#i threw in nina in case you wanted to mess around with her again!

[tuserfox]

     After countless laughs and eye rolls at the mall, Jake took Brooke to the party at Nina’s house. Her parents were out of town so she had the entire estate to herself. There were so many people outside the gated mansion that Jake had to hold Brooke’s hand so he wouldn’t lose her in the waves of the crowd. For just an instant, Jake spotted Tyler’s face in the sea of Halloween costumes. It was like Brooke’s eyes were a second source of sight for Jake. One of his most impressive talents was also one of his biggest curses in life. That being his spiritual connection to Brooke. He could feel her heartache, see the pain on her face, even without looking at her. There was something going on that they haven’t fully discussed. She said Tyler helped her with Stavo’s malware, but at this moment, he could tell there was more to the story. “Let’s keep walking, babe.” Despite their inclusive relationship, Jake’s nickname would forever stick. Brooke Maddox was a babe through and through. And if she didn’t walk away soon, she’d see Tyler be circled by slutty costumes. Everyone wanted to know where their resident hacker has been for the past year. Jake liked to dream he was the center of attention, but it was always Tyler, Nina’s second-in-command, who kept everyone’s curiosity alive. @wildcherie​

[sumsebien]

Idk if you take requests but could you do an imagine with matthias? I dont really have much of an idea but maybe much like the show. I thought him and nina were adorable and the reader is an inferni or maybe a heartrender? I’m not sure. I just want to see a story with the progression shown in the show. I thought the scene where they were messing with each other and then he saved nina was so flipping cute.

hi! so i tried writing this 🥲i actually got great ideas for it but i’m getting a bad case of writer’s block. so for now, here are the headcanons for it. i’ll come back to writing it when i feel like myself again 🥺

i put my own spin to this. i hope it’s alright 🥲

(also yall, i am thinking about doing a blurb night aka a night of just writing short requests. should i do it???)

So I was thinking what if that day, Fedyor had brought Matthias back as captive???

And he was getting beaten up while being dragged through the camps to his cells when you saw him.

The soldiers were throwing rocks, shoving Matthias around.

And he couldn’t fight back because he was unconscious from before.

You stepped in like the badass you were.

“What are you doing?”

“Fighting for our country, darling. So one day, I may come home to you,” one of them said.

The rest began laughing, praising their friend for the “smart” comeback.

Yeah, they ain’t laughing for long though.

You threw a punch, knocking the soldier to the ground.

No one could have another word.

Then, you brought Matthias back to your tent to heal him.

Even though you knew fully well how Aleksander would react once he found out.

And he did just before you finished healing him.

You were immediately summoned to his tent where you saw the soldier from before again.

His nose was badly bent, positively broken from the blow.

You were proud.

When he saw you, he tried to lie, “That’s her! There she is, sir! The traitor! She pushed me.”

You snickered.

Coward.

Aleksander was having none of it.

You were his trusted Healer and he was not about to stand there and have this idiot slander you.

“Miss Y/N Y/L/N is a Healer, my Healer. So, I would suggest you watch your tongue.”

The soldier shut up

“Is it true? Did you-push him?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

“No. I punched him.”

Now it’s important to note that Aleksander had always had a soft spot for you.

He was almost a brother to you, swore to protect you and all.

So for your punishment, you got a warning.

Of course that was before he found out that the rumors were true.

About you saving a Drüskelle.

He ran a hand down his face. “Why?”

“Because! They were bullying him. He was already in handcuffs in transit to his cell. Don’t you care that your prisoner-”

“Are you so naive to believe that if he had the chance, he wouldn’t hang you on a pyre and burn you alive?”

“He was unconscious! He couldn’t have-“

It pained him, almost, to look at you and hear all these words you were saying right now.

“I didn’t want to do this,” he said, shaking his head. “Ivan, make sure Y/N doesn’t leave her tent.”

“You want to lock me up?”

“I can’t have you in danger.”

You were brought back to your tent.

But of course you had no plans on staying still.

Not until you had finished healing him.

When Ivan was distracted by Fedyor at dinner time, you sneaked out to the makeshift prison, the keys in your hand.

You found your heart beating twice as fast when you got there, sneaking in and essentially putting yourself in the same room as a Drüskelle.

There, you found Matthias on a bed of straws in the far back, slumped against the moldy walls.

Even in the horrible lighting, he was still gorgeous.

You slowly made your way over before crouching down by his side.

He was asleep, chest moving up and down with each breath he took.

You quickly healed the bruises by his cheeks, watching them fade underneath your fingertips.

And then after they had completely disappeared, you had to fight the urge not to caress his cheeks.

They looked so soft.

Almost kissable.

You finally ended your internal debate by brushing your thumb over his cheekbone.

You had fully expected him to still be asleep.

It had been a long day after all.

But his russet lashes fluttered open, revealing a pair of clear blue eyes.

You almost jumped out of your skin, falling back, slamming your hand against the cold floors.

If he jumped forward, he would be able to strangle you easily. And you’d be dead in minutes.

“I am not trying to hurt you! I swear!” you threw your hands up, keeping them apart. “i’m a healer!”

“Are you alright?” he asked, sitting up.

You were too shocked to be able to say anything. Instead, you blinked in silence, scanning his face. What?

Matthias thought you didn’t understand so he held up his chained hand and gestured to it with the other one.

“... I am okay.”

He grinned weakly, “Good.”

He had the most endearing lilt in his voice when he spoke. It scared you, almost. It was not your intention. You were here to heal him. Not swoon over him.

What was this madness?

He held out his hand, “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“For saving my life.”

You decided to take his hand in that moment, abandoning all the things Aleksander had taught you about Fjerdans.

“Matthias. My name’s Matthias Helvar,” he said, looking straight into your eyes.

His eyes were the color of the sky on a sunny summer day, the color of the calm True Sea.

“Y/N.”

He nodded, squeezing your hand gently before letting go and leaned back against the block of straws.

“So you don’t want to kill me...?” you asked after a pause.

He looked at you as if you just asked the oddest, stupidest question ever. “You saved me. Even though, I may not be alive for much longer. Thank you anyways. You should leave soon though. They’ll come looking.”

You looked at the entrance. The guards were too busy with their dinners right now to care about a prisoner.

Matthias had his face turned away into the shadows, his chained hand hanging limply on the ground.

He had accepted his fate as a prisoner in Ravka.

Death.

But you hadn’t accepted that.

You stuffed the key into the lock, your hands trembling as you watched it fall apart.

“Y-“

“Run!”

[ninaahelvar]

Touch Me

Summary: Since leaving Ketterdam, Nina just wants Matthias to initiate and take control of his passions. So, she teaches him how.

AO3

A/N: I binged the entire S&B and Six of Crows series in like 2 weeks in prep for the show and lemme tell you...matthias was my favourite boi….and the audacity - so, i wrote a fic that’s basically just smut cause i said so and because i cried in my room for the last hour of Crooked Kingdom and i think that’s very sexy of me. Anyway. Enjoy this fic??? Its my first time writing nina and matthias so i’m still fairly new to their character voices and such, so if anything is a little OOC to you, i’m very sorry, i tried very hard.ALSO I USUALLY HAVE THINGS BETA READ, BUT NO SUCH LUCK WITH THIS ONE, SO THERE'S PROBABLY A MILLION MISTAKES, VERY SORRY!

Nina knew that Matthias was somewhat bashful when it came to being intimate - he’d blush up a storm when she’d kiss him, and practically swayed when she held her hands in his - but the fact that they had been living in Ravka for nearly a month since their success in Ketterdam and he still refused to touch her was getting a bit unsettling. Matthias had always been a hard man to understand, his Fjerdan ways so ingrained that it was like flirting with a brick wall, but Nina had persisted, knowing there was a man worth having under all that muscle - she just wished he’d take his passion when it overcame him. 

After yet another night of unsuccessful wooing, Nina was beginning to doubt Matthias had any real intentions of staying with her. Sure, she was aware that Matthias wanted to court her like a good Drüskelle, but they weren’t in Fjerda anymore, he could have his way with her. If he ever took a moment to look at her. Matthias spent most of his days helping out the town with the horses and wildlife - mainly, he was big and burly and most of the women liked to ask him to do things just so they could stare - or he was learning Ravkan a little at a time. 

There were times where Nina thought Matthias was adapting well in Ravka, his only failing was the fact that he didn’t speak much of the language. He gathered a few bits and pieces from other members of the town, but he spent most dinner conversations asking what words meant and scouring through literature to try to learn it with her. He was putting in an effort, even if the land they were in felt foreign and hostile to him; Matthias never had to tell her as such, he was still getting used to things, and it was always going to take him time. 

Matthias returned home, shrugged off his coat and fell into the chair at their dining table, Nina sighed as she looked at him. His hair had finally started to grow again, almost falling into his eyes, even as his head lulled back from exhaustion. Nina walked over to him, dropping her lips down to meet his and he smiled as they touched. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to trim this?” Nina asked in Kerch - a language they shared and both felt comfortable conversing in. She tilted his head from side to side and combing her hand through his hair. Matthias snarled back at her. She giggled as she kissed him again, settling herself down in his lap. “I was joking, Matthias. But you look too Fjerdan as it is, some people in town might get worried and start asking questions if you look like a full Drüskelle.” 

“I will not have my hair cut again,” he huffed. 

“I know, Matthias. But true to learn how to smile. I may love your scowl, but it frightens other people,” 

“I will, little red bird.” He gave a half hearted smile, as though it were still foriegn to do so. 

“Now, eat dinner and we’ll sit and drink kvas while you tell me about your day.” 

As she had said, they ate dinner, and once done, they sat by the fireplace on the rug, Nina’s head on Matthias shoulder, sharing a bottle of kvas as he told her about his day helping where he could around town. He wanted a real occupation, and it was beginning to show.

Nina had assignments from time to time - she wasn’t willing to be a soldier anymore, but Matthias encouraged her to learn her new Grisha powers in practical use, and the only way of doing that with the second army. Sometimes it was limited things like translation mistakes to foreign leaders, or things as disturbing as bringing a person back to ask how they died. Even if it were her new power, Nina didn’t like dead things - it felt wrong to urge the dead from their rest to ask them mundane questions. Nina was beginning to suspect that Matthias would want to join the first army if it didn’t mean betraying his home country. Part of Nina wanted to ask Zoya and King Nikolai if it were at all possible, but it was still an unrealistic idea in anyway case.   

“What does koja mean?” Matthias asked, sipping at his kvas, a drink he still sneered out, regardless of how much he drank it. Nina sat up and stared at him. She knew he was learning Ravkan, but she knew she hadn’t taught him that word yet. 

“Why?” Nina asked skeptically. How did he hear it?

“Anatasia keeps calling it out to me when I chop wood for her and her mother.” Nina huffed, folding her arms over her chest and sulking. She felt like a child as she did it, but she hadn’t recognised how jealous she truly was until he said it.

“That little -” 

“What does it mean?” he persisted, and Nina huffed, standing up and patting down her skirts. 

“Handsome.” Matthias cleared his throat and blushed. 

“If I could speak Ravkan, I’d tell her to stop, you know that.” 

Nina rolled her eyes. “No point. She’d just keep saying it when you couldn’t hear.” Stalking off to their room, she shut the door and threw herself down on the bed, trying not to grumble in her loneliness. 

Nina didn’t know why she was sulking - well, she knew, but she wasn’t sure why she was angry with Anastasia. It was clear that Matthias was handsome, but maybe because Nina couldn’t claim him how she wanted, it felt unnatural to call him hers. She felt foolish and stupid for having walked out on him, leaving Matthias to clear up messes she had made throughout the house. 

It took Matthias less than twenty minutes to make it to their room - a simple bed and nightstand and nothing else furnished the room, a lamp lit beside Nina. She looked up and met his wary gaze, Matthias closing the door behind him and staying by the door.  

“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice rough like everything else about him. Nina sighed, standing and combing her hair from her face. 

“I want to be more intimate with you, Matthias,” she finally admitted.  

“We are intimate,” he said, frowning back at her. 

“Yes, to your Fjerdan sensibilities, but I meant sex, Matthias. I want to have sex with you.” To finally say it felt like a rush of adrenaline going through her - and Matthias reacted the way she thought he would, with bright pink cheeks and avoiding her gaze at all costs. 

“You’re aware I have no real experience with...this?” he said and Nina realised that all the time that had passed between them, she would have to be the one to do things - to say what needed to be said, because Matthias didn’t know how. She took careful steps towards him and smiled. 

“The waiting gave me some indication.” 

“Nina,” he said, almost as though he were warning her, but he didn’t step away, and even reached for her when she was within his space. 

“Matthias,” she replied, “start with kissing me. I can take us from there,” she instructed, and Matthias didn’t need much prompting, tugging her the last few inches before crashing his lips down to hers. He was always a clumsy kisser, but it was as if as soon as he stared, he found his rhythm easier and became a master, making her weak in his arms. 

There were many things that Matthias was good at, and one of them was messing up her hair. Any chance he could when they kissed, his hand would go into her hair and tangle in it to make it fall everywhere and there was no way to look put together. Nina didn’t mind, but she always wanted it to go somewhere - this was the only time it was. And it seemed to be putting him in the right mood as she could feel the press of his crotch against her thigh and she mewled in desperation, god how she wanted him. Then, as he tugged away, her eyes fluttered open, gazing up at his flustered face. 

“I...I…” he stuttered, leaning his forehead against hers as he caught his breath. 

“Matthias,” she said, “what do you need?” He looked at her curiously, as though he hadn’t expected her to even ask. If she could, Nina would make this perfect for them both. 

“I want to be...in charge,” he grunted, the furrow in his brow telling her that he wasn’t quite sure how to phrase the things he said. Nina would teach him later.

“Would you like to be rough?” she asked teasingly, only to watch his head nod warily. Nina shuffled him back towards the bed, shrugging him out of his shirt as she unbuttoned her blouse. He watched in fascination as she left herself completely nude from the waist up. Matthias’ face was almost completely red as he swallowed hard, but he wasn’t even at the good part and Nina smirked back at him. Unbuttoning his trousers, and letting free his cock that had been straining in his pants as they kissed. 

Nina bit her lip, her fingers tentatively taking his length in her palm, hearing his stuttering intake of breath. She felt powerful in a way that no grisha power could give her. 

“What are you doing?” he asked in surprise and Nina shook her head, sinking down to the floor and spreading his thighs wide. 

“Shh,” she silenced him as her “you’re a bit bigger than some of my last partners. I just need to get you ready for me,” she said slyly, her fingers lightly grazing over his shaft as she began gliding over it in soft strokes. 

Nina knew she shouldn’t have talked about her previous exploits, but just looking at the size of Matthias, she had to give him some confidence - she knew she was bucking herself up to take him. 

As her mouth descended on his length Matthias clutched hard into the sheets of the bed, her eyes wandering over his form as his breathing was harsh even in the pit of his stomach and her efforts became hard for him to bear if the furrow in his brow was anything to go by. Rising and falling, taking him to the back of her throat, she felt like she was salivating all over it, but knew she had to use his distraction to her advantage. She fiddled with the buttons of her skirt until it came loose around her waist and fell against her lap. 

“Nina!” he hissed. Nina came free, gasping for air as she smoothed her hands over his thighs, tugging down his trousers until they were discarded over her shoulder. 

“Shh, baby,” she purred, rising from the floor and kicking off her skirt and leaving herself completely bare before him. “Would you like me on my back or on top?” she asked, gracing her hand from her thigh and fingers dancing over her skin as it rose over the slopes of her body, drawing his gaze over her body. 

“B-back,” he admitted. 

Nina sat on the bed, crawling until she was laid up against the pillows and Matthias was looking over his shoulder to see at her. Nina took his hand, making him shift in place before he took his cue and began to move over her. Matthias paused, his adam’s apple bobbing and Nina thought he was going to back down again. She opened her mouth to protest, but he simply sank down and pressed his mouth against her thigh. Nina couldn’t help but have her eyes shut; it had been a long time since she was appreciated the way Matthias was doing just then. 

Matthias kissed at her hips, his lips trailing over lines that had stretched over her skin until he was making his way up her sternum and pressing his lips into her exposed skin. 

“You are so beautiful,” he said, eyes focused on hers even as his tongue ran over her breast. Nina wanted to whine, wanted to cry for him to stop teasing and get on with it, but she wanted Matthias to enjoy this as much as she did. Instead, she gripped his shaft, positioning him at her entrance. Matthias sighed as they touched, and he let himself sink into her. Nina gripped into his shoulders, sighing as he stretched her a little more than she was used to, but she was ready for him all the same; her body had been aching for him since she had him in her mouth. 

As he sank all the way to the base, Matthias groaned into her shoulder. For a moment, Nina feared that he had spilled himself inside at first contact, but as he sighed, he moved again, almost leaving her completely before slamming their hips together. Nina gasped and Matthias found whatever rhythm he was craving. He was fast, almost brutal with the way his hips slammed to hers and he continued to grunt as if he were fighting for something. In other moments, where lust was all that had overcome her, she would have enjoyed this type of thing, but with Matthias - his first time - she didn’t want him to waste it. 

“Shh,” she soothed, her fingertips running over the hard lines of his brow until he relaxed, took a moment to breathe, “we don’t need to go fast. Savour it, Matthias. Don’t you want to remember what it’s like?” she asked, her breath shaking as he looked down at her. He gave a stiff nod of agreement and took a softer thrust inside her. Nina hummed, nodding back to him, her hands roaming down to his hips, guiding them in their effort to find a pace that was suitable. 

Eventually, Matthias evened out, finding his rhythm and panted along with her as their bodies moved together, gaining the pleasures that had been denied to them for so many years. Nina was moaning hard now, with every thrust from Matthias coming a little harder. 

“My love,” he grunted, and Nina hummed, trying to keep herself from crying out. 

“Oh, Matthias!” she said, throwing her head back, “keep going. Oh saints, keep going,” she pleaded, bucking up to meet every thrust that came faster, both chasing an end that was so within reach that they were fighting to see who could get there first. 

“Nina, I’m going -” 

“Keep going,” she begged, her nails fixed into the skin on his shoulders as their bodies came together in heated thrusts and as the coil that had been building within the pit of her stomach came undone in a beautiful release, her body rose to his and she cried out his name. Matthias whispered her name over and over as he pumped into her until he was finally spilling himself inside her. Nina almost bit into his shoulder, instead only gasping until Matthias shivering had ceased. As his head rose, he bent down to kiss her, stealing her lips with his breath coming in ragged through his nose, flopping to his back once they were done. They were both left panting, staring up at the ceiling in bliss.  

“Can we do that again?” Matthias asked suddenly and Nina couldn’t help the giggle that erupted up from within her. “Why are you laughing at me?” he grumbled, rolling back on top of her as though he were gaining the upper hand again. Nina shook her head, her hands running over his shoulders. 

“Yes we can do it again. You’re kidding yourself if you think I’ll only want you once,” 

“I want you everyday, my love,” he said in Fjerdan. Nina smiled, tugging him down to plant his lips to hers. 

“I love you everyday,” she replied back, kissing at his cheek and brow. “My beautiful Fjerdan.”  

[noladyme]

La Cuervo - Chapter 23

She is used to the biker-life, having grown into a woman in the familiar embrace of SAMCRO. A bad decision and a gun-shot later, she gets whisked off to Santo Padre, and put under the protection of another club. What is supposed to be a short stint in the Mayan headquarters just north of the border to Mexico, turns into something more; when la quervo begins to develop feelings for el angel - and he seems to return them in kind...

TW: violence, blood, drug use, alcohol, smut, fluff, angst

In the spirit of "The Crown Princess of Charming", this is a story about O.C. Nina and Angel Reyes. It is obviously non-canon, as characters who have passed on, on Mayans M.C., are present in it, and others have been excluded completely. Nina is written as a cis-female, but I have tried to keep her race and looks as ambiguous as possible. Should you find any of this story offensive, please let me know.

23.

Nina struggled to keep her breath even, and her face calm, as she stepped back into the clubhouse. She handed Creeper the phone, and tried for a congenial smile. “Everything ok? What did he want?”, the Mayan asked. “He was just… worried about us”, Nina said. “He should have just… Fuck it. Never mind”, Creeper growled. “Don’t be hard on him. What he told you… He was taking a big risk”. “He should have said something sooner. We might not have been in this mess”.

Nina wanted to argue Taza’s case further, but needed to keep her mind on her task. “Who’s at the gate right now?”, she asked. “That guy, Rat”, Creeper said. Nina sighed in relief. Leaving the yard would be easier than she thought. “What? You feel safer with a Son on watch than a Mayan?”, Creeper grunted, having misunderstood her expression. “No, I was just… You can’t blame me for being happy that I have both my families protecting me”, Nina said, trying to deescalate the tension. Creeper sighed. “I’m sorry, Nina. I’m just reeling. My brothers are out there risking their lives, and there’s nothing I can do about it”. Nina put her arms around the biker, and gave him a warm hug. “We wouldn’t feel safe if you weren’t here”, she said. “Look, your shift is over. Rest… I think Gaby fixed a plate for you”. Creeper smiled slightly, and headed towards the now sprawling buffet of food.

Hobbling over to the bar, Nina smiled at the girl standing there. “Creeper needs a little extra tlc… Grab him a shot of tequila; would you?”. “But you said not to drink…”, the girl frowned. “He’ll be fine”, Nina smiled, and took down the bottle of tequila from the shelf. “Give him two… He’s earned it”. The girl shrugged, and sauntered over to climb onto Creeper’s lap. The Mayan’s face instantly lit up, and before long, he let himself disappear into a haze of boobs and alcohol.

Nina limped over to Felipe. He had Letty and Gaby enraptured in the story of how he’d met Marisol; and both girls were exclaiming aaww’s at the sweetness of the tale. “I think I left my extra inhaler in your truck the other day”, Nina said, trying for an embarrassed expression. “Could I borrow your keys?”. “The truck is unlocked”, Felipe said. Nina cursed internally. “Ok… I’ll just go grab it”, she said. Felipe looked down at her wounded leg. “Let me get it for you, mijita…”. “No! I’ll get it”, Nina enthused. “I need to get this leg moving… The doc said something about physical therapy”. “Ok…”, Felipe shrugged; and Nina gave him a bright smile, before moving towards the door. When no one was watching, she grabbed Jackson’s helmet.

The two Sons from Berdoo were just outside, obviously getting ready to go take over watch. “Why don’t you go grab a bite to eat, before you go take over from Rat?”, Nina smiled. “He can wait fifteen minutes”. “You sure?”, one of them said. “Packer said…”. “That you should go hungry?”, Nina chuckled. “Look, if he gives you trouble when he comes back, tell him to take it up with me”. “You?”, the other biker said. “Yeah… He’s afraid of me”, Nina grinned. They both laughed at this, and went into the clubhouse.

Once the door was closed behind them, Nina quickly hobbled over to Felipe’s truck. She opened the door, and threw her crutches on the floor; while setting down the helmet more gently next to them. “Please, please, please…”, she whispered to herself, as she got behind the wheel, and looked down at the ignition. The key was gone. She frantically searched behind the sun visors and in the glove compartment, but came up short. “Fuck!”, she exclaimed, and slammed her fist into the seat. Something got loose from where it had been wedged under the padding; rattling as it hit the floor. “Yes!”, Nina sighed in relief, and grabbed the key; quickly starting the truck.

She drove as calmly as she could towards the gate going out to the scrap-yard proper. It had been left open by Creeper as he came back from watch. Swerving through the narrow roads between the piles of old cars and broken dishwashers, she made it to the large gate to the street beyond. Rat looked confusedly at the truck as she approached him. He walked up to the window, and Nina took a deep breath, before rolling it down. “Hi, Georgie…”, she smiled. Rat narrowed his eyes at her. “You only call me that when you want something”, he muttered. “We’re out of coffee”, Nina pouted. “You know how I get…”. “You shouldn’t go out”, Rat said. “Please! I need my caffeine, Rat!”, Nina pleaded. “Nina… No”, Rat said. “I can’t let you out”. “But…”. “No!”, Rat said; his voice harder than she’d ever heard it before. “Your leg is fucked; you shouldn’t even be driving”.

Quickly needing to think up a solution, Nina kicked her crutches out of view, under the seat. “You’re right…”, she said, and turned off the engine. “I forgot my crutches in the clubhouse. Could you go get them, so I can walk back?”. Rat sighed and nodded. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back”, he muttered; and began jogging back in the direction of the clubhouse. Nina prayed to every deity in existence, that his IQ wouldn’t suddenly surge; and make him realize he could have just driven her back in the truck. Giving the biker exactly 20 seconds to disappear from view, Nina got out of the truck, and limped as fast as she could, over to the large gate. She ignored the reappearing pain in her leg, and put her weight in to pulling it open.

Quickly getting behind the wheel again, Nina drove out of the gate. Once on the street, she put the petal to the metal, and raced towards her rendezvous point.

---

As she was still unfamiliar with the streets of Santo Padre, Nina and Taza had agreed to meet at Felipe’s shop; as it was the closest of the places Nina knew how to get to, to the clubhouse.

The Mayan stood leaning against his bike when she parked by the storefront. “Are you ready for this?”, Taza asked, as she got out of the truck. “I have to be, right?”, Nina said. “I can’t deal with any more people getting hurt or killed… But are you sure Palo will go for it?”. “He wants you… That’s his only reason for this war”, Taza said. “But he’s not unreasonable… He has to see how this is the better way for all our clubs”. “Yeah, but will the rest of them?”, Nina asked. “We can’t just show up with Palo in the clubhouse, and claim that we’re all the best of friends all of a sudden… Do they even trust you at this point?”. “They’ll trust you”, Taza said. “You brought Sons of Anarchy and Mayans closer than ever, just by being who you are… Vatos Malditos can be a part of that”. Nina sighed, and Taza stepped over to her; taking her hand. “If you don’t want to do this, I’ll understand. You can get back in that truck right now, and go back to the clubhouse”. Nina shook her head. “No… This is the way it has to be”, she said. “I told you all yesterday, I wanted to go talk to Palo… If they’d just listened, we wouldn’t have to go behind their backs”. Leaving the crutches in the truck, Nina grabbed the helmet, and put it on. As Taza started his bike, she climbed on behind him; wincing slightly as the vibrations of the engine reached her pained leg. “You ok?”, Taza asked over his shoulder. “Let’s just do this”, Nina said.

Riding out of Santo Padre, Nina looked around. Though still unable to tell all the streets apart, she’d grown fond of the rustic houses and people residing in them. When she’d arrived in San Pad the first time, she’d taken the expressions of the people looking at her and the Mayans, as standoffish and aloof. Now, she was beginning to understand how it was more about them being protective of their culture and families, in the face of criminals. She was a criminal; that was a fact that couldn’t be disputed. She knew of and had done things, that could get her in serious trouble with the law; and if she was a normal person, just walking down the sidewalk, and was confronted with patched 1% bikers, she’d probably feel less than happy about that as well.

Nina was beginning to feel fiercely protective of Santo Padre, just as she felt of Charming. The people here didn’t deserve their streets to flow with blood, and if Vatos Malditos had their way, the heroin trade would be running rampant, out in the open. The choice she’d made to go with Taza’s plan, was her chance to make sure none of that would happen. The people of the town might not like her, or like the way she led her life. At the end of the day, she wasn’t one of the good guys – not really, anyway. This way, at least she’d done what she could to keep the good guys safe.

As they took to the highway for a few miles, Nina began thinking back at that day Jax had carved his initials into the gun currently wedged into her waistband.

… “Goddammit Jax! We lost 10.000 dollars’ worth of product back there!”, Clay growled, as he got off his bike. Jax lit a cigarette, and shrugged. “Yeah, but I couldn’t just leave him hanging”, he said. “We’d lose all future business with those guys”. Taking a break from Hamlet, Nina closed her book, and looked curiously at the interaction. “This was supposed to be a one-time deal”, Clay said. “We didn’t need him”. “Maybe I just didn’t want someone to die, that didn’t need to”, Jax said. Clay clenched his jaw, and stomped away. He gave Nina a short nod, before walking into the clubhouse. “Your bleeding heart will get you killed, brother”, Opie muttered, as he, Filip and Jax approached the table Nina was seated on, nursing a mug of Chucky’s tar-like coffee. He reached into his cut pocket, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Nina smiled sweetly at him, and the tall biker chuckled, before lighting a smoke, and handing it to her. “What happened?”, she asked, and took a huff of the cigarette. “The deal went south”, Jax said. “Mayans showed up; began shooting… I keep telling Clay; if we just worked out a cease-fire, we could maybe strike a deal with them. I’m sick of the fighting”. “You know I want peace too”, Filip said. “But it’s still not you sitting at the head of the table, Jackie…”. Nina raised her brows at the three bikers. “Peace with Mayans?”, she chuckled. “I thought you said they were hotheaded cholas, with dicks for brains”. “I said their brains were in their dicks”, Jax grinned. “Does that mean their dicks are big?”, Nina smirked. “’Cuz in that case, I’m all in for peace with them. I’m thinking club party… Maybe a little tequila, and…”. “You’re not shacking up with a Mayan. I’ll kick his ass first!”, Jackson laughed. Nina rolled her eyes. “Whatever… So, you messed up Clay’s plan?”. “We lost a van full of merchandise, because Jax decided to save some Mexican guy’s ass in stead of protecting it”, Opie grunted. “The Mayans had him trapped… I made a call”, Jackson said. “And it was a bad call?”, Nina asked, and put her book on the table. Jax picked it up, and tapped the top of her head with it. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so”, he said, and nabbed her cigarette; taking a huff from it. “Get back to your homework”…

---

Taza moved down an exit, and they took to smaller roads. “It’s right up here”, he said over his shoulder. Nina felt a shudder go down her spine, and braced herself. Arriving at a small house, she was confused to see two bikes there, in stead of just Palo's. Taza pulled up next to the two vehicles, and held her hand as she got off his bike; her legs shaking both from fear and pain. “I thought it was just going to be him…”, Nina said. “Me too…”, Taza muttered. He didn’t look pleased at the situation. “Come on”.

Letting Nina use his arm for support, Taza led her to the front door. He knocked on it three times, and it opened; revealing a smirking Sala. “Usted vino”, he said. “As agreed… At least I did as was agreed”, Taza said. Leading Nina inside, he nodded at Palo, who was seated in a chair, holding a gun in his hands. “Bienvenidos”, he said. “You were supposed to come alone”, Taza said. “With both of you gone, Bishop and the club will know something is up”. “Don’t worry about Obispo and the rest. My men are keeping them busy”, Palo said. “I see you kept your part of the deal”. Nina swallowed thickly, terrified to meet Palo’s eyes. “About that… You know they’re not alone. They’ve got the Sons of Anarchy with them”, Taza said. Nina noticed him shooting a look at his watch, and she frowned slightly in confusion.

Palo nodded solemnly, before looking at Nina. “You know, people call me a psychopath, but I have… emotions. Especially regarding the fact that SOA have become part of this”, he said. “I have history with the Sons; that was why I wanted to do business with them. I knew them to be trustworthy, but it looks like that trust belongs to the Mayans now… That actually came as a bit of a surprise”. “You don’t have to explain yourself to this puta, jefe”, Sala grunted. Palo looked coldly at his enforcer. “Unlike you, I see women as equals to men”, he growled. “Which is why I’m still unhappy with how you handled the situation with our friend Camilla…”. “Camille…”, Nina croaked. “Her name was Camille”. In spite of how things had ended with the red-headed snitch, Nina’s heart still broke over how she’d been treated by VM. “Camille…”, Palo nodded. “My men were supposed to teach her a lesson. I told them to handle her like they would any other traitor. A good old-fashioned beating… Not rape!”. Sala looked down at the floor; his expression that of someone who had been chastised more than once over his actions.

Palo got to his feet, and moved the chair back against the wall. “Set it up”, he grunted, and Sala disappeared into another room for a few moments. There were sounds of things being moved around; and Nina thought she could hear a muttering, before something fell onto the floor. Sala returned with a large plastic sheet, and Nina felt her knees beginning to buckle. Taza grabbed her arm. “Sala, you don’t have to do that”, he said. Sala ignored him, and rolled out the sheet on the floor. “This is his abuela’s house”, Palo said. “You’ll understand why he doesn’t want to get blood on the floor”. “Let’s just talk about this”, Taza said. At this point he was holding on fiercely to Nina, almost supporting her weight fully, as she was heaving for breath.

Palo raised a gun at Taza to keep him in place, while Sala stepped over, and grabbed Nina’s free arm; tearing her away from the Mayan. She stumbled after him, and onto the middle of the plastic sheet; where he forced her onto her knees. “Taza…”, she croaked. “Palo, please don’t…”. Sala backhanded her across the face, so hard that her ears began ringing; before beginning to pat her down. Finding the gun in her waistband, he pulled it out, and went to stand next to Palo. Taza took a step towards Nina, and Palo cocked the hammer of his gun, to keep him in place. “Palo, stop!”, Taza growled. “This was our agreement”, Palo said. Nina felt tears beginning to spill from her eyes. This wasn’t how Taza had told her his plan would go; and her breathing became even more troubled. Reaching in to her pocket, she took out her inhaler, and took a hit from it. Palo looked at her with amused eyes. “A bit redundant, isn’t it?”, he said. “Did you forget to tell her why she’s here, Che?”. “No, I didn’t”, Taza replied. “You’re the one who has the wrong idea. No one has to die here today”.

Palo quickly turned his eyes to Taza. “What are you talking about? We made a deal. Her life, for peace”. “Counter offer”, Taza said. “Our secret, Palo. If you kill her, everyone will know about Davíd. I’ve made arrangements already”, Taza said. “What secret?”, Sala asked. Palo gave his enforcer a death glare, before turning back to Taza. “Then why bring her?”, he asked, his voice colder than ice. “Because maybe there’s just a little bit of your brother in you. The part that knows kindness and mercy. I wanted you to look in to this woman’s eyes, and see what I see. Peace and cooperation between two clubs. Love”. “All I see is a killer… She murdered Gael. He was going to be my next in line!”, Palo said. Sala looked confusedly at Palo. “Gael wasn’t a Vato yet… He wasn’t even a prospect”. “Cállate”, Palo growled. “You promised me…”. “Sala! Not now…”. Sala clenched his jaw, and took a few steps back.

Taza gazed down at his watch again, and frowned slightly; before looking intently at Palo. “You could walk away right now, your secret safe; as long as you agree to never move against Nina or any Mayan again”, he said. “You wouldn’t do that”, Palo said. “You’ve got as much to lose as me by coming forward”. “Only my life. My club and the people I care about; they live on”, Taza replied. “I’m done hiding”. Palo narrowed his eyes at Taza. “What’s in it for VM?”, he asked. “Our clubs could work together, instead of against each other”, Taza said. “Prove to the Mayans that you’re willing to let bygones be bygones, and that we can all trust each other. Help each other build our businesses, and let our clubs grow”. Palo seemed to ponder Taza’s words for a moment, before gazing down at Nina “No”, he declared. “She killed my primo. Now I’m gonna kill her with her own gun”.

He put his own gun in his waistband, and took the gun Filip had given to Nina from Sala. As he stepped towards Nina, she began shaking violently. Palo raised the gun to aim at her head, when he looked down at it; examining the handle. “Where did you get this?”, he grunted. Nina let out a short gasp, almost unable to speak. “Tell me!”, Palo demanded. “My brother… It was my brother’s”, she croaked. “You’re Jackson Teller’s sister?”, Palo asked. “Yes…”.

Palo looked at her for a long moment - his expression unreadable - before lowering the gun. “No puedo hacer esto…”, he muttered, making Nina let out an audible gasp of relief. Sala looked at him with a flabbergasted expression. “Qué quieres decir?, he asked. “You got her right here. Just kill her!”. “I owe her brother…”, Palo said. “He saved my life once. Used that gun…”. Nina gasped. Palo was the man Jax had saved from the Mayans, years ago. “What the fuck is wrong with you today?”, Sala growled. “You said you wanted revenge… Letting her go; that isn’t you!”. Palo looked coldly at Nina. “You’re right. I want my pound of flesh”, he said, and turned to Sala. “Bring him out”. Sala’s face lit up, and he left the room.

Palo pulled Nina to her feet, and held her back against his chest. There were sounds of struggling, and Sala came back from the other room; pushing Angel in front of him. Sala was aiming his gun at him. “Oh, god…”, Nina rasped. Angel hadn’t noticed she was in the room yet; too preoccupied with the barrel currently pressed against the back of his head. “Get off me, motherfucker!”, he growled, and stumbled forwards, as Sala gave him a hard shove between his shoulder blades. As his foot got caught in the plastic sheet on the floor, Angel fell to one knee and looked up; meeting Nina’s fear-stricken eyes. He looked back to the plastic sheet, and then up at Taza. “No, man… What is this? What did you do, Taza?”.

Taza was frozen in place. He looked like he’d lost complete control of the situation; which, it seemed in fact, that he very much had. “Palo, no. This is not the way to start a new relationship with the Mayans…” “I’ll deal with that, once this is over”, Palo said. “I can’t kill her, but I can make her feel my pain, when she loses the one she loves”.

His words struck Nina; leaving her heart in actual pain. “No! Take me… I was the one who killed Gael. Shoot me. Please!”. “Don’t shoot any of them!”, Taza growled. “Stop this, Palo…”. Sala punched Taza hard in the gut. “Shut the fuck up!”, he growled, as Taza doubled over in pain. “You’ve misunderstood me. I won’t be doing the shooting”, Palo replied. “You’ve killed before… I’m sure you can do it again”. He pushed her forwards, making her stand on the plastic sheet in front of the now fully kneeling Angel. “Take the gun”, Palo said, and pressed Jackson’s gun into her hand. “What?”, Nina croaked. “No, man… Fuck no. Don’t make her do this!”, Angel pleaded. Nina wanted to throw herself in front of Angel, to take any bullet coming his way. “Palo…”, Taza rasped. “This isn’t how this was supposed to go…”, Taxa rasped, and received another kick to his ribs from Sala. He looked at Nina, his eyes pained and regretful. “I’m so sorry…”, he breathed.

Palo gave Nina a light push in the back with the gun, to make her step even closer to Angel. “I can’t...”. “Sure you can”, Palo said. He got up close behind her, and leaned in close to her hear. His breath down her neck made Nina shudder. “Do it yourself, you fucking coward!”, Angel roared. “Don’t put her through this”. “You kill him, and this war ends right now. No one else has to die´”, Palo said. “I’ll pull my men back, and we’ll never cross into Mayan or even Sons of Anarchy territory again. They can continue their business as they always have”. Nina felt tears beginning to run down her cheeks. Palo put his hands on her shoulders, almost as if massaging them. “If you don’t, we’ll kill all three of you anyway. Then it will be the rest of them. Mayans and SOA… Within a week, there won’t be a clubhouse or a patch left standing”. “Don’t…”, Nina whispered. “Come on, man…”, Angel begged. “You want me dead; go ahead. Kill me…”. “After they’re gone, we’re going after their families…”, Palo continued, ignoring Angel. “Women and children; it doesn’t matter. We will find them all”.

Nina’s heart fell deeper into her stomach. Abel and Thomas; Palo would find them. She closed her eyes, and saw their small faces in front of her. When she looked again, she saw Angel; his expression agonized. Palo ran his hands down Nina’s arms, and made her hands fold around the handle; pulling the hammer for her. “I don’t want you to think I’m enjoying this. But I need you to feel the pain of losing someone important; just like I have. You killed Gael. Now you will kill this man…”.

Nina could hardly see through her tears. She sobbed loudly, before hearing Palo sigh behind her. He stepped up next to her, and pulled the hammer of his own gun; aiming it at her head. “No! No, stop!”, Angel yelled. “Nina, look at me… Look at me!”. Nina met his eyes. They were deeper than ever, and so filled with love and fear – not for himself, but for her. “Listen… You’re gonna do this, ok…? You can do this. End all of this, right now. Just shoot me". “No…”, Nina sobbed. Palo’s gun brushed against her temple, and he took a step closer. “You have to”, Angel said. “For our families… for Abel and Thomas, ok? For your brother… Do it for them". Palo was looking at the both of them with nothing but contempt.

Her whole body was shaking, and Nina’s leg finally gave in. She fell to her knees in front of Angel. “I love you…”, she whimpered. Angel smiled warmly. “I love you so much… It’s ok. You gotta live for me". He took her hands in his, and raised them, so the gun was pointed at his head. Using his thumb, he pressed Nina’s index finger against the trigger. “No no no no…”, she chanted in a raspy voice. “Please…”. “Te amo, cuervo…”.

The sound of Nina’s scream mixed with the sound of a gunshot.

---

tags: @cole-winchester @doloreschanal

[firelxdykatara]

not gonna lie I would love to hear more about the drama and infighting that went on in The Vampire Diaries fandom if you have the time (and also want to use that time to give your experience with the fandom, which from the snippets you've told sounds Not Fun so I get it if you don't want to lol)

oh god, there was like, SO MUCH, i just

i really feel like tvd is one of those fandoms that is so hard to describe without a lot of ‘you’d have to have been there’, but it really felt like this huge and all-consuming beast for about five years until the show finally imploded and the fandom basically turned on it en masse. (you ever see that post going around that’s like ‘if you ever want to know what true regret feels like, ask someone who once called tvd their favorite show’? still a mood, all these years later. basically the entire fandom thought the show should have just bowed out with whatever shreds of dignity it had left at the end of season 6, and became more of a hatedom than a fandom for the last two seasons. when you have an entire fandom cheering news of your show’s cancellation, i think that’s a sign you done fucked up, julie.)

first and most infamous, of course, are the ship wars. which are pretty much inevitable in any teen-centered drama, and i really think the CW fucking thrives on them, but it was particularly egregious in TVD’s case because not only was the base premise of the show a love triangle, but the two main romantic leads were brothers that the show constantly pit against one another--in pursuit of elena’s affections, but also because it kept up this insistence on the ‘good brother/bad brother’ dichotomy which stopped making sense after about season 2 (by which time we have found out that the good brother was never as good as he appeared, and the bad brother has been growing and isn’t nearly as bad as he pretends to be)--and the question of which brother ‘deserved’ elena (and no, what elena wanted very rarely factored into these discussions, especially in the team stefan camp because they turned on her when what she wanted was no longer The Good Brother, but i’ll get to that in a bit) was hotly contested.

i’m not kidding when i say the shipping wars were vicious. i started watching tvd shortly after it began to air, which was late 2009, and kept up with it fairly sporadically over the years. i didn’t come onto tumblr until 2011/2012, and by then, the fandom was already pretty much a garbagefire. there were anti ship and anti character blogs, any time something bad happened for one ship the rival ship would invade the tags to gloat about it (seasons 3 and 4 were especially rough, and i’m not gonna pretend delena fans weren’t just as bad about tag invasion and shit, but as that was my side of the road i saw a lot more of the stelena shippers being assholes, which soured my opinion on the ship a long time before i started rewatching and realized the red flags were there from the start), confessions blogs were popular also toxic as fuck (so much fighting happened in the notes of those posts, good gods), and this was right around when twitter’s popularity was on the rise and the line between Celebrity and Fan was thinning, so the fandom was absolutely atrocious to much of the tvd cast and crew.

(some of them deserved a lot of the later backlash, but in the early years a lot of it was ‘how dare you write the story in a way i dont like, you terrible fucking person’, and gods don’t get me started on the dobsley vs nian Thing)

i think what really encapsulates my feelings on the tvd fandom as a whole, though, is the way they (to this DAY) treated elena gilbert, which can be summed up in one meme that gained a lot of traction around season 3 if i remember right: that gif of pam from true blood, with the text altered to read “i’m so OVER elena and her precious doppelganger vagina!”

i swear at one time i had over half the active tvd fan accounts on tumblr blocked, because i got to a point where i would no longer tolerate elena hate, and she was (and still is, in what remains of the fandom; you’ll see a lot of ‘elena was one of the worst things about the show’ takes from ex-fans, too) one of the most widely despised characters in the entire fandom. because she -checks smudged writing on hand- was a traumatized teenage girl who -reads off a crumpled notecard- couldn’t always perfectly sort out her own feelings and -squints at the ceiling- sometimes made mistakes or bad decisions. (except a lot of the fandom also insisted that she was a mary sue who had no character traits or flaws or faults and it was like....make up your fucking minds???? is she a calculating conniving bitch whose somehow manipulating these centuries old vampires to tie them around her little finger or is she a boring flat character with no depth and no flaws??? jfc)

there was this massive double standard, too--like, stefan and damon could fuck whoever they wanted and that was fine, but elena was constantly raked over the coals for the crime of developing romantic feelings for the two men who had become constants in her life and whom she cared for deeply, and oh my GOD the slut shaming that happened when elena slept with damon was fucking wild. (and also happened in canon lmfao. like the show had one of elena’s best friends basically call her diseased on screen for falling in love with someone other than stefan. it was gross and ridiculous and the friend in question was also being a giant hypocrite at the time since she was happily flirting with someone who was directly responsible for the deaths of like four of elena’s loved ones and her own boyfriend’s mother but that’s beside the point) but like elena was called a slut and a bitch and a whore for ‘cheating’ on stefan (she hadn’t, and she had in fact broken up with him on screen the episode earlier) and ‘immediately’ jumping into bed with damon, even though none of them said fucking boo when stefan had one night stands or damon had fuckbuddies or whatever.

shit, caroline didn’t get any of this treatment when she started falling for tyler while dating matt! which isn’t to say i think she should have, just that i think it’s fucking ridiculous that elena was absolutely demonized by the fandom for daring to have feelings for two guys at once and eventually acting on them--despite the fact that the entire premise of the show was a love triangle. it’s not a love triangle if both sides don’t eventually get explored, and the crew had been pretty explicit about the fact that delena was going to happen at some point--but when it did, a huge chunk of the fandom absolutely threw a fit.

and a lot of these elena haters were alleged stelena stans, and i say alleged because they hated her so much for not wanting stefan’s dick anymore that it was clear they were really stefan stans and only wanted stelena to be endgame because they wanted stefan to ‘win’ at the end of the day, because ‘he’s the good brother’ so he deserved elena more.

it was all very gross and very misogynistic and very sex shaming (apparently delena was a ‘shallow’ and ‘superficial’ relationship because they had sex after two years of unrequited feelings slowly becoming requited and then pining for ages on both sides, and because they had a lot of on screen chemistry that the show capitalized on for years so of course they did a lot of making out and shit but it’s not like stelena didn’t have its fair share of making out and sex scenes, stefan was just too much of a coward to let elena top i’d apologize for that joke but i’m really not sorry because it’s true), and when i say it was egged on by the crew, that’s because they refused to let the love triangle die back in season 4 when it should have.

they insisted on stringing stelena fans along, dropping little bread crumbs to keep them invested, like dreams of a future where they were married and revealing that stefan was also a doppelganger and he and elena were descended from a pair of star-crossed lovers (a plot that ultimately went nowhere, to no one’s great surprise), and then fucking like. julie plec turned around and threw nina under the bus after she chose not to extend her contract and pretended that stelena might have happened again if she hadn’t left the show, which....i mean frankly i wouldn’t put it past her, but it would have been shitty writing. then again, she thought having a vampire pregnancy where a uterus was magically transplanted from a witch into a vampire that could somehow......carry the babies to term.... made sense and was a good way to accomodate candice’s RL pregnancy rather than like literally ANYTHING else, soooooo. but anyway julie saying that around like, end of s6 sparked off a new wave of nina hate and elena hate and ship wars bc they SEers took it as ‘confirmation’ that stelena was REALLY meant to be endgame and it was all just a hot fucking mess

another thing is that, while tvd was in its prime before the anti/purity culture shit started picking up any real steam, there was still this pervasive attitude throughout the fandom that if you liked Damon, you were A Bad Person. liking damon was apparently grounds for insults and harassment, and apparently he was The Worst Person on the Show even though literally nothing he does on screen is any worse than shit we know stefan has done (and frankly every other vampire too, but i mention stefan specifically because he was always held up--in the show but especially in the fandom--as the Good Brother while damon was the Bad One, and if you liked damon more then that had to mean your morals were dodgy and you clearly couldn’t appreciate what a heroic and saintly figure dear stefan was and....oops, i’m sorry, my salt keeps leaking -cough-).

meanwhile klaus quickly became a fandom darling despite not even really having much of a redemption arc (on tvd anyway, he just became more ‘affably evil’ as the show went on and more inclined to work with the main characters rather than try to kill them; i have no idea what went on over on his show, though), and like i can 100% appreciate liking villains and not caring that they do dodgy villainous shit, even just liking them bc they’re hot and wanting them to kiss a main character bc they have insanely good chemistry (yes i ship klaroline, no i won’t apologize for it, they could have been Really Great), it’s just really the double standard that gets me.

and all of this, incidentally, required ignoring some truly gross shit stefan was responsible for wrt his relationship with elena, that frankly it has always bothered me never really got addressed in the show. i get why elena herself would never be able to actually call him on it, but the fact is that he stalked her for months after he first saw her and thought she was katherine (meanwhile it only took damon .5 seconds to realize she was someone else entirely, but that’s another topic entirely), and then he deliberately inserted himself into her life because, in his words, ‘i have to know her’. he never gave a thought to how his presence in her life might affect her (or rather, he did, and tormented himself about it in his internal monologue, but never let this actually dissuade him from disrupting her life), and elena would wind up blaming herself for every tragedy that befell her friends and loved ones as a result of getting mixed up in vampire bullshit even though none of it was her fault--she literally blamed herself for existing but most of the fandom didn’t give a fuck about that lmfao--and stefan did shit like find out that she was adopted and then withhold this information from her until she got pissed about another secret he was keeping (her resemblence to katherine) and drop it on her to try and distract her from her very reasonable anger, and like... i should stop before this becomes a whole rant about how much i hate stefan fucking salvatore, but the point is, he did a lot of really sketchy shit he never answered for and elena never really took him to task for, and the fandom just kept eating up his insistence that he was the Good Brother and therefore he deserved to have elena, and if she didn’t want him anymore it was because she was a heinous bitch who didn’t deserve him.

uh.....i think i got off track there. and there’s probably a lot of shit i missed, like i think i was incandescent with rage for most of seasons 5 and 6 so i missed a lot of the interfandom shit cause i was too busy being increasingly pissed off at the show itself, but if nothing else this should give you an idea of how much of a goddamn cesspit the fandom was while the show as in its prime. there’s a reason both the show and the fandom have such a lousy reputation lmfao.

[futurewriter2000]

Heartless - pt. 8

A/N: This is turning out so good. 

XX

“Finally.” you breathed out, closing the door behind you as you threw your heels off your feet and felt the softness of the rug beneath you. 

You were leaning on the door, quietly, just trying to wrap your head around Sirius, around Marcus, around your family, around your back that continued to scorch your whole spine after the fall. It was killing you- you barely even walked in your heels when you were with Marcus but now it was over. This night can finally be over. 

“I’m home!” you shouted at the living room but it was empty... empty and quiet. “Hello?” you walked into the kitchen, looked through the window on the balcony and left upstairs. You checked your parent’s bedroom but nobody was there. “Where is everybody?” you asked yourself and left to James’ room, knocking on the door and opening it slightly. “James?” 

You stopped when you saw him sitting next to Sirius, who was holding an ice pack on his eye, getting more blue and purple by the minute.

“What the hell?” you asked, taking a few more steps in. 

Sirius looked at you with an empty look in his eyes; guilty? Remorseful? Sorry?

James was glaring at you, only you with resentment, with hate, with rage and with anything that would make him explode at you... and that made you scared. 

It didn’t take you to put two and two together.

“You told him?” you looked at Sirius with disbelief, feeling shame and anger mix together in you. 

“Of course, he told me!” James exploded, storming his way to you and stopping an inch away. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!!”

“WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?! HE KISSED ME!!”

“YOU’RE SMARTER THAN THAT! YOU KNEW THAT IF DAD AND MUM FOUND OUT THEY WOULD KICK HIM OUT!”

“THEY WOULDN’T FIND OUT! YOU WOULDN’T LET IT! I WOULDN’T!”

“THEY COULD! HE CAME UP TO ME WITH BLOODY HANDS! BLOODY KNUCKLES! WHAT DO THEY THINK IT WAS?! Oh, sure. Sirius just punched a bloody tree because you broke his heart-”

“Hey-” Sirius stood up but James turned sharply to him and pointed his finger at him.

“You shut up, you bloody traitor! She’s my sister! MY SISTER! MY TWIN SISTER and YOU  couldn’t keep it in your pants!” 

“It was not like that!” Sirius shouted back, whether that as from anger or guilt. 

“You both fucking betrayed me-”

“Fuck you, James! If anyone here betrayed me, it was you!” you pushed your finger at him, once, twice, maybe a few more. “Constantly over the years! So what if I snogged your best friend!? What are you gonna do? Punch me too? Give me a blue eye?”

“I wish I could but you know I would never!”

“Can’t share your best friend, James? Huh? It’s not like I had to share you and my whole family and friends with him because of you?!”

“And I had to share my whole bloody life with you! I just wanted something mine! My life is mine! My best friend is mine! Sirius is mine and not your friend! I had to share Marcus and Nina and all of our childhood friends with you! I had to share my room, my toys, my food, everywhere we went as kids, you had to be there! It was annoying! When I met Sirius! He was mine! Remus and Peter are my friends! They are in my life and you don’t get to have that, (y/n)! I want at least a little bit of life that is mine and not ours! Is that so much to ask without you having to be jealous of it!”

“JEALOUS!?!” you scoffed. “Do you know how selfish you sound, right now?! They weren’t your friends, Marcus and Nina and the others! They were our friends! We met them together! We were friends together! And I’m sorry that I was sorted in your house! I’m sorry I was born one bloody second after you! I am sorry that all my bloody life I HAD TO SHARE MY LIFE WITH YOU TOO BUT THE DIFFERENCE IS JAMES THAT I LOVED SHARING MY LIFE WITH YOU!” your voice started to get raspy and loud by every word you spoke, tears filling your eyes. “You’re my fucking brother, James! Siblings are supposed to be there for each other but you left the moment you met that asshole and you pretended like I didn’t even exist- and the moment- THE MOMENT I MET LILY YOU HAD TO TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME! SO DON’T TELL ME YOU WANTED A LITTLE BIT OF LIFE THAT’S YOURS WHEN YOU TOOK MINE!” tears started to pour from your eyes as sobs escaped your mouth. You turned around because you didn’t want to face him after saying that, not when you looked such a mess and Merlin! The pain was so high in your lower back that you wanted to lay down but how could you lay down after such a heated argument.

“No. You don’t get to cry because of that. You risked Sirius with that- now I get Sirius to do this but you? You, (y/n)? I thought you were smarter than that.”

“I am smarter, you fucking twat.” you turned around, glaring at him. “I took care of your drunk arse when you came home last night! I cover for you, every single time meanwhile you don’t give me a single think in return. Because let’s be honest here, James. If it wasn’t Sirius, you’d snitch on me the moment mom and dad would come home!”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Yes, you would!” you pointed your finger at him. “That’s why I don’t tell you stuff. That’s why I don’t trust you at all. That’s why none of you knew about me! I was like a ghost here! I was depressed for a year! A year of dark thoughts! A year of just wanting to end my life- you all didn’t even care to see! I slept throughout the day and you called me lazy! I ate too much and you all started insulting my weight. I didn’t eat at all and you didn’t even see. I cried every bloody night for a year because I hated my life and YOU WEREN’T THERE! YOU WEREN’T THERE JAMES BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO SELFISH BEING YOU!” you shouted again. “You didn’t help me when I needed you. When I asked you to help me with my grades that were dropping, you blew me off. When I asked you to help me- you didn’t even listen. You didn’t even give me the chance and then I stopped asking you! But Marcus was there-” you now looked at Sirius, glaring at him. “That summer Marcus noticed! He was the only one who noticed and to me he wasn’t just some guy! He was the person who saved me from myself! And he wasn’t some guy! He put an effort into writing me every week to check up on me and he made me happy-” you looked back at James, who was watching you with a questionable look.

“You weren’t depressed. I would notice.”

“Well, you didn’t. Just like you never do.” you let out a laugh. “You know, it was funny to me when Sirius fucking noticed that I was taking more pills than I should. He even noticed that I was getting to my bad habits of taking pills to numb not only my back pains but to sleep through the days because I didn’t want to live them- and then Marcus finally came to England and I was happy. I was so happy because he just knew and he took care of me when nobody else could.”

“You’re not a kid, (y/n)...” he tried to find more excuses but it all came out weaker and quieter. 

“I was a kid.” you said, putting your hand into your purse and pulling out a pack of pills, throwing them at James and letting them spill on the floor. “I was a kid who ate those to fall asleep faster and harder but you didn’t notice. You didn’t know. Nobody knew. Nobody knew what was going on with me. You knew about Sirius though. You knew what was bugging him and Remus and Peter and half of the Quidditch team but you never bothered to to check on me.”

“You looked well! I never worried about you because I know you’re strong!”

“WELL, I WASN’T JAMES! Some days I just wasn’t strong! Some days I just wanted to die!

“Then why didn’t you tell me!”

“BECAUSE YOU AVOIDED ME! For your life that I was “stealing” away from you! The one that we had to share!”

“That isn’t fair.”

“No. It really isn’t, James. I listened to you whine all the time and I’m sick of it.” you felt another stabbing pain in your lower back, up your spine and to your head until you felt your head spin. “FUCK!” you let out a groan, holding to your hips. 

“What’s wrong?” Sirius and James both tried to walk to you but you managed to keep yourself up and sober.

“Nothing.” you hissed at them. “Leave me alone- I’m going to Nina’s for tonight.” you said and left the room. You made your way to the bathroom, grabbed two of your dad’s painkillers and threw them into your mouth. 

With that taken, you took a few more just in case and made your way out of the house. 

You weren’t sad anymore. You weren’t angry either. You were just a storm of so many emotions in one small body. You forgot your jacket, you were in crocks with no socks and no purse- you were just storming away into the unknown. Not to Nina’s because Nina was in Cuba with her family, but you couldn’t go to Marcus either because of tonight, so instead you just walked with extreme back pain and cold wind on blowing against you. 

“Hey, there pretty lady!” you heard someone behind you but you only started to walk faster.

Great. One more thing you needed was catcallers and men out on the pull. 

“Oh, where are you going so angry so fast.” he ran to you but you sneaked away from him.

“Leave me alone.” you grumbled, your lips trembling from the cold. 

“Ah- come on.” one pulled you by the arm, meanwhile his friend appeared next to him. But as he did pull you, you only slapped his cheek, hard.

“I said leave me alone, you freaks!” you shouted, shoving him away and trying to wriggle your wrist out of his hold. 

“Oh, she’s a feisty one, John.” his friend smiled behind him. 

“We like them feisty, don’t we Will?” the other, John, said pulling you closer to him, where you could smell his reeking breath. 

“If you don’t let me go now, you will regret it.” you seethed, taking a hold of your wand and gripping it tight around its core. 

The two men laughed hard and you could feel the man’s grip tighten around you but when you did, you immediately pulled out your wand and stupefied him- both of them until they were passed out on the ground. 

Blowing out a strand of your hair that fell, you walked towards them and looked down on their pathetic passed out faces. “Only weak men pray on women.” you kicked one of them with your crock and made your way to where you were going. 

By now, you already knew where to go. You would just make a round down the field until you would come back to the nets your dad hung a few days ago. You’d maybe sleep there for the night- not sleep. Just be there and think in peace, without anybody knowing or disturbing you. It would be just you and the sky and the tree. Maybe a few mosquitos to give you company. 

Your back sent you another jolt of pain, up your spine to your head. You had to stop at the edge of the woods, holding yourself against the tree trunk. You grabbed the bottle of pills and tried to pull it out but jolt after jolt it kept entering your head, making the night go darker and blurrier. The next thing you knew, your hand slipped from the trunk and you were on the ground, falling, tumbling amongst the trees and the branches. One scratched your face, thorns dug deep into your stomach. You tried to stop but everything hurt and you couldn’t stop tumbling down. Lights, stars, trees and the last thing you saw was the tree trunk you were approaching with extreme force. 

“No, no, no, no, no.” you dug your nails into the dirt, trying to stop yourself from colliding, pulling out the grass by its roots but it didn’t help because the next thing you knew was a strog force to your chest and then... it was dark.

[missjanjie]

Branjie Fic | How Wonderful Life Is (While You’re in the World)

Title: How Wonderful Life Is (While You’re in the World) Summary: This is an epilogue/sequel to tiny dancer, because an extra dose was necessary. Word Count: ~1.7k Relationship: Branjie (Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo) Rating: T

Read on AO3

“I thought you’d be a little more excited by now,” A’keria observed. “You only graduate college once.”

Vanessa shrugged, setting the glue stick down. They’d been spending the day decorating their caps, but her heart just wasn’t in it. And that was because her heart was doing ballet in France. “I just miss her.”

“Come on, this was supposed to be a fun distraction,” Blair gently chimed in, resting her hand on her shoulder. “Brooke would want you to enjoy yourself, right?”

“Fuck, you make it sound like she’s dead,” she groaned and rest her head against the table. “How am I supposed to do this shit for another two months?” They were only two weeks into the ten-week engagement, and she already decided she couldn’t handle it.

A’keria pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, you just a drama queen. Aren’t you visiting her next month anyway? Bitching and moaning like you ain’t about to go to fucking France.”

Vanessa pushed herself up off the table, only to slump into her chair. “Y’all just don’t get it. We haven’t spent more than a few weeks apart in four years. I got separation anxiety!” Her cheeks flushed red, she was still embarrassed - she was self aware enough to know she was being childish and maybe a bit self-centered, but she couldn’t help herself; next to her mom, Brooke Lynn was the most important person in her life.

Blair nodded sympathetically. “Aw, honey, we understand. Why don’t we pick this up tomorrow? You should go give her a call before it gets too late over there. Go ahead, we’ll clean up here.”

A’keria arched her brow. “We will?”

“Yes,” she glared

Vanessa wasn’t paying attention to the bickering going on between her friends. Once Blair had given her the go-ahead to leave, she was gathering her things and heading right out the door. She glanced at her phone on the way out - it was about ten at night in Brooke’s side of the world, if she remembered correctly.

And lucky for her, Brooke Lynn was still awake and willing to Skype by the time she returned to their apartment.

“You’ve got glitter all over your face,” Brooke observed with a soft chuckle. “What sort of fun have you been getting up to over there?”

“None, I promise,” she retorted flatly. “We was decorating our caps but I just wasn’t feeling it. It’s kinda tacky at this point anyway,” she added, pulling dried glue off of her fingertips and flicking it away.

She pouted sympathetically. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “I think you should decorate it, though. It’s not like you to ever blend in.”

A slight smile twitched at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, maybe,” she shrugged. “How’s shit over there?”

“I mean, it’s hard to complain about this place,” she admitted with a soft laugh. “The only thing it’s missing is my beautiful girlfriend,” she cooed, batting her lashes.

Vanessa chuckled softly, looking down and pushing her hair off of her shoulders. “So, you ain’t gonna leave me for some fancy French bitch then?” She did her best to play it off as a lighthearted joke, but even after all this time, there was a nagging sense of doubt somewhere inside her that worried one day Brooke would wake up and realize she could do better.

Brooke scoffed and shook her head. “As if anyone in this entire continent could hold a candle to you. I’m offended at the mere suggestion, Vanj.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ve just been missing you.”

“I miss you too, but you’ll be here before you know it, and you’ll have a shiny new degree to be proud of.”

She looked back at her half-decorated cap on the dresser. “Still kinda hard to believe.” On paper, it had looked like all the odds had been stacked against Vanessa from the get-go. No one ever truly believed that she had the intelligence and determination to earn a college degree. Hell, when she had finished her first year, people around her had been surprised.

Except for Brooke.

“No it’s not,” she replied without a moment’s hesitation. “You busted your ass from the moment I met you, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that tries as hard as you. You, my dear, are a force to be reckoned with.”

“Guess it’s hard to argue now that you got proof,” Vanessa conceded, “I just wish you was gonna be here for it.”

Brooke sighed sadly. “I do too, baby. But I promise, Nina’s going to be there livestreaming the whole thing to me.”

It wasn’t the same, but there was no point in belaboring the issue - it wasn’t going to change anything and they both would only feel worse. “You right, I know. Imma let you get to bed, talk to you tomorrow.”

“Alright, love you,” she blew a kiss at the screen.

“Love you too,” she smiled fondly and ended the call.

However, when Brooke Lynn closed her laptop, she didn’t leave it sitting on her desk. Instead, she packed it into its case and put it in with her luggage. She flopped down on her bed for a moment, she’s not an actress and lying to Vanessa was harder than any course she’d taken during her master’s program, especially seeing the sadness in her expression - it was physically painful, but she knew it would pay off.

The alarm went off on her phone moments later and she made her way to the front of the apartment building to wait for a taxi. “L'aéroport, s'il vous plaît,” her diction had improved, but her French was still remedial.

But she got there just fine and landed in JFK around midnight. She took the train back into Manhattan, then took a cab to Nina’s apartment. “Thanks for waiting up for me,” she whispered as she slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind her.

“No problem, but you definitely owe me,” Nina chuckled and grabbed her a bottle of water. “Now, tell me again why you’re waiting until her party to show up?”

Brooke took a swig from the bottle and set it down on the table. “Because the graduation ceremony is going to be too busy. Besides, the party is going to be all about her, it’ll be the perfect moment for, you know…”

Nina nodded in understanding. “She’s going to be so excited to see you. I can already hear it; ‘Brooke Lynn! You’re here!’” She imitated Vanessa’s distinct way of speaking, getting her friend to laugh and hopefully alleviating the nerves she knew were still lingering.

------

Vanessa ran to her family, one hand clutching her diploma and the other holding her cap steady on her head. “Y’all seeing this shit? I’m a fuckin’ graduate!” She beamed brightly as her family surrounded her with affection and praise, the reality that she had actually survived college - something even she didn’t anticipate for herself.

“Come on sweetheart, it’s time to celebrate,” her mother cooed, leading her into the car so they could relocate to the venue.

They had reserved a private party room at one of Vanessa’s favorite restaurants. It had already been decorated with balloons and congratulatory banners as family and friends began filing in.

“Aw, you guys! This is so nice of y’all,” Vanessa beamed as she looked around the room.

“Actually,” Nina started, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with a giddy expression. “We have a little surprise for you.” She glanced over her shoulder, her smile brightening even more.

The room was silent, aside from some confused murmuring, until the sound of heels clacking against the hardwood floor got louder and louder until Brooke Lynn was standing in the doorway.

Vanessa’s eyes went wide and began to well with tears. “Brooke Lynn!”

“Hi, baby,” Brooke had barely gotten the phrase out before Vanessa launched herself at her. She caught her in a tight embrace, picking her up and spinning her around.

“I can’t believe you’re here! What about your show?”

She shrugged as she set her down. “The understudy agreed to do a couple shows so I could surprise my girlfriend,” she kissed her sweetly and ruffled her hair. “It’s so good to see you.”

Even after she was set down, Vanessa was still hugging her tight. “I’m so happy you’re here, oh my god,” she tilted her head up to blink away tears.

Brooke stroked her fingers through her hair, humming softly. Then she took a step back, swallowing thickly. “I… um… I actually have one more surprise for you.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?”

She laughed awkwardly and shook her head. “No, this is just… something I’ve wanted to do since… honestly, since our first Thanksgiving together. I’ve been ready but… I finally think we’re ready,” she haphazardly rifled through her purse, her legs trembled as she got down on one knee.

The Mateo family had already erupted in excitement, scrambling for their phones and enthusiastically chattering in Spanish. Vanessa was the only quiet one, biting down on her knuckles as she was already starting to cry.

“Vanessa--”

“Yes!” “Let me finish!” Brooke giggled softly, then collected herself as quickly as she could, opening the box up. “Vanessa, I’ve loved you from the moment I met you, regardless of how stubborn I was about it in the beginning. But over these past four years, my love for you has only grown exponentially. And that’s why I want to ask you… will you marry me?” There was a beat of silence. “You can answer now.”

“Yes!” It was somewhere between a scream and a sob, Vanessa hardly knew what to do with herself, so she just threw her arms around Brooke and cried into the crook of her neck until she had pulled herself together enough to slide the ring onto her finger. “Damn, look at this rock!” She exclaimed to distract herself and everyone else from how much of a mess she was.

“This bitch really got a diploma and a wife on the same day,” A’keria remarked to Blair with a laugh. “But I’ll be damned if there ain’t anyone that deserves it more.”

As the newly-engaged couple embraced, the energy that surrounded them made it clear that everyone shared those sentiments. Brooke Lynn and Vanessa had been through a lot since the day they met in Katya’s dance class, but it was all worth it to lead up to this moment.

[ftcassia]

— && guests may mistake me as ( nina dobrev ), but really i am ( cassia rossi + cisfemale + she/her ) and my DOB is ( 08/03/1993 ). i am applying for the ( bartender ) position as part of the EHP and would like to live in suite ( 216 ). i should be hired because i am ( + honest and loyal ), but i can also be ( - selfish and impulsive ) at times. personally, i like to ( sing and i'm a photographer ) when off the clock, but that won’t interfere with work. thank you for your consideration! ( jess, pst, 25 ).

quick facts

legal name: cassia amari rossi

nick name: cass, car

status: single

sexuality: pansexual, leans more towards men.

dob: aug 3, 1993. 26, leo.

status: single

occupation: bartender, photographer. 

tattoos: this is tattooed on her left forearm, this is tattooed in the same place on her right side, these are tattooed behind her right ear, this is on her right forearm, and this is on the back of her neck.

piercings: on her left ear she has her — daith, flat, and 3 lobe piercings. on her right ear she has her — tragus, conch, and 3 lobe piercings.

extras: she drinks, smokes weed, but pretty much stays away from any harder substances and has only tried them in party situations once or twice.

below the surface

tw: drugs.

cassia is a bit estranged from her family. though truthfully that’s mainly all due to the choices she’s made.

she has a younger half sister, harlow (@gcldenhxurs​). they share a mom but have different fathers.

cassia never knew her own father as a child, that was mainly due to her mom having an affair, in which harlow was the product and choosing to transition their life to a new one, with harlow’s dad. as messed up as their mom was — that was probably one of the only good decisions she made for cassia.

her father was a bigger mess than her mother. he loved drugs and alcohol more than he could have ever loved his wife or his daughter. 

when cassia got into middle school her father started to come back around, but it was always a secret, can’t tell your mother — at least that’s what he always said and she always listened. it wasn’t that her step dad didn’t love her, or didn’t make her feel loved, but she craved a healthy relationship with one of her parents, and to have one with her mother was just completely out of the question.

unfortunately her father coming around had nothing to do with a relationship with cassia. he didn’t care about her as a child, and that never changed as she grew older. he was selfish, and all he ever cared about was himself — and filling the desires of his own addictions.

it all messed cassia up far more then she would ever be willing to admit, and although she learned more and more every year that she would never have the relationship with her father that she could have had with her step dad — she still kept it a secret, like he asked, just in case. 

ever since her dad came back into her life she pushed away the family that actually loved her. her messed up mom, her too sweet little sister, and her ever loving step dad. it would probably be easy enough to go to them, even now — apologize and ask for another chance. but she never did, maybe it was pride, or maybe it was the bitterness she had towards her mom, harlow and her dad never really deserved the cold shoulder cassia threw there way, but after all these years — she didn’t know anything else, not anymore.

the summer before her freshman year of high school they moved from san francisco to texas — a god awful decision if you asked her, that was until she met miguel. 

she was in love once in high school, and she hasn’t allowed herself the luxury of that experience again. as much as she loved being in love, giving love and receiving it — as most people do. the loss of love combined with the lack of love from family has caused her to sort of shut down in that department. 

after high school cassia told her family she was going to travel, take a gap year and focus on her photography — all a lie. only her step dad knew the truth — she was going to new york to study at the new york film academy.

during her time in college, although her step dad took care of her living, and her school costs — cassia made it her job to fund any extracurricular activities. so when she wasn’t in school, or studying, she was picking up singing gigs for extra cash, her second love, and the only time in her life that she chose to share her voice with the world. 

it was during that time that she realized how much her step dad really did love her, but she was still too frightened to let him past the walls she’d built. 

cassia is so talented, both in film and music, but she has a hard time believing in herself or her skills, so she continues film but calls it a hobby though she is far too good to title it that way — and she works the bar, because working mindless jobs keeps her grounded — or at least that’s what she tells herself.

cassia is spontaneous, outgoing, sarcastic, sassy, and she always loves a good time. 

for those who have found their way into what she considers a cold dead heart — she is warm, gentle, kind, and will always put their needs, wants and desires before her own.

she can be cold, ruthless, selfish, and does her best to hide the fact that she is human — because she feels she would be better off without emotion. 

connections

best friend(s) — i would love to see cassia have one or a few people she is close enough to where they do get to see her heart.

fwb — although she has sworn off love, she still enjoys the company of another person for her own enjoyment.

and any other ideas throw at me too, i may or may not update this later on but this is what i’ve got for now.

[artificialqueens]

How Wonderful Life Is (While You're in the World) Branjie - Joley

ao3 link

“I thought you’d be a little more excited by now,” A’keria observed. “You only graduate college once.”

Vanessa shrugged, setting the glue stick down. They’d been spending the day decorating their caps, but her heart just wasn’t in it. And that was because her heart was doing ballet in France. “I just miss her.”

“Come on, this was supposed to be a fun distraction,” Blair gently chimed in, resting her hand on her shoulder. “Brooke would want you to enjoy yourself, right?”

“Fuck, you make it sound like she’s dead,” she groaned and rest her head against the table. “How am I supposed to do this shit for another two months?” They were only two weeks into the ten-week engagement, and she already decided she couldn’t handle it.

A’keria pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, you just a drama queen. Aren’t you visiting her next month anyway? Bitching and moaning like you ain’t about to go to fucking France.”

Vanessa pushed herself up off the table, only to slump into her chair. “Y’all just don’t get it. We haven’t spent more than a few weeks apart in four years. I got separation anxiety!” Her cheeks flushed red, she was still embarrassed - she was self aware enough to know she was being childish and maybe a bit self-centered, but she couldn’t help herself; next to her mom, Brooke Lynn was the most important person in her life.

Blair nodded sympathetically. “Aw, honey, we understand. Why don’t we pick this up tomorrow? You should go give her a call before it gets too late over there. Go ahead, we’ll clean up here.”

A’keria arched her brow. “We will?”

“Yes,” she glared

Vanessa wasn’t paying attention to the bickering going on between her friends. Once Blair had given her the go-ahead to leave, she was gathering her things and heading right out the door. She glanced at her phone on the way out - it was about ten at night in Brooke’s side of the world, if she remembered correctly.

And lucky for her, Brooke Lynn was still awake and willing to Skype by the time she returned to their apartment.

“You’ve got glitter all over your face,” Brooke observed with a soft chuckle. “What sort of fun have you been getting up to over there?”

“None, I promise,” she retorted flatly. “We was decorating our caps but I just wasn’t feeling it. It’s kinda tacky at this point anyway,” she added, pulling dried glue off of her fingertips and flicking it away.

She pouted sympathetically. “Poor baby,” she cooed. “I think you should decorate it, though. It’s not like you to ever blend in.”

A slight smile twitched at the corners of her lips. “Yeah, maybe,” she shrugged. “How’s shit over there?”

“I mean, it’s hard to complain about this place,” she admitted with a soft laugh. “The only thing it’s missing is my beautiful girlfriend,” she cooed, batting her lashes.

Vanessa chuckled softly, looking down and pushing her hair off of her shoulders. “So, you ain’t gonna leave me for some fancy French bitch then?” She did her best to play it off as a lighthearted joke, but even after all this time, there was a nagging sense of doubt somewhere inside her that worried one day Brooke would wake up and realize she could do better.

Brooke scoffed and shook her head. “As if anyone in this entire continent could hold a candle to you. I’m offended at the mere suggestion, Vanj.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ve just been missing you.”

“I miss you too, but you’ll be here before you know it, and you’ll have a shiny new degree to be proud of.”

She looked back at her half-decorated cap on the dresser. “Still kinda hard to believe.” On paper, it had looked like all the odds had been stacked against Vanessa from the get-go. No one ever truly believed that she had the intelligence and determination to earn a college degree. Hell, when she had finished her first year, people around her had been surprised.

Except for Brooke.

“No it’s not,” she replied without a moment’s hesitation. “You busted your ass from the moment I met you, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone that tries as hard as you. You, my dear, are a force to be reckoned with.”

“Guess it’s hard to argue now that you got proof,” Vanessa conceded, “I just wish you was gonna be here for it.”

Brooke sighed sadly. “I do too, baby. But I promise, Nina’s going to be there livestreaming the whole thing to me.”

It wasn’t the same, but there was no point in belaboring the issue - it wasn’t going to change anything and they both would only feel worse. “You right, I know. Imma let you get to bed, talk to you tomorrow.”

“Alright, love you,” she blew a kiss at the screen.

“Love you too,” she smiled fondly and ended the call.

However, when Brooke Lynn closed her laptop, she didn’t leave it sitting on her desk. Instead, she packed it into its case and put it in with her luggage. She flopped down on her bed for a moment, she’s not an actress and lying to Vanessa was harder than any course she’d taken during her master’s program, especially seeing the sadness in her expression - it was physically painful, but she knew it would pay off.

The alarm went off on her phone moments later and she made her way to the front of the apartment building to wait for a taxi. “L'aéroport, s'il vous plaît,” her diction had improved, but her French was still remedial.

But she got there just fine and landed in JFK around midnight. She took the train back into Manhattan, then took a cab to Nina’s apartment. “Thanks for waiting up for me,” she whispered as she slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind her.

“No problem, but you definitely owe me,” Nina chuckled and grabbed her a bottle of water. “Now, tell me again why you’re waiting until her party to show up?”

Brooke took a swig from the bottle and set it down on the table. “Because the graduation ceremony is going to be too busy. Besides, the party is going to be all about her, it’ll be the perfect moment for, you know…”

Nina nodded in understanding. “She’s going to be so excited to see you. I can already hear it; ‘Brooke Lynn! You’re here!’” She imitated Vanessa’s distinct way of speaking, getting her friend to laugh and hopefully alleviating the nerves she knew were still lingering.

——

Vanessa ran to her family, one hand clutching her diploma and the other holding her cap steady on her head. “Y’all seeing this shit? I’m a fuckin’ graduate!” She beamed brightly as her family surrounded her with affection and praise, the reality that she had actually survived college - something even she didn’t anticipate for herself.

“Come on sweetheart, it’s time to celebrate,” her mother cooed, leading her into the car so they could relocate to the venue.

They had reserved a private party room at one of Vanessa’s favorite restaurants. It had already been decorated with balloons and congratulatory banners as family and friends began filing in.

“Aw, you guys! This is so nice of y’all,” Vanessa beamed as she looked around the room.

“Actually,” Nina started, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with a giddy expression. “We have a little surprise for you.” She glanced over her shoulder, her smile brightening even more.

The room was silent, aside from some confused murmuring, until the sound of heels clacking against the hardwood floor got louder and louder until Brooke Lynn was standing in the doorway.

Vanessa’s eyes went wide and began to well with tears. “Brooke Lynn!”

“Hi, baby,” Brooke had barely gotten the phrase out before Vanessa launched herself at her. She caught her in a tight embrace, picking her up and spinning her around.

“I can’t believe you’re here! What about your show?”

She shrugged as she set her down. “The understudy agreed to do a couple shows so I could surprise my girlfriend,” she kissed her sweetly and ruffled her hair. “It’s so good to see you.”

Even after she was set down, Vanessa was still hugging her tight. “I’m so happy you’re here, oh my god,” she tilted her head up to blink away tears.

Brooke stroked her fingers through her hair, humming softly. Then she took a step back, swallowing thickly. “I… um… I actually have one more surprise for you.”

“You’re not pregnant, are you?”

She laughed awkwardly and shook her head. “No, this is just… something I’ve wanted to do since… honestly, since our first Thanksgiving together. I’ve been ready but… I finally think we’re ready,” she haphazardly rifled through her purse, her legs trembled as she got down on one knee.

The Mateo family had already erupted in excitement, scrambling for their phones and enthusiastically chattering in Spanish. Vanessa was the only quiet one, biting down on her knuckles as she was already starting to cry.

“Vanessa–”

“Yes!”

“Let me finish!” Brooke giggled softly, then collected herself as quickly as she could, opening the box up. “Vanessa, I’ve loved you from the moment I met you, regardless of how stubborn I was about it in the beginning. But over these past four years, my love for you has only grown exponentially. And that’s why I want to ask you… will you marry me?” There was a beat of silence. “You can answer now.”

“Yes!” It was somewhere between a scream and a sob, Vanessa hardly knew what to do with herself, so she just threw her arms around Brooke and cried into the crook of her neck until she had pulled herself together enough to slide the ring onto her finger. “Damn, look at this rock!” She exclaimed to distract herself and everyone else from how much of a mess she was.

“This bitch really got a diploma and a wife on the same day,” A’keria remarked to Blair with a laugh. “But I’ll be damned if there ain’t anyone that deserves it more.”

As the newly-engaged couple embraced, the energy that surrounded them made it clear that everyone shared those sentiments. Brooke Lynn and Vanessa had been through a lot since the day they met in Katya’s dance class, but it was all worth it to lead up to this moment.

[andieperrie18]

OSIRIA ROSE: KUROSHITSUJI FANFIC (MANGA BASE)

This is just a sample

• o n e •

OSIRIA FOUND HERSELF at the same spot in the hallway where she stuck her ground as she had once watched her brother's small fragile frame fade and the sound of running neared to her left ear. The difference with this one was it is unbelievably peaceful though she didn't give any mind. But she knew it wasn't long before the small chaos would come uninvited by the Phantomhive manor.

"They are now scouting around the house miss Rose." she turned to Tanaka who stood by her side right at the moment. She nodded her thanks as before turning her view back to where it was.

"HAHAHAHA!!!"

The butler stared at the laughing circus hostbefore him and his master. Joker, who cackled like a mad man as he laid sprawled out on the cold concrete in the of his own crimson liquid. His maniacly laughter bounce on every wall and pillar of the large torture hall.

"However, you will also have some important things stolen from you from you tonight." the cackling mad man quoted as he waited for the smuggness on the their discombombulate to pieces. And when they did and it only brought up Joker's confidence more.

"My fellow circus members are paying a visit to you manor tonight." he continued

The two servants stood side by side under the light of the moon as they waited. The maid's onyx orbs shot open as she heard the rustle of shrubs from across the estate's yard.

"Mister Tanaka, please be on guard by Lady Elizabeth's room. I'll take it from here." the said butler bowed before ushering away. After a good distance, the maid pulled out a red hard-bounded book with the words 'Danse Macabre' embedded on the front portion. It revealed pages of writings and pictures with a stamp that quoting "completed" on every page. The flipping came to a halt as it landed on a blank page. She stared at it from for a good minute before a set datas appeared on the once blank pages.

Five new victims.

A smile crept on her lips, she loved the idea of how her victims likes coming to her web unknowingly and making her job easier to collect their precious memoirs. Ever since she entered the business of being a fairyman or woman of death, she hadn't have the need to obviously chase the souls assigned to her. They would always be aroung her ten meter radius.

She closed the small diary and waited for the perfect time.

| • | • | • | • |

"My servants?" the young earl trailed as his butler bursted into a small fit of giggling after finding such an amusing intel. The poor man's turn to be morphe in disdain, he turned to the two gentlemen.

"what's so darn funny?"

Slamming the metal tip of his cane to the ground, the earl stood with a fierce complexion. His worry completely thrown out the window and his butler by his side smiling maniacly.

"Just who do you think your dealing with? They are Phantomhive servants."

A cheshire smile was etched on Osiria's face as she watched the gardener give the large bald man a harsh blow sending him flying to the walls of the stair case of the front porch.

She could feel her hands itched with the need to pull a heavy object but she mustn't intervene with the cause of a human's death.

"How unfortunate souls~" she breathed.

The brawl continued as the young gardener came face to face with two trapeze artists. He was a bit out numbered at the moment, Osiria took the liberty to make the numbers fair as she now stood by the roof with the once clumsy maid by her side. Surrounded by a number of riffles and loaded with ammo. The raven haired maid whisked to the sniper's back and her lips neared her left ear.

"What is a maid's duty Mey-rin?" her tone etched with somewhat playfulness as she eyed the sniper's targets as the bullet was released to the air aiming a perfect mark.

"Always follow the young masters instructions, welcome the master every day with a manor that is spotlessly clean." the sniper dressed in a maid's outfit voice transitioned from a muffled voice to a sly tone.

"Very good, now what do we do with filth?" Osiria inched away as she let the femme before her do her job.

Little Elizabeth sat up from the bed's comfort as she was woken by the sound of some glass shattering from outside her door.

"what was that sound?" the door of her quarters opened to the old butler with a candle lit. Asking what was the matter to the young girl.

"Wasn't their just a huge sound by now?" she asked with curiousity and confusion for she was sure there was a sound since it was very loud.

The butler spoke with an unmasked tone of calmness as he assured her that there was no such sound was heard. Finding assurance from the words of an old man young lady descended to the comfort of her bed unknown to her that behind the frame of the old man and her door laid the bloodied body of one of the manors threatening visitors.

"Yo! I was waiting for you. I gotta tell say that you're both lucky to come face to face with me because if you had to face Miss Rose. It would probably messy."

Bardroy rested himself by a frame of the staircase as he eyed the two circus perpetrators before him. He continued to blabber until one of the two threw a set of knives towards him.

"Hey! That was dangerous! I was in the middle of talking!" the chef was now being attacked by woman with a whip. He continued to dodge until he called the aid of a familiar blonde gardener. The said gardner replied by throwing countless statues towards the infiltrators.

The two unwelcomed guest dodged every rock. It was a bit tricky to create diversion for the two but once they did, they dashed out.

The sound of chaos got louder and louder as every second passes. A figure sat restlessly from one of the roofs of the manor. Along it was a figure of a long scythe the it owned. The shadow revealed a pair of bright green orbs staring down at the three servants that stared down a hole that they created with the unwelcome guests were. The climax has been reached as the shadow stood up and swung the huge modified garden tool to the air.

| • | • | • | • |

"My servants, those are actually private soldiers hand picked to guard my manor."

The look of terror shook Joker to his core. He had sent his family to their unknown doom. He sent them armee with baby knives in a war. He could only mutter one word as he stared at Ciel with disbelief.

"They'll protect Phantomhive secrets and Phantomhive pride from any thing."

The moon was the only witness to the horror. The amusement on head maid's face remained as she watched the chef throw a lit match to the whole, leaving no evidence of murder.

Osiria had finished cleaning up the other messes around a few parts, meaning disposing and leaving no traces as well.

"After all, thats what makes a Phantomhive servant."

| • | • | • | • |

"WAAAHHH!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH MISS ROSE!!!"

"WE COULDN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THIS!!"

"MISTER SEBASTIAN WOULD HAVE KILLED US IF HE FOUND OUT!"

"HOHOHO!"

The mayhem of last nights events may have left a big mess on a portion of the mansion. The three servants would have to face the wrath of the head butler but then came Osiria to their aid.

"Don't worry, I just had a friend come by last night to fix the mess. We don't want miss Elizabeth worrying now won't we?" the maid quoted as the three servants fervently nodded to the sweet lady. It's been a long while since the woman came to the Phantomhives and they never felt so thankful in their life. They often compare her to Sebastian as they both carried perfect qualities of a servant but a plus side to her since she always helps and covers for them at all times. She was much kinder than Sebastian, much like the indian prince's servant but a female one.

She had become the big sister of the manor as despite of her height. She was a lot older than what her looks give out.

"Now I'm sure that you all are hungry from last night's events so I have prepared breakfast for all of you at the kitchen. Go get yourselves stuff then proceed to your jobs." as she said the words breakfast, the more their eyes sparkled in delight and they ran inside the unscratched manor to receive their prizes with a skip in every step.

"RIA!!" a high pitch lively voiced call from behind her. The maid spun to greet the young fiance of her master as she was glomped on the process. The lively blonde nuzzled into her embrace.

"WHEN IS CIEL COMING HOME!!?? TELL ME! DID HE TELL YOU?? WAAAHHH!!" the sweet child cried to her as she could only chuckle.

"Don't fret now my lady, he is already here." she cooed as the girl spun to see her beloved fiance stepping off of the carriage with his butler. Lizzie got off the maid's arms and ran to the small boy to glomp him. Smiling, she met the innocent eyes of the butler. She nodded to him as he did aswell. Sebastian had no doubts of leaving safety of the Lady Elizabeth's to her and the other servants for she was extremely different like him.

"Oh Ciel! I've missed you so much! Let's get inside! Ria made us teas and cakes!"

| • | • | • | • |

Mey-rin sweeped the remaining rubbles that was left on the floors as she hummed in delight after a wonderful meal. Then came a knock on the door, running to attend it the maid greeted the guest but only to be cut off to find out who it was.

"Ca'va!" the tall woman dressed with the most flamboyant clothings as it screamed different seasons to every eye.

"Miss Nina!" the said woman jumped on the poor maid kissing her cheeks in delight for seeing her again. She was the one who designed the maid outfit the Meyrin had found quite handy in times of need like last night. It allowed her unrestricted movements from any type of brawl. For it was only crucial for the home of the Queen's guard dog to have a well guarded household. If he can't protect his own household, it will quickly reflect to what might happened if he serves the queen. The tailor fumbled around the maid's frame as she was overcomed by delight from having the people she dresses find comfort and a sense of exploitable to any type of situation.

"Ms. Hopkins, what a delight to finally see you again." the tailor gasped and turned to the person who greeted her. She removed herself from the poor maid and launched herself the girl, purposely ignoring the other two male servants who have been calling for her attention for quite a while now.

"Oh how cute you look!! Why don't you lead me to where Ciel is while share to you my new ideas that are inspired by you!" the woman said in delight as the raven haired maid happily lead the woman to the stair case.

"Your clothes are in the horse carrige." she ushered to the two males as one of them seemed to have had enough of her rudeness.

"What with this different in treatment!!?" the chef claimed.

"Miss Hopkins." Sebastian's voice echoed around the hall as tailor and the head maid stared up to find the man by the upper wing of the stairway. The woman grumbled in disdain to find the familiar butler. "I believe I told you many times that merchants are to come in through the back door." he said coldly. "So you've come out huh.. Mr. Stiff." the woman muttered under her breath.

"Mr. Sebastian please do calm down. I'll escort Ms. Hopkins to drawing room while I speak to her about going to the back door. Would that be alright?" Osiria politely intruded as she placed a hand behind the Nina's back. The tailor completely sweeped off her feet with the maid's sweet voice, "what an angel you are Osiria!"

With that, they head off their way to the said room with the maid letting the tailor babble.

"Young Master and My lady, Miss Nina Hopkins is here." the maid slide the door to the side to reveal the said woman to the couple.

They went along with their greetings and discussion about the what the young lord would like to add in his line of outfit at the moment. Sebastian who came in a five minutes after they entered started to state the demands of what the Ciel would like to have.

| • | • | • | • |

[sweetpealover77]

Ghost Of You • Part 4

Sweet Pea Fic 🐍

Summary: when Julia left Sweet Pea didn’t know what to do anymore. Would she ever come back to him?

Word count:1404

Julia's POV

I jumped on my bike and headed towards Toni's house.

As I rode I couldn't stop the tears from falling out of my eyes.

Did Sweet Pea really want to get back at me that bad. I know i hurt him but did i deserve to be treated like that?

I thought to myself,

I pulled my hand up for a second to wipe my eyes clear so  I could see the road better as I did my bike swerved into the other lane.  I tried to control my bike the best i could but another car going the opposite way of me collided right into my bike and I.

Everything went black.

Sweet Pea's POV

"I messed up, i really fucking messed up Fangs." I ran my fingers through my hair pacing back and forth in my trailer.

"Dude you need to calm down, I think you should just go sleep it off. Yeah Julia's pissed at you but you're not in the right mindset to even TRY to go and fix this." he stood up and patted me on my shoulder.

"You're right." I sighed

"Ill sleep on the sofa, just in case you try to do something stupid." Fangs laughed and i walked towards my bedroom laughing with him.

I took my shirt off and threw on a pair of my Riverdale high sweat pants, one of Julia's favorites. I couldn't stop thinking about how i treated her. Yes she hurt me but I love her, I never want anything bad to happen to her. Ever.

I couldnt stop thinking about Julia all night, I tossed and turned but sadly I hardly got any sleep.

"Sweet Pea, come on im hungry and you have no food in your house." I rolled over to see Fangs standing in my doorway. "Ugh, lets go to Pops" I got up throwing on a pair of jeans a flannel and my jacket.

I pulled out my phone before leaving my room sending a message to Julia

To JJ:

please come home soon. I am so sorry about last night.

Send.

I walked out of my room and heard a ding come from Julia's room. I ran to her room thinking she was there but sadly she wasn't.

"She literally left all of her things here. ID, Money, phone, Jacket" I walked outside talking to Fangs

"I really made her upset last night." I shook my head

"Hey its okay, she went to see the girls last night she probably just needed space to cool down. Its okay." We hopped on our bikes and headed to Pops

We walked into pops and I saw Toni and Cheryl sitting together

"Hey, where's Julia?" I asked them taking a seat next to Toni

"What do you mean? She went home last night after you made out with Nina, remember?" Toni rolled her eyes at me.

"Yeahhhhh and then we got into a big fight because i brought Nina home and then she left all of her shit including her phone at home and said she was going to spend the night at your house" I said a little mad

Toni looked at me a little worried

"Sweet Pea, she never came to out house." she looked at Cheryl who also looked worried

"Okay, okay guys maybe shes downstairs." Fangs said

We all headed down to the basement of Pop's

"Fp!" Toni yelled and he turned towards us

"whats wrong?"

"Did Julia come here last night or this morning. Have you seen her at all" I asked him getting worried

"No, sorry guys. Why is something wrong?" He put his hand on my shoulder.

"We got into a fight last night but never made it to Toni's house and never came home this morning." My voice cracked a little bit

"Okay, ill call Jughead. Maybe she went to him." He walked away pulling his phone to his ear

A few minutes later Fp came back shaking his head

"He hasn't heard from her, Im sorry you guys. Just give her until tonight and if she doesnt show up we will go find her." Fp looked at the four of us and we all nodded

"I don't know guys, Julia seemed to really like being here, do you think she would just leave over a small fight?" Cheryl said as we walked into my trailer

"Not without her jacket. She would never leave without her Jacket." I shook my head holding her jacket in my hands.

"Something just doesn't feel right you guys. I dont know what it is but something is telling me she isnt okay."

Julia's POV

I woke up to loud noises and flashing lights around me. I Stood up.  

"What the hell." I walked over to a group of paramedics surrounding a body

"What happened! Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked them as I approached them

No answer.

"Seriously guys if you nee-" I stopped what I was saying  after i saw who they were working on.

Me.

"Jane Doe, Female, approximately 18-20 years. She was hit by a car while riding a motorcycle head on. Unresponsive."

The paramedics said as they wheeled my body into the hospital. I ran behind them trying to keep up.

"What are you talking about im right here! Im fine!!" I waved my hands in front of their faces and still no one could see me or hear me.

"we have to get her up to CT and she had a bleed in her stomach we are going to have to operate." The doctors moved out of the way and  i could finally see my whole face.

I didn't even look like me. My face was swollen and bruised. I turned around and looked in the mirror.

"There i am. I am fine. That girl on the table isn't you." I said feeling my face

I followed them up to CT  and they rushed me right into surgery . I had a bleed in my brain.

I  ran behind them as they ran towards the operating room but i suddenly stopped as soon as i got to the door. I couldn't go in there to make sure i was going to be okay. The doors shut in front of me leaving me to look through a small window as they cut my head and stomach open.

I waited in the waiting room for what seemed like forever.

No one noticed me, i asked the nursed a million questions but she still couldn't see or hear me.

I finally saw the Doctors wheel me into a room

"What do you think Doc? Is she going to make it."  One of the nurses asked the Doctor

"I just hope we find this poor girls family because things arent looking great. With how bad the bleed was and how she cant breath on her own , she may never wake up."

I looked up at the Doctor with tears in my eye and ran out of the room and then out of the hospital.

I ran until I couldnt run anymore.

I looked up and saw Sweet Pea, Cheryl, Toni and Fangs walking into Sweet's trailer.

"I dont know guys, Julia seemed to really like being here, do you think she would just leave over a small fight?" Cheryl asked everyone  and Sweet Pea Shook his head.

"No I wouldnt, I wouldnt leave you Sweet pea, not again. I love you" I placed my hand on his face and he looked down.

"Not without her jacket. She would never leave without her jacket." he was holding my serpent jacket in his hand

"Sweet Pea please listen to me im not okay, im really really hurt in the hospital please. Please come with me please." I tried to grab his hand but i couldnt.

"Something just doesn't feel right you guys. I dont know what it is but something is telling me she isnt okay."  Sweet pea said and I Sighed looking around at all of my friends.

While they were all worrying about me I was laying in a hospital bed...

dying.

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

A/N

omg you guys thank you for the love and the likes and i love you all. This is my all time favorite chapters. i cant wait for you guys to read it and give me feed back. SO much love.

Love S

xx

[deliverydefresas]

masters of the scene

it’s been months, i know and im very much the sorriest!  this is the penultimate part y’all, so be prepared to either love or hate me more than you already do, lmao (it is shorter than what i was working on, but the next - and last obvs- will be longer i promise)

thank you for being patient with me, i appreciate it a lot! ((not proofread ok)) 

ALSO: today’s article is in the middle of the part bc,,, a little surprise 

in case you’ve missed any part:  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 + 6.5 | 7

AU: Matteo Balsano is a famous singer who has been crushing on this one girl he saw every day behind a window many years ago, back when he first started recording his debut album and inspired his first big hit, Princesa. Luna Valente, professional Olympic skater turned actress is at a local (and very popular) talk show to promote her breakout movie. This is where it all starts.

“Luna, c’mon, you can’t keep avoiding everyone.”

“I’m not avoiding anyone, Nina.” She replied from her side of the door, scrolling through her e-mails on her laptop, looking for one that was due to arrive that day. As soon as she recognized Tamara’s username, she opened it, sighing as she read her message. ‘It’s done.’

“You aren’t not avoiding anyone either, Luna.”

“A double negation Nina, really, you?”

“It’s been days, L. You can’t possibly keep on sulking, it isn’t healthy. Please.” Luna groaned loudly, tossing her covers to the side as she stood up to open her door. Seconds after, she was engulfed in Nina’s arms.

“You act like you haven’t seen me, Nina. I was out of the room for breakfast this morning.” Her words were mumbled on Nina’s shoulder, who hadn’t let her go yet.

“Well, I haven’t. This… sulky person isn’t you, Luna. You don’t run from your problems, and you don’t shut me out when they appear.” She was almost sure Nina had a scowl on her face, which meant she was truly upset on her behavior, as her best friend didn’t get mad that often.

“I’m not sulking, Nina, I’m just… thinking.” Luna pulled away from the hug, turning to sit on her bed, expecting her friend to follow. She did.

“If you were ‘thinking’, as you say, you’d talk to me, because that’s what we do. And yet, you aren’t. So, you’re sulking.” Her brown eyes showed her worry, her tone turning a lot softer, she wondered, “was it that bad? Whatever he said, was it so bad that you’re here, secluded in your room, avoiding your friends?”

She was deliberately avoiding saying his name. “I don’t know if bad is the correct word, but it was so incredibly awkward, Nina! He- he- he said Princesa was written – well, inspired by me. He spent God knows how long watching me from afar and wrote a song about it, said his label was pressuring him to write songs and when he saw me supporting Simón he used me as inspiration. And now finally he, after years, decided to talk to me and it’s- it’s nice but, I don’t know. It’s all a mess up here.” Luna pointer to her head, falling back to lie on her pillow.

“Why does it bother you?” Nina asked cautiously, as if she was choosing her words carefully. Luna frowned.

“What do you mean?” Quietness.

“Why does it bother you that he wrote – or, well, got inspired by you to write a song? Simón’s done it countless of times before; Valiente, Vuelo, Siempre Juntos, Andaremos. They’re all about you, but it doesn’t seem to bother you.”

“Because Simón is my friend, he didn’t write them by watching me through a freaking window and imagining scenarios in his head, not bothering to get to know me or speak to me.” She hoped the look she threw Nina reflected the incredulity she was feeling at the moment.

“What about Eres?” once again, Nina was cautious with her words.

“That’s different.” She replied quickly, trying to dismiss it.

“How?” Another ‘are-you-being-serious’ look sent her friend’s way. “Luna, he wrote this love-song about you, when you weren’t best friends, but mere acquaintances, having spoken a total of fifty-ish words to each other. He literally says in it that you’re – and I quote- ‘the cause, the reason of my songs’. I’m just trying to understand how that doesn’t make it awkward when it comes to Simón, but it does when it comes to Matteo.”

Luna frowned. “Simón had a crush on me, Nina.”

“And Matteo wouldn’t?” Silence. Then her best friend sighed. “I’m not trying to defend Matteo, Luna, and I don’t want you to feel like it needs to be awkward with Simón because of what happened years ago, but I do think you’re making this sound worse than what it actually is. To me it just sounds like he was obviously going through a bad patch and you – the idea of you- helped him get out of it. The guy didn’t stalk you, he never appeared on your window to watch you sleep, he just wrote a song about finding someone he could fall in love with. You just happened to be the face for it.”

Luna pondered her words. Was Nina, right? Was she exaggerating the situation more than she had to? Maybe he hadn’t meant for it to be creepy, but a small part of her still thought of it that way. There was nothing wrong with feeling this way, was it? Her feelings were her feelings, and she didn’t want to dismiss them, but she could acknowledge that this wasn’t just her situation, but Matteo’s, too.

Finally, she asked; “you think what he did is right?”

“No, I just don’t think it’s wrong.” Nina smiled softly. “I understand it bothers you, though, so I’m not going to push you to talk to him, or to see things the way I do, but-”

“But you want me to see your perspective, too and take it in mind.” Nina’s smile got a little bigger.

“Exactly.” She reached out to grab her hand, squeezing just a little in support. “I see the way he looks at you, Luna. I know, in the farthest of your mind, you’re wondering if his interest is made up by the idea he had of you then. But I- we all have seen him when he’s around you; he just, he gravitates towards you, like you’re the sun to his earth, and he just can’t help it; his eyes follow you everywhere, smiling when you do the smallest of things, and he beams when you give him the smallest of attention. And I’ve seen you, Luna, the way your eyes search for his, when you lean in his direction to let him know you care about what he’s saying, when you smile at him hoping he smiles back; and, even now, I see you worrying over all of this, when, if it were another person, you would just dismiss it and try to act flattered. You’re the moon to his earth, you gravitate around him, too. Think about it, yeah?”

“I will.” She promised, gaining her another smile from her best friend. “Can we drop it for now, though? I feel like all we’ve done lately is talk about him.”

“Of course. I’ve been meaning to ask you if you were in the mood for travelling soon? I’m not sure where yet, but my camera has been calling my name and I have a couple ideas for Felicity’s new book.”

“You just launched one a month ago and you’re already thinking of the next one?” She joked, knowing well her friend was just planning ahead.

“Not soon-soon, but I like to reserve the plane tickets by at least three months, you know that.”

Luna laughed. “Yes, I know, I’ve been going with you for years.”

“So, you coming then? I want to make a special feature on Felicity’s best friend now that you’re done with competitions.”

“Of course, though, I might not be able to stay for the whole trip this time.” She apologized, sitting up to look at Nina’s face, who looked confused. She decided to explain, “you know how my dream’s always been opening my own rink, right?”

“Of course, I know! What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t? Don’t tell me, it’s happening?!” she gasped excitedly, covering her mouth with one of her hands, letting a couple of squeals out.

Luna nodded, beaming at her happiness for her. “I’ve just begun looking for potential places, and Juliana e-mailed me a couple of addresses to check out around here, so, if everything goes nicely…”

“You’ll have to be in town to coordinate, of course. That’s amazing, Luna!”

“You’re not mad, right? I will travel with you for a week or two, I promise-”

“How could I be mad? This is your dream, L! I knew one day this would come eventually, and I couldn’t be happier for you right now! Maybe this could be the best friend feature, if you agree? That way you wouldn’t have to travel at all.”

“No, no, I want to go with you for a couple days, really. You can make the feature about the rink if you want but travelling together is something I don’t want to miss with you, it’s our thing.” Nina grinned, reaching out her arms to hug her.

“I would love that! But only if I get to see how your dream builds into reality; I want to capture it all in pictures for us to see in the future.”

“Wouldn’t you need to stay in town for that? I can’t ask that from you, N.”

“I never said we’d travel to the other side of the world. The countries around are lovely, and they’re perfect of a weekend-long trip.” Nina shrugged it off as if it were nothing to be worried about. Luna wasn’t as sure as her friend and voiced her reluctance.

“Nina…” Her friend was having none of it.

“No, Luna, it’s alright, I want to do it, okay? You’d do the same for me if the roles were reversed – hell, you’ve travelled with me for years, renting rinks to practice for competitions around the world when you could’ve stayed behind and not worry about schedules to be there for me. Please let me do this for you?”

She sighed out, smiling with the gratitude she was feeling for having someone like Nina with her. “Thank you for doing this for me, N. I love you.”

“You’re welcome, I love you too.” She chirped out, giving her another hug before turning to her laptop, “is that from Tamara? ‘It’s done’ – is that about the deals you had left to break with the sponsors?”

“No, there’s a week left for that.”

“Then?”

“I agreed to do the interview with Jazmín.”  Nina froze at her words. It was funny, really, since she was in the middle of grabbing one of her pillows, so her arm was left hanging in the air.

“You did?” her voice was back to being cautious, as if she’d get angry at her for questioning her. It made Luna frown.

“Yes. Tamara and you were right, and it’s a great idea; I owe it to the fans to explain in a more-personal-way and tell them it was something I decided on my own, for my own good.”

Nina nodded. “You’ll do it alone?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, maybe you could bring someone along? I think Delfina said something about Ma- he being there?”

“He won’t. I asked them not to, I want to do this for my fans, since it’s about my career. If Jazmín asks about him, I’ll just tell her the truth.” Nina pursed her lips, looking worried for her.

To be honest, it was getting on her nerves now. Nobody had to tip-toe around her, as if she’d break if they added pressure to the wound. Sure, it’d hurt as fuck, but she wouldn’t break. She was strong enough to bear it.

“If you’re sure…”

“I am.” She reassured her, smiling, trying to calm Nina’s worry. “Now, how about we go out for dinner? I’m craving cochinita, what do you think?”

“Only if you pay.” Nina gave her a small smile.

She returned it with a grin. “Deal.”

BREAKING: MATTEO’S LITTLE PROBLEM!

If you don’t know who Matteo Balsano is, you’re probably lying.

Italy’s most famous singer has been everywhere for the last seven years, from T.V. shows, to magazines and newspapers, his face is engraved to our minds and hearts! And how could it not, when his enormous talent, outgoing personality and good looks are more than enough to make girls and boys swoon all over the globe?!

Now, you’re probably wondering, then what’s the problem you read in our headline? Well, Matteístas, you might want to sit down because this is nothing except Shocking. With a capital S.

Rumor has it our Italian Casanova is a small bean… down there.

And no, we’re not talking about a slightly smaller size than the average. Oh no, we’re talking about a true, peanut-sized member. Because yes, we really meant that.

Matteo Balsano has a micropenis.

You heard it here first, folks! And we know you, you’re probably wondering if this is an early April Fool’s joke, or if we were hacked by aliens. The answer is no. We were able to talk to one of the friends of one of Matteo’s physician’s (ex) nurse and… it’s legit info. She told us; “he’s tried to keep it secret from his fanbase. He doesn’t want his image to be affected by this, or the opinion people have of his music to change so he keeps it quiet, even more so than other patients with the same problem.”

We tried to attach some pics, but, unfortunately, we gotta keep this magazine non-porn for your innocent and pure minds (sorry). But, trust us, it was absolutely, and undoubtedly, a peanut!p with Matteo’s face. It even makes us wonder if this is the reason our little (hehe) heartbreaker doesn’t last with the girls he’s seen with?

Ámbar Smith and Sol Benson offered no comment on the matter. (NDA’S? You bet your wig that’s a yes!)

Matteo, if you’re reading this: Rock that bean, baby! Us, real fans, will love you anyway! ♥

Want to know more? Visit our website!

No lo puedo entender, ¿cómo no te has dado cuenta? / Lo mucho que te quiero pienso no es normal / Pero tengo miedo de pensar, que no te vayas a enamorar / Y que me digas que te olvide, que es complicado intentar /

He tried the words out, his fingers moving on its own as he thought the melody and hoped it would translate into reality as he played the keys on his piano; writing the notes he liked on the music sheet he had in front of him. His eyes lingering on the crossed word of the third lyric. Too soon, his brain kept replying, so he shook his head and sighed, deciding it was enough for the day. He had made a great progress the last couple of days, so a break wouldn’t hurt. In fact, it was probably the smartest idea.

Composing usually brought out his true feelings into words, and he wasn’t ready to read them all just yet when he hadn’t prepared himself to deal with them.  

“MATTEO!” Gastón’s shout was barely audible on his studio, but he could tell it was an urgent one. There was an edge in his voice that had him worried.

He stood up quickly, racing to the living room. Gastón had shrugged off his coat, lying on one of their couches. In his hand, he was holding a newspaper.

“What is it?” he asked anxiously; his friend pursed his lips, and dropped the newspaper on their coffee table, motioning for him to pick it up. He did.

He almost sighs in relief when he saw it wasn’t related with Luna. However, as he started reading, and his brain started making sense of the words, his jaw dropped open. Matteo must’ve been dreaming. He had to. This couldn’t be happening to him, Delfina wouldn’t dare.

“I found it laying outside our door.” Was the only thing Gastón said, crossing his arms, waiting for him to speak.

“She wouldn’t dare.” He repeated his thoughts out loud. His best friend grimaced.

“I told you, you had to be careful.” He got closer, to pat his back comfortingly. “On a bright note, your fans don’t seem to buy it.”

He buffed, grabbing his phone from his back pocket. “She wouldn’t dare!” The phone only rang twice before Delfi picked up.

“Hello?”

“What the fuck, Delfi?!” He exclaimed, throwing the paper to the ground, loudly.

The woman sounded bored as she replied, “oh, it’s you.”

“Of course, it’s me! What the fuck is the meaning of this?” Gastón mouthed to him to calm down, but he flipped him off. How could he speak of calming down? Wasn’t he seeing what was happening right now?

“I see you finally received my gift. You’re welcome.”

“I’m not thanking you, Delfina! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Your job is to protect me, not to- to defame me this way!”

“I warned you, Matteo. I told you not to make any rash decisions that could put you and Ámbar in trouble, but what did you do? You acted like a spoiled brat and did it anyway!”

“I didn’t mean to! How was I supposed to know the workers there would run their mouths off to the media?!” he defended himself, his fingers gripping the sides of his phone tightly. Matteo was finding hard not to scream things he knew he’d regret later.

“How long have you been in the spotlight Matteo? You aren’t a fucking newbie, you know to need to behave, no matter if you’re in a public place or a deserted island!”

He finally snapped. “That’s the shittiest bullshit, Delfina! And even if I didn’t behave like the little kid you want me to, your fucking job is to protect me, I don’t pay you to start stupid rumors that could ruin me!”

She was quiet for a moment. He was about to throw his phone, thinking she’d hung up on him, when she spoke again. “Have you read the footnote, you dick?”

“What?”

“The footnote at the end, you haven’t read it, have you?” she sounded amused, her laugh loud enough to alert Gastón something was on. He mouthed ‘footnote’ at him, pointing down at the discarded paper on the floor. His friend was fast to pick it up, and scanned the article, grimacing as he read the very end of it.

“What does it say?” He asked him, both anxious and scared of what was awaiting him. Gastón passed the paper, pointing the text to him. ‘Gotcha! Consider this a warning; don’t mess with my patience, Balsano! Next time I’ll be sending this to Miss Luna Valente and, trust me, she’ll drop you and your micropenis faster than you can say pasta.  – Delfina. P.S. In case your little brain doesn’t get it: yes, it’s fake, you idiot.’ “Oh.”

“Yes, ‘oh’.” She laughed again, unable to stop herself.

“I’m sorry, Delfi. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.” He sighed out, begrudgingly. “I still don’t appreciate your joke, though.”

“I would never purposefully, much less publicly ‘defame’ you, Matteo, and frankly, I’m offended you believed I would.” She truly sounded offended, so he apologized again. “I accept apology gift-cards, only. Oh, and a pay-raise.”    

He snorted. “I gave you one less than two months ago.”      

“Couldn’t hurt to try. Also, I’m glad you called me. I have news.”

Matteo’s brows raised. “Good or bad?”

“I’ll let you decide. Tamara called me, she told me Lovergirl agreed to do the interview with Jazmín.”

“You mean Luna?” He could picture his manager rolling her eyes at him right then.

“Yes, Luna. Anyway, back to what’s important: she wants to do it alone. I tried to persuade her to let you go with her, but she refused, saying that silence was the best way to refute any rumor. She’ll only speak of her reasons to quit, and nothing more. If – or, well, when Jaz asks about you, she’ll say you two have never been anything other than platonic.”

So, she was still avoiding him. He knew it shouldn’t shock him, he was expecting it to happen, but, it still hurt him. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry, Matt. I tried my best, but she seems set on avoiding public contact with you.” Delfi sounded apologetic, her voice turning a bit softer.

“I know, it’s okay. I’ll just have to figure out another way.” He replied quietly. He was reminded of Gastón’s presence in the room when he put his hand on his shoulder. ‘Everything okay?’ he mouthed, Matteo nodded.

“She also asked me if I was willing to give her a couple of classes on how to deal with Jazmín. Maybe you could be a student t-”

He interrumpted her. “No. I don’t – I don’t want to force her to deal with me. Whe – if she comes around I want it to be because she wants to, not because we are forcing her to come. I owe her space.”

“You sure? Some people need just a little push in the right direc-” Delfina tried talking him into it, but Matteo knew he couldn’t do it anymore. He’d pushed his way many times, sometimes bordering creepiness, and he didn’t want to do it again. It hadn’t turned well, if his actual situation was any tell.

“No, Delfi. It’s best if we give her some time. Look where my pushing lead me to.”

“Okay. If you change your mind, though…”

“I’ll call you.” He promised, and then turned the conversation to a professional one, anything not to keep talking about her. He had a meeting with his label soon, to check up on his composition progress, and discuss possible collaborations with other artists. As soon as Gastón felt he didn’t need him, he excused himself saying he was going to shower.

Inwardly, Matteo sighed as Delfi started babbling about the candidates for collaborations, his mind going far away from it.

When had he reach this point? The one where all he could think about was her? She consumed his mind, his thoughts, and if he was brave enough to admit to himself, she consumed his heart, too. And yet, he couldn’t have her. He’d scared her off his life.

A part of him wondered what would happen if he tried forgetting her. There were millions of girls out there, surely there was at least one he could fall in love with. Maybe it was time for him stop lying to himself. He couldn’t keep on feeding his own fantasies any longer, the more time it passed, the more it hurt him.

She’d been right when she told him they barely knew each other, as the time they’d spent together was minimal, and, truthfully, most of it had been completely platonic; she’d barely, if ever, given him the ‘interested’ vibe. She’d treated him as nothing more than a friend, she was freaked out when she found his secret, and she was avoiding him.

There were no maybe’s in his mind now.

He had to accept she wasn’t meant to be his.

He had to accept she wasn’t interested.

He had to let her go.

[gensou-no-toshokan]

Hello. i was thinking What if azazel was secretly really good at singing and mugaru is tge only one that knows. But nina finds out :0 Do you think you can make something out of this

I think I can, but it’s gonna have to  be on a AU scenario.

“Goodmorning Mugaro!” He heard right on time - which was actually 5 to 10 minuteslate after opening - and he nodded at her, reading himself for the onslaught ofattentions from her.

This time is what just a ruffle on hishair and a tiny peck on his cheek which always had him feeling a little warmeron the neck, not that he ever thinks of Nina that way, but it was nice to be coddled on.

“I’m so sorry to be late again! But Istayed up late-”

“Sending texts, playing videogames andeating junk food I’m sure.” 

Mugaro didn’t have to turn to know whohad interrupted Nina so suddenly, it was the same person who was always thereto chew her on whatever fault she presented in any form or way. And as usual,Nina practically stomped, after blowing some smoke from her head and facedAzazel with all her unimpressive height to him.

“Grrr, No I didn’t! I was actually uplate catching on some reading for school!” She yelled at him on his face, andMugaro felt a bit guilty because even on her tip toes she could barely reachhis chin and it was funny how he had to hunch over to be at her eye level.

Mugaro never understood why they seemedto set on such a weird routine, or why while Nina was always cheery and readyto get along with anyone she always dropped this whenever Azazel was concerned,then she became petty, grumpy and in certain occasions, her language becamereally colorful.

Azazel on the other hand, most of thetime he was happy looking at most people as if they were something lowly hefound at the bottom of his boots or something equally gross, he loved to teasebut he rarely got worked out on anything they threw back at him.

“Why do you even care what I do in myfree time!”

“Because everytime you run late orbecome careless here, I’m the one who has to pick up your messes!”

Part of it was true: Nina was not themost… diligent of workers, she wasn’t terribly irresponsable to the point of norepair, but she tended to forget important details and her cleaning andorganizing skills were below par.

*DING-DONG*

“Good morning.” Mugaro heard from thedoor: It was an old lady, and she looked around almost as if she was lost, hishead turned to the still arguing duo but he didn’t have to do anything becausein one second Nina had shoved Azazel out of the way and she skimped happily tothe old lady, greeting here, asking how her day was and how he could help her.

That was truly her best asset as anemployee of this antique books store; someone could be just being curious orasking for directions and somehow ended up buying something or even in somecases became regular customers.

Azazel took care of inventory, cleaning,organizing, keeping the accounts in order and in some rare cases of dealingwith difficult people and providers, but his temper and selling skills weresomething dreadful.

Not for nothing he was the youngerbrother of the owner, if Azazel had terrible people skills - Half of the timebefore Nina was hired, he ended up scaring people off for the dumbest ofreasons - then Mr. Lucifer’s were non-existent.

How did these two convinced his motherof renting the building in the first place had always been puzzled him -although her words sometimes alluded to some unspoked agreement or favorbetween them - especially when they kept terrible track of paying the rent andproperty damage.

“It’s ready! Here’s your copy of thesecond edition of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, hardcover and pictures!”Nina called out and made the transaction with that huge smile of hers.

Nina maintained her pleasant face rightuntil the woman was out of eye sight just to turn around and sigh, 

“So lucky she had to go somewhere else,I feared that she would stay and chat for another hour.” She said dropping herface on the desk.

“She did?” Mugaro asked. 

“Oh right you weren’t here Mugaroright?” She said. “She was already leaving until I blurted out somethingabout never having a boyfriend and she started trying to set me up with hisgrandson!”

Azazel finally rose up from the placebehind the counter she had shoved him into, he looked a bit disheveled and asusual a frown on his face.

“Meddling old hag…” He muttered but Ninadidn’t seem to listen and kept talking.

“I mean I would’t have minded if thegrandson had been good-looking but…” She made gagging face and he giggled atit. “… I had to turn it down, I was afraid she would ask me again.” 

“Right, because you’re such a goodcatch,” Azazel snorted from behind her. “She obviously doesn’t know that behindthat ridiculously wide smile, there’s a lazy, dumb girl, with a sewer mouth,bad manners and who loves eating junk, can’t cook to save their lives, one whois so shallow ask to reject someone based on looks.” 

“You idiot… what’s so wrong about meknowing what I want in a boyfriend?” 

And there it went another fight betweenthese two, that turned into some shouting off and it either ended up with Ninacrying, Azazel locking himself on the storage room and pretend she didn’texist, or her slapping him hard enough to echo on the place. 

“I don’t have a problem with that, youdummy; I just can’t believe someone would think about you likethat.” 

Mugaro felt himself frowning, Azazel wasalways so nice to him, helped him with his homework, asked about his day,listened to him practice with the ocarina, slipped him some extra candies thathis mom had vetoed after dinner and even got him something for his birthday,then why couldn’t he be nice to Nina too?  For that matter why wouldsomeone who claims to not stand another pay so much attention to everythingthey do? Mugaro liked Nina very much, but even he knew that what Azazel saidheld some true to it. 

“Argh! What? You’re saying I’m hideous?!Just because you’re good-looking doesn’t mean you can say things like that!”

There was a heavy silence when Ninablurted this out and she was now covering her mouth with her own hands, herface looking like a huge tomato, Mugaro looked then at Azazel, dreading that hewould start poking fun at her or just tease her.

Instead he was looking to the side, thecorners of his eyes were stealing glances at Nina, and if Mugaro didn’t knewbetter he could swear there was a blush growing from the base of his neck.

‘What?…’ And it was like there was a beacon of lightilluminating this new angle for him, because now it all made sense… sort of,for people like them at least.

“…See? I knew you were shallow…” Azazelmuttered, but it was without any bite and he turned his back on both of them,pretending to be organizing a pile of books.

“…Pffft, If I was like that, then why Idespise you and your awful personality so much?” She said, looking equallysomber, and started to clean the counter, and Azazel gripped one of the booksso tightly that it almost looked like it would break, cover and all.

“Nina.” He raised his voice slightly andshe smiled at him again, but she looked sad. “Um… what type of personwould you like as boyfriend?” He asked and from the corner of his eyes, he sawAzazel froze in place.

“Mmmm,” She seemed to think about it fora while. “He would have to be good-looking yes, but he would also have tobe nice to me, I don’t even want some expensive gifts, he would just have tolike… help me study, ask me about my day, hug me and tell me I’m pretty.” Shesaid looking dreamily to the roof.

“I see,” Mugaro nodded in agreement, andfelt even more puzzled by why couldn’t they just see it, it was right there!

“…He would have to have a nice voice andknow how to sing!” She said perking up. 

“If I tell you I know a person just likethat would you believe me?” He asked.

“Of course! Tell me! Tell me!” She saidjumping up and down on her spot.

Mugaro felt a little brave and threw atiny smile at Azazel who had a panicky face right now. 

“It’s… a secret!” He exclaimed and thetwo of them face faulted on their spot. “But I’ll tell you… If you twotake me to the karaoke after closing, and you have to sing at least one song.”

Mugaro could feel Azazel’s eyes boringeyes behind his head, but he could not care less.

They would both thank him tomorrow.

[cbacofficial]

Connected by a Cable [Chapter Four]

"...Did we mention that our time playing Law of Mahna, that the bosses are challenging and the dungeons are really well though out? I could get lost in them for hours if I could. The production values are really well done." - A Podcast

   After a few more hours of gameplay and plenty of time spent grinding, Yukara and some of her guild mates reached the max level. It was time to start running endgame content...but first the group decided to have a party. After all, the raids were not going to open for another week and a half.    "ALRIGHT! Listen up guys and girls! Tonight is our night to mingle and relax before we split into dungeon groups. So while our Masters are asleep, let's PARTY UNTIL DAWN!" Hana declared with pride, followed by a waterfall of ale running into her mouth. Finishing her mug without flinching. Others may of joined in but the rest were moderate in their drinks. They enjoyed a great feast, partook in the local NPC's dances and entertainment. It was a celebration rented for the guild and they enjoyed every moment...    But Yukara was by herself. Her gaze fixated on her glass of Triba Fruit Juice. The reflection of her long, thinking gaze stared back at her. The words that Player Killer said stuck.    "You remind her of Someone else."    Who was her controller at all? Yukara was not even a month made and already she was confused. The long and zoned out Yukara was soon approached by Kael. Unlike earlier, he had forego his armor for the night in favor of more traditional clothes. They provided no status buffs or protection but to the Player Characters, they were comfortable. He sat in a chair beside Yukara and tried snapping her out of the daze.    "Everything alright? Were you that scared of being bait?"    Kael thought that maybe the near death experience shook her to the core. Yukara managed to break her trance and advert her gaze from the untouched drink. "No. I was just glad we could of ran her off. It's just that...Do you think it's possible that we were made in the image of other people?" she asked. Kael simply responded after a sip of his ale "We are apart of a program. I wouldn't be surprised if we look like some famous figures in the real world. You know?"    The reply eased Yukara's mind and made her smile. "Yeah. That seems likely. Do you think the person I look like is a model?" her voice ever so cheery. It made Kael turn a slight red in the cheeks. "Maybe...b-but you are quite adorable." Kael admitted. Yukara took on the same hue as he did, with only the loud sound of Hana breaking the awkward moment.    "Yo you lovebirds! If ya' going to do it, take it to the rooms!" Hana laughed annoyingly. Clearly drunk again. Kael sighed. "There she goes again...I wish she would lay off the alcohol." he got up and looked to Yukara again. "She is suppose to be the Guild Master. Having her in this state is embarrassing."    The party continued on until the characters decided to rest up again. Yukara took her room shared by two other female members but she couldn't sleep. The sound of a loud thumped filled her ears. It wasn't external, it was from her heart. Kael's comment did make her heart race. How could he just admit that to poor Yukara? Her night was met with a lack of sleep and circulating thoughts. ------    As the next day rolled around, Hioshi was sound asleep. The phone application triggered to wake him up early to get to work. Yet unlike normal alarms-          "Wake Up, Master!"    Yukara's voice rang from the phone. It was still early for him when she continued calling his name. Like an echo of sorts. Finally after five minutes, she stopped and tried thinking of another method. Yukara amplified her voice and called out once more.    "HIOSHI! WAKE UP!"    The loud piercing nose from his phone shook him from his slumber. Hioshi awoke to see his phone was on. He saw Yukara's face on the screen looking back at him. Her ever so sunny smile seemingly brightened his lonely mornings than usual. "Oh Yukara...What time is it?" Hioshi's hair was a mess, his eyes adjusting to the faint light of the morning air. Yukara proudly announced "It's Seven Forty Three in the morning!" It took Hioshi a moment before he hastily got up. "Crap!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to be late...Not good. I told Zack I shouldn't be out this late..." scrambling for a clean shirt, one preferably with buttons, he ran into the shower to prepare for the day.    After snagging his essentials, Hioshi was off to work. His case of measurement tools prepared. Pulling up to the restaurant, he was greeted by his boss and Zack both standing outside. When they saw him, Hioshi felt something was off. "Oh Hioshi! Zack was telling me about the new application in detail. It's quite interesting." It was then that Zack turned his phone around to show Nina was present on the screen. Hioshi was both glad but a tad sacred at the same time. This was something no normal person could truly understand. That these avatars were like individuals.    As he got to work, waiting on the people at the bar his phone vibrated. Normally he was not allowed to answer it but his boss was adamant on giving some leeway once in a while. As he took it out, Yukara exclaimed happily "It worked! So that is what this spell does."    "Yukara! Are you trying to get me fired?" Hioshi asked in a toned down way. Yukara merely pouted "I'm sorry Hioshi. I didn't mean to disturb you..." but as he was about to put it away he heard a customer call for him. "Hey, what's that on your phone?" the business man asked. There was no point in hiding it as he placed it down. "It's just an app for that Law of Mahna game..." acting like it was no big deal. The business man looked and had a smile on his face "Oh you play too? My character is only level twenty eight but the game is really nice to wind down with after work."    Hioshi was stunned. Someone his age playing a video game? Times change but this was more of a shock to him. Instead, Hioshi told him "did I just say it's an app? I mean it's an app to help manage your character far form the work place and check up on them." he demonstrated as he quickly switched screens and displayed a window of various missions and commands he could give to Yukara. The two talked here and there as Hioshi worked and before long, when the Business man left, he got his character's name and left a nice tip for the bartender. This made Zack raise a brow.    During break Hioshi was approached by Zack who threw his arm around his neck for a lock. "Hey! You look much chipper than before."    "Y-yeah. I was scared i'd be looked down on still for playing games." he admitted while looking over his phone. He noticed a text message from Nira about wanting to visit again. At first Hioshi wanted to reply but then he thought about it. Zack noticed the text and asked.    "You and Nira are a thing now?"    Hioshi shook his head. "No. She'd never replace Maria." his mood souring. Remembering an old friend was hard. Feeling bad, Zack tried to lighten it up. "Sorry man. Didn't mean to bring it up..."    "It's not your fault, Zack. You were not there when she jumped." ------    Work tired Hioshi a little more than usual, probably from meeting more players and advertising his guild. Logging in, he spotted Yukara taking a nap on Lancelot in the middle of the forest. She looked so peaceful and worry free as her mount chewed on the fauna. The shade of the tree providing a cool sensation to relax. Hioshi initially wanted to wait but remembering earlier this morning changed his mind.    With a loud enough voice, he yelled "Wake up, Yukara!" and in a state of shock, Yukara rolled off Lancelot. She hit the ground, dirtying her robe a bit as she took her wand out. Yukara looked around in an alert state before seeing the orb that kept her ties with Hioshi. "Hioshi! That's mean...I was sleeping."    Hioshi laughed like a fool. "That's Karma for this morning!"    As the group logged on and headed back to the Salium Desert, they checked the area for any activity of that past Ganker. Thankfully she was not around. But at max level it would be foolish to take on more than one opponent on your own. Yukara rode on her turtle along with the others as they headed to the Ruins of Origins. Before them was a large door that led to the Vault of Origins raid and to the left it was the 'Archives of Sephirion'. It would be in there that the dungeon would hold vast treasures and more story about the world.    The monsters blocking their path were man made as oppose to organic creatures. Making them slightly tougher.    Eventually they reached the first boss. Entering the room it had moving sand underneath like rushing water. the large square platform they were going to fight him in adorned in gold, stone and gems. Runes scattered along the surface. The boss himself emerged out of the sand and landed on the platform, knocking the group down. The boss looked to be a cross between an Crocodile and crystallized rocks. The backside covered in rocks and it's arms sharp like metal. Nina smiled wide. "Alright guys, this boss is simple. Don't be on the sides when it dives down in the sand." and on their word, the fight began. The Crystallized Crocodile roared and started snapping at the group. His tail lashing at those nearby and at one point he rolled his body to try and impale them.    Soon in the fight, the Crocodile dove in the sand as said previously. The group made it to the center of the platform and noticed how it's spines stuck out when it swam through the sand. Then silence...    Yukara looked at the others nervously. "Uhh...Isn't it suppose to strike?" she asked. It continued until finally a rumble occurred...    The sand below slowly drained as another rumble came...The pillar holding the platform up was being struck by the boss! Nina, startled by this, shouted to the group. "Everyone! Brace yourselves!" and with one last smash, the platform came crumbling down to the bottom level. It was no longer the boss fight they read about but now an entirely new one. The Crocodile stared them down and slowly circled them, eyeing their motions. The tank charged forth, only for him to be batted away by the tail. The Crocodile charged straight at Nina with it's maw open, only for Kael to take the blow for her. His health nearly gone from that attack as he struggled to stand. Yukara caught wind and fired a Fireball spell without input from Hioshi to get it's attention.    The Crocodile turned around and started charging headlong to Yukara. Each step rumbling and shaking the ground. Yukara tried standing her ground but she gave in and started running around. Hioshi looked rather dumbfounded at her reaction. "Yukara, sit still and trust me." he tried telling her.   "No! It's going to eat me!" Yukara cried in fear. She narrowly escaped it's snapping jaws left and right long enough to allow the tank to halt the crocodile. "Now. Strike it!"   They each started damaging the beast until it finally succumbed to it's wounds. They divided the loot and pressed onward through the ancient hallways. The walls covered with markings and symbols. Truly ancient ground sealed off for ages. The faint gold shimmered with the fickle of torches lining the walls. All leading to a large room that captivated their eyes. The floors made of pure platinum with sand glossing it's surface. The walls lined with gemstones and carvings. At the far end of the hall, A statue laid dormant. Already they knew this was going to be the boss they would face. Yet something seemed off as they entered the room.    Kale turned around and noticed the entrance was gone. His controller finally spoke out through the voice chat. "Oh my god! We're trapped!" the voice was feminine, sweet and young. Hioshi and Zack never really heard Kael's controller through voice communications and it was quite a surprise. Kael on the other hand spoke up, "Calm down Rei. We will be fine." to which Nina curled her lips. "Oh-ho! You had a female controller? How old is she?"    Yukara spoke up "Nina, now is not the time. The door missing means we are about to fight a boss." and when they turned, that is when the supposed boss looked at them. A large obsidian Golem that came to life. With a mighty fist, the group were tossed around. It slowly walked over to Nina to lunch her. At the last moment her barrier spell prevented herself from dying. Zack called out to Hioshi over the microphone.    "Hioshi. This boss may have a weak spot. Get Yukara on high ground." it was his leadership role coming through. Hioshi nodded and related the message while he tried moving Yukara along. "Zack said if we get higher ground, we might see the weak spot." so Yukara headed off to climb one of the pillars as she noticed how the group was biding their time. The higher they got, the easier they could see...but once at the top, Yukara froze. Was it lag? Latency?    "Yukara?" Hioshi spoke over the voice communication.    Yukara did not respond. From his screen, Hioshi could see obvious cracks around the backside out of sight. He tried imputing a command for Yukara to throw a fireball...and she didn't do anything. No error message or animation. Kale took note and shouted to her "Yukara! What is the problem!? Strike it down!" and even still she remained motionless.    "I-i can't..." Yukara was afraid of heights. Terrified! This brought Hioshi down to earth and asked Kael's controller something important. "Get Yukara off the pillar this instant!" to which, outside of Rei's control, Kael ran towards the pillar and climbed up. Grabbing the frightened Yukara and taking her down. As Hioshi explained the weakness for the others to strike it down, Kael was far too busy wondering what made Yukara like this. He shook her gently "Hey...Yukara?" and immediately she clung to Kael. "D-don't make me go up there..." she quietly sobbed into his shoulder. Kael then had to do what Yukara couldn't at this time.    "I'm going for the weak spot, Get Yukara up!" He screamed, charging at the pillar and climbing it once more to the top. From there, he took a mighty leap and slammed his graves into the Golem's backside. With his blade, he pierced through the cracks again and again, bit by bit. Fragments of stone started to fly off and even hit him back in exchange. Making his cheeks bleed. With one last stab, the Golem fell over and he cried out "Don't stop now! Use all we got!" this was followed with Zack commanding over the microphone "Use your cooldowns and blow everything!"    Yukara sadly did not participate. She was still in a state of shock from her height. Even Hioshi felt bad for what happened. And soon the Golem fell. It shattered and broke. Leaving the group to celebrate. From the loot, the group divided it. Yukara would slowly regain her stance and ability to walk but she still showed signs of her fear of heights.    Thankfully it was now over...Yukara and the others went their separate ways. Each one going to a different location in the world to rest and relax. With their last goodbyes, Yukara and Hioshi decided to go to sleep. It was during that night that Yukara started having a dream. However, she didn't look happy. Though it was hard for her to make out, Yukara couldn't truly understand it. All she felt was confused and blind. It made her scared.    In some way, it was a nightmare...but the thought of seeing Hioshi kept her strong.

[talietikasero]

I went in aware of the (possible) retcons and shit but I watched the whole thing anyway. It’s some ungodly hour way past when I should’ve slept and here’s what I thought. I’m trying to be fair here when I give GG Strive’s story a 6.8/10

Visuals: This game is beautiful. 12/10

Voice cast: I enjoyed the dub. Not as much of a corny anime dub like Sign was, but the returning cast improved from that game -- or at least I thought so. 8.75/10

Soundtrack: One word: Incredible. The duo of Naoki and Aisha on vocals for all character themes -- ok they're only a duet on Ramlethal's [Necessary Discrepancy] but you know what I meant -- was a perfect choice. My favorite themes from when I played the second open beta back in mid-May were Giovanna's [Trigger] and Potemkin's [Armor-Clad Faith], but Leo's [Hellfire] really grew on me the most. 15/10

Game itself: Arcade mode was a fun challenge because I’m an idiot who did all 15 but I got really tired of fighting Nago over and over again. I’m not that great so I’m not worrying about getting the “Messiah Will Not Come” trophy where you fight him but he’s got an infinite blood gauge. Survival gives a good chunk of the lifebar back without making it too easy -- and the “mysterious challenger” at stage 10 being a shadowy Sol with neon red was an okay way to signal a checkpoint. 9/10 I’m not doing online any time soon because I don’t have a wired connection but I hear it’s ass and the tower placement is a complete lie.

Anywho, now on to the real post:

For a finale, the story was... slightly below average. But I’ll be honest here, I kinda had high expectations because of the hype from the past two (?) years, five if you count the total time between Rev2 and Strive's release dates.

The last time I was this critical of a sequel’s story was the gap between Borderlands 2 and 3, which was seven years. I'm going off on a tangent here but I'll sum it up so if you're not familiar with Borderlands you'll have an idea of what I'm taking about. In Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel, the Watcher (Eridian? that saved Athena from execution after telling Lilith and company of her adventures on Elpis with Nisha, Wilhelm, Timothy, Aurelia, and Claptrap) warned "Now's not the time for bickering, Vault Hunters. War is coming, and you will need all the Vault Hunters you can get". BL3 rolls around and there was no big war. Instead, we got a poorly delivered dumpster fire of a main campaign that spanned five planets and the main villains were some bratty livestreamer Sirens that run a planet wide cult. Seriously? The cast was poorly handled there too but I'll stop here.

In the case of comparison to another fighting game’s story, the game that comes to mind is Tekken 7 because if they aren’t a Mishima or Kazama or someone else in that fucked up family that’s plot relevant, they were given a shitty one-fight episode. Sure Nina and Claudio were in the main story mode but that's the thing: they were just there. The returning (dlc) series veterans, such as Anna, Lei, Marduk, and all the way to Zafina plus the newcomers Leroy, Lidia, Fahkumram, and Kunimitsu II weren't given much aside from a brief story snippet. Dare I say it but SFV did their new seasons newcomers and returning fighters justice as they all got episodes of their own. You read that right. Street Fighter V was better to its cast than Tekken 7 and Guilty Gear -Strive-.

Unlike the Xrd games, watching the story does not get you any money. The only difference I saw right after was that the Strive correlation chart updated. For what it’s worth, they could’ve done something like DBFZ’s story clearance unlocking a new character, or do an alternate costume where the outfit Frederick wears in the ending (and upon further inspection is the very same one he wore in the flashback) is useable in fights (it’d be hilarious but a good detail added in if you were to select that option but the name plate doesn’t display “Sol” lmao). If Ky has a palette that puts him in an open button white shirt, jeans, and what look like work boots, then let me play in the ending's lab coat, tanktop, and jeans dammit.

I kept track of how many of the playable cast showed up and played some part. Everyone except Ramlethal, May, and Faust appeared in the story -- these three were reduced to credit image cameos >:( Ram’s seen with Elphelt and Sin, while Ky and Dizzy are in the background. May’s with her crew, and Faust is in the desert somewhere or some shit with Chronus.

But even if they did show up, nobody else except like five people did jack shit. Giovanna, bless her heart, was absent for a long period then showed up to fight Nagoriyuki (who eventually sided with the good guys) but got her ass beat after he faked surrender. Potemkin helped but spent most of his time cruising at high speed trying to get to the White House. Ky and Jack-O didn’t arrive until the end either. Axl -- or should I say Will -- finally got to see Megumi again at the cost of I-No’s defeat. The dude got his girlfriend back at the loss of someone he considered a friend but the delivery felt forced as it was confirmed as she was dying -- wasn't part of her character that she has no recollection of a past? Her suddenly remembering a past boyfriend and being able to describe his appearance didn't really make much sense.

Chipp and Anji were in that comical highway chase scene, but then Anji's just wherever while Chipp's in the Pentagon control room. I get that someone had to stay behind and watch from the other side -- this role landing with Leo as he, Millia, and Zato were overseeing commentating on events from the castle’s war room like Brock and Misty during Ash's battles in the OG season of the Pokemon anime, while Daryl was at the G4 conference and Ky was on his way to the fight -- but the pacing and usage of the cast in this story was a mess. Yeah sure it has most of the GG cast in this installment's playable roster present but it didn't feel like a GG story -- really it felt like the live action Resident Evil movies where the source material's characters are sprinkled in, acting more as a "here ya go they're here don't expect much!" type thing.

Honestly, a step down from Rev because at least everyone in that arc were somewhat present with maybe one or two exceptions? Hell, even though they were added as dlc or in Rev2, Dizzy, Haehyun, Baiken, and Answer were in the main story. Being hopeful here when I say that I hope we see more of Goldlewis or get to play as him because his design is badass and so is his coffin flail weapon. On the side of fairness though, I have a feeling this isn’t exactly what Ishiwatari intended (this is unlikely but it's probably Katano's directing? Whatever in any case)? The general reaction I saw from others who’ve watched the story was that the subplots were half baked and the plot as a whole was pretty rushed. Happy Chaos / the Original as the main villain was Calypso Twins from Borderlands 3 level cringe and every time HC appeared on screen I wanted to mute it. There is the bonus story coming later this year, along with the dlc slots, so ehh? The interactions between Colin and Frederick were one of my personal favorite points even if this did turn into “Neon Genesis White House Down”.

“Brown bears don’t give birth to pandas.“

I’m sure like the others who actually paid attention to the story from the end of Xrd to Strive, my main question was this:

After the Justice / Jack-O fusion -- recall the “newly revived” Aria had purely red hair and Jack-O’s halo disappeared. During the mid-credits of Revelator, former friends turned sworn enemies turned frenemies Asuka and Frederick pretty much have one last declaration of war against each other, with Sin, I-No, and Raven as their witnesses -- Asuka even said “take good care of Aria”. Naturally from all of that, she’s not Jack-O anymore, right? Wrong. According to the game, what's inside of Jack-O is only a fragment / shard of Aria mixed in with Jack-O's projected personality (I think). How did they go from "let's do the fusion and guaranteed she'll return" to "yeah nah she ain't comin' back bro"

Xrd Revelator: "Pull this off successfully and Aria will fully revive as a human."

Strive: "Nah bruh. We lied. It just turned Jack-O human and what's inside her is only an unstable shard of Aria -- not the whole thing."

Back to the “final battle”, they don’t fight, rather Asuka removed the Flame of Corruption from Frederick's body (and somehow he got a haircut too). So really what was the fight in Rev2′s [After Story - A] for? Did he get nearly the life beaten out of him from Ky fighting dirty and left that crater in the park for nothing? Seems that way. Asuka lives on the moon and he's got a radio show now because (*bong rip*) that makes sense.

I’ll admit it’s a little cute that the feelings are mutual between Jack-O and Frederick -- he sees her as herself and not just a genetic copy but they expect us to think in the three weeks they've known each other that "oh shit I'm in love with this person" is believable -- and they live in the woods near a presumably 200+ year old space shuttle complete with the launchpad but come on now. That's some Russo Brothers level writing right there -- y'all remember Avengers: Endgame and how when he went across space and time to return the Infinity Stones, Steve Rogers threw everything away just so he could go back to his original era? The now depowered-so-he's-human-again Frederick Bulsara (the ex-gear and world's savior x times over formerly known as Sol Badguy) living in isolation away from his newfound family and friends gives off the same vibe. Especially after that one and only flashback where it's Aria's birthday and he was going to propose but the ring wasn't ready in time so he had that "error" to show instead.

[blueyesandleatherjacket]

How Would You Feel

Volume: 1.

Number of parts: 20 / ?.

Pairings: Human!Nine x Rose.

Synopsis: "They were almost back to his flat. Tenny would force him to get to bed – maybe he wouldn't have to force him – and to get a lot of rest. He would stay around until Donna was back home. He would watch over his brother and make sure he would be okay. Which wasn't the case currently."

“Tell a lie once and all your truths become questionable.” - Unknown.

CHAPTER 20: ALLERGIES

Clara smiled as she hurried out to her car. She was very happy to be allowed to see her friend. Finally. She had been so worried over the years and the letter hadn’t helped her feeling less worried because of the horrors Rose was writing. Although Clara thought the blonde had minimised the reality of things. The brunette started driving to the hospital after she got in her car. “So… How are you? I’ve heard from Rose’s mother that her therapist is a bit sick. Am I allowed to know how he’s doing? I hope he gets better soon.” Clara had put her phone on speaker so she could drive and speak at the same time. It wasn’t something she should do but she didn’t know where her hands-free kit was. The phone was in her lap and she was focused on the road. She didn’t like being on her phone while driving. She didn’t wanna risk any lives while on the road. Tenny took a quick look at Maxence. He didn’t seem better than earlier. He was still pale and his hands were trembling. His jaw was clenched. “Me? Fine. Always fine. I’m the master of fine. The therapist…” Another quick look at Maxence. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked his brother. “Yeah.” Muttered Maxence. Tenny stopped on a small parking and Maxence got out of the car to be sick again. “The therapist’s not so good. Bad allergies. He’s gonna be alright soon.” They were almost back to his flat. Tenny would force him to get to bed – maybe he wouldn’t have to force him – and to get a lot of rest. He would stay around until Donna was back home. He would watch over his brother and make sure he would be okay. Which wasn’t the case currently. “I’m sorry he’s not doing very well. I hope his allergies go away soon and I hope he gets better so he can help Rose again.” Clara took a couple shortcuts to get to the hospital faster so Tenny could take care of Maxence. She couldn’t wait to see Rose. She would watch over her and she would take care of her for the time that she was there. She wanted to catch up with her. “Oh, he doesn’t need to be fine to help someone. But right now, he’s good for nothing.” “But having a clear mind does make a difference. He sounds pretty bad. Better get him home quick.” Maxence was leaned on the car and was taking a couple of deep breaths, his eyes closed tight. He considered taking some more aspirin but he couldn’t since Tenny was too close. He would take the box away before Maxence even pulled it out completely from his pocket. So instead, Maxence sat back in the car. “Better?” “A bit.” “Headache?” “Going better now that I’m out of that place.” “Good.” Tenny started driving again. They weren't far from his flat now. They would be there in just a couple of minutes. “I’m online with Miss Tyler’s friend, Clara Oswald. I allowed the visits and told her to go.” “Good. She needs the company. I usually stay longer than planned every time I go.” “Not today.” “I just want to go home.” “We’re almost there.” “Great.” Maxence closed his eyes again and waited for the moment Tenny would pull him out of the car to drag him back home because he didn’t have the strengths to walk on his own anymore. “I’ll keep Rose the company you normally give her, sir. Don’t worry. She’s in good hands. Just get lots of rest.” “Right where I’m taking him, and he’s already begging me to tuck him in bed.” “Shut up.” Maxence didn’t want anyone to know they were brothers because if someone did a mistake in the hospital, they would be screwed. Well, they couldn’t do anything against them as they were officially to Rose Tyler, but they would make their life a real hell. “You’re not tucking me into bed, T. Won’t give you the pleasure of it.” “What you two do is between you two,” chuckled Clara. “But just help him out. Even if that means you have to help him get into bed.” Tenny just laughed in return. He would for sure. Maxence just didn’t want to admit it. “Miss Oswald says that she’s gonna do that for you. Watch over Miss Tyler,” Tenny told Maxence. “Good. Very good. You can’t mess with the Tyler. Just give her the visits she needs.” “I’ll take good care of my friend, Mr. Spitz. I’ll make sure she’s good by the time you go see her again.” “You sure will. Miss Tyler wouldn’t have asked for you if you were a naughty girl, would she?” Maxence would have sighed if he had heard that part. His brother could be a real flirt sometimes and it was annoying. But he was never really serious. He was just looking for the right person, and flirting was just a stupid game. “You’re right. She wouldn’t have asked for me if I was a naughty girl. Now I can be naughty sometimes. Just depends on the situation.” Clara knew flirting when she heard it. But she didn’t mind much. Nina, Clara’s girlfriend, was aware that Clara would never cheat on her. And she wouldn’t. Flirting indeed was just a stupid game. “Oh, I’m sure you can’t be, but I’m truly not the person you want to be naughty with.” Tenny didn't know Clara Oswald at all, but she sounded gentle and funny and maybe pretty too. But she also sounded pretty young. Maybe too young for him. “I can be. But I wouldn’t be naughty with you. I’m just really defensive and protective kind of naughty.” Clara Oswald didn’t know Tegan Smith at all either, but he sounded a little older than her. Clara wasn’t sure if he would be too old or not. But he sounded pretty hot and gentle and funny too. She soon pulled into the hospital and got out, walking to the doors. Tenny just laughed at her definition of being naughty. Clara Oswald was a nice girl. A good girl. She would only get naughty if this someone she loved was being tormented or something. It could be interesting to see how she would react to the place her friend was locked in. It could be interesting to see how naughty she could get to get her out of here. But it was better if she didn’t try anything. They didn’t know how many persons of the staff were their enemies. It would be really unfortunate if she got locked there too. “I’m at the hospital. Just stay on for a couple more minutes, Mr. Smith. I can’t wait to see their faces when they see me back. They didn’t like me here this morning.” “I’m staying online. Go on.” Tenny parked the car down in front Maxence’s building but didn’t come out. Maxence neither. He remained still. He didn’t have the strength to move for now. “Max?” “…” Tenny shook his brother. “Max!” “Oi, don’t yell, you idiot!” “You scared me!” Clara listened to their conversation on how Maxence nearly scared Tenny and bit the inside of her cheek. She walked into the hospital and to the front desk. “Hello, I’m Clara Oswald. Doctor Smith sent me here to come see Rose Tyler. And I have him on the phone to prove my point.” Clara turned the phone towards the nurse sat at the desk so she could hear Tenny clearly since she still had it on speaker. The nurse looked up from her computer and looked at Clara. She recognised her as the woman who had come in the morning. The nurse looked around. No sign of Nash, and she remembered clearly that both Mr Smith and Mr Spitz had insisted on them allowing the visits for Miss Tyler earlier. “You’re gonna have to give me your personal belongings. Phone, keys, pens… Anything that could be used as a weapon.” The nurse knew as a matter of fact that Rose wasn’t dangerous or suicidal, but some of their patients were so she couldn’t take any risks. Only the doctors and nurses could have some of those things, and they had to be really careful. Clara chewed the inside of her cheek and gave the nurse her keys and wallet. Tenny listened to the talk while Maxence was curling up in the seat waiting for his brother to help him out of the car and back into his bed. Maybe he would tuck him in bed in the end. “Gotta go Mr. Smith. Thanks so much for staying on the line with me. Have a good rest of your day,” she said before she hung up and gave the nurse her phone as well. “I have nothing else on me.” “Alright. Have a good night yourself. Enjoy your time with your friend. And be careful.” Tenny put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Maxence. “Are you serious? Am I gonna have to carry you back into your flat?” Maxence didn’t reply. He was either ignoring him or really sleeping. Tenny tended to think it was the second option. He sighed. “What wouldn’t I do for you, Max?” he murmured. He got out of the car and closed the door quietly. He went to Maxence’s side and opened his door. He unbuckled the belt and tried to get Maxence out of the car but his brother struggled against him. “Come on, Max, let me help you.” “No,” he groaned. “I can do it myself.” Maxence gave – threw – his bag to Tenny after he took his keys and got out of the car. Without waiting for his brother, he entered the building. He went straight to his flat and then, straight to the bathroom. He pulled out the small box from his pocket and opened it with his trembling hands. Very quickly so Tenny wouldn’t know about it, Maxence swallow two other pills and walked to his bedroom. He hid the pills into Donna’s bedside table. It would be less suspect. Then, he let himself fall onto his bed and was asleep before Tenny even came into the flat.

×

In the meanwhile, the nurse took Clara’s belongings and put them into a locker before leading her to Rose’s room. She didn’t knock before opening the door and letting Clara in. No one else but the doctor Spitz and Liv were knocking into the room. Clara looked around while she was following the nurse to Rose’s room, making sure she didn’t make much noise. Rose heard the door being unlocked and hid what few drawing supplies she had out quickly, not knowing who was coming in. Clara softly thanked the nurse for letting her come back and for letting her in before she stepped inside Rose’s room slowly. She looked around. Very plain. Very white. Rose’s face lit up at the sight of Clara. She put her drawing supplies back on the desk again. She was almost done with making Maxence those signs so he wouldn’t hit his head. She hurried over to Clara and hugged her tight. Clara hugged her back just as tightly. “I’ve missed you, Rose Tyler.” Rose kissed her cheek briefly, “I’ve missed you too Clara Oswald.” Clara pulled away from the hug a little and studied Rose. She frowned. She could barely recognise her friend. She had changed so much. She had lost a lot of weight and her face had grown hollow. But it was her look that was the worst. Rose had once been full of life, and now her look was empty, off. She had lost herself in that place, and it was to doubt that she would ever be back to her old self. “You’ve changed so much. You’re so thin and malnourished. They’re hurting you in here,” Clara murmured sadly. She reached and cupped her friend’s cheek carefully. Rose leaned into her warm touch. A touch she had desperately missed and needed. The golden spark was shining in her eyes. It wasn’t too bright though. The Wolf was just taking a quick look but it knew that Rose was safe with Clara. Rose put her hand over Clara’s and softly stroked it. “You’re right. But I’ve got help. My own little team. They’re helping me out and making sure I get healthy again. I’m in good hands now.” “They better take care of you. You’ve lost a part of yourself while being in here. I see it. That spark of happiness isn’t in your eyes anymore. You’re not the same person. And that hurts to know.” “Being in here changes you, Clara. But I’ll be out of here soon enough. After the New Year. And then, you can help me be the person I used to be.” Rose smiled briefly and kissed her forehead. Clara closed her eyes and smiled a bit. Rose held her close to her, before she pulled away to look more at the brunette. It felt good to see her. She looked good. She looked happy. Rose couldn’t help her heart to be broken. Her best friend was happy. She should be happy about it too, but she wasn’t. Because she was stuck there and had no chance to be happy. “Let’s sit.” Rose took her hand and led her over to the bed. They sat close beside each other, but Rose pulled Clara into her lap and hugged her close. “So, how’s life for you?” Rose asked. “It’s good. I love my job as a teacher. And I’ve got a girlfriend too. She treats me well and we love each other a lot. She knows about you. And she wants to meet you one day. When you get out of here. She’s been supporting me through these tough times. I’ve really missed you, Rose. I wake up some days and wonder how in the world I get out of bed to go to work. But she’s been there every step of the way. She comforts me when I need it and she’s always there to help me. We’re taking things slow. We’ve been dating for a couple years now and we recently moved in together. I told her that if we ever do get married, I’d like to wait and have the wedding for when you can attend. Because I want you to be my maid of honour.” Rose smiled, “I’d love to be your maid of honour, Clara. Thank you for waiting for me. Thank you for never leaving. I feel special that you’d wait to have your wedding because of me. And congratulations on a girlfriend. I’m really happy that life is going so well for you.” They hugged each other tight. “How’s Mickey?” “He’s good. He’s got a wife. Her name’s Martha. I try and see him when I can. He hasn’t been around too much though. I don’t know why. Probably busy with personal life. Like I’ve been. My girlfriend’s been sick so I’ve been taking care of her. She was asleep before I came here.” “Mm. I see. Just as long as he’s happy and living a good life. That’s all I want for him. And I hope your girlfriend gets well soon.” “Thanks. She’s doing a lot better. She’s resting and letting me take care of her. She’s cuddling a lot and asking for help. So she really wants to get better. Which I’m happy about.” “That’s good. What’s her name?” “Nina.” “Beautiful name.” “So, this therapist of yours. What’s he like? What’s his name?” Rose blushed briefly, “His name is Maxence Spitz. He just got out of college. He hasn’t been out of college for too long before he was given my record. He read it for a week I heard. He’s memorized my whole record I’m sure. He’s a wonderful man and an awesome therapist. He really understands me. He doesn’t push me. He doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable. Mr. Spitz is a natural when it comes to helping people. He’s really nice and he treats me like a human for once. He’s the best therapist I could ask for. Good friend too.” Clara listened to Rose talk about Maxence Spitz. He sounded like a wonderful man. Someone Clara wanted to meet one day. Someone she wanted to thank. “He sounds like an amazing man. I talked to his friend Mr. Smith on the phone earlier. He didn’t sound like he was doing too well earlier. But I’m sure he’ll get better soon.” “Yup. He’ll be resting a lot. He’s had a rough past four days. But I’ve helped him out a bit.” “Sounds like something you’d do. Always finding a way to help people. Even if you are stuck in some horrible hospital,” Clara replied. “What’s the Wolf like?” she added quietly. “It’s interesting. Unpredictable and really protective. It can be mean. But it can be friendly too. It causes me migraines a lot. But they’re a bit more bearable now. It sometimes helps me with my nightmares and other things. Sometimes it accidentally enhances my dreams and nightmares. Sometimes it makes me hallucinate. But I know that it doesn’t exactly mean to harm me. Even if it’s what caused me to be here in the first place. The Wolf was the only thing I had to talk to for five years. So I see it as a friend now. Not really an issue or a problem,” Rose explained to Clara. “I see. I’m just relieved to know it hasn’t killed you. I’m just relieved that you’re still here. I assume it can heal you too since you have not much of any marks on your body.” Clara knew Rose had been brutalised by the staff of that hospital. She had written it in her letter and it as obvious when you looked at her. Someone usually so full of life who turned into someone so thin and so dull, that couldn’t be just the fact of life being hard. There was more. “Mmhm. My mum doesn’t really trust it fully yet. But the Wolf will prove to her soon that it doesn’t mean to cause any harm. I know she doesn’t forgive herself for putting me in here. Promise me you’ll help her with that. I’ll make sure I help her with it too when I get out of here permanently.” “I will. I promise. I try and see your mum as much as I can. We’re really close now since she’s come to me a lot for support. I’m happy to help her.” “Thank you,” Rose said, relieved to have someone watching over her mother. She kissed her friend’s cheek. “It means a lot to me to know that my mum has people there to help her who are just a phone call away. Keep watching over her. Help her as often as she needs it.” “What else can this Wolf do?” Rose shrugged, “It can give people certain memories back. It can take memories away. It can wipe someone’s memory, making them forget who they are entirely. It can also completely erase someone from time. The Wolf can sense emotions a lot easier and can notice when someone’s lying. It makes me stronger. And it can talk too. Sometimes it talks through me. I don’t really know what else it can do.” “It sounds like a cool thing.” “It is. But it can be dangerous. But it isn’t here to cause danger. My therapist, Mr Spitz was saying that maybe there was a way to get it out of me. But there isn’t. If you try and take it out of me, I’ll die. That’s even what the Wolf told him. It has its claws too deep in me and it won’t be letting go. Not until I die. So it’s here, forever.” “I see. But I don’t mind too much that it’s with you. As long as it isn’t causing you too much pain and as long as you’re happy and healthy and can still do what you love. I just can’t wait until you’re out of here. Until you can be a normal woman again. You’ve lost five years of your life in here. Hopefully we can make up that time a little after you get out.” “I hope so too. But we’ll see.” Rose laid her head on Clara’s shoulder and held her tight against her. She was scared to let her go, afraid that she was just a dream and that she would fade away or something. Clara seemed to understand what Rose was saying about the Wolf. She seemed to understand in general and that was really good. It made Rose happy that Clara understood. Clara was actually trying to understand it all. She understood the concept to an extent, but she was working hard on getting all of it. It was just something so inhuman and something that no one had ever heard of. That it was hard to wrap your head around the fact that something like that was inside your best friend’s head. “If you ever need anything, Rose. Anyone to talk to. Let me know. I’ll always be here. I’m never gonna leave you, Rose Tyler. Especially when you’re outta here. I’ll always be a phone call away. Whatever you need. Whatever you want.” “Thanks, Clara. And same to you.” They both closed their eyes. There was still hope for Rose. No one had given up on her. No one had left her. And that gave Rose a lot of hope. It made her wanna fight harder to get out of there, because she had people waiting for her outside of this hell.

×

Tenny sighed when Maxence disappeared into the building and picked their two bags. He climbed the stairs pretty quickly. He put the bags down on the couch and walked to the bedroom. He smiled when he saw his brother so deeply asleep already. He lay him down in a better position and tucked him in bed after he took off his shoes. He checked his temperature. He still had a bit of fever. Nothing to worry about though. Tenny walked to the bathroom and filled a bowl with water. He took a rag and took everything back to the bedroom. He put the rag into the water, wringed it and ran into on his brother’s face. Nothing better than the old school cures. Then, Tenny sat down on the bed and turned on the TV. He would keep a close look on him until Donna came back. Which was just a matter of minutes now. Maxence barely slept half an hour, and that sleep was restless. His nightmares were still tormenting him. He woke up with a start, but it wasn’t as bad as earlier. He just needed a few minutes to realise where he was and who he was with. He took some more minutes to catch his breath. “Your nightmares are back?” asked Tenny when Maxence had finally calmed down. Maxence just nodded and tucked the covers more around him. He was cold and his hair and face were damp because of the sweat. The cause wasn’t the fever, but it was the fear. The fear of the monsters in his dreams. He wasn’t sure if he would sleep again today, tonight or in the nights to come. But at least, his headache seemed to be better. “Maybe you should talk to someone about it.” Maxence didn’t reply. Who would believe him? Except for Rose, everyone would consider him a crazy guy. It was surprising that Nash hadn’t decided to lock him down into a room – or worse, a cell – after he woke up yelling that his shadow was talking to him. He better not try to talk about it to anyone. He had written it over and over again, every time he had done the freaking nightmare but he had hidden all of that so no one would find them. He had even burned some of the sheets of paper in a fit of rage. He closed his eyes as he heard the door opening and closing. Donna was home. A few minutes later, she was in the doorframe and was looking at the two men in her bed. She looked worried about her Maxence. She walked to the bed and sat down close to him. She kissed his forehead and stroked his face lovingly. “I don’t like seeing my Maxence so sick,” she murmured thinking he was sleeping. Maxence didn’t move much. He just leaned into her soft touch. Tenny stretched and got up slowly. “He’s better than earlier. The fever’s not so high.” Donna took the rag and put it into water. She wringed it and ran it on Maxence’s face and neck just like Tenny had done a few times before she came back home. “Thank you for coming over. I hate it when he’s home alone and sick.” “I wasn’t working. I planned on coming over anyway. I wanted to see how he was doing since the last time.” “He’s gotten his memories back.” “How?” “We’ve got some unexpected visitors yesterday.” “You’ve got me curious.” “I really don’t know how. I just know that that nurse, Liv, and his patient, Rose Tyler, came here. She gave him his memories back. Somehow.” Tenny raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t say anything about Rose since he wasn’t supposed to have met her today. He was supposed to have stayed home with Maxence instead of going there. But he was glad he did though. He was glad he could have helped Rose Tyler. Even if it was years too late. At least, he could do a little something for her before it was too late. And he really hoped that Clara’s visit would help her a bit too. She wasn’t alone at least. “His nightmares are back,” Tenny suddenly declared. Maxence’s body tensed. He wished Tenny wouldn’t have said that. He didn’t want anyone to know. They would ask him questions, questions he couldn’t answer to. “A lot of strange things are happening to him lately.” “Talking about the words?” “Yeah.” “I had to clean the one on his chest. It’s getting a little infected. Better keep an eye on that. When did he…” “That’s one of the strange things. He didn’t. It just appeared. And I’m starting to think that that Rose Tyler might have some answers about the mysteries surrounding my Maxence.” “How did she come here anyway? If Max couldn’t remember…” “Miss Liv is really persuasive. She forced him to sign an authorisation.” Tenny smiled a bit. That Liv seemed to be a pretty interesting person. Someone he would like to meet. Maybe one day. But for now, the only person he had to take care of was his brother. Meeting people and flirting would wait. Donna put the rag back on the edge of the bowl and followed Tenny into the living room. They both thought that Maxence had fallen asleep again when he was perfectly awake. He just didn’t feel like being a part of the conversation, and he was almost relieved when they both left the room. He didn’t hear the door being closed so that meant that Donna had left it cracked open. She wanted to hear it if he ever had any problem. Even if she couldn’t solve any of his current problems. “I think you should make him take a bath. That would relax him a bit.” “Could be a good idea. Just before sleeping.” “When is he supposed to go back to work?” “In two days.” “Better use those days to try and make him feel better. But I trust you on that point.” Tenny smiled and gathered his stuff. He had to go now. To go back into his lonely flat again. Just the idea of it made him sad and Donna was certainly not blind enough to not notice it. “You know, Tenny, if you want to stay, you can. It won’t bother any of us.” “No, it’s alright. I’ll be just fine.” They both knew he was lying though. Donna gave him a quick hug to comfort him some. She knew how lonely he could feel sometimes, and Tenny was no man to handle it well. He hugged her back. “Go and take some of your stuff from your flat. You can stay tonight.” “No…” “You said Maxence’s wound was infected. I need a doctor home. You’re staying tonight.” Tenny wouldn’t say that he was relieved but he really was. And Donna was right. With Maxence in such a condition, it was better to have a doctor at home. “Alright. I’ll go and get my stuff.” “You’re the one charge of the dinner too.” “It’s the least I can do.” “Be careful on the road and come back quickly, okay?” Tenny nodded and Donna kissed his cheek, watching him leave the flat. She walked back into the bedroom and lay down close to Maxence. She wrapped him in her arms and nuzzled his neck. She so wished he could be fine again, but he seemed to be stuck into a vicious circle right now. Maxence slightly moved to cuddle up to Donna. She was warm and he was cold. She smiled a bit and pressed her lips against his warm forehead. “I thought you were sleeping,” she murmured. “No. Just pretending to,” he murmured back. “Why would you?” “To avoid questions. I’m tired of questions.” Donna stroked his face gently and pulled him a bit closer to her. “Meaning you don’t want to talk about what’s going on with you.” “There’s nothing going on with me.” “There’s a lot of things going on with you.” “And there’s nothing new to say about it.” Maxence turned his back on her to show that the talk was over. Final point. He wouldn’t say anything about it again, and didn’t want anyone to talk about it anymore. He kept his eyes shut and hid under the covers. Only his head was out of the blankets. Donna kept her arms around him, kept him close to her and kissed his neck. “What about a bath?” “Are you saying I’m stinking?” “A bit. And you’re prickly too.” He had a small silent laugh. Better than nothing. “I don’t have the strengths to take care of that.” “I can do it. Wouldn’t be the first time.” Maxence turned to face her and finally opened his icy blue eyes. She put her hand on his hairy face. “You’re not forced to talk, but if you want to, I’m here, okay?” He nodded. Of course. His Donna would always be there. But just like everyone else, she wouldn’t understand.

To be continued...

How would you feel © | 2016 - 2017 | Tous droits réservés.

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In the next chapter:

“What are you thinking about, Rose?” Clara asked quietly.

She was the first to break the quietness of the room they were both enjoying. Usually, Rose hated the silence. Especially now that she had been stuck in that place for so long for no one to talk to. But being there with her best friend was making everything different. The silence felt good for once. So when Clara talked, Rose flinched because she hadn’t expected it.

“Nothing in particular. I’m just thinking about how much I’m enjoying this time with you and how much I’ve missed holding my best friend. And about how much I miss being outside of this place. And how much I miss the outdoors. But those are just little side thoughts. I’m mostly thinking about you and my mum and Mr. Spitz.”

Rose and Clara talked a little more before the blonde took a quick shower and ate a biscuit. Then, she cuddled with Clara again on the bed. She was happy to have some company there with her to take away her loneliness for the evening. She hated being alone. She hated feeling lonely.

“Thank you. For coming to see me.”

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