#jade* ugh see how much attention i’m paying

[inkykeiji]

Wait, are you playing honkai star rail?

I AM, UNFORTUNATELY LMAOOOOOOOOO

i am playing it, finally, because boothill caught my eye! i’ve been staying updated on the characters within the game since it was released, just to see if there’d be anyone i found intriguing, and up until now no one piqued my interest! like gepard is cute but he’s so goddamn boring, blade is cute but i don’t care much for his story (maybe actually playing the game will change my mind? i don’t know too too much about him aside from general basics) but boothill???????? boothill seemed interesting right off the bat. too bad he’s locked behind, what, a full year’s worth of content??? ahahaha ._. anyway, rly hoping i’m not disappointed when i meet him haaaaaa ha ha

[dagger-n-ravvi]

Chapter Four: Volatile Mixtures

Azul needs a simple favour from Jade. Surely he won’t mess this up, right…?

Chapter contains no warnings. Kalim is adorable and Jade is actually pretty good at flirting XD

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A03 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46007587?view_full_work=true

Later that night

“What’chu doing?”

Jade starts slightly as Floyd comes into the room and pulls his shirt back down over his belly. “Nothing…”

“Liar. You were using the scanny thingie to look at your eggs, I saw. Lemme see!”

“Floyd…” Jade sighs as Floyd jumps onto the bed next to him, snatches up the scanner, and turns it over in his hands. “Please be gentle. That isn’t a toy.”

“HA! Buttons go brrrrrrrrr…” he immediately starts pressing every single button on the device and mashing through the options that pop on the screen. “Wow this thing sure can do a lot of stuff!”

Jade winces as Floyd coaxes a truly alarming variety of noises out of the little device. He hopes that the designer made the operating software strong enough to withstand his attention…

“Say cheese little eggies!” Floyd cheerfully tugs Jade’s shirt up and tries to press the scanner to his tummy.

“Floyd!” Jade grumpily scoots away and covers himself.

“ Floooooyd ,” Floyd mocks, knocking Jade’s hands away. “So it’s ok for you to peek at me but not for me to peek at you? Hold still.”

“...Ugh…” Jade grumpily crosses his arms across his chest and stares at the wall with a defeated sigh. Fine. Fair is fair.

“Oh wow! You have so many,” Floyd gets a little more serious as he runs the scanner over Jade’s tummy. “Are we going to have to find a midwife when we go home?”

“I sincerely hope not,” Jade lightly drops his forehead onto Floyd’s shoulder and closes his eyes. “With any luck we won’t have to tell anyone at all.”

“Shoo,” Floyd annoyedly pushes him off, and rapidly scribbles a fingertip over the screen several times. “HA!” Grinning mischievously, he turns the scanner around. It’s showing a still picture of Jade’s eggs with perky, pink smiley faces drawn cartoonishly on each of them. “Look Jade! They’re all happy to see you.”

He doubles over cackling, and Jade cracks a smile. “How did you take a photo? I didn’t think it could do anything other than live images…” He takes the scanner back and looks curiously at the screen. Floyd reaches over and double-taps the upper, left hand corner of the screen with two fingers. It pulls up a menu that wasn’t in the manual, and one of the options is ‘ take screenshot .’

“Works if you use your whole hand and just kinda whack it too,” he snickers, then flops down on the bed with a groan. “Oh my god, I’m still SO hungry. And horny. I was worried for a bit. Didn’t know WHAT was going on…” he grumpily looks up at Jade with one eye. ”Glad it’s because I’m full of stupid eggs, and not because I’m going crazy. Not knowing was…scary.”

“It was,” Jade shivers, putting the scanner away.

The weekend is upon them much too quickly. Azul is able to find replacements to take their shifts at the Mostro Lounge and keep them from interacting with paying customers, and not a moment too soon. The twins spent their time eating bizarre combinations of foods that make Azul queasy to think about, and having sex. It’s the third time that he walks in on them fucking each other, and the second time they try to drag him into the middle of if that he stops checking on them and starts relying entirely on texts to communicate.

Which makes it difficult, but aggravatingly necessary when he finds a few lingering tasks that he needs someone reliable to do…

‘Jade, I know that you’re indisposed but I need someone to take a set of study guides over to Scarabia. Someone who won’t be tempted to steal and resell them. Just a delivery. Please?’

He winces when the curt, and likely annoyed answer comes back: Very well.

He rested all day on Saturday, but Jade barely feels functional enough for a mission. Even so, he can’t refuse. It's bad enough that they've had to cancel nearly all of their finals-related contracts without damaging some of their legitimate business as well. Kalim and Jamil had bargained for a set of study guides to hand around to their dorm in exchange for a significant sum of madol. Azul already compiled and printed them a week ago. All Jade has to do is drop them off. It’s simple, and feels like the least he can do. Azul has enough pressure on him as it is.

He kisses the back of Floyd’s head, then dresses and heads out with the guides tucked under one arm. Even the blue, flickering light refracting through the ocean over the glass entryway corridor can’t seem to cool his sweating, overly warm body off. He sighs and braces himself for misery. Scarabia will no doubt feel even worse. Best to finish this quickly.

"Is Kalim available?" He asks the first Scarabia student he sees.

“Uh… he should be. We’re planning a giant party-slash-study session, so he’s been all over… Ooh, there he is! Kalim!” He calls out to the bouncing Scarabia Dorm Leader as he runs by carrying a stack of richly embroidered pillows.

“Oh Jade! How nice to see you!!! Are you here for the party?!” He beams and hands the pillows off to a helper who begins arranging them around the big table in the lounge.

“Hello Kalim, do you have a moment…to speak in private?” That last part he adds spontaneously, shivering lightly as the aroma of warm spices rolls over his tongue. Kalim…he’s always been fond of Kalim. He is pure and guileless to a fault, yes, but also deeply loyal. It’s admirable, and at the moment, almost mesmerizing.

“Yeah! No problem!” Kalim agrees easily. “Everyone! I’m stepping out for a moment, but keep setting up and listen to Jamil! If you have questions he’s in the kitchen!”

Kalim turns back around to Jade. “We can go into my room! Come on…”

They reach Kalim’s room and he shuts the door behind them. “Now what did you want to talk about?”

Jade suddenly feels woefully underprepared. He has the perfect opportunity, but Kalim isn’t easily swayed by compliments and small favours. But still… he feels the need to convince him…

“I brought you the study guides that Azul prepared,” he smiles. “If you’d like, I can go over them with you. You’re about to have a study party, right?”

“Oh yes! Thank you Jade! I don’t know why that had to be private but we can go over them one-on-one! Ooooh!” Kalim taps his forehead with his palm as if to get the gears rolling. “Like a practice study session! I get it now.” 

“Yes. A one-on-one session will give you a better understanding of the material. That will make it easier to assist your dormmates as their housewarden,” Jade purrs. Perfect…

“Ok! Ooh-I can get us snacks for the discussion! And tea!”

“You are preparing for a study party of your own! I would never impose on you in such a way,” Jade frowns. He isn’t opposed to the idea of tea and snacks, but he very much does not want Kalim to leave…just yet… “I thought to ease the burden on Jamil just a touch. He works so hard already…” 

Kalim stops in his tracks, with one hand literally outstretched toward the dorknob. "Oh… You're right. Jamil works so hard. TOO hard. He needs more breaks. I wish I could give him more fun, but it backfires and piles even more work on him every time. He always wants to prepare EVERYTHING." Kalim’s smile dims for a moment, then brightens again when Jade pulls out a box of chocolate truffles and makes a show of removing the seal and plastic wrap.

“These were bought, and remained unopened until now,” he picks one that he found too sugary for his own tastes, and holds it out in offering. Kalim is easily lured back by the treat, walking back from the door and sitting happily across from him.

"Thank you Jade! This looks so good!" Kalim pops the chocolate in his mouth, and hums in delight. He appreciates that Jade showed that the box was sealed until now. Otherwise he would have had to decline. "Hazelnut and... is that coffee!? Wow! Jade you should try the next one! They're so rich!"

Jade watches transfixed as Kalim finishes the truffle. "Oh, I've tried all of the flavors already. Perhaps you can pick one for me? Then it will be a surprise."

"Oh! Okay that sounds fun! How about... Hmmm..." Kalim puts a finger to his lip in thought. "I want to give you something REALLY good. How about this one! The white one with the red squiggles on top." He offers it to Jade, holding it in his fingers. It's another extremely sweet one, and if Jade's sense of taste hadn't been altered by his condition, he might not have been able to eat it at all. But despite that, the act of it being offered is so tempting he can't help himself. Opening his mouth just a little wider than absolutely necessary, he takes it gently from Kalim's fingers with his teeth. Kalim's scarlet eyes go wide. He blushes a rosy hue and shivers as Jade’s lips brush lightly over his fingers, unable to keep himself from staring. 

"Wow...uh. How does it taste?"

Jade chews it thoughtfully. As expected, it is disgustingly sweet. "Chocolate and raspberry. A lovely choice."

"Y-yeah! Uh... do you want another one?"

"I don't want to eat them all! You should have the next one," Jade selects another with caramel and date pieces and holds it out in offering. A part of him understands that Kalim is so sheltered that he likely has no idea that he’s flirting. A much happier and warmer part of him wants to feed Kalim until he's full and sleepy, to show him that he can provide for them both and keep him plump and nourished...

"Oh! Right..." Kalim isn’t sure how to approach this. Should he... should he eat it directly from Jade's hand? He isn’t sure… That seems a little embarrassing! Embarrassing for Kalim to do it, not for Jade to do it, of course!  If that’s how Jade normally eats chocolates, then Kalim won’t make it awkward by commenting on his customs! He’s just being friendly and…oh gosh he’s probably just overthinking this!

"Ah... it looks really good!" Kalim reaches for the chocolate with his hands. Jade lets him take it, not insisting on feeding him even though he very much wants to.

"Should I run over the study guide with you now?

“Mmm-Hm!” Kalim pops the chocolate in his mouth, licking his lips.

Jade opens the guide and flips through it, diligently pointing out which parts of it need the most attention, and giving Kalim some memorization tips for the trickier sections.

"All chemical reactions seek balance..." Jade lifts Kalim's left hand to eye level. "When you make a volatile potion, you intentionally disturb that balance in hopes of capturing something useful, but it's difficult to keep it that way." He places a chocolate in Kalim's hand. "That cost is a delicate shelf life. Contain the potion too strictly, or in your case, hold the chocolate too tightly, and it will melt and be ruined. Not tightly enough..." Jade teasingly snatches it away. "It will escape the container and evaporate. That is the theory - you must balance containment against protection. Too much of one disturbs the other."

He holds out the chocolate to Kalim on his palm. "Does that make sense?" 

"Oh!" Kalim giggles. He hadn’t been expecting Jade to take it back so quickly. "Yes! Yes it does! So that's why Crewel says that some potions can't be stored in certain conditions... Like too hot, direct sunlight..." Kalim takes the chocolate back. 

“Only volatile potions. Stable potions are much less sensitive…” Jade points out a hard-boiled egg still in the shell. “You could carry this around in your pocket and still eat it at the end of the day. It won’t spoil, and short of being completely smashed, it will remain happily in its little shell.”

“So… hold the chocolate too tightly it will melt… I think I get it! That’s why you eat them with your mouth instead of your hands, right? You don’t want them melting!” Kalim holds the truffle between two fingers, offering it back to Jade. He wants to see him eat it again~

“In a way, yes…” he leans forward and teasingly takes the truffle with his teeth again. “Volatile things require special care.” 

“Special care…” The butterflies in Kalim’s stomach flutter around happily as Jade’s lips brush his fingertips. Kalim REALLY enjoys that feeling. He watches Jade intently as he chews and swallows, reminded suddenly of Jamil. Jade works so hard, just like Jamil. Does he get enough breaks? He hardly ever complains, even though he looks a little tired and his skin is slightly damp with sweat. 

“So…If YOU were a volatile potion, how would you like to be taken care of?” he asks, trying to think of a way to ask without being awkward.

“I’m not volatile…” Jade leans forward, gaze calm and intent. “I can take a little rough handling.”

He presses a kiss to Kalim’s lips, lingering just long enough to leave a hint of chocolate behind. Kalim feels like he just got shocked. The tingling brush spreads warmly across his mouth, and lingers on his lips. It happened so fast, and his face is getting REALLY warm.

‘Oooooh… Jade wants… oh boy.’ Kalim licks his lips with a silent, nervous giggle. He remembers now…watching a concubine playfully feed grapes to his father when they thought he couldn’t see. Had they been flirting? Is this flirting? Is that what people do when they want…?

“Is that so? Well… I can too! B-be handled roughly. But everyone treats me like I’m volatile anyway...” Praying that it isn’t too forward, he places a chocolate between his teeth, and stares up at Jade. He wants to chase this feeling. So exciting… so intimate! And fun! He’s never been allowed to flirt with anyone without a chaperone present and he never realized before what a thrill it could be…

“Such a shame. You should be treated how you want to be…” Jade leans forward and takes half of the chocolate from him, grazing his lips ever-so gently with his teeth.

The sound of footsteps rapidly approaching the door only just gives Jade enough time to lean back before the door flies open. Jamil looks between the two of them with barely-disguised panic, eyes fixing on the empty box of chocolates in horror.

"Oh! Jamil!?" Kalim feels strangely like he has been caught red handed committing a crime. He quickly wipes away his mouth. "Jade's been teaching me about potions! And that's it,” he lies. Why is he lying?! Oh Seven, he actually just lied…

“Hello Jamil. I was just going over Azul’s study guide with Kalim…”

“I will go over it with him later. Kalim, I need help with a dish in the kitchen. Quickly, or it might burn.” 

"A dish? Help? O-oh yes! I will go and help!" Kalim stands immediately. That's a surprise. Jamil usually wants him to stay OUT of the kitchen! This must be very serious! He begins to walk out of the room, then impulsively turns back to Jade. "You should stay to eat! My treat for all your help, and throwing in a one-on-one session! Sorry it had to be... uh... cut short…”

“Perhaps another time when we are all less busy.” Jade looks at Jamil with glittering eyes. Jamil glares straight back at him for just a second before bustling Kalim out of the room. The moment they’re alone, Jamil grabs him by the chin and stares intently into each of his eyes, checking for unusual pupil dilation.

“How many of those chocolates did you eat? You know that Jade has a history of poisoning people, don’t you?” He hisses under his breath. 

"Wha…?! It was a closed box Jamil! Sealed and everything! And he was eating them too-" Kalim protests looking guiltily to one side as Jamil presses a palm to his forehead. 

“That proves NOTHING! You have to be more careful,” Jamil groans. “You feel too warm. Here…” he pulls out a vial filled with opaque, black liquid. Its main ingredient is activated charcoal, and Kalim knows from experience that it tastes like licking the inside of a cold fireplace. “Drink this just in case. It should counteract most of the poisons he would have access to.”

"Jade wouldn't poison me! He likes me!" Kalim frowns at the vial. He knows that Jamil will stay on his case until he drinks it, but he can’t help feeling offended. He TRUSTS Jade. After all that, when it’s so clear now that he likes him…why would he want to poison him?

“Kalim…” Jamil growls.

Kalim grabs the vial and tips it into his mouth, JUST to make Jamil stop bugging him. He swallows, then rolls his tongue around with a grimace, faintly disappointed that the ugly taste has completely overwhelmed the last, sweet notes of chocolate. It’s eased slightly when Jamil sighs in relief, then tugs him toward the kitchen. 

“C’mon, you can help me test the soup to see if it’s spicy enough…get that taste out of your mouth.”

“Ok…” Kalim follows him with a faint sigh.

Disappointed and pensive, Jade eats the last truffle. It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth despite being so sweet. Now that Kalim isn’t here, he feels…strange. That was reckless. Did he really just…? Jamil likely believes he tried to poison his charge, and he is barely civil toward Azul as it is. What a mess…

Kalim’s feather-light kiss lingers on his lips, and irrationally he wishes he’d gone further.

He leaves the study guides in a neat pile on Kalim’s desk, then he stands and heads back to Octavinelle. He’ll go see if Floyd is available for a snuggle, he’s feeling rather down now… 

[justanotherfanfolks]

Twisted Wonderland Main Story Scattered Thoughts (Book 1 Chapter 5-8)

Another Twistune already? For moi? Oh TWST, you shouldn’t have! Okay, making a mental note: Poitionology is their first period. I wonder if their schedule works like high school or college. Hi Professor Crewel! …again, why isn’t he ??? ? It’s Dae-vus?! Oh, I’ve, heh, been saying that wrong. And will probably continue to do so because I’ve gotten used to it. What is mycelia? I mean, I know mycelium is a type of fungus, am I close? Ace, your special skill is memorization. Well, not rote memorization, but still. Rote memorization is my special skill! I usually end up using it for less important things though, like remembering too many facts about this game and pi. History of magic is period 2. Trein! Lucius! Heh, everyone’s always sleeping when I do history lessons! Y’all are yawning? I want that textbook, give it here! Coach Bargas! So Period 3 is PE. I wonder how many periods there are? No! No raw eggs! 20 laps? No sir, I’ll die after 4. My middle school PE days are behind me, never again! And I can’t even do one push-up. Deuce here to slay. No, watch Deuce say magical application right after Ace says that! Oh no, Grim’s on the loose! Where is he going? Grim, no! Don’t blow stuff up, we have Ortho for that! If I had a nickel for every time Grim needed to be chased down… I love Ace and Deuce’s prices for helping, iconic. It’s a deal. Ace, it’s giving Azul. The WORST Prefect? This is such a friendship. I don’t think we give Deuce enough credit for the absolute menace that he can be! THE NET THE NET! Grim-lin. They really want those treats! Oh my gosh! I was literally just thinking about Grim getting crushed by one of Deuce’s cauldrons and it actually happened! Yes perfectly in sync, as they should be! They earned that dessert!

The return of the battle! There is so much player engagement in the main story, I love it! Grim, you literally just started! How are you already bored of class? Well, actually, he acts exactly like my classmates during the beginning of school years. Sometimes I forget I’m a nerd and enjoying lectures is not the norm. Cafeteria! Some of my favorite vignettes happened here! Grim is so excited about the buffet. Side comment, in Jade’s labwear vignette we find out that Silver eats the mushroom risotto every day during lunch. Honestly, same. I am exactly the same. Have you guys ever heard of a chicken patty? Ugh, I love those! Best day of the week for elementary school me. And when I leveled up and went to schools that offered them every day, I was living the dream. I’m picky with bad intestines, I can’t eat anything else. Now I want a chicken patty… Okay, side piece over. POV: Grim is too short to reach the buffet. “Delinquent” oh no, confrontation. Wait, we have former delinquent here, oh no. “M-my carbonara!” I’m going to pretend I know what that is. Broskies, it’s a buffet. Just get another one! “HANGRY!” Grim’s going to commit a violence now. Ok, I looked up the carbonara and I’m seeing pictures of spaghetti with an egg on them. Deuce: Um, excuse me but fighting with magic is against the rules. He’s being a good boy. You know what, sorry another side tangent, I’ve always wanted to see a story with a magical school where people could go HAM with their magic. I mean it makes sense why they can't, but I wanna see it. I do love how they can use magic outside of class, though. I can’t remember which franchise it was, but I remember a story where the characters weren’t allowed to use magic outside of class and I was like “it’s a MAGIC school, why not?!” My pet peeve is magic schools not letting the students use magic outside of class, cause that’s lame. If I had magic, the spells would never stop. Okay, other tangent over, man I need to focus. Oh these are Heartslaybul guys… Interesting… Oh, I think they want to commit a murder, actually. What- where did the blonde dude come from?! Maybe I wasn’t paying attention. 12000, RIP they’re stronger than Cater! Wait, actually there are 3 of them. Doing the math, assuming they are at equal power level, that puts them at 4000 each. Ahahaha, I could demolish them in less than a turn. “But only ‘cuz I don’t want my pasta getting cold” excuses excuses, but a good one, cold pasta is sad. Yuu: I guess this is my life now. Why did you miss breakfast, Ace! Someone feed this boy! CATER AND TREY! Cay-Trey! Uh, does their duo have a name? Anyway, I love these two! Cater explaining the premise. Cater is a menace, actually. “I’m just a friendly mentor figure!” What, you don’t like Deucey, Deucey? Well, in Japanese it’s “Deuce-chan” so I guess he doesn’t like being called cute. How the heck does Yuu know Trey’s name? Omg, Trey’s first appearance, I just realized! The whole Heartslabyul gang is here! Now we just need Riddle! I need you guys to know spellcheck wants me to change “Heartslabyul” to “Heart Lab Yulgang”. Homeboys were not paying attention during their orientation party, they can’t remember Trey or Cater. “That dump of a-ah, I mean the ‘rustic’ dorm”. Trey can be rude too. Cater is just, the hotspot for gossip. Trey knows all the tea by association. Ace, you don’t want to eat with Cater and Trey? But it’s Cater and Trey! Cater is so eager for digits, that’s rich coming from the boy actively avoiding close friendships. Ace’s big bro absolutely failed him as a Heartslabyul alumni if Ace doesn’t even know the rules are a thing. I mean, I guess Riddle’s the first to actually enforce them, but to not even know they are a thing? “A kingdom of weirdos” you guys are a dorm of weirdos too. But that’s why I like ‘em! Grim, shush, I’m interested! 

Ah, we get to see all the dorms! Heartslabyul really coming in with all the exposition! That is not hard to remember, Yuu. Dorm flavor, Trey has the weirdest metaphors. Flashback to Phantom Bride. JACK! Live Jack appearance, wow! “Muscly dog man, sure why not.” Yuu’s just shrugging through everything at this point. “Macho dudes? Gruff big brothers?” I love his dialogue. Octavinelle boy? AZUL! Cameos, cameos everwhere. I love how they use the armbands to tell them apart instead of, you know, the very colorful vests and color-coordinated magical pens they wear. I mean, I guess not everyone ears the vest. *cough* Cater *cough*. Gotta be from, okay no way, that’s the housewarden, you must know that Mr. Vice Housewarden Trey. Oh, they don’t know he’s vice housewarden, yet! *grins* Oh I can’t wait to see that. JAMIL AND KALIM! JAMIL AND KALIM! The Scarabia Duo! These two single-handedly made me get this game, Book 4 my beloved! Why are they eating with Azul? CATER! Way to insult my boy Kalim, ouch! Ace calling him out for going on a tangent. And Trey agreeing, omg! Wait, Kalim and Cater are clubmates. CATER THAT’S SO FAKE OF YOU! Those two are supposed to be chill, how dare. EPEL EPEL EPEL EPEL EPEL EPEL! My OG fave, HI BUDDY! … and Rook. *wheeze* THE GIRL! GRIM! DEUCE! The way they don’t seem to understand the concept of an all-boys school. The term all-boys implies, you know, all-boys. Makes me wonder about other schools. The conversation about dimensions is killing me, I love them! Why did that sentence finish after the tap? “Who cares how many dimensions” could have been a stand alone sentence because I think it’s funnier that way. OH MY GOSH 5,000,000?! “True dat”. The introverts of Ignihyde not even being there. Oh, hang on I just had a thought. Why are Kalim and Jamil there, they eat at the dorm? Did Kalim already blow up the kitchen again? Did Azul get Kalim to eat lunch with him and Jamil got dragged along? But what about Ortho “So Anyway I Started Blasting” Shroud? I mean he’s not officially a student yet, but he’s not quiet and serious, he’s a blast and a half! I, I want to see Ortho, I love our little robot boy. Engineering dorm! I am so fascinated by technology crossed with magic! “Diahonyalara” I can’t breathe! They have their own special seating area, I wonder if Diasomnia wanted that or if everyone just decided that was their spot and avoided going near them. ¾ of the Diasomnia Family of Four! Sebek! Lilia! SILVER! They don’t get dialogue until Book 2, right? Book 2 is going to be great. Little kid! Lilia being short and cute! LILIA JUMPSCARE! I LOVE PEEPAW! Sebek and Silver are just staring. Okay, Sebek may not want to be friends, but go talk to Silver he’s sweet! Lilia’s hearing is crazy. Cater again not mentioning his association with his fellow Pop Music Club member. Malleus namedrop! Okay, so the thing with being in the top 5: If you are considered to be in the top 5, you're in 4th or 5th place. If you were in 3rd or higher, people would say you were in the top 3. Makes me wonder if Malleus is 4th or 5th, and what the heck 1-3 looks like! Oh no, Ace is badmouthing Riddle, you know what that means. RIDDLE JUMPSCARE! Nooo, he’s standing right behind him and Ace doesn’t notice! I’m telling you, I miss Riddle randomly appearing every time you talk smack or break a rule! It was so funny! My boy really summoned a To Be Continued. 

[peony-pearl]

Thank you!!

Man the Iroh and Azula relationship in atla breaks my heart because, yes, there is favoritism - but the situations that built up to it are so specific and tragic on both ends (this is more of me rambling bc I have brainworms for this fam oughghghg if you read this thank you)

I do believe that Iroh did what he could to maintain a good relationship with both Zuko and Azula before he left for BSS. Zuko was 8, Azula was 6. That’s YOUNG. I almost wonder if she could remember what he looked like, because after Lu Ten’s death, I think he immediately took that journey before returning to the Fire Nation, thus there could have been another year or two+ until she saw him. She potentially went from ages 6-10 years old without seeing her uncle. Not to mention that even before Ursa left, Azula was already parroting Ozai’s rhetoric. Now with her mother gone, Azula had her father’s full attention and her friends (until the three were separated).

Zuko on the other hand, after his mother’s disappearance, didn’t have any friends from what we saw, nor did he have his father’s approval, and his relationship with Azula? We’re unsure of at this time, but all things considered, he’s had a resentment towards her because of the trauma Ozai is putting him through (which is also trauma to Azula by emotionally excluding her and putting her on a pedestal that he himself will topple). When Iroh returns, Zuko, who is most likely lonely AF, gives his uncle some attention, who then in turn, gives Zuko attention he’s wanted from one of his elders for a long time.

Azula, entrenched in Ozai’s teachings, resents Iroh for abandoning Ba Sing Se, and sees how he overindulges with tea and food to cope with the pain. She won’t be like him; and to even be seen near him by her father is embarrassing. But I’m almost certain she would see the relationship Zuko and Iroh were forging and it HURT. Iroh probably doesn’t force her to talk; that’s not the conversation he wants to have is to force her to spend time with someone she doesn’t want to be around. Besides, to anger Azula could lead to angering his brother, and he’s not at all ready for that mess. He of all people knows the almighty power of the Fire Lord; he was prepared to carry that glorious burden his whole life until it slipped from his fingers.

Ultimately Iroh is fine talking to just Zuko; but no one sees the seeds that are being planted. Iroh doesn’t realize how he’s still playing the game his father embedded in their minds. Iroh leaves Azula to her devices, unaware of how she is living the life that created and destroyed Iroh himself, while he can put his misplaced fatherhood upon Zuko. At this point, Zuko still just sees him as uncle.

And then the Agni Kai. Zuko is burned, and Iroh goes with him. I’m not entirely versed in the manga about Azula getting Zuko his ship, but I think it says a lot that Azula, even when upset that Zuko and Iroh had a relationship, made sure Iroh was part of the team because she knew Iroh could ensure Zuko’s survival. Plus it got him out of the palace so she wouldn’t have to keep seeing him or hearing his dumb laugh, or be invited to Pai Sho games (Which she did want to play but Uncle is SO ugh you know?)

And then three years pass. 3 long years in which Iroh and Zuko may not expect to go home. Iroh probably comes to terms with this; he’s older, jaded, still messed up from losing his son and everything that came with it. Zuko, however, wants his birthright (aka his father’s approval and love). Zuko and Iroh are waging this part of their lives together while Azula and Ozai are holding down the fort; she is becoming stronger and smarter, and has every ounce of her father’s approval.

I have a couple of headcanons as to why Iroh’s demeanor had a bit of a big change once we get to season 2. Nearly losing Zuko to the pirates made him realize how much he saw the boy as his surrogate son. So yes, the favoritism is there; they have endured things together for 3 years that have forged a bond that gives Zuko a father figure (that he didn’t really ask for) and Iroh a surrogate son (that he is more than willing to guide and smother) and this topic alone is enough to make me want to scream and wail because Iroh wanting nothing more than a second chance than to guide a son who wants his actual father who cares nothing for him and yet Iroh CONTINUES to try with Zuko? brain goes BRRRR

(but I also heavily headcanon Iroh’s presence during Yue’s sacrifice to have been a game changer in the way he carries himself and continues to live; but that’s just a headcanon; but the way that he watches a princess from a nation he has waged war upon sacrifice her life for a world she’s never seen when he’s lost his son and he almost lost Zuko and watching her fade away gives him stronger convictions to be a true father figure to Zuko; even if he’s still kind of bad at it for a while, his dedication to Zuko as a son really takes flight in the following season and I think this all ties together)

and then when Azula comes to collect them to take to Ozai and lies to Zuko about the thing he’s been wanting for 3 years. The thing that’s kept him up, ate away at him, the thing that SHOULD be natural - his father’s love. It’s a lie.

And Iroh defends his nephew unflinchingly from his sister - who is also just a pawn and a soldier, just like Iroh was. I personally like to imagine he taught her some of her skillset (but would she have retained it since she was last willing to learn from him around the age of 6? She is very smart after all).

But could Iroh have looked at Azula, realizing it was her that shot that lightning and, after Zuko called him a ‘shallow old man’, gone to Azula and asked what Ozai had put her through over the years? Or did he still revere the power of the Fire Lord, and the magnitude of power Azula holds.

This leads to one big problem with the family - communication. Especially for Iroh. Communication SUCKS in this family. Zuko is so volatile that Iroh often cannot bring himself to really explain things to Zuko in a clear way, which doesn’t help because Zuko NEEDS to be spoken to clearly because he does not get metaphors and proverbs - but is Iroh really even the best person to explain to Zuko that his father is hurting both him and his sister? When Zuko wants so desperately to go home and be loved? And yet hearing that his sister is suffering would enrage him when she’s only been adored by Ozai. And even then, if Iroh acknowledges Azula’s suffering, he doesn’t act to help her. Could he though? He doesn’t give up on Zuko (who struggled for validation) but he never attempts with Azula (who had the Fire Lord’s entire approval).

For Season 2, everything about Zuko and Iroh is the path to stay alive and stay free... which they’re not free. They never will be again because the Fire Nation wants them and in order to stay safe they must seek refuge indefinitely in BSS. Thus, they must avoid Azula, who is willing to enact on her father’s orders (he IS the Fire Lord, after all). Azula has also shot Iroh with fire. Yes, Iroh is much older and Azula is 14; but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a point that Iroh looks at her and sees her traveling with her friends, facing the Avatar, besting Iroh himself in a situation and as he wakes up from his injuries after she attacks him, he goes ‘I’m done.’ He would continue to put all of his efforts on Zuko. There is a very potential life or death situation with them being wanted, and Iroh won’t relive losing a child under his care.

And yet he would know where Azula’s life is eventually going to lead her, because he was once her. But he left the Fire Nation to escort Zuko and to keep him safe. Zuko did everything he could to try and finish his father’s task, and now his efforts have only landed him a wanted poster. Azula has the Fire Lord’s blessing and her crown - Zuko and Iroh are all each other have, and they also have the bounty on their heads. The efforts Azula put through to ensure that Iroh kept Zuko safe have now reversed, and they are actively evading her as enemies. The painful irony.

Had Ozai never sent her out to collect them, I absolutely think Iroh would still remain open to his niece. Unfortunately, Ozai continues to task her with ways to divide her from her family and therefore keep her closer to his will. By entrusting her with their capture, he alienates her from her shamed brother and uncle, and then gives them reason to have grief with her and not want to be in her life as she actively and willingly serves her father, not once hearing them out on their side of the story. They are rushing to find a way to stay out of chains and survive while she flawlessly continues her family’s goals.

What if she was never tasked with capturing them? But was still traveling the Earth Kingdom to broaden the Fire Nation’s reign? What if there had been a point when she wasn’t poised to capture them or attack them? I can still see Zuko naturally being bitter that she’s there. Iroh may still even be wary, as having her around after they have not achieved a goal means failure and capture (which is what I reason their reactions to her showing up in The Avatar State to be; they immediately know something is off because without a letter, without warning, Azula shows up in full armor after they have not achieved their goal of capturing the Avatar; and Iroh heard lightning earlier, and if it wasn’t Ozai and he deduces it was Azula? Oh lord she knows how to conjure lightning now which means they’re in deep sludge); but imagine if she’s just there to start her overseas military career, not to capture them. What if she knew they were wanted? What if they saw her, knowing they’re wanted, and they avoid her until they come face to face with her and she’s even more hurt that they immediately believed she would be cold enough to turn them in? They really thought that low of her? lol okay HEY GUARDS. Or what if she was like ‘Zuzu I made sure you had that ship and crew, you really think I’d turn you in?’ Or the opposite? In which Zuko sees Azula and knows they can trust her, but the more they get help from her the more she worries that Ozai is going to learn that she’s been secretly helping them through their escapades as wanted men? What if it had been Azula that got them their passports to BSS and was like ‘go here and stay out of my hair I am BUSY and I can’t keep risking my neck for you like this’.

But I have gone off topic and super rambled and I should be going to bed lmao but give me reason to ramble about this family and I will run with it. They are painfully human and messed up and SAD and I wish their resolutions post-canon were better than what we got.

So yk that whole thing with the fn royal family where it seemed like every time theres more than one sibling one is 'favored' and ones a scapegoat?

Do you think iroh would have followed this pattern if he had more than one child?

Interesting question! I suppose he might have, but it's hard to say. We don't really know much about how Iroh was in his younger years, after all. @peony-pearl what do you think?

[missvifdor]

My MC /OC /YUU, in the doorframe of the entrance to Ramshackle:

My MC /OC /YUU: W -Why ..? Grimm, I'm not crazy, it's not my birthday. Or yours yet?

Grimm: No but I'm not going to complain, it smells so good! * Dive into the assembly of packages and gift packages in pink and red *

* The First Year Gang arrives to look for MC for classes like every morning *

Deuce: Eh! I didn't know you were so popular MC!

My MC /OC /YUU: Me? Popular? I reassure you right away, in my world I was considered as the weird and silent child of the class. So popular I have never been very popular.

Ace: Do you know at least what day we have?

My MC /OC /YUU: No ...?

Jack: It's Valentine's Day * Sniff the air * Ugh! All this sugar gives me stomach ache and toothache ...

Grimm: It's so good MC! * Eyes that glow * Free chocolate! I'm going to be happy to eat it all!

Epel: Easy, Grimm, they're at MC you should ask her before you binge without permission.

Grimm: * Touching eyes and adorable gaze *

My MC /OC /YUU: * Sigh * Isn't that risking your health at least? I mean .. you really look like a cat and chocolate is poison to them.

Grimm: Who do you take me for? A vulgar animal? I'm a monster, obviously I can eat anything!

My MC /OC /YUU: Alright. You can take it but out of the question that you abuse it and fall ill afterwards, understand?

Grimm: You are the best Dorm Leader! Yahoou! * Plunges back among the packages happily *

Sebek: IF WE DON'T HURRY, WE WILL BE LATE FOR CLASSES!

My MC /OC /YUU: Sorry, Sebek, I'm making you late ... Go ahead I'll take the packages inside and I'll join you!

Jack: Do not be ridiculous, we will help you it will go faster.

* Our happy group of friends are going to their first class of the day *

* My MC /OC /YUU going to sit in his usual place *

My MC /OC /YUU: Is it really happening ...? * Turns all red * I even get flowers, now.

Ace: * Smirk * You look so shocked, like this is the first time this has happened to you, Hehe!

My MC /OC /YUU: ....

Deuce: Is this the first time this has happened to you ?!

My MC /OC /YUU: I told you before, I was not very popular and not very pretty. Boys and girls aren't really used to looking around in my path and neither am I.

Ace and Deuce: * Mumbles * His world must be filled with blind people ...

* Later that day they pass Cater, Trey and Riddle *

Cater: * Put his arm around MC's shoulders * Hello lovely young lady! What are you planning to give me for Valentine's Day? Although, you know I prefer the salty.

Riddle: Cater! This is inappropriate!

My MC /OC /YUU: Don't worry, Riddle. Well Cater, I completely forgot that it was today and I don't have a present for you, I'm sorry. Besides, why do I have to offer you one, we are not in a relationship?

Trey: Tradition has it that girls give chocolates to their friends and loved one. Doesn't that work in your world?

My MC /OC /YUU: Actually, no. Valentine's Day is only a day for couples, at least that's how it is in my country but I know that in Japan, another country, it works the same as Twisted Wonderland. But if you really want chocolates, I can make some for you, that makes me happy! I'm only sorry I didn't give them to you on the right date ...

Riddle: Don't bother if you don't want to, MC!

My MC /OC /YUU: I really don't mind, I would only need to borrow the kitchens from Heatslabyul. That of Ramshackle is not sufficiently equipped or even in good condition to work in good conditions. Dust is falling from the ceiling all the time, I wouldn't want that to end up in the preparation.

Trey: It works, come see me after class when you finish I'll give you the keys to the kitchen.

* Later that day, in Heatslabyul's kitchen *

My MC /OC /YUU: Well let's see ... Rose and violet chocolates are for Riddle. The orange and blood citrus ones are for Trey. The spicy beef and chicken mini skewers are for Cater. Ace has his pastry cream strawberries. Deuce to his red berry and chocolate pancakes. Leona ... Her filet mignon meal basket with sweet and salty honey. Ruggie his donuts and donuts are ready, all they need to do is garnish and fill them. Jack doesn't like things that are too sweet or unhealthy ... so a mango and coconut sorbet. Azul pays close attention to her figure, so poached pears in honey. Jade un Canteloupe and blueberries with green tea and lime. Floyd strawberry chocolates in the shape of shrimp and sea animals. Kalim and Jamil hot chili chocolates and rhubarb and date jam that they can put on homemade brioche toast. Vil, Rook and Epel fresh fruit salad, French pancakes with rum and apple clafoutis. Idia ... chocolate and peanut butter pop cake with a Bubble Tea with tapioca pearls and mango and candies for Ortho. Malleus popsicles in the shape of a gargoyle and a bouquet of chocolate in the shape of roses, Lilia macaroons with mint and vanilla in the shape of a bat, Sebek ... A mini figurine of Malleus in dark chocolate and food coloring, for Silver it will be passion fruit Pasteis De Nata. And Grimm ... Squid with seafood and vegetables. Lord! I've never cooked for so many people! I'll put it all in the fridge and go home!

* My MC /OC /YUU coming home exhausted *

My MC /OC /YUU collapsing on Ramshackle's living room couch: Lord! I am so tired!

Grimm: Your hands smell full of delicious smells! Am I going to have some too?

My MC /OC /YUU: * Smells his hands and grimaces * Ugh! It especially smells like chocolate fish! It makes me sick ... I'm coming back I'll try to make this smell available, by all the gods ...

* Grimm who decides to wait for him while eating another packet of chocolate intended for MC *

Grimm: * Starts at coughed, disgusted * Yuck! These taste too weird !!

My MC /OC /YUU who comes back with his hands washed aggressively: You make a funny face, what's happening to you?

Grimm: These chocolates are too weird, I don't like them.

My MC /OC /YUU : Let me see? * Frowns and takes a chocolate to eat it * * Chew gently * Hmm ... it's true they have a weird aftertaste ... I feel weird ... M-My head spinning ... I can't feel my legs anymore ... * Fainted on the ground *

Grimm: Nyah! MC! Don't move, I'll get help!

* A few hours after taking MC to the infirmary, the strange chocolates were analyzed and an emergency meeting of the leaders and vice-dormitory leaders be given *

Professor Crewel: The results are clear ... The chocolates contained a love potion prepared in the most mediocre manner I have ever seen. So this has the effect on the Prefect of Ramshackle that she is falling into a deep sleep.

Kalim, with tears in his eyes: Is there no cure ?!

Crewel: Yes.

Leona, hiding her concern with aggression: And ?!

Crowley: The only solution for my dear MC to wake up is the ... The kiss of true love ...

Azul: I thought it only existed in children's books .. What if it doesn't work? How is it supposed to work?

Trein: That's the problem. The person kissing MC must be the person they love.

Ace who holds Grimm in his arms because the poor thing is absolutely devastated: Does MC at least love someone ?!

Jade: You are his closest friends, you should know that.

Deuce: MC never talks to us about that kind of thing and neither do we, she says all the time that it's her private life and that it's none of our business .... Oh MC ...

Jamil: Grimm, do you know?

Grimm who sniffs and holds back his tears: NOOooOoo ...!

Ace: Don't worry Grimm, we'll find the person who did this to her and she better be sorry for even entering this school.

Azul: Floyd will certainly be happy to help you find him, he has a special affection for MC.

Riddle: You can count on us too! We will make him regret acting in a manner so disrespectful and dangerous towards MC and the school rules!

Crowley: Come on gentlemen, let's try to act in a neutral and professional manner * Whisper to himself * If I find this little fool I'll be happy to kick him out of this school forever!

Malleus: If you let me deal with this man's case personally, I can assure you that he will never return to this school. Because he won't have any legs at all.

Idia: I'm still going to do some research approach to find out if there are no other solutions with MC!

Ortho: Big Bro, you'll have to come and try to wake MC up with a kiss first.

Idia panics immediately: I- I don't think it will work w-with me! How could MC love a geek like m-me ?!

Ortho, happily: Don't devalue yourself, Big Bro ! You have all your chances!

Rook: Oui, Mon cher, you have every chance! MC must obviously have noticed your unique charm!

Ruggie: * Whispers mockingly * Ah that, to be unique, he is! Shishishishi!

Lilia: * Laugh slightly * Let's see if our dear Idia has the courage to come out of his den.

Vil: That's enough you two, what we're talking about is serious. It is not time for jokes!

Trey, whispering sadly to himself: And to think that a few hours ago MC and I were talking in the kitchen and cooking like nothing had happened ... She had put so much heart into her preparations...

* Everyone is gathered in the infirmary plus the rest of the boys *

Riddle who blushes a lot: So uh ... how do we do it? Are we in line?

Crewel: The best is if you all wait outside and come one by one to Miss MC. If either of you ever wakes her up, I think you both need to discuss it.

The boys went by one by one and finally ....

Twisted boy: Okay ... It's my turn. * Enter the infirmary and approach MC * Hi MC. I'm sorry to kiss you without your consent but ... we have no other solutions at this time. Please forgive me .. * Kiss her *

My MC /OC YUU: * Wakes up coughing very hard until spitting out a piece of half-melted chocolate * WHAT THE HELL ?!

Twisted boy: You're awake! * Hugs her *

My MC /OC /YUU: * hugs him back * What's going on ?!

Twisted boy: * Explain everything to her * That's why I kissed you. Aren't you angry?

My MC /OC /YUU: No, no! I understand that was the only solution, thank you for freeing me from the negligence of the fool who gave me these cursed chocolates!

* My MC /OC /YUU finally realizes what it means *

My MC /OC /YUU: So uh .. Yeah I love you I guess ... But if you don't feel anything for me I totally understand and we can stay like we are now! I promise not to make this awkward or weird!

Twisted boy: Actually, it's good because ... I also feel the same way but I didn't know how to tell you.

My MC /OC /YUU: ... So ... you wanna go on a date with me?

Twisted boy: I would love that!

* Grimm who goes into the infirmary like a cannonball *

Grimm: MC! YOU ARE ALIVE ! MY HANDMAN, YOU WON'T EAT ANY MORE WITHOUT I TASTING IT FIRST! * Hopped into MC's arms to give her a hug *

[anigerrrr]

Just a friend from work

Natasha Romanoff x Carol Danvers

Word count: 1.5k

Summary:  Natasha doesn’t think that she’s dating the blonde woman, and they certainly shouldn’t as well. It’s not professional.

Warning: Protective Yelena, sister conversations, Captain’s bad acting 

(please let me know if there’s any I should add as well)

a/n: Hello! This is my first fanfic written in English for carolnat, and I just love them so much. English is not my mother language so please ignore my grammatical errors lol ! Please do comment if you have any thoughts or questions!

/

“So, how old is he?”

“Who?”

“That guy you’re dating.”

When Yelena started it - whatever it is, the redhead immediately made a full stop for this upcoming conversation.

“No,” Natasha said, half jaded from today’s mission. “Yelena, I already said that we are not gonna talk about this. Not now.”

“Excuse me, you almost got caught in the middle of the frickin’ building just for replying to someone's text.” Her sister’s brown eyes widened in disbelief, “and as your partner, little sister plus, I think I have a full right to know what’s happening.”

Ok, after all of the universal matters. The Snap, The Blip, The Endgame and The Reunion. Natasha let out a sigh. This world may be peaceful enough - almost too peaceful, for her younger sister to dig into her personal life now.

“It was something important from the HQ, ” she finally made something up, trying to convince Yelena. “Some information. Not anyone I’m dating, and I’m not seeing any single guy either.”

This part was sort of a truth.

Natasha wasn’t seeing a guy.

/ Coming back to earth in an hour. - C. /

That’s the reason she punched the bad guys in extra strength today, almost ruining Yelena’s nose as well in some kind of jump-scare situation. Well, Natasha just needed to end this mission. Efficiently. 

She’s expecting a woman with glowing fists.

“You may be the top assassin with excellent lying skills, but you know it’s useless to me.” Yelena teased in a raspy Russian accent, as if she just couldn’t let go of it. 

“I’ll take the compliment.”

“And does that mean you’re actually lying to me?”

Natasha smirked, taking off her suit as she replied to the blonde. “You’re less annoying when you’re still a little girl.”

She tried to pretend nothing actually happened in this present, and that’s what she should do for sure. She’s still an Avenger, reborn in the mysterious deal between Captain Marvel and the Soul Stone keeper after the war. 

Carol was there, shining like stars in the darkest underground. Vormir was a place of exchange, a place where only sacrifice made deals. But when it was about Carol, nothing seemed impossible to make a miracle in her hands. 

-It was easy, you know. I just asked him to return what we had left in that shit place.

-Yeah, I asked him nicely. See this smile? That’s how I got Nat back.

No one believed this story. It didn’t matter anyway, especially when these avengers witnessed Natasha taken back by Carol without any visible injuries.

Maybe just like how she found Tony and took him back at an unbelievable speed, there’s something always mysterious with Carol.

They supposed. 

“If you’re taking good care of yourself as Fanny is, I wouldn’t have asked.” Yelena rolled her eyes, and suddenly she saw something unusual on her sister’s back.

“Wait, Natasha. What is that?” As Yelena leaned closer, she narrowed her brown eyes to observe the unusual mark left on Natasha’s back. “It looks like a bite. Oh my God, are you turning into a vampire or something? “

She realized that maybe Yelena didn’t know what love marks were. As far as she knew, her younger sister hadn’t dated anyone since the collapse of the red room. 

“There’s no bite, Yelena. You’re exaggerating, it’s probably just a scratch from the fight.” Natasha pulled down her black tank top, adding an extra leather jacket she didn’t usually wear.

There’s a bite. 

And it took all her efforts to stay impeccable in front of her sister every time she felt it burning silently, especially after taking a shower or punching someone really hard. 

Carol did that. 

“Alright then, time for dinner?” Yelena shrugged, putting her oversized hoodie on. 

“Yeah, sure.” Natasha didn’t catch the full sentence from her partner-sister honestly, she focused more on the communicator that she’s been carrying all the time.

“Speaking of that…Mom - I mean, Melina. Anyway, she asked if we’d be free to show up for dinner next week.” Yelena said, pulling out her phone from the pocket as well. “I think Friday will be good, how do you think?”

/ Let’s catch up in the compound later, I need to take a really quick shower. - C. /

“Yeah, that’d be amazing…wait, what?” Natasha raised her head up and seized the blonde’s eyes, “I’m sorry, what was the question?”

/ In case you wanna know, I look like a total mess in purple blood now. They didn’t even act like living spices, what a day. - C. /

Natasha stopped, and smiled a bit for imagining the blonde woman’s messy look now. 

She didn’t reply a single word to these texts, but it kept coming up. It’s just like Carol knew that she’d always read them as soon as they were delivered. 

“Ok, that’s rude.” And her sister finally couldn’t take it any longer. “Admit it, Natasha. You’re apparently disturbed by someone that you don’t wanna tell me, why is that?”

Then, Natasha realized that Yelena was still standing in front of her the whole time. She didn’t pay attention to anything this young woman said about free or show. Or dinner. 

Fantastic.

“I’m dealing with something important,” walking together out of their changing room, Natasha answered softly. She’s hiding her vague feelings of guilt. “- from work.”

“Natasha, we’re working together.” 

“Ugh, that’s different. That’s…” As Natasha tried to come up with something more persuasive, her younger sister stopped and nodded to someone.

“Oh, hey.” Yelena took a step back, and she seemed a little nervous. “Cap, we didn’t know you’re coming back today.”

When Natasha met the other blonde woman’s eyes, she found Carol’s hair still dripping. Ok, that’s definitely how a quick shower should be called.

“I left a message to Agent Romanoff.” Carol showed her audacity in acting surprised just right in front of the perfectly trained assassins. “Oh Romanoff, I was looking for you. Lucky me.”

“The mission I mentioned last night, remember that? It went a little bit wrong now.”

To Natasha’s surprise, her sister showed concern on her profile. “Is everything alright?”

Wait, Yelena could tell if she’s lying easily but actually believed in Carol’s almost-too-obvious acting?

“It will be,” Carol smiled back, taking a step in to pat Natasha’s left shoulder. “I just need to borrow your sister for a few minutes - hours, if you don’t mind?”

“Oh, that’s fine. She’s not actually paying attention to me anyway.” Yelena raised her eyebrow, adding a friendly suggestion to her Captain. “Just don’t let her suspicious friend bother her via texts during the mission.”

“Ha, that’s mature.” Natasha couldn’t help but roll her eyes back again, she knew Carol was trying to not let out a laugh. This woman is literally shining right now.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, totally.” Carol winked in a way that Natasha suspected she'd done this a thousand times. 

“See you later then, young lady.”

When they left the compound, Natasha shut the door of the training room and almost hit the blonde’s pretty nose.

“Are you fucking serious?” Natasha said as soon as there’s no one else between them. 

“You are wearing my jacket.” Carol just smirked happily, admiring how well it fit the redhead. “It looks cute on you, just keep it for me. Will you?”

Something did go wrong, between these two deadly women.

Any one in the galaxy would say it's very hard for Carol to stay in one place for a long time. But she did, she stayed on earth for almost a week, once a month. 

And any one in the Avengers’ HQ would say it’s very hard for Natasha to be disturbed by anything or anyone. Even so, she would not show it on her expression even a tiny bit.

That’s just not her thing.

Like dating someone, or texting someone back. Or admit that she’s caring for the blonde ones, not just her younger sister. 

But they did have sex (well it was amazing), twice. Ugh, maybe three times, if the very first time on Carol’s spaceship counted. 

That’s all, it's a healthy relationship between adults. 

It sounds professional.

“You should stop texting me while we’re at working hours.” Natasha sighed. 

“Wait,” Carol chuckled, her hair color looked darker when it’s wet. “Do we actually have ‘working hours’ in this job? I mean, when is it not ?”

“When we’re not on a mission.”

“But how do I know- ”

“You’re the Captain, Carol.”

“Oh,” Carol finally agreed with a small smile. “That makes sense.”

Every time. Natasha looked at her and thought. Every time she called her name, not Danvers or Captain, just Carol. The smile just came up like that, like nothing else in this world was more delightful than hearing Natasha say her five-letters name.

It’s silly, unprofessional.

But Natasha did that, once in a while.

“So,” Carol tilted her head slightly, and acted that she’s way more harmless than having power to blast spaceships in a single fist. “What’s the plan for dinner?”

“You’re gonna stay that much longer, Captain?” Natasha teased when she finally felt something was in control, by her. Carol’s thoughts were easy to be studied, or at least she gave in for her.

Carol hummed in a way that Natasha could tell she’s triggered, and dragged her leather jacket’s collar to lean in.

“Depends on what you’re offering me to eat, ma’am.”

[beauvibaby]

single mom – j.benn

a/n: this was a super random idea that just came to me, well really it was the grocery scene but it just clicked so

Your daughter, fast asleep on your lap, her head resting on your chest, you let the tears fall. You shifted her off of you and into her small bed, tucking her in before rushing out of the room, not wanting to wake her with your cries. You left her door cracked open, just how she had insisted she likes it, your mind racing back to the conversation you’d just had with her.

“I want daddy!” Jade shrieked at you, throwing her stuffed animal–from her father when she was first born–down onto the ground in protest. You looked at the three year old in warning, “Jade, honey, it’s time for bed.” You tried to push past the subject, you knew it was the wrong thing to do, but you had a long, exhausting day at work and you didn’t have the patience to have the conversation with her again that her father wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. He seemingly decided that she was suddenly too much for him, leaving her at your fathers house with a letter for you and then disappearing entirely. You knew, when she was born, it would only be a matter of time until he abandoned her, already blaming you for getting pregnant. “I don’t want you! I want daddy.” She snapped, not only shattering your heart, but also making you grow frustrated. “You don’t say things like that, it’s mean, you hurt my feelings.” You told her as calmly as you could muster, she huffed, but didn’t say anything as you continued pulling out her clothes for school tomorrow. “Mommy, I’m sorry.” She whispered after a moment, clinging to your legs, you nodded down at her, not trusting your voice for a moment.

You trudged to your room, finally being able to remove those constricting work clothes. An office job, which you hated, but it was the only thing that worked with the hours you needed for Jade. You cried yourself to sleep that night.

***

“How much longer mommy?” Jade complained from her spot standing on the side of the cart, “we just need your snacks and then some cereal.” You assured the fussy girl, knowing she hated going grocery shopping with you. “Do you want fruit snacks or–Jade?!” You had only turned for a few seconds, to see what they had on the shelves, but now she was gone. “Jade!” You called, eyes darting around the aisle, you yanked your purse out of the cart, abandoning it in a panic of searching for your daughter. You ran up and down the aisles, trying to figure out where she could have gone. Cereal, the cereal, you turned around and all but ran to the other side of the store, praying and hoping that somehow she had found her way there. Your prayers were answered as you rounded the corner and you saw Jade standing beside a fairly tall man, “Jade!” You gasped, running over to her, yanking her up into your arms quickly. “You can’t do that, you can’t just walk away from me like that!” You rushed, not even noticing the guy standing there holding the exact box of cereal you were going to be buying. “I’m sorry, mommy.” Jade looked at you with wide eyes, never seeing you like this, because she’s never pulled a stunt like this.

“Umm, excuse me?” The man spoke up, making you turn towards him, Jade still being in your arms, “yes?” You answered him, trying to calm your racing heart. “I believe she was looking for this.” He held out the box of cereal, shaking it lightly, Jade smiling at him with her biggest smile. “Mr Jamie got it.” She told you, looking proud of herself for having help in getting the cereal off the top shelf. You let out a soft breathy laugh, “thank you, Uh, Jamie, I guess.” You spoke lightly, “anytime…” he trailed off, not knowing your name. “Y/N.” You called over your shoulder, beginning the trek to where your cart was hopefully still left.

Once you’d gotten back to your cart, you put Jade in it this time, despite her protests, “no, you did the one thing you’re not supposed to do.” You told her, not giving into her pout, she huffed and dramatically crossed her arms, not speaking to you for the remainder of the time in the store. She only spoke when you buckled her into her car seat, before loading the groceries into the trunk. “Can you play frozen?” She asked sleepily, you nodded at her tired face, turning the car on and playing the frozen soundtrack off of your phone, her eyes shutting as she hummed along to let it go, falling asleep nearly instantly. You glanced up at the sound of someone walking past, Jamie, of course, he didn’t notice you as he walked, but that was short lived as he walked up to the truck parked next to your car. You stayed silent, only smiling when you felt him looking over at you, “it’s not really polite to stare you know.” You quipped, shutting your trunk lightly, not wanting to wake Jade. “I wasn’t staring.” He defended, smirking softly, leaning against the side of his truck, his small amount of groceries already packed away. “Mhm, thank you for the cereal by the way, I’m sorry she bothered you.” You responded genuinely, realizing you were too worked up in the store to thank him. “It wasn’t a bother, she’s adorable.” He assured you, smiling as you glanced into the car at her. “She is.” You agreed, finding yourself wishing you had more conversation to have with Jamie.

“Have a nice day, Jamie.” You bid him goodbye, shoving your cart into the designated spot, “you too, Y/N.” He responded, eyes lingering as you got into your car.

***

Jamie watched as Tyler looked at him with a shocked expression, “you met a girl?” Tyler gaped at him, the two of them talking while getting ready for the game, “no, well yes, but no.” Jamie stumbled over his words, not even entirely sure what to say. “It’s a simple question, yes or no?” Tyler smirked, halting his process to give Jamie his full attention. “Ugh, ok I was at the store, and this little girl came up to me, asking if I could get her this cereal, then her mom came running around the corner looking for her.” Jamie explained, “they were both so sweet, and her mom, she was just stunning.” Jamie added, feeling his cheeks turn pink. “Did you get her number?” Tyler asked, as if it was so simple. “No! I don’t know if she’s got a boyfriend or anything, I can’t just assume she’s a single mom.” He rushed, making up excuses, “she was younger than me for sure too.” He added, as if that would be reason enough to not have an interest in you. “Oh come on, who cares if she’s younger, if you see her again, by some miracle, you have to make a move.” Tyler insisted, and they left the conversation at that.

“Dad, are you sure she’s not too young?” You asked for the hundredth time, adjusting your daughters loose jersey, he had become your go to babysitter, and he insisted on taking you and Jade to a hockey game, saying that she would watch them on tv when she was with him. “She’s not too young, she’s going to have a blast!” He laughed at your concern, taking her from you, he had gifted you both with plain, non player jerseys for the team, your father wasn’t loaded by any means, but he had worked hard in his life, and now that your mother had passed and it was just him, he sold the house and got a small condo, using the extra money to buy himself tickets to see his favorite team. “Alright, alright, let’s go.” You gave in, following him into the arena.

The seats were better than you had thought they would be, and you couldn’t deny how it made you a little extra excited. “Go down to the glass, see if you can get her a puck.” Your dad insisted, sending Jade with you, once you reached the boards, you lifted her up to be on your hip, they were doing warm ups, some of the players not bothering with helmets, one in particular caught your eye. He’d skated by so fast, but something about him looked vaguely familiar, you couldn’t place your finger on it, but you pushed it to the back of your mind as you told Jade to wave at them, hoping one of them would be kind enough to send a puck over for her. A few of them went by without even noticing you guys, then the familiar one came to a stop, ice flying up, making Jade giggle, she shocked you by knocking on the glass, causing him to turn around. You went wide eyed, and so did he. You watched as he held up a finger in a hang on motion, Jade laughed, watching him skate quickly across the ice, doing something quickly behind the bench. He rushed back over, making sure to send some ice up again for Jade as she grinned, he pointed to her through the glass and tossed a puck up in the air, you caught it and gave it to her. Then he pointed at you, tossing another puck over, except this one had writing scribbled on it.

“Can I have your number?”

You read it with a blush, looking up to see him shifting his weight back and forth on his skates, you nodded, sending Jade to your dad who was standing in the aisle watching, she rushed over to him, excited to show him the puck. Jamie tossed a silver sharpie over to you, a grin etched onto his face, you motioned to the puck, and he nodded. You wrote the number down, sending the sharpie and then the puck back over for him, giving him a short wave as he skated back to the bench, a few of the guys nudging his shoulders. Your dad was watching skeptically, “I’ve been told that you know, Mr Jamie.” He quoted your daughter, smiling fondly when you turned pink. “We met in the grocery store.” You went on to tell him the story until the game started, all three of you getting sucked in to the sport as it went on.

Once your dad had dropped you and Jade off at your home, you were exhausted, and carrying her up the stairs to your apartment was only more tiring as the elevator was currently out of service. Jade didn’t make a peep as you laid her down in bed, a smile on her sleeping face, you kissed her forehead lightly, “sweet dreams, baby girl.” You whispered.

Your phone vibrated on your nightstand as you got ready for bed, an unknown number on the screen.

“I’m glad Jade liked the puck, you could definitely pay me back by going on a date with me.”

It was a bold move on his part, but you didn’t mind one bit. You read the message three times before coming up with your response,

“Wouldn’t I just owe you more after you pay for me?”

Your smile widened as the three dots came up right away, you couldn’t help but bite your bottom lip in anticipation.

“I have a feeling that time with you will be priceless.”

If you weren’t already daydreaming about him, you definitely would be now.

***

“Are you sure?” You asked your dad for the third time since he got here, Jade happily eating her dinner while you two talked just out of her earshot, “I’m sure, you deserve to go out and have some fun.” He assured you, “she’ll be fine, worse comes to worse, you can say you had dinner with Jamie Benn.” Your dad added, smirking at the end. You lightly whacked his shoulder, “thanks for having faith in my ability to have a good date.” You joked, earning a deep laughter from your dad. “You’ll be fine, honey, now say goodbye to Jade and get going!” He pushed you towards your daughter, smiling as she looked up at you with a messy smile. “Where did you learn to eat?” You teased her, squatting beside her, wiping her face with a napkin, “kiss.” You demanded with a laugh, grinning as she pecked your cheek. “I love you.” You told her, getting a muffled one in response as she continued munching away on her food. “Promise you’ll call me for anything.” You pleaded with your dad as he pushed you out the door, “yes, I promise, have fun.” He shut the door before you could continue, giving you no option but to head out for your date, your nerves growing with every minute closer you got.

“Y/N!” You heard from across the parking lot, your head snapping up as you slid your purse onto your shoulder, “hey, Jamie.” You called as he approached, a smile etched onto his face. “You look great.” He grinned, looking over the dress you’d chosen, a casual dress, nearly maxi length with a light floral print. A Jean jacket over top. “Thank you.” You closed your car door as you spoke, “you look great too.” You complimented him, smiling as he offered his hand as you stepped up the curb. He shot you a toothy smile in response, opening the door to the restaurant, a cliche first date, but the effort he put in was very much appreciated. You couldn’t say in full honesty that you’d ever been taken on such a proper date, Jade’s father had really been your first true relationship, and it wasn’t the best at times. Or ever, really. “Two please.” Jamie spoke to the hostess, you had zoned out slightly, taking in the slightly eclectic look of the restaurant. Jamie pulled your seat out for you, only making you blush more. “Thank you.” You whispered as he took his seat across from you, “of course.” He smiled, picking his menu up, peering over it at you as you both browsed silently. You shifted a little nervously as you looked at some of the prices, Jamie glanced up at you, unsure if he should ask if you were alright. “So, what’s good here?” You asked, breaking the silence, he let out a laugh, setting the menu down. “Can I be honest?” He raised an eyebrow at you, your head falling into a cautious nod, “I’ve never been here before, some of the guys said I should take you here.” He looked a bit pink in his cheeks, you bit your lip to stifle back a laugh, “you know, Jamie, I’m perfectly fine with more of the typical burger and fries type of place.” You giggled, watching his smile falter, before it widened again, “let’s go.” He abruptly stood up, his chair making a noise in the quiet restaurant. He rushed you out the door, laughing the entire time as you looked at him in shock.

“We could’ve eaten here, I wasn’t trying to be–“ “Y/N, just live a little, I’d much rather go get a burger than whatever was on that menu.” He cut you off with a grin, “well,” you paused, fishing your keys out of your purse, “I do know a great little hole in the wall place a few blocks away.” You grinned at him, watching as he matched your look. “Shall we?” “We shall.”

“Thank you, Jamie, I had a great time.” You smiled up at him as you stood between your cars, he reciprocated the gesture, “so did I.” He mumbled, “we should do it again sometime.” He added, watching as you nodded slowly, easing his nerves significantly, “I’d like that, a lot.” You trailed off, meeting his eyes, you could tell that he saw the concern on your face. You hadn’t done this yet, since Jade, and now you weren’t sure how it would work. How long did you date before you introduced him as something other than just Jamie? What if you never made it that far? What– “Can I kiss you?” Jamie interrupted, chuckling when your jaw dropped for a moment, not expecting him to be so abrupt. You barely finished whispering a yes before his lips were on yours, his hands on either side of your face, you melted into them, your hands resting on his sides as you kissed him back. He let out a sigh of content as you pulled away, “yeah, we’re definitely going to have to do this again.” You mumbled, laughing along with him as he was caught off guard by your comment.

***

That was three months ago, somehow the two of you had been making it work in the middle of his busiest time of year, Christmas had just passed, and it was finally time to introduce him to Jade, properly, as your boyfriend, not just as the guy you’d met in the grocery store. “Where are we going?” Jade asked, holding your hand tightly as you walked with her through the tunnels that you quickly learned to maneuver, Jamie having you come to a couple of games so far, and insisting you come down afterwards. “You’ll see.” You assured her with a giggle, she bounced happily beside you, eyes going wide as she saw Jamie leaning against the wall, she’d seen him a couple of times, but totally oblivious to what was happening between the two of you.

“Jamie!” She shrieked, releasing your hand and running over to him, he easily squatted in front of her, smiling as she gave him a little hug. “Hey, Jade.” He murmured, glancing up at you as she began rambling about her day. “I like your shirt.” He told her when she finished, and she looked down to the stars jersey you’d slipped her in to, the same plain one your dad had gotten her, you on the other hand, had on your Benn jersey. Something Jamie had insisted on the second you two decided this was a serious committed relationship. “It’s just like the one you wear!” She told him, as if he didn’t already know. “Wow, that’s crazy.” He gasped, looking at it closely, as if it was new information, she laughed girlishly at him. “Jade?” You questioned, kneeling beside Jamie, suddenly terrified that your three year old would shame your relationship. “Jamie and I are dating, so you know what that means?” You asked her, Jamie glancing between the two of you. Jade tilted her head to the side, “that means you love him.” She answered, as if that was the correct answer, you smiled at your daughter, glancing over to Jamie, you hadn’t said it to him yet, but you were certain that you were in love with him. He stayed silent, but the grin on his face told you everything you needed. “Does that mean we’ll live together? Like you and daddy used too?” Jade gasped, suddenly excited at the idea. This time you were the one who stared and Jamie spoke, easing any nerves you had, “hopefully one day.” He assured her.

Jade was watching a quick video on your phone while you spoke to Jamie before the game, “I think that went well.” He shrugged, not really as concerned as you had been. “It did.” You sighed, hugging him quickly, knowing he had to get going, “Jamie.” You got his attention, cupping his jaw and leaning up to kiss him. “I love you.” You whispered, slowly stepping away from him, “I love you.” He grinned, “gonna play great now that I know that.” He shot you a wink, before going on to score two goals that night, one of them being the game winner.

Taglist: @vinceduhn​ @makarsy​ @kempe​ @literarycharleton​ @josty​ @mrs-ana-wayne​ @kiedhara​

[twsted-tales-of-scheherazade]

Hmm, new blog. 👀 I would like to request a fluff scenario of Sebek, Idia, and Azul with a fem!reader who is color blind. Colors can be hard sometimes.

Sebek first finds out about your condition one day when you point out how Malleus' flames didn't appear green in your eyes. They just looked brown. Naturally, the fae was shocked and asked if you were joking. You shook your head 'no' and explained how some humans like you suffer from color blindness. A specific color that he sees may not appear the same as what you see. 

It wasn't just Malleus' flames. Diasomnia's signature green was not present in your vision. The bright color looked brown in your eyes and you told your boyfriend as such. His shocked expression turned aghast. As expected of Sebek, he started going on about how it was unacceptable that you were not able to see his lord's brilliance. 

You were used to his tangents by now and he would most likely continue for quite a while. So you got comfy in your seat and watched in mild exasperation as the fae continued speaking.

The tea he brewed is, as always, very delicious.

"Lord Lilia...I would like you a question."

The ancient fae hummed and turned his curious gaze to the first year once he put down his bagpipe (up to this day, Sebek did not know where he got that instrument from). "What is it?"

"Is there perhaps a spell that can show someone dreams? Is it possible to meet in a dream?"

Lilia raised his eyebrows at the strange question. "Certainly. But what would you do with such a spell?"

The first year cleared his throat before he started explaining. "You see, [Name] has..." His senior stayed silent and listened attentively as he explained his plans. Once he was done, Lilia smiled. "My, my. Such a sweet gift...very well. I' shall help you."

"T-Thank you very much, Lord Lilia! I apologize for my lack of skill! I vow to make this up to you."

"Nonsense. Young love is a wonderful thing, Sebek. Just tell me how that little one reacts afterward."

The next day, you had spent a few hours after school with your boyfriend in the library, studying for the upcoming exams. Ever the gentleman, he escorted you to your dorm afterward. You gave him a kiss and bid goodnight. However, before you shut the door, you heard him say "You will have good dreams tonight. I guarantee it."

It honestly made you confused. That was a rather strange way to say good night to someone. Though you didn't think much of it and got ready for bed.

...

You open your eyes to the sight of a starry sky. You blinked before shooting up, looking around your unfamiliar surroundings. The sight of the glowing flowers surrounding you took your breath away.

"W-Wh-"

"I see the spell worked. As expected of Lord Lilia and the young maste."

You turned towards the source of the voice, eyes widening once you saw Sebek. "Y-You're hair...your clothes?! They're..." You spluttered.

He sent a smug smile your way. "How do you like it, [Name]? Surely, you see the brilliant green of Diasomnia now."

Your mind couldn't process what was happening all at once. You looked at your boyfriend then out into the clearing of flowers beneath the starry sky. It seemed to stretch on endlessly.

"Is this a dream?"

"It is. Yet, it isn't." He murmured, taking a seat beside you. "This is a world created by a powerful spell of the ancient faes. Lord Lilia had helped me with it along with the young master. To be honest, I was rather ashamed that he had to assist me too...however...he wished for you to see the world in all of its beauty. Are you happy with this, [Name]? 

"...Y-Yes! A hundred times, yes! I love this! I love this so much! I love you, Sebek! Thank you!" You cried before tackling him in a hug. His strong arms caught you easily. He could hear your delighted laughter right next to his ear, causing a small blush to rise to his cheeks.

"...You haven't seen anything yet." With a snap of his fingers, small green lights started rising out of the field of flowers. You gasped as hundreds of fireflies flew through the air.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let us explore this place. We have a few hours left before you wake up."

"Yeah!" 

Sebek watched from behind as you frolicked in the endless garden, pointing out new colors you have never seen before.

Illuminated by the green fireflies, you looked even more breath-taking in his eyes.

Idia knew that you were colorblind before your relationship with him started. It honestly amazed him how your condition altered the world you saw around you. He's looked up information about color blindness on the internet several times, and with each article he read, the fact that he would never understand the world you see became even more clear. 

Sometimes, he would even ask you what it was like. What colors do you see? How did your condition affect your life? Once, he showed you different pictures and with every answer, he finds himself looking at them intently, marveling about how you were seeing something different. Of course, once he catches your amused stare, he turns into an embarrassing mess and ends up curling into a ball while hiding his blushing face from view.

He never stopped thinking about you though. You said that you were used to the world you're seeing. You've been dealing with color blindness for years...but was there a way to improve your vision?

Apparently, there was. They were in the form of enchroma glasses. According to the website he found - he checked the sources and confirmed that the information there was legitimate, the glasses filter out specific color wavelengths and let people with color blindness see with normal vision. However, it was also mentioned that the effectiveness of it vary depending on the severity of color blindness. 

"...Filter...these glasses filter wavelengths...can I enhance that with magic?" He murmured to himself.

"Well now, Idia. This is a rather interesting project you've thought of." Azul stated as his sky blue eyes gazed at the enchroma glasses with interest. "Humans are rather interesting...so many aspects of them are new to us."

"...You'll help me, right? I already promised to give you that new board game you wanted." Idia said with a huff.

The octopus chuckled before pushing his glasses up. "Of course. It's a deal."

Both of them had a lot of experimenting to do.

...

A few weeks later, your boyfriend had asked you to visit his room since he had something to give you. Once you arrived, he urged you to sit on his bed as he rummaged through his work desk.

"Close your eyes first."

You raised your eyebrows but complied. A few moments later, you felt something being placed on your face...they felt like glasses? Why was he making you wear glasses?

"Alright. You can open them now." You felt a tingling sensation just as your eyelids lifted. What greeted you afterward was a completely different place. A gasp left your mouth as you looked around the room. 

'The colors...!'

They were more vibrant, more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. For the first time in your life, you were seeing the world that other people saw. What really took your breath away, however, was how Idia looked. Especially the glow of his hair that burned a bright blue. "Wow..." You murmured before reaching out and touching his locks.

"Wh-why are you touching my hair?" And then, the glowing blue turns into flaming red as your boyfriend stammers in embarrassment. "You're so weird..."

"Thank you, Idia. I...really wasn't expecting this."

"Y-Yeah...well...you always mention how it was a pain to deal with...the color blindness. I had Azul help me out...but it still took a long time to get the desired effect..."

"I see! I'll make sure to thank Azul too. These are amazing. And you know what I love the most about this?"

"...What?"

"I got to see you become even more beautiful in a different shade of blue." You chirped, pecking his rosy cheeks.

"Ugh...what the hell was that, so cringey..." He muttered as he pulled his hood up to hide his embarrassed face.

You laughed in response and as Idia stares at your delighted expression, he feels himself falling in love all over again.

“Angelfish? Is there something wrong?" Azul asked as he stared at your depressed state. You had curled up on the sofa with such a displeased frown that he can't help but worry. 

"...I wanna go into you octopus pot and stay there forever." You mumbled. The merman blinked in confusion before setting down his pen and taking a seat beside you. He patted your head, and in turn, you moved to lay your head on his lap. "Talk to me, angelfish. I'll listen to all your troubles."

"...I mixed up my clothes today."

"Pardon?"

You sighed before looking up at his eyes. "I got up late today so I had to rush. I wasn't paying attention so I wore different colored socks and shoes. My shirt was different too. It was super embarrassing..." Your frown got deeper and you hid your face with your hands, groaning. "I think someone took a video of me dashing through the school in those clothes...god. I must have looked like a moron."

Ah...so it was one of those "colorblind problems" you've told him about. It wasn't a condition that he encountered often and the most important fact he learned from his research on it was that it affects some aspects of your life. Being able to see colors are something that most creatures take for granted. But for people like you, he can at least understand that you're going to have a hard time.

"I see. Don't worry, I'll have Jade look into it. If such a video exists, then it will be deleted immediately."

"Thanks..." You mumbled, turning to the side and burying your face in his stomach. He gave you an exasperated smile, knowing that he won't be getting any more work done today.

"Shall we perhaps go to my room? It's more comfortable on the bed."

"Yeah..."

Now, you find yourself in his embrace, still upset about your mistake earlier in the day. "It's hard dealing with colors sometimes...and frustrating." 

"You can always .make a contract with me." He said with a chuckle. "I'm sure I can find a way to improve your vision."

"...Tempting. But, strangely enough, when I think about it...I don't want to. I've spent so many years with my color blindness, saw the world differently from most people...it would feel kind of wrong if I suddenly started seeing everything. Sorry...I complain a lot but I don't even want to make changes...I know it's confusing."

"That's alright. I am here to listen to other's woes after all."

"Like the sea witch, right?"

"Exactly."

You giggled before both of you lapsed into a comfortable silence. He pulled you close to his chest, letting you hear the sound of his beating heart.

"Hey, Azul...can you describe a color to me? What is that color to you? Anything will do..."

He hummed before kissing your forehead. "Alright. I can certainly try. Let me see..."

“...Blue is the color of the ocean. My home filled with mysteries that humans have yet to understand. It is also the sky we see on a sunny afternoon. Do you remember, angelfish? When Jade had dragged us to the mountains, we found a clearing and decided to lay down and rest. We looked up at the sky and stared at the clouds. 

And then, when the sun had set and night took over, it becomes a canvas, being filled with twinkling stars. You loved that sight too. Why we almost spent the night in the mountains because you wanted to look at those stars and engrave it into your memory.

It’s the sound of rain falling outside. The rainy weather keeps you from going outside, so you sit by the window, watching the sky's tears. Your thoughts drift and you enjoy the warmth of a blanket around your shoulders.

It is also the color of my eyes, is it not? You've told me over and over again how you loved my eyes, glittering behind my glasses. I admit that when you first said that, it had me quite flustered."

You laughed at his statement. Azul's flustered expression was a sight to see indeed.

“Blue is the frost we see when everything becomes a winter wonderland. As we spend winter together, we also await the welcoming of a new year where we'll make new memories.

...It will also mean the sadness we feel in our lives. But do not fret, because beyond that sadness will surely be something wonderful. It is a sign that you will grow as a person through the pain you've felt..."

The merman trailed off as he heard the sound of your steady breathing. It seems you fell asleep. He smiled at you fondly before closing his eyes as well. Tomorrow is a brand new day.

"There's no need to worry, angelfish. My eyes are yours. I will let you see the world through them for as long as you need me to."

Another story has been told. To tell you the truth, I did not know much about color blindness and I wasn’t sure if I portrayed it well in these scenarios, even if I did do a bit of reading around the subject. Regardless of its possible inaccuracies, I do hope you still enjoyed it, traveler.

References: 

https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/513nkf/wp_explain_a_color_to_a_blind_person/

https://www.thecut.com/2018/02/my-life-as-a-woman-with-colorblindness.html

Credits for the images used on this post:

Border: https://pngtree.com/freepng/vector-title-frame_3573975.html

Lantern decorations: https://pngtree.com/freepng/ramadan-decorations-luminous-ramadan-lantern-moon-and-star_5356170.html

Divider: https://pngtree.com/freepng/european-border-curtain-pattern_4068944.html

[twistedtranslations]

Trey Clover - Wait Riddle!

You can unlock this story by getting Trey’s SR Ceremony outfit

Translation under the cut

Heartslabyul Dorm - Tea Garden

Trey: And that concludes the plans for the schedule of the welcome party for the new students. As the vice dorm leader, that’s all. And now, before we start the preparations, a word from the Heartslabyul dorm leader Riddle.

Riddle: Heartslabyul students! Form a line!

Heartslabyul students: Yes, dorm leader!

Riddle: I see. Everyone is perfectly coordinated, just like the trump soldiers. I am glad. In any case... after tonight’s entrance ceremony, all new students will go to their dormitory. If it happens to be that the welcome party is not ready, I intend to have everyone’s heads.

Heartslabyul students: Yes, dorm leader!

*footsteps*

Trey: Everyone ran away at once. As expected of you. That “encouragement” definitely made them pull themselves together.

Riddle: Trey, this is not the time to be dawdling. We still have to rehearse for the entrance ceremony. If the students cannot do their work perfectly, we will absolutely not have enough time.

Trey: Yes. That’s why I’m recommending to set up a schedule to assign everyone a role in preparing the welcome party.

Riddle: How about the rose bushes in the garden?

Trey: According to the 469th law of the Queen of Hearts “When one invites new friends to a party, the decoration should alternate between red and white rosebushes.” ... Right? It will be fine. The students in charge are currently changing the colors.

Riddle. I am glad. Then next is the food. You are in charge of the cooking.

Heartslabyul student: Excuse me for interrupting! Clover, we can’t find the table clothes for the welcome party...

Riddle: You have quite the nerve to come over and ask our busy vice dorm leader a question. Have you not drilled my manual in your head? The way to set the tables is described on page 107.

Heartslabyul student: I-I’m sorry! I did intend to read it more or less...

Riddle: More or less...? People like you... I should have your head...

Trey: Oh well, Riddle. The clothes should have been washed yesterday. You should check with the one in charge of the second years.

Heartslabyul students: Y...Yes, thank you!

*footsteps*

Riddle: How kind of you to not reprimand obvious negligent behaviour.

Trey: Not everyone is as perfect as you are. Besides, it would be very troublesome if work slowed down because our workforce shrank, right?

Riddle: ... I see. I understand what many reasons you may bring, but being correct in Heartslabyul is a different matter. The Queen of Hearts, who honors discipline, would definitely not have forgiven him.

Trey: Perhaps yeah. The next time, I shall just imitate you and the Queen of Hearts. In any case, let’s get back to the topic at hand. We were talking about the food for the welcome party.

Riddle: Yes. You have made a menu, right?

Trey: Yes. The hors d’oeuvre is turnip and marinated salmon. For soup I made cheese and minestrone.. The main course is an arrangement of ground meat pies.

Riddle: It’s perfect. Then let us continue checking everything. Especially today, we do not have time to spare. Good grief, if that Floyd hadn’t been interfering yesterday, I could have finished more work...

Trey: Now that you say it, that guy has been having fun walking behind you lately. The fact that I haven’t seen him today is probably because Octavinelle is also busy with the entrance ceremony. 

Riddle: It can’t be! That guy has no interest in things like that. I even protested against Jade. To definitely not have him come over to Heartslabyul.

Trey: I see. Well, let’s move ahead with the preparation.

Riddle: Don’t say that, I’m honestly troubled! ... Ah, I just get irritated thinking about Floyd.

Trey: Whoops, is it already this late? Leave the rest to me so you can focus on the entrance ceremony.

Riddle: I understand. This will be my first entrance ceremony as the dorm leader. I will definitely fulfill my responsibility.

Trey: Good grief...

Mirror chamber

Riddle: What was up with that entrance ceremony! Not only did some freshmen escape during the ceremony, a monster invaded and... nothing went according to my perfect plan! Listen, you new students. I invite you to create more trouble. But that head will be mine! 

Heartslabyul freshmen: Y-Yes!

Heartslabyul freshman A: ... Hey, isn’t our dorm leader really scary?

Heartslabyul freshman B: Right... We should take care not to anger him...

Trey: Riddle is on the verge of bursting...

Jamil: Trey.

Trey: Ah, you are Jamil from Scarabia. Is there something?

Jamil: It seems like the blood is considerably rising to your dorm leader’s head...

Trey: Yeah. One more problem and there’ll be quite an explosion.

Jamil: Riddle is a very strict and serious dorm leader. With you being at his side, you must certainly be careful, no?

Trey: Haha, supporting the dorm leader is part of the job as vice dorm leader.

Jamil: Our dorm leader... Kalim is way too noisy, and that’s what I am worried about...

Trey: I see. You have become Scarabia’s vice dorm leader, haven’t you? Congratulations on your inauguration.

Jamil: You are being overly polite... Thank you very much. As a fellow vice dorm leader, I would love to study under you.

Trey: Riddle and Kalim have completely distinct personalities even if they are both dorm leaders, I don’t think I’ll be of much use.

Jamil: The mental exhaustion never ceases... we differ little when it comes to that.

Trey: Hahaha. I just hope that the welcome party after this ends safely.

Cater: Hey, Treeeey!

Jamil: I shall excuse myself.

Trey: Okay. ... Cater, why are you in such a hurry?

Cater: Something terrible actually happened at our dorm...!

Chapter 2

Mirror chamber

Trey: What?! The rose bushes for the garden party have all been colored red? But the garden’s roses must be alternatingly painted red and white for the welcome party. You told them so, didn’t you, Cater?

Cater: Of course I did. But it seems the second years in charge of the painting made a mistake.

Trey: How troublesome. The new dorm students will immediately go back to the dorm after the entrance ceremony finishes.

Cater: Yes... we don’t have time to fix the colors. And if Riddle found out that the colors were wrong...

Trey: He’d behead the whole dorm, no doubt.

Cater: W-W-Wait, imagining that is way too scary! Trey, don’t you have a plan!?

Trey: ... I see, let’s do this. I’ll hold Riddle up, so you have time to return to the dorm. In that time, you should quickly paint half of the roses white. Cater, with your unique magic, you can easily create avatars of yourself, right?

Cater: Guh... Trey, are you serious? That’s super exhausting?!

Trey: Nevertheless, it seems like you will take on this very troublesome role for the sake of all the students. Thank you Cater.

Cater: Ugh, why do I feel like you’re forcing me against my will. You’re an inhuman and wicked vice demon leader!

Trey: Yes yes, I’ll listen to your complaints afterwards as much as you want. Hurry if you don’t want to be beheaded by Riddle!

Cater: Okay, I get it. It’s not like any other plans come to mind either... Well, I’m going, but definitely hold Riddle back!

Trey: Okay, leave it to me. ... Is what I said... But how will I hold Riddle back?

-

Trey: Riddle, excuse me. There’s something I want to verify about the welcome party’s menu, can you spare me some time?

Riddle: Why do you want to revise it? Haven’t we already confirmed our menu?

Trey: According to the laws of the Queen of Hearts, we decided that the main dish should be ground meat pie but... I thought we still had to decide if the meat had to be cow, pig or chicken. It might become troublesome if it was strictly fixed.

Riddle: I see... that is a blind spot. For you to pay such careful attention, that’s wonderful. Now that you say it, in the literature I’ve read, there were descriptions of rabbit meat pie being used. It seems the type of meat should not be fixed.

Trey: I expected nothing less of you, to be able to memorize those details of the laws of the Queen.

Riddle: Okay, then let us go to the venue.

Trey: !! Wait Riddle! I still want you to confirm something about the type of black tea we’ll use after dinner. This time I have prepared some leaves from the Scalding Sands, but there’s no rule that we are restricted to produce from the Country of Roses right?

Riddle: Heh, you are such a worrywart. There is no law that strict. Ah, but coffee is forbidden, so you should definitely not serve that! The Queen of Hearts does look forward immensely to drinking black tea at the Unbirthday parties. That’s why it’s decided by law that black tea should be served on any occasion besides a birthday party. Now, let us go to the venue.

Trey: !! Wait Riddle! How many sugar cubes do we have to put in the tea? 

Riddle: It does not matter. Heap it for all I care.

Trey: Understood. Next, about the planning of the colors of the candle we put on each table...

Riddle: ... Hey, Trey. I know you really want to conform to the rules, but aren’t you being a bit too anxious today?

Trey: Ah...you might be right. My bad, I might’ve been straining myself a bit. As the vice dorm leader of Heartslabyul, we have done many things together, but it’s still our first welcome party, isn’t it? I wanted to support you perfectly, and make it a day to remember.

Riddle: Trey... to think you were working hard with those feelings in your mind. It’s fine. I shall entertain your questions until you are satisfied. 

Trey: Ah. Thank you, Riddle. I should be able to save time with this. Hurry up and change the colors, Cater.

Trey: ... I see. So the design of the tableware I prepared should be no problem.

Cater: Riddle! Trey! The preparations for the welcome party are done~

Riddle: Thank you for your effort, Cater. Trey, are you finished?

Trey: Yes. You really helped me out, Riddle.

Riddle: Okay. Then let us go to the dorm. First years! I shall guide you now to Heartslabyul’s dorm. Follow me at once without delay!

Heartslabyul freshmen: Yes!!

Cater: Riddle is really enthusiastic.

Trey: You’re right... By the way, Cater. Did you manage to change the colors of the roses successfully?

Cater: Of course. My avatars have perfectly changed the colors to alternating between red and white.

Trey: I’m glad. Now we can finish the day with no one being beheaded.

Cater: You also did a good job at holding that impatient Riddle back until I came and got you. We really are today’s MVP’s, aren’t we?

Trey: Perhaps. It’s not like anyone would award us, though. Let’s go to the dorm. We managed to finish without incidents, let’s not ruin it by arriving late.

Cater: Right~ Well, for the sake of a super fun party... Let’s a go to the Heartslabyul dorm!

Heartslabyul Dorm - Lounge

Trey: Sigh... The clean up of the party is finally done... All the students have returned to their room. I still have 15 minutes left till the lights go out. I’ll have one more cup of tea. 

*beep*

Trey: Hm? A notification of an uploaded picture on MagiCam? That Cater is still uploading pictures of today to his MagiCam. He’s probably tired as well... #Today’sCay #Entranceceremony #Dignityofthethirdyears #Theceremonyoutfitsofnightravenarerare #NRC

Trey: ... Haha, he really went all out.

Trey: Oh well, Riddle didn’t get angry, and no explosions happened, and the welcome party went well. It’s been a long day. Being a vice dorm leader isn’t easy...

[twdormleaderswap]

Visits from the Vice Dorm Leaders

     Trey stood outside of the Pomefiore dorm. He wanted to check in on Riddle. Sure, he’s seen him around school, but not a lot. Plus a lot of Pomefiore students Rook drag him away during lunch, so Trey doesn’t get to see Riddle a lot. The Heartslabyul vice dorm leader heads inside. He was amazed with the dorm’s interior. There were pillars of marble, red carpets, velvet curtains, and pretty people everywhere. He stopped a passing student, Epel.

“Excuse me. Sorry, but can I get some help?”

“Oh, you are Heartslabyul’s vice dorm leader, right?”

“That’s right. Is Riddle here?”

“Yeah. Riddle-senpau is in his quarters. Follow me.”

     Epel led Trey through the dorm. The dorm leader’s quarters was sealed by a large, double door. This dorm did not hold back on anything. The student knocked on the door. A voice could be heard from the other side.

“What is it?”

“There is some here to see you, Riddle-senpai.”

“Send them in.”

     The door opened and the student let Trey into the room before closing the door behind him. In the room, Riddle was sitting at the vanity and practicing makeup. He turned to look at who came for him.

“Trey…”

“Hey, Riddle. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to talk with you regarding Heartslabyul, but Rook-senpai keeps dragging me away to eat with the others.”

“Haha. Wow, you got a serious glow up since being here.”

“Huh?”

“Literally. Your skin is glowing.”

“Oh, that’s the highlighter. Vil’s special highlighter is very bright and luminescent. Shine a light on me and I’m pretty sure my skin will become as bright as these chandeliers.” Then Riddle repeated Trey’s words in his head. “Wait, I know you weren’t just talking about the highlighter when you said ‘glow up!’ What did you mean by that?”

“Nothing bad!” Trey held up his hands in defense.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Ruggie smiled and hummed a little tune as he walked down the pathway to Heartslabyul. He thought he’d pay a surprise visit to his lazy senpai. He heard a groan in a low voice and took that as a sign. He walked into the Rose Maze and saw Leona in a nice cape and squeezing out water from his hair. He, himself, was also soaking wet. Ruggie did not hold back his laughter.

“Pfft-aHAHAHA!!! What happened to you? Hahaha!” Ruggie held his stomach because he thought the view before him was so funny. Leona froze, knowing that laugh and voice all too well. He stood up and looked over at Ruggie.

“Shut it, Ruggie. It’s not funny.”

“It kind of is. Nope. Sorry. It’s REALLY funny.”

“Ugh, whatever.”

“So, what happened to you?”

“Cater Diamond happened.”

“Elaborate.”

“Apparently I broke one of the hundreds of rules of the dorm.”

“How does that relate to you being soaking wet?”

“Riddle’s magic was used to punish those who broke the dorm rules, but I can’t do it. So I gave Cater the hose to spray any rule breakers…including me…” That’s when Ruggie broke. He fell onto the ground on his back, laughing and clutching his stomach. Leona groaned, but he got an idea. He took his new cape and squeezed the water out of it over the laughing hyena.

“Haha-AGH! Hey!” Ruggie immediately stopped laughing and glared at Leona, who had a smug look on his face.

“You dare to laugh at me? I am not just the King of Beasts, I am the King of Hearts. Laugh any longer then…off with your head.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Jade, along with Floyd, stood outside the dorm of Ignihyde. Floyd wanted to see Azul in his new natural habitat. The inside the dorm was just as dark and gloomy as the outside. There were torches lit with blue fire along the walls. Out of nowhere, Azul appears before the twins with a gentle smile.

“Welcome to Ignihyde, Jade. Floyd. I’m glad you could come visit.”

“Whoh!” Floyd jumps a little from the sudden appearance. “When did you start sneaking around like that?”

“I saw you two approach the dorm through the security cameras. Plus, we have an alarm for when someone enters the dorm area through the Ignihyde Mirror.” Jade chuckles.

“That’s very impressive. So, how are you doing here in the dorm of technology?”

“I’m doing just fine. Follow me. I’ll show you to our main research room.”

     Azul smiles and leads the twins to the research room. Once there, the twins were in shock and awe. The room was black, but it was covered in lights, screens, and wires.

“This is where many experiments and research takes place. Once everyone saw you two on the cameras, they retreated to their rooms to do their research there.”

“Eh? Are we that scary?” Floyd asked.

“Perhaps, but everyone here is rather shy. Try not to take too much offense to it. With my reputation, everyone is still rather cautious of me.”

“I take it you haven’t made any deals here yet?”

“Unfortunately, no. No one has been courageous enough to ask for anything. They’re all content with their technology.”

     As Jade and Azul talked about the dorm, Floyd wandered off to look at all the gadgets. He touched a button, and a bright blue screen projected up in front of him. He took off his glove, placed his finger on it and swiped it, a new screen showing up. 

“Whoa! This is so cool! How did they do this?” Floyd’s amazement caught Azul’s and Jade’s attention. Azul walks over.

“Ah, that’s one of the earlier projects from several years ago. They combined the technology with image projection from classroom projectors and the touch sensitivity of our phones. With a little magic, the projections ‘corporeal’ of sorts.”

“Huh?” Floyd looked at Azul in confusion. “How does that even work?”

“The projectors are connected to the dorm’s computer system, so the projection will show a computer home screen. Using magic, the alumni were able to give the projection a physical form while maintaining it’s transparent look. Combining that with the touch screen technology has created a physical, transparent projection of sorts. When you touch the screen, the presence of your finger interrupts the flow of the photo and electric current, allowing you to swipe the screen like our phones.” Azul shows them how it works and reveals that you can use it with gloves. He turns back to the twins. “Of course, this is old technology now and is still being improved. At the moment, we’re trying to figure out how to compress it so it can be used mobile. So far, it’s only been uploaded to and tested on Idia’s tablet. The tenants believe that it might be compatible with the mobile phone soon.”

“…” Jade and Floyd look at him and are silent.

“What?” Azul looks at them in confusion. Floyd speaks for both him and Jade mostly him.

“You have become a huge nerd.”

“Wha-…hey!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Lilia hummed and walked through the gardens of Scarabia. He stopped to watch a purple peacock walk by. He was amazed an animal could be such a vivid color. He followed it through the garden, only to be stopped by the dorm leader.

“Can you refrain from acting suspicious around the dorm?” Lilia looked up and smiled.

“Malleus! It’s been a while! How’s the new dorm treating you?”

“What are you doing here, Lilia?”

“Just came by for a visit! All of the vice dorm leaders are visiting our old leaders today. Since the switch, everything is crazy. But every dorm seems to be settling quite nicely with their new leaders. Kalim has really brightened up Diasomnia.”

“I see.”

“Nice outfit by the way. Love the gold on you. It’s a big contrast from your black, green, and silver.”

“It’s not bad. A little more revealing than I’d like, but it works for the heat.”

“So, how’s the dorm? I heard that it’s usually a party palace.”

“It’s alright, I guess. Everyone keeps their distance, so it’s not that much different from Diasomnia.”

“I think this is a good opportunity for you.”

“How is anything about this situation good?”

“You can learn to lighten up a bit. Form some bonds maybe or get other people to get to know you.”

“We’ll see about that. By the way, should you really be here with Kalim as Diasomnia’s dorm leader?”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Lilia smiled care freely. Knowing Kalim, Malleus sort of doubted that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Once Rook arrived at the drylands of Savanaclaw, he couldn’t imagine how Vil must be keeping up with his beauty and moisturized skin. He found Jack and got him to take him to “Vil’s” room. The room was very clean and organized. Vil was at the desk with a hand mirror and doing his makeup.

“Knock knock.” Rook said to get Vil’s attention. The dorm leader looked up and smiled. He got up and walked over to Rook.

“Rook, what are you doing here? Why didn’t you tell me you were visiting? If I had known you’d be coming over, I would have made myself more presentable.”

“Fear not, fairest of them all, you are still beautiful. I’m impressed you’ve stayed so hydrated out here.”

“Well, thanks to that toner I got from Azul, my skin has remained moisturized and smooth. As for my hair, it’s a struggle to get it to remain silky and shiny.”

“You are amazing and beautiful as ever, Roi de Poison. Parfait.”

“Thank you. I try.”

“By the way, I LOVE the leather jacket. It suits you very well.”

“You think so? I’m rather thankful for the long sleeves, as it’s more fashionable. I am NOT wearing those vests. The long sleeves are a nightmare because of the heat, but I am not letting my arms tan from the sun. It’s hard enough avoiding it to prevent my face from tanning and aging.” Vil flips his hair and sighs.

“You know, you should try and put Epel in this getup.” Rook suggested, not being serious. Vil does and thinks about it.

“Well, he’s not exactly meant for this look. It would clash with his delicate beauty. But, if I can fill out this leather than so can he. I wonder if there are any spare uniforms around. I’ll have to ask Ruggie when he gets back.”

“Wait, what?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Ortho entered the Mostro Lounge, knowing that his big brother would be there somewhere. He was guided to a seat and ordered a drink, since he can’t just wander around to look for his brother. When he ordered, he also requested to see his brother. The Octavinelle student nodded and went to get the new manager. Ortho happily looked around the lounge as he waited for his drink and brother to arrive. When his drink was placed in front of him, he looked up to see his big brother serving him.

“Hey, big brother!”

“Nice to see you again, Ortho.” Idia took a seat with Ortho so they can talk. “What are you doing here? I didn’t hear a thing about you coming over.”

“I just wanted to see you. It’s been a while since we could be together.”

“It has. Oh, how is your body? Do you need any updates? I can do them right now since you’re here.”

“I’m alright. Mr. Azul is a fast learner and has been giving me updates.”

“Wow…he’s really smart if he’s able to learn that quickly.”

“But I might need a new update since I haven’t had one in a while.”

“Alright. Finish up your drink and we can go.”

     Ortho nods and happily spends some ore time with his brother. The two spent some time talking and catching up. Ortho shared what’s been happening at Ignihyde and how he is sort of like Azul’s mentor. Azul was a fast learner and picked up technological terminology in a heartbeat. Once Ortho finished his drink, the brothers got up and went to “Idia’s” room. He connected Ortho to his computer and began the upgrade. Once finished, the two stayed together some more.

“What’s going on with you and Ashengrotto?” Idia asked curiously.

“He’s great. He’s like an honorary big brother. Although, I’m getting a little concerned.”

“How so?”

“I feel like he’s looking into hacking because I saw him reading about it and asking other around about how to do it.”

“He’s…looking into hacking?” That concerned Idia a lot, and it seemed to be worrying Ortho as well.

“He said something about it helping him with future contracts. Something about gacha pulls.”

     That’s when something clicked within Idia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Jamil looked up at the castle that was Diasomnia’s dorm. He took a deep breath and entered the dorm. As he walked through the halls, he kept on getting stares from the tenants. After all, not many others have the courage to venture into Diasomnia for any reason or no reason at all. He found into Sebek and approached him.

“Excuse me.”

“Hm? Oh, you’re Jamil Viper from Scarabia. Are you here to see Kalim?”

“Yes. I am rather concerned about the situation and wish to check on Kalim.”

“You and me both.” Sebek sighs. “The only thing Silver is concerned with is how this all happened. Well, anyway, follow me. I’ll take you to him.”

“Thank you.”

     It was a rather role reversal from the Entrance Ceremony, but Sebek wasn’t going to say anything. They traveled up many flights of stairs and to the tallest tower in the dorm. Sebek knocked on the door.

“Dorm Leader Kalim? It’s Sebek. There’s someone here to see you.”

“Come in!”

     Sebek opened the door, letting Jamil in first. There, Kalim sitting at the desk and was struggling to do his homework. He looked up to see who was here and smiled brightly. She got up and ran over to the duo, immediately hugging Jamil.

“JAMIL!”

“WHOA! Do not jump at me so suddenly!”

“I missed you so much!”

“But we see each other at school and in class all the time.”

“It’s not the same! I don’t get to see you outside of school! I’m so lonely here! Sebek and Silver are so distant and Lilia is hardly around with me like you always were.”

“I am loyal to the Young Master. I’m not gonna coddle you.” Sebek interrupted.

“I just want company…” Kalim pouted. Jamil sighs, knowing fully well that Kalim’s clinginess is due to him babying him this whole time. Once this is all over, he’ll have to change that. “So, Jamil, what are you doing here? I didn’t here a word that you were coming.”

“The vice dorm leaders decided to check on our former leaders to see how they were doing.”

“Oh yeah? OH! You should come to the feast tonight!”

“What?” Jamil blanked. Did Kalim just say there was going to be a feast?

“I’ve invited the others to come too! We’ve got a big spread coming tonight!”

“What’s happening here?” Jamil looked over at Sebek, wanting an explanation.

“Dorm leader Kalim has been throwing parties rather frequently. Actually, he threw a feast the day he became our new dorm leader. It was really…interesting. But he single handedly got everyone to party in roughly 1 hour.” That was rather shocking to Jamil.

“Wait, did you say others were coming?”

“Yeah! I invited the other dorms! Ruggie is really excited and so is Vil-senpai!”

‘Probably only to get out of the drylands…’ Jamil thought to himself.

“Plus, I think this is a good chance to let others into Diasomnia and let them know that we aren’t so bad. It’s just because of the categorization of them being powerful and good at magic that make them scary. Everyone is really nice. A little distant, but they’re really nice. I wanted the other dorms to know that too!”

     Jamil was rather impressed. Kalim was actually trying to close the distance between Diasomnia and the other dorms. Perhaps Kalim was smarter than he thought.

“Since you’re here, could you help me with my Alchemy homework?”

     Or maybe not.

[thebellamybarnesarchive]

Lyn goes to help teach Has all the ways of Star Wars, texting Bella to let her know she’s at Kempers...

Feat: @lyn-nichols Mentioning: @hastalikhunts, @k-harding, @isaiahwhitman

bold for bella, italics for lyn

[ TEXT ]: What are you doing right now? [ TEXT ]: I need to know which Bratz you had? Like who was your fave?

[ TEXT ]: Uhhhh, funny that you ask... Gonna watch Star Wars with that guy, Hastalik?? [ TEXT ]: Jade was my fave, for sure. Did you ever see the Masquerade ones??

[ TEXT ]: I wouldn't let that guy into your house. He'll probably steal something. [ TEXT ]: Yes! They came with a mask for you to wear! I always wanted them but my Mother said they were too slutty.

[ TEXT ]: Ugh your mom sucks. I’m going to find you the vampire girl on eBay. [ TEXT ]: So. That’s the thing. I want you to remember we’re best friends and I love you.

[ TEXT ]: You're too cute! You should get one too so they can be friends. [ TEXT ]: Please don't say you're hooking up with Hastalik.

[ TEXT ]: ....yes this is absolutely happening. [ TEXT ]: oh jesus fuck no [ TEXT ]: We’re marathoning at the place he’s staying since his place is wrecked and Jamie kicked him out. Which is uh.. with you-know-who.

There was an obvious delay in Bella's response. Typing bubble appearing and disappearing with pauses between.

[ TEXT ]: That's fine. You can hang out with whoever. [ TEXT ]: Are you there now? [ TEXT ]: Is Kemper there? [ TEXT ]: Go in the bathroom and see if he's thrown away my toothbrush.

[ TEXT ]: I'm not here to hang out with him, it just happened that way. [ TEXT ]: I was planning on doing my own investigating but I didn't want to tell you until after... [ TEXT ]: If I have to go to the bathroom I'll check for your toothbrush but I'm not going through any drawers!

[ TEXT ]: So he's not watching with you guys? [ TEXT ]: Okay. Sorry. I shouldn't even ask you too but I feel like I'm going crazy. [ TEXT ]: Would he hide things in his drawers I should be worried about?

[ TEXT ]:  I just got here, hang on. A pause, longer than the others between her earlier messages. [ TEXT ]:  The plan wasn't for Kemper to watch, but I asked Has to see if he wanted to, so he went into his bedroom to ask. [ TEXT ]:  I don't know, I just didn't know how much you'd want me to sneak around.

[ TEXT ]: How come you're spending time with Has anyway? Didn't he say something weird when you first met him. [ TEXT ]: I don't know, I just want to know if me waiting around is dumb. I feel like I'm being insane. I don't know if he's done with me and I should just move on or if he wants me to be waiting. [ TEXT ]: I thought he'd only take a few days, that he'd show up with flowers and things would be amazing but he's watching Star Wars with you and Has. Just feels like I read too much into things. [ TEXT ]: He seems fine, doesn't he? Or he has someone there? Fuck.

[ TEXT ]: He did, but in this town I figure I should be a little more forgiving. I ran into him at the store and he looked really down, I felt bad for him. [ TEXT ]: Seems pretty upset about Jamie, so I offered to help. [ TEXT ]: He does NOT seem fine. There's no one else here. He said no to watching SW. There's fuck tons of paperwork everywhere, though. I don't think it belongs to Has.

[ TEXT ]: I don't know, Jamie seems sadder without him but at the same time like, he's fucked up twice now. [ TEXT ]: Speaking of fuck ups, I heard you found a ring at Isaiah's place. [ TEXT ]: Has is probably illiterate so I doubt it. Why would he need paperwork? Steal one. [ TEXT ]: I mean, take a picture of one if you want to...

[ TEXT ]: I'm not saying Has is right, I'm saying I took pity on him, and also wanted to introduce someone new to Star Wars. [ TEXT ]: Oh, no. [ TEXT ]: I found it at my place, in the couch, after we had sex there. We can get into all that later. I'm not mad at you for not telling me, obviously. [ TEXT ]: Bella... I'm not stealing from Kemper's apartment. But I did have to move a stack to find a place to set my drink, and it had his transcripts from school.

[ TEXT ]: Probably a sound choice, of person to introduce. I don't think you'd enjoy me watching. You can show me something else. [ TEXT ]: Which movie is first? [ TEXT ]: At your place? Fuck. I hoped. I knew he'd eventually tell you but god, wish he'd told you before you had to find something weird. [ TEXT ]: I shouldn't have asked. I have ten times as many questions. [ TEXT ]:  Wait, you said he doesn't seem fine? How does he seem?

[ TEXT ]: Firefly!? [ TEXT ]: ...That's a complicated question. We're watching A New Hope first. [ TEXT ]: Could have been worse, honestly. That sounds callous. I mean obviously what happened is the worst thing possible, but he wasn't still married and cheating. [ TEXT ]: He seems... depressed.

[ TEXT ]: I would agree to that. That's like the Doctor Who spin off yeah? [ TEXT ]: I don't know which one that is, I don't know why I asked... [ TEXT ]: True. I would have told you if he was married. You okay? [ TEXT ]: Why does that make me feel worse than if he was fine? Maybe I should text him... [ TEXT ]: Tell me that's dumb, it would be dumb, right?

[ TEXT ]: I love you so much and all you do is hurt me [ TEXT ]: ): Really? Even after I didn't tell you Kemp was engaged way back when? [ TEXT ]: You're a better friend than I am. [ TEXT ]: It's dumb... [ TEXT ]: Unless you want my honest opinion.

[ TEXT ]: So...no? [ TEXT ]: A little different. Engaged to be and actually being. Besides we weren’t serious then. [ TEXT ]: I want your honest opinion, but say it to me nicely because I am fragile...

[ TEXT ]: no, babe, it's not [ TEXT ]: thanks for trying to make me feel better [ TEXT ]: if I were Kemper's friend I'd tell you that I think he'd like to hear from you [ TEXT ]: but I'm your friend and I think you should only contact him if you want to

[ TEXT ]: I’ll learn, you’ll teach me. [ TEXT ]: Feel better about not telling me or about Isaiah? [ TEXT ]: I want to but I don’t want to keep being that girl. I told him I wanted him. Am I meant to keep embarrassing myself and being rejected with every single guy? He knows he can come back, he knows what I want. [ TEXT ]: Do you really think he needs me to? That I won’t just end up desperate and rejected again?

[ TEXT ]: should I wear a sexy teacher outfit or would that be too distracting? [ TEXT ]: about not telling you [ TEXT ]: no. [ TEXT ]: I think you've given him enough chances. I think it's good that he's sad, he should be. [ TEXT ]: It's up to him to make himself feel better, not you.

[ TEXT ]: It might make me pay even more attention. [ TEXT ]: You shouldn’t feel bad at all though. Nothing to feel better about, I promise. [ TEXT ]: He shouldn’t be sad though. He should be like coming to his senses or whatever. [ TEXT ]: Okay. I guess. [ TEXT ]: Have fun with Has. If we keep texting I might crack.

[ TEXT ]: I love yoouuuu [ TEXT ]: ): [ TEXT ]: I'll get Hastalik's opinion [ TEXT ]: we can talk tomorrow!

[rabble-dabble]

It is, as always, just something very simple in his simple minded brain. It is like when the creation of his universe came to be, probably something grand and wavering and a graceful gesture that certainly would encompass along Kanaya’s style, it took one look at your mutated, disgraceful thinkpan overrun with tedious problems, a handful of shortcomings, and your instinct to fuck up whatever you have going on your yourself and made it a core genetic aspect. You’ll admit, though, that sometimes humans were lucky (Jade, for example) and simply had better well thought out genes. But since luck didn’t mean shit to neither you nor coincidentally, reality, it made a whole lot of stupid that took up a bunch of air.

He agrees so easily, to your dismay.

You made him swear, up and down, that he wouldn’t say a word. You made him swear on his friends, on his movie collection hogging up his sylladex stupidly, and you would have made him swear on his fucked-up blood if he didn’t look so panicked by your (obviously fake) suggestion. Or, at least, you didn’t have your sickles on you.

But you did make him swear. And, although your heart (ugh, highblood terms that were apparently given to them too) twitches carefully at his outstretched hand, you still have an unwavering prideful strength in settling your fingers carefully into his own. You do not shake at the thought that you will not be in control of anything at all here, and how that’s probably a terrible idea, but instead bite your lip hard enough to contain what definitely wasn’t an almost whimper of fear at the slow, tugging rise of wind.

It doesn’t whip at you like you’ve seen it do before, back at game constructs and overwhelming green flames. This breeze holding onto you seems gentle, almost caressing, and John doesn’t even show a strain of concentration - a careful glance of curiosity, though, at your face - as the two of you softly lift up above the ground.

Your body has an immense feeling of wanting to drop. Scratch that, your thinkpan is running the only logical line of thinking it has: thinking about any way you can accidentally reach a demise and expose your blood, and, oh shit, according to it, you should probably be falling splat and flat into the metal ground below! Except you’re not, because there’s this gentle but gripping draft edging you into the depth of the room, higher until you don’t quite have the courage to look down anymore.

He hasn’t said a word. That’s probably for the best. If he said something, probably something stupid, you’d tear him a new one (humans say that’s a phrase for some reason) and then you’d just end up doing exactly what the six hundred death scenarios of panic your thinkpan is providing clearly for you. If he said something stupid, like, you don’t know, whatever it is that one John Egbert of windy town could possibly think-

“It’s like dancing!”

Regret has never hit you in an estimated amount of feet off the ground before, and you wonder if the gravity of the world has any effect on it at all.

“Oh stop pouting.”

“Stop suggesting stupid things.”

“I’ll catch you!”

“Don’t even dare to let me go!”

You’re the one to let go of one of his hands, actually, because he cheats and uses a small gust of wind to push you off of him from where you were clinging onto his shoulders. You suck in a small worried breath, but true to his word, the wisps of winds do not lessen on you.

He wonders what you think about it.

You can’t bind enough words together to tell him why it feels like you’ve disconnected from the world in a way you don’t quite understand. So, you tell him instead why his idea is stupid.

“Aw come on! Have you even tried dancing in the air before?

“There’s no way I’ll do something in the air by your control I won’t even do when my two feet are fucking planted firmly into the crotch of every walkable surface!”

“You haven’t ever danced?”

“Why would I?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

Because there was nothing to dance to, as if the world could be bright and beautiful like Earth. Alternia, and its haze of destruction, did not stop to dance towards any sense of constructed peace. Dancing was something mystically undone, or unseen, such as magic flying trolls or silly wishes on night stars. Still, this does not stop him from guiding you back into his grip, but this time something different, something changed, where the glint in his eyes is more determined than amused.

He sways in a way that you deem similar to the way he plays piano. There is a rhythm, you think, and there is a coordinated firmness to it that he knows to do just like how he knows what key to pluck to a song. And yet, even with this swaying, he is not just simply bribing you away from the keyboard in the hopes that you won’t attempt to accidentally break the keys when you slam down your hands in an attempt to play too. His gentle guiding is not one that is meant to make you follow, but rather, a thoughtful invitation that has you looking into his settling blue eyes and perked smile.

You don’t know how to dance. You don’t even know what more you can do than copy what he does and hope it is something better than amateurish, even though you know it most likely isn’t. You think on the ground you would definitely have fucked up by now, like accidentally leaning too far into him and stepping on his toes. But, in the air, you’re given a sense of relief from a worry that still persists, proving you wrong with each twirl, each guiding hand, each motion of the both of you. You suppose, really, that it is actually kind of hard to mess anything up when you have nothing to really mess up in the first place.

A fragile disconnection that, in the beginning, you hadn’t been sure if it was yet good or bad. As always, your mind echoes what fears are wrapped around like a chain in your cavity chest.

Doubt and fear that is really hard to feel when he dips you back, and brings you forward, and looks so happy that you come to the realization that you may be smiling.

You despise the way you trust him so much.

"Isn't this fun?"

You despise how John can simply see past what you had tried so carefully to build up tall and surround you, a careful brick wall which he knocks down with a smile, and his strife specibus of his heart (in the shape of a hammer).

"Aw come on, you can say it is!"

You despise his big heart, you despise his blue eyes, you despise that he thinks he can camp out cheerfully in the swell of your heart of hearts, you…you...

You want to curl up in a ball, but you also want to stay adrift in the air forever.

Softly, he says into your ear, "I knew you'd like it."

You try to convince yourself the feasible grip of his shoulder is only to make sure you won't fall.

But you already know you won't.

Uninvited, the flutters of your heart swell and sway alongside his rhythm, flustering and blooming against your every wish. Even if you had the will to hide it, which you don't ever, your heart would never give in to such demands as to stop like you sometimes want it to. In an ironic twist of fate, you think it is John giving you each breath that keeps your heart beating, alive, the dance of your heartbeat and the constant stream oxygen of going in and out and in and out and in-

He chuckles as he tries to hide the motion of clasping his hand tightly in your own.

-and out.

You're the heartbeat, and he's the lungs, and there's a rhythm you feel just a bit stupid for not seeing there before. A rhythm unnoticed until you had thought about it. Of course, it makes sense now that your thinkpan isn't waltzing into stupidity but rather his arms, and you think about how pathetic you must've looked as you asked him cautiously because you trusted him, how you made him swear to a closed-lipped smile, how he asks you if you're having fun because you're an open book and he knows because he's not an idiot. 

If you let yourself have a small smile as you bury your head into his neck, he gives no notice except for the release of a small breath.

And when he lingers in the air, almost completely stranded in motion, you squeeze his hand and try to pay no attention to how breathless he sounds when he laughs.

Your feet meet the ground before you’re aware you’ve stopped flying, and you have to wish that your face isn’t betraying you as you turn to look at his eyes with nervousness. He hasn’t said anything yet, which makes you worry, but he hasn’t let go of your hand either, so it makes you hopeful.

“That was,” you stumble and grasp for words that are too quick to appear, too much to be prepared, too heavy that you don’t want to mess this up before there’s a second time. “actually nice,” you settle on, because the light churning in your stomach wants to say so much more but you’re not ready to admit you have so much more to say, yet.

His face relaxes into a familiar smile, and he hums along in agreement.

“I’m glad you think so,” he breathes, and you don’t understand how you were able to be alive all this time without this very moment. “Karkat.”

Then his eyes meet yours, and no, no, this moment is the one that makes you breathe deeply. “When do you want to do this again?”

When, he asks, when, not if, when, and you want to do it forever, actually.

“Tomorrow,” you reply instead.

He nods, and then he’s breaking your stance by walking towards the exit of the room babbling about how the two of you should probably go watch a movie, or something, in his room or whatever, something about he wants to show you a new one, and you can also show him another alternian one if you want to, but all you’re focused on is how his hand is still in yours. You’re letting him lead you, and he doesn’t stop talking and isn’t facing towards you, but you can make out the flushed pinkish-red of the tip of his ears. You can hear the slightly pitched, pleased tone of his voice, and his hand is warm in yours, and your mind is thinking but it is entirely empty of anything meaningful.

Tomorrow he will show you again.

So you pick up your pace and stand beside him, telling him you will get two romcoms for being forced to suffer through whatever he has to show you, trying not to let your step fumble when he catches the too-gentle tone of your own voice. And, you pray, again, that he won’t let go of you for an entirely different reason.

[writing-reading-inspiring]

Matter Of The Heart (Tom Holland X Reader) - Chapter One

Summary: (y/n) doesn’t expect much more out of her life, mostly because it’s ending. However, she definitely didn’t expect to catch the eye of a famous actor who likes to visit the kids on her floor.

Warnings: diseases and medical issues are talked about, mentions of death, curse words

I woke up to the shining sun beaming in from the windows to the right of me, illuminating the entire room in a golden light. I could hear birds chirping as they welcomed the new day with gratitude and grace. Ugh, what show offs.

I grumpily pulled my personal duvet over my head, trying to block out the streams of light long enough to fall back to sleep. 

I knew I was supposed to be awake and that I would probably get shit about this from my doctor, but I really wanted to sleep. I mean, come on, who else doesn’t want to sleep in a few hours more than they’re supposed to.

I sighed in contentment when I was finally able to make it dark enough for me to drift back into sleep. Unfortunately, I was stirred again by a persistent knocking at my door. Damn it, Jade.

“Go away,” I gracefully responded with hair stuck in my mouth.

“You need to be up, (y/n). You have scheduled equipment today,” Jade replied, opening the door as she spoke.

Jade is one of my favorite nurses that works at the hospital. I, of course, would never tell her that, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

“But, it’s so early. Why can’t I ever just rest peacefully and undisturbed. You know medical professionals say to get eight hours of sleep, yet it’s the medical professionals that wake me up before I can get that.”

Jade rolled her eyes at me, “First of all, it’s 10:30 in the morning, so you should have gotten well past eight hours of sleep if you weren’t binge watching an entire season of Supernatural. Second of all, if we left you undisturbed, you would sleep till 5:00 at night and then the night crew would be very upset about having to take care of you on top of their patients who need 24/7 surveillance. So, stop being dramatic and get out of bed.”

I couldn’t help the small grimace that grew on my face as she spoke. We both knew she was right and I had no choice but to get up for the day.

“Fine, but only if I get at least an hour to myself today. I want the promise of not being watched every 10 minutes.”

Jade gave me a look of understanding while she set up her cart. Every morning, she would take my vitals to make sure everything was working right.

“I know it’s difficult, sweetie. You’re an 18 year old girl who doesn’t even get to step outside of the hospital without a nurse with you. It’s tough, but you have to understand that we’re only here to make sure you can live as long as you can. We need to watch you every 10 minutes to make sure that the world can have it’s beautiful (y/n) for as long as it can.”

Jade stopped prepping her needles and came to give me a hug. I sat up and held her back tightly, knowing that she spoke from her heart. That’s one of the things I loved about her and all of the other staff members at the hospital, they genuinely cared about the patients here.

She pulled back from me, giving me a smile as she went back to her cart. “Now then, let’s get you checked up so you can get dressed.”

I nodded at her and crawled to the end of the bed, putting out my arm for her to take my blood pressure. 

I knew by now what the routine was for the mornings. Blood pressure, temperature, heart beat, and blood samples. 

Every morning a nurse would come in and do these tests without fail. At night it’s similar, but I don’t get any blood work done. It’s then that they reconnect me to the heart monitor and put the IV back in me. The doctors want me to be hydrated as much as I can be, so they slowly have me receive saline when I’m sleeping.

Once Jade was done, she left me on my own to get changed, promising that she would be back in 10 minutes to make sure I got some food in me.

I looked through my suitcase, trying to find something comfortable for the day. I was very limited in what I could wear because of testing and the fact that I only can wear what fits in the suitcase. That’s why Aunt Avery exchanges my clothes every two weeks, so I can have different styles.

I grabbed a cute pair of black sweatpants and a white top to go along with it. I didn’t feel like having shoes on today, so I just put on a pair of socks.

Once I was done, I grabbed my phone from the bedside table. 

“Guys, please. I can’t answer all zero of my notifications at once.”

“That’s kinda sad, you realize that.”

I jumped at the sound of Jade’s voice from behind me. I turned around to face her only to see her silently laughing at me.

“Hey, I need to keep myself entertained. The best way to do that is to always keep up my amazing sense of humor, even when I’m alone. Besides, are you surprised I don’t have any texts? I live in the pediatric ward of a hospital.”

She only shook her head at me before placing a tray of food on the table.

“It’s still sad. Anyway, you need to eat before your echocardiogram.”

I sighed before complying. I’m so tired of laying down while doctors poke and prod me for answers. I mean come on, is it really that bad if I go outside just for a walk?

Jade left me to eat my eggs alone as she went to see another patient. 

“Well then, I guess it’s just you and me Mr. Goldberg,” I pitifully said while putting on You.

Every day at the hospital is just like the last. I do testing, then eat, do more testing, take a walk, maybe go to the day room, do even more testing, sleep, and repeat. I swear one day they’ll transfer me to the mental ward if they keep this up. 

I had just finished my eggs and episode six of season two when Jade came back in to see me.

“So, how was your breakfast? Are you still hungry?”

“I’m always hungry, you should know that by now. I’m satiated for now, but give it an hour or so. The food was good though.”

Jade gave me a smile and a small laugh before putting the food tray in a bin in the hallway for the janitors to take back to the cafeteria. 

“I know, I know, I’m such a comedian. Maybe I can do that for a living. You think the hospital would employ me?”

She laughed louder this time, putting her hands on my shoulder, prompting me to stand up.

“Come on, sweetie. It’s time for your echocardiogram. Maybe you can come up with new material while they do it.”

I put my hands over my heart in mock defense. “That hurts. That truly wounded me, Jade. I may need to request a new nurse.”

We continued to joke around as we made our way to the fourth floor where they have a cardiologist office.

“Ah, Miss (y/l/n), you’re here, finally,” Mrs. Denver told me as I walked through the door. I gave her a fake smile and rolled my eyes as she turned her back. She’s a very condescending woman.

Jade gave me a pointed look before squeezing my shoulder and leaving me to fend for myself. By now I know the routine. I do whatever tests Doctor Hasting wants me to do and then I’m free to roam the hospital until 1:30 when a nurse meets me in the cafeteria.

“Okay, here’s the dressing gown I need you to change into. You can wait in the last room on your left. The Doctor will meet you there in a minute, but you know that with all the times you’ve come here.”

I gave her another fake smile, “Thank you, Mrs. Denver.”

I made my way to the room she told me to go to and changed quickly. Ugh, this hospital gown does nothing for my figure. 

I sat down on the examining table and waited for about five minutes before Doctor Hasting arrived. 

“Hello, (y/n), are you ready for your echocardiogram?”

I nodded in response to her words, just wanting to get this over with quickly.

“That’s great and I have some good news for you. We only need to do one other test today, you’ll be done here in about an hour. So let's get started then.”

I sighed in relief before laying on my back as she started to prepare the machines. 

True to her word, I was able to leave after about an hour went by. She told me that she would give the information she gathered from my results to one of my nurses once all of the charts are printed. 

Smiling, I changed back into my sweatpants and t-shirt and said goodbye to the staff in the clinic. 

I made my way to the first level of the building, planning on walking in the garden. I was just about to reach the garden doors when I heard my name being called behind me. Shit.

“(y/n)! (y/n)! I know you can hear me.”

I turned around to face Jade. “Bro, this is some of my only alone time. I’m supposed to meet you in the cafeteria at 1:30.”

She gave me a pointed look, “Well, I’m sorry that I thought you might want to know that you’ve been cleared to visit other patients.”

My eyes widened at her news, “I can go see the kids? Are you being serious?”

She smiled brightly back at me while nodding her head, “You sure can, sweetheart. I know there’s some little patients that have been wanting to see you for the last three weeks.”

For the past month, I’ve been quarantined from the other patients. The doctors have had me pumped with medication that lowers my white blood count and makes it hard for my immune system to fight back any diseases. They figured that the best course of action would be to keep me away from other sick patients. 

I know it’s not cool to be excited to hang out with a bunch of kids in a pediatric ward, but I can't help it. They’re amazing kids who are insanely strong considering everything what they are being put through.

I also know that they absolutely love to see me. I mean, who can blame them though. They think it’s cool to be around an older girl and I get some hope back being around them.

“When can I see them?”

“Right now is preferred. There’s actually a very special guest arriving today, so you may not want to miss that.”

I kind of stopped paying attention after Jade told me that I could see the kids right now. 

I started walking towards the activity room, “Come on, what are you waiting for?”

Jade laughed at me before meeting me at my side, “You really love those kids don’t you?”

I scoffed, trying to act cool, “They’re okay. I mean okay for a bunch of snot ridden children.”

She rolled her eyes at me, bumping my shoulder. “I don’t blame you for caring about them. They’re good kids. They’re also very brave for facing their illnesses like they do. Kind of reminds me of a certain someone when they were younger.”

I lightly smile while looking away. I don’t remember much of my first hospital visit, but I was told I was unaffected by everything. I didn’t really understand my condition when I was 6, I only knew that I had lost my mom and brother. I do remember my second visit though. I was diagnosed then. It was hard for me to deal with, but I never let anyone know that. 

It’s still scary sometimes, knowing that I can die at any time. 

We had finally reached the activity room after a couple of minutes. 

The room was arranged strangely. All of the chairs and the couches were facing a huge open space at the front. I barely remember Jade mentioning a guest, but even when people do visit, they don’t usually rearrange the room. It takes too much time out of the faculties day. 

“(y/n)! You’re here!”

I quickly changed my focus to a little girl in a pink long-sleeved shirt, tutu, and crown.

“Luna! Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize I was in the presence of royalty. Hello, you’re majesty,” I finished with a curtsy and a wide smile on my face.

“You may stand,” Luna told me while I chuckled under my breath. She really is something else.

“How are you, princess?”

“I’m great. The doctor told me that the bad thing in my brain is going to go away soon.”

I couldn’t help the tears that began to pool in my eyes as I hugged her. “That’s amazing, Luna. That means you’re going to be all better,” I said, truly happy for her.

“Why were you gone so long?” 

She pulled away from my hug as she looked up at me. “I had to do a lot of tests and procedures for the doctors. The medicine they gave me made me really weak and made my monster protection kind of low. That’s why I couldn’t come see any of you.”

Luna jumped up and down, “That means you’re going to be all better too. My mommy always tells me when I have to meet with my doctors that the more I do it, the more I get better. You were gone a long time, so that must mean you’re close to being better too.”

I really didn’t know what to tell her. I know I wasn’t going to get better, but I couldn’t tell her that. She needs to have hope in all aspects of her life. 

I turned my head up to meet Jade’s eyes. She held so much sadness in them knowing that the only way I was getting out of the hospital was in a hearse. 

I quickly turned back to Luna, “That’s right, honey. But that doesn’t really matter right now. What’s important is that you’re going to be all better really soon.”

She smiled back at me, “You’re going to be healed soon too. James, Elena, William, Quinton! Did you hear (y/n)? She’s going to be better soon.”

I didn’t notice that some of the other kids gathered around Luna and I during our conversation.

I looked back at Jade, not knowing what to do.

Luckily, she saved me, “Come one kids. Our special guest is almost here. Lets get some seats in the front row, yeah?”

I nodded at her in gratitude as she lead the small group to some chairs.

“(y/n), are you coming?” Luna asked me.

“I’m actually going to stand in the back, okay? That way I don’t block any of your guy’s views.”

“Okay!”

I watched as Luna skipped to the front to meet with the rest of her friends. I really do love those kids.

I made my way to the back of the room as some more patients from the pediatric ward came in.

I’ve never seen this big of a turn out for one of these things. It’s kind of weird to be in a room of this many people.

I watched as the last of the kids arrived and took their seats.

Jade surveyed the room before standing in the open space at the front of the room. 

“Hello everybody. So, today we have a very special guest. Now, he’s going to be here any second so I want to say a few things. He came all the way from Queens to see all of you so I expect you all to be very nice and pay attention to our guest. Can you all do that?”

A chorus of ‘yes’s rang through the room.

I zoned out after Jade started to talk again. I knew I should probably listen to her, but I honestly didn’t care enough.

The guest speaker was probably some clown or mime coming to cheer up the kids. Then again, she did say the guest came all the way from queens. Maybe, it was some inspirational speaker.

A round of applause and the sound of excited cheers drew me out of my thoughts. I looked back at the front of the room to see what all of the commotion was about.

Is that … Spider-Man?

[inspired-by-the-music]

Decide (Sehun)

requests are encouraged. please read my guidelines before submitting your requests.

Genre: film school AU; reader x Sehun; best friend x Chanyeol

Word Count:  4,220

Everyone’s obsession with Sehun wasn’t a mystery. Aside from being undeniably the most attractive person anyone had ever seen, he was rumored to be the son of an international film executive. And as you were all in film school, boys and girls alike understood that making a good impression on Sehun could potentially open doors in the future.

“Well, Y/N,” your best friend, Ranea responded to your detailed report of how your film class had fallen into embarrassing chaos because of Sehun. She spat out the safety pin she had been holding in her mouth before continuing, “You know what they say in this business— networking is everything.” “But you’re not supposed to network based on— on flirtations.” Your cheeks flushed as you elaborated, “You’re supposed to make an impact with your skills, not by batting your eyelashes and— ow!” As the pin jabbed into your ribs, you flinched. 

Ranea pouted. “Oh no, I got your blood on this fabric. The department head is going to kill me!” She was too worried about being scolded until she glanced up at your face. “Oh— duh!” She smacked herself in the forehead— with the pin, and screamed, “Ouch! Damn it— I’m sorry, Y/N.”

You gathered the fabric around your legs so you could comfortably lean forward to snatch the pin away before Ranea could wreak more havoc. “You’re a danger to yourself and others.”

Sobbing dramatically, she agreed, “I know!”

You delicately asked, sighing, “How long ‘til you go back to makeup?”

Her eyes came to life at the mention of her true passion. “Y/N, honey, I never left makeup. All this needlework? That’s just a part of my major or whatever.”

“Ah, I see.” You nodded before glancing at your watch. “Anyway, I agreed to be your live mannequin for an hour, and your time’s officially up.”

Ranea grumbled as she fished the paper out of her book bag. “You know the drill. Grade me out of 10, and don’t cheat this time!” After you giggled, she said, “Seriously! This is supposed to reflect my skills, not how much you love me.”

“Right, I know that,” you nodded as you penciled a 9 next to your signature. “If I were grading based on how much I love you, it’d be a perfect 10. Here ya go.” You returned the paper with a toothy smile.

“9?” Ranea’s boyfriend, a fellow cinematography student read over her shoulder once he stepped into the dressing room. He offered her a high five and cheered, “Way to go, babe!”

Flatly, Ranea said, “Don’t congratulate me, Chanyeol,” but she high fived him anyway. And she giggled when he laced their fingers upon impact. 

“Why not?” He smiled broadly at her laughter. “A 9 is damn near perfect!”

As you struggled to free yourself from the floor-length skirt Ranea pinned over your jeans, you explained, “She’s convinced I’m lying about her score to save her grade.”

“Oh, well, that’s bullshit, babe,” Chanyeol told Ranea shortly. “Y/N has more integrity than anyone in this school, both of us and all the teachers included.”

And when you nodded at Chanyeol gratefully and winked at Ranea as if to say ‘See, I told you so,’ she maintained, “Look, I know you’re lying.” She pointed a finger at you playfully. “There’s no way I deserve a 9 after I shanked you with that pin!”

Chanyeol unsuccessfully tried to repress his chuckle. “You shanked Y/N”

You started, “Not that it isn’t hilarious that Ranea stuck me, or that she scratched herself in the forehead—”

At the mention of Ranea’s minor injury, Chanyeol stiffened. Pushing her hair out of her face so he could assess the wound himself, he asked, “Why did you do that?”

“I didn’t mean to. . .” her voice trailed off as Chanyeol pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. 

Overwhelmed with the sense that this was too intimate for you to watch, you averted your gaze. What was wrong with you? You weren’t jealous. You weren’t sickened by displays of affection. Ranea and Chanyeol were your favorite people, and they deserved to have each other. And you weren’t jaded by the concept of romance. So why couldn’t you watch a simple kiss on the forehead? 

How long had you been awkwardly staring at the paint-stained floor, tugging at your locket, before Raena asked, “Hey, Y/N? Where’s your mind at?”

You just shook your head, too busy resisting the urge to open the locket to speak, so Chanyeol answered for you. “If she’s like everyone else in our film foundations class, she’s even dreaming about that Sehun guy.”

Thankfully, the thick dressing room door was closed, so nobody outside could hear Chanyeol. Relieved only slightly, you claimed, “Well, I’m not obsessed with Sehun.”

“Right— that blush on your cheeks really proves how indifferent you are,” Chanyeol joked. 

Ranea glared at him as she unfastened the skirt. “Cut it out Chanyeol.”

Perhaps that should have comforted you, but it didn’t. Ranea never missed an opportunity to tease you, especially when Chanyeol was her partner in crime. When you turned to eye her suspiciously, you noticed that familiar playful grin tugging at her lips. “She only has a ‘tiny’ crush on Sehun.” 

You scoffed at her air quotes and crossed your arms over your chest with an especially childlike huff, but you didn’t deny anything. 

“Oh, I see.” Chanyeol tapped on his chin as if to indicate deep thought. “She’s just in denial because she doesn’t want to seem like those other girls Sehun doesn’t like.”

The worst part of their teasing was that they weren’t wrong. You were well aware of the way your heart raced whenever Sehun deliberately caught your eye before scribbling onto his clipboard— as if he wanted you to know that he was observing your every move. 

You knew Chanyeol witnessed how you tightly gripped the light stand until your knuckles turned unnaturally white that time Sehun passed by to swiftly remark, “Good job,” on his way off set. You knew it because Chanyeol winked, mouthed, ‘Don’t drop it,’ and developed an annoying habit of humming “Good job” after class every day. 

And you were too conscious of the recurring that even if Sehun wasn’t an esteemed guest in your class, even if you just met him somewhere in public under totally casual terms, you wouldn’t have the nerve to approach someone so perfect and, quite frankly, intimidating. 

“Hey, earth to Y/N.” Ranea waved her hand in your face. “What do you say? Want me to do your makeup so you can hide that blush from Sehun?” You weren’t really paying attention as you traced over your necklace again, mumbling, “Sure,” and collapsed into a chair. . . . 

As you and Chanyeol set the lights, you scowled at the girls too busy squealing about Sehun— rumored to be wearing all black today— to help prepare to shoot. “At what point does this kind of chaos become a safety concern?”

“What?” Chanyeol asked, so you gestured vaguely at the group of girls crowding the door. He clicked his tongue. “Yeah, as a film student who actually wants to learn, I agree with you— they’re stupid. But as your friend—” Chanyeol choked on his laughter, indicating that more teasing was on the way. “Y/N, you really shouldn’t worry about them. I’m sure Sehun only has eyes for you.”

You only rolled your eyes. “I see the scheduled boom operators are over there, hoping for an autograph or something.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re waiting for a kiss—”

Uninterested in Chanyeol’s mockery, you continued as if you hadn’t heard him, “So I guess today we’ll have to take over for them.”

“Ugh, really?” Chanyeol groaned. His eyes widened as he pleaded, “Come on, Y/N, today’s our turn to sit with the Director, Script Supervisor, and even your future husband. Haven’t we already done enough to prepare the set?”

You knew today was supposed to be your day to sit with them; and to some degree, you were trying to avoid having to be so close to Sehun for a long period. But mostly, you insisted upon operating the mics because, “Chayeol, I really don’t wanna hear Mr. Jung yell at us because those girls aren’t doing their jobs—”

“But they deserve to get yelled at!”

“Haven’t you ever heard that the show must go on?” It was the first show business phrase that came to mind, but you weren’t sure it made much sense in this situation. You revised, “Or what about all those times Mr. Jung barks that we’re a team and we have to look out for each other? For the sake of the shoot, we have a responsibility—”

“So one minute you hate those vultures for swarming around your man, and now you’re ditching the opportunity to sit and talk to him to save their asses?” Chanyeol gawked at you. 

“Yes!” You agreed passionately as the chatter by the door indicated that Sehun and Mr. Jung had arrived. Then, realizing what Chanyeol said, you said, “Well, kind of— we don’t have to sit with Sehun, but we need boom operators to shoot.”

Chanyeol likely would have resisted further, and cursed your attempts to convince him to do more of others’ work, were it not for Mr. Jung screaming, “Where are my boom operators?” and the subsequent shuffling of other students digging through their bags for their schedules. 

“Got it, Mr. Jung!” You answered and motioned for Chanyeol to follow. 

You reddened under Sehun’s gaze as Mr. Jung scolded the class. “I see it’s another day of Y/N and Chanyeol running the set. Did you do the lights and set up these chairs, too?”

Noticing that you were too flustered by the attention, Chanyeol answered as he lifted the boom, “We’re just doing what needs to be done, sir.”

“Whenever you all can be bothered to find your schedules, ” Mr. Jung shoved his glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose as he glared, “everyone scheduled to light and set up the chairs, just go home, and write me a humble letter explaining why the hell I shouldn’t kick you out of this program.” 

Even when class was dismissed, you couldn’t forget your classmates' scowls. Because he’d known you long enough to sense when you were upset, Chanyeol advised, “Don’t even think about them. We’re the ones who did our jobs. Hell, we did more than our jobs— we’re the good guys. Even Mr. Jung said it, we’re the reason anything gets done around here.” And when you smiled, he returned the gesture.

“Hey, Ranea said you’re going out tonight—”

Stirred by your reminder, Chanyeol checked his watch. He grimaced, “Crap, I’m already running late.”

“Just go on now,” you urged as you set to work disassembling the lights, as was required after every class. When Chanyeol faltered, his gaze alternating from you to the dor, you said, hands on your hips and with a friendly smile, “Do I look like I can’t handle this myself! Go! Don’t make Raena wait!”

And with a rushed “Thanks, Y/N!” Chanyeol rushed to meet her. 

Only a few minutes passed in silence before Sehun spoke coolly, glancing at you briefly over his notes. “I could’ve sworn you were dating him.”

You looked around the studio, half-convinced that he had to be talking to somebody else, and blushed at the realization that everyone else was gone. You stopped working to meet his gaze directly as you asked, “Me and Chanyeol?”

Sehun nodded stiffly. “You do everything together. Your movements are always in sync. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Focusing your attention on the lights, you explained, “That’s because he taught me everything he knows about film.” Then, although it was none of Sehun’s business, you continued, “Even if he wasn’t dating Ranea, I could never be attracted to Chanyeol.”

As you wondered if you’d shared too much, Sehun inquired, at least sounding interested, “Who’s Ranea?”

“My best friend— you wouldn’t know her. She spends most of her time downstairs, doing makeup—”

You gasped, realizing that Sehun was standing in front of you, watching you. He never did anything like this during class; somehow, during those quick peeks away from his notes, he somehow saw everything he wanted to see. What was so fascinating about clean up, especially compared to a busy day on set, that required his full attention?

Too embarrassed to concentrate on your work, you asked, “Why are you staring at me?”

“I’m trying to decide if I want to help you.” On the rare occasion that he decided to speak during class, his sentences were brief, to the point, and void of emotion. So why did he amusedly raise his eyebrows as he spoke to you now?

You tore your eyes away from him. “Well, help if you want, but you don’t need to. I can do this myself.”

As you stepped around him, Sehun said, “I know that. I’ve been around long enough to realize that you do everything here.”

“Chanyeol helps,” you corrected immediately. “Somebody has to do the work, and everyone else is too distracted to do anything worthwhile.”

“Distracted?” Sehun repeated slowly. “By what?”

When you looked at him, you expected to see some arrogant smirk; so you were surprised to watch Sehun’s eyebrows knit together in apparent bewilderment. How had he not heard everyone whispering about him? Was he accustomed to the constant chaos? Did people always shamelessly fawn over him?

You didn’t know, and it seemed inappropriate to ask. And you didn’t feel comfortable explaining everything that made Sehun a distraction, so you simply asked, “Are you going to help, sir? Or are you going to keep standing there and distracting me?”

Sehun laughed airily when you called him ‘sir,’ but his innocent smile twisted into a devilish smirk when he realized, “So I’m the distraction?”

And when you devoted yourself to your task to avoid responding, in a futile effort to ignore the butterflies in your stomach, Sehun asked another question. “Do you think you could never be attracted to that Chanyeol guy because he’s worked with you?”

“What?” It was shocking that he was asking such a personal question since he was in a professional setting. 

Then again, according to Ranea’s unsolicited research, he was roughly your age. Maybe because nobody ever bothered to speak to him as if he were a normal young man, Sehun didn’t understand how to properly socialize. Or maybe he just enjoyed seeing you squirm in response to his questions. You couldn’t be sure of anything other than that talking to Sehun was almost panic-inducing— and you couldn’t decide if you enjoyed it. 

Sehun responded plainly, “I’m still deciding if I want to help you.”

It was increasingly difficult to understand Sehun, but you answered as simply as you could. “No. I’m not attracted to Chanyeol because he’s been my friend for too long.”

Pursing his lips, Sehun asked, “So I shouldn’t be your friend either?” . . . 

“Obviously,” Ranea tried to explain over lunch the next day, “Sehun wants you to be attracted to him. So if helping you is what makes Chanyeol unattractive to you, Sehun wouldn’t help you. If being your friend made Chanyeol unattractive, Sehun doesn’t want to be your friend.”

Chanyeol interrupted to ask, “But I am attractive, right?” and he pouted when neither you nor Ranea reacted. 

“Great—” You shoved your leftovers toward Chanyeol. “As if I need another reason for everyone in the class to hate me! Now the universal heartthrob is talking to me after class.”

“I don’t hate you,” Chanyeol interjected as he pulled your plate closer. “Have I gone completely invisible because of Sehun?”

“No, babe,” Ranea rubbed his arm comfortingly. “You’re visible and very cute.”

And before Chanyeol could take the opportunity to flirt with her, Ranea continued, “Anyway, Y/N, who cares what anyone else thinks? A very successful, very attractive—”

“But not more attractive than me,” Chanyeol was sure to note. 

“Chanyeol, please— Y/N, my point is, you like Sehun, Sehun likes you, and nobody else’s opinion matters.”

You chewed on the inside of your cheek as you admitted, “I mean— do I know him well enough to like him? All he does is sit at the front of our class and write all over his clipboard. And when he talked to me for more than a second yesterday, he was weird. And he said he was going to ask Mr. Jung to change the schedule so I can sit with him today— and I don’t know how I feel about anything.”

Ranea draped her arm over your shoulders and pulled you into a hug. “Look— it’s not that big of a deal. I mean, obviously, the guy’s a little eccentric. But most artsy people are. And would I assume you’d fall in love with a man whose eyebrows always look that angry? Probably not— but I’m sure there are lots of things to like about him. And I know he has lots to like about you.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said through a mouthful of noodles. “Like how you keep your attraction to him quiet, unlike everyone else in the world.” Then, his eyes widened. “Wait— so today we get to sit with the director finally?”

“Chanyeol, honey, I doubt you’re invited,” Ranea said softly. “Clearly, Sehun thinks you’re some kind of competition—”

Chanyeol immediately argued, “But I don’t even like Y/N!” 

Ranea playfully kicked Chanyeol under the table as your jaw dropped at his rather loud declaration of disinterest in you. “Hey! That’s my best friend! Tell her she’s beautiful!”

And you really couldn’t care less what Chanyeol thought of you, but it kind of stung when he reluctantly said, “But—”

“Just tell her!”

“Y/N,” Chanyeol forced himself to say your name. “You’re beautiful.”

Someone cleared their throat behind you and Ranea. And when you both slowly turned to face Sehun, you realized why Chanyeol had been so hesitant to compliment you even at Ranea’s request. 

His ears singed pink, Sehun met your eyes and said, “I need to talk to you—” and then he cut his eyes at Chanyeol and added, “privately.”

Perhaps too eagerly, you clambered out of your seat. Once you followed him back to his table and obeyed his gesture for you to sit across from him, you asked, “How did you know I’d be here?”

“Coincidence— or luck— or fate, whichever you believe in,” Sehun answered quickly, adjusting his black dress shirt. Shrugging, he explained, “I just came here for lunch. And when I saw you, I realized it would be better to ask you here instead of in class, where your classmates may get the wrong idea.”

Your heart pounded in your ears. In what must have been a subconscious attempt to relieve your nerves, you tapped your fingers on the table. “Ask me what?”

“To work on a film for my father’s company,” Sehun answered swiftly. 

How was this somehow disappointing? It was your dream to work in the film industry, so why did your shoulders sag at Sehun’s explanation. Had you really fallen for Ranea’s and Chanyeol’s insistence that he liked you? 

No. That was stupid, and you knew it was. Sehun was an established studio executive, and you were still a student. More than that, you were even the youngest in your class— the most inexperienced filmmaker in your class. What interest could someone like you hold for someone like him?

You forced yourself to listen as Sehun explained, “That’s why I’ve been sitting in film classes at the university. It’s my job to recruit young talent, and I choose you.” He pulled stapled papers out of his briefcase and dropped them in front of you. “You’d work in lighting. The pay is above average for a student, but I suppose I could be convinced to negotiate with you.”

The Sehun before you was nothing like whoever spoke to you after class yesterday. Sure, he looked and sounded the same, but his eyebrows were arched with little effort and there was no upward tilt to his lips, which were an expressionless line. 

Reading through the contract, you absentmindedly recalled, “Mr. Jung said students usually only get jobs as assistants.”

“I do need an assistant, but I don’t think that position suits you well considering—” You thought Sehun might be smiling, but when you looked up at him, his expression hardened. “Well, nevermind. Aren’t you going to sign?”

When you took your time reading through the terms, Sehun said, “I didn’t intend to tell you this since I don’t want you to misunderstand my intentions, but I’m prepared to offer Chanyeol a job in lighting. And after looking over Ranea’s portfolio this morning, I decided to offer her a job with the makeup department.”

Your jaw dropped. “You’re going to hire me and my best friends?” It sounded too good to be true; and when Sehun raised his eyebrows at your reaction, you said, “You should know that none of us have ever worked on a real set—”

“Get out of the habit of selling yourself short,” Sehun scolded. Then, smiling slightly, he said, “They say executives have a feeling about these things. You’re my first choice, so I’m asking you first.”

“So when you were talking to me yesterday,” you asked, resigning yourself to the reality that Sehun was merely interested in you for your film skills, “were you just trying to decide if you wanted to hire me?”

Sehun tensed at the question. “I was trying to decide what I thought about you— but not for the job. You were the obvious choice from day one; I only kept showing up to allow others the chance to prove me wrong. But I was worried that my attraction to you could be clouding my judgment.”

While your breath caught in your throat at Sehun’s statement, you heard Chanyeol spit his drink out at his and Ranea’s nearby table. 

Somehow you dared to ask, “So you decided that you’re not attracted to me?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” Sehun warned, looking away from you. “I just decided that your professional attributes and—” He tapped on the table as he struggled with how to express himself. “I just realized that I could like you myself and still believe you’re the best person for the job. I needed to make sure that my choices for the potential employee and potential girlfriend were separate but equally valid.”

Stupidly, you repeated, “Girlfriend?”

“Of course, you’re not bound to either commitment unless you choose to be,” Sehun spoke more quickly as his blush deepened. “But before you decide anything, I should return this to you.” He pulled a small jewelry box out of his coat pocket and removed your locket from it. 

It wasn’t until that moment, when you grabbed around your neck, that you realized it was missing. 

“You dropped it yesterday,” Sehun explained. “The clasp broke. I took it to the jeweler and demanded an identical chain, but apparently, they aren’t made anymore. Still— here’s the original chain, in case you have any attachment to it.” He delicately placed the locket, now hanging on a new silver chain, and the faded broken chain in your hand. 

“Did you open it?” You asked him as you returned the locket to its rightful place around your neck. 

“Why would I do that?” Sehun asked, frowning slightly. “Wouldn’t that be a sort of invasion of privacy?”

Indeed it would have been. Even Chanyeol and Ranea didn’t know who was in your locket. But as you studied Sehun, and Sehun studied you, you realized that you wouldn’t have been upset if he had opened it. 

“Why did you go through so much trouble over this?” 

Sehun shrugged, "It was no trouble— but I suppose I did it because I could afford it.” 

That made you wonder just how much the new chain cost; before you could think it through, you offered, “I’ll pay you back—”

And Sehun shook his head sternly. “No, you won’t. Even if you try, I won’t accept your money.” Then, breathing deeply, he admitted, “If you really want me to be honest, I did it because you wear that necklace every day. So I knew it was important to you. And I figured that if I could fix it for you, you would appreciate it—”

“I do,” you interrupted, embarrassed that you hadn’t thought to thank him. “I really do appreciate it; thank you so much.”

Sehun smiled softly. “You didn’t let me finish. I thought if I did that for you, you would like me.” Flustered, he ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. “Ah, that’s so stupid and childish. I should have asked Chanyeol to return it to you. Now it just seems like I’m trying to bribe you—”

“Look, Sehun,” you leaned forward onto the table so he would look at you instead of staring determinedly anywhere else. “You don’t have to bribe someone to take an amazing job— especially not a student like me. And you don’t have to bribe someone to be your girlfriend. Literally, everyone would dive at that opportunity.”

“Even you?” Sehun asked, raising his eyebrows hopefully. 

And with a sheepish nod, you answered, “Especially me.”

[girl-in-the-tower]

SR Card: Lab Coat Part IV

So this ended up being a bigger project than I anticipated, so I guess here we are on the brink on going through all the school clubs until Kore finds the right one. Well, this will be fun!

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Kore: Dangerous... Hmph! How can they say something like that!

Grim: But it’s true, isn’t it?

Kore: Ah! Don’t you start too Grim! I’ve been insulted enough today!

... That’s it. I’m going home. I don’t care about clubs anymore!!

Grim: Wah! Don’t shout!

... Phew, finally you’ve come to your senses. Hehe~ Rice pudding, here I come!

Jade: My, you seem troubled Kore-san.

Kore/Grim: Waaaaaaaaaah!

Grim: It’s-

Kore: Floyd! No, wait! Jade-senpai!

Jade: How rude. It’s quite insulting to mistake one twin for another, you know. Could it be that Kore-san still can’t tell us apart? 

Kore: N-No! That’s not it! I’m sorry, Jade-senpai! Please forgive me!

Jade: Fufu, now I understand why Floyd enjoys seeing you flustered so much.

Kore: Huh? What does that mean?

Jade: Nothing. Please ignore that. 

Grim: Ugh, what bad luck running into this guy...

Jade: Hm?

Grim: Gulp!

Kore: Um, Jade-senpai, what are you doing here?

Jade: What a coincidence. I was about to ask the same thing. 

I was on my way to my club, when I heard Kore-san’s troubled voice and I couldn’t bear to ignore it. 

Grim:... He’s definitely lying about that last part.

Kore: Eh, no, I’m fine, so please don’t worry!

Jade: I see. How fortunate. But if you do perhaps need assistance, do let me know.

Kore: Ah, I understand. Thank you. Though I don’t think it will be necessary...

Jade: Very well. I’ll be on my way then.

Kore: Okay. Have fun at your club today... Hmph!

Jade: Oh, is there something wrong, Kore-san?

Kore: Eh? How did you know?

I-I mean, no! Everything’s fine!

Jade: You’re rather bad at lying. Did you know that?

Kore: Ugh... Theo- I mean my father used to say the same thing...

Maybe I should just come clean... You see what happened today was... (explain... explain...)

Jade: I see. So after an unexpected encounter with Floyd you fled from the basketball club...

Kore: Yeah...

Jade: And after a dismal performance at track and field you were kicked out.

Kore: Ye-Yeah... It sounds so much worse when I hear you say it.

Jade: And now you’re upset that you can’t be part of a club... fufu.

Kore: I guess that’s the correct word for it... 

Jade-senpai why are you shaking?

Jade: Oh... I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. Please ignore it... fufu...

Kore: Alright... mumble... could it be he’s laughing at me... mumble... no, surely not...

Jade: So?

Kore: Hm? Sorry, senpai, did you you say something?

Jade: Kore-san, it’s bad manners to not pay attention when someone is talking to you.

Kore: No, it wasn’t my intention to...

Jade: It’s alright. I was just asking if you would be perhaps be interested in joining me in my club activities today?

Kore: Eh? Is that really okay?

Jade: Of course. Besides, the ‘Mountain Appreciation Club’ doesn’t have any physical requirements for its members, except perhaps for endurance.

Kore: Oh! I have plenty of stamina so that’s no issue!

But, mountain appreciation...

Jade: Hm? Is there something wrong with that?

Kore: Not really... It’s just I grew up on a mountain. Sort of.

Jade: Yes, I’m aware of that.

Kore: You are?!

Jade: It’s the reason why I would like for you to join me today. I’m interested to hear what a person who is intimate with such an environment might have to say.

Kore: I see... That makes sense.

Grim: It does?!

But, you know, the mountains here and those back home are very different.  I’m not sure that I would have much to say about it...

Jade: Oh, what a pity... I was rather looking forward to it. Well, if that’s how it is...

Kore: A-Ah, but I think it would be nice to just walk and appreciate the view... 

I don’t think that I’ve done that since I came here, now that I think about it... Alright, I’ve decided!

Jade: Oh?

Kore: Jade-senpai I would like to be part of the ‘Mountain Appreciation Club’, if it’s alright with you!

Grim: Eh?!

Jade: Fufu, of course. Well, let us be on our way then.

Kore: I’ll be in your care!

Grim:... And here I thought we could finally go home.

Arghhh! It’s so troublesome! 

* * * 

Kore: Woah, this place really looks nice!

To think that such an amazing view was always so close to us...

Grim: Is it really that great? Seems kind of boring...

Jade: Looks like you have bad eyesight, Grim-san.

Grim: Gulp! This guy gives me a bad feeling in my stomach...

Kore: Aren’t you just hungry? Should we stop for a snack?

Grim: Ah, that might also be true... Eh?! You have those with you?

Kore: Yeah, you’re such a glutton that I thought I should bring some with me everyday. But it wasn’t necessary to use them until now.

Grim: To think that I have been suffering all this time for nothing?! 

Kore: You just admitted you forgot you were hungry in the first-

Ah, there he goes stuffing his face again.

Grim: Nom... nom... wahh, these are so much tastier than those mushrooms...

Kore: Hah? You were just praising them yesterday.

Seriously... you...

Jade: Oh, do you like mushrooms, Kore-san?

Kore: Um, rather than like, I guess they are nice for a change of pace...

Why do you ask?

Jade: Hm, mere curiosity. Did you know that you can find many species of mushrooms on this mountain?

Kore: Eh? I didn’t know that. Jade-senpai, are you fond of mushrooms?

Jade: Not specifically. Rather, I am interested in terrariums.

Kore: Really? That’s surprising, but it really fits your image somehow!

Jade: Fufu, I will take that as a compliment.

Since I come from the Coral Sea, I have never seen a mountain before coming to this academy and mushrooms were also hard to find. I find them rather fascinating.

Kore: Mm, I kind of get it. Back when I was living in the Glacier Mountains, I would never take walks like this. It was really dangerous to be alone in the wild...

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mushrooms before now either...

Jade: It seems that we have that in common.

Kore:... Yeah, I guess so. Hm, I think that’s why I feel like it would such a waste not to finish that crate we bought from Sam. He even said they were local too...

Jade:... Kore-san.

Kore: Yes?

Jade: Did you buy those mushrooms from Sam?

Kore: Huh? Yeah, I did. 

Jade: And?

Kore: And?

Jade: What did you do with them?

Kore: Oh, Grim wanted to try some mushroom dishes, so we used some for cooking. But the crate was so big that there are a lot left anyway... 

It’s really troublesome...

Grim: Hm? Can’t you just throw in a compost pile, or something like that?

!!! Oi, what’s with that scary look on your face?!

Kore: What do you me- Woah! Jade-senpai, is something wrong?!

Jade: No, not at all... fufu...

Kore:... Are you sure?

Grim: O-Oi, Kore, I think that this is enough hiking for one day...

Le-Let’s just go back!

Jade: Oh, but we haven’t even reached the half-point yet. It would a shame to leave now, Grim-san.

Grim: No! I think now is the only time where we can even escape!!

Kore: Escape? What’s with you? Saying weird stuff like...

Woaaaaaaah!

Jade: Kore-san?

She suddenly took off.

Kore: I can see them! I can’t believe they are actually here!!

Grim: Oi!! Kore!! Don’t leave me behind! I don’t want to die yet!

Kore: To think I would actually get to meet one!

It must be a dream! A real-life miracle!

Grim: Gah! You’re too fast when you’re excited!

What’s even so great about those things anyway...

[merinnan]

DMBJ Ep 9

Episode 9 begins with the Xiaoge Rescue Count at 10 for Wu Xie, 14 for the protagonists, 15 for everyone 

And the Wu Xie Swoon Count at 5

- I love the juxtaposition of the cityscape and modern buildings with the more traditional looking building here 

- lol, Wu Xie has such low confidence in High Shao's ability to not get cheated XD 

- *cackles* And Wu Xie is 100% correct 

- High Shao can't haggle for shit, either

- LOL, even I can tell that that's not good jade. That green is far too uniform. 

- Look, I still don't like or trust Chengcheng, but her polite "you are so full of shit" expression to the shopkeeper here is great 

- Wu Xie stepping in with some very polite calling out

- And High Shao finally realising he got duped 

 - Hey, he likes it, that's the main thing. And now he's getting it for a far more reasonable price. 

- Chengcheng is much better at haggling than High Shao 

- But let's be honest, anyone is a better haggler than High Shao

- Oh, good, Pangzi actually has his business in this one 

- And he's much less over-the-top in this setting than he was in the tomb 

- His expression on realising that Wu Xie is there is just great

- Wu Xie in his natural environment, showing off his archaeology knowledge 

- And subtly forcing Pangzi to buy the thing 

- And now Pangzi realising just how much this is actually worth now Wu Xie's told him, and he's so pleased

- And Wu Xie is so smug about Pagnzi's reaction. As he should be 

- High Shao and Chengcheng right on cue 

- I have to say, Pangzi's habit of randomly saying things in English makes me giggle every time 

- Pangzi: You want to meet with *who*

- Pangzi: There are *rules* 

Pangzi:... 

Pangzi: But since when do I care about rules? 

- I like him much better since he got out of the tomb 

- It's like Pangzi-in-the-tomb and Pangzi-outside-the-tomb are two different people

- Chengcheng like "look at me, I'm so pretty, Pay attention to me and flirt with me!" 

The boys: "Yeah, you look okay" 

Chengcheng: *surprised Pikachu face*

- She's right, though, the two boys scrubbed up nicely 

- And...oh, Chengcheng. Wu Xie is the young master of a significant family, he doesn't just look like one. 

- Though different kind of significant, I guess 

- Pangzi has also scrubbed up nicely

- Hahahah, Pangzi couldn't think of a way in, and so High Shao just casually showing off that he's apparently a master forger or some shit 

- Just made 4 ID cards over night 

- He might be gullible as fuck at times, but he has some impressive other skills!

- They all work just fine, even though they're read by scanners. I'm curious if those are just generic, or if he somehow like hacked partway into their system to make sure the cards would work 

- Hahah, Pangzi being Pangzi & being a little shit to the security guards is hilarious

- Aaah, it's an auction house. I wondered what kind of event they were at. 

- XIAOGE! 

- LOL, of course Wu Xie notices him right away 

- Even on a different level, dressed in a suit, & walking the other direction 

- And Xiaoge notices him, of course 

- The suit is a good look on him

- Oooh, the guy from the shop realising he sold that thing for way less than it was worth, and that Wu Xie and Pangzi are friends 

- Oops 

- Catfight! Catfight! Come on!

- And now security knows the cards are all faked 

- So Pangzi just namedropping Wu Xie's family 

 - Ooh, so apparently Granny Huo already knows that they're here and sent down an invitation 

- Interesting 

- Hahah, I love Pangzi being a little shit to this annoying guy

- And at how suddenly how respectful security/management is being to them now that the Huo family is involved 

- This is a very pretty building 

- Holy shit those menu prices 

- That's one way to watch how much you eat, if it's so expensive!

- That smirk of Pangzi's at her reaction, like, he knew what the prices were going to be like. Which is why he turned down getting food for the first time in this show 

- 1800 yuan + 10% tip just for tea. JFC.

- Beautiful double facepalm here at Chengcheng being a dumbass about the tea. No, Chengcheng, you can't take the goddamn tea home to make tea eggs with it.

- I'm guessing this Sun guy will be marginally important later 

- And here is the invite to go upstairs 

- Wu Xie is a very confused puppy at being invited upstairs by Granny Huo when Pangzi hadn't managed to contact her for him

- Also, side note, but the cheongsam the waitresses/attendants wear is super pretty 

- The colour is really nice 

- Oh, the invite was apparently for all of them 

- Ah, yeah, thought she'd end up being the lady from the opening credits 

- Hahah, that roast to his grandpa

- Oooh, it seems like she doesn't think much of his grandpa, either 

- lolnope, the invitation wasn't for all of them XD 

- I'm getting the feeling poor Wu Xie is going and upsetting a balance that everyone knows about except him 

- And that they expected him to know about as well

- *facepalms more at Chengcheng and High Shao casually  gossiping about Granny Huo in front of one of her guys* 

- Pangzi is aware, though, and doing damage control for these two dumbasses 

- Ooh, fancier car 

- And pretty girl, whom I'm guessing is the Miss Huo referred to earlier

- Oh no, High Shao, honey, please don't embarrass yourself by giving that cheapass hairpin to a girl who belongs in this high class of a place 

- I'm cringing already 

- Pangzi's face. Pangzi, mate, I feel you

- They're both roasting him so bad over how shitty that hairpin is and how anyone who knows anything can tell 

- "It implies that I have a pure, kind, and unsophisticated heart"  No, baby, it implies that you're either a cheapskate or a gullible idiot

- lol, now Chengcheng's getting annoyed because they're talking about how pretty the Huo girl is in front of her 

- *headdesk* 

- Of course Pangzi's loudly talking shit about the Huo family when their guys come downstairs 

- The secondhand embarrassment is strong in this episode

- Are you trying to pick a fight, Pangzi? 

- HI XIAOGE 

- Hanging back & listening in, as you do 

- Oh, nice move, Pangzi, but could you have not thrown the guy into High Shao like that? 

- Hahah, now they're just playing it all up 

- Making such a fuss and blaming it on the Huo guys

- But Pangzi is really being super over the top. OMG. 

- This is kinda hilarious 

- I'm not sure whether to laugh, cringe, or both 

- Xiaoge looking very pretty in his suit as he watches all these crazy shenanigans 

- Back to Wu Xie and Granny

- She really didn't like his grandpa, & she's assuming Wu Xie is just like him 

- Ofc she knows about the notebook 

- Him saying he has the fish has certainly surprised her 

- She's such a crochety old lady 

 - Wu Xie comes running in, & Xiaoge's attention immediately goes to him

- Ugh, I can't slow down the playback on Viki, so I can't tell who exactly tripped Wu Xie there. It looked like one of the Huo guys, but I can't be sure. 

- Xiaoge looking a little concerned at Wu Xie falling like that, even with Pangzi catching him.

- Pangzi all ready to go, & Wu Xie trying to hold him back even with the provocation 

- Wu Xie is such a good boy 

- A new contender appears, who also is apparently someone important 

- I just realised, is Xiaoge's suit the same as the suits the male hotel employees are wearing?

- Everyone seems to know who Wu Xie is, when he doesn't know who they are 

 - OH IT'S XIE YUCHEN 

- The doctor dude in Chongqi who's friends with Heiye!

 - 'That' Wu Xie? I'm really curious what that's supposed to mean

- Poor Wu Xie is so confused why they all know him when he doesn't have a clue who they are 

- Yes, that's a good point to gag Pangzi, Wu Xie. 

- If you're gonna talk shit about people, do it where they can't hear you 

- Xie Yuchen inviting them to come back. Sure.

- And Xiaoge only leaves now that Wu Xie has 

- I think I'm right about Xiaoge wearing the hotel uniform here

- lol, Granny isn't happy to see Wu Xie back already, is she? 

- Ahahahah, and now little shit Wu Xie comes out 

- Right on cue for the end of the episode 

Sadly no update to either the Rescue Count or the Swoon Count this time