#maybe that will successfully jinx the idea

[wheeler-things]

Henry Creel, Vampires, the Consumption of the Soul, and Will Byers with Powers

Oh look it’s time for yet another longwinded s5 Thinking Thoughts post with an off the rails ending. I feel like I’m getting predictable.

Well, anyway, I talked about this in the tags of a post that I reblogged at one point, but it's currently 20 minutes to midnight and I should either be sleeping or working on writing for the campaign I'm DMing in the new year, but instead all I can think about is Henry Creel and Will having powers and the way that Henry talks about his victims/how they appear in his mindscape. And, you know, also the fact that I've read all the currently available The Locked Tomb books and they left me scarred, and also altered my brain chemistry in such a way that once I thought about this possibility I couldn't stop thinking about it..

So, yeah. Time for me to talk about Henry Creel, and the way he talks about his victims, and I know I put this in the Byler tag, and I promise that's not just because of the target demo. I will eventually circle around to talking about Mike and Will in the context of this post in an unnecessarily angsty way.

But for now... Henry.

In s4e7, Henry tells El: "I could not do that. I could not close off my mind and join in the madness. I could not pretend. And I realized, I didn't have to. I could make my own rules. I could restore balance to a broken world. A predator... but for good. […] With each life I took, I grew stronger. More powerful. They were becoming a part of me. But I was still a child, and I did not yet know my limits. And it nearly killed me."

This monologue is, honestly, full of a bunch of really interesting things, and I'm can think of at least three posts that I currently have on the brain that I'm going to pick it apart for, but in terms of this specific post, I've bolded the bits I'll be focused on, and I'll be back to it in a bit.

Later in that scene, El looks to the dead bodies of the other lab kids, and Henry says: "They're not gone, Eleven. They're still with me. In here."

What I think is really important about this whole scene, right off the bat, is that Henry is not immediately hostile upon realizing that El has disobeyed him and left the closet. Regardless of whether you believe he had any amount of genuine affection for her or not, I think it's really important to note that the way in which Henry bonds with El/gains her trust is through teaching her things. He teaches her how to use her emotions in order to harness her powers more effectively. He teaches her to start questioning Brenner's motives. He teaches her about Sotaria (which also ties in with the previous thing). He teaches her how to escape the lab through the sewers (which I believe it's implied is how she got out of the lab in s1, though I'm not going back to check because I'm rewatching s1 for a different analysis and I don't want to lose my place). So the fact that he's still using his gentle voice with El here, and the fact that he's stopping to explain not only his motivations, but the fact that the people he kills are "not gone" and are "in here" [gestures to his head], suggests to me that he's attempting to teach her one last thing. Something that might make her okay with the fact that he just murdered a whole lab full of literally every person she's ever known save Kali and Brenner.

And this is so easy to dismiss as the ramblings of a mad man, or as him saying something to the effect of "I never forget any of the people that I kill". But I think it's a little dismissive to ignore what Henry says as simply the words of someone entirely disconnected from reality. Obviously, he is deluded. He talks about himself as though he is not also human, and he actively seems to want to kill everyone except possibly El and Will? But having delusions about his importance and identity and ideology is not the same thing as being deluded into believing something untrue about his powers/into falsely believing that his victims are kept alive inside him somehow. Moreover, although this last line in isolation could make sense in the context that he keeps the memories of his victims alive in his own mind, the rest of what he says does not line up with that. Nor does the fact that we see Chrissy's mangled body (and possibly some of the other victims, I'm so sorry I cannot remember-- but definitely at least one of the victims is seen in the mindscape) twisted into his mindscape.

So... now I'm going to go back to the earlier part of his speech and pick apart the bolded parts.

"I could make my own rules." The last time we heard that, it was El was saying it to Mike, in a misquote of Max's "we make our own rules". When Max was saying it, she was reassuring El that respinning the bottle was fine because, as the only two playing the game, they could make their own rules about what to do. However, when El uses it, it's because Mike has realized that she spied on him without his consent, and his offended response is to that "that's against the rules" (from context, it's difficult to know if this is a reference to rules that Hopper set out for her, or rules that she and Mike established together for their relationship-- the former isn't a great look for Mike, and the latter isn't a great look for El). El bites back, saying, "I make my own rules". When she says that, she is essentially saying "I have the ability to spy on you, so if I choose to do so, that's my prerogative" (let me just say: Mike did a lot of things wrong in s3, and he absolutely started the fight between him and El, but this specific action was not great of her). This parallels with Henry saying that he made his own rules, because when he says that, he seems to mean that he had the ability to read peoples' minds (and possibly more than that), and as such, it was his prerogative to do whatever he wanted to whomever he wanted, at any time. El is not the same as Henry (by any stretch of the imagination)... I just think this parallel is interesting (and also the contrast-- ultimately, El did what she did because she was having fun with a friend, which still isn't great because spying on people when they're supposed to be in private is not a good thing to do, but it's in an entirely different league from what Henry has done with similar power).

"A predator... but for good". So... the word "predator" has a lot of meanings, and I don't want to get too deeply into the conversations about whether Henry is or is not worthy of that title in the entirely too human sense, because it's far outside the scope of this post. However, we do know from the context of his monologue that when Henry talks about predators/apex predators, he's talking about spiders. That gives us context to know that when he calls himself a predator, it's likely that he means in the same way that a spider is a predator. Why are spiders predators? Because they hunt and kill other animals for food. The "for food" part of that is really important, because it's a key, defining factor in whether an animal is acting in a predatory way. However, predators are not inherently good or inherently evil. They are, by their nature as animals, inherently neutral. So, when Henry says that he could be "a predator... but for good", we know that he is essentially saying "a predator, like a spider... but with the human capacity to use that predatory status in order to enact what I believe to be good [which, in the context of Henry, means a complete disruption of "normal" human society] in the world".

"With each life I took, I grew stronger. More powerful. They were becoming a part of me." So... this is the line. This is the line that, to me, solidifies the idea that Henry's power grows specifically through the murders that he enacts. And that the people he kills in some way become part of him after death. It's exactly what he says and, although we have reason to doubt some of the other things that he says, this would be a very weird thing for him to lie about from an in-character POV, because it was never brought up as a possibility by anyone else, and weird for him to lie about from a narrative standpoint, because the characters don’t seem to really do anything with that information in s4 (nobody even suggests that Max could be inside Henry’s mind), so if it’s not literally true… why have him say that at all? Because if it isn’t meant literally… it’s a really odd line, and there would be other ways to phrase it if the implication was supposed to be “killing people made me feel stronger/improved my skills, and I metaphorically hold those I kill with me because remembering them gives me perverse glee”. Like, is it possible that’s what he means? Maybe. But personally I think the literal read makes more sense, because the metaphorical read doesn’t make sense in context of him trying to convince El to understand his perspective. Also, just, from a narrative standpoint, if it’s literally true, that opens up avenues to allow previously killed characters to make a re-appearance and, possibly puppeted or twisted by Henry’s mind, screw with the protagonists. Via the UD, Henry killed/directed to be killed: Barb (Nancy), Bob (Joyce or Will… lord if I have to watch Will face down Bob telling him that he killed him, I don’t know what I’ll do), possibly Max (Lucas and/or El), Eddie (Dustin), and technically also Will in s1 if they want to turn the Harry Potter allusions on their head and do a reverse horcrux situation where a sliver of Will’s soul is still in Henry and that’s what’s keeping them connected in which case hhhhhhh (Jonathan, Joyce, and Will could all have interesting reactions to this, but dear god if I have to watch Mike Wheeler face down a twisted, puppeted fragment of Will’s soul and suffer all the abuse Henry can use it to throw at him, and still look at it like s2 Mike looked at Will in the shed? I don’t even know what to say I’ll simply collapse I think??), and then obv if he kills anyone else that would add to the possible haunts. Like. You’ve got a character who can dip into people’s heads and the implication that he literally keeps his victims souls in his mind in some way… you could totally do some interesting stuff with having people meet their tortured and twisted dead loved ones is all I’m saying. Anyway, that’s a tangent. I just think it’s interesting.

So... anyway, in short, we know that Henry is willing to do whatever he wants in service of his own interests, just because he can, regardless of how others feel about it. We know that he considers himself a predator in the animal way (which implies the use of whatever you kill as food or at least a source of energy in some direct way), and that he believes he can specifically harness this predatory nature for his idea of "good". And we know that the people that Henry kills are, in some way, "part of" him, and that taking their lives makes him somehow "stronger" (presumably in his powers).

And... we also know that Henry has been compared to Dracula (or, more broadly, vampires in general via arguably the most famous vampire).

So... the connections to Dracula are pretty obvious on the surface. Scary undead/less dead than originally anticipated dude who was once human but now very much is not lives far away in a spooky old house, surrounded by spooky animals that Aren't Quite Right. And then there are all of the OTHER connections-- a protagonist named Jonathan who is very far away from the woman he loves, SO many letters (I say, thinking about Max's letters and El and Mike's letters and Mike and Will's copious lack of letters, and.... hhh), and a large group going to kill Dracula, including a young woman/girl who has been "marked" by him and, though they have found a rather simple way to keep him at bay from her, if he gets his way she will be killed and will join him forever... I'm just saying. The parallels are there.

But, also, I want to think about vampire myths more generally. Because vampires have a history which dates back at least as far as Mesopotamia (in various forms/in root forms, not necessarily by the name "vampire"/in any forms that are particularly similar to modern interpretations— being clear because I think vampire history/mythology through time is legitimately interesting and many cultures have vampire-like creatures but very few of them are literally called ‘vampires’ and… ugh I’m sorry I’ll get off topic if I let myself rant about this but these myths are so cool!!), so vampires have been a lot of things over time. But at least today, they're very associated with blood in popular culture (nosebleeds), they don't show up in mirrors (traditionally this was because mirrors had silver in them but something something the UD or at least the Mind Flayer doesn't like water, Henry says he holds up a mirror to everyone else... I don't know just interesting), they're associated with bats and wolves (demobats and demodogs), sometimes they're said to be able to turn into mist (the shadow monster?), and there are potential ties to the more general anxieties about blood born or sexually transmitted diseases/to incubus/succubus mythology (a little more abstract here, but this may tie into the way that Henry often appears in dreams/visions which prey on his victims' anxieties-- not to mention, for a show set in the 80s with a gay teen at the forefront, there are copiously no allusions to the AIDS crisis, despite the fact that we see Will being violently bullied for being gay, so, you know, if you take the UD as a metaphor for that reality— a topic so wildly outside the scope of this post that I cannot say more about it even though I actually think it’s a really interesting metaphor that seems to exist in the show— then, yeah, that's another metaphorical tie to blood born/sexually transmitted disease).

But there is also a potential connection between vampires as blood drinkers and the concept of blood as some sort of physical representation of life force/soul. They're not necessarily 1:1 on a spiritual/religious level, depending on your tradition, but it's pretty common to associate blood in some way with the soul. So, when a vampire drinks the blood of their victim, they are, on at least a metaphorical level, essentially consuming the soul of their victims (which gets into some interesting stuff with the common idea that a vampire does not have a soul, or that to become a vampire, one must not only have their blood consumed by a vampire, but must also consume that vampire's blood as well). So, if Henry is allegorically a vampire, and vampires drink something that is metaphorically like soul, and Henry's a predator whose victims make him stronger... hm.

All of which is to say, I think the show is telling us, through the vampire allusions and through the implications of everything he's said, that Henry in some way consumes the souls (or minds or life forces or potential futures or whatever) of his victims (thus making him a true predator who not only kills but also eats what he kills).

This seems to be what he's trying to teach El in that final conversation before she banishes him to the Upside Down, and the fact that she could not (or would not) understand what he was saying seems to have been the thing that turned him from trying to keep her on his side to deciding to attempt to kill her (or to simply make her watch as he kills and presumably consumes Max). And we know that El doesn't learn it, because we can clearly see that killing doesn't make her stronger, so she's clearly not consuming any of the people she's killing. She can mimic Henry's methods of killing people physically (we see this in s1, and that's highlighted when the military suspects that El's doing the murders in s4 because Henry's style is so similar to her own), but she can't or won't do whatever it is that he does to consume souls.

But this poses a problem, though.

Because, El's already had her training montage. She became stronger and went off to face the big bad, and she lost. Max died and Hawkins fell. That's a failure of the "love confession saves the world" trope, as people have discussed, but it's also a failure of the training montage trope! El is at her strongest, and she still cannot defeat Henry alone.

Which brings me to Will. I'm not going to get into all of the details which suggest that Will has powers of some sort, beyond his Henry-sensing abilities. Other people have done that, and there really isn't room for it here. However, what I would wonder is, even if Will discovers his powers at some point before the potential time skip... how is he going to be strong enough to (in tandem with El) defeat Henry, when an entire lab full of trained and superpowered kids weren't able to? Because Will is still a child, himself, and at best, he won't even know about his powers for more than about three years, presumably WITHOUT the intense level of training that El received from birth?

And... here's where I'm going to bring things back to something I've said in another post which is... this late in the game, if they're going to introduce any established protagonists besides El having powers, those powers are going to have to feel like a loss when they first appear/quickly after they appear. The character who has them has to be hurt by them, so they don't feel like a cheap win for the characters. Would it be sudden for Will to develop powers? No, not really. The clues have been there from s1. But they're also subtle enough that if you're not into ST analysis or prone to regularly rewatching the show, they're easy to miss, so a fair bit of s5 would have to be devoted to showing Will realizing that he has them and growing into using them in order for any use of them against Henry to feel earned. Incidentally, these are all the same things which are equally true for the establishment/on-screen development of Byler, so I wouldn’t be shocked if there was a connection there.

And this is where I'm about to go wildly off the rails, but... what if Will has powers and gets a power boost in the absolute worst way possible? Because, depending on how Henry consumes his victims (obviously just killing them isn't it, because that does nothing for El)... I mean. Mike has all those death flags going on (even though I highly doubt he'll end the show dead). I don't know.

I'm just saying... Mike's prone to self-sacrifice, if he thinks it will help the people he loves. I'm just saying, if he were already dying, and if they already knew that Henry has the advantage because he's consuming the souls of the people he kills(/absorbing them into his mindscape in some capacity that allows him to use them to fuel his own abilities), and if they knew that Will had similar powers but with less strength because he only had his own self to draw upon... I'm just saying, would Mike Wheeler do anything else, except beg Will to make his death mean something? Would he honestly trust anyone else enough to literally give everything that he is to them?

I'm just saying, it would be an absolute gut punch of a scene, it would tie back into Mike's s1 character issues of self-sacrifice, it would give narrative weight to what seems to be the fact that Henry in some way keeps or draws power from the people that he's killed. And it would be incredibly easy to write it in such a way that there's more power in a willing sacrifice/in a soul that is willingly with you/willing to work with your own than in a plethora of souls that you have trapped in your mental "web" in order to feast on. Something something gay love saves the day (plus, El's almost certainly going to figure out a way to put Max back into her own body at some point in s5, so it's not even like there wouldn't be a way for Mike to come back to life, as long as they managed to keep his body alive-- also because, as I said in the notes of the post where I first commented on this concept, there's not a snowball's chance in hell that they're ending the show with Will as Mike's devastated living mausoleum, like, it's just not happening that way).

So, uh. Yeah, that’s the thought that keeps spinning in circles around my head, and I hate it so much. I’m aware that this is an out there idea and almost certainly won’t come to pass, and frankly, I’m glad for that.

But the fact that it’s far fetched doesn’t mean that I can unsee the mental image of Mike/Will in a HtN Gideon/Harrow style situation where Mike and Will are both in Will’s head, and Mike, whenever he’s lucid, is begging Will to just finish the job, to consume him properly so Will and El/the Party can be even a step closer to defeating Henry, and meanwhile Will’s doing everything he can to avoid dousing the last bit of Mike he has left, especially when he still hopes to put Mike back in his body. Like. I know this won’t happen, but even the thought that there’s a 0.01% chance that it could has me shaking in my boots.

[redtsundere-writes]

Jinx | Sukuna Ryomen

mma fighter!sukuna ryomen x femalecoach!reader

Part 8. Fight For Me.

Beginning. ← Previous | Next →

Spynosis: Sukuna is a world champion with anger issues. It's believed by many that he is untrainable. Yeah, you can't train him, but you can dominate him. Contents: Fighting. Sukuna being Sukuna. Female reader being dom. Jinx AU (the BL, not the character from lol) Warnings: Cursed words. Unethical violence. Sexual harassment. I only read it once, lmao Word count: 2927 words. A/N: Another Saturday, another chapter. I picked up studying Japanese again, so far so good. Any advice is welcome :) Hope you guys like today's chapter. :) Btw I made a PLAYLIST

That was the most uncomfortable morning of my life. I can’t get the idea that I fell asleep in Sukuna's bed like it was nothing out of my head. All I could do was to get dressed quickly to get back to my house before the morning training started. Luckily, I didn't see Sukuna on my way out, maybe he slept in the guest room… or so I thought. His penthouse was huge, there must have been an extra room for sure. Upon arriving at the gym, Sukuna just scolded me for being late as if nothing happened last night, so I acted accordingly. 

Cheers and praises flooded the arena as soon as Sukuna's anthem began booming over the speakers. Even though it was the last fight of the night, this was just starting. The sound mitigated with every step we took upon the intimidating octagon where Naoya was waiting for us after making his grand entrance. I was so nervous I felt like I was going to throw up at any moment, but I had to stay strong. This was not the time to act like a coward. 

The referee checked Sukuna's gloves and body for sandbags or anything out of place. During the inspection, Sukuna gave me a serious glare. He looked so calm for someone who was about to be locked in a cage to fight another beast his size. I had interrupted Naoya's lucky ritual and helped him perform his luck ritual successfully. He was sure he was going to win, but he couldn't let his guard down. 

Sukuna stepped onto the big stage and jogged around the perimeter so that everyone could admire his greatness. Naoya instead of watching him to analyze his opponent, was focused on me. His eyes were looking at me through the black fence, conveying a message I did not want to decipher. Sukuna had to beat him if I didn't want him to escape from the cage and lock me in his clutches. I gulped hard as soon as the referee approached them to give them the basic rules. It was time. I closed my eyes to pray to all the deities of the constellations, crossed my fingers and prayed that Sukuna's sign was lucky today. 

The bell rang and the first round began. People shouted in anticipation as the lion engaged the cheetah in a dangerous dance for dominance. As we had planned, Sukuna was taking his time with him. He was waiting for our common enemy to feel comfortable enough to approach him. Naoya took the bait as he slammed in on him with a pair of jabs, he was going right at his jaw to end the fight. “He looks different,” I thought as I watched him attack Sukuna without hesitation. He was desperate to win as fast as possible, even if that meant throwing away all his energy in the first round. 

Everything was being decided by boxing in the first two rounds, so far, we were going according to plan. Sukuna was like a fish in water, dodging every punch he landed and landing a couple of jabs that connected perfectly with his body, while Naoya struggled to take him down. There was a minute left in the third round when Naoya knocked Sukuna down with a spinning kick. The cheetah turned into a dangerous boa that attached itself to his body mercilessly. Its legs wrapped around his waist to put him in a neck lock. Sukuna tried to pull away from the cheetah's grip with hopeless punches and kicks, but Naoya wasn't about to let it go so easily. 

“Hold on, Sukuna!” I yelled in desperation amidst the howls of the fans. 

I looked at the clock hoping that the seconds would pass quickly, but it felt like an eternity. Sukuna was pushing away with difficulty the arm that chained his neck to keep from fainting. My eyes were on the verge of tears, the champion could not lose, not today. 

The bell rang, and the fighters walked away. I sighed in relief and rushed up to the octagon with Gojo and Yuuji to assist him in the break. Gojo put ice on his shoulder and Yuuji gave him water. 

“Change of plans. We must go to the floor,” I said. 

“What?” Sukuna asked me, taking off his mouth guard. 

“Naoya is desperate. He wants to win at any cost, it seems that this time he doesn't want to leave it to the judges. This is your chance to use his attacks against him,” I explained, but Sukuna didn't seem to be convinced. 

“I agree. He is fighting differently from before. Use your legs, they are longer than his,” Gojo intervened. With that, Sukuna nodded before the next round was announced by a beautiful ring girl. 

Naoya's eyes were on me as he prepared for the next round. I returned her gaze in kind, I wasn't going to let him bully me just because. The bell announced the fourth round and my eyes returned to Sukuna. After a back and forth of punches and low kicks, Naoya went straight at him. Naoya knocked him down, pushing him by the shoulders. Sukuna fell backwards with a loud thud. This time, time wasn't going to stop him. I had seen this attack before. 

“Push him with your legs!” I yelled so he could hear me as I ran around the perimeter of the octagon to get a better angle on the attack. 

Sukuna understood what I meant. With the inertia of Naoya's attack, Sukuna pushed him by the abdomen. I thought he would push him away, instead, he grabbed him by the arms and lifted him up to have him at his mercy for a couple of seconds in the air. I could see Naoya's eyes as he realized he had screwed up. Sukuna threw him to turn him like a helicopter propeller to put his leg between his arms and whip him against the floor. He caged him between his legs and kept pulling him by his limb to keep Naoya in a headlock. 

“Sukuna…” I mumbled in shock. 

Naoya was hitting him by the legs while trying to free his trapped arm. The referee was asking Naoya to get out of it quickly, or he was going to call the fight over. Time paused again as the scene unfolded before me. A king demonstrating his power to a rebellious knight. I no longer heard the people, nor my team, nor my thoughts. It was just my eyes taking in the facts, tasting those uncertain moments. 

Naoya was completely trapped, so the referee announced the end of the fight. I caught my breath and came back to my senses at the decision. Sukuna broke away from Naoya and slowly stood up to regain his posture. He looked at me through the fence and gave me a slight smirk. “Mothafucker did it,” I thought before a tear of happiness slipped down my cheek. We had won, I was free and the champion proved himself the best once again. 

I met up with the team to go up to the octagon to celebrate the victory. I moved through the crowd to give him a sweaty bear hug. I wanted to congratulate him, and thank him for giving his best as always, but I was so happy the words wouldn't come out of my mouth. I could only cry of joy on his shoulder. 

“Stop crying like a bitch,” he whispered between chiding teeth as he wiped my face with the towel around his neck. 

“Can’t I be happy?!” I scolded him between sniffles. 

“You're humiliating me. I can't have a crybaby of a trainer,” he complained. 

“I'm not...!��

My eyes popped open as soon as Sukuna connected his lips with mine in a sweet kiss in front of everyone. My cheeks turned the color of his hair and my heart started beating like crazy from shock. It was not a passionate kiss as he usually kisses me in the secrecy of his ritual, it was a tender touch in the middle of an octagon full of fighters and cameras watching us. Our lips didn't last more than 5 seconds connected, but it felt like it lasted an eternity. 

The sharp sound of something metallic woke me up from the moment. Naoya had hit Sukuna in the head with his metal water bottle before anyone could stop him. The arena gasped in shock at the unsportsmanlike attitude. Team Zenin pulled him back before he could land another misplaced blow. Yuuji, Gojo and Nanami lashed out at him and his coach for not being able to control their athlete. 

“How dare you kiss what's mine?! Let’s get back together, y/n!” Naoya screamed in a tantrum as he tried to break free from the grip of his teammates. 

“Are you okay?” I asked Sukuna worriedly as I put some ice on his bump. 

“Yes, I feel better now,” he said with a proud smile as he watched Naoya in emotional agony. 

“Naoya Zenin will appear before the official UFC committee for lack of discipline and unsportsmanlike attitude tomorrow afternoon for his actions after tonight's fight, but there are already rumors that he will be suspended for more than 5 years from all events,” The commentator announced. 

Team Black howled with joy at the news. My heart had finally calmed down after drinking a nice beer and chatting for a while with Yuuji and Megumi at the same bar we came last time. My mind was finally resting at peace after Sukuna beat up Naoya and explained to Nanami that the kiss had only been to get Naoya off her nerves. “Relax, that kiss didn't mean anything, it was just part of the strategy,” I thought as I remembered how intense that unexpected contact felt. 

“Aren't you supposed to be with the Zenins? Aren't they family?” I asked Megumi curiously to distract my mind from the strong palpitations of my passionate heart. 

“More or less. My father was kicked out of the dojo as soon as he challenged my uncle Naobito and beat him. The family could not bear such a breach of family honor,” Megumi explained, not caring at all about the incident. “I never thought that Sukuna could lift Naoya with his body, it was really incredible. Did you teach him that move?” He asked me before taking a sip of her beer. 

I looked briefly at Sukuna who was chatting pleasantly with Nanami on the other side of the table. Quickly, he noticed that I was watching him. I turned around in time so that he wouldn't think I had been watching him for a long time and that we had only connected casual glances. “Why am I thinking like a lovesick teenager?”, I scolded myself.

“I didn't know he could do that either,” I agreed, to which Megumi looked at me strangely.

After a stressful day and a couple of drinks to counteract the body ailment. I said goodbye to everyone and set out to head home under the midnight stars. I smiled to myself as I replayed in my mind how Sukuna had cornered Naoya against the canvas. The sound of his bare back impacting hard played in my mind on loop. It had been a lousy day, but an incredible night I would never forget. 

“Where are you going?” someone asked behind me. I could recognize Sukuna's voice anywhere in the world. 

“Home, to rest,” I answered as I faced him fully. Why had he followed me? Whatever the reason, we were alone on the sidewalk, it was the right time to tell him how I felt. “You did amazing tonight, thank you very much.” 

“I just did my job, I didn't do it for you,” he said with that serious tone I knew so well by now, he purposely made it sound like he was annoyed. 

“I know you didn't do it for me, but I still want you to know that I owe you one,” I joked.

He didn't hesitate to approach me, I thought he would give me a hug or another kiss, so I just froze in place. Instead, he just handed me a silver key with a Team Black keychain on it. I inspected it carefully as I twirled it between my fingers. 

“You are going to live with me, starting tonight,” he announced as if it was nothing. 

“What?! Why?!” I was really confused.

“Naoya will probably be suspended from the UFC tomorrow and have to pay a stupidly expensive fine. Guess who he's going to blame for that,” I explained. 

“You?” I really didn't want to blame myself right now. 

“Do you really think he'd try to come near me after I beat him up on the ring? And I was fighting under the rules,” Sukuna smiled proud of himself for his performance in the fight. 

“Naoya promised me that...". 

“Naoya promised you that he would love you forever and not hurt you and look where you are. Just because you're innocent doesn't mean you're stupid,” Sukuna interrupted me and then turned his back to me. “You better be home by the time I get back,” he demanded before going back to the bar.

“Hey! Sukuna! What about my stuff?!” I shouted for him to stop, but he ignored me and walked into the bar without saying anything else. 

I stood still on the sidewalk while my fingers caressed the keychain. How could someone be so nice and scary at the same time? It was obvious that Sukuna wanted me to be safe, but the way he did it felt like he was doing me a favor instead of actually wanting to help me. “He wants to protect me,” I thought as I realized what he was doing. My heart skipped a beat even though he was no longer in my presence and my cheeks dyed pink just thinking about him. 

“Sukuna sure is a strange man…” I thought out loud as I went on my way to the penthouse. 

Even though I had entered his home before, I couldn't help but be surprised as I walked down the huge carpeted hallway. I arrived in the immense living room that shared the professional kitchen, the 12-person wooden dining room and the contemporary living room surrounded by huge windows that allowed me to see the entire city glowing in the dark night. What it's like to have all the money in the world. 

“I think I'll sleep in the guest room,” I said aloud to test the echo of my new home. “First I must find the guest room,” I planned as I looked at the maze I would be living in.

I avoided the entrance doors because I knew that one of them was Sukuna's room, so I had to go up to the second floor. When I got to the top, I could see through the large windows the indoor pool on the first floor, the bar with karaoke and the small zen garden that divided the rooms. “What songs will he like to sing,” I wondered curiously as I continued my search for my room. A little smile escaped my lips as I imagined Sukuna singing Single Ladies by Beyoncé.

I had finally found the guest room. It had a king-size bed with beige sheets, a small couch to watch TV, its own bathroom and a large empty closet. I dropped my backpack on the small white couch and headed for bed. Before I could throw myself out of exhaustion, I noticed a Victoria's Secret bag at the foot of the bed. My eyes widened as I realized the real reason Sukuna wanted me to come to his house. 

“That fucker is planning to fuck me tonight!” I exclaimed, offended. 

I couldn't believe it, I was really stupid for thinking that Sukuna wanted to protect me. I had escaped from the Zenin just to face a Ryomen. I am so naive for thinking he was different, but he was just another disgusting man who can't see women as equals. I really wanted him to be different. He only fucked me twice, and he already assumes he can do it whenever he wants. I wasn't going to let him. 

I took the things out of the bag to throw it in the trash, but stopped when I saw that it wasn't lingerie, it was a full set of satin pajamas. White pajamas with pink stripes in my size. I covered my face with it from embarrassment. I had misjudged Sukuna, he sure bought me pajamas after I fell asleep naked in his bed the night before. I took off my clothes to put on the soft and comfortable pajamas, they fit me like a glove. I smiled like a fool when I saw myself in the mirror. 

“How cute…" I thought out loud before throwing myself on the bed comfortably. 

Oh.

Quickly, I realized what I had said and stood still, staring at the white glitter ceiling. Did I just say Sukuna was cute? No, he couldn't be. He is a rude, selfish, impatient, serious, self-confident, independent, disciplined, strong, handsome, rich man... I couldn't fall in love with him. I was his trainer, his co-worker. I couldn't like him because he has an amazing body, takes care of me even if he doesn't want to admit it, and kisses me like no one else ever has, right? Right?! 

Oh.

I was in trouble.

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Addendum X-7 Part 7

The four of them got off of the cable car, none of them saw anything of interest except Rebecca who went to collect more of the green herbs. Paris and New York progressed first by walking up the stairs to a door. Paris tried but the door was locked he then punched it leaving a large dent, he grunted and raised his fist to try again. 

Rebecca: Paris!

Paris and New York looked back to Rebecca who was now behind them.

Rebecca: Maybe we should try the easy way instead.

Rebecca pointed to another set of stairs leading to a much higher level, she then walked up them, and Billy smirked while going up with her. Paris sighed and followed them while New York grunted in annoyance. Up the stairs the four of them found another door and walked in finding a very old part of the station that seemed to be mostly unused for storage having lots of barrels and tanks. Since there was nothing of value here, they just moved on into the other room. Thankfully in this room they found all sorts of ammo, especially a map of the area which Paris quickly took a picture of with his Foundation Computer Screen Pad.

Paris: Alright! Now it looks like we're in a place called the Factory and... Oh, I got another message from the Red Queen. Looks like there's something she wants us to find.

New York: You're sure it's a good idea to be taking orders from this Red Bitch? For all we know it's a Neo Sarkite Trick. 

Billy: As painful as it is to agree with New York I think he's right, Paris.

Paris: It's either that or keep running around blindly. 

Rebecca: I agree, besides, I think we're more than prepared to-

Paris and New York: DON'T!

Rebecca was taken aback by the sudden shouting but did as they both demanded and shut her mouth quickly.

Paris: ... Sorry, it's just that saying crap like that tends to be a jinx that actually causes bad shit to happen. 

Billy: Yeah, I think New York can attest to that.

New York: Suck a dick jarhead.

Paris: Both of you shut up! Now let's move. 

The group walked back to the previous area and Paris pointed out a little platform that acted as a single person elevator. One by one they all rode it down and walked alongside the skywalk. It led them all too. New York looked down and nearly threw up as a result but managed to keep it down, though Billy chuckled at him for this. They made it to a door which, inside, led to some kind of engine room. They walked inside following Paris who was following the directions given to him by the Red Queen. They eventually made it to what looked to be the control area of this engine room. There didn't seem to be anything until Paris looked down and found the factory key. Just then he got new instructions from the Red Queen.

Paris: Alright looks like this is what we needed, let's get out of-

Rebecca: Wait, wait, what the hell is that?

Rebecca pointed to the only monitor that was working and on it was a black and white display of some kind of humanoid monster. 

Billy: What the hell is that?

Paris: Kinda looks like a homunculus. 

Rebecca: What's a homunculus?

Paris: Something alchemists have been trying to create for years, basically an artificial human.

Billy: Like Frankenstein?

Paris: No, Frankenstein are created from already dead bodies, a homunculus is created through natural elements infused together to create the closest to a natural body science, alchemy, or even thaumaturgy can get you. 

Billy and Rebecca were both looking at Pairs with a mixture of fear and confusion.

Paris: Yeah, the anomalous world is a lot bigger than you think, it's also unfortunately everywhere so all you need is to know where to look. But that's enough of me rambling, the point is that even if it is a homunculus then we have nothing to worry about because not even the Sarkites can create a perfect homunculus.

Rebecca: How can you be sure?

Paris: The same way no one has ever successfully created a working Frankenstein, to do so, you need to make not just the body but the soul. Without a soul it won't work, so a that homunculus is just a husk, nothing more. Now let's get out of here. 

Rebecca: Hm, roger.

The four of them were about to walk out but as they passed an engine looking device a Hunter showed up and attacked Paris. Thankfully as it lunged on him, he proved to be stronger and threw it over the side and into the seemingly bottomless pit below. unfortunately, another one came soon after, so Paris grabbed out his SMGs and started shooting its stomach until it died. 

Rebecca: Woah! You okay Par- 

Unfortunately, the fight wasn't over as the first Hunter showed itself again having clung to the railings and climbed back up. it roared at them ready to attack but Billy shot it with the Magnum and to everyone's shock the bullet was so powerful it blew up the Hunter's head making it's lifeless body fall back into the pit. 

Billy: Woah... I'm definitely keeping this. 

New York: Lucky asshole.

Paris: Alright that's enough gawking, let's get out of here before more of those freaks show up.

The four of them left the room and went out to the skywalk towards the elevator back up and went to the original control room. Paris then went to a computer and followed the Red Queen's instructions on what to do. After inserting the key and pressing some buttons, everyone heard a loud noise. It sounded like someone large rising up like a massive elevator. 

Paris: I like the sound of that, it means progression.

Billy: Or we're getting deeper into some nasty shit.

New York: In this line of work, that unfortunately means the same thing.

The four of them left the room and found a large elevator for what looked to be large equipment and even a cart to transport said equipment with cart rails and everything. Paris then pressed the buttons of the controls and after the sirens of the elevator sounded they started descending downward. They found only one way forward which was a short hall leading to a longer hall to the left, a metal door to the right, and two large metal doors in the middle. 

New York: ... Alright, what does the Red Bitch say now?

Paris: She's not sending any more messages, I guess we're on our own now.

Billy: Great. I really hope I was wrong about us being in deep shit.

The four of them walked forward to the two large metal doors first but as they did Paris head footsteps. He quickly signaled to everyone to stay quiet and stick to the sides. Paris and Rebecca got to the left side while Billy and New York went to the right. Suddenly the doors opened and out came Enrico of the S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team. However, Paris, New York, and Billy didn't know this and quickly surrounded him with their guns up. 

Paris: Put your hands up!

New York: Do it motherfucker!

Billy: We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have too. 

Rebecca: Wait! Guys stop! That's Enrico! 

The three of them looked at Rebecca in shock then to Enrico and quickly lowered their weapons. Enrico was silent in shock but was clearly about to talk so Paris quickly processed his name into the recording.

Enrico: ... I... Wha... Rebecca?! Wha- What?! What one earth is going one here who are these men and... who is this?

Enrico then pointed to Billy who was now looking around in panic.

Enrico: Don't tell me, are you-?

Rebecca: No Enrico! He's not Billy Coen, I uh... I think Billy Coen is dead.

Enrico: ... How can, you be sure? Ah, wait just let me... Huh? Damn it, I lost my file and picture on Billy Coen. 

Paris quickly grabbed Billy's dog tags while Enrico was checking his pockets. He then quietly handed them to Rebecca who quickly held them out.

Rebecca: Be- Because this is all I found of him...

Enrico looked at the dog tags and sighed in relief.

Enrico: ... What a relief just makes things easier for us, that bastards deserve to rot after what he did.

Billy clenched his fists in frustration, but Paris placed a hand on his shoulder to help comfort him a little. 

Enrico: especially after all the nightmares I've seen tonight. I assume you've encountered them too. 

Rebecca: Yeah, I was worried you weren't alive. 

Enrico: I though the same about you and the others, speaking of which where are they and who are these men.

Paris: CDC Lambda-12 special forces for anomalous pathogens spread through aggressive vermin. We were told leeches spreading a deadly pathogen were on the train we found Rebecca on earlier but uh... we ended up finding more than we bargained for, I already lost two men and we have to work with this civilian and Rebecca in order to survive. We were very lucky to have them both by our side, otherwise we might not have made it this far. 

Enrico: Damn, I'm sorry for your loss.

Paris: And we're sorry for yours.

Enrico looked at Paris confused then to Rebecca who looked at him with sadness.

Rebecca: ... Edward is dead, and I haven't had contact with the others so I think they might be dead too.

Enrico: ... Then we have no choice but to regroup with Alpha team, I got a message from Albert Wesker, Alpha Team is going to rendezvous with us at a mansion not far from here. We should expect them tomorrow so if we can make it tonight, we can rest there while we wait for them come on. 

Rebecca: Uh, actually I'm going to continue working with the CDC.

Enrico: What?!

Paris: Rebecca, you don't need to.

Rebecca: But I have too, whoever is responsible for all of this is still on the loose we have to catch them now.

Enrico: Rebecca that's suicide. If someone really did create all of these monsters, then we're clearly unmatched. Just let the CDC handle this... actually no, you guys should come with us, if we all go to the mansion you can radio for backup and then come back here with stronger numbers. 

Paris: We can't, we have to deal with this now, whoever is behind this probably knows we're here and is trying to kill us so they can escape. Besides we have some valuable information, but we still need more to confirm some things about who is behind this.

Enrico: ... I see, but still Rebecca, I insist you come with me, you know this is too much for you. You're just a rookie after all.

New York and Billy both shuttered when they heard Enrico say that and looked to Rebecca who seemed greatly annoyed. However, she quickly inhaled and exhaled allowing her to calm down.

Rebecca: Thank you for worrying Enrico but I'll be fine, I will catch up with you but for now I can't leave things like this. If I can, I have to find out what's going on here and stop it. 

Enrico: ... sigh alright fine but be careful! If you run into too much trouble just wait for me and the Alpha Team okay! We'll be here by tomorrow! As for you CDC Soldiers you better watch over Rebecca or else I'll sue the CDC! You get me!

Paris: You have nothing to worry about.

Enrico nodded and ran off to head to the mansion.

New York: ... If he was actually worried about Rebecca, wouldn't he have stayed or something?

Paris: No point in worrying about him anymore anyways. If he's survived this long on his own, heading to that mansion would be fine.

Billy: Paris, I know it's a bad time to say this, but shouldn't we go with him, I don't think he's wrong about finding a place to rest and call for backup. 

Paris: Backup was supposed to be here an hour ago actually, I don't know why it's not, but I have a feeling of what happened, and I really don't like it. Though I wasn't lying before... Billy, Rebecca, if you both don't want to stay here, you're under no obligation too, you can still catch up with Enrico and take a chance on the mansion. 

Rebecca and Billy looked at each other in shock while New York looked at Paris in shock.

New York: What the hell boss?! Protocol "Join or Die" states that any government body weather police or politician has to obey the Foundation once they are exposed to the Anomalous World.

Paris: I'm not concerned with Protocol right now New York I'm concerned with survival. Rebecca and Billy's life matter even if they are not with the Foundation, I'm not some Foundationist bastard who abuses Foundation power. Are you?

New York grunted and looked down in shame. Paris huffed and looked to Billy and Rebecca again who both smiled at him with their answer. 

Billy: Sorry Paris but you're not getting rid of me that easily.

Rebecca: I'm not leaving either; I owe it to London and Hong Kong to get the bastard behind this. 

Paris: ...When this is over, I'd like to offer you both positions within the Foundation, though I wouldn't be surprised if you'd both want to say no. I'm just saying the Foundation needs more strong and brave people like you two.

Billy and Rebecca looked at one another and smiled again, though this time they just remained silent.

Paris: Ahem, alright I think that's enough. Let's get this done tonight. 

Suddenly Paris received another notification form his Foundation Screen Pad. As he read he walked over to the corner and picked up a key.

Paris: She says there's an elevator over there it will lead us to where we want to go.

New York: sigh I hate to admit it, but the Red Queen is actually kinda usefull.

Billy: Let's hope it stays that way.

The four of them travel to the other side of the large elevator platform and go to the doors of another elevator right next to a collapsed tunnel. Paris activates the elevator and presses the correct button. However, Rebecca notices the rubble moving and sees on top a large humanoid monster walking forward into view. 

Rebecca: Uh guys? What's that?!

New York: Huh? HOLY SHIT!

Paris: FUCK ENEMY CONTACT, BACK UP! BACK UP!

They all backed away as the monster jumped down from the rubble towards them Rebecca was on its right, so it quickly swung its blade infested hand at her. She dodged and rolled forward in time but still the resulting damage showed she would have died painfully otherwise. 

Paris: Hostility is confrimed! Engage!

Rebecca got up quickly and started firing with her assault rifle while Paris shot at the Tyrant with his dual SMGs. New York quickly fired with his Shotgun expecting it to make quick work of the Tyrant. However, even as large patches of its skin were getting eaten by the necrosis venom these patches quickly dried up and fell off and were replaced with regenerated flesh super-fast. 

New York: What the fuck is this thing?!

Paris then unloaded both magazines in his SMGs into the Tyrants head hoping the overwhelming damage would kill it. However instead all the damage quickly healed, and it just glared at Paris in anger. It then charged at him with great speed and raised its blade arm to strike him down. Paris only barely caught the blade in time, but the Tyrant still had great strength and forced him down hard. Paris's feet dug into the metal below bending it badly and clearly showing the inhuman among of strength the Tyrant was forcing on him. 

Thankfully just in time Billy shot it in the back with the magnum making the Tyrant cry out in inhuman pain. New York then loaded his Foundation spray gun with the flame canister and started blasting the Tyrants back while Billy kept shooting. Paris then grabbed one of his SMGs and started shooting at the legs of the Tyrant further weaking it. Rebecca aimed for the other completely throwing it off balance. Billy then finished it off by shooting it one last time in the head making it explode. However, it quickly regenerated for a moment making it seems like the battle was still going, only for all the pieces to fall apart and fall to the ground dead.

Billy: Ha... Okay I think it's actually dead this time...

Paris: We all good? Ugh... No one is dead?

New York: Not so far, thank God.

Rebecca: Paris! Your hurt!

Rebecca ran over to Paris and quickly opened up the Foundation Medical Case she was given thankfully the visor Paris gave her started working and showing her what medicine to use and in what dosage. She quickly filled up an injection tool and placed it onto Paris's shoulder to inject it. Paris grunted but then popped his shoulders as he seemed to quickly start recovering his strength.

Paris: Thank you, Rebecca. 

Rebecca: I see you weren't lying when you said you wouldn't have gotten this far without me.

New York: Hmph, beginner's luck.

Billy: Hey! I think the elevator has finally come.

Paris: Would have been nice if it came sooner. Well, it's here now but before we leave, New York you got any more Necrosis Venom Gernades?

New York: Just one boss, but uh, you sure we won't need it? Could be more leech men where we're going. 

Paris: I'd rather make sure this thing, whatever the fuck it is, doesn't get back up again. 

Rebecca: Isn't this the homunculus? I thought you said bringing them to life was supposed to be impossible.

Paris: Yeah, it's supposed to be, whatever this virus is, it sure is full of surprises. All the more reason to find the bastard and kill him before he decides to do some real damage.

The four of them then got onto the elevator and as the doors closed New York pulled the pin and threw the grenade at the Tyrant.

New York: Wake up from that you fuck. 

Once the doors were closed the sound of the grenade going off and the necrosis venom gas disintegrating the Tyrant could be heard. 

Rebecca: which floor.

Paris: Fourth Floor definently.

New York: Did the Red Queen tell you that?

Paris: ... Her last message was her just laughing over and over. Then she said that even if the Tyrant didn't kill us then Doctor Marcis will. 

Billy: So, he is still alive, and probably behind all of this.

New York: God damn it I knew the Red Bitch couldn't be trusted.

Paris: Doesn't matter anymore, it's her own fault for leading us down here, now we can get Marcus and end this damn nightmare for good. 

Once they made it to the 4th Level, they found themselves on a metal bridge over water, they simply just walked over it and through the doors leading to another bridge. This one had a large control station office and a small elevator near it on the other end. without being ordered the four of them went to the office first and quickly found some ammo but not much else. They were about to leave before New York noticed a control pannel for the power routing of the dam.

New York: Oh, hey check this out... huh... this right here... then there... then... Aha! That should do it!

Suddenly the entire underground area lit up showing a large workplace factory like area. 

Paris: Woah, otherwise, we would have been walking in the dark, nice one New York.

New York: You got it boss. 

New York was clearly happy though he turned to Billy and Rebecca who were staring at him in confusion.

New York: What?

Rebecca: ... it's just... weird to see you being useful.

New York: Oh, fuck off, both of you. 

Billy: Ah, there's the New York we know. 

New York grunted in annoyance as they all left the control office and went to the elevator taking it to the lower floor. There they were on another walkway but this time there were zombies down there waiting for them. 

New York: Oh, thank God!

Rebecca: Can't believe we actually reached a point where I miss dealing with zombies. 

Billy: Guess that's part of the fun, now time to earn some points. 

Paris: You're all getting way too into this... but I guess I am too. 

Paris walked out first and started shooting zombies down with his dual SMG's. Rebecca and Billy decided to go back to their pistols as they shot them down, headshot after headshot. Everyone expected Billy to shoot well but Rebecca wasn't expecting herself to be so good at aiming. Rebecca smiled at how much she improved in just a single night, she only wishes everyone in S.T.A.R.S. could see her now. New York on the other hand was just hanging in the back, using his assault rifle to shoot down the zombies the others missed. Once they made it around to the other side, they found a metal green door, and on the other side led to another walkway. However, this time upon entering a Leech Mimic slipped in from the other end of the walkway and started walking irregularly towards them. 

New York: Stand back I got this! 

Everyone back away for New York who stepped forward with his Foundation spray gun loaded with the flamer fuel canister. He quickly scorched the Leech Mimic but as it was flailing around in pain, he quickly switched out the canister for the sterilizing chemical canister. He sprayed the Leech Mimic with that and not only did the leeches start burning more but they were quickly drying up too. What was left of the Leech Mimic started falling apart and quickly fell over the railings into the unseeable ground. 

Billy: Holy shit, you're on a roll New York. 

New York: about time you noticed.

Paris: keep it up while we move along.

The four of them moved down the walkway, then around the corner where they saw two doors one that was closest was a large metal rusty door and the other was a clean metal office door. Everyone then looked to Paris which left him in confused.

Paris: ... What?

Rebecca: Oh, come on, we all know you're going to do it.

Billy: There's no point in playing dumb Paris.

New York: It obviously needs a wheel or something to unlock the door, and I bet you it's on the other side of that door, right behind a bunch of other doors. AND I also bet it's the ONLY valuable thing in all the rooms beyond that door. Sooo...

Paris: Alright! alright, stand back all of you. 

Prais raised his fists and started punching the door, he looked at his hands in shock after the first four punches as the door was sturdier than he thought. But after relaxing a little was back to punching and soon the door finally came down. Unfortunately, as it did come down, on the other side was a whole lot of zombies. However these ones were different, they were clearly the result of experiments with all the stitching and clear surgical cuts on their bodies. 

The four of them were clearly disgusted but knew better than to stand around, so they all started shooting. It didn't take long for the zombies to all die but the disgust lingered in all their minds for a moment. However suddenly another zombie dropped in from the ladder in the corner of the room, but Paris quickly killed it by stomping on his head. Though when he looked up the ladder, he saw more zombies up there slowly inching towards them.

Paris: Move now!

The four of them quickly went to the other side of the room where they found a green door. On the other side of the door were two hunters ready to pounce on them. Though Paris, Rebeeca, Billy, and New York looked at them unimpressed and started shooting until the mutants died. Though as they walked by Rebecca spat on one in disgust.

Rebecca: That was for Hong Kong you freaks.

New York chuckled, as he walked down the hall toward the next room where they seemed to have found themselves in a living quarter. They found a few corpses but thanks to the visors Rebecca, New York, and Paris had they knew there was no virus in them and therefore no risk. 

However, Billy didn’t know this and shot the corpses in the head which spooked the other three. They all quickly glared at him in disappointment.

Billy: … What? Better to be safe than sorry.

New York: Fuck sake! At least warn us! We could have told you the corpses weren’t infected.

Billy: Oh… sorry.

Paris: Ugh, let’s just get the hell out of here. 

The four of them moved out of the room and into the next area which as just a hall with a set of stairs. Though as they walked by they noticed some leeches, a few of which they accidentally stepped on.

New York: Augh! Fucking gross! 

Paris: Shit! Try avoiding stepping on them as much as possible, for all we know doing so releases a pheromone that will draw in more zombies and monsters.

The Four of them moved out of the area and entered another area with a walkway, this time they were able to go through without conflict or leaches. However after passing through they found another longer and more zigzagged walkway, filled with zombies. They shot them all down with ease and made their way to the other end where they found a lift that led to the lower floor. At first this area seemed clear as they were passing one of the walkways around the water level, the same giant humanoid monster form before only now it darkened skin that was hardened yet slippery. 

New York: What the fuck?! 

Rebecca: H- How?! I thought that Necrosis Venom was supposed to burn through anything!

Paris: Worry about that later! Take this fucker out!

The four of them started shooting at the Tyrant, it was clearly doing damage, but the Tyrant didn’t seem to notice as it charged at them. When it slashed down its claw, Paris pushed Rebecca and Billy away but used the momentum to push himself out of the way as well. Thankfully this resulted in them all dodging, and with the Tyrant hunched down New York shot its head with his shotgun blowing it apart and hitting it with necrosis venom. However, he didn’t stop as he actually used what was left of the necrosis shells to shoot the Tyrant’s chest full of holes in hopes of killing it completely this time.

It however, started swinging it’s claws around blindly, despite not having a head it kept moving and nearly killed all of them had they not stayed low. Though as it kept swinging it started getting farther from them alluding the four to raise their guns again and start shooting, aiming for its legs to destroy its balance. Once this was achieved its right leg fell apart and the whole body fell back into the water line. Billy, Rebecca, and New York looked into the water wondering if it was dead, though Paris pulled out the grenade launcher and shot a grenade into the water. The resulting explosion made a splash, but it was unsure if it actually hurt the Tyrant. 

Paris: It better be fucking dead this time. Come on, let's move.

Though Paris said that they ended up quickly reaching a dead end, or at least that would be the case if Billy hadn’t found a button on the wall and pressed it. Suddenly a ladder started unfolding itself and extended down to allow them all to climb up.

New York: … If we go up this ladder doesn’t that mean, we’ll have gone around in a circle?

Paris: I don’t want to hear it New York, we’re all frustrated by the way.

Billy: Yeah it’s just you that complains all the time.

New York: … fine whatever.

One by one they all walked up the ladder, and they were back on the upper floor, however this area wasn’t the same at all. Furthermore, Rebecca noticed a chip falling out of a fuse box and walked over to pick it up.

Rebecca: Well, look at that, I saw a fuse box form before that needed this, guess it was worth coming this way after all.

New York: whatever…

Paris: Let’s just get back quickly so our big and ugly friend doesn’t get the chance to follow us. 

***

Thankfully on the way back there were no enemies to encounter but also nothing worth recording. New York took the chip from Rebecca and placed it correctly into the new fuse box and suddenly the gondola powered up. The gondola started moving across the factory area and towards where they were.

New York: What the hell are we supposed to do with that thing?

Rebecca walked up to the gondola box and opened it, to show that it was hollow and large enough for two small people to fit in.

New York: … No, no fucking way! Absolutely not!

Rebecca: Come on New York, don’t you want to leave this place? 

New York: Ugh, this is such bullshit!

Paris: Sorry New York, no other way to progress at this point.

New York and Rebecca got into the gondola and Paris went over to turn it on. Once they made it to the other side they both stepped out and surveyed the area. 

Paris: Paris to New York, can you guys hear me?

New York: We hear you boss, it seems to be all clear here, we’re progressing now. Over.

Paris: Good, if anything goes wrong head back to that Gondola as fast as you can because there’s no way we can fit in there to come after you guys. Over.

New York: Well maybe Billy if you force him inside. Over.

Paris: Not happening, now see what you can find and report back once you're ready to return to us, Paris out.

Rebecca: Hey New York, give me a hand here!

New York looked to Rebecca who was trying to turn a lever, he quickly ran over to help and the two of them managed to turn it. Once it was complete, the water levels to certain areas started lowering, allowing access to new areas. 

New York: Cool… so can we go back now?

Rebecca: Hey what about that metal door back there.

New York: Oh come on!

Rebecca: You come on! What if there’s something important back there?

New York grunted and followed Rebecca to the back door, where they found a lab-like area with lots of giant camel crickets. New York quickly loaded the flamer fuel canister into his spray gun and started flaying the crickets. Rebecca shot down the ones that refused to die so easily, with their team up the crickets died quite quickly. 

New York: Oh gross, were they breeding the bugs here?!

Paris: Honestly not the weirdest nor the most messed up thing they’ve done. 

Rebecca and New York raised their guns at the stairs only to see Paris and Billy there.

Billy: Woah hey! Take it easy, it's just us.

New York: What? How did you get here?

Paris: Thanks to you guys actually, after you lowered the water we found a bridge to cross, though uh, as we crossed it there was a giant frog that tried to stop us.

Billy: Paris punched it to death.

Rebecca: Not surprising. 

Paris: Alright I get it! Let’s move on now. That door should lead out of here and where we need to go.

.

End of Part 7

.

Continue to Final Part

Go back to Part 6

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Go back to File: Resident Evil - T Virus

[survivor-north-sea]

Episode Six: "je suis tired" - AJ

AJ

Aaaand another Tribal Council down. We've managed to pull it off again folks. Are we the drama? Yes, yes we are. Praying this challenge is something we can beat. I just want to actually go to sleep on time for once. Alr short confessional because je suis tired

Bethany

AJ WHY DID U LET JULIA GO HOME?!?!? YOU HAD ONE JOB. U FED ME TO THE OG TROMOYA WOLVES IN A PEACE TREATY OF HAIRIE WILL PROTECT ME AND YOU PROTECT JULIA!!! like oh my god, girlliance is officially over bc i cannot rn

Brandi

Im scared

Zach🤠

so Julia went home. Which was not supposed to happen. allegedly trinica voted for the wrong person. i don’t believe that for a second because how we split the votes was their idea. well at least arvin knows he’s at the bottom and we may be able to use that against Trinica, but idk. i still really want to trust them. we’ll see ig

Trinica

AJ told me to sticker Champ and I'm tipsy so I did and I immediately got caught :( I'm honestly so sad because I would have stayed up all night for this challenge. But my self-fulfilling prophecy is coming true, we're probably gonna lose this challenge.

Also the way Zach and Jinx interacted with Tromoya makes me nervous. Sounding a *lil* too friendly for my taste! Something to think about!

Raffy

Curse my inability to throw a challenge! By winning this challenge, OG Tromoya will be at a numbers disadvantage at the merge which could be pretty bad. Honestly, I can definitely see Bethany flipping back to her OG tribe. So, I am thinking that we should throw the next challenge to get her out? Of course, this means that the Tromoya on the other tribe (Zach or Arvin) is highly likely to be the one that flipped. Honestly my mindset is if they vote out Zach I should throw and get out Bethany, but if they vote out Arvin then I should not throw so they can take out Zach.

Hairie

Again Hidra’s tribal council is split votes and another Tromoya goes home. I’m so disappointment that Julia went home and AJ couldn’t keep her promise to protect her. Also hearing Arvin’s voice sounding so defeated like that just heartbreaking 💔

I honestly think it’s Zach who flipped at one point and then I thought it was Julia but now I’m thinking it’s Zach again. I mean we were never close to begin with and haven’t had much talk.

Waking up, viewing tribal council VOD and then jumping off to a challenge right after (and a tricky one at that) surely made me go into a frenzy.

If we win this, Arvin might possibly go home next and that would mean the end of Red Rover Red Rover alliance.

Arvin Bentonon

I'm shaking the game.

Trinica

Today's strategy, since we're clearly losing this sticker stalker challenge, is to get Zach to trust me (again? for the first time? who knows). I told them I want to work with them come merge, and all they said was "I was going to talk game with you at some point today too! our minds" which tracks because outside of ali/jinx/toni I haven't been able to successfully get anyone to actually commit to working with me lol.

I need to coordinate with Jinx, who I think is maybe sharing a bit more pink venom chat secrets with zach than anyone suspects.

Hairie

At 2:21 AM my time, still up and awake watching TWD and Jinx pasted a sticker and BAM! Back to watching TWD now :)

-

Placed a sticker on Arvin to see if he’s up and he is LITERALLY 2 more minutes and I would have gotten a point but now that I’m out I can go to sleep.

Arvin Bentonon

I really wish they were too sensitive about my position in the game. I've made it very clear that I'm at the bottom, I thought they knew the meaning of what I'm saying.

Tyler Frazier

So we just won the challenge which you know obviously great! But my tribe (old Tromøya) seems to be a little apprehensive about winning bc one of the original Tromøya will be picked off again and it’s like at least say it in your alliance chat. Like don’t say it infront of me and just rub my position in my face. Come on people.

Arvin Bentonon

I don't trust AJ anymore. Flip Flopper. 2 tribal council in a row where she told the minority she's voting with us. And now she's trying to trick me. I know I have to push the votes on her. I would do everything.

Zach🤠

once again, this challenge was not a slay 🤠n e way. see y’all at tribal

Brandi

Alright so I need you to know that I didn’t really understand what this little confession thing was supposed to be but I went and looked at past seasons and now I know and feel so so so so embarrassed by my previous answers lol lol lol. We DOMINATED the sticker challenge and I was so proud I got the first point. I think we can keep riding this high till the merge and at that point…. I’m scared to see what will happen.

AJ

We lost again to literally no one's surprise. But honestly it’s really tough to lose so many times in a row. It really hurts morale. Especially when I know for a fact that I’m doing all I can for these challenges so we can get a day off. I’m staying up through the night, I’m putting my all in for each challenge, I’m making sure to read and clarify the rules as best I can for others. And it sucks to be putting in this much effort and still coming up short because other tribe members aren’t dedicating as much to this.

I’m really praying I make it to merge. Really truly praying. Because I feel like with how much effort I put into each of these challenges, doing them individually I’d have a higher chance of success than we’ve currently gotten. Fingers crossed I don’t get blindsided, I don’t think I will but I can only hope. The next challenge we’ve got the equivalent of a 10% disadvantage between us and the other tribe, BUT, it’s a challenge I know in my gut we’ll be good at.

Esteban

It is so good to be part of the winning tribe 3x in a row. We need to play this lay low game. Two more rounds til merge. I hope we’ll make it.

Raffy is expressing his mistrust to the hidra 2.0 which is a good sign for me. He is even pitching a bethany boot already when we lose this round. Should we lose the challenge intentionally??? Naaaah. I feel good with jayjay, brandi,and hairie too. I am not certain with champ yet coz she might leaning towards bethany.

Also, considering Tyler and I in the bottom of both opposing ends is the best thing that happened to us.

PS. It has been a busy week to me. I am trying my best to keep up on the game and the confessionals.

Champ

Omg that was STRESSFUL! My strategy was to not be active and have everyone sticker me! It worked perfectly and I was able to eliminate 3/6 people on their tribe

Tyler Frazier

So ever since we have swapped I’ve been trying to make it a priority to build a relationship with Raffy and it took time but it’s finally starting to work! He seems to be telling people that he likes me now and I think that he is a good person to have your side in the game. He seems to have a good amount of sway which obvi makes him a threat so I am weary but right now I just don’t see him going anywhere no matter what I do so I might aswell make something work

Jayjay

I felt kind of left out of this last challenge since my strategy was to not talk much in the sticker group chat so the other team would sticker me. However I only got stickered once, lol. Whelp. I didn’t get to talk much to the other team members from Hidra that I haven’t met yet. Idk if that’s a good or a bad thing. I definitely feel like I’m under the radar rn but can’t say for sure. This challenge took me back to tug of war flashbacks of anxiety and alarms every 30 min however not so intense lol. Did have a mini heart attack when Raffy called me to let me know I was stuck but my body was in game mode and woke up almost instantly 😂 Love my tribe and their determination to keep killing it in these challenges!!! Woooo 🎉 I’m thinking Arvin or Zach will be the ones to go unfortunately but considering they turned on each other after tribe swap I’m not very concerned about it tbh. I will sleep peacefully tonight 😴

Trinica

Once again, AJ and I are on the same wavelength. Last night, I realized that she has the old Hidra idol. There's no way it's not her. She searched near camp, had to insert a weird phrase into the main tribe chat, then claimed someone else had gotten there before her. Then for the next vote seemed unbothered about the idol, like saying probably nobody had one. There was too much going on for me to connect the dots, but now I realize- if someone else had gotten there first, they would have ALSO had to insert a weird phrase into the group chat. And nobody else did, I'd remember.

This morning I woke up to a message from AJ asking if I'd tell her if I had an idol. I DO have an idol, but no I wouldn't tell her lol since she hasn't told me. I'm 99% sure we both have idols which is hilarious.

Also- Toni messaged the vecepia chat (me, Jinx, Toni) about how iconic it would be if 3 Black girls made it to final tribal, which I'm interpreting as "hey don't forget this main alliance, and also AJ isn't coming with us." Which is great because I've been worried about her getting too close to AJ.

Jinx

raffy is giving Boston Rob (non-deragatory)

love, pink venom

Bethany

this tribe literally is so annoying to me but all i can do is hope we keep winning.

yesterday, raffy was telling tyler that i'm "sketchy" and brandi was telling champ that i'm "distant"

let's break down all the reasons that annoys me!! 1) hairie is the only og tromoya to EVER reach out to me first. we have been on this tribe for a week at this point. but i'm the one that is distant???? make it make sense. 2) I HAVE DONE NOTHING SKETCHY i literally have been so open whenever i am asked about the game, and i'm not even doing anything. i'm literally just standing here. existing. but nooooooo there's a spooky non-men hidra alliance so i'm sketchy just because i am a woman from hidra despite the fact that logically, i would have no incentive to team back up with them when they will be in the minority.

but with the way i am being treated on this tribe, they are giving me 0 incentive to stick with them at the merge if we win the next challenge! i will immediately be throwing esteban and every single og tromoya under the bus if things don't change real quick and praying that one of the hidras who stayed on hidra have an idol honestly because this is wack and i don't just want to stay on the bottom all game long not even having fun. so tbh they should hope that we do go to tribal and that they do vote me off because otherwise, i'm not going to be a number for them and i will do whatever i can to put a target on every single one of their backs. and i have enough info from champ to do that, with some embellishing of course :) i'd rather shake things up than just waiting around to be voted off after doing other people's bidding who have given me 0 reason to ever trust them once we do merge.

AJ

It's right before tribal and I'm paranoid I've not done one of these yet so here's a very short little one. Hoping we actually get Zach out tonight, love him but he's just so inactive that it's really hurting us especially with what the challenge is gonna be next.

Arvin Bentonon

I think I'm going home.

Zach🤠

i’m excited for merge, but not for a creative challenge. 🥲

[lcvlettrs]

Kyumin feels as if he can see the cogs turning in Jeremy's head, and he senses that he'd successfully planted the idea that Jinx isn't one to be trusted. She's not. And, he feels a jitteriness rustling beneath his skin at the thought his leader may slowly be coming around to that realization. "I think maybe it's time to throw her a welcome back party!" He's not sure what Jeremy will say. Jinx; Or, rather, Sooji has been a card he's kept tucked away for a special moment. However, the girl was his, and he felt it was his right to determine what her rise or fall would be. "Everyone's missed her for so long. I think we need to remind them who she is, and show them, who she's become."

                              ❛⠀hmm,   that's   good   to   know,⠀❜    jeremy   mused,   a   wry   smile   playing   at   the   corner   of   his   lips.   of   course,   he   was   well   aware   of   where   jinx   resided-- such   knowledge   was   hardly   concealed,   and   if   it   were,   the   man   would   have   taken   swift   measures   to   rectify   that.   the   question   of   how   the   girl   afforded   such   a   place   occasionally   flickered   through   his   mind,   but   it   lingered   there   as   a   passing   curiosity   rather   than   a   pressing   concern.   what   truly   captured   jer's   attention   was   the   tidbit   of   information   kyumin   divulged   about   her   being   followed.   the   implications   were   manifold,   and   the   fact   that   she   had   kept   this   incident   under   wraps   until   now   left   him   mildly   troubled.   it   hinted   at   a   certain   level   of   secrecy   that   piqued   his   interest.   should   he   intervene?   the   notion   danced   at   the   periphery   of   his   thoughts,   though   ultimately,   a   sense   of   relief   washed   over   him   when   kyumin   disclosed   that   jinx   had   dealt   with   the   pursuer   herself. 

                              ❛⠀that   could   prove   useful,⠀❜     jeremy   remarked,   his   tone   weighted   with   a   mix   of   admiration   and   contemplation.   yet,   one   question   lingered,   casting   a   shadow   over   his   reassurance.   ❛⠀what   exactly   do   you   have   in   mind?⠀❜     he   inquired,   his   gaze   probing   yet   measured.

[theprettyarachnid]

i'm the previous anon, i hope i'm not bothering you with my requests but i'd like you to write an arcane char reaction to their s/o trying to catch their attention.

a/n: of course you aren't bothering me, i love the requests im getting! also i noticed some of you wanted me to add caitlyn so here you go :)

warnings: suggested themes, maybe a little nsfw

characters: jinx, vi, caitlyn, viktor, jayce, silco, vander

Jinx

🕷 She would probably find it cute

🕷 Unlike some of the others, if Jinx is working she doesn't straight up ignore you but her focus usually shifts

🕷 "jinx... i'm bored..."

🕷 She would glance at you before pulling you over to where she was sitting

🕷 Let's you lay on her lap and makes you hand her tools

Vi

🕷 Vi would find it funny and pretends not to notice you looming over her broad shoulders

🕷 You would try distracting her by tracing her tattoos or repeatedly saying her name

🕷 Eventually she gives in and throws you on the couch, getting on top of you

🕷 "what is it, sugar?"

🕷 "i just wanted your attention"

🕷 Vi would just laugh but there would be a look in her eyes

🕷 Prepare to get that attention you wanted

Caitlyn

🕷 Do y’all remember this scene? Yes? Good.

🕷 I can see Caitlyn pulling you onto her lap while she does whatever she's doing in that moment

🕷 You still get embarrassed everytime even though she does it often

🕷 She's kind of a tease so she likes to see you blush

🕷 "happy?"

🕷 She won't ask you but please play with her hair

🕷 If you talk while she's busy, she'll listen but sometimes she gets a little side tracked

🕷 "and then—caitlyn? are you listening?"

🕷 "Hm?"

Viktor

🕷 Viktor is pretty sensitive to your presence, so even if you're in the room he can get a little distracted

🕷 But he's also very disciplined and can get very involved in his work so you might have to try a little harder to successfully get his full attention

🕷 If you brush your fingers against his neck or shoulders, his breath will hitch a little but he'll quickly get back to whatever he was doing

🕷 Might give you the side eye, whether it's a warning or just to see where you are is always a mystery

🕷 he will moan just a tad if you play with his hair

🕷 If he still isn't giving in, you'll try and grab whatever he is working on out of his hands

🕷 Horrible decision on your part

🕷 Viktor will grab your wrist pulling you closer and raise an eyebrow at you

🕷 "and what do you think you're doing my Котик?" (Kotik - kitten)

Jayce

🕷 He'd be getting ready for a council meeting when you would wrap your arms around him expecting a kiss

🕷 I feel like if he was in a hurry, he'd kind of just brush you off without realizing it

🕷 im sorry

🕷 If you were determined to get his attention, you'd grab his wrist just before he'd leave, forcing a small sound of protest from him before grabbing his tie and pulling him down for a kiss

🕷 I dont care how cool that man acts, he will blush a BRIGHT red

🕷 "okay, now you can go"

🕷 You'd straighten out his suit before practically pushing him out the door

🕷 He isn't very focused at the council meeting

Silco

🕷 Because he's so busy, unfortunately you two don't have a lot of time for affectionate moments

🕷 As well as that's just not really Silco's style

🕷 He'd be going over a plan with his gang members while you just sat there listening

🕷 Eventually the idea of catching his attention might be fun

🕷 You would lean forward across the table, playing with your hair or with your wedding ring

🕷 And Silco noticed, he's not stupid

🕷 Every time he'd glance over at you for a second you would just give that innocent look

🕷 Unfortunately, you caught more than just his attention, you caught some other gang members too

🕷 After the meeting, Silco tells you to meet him in his office and whoever was stupid enough to check you out too ended up "mysteriously" dying a week later

Vander

🕷 Between the kids, running the Last Drop, and being in control of Zaun Vander is extremely busy

🕷 It would be a late night at The Last Drop, Vander serving the last few drinks after sending the kids to their room to go to sleep or do their own thing

🕷 It had been a month since the last time you and Vander had any actual alone time and you were about to change that

🕷 You'd go down to the bar to help Vander close up wearing one of his favourite outfits that hugged you perfectly

🕷 Vander would probably choke on his drink, even though you two have been together since forever he still tends to get a little dazed whenever you dress up

🕷 It would only get worse if you ran your hand up his back

🕷 "Alright, everybody out!"

🕷 There would be protests but he'd just kinda crowd everyone together before shoving them outside

🕷 Would probably pick you up bridal style before bringing you to your shared room

[strawberrymilkgeorge]

Part Two. Jackbox Shenanigans

warnings: swearing word count: 2.6k (not including pictures) behind the screen (irl dream x reader) series masterlist ultimate masterlist

Y/n flinched awake, startled by the sounds traveling from the kitchen. Once again, the frosty air pricked her skin, trying to convince her to not move, to stay in bed under the warm blankets. Despite the feeling pulling her into her bed, she rubbed her eyes and sat up, grabbing her phone from her nightstand. Texts from Karl flooded her screen and she replied as she took her comforter off her mattress and wrapped it around herself. She pattered to the source of the noise to find her roommate was making food.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Naomi asked, eyes wide with concern as she looked at Y/n. "I dropped a pan."

Y/n, who was observing the world through one squinted eye, shook her head and she sat at the counter in the kitchen. "No, I should be awake anyway."

"You're usually awake much earlier. Late night?"

Y/n nodded. "George streamed and we all talked for a little after."

"Oh, yeah, I watched his stream this morning..." she started, eyes focused on the food in front of her but Y/n still caught the mischievous glint in her roommate's eyes.

"Of course you did," Y/n laughed through a yawn. "That's your lover."

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you gave me his number he would be."

"He doesn't give it to many people. I just barely got it and I've been friends with him for a year. I'm pretty sure Karl doesn't even have it."

Naomi groaned, though Y/n knew it was a joke... for the most part. She got another text from Karl, and consulted Naomi for a second opinion.

"Should I post this?" Y/n asked, lazily holding up her phone with a picture on the screen. Naomi squinted as she looked back over her shoulder. "Karl keeps yelling at me too."

"Yeah! That's a cute outfit. Make sure to credit Karl or he'll yell at you for that as well."

"No chance I'm doing that."

.

Incoming FaceTime... karol <3

Y/n hit accept and held the phone up to make a face at Karl. He mimicked the position. "Hello, sir."

"Hello, ma'am."

"What are you doing?" she asked him, walking to the bathroom to brush her teeth, her comforter dragging on the floor behind her as it continued to protect her from the cold.

Karl got distracted and started messing with something out of the camera view. "Um, trying to figure out what to do for my stream tonight. What about you?"

"I'm waiting for you to give me a fit check!" Y/n yelled. Karl quickly looked at the camera and smiled. He set his phone down on his desk and ran backward so his whole body was in frame. He posed awkwardly a few different ways before running back and resuming his position.

"Yes!" Y/n hyped with a mouthful of toothpaste. "Let's go, Karl! Karl with the old man sweater!!"

He giggled. "You're the one that told me to buy it."

"Because it's sick. Doesn't mean it didn't belong to an old man before you."

Karl pouted before his face lit up. "Guess what. I met a girl."

"Oh?" Y/n cooed. "Where? Do you have pictures? Is she cute?"

"She's Jimmy's new cameraman. Camerawoman. I don't have pictures, and yes. She's very cute." His cheeks turned red and Y/n smiled, flipping off the bathroom light and heading to her closet. She threw her comforter back on the bed and tried to pick out an outfit.

"Come on, bud, elaborate. What's her name? Have you asked her out yet?"

"You don’t get to know her name, I don’t want to jinx anything. Plus, you’ll just look ‘Mr Beast crew’ and find out anyway. Also, no, I haven’t. I'm pretty sure she thinks I hate her because I have not said a single word to her. I get so nervous when she's around I freeze up and just like... act weird. And then as soon as she's gone, Chris freaking roasts me so bad."

"Aw, I can teach you how to flirt if you want!"

"Yeah, okay," he scoffed, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"What's with the attitude? I'm great at flirting."

"No, you're not. I watched Gogy's stream last night."

"What does that have anything to do with anything?"

"I heard the way you spoke to Dream."

"What?!"

"You have zero game, Y/n. Absolutely none. Zilch, if you will."

"Yeah, because I wasn't flirting with him?"

"Not successfully, at least."

"Karl, what?" Y/n laughed but she was so confused. "No part of me was trying to flirt with anyone in that stream."

"Oh, come on," Karl groaned. "Don't do this again. Don't pretend to not like a guy and then cry to me when you're wack ass attempts don't win him over."

"Karl," Y/n started, looking directly at him. "I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about. I wasn't flirting with him. I do not like him."

"I'm just saying, you talk about him a lot. Like, you always panic when he interacts with your posts because you're scared he's going to DM you right after. And you gush about him a lot."

"I do not gush. I admire the hard work he puts into his videos but I talk the same about him as I do with George and Sapnap. The only difference is I'm friends with them and not Mr. Minecraft. He's intimidating, that doesn't mean I have a crush on him."

Karl stared for a moment, trying to read Y/n's expression to detect any lies. "You'd tell me if you did, right?"

"Karl, I tell you everything. I'd tell you if I murdered your family." They both laughed. "It's impossible to hide anything from you, you're my best friend."

"Okay, sweet, but please don't murder my family, just to be clear."

"I won't. I love your mom too much."

"Well, how was meeting Dream, then? Despite apparently not being in love with him?"

"It was cool. Terrifying because it felt very forced but the four of us hung out on the call after George ended his stream and he was much more relaxed."

"That's true. Aren't we all?"

"Not you! You're the exact same person on and off camera. Just a little ball of giggles."

Karl giggled which made them both laugh more. Suddenly, as if he completely forgot until that moment, Karl sat up quickly and yelled, "What am I going to do for the stream?"

Y/n shrugged. "See if anyone wants to play Jackbox. Chat always loves those and it's relatively easy to throw together last minute. You just need to find people that are free to play."

"Genius. Who should we invite?"

"We?"

"Yeah. It was your idea, you have to play."

"But, I've never played! And I barely know all your friends so I wouldn't get half the inside jokes. I'd be a boring addition."

"Please? They're your friends too! You just talked to Sapnap and George for four hours yesterday and George was the only one playing anything. That's friendship if I've ever seen it."

"But... others.... like literally everyone besides Sap and George...."

"Things like this are how you get to know them better. Besidessss, you're never boring."

"Fine, I'll play."

"YES!" he shouted. "Okay, who should we invite?"

**********

**********

Y/n huffed and scooted her chair closer to her desk. She pulled up Discord and hovered over the voice chat everyone was in. An overwhelming number of voices chaotically spoke over each other as soon as she joined.

"Oh no," she mumbled.

"AYYEE!!" a voice yelled, the green bubble lighting around Quackity's name confirming her suspicions.

"Aye," she said back less enthusiastic. "Hi everyone."

"She's here!" George cheered.

Y/n could hear Sapnap huff. "Finally. Geesh."

"This isn't even your stream, calm down." Y/n's eyes scanned the names on the left to read who else was involved in tonight's games. She had suggested a few people to Karl but wasn't sure about the final list. Besides the boys who had already greeted her were BadBoyHalo and Dream.

"Hello, Bugsy! It's nice to meet you! I'm BadBoyHalo."

Y/n smiled widely at his voice. "Hi, BadBoyHalo! Nice to meet you too."

Her eyes slowly traveled to the last name on the list, which had yet to greet her. She wasn't bitter, but she was curious why he hadn't said anything yet. The boys hyped up him talking about her so much but she had yet to feel that energy from him. She picked at the bottom of her hoodie, eyes darting between the names as they lit up when someone spoke.

"Is Dream still AFK?" Sapnap asked.

"I think so," Bad replied.

Maybe that's the only reason he hadn't said anything. Y/n felt stupid for thinking it had anything to do with her.

"He's probably coding something or something like that," George teased.

"Haha nerdy ass man," Quackity cackled.

"Language."

"Don't you also code shit, George?" Sapnap called out. "You're probably helping him test something after this, huh? As Quackity said, nerdy ass man."

"You know what, Sapnap? I'm not sure I like your attitude all that much."

Y/n smiled. Despite feeling nervous, she was already having fun just listening to everyone talk. The real nerves would kick in when they were live in front of tens of thousands of people and she would have to be funny.

A message popped up in the general chat, notifying everyone that Karl was joining the voice call soon so they shouldn't say anything bad.

"Everyone say something weird," Quackity directed.

Discord dinged and Karl's name joined the list on the side. "AAAHHHH-!" he started yelling over everyone to let them know he was here in case they were saying anything bad. With his luck, they were going to say stuff anyway to mess with him.

"So, yeah, that's how I lost my virginity," Quackity said as if he just finished a story.

"To a prostitute?" Sapnap added quickly. "Wow, I never thought you... oh Karl!"

"Language!" Bad gasped.

"What the..." Karl laughed loudly. "What did I just join?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry," Quackity apologized, which was hard to make out since he was laughing so hard, surprised at what Sapnap added to his joke.

"Bad, you can't say language about a prostitute," Sapnap defended. "That's really rude of you. Maybe it's a little unconventional but they're just tryna make some money the best way they know how."

George laughed with Quackity as Bad sputtered. "I-I said language about what Quackity said!"

"What, virginity?" Karl asked innocently and Bad yelled again.

"Bad hates people who have had sex!" Y/n called, causing Quackity to laugh loudly.

"Bad! How could you?! That's so messed up!"

"Wait, guys, is everyone here?" Karl asked.

"Dream isn't. We don't know where he went."

Karl groaned and started typing something, presumably yelling at Dream to join.

"Let's goooo! We're popping off!" Quackity started saying, stalling. "We're popping off!" George joined him, becoming absolute fools to keep the chat entertained.

"Okay, he's here!" Karl said. "Everyone's here!"

"I'm here, I'm here, sorry. I was... yeah, sorry," Dream stuttered out.

"Welcome back, Dream!" Bad chirped.

"Hello!" he replied. Unexpectedly, his next greeting was directed at Y/n. "Hi, Bug."

Y/n instantly got shy for no discernable reason. She blamed it on his voice and its ability to manipulate emotions any way he wanted. That and she was getting attention from someone first. "Hi," she squeaked back, hoping the contrast of her icy hands would cool her face enough to focus on the game.

"Bugsy, you are adorable," Bad stated simply.

"Sapnap! What did you just send me?" George asked loudly, and just like that, the attention was off of her and she could breathe again.

"What?" Sapnap feigned innocence.

This was going to be a long game.

"Let's play!" Karl decided. "Should we warm up with some Quippy?"

Y/n focused intensely on her answers, silently hoping the others would find her funny.

"Oh my gosh," she mumbled as everyone else finished writing. "Y'all, I'm about to get Quiplashed so hard. Don't make fun of me."

"I seriously doubt it," Dream said. "You can't possibly be worse than George at this game."

"Shut up, we always-  it's like 3 am my time. I can't, like, think of things 'cause my brain isn't functioning."

"Yeah, that's why," Sapnap teased.

"Surreee," Dream said.

The first round wasn't too bad. Y/n was in 5th place but she got quite a few laughs so she didn't care too much about where she stood. She got a notification from Dream on Twitter as everyone laughed at one of Quackity's answers.

Y/n looked back at her screen and saw the new prompt and answers. She read them quickly as everyone was laughing and with a few seconds left to choose, voted for the one on the left. It was funnier anyway.

She loosened up substantially after another round, and she knew it was mostly because Dream had reached out to her. Something about him comforted her and made her feel safe, which warmed her heart.

"Bugsy! What the hell, that's so messed up. You're so messed up," Quackity yelled, laughing at the answer on the screen. They were playing Survive the Internet and her comment got taken way out of context, just as the game intended.

"Oh my gosh!" Karl cackled loudly. "Bugsy, I didn't know you felt that way. Oh my gosh? They're just kids?? Bugsy out the gang?"

Y/n hid her face in her hands and laughed. "Noooo!! Wait I never knew- I didn't know I was ever in the gang?"

"She really said, 'infant children? slaughter them all'," Sapnap joked.

"You know, I think you'd get along really well with Technoblade," Dream added. "Though his specialty is orphans, as it appears."

"No, no, no, whoever wrote that heading is SO messed up!" Y/n defended, rereading the heading that made her comment look bad. She knew it was a game but all the attention on her was making her embarrassed. "Who would think to put that?"

"Everyone cancel Busgy!" Karl yelled.

"Karl, no! You're supposed to be my best friend!"

"I don't know how I feel about my best friend killing children..."

"Karl!!"

"Nooo," Bad protested softly. "I like Bugsy. Don't cancel her."

"Everyone vote!"

The article with Y/n's name turned out to be Dream's. "Dream! What the hell is wrong with you?" she yelled, causing him to wheeze loudly.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I wanted point."

The whole night ended up being like that. Y/n had a lot of fun and by the end, she felt a lot more comfortable with all of them. Quackity, Karl, and Sapnap were loud and very high energy while George and Bad were quieter. Dream was half and half, sometimes matching Quackity's volume and sometimes going a while without saying a word. Overall, Y/n had a lot of fun and hoped to let back in the gang in the future.

**********

PREVIOUS • NEXT

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A/N: WOOO PART TWOOO!! Hope you guys enjoyed this part! Also thank you so much for all the love on the first part!! I did not expect it to get as much attention as it did!!!!!

we clearly haven’t got to dream and yn being close yet bc they literally met the day before this but i added a small little dream/yn moment :] pls let me know how you liked this part!!!!!!!!!!!! 

taglist: OPEN (at the time) @hydrate-tion @loraleiix @tinaswagbd @charsdummb @smileyyuta @1ghoste1 @cerberus-hellhound @gaysludge @queestionmark @carnations-red @letsloveimagines @the-fictionwriters-hairdo @boiled-onionrings @a-cryptic @fee-btheweeb @letsloveimagines @erwinss @just-a-stan

[arcane-ish]

*urge rising to post a “Some people apparently don’t understand the concept of shipping” lecture*

Like... you do realize that shippers don’t actually magically make stuff appear in canon, right? That like writers make those decisions? Especially on a show like Arcane that probably has already finished their scripts for season 2? 

So if you don’t like something in canon then maybe you should take it up with the writers and not the shippers?

And you like know that shipping isn’t really bound by canon? Like not every shipper even wants their ship to end up in canon and I would say an even higher percentage understands that there is a good chance that whatever they like won’t end up in canon. Again, see large list of shipping for non-canon/unlikely to end up in canon ships. Because like, a lot of people use canon just as a jumping off point to spin their own ideas? 

Furthermore the position “aww, they look cute or hot or cool or fun together” does not imply that your position is also “and I want them to take over the show and the show to be only about that anymore”. People are capable of finding multiple things cute in a casual manner. It’s totally a thing that people do. Plenty of time, shipping is not that deep for people that they go “omg, I’ll die and start boycott campaigns if my ship does not become canon and get all of the screentime”, plenty of time for plenty of people it’s just “hey, that looks cute together, let me doodle a picture of them/like a cute picture of them”. 

(not to mention that in the case of Arcane, some of that shipping actually predates the show, so what, you are gonna try and shame people for shipping something because YOU think it shouldn’t be part of canon Arcane when it is something they liked before Arcane was even a thing?)

Never thought the need for a rant like that might be prompted by a ship as comparatively vanilla as fucking Jinx and Ekko. (who on top of everything they are are borderline confirmed that they are NOT going to have a relationship in Arcane canon because the writers hinted heavily that they are not going to put Jinx in a romantic relationship with anybody) 

Like that’s usually the kind of “it’s just fiction” and “yes we realize it’s not going to be canon” debates people have over like the hardcore incest/age difference/protagonist&antagonist/A tried to kill or actually successfully killed B or B’s family ships. Not over “two teenagers who are not related and neither is in a relationship with anybody else nor does it to our knowledge violate their sexual preferences as neither of them have defined in that regard in one way or another to this point”.  (especially since the actually controversial part of “oh and btw, she’s kind of maybe a mass murderer” at no point entered the conversation) 

Once more: 

- Not all shipping means tht the shippers expect or even want to have it to end up in canon - Some shipping uses the canon material only as a jumping off point and lives happily in a fantasy version of the show that is quite removed from the source material - The vast majoriy of shipping is fully aware that their shipping (ie that 300 chapter hardcore porn picking out the curtains fic) will never end up in canon, that like even in the best circumstances only a fraction of what they can imagine will ever be part of canon - Fiction is not reality. ie just because a character like Jinx for example murdered fictional people in a fictional world does not mean that people who think she is cool or interesting murder people in real life or condone other people’s murder in real life - It’s up to the writers to make responsible writing decisions for their pieces of media. Writers likely make writing decisions on their own shipper preferences or if they follow something just because it is popular (again debatably so, imo it’s unlikely to really get writers to write a ship they don’t connect with at all/that they don’t already like on some level) that would mean that they are very weak willed, which is a writing problem in itself. 

[musicalbird04]

What Are YOU Doing Here??: Chapter 3

Read on ao3

It started about a month ago. At least that was when she first noticed it. Peter had come home for dinner, actually using the front door, which was weird enough already. What made it worse was that when she asked about his after school Spider-Manning, which she always did, he froze up before responding like normal. May tried to ignore his reaction. She figured if it was something important, he would talk to her about it eventually.

As they ate, she noticed that he also didn’t seem to want to talk about himself at all, which was a tad suspicious. He then practically ran to his bedroom as soon as they finished eating. At first she had written it off as a bad day and tried to ignore it, but then it started to be a reoccurring problem.

Needless to say, May was beginning to worry quite a bit. Ever since that day, every time she would ask Peter about Spider-Man, he would immediately become extremely awkward and stutter through a response before attempting to change the subject completely. The weird part was that other than that, Peter seemed to be happier than she had seen him in years.

She really didn’t want to do anything to jinx this streak of happiness, Peter certainly deserved a break from the pain and suffering he has gone through, but clearly there was something going on that he wasn’t telling her. That something also clearly was related to Spider-Man somehow. The only problem was how she was going to figure out what it was. Peter had made it fairly clear that he wasn’t going to tell her. She had tried to push him on the subject a few times with no luck. He somehow always managed to successfully change the subject.

At one point, she decided to try looking in other places for information. She pulled up several news sites that she recalled mentioning Spider-Man before in the hopes that maybe there would be something useful there. Unfortunately, there had been no recent mentions of him at all recently.

Finally one day while Peter was at school, she had an idea. If it was superhero related, who would Peter be most likely to talk to about it? Tony Stark, and she just so happened to have his phone number. Quickly, she pulled her cell phone out and pushed the call button. It rang a few times before he picked up.

“May!” Tony’s surprised voice rang through the speakers on her phone, “What’s going on, you never call me.”

“I wanted to ask you about Peter,” She responded. She paused for a moment, not entirely sure how to explain the situation to him. In hindsight, she probably should’ve thought about that before calling.

“Is Peter okay?” Tony asked, his voice suddenly filled with concern. It made May happy to hear how much he clearly cared about her nephew, even if he wouldn’t admit it in those words.

“Actually, I was hoping you could tell me,” May began, hoping she wasn’t wasting her time. “He keeps dodging the subject every time I mention Spider-Man. I don’t suppose you would know of any reason why he would be doing that.” Okay, maybe that last sentence came out a bit more accusatory than she had intended, but she was worried, and getting increasingly frustrated about the situation. If there was something that they were hiding from her, she had a right to be upset about it.

“Not that I can think of, to be honest I haven’t seen the kid in a while. I can pull up the stats from his suit and make sure he hasn’t been hiding any injuries or something though, if that’ll make you feel better.” May immediately agreed. She wasn’t sure if she should be happy that Tony wasn’t helping Peter hide something, or even more frustrated again because he didn’t know what was going on with her kid either. After a few moments of silence, where May assumed he was looking up whatever he needed to, she heard his voice again.

“That can’t be right,” Tony said quietly, sounding extremely confused. Before May could ask what he meant, he spoke again. “May how often would you say Peter had been going on patrol, in, let’s say the past month?”

“Almost every day, why?” She asked, confused as to where this was going. Briefly, she heard Tony curse under his breath. What was wrong?

“FRI, please tell the lovely May here what you just told me.” 

“According to Karen’s reports, Mr. Parker has only put on the Spider-Man suit a total of two times in the past 30 days.” The slightly robotic voice calmly stated. May was not happy to hear that information. If he hasn’t been wearing his suit, then what the hell has he been doing when she thinks he’s out as Spider-Man.

“Well that’s just great,” She exclaimed, now pacing around the living room. “He’s not dodging my questions about Spider-Man because something happened that I should be worried about, he’s dodging my questions because he’s lying to me about where he’s been going.” Tony had the audacity to laugh at her anger. “Don’t you laugh about this Stark.”

“I’m sorry,” He said, clearly still laughing. “Just ask him where he’s really been going. I mean, it’s gotta be something he enjoys more than Spider-Man, which I wasn’t aware was possible. Maybe the kids got a girlfriend?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, he would tell me about something like that.” Wouldn’t he?

“Oh, because he tells you everything?” Tony teased, and she just hung up. She got the information she needed from him, she didn’t need to listen to his sarcasm. Checking the time, she realized that it wasn’t too long before Peter usually came home. As soon as he got back, she would confront him about where he’s really been going after school and on the weekends.

Peter apparently had other plans. At first she wasn’t too concerned about that, because it was a Friday night. If there was any day that it was normal for him to be a tad late coming home, it was Friday. Even so, it was a couple hours after he usually arrived back when he finally walked through the door. He wasn’t technically out past curfew, but any later and he would have been. Clearly he hadn’t seen her right away and was quickly walking towards his bedroom as soon as he was inside. If she didn’t know any better, she would say it looked like he was trying to sneak in, but if that was the case, he would’ve gone in through his window.

“Not so fast there buddy.” May said, standing there with her arms crossed, causing Peter to jump.

“Hey May,” He started, his hand moving to scratch at his neck nervously, adjusting the collar of his shirt slightly as he did so. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Mmhmm. How was patrol?” She asked pointedly, hoping he would notice her tone, and realize that she knew. It would save him a lot of trouble.

“Oh, it was good, nothing too interesting.”

“Oh really?” She asked incredulously. He was clearly starting to get nervous.

“Yep.” He answered quickly. He shifted awkwardly, causing the collar of his shirt to move from where he had adjusted it before and that was when she saw it. There was a decently sized bruise covering the part of his neck where it met his shoulder. Maybe Tony had been right about hiding a girlfriend from them. She pretended not to notice it at first.

“Any injuries at all I need to worry about?”

“Nope.”

“Really? Then what’s that on your neck?” Immediately, Peter’s face began to turn red. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, with no words coming out. She let him stand there stuttering awkwardly for a moment before talking again as a form of minor revenge for making her worry so much.

“Except I know that can’t be from your Spider-Manning because I had a wonderful conversation with our good friend Tony Stark earlier, and he told me that you’ve only been out twice in the past month.” Peter honestly looked absolutely terrified. “Tony seems to think you’ve got a girlfriend, which seemed ridiculous at the time, but seeing that thing on your neck, I’m not so sure it is. So I’m gonna ask you this one time Peter, and I want the truth. Where have you been going?” Of all of the reactions she had been expecting, it hadn’t been this. As soon as she finished talking, Peter started crying and began to repeatedly apologize.

“I’m so sorry May, I know I should’ve told you, but I was scared, which is stupid, but I just don’t know how you’re going to react. I really didn’t mean to lie to you for so long, and I am so so sorry. I know I should’ve told you what was going on sooner, and I know you won’t be that mad but it still scares me and…” “Peter, I need you to tell me what’s going on.” May interrupted, realizing that Peter was starting to talk in circles and wasn’t really getting anywhere. She pulled him down to sit next to her on the couch. “Just tell me, whatever it…”

“I was with my boyfriend.” Peter suddenly blurted out, interrupting her sentence. As soon as he said it, his hand flew up to cover his mouth, and he seemed to feel about as surprised at his own words as May did. She stared at him for a few moments, blinking as she processed what he had just said. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?” May asked him after a few seconds.

“I’m sorry, I know I should have, it’s just, I never really told you that I wasn’t straight, and I didn’t know how you would react. I know it’s stupid, because obviously you don’t have a problem with it. I just didn’t know how to tell you, and I kept getting too nervous at the last second any time I wanted to bring it up.” She let him ramble for a second before pulling him into a hug, which he immediately accepted. Pulling away, she looked at him for a moment, thankful he had stopped crying.

“So tell me about this boyfriend.” When Peter didn’t respond right away, she decided to ask something more specific. “What’s his name?” “Harley.” Peter responded quietly, looking down at his hands.

“That’s a nice name. You got a picture of this Harley kid?” Peter smiled and pulled out his phone. As soon as he turned the screen on she saw the picture. It was a selfie of two boys smiling happily at the camera. One of them was obviously Peter, who seemed to be the one taking the photo. The other was a slightly taller, blonde boy, who had his arm wrapped around Peter’s shoulder. As she was looking at the photo that was clearly Peter’s lockscreen, a text notification came through, and she saw a glimpse of it.

Harles <3: Did you make it home okay? Usually you text me by now…

There must have been more than that, but that was all she could see in the brief notification that popped up. Peter pulled his phone back and typed something, probably in response to his boyfriend, before putting his phone away.

“You two look cute together.” She said looking at her nephew with a small smile. He looked so happy. Peter blushed slightly at her statement. “Obviously he makes you happy, and he’s clearly worried for your safety, so I can almost forgive him for that.” She finished, pointing at the now obvious hickey that was on Peter’s neck. He blushed even deeper as his hand quickly flew up to cover his neck. 

May laughed at his reaction as she walked out of the room to go to bed. She felt much better now that she knew what was going on, and she couldn’t say she blamed him for not telling her right away. Sure, she was still a bit upset that he had lied about where he was, but she also understood how hard coming out like that was for him.

A few days later, May hadn’t been thinking much about the whole situation anymore. Briefly, she thought about how it might be a good idea to tell Tony what had happened, since she had pulled him into this mess. He might like to know that there was nothing to worry about. She walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, but froze dead in her tracks at what she heard as she passed Peter’s bedroom.

“I think I’m gonna tell Harley about Spider-Man.” What? She knew Peter had been pretty happy with this Harley boy, but she hadn’t realized that the relationship was already that serious.

“I’m serious Ned, I love him. I don’t just wanna keep lying about it.” Okay. Definitely that serious. Without thinking that much, she burst into Peter’s room, causing him to jump and almost drop his phone.

“I want to meet Harley.” She stated before he got a chance to say anything.

“I gotta go, I’ll call you back.” He said into the phone before setting it down, and turning his full attention to May. “What?”

“Harley. Your boyfriend. Clearly it’s a pretty serious relationship, so I want to meet him.” Peter stared at her for a few moments.

“Okay?” He answered, still looking a bit startled by her sudden entrance.

“Invite him over for dinner this weekend.” She finished before walking out of the room. Now seemed as good a time as any to call Tony back, while she was still thinking about it. She got the glass of water she had originally come out to get before going back to her room and selecting the contact. As usual, it rang a couple times.

“Hey May.” Tony began. “You figure out what’s going on with Peter yet?”

“Yes I did. You were almost right. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, but he does have a boyfriend.” Tony was silent on the other end for a while so she added. “Kid came home the other night with a massive hickey on his neck too. Made the conversation slightly awkward.” At that, Tony started to laugh.

“Really?” He asked,  still laughing. “Way to call the poor kid out.”

“He shouldn’t have lied to me.” May said, chuckling slightly as well. “I’m meeting the boy this weekend so hopefully that goes well. Just thought you might like to know what was going on after our last talk.”

“I do appreciate this information, thank you.” She hung up the phone after that. Now she just had to wait for this weekend and she could meet this Harley kid who had stolen her nephews heart.

[reinerispretty]

beneath the moon. (sokka x f!reader) pt7

hi and welcome to another chapter!!! thank u very much for reading :D i hope u enjoyed the last one as much as i did!! this chapter is a little shorter than the rest, but i had to get through it to be able to get to the good stuff :) 

pt1

pt6

pt8

During the night, when the moon was high, she quietly made her way to Yue’s room to look through it. She took only three things: Yue’s fluffiest purple coat, the portrait (Y/N) had given to her on her birthday, and the small wooden fish that Sokka had carved for her.

(Y/N) rocked back and forth on her feet with the motion of the waves. She had been on many boats before, but none so far out at sea. The air was crisp and salty and the sea spray that splashed up made her face feel sticky. This could be another kind of life that she would enjoy, she thought. There was something about the ocean that seemed so freeing to her. She wondered if all waterbenders felt that way.

She watched as they floated past massive icebergs three times as tall as their ship. She had learned once that icebergs were even bigger on the underside, like massive mountains, but she didn’t exactly want to find out for herself.

After Hahn’s visit to the palace, more suitors started lining up outside of the heavy wooden doors. She figured that they thought with Hahn out of the way, they might actually have a shot at getting within the Chief’s good graces. She had refused each and every one of them and provided no explanation why. Some accepted defeat gracefully, while others tried their best to argue with her. And despite living in the coldest place on earth, (Y/N) was extremely hotheaded. She shot back at their arguments with arguments of her own, daring each man that fought to challenge her to an actual duel. This had caused rumors to float around the city about her.

In her healing lessons, she heard girls whispering about how cold-hearted the princess must be to turn down so many sweet boys. The servants talked about her when she wasn’t near and wondered how a sweet girl like Yue could ever have such a disagreeable sister as (Y/N). The idea of staying in a tribe that would never fully accept her struck fear into every inch of her body. It was in everyone’s best interest that she left.

So when Sokka had approached her after her healing lessons one day and informed her that she needed to pack because they would be leaving the very next morning, (Y/N) had not hesitated. She gathered a pack of all of her most important items, like clothes, shoes, brushes, and money. She had thought about packing her paint supplies, but she figured they would be too heavy to carry from city to city. She wrapped them gently in a cloth scarf and slid them underneath her bed. Maybe one day she would visit her parents and be able to take them with her.

During the night, when the moon was high, she quietly made her way to Yue’s room to look through it. She took only three things: Yue’s fluffiest purple coat, the portrait (Y/N) had given to her on her birthday, and the small wooden fish that Sokka had carved for her. She had seen it many times, lying on Yue’s dresser, and figured that he might want it back. She had shoved each of these things deep into her pack so they wouldn’t fall out.

(Y/N) had spent the remainder of the night lying in wait for the sun to rise over the horizon. She only had a few moments to escape the palace before the servants awoke, so she had padded through the icy halls and made her way to her parents’ room. They both slept soundly as the sun barely filtered in through the windows. She kissed the both of them on their foreheads and left her goodbye note on their dresser. Then, as quietly as she could, she had crawled out of the lowest windows of the palace and fell on her back into the snow. She had held in her groan of pain and instead ran directly for the docks to wait for the others.

Now, she stood on Master Pakku’s ship as it headed for the Southern Water Tribe. Aang prepared Appa for their impending flight, while both Sokka and Katara gave Pakku a list of things to share with their grandmother. (Y/N) leaned over the edge of the railing and watched the waves as they crashed against the boat. She waterbended a small sliver of ocean water up so that it could just barely touch her fingers and smiled at its coolness.

“Are you ready?” Katara asked as she appeared at her side. (Y/N) nodded and picked up her bag from the ground. She gave Master Pakku a curt nod.

“Wait, Princess,” He called to her. She turned to face him.

“It’s just (Y/N) now.” Pakku nodded.

“Your father told me to give you this.” He placed a light blue velvet bag in her hands. When she opened it, she found more gold, silver, and copper pieces than she had ever seen in her lifetime. (Y/N) looked up at Pakku, her eyes wide with shock.

“He knew I’d be leaving?”

“I think he always knew you would leave, one day,” Pakku said with a small smile. (Y/N) swallowed and slipped the bag into her pocket.

“Thank you,” she said. She walked over to her friends, where Katara helped her onto Appa’s saddle. As soon as everyone was seated, Aang shouted, “Yip yip,” and Appa soared into the air. (Y/N) watched as the only place she had ever known shrunk further and further into the horizon. For the first time since her sister had died, she felt happy.

---

There were a lot of things she had never done, and setting up tents to sleep on the cool, hard ground was near the top of that list. But she had been asked by Katara to set up their tents and she wasn’t going to refuse! She was part of a team now, so she had to do her fair share of the work. How hard could setting up tents be?

As it turned out, very hard. Just as she had set up one tent and moved onto the next, the first tent would collapse behind her. After an hour, she thought she had successfully set up four tents, only to watch them crumble to the ground. (Y/N) felt like she could nearly tear her hair out from frustration. 

How could she be a part of this team if she couldn’t even put up a tent? She felt absolutely useless. Maybe coming with the Avatar and his friends hadn’t been a good idea after all. She wasn’t properly equipped for life outside of the North Pole, and it was so hot! She had never felt heat like this before and it was nearly unbearable! She wasn’t sure how Sokka and Katara put up with it!

Aang walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Here, let me help!” 

(Y/N) gave him a small smile of gratefulness as he showed her how to set up the tents. “It was tricky at first for me, too,” Aang reassured her as he dug the poles into the ground. “But it’s all about making sure you have a good foundation. Here, try on that one.” 

(Y/N) walked over to the other tent and tried her best to replicate Aang’s movement. The pole successfully went into the ground, and she smiled up at Aang. “Thank you!” She said excitedly. 

“No problem! We can split the rest of the work.” The two swiftly set up the tents and (Y/N) clasped her hands together, smiling proudly at the tents. It was a small and ridiculous thing to be proud of, but she had never accomplished anything like this at home. 

She helped Katara catch fish for dinner by waterbending them from the river and into the basket. (Y/N) watched intensely as Katara cooked stew for them. She had always had servants in the palace to make her food for her, so she was intrigued at the mix of herbs and spices Katara was putting into her concoction. By the time it had finished cooking, it smelled lovely, and (Y/N’s) stomach rumbled from starvation.

She devoured her dinner as they sat around the campfire and discussed their plans for tomorrow. “We’re heading to the Earth Kingdom,” Sokka explained. “There, we’ll be escorted to King Bumi, who will teach Aang earthbending.” 

“You’re going to love Bumi,” Aang said to (Y/N). 

“I’m not so sure,” Katara interjected. “Bumi is...a lot.” 

“He encased Katara and I into rocks the last time we saw him.” Sokka scooped a spoonful of stew into his mouth. (Y/N’s) eyes widened in shock and she looked frantically at Aang. 

“It was rock candy,” Aang said, as if that made the situation any better. (Y/N) looked back down at her stew. 

“Maybe I regret coming with you guys just a little bit,” She said, and while she wasn’t necessarily trying to be funny, the rest of her team laughed. 

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[freckled-petals]

The Relationship: Part 1; Talbott/Reader

Summary: When Talbott’s “fan club” causes him trouble, Penny’s idea for you to step in causes quite the uproar.

Word Count: 3970

It was a brisk, fall afternoon at Hogwarts, half way through the semester. The castle was lively with students running to classes and to meet with their friends, and there was still enough interest in school before the winter holidays brought that interest to a halt.

You were on your way to your last obligation of the day - a study period in the great hall. It was probably your favorite time of the week, mainly because it allowed you to get quite a bit done and have a place to hang out until dinner time arrived.

After entering the large hall, you made your way over to your typical spot by the fireplace, unsurprised to find Penny there waiting for you.

“Afternoon,” you hummed, placing your things on the table before dropping into your seat. “All right, Penny?” you questioned, and she finally looked up. It usually took a few tries to pull her attention when she had her favorite potions book in hand.

“Hi!” She chimed, flashing a smile before turning back to her book. You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself.

“Always predictable,” you grinned, pulling out a few books of your own.

“There’s a really interesting part here on Mandrake root—“ she began, but you were quick to interject, lest she go off on another one of her tangents.

“No Charlie or Liz today?” You questioned. “Talbott?” You added as an afterthought. The two of you had become friends at the end of last year - at your insistence, of course - and he’d been occasionally joining your group during this period. Glancing around the hall, you didn’t see any of your other friends.

“Charlie and Liz stayed to help Professor Kettleburn,” Penny answered, creasing the corner of the page she was on before closing the book. “Something about an angry Bowtruckle,” she giggled.

“Of course,” you grinned, adjusting your robes as a chill blew through the hall.

“And Talbott?”

“I’m...not sure,” she trailed, her lips forming a pout. “He’s been skipping class again, you know. I hope he’s all right...”

You frowned as Penny elaborated on Talbott’s whereabouts - or rather, her lack of knowledge on that. Based on what he’d told you, you were pretty sure it didn’t have to do with the reason he’d been skipping last year - it wasn’t near the anniversary of his parent’s passing. Then again, he hardly spoke, so you were at a loss.

“Hm,” you hummed in thought, resting your head on your hand. After he’d opened up to you just the slightest bit last year, you’d realized just how fragile the silent boy was. You couldn’t help but be a bit concerned for him. “I’m sure he’ll turn up,” you said, though Penny had already returned to her book. 

——

The study period passed...unproductively. You learned absolutely nothing from the passage on the history of wandlore that you’d been trying to read, and you found yourself glancing towards the door more often than not. By the end of the period, you’d all but decided to go hunting for Talbott.

Then you scoffed. Why were you thinking so hard on this? You barely knew him, and you were hardly friends. Hell, you were only friends because you’d practically forced it on him. He certainly hadn’t been keen to the idea.

The next hour and a half dragged on dreadfully slow, and Talbott had yet to make an appearance. Your huffy attitude had once again given way to concern.

“Hey!” Penny suddenly called, jolting you from your thoughts. Looking at her, then the direction she was suddenly waving, your eyes settled on the slender form of Talbott, now failing to slip into study hall unnoticed from the attention Penny was drawing.

He hurriedly made his way over to the two of you, ignoring the frown Professor Sprout was sending him.

“You’re too cheery, Penny. It’s a real fault,” Talbott grinned at the Hufflepuff before slipping into the spot beside her.

“This is a perfectly appropriate tone, thank you very much,” she responded indignantly, though her smile didn’t fade. Sometimes you couldn’t help but wonder how the two of them became friends.

“Sure,” he responded simply.

You couldn’t help but watch him as he settled in. He let out a deep sigh, definitely looking a bit stressed. He didn’t look nearly as hopeless or distraught as he had last time, though. He pulled out a book and ran his fingers through his hair before looking up, his eyes meeting with yours. You quickly opened your mouth to ask him something - anything - to cover up for your blatant staring, but thankfully, Penny had beaten you to it.

“You weren’t in potions today,” she spoke, turning towards Talbott.

“Is...everything alright?” She questioned, her concern evident on her face and in her tone.

Talbott turned, clearly looking taken aback by her question. Maybe he was surprised she had even noticed.

“I...” he began, casting another glance at you, then Penny again, before his gaze settled on a spot of nothing on the table. “It’s a long story,” he sighed, scratching the back of his head. He didn’t elaborate further, so you spoke up.

“Is it...about your—“ you began, though he was quick to look up and shake his head.

“No, no, it’s not,” he said, continuing to shake his head. You were vaguely aware of Penny glancing between you in confusion. You raised an eyebrow, prompting him to elaborate.

“It’s...?” Penny trailed.

“It’s these bloody third years!” Talbott erupted, surprising both you and Penny with his outburst.

“Excuse me...?” You questioned, your brow creasing in confusion.

“Talbott, you’re not making any sense. You’re going to need to explain to us what’s going on,” Penny said, her voice soft and caring.

Talbott let out a huff, rubbing his forehead in an act that looked almost like annoyance. It wasn’t long before his expression morphed into one of embarrassment.

“There’s these third years...a few Ravenclaws and one or two Slytherins - it really depends on who they grab at the time...” Talbott sighed, shaking his head as if to rid himself of a bad dream. “They won’t leave me alone,” he frowned.

“Are they...bothering you?” Penny questioned, clearly following just as well as you were.

“Jinxing you...?” You offered, your confusion evident. You didn’t understand how a group of third years would keep him from class.

“They won’t leave me alone,” he repeated. “Following me everywhere, leaving me notes. I think one tried to sneak me a love potion,” he said.

You couldn’t help but laugh, which clearly wasn’t the right response, because Talbott shot you quite the glare.

“Come on,” you said, glancing between him and Penny. “They’re just third years. How bad can it be?” You questioned.

“Love. Potion,” he repeated unhappily.

“Have you tried...I don’t know...asking them to leave you alone? Expressing your disinterest?” Penny suggested, clearly trying to help.

Talbott sighed again, pursing his lips. “I think they like it when I get annoyed,” he frowned. “Like they want a rise out of me.”

“Talbott Winger, the ladies man,” you grinned at him. He shot you another look before turning back to Penny.

“I barely have a moment to think before one of them’s chirping in my ear or—“

“Ruffling your feathers?” You grinned, unable to let the opportunity for a bird pun fly by.

“You’re as bad as them,” he drawled, crossing his arms over his chest.

“So words don’t work on them...” Penny hummed, ignoring your bantering. “Have you tried actions?”

“I don’t follow...” Talbott frowned, his thick brows knitting together.

“Well, you can tell them you’re not interested all you want, but maybe it would sink in if you showed them you’re not,” Penny mused, her eyes bright like she’d just successfully brewed Draught of Living Death.

“...meaning?” Talbott frowned, glancing over at you briefly before looking back at Penny.

“You need a girlfriend,” she said simply. You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing aloud, especially at the flustered look on Talbott’s face.

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose, Pen? He clearly doesn’t want that or he wouldn’t be complaining about all of this,” you said, continuing to giggle in amusement.

“I certainly don’t want to date third years,” Talbott responded, his eyes narrowed.

“It wouldn’t be real, of course. Just a show. You know, to get them off your back,” Penny said, tapping her chin in thought. “But who would fit?” She hummed.

“I don’t know about this...” he frowned, glancing between the two of you at the table.

“Chiara, maybe...?” Penny continued to muse, ignoring his hesitation. “Just for a few weeks to get the third years to leave you be...”

“It can’t be that bad getting attention from some girls, can it?” You questioned him. His eyes met yours and you felt a slight jolt at the intensity of his gaze.

“You know I don’t like attention,” he responded, quirking his lips. It was true, you did know. You knew just how much he preferred being left to his own devices. It was his way to avoid getting hurt. But maybe Penny’s plan did have some merit. He definitely needed some more friends, as far as you were concerned.

You listened to Penny list off names, watching as Talbott remained stoic, as usual. The more you listened, the more you felt a slight nagging in the back of your head. The thought of Talbott with a girl - real or not - didn’t quite sit well with you. You didn’t want to dwell on why that was the case, though.

“Maybe Badeea if we want to keep it in your house...” Penny hummed.

“No,” you spoke up quickly, drawing looks from both of them. “I-I mean,” you frowned, clearing your throat. “Who would go along with this? It would be an odd request to approach someone with. Plus, those girls don’t know him that well.”

Talbott caught your gaze, holding it for a moment before you quickly looked away.

“Its just...I mean to say that it might appear fake, and then the third years would never leave him be,” you quickly tried to clarify, ignoring the heat rushing to your cheeks.

“You’re right, you’re right,” Penny hummed, quirking her lips. “It can’t be just anyone,” she hummed. “They’d have to play the part well, and it has to be someone the third years wouldn’t walk all over. Someone well known and respectable,” she mused.

“Sounds like you, Pen. You’re the most popular witch in our year,” you chuckled, scratching the back of your head. Mentally, you were kicking yourself for even suggesting that. You saw the looks she and Talbott would exchange on occasion. You couldn’t help but wonder if there was something there between them. Penny was his first friend at Hogwarts, after all.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Penny offered, turning to Talbott with a warm and inviting smile. You suddenly felt nauseous.

“You’re too bubbly for me. No one would believe it,” Talbott grinned at Penny and she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. You couldn’t help but think of how couple-ish that exchange looked.

“Actually...I was thinking you would be perfect,” Penny said, and your eyes doubled in size when you realized she meant you.

“Wh-what...?” You asked dumbly, chancing a look at Talbott who was silently observing you.

“I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner. You’d be perfect!” Penny continued.

“I...I hardly think I’m someone people would respect or anything like that,” you denied.

“Rubbish. You’re a top-notch student, prefect, everyone’s seen what a star you’re becoming at Quidditch,” Penny rambled, your cheeks darkening as she went on. It didn’t help that Talbott was staying silent on the matter either. “And how many cursed vaults have you broken in to? Everyone’s heard about that and I’ll tell you: everyone’s impressed. Shall I go on?” She grinned.

“N-no, that’s quite alright,” you murmured, quirking your lips. You chanced a look in Talbott’s direction, finding his gaze still locked on you. It was...unnerving, to be honest. “Well?” You questioned finally with a relenting sigh. “How ‘bout it?”

Talbott gazed at you for a long, hard moment. You felt as though you’d melt on the spot. “Alright,” he finally spoke, and you released the breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding.

“Great!” Penny chimed, clearly looking pleased with herself. “This will be fun,” she added and you caught Talbott rolling his eyes.

“Fun,” he scoffed. “I fail to see the fun part,” he drawled.

“You’ve got a fan club and a new girlfriend. How is that not fun?” You questioned sarcastically. Talbott shot you a look, though for a moment, you thought you saw amusement flicker in his eyes.

“So, how should we go about this...?” Talbott questioned, turning back to Penny.

“Well, you two will need to get close. Really close,” Penny grinned, glancing between the two of you. “In fact, you should be sitting over there,” she told Talbott, pointing to the spot beside yourself. “Go,” she nudged, grinning at him.

Talbott let out a grunt, pushing himself up from the table before walking all the way around it.

“You’re way too excited about this,” you drawled as you waited for Talbott to rejoin you.

“It’ll be fun, trust me. Messing with a couple third years? Pretending to be in a relationship? It’s all very amusing. I wish I had someone to fake-fancy me,” she giggled.

“You passed on the opportunity,” you reminded, just as Talbott slid into the spot beside you.

“Sit closer,” Penny urged, a bright grin on her face. Maybe the fun was just going to be on her end, you thought.

Talbott begrudgingly slid closer, his arm momentarily brushing yours. “Okay?” “Well, you have to look happy about it. She is your girlfriend, now,” Penny hummed, and it was your turn to scoff.

“He’s never happy,” you drawled. You could feel Talbott glaring, but you forced yourself to keep your eyes on Penny.

“What’s going to sell this? The third years are unrelenting,” Talbott grumbled. “Obvious things. Things only friends wouldn’t be doing,” Penny grinned, looking between your two. “Hold hands, keep the physical contact whenever you can, longing looks - no more glaring, Talbott,” Penny giggled.

By this point, your cheeks were on fire. It hadn’t sunk in before that you’d actually be doing all of this. You suddenly felt very self conscious.

It certainly didn’t help that in the next moment, Talbott had reached over and taken your hand. Without thinking, you quickly snatched it back, ignoring the pleasant jolt you’d felt from the brief contact.

“What are you doing?” You asked hurriedly. “There aren’t any third years around now,” you said, though you felt your face growing hot.

“You two really should practice,” Penny frowned at the exchange. “So it’s believable when the third years are around,” she said.

You couldn’t even glance at Talbott in that moment. You were embarrassed and unsure of why the contact had felt so nice. Sighing, you reached for his hand, allowing him to take it once more. You watched his hand shift for a few moments before his fingers ended up slipping between yours.

“More comfortable that way,” Talbott mumbled, refusing to look directly at you.

“So cute,” Penny giggled. “Besides, the more people that see you acting like this, the better. Word travels, you know,” she hummed.

“You probably shouldn’t tell your friends about this,” Talbott spoke up, glancing down at you beside him. “That it’s not real,” he mumbled.

“Good point,” Penny chimed, nodding her head. “If your closest friends believe it, there’s no double the third years will too!”

“This all seems rather involved, don’t you think?” You drawled, letting out a sigh.

“Come on. It’s just for a week or two until the third years lose interest,” Penny said. All you could do was sigh.

“If they lose interest,” Talbott grumbled, turning to his unopened books.

——

Eventually the study period came to an end and the great hall began filling with students eager for a meal. You friends began filing in as well, each one casting glances at where Talbott’s hand remained linked with yours. He hadn’t let go once, and you were sure your cheeks were a permanent shade of red at this point.

“Evenin’ everyone,” Charlie chimed as he joined you and your already seated friends, including Talbott and Penny from before, plus Ben, Liz, Barnaby and Tonks. “This is...new,” he remarked, raising an eyebrow as he gazed at your linked hands.

Despite the looks, none of your other friends had remarked on it yet, and you felt a fresh wave of embarrassment wash over you.

“Thank Merlin someone said something,” Tonks exclaimed, slamming her hands on the table in excitement. “I thought we were all gonna avoid the giant hippogriff in the room!”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Penny supplied, grinning brightly. “They just told me this afternoon,” she hummed.

You glanced over at Talbott who was clearly trying to melt into his seat, though he hadn’t dropped his hold on your hand. You quirked your lips, unamused he wasn’t speaking. This was all for his benefit, after all!

“Yup, it’s true,” you said, resting your head on your palm.

“I didn’t know the two of you were that close,” Barnaby remarked, looking over at you curiously.

“Well, Talbott’s a very private bloke,” you playfully drawled, patting his hand that was linked with yours.

“You should have heard him gushing during our study period,” Penny grinned at the two of you. You felt your cheeks burn - clearly, Penny was determined to mortify you.

“Good on you, mate,” Charlie said approvingly before beginning to eat. The rest of your friends quickly followed, changing the conversation to an array of things that thankfully did not focus on your new relationship.

“Maybe next time you can speak up,” you quietly grumbled to Talbott, shooting him a look before beginning to eat.

About half an hour passed - both you and Talbott remaining awkwardly silent. Well, at least with each other. You chatted with a few of your other friends, though they didn’t miss the opportunity to ask a few questions about you and Talbott along the way. You were definitely looking forward to hiding in your dorm for the remainder of the evening. This was far too much for one day.

“That’s them,” Talbott’s deep voice spoke quietly, his hand clenching the slightest bit around your own. Looking up, you found him staring across the hall at the table on the far side of the room. Penny turned as well, craning her neck to get a good look.

Huddled in a group were three Ravenclaws and two Slytherins, just as Talbott had initially described. They were giggling loud enough that you could hear them from across the hall, waving their wands exuberantly.

“You have your own little fan club,” you grinned, observing the third years with interest.

“Very funny,” Talbott grumbled. “The blonde is the ringleader,” he jutted his chin in the girl’s direction. You observed the girl he singled out, inspecting the Ravenclaw girl with long, curly blonde hair and deep dimples. She was truthfully, very pretty. You were surprised he didn’t have at least some interest in her.

“That’s Isabella Mott,” Penny said. “Her parents work in Hogsmeade,” she informed. Leave it to Penny to know everything about everyone.

“She’s a pain in the arse is what she is,” Talbott scoffed. “Can’t even sit in the common room in peace anymore.” You couldn’t help but grin at his frustrated remark.

Beside the blonde was another Ravenclaw with short, red hair and a Slytherin with jet black hair and sharp, arched eyebrows. Penny was quick to identify them as Ella Wilson and Avery Thorne.

Amelia Stevens and Madison Lee were the remaining Slytherin and Ravenclaw, respectively. The former was quite small with frizzy chestnut locks while the latter had a thin face framed by dark hair with slight waves.

The group chatted boisterously, unaffected by the looks they were garnering from a few surrounding students. You could definitely see how Talbott found them annoying.

“They’ll leave you alone soon enough,” Penny tried to assure the unamused Talbott. “This plan will work,” she nodded.

“That remains to be seen,” Talbott drawled before letting out a sigh. You could tell he was at his wit’s end with these girls and you couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for your earlier teasing. You were quick to decide that you’d make sure to see this plan though as best as you could.

——

By the time dinner had finished, you were beyond exhausted. Keeping up a façade in front of your friends wasn’t as easy as you’d been anticipating, but you supposed it was good practice.

Letting out a small yawn, you stood and bid good night to your friends, only for your brow to crease when Talbott pulled himself up as well. You turned to give him a questioning glance, but he was silent packing up his things.

“What are you doing?” You frowned, speaking just loud enough for him to hear.

“I’ll walk you,” he said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “It’s a boyfriend’s job,” he added cheekily.

“Have a good night, you two,” Tonks called, a knowing smirk on her face. You felt hot all over again.

Once you had your things gathered, Talbott was quick to reach for your hand once more. Thankfully, you didn’t pull away as you had earlier. After holding his hand for the last few hours, you supposed you were used to it.

You headed out with Talbott, hearing your friends playfully jeering behind you. When someone let out a whistle, you were sure you’d die on the spot. It caused multiple people to look and you just wanted to hide.

You quickened your pace, forcing Talbott to hurry as you slipped out of the great hall. You were quick to drop his hand, flexing your fingers to ward off the stiffness that had formed.

“Well, that was something of an event,” you said, turning to glance at him as you slowed your pace, the two of you headed for the grand staircase.

Talbott cracked a smile, nodding his head as he continued gazing straight ahead.

“Do you...think it’ll work?” You questioned softly, pursing your lips.

“I...would hope so,” he murmured, casting you a glance as you climbed onto the first staircase. “It has to,” he said, steeling his voice. You offered a nod at his determination.

“Well...I’ll be as convincing as I can,” you said, leaning against the railing after moving to the next set of stairs. “Where do you usually see these girls?” You questioned, gazing at him steadily. He looked as exhausted as you felt, maybe even more so.

“After potions. One o’clock,” he responded shortly. “When I’m trying to leave. They have the period after me,” he said. “Then of course, they always seem to find me around the castle,” he sighed.

You quirked your lips, nodding intently as you listened to him. “Alright. Tomorrow at one. I’ll meet you after your class,” you said.

“Huh?” He questioned, confusion spreading across his face.

“I’ll meet you,” you repeated with a slight laugh. “We’ll let those third years get an up-close look at us,” you grinned. “Sound good?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure,” Talbott nodded, gazing down at you. “I...” he trailed, biting his lip. “I didn’t, y’know...thank...you...for doing this...for me,” he stuttered out, unable to meet your surprised gaze.

It only took you a moment to recover before you offered him a smile. “Have a good night,” you responded simply, just as you reached your house’s portrait. “Boyfriend,” you added, before quickly ducking inside. It was only then that you allowed yourself to acknowledge how fast your heart was pounding.

[shinymooncolor]

Hi lovelies.

Hockey is back. ❤️

And so here is another sweater weather chat. It’s split in two. So stay tuned 😘

All the love in the world for @lumosinlove and each and everyone of you! This fandom is truly a remarkable place 💖

Sweater weather chat #12 part 1

Dumo loses a bet. Sunny has a lot of stories. Sergei once had blue hair. He also fought a German suit. Snuck a few of my nhl heroes in here. See if you can spot them. Nado is dying from anticipation. Blizzard wants pictures. Olli is trying to stay on topic. Alice has questions. Sirius has no comments. We jinx the cup a tiny bit. I took some liberties with rosters and timelines for international hockey. No people were harmed in the making of this chat. Danes really are pesky meatball thieves. I love germans (just needed a bad guy).

Friday 7.22 pm

Prongstar: hey dumo. Not backing down from the bet?

Dumodad: no. I honor my word. You guys won. What do you want? Suicides, my car, my wife’s cooking?

Talkiewalkie: damn dumo. Pimping out Celeste

Dumodad: like the lot of you aren’t half in love with her or Anya. You’re not subtle

Krisvolley: I’d marry both with no hesitation. Between Anya’s piroggi and Celeste’s brownies, I’d be set for life.

Nadotheman:fuck you’d have to fight me and Kuny both for that krissy.

Russiangod: I already son of Anya. I take sergei’s place

Sergei_81: am not even 40 yet. Also you all boys. Can’t handle women. They need men.

Logantremblayzzz: it’s weird guys. Don’t crush on your team mates wives 😳 also Sergei you are 40....

Sergei_81: 🤬

Blizzard: don’t make sexy eyes at your goalie when he’s stretching. 🤪

Timmyforrealz: burnnnnnn hahahahahaha

Prongstar: potential adultery, sergei’s age and Logan’s inappropriate staring aside. Dumo lost our bet. And I’ve made a decision. Drumroll please 🙈🙈🙈🙈

Kuny: drdrdrdrdrrrrrrrrrrrr

Prongstar: thanks Kuny babe 😘

Prongstar: dumo! I want the truth about Prague. In this chat. In writing. You have 1 hr.

Dumodad: no.

Sergei_81: no

Sunnysideup: YES

Sunnysideup: I’ll tell them if you don’t 😜

Dumodad: it’s all your fault. Stupid Swede.

Sunnysideup: no one made you bet me. We won, fair and square!

Sunnysideup: the year was 2006. Turin, Italy. Winter Olympics. A brash Russian and a confident Canadian decided to make a bet with a lovely, young and innocent Swede.

Bradygunzz: innocent? 😂😂😂😂

Walkietalkie: wait weren’t you in Sweden then? Or am I missing something? How’d you even know these guys?

Kaneyoudigit: I thought this story was about Prague?

DumoDad: it is. It just started 9 years earlier.

Sunnysideup: some of my national teammates played with Sergei in the khl during the nhl ‘05 lockout. Dumo was signed to do some press stuff with us at olympics. Something about cross team friendships.

Logantremblayzzz: Wow you guys are ancient

DumoDAD: we were top 3 seeded teams and they picked the Russian with good English, a Swede who’s not scary and me. It was fun. And it turned into a bit of drinking after Sergei and sunny started arguing about the quality of vodka.

Krisvolley: you shouldn’t drink at the Olympics 😂

Sunnysideup: anyways. We bet and of course all three were convinced our respective teams would win. Of course, we all know who emerged victorious 😜

Sergei_81: you had Swedish murder twins not fair. Baby sedin slash me on purpose

DumoDad: he didn’t. That was a legit hit you big baby. Also we did better than the US.

Sergei_81: was not clean.

Sunnysideup: we’re not having this discussion again. You both lost. It was a clean hit. Also, the fun part was the bet itself.

Nadotheman: just fucking tell us. The suspense is killing me.😳

Siriusly: whAt did you do??????? Dumo!!!!

Sunnysideup: well. they got kitted out in lovely blue and yellow team colors. Hank’s idea - some fans gave him loads of body paint. Hahahaha also Sergei was sporting a very impressive buzz cut then. It was a thing. So we’ve got these two idiots painted in blue and yellow including sergei’s head. Unfortunately the dye wasn’t meant for hair. So he had blue hair for two weeks after. Anya is still mad at me about that one 😜

Nadotheman: so you just painted them blue and yellow? That’s like so anti climactic.

Logantremblayzzz: oh he’s not done 😂

CarbO’Hara: Logan tell usssss

Siriusly: how come you told him and not me? I feel betrayed.

DumoDad: I didn’t. Celeste did. Traitor.

Logantremblayzzz: I was sad and homesick and she wanted to cheer me up. 😍

Ollibear: I feel like we’re getting off topic

Logantremblayzzz: wait didn’t you then make them steal the Olympic flags from the hotel you were celebrating at and exchange them with Swedish ones?

Sunnysideup: indeed, Logan, and that went smoothly. So it turned into a thing that every time we compete all three in an international thing. We make the losers swap flags. It’s cute.

Prongstar: what about Prague then? That wasn’t until 2015? Was it?

DumoDad: and we all remember who won.

RussianGod: is also where butt slap come from then? Pre game one?

Sergei_81: not our fault. U had Crosby make heart eyes at zhenya. And no Kuny, not from there...

DumoDad: you’re never letting that one go? Hahaha poor Sergei.

Dumodad: also. the butt slap is an Old tradition. We had a playoff round ages back and I slapped him. We won. We’ve done it since. Works doesn’t it?

Sergei_81: you said “let’s go get them”. Still do. It works. All magic slap. I thought you say “ let’s go eat them” Still works hehe

Ollibear: again, we’re veering off topic, dumo.

Sunnysideup: well. Prague. I know Canada won. Golden boy got golden goal. Blah blah blah. But for some reason we had another bet 😜. Dumo cooked up a revenge for me and Sergei. But it was before the final. We were just heading into the second round and somehow ended up in another vodka related discussion (we all know Swedish vodka is superior).

RussianGod: Swedish vodka is water. Russia best.

Sergei_81: was stupid idea. But vodka make us brave.

DumoDad: I never told you to start climbing that flag pole. You decided that on your own. I just told you to get me the flag.

Sunnysideup: he did climb that pole like a fireman though.

Timmyforrealz: hold up a sec. you’re telling me sergei “i never smile and my looks can literally make opponents wet themselves” Ivanov climbed a flag pole while drunk and it looked good?

Sunnysideup: he was wearing a “I love Canada” onesie and crocs. Which was about 6 sizes too little. We both were.

Newt-leo: we’re going to need pics of this.

Sunnysideup: well. The onesies were one thing. Still not sure how we got corralled into it. But anyways as I remember Sergei did successfully steal the flag from the hotel and started on the cars outside. We just didn’t know it was some group of fancy politicians also in town to watch hockey.

Dumodad: you Europeans and your weird politicians. Apparently the little politic guy didn’t like Russians. So his body guard tackled Sergei down. Sergei fought back. And somehow I ended up in the tangle of suits and Canada onesies.

Sergei_81: he blame Russia for stupid shit I might get mad. Police came and put us in little jail in hotel. Sunny no where

Sunnysideup: I went to get help. I didn’t know you were going to fight the bodyguards of the German minister of trade now did I?

Dumodad: was it German? I thought it was Spain. The flag was yellow and red.

Krisvolley: wait so. In the middle of an Olympic tournament, the three of you (all dads and husbands by 2015) gets shitfaced on vodka, go on a flag stealing rampage through Prague and get tackled by German secret services? 😫

Sergei_81: not Prague just one hotel. And car park. And house opposite.

Siriusly: how did you get out?

Sunnysideup: I bailed them out. Or. I managed to explain that they’re big hockey stars and got backstrom and oveckin to come and support me.. Ovi just giggled. Backy just stared until they agreed. He’s scary. Sergei was cursing a lot. Dumo was crying at one point... hehehehe he . I think dumo was nearly benched no after?

DumoDad: somehow the team found out and little mr captain was not happy?. Also at this point sergei was mostly naked as the onesie gave up halfway through wrestling Germans. We got a big fine, had to formally issue an apology to the German delegates and the hotel. And Sergei had to pay another fine for embarrassing Russia 😂

Sergei_81: they happy I hit German but I couldn’t say hehe. Also lost a croc never found it. Walk home in one shoe 👟

Siriusly: I can’t believe you almost caused an international incident because you were arguing about vodka.

Sunnysideup: you should see us scandies when it comes to the origins of meatballs. Pesky Danes trying to steal credit. 🤬

Blizzard: and you’re all still talking about me and the fountain. Also. We were on the lions team then? How come you’ve managed to keep this quiet? Also. Where are the pictures of this? I have so many questions.

DumoDad: Sunny has pictures. And so does the Czech police. And maybe the hotel. And it stays that way.

Blizzard: sunny. I want pictures.

Sunnysideup: lord Stanley will decide ❤️ also pretty sure both ovi and backy has some. For revenge purposes.

Siriusly: DONT jinx.

Prongstar: you broke cap.

—-

Tuesday 2.54 pm

Alice: Sirius.

Alice: Sirius pick up your phone.

Alice: Sirius Orion Black. Please tell me that a picture of you and Remus in a closet in Ikea’s kids department is fake.

Sirius: I was in hiding. Re helped me. We didn’t do anything

Alice: your shirt is on backwards.

Sirius: it’s a fashion statement.

Alice: and the shark?

Sirius: no comment

——

Part two is coming up.

——

[jawritter]

You and Me...

Chapter 14

***SERIES WARNINGS**** Rape, non-con, male!rape, injury, violence, description of injury caused by rape, nightmares, self-harm, panic attacks, implied female non-con, language, ass hole Jensen, hurt!Jensen, dark fic, smut. If there is anything else I will add it as I go.

***Chapter Warnings*** Smut, unprotected sex, mild panic attack, trauma-based anxiety, language probably because it’s me, angst, some fluff, I think that’s about it for this chapter.

Pairing: Jensen Ackles x Reader

Word Count: 2597

A/N: Anyway, all mistakes are mine, please don’t copy my work, Feedback is golden. If you want to be added to the series tag list, or my tag list just let me know! I hope you enjoy this one. This is something I actually did and witness, and I realize this one might be hard to read because it is a little heavy.

Summary: It’s funny how one choice you made can change your whole life. One mistake can alter your course, and set you on a path that forever will haunt you. Two people find themselves getting through one of the hardest trials of Jensen’s life, on just one small promise. You and Me. We’ll get through it together…

Want more? Check out my masterlist!!

***MASTERLIST***

***YOU AND ME MASTERLIST***

Jensen's POV:

The sound of rain hitting against the windows and deep rolling thunder pulled Jensen from his deep sleep.  At first, he wasn't sure where he was, It felt like an eternity since he'd woken up in his own bed, and to be honest it felt a little foreign to him. 

The more awake he became he could feel the warmth that was surrounding his body. The warmth of another person wrapped tightly in his arms. Looking down he could see Y/N nuzzled into his chest sleeping soundly. 

He ran his fingers gently through her hair, moving it out of her face so that he could see her fully, enjoying the warmth of her body pressed to his. The scent of her shampoo filling his senses with each deep breath took, as her bare chest rose and fell against him. Her warm breath fanned over his throat in a way that had his body tingling under his skin. The feeling of her silky skin under his fingertip was almost mesmerizing. It was all overwhelming, and comforting at the same time.

He had no idea what time it was, but he was thankful that he'd made it through the night without those awful nightmares. He didn't know what he did to deserve her, but he did know he needed her. He needed this…

He laid there enjoying every moment, he didn't realize that he craved her contact this way, and for the first time in years, he was content. This was something he’d been missing even when he was married to Danneel, and he hadn’t even known it.

Laying here with her next to him last night really did help, and he felt like maybe, just maybe he could overcome his mind now. In fact, he was sure that he'd be able to overcome it now, even if it was a little bit at a time. Step by step. This was a big step for him, one he felt like he was making in the right direction for the first time since Supernatural ended. 

He needed her. 

He didn't realize it, but now that he did he couldn't imagine waking up and her not being wrapped in his arms.

The longer he lay there, playing with her hair, and touching her skin,  the more his body started to respond to Y/N’s presence. It was something that honestly surprised him. It was the first time that had happened since his attack. He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the relief that washed over him. He decided today would be the day. He had to at least try…

Your POV:

The sound of the shower running woke you from your deep sleep. It took a moment to place your surroundings, everything was foggy, and sleep blurred as you struggled to come to grips with where you were.

The bed was cold when you reached over to see if Jensen was still asleep. He must have been up for a little while now, which explained the shower running. 

Stretching your muscles you figure that you had at least another 15 minutes before he gets done in the shower. So you roll over and try to go back to sleep. You can now hear the storm rolling outside. So that tells you that neither of you will probably be going anywhere today.

You must have successfully fallen back to sleep, but it felt like you had just closed your eyes when you felt someone playing with your hair. Looking up you see Jensen laying on top of the covers next to you, hair still wet from his shower, wearing a dark green T-shirt that makes his eyes stick out more than usual, and a pair of black running shorts loosely hanging on his hips; the line of his black boxers peeking out around the waist. 

How did he look that damn good first thing in the morning?

"Morning beautiful," he said when he saw you looking at him. 

"Morning," you grumble, rubbing your face. His arm wrapped around you and pulled you as close to him as the covers would allow. 

You nuzzled yourself into the bend of his neck, which was quickly becoming your favorite spot. The scent of his body washed, mixed with a hint of his cologne, and something that was just Jensen made your knees weak.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning,” you mumble against him, and you could feel him chuckle a little. 

"Yeah, I guess I am,” he said, placing a light kiss on the top of your head. “It's pouring outside. We ain't got nowhere to be. We got all day just to ourselves,” he says, running his fingers lightly along what part of your back was exposed. 

"Well, let me get some coffee, then I'll fix you some breakfast," you tell him, sitting up and holding the covers over yourself. 

"S'okay. I've already eaten a bowl of cereal," he said with a shrug, sitting up a little with you, his hair sticking up at random ends. He looked good this morning, calm. 

You grimaced a little. "Sorry. I should have got up while you were in the shower and made your breakfast so you wouldn't have to eat cereal," you tell him.

He laughs a little, grabbing your hand in his and playing with your fingers.

 "It's okay, you deserve to sleep in sometimes too," he says, suddenly sitting up next to you, kissing you on the forehead. “I’ll go start some fresh coffee,” he winked at you over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him, giving you some privacy. 

You couldn't help but smile at his good mood. It was the best one he's been in sense...well now that you think about it, you've never really seen Jensen in a good mood.

You quickly jump in the shower, throwing on some shorts and an oversized shirt. You throw your hair into a messy bun, and you make your way toward where you smell coffee coming from. You still couldn't get used to this house. It was gorgeous!

Seeing you coming, Jensen pours you a bowl of cereal and sits the milk down on the counter for you next to your coffee. "I didn't know you knew how I drank my coffee," you tell him, pouring milk into your cereal. 

He sits down next to you at the bar with a proud smile on his face. "I pay attention to more than people usually give me credit for," he says, pulling out his laptop, and checking his emails, letting you eat your breakfast.

Once you were finished he put your bowel into the dishwasher for you, then grabbed you by the hand. 

"Come on, according to the weatherman it's gonna be raining all day. I got something in mind," he said, pulling you into what he called the family room last night. 

The room is dark except for what little light was coming from the dim sky outside through the glass french doors. He had put a bunch of pillows and blankets on the floor. The TV. was on Netflix waiting for the two of you to pick something to watch. He had really put some time into this, and it made you smile more than a little.

"Netflix and chill Jensen?" Was all you could say, making him throw his head back in the first real laugh you had ever heard from him. You loved the sight of his smile and his laugh was contagious. You could get used to seeing him like this. 

"Yeah, if I'm lucky," he said, winking at you before flopping down on the floor, and patting the spot next to him; shedding his shirt before looking at you like a little lost puppy who needed it's ear scratched. 

"Okay, okay," you roll your eyes, teasing him, making him laugh again as he held up the cover for you could crawl under with him. 

He flipped through Netflix before you both settle on the walking dead, and he pulls you into his chest, laying on his side he started to run his fingers up and down the exposed skin of your upper thigh, causing an involuntary shiver to rip through your body.  

When you felt his lips brush over your neck slightly you freeze, not wanting to scare him away, just letting him do whatever he felt comfortable doing. Finding your pulse point he nipped at you gently. You were surprised at how well he was doing this morning but afraid to jinx it.

Slowly, almost painfully slowly, he kissed his way up your jawline, finally finding your lips, kissing you sweetly yet passionately, sending sparks through your body. You really don't think he understood just how easily he took your breath away. Taking a break, he puts his forehead against your forehead, both of you are breathing a little heavily as he brings his hand to rest on your hip, pulling you impossibly closer to him.

"Babe, I think I'm ready," he said, playing with the waistband of your shorts.

"Ready for what?" you asked, more than a little confused. 

He took your hand in his and slowly placed it over his already hard length covered by his shorts. 

Your eyes widened in surprise, and you froze on the spot. 

"Are you sure?" you ask him, searching his eyes for any sign of hesitation or distress.

"No," he said with a nervous chuckle. "But I'm willing to try. She said yesterday that this was the only thing that was going to get me better. Even if it wasn't so great the first time," he said, moving to hover over you.

You tried not to get too distracted at the way his muscles moved just under his skin with every moment he made. His tick, solid chest and shoulders cover your view of the TV completely as he places himself over you.

"Okay, if you think that's what you want to try to do," you tell him, reaching up and touching the side of his face softly.

He says nothing, just lowers his lips to yours again, placing little light kisses there as his hands explored a little more of your body. Moving his way to your jawline, finding the sensitive skin behind your ear and sucking lightly. He was being overly gentle, taking his time, not rushing himself, and you were going to let him have complete control of this situation. 

He kissed his way down our neck to your pulse point and paused there for a while, pulling at the hem of your shirt, giving you the hint to shed your shirt and throw it into a nearby chair. Reaching behind your back, he quickly undoes your bra and slides it down your arms, throwing it with your shirt.

Sitting up a little more for a better view he stops and looks at your bare chest, taking his time, touching you softly, so softly that it was driving you crazy. Running his thumb over one of your nipples lightly and making it stand up for him, then moving over to the other side. 

"You're beautiful," he says before he slowly puts his mouth on our nipple, sucking softly and licking at the sensitive skin there, causing your back to arch into him. Once he finally had enough there he moved over to the next one, being just as gentle as he could, taking his time, running his hand up and down your skin on your side. 

Finally, he pulled at the hem of your shorts, taking down your shorts and your underwear in one smooth pull, leaving you exposed before him. He started to kiss his way down your stomach, stopping right before he got to the top of your quickly dampening folds. Taking a sharp breath he pulled his head back up to your shoulders, hiding there for a moment, burying his face in your neck, and breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that yet," he said, hiding his face from you. You run your fingers lightly across his shoulders, trying to be comforting but also not wanting to throw him into a full-blown flashback.

"It's okay. We'll only go as far as you're comfortable with going," you try and assure him. 

Shaking his head he sits up and rid himself of the rest of his clothes. 

You were surprised to find he was still hard. You thought that he'd lost steam when he stopped a few moments ago. Taking a few deep breaths he brings his lips back to the soft spot behind your ear, taking your ear lob in his teeth gently, bring a slight moan from you. 

He positioned himself between your legs, already lining himself up with your dripping center. Bringing his lips to yours he kissed you again, more need presents this time, his tongue exploring every inch of your mouth. 

"You ready?" he asked, breaking for air, his eyes searching yours. You nodded at him, wanting him to feel like he was completely in control. So much so that you were afraid to say too much.

Slowly he slipped his full length inside you, both of you moaning against each other's shoulders. You look up at him, and his eyes were closed tightly. You placed your hand on the side of his face, letting him know it was okay, and praying this wasn’t a bad idea. 

Slowly at first, he thrust into you, testing the waters, trying to see just how far he was willing to go. Quickly both of you became lost in the sensation. He was hitting your g-spot with every deep thrust, quickly pulling you to titter on the edge. Gradually he began to build speed, nearing his own end as well. Every time he fully seated himself inside you, you couldn't help but moan a little. You had been with plenty of men before, but never one like Jensen, you’d never felt so full, so stretched, and so perfectly content before. You watched his eyes roll, he was really, getting close, so much so that he was shivering slightly with each shakey thrust.  

"Baby I'm gonna cum," he said, voice deep and thick and strained.

You wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders, pulling him close as he buried himself into your neck. 

You didn't have time to respond before he came undone deep inside you, pushing you over the edge as white hot ropes of cum painted your clenching walls. Both of you were moaning loudly, pawing at whatever you both could reach, riding out your highs together. 

Finally, when it was all over, he slowly pulled out of you, curling up into a ball with a very distant look on his face, shaking slightly. A single tear slipping down his face and you reach over and wipe it away. He looked at you and then pulled you to him, holding you tightly. 

"I did it," he whispered against your hair. 

You unwrapped him as best you could from himself, and pulled him close to you, placing a kiss on the side of his forehead as he nuzzled himself into your neck. “You did it, Jensen. You did it.” 

You laid there rubbing his back trying to bring him down from whatever he was seeing, you could tell he was on the verge of a full-fledged panic attack. He was still shaking slightly. The therapist said that the first time would be hard on him. You could see that it was. Jensen likes to hide how he was feeling when it came down to it. He'd downplay it so as to not worry you unless it caught him off guard like the nightmares did. This time though he wasn’t hiding anything, all his walls were down, and finally he seemed to be letting you fully in.

Thankfully it didn’t last long before he was able to calm down and relax into your hold, wrapping his arms around you tighter and keeping you as close to him as possible.

The two of you lay there the rest of the day like that. Just enjoying each other's company. Kissing each other. Letting him explore your body with his callused hands that never failed to leave a trail of fire under your skin. Snuggling as close as you could with each other.

 Deep down you hope that today he made a big step in his recovery process, not a step backward. As you watched him nap next to you, you couldn't believe this beautiful, strong, man was yours. Even if he didn't see himself as perfect, and thought he was damaged beyond repair, you wished he could see what you saw.

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

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[wangxiangiftexchange]

Winter Solstice Gift for sweetlittlevampire

Happy exchange to @sweetlittlevampire! You have no idea how much pressure I felt when I realized I was tasked with putting together your gift - your art is always so beautiful and detailed! I hope this checks the boxes for you: I aimed at driving home 'non-sexual intimacy' and 'found family', with lots of heavy fluff tones. Enjoy!

A quick note: because I have next to no familiarity with Chinese culture, either modern or ancient, I have set this story in modern North America. This means the wedding planning and cultural references adhere to North American styles.

Read on AO3

*****

The Award for Best Man

It’s an unusual time of day to be this exhausted, even by Lan Wangji’s supposedly early sleep schedule. The sun hasn’t finished climbing the sky yet and Lan Wangji can’t think of a single thing he’d rather be doing with a rare day off than this:

He and Wei Ying are together, lumped in the vertex of their L-shaped couch which sits directly in the morning sun. They have the apartment to themselves today, until this evening, when A-Yuan and Wen-popo will return their rabbits from babysitting. Wei Ying was still convinced that Bichen and Suibian would have been absolutely fine with them gone all yesterday to tour wedding venues; Lan Wangji had insisted they not be lonely.

Now he wonders if he subconsciously had the foresight to rid himself of anything that could have distracted him from an exhausted Wei Ying. He becomes so sweet and pliable when he’s tired, needy only for Lan Wangji’s affection and attention. It’s one of the only times Wei Ying lies still.

Usually.

Out of nowhere, Wei Ying springs out of his lap to sit upright on the couch. He must not be as tired as Lan Wangji thought.

“I just realized –” he says, turning back to Lan Wangji with a striking look of alarm on his face. “I can’t ask you to be my best man. Lan Zhan! You’ve ruined my wedding plans!”

Lan Wangji blinks, a little surprised. ‘Ruined’ seems a touch dramatic – if anything, he thinks recasting his role as ‘bridegroom’ is an upgrade over ‘best man’.

But because he’s tired too, his only response is: “Me?”

“Yes, you! Silly. What did you think I was gonna do? Get married at an altar where you weren’t there beside me and, wow, oh my god, that seems too revealing now that I say it out loud.”

Lan Wangji’s heart glows and he tucks a loose hair from Wei Ying’s face. The gesture makes them both smile. “I pictured you, too.”

“Aawww!! You did??” Wei Ying’s cheeks are flushing and his eyes are tearing up, but Lan Wangji is 85% sure it’s for dramatic effect. “Wait, like, always or...?”

Lan Wangji boops his nose, a private joke between them for every time he deems Wei Ying to be ‘nosy’. He knows it used to be a gesture exclusive to Jiang Yanli, his future sister, and every time Wei Ying lets him get away with it, bubbles simmer in his chest.

“Since Gusu,” he admits.

“Gusu Elementary?! Lan Zhan, you flirt! We were twelve! I waited until at least Qishan High to fall madly in love with you.” Assured, as he always is after successfully fishing for flattery, Wei Ying starts settling back into his sprawl inside Lan Wangji’s arms. “Ugh, remember Wen Chao, the principal’s kid? He’s a dad now. Facebook told me earlier.”

He isn’t pleased to have the memory of such a vile personality sour their cuddle time. He shifts, gathers Wei Ying closer, and switches the topic. “What about Jiang Wanyin?”

Wei Ying startles up again, though not all the way out of his arms, eyes wide with anxiety. “What about Jiang Cheng. Lan Zhan. Do you know something I don’t? When did Jiang Cheng get a kid – where did Jiang Cheng get a kid?! I KNOW Wen Qing has an IUD!”

Ah. He sees the problem now. “For your best man,” he explains, coaxing his fiancé back down. It marvels him how much one can struggle to relax.

“Oh, thank god,” Wei Ying says, slumping back into the pillow that is his betrothed before smacking a sweatered pec. “You worried me! We’ve both seen how A-Cheng is with Jin Ling, I shudder to think how he’ll be with his own.” He really does shudder, from his head down the base of his spine. Then he fidgets, rolling up his hands in the folds of Lan Wangji’s minty blue sweater. “But yeah, I suppose he’ll do for a best man. I’ll never hear the end of it if I ask Wen Ning over him.”

He sends a grin up at Lan Wangji, happily sharing the mental image of Jiang Cheng blowing a fuse. It’s a thought that never fails to tickle him.

“What about you?” Wei Ying asks. “I assume you’ll ask your brother but isn’t he still in the arctic?”

He was. Three weeks ago, a Waterborne Abyss had somehow broken loose from the ocean floor and wound up on the surface of the Pacific Ocean. When Xichen had first gone to cleanse it, it escaped the pre-set array and fled. Xichen had been tasked to pursue and had chased the demon around the north pole for nearly eight days now with scarcely a word of update.  

Lan Wangji doesn’t like worrying about his brother. Luckily, it’s an even rarer occurrence than a truly exhausted Wei Ying.

Still...

“Mm...”

Wei Ying cuddles closer. “Ahhh, don’t worry too much, Lan Zhan, he’ll be back before you know it. He certainly won’t let some puny abyssal keep him from his didi’s wedding! I can’t wait to see him cry actual tears, I’m going to bribe Mianmian to take so many pictures.”

Lan Wangji flushes a little. He loves his brother and he knows Xichen loves him, but they never make a show of it in public. He suspects Wei Ying is correct in thinking their wedding will be an exception. Xichen has requested time to make a toast, after all.

“Hey, not to jinx it or anything, but who would you have as a best man if Lan Xichen couldn’t be? Not for a sad reason! Like, uhhh, say his wedding was on the same day, at the same time as ours. Yeah, that works.”

Lan Wangji raises an eyebrow. “Who is he marrying?”

Wei Ying’s smile goes crooked to match his brow, bemused as he is every time Lan Wangji indulges in these kinds of playful hypotheticals. “Does it matter?”

“Indubitably.”

Wei Ying laughs so hard he snorts. He is so exquisitely beautiful. “Well, if my future husband insists, I’ll paint you the whole picture. Um. Let’s say he marries... Jin Guangyao.”

Lan Wangji hums, a little put-off by the idea. It’s nothing against Jin Guangyao as a person, but he’s always been singularly difficult for Lan Wangji to read. All his favourite people – Xichen, Mingjue, Jiang Yanli, and of course Wei Ying – don’t make their thoughts or feelings hidden the way Jin Guangyao does. It leaves Lan Wangji with a very unstable opinion of the man – more than once he has badly misread a situation and felt insecure about the cues he must have missed.

Not to mention the history the man has with Wei Ying. They never talk about it, and Lan Wangji has never pried, but he knows the two were close friends as children before something fell apart between them. Wei Ying still sends a birthday wish to Jin Guangyao every year, in part because he always receives a card on his own. The card always includes a sheet of red stickers – anything red: anatomic hearts, parrots, chilli peppers, firetrucks, Santa hats, and ladybugs. Lan Wangji has never asked why he sends them or what Wei Ying does with them. It’s enough of an intrusion to watch that wistful smile play out.

“Mingjue,” he answers, refocusing on their game. “To spare the heartache.”

Wei Ying nods appreciatively at his wisdom. “Yes, yes, I agree. He’d cry, get sappy drunk, and trash the cake just to be a torturous mess at a Xiyao wedding, wouldn’t he? Best have him at ours, where he’ll cry, get sappy drunk, and sing all the worst love songs at karaoke with Nie Huaisang.”

“‘Come What May’,” Lan Wangji suggests, to Wei Ying’s delight.

“Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’!”

“‘Your Song’.”

Wei Ying’s smile turns sweet. He nuzzles into Lan Wangji’s chest and mutters quietly, “I already have one of those.”

They fall into peaceful near-quiet for a minute, Wei Ying softly humming out the score Lan Wangji composed for him years ago when it was the only way he knew to publicly dedicate his heart. During the last measure, Wei Ying’s stomach growls and he loses himself giggling. Lan Wangji smiles, rubs his stomach for him and lightly shushes it, which makes Wei Ying laugh harder.

“Alright, alright,” he says, whipping out his phone from between the seat cushions. “Time for lunch! Sushi okay with you?”

Lan Wangji nods, sneaks in a quick peck to his forehead, and says, “Whatever you want.”

“Sweet-talker,” he chides, but a flash of teeth betrays his happiness. “What rolls do you want?”

He can’t help himself. “Volcano roll, seared salmon roll, and spicy tuna bowl, extra wasabi and spicy mayo.”

Wei Ying gives him the sweetest side-eye and Lan Wangji swears the next words past his lips will be ‘I love you’: “Then I’m ordering yam rolls, cucumber rolls, low sodium miso soup, and tamago nigiri with no wasabi whatsoever.”

He knew it.

He pulls his fiancé up into a kiss, chasing down that ‘I love you’ with his tongue, certain it must taste as good as it had sounded, maybe even better than it feels, right now, against his lips and zinging down his body like welding sparks.

Wei Ying looks absolutely dazed when he releases him. “Happy with that?” Wei Ying asks, referring to the rolls.

“Besotted,” Lan Wangji confesses, absolutely lost in this man.

“Damn right,” Wei Ying whispers, voice breathy with reciprocation. It’s another fifteen minutes of playing kiss tag before their stomachs overrule them and get their lunch order placed.

With nothing to do but wait the thirty-five minutes it will take for their delivery to be made, Wei Ying brings them back to their earlier game, before the kissing.

“So what if Lan Xichen was marrying Nie Mingjue? Who would be your best man, then?”

It’s a slightly harder question than the last. Since he can remember, Nie Mingjue has been a brother by proxy, which means Lan Wangji must consider best men that aren’t brothers. Surprisingly, a person comes to mind rather quickly.

“Jin Zixuan.”

Wei Ying may have fallen to the floor if Lan Wangji’s arms weren’t such a secure tether to the couch. “WHAT?! WHY? Don’t tell me you’ve become friends with that Peacock behind my back! Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan, how could you betray me like this!?”

Lan Wangji frowns. “We were already friends.”

Wei Ying scoffs, “You were not.”

“We had coffee last week.”

“YOU HAD COFFEE?!” Distressed, Wei Ying drops his head into Lan Wangji’s sweater, whining about the slew of injustice. “Unacceptable... already friends... didn’t even rub off on the peacock at all, stupid... without telling me , Lan Zhan... such betrayal, much scandal, wow...”

Despite the energetic upset, Lan Wangji feels a yawn against his chest. Wei Ying’s exhaustion is finally catching up to him. “There, there,” he comforts, patting his head.

“Mmmm...” mutters the mess of hair. “Feels good, keep doing that. It eases my betrayed and deceived heart.”

Wei Ying’s requests are never difficult to fulfill – this one, especially so. Lan Wangji lets his posture relax further, content to sit in the sleepy energy of Sunday. Wei Ying keeps purring against him, breaths slowing and lengthening. They’ll both sleep through the food delivery at this rate.

Lan Wangji adds a light scratch to his pets and says, “Take a nap, Wei Ying. I’ll wait for lunch.”

Wei Ying hums in disagreement. “You’ll get bored, Lan Zhan. Here...” He rouses himself enough to stretch for the coffee table and grabs Lan Wangji’s reading glasses and latest novel. “Read. I can prop it up for you, like an actual supportive fiancé.”

Lan Wangji chuckles under his breath as he unfolds his glasses. “You are undoubtedly the best fiancé.”

Wei Ying bats blindly at the hand that pets him. “Shush, you! I’m sleeping now.”

Later, when their stomachs are stuffed full of too much rice, Lan Wangji thinks he’ll request they return to the couch. This is a day full of rarities and he’s determined to savour every minute of this sleeply, perfect man that it will gift him.

[bernadineisreborn]

Reality V

Draco Malfoy x Reader

Author’s note: Heyyyy, I’m back!!! *lowers eyes in shame* Anyway, I am continuing this story thanks to the inspiration I received after reading almost all of @acciodracoo​ ’s stories (thanks, btw!) I don’t remember what my initial vision for this was, but I am pretty sure it’s quite different now, and that’s okay. Also, the reader is officially a Ravenclaw because it was necessary for plot. Thanks and enjoy reading!                            –Bernadine

Warnings: Swearing/vulgarity, not-canon-ness

Word count: 1636 :)

Series Masterlist

You needed to talk to Trelawney. Yes, you knew she was crazy and irrational and, maybe, probably, a bit of an alcoholic, but there wasn’t anyone else who could help. You briefly wished you could ask Marcus to go with you, but he’d been an absolute dick earlier, and there was no way you were going to approach him for help.  

But, now, you had to focus on dinner, and detention with Slughorn afterwards.

Malfoy, of course, would be there, and you were in no mood to deal with his moodiness or his bullying.

You head for the Dining Hall reluctantly, dreading the inevitability of seeing Marcus, wondering if you’d be eating alone.

You did have other friends, but none as close as Marcus. Until now, there hadn’t been a need for other people to talk to. Marcus knew everything about you. His parents had been friends with yours during their years at Hogwarts, and you and Marcus had grown up spending every summer alternating your time in between each other’s houses. You were so similar; you just clicked. Both the only child and both exceptionally intelligent, in your own ways.

So, when you trudged into the Dining Hall and locked eyes with Marcus, who’s expression looked notably apologetic, it was not easy for you to turn toward the girls you dormed with, and ask to eat with them instead.

“Hello. Do you guys have room for me to sit?”

Mandy Brocklehurst and Sue Li turned their heads and looked at you. Mandy met your eyes with glee as she scooted to make room for you to sit, “Sure, Y/N! Not sitting with Marcus today?” Her eyes shifted down the table, where Marcus was eating with a distinctive look of displeasure on his face.

You shook your head, and sat down, “No, we got into a bit of a fight earlier.”

Sue nodded knowingly, “I’ve noticed it too, Y/N. He’s distancing himself from you.”

You frowned at her a bit. Mandy and Sue were, like most Ravenclaws, a bit weird. You were, however, a bit weird as well, and willing to accept the weirdness and move on, so you just gave her a resigned shrug.

“Y/N would rather not talk about it Sue,” said Mandy, shooting Sue a not so subtle glance, “Anyway, how have things been with you? It’s been forever since we’ve chatted.”

You spent the rest of dinner talking gratefully to Sue and Mandy. Sue, a half-blood witch, was graced with silky black hair and kind eyes. She was rather short and thin, but you’d seen her casting spells in class, and she could clearly hold her own. Mandy, on the other hand, had wavy, chestnut-colored hair and hazel eyes. She was taller than Sue, and quite popular with the boys for her figure. Both of them were rather pretty, you noticed, and by time dinner was over, you were remembering why you hadn’t spent more time with them: they made you feel exceptionally average.  

“I was just about to jinx the bitch, but instead I tripped and fell at her feet. I was so embarrassed, and Sue just stood there and didn’t help at all!” laughed Mandy as she finished another story, and you laughed along, enjoying yourself quite a bit and successfully forgetting about both Marcus and Malfoy.

It was only when you happened to glance up and see Draco standing that you remembered. You watched him leave the room, robes billowing behind him, and excused yourself, “Ugh. I’ve got to go to detention with Slughorn…and Malfoy,” you said, rolling your eyes to Sue and Mandy.

“For being late today? Hm, rather harsh for Slughorn, don’t you think, Mandy?” asked Sue, a sympathetic look in her dark eyes.

Mandy nodded her head, expression scandalized, “Yes, I do. Though, I suppose he is rather traditional. And he doesn’t seem to like Malfoy much.”

“Hopefully Malfoy doesn’t murder me while we do whatever menial task ol’ Sluggy deems appropriate,” you mused. Sue and Mandy giggled, and you continued, “He seems a bit off lately, yeah?”

Mandy nodded again, “Draco has been a tad crueler than usual, yes.” You considered telling them about what happened in the hallway a few weeks ago, when you had seen him crying by himself, but something told you that it would be better kept between you and him.

“Well, anyway, I’ll see you later!”

They waved cheerily as you scurried away, nervous once again about the evening when the effects of Sue and Mandy had worn off.

You walked down the halls quickly, and by time you had arrived in Slughorn’s classroom, it was 7:30 pm. Draco was standing by Slughorn’s desk, and Slughorn was bent over, rifling through a drawer in his desk.

“I know I’ve put it in here somewhere, Mr. Malfoy, don’t worry,” he muttered as he searched frantically.

Draco, unsurprisingly, did not look a bit concerned with whatever object Slughorn was desperate to find. His blonde eyebrows were pinched and his lips were pursed, an expression that displayed mild annoyance with the professor.

As you approached, you called, “Why not try an accio spell, Professor?”

Draco and Slughorn turned toward you, Draco raised an elegant eyebrow and Slughorn looked perturbed, as usual.

“Oh, hello Miss L/N. While that is an excellent idea, this particular item is enchanted so that it does not respond to the accio charm.”

Draco huffed, as if you had been dumb to suggest this, and your cheeks tinted red, “Sorry, Professor.”

“No need to apologize, Miss L/N,” He stands upright, a small, rusty gold key in his hand, “I’ve found it! Alright then, let’s get you two to work.” With this, he shuffled to the back of the classroom, you and Draco following suit, where there was a door that you had never seen be opened before. He thrust the small key into the door’s lock, revealing a cramped room full of labeled vials that you recognized as various potion ingredients.

“Ah, yes. This is our master ingredient room, where Hogwarts stores all of the potions and potion ingredients not used regularly for classes. The regularly used ones, as you know, are stored in the cabinet just there,” he gestured behind you, “For your detention, I’d like you to condense these vials. There may be repeat vials with the same ingredients, I just need you to organize them into larger containers and sort them.”

Your eyes swept across the rows, there was no way you would have this finished in one night.

Just as you were about to protest, Draco spoke up, “Professor Slughorn, sir,” his grey eyes were clouded and his nostrils flared, “Forgive me, but I don’t see how we can have this done in one night.”

Slughorn nodded vaguely, “Yes, I suppose it might take more than a few days, it hasn’t been organized since before I started teaching years ago, as far as I know. Might teach you a lesson about tardiness, hmm?” He chuckled under his breath, “You can continue working each night until it’s done, then,” he made eye contact with you and Draco, “Well, get working, I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

With that he trotted off, leaving you standing in the tiny room with a clearly agitated Draco.

“Erm, I guess I’ll start on this side,” you pointed to the shelf closest to you, “and we can meet in the middle?”

Draco’s fists were clutched tightly at his sides, and his eyes were narrowed, focused away from you blankly at the shelf in front of him.

You cleared your throat, “Erm… Malfoy?”

His eyes shifted over to you. For a split second, you could have sworn his expression was panicked. Then, his brow hardened and he turned away, “Fine.”

The next half-hour was filled with only the sound of tinkling glass bottles being rearranged. You turned around, wondering how far Draco’d gotten. His back was facing you, broad and tall, robes perfectly ironed. His platinum hair was perfectly styled, even from the back.

He must have felt you looking, because he turned around and looked you up and down with narrowed eyes, “Spying on me again, are you?” His tone seemed less hostile than earlier, and you cleared your throat and turned back to your shelf.

“Of course not, just wondering how far you’d gotten,” you replied.

Your mind wandered as you worked, and you came to think about the box Draco had been lugging around during Potions. Silence filled the air a few minutes more before curiosity got the better of you, “So, what was the box for? Earlier, I mean?”

Draco tensed, and glanced back at you, not that you saw. Your eyes were locked on the shelf in front of you, which you had barely managed to condense in the 30 minutes you’d had already.

His tone flipped again, “None of your business,” he snarled.

“Well I’d say it’s my business if you getting it caused both of us to be stuck in here together,” you retorted.

At this, Draco turned around, “What’d I say about being nosey, L/N?”

You turned too, and were surprised to find him, once again, inches away from you in an attempt at intimidation. You could feel his breath hitting your face as his chest heaved dramatically.

Reluctantly, you backed down, “Fine. I was just curious. Seemed important.”

Draco emitted a grunt, and you both went back to working in silence.

Another hour or so later, Slughorn returned and bid you goodnight, allowing you to return to your dorms for the night.

Draco bowed his head to Slughorn in begrudging respect, “Thank you, sir.”

You followed him out of the classroom. He turned towards the Dungeons without looking at you, and rushed off.

This was sure to be a fun week.

----

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added): @drawlfoy​ @buckys-hoeee​ @silversslytherin​ @acciodracoo​ @afootnoteinyourhappiness​

[honestlyfragile]

Jinxed - Bang Chan

Pairing: Bang Chan x Female reader

Genre: fluff, crack, winter!au

Wc: 3.1k

Summary: Chan had always had a thing for knick knacks, and you’re just right on season. But are refunds possible? Or will he just have to deal with being… jinxed?

Your novelty shop was a tradition passed onto your family for decades. It was open all year round but since Christmas was around the corner, it was more active than ever. You sold items that were brand new, and some antiques that were either donated, or preserved stocks that haven’t been sold in years.

Ever since winter break, your mother certainly took the chance of asking you to watch the store this time, and you couldn’t really turn her down. Besides. it wasn’t that hard to do so. You would just punch the items on the cash register, then it’s sold. Pretty easy, right? Except for when customers have way too many questions. Especially for the antique items. Questions that go as far as the origin of the item, which you should know of. Gladly, every single donated item had its own story to tell.

It was a few minutes before your lunch break, but just as you were going to put up the “On Lunch Break” sign, a boy with ash blonde hair with a faded brown undertone wearing a thick, black leather jacket with a red knitted scarf entered the store. His eyes slowly wandering from left to right as soon as the chimes on the door tingled. You sigh, but you had to entertain them. Your lunch could wait.

“Good day! How can I help you?” You smile.

“Uh, yes good day to you too,” he awkwardly greets, and you give him a nod.

“Looking for anything in particular?”

“Oh i was hoping to buy a snow globe.” He rubs his cold hands together, his pale skin turning red.

“We have a lot of those here, do you prefer new ones or antiques?” You suggest.

“Antiques? Those seem cool, they are still in good condition, right?”

“Of course they are. Let me show you where it is.” You exit the cash register and lead him into the section of the well preserved antique snow globes. “Some of these go way back fifty years ago. But they are a bit pricier the older they are.” You give him a heads up.

“That should be fine. Fifty years you say? May I take a look at that?” His eyes light up, you start to think that maybe he did have a thing for collecting these kind.

You scan the selection and carefully reach for the one that had an intricately carved bronze base, while the globe had a small Christmas village on it. With both hands, you hand it over for him to observe.

“Wow.” He lightly shakes it to make the snow flakes float around. “May I know the origins of this one?” He says, eyes still glued to the knick knack.

“That one is from England. It was donated to us.”

“Interesting. How much is it?” He looks at you this time, and notices your nametag.

You couldn’t help but smile back at the excitement of this boy. “It’s a hundred and fifty dollars.”

His eyes widen, but doesn’t complain. “Consider it sold.”

You carefully take the item from him, and go back to the cash register. You get it a nice box and tie it with a red ribbon, for the design and security of the package. “Here you go, thank you for the purchase.” You smile and hand it to him.

“Thank you, ____.” He smiles, turns his back and leaves the store. You could finally have your lunch.

It was kind of him to have taken note of your name, but you never really got his. But he was just a customer anyways.

----

Chan arrived home and ever so carefully took out the item he had purchased from your store. He lightly tugs on the red ribbon that you had beautifully knotted around the box, and they slowly fall on the sides. He opens it and cautiously slips his quite large hands into the box, and he could barely fit it inside. Still, he tried to grip the glass ball and once he had gotten a hold of it, he flips it over with care. Bothered by the fingerprints that he left on it, he took it with both hands and fogged up the glass with his warm breath. He wipes it with his sweater paws and it went back to its crystalline form. Satisfied, he shakes it to make the snowflakes float around and places it on his bedside table, where his lamp shade was also located.

He smiles, pleased with what he just acquired, which he thought was a rare item. It was, and he had absolutely no idea what it might bring him.

----

The weather was more frigid than usual, it was zero close to negative. He had checked all of his windows if they were tightly shut, and they were. He shudders, and rubs his palms together and warms it with his breath. He tries to turn the heat up, because the temperature indoors most certainly wouldn’t do.

“What the heck?” He fumbles with the heater, which didn’t want to turn on. Even if it was very much plugged into the mounted outlet on the wall. He unplugs it, then plugs again. But it still didn’t work. “The power couldn’t be out, the lights are fine, the others are working too..” he pouts and scratches the back of his head.

Setting aside the busted appliance, he thought that maybe he could just eat and drink something warm, like hot chocolate and some spicy ramen. He pours hot water onto his mug and mixes in the dark cocoa powder and adds two tablespoons of brown sugar. The scent and aroma kissing his nose. He lifts the mug onto his lips, and carefully takes a sip— it was too hot. He got startled because his tongue got stung by the burning sensation, and at the same time, some of the drink has also spilled on his clothes. “Shit.” He mumbles, frustrated. He couldn’t even enjoy a cup of hot chocolate without something unfortunate happening. Maybe his luck with making ramen would be fine, he’s done this a hundred times, what could possibly go wrong?

Now more cautious than ever with his actions, he gets a cooking pot and fills it halfway with water. He grips it tightly, just in case the water would want to suddenly leap out of the pot, right? Safe. The pot made it to the top of the stove, and he sighs in relief. He turns up the heat, setting it to high and impatiently waited for it to boil. He was freezing.

Chan had his own way of making ramen, he learned it from a former room mate. He puts the seasoning powder first and lets it simmer before he boils the noodles. He was doing so well until the gas stove had suddenly just stopped heating the food. The fire had disappeared, and his noodles weren’t even soft enough to be eaten yet. He tries to stay calm, and turns the knob of the stove over and over again, but no sign of ignition. He ran out of gas.

“You have got to be kidding me.” his palms rest on the marble counter, the cold sensation hitting his skin and he flinches. He curses to himself, he has never been this unlucky before.

He had no choice, he couldn’t just throw the meal away. He got his electric kettle and hoped that the noodles would continue to cook there. He transfers the half cooked ramen to the small opening of the kettle and it slightly spills on the side, but thankfully, he made it work.

“Who eats ramen that was cooked in a electric kettle? Psh.” He shakes his head in disbelief, but eats it anyways.

As he quietly tried to enjoy his meal, his head uplifts to look at his wall calendar, thinking that it might have been Friday the 13th or he might have stepped on a crack on the pavements on his way home. His bad luck had to come from somewhere. And to his surprise, it was. December 13th, 2019, Friday. And for once, he had believed that it all made sense. It was just Friday the thirteenth.

-----

Chan woke up the next day, not sure if he felt lucky or not. The first thing he does is get his phone from his side table, his eyes barely even opened. Before he could even read the time, his phone drops on his face, and hits his nose, hard. “Jesus!” He rubs the bridge of his nose, now quite red from the impact of the gadget. He runs his hands through his hair and carefully stands and stretches. He walks over to a safe spot, making sure that his limbs won’t knock anything over. He successfully does his push-ups. He walks over to the blank wall beside his desk and does a handstand. So far, so good. He huffed, and does a couple handstand push-ups, then carefully plops down.

He heads over to his desk to shake the snow globe that he bought, takes his small time admiring the details of what was inside, then sets it down once again. He goes to the bathroom and washes his face with a cleanser as he lathers it lavishly. By the time that he tried to turn on the sink again, there wasn’t any water coming out of it. He opens his eyes as a reflex, totally forgetting that he still has soap in his eyes, causing it to sting. And as another reflex, he rubs his eyes only to find out that the hand he used was covered in foam as well. He stomps his foot, nothing has ever went his way ever since he got home from your store. The only way that he could possibly remove all the residue on his face was to use the drinking water he had, which was an absolute waste. As the saying goes, “When ill luck begins, it does not come in sprinkles but in showers.”

Chan started to think that maybe something else had been bringing him this horrible luck. Many Friday the thirteenths have passed in his whole 23-year old life but he has never had it this bad. Actually, he could not recall the last time where he was running out of luck. Chan wasn’t the type of person to believe in superstitions that much, but the shower of unfortunate events made him believe that it wasn’t just all a coincidence.

He sat in front of his desk, plopping down on his swiveling chair. He runs his hands through his hair and goes in deep thought. Again he glances at the snow globe. He crosses his arms. “Could it be?” he shakes his head, “no, no, it can’t it’s a snow globe what can it possibly do?” He pauses. “But what if it is? Should i go back and ask for a refund or would that be too stupid?” He raises his eyebrows and puts his hand under his chin. He was literally having a conversation with himself at this point and it was hilarious.

He abruptly stands up, causing him to get dizzy. He rubs his temples and proceeds to grab his coat, he was going back to your store. He got the box that was used for the snow globe and even the ribbon, of course he didn’t know how to tie it as good as you did, nonetheless he tried to get the package to the original stage that it was in.

It had been snowing a handful outside but it was still safe to drive. He places the package on the passenger’s seat and even blocks it with a seatbelt. “It could have been you. You’re the one who’s bringing me bad luck. You can’t fool me with how good you look.” He glances over the item, and proceeds to drive. The light had been yellow and he tried to beat it, unfortunately he was caught and halted onto the side. He was given a driving ticket. His bad luck was a whole avalanche.

He arrives at the store, practically storming in. You were surprised to see the boy again, but the smile on his face has definitely vanished. “May I help you?” you look at him, puzzled.

He arrives at the counter and sets down the item. “Yes i would like a refund.”

“We don’t do refunds sir I’m sorry. But is the item damaged? Why would you want to make a refund?” You questioned, surprised because no one has ever asked a refund from your store, for as far as you could remember.

“No, it’s perfectly fine. Physically.” He looks down on his feet, his ears turn red.

“Then I don’t seem to understand the problem here sir.” You were still very much confused.

“It’s just, i don’t want it anymore.” He stutters and purses his lips in embarrassment, he couldn’t get himself to say that it was because he thought that it was bringing him bad luck.

“I told you, we don’t do refunds. And what’s with the reason that you have? That’s not very sensible.” You raise your eyebrows, like you knew that he wasn’t telling you something.

“Please I can’t really take this thing home anymore” he pleads but it was still very much ineffective.

“Not until you tell us why you don’t want it anymore. I clearly remember how excited you were when you got it.” You look at him in disbelief.

“It brings me bad luck!” he blurts out, and bites his lips. He fidgets with his cuticles.

“It what?” you couldn’t help but laugh, and you knew that it was impolite to do so. But it didn’t make sense to you at all. But you purse your lips right away.

“You heard me. I’m not saying it again.” He looks down, his ears red from being flustered, and fidgets with his cuticles once again.

“Okay let’s have a deal then, you leave that item here for a day and see if anything changes. Also, if you don’t come back then I won’t be giving you your money.” You shrug, hoping to have made a decent deal with this bothered young man.

He takes a deep breath and doesn’t make eye contact. As if he did not want to agree. “Fine.” he finally lets out, and you smile.

“So it’s settled then?” You get the package from him and store it somewhere for safe keeping. You could not believe you had just agreed to this boy’s request. He was cute anyways, totally harmless.

Instantly, Chan was in a better mood. He just felt like he was lucky again, or at the very least he was back to normal. He smiles at you, and for the first time, it was blinding. Like the whole atmosphere of the store has changed. You were stunned, you could barely hear what he was saying.

He waves his hands in front of your face, and you snap out of it. “___ hello?” He calls you by your name once again and you swear it has never sounded that good. “I’ll be coming back yeah? Thanks for letting me work out this situation of mine.” He clicks his tongue, and winks. Before you knew it, he was out of your store.

-----

It was something about him returning the item that made you feel a sudden change, whether it was in you or amongst your surroundings. For some reason, you have looked forward to seeing him again, when back then you could not have cared less. Getting a crush on a customer wasn’t so practical now, was it?

Business is booming today. You watch people go in and out of the shop but the one person you hoped to see didn’t come. You anticipated his return because for the first time, you looked forward to working your shift. But you still never got his name. Good old no name.

But just when you were about to wrap things up and close the store, he catches up to the entrance. He breathes heavily and pants, the white December air escaping is lips. His throat is dry, so he swallows before he speaks. “Look, wait is it too late to get that refund?”

You sigh, you were about to lock the door already. “Well, technically yes. But since you made the effort, i’ll go and open for a bit again.” You try to hide your smile as you turn your back, but you knew that he did the same. The lights were back on and you head to the register. “So, were you lucky today?” you laugh, as if it were to be teasing him of his absurd reason yesterday.

“Y-yeah. Pretty lucky. I mean look i made it whole today.” He straightens his coat and brushes off the snow.

“If you were lucky, you wouldn’t have been late today.” you chaff, shaking your head.

“That’s a different story okay! I had to attend to something” he reasoned out.

He was adorable. You couldn’t deny that. But you loved to see him all defensive. “Okay, fine. Here you go. I’m not telling my mother about this refund so let’s just pretend it never happened or else i’ll get in trouble.” You take the cash out of the register and hand it to him.

“Your mother? Why?” He asks out of curiosity.

“We own the place so yeah. This is basically breaking the rules…” you trail off. “Anyways. I guess i won’t be seeing you again since the whole thing is sorted out now.” You don’t exactly know if you shoot your shot with what you just said.

“Who says we’ll just see each other here?” he smirks and you were taken back. Your cheeks flush bright red. He caught on.

“I work here, not really much free time with me.” you fumble with the closest thing you could get your hands on, which was a pen with a red fuzzy ball on top.

“I’m going to test my luck one last time today” He rubs his hands together and takes a deep breath.

“Huh?”

“Where are you going after this? Like after you close the store.”

“Uh, home?”

“Do you want to… perhaps get some coffee with me? Or hot chocolate, only if you’d like.” He smiles, and you’re weak on the knees.

“I’d love to.” Your cheeks were flushed but you didn’t care, he actually asked you out!

“Well I guess that’s enough luck for today. Shall we go?” He offers, but you had one last question in mind.

“I don’t even know your name.” You playfully roll your eyes and cross your arms.

“Chan. Or Chris, or… cutie whatever floats your boat.” He giggles and it was music to your ears.