#i wanted blonde hair and a whole new wardrobe and tried to act just like her

[sxngshine]

Phobia

• Pairing: Chan x reader

• Word Count: 4.26k+

• Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut

• Warnings: a bit of drinking, car sex, oral(M receiving), unprotected sex(wrap it up), switch!reader, dom!Chan idk what else but don't read if you don't like smut.

• Summary:idk how to explain without spoiling shhsshhs just read it.

• Notes: This was a long overdue story dedicated to @braveshin djsjxs. I had it half done but then went ia but now I'm kinda back so here you go🤧🤧. This is my first full/complete smut so apologies for the lack of knowledge in that part lmao. Happy reading💞! [Edited but possible mistakes lemme know if I missed smtn]

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You hadn't seen him in ages. After you both confessed to each other you thought everything would be all rainbows and peaches between the two of you. And to be honest it was. But then there was just one issue, the both of you were super awkward when it came to intimacy.

You always had the regular kisses and hand holding and hugs like every other couple. But the issue was that neither of you tried to go father in fear that the other wouldn't like it or would be uncomfortable.

That was 2 years ago. Now the both of you live separate lives without each other. He had gotten his dream job as an artist, you saw him on TV quite a lot and it made you miss him even more.

You got your dream job as well, one that allowed you to travel a lot and on the side you were a well known content creator. People admired you for being able not only work through a super busy schedule, but also create original content for your viewers.

The both of you had tried maintaining a long distance relationship, but you felt like you were drifting away from him because of your busy schedules and being unable to talk. You had enough of it one day, missing him and hating that he was never around anymore.

In the end, you both decided to stay friends but lost contact with each other in a matter of months.

There were many regrets that you had, many things you wish you had said and done but it was too late now. You never even once told him that you loved him properly and you always wished you could go back in time to tell him.

After so long, you would think you'd finally be over him, but here you are sitting in a club drinking your problems away.

You didn't really want to be here, you were on break for a few days and wanted to mope around your apartment after seeing him perform his newest album , but your friend dragged you here with a hope of loosening you up and after getting you to drink 6 shots of whatever concoction she stirred up, it started to work.

You didn't drink too much though, enough to get your mind off of things but not enough to be super hungover the next day.

You expected the night to go by with you sitting alone with your glass of whatever your friends gave you as you watched your people dance too close too each other.

What you didn't expect though, was to see him walk through the door. You were beyond shocked, what's he doing here?

It looked like his old group of friends dragged him here. You watched him discretely -or at least tried to- as he looked around the place with clear distaste in his eyes, wanting to be anywhere else except here. But the moment his eyes met yours, all those thought flew out of his head like they were never there in the first place. Your eyes widened and it was like time had stopped.

The harsh music in the background was nonexistent at this point and the other people disappeared. It was just you and him. His friends went to go find a vacant table but he made his way over to you instead.

You looked away and prayed he wouldn't come over but it was useless because in a matter of moments, you were faced to face with the one and only person you were trying to forget about.

"Y/N? Is it really you?" He asked, clear surprise in his eyes.

"Hey... Chan," you greeted, smiling nervously as you looked anywhere but his eyes.

"How're you? I haven't seen you for so long I almost didnt recognize you! You look so different," He exclaimed.

It was true, you completely changed your look after the both of you lost touch. Your once short hair was now at your waist, the once all black and baggy wardrobe was replaced with bright, slightly more fitting clothes (you were quite sad but you loved your new clothes so it was okay). You held yourself high with confidence which was foreign to him because you were normally so shy.

His eyes raked over your outfit, you wore a tight sparkly navy blue dress that ended mid thigh. Your shoulders and collarbones bare due to the skinny straps and low neck.

You couldn't help but look him over as well. He was clad in black ripped skinny jeans and a black tshirt, blonde hair untamed on his head. His chains sparkled under the flashy lights of the club and his leather jacket was doing his arms wonders. In other words, he looked hot. But you couldn't just say that.

After shamelessly checking each other out for a solid 2 minutes Chan cleared his throat.

"So uh, mind if I sit down?" He asked, giving you a small smile in which you returned with a nod.

The both of you started catching up, talking about your accomplishments and old memories you shared. You wanted to get some fresh air after a bit so the both of you grabbed your things and walked outside, the cool air sending pleasant shivers up your spine. You strolled down to the parking lot and Chan offered to drive you around in his car which you accepted.

"If you don't mind, can I take you somewhere?" He asked, after a few moments silence.

You nodded and Chan drove you both to wherever he wanted to take you. Fifteen minutes later the both of you arrived at a cliff that overlooked the city.

You remembered it being a place you and Chan visited often during the night, the city sparkling under you as the both of you goofed around. You had made many memories here.

"You still remember this place?" You asked, getting out of the car and walked over to the edge, leaning against the railing. "I haven't been here in ages!"

"How could I forgot? This was an important place to me." He answered, coming up beside you, looking over at the city illuminated by thousands of lights.

Then a silence fell upon the two of you. You didn't feel the need to say anything, just enjoying the silence and the distant buzz of the city. It was... comforting.

"I missed you Channie, I missed you a lot." You said out of nowhere. You weren't looking at him, but you could tell he was looking at you. The alcohol was getting to you but you didn't mind, needing the extra confidence.

"Ever since you left, I started regretting not doing so many things. I never got to tell you how much you meant to me, how important you were. I wish I could've told you how much I loved you and cared about you. How I never actually wanted to break up and how broken I became when we did," you felt tears form in your eyes as you poured your heart out to him.

"I said I was doing great before but I lied, I spent a good month locked in my room just crying. I was such a mess and then we just stopped talking and my whole world just broke apart and I just-" your voice cracked as tears now fell freely down your cheeks. You bent down and buried your face in your hands, sobbing hard.

Chan was so caught off guard with your confession, but he knew right now wasn't the time for him to be acting like that. He bent down beside you and pulled you into a hug, allowing you to cry as much as you needed while he rubbed your back.

When he felt like you had mostly calmed down, your hard sobs turning into small sniffles and hiccups, he released you from the hug.

"Y/N, look at me," he said, his hand coming towards your face. You reluctantly looked up at him, your eyes red and puffy with mascara running down your cheeks.

"When I left, it took everything in me not to just drop everything and stay. I was in a terrible state when we broke up, my members kept saying I looked like a literal zombie. There were so many times where I was gonna call you but backed away cause I thought you wouldn't want to talk anymore," he admitted.

"R-really?" You stuttered, trying to even out your breathing.

Chan nodded, his eyes flickering to your lips before going back to your eyes.

"Can I-" Chan tried to say but was cut off by your lips smashing into his. He wasn't prepared for it and fell back from the force, pebbles digging into his palms.

But Chan could care less, the only thing on his mind was how soft your lips felt against his. All that built up tension between the two of you had resurfaced and neither one of you were going to stop till you were relieved.

The both of you pull away after a long heated kiss, looking deeply into each others eyes.

"Wanna continue at my place?" Chan asked, breathing heavily. You shook your head and moved off of him.

"That'll take too long and I'm not in the mood for waiting." You said, standing up before lending him a hand.

Chan was surprised by your response but it turned him in even more. "Car?" He asked, taking your hand.

You nodded and dragged him to the back seat of his car, opening the door before pushing him in gently. Once he was in you climbed in after him and closed the door.

Wasting no time, you crawled onto his lap and cupped his cheeks. "Are you okay with this?" He whispered.

You nodded, whispering a small yes and kissed him again, your lips moulding together in perfect sync. You both of you have shared kisses before, but they were only light pecks, nothing more than that. If you knew kissing Chan would feel like this you would've done this a lot earlier.

Chans hands, which rested on your waist started travelling south to your ass and squeezed. You gasped into the kiss and he used the opportunity to push his tongue into your mouth.

He moaned as his tongue explored your wet and warm cavern, your tongues swirling around in unison. Chan lowered you onto the seat, hovering over you as he groped your ass.

Your arms were tightly wrapped around his neck, fingers pulling at his hair. You were in such a euphoric state you didn't realize that Chans hands had left your ass and were now removing the straps of your dress.

He moved to sit up so that he could see your half naked body, dress pooled at your hips and everything else exposed for his eyes to take in and admire. "Fuck you look so gorgeous.." Chan cursed before diving into your neck, leaving dark bruises all over your throat and collar bones.

"Chan.... take it off," you mumbled, pulling on his jacket as he attacked your neck. "I don't want to be the only nude one here,"

Chan quickly sat up and began removing his jacket, throwing it to some random corner in his car. He had been distracted trying to remove his shirt, and you took the opportunity to switch things around.

Before Chan could process what was happening, you had flipped him over onto the seat and straddled his legs, looking down at him with a mischievous smirk as you ran your nails down his solid abs, causing a shiver to run up his spine.

"What're you-" he tried to protest but you shushed him by placing your finger to his lips.

"I may have seemed like I'd submit to you before , but that's not the case here baby boy. I can dom quite well too," you winked at him, licking your lips at you took in his smooth pale skin and hard muscle. "Let me show you how much I love you too,"

You're head sunk down to press a soft kiss to his forehead. "Just relax and let me do the work," you whispered into his ear.

Chan decided to obey your wish for now, wanting to see where this would go. He was becoming harder every passing second as he felt your hand trace his abs and your mouth do wonders to his neck and chest, leaving hickeys all over.

You ground your clothed heat against his covered crotch and it was driving Chan crazy. "Quit teasing me and take it off already," he rasped.

You smirked and moved away from him. "Yes sir," you whispered, softly grinding your hips to his as you took your time unbuckling his belt. Chan had about enough of your teasing and quickly sat up, pushing you down onto the seat once again.

He glared at you as he quickly pulled down his pants, bringing his boxers down with it and brought a little relief to his rock hard cock.

You gawked at how large it was and Chan sat down on the seat, legs spread. "Put that pretty mouth to use babygirl," he demanded.

You knew exactly what he wanted and moved to first remove your dress off your hips, leaving you in just your panties. Grabbing his red and hard cock, you pumped it a few times before pressing a soft kiss to the angry red tip, eliciting a moan from Chan's mouth.

You licked a stripe from the base of his shaft back to his tip before taking it into your mouth. Chans fingers threaded into your hair and held the strands tight, pushing you all the way down his dick so your nose was touching his pelvis. Chan let out a loud groan, tip hitting the back of your throat as he pulled it out then back down your throat.

You felt tears prick your eyes has Chan showed no mercy to your throat. Your scalp was sore from the vice grip he had on your hair but you liked it, feeling your core become wetter than it was before.

You felt Chan twitch in your mouth but he pulled you off before he could come, hissing to himself as he held his orgasm in. When he felt as if he could continue without cumming with one touch he quickly motioned you to lay down once again

"You can show me how much you love me some other time babygirl, but right now I'm in charge," Chan said, hovering over your body once again.

His lips attached to your breast, rolling his tongue over the hard bud as his fingers hooked around your panties. He removed his lips from you at ask you for permission which you nodded to.

Instantly his mouth returned to working its magic on your nipples as he pulled your panties down your legs. He dropped them onto the floor, fingers slowly caressing up from your calves to your thighs, ghosting where you needed him the most.

He switched to your other nipple, once again ghosting over your core and you let out a small whimper. "Chan.. please I need you," you whined.

"I don't know... I'm having fun teasing you like this," Chan mused, moving his head away from your chest. He finally looked down at your core and smirked widely.

"Look at how wet you are babygirl, and I still have yet to touch you there," Chan's pride had gone through the roof, pleased that he could make you feel this way.

Finally showing you some mercy, he rubbed his fingers against your core, cause you to moan and buck your hips against his fingers, trying to get more friction.

Chan held your hips down with one hand while the other collected your wetness on his fingers, dipping in into your entrance. You let out a gasp as you felt his finger push inside you, not used the feeling.

"Goddamn Y/N, I only put in one finger but your still so tight," chan groaned, pumping his finger in and out of you before slipping in another one.

You moaned, bucking your hips against his fingers. You were so lost in trying to reach your high you didn't realize Chan stopped moving his fingers.

"Shit- that was so hot." Chan cursed. That's when you realized he wasn't moving. Your eyes snapped open and looked into his dark ones already staring hard at you.

"Do you like fucking yourself on my fingers? Does it make you feel good?" He asked, pulling his fingers out of you.

You whined, feeling your orgasm slipping away each second he wasn't touching you.

"When I ask a question I expect an answer babygirl," Chan demanded.

"Yes! Yes I do," you replied quickly, hoping he'd start doing something again.

"Do you want my fingers to make you come?" He smirked, his wet fingers lightly rubbing your folds.

"N-no! Please Chan I need you," you cried out when he pressed his fingers on your sensitive bud.

"What do you need babygirl? Tell me," he continued teasing you, fingers circling your entrance.

"I want you to fuck me please," you whimpered, hips twitching from his agonizingly slow movements.

"You'll need to do better than that," he retorted, stopping his actions.

"I-I want you to fuck my pussy with your cock Chan- hnmf!" You tried to say but were cut off by Chans fingers being pushed into your mouth. You instinctively swirled your tongue around his fingers, sucking your essence off his fingers.

"Such a good girl..." he muttered, taking his finger out of your mouth. He lined himself at your entrance before cursing under his breath.

"Can I go in raw? I don't have a condom on me.." Chsn asked, looking at you for permission.

"I'm on birth control, it's okay," you confirmed. Your heart swelled at how he still asked you for consent rather than just going in for it.

Chan didn't waste another second, slowly pushing his head into your throbbing pussy.

"Fuck..." you both moaned. Chan slowly eased his way into you, giving you time to adjust to his thick length stretching you out deliciously.

Your jaw fell slack when he bottomed out, feeling so full with him completely inside you. He gave you a second to adjust before drawing out of you almost completely and then pushing in again, setting a slow pace with deep thrusts.

You couldn't do anything but moan, fingers clutching Chans biceps as he lowered his head back to your chest.

"Chan.. harder.. go.. harder," you panted, letting out a loud moan when he did just that.

Both of you were lost in a euphoric state, trying to chase your own highs. You felt a knot like feeling in your stomach, one that was growing tighter and tighter with each hard and deep thrust Chan gave you.

"I-I'm so close," you cried when Chan hit a particular spot that really had you screaming.

"Cum baby," Chan whispered in your ear. And that's all it took for that tight knot to come undone.

You moaned Chans name as you came all over his cock, walls clenching around him so tight that it had him shooting his hot seed deep into your womb.

Chan help both of you rode out your highs, but didn't pull out just yet. You could feel him becoming soft inside of you.

"That was amazing..." you panted lightly, a smile gracing your face. Chan stared down at you, nodding his head in agreement.

He slowly pulled out of you, cum dripping from your pussy to your ass. Chan quickly grabbed a box of tissues from the back and cleaned the both of you up.

You sat up and pulled your dress back on, not liking how quiet Chan was being.

"Chan? Are you okay?" You asked. Chan's head snapped up, turning to you.

"What- oh uh.. yeah I'm okay," he said, but you were unconvinced.

"Come on, tell me what's wrong?" You pressed. Chan just sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I-I feel like I this was a mistake. I spent so long trying to get over you. I thought I was while I was overseas but then I was pulled to that stupid club and saw you. And all that time I spent getting over you went down the drain just like that. And to makes things worse, I just fucked you!" Chan admitted, frustrated he ruffled his hair aggressively.

You felt your heart shatter. He thought this was a mistake...? You swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears from forming.

"Y-you think what we did just now was a mistake?" You asked, voice cracking slightly.

Chan realized what he said and instantly started denying it. "No no no, I don't! It's just that, we spent so long getting over each other, you yourself said you're not over me. And i just made it worse for you,"

"I don't regret it Chan." You stated, looking at him with glassy eyes. "Everything that just happened, I don't regret any of it."

Chan looked at you sadly, pulling you into a hug. You buried your face into his shirt, feeling a few tears come out of your eyes and soak his shirt.

"Chan, if you could, would you date me again?" You mumbled, feeling kind of drowsy.

"Definitely. I wouldn't hesitate to ask you again," Chan answered. You thought for a second before replying.

"Then why aren't you saying anything now?" You ask. Chans brows knit together in confusion. He sits you up straight and looks into your eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's holding us back from dating now?" You asked, looking right back into his eyes.

"Y/n... I'm gonna be travelling a lot. I'm only here for the week then I'm going to be going on tour for the next 2 or 3 months. We'd never work out. The same thing that happened before will happen again and I can't go through another heartbreak." Chan said dejectedly.

"I-I'll wait for you Chan, I swear. No matter how long it takes. I was selfish before and only thought of myself. I'm more open minded now, I don't mind waiting. Just please don't leave me again." You pleaded, hands clutching his shirt.

Chan felt his own tears forming, a small smile forming on his face. He cupped your cheeks, wiping the tears from your face.

"Are you sure? You'd have to be very patient with me then. I won't be able to text often, I'll be out of town at least 3 times a week, I won't always answer your calls. I'll be tired and unable to take you out on proper dates most of the time, they'd be pretty rare. Do you think you'll be able to handle all that." He asked, resting his forehead against yours.

"I'll be as patient as I possibly can. No matter how tired you are, or how far away you are or how busy you are. No matter what mood you're in. I'll support you however I can and be as understanding as possible. I promise." You answered, a smile forming on your face as well.

"Well then L/n Y/n, will you be my girlfriend... again?" Chan asked, giggling a little. Your smile turned into a grin and you kissed Chan softly.

"Does that answer your question?" You asked after pulling away. Chan pecked your forehead and nodded.

****

Chan was driving you home, not realizing how late it had gotten. He held your hand in his while keeping the other on the wheel, refusing to let go when you told him to keep both hands on the wheel.

You and Chan caught up along the way, with Chan talking about his music and future albums and you talking about your life as a content creator and your job. Chan, much to your dismay confessed to watching your videos when he was bored or too lazy to continue working, claiming that your videos were very entertaining and creative.

"The way you were trying to get dress coded at work had me laughing like crazy!" Chan exclaimed, stilling laughing while imitating how happy you were when you finally did get dress coded.

"Everyone's worn that shirt at least once! I was determined to wear it as well. Besides you gotta break the rules every now and then," you winked, giggling right after.

The both of you were silent for a little while, simply enjoying each others presence before you accidentally snorted out loud. Chan glanced you with an eyebrow raised. "What was that?"

"Sorry," you giggled, a faint blush on your face out of embarrassment. "I was just thinking about everything that happened. We did everything in the wrong order. You were supposed to asked me out first, take me in a date and then we'd get to the fucking stage. But we went straight to fucking then you asked me out."

"We're unique. We don't follow the rules." Chan laughed. "By the way, I'll take you on a date tomorrow."

You snorted again, loving how messed up your sequence was. "Okay, I can't wait."

And from then on you and Chan found yourselves living your best lives with each other. Nothing like the first relationship you had. Rather than showing a lack of affection and communication like before, you were much more the opposite. And that's exactly how you'd perfer it to be.

Fin.

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Should I make an alternate ending or a part 2👀? I kinda wanna make y'all cry jdsjka.

[obx-snippets]

Round Two || JJ Maybank

Summary: After the beer pong game at the boneyard, Y/N has been reluctant to play another game with JJ. But after she plays another round with him at one of Topper’s parties, the date is inevitable.

Pairing: JJ x reader

a/n: So I decided to make a part two from Newton law of beer pong. You can read it below if you haven't already! But I sort of went overboard! Anyway hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear your feedback! xxx

Newton’s Law of Beer Pong (Pt. 1)

Masterlist

Word count: 6k (SORRY)

Warnings: underage drinking, cussing? Making out but that's about it.

**^ gif credit to the lovely @ptersparkers ^**

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Y/N's eyes are close to spinning out of her head as she exchanges a glance between Sarah and Kiara. The two polar opposite girls are standing before her, spitting out excuses to hold Y/N back from attending Topper's party tonight. Kook parties are usually jampacked with coke and expensive rum, which is generally topped with a beer pong table. And the Pogues wouldn't be the Pogues if they didn't crash a party in Figure Eight.  

Once Kiara was sober enough to hear Y/N story about JJ making a move on her, she objected to the whole idea of meeting him again. She knew all JJ wanted was a quick hit, and he would only break Kiara's lovely friend's heart. Besides, Y/N was too sweet and calm ever to mix herself with JJ, and she simply thought they weren't a match.

Sarah Cameron, on the other hand, though it would be good for Y/N to open up and try something new. Though the kook princess and Kiara were on unfavorable terms, they decided to link mutually to discuss their friend's decision.

Though Y/N was only gawking up at them from where she sat at the edge of her bed, it almost felt right hanging out with the two girls. Sarah is midway through stating her case while Kie is deflecting every one of her points, trying to get her to understand that JJ would only hurt her. "Um, guys?" Y/N chimes in quietly, raising her dainty finger to catch her two friends' attention. Both girls hear her silent plea and quiet themselves to listen to her opinion, seeing as they haven't let her talk since they arrived. "Maybe I shouldn't go to the party. I'm not really feeling it anyway."

Kiara shook her head, frantically, "No, no, it's totally fine if you go. I'm just saying that you avoid the beer pong table at all costs."

Sarah crossed her arms with a pout touching her rose-tinted lips. "Then she won't be able to see JJ," she sassed, rolling her eyes.

"Uh, that's my point." Kira rebooted sarcastically, mimicking Sarah's tone.

"Well, I don't mind playing him again..." Y/N mutters nonchalantly, suddenly finding a loose thread of her comforter quite fascinating. She misses the look of utter betrail from Kie and the giddy, triumphant smile from Sarah.

Kiara rakes her hand through her dark curls, her fingers getting lost in the knots she formed. "He's playing you, babe, " she whines frustratedly, hating that her point wasn't getting across. Of course, she thought JJ deserved the best after all that he's been through, and Y/N could be the perfect candidate, but she knew the blonde surfer's routine. Then again, JJ has never offered another go at beer pong in exchange for a date. Especially against someone who is likely to beat him.

In Sarah's eyes, realization sparks as she stands straighter, taking in her friend's flustered state at the mere mention of the Maybank boy. "Oh my god," she beams with a sparse squeal, making Kiara cringe and slightly flinch away from her. "do you have--like do you like him or something?"

Y/N's mouth fall's agape, her tongue is twisting in itself, not able to find the right words. She is silent for too long before Kiara's lips oddly turn upward into a smirk. "You didn't say you actually liked him." she giggled, "I thought you were just horny for JJ."

Y/N gasped and shoved Kiara somewhat away from her, the girl barely budging, letting giggles surpass her lips. "Oh, she is totally horny for JJ." Sarah nodded. Y/n turned to her with an exasperated look, and she shrugs with a semi-panicked look on her face that was fighting off a smile.

"I'm not horny for anyone!" Y/N whines, falling back on her soft bed, covering her face with one of her cushions.  

"Damn, even I'm horny for JJ sometimes." Kiara snickered before a cushion went flying toward her face. "I'm joking, I'm joking!" she laughed, tossing the pillow back on time when Y/N sits up to catch the cushion and places it on her lap with a huff.

The girl was clearly frustrated, and Sarah softened her teasing smile before kneeling to meet her eyes. "Come on, you can't tell me there's not a small part of you that finds him attractive." she quirked a brow, noticing a tug on the corner of her lips.

"Well yeah, of course, I find him attractive." Y/N shrugs, "You'd have to be mental not to notice him. But saying I like him seems a tad over the top when I've only ever spoken less than a couple words to him.

Kiara placed herself next to Y/N, the bed slightly dipping from her weight. "You don't have to like him." she sighed, the look in her eyes indicating her next words would be regrettable. "You and I both know--actually the whole damn island knows about JJ's body count. He's never settled down, and seeing that you could possibly just be another person on his list bothers me. You're so much more than a quick fuck, and I want JJ to see that. That's why I am allowing you to go through with the beer pong game and go on a date with him."

A snort slipped Y/N's lips, and she tilted her head toward Kiara, raising her brows. "You're allowing me?"

Kiara placed her chipped painted nail upon her friend's lips, quickly shushing her. "Just let me have this moment to feel like I have some authority."

Sarah rolled her eyes, resting her hand upon Y/N thighs before laying her head down to peek up at her friend through her mascaraed eyelashes "Well since you're going on a date, I can't let you go to a party looking like that." she says with a tinge of hope lacing her tone, shaking her head disapprovingly towards her friend's outfit choice. Y/n frowns, looking to Kiara to see her opinion, only to be met with the girl painfully nodding in agreement. She looked down at her outfit, not seeing the problem of always wearing a large t-shirt sported with a tennis skirt. It was comfortable, and she quite honestly didn't see the problem.

Y/N looked up, squinting her eyes in defeat as she watched Sarah's mouth turned up into an ever-growing smile that she could finally dress up her friend who thought fashion was overrated. "I'll agree to the makeover and act like your words didn't hurt just now."

Sarah is quick to her feet and peppers Y/N face with soft kisses while Kiara giggles happily, wrapping her arms around her torso from behind. While their laughs boom around the room, Kiara lies back, pulling Y/N down against her stomach, the girls piled up on top of each other while Sarah continues her kiss attack.

•••

Y/N going to a kook party was a rarity in itself. She was always known to keep count of how much her friends drank, maintaining a perfect tally in her head. Unlike the keggers, the kook parties were more intense. It was usual for teenagers to be enticed with the fanciest alcohol and the finest drugs. But being in the circle of friends that included, Rafe, Topper, and Kelce, sellers steered clear from Y/N.  

While the music was bouncing off the walls of Topper's ample living room, Y/n was squeezed between Kelce and Sarah while they looked head at Rafe and Topper on their second line of coke. After seeing the Cameron boy take another swig of his fourth beer, Y/N rolled her eyes ever so slightly, adding another tally to Rafe's list. He was only allowed five, and she wasn't afraid to slap the cup out of his hand if he dared go for a sixth.

As she eyed the crowd trying to find the familiar face of Kiara Carrera under the flashing lights of red and green, she felt Kelce glancing at her in the most obvious way possible. Before her lips could touch the rip of her red solo cup, she turned her gaze to the boy seated next to her; his mouth slightly gaped open. "You okay?" Y/N asked, an amused smile gracing her lips.

Kelce chuckled bubbly in embarrassment that he had been caught shaking his head before sipping his beer. "Nah, nothing. You just look weird." he shrugged. Sarah's keen ear enabled her to catch up on Kelce's comment and jolted her body forward to stab the boy with a malice glare. The boy having realized the look on y/n face as she looks down at Sarah's wardrobe's choice, he quickly trampled over his words. "Wait, no, I mean that in the nicest way possible. You just don't usually dress like that."

While Sarah snapped at Kelce, Y/N leaned back, letting her back rest while the two began roasting each other over the smallest things that wouldn't hurt them in the slightest. As much as she loved the loose, soft material of her brown shorts that Sarah provided, the white short-sleeved turtle neck was suffocating. Sarah was sure to match everything with simple gold jewelry and leather-strapped sandals that let her feet breathe, unlike her usual tennis shoes. But as soon as her lovely blonde friend asked to curl her hair, that's where she denied. Instead, she let a loose ponytail drape over her shoulder, already feeling soft strands breaking free from the black velvet scrunchie.

Letting her head drop back against the couch, a silent groan vibrated in the back of her throat as she pressed her palms against her eyes, making stars flicker behind her eyelids. She was thankful she settled for a bare face tonight with the exception of a tinted moisturizer and cherry chapstick that was resided in her flimsy pocket.  

A harsh flick to the forehead brought the girl to pull her hands away, her sight blurry as she tried to make out the person whose head was hanging over hers. JJ's blonde hair tickled her chin, and his blue eyes piercing into her's made her face go red. "Round two y/l/n?" he quietly questioned, his mint breathe fanning her face, his gum squeezed between his smug smirk. She smelled the lace of weed on his muscle tee, but it was nothing out of the ordinary considering where they were.  

"Sort of busy," Y/n sighed, pushing his face away with her hand before he could notice her flushed expression over the proximity of his face. But JJ had already seen her cheeks tint and was proud of the effect he had on her without even trying. Sitting up, she twisted in her seat to face him again. His fellow pogues didn't surround him, so she assumed that they had dispersed to dive into the free alcohol. Sarah and Kelce were already maneuvering to the other side of the couch, both infatuated in the conversation like hearing the latest gossip. Unlike Rafe and Topper, Kelce never had a problem with JJ, but he did enjoy the rivalry every so often.

"Busy lounging around?" JJ quirked his brow, leaning his arms on the back of the couch, his veins straining.

"It takes some effort. You know us kooks, lazy as hell." she shrugged, her voice laced with chaste sarcasm. Since having more interaction with him at the boneyard, her reticence toward the blonde felt like a fleeting memory.

As JJ tapped his fingers to ponder her words, his lips pursing, Y/N eyes quickly dropped to his rings, admiring how the luminescent party lights glistened off them every so often. "I think you're an exception. Considering you use at least more brain cells than I do, I'll give you some credit and lay off the kook card for tonight."

Y/n slowly peered over her shoulder to see Sarah already nodding furiously and waving her hands to shoo her away. Kelce narrowed his eyes at the interaction, looking between the two girls to wrap his head around what was going on.

"You comin'?"

Y/n hummed in response, her brows pulling into a deep furrow having muffled out any voices as she faced JJ. Her heart began beating against her ears as she registered what he meant. The beer pong game would mean having to go on a date, but she hadn't fully agreed to the rules. Kie's words lingered in the back of her head like a taunting siren. She didn't know what she felt toward JJ besides fighting the urge to kiss the smirk playing on his lips at the moment, seeing her face begin to flush while deep creases formed on her forehead. She didn't want just to be one of JJ's flings or whatever he liked to call them. Maybe it would be a date and nothing more. It didn't necessarily mean anything would happen. As long as she doesn't let him make a move, everything would be fine.

At least that's what she hoped.

Too deep in her rambling thoughts, Y/n didn't notice JJ lifting his thumb to caress the worry lines on her forehead, smoothing them out until her face softened. He could practically feel the warmth beaming off her skin, which only boosted his ego more. His blue eyes never left hers, and she was squirming under his gaze. The effect he had on her was becoming terrifying for her, and she swatted his hand away, a small scowl etching on her face that JJ found quite adorable regardless of her attempt to be annoyed.

Y/n pushed herself off the couch before spinning on her heel to heave through the crowd of dancing teenagers. She was sure JJ was following not too far behind to meet her at the beer pong table that resided in Topper's backyard. The pool was splashing out water from the riled boy's taking turned jumping in while music was becoming muffled out as she approached John B and Pope, who was setting up the table for the game they knew was about to start. They had picked a grassy area where fairy lights hung above them held by tree branches, and they were sure no kooks would bother them. Kie, who was chatting with a Touron about the environment, was the first to spot her. She was quick to abandon the other girl with a quick goodbye before skipping toward Y/n and tugging her into a tight hug as if they hadn't just seen each other a couple of hours ago.

Y/n quirked a brow once she pulled away, seeing the suggestive grin on Kie's face as she wiggled her shoulder in a little dance. "You're goin' on a date with JJ..." her tease was breaking off into a squeal with every word, making Y/n bite back a smile and shoved her away by her shoulders.

Rolling her eyes, she ignored Kie's giggling as she approached John B, seeing that he was filling the last cup with beer. The brunette stole a glimpse in her direction before focusing back on the work at hand. "Yo, y/l/n. Glad you could make it," he said, lining up the cups, so they were perfectly in place. "ready for round two?" a side smile tugged on the side of his lip as he finally let his focus drift to her.

She wondered if JJ told his friends about the bet he made with her and began absentmindedly tugging on the golden charm bracelet loosely draped around her wrist. "As ready as I can be, I guess." she laughed softly.

"So that's a no?" Pope commented, sipping his kombucha juice, knowing he had to be sober for this game.

"Nope," she popped, already dreading that she had to withstand going on a date only to be bailed a day later.

Pope hummed, nodding in understanding. "Kombucha?" he offered, stretching his cup out toward the girl. JJ would kill him if he admitted that he was the only one that was told, besides Kie, about the bet he made with her. Since JJ was owned by Y/n that night at the boneyard, he had taken a more liking to her and thought his blonde buffoon of a friend could use a companion that actually thought before taking action.

She nodded promptly before making her way around the table to sip the sweet herbaceous beverage. She had never made much of an interaction with the pogues. They were always friendly with her anytime she saw them drifting by on the HMS or when she would pick some food up from the Wreck. She felt like she had one foot in the Cut while the other was, unfortunately, in Figure Eight. She stayed out of the Kook and Pogue nonsense, and both sides respected that, not pestering her anytime she would hang out with either tribe.

"Hey, this is my side," JJ grumbled from beside her as he let the ping pong ball drop on her head before he caught it.

"Both sides are the same, " Y/n pointed out, passing the cup back to Pope, looking down at the back table with red solo cups decorated for the game.

Kie was already behind Y/n to push her by her shoulder to the other side of the table. "Best not to argue with him," she whispered, patting her shoulder once more before giving her space to warm up. Sarah was stumbling out from the house crashing into John B's arm, her face red from the short run. Y/n wasn't sure if the girl was really athletically inclined, and swatting birds with a tennis racket wasn't an exception.

Y/n let out a shaking breath, wringing her hands as she took in the table's appearance. She peeked upward through her lashes to see JJ already fixed on her, casually tossing the ball from either hand. He passed a quick wink in her direction before bouncing the ball and making it into one of her cups with ease. Y/n was suprised with his sharp point and let the warm liquid from the cup he scored flow into her mouth. As soon as she finished her drink, she paused, letting the liquid settle on her mouth before swallowing. She narrowed at the table, slightly tilting her head to see that it was tilted.

She laughed under her breath, realizing why JJ wanted that side of the table. His chances of winning were higher on his percentage, perceiving that since his side was heaving upward due to the small inclination of the hill under them, gravity would assist in his ball landing into her cups without much effort. JJ and Pope exchanged glanced, practically seeing the gears shifting in her brain. Now JJ was never the person to say he was in love, but he was in love with Y/n Y/l/n brain. How it was quick to fix a dilemma or figure something out without so much as a glance. He knew he wouldn't get away with his scheme long enough for her to analyze her next moves.

The wind blew her loose strands in her face, and she didn't bother to fix it, too focused on probing the next move. JJ's eyes were fixated on her, swallowing hard. He knew she was always beautiful, especially when he would see her lounging at the beach with Kie or beating Sarah at golf anytime he would deliver groceries with Pope. He knew she played early in the morning on Saturdays and always made sure to take that route on his way to specific houses. He loved overhearing her and Pope having a philosophical conversation and her effortlessly winning at constant debates. But something about her right now took his breath away. She was in her element, his heart warming at the sight of her rose-tinted lips curving to a smile as she appeared to figure out her game plan.

"I'll hand it to you, you almost had me there." Y/n said, closing one of her eyes to aim for her target. She could hear the sound of Kie's faint whisper commenting a fleet 'I love you' for good luck while Sarah cheers a quick 'whoop.'

"Almost?" JJ questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. Playing dumb was his specialty. If it got Y/n to show off, he didn't care as long as he got to see her mumbling under her breath every time she made a shot.

For the first time, Y/n made real eye contact with JJ, a surge of confidence swimming in the depth of her y/e/c iris'.

"Yeah, almost," she smirked, making JJ wither into a puddle. It suited her too well.

With her fast momentum, she bounced the ball and made it into his cup.

•••

To much of Y/n's dismay, Kiara provided JJ with her phone number after her victory the other night. He hadn't mentioned anything after the game, and she hoped he probably let the date idea slide. But before she stepped out of Topper's house, he wrapped his hand around her wrist and dipped down to graze his lips against her ear.

"Be ready for tomorrow, princess."

The whispered words sat within her dreams all night. She could still feel the warmth of his breath tickling her neck and how it sent goosebumps throughout her whole body. She longed for that sensation again. She wanted to feel his thumb caresses her wrist and the chill of his rings like it had before. She would never confess any of this if she wished to hear the lecture from Kiara about JJ being a fuck boy. She believed his title wholeheartedly, but a part of her really wanted to spend the day with JJ.

Even if he was blasting her phone at five in the morning.

Her dainty hand blindly searched her nightstand in the darkness before feeling her buzzing phone. Her eyes squinted as the bright light from her screen scoured her face to read JJ's caller ID.

"Hello?" she croaked into the speaker as she squeezed the bridge of her nose and let her eyes flutter shut, dousing in the darkness just for a few more seconds, already feeling the onset of a headache.  

"Are you still asleep?" his shout brought her to groan and pull the phone away from her ear.

"Obviously not if I'm talking to you." she snapped gently, hearing JJ chuckle over the line. The sound made her smile despite her fight for sleep, heaving her eyes shut.

"I'm outside, so hurry it up."

"Why so early," she whined, "we could have done something in the afternoon."

"The earlier, the better babe." he cheered. She heard him greet someone in passing with a cheerful good morning, the person probably wondering why a pogue was outside the Lynch residents.

Y/n shook her head but used her voice, realizing he couldn't see her disapproval with the pet name. "Don't call me that." she snipped.

"You don't like it?" he teased. Though she couldn't see his face, she could hear the smirk pulling on his lips.

"No, I don't." she flatly replied.

"Yeah, mhm."

"I'm serious."

"I'm sure you are."

"I hate you."

"Just get up. You won't regret it. Promise." he chuckled. He hung up before she had time to protest, leaving her to stare at her dark ceiling, relishing in the last bit of rest she'll have upon the crazy day ahead of her.

Drinking coffee wasn't needed as an energy boost that morning. She was wide awake; her eyes squeezed shut while she clings to JJ's waist as she sat on the back of his dirtbike. He was speeding down the empty roads of Figure Eight that would soon mesh into the Cut. Her yellow sundress was flowing behind her, along with her hair. JJ smiled at the feeling of her hands squeezing him tighter anytime he would speed up or wobble the bike just to hear her squeal. But as they crossed over a bridge to enter the Cut, he slowed down, feeling her head rest on his back as she took in the lively colors of the morning sky, the sun setting on the horizon of the glowing waters to greet the day. A smile played on her lips, already feeling butterflies in her stomach, thinking about the day ahead.

The morning breeze nipped on Y/n sensitive skin as she stared ahead of her, confusion settling upon her features. With her hands running up her arm to find some warmth, she watched JJ ordering ice cream at a small, quaint ice cream parlor. JJ must have been familiar with one of the young workers there and tried to block out there chatting. She was no doubt one of his girls that he had taken home upon the many others that she had heard of. Her breast was practically jutting out of the buttoned-up blue polo she sported with the icecream logo etched upon her bosom. Y/n let her eyes drop to her own, and quickly pulled up the deep v-line of her dress, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious.

JJ came strutting back; his signature red cap place backward on his head. He held up two cones of strawberry ice cream, shaking them teasingly. Icecream was never an ideal breakfast choice, but when JJ told her strawberry ice cream was the same as having strawberries on your pancakes, she was forced to comply with the gorgeous toothy grin on his face. But she was definitely going for a coffee later.

"This is not gonna settle well with me," Y/n mumbled as she walked alongside JJ down a sidewalk, the beach waves crashing against the shore nearby. She licked the cold "breakfast" and scrunched her nose from the sudden burst of sweetness that was too overwhelming for her taste buds.  

"Strawberries. Strawberry ice cream. Same difference," JJ shrugged nonchalantly, taking a bite from his ice cream, bringing Y/n's eyes to widen in horror. The blonde took notice of her gaze and raised a querying brow. "What?" he questioned around a bite of ice cream.

"Did you just bite your ice cream?" she asked, eyeing the bite mark that was slowly melting from the sun hitting the side of his face. His blue eyes were sparkling as he smirked, admiring his delicious icecream.  

"Yeah, what about it?" he took another slow, painful bite, keeping his eyes on her's the whole time, enjoying how she cringed and shook her head. "I get more servings that way."

"You psycho." she laughed, looking ahead and nipped on the strawberry cream with her lips. The cool breeze that picked up around her was suddenly not a problem even if she was eating icecream. As they strolled down the sidewalk, their hands would occasionally brush each other and brought Y/n to let in a sharp breath. JJ's eyes dipped down to her hand and let his ring clad fingers lazily intertwine with hers. She was surprised by his public affection, even if the gesture was small. She allowed her hand to relax and held his, fending off the smile once she notices some surfer girls walking by, eyeing her with a scowl. The best part was, JJ didn't pay them a second glance as he nonchalantly began swaying their hands playfully, happily biting into his soft-serve strawberry delight.

The blazing North Carolina sun was now blazing down on them from above after the long walk to the beach. They exchanged pointless stories about their separate friend groups, JJ's being more enticing. She wished she could experience a day with the Pogues out on the HMS, but she knew her place. She wasn't even sure what "this" was. Would she end up in his bed tonight? Would he go off to ignoring her, earning himself brownie points that he was able to go on a date with a Kook? In her opinion, it wouldn't be much of a victory. She didn't see herself as the hottest Kook in her area. Some beat her rank and standards by a hundred, and all she did was watch. Too deep in her own draining thoughts, she didn't notice how JJ watched her as she stared at the water, kicking off her sandals to start her challenge of collecting shells without getting wet.

"You're gonna fall in," JJ stated confidently, his hands on his hips as he stood next to Y/n, looking out on the water.

She was currently pulling her hair back, a determined look in her eyes. She was growing more comfortable with JJ and was acting as if it was another day with Kiara. The boy made a small comment that it was impossible to grab the prettiest shells without getting wet, and once a challenge struck, there was no turning back for her. JJ didn't notice himself starring, involuntary smiling watching her mumble to herself, most likely timing the wave's push and pull.

Y/n reached one of her hands out toward JJ, and he handed her the velvet scrunchie she had on the other night. She tied her hair back, slipping it into a low messy bun that was already letting strands fall to her face. "Where's the faith, J?" she teased, backhanding his stomach, which was already hard from his sudden flexing.  

"Lost somewhere with my positivity." he shrugged, eliciting a laugh from Y/n, "the waves are too quick anyway and that hundred dollar dress is going to be ruined by the end of the day."

"It's all about timing." she nodded, rubbing her hands together, hoping her calculations were inorder. " I mean, we only see half of the wave, and it all depends on the wind. A wave increases in size quadratically relative to the wind's speed and reaches its maximum capacity when it's traveling about as fast as the wind. It not that breezy out, so they shouldn't come hurdling in too quickly. Besides, all I'm seeing are Surging waves that don't crash or spill, and they just bulge up before crashing against the shore, giving me enough time to grab at least two shells. Technically speaking, I could only get wet up to my ankles, maybe my knees, if the contact is strong enough..."

JJ didn't even mind that she was absentmindedly rambling on. He swore he fell in love with more than her words at that moment.

He would never pay her a compliment saying how beautiful her mind was but instead watched her contently as she finished her speel. Her face began to redden, seeing how JJ was tilting his head, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for her to finish. "Sorry..." She laughed, tucking loose strands behind her ear before looking ahead again.

"You're gonna fall in," he deadpanned one last time before watching her run toward the water. The tide was pulled back, letting her kneel down and collect a hand full of shell. The water glistened over pink and white shells she had found, smiling to herself that she could finally brag to JJ.

When she looks up to show the boy her pretty shells, JJ was already in front of her, heaving her body over his shoulder. A scream slipped from her lips that soon led to giggles as he began spinning around, water hitting her face. "JJ! Put me down!" she tried hardening her voice, but was only met with a light smack to her bottom. "Hey!" She yelped and began pounding on his back. There were undoubtedly other people on the beach who were staring at them, but JJ didn't have a care in the world.

"Put you down, you say?" JJ suddenly paused; the sarcasm lacing his animated tone brought her face to fall.

"Don't." she snapped, her playful tone disappearing with the fear that she would have to meet the icy water below.  

JJ smirked, feeling her tense under his arms that he tightened around her waist. "Oh my. Well, there just so happens to be a vast body of water to plunge into right here!"

"I will kill you!" she hit his back again but was only met with a giggling response.

The outcome was inevitable. JJ had moved deeper into the water before letting himself and Y/n plunge under the ocean's salty waves, notwithstanding her constant protest. Y/n was the first to resurface, her scrunchie disappearing somewhere in the water, her hair slicked back while water droplets slipped from the tip of her flaring nose. Once JJ's head appeared, his laugh was cut off with the sudden splash of water hitting his face. "Told you, you'de get wet." he snickered, wiping his hand down his face to adjust his eyes from the water attack.

Y/n bobbed in front of him, her scowl turning into a smile that brightened her features. JJ felt every wall tumbling down at the mere sight of her. He just realized she wasn't wearing makeup, and it suited her so well. He wasn't used to spending time with girls besides Kie, but he never felt this pang against his chest with other girls. He liked talking about technicalities and theories, unlike the Tourons, who would only go on and on about an ex-boyfriend. Seeing someone as amazingly smart at Y/n Y/l/n letting loose in his presence was something he could get used to. This whole bet started as a tease, and getting at her was out of the question when it came to asking Kiara's approval. She shut down the idea constantly. But once she let him go through with it, he wanted the day to be perfect. Even if they weren't very familiar with each other, it was a start.

JJ was abruptly submerged underwater as Y/n surged forward and hopped up to push him down by his shoulder. She ends up underwater as well but was picked up by JJ, his arms circling her waist only to plunge her back inside, a loud snort leaving his lips. He pulled her back up, and she slapped his chest repeatedly, coughing up water.

As they calm down, JJ ended up patting her back, helping her calm down from the water that invaded her lungs. He apologized, but she couldn't take it seriously from his grin that hasn't abanded his lips since the start of the date.

"I'm okay now." she breathed quietly, turning her body to face JJ.

"So, how was the first date?" JJ asked her, swaying his arms in the water. Though his tone held playfulness, his eyes were hopeful, making her heart flutter.

She hummed, pondering the thought as she led her focus to the blue sky before meeting his blue eyes again. "Besides almost drowning, close to perfect."

JJ gasped dramatically, placing his hand on his now bare chest. She hadn't even noticed when he pulled it off to tackle her into the water. But she wasn't complaining how the sun danced on his tanned chest. She sunk lower into the water, letting it kiss her chin before raising herself back up. "Close? I did like everything right," he complained.

"You gave me icecream for breakfast." she retorted with a purse touching her wet, salty lips.

"Strawberry ice cream!" he reiterated slowly for her to catch onto his point that it was the same thing as having a fruit bowl in the morning.

"Plus two hundred calories!" she laughed at his pout as he rolled his eyes. "and the 4.2 grams of protein doesn't count."

"Well, we walked on the beach," he tried again but only watched with annoyance as Y/n tilted her head, already reading her expression of disagreement. "that screams romantic moment."

"You threw me into the water." she shot back quickly.

"There is no winning with you." JJ shook his head.

A comfortable silence loomed over them, his cerulean eyes washing over her features. The droplets that settled on her cheek were glowing from the golden sun's reflection. She grew smaller under his hungry gaze, noticing he was moving closer to her until he was towering over her silhouette slightly. She swallowed hard, her eyes flickering to his lips just for a moment as she bit down on her own. "You already know I never lose," she whispered.

"Yeah, I've noticed," he chuckled softly. His hands brushed the sides of her hips, letting his fingertips ghost over the fabric of her sundress that she wished would disappear. She wanted nothing more than to feel his bare hands on her.

The sensation was overwhelming once his hands were slipping under her dress, caressing her thigh to coax her body closer to him. Her chest was flush against his, her eyes fluttered shut, feeling his warm breath fanning against her head. "Well, if I don't calculate everything, I might miss something. I don't like unexpected things." she rambled quietly, trying to pry his eyes off her. One of her fingers fiddle with the shark tooth necklace dangling from his neck while the other was holding onto his bicep.

Keeping an arm secured around her waist, JJ used his finger to lift her chin to finally meet his eyes. She was melting in his grasp as she observed him lick his lips, his nose tapping against her own. "Bet you didn't calculate this," he whispered huskily against her lips.

The space between them was suddenly closed as he tilted her head to place a sweet lingering kiss on her lips. He took his time, not wanting to scare her off. She felt her heart speeding up and almost whined when he pulled back. His smirk quickly reached his lips, watching her mouth slightly part. She was speechless, and she craved more of him.

She slipped both her hands to his face to cradle his cheeks as she pulled him down to meet her lips again, deepening the kiss. It was bold of her, but JJ didn't mind. He smiled into her lips and snaked both arms around her waist to press her against him. They were synchronized, and she would be damned if she even thought this moment would end soon. She tugged on his wet hair ever so slightly, causing him to let out a low moan into her mouth. Feeling the vibration in his chest made her take in a deep breath, and he took the chance to slip his tongue against hers. Everything she was doing was uncharted territory, but experiencing with JJ Maybank was a blessing, and she soon fell in sync with his warm lips.  

Her lips tasted just like JJ imagined. Strawberry ice cream.

@drewsephsmiles @obxlife @illbesafeforyou @rudyypankow @jenniesquared

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 65 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Chapter 65 seems like a good time to tell you that there’s nothing we love more than talking to you guys about this story! We are both on tumblr (@theartificialdane and @veronicasanders) and we’d love to hear from you!! We also have other Galactica content there under the “galactica” and “galactica wardrobe” tags. XOXO!! Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Last Chapter: Bianca threw a wrench in the annual holiday party when she brought Courtney as her date, and Katya tried to (not) deal with her surprise pregnancy.

This Chapter: Miss Fame and the team work on the final lineup for the spring runway, and Katya figures some things out.

***

It was Violet’s luck that she was a light sleeper, the first note of her alarm barely ringing before she had grabbed her phone from under her pillow and turned it off.

There really wasn't a need for Violet to wake up at 6, for her to start her day so early since she couldn’t go to the gym because of her ankle, but habits were hard to break, and she liked how quiet the world was in the morning, how it felt like she was the only one awake.

She wasn’t hungover, had barely had a drink because of her crutches, but she had a feeling all of her coworkers would be wearing sunglasses and asking each other to shut up, the Friday after the Christmas party always an experience.

Sutan’s bedroom was dark, his curtains swallowing the ever present lights of Harlem, the man asleep next to her, his head resting on his pillow.

It took everything in Violet not to reach out and run her fingers through his hair.

She had been so annoyed with him last night, so uncomfortable in the beautiful red dress she had bought with his money, the simmering anger not leaving her until she had felt Sutan’s clever fingers undo the zipper on her back, skin against skin finally freeing her from the smoldering fire.

“Stop staring at me.” Violet froze, Sutan’s voice deep with sleep.

“I’m not.”

“Oh?” Sutan cracked an eye open, a smile playing on his lips as he reached out, grabbing her hip on top of her blanket. “Could have fooled me.”

“Well,” Violet smiled back, allowing him to pull her in, “Maybe I was. A little bit.”

***

As her alarm sounded, Courtney groaned, burying her head into Bianca’s neck. Bianca laughed, reaching over to hit snooze, giving them a few more precious minutes in bed before Courtney had to get up.

Bianca had never been much of a morning person, but she’d discovered that, in many ways, this was her favorite part of the day. When the world was dark and still, and they were curled together under the covers, naked and warm. She trailed her fingers up and down Courtney’s back, pressed a kiss to her temple.

“You okay, sunshine?” Bianca asked.

“Mmmhmm...I just don’t want to go to work.”

Bianca smiled, one hand settling into the curve of Courtney’s waist, enjoying the way they fit so perfectly together.

“Then don’t,” she stated, warming up to the idea of taking a day off, just the two of them. “Call in sick.”

“I wish,” Courtney scoffed, a deep sigh leaving her. “But I can’t, so…”

“Why not?”

“The day after a party? Everyone will think I have some crazy hangover.”

“Yeah, so?” Bianca laughed.

“Plus, I’m pretty sure Miss Fame is less than pleased with me right now. I don’t want to give her any reason to be annoyed. And there’s a big meeting to decide on the spring runway, and I have to-”

“Alright, alright...forget I suggested it,” Bianca said, holding up her hands in surrender. “I just really liked the idea of spending all day in bed with you.”

Courtney raised herself up on her elbow, gazing down at Bianca with a dreamy smile on her face.

“Maybe, um...can we do that tomorrow?”

“You’re on, angel,” Bianca said, reaching up to run her fingers through her hair.

“And...we still have about seven minutes before the alarm goes off again.” Courtney brushed her lips against Bianca’s neck, murmuring, “You wanna go back to sleep, or…?”

“Hmmm...” Bianca cocked her head, pretending to think. “I may have some other ideas…”

Courtney let out a delighted squeal as Bianca flipped her onto her back with a wicked grin.

***

Maxwell groaned as a loud clatter sounded through the design floor.

“Sorry!” Kiara whisper-shouted, quickly picking up the pair of scissors she had dropped. Trixie had gone to the department head meeting about 20 minutes ago, which meant that everyone had given up the pretense that they were working. Alexis had gone straight for the couch to take a nap as soon as the door had closed behind him, April still nursing a terrible-looking green smoothie at her desk. “Sorry everyone!”

“Don’t even think about it girl!” Bob smiled, his phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear, and Maxwell groaned again, sliding down so he could rest his head on his arms, Bob chatting away.

He loved his boyfriend, he really did, but there were few things more annoying than when Bob had managed to get into any tabloid, the perceived fame of it always going directly to his head. And of course, it was made even worse by his friends and family back home in Georgia playing right into it, acting as if it meant anything at all.

“Listen, I didn’t ask to be born fabulous, but it’s my cross to bear, and I’m-” Bob laughed, adding, “Exactly!”

“He’s really getting into it, huh?” Maxwell looked up to see Violet standing next to his desk, looking over at Bob, Jovan at her side holding three cups of coffee.

“Here,” Jovan smiled, giving one of them to Maxwell, the scent filling his nose.

“Oh god I love you,” Maxwell grinned, taking the liquid magic. It was probably not healthy to be on his third cup already, but he didn’t care.

“Love you too boo,” Jovan grinned, taking a seat on the edge of his desk, Violet doing the same, balancing her crutch so she could take her own cup. They didn’t talk, and Maxwell loved that, Violet fitting so nicely into their little boys club that he barely even thought about the fact that she was a girl and straight most days.

***

“Pearl! Pay attention!”

Pearl snapped out of it, the wheels of her chair squeaking as she moved, her eyes wide open at the commanding tone in Fame’s voice.

“Sorry!” Pearl sat up straight, Bendela hiding a snicker behind a sketchbook, her brown eyes clearly filled with delight over Pearl getting reprimanded.

“God,” Fame rolled her eyes, her hand on her hip, her outfit of the day a white cropped cashmere sweater and white linen high waisted pants, her blonde hair in a high delicate updo, a golden belt snug around her waist. “Did anyone come to work today?”

If they had been alone, Pearl would have opened her mouth to point out that she was the one who always arranged for the Christmas party to be on a Thursday, but they weren’t, so Pearl kept her mouth shut.

“Fame,” Raja’s voice was warm, and it apparently functioned just as intended, her tone a soothing balm on whatever had Fame into such a tizzy. “We’re almost done.”

If Pearl had to make an educated guess, she’d say it was probably the whole Courtney and Bianca thing, though it could be anything from her breakfast grapefruit not being ripe to morning traffic to a photographer catching a bad angle of her last night.

“You’re right,” Fame sat back down, sliding her chair over to Trixie. “So, fourth look. What do you have?”

“I was thinking about these pants?” Trixie held out a sketch, and Pearl folded her hands over her stomach, watching her best friend do his job exceptionally well.

Fame tapped her fingers against the table, french tips hitting the wood and Pearl made a mental note to see if she could sneak in a visit to Fame’s office, providing their boss with an orgasm before lunch a great Christmas gift to everyone in the company.

***

V-List Alert: BDR’s Latest Blonde Bombshell

[Pictured: A large photo of Bianca and Courtney kissing on the red carpet, along with a few smaller shots of them looking giggly and affectionate. And lastly, a grainy, low-res photo of them on the street after the event, kissing while a driver is opening the car door.]

Well, well, well…

Okay, so to begin with, let’s all admit that BDR showing up on a red carpet with some sweet young thing is nothing new. In fact, it would be strange if she didn’t. But the shameless PDA last night at Galactica’s annual Christmas party—both on and off the carpet—had us wondering...who the hell is the new paramour?

We did a bit of digging and strap in kids, cause it gets juicy…

Turns out that this little darling is named Courtney Jenek. Sound familiar? No? Yeah it shouldn’t. But she happens to have two very interesting connections to BDR: 1, apparently she’s friends with B’s baby sister, princess of the underground punk scene Adore Delano. And 2, even more hilariously, Lil Courtney here is the Executive Assistant to none other than Miss Fame of Galactica.

Wonder what the illustrious and brand-conscious Miss Fame thinks of her bestie using her staff in what appears to be an extremely filthy unprofessional way? And how’s it all gonna play out?

We can’t wait to watch this drama unfold…

***

As Courtney slipped on her coat and grabbed her bag to head downstairs for yet another coffee run, she glanced at her personal phone, laughing to herself when she saw the 17 missed calls from Morgan. She scrolled through the text messages in the elevator.

MORGAN: COURTNEYYYYYYYY!!!

MORGAN: OMG PICK UP

MORGAN: WERE YOU PLANNING TO TELL US YOU’RE FUCKING BIANCA DEL RIO?????

TYRA: She’s WHAT

ADORE: You guys didn’t know? ;)

TATIANNA: Yawn, old news :p

MORGAN: BITCH

MORGAN: COURTNEY I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T PICK UP

MORGAN: COURTNEYCOURTNEYCOURTNEYCOURTNEYCOURTNEY

Courtney called her back, laughing some more when she picked up even before the first ring.

“You know I’m working, right?”

“I am going to murder you,” Morgan announced.

“Wow Morgan. A hate crime? I really thought more highly of you,” Courtney replied with a giggle.

“Omigod, shut up! How could you not have told me already?!”

“Well...I don’t know, I wasn’t sure what it was at first-” she said.

“It’s still fucking major!” Morgan laughed. “I guess it makes sense, though. God, you always chose the worst men.”

Courtney chuckled, nodding as she exited the elevator and headed for the coffee shop.

“So what did your parents say?”

“Uhhh...I haven’t exactly told them yet.”

“Courtney!”

“What? It’s not gonna be dramatic or anything, you know my brother’s gay.”

“Omigod, Court, you absolute idiot. You have to-”

“One sec.” Courtney lowered her phone to give the orders for the meeting, then went back to the phone. “Sorry, I’m on a coffee run.”

“Yeah, I heard. Listen, Courtney, you have to tell them! Do you really want them to find out that you’re dating a woman who’s almost twice your age from a fucking tabloid?”

“I don’t think my parents subscribe to American fashion blogs.”

“Did you even read the link I sent you?! Someone’s gonna send it to them, trust me.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell them,” Courtney told her with an eye roll. She really didn’t see the big deal though; telling her parents was the last thing on her list of worries at the moment.

“Also…” Morgan’s voice lowered, taking on a sing-song, teasing tone now that the business was out of the way, “When are we hanging out? ‘Cause you know I absolutely need all the sordid details.”

“Soon, I promise.”

“Tomorrow night?”

“I’m kind of busy tomorrow,” Courtney admitted.

“Busy getting railed, you mean?”

“Maybe…”

“Ha, you slag.”

***

Maybe she was avoiding going home. That was certainly possible. But on Friday, Katya just seemed to keep finding things to do to prepare for the next week of school. It would be their last week before winter break, so she knew that any kind of serious learning would be difficult. Rather than spend her time fighting with the kids to focus when they just weren’t capable of it, she planned as many fun projects as possible, and though a lot of them were old hat for her by now, the prep work never seemed to end.

Which is why, when Jasmine, the woman who ran the afterschool program, came to her door at almost 6:45, she was still there.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother you…”

“It’s no bother, come on in,” Katya said, a big smile on her face, especially when she saw that Jasmine had Grace with her--one of Katya’s favorite students.

“You know we close at 6, and Grace’s mom is running late today,” Jasmine said. Her tone of voice was light and cheerful, but her eyes told Katya a different story--that this wasn’t the first time it had happened, and that she was likely furious. “I gotta get home, and Dani’s out with the flu, so...do you mind keeping her here until Leslie shows up? It should be soon, she texted me ten minutes ago that she’s on the way.”

“No problem. We’ll have a great time, won’t we Grace?”

The little girl nodded, skipping into the classroom happily.

“You’re a lifesaver,” Jasmine said. “Thank you!”

Katya turned to Grace, who had dumped her jacket and backpack on the rug and was already prowling around the book bins, likely looking for her favorite Junie B. Jones stories. Soon, the two of them were settled into bean bag chairs in the comfy zone, Katya reading a few chapters out loud to her before realizing that she was probably hungry and suggesting a snack. Grace was just finishing her juice box and goldfish crackers when her young mother, Leslie, came rushing inside, harried and out of breath, apologizing profusely.

“Mama!” Grace jumped up from her seat at the little table, knocking the chair over in her excitement to leap into her mom’s arms. She hugged her tightly, face buried in her neck, and Katya could see some of the tension in Leslie’s face melt away.

Katya stood up from her own seat, picking up the book they’d been reading.

“I’m gonna put this book in Grace’s backpack so that you can finish it together this weekend,” she said, and Leslie shot her a look of pure gratitude, nodding.

“Grace, can you say thank you to Mrs. Zamo?”

“Thank you Mrs. Zamo!” she echoed cheerfully, taking the backpack and her jacket as Leslie dropped a kiss to the top of her head.

“Honey, can you go wait for me on the bench for a minute?” she asked, tugging gently on one of her pigtails.

“Okay!”

As Grace skipped into the hallway to wait, Leslie turned to Katya, tears filling her eyes.

“I’m really so sorry about being late, I-”

“It’s okay,” Katya said, head tilted sympathetically. “I get it, things happen.”

“It’s been happening all week. I got this new job, and the hours are so tough and the commute is shit, but it’s an extra two dollars an hour and I can’t say no to that. But I just feel like...I feel like I can’t do anything right.”

“I understand,” Katya nodded, putting a hand on her arm. The truth was, though, she didn’t understand. Not really. She’d never been in a position where an extra two dollars an hour would make such a big difference in her life--not even when her dad cut her off. She’d always had money, and by the time her trust fund was depleted, she was living with Trixie, whose generous salary more than covered what they needed, her meager teacher’s salary mostly paying for fun extras, keeping them entertained and living their best lives, or just going in the bank.

She knew she was lucky, but until that moment, seeing the pain in Leslie’s eyes, the fear that she was failing at life and failing her child, maybe she didn’t understand just how lucky.

“I was sitting on the bus thinking about her waiting and waiting, wondering where I was.”

“Can I tell you something?” she asked softly. “Grace didn’t care that you were late, she was just happy to see you when you got here, because it’s really obvious what a good mom you are.”

“Sometimes I feel like the worst mom ever,” Leslie admitted, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“No way. Grace is an amazing kid. She’s smart and kind and enthusiastic--and it’s totally okay if you need some more help. That’s what all of us are here for. I can talk to Jasmine about maybe extending the hours next week, until you can get your schedule sorted. Or maybe Grace can go home with Joey’s mom...don’t you all live in the same building?”

Leslie nodded, a deep sigh leaving her. “Thanks, that’s a good idea. I...I’ll figure it out.”

“Okay. Just remember that you’re not in this alone, you know?” Katya handed over a box of tissues from her desk.

“Yeah. Thanks. Sorry, I-” Leslie wiped her eyes.

“Don’t be sorry,” Katya said, giving her a warm hug.

***

“Oh god!” Gigi groaned, pushing the door to the modeling apartment open, her shoulders aching, her fingertips numb. “Finally!” She dumped her bags down in the hallway, slumping against the wall.

She had been around the town with Sutan all day, shopping for what he called a model wardrobe, Gigi trying on several pairs of heels and flats, her new backpack and purse stuffed with a newly printed book and her brand new phone, their last stop of the day Gigi’s new gym that was just around the corner.

“Gigi?” Bimini popped her head out of the kitchen door, the golden rim around her eyes and her crimped hair clear indicators that meant she had been shooting, Bimini rarely bothering with removing hair and makeup on set. “Welcome home sweetie! How did it go?”

“I’m exhausted!” Gigi pushed out from the wall and kicked her sneakers off. “Who knew shopping could be that hard?”

Gigi heard Symone giggle, her friend sitting at the table and painting her nails, the apartment's newest arrival chopping vegetables for whatever vegan crock pot Bimini was cooking for everyone. They had someone new arrive every couple of days, most girls only staying for a night or two in the bunk beds in what Naomi had dubbed the summer camp room before they were shipped off again if they didn’t interest any of the agents.

“I told you, didn’t I?”

“I know,” Gigi groaned, dumping down in a chair to rest her aching feet, “but I thought you were kidding.” Symone had gone on the trip two weeks ago, her Instagram exploding with content now that she had a brand new phone to post with.

“Did he give you the drink speech too?”

She had eaten lunch with Sutan at an awkwardly fancy restaurant, three sets of cutlery surrounding her plate, her manager going through each set as well as her wine glasses, explaining it to her. Gigi’s mom had always insisted on good manners, but it hadn’t been anything like that.

“The ‘never leave your drink unattended’ one, I mean.”

“Mmh,” Gigi nodded. “The whole entire speech.”

She hoped it’d be unnecessary, but Sutan had run her through what he called the basic safety procedures like putting a hand or a napkin over her glass when she wasn’t paying attention, her manager drilling it into her skull that she shouldn’t accept poured drinks or opened bottles from strangers in clubs unless she saw the bartender prepare it.

“Is he seriously doing all that?” Naomi raised an eyebrow. “So far, all my agent has told me is that if I showed up in any tabloid looking messy, he’d drop my ass.”

Suddenly, Sutan’s mothering didn’t feel as smothering, the attention and assistance the man had poured over her nothing compared to the terrifying thought of being left basically on her own like Naomi.

***

At first, Katya wasn’t sure why she stopped at Macy’s on the way home. Especially now, on a Friday night during the holiday season, when the sales clerks were at their most frazzled.

She wandered around, unable to get Grace and Leslie out of her mind...and in particular, the look of pure joy on Grace’s face when her mother appeared in the doorway. Leslie was a single mom, and by the look of her, she was pretty young, but she had managed to raise an exceptional kid who was sure how much she was loved.

Why was Katya so afraid of having a baby? It was like she’d told Leslie--she wouldn’t be doing it alone. Not by a long shot. No, she was fortunate to have the most wonderful man in the universe by her side. And lord knew, Trixie would make up for any maternal instincts she may lack herself. And plenty of people, people much less capable and loving than her, had babies every day.

She stopped, looking around, realizing that she’d found herself in the baby department. Specifically, in front of a shelf full of tiny little infant shoes. She smiled to herself, knowing exactly what she needed.

When she arrived home, she was thrilled to see that Trixie had prepared dinner, heating up some leftover chicken and mashed potatoes and throwing together a salad--exactly what she was in the mood for.

She smiled when she saw him, announcing, “I brought you a present.”

Trixie’s face lit up, and for a split second she could imagine that exact same expression of joy on a tiny child, the thought making her insides warm as she handed him the little bag.

He looked inside, where the two tiny pink moccasin slippers sat in their plastic box, his head then snapping up to look at her with an expression of amazement.

“Kat, are you-” His eyes were bright with tears, hopeful but still a bit tentative.

She shrugged slightly, self-consciously, afraid to say what she’s been thinking out loud, but Trixie seemed to know anyway.

He rushed forward and swept her up into the biggest, tightest hug she’d ever had, repeating over and over how wonderful she was going to be. She took his face in her hands, kissing his tear-stained cheeks, finally sure that as a team, they could do it.

[zambie-trashart]

Miraculous New Jersey Special Part 1/3

1 /2 /3

Miraculous rewritten masterlist

Miraculous New Jersey masterlist

Summary: The class is going to Metropolis! Marinette has to decide if her crush on Damian is really worth it if he's not looking for love, Jon has to worry about his relatives liking his superhero boyfriend but on top of it all, Hawkmoth follows them there and Batman and Superman might not like their kids going back to Paris. Everything is legal in New Jersey.

...

Jon looked up seeing a mass of birds flying over him and sighed ready to have to make some sort of excuse to slip away from Damian who would, in turn, do the same.

"It's the bird guy again," Jon said smiling as Mr. Pigeon on round 69 at this point and a pigeon landed on Damian's head pecking him once before Damian shooed it away aggressively with his hand.

"I HATE BIRDS! They are literally flying rodents!" Damian yelled as another pigeon attacked him walking along with Jon.

"Funny coming from you, what do you think about this whole field trip thing to you know, home?" Jon asked as a pigeon landed on his shoulder and ladybugs fixed everything around them. Marinette and Adrien had everything handled this time so Jon was finally able to catch up with Damian and not run off as Multimouse or Superboy.

"I'm sure it'll be just fine, we're going to Metropolis not Gotham at least they won't be on father's territory," Damian said and Jon just sighed.

"I personally can't wait, dad's gonna meet Adrien for real this time and who knows maybe my teen wishes of having a boyfriend that my dad actually approves of might come true," Jon said hands held together smiling like a little lovesick girl.

"Ugh, I'm gonna vomit," Damian said shoving Jon who laughed shoving his hands in his pockets. "You are the exact reason why I don't do relationships," Damian added standing outside his residence.

"You never know who you might find Damian, keep an open mind," Jon said looking slightly above him to see Ladybug swinging away clearly heartbroken.

"What a great start to a weird day," Chat yelled off the rooftop behind Jon and Damian rolled his eyes opening the door to Nino's giving a nod to Jon and closing the door behind him.

"I just want them to get together already," Jon said as Chat landed next to him throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"Think, a week of bonding in Metropolis will have to get them together, there's no way they both come out of this single," Chat said and Jon frowned.

"Promise?" Jon asked and Chat tugged at the collar of his uniform nervously.

"Well, not promise but they'll at least be closer, Marinette never meddled with us and we turned out fine," Chat said smiling which made Jon relax a little.

"I guess you're right, no meddling," Jon said and Chat jumped away waving and going home to pack on a trip that his father for once agreed with was important because he would be meeting Jon's parents. Oh no, Jon's parents, they'd hate him. He acts like a flirt, dresses in leather to fight crime, and not to mention gets Jon in a bunch of trouble superhero-wise. Adrien flumped down against his bed letting out a groan.

Marinette sighed in her room staring at a picture of Damian on her phone when she heard a knock on her trap door and saw Jon peeking his head through.

"Hey," he said not even trying to act happy about what she had heard. "Uh, sorry for grossing Damian out of love?" he offered trying to make her laugh before floating over beside her with Mullo and Tikki running a hand through her hair comfortingly. "He'll get over himself soon enough I promise," Jon said and Marinette pushed Jon away.

"I don't want him to change Jon, I want him to stay the same and if he doesn't believe in love then I'll just find someone who does, Luka's nice," Marinette said and Jon laughed a little.

"Uh-huh, very nice, good at the whole kissing thing too," Jon said and Marinette turned red.

"I forgot about that, shit!" Marinette said laughing slightly.

"We have a trip to pack for, you want to impress Kara and Connor right?" Jon asked reminding Marinette about Jon's cousin and brother whom she hadn't met yet.

"Oh no!" Marinette said running around her room pulling out outfits and panicking.

"You know we all just wear flannel or leather right?" Jon asked and Marinette sighed.

"You guys really need a new wardrobe," Marinette said packing a dress carefully.

"You can't take the Kansas out of the aliens trust me," Jon said thinking back to a time when Kara tried on heels for the first time and then proceeded to burn them with her heat vision claiming they were evil.

"Go pack Jon, we have to get to bed early tonight so we can be ready to go tomorrow," Marinette chided with a wave of her hand. "Be sure to pack clothes I made you, I want to show you off!" she called after him and Jon poked his head back in her room.

"Already done Marinette."

This field trip had to go well, for both of their sakes.

"We're going to be late!" Marinette yelled as they rushed out of the house suitcases in hand.

"There is no way we're going to miss this plane Marinette, not today," Jon said nodding to her and she got on his back as he grabbed the bags running to the next stop around the corner where the bus would stop to pick up Damian and Nino for the trip before stopping at the airport.

"Damian!" Jon said exhausted seeing his friend.

"Didn't you two have your own stop?" Damian asked and Nino smiled at Marinette starting to make small talk.

"You know we're both late to everything, can't have that here though, I've been thinking all night about what I'm going to say to mom about Adrien when I first introduce him," Jon said pulling out a small notebook from his bag. "Can you go through these?" Jon asked smiling cheekily.

"No," Damian said as the bus pulled up and Jon sighed.

The actual ride went without a hitch until they arrived over actual America. Laughter and screaming could be heard from around the plane as an engine was taken out.

"Who gave the Joker a fucking jetpack!" was screamed from one of the passengers and panic consumed the entire plane.

"You have got to be kidding me," Damian sighed from next to Jon who went to get up but saw another red cape outside the plane along with a jet and he knew they would be fine, everyone else on the plane didn't exactly get that message through as Batman poked into the com system.

"Everyone relax, and let us do our thing," Batman said and that caused more hysteria.

"We're all gonna die!" Kim screamed and lasers were suddenly behind him in the form of Supergirl's heat vision.

"No one is dying," Supergirl said grabbing parts from inside the plane and Kim blushed sitting down but staring at Supergirl as she worked. "This good enough?" Supergirl asked holding up the part to Batman who nodded and she started to assemble the plane's engine while Superman and SB Prime were fighting the Joker who seemed to get his upgrade from Lex.

"One more screw should do it Supergirl," Batman said getting out of his jet setting it to autopilot to join the blonde just to make sure she wasn't missing anything. "Heat it up and we're good to go," he added and the class stared in awe at America's heroes who by then had Joker jetpackless and quivering in the clouds.

"Welcome to Metropolis," Superman said hands on his hips in classic hero position while Supergirl and SB Prime just laughed at him and Batman hopped back into his jet.

"Enjoy your stay," Supergirl said and Prime just saluted as they left the plane.

"This is going to be crazy," Alix said and Kim nodded watching the girl of his dreams descend the clouds. "Oh you are out of your mind," Alix added as the plane landed.

The kids got off the plane and were greeted by Clark, Lois, Kara, Connor, and surprisingly Bruce.

"Ready?" Jon asked Marinette, Adrien, and slightly Damian who shrugged as they walked through the gates and suddenly a lot more people than just Bruce from the Wayne family were there.

"You know I didn't believe you before Kent, but perhaps this will be more fun than expected," Damian said tapping his shoulder before going over to greet his family and Jon buried his head in Adrien's shoulder.

"Let's go."

...

JPS:  @crystalangelluna @liquid-luck-00 @thatonecroc @ive-tumbled-down-a-rabbit-hole @shadow-mystic @mochegato @wannajointhecrabcult @ranger-gothamite @moonspiritwolf1 @mochinek0 @toodaloo-kangaroo @ash-amg @enchanted-nerd @hateswifi

[wxlfstxrx]

My Love (Chapter Three!!!!)

FINALLY. the final chapter is up!! god, i’m tired. firstly, before i forget, pls forgive my ignorance regarding the passport thing. HAHA. i had no idea that a passport wasn't necessary when crossing between states. best believe i was shooketh when i found out. i tried to briefly correct it in this chapter. also, once again the French phrases were translated online, so apologies if there are any errors.

i wanna thank everyone who’s provided support one way or another. i love you guys <3<3

special thanks to @lumosinlove for the wonderful story & characters. you are very lovely :))

“DUMO,” Finn yelled as the Dumais’ door slammed open. “God damn, fuck, I’m sorry, oh god—”

“C’est bon, Harz,” Dumo, who had jumped in shock, got up off the couch and made his way over to Finn and Leo, meeting them halfway at the entryway of the living room. 

“I don’t understand,” Leo removed his glasses to rub at his eyes blearily, not bothering with contact lenses at six thirty in the morning. “Pourquoi est-il parti?”

“Je ne sais pas, mais quelque chose a dû lui arriver....”

Finn groaned and shoved Leo lightly. “French, guys.”

“Sorry, mon chéri,” Leo patted Finn’s unruly mop lightly.

Dumo raised an eyebrow at Leo, who yawned, unaware. “Dumo, you’ve got any coffee? I can’t think straight right now.”

Dumo gestured for the two boys to follow him into the kitchen, where he started heating water in the electric kettle. He busied himself with getting three mugs while Finn and Leo plonked themselves at the dining table. 

While Leo was still half asleep, despite dozing on the car ride to the Dumais’, Finn was filled with nervous energy, subconsciously shaking his knee out of habit until Leo softly slapped his thigh under the table to stop him from rocking the table.

None of them said a word, all lost in their own thoughts until Dumo placed the three steaming mugs of coffee on the table, along with creamer and sugar, before sitting down opposite the pair. He took a sip, while Finn and Leo jostled for the creamer and sugar. When they were sufficiently satisfied with their coffees, Finn spoke up again.

“Dumo… You didn’t speak to Logan at all yesterday?” 

“Non, not since before he left the house after training. D’you know where he went?” Dumo gave Finn a significant look, the latter flushing and quickly taking a big gulp of his coffee to avoid meeting the former’s eyes.

After several moments, Finn realised he hadn’t answered. He shrugged in what he hoped looked like a nonchalant way, “We went for lunch, and then he dropped by. He… He left before dinner, so I assumed he, err… I assumed he came back here right away.”

“Ah bon? Celeste and I brought the kids upstairs to bed around ten, and he still hadn’t come back by then.” Dumo frowned into his mug, as though his coffee had the answers to all his problems.

Finn and Leo shared a look, Leo raising his brows meaningfully. He jerked his head ever so slightly in Dumo’s direction, and Finn shook his head sadly, looking down at his hands. 

“And he’s not answering his phone?”

Dumo laughed humourlessly. “Never does, that boy. It’s bad enough on normal days, but I think he’s completely turned his phone off. I can’t get through at all, and his last seen was—”

“Yesterday night. Yeah.” Finn buried his face in his hands.

“Did… Did you try asking the rest of the team? Maybe they’ve seen him,” Leo suggested, running a hand through his messy blonde hair.

“Later, I guess,” Dumo hummed, looking out of the kitchen window. “‘s still a bit early.”

Finn stayed silent, draining the rest of his coffee in one gulp. His knee was shaking again, and Leo didn’t have the heart to stop him this time.

They went down to the basement, greeting a sleepy, bewildered Celeste at the stairs as she made her way to the kitchen. Dumo stayed to exchange terse whispers with her while the other two boys headed down.

Objectively, Logan’s room looked as it always had: his unmade double bed with pillows strewn all over and the duvet half falling off the bed (Why make your bed every morning when you’re just gonna mess it up again at night, hmm Harz? You know I’m right.), his dirty clothes clumsily thrown into a laundry hamper by the door, the small desk cluttered with random knick knacks such as his laptop, several caps that he hadn’t bothered to stow away properly, and a few bottles of cologne. The floor was in an even worse state, however, where a few stray tee shirts that had fallen out of the laundry hamper and a whole array of clothing items that had tumbled out of his wardrobe on the far end of the room. 

Finn approached the mess by his wardrobe, his stomach dropping. Crouching down, he let his hand run over the soft fabric of his red Lions hoodie. The exact one that he was wearing now. He lifted the hoodie up, biting down onto his bottom lip, and let himself fall backwards on his arse, into a sitting position. 

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head to look up at Leo, wide brown eyes shining with tears. 

“Mon chou…” Leo’s eyes darted around Finn’s face, and he had just started to tug on his hoodie to pull him into a hug when they heard footsteps right outside the door.

Leo quickly stood up and took a step back, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants just as Dumo walked in.

“I’ve dropped Sirius and James a text, hopefully they’ll have some idea of where he is,” The older man frowned, his voice trembling, looking as heartbroken as Finn felt.

“Thanks, Dumo,” Finn ran his hand through his wild red curls, tugging on them in a weak attempt to calm his nerves. No such luck. “I’m sorry, this mustn’t be easy for you either, yeah?”

Dumo smiled dejectedly. 

“He’s like a son to me. Mon dieu. I don’t know what to do. I’ve never…” He dropped down onto the edge of Logan’s bed, wringing his hands together. “It’s just… He’s been with me for some time now, oui? I can sort of read him. Sometimes even better than he knows himself.”

He looked at Finn once again, who ignored the thundering of his heart in his chest. 

“I’ve noticed something off ever since he came to live with us. I mean… I do think he enjoys staying here, sincerely. We get along well. We all love him... Me and Celeste and the kids. We spend a lot of time at home just, being together, you know? Playing games and talking and watching the telly. We’ve always been close. But there’s just something, something that he’s not telling us. He gets closed off sometimes when we’re talking to him, and some nights he comes home refusing to talk to any of us at all, heading down to his room immediately. But then the next morning, he’ll kiss us all on the cheek, and he’ll take us out for breakfast, as if nothing happened.

“He acts as though he’s fine all the time, and maybe he doesn’t know it himself, but I know. Je la vois. Dad instincts,” Dumo tapped his temple with his pointer finger, the corner of his mouth turning upward slightly, but without a hint of joy. 

Leo sighed and asked Dumo a question, but Finn barely heard it. His mind was running in overdrive.

He knew that they had parted on awkward terms when he got drafted to the Lions, and other than the text reply that came a few days after Finn had messaged him when he had arrived in Gryffindor, they frankly hadn’t talked much for a couple of months. He felt like he had left his heart behind at Harvard, and the homesickness he had felt, combined with the heartbreak over being away from Logan for the first time in years had him feeling very, very lost and unsure. 

Several times, he had stared into his phone for long periods of time, Logan’s contact flashing on his screen, but he had never dared to make the call. Call me when you get there. I want to hear about everything. What would he even have said? Both of them had been in two very different places, and he knew Logan had been missing him too. Would he have just made things worse if he had called? 

So, he never did.

His first interaction with Logan after that had been when the younger boy had graduated. After several unsent drafts, he had finally decided to text Logan a simple Happy graduation, I’m proud of you.

Logan had called him almost immediately, chattering excitedly, and since he had been seemingly in higher spirits, Finn had let him, sitting in his apartment alone, feeling a sense of calm washing over him for the first time in almost a year.��

They had kept in contact regularly afterwards, after both of them had apologised, awkwardly, for not catching up sooner. Logan had not said a word about what had happened during the party two years ago, or the night before he had left Harvard. He had decided to let it slide, though. If ignoring what had happened would give him back his best friend, he’d take it in a heartbeat.

Soon after, Logan had been drafted into the Lions. Finn had felt a whole roller-coaster of emotions: pride, excitement, and love, but also fear and nervousness. He hadn’t known what to expect. Would things be the same between them? Or would their friendship be different, now that they were out of school and past their partying days? Would they still be living together, like they did in school? Would Logan ask to share the apartment with him? Would he ask Logan?

One day, he had woken up to receive news that Logan had chosen to billet with Dumo and his family, and Finn never did have the chance to ask. He had felt as though his heart had been ripped in half, and seeing him during trainings together had been strained and tense for some time after. 

Following one of their team dinners about a month after, they had talked it out, just the two of them, seated on the trunk of his car in the parking lot of Sid’s. Neither of them had really looked at each other. Basked in the warm glow of the streetlamp above them, Finn had never felt colder than he did then. 

Didn’t— Didn’t you think I would’ve asked you to stay with me?

I did. That’s exactly why I didn’t.

Finn had sucked in a deep breath at that, feeling the pain in his chest intensify until he had found it difficult to breathe.

Okay. Yeah, no, it’s alright.

I’m sorry. I couldn’t. I— I couldn’t. 

It hadn’t been alright.

read the rest on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24215410/chapters/58975165 <3

[theotherackerman]

My Mind Turns Your Life Into Folklore

My Mind Turns Your Life Into Folklore

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong to Attack on Titan.

NOTES:  Flashback: Mikasa, age 9

Current time: January 4th, Monday

TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentions of suicide and attempted suicide. a character discuss this, the actual act is not mentioned.

Emotional abuse discussed, physical abuse discussed, child abuse discussed.

chapter eight: are we out of the woods?

Levi did not know how people did this. Granted, Mikasa was an easy kid for the most part. She was quiet, she liked to read. She played with her dolls and stuffed animals. She’d sing a lot but Kenny and Levi were used to that.  She didn’t ask for much. She’d occasionally asked Levi to play the piano for her but that was it.

Until today.

Today, Mikasa started at her new school. She had been homeschooled up until today. Winter break for elementary school was now over.

“Just put your coat on,” Levi pleaded with the nine year old.

“No,” Mikasa said as she held onto the staircase railing.

“Come on, you’ve got to go to school. I’ve got to go to the hospital and check on Kenny,” he pleaded again as he tried to wrench her tiny little hands off of the staircase’s railing bars.

“No! I won’t wear that coat! You can’t make me!” She screamed.

Levi looked at the coat in his hands and realized this had been the coat she had worn during the car accident. It was the only coat she owned.

“If I don’t make you wear the coat, will you go?”

Mikasa nodded before releasing her hands on the staircase railing. Well, he wouldn’t be winning guardian of the year for this but if got her to school, he would do it.

“Wait for me by the door,” he told her as he went upstairs. He opened the hall closest that Kenny kept everything in to find a smaller coat for Mikasa but there were none.

Kenny kept everything else but what Levi needed in this moment. He found a cardigan that had belonged to his mother, it would be huge on Mikasa but he would take it.

One car ride later, Levi dropped Mikasa off at her classroom, carrying her the whole way.

“Captain Ackerman, it’s been a while,” Mrs. Springer said as she stood in the doorway to the classroom.

“Mrs. Springer, nice to see you. This is my cousin, Mikasa,” he said as he put Mikasa down. He stayed down at her level. “This is Mrs. Springer, her husband owns the farm with the pumpkin patch. The one your mom and dad take you to every year?”

Mikasa nodded, “will you take me there? I wanna feed the chickens again.”

“I will but you have to go learn with her. I can’t teach you but she can, okay? I’ll be here at 3:15 to pick you up.”

Mikasa hugged Levi. He didn’t know what he was expecting but it certainly wasn’t that. He hugged her back before letting her go. “She’s got a kid about your age. So she knows what she’s doing.”

“Yes, Connie is in the classroom just next door to ours. You can ask him if you want,” Mrs. Springer said as she kneeled down next to Levi and Mikasa. She held her hand out, Mikasa was very hesitant to take it. Mikasa looked to Levi who nodded so Mikasa took Mrs. Springer’s hand.

“You’re doing a fine job, Captain Ackerman. Mikasa will be fine here. If there’s any problems, I’ll call immediately.”

Mikasa sat at the back of class, she didn’t speak much. She liked silent reading because there was not a chance of her getting called on.

When recess came, it was too cold to go outside so Mikasa decided to continue reading.

Mrs. Springer stepped out of the classroom for a moment to run to the bathroom.

That’s when the trouble started.

“She’s kind of a freak,” Daz remarked. “She’s not even trying. Hey! Girl! Stop being weird!”

Mikasa ignored him.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” He said before kicking her desk.

She ignored him and continued to read.

“Leave her alone, Daz.”

“What did you say, Eren?”

“I said leave her alone.”

Daz kicked her desk again.

A blur passed by Mikasa.

Eren had tackled Daz to the ground. “Leave her alone! You’re only messing with her because no one else here will deal with your shit!”

Chaos erupted into the classroom.

Somehow Daz ended up pinning Eren.

Mikasa could not allow this to happen.

Eren had tried to save her.

She leapt from her desk at the same time as the blonde boy who had been playing with Eren earlier.

“Get off of him!” Mikasa yelled as she punched Daz square in the jar while the blonde boy pulled Daz’s shoes off.

“You gotta get a girl to fight your battle for you?” Daz stumbled to his feet.

Mikasa and Eren looked at one another.

Mikasa kicked Daz in the stomach, causing the boy to stumble back.

Eren and Armin sat next to Mikasa during pick up time. She was shivering as the temperature had dropped since this morning. She had wished that she would have worn the stupid coat this morning.

She had been lucky today that everyone had jumped to defend her and Eren. The principle had gone easy on them, that was for sure. Eren’s mom arrived at the same time as Levi and Kenny. Mikasa’s eyes lit up at the site of her uncle. He had gone back into the hospital only days after the accident.

“Heard ya started a brawl on your first day, short stuff,” Kenny said as he messed up her hair.

“Daz kept kicking my desk. Eren was only trying to help! I had to save him like he saved me.”

“Is this true, Eren?” His mom asked him.

“Sorry, Carla. Didn’t know our girl here was…” Kenny started to say.

“Don’t apologize. I’m actually sort of impressed that he fought for another person besides Armin. I keep telling him he needs more than one friend. Sorry he got your girl in trouble and on her first day.”

“No apologies needed,” Levi said as he reached for Mikasa’s hand.

“Alright, Armin and Eren, let’s go,” Carla called and the two boys followed her.

Kenny pulled a bag out from behind his back. “TADA! New coat.” He pulled a green puffy coat f rom out of the bag with rhinestones along the zipper. “You’re gonna be the coolest girl in the third grade with that.”

Mikasa put the coat on. It was warm. She beamed up at Levi and Kenny.

Eren had run back. “This is for you. It’s my lucky scarf. You’re new and I like you, so you should have it. “ He took off the red scarf he had been wearing and wrapped it around her neck. “I like your new coat!” He called as he ran back to Carla.

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

Mikasa had changed outfits at least three times before Historia intervened.

“I don’t think it matters what you wear. Remember, you’re doing this for you, not for him.”

Historia threw the closest doors open and began going through Mikasa’s clothes. She pulled out the leather jacket Zeke had given her. Mikasa knew it was actually Eren’s but she didn’t interrupt H istoria when she was putting together clothes. She pulled out a black t shirt dress and black l eggings before going through Mikasa’s shoes.

After Mikasa changed again, Historia instructed her to sit so Historia could do Mikasa’s makeup.

“If I’m doing this for me, why are you doing my makeup?” Mikasa asked.

“Just because you’re doing this for yourself doesn’t mean you can’t show him what he's missing. Actually, I want to make a wardrobe change." Then Historia is back in Mikasa's closet, looking through storage bins. She found what she's looking for and toss it at Mikasa. "Go change."

It's a pair of fishnet tights. Mikasa thinks its too much but there's also a part of her that knows that Historia is right. There's a reason for Ymir's jealousy. So many people saw Historia's beauty but not only in her looks but in the way she carries herself. Mikasa wished she could be like that.

So she stripped her leggings off and put on the tights. Historia was still going through Mikasa's closet, looking for something. Then the blonde girl left Mikasa's room and came back, holding a large makeup case. She pulled out a pallet and a makeup brush.

"Close your eyes," Historia says as she pulls a pallet and brush from the case. Mikasa once again does as she's told. "Have I told you how jealous I am of your perfect skin?"

"Today? No," Mikasa starts to turn red. She's still not use to compliments. Historia has told her this multiple times but it still blindsides her every time.

"Well, you have perfect skin. Don't worry, I'm not doing too much makeup. Just boosting your beauty. Eren Jaeger is not going to know what hit him. Well, besides my fist that one time," Historia laughs.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Keep your eyes closed but open your lips slightly." Mikasa felt a makeup brush running along her lips. "I think, for once in your life, you need to be completely selfish. I think you're doing the right thing because it's what you want to do. Not us, not Eren, or Levi. It's all you, Mika. If Eren is truly sorry, then forgive him. If he's not, I'll break his teeth."

There was a pause before Mikasa felt something wrap around her neck.

She knew what it was.

The scarf Eren had given her all those years ago.

It had been in storage for a year but now, she had it back around her neck.

"Keep your eyes closed. Just trust me."

Historia’s hand slipped into Mikasa and she's pulled across the room. "You can open your eyes n ow."

Mikasa wouldn't know she was wearing make up if she hadn't felt Historia putting it on. The blonde girl did truly what she said she would. The light brown on her eyes and the pink on her lips were just highlights. The fishnets that she hadn’t worn in years made her feel like herself again. Paired with the red scarf, she felt like she could take on the world.

"You are a badass. Remember when that guy wouldn't stop hitting on me at that football game and you flipped him on his back? That girl is still there. I see her when you write songs or work out with Annie. Eren didn't take that girl from you. So today, remember that. Wear your boots with this."

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

Zeke and Eren had spent the morning boxing up unnecessary things in the kitchen. Then they moved into the living room to box up the rest of the remaining pictures. When everyone had been here the other day, they had got a lot of it done.

“What time is Mikasa coming over again?”  Zeke asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.

“Four,” Eren replied.

“I will probably leave before that. Give you two your privacy.”

Eren nodded.

“I am proud of you, Eren. You are doing the right thing for both of you. You will have closure and so will she.”

It was strange. Zeke was only ten years older than him but in the last year he had been more of a role model to him than Grisha ever had.

Zeke made a home for him.

He stood by him while also not condoning his actions.

He wanted Eren to get better.

Be better.

But there was no set path about how to do that.

Sure, Zeke had made his opinion known on the whole Mikasa and Armin situation.

He had called Eren an idiot for it.

Eren knew he was an idiot for it.

But Zeke had listened to him.

He had given advice only when asked.

Never pushed him.

Instead, Zeke walked beside him.

Grisha….

He had..

He had pressured Eren.

Go to college.

Get perfect grades.

Do this for college.

Do that.

What do you mean it's too late for applications for that university? I paid for that application. I didn’t? No, you’re lying. This is your fault.

Get a job.

No, you can’t have a job.

I don’t have time to have this conversation.

Take online classes.

These classes aren't good enough

Play guitar better.

Why do I keep raising failures?

I won't be home.

Don't touch me. I do not need pity from a child.

Your mother doesn't understand.

You don't understand.

Why aren't you good enough?

Be better.

Be perfect.

Be a doctor.

Do this.

Do that.

You're a failure.

For Zeke, it had been actions that Grisha had used against him.

For Eren, it had been words.

And the words stuck with him.

Zeke being Zeke poked Eren in the side of his face.

“You are not our father. You are doing the one thing he never did. You are taking responsibility for your actions. I am very proud of you, Eren,” Zeke told him.

Twice.

Zeke had said he was proud of Eren twice.

Eren tried to remember a time Grisha had said he was proud of him.

Eren couldn’t.

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

All five girls were in the car to drop Mikasa off at Erens. It was only three blocks away but none of them would hear that argument.

"If this goes bad, we're a text away," Sasha reminded Mikasa as Mikasa got out of the passenger seat.

"I have no problems breaking some bones," Ymir added.

“You’re making her nervous! It’ll be fine, Mikasa. Just go be yourself,” Historia said as she climbed from the backseat into the passenger.

Annie scoffed, “if it’s not, I’ll make the call to Levi to bail us out.”

“Okay, bye! Drive, Sasha before she changes her mind!” Historia yelled.

Sasha nodded before sped off.

Zeke Jaeger was exiting the house just as Mikasa walked up the driveway.

“Eren’s inside, finishing up a song. I’ll unlock the door and let you in.”

Zeke did just that and closed the door behind her after she walked in.

Eren was standing at a table in the living room with his back to the door. It looked like the old kitchen table to Mikasa.

“Okay so how does this sound?” Eren started to play guitar as he looked down at the paper in front of him. “ {lyrics redacted due to copyright} “

Mikasa took a step closer to him. She really did love hearing him sing.

“I can’t decide if after the bridge we should go straight into the chorus or not. Maybe I should repeat that last line. I mean granted, it’s not Mikasa’s bridge,” he said as he turned around to make eye contact with her. His eyes widened and he tripped over the leg of the table, stumbling as he walked away from the table. “You’re not Zeke.”

“I’m not. Sorry, he let me in. I can go…”

“No! It’s fine. It’s 4:00 and we said we’d meet at 4:00. I just...let me go put this down. Sorry, there’s not much furniture. There’s still a couch in the basement if you want to sit somewhere comfortable. I’ll go put this in my room and I’ll meet you down there, okay?”

Was he nervous?

Why was he nervous?

Why was she nervous?

Had letting Historia do her makeup been a bad idea?

Was she overdressed?

She walked down to the basement.

When it had been unfinished, Armin, Eren, and her had made stories of what was down here. Cannibals, bigfoot, sharks, the loch ness monster had all been a part of the stories. Carla got sick of them scaring each other and made Grisha finish it. It became like a second living room.

The large tv and gaming systems were already gone, Mikasa noted. The bookshelves were gone too.

The couch took up much of the room, it was very soft. It wrapped around the room, hugging the walls. Mikasa had spent many nights sleeping on this thing.

Eren came downstairs just as Mikasa sat down.

“It’s a good bridge, “ she spoke up.

Eren sat down on the opposite side of the couch so he was facing Mikasa. “Thanks, I’ve been working on a response to your song.”

Her eyes lit up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, I mean you called me out on my shit so I couldn’t not respond. It was good though. I liked it a lot.”

“Thanks.”

Silence.

They both looked away from one another.

How should this begin?

Should she just ask?

How should she ask?

Make the decision you’ll regret least , Mikasa remembered again.

“What’s wrong with your liver?” She finally broke the silence.

“Shitty genetics, binge drinking.”

“Why couldn’t you walk because of it?”

“Liver cycles out toxins. When it can’t, your body swells. Mine went into my legs. It hurt to walk, I couldn’t walk. The pain became too much.”

“So what did they do about it?” She asked as she looked over at him. His eyes wouldn’t meet hers.

“Well, they cut a big chunk of it out. It’s regenerating. They’re keeping an eye on it. No alcohol for me, I have to watch what pain pills I take.” He lifted his shirt up enough so Mikasa could see  the scar running along his abdomen. “Now I’ve got this great scar to remind myself of it.” He dropped his shirt back down.

“When did you find out you were bipolar?”

“Couple weeks after the DUI. Zeke had suspected it, being a psychologist, but he couldn’t do anything because I’m his brother. Conflict of interest. He convinced me to go see one after the DUI. He said my drinking was getting out of control, he wasn’t wrong. They diagnosed me. I didn’t want to believe it. I avoided going back until about six months ago. Then it was weekly meetings for therapy and medication.”

She wanted to ask him why he went back but she had a more important question to ask.

“Why did you say those horrible things to me?”

Eren stood up, ran his hand through his hair, paced for a moment, and then sat down.

“You know how my mom found out about Zeke and his mom? She got a letter from Dina, Zeke’s mom. It said Dina was dying and Dad shouldn’t blame Zeke for their failure. Her face….I can still see it.” He looked down, running his hands through his hair again. “You know what my dad did to Zeke? He broke his guitar in front of him! Diana kicked him out because she couldn’t take his anger anymore. I didn’t want to hurt you like that. I realized you and Armin were much better off without me.”

“So all of this has been so you don’t end up like your father?”

“Yes.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, Eren. Well congratulations, you’re not like your father! You’re worse!”

“Will you just listen to me? I told you’d react like this!”

“I am listening to you! You said you were only with me because you wanted to fuck me! You called me a slave, a people pleased. Someone people just use and throw away!”

“You deserve better than me!”

“But you didn’t think that I chose you! I made the choice! Not you! You took my choice away!”

“What do you want me to say? I’m sorry? Is that going to magically fix it? I’m fucked up, Mikasa. I was caught between two parents who fell out of love! Do you know how often they fought? Every night after Mom got that letter. Every single night, I’d go to sleep to my parents yelling then my dad drank and smoked himself to sleep! I didn’t want that for you! Do you know what it’s like in my head? Do you know how often I wanted to die? That I thought the world would be better off without me? How I hear my dad telling me to be perfect, how to be perfect? How I’m still not good enough? I was never good enough for him so how can I be good enough for you? How can I be good enough for anyone?  I was in a hole I couldn’t climb out of. I just wanted everything to be done. It would be easier if I was just gone. I couldn’t kill myself while I was with you. I couldn’t do that to you or Armin. You deserved better than that, you still do.”

He stood up and walked over to her. He kneeled down in front of her. “I see how people look at you. You’re fucking gorgeous. Hell, even Jean would be a better choice than me. He can give you stability, I can’t. Even with medication and therapy, there can still be dark days. I could hurt you worse than I already have.”

Mikasa was crying, Eren was crying.

“I’m sorry, Mikasa. I am. None of this is an excuse. As soon as I said it, I regretted it but I told myself every day that I did the right thing.”

Mikasa reached out, grabbing the necklace that Eren was wearing. She pulled on the black cord until the rings came out of Eren’s shirt.

“Six months ago, Zeke found me in a manic state. Next thing I knew, he made me start going back to therapy. Apparently, all that behavior is pretty standard. They told me it wasn’t an excuse for my behavior, just an explanation. Then everything happened with my liver and that’s it.”

Mikasa held her dad’s ring in her hand before she moved to the other one. It was not one she recognized with the large gold diamond. It almost looked like an engagement ring but why did Eren wear it around his neck?

“If you have this ring, what’s in the box I gave you?”

Eren stared at her for a moment. “I..uhh...did you not read the letter?”

“There was a letter?”

“Yeah, in the box.”

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t know. I just saw the box.”

“Oh. Well there’s a flash drive in it.”

“What’s on it?”

“A song.”

She let go of the necklace. “You wrote me a song?”

“I’ve written several but no. You wrote it, I just...add to it.”

“Oh,” she said, before examining the other ring closer. It had E + M inscribed on the inner band. “Eren, before that were you……”

“Some days, I had highs. I felt like I could do anything. One of those days, I bought that. I even asked Levi if I could propose, right after high school. I was waiting for the perfect moment but it didn’t come. Not until…..I had a date planned and then my dad died.”

“Oh,” she said simply.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I am ashamed and I’m still working on forgiving myself for this. But you wanted to know, so I told you. If you want to leave now, I understand. Like you said, it’s the least I could do is explain everything to you."

Did she want to leave?

No.

She couldn’t explain the emotion she was feeling.

It wasn't a relief to get her answers.

Somehow, it made her feel worse for not recognizing how much Eren was hurting.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Eren said as he poked her in the arm.

“How did you…”

“You’re thinking and I’ve known you since we were nine. Nice jacket, by the way. How’d you end up with it?” He asked as he pulled on the sleeve.

“Zeke gave it to me when we were at the club.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

She let go of his necklace. “So what now?”

“I...I don’t know. I don’t think we can go back to what we were, right?”

As much as she would love that, she knew that it was just not possible. “No, we can’t.”

“Right,” he said as he released her sleeve.

“Maybe we could be friends again….until we figure it out. I forgive you.”

His face lit up, “yeah?”

“I forgave you long ago, so did Armin. It doesn’t excuse it, you’re right. It is an explanation.”

He sat down next to her on the couch as he nodded.

“Just because you’re forgiven doesn’t mean all of this is fixed. If you want to ever get back to that, then…”

“Do you?”

“....I’m here, aren’t I?”

“That’s enough for me,” he said as he took her hand.

“Eren…” She said as he looked over at her.

“What? You hold Historia’s hand all the time.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes, “you want to work on that new song?”

“Yes! I mean yeah, sure, if you want.”

They went upstairs to see five sets of eyes looking through the open picture window.

They quickly ducked out of sight.

“Oh! Do you think they saw us?”

“Sasha, shut up!”

“Armin! You’re standing on my hand!”

“Oh! Sorry, Historia!”

“Now you’re standing on my hand!”

“Sorry, Annie!”

Eren went over to the window and pulled it up. He stared down at his former friends. Mikasa joined him.

“Oh hey, you two! Fancy see you here, we were just….”Sasha trailed off.

“Spying on us?” Eren crossed his arms over his chest.

“I prefer making sure we didn’t have to murder you or hide your body after Mikasa murdered you,” Ymir said with shame as she stood up.

“So, how are you two?” Armin asked as he stood up next.

“Getting there,” Mikasa said with a small smile.

“Oh, good! I don’t have any money so bailing you out is not an option,” Historia said as she stood up.

“Wait, what?” Eren asked.

“You’ve missed so much, you have no idea!” Sasha stood up.

“Historia got kicked out, Ymir asked Historia out on a real date, Sasha is dating your drummer, and Armin and I are a thing. Oh and we all live with Levi now. I think that sums it up,” Annie with a shrug as she climbed in the window.

“Yeah, that about sums it up.” Sasha followed Annie in and the rest of the group outside did the same.

“I have a front door.”

“Boring as ever, aren’t you, Jaeger?” Ymir said as she was the last one to climb in the window.

“Trying to be,” he gave her a small smile.

“Hey, I get it. My mom was the same, bipolar. It’s not as rare as you think. Just don’t hurt Mikasa again, okay? We’ll stand by her, no matter what. You treat her well, we’ll do the same to you. The moment you step out of line though, I’m taking your kneecaps out. Got it?” Ymir patted Eren gently on the face.

“Y..yeah,” Eren stuttered.

“And Levi will make you fish food! Anyway! What were you two about to do?” She asked as she walked over to Mikasa and wrapped her arm around her.

“Eren was working on a song. I was going to help,” Mikasa said.

“Just like high school,” Armin mused.

“Can we hear it? I mean we never got to hear you two write together, only the end result,” Historia asked.

“If it’s fine with Eren, it’s fine with me,” Mikasa said before walking over to the kitchen table.

“Sure, why not? You’re all already here. Let me grab guitar,” with that Eren went into his b edroom.

“Mikasa doesn’t have sex hair,” Ymir sighed.

“Disappointing, isn’t it?” Sasha countered.

“I thought we raised you right, I guess I was wrong.”

“Where did we go wrong, Ymir?”

“I don’t know, Sasha! We taught her everything we know!”

Eren just stared at both Sasha and Ymir before shaking his head. He stole a glance at Mikasa who was laughing.

He had missed that sound more than anything.

“Alright, so from the top?” He asked Mikasa who simply smiled at him before nodding.

Eren played the first chord.

“ {lyrics redacted due to copyright}. ..and then this goes into the chorus which is repeated a lot. But that’s the opening. Thoughts?” Eren asked nervously.

“You two write the angstiest shit. You both realize it isn’t a competition, right?” Ymir asked as she sat down on the floor.

“Ymir!” Historia scolded her.

“What? I wanted to be entertained and he’s entertaining me. Well, sort of. What’s the chorus sound like?”

Eren looked over at Mikasa again. She seemed to be just as interested as Ymir.

“Nothing good. I’ve only got like four lines.   {lyrics redacted due to copyright} ”

“Just repeat them,” Mikasa said. “You’re over complicating it.”

“I can try,” Eren nodded.

“Alright, Jaeger. Enough flirting with Mikasa, let’s hear the next verse,” Ymir teased him. “Or give me one of your guitars so I can do something.”

Eren smiled. “Alright. I’ll grab you one.”

And in that moment Eren realized, he might just be out of the woods.

[talesmaniac89]

The Wingman

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Summary: You worry about Dean Winchester as he’s trying to act like your wingman to hook you up with Sam, unaware that Sam thinks Dean’s his wingman.

Triggers: None, just fluff

Y/N = Your Name | Y/E/C = Your Eye Colour | Y/H/C = Your Hair Colour

—

Reader: For the last few days Dean Winchester, your best friend and the older brother of your secret crush, had been acting kind of… Well, weird as hell. Since you’d moved into the bunker your best friend had always just treated you as one of the boys. Just as ready to prank you or help you out whenever you pretended a cute bartender caught your eye to hide the fact that Sam’s flirting with some other blonde and beautiful perfect 10 was breaking your heart. 

Yet, just a few days back. His whole brotherly act had twisted. Everything from little winks to secretive smirks sent your way at random times throughout the day. His very vocal appraisals of every little thing you did or wore… He wasn’t acting like the Dean you knew. 

“(Y/N), you look good with your hair up… Doesn’t she look good with her hair up Sammy?”

At first, you’d struggled with the awful feeling of him possibly liking you as more than just a friend. Agonising over how you could turn the hunter, who you loved like a brother, down. Feeling awful that you had to hurt him because of your unrequited feelings for the youngest Winchester. Hell, you’d spent more than one night awake trying to rehearse and rephrase the many imaginary ways you could break it to the hunter with the biggest heart you knew. 

Though you didn’t love him like that, you still loved him, and you didn’t want him to be hurt. 

But… Just as soon as the agonising fears struck you, the reality of your situation hit like a goddamn freight train. And suddenly you wanted to be the one to hurt the hunter. Of course, it was a relief that your best friend still just saw you as his. Still, Dean wasn’t in love with you, which was a relief, but he knew… 

He knew you loved Sam. 

How he’d figured it out you didn’t know, but you were 99.9 percent certain. Dean Winchester knew you loved his brother, and he was doing a shitty job of keeping your little secret under wraps. 

Sam had been around for every little wink. Usually leaning closer to read a piece of lore over your shoulder or scooting over so you could grab a seat on the couch next to him. For every secretive smirk, there was a matching secret storm of butterflies in your stomach as your pulse rose to dangerous levels at the younger hunter’s proximity. 

Even the comments. Every little compliment was followed by Sam’s name. Asking his brother to back up how good your hair looked, how the top you’d just pulled out of the wardrobe was ‘very flattering’ or whatever bullshit he managed to come up with. Hell, he even kept talking about how amazing Sam was, as if you didn’t already know. Probably wanting you to agree to enact some strange form of a “you complimented each other, now kiss”-moment.

Dean knew and, just like he’d done endless times at bars with random strangers, he was trying (and failing) to be your wingman. 

So, when the older hunter entered the library where Sam and you were just settling in for a late night of researching for a fellow hunter’s monster of the week, you groaned internally. Knowing you were in for another evening of silent colour commentary about secret feelings, hidden glances and raised heart beats. 

--- 

Sam: Dean had been getting on Sam’s nerves for the last week. Ever since his older brother figured out how Sam felt about you, he hadn’t shut up about it whenever the two brothers were alone. But even that was tolerable next to the way he acted when you were in the room.  

Dean’s way of acting like a wingman wasn’t really subtle. 

Every time you were in the same room as Sam, and even remotely close to him, Dean would raise his eyebrow at the youngest Winchester. Egging him on with winks and smirks as he struggled with going past just simple greetings and hidden glances. Not that the push from Dean was even going to help… 

It wasn’t as if Sam hadn’t tried to tell you. Hell, he’d attempted to get the feelings across for what felt like an eternity. But every time he wanted to say anything, to tell you he loved you, the feelings he wanted to confess just came out as simple hellos, good nights and good mornings. Turning every word he spoke to you into secret confessions of love.

Meanwhile, his older brother had no problem attempting to translate Sam’s unspoken feelings into English. The older hunter would constantly compliment you whenever you walked in the room asking for Sam to back him up. 

Teasing out stuttered soliloquies that were only mere fragments of the words Sam’s mind used to describe your absolute beauty and perfection every single day. Making him cringe over his dull little “you look pretty” replies, as his mind added verses upon verses about how your (Y/E/C) eyes caught the light, how the sound of your laughter was what dreams were made of, or how much he loved the way your smile always made him feel better, brighter even on the darkest days. 

All of which was left unspoken until he was alone in his room again in the evening. Regretting every one of the day's actions and replaying the moments in his head. Answering his ceiling instead of you with the words he should have said. Words of love and beauty painting his ceiling in an invisible mural of secret feelings, dedicated to you.

Worse yet was Dean’s favourite way of acting like Sam’s wingman, and probably the most transparent. The oldest Winchester’s constant “humble bragging” about his younger brother was textbook wingman behaviour. Though you still hadn’t seemed to catch on… Thankfully. Though Sam couldn’t help to tag a worried “for now” to the end of that chain of thoughts as Dean dropped down in the seat next to you. The younger hunter cringing in anticipation of another attempt to make you turn to face him. 

Perfect you, and broken Sam… It wasn’t going to happen, and the only thing his brother was helping Sam with, was ruining what little bond he had with you. Once you realised, things would just get awkward. Maybe it would damage your carefully crafted friendship. Hell, maybe it would scare you away from the bunker forever. Maybe you’d never smile at him again. 

No matter what - this whole shitstorm could only end with heartbreak. With Sam’s heart as the unwilling sacrifice.

---

Reader: “Hey (Y/N)?” As Dean spoke up, the innocent words made you flinch from the clearly up-to-no-good smile that followed them.  

Waiting for another forced compliment from Sam through Dean, or some other new and creative way to hint at your infatuation with the younger hunter, your hand gripped the old tome in your hands a little harder. Your eyes refocusing back on the words on the page with a noncommittal mumbled noise of acknowledgement. Waiting for whatever new dissection of your feelings would be performed on top of the library table that evening.

Though, for once, Dean surprised you by staying clear of the topic. Choosing instead to focus on the research in front of him. His refreshingly innuendo free question made your tense shoulders instantly relax. Though in the dark suspicious depths of your mind, you still clung to a thread of that wariness.

“Which of these books should I start with?” The older hunter asked, holding up two books for you to glance at out of the corner of your eye. Looking over at the two ancient books you simply nodded towards his right hand, relief clearly evident in your eyes as Dean gave you a boyish, teasing grin. Letting you know that he hadn’t missed the obvious way your body relaxed at the innocent question. 

“That one. We’re looking for info about a possible djinn subspecies to help out on a strange case in New York,” 

With a silent nod, Dean dropped the other book back onto the library table with a dull thud before hunkering down over the dusty pages of the book you’d pointed out. As his eyes scanned the page, you were rewarded with no more than a few seconds of silence before the older Winchester clearly decided to audition for the role of annoying best friend once more with an overacted sigh. 

“This one’s too much for me… Someone smarter should read it,” The hunter groaned out words that were clearly a load of bull. Dean Winchester was one of the smartest men you knew. So, this was clearly a ploy. And you could guess what was coming next. “Hey (Y/N)… Did you know? Sam’s super smart, he even went to Stanford. This book won’t be a problem for him,”

Focusing your full attention on the page in front of you, you burned the words into your eyes to keep from rolling them and rewarding Dean’s obvious ploy and poor acting. Opening your mouth to shut the hunter down you were just a second late as Sam beat you to it.  

“Shut up Dean,” The words were no more than a mumble over the top of the book the younger Winchester, and the lead actor in all of your daydreams, was reading. The exasperation those three words were soaked in was the only hint at the expression hiding behind the leather binding as Sam kept his head in the book. 

“Yeah, you’re right, we have work to do. You’ve always been the responsible one…” Dean sighed. The book forgotten on the table and his poor acting skills still very much intact even with the less than stellar reception of Act 1.  “Sammy’s very responsible, isn’t he (Y/N)?”

“I know Dean... Now please focus on the research,” Your own sigh was very much not an act as you shot daggers at your best friend out of the corner of your eye. Ignoring the bright shiteating grin he gave you in return. As well as the cheeky wink that followed. 

“Alright, alright… We’re all serious today,” Dean said with a roll of green eyes as your own (Y/E/C) eyes burned into him. Silently promising him a world of hurt if he didn’t calm the fuck down. 

Taking your silent threat seriously, your best friend raised his hands in a quiet surrender. The bunker easily returning to the comfortable silence of rustling paper as Dean picked the book up again. Not adding any further complaints about the complexity of it as he flipped through the pages looking for hints. 

---

The silence lasted for half an hour give or take a few minutes. 

Though it felt like no time at all had passed as the sound of Dean’s fingers tapping against the wooden table drew you out of a paragraph about Baltic genie myths that could possibly point at a subspecies. The tapping growing increasingly louder as the older hunter made no attempts at hiding how he was trying to get your attention. 

Glancing at him from out of the corner of your eye, you watched as your best friend looked from Sam to you and back again. Clearly debating something with his conscience and need for absolute mayhem as green eyes followed the well beaten path between you and your crush. 

A pat your own eyes had often taken to cast secretive glances at a certain Sam Winchester. Well, not so secretive it turned out. Since Dean had easily interpreted those glances for exactly what they were.

As the annoyed crease in his brow slowly but surely disappeared, only to be replaced with a smile, you steeled yourself. The confident smirk that replaced the internal round table discussion with the angel and devil on Dean’s shoulders instantly terrifying you. He was up to something, and whatever that something was, it wasn’t good. 

The sound of his chair scraping jostled you fully out of the pages of the book as you looked up at him. From across the table you could see Sam flinch and look up at his brother from behind his book as well. Hazel eyes dark with worry as that cute confused crease that always made you feel all tingly made a guest appearance on his brow. Just slightly hidden by the hunter’s soft brown hair. Clearly Sam was seeing the same thing you were. And neither of you trusted the bright gleam in Dean’s eyes as he turned his chair to face you fully. 

“Hey… Do I know you?” He asked, the same cocky grin brightening as you looked on confused. Your mind trying, and failing, to figure out where your best friend was going with this one.

“Uhm… Yes, you do Dean…” You hesitated over the words. Unsure what would be the right thing to say to stop whatever train wreck was happening from, well, happening. 

“‘Cause you look like my future sister in law,” Dean finished with a flourish and an overacted wink. Clearly choosing to ignore your words completely as he delivered the slightly edited pickup line your way. 

“Wha…” Your mind was blank. Dean had taken his little joke too far. Looking from Dean to Sam and back down to your book, you tried to find the words you needed. But Sam beat you to it, his low rumbled voice sounding equal parts embarrassed, confused and outraged. 

“Did you just hit on (Y/N)? For me?” Sam’s words were barely above a whisper as he looked at his older brother. There was a quiet anger and something more, something smaller and scared, in his voice as the words trembled across the table. Reaching both you, frozen in place, and the older hunter whose grin was fading slowly when faced with his younger brother’s quiet rage. 

Yet, you missed the silent argument that was happening between the two sets of eyes belonging to your best friend and the man you loved. Your mind loud and noisy with the many different creative ways the younger hunter could voice what was basically a direct rejection of your feelings. There was, after all, no way Sam could misunderstand Dean’s words. Not when he practically spelled out your feelings in plain English. Your spiralling mind only breaking free from your early attempt at crushing your own heart before Sam could as Dean’s palms slapped against the table making you jump in your seat.

“Someone had to!” Dean shouted, but there wasn’t actual anger there. More just long pent up frustration as the words echoed across forgotten research books in the library. “I’m sick and tired of this whole will-they-won’t-they thing. I feel like I’m living in a damned chick flick! And, in case you missed the memo, I hate chick flicks!”

Giving neither of you a chance to fight back or deny his words. Dean jumped fully out of his seat; one hand still anchored to the wood of the table as the other one pointed directly at you.

“(Y/N)!” Though you already knew what was coming, you couldn’t help but flinch as Dean called your name. In some twisted forced confession roll call. 

“Yeah?” Your voice broke over the one-word reply, knowing he was about to either tell Sam himself, or force you to vocalise your feelings. Yet… What followed was exactly the opposite. 

“My brother here is madly in love with you,” Dean said, his hand that had been pointing at you easily swinging across the table to point at his brother instead. Sam barely even took note of the finger pointing at him. His eyes wide and jaw dropped as the big guy was growing both pale and red simultaneously. His heart sending all the blood to his head in an act of a rebellious standoff featuring logic versus emotion. 

“Sam…” Dean continued, clearly not done just yet.

“Sam!” Dean barked, a little louder, in an attempt to pull the younger hunter out of his daze as he barely registered the roll call. His wide hazel eyes going back and forth between his brother and you in shock and what seemed to be the early stages of embarrassed relief of finally having the truth out there. 

“Sammy!” Dean’s insistent third attempt was just enough to draw a small nod out of the youngest Winchester. Which the older hunter clearly deemed as enough of a reply as he spilled the secret you’d promised yourself to never voice.

“(Y/N)’s obviously been in love with you since… Hell I don’t know, since forever,” 

As the words left your best friend like a slow-motion action scene in one of those movies he loved just a little too much, you watched as Sam’s eyes stopped moving between the two of you. Instead choosing to come to a full stop on you as his brother’s words fully sank in. 

Those warm brown eyes you loved going from worried and questioning to a cautious warm hope as you sat stunned. Left unable to move or speak through the cottonmouth that followed Dean’s impromptu stolen confession on your behalf. 

You were rooted to your seat in shock as your eyes just numbly watched Sam. Your mind reeling as you tried to get your brain to catch up to the lightning fast development orchestrated by your best friend. Dean Winchester had just ousted you to your crush. That and… 

Wait. 

Did he say Sam was in love with you too?

“Wha…”  Sam stopped himself from even attempting to speak through the shock as his voice broke over the very first word. Clearing his throat, his warm hazel eyes instead searched yours across the table. The careful question they asked louder than your own frantic heartbeat, as you forced your body to listen to you again.

Taking a shaky breath, you gave the man you’d been in love with for years a shy smile. The small gesture enough to make the eyes of the man you’d spent countless days, and nights, daydreaming about brighten. His own small, hesitant smile quickly grew as the mixture of your smile and his brother’s words fully sank in. Your own smile just as easily growing to echo it as you finally fully realised it was true. 

Sam loved you too. 

The few seconds of sweet silence as you just marveled at that fact, were just as rudely interrupted by your best friend as your years of quiet pining had been. The older hunter easily brought your attention back to him from where you’d been getting lost in Sam’s eyes with a fake tired sigh. Though you couldn’t make yourself stay angry at your very own cupid in a ratty AC/DC t-shirt. 

“There! You’re both in love and you’re both welcome. Now maybe we can get some work done here huh?” Dean’s cocky smirk and fake scoff made you want to elbow him in the stomach. Yet your body was still not done catching up with you as you simply rolled your eyes at your best friend’s antics. “I guess thank yous are in order huh? To me I mean…”

“Oh, how can we ever repay you,” The sarcastic words that left Sam, underlined and punctuated by a trademark annoyed glare, beat your own by just a fraction of a second. Both of you still only glanced over at the other hunter in the room as you kept getting drawn back to each other. To marvel at the miracle that was mutual feelings. 

“You can be my wingman any time,” Dean laughed from somewhere next to you. Though you didn’t turn to look at him, as you instead focused on Sam’s annoyed reaction to the movie quote. The way his brow furrowed and how his hand went up to pinch at the bridge of his nose sending little electric shocks through you. Yeah, you were a goner, anything the younger Winchester did had your heart racing.

“Dean, this isn’t Top Gun... You better not have planned all of this just so you could say that quote,” The younger Winchester shot back, eyeing his brother with slight wary suspicion. The words finally made you tear your eyes off Sam as you turned to throw an incredulous look towards your best friend. 

The older hunter answering your suspicions, not in words, but in actions. As he laughed out loud and took the words as his cue to flee the room.

“Really Dean?!” 

Your tired outrage mirrored Sam’s as you responded in unison to the quickly retreating back of one Dean Winchester. Though, where you couldn’t help but laugh, Sam was clearly sulking at his brother's antics, which only served to squeeze at your heart a little more.

As Dean retreated and your laughter died down, the library grew silent once more. Both Sam and you unsure where to go from there. Feelings had been voiced, but not from either of you. And so, a part of you was still hesitant to act on what you knew you felt, and now were pretty damn sure Sam felt too. 

Clearing your throat, you looked into Sam’s warm brown eyes again. Looking to borrow some courage from one of the bravest men you knew as you readied yourself to speak words you’d never planned on saying out loud to anything but your bedroom ceiling. 

“So…” Cursing your own cowardice you simply looked down. Trying to find the words in the palms of your hands and finding nothing but air and shaky fingers. 

From somewhere across from you, you heard the tell-tale sign of a chair pulling away from the library table and, within just a few seconds, Sam’s hand was on yours. Placing strength, feelings and a piece of his heart in your hands as he crouched by your chair, looking up at you through your curtain of (Y/H/C) hair. 

“You love me…” Sam whispered. The words were not exactly a question, yet not exactly a statement. They fell somewhere in between. Inside that little piece of magic and marvel that was softening the whole moment in cotton candy sweetness. 

“I love you,” You said, adding that final layer of truth that brought substance and sincerity to your feelings. Your voice shaking over unexplored emotions as you watched Sam’s eyes grow impossibly bright and warm. The hunter still kneeling by your chair looked as if he was finding the shape of a new religion and some form of worship in your revelation. Awe and wonder making the beautiful man look younger as his eyes crinkled from another wide smile. 

“And… You love me,” You added, still slightly hesitant as you watched Sam’s hand raise from his side to gently brush your hair out of your eyes and behind your ear. His fingers lingering against your skin and tracing the shape of your jaw, as if to convince himself you were real.

“I do. I love you,” Sam’s voice was thick with emotion as he straightened up until he was eye level with where you were sitting. His forehead bumping against yours with a wry smile as he drowned in your eyes and you his. “I guess we’re both cowards huh?” He added with a breathy chuckle. His words barely above a whisper yet reaching you easily where you rested your forehead against his. 

“Yeah…” You laughed. A careful smile building as you glanced down and took his hand in yours, painting small circles on his palm. Still not used to being that open about your feelings, you hid in the simple pattern as you confessed a little more. “But… I’m too happy to care,”

“Me too,” Sam’s sincere words were a bit louder as he moved to sit on a chair next to you, pulling your chair closer until your knees were between his. “I just can’t believe it… You love me,” He added with a marveled whisper. Looking at you like you were the most precious part of his existence. Like everything, all the bullshit, pain and suffering, had been building up to this. To well-deserved happiness.  

His warm smile shifted into something more careful and slightly deeper as he slowly leaned in. Hazel eyes dipping to trace the shape of your lips and his teeth grazed his own. A big hand raised to gently trace the shape of your jaw as he softly angled your lips up towards him. Just seconds away from the kiss you’d been dreaming about since… Well, what felt like forever. 

“And, as the music swells, Sam Winchester leans in... Ready to wrap (Y/N) in his warm embrace…” Your best friend and much-loved pain in your side, Dean Winchester, was putting on his best movie trailer voice in a poor attempt at narration. Easily interrupting the sweet moment just as you could feel Sam’s warm breath like the ghost of a kiss to brush against your lips. 

Sighing, you felt Sam’s forehead drop against yours again. Both of you shared an annoyed look before you squeezed your eyes shut and called out to the man who was simultaneously the best and the worst wingman in history. 

“Dammit Dean!”

 ----

[langdxn]

Ooo!! Do one where they’re in the outpost and ms. V hurts y/n because she wasn’t following the “rules” and outpost!michael is there to protect her

Wow I took this one a little too far... 1.7k words too far to be exact, sorry anon! (sorry I’ve lost the gif maker’s URL so please let me know if you know whose amazing work this is)

Showing pain was a sign of weakness to Ms Venable. Weaknesses shown in her domain at Outpost 3 were hers to exploit. To terrorise. To torture.

Silently sucking your teeth as the whip snapped against your spine, your eyes bulged as you tried in vain to appear resilient to her efforts.

“Pathetic,” Ms Venable seethed an inch from your face as Ms Mead cracked the whip again. “You can’t even hide your pain, let alone your guilt.”

“Guilt over what?” You spat, unsuccessfully masking a shivering flinch at the next searing impact, tugging at the manacles suspended from the ceiling.

“Cooperating with the Cooperative,” the redhead hissed, surveying your every response with a pedantic glare. “I saw the way you looked at Langdon this evening, quite the show you put on for us all.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Venable?” You contorted your face in abject confusion, helplessly expressing yourself using flailing hands against your rattling shackles. “I was listening to him explaining our fate, for fuck’s sake.”

“Tell that to your lovesick, puppy dog eyes batting at him the whole time. Anybody would think he was narrating a Hollywood romance, not instructing the Outpost on the survival of mankind as we know it.”

Inexplicably trying to reach out and slap her, your hand waved weakly in your cuffs and earned you a sharp whip. And another. Tears brimmed furiously in your eyes as realisation hit you — she had no tenable excuse for torturing you, it was simply her method of passing the time and whittling down her charges in the Outpost, one by one with no trial necessary.

“Look, Venable, the world is in nuclear winter a few feet above us and your priority is beating the living daylights out of me for looking at an attractive blonde? The first new man any of us have seen since we got sent down this fucking rabbit hole eighteen months ago?”

Venable’s lips parted softly, quirking an eyebrow and leaning in closer to your face, a radiating heat of anger hitting you in the face.

“So you admit it?”

“I’m not admitting shit, Venable, that would imply I’ve done something wrong.”

Hearing a gentle swoosh of the whip behind you as Ms Mead prepared the next hit, Venable raised a halting hand and leaned back on her cane, eyes narrowing as she chased a new avenue of questioning.

“What is it you see in him?”

“I don’t know, he just seems like a nice person. I feel like I know him.”

“So you’re in league with him?” Venable’s bitter tone returned to the surface. “This is quite the development. First Gallant yesterday, now this little cockroach too. Try her again, Ms Mead, let’s see what else comes tumbling out.”

The stout woman drew her hand back to lash the whip again, reaching behind her head before the deafening clacks of expensive heels against the chamber gratings broke the silence.

“I understand torture is the only interrogation method available to those lacking the evidence to support their outrageous claims.“

Langdon.

The familiar honeyed tone laced with spite boomed through the metallic chamber, stopping Ms Mead mid-swing as Venable rolled her eyes. Realising the Cooperative member was walking right in on you, chained to the spot, wearing nothing but unflattering white underwear, you clenched your thighs together in the vain hope your existence wouldn’t be noticed.

Langdon paced agonisingly slowly to Venable’s side, hands clasped studiously behind his back, stopping as his boots bumped her heels.

“What a shame you don’t have the physical strength to extract the information for yourself,” he snarled menacingly. “That is, if there were any information to extract.”

“May I remind you whose Outpost this is, Langdon,” Venable jeered, drawing a clack of her cane to assert her authority. “Just because the Cooperative didn’t delegate you to lead one, that certainly doesn’t authorise you to attempt to usurp mine.”

“Usurping? That’s all you think I’m here to do?” Langdon chuckled under his breath, a devious grin curling his lips. “Perhaps you’d do well to take off those rose-tinted glasses and see what’s going on around you.”

Langdon began circling around you with glacial, contemplative steps. Venable’s brows furrowed with every pace, pursing her lips with every click of his heels.

“As it would appear you’re struggling to understand, I’ll speak your language. With every crack of this whip, you slip further down the greasy ladder that permits you entrance to the Sanctuary.”

Venable huffed in surprise.

“You think this is about salvation?”

“Let’s be honest here, everything you do leads back to saving your own ass,” Langdon barked, his predatory motion coming to a halt in front of you. “So you either leave this poor girl alone or I leave you here to rot, see how long it takes the feral cannibals to tear through your mauve wardrobe.“

“I can’t believe you—“

“Did I not make myself abundantly clear, Ms Venable? Lay another finger on her and I will personally disembowel you myself, leader or no leader.”

Venable swallowed harshly, eyes darting to her feet before heading for the door, a dismissive hand waving Ms Mead obediently back to her quarters.

“You haven’t heard the last of this, Langdon,” Venable called back as she swung the chamber door open. “And neither has she.”

With the click of the door confirming her departure, Langdon snapped his neck to look at you. As his eyes met yours, his gaze bled from cocky authoritarian into terrified concern with a blink. The back of his hand ventured to your cheek, lightly pressing his baby soft skin against yours, his rings cooling the rising heat as you watched his demeanour change instantly.

“Did she hurt you?” He cooed softly, gentle breaths fanning your hair from your face. “Are you okay?”

“Sure, I’m... okay?” You replied tentatively, perplexed by his blatant worry as he ghosted his fingertips over the vicious welts peppering your shoulders and issued a sharp hiss through your teeth. “Nothing a bit of whiskey can’t solve.”

“She won’t get away with this, I promise you,” he muttered, anger boiling under the surface as he surveyed every injury, silently cataloguing the crimes of Venable’s authority blooming red and purple across your skin.

“Langdon, do—do I know you? I feel like I’ve seen you someplace before—“

His face dropped.

“You, you don’t recognise me? I—I thought you realised yesterday when I was talking to everyone, you were staring at me.”

“Yeah, that’s what Venable said,” you sighed, eyes darting to the floor. “I was just trying to figure out who you are, that’s all.”

“Well at least the identity spell worked,” Langdon muttered to himself.

“Hold up, did you just say identity spell?”

“Fuck, I knew this would be harder than it was with Ms Mead,” he wiped his face in his hands in exasperation. “At least with Ms Mead, I just had Kineros reprogram her.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Langdon?”

“Look, just hang in there and I’ll explain, the plan’s not ready yet.”

“Fucking hilarious, sir,” you snarked, jangling your chains above your head. “What do you mean, what plan? You’re scaring me.”

“Oh no, no, please don’t be scared,” he cooed, leaning in to cradle your face in both hands. “Everything’s going to be okay, I just need more time to sort this place out and we can go home.”

You shook your head frantically, slapping away his hands as he stepped back nervously.

“Home? You better start making sense, Langdon, you’re driving me insane.”

He noticed the fear in your eyes, the way you stared through him, expecting the crack of a whip at any moment. Everything he said, everything he did, drove you further and further into your shell.

“Listen,” Langdon placed demonstrative palms in the space between you. “I’ll sort out the spell, but I need you to promise me you can carry on as if nothing’s changed.”

“What fucking spell? Please—“

You were cut off by his lips crashing into yours, his hands pulling you into him by the waist. Somehow, you melted into him, his soft kiss set off a blinding light in your closed eyes, followed by a searing pain in your head as everything span around you. As his lips left you, your eyes opened to see Langdon in a totally different light.

“Michael?” You whimpered, your eyes bursting out of their sockets as you finally recognised the man before you. He beamed from ear to ear, wrapping his arms around your waist and drawing you in for a tight, protective embrace.

“Baby girl, I’m so sorry,” Michael hummed into the nape of your neck. “This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.”

“Well how about getting me out of these fucking chains?” You shook your arms in demonstration as a pained expression washed over Michael.

“I can’t baby, they could come back in at any minute. Like I said, you need to act as if nothing’s happened. Just keep your head down, don’t mess with Ms Venable’s rules and we’ll own this place by the end of the week.”

“Have you found any of the witches yet?”

“Not yet, I think they’re under identity spells too, that’s why I sent you here. They planted a mole, I had to plant my own. I promise you, my love, everything will come together.”

“Okay, Michael, I trust you.” You smiled warmly back at him, safe in the knowledge Michael knew what he was doing. He kissed you again, a haunting, lingering kiss that spoke all the words he’d wanted to say since he arrived and painstakingly pretended not to know you.

Suddenly, three pairs of heavy footfalls approached the chamber, startling Michael into action.

“That’ll be Venable with her backup. Baby, I have to go now but please, remember what we said. Keep your head down, forget we had this conversation and we’ll be back in the Sanctuary in no time.”

“Then good luck out there, baby. Look after yourself,” you sighed, arms falling against your restraints and accepting your punishment at the hands of Ms Venable was far from over. “I love you so much, Boy Wonder.”

As Michael reluctantly turned for the exit, he sighed.

“I love you, more than you will ever know.”

[fletchphoenix]

Start Of Something New

Hiya! Chapter 9! =) thank you for your support! Updates may slow down, as I am starting my last year of high school tomorrow! Woooo! But I hope you all enjoy this - sorry for the delay!

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Hugo gently kicked open the door to his new apartment, in his arms were the last of the cardboard boxes with various different labels containing his belongings. Well, he guessed it wasn’t JUST his new apartment anymore, his boyfriend following in behind him and setting a box aside before running to get some more from his dad’s car. Varian had more belongings from him - having taken multiple days to unload his stuff alone with much help from Quirin through this process. He still couldn’t believe how much of a titan Quirin was compared to his titular son, however Varian had said he took more after his mother, and something about Quirin having served in the military of Lunaris prior to settling down in Old Corona. It was a good enough explanation for Hugo, him just accepting it at this point and not to question anything to do with the past of Varian’s family whatsoever, especially not his Aunt Adira and Uncle Hector. That pair...they terrified him to say the least, immediately giving him the most intense shovel talk of his life as soon as he met them. A shiver ran down his spine at the memory, before proceeding to unpack his last remaining boxes.

  It was now July - scorching hot sun constantly pounding down onto his back without a care in the world as its heat relentlessly cursed Corona. The town was always abnormally sunny, but this? Now Hugo was almost positive the universe was actively trying to screw him over, like it had before he began dating Varian, of course. Speaking of the boy, they’d been together for six months by now and both boys decided that it was high time they moved in together. Hugo could only sneak in a select few times before Quirin had figured out what they were doing every night, and, as much as Varian’s dad trusted him, it was probably for the best that they moved in together. He just couldn’t bear to be away from the boy for too long - call it whatever you want, abandonment issues, a troubled childhood, whatever. He just wanted to make sure he was safe at all times and the only way he felt he could be sure was with the boy’s figure sleeping in his arms. What could he say, he was a fool in love, completely enamored with his boyfriend and falling in love all over again every time they met eyes.

  They’d managed to afford a better apartment than the old one, which was an absolute ripoff by the way, though he was really going to miss the place. It was paid for quite easily too - Varian having found a job that he had yet to disclose to his boyfriend, though he was sure it had something to do with alchemy, and Donella had given him quite a generous raise out of nowhere for his ‘hard work and dedication’, though he was sure it was so he could afford a better place. It was a beautiful place too, already feeling so much like them with framed photographs along the walls of their most precious memories, such as New Year’s Eve and that one time they went to the aquarium, oh! And when they took Yong to a theme park for the first time! A chuckle ripped from Hugo’s throat as he recalled Yong pulling Varian towards the biggest coaster in the park, begging for Varian to go on with him. His face was priceless, jaw dropped at the sheer height of the thing as Nuru and Hugo passed up the offer. Varian had held onto his hand for hours after that as he and Nuru cackled, Yong, who had the time of his life, was buzzing with excitement for the rest of the day. 

  Another picture recalled the time they’d gotten matching tattoos - a small test tube on his left wrist and a beaker on Varian’s right wrist. It was a wild day - Varian’s twentieth birthday, that is. They’d just been to the coffee shop, which had become a tradition between the two on a morning to commemorate what had brought them together, when Varian, out of nowhere, had just said he wanted to do it. Hugo blindly agreed to his boyfriend’s request without a second’s thought, the pair heading through the streets to Irene’s tattoo parlour where Irene happily obliged to their requests. What Hugo hadn’t anticipated was how painful it was going to be - his hand gripping his boyfriend’s in an iron grip as he desperately tried, and failed, to hold back his shouts and strings of curses at the jolts of pain running though his body. That was an interesting birthday for Varian - Hugo silently praying his twenty-first would be less agonizingly painful than March 24th. It was coming up on October 27th, so only a few months away. He shook the thoughts from his head as he took in the rest of their apartment.

 Along the hall were five doors leading off to different rooms, the first of which being a sitting room - decorated with the mass of green and blue furniture, a common theme throughout the apartment due to their fixations on the respective colours. They blended nicely together too, just like they did. Two couches sat in the room, one pressed against the wall with the glass coffee table from the old apartment in the centre on top of a teal rug. A TV sat on a separate table in the corner at a perfect angle so you could see it when sitting on either sofa (Varian had spent hours calculating the perfect angle, Hugo determining in a few minutes that if they put it in the corner, everyone could see it to which his boyfriend had to stubbornly agree that he was right). In the other corner, a cat tower sat for the fat bastard of a cat Ruddiger who would be living with them. He swore that the cat hated him - always interrupting whenever him and Varian were attempting to get...intimate. It was annoying, him resulting most nights to just shooing it out of the room and locking the door behind him.

  Adjacent to the living room’s entrance was the kitchen, the tiled floor causing a clicking noise whenever he stepped. Varian had a strict rule of no shoes in the house, to which Hugo mostly abided to, but not today as he’d been overworked and severely undercompensated by his boyfriend, much to his disappointment. ‘Back to the kitchen’ he thought, taking his mind off the MANY ways his boyfriend could make up for all the unnecessary hard work he had to do. It was, yet again, the second largest room in the house, lined with marble counters and sleek, black cupboards. It had felt extremely out of place at first, not merging in well with their blue and green aesthetics whatsoever, but they made it work, attempting to decorate by placing a clock on the wall, a coffee machine that Rapunzel had bought them and, at last, a toaster. That was the thing Hugo was most excited about if he was being honest - having his very own toaster! Along with the coffee machine, Rapunzel had gifted the pair a variety of customised cups, plates, bowls..you name it, they most definitely had one that Rapunzel had slaved over making for hours just for them. A sweet act from a sweet girl, Hugo muttered to himself and rubbed his wrist absentmindely, his goggles hanging round his neck swaying as he strolled out of the room.

  In a straight line from the door was the bathroom, the room housing a bath, shower, sink and toilet. A green mat was laid out on one half of the room, a blue mat meeting it in the middle and spreading out the rest of the way. Another notable article was the toothbrushes that sat in the cabinet above the sink, doubling as a mirror, with a green and blue toothbrush sitting beside each other in a glass cup. Hugo took a moment to check his appearance, fixing his ruffed up blonde hair, straightening his glasses and shooting some awkward finger guns at his reflection. He cringed for a second before heading back out into the hallway, making a sharp left and through a doorway to the next room.

  Ah, yes. His and Varian’s room - a mish-mash of the two boys’ decorative decisions and personal interests. A double bed sat in the middle of the room, the covers blue as it was Varian’s turn to have made the bed, with a bedside table on either side of the bed. His table consisted of a small lamp, the book he was currently making his way through (The Tales Of Flynnigan Rider, which Varian had begged him to read for months), a picture of his absolutely adorable boyfriend and his glasses case for when he slept. Also on his side of the room (which was the left, just for the record) sat an oak desk, a grey chair tucked under it, which had the laptop Donella had gifted him placed in it, along with a cup holding his pens and pencils. Papers were stacked up above the drawers and Olivia, in her cage, sat on the opposite side, chittering softly as she slept. A wardrobe sat on his side too, one that him and Varian both shared (Varian had taken a liking, it seemed, to stealing his clothes and keeping them), it painted cyan to fit both their favourite colours. 

  Varian’s side was a whole different story, having a bedside table and a desk, along with a guitar propped against the side of the desk. Research papers were littered over the desk, Hugo hastily moving over to set them into a neat pile in the centre of his desk beside his laptop. That was sure to score him a few kisses from the younger boy - he was sure of it! Also on his boyfriend’s side were a lot more photos and posters on the wall - some of people he recognised and many of people he didn’t. For example, the ginger haired woman in the middle of many of them who had a wide smile plastered onto her face, who he swore he’d seen before in Donella’s office, however he couldn’t put a name to the face no matter how hard he’d racked his memory. She was in many of them too, holding baby Varian in her arms and standing beside Quirin, or with Varian in what looked like a makeshift lab, holding a test tube in one hand and the small boy in the other, Varian cuddling the woman close to him. Very heartwarming, however Hugo assumed his boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate him snooping around his side of the room, so he quickly headed out and to the highlight of the whole apartment, picking up his box along the way. 

  Pushing open the door to the sight of the room was always just as exhilarating for Hugo as the first time he’d been able to - his eyes meeting their makeshift lab / workshop area where they could practice their crafts expertly. He adored the room, smiling as he made his way through and dumped his box onto the counter before unpacking it. It just seemed so...them to convert the unused bedroom into their own lab space, beakers and test tubes littering the surface with microscopes and Hugo’s own toolbox sitting flush against the wall for both boys to use. He didn’t have the resources to pursue alchemy before, but meeting Varian had given him the chance to begin his research and boy howdy, he loved it! The subject was so interesting, so many different experiments to be done with ways to do it...god, he loved the subject so much. He also loved the way the other boy’s eyes lit up as he rambled about the topic to seemingly no end, his adoration on full display. It was absolutely adorable, and it helped that the couple worked together like a well-oiled machine, seamlessly sliding past each other to grab metals, acids or anything else they may need without disrupting the research at hand. It was harmonic.

  Hours later, they’d finally finished the unpacking spree and slumped down onto the sofa in a tight embrace, Ruddiger obviously attempting to break it by scratching at Hugo’s ankles. Hugo paid him no mind, shaking his foot to ward the cat away as his boyfriend watched in amusement. “I swear to god, V, your cat hates me. He might as well be a raccoon with how much trash he eats-”

  “Maybe if you didn’t bully and make him insecure, he wouldn’t hate you!” V responded, scooping the...unrealistically fat cat into a loving embrace and nuzzling his nose against his face. “Is he making you insecure, my beautiful boy..? You’re so beautiful.” he cooed, and Hugo could swear the cat was giving him a smug glare, anger bubbling in his stomach at the fact that a goddamn cat was getting more attention than he was - A goddamn obese cat was getting more attention from the love of his life, who he’d completely dedicated himself to, than he was! He let out a frustrated grunt, looking away and glaring at the wall, not even noticing his folded arms and childish pout. Varian had to hold back a full-blown laughing fit at how his boyfriend was acting, slowly placing the cat back on the floor and leaning against him. “Hugh..you look like a four-year-old with a pout like that.”

  “So what if I do? That little..thing was grinning at me! Y’know, like the smug little bastard he is! I swear he’d plotting something!” he ranted as his boyfriend moved back into a lying position, taking Hugo’s collar in his hand and pulling him down too. It wasn’t until Varian’s legs had wrapped around his waist that Hugo had noticed the position they were in, a flush creeping onto his face. “Oh so this is my compensation?”

  “Yep.”

  “I..humbly accept.” He replied, leaning down and capturing the raven haired boy’s lips with his own, the other boy letting out a whine as Hugo’s teeth nipped at his bottom lip. They continued to kiss, lost in the moment with hips rocking against each other’s until Hugo suddenly jolted back. “FUCKING CAT SCRATCHED MY BACK!” he yelped, standing immediately and completely ruining the moment they were having. Varian’s glare redirected itself to Ruddiger who was, rather smugly, licking his paw and sitting on the cushions of the other couch.

  “How about we go to bed? It's been a long day.” He comforted, resting his hand on his boyfriend’s back and already guiding him to their room. ‘And we can lock the door’ he decided not to add as he kicked the door to their room shut, instantly locking it almost on instinct. Hugo, however, seemed disinterested in their previous activities, already changing into pyjamas, much to Varian’s disappointment, though he wouldn’t admit it. It was strange though, how Ruddiger didn’t trust Hugo and kept on scratching and attacking him at any given chance. Usually the cat was docile or disinterested in people, never outright hostile. Maybe it WAS jealousy...could cats even feel jealousy? Now that was something he was gonna be thinking about all night..he muttered as he grabbed some pyjamas from the closet and began to change.

  As he finished, he sat on the bed and Hugo’s arms wrapped around his waist to pull him into a close embrace, placing gentle kisses to the back of his head in his sleepy haze. Hugo was always lovelier when he was sleepy and when they were alone, the usual sarcastic front he put up dripping away to reveal the true nature of the boy that Varian loved so much. He could be such a gentleman if he put the effort in, like when he’d go out of his way to do the mini things for Varian, such as walking him to his classes or his tutoring job with Yong and Nuru in the library, always taking his time and slowing his pace specially for Varian to keep up with him. And the one time they’d danced together in the kitchen on the night of his birthday.

  “Hugo, I’ve never done this before.” Varian had whispered, the refrigerator light being the only light in the entire kitchen, yet it was enough to show the face of the smug boy standing in front of him. He looked so handsome though, Varian just wanting to kiss that stupid look off his face. He was bowed down, some song playing throughout the small apartment as he held out his hand expectantly to the other male.

  “Goggles, I’ve heard you sing. If you can do that, you’re gonna be a-okay with dancing. Just let me take the lead and keep your eyes on me, you got that?” he questioned, Varian responding with a nod and placing his hand in Hugo’s hesitantly. He was immediately pulled flush against his chest, hands wrapping around his waist as his were encouraged to wrap around the other boy’s neck. They swayed in time with the slow serenade that echoed from the living room, the dimming light being their only source of visibility. Varian didn’t care though, he was too busy staring into the eyes of Hugo, which Hugo staring back.

  The music had long since stopped by now, the two freezing with their limbs entangled before Hugo pressed his lips against his, this kiss feeling like no other they’d had before. It felt so genuine, and so raw, and so real. Like Hugo was truly letting down his guard and letting Varian know that he only held love and affection for the other. It wasn’t full of lust or underlying passion - just a sweet kiss between two boys in the kitchen at god knows what time in the morning. And it was simple divine.

  Varian’s lips tugged into a soft smile as he cuddled against the boy sleeping soundly behind him. That night, something new had blossomed between them. Of course they’d loved each other beforehand and they knew it, but on that night, they had wordlessly sealed their love for each other. In some ways he’d miss that old apartment purely for that memory and how perfectly cliche it was - two lovers dancing in the kitchen. It sounded like an old movie trope, right? But it was so much better than that for both of them.

  Varian turned in Hugo’s grasp to face the boy and rest his head against his chest, shutting his eyes and squeezing them shut. He wasn’t gonna let this boy go, not now, not ever. He loved him more than he could ever hope to describe, from the way he had remembered Varian’s coffee order and how it always specifically needed to be vanilla, to the way that they could just be dorks, jamming out to some songs in the lab, and the way he wasn’t afraid to show Varian just how committed he was to the boy. It was all so sweet. As he drifted off the sleep, he thought to himself…

  This is the start of something new, and something beautiful.

[persiistents]

⧼   madchen amick, cis female, she & her  /  soon you’ll get better - taylor swift +  A LOVING MOTHER. a mother who loves her children more than anything in the world. a mother who will do anything for her children, no questions asked. and yet, a mother who is not afraid to call her children out for their wrongs.  AN INDEPENDENT WOMAN. who started as an independent girl, always determined to do everything on her own, stubbornly refusing to admit she needed help. a girl who never wanted to do as she was told. and yet, grew into the young woman her parents had always wanted. who married and had children, and settled down. and never quite content with the housewife roll, continued to do exactly as she pleased. A CAREFULLY MAINTAINED APPEARANCE. not a single strand of blonde hair out of place. a pristine french manicure, not a single chip goes unfixed. a carefully curated wardrobe, each item hand-selected. a strand of pearls and an oversized fur coat. a closet of designer gowns and more shoes than one can count.   ⧽   ━━   hey, isn’t that HÉLÈNE GRAVES LEVESQUE? i read a daily prophet article on them, once ; the FIFTY year old pureblood WITCH is a BEAUXBATONS alumnus who has gone on to be a HOUSEWIFE DANCE INSTRUCTOR. i’ve heard they can be quite FERVENT & SOPHISTICATED, but i don’t know… they came off very ABRASIVE & DECEITFUL in that interview. it really is hard to know what to believe these days though, isn’t it?

meet hélène levesque:

mentions of abuse tw, mentions of abuse cw, mentions of death tw, mentions of death cw

about:

the oldest daughter of étienne and béatrice levesque, hélène has been strong willed and independent since the day she was born, a whole two weeks early. 

at her mother’s suggestion, hélène was enrolled in dance lessons at the age of three. her parents thought and hoped, it would help to settle her unruly spirit. and they were correct. 

from an early age hélène was instilled with the idea that one day she would marry a pureblood man from a respectful family and begin a family of their own. an idea which she romanticized as a young girl, resented as a teenager and grew to accept as an adult.

she was twenty years old when she first met the man who was to be her husband, an american named archibald graves. he was perfect in every single way and yet she found herself dreading their impending nuptials. but she did as she was told, what was expected of her and married this stranger.

and then on their wedding night, archibald revealed his plans for their future together. he had business opportunities in england and they would be relocating as soon as they returned from their honeymoon and that was that.

caught off guard by the news, hélène tried her best to hide her disappointment but it was clear she was upset. she spent the remainder of the honeymoon dreading their impending move, but she did it without protest, trusting her husband knew what was best.

adjusting to life in a foreign country wasn’t as hard as she thought, she had the close knit-nature of pureblood society to help her with that. and her mother, who helped with the move and stayed for the first month.

the couple spent the next couple of years integrating into the pureblooded society of england. whether it was their attendance at galas, or sending a gift for someone’s child’s birthday.

and then hélène learned she was pregnant with the couple’s first child and once again her life changed. suddenly, she was thinking and acting for two people instead of one. and she was terrified.

fortunately her pregnancy went smoothly, and she gave birth to a healthy baby boy who they named damien. she fell in love with him the second she laid eyes on him, her beautiful baby boy.

they would have a total of four children, whom hélène dotted on. though, her husband seemed to have other ideas about how their children should be raised, they reached a compromise of sorts. hélène got to dote on them as much as she wanted but they would be raised with their father’s beliefs.

and at first, there wasn’t any problem, but as the years passed and their children grew, hélène realized that maybe this wasn’t the way to be raising children. yet, it wasn’t until their oldest son ran away that she finally had enough.

she had recognized her husbands pattern of abuse and how it had drove damien away, and determined not to lose another child she left. it was less than amicable, but after six years they don’t have much to do with one another. the exception being rowan’s funeral which was something. -- see below for more on this

hélène had thought about returning to france after their divorce. but she quickly dismissed the idea as foolish, her children were in england and that’s where she would be. this led to her purchasing her own house (manor, lbr) and turning it into her dream home. 

it was her boredom that led her to reconnect with dance, and although she had fallen out of practice and was far past her prime she was happy. and eventually, she decided to offer lessons to the wix community. her primary focus being ballet, but she also taught ballroom dancing.

rowan’s death absolutely rattled hélène, i’m not sure how else to describe it. that was her baby, after all. she’s slowly getting back to her normal self, damien’s return has helped a lot but it’s been difficult.

fun facts:

if you hurt her children, she will hurt you. 

post divorce hélène has been very into trying new things/just doing things she never got to do growing up or during her marriage. this includes things such as flying, 

hélène would deny this if you brought it up, but she has definitely taken to mothering any younger wix that she’s encountered. this probably has something to do with what she considers her failures in raising her own children, but again she doesn’t talk about that !

has always been a huge patron of the arts, this is worth mentioning bc she just lvoes them so much !! 

she loves floral arrangements. she has a new one in her entry way at least once a week.

she loves scented candles like a lot 

i’m going to edit this later !! i just wanna get the basics out 

pinterest board: coming soon

playlist: coming soon

wanted connections: 

the remaining graves children (please see the main for the formal connection)

otherwise, i haven’t gotten around to actually writing up these wanted connections & submitting them to the main but these are some rough ideas!

her first friend in england! definitely pureblood, they would’ve met thirty years ago when hélène first moved to england !! i have this idea of them being the first person to truly make her feel welcome and they’ve stuck by each other through it all 

just other friends in general !! maybe a rival of sorts ?? 

a post divorce fling could be funky 

students !! hélène was a ballerina growing up and after her divorce she started to teach lessons !! her main focus is ballet but she also teaches ballroom dance classes !! 

friends from france !!

members of the levesque family !! i’ll definitely be working on a more detailed wanted connection but she had at least two sisters and a brother all of whom would be welcome as well as any nieces, nephews or niblings !! 

[craby-bouquet]

잠자리 - 2.3 : Roscid

I’m half living my life between reality and fantasy at all times.— Lady Gaga

~ Part 3 ~

Kwon Soonyoung x Female reader

Fantasy!AU, Romantic Comedy, Royal!AU

4k words

Masterlist | Seventeen masterlist  |  잠자리 masterlist

1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 3.1

You were pacing around the hallway in front of Oberon’s work room, waiting for Soonyoung to come back out. The both of you had been summoned shortly after you finished eating breakfast, and you were sure it was about him sleeping in your bed. You wondered what was happening behind the closed door, what they were saying. What if Soonyoung really was in big trouble? What if he was taken away from you? 

The door opened and Soonyoung, with his eyes turned to the ground, came walking out.

“How’d it go?” you asked eagerly.

He turned his eyes to you, they stood empty, a hint of sadness, then he smiled “He wants you to go in. You’ll be fine.”

You nodded, still worried about everything that could possibly happen, but you did walk in slowly. You closed the door behind you and turned around to see the king sitting behind his desk, he stood up when he saw you.

“You look lovely.” he complimented you.

After breakfast another maid had come in to help you get into a complicated dress. You got to choose which dress you wanted to wear today and after stepping into your ridiculously large wardrobe, you decided to pick the most simple dress you could see. Dresses weren’t your thing, especially not big evening dresses. This soft pink dress had a simple jewel neckline and butterfly sleeves, the top reached until your hips before it flared out into layers of tulle that reached until just above your ankles. You felt silly, wearing a dress like this. If you were to wear this back home, people would call you crazy.

“Thank you.”

He smiled and nodded “You looked kind of out of place yesterday, in the outfit you wore then. You now truly look like you belong here.”

You nodded, not sure what to say.

He sighed and gestured you to sit down on the other side of the desk. You did as he commanded and sat across from him. 

He folded his hands on the table “I think you know what this is about?”

You nodded. You couldn’t be sure, but you sure had a feeling.

“Soonyoung told me about how you have trouble sleeping in places you don’t know, and that’s why you asked him to stay.” 

For a second, you frowned. That wasn’t necessarily true, you didn’t have trouble sleeping anywhere. But then it dawned on you what Soonyoung did.

“That’s right, yeah.” You said softly, as if it was something you were ashamed off.

Oberon smiled relieved “Why didn’t you just tell me? We could have taken care of that.”

You shrugged. Why did you not tell him? “I didn’t want to bother you.”

He gently rested his hand on your shoulder and looked you in the eye, his eyes were soft, loving “You’re never a bother. Now let’s see what we can do to fix that.” He thought for a little, humming as he searched for an idea.

“We could put an extra bed in your room, so Soonyoung could stay with you? Or maybe he could just sleep on a couch…”

You wiggled your toes under the table, and bit your lip “I actually felt really safe with him sleeping next to me…” You said softly, hoping that wouldn’t make him angry or something. But that was the truth. You felt unsafe in your room, something just… wasn’t right. And Soonyoung being next to you made you feel so much safer.

Oberon didn’t get angry, but he did seem like he had to really think about that, like that hurt his brain. He sighed, “A princess cannot sleep in the same bed as her guard. It’s just… inappropriate...”

You didn’t say anything, just looked down at your hands on your lap.

“But you feel safe with him- and I’m glad about that, because that is the whole reason why he became your guard. So who am I to say he can’t sleep in your bed. As long as you keep it appropriate.”

You laughed, genuinely happy “Of course. Thank you so much.”

He was happy to see you laugh, to hear you laugh, for the first time in person. 

You jumped up, trying to dim down your happiness before he would change his mind or something.

“One more thing,” He said before you could leave, “The maid told you about lunch, right?”

You nodded “Yes. She said something came up, so you had to change the schedule.”

He nodded, “Alright. Well, I just want you to know there’s nothing you have to worry about.”

You hadn’t worried about it until he told you you shouldn’t worry. Something about the way he said it alarmed you. But you forced a smile anyway, reassuring him you weren’t worried.

Soonyoung was happy to hear the two of you weren’t in trouble. Apparently Oberon had been quite harsh with him, but he was glad to hear he hadn’t yelled at you. 

Lunch with the king was awkward, you saw more similarities between the two of you, and you were glad to see you had things in common, but things were still kind of… weird. You both didn’t know each other and trying to get to know each other was quite hard if there were so many guards standing in the room with you. Talking freely didn’t seem like an option considering there were more people who’d listen along.

After lunch you both stood up, Soonyoung rushed to your side immediately. 

“Maybe you could show me around the castle,” you tried to find something to call him, “highness.”

The king smiled, happy that you wanted to spend more time with him “I would love to, however, I have business to attend to. My sincerest apologies. Maybe master Soonyoung could show you around?”  

You were surprised by how upset you were by the fact he once again didn’t have time for you, but you forced a smile and nodded. What he had to do was probably really important.

“But I cleared out my calendar for tomorrow after noon, maybe we could spend some time together then? Walk through the garden or something, maybe check out town?”

You nodded “I would like that.”

Oberon smiled, and walked away without saying anything else. Your shoulders dropped the moment the big door closed behind him.

Soonyoung pushed your shoulder, you had to change your stance in order to hold your balance. But he managed to make you laugh. 

“Let’s go. I know just where to start our tour.”

You rolled your eyes “The kitchen?”

His eyes lit up as he smirked “You know me so well.”

The castle was truly gorgeous, totally like a fairytale castle but filled with plants and flowers of all kind. Growing on the walls and ceiling, sometimes even covering the ground. It was huge, and you expected to get lost here more than a few times, but you felt safe. Which was… odd, considering you didn’t even feel safe in your own room. Maybe you really did have trouble sleeping in new places.

Just thinking about wandering through those long halls again, made butterflies flutter through your stomach. And you got that chance the next day, on your way to Oberon for your walk through the garden, the only place Soonyoung didn’t show you during your tour. 

This time. you told Soonyoung you wanted to try finding Oberon’s room by yourself. You had been there before so you were sure you must be able to find it again. Oh, how wrong you were. 

You had been walking the halls for ages, yet you hadn’t come any bit closer to your destination. They really should put signs in these confusing halls. The sense of security you had had the day before had melted as snow, and you were quite positive you were lost. Well, you were completely sure.

The weirdest part was that there was no staff to be seen anywhere. You had no idea how castles work, of course, but you always thought there was staff everywhere.

But then you heard hurried, high-heeled footsteps coming your way, and a honey sweet women’s voice mumbling to herself. She didn’t sound happy, like she was angry with someone. When she came around the corner, your breath got stuck in your throat.

She was the most gorgeous woman you had ever seen. Her long, blonde hair was dancing all around her, some jewel hanging from it to her forehead. She wore a gorgeous, simple, cornflower blue dress that seemed to be fitted just for her, with a lace shawl hanging from her shoulders. Her face was like that of a model, like she had just walked away from a photoshoot. 

She stopped and frowned when she saw you.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here?” The fact that she seemed annoyed completely got lost in how pretty her voice sounded. 

You bowed in reflex, but she waved it away “Yes, fine. Aren’t you supposed to be cleaning or something, maid?” 

She thought you were a maid..? You looked down at the dress you picked today, it definitely didn’t remind you of something a maid would wear.

She followed your eyes to your dress, and suddenly seemed to realize something, her eyes almost pressed shut, “You’re his daughter, aren’t you?”

You were sure she meant king Oberon, so you nodded hurriedly. 

Her expression changed suddenly, her eyes kind, her body less stiff, as she walked up to you and embraced you. You just stood there, letting her hug you tightly, not knowing how to act.

“You should have said so! Silly girl.” Her laugh was enchanting, “I’m queen Titania.” 

You had figured that. You bowed again “It is a pleasure to meet you, your highness.”

She waved your words away, “I’m sure it is, but don’t be silly, you don’t have to act all formal to me, we’re family!” 

That last word caught you off guard. She was right, she was your father’s wife, you just hadn’t thought about it like that yet.

“I wanted to meet you so badly, but my husband didn’t let me. I suppose he wanted your sweet face all to himself.” She playfully touched your nose with her index finger, “I tried to tell him that was ridiculous, I was sure you would want to meet me. I’m so glad we meet at last.”

You smiled “I’m glad too.” 

“Ah! You’re so sweet. Are you on your way to your dad?” 

The way she called him your dad so easily, sounded strange to you. You hadn’t thought of him as a ‘dad’ until now, the word sounded so far away. You nodded, however, knowing she meant well.

She looked around, with a strange expression, “Then, what are you doing here? This isn’t even close to his office.”

You bit your lip “I got lost.”

She seemed to enjoy that, but got herself together very quickly, “Don’t worry, I got lost when I first got here, too. Do you need me to show you the way? I just came back from his office, so…” 

“I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” 

She put her hand in the small of your back, and pushed gently to get you to walk along with her, “Oh, that’s no problem whatsoever! I would love to spend this time together, we need to bond too, you know. I sort of am your mother now.” She started talking as you walked down the hallway.

What did she mean by being your mother? She wasn’t anything like your mother. 

“In this world I am, anyway. Your mom’s husband is your dad, right? So then your father’s wife must be your mom. And since I am that wife.” When she saw your conflicted face, her expression changed, “Oh but don’t worry, I don’t expect you to treat me like a mother, I would just like to do some bonding. Do some girl stuff together.” She winked.

You nodded, she seemed more eager to spend time with you than Oberon. You didn’t understand why the fairies and Robin Goodfellow called her difficult, she seemed lovely to you.

She talked the entire way, you were pretty sure that, even if you tried, you wouldn’t get a chance to talk at all. You didn’t mind though, she was cheerful and nice, and filled the silence of the empty halls. There were some maid’s here and there, but they only bowed, didn’t say anything and didn’t look either of you in the eye. Titania didn’t react to them at all, ected like they didn’t exist.

You recognized the door you stopped in front of as Oberon’s office. Titania smiled down at you “Here we are. Oh and maybe put in a good word for me, if you don’t mind.” She winked. 

You smiled back at her before knocking on the door.

“Come in.” Your father’s voice said on the other side. Once the door opened, he seemed to notice Titania, who waved at him with a devilish face, something you didn't see, and glared angrily at her. 

He stood up to welcome you as the door closed, and gestured you to sit.

“I see you met Titania…” he carefully started, trying to look nonchalant, but clearly bothered. 

You nodded “I did, she seems lovely.” 

He scoffed, “She’s a good actress.”

“She was nice to me.” You said defensively. 

“I’m sure she was.” Still mockingly, “She just came from my office, where I told her to leave you alone. Yet she pulls this, completely ignoring my order. I’m truly glad she was good to you, but don’t think she’s a saint.”

“I didn’t. She was just being nice is all.” You couldn’t believe he could talk like that about his own wife. It disappointed you.

He sighed, touching the bridge of his nose, “I know, I know. She is a nice lady, she just never… listens.” He sighed once more, before lifting his head to smile at you, “Anyway, we need not worry about her today. We’re going to have fun.”

He folded his hands on the desk in front of him "I just finished my paperwork, so you arrived at a perfect timing." He smiled sweetly, for the first time since you were here he seemed to drop the whole king attitude "So, what do you wanna do? Go to the garden? Go into town?"

You made a thoughtful sound, you hadn't really thought about it but it was an easy decision "I have only seen a snippet of the garden, I would love to see more."

He stood up excitedly "Well, let us go then."

The afternoon was lovely, it was great talking to Oberon as your father, telling him about yourself, him asking questions. And you were also happy you got to know him, how much you had in common, a thing you were always bothered by with your father at home whom you had nothing in common with. It felt strange, insane and unreal. 

It was way easier to bond and talk when there weren't guards around everywhere. Yeah, there were guards in the gardens, but way less, and they were kind of out of sight. You felt more free.

The garden was just as beautiful as the inside of the castle, truly a masterpiece, as if you were living inside a painting. It seemed like it couldn't possibly be real.

All in all, you had a good time. And you finally felt like you actually got a chance to bond with the man who was supposed to be your father. And you actually had fun.

Soonyoung was laying on your bed as you came back to your room, he was just staring up at the ceiling.

“You good?” you asked with a big smile on your face and one eyebrow raised.

His face turned to you with a smile “Yup.”

You sat down beside him, petting his hair gently as you chuckled.

“Did you have fun with Oberon?” He asked.

You nodded “Surprisingly, yes.”

He frowned “Surprisingly?”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect beforehand…” You bit your lip, “But I liked hanging out with him and getting to know him.” 

His smile grew wider as he turned his gaze back to the ceiling “Good.”

You laid down as well, holding onto his arm and as you, too, looked up at the ceiling. There was nothing to see but some plants with pretty flowers.The room still felt weird, unsafe. It made you uncomfortable and scared in a weird way. You tried ignoring it, blaming it on you not being used to it, but you were almost sure that wasn’t all. Something was wrong.

“What did you do in my absence? Have you looked up at the ceiling the whole time?” you tried to get your mind off the weird feeling.

Soonyoung laughed “Nope, that’s only the past half hour. I was at my parents.”

Your eyes grew wide “Really? That’s Amazing!”

He nodded “I hadn’t seen them in a while so it was fun.” 

You couldn’t help but smile at how happy he looked “I’m glad.”

He grabbed something he was laying on and held it up to you “Here.”

It was a stuffed animal snake. You took it from him, laughing “What..?” 

Soonyoung shrugged “I promised you I’d show you my plushie.”

You laughed loudly as you threw your arms around the boy beside you, snake plushie still in your hand as you blew softly in his neck, making him chuckle.

“I love it, it’s really cute.” 

He raised an eyebrow, his face stood devious, you knew he was gonna make a corny joke “So you think I’m cute..?” 

“Yep.” You responded without hesitation, which clearly wasn’t the response he expected to get from you. You could see his eyes finding something to say back, but he didn’t seem to be able to. After a little while he just gave in and sat up.

“Did you have dinner yet?” 

You nodded, as you also sat up “Yes I did.” with Oberon, it was just there, in the dining room, as you got back from your walk. And the dinner wasn’t awkward at all, unlike the other day “Have you?”

He nodded too, “My mom made me my favorite.” 

That made you smile, you were happy he got to see his parents. You couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for him to be away so long, watching over you. In a weird way, it made you feel kind of guilty. He left them to take care of you.

He stood up and walked over to the door "I'm going to put on my pyjamas, take care of Hoshi for me, please." He winked.

You held the snake plus his up and frowned "You named it Hoshi?"

"Yup. See ya in a sec, highness." He winked before closing the door behind him. You decided this would be a good time for you to change into you pyjamas, too. You gently put Hoshi on the bed, shaking you head with a big smile on your face as you thought of Soonyoung. 

Shortly after you put your nightgown on, there was a knock on the door and a yawning Soonyoung walked in "I'm so tired!" He exclaimed as he ran to the bed and jumped on it, burying himself between the pillows and the blanket "I'll miss this bed when we go home…"

You jumped beside him, not noticing Hoshi falling off the bed "When are we going back?"

Soonyoung sighed and turned around to look at you "Tomorrow evening. It's quite a journey back so prepare yourself."

You nodded as you laid down, holding Soonyoung's hand in yours. 

He looked around "Where's Hoshi?"

You frowned and sat up, looking around also, you saw a white, fluffy tail stick out from under the bed.

"It must have falling as I laid down, let me get it." You bend forward to get the snake from under the bed, but to your surprise it wasn't the only thing there. You frowned as you looked at the rat, looking back at you. You didn't think they'd have those here.

"Everything okay?" Soonyoung asked chuckling.

"Yeah. I got him. There's a rat here, too."

Soonyoung fell silent for a little while "Are you sure." His voice changed, it wasn't as cheerful and loving as you were used to. Instead it was cold, and stern.

You nodded as you got back up, plushie in your hand "Yeah." 

Soonyoung's eyes seemed kind of panicked, as if they were trying to decide what to do, how to react. And then he jumped off the bed.

"Highness, I need you to get Robin Goodfellow and Oberon. Tell them about the rat."

You frowned, confused "...wha-?"

His eyes turned even more stern, demanding even "Now. This is very important. Tell them I'm catching the rat. Go!"

Then he turned into a snake, and disappeared beneath the bed.

The urgency in his eyes got you scared, made you run to the door and into the hallway. Hoshi clamed between you arm.

Masterlist | Seventeen masterlist  |  잠자리 masterlist

1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 |  2.4 | 3.1

[coll2mitts]

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

Thanks to the awesome people who donated to Extra Life (you still can, btw!)  y'all will now be treated to a retrospective on the 1993 classic movie, Super Mario Bros.  When I took on this milestone, the first (and only) person I messaged for ideas on terrible (but wonderful) films based on video games was my friend Max, who has a history of viewing and talking about bad movies.  He suggested this, and while I was aware of this magnificent piece of cinema history, I had not had the pleasure of viewing it myself.  He hooked me up with a copy, and to say this film lived up to my expectations would be an understatement.

I couldn’t help but be charmed by this movie.  It is filled with so many questionable creative choices that were fucking ridiculous.  Mario and Luigi not being blood related?  Sure.  Cheesy Italian accents replaced with a New York ones?  Yeah, why not?  Having all the enemies in Super Mario Bros. be canonically dinosaurs?  I mean... It's a choice informed by the great media dino wave of 1993, but whatever.  Yoshi is a dinosaur, if we want to extend that to goombas and Koopa for whatever reason, I'm down.  Having these dinosaurs live underneath New York City in a parallel dimension?  It's based on a video game, why the fuck not?  Everything is so goddamn bonkers.

The opening credits roll, and we’re told that 65 million years ago, a meteor created said underground parallel universe dinosaur land.  We witness a human-looking woman, who is really a dinosaur, leaving an egg baby on a church doorstep.  Don’t think about it too hard, the logistics of a human giving birth to an egg that size are just... it’s gross to think about.

We’re then introduced to the titular characters, Mario Mario and Luigi Mario.  Yes, their last names are Mario.  Making them the Mario brothers.  Because this movie is interested in answering the important questions.  Mario is the owner of a failing plumbing business, while Luigi is a conspiracy theorist who would have really enjoyed modern-day YouTube.

While they’re out trying to find work, they run into Miss Amy March herself, Daisy, who is an archeologist in charge of digging up dinosaur bones from a New York City construction site.  She’s being forced off the property by the mob, who apparently are annoyed that a blonde lady in cargo shorts is coming between them and whatever the fuck they’re building.  

They try and intimidate her, she storms off to use a payphone to call for security, and is almost picked up by two inconspicuous bozos in a cab who apparently are stealing Brooklyn women off the street for no reason.  Their plan is quickly thwarted by a random moving pane of glass.

Instead, Daisy runs right into Luigi, who forgets how to human once he sees her pretty face.  He asks her on a date, where she reveals even more exposition.  She believes the meteor that destroyed the dinosaurs landed in New York City.  Oh, and also, she’s the abandoned egg baby.  Luigi is also an orphan, and this shared trauma apparently gets them both hot and bothered.  They wander off to the dig site, because an underground pit attached to a sewer is so romantic, and it is also where Daisy feels the most comfortable.

What if we made out at the bone pit?

Their touching moment is cut short when the mob sabotages the plumbing in the sewer and water starts flooding the area.  They run to get Mario, because he is a plumber, to fix the pipes, which is so fucking clutch, I love it so much.

While the Mario brothers are distracted, Daisy is captured by the weirdo twins and dragged into the alternate dinosaur universe.  Mario and Luigi follow, and we’re treated to the most fucking amazing transition scene of Bob Hoskins spinning wildly through colorful rocks.

Turns out, parallel dinosaur world, or Dinohattan, is fucking lit as hell.  I am convinced that Futurama based their sewer city on this movie.

King Koopa, who is a dinosaur with badly bleached hair gelled back in an effort to look like Michael Douglas in Wall Street, has taken over Dinohattan.  He is the one who asked the goons to kidnap Daisy, because of the tacky crystal necklace she wears.  Apparently, it is a piece of the meteorite that crashed into earth, and once he puts the piece back into the original space rock, the dinosaur world will merge with the mammal world after 65 million years of his people being sequestered underground, and Koopa will have endless resources at his disposal.  Also, Daisy is a princess, and her dad is a giant fungus taking over the city, so that’s totally normal and not at all weird.

Problem is, the two idiots he sent to grab her didn’t think to check if she was wearing the necklace.  Turns out, Luigi has the necklace, or had the necklace, as they are quickly mugged by a granny, who is then robbed by a lady with a bright red spiky latex coat and springy robot feet.  The brothers are then arrested by the dinocops and are grilled by Koopa for the whereabouts of the rock.  When they play dumb he uh... reacts in a proportionate way.

I am not even going to attempt to explain the devo process...  It is a combination of insane and fucking disgusting.  Whoever in the costuming department looked at the cute fucking mushroom Goombas in the video game and decided to translate them into this scaly, jagged-teethed nightmare fuel deserves to be committed.

Also, there’s only one lizard king, and that’s Jim Morrison, so back off, buddy.

What is hilarious to me is this is the story the screenwriters came up with.  Super Mario, as a video game, doesn’t have much lore, right?  You slide down pipes, you jump on mushrooms, and you save the princess from a spiky turtle.  They took that game and created... This.  A parallel underground dinosaur universe that has a sentient fungus as a king, taken over by a human-like t-rex that devolves other lizards into tiny-headed night paralysis demons.

The middle of this movie alternates between a slog of expositional scenes about Daisy being a princess, and pretty entertaining action scenes of the Mario brothers running from Goombas while trying to find and save Daisy.  Mario and Luigi steal a cop car and drive it off a cliff Thelma and Louise-style; They cosplay as Ketchup and Mustard to steal the necklace back from Big Burtha while asking her to stomp on them; They jump off a bridge into a garbage truck; They break the pipes in Koopa’s building to freeze everything, and get past an elevator full of Goombas by making them dance.

Watching Daisy damsel-in-distress-it in Koopa’s high rise office building and fend off advances by a long-tongued dude who devolved her father into a mushroom was pretty boring and disturbing.  Alternatively, witnessing Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo pretend to jump on giant sheets of fungus really sold this movie for me.  It succeeds when it tries to be ridiculous and fun, and fall flat when it attempts to integrate any sort of drama that I’m assuming was added to make this story more appealing to adults.

Mario and Luigi eventually find Daisy, and she introduces them to her father - a giant dripping blob suspended from the ceiling.  Luigi wants in her pants badly enough that he pretends this is a reasonable thing to do.  Mario heads further into the building to free the other ladies kidnapped by tweedle dee and tweedle dum that they initially thought were Daisy, but weren’t.  The newly assembled group are able to escape by sliding down the frozen pipes on a mattress before they are green-screen launched out of the pipe and back into the greater Dinohattan area.

The amount of times Mario and Luigi use their plumbing skills to overcome obstacles may be my favorite part of this movie.  The plot goes out of its way to justify a really bizarre character trait for the original game.

Anyway, the end of this movie comes at you fast.  First, the sentient fungus king gives Mario and Luigi a bomb, and they decide to wind it up and aim it at Koopa.  This takes about 10 minutes of screen time to matter again.

Koopa’s second-in-command tries to merge Daisy’s stolen necklace with the meteor, and instead gets skeletoned to bits, prompting the best line delivery reaction from Daisy, a deadpan “Yikes”.

Because the necklace has now been returned to its resting place, the worlds start to merge Infinity War style.

“Mr. Koopa, I don’t feel so good.”

Koopa and Mario end up back in Manhattan, and Koopa just starts shooting his devo guns at human mobsters, turning them back into primates, and giving their wardrobe a whole new literal definition of monkey suit.

Luigi uses his super plumbing powers to drill the necklace back out of the meteor, separating the worlds again.  The bomb finally goes off, they devo Koopa into slime, and the citizens celebrate by immediately painting over his ever-prevalent propaganda.

The king evolves back into a mushroom person or something, and Daisy stays in Dinohattan to get to know her father better.  Mario and Luigi return to their lives in Brooklyn as plumbers, and their heroic acts make them conspiracy community famous, as they now refer to our heroes as the Super Mario Brothers.  Roll Credits.

Except not, because Daisy returns to ask for the help of a couple of great plumbers, setting up a sequel that will never, ever happen because there is no god and we’re not allowed to feel joy.

Honestly, Super Mario Bros. is great.  It owned every bold plot and visual choice it made, and I have to respect it.  I could listen to John Leguizamo say Mario like 700 more times.  Y’all are missing out if you think you’re too cool to watch this movie.

I’ll be back to musical reviews later this month.  I have a few seasonally appropriate movies in my big red sack waiting to be placed under the tree...  Yes, I meant to phrase it that way.

[hitbythunder]

The Roll of Thunder -2

A Thor x Reader and later some Loki x Reader story

Summary: After Frigga’s and Loki’s deaths, Thor struggles with his grief and blames himself for the loss. Barely able to manage his emotions, the god helps the other heros on Earth so that he can stay away from Asgard - a place which only reminds him of his pain. When the team acquires a golden sphere from a mission, however, Thor is forced to deal with his past. She has black hair, pale skin and a pair of emerald eyes which haunt the god in his dreams. Could she be Loki?

Warnings: non-con in later chapters

~º*º*º~

Loki? No, this is impossible. Loki died in my arms over a year ago!

But the woman in front of him looked very similar to the God of Mischief and Thor furrowed his brows while he tried to make sense of all that, of the chaos in his mind. Maybe it was one of Loki's tricks? One that had survived it's creator, or someone else entirely had set this up to inflict the pain in his chest. This woman, this creature, should not exist, being an abomination in his eyes and above all it reeked of mischief and deceit. Suddenly, Thor's rage was boiling inside him again, stronger than before and in his blind fury he quickly strode forward, the floor vibrating at his heavy footfall.

“Can you speak?” Bruce asked her but received no answer because when she saw the Thunderer approaching her with large steps, her eyes stayed glued to him and she shrank back in fear. But Thor did not halt despite her reaction and thus she frantically crawled backwards until she hit the metal table at the end of the room. With her knees drawn close to her chest she stared up at the giant of a man looming above her. Thor warily eyed the small shivering form at his feet, how her green eyes showed nothing but horror and fear, the black pupils merely tiny dots, and he was pleased by the sight.

Yes, fear me as I am the last thing you shall ever behold! Thor thought to himself and lifted Mjolnir to end this miserable creature's life. Her pale face became white as the wall behind her and she raised her arms in defense but she didn't avert her gaze from the furious Thunderer, emerald green eyes staring into his piercing blue orbs which unnerved him even more. Enough! I won't bare it any longer!

Thor's grip on the hammer tightened and he was about to summon his lightning when Natasha launched herself in front of him, covering the smaller woman protectively.

“Stop this insanity at once!” she hissed and glared at the god, ready to face his wrath if need be. But Thor would never hurt one of his friends, especially not Natasha whom he respected for her honed skills. “Get out of my way.” Thor's voice was merely a low rumble in his chest, but the Black Widow was unimpressed by his threatening. When she realized what the Thunderer had in mind she just acted without much thinking. It was crystal clear to her that she needed to protect the other woman because Natasha had experienced a similar deadly terror herself when she was trained to be an assassin. Most of the memories of that particular time were locked away by her mind because they are to painful and horrible to recall. But the helpless small woman had reminded her exactly of that period of Natasha's life and so there was no way she would let Thor pass.

“If you want to proceed you will have to kill me first. So don't you dare to try to harm her again.” she hissed and Thor knew she was deadly serious about it. Thus he slowly brought the hammer down and narrowed his eyes slightly at the red-head. Being still angry he did not step away from the two females and hesitantly Natasha turned and knelt down beside the frightened woman. “It's ok now, he won't hurt you.” she whispered sweetly and quickly took off her long dark-brown cardigan to wrap the smaller female up and cover her nakedness in front of the men present. The strange woman seemed surprised at the gesture and looked at her savior in confusion. “Come!” Natasha urged her to stand up and held her from both sides to steady her because her whole body was trembling in fear. “What are you doing?” Steve asked, earning himself a 'stupid question' -look from the red-head while she led the woman towards the elevator, her emerald eyes warily watching Thor as they passed him. “I'm going to tend to her, like we should have from the start and see that she feels better. You have any free guest room left, Tony?” “Two floors up, right next to yours. But don't get that slime onto my furniture!” Tony's retort caused the Widow to turn her head and give him the most horrid death-glare he had ever received. The cold shiver running down his spine made Tony freeze in place momentarily and only when the elevator's doors were closed did he move again.

“Guess I know why she's been called the 'Black Widow'... “ he murmured while Steve walked over to Thor who glared intently at the remnants of the sphere.

“Uhm, Thor? … What was that about? You wouldn't have killed her, would you?” Steve asked but again the god maintained his silence. “Well, I think it's for the best if we all get some sleep. She doesn't seem to be dangerous and Natasha is keeping an eye on that woman. Besides, there's nothing we can do right now and tomorrow we will make a fresh start.” Bruce finally replied and gestured for the others to follow him to the elevator, which they all did willingly. “Yeah, maybe she will talk to us and explain herself.” Steve added while Clint and Tony yawned behind him.

“Time to get my beauty-sleep!” Tony said and noted that the big blonde was missing, then his gaze fell upon the open balcony door. Whenever Thor was angered or simply pissed off, he left the tower for several hours, flying around and bringing rain. Tony understood that a man needed some space but this time he wondered what Thor would have done if Natasha hadn't stopped him. Honestly, the thought that Thor would kill her had never crossed Tony's mind, even when he saw how the god raised his mighty hammer.

No, he wouldn't have done that, he's a good guy... After the shower, Natasha guided the female towards her room but then decided it would be wiser to share a room for the first night. So she arranged some pillows and blankets on the cozy couch in her own room and was content to see the small woman smile slightly when she lay down and nuzzled into the pillow. “Like a little kitten.” Natasha chuckled and tucked her up, the sparkling emerald eyes watching her every move. Of course she was wary, Natasha knew all to well that trust is something to be earned but given some time she was sure that the woman would warm up to her. Yawning Natasha walked over to her bed and put the black gun out of her nightstand and under her pillow, just in case. When she heard the faint noise of slow breathing she turned and beheld the female sleeping calmly, her chest heaving steadily and her expressions relaxed. Curled up like that she truly looked like an innocent kitten and Natasha doubted that she could be a danger to someone. Don't worry, kitten, I will protect you. *** The next day, every one rose rather late because of the night's endeavor and Thor had no intentions to meet any of the Avengers or the strange creature soon. Additionally, his little late night flight around the blocks to soothe his temper had drained him too. Thus he rolled over in bed and pulled the blanket over his head when he heard some talking outside his room. But even in his sleep he was haunted by a pair of emerald green eyes.

“Good morning, kitten.” Natasha said to her new roommate, who sat up and rubbed her eyes lazily while Natasha got dressed – black jeans combined with a ruby woolen pullover. Then she rummaged in her wardrobe in search for some fitting clothes for her guest and decided that she would need to buy some new ones. “Here, they will probably be a little too large but they should do it for now.” she finally said, holding up some grey sweatpants and a black shirt. and walked over to the woman to help dressing her. Luckily the silent female complied without a struggle but insisted on wearing the dark-brown cardigan on top. When they were finished Natasha took her by the hand and led the smaller one outside towards the kitchen area. The other members of the team were already up and about, Bruce made his famous pancakes while Tony managed the coffee and Steve chatted with Clint at the dining table. They all paused and looked over when the two women emerged from the hallway.

“Good morning guys!” Natasha cheered to successfully break the uncomfortable silence and led the female over to the table. “Morning. Any troubles during the night?” Steve asked when the two women sat down between him and Clint. Clad in this loose fitting clothes, her black hair combed and hanging loosely down her shoulders, the strange woman looked quite normal and one could easily forget that she came out of a golden metal sphere, covered in slime. Actually, the longer Steve observed their guest, the less he thought of her as a danger and decided to show his best manners. She was a lady after all. “Everything was fine, she slept like a baby.” Natasha replied while Tony put a cup of coffee in front of her and Bruce brought the pancakes. They smelled delicious and the female leaned cautiously closer to inhale their sweet rich scent, observed amazed yet amused by the Avengers. “Did you two snuggle up under the blanket?” Tony asked, a wicked smirk plastered across his face and Clint chuckled at this dirty indication, Steve just rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Tony.” Natasha retorted and divided the pancakes among them. “I suppose she hasn't said anything yet, am I right?” Bruce was curious to know more about the woman but was wise enough not to push the matter too much. “Not a word, but that will come in time, right kitten?” The red-head replied and gently put her hand on the other woman's shoulder who smiled shyly in return. “'Kitten', is she your pet now?” Tony quipped, not believing his ears. “I mean, not that I'm surprised, you two surely look great in bed.” he added and winked at the Widow, imagining the two woman rubbing against each other nakedly until a slap on the back of his head from Clint woke him from his daydream.

“This whole situation must be handled with great care as we don't know what she is capable of. We shouldn't rush things but keep an eye on her. Maybe we can run some simple health-tests later, just to check the basics.” Bruce was very diplomatic and tried not to sound too eager to analyze the female but he doubted that she was all human. Natasha pondered over the scientist's words and finally nodded slowly, accepting that they had to gather information somehow. “Ok, but not without me.”

Breakfast – or rather brunch as it was almost midday – continued peacefully and while the Avengers chatted casually, the female seemed to relax and accommodate to their presence, her vivid eyes scanning the room and observing each of the team members curiously. That was until the Norse god joined them, stumping loudly into the room with a grim and tired face. The Kitten shrank back on her chair, trying to become as small and invisible as possible when Thor's gaze roamed over her but luckily he just grabbed a large cup of coffee and leaned against the kitchen counter, far away from the strange creature. Although he avoided looking at her and mostly talked to Steve and Tony at the other end of the table, Thor could feel the green eyes watching him and he played with the thought of moving abruptly just to scare her again. But that would enrage the over-protective Widow and the blonde was too tired to deal with that now.

*** “Ok, this should be enough for today. Now we have to wait for the results.” Bruce exclaimed happily and removed the sensors from the Kitten's arms and forehead while Tony managed the new data with his AI. “She's very calm, I think she realized that we mean her no harm.” “Tell that our Norse meathead.” Natasha was still furious with the god and his behavior. “Yeah, he frightened the living daylights out of her and I doubt they will ever warm up to each other after that fiasco.” Tony walked over to the others and stood right in front of the female who sat on the large metal table. “But she does look like Reindeer Games...except for the hairstyle.” In contrast to the Trickster, the Kitten's black hair wasn't combed back, instead several thin strands framed her pretty face. But she had the same mesmerizing green eyes and a pale complexion. “Maybe she's the good twin no one knows about?” Tony added and Bruce chuckled in amusement. “Then hopefully we find yours too!”

“Very funny...” “Alright, if we're done here I will take her shopping. She's in dire need for clothes.” Natasha said and motioned for the Kitten to follow her. “Wait, you wanna go outside with her?” The scientists didn't approve of this idea. “I won't leave her to you guys.” “I could go and buy some stuff, after I have ascertained her measurements with my hands of course.” The billionaire smirked while his friends gave him a disgusted look. “No way, you pervert. I'll ask Steve to baby-sit her while I'm gone.” Natasha replied before the two women entered the elevator.

*** Thor walked down the corridor to get some food as his stomach was screaming for nourishment by now and was surprised to see Natasha grab her car-keys and head for the elevator – alone. “Where are you going?” he asked wondering why she was in such a rush and Natasha gave him a small but earnest smile before she vanished inside the elevator. “I'm going to buy our guest some clothes and other stuff. I won't be gone for long so don't try anything stupid!”

After allaying his hunger, the god chose to spend some time in the living room, maybe watch some TV, but he regretted his decision the very moment he exited the elevator one floor above. Sitting on the large cream couch of the living room suite, the Captain flipped through some magazines while the black-haired woman beside him froze when she saw the god. Steve noted and looked up to behold the reason for her fear, then he frowned silently. “Thor... I didn't expect you to leave your room today.” Slowly Thor walked over to them and sat down on the armchair next to his friend, as far away from her as possible before he replied in a low voice. “Believe me, it was a mistake.”

Great, now I need to baby-sit them both... Steve thought to himself, praying that Natasha would return soon while Thor and the Kitten stared at each other. His condescending gaze travelled across her slim body, which was hidden under the loosely fitting clothes, her hair combed and shiny. Thor couldn't understand why everybody was so friendly to her, accepting her as if she was one of their own and even spoiling her with new garments and all this kindness. She came out of a magical golden ball with ancient Asgardian engravings, by the Nine's sake! How can his friends be so calm around her? Does the fact that she looks awfully familiar bother only him? Which it did quite a lot actually, because he was sure of his brother's death and it pained his already wounded heart to be reminded of his loss, of how much he missed his sibling. Every fiber of his body wanted to scream at her, to torment her as much as her mere presence tormented him and he could not stand to look upon her beautiful yet disgusting face. Thor's face didn't give away his boiling fury but his fingers dug deep into the armrest. It was the most inappropriate moment for his bladder to demand release and Steve shifted on the couch to delay the inevitable but he had no chance against 'nature's call'. “I'll be right back.” Reluctantly he rose and left the two glaring at each other, hoping that both would be still alive when he returned. The woman watched with shock how the nice man vanished out of her sight, leaving her alone with the other man, the big gruesome giant who had hurt her badly when she was still in her shell, sending pure stinging pain through her entire body. Physically he hadn't hurt her but he had inflicted such agony on her, imprinting a lesson into her mind: Fear him! Run from him!

Yes, she was sure it was him because she remembered his aura and she had noted the tiny sparks of lightning surrounding his hammer when he loomed above her later. Oh how she dreaded him, she didn't even dare to move an inch because that could unleash another wave of this terrible pain. Frantically she tried to stay calm, to soothe her nerves but in vain. Then he rose.

[transboygenius]

Season 4 promo

After overcoming some abuse, anxiety, and depression issues, I FINALLY have it finished.

Three months ago, a huge ceremony took place for the graduation of Lindbergh's fifth grade students. All children were dressed in caps and gowns, receiving their diploma one by one. Cindy earned an academic award along with her diploma. Fortunately, for Jimmy, he earned quite some more, which made him fall over with all that weight. Cindy looked over to him in envy, while Nick helped him pick up some of those awards. Miss Fowl was crying tears of freedom, for she was finally free from Sheen's shenanigans. While the ceremony was still going on, Jimmy gave an inspirational speech about what he learned. Not just about geometry, history, or science, but socialization, and how it changed him. He even gave a sincere shoutout to Nick.

Cindy watched in all bitterness. She was upset. Was it because Jimmy managed to outdo her achievements? Yes. Was it because she still misses him in her life? Also yes. She still loves him, but she is also jealous of him. Why can't she just be one of those? Despite that her and Jimmy vowed to each other that they would be friends instead, she could never move on from him. Ever since him and Nick escaped fron the medieval century, he has redeemed himself from his arrogant and egotistic ways, putting friendship before science. Cindy doesn't get it. She has tried for months to bring him into common sense, even tried beating it out of him, and he does it for some kid he used to have minimal interactions with.

Not only that, but they also became really close friends after that time warp trip. Something about their relationship really made Cindy feel envious. They're always happy with each other, as well as supportive. Even when they find something either of them disagree on, they still search for a way to cooperate. Also, the way Jimmy's always bedazzled by Nick brings her with a lot of questions. Why doesn't he ever look at me like that? Compared to his friendship with Carl and Sheen, he definitely had some "weird" subtext going on with Nick. Cindy lost two goals in this year. While in her gloomy state, her mother began to comfort her. Or at least that's what she thought.

"Oh, don't let the agony of defeat weigh you down, Cynthia! This is only the beginning! That big headed whippy dip may have won the battle, but I guarantee you will win the war! We'll just have to try HARDER this time! I'll help you, and make sure you stay on track!" "Gee. Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate that." "Anything to bring the Vortex image up!"

...........................

It was another fun summer vacation for children, especially for Jimmy and his gang, along with Nick. Sometimes they would go off into far adventures. Sometimes Jimmy would give a new experiment to present. Sometimes they would do normal summer activities such as going to the beach, or Retroland. Or sometimes they would lie around at home all day like couch potatoes. Nick has never had such a productive summer before! He was so happy, he even did his chores whenever he was told to. Well, occasionally. While everyone was making the most of their vacation, Cindy would continue researching and studying until her brain melts.

Most of Nick's summer days were spent with Jimmy, because of course. He spent some time with Libby, since they surprisingly had a lot in common. He at least put his best to hang out with Carl. Even though Nick doesn't consider Sheen much as a friend, Sheen can't help but get a little clingy over a new amigop. Just for Jimmy, he tolerated all of his actions, even when he starts to infodump about how much he knows about Ultralord. When Nick feels he isn't doing a good job being pal-friendly to Jimmy's two comrades, he cooks them up lunch, takes special recipe requests, and gave free cooking lessons. He'd cook for Libby too, only to test out new vegetarian recipes. The only member of the squad Nick interacted with the least would be Cindy.

After three months of summer, it eventually went down to a bummer. When the first back-to-school commercial airs, every child is met with horror. Speaking of which, on the third of August, it was time to face a new beginning. Goodbye Elementary School, and hello to Middle School. Nick was gazing into the mirror, grooming his curtain cut with care. Although he's not popular anymore, keeping his own hair perfect has become a habbit to him. He also decided to try a new casual, comfortable wardrobe: white long sleeved shirt, blue t-shirt over it, teared loose jeans, and purple converse. The ring around his neck never left him. After he finished admiring his own reflection, he took his backpack and ran towards the door.

"Nick, would you like me to drive you there?" Shouted his mom from another room. "It's cool, Mom! I'll just take my scooter!" Replied Nick. "Well, you better not be late on your first day! Love you, honey!" “Love you too, Mom."

.....................

So on the scooter ride to school, he met with a few friends on the way. Libby and Cindy took the bus, but he only waved to Libby. Sheen was passing by in his dad's car, constantly trying to get Nick's attention while Nick did his best to ignore him. Then came Bolbi on a unicyc- Wait a minute, he's not a friend. Lastly, up in the sky, there was Jimmy in his hovercar, greeting Nick from above. Then there was Carl in the backseat, catching the breeze in his face, then a splattered bug. All of the squad met at the front entrance of Gelaway's Middle School. Even though summer was over, some were eagar to move to a new school level where they'll no longer be regarded as little kids.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh... Can't believe we're in middle school now! The place where practices to being a teenager begins! Pretty soon we'll be driving in our parents' cars, and attending R-rated movies!" Cooed Libby. "I can't wait to wear body jewelry!" Said Carl. "Sooooooooo, looks like this is a new stage in our growing life. It feels like only yesterday we were doing show 'n tell, and macaroni art. Now there's... ...here. Wow." Spoke Nick.

Jimmy gave his tall buddy a light nudge on the shoulder, then grinned at him. 

"Shall we... ...go inside now?" Asked Jimmy. “YES, LET'S GO INSIDE NOW! I've been surrounded by babies for too long! PEAK OF ADULTHOOD, HERE I COME!" Shouted Sheen, then dashed on ahead.

The rest of the gang followed behind. When they made it inside, it felt like opening a door to a whole new world. The inside was full of older and maturer kids, all in a different multicultural range. Most of them were just fooling around on their phones. Libby had her eyes on a couple of teens playing music and then dancing to it. Sheen had his eyes on a couple of dudes having a casual conversation about science fiction. Carl had his eyes on... ...a Llama Lovers club? Nick had his eyes on something that made him wanna act fast. He quickly hid behind a really tall, blocky kid while the gang continued to chat amongst themselves.

A trio walked down the hall, in an intimating fashion. The lead of the trio was a blonde boy who wore fingerless gloves, a snapback, baggy pants, sneakers, and a t-shirt that had a ravenous spike collared bulldog on it. Not to mention he had a (fake) tattoo on his left arm that read "Beast." He appeared to look the most intimating, and seemed to be at Nick's height. The kid on his left was a lanky boy, who wore a red and yellow tank top, with matching shorts, plain white sneakers, and his hair was braided. He was the tallest, and looked like a friendly kid at heart. The last one was a short redhead with a fringe hairstyle. He wore a blue sweatshirt, long jeans, and a pair of crocs. The boy was the shortest of the bunch, but still a little taller than Jimmy, and he looked like he was trying way too hard to be intimating.

The three happened to be approaching the gang, and then the short one tripped.

"AARON!" Shouted the blonde lead. “Uh, uh- Sorry, chief!" The redhead soon got back up to his feet.

The front blonde kid then snapped his fingers to get everyone's attention. As he did, he gazed down upon Jimmy.

"Well, looks like we have some new fish in this joint! Hey squirt, you must be Neutron!" “Uhhhh... The pleasure is-" “I'm not done talking yet, nerd! *AHEM*"

The blonde grabbed Jimmy by his hair, and lifted him up to make direct eye contact.

"You and I will be getting to know each other very well."

He then released and just dropped Jimmy, leaving his soft served ice cream hair now out of shape. The gang just stood in silence as they waited for this blonde kid to say something else.

"What? I'm done talking!" Said the blonde. “Who are you jerks, anyways?" Asked Cindy. "Ah, I'm glad you asked, doll! They call me 'Tony!' You BETTER remember that! You are prohibited to call me anything else besides 'Tony!' Understand, huh?" "Chief?" Asked the short redhead. "YOU WERE EVEN LISTENING- Oh. Whaddya want, Aaron?” “I thought you were done talking.” “UGHHHH-“ “And don’t we get an introduction?" "*Sigh* And this is my crew, Mike and Aaron. Call them anything you want, I'm sure they don't mind." "I'm Mike, btw." The tall kid declared. "Coooool! A real school gang! Do you guys have a super cool gang name??" Asked Sheen. “Of course we do, needle-neck! Otherwise we wouldn't be a gang! It may sound simple, but it still manages to strike fear into the weaks' hearts. We call ourselves: Tony Mike n Aaron!" "Oh. Well, it sure is easy to remember." "Dang straight! And you better not forget! As for you, nerd. I'll be seeing you around soon."

With business now done, Tony turned the opposite direction and walked away. Mike fixed Jimmy's hair before catching up with Tony. Aaron just continued to stare at the squad aggressively, trying not to give away a blink. Eventually, he had to stop when Tony called him up. As soon as they were gone, Nick came out of hiding, and got back in place like he never left. And it's a good thing the gang hasn't noticed, otherwise he'd make himself look like a wuss. He was in no mood to deal with those three right now. 

"Uhhhh, Jimmy. Shouldn't we be collecting our schedules?" Nick tried to change the subject. "Huh? Oh YEAH! C'mon, team! We don't wanna make a bad impression by being tardy on our first day!" 

.........................

Homeroom was with English class. The teacher was a man who looked like he hasn't gotten enough sleep, and talked in a stoic monotone voice. His expression was blank.

"Welcome, class. My name is Mr. Nite. Here we will be learning the art of literature English and how it will build up your doctoral level. Also for other stuff that's very important in the future, bluhblubbluhbluh. Now, can each student stand up from their desk one at a time, and present themselves to me?" “Salutations! My name is Cynthia Vort-" "That will do for now. Thank you all for giving me the chance to know each and every one of you. Now, to start the day, please turn to page 13 in the textbook in front of you. We will be going through Sonata For Harp And Bicycle. When you are finished, there are questions you shall answer at the end of the story. You are also proposed to write a five paragraph summary for Sonata For Harp And Bicycle. We will be reviewing the story tomorrow, write an essay report on the author's background, taking notes on what you learned, and then comes the big test on Friday. Begin now."

Mr. Nite slumped his head down on his desk to take a nap. All the students hesitated for a moment, before opening their textbooks. First day of middle school, and already their week is busy. Well, first day of school is not supposed to be a party. Carl and Sheen went through at least one page. They both started to get a migraine from all the big fancy vocabulary they're never used to, not even when hanging around with Jimmy for years. 

.............................

The other classes were just as bizarre and stressful. In music class, the teacher was a grown man with a purple dyed mohawk, visor sunglasses, and other stereotypical attire from the 1980s, also talking in outdated slang. His name was Mr. Beatz. He played his guitar, loud enough to sting the students' ears, and break windows. Libby seemed to be the only one taking a liking to him. They're first assignment was to recreate they're own cover of Do Re Me. He didn't feel like starting with something simple, since "That's so early 2000s." 

In home economics class, the teacher was a plain lady who wore chef attire. She also appeared to act like two characters in one. One minute, she's a sweet housewife gently instructing the basics to culinary skills, then the next she turns into a strict food teacher with the cooking arts of a five-star chef, also bearing a British accent. Her name was Mrs. Rosemerry. Their first assignment was to fix up something without a recipe. Lucky for Nick, he could easily survive.

In P.E. class, their coach was some buff, toned women. Right before anyone could introduce themselves, she blew on her whistle and started the first assignment: Run fifty laps around the field. Anyone who gives up, or pukes, has to do a hundred pushups. Her name was Ms. Barbell, by the way.

............................

Everyone became quite exhausted from this long first day. They didn't expect middle school to be quite a challenge. Then again, nobody said growing up was easy. To add insult to injury, all of them had homework. Homework on the first day. Feels like being punished for no reason. Thank goodness lunch has arrived. The squad took their trays and waited in line to be served. Nick, however, brought his own lunch, but he made sure to reserve a table for his friends. Then, Carl and Sheen came in contact with the lunch lady. She looked nothing like a stereotypical lunch lady. In fact, this dollface sweetheart looked like someone who walked out of their dreams. The two boys couldn't help but gaze upon her remarkable beauty. They eventually snapped out of it when she scooped some unidentified glop onto their trays. She was attractive, but not her cooking.

The squad all sat at the table Nick held for them. None of them ate. They just stared at the mystery glop on their trays. Carl gave a taste. It was so revolting, even he couldn't work it down. Libby felt there was meat products cooked into the stuff, so she refused to touch it. Nick, about the only kid at the table who packed something edible, looked at the poor, hungry boy genius. Caring for his best friend, he offered him half of his lunch on a napkin. Then, he started getting hungry stares from Carl and Sheen. He knew that giving Jimmy some of his own lunch would give them the wrong idea that he's just giving out free eats, but he would never let the little guy starve like that. They were drooling down on the table, begging Nick with big, gapping eyes.

"Please, Nick. I gotta keep my blood sugar up." Whined Sheen. "(You say that like it's a bad thing)"

Nick wasn't feeling any sorry for them, but the only way they'd leave him alone is that he gives them what they want. So, he put out his lunchbox and told them to take a little. The two boys helped themselves, feasting greedily like a bunch of animals. After they were done, they wiped off their faces clean with napkins, then slid the lunchbox back to Nick. There was nothing left for him but an empty milk bottle, which had a big mark bitten out of it.

"Thank you very much! Now how am I gonna keep my blood sugar up?" Said frustrated Nick. "Hey, lighten your mood, gang! Sure, the classes are pushy, the teachers are looney, and the food here stinks! Quite literally, too. But, at least there's some good to come out of this!" Exclaimed Sheen. "Like WHAT?” "Recess! GERONIMO!"

Sheen flew towards the door that's suppose to lead to the playground. He crashed with a loud thud, then Jimmy came up to point out the the print on the door says “Pull.” Unfortunately, all he found were students lounging outside; Enjoying their packed lunches, gossiping with each other, reading, or being on their phones and tablets.

"Whoops! This isn't the playground!"

All the outside students overheard Sheen's statement. Some got up from their sitting positions to give him a taste of reality.

"Sounds like you're new around here." "Sorry, we don't have any of that 'little kid' stuff anymore." "No teeter-totter, no slides, no monkey bars, *Sighs* no swings." "Welcome to phase one of growing up. ...sir."

Now this has gone too far. First all this work, no edible nourishment, and now they can't have the one escapism that helped them pull through elementary school.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The others then met with Sheen outside, surprised themselves to find no recess playground. Just big kids doing "big kid" things. Sheen crawled on his knees and begged to Jimmy.

"Jimmy, could you invent something that would shrink down ages? The peak of adulthood is scary!" "C'mon now, Sheen. An age reversal process isn't gonna fix anything."

Nick then separated the Ultralord fanboy from his short friend, giving him some comfort.

"Don't worry about that, little bud. Sure, this first year has gone through a rocky start, and it'll probably get much worse in the future, but... ...with all our effort, we'll make it through together." "Thanks, Nick. Although, that doesn't seem to make me feel any better." "Oh, buck up, will ya?"

Nick then pulled Jimmy close to him as they decided to find some spot to longue outside, which made Jimmy just blush a bit. And from his tall friend's cheesy motivational speech, he wonders what he's implying when he mentioned "we'll" and "together." Together as in the whole squad as a group, or together as just him and Nick as a pair. Cindy, following behind, watched with indifference on Jimmy and Nick's closeness.

[storytellerssanctum]

Petals & Thorns - chapter 3/?

Pairing: Fred Weasley x oc

Warnings: mention of unwanted touching

Word count: 2.3k

SONG OF THE CHAPTER - me, myself, & i • g-eazy & bebe rexha

The dungeons were always cold. Adalinda's bare legs were prickling with chilliness as they climbed through the door to their common room. Inside, the stone walls were littered with paintings. The emerald green couches surrounded the fireplace. The silver accent pillows danced with the orange of the flames. Most of the students had already gone to their rooms. They all parted ways almost instantly when they were inside. Many of the boys immediately retired to their beds. Left in the dark, was Adalinda and Adrian. He ushered her to sit by the fire.

When she took her seat, she let her eyes dance over the fire. When he took a place beside her, a chill went down her spine. Her jaw clenched as his lips lingered over her ear. "Now that were alone, what do you want to do?" He asked. Her stomach curled at the sound. He pressed his mouth to the skin of her neck. She pushed him off, giving in to her emotion. "What? Still thinking about the blood-traitor?" His anger was evident.

"No, Adrian. I'm just tired." She assured him. Her legs were crossed, and her hands were folded atop of them. This wouldn't have been the first time he tried something with her. His angry facade faded.

"Too tired to have any fun?" He questioned. His hand snaked back to her thigh. It was the same one he had grabbed just a little too tightly earlier. She swallowed her words. His lips went back to her skin, finding them on her cheek this time. She stood as still as statue. His hand moved from her leg to her face, turning it towards him. He kissed her with a hunger. She barely responded. Still, she found her hands dancing in the strands of hair at the back of his neck. She swung herself sideways, throwing her legs over him. The darkness of the room copied her mood. She hoped all he wanted was to kiss.

His lips danced from her mouth back to her neck. She stiffened at the action, not sure if she wanted him to continue. Then once again, the sound of her father bounced in her mind. She wasn't sure if this is what he meant by 'keeping the boy happy', but she was scared to anger him any more than she already had that day. They had formed this toxic relationship over the years they'd known each other. It was fine at first, but only had started to sour within the last months of their fifth year. On the surface, Adrian was kind to her. He did what he could to keep her happy. When nobody was around, he expected her to do whatever he wanted. He was vindictive and harsh. When she told her mother this, Narcissa assured her it would only last through his teenage years. The blood-status outweighed his red flags in her parent's minds.

His hands moved up her sweater in a serpent like matter. She closed her eyes in attempt to forget about what he was doing. The fire cracked in the background, warming their atmosphere. It didn't affect her, though. She was frozen. Her discomfort bubbled inside of her as she stood by and allowed him to touch her. In a split second decision, she couldn't handle it anymore. "Stop, Adrian." She pushed his hands away from her body.

"Lighten up a little bit." He brought himself back to her, gripping her wrist so she couldn't fight him off. She cowered in pain, but forced herself out of it. His fingers once again burned into her skin. His touch made her furious.

"I said, stop!" She pushed again, this time letting herself stand. "Do you have any idea who my father is?" She was holding herself proud again, letting her power shine through. She was Lucius Malfoy's daughter, and she wouldn't be taken advantage of. No matter how pure Adrian's blood was, she had the final word.

"What's daddy going to do all the way from home?" He sneered.

"If you don't think he'll do anything, I'll go get the rest of the boys from bed. They'll have no problem dealing with you." Anger enveloped her tone. He cowered away at her pointed finger.

"Alright, ease off. I was just messing around." He put his hands up in defence. "Let's just go to bed." Without another word, she turned and stormed up the stairs to the dormitories. She took place in her familiar room, noticing the single bed in the corner. She always got the single room. She asked specifically if she could have the last assignment, putting her alone annually. With two to a room in their house, and an odd number of females in her year, she was always left her by herself.

She placed a charm on her door, making it so nobody could open it even if they tried. She took off her clothes from the day, and stared into the mirror of the wardrobe. Looking back at her was a broken girl. When the crowd dissipated and she was left her by her lonesome, her true colours showed. She felt a crawling emptiness enclose her body. That's what she was; alone. No matter how many people she had following her, or how many wanted to be by her side, she was always lonely. When you can't trust, life is dull. She didn't have any friends. She always believed she was perfect by herself. She didn't think she needed anyone. Then, as she grew older, she regretted the walls she built around herself. She was always on her own. Her eyes held a darkness as she watched them. The heavy circles under them screamed at her. Her wrist throbbed with discomfort. She massaged it gently with her other hand. Today hadn't been the first time she experienced hurt at the hands of her significant other. She pulled the loose hair from her neck into a knot at the top of her head. The green duvet called for her as she saw its reflection. 

She wasn't ready, though. Her hands massaged her face, awakening the skin. She let her fingers trail over the smoothness, and let them dance over where his lips had touched barely moments before. She trembled at the thought. She was Adalinda Malfoy, the strongest witch in the school. She shouldn't be afraid of a man who didn't hold half of her power. Yet, as she stood, she knew she was. His whole being terrified her. He held a power over her head that made her quiver at the thought. She wasn't sure if her fear was over the mental capability he held over her, or the looming disappointment of her father that would ensue if she cut ties with him. If she did so now, she wouldn't have an issue finding somebody else. People were practically lining up for her. Despite that, she knew how linked she was with Adrian. They had spent many years together. She was used to his hands, his lips, and his mind. It took her a long time to grow comfortable with him, and she wasn't ready to start over with someone new. She stayed with him out of blindness for a better life.

She opened her trunk, pulling on a pair of loose fitting sleeping pants. The red marks on her thigh had dissipated. She grabbed a shirt and as she pulled it over her head, her eyes came in contact with her wrist. Unfortunately, those marks did not leave. They were turning a slight ugly shade of purple. She broke her gaze from it, climbing into bed. As she pulled the duvet up to her chest, she stared at the stone brick ceiling. She felt hot tears sting her eyelids. She shut them out, turning to face the wall. She let her mind wander, particularly to the collision she experienced after their feast. She remembered the soft brown eyes of the ginger boy, the ones that spread warmth within her. That was something she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a feeling Adrian Pucey could never give her. She felt disgusted at the thought of it, and shut it from her brain.

The next morning came slowly. She was tired and irritable due to her broken sleep. Her white button up shirt was itchy on her skin under her grey sweater. She fidgeted as she sat. Her loose tie was hugging her neck, both ends cascaded down her shoulder. Her white-blonde hair hung freely, straight down her back. After her shower, she found herself in the dining hall once again, finishing up her breakfast. Her friends had not yet been awake. She rose early to beat everyone to their first meal. She sat idly at the Slytherin table when footsteps caught her attention. Draco, her brother, took a seat before her. She peeked up over her mug of tea with a look of disinterest.

"Morning." He spoke quietly. She twitched her nose at his word.

"Morning." She replied, wearily. Usually, he listened to her when she ordered him not to speak to her. He was acting out of the ordinary this morning. "What do you want?" She chided, placing her mug back on the table. Her eyes, under reading glasses, scanned the potions textbook before her as she spoke.

"Do I have to want something to speak to my sister?" He asked, looking at her advanced copy of the sixth year edition text. She pulled the book back, away from his line of vision.

"Yes, you do. Tell me what you want." She leaned closer to him, her face parallel with the table.

"I want to know what happened between you and Weasley yesterday." She played stupid as he spoke.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Her attention filtered back to the words on her pages. If you looked closely, you could see scribbles of notes within the margins. She added them soon after her father purchased it for her.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Addy." He shifted in his seat, hovering over the table. They were speaking in hushed whispers. She reached out to grab her beverage again, but he grabbed her hand. Her sleeve lifted so he could see the marks of anger on her boney wrist. She recoiled her hand as if he'd stabbed it.

"You saw what happened, Draco. He ran into me and I put him in his place." She snapped, catching his curious eyes. "Don't think it's anything more than that." She ordered. He let out a smirk.

"That's not what I saw, sissy." He taunted. She reached over and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"That is what happened. If I hear you mention anything other than that to anybody, I will have your head." He gave her a hard set scowl as she let go, straightening himself out.

"If you don't learn to play nice, I might have to tell our father about it." Her eyes were staring at him with flames behind them. She drank her last bit of tea, and slammed her book closed.

"You dare mention it to him, and I'll make sure Aunt Bella gets ahold of you when she gets out. I am her favourite, after all." She stood with her sentence.

"You won't be if she hears you were accommodating to a blood traitor."

"I don't know what you think you heard, but it's wrong. I hate that family with every part of my being. I am the legacy of the Malfoy name, not you." She spat. "If you think you can take that away from me, you're sorrily mistaken." She turned away as she finished, done with the conversation. "I have a boyfriend who our parents love dearly. I respect our blood status, and I would never waste my time with anybody of his sorts." She reminded him as she walked away. Draco was left alone at the Slytherin table.

The hallways were starting to fill as she made her way to the potions classroom. The familiar sound of her black high heels echoed off the walls as she entered. Snape was used to her early arrival, handing her a sheet as she took her seat closest to his desk. It held course syllabus for her sixth year. She emptied her book and quill on the wooden desk, ready to start the day. Soon after, the rest of the class piled in. Adrian took the chair beside her, grabbing her hand openly. He intertwined their fingers as Snape began his lesson. Graham and Cassius took the remaining seats at the bench. She copied down notes cleanly as Snape derived into the potion they would be studying. She noticed her groupies looking over at her paper often. They missed many of his words while fooling around with each other.

She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose as they gathered the ingredients for their recipe. She looked over her list, and back to the bottles and their labels. She took what she needed to begin, and brought them back to her place. She didn't notice, but a pair of familiar brown eyes were following her as she did so. Chopping was heard all around the filled room as students began dropping their items into their potion base. As Addy continued to progress, her potion flourished with the dark purple colour it was supposed to hold. She glanced beside her to her friend's cauldrons. They showed brown muck. Some were spitting back and steaming. She gave a look of disgust.

Snape made his way around, glancing at each of their bubbling concoctions. When his sight felt upon hers, he was pleasantly surprised. "A difficult potion to master, but we can see here that listening and doing your homework can prove successful." He drawled. "Good job, Malfoy. As always." He finished so only she could hear.

[chilling-seavey]

Anything But Mine (d.s.) - Chapter Twenty-Nine

A/N i’m moving home from residence today...moving everything out by myself. My dorm room looks so weird and empty without my 35 pictures of Daniel taped to my wall 😛

Monday, August 10th, 2020

Florence was more than thankful for having Callum staying with her throughout her adjustment from one kid to two. Her sleep schedule was completely destroyed once again from having to wake up almost every two hours to feed or tend to the newborn. Being a two bedroom apartment, Penelope was in the master with Florence and Callum was stuck on the couch but their setup worked and after simply a week and a half they had a routine down. Callum helped as much as he could, although helping was more tending to Clementine who was still getting used to sharing everything - especially attention - with the baby.

Florence usually woke up for the day around 6am, finding Callum making breakfast in the kitchen, Clementine in the her highchair beside him in her pyjamas. By then, Penelope was ready for yet another feeding and a change and with tired eyes Florence got her into her day clothes. When breakfast was ready, Florence laid the baby in her rocker and sat down for her own meal.

“What would we do without you?” Florence sighed happily through a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

“I don’t even want to think about the mess you’d be in.” Callum teased, joining her at the table.

“When are you needing to go back to LA?” Florence asked.

“Whenever you want me gone.” Callum shrugged.

“I’d keep you here forever if I could.” Florence smiled, reaching over to set a hand on his. Callum returned the smile, silently taking in the disheveled appearance of his once ever so graceful sister; her matted blonde hair, dark circles under her eyes, and old sweatpants that had a few unexplainable stains on the thighs. Regardless of how she physically reflected the troubles of life, Callum loved her none the less and admired her consistent strength.

“Have you heard from Matt?”

It was out of his mouth before he could stop it and Florence, although possibly coincidentally, pulled her hand back.

“No.” she scooped another forkful of egg. “I don’t think I will either.”

“But you’re okay?”

“More than okay, Cal. Who can complain, really?” Florence shrugged, offering a smile to Clementine who was wearing more of her breakfast than she had eaten. “Right, Clemmy?”

The toddler simply smiled a wide grin, her eyes scrunching closed and her head falling back a little.

“You lucked out with this one.” Callum chuckled, eyeing the seemingly always happy toddler.

“Now we wait to see how this one acts.” Florence pointed absentmindedly to the squirming newborn a few feet away. “She’s already crying more at night than Clementine did.”

“Hopefully it’ll ease up.” Callum said.

“I know.” Florence frowned.

“Do you have any plans for today?”

“I was going to call up Daniel to see if he wants to grab lunch. I have to go out to grab a few things anyway and I feel like I haven’t talked to him in ages.”

Callum’s nervous shifting went unnoticed by Florence as she kept eating like nothing was wrong.

“What about you?” she glanced up at her brother who tried quickly and casually to get himself in check so she wouldn’t suspect anything.

“I have a meeting around lunchtime.” Callum said.

“A meeting?” Florence inquired.

“It’s nothing exciting.” Callum shrugged, getting up from the table to bring their dishes to the sink. “I’ll tell you about it later.”

Florence frowned but nodded before taking her phone out to call Daniel. As the phone rang, she brought Clementine’s plastic dishes to the sink and used a damp cloth to wipe the toddler’s face. After three rings she was sent to voicemail. Frowning, Florence dialled again with the same conclusion but after two rings.

“He won’t answer.” Florence mumbled, sending him a text anyway.

Callum watched her silently as he loaded the dishwasher, keeping his mouth shut as she worriedly sent a text, the cloth in her hand now forgotten about as it hung lazily by two fingers. Clementine held her hands up and Florence slid her phone in her pocket to pick up her eldest daughter, placing her gently on her hip.

“Do you mind watching Penelope if I get Clem dressed?” Florence asked her brother.

“Of course.” Callum nodded.

Mornings with Clementine were Florence’s favourite thing, being able to spend some quiet time with her favourite person in the world, listening to her babbling stories that made no sense but still made her smile. Now that she was older, Clementine was able to help pick out her own clothes, and of course, with Jack being her absolute idol recently, she went right for anything he gave her. Jack made sure to keep her wardrobe fresh and gladly replaced his favourite outfit as she grew. The usual white t-shirt and red and black coloured camouflage pants were pointed to enthusiastically by the eighteenth-month-old, offering a cheeky smile to her mother. White Vans were slid onto Clementine’s feet and her blonde hair was pulled back into pigtails, tied into place with red ribbons.

Florence’s phone buzzed as the toddler was staring at herself in the mirror and she took that moment to open the message from Daniel. Her hopeful smile fell when his response was nothing more than:

Sorry, I’m working today

Clementine’s head poking over the top of her screen made Florence finally look up.

“‘Ack!” Clementine said.

“You wanna see Jack today?” Florence asked.

“Yeah.” Clementine giggled, climbing onto her lap.

“Ok, let’s ask.” Florence didn’t even respond to Daniel before opening her contacts and sending a message to Jack.

~~

An hour later, Callum was gone to his meeting and Florence was waiting at the mall with Penelope and Clementine by her side. Jack had answered right away, saying he and Zach were about to head to the mall anyway and they could meet there for lunch. When the boys arrived and hugs were shared, Jack gladly held Clementine’s hand, the pair walking ahead of the rest of them. Of course, when Jack heard what Clementine wanted to wear, he insisted he wear the matching outfit, the two of them looking like full twins, right down to Jack’s silly red bucket hat to match Clementine’s hair bows.

“Wonder if everyone thinks she’s his.” Zach chuckled from beside Florence as she pushed the stroller.

“Maybe.” Florence scoffed. “Although they’re basically the same height so they probably think siblings.”

“Hey!” Jack turned to frown at her before facing forward again. “You know I’m sensitive about my height.”

The group went to various stores, Florence picking up another box of diapers and wipes, Zach grabbing a new box of pencils and a few notebooks for school, and Jack finding a new skateboard to add to his ever growing collection. Of course, Jack bought Clementine a cherry lollipop, making sure to carry her as she ate it so she wouldn’t choke on it while she walked.

Clementine’s chubby hand pulled the candy from her mouth as she pointed across the bustling hallway with her other, “Dayul!”

Sure enough, Daniel was spotted through the crowd going the opposite direction, Cayleigh on his arm. Clementine’s shrieks caught his attention and once Cayleigh saw them, she just had to say hello. The two groups met in the centre of the crowd, sharing slightly awkward greetings.

“What are you guys doing here?” Zach asked casually.

“Shopping. I needed some new makeup and then we’re going for lunch. Dani’s taking me to a nice restaurant.” Cayleigh beamed, cuddling up close to him.

Daniel simply smiled tightly, his eyes shifting to the sleeping baby in the stroller and he shifted awkwardly before looking to the floor.

“I thought you were working.” Florence said plainly.

Before Daniel could answer, Cayleigh cut in with a, “Nope! He’s got most of the week off which is great!”

“Yeah. That’s nice.” Florence smiled as honestly as she could possibly fake.

Clementine offered Daniel a real smile, holding out her slobbery lollipop to him proudly.

“Looks good, Clem.” Daniel said quietly, running a finger over her hand.

“We’ve been walking around for an hour and bit now. I think we should go eat real food, huh?” Jack said, sensing the awkwardness easily. Anyone could.

“Alright. See you, guys!” Cayleigh said loudly, taking Daniel’s hand in hers before leaning close to Clementine in Jack’s arms. “Bye, Clemmy!”

They quickly disappeared into the crowd. Clementine looked to Jack completely expressionless and he just laughed, turning to Florence who didn’t look too thrilled either and Zach who looked like everything was normal.

“Where are we going to eat?” he asked.

~~

Finally settled at a table in the food court with their trays in front of them, they began to eat their lunch. Florence was clearly upset, jabbing her fork into her salad a bit too aggressively.

“What’s with you?” Zach asked.

“He told me he was working today so we couldn’t go out.” Florence scoffed.

Jack raised his eyebrows over the side of his pop can as he took a sip. He was surprised at how easy they got an answer out of her.

“That’s such a Matt thing to do.” Florence tisked, shaking her head.

Zach laughed loudly at that diss.

“No, I’m not kidding. Matt used to do that shi...stuff all the time.” Florence said, eyeing Clementine who was eating her happy meal on her lap. “He would tell me he’s working and then go party and kiss other girls and like...I thought Daniel and I were fine. Apparently not.”

Zach and Jack shyly exchanged glances that went over Florence’s head.

“I don’t get why he has to lie. Just tell me if you don’t want to hang out.” Florence mumbled.

“Maybe he doesn’t want to hurt you.” Jack shrugged.

“Well too late.” Florence sighed. “This has been a whole mess of who’s hurting or not hurting or not wanting to but actually hurting who and it’s so tiring.”

“Yeah. We know.” Jack nodded slowly.

“I miss last summer.” Zach said. “It was so easier.”

“Tell me about it.” Florence agreed. She peeked over the side of the stroller to see the waking baby squirming in her place. “Speak of the devil.”

The sharp cry that followed made Florence visibly cringe as a few people looked their way. She moved Clementine to the empty chair beside her and got to her feet.

“Mind watching her if I go deal with this?” Florence asked the boys.

“Sure.” Zach shrugged. Jack sent her a reassuring smile and Florence pushed the stroller down to the bathroom. There was a room to the side specially for mothers and she locked the door behind her, gently picking up the newborn from the stroller and sat in the armchair. The baby quieted down quickly as she began feeding and Florence watched her silently, the light blue eyes under long lashes against full cheeks and her head of soft, whispy brown hair. She was a gorgeous baby, there was no denying that, but the news from the doctor was still fresh on Florence’s mind.

It was ultimately confusing and Florence found herself continually thinking about it. Sighing with frustration, she let her head fall back against the chair and she took a few calming breaths. She could only hope things would work out; Clementine was arguably raised without a father and she didn’t want the same fate for Penelope either.

The newborn was laid back in the stroller, buckled up safely, and got a kiss pressed to her cheek. Florence took a second to tidy herself up in the mirror. Of course, she couldn’t help but reapply some concealer she had stored in her purse to hide the reappearing dark circles under her eyes. She was so exhausted and consistently anxious. Penelope’s soft cooing still made Florence smile and she peered over the side of the stroller to the baby, her small fists balled up by her face, eyelids heavy as she blinked slowly up at her mother.

“You’re so cute.” Florence whispered, gently tickling the bottom of her tiny clothed feet. The baby’s tongue poked out of her mouth, otherwise still too young to do anything remotely interesting. But even still, it was captivating to the second-time mother, absolutely beaming down at the newborn.

When she was finished admiring her daughter, Florence headed back for the table, finding Clementine on Jack’s lap as Zach was showing him something on his phone, the two laughing together.

“What’s so funny?” Florence asked, parking the stroller beside the table again.

“Look at this picture Jack and I took at Corbyn’s birthday.” Zach passed over his phone to Florence as she sat down.

At first glance, she could see what was so funny, Jack’s half closed eyes and drunk grin paired with the ugly sunglasses that Zach wore over his awkward smile.

“God, that’s a good look on you.” Florence snorted, zooming in on Jack’s expression. The blurry spot of red in the background caught her attention and she scrolled over to it. “That’s me back there!”

Her eyebrows furrowed momentarily as she recognized Daniel’s denim jacket standing with her. Not wanting to make a big deal or create more drama, Florence simply smiled and passed Zach back his phone.

“To be honest, this is a piece of artwork.” Zach said, holding his phone at a distance dramatically as he admired the image at full.

Florence forced a smile, turning back to her unfinished and now warm salad in front of her. She could hazily remember Emilio saying something about how Daniel and she were talking that night but she didn’t take it seriously. Maybe Emilio was telling the truth. Florence was curious as to what they would have talked about in such a state, especially at a point in their relationship that was extremely rough. Regardless, she still missed him, and even if they ‘made up’, she still felt so distanced from the boy who once was her whole world.