#it goes without saying chat was cheering and yaying right up until That Started.

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Transcript:

M-Machine... I... I don't-I-sorry I haven't done VR before.

Oh wow, moving is really... Mm. No no I'm okay.

Uh, just have to get used to it heh. *clears throat* God.

It's just-it moves so fast *insert throwing up noises here*

I'm done.

End Transcript

Audio source

[cakejots]

this is us trying, Chapter 10 - The Epilogue

In this AU, they don’t know each other outside of the suit. And in this AU, Ladybug and Chat Noir love each other. But in this AU, Chat doesn’t want their identities revealed.

Written for @ladynoirjuly 2021

notes: the last chapter consists of the last 2 prompts

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch 10

Read on AO3

30. Rose

Chat was down on one knee, a palm placed right on top of his heart, and presenting something red to her.

A rose. It was something she hasn’t seen much ever since the final battle, minus the time of the reveal because that was special, but it really has been a while since he last held out a red rose to her.

And he was down on one knee in a very public area. Parisians were watching.

“Chaton, what are you doing!” She spoke through gritted teeth, which just made her seem like she’s smiling with her white teeth.

“A display of affection!” A shit-eating grin sat on his handsome face.

Ladybug made a noise. “I can see that! And it’s very sweet of you, but right here?!” she yelled in a whisper.

“I think Parisians need an update that we’re officially together meow.” His smile grew wider.

And she finally caught on. It has been at least 6 months since she proposed her stupid idea of patrolling around when they were actually dating. But ever since they’ve gotten together, they patrolled, really patrolled, around Paris.

So an update they’ll give. Ladybug walked over to Chat and took the rose from his hand to give it a long sniff. Chat stood from the ground and waited until she’s done before wrapping his arms around her waist, drawing her closer. Ladybug giggled and snaked her arms around his neck, pressing her lips onto his. They heard the crowd around them cheering before they could get lost in the kiss.

They pulled back slightly, still looking at each other adoringly before they directed their attention to the crowd. Sure enough, phones can be seen in their hands. With pink cheeks, they posed for a few photos and said their thank-yous in response to their blessings. Ladybug and Chat Noir then made their way, hand in hand, to a nearby rooftop.

“You think that’ll bring an interview our way, my lady?”

“It’s Alya, Chaton. Once she catches wind of this, of course she will,” she ran her hand up their once-connected hold to his chin to scratch. “Her LadyNoir ship has finally sailed after all.”

“Our superhero ship name, huh?” He fluttered his eyes close, really enjoying it when she does that.

Ladybug stopped her ministrations gradually. “Mon Chaton, what’s the real reason for giving me a rose?”

Chat opened his eyes and smiled sheepishly. “I realised I haven’t given you anything ever since we became official, as our civilian selves.”

“A romantic at heart, huh?” She flicked his bell. “Thank you.”

He twinkled and placed a kiss on her knuckles. “Anything for you, my lady.”

They made their way home after patrolling around for a while longer, and Ladybug de-transformed the moment the balls of her feet touched the floor. She gave Chat a quick kiss on the cheek before finding a suitable vase for the rose. A soft look reserved only for her sat on Adrien’s face as his eyes lingered on Marinette before she disappeared around the corner.

Marinette exited the kitchen with a cup of tea in her hands when she suddenly came to a halt. Adrien was down on one knee again, but this time, instead of a single rose, he held out a bouquet to her.

“Adrien?”

“Yes, my love?” His eyes were shining.

She blushed at the endearment. “Why am I receiving something from you again?”

“Can’t I shower my lady with gifts?” His pupils were dilated.

“You can, you absolutely can.” She placed her cup down on a nearby table and went to help him up before taking the bouquet from him. “And I’m not complaining.”

Marinette hugged the bouquet and brought it to her face before lifting her head, a smile on her face. “Thank you again, Adrien.”

Adrien leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I’m glad you like it, Marinette. Red suits you really well.”

“It’s really lovely.” Her cheeks bloomed and she sniffed it once again. “So… what's the reason?”

He brought a hand to his chest.  “My lady, can’t I give you anything without you assuming I’ve an ulterior motive?”

She tilted her head.

“I can't hide anything from you huh?”

She gave him a sly smirk.

He released a short breath of laughter. “I would like to take you out on a date, as Adrien and Marinette.”

Her smirk turned into one of surprise. “Wow, I wasn’t expecting that.”

It was his turn to be smug.

“Is this for an event or?”

“Just the two of us having dinner together.”

Marinette looked at the clock. “It’s not today, is it?”

“My lady, I would never.” He placed his hand on the small of her back to pull her in. “I know how important it is for you to have enough time to prepare.”

“Adrien! The flowers!” Her lips curved downwards as their bodies squashed the bouquet a little.

He chuckled, picking the bouquet from her arms and settling it down on the table where her cup sat before his arms rounded her waist, peering at her earnestly. “Is that a no?”

Marinette pulled him down for a kiss before smiling. “It’s a yes. Of course it’s a yes, you silly kitty.”

.

A day had passed since Adrien told her about the dinner date, and Marinette was currently in her home choosing the perfect outfit to wear for it. It’s her dream to date openly with her kitty, masks off. And now that she’s finally going out on a date with Adrien, she had to look her best for this special occasion.

The problem was, she had no idea which outfit was suitable for the date.

“Chaton, what will you be wearing for the date?”

Adrien was currently sitting on her bed admiring her vast creations of apparel as she dug through her wardrobe.

“Why, just a normal suit you’ll wear for dinner,” he smiled, knowing exactly what her dilemma was.

“Not very helpful, Chaton.” Her voice was muffled as she had the top half of her body shoved into the wardrobe to dig deeper. “Have you seen anything suitable from those on the bed?”

“I think any one of them is perfect, my lady,” the smugness on his face grew larger by the second.

“Chaton!” She whipped around and stomped her foot. “I really need some advice here.”

She’s so endearing even when she’s angry, can he get any luckier? “And I’m giving you legitimate advice, anything here is stunning.”

Marinette made a strangled noise. “Okay, fine then. Where are we eating?”

“It’s a secret, Buguinette,” he winked.

“Adrieeen!” She whined. “Okay, okay, calm down Marinette. Just think logically. Your boyfriend loves spoiling you, so it’s reasonable to think he’ll bring you to a nice and classy restaurant…”

She glimpsed at him, and he just smiled.

Marinette groaned. “As dreamy as you are with that smile, it’s not really helping me with my predicament here.”

“Marinette, it’s like I said earlier, any—”

“—one of them is fine,” she finished his sentence. “Yeah yeah, I’m painfully aware.”

She activated her kitty eyes. “May I know the colour of your suit at least? Please, Chaton?”

Adrien was offended. How dare she use his own weapon against him. And it worked so well. It’s no wonder Marinette can never say no.

“N-N—”

“Pleaseee!” She made herself look even cuter than before.

Man, it sucked to be the receiving end of it.

“Oh alright,” he gave up, “I’m wearing black.”

He was tackled onto her bed in an instance. “Yay! Thank you, Chaton! Now I can narrow down the number of outfits to choose from!” She flashed him a genuine smile.

Maybe he should’ve just let loose some facts earlier. Her happiness is his dopamine.

.

They walked through a hotel to get to the restaurant Adrien had in mind. Marinette still had no idea which one it was, but she was definitely right on him wanting to spoil her.

The walk was a long one, but she couldn’t find herself complaining. With no one else around but themselves, it indeed felt like they were in their own mini-world. Their hands were clasped together tightly, with Adrien rubbing his thumb soothingly on the back of her hand. Marinette had never admitted it but she really loved it and found it comforting when Adrien ran circles on her skin. She almost wanted to just push him into a corner and make out for a while given how private the moment felt.

But Adrien’s hand was starting to get clammy for some unknown reason, and she was about to call out to him when they suddenly stopped in front of a square mirror.

They looked so adorable together Marinette honestly wanted to snap a few pictures and keep them as cherished memories. It was their first after all. But before she did that, she directed her attention towards him to wait on him, except he was already looking at her.

“I would like to share a picture of us on my account?”

Oh.

His forehead had beads of sweat. And his hands were still damp.

Oh.

“I don’t see why not?” She dug her purse for something. “My face’s already on your account, no?”

“You are, and the public has been very accepting of our relationship as of late.”

She brought tissues to his face. “Then why are you sweating so much?”

Adrien let her dab the sweat off his face. “I was worried you’ll see it as me trying to give you exposure through my account.”

“Well, seeing that you said any outfit of mine was stunning enough, isn’t it?” She smiled.

He winced when she acknowledged it. Yet, she kept smiling.

“But…?”

“It’s your account,” she booped his nose with her finger. “You decide what goes on it.”

Relief flashed across his face.

“Besides, there’s only so much I can do to get my designs out there.”

“So—”

“Yes, I don’t mind it. And I really really want to keep memories of this night.” She turned both of them towards the mirror. “Just look at us! We look so cute together!”

Adrien laughed as he stepped behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. “As my lady wishes.”

Marinette took out her phone, getting ready to take a few photos. Her hand enclosed his as Adrien bent a little to kiss her temple, and she captured the image of them in the mirror.

She swiped through to find the one which had them both looking the best. “How’s this for your account?”

“You look gorgeous,” he breathed as he placed another kiss on her cheek.

“And you look charming,” she giggled. “Now let’s take cute and silly pictures together!”

Marinette escaped from his arms to stand beside him and posed.

He chuckled. “Buguinette? Our dinner?”

“Yes, I’m hungry too. So hurry up!”

31. Pound it

“Buguinette,” Chat called out.

“Chaton,” Ladybug replied.

He smiled at her attempt to be kittenish.

“The interview with your friend Alya is this Friday,” he detailed.

And she confirmed. “Indeed it is.”

“And I was thinking…” he drawled.

“And you were thinking…” she rephrased.

“Can you formally introduce Alya to me?”

Ladybug blinked in surprise before her smile returned.

“You want to get to know my friends,” she stated.

He nodded. “Indeed I do.”

“I can do that. But…” she hummed.

“But?”

“Why don’t we go on a double date with Alya and Nino?”

Chat tilted his head. “Nino?”

“Alya’s boyfriend and my childhood friend!” She puffed her chest proudly. “I’ve a feeling you’ll be best buds!”

Ladybug suddenly had her back flat on the rooftop, a certain cat had tackled her into lying down and he was rubbing his cheek against hers.

“Thank you, my lady! Thank you!”

She patted his head. “Of course, mon Chaton.”

Chat let her go and hovered above her.

Ladybug brought her hand to his cheek. “Your eyes are sparkling.”

“Of course they are!” He grabbed her wrist and smiled. “I’ll have two new friends at the end of the double date! Two!”

“You so sure,” she chuckled.

He kissed her palm. “They must be as awesome as you are, so yes.”

“Well then, we better finish up with patrol soon!” Ladybug pushed herself up. “So that I can call Alya as soon as we arrive home!”

.

They had collectively decided on a game night at the Agreste mansion. And since Adrien didn’t have the dancing video game Alya and Nino love playing, Alya will be bringing that game over so that they can all play together.

Adrien and Marinette were in charge of providing dinner for them all, and Alya had suggested ordering some delivery. Adrien, aiming to be a good host, wanted to cook but Marinette assured him that calling for delivery would suffice.

Now that preparations for the game night were done, all they had to do was wait for their friends’ arrival. Still, they were taking a while to get here, since it’s a workday after all. Marinette suggested playing some video games to pass time, and they were back in his room again.

Maybe they got bored of playing the same video games. Maybe they got tired of waiting for their friends and were beginning to get restless at their tardiness. Whatever it was, Adrien and Marinette were currently making out on his bed. Their hands grabbed any body part they could get hold of, and their lips wet from all the kissing and biting.

It had started out like any other kiss they had had, until Adrien got cheekier and started nibbling on her lower lip. The mewls she let loose spurred him on and he bit down and pulled. Marinette moaned and released her hold on his neck. Her brows furrowed as he caressed her cheek and tasted his lips, a smirk sitting on his face; warmth burst forth within his chest at what he was able to do to her. She pushed him onto his back to straddle him, her fingers sprawled and glided across his chest, shoulders and neck, before reaching up to play with his hair. Marinette leaned towards his face, leaving butterfly kisses on his forehead, nose, lips, chin, jaw, and finally stopping at his ear. She started licking and grazing her teeth on his ear, giving it a nibble before moving down to his pulse to suck.

Adrien was quick to grab her face and brought her lips back to his before she could leave a mark.

“We’ll have guests over soon, Marinette,” he breathed over her lips.

“You didn’t seem to have that in mind when you bit my lips, Adrien,” she growled and gripped his hair hard. Adrien groaned and Marinette’s tongue traced over his lips before sliding into his mouth. It felt around, eager to roam and discover each and every corner it could reach. Adrien breathlessly drank her onslaught, enjoying her strawberry flavoured lips and the thrill that was coursing through his being. He hummed as his hands clutched onto her hips as tightly as they could, and she licked his lips once more before biting down on his lower lips to pull and suck.

Adrien moaned in approval and Marinette smirked at his reaction. When he finally realised what he had just done, he opened his eyes to see his lover’s face full of smugness. But it didn’t last long as she was flipped onto her back.

“Two can play this game, Marinette,” he grunted and devoured her lips. His hand interlaced with hers, bringing them above her head while the other caressed her cheek. Marinette felt herself trembling and whimpering as he continued to kiss her vehemently and his hands caressed her body as it went down her neck, down the side of her chest, down her waist before travelling under her shirt to brush her ribs tenderly. Adrien’s mouth ghosted over her burning cheek to the side of her face and nipped her ear. She gasped and Adrien pressed his body into hers harder. Marinette felt hot all over, she wrapped her legs around his hips and twisted her core to sit on top of him once again. She wasted no time and went straight for his neck. The desire to one-up each other continued for who knows how long until Marinette’s phone rang.

They sprang apart for Marinette to answer her phone.

“Marinette? Are you not home? We’ve been ringing the bell for over a minute now,” came Alya’s voice.

Marinette was horrified, they got so carried away that they didn’t even realise the doorbell had been ringing that long.

She swallowed hard. “O-Oh! We must’ve f-fallen asleep or something! We’re coming to get you now!”

Hastily, she hung up and pulled Adrien out of the room, almost falling in the process. “It’s Alya! T-They're here!”

Adrien’s eyes grew to the size of saucers and they ran to the front door.

“Uhh,” Nino started, “are we interrupting somethi—”

“No,” Marinette answered before Nino could finish his sentence.

Alya snickered and snapped a photo.

Their hair was a mess, they had their cheeks ablaze, and lips red and swollen. Fierce red marks can be seen on their skins as well.

“Look!” Alya shoved her phone into Marinette’s face.

“I know how I look, don’t show me that,” she covered the screen with her hands and turned around. “Come on in.”

Alya looked at Adrien and smirked. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. I’ll send it to you later.”

Adrien crimsoned.

Marinette showed her friends where the game night would take place before heading to another toilet to tidy up. Adrien used the toilet in his room.

Both of them returned to the room, only to have Alya and Nino challenge them to a showdown.

Marinette knew Alya and Nino have been totally in sync ever since they got together. She wasn’t as surprised about their score as Adrien was; he was really impressed.

When it was their turn, Adrien stood and offered his hand to her. Marinette chuckled and took his hand, moving to the play area hand in hand.

Alya and Nino were shocked that they got a near-perfect score. After their ‘workout’, the four of them sat on the sofa and enjoyed their dinner.

“My little sis has finally found the one,” Nino wiped fake tears away. “Adrien, you’re a mec!”

Adrien beamed at the nickname Nino had given him, and Alya was really glad that Nino liked Adrien enough to call him ‘Mec’.

“Nino look!” Alya showed him the picture Adrien had of them on his account. “Aren’t they adorable?”

“Oh! Marinette, you finally gave him that scarf huh?” Marinette nodded. “See, there's nothing to worry about, Adrien looked like he really loved it, don’t you mec?”

Adrien’s smile faltered a bit, but he nodded nonetheless.

“Nino!” Alya whacked his forearm. “He’s not supposed to know that!” she whispered harshly.

“You’re worried that I wouldn’t like it?” Adrien looked at Marinette. Alya just smacked her forehead and Nino slapped his hand on his mouth.

“Uhh, yeah…” she admitted. “Honestly this was a huge gamble for me because I really didn’t know if scarves are even your kinda stuff.”

She held his hand. “But I’m glad you like it! Your reactions when you first saw it will forever be carved in my memory. And when I saw that you wore it on our first public date, I almost cried,” she laughed a bit.

Adrien placed his hand on the back of her head to bring her towards him, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “I love it, Marinette, please don’t doubt yourself.” Then he whispered. “I hardly receive things from anyone, so really, I’m delighted I could even get anything from you.”

Marinette gawked at him and tackled. “You’ll be receiving tons from me from now on.”

Alya crossed her arms. “Mhm,” and nodded, “sickeningly sweet.”

“Man, you’re not wrong. I could really get diabetes from this,” Nino acknowledged.

Adrien sat up and Marinette let go of him, both had rosy cheeks, but they were still looking at each other.

“And has anyone scouted you yet, Marinette?” Nino waved to get her attention. “You said something about giving Adrien tons of gifts?”

“Shit. I totally forgot about updating you guys,” she scratched the back of her head. “There was a number and I’ve been discussing with Adrien to see which one is the most suitable before I reply to them.”

Adrien was gleaming and Alya and Nino were frowning but they just looked constipated because they were also delighted by the news she just dropped. And they spent the rest of the night congratulating Marinette and enjoying themselves: playing, eating, and talking.

And Adrien got two new friends.

.

The livestream of the Ladyblog had already started when Ladybug and Chat Noir suddenly dropped down onto the seats reserved for them.

“So you guys were making out and lost track of time?” Alya shot them knowing looks.

Ladybug and Chat Noir regarded each other and saw that their lips were redder than usual. Their cheeks were flaming and their hair was messier as well. They scarlet even more than Alya thought possible.

So much for looking prim and proper.

“Anyway, has my LadyNoir ship finally sailed?”

“If this,” Ladybug signalled to the both of them, “isn’t enough proof then I don’t know what else to tell you, Alya.”

Alya addressed the livestream once again. “Well, there you have it, folks! They’re official now!”

Ladybug beamed. “Wait, that’s it?”

“Wouldn’t you like that?” The sly smirk from before came back onto Alya’s face.

Her cheeks blazed and Chat took Ladybug’s hand to hold and caress, throwing her soft and loving gazes. “My lady.”

Ladybug smiled, remembering that they were in this together. “Alright, any questions you and the viewers of Ladyblog have, we’ll answer them.”

“Well, it was really beautiful to see your relationship grow from your first day till now,” Alya praised. “So, any plans to get married?”

Ladybug chuckled while Chat smiled broadly and answered. “That’s the plan, isn’t it?”

“You hear that, viewers?” Alya squealed. “We’re going to have a miraculous wedding!”

She turned her attention back to them. “Any dates in mind?”

“That’s for us to decide and for you to find out in due time,” Ladybug returned.

Alya’s eyes glowed. “So we’re invited?”

Chat spoke this time. “We’ll see, Alya. We’ll see.”

“You guys are being vague here, is it a yes or a no?” She furrowed her brows.

“Thank you for your service all this while, Alya,” Ladybug added and gave her the best smile she could offer before clapping her hands. “Next question!”

They landed on the top of the Louvre Museum and made themselves comfortable, the interview playing on her bug phone.

“The comment section seems very ecstatic for us,” she grinned.

“I mean, didn’t you see, my lady? We’re ‘so cute together’, we’re ‘couple goals’,” Chat scrolled through the comments and twinkled. “I think they really are.”

“Bien joué ?” Ladybug smiled and brought her fist towards him.

He connected his fist with hers. “Bien joué !”

Chat saw her smirk, but it still didn’t prepare him for Ladybug’s unprompted endearment. He froze for a second before cupping her cheek and deepening the kiss.

.

The next day, a picture of their kiss on top of the Louvre Museum was submitted by an anonymous user to the Ladyblog, and it was the first thing one would see when they accessed the site. Ladybug and Chat Noir were extremely pleased that it was a very flattering image of them both, and they made absolutely sure to download the image for themselves, a reminder of how far they’ve come together.

[artificialqueens]

Girl I Met On The Internet, 4/? (Crystal x Gigi) - Strawberry

Summary: Gigi and Crystal discuss things in person. Elites Only also gains a new member.

As soon as Crystal realized what was happening, she exited the Twitter app. The girl she had been talking to for months, the girl she had shared so many things with was Georgina Goode, who happened to be best friends with the girl who hated Crystal for no reason, because of course this would happen to Crystal.  

Crystal’s mind was racing, her brain instantly jumping to the worse case scenarios. Did Gigi know she was talking to Crystal this entire time? Was this entire thing just a ploy orchestrated by Dahlia to get dirt on her? Georgina was not gay, but Gigi was. Did Gigi even like her, or was Crystal just an experiment that no one would ever find out about because it was over the internet? She knew none of these theories made sense, she didn’t think Gigi had any idea who she was until now.

Gigi was freaking out. She had messaged Crystal, attempting to explain herself, but she had gotten no reply. Crystal hadn’t even read them. Panicking, she messaged Jan, hoping she would be online.

gigi: jan oh my fuckigng

jan!: WHAT HAPPENED? ARE YALL GFS??

gigi: …no

jan!: and why is that?

gigi: she literally goes to my school she sent me a selfie and i sent one back without saying that we’re irls and she just said what the fuck and now she wont message me back

gigi: i know u don’t like how rude dahlia is so im sorry i have to mention her but she’s literally the girl dahlia picks on for no reason i didn’t even know her name was crystal

jan!: W H A T 

gigi: what do i do

jan!: girl like i know?? this doesn’t usually happen to people.

jan!: when do you usually see crystal

gigi: i see her in the halls sometimes. she told me before that she stays mostly in the art wing tho

jan!: ok. tomorrow  go to the art wing and find her. talk to her. she’s probably not responding bc im sure it’s not a good feeling to find out the girl she’s been flirting with for months is best friends with the girl bullying her

gigi: god i feel so bad about that. i only stopped it once and i feel so bad

jan!: i love you but you’re a fucking idiot, gigi. you really are. go talk to her tomorrow and do better.

-

The next morning arrived faster than Crystal wanted it to. She was dreading going to school, knowing she couldn’t avoid Gigi forever. Thankfully, they did not have any classes together, but crossing paths was inevitable. The thought of seeing Gigi, even from across a crowded hallway, made her want to sob.

Her stomach started hurting because of her anxiety, but convincing her mother to let her stay home didn’t go over well. Crystal had convinced her mother at first, but as soon as she felt Crystal’s forehead to see if Crystal was running a temperature, which she wasn’t, she had insisted that Crystal stop pretending and get ready for school. She even drove Crystal to school instead of having her walk to make sure Crystal didn’t skip.

Crystal walked straight to the bathroom in the art wing. It was smaller, with only two stalls and the cell service was terrible; but it was vacant for the most part. She often stayed there when she wanted to skip class, and the only person she had ever encountered was Aiden, a shy girl from her art class. If Gigi was looking for her, this bathroom would be the last place she would look.

She had spent the morning sketching and listening to One Direction. She was in the zone, barely noticing when the door opened. Crystal didn’t bother looking up when she felt someone’s presence there, assuming that it was Aiden. “Hey, Aiden.”

“Uh,” Gigi started, “Crystal?”

Crystal’s head shot up, her eyes wide as she looked at a very relieved looking Gigi. “Oh, shit. Hey.” 

Gigi walks over to her, kneeling down to be at the same height as Crystal. “I know you’re probably upset with me, but can we talk? Please? I’ve been looking for you all period.”

Crystal nodded, moving her backpack to make a spot for Gigi to sit down. “Sorry I said what the fuck and dipped, I really didn’t know what else to do.”

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I’m going to sound like such a bitch but I didn’t even know your name until last night.” Gigi had never been good with names, only being able to remember her online friends’ names in the beginning because their name was attached to everything they did. Crystal had been known to Gigi as ‘Art Girl’ until last night.

Crystal had to laugh at that. “It’s fine. I don’t think Dahlia knows what my name is either, and I’ve lived in her mind rent free for years!”

“Speaking of her, I’m so sorry I only stopped her once. I didn’t want to get into it but I realize now that ignoring it is just as bad as joining in. Especially seeing the effects it has on you first hand, and now that I know I could’ve helped.”

Last night, Crystal gave Gigi a run down on every single color she had ever dyed her hair, and she had mentioned that she stopped dying her hair once she got into high school because she didn’t want to stick out even more, in fear of getting treated worse. It had made Gigi sad then, and knowing she could’ve changed that made her feel even worse. 

“Yeah, I don’t know how this is going to impact your real life, but no matter what I just hope you will step in next time.” 

Gigi reached over to grab Crystal’s hand and squeezed it gently. “I will never let her hurt you ever again. I care about you so much.”

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“Can I tell you something?” Crystal asked quietly, avoiding Gigi’s glance. 

“Of course. You can tell me anything.”

“I really like you. I know it’s probably weird now, since you’re not out and I’m not positive you feel the same, but I feel like I should tell you.”

Gigi smiled, placing her fingers under Crystal’s chin, lifting them up to make Crystal make eye contact with her. “I’ve been hoping you would say that.”

Crystal blushed at the contact. “Really?”

“Of course! You’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met. I would be such a fool not to like you back.”

The bell rang, interrupting their moment. Gigi pulled away, pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket to check the time. “Fuck. I have a test this period.”

“It’s okay. We can talk about this later,” Crystal reassured her, standing up even though she had no intention to go to her next class, “I can send you my address and we could meet after school?”

Gigi nodded, pulling Crystal into a tight hug. “This is the most emotion I’ve ever shown at once. I thought it was going to be scary but I feel so much better. Thank you for talking to me. If I was you I don’t think I would’ve.”

“I could never not talk to you.”

-

Crystal decided she would stay in the bathroom until lunch. It was mostly out of laziness, as her Gigi related anxiety was long gone. Doing academics was the last thing she felt like doing now. 

She had plenty of entertainment, she had missed a lot on Twitter, and had two thousand new messages from the group chat, even though she was gone for less than a day.

crystal: im skipping class what’s up ladies

jan!: hi crystal!!!

jaida: girl where have you been?? my world has been so empty

nicky: wtf jaida stop acting like i don’t exist

crystal: ehh personal things happened so i was ia. i dyed my hair green last night tho!! look!!

jan!: omg you’re so pretty

jaida: HOT HOT HOT

nicky: crystal. marriage now

heidi: omg girl you look so good!! i love your leprosy print shirt

heidi: leprosy

heidi: girl how do you spell lepord

heidi: leopard

heidi: there we go

nicky: you did it!

jaida: so proud of you

She was relieved they didn’t question her further, but she couldn’t help but be curious about what their reactions would be if they knew what was going on. Talking to the girls again made time go by extremely fast, before Crystal knew it the bell rang, declaring it lunch time.

She hadn’t eaten breakfast due to her anxiety from this morning, and just realized how hungry she was. Collecting her stuff, she exited the bathroom and headed down to the cafeteria. 

When she was in line to pay for a slice of pizza and a bag of pretzels, she had caught the attention of Dahlia, who didn’t hesitate to express how she felt about her new hair. 

“Ew, who in their right mind would dye their hair green?” Dahlia loudly asked Gigi, making sure Crystal was in ear shot. 

Before Crystal could defend herself, Gigi spoke up. “Dahlia, can you please shut the fuck up? No one cares what you think about Crystal’s hair, it looks fine. I can hardly tolerate you being rude anymore.”

“Georgina, what the fuck? I’m not rude!” Dahlia whined, making Crystal smile. She had been slightly surprised that it happened so soon, but she was happy Gigi stepped in.

Crystal paid and made sure to wave at the girls on her way out. Gigi waved back, and Dahlia looked the other way, her arms crossed.

-

crystal: it’s not that i didn’t believe you but i’m shocked that actually happened..

gigi: she’s lowkey mad at me but idc

gigi: i believe you owe me ur address? 

crystal: oh that’s right!

gigi: i have cheer after school but i can come over right after

crystal: yay!!! 

The rest of the day was painfully long. Every minute felt like an hour, Crystal was even bored during her art class. She couldn’t wait to go home and talk to Gigi.

She zoned out while she was walking home, wondering what could happen tonight. Crystal would like to think that Gigi was about to kiss her before they got interrupted, or maybe she was going to ask Crystal to be her girlfriend. Anything could happen, and Crystal couldn’t really tell how she felt about it.

When she got home, she tidied up her room. Her bed was unmade, her dirty clothes were on the floor, and a couple dirty cups littered the top of her night stand. It wasn’t too bad, Crystal would usually consider this clean for her, but it made her feel slightly embarrassed now. She had the urge to fix it, even though Gigi probably wouldn’t have cared too much if Crystal left it the way it was.

After her room was clean, she still had some time to spare before Gigi would be on her way. She headed to the group chat, curious to see what chaos they were up to currently. 

nicky: ADD HER

nicky: ADDD HEEERRRRR

jaida: jan please come back i hate it here

crystal: who are we adding?

nicky: JACKIE

jan!: NO WE WILL NOT BE ADDING HER

nicky: why :(

jan!: i can’t trust you guys to not embarrass me in front of her and she is not a stan!!! she will not understand any of you!

jaida: we don’t have to embarrass you, you’ll do it yourself. we can teach jackie stan language, she’s smart and she’ll catch on

nicky: JAIDAHJKFDGLK

crystal: omg add her

jan!: i hate you all so much

nicky: PLS

jan!: fine.

jan! added Jackie

jan!: jackie, these are my friends. don’t believe anything they say about me.

Jackie: Oh, hello everyone!

nicky: YAAAS JACKIE NATION

nicky: c’mon auto caps!

crystal: hi!  

jaida: hi jackie!

heidi: i leave to play animal crossing for 15 minutes and we get a new member… smh

nicky: not just any new member! it’s jackie!!!!

jaida: the way nicky likes jackie more than jan does

heidi: that’s impossible. jan is SUCH a simp for jackie

Jackie: What? 

crystal: OMFG

Jackie: Does that mean she likes me? I’m confused.

nicky: yes!

Jackie: That’s good. I would assume that Jan likes me, especially after what we did in my car earlier.

crystal: holy fucking shit

jan!: OMFGHFJSKDSFHJDFJK UH

jan!: JACKIE SHUT UP!!!!!!

Jackie: Why?

jaida: god i love it here

gigi: janet you better tell me everything later!!!

jan!: GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!!!!!!!

Crystal was so invested in the train wreck going on, only focusing on the messages sent by Jan and Jackie that she didn’t notice Gigi had come online until she got a notification that Gigi sent her a private message. 

gigi: im on ur street :)

Crystal ran to the door, opening it the second she saw Gigi step onto the porch. Gigi jumped, not expecting it. “Someone’s eager to see me, huh?”

Crystal blushed, letting Gigi in. “Shut up.”

Gigi kicked off her shoes and sat her backpack down next to them before letting Crystal lead her to her room. It was colorful, lots of posters and canvases covering the hot pink walls. “This is very you. I like it!”

“Thank you!” Crystal exclaimed, taking a seat on her bed and patting the space next to her. Gigi gladly sat next to her. 

“This is just really weird. 24 hours ago, I didn’t know who you were and now you’re in my bed. It’s kind of overwhelming,” Crystal blurted out, making Gigi frown. “But not in a bad way!” She clarified, “It’s just a lot to process.”

“Oh, yeah. It is a big change. Last night, I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend, but that obviously did not happen.” Gigi blushed, grabbing a throw pillow from Crystal’s bed to hide her face in. 

Crystal took the pillow away from her, sitting it next to them, “Do you still want me to be your girlfriend?”

Gigi nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know if we should become official yet. We know each other so well, but I feel like we need to see if we vibe in person.”

“I don’t think we will have an issue with that, but I agree. Let’s take it slow. But can I try something first?”

Gigi grinned, “Yeah, what?”

“This.” Crystal whispered, leaning forward until her lips pressed against Gigi’s. Gigi kissed her back, wrapping her arms around Crystal’s neck and pulling Crystal even closer.

[secret-engima]

In Clouds and Moonlit skies verse, what happens with dissidia? (I hope i spelt that right)

Hmmmmm oh dear. I ... TRIED to make this cheerful and silly but it turned out pure angst and Tifa ran away with it. Sorry?

-Cloud still gets called, but of course now he’s Prompto Argentum. Sephiroth is also called, but naturally he’s Titus now. Noctis/Zack doesn’t remember doing this ever anyway so he’s mostly chill with this. New adventure! With Cloudy! Yay! Oh wait where’s his pretty girlfriend noooooo.

-Nobody recognizes either Titus or Prompto and treat them like newbies. Titus rolls with it because frankly he doesn’t like these people anyway and doesn’t care what they think. Prompto is ... very subdued. More than usual. People are very confused as to why they are all here but Cloud is a no-show.

-It physically hurts Prompto to breathe a little when Zidane bounds up to innocently ask if he’s scene a short brooding blond with a giant sword and a wolf ornament on his shirt. It hurts. It HURTS far more than he ever thought it would, to see these people he fought beside look at him like he’s a stranger. It shouldn’t. They aren’t from the same worlds, and it’s only to be expected, he isn’t Cloud anymore after all, but Prompto. But it still hurts. If he calls out to any of them they won’t know him. It smacks too much of his nightmares and Noctis ends up holding him tight as they hide in the back row, fielding any questions with a cheerful smile that wins smiles in return.

-It guts him to spot Tifa in the crowd. Because Materia calls champions without any real care for timeline, and so while she cannot call Cloud’s past self because his soul is no longer in the Lifestream, she CAN call Tifa as well apparently and it HURTS more than words can say.

-Prompto and Noctis stick together stubbornly, so they end up not following the Warrior of Light around. They end up going with someone else- *spins imaginary wheel* TIFA, because apparently she got added to the game later and I feel like torturing my characters.

-Tifa is a little worried on why Cloud is not present when he apparently was last time, but these two boys are ... nice, and someone more experienced has to keep an eye on them. Noctis reminds her of a puppy, bounding around, eager to explore and help Materia. Prompto reminds her a LOT of Cloud, and when she tries to make friends by commenting that he reminds her of a good friend, she’s surprised when his breath stutters and his face shuts down. He chokes out a shy grunt and then hurries to catch up with Zack, leaving Tifa confused.

-Prompto has never been more relieved to run into enemies. If he’s fighting then he doesn’t have to try and fail to talk to his friend who doesn’t recognize him (is younger than he remembers, because he remembers her as a mother, a grandmother, as a old feisty woman with silver hair and a fire that didn’t dim despite her arthritis, the old woman who comforted him about his own conspicuously slow aging when he realized that for every year he seemed to age, his friends had already aged ten or more, another horrible unwanted side effect of Hojo’s experiments). Of course, he doesn’t count on his fighting style, or Tifa’s own observational skills. He has enough presence of mind to not use his fusion sword, instead pulling a regular great sword from armiger, but ... still.

-Tifa (who is post Advent Children btw) watches Prompto as he fights and is ... unnerved by how similar their styles are, the power in a deceptively tiny frame, the unnaturally fast strikes, the bullheaded doggedness. Then she notices his blue eyes that glitter like stars in the dimmer lights, his black clothing for all he’s wearing that plaid ... skirt thing, the ribbon tied around his arm.

-She keeps her thoughts to herself for most of the adventure, just gently tries to coax Prompto out of his shell with minimal success and wondering where Sephiroth is and why this newcomer Titus seems so protective of the boys despite being on the other side. In the end she lets Prompto wander away with Noctis to chat with the other newcomers like Y’shtola, because he doesn’t seem nearly as shy around the other newbies as the ones who are obviously more experienced and she doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable. Not that he doesn’t interact with the older members, but there’s a distance to him with them, like he’s shy, or like he expects them to say something and dreads it when it never comes.

-Then the fight with the planesgorger happens and in the heat of it, Prompto has no choice but to use his skills to their fullest, and Tifa catches sight of him in the chaos, twisting over Exdeath’s head with the Fusion Sword in his hands, splitting it into all sorts of blades and something in her brain goes “click”.

-After the fight, when everyone is saying their goodbyes and gear up to have crystal double made, Tifa sneaks up behind Prompto and starts a casual conversation again, then when his guard is as low as she thinks it’s going to go, she adds, “I guess it’s pretty weird to see me so young, huh?”

-Prompto laughs ruefully, “Just a little-.” freezes, looks at her with something horrified and fragile in his gaze.

-Tifa smiles and says, “It’s okay, I figured it out while we were fighting the planesgorger. Is that your dad’s sword or did he help you make one of your own?”

-Prompto’s shoulders sag and there is something ... both relieved and sad in his eyes as he murmurs, “It’s ... new. I designed it.”

-Tifa gently ruffles his hair, pretending not to notice his flinch as she smiles, “Well, you did your dad proud out there today.”

-Something warms in blue eyes, shy and still sad, but brighter now, “Yeah ... yeah I did. You did- You were awesome too, you know? You’re amazing.”

-Tifa strikes a pose with a laugh, and their conversation tapers off comfortably. Tifa doesn’t ask who his mother is, because she’s already pretty sure it’s not her and either way, she doesn’t want to disrupt the future somehow by knowing too much.

-Right before they all leave, Prompto hugs her from behind and whispers, “Thank you. For always being there for ... you know. He needs all the help he can get.”

-And then he’s hurrying away, back to Noctis and Titus, who both look at him sadly, like they know something heartbreaking she doesn’t.

-When they get back home, Prompto ignores all the worried fussing of the adults who want to know where they’ve been the last week and locks himself in his room.

-Later, Titus will pick the lock and come in to check on him with Noctis on his heels, both worried, because while they knew OF Tifa they hadn’t been best friends with her and they know it had to hurt. Prompto curls into Titus’s gentle bear hug and laughs a little hysterically into the silence. Noctis pets his hair and makes a questioning noise, and Prompto rasps, “Up until the day she died, she always told me I would be a good dad. That I would find someone to have a kid with.”

-Another hysterical giggle and a choked, “She made me promise that when I had a son, I’d name him Prompto.”

(*ahem* so yeah. VERY ANGSTY AND SAD. I just hurt my own Feels. Sorry, I know you were probably hoping for something more in the vein of my Nox Dissidia HCs.)

[storyteller15]

Chapter Four: The Unexpected

The sudden bump from the private jet's heavy landing startles me awake.

I yawned and stirred my body around. Ugh, I don't want to get up yet. I want to sleep more for crying out loud. Last night, I decided to sleep on the long leather sofa. Sleeping in a private jet is something that I wanted to cherish while it lasted. I let out a small groan. I felt so groggy and nauseous, that I had no choice but to wake up.

The jet finally came to a stop. It looks like I made it to Berdea. Reaching for my phone, I switched the airplane mode off. Today's Thursday, 7:59 AM. I’m right on schedule, and I'm ready to start my morning. Oh, I wonder what Berdea looks like. I sit up and leaned towards my window to get a quick view.

Suddenly, a Tsunderplane blocks my view, making me scream and fall back out of the couch. I quickly sat up to look at her from my window again.

"Quit staring at me like that, you sicko!" She shouts at me and takes off to the sky.

I blinked a few times, processing on what just happened. I get up in a luxurious jet plane and was greeted by a mechanical plane monster wearing a mob cap, who was blushing? I snickered and started laughing so hard. That was definitely not what I had in mind to start off my first day away from home. Although it was pretty entertaining.

It's pretty rare to see different race of monsters like Tsunderplane. Berdea is known as the biggest city in Auradon . I was told that Mount Ebott is twenty miles away from the city. I've always wanted to see it up close, despite the sad truth about the mountain.

Just then, my flight attendant appears to my side, looking peppy as ever.

"Good morning, Miss Zafrina," she greets me with a smile, she reminds me of Gretchen. "I assume you slept well?"

"Yes, I did. I've never felt more than relaxed before." I responded with a smile, not mentioning my surprised encounter with a Tsunderplane.

"I'm so glad to hear that! Anyway, we have arrived at your destination. You will meet up with the other Selected girls while you wait for the palace's royal chauffeur. Other than that, I would like to say how much of a privilege it was to serve and fly with you, Miss Zafrina! I'll be rooting for you!" She exclaims at me, making me blush.

"Thank you so much! It's also been a privilege on having you as my flight attendant."

I get up slowly, stretching my arms out before I gathered my cross-body bag and luggage. I nodded at the pilots as I leave the cockpit, walking down the stairs before I walked into the elevator that will take me inside the building.

The airport is packed with monsters and humans. I followed the signs to get to the place I needed to go. I rode down two escalators, walking towards an area where dozens of humans and monsters are boarding into a shuttle train. I quickly ran inside before the doors slid shut, slowly transporting us to the other side of the building.

The ride is surprisingly fast and exciting that I was literally bouncing on my heels. I felt like a kid again. It's no wonder kids enjoy riding on planes and trains. I held on to the steel pole to prevent my body from being pulled back by the train’s speed.

"Look, Mommy! It's the pretty girl that was on TV!" A little bear monster gushes to her mother.

"Janette! It's not nice to point at people." The mother sternly scolds her daughter.

I was puzzled and looked around. Is there another Selected girl in here? I was told that there should be four of them waiting for me. Unless, maybe her flight was delayed and had to land in Berdea late. I was trying not to think that she meant me. I really hate being in the spotlight. It's like you are asking everyone to pay attention to you.

"Excuse me, Miss?" I looked down, finding the little bear monster looking at me.

She looks so adorable, her fur was in a light chestnut color, wearing a small heart barrette on the left side her ear. She was wearing a pink coat decorated in flower patterns.

"I just wanted to say that you look much prettier than on TV!"

"Oh, thank you very much." I smiled at her blushing.

"Are you gonna win and marry Prince Asriel?" I nearly broke my smile, flabbergasted by her question and felt my cheeks heat up.

"I'm afraid that depends on the Prince." I gave her a gentle smile. "Whoever he picks among the thirty-five girls will surely become a great Queen someday. And besides, there are a lot of girls I have to compete against, so it'll be quite a challenge for someone like me."

The little bear monster started pouting. "Awww! But I want you to be the one."

"Janette! Manners, please! I'm so sorry if my daughter was bugging you. She loves to talk to random people, she's a social butterfly." The mother apologizes in her child's behalf.

"Oh, no. She gave me no trouble at all! We were just having a nice chat, and your daughter is very good at making interesting conversations." I promised.

The mother blushed at my comment and smiles at me. Just then, the shuttle train comes to a stop, sliding the doors open as everyone gets up to leave. That was a fast ride, not that I was surprised. It's an airport after all.

"Come along, dear. Our ride should be here soon, say goodbye to the kind Selected girl." The mother says to her before she looks at me, smiling. "Good luck in the Selection, my dear."

"Thank you, ma'am." I responded, feeling my cheeks heat up a little.

Janette looks up at me and gives me a warm smile. "Bye bye uh . . ."

"Zefie, you can call me Zefie."

"Ooh! That's a pretty name! Bye-bye, Zefie! I hope you win and marry the Prince! My mommy and I will be cheering you on until the end!" She waves me goodbye, following her mother.

I watched them go, chuckling to myself. I walked out of the shuttle train, repeating the words Janette told me. Do I really look that pretty enough to have Asriel marry me? I suddenly stopped thinking about it and quickly pushed those wishful thoughts to the side.

The personalities matter the most, I reminded myself. Sometimes pretty girls like Felicity got an ugly personality. I tried to be patient to see the goodness in her for thirteen years. And all this time, Felicity still remained the same. And that is why I stick to my belief. Maybe someday she will change for the better.

As I exited the airport, I finally meet the other Selected girls face-to-face. They were all standing there, waiting for the royal chauffeur. I swallowed hard, feeling my stomach twist into painful knots.

In an instant, I recognize one of the girls. Scarlet Wolf, standing tall and stoic with her long black hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a red bow tank top with black capris, and red high heels.

Bethany warned me to not be too friendly to the other girls. Since the Selection is a competition, she assumes that any friend you make will betray you, the moment you let your guard down. However, I wanted to be positive and keep an open mind.

I approached to the girls slowly and smiled. "Hello there, my name is—"

"Zafrina Alban? Yeah, I know ya." The girl with lavender-colored hair spoke first. "You're that chick with those purple eyes."

"Gosh, are they real?" The monster next to her, suddenly gets close to my face staring deeply into my eyes.

Her fur is a custard color, with short ears and a long bushy tail. And of course, her hair color is light cyan that goes well with her emerald eyes. Could she be a squirrel?

"U-uhm, yes they're real." I responded to the squirrel monster.

"Well, shucks! My name's Colleen!" The squirrel monster says.

"Delilah," The girl with the lavender hair joins in. "Colleen and I came from the same town, so we know each other, because we're friends."

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you both." I smiled shaking their hands, but Colleen squeals out as if my hand tickled against her fur.

I gasped, retracting my hand. "Oh no! I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"Of course, silly! I'm laughing, because of your soul. It's full of energy and warmth, that it sent me tingles down to the bone! Your magic is amazing!" She wiggles her fingers around as if they're imitating stars.

I was shocked, feeling my entire body froze from her comment.

"How do you kno—“

"Monsters can actually feel human souls." Delilah answers for Colleen. "And because you're a powerful Mage, your soul has twice the energy than a normal human’s. Which isn't a surprise, knowing that you're a descendant of the Alban family."

So, everyone does know about me and my real family. Nanny gave me a choice to change my last name, but I didn't want to. I was brave enough to keep my last name, because I can't change who I am. So, I decided to accept myself.

"Don't worry, that's all in the past." She reassures me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You're different from your real family, and I say, you're better off without them."

"Thanks, that means a lot to me." I smiled at her as Colleen joins in, hugging us.

"Yay! Group hug!" Colleen beams, and releases us.

The girl next to Scarlet walks towards me, smiling genuinely. "Don't forget about me, I'm Fiona Taylor."

"Hi, pleased to mee—" Fiona cuts me off by hugging me.

"Pleasure's all mine, Zafrina! I just hope we all become good friends along the way as we compete fair, and square." She says earnestly.

Scarlet lets out a small huff, that I don't think the other girls heard it. I slowly make my way towards her, but not too close as I plastered a small smile at her.

"Hello, Scarlet, It's nice to meet you." Her dark brown eyes focuses on mine, looking a little distraught.

"Hello, Zafrina." She moves her long bangs to the side, not showing any emotion.

So far, these girls are kind and funny. Of course, I'll have to FaceTime Bethany about them. I promised her an update once I reach the palace. Now that I've befriended Delilah, Colleen, Fiona, and I guess Scarlet; I'm sure I'll start off the competition smoothly.

Careful, Zefie. I can hear Bethany talking to me in my head. Keep an open mind, but don't get too comfortable around them.

Just then, a long black limo with two purple flags printed with the Delta Rune symbol on the back of the trunk parks to the side. Colleen lets out an excited squeal while Delilah places her hands over her hips. I quickly check my phone to realize that Bethany texted me. I grinned like a kid and begin to text back while the Royal chauffeur packs our luggage.

"Alright! Let's get going!" Colleen squeals in delight.

Delilah follows after her giving me a confident smile.

"Let's go, buddy," Fiona wraps her arm around me. "We wouldn't want to keep Mettaton and the royal family waiting!"

She lets go of me to follow them into the limo. I held on to the strap of my bag tightly. Right, to the castle. I head to the car, only to have Scarlet block me for a moment.

"If I were you, I would be careful on the people I trust as an ally." She says with a stern voice before she walked ahead of me.

I opened my mouth, but closed it. She has a point, I really need to be careful. I shook my head slowly. I swear, Scarlet is like another version of Bethany. Well, more of a stoic version.

I quickly catch up to Scarlet as we both climbed into the limo. The chauffeur closes the door after me, taking my seat between Delilah and Fiona. Colleen sat by the little parlor that contained sparkling cider, and water. She pops the bottle open, helping herself by filling up a glass cup. Scarlet takes her seat across from us, sitting alone and crosses her arms.

Finally, the chauffeur climbs into the driver’s seat and begins to drive away from the airport. Our final destination is at the palace. If I remember correctly, Claire told me that Mettaton will be the Royal planner. He will be waiting for all thirty-five of us presented at the castle for further instructions.

Some of the girls have a huge crush on him. On the other hand, Bethany thinks Mettaton is gay, because of the way he talks and dresses. Honestly, I just think he's just being himself. The media loves him.

"So, Zafrina," Fiona says, suddenly breaking the awkward silence. "What town, or city did you come from?"

"Aura Cove, it's located at the south end of Berdea." I responded proudly.

"Gosh, that's far away! I heard that place was where the Selkies originally came from." Colleen says, astounded.

My heart pinged with pain the second she mentioned the Selkies. Nanny . . .

"Selkies? Didn't they go extinct after the . . . You know." Delilah pressed her lips in a tight line, knowing that the war with the humans against the monsters was nothing but a painful past.

"Yeah, but rumor says that our King saved the last one, and she's his best friend. My parents did say that she's a powerful Selkie." Colleen answers Delilah, feeling my skin form goosebumps.

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Yeah, my grandfather met her once. She goes by the name, Runa Cordelia. Her last name means 'Jewel of the Sea.'"

"So, where do you think she is now?" Delilah leans forward, now interested in Colleen's knowledge about the 'last' selkie.

"Who knows? However, I did hear that she still sends letters to the King and Queen. Perhaps they will know."

My heart started racing, feeling my lungs suffocate it. Nanny doesn’t like to be the center of attention. Her entire race has been erased off the earth, leaving her as the only one to survive a cruel death. I used to think she didn't like being a Selkie.

When Bryn and I were still young, Nanny moved us to Aura Cove where she can live as a human. It's the only town where no one knows who she really is. Only King Asgore and Queen Toriel are the only ones that know she lives there. And until it's the right time, we can never let her secret out.

"Wow, Zafrina! Your town has amazing history. I'm so jealous." Fiona gushes, giving my hand a tight squeeze.

I blinked twice, and let out a nervous chuckle. "There's nothing to be jealous about. I just love living there."

For a second, I thought I saw Fiona crept an annoyed look. I shook my head. Maybe I'm just dizzy from all the excitement. I leaned my head back while the girls found another topic to discuss. In the corner of my eye, I found Scarlet staring at me, but she looked away before our eyes met.

"What about you two? Where did you guys come from?" She focuses on Delilah and Colleen.

"Oh, we're from Bluebell City." Colleen smiles brightly.

"Yeah, it's pretty big, our city has a reputation of growing bluebell flowers and some Echo Flowers." Delilah joins in.

I smiled, I love Echo Flowers. Sadly, we don't have any in Aura Cove. I hear that if you whisper something to the flower, it'll repeat whatever you say back.

"Well, as you know, I come from Altaria City." Fiona says, not waiting for any of us to ask her.

While the girls continued their conversation, I texted Bethany back. Berdea is five hours ahead of Aura Cove. I'm surprised she was up late at this hour. It's nine o'clock in Berea time, and Bethany's up at four in the morning in Aura Cove, just so she could check up on me. I felt crestfallen. I miss her already; Bethany's the only person who makes me feel comfortable.

"So, Zafrina, do you have a nickname you prefer us to call ya?" Delilah asks, bringing me back to reality.

"O-oh! Uh, Zefie. I prefer Zefie." I stuttered, feeling flustered.

"Ooh! I like that name, it means 'lovely lady,' right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well, you certainly are a lovely lady." Fiona comments, giving me a sincere smile.

My whole body was chilled to the bone. Something is a little off about her, but I don't know what it is. My gut did the same thing when Felicity was up to something before. I quickly pushed those thoughts to the side, I won't judge too soon, I have to keep an open mind.

"Ooh! I simply can't wait to meet Prince Asriel! He's so handsome and brave!" Colleen places both her hands over her cheeks to hide her blush.

"Well, that won't happen," Fiona cuts in, with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"What?! Why?!" She whines, watching big fat tears form in the corner of her eyes.

"We don't meet them until tomorrow morning," Delilah pats her friend's arm. "Besides, what we do know is that once the thirty-five of us gets to the palace, Mettaton will handle things from there."

"Ooh . . ! Mettaton is quite the hottie, but the prince is who I'm after." Fiona fans herself.

"What about you, Scarlet? Don't you think Asriel's a hottie?" Colleen asks her, trying to include her.

"Why yes, yes he is." She responds, sounding swooned for a second.

Suddenly, my phone vibrates over my lap. I quickly check, only to find Bryn's text. Really? Even she’s up that early back at home, too? I guess she misses me, and I miss her even more.

"Is that your sister?" Fiona gapes at the picture of her.

"Ooh! Where? Where? I wanna see!" Colleen leans over to look over my phone too. "Wow! She's so pretty!"

"Are her breasts real?!" Delilah gapes too, forming a perfect 'o' with her mouth.

The picture I saved as Bryn's contact picture is just her smiling in a flirtatious way in her red sleeveless blouse, shaping her natural sized waist and breasts. I tried to find different pictures of her looking less flirty, but I gave up later on, because she insisted on me keeping it.

"Err, yeah. Her name is Bryn, and yes, they're actually real." I answered their questions, flabbergasted from their reactions.

Are girls really that shocked to see other girls breast size that intimidatingly big? It's just fat in our chest for crying out loud. I take a small glass from the parlor, pouring water inside.

"Well, damn," Delilah looks down at her chest, looking distressed. "Just by looking at your sister's boobies makes mine look a lot smaller!"

I nearly tipped my glass over, just hearing her say that. Colleen and Fiona burst out laughing at Delilah, watching her face turn red, as if she's some cartoon character that's about to blow off steam from her ears.

"Shut up! I'll have you know that girls with smaller boobs are attractive, too!"

Noted, Delilah is quite short-tempered.

"Oh, oh, oh!" Colleen shrieks, making us jump from our seat. "Guys, we're here!"

We all looked at the window as the limo drives past the open gates. I noticed a small sentry station over to the left side of the gate. For a second, I thought I saw a skeleton, wearing a blue zip up hoodie sleeping. Could that be one of the skeleton brothers Claire was talking about?

"Whoa, look at that." I looked at the direction Delilah was pointing.

Out in the palace courtyard is a big open field of soft looking grass, stretching up to two miles from the gates, to the palace. I can see some big golden flowers growing in the field, the road to the palace lined with lovely beds of different colored flowers. I notice some shrubs were finely cut in different shapes, and sizes until I found a rather interesting one. This bush is in a shape of a skeleton head. It was grinning happily as if it was meant to show how cool it looked.  

The limo comes to a stop, which made Colleen and Fiona squeal as if they couldn't wait to get out. Delilah growled, tugging at her ear.

"Ya mind not screaming like idiots by my ear next time?!" She shoots them both a glare, but neither of them paid attention to her.

I quickly covered my mouth with my hand to hide my grin. My phone buzzes again, receiving an impatient text from my dear sister again for some details about my location. I twiddled my thumbs on the keypad as swiftly as possible, letting her know that I've reached the palace and will promise to text her later.

"Zefie, come on! Everyone's waiting!" Colleen calls out from outside.

Wha?! I notice I was the last one still in the limo, as I shuffled out the door, moving my hair to my left side. I gasped. towering above us is Berdea's palace, its height nearly intimidating. I wonder how many floors does it hold. Nanny did mention that King Asgore likes his castle to look a bit like a fourteenth-century style. However, now that they’re living on the surface, the royal family made their home into a palace.

"Ah! The last group are here!" A woman exclaims, coming out from the double doors of the palace. "Welcome, Ladies! Right this way please, we wouldn't want to keep Mettaton waiting."

Colleen was the first to follow, Delilah on her heels, then Fiona, and Scarlet. I take one quick glance at the beautiful scenery, noticing a huge greenhouse on the right side of the palace. How beautiful, I hope I get the opportunity to go look in there.

I walked up the steps, facing forward. There is no going back, I told myself. And in seconds, I walk through the big double doors, hearing it creak and close shut behind me.

I try my best to catch up with the others, allowing the nearby maids to carry my bag and luggage up to my room. I kept my phone inside my pocket just in case.

Down the wide hallway, I spotted the grand stairway that leads to the guest rooms, with two sets of elevators standing beside it. I wasn't sure how far the stairs and elevator goes, but maybe Mettaton will give a heads up about them. I looked around again, amazed by the architecture of the palace. Their beige colored tiles sparkled brilliantly, that I could see my own reflection.

I didn't look at where I was going as I bumped into a tall figure, making me fall back onto my ass with a loud thump. I let out a loud squeal, feeling my phone hit my ass twice as hard inside my pocket.

"Eek! Oh no! I'm so terribly sorry! I didn't watch where I was going!" I quickly apologized, flushing red in embarrassment for being so clumsy.

Just then, a red glove was lowered in front of me. "WHOOPSY DOOPSY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HUMAN!?" The voice asks, unabashedly shouting, but was filled with concern.

I blinked a few times, carefully placing my hand over it as the person carefully pulled me up.

"T-thank you," I looked up and gasped, finding a tall skeleton.

He was wearing a strange outfit that some superheroes wear, having a red raggedy scarf wrapped around his neck that made him look heroic.

"YOU ARE MOST WELCOME!" He beams proudly. "WHICH IS WHY I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IS ALWAYS HERE TO HELP THOSE IN DISTRESS!"

He looks familiar. The way he grins suddenly made me realize something. The shrub from outside the palace, that's him? Perhaps he did something honorable enough to let the king and queen have their shrub shaped as his head and face.

"NYEH? YOUR SOUL," he continues, taking my hand onto his again. "WOWIE! IT'S FULL OF ENERGY, I CAN ACTUALLY FEEL MY BONES TINGLING!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I guess it's because you can feel my magic. I'm actually a human mage."

"W-WHAT?! A HUMAN MAGE?!" He asks, dumbfounded. "WHY, IT'S NO WONDER YOUR SOUL IS FULL OF ENERGY AND LIFE!"

I smiled meekly. "It's not really—"

"NONSENSE, HUMAN MAGE! YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE POSITIVE, AND LOVE YOURSELF FOR WHO YOU ARE!" He shouts, cutting me off.

"That's a very good advice," I said earnestly. "Thank you."

"OH, YES, I APOLOGIZE! ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF." He says, and puffs his ribs out as if he's trying to look cool. "I AM PAPYRUS! THE COOL, PRESTIGIOUS, AND POPULAR ROYAL GUARD OF THE PALACE!"

I let out a chuckle. "Nice to meet you, royal guard Papyrus. My name is Zafrina Alban, but you can call me Zefie for short."

"What a fantastic name, human mage Zefie! But uh, what are you doing out here all alone?" He asks, with his voice finally tuned down.

"Oh, uh, I'm not sure . . . I was with a group girls, following a woman who will take us to Mettaton. I guess I got a little sidetracked and got lost."

"Ah! You must be one of the Selected girls! Well, allow me to escort you to the room where the other Selected are needed!" He insists, holding out his bony arm.

"Why thank you, that would be helpful." I placed my hand over it.

In an instant, he excitedly speed-walks towards the end of the hallway. I was surprised on how fast he can walk in those red boots of his. It makes me feel like I'm the one who's slow. And in seconds, we stand in front of a large doorway, where I can see a bunch of makeup stations filled with girls getting their makeup done. I can see Fiona getting her hair done, having her orange hair getting curled. It was so packed, I couldn't even see Delilah, Colleen, or Scarlet.

I felt my palms sweat a bit, but I felt a hand press against my back. I looked up, finding Papyrus smiling at me confidently. He's so positive, and I like him for that.

"FEAR NOT, HUMAN MAGE ZEFIE! YOU WILL BE FINE, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT METTATON IS GOOD AT HIS JOB. NOW, I MUST GET GOING! I'M OFF TO DO MORE IMPORTANT DUTIES AS A ROYAL GUARD! NYEH HEH HEH!" He says with a grin.

"Alright, goodbye Papy—" I watched him run off as he happily disappears down the hallway, making a sharp left turn. "Rus . . ?"

I chuckled, surprised at how positive and confident he was. Perhaps that's the other skeleton brother. Hopefully I get to meet the other one that was sleeping at the sentry post. It makes me miss Claire more.

I took a few deep breaths and walked inside. My breath stilled when some of the Selected girls notice my presence, making me feel intimidated.

Over to my right, I see a beautiful Ferret monster with white fur, and long gorgeous blond hair styled into a bun. She was dressed in a ruby dress that makes her look exquisite. I felt my stomach twist into different angles just by looking at her.

"Ah! There you are, Miss Alban!" The woman from earlier, walks to my side. "You had me worried, I assumed you got lost along the way here."

I felt my cheeks flushed, embarrassed from my early encounter with Papyrus. "I'm so terribly sorry, ma'am."

"That's alright, I'm so glad you're here. Anyway, you're next to have your makeup done. Mettaton?"

Just then, a tall human-like figure with black hair and silver skin, wearing a magenta button-up collared long-sleeved shirt with a black vest and pants appeared before us. I tried to not look nervous and decided to look to the side.

"Yes, Wanda? What do you need?" He asks, moving his fringes to the side a little. "I'm quite busy, darling, so please make this qui . . ." His voice trails off as his dark eyes focused on me.

Mettaton looked as if he just saw something quite extraordinary, that he was speechless to even respond. I felt my stomach formed excruciating knots again, but I forced myself to hold in the pain.

"Oh, my! You look drop-dead-gorgeous, darling!" Mettaton gushes, getting a closer look at me.

"Let's see here," He tips my chin up carefully, turning my face side to side as if he's analyzing me. "Pale skin, light auburn hair, low-pointed nose, fabulous smile, and oh my! What lovely pair of light-amethyst eyes you have there, darling! Are they real?"

I chuckled nervously, feeling my stomach twist in an awkward angle. "Y-yes, they are."

"Oh, so stunning~! Thank you, Wanda. Now, come along, darling. Allow me to pick out a dress for you before you have your makeup done." He takes my hand, pulling me away to the other side of the room.

"Dress? Makeup?"

"Why, of course! You didn't think I was going to allow a gorgeous girl like you to pose in front of the cameras, and do a small documentary of yourself without a proper dress, and makeup?"

My smile faded instantly, feeling my entire body shut down. Posing? Camera? Documentary? I quickly shoved those thoughts away, feeling my magic buzz under the skin of my fingertips. Perhaps there's a good reason for us to have an interview. I'm quite camera shy.

We stopped in front of two long metal racks filled with different colored dresses. Mettaton works quickly, trying to find the right color and design that would suit me the most. About twenty seconds later, he pulls out a gorgeous sweetheart neckline gown with lovely ruffles that went around the skirt like waves.

"That looks gorgeous," I said, feeling exhilarated.  

"Yes, it will look gorgeous when it's on you~! Come along now, darling. Stacey?"

The girl at an empty makeup station perks her head up before she walked towards us. They share a brief conversation before he gives her the gown.

"Alright, darling, time to get pampered from head-to-toe. You're in good hands. I will check up on you in twenty minutes, ta-ta~!" He pats my shoulder, before he leaves to check on the rest of the Selected girls.

I sit over the chair as Stacey checks on my face. She begins her job by washing my face first, brushing my hair to get the knots out that must've formed while I slept on the private jet. So far, my hair was put up in a stylish messy bun, letting some of my hair stick out. I didn't have that much makeup on, so it's just my eyes and lips that were worked on.

After some finishing touches on my eyes, Stacy escorts me over to the corner of the room, beckoning me to go behind a large screen that'll allow me to change into the gown Mettaton picked. Of course, I wasn't looking forward to walking in them, I'm not the type to wear gowns or short dresses all the time. Stepping into the gown, Stacey helps me fasten the zipper before she buttons them up, feeling the dress tighten around me a bit. Good thing Mettaton didn't ask me to change my shoes, walking in heels would probably hurt like hell!

Seconds later, I was pampered and ready. The hem of my skirt felt a little heavy for me to move around. I shrugged. It's actually not that bad anyway, I'm only doing this for Bryn.

"Alright, ladies~!" Mettaton shouts, getting our attention. "Now that everyone is all pampered and well-dressed, it's almost time to be interviewed live on camera."

Nearly half of the girls squealed with excitement while I felt my feet, and palms sweat like crazy. Millions of people will be watching this. And among them will be Nanny, Bryn, and Bethany. I couldn't help but smile. I'll make them proud. I took three deep breaths, feeling my anxieties shrink little by little. Stay determined, Zefie, I thought to myself.

One by one, each of us waited at least ten minutes before the next girl walks in. Sadly, my clothes and phone were taken back to my room. I won't be able to text Bethany about the situation I'm in. Within a few seconds, Colleen manages to find me in the crowd before she settles next to me with a grin.

"You look so lovely!" She whispers to me, smiling.

"Thanks! You, too." I gushed, loving how her hair was done in a french braid that curled into a bun, including her light grayish cyan gown that matched her hair and eyes well.

"S-so, what are we going to do?"

"Don't worry, Zefie, we're just gonna do a few poses for the camera, so we can have our before-and-after pictures displayed on TV for the Selection. It's a fantastic idea really. And after that, we just talk about ourselves a little, and then we'll be sent to our rooms to have our dinners there."

"Sounds easy enough. Were you able to find Delilah, Fiona, or at least Scarlet?"

"Not yet, I think they were up first, so it's just you and me for now. I think Scarlet is being interviewed right now."

Just then, the same ferret monster I just saw earlier is over at the corner with some girls talking.

"Who's that, Colleen?"

She looks over at the direction of where I'm pointing and saw her body flinch, before turning back to me. "That's Malachite Levoue, aka Mal. She's supposed to be one of the sexiest Selected girls among the thirty-five."

"Well, she definitely won the title, but do you know what she does?"

"Modeling, and it looks like her career of being rich and famous in Coloratura City wasn't enough. So, I guess she wants the prince, too."

My whole body went still, feeling my lungs suffocate my heart enough to make me stop breathing.

"So, it looks like she'll be one of our toughest competition yet."

"It seems like it, I heard that she's got an awful personality." She shakes her head, but looks at me smiling. "Ah forget about her, let's just focus on what's up ahead."

"You're right, tomorrow will be a big day to meet the ki—"

"Miss Zafrina Alban? you're next, darling~!" Mettaton calls out for me, poking his head out the doorway.

"Oh my god! You're up next! Good luck, Zefie!" She hugs me as I meekly walk into the other room.

I took a few deep breaths slowly, noticing a lot of camera equipment set up, along with bright lights to capture our complexion. I find Mettaton talking with the camera crew, going over the plan as I make my way to a large screen displayed against the wall. I squinted at the bright lights, brushing out my ruffles to straighten them out.

"Alright darling, are you ready to pose and show Auradon what you're made out of?" He asks, beaming with joy.

I responded with a gentle nod. Stay calm Zefie, I begged myself. Everyone at home are watching. Be brave and confident.

"Great! Now prepare to pose in five, four, three, two, one."

♕ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ♕

I let out a tired groan, coming out of the shower in my white robe. That interview was a bit intense, and I was dismissed to my room thankfully. The Selected girls are to stay on the second floor just for tonight. We are not allowed to wander off on our own until further notice. Each Selected are given two maids, to help us dress, prepare baths, and to be sure we stick to our schedule on time.

Most of the maids are lamb monsters, the Rams are the butlers. And I love mine so far, there's Barbara who loves to talk a lot, and is good at designing gowns. Lesley loves fashion, but likes to get things done on time. We got along the first time I stepped into my room. Of course, I went through some limitations with them. And since I was used to doing some things on my own, they at least allow me to shower by myself, and pick my own clothes. And in return, I allowed them to start my shower or baths, dress me, and answer the door.

With my maids dismissed for now, I finally had the freedom of having the room to myself.  My room is so big and spacious, it’s actually twice as big than my sitting room back at home. I even have a big flat-screen TV hooked up onto the wall for me to watch. On the left side of the corner is a window seat with little bookshelves for me to sit when I want to read or relax. I love how it sits in front of the multicolored stained-glass window, which of course had the delta rune symbol on it.

The best part about my room is my bed! A king-sized rococo designed bed with silvery-white bed sheets. The headboard itself looked so fancy, especially when the top of it looks like a crown. The wall curtains are draped around my bed, parted and tied with its colors matching my bed sheets, making it look sophisticated and exquisite. There are so many pillows, some that are big, and a few that are small. That’s going to be a big problem for my maids to drag me out of bed since I love to sleep in.

Delilah's room is down at the West Wing. Colleen's is across mine, which makes it easier for me to come see her every day. As for Fiona and Scarlet, I'm not sure, hopefully I will encounter them soon.

As promised, I go ahead and FaceTime Bethany. It didn't take long before she answers after the second beep. And here I am now, smiling like an idiot when her face appears on the screen.

"About time you called!" She smirks at me, eating her ice-cream in her room. "How's the palace? Did you see your crush? Are the girls giving you a hard time? Is the weather in Berdea okay?"

I chuckled, smiling at her. "That's a lot of questions to answer! The palace is cool, bigger than I expected. And no we can't meet him until tomorrow. The third question is undecided. And the weather is alright."

"Well that's good, but I'd be careful of who I trust, Zef. This IS a competition, and you know how the Selected girls are when it comes to Asriel."

"Yeah, I'll try to be careful." I promised, forcing a smile.

She raises her eyebrow at me, looking crestfallen. "Look, I know you're just trying to be kind, but I don't want them to take advantage of it. They will use it against you one day to hurt you. And you know how I am, when people like that try to hurt you. But this time, I can't be there to help you anymore. You're gonna have to stand firm, and not let anyone knock you down; just like the time you put Felicity back into her place."

I sighed softly. I hate how she's sometimes right. The thing is, I don't like to be mean. It's not in my damn nature. However, if they cross the line, then I will snap and put my foot down.

"You're right, I'll be careful."

"Good. In the meantime, my mom says that Mettaton is going to broadcast the before-and-after pictures of the Selected girls." She smirks at me.

 Shit, I forgot all about that.

"Oh yeah . . ." I meekly looked to the side.

"To be honest, I can't wait to see your transformation. Maybe this will give you a good chance to have the people throughout Auradon support you to win." She says, being positive.

I smiled and nodded. "Again, you're right."

"Oh! Hey, I'll be right back, I have to help my mom on something." I can see her getting up from her bed, putting her phone in a different angle.

"Okay, see ya later." I pressed the end button and sighed.

The second floor is full of guest rooms, where the Selected girls stay. Parts of the hallway has a nice big lounging area for the girls to socialize and relax. I even heard that the second floor also has an indoor pool and spa. It’s available for us to use any time in case we feel like having a relaxation time. I should go see it sometime and experience that luxurious life in the palace.

I pulled off my robe, putting on a simple powder blue tank top, with soft black shorts. Sarah definitely did an excellent job on my measurements. My new clothes are fitted to the right size for my body. Claire gave me an option to what type of sleep-wear I like to use for bedtime. So, I told her t-shirts and tank tops with color matching shorts.

Leaving my room quietly, I wander down the west wing to discover more things on the second floor. In the middle of the hall that separates the west, and east wing is a loft, containing the stairs with two sets elevators. I squinted my eyes, feeling puzzled about it. I find it a little strange for the palace to have elevators, but I’m sure King Asgore has his reasons for having them.

“Well, hello there, buddy,” I gasped and whipped my head around, finding Fiona standing behind me grinning. “I guess this is how you spend your free time in a late afternoon?”

“Fiona, h-hi! Y-you uh, surprised me.” I stuttered, recovering from my jump-scare.

“What can I say? I’m an unexpecting person.” she jokes, shrugging her shoulders.

I chuckled softly, draping my damp hair over my shoulders. “What brings you out here? Are you exploring the second floor, too?”

“I guess you can say that. But I’m just bored, I was hoping I’d run into someone to have a little chat.” She says, twirling a lock of hair with her finger.

“Oh. Well, if you like, perhaps you could join me by accompanying me to the indoor pool?”

“Oh, no; I couldn’t,” her voice suddenly sounded slick. “Not with someone who’s so dense and annoying.”

My smile instantly fell, shocked that I understand why my gut has been going haywire when I was around her. A smug smile spreads across her face.

“You see, Zefie, this is the Selection. And in this competition, there is no such thing as friendship. Anyone can betray anyone. And right now, it seems that I’ve played you like a fool.”

I blinked twice, trying my best to stay calm. “Then why did you—?”

“Be friends with you? Isn’t it obvious?” she sneers at me, crossing her arms. “They did say to get to know your competitors, and I did so. But that doesn’t mean we could get together and talk about friendships, rainbows, and fucking unicorn kisses. Why should I be friends with some short-tempered flat-chested girl who dyed her hair into an ugly purple shade? The squirrel monster is more dense than you are, so bravo for at least being a little smart. As for that dark-haired enigmatic girl? She’ll probably get booted out the competition if she doesn’t learn to smile like a proper lady.”

I opened my mouth to try to say something, anything to defend them, but nothing came out.

“Aw don’t be sad, buddy . . ! The truth will only hurt just for tonight. Why don’t you be a good girl, and go back to your room to relax? The program should be starting later on tonight, and I wouldn’t want to miss your little interview and camera shots of you.”

I didn’t bother looking at Fiona, still feeling dumbfounded for ignoring my instincts about her.

She walks towards me, patting me on the shoulder as she showed her fake genuine smile again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Zefie. Perhaps the prince will realize what a sad little orphan you really are.”

And just like that, she walks away and disappears to the east wing. I slowly balled my fingers into a fist, preventing my magic from getting out of control.  Stay calm! I begged myself. My knees shook like jello, falling over to try to catch my breath.

“Zefie?!” I heard Colleen cry out in concern, hearing multiple steps coming towards me.

“Hey, you okay?!” Delilah carefully holds my face up to look at them. “What did that two-faced bitch say to you?!”

Oh . . . They overheard us. I couldn’t respond, continuing to breathe heavily. So, this is Fiona’s game; playing as the nice friend as she leeches out any personal information she can use against us.

“Gosh, even I didn’t know that Fiona can be such a backstabbing, conniving bitch.” she shook her head, sounding crestfallen.

“It’s not your fault, Colleen, we all didn’t know, and that’s how good she is at being fake. Short-tempered flat-chested girl, huh? We’ll show her, we’ll show her how wrong she is, and shove her words back into her big fat mouth.” Delilah spat out, with her voice sounding enraged.

“Temper, Delilah,” Colleen reminds her before she sat down next to us. “Don’t worry, Zefie, you have us! We don’t care if one of us becomes a winner. We compete fair and square, and betrayal is not in our vocabulary.”

I closed my eyes and smiled, hugging my now two new friends. “Thanks, guys.”

♕ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ✩°｡⋆*:･ﾟ✧ ❀ ♕

"Yes, Nanny, everything's fine here. We won't be able to meet Asgore and Toriel until tomorrow." I said, keeping my phone close to my ear.

"That's fine, honey. It will give you time to relax until then." she spoke with her soothing voice.

"Okay, but shouldn't we be worried? The monsters and humans are spreading rumors about you, now that I've entered the Selection. They're going to find out soon."

"Is that so? Oh, my dear sweetheart, I suppose that I forgot to tell you something important."

"Huh? Tell me what?" I felt my blood gone cold, afraid of what she will say me.

"I want to come out of hiding," Nanny confesses. "I don't care anymore. One way or another, everyone will know what I really am sooner or later. I don't want you and Bryn to carry that burden anymore. I am Runa Cordelia, the last Selkie of the monster race, and a mother of two precious daughters."

I let out a small gasp and stifled a cry. Thank goodness, Nanny can finally become herself whenever she wants to. I know she hates to have everyone pity her. It will only remind Nanny of the family and friends she lost when the war broke out. That was why she wanted to stay in a town, isolated from the ones that knows who she really is.

"The whole town was surprised, but they still love me for who I am. And that's what's important." She continued, letting out a small chuckle.

"What made you decide to come out of hiding, Nanny?" I asked, feeling knots form in my stomach.

Nanny chuckled softly. "Do you remember when we brought Bryn back home with us?"

"Of course I do, I can never forget it."

There was a long silence, before Nanny spoke again.

"Well at that time, we moved from Elridge, to Aura Cove. And one day, you asked me why I was ashamed of being myself. I laughed at your question, because I wasn't at all. I just wanted to live in a place where no one knows what I really am. I was so tired of every monster pitying me, wondering if I missed having my kind. It will only remind me of the painful past I've already moved on from."

I felt my heartbeat in an excruciating way. I would feel the same if anyone did bring up something that I wanted to forget. Nanny is the type of person to mourn for a little bit, then move on to continue on with her life. She will not let any tragedy keep her from doing the things she loves. And that's why everyone respects Nanny.

I felt some tears form from the corner of my eyes. "That's a relief, no more hiding."

"It is sweetheart, it is." She responds happily. "You should turn on the TV soon, the broadcast will come on any second. Don't forget to get a good night's rest."

I wiped my tears and chuckled. "Yes, Nanny, I will."

"I love you, sweetheart. Bryn does, too."

"And I love you both, too. I'll call tomorrow, I promise."

I press the end button, throwing my phone over to my bed. Fiona's hurtful words echoed throughout my mind. So much for friendship. I walk over to my luggage, taking out my instant picture. Nanny and Bryn's smiles are what I miss the most.

I told Bethany about my early incident with Fiona. I wasn't surprised when she responded by wanting to break her entire bones. Bethany was right this whole time about choosing your allies. But I trust Delilah and Colleen. We decided it'll just be the three of us against thirty-two girls, well, hopefully we make more friends instead of enemies. Other than that, I suggested that we should still be kind to the ones who are kind to us.

I open the glass double doors to my balcony and stepped out to get some fresh air. The cold air tingled against my skin, feeling the ends of my hair stand. What a lovely breezy night it is at the palace. I was very lucky to have my room overlook the garden, especially when I can see Mount Ebott from my balcony. Watching it at least helped me forget about Fiona.

I draped my arms over the stone rail of the balcony. Mount Ebott, a mountain full of sad and happy history. What lies under it, is another world where it is much different than the surface. I should be happy. Nanny can be herself again, and I still have friends I can talk to. I can never ask for more.

Suddenly, a loud gust of wind blew against my face, making me yelp as my picture slipped out of my fingers. I gasped and ran for it, but it was too late. I watched in horror as my picture flew with the current towards the trees.

"Oh no!" I cried out, feeling my stomach twist into knots while my heart felt like it was going to run out of air.

If I don't get it back soon, I don't think I'll ever get a good night's sleep. That picture means a lot to me, and it’s irreplaceable. Even if I have it saved in my phone, it won't feel the same if I can't touch it.

I felt a cold chill run throughout my body. I know I can't leave the second floor, but I also can't leave my picture out in the trees. There's only one way to get it back. And it's probably the stupidest idea I've ever thought of.

I looked down, squinting my eyes to see through the dark. On the bottom is a bed of golden flowers. I whimpered and closed my eyes shut. If I use magic, someone will sense it and I will be in big trouble.

I took a deep breath and climbed over the railings as my arms held on to it tightly. All of this for a picture? I asked myself, looking over my shoulder to be sure my landing is accurate. Yup. It's worth it.

I exhaled loudly, closing my eyes and forced myself to let go of the ledge. It was only a matter of seconds before my body was prepared for the impact, landing on my back first, letting out a loud painful squeal. I felt my heart thumped loudly, feeling so much adrenaline pump throughout my body.

The pain wasn't too bad. And to my surprise, the big golden flowers actually cushioned most of my impact from my fall. I sat up slowly, rubbing my back. This will definitely be one of the most bizarre stunts I'll ever tell Bethany. And what will she say?

All of this for a damn irreplaceable picture.

I got up to my feet, feeling them shake like jello. The strong wind came by again, making my hair fly around like crazy. I quickly ran to the direction to where my picture flew. I scanned the area while I ran, in case there was a guard on duty. I really don't want to get in trouble at all.

It didn't take long for me to find what I was looking for. Towering above me is a tall tree that stood up to twenty feet. The leaves sparkled in a light magenta color, looking as if it’s made out of jewels. The trunk itself is in a light auburn color, watching the branches sway side to side from the wind.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, finding my picture stuck between the leaves up in the tree branch.

I analyzed the trunk and branches carefully. Since I'm barefoot, it'll make it easier for me to climb up the tree. With the moon as my only light, I climbed up the tree, gripping on to the nearest branch as planting my foot over the rough trunk to pull myself up. This could take some time before I can get to my picture on time. I prayed that the next gust of wind doesn’t come again by the time I reach it. I’ve already broken enough rules to get myself kicked out of the competition.

What the hell? I cursed to myself. How tall is this tree anyway? Did I miscalculate? I shook my head as I continued to climb, nearly at the top. Suddenly, the clouds covered up the moon, making my surroundings nearly pitched black. Dammit! What do I do now?! Slowly, I used my free hand to search for something to hold onto, feeling a long thick branch covered in some leaves. I shook the branch to test how sturdy it is before I went ahead, using it to pull my body upwards.

Oh! The leaves suddenly begin to glow in a beautiful light magenta color, lighting up the entire tree. I gaped, but sighed in awe at how beautiful their lights glowed. I noticed that the tree had some vines hanging over the branches. I wonder what kind of tree this is, perhaps Nanny would love to have a tree like this in the backyard.

With the lights from the leaves, I finally found the exact branch where it held my picture. The problem is, the branch was long and a little narrow. And I guess that means I have to crawl to it, carefully. Well, this is a risky situation. I was tempted to look down, but I stopped, knowing it will only make things worse for me.

“Come on, Zefie,” I encouraged myself. “Stay determined.”

My hands gripped around the thick branch, slowly scooting my body forward. I tried my best to be fast, but slow to reach the end of the branch. If I don’t hurry soon, my maids will cause a ruckus, and the guards will be searching for me.

“Hello?” I gasped, with my eyes widened, feeling my entire body froze to the spot. “Is anybody up there?”

My heart pounded loudly in a fast pace, with my breath laboring. That voice! I know that voice from anywhere!

Suddenly I felt my body tilt to the side and I cried out, quickly wrapping my arms and legs around the branch to prevent me from falling. I gasped, placing my free hand over my mouth, realizing the mistake I just made.

“Are you alright up there? Do you need some help?” The voice asks, filled with so much concern.

This bad! Really, really bad!

What in the world is Prince Asriel doing out here?!

[julia-highstorms]

Jane Is Here (ILITW AU) - Chapter 3

Summary: Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Jane had survived the game and got a chance to grow up with her friends?

Note: F!MC. Yay, I'm back! I'm sorry it took way toooo long for me to write it, but I was busy the past weeks and I almost broke my ankle lol but inspiration came down to me yesterday and I wrote two whole new chapters!! So Chapter 4 will be out by the end of the week! If you can't remember what the hell happened on the previous chapters lol, you can find them here.

And if you don't know it already, I wrote a fanfic for my "300 followers giveaway", called "Most Wanted of Westchester" wow I suck at titles (it's another Noah x MC fanfic, obviously, angstier than this one. You can read it here).

Pairing: Noah x MC/Jane x Lucas

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 2096

Tagging my beloved and loyal readers @kurbqa @miragemeister @klaudiana-beaumontkk @yertletheturtle04 @eat-motherfucking-lead-bitches @mysteriouslady4 and I don't know/can't remember who else reads it, so if you want me to tag you when I post the next chapters (for this fanfic and/or "If Jane Was Here"), let me know, please! Hope y'all enjoy it as much as I did especially the ending ;)!!! <3

Chapter 3 - The past is in the past

Somehow she and Jane managed to go back to her bedroom, but MC could barely sleep after it.

As soon as the sun rises, Jane wakes up bright and early, as if she has forgotten what happened in the backyard.

“How can you be so energetic this early?” – MC yawns, while they go downstairs for breakfast. – “I couldn’t sleep at all, my mind was racing of memories of Mr...”

“MC.” – Jane interrupted her before she could say their childhood monster friend’s name. – “It was nothing. We were just imagining things.”

“But you heard the whistle. And I heard it too.”

“I know. But it might mean nothing. Yeah, my whistle is still there, but it probably was just the wind. I... I have to believe that it meant nothing, okay?” – Jane looked at her with her big brown pleading eyes.

MC nodded.

“Yeah... It was just... a coincidence, right?” – she forced a smile.

“Yeah!” – Jane eagerly agreed. – “It’s what I always say, the past is in the past! Come on, let me make us a nice and rich breakfast!” – the ginger girl rolls up her sleeves entering the kitchen. – “I’ll make you bacon with eggs!”

“Oh, I would like that!”

“I thought you were the one who was going to make us breakfast, not me.” – MC points out to her best friend, when they’re already eating.

Jane, unlike her twin brother, is a completely disaster when it’s about cooking, so she had to ask for her friend’s help and MC ended up cooking everything.

“Well, Noah does the hard part and I actually just break the eggs. But, come on, at least my intentions were good!” – they laugh it off, what happened that dawn soon forgotten.

They chat all the way towards the Marshall’s house, before heading to school.

“Wow, I have to congratulate you, MC.” – Noah says as he opens the door.

“Why?”

“You were able to wake Jane up on time. I swear this girl would be sleeping throughout the ending of the world.”

“Shut up, Noah!” – Jane says as she enters the house to leave her things and greet their mom.

Noah and MC share a giggle before going silent.

“...Is everything okay?” – the boy asks.

“Uh?”

“You seem a little off today. Didn’t sleep well?” – she shakes her head. – “Jane snored so loud that you couldn’t sleep?”

“No!” – she chuckles with his comment. Only Noah could make her feel at ease when she is worried about something. – “It was just insomnia.” – she shrugs, deciding to forget what they heard that morning.

Jane is right, it was just the wind. It meant nothing.

The boy doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t say anything as Jane comes back from her room and they leave for school.

“Have MC told you the news?!” – the girl asks her brother as they walk the road towards Westchester High.

“What news?”

“She’s coming to camp with us this weekend! I’ve already asked Dad if it was cool and he said ‘sure’!” – and she hugs MC tight.

Noah just looks to their friend: “I’m sorry Jane is dragging you into this.”

“Noah!” – Jane releases her best friend to elbow her brother hard in his ribs, who lets out a curse. But before she can lecture him, the ginger girl’s attention quickly changes to someone who’s walking ahead. – “Ava!” – she yells as she approaches the other girl.

“MC, I know how Jane can be bossy...” – Noah suddenly says when they find themselves alone.  – “so don’t let her push you to do something you don’t want, ok? I always have this sensation that she’s pressuring you to do something you don’t feel like doing...”

MC smiles softly at him.

“I know. Thanks for always looking after me, Noah.” – his cheeks turn a little red. – “And don’t worry, I actually want to go. If it’s okay to you.”

“Are you sure about it? You’ll have to be more than 24 hours with us. You even might have a ‘Marshalls overdose’.” – and she can see a smile tugging in the corner of his mouth.

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

His grin widens.

“Good. It’ll be nice having you around. At least I hope you’ll help me and my dad in setting the camp, because Jane just sits there and watches us doing all the work.”

MC chuckles as Jane calls them to hurry up, leaving all the anxious and fear she felt that morning behind.

The week proceeds normally without nothing unusual or sinister happening again. Jane has long forgotten what happened in MC’s house, her mind focused in just one person: Lucas Thomas.

It’s (finally) Friday and she exits the school building in full sprint, towards the coffee shop down the street. Her eyes easily recognise a lone and tall figure in one of the tables of the cafe. She walks up to him.

“I’m sorry, Lucas, I know how busy you are, but I had cheer practice until...”

“Calm down, Jane.” – he interrupts her, with that deep and reassuring voice. – “Everything’s alright. Why don’t you sit while I grab us a drink? What would you like?”

“An iced coffee is fine by me.” – he nods and goes to the counter as she plops down in the chair.

He’s back soon after. “An iced coffee.” – he gives the girl her drink, with a charming smile. She smiles back.

“Thank you, Lucas.”

“So... hit me up.” – the boy says, after they both have sipped their drinks. Jane puts on her best ace reporter voice and mimics writing in a notebook, making him chuckle:

“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Jane, with the Westchester Word. Thank you for sitting down with me. And can I just say, sir, what an honor it is to interview the Class President Thomas?”

“Oh gosh.” – Lucas can’t hold back a giggle and Jane can see him relaxing instantly. – “Uh, my pleasure. I’m... a big fan of your work? I guess?”

“Aw, thanks! Let’s start with an easy question, to help our readers get to know you better...”

Soon, the coffee shop is filled with their laughter.

“I doubt they’ll ask me if I’d rather make Andy or Stacy angry!” – Lucas says to Jane’s silly question.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry! Going back to be serious now. Let’s talk about the school year ahead... what are you looking forward to most?”

“Ooh, good question. I’d say this year what I’m most looking forward to is homecoming.”

“Oh, really? Well, since we’re on the subject, let’s talk about the event on everyone’s mind, this year’s homecoming. Who are you going with?”

Lucas laughs to Jane’s straightforward question.

“Well, you see, I still haven’t had the chance to ask this amazing girl... we both have a pretty busy schedule, you know? She’s a cheerleader...” – the girl immediately feels her heartbeat quickening in her chest. – “In fact, she’s sitting right in front of me in this moment.” – Jane can’t contain a excited squeal. – “Jane Marshall, do you want to go to homecoming with me?” – he asks, extending a hand to her over the table.

Trying to control herself, the girl clears her throat and says in a collected tone: “Oh, I would love to, Lucas Thomas.”

He chuckles as she turns to her true self and leans over the table, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Jane, we’re in public.” – he mutters, interrupting her.

“I don’t care about what other people think, I’m just too happy to hold me back right now.” – she says. – “Now shut up and kiss me, will ya?” – he smiles at her.

“Always so bossy.” – and he kisses her back.

...And then, someone’s cellphone starts buzzing.

“...I’m sorry, Jane.” – he says as they push back. But, surprisingly, it was not his. It was hers.

“Crap, it’s my brother. He’s asking me where the hell I am because we have to pack things for this weekend. Obviously it was Noah to interrupt such a perfect moment. I’m sorry, Lucas, I have to go home now.” – they both stand up.

“It’s okay, Jane. I promise you we’ll have plenty of perfect moments together.” – and she swears that she can feel herself melting under his smile. – “I’m sorry I’m too busy for us... and I can’t take you home, since I have to go back to school...”

“Don’t worry about me, Lucas. I’m just happy that we’re going to homecoming together. And you were right when you said that we’re both busy... Cheer practice is being pretty intensive this year. I think Stacy is making us practice harder because she almost lost for Britney as this year’s cheer captain.”

“This makes sense.”

“Hm... speaking of this weekend... We’re going camping with our dad... Do you want to go with us? MC will be there too, so it won’t be that awkward.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea, Jane. Noah would give me a poisonous fruit first chance he has.” – Jane agrees with him. Sometimes her brother was so overprotective! –  “Besides, I have a lot of work to do. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I imagined that. But, please, don’t overwork yourself, okay? You have to rest too, Lucas.”

“Yes, ma’am.” – Jane rolls her eyes.

“Call me if you need anything. Even if it’s just talking.” – and she kisses him on the cheek, before heading home.

Mr. Marshall picks MC at her house right after lunch.

“Wow MC, you’re so big! It’s been ages since I last saw you! How are you?” – the man greets her from the driver’s seat as she sits beside Jane on the backseat of the car.

“OMG dad, stop being such a... dad!” – Jane says, embarassed and MC can see Noah rolling his eyes in the reaview mirror and lets out a chuckle.

“I’m great, Mr. Marshall.”

The trip is short though it looks much longer because Jane singed along to all the songs on the radio.

“Thank God you don’t have to sing as a cheerleader.” – Noah says as they step out of the car.

“Don’t be such a jerk, Noah! My voice is great!” – Jane tells him. MC giggles and looks around them.

Mr. Marshall parked the car by the lake in the back of the woods that border Westchester. She doesn’t know why, but being into the woods again... after all those years... even after that fateful day with Mr. Red... it almost feels like home.

“Hey MC, are you going to enjoy the view or help us?” – Jane talks to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

“Sorry!” – she quickly turns to help her best friend unload the things from the car.

“You brought too much stuff again, Jane.” – Noah curses, grabbing his sister’s bags.

“Oh God, do you never get tired of whining?!”

“Stop bickering in front of the guests, you two.” – Mr. Marshall says as he starts setting up one of the tents.

MC chuckles again. The Marshall Twins would always bring a smile to her face, no matter what.

After setting up the tents, Mr. Marshall and Jane go fishing for their dinner, while MC and Noah collect some wood for the campfire.

MC is fully aware that this is a maneuver from her best friend to make her spend some time alone with Noah. And she kind of appreciates that. She knows that they’re both too damn shy, so a little help from Jane is always useful.

“So... not a big fan of fishing?” – she asks him, searching for sticks on the floor.

“No. I know fishing is supposed to make you relax, but waiting for the fish to come around actually makes me anxious. I prefer doing other things.”

“Like setting the campfire?”

“Yeah.” – he shrugs. – “But this is quick to be done, so I usually read while I wait for them to be back. I actually don’t find joy in camping, I like it more when Dad takes us to a nearby city. But he and Jane like it, so I always come. And because they both can’t cook anything.” – they share a laugh. – “But, uh, I’m glad that you came this time.” – she can see his cheeks getting a shade pinker and smiles warmly at him. – “It’s nice to have someone to talk to.”

“Yeah, I’m glad I’m here.” – he grins back at her, his eyes lingering on hers.

Without realizing it, they’re both drawn to each other, their eyes locked. She feels her heartbeat quickening as he rests his free hand on the back of her neck, pulling her close... They’re a breath away when they both hear something.

A faint whistling sound.

[choisgirls]

This is my first time requesting a headcannon from anyone! ((I'm asking you guys because I love how you guys write, it's amazing!)) I was wondering if you could do a RFA + V + Saeran reaction to MC accidentally taking a drug thinking it's candy? ((You don't have to do this if it's too weird or something!! I'm sorry!! ;-; I'm so embarrassed lol))

A/N: Me?? the first??? i am hoNOURED ;u; HHHNNNNN I HOPE THIS ISOKAY SORRY I STRAYED FROM THE “THINKING ITS CANDY” PART SOMETIMES;;;;~Admin 404

 Me @ Saerans: im sorry no im not

 Idk if this is a TW or anything but… drug mention warning??Right here??

*YOOSUNG:

               -Yo he goesto /college/. /COLLEGE PARTIES MY FRIENDS./

               -He doesn’tnormally go but friends invited him, and he invited you! Totally wasn’t becausehe wanted to show you off to people??? No????

               -But youseemed a little more comfortable at these things than he did, you evendisappeared for a little while

               -He spentalmost an hour trying to find you amongst the sea of people, and when he didfind you, you seemed confused, dazed, and just completely out of it

               -Tried askingyou what was wrong and all you could do was stare at him with your eyes glossedover for a solid minute before you reacted to him actually being there

               -When youmade sense of his presence, you smiled and welcomed him very slowly beforesticking your tongue out to touch it

               -“Yoosung,is my tongue big? Is it.. big.. oh my god its growing. What if it won’t fit inmy mouth anymore?? YooSUNG WHaT WiLL I Do?!”

               -You nolonger had volume control over your voice and he is very concerned. One secondyou’re yelling, the next you’re whispering. What was wrong with you?? You werestarting to scare him;;

               -It took asolid 5 minutes for you to explain to him that someone had offered you somechocolate and you never turned down chocolate! But he remembered hearingsomeone say something about “edibles”.. is.. is that what it was? Didyou mistakenly take drugs?! Why weren’t you more careful?!

               -Strugglesto carry you home- arm thrown around his shoulder as his arms around your hip,the two of you have to stop every now and again because you’re contemplatingeverything around you. Once he’s got you home, he immediately tucks you into bed.Of course he went to the group chat to figure out what he should do, andSaeyoung told him to just make sure you slept it off.

               -In themorning he lectured you that you can’t take chocolate from people you don’tknow!! Especially if it doesn’t smell right- what in the world made you thinkit was safe;; Also, now refuses invites to parties because he doesn’t want totake you to another one and have this happen again

*ZEN:

               -HE WAS INA MOTORCYCLE GANG YOU CAN PRY THE THOUGHT THAT HE’S NEVER DONE DRUGS OUT OF MYCOLD DEAD HANDS

               -Whenstored correctly in an airtight baggy or pill bottle in the correct conditions,it’s possible to preserve ecstasy pills for /years/ at a time.

               -Cue springcleaning when the two of you are going through old boxes and clothing and youfind this small bag full of smiley face shaped things. They looked like shapedsweettarts and those are the type of candies that you eat when you find them,you never go out of your way to get them yourself, so you thought why not.Though it wasn’t sour, it was just really bitter and nasty and there was no wayyou were going to eat another one

               -But whenZen came in to check on you after finishing his own portion of cleaning, hefound you chewing the fabric of your shirt. Why were you chewing your shirt?Were you hungry? Were you focusing? Did you need him to get you some gum???Stop doing that!!!!

               -When younoticed him come into the room, your face immediately lit up. You gave him thebiggest smile you could manage, and you started to welcome him into the room.But welcoming him turned into talking about his clothes. Talking about hisclothes led to talking to him about the room. Talking about the room led totalking about him. And talking about him led to a 10 minute long ramble thatconsisted of repeating “I love you so much” and telling him howgorgeous he was.

               -Of course,that was a favourite topic amongst the two of you normally, but you justseemed… off this time. You seemed… /too/ excited to talk about him. Too inlove. Too…. happy

               -He satdown in front of you to take a good look at your eyes and read your actions.You smiled at him all over again and the very second you touched his face he/knew/ what had happened.

               -“WHEREDID YOU GET THAT. MC. RIGHT NOW. WHERE DID YOU GET THAT.” “Zenny~ Getwhat? Why are you yelling? Oh! Are we cheering? I can cheer! YAY ZEN YA-”“No no, sweetheart, sit down, please.”

               -After fightingto get you to show him what you took, he was mortified. E-ecstasy? Where didyou get that? It was his? When did he have this? HOW LONG AGO DID HE CLEAN OUTHIS CLOSET?

               -He got youa styrofoam cup full of water, he knew at some point you were going to bethirsty, /and/ need to chew on something. He didn’t want you to chew on yourclothes anymore, nor did he want you to accidently bite your tongue;;

               -For oncehe’s silent the rest of the day, making sure you’ve got something to chew on,listening to you ramble on and on about how nice the house is and how amazingyou thought he was. Definitely made sure to get rid of that baggy… and gothrough a few other boxes from him gang days to make sure there was nothingelse in there. Definitely lectures you on eating things you randomly find inold boxes among other things;

*JAEHEE:

               -MC who inthe world thinks accepting any sort of offer in a bathroom is okay??

               -You getoffered some chocolate in the bathroom, most people would immediately decline.Who.. who accepts that? MC? Why?

               -Younoticed it tasted a little gross but you didn’t want to be rude and spit it outin front of the people offering it to you, so you finished the piece and madeyour way back to the dinner table where Jaehee was waiting.

               -She was alittle concerned when she could smell the drug, but she didn’t think you didanything of the sort, and chalked it up to be someone near your table.

               -However,once your eyes started to turn a little red and glazed over, she decided thatyou must have truly taken the drug, and paid the bill as quickly as possible soshe could get you home.

               -On thewalk home was when it really kicked in. You kept telling her how soft her handswere, because you couldn’t remember that you had just told her the exact samething, word for word.

               -Youstumbled a little when you walked and kept trying to sit in the middle of thesidewalk because your legs felt like jelly.

               -At onepoint you started to cry because you weren’t sure why in the world anyone woulddrop their half eaten pretzel on the ground and leave it there, where evenbirds couldn’t reach it to eat. She couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculousyou sounded, though she was still extremely angry that you had taken drugs onyour date??

               -Once shegot you home and you sat down, she watched as your head would dip down beforeyou snapped it right back up to look at her. Apparently you kept blacking outin the matter of seconds before you woke back up and she wanted you to just laydown and sleep.

               -Figured itcouldn’t hurt to ask you just what happened back at the restaurant. You toldher about the people in the bathroom who offered you some of their chocolateand you kept giggling because you couldn’t believe someone would be nice enoughto just offer some chocolate to a stranger in the bathroom. That’s when itclicked that you had no idea what was hiding within the sweet.

               -Made yousleep it off the rest of the night. You better believe you’re getting one ofthe biggest, emotion-filled lectures of your life the moment you wake upbecause she needs to tell you about the dangers of just blindly taking ANYTHINGfrom strangers??? And she also had to explain to you what you had even done?And what was in the chocolate you decided to eat. Momma Jaehee, scolding you2kforever.

*JUMIN:

               -Being hiss/o can be dangerous and let me explain why for just a second

               -Of course,being the s/o of someone as popular (and handsome.. and rich… and powerful..)as Jumin Han, there is not only a lot of attention thrown your way, but there’salways someone who gets jealous (whether of you or of him)

               -So, youalways have to be on your toes because you never know what might happen, orwhat someone might do to you. Of course you have bodyguards but sometimes theycan slip up as well.

               -Like, notnoticing that someone had slipped something into your drink?

               -Normally,Jumin watches you and your surroundings like a hawk because he’s alwaysconcerned for you, but this time even he was distracted talking business with apotential new client and didn’t see it happen.

               -Luckilyfor the two of you, you had left the party early to head home, but on the waythere, whatever you had drank started to kick in.

               -Your legsgave out right before you passed the doorway and he caught you just in time.Completely distraught, and carried you quickly to the couch. Tried to ask youwhat was wrong, but you couldn’t get the words out of your mouth, all it endedup sounding like was one large mumble. You seemed to struggle to move yourlimbs until you couldn’t anymore.

               -Immediatelycalled a doctor to make a house visit. He didn’t care how late it was, he’d paywhatever he had to, so long as he could find out what was happening to you. Andafter the doctors analysis, it was obvious that someone had tried to slip you aRohypnol without you realizing it, and he was glad he brought you home beforeanything else had happened.

               -Not only doeshe increase his security in general, but he assigns a specific body guard towatch your drinks the next time the two of you went out as well as one to stayclose by you at all times at said parties.

               -Stays nextto you the whole time, never sleeping until you’re able to come to. He blameshimself the whole time and cannot help but think of every possible scenariothat could have happened to you that night. He knows it isn’t your fault, buthe’s still just so worried about you. He’s never been more stressed.

               -Hepromises to take care of you better from then on. He would never let anyonehurt you again, no matter what it took. The two of you have to hold each otherin reassurance (obviously whenever you’re feeling alright and are okay with it,he understands that it’s a scary occurrence and realizes it’s quite possiblefor you to be jumpy and not want to be touched for a large amount of timeafterwards)

*SAEYOUNG:

               -You can’ttell me he doesn’t have various drugs he uses as weapons on missions, you justcan’t.

               -He tellsyou to stay out of the room where he keeps his equipment, but do you listen?Yeah usually

               -But youfelt bad that Vanderwood was the one who always had to clean everything, so youdecided you would help out and clean a few rooms! His equipment room being oneof them.

               -Now,Saeyoung is known to leave food around. Everywhere. And I mean, any type offood as well. Half empty chip bags, week old slices of pizza, a slice oflasagna you made three weeks ago- that’s disgusting Saeyoung.

               -So comingacross something that looks almost candy like isn’t really uncommon in yourhousehold. Though, whatever you just picked up and decided to throw in yourmouth was not… your best decision.

               -A whilelater, you managed to stumble into the room where Saeyoung was sitting, typingaway at his computer. You kept trying to talk but all your words stumbled andyou couldn’t think straight. You kept stumbling and felt your knees gettingweak. He looked over right as you fell to the ground and he’s never run over toyou faster in his life

               -Soconcerned, he kept asking what was wrong and watched you try to talk, but notonly was your mouth unable to move, your body went limp. He recognized thesymptoms immediately and called out to Vanderwood to come help the two of you

               -He laidyou in bed and got you some water and just tried to get you to sleep- there wasno other way to get it out of your system but wait it out

               -Vanderwoodcame in with a judgmental look on their face, “Did they really just takesome random thing they found? Why do you have these lying around, Seven?”

               -When youfinally came to, he was so relieved and was constantly apologizing before aswitch flipped and he started to scold you. What would possess you to just..eat something you found? What do you mean it looked like candy? He doesn’tleave food around! Okay.. yes he does.. but really, MC! Why were you in hisequipment room? W-why were you turning this around on him? He has that Rohypnolfor missions! You could just ask Vanderwood!

               -Vanderwoodadmits to slipping them to Seven sometimes when they’re done dealing with him,how rude.

*JIHYUN:

               -‘Jihyunwould never do drugs!’ -you, probably, at me. Me, at you, dear reader: ‘Rip thethought of it out of my cold, dead hands’

               -Sometimeshe just has to calm down, the poor dude has dealt with so much shit and justneeds a little help to clear his mind and the tobacco pipe just doesn’t alwayshelp.

               -Surprisinglylikes sour candy! So he gets some infused sour peach rings and they’re hisfavourites.

               -But heneglected to tell you that they were infused?? And that you probably shouldn’teat them?? Nor should you eat more than a few…

               -So when hecame home to find you laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, trying tocount how many times the fan spun around, he figured pretty quickly that youhad gotten into his candy and he sighed

               -He laiddown next to you on the ground, watching the fan as well while he asked youwhat you had eaten to confirm his suspicions. When you told him you had somepeach rings, he couldn’t stop the soft laugh that came out afterwards

               -Totallyeats a few as well so the two of you can just relax and practically melt intothe floor

        ��      -Youcouldn’t stop talking. Anything and everything that came to your mind came outof your mouth. It was slow and thought out, but still came out. Every word waslike heaven to his ears and he felt like he could just float along with yourvoice

               -The two ofyou just talk and speculate about the future, about the past, sometimes the twoof you come up with extremely odd (but funny) thoughts about the rest of yourfriends

               -You keptrunning your hand through his hair and kept telling him just how amazingly softit felt and he could just tell that you had way more than he had. He had toremember to lecture you not to eat every kind of candy you find.

               -Or… toat least not eat as much as you did. And definitely not do it alone

*SAERAN (or… Ray *insert the eye emoji here*):

               -“MC,here, I made this specially for you.”

               -In thebottle was a bright, blue, sweet smelling liquid. You didn’t know what it was,exactly, but it was obviously very odd.

               -You tookthe bottle. Ray hasn’t given you any sort of bad vibe or reason to not trusthim the whole time you’ve been here. Though, he kept telling you that steps hadto be taken to allow you to stay there, with him, for as long as you’d like.

               -“MC,”he started, gently wrapping his hand around your own that held the bottle,“Please. Don’t you trust me? I care about you a lot..” his voicedropped off as he looked from your eyes to the ground.

               -After adeep breath, you broke away from his grip to bring the bottle to your lips. Inone fluid motion, you let the sweet tasting liquid run down the back of yourthroat. It burned a bit going down, but immediately numbed afterwards.

               -You methis eyes, as his face lit up with joy. Eyes started to sparkle, and his smilegrew bigger than you’ve seen it the past few days

               -He tookyour hand in his, bringing it up to his lips to plant a small kiss on yourknuckles as he waited for the elixir to kick in. He watched, as you started tolightly shake and threw your hands to your head, holding it and squeezing youreyes shut.

               -Your headstarted to pound as the room began to spin. Your eyes started to wateruncontrollably and you couldn’t make sense of any of your surroundings. Soundsmixed together and seems to scream in your ears. Your breath hitched in yourthroat and you started to gasp for air.

               -Ray buriedhis hand into the hair at the back of your head, pulling you close to his chest

               -He placeda small kiss to the top of your head, smirking against your hair softly

               -“Youaren’t leaving me, MC.”

Masterlist

[kimjongdaely]

Taken [Chapter 13]

Mafia!AU

Pairing: Suho x Reader

Warnings: Language; may have triggering situations including sexual situations, abuse, violence, etc.

Summary: You were just a normal girl. You were just trying to get by. Until a rather unfortunate relationship brought you to the hands of Suho, the leader of the greatest mafia in the country.

Prologue│Chapter 1│Chapter 2│Chapter 3│Chapter 4│Chapter 5│ Chapter 6│Chapter 7│Chapter 8│Chapter 9│Chapter 10│ Chapter 11│Chapter 12│Chapter 13│Chapter 14│Chapter 15│ Chapter 16│Chapter 17│Chapter 18│Epilogue

You spend nearly a month lying in the medical ward. Your wounds are slowly healing, and it doesn’t hurt that much to move, only a few stings here and there.

Lay—now you tend to call him Yixing—has been a great support. He always spends time to chat with you, taking your mind off any negative thoughts. He takes care of you like an older brother, and you’re more than grateful.

Since you’ve healed so much, Yixing allowed you to move back to your own room, no longer needing to stay in the medical ward under his watch. He insists that you come check up every week or so just to make sure.

Your smile falters and falls once you exit the medical ward, feeling suddenly very uneasy. You tried to feign that you’re fine, but you’re not. Not at all.

It’s around sundown, since Yixing insisted to give you one last checkup to make sure you’re really fine enough to go back to your own room. You step inside the empty room, seeing everything untouched since the day you left. Fresh clothes were set neatly on the bed.

Yixing had given you a hospital gown to wear instead of your old, bloody and torn ones. Now, you’re glad you have casual clothes to change into.

You grab the clothes and make your way to the bathroom. You’re shocked by your reflection, dropping the clothes in the process. You look pale, sickly pale, your cheeks sunken in and bags heavy under your eyes.

You look dead.

Slowly, you peel off your clothes, undoing the gauze Yixing had wrapped around your wounds, and stand bare in front of the mirror. Your body is thinner than it used to be, results of you being deprived of nutritious meals.

You suck in a sharp breath as you mentally prepare yourself, slowly turning so that you can see your back.

You shake as you stare at your wounds. Scabs everywhere. Some of them have already turned into permanent scars. Blue and purples bruises stretch over your skin. It’s so horrifying you can’t seem to look away.

Finally, you hug yourself and collapse onto the cold tiles, sobs wracking your broken body. You know your wounds look worse now since they haven’t fully healed, but at the moment you can’t think about anything other than they’re never going away. Scars will remain, forever.

You don’t remember how long you sat there just sobbing, hugging yourself and trying to withdraw into yourself.

Eventually, Suho came in to get you. He probably heard you crying.

He crouched next to you, unsure what to do with you. He gently helps you up, leading you back out to make you sit on your bed. He leaves the room and then reappears with fresh gauze in his hands. You don’t move. You don’t lift up your head. You feel so helpless, so ugly, so broken.

You don’t dare look Suho in the eyes.

He slowly wraps the gauze around your body, his touch careful and precise. You don’t feel uncomfortably being bare in front of him, especially when his eyes never linger, just focusing on the task at hand.

When he finishes, he helps you pull on the large t-shirt, deciding to discard the pants since you didn’t look like you cared anyways.

He helps you lie on the bed, his eyes soft as he looks at you. “Get some sleep, you need it.”

But you don’t want to sleep. You’re going to have nightmares again and end up waking in an hour.

“Can you…” your voice is soft and shaky, “…stay here? Just until I fall asleep.”

His face is unsure, but it smooths out into a gentle smile. He nods and grabs a chair to sit down next to your bed.

You close your eyes, feeling him watching you.

That night, you didn’t have a single nightmare.

You wake up expecting Suho to still be there, and you’re slightly disappointed when you find the chair empty. You mentally laugh at yourself; of course. You told him to only stay until you fall asleep. No way is he going to stay with you in that hard chair all night.

You get up, stretching, feeling the stiffness and slight throb that still lingers in your back. You go through your usual morning routine, deciding to go take a look at the practice arena. The others have come occasionally to visit you when you were in the medical ward, but overall you didn’t see them much. You can’t blame them, they have a lot on their plate.

You make your way down, poking your head through the door to find the boys indeed training.

“You’re up!” Chen is first to notice you after you stealthily slipped in, dropping the sword he was using and jogging up to you. You flash him a smile, nodding. “How do you feel?”

“Better.” Your smile tightens. “Slightly.”

His excitement dims. “Yeah…that’s expected after what happened.” He purses his lips tightly.

“I’m fine.” You try to cheer him up. “Don’t worry. I’m here now, right?”

He grins. “True.”

“Chen~” Baekhyun pops up from behind Chen with a wide smile, eyes twinkling. “Let’s have a duel!”

“Oh sure.” Chen grins. “We haven’t dueled in a while.”

“Are you going to watch us?” Baekhyun turns towards you with puppy dog eyes and you laugh, unable to refuse.

“Sure.”

“Yay! Watch me beat Chen!” Baekhyun runs off to get his weapon again, Chen following him while whining loudly saying he’ll be the one to beat Baekhyun.

You decide to take a seat on one of the benches aligned against the walls, letting out a sigh as you scan the arena, no sign of Suho.

“You look better.” Another voice speaks, and you look up to see Xiumin. He smiles and sits down next to you.

“I guess.” You mutter, looking down at your feet. “I slept well last night.”

“I’m glad to hear that. When we got you from Luhan,” he starts. “You looked like a corpse. Everyone was very worried. Suho almost had a panic attack.”

You smile at the thought. You go silent for a moment before deciding to ask, “…Where’s Suho?”

“Out.” He answers simply. “Another mission.”

“Oh.” You manage lamely.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” Xiumin says after a pause. “But may I ask you a personal question?”

You cock your head at him. “What is it?”

“Do you like Suho?”

His questions is so abrupt you almost choke on your own spit, your face heating up rapidly. “I-I—What?”

He lets out a small grin. “You can be honest with me. My lips are sealed.”

You sputter a bit more nonsense before finally whispering, “…Yes…”

He nods. “Well, I kind of knew.”

You don’t think it’s possible for your face to get any hotter.

“I’m glad…that it’s you.” He whispers softly, and you snap up to look at him. “If it was anyone else, I would be suspicious of their intentions. But if it’s you…” He smiles gently at you. “I suppose there’s nothing to worry about.”

His words surprise you. He stands up without another word and goes back to train.

Nightmares continue to haunt you every time you close your eyes. You are reminded of excruciating pain like hot fire against your back. You always dream of watching flowers with Luhan before the scenery goes black and you’re back in your prison cell.

You wake up in cold sweat, panting. You wrap your arms tightly around yourself, trying to calm yourself, pacing your breathing. You’re okay. You’re safe. Luhan’s not here.

You can’t will yourself to close your eyes again. It’s been like this every night. Back in the medical ward, Yixing would come to lull you back to sleep, only for you to wake up from a nightmare again. You feel bad for keeping Yixing up too, but you can’t help it.

Now that you’re alone, you feel scared. No one’s there to comfort you, and you suddenly feel claustrophobic even in your spacious room.

Before you know it, you climb out of your bed and head towards the door, peaking out to check the hallways. It’s in the middle of the night, so you’re not surprised to find it dark and empty. Everyone is probably sleeping or out working.

You tiptoe as quietly as possible to Suho’s room. He was the first person you thought of after you woke up, but now you’re not sure if it’s okay to do this. Will he be angry? Are you just an annoyance? A burden?

You shake off your insecurities and decide to give it a try. You try to open the door quietly, creating a small crack, peaking in timidly. The room is dark and quiet, and you can clearly see Suho’s form lying on the bed.

You open the door a little wider enough to poke your head in, and almost jump out of your skin when you hear Suho speak sharply, “Who is it?”

You nervously answer, “It’s me…I-I had a nightmare…” You squeeze your eyes tightly, expecting to be quickly rejected. You blurt out, “Can I sleep here with you?”

There is a pause, and you feel like digging a hole and burying yourself in it. But then you see his form shift into a sitting position, his voice now much gentler, “Sure.”

You slowly enter his room, closing the door behind you, and make your way towards his bed. It’s a little awkward; you feel like a child who goes running to a parent when scared.

Suho lies down first. You take that as initiative to lie down yourself, staying on the right side of the bed, putting distance between your bodies.

Your heart is pounding, and you doubt you can fall asleep like this. Although it’s definitely better than nightmares.

“Sleep.” Suho’s voice is quiet but strong. He turns to face you, and in the dark you can only see his silhouette.

You close your eyes, but sleep doesn’t come to you. You try to fall asleep for several minutes, but it’s futile.

Then suddenly, Suho wraps his arms tightly around you, bringing you closer to his body. He’s warm, so warm the ice in your bones that grew there in your time with Luhan starts to melt.

He tucks your head under his chin, his hands careful not to irritate your wounds. His left hand strokes through your hair softly, and you feel yourself calming down.

“It’s okay.” He whispers softly. “You’re okay.”

You feel sleep slowly come to you. You can hear Suho’s slow heartbeat, his breath steady against your forehead.

Sleep was peaceful that night.

Going to Suho’s room started becoming a habit. The first few nights it was still slightly awkward. You would try your best to sleep alone, but after several tries, you realize it’s futile.

Eventually, Suho got so used to you climbing into his bed in the middle of the night that he just offered for you to go to his room from the beginning. You heated up from embarrassment, guilty for bothering him like that.

But Suho doesn’t show a hint of being uncomfortable or annoyed at you. If he does, he hides it well.

It’s strange, not even Yixing can ward off your nightmares. But when you’re with Suho, everything feels like it’s going to be okay. You feel safest with him, and it’s funny because he was the first one who tried to hurt you since you came here.

And now he’s like your guardian, protecting you from any harm.

You snuggle closer to his warm chest out of habit. He smells nice, you note. Like warm vanilla with something that is distinctly his.

You feel sleep tug at your mind again, and you welcome it with open arms.

Suho shifts to wrap an arm around you, and you find yourself saying what you wanted to say for a long time. “Junmyeon, I love you.”

You swore you felt something warm graze your forehead, and you fall asleep to a low hum vibrating in his chest.

Previous Chapter│Next Chapter

Taken Mini Masterlist

A/N: Since y’all been suffering the past few chapters, I decided to give you guys some Suho fluff. Hope you like the chapter and as usual, please tell me what you thought! Thanks for reading again~

©kimjongdaely

Request and let’s love!

[markleetrashh]

Best friend Jaemin

Request: best friend jaemin? 💘

A/N: im sorry if this is short!!

ooh it's been a long time since i did a best friend! series

plus it's been 939383 months since we last saw jaems

this is to all my jaemin stans

i hope you all are staying strong

without further a do, let's start

so how you all actually became friends in the first place

back then in middle school while you were both 10

you were pretty quiet then and rather introverted

only had like 2 close friends? but you wouldnt talk to them unless they started the conversation

until one day teacher changed your seating arrangement because you 'weren't participating enough'

which was why she decided putting you beside one of the most talkative students was a good idea

and he was none other than na jaemin

this bright kid greeted you while a big big smile everyday

and every lesson he'd ask you lots of questions so you'd speak up more

"ooh that's a pretty pen! where did you get it from?"

"did you understand what the teacher just said? could you explain it to me?"

"yay it's time for pairwork!!"

and he'd try his best to make you smile

be it through jokes or funny stances

and thanks to him you managed to open up more

soon enough he was joining you during break times

and he was your tablemate for the following years

and luckily, the two of you managed to get into the same high school

by then you two were already very close friends

but only knowing each other in the new school amongst strangers helped to closen the relationship

and after weeks both of you are inseparable

probably calls you by a nickname he gave you back when you two were younger

and has no plans on changing it

loves teasing and pranking you but does it in a way where it's funny

like you cant stay mad at him because the both of you end up laughing

like that one time he offered you a drink of sprite

but he secretly put in vinegar instead

hyuck im watching you

and when you drank it you almost spitted on his face

while he was at the side dying of laughter

but a few minutes of laughing he forgot and took a sip too

which he immediately choked on and started coughing

causing you to burst out laughing at his reaction

can get really clingy

and doesnt mind skinship at all

since he's usually the one suggesting it

he has his arms slung around your shoulders all the time

24/7 poking your sides or pulling your cheeks to annoy you

he loves tickling you too

always seems to have memes or jokes to send you

it'd probably be 2am in the morning and you get a text from him

probably a meme

"hi best friend i cant sleep so you shall not too"

and he wont stop spamming until you actually reply

which after 15 minutes of chatting, he says he wants to go to sleep

and every single time that happens you want to punch him because he deadass woke you up during midnight to chat for 15 mins

jaemin wyd???

okay but

despite him being really dorky and funny all the time

he gets serious when he needs to

and becomes extremely protective when it comes to you, your health or your safety

after all, you're his best friend and he wants to take care of you

like that one time some creep kept pestering you to give him your number and he wouldnt leave

until jaemin showed up and acted like your boyfriend

and you could tell he was 👌 close to beating that person up

but luckily you stopped him

after he calms down he pats your head and gets all sweet like "you're fine right?"

and he'd smile brightly when you say yes

"anything for my best friend"

high school was also the place where you two met the other boys

specifically jeno, mark & hyuck

but yall also know jaehyun & taeyong because they used to be seniors

the five of you would always hang out together

which gains a lot of attention because many wonder how you even got close to this good looking bunch of boys

but knowing jaemin he probably goes around shouting that you're his best friend

which embarrasses and makes you happy at the same time

for some reason he'd always tease you and jeno

and you'd be all clueless like "what? why jeno huh?"

while jeno's at the side trying to hide his blush

but as time went by you found yourself falling for jenk because he's always so sweet and kind to you??

and when you told jaemin he straight up screamed for one hour straight

"oMG ARE YOU SERIOUS"

"yOU LIKE JENO???? WOAH"

"number one fan of couple ship name of you and jeno"

and he wanted to tell jeno right away but of course you'd stop him

by treating him to meals, like always

but it would all go to waste because

two weeks later you receive a text from jeno

"so... uh Y/N, jaemin has been pushing me for days to say this but i actually like you too"

and you're all shookt and you dont know what to reply

"he told you??? when??"

"two weeks ago, i think"

and you take a mental note to remember to slap jaemin because that was the day you told him

but also thanks to that, you and jeno finally got together

which made jeno 100× happier

would probably scream again

"jeno, if she ever bullies you tell me, i can handle her"

and to you

"good luck to putting up with jenojAM, it's been tough on me these few years"

apart from all that

back to his actions

he's also always willing to listen to your problems and help you out

even though his advice may not be the best, he still tries his best to cheer you up and help

encourages and supports you a lot

like a real fan

and he always has that big bright smile while looking at you

and you feel so blessed because he's honestly such a great friend??

and he never fails to make you happy

he can be super sweet and nice one moment

and the other it seems as though he's got something up his sleeves

but nonetheless he makes you laugh and smile a lot

and without him you wouldn't be where you are today so

shout out to the bestest friend!!

[spellyjane]

Splash, Hammer, Meh, Yay! Chatty 70.3 RR

I was heading into Chattanooga 70.3 with no taper and a month after IM Texas. My coach and I fit in a bit of speed work but it has been a bit of an adjustment. They are such different races. I have been in Ironman mode since last September. Sounds like a good excuse for a wussy day right!? It isn’t, I had a cracking day, it just did not play out the way I planned it.

My team mate / mate Alex and I hit the road loaded with bikes, coffee and enthusiasm for the long drive from Chicago to Tennessee. Even with a delicious lunch stop in funky Nashville we made good time and arrived in time for race check in.

I am probably never going to be in charge of booking race accommodation again. The Days Inn was truly hideous, truly. But it was walking distance to the race start, it had a bed and a lamp, so some may say it was perfect.

We met up with my race mate Jeff for dinner at a pub on the main street. He had flown in earlier from Denver and was there on a mission to claim a 70.3 WC slot. We had an early dinner so that Alex could go and pick up his wife Theresa from the airport.

So our weekend gang of Alex, Theresa, Jeff and I assembled for breakfast at the Frothy Monkey next door to the Chattanooga ChooChoo hotel. There was a lot of good eating that went on this weekend. We planned our day and got moving.

A little recon ride showed the worst part of the course, the suburban streets were cracked and potholed but brightly marked with orange tape. It hardly seemed possible while we were sweating buckets at the unsheltered 3pm athlete briefing, but the weather forecast for race day was for thunder storms and a 100% chance of rain. After hearing the few key bits we needed to know, we staggered back to our rooms for a pre dinner rest and heat stroke recovery. I must say, those athlete briefings are important BUT sitting us out in the sun for an hour is counter-intuitive. What a crock of shit that weather forecast turned out to be, but at that stage it was a significant concern for all of us.

As we wandered up the street to meet Jeff at the restaurant he reserved for our pre race dinner, we saw formally attired people coming and going from what was obviously our destination. I was lucky to have had the sense of occasion to add a pair of loafers to my shorts and shirt combo but really that is as fancy as my race travel wardrobe goes. We arrived quite under-dressed but clearly oozing enough confidence and our blue athlete wrist bands to carry it off. No spaghetti and red sauce to be found anywhere on the menu we endured with soup with lobster, sorghum buttered bread and some sort of tree fern sprouts. I have eaten pre race fish tacos in mexico, schnitzel in Austria and quinoa in Calgary and know that this pre race dinner in Chatty will be just as memorable!

As we dined the heavens descended and the forecast epic weather arrived violently. We stared out the window of the restaurant all dreading our trip back to our hotel let alone the race the next day. I don’t mind swimming and running in rain but riding my bike in heavy rain is just plain scary. I was thinking about the numerous man hole covers and the road conditions I had seen earlier that day. All I wanted at that stage was a safe race, to not crash my bike or be struck by lightning. I was committed to racing, after all I had to burn off all the calories I had just consumed!

Before bed I pottered around got all my transition gear into plastic bags and just got myself into rain racing mode. I pictured my whole day wet and soggy but killing it anyway. My husband sent me some words of encouragement and I was in bed by 10, I managed an ok sleep. I was up at 4am to see a dry parking lot and low cloud cover. Whoa, I was immediately elated!

I met Jeff on a dark corner near my hotel and we walked up to the race together. He was his usual quiet pre race self, perhaps a little more so because I know he was really wanting a good race and a slot.

I got myself ready, went and found Alex near his bike, he is a special breed of chilled out, after letting some of his vibe rub off on me, I told him I would see him near the swim start, and I went off to collect Jeff for the shuttle bus to the swim start. He was not as chilled. He was staring at me with scary evil possessed eyes. I was horrified until I figured out it was not actually directed at me but the member of his nemesis tri team who had racked his bike next to Jeff’s.

We caught the bus to the swim start, and wandered down to the sub 30 min swim time area. (I was anticipating a sub 30 min swim given the river current.) Alex found us and we chatted away nervously while we waited. Actually I chatted away… Still no sign of rain but the deluge the night before had an impact on the current in the river. They had sent the pros off on the original course, swimming 300m up stream, turning, swimming 100m across then the remaining 1600m downstream. But it was evident that the current was too strong for us mortal age groupers so to the cheers and hurrahs of the crowd around me, they cut the up stream portion. I wasnt saying boo, but I certainly was not thrilled to be doing the short swim. So without the upstream portion we just had a mad 1300m sprint downstream. I got that into my head straight away. Don’t hold back I thought, just get in and go hard.

The rolling start works well when people self seed properly. But oh man of course they don’t. I started with Jeff, Alex putting himself a few mins back waved us off as we stepped over the timing mats and took off. I lost Jeff within a minute. I was pushing. I was breathing every other stroke for most of the way. I was swimming over the top of a lot of people.

I found the step and hauled myself up and headed off to the wet suit strippers. I made the climb up the steep ramp into T1 to Theresa’s cheers. I donned my gear and headed out. Jeff teased me about not wearing bike shoes in transition as he caught me just before the bike mount line, dammit, he may just have a point. Anyway we took off within seconds of each other but he was out of my sight very quickly.

I was feeling super. My plan was to hit watts that would give me an IF of about .82-.83 (Intensity factor, a fraction of normalised power over my functional threshold power, I am talking about dosing my effort based on my known maximum average watts for a 1hr effort, or something like that) The problem was that the rolling hills on the course were causing a lot of bunching. In order to keep clear of other riders and avoid drafting I was pushing up the hills and when ever I found myself caught up in any bunches. I was finding that as I was coming into the back of a slower rider’s draft zone and beginning to over take that another rider would come up into my draft zone to overtake me, but then we would hit a hill and everyone would slow down, I could tell who the hell was overtaking who, it was a nightmare, in the end I just felt the best thing to do was to get well away of it all. I channeled my Team INTENT Tuesday afternoon hammer-time mojo and went nuts. I vaguely recall passing some poor guy on the side of the road having a mechanical as I headed up the steepest climb, turned out that was Jeff fixing his dropped chain. I finally got some clear road as I hit the easiest part of the course. I rode past a flock of big black birds sitting in the grass on the side of the road, apparently they were vultures, they were scary looking ugly things. A bad sign? Not for me, they were there for the female pro I was gaining on.

Jeff came up and passed me with about 5k to go, shortly after that Alex was there. It was amazing that of all the almost 2500 people racing, that I would be lined up behind those 2 right at the finish. Neither was pulling away from me too fast so I caught up, I giggled as I passed Jeff and finished ahead of him. My IF ended up being .85, not ridiculous but not particularly smart given the hilly run course to come.

We all took off into T2. I was on my way out when I realised I still had a top on that I did not want, the awesome volunteer helped me get it off and dropped it back at my bike while Jeff ran past me laughing. Jeff, Alex and I all hit the run course within 30s of each other. They were gone and I was already feeling that my effort on the bike was going to make this a bit of an ugly run. Spectathlete Theresa was ready with a super smile and cheer as I ran by her at least 3 times out on the run course. I could see Alex and Jeff running together for a bit, they both looked great and I was super jealous that I did not have the legs to keep up. It was hilly and there were lots of U turns but it was a great run course. The aid stations were fantastic. I was not holding a pace I needed to hit 1:40, but I sure as heck was not going to let 1:45 slide by. I watched as a girl with a strong run and a “45” inked on her calf cruised by me with about 8k to go. Oh darn, had no hope of matching her pace, but still in decent shape and not completely falling apart I kicked on and managed a not so terrible run after a killer bike and a hilly run course.

I high fived Jeff and Alex and gave Theresa a sweaty kiss at the finish. All of us were happy. Alex finished 20th in the insanely stacked men’s 30-34 AG, Jeff came 8th in his 50-54 AG both very happy with their performances.

I was 3rd in my 45-49 AG with a 4:31. I can’t call this a 70.3 PR because the swim was cut short by 700m, but it was my fastest bike run combo ever. It was not executed the way I planned but when I look at the data and past performances, it really was one of my best days out. I had a smoking fast bike split of 2:24 which was 5th female overall, including the pros, my run was mediocre at 1:43, but over all a very fast day.

After the world’s most refreshing beer we headed down to the insanely hot river front to attend the award ceremony and slot allocation. Alex and Theresa escaped after awards but Jeff and I stayed. He was fairly certain, that he had a slot but it really was not till they called his name that he breathed again. I was holding my breath too. There was a lot of joy!

I passed on my slot because I already picked it up in Racine last year but was thrilled to see it roll down to a girl sitting right by me, again more joy!

Post race dinner at fab Chattanooga find, Urban Stack, was followed by ice cream thick shakes. We happily all fare welled Jeff before wobbling back to our skank hotel.

Alex, Theresa and I drove home via awesome food in Nashville, we sung a little John Denver, read and chatted, they were such great company all weekend.

I send my huge love and thanks to Simon for his support.

I send more huge love and thanks to my coach Rick Schopp, yeah, I am respectable on the bike these days, thanks for getting me there.

Next stop, cheering on my boys this weekend at their 1st triathlon. Lookout Brownlees.