brought her out of her dilemma.

"Come in."

Opening the door was Gerald, who held a folded piece of paper.

"I accidentally phased in Amane's room and found this on the bed. It had your name on it." The ghost informed before heading out.

Valerie eyed the piece of paper in her hands; it felt hard. Carefully unfolding it, she let out a small gasp.

Credit cards. Amane's credit cards, there were about five of them in her hands. Quickly, she read the note, desperate for an explanation.

'Hey, Sugar tits.

I hope ya like the gift I left ya. I know what you're thinking, 'I can't accept this!' But I really want you to have it, you deserved it. You've been thrown into an unknown world; and placed in the care of an arguably competent man. Which I know by experience can be utterly useless in some situations.

I also took the liberty of paying for your academics and housing of that dorm of yours too. Don't worry about paying back; it's alright, really. You worked your ass since you got here. You are tired, I can see it. Lorelei is good at hiding it too.

Also; If you are worried about earning money, I think I can arrange something, but it's a surprise.'

-Love your new reliable (and gorgeous) guardian, Amane.

A smile threatened to form her face when she finished reading it. This man, whom she known for a short while, was going above and beyond to help her. This feels like those found family tropes in media.

As thoughtful as it was, Valerie recalled a certain fae making a similar promise, and it made her stomach churned. She wasn't sure how to break the news to him. She already made him upset with her rejection, and she raised his hopes up with her promise.

The opal-eyed girl just hopes he'll take it well.

Taking a deep breath, she texted Azul that she's unable to work tonight due to feeling unwell and needed time to rest. Once she has his confirmation, Valerie flopped on her bed.

"Oi! Henchwoman! What the heck and aren't you supposed to go to work!?"

Grim growled, obviously not happy from being woken up.

The girl simply just pulled her little monster close; and buried her face on Grim's fur.

"Not tonight. Actually, I'm going to tell Azul I won't be working in the Monstro Lounge anymore unless he needs a favor." Her reply was kinda muffled. But audible. This confused them.

"Eh? Really? Then where will you get the money?" The cat monster implored. The girl merely raised her head and smiled at him.

"Let's just say; we got a certain weirdo taking care of us now."

Bonus:

"..."

"..."

"U-Uhhh, Malleus?"

"..."

"Listen, I really value your generosity and concern for me. Trust me, I was just surprised. Please believe me-"

"I do."

"Really!? Your not mad?"

"I am disappointed that I won't be able to help you, but I am thankful to him and his ability to provide for you."

"I'm not."

"No need to be jealous, Azul."

"Be quiet, Jade."

A/N: Finally done with this chapter! Sorry for the long wait, I know this long over due but I hope you like it.