#it's the thing I keep getting dinged on in Get A Job School

[sillimancer]

what if I actually had the mental health points to tidy and rearrange my room tomorrow

[gwiyeounsonyeon]

Growing Pains CH2 (MWC Day 8!)

Pairing: RE2 Leon Kennedy x Male(Intended) Reader Summary: College AU/Meet-cute(?) The cute guy that Claire hangs out with finally works up the courage to talk to you. Words: 1,662/200 Warnings: a few curse words but that's to be expected. Notes: Leon is super shy and awkward, I haven't read through it but when I was writing the dialogue and the text between it felt pretty chunky so if anyone has notes about that please let me know, I'm experimenting a little with the paragraphs, let me know if you liked the smaller ones better.

Navigation | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Friday felt like it would never end, like you’d never be able to catch a break. You had to feel grateful, though, it hadn’t rained yet and your weather app told you it would be sunny all day. The extreme difference in the weather kept you reeling, back home the temperature and weather were usually consistent with the month, but after moving closer to school you'd noticed that the weather was a lot more sporadic here; yesterday it had been freezing and pouring for the majority of the day, getting as low as 10 °C with a warning for hail. Today was the complete opposite, the temperature had been between 26 and 32 °C with absolutely no clouds in sight. The extreme (and unwarranted) differences in the weather had left you staggering to catch up, you’d woken up that morning absolutely drenched in sweat and blinded by the sun. Having set your thermostat to keep up with the freezing temperatures outside and the poor insulation of your cheap apartment, since it had been cloudy all week you never bothered with your curtains or blinds but clearly that was a mistake. 

You probably shouldn't say you hated Chicago, it was nice sometimes and the students here were pretty respectful. You could count on one hand all of the times you’ve actually had a bad customer experience and all of them centered around finals or exams. You look up as the bell dings and a customer enters, he’s huge, completely dwarfing you in size. As soon as he steps up to the counter you recognize him, his pale skin, and the weird markings on his face. You’ve heard Claire complaining about him time and time again, he was apparently so strict that no one in his classes has ever passed. 

You highly doubted that no one’s ever passed but since she never gave you his name, and only referred to him as the Evil Tyrant of the West Wing, you could never fact-check her. Evil tyrant or not, you still had a job to do and money to make so, you put on your best smile and greeted him politely. He orders a black coffee and a triple shot of expresso, you’re a little intimidated by his voice, and maybe his order but you know plenty of guys with his stature and intimidating aura who are actually sweethearts. The order is simple, youve made it so many times for the poor professors who used to come by in the dead of night, it's pure muscle memory at this point. Getting his order made and totaled up on the register takes little to no thought, he waits like he's got better things to do, and before you can tell him he tosses the exact total onto the counter, paying without thanking (or tipping) you. 

He scoops up his two drinks before marching out of the shop. His footsteps are loud and heavy, clunky boots dropping down hard onto the linoleum like you used to do as a pubescent 16-year-old throwing a tantrum, you think about how every time you did that your mom would call you disrespectful and she’d take away your phone. At that thought small smile forms on your face, you can't help but feel a little amused at the image of your tiny, 5’4 mother disciplining a man about as tall and wide as a skyscraper. “What an ass.” You huff and glance back down at the tip jar, it was a measly four bucks and some change, mostly quarters. You’ve had worse tips, at least this could buy you a water and maybe some peanuts or sunflower seeds if you chose right. 

You lean against the counter and cast a glance out of the big windows at the front, the guy Claire eats with is out there looking like a terrified puppy, he’s gripping the handles of his bike tightly as the tyrant guy chews into him for something you can only imagine. You watch as the tyrant storms off, pretty dramatically, Claire's friend puts up his bike and locks it to the pole before coming inside, he flinches when he sees you watching and shakily pulls off his (stupid-looking) helmet. “You- uh… Did you see all that?” His voice shakes slightly and he fidgets with the helmet nervously “Maybe.” You shrug wanting to cut the guy some slack. “Was it something you wanted me to see?” He shakes his head and you go back to the register, “Then I guess I didn't see anything.” He visibly relaxes but his steps toward the counter are a little shaky, you’re already tapping his order into the register by the time he gets up to the counter. “I didn't even order yet…” He sounds a little flustered and you look up to see that his cheeks have gone pink. “You get the same thing every time.” You counter, tapping the green total button on the register, “What if I wanted something different.” His voice evens out like he's getting more comfortable. “Did you?” - “No.” You chuckle at the absurdity and shake your head. 

“2.95 big guy.” There's a pause and you look up expectantly, he's looking at you star-struck but as soon as you make eye contact he fumbles for his wallet, dropping his helmet in the process. “Um- im so sorry…” He apologizes quickly, handing you a five and bending to pick up his helmet. “S’fine.” you pause to put his cash into the register and pull out his change. “Two-oh-five is your change.” You hand it back only for him to drop it into your tip jar, he smiles and takes his cookie when you hand it to him. “Is- uh. I mean- is Claire not here today?” He fumbles a little, tearing off pieces of his cookie. 

You shake your head “Nah, not yet. Summer’s always slow.” He nods along with you, it's obvious he knows Claire isn't here. You look over at the windows again and check your watch, it's just about closing time. “Why is that?” He breaks the silence as you log out of the register, you look up at him a little caught off guard, “Hm? Why what?” His cheeks go pink and he fumbles for words- “Um… I mean- uh. Why is summer always slow?” You nod, understanding what he meant, and go back to the register with a shrug, “Luis says it’s ‘cause of the heat, no one wants hot drinks.” He nods slightly and finishes off his cookie, crumpling up the napkin as he lingers. It's not hard to see that he wants to keep talking to you and you almost feel bad for him, you finish logging off and nod in the direction of the trash can. “Bet you a free drink you can't get that into the trash from here.” You know you shouldn't be handing out drinks but he's too cute and it's the first thing that pops into your head. 

He visibly lights up, his eyes get wider and his back straightens “Alright.” He looks back at the trash can by the door, taking his attention off of you. You can't help but admire him while he lines up his shot, he's got a cute side profile, he's pretty tall, and his hair looks nice and soft. He raises the napkin over his head and tosses it in, you tear your eyes away from the muscle in his arms to see the balled-up napkin bounce off the window and into the trash. He looks back at you with a shit-eating grin on his face, you shrug and smile back while turning to grab a cup. “I was on the basketball team in high school.” He says sounding more confident than he had earlier, you snort as he reveals this crucial information after he wins your little game. 

“Guess I set myself up then, huh?” You get a cup and turn back to him, “Whatchu want?” He looks proud of himself, his shoulders relaxed and held back confidently. You can't help but think he looks handsome when he’s confident like this, the worry lines on his face disappear, his brows unfurrow, and he actually looks his age. “What if…” He trails off, his demeanor turning anxious again. He swallows hard, his adam’s apple bobbing with the effort, “uh- w- what if… I got your number, instead of a drink?” A smile forces its way onto your face, he looks so nervous he might give himself an aneurysm. You huff playfully, unable to resist, this has to be the highlight of your week. 

You turn away from him to brew an iced coffee, It might be a little mean for you to draw this out, to make him worry more. “You want milk and sugar?” But you’ve always struggled with self-control. There's a long pause, before- “Ye… um yes please.” His voice is small and there's a slight shake if you listen close enough. You feel a little bad for doing this but you continue, you never pussy out. You finish brewing his coffee and in a smooth, well-practiced motion, you slap a sticker on the side and mark it with your name and number, putting a little x underneath. 

You hand it to him and without giving him time to think or breathe you herd him out of the shop. “Gotta close, call me later.” You shut and lock the door as he stands in front of it bewildered, his brain takes a while to catch up and you see him look down at the coffee in his hand and start to turn around but you’re faster; turning off the open sign and closing the blinds with a speed that you should be using for more important things, like getting dressed when you’re late to class, or finishing an essay that's about to be overdue, not being mysterious to the cute guy who still hasn't given you his name.

☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

A/N: it's getting easier and easier to write already, it didn't take half as long as yesterday's did to get 1,000 words. It feels so much good to actually feel happy writing. I can't help but feel worried it's not going to last forever with my fluctuating mental health but I've been looking up a few books to help improve my writing, grammar, flow, and punctuation and I've been seeing a lot of these writers saying that it's okay for you to be worried about that and to just push through.

[heavenlyakin]

too sweet - atsumu miya x reader 

cw: tiktok trend, reader is a social media manager for MSBY, flirting, reader blushes, a lil selfship coded

network: @enchantedforest-network

“Okay, I’ll do it.” Atsumu sighs, making you scream with glee. 

“Finally!” You jump up from your chair, the wheels squeaking as it scoots behind you. You push it under your desk and grab your cell phone, holding it up and pointing at it. “First, I’ll need a picture of you from before, maybe when you were in high school? Do you have one from a game maybe?”

“Sure,” he grins, looking up at you from the couch in your office. 

“Well, get to it. Send me it.” 

He grins, his eyes light with amusement. “Give me a minute,” he scrolls through his phone, taking several minutes. “Oh,” he grins, looking at you and back to his phone. 

“What is it?” You frown.

“I need to delete that one,” is all he says then your phone dings and you get a few pictures of Atsumu from high school, all in his uniform, some of them in action and others goofy pictures with his brother and teammates. 

“Perfect. We need to get a shot of you now. Do you have your uniform?” 

He stands up, his form towering over yours, and he grins again. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” 

“Atsumu,” You roll your eyes, pushing his chest gently. “Get moving. I’ll meet you on the court.” 

He laughs as he watches you leave, taking your phone and camera in case the quality is bad on your phone. You’re only sitting on the bleachers for a moment before Atsumu comes in from the locker rooms, dressed in his black uniform. 

“Alright, boss, whatcha need from me?” He asks, tossing up a volleyball. 

“A few shots of you setting, maybe wink at the camera, or do something flirtatious. Oh!” An idea hits you. 

“What is it?” 

“Do you have any water?”

He raises his eyebrow and laughs. “Are you making a thirst trap, for real?” 

“What? Shoyo and Kou said no.” You laugh. 

“Didn’t ask Kiyoomi, did you?” He grins. 

“He’d quit if I tried. He told me before I even looked at him.” You giggle, recalling the memory. 

“So I’m your last choice, huh?” He frowns, pouting his lip out. 

You run your finger down his chest, “I saved the best for last.” 

“Yeah?” His eyes graze down your body and your cheeks warm. 

You’ve had a flirtatious banter with Atsumu for the last year now since you started this job, but it’s heated up in the last few weeks. He hangs around more before and after practices, even on days he’s not required, he’s here in the office. 

“Go set a few balls,” you push him away and he grins as he jogs away towards the cart full of balls.

It doesn’t take long, you get good shots on both your phone and camera, knowing you can use them for other promotional material later. The last thing left is to get a shot with water dripping off him. 

Atsumu is accommodating, following your direction, and letting you pour water down him multiple times to get the right shot. You keep the camera rolling as he wipes his face with the hem of his shirt, shaking his head and the water flinging off him from his hair and face. 

That’s the shot you needed. 

Atsumu snaps and you break from your gaze. “Sorry, what?” 

“I was asking if you got the shot.” 

“Oh,” you smile, face warm. “I did. Thank you,” you’re too quiet now and you worry he’s noticed you’re flustered. 

He winks as he walks towards the locker room, so you start towards the elevator back to your office. Giving yourself a few more moments, you glance at the footage on your phone, knowing it’s a bad idea. You can’t develop any more feelings for him, but you do anyway. 

As you’re looking at the last shot on the camera, your phone pings again. It’s Atsumu. You open the message and see it’s a photo, still downloading. 

You drop your phone and gasp, picking it back up quickly and checking to see if you really saw what you think you saw. You did. 

Attached to a winky emoji is a picture of Atsumu with just a towel draped lowly around his waist. Another ping comes through as your face turns red. 

You’re not too sweet for me. 

[lavendercharm]

Linger, Chapter 4: Burning Down the House

A/N: I simply had to include both versions of this song - I was raised with Talking Heads but the Paramore version is what I’ve been listening to a lot recently, and what I thought of when naming this chapter.

Summary: From the moment you meet her, you can't stand Melissa Schemmenti.

Warnings: Strong Language

----

Your plan begins with Janine Teagues.

You spend the whole drive home positively seething, so caught up in your rage you nearly run a red light and forget to use your signal on three of your turns. You never forget to signal, which makes you even angrier. Even when you’re not caught in her physical orbit, Melissa Schemmenti finds a way to piss you off. You feel like it’s eating you alive, the pressure building until you’re sure you’ll explode. 

When you arrive home, you storm inside, slamming your front door. Framed art pieces and photos rattle on the wall. Throwing your bag across your living room, you begin to pace, breathing heavily. Your mind races and your eyes dart around your apartment. The one word bouncing around inside of your skull: Revenge.  

The pressure that had been building inside of you begins to lose steam as you realize something crucial: You know almost nothing about Melissa. You know she’s stubborn, loud, arrogant, breathtakingly gorgeous, and impulsive. You know she makes your skin tingle and your heart pound. You know she’s phenomenal at her job and she loves her kids - you’d never dream of doing something that would affect the kids and their learning. You want her to feel as personally attacked and downright fucking inconvenienced as she’s made you. But you don’t know how to hit her where it hurts. How do you get real revenge on someone you don’t even know? 

Suddenly, you’re struck with an idea. Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you send a quick text to Ava. 

Hey Ava. Could you send me Janine’s number?” 

You barely have a moment to think before your phone dings. 

Ew, why would I have Janine’s number saved? I guess I can look through my messages to find her. 

Her message is punctuated with an eye rolling emoji. You shoot her a quick thank you, and it’s only a few minutes until Ava sends you Janine’s contact info. 

You brought this on yourself girl. 

If only Ava had a clue - you knew exactly what you were doing. It only takes you a few minutes to draft your message to Janine.

Hey Janine! Ava gave me your number. I was the sub for Miss Schemmenti this afternoon. Speaking of, I had such a great day working with her, I’d like to surprise her with a thank you gift when I leave at the end of the week. Can you tell me a bit about her? 

Prior to this morning, you might have felt ashamed at how easily the lie came to you. Turns out your moral compass tends to stray when you have your headlights bashed in.

You scan the message after it’s done, reading it out loud to make sure it sounds believable. You don’t think Janine would be suspicious of anything, but you had to keep things airtight. You couldn’t risk her telling Melissa you’d been asking after her. Satisfied, you hit send, and put your phone down, ringer on. You’d know when someone texted you, but you didn’t expect Janine to write back immediately in the middle of the school day. 

You channel your frantic energy into tidying up your kitchen, swapping out your work clothes for a sweatshirt and matching sweatpants, and trying your best to busy yourself in the hopes of shutting off your mind. It didn’t work. 

Nearly two hours later, your head whips over to your coffee table as your phone buzzes. You don’t even consider that it could be someone else as you snatch it up. Luckily enough, Janine Teagues greets you at the top of the message as you unlock your phone.

Hey! I didn’t see you at the end of the day today, you must have had to run! Um, I LOVE surprises! They’re basically like secrets, which I love getting but hardly anyone ever tells me their secrets. I don’t know why, I’m a great secret keeper. (You doubted that.) But surprises are so much fun! Melissa is a really private person, but lucky for you, I’ve managed to crack that tough exterior! She probably wouldn’t want me to tell you about her but I will, since it’s for a surprise!

Her message continued on, a practical master’s thesis of a text. It seemed Janine rambled just as much over text as she did in real life. 

Eventually you strike gold. 

You send Janine a very sincere "thank you" text, telling her she’s given you the perfect idea for a surprise. You promptly turn her texts to Hide Alert . You couldn’t risk Janine’s inevitable follow up messages distracting you. You tied your hair back, sent a mental thank you to Past-You for taking some digital art and marketing classes in college, and put your master plan to get revenge on Melissa Schemmenti into motion. 

—----------------------

You ultimately end up asking for help from an old friend. You’d managed to make decent progress on your project, working late into the night. But once you realized your idea was just outside of your skill set, you decided you needed reinforcements. You gave her some excuse about using them for a collage. After all, she didn’t need to know she was participating in the very real crime you were committing. It gave you pause at first, when you realized that your plan hinged on breaking the law. You weighed your options. Was this revenge plot on Melissa really worth it? 

After you saw how much replacing smashed headlights could end up being, your fire was reignited. 

Your friend had agreed to help you, not a single question asked. Your timeline wasn’t a problem - she’d get you the files you needed well before the end of the week. From there, a barcode, a bit of cardstock and some strategically placed glue, and the key to your plan would be ready to go. As you collapsed into bed, triple checking that your alarm was set for the AM, you couldn’t help the devious smile that played on your lips. Melissa would have no clue what hit her. 

Despite having gotten less sleep than you were used to, you woke up strangely energized. Getting up to no good seemed to give you an extra boost - whether it be anticipation for your scheme to fall into place, or pure anxiety. You wouldn’t let yourself think too much about it. You were in it now, and you were determined to see it through. 

Having woken up on time this morning, you were able to properly get ready for your day. You showered, dried and styled your hair, and chose your outfit for the day - black straight leg jeans, a light short sleeved teal button up, the top three of which you left unbuttoned, and white sneakers. You added some golden necklaces and a few rings to finish off your outfit for the day. On your way out of the door, you were extra sure to grab your lunch - you wanted to avoid a repeat of yesterday with every fiber of your being.

As you drove to Abbott, the seed of doubt in your stomach began to grow into a pit. Were you seriously going to go back into that classroom? The woman had hurled insults and smashed out your headlights for crying out loud. And although you seethed thinking about it, you took note of the apprehension mixed in with the anger. If she has no qualms about smashing your headlights, who’s to say your face isn’t next? You might have thought the idea of another teacher taking a bat to you was ridiculous before yesterday, but the odds increased drastically in the last twenty-four hours.

You pulled into the parking lot, turned your car off, and took a few deep breaths. You told Ava you’d be back - you weren’t going to ghost this job, and not just because you needed the money. You wanted to keep your word, and you wanted to show Melissa Schemmenti you weren't scared of her. Even if I am, you thought. Steeling yourself, you grabbed your bag and got out of your car, allowing your gaze to linger on your destroyed headlights for only a moment on your way in.

You’d barely stepped inside when you heard Ava say, “Damn, you really came back, huh? I’m not gonna lie, Olive Garden, I didn’t think you’d pull through.” She was standing in the doorway to the administrative offices wearing a flowery blouse and dress pants. Her hair and makeup were just as flawless as they were yesterday. You made a mental note that befriending Ava might not be a bad thing - maybe she could give you some pointers.

“Good to know you believe in me,” you muttered sarcastically in reply. You frowned. “And I’m not dressed like a waiter today. Please don’t call me Olive Garden.” Ava simply rolled her eyes, but you could see the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. 

“Well, you know where to go, Red Lobster. Better not be late again, if you want to see lunch time.” You pressed your lips together, your mouth suddenly dry. The odds you’d beaten Melissa to work were slim, which meant you were walking into a hornet’s nest. Worse, there likely wouldn’t be witnesses if she decided to end you here and now. Still, you’d survived yesterday. It couldn’t get worse than that. Mustering up as much courage as you could manage, you made your way to Melissa’s room on semi-steady legs.

To your surprise and relief, Melissa was nowhere to be seen yet. The door was open, the lights were on, and you took note of Melissa’s things near her desk - so she was here, but the room was vacant. Perhaps she’d needed to make copies or use the restroom - either way, your anxiety grew, alongside something new. You felt… thrilled at the idea of Melissa stumbling upon you in her room. In a way, this gave you an upper hand. There was no doubt in your mind that the woman didn’t expect to see you again. You imagined the shock on her face, the surprise sparking in her eyes as her sculpted brows rose, creating a ripple of delicate lines across her forehead. The enraged blush that would undoubtedly be dusting her cheeks as her mind caught up with what she was seeing. Her leather pants catching the light and clinging tightly to her soft, full thighs…

Your train of thought was swiftly followed by the heat on your cheeks, and you frowned. It didn’t matter that Melissa was downright gorgeous. As far as you were concerned, she was a horrible, hot headed woman with little regard for others. You ignored the voice in your head that contradicted that evidence: the lasagna Janine had given you a clear indication that Melissa cared about people. If you were going to get back at her, you couldn’t acknowledge that she might actually be human. 

You quickly made your way to the desk in the back of the room and unpacked your things, staking a claim to your territory. You wanted to look settled and comfortable when she got here, hoping that making yourself at home in her room would add salt to the wound. Soon, though, you were at a loss as to what to do with yourself. It felt a bit silly, just waiting there for her, and you didn’t want to look like you were waiting for her, even though that’s exactly what you were doing. You internally groaned in frustration, your tendency to overthink everything creating problems that weren’t there. In an effort to look nonchalant, you channeled the audacity of a man as you leaned back in your office chair and stretched your legs out under the desk. Bringing your arms up and resting your hands on the back of your head completed the laid back pose and you prayed you didn’t look as dumb as you felt.

You sat like this for an embarrassingly long time. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, you saw it was nearly time for students to start arriving. Just as you began to readjust your position, you heard the telltale sound of a chunky boot heel on linoleum. Your heart was apt to burst out of your chest and you didn’t even know you were holding your breath, too busy trying to look blasé while also not shitting yourself. You were going to throw up. 

Your eyes are immediately drawn to her fiery red hair as she walks into the room. You brace yourself for a barrage of insults, but they don’t come. Her face is buried in a stack of papers. A grimace briefly crosses yours before you fix it. She was so focused on whatever she was reading that she hadn’t even seen you yet. 

You have to be kidding me, you think. 

As she situates herself at her desk, she absentmindedly grabs a pen from the holder and pulls the cap off with her teeth. Your eyes are glued to the cap held between her plush lips, the gloss shining in the fluorescents. You can feel your imagination begging to run wild and it’s only through sheer force of will that you keep it at bay. She continues to write for a few minutes more and your heart pounds as you observe her, though for different reasons than it had been a few minutes before. 

She plucks the cap from between her lips and places it back on the pen. As she grabs the stack and lifts it up to align the pages, her eyes lock with yours. It feels as if time is frozen. You’re trapped in emerald pools as she stares back at you, and you feel a stirring in your stomach. You have no clue how long you both sit there like that before something switches in your brain. Slowly, you allow the biggest shit eating grin you can muster to cross your lips. You flash her the biggest, toothiest smile, and say, “Good morning.”

This breaks whatever spell had been cast over the both of you, and you see an infuriated blaze spark in her eyes as she slams her papers down. “What the hell d’ya think you’re doin’?” she growls.

You furrow your brows in mock confusion. “I’m sitting at my desk, silly.” 

She grits her teeth. “I thought I told you to fuc-”

You cut her off. “Ava convinced me to stay. She said Abbott is really hurting for subs, and seeing as I’m experienced , she would overlook yesterday’s… incident.”

The attractive flush of rage had worked its way onto Melissa’s face and you fleetingly wondered what else would make her blush like that for you. Her fists were balled and you sat forward in your chair, wanting to be prepared to run in case she charged you. But instead, she bit out a threatening, “We’ll see about that,” and promptly stormed out of the room. 

Your breath came out of you in a huge whoosh as you slumped forward, resting your head on the cool wooden surface before you. You were alive. You might not be employed in the next ten minutes, but you weren’t dead. You realized if Melissa got Ava to let you go, you wouldn’t be able to orchestrate your grand revenge plan. But a part of you felt relief at that, too. You were proud of how you hadn’t wilted under the Italian woman’s fiery glare. You’d held your ground, and if you were about to be let go, you’d walk out of Abbott with your head held high. 

It was another few minutes before Melissa stalked back into the classroom, and her shoulders were nearly touching her ears they were so tense. She pinned you with a glare so hateful, you thought you might actually catch fire. Then, to your utter disbelief, she said, “If you so much as blink at the wrong time, I’ll have you out on your ass before you can say ciao . Capisce?”

You had to fight hard to keep the grin off of your face, so you simply nodded at her to communicate you understood. But you both knew it - you’d won this round. Yet, as she rounded the corner of her desk, she asked, “By the way, how’s your car?”

The urge to grin fled as your eyes narrowed and your ire sparked. “Why do you ask? Have something you wanna tell me?” 

She smirked, and you wanted to wipe it off of her stupid, enchanting, smug face. “Oh, no reason. Been some cars getting vandalized ‘round here, that’s all. I’d keep an eye out.” 

You open your mouth to retort, but you're interrupted by a shrill, “Good morning Miss Schemmenti!” from one of the students as she ran into the room. Melissa’s attention was drawn away from you as her teacher persona slipped flawlessly into place. 

“Good morning, Kayla!” she replied sweetly. Her smile was positively radiant. You despised it. 

You settled into your chair as more students trickled in. A storm of anger and discontent was raging inside of you, but you worked to calm yourself before the school day really began. As you watch the seats fill in the room, you see Melissa approaching you from the corner of your eye. You wait for her to reach you before turning your head and cocking it to the side. You see her tongue press against the inside of her cheek momentarily and you know she’s pissed that she has to be cordial with you in front of the kids. 

As she drops some worksheets on your desk for you to pass out, her eyes catch on something. You glance down and see the tupperware containing your lunch sitting in your unzipped bag. Looking back to Melissa, you see the malicious smirk form on her full lips before she speaks.

“Decided you didn’t feel like stealin’ today, huh?” 

You clench your teeth together as she turns and walks away from you. You definitely don’t pay any special attention to the way her curvaceous hips swing, her self-satisfied air nearly suffocating you. You close your eyes and take three centering breaths. As you reopen them and begin passing out papers, you repeat a mantra in your head: Just make it to Friday. Melissa Schemmenti will get what’s coming to her.

—----------------------

She chooses to ice you out for the rest of the week, and frankly, you’re not mad about it. It’s better than having barbed remarks constantly thrown your way, and it’s definitely better than getting into another vicious verbal brawl. Or worse, a physical one. However, it also makes your job harder. She practically won’t acknowledge your existence unless she absolutely must, and she doesn’t include you in any of her teaching. You do a fine job answering individual questions during the kids’ work time, and nothing beats the feeling of warm satisfaction when one of them works out a difficult math problem or correctly spells a word they’d struggled with. But you didn’t feel like you were really a part of the classroom; Melissa wouldn’t allow you to be.

You’d decided to brave the teacher’s lounge for lunch on your second day and were glad that you did - although Melissa wasn’t happy with your presence there, Janine more than made up for it. She quickly introduced you to Jacob and Gregory, and timidly introduced you to Barbara, who you realized was close friends with Melissa. Barbara had a kind air about her, and you instantly felt soothed when speaking with her. You couldn’t fathom how she could be friends with the stubborn, explosive, and cruel redhead. For the rest of the week, you ate your lunch in the lounge, sitting with Janine and Jacob, politely greeting Barb and Gregory, and entirely ignoring Melissa. This was noticed by absolutely everyone.

In the evenings at home, you worked diligently to make sure you had what you needed for Melissa’s “surprise”. Your friend had sent the files you needed, and you thanked her profusely, promising to buy her drinks the next time you were both in the same city. She’d done an excellent job. You needed things to be as close to perfect as they could get. Nothing could tip Melissa off or else your plan would fail. 

3:00 on Friday rolled around painstakingly slowly. You were a bundle of nerves all day, and you were paranoid Melissa was picking up on your energy. She’d given you scrutinizing glances twice and you’d done your best to ignore them. By the time the whole class had left and it was just the two of you, you felt like you were bursting at the seams. You could feel your heart beating as you reached into a small zippered pocket in your bag. Grabbing the fruits of your labor and pressing them behind your back, you cautiously made your way to Melissa’s desk.

She didn’t acknowledge your presence, keeping her eyes glued to her computer and ignoring you entirely. You pursed your lips and took a deep breath. You needed this to work. 

“I’d like to extend an olive branch,” you said, pleased at how steady your voice was.

Without looking up, she curtly responded, “Not interested.” 

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “Big surprise,” you muttered. Her gaze snapped to yours and you felt your stomach drop. Swallowing, you continued, “Look, it’s not like I’m going to ask to be friends or whatever. I know that we… got off on the wrong foot,” which was an understatement. “I just wanted to tell you that I was sorry, and I’d like it if we could at least be cordial.” 

She opened her mouth to retort, but you held up a hand to silence her. She recoiled a bit, her brows arching at your nerve, but her surprise at your boldness bought you time to interject. “I didn’t think you’d just take my word for it, so I got you these.” 

You brought your other hand from behind your back, and held out two VIP tickets to the Philadelphia Eagles game this coming Sunday. 

You heard her teeth clack as her mouth snapped shut, her eyes wide in shock. Her expression quickly turned to one of suspicion as she asked, “How do you know I even like football, huh?” 

Your cheeks colored a bit against your will. “I uh… I asked Janine to tell me about you so I could surprise you.” You didn’t like the meekness in your voice. For some reason you were embarrassed, your reasons for doing this notwithstanding. 

A look of pure annoyance crossed Melissa’s face as she muttered, “Dammit, Janine.” She gazed at the tickets, almost as if she was wary of them. As she was contemplating, her teeth caught her lower lip and you felt something stir in you. God, how dare she look fucking endearing after everything. In another life, you would have liked to trap that lip between your teeth. 

As your mind fought off those thoughts, she gingerly reached out and took the tickets from you. You felt your pulse quicken as she pulled her cat eye glasses off of her head and examined them. A few moments that felt like an age passed, and you thought you might explode from the anticipation. 

Suddenly she removed her glasses and set the tickets down on her desk. Looking off to the side, Melissa Schemmenti crossed her arms and looked almost timid . And then, to your utter disbelief, she said words you never thought you’d hear her say to you. 

“I uh…guess that’s one helluva olive branch. How could I say no to that?”

You stared back at her, mind blank. She’d just accepted your peace offering. It took you a moment to catch up and you realized your mouth was literally hanging open. You promptly shut it.

“Thanks,” Melissa said, and this time she looked you in the eye. There wasn’t warmth there, but there was a distinct lack of animosity, so she may as well have been beaming at you. As you stared back into her captivating green eyes, you felt the beginning of a new feeling. It dawned on you that you were starting to feel bad. 

You had to shut that shit down.

You started, backing away from her desk and nodding in her direction. “Yeah, of course,” you say, quickly turning to grab your bag and get the hell out of dodge. “I gotta run, but, uh… I hope you have fun,” you say, and holding her gaze feels absolutely grueling. “I dunno if I’ll be back next week, so…” you trail off.

She’d turned back to her computer, but she actually glances up at you when she says, “Ashley’s still healin’ from her surgery, so you’ll be off the bench next week too. You, uh… might actually be able to teach these kids somethin’ before she gets back.”

You blink in disbelief. Did she… was that almost a compliment? Was she at least admitting that you were a better aide? For the first time, you think that you might be making a mistake. 

Yet, as you stand there, the last week plays out in your mind - the rude treatment, the outright disrespect, the vicious words, and the ruined headlights on your car that you could barely afford to fix. You couldn’t let yourself back down now, and not just because she already had the tickets. You wanted to ruin her week the way she’d ruined yours - you wanted to get her hopes up and then crush them. 

You grasp ahold of the rage that had been motivating you. You feel the tenderness in your heart harden to steel as a false smile graces your lips, and as you turn to leave, you reply, “Well, I guess I’ll see you next week. Let me know how the game is.” 

And you leave Melissa Schemmenti with two counterfeit VIP Eagle’s tickets.

[stxrmylxve]

Can’t Keep My Eyes Off You.

Synopsis: It started in highschool, Shuuji’s simple crush on you. But since school was over, you figured you would never see eachother again. One night, your business has a huge party, and who will you see there? A/N: Ngl this took a WHILE to brew up but… enjoy! Pairing: Hanma Shuuji x Fem!Reader

WARNINGS: suggestive but w no smut cause im mean, tw drinking, tw drunkness, tw mentions of pills (tylonol and advil)

GENRE: fluff

It was a silly crush. One that, whenever you passed eachother in the hallways, Shuuji would whistle teasingly just because he knew it ticked you off. But it never progressed more than that, and as you were handed your diploma, it came crashing down on you that you were now alone in this world.

He wouldn’t be there every morning with a goofy grin plastered on his face to tease you at your locker, like two love-sick puppies playing with eachother. You had to go out now, to get a real job, to get a big education just like you had always bragged to him about.

You walked through the big double doors of your job, adjusting the uncomfortable skirt given to you with an awkward smile as you stopped at the front desk.

“Uh, hi. Can you direct me to the boss’s office, please?” you ask the front desk lady, her eyes darting up in surprise.

“Did he request a meeting with you?”

“Well.. no. But I have a concern-“

“Talk to your manager about it.” she says quickly, looking around you to help the next person as you frowned.

Sighing to yourself, you walk to the elevator with your things and click the button to go to the fourth floor, leaning against the wall and looking up at the pale ceiling tiles above. You counted each of them for a while, looking down in surprise as you noticed the marble design coating the floor.

The boss was never spoken of. Everyone thought highly of him, but even he hadn’t interviewed you. No one really sees him except for the higher ups and his assistant.

The door dings open and you walk out onto the floor, shivering from the sudden cold that floods over you. You glance around awkwardly as you look for your desk, an awkward aura clouding over you as a few workers looked over at you.

“Hey! Y/N, right?” someone calls out, pulling you out of your thoughts as you looked down the hall, your manager waving you over with a comfortable smile. You walk over to him rather quickly, twirling your hair as a nervous habit as his smile falters.

“Don’t worry, you will fit right in and do amazing.” he says, patting you on the shoulder as he points to a desk, “That one is yours, next to one of the haitanis. But don’t worry about him, he’s mostly out of the office and rarely at his desk, they pratically live in Han- er, the boss’s office.”

You glance up at your manager, the half-name catching your attention before you nod, walking over to your desk. You set your things down, a small chill running down your spine as you felt someone behind you.

Awkwardly turning around, you find Ran Haitani behind you. He looks you up and down before a toothy smile forms in his lips, “Hi doll.”

You scoff at the nickname, he had a reputation to call everyone that, as you turn back around and set your things up.

“A bit harsh to be as new as you. You got a boyfriend or som’thin?” he asks, leaning on your desk beside you as you sigh.

“No, I don’t. I just know that this is a routine for you and that I won’t get anything out of this that will benefit me.” you reply, shooting him a small glare between your lashes as you click on your computer.

“Damn, sorry princess. Just know I can get you fired, might not wanna’ always have an attitude with me.” he says, grinning as your eyes went wide.

“Just because I won’t play your games like every other woman? Please.” you huff, ushering him away with a small push on his chest as you sit down.

He scoffs, a small chuckle leaving his chest as he walks off, a small smile forming on your lips from the win. First day, and you already have met your wonderful deskmate. Great.

Time passed by; Ran wasn’t much of a problem ultimately, and everone began to like your great work ethic. You became really popular really quickly, even though you didn’t love the attention, and soon enough, the higher-up were catching up with you in the hallways to talk, which they did with no one else.

You had a few sour apples here and there, other co-workers that called you a ‘bottom feeder’ and an ‘attention whore’, but you couldn’t help but to laugh because you were popular because you were good at your work, which obviously they weren’t.

You glanced over your paper, reading through it one last time. It had been years since you had started, moving up the ranks to replace your manager when he left. It was a lot easier now for you, but you missed the chaos. But, if you wanted a job, you better keep this one.

That wasn’t what was making you nervous, though. It was the big party being thrown downstairs tonight. You had no clue what to wear, and what your friends had suggested was far too out of your comfort zone. But, as a managar, you were expected to look nice, at least, nicer than others.

And as you slipped on your dress, as much as you hated to say it, you loved it. You had never been into this style much in prior years, but you were totally rocking it. And your shoes with a little sparkle to them matched your elegant necklace; it was perfect.

You sighed as you glanced at the time from your phone, becoming irritated with yourself for leaving so late. You only had 15 minutes to get there and you were stuck in traffic. You took a sip of your coffee, pressing your head up against the headrest as you look up towards the roof of your car. For the office to only be 3 blocks away, it seemed as though it would take forever to even get there.

Arriving late was not your forte, but here you were, arriving 14 minutes late as you rushed inside. Your friends crouded around you instantly as they questioned you about where you had been, your answer being sheepishly answered with “traffic.”

They laughed and walked off towards the bar, the tension of the aura easing a bit with their departure. Glancing around the party, your eyes landed on a familiar looking face. Their hair was nothing like you had ever seen before, multicolored with golden and black, yet their face looked so familiar. You couldn’t put a name to the face, and even though you wished to continue looking at him to figure it out, he had already looked your way and had seen you staring.

You looked away quickly, a small blush forming on your face from embarrassment, but moments later soft footsteps were heard from behind you.

“I’ve heard great things about you, y/n. Glad to see you tonight.”

Your eyes darted up to his face as your eyes went wide, the pieces clicking together as you placed the voice with the name.

“Are you seriously the secret boss, Shuuji?” you finally bring yourself to say, shock still coursing through you as you studied his now much propper and more sophisticated figure.

“ ‘Secret boss’ is a rather odd nickname, don’t you think?” he asks, glancing around at people who were looking your way as he places his hand on the small of your back, guiding you to a more private area to talk in private.

“You’ve grown up.” you say, looking away awkwardly. He seemed like so much more than he had been in highschool. He had gone from a teen fool to a full on businessman.

“I could say the same thing for you.” he says, sitting down with a yawn. You sigh as you sit down next to him, rubbing your temple with a frown.

“Was it you? The one leaving small flirtatious notes on my desk for me to find every morning?”

He tenses and pauses for a moment, almost as if he was pondering which way to answer before slowly nodding.

“Yeah, you caught me.”

You laughed as you shifted around, resting your head on his shoulder with a satisfied sigh. His hand wrapped around yours, rubbing small circles against the plush skin with a soft smile.

“I missed times like this.” he says, ruffling your hair with a laugh as you smacked his hand.

“We never used to do this, silly! You wish.” you tease.

A blanket of silence rang in the room, drowning out the party like it had never been there.

“Go on a date with me.” You sit up, taking your hand away from his in shock.

“..What?”

“Go on a date with me, y/n. You heard me.”

You rubbing your eyes, testing to see whether you were dreaming that he had just said this or not. But it was very real, his golden eyes watching your every move as he waited for an answer.

You laughed as you pressed a small kiss on his temple, waving him off as you clicked open the door.

“Find me later on and I will give you an answer, pretty boy.” you snicker, shutting the door behind you and walking over to the bar with a smile; tonight would be fun.

Your head was spinning, your legs a bit wobbly as you sat down in your car. Not expecting to go anywhere, just to sit and watch everything swirl around you as you continued to sober up. You lazily glanced out the window, watching a bird fly away into the dark night.

“You look offly drunk.” hanma’s voice rings through the silence, surprising you as you glanced at the passenger seat. You hadn’t realized you had left the car unlocked.

“I’m not drunk, shuuji. Just tipsy, that’s all.” you roll your eyes, grabbing the bottle of water in your cup holder before downing it, patting your cheeks as if you wake yourself up as you sighed.

“So, the answer?”

Dead silence rang through the car, its’ presence deafening as you gulped. You hadn’t really thought on much of an answer after you had left the room, too focused on finally getting a well-diserved break from work and life in general.

“I don’t want to go on a date with you, shuuji,” you say, your eyes following the wires connecting the power lines, “but maybe you could squeeze some time into your schedule to treat me some other way, yeah?” you finish with a small smile, brushing through your hair with your fingers as you looked away again.

“How about right now I treat you?” he asks with a smirk, placing his tattoed hand on your thigh with a small squeeze. Your groan as you tap your head, rolling your eyes with a smirk.

“You better be packing tylonol and advil then”

“Oh I’m packing somethin’ alright.”

[thesupernaturalhouse]

Hmmm, I'm thinking about the pack dynamics in pdh. Cause either wanna know how this started, why school started ding this, cause irl, there no such thing as an omega or alpha, the 'alpha' is just the oldest wolf of the pack because their the parents

So, here's what I think the 'hsitory' of schools packs came to be. So, hybrids have more animalistic instincts than humans, especially before their brain fully developes

So, I think that there would be a lot of school fights about 'territory' like, really stupid stuff to things like whose seat it is in the class, why their sitting in the spot you eat at lunch

Stuff like that, and the school say this and probably looked at irl packs and decided mimicking that would be a good idea

So they held a contest, whoever are the 2 winners are the leaders, they figured they needed one if both genders to soooo yeah. And they figured they'd make it the 'alphas' job to break up the fights and keep their pack in check

It'd also make the pack mates have to listen to the leader because it's proven that the leaders is stronger than them

I also think the 'omega' status was probably originally also a leader if the pack, alphas kept everyone in line while the omega made negotiations to make everyone happy. Eventually, due to the omegas being more peacekeeper like, they started to get bullied, which devolved into straight-up abuse and got normalized over time as they started to be viewed as the 'weaker' part of the pack

And due to being in school, they gotta follow the rules/pack law it has. And they don't really follow their true pack instincts until their an adult, and even then some keep the high school pack mentality

This is why irl packs and school packs are different in mystreet because an out of school pack is really just a group of friends with a strong connection, maybe a faund family one, there's no 'alpha' or 'omega' because that's not how packs are supposed to work

If there IS an 'alpha' in the pack, that 'alpha' is in actuality, most likely the voice of reason among the pack/group

[deathsmallcaps]

(USA based sorry)

I’m definitely speaking into an echo chamber but like.

Nearly every algebra student I tutor ends up with a word problem involving the gender wage gap. And they’re all confounded by it and have no clue.

And a guy in my fucking Calc 3 class was like “wait you guys were serious? That’s real?” When it came up. BRO YOU’RE ABOUT OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK???

It’s amazing what is and isn’t common knowledge. Feminist history isn’t taught past “and then women got their right to vote :)))))).” With occasional mentions of Title IX and the late 1900s waves of feminism. Of course only in in-depth history classes, not general Ed. Wow.

I am not in training to be a historian or a history teacher, but by all that is right in the world I hope it becomes more normalized and common to speak about shit that is LESS than 100 years ago in depth when it comes to American History & culture. Wtf. I swear even when I took AP history* the professor was afraid to touch on that stuff. For some reason (happily) my English teachers were a lot more willing to teach about modern history & minority stories.

And this is just what affects my white anglo cishetallo abled-passing housed female life personally. I cannot truly imagine the feeling of personal erasure & irritation one of comes to other identities & issues that have only relatively recently been resolved, addressed, acknowledged or even only pointedly ignored. I am fucking angry FOR you and can’t wait for things to change. You ALL deserve better. Don’t forget that.

It’s not your job to educate these people or their children (unless you’re literally a history teacher or something) but I want to shake the people who decide these what gets taught until the cowardice & insecurity & thoughtlessness & malice & election-based anxiety shits out of their assholes and leaves their hearts hungering for intelligent, thoughtful & interested discussions on modern issues and genuine history that should not be squeezed into the last pages of textbooks out of fear of offending paper white & paper thin pride.

Human rights deserve attention. Human rights should not have to be a radical talking point. It should be both as natural and expected as breathing clean air & as ingrained and knowable as to be accessible in math problems.

There is so much to be done. And it is exhausting. But please know that you are not alone.

*interesting tidbit below but basically irrelevant to the above post

I took AP america history to learn about the parts of American history that are never, or barely, covered in history classes throughout the grades. Basically, if it happened outside of the Puritans-WWII, it’s got a poor chance chance of in-depth coverage. And while the class did teach me good analysis skills and some interesting facts, it mostly covered the exact fucking periods I mentioned above.

And you know what? Literally right before we took the AP test, our teacher told us “study up on periods 2-7” (im pretty sure there are 9 periods of American history, forgive me it’s been like 5 years) “they never test on 1, 8 or 9”. Guess what the essay questions were on. And guess what time periods 1,8 & 9 are? If you posited precolonial america, the mid 1900s and modern day, ding ding ding you’re the winner! :))))))

(AP classes are worth it if you’re bored and/or trying to cut down on the amount of classes you’ll take in college & thus save money. But a lot (not all) of the AP certified teachers will try to convince you it’s the be all, end all of learning in high school. Also the weighted GPAs are a scam. No one looks at those. If you’re worried about keeping a good average, stick to the class level that fits within both circles of ‘not boring’ and ‘not going to wreck your life’. You can take an AP test and have it count and not take the class. Just be warned it is genuinely difficult.)

[all-the-things-2020]

No Better Place - Chapter 18

Summary: Cassidy and Javi each have a very bad day. Lots of angst.

Warnings: references to drug overdose, death, and infidelity

Cassidy stared at the box. She’d picked it up three times already, but couldn’t bring herself to open it just yet. You’re being stupid, she chided herself. Opening it isn’t going to make it more or less real. She sighed, tore open the end of the box and slid out the tightly folded instructions. She read them carefully, then tilted the box so that the test stick fell into her hand.

She’d taken pregnancy tests before. Once in college after she’d already broken up with the jerk who had told her he was still in love with his high school girlfriend and couldn’t he just date them both until he was sure which one he wanted. And once again when she was still with Travis. Both times, she’d been about a week and a half late and both tests were negative, fortunately. Now, she was more than two weeks late, but she hadn’t had time to get out and buy a test. Nugget was limping again and had needed some careful bandaging, and Baby Girl had developed a nasty abscess in one of her hooves.

The fact that Javi hadn’t been home in two weeks didn’t help. He was swamped at work, and was not only working late every day, but putting in several hours on the weekends, rushing to complete a proposal for the county on top of his other duties. She understood, but it was still hard. Things had started out so well, but as he settled into his job, he’d started arriving later and later on Friday nights, working in the office until six or seven before he headed for Laredo. Finally, she’d told him to just drive up on Saturday morning if he needed to work late. It wasn’t as if he was doing more than just fall into bed when he arrived anyway. He might as well get a good night’s sleep at his apartment and then drive down.

It had been two months since he’d come down on Friday night, and he’d missed several weekends altogether, including the last two. He apologized profusely when he did come home, and lavished her with attention, but it still put a strain on their relationship. Logically, Cassidy knew he was doing everything he could, but she still felt jealous of the way his job was taking him away from her.

She took a deep breath, went into the bathroom and peed on the stick. The directions said she needed to wait twenty minutes before the results would appear, so she laid the stick on the counter next to the sink, firmly closed the door to keep Linus from investigating and knocking it into the trash can, and went into the kitchen to set the timer.

She busied herself scrubbing the sink and counter, something she’d been putting off for too long. It was mindless but physically demanding enough to distract her (mostly) from listening for the timer. When it did ding, she jumped.

Linus was lying on the hallway floor in front of the bathroom door. He meowed loudly at her. Like most cats, he was mortally offended by a closed door and as soon as she opened it, he walked away, satisfied that his duty was done. Cassidy stepped inside and picked up the test stick. There was a single pink line in the results window: negative.

She’d expected a sense of relief at the result but instead she was overwhelmed by disappointment. She sank heavily onto the closed toilet seat, staring at the test in her hands. You’re not pregnant, she told herself. You’re supposed to be happy. But she wasn’t. As she started to sob quietly, she realized she’d wanted to be carrying Javi’s baby. She wanted a future with him, a life, a family. The idea of a tiny life growing inside her, one she’d created with Javi, was something she desperately wanted to come true.

Maybe Mom was right, she mused. Maybe it’s time to give up this silly dream of being a horse trainer and doing everything by myself. Maybe I need to stop taking so much and start giving. It wasn’t fair that Javier was the only one sacrificing to make their relationship work. He was the one who drove four hours a week just to see her, the one who was working full time and trying to maintain two lives, one in San Antonio and one here in Laredo. She hadn’t given up a damn thing and she was upset because he couldn’t make it down every single weekend. You selfish little bitch, she chided herself. Time to cowgirl up and take some responsibility, time to make a few sacrifices before you screw things up and lose him.

She sat in the bathroom, her face in her hands, as she pondered her options. Honestly, her mother’s idea of renting out her place, moving the horses to Chucho’s and living in San Antonio with Javi was the best idea. The horses would be well taken care of, and she could drive to visit them whenever she wanted. The income from renting the ranch would cover most, if not all, of her mortgage payments, and she might even be able to make a tiny profit. She could even get a job in San Antonio, start building up a nest egg in case she and Javi did start a family.

The more she thought about, the more sense it made. She glanced at her watch. It was almost five o’clock. Javi would still be at work. She’d have to wait at least a half an hour before she could call him at home, and even then, he might not be there yet if he had to work late. This wasn’t something she wanted to tell him in a message on his answering machine, but now that she’d decided, she didn’t want to give herself a chance to talk herself out of it. If she fed the horses a little early, she could drive up to San Antonio, get there before eight o’clock and have plenty of time to talk to Javi and still drive home before it got too late. For that matter, she could always call Chucho from Javi’s place and ask if Luis could feed in the morning, while she spent the night with Javi. She smiled.

“Can you hold down the fort, Linus?” she asked the cat as she hurried through the house on her way to the barn. Linus simply blinked at her. He was a cat and cats always had everything under control.

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

As she drove, Cassidy let herself daydream about what the future might hold. By the time she’d reached the outskirts of San Antonio, she’d envisioned a white-washed ranch house with a picket fence and a swingset in the backyard, a brand new barn in the backyard. She and Javi were married, with two kids, and a couple of dogs as well as Linus, who dozed in a bay window surveying his new kingdom. Might as well put yourself in the June Cleaver dress and pearls baking cookies, she told herself, but it was fun to imagine the domestic bliss that seemed attainable for the first time in her life.

When she reached Javi’s neighborhood, she started getting nervous. Whether it was fear or excitement, it was disconcerting. This was the right thing to do, she knew it, so why this flutter in her guts? She pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex and turned off the truck. She could see Javi’s balcony and his lights were on, which meant he was home. In fact, as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she could see him leaning on the balcony railing, smoke drifting from the cigarette in his hand. Must have had a rough day, she mused. Well, I’ll surprise him and make it a lot better.

She was just about to open the door and step out of the truck when she saw a shadow behind Javi. Someone was in his apartment. The sliding door was open and a woman stepped through it, the light from inside clearly illuminating her long, dark hair and curvy figure. Javi turned toward her and she handed him a drink. Javi took it and the woman laid a hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently, and led him back inside.

Cassidy felt her entire body go cold. If Javi was having a rough day, it was clear he already had someone ready and willing to help him forget it. She thought she was going to be sick. Here she’d been, spinning fairy tales in her head, getting upset about a negative pregnancy test, while Javi was cheating on her. She wondered how many of those late nights at work had really been work, how many of those weekends he’d missed had been spent with this woman. This was what she’d been afraid of when he accepted the job, but he’d assured her things would be fine. She’d thought he was different, but he was just as much of an asshole as every other man she’d ever dated. Travis may have hit her, but at least he hadn’t cheated on her.

I need to get out of this parking lot before Javi looks out and sees my truck, she realized with a jolt. Her hands were shaking as she started the engine and backed out of the parking space. Her vision was obscured by tears but she drove nonetheless, making her way carefully back to the highway that would take her home to Laredo and her broken dreams. She reached her house a little after ten o’clock and absentmindedly fed Linus a second dinner before she fell onto the bed fully clothed and cried herself to sleep.

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

It had been a shitty day. An officer had been shot overnight, so the entire police department was shrouded in a somber cloud. He would be fine, but it was still unsettling to have someone injured in the line of duty. Javi kept idly rubbing at the spot on his left arm where the bullet had grazed him during that ill-fated raid back in Colombia.

Then that afternoon, Monica had discovered during a routine checkup call that one of the boys in their new program, Andre, had died of an overdose. It shook Javi to the core. Andre had been the one kid he’d thought would make it out of the drug culture. Smart, funny, and charismatic, he could have made it in any career he chose. He was in a drama class at school and had high grades in math and English. And yet, he’d fallen in with some of the other kids on his block, wasting weekends smoking weed. Javi thought they’d knocked some sense into his head before he tried the harder stuff, but apparently Andre was a better actor than any of them realized.

“Crack,” Monica had said with a shake of her head. “He’d starting smoking it and one of his crew convinced him to shoot up. They misjudged the dose and freaked out when he OD’d. They ran and his mother didn’t find out until this morning when the cops found the body in an abandoned house the crew had been using as a hangout. Thank goodness the officer on that beat makes it a habit to check on the abandoned properties in that area every day. He could have lain there for days otherwise.”

Javi knew she was upset, but she’d been doing this longer than he had and his stomach churned all day as he gulped coffee and chomped on nicotine gum. He really was trying to quit, for Cassidy’s sake, but it wasn’t the same as smoking and he found himself sneaking a cigarette or two at night. At work, though, all he had was the gum. He skipped lunch, trying to focus on a report he was assembling for the city council, but it was hard to keep his mind on work after the news about Andre.

“Are you going to be okay?” Monica asked as she was getting ready to leave at the end of the day.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. “Just going to get a bit more work done before I go home.”

She gave him a look that Javi had privately labeled the Mom Stare. “You are going home now,” she said firmly. “And you’re going to eat dinner. In fact, I’m going to call Rob and see if his mom can take the kids for a few hours. He and I will bring dinner to your house and you will sit and eat it.”

She disappeared into her office and came back a few minutes later. “Go on, pack up and get going,” she said. “Rob and I will be at your place in about an hour.”

Javi knew it was no use arguing with Monica. She treated him like a third child, much to Rob’s amusement. Javi was a few years older than both of them, but Rob loved to call him “son” and pat him on the head. Normally, Javi wouldn’t have stood for that sort of thing, but no one could stay mad at Rob for long. Besides, Monica would have torn him a new one if he’d upset her husband in any way.

He headed home, wondering if he had time to call Cassidy before Monica and Rob showed up. He hadn’t talked to her yet this week, which was down to sheer laziness on his part. He’d been getting home late from work, and after fixing and eating dinner, he slumped on the couch in front of the little TV he’d finally bought and watched whatever drivel was on while sipping a glass of whiskey until his eyes drooped and he headed for bed. He decided to wait and call her tomorrow, when he’d have time for a long conversation.

Monica and Rob showed up with a bag of tacos and enough rice and beans to feed everyone in the building. “The kids love their rice and beans,” Monica explained, “so we’ll take them the leftovers. That’s lunch for the next couple of days.”

While she dished up portions on the plates Javi hastily pulled out of the cupboard, Rob opened two frosty beers and offered one to Javi. “It sucks, man,” he said, unusually somber. “I remember the first time Monica lost a client. It still hits her hard, but the first one’s always the worst.” He clinked the neck of his bottle against Javi’s and took a long drink. Javi merely took a sip. Beer and tacos were not enough to cheer him up.

After they ate, they sat on the couch, Monica in the middle, leaning against Rob’s shoulder. “It’s okay to be sad, Javi,” she said. “It’s okay to be angry, too. Cry, scream, throw something against the wall if you have to, but don’t suppress the emotions. I’m speaking both from experience and as a psychologist.” She leaned forward and laid her hand on his arm. “We’re here for you, Rob and me both.”

Suddenly, Javi needed a smoke. “Excuse me,” he stammered. He found his cigarettes and lighter on the coffee table and stepped outside on the balcony. Even though he was the only one living in the apartment, and smoking was allowed in the building, he always went out on the balcony to smoke. Just in case Cassidy ever came up for a visit, he didn’t want her to smell smoke on the curtains or furniture.

He lit a cigarette with trembling hands. He really needed to get a hold of himself. Monica and Rob meant well. They were wonderful friends and he would have been incredibly lonely without them, but in order to process his emotions, he needed to be alone. He leaned on the railing, and breathed out a plume of smoke. He wondered what Cassidy was doing right now, and what Andre’s mother was doing. He closed his eyes for a moment, overwhelmed with a feeling of compassion and love for the poor woman. He couldn’t imagine the depth of loss she was experiencing.

He took a few more puffs of the cigarette before Monica stepped out with a glass of whiskey on the rocks in her hand. She laid her other hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently as if he was a baby that needed to be soothed. “Rob thought this might help,” she said, handing him the drink.

Javi huffed. “Thanks,” he muttered as he followed her back inside. “Look, I really appreciate both of you taking the time to do this, but I’ll be fine,” he said. “Go home to your kids and just let me deal with this my way.” When Monica started to raise an eyebrow, he hastily added, “I won’t suppress my emotions, I just … need to be alone, okay?”

Monica nodded. “Okay, but call if you need anything,” she said.

As Rob gathered the leftover rice and beans from the fridge, he nudged Javi. “Listen to mom, son,” he said. “She’s been through this shit before. She knows what she’s doing.”

Javi nodded. “Yeah, I know,” he said. “But I’ll be fine.”

They left and Javi sank back down on the couch, after fetching the whiskey bottle. It would probably take more than one glass to get him through the evening. He took a long sip and sat back, finally letting the tears fall from his eyes.

Shit, Andre, if we couldn’t save you, why the fuck are we even trying?

[djfics]

Behind these Violet Eyes Arc 1 Part 5

Chapter 17: First Day

Summary: The Bakery got new employees: 5 Troublemakers and One Kind Lady. Aphelios decides to tell his Halloween experience to Yone and K'Sante.

W/C: 1,255

November 1st, 3:00 P.M. - Hallway

"Aphelios...what a beautiful name," Sett said and placed his hand to Aphelios' face and tried to get close to him until..

*beep beep*

"Aphelios!! Yone is here!!" Ezreal said, and Aphelios snapped to reality. He decides to leave until Sett stops him, and Aphelios turns and looks at him

"Message me when you get home," Sett said as Aphelios nodded and released his grip and leaves. Xayah and Rakan appeared and saw Sett looking at Aphelios.

"Sett, did you get the r-" Sett interrupts Rakan and smiled at the couple. "I found him guys... Thank you so much for my help," Sett said as Xayah hugs Rakan and Sett for their victory.

"Let's celebrate with some ramen!!" Rakan said as Sett and Xayah agreed and went to the ramen shop.

Yone saw Aphelios along with Ezreal and unlocked the doors. "So... how's school, you two?" Yone asks as Aphelios thumbs up, and Ezreal pulls down his hoodie to reveal his green hair.

"Ezreal!? What happened to y-"

"Is a long story, right, Phel?" Ezreal winks at Aphelios, and he nods. Aphelios decides to put the ring and the glove in his backpack and looks at the window of the car.

Later

They arrived at the bakery, and Ezreal saw Kayn and his friends inside and placed the hoodie on his head. "I love to enter... but I have some important things t-" Ezreal tries to escape, but Yone caught him and drags him.

"First of all... you need to pay everything you ate for the last 2 months by working here with us," Yone glares as Ezreal starts crying as Aphelios and Yone enters the bakery.

*ding*

They saw K'Sante teaching the new employees about their assigned jobs. Kayn and his friends are wearing small white, black and blue hats, blue and black buttoned shirts, black pants with white and blue apron, and white roller skates.

"K'Sante, how's the training?" Yone asks his husband and went to him. "A little difficult, but Miss Sarah helped me teaching them to be great employees," K'Sante said as Sarah glared at the boys.

"Sorry I'm late!!" A lady with brown hair with pink streaks with a pink and white small hat, deer ears, blue eyes and wears a pink and black shirt with puffy sleeves, white and pink apron and she has four legs.

"I had trouble with my uniform, and Neeko modified it for me"

"That's okay, Lillia. I should thank Neeko for helping you," Yone said as Lillia smiled at Yone. "Alright, guys, we got a new employee, and his name is Ezreal," Yone said as he showed Ezreal to everyone as Kayn and his friends realized that the green haired guy was actually Ezreal.

"You!!" Kayn points at Ezreal as he shakes in fear as Sarah glares at Kayn, and he gets nervous. "Phel, please show Ezreal the changing room and give him his uniform," Yone said as Aphelios grabbed Ezreal's hand and went to the changing rooms.

"Now get back to work"

"Yes, sir!!" The employees went to their assigned jobs as Yone went to the cash register to count the money they earned.

"Hey honey, are you sure you want to keep this secret from P-"

"Yes, K'Sante, I want to know why," Yone said as he finished counting the money in the cash register.

November 1st, 3:07 P.M. - Locker Room

"This is the uniform," Aphelios signed as he gave Ezreal his uniform. Ezreal places the uniform on the bench as he takes off his hoodie and white shirt and wears the black and blue buttoned shirt.

"Hey Phel, I need to ask you something," Ezreal said as Aphelios finished wearing his uniform and looked at him. "What is it?" he signed as Ezreal showed his pants.

"Do you have a sewing kit?"

Later

Aphelios appears with his spare glasses, white, blue, and black hat, blue and black buttoned shirt, black pants with a white and blue apron, and white roller skates.

"You've been so long four eyes, where h-" as Kayn tries to ask Aphelios, Ezreal's hair is tied in a ponytail, heart shape sunglasses, white, black and blue hat and wears a black and blue buttoned shirt, black shorts with a white and blue apron, blue socks and white roller skates.

"How do I look?~♡" Ezreal asks Aphelios as Kayn bangs the table while blushing. 'Why he look so goddamn cute!!' Kayn looks away while blushing.

"Looks like we know Kayn's type?" Rhaast teases Kayn while Kai and Valmar hold their laughters, and Varus crossed his arms and smirks.

"Shut up R-"

"Is everything okay, boys?" Sarah appeared out of nowhere, and they nodded and went back to work. "So Ez, your job is to bring the pastry and drinks to the customer," Neeko explains, and Ezreal nods.

As Aphelios went to his position to make the pastries, Lillia tried to carry the mixing bowls, but she slipped onto the batter, and Aphelios saw the bowls flying, and he caught it.

"Thank you so much!!" Lillia said as she stood up and walked slowly. "I saw those boys making a mess into this kitchen, and it makes me so angry," Lillia said and pouted at the puddle of mixing batter.

"Well...they are new recruits, so they get better in no time," Aphelios signed, and Lillia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm Lillia, by the way"

"Aphelios, but my friends call me Phel" Aphelios signed and both shake their hands. "I heard your Thresh's son, is so nice that he cares about you" Lillia said as Aphelios smiled and nodded.

'Is because he's nice when he's with everyone around him'

"Alright, Thresh told you guys that you will leave at 6:00 P.M since you guys are in school or college, you can leave now" K'Sante said as Kayn and his buddies cheered as Lillia, Ezreal and the others rolled their eyes on them.

"And by the way, tomorrow you'll work at the same time," Yone added up as they groaned as the others looked at them and smirked.

The boys leave the bakery as the other employees decide to leave early. "I have to get going Yone, I have to pay this month's rent to the landlord," Sarah said as she left.

Neeko decides to leave to study for her exams, Lillia, as well to take her cooking exams, and Ezreal tries to escape from Kayn before it is too late. Is all Yone, Aphelios and K'Sante are left.

"So, Phel... tells us the story on your first Halloween Party?" K'Sante asks while bringing a cup of ice cream, and he nods in agreement.

Aphelios explained about Neeko joining the club that Ezreal created when he became friends with him, Jinx and Ekko called "The Troublemakers." They helped him set the timer when they had to leave early, and Neeko helped him for his grand entrance and meets Sett and danced with him.

"That was so romantic," K'Sante said as he held his tears.

Aphelios told that he slipped in a fruit punch puddle, and Kayn asked them for Ezreal and Sett to reveal his identity to Kayn, and then they asked him about his identity until the alarm and the rest is history.

"Talk about a Cinderella story you got, Phel," K'Sante said as Aphelios nodded. "Sorry that I'm interrupting your story, Aphelios, but I got a question," Yone said as Aphelios signed 'Go on'.

"Do you have a crush on Sett?"

A/N: OH BOY!! This is going to get interesting, guys!! The next chapter will be on Wednesday, and also, there's an announcement on this Friday and Monday from next week.

[nabibeans]

MILF! HWA // College! joong.

•

Hongjoong and Seonghwa weren’t exactly your average couple; especially when it came to their age gap, Hongjoong himself was 25 while Seonghwa had just turned 36. Not that he cared even in the slightest that his beautiful girlfriend was older than him, she was the woman of his dreams and that’s all that mattered. He’d do anything for the love of his life; no matter what the cost, a ding from his phone captured his attention.

🐰🍯: baby, I started my period. Can you bring home some tampons? They’re in a purple box when you go to the store. Thank you, I love you. ❤️

Fuck. Maybe he was a bit too whipped. Hongjoong however replied that he would indeed get his girlfriend the tampons she needed; and he’d also grab a few of her favorite period snacks and a comfy blanket to cuddle into while he wasn’t home, his queen deserved the best and that was exactly what he was going to give her. “Hey man, what are you doing after class wanna hang out?” Mingi, his long time friend sat next to him. There was only a few minutes left so everyone was preparing to leave and go home for the day. “Ah my girlfriend isn’t feeling well, so I’m gonna head to the store and get some things for her.” Mingi wiggled his eyebrows. “Did you knock her up?” , “god! No Mingi! She’s on birth control. She got her period, that’s all.” That seemed to have catch the attention of Jongho in front of him. “You do know what tampons to get right? Yeosang gave me one hell of a lecture when I didn’t buy the right ones last time. It’s a good thing she’s pregnant so I won’t get bitched at for nine months.” Yeosang was Jongho’s girlfriend of 10 years. They’d been dating since high school and never once split up, “I think so? She said they’re in a purple box.” He decided it would be better to confirm by looking online first, only to discover there were a ton of tampons that came in purple boxes. “Fuck.” , “How old is she? That could help.”

Hongjoong blushed scratching the back of his neck, “she’s 35.” , “oh shit!?” The two men beside him said in unison. They certainly hadn’t expected their friend to be into older women. “Okay so she needs something comfortable but will get the job done. I’ll come with you and show you what I usually get Yeosang if that helps.” Jongho was a blessing. Truly. “Thanks Jongho, I really don’t want to face her wrath right now.” Once class was over Jongho and Hongjoong headed to the nearest store together to get everything they needed; Yeosang had requested her favorite candy and who was Jongho to deny his pregnant girlfriend. “Since she’s older she’ll likely need a smaller size since she’s not bleeding as much.” Hongjoong piped up quickly, “oh seonghwa has heavy periods, she has Endometriosis.” Jongho mentally slapped himself. “Okay so these.” He quickly picked up a purple box and pressed it into Hongjoong’s hands. “These are what she meant. If not tell her it’s my fault. Now let���s get out of here before anyone comes down this aisle.” Hongjoong would have to thank him later.

•

Back at home; Seonghwa was curled up on the couch with a pint of ice cream and a blanket draped over her shoulders, her eyes had dark circles under them. “Hurry home Joongie, I need you.” She sighed dropping the spoon into the now empty ice cream pint as she began to cry again. Her whole body hurt; she felt so nauseous , and all she wanted was her boyfriend to come home and cuddle up with her in bed.

The front door unlocked with a click before opening, “hey baby I’m home- why are you crying!? Seonghwa…my love.” Hongjoong immediately put the bag down rushing over to his girlfriend, wrapping her up in his arms tightly. Seonghwa allowed herself to cry freely as she cuddled against her boyfriend. “My body is just so…gross. And I feel so nauseous but I keep eating shitty food and I missed you.” The older woman clung to her lover, letting him soothe her as she cried. Hongjoong kissed her tears away softly as he rocked his lover, “sounds like my honey bunny needs a nice relaxing bubble bath and then some cuddles in bed with a movie. How’s that sound baby? I’ll clean up while you take a bath.” Seonghwa nodded through her tears, happy her boyfriend was so caring. “Yes, thank you baby. Did you get what I asked for?” Hongjoong grabbed the bag nodding. “I got your tampons, and some snacks and a heating pad. You’re all set for the week babe.” He leaned in to kiss his girlfriend softly, her plush lips molding to his perfectly.

“Thank you baby, I love you.” , “I love you too.” Hongjoong kissed her one more time before getting up to start the bath for his girlfriend, letting her soak while he cleaned up the apartment. Cleaning up the couch and coffee table; setting out a menu for dinner later, making the bed and adding an extra blanket to keep Seonghwa extra comfy. He even laid out her favorite pajamas! Seonghwa eventually emerged from the bathroom, she looked much more relaxed now than she had before. “I feel much better, thank you baby.” Her arms wrapped around Hongjoong’s neck for another kiss. His hands found her hips, kissing his girlfriend lovingly. “Of course baby, you deserve it. Now let’s get comfy and cuddle okay?” Seonghwa nodded pulling away from her boyfriend to get dressed.

Their evening was filled with lots of cuddling and kissing; Hongjoong’s head resting on top of Seonghwa’s as she had finally drifted to sleep in his arms, her vanilla shampoo invading his nose whenever she’d shift underneath his chin. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, just letting his beautiful girlfriend sleep in his arms while he ordered dinner for the two of them, something simple and easy to eat in bed since he didn’t want to move Seonghwa too much. After a few moments; his love stirred from her sleep rubbing her eyes, “did I fall asleep?” Hongjoong nodded kissing her forehead. “You did, but I wanted you to sleep since you looked tired.” Seonghwa nodded in agreement sitting up slowly with her boyfriend.

“Thank you for taking care of me babe.” , “I always will.” The couple shared a passionate kiss. Their evening together just getting started.

This is just one of many Milf! Fem! Seonghwa fics I’ve written. Maybe I’ll post more here soon? This one was pretty short and a little rushed. 🙃

[thefirejournals]

Go Make a Legacy

Two months into living on the surface in Austria, Wingding and I decided to live permanently in Annecy. Q and Juliet decided to join us, and our boys weren’t far in Austria if we wanted to be with them for a few days. It hadn’t been a very hard decision, Austria was crowded and loud, and whenever Germany was mentioned Dings made a show of changing the subject back to Annecy.

Sera, Gautier, and I had grown up in the lakeside city, and even two centuries ago it had been a tourist attraction. It was nothing compared to what it’d turned into, however. The quiet town had blossomed into a beautiful resort city with more hotels and restaurants than anyone could really count. The peaceful city of my childhood was busier and more crowded than ever, but still held the charm and wonder from before. It had expanded across the valley, around the lake, everywhere it hadn’t been while I was still growing up.

Our old neighborhood had been destroyed when we had been evacuated, and since built over. That was blatantly visible even as you drove along the mountain into the city. I had held onto hope that our homes had survived, but there had never been any chance. So, the short lived dream of returning to my family’s home was gone, but Dings and I had managed to find somewhere just as good. It was near the local schools that had been built while we were underground, and honestly not that far from the edge of my old neighborhood. The old diner would have been within walking distance if I would have gathered the nerve to go see if it were still there.

We’d settled into our new home easily, using the gold we had from our respective jobs Underground, trading it for human money. A human banker with a bit too much greed in his eyes for my tastes helped us out, and got the job done despite my dislike of him. Between Dings and myself we had more than enough funds to settle into a home and begin establishing ourselves on the surface. While Dings was still recovering from what we’d called “void sickness,” I’d taken a job at a nearby restaurant, just as a line cook, to keep income flowing and get some roots dug back into Annecy. Even though it bothered him, I’d told Dings that I wasn’t expecting him to work at all until he’d recovered, and I was prepared to take care of everything. He had a hard time taking that, he hated being dormant so very much. But with his legs literally not working, there wasn’t really anything he could do. Luckily, Q had the brilliant suggestion of him doing a few courses online to get Dings on track to becoming a teacher.

We’d discussed it - him signing and me hoarsely translating to a slightly drunk bird - before even moving to France, and Dings had decided he no longer wanted to be the Royal Scientist, but he did want to remain in the field. The happiest medium for him ended up being a teaching position, and he lit up at the prospect once Q suggested it. As for me, I don’t really know how to do anything outside of a kitchen, so I was perfectly fine staying in one. I was good at it, comfortable with it, so I went ahead and got the certifications and training I was asked to and went right back to work. The only difference was I wasn’t at the bar, and the building didn’t have my name on it. Having been in the business for so, so long, I shook my head at a lot of the things the other chefs did, but it wasn’t my place to say anything as an entry level line cook.

We managed like this for a year or two, Dings tapping away at his essays and reports while I snoozed away in my chair after the dinner service. The same year Dings finished his courses was the year I proposed to him, and we got married not long after. That’s a story I’m happy to tell, but after I finish this one. 

We’d been in Annecy for roughly two and a half years at the time, and that was when I finally worked up the courage to drive through our old neighborhood to see what had become of it. All the streets remained, the physical layout of the neighborhood had not changed. The buildings had, though, of course. Driving past where my family’s home used to sit, especially wearing Gautier’s coat while doing it, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. Sera had decided to stay in Austria as well and continue her work as a translator, so she wasn’t able to make this little journey with me. That made it all the harder.

I paused in front of the lot our house used to sit on long enough for the fact the building I was staring at wasn’t my old home to sink in, then restarted my car and headed down an all too familiar path. Even now, so many years later, I’m still not entirely sure why I took the one turn that would take me to the diner and not home to Dings, but I’m still completely fine with that split second decision. Taking a left instead of a right after sitting at the corner for a good three minutes, I held my breath.

It’s not there, there’s no way, there is not any way, no chance. My thoughts went on in that loop, and I pulled over across the street from the diner’s lot. I couldn’t look to my right, I could not. I stayed inside the car and stared out the passenger side window, out towards a building I had never seen, one that had been built while I was Underground. I may have sat there for at least fifteen minutes before a text message brought me out of my thoughts and I finally shook myself out of it. Glancing at my phone quickly, I answered Q’s query as to when I’d be home then finally looked up. 

What I found was a low brick building, standing the middle of the parking lot, a few people coming out of the door holding to-go boxes.

It’s still here.

I stared in awe, watching customers move around and be seated, eat with their families, just in general be happy and enjoy their meals. It was like nothing had changed besides the parking lot and the clothes the customers were wearing. I couldn’t be completely sure until I got a closer look, but it even looked like the staff was wearing the same or similar uniforms. I couldn’t stop a laugh at that, and so I put a hand over my mouth to catch it. Silly of me, now that I think about it, since I was alone in my car.

It took a few more minutes for me to do it, but I gathered up the courage and got out of the car, quickly darting across the street to the edge of the parking lot and staring at the building I’d practically lived in for nearly 30 years. I don’t think I breathed.

I can’t believe it’s still standing so many years later. I always just assumed we had lost everything. It always seemed like the most logical explanation given what all had happened. 

I was startled out of my thoughts by a car pulling into one of the parking spaces next to me, and shuffled out of the way to let the mother of the family open her door. Over the years we’d been on the surface, I’d gotten used to dirty looks and barely lowered voices offering up snide remarks and comments, so I was surprised when all she did was give me a friendly smile and move to release her child from their carseat. I offered a much shyer one back and took a breath before finally heading into the building. The door had been replaced however long ago, to keep up with security and other technological advances, but it was roughly the same weight and still swung the same way. It felt just like walking in decades, centuries ago. Almost like traveling in time. It was strange, but also pleasant. I had been working in the diner Underground for 200 years, it wasn’t as if I had been out of the industry. But walking into this diner, this building that I had grown up in, was an entirely different experience. 

So many memories came flooding back as I slipped in and looked around. Not much had changed on the inside either, besides obvious technological upgrades and ways to improve safety. The bar and dining room layout was the same, new tables and chairs of course, but everything was more or less in the same place. Even the color scheme had remained, but obviously been repainted. I guess the design my mother had come up with had stood the test of time. I stood for a moment inside the door until the hostess caught my attention.

“Ah… heh, excuse me, sir? Are you looking for someone?” She sounded a bit timid, but I couldn’t blame her. I was likely one of the only monsters she had ever seen up close. And I was, in fact, a walking flame. Even some monsters drew away from me still.

“Oh, no, apologies.” I slid out from in front of the door, making room for the family that had pulled into the parking lot. Luckily they already had people waiting for them, and I could keep the hostess’ attention. “I haven’t been here in a very long time, I thought I should come and see how things have changed.” 

When she tilted her head and furrowed her brow at me, I was suddenly and blatantly reminded of my accent and how it was bordering on three centuries old, and therefore not exactly easy to understand, even when we spoke the same language. With an apology, I spoke a little slower and she grinned back with a nod. 

“Ah! I see! How long has it been, monsieur?” She leaned on the host stand, grinning wide, and I  grinned back. It didn’t really matter if the friendliness was just for show, seeing two humans smile instead of withdraw in fear was a huge boost to my mood.

“Oh, heh, well…” my hand went to my headflames and I gave up calculating the exact number very quickly. “About two hundred years, honestly.” Blue streaked into my headflames at her reaction, wide eyes and jaw dropped.

“What? There’s no way, none! How old are you?” Her voice had raised half an octave and she was speaking faster, it was impossible to hold back a chuckle. 

“Heh, I’m bordering on three hundred now. Getting up there.” I glanced down, blue gathering into my headflames once more as my hand slid to the back of my neck. If the hostess’ eyes could have gotten bigger, they would have.

“That’s amazing! You’re totally the oldest person I’ve ever met!”

“Oh heavens. I can’t say I’m surprised.” The bell on the door chimed and I slid out of the way as the hostess regathered her composure to greet and seat the newcomers after a quick apologetic glance my way. I waved her on and decided to make my way over to the bar and find an empty stool. It seemed I’d come in the middle of a weekend rush, those odd ones in the middle of the afternoon when everyone got bored at home and decided that a diner was more interesting than a book or the radio. Or, well, I suppose the television or computer these days. Upon sitting at the bar, I was greeted with a friendly shout over the bartender’s shoulder.

“Sorry, one minute sir! I’ll be right with you!” He called over the sound of the blender, shooting a quick glance at me with a wide grin.

“No worries friend, I see it’s busy.” He grinned once more, thankfully, and returned to his blending. I settled on the stool, folding my hands together and resting my arms on the counter. The mirror behind the bar still existed, the shelves had been replaced with metal ones, but considering the length of time that had passed, that was unsurprising. I wouldn’t doubt it in the slightest if the wood had literally rotted away. It hadn’t exactly been new by the time we’d left it.

“Alright, bonjour, what can I do for you today Monsieur de Feu?” The bartender appeared in my vision as I glanced up, he was grinning away, obviously trying not to stare but failing at it. With a gentle chuckle I grinned back, speaking slower than normal since my accent had already confused the hostess.

“Bonjour, I was actually wondering if the owner was available? I would like to ask them some questions.”

The bartender furrowed his brow at me for a moment, and assuming it was over my request, I continued.

“You see, I used to work here, ages ago. I’d like to discuss the history-” “Oh, sir, of course, he will be glad to speak with you.” He waved his hand and picked up a glass to polish it. I held back a smirk of amusement, that was my go-to when speaking to customers. “I was just focusing on your accent, are you Canadian?” He glanced up and I blinked in confused for a moment, then laughed. “Oh, no, I am French, I was born here in Annecy. I was part of the group that was, ah… Underground.” My hand lifted to rub through my flames. It was hard to talk about what all had happened, you had no idea how anyone was going to react. A friendly smile could turn to a glare with just those words. Humans, it seemed, tended to hold grudges for things they hadn’t even personally been through. We were lucky there weren’t any humans still alive from the war. Thankfully the bartender just nodded and went back to polishing his glassware. 

“The owner is indeed here, he will likely be out in a moment to tell me to go take my break and that I’m working too hard.” He smirked softly, fondly, and looked back towards the kitchen as someone started laughing. It was a loud, booming, pure delight of a laugh and I couldn’t help but be reminded of my own father since that had been his laugh as well.

With an amused grin, I turned back to the bartender, “I know the feeling. My father was the same way.” “Well I like him already.” The bartender grinned, and looked back up as a figure came into view. He was about as tall as my eldest son, but much more round. His jovial voice betrayed the gruff demeanor that his bushy mustache and eyebrows gave off, and once he turned my way his large grin spread. Coming over, he clapped his bartender on the back in a familiar, fatherly way. “You’re working too hard. Get out of here, you’re overdue for your break.”

The bartender gave me a ‘see, I told you so’ smirk and nodded at his boss. “Oui, chef. I’ll take my ten.” He moved to put his rag and the glass he’d been polishing down, but the owner pulled both out of his hands and shooed him away. “Hah, alright, alright, I’m out!” The bartender held his hands up in surrender, nodding to me once more before slipping back into the kitchen.

“So what brings the husband of the Royal Scientist into my diner?” His grin was pleased but a bit shy, and to say I was shocked would have been an understatement. My face must have betrayed my bewilderment because the man started laughing and set the glass down. “You and your husband were all over the newspapers when that barrier broke, alongside the Royal Family. You’d be surprised how many people know your face.” “Heh, well, you’re right about that. I didn’t realize those pictures had gotten published. And, heavens, we weren’t even engaged back then. How did you kn- oh! That damn bird of mine put an announcement in the paper, that’s right.” I shook my head at the memory, Q laughing up a storm once I’d realized what they’d done. The owner chuckled, nodding.

“That ‘damn bird’ gave us a nice peek into the fact monsters are just like us. Helped… humanize? You lot a little more. For lack of better term, apologies.” “Ah no worries, I understand what you mean. Made us seem more real and not some scary story mothers use to make their children behave.” I chuckled and clasped my hands on the bar, leaning on my elbows. The owner had a slightly stricken look, and looked like he was worried he’d said something wrong, so I grinned. “All I mean is I’ve heard the stories people tell about Mt Ebbot. Frisk sat in my bar and told me all of them once when they were waiting for their mother to pick them up.” Another gentle grin and the owner calmed, returned it, and crossed his arms to lean against the back bar. The action was once again so reminiscent of my father and even myself that I cracked another grin.

“So what brings you into the littlest part of Annecy, sir?” “Well, actually…” I lifted a hand to rub through my flames, masking the bit of blue trying to peek through them. “My father used to own this diner. Back in…” I squinted into the liquor bottles, calculating years and time periods. “Up until 1915, when the war started.” I moved my gaze back to the owner, shyly, I didn’t know how he would react. But surprise of all surprises, he was grinning as if he had a secret.

“I knew your face looked familiar for reasons other than the newspaper.” He shoved off the bar and motioned for me to follow him. “I would love to show you what the first owners after your family found when they came in to clean the place up.”

I furrowed my brow and moved to stand, pausing next to the stool briefly. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to interrupt the dinner prep…” The owner laughed and waved me on again, so I smirked and followed him back to his little office. It looked much the same as it had two hundred years ago, with the addition of a computer and other updated electronics. “When the next owners were cleaning out the bar area, there were a lot of photographs stuck to the lower part of the mirror.” My eyes widened at the mention of the photographs, of course! It had been so long since I had thought of them! Even before the war they had been there long enough that they had become a part of the background, never thought about but always appreciated. When I broke out of my brief sentimental moment, the owner had set down an incredibly old box, almost as old as I was. I grinned and recognized it as one from the shoe store that had been in town ages upon ages ago. It had been taped and re-labeled a few times but it was unmistakable. 

“Oh, wow. Good heavens. What a relic.” I sat in the chair across from him at his motion, reaching for the box then pausing. “Oh, may I?”

“Hah of course! If I’m right, everything in it belongs to your family anyways.” He sat back in his chair with the most jovial grin, folding his hands over his stomach and nodding me along.

With another quick grin I pulled the box to my lap, lifting the lid gently, holding my breath before peeking under it. All my breath went out in shock.

On the very top of the short stack of photos, was one from the day Gautier had been shipped out to his location. My brother, in full uniform, looking away from the camera with a soft forlorn expression, taking in the little city he’d lived in all his life. 

“Oh… heavens…” “Is that someone you know?” The owner leaned over curiously and I turned the photo for him to see, a sad smile stretching on his face.. “It’s. My brother. I haven’t… I haven’t seen his face in two hundred years. And here it is, perfectly preserved.” Turning it back into my line of sight, I shook my head. “I honestly thought I would never see him or anything concerning him ever again.” I smirked, that was a bit of a lie since I still had his coat and wore it regularly, but it had become far more mine than his over the centuries.

“Well the family resemblance is definitely there, you two could be twins.” His smile was honestly infectious and it brought my own grin back.

“Oh, the resemblance between him and my sister is even more, they have the same color flames. It’s amazing how many times people thought those two were twins despite the height difference.” I set the picture of Gautier down with a chuckle, pushing aside a few bits of old paperwork that I’d take a better look at later. Underneath them, I grinned at another photo of Gautier, but this time surrounded by Sera and Mama. Pere had a photo of her in his wallet when we lost everything in the war, so her face had never left my memory. Seeing her with her children, however, was entirely different.

“Is that your family as well?” The owner’s voice jolted me out of my quiet reverie, and I looked up with a grin and quiet nod. “It’s my mother.” I turned that photo to him as well.

“Oh, you absolutely are her son.”

“Hah! I’ve heard that a lot.” I chuckled, setting that photo down as well. “I’m sure, the resemblance is uncan-” His attention shifted as his office door creaked open, the hostess’ head peeking around it.

“Pardon, chef, they need your help in the kitchen.” She looked as if she were holding back a laugh, and the owner smirked back. “Roland says it’s important.” 

“Oh, I’m sure he does, he always does. I’ll be there in a moment.” He nodded and the host trotted off away from the office, ready to absorb whatever drama was about to happen. The owner turned back to me with the same smirk and pushed out of his chair. “I had better go see what all the hubbub is about. Feel free to stay in here, everything in that box belongs to you and any other members of your family.” “Oh, thank you sir. That’s so kind of you. I won’t invade your space for long.” He laughed and waved my comment off as he walked out of the office.

“Don’t worry about it at all. If you wanted to, I’m sure you could find the paperwork to kick me out of here. So I had better stay on your good side.” His tone and grin assured me he was friendly and teasing, so the blue that flooded my flames dissipated quickly and I let my nerves out in a chuckle, relaxing back into the chair. I was left to poke through the shoe box, finding more photos of my family along with other bits of paperwork and trinkets I hadn’t thought about in ages. The wooden keychain that had held the spare keys was in the box, the keys obviously gone and likely replaced. Small toys left behind from customers’ children had been gathered into it as well, things from the era that belonged to my family but not to us. Goodness these are probably worth a fortune by now...

I heard uproarious laughter coming from down the hall, the kitchen, and I assumed it meant whatever drama had happened had been absolved. With a soft smirk, I started to gather everything back into the box, pausing as my phone buzzed in my pocket.

[When will you be home, my light?] It was from Dings, and I melted a bit at the mental image of him pouting at his phone because he didn’t know where I was. He was so adorable.

[I’m not sure, I’m finishing something up and then I need to stop by the store and also pick up Brelle, I’m asking her over for dinner tonight and Sera may be coming into town tomorrow as well.] I’d decided while texting him back that the other people in the photos needed to see them as well, so I’d call Sera on my way home and just swing by the Diva’s house as I went past it.

[Oh, alright, I’ll make sure we have a clean plate for her, and get the spare bed ready for Sera. Please be swift. I miss you.] The shyness was still so blatant in Dings’ messages, even after being married for this long, and I chuckled at it. He had always been shy but to watch him slowly work out of it was a treat and a blessing.

[As fast as I can, Dings darling. Have no fear. I’m bringing home a surprise too.] I finished off that text and pushed my phone back into my pocket, setting the lid on the box and tucking it under my arm. As I went to leave the office, the owner was coming back down the hall, and I waved at him.

“Ah, all done looking?”

“For now, I’m going to take it home and have my sister look through it as well.” “Wonderful! Bring your whole family in for dinner this weekend, I bet they’d love it.” “I’m sure they would!” I laughed lightly, imagining Sera and Brelle once more bickering across a table next to the window. “Oh I’m sure they would.” I paused, rubbing the back of my neck briefly, then looked up at the owner. “Say… you... wouldn’t happen to need a chef or a bartender... would you?” His grin could have lit a bonfire. “You know I think we just might.”

=========================

Hours later, after dinner and dessert and an impromptu performance of the aria from Phantom of the Opera from a ever so slightly drunk Brelle, I set the box in her lap without a word.

“My darling what is this? Did you dig up a two hundred year old pair of shoes for me?” Her chuckle was light and she pressed her fingers to her lips to muffle the hiccup that came after it. Perhaps more than slightly drunk. The moment she lifted the lid and saw the picture of Gautier I’d settled back on top, however, her eyes filled with tears. “Oh… Grillbert where did you… oh where was this oh my goodness….” The rest of the box was forgotten, set on the floor as she tenderly picked up the photo and held it up, her other hand still pressed to her mouth.

I grinned from my spot on the couch next to a similarly grinning Dings, I’d shown him the box already once I’d gotten home so he knew my plan. “Well. I went to the diner today.” Brelle looked up with a snap of her flames, eyes still teary but suddenly alert.

“It still stands!? Oh! Oh my heavens! I never even thought of looking, I never thought it would still be there since the rest of the neighborhood got burned, I always figured it was gone forever and we would nev-”

“Breathe, diva.” Dings’ voice was soft, as was the chuckle that followed, and Brelle shot him the softest glare I have ever seen in my life. 

“The diner still stands.” I leaned my head gently against Dings’ as Brelle stood and held the photo closer to the overhead light, squinting at it. 

“Oh he is still as handsome as ever.” She sighed, wistfully, longingly, and my soul sunk just a little with the sound. Brelle may have been mine and Sera’s best friend, but given the chance she would have leapt like the ballerina she was to be Gautier’s loving and devoted wife. “Oh how I wish it weren’t... just a photograph...” I nodded, closing my eyes for a moment.

“A photograph is far more than we had before.” Dings spoke once more, nuzzling against my cheek softly, and when I looked down he was smiling gently at Brelle.

“You are right, my Wingding, you are right.” Brelle hummed in thought and went back to the box, kneeling beside it on the floor to pick through the other photos, giggling at one of her and Sera. “Oh, I cannot wait until Sera sees these. She is coming in tomorrow, oui?” “She’s going to try. She’s very frustrated that I won’t spoil the surprise for her and am just forcing her onto an overnight train, but she apparently loves Dings enough to come see him.” I laughed as I remembered the phone call, Sera making sure I knew that she would never have done this if it had been just me and Brelle, but Dings made it a special case.

“I’m so flattered.” Dings chuckled against my shoulder.

“And I’m so hurt, wounded in fact. I will have to lament to her tomorrow.” Brelle made a face as she pulled another picture out of the box, tossing it to me. “Destroy that one. I do not care how.” Picking it up from the spot on the floor where it’d fell, I made the same face. It was a group shot from Brelle and I’s theatre days, almost our entire troupe. Most of the people in it we were still on good terms with. At least, those we knew were still alive. There was one person in it that we weren’t, and we had no idea what had happened to him.  “Oh, ew.” 

“Oui, ew. Get rid of his face.” “Who is it, my light?” Dings leaned over my shoulder to peek at the photo and I turned it to him, pointing to the flame near Brelle and I in it. 

“Reule.” “Yes, Reule! Get rid of him. He does not deserve to be with the rest of these happy memories.” Brelle hadn’t taken her eyes off the things she was sorting through, and I noticed the picture of Gautier had been set safely away on the chair.

“Haha, as my diva commands.” I handed the picture to Dings as he reached for it, leaning back against the couch. Dings squinted at the photo and nestled against my side.

“Reule? Should I know about him?” “Hm, no, likely not. That’s not a nice story. Is it alright if I tell you later? Unless you want to see Brelle angrier than ever before.” I grinned up at her then ducked behind Dings’ skull as she shot me a glare.

“Save it for later then, let her sort through the happy pictures.” He tossed the picture lightly onto the end table, out of Brelle’s sight, and rested his head on my shoulder. “Are there any of Yves? I have the one I took Underground, that’s the only one we’ve ever had.” “Ah yes, yes, so many of dear Yves. Plenty of sweet Lara as well. Darling woman, goddess Lara.” Brelle flicked through the photos and pulled one out of my parents together, one Gautier had sneakily taken of them with their heads together and quietly whispering. 

“Oh, heavens, how lovely.” Dings grinned and reached for it, curling back to my side with it. I rested my head on his to look at it better.

“Gautier got in trouble for that, until Mama convinced Pere that it was a wonderful moment and should have been captured.”

“Gautier was right.” Dings nodded, setting the photo back into Brelle’s outstretched hand. It seemed she was in the process of sorting them by subject. Family pictures here, solo pictures there, pictures of Pere and Mama over here.

“He was right about everything.” “Pff, Brelle, your hero worship has not ended.” “Oh, well excuse me my darling, for believing in a man who protected his neighborhood while others ran scared.” She flipped her flames back, huffing and glaring briefly in my direction before turning her attention to the paperwork in the box.

“Gautier protected your neighborhood?” Dings asked quietly, and I nodded. “He saved me and Sera from some guards and a mage. The firewall he created held off a good number of the forces even after we got away. That’s what Sera told me, at least. I was unconscious at that point.” 

“Perhaps Brelle’s hero worship is well placed then.” Dings grinned, chuckling softly.

“It is! See, Grillbert, this is why we want to talk to your husband more than you.” Brelle swept the photos together without ruining her sorting and deposited them back in the box, standing to bring the paperwork over to me.

“Oh, perhaps I’ll just go to sleep for the night then.” I grinned up at her and shifted as she flopped down on the couch against my other side. 

“You shall not. You shall read that paperwork and see if any bit of it is the deed to the diner.” 

“Oh that’s likely still there, in the safe. They’d need the deed to give it to new owners over two hundred years.” “Oh! Fine! The original sale then! Anything to get the diner back under the Chaleureux name.” 

“That isn’t a bad idea, really. Owning a diner or bar is what you’re used to. You said you didn’t really want anything else.” Dings had taken the first paper out of the stack from me and was looking it over, squinting at the French he was slowly learning.

“Well, I did ask the owner if he needed any help.” “What did he say? Are you going to go back to your home, my darling?” Brelle looked at me from where her head rested on my shoulder, and I ruffled her headflames.

“I am. He needs some help in the kitchen and at the bar, and since I’m used to doing everything on my own, I think I can handle it.”

“Oh how lovely. Back where you belong.” Brelle was smoothing her flames out and grinning, and when I looked over at Dings I was rewarded with his own soft grin.

“Right back where you belong.”

“With you.” I whispered. Dings’ blush made me grin, and I slid my hand in his to lift and kiss his knuckles softly. “Oooooh heavens.” Brelle giggled on my other side, and Dings covered his now purple face with a laugh. “You two are cavity inducing, far too sweet.” She pushed herself off the couch and strode over to the kitchen, picking up the wine bottle where she’d left it. “I am going to drink the rest of this wine if you do not stop me.” “By all means, diva, finish it off. Stay here tonight and greet Sera when you arise from your beauty sleep.” 

“I shall then.” “Hehe, you’re more than welcome anytime, Brelle.” Dings leaned forward to kiss between my eyes softly, then stood himself, leaning against the couch and making his way to the kitchen much more slowly than Brelle had. His legs had been working again, for awhile now, but he was still being careful just in case. “Pour me a glass too, won’t you?”

“Oui, mon chérie, oui. Pour vous.” 

I chuckled and settled back down on the couch, paging through the paperwork Brelle had handed me. A few bills, likely unpaid, forever unpaid, and a list of tabs from the week before the war. Also likely unpaid. I smirked at the thought and flipped through a few more pages, finally settling on one and squinting at it. 

“Huh, I… guess I was wrong.” “What’s that, my darling?” Brelle called, and when I looked over the couch I saw them both looking at me curiously.

“The deed was in the box.” I held it up, and Brelle laughed and pointed at it.

“I told you! You have to go claim the building now!” Brelle’s triumphant laughter spread to Dings and he started giggling into his wine. I smirked and looked back at the paper.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to talk about it…”

[cartoonbabbles]

UNHINGED CONSPIRACY BABBLE TIME

The one ding dang time my account's name is accurate. Spoilers for Inside Job Parts 1 and 2 below the cut.

So... that finale broke my heart, soul, and brain. Just like the good old days of Amphibia, but that's not important. Because here we finally get to see Reagan take control of Cognito and start doing things her way. Hashtag girlboss. BUT. There is one teeny tiny little detail from the end of Part 2 Episode 8 that we all saw... the Robes saying "she's only human." And while that may appear true for now, let's think about this a little more.

Clearly, the show is setting up at least one more season, where we'll likely figure out the origin of the Robes and the ancient magic they use, all that blibber blabber. But more importantly, Reagan is going to stop whatever they have planned, because it's kind of obvious they're being set up as either the big bads or the big bads who team up with the protags when the true final boss shows up. But I digress.

"She's only human."

That line kinda flew over my head the first time I saw the season finale because I was too busy being sad about Stadler, but we'll get to him in a future post maybe. But rewatching it, and having seen the intro a few more times, I'm starting to get the feeling the Robes might be wrong.

We already know Reagan's origins are a little fucked up at least. Rand messed with her DNA, and her memories, she had a pretty abnormal childhood, but we've only seen snippets. Her in elementary school, the prom, and then suddenly Cognito. There's a whole lot of stuff we still don't know about our main protag, and I don't just say this as someone filling out a wiki. I mean there's some dead giveaway in her past that the show isn't giving out just yet. Some detail so mind blowing, it's hidden in plain sight.

Reagan Ridley is not Rand's daughter. Or Tamiko's daughter.

Or anyone's daughter.

Reagan Ridley is not human, and it's been flying under everyone's radar since episode one. Don't believe me? Keep reading.

In the intro, we see an edit of clips briefly giving some context to each of the crew at Cognito. Rand is a drunk, Andre is a doctor, Glenn gets surgery, even Alpha Beta being the robot president. And each of these points gets addressed in the show to some degree. Except for one.

Aside from all the side characters and flashy visuals, one part of the sequence stood out to me, because it hasn't been addressed yet. Reagan's.

In Reagan's sequence, her face opens Fnaf-style to reveal an even smaller Reagan piloting her. And while I'd say symbolism is a really strong suit of the show, and that it's more than likely a Men in Black reference, the rest of the intro is too blatant about future plot points to not be taken seriously. Even the flat earth was there!

So where does this put Reagan? It's likely she's not what she seems, and I could be reaching here but her robot pinkie, and association with robotic limbs and partners could be hints at something. We just don't know what. Or do we?

Let's head back to Part 2 Episode 8 shall we?

In addition to that one odd line, there's a flashback sequence where the Robes explain the simple meaning behind their origin. Humans dumb, some were smart, smart ones became the Robes. But the smart one in their flashback bore a striking resemblance to Reagan. Someone who parallels her exact motives of protecting humanity from itself, no matter the moral conundrums.

And right after that, Reagan asks if she can take a peek under the Robes, and asks if they're "even human." Interesting, to say the least.

All this being said, I can't make a solid prediction as to how or why or even what kind of nonhuman Reagan is, I can only rule out she's not human, or any of the other major races in the show. Potentially a robot, but the whole Robes thing puts a wrench in it. I'm predicting that Part 3, if and when it comes out, will start making things more and more clear that Reagan's connection to the robes goes a lot deeper than you'd think at first.

Or maybe she's a robot who can drink alcohol. Or is just a normal human. Any answer can happen in the show.

[sofiamantegafan110]

NEW X-MEN EPISODE 6

EPISODE 6: LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO, PART 1

WE OPEN UP ON A YOUNG, TEN-YEAR-OLD LAURA, DRESSED IN A BLACK COMBAT SUIT INSIDE A COMPLETELY WHITE ROOM. SHE HUGS HER KNEES, RESTING HER HEAD AGAINST THE WALL. SUDDENLY, THE DOOR OPENS AND A FEMALE VOICE TELLS HER TO GET UP. HER FIRST MISSION STARTS NOW.

WE THEN CUT TO THE ELECTION OF SENATOR GREG JOHNSON. AS HE POSES WITH HIS FAMILY FOR PICTURES, A YOUNG DISABLED GIRL ASKS TO HAVE A PICTURE TAKEN WITH HIM. SENATOR JOHNSON NODS, AND ALLOWS THE GIRL TO BE IN THE NEXT PICTURE. THE PHOTOGRAPHER READIES THE CAMERA.

AS RAPID SHOTS ARE TAKEN, WE CUT IN AND OUT AS LAURA’S CLAWS ARE UNSHEATHED, AND SHE MASSACRES THE SENATOR, HIS FAMILY, AND ALL BYSTANDERS.

IN THE PRESENT, LAURA AWAKENS FROM HER NIGHTMARE, BREATHING HEAVILY. SHE LOOKS OVER AT A SLEEPING SOORAYA BEFORE TURNING TO LOOK OUT THE WINDOW. AFTER CONFIRMING THAT IT WAS JUST A DREAM, SHE FALLS BACK ASLEEP.

MEANWHILE, ON A HILL OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL, LAURA IS BEING WATCHED BY BINOCULARS. WE THEN CUT OVER TO A PAIR OF LIPS, CURLING INTO A WICKED SMILE.

VOICE: I HAVE YOU NOW, X-23. NOWHERE TO HIDE. I’M COMING FOR YOU…

CUE INTRO AND CREDITS.

WE NOW CUT OVER TO LAURA ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD AS SHE JUMPS OVER SEVERAL BOYS ON THE OPPOSING TEAM BEFORE SCORING A TOUCHDOWN. JULIAN CONGRATULATES HER, SAYING THAT IF SHE KEEPS THAT UP, THEY COULD BEAT THE BRADDOCK ACADEMY IN THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. LAURA SMILES AND THANKS HIM AS SANTO TALKS ABOUT HOW STOKED HE IS TO GO TO JAY’S HOUSE FOR THANKSGIVING. JULIAN NODS, SAYING THAT HE USUALLY HAS THANKSGIVING WITH HIS FAMILY, BUT HE WANTS TO SEE HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES.

LAURA: YES. I SUPPOSE IT COULD BE EXCITING.

SANTO: THAT’S THE SPIRIT!

AS THE TRIO WALK OUT THE LOCKER ROOM, CLARICE AND JAY APPROACH THEM, ASKING IF THEY HAVE ALL THEIR BAGS PACKED. THEY NOD, AND JAY SAYS THAT HIS SISTER, MELODY, WILL BE BRINGING HER SQUAD OVER TOO. LAURA IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE GOING ALONG, BUT CLARICE TELLS HER NOT TO WORRY. IT’S GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN.

AS THEY TALK, THE GROUP ENTERS THE GYM AS THE CHEERLEADERS PERFECT THEIR ROUTINE TO CARLY RAE JEPSIN’S ‘CUT TO THE FEELING’. AS THE SONG ENDS, SOFIA SAYS THAT THEY ALL DID A GREAT JOB AND SHE’LL SEE THEM AFTER THANKSGIVING BREAK. CLARICE BLUSHES WHILE JAY COMMENTS THAT SOFIA’S TAKING HER JOB AS THE NEW TEAM CAPTAIN VERY SERIOUSLY.

SOFIA AND CESSILY THEN WALK OVER TO THEM AND CLARICE COMPLIMENTS THE ROUTINE. SOFIA THANKS HER, GIVING HER A KISS ON THE CHEEK. SANTO STATES HOW GLAD HE IS THAT THEY’RE FINALLY DATING. NOW THINGS WON’T BE SO AWKWARD BETWEEN THEM. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY, HE ASKS CLARICE HOW GOOD SOFIA IS IN BED, AND SHE PUNCHES HIS ARM.

CLARICE: YUP. IT MAKES US WONDER IF SOME OF OUR OTHER TEAMMATES ARE GONNA GET TOGETHER…

SHE LOOKS OVER AT LAURA AND JULIAN AS SHE SAYS IT, WINKING AT LAURA. CESSILY BLOWS A KISS TO ROXY AS SHE LEAVES THE GYM AND TELLS THEM THAT THEY SHOULD GET THEIR STUFF. DANI SHOULD BE THERE WITH THE RV IN TEN MINUTES. THEY NOD, AND HEAD OVER TO THEIR DORMS.

LATER, THE NEW MUTANTS WAIT IN THE PARKING LOT WITH THEIR BAGS AS DANI ARRIVES IN AN RV. SHE ASKS IF THEY’RE READY FOR THEIR FIRST EVER TRIP AS A TEAM. THE GROUP CLAMORS INTO THE VAN AND DANI DRIVES OFF. SANTO IMMEDIATELY ASKS IF ANYONE PACKED ANY WING-DINGS, AND CLARICE ASKS HIM WHY HE COULDN’T JUST GET THEM HIMSELF.

A FEW MINUTES LATER, CESSILY IS IN THE PROCESS OF TALKING ABOUT HER DATE WITH ROXY THE PREVIOUS WEEKEND. THEY WENT TO A NICE CLUB, DANCED, HAD SOME DRINKS, AND THEN ROXY ASKED IF THEY WERE ACTUALLY GIRLFRIENDS, WHICH CESSILY SAID YES TO. JULIAN SIGHS, TELLING HER TO STOP FLAUNTING HER CASUAL LESBIANISM. IT’S A BIT UPSETTING THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO FIND A GIRLFRIEND BEFORE HE COULD.

DANI: YOU CAN’T RUSH THIS, JULIAN. THERE’S A GIRL FOR YOU, SOMEWHERE. YOU JUST NEED TO FIND THAT PERFECT MOMENT.

SOFIA: THAT’S RIGHT. CLARICE AND I WAITED UNTIL THE DANCE TO CONFESS OUR FEELINGS AND THAT TURNED OUT WELL. I MEAN, NO OFFENSE. I KNOW THAT WAS ROUGH FOR YOU.

JULIAN TELLS HER THAT IT’S COOL. HE’S OVER HER. CLARICE IMMEDIATELY ASKS HIM IF HER GIRLFRIEND ISN’T PRETTY ENOUGH FOR HIS STANDARDS ANYMORE, AND JULIAN LAUGHS, SAYING THAT HE’S NOT HOMOPHOBIC. HE JUST KNOWS THAT THEY’RE DATING NOW AND HE’S COOL WITH THAT. AFTER WHAT HAPPENED WITH MONET, HE’S NOT GOING TO TAKE LOVE FOR GRANTED.

CESSILY STATES HER SYMPATHY FOR MONET. AFTER WHAT HAPPENED, SHE GOT A BIT OF A BAD REPUTATION. MAYBE SHE TRIED TO BE FRIENDLY TO HER, THINGS WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT. JAY LOOKS AT HIS PHONE AND SAYS THAT MELODY AND HER SQUAD ARE ALREADY THERE, BEFORE TELLING DANI TO MAKE A LEFT TURN.

SOFIA: ANYWAYS, NOT TO RAT OUT MY BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND, BUT CLARICE FERGUSON IS A BIG SOFTIE.

CESSILY: AWWWWW!

CLARICE: AM NOT!

SOFIA: NOT TO RAT OUT MY BEAUTIFUL GIRLFRIEND PART TWO, BUT CLARICE FERGUSON DECORATED MY LOCKER WITH FLOWERS THAT SHE STOLE FROM LIN LI’S GREENHOUSE.

SANTO: HAHA! CLARICE IS EMBAWASSED!

SOFIA: LOVE YOU.

CLARICE: SOFIA!

CESSILY: AWWW, DID YOUR GIWLFWIEND EMBAWASS YOU, CLARICE?

SOFIA: AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHY HAVEN’T YOU SAID YOU WOVE ME BACK?

CLARICE: *SIGH* I LOVE YOU TOO.

CESSILY: HAHA! I LOVE MY MOMS! LET THEM MARRY!

SOFIA STARES AT THEM, ASKING SINCE WHEN DOES SHE HAVE CHILDREN. CLARICE IMMEDIATELY ASKS SINCE WHEN IS SHE A PARENTAL FIGURE. THERE IS NOTHING PARENTAL ABOUT HER. JULIAN SAYS THAT CLARICE IS THE ORDERLY PARENT WHO PRETENDS SHE DOESN’T CARE BUT DEFINITELY DOES.

JAY: CASE IN POINT; “JAY, IF YOU DON’T MAKE SURE THAT PLATE GOES IN THE DISHWASHER, I WILL CRACK IT ON YOUR SKULL, FOOD AND ALL.”

CESSILY: “CESSILY, IF YOU DON’T STOP WRESTLING WITH SANTO, YOU WILL BREAK YOUR HEAD AND I WON’T WASTE THE TIME TO TAKE YOU TO THE INFIRMARY.”

JULIAN: “DID SANTO GET LOST IN THE FUCKING HEDGE MAZE AGAIN? JESUS, I’M GONNA HUNT HIM DOWN WITH A SLEDGEHAMMER.”

SANTO: “PICK UP THOSE DIRTY SOCKS. IT’S STARTING TO SMELL LIKE AN ACTUAL LOCKER ROOM IN HERE.”

CLARICE STARES AT THEM WITH MURDEROUS INTENT.

JAY: AND SOFIA IS OBVIOUSLY THE NURTURING AND MORE LENIENT PARENT. SHE’S ALWAYS BAKING, COOKING, AND/OR CLEANING.

CESSILY: “TAKE A JACKET BEFORE YOU HEAD OUTSIDE. IT’S PRETTY COLD.”

SANTO: TWO DAYS AGO, SHE ASKED ME IF I’D EATEN AT ALL AND THEN SNUCK BEHIND ME WITH A SANDWICH.

CLARICE AND SOFIA STARE AT THEM.

CLARICE: HOLY SHIT, BABY. I THINK WE HAVE KIDS.

SOFIA: I NEVER IMAGINED HAVING FIVE KIDS AT SIXTEEN, BUT HERE I AM.

DANI: OKAY, YOU BUNCH OF TEENAGERS, I’M PULLING OVER. GO PEE OR GET A SNACK WHILE I FILL UP THE GAS.

AS THE GROUP STOPS AT A GAS STATION, THEY DON’T SEE A WOMAN STANDING BESIDE A TAN CHEVY PICKUP PARKED A FEW FEET AWAY. SHE HAS ON A TRENCHCOAT AND SUNGLASSES AND EXAMINES THEM ALL AS THEY EXIT THE VAN. WHEN SHE SEES LAURA, SHE SMIRKS, WATCHING HER UNSHEATHE HER CLAWS AS THE DOOR TO THE 711 SLIDES OPEN. SHE HAS HER NOW.

WE THEN BEGIN A MONTAGE OF THE NEW MUTANTS’ ROAD TRIP. THE SONG PLAYING IS ‘KISS ME MORE’ BY DOJA CAT AND SZA, A SONG THAT THE GROUP IS OCCASIONALLY SEEING SINGING ALONG WITH. AS THEY PLAY ROAD GAMES, EAT FOOD, AND TELL JOKES, THE WOMAN IN THE CHEVY IS CLOSE BEHIND THEM. AS THEY ENTER A CROWDED HIGHWAY, SHE ROLLS DOWN THE WINDOW AND TOSSES A SMALL SPHERICAL OBJECT TO THE LICENSE PLATE OF DANI’S RV. ON THE WOMAN’S CAR’S GPS, A RED DOT APPEARS, MARKING THE RV.

LATER, THE GROUP ARRIVES IN A SMALL HOUSE IN KENTUCKY. THE GROUP STEPS OUT OF THE RV AND SOFIA TAKES SOME PICTURES FOR HER INSTAGRAM. JAY IMMEDIATELY CALLS OUT THAT THE PRODIGAL SON HAS RETURNED, AND A GROUP OF CHILDREN RUSH OUT. THE YOUNGEST ARE A BROWN-HAIRED BOY AND A BLONDE GIRL WHO ARE ABOUT TEN YEARS OLD. THEY’RE FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER BROWN-HAIRED BOY AND A DARK-SKINNED BOY OF ABOUT THIRTEEN YEARS OF AGE. FOLLOWING BEHIND THEM IS A SHY FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH SHORT BROWN HAIR AND A FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH BLONDE HAIR. JAY HUGS HIS YOUNGER SIBLINGS EXCITEDLY AS HIS MOTHER WELCOMES HIM HOME.

JAY: GANG, THIS IS MY MA, LUCINDA. AND THESE ARE MY SIBLINGS, LOUIS, CISSIE, JEB, RAY JR, JOELLE, AND LIZZIE. MA, THIS IS MY SQUAD, THE NEW MUTANTS. MEET JULIAN, SANTO, CLARICE, LAURA, SOFIA, CESS, AND OUR ADVISOR, DANI.

IMMEDIATELY, A BROWN-HAIRED GIRL WALKS OUT, GREETING JAY. HE HUGS HIS FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD SISTER, MELODY, AND TELLS THE GROUP THAT THEY PROBABLY KNOW HER AS AERO, FROM THE PARAGONS. EVENTUALLY, ANOTHER GROUP OF TEENS WALK OUT. LEADING THE GROUP IS A LATINO BOY WITH GRAY SKIN, FOLLOWED BY A PALE BOY WITH DARK BANGS FLOPPING OVER ONE EYE, A BLUE-SKINNED GIRL WITH SILKY BLUE HAIR, A DARK-SKINNED GIRL WITH BUTTERFLY WINGS, A STUDENT WITH WHITE FUR AND A FELINE APPEARANCE, AND A GIRL WITH SHORT AUBURN HAIR THAT HAS BEEN DIP-DYED BLUE.

JAY: AND SPEAK OF THE DEVIL. I THINK YOU MAY KNOW THE MEMBERS OF HER SQUAD; ANGELO ESPINOSA AKA SKIN, AMASS, JENNY SPIEGEL, AKA MIRROR GIRL, AURA CHARLES AKA BUTTERFLY, HER PARTNER CAM LONG AKA OCELOT, AND SHELA SEXTON AKA ESCAPADE.

SOFIA: NICE TO MEET YOU ALL!

JAY IMMEDIATELY ASKS WHERE PAIGE IS, BUT MELODY TELLS HIM THAT SHE HAD X-MEN SHIT TO TAKE CARE OF. JAY LAUGHS. GOOD OLD X-MEN SHIT. SOFIA SMILES, TAKING A SELFIE WITH SHELA AND JENNY WHILE CESSILY TELLS AURA AND CAM THAT IT’S GOOD TO SEE THEM. CAM TELLS HER THAT THEY’RE GLAD TO SEE HER TOO, BUT IT’S WEIRD TO HANG OUT OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL. AURA ASKS THEM IF IT’S REALLY THAT WEIRD, AND CAM PUTS THEIR ARM AROUND HER.

LUCINDA: WELL, IT’LL TAKE A WHILE TO GET THANKSGIVING DINNER READY, SO JAY AND MELODY SHOULD TAKE THEIR LIL’ FRIENDS ON A TOUR.

JULIAN: HONESTLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW A HILLBILLY THANKSGIVING IS MADE. DO YOU MAKE BABY BACK RIBS INSTEAD OF TURKEY?

BEFORE LUCINDA CAN SLAP HIM, JAY COMMENTS THAT JULIAN’S BEEN HAVING AN EGO CRISIS AS OF LATE. HE’S LEARNING HOW TO NOT BE AN ASSHOLE. LIZZIE TELLS HER MOM THAT SHE’LL KEEP HIM IN CHECK, EARNING A SMILE FROM LUCINDA. JEB AND RAY JR AGREE TO COME ALONG ON THE TOUR, AND JAY AND MELODY SAY THAT IT COULDN’T HURT TO SHOW THEM AROUND.

LATER, JULIAN, LOUIS, CISSIE, JOELLE, LIZZIE, DANI, AND LUCINDA ARE IN THE HOUSE. DANI AND LUCINDA ARE COOKING DINNER WHILE JULIAN WATCHES LOUIS AND CISSIE PLAY. LIZZIE TELLS HIM THAT THEY CAN REALLY BE A HANDFUL IF YOU REALLY GET TO KNOW THEM. JULIAN LAUGHS, TELLING HER THAT IT’S FUNNY. A YEAR BEFORE, HE WOULD SIT AT A TABLE WITH HIS PARENTS AND HAVE A LONG AWKWARD CONVERSATION, AND NOW HERE HE IS, IN KENTUCKY TALKING WITH A GIRL WHO SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE MILLIE FROM HELLUVA BOSS. LIZZIE CHUCKLES, TELLING HIM THAT SHE HOPES THAT HE’S COMFORTABLE, AND JULIAN TELLS HER THAT HE IS NOW.

MEANWHILE, JAY, MELODY, JEB, AND RAY JR LEAD SOFIA, SANTO, CESSILY, LAURA, CLARICE, ANGELO, SHELA, AMASS, JENNY, CAM, AND AURA ON A TOUR THROUGH THEIR TOWN. AMASS LOOKS AROUND, INTRIGUED. WHERE HE COMES FROM, THERE AREN’T EXACTLY HOLIDAYS TO CELEBRATE. JENNY TELLS HIM THAT AS A NOVITIATE, THEY DIDN’T REALLY CELEBRATE ANYTHING BUT THE LORD, SO IT SEEMS LIKE A FIRST FOR BOTH OF THEM. CAM TELLS THEM THAT THEY SHOULD SEE THE HOLIDAYS IN GENOSHA. SO MANY MUTANTS WITH VARIOUS POWERS, IT CAN GET PRETTY CRAZY. AURA SMILES AND PUTS HER ARM AROUND THEM AFFECTIONATELY.

SOFIA TELLS JAY THAT IT’S SO SWEET OF HIS MOTHER TO INVITE THEM OVER. IT MUST BE HARD HAVING TO DEAL WITH SO MANY CHILDREN. JAY SAYS THAT IT’S NO BIG DEAL. HIS DAD DIED A WHILE AFTER LOUIS AND CISSIE WERE BORN, SO SHE REALLY TOOK THE MAMA BEAR ROLE TO HEART. MELODY JUMPS IN, SAYING THAT THEIR MOM HAS A BIG HEART. AFTER RAY JR LOST HIS DAD IN A FIGHT WITH THE CABOTS, LUCINDA JUMPED AT THE CHANCE TO ADOPT HIM. CESSILY SAYS THAT THAT’S VERY SWEET.

JAY SIGHS WHEN MELODY MENTIONS THE CABOTS, AND SOFIA LOOKS AT HIM IN SYMPATHY, BEING THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE SQUAD TO KNOW HIS SECRET. JEB COMMENTS THAT THE CABOTS AND THE GUTHRIES HAVE BEEN AT EACH OTHER’S THROATS FOR A LONG TIME. THE FACT THAT JAY, MEL, SAM AND PAIGE TURNED OUT TO BE MUTANTS ONLY FUELED THE FIRE.

RAY JR: AN’ ABRAHAM CABOT’S THE ABSOLUTE WORST! GUY’S SO UGLY, HE COULD STOP A TRAIN WITH HIS FACE!

CESSILY: OH REALLY? HOW UGLY IS HE?

JAY: CESS, DON’T ENCOURAGE THEM.

JEB: OH, HE’S THE WORST OF THE WORST. A FACE LIKE THAT SHOULD BE GOVERNED BY THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION!

RAY JR: ONE TIME, BEN GRIMM HIMSELF CAME INTO TOWN, AN’ HE JUST STOPPED DEAD IN HIS TRACKS WHEN ABRAHAM CABOT CAME ALONG! AN’ HE WAS SCREAMIN’ “PLEASE DON’T HURT ME! PLEASE JUST LOOK THE OTHER WAY! FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE, JUST LOOK THE OTHER WAY!” AN’ THAT’S HOW BEN GRIMM BECAME THE THING.

CESSILY BURSTS OUT LAUGHING AND JAY FACEPALMS. SOFIA CHUCKLES, LOOKING OVER AT LAURA. SHE TELLS HER THAT IT WOULDN’T KILL HER TO SMILE SOMETIME. LAURA STARES AT HER BEFORE TURNING AROUND AS SOMEONE CALLS JEB’S NAME. STANDING IN FRONT OF THEM ARE ABRAHAM CABOT AND TWO OF HIS SIDEKICKS. ABE, A BURLY FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD BOY, EXPRESSES HIS DISAPPOINTMENT AT JEB AND RAY JR. HE’S HAD TO KICK THEIR BUTTS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THEM TO WANT SOME MORE OVER BREAK. SHELA TELLS THEM TO BACK OFF. THEY WERE JUST HORSING AROUND. IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT THAT HIM AND DUMB AND DUMBER OVER THERE HAVE BRAINS THE SIZE OF DIPPIN’ DOTS.

ABE: IS THIS ONE OF YER MUTIE FRIENDS, GUTHRIE? YOU NEED SOME FREAKS TO COME TO YER RESCUE? I SHOULD’VE KNOWN YOU GUTHRIES WERE NO GOOD. AN’ YOUR FEATHERED FREAK OF A BROTHER HAS SOME NERVE COMIN’ IN HERE AFTER HE RAPED MY SISTER!

SOFIA’S FACE FLASHES WITH RAGE AS SHE PICKS ABE UP WITH THE WIND. CLARICE WATCHES IN SHOCK.

SOFIA: CARE TO REPEAT THAT SENTENCE?

ABE: GET THEM MUTIES! NOW!

ONE OF ABE’S GOONS TRIES TO PUNCH SHELA, BUT IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, SHELA SWITCHES PLACES WITH ABE, WHO RECEIVES A PUNCH IN THE FACE FROM HIS FRIEND. AMASS GRABS CAM BY THE HAND, CAUSING THEM BOTH TO MERGE INTO A POWERFUL FIGURE THAT LOOMS OVER THE BULLIES. JENNY STEPS BETWEEN THEM, SAYING THAT THEY SHOULD BOTH COOL DOWN. THEY SHOULDN’T BLAME THOSE BULLIES FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT THEY REALLY ARE. SHE THEN TURNS TO THE BULLIES AND FORMS A REFLECTIVE MIRROR IN HER HAND, TELLING THEM THAT SHE CAN SHOW THEM WHAT THEY TRULY ARE INSIDE. THE CAMERA FOCUSES BEHIND JENNY AS THE BOYS STARE AT THE MIRROR IN FRIGHT BEFORE RUNNING OFF.

AMASS AND CAM RETURN TO THEIR FORMER SELVES AND CAM TELLS THEIR TEAMMATE TO WARN THEM THE NEXT TIME HE DECIDES TO MERGE LIKE THAT. JENNY SMIRKS AS HER MIRROR VANISHES, FLIPPING HER HAIR. SOFIA ASKS HER WHAT THEY SAW, AND JENNY TELLS HER THAT SHE HAS NO CLUE. BUT WHATEVER IT WAS, SHE HAS A FEELING THAT THEY WON’T BE BOTHERING THEM FOR A WHILE NOW.

MELODY: THAT WAS A BIT OVER THE TOP FOR SOME BULLIES, BUT I’M GLAD YOU GUYS STUCK UP FOR US.

JEB: WICKED COOL! THANKS, GUYS!

SOFIA SMILES BEFORE LOOKING DOWN AT THE GROUND, EMBARRASSED OF HER OUTBURST. LAURA ASKS HER WHAT HAPPENED, AND SOFIA TELLS HER THAT THAT’S NOT HER STORY TO TELL. JAY LOOKS UP AT SOFIA IN CONCERN.

AS THE TOUR CONTINUES, LAURA LOOKS OVER TO SEE THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN FROM THE GAS STATION. SHE SEEMS CONFUSED, LIKE SHE KNOWS HER FROM SOMEWHERE, BUT CAN’T PUT HER FINGER ON WHERE. AS THEY WALK OFF, THE WOMAN TAKES OUT HER PHONE AND DIALS A NUMBER.

WOMAN: YES, SIR. I HAVE THE TARGET IN MY SIGHTS. YES, I’LL TAKE CARE OF IT. NO, SHE’S WITH SOME OTHERS. MUTANTS, BY THE LOOK OF IT. NO, DON’T WORRY. SHE’LL SEPARATE FROM THEM, I KNOW IT. YES, IT’S ALL ACCORDING TO PLAN. THERE’S NOWHERE TO RUN NOW. I’VE GOT HER RIGHT WHERE I WANT HER.

LATER, THE GROUP RETURNS TO THE HOUSE, AND SOFIA SAYS THAT SHE JUST WANTS TO RELAX NOW. LAURA NODS BEFORE OPENING THE DOOR TO SEE JULIAN TALKING TO LIZZIE AND HOLDING HANDS WITH HER. SHE IMMEDIATELY TURNS AROUND AND RUNS AWAY, AS CESSILY CALLS BACK TO HER.

CLARICE: JULIAN FUCKING KELLER, YOU’VE REALLY STEPPED IN IT NOW.

JULIAN: WHAT DID I DO?

CLARICE GROANS, TELLING HIM THAT ONCE AGAIN, HE’S THOUGHT USING HIS MICRO PENIS INSTEAD OF HIS BRAIN. JULIAN ASKS HER WHY LAURA RAN AWAY, DEEPLY CONFUSED. CLARICE TELLS HER THAT SHE DOESN’T KNOW; MAYBE THE SIGHT OF THE GUY SHE HAS A CRUSH ON FLIRTING WITH A COMPLETE STRANGER MIGHT HAVE DONE IT FOR HER. JULIAN STARES AT HER IN SHOCK WHILE JAY VOLUNTEERS TO GO LOOK FOR HER. SOFIA NODS, SAYING THAT SHE’LL GO TOO.

MEANWHILE, LAURA MARCHES THROUGH TOWN, TEARS IN HER EYES. SHE SUDDENLY STOPS BEFORE SNIFFING AUDIBLY AND SAYS THAT SHE KNOWS SOMEONE’S THERE. SHE’S JUST SURPRISED SHE DIDN’T REALIZE IT BEFORE. A FEMALE FIGURE STEPS OUT AND COMPLIMENTS HER PERCEPTIVENESS. SHE DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD BE THIS LONG FOR HER TO FIND HER, THOUGH.

THE MYSTERY WOMAN THEN REMOVES HER COAT AND SUNGLASSES, REVEALING A TALL STATURE WITH LONG DARK HAIR AND MEDIUM LIGHT BROWN SKIN. SHE’S DRESSED IN A BLACK COMBAT SUIT WITH RED ACCENTS AND HAS A BELT ALONG HER WAIST FULL OF WEAPONS AND DEVICES, AND SHE CARRIES A CROSSBOW. LAURA UNSHEATHES HER CLAWS WITH A GROWL.

LAURA: KIMURA.

KIMURA: HI X. MISS ME?

TO BE CONTINUED

[strangerthingfanfic]

Chapter 1: Corroded Coffin

The music was still pounding in Steve’s brain an hour later. He checked his phone. Still no message from Eddie.

“I just sat through the most torturous two hours of my life and the ass forgets to text. Guess normal ole me isn’t good enough for the rock star” Steve mumbled to himself as his head met the table of the café he was sitting at.

The dinging of his phone made him look up. It was just Dustin wondering how London was and how he and Eddie were getting along. Not having the heart to tell Dustin the truth he just wrote back and said “it's late there kid get some sleep for school” and went back to moping.

He heard the chair across from him slide out from the table and looked up ready to give Eddie an earful but it wasn’t Eddie.

“I’m waiting for someone,” Steve said solemnly. The man didn’t move. He just sat there as though Steve didn’t exist.

Not wanting to start anything, Steve grabbed his coffee and phone and went to another empty table.

Ding. He looked down and saw the message was from Eddie. “Hey sorry, Stevie but Billy hurt his back moving equipment and so it took longer than expected. Jeff took Billy back to the hotel and my Lyft is almost there. Love you” it said ending with a microphone and a kiss face emoji.

Steve looked around and smiled when he saw a car stop at the drop-off zone. The backdoor opened and out stepped Eddie in his low baseball cap, glasses (the fake lenses reflecting the sunlight), and his amazing smile.

Being a rock star meant Eddie and the others constantly being incognito which was fine with all but Billy. He loved attention but thankfully Jeff gave him enough to keep him sated outside of Hawkins.

Thankfully Steve blended in well with the everyday person. Robin said he did it too well and needed to find a personality but it is a skill that came in handy when he and Eddie wanted to go out.

Steve got up and noticed the stranger was still sitting at the other table and was watching him. “Could it be a reporter?” Steve asked himself as he hurried over to his fiancé.

“What’s the hurry, Stevie?” Eddie asked as steve pushed himself against Eddie's chest.

Steve looked up into Eddie's big brown eyes and whispered “the man sitting at that table across from the one I was at has been staring at me this whole time”.

Eddie looked over and didn’t see anyone. “Well Stevie it looks like your stalker left when he saw me” Eddie said as he wrapped his arms around Steve.

Steve looked over and noticed the table was empty. “Did you want to stay big boy?” Eddie asked stroking Steve’s hair.

Sighing Steve shook his head no and took Eddie's hand, and they waited for an Uber to take them to the hotel.

When they arrived Billy was face timing with Max and the others. Steve groaned.

“I thought I told you to sleep Dustin not gather the group,” Steve said hands firmly on his waist.

Dustin gave his big smile and said “it was all Robins's idea since she's babysitting us tonight”.

Robin waved into the camera and said “well dingus, looks like you are doing well” making the others chuckle at her name for him. He didn’t know what he hated worse, dingus or big boy.

“Robin take your job seriously. They need to be in bed sleeping so they aren’t tired tomorrow” Steve said as he sat on the couch next to Billy.

“Hey Harrington chill, they don’t have classes tomorrow. It’s an in-service. Max was just letting me know about it. Though they all have homework to finish, don’t you” Billy said and all the kids nodded at once promising to finish their homework.

After a few more updates Billy ended the call and placed a hand on Steve’s knee. The ripple effect it had made Steve’s whole body tingle making Billy smile.

Suddenly Eddie plopped down between them and giving Billy a death glare said “this is mine” wrapping his arms around Steve’s leg.

Steve groaned. The way those two were always finding something to fight over was exhausting. Even if it was in fun and they were close friends it really made for repetitive boredom.

Steve yawned and suddenly found himself in Eddie’s arms being carried to their bedroom. “Hey Eddie don’t forget to walk your bitch later so it doesn’t piss in the room,” Billy said mockingly as he pulled Jeff over the back of the couch, pulling him in for a deep, sensual kiss while flipping off Eddie.

Eddie flipped Billy off and said “Jeff you might want to get checked you never know what the man whore might have” and shut the door to his room.

Jeff looked into Billy's deep blue eyes and said “you two are too adorable you know that”.

“Not as adorable as you,” Billy said and pulled Jeff in for another kiss.

Sitting Steve on the bed Eddie helped him get undressed and changed into comfortable PJs and then did the same. “Tonight it's rest big boy and tomorrow before we head back to Hawkins, we are having wild sex in every inch of this room along with every person in the room,” Eddie said with a grimacing smile.

“Even Billy?” Steve asked cuddling up to Eddie who nodded and said “even the man whore. Now get some sleep, Stevie, you are going to need all your strength for the morning”,

Steve closed his eyes and fell into the comfortable and deep sleep he always does when he’s next to Eddie.

Back at the café

The closing waitress was cleaning the tables when she suddenly screamed. The manager ran over and his eyes widened. On the table was etched a skull with a snake winding in and out of it.

Before either could make any move there was a flash of light and both fell to the ground, dead.

The small etching flew into the sky and became full size with the snake actually moving.

“The war begins,” a voice said with a cackling laugh as a figure silently dissipated into the night.

[janeeyreheresy]

Enter Mr Rochester

The evening after his return to Thornfield, Rochester requests Jane to have tea with him. He gives her a third degree and establishes the following:

Jane is an orphan and has no home

She has no relatives (she doesn't mention the Reeds)

She's eighteen, about 20 years younger than him

Prior to getting a job as his governess, she was at Lowood School

The director of the Lowood school, Brocklehurst, was a cruel man who starved his pupils and scared them with horrifying tales

She has never lived in town

She has seen nothing of society; the only people she ever had anything to do with were the teachers and pupils at Lowood and the live-in staff at Thornfield Hall

She has not read many books and those she has read were not very, as she puts it, learned

And Rochester's predatory senses go DING! DING! DING!

They have tea again the following evening. He asks her to draw her chair nearer to him. This makes her uncomfortable, but she has little choice, he must be obeyed. This is when he famously asks her if she thinks him handsome and she replies "no, sir" which is, I hear, apparently a sick burn, despite the fact that she immediately apologises. So much for that. In this conversation--which is just him talking about himself--he refers to her as "school-girl" three times.

Now, when it comes to Rochester, one thing needs to be understood about him by the reader. 

He is ugly.

Charlotte Bronte relishes in describing his ugliness, she gets a real kick out of it. And not only that, she keeps reminding the reader of it constantly, to the point that it becomes jarring. From the moment he enters the scene to the very end, we must not forget how ugly he is.

Charlotte, hon. We get it. 

Edward Fairfax Rochester is one hideous fucker.

(At least the actors look good, I suppose, because on the screen you have to actually be looking at them.)

Jane Eyre is a heroine who looks past a homely exterior, with eyes that see the true nature of person, on the inside.

Which, you know. He's horrible on the inside, that's why I'm writing this. The problem with Rochester is not that he's ugly, it's the he's a certified douchebag. If he was good looking, at least he'd have something going for him. As it is, the only thing he has is his fortune and his social standing. And in the end he loses even that.

Jane and her employer get on well with each other. He admires her paintings and they regularly have tea together.

[chowowed]

i love teaching, i love it SO much. it’s incredibly fun. Most of the time, it’s enjoyable, students are hilarious, and I have a blast. I do not have a blast getting targeted by parents, having administrators fall through on discipline, not being told anything by that same admin, being forced to teach a half-written curriculum word for word, having to fight the school board just to get paid a livable wage, alongside the 21+ hours of my free time I have to spend taking classes just to keep teaching.

All that happens and i just look at my second job, and look at all the cool things I could do with it if I had more time. Making an entire topographic map of every ding and dent on an airplane, including the maintenance history and cause? Filling out gigantic spreadsheets of every maintenance task a specific airplane needs and at what interval? All from the comfort of my own home? Without having to interact with others???? Suddenly quitting doesn’t seem half bad.