#it's not a woah reveal i actually just realised i completely forgot to tell ANYTHING about this comic... | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

tmae3114 · 3 years ago

Text

IT MAY HAVE GONE MIDNIGHT MY TIME BUT IT’S STILL HERO APPRECIATION DAY IN SOME TIMEZONE AND THEREFORE YOU GET THIS FIC I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED AFTER WORKING ON IT FOR A WHILE ON THE BEST DAY FOR POSTING IT

The position of this in the Book 3 timeline is ~nebulous~ but it’s sometime after the hero sees Warlic again for the first and before Warlic and Alexander started working together

trust in me (and I’ll trust you too)

For a moment, the words refuse to make sense. He knows what everything she just said means individually but those words put together in that order don’t make a coherent concept. Only for a moment. All too soon, clarity crashes on him like icy water down his spine.

“…you’re here to invite me to a party?”

Or: a hero and a mage have a conversation, trauma sucks, and actual age differences mean nothing in the face of Big Sister Instincts™

[AO3]

There is, for some yet-to-be-determined reason, an adventurer asleep on his couch.

Warlic pauses mid-step to contemplate this fact for a few moments, then realises that the cup of tea he forgot in the kitchen is going to keep going cold if he doesn’t return to hurrying to fetch it.

One severe disappointment in the form of a stone cold cup of tea and the necessary subsequent brewing of a replacement later, there continues to be an adventurer asleep on his couch. In full armour, no less. Even after all these years, he is no closer to understanding how that can possibly be comfortable, for all it never seems to bother her.

He sips his tea contemplatively, then clears his throat pointedly.

That prompts a stirring. Ro blinks up at him, looking for all the world like there is no reason at all to question her napping on his couch. She yawns widely, her jaw audibly popping, and stretches languidly in a very catlike way.

Then, in a movement that is all seal, she twists and flops sideways off of the couch.

“Hi, Warlic,” she greets from the floor, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

“Hello, Ro,” he replies, taking another sip of his tea. “I assume that Cysero let you in?”

“Mmhmm.”

There is no elaboration on that. She seems perfectly content to simply lie on the floor and wait for him to say or do something else.

He drinks more of his tea.

She tilts her head slightly.

His sigh is fonder than he’d care to admit.

“Not that I’m unhappy to see you,” he says, arching his visible eyebrow “But are you here for a reason?”

She clicks her tongue and twists in a way that is probably supposed to help her get upright but more strongly resembles a seal in the banana pose than anything else.

“I needed a nap and your tower is always so nice and quiet,” she says, voice cheerful and dry.

In the distance, something – hopefully on Cysero’s side of the tower – explodes.

Ro giggle-snorts as she leverages herself upright using the arm of the couch she rolled off of.

“Aye, awright, point taken!” she calls in the general direction of the explosion.

“A social visit, then?” Warlic prompts, hiding his smile behind the rim of his teacup. “You usually give advance warning for those.”

“Ehhh,” Ro replies, making a wobbly see-saw motion with one hand, halfway sitting on the arm of the couch now “Social with a purpose?”

“Do tell.”

“Artix is wanting to dae a thing,” she says, twirling one hand in a circle as though to encompass the incredibly vague concept of ‘a thing’ “Away out at the keep? Hanging out and having a meal and stuff, ‘cept he doesnae know who’ll be up for it. I-” here, she makes an overly dramatic gesture to herself, the fingers of one hand splayed over her heart “-volunteered tae come see if you lot-” a wide sweeping gesture, clearly meant to encompass the tower and its inhabitants “-were free and when, seeing as I’m popping ‘round t’see Cysero aw the time anyways,”

“…you’re here to invite me to a party?”

“I mean…” Ro leans back, one arm braced against the back, one ankle loosely slung over the other, casual and so, so at ease “Less a party and more just dinner wi’ friends but aye, thereabouts.”

Are you mad?

The words stick in his throat. His stomach twists painfully. Just as he vaguely begins to hope that it isn’t showing outwardly, that he’ll be able to excuse himself quickly and without a fuss, his tea betrays him by sloshing loudly over the side of the cup.

Ro is by his side in an instant, one hand whisking the cup away from him and the other winding around his back to support him by the opposite elbow, gently but firmly steering him to the couch. He is vaguely aware of a quiet narrative litany – “Woah, ��kay, c’mere, let’s just-” – accompanying these actions, then he blinks and is sitting with his hands clasped in his lap, knuckles white and chest tight. He blinks again, once, twice, staring down at his hands, then up to look at the adventurer sitting at his side. The way that she meets and holds eye contact with him for a few moments more than gives away the worry lurking underneath the calm on her face. His cup of tea is no longer in her hands. A quick glance reveals it to be set down on a coaster on a side table.

“So,” Ro says, pulling his attention back to her “That was a reaction.”

The noise he makes in response to that is somewhere between a snort and a gasp.

“Do you realise,” he asks, voice trembling despite his best efforts “how dangerous what you suggested is?”

She leans a bit closer and rests one of her hands over his clasped ones. The cool metal of her gauntlet is almost grounding.

“It’s not,” she says. Just like the way she guided him to sit, her voice is both gentle and firm. Kind but unyielding. It’s the voice she uses for Heroics.

“It is, how can you not-”

“Ah, of course, silly me,” she interrupts, voice now completely flat. “How could I not have foreseen the incredible danger inherent in you leaving this tower for a few hours to spend some time with your friends. You’re right, that’s an absolutely mental idea. Whatever was I thinking.”

His breath shudders. A distant part of him notes that she seems to have switched from the casual mix of Common and her native tongue she favours in the company of friends to the – as she puts it, with air quotes, rolled eyes, and disdain – “more proper” Greenguardian dialect of Common that she uses for everything from strangers to snotty nobles; the one she uses to ensure she’ll be understood, for better or for worse. She almost certainly doesn’t realise that she’s done it. That distant part of him aches.

He takes another hitching breath.

“I don’t appreciate the sarcasm.”

“You weren’t supposed to.”

She sighs and shifts to face him more fully, tucking one leg up underneath herself as she sits sideways, and moving her other hand so that both of hers are covering both of his. It helps stop the shaking, a little bit.

“You’re scared. I get it. You’ve told me it wasn’t safe for you to leave before and I believe you. But it’s been years now, Warlic, and if it’s safe for me to come here, why isn’t it safe for you to leave, just for a little bit?”

Because it’s different. Because he could lose control at any moment but maybe here it could be contained. Because it’s his fault, all of it, Alex and Jaania and the Rose and-

Because that monster was a part of him, is inside of him still, and what if I-

Because-

“-I’m dangerous.”

Ah.

Oops.

The look that she gives him somehow manages to be drier than the Sandsea and utterly sympathetic at the same time. He has a feeling that he knows what she’s going to say next, can practically already hear it – So am I. We’re all dangerous, it comes with the territory.

He can see it in her face, begins preparing his counterargument.

“You’re not a threat, Warlic.”

Crystallised disbelief is, apparently, a noise and his vocal cords are capable of making it.

“You’re not.” She squeezes his hands. “You’re in control. You’re not Wargoth-” He flinches at the name, the one he’s only heard in his own thoughts for some time now “-and you’re in control. You are exactly as dangerous as you choose to be and not a whit more and I think I know you well enough to say that that amount is minimal.”

“You didn’t see,” he replies, quietly, staring past her head to trace the grain of the wooden beams in the wall behind her with his eyes “What it was like in the early days. What I was like when I was only just recovering.”

It’s a statement, not an accusation. They both know she would have been there, given the remotest choice. They both know she couldn’t be there. They both know why and who is to blame for it.

She flinches anyways.

It’s the Wargoth in him, Warlic thinks, that makes him be so cruel to a friend who is only trying to help.

Ro breaths in, holds it for a few seconds, then breathes out. She flexes her fingers where they rest across his clasped hands. The motion draws his focus back from the wall just in time to see something in her eyes go firm.

“Right,” she says, with the air of a decision made. “Palms up, in your lap.”

Before he can respond to that non-sequitur, she has swiftly, methodically, somehow still gently, pried his interlocking fingers apart and arranged his hands so that they are resting in his lap, one arm to a leg, palms up. He twitches his fingers a little, wincing at the stiffness in his knuckles after clasping them so tightly for so long.

“Now, close your eyes.”

“Ro, I-”

“Wheesht and dae it, Warlic.”

He closes his eyes.

There are several long moments filled with the sound of rummaging and rustling. She grumbles under her breath a couple of times – at one point, he hears a distinct “why do I even have that?” – and then makes a distinctly satisfied rumble that would be much more suited to her seal vocal cords than her human ones.

A beat after that, something heavy and so very soft is settled into his arms.

“’kay, you can open your eyes now.”

He doesn’t want to. His heart is pounding so wildly he half wonders if it’s visible from the outside. A part of him is desperately hoping that she’s just handed him a blanket, some sentimental symbol of comfort she hopes to share, maybe even something with childhood importance. Something, anything, like that.

The rest of him knows better.

Definitely not a blanket.

The noise he makes isn’t so much a vocalisation of her name as it is a plaintive cry made of vaguely similar sounds. His eyes snap to her in panic and-

-she’s smiling. He can tell not just by the way the outer corners of her eyes have tilted up but by the way he can just barely see her teeth because her mask is pooled around her neck and she’s smiling and she looks absolutely, utterly at ease and-

-and her sealskin is in his hands.

“I trust you,” she says, as thought that isn’t a completely redundant thing to say, as though she hasn’t just made herself impossibly vulnerable, hasn’t just- “I trust you, Warlic. Even if you can’t trust yourself right now, can you trust me? Trust my faith in you?”

The sealskin in his lap is thick and soft and warm. He’s bunched his hands in it, pulled his arms in a bit to hold it closer, without even realising he was doing so and he can’t quite convince himself to let go. He’s never seen it close enough to realise just how much the white-on-blue markings look like clouds before.

His heart pounds and his mind races. There are a million and one things that a mage of his strength and knowledge could do with a selkie’s coat and almost none of them are good. I trust you she says but how can she be anything but terrified in this moment, this moment where she has all but put herself into the worst horror stories of her people, how could she just hand this to him-

Wargoth enslaved people. He’d stolen them from themselves, reached in to grab the fire in their souls and twisted to chain them to his will, to turn them into puppets in his hands-

-and his friend has just unhesitatingly handed him the power to do it again. To do it to her.

“Warlic, hey, Warlic, look at me.”

Her hand is on his shoulder now and he turns to look, a million repetitions of the same question on his tongue – how can you…- and then she stands up.

She stands up and takes one step backwards.

A second.

A third.

She stops there, three paces away, smiling all the while.

“I trust you,” she repeats for the third time.

As his vision first blurs, then swims, Warlic finds himself thinking it’s a good thing that selkies live in the sea, it would be incredibly rude of me to give her coat water stains after a gesture like that. He takes one breath, then two, and then lets go.

Warlic bawls like a baby.

Ro returns to the couch, sitting close enough that their legs are pressed together, and starts rubbing circles on his back, between his shoulder blades.

It should feel ridiculous, with how much younger than him she is. He remembers when she had to look up just to look him in the face while he tried to convince her to take a nap, assuring her that the world wouldn’t end when she wasn’t looking if she took some time to rest. She’s grown a lot since then, he knows, but the number of years is such a drop in the ocean of those he’s lived that it feels like she must have barely aged at all. And yet, somehow, the rhythm of her comforting him as though he’s the child in the room doesn’t feel out of place at all. It just feels…

…safe.

Inevitably, he runs out of tears to cry. Ro wordlessly passes him a tissue to blow his nose, then another to wipe his eyes. He has no idea where she got them from, as there aren’t any nearby. He can’t remember the last time he cried like that. It feels… good, in a way, to have let it out.

When his breathing settles into a more sedate pace, Ro pats him on the shoulder.

“It’s okay to be scared, Warlic,” she says, voice quiet “You know that I know what it’s like to be scared of yourself. I get it. Just… don’t go letting your fear control you, yeah?”

“Yeah,” he breathes out “Yeah, okay.”

She shuffles aside a bit, giving him some space, but makes no movement to take her coat back. Not even an aborted grasp towards it, though he can see a line of tension beginning to form in her shoulders that she is clearly fighting.

…oh.

Oh. Of course. Trust. The whole point is trust.

He gathers her coat up in his arms, allowing himself just a moment to appreciate all that just being allowed to touch it would represent, let alone having the entire thing dropped in his lap, and passes it over to her.

“Thanks,” she says as she takes it from him, as though this is in any way a casual exchange. She slings it up and over her shoulders, settling it against her neck where the fur will rest against the few uncovered parts of her skin.

He nods, not entirely trusting his voice.

They sit in silence for a few moments and then she tilts her head to the side.

“So,” she says, drawing the vowel out, deliberately light-hearted, testing the waters “Artix’s thing?”

He thinks it over for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. Considers all of his reasons for saying no; considers the possibilities for saying yes. Thinks about keeping himself locked away where it’s safe; thinks about spending time with people again.

He takes a deep breath in, feels his lungs expand. He thinks about a time when, despite everything, he had trusted himself. Even if you can’t trust yourself right now, can you trust me? He breathes out.

He knows his answer.

“No,” he says, letting the syllable hang in the air for just a moment before turning to face Ro with a small smile “But tell him… maybe next time.”

#dragonfable #dragonfable fanfic #Hero Bhaltair #Warlic #hero appreciation day #it's important to me that you know that less than a minute before this fic begins #Warlic fully and entirely did the 'AGH MY /TEA!"/ thing #and yes I did put in some blink-and-you'll-miss-it language angst in there #bc that one book in the Libraseum is like 'some of these nursery rhymes were phonetically transcribed from lesser known dialects'#and then one of the parodies is A /SCOTS/ NURSERY RHYME #so as far as I'm concerned this particular issue Already Exists In Canon And I Have Proof

12 notes · View notes

sleephyjhs · 5 years ago

Text

You Suffer with Anxiety (REACTION)

[ requested / masterlist ]

tw :: talks of anxiety throughout (no anxiety attacks)

KSJ

Whenever you felt unnecessary nerves beginning to build up within you, you took it upon yourself to prepare some tea. When you were diagnosed with anxiety as a teenager, one of the coping methods you discovered for yourself was hot drinks. The warmth from mugs somehow manages to calm you to a certain extent and steady your trembling hands.

Unknowingly to you, your partner Seokjin had easily picked up on your coping method. As you weren’t the biggest fan of caffeine, it always became apparent to him when your anxiety was particularly bad. He figured quickly that each period of anxiety was different from another and that there was no set way to help you. Any support you needed was completely in your control.

You felt sick. Anxiety never failed to strip you of your appetite. Jin would be home before long, and soon after he would begin to prepare a meal for the two of you. Everything he made in the kitchen always tasted incredible, but you always felt bad breaking it to him that you just weren’t in the mood to eat.

Soon enough, he came through the door and leaned over the armrest of the sofa to kiss your forehead, “What’s with the mugs? You never drink tea.” You shrugged, struggling to find the words, “Alright, what’s going on?”

Seokjin crouched at your head and held contact with your eyes. Only then did it occur to you that he’d figured you out, “My anxiety is pretty bad today. I don’t know why. I feel like I can’t eat, sleep, breathe-“

“Woah, it’s alright! We don’t have to eat or sleep right now. We can talk through some things if you’d like?” You shook your head. Talking about what was wrong made you feel even worse about it, “Well then, all I can offer is to leave you alone, or just.. hold you?”

Physical contact and your anxiety could often be a hit or miss, but that evening, it seemed right to you. You raised your torso from the couch to let Seokjin slide underneath and embrace you on his lap, “You don’t have to tell me anything, but I promise I’ll help you as much as I can, alright?”

MYG

The single most thing you hated about anxiety was its unpredictability. You’d experienced first hand how it easily ruined long-standing plans and disabled you from living the packed lifestyle you once did.

Everyone had different standards for being at their ‘worst’. For you, when the concept of leaving your bed became overwhelming, it signalled to you that perhaps you should take each day a bit slower.

You had felt Yoongi leave the bed early that morning for rehearsals, but as he kissed your cheek as a goodbye, you had pretended to remain asleep. Looking him in the eye would have certainly caused you to burst into tears, and the last thing you wanted to do was make him late.

While Yoongi was gone, you had chosen to stay in bed. All the premonitions you had told you that your legs weren’t strong enough to carry you anywhere else. Collapsing wasn’t on your agenda. You tried music and television, even reading. Nothing helped. You needed company. You needed to know you weren’t alone.

When the clock turned 9pm, you began to count down the minutes. He hadn’t rung to alert you he was staying later, so before long, Yoongi would be home. As you raised yourself from lying down, your stomach growled at the lack of food you had given yourself.

In all honesty, comfort food was what you really needed. Nobody made bulgogi like Yoongi. Mist of your willpower to get through the day was knowing he was treating you to your favourite when he returned home.

As you lost track of minutes, the bedroom door pushed open gently. A blur of black hair and pale skin peeked through the crack, before emerging to reveal a concerned boyfriend, “One of those days?” You nodded sullenly as he paced towards you, “Have you actually gotten out of bed today?”

“Maybe once or twice. I just feel weak.” He folded a wavy piece of hair behind you ear and offered you his hand, glossing over your pale knuckles.

“Would food help?” You nodded before Yoongi could finish his short question, “Come on then, let’s get you sorted out.” He linked your left arm in his right, and held you steadily to guide you downstairs, grasping your hand particularly to let you know he was still there.

JHS

After a year of being with Hoseok, it was finally time for him to embark on another world tour. Because of your job, you were unable to join him as much as he would have liked, which in turn caused you a decent amount of anxiety. Travelling worried you sick, and so the thought of your partner travelling was almost paralysing.

Without realising it, you sat in the artist lounge with Hoseok biting and peeling skin away from the edge of your nail. You couldn’t help it, it was just a nervous habit. As he waited for his turn to record for the new album, all the possibilities of things going wrong on an international trip played through your mind.

It wasn’t your job to mother him, you knew that well. Hoseok didn’t even know about your worries. Your concern stemmed simply from your own anxiety, and you quickly realised there was nothing you could do to stop it.

“Ah, fuck!” In the meanwhile of chewing on your fingers, you forgot to take notice of how hard you clenched your teeth, resulting in you biting more than you had anticipated.

“What happened?” Hoseok asked, drawing his eyes over to you, where you caressed a now bleeding finger, “Oh my god, let me get you a plaster.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s just a nervous habit,” you convinced him, sucking the small droplets from your tiny wound. In his silence, you gazed up to see Hoseok more confused than you ever had before, “Sometimes when I get anxious I bite my nails.”

You dreaded this moment, but after asking you what you were worried about, you confessed your anxieties about his upcoming travels, “I know saying this might not help but you really don’t have to worry, jagi. It’s safe! And you don’t have to worry about being alone either. I can always fly you out if you feel a bit left out.”

KNJ

Namjoon carried through a glass of cold water, watching you and your shaking frame more than the glass itself. After an hour of persistant crying and breathlessness, you had come to a somewhat peaceful state. Although you were calm, you still felt uneasy and unstable, which you were hoping some comfort from your partner might help.

“Just take it easy. There’s no rush for anything right now.” Namjoon urged as he placed the glass on the coffee table. You’d been sat on the hardwood floor for too long, but you couldn’t bring yourself to move. Not even support from another person could make you strong enough.

Sure enough, Namjoon places himself next to you on the floor and slipped an arm around your trembling shoulders. You were thankful that skinship was something you both enjoyed, “You don’t need to tell me what’s wrong. If you want to, we can talk about it if you��d like. Or we could sit here. Or do anything you’d like to do.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong, Joonie. That’s the problem. I don’t know.” You explained, your voice still shaky from the previous troubles, “Nothing’s straightforward-“

“Hey! Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay not to know what’s going on up there. Main point is, you’re safe right now. That’s all that matters.”

You paused in your thoughts for a moment to absorb the gentle comfort Namjoon’s presence gave you. Even his physical warmth made you feel better in one way or another. You didn’t want to turn him away. You needed him.

“Let’s just sit for a while. Is that okay?” Namjoon nodded and nestled his fingers between yours. Without realising, the pair of you began to rock slowly back and forth. In that moment you felt content. Still not fine, but just content.

PJM

As soon as he felt your hand begin to sweat in his, Jimin was unable to resist checking up on you. Walking around the city was something you did together regularly, but often the large morning crowds were enough to overwhelm you.

“Can we sit down for a minute somewhere?” Without needing to ask any more, Jimin led you into the next coffee shop along (which thankfully, was quite drained for the capital’s morning rush) and found you a table in a far corner where music was drowned and company was scarce.

“Usual?” He checked, before strolling to the counter to place your order. Unable to focus on the muffled commotion by the door, you rested your forearms on the table and leaned over your elbows, steadying yourself from your trembling limbs.

Although you hadn’t looked up to witness, Jimin was unable to take his eyes off you. It was endearing how much Jimin cared about you and how much he continued to demonstrate his love. What he wouldn’t tell you is that he also worried about you. A lot more than he’d ever admit to.

Before long, he carried over to you your regular tea and his iced americano and settled it between your still shaking hands, “Take your time. We have time to calm down and sit for a while. Talk to me. Talk to me about anything.”

Only blank thoughts filled your mind. You felt nothing but guilt towards your partner, “I’m sorry. I never mean to do this.”

“You don’t need to apologise, my love. I know crowds aren’t your best friend. You’re okay with me, I promise you.” His words came as a great comfort, but the regret that came woth ruining what was a perfect morning walk was unbearable, “We can chill out here for a while? Karaoke, park, cinema. Today’s all about you, okay?”

KTH

You’d never realised it, but your anxiety had led you to develop some habits that for your partner, Taehyung, had become more like warning signals.

Mental health was a struggle you had opened up to him early in your relationship. You knew that sometimes your behaviour could alert other people, and the last thing you wanted to do was make it seem like he made you uncomfortable or that you didn’t want to be there. Explaining that your expressions or habits were sometimes ahead of you came to be of benefit.

When you entered the dining room, you ignored Tae’s greeting and sat beside him. Withdrawing from conversation was an indicator of your anxiety, and so he turned off his tablet to focus on trying to talk to you, “How is everything?”

You could hear him perfectly well, but talking to him would surely induce your tears. Instead, he laid his hands out on the table. Without hesitation, you grabbed onto him.

Ignoring him was the last thing you wanted to do. In fact, you felt as though you desperately needed him. However, you didn’t want to break down in front of him, he shouldn’t have to see that, “I’ll listen to whatever you want to talk about.”

A few seconds of Tae caressing your hand pulled a tear from your eye, and within seconds, you were deep into his embrace, “I’m sorry. This is so pathetic.” You weeped in between deep breaths.

“No, it isn’t. Let’s go up to bed and get more comfortable, yeah? I’ll keep you company.”

JJK

Jungkook has been stroking your hair for the past half hour as you wound down by watching an animation film. After an anxiety attack, going back to a comfortable memory could help you sometimes. Cuddling with Jungkook only helped you to feel even better.

His gentle hand running through your hair was hypnotic and you were close to falling asleep. Something stopped you. Something was still playing on your mind.

“Jungkook?” You turned your head upwards to search for his brown bambi eyes. His small almond eyes were framed by raised eyebrows. He was listening, “I think I need to get help.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, twirling loose ends of your hair around his fingertips. You readjusted your twisted body to cause less strain on your neck and held eye contact with your partner.

“Like professional help. I can’t go on with this anxiety, it’s too much.” Jungkook nodded along with your narration, “Do you think they’d see me?”

“They can’t turn away somebody who asks for help, surely. And if for whatever reason they do, I’ll make sure we find someone who will work with you.” He moved his thumb over to your cheek, where your dried tears had created a rubber-like layer of skin.

“You don’t have to do that, really.”

“But I want to. I can’t help as much as a professional can, and I want you to feel better in your own skin. I really do, angel.”

329 notes · View notes

drariellevalentine · 4 years ago

Text

Medically Inevitable

Chapter 4- Radical Revelations

Characters:- Arielle Valentine, Sienna Trinh, Bryce Lahela, Landry Olsen, Elijah Greene, Jackie Varma, Rafael Aveiro, Ethan Ramsey, Harper Emery

Pairing:- Arielle Valentine x Ethan Ramsey

Warnings:- None

Arielle’s PoV:-

Completely exhausted from the day’s events, you head into the locker room and take a nice but quick hot shower. Drying off, you quickly change into a cute pearl silk tied top with a comfy pair of ripped jeans. Taking out the bun in your hair, you decide to let your hair down, parting deep to the left, caressing your revealed shoulders.

You enter Donahue’s to find it completely packed. You try to squeeze inside apologising every now and then and look around to spot your friends.

You finally find them sitting in a table at the furthest corner of the bar.

"Long day?" Si asks as soon as I slump into the seat next to her.

“You have no idea, according an 18 year old, I look younger than him, so apparently I not eligible to be a doctor cause I look too cute!," I sigh dramatically and she giggles.

"Careful please," Bryce says before placing a tray of shots in our table.

Jackie scoffs, " Why are you even buying us drinks, meathead?"

"He's being nice, Jackie.”, Sienna smiles.

"Yeah, and also you think you could afford to buy that tonight?" I add.

"Sure," she rolls her eyes, "Thank youu," she says sarcastically.

Bryce laughs. "Think of it as a good luck drink guys. You are going to need a lot of luck to get into the diagnostics team."

"Wrong meathead. What we need is brains and hard work. Duh!"

"And luck," Bryce adds smirking, ‘lots of luck’. He emphasizes on the word "luck".

After minutes of bickering in between Bryce and Jackie, Bryce leaves to join his fellow surgeons. But my friends are still talking over the fellowship.

"I can't still believe they'll be taking an intern in the team!" I hear Landry say, his voice filled with excitement. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that they'll even consider giving an intern a spot in the team let alone train them."

"Cheers on that," Jackie says forwarding a glass.

"Let's have a toast guys," Elijah forwards his glass. "To having a marvelous fellowship."

As we all toast to it I say, "Honestly guys, good luck. I won't be joining the fellowship but I wish the best of luck to you all." I smile. Everyone stares at me like I just refused a million dollars.

"You won't be joining the competition?!" Jackie asks shocked. "But why?"

"Not everyone wants to join the diagnostics team, Jackie," Landry states.

"Maybe not everyone, but Arielle does. The diagnostics team is the very thing that made Arielle apply here, in Edenbrook. That's one of the many things she said to me the day we met." Jackie turns to me then giving me a look that says "I want an answer".

"I know. The diagnostics team is what made me apply here on the first place, but I changed my mind. I got through my first week because of you guys. I don't think I could have done it if you guys were not there to support me," Sienna places a hand on my shoulder, giving me an understanding look.

"I don't want to ruin our friendship by competing with you guys. I need you guys by my side not against me."

"Idiotic choice but your call," Jackie rolls her eyes. And I smile as Sienna hugs me. A while later, you all head home for the day.

General PoV:-

Harsh sunlight streams through the open curtains of Arielle’s magazine cover worthy bedroom. Arielle turns around in her bed to grab her phone from her nightstand. The alarm clock catches her eye ‘9:15 a.m.’ She bolts right up in bed, rushing to her closet while ranting a ton of expletives. Hearing the commotion, Elijah and Sienna rush inside to see Arielle on the floor half-naked tangled in a bunch of clothes. Sienna stares at her in confusion while Elijah understands what’s going on and bursts out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”, Arielle asks.

“You forgot today’s our day off, didn’t you?”, Elijah asks knowingly.

“It is? Oh shit! I completely forgot!”

They help Arielle out of the tangle of clothes. “Anyways, we were thinking of going to a baseball game so...I bought everyone matching t-shirts but they only come in two sizes you’ll have to adjust yours. Only then Arielle notices their shirts. Sienna hands her an red oversized t-shirt. “We’re leaving in an hour, get ready!”

Arielle’s PoV:-

You shower and slip on a robe after drying yourself off. “There’s no way in hell I’m wearing this!”, you exclaim holding up the red,baggy, oversized shirt. If there’s one thing you care about, it’s your style. You grab a pair of fabric shears and crop the oversized shirt folding the hem to create a neat finish using fabric glue, then cinch the extra fabric on the slides and secure it in place with a few stitches. You hold up the newly altered shirt and look to your mirror. “Much better!” Pairing it with a pair of studded white jeggings, white heel sandals and a couple of accessories, you sit down on your vanity’s stool. You take out your braid from last night, leaving thick curls in its place. You carefully clip your hair out of place and decide to brush on a little extra makeup. After finishing with your usual moisturiser, concealer and primer, you accentuate your almond eyes with a jet black eyeliner and brush out your brows. Knowing that you won’t need any help in the blush department, you move on to your lips. You decide on your favourite red transfer-proof lipstick ‘Bold Beauty’. You grab a crossbody purse and place your wallet, keys, phone and other essentials and head to the living room.

“What do you think? Is it too much?”, you ask uncertainly.

“Hot damn!”, says Jackie.

“You look gorgeous.”, Sienna says.

“Woah! You look good!”, says Landry.

“Someone call the fire department cause it’s getting hot in here!”, exclaims Elijah.

You blush furiously. “Thanks guys, I’ll drive us there.

You pile in the car as Elijah rides shotgun and gives you directions. You reach there at 10:30. “Ok, 10 minutes till game starts. Everyone split up and stand in a different line and get one of everything. I’ll get the drinks.” Sienna tells everyone where the seats are and everyone splits up. You get a drink tray full of sodas, beers and a lemonade for you, everything packed with ice, and head down to the first row where you find everyone holding snacks.

“Great seats Elijah!”, says Sienna.

“Have to be close to fully appreciate the bloodbath, these teams loathe each other.”

Landry and Elijah start geeking out as you, Jackie and Sienna are talking.

“So...I may or may have not seen you get into Dr. Ramsey’s car yesterday.”, Sienna slyly says.

“Crap!”, you think.

“Tell us everything!”, says Sienna.

“Seriously?”, Jackie asks.

You slowly confide in them about yesterday’s events and what you confessed about your personal life.

“Oh my god, Ari! I’m so sorry!” Sienna pulls you into a hug.

“It’s okay, I’m fine now.”

“Now I feel really bad for judging you, also very surprised and impressed that you managed to get away with sleeping on Dr. Terminator’s shoulder.”, says Jackie.

“It isn’t that big of a deal!”, you counter. Both of them give you a look. “Ok, fine, it is. He was actually really sweet, he even tried to console me.”, you confess. Sienna smiles wide at the mention of this.

“Anyways, you both have to promise not to say a word about this.”, you give them a pleading pout. Jackie’s about to ask about something else when you realise some kind of commotion is going on.

"Oh no, did he faint?" Si says and I look forward to see Jake Sandburg, one of the players lying on the floor.

The other players rush to his side trying to wake him up.

"Uh, coach, he's in real bad shape," another player says leaning down beside him.

Their team manager hurries out," Damn our team physician quit on us just before the game."

"Is there any doctor here?" The manager asks and on instinct all of our hands goes up.

The manager looks clearly shocked to see five doctors in a front row but doesn't express it as we move towards the field asking the other players to help us move Jake inside.

We follow the other Nighthawker players into their locker as they carry Jake on a stretcher.

"Have you called 911?" I ask their manager.

"Yeah, the paramedics are on their way," the manager sighs, " Poor kid."

"Lay him here," I hear Jackie instruct them as they follow.

"He's got a pulse, but his breathing is shallow," Sienna says in a low and shaky voice. This sudden situation is clearly affecting her.

Landry pulls a stethoscope from his bag and places it against his chest.

"Sounds like fluid build up. We have to solve it fast or else he could be in trouble," Landry announces.

As the others take his vitals, Elijah and I go to ask his teammates some questions, which we think might help us to crack the case.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" One of the player asks as we approach them.

"You can help us by answering some questions. Has this ever happened before?"

"Not as far as we know," he looks at his other teammates. " Also he had to pass a physical test just recently."

"He was called up from the minor league just a few weeks ago," the manager adds.

"Did he complain about any pain recently?" Elijah asks.

"No, he was pretty quite, kept to himself. I think he was worried," the player says. "About what?"

The player shares a look with his manager as soon as I ask that.

"Look, he's been struggling in the majors. I was in discussions with ownership to send him back down to the minors," the manager answers, a pained expression plastered across his face.

"Did he know about it?" Elijah asks in between.

" You know, the guys talk. Rumors."

"He was kinda freaking out about it, he kept sweating, hyperventilating," the manager adds and I make a mental note of it.

"Hyperventilating... How often?"

"I only saw it a couple of times," the managers states.

"Well, it could've been panic attacks," I conclude thoughtfully.

"He always seemed tired too. Yawing in the meetings, like he didn't get any sleep at all," the player from before says.

"Have you seen any changes in his behavior recently?" Elijah asks.

"Uh, I guess he's been hitting the ice bath a lot recently. Probably because of feeling sore," the guys answers. "But he'd do it even in the days when he wasn't playing," the guys adds after a moment.

"Thanks you for the help. Was he on any medications?" I ask before moving towards the table

"No. The team doctor left all the prescriptions and Sandburg wasn't prescribed anything," the manager says going through the charts.

"Thank you that'll be it," I say and look forward to find a player from the opposite team sneaking in.

"Hey! You aren’t allowed here," I motion the others towards him as the player who was helping us moves towards him. But then to my surprise he hugs him and the other one whispers words of encouragement in his ears.

"Wait, weren't you two fighting in the field?" I ask shocked.

" Yeah, but that's only on the field. Ray and I grew up playing together in the streets of Miami. We are basically family," The Nighthawker player concludes.

“It’s that easy?”, you ask.

“When we’re in a game, our minds are focused on the game. But the minute it’s over, we’re brothers again. Iron sharpening iron, you know.”, he says but your mind is somewhere else.

“Iron sharpening iron. Competing makes them stronger...” You run back towards the patient.

I think it's a drug interaction. His medicines are amplifying each other out," I announce reaching them. "Two medications perfectly fine on their own, cauting each other to have an outsized affect."

"Oh, that could be it!" Sienna says, a sudden excitement hinting in her voice.

" But the team manager said that their previous doctor didn't prescribe him anything," Elijah says confused.

"Sandburg was already worried about being cut. If the team knew he had a medical condition, they'd be oven less likely to keep him around," I reply.

"So you think he kept him situation quiet to keep his job? Wouldn't be the first time someone's done that," Jackie shrugs .

"What do you think he was taking?" Landry asks.

"Well, maybe something for his panic attacks. Let's say fluoxetine," I reply to him

" That could be it. Getting a prescription for that isn't really hard..."

"Okay, maybe you are right. But what was reacting with it. What else was he taking?" Jackie cuts in between.

"Something for his soreness. His team members said he'd be sore even the days he was not pitching," I answer remembering what the player said.

"It could have been arthritic inflammation," Sienna states.

"Right? He's male in his twenties..." I try to think what it could be.

"Ankylosing Spondylitis!" Landry says.

"He could've been taking N.S.A.I.D for it, like - celecoxib," I say while checking his locker, " Here they are." I say taking out the medicines proving what we said is right.

" It could be doing irreparable damage to his kidneys! We gotta take him to the hospital as soon as possible," Elijah says.

The sound of helicopter blades cut through the commotion in the locker.

" The paramedics are here!" Sienna exclaims happily.

Soon the paramedics enter and you see Rafael running towards you. We explain him about the situation.

"Would you like to have a ride on the choper? My shift will end in five minutes. So after dropping Jake to the hospital we could maybe roam around the city," Raf says nervously once we are out of the locker. The other paramedics get Jake in the chopper.

"I would love that," I give him an assuring smile which he returns.

"Great!" He says making his way towards the chopper after asking me to follow him.

"Any certain place you have in mind where you'd like to go?" He asks smiling broadly getting back to the choper after we've successfully admitted Jake.

"Not really," I give him a silly smile.

"We'll have a tour over the whole city then, more fun," he winks and I giggle.

I am really enjoying the birds eye view. The city looks more beautiful from up here. Capturing the breathtaking city from above, I put it on my Instagram story.

The next picture I take is ours, I smile towards the front and Raf's is a candid, he's looking forward flying the chopper but smiling.

I post it on my Instagram feed, tagging Raf and captioning it "Soaring high with @raveirotheemt.”

You notice you have over 250 likes already. Perks of being famous.

"What do you see?" Raf asks and I look down.

"Edenbrook!" I squeak happily. " The first day in there, the hospital looked so enormous but now it looks so tiny!"

"Everything comes into perspective up here. It's one of the reasons I like it so much."

" How'd you learn to fly?"

"My uncle was a pilot in the Marines. He started teaching me to fly when I was still in high school."

"That was so young!"

"I just saw it as a fun thing to do on the weekends, you know. It was a great way to spend time with a great man," he smiles recalling the memories.

"Are you guys still close?" I ask

"He... He died two years ago."

"I'm so sorry Raf."

"He was really active in our community. When he wasn't flying, he'd organize food drives and buses for anyone struggling," he smiles sadly remembering those days," He's the one who inspired me to be an paramedic. I wanted to help people the way he did."

I nod at him understanding.

"Buckle up. We're ready to land," he tries to say it as normally as possible, smiling. But I know it is just an effort to not let people show his broken side.

“Hey, Jake and many other lives have had a chance to live because of you.”, I assure him.

He relaxes. “You too, Arielle.”

“You both land on Edenbrook’s helicopter pad as staff takes Jake away. You inform them of his condition.

“So... are you ready for the tour?

At first I thought that Beacon Hills were the most beautiful thing I saw today. But when we were taking a turn over Cape Cod Bay, my opinion changed. Nothing can be more beautiful than this. The breathtaking view of the glimmering ways merging with the bright golden sun creating a golden hue in the clear ocean water. The scenery is just breathtaking.

"It is beautiful," I say softly, still looking at the ocean.

"It's the best thing you can see in the city," Raf smiles.

"Can't disagree with that."

"And as much as I would hate for this to end," he smiles sadly, "But I need to return the chopper to the hospital now."

"It's cool Raf, we've been out here on it for a while," I smile.

Within minutes, he manages to fly back to the stadium and drops me off.

You return to your friends and show them the wonderful pics and views that you took.

“Of course!” After some time, you and Si head to the food court for a refill on food and drinks.

Ethan’s PoV:-

You’re stuck closing off an important deal with Banner Health alone, as Harper was called in for an emergency. You’re walking towards the bar in need of a stiff drink when a familiar waft of vanilla and cinnamon hits you. There she is, her beautiful jet black curled tresses falling below her waist, standing near you ordering something. She doesn’t seem to notice you. You turn your head the other way and ask for a club sandwich. A few minutes later, you receive a tray full of cheeseburgers. Somebody calls you.

“Excuse me sir, but it seems our orders got mixed up.” You turn around to find none other than Arielle. Her violet eyes widen in realisation.

“Dr. Ramsey! Hi, guess the world really is small!”, she responds enthusiastically.

“Some would say too small.” A petite intern who often you see beside her comes and doesn’t notice me.

“Hey Ari! I’ll take these down. You coming? In a minute, Sienna.” The intern leaves.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you for a baseball type of guy.”

“And you pegged me just right. I’m here to close a deal with Banner reps. They have me in the box suite, trying to butter me up with lobster and wine.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad...”

“I know it might surprise you, but I’m not one for schmoozing.”

“Nooooo... I don’t believe it. The great Ethan Ramsey doesn’t like it when someone butters him up!”, she feigns shock.

“Would you like to join me?, the words slip out before you can react.

Arielle’s PoV:-

You’re surprised. You’d never thought that your medical hero would need your help. He notices your expression and starts explaining, more like rambling.

“You know I’m not much good at speaking to other people, much less idiots but this is a very important deal for Edenbrook. Harper was taking the reins but she was called in for an emergency. One of your traits is that you’re quite persuasive, I was hoping that would help.”, he says.

“Of course.” You follow him to the private entrance which is blocked by a guard.

“Ah, Dr. Ramsey. The Banner Health execs are waiting.” He gestures for you to follow. The guard stops you.

“I’m afraid I’ll need to see some ID, Miss. Alcoholic beverages are being served.” Dr. Ramsey gets irritated.

“I can assure you she’s older than 21.”, he says. The guard insists. Sighing, you pull out your ID. His eyes flash with recognisation.

“I’m extremely sorry miss, but I have to follow protocol.”

“It’s quite alright.” Dr. Ramsey leads you into the private box, where you see a crowd of ‘business’ dressed people lounging on the posh sofas. He picks up two glasses of Malbec and hands one to you.

“Thank you. To deals, negotiations and whatnot!” He rolls his eyes. “To negotiations.”, he toasts.

“This is quite nice.”

“It is, don’t get used to it. I knew many great doctors, all who swore never to make it about the money but did. Don’t let it become about the money.”

“Ha! If only he knew I had millions of dollars in my name and still live like this.”, you think.

“You’re right. It never should become about the money.”, you say truthfully. Two reps saunter up and start sucking up to him. You roll your eyes internally.

“I’m sure there are many opportunities. By the way, let me introduce you to Dr. Arielle Valentine, one of Edenbrook’s newest interns, and one who shows much promise.”, he says.

Your lawyer/advocate instincts kick into action, which includes an amazing first impression.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Valentine but no formalities between us. I have already been impressed upon the very invaluable and precious bond of Banner Health and Edenbrook and hope today will also add on to that. I’m looking forward to the other ways that you have suggested for this partnership, all to help our patients.”, you say.

“Oh my, if this is who Edenbrook is recruiting these days, our partnership is very sure to exceed high expectations.”, they say. Dr. Ramsey nods in approval. They all start negotiating deals, which end in their favour and not-so-good for Edenbrook. Dr. Ramsey looks to you for help.

“Okay, time to pull out all the stops!”, you mentally prepare yourself. You launch into a very persuasive but subtle argument slowly shifting the deal in Edenbrook’s favour. By the time you’re done, the execs have given their consent and you just got them to add a lot of benefits starting from loans to better rates on different services including neurological and cardiac.

“Thank you, Ethan and Arielle for the pleasure. Perhaps we could meet for a round of golf next week to hammer out the fine points.

“Oh hell no!”, you think.

“Oh! Dr. Ramsey is busy next week but how about later tonight?”, you say. They’re about to agree when you drop the bombshell. “Dr. Ramsey and I have an appointment later this week at the shooting range and self-defence center downtown. Don’t worry, I have quite a few guns to be spared, but be warned, I’m quite experienced.”, you say trying not to burst out laughing seeing their shocked faces. You catch Dr. Ramsey which a not-so-well hidden smirk on his face.

“That’s quite alright, we both have made many commitments later this week.”, say frantically say.

“That’s alright, another time then.” A few minutes later, they both leave claiming they had to go. As soon as they leave, you burst out laughing.

“That was quite an act you put on there.”

“Who said it was an act?” He gives you an incredulous look.

“Anyways, it was quite impressive how you shifted the deal in favour to Edenbrook.”, he says questioningly.

You sigh. “Pretty much everyone in my family are lawyers, different areas though. I picked up a lot of skills when watching their hearings.”

“You’re quite good at it. May I ask why you didn’t follow their path.”

“...My godfather was also a doctor. He would tell me stories of how he was able to save lives, make a difference, experience all the love, pain, loss, heartbreak. And I fell in love with it over time. My father wasn’t supportive of it though. I don’t know what went wrong. When I was a child, we had an unbreakable bond. Over time, he buried himself in his cases, that bond slowly evaporating. My brother always knew that I would work in the medical field and was very supportive. When I announced that I had gotten into Johns Hopkins for med school, my father was angry and didn’t support me. He claimed that I had led his hopes up and shattered them, when all along I always was hinting about my dream to become a doctor. We both said hurtful things that a father nor daughter should ever say, that night. After that, I cut off all contact with him.”, you carefully say making sure not to give any clues that Dr. Banerji is your godfather.

Ethan’s PoV:-

You’re shocked. Utterly shocked. You’d never guess that this bright, cheerful, kind intern had such a rough childhood. Especially when your’s made you turn out like this.

“I believe you made the right choice.”, you assure her.

“That means a lot to me.(more than you could ever know)”, she says and whispers.

You both relax and lounge on the comfy sofa, watching the game.

You notice the sun setting as the game ends. “It’s quite late, how will you get home?”

“My friends and I came here by my car, but I told them to take my car when they said they were leaving early. I spent all my money on food so I’ll take a train or something.”

“I’ll drive you home, it’s the least I can do.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”

“It’s alright. Let’s go.” You lead Arielle to your car, at the same time kicking yourself. “Dear god Ramsey, what the hell is wrong with you? Offering a ride!” You convince yourself that it’s just a thank you but you know it’s because you want to make sure that she gets home safe.

Both of you are exiting the stadium and stop when you see Harper.

“Ethan! Thank god you’re still here. I just received the terms of agreement of our deal with Banner. What did you do?” She notices Arielle.

“Dr. Valentine, what are you doing here?”

“She was here with her friends when I saw and asked for help with negotiating. She was the one who turned the deal into our favour.”, I quickly reply.

“Very impressive Dr. Valentine, but do know that this doesn’t make a difference in the fellowship rankings.”, Harper says.

“I know Chief Emery, anyways I haven’t entered the competition. But thank you though.”, she replies. You’re surprised. You thought she had entered, but you never checked the list of participants. You tell her to wait at the car.

“You’re dropping her off?”, she asks.

“She literally just scored us a very big deal. I’m just thanking her.

“Hmm... Well I’ll see you later. Goodbye, Ethan.” You nod and get in your car. Turning on the engine, you drive.

“Where do you live?”, you ask.

She pulls up a location 20 minutes from here on her phone.

“Why didn’t you enter the fellowship?”

“Did you want me to?”, she asks. You don’t answer.

“My first week was hard enough, with a competition that would jeopardise our friendship, I decided it wasn’t worth the risk. Especially when they were the ones who got me through the first week.”

“I understand. A lot of friendships of mine were severed during my residency due to the competitiveness.” You both talk about leisure topics until you reach a tall apartment complex.

“This is me. Thanks for the ride, Dr. Ramsey.”, with that, she swiftly exits out of the car. You reverse the car and drive to your apartment.

Arielle’s PoV:-

You walk up to the entrance of your building, taking the elevator to your floor. You pull out your keys when Jackie opens the door and lets you in.

“I was wondering when you’d be back.” You smile, taking off your shoes and head into the living room.”

“Hey Ari! Join us for a drink!”, says Elijah.

“Nah, I don’t want a drink. But yes for the company.”

“You all better kiss that fellowship goodbye, cause I just solved that case in record time.”, Landry says.

“You do realise that Arielle was the one who did most of it and we all helped.”, Jackie says.

“Exactly, I looked at the clues and diagnosed the problem!”

You laugh with your friends as they playfully egg each other on. You’re going over today’s events, thinking about all the crazy events, when you realise that you haven’t been true to yourself. “Competing makes them stronger.”, you remember saying. You’ve given advice to other people but you aren’t following your own. You bolt up from the sofa, grabbing your purse and keys and head towards the door.

“What are you doing, Ari?”, Sienna asks.

“You smile replying, “Something I should have done way before.” Your roommates give you a knowing smile as you head towards Edenbrook.

You park your car, rushing through the atrium and up the stairs towards Dr. Ramsey’s office. You a minute to compose yourself and knock.

“Come in.”, his professional but baritone voice replies.

You enter his office to see a minimally decorated desk, covered with papers and patient files. He files them away neatly as you enter. “Rookie. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I want in.”

“I made it clear that the cutoff was midnight.” Your eyes follow his gaze to the wall clock. ‘12:02’

“What makes you think that you’re an exception?”

You steady yourself. “I know I can be a good doctor. I know that I can make a difference in people’s lives, like you do. It just took me a little longer to realise it.” You gulp, wondering if you’ve blown your chance.

He smirks and pull out a long list of names, adding yours at the bottom. “You had me worried there. What changed your mind?”

“I always advised other people to follow their dreams, never give up, to take a leap of faith. I realised I needed to take my own advice.” He nods with approval.

“Good Night, Dr. Valentine.”

“Good Morning, Dr. Ramsey.”, you say, pointing at the same clock ‘12:08’. He shakes his head with amusement.

You head out to your car, the cool autumn breeze in your hair, and drive into the night.

“Bring it on.”

33 notes · View notes

aweebwrites · 5 years ago

Text

Celestial Influence Pt4

(@thelucariosfish Listen. Listen. I love you so much my amazing beta friend and I'll be bugging you every other day with fics! Thank you!)

________________

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

________________

"I don't know. I was just thinking it's better than sticking around Ninjago. No matter how far inland and away from the public we go, there's always some collateral damage." Cole says, swinging his legs over the edge of the Bounty from where they were parked in the middle of Hiroshi's Labyrinth. "There's literally a just as big, unpopulated continent just across the water. Nobody will be hurt there!" He says with a grin, looking back at Zane who was watching Lloyd and Jay tutor Kai and Nya on the basis of their new powers.

The parts they figured out at least.

"It sounds like a good idea in theory but don't forget the Dark Island has dark matter and we don't know how we would react to it." Zane pointed out. "And frankly, I would rather not find out. Not to mention the Dark Island is uncharted territory. Who knows what unleashing our powers there would do? And besides-"

"Ok, Ok. Dark Island: bad idea." Cole interrupts and Zane nods. "But then why not park the Bounty in the middle of the Endless Sea?" He asked, hopping down from off the railing.

"For one, the ship will run out of fuel in the sky and the Endless Sea is filled with Starteeth that would devour it." Zane reminded him. "And before you mention Nya, she's still getting used to her powers. She also doesn't control the Starteeth. Just water." He says and Cole sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. Figured." He says, watching as Nya conjured two orbs of water and brought them together then lengthened it, the water hardening and forming a trident made of the same material Jay's nunchucks were made of except hers had a spiral of everflowing, glowing blue water along the staff of it.

"Woah… Cool…" Nya whispered, lowering to her feet as her glow left her eyes and skin.

"Awww I can't summon my weapons as yet…" Kai pouts, watching her.

"Because you're trying too hard dummy." Jay says, wacking him over his head with his nunchucks.

"Ow! That hurt!" Kai growled, glaring at the lightning ninja who only looked at him amused.

"It was supposed to hurt, dummy." Jay says drily and Kai glared, hair lighting up red orange as his eyes and skin glowed.

"I'll show you what's supposed to hurt you-"

"Woah!" Kai looked over at Cole confused then followed his line of sight to his hands then blinked.

He held up one of the two flaming katanas he held in hand, looking over it in awe. He won't lie, he was a little disappointed when they weren't made of gold like Lloyd's. They were made of the same materials as the others' weapons with retreating flames from the blades themselves. Even though it wasn't made of gold, it was sleek, professionally weighted and the fire decals in the material itself was superb. He would be jealous of whoever had the skills to make this if he wasn't the one to create it.

"Nice." Kai whispered then gave both a twirl before they settled snugly in his hands.

"Best yet, you can call them at will." Lloyd says and they watched as his golden sword vanished in a flare of green once he let go.

"Cool." Kai says then let go of his swords, watching them vanish in a flare of fire. "I mean, how cool is this?! We can fly! No dragons, no Airjitzu!" He grinned, levitating off the ground.

"A girl can get used to this." Nya says, gliding by on her back.

"The danger aside, it's really fun. You wanna see what I found out I can do on the way here?" Jay says excitedly, peaking everyone's interest.

"Sure." Zane says on their behalf and Jay beamed then settled.

They all watched him for a while, the longer he took, the more confused they were. The only thing happening was the light breeze blowing by.

"Isn't it cool?!" He beamed after a while, confusing them even more.

"What's cool? You didn't do anything." Nya says, voicing their confusion.

"Wh- Fine. I'll do it a little more aggressively." Jay huffed then raised his hand.

"Woah!" Cole and Zane yelled as they were almost blown off the Bounty Zane quick to grab the railing then Cole.

“I got yah," Kai says, taking Zane's hand and pulling them back on board without any signs of struggle under their combined weight.

"We get it Jay, you can stop now." Nya says and Jay blinked, the winds stopping before he grinned sheepishly.

"Ah… I got carried away." He says, scratching the back of his head.

"You can put me down now, Kai." Zane says drily, still being held off the ground by his arm by the fire elemental.

"Oops. Sorry. You weigh nothing so I kinda forgot." Kai says sheepishly, setting him down.

"On the contrary, I weigh 188.48 pounds. You just happen to be stronger." Zane says and Kai looked down at his hands.

"Huh," was all he said.

"And not to rain on your parade but isn't showing off a bad thing?" Cole pointed out, trying his best not to feel jealous but he couldn't help it.

'Maybe but it should be enough to push your limits and set off your powers so we can get it out of the way…' Lloyd projected to all but the earth and ice elementals. 'Turn things up a notch. Anything specific you know will get under their skins? Anything that'll make them want this power too?' He asked them as Zane looked at them, confused by their sudden silence.

'I think I've noticed something.' Nya thought, then turned to Zane.

"It's super cool how it opened up our understanding too. I mean, haven't you noticed Jay actually sounds like he knows what he's talking about recently?" Nya pointed out and Jay looked offended.

"Excuse you, I always know what I'm talking about." Jay huffed, looking away.

"Sure you do buddy." Kai says, patting his shoulder then yelped as Jay shocked him through his arm.

"Stronger, faster, better." Lloyd shrugged and he knew those words made an impact when Zane's face went blank and Cole looked pained.

He hated hurting them like this but it was necessary. Either now when they're ready to deal with it or later when they weren't. All four watched Zane and Cole cautiously, on alert and ready to jump into action. Moments passed… And nothing happened. Zane looked up at them.

"... You've been trying to trigger us on purpose." He spoke and they deflated, realising that they failed.

"Yeah. I thought it would be best to get it out of the way now that there's four of us to take things on. Guess we can forget that idea." Lloyd shrugged.

"... It worked." Cole says quietly and the four only had a moment to blink before everything went to hell.

They were flung off the ship by an icy blast, the force extending beyond them and freezing the trees around them, making them shatter like glass as the force flung them through it. Nya righted herself first, summoning her trident on reflex, only to stare on, mouth open in shock.

"Uh… Maybe taking them both on at once isn't the best idea…" She says as Jay, Lloyd and Kai joined her.

"... Holy shit." Kai whispered, staring in horror as the land began to split widely, revealing lava that instantly froze under the powerful cold emitting from where they were hoping the Bounty still was.

They could hardly tell through the thick blizzard swirling around where it should be. The sea was frozen solid, all the way down to the sea bed as the crack revealed, splitting it in two as well. Lloyd looked up at the night sky just barely visible through the rapidly expanding blizzard.

"That crack isn't stopping and the temperature is only getting colder. The blues from my thermal vision is starting to look black." Kai warned, eyes glowing red with slitted eyes blown wide.

He then blinked and they returned to normal.

"What do we do Lloyd?" Jay asked him as they hovered, their powers activated and waiting to be unleashed.

Lloyd looked everything over, thinking quickly.

"Ok. Nya, Kai. You two travel ahead of the crack, make sure no-one is in its path," Lloyd told them and they nodded and took off. "Jay, you take Cole. I'll take Zane." He says and Jay nods before they both flew into the blizzard, coming out to where the Bounty was, still intact and held on a column of rock.

Frozen but intact. There were both Zane and Cole, eyes glowing light blue and yellow-orange respectively. But they noticed something around them the closer they got to the two. Lloyd and Jay stopped before them, staring at the space between them in shock. Lloyd prodded the large snowflake that completely stopped moving mid air.

"Holy cannoli! Zane-!" Jay sputtered, looking around at the mass of stilled snowflakes. "Did Zane just freeze time?!" He yelled, looking at Lloyd wide-eyed, the green, glowing depths of Lloyd's own eyes mimicking Jay's.

"Woah, that's amazing Zane!" Lloyd says, looking towards him.

"I'm glad you think so." Zane spoke then gripped his head where his hair turned white, glowing light blue flecks dotting throughout it, moving even. "But how do I stop?!" He asked urgently, trying and failing to contain his powers.

The markings on his hands and face were more digitized, consisting of rays and line segments, pulsing with the glowing light blue energy he felt rushing through him.

"Uh. I'm at a loss. Usually, this is the point where you guys are-"

"You're literally right there and I still can't do anything!" Cole says, gritting his teeth, sadly reminding them that he was still there.

The swirls on his cheeks looked more like cracks as his hair took on the same yellow orange colour as his eyes from the middle down, appearing to be cracking ikto the colour between the roots of his hair to the middle. Even his arm and the formerly ghostly scar over his left eye glowed with it.

"Like that." Jay finished though quietly.

"I really am the most useless ninja!" Cole yelled and- yeah going by the rumbling that started up again, his effects were surpassing the laws of time.

"No, you aren't." Zane faced him as Lloyd and Jay looked at each other, wondering what they should do.

"Oh yeah?! Then name one thing I've done other than stand aside like some kind of jackass!" Cole snarled at Zane viciously.

"Be our friend." Zane says without hesitation, momentarily stunning Cole. "You don't need to pull off any big, heroic act to have value to us. And even so, we're ninja. Heroic is what we do. There's a big difference between doing nothing and knowing you can't help as much as you'd like and letting someone who can take the reigns. You know as well as we do that you would never sit aside and do nothing if you had the power to help." He told him, floating closer.

"But I do have power! I still can't help! I still do nothing!" Cole yelled, frustrated as the land on either side of them kept drifting further and further apart.

"Yes, you do have power. Power that you've just received. Power that you aren't yet able to control. But that's fine! Even without your powers, you helped me." Zane says with a smile. "You helped me realize that it doesn't matter that I'm not organic like you and the others are. You all care for me as I am… Perhaps it's time I stopped doubting, don't you think?" He says happily and Cole blinked at him.

"I swear I'll hug some sense into to your head you idiot! Of course we don't care if you're human or not!" Cole huffed, pulling the Nindroid into a hug.

Zane only laughed as he accepted it, the snowflakes starting to move again as they began to lose their glow. Jay and Lloyd swept in, catching the duo once they passed out as always. They did wince once time went back to normal and Ninjago split open even more rapidly than before then stilling after a minute as several inches of snow poured down. Thankfully that also stopped seconds after and the moon left the sky, allowing the sun to shine weakly.

" … I don't want to know. I really don't but we have to find out just how bad it is." Jay groaned, holding Cole up no problem, the earth ninja's hair holding a glowing streak of the same yellow orange power.

"Yeah. Plus, Nya and Kai may need our help." Lloyd says as he looked down at the perfect streak of white through Zane's titanium hair, an occasional light blue speck passing by.

"Alright. The cold won't bother them so should we leave them here and check it out?" Jay asked him.

"No. Someone has to stay with them for when they wake up. I'll stay. You find Kai and Nya." Lloyd told him, floating over to take Cole as well, holding both of his friends over his shoulders.

"Roger that." Jay says, saluting Lloyd then disappearing in a flash of lightning, thunder following right after.

With that, Lloyd carried the duo below deck, floating the entire way there so he wouldn't slip on the ice.

__________

When Jay appeared, it was to Kai turning up the heat at the source: the sun.

"Jay." Nya says relieved as she walked over, a device in hand.

"They helped each other out without us before you ask. What happened here?" Jay asked as he stood by the frozen sea.

"Plenty." Nya sighed then looked to Kai. "That's good. Any hotter and you'll cause damage while defrosting." She told him and he nodded, focusing on them now.

"Ok. So! We managed to get all the frozen villagers away and on one side." Kai began, placing his hand on his hips. "Thankfully, both people and animals alike should all be ok. Nya says that with proper defrosting, they shouldn't have any damage. Or at least, not too much." He says with a wince.

"Me?" Nya says, gaining their attention. "I have bad news and worse news." She says, tapping the screen of the device she had in hand.

"Oh boy. Let's hear it. In that order." Jay says, nervous now.

"So. The bad news is that literally all of Ninjago is frozen under at least 10 feet of snow that all fell suddenly. Even parts of the Dark Island is frozen too." She says, showing him the extent of the brief chill.

"And that's just the bad news." Jay sighed.

"The worst news is- well. It'll be best if I showed you." Nya says, tapping the screen again and handed over the device to Jay.

Said lightning elemental took a breath before looking at it. At first, he wasn't sure what he was looking at. It took him a solid minute to comprehend that he was looking at Ninjago right now.

"Holy fuck." Jay whispered, staring at the continent they call home.

Continents now. That's right. Ninjago was split into three island continents now. The head of their dragonesque island was at least a few miles away from where it should be. The same for the sides of the body, almost perfectly split in two vertically. Knowing they did a lot of damage was one thing. Actually seeing it was another. It was… Sad to know they did this to their own home. But it wasn't intentional at least and no-one got hurt. That in itself was a miracle.

"At least no-one got hurt…" Jay says, looking up at Kai and Nya who looked solemn.

____________

When Zane came to, the first thing he noted was that he felt different. He remembers everything that happened but he felt… He felt… It was hard to put into words. He just felt… Like more. He lifted his hand, watching as glowing lines traveled up from under the sleeve of his gi, creating a spiral at the back of his hand that was similar to the Borg logo. He looked relatively the same. Yet… He felt like… More. His lack of proper enunciation frustrated him. He still felt like him but it was as if…

As if he was greater than he was. Far more than a simple Nindroid with the ice element. He felt… He focused this new energy, watching as cold mist appeared before his hand then tightened it around a frosted bow. The frost faded, revealing the bow in all it's semi metallic glory. He reached another hand up and held it sparsely, noticing the frost that remained in the middle of the bow where the arrow would rest. Speaking of arrows, he had none. Something tells him they'd come when he needed them.

"Already a pro, huh?" Zane glanced across the room, looking at Cole who was also bed bound.

"Far from it." Zane says as he released the bow, watching it vanish on a flare of blue light. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he sat up.

"Pretty good actually." Cole admits, sitting up. "But I'm not looking forward to hearing what kind of havoc I wrought." He says with a wince.

"Our friends have our back. At least you can rest assured that no-one was injured." Zane says as he stood and Cole smiled, nodding.

They both looked towards the door once footsteps approached. Lloyd opened the door moments after then blinked at them.

"Oh. You're awake. Well the rest of us are on deck if you wanna come up." He says and both earth and ice elemental nodded.

They followed Lloyd up, curious about the grunting they heard. Once they were on deck, they immediately spotted Nya and Kai sparring, fire against water. A plume of hot steam rose up and Jay blew it away with a wave of his hand.

"Steam's nice and all but I'd rather not sweat into my last clean gi." He says then dashed out of the way of Nya's wave of water she sent his way with her trident, laughing unamused.

"Look who's up and about." Kai says, lowering his swords and they looked to Cole and Zane.

"Hey. So, not to bombard you but would you rather chill for a bit, hear the bad news or train your new powers?" Nya asked as Kai used his heat to dry the wet floor.

"Bad news." Both Zane and Cole said together, Zane spotting the huge glaciers of ice floating in the ocean.

"Ok. So! Bad news it is! Lloyd." Kai prompted and Lloyd rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"Alright. Bad news. For one, the whole planet is recovering from a sudden ice age." Lloyd don't miss Zane's wince but he had to continue on. "Temperatures will have to be low for a while. Kai can't warm things up too quickly or else he'll damage the land and its inhabitants. The other bad news is that Ninjago, the solid continent, has become Ninjago, the island continents. Technically it was an island continent before- whatever. The point is it's been split into three. Each piece isn't too far away from the rest of the island but yeah. Sea levels will be low for a while. At least, until we know for sure that we can't fix it." He told them and they looked at him hopefully at that.

"You mean- there's a chance we can fix this?" Cole asked him.

"Well, yeah. We're super OP if you haven't noticed. I think if we gain a better handle on our powers we can try and even succeed to put everything back in order." He told them and they all beamed.

"Then we'll work hard. We all know Ninjago suffers enough as is without us messing things up more." Nya says and they all nodded their agreement.

"Right. Together." Jay says, holding his hand out.

They all looked at each other and shrugged, gathering for a hands in.

"Together!" They yelled together, throwing their hands up, all of them pausing once they noticed their hands glowing.

They looked down at them then watched in awe as the glow traveled over their gi, changing it completely. Cole awed at the brown details that began to crack and give way to the blackness of his new gi, much like the earth he controlled. Jay watched as the glow traveled down his stomach, extending behind him into a long cloak with more electrical details at the back. He gave himself a wince over once the gi was complete then paused.

"No hood or mask? That's weird." He says, looking towards Zane and his snowflake-patterned gi.

"It appears that we won't need it." Zane says, looking himself over. "Though I must say, this is very different from what I am used to." He says, looking back to his friends.

"Very. These don't look very fighting ready. I mean, totally love the effects but the length is bound to get in our way…" Nya says, looking over the sleeves of hers that went from deep blue to light, water droplets merging into it all.

"Then again, with these powers, we won't need to fight as much as we used to." Kai pointed out, loving the fire pattern on his cloak. "A little surprise to see you in gold again Lloyd." He says with a smirk and Lloyd gave a nervous laugh, looking over his gold cloak with green swirls of his energy as he could guess.

"Yeah. Me too. Let's hope this isn't another Overlord thing." He says with a grimace.

"I doubt it but who really knows. I am loving these threads though." Cole says appreciatively, admiring himself and they laughed.

________________

One could imagine the Sensei's shock at seeing what was done to the land his father created, despite being told before he left Cloud Kingdom. It grieved him but he knew that this was beyond the ninja's control, knew that they tried their best. Even though it wasn't necessarily enough. He spoke his head then looked out from the cliff at one end of Hiroshi's Labyrinth. The ninja were in the middle of this vast divide. He could barely make out the Bounty still perched on a pillar of rock. Getting there was the problem. Airjitzu wasn't meant to be used for very long. He would have to-

Wu's thoughts were cut off by a low rumble. He blinked once rocks and soil rose up, slotting together perfectly to create a bridge to the Bounty.

Well.

He started walking across, wondering what awaited him. All of them have unlocked this new power and their futures were theirs. They would have no guidance from the Cloud Kingdom. What they did next was solely up to them… He thinks this was something he should keep to himself.

'A little too late for that Sensei.' He startles once he heard Lloyd's voice directly in his head. 'Sorry. I should have given you a heads up.' He apologised and Wu blinked before continued along the path.

"I see your powers have gotten even stronger than I had anticipated." Wu spoke aloud, not quite used to speaking in his mind.

'Like you wouldn't believe. But we still have a lot to learn. To master.' Lloyd told him amd Wu nods to himself.

"That's expected." He says then continued the rest of the way to the ship in silence.

"Sensei!" They all greeted happily and Wu smiled, taking note of their new uniforms.

"Good to see you all. I take it things are settling down?" Wu asked them as they all gathered excitedly around him.

"More or less. We still have a lot of work to do." Nya says with a shrug.

"I believe now that we've all unlocked this power, mastering it will be the easier part. Lloyd believes once we do, we should have the power to fix the mess of Ninjago we've made." Zane informed him.

"You're looking a little blue, Sensei." Kai says then began radiating warmth.

"Ahh. Much better. Thank you Kai." Wu says, not realising he had gone numb from the cold despite his heavy parka he still wore. "Sadly, I return to you all with no news on what is happening to you all. It is a mystery, even to the Cloud Kingdom. But we mustn't lose hope. This could be a good thing after all." He told them and they nodded.

"I'm definitely starting to think it is." Lloyd says with a smile, looking around at his friends.

"The future looks a little brighter, don't you think?" Kai says with a grin.

"The future looks invisible." Jay says, confusing Kai.

"Huh?" He asked, wondering if Jay had officially lost it.

"You're invisible Kai." Nya pointed out and he looked down at his hands, we nothing there.

"Huh." Was all Kai says and Cole snickered.

Wu watched them all. This may be his biggest challenge yet.

______________________

(I know I promised this yesterday but i waged war with sleep and lost. Twice. I at least got this beta-ed! Also! To make up for the delay, I'll reblog what Kai and Jay's new gi looks like [I can't draw for shit, just a warning]. I hoped you liked it- and brace yourselves for part 5!)

35 notes · View notes

alittlebugsheadx · 6 years ago

Note

115 💕❤️

115: ‘You can keep the jacket, by the way.’

——

His Jacket

“Well, that was insane,” Veronica muttered to Betty just when they were out of Cheryl’s earshot.

“I know right, it’s like she’s gotten a hundred times crazier.”

The two girls walked in steps, arms hugging these selves as they braced themselves against the cold wind hitting them.

“Definitely. You would have thought having her girlfriend on the team would have a calming effect.”

Betty gave her a knowing look before a certain jock ran up to them, “Veronica, Betty, hey!”

“What do you want, Reggie?”

Betty observed her friend, pretending to be so chill and too cool for this, but enjoying the attention nonetheless.

He scratched the back of his neck, “Umm..I was just wondering, do you need a ride home?”

Veronica tilted her head to Betty, but Betty interjected, “Yeah, she does, actually. That’s so nice of you to offer, Reggie.”

Reggie’s smile widened; he looked so happy you could practically see him wagging his tail like a dog. “Okay, that’s great! I’m just going to get my bag and I’ll see you by my car?”

Veronica nodded with a flat smile before turning to her matchmaker bestfriend, raising her eyebrows.

The dark-haired boy ran off in the other direction.

Betty grinned, “A push in the right direction.”

Veronica bit her lip from smiling, “Thanks, B, I’ll see you later!” before skipping off to their meeting place.

Betty chuckled to herself as she headed towards the front of the school.

She was glad Veronica had an interest and now they could go on double dates: Reggie, Veronica, Betty and Archie. It would be so cute.

When she entered the parking lot she heard the familiar whistle of the biker boy, Sweet Pea. Why he and the others hung out in the parking lot, smoking, she would never know. But there they were, every Wednesday afternoon.

She ignored it like usual, but could feel a certain someone’s eyes on her, piercing into her soul. Suddenly she felt very self-conscious, so as she threw her bag into the back of her car, she jumped into the driving seat.

She heard the rowdy boys ride off on their motorbikes, except for one.

That one.

The one with the gorgeous blue eyes that were so captivating, Betty avoided looking directly at them.

She reached for her car keys, noticing him put out his cigarette butt, with his foot.

That’s so bad for the environment.

His bike was parked in the spot next to her’s, so they were pretty close in proximity.

She put her car keys in and turned on the engine.

Only it didn’t turn on.

She tried again, but again it failed.

How embarrassing.

In her side mirror she could see him smirking, just sitting on his bike, watching her struggle.

Did he not have anything better to do?

She tried once more before giving up, and resting her head on the wheel, huffing as she took the keys out.

Why today? The one day Archie was sick.

There was a tap at the window that startled her. Opening the door, he rested an arm on the top of her car, his lanky body hovering over her small one as she sat in the driver’s seat, skirt riding up, revealing more thigh than she wanted.

“Having trouble?” His voice spoke concern but his eyes were dancing.

She squinted. She wasn’t usually rude, but she was not in the mood for any snarky, vulgar comments and pursuits. “No,” her voice came out sharper than she expected.

He raised his eyebrows, but made no attempt to move. She could practically feel his warmth radiating off of him.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

He laughed dryly, stepping back and looking up, “Alright princess, I get it, too proud to ask for help.”

Why would she need his help? She’s a mechanic. Did he just assume that she didn’t know anything about her cars? If she had her tools right now she would have gotten her hands dirty.

“It’s not an issue of pride.”

“Right, okay, tell yourself that.”

“What are you even doing here?”

He looked at her, face blank.

She made a look with her eyes, the typical Betty look, “Well, it’s 5:30 on a Wednesday afternoon and your sitting alone in your school parking lot.”

He put his hands up in surrender, taking a step back towards his bike.

No way in hell he would tell her why he wasn’t going home.

“Alright, alright, damn, forget I even asked.”

She stepped out of her car, closing the door behind her and started to walk.

“Woah, woah, where are you going?” He practically jumped in front of her.

She raised her eyebrows at his out-of-character move.

He blushed, “You can’t…you can’t walk all the way home?”

Crossing her arms over her chest she asked, “Why not?”

“It’s not safe. Look…” he scratched the back of his neck. “Let me just…let me give you a ride. You can come back and get your car later, or have it towed or whatever you need. Just…please?”

For the first time she saw actual, genuine concern in his eyes, not just that sparkle of amusement.

And she loved it.

“Come on, please.”

“Fine,” she responded. But for some unknown reason, she was feeling giddy about sitting on the back of that motorcycle.

He looked surprised that she gave in so easy, “Wait, seriously? You’ll ride this?”

She shrugged, “Sure, it’s not like it’s the first time.”

“Wait, what?”

Now she was the one smirking.

He shrugged off his jacket giving it to her, to protect her. When he placed it on her shoulders it was so incredibly warm she felt safe, but she didn’t know from what. It also smelt amazing, but that was besides the point.

He pulled one leg over the bike and helped her get on too. She didn’t expect her whole body to be tingling as she pressed herself up against his backside, wrapping her arms around his strong torso.

Clipping the helmet to her head, he asked, “You alright?” to which she responded with a thumbs up.

As they sped off, he was slightly grateful that she couldn’t see his pink cheeks and huge smile that plastered his face the whole ride there.

***

She had missed that:the wind in her face, hair going wild, eyelashes fluttering involuntarily, legs tensing up, hands spreading across the driver’s torso. All of it.

He had given her the chance to feel alive again.

She unclipped the helmet and jumped off, feeling exhilarated.

“Liked it, huh?” He asked as she stood in front of him.

“Liked it? Loved it. Always do, always will.” She was practically radiating joy as she laughed as an outlet for that excitement and adrenaline.

He was grinning and at the sight of her, eyes full of daring, and chuckling in response to her heavenly laugh.

“You have a pretty laugh,” he blurted our before he could stop himself.

She stopped laughing but the smile didn’t fade.

It didn’t fade.

She gave a small smile, “I don’t think so, but thank you. You have a pretty bike.” She winked.

His heart did a somersault.

“Thank you very much,” he joked back.

The two stood there for a second, just getting lost in each other’s eyes, forgetting time existed, and that they were two small things in the concept of the universe.

“Betty?” A voice interrupted.

Surprised, she turned to face the redhead coming out of his house, “Betty, what’s going on?”

“Arch, hey, you’ll never guess what,” she headed over to greet him. “My car broke down! What are the odds? And so Jughead here offered to drop me home.”

Archie gave a thankful smile to Jughead, as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. “Cheers, man.”

“No problem, well, I’ll be off.” He revved up his bike.

Betty, with Archie’s arms around her, gave him another ‘thank you’ to which Jughead just nodded, eager to get out of here and try and get this imprinting image of Betty with her jock boyfriend out of her mind.

“By the way, Betts, you can keep the jacket.” He winked before driving off down the road.

Betty blushed, realising this new layer had felt so close to a second skin she completely forgot about it.

“Wait, what? He gave you his jacket?” Archie, insulted, as she wasn’t wearing the Jock one of his he gave her.

“Uh, yeah,” Betty answered, not really paying attention, with a small smile on her face as she tried to understand what had just happened this afternoon.

Zoning out to Archie’s questions, she headed into her own house, with him following.

***

The next morning, Betty opened the front door to see a certain motorcyclist holding a helmet for her, which she happily took.

Little did he know that offering Betty Cooper a ride after sabotaging her car, would result in a story worth telling.

The Jock jacket was given back and Jughead definitely agreed that nothing else looked better on Betty Cooper than his black, leather jacket.

97 notes · View notes

fuck-you-i-am-spiderman · 8 years ago

Text

I won’t say I’m in love: Ch 2

Chapter 2: Any publicity is good publicity

Pairing: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor

You can find it here Ao3 and here ff.net

To say Lena Luthor had been through the rumour mill once or twice was a huge understatement; but she certainly hadn’t been expecting a rumour such as this to arise. Still, she ignored it as best she could, knowing that - as always – it would eventually blow over. With her hair in a perfectly sculpted up-do, she entered the classroom with her head high, shoulders back, walking with confidence towards her usual seat at the very back of the classroom. Many heads turned to stare at her, and the familiar harsh whispers began; Lena had to fight the overwhelming urge to snarl in response. Instead, she pulled out her textbook and proceeded to immerse herself in the wonder of potion making.

She was so engrossed in her reading that she failed to notice the presence of a familiar face. It was only when the girl made of sunshine and happiness slipped into the seat beside her that Lena finally looked up. Her eyes met the brightest of blue, and Kara’s heart-warming smile caused a fire to erupt within her. Kara didn’t say anything as Lena gave her a shocked stare, instead choosing to grab her own textbook, desperately trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering in her stomach as Lena’s eyes roamed her body.

Lena couldn’t help but give the girl a once over. There Kara sat, blazed in yellow and black, her wavy locks pulled into a loose ponytail and her glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. Kara’s eyes sparkled despite the dim light of the dungeons, and Lena could feel sunshine radiating off of her body. Once or twice, Kara glanced her way, each time flashing a brilliant smile before her eyes darted back to the book in hand. Lena shook her head before trying to refocus on her book, waiting for their professor to enter the room. Thankfully, Professor Wells arrived moments later, allowing her to focus on something other than how nice Kara looked today.

The class began and the whispering stopped; yet Lena still felt distracted, her concentration blown even more so when she felt Kara’s gaze resting on her. She ignored it for a few seconds, hoping Kara would refocus her attention elsewhere but Kara’s gaze remained persistent. Lena shifted in her seat, turning with an amused grin and a raised eyebrow to question the other girl. Kara offered her a soft smile before sliding a small piece of parchment across the desk, her eyes drifting down as a smile spread across her lips.

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for the other day. I owe you one :-)

Lena watched as the ink smiley face spun around, changing colour so often before settling into red-inked initials K.D.

Grabbing her quill she quickly wrote a response, and proceeded to slide it back, her fingers lightly brushing against Kara’s as she did. The action caused a pink tint to flood Kara’s cheeks. Lena watched the girl with a fond smile as she carefully scanned the note. Kara couldn’t fight the blush forming at Lena’s response written in neat cursive.

Honestly it was nothing, but I’m sure you’ll help me when the time comes. ;-)

Usually Lena paid attention in class but there was something captivating in the way Kara eagerly scrawled a response before trying and failing to sneakily pass the paper back and forth. It was only when the bustle of the classroom began that Lena realised they were supposed to be concocting something new today. She scanned the board, seeing the words ‘Draught of Peace’ written, and instantly got to work preparing the ingredients. She added powdered moonstone, checking it off the list when the potion turned green. Just as she was about to complete the next step, she noticed the lost expression on Kara’s face as she peered helplessly into her cauldron. A second later, she dropped her own equipment, and moved towards the other girl.

“Let me help you.” Lena didn’t wait for a response before carefully scooping a handful of the moonstone and adding it to Kara’s cauldron. She patiently waited for the potion’s colour to match her own, before nodding for Kara to continue.

“Watch how I do it and then follow my step. Okay, Kara?”

“Thank you, Lena” Kara responded with a grateful smile.

“Anything to help a friend in need,” the nonchalant response Lena gave made Kara’s blush deepen.

It took Lena twice as long to finish her potion, but it was worth it to see how happy Kara became when her final potion wasn’t as awful as she claimed it usually was. Kara was so excited when she handed in her potion, her smile remaining bright even when Wells told her it wasn’t a pair activity. Still, the girl grinned from ear to ear, chattering on about how Alex would be so proud of her. Lena gave her an encouraging smile as she pushed down the tiny bit of jealousy that always arose when someone mentioned their sibling. But her hurt was instantly forgotten when she felt Kara’s strong arms pull her into a warm hug. The embrace didn’t last long, but the shock on Lena’s face caused Kara to mumble an apology; and then she shot out the door before Lena could respond. The warmth Lena felt was enough to put a smile back on her face. Walking out the door, she felt lighter somehow - despite the whispers that followed her.

Kara dashed over to the Gryffindor table, grinning as she slid into the seat beside her sister. Alex smirked at the way her sister bounced excitedly, clearly eager to tell her something. Pretending not to see her, Alex lifted the newspaper she was currently reading, trying to hide her chuckle when Kara gave an annoyed huff and reached over to grab at the offending article.

“ALEXXXX!” Kara’s whine was enough to make her give in. Rolling her eyes, she closed the paper and set it aside for later. She turned, resting her chin on her arm, a bemused smile on her face as she took in the pout playing on Kara’s lips.

“Alright, alright. Tell me what’s got you so excited, Kara. Just don’t pout at me! You know I can’t say no to that face.”

Kara grinned, her pout immediately vanishing as she began to ramble at full speed about her potions class. “Oh my Rao! Alex, it was amazing! She was so helpful, and I finally made a potion that didn’t set itself on fire! Professor Wells actually smiled at me!”

Alex raised an eyebrow, watching as Kara smiled sheepishly before continuing. “Oookay, so he didn’t exactly smile; but he didn’t glare at me, either, so I’m calling it a victory. Lena was really nice and patient about it. Not that I expected her not to be, but most people wouldn’t take the time to help and-”

“Wait. Lena who?”

Kara mumbled something, quickly stuffing a whole croissant in her mouth as Alex started putting things together.

“Lena, as in Lena Luthor?”

“… Maybe.” Kara swallowed, biting her lip as Alex’s frown grew darker.

“Kara.”

It was the way she said her name, like a parent ready to berate their naughty child, with her eyebrow raised and her lips pulled in a tight frown that made Kara relent.

“Okay, yes. Lena Luthor. But before you say anythi-”

She was cut off by Alex’s exclamation of, “Kara! What the hell were you thinking?!”

Kara flinched at Alex’s tone, not quite ready for the sudden hostility. “Alex please-”

“No, Kara. She is a Luthor! Her entire family are criminals!”

Kara shook her head, frowning as she responded. “Lena isn’t like that. She’s good and kind. You can’t blame her for the things her family has done, Alex.”

With one last sigh, Alex stood up, frowning as she addressed Kara. “You’re incredibly naive sometimes.” Grabbing her unread newspaper, she stormed away, shaking her head as she left Kara to contemplate what had just happened.

Grumbling, Kara snatched up a bread roll and began aggressively buttering.

“Woah, what did the roll ever do to you?”

At the sound of that familiar voice, Kara smiled, before answering his teasing question with a shrug. She grinned a greeting to her best friend: Winn Schott, a boy with brown hair and a smiley face. His Star Trek pin flashed from its place on his collar, and his black and yellow tie hung lazily down his shirt, covered by his navy cardigan and cloak. He took a seat opposite her and slid a large brown bag across the table.

Ever curious, she all but tore at the package, her eyes dancing as she realised what was inside. Pulling out the contents to reveal a box full of piping hot pot-stickers, she wasted no time before ripping open the box plopping one into her mouth. A content smile formed on her face as she munched on the delicious treat, swallowing before expressing her gratitude. “Winn, you’re the best!”

“As if you could even question it, Miss Danvers.” Winn held a hand to his heart in mock offence, only a moment passing before they both burst into a fit of giggles. “Oh! Do you know what’s up with your sister? She almost ran me over just now.”

Kara’s frown returned as she responded, unable to keep the bitter edge out of her tone. “She’s just mad because I told her I’m friends with Lena.”

Winn’s eyes widened before a smirk spread across his face. “You’re just friends? Mhmm, sure Kara.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kara’s face scrunched up in confusion as Winn’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t you play the innocent with me, Danvers. We’ve all seen the article and the photos.”

“What article? What photos? Winn, what are you talking about?!”

“Pffft. I figured you would have told me, at least. I am your best friend, in case you forgot.” The hurt expression on his face, and the way he folded his arms, only served to confuse Kara more.

Exhaling loudly, Winn reached into his cloak, retrieving the latest edition of the school newspaper and practically throwing it at her. Unsure, she opened the paper, her face turning a ghostly white when she saw the big headline: INTERHOUSE ROMANCE. A Picture’s Worth 1000 Words. Beneath it lay a moving picture, a picture of Kara kissing Lena. She studied the picture watching as photo Kara launched herself at a surprised Lena, her face fell as guilt started to build up within her; she suddenly felt horrified at how bad it looked; and all she could think about was how she forced herself on the unsuspecting Slytherin. She looked back up to Winn, who was now sporting a smug expression, his arms still folded as he looked at her expectantly.

“Winn, it really isn’t what it looks like. We’re not a couple okay?”

“Aw, so you guys hadn’t made it official yet. I figured Lena would have asked you already.”

Kara shook her head, her patience turning into desperation as she tried to explain. “No. Look, we aren’t a couple! We just made it up to get Mon-El off my back.”

Winn smiled, holding his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I get it. Say no more.”

“Thank you.”

“I just want to say I find it really sweet that you guys want to keep your love a secret.” He smiled, giving her a cheeky wink. Kara threw her hands up in defeat, shaking her head and storming off in the direction Alex had gone – only to rush back a moment later to grab her forgotten potstickers.

….

“What in the name of Rao is this, James?!” Kara waved the paper in his face, growling at the tall boy she was currently pinning against the wall.

“Kara-”

Kara didn’t give him a chance to finish before cutting him off. “You took a picture of me and Lena! Now everyone thinks we’re a couple!”

James gently broke out of her embrace, watching as Kara began to pace, muttering incoherent words. Sighing, he reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder, stopping her mid-thought. Her unimpressed gaze met his and his guilt only increased. “Kara, I’m really sorry. Professor Grant kept demanding I bring her something, and then Lord kept mouthing off about it. I really wanted to impress Lucy and show how accepting Hogwarts is.”

Kara sighed, nodding her understanding. “I get that James. I’m sorry for going off on you like that. I just hate that people are making such a big deal about this. I mean if it were true then sure, but-”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to explain. You should have been able to come out when you were ready.”

“Nooo. James, please listen to me. Lena and I are not a couple; she’s just a friend. Probably not even that after I surprise kissed her. Oh golly, what am I going to do?!”

James watched as Kara began muttering as she went off on a tangent. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a figure approaching, so he quickly tried to gain Kara’s attention. “Um Kara-”

“No, James! I’ve totalled messed this up. Sure, I may have a tiny crush; but that doesn’t mean that I could do something so bold, and-”

“Kara.” He tried again, but to no avail. He watched in anticipation as Lena made her way over to them, unnoticed by Kara. Lena greeted the boy with a raised eyebrow, glancing at a still pacing Kara in amusement.

“James, is it?” He nodded, giving Lena a small smile in return. “I wonder if I could steal Kara for a bit.”

At this Kara stopped, finally noticing Lena’s presence. Her eyes finally met Lena’s.

“Um…. Hi, Lena.” Kara’s attempt at casual only made Lena smile more. This girl really was something. Lena briefly turned back to James who gave her the go-ahead, saying a quick goodbye to Kara before departing and leaving the two alone. They shared a smile – a bit more awkward on Kara’s part – before starting to speak, both talking over one another.

“Kara I-”

“Lena, I’m so-”

Kara giggled, waving her hand to signal that Lena should go first. As usual, Lena graciously told Kara to go ahead, reaffirming with a soft smile. Kara closed her eyes for a moment, collecting herself before she spoke, looking at Lena with such sad eyes. “Lena, I wanted to apologize for my behaviour yesterday. I should never have kissed you like that.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Without your permission, I mean,” Kara quickly clarified, not liking the disappointed response she’d received.

Lena visibly relaxed, waving the other girl’s statement off. “Kara, it’s fine-”

“Don’t say that!” Kara’s tone was fierce, quickly continuing when she saw Lena getting ready to jump in again. “Please don’t tell me that it was fine. I kissed you without your permission, and I don’t want you to think that I believe that kind of behaviour to be acceptable – because I don’t! So I’m apologizing to you. Can you possibly forgive me?”

Lena was touched. Squeezing Kara’s hand gently, hoping to ease her concerns, she replied, “Of course I do, Kara. I appreciate your apology.”

Kara let out a sigh of relief, her eyes drifting down to their still-joined hands. She cautiously traced her thumb across the back of Lena’s hand, watching for any sign of the contact being unwanted.

Lena bit her lip, allowing herself to relax a little within Kara’s embrace. “I’m glad I caught you, Kara. I wanted to discuss something with you.”

Kara dropped Lena’s hand, a serious expression on her face. “I know what you’re going to say. I’ve tried explaining, but people don’t believe me when I say that we aren’t a couple. I’m sorry Lena.”

“You don’t need to apologize to me, Kara. This is hardly the worst rumour to circulate about me. I’d be a fool not to take advantage.” Lena laughed, something which caught Kara by surprise.

“What- what are you saying? You aren’t annoyed?”

“Why would I be annoyed? Most of the school think I’m dating a girl who’s strong, caring, and beautiful. Honestly, I’m flattered that people think so highly of me that I deserve your affection.”

The self-deprecation struck a nerve in Kara. She suddenly found herself wanting nothing more than to hold Lena and never let her feel like that again. “You deserve the best, Lena.”

“And that’s exactly what I have. If you agree, of course.” Her expectant gaze met Kara’s, and Lena could see the wheels turning in her mind as she thought about it.

“You’re suggesting we pretend to date.” It wasn’t so much a question as Kara was processing the very idea of it.

“Well, you need a way of keeping Man-Hell away. And I would like to spend at least one day without hearing rumours about me secretly being a death-eater… And those aren’t the only things I hear. It’s no surprise that people respect you, Kara. So by extension, they would respect me too.”

Kara bit her lip, her nose crinkling as took it all in. She could feel the sadness radiating off of the girl beside her, and wanted more than anything to make that feeling disappear. Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’m in. I want to become fake girlfriends.”

Lena clapped her hands together, smiling as she took a step closer to Kara. Leaning in, she whispered into her ear, “You won’t regret this.”

Kara shuddered, feeling Lena’s breath on her ear. Her cheek flushed when she felt Lena’s lips ever so lightly graze her cheek, pressing a chaste kiss there. Lena pulled back, her hand cupping Kara’s cheek as she looked to make sure she hadn’t overstepped. She smiled as Kara ducked her head, whispering a barely audible 'no’ as her blush deepened.

“I have to go. But I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Kara nodded and tried not to look too disheartened when Lena dropped her hand.

“Try not to miss me too much, darling.” With one last seductive wink, Lena was gone.

Kara could only stare after her gorgeous form, gulping at the very idea of Lena using a term of endearment on her, and at the unsurprising butterflies a simple word could bring.

#supercorp fake dating hogwarts au #supercorp fanfic #karlena #supercorp #supergirl fanfiction #kara danvers #lena luthor #chapter 2 happened #my fics

34 notes · View notes