#jenna wasn't really looking to get dragged into this but she's not really trying to get away either

[justreckin]

headcanon that it was Pike's Enterprise crew that started the tradition of Captain's Day because Erica wanted an excuse to give Pike kitschy Father's Day type gifts

[kfaem]

the day it all fell || Sylus Qin L&DS

pairing: Sylus x MC (Luna Do) (LATER) cw: zombie apocalypse au, no EVOL au, canon divergence, gore, violence, overall mature themes. zombies are walking dead like zombies notes: if people like this i might try and actually make something out of it lol. also the other guys will make their appearances so dont worry lol

6:24AM

"Luna? C'mon, Pipsqueak, we need to get to school. Grandma's already upset that you skipped yesterday." Caleb shook her awake. She scowled, burying her face in the comfort of her pillows. "Do you really wanna get her angry?"

Luna stirred, glaring at her brother. "I hate you; you know that, right?" Caleb smiled at her with a teasing glint in his eyes, satisfied that she was awake and that it wasn't his ass that was getting scolded. Yet. "I get it, get out!" She swung her legs out from under the warm blankets, the plush material hooking on her foot and tripping her.

Caleb cackled, even beginning to wheeze a bit as she slammed the door behind him. "Screw you, Caleb!" She huffed, kicking the blanket away.

"What was that, young lady?" Grandma's stern, unforgiving voice filled the house, forcing the two into silence. "And you, Caleb, better get ready for school. Neither of you have a good track record, and I do not appreciate the frequent calls from your principal!"

"Yes Grandma…" Silence once again filled the home as Luna dressed in a lazy outfit for the day, knowing that no one really cared what she wore. Except for Grandma, of course.

7:10AM

As both teenagers sat at the table, breakfast food situated on neat plates before them, they couldn't help but glance at their grandmother, who had skipped eating and instead taken to the dishes. "Grandma?" Luna started, ignoring Caleb's kick from under the table. "We're sorry for causing you so much trouble. We really are grateful for you."

Josephine sighed, setting down the dish she was scrubbing. "You both are quite the troublemakers, hm? Ever since you were young…" Her tired eyes held a feeling of love and sadness, looking back on memories long forgotten. "I'm the one who is grateful that I took in such loving children; you two really have given me quite the challenge." She said it with a gentle smile. "Now eat, both of you. We need to leave before 8AM today."

8:36AM

"Love you!" Luna called back to the vehicle, waving at her grandma. Caleb had long since run off, spotting his buddies before the car could even stop. "I'll see you after school, sweetheart."

She walked along the rock pathway, making a b-line for the stairs. A call of her name only made her walk quicker, bursting into a speed walk. "Come on, Luna! Please stop ignoring me!" The purple-haired teen whined as he ran after her. "I know I messed up, but do you really have to drag it on this long?"

"You cheated, Rafayel, I really don't want to fucking hear it." Luna spun around, glaring into his stupid, beautiful eyes. "I would expect you to know what the words fuck off mean, but evidently you don't."

"I promise, it was a misunderstanding, that girl forced herself on me-"

"Fuck off, Rafayel, I don't want to do this again." He sighed, finally backing off. Luna swallowed the doubt that began to grow in her throat, but she knew she deserved better, so she kept walking.

Sitting at her desk in the nearly empty classroom, she groaned, resting her heavy head on her desk. "Ms. Do, I see you finally decided to join us."

"Can we skip this whole bit? You know, the part where you tell me that I'm failing such an easy class, and blah blah blah… I get it. You think I'm oh-so-gifted and I'm wasting my potential, but really, I get this enough from my grandma."

"Actually," Ms. Jenna pulled up a chair, sitting opposite her. "I've been wanting to talk about your last paper, the one about ancient diseases." Luna let her head off the desk, meeting her teacher's eyes. "I know that literary arts have never been your thing, but I would like to recommend you submit it as your senior project. It's beautifully written and highlights the formation of modern medicine, might I add, your paper was one of the few that I've read that was entirely original."

She didn't have the heart to admit that that paper was written by Zayne, her childhood best friend, who skipped most of high school and went straight to college. "I-… I have other ideas, thanks though."

"Luna…" Before her lecture could start, the school bell sounded, and students began to trickle in. "Let's continue this after class."

"Sure," she mumbled, letting her head rest on her arms once again.

9:37AM

The sound of an alarm woke her up, but it wasn't a normal alarm, it was one of those alarms in one of those horror movies. She jolted up, shocked to see her class still in their seats. Ms. Jenna was still as stoic as she always was, continuing her lecture as she wandered over to the light switch, turning them off. Next, through her lecture on long-gone authors from before this century, she brought down the blinds. Finally, one of her classmates, a friendly girl named Tara raised her hand. "Yes?"

"What…what's the alarm going off for?" Tara had always been jumpy, at least from what Luna noticed. "I mean, it's been a few minutes and there's obviously a lot going on in the hallway-"

"It's nothing that concerns us in here, are there any other questions or should I continue?"

Luna raised her hand. "Yes, Ms. Do?"

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

Ms. Jenna paused, sighing. "No, I'm afraid you can't."

"Are we in a lockdown?" She asked, finally tuning into the sounds going on in the hallway. "We're old enough to know these things, aren't we?"

The intercom sputtered, causing silence in the whisper-filled classroom. A loud shriek filled the room before a voice, the principal, came over the class. "Students, this is your principal. There is a rise in rage-induced violence going on at the moment so please remain inside your classrooms until we solve this issue. Please keep all doors closed and locked, and do not, under any circumstance, open the doors for anybody."

Just as quickly as the announcement came, it ended. Just like that, the class filled with 24 students and one teacher rose all hell. Some are demanding that the door be opened or that they need to find their siblings and friends. However, Luna remained seated, watching as her tough teacher began to sweat as a bunch of teenagers yelled, screamed, and begged.

She slipped her phone out of her sweater pocket, shooting Caleb a text.

Luna: do you know what's going on? why can't we leave?

Caleb: I don't know.

Caleb: I just saw a girl tackle someone and start to… eat them? I don't fucking know, but we've barricaded ourselves into the classroom.

Caleb: Just stay where you are, don't leave, don't make too much noise. Just let the cops get here and deal with it.

She sucked air in through her nose, looking around her classroom and the disarray it was now in. "Tara?" Luna stood, walking over to the girl, who was frozen in her seat. Tara didn't speak, instead handing Luna her cell phone. A live news report had red text running across the screen. Don't interact with any individual, regardless of their condition. Do not get near anybody with any form of bleeding wound or any individuals who resemble a regular, injured civilian.

"What the fuck?" She mumbled, pulling out her own phone to find the same message, which she forwarded to Caleb. "We need to block off the door or something, that's what Caleb did."

"Everyone, just sit back down! There is no sense in panicking!" Jenna shouted, silencing the countless voices. "We don't know what this is, okay? If we jump to conclusions, then everyone will just start to panic and make this so much harder to navigate than necessary."

11:51AM

Panic that once filled the classroom stilled, the students now sitting against the wall, their desks and chairs blocking off the windows and the door. Last she heard of Caleb, his phone was at 3%, and he was preparing to escape with a group of students. That was an hour ago.

A loud slam against the classroom door made everyone jump, some freezing and some covering their mouths to prevent any sound from coming out. A feral growl came through the crack in the door, a choked sound following it. Luna couldn't resist taking a peek.

What she saw terrified her.

It was a girl, a freshman, with blood staining the front of her outfit and her arms and face. Her eyes were gray, as if she were a corpse. A walking corpse. Upon seeing her, the husk of a girl became enraged, scratching and clawing at the door frantically. "Luna, get down right now!" Jenna reached for her, preparing to yank her down.

And then, a chair moved.

Then, a desk.

Then the door.

[nicxxx5]

Love And Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch: Book Review

i have never wished i was still a teenager and could go and have a summer romance in a foreign country so bad.

this story is super super cute. it's extremely cheesy but in a way that i don't mind. everything that you expect to happen pretty much happens but personally i wasn't upset about it. they were things i wanted to happen so the characters had the endings i wanted for them.

i loved lina's character. in the beginning because of the situation of moving to italy and her initially not wanting to be there i was afraid she was going to end up being a brat. she's so sweet though and really just trying to figure out her place with everything that's going on. i loved her meeting everyone too because they were all nice. except for mimi but that made sense.

also mimi was such a basic antagonist but it made me laugh. like i'd barely consider her an antagonist but like she technically is i think.

lina and ren's relationship is also so sweet. yeah they hadn't known each other for long but they clicked instantly and were really good friends right off the bat. they just seemed to work really well with each other and ren seemed to care for her a lot and wanted to make sure she was safe while she was looking for answers.

fuck matteo. me and my homies hate matteo. his response to lina was so out of pocket! like boy you fucked up and were a douche bag, own up to it! like he knew everyone knew he was an asshole and fucked over hadley but was still trying to deny it. and to call her mother crazy, who died 6 months ago, to lina's face?!?! fuck you buddy. hope you get run over by an angry italian taxi driver.

dad of the year award goes to howard. home boy was in love with this girl. let her go. got her back for just a sliver of time. then lost her again with no answers as to why. like no offense but hadley kinda dragged him through the ringer, but he still took lina in even though she wasn't his actually daughter. and he went all out for her too. with her room, and phone, and the efforts to get her into the school. even though she wanted nothing to do with him in the beginning he still kept trying! he needs more love.

like i said the whole plot line was very predictable. like it was obvious ren liked lina and that they were gonna get together but it was gonna be complicated. and even while lina was reading her mom's journal you kinda got the feeling that howard was gonna end up not being her actual dad. but the whole thing was done in a way that to me wasn't obnoxious. i thought the book was sweet and an enjoyable read and i'm excited for the netflix movie adaptation.

[mcsaiccfmusesa]

Nova was there with Dustin. Cradling Eddie's face in her hands she wiped away a stray tear from his temple with her thumb, her own eyes also began threatening to water over. Then he took his final choked breath. "No, no no no no! Eddie!" she yelled but it was too late. Eddie Munson... her best friend, the love of her life... was gone. Dead.

After that, it was like something broke inside Nova. First, sitting there with him and Dustin she started crying, shaking, and hyperventilating. Again. This was really happening fucking again. Then when the others got back from the Creel House she was adamant that they couldn't leave him there. But they could. In fact, they had no choice, even if all of them could there was no way to get him back through the portal. Steve and Robin had to drag her away after she refused to leave him.

Once they got back to Hawkins, Nova wasn't talking. Even when Jenna finally linked back up with them. The blonde looked at the group immediately noticing the distinct lack of a certain metalhead and enveloped her sister in a tight hug. Nova couldn't even bring herself to relax or hug her sister back.

After that, it was like Jenna has put her on a watch list with the group. Despite wanting to be left alone, wanting to just lay on the couch and not talk, not listen to music, their house was full of basically everyone. Robin, Steve, Dustin, Nancy, and Jonathan came around for two days. Trying to talk with her, some of them even trying to joke with her. On the second day Steve, Robin, and Dustin came by and dragged her out of the house, despite the fact that she was still grimy and disgusting from the Upside Down, to go to the high school and "help out" the survivors which going by the news on tv were the last people Nova wanted anything to do with...

And yet now here she was. Standing in the gymnasium with Dustin, she wasn't helping anyone. She refused. Then she noticed Wayne by the missing person's board. Immediately she grabbed Dustin's wrist as it felt like her throat was closing up. Her eyes began watering again as Dustin spoke to him. Pulling back the curtain ever so slightly to allow Wayne to know that his nephew was a hero. Nova sat on the floor by their feet, pulling her knees tight up to her chest as she began to cry once again.

Nova knew deep in her heart that she would never get over this.

OUCH T_T Again. This was really happening fucking again. THE FACT THAT NOVA LOST HER DAD AND NOW HIM!!! THE FACT THAT THIS RIPPLES THROUGH SO MANY UNIVERSES FOR US???? HOW DARE YOU!

[memelover1024]

Salvatore-Mikaelson Chapter 6

Tvd series

Salvatore OFC-Mikaelson OFC

1400 Words

Now Part Three

Athena lay on the couch in the history teacher's apartment smoking a blunt. Klaus was in the kitchen with his witch talking about what to do with that brat, Katherine. Then maddox came in dragging an unconscious said brat. Maddox came over towards her and looked down at her.

“Move,” he ordered her.

“What?” She asked him, equally appalled and amused by his behavior.

“Move, I have to put her somewhere,” he said. Athena let out a small laugh and made eye contact. She coldly responded,

“Get a chair! Maddox, don't ever talk to me again or you'll never do magic again and Klaus will kill you for being useless.” Maddox considered her words for a moment before going off and doing as told. Klaus then walked in, “threatening my men now I see,” he joked with her.

“Oh please Nik, he might as well be working for me, i do all the work.” she made a smug face at him.

“No, you sit texting and getting high,” he snatched the blunt from her, “HEY!! Give that back you bastard!” Klaus sighed.

“You need to focus, Athena! We’re almost there, you need to be sober.”

“I can do anything I want, and as you said we’re almost there, my work is done. All that's left is for you to get Katherine to tell you where the moonstone is and to kill the doppelbitch. Then we can kill Mikael and my son can finally come home and you can wake our family. So no klaus i don't need to be sober, i haven't been sober this whole time and i don't need to be sober now.”

Athena grabbed klaus’ wrist and took her blunt back. She took a hit and blew the smoke back into his face. She sat back on the couch and got comfortable again,

“Just tell me when you're done.”

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

Athena's Pov

I was in the teacher's bedroom reading a trashy romance novel and sipping on a bottle of Jack Daniels when Klaus came bursting through the door. He was agitated but I could tell tonight was a success. The plan worked, the witch was dead. Klaus came into the room and sat on the bed next to me. I leaned against him wanting to feel some sort of contact. I looked up at him and buried my nose in his shirt.

“Why aren’t you celebrating?” I asked him.

“We have not won yet my sister, we still have a couple battles to fight.”

“How did they look?” I asked him.

“They’re scared, rightfully so,”

“I wish it wasn't her. I mean after years of waiting, when our miracle finally emerges, it's her. I just wish I didn't have to break my family's heart to repair another.” I said crying into his shoulder. Klaus ran his fingers through my hair.

“Shhh, it will be alright.”

“It's so weird cuddling with you in this body,” I told him.

“I'll be out of it soon,”

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

3rd Person POV

Athena stood on the altar watching as Greta trapped Elena in a circle of fire. She gathered her courage and made her way towards her, stopping at the fiery border.

“Who are you?” the doppelganger asked her.

“Someone who doesn't want to hurt you.”

“Then why are you here, why are you helping Klaus,” she asked, Athena gave her a sad smile.

“He's my family, my wishes for you don't matter, I will always choose him. Even over myself.”

“I guess I can respect that, not that I can really respect Klaus though.”

“It's not personal Elena, Klaus and I both wish you didn't have to die, but he's waited a thousand years for this, he deserves to be free from his curse. You will not suffer Elena, your family will be taken care of, no one else will suffer.” Athena told her, trying to make her feel at peace.

“Then what about Jenna?” She yelled, pointing at the unconscious vampire in the neighboring circle of fire.

“That was not my idea, nor was it Klaus’ it was Katherines and being upset for your trying to escape and ruining his plan, Klaus was more than willing to use her as punishment. She does not deserve this, neither do you. No one is arguing that, but I'm not the person to beg. I have no control over this, I'm here for my brothers. You will not change anything negotiating Elena. I'm sorry.” Athena walks back up to the altar just when Klaus enters the clearing with the werewolf.

“Your brother and friends will be taken care of, as well as the Salvatores, I promise you.” Athena told Elena before turning and walking back up to the altar, meeting Klaus there.

“Are you ready my brother?” She asked Klaus.

“Ready to finally be free, of course.”

Gretta takes down the ring of fire around the wolf and brings her up to the altar, where Athena paints an ancient viking rune for wolf in Klaus’ blood, which in turn is the blood of the witch that originally cast the spell. When the sigil is drawn Klaus drags her to the front of the altar across from Athena, when Athena starts chanting the spell he drove his hand into the wolf’s chest and pulls out her heart. He squeezes the heart over the moonstone and then sets the heart next to the moonstone. When Klaus turned to go get the vampire, he noticed something on the cliff. He motions for Athena to stop chanting and she looks up and meets her brother's eyes over the flames. Betrayal is what she saw in her baby brother's eyes and for a second she felt remorse for what she had done, for what she was about to do. But then she remembered her other brother, Klaus who deserved to be free. She remembered Mikael who could finally be killed after the curse was broken. She remembered her precious nephew who didn't deserve to die, and who she swore to avenge. And she remembered that in the long run this would be helping her brothers, they would not have to fight over this child who doesn't deserve either of them. She gave her brother a sad look before she raised her hand and snapped his neck from across the clearing with her magic. Klaus went on to grab pour Jenna, who after being fed Gretta’s blood and bring her up to complete her transition, and brought her up to Athena, repeating the process she did with the wolf, she paints a viking runic sigil for demon and again Klaus brings her to the front of the altar and rips her heart out while Athena chanted her spell. She hears Elena's screams and feels remorse for her action, but then again, she remembers. Once Jenna’s heart is put next to the werewolf’s Klaus turns to Elena. The circle of fire around her goes out and Klaus extends a hand. Elena walks right past him and up to the altar, between the bodies of an enemy and her family as she waits to die. She looks at Athena.

“I hope it's worth it.” she says to her before Klaus drains the blood from her body, dropping her to the ground when her heart stops beating. Athena feels the tangle of magic she's been unraveling shatter and knows the curse is broken. She looks to her brother and sees his eyes transform into the eyes of the first vampire werewolf hybrid. When Klaus’ bones start to break, Elijah comes out of nowhere and knocks him down, his hand in his chest. She feels the Bennett witch’s magic radiating and decides to dip. She knows that Klaus can get himself out of that mess, she loves all five of her brothers but she isn't getting into that shit. Not today. She needs a drink. She goes back to the apartment and picks up some stuff and then she goes to the Mystic Grill and picks up a guy. She spends the next two days in a hotel room, high as a kite, waiting for Klaus to change back into human form and finish what was started a thousand years ago.

[n7inky-fanfics]

Shore Leave

CW: mention of suicide, injuries from gunfight

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"Shore leave, always an adventure." Kaidan says as they exit the Normandy. This shore leave has definitely been an adventure. After all, it began with Hazel Shepard being shot at in one of the best sushi restaurants on the Citadel and ended with taking back the Normandy from her clone, who promptly committed suicide by allowing herself to fall from the ship. The friends exit the docks and begin their shore leave again, hoping that they can truly enjoy the rest of it. After Joker suggests a party, Shepard sits down on the couch with a beer in hand. She'll definitely need a stiffer drink to process this all later, but for now she wants time to think and rest relatively unimpeded. Kaidan was right, shore leave is always an adventure. She snuggles into the couch and recalls the first shore leave she took with Kaidan.

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

They had just left Feros when they got the order from the Alliance. After the stress and strain of that mission and all it involved, the Alliance thought it best for them to take a weekend of shore leave on the Citadel. As the ship flew back to the Citadel, the crew was abuzz with excitement and plans for their weekend. As someone who spent the past decade in the Alliance and planned to spend many future decades serving, Shepard had learned to take shore leave whenever she could get it. Despite this, she felt a little unsure about taking even a weekend off from trying to find Saren. Despite what the Council and Udina thought, she knew the truth. The galaxy depended on her to save it. That's a heavy burden to bear, and at the time it was one she was inexperienced with.

The Alliance could make her dock her ship and send her crew on shore leave, but she could spend her weekend improving her singularity in biotic training centers and researching Saren and the Reapers using her Spectre access to open otherwise classified files. She planned to take anything she'd need with her, just in case they tried locking her off the ship to make her take a break. She had just finished packing her bag and was heading to the mess for dinner when she was approached by Lieutenant Alenko and Gunnery Chief Williams.

"Hey, skipper. What are you planning on doing once we hit the Citadel?" Ash asked, a large grin spreading across her face. Kaidan looked nervous and glanced at Ash like she was torturing him.

"Ah, just planning on getting some work done over the weekend." Shepard shrugged.

"You going to dinner, Shepard?" Kaidan asked.

Ash looked to him, surprised, then smiled and added "If you are, you should join us!"

"Sure, sounds good." Shepard said. Some time with her crew sounded nice. They'd already seen a lot together. Their journey to stop Saren led them to rescue Liara from Therum and later to save colonists on Feros from both the Geth and an ancient, sentient plant. Shepard knew, even then, that their journey would lead them to more impossible and mind-blowing things. The bonds you build over experiences like that can last a lifetime, if you let them evolve.

They trio walked to the mess together and got their plates. As they sat down, Ash shoved Kaidan lightly with her elbow and looked towards Shepard. Kaidan cleared his throat and said "So, Shepard... You're not going to take any time for yourself?"

"I'm glad the crew will get a chance to rest. It's definitely necessary to keep everyone at their best. But, I don't think the whole ship can be off at once. Not while we're trying to stop Saren."

"C'mon, Skipper. You need a rest, too!" Ash smiled.

"You could come to Flux with us the night we arrive. After, you'd have the rest of the weekend to get work done." Kaidan said.

"Or to relax some more. " Ash added with a laugh.

Hazel laughed, too, as she said "Alright, alright. You've got me. I'll go with you."

And so, after an "enjoyable" Alliance-standard dinner and an uneventful docking, they went to Flux for a late drink. As most Alliance soldiers do, they went in their fatigues because it's all they keep on the ship. Doran gave them a table near the dance floor and Jenna told them their first round was on her as thanks for getting her out of Chora's Den.

One drink and pleasant chatter turned into two and then three drinks. Shepard hadn't been able to relax like this since before the Normandy left on her shakedown run, and she hadn't laughed like this since Akuze. It was a wonderful night. Eventually, Ash dragged the three of them out onto the dance floor, only to sneak away so that Kaidan and Shepard were dancing alone. When Hazel realized, she blushed bright red and excused herself to the restroom.

She was falling for him, and she knew she couldn't let that happen. Kaidan was great, and be had so much potential. She knew that anything between him could stand in the way of his career as well as hers. She stood at the sink and splashed some water on her face in the otherwise empty bathroom, or at least she had thought it was empty.

Suddenly, broad Turian arms were around her. One was pinning her arms to her side, while the other was against her throat, joking her. She flared her biotics as she threw her weight backwards, driving the Turian into the wall with a thud. That's when she saw the gun trained on her from the vent in the ceiling. She raced out the bathroom and a bullet ran through her right arm at the shoulder. Instinct drove her, and she firmly pressed her hand to the wound as she fled.

She must have been quite the sight when she emerged from the bathroom. Despite the noise and flashing lights, her companions almost immediately spotted her. They stood quickly and ran to her side as she found Doran.

"We need to evacuate, now." She said.

"We can't just evacuate, what about-" Doran began.

"I just got attacked in you bathroom and was shot. Your customers are in danger. Call C-Sec and evacuate." She used her patent "Commander Shepard" voice. Even through the suite, she could tell that she scared the Volus a little. "Williams, help Doran get everyone out of here through the shipping entrance. Alenko-"

She stopped as she saw the Turian who had attacked her from behind making his way towards them. Whoever had hired him didn't want collateral damage. If it hadn't been a concern, he'd have been shooting at her by then. This worked well because it was one less thing to worry about. "No time! Alenko, Williams, follow me!" She ran through the club to the main entrance. They followed suite. The merc was joined by two others, and soon they were on the hunt. Despite her best efforts to contain the bleeding, Shepard was leaving a bloody trail right to them. There was no way they'd be able to lose them like this, and Shepard didn't think she'd want to lose them, anyways. She headed to the alleyways behind the market. "Alenko, Williams, go get C-Sec. We're going to need guns."

"What about you, Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"I'll hold them off. They're going to be on us no matter what. I'd rather be somewhere a stray bullet won't hit a civilian. Go, get C-Sec. That's an order."

They ran towards C-Sec as Shepard began prying open crates of merchandise for the market. She found nothing of use, so she positioned herself near some crates just as her pursuers arrived in the alley.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice steely and calm.

"Saren sends his regards." The Turian merc sneered as his companions chuckled. Shepard used her biotics to throw the man against the wall. The idiot hadn't worn a helmet, probably because he was being cocky. He hit his head against an emergency light sticking out from the wall and his body slumped to the ground. The moment of shock gave her an advantage, and she dove behind a crate as the other two opened fire. The idiots didn't even time their shots well, so she had a small break in the fire as their heatsinks overloaded. She took the opportunity and shot out a large singularity field. They both dropped their weapons as they were pulled into the field, crying out in pain. Now, she would usually give herself a moment to recharge before using her biotics again, but she didn't have that kind of time here. As soon as the field dropped them, she threw them against the wall, hard. The impact finished them off. The three mercs lay dead or unconscious in the alley.

With the immediate threat past, the adrenaline quickly began to wear off. Shepard became aware of the pain in arm and how exhausted she was. She'd pushed her biotics too hard too quickly, and the effects of forcing that much dark energy to move at once were taking a toll on her. She leaned her back against the wall and slid into a sitting position. Her arm was still bleeding, and she used what little energy she had left to keep pressure on the wound.

Kaidan and Ash came running in then along with several C-Sec officers. The guards moved to check out the mercs while Kaidan and Ash ran for Shepard. "Shepard, are you alright?" Kaidan asked as he dropped to her side.

"Nothing some medi-gel can't fix." She chuckled weakly. She must have been really pale, because Kaidan and Ash both exchanged worried glances.

"I've got some, Commander. Let me patch you up." Kaidan said. Shepard just nodded and let him work. He cut away the sleeve of her fatigues, which at this point clung to her with sweat and sticky blood. She'd definitely need a new shirt. She winced as he cleaned the wound and applied medi-gel. The sealant worked quickly, but it wasn't the military grade she was used to. It didn't pack the same punch.

The C-Sec officers confirmed that all three of the mercs died upon impact with the wall. They began the lengthy process of collecting evidence. Shepard felt a little bad that their encounter had spanned the distance between the Flux bathroom and the alleyways. The size of the crime scene alone made it lot of work. As Kaidan finished patching her wounds, he said "Wait here a moment. Dr. Michel will be here soon with a chair and an IV to get some nutrients in you."

"Nah, I'll be fine." Shepard said. She moved to pull herself to her feet with the help of a crate, but Kaidan gently held her down.

"All due respect, Commander, but you're in no condition to be walking anywhere. Between the blood loss and the overused biotics, you need to rest." Kaidan looked her in the eyes. God, she could get lost in the warmth of his deep brown eyes. She chastised herself for thinking about that at the time.

Kaidan and Ash walked with them as Dr. Michel transported Shepard back to the clinic. Dr. Chakwas met them there.

"Dr. Chakwas, it's good to see you." Shepard said, flashing a shit eating grin.

"Lieutenant Alenko informed me that you overused your biotics in your latest encounter. I came to make sure you get a good lecture about safety while we get some nutrients in your system."

"Doctor, I couldn't have planned to be attacked while on shore leave, without any weapons or armor."

"Maybe, but you still worried me. Don't do that again." Dr. Chakwas smiled gently at Shepard.

"I love shore leave." Ash smiled and patted Kaidan on the back.

"Always an adventure." Kaidan added.

[thedemisedroyal]

Dangerous Betrayal | TVD/TO

The Vampire Diaries & The Originals

AU Story

𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 | 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓

𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝙾𝙽 𝙿𝙰𝚁𝚃 𝙵𝙾𝚄𝚁!

In alone scenes, scenes with other celestial beings, or when it revolves around her past memories, she will be referred to as Jordan, but when she is with the cast of TVD/TO she is referred to as Esme. Just a heads up to any confused people.

- a u t h o r

• E S M E •

"You are a disgrace to the Tesni name! You do not belong here anymore. You are here by banished from the Void! You will be taken to Heaven til further notice." Her mother's voice boomed through the giant throne room, the princess felt her heart drop, more tears flooding her eyes, soon following down her face.

She shook her head furiously,"Please mother! Please!" She begged and pleaded but they fell on deaf ears. The princess eyes widened as her father walked towards her with The First Blade in hand. Her father had a furious and disgusted look on his face as he grabbed his youngest child's hair and pulled her out to her feet.

"Father please, I beg of you!" She whispered, her voice trembling with fear, but he didn't answer. He only struck the blade through his daughters chest, she gasped, her eyes flashing a pure golden-yellow, shining within the light, but soon it was consumed by a fiery orange.

Her silver hair was pushed back as the sky door beneath her opened, revealing a pure black portal, which was glistening. It was a portal that lead anyone to the new place named Heaven. "Please." She muttered one last time before her father pulled out the blade that was sticking out of her chest, and pushed her into the portal. As she fell the princess reach out for her father, who simply walked away from the sight.

Soon the doors closed, revealing the sky doors to be in a shape of a dragon, their family sigil.

Jordan gasped as she rose from the bed abruptly, putting a hand on her chest, breathing heavily as past memories flashed in her mind. She turned her head to face her clock, it read 4:38 AM, it was insanely early, the sun wasn't even out yet.

Jordan laid back down, her heart slowly calming down as she closed her eyes and took deep breaths. "God, I hate this." She whispered, living these types of life's sucked, and the goddess just wanted it to stop already. For the billionth time, probably more but Jordan has lost count, she was reborn at the mere age of five minutes in the life of Esme Gilbert. For the past ten years she has lived as the Gilbert girl, feeling all the pain, all the sadness, every bit of it.

The goddess looked at the clock once more, sighing loudly as she had to go to school for the hundredth time. She despised it, but the princess herself tried to keep telling herself that maybe this life might have some pizzazz to it, and not just a normal, mundane life she had lived too many times.

And just like that, the goddess closed her eyes and forced herself back to sleep, trying not to think of her vicious cycle, now frowning at the thought of the first day of high school.

***

Jordan groaned loudly as the annoying beeping from her alarm clock filled her room. Jordan roughly hit the top of her clock, stopping the beeping, but the Gilbert was wide awake, with a pillow over her head, her tangled brown hair spread all over the bed. "Dammit." She muttered, though it was quite muffled as she was faced down.

The wavy brown haired girl pushed the pillow off of her head and threw the blanket off her body. Getting up while rubbing her eyes to try and wipe the sleep off. She yawned loudly, stretching as she stood up from her bed, the cold floor sending electric waves to her feet that kind of woke her up.

"I hate life." Jordan pronounced to a empty room, grabbing her healthcare supplies and making way to the bathroom to start the horrid day.

***

Jordan looked at herself in the full body mirror she had in her room, trying to find any imperfection. She looked good in the outfit Esme's, well her, best friend Caroline Forbes, had picked for her about a week ago. Jordan slightly smile as she topped it off with her rose gold, moonstone ring that was a friendship ring, which Caroline also had. And a silver crescent moon necklace with a blood moon pendant to the side of it, which she got during her fourteenth birthday

Jordan smiled, quickly fixing her bed, picking up her room, tidying it up as she didn't want to do it later in the day when she is tired and extremely lazy. "Okay, let's do this." She spoke to herself, grabbing her satchel and heading downstairs with the rest of her family.

***

"Toast. I can make toast." Esme's Aunt Jenna spoke to Elena in the kitchen, opening one of the top cabinets, looking over her shoulder to look at Elena, who was pouring herself a cup of coffee. "It's all about the coffee, Aunt Jenna." Elena nonchalantly spoke as she poured her coffee, not looking back.

"Is there coffee?" Jeremy and Esme both asked in unison, walking to the kitchen. The younger daughter separated from her little brother, walking towards the cupboard with the coffee mugs, pulling two of them, for Elena and her, knowing Jeremy would take Elena's.

Elena scoffed quietly as Jeremy took her mug, Turing around to grab another one when she was met with Esme already holding one, smiling. Elena sent one back, taking the mug and pouring herself, then one for her sister. "Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared." Jenna spoke frantically, going to her back to grab her wallet. She pulled out three twenties, walking towards the trio, holding out her hands,"Lunch money?" She questioned, Elena and Esme shook their head,"I'm good." Esme spoke first,"Same." Elena followed, though Jeremy gladly took one of the twenties.

"Anything else? A number two pencil? What am I missing?" The aunt asked herself and the kids, putting the remaining twenties back into her wallet. Esme furrowed her brows, tilting her head a bit, "Don't you have a big presentation today?" The youngest daughter asked, sipping her semi-hot coffee. Jenna sighed, looking at her watch"I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at...now. Crap!" Jenna exclaimed, taking her hair out of the flimsy bun.

Elena spoke up,"Then go. We'll be fine." She reassured, Jenna sent a quick smile and quickly walked away, leaving the three alone. Elena and Esme looked at each other, both communicating with their eyes alone. The youngest twin nudged her head forward, taking a quick glance at their brother, Elena nodded, turning to Jeremy. "You okay?" Elena asked, Jeremy rolled his eyes at his two older sisters,"Don't start." Scoffing as he walked away with his coffee in hand.

Elena looked down,"Don't worry Le, he'll come around soon." Esme sent a small smile towards her sister, who gave a sad one back. The two talked before they all had to leave for school. Elena was going with Bonnie while Esme walked to the park to wait for her best friend, as she was strictly instructed to do so. And she knew Caroline, she wouldn't let her live this down if Esme is late.

***

"Are you sure you're okay?" Caroline questioned her childhood best friend for the hundredth time, Esme giggled and nodded her head. "Yes care-bear, I'm completely fine, you don't have to worry, I've got you." Esme playfully told, the two shared a laugh and continued to walk through the crowded high school hallway.

The two had locked arms, unknowingly walking towards Elena and Bonnie by the lockers, Caroline separated from the youngest daughter of the Gilbert's and to the oldest Gilbert daughter. "Elena. Oh, my god. How are you?" Caroline took the eldest Gilbert into a hug, pulling back swiftly, coming face to face,"Oh, it's so good to see you." She spoke in a calming voice.

The blonde turned to the Bennet,"How is she? Is she good?" Asking her, Elena furrowed her brow a bit,"Caroline," The blonde looked back to the brunette,"I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you." Elena reassured her other best friend, nodding her head with a fake smile plastered. "Really?" Caroline asked once more, making Esme shake her head.

"I've been trying to reassure her but she won't listen." Esme finally made her way to the three, "Hey squeakers." Bonnie teasingly said, Esme rolled her eyes playfully,"Hi to you too, branch." Bonnie playfully glared, but she broke into a smile, bringing the younger twin into a hug. The two were also close, well, then again, all four of them were.

Caroline smiled at Elena, bringing her into one last hug, "Oh you poor thing." The Forbes softly spoke, pulling back from the hug quickly, as the first bell would soon ring and she wanted the best seats for her and Esme. "See you guys later? Lunch?" Caroline asked, Bonnie and Elena nodded, a genuine smile on their faces from their bubbly friend,"Yes!" Bonnie exclaimed happily, Elena nodding.

"Okay bye! Come on Esme, we need the best seats!" Caroline dramatically explained, locking arms with her and dragging her along. Esme laughed, waving to her sister and other best friend, they waved back,"See you at lunch!" Bonnie and Elena agreed, quickly saying goodbye.

***

"I was thinking we should head to the grill for a girls night." Caroline spoke as she reapplied her lipstick, she and Esme were by her lockers for a quick book pickup and fixation of her appearance. Esme nodded,"Sure, if you want. Though I might have to ask Jenna." The brunette talked to the blonde, looking towards to see she wasn't listening at all. But her eyes were glued to a person, a boy, who Esme never recognized before.

Jordan's eyes flashed a scarlet red for half a mili-second, a voice in the back of her head speaking in a hush whisper, "Vampire". Jordan felt her heart race, what the hell was that? The goddess doesn't have powers, they were stripped away when she was turned into this dimension. But the woman didn't think about for to long, as she knew exactly who this was, Stefan Salvatore, just like in the file she had gotten when the goddess switched into this dimension. He matched the description it put, dirty blonde hair, dark green eyes, supposed to show up on the first day back.

The goddess didn't know his purpose nor his life story, just his name, his hair and eyes, and that he had a brother named Damon Salvatore, she wasn't given a lot information about the man, which was odd in her case. She would have kept on thinking if it wasn't for that damn bell, "Come on Care, let's get to class!" Esme spoke with a big smile, locking arms with the blonde who was in a slight trance. Caroline snapped out of it, nodding frantically,"Yeah, come on." Soon the two made their way to the first class...math.

***

Elena laughed as Esme fell down to the ground, right on her butt. The younger twin glared at the older twin,"I hate you." She muttered, Elena rolled her eyes, shaking her head,"No you don't Me, no you don't." Elena repeated playfully, sending a sarcastic smirk her way.

(Me is pronounced May, that's Elenas nickname for Esme, she's the only one that calls her that. And Esme calls Elena Le, pronounced Lay, sorry for any confusion."

The eldest son got up from her sister bed, walking towards her mirror to check her face, making sure she didn't rub any makeup of hers. Elena smile as she looked behind her in the mirror, seeing her little sister wiping her butt, already off the floor. "Thanks for the help Le." Elena turned around to see a scowling Esme, "You are very welcome, my dear little sister!" Elena laughed more, but squealed as Esme started to chase her around the room, though Esme already had a plan.

She waited until Elena was near the door, then kicking her history book she hadn't put away yet, making it slide through the floor and right next to Elenas feet, who hadn't even noticed the large book as she was looking behind her. Due to the lack of sight, Elena fell harshly, on her side. Making Esme laugh out loud,"You are very welcome, my dear big sister!" Esme exclaimed, holding her stomach as she fell to the floor, laughing. Elena groaned as she pushed herself up,"Oh my god, that was priceless!" Esme giggled, standing up.

"C-Come on Le, w-we g-gotta go already." Esme stuttered, trying to contain her laughter, Elena glared as she stood up as well,"Imma get you back for that!" She grumbled, rubbing her shoulder, trying to soothe the slight aching feeling. Esme wiped her eyes that were wet with tears,"Yeah, okay, sure you will."

The two soon composed themselves, leaving the room and heading downstairs, playfully bumping shoulders with each other as they walked down the stairs. The twins had their coats in hand, passing their aunt Jenna with smiles on their faces. "We're meeting Bonnie and Caroline at the grill." They quickly informed the guardian.

"Okay, have fun. Wait," Both brunettes swiftly turned around,"I got this. Don't stay out late, it's a school night." Jenna pronounced with a smile, the twins sent smiles her way. Elena chucked,"Well done, Aunt Jenna." She spoke happily, Esme sent a playfully soldier salute. The aunt parted ways with the twins, a satisfied look upon her face.

As Jenna left, Esme and Elena made way to the front door, ready for their little night out. Elena grabbed the door, unlocking it and opening it, slightly gasping as she was face to face with Stefan. "Sorry, I was about to knock." Stefan spoke in a soft tone. Esme heard the voice and she recognized it. She would have seen him if she wasn't putting on her jacket, she closely listened it before making her presence known.

"I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier. I know it was..strange." Stefan said, his voice was kind of low and rough, sending a smile to her twin. Elena shrugged her shoulders,"I get it, blood makes you squeamish." The two shared a quick and brief laugh. Esme soon lost her train of though whilst listening.

Her mind was thinking,"What did he want with her." He was clearly a vampire, as her power detected pretty easily. There has to be a point to why he was here, and why he had a interest to Elena. And most importantly, was it something bad? Was it good..that's a long shot.. She quickly broke out of thought when she saw her sister walk away, turning her head to see a standing Stefan, looking at the doorframe.

Esme quickly put on her facade, plastering a smile and walking towards the door,"Stefan?" Thank god Caroline talked to him during the fourth and third period, otherwise she would have blown her cover. Stefan furrowed his brows, "Hey Esme, what are you doing here." The vampire questioned,"I live here actually, I see you are acquainted with my sister?" She questioned back, Stefan opened his mouth t speak, but didn't speak for a couple of seconds, thinking thoroughly.

"Talked here and there, came here to give back her journal." Stefan responded with a small smiled, Esme was about to respond but she heard someone walking towards her,"You guys know each other?" Elena asked, putting on her jacket, Esme and Stefan gave each other's quick glance,"Met each other in fourth and third." The youngest Gilbert daughter quickly explained.

Elena smiled,"Caroline?" Esme laughed a bit, nodding her head, muttering a quick 'Yup' in response. Stefan cleared his throat, catching the attention on the twins,"Sorry, were you guys going somewhere?" Elena nodded her head, walking more towards the Salvatore. "Yeah, we're going to meet friends. Do you want to come?" Elena asked, locking eyes with the green eyed boy. Esme slightly smiled, looking at the two. Maybe things might not be so bad..maybe?

[simons-calling-the-127-squad]

Unbreakable - Xiaojun

Credit to original owners of the images.

GN College Student Reader X Band Member Xiaojun

Soulmate Au: Red String

You couldn't help but roll your eyes at your friends, who just suggested going to a performance they had heard about that was happening tonight. They wanted to go to celebrate making it through finals, but you wanted to sleep. Your friends pleaded with you to join them, they even bribed you.

"Y/N, how do you expect to meet your soulmate if you never leave your house?" Y/B/F said, causing you to instantly look at the red string tied around your ring finger it weaved through people and eventually left your vision. You sighed knowing that she was right. You finally agreed to join them, resulting in them squealing with joy. Jenna offered to be the driver of the group while Y/B/N offered to help with your outfit. You accepted, knowing that she wouldn't take no for an offer. The group decided they should all head home and get ready, but Y/B/F began pulling you in the direction of her dorm, stating that "you had nothing to wear for it". You knew she was right and allowed her to drag you to her room. Upon entering she greeted her roommate and instantly moved to her room, pushing you to sit on her bed as she started pulling clothes out of her closest and throwing them at you to try on. After numerous outfit changes, she eventually settled on a simple outfit for you. One that fits the scene and your style, pleasing both of you. It luckily didn't take long for her to choose her clothes for the night. She also allowed you to choose the makeup and hairstyle, though only after you pointed out the time to her, making her rush to do her own. She was able to finish before Jenna arrived, the two of you climb into the backseat. Jenna informed you that Nova was already at the performance hall, meaning you only had to pick up Terrance. He was already waiting outside and immediately jumped into the passenger seat.

"It's about time we got to do something fun", he said. All of you agreed and talked about how horrible classes were going. The conversation made the ride pass by quickly, making you surprised when you saw you had already arrived at the hall.

"Remember no stressing tonight. We are here to have fun and let loose", Jenna said as she parked. You nodded in response, knowing the statement was directed at you. The line wasn't unbearably long and soon enough you found Nova who was already sitting at a table with a drink in hand.

"Okay so like the guys in the band are ridiculously hot", she said the moment you guys were in earshot.

"I feel bad for your poor soulmate. Whoever they have to deal with your thirsty ass", Terrance said as he sat down next to her. She told him to shut up before turning to the rest of you.

"So, how's the search going", she questioned. Jenna and Y/B/F both shrugged. Promoting Nova to ask you specifically. You looked down at your string and followed it, your eyes widening as you realized it didn't disappear around in a corner but was instead attached to a male standing on the stage with a guitar in hand. He had the classic 'I'm in a band look going' black ripped jeans with a black shirt and black hair.

"No freaking way", Y/B/F whispered. She had realized your eyes were focused on something, or rather someone, and followed your gaze. Terrance was the next to catch on, he whistled as he looked at the male.

"You're so lucky", he whispered. Jenna and Nova we're still confused, Terrance wasted no time filling them in.

"You have to talk to him after the show!" Nova practically screamed, forcing your attention to her.

"Trust me, I will", you replied. Jenna shushed you and told you they were starting.

"Before we begin we wanted to thank you all for coming tonight. I know that you guys don't know who we are, but we're happy that you're taking a chance to listen to us right now", your soulmate said. He then nodded to the boy sat at the drums, he was tall and blonde. The boy nodded and began playing. After a few beats, your soulmate began to sing, and you couldn't help but be even more thankful this man was the one at the end of the string. After a few songs ended, your friends immediately forced you to stand sending you over to the bar where the male sat.

"I was wondering which of us was gonna make the first move", he said as you took the seat next to him.

"Didn't wanna take the risk of you not noticing", you replied.

"Trust me", he paused to fully turn his attention to you, "I've been waiting for this moment my entire life. And knowing that you are this gorgeous, it makes me even happier to know that you're my mate." He then proceeded to ask for your name

"I'm Y/N. You?"

"I go by Xiaojun", he told you.

"Pleasure to meet you, Xiaojun."

"Pleasure to meet you too, Y/N." The two of you continued to talk for the rest of the night. It was almost four in the morning by the time Nova stumbled over to you, telling you that Jenna wanted to leave and needed to know if you were riding with them. You told her to give you a few minutes and she nodded, going back to the group. You turned to Xiaojun who was already sliding his phone to you. You picked it up and added your number. He instantly sent you a text and begged you to let him name his contact. You handed him your phone.

"Don't check it till you get home", he said as he gave it back, with a wink.

"Do I really wanna know what you named yourself?"

"Of course you do", he laughed. " Is it okay to ask for a hug?" He questioned.

"Sounds like a reasonable request", you said. The two of you stepping closer to wrap your arms around each other.

"Could I also kiss you on the cheek?"

"Yes. In fact, I'd love it if you did."

"Good,'' he said, planting a quick kiss on your right cheek.

"Lemme know when you get home", he whispered as you parted.

"I will. You also better let me know."

"I will", he told you. You waved as you moved closer to your friends and he returned the gesture.

"I already ship it", Terrence said.

"Same", Y/B/F agreed.

" You guys ready?" You asked as you rejoined them.

"Yep. Are you though?" Terrence inquired. His eyes moving to Xiaojun, you begin to blush and tell him to shut up. He laughs at your reaction and stands up from the table.

"Alright, let's head out guys. I'm tired", He said as he began to move to the doors. The rest of you followed and the moment you got in the car you felt ready to pass out. It took all ounces of your effort to change into your pajamas and to get to bed. You texted the groupchat, announcing that you were home. You then moved down to the second most recent conversation, laughing at the contact name. Xiaojun had named himself 'My Forever'. You told him you had made it home and complemented the name. He soon texted you saying he was also home and informed you that your contact was 'My Muse' because he could already feel inspiration for new songs the moment he met you. You smiled at his words telling him he was adorable before telling him goodnight. He replied with a goodnight. A few minutes later Jenna texted the chat to let you all know she had made it home. You told the group goodnight before turning your phone off and settling into your bed. You could already sense that Xiaojun would be in your dreams tonight.

--------

It had been over a year since you met Xiaojun. Here you were, sat at the same table with the same friends as you watched the band perform.

"So this last song is not my favorite song that I have written, but it's also my soulmate's. It was the first song I wrote after meeting them. The moment I saw them at the end of my string, I started to compose this song. So here's Unbreakable", Xiaojun said and started the song. You smiled, being thankful that this man and you were tied together, and so was your future.

A/N: sup guys. Admin 🃏 here, my co-writer and I have decided to launch a soulmate series for the WayV members. Unbreakable is the first story in the series, and we hope to have the second story up soon. Thanks for reading and tell us your thoughts!

[fluidityandgiggles]

Sleep Is For The Weak - Chapter 17

Previous Chapters: Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 5, Chapter 10, Chapter 15, Last Chapter

Writing Masterlist - for previous chapters not otherwise linked, Read on AO3

Notes (I guess): Happy school year in two weeks, folks.

Not gonna lie, I actually had a plan for this chapter, and then forgot it. So... yeah, not the most cohesive or best chapter, but I got it out, and it’s nice, and I like it this way because it’s a break from the wave of panic attacks and mild transphobia the last chapter or two.

Yes, I’m back home now, and I’m doing actually much better mentally and physically than I have since September till June. But the chapters are gonna take a while longer to write from now on, because I’m about to join the scary world of job searching for the unstable ADHD brain, not to mention being involved in three regular ttrpg campaigns (where I play a halfling sorcerer, and a half-elf bard, and also DM the third one), so... my brain is busy. But I promise this fic isn’t going on hiatus! I’m still extremely dedicated and excited to be writing this fic. I love it so much. Honest.

As per every chapter, thanks go to @whatwashernameagain for KHS and for generally being a wonderful human, to @broadwaytheanimatedseries for putting up with my fangirl-levels of excitement over everything (and coming up with the original idea), to @winglessnymph, @asleepybisexual and @anony-phangirl - who, while I know they’ve all fallen out of the loop, continue to have long-lasting effects on this fic as a whole - and new to this list, to @ilovemygaydad, who I’ve asked to beta this fic for me and I hope they’d have time for that starting with the next chapter.

Happy start of college and good luck, my darling dear child. I love you.

Tag list (sort of): @bunny222, @ab-artist, @sweet-and-sour-shadowling, @your-username-is-unavailable, @virgilcrofters, @violetblossem, @maybe-i-like-the-misery, @book-of-charlie, @thatsanswitch, @thatrandomautist, @thebiggestgaypirate, @marshmallow-the-panda

(Wanna be tagged? Lemme know!)

Trigger warning: period appropriate transphobia (the early 00s were not exactly trans-friendly). This chapter is light on the transphobia, but includes aphobia, deadnaming, panphobia (yes, pansexuality was a term in the early 00s, as I learned just half an hour ago) and vague mentions of child abuse.

—————

Sunday, July 27th, 2003

Incoming call: 218-357-5555

"Ye—"

"Remy? I didn't forget your number? Oh good!"

"...Emile?"

"Yeah?"

"...what's this phone number, darling?"

"Oh! Yeah, I… my phone died, so I got a new one! Sorry I didn't tell you sooner… but, umm, I'm gonna get to the point, yeah okay, happy birthday!"

"Thank… you…? Em, you shouldn't have—"

"Ah, but see, that's where you're wrong! Because I had to, because I said that I have to! You're my best friend in the whole world, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't at least call you to say happy birthday?"

"You're precious, darling."

"Thank you! Oh, did you get my gift yet? I sent it to you in the mail last month! Did you—"

"I did, it was… well, it was unexpected, I'd give you that. Where did you even find a Jack mug anyway?"

"Disneyland…?"

"...you know what, that's fair."

"Yeah! So, happy birthday! I'll be in Manhattan next week, so like… do you wanna go see a show or something…? I haven't seen the Gypsy revival yet…"

"...it's a date, then. But you're paying."

"Yes, yes of course! It's gonna be alright, okay? You trust me?"

"With my life."

"Yay! Okay, okay, umm… yeah. I miss you! Happy birthday!"

"Thank—"

"I gotta go right now at this second it's my cousin's bat mitzvah in two days and I need to get my suit and everything but I'll call you tomorrow evening too okay?"

"Sure… have fun, darling."

"Thank you! Okay, bye!"

—————

"India M—"

"Why didn't you tell me Emile has a new number? I cannot fucking believe you!"

"He wanted to do it himself, peach. On your birthday."

"Okay… okay, I guess that's fair…"

"Happy birthday, too."

"Thanks, mom…"

"So… how'd you spend the week?"

"Nothing big happened… my dad took me to see Nina West last night. It was the fucking best."

"I'll bet. Did you have fun?"

"So much fun! She's fan-fucking-tastic. Honestly. I'd give anything for her to either do me or spare a bit of her funny to me."

"Wow… gay much?"

"Shut up."

"Don't worry, it's fine. I still need to take Jenna to a drag show sometime. Did anyone hit on you…?"

"You'll be surprised how many people hit on my dad, actually. But no. I actually broke up with Chris today because of this."

"Oh? Do tell."

"It wasn't… much. He called me a couple hours ago to say happy birthday, which is fine if you ask me but I just… it ended in him trying to talk me into not talking to Emile again. And that's normal, okay, ain't something I can't handle. But he said ‘sure he's asexual, when he isn't spreading his legs to everyone he's asexual'."

"...did he seriously think he can get away with it?"

"India, no—"

"I don't give a fuck anymore, peach. I'm not going to beat him up, you have nothing to worry about, I just… this shit is so fucking infuriating!"

"I know. But hey, look at the bright side. Ulysses and Mandy said they'll take over next year, I'm gonna let them know. He won't be back."

"That's… that's true. I'll call Mandy later. Don't worry about it. Just… what then?"

"Then I told him that it wasn't his choice, he didn't choose any of it, so he said ‘just like you couldn't choose to stay a girl, Rebecca'."

"...oh yeah. Yeah, definitely. I'm telling Mandy. She'll deck him for sure next time she sees him."

"Thanks, mom. I just… I so wanted to deck him right then! So I gave him a piece of my mind, broke up with him and hung up and deleted his number. Now we wait and see what's gonna happen."

"Good boy. I taught you well."

"Thanks… again… he also said that asexuality isn't real, and—"

"I'm flying down to Texas right now to sock him. I took karate for three years. I can do this."

"India, no… hon. Babe. You need to get settled in DC. You need to—"

"I'm buying the plane tickets right now, Remy! Watch me!"

"—You need to get your life together and get your master's degree. You do not, however, need to go break the nuts of someone who doesn't deserve your attention—"

"Who's the older and wiser one of us?"

"Right now? Not you. You told me this very thing when I wanted to kill that asshole who made a joke out of Emmy, I'm telling you this now. Don't."

"...fine. But if I ever do get the opportunity, I'm doing it."

"Good for you."

"Nobody plays my kids dirty like that."

"You go, mom."

"I will! Oh shit, I have to go!"

"What? Why—"

"I forgot Jenna's parents are coming over today and I need to go pick them up from the airport. I'll call you later to keep catching up, okay peach?"

"Okay, but—"

"Awesome, happy birthday, we love you! See you in two weeks!"

"...see y—"

—————

"...Remy?"

"Good evening, Linda… where's Leah?"

"...and here I thought you called to talk to me. But I suppose I'm only your mother, nothing—"

"Mom, please, I'll talk to you after I tell Leah something really important."

"Alright, I'm sorry. But you got the package we sent you, didn't you?"

"I did, I… I just don't understand. You painted that…?"

"Who else would sign my name on a canvas, Remy?"

"You're… right. I'm sorry. It's very nice. Thank you."

"Happy birthday, son."

"Thank… you…"

"...hello?"

"Leah…? Leah, sweetie, can you hear me?"

"Remy! Oh, oh oh oh Remy I told you I'd tell you about my camp and—"

"And how was your time at camp? Take a breath and then tell me."

"Okay! Okay, so, so we were in the woods, and in cabins, and I kinda wanted to sleep in tents but it didn't happen and it was kinda disappointing but I can always do that later, and…"

—————

August 2003

There was a blackout as Remy was trying to write an essay Dr. Gilliam asked of his class.

So his dad put him on a bus to Georgia, which is why he's making do right now at doing his schoolwork with two children running around.

"We gotta go bowling too!" Leah whispered excitedly. For the fifteenth time this hour. "And then we need ice cream, and, umm, I know where the puppies are, and—"

"Leah, love, I need to finish this essay for school right now. Give me a couple minutes, about twenty, and I'll be with you, okay?"

"Okay!"

Remy couldn't be happier to be there at that moment. He had a plane ticket booked to Boston, his rooming was already set at Lowell, the papers have all been set and he was about to room with Emile, Mandy called him the other day to ask if he'd like to help her run the queer society meetings (and of course he said yes)...

And then there was a crashing sound. And a crying toddler sound. And he had to put his laptop aside to go check on Rachel.

More like run to the kitchen to check on Rachel, who was now standing in front of broken pieces of cheap china and bawling her eyes out.

"No, sweetie, it's okay…" he picked her up and started playing with her hair, hoping to calm her down. "We're gonna clean this, okay? What were you doing with the plate?"

"Tea party!"

"You wanna have a tea party?" She nodded, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. "Okay… okay. Let's wash your face, then pick up the pieces, and then make some tea and have a tea party with your dollies. Okay, love?"

She nodded again, and he kind of had no choice. So he did what he said he'd do, sitting Rachel down in her high chair as he cleaned the broken pieces, and for a moment, he felt like an absolute idiot. He felt like he was his mom.

Well… like Rachel was his mom, and the plate was him, and he was his dad, and holy fuck Emile's show analysis habits have definitely had an effect on him and he really should stop thinking about all this ridiculousness right now.

"Remy?" Leah whispered from behind him as he was picking up the shards. Rachel was entertaining herself, rather unaware of what's going on. "Is daddy gonna be mad?"

"I—" He had to stop. And think before answering. "I don't think so, honey."

"But a plate broke…"

"...he doesn't have to know. It was just a plate. He doesn't count the plates in the cupboard, now does he?" She shook her head, her hair flying everywhere. "So he won't know. Because we won't tell him."

"Okay. I can do that."

"I know you can do that, hon. Now, how about you get your roller skates and we'll go to the park?"

"But you said tea party…"

"We can have a tea party after the park. Rachel, do you wanna go to the park?"

Rachel, who up until then mostly minded her own business, looked over and started nodding with a big smile on her face.

"So we can go to the park and then have a tea party. Where's your roller skates?"

—————

Saturday, August 30th, 2003

"It's always nice to see new faces at the queer society meetings," Mandy said with a huge smile on her face as she balanced the clipboard on her knee, Remy holding her iced coffee. "I'm glad you all could make it today. Now, let's do a name round. Everyone state your preferred name - please no dick jokes, we have people who are very uncomfortable with those in this group as well - and what brings you here, and a small fact you'd like people to know about yourself if you'd want to."

Remy just kept looking over the room. Mandy had this all under control, already having printed out a list to put everyone's names and contacts in for if they need to. India trained her well.

From the corner of his eye, Remy could see Emile bouncing in his seat.

"I'll go first. Hi, I'm Amanda, I go by Mandy, I'm pansexual—"

"That's not a real word," someone called out. Remy did his best not to glare at the person.

He was pretty sure it's Chris.

"Pansexual is a word, Christian," Mandy replied, not even looking at him. "It was coined before your grandmother was even born. Anyway, I'm Mandy, I'm pansexual, and I'm in this wheelchair today because I have fibromyalgia and today is a very bad pain day. Who wants to go next?"

It was the same old sharing circle. Some people elaborated more, some people chose not to. Emile went ham on sharing, telling everyone he was gay and asexual and talking about his bunnies at length, looking as proud as he can be.

And then it got to Remy. And he wasn't nearly as anxious as he was last year.

"I'm Remy, I'm gay and transgender, and my therapist said I can start hormone therapy this year."