#like yknow i figure it must be important to her then and i shut up even if it makes me really uncomfortable

[anaalnathrakhs]

don't wanna vent in the tags of a post but you see EXACTLYYYYYY what's wrong with my parents and I's relationship

i explain and dissects how important exactly something is to me and ask them to measure its importance to them because i obviously can't know and decide for them

then they pick their competing preference and i go along with it until we've been there for way too long way too intensely or it's been happening way too many times or it's nothing like planned, and i can't handle it anymore and i flip out either right then and there or privately and then it comes up later when talking, and they say it actually wasn't very important to them they just either didn't think about it or assumed how important it was to me wrongly despite me explaining explicitly my point of view.

or they go for something i'm included in, and i'm there trying to be as unenthusiastic as possible without straight up closing that door, trying to propose alternatives that are easier for me, etc, and they're like mmh we're gonna go with our first idea btw. and i'm just stuck with it. and might freak out.

[kaleschmidt]

TKP Dungeon Meshi AU

okay so this started out as just me wanting to draw Kale + laios together but now. It's a whole damn au in my head and now i must make it everyone's problem forever. i'm keeping this relatively free of spoilers for both tkp + dunmeshi unless asked otherwise soo.. rambles under cut!

so first of all. um. i don't have all of the tkp chars. sorry guys. specifically, charon + percy are the ones i'm having the most trouble thinking of. they're supposed to be ANDROIDS... i can't figure what would be a good equivalent of that. otherwise if they had to be an actual species, i think they'd probably both be elves- maybe part of the canaries? i also like the thought of kobold percy

january. cmon. she's halfling. okay. half-stealing this from quentin but also it just makes sense. 🤏. i was thinking of tammi as a gnome at first but i can't lie. i think ogre tammi would be so wonderous and cool. or kobold... hm. hard choices

mena.. i think mena is just a normal tallman. "what's vinnie" don't worry about vinnie. okay. he's. normal. normal. (said unconvincingly). lulu i'm debating between full or half-elf because she MIGHT be of nobility

SHIT I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT SVEN??? SORRY KING. i think they would be a gnome though. i think he'd use a bit of magic to help him around but it's not something they use often i.e. in regards to the spirits being treated kindly with favor. you get it

some of these choices aren't really permanent choices so if i think about it more or get some input they might change in the future..

okay. now. the main guys. the main 6. so! for reasons i still have yet to come up with yet, the main 6 teamed up together as a dungeon-travelling team! i think they bump into the touden group at least once ^_^ . there's not an exact leader, but aster n naomi kinda co-lead! they fill in each others faults through their leadership (aster being too harsh with their leadership + naomi being too soft with hers). chazz volunteered for leadership and was prominently shut down </3. they hate a bitch.

now okay let me split the main 6 out.

aster

so first of all. their name in the au would be asterisk begonia! only friends can call them just by aster. they're an elf. They taught themself some magic, with the rest being from their school, before they dropped out for reasons they are NOT going into. they're pretty much the mage of the group, but they've been teaching the group some basic spells on the occassion that something happens to them because they'd rather DIE than have the whole team fucking flunk. chazz refuses. aster is going to kill it.

not a really important detail but also kinda is. ver staff has a big ass bow on it. this is important i lied. i think its sweets

naomi

i. have no idea where she comes from. i KNOW the kennedys would most likely come from the northern, but that's all. sorry naomi of ???. anyways she's half halfling + half-dwarf, leaning dwarf. Due to being half halfling she has some magic bone in her but she still gets mana sickness easily. she uses a big ass hammer tho so it's fine forever ^_^!! I feel like she'd be studying dwarf tech in order to modify the team's weapons somehow (not exactly blacksmithing but also kinda? the steampunkness of it all ig)

i havent really come up with all of how dayshift would go in this au so. Dont worry too much about it. also some stuff is spoilers. so. next ramble maybe.

chazz

ohhh god. who let that bitch be a halfling. god. fuck. shit. its full name is chazzsaw. no one knows its last name and NEVER WILL!!! yknow thinking about the hair colors n such in dunmeshi, most of them are pretty naturally colored arent they... minus some elves' white hair. so basically we're getting nongenta chazz. scary.

so chazz i've been vaguely bouncing around. first of all she's bunking with darrell! before the two of them joined the main 6, the two of them often went into dungeon parties together. not all of them were good, though- whether chazz was getting used as bait or people were ganging up on darrell. basically the main 6 is one of the best groups the two of them have ended up in. chazz, much like in canon, often conflicts with aster and although he jokes about using magic to be a funny little goofster, he has no interest in actually using magic. She'll do just fine with her halfling shenanigans!

chazz is one char i thought about interacting with the canon chars.. i feel conflicted about how she'd feel about laios. on one hand i can see her hearing about the touden group's monster grub shit and being like "shiiiit. we need that. aster what the fuck are you TEACHING us you should be teaching us HOW TO MAKE A GOOD ASS MEAL OUTTA THOSE MONSTERS" but at the same time . i think chazz would be reminded of phil in some capacity. DAMN YOU BLONDE MAphil isn't blonde in this au technically but he's still blonde in spirit so. yea. also he'd be half-tallman half-halfling i think. that's all the thought he's getting

FUCK I FORGOT CHAZZ'S ROLE. OOOOPPS. um. chazz is like? the thief? rogue? chazz has small daggers that it keeps on its person at least. its got no interest in helping with traps physically but sure lets throw this huge ass rock there <3. i think he'd find chilchuck funny and have like a little respect for him but if she had to be in a team with him she might bite his head off (exaggeration

darrell

DARRELL!!!! he's the resident normie of the group. the tallman. like i mentioned in chazz's section, he and chazz used to join random dungeon groups! his parents don't really approve of it and told him that he could always just come back home and work for them but!!!! he's very adamant that he can help make a living! also his parents don't like chazz and chazz would have nowhere to go if he were to leave :[... so darrell's really keen on making it big with the main 6

something i've been spinning around since i started writing this... hear me out. darrell with the bow and arrow. okay. I think he'd still have a melee weapon if he were to run out of ammo (good ol sword?) but otherwise vi's more comfortable with ranged combat. chazz likes to act like target practice and darrell's screaming and sobbing (EXAGGERATION.)

psike

psichael my best friend psichael my bff psichael. i miss nem. fuck. (NOT THE MAIN POINT OF THIS SECTION?????????) anyways. chazz still names nem but whether or not ne still ends up with the name "psike" is debatable. DON'T LET CHAZZ COOK 🔥🔥🔥🔥 anyways other than that. psike is half-elf half-tallman, with eir mom being a tallman! don't. worry about nis dad. okay. anyways! before the main 6, psike was often this mysterious, hooded figure that randomly appeared in dungeons. ne primarily appeared to groups/people that were in places where no one would be able to find them + were on the verge of death/dead. people would recall being revived/healed with no evidence of who did it, with some reporting catching a glimpse of their savior before the savior disappeared. sometimes psike would help via actively attacking, but this was very rare. tbh this might've been how ne and chazz met

anyways! psike is pretty good with magic- especially healing + resurrection magic. knows some ancient magic too... ofc, psike has nis limits, but it's pretty high. In combat, Psike tries to be quick on nis feet but sometimes just. shuts down, so ne's usually on the sidelines, where ne doesn't have to fully deal with the combat, but can still help. if there's someone who wouldn't be terribly picky about eating monsters, i think it would be psike

kale

KALE. FUCK. FUCK. FUCK. (BEATING THE FLOOR SO INTENSELY IT CAVES IN) hmm yes. i'm normal now. (affirmation). i'd love to talk about him in detail but. he's so spoilerpilled. i hope he explodes into 5 million flames. SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN THAT. okay anyways. we'll settle for the nonspoilered version and if the people want the rampant spoilery ramble then they can ask...

so! kale! :)! kale! my friend kale. kale. my friend kale. i think about how he possibly ran into aster n naomi... maybe at a tavern or smth? i can see him being like "hoho ! i will gladly join anyone's dungeon group for free ^_^!!!! all these people are so nice and will not betray my trust in any way!" and naomi is like "aster we need to save that poor strange guy". then again maybe like in his debut, it's just naomi who's at the tavern and hears kale's thing and is like "oh they're not going to survive the winter......." and then convinces aster to let kale join permanently, after a few adventures??

oh something important. kale is ALWAYS clad in armor. never takes that shit off. he's sleeping oh so comfortably in his heavy ass armor <3! also the armor is wolf-themed it's important you guys know this until i get to draw him up. No one knows what race he is and kale tends to steer off the topic somehow. he's too tall to be an average tallman, but he couldn't be an ogre either... huh. not too related but his and psike's relationship is A Bit Abysmal. Psike tends to avoid dealing with him 1 on 1 a lot

kale's the other guy i think about regarding canon relationships! he'd find laios SUUUCCCHHH a joy. they're frolicking in the hills together. the thing is. kensuke doesn't seem to like kale... what a shame!

OH OH SOMETHING EXTRA IMPORTANT I FORGOT TO MENTION. part of me feels like kale's name wouldn't be kale in here. haven't decided what it would be, if that's the case tho.

anywyas. thats all. its almost 3 am rn enjoy + feel free to ask questions!

[kudzushadow]

There for You | Part 1 of 3 | A Harlivy Fanfiction

Summary: After Harley finds Ivy in tears on the floor of the bathroom, realization dawns on her about how hard the past year had been on Ivy, from literally dying (1x12) to mind control. (2x12) They have a heartfelt conversation about the events leading up to the moment, and learn that sometimes it's ok to confide in the ones you care for. (Based on the scene from Eat Bang! Kill Tour: Issue #1)

Hurt/Comfort | TW: Past trauma mentions, slight hints of past abuse. | Spoilers for Harley Quinn: The Animated Series & Eat Bang! Kill Tour: Issue #1

See bottom for extra notes!

-

"...Ive?" Harley's eyes widened as she rounded a corner and was greeted with a sight that made her heart ache.

Ivy sat on the bathroom floor, head buried in her hands as her whole body shook with sobs. 

Harley was immediately kneeling by her side, arms wrapping protectively around her girlfriend without a second of hesitation. "Shh. It's alright, Ive. Everything's going to be ok…" Ivy had been acting strange since the wedding, but she hadn't been willing to open up to Harley. Now Harley was beyond worried, it was clearly more serious than the redhead had been letting on.

Ivy immediately relaxed into the blonde, tucking her face into Harley's chest. Eventually her sobs quieted down, but Harley could feel her trembling as she held her. While she tried to figure out what to say, she rubbed Ivy’s back comfortingly. 

After a couple moments of silence, after holding Ivy, feeling her tremble, listening to her uneven breathing… seeing her tear stained cheeks… realization began to dawn on Harley. God, she was so stupid and oblivious! She’d been so focused on her own feelings, she hadn’t even begun to consider Ivy’s… and how hard it must’ve been, being stuck in the middle of everything. 

“Ivy… I'm sorry. I’m so sorry… I’ve been so caught up in my own feelings, I hadn’t given any thought to how heavy all of this must weigh on you…” She brushed a strand of hair from Ivy’s face before continuing. “You’ve been through so much this past year, and I’ve been a pretty shitty friend. I should’ve been there for you, I should’ve helped you, should’ve protected you… and if I could go back in time and do it all differently, I would. A thousand times over.”

“...but I can’t, and that’s something I’ll regret as long as I live. Yet you’ve always been there for me, even when I created huge messes… when I joined the Legion of Doom, when I went back to Joker, when I released an army of parademons, when the Injustice League froze me… god, that last one sucked. Yet you rescued me. You always rescue me, Ive. Always help me. Always take care of me, even though I’m not sure I deserve it most of the time…” Harley looked away, shutting her eyes for a moment before forcing herself to continue. “...Ivy, you don’t have to pretend to be strong in front of me. You’re hurting… and that’s ok. We all hurt sometimes, but that doesn’t make us weak… or… or less human. I’m here now though. I want to share that burden with you, if you’ll let me.” Harley looked back at Ivy, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I love you, Ive. I love you so much… and if you ever… yknow, want to talk about… well, anything at all, really… I just want you to know I’m here.” 

Ivy turned her head away, and the next few minutes passed slowly in silence. Harley held Ivy, didn’t once let go, but with each passing second she became increasingly worried she’d done something wrong. Was it something she’d said? Oh god, had she made it worse? 

“Ive, I didn’t mean-”

“Harley.” Ivy pulled away slightly, raising her head so she could meet Harley’s wide blue eyes. “I-” She paused, choking back a sob. “I hurt you, I hurt Chuck… I hurt so many people… all because I didn’t know what I wanted then… and to be honest, I’m not sure what I want now, either…”

Harley’s heart dropped, and she opened her mouth to respond before Ivy cut her off.

“-...but Harley… so much has happened. You’ve made mistakes, I’ve made mistakes… and you’re trying to change… that’s good, and I’m proud of you… but you're right, we can’t change the past, no matter how hard we try.” Ivy shut her eyes, letting out a shaky exhale before continuing. “Opening up… relationships… hell, just being around other people is… is hard for me… but you showed me the good in humanity. That not all humans are… are monsters. My life before I met you… was… lonely. Even with all my plants, I had nobody to talk to. Nobody to confide in… but I liked it that way. It was safe. Nobody was going to judge me, or… or abandon me... and I guess that’s why I… why I chose Chuck… because he was the safer option.”

I trust you, with my life… but I don’t trust you with my heart.

Harley winced inwardly, but she understood where Ivy was coming from. Harley definitely didn’t have the best track record with… well, anything really. 

So I… I’m marrying Kiteman.

“I was… I was scared. Scared that if I… if I went with what my heart was telling me, it was just going to get broken… and after everything, I just… I couldn’t stand the idea of that happening. Of losing you again…” Ivy trailed off, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

You were my one friend, and I asked you for one favor, but instead you ditched me for the Joker, who treats you like shit! 

“Ivy… I had no idea you felt that way.” Harley spoke softly, using her free hand to lift Ivy’s chin so she could look into those beautiful green eyes… eyes whose depths she often found herself lost in. “I… didn’t know what I really wanted then. It was like… like I was trying to fill a hole inside me… like part of me was missing… and then, that night at the pit…” She smiled, using her thumb to brush a tear from Ivy’s cheek. “That was one of the most amazing nights of my life. I hadn’t realized… I hadn’t realized what it felt like to have someone else care about you. To have someone love you. Joker definitely never cared about me… not in the way you do… and... y'know, maybe I didn’t deserve it. Like I said, I haven’t always been the most reliable… but that changes today… if you’ll give me a shot, that is…”

Ivy looked up at Harley as she brushed the tear away, and smiled sadly. “...You’re trying to change… and that’s what matters. Harls, I do love you. A lot…. More than I care to admit… and… this whole relationship thing is new to me, but… I’m… I’m willing to give it a shot. To give you a shot… and today… today was proof of how much you’ve changed. How much you’re willing to sacrifice for others…” Ivy rested her head on Harley’s shoulder, but her mind was clearly wandering.

“...but that’s not all that’s troubling you, is it?”

“...perceptive as always.” Ivy chuckled halfheartedly, then looked away again. “It’s… it’s fine. It’s nothing important…”

“Well, I am a psychiatrist… but seriously Ive, you can tell me anything.” Harley stroked her cheek. “You know that.” 

“Harley, I really don’t want to talk about it… can we just… can you help me out of this dress?”

“...yeah. Sure thing.” Harley stood up before reaching out a hand to help Ivy up. She definitely wasn’t going to let this drop that easily, but Ivy clearly didn’t want to talk anymore right now… so instead Harley busied herself with the zipper of Ivy’s wedding dress and the sights underneath.

- End of part 1 -

I think all of it copied and pasted? If it looks like anything is missing please lmk!

This... this is what quarantine, lack of sleep, and having covid does to you. Helps you get over writers block. This is my first work I've gone public with, and originally I wasn't going to post it but a friend gave me the confidence to share it! So... here it is, I guess?

I was going to post it on Archives of Our Own too, but I have to wait till the 14th to get an account. 😐

Comments mean the world, even if it's just a couple words. I'll even take criticism to heart! By commenting you all can let me know what you think, and if you want to see the other parts...

Any interaction is appreciated, and my inbox and dms are always open! Thank you, and have a great day! (Or night!)

[octanesimp3000]

The Bunny, The Decoy and the Apex Games #6

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32034451/chapters/79916935 

Summary:

Mornings were usually uninteresting and routine for you on the drop ship. Not with Octavio and Elliott around, however.

Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5

————————————————————————–

You didn’t know when you’d fallen asleep the previous night. The last thing you could remember were the sounds of Octavio clicking away on his keyboard as he played some fast-paced parkour game.

Opening your eyes that morning, the last thing you expected to see was a head of green hair poking out from under the covers right next to you in bed but lo and behold, there it was. Out of surprise, you shouted angrily “Octavio, what the hell! I didn’t say you could sleep in my bed!” as you quickly leaped out of bed. Thankfully, you’d not changed out of your day clothes before falling asleep.

Octavio slowly and groggily sat up on the bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he said “Where was I supposed to sleep then? I tried sleeping on the floor but it was hard and the carpet was all scratchy.” He looked up at you with bleary eyes and his short green hair sticking straight up as if he’d been electrocuted in his sleep. You couldn’t help but think that sleepy Octavio looked pretty cute, especially with the plush bunny cuddled up close to him.

You tried to push those thoughts out of your mind by focusing on the problem at hand. “Well, I don’t know. Anywhere but in my bed! I’m sure if you asked, the Syndicate would lend you a mattress or something,” you suggested, folding your arms across your chest.

Octavio thought about it for a few moments before he responded “But someone would see me carrying the mattress in here and then, they’ll wonder why we don’t want to share a bed, yknow?” You wished you could have thought of something smart to say in response but you knew Octavio was right. The other Legends would definitely suspect something.

“Fine. But they should have finished fixing that air conditioner by now so it doesn’t matter anyway,” you grumbled as you gathered up some clothes to change into before heading for the showers, leaving Octavio to fall back onto the bed for another 20 minutes of blissful sleep. When you returned, Octavio was propped up into a sitting position on the bed with pillows placed behind his back for extra comfort, typing away furiously on his phone. You sat down at your desk to do your hair and makeup and pulled out a mirror from the drawer, setting it down on the surface. When you heard Octavio throw his phone down with a small groan of annoyance, you asked “You alright, Octavio?”

Octavio picked up his phone again and swiped on its screen for a bit before offering it to you, saying “Look what one of the assholes working at the Syndicate texted me.” You hesitated before taking his phone. Most people preferred to hold their phone up for others when they wanted to show them something. Privacy reasons, you guessed. Yet, here was Octavio just unconditionally handing it to you. No warnings to not swipe to the right or anything. You felt weirdly trusted.

The text message read: ‘Unfortunately, it appears as if the plumber requires some special parts to be ordered in order to fix the air conditioner in your dormitory. The parts will unfortunately take up to 10 days to arrive. I apologize for any inconvenience caused.'

Your mouth fell open in surprise. You were going to have to share a bed with Octavio for another 10 WHOLE DAYS? You didn’t know how to react to this news. You handed Octavio back his phone, and forced a smile onto your face as you explained that you had plans to meet Ajay and Natalie for breakfast, and you would see him later. “W-Wait, Y/N!,” Octavio had begun to say but the door had already clicked shut behind you as you began making your way to the cafeteria.

The ladies of the Apex Games often got together once a week for breakfast to catch up and enjoy some much needed time with the girls. That day, the only one missing from the group was Loba who apparently had an important appointment she had to attend. Once you’d grabbed a plate of scrambled eggs and two slices of toast from the steaming hot chafing dishes, you took your usual seat between Ajay and Natalie.

You’d noticed that there was a strange silence that descended upon the group when you arrived and it suddenly came to you that this was the first ladies’ breakfast since your ‘relationship’ with Octavio went public. You mentally braced yourself for any prying questions as you tucked into your food.

Natalie was the first to break the silence. “So...Y/N, how are things going between you and Octavio?,” she asked sweetly before taking a sip from her mug of coffee. Her eyes had a little glimmer in it that told you she was hungry for any information you would offer. You could almost sense the anticipation in the air and took another bite of toast just to give yourself some time to think of an answer.

“We’re good. It’s kinda hard to keep up with him but I mean, I knew that going into it,” you said with what you hoped was a convincing shy smile. Only when you saw Ajay and Ramya’s shared eyebrow raises did you spot the possible cheeky double entendre of your words. You were just going to launch into a desperate babble to explain what you actually meant but it was probably just as well that you were suddenly interrupted by the appearance of none other than Elliott.

Elliot wore his usual charming smile as he looked around the table at everyone present, pausing for a moment when his gaze landed on you. “Good morning, ladies! You’re all looking wonderful today. Mind if the great Mirage joins you for a bit?,” Elliott asked as he put his hands on his hips, expectantly waiting for someone to invite him to sit down.

“No, Elliott. Women only today,” Renee said bluntly, not one to try and protect anyone’s feelings. Elliott held a hand up to his heart, making a face as if he had been wounded by Renee’s statement. She merely rolled her eyes as she turned to look at the other women present to see what they thought of Elliott joining their meal. Unfortunately for the ‘great Mirage’, most of them were in agreement with Renee.

Elliott laughed the rejection off and said casually “Alright, alright! You ladies need your space, I get it.” He started to walk in the direction of the cafeteria’s entrance but suddenly stopped and quickly came back to the table you were at, excitedly exclaiming “I almost forgot! I’m gonna make some pork chops for dinner tonight, anyone wanna try some?”

Everyone knew about Elliott’s famous pork chop recipe that his mom had created. It was supposedly so tender that the meat would just melt in your mouth. There was no turning down this offer, and everyone present at the table were up for a taste. Pleased at how well his offer was received, Elliott seemed to puff up in pride. He looked pointedly at you and said with a wink “Once you taste it, Y/N, you’re gonna wish you were dating me instead. I bet Octavio can’t make pork chops like I can.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. Did Elliot actually say what you thought he said or were you just starting to go insane from all the pining you did? You stared motionless from the utter shock as Elliott strutted out of the cafeteria like a delighted peacock. Ajay nudged you in the ribs with her elbow and asked with an amazed smile on her face “What was that?! Was Elliott hitting on ya? What love potion have ya got on these boys?”

“I-I’m sure it’s nothing! You know what Elliott’s like. He’s always flirting with literally anyone who’ll listen,” you laughed, waving Ajay’s suggestions away. Secretly, you wished that she was right. Maybe you really did stand a chance with Elliott. You struggled to focus for the rest of the meal and even on your walk back to your dorm, your mind was far off in the stars.

You stared blankly at the door to your dorm for a moment, wondering when on earth you’d gotten back here before turning the doorknob and opening it. Octavio was nowhere to be seen. His things were still scattered about your room and the bedsheets were a tangled mess but no green haired man. However, you spotted a mound of blankets and pillows bundled up at the foot of your bed which was suspiciously wriggling.

You approached the bundle cautiously and reached your leg out towards it to give it a gentle poke with your shoe. Immediately, Octavio popped his head out from amongst the blankets and pillows with a surprised look. “What are you doing down there? If you’re trying to make a pillow fort, that’s the wrong way to do it,” you raised an eyebrow with a confused frown.

“I was just trying to test out if this would be comfy!,” Octavio explained as he tried to hold up as many of the blankets and pillows as he could at once, dropping a few in the process. You must have still looked confused because he continued quickly “Well, you didn’t want me to sleep in your bed so I figured I’d try and make my own down here so you wouldn’t get angry at me.”

You instantly felt regret at having left so abruptly earlier that morning. What had gone through Octavio’s head to make him think that you’d get angry at him for something that he couldn’t control? So much so that he was ready to sleep on the floor like a pet dog. “Octavio, I’m sorry for getting upset at you this morning. You’re welcome to share my bed till they manage to fix that leaky air conditioner in your room, I’m not going to let you sleep on the floor like that,” you said firmly, gesturing at the blankets and pillows.

“Really?! Oh, you’re the best! Thank you, Y/N,” Octavio shouted in delight as he proceeded to leap up from the floor and onto the bed. You shook your head as you laughed at the sight. Octavio got so excited over the smallest things. After wriggling about for a few minutes on the bed, Octavio finally clambered out of bed and said “I’m hitting the practice range! Wanna come?”

You didn’t have anything else planned for the day so you agreed on the condition that he wasn’t about to try launching grenades off his jump pad again. Last time, it’d almost hit you if it wasn’t for your quick reflexes. Octavio laughed and said cheekily “Hmm, I’ll think about it. Come on, come on! Let’s get going!”

Octavio dashed out of the dormitory that you two now shared. For the time being, at least. You quickly chased after him, not wanting to left too far behind. Was this what life would be like for you now? Little did you know, there was still a lot more to come.

[r6s-imagines]

Can we get some little headcanons for Spetsnaz where the reader finds their most prized possessions?

y’all really love spetsnaz huh

actually yknow what nevermind i understand the appeal

•••

spetsnaz preference >> prized possessions

•••

MASTERLIST

warnings: fluff, cursing

•••

summary: how do the members of spetsnaz react when you find their prized possessions?

•••

kapkan

you found it while looking for another item maxim requested for you to retrieve on his desk

the blade itself was still sharp, as if it was new

the handle had delicate carvings into the silver casing

it was clean, yet vintage. you never saw it in combat, and figured it was more of a decorative item.

it was too beautiful to handle, so you gestured to it which grabbed his attention.

“what’s this?”

without looking up from his book, he flatly replied.

“mine.”

displeased with the answer, you snapped to get his full attention, making him look up from the noise and trail his eyes to the weapon.

“oh.”

he closed his book slowly, sitting up from his bed.

as if you were his grandchild, he patted his leg, offering you enough space to comfortably lay on his thigh.

“let me tell you a story of a man.”

his story seemed infinite, starting at the beginning of his family timeline

you weren’t complaining, his stories were always intriguing and engaging, even if he wasn’t loud and wildly gesturing like another russian you knew

it was his father’s knife

“he escaped to the west. used this to get him out of some lethal situations. he wanted to help america during the cold war. i follow in his steps; fighting for what is right, not the most popular choice.”

maxim paused, watching you with a sincere look

he grabbed your waist and pulled you in, your face buried in his neck as he looked ahead.

“i wish to pass it to our children.”

you began to cry

glaz

you were flipping through his sketchbook while he was away (he gave you permission beforehand, don’t worry, fellow artists!)

the papers were yellowed, corners folded randomly

there were various pieces; landscapes, people, animals...

your eyes stopped at a page tucked between others, smaller and worn around the edges

paper clipped to the work was a photo, almost identical to the drawing

a woman not much older than timur looked into the camera with a straight face, posing as one usually would in the past

the sketch was textured and layered perfectly; you would have guessed it was a photo copy if you hadn’t known of your love’s hobby

you smile, assuming it’s someone he must have lost years ago

sure enough, glaz is against the doorframe, a small smile on his lips

he steps beside you, scratching his beard and sincerely grinning

“you two would have gotten along,” he said, peering past your shoulder to join you in admiring the work

you asked who it was, and you could see the pain in his eyes

“my mother.” his gaze drops, seemingly analyzing his shoelaces. timur said her first name as if she was an angel.

“she’s very beautiful,” you complimented softly. timur’s nose was pink as he stared ahead.

“yes,” he quietly replied. “she was.”

fuze

shuhrat never spoke of his family much

he didn’t speak about anything before rainbow, actually

no photos, no accessories, not a single piece of familial memorabilia.

you asked him about it, and he shrugged.

“nothing important happened before.”

there’s no way shuhrat only sticks close to his cluster charges, right?

of course, you were married to him, but you still worried about his social connections.

you decide to do some snooping

you slid open drawers, cabinets, anything that could keep something moderately important

sure enough, on his shelf was a spruce box, no larger than that used for jewelry

suspecting something significant, you removed the box from the shelf and unclamped the gold latch

piles upon piles of photos and documents were found

curious, you unfolded the paper on top

“ — y/n 2/14/19XX”

the signed letter you used to confess to him ages ago...!

you went for the second paper

“to my love, shuhrat,”

your one year anniversary card!

turning the photos right side up, you found them to be entirely of you

anything of you from your operator portrait to your wedding photo

you were his prized possession...?

you whip around at the sound of footsteps, watching fuze shrug off his coat without the knowledge of your presence.

in a panic, you shut the box and tried to shove it back where you found it

he reacted to the noise, whipping around.

he’s very red when he notices the box still in your hands

“y/n.”

“shuhrat.”

you had this knowing smirk on your face

you thought i wouldn’t find your soft spot, you teased internally.

tachanka

alex isn’t ancient, but he definitely has memories of an older world

he’s a prime example of “when i was your age—“

you were relatively younger than him, so you loved hearing his tales of a time before you

sure, sometimes they can be unwanted, but it was still fascinating to see what he went through

the most shocking interest of his was probably collecting vinyls

he takes great pride in his collection, taking every opportunity to give you facts about each record.

you more so listened to his music rather than finding it yourself

he was humming along in his office as he typed away, a slower song in a language you were not familiar with.

you paused as you walked along the hallway, seemingly entranced by the tune

alex paused as well, laughing at the sight of you silently jamming out

“you like this one?”

shocked, you attempt to play it off, blushing

“come here.”

alex reached out to you, grabbing your arm and pulling you inside

instinctively, you wrapped your hands around his neck and his around your waist

you rocked side to side as he began to speak.

“tchaikovsky,” he explained, chuckling. “one of my favorites too.”

he fluttered his eyes shut, taking in the sound waves with a peaceful smile

you’ve never seen tachanka, of all people, be genuinely at peace

for birthdays and anniversaries, you find vinyls to add

after you find out, he calls it “our collection.”

he’s glad he can share his passions with you.

[billhaderlovebot]

beep beep (2) - richie tozier

okay, mentions of sex, weed, and as usual, language that would make my grandmother disown me. some horror-typical blood stuff. enjoy.

@the-star-above-you @ceruleanrainblues

had it not been for richie's incredible, rugged good looks and sex appeal, as he had so tactfully put it, you were sure you would have tried to fucking murder the guy at least once, because he was infuriating at the best of times.

you'd never actually made an attempt on his life, of course, but now, as he tried to peel away from you and get out of the bed that wasn't a single but not quite big enough for two people, you almost killed him, hissing at him to lay the fuck back down right now we might die today i haven't seen you for like half my life you asshole cuddle me right now, richard.

richie, of course, as he hadn't ever been able to say no to you, smirked and shifted to lay back down, resuming the earlier position in which your limbs had become not unlike that thing where your headphones get all knotted in your bag and you can't figure out how to separate them.

"that's what i thought." you huffed, leaning up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

this was almost surreal. being back here, and with the same man you left behind. it was like, the whole time you'd been apart, you'd only been half a person. and now you were back and he was holding you and you were one whole, functioning person again because he was your other half.

"i was just thinking, yknow." richie voiced, pressing a kiss of his own to your temple. "about, uh, your husband."

"i fucking hope not. that's not good bedroom etiquette, tozier, bedding a girl and then fantasising about her husband."

"shut up," he laughed. "no, i mean, you're... married." he noticeably recoiled at the word, and you visualised the nose-scrunch, because he was definitely scrunching his nose right now. god, you loved him so much.

"i noticed."

"yeah, but, babe, this isn't a very married thing to be doing, is it?" richie gestured to the bedclothes, which you were both very naked underneath, and also his shirt, which had ended up hanging from the door handle. there was underwear strewn about the place, and you literally did not know where your pajamas had gone. oh well.

"rich, when i made the decision to come here, i made the decision to leave there." it was true. you may not have known it at the time, but the moment you left that house you were never to return.

your husband might have been calling, and you'd be lying if you said you hadn't thought about him. but any calls he made would have come through in a stream of bubbles and a faint gurgling sound, what with your phone still being back home in your bathtub. being back here just proved that this was where you were always supposed to be. with him. you slid off your wedding ring, pressing it into his palm, and it was as if a weight had been lifted.

"it's always been you, richie."

and that was enough for him.

---

bill raised his eyebrows at last night's dark purple and red hickeys that littered your throat, courtesy of a one richard tozier, before joining you where you sat in the common area. you hadn't thought to pack a turtleneck, or a scarf, at that, and so you'd have to avoid everyone's inquisitive looks and make do.

when richie emerged from the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand and a matching set of hickeys, bill sighed.

"th-thought so." he said.

"huh?"

"thin w-w-walls, guys."

"it's not her fault im the best she's ever had." remarked richie, winking at bill and falling onto the couch beside you. he slung an arm over your shoulders and pulled you into him, sipping his coffee.

you shrugged. "yeah, billy, and it's not his fault he hasn't had a good lay since i dumped his ass in derry."

"hey! you didn't mean to dump my ass."

"ah, but i did, nonetheless."

"fuck you." richie teased, setting his coffee down on the table so he could pretend to argue with you properly.

"no, fuck you." you shot back.

"fuck both of you." a voice, eddie's, whined from the kitchen where richie had come from and interrupted your pretend dispute. "i mean, you kept me up all fucking night, fucking each other absolutely senseless in the room next to mine, you inconsiderate assholes."

"they haven't changed, eddie." bill groaned, rolling his shoulders and leaning back on the couch.

"i know that," said eddie "but i don't think i can deal with it, they're all fucking over each other!"

you supposed eddie was right.

richie, now realising you were here and he was with you and you were both within kissing distance of each other again after over two decades, he took every opportunity to shove you against a wall or a door or a sink or on a bed and kiss you hard. a lot. a lot. seriously, he'd sprung at least four impromtu heavy makeout sessions (with tongue) on you so far and it was only your first day here.

it was like you were teenagers again.

god, if only.

"w-we need to put a plan together." bill said firmly, clasping his hands together. you had noticed his stutter had been worse since you'd left the restaurant. not as bad as when you were kids, but still there. "w-w-we need everyone here, t-together, which doesn't include you two s-sneaking off to suck face."

"but she's got such a nice face." richie whined.

"she won't if you don't get your shit together." you heard the voice of ben hanscom (or, handsome, as richie now referred to him.) as he trudged down the stairs and joined you all in the living room. "so shut up and listen in case IT decides to tear it off her."

now, that had really freaked richie out, so he shrugged in defeat and pulled you tighter to him, kissing your forehead and holding you to his chest.

"good morning to you too, ben." you yawned, circling an arm around richie's waist and allowing him to just hold you.

what? he was fucking warm, ok.

"are you guys gonna be like this the whole time?" ben queried, gratefully accepting the cup of coffee eddie had just brought out for him.

"i think it's sweet." beverly was the next to come in, ruffling the back of her hair and rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"yeah guys, we all got hot or married, and richie got less and less familiar with his fucking shower. we should be impressed he got anywhere near her." eddie chided. a chorus of laughter arose, all of you sat around the coffee table on plush couches, and you could pretend, just for a moment, that this was all you were here for. a reunion. but you weren't.

"m-mike's meeting us later." bill explained. "we have.... stuff to do."

---

the clubhouse was almost exactly how you remembered it (save for the inch-thick layer of dust and the smell of rot and the slight water damage from what must have been 27 years of rain leaks). you'd damn near punched richie in the fucking face when he pulled that "you'll float too" bullshit. his impressions were always impeccable, but now was not the time. he'd rectified his mistake by kissing you soundly and offering one to everyone else, to which they all refused.

"reckon we could still fit?" richie echoed your own thoughts as you both stared in at the dusty old hammock you'd spent so many hours on as teenagers, nostalgia coming over you in waves.

"how much you betting, trash-mouth?" you grinned, your tongue poking out from between your teeth.

"five bucks says we can."

you looked over the stretch of fabric that ben had pinned up between the boards on the ceiling all those years ago. you could barely fit on it when you were teenagers, so there wasn't much change of it happening 20-or-so years on. "i say we can't, so, ten bucks."

"done." he said, with an air of finality, and stuck his hand out for you to shake.

"nah," you shook your head. extending your little finger instead."handshakes are for businessmen and drug dealers. pinky swear."

richie hooked his pinky around yours and flashed you his signature shit-eating grin. "get ready to cough up."

a great deal of struggling later, (richie almost bringing the fucking roof down) you were considerably warmer and ten dollars poorer. the rest of the losers stared on in disappointment because the two of you were still absolutely insane. but you had done it.

granted, you'd had to twist very close around each other to fit on, and your leg was sticking out at an odd angle, but neither of you were terribly bothered.

"ten bucks, babe."

"can't i just have sex with you?" you groaned. you hadn't brought much money with you in the first place, and you really needed a coffee and a therapeutic shop for stationary.

"how about you give me ten bucks and then i have sex with you." he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

"i think that consistutes prostitution, actually, babe." you pointed out, kissing his lips and reluctantly pressing two folded fives into his hand. "but i do expect something by way of a sexual favour later on, provided we don't die."

"guys? important stuff is going on. yknow, like, if-we-don't-do-this-we'll get-fucking-murdered stuff." you'd forgotten that the rest of them were there, and eddie had rather pulled you both out of the bubble you were existing in.

"lighten up, eds. i just got my girl back." for once, richie wasn't joking around, and the sincerity in his voice almost made you cry. eddie didn't say anything more.

but mike did. "we have to split up to find our artefacts." he chimed in, reminding you all exactly what you were there for. "we have stan's, and i have mine. you'll know what they are when you see them."

you couldn't help but feel sorry for mike. he knew so much and had everything so planned out, but at what cost? he had been waiting alone for years and years and years, knowing full well the rest of derry depended on him not giving up, even if they didn't know it themselves.

"w-we can't split." bill interjected. "it's t-too dangerous. what if one of us d-d-d-d..." he inhaled deeply, calming himself and allowing mike to put a hand on his shoulder. "what if something happens. i won't forgive myself."

"im not letting this one out of my fucking sight, mikey." richie concurred, absently drumming his fingers where they rested on your waist. "no fucking way."

"you have to do this alone. all of you." mike continued, and you knew he was right.

ben and beverly knew it, too, and had begun making their way out of the clubhouse, the maggot-eaten wood of the ladder groaning in protest underneath their feet.

"right. a-are you s-sure, mike? really?"

"positive. this is how it has to be."

------

"okay, so if you die, we can't fuck later, and i would rather like to, so, maybe don't die, please." richie was trying to make light of possibly the worst moment of his life, but it wasn't working so well, because his hands were shaking so hard that he could barely keep ahold of you.

"i'll be fine, rich." you assured him, leaning against his chest and inhaling the scent of home.

"you don't know that, y-y-you don't-- t-there's no way you can-- y-y-you're-"

you cut him off by firmly pressing your lips to his, and it did seem to calm him. the act of holding you close and feeling the rise and fall of your chest and knowing he could touch you and you were still here. you thread your fingers through the soft hair at the nape of his neck and allowed him to deepen the kiss, knowing he needed it.

he had always needed reassurance when you were kids, because he'd always been insecure or scared about something he couldn't remember. he always went to you first, because the whole vulnerable thing wasn't really his scene, and you were the only person who saw it. and his nightmares, god, the fucking nightmares. you hadn't seen him cry before until he woke up shaking in your bed, searching around for something to grab onto because he couldn't tell what was real or not. he cried for what seemed like hours in your arms and all you could do was hold him.

"you're stuttering worse than billy." you murmured, close enough so your lips just barely touched. "ill be fine."

his eyes searched yours desperately for any sort of truth, but he could tell that you weren't sure. that you were just as shit-scared as he was and you were holding it together for the both of you.

"fuck." was all he said.

"fuck." you agreed.

---

1994

---

"baby." richie's voice was practically ecstatic down the phone. you grinned and reached over to your shelf to turn your record player, and the cure, down.

"yes?"

"i have, like, the best idea ever."

"and what would that be?"

"so, yknow, i have like, a shit ton of pot."

"uh huh."

"and i haven't seen you in like, uh, like two days. which is, fuckin, two days too long, yknow."

"yeah, of course."

"so, what say you and me get really really stoned and wait for your grandmother to leave for bingo and have a lot, and i mean a lot, of high sex."

"trash-mouth tozier, i may just take you up on that." you smirked, twirling the bright red phone cord in between your fingers.

"oh, good, cause im already here."

richie's voice was now coming from your actual window.

you whirled round to see him perched on the fire escape like a fucking curly haired pigeon with a high libido.

"god, you do know how to make an entrance, rich, fuck me."

"ask, and ye shall receive." richie smirked, dropping his legs through your window. in two strides he was in front of you, pupils dilated and partly concealed by his dark curls. his glasses were almost falling off his nose.

the phone receiver dropped from your hand and clattered to the ground as you reached up to take them off, and-

oh, and then his tongue was inside your mouth, so the glasses fell and landed alongside the phone by your bare feet.

no matter how many times you kissed richie tozier, it never failed to surprise you just how fucking good he was at it. you found yourself rather at his mercy whenever his lips were on yours, his hands on your face or in your hair or your back trouser pockets. he'd always make a point of tugging your bottom lip between his teeth and oh my fucking god. wow.

"well i can't fucking see you now, can i?" he whined, pulling away and blinking hard in an attempt to adjust to you having taken his actual sight away.

you responded by reaching your hand around to his back pocket where you knew his silver zippo would be.

"and here i thought you loved me."

richie stuck his bottom lip out in mock sadness, but grinned about two seconds after, reaching into his other pocket and handing you a small zip-lock baggie.

"you know that i love you." you smiled, kissing his lips and edging round him to get to your bed.

"you do?" he asked.

"more than anything."

----

2016

----

the zippo lighter was much heavier than you remembered it, you thought, as you turned it over and over in your hands.

you flicked it open, but no flame arose. not as though you expected it to.

god, those years were the happiest of your life. after IT. when richie and yourself could be happy and in love and kids.

just two stupid kids in love.

and your heart ached now as you thought of all the lost years. all that time you could have spent with him, watching him grow, and growing alongside him.

but you were together again, and it was alright. it was alright, now.

"beep beep, richie's girl."

the voice that came from behind you caused your heart to plummet, and you swore it could have fallen out of your ass.

"oh, fuck no. you fuck right off, right fucking now." you steadied the shaking of your hands. you were not afraid. i mean, yes, you were, very much so. but you weren't letting It see you weak.

clenching your fists, you slowly turned to look at the space near the window from which the voice had come.

oh, fuck.

it was richie.

or it would have been, if it were normal for richie to have a huge slice across his throat and a considerable amount of his left arm missing.

blood poured like a fucking faucet from the slash, forming grotesque patterns where it fell across its shirt.

"help me, baby." it choked, hands coming up to the wound, trying desperately to hold it together. it fell to its knees before you and pleaded with you to fucking help me, please and then it was crying and in that moment it's eyes looked so fucking much like his that you almost threw up.

"no, fuck no." you were seriously, seriously about to vomit right now, but you weren't about to embarrass yourself in front of a supernatural evil entity.

"please." blood came spluttering from its mouth, and you had to commend it on its honest to god phenomenal acting. it wasn't a pretty sight, honestly, because richie in any form of pain was enough to make you want to tear out your eyes, even a fake richie. but this wasn't him.

"you got it wrong." you flipped the lighter open and closed absently, hoping to whatever god would listen that the shake in your voice wasn't noticeable.

the mock expression of fear disappeared from not-richie's face.

"m not fucking scared of you. you'll only hurt me if i let you, right?" you hoped to god that you were right, because it'd be pretty embarrassing if after all that, you were torn to shreds anyway.

and then it was gone. leaving behind, scrawled in fake richie's fake blood on the wall:

beep beep, richie's girl.

you had to admire the theatrics, really.

---

richie hadn't wanted to talk about his artefact, or where he had got it, and you knew better than to push him.

he looked so fucking tense, tears in his eyes, that you just wanted to hold him and never let go ever until the earth stopped spinning. but that wasn't an option, so:

"nap?" you suggested, reaching up to thread your fingers through his hair.

his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned into your touch.

"yeah. nap."

"rich?"

"yeah?"

"i love you."

"i love you more."

"fuck you."

"no, fuck you."

[bow-woahh]

Heal Me After Hurting chapter 2 DVD commentary ask?

Send me your favorite scene/chapter from one of my works and I’ll post a DVD commentary on it.

Heal me after hurting! it's been a while since I've revisited this so I'm excited to talk about it! It's crazy to think it was nearly a year ago when I wrote it. It genuinely feels like just yesterday.

Chapter 2 ("Sick of saying nothing back") is the chapter where Catra and Adora actually start to communicate their feelings about each other and past together (hence why it's pretty dialogue heavy).

Catra has obviously just woken up from a nightmare and is still feeling pretty out of it, so it makes sense she'd be a little less closed off as a defense mechanism. Plus after hours of not actually speaking to Adora, she actually really wants to.

"Catra? Hey...hey, babe— don't, don’t cry, what’s wrong?”

I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure Adora says babe at least once every chapter. Maybe just one and two. But yes, that was purposeful.

(“For many, closure is a good tool to put an end to lingering questions and thoughts in one's mind, for others, all it does is remind them of things you needn’t reminders of. Over due time, you’ll figure out whether you want that closure or not, or whether to move on and look towards the future.”)

It's so sad that S5 completely destroyed the Micah as Catra's father figure/advice giver character but hey I still love the idea of this dynamic and I stand by it with him as her therapist in this fic.

Also, closure is a very important theme in this chapter, as neither of them got that: Catra because she literally wasn't allowed to get any and by the time she was it was too late; Adora because although she did break up with Catra, it was over text and was the last thing she wanted to do. Lots of unresolved issues were left behind.

“You—” Catra stops herself, takes a breath, then tries again. "You just...disappeared out of my life, left."

There's an obvious reason as to why Adora left and completely cut her off (because of Catra's mental health and how she wasn't just a danger to herself but others too) but it's so unlike her that Catra wants to believe that there was some other reason, that is wasn't just because—in her eyes—that she wasn't good enough. And actually, she turns out to be kind of right.

“I wasn’t well,” she says, mouth dry and words meek. It comes out like an excuse, even though it’s anything but.

This is at the moment the closest Catra can get to an apology, because she knows what she did was wrong and has grown a lot since then, but it's still so hard to admit that, especially to the person the hurt the most.

"It's just, I just...I dreamt about—"

Adora scoots closer. "Everything that happened that night? Yeah, I, um…I do too sometimes. It must be worse for you though, especially because…” she hesitates, then says, “still– you're not supposed to use your voice, you need to fully recover, okay?"

She cares SO much like ❤️🥺

"I didn't know what to do, or say, what was allowed." Adora replies, still apprehensive.

Adora likes rules, and boundaries. Before, although their relationship was obviously still kind of convoluted, for all it's faults it worked. After the incident, even once Catra was leading a healthier life, Adora had no clue how to approach her, if she could approach her. All the boundaries once there were gone with new ones that were so blurry that there was no point in trying to cross them. It was as if they were strangers, which is something Adora wasn't equipped to deal with.

Adora also says before this: “Everyone said– they said to give you space. So you could recover. So...I listened.”

Because she didn't know what she could do, what the boundaries were, she followed the guidelines set for her by others, which may or may not have been the right thing to do.

“You still care,” Catra whispers, bringing her knees up to her chest, head starting to pound as she begins to regret the bold statement.

Despite everything, despite Adora taking care of her the whole day, it's only now that Catra realises (or let's herself acknowledge) that Adora does still care greatly for her. Adora is obviously amazed at how Catra can even imply otherwise, because Adora never stopped caring and she thought it was pretty obvious.

Closing the lingering distance – the lingering tension – between them, Catra moves to sit opposite Adora.

“Adora... I’m sorry. For everything. I wish that– I wish things were different. That I was different.”

This!! Line!! Okay first — the fact Catra said the same thing in S5...I'm a prophet. But also, this is so important because now, just like in the show, now that Catra's finally admitted to the person she hurt the most that she does feel remorse over her actions, she can move forward now. Obviously, the contexts are a little different but I'd say it mostly applies.

Maybe things were always destined to happen this way.

Listen Catradora are simply star crossed lovers, but only for a little while. I just feel like in every universe it only makes sense of they fall out/grow distant before coming back together. They get their happy ending, but it just takes a little while yknow?

"No, it wasn't right, I should have spoken to you sooner, instead of lurking in the background…" the colour seems to rush to her face at the statement, and Catra can't help but be curious about what she actually means.

I remember when I was outlining literally writing how Adora would like,, low-key stalk Catra to see how she was doing. Nothing like super creepy, maybe just sitting in one of lectures or watching her with Scorpia and Catra at a coffee shop that she just happened to go to as well. Completely coincidental.

Catra wants to say 'me too'. She wants to shout it out at the top of the lungs, because all throughout when she was recovering she thought of Adora, love or hate – or a mix of the two – she thought of her.

Obviously drawing from the show here. Like it was clear they never really stopped thinking about each other and the same can be said here. Catra could never quite get rid of Adora from her mind. Partially because of how much she cared and loved her but also because of the fact she'd had so little closure from Adora.

“I didn’t even have my phone. The old guy was pretty careful with who I talked to in the first month or so. But…” she halts, and can’t help but wrap the arms around herself tighter.

A little extra info that I never put in the fic because it just relevant — Catra has a dad in this, which is who she's referring to here. Also, if you couldn't tell from the few context clues here and there, Catra is also pretty rich too. She wasn't exactly spoilt when she was growing up because, for a while, her dad was married to SW (picture evil step mum) but by the time she was around 16, 17, she's out of the picture, because of an,, unfortunate accident. Shadow Weaver is either present or dead in all the fics I write, okay?

“[...]They all told me to cut all ties with you, so you’d be able to focus on yourself, so I could do the same, and what I had wanted to say wasn’t exactly what everyone else expected.”

[Adora taking about the message she sent to Catra] I imagine before Adora agonised over what to say to Catra for days, much to Glimmer and Bow's dismay that they ended up sitting down and helping her right the message that she actually sent, but she obviously hated it then wrote the message she actually wanted to send in her own, before being unable to send it and going with the other one.

“Catra, I’m here babe, talk to me,” Adora says

She said babe again?!? Damn I went to town lmao

“Don’t...don’t cry,” Adora says, unconvincingly and accompanied with a weak smile in an even weaker whisper of her own. That’s all it takes for the dam to crumble completely and overflow. When those tears finally pour down, her first sob sends shivers down her spine, and it quickly worsens from there.

Ouch...this scene hurts to read. I'm sure when I was writing it I was laughing manically at the pain I was going to inflict on you all but...damn. Like the way Catra is trying so hard to stay strong but as soon as she sees Adora distressed again she just breaks down. God how an I getting hurt by my own fic??

Carefully, cautiously even, she wipes a straggling tear from her cheek, and with her lips just slightly upturned, mismatched eyes piercing through sky blue ones, she whispers, “it’s okay now though? Isn’t it?”

This moment is. Everything. So far, a lot of this has been Adora comforting Catra, Adora literally looking after Catra, but this is finally Catra reciprocating that by comforting Adora back, by letting her know ‘I'm here for you too.’ Also the brief tension that this causes.. wonderful.

Catra can see, smell, is Adora, and her lips are right there, looking soft and alluring like they always have, like they'll be enough to dissipate all worries, cast away all her doubts. But she’s scared, scared for this to happen, because it’s all so soon, too sudden, and moments before they'd been crying, and what if she messes up, what if this gesture messes it up?

I loved finding out how I actually fooled people into thinking they were gonna kiss. I'm sorry. But I'm not. Most people actually said they were glad they didn't, which was very much the response I wanted, so I was pretty happy with it.

“I was kinda worried you'd never come around, or that we'd get close and one of us would shut down once the serious stuff was brought up. If I’m being honest, I nearly didn't come— when Scorpia asked.”

"I don't see why she asked or why you'd want to." Catra shrugs

Yes. Scorpia was 100% being a bit of a shit stirrer. She knew these two fools needed to talk to each other.

Casually, Adora let's out the next statement as if it were fact. “They weren't you.” she answers with a shrug.

At this point Adora has long accepted that there's no one like Catra. That there's no one who can replace her. What she was to her. Obviously she tried, but Catra was still there the whole time in her mine. Catra is just it for her and she knows that. So for her, admitting this is as easy as breathing because she's come to terms with it.

But she can't, she's too far behind, she's still processing, and she hates that, because Adora feels – is – a million miles ahead of her, and she wishes it could be easy, that she could be easy on herself, that she could let Adora hear what she wants, no, needs to hear…though she just isn't there yet.

I feel so bad for Catra here because she feels like she can't keep up with Adora's pace, how well she's handling this, but it's not even her fault, like, it's just harder for her to deal with it like :((

Catra never saw the need for it anyway– Adora already looks stunning without it. Expecting her brain to chide her for even thinking that, Catra is practically amazed when there’s no little voice in her head condemning her for thinking such a thing, for going back there.

Progress,, we like to see! Obviously, in the last chapter we see more of this as well, which is great.

Adora, who broke up with her. Adora, who was once her everything. Adora, the one she had hurt the most, was here; talking to her, accepting her, smiling at her, forgiving her.

Callback to chapter 1,, we love to see it lmao

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this! Sorry it took 59 years but to make up for it, chap 8 of bloom will be up in like 2, 3 days! (:

[wonderlustlucas]

pandora’s box

⇢ word count 3.8k ⇢ warnings mentions of abuse, hints of pedophilia, explicit descriptions of death & asylum treatment. basically all the horror movie stuff. don’t read if ghosts & dying are triggers :] ⇢ a/n hello my precious children so uhm in the midst of trying to write some christmas fics my lit teacher assigned a creative story for us to write but it had to be horror themed (yknow, cus december is still spooky season?) n knee way me & @black-raven200 wrote this and since this is what took away from my WRITING writing i figured i’d post it :p enjoy!!

Only two minutes have passed since I last checked an hour ago, or so it seems. Each tick of the clock roars like a crack of thunder in my skull, serving only as a reminder to what lies ahead. Perhaps then there will be an opportunity for escape. A chance to run free from this prison, to leave everything and everyone who I know awaits my destruction. For now, though, I must sit here and endure this pathetic interrogation, knowing there will be no solution.

“Pandora,” she repeats, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, “why did you kill Elizabeth?”

I find it hard to look her in the eye. Not because she intimidates me, no— it’s the worry heavy in her tone that frightens me. Why did I kill Elizabeth? It is a complicated situation indeed; one Nurse Alice nor Sister would understand. “Self-defense,” is what I say. Again.

Sr. Bernadette sighs from her spot beside Nurse, clearly exasperated. Until now, she has been soundless, the animosity glinting in her eyes the only sort of indication I need to know of her infuriation. “Pandora, you know Elizabeth is—was—a quiet girl with quiet intentions. She stared out the window twenty-four hours a day. Why for the love of God would you need to smash her head against the wall for self-defense?” Sister raises her voice now, and if it were not for Nurse Alice in the room, I know the sting of her palm across my face would have made me speak up hours ago. She’s nicer when Nurse is here. Nurse is nice.

But how am I to explain? Time and time again I tell the truth, but they never believe me. Even now, when I look to him for help, I know they cannot see. They never see and they never will. “Tell them what she was going to do,” he says, a simple gesture of encouragement that has hope filling my heart. “Someone told me the only reason she looked out the window all day was because she was too busy planning on how she was going to kill us all,” glancing away from him to look at Nurse, I add with a smile, “so I killed her first.”

She looks to her hands folded in her lap, too flustered to hold eye contact any longer. So I turn to Sister once more, watching her jaw twitch as she processes my words. “Pandora,” Nurse Alice sighs, dejected, “was it your friend who told you about Elizabeth? The one you mentioned last time?”

“Yes!” I shout, grinning excitedly at her. She smiles softly in return. “Yes! It was him. He tells me everything, because he protects me. He’s my only friend here and he wants to keep me safe from the crazy girls like Elizabeth. Sister Bernadette, do you think he’s my guardian angel? Mama used to tell me that when you see your angel, it means you have a special place in Heav—”

“Silence,” Sr. Bernadette interrupts, raising her hand and I flinch away, expecting her to do more than stop my ramble. I would never admit it to her, but she is a terrifying woman. I will never understand how she made it into the convent, or why God would accept such an evil lady, but I guess it’s not my business. What is my business, however, is that she reminds me of Papa. The way she talks down at everyone, the way she walks, the way she hits, and even the way she looks, down to the squiggly hair growing out of the ugly mole on her cheek.

“I have heard enough,” she announces, rising from her chair and smoothing the untarnished skirt of her habit, “Nurse Alice, see me in my office when you are finished.”

With that, she leaves, not even bothering to look at me. How rude!

Nurse Alice sighs for the umpteenth time this evening when Sister closes the door with an unnecessary slam. While she sits there, kneading her eyes with her knuckles, Casper moves from his spot against the wall to sit beside her. Oh, how I wish she could just see him. Hear him. Feel him. Anything to prove to her I’m not as crazy as they think I am.

“I tried Pandora, I really tried. There’s nothing more for me to do,” she murmurs, and when she looks up her eyes are brimmed with tears. In this moment, she looks like Mama. My heart sinks. Nothing more for her to do? What does she mean nothing more? “What happens now?” I ask because, truly, what will happen after she meets with Sister? Perhaps she will help me escape. Maybe I will finally be free from this horrid place. That is what she can do.

“I cannot say,” Nurse admits, “Sister is not adept working with young children.”

“You mean crazy young children like me?” I ask.

Nurse Alice frowns, reaching across the desk to grasp my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Casper glares at her affectionate gesture. “You are not crazy, Pandora,” she reassures me, the same way she does every day, “I don’t know what you see or who they are, but I believe you. You’re not the first person in history who sees ghosts, or spirits, or like you said, your guardian angel. The world just doesn’t like to accept these kinds of things when they can’t see it and you can.” Casper doesn’t like Nurse Alice. He says not to trust her, and that she’s just like everyone else. I believe what he says about everyone else, that Elizabeth was a psychopath or that Gerard is possessed by the Devil, but I cannot accept what he speaks of Nurse Alice. She has been the only one to ever truly care, let alone give me the benefit of the doubt and know that what goes on is true.

“I’m sorry I killed Elizabeth,” I whisper, looking to the checkered marble floors. Why they chose such atrocious tiles for an asylum is beyond me, that in itself is enough to drive anyone mad. Life here constantly feels like a game of chess on these floors; you stay on your square, watching everyone else’s moves, trying to decipher their next, while simultaneously needing to gather enough courage to take a step yourself. I don’t realize until a tear hits my hand that I have started crying.

Nurse gives my hand another squeeze before pulling away. It seems I’ve stumped her, but I understand. What is she to say? ‘It’s okay’ when it really isn’t? When I look up, Casper is gone.

“Why don’t we get ready for bed? It’s been a long day,” Nurse asks after the silence has settled heavily in the air, exhaustion evident in the blue bags drawn deep below her eyes. I nod, wiping away the wet trails left on my cheeks with the back of my hand.

The walk back to my room is quiet; lights out was more than an hour ago, and the only sound of life in the hallways is the sound of our footsteps and the ceaseless hum and buzz of the sconces in between every other bedroom door. Even the routine guards spaced randomly about the hallway are unusually quiet. Perhaps things are strange tonight because of this morning’s events.

Nurse stops outside my door. It’s silent inside, somehow more so than the hallway and upon glancing in I realize it’s because Elizabeth is no longer there. I have the whole room to myself and whether this is a blessing or a curse I do not know. “Alright Pandora,” she smiles comfortingly, and upon sensing my uneasiness, bends down to hug me tightly, “I’ll see you in the morning.” I wish I could stay with her, or her stay with me. Because I still have Nurse to protect me, yet I can already feel it, the cold tickle of fear creeping up my spine, the weight of being watched burning into my back and the horror lying within the room waiting to eat me up alive. Before I at least had Elizabeth laying like a vegetable across the room to keep me company, but tonight I must face it on my own.

Squeezing Nurse tightly, I feel as if I must take some of her strength and tranquility with me in order to get through the night. “Goodnight, Ms. Alice,” I whisper, pulling away from her and returning her sad smile. With one last squeeze to my hand, she sees me to my room at last, watching me enter cautiously before turning away and clicking the door shut behind her. The atmosphere inside seems heavy all of a sudden, suffocating in the way dread hangs over my head. “Casper?” I whisper out, quiet voice piercing the room’s stillness as if my nightmare itself does not lurk in the corner.

Leaping into bed, pretending that it offers some sort of protection against the evil, I stare with a teary gaze back at the Shadow against the wall opposite of me. Unlike Casper, Shadow does not speak. It does nothing but stands around all day, watching me when I’m alone and waiting until I turn away to finally take the life from my body. That’s why Casper is so important— not only does he warn me of everyone else’s intentions, but he scares Shadow away.

“Casper!” I call again, terror sparking through my veins like electrical currents when Shadow jolts to stretch its black figure across the floor instead. Past my almost unbothered façade, I wonder if it can feel the way my heart thumps against its glass ribcage every time it comes close. At this, my friend finally returns, appearing sitting atop Elizabeth’s empty bed. Shadow instantly disappears. “Oh, thank God, you’re here,” I let out the heavy breath that had been caught in my throat, “and look! Now you have your own bed!”

He frowns instead. “If I stay over here, Shadow can get you,” he retorts and I instinctively wince at the thought. “Okay, never mind then,” scooting closer to the wall, I pat the hard mattress, “I don’t want to risk anything.”

Casper hums in content, appearing beside me in the blink of an eye and even though he physically is not there, it’s nice to imagine being held, protected against everything that dares come get me. There is a cool breeze against my head where he pats gently, instantly bringing the heavy lull of sleep to my eyelids as he switches the lights off. “Goodnight, Casper. Thanks for protecting me,” I mumble incoherently, and even though I can’t see it, I swear I feel him smile against my hair.

There are no smiles come morning. Instead, it is the total opposite. With a force unnecessarily aggressive for seven AM, two security officers from another level burst into the room, sending the door against the wall with a crashing bang. Jumping awake, I find that Casper has vanished in the same instant that these men come storming the small confines of my room. I have not even finished rubbing the last remnants of a dream from my eyes when they are seizing my arms, quite literally forcing me up and out of bed. “What—” I hiss, attempting to pull away but it is absolutely futile.

The panic really begins to set in when we reach the hallway and turn right towards the elevator instead of left for breakfast. “Where are you taking me? Let go!” I shout, flailing in their grip and trying to ground my feet to the floor, but they easily continue on. What is happening? Where is everyone? Where is Nurse?

“Nurse Alice!” I scream at the top of my lungs, pulling back against the guards and gaining only a second of freedom. It’s all I need to slip from one of their grasps, spinning to look back to where Nurse Alice stands against the wall every morning after role call. “Ms. Alice!” I scream again, thrashing against the men with my heart racing a mile a minute when she only stares ahead at the scene unfolding before her. “Nurse!” I wail, tears suddenly spilling from my eyes. Why isn’t she doing anything? “Nurse Alice! Help me!”

People have started to gather, watching with wide eyes as I am drug closer to the elevator. The harder I fight, the more useless it becomes. There’s a sharp pinch at the back of my thigh, and when I twist around I find that one of the other nurses on our floor has poked me with a long syringe, and just like that my limbs feel three times heavier, as if just lifting an arm requires the strength of a rhino. They’ve stuck me with something, and now they’re taking me somewhere bad. Just as we reach the doors to the elevator, my head rolls back to look at Nurse Alice one last time. Past the tears blurring my vision, I’m able to pick her out, unbothered and looking to the floor.

Casper was right. She is just like everyone else.

-

Something is wrong. Very, very wrong.

I have been in this joke of a room much longer than expected. When I arrived, the drug that knocked me out kept me unconscious until the following day, and now two days have passed without any sign of Casper or Shadow. Later after dinner is served, when I pass by the mirror hung up on the wall, I see Shadow’s reflection behind me, but when I turn around, nothing is there. There is no gut-wrenching sense of fear, I have slept like a baby, and for the first time in my life, I feel normal. Left to my own thoughts with no need to constantly keep an eye out for the evil that has always lurked. While solitary confinement is not the best way to deal with these sorts of things, I’ve found a sense of solemnity in my isolation. No Elizabeth, no Casper, no Shadow. Just me and my empty, unfiltered thoughts.

I wonder why no one has followed me into my new room. It is ridiculously small, with a single bed and the necessary means of living, but that’s it. A perfect scenario for Shadow to prey on me when I have no space to hide, so I am utterly clueless as to why I have been left to my own devices.

So, I’ve decided to drop the topic. Without the fear-induced worries I have been living with for the past fifteen years, I’ve taken to spending my days doing other things. Reading, while an enjoyable activity, is only secondary to the time I spend simply thinking. Thinking of my family, my old friends, school, what goes on in the world and, finally, what I will do when I leave this place.

I’d like to run away to a new country. Without the educational or financial means to get a good job, or a home for that matter, maybe I could find a kind farmer to hire me. His family could become mine and I will learn what it is to live a normal life. And then, one day, I will be able to do it all on my own. For now, I must figure out how I will escape. Or, if I’m lucky, now that my mind is free, they will let me go themselves.

“Don’t be silly,” a familiar voice disrupts my daydreams and I jump up from bed, heart hammering in my chest when I find Casper across the room. His words make me frown. “If Nurse Alice couldn’t save you, then no one else here will,” he hisses and, squinting further, panic burns in my veins at the furious spark in my friend’s once kind eyes. Instead, there are no pupils, only pools of blood red in place of honey gold. “What are you doing here?” I ask, sitting up and staring at him fully now. I’ve looked much scarier things in the eyes before.

Casper snorts. “I’ve been trying to get you in this room for years, and when I finally do, I cannot get through the physical walls. So of course, you use this time to come up with silly fantasies for your future, leaving me behind. How rude of you, Pandora.”

“I haven’t thought once about leaving you behind, Casper! You left me.” I gasp, insulted by his accusation. He is being absolutely ridiculous, thinking it’s somehow my fault that I’ve ended up here. A muscle in his jaw twitches, his fists clenched angrily at his sides.  Why he is so angry I do not know.

“Silly, stupid girl,” he sighs, edging close. “Why are you being so mean, Casper? Friends don’t say that to each other,” I whisper, heart twinging in hurt. At this, he moves to stand in front of the bed, reaching to firmly grasp my jaw. More importantly, the panic burns like an inferno now, for I can feel his touch. “I am not your friend, Pandora,” Casper chuckles darkly, “and I no longer have to protect you from anything ever again. You know why?”

“Why?” I whisper, on the verge of tears again. Crying is the only way to cope living in this place.

“Because I am what you needed protection from, and now it seems as if you are all mine to devour.” His words take a moment to process, and by the time I have caught up he is already closer, heart constricting under his grasp and yet all he does is hold his palm out in front of my chest.

“Casper,” I croak out, jarring and brutal bursts of pain searing from my chest and down through my entire body, “Casper, what is happening?” It has not yet clicked. At his silence I have no affirmation to what is happening, only left to assume that this is some weird reaction to what was given me to knock me out. But this is not normal. Not the way my consciousness seems to float in an empty space, filled with thick static. There is so much pain. I want to cry out but everything is fuzzy, I see nothing at all and the loud pounding of my heart echoes like thunder in my skull. So much pain. I hear the ticking of the clock in the room with Sister and Nurse Alice, the game of chess on these checkered floors and I feel what I made Elizabeth feel in her final moments. There is everything and nothing happening all at once. My whole body is draining away, and almost as soon as the black mist swirls at the edges of my mind, it is already all black.

-

When I wake, things are not where they left off. But then again, where did I leave off? I cannot remember. It is a blur. I cannot recall what yesterday was, or what happened. When I wake, there is a haze clouding my mind that leaves everything uncertain, and even though I have not fully awoken, it feels as if I am floating out in the abyss. Papa must have gone mad last night, but now I am safe with Mama. No, no, that can’t be right— I must have just come back from Dr. Chae’s hypnotism. No, that can’t be it either, it’s way too cold. Doctor used to have the heat blasting year-round. So… where am I? The panic starts to set in. Everything feels… wrong. All of my thoughts are clouded. My emotions are dulled, I feel no pain, no happiness, no anger, no… nothing.

Slowly, my reality starts to piece itself together and my surroundings fade in. The darkness is still there, but instead of the smothering presence it had previously, it now lingers at the corner of my vision, almost as if it has just become a part of me now. I am in an office. The barren and cracked walls feel familiar somehow, but I cannot recall why, I have never been here before. Or have I? I am not so sure of anything.

Someone walks in, and in a hushed tone she starts to argue with… Sister Bernadette? “She has been here only twenty-four hours, but she already speaks to the walls as if time has already broken her,” Sister says in a familiar tone.

I am in the asylum.

“I heard her say a name yesterday, Casper, I believe,” the woman answers quietly and cautiously, as if at any moment Sister will snap.

Sister almost spits out her reply, “Like that makes it any better Alice, she is still speaking to herself in the middle of the night.”

Alice, Nurse Alice. All of a sudden everything comes crashing down, I remember it all. Killing Elizabeth, Shadow, Casper’s betrayal, Nurse Alice, all of it. I begin to feel the sensation of tears behind my eyes, but no water flows. I feel like I am hyperventilating, but no air comes out of my mouth. What’s happening to me? Am I dead? Am I dying? The panic sets in again, gone is the emotional numbness that I previously held. Is this a joke, has Casper simply— no. Someone new is about to walk in. I recognize the voice, it’s Casper. A young girl trails behind him, she’s small with black hair and—

No. No no no no no no. This can’t be real. It’s impossible. Following behind Casper is… me? It doesn’t make any sense. I try to speak, scream, to somehow tell this past version of myself that Casper is not who he seems, but no one seems to hear me. Slowly, I walk towards them and detach myself from the wall where I previously stood. I see myself look up from the floor and stare directly at me, like she suddenly realized my existence. Her eyes grow wide and she backs up slowly as I move forward. “Casper?” She whispers, frightened. “What is that Shadow?”

I spin around, searching for Shadow. Are they still following me?

I move further away from the wall, but suddenly my past self screams. “Casper, help me! It’s coming closer!” I turn back around, but there’s nothing there. Realization creeps up on me slowly at first, like a panther getting ready to attack its prey. Then, it strikes. Am I the Shadow? I try to test my theory creeping back into the wall. “Don’t worry,” Casper speaks finally, “it’s leaving now, you’ll always be safe with me.”

Lies. I was never safe; I never will be. Not even now, in death, or whatever the hell this is, can I find peace. But maybe, just maybe, this time I can warn myself of the evil that lies within him. It is the only thing I can do to save myself from this painful loop of death.

-

It has been three years. I’ve watched myself die sixteen times. Today, I start all over again.

[scenarihoes]

if you're still doing them, I'd love a scenario for present mic which has a crush on one of the girls that works at the radio station and one day when he arrives she's there alone singing quiet a sexy songs and he notices how great her voice is and how much sexier she makes the song sound

thanks for the request!!!!!!! this is SO cute and i adore present mic hehehe

LET’S GO!

——-

Birds chirp loudly and soar upon the open sky. The sun has yet to even peak over the towering buildings of the city, stars still dancing among the lightening hues of blue and black. If not for the fact that he’d been up all night the previous evening, Hizashi was sure he’d have taken in the early day, sucked in a deep chestful of breath and smiled on the exhale. In his dreariness he can almost appreciate the serenity but with Aizawa’s grumpy tone resonating from the phone tucked between Hizashi’s shoulder and ear, it’s hard to really let loose.

“Remind me why you woke me up?” He grunts, and there’s the sound of shifting blankets.

“Sorry man! I really thought it would go to voicemail,” A loud lions-like yawn escapes him, feet coming to stop at a very familiar radio-station. “You’re usually almost dead around this time.”

“Whatever. What did you want to tell me?”

“I was just gonna leave a simple little message for you to wake up to.”

“Get on with it, then. I’d like to get back to sleep before tomorrow.”

“Alright, alright,” Hizashi tilts his head and secures the phone even tighter as one hand reaches out, catches the door knob and the other shoves the key hastily into the hole. “We’ve got some new systems in the station and I totally forgot to set the damn things up. I went the entire show last night with old goods Shouta!”

“���.And?”

“Aaaaaand,” Hizashi stills and shuts his eyes, bracing for impact. “I won’t have time this week to set them up so I’ve gotta get it done before everything else today...” He pauses and shuts his eyes with a cringe. “...I don’t think I can make your coffee run…”

A loud, irritated groan nearly makes him shudder so hard the phone drops. Even though Aizawa can’t see him, the edges of his lips flick upwards in a sheepish smile.

“Come on, man! I can do it tomorrow!”

“I need it today.”

“Wait one more day,” He yowls, shoulders slumping. “I can do it tomorrow, buddy!”

“There’s no point tomorrow when I wanted it today.”

“If it’s so important than why can’t you go get it!”

“Ugh.”

The line falls dead and Hizashi blinks forward at the station door. He doesn’t know if he should be surprised or not- after all, he had told his friend he’d go out and get some of that weird coffee he likes from the store downtown while he was out and about, but to set up the new systems, he knows it’ll throw a pretty hefty wrench in the order of his plans. He’d never make it across town in time with everything else he’s got going on. Three jobs and a week full of errands doesn’t come cheap, after all.

As he shoves the phone into his pockets, a sigh escapes him. Oh well, he’d make up for it some other time. He’d buy double the amount and deliver it to his friends door, practically bust the frame down if there’s no answer. Or maybe he’d just shout Aizawa’s name from outside until the man wanted to knock him out. The usual routine.

The first thing he notices when he pushes the door open is the most obvious: the sound of music. It’s soft but the station is small enough for it to travel fast. The second thing he notices takes a little longer to set in. Compared to the quality of the days prior, the music reaches him so much smoother than it ever had before. Beats rumble in his chest. Languid notes of an American song he recognizes but can’t quite name yet, the gentle thump of vibrations resonating off the tables and walls. The bass is heavy in the medoly and makes him want to dance, but he’s too curious to give in just yet.

From where he stands in the entrance he can already see there sound boards are nearly doubled in size, a dozen more options to play with and another extra few buttons for cheesy special effects.

Which leads to the third thing he notices. Well, realizes, mostly. A mountain of empty boxes stack outside the utulity closet, and his eyes widen.

The systems are already a-go.

Dots connect within his brain, a few words you’d spoken to him earlier in the week.

“Don’t worry about it, Mic,” You’d said with a beaming grin. Cupid must have come around early, since his heart fluttered in his chest like a bird in a glass cage. “You’ve got a lot on your plate. Let me take care of setting up!”

A long grin worms it’s way onto his lips, barring his teeth. In just a few long strides he’s finding the control center, plopping down on the swivel chair and kicking his feet up atop the small desk beside all the sound switches. His fingers interlock, rest on his gut. He could one-hundred percent take his leave, get his things done and even make his best friends day, but…

Then again, when does he ever get some alone time with you?

The bright ‘off air’ sign flashes vibrant red within the hosts cubicle, a ‘hang in there’ poster hastily taped on the wall. You’d gotten it for him with a grin and who was he to break your little heart? He taped it right on and patted it down, beamed down at the cuteness of your smile.

Waiting turns out to be much more boring than he’d anticpated. That combined with the idea that he was going to surprise you was making him restless. You were likely taking time to gather up the wires from the old systems or packing them into storage, completely unawere of his prescense. He’s happy he came by, even if it meant Aizawa wasn’t the happiest camper alive.

Then, a sudden sound of singing urges his broad smile to falter. It takes him back, the lyrics of the song he finally recognized. You’re not humming like you usually are, or murmuring off-beat tunes to whatever songs he was playing at the time. You were singing, belting out note after note like there wasn’t a soul to witness it. Somehow during his time spent around you, one of his most frequent over-night coworkers, he’d never once heard you sing. Surely you’d heard plenty of his voice, but this was something else. Something he never expected.

Vocal range, high notes and low notes perfectly carried…

“…And I know when that hotline bling, that can only mean one thing…”

You sing the words so softly, no where near upbeat as the original. The way it sounds rolling from your tongue almost feels emotional, if not a tad sensual. In his chair, Hizashi shivers, sits upright and presses his palms to his knees in interest.

Suddenly the utility closet’s door swings open, revealing a flood of dim light and then your figure lingering in the door way. You sway to the beat of the music, eyes half shut in lazy comfort. The tip of your feet meets a box and you nudge it over to clear a path.

“Ever since I left the city you- Got a reptation for yourself now,”

You’ve yet to notice the figure observing you in relative silence. Hizashi’s over the moon and doesn’t even care that he’s likely being creepy just staring.

“Everybody knows and I feel left out,”

He tingles from the tip of his spine all the way down. Never had he thought Hotline Bling of all songs could sound so saucy, especially coming from your lips. It’s almost an opposite to your usually peppy demeaner.

“Girl you got me down, you got me stressed ou- WOAH!”

In that moment he swears he see’s you leap ten feet high. Your clutch yourself and launch backwards, eyes wide, mouth agape, a hot red already painting the tops of your cheeks. Your sudden outburst scares Hizashi as much as his hidden prescense had scared you, and he’s up and moving so quick the swivel chair slams into the sound systems behind him.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He cries. “No need to freak, it’s only me!”

“You scared the absolute hell out of me, Yamada!” Your hands find your chest. “I almost had a heart attack!”

“Aw doll, I didn’t mean to.” Now he feels like kind of a jerk. You’d been so calm just a moment ago…

As you brush your hair back and sigh, regaining composure, you look up at him. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I uh-…” He rubs the back of his head, long blond hair that he kept flattened today spilling between his fingers. “I was gonna set the systems up before friday.”

“I thought I told you I had it under control?”

“You did! I totally forgot, sorry! But we’ve got more pressing matters-“ His hands reach out and grasp your shoulders. “You never told me you could sing!”

Ah, there goes that tomato red all over again. You tense in his grasp. “W-Well, I don’t exactly do it often…”

“Whaaaaat?!” Hizashi let’s you go and spins dramatically, hands to the sky. “You should! You’re amazing, I could really feel it in my soul!”

“You felt Hotline Bling in your… Soul?”

“All beacuse of you! You’re spectacular. Why do you hold your voice hostage from the world?!”

Another wave of flush encases you and he can see the way you advert your eyes, bite your cheek and force a laugh. “Um… I’m kinda shy…”

“All the more reason to put yourself out there,” Once more his hands find your shoulders, but this time, he bends down to your eye level. You struggle to meet his gaze. “In fact, you should join me and some of my good friends for karaoke this saturday.”

“But the show on friday...?”

“Who say’s the part has to stop after the show! Catch some z’s and we’ll go crazy all over again!”

“W-What?!” You gawk, reaching up to wrap your fingers around his wrists. “I-I couldn’t-… Singing along isn’t my thing, sure it’s fun with friends but…”

“You won’t be alone, I’ll sing with you!” Hizashi pulls back and points to himself with two thumbs. “It’ll be a blast! You don’t even really have to sing if you don’t want to, but you should totally come along! It’ll be like some sort of date!”

Upon the dawn of the first second that word leaves his lips, he’s stone. You gape at him.

“I-I mean, it doesn’t have to be a date, m-more like-“ He feels like he’s going to start sweating bullets any minute. “More like a friend date, yknow? Between two friends! Yeah!”

A swift giggle leaves you, and you’re shaking your head. Endearment, he recognizes. It makes him feel cozy on the inside even despite the butterflies beating the hell out of his stomach.

“It’s fine,” You say, but you’re just as shaken as he is. “I-It can be a date. I think it would be fun, even if I don’t sing much.”

“You mean it?!”

“Well, yeah…! It’s kinda hard not to have fun with you.”

“I mean the date! You wanna go on a date with me?”

A giggle escapes you and sounds with the ever playing music in the background. “Of course!”

Hizashi’s world falls right into the place at the exact right moment. Heavens gates split open, angels sing, golden outlines both him and you. His arms, of course, throw over his head in triumphance.

“Yeah!!!!” He cheers. “You gotta sing that song with me, though!”

“Once, and only once.” Cheekily, you glance up at him from your lashes. “… And only if you sing it with me.”

Suddenly you’re pressed flat against his chest, two arms wrapping around you with childlike excitement. You flail but find purchase on holding the back of his shirt, the length of his hair tickling your upper back.

“Alright then,” He sings. “It’s a deal!”

[fanficsofmine]

Wake Me Up - Chapter 3

Summertime. Young. Single. Free.

You were living your dream life. You had a great place, amazing friends and a steady job. Independent and happy and free, what more could you ask for?

You didn’t think that meeting Chanyeol at a concert or Minho on the beach would influence your life as much as they did. They weren’t supposed to, anyway.

What exactly are you to do with whirlwind romances that show up when you weren’t expecting them?

Characters: Park Chanyeol, Choi Minho, OC’s and appearances by others.

Soundtrack: Geronimo - Sheppard

Chapter 1, 2

We couldn’t stay late this time. We had added several hours to our trip home and both Presley and I had to be at work early in the morning. It was hard to say goodbye, though. Chanyeol and I linked pinkies as we walked to the car. My heart sank more and more with every step. We exchanged phone numbers on the way, and he promised to FaceTime me from the road as often as he could.

He got to the passenger side with me, but neither of us reached for the handle to open the door. I reached down and fiddled with his shirt. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to get this back to you…”

He reached down and cupped my chin, gently forcing me to make eye contact with him. “This isn’t the last time that I’m going to see you. We’ll figure something out. I promise.”

I smiled at his promise and nodded. He leaned forward and gave me another small kiss before Kihyun, from the drivers side with Presley said, “we really should let them get on the road.” We all agreed and Chanyeol finally opened my door for me. I got into the car and, after one final kiss to my forehead, he shut it.

We started driving home, and I promised to stay up with Presley as best as I could. We talked about her future with Kihyun and what they were going from here. The only answer she had for me was a shrug.

“I missed him. It was like a wave crashed on me when I saw him again, yknow?” I did know. That feeling was all too familiar for me, which is why it made me nervous.

“You don’t think you’re just forgetting the bad to focus on the good? I mean, you told me a ton of stuff he had done to you. I just don’t want bad habits to repeat just because y’all had a good weekend.”

“If they do,” she said, “then at least I got to experience the rush of being giddy again.”

“You don’t want to experience the rush of being giddy over someone new?”

“Different rushes.” Presley looked at me and smiled. “Why? New rush overwhelming you a bit.”

I was glad it was dark, because I knew that I had blushed. I cleared my throat. “Yeah. I… uh… I’m not really sure where that came from.”

“You’re the last person I ever expected to have something like that happen to you.” Presley said. “You’ve been so shut off from the idea of a relationship lately.”

Nodding, I said, “I know. After Mark…” I rolled my eyes. “But maybe that’s why this happened; because I wasn’t looking for it? Does that make sense?”

The drive was rough. Over halfway, I ended up taking over for Presley since she was struggling to keep her eyes open. We made it back to my apartment around 4 am, and both immediately crashed out. Presley made it to the couch and didn’t even wait for me to get her a change of clothes or a blanket. I was fairly certain that I had fallen asleep while walking to my room.

My alarm rang at 7:30 and I whined. I knew that I couldn’t call in. My boss had overheard me talking about my trip, so she had made a comment in passing about “making sure I show up on Monday.” I woke Presley up so she could use the second bathroom to get ready and she rummaged through my closet for work clothes to wear. After a quick shower and light make up, I trudged my way out the door in an outfit that, more than likely, wasn’t going to be considered “professional” enough. I was too exhausted to care though.

My morning conference started out as hell. The coffee I had made at the office had run out too quickly and was taking its time in letting its caffeine kick in. There was no way that everybody around me didn’t notice my eyes flutter closed once or twice. At one point, my coworker Jongdae kicked me under the desk to jolt me awake. I appreciated the gesture, but would have liked his kick to hurt less. Eventually, though, the meeting ended. My boss reiterated the importance of finishing the reports due tomorrow and I nodded as I headed off to my desk to plug headphones in and to block out everyone else.

Punching numbers and collecting data for things such as stock increases and decreases was boring enough as it was. Add in that, tomorrow, my extra quarterly report of what the budget increases would allow for pay increases, and my day felt set up for failure. I groaned to myself that I would never, ever take a trip like that again when I heard a voice over my headphones.

“Long weekend?”

I spun to see Jongdae standing there with a venti from Starbucks stretched out to me.

“I am 99 percent sure that you are my guardian angel.” I gasped as I reached out for the coffee, without even knowing what was inside of the cup. Luckily, Jongdae and I had done enough coffee runs together that he knew how to flavor my coffee for me.

“One day,” he started as he pulled a chair up next to me, “I’m going to get you something completely different, just to watch your face when you take a sip.” I laughed, but silently feared that day.

“How was the trip?” he asked. Jongdae was my one coworker I could be completely honest with. We had trained together, and he and his girlfriend, Nikki, were one of the only other couples I could tolerate being around without feeling like a third wheel.

I thought about how I was going to answer, but Jongdae said, “ahhh! What’s that smile for?!” My hand flew to cover my mouth and I realized that, just even thinking about Chanyeol had brought a grin to my lips.

Embarrassed, I shushed him before spilling the whole story. His eyes grew wide as he said, “wait, wait, wait. Miss ‘I cancel a date because a guy called me pretty so he’s obviously moving too fast’ has met her match?”

“Shut up, Dae.” I rolled my eyes. “Let’s be honest. Now that the weekend is over, I’ll probably never hear from him again.”

Saying those words out loud settled some disappointment in my chest that I didn’t dare show outwardly.

As if the universe was laughing at me, in that exact moment, my phone lit up on my desk. Chanyeol’s name flashed across the screen and my cheeks grew warm.

“Sure. Never again.” Jongdae winked at me and stood up to leave my office. I thanked him again for the coffee, then, after a quick scan to make sure my boss wasn’t around, I opened the text.

Received text: Good morning, gorgeous.

Sent text: Good morning sleeping beauty.

Received text: hey! In my world, waking up before 11 is waking up early.

Sent text: oh the life of a rock star. It must be so difficult to be you.

Received text: thank you for acknowledging my struggle.

Received text: I hope your morning hasn’t been too rough.

Sent text: I’m pretty exhausted.

Sent text: ...but it was worth it.

Received text: I’m glad to read that. What time are you off? Wanna FaceTime before my show tonight?

Sent text: sure! I’ll try to leave by 5:30.

Received text: I’ll talk to you soon then.

I laid my phone back down and got butterflies all over again. He wanted to FaceTime?! It was only one day, but he was genuinely making an effort. I started to wonder how long that would last, but I also knew that I couldn’t do that to myself. I needed to enjoy this for what it was. Whatever it was- it was nice.

Making sure I had hit send on my reports, I grabbed my bag and bolted out of the doors at exactly 5:30 pm. Jongdae told me to slow down and shouted something about leaving when he still has reports to do. I waved my phone at him and told him I would fill him in tomorrow, which didn’t lessen his whines.

Thankful I lived close, I sped home, only slowing down for red lights and the one speed trap that I knew a cop hid behind. I don’t even remember running to my apartment and unlocking the door. Desi’s voice was laced with confusion as she asked if I was okay as I sprinted past her in the kitchen to get to my room. I said, “tell you in a minute!” before shutting the door and sitting on my bed. I took a deep breath, opened my front facing camera to make myself look less disheveled, and then pulled up Chanyeol’s contact name to hit “call.”

It only rang a few times before his face filled my screen. The giddy feeling was back. He beamed at me and I couldn’t help but smile back at his infectious grin.

“She lives!” he cheered.

“Barely! I’m surprised I’m even awake right now. You should feel special that I didn’t come home from work and just pass out.”

“Well thank you for gracing me with your presence!” he teased.

We talked about my day and my job. He asked for details on the reports I had to be done, and it was nice to talk to someone so genuinely interested in learning about me. He told me about their drive from Austin to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Apparently Kihyun and Dojoon had argued about Presley and what it meant for the band since the last time, apparently there was drama.

“It’s great song writing material, isn’t it?” I joked. Subconsciously, I got worried that this would mean bad news for Pres in the future.

Chanyeol shrugged. “Not my relationship. Not my business. They tried to bring you up too but I told them that was my business, not theirs.” I felt a twinge if guilt for gushing about him to other people when he seemed to want to keep it between us, but that faded when he finally said, “I did end up telling them that I thought you were great and I couldn’t wait to get to know you better.”

His ears turned red and he bit his bottom lip, waiting for my reaction to his confession.

“Well, Chanyeol, the feeling is definitely mutual.”

Relief crossed his face and I heard Kihyun in the background calling out to him.

Chanyeol looked disappointed as he said, “I guess it’s time for our sound check. I’ll text you after the show?” I nodded and told him I would talk to him later.

The second that we hung up, Desi threw my bedroom door open.

“Who. the. hell. was. that?!” Her eyes were wide and each word was accented heavily

I buried my face in a pillow and began laughing. She sat down and I filled her in on the whole story. I told her Chanyeol was the reason we had gone to Austin and added an extra day to the trip. I showed her his shirt that I had kept. She stared at me in disbelief.

“You hate love!” she shouted at me.

“I do not!” I objected.

“Yes you do!” Collin called ou tfrom the other room.

“Hey! I didn’t receive your RSVP to this conversation!” I yelled back.

Desi laughed but said, “this is good! This is growth! You’re opening up! That’s amazing.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not getting married tomorrow. I’m just…” pausing, I realized that I had no clue what I was doing. “What the hell am I doing?!” I looked at her and she shook a finger at me.

“Don’t you dare start that! Don’t do that thing where you overthink things!”

“I’m offended at your accusation!” I swung my pillow at her.

“Give this a chance,” Desi’s voice was soft and serious. “You deserve to be happy in love again.”

Sighing, I told her she was right.

We ordered delivery and, immediately after, I passed out. I was so exhausted from not sleeping for most of the weekend that, although I wanted to wait up for Chanyeol’s text, I knew that it wasn’t going to happen.

The next morning, I woke up and, after shutting off my alarm, saw one unread message from Chanyeol on my phone.

Received text: I hope you’re sleeping well, lovely. Talk to you in the morning.

I pulled my phone close to my chest and couldn’t help the smile that crossed my lips. Maybe this was going to be a very good thing after all.

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

CHAPTER WARNING: Sensuality, over-the-clothes stuff.

Hello, everyone! We would like to take a moment to point out that until Elsa decides to label herself, please refrain from presuming her sexuality. There have been one or two (not many) comments hinting that she has to be fully hetero- or homosexual. Eventually, that will become more clear, but please do not label her because (mostly) it will give you erroneous expectations for the story itself. Thanks and enjoy!

By the time she got back to Doc's, the sun was just beginning to set. She let herself in and poked around the living room and kitchen, not really expecting to bump into Doc at all. Where else would he be but in his garage-slash-workshop?

However, finding him in the living room revealed something that made her heart sink.

"Oh my God." A tinny voice floated out of the TV as she edged her way in there. It was a frighteningly familiar phrase – one she'd already lived through. "They found me. I don't know how they possibly could have, but they found me."

"…Doc?" she asked softly, coming into view.

He started as though he'd been electrocuted. "Anna! My dear girl! I was simply… analysing the videographic components of your recording device. The clarity of the image leaves little to be desired…"

He was lying. But she didn't feel like calling him out on it. Maybe it was even for the best. If Doc knew what was going to happen, then maybe he could take steps to prevent it. So she kept her mouth shut, instead heading over to the couch and flopping down. She really needed a shower.

"How did it go?" Doc asked, abandoning the phone to stand in front of her. "Are they going together?"

Sighing, Anna rubbed a hand over her face. "I don't know. Kris was halfway through asking when we were… interrupted. Hopefully while I distracted Hans, he coughed up the courage."

"Anna, he has to-"

"You think I don't know, Doc?" she interrupted, suddenly angry with him. "What, you think I've been prancing about, hoping it'll all magically work? I finally got Elsa to actually look at him. When your own mother would rather hang out with chicks, and you happen to be one she's attracted to, things become a little more difficult!"

Doc didn't say anything. Anna felt a little bad at going off on him, so she swung her legs from the lounge and stood up. "I'm going to have a shower…"

"Listen," he sighed before she could quite leave the room. "Future Girl… I appreciate the difficulty of your circumstances. And I must admit, having you around these past few days has been… well, unusual, but in a way it's as if…"

"As if?" she prompted when he didn't finish. But he only waved the unspoken sentiment away. What was he going to say?

"Nevermind. You work on fixing them up, and I'll work on the time machine."

"Yeah," she sighed, all of her anger having evaporated. Now she just felt tired.

"Oh, and by the way, I believe I've fixed the starter, at least. Still working out the kinks with the plan to harness the power of the storm, but… all is progressing on schedule."

Nodding a few times, she gave him the best smile she could. It was still pretty pathetic, but it was all she could muster. "Thanks, Doc. Always doing your best with what you got, huh? I guess I kinda learned that from you."

Then she left, before the moment got more awkward. She had a feeling Doc was going to say she was like the daughter he never had, given that he had said those exact words to her before – in the future. Unfortunately, in that moment, she didn't much feel like a good daughter to anyone.

                                        ~ o ~

The scent of shampoo and conditioner was still strong in Anna's hair when there came a knock at the door. "DOC! DOOR!" she called, pulling on the button-up shirt that passed for something to wear. She didn't even have more than one bra, since there wouldn't be much point in buying more than one if she was only living there for a week, so she left that off. It was beginning to get pretty grimy.

Doc didn't answer. And the knock came again. Rolling her eyes, she struggled back into her jeans and padded through the hallway, then clomped down the stairs. Was it coming from the garage? "Alright, alright, here I come!"

Wrenching the door open, she couldn't help the squeak when it wasn't an angry Mr Tannen, a sad Kristoff, or a concerned neighbor.

"HI!" she squawked. And Elsa Baines gave a shy smile.

"Hi, yourself. You look comfortable."

Oh god. She was a post-shower mess! At least she was clean, but that wasn't the same as presentable. Meanwhile, Elsa's hair was a little less outrageous than at school today, but that didn't mean the rest of her style had followed. There was much too much stomach on display – Elsa had forgone the high-waisted jeans this time. Instead, a short denim skirt sat on her hips below a crop-top shirt.

"Can I come in?" she asked, peering around Anna. "Oh, this must be your uncle!"

Anna turned around, eyes widening as Doc finally sauntered in from where he had been. Upon realising that there was someone at the door, he rushed over, grabbing a heavy tarp to cover the DeLorean.

"Um, sure. Sorry," Anna said, stepping aside to let Elsa through.

Elsa gave Doc a polite smile. "Yo," she said. "I'm Elsa." She held out her hand.

"Um… pleased to make your acquaintance," Doc managed to mutter, accepting the hand and only briefly shaking it before releasing her, then nodding to Anna. "Um… I take it you're here to visit, I'll just…"

"Let's talk in here," Anna took over, indicating the living room – and more importantly, away from the DeLorean. The relieved look on Doc's face was only shown once Elsa's back was turned, but she had to suppress a small chuckle to see it.

Once sequestered away from the potentially-dangerous nonsense of Doc's workshop, Anna looked around briefly, then turned back. "Um… I'd say 'make yourself at home' but I barely feel at home here, so… I guess, do you wanna sit?"

"Sure." Anna motioned to the chair, then sat on the couch. Of course, Elsa sat next to her instead. Why would she do anything else?

"Oh! Um… h-hello."

"Hi," her mother purred with a big smile. Then she bit her lip for a moment, as if trying to summon her courage. It looked all too familiar; that was exactly what Kristoff had been doing every time he tried to talk to Elsa. "I, uh…"

"Yeah? Come on, time is money." She was joking, but Elsa flinched. "N-not really! I mean, I don't have a job, obviously." That was really awkward. Anna frowned at herself. Stupid.

"Right. So, um… yeah, so you looked really awesome on that skateboard today. I, uh… I didn't know you board. How long have you been doing it?"

"Oh, yknow… a while…" Anna didn't really want to talk to Elsa about it; not when she – well, her older counterpart – was mostly the reason Anna had taken up exercising in the first place. Anywhere with fresh air and an excuse to not be home. It had started just by walking, but then she realised that despite her general lack of coordination, skateboarding was actually something she was pretty good at.

Her ability to brush off a fall or a graze notwithstanding.

Elsa obviously didn't know how to continue that train of thought; not when she had so successfully been shut down. Anna cleared her throat, self-conscious. She had to know. "So, I noticed Kristoff talking to you before Hans interrupted. Anything important?"

But Elsa didn't have an answer. "He was being a little… odd," she said. "And then yeah, there was Hans and we were a little distracted. After you left, he said he had to go babysit or something."

"Ah." Damn. He almost had it, too. Stupid Hans and his stupid face. But then Elsa was speaking again and Anna's attention was taken up just by watching her.

"Yeah… Oh! I, uh, I made you something."

"You what?" But Elsa was already pushing a small plastic box into her hands. "Uhh… okay, now I'm even more confused."

"It's a mix tape. You know, all the kids are making them; I, uh… we don't have enough compact discs for me to make it all sound professional, so most of it's off the radio. But I hope you like it, an- anyway."

While Elsa was nervously biting her lip, Anna glanced down at the cassette. She recognised most of the names listed on the little paper insert in her teenage mother's loopy handwriting: Cyndi Lauper, Bowie, Madonna, Tears For Fears, Pretenders, Flock Of Seagulls, Joan Jett… and of course,'Til Tuesday. There were a few names she didn't know – who the hell was Level 42?! – but honestly, not that many. Eighties music was her jam, after all.

"Wow… yeah, thank you." But realising that sounded insincere, she looked up into Elsa's hopeful eyes. "Seriously, this is bomb. I-I mean, it's rad. Really, um, bitchin'."

"Bitchin'," she breathed back with a definite blush. Great; they were already in trouble again. "Oh, Al finally asked Jazz to the dance!"

The corners of Anna's mouth lifted into a smile, but she couldn't inject much feeling into it. Not while she was still trying to figure out what the tape meant, and how to manoeuvre her parents together. "That's great, Els," she said, hoping the words would cover for her lacklustre expression. Elsa didn't even notice because she was suddenly staring at her lap.

"I- no one's asked me. Or Ariel, so we're going to go as a group. Y'know, stag? I… I would really love it if you came with us…"

"Oh, I don't want to be a third- fourth… fifth wheel? Or stag?" They both laughed a little. But she could tell Elsa wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "Um… we can make that our plan, unless somebody does end up asking you. Never know."

"I mean… I know who I wish would ask me." The admission was pretty raw, even without identifying the person, so Elsa sat up a little straighter, clearing her throat. "B-but um, yes. Also, we want to get this party together for the night before."

"What? A party?"

"Yeah!" She nodded emphatically, her previous embarrassment forgotten. "See, Ariel has to do this family thing the morning after the dance and she can't get out of it, plus people have church, blah blah." Anna smiled; she knew that one of those church people was Elsa, if she remembered her maternal grandparents with any clarity – and Elsa herself in her future. "So we wanna party like it's 1999 the night before. Problem is, we can't find anywhere good besides Jazz's mom's place, and it's tiny, so… s-so we're probably just going to end up back at Lou's."

At that, Anna began to scheme, bumping the corner of her mixtape against her lips. If she could get her parents talking at this party, in a very casual, very "fun" environment, it could more naturally lead to him asking her to the dance.

"Well… what if I know a place that's completely empty? Though I don't know if you could get enough stuff together to get a party going…"

At that, Elsa's eyes flew open. "What, really? Oh my God, gag me with a spoon! Tori saves the day like Gizmo!" And then she laughed and pulled Anna in for a hug, and Anna chuckled because she honestly had no idea what Elsa had said but it seemed like a good thing.

However, then she had a new problem. Elsa was squeezing her just a little too tight, face buried in the crook of her shoulder and neck. She was almost nuzzling, hands passing up and down her back a little too freely. Not that it was much of a surprise after their last extended hug, but Anna still found herself a little surprised.

"I-it's no big deal," she finally managed to say in a soft voice, embracing her back.

It had the opposite effect than Anna was hoping for, though. As much as she loved hugging Elsa – and it was getting easier to admit that to herself – she had hoped that it would encourage Elsa to still her hands.

No such luck. In fact, it actually made it worse because it brought Elsa closer to her. Elsa let out a little sigh, relaxing further against Anna's front. It made three things very, very obvious, that in hindsight Anna should have expected.

First, that she still wasn't wearing a bra.

Secondly, apparently Elsa wasn't wearing a bra, either.

And third… nipple piercings made every tender motion shoot through the sensitive buds so much more strongly. Maybe it wouldn't have been all that bad, except Elsa's were definitely perkier than could be explained away by the relatively mild Autumn. So they were both in a similar predicament.

"Ooh," Anna couldn't help breathing. Guilt slammed into her immediately afterward; that was not okay. This was her mother! Her mother as an awkward, barely-gay teenager!

But Elsa didn't back away. In fact, she shifted again, and Anna felt herself freeze when heat filled her stomach at the same moment the shame did. She knew that it shouldn't feel this amazing, but it did. It was pure eros.

Obviously Elsa thought the same. Anna was distinctly aware of Elsa's hands as they moved again. This time, though, they weren't moving up and down her back. Elsa's head remained bowed even as her hands came close to Anna's front. They hovered just below her armpits, trembling with a need Anna wasn't even sure Elsa knew how to deal with.

It was all wrong! This was the moment she had been hoping to have with Punz. With anyone, as starved for affection as she had felt for so long. Even Merida's joking commentary about "throwing her one" had begun to sound actually appealing, despite it being a joke.

And it was happening with Elsa Baines, the woman who would grow up to give birth to her one day. But she wasn't yet. She wasn't Elsa McFly. They were almost completely different creatures; this Elsa was shy, and young, and edging into the queer side of life. Sweet and inviting. Her mother was old, bitter; hollowed out by a life she didn't want. And most importantly, her mother would scarcely even touch her at all.

This Elsa… wanted to do more than just touch her. Those two hands shifted so that her thumbs began to inch their way between two different sets of breasts, the soft pads facing in Anna's direction when they came into contact with stiffening peaks through the soft fabric of her shirt.

"You- is that… a piercing?" Elsa asked, voice soft. Reverential. "W-wow. That's totally gnarly. And… hot."

Try as she might to suppress it, she couldn't quite hold back the moan, both at the words and the touch. That one sound seemed to encourage Elsa like nothing else. Anna had barely a moment to prepare before Elsa was pressing in again, thumbs carefully circling the pebbling flesh and the shifting barbells.

"Elsa…" she practically panted, closing her eyes for a moment. "Maybe… maybe we should stop…?"

She did want to, truly. This wasn't right. Her mind told her that Punz was waiting for her. Her heart was telling her that! But it was also telling her that Elsa was here. Elsa wanted her, and she wanted Elsa in return, morality be damned. Eyes squeezed shut, a murky issue of emotions swirling about her face as she lifted her hands.

"Maybe we should," Elsa breathed softly against her neck, her ear, causing her next moan to come out in a quavering tone, for her hands to fall uselessly back down. "But I don't think either of us want to…"

Heat pulsed in the center of Anna's lap. So little effort was required. Just push her buttons and Anna fell apart like a paper boat, the mixtape bouncing off her lap and onto Doc's carpets. She didn't want to simply let Elsa turn her on, but how could she put up any defenses when she seemed to be so effortlessly good at it?

Think about Mom, she demanded of herself as hot breath caressed her neck, lips grazing over gooseflesh. Your mom, back in your time. Her crabbiness killing your mood every day… this is her. This is the same woman you're letting fondle you!

But it wasn't working. It only seemed to have the power to stop her from doing anything back for now, not to get her to push Elsa away. How could she when she craved any kind of attention from her? Plus, she knew that she couldn't stop herself for much longer. Not when she wanted any kind of physical contact with Elsa as bad as she did.

Not when she wanted to do things to that perky chest that were nowhere near familial.

Still… maybe she could get Elsa to stop. Already hating herself, she let out the only sound that could diffuse the situation.

"Mom…"

Elsa froze. "T-Tori?" Her eyes were wide, face flushed. Her arousal was still incredibly obvious, which only made Anna feel worse. But it had the desired effect. Elsa jerked her hands away, looking down.

"S-sorry," Anna said softly. It had worked. Her plan had been to stop this before they got too far ahead. She didn't want to think about why she felt so disappointed.

"What did you say before?" Elsa asked, beside herself. Full of heat with nowhere for it to go. Now, all Anna had to do was glance down and she could see the outlines of her peaks, and desire filled her… but she made herself look up and away.

"N-nothing. I'm…" She had to be careful. That was something Anna was really bad at, but she had to try. "So that, um, that happened."

Swallowing hard, Elsa turned to face away from her, eyes wide and staring. Sure, she was still turned on beyond belief, but she also seemed to realise there was something off about their interaction now.

"I'm so sorry. When I get that close to you… I can't seem to stop myself."

"It's okay," Anna lied, petting along Elsa's back. When wide eyes turned toward her, she jerked the hand away, but then returned it. "Really. I… well, clearly I'm having a little trouble over here, too."

Elsa snorted. "Geez, I'll say." Then she sobered up. "I never- this is so new for me. And I haven't forgotten that you have like… a girl waiting for you. I don't wanna lose your friendship but I don't know if I can pretend that I don't like-like you. That I don't want to… to share this kind of thing with you… and way more."

That bald confession made Anna want to cry. "Elsa..." It was so heartfelt – nevermind it did things to the rest of her central nervous system. She felt herself tearing up, and Elsa rushed to comfort her.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry! You don't want a pathetic… me… learning about girls on you. It's not fair. You're just so… amazing, Tori…"

"I'm sorry for being so weird about this. Whatever it is we have. Because I kinda really like it, and I definitely don't hate you, or think you're pathetic! Seriously! Just… I dunno, we need to chill."

It was only partially true. By now, Anna knew that she genuinely did want more from Elsa than simple friendship, or parenting. But those were base desires talking. Her higher brain functions knew that she needed to get Kristoff into the picture and set those two crazy kids on their way to happily ever after. Hopefully, a little happier than she remembered them, but at the absolute least to a procreation state of mind. So she and her siblings wouldn't disappear.

However, Elsa didn't know that. She'd made it quite clear that she thought Anna was simply humouring her; as painful as that idea was, it would be far worse it Elsa found out the truth. Clearing her throat slightly, Anna stood up to walk her to the door.

But Elsa had perked up at Anna's small admission. "You… like it?" she asked softly. Throat suddenly dry, Anna nodded. Damn, she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"I'm really excited for the party," she said instead, taking the lead and directing Elsa out the front. Still, her voice was higher and more nervous than she would have liked. "Is it okay if I get the address to you tomorrow? Kinda, um, exhausted right now. Running away from Hans and everything."

"Oh, of course!" Elsa responded. At least she didn't seem upset about what had transpired – in fact, she seemed almost happy. Anna didn't want to think on why that might have been, so she tried her best to push it from her mind.

Elsa turned back to her at the front door. That burning desire was still so there, boldly written in her eyes – the way they glanced all over Anna, drinking her in. Anna felt naked under such an intense gaze. But still, her words obviously had an effect on Elsa, though. Instead of a hug, Elsa simply put her hand on Anna's shoulder, squeezing gently. The fact that Elsa was actively reining in her emotions – her desire – was a small comfort. It showed that Elsa respected her wishes.

"Great! Then I'll… see you tomorrow! To plan, a-and whatever!"

"Yes, there'll be music, fun, dancing through the night…" Biting her lip for a moment longer, Elsa seemed to make a conscious effort to allow herself to do something moderately scandalous. She leaned forward and pecked Anna on the lips. It was nothing, the kind of thing she remembered her doing when she was a little girl, but more bold than Elsa was used to being. Even if clearly less bold than her thumbs had been moments before.

"O-oh, well… yeah!" Anna whispered with a huge grin, knowing her freckled cheeks were glowing. "We're gonna get turnt- I mean, party like it's 1999!"

Grinning back at the reference – one they could both get for once – Elsa gave her shoulder one last squeeze. "Looking forward to it!" Then she was skipping down Doc's steps and heading for her parents' Gremlin.

It took a few minutes for Anna to collect herself. To let the blush and the smile fade, for a more sober outlook to set in as she wandered back toward the garage. She basically had a date. A date with her own mother. And she would have to go through with it, because…

Because if she broke her mother's heart, she would be too upset to go out with her father. Which was the only thing she absolutely could not do. Her life depended on it.

                                        ~ o ~

"Perhaps you should call this off," Doc said once she had explained the situation, and the crease of concern between his bushy eyebrows was very real. "The head can be easily persuaded, but the heart… if it's set on you, then she won't have room for anyone else. Your proximity is more of a detriment than a benefit."

"But I can't turn back now," she sighed, sinking down into an empty stool and staring down at the concrete. "If I blow her off, she might turn to Kristoff for comfort… like, sure, it's possible. But what if she just closes herself off completely? Shuts down because… because I hurt her? Then I won't even be able to keep telling her to give him a chance. So… so I'm stuck."

Doc sighed, walking over to her to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I trust you to do the right thing, Anna," he began, "but… I don't know if you trust yourself anymore. That is partially what I'm worried about. And this unprecedented magnetism between you two girls. Honestly, this would make a fascinating case study if not for the grave ramifications should we not succeed in our mission."

Anna didn't have a good response for all that, so she just said, "Thanks for your help, Doc. Don't worry, I'll… I think I'm just gonna turn in early. But maybe tomorrow I can figure all this shit out."

He didn't try to stop her.

                                         To Be Continued…