#not that this actually means anything because my school ends in like 7 business days so I’ll be gone for like a week studying anyways

[apples-of-apples]

*Sighs wistfully* I need to be shot

[joequiinn]

The Dos & Don'ts of Fake Dating | E.M. x reader | pt. 7

[chap six] | [all chapters here] | [chapter eight]

summary: You propose a crazy idea to the resident freak of Hawkins, Eddie Munson. But maybe he was even crazier for agreeing to it…

notes & tropes: fem reader, slow burn, faking dating, opposites attract, bratty rich bitch reader, super minor revenge plot, not-quite-enemies-to-lovers

a/n: Sooo, I did not mean to take a three week hiatus from this fic :) I had so much of this chapter written within a couple of days and then abruptly stopped writing entirely, literally couldn't work on any of my stories. But now the writers block has passed and we FINALLY have an update, and boy these chapters just keep getting longer as the story goes on. I hope this one makes up from my recent absence~

wc: 6.6k

Chapter Seven

Wednesday morning was supposed to start like it always did - small talk with your mom over a bowl of cereal and then running out the door before the conversation whittled down to awkwardness. You wish you could appreciate your mother’s efforts to try to connect with you, but she never asked about anything beyond school and skating - once those two subjects were exhausted, it was as if you two had nothing more to talk about.

But today was different. Today, your dad was actually sitting at the breakfast table instead of rushing to his office before you even came downstairs. Today, your head was a little fuzzy from drinking the night before. Today, you wished you had just run out the door and skipped breakfast, because you could see right away that your parents wanted to have a conversation.

You paused briefly in the kitchen entry, looking between the two before trying to act casual, walking towards the pantry and preparing a quick breakfast. You could feel their eyes following you, and damn did you wish someone would just say something. Your father always acted like this before a serious conversation - he stayed silent to intimidate you, to put you on edge in hopes that it would make you more pliable to what he had to say. You’d always assumed he did this to clients and business associates as well, as if to suggest some kind of dominance over them. Well, you weren’t going to let it get to you that easily, you never did before.

You sat at the opposite end of the table from your father, your mom hovering at the kitchen sink although there were no dishes to be cleaned. You started to eat as if you were totally unphased by their watchful eyes, as if you were entirely oblivious to their stares, although you knew neither of them bought the act for a second. One of you was going to cave eventually, and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be you.

Sure enough, your mom spoke first as she approached the table, just like you expected her to, “You have practice after school today?”

You gave her a critical look before nodding - you knew that she knew you always skated on Wednesday, making that a pretty pathetic attempt at breaking the tension in the room.

“Are you actually going?” Your father asked in an accusatory tone, although he maintained a neutral expression so as not to give away what he was thinking.

You couldn’t help the mean look in your eyes as you met his intense gaze. Your tone was stubborn and cold, “Yes.”

“And will that boy be there?” The disdain in your father’s words was clear as day. Your brow knotted at the question, both because you didn’t like his tone and because you wondered how he found out about Eddie already.

“Boy?” Your tone was mocking - you weren’t feigning ignorance, but rather presenting your father with a challenge, daring him to elaborate on what had gotten his mood so twisted. And it was clear in his face that he didn’t appreciate your attitude one bit.

“Mrs. Redford saw you two together on Friday.” Your mother chimed in, hoping to serve as the calm mediary considering that you and your father were both intense, mean people.

Of course it was Mrs. Redford who told your mom about Eddie - she was such a damn gossip, and with her daughter participating in your skating lessons, you should have known she would have noticed you leaving with Eddie that night. She was drawn to drama and gossip as if it was the air she breathed, so it was certainly no surprise that she ran off to tell your parents about this new boy that she spotted you with.

“Why does it matter?” You dropped your spoon in the forgotten breakfast that sat in front of you, slouching into your seat in growing frustration.

“Because he’s clearly a troublemaker.” Your dad’s tone matched yours, causing you to roll your eyes, “Don’t you dare roll your eyes at me.”

Your jaw clenched at the threat in his voice, “How could you possibly know someone is trouble without even meeting them?”

Your father pressed his palm to the table firmly, “Because I know his type - a lazy punk only interested in skating by and disrespecting the establishment. I’m a good judge of character.”

“How?” You insisted with exasperation, causing your father to look down on you as if you were some stupid kid.

“You were out way past curfew last night - were you with him?” Your dad glowered, and evidently your expression gave him the answer he wanted, “You ran out the door without telling your mother where you were going or who you were with. She saw you climb into some van, for Christ sake. And the way Mrs. Redford described this hoodlum? The leather, the hair, the tattoos? What’s gotten into you?”

You held your ground firmly, glaring as you crossed your arms, “I don’t see what the issue is.”

“The issue is you’re acting out, you’re avoiding us, and this boy you’re seeing seems to be encouraging this behavior!” Your father raised his voice, “I don’t care that you’re eighteen now, you still live under my roof.”

“You don’t care about anything!” You can’t help but shout back, “You only care now because you’re worried I’ll make you look bad. You’re worried about stupid gossip!”

“That’s not what this is about!”

“We’re just worried about you,” Your mother tried to intervene in an even tone, drawing the attention of the both of you, “We don’t want you to lose sight of what’s important just because of a boy.”

You throw up your hands in defiance, your voice harsh, “What important things am I ‘losing sight of!?’”

“Don’t take that tone with your mother!” Your dad jumped back in, “The last thing you need your senior year is some punk distracting you from school, from skating. You need to consider your future. Don’t you want to get into a good school? Don’t you want to skate?”

“I don’t know what I want!” You admitted angrily, “Maybe I don’t want to go to college or skate or do the shit you tell me to! Maybe I just want to enjoy life a little.”

“Enjoying life doesn’t get you anywhere.” Your father glared, “We tell you these things to help you. So, stop hanging around this boy and start focusing on your future.”

“You didn’t care what I was doing before, why do you care now?” You challenged coldly, “You didn’t care when I was out late with Duncan, you didn’t care when I’d miss practice because I’d be out with Amelia or Janet. You only care now because it’s Eddie.”

You instantly realized you shouldn’t have mentioned his name. Not yet, at least, not in the middle of this argument. Yes, you wanted your parents to know you were “dating” some new, troublesome guy, but you didn’t want them to actually know who he was yet - you had hoped to build up a little more suspense first, a little more tension between you all. You hoped your face didn’t give away what you were thinking.

“Eddie?” Your father laughed as he said the name, “You call things off with this Eddie now, do you hear me?”

You looked between your parents’ faces - your father looked as stern and condescending as ever, and your mom looked like she was away somewhere in thought. Perhaps she was trying to pinpoint any Eddies she’d heard of before and figure out who the hell he is.

A frustrated sound leapt from your throat as you rose to your feet aggressively, the legs of your chair making a grating sound on the floor.

“Whatever,” You spun around to leave, seeing the time on the wall clock before shooting your parents a mocking look, “I’m going to be late. Great job getting me back on track.”

You knew just how rude your tone was, so you practically ran out of the kitchen to avoid your father’s wrath.

“Excuse me!?” His offended voice shouted after you. You scooped up your school bag and your car keys, running out the door without looking back.

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Just like you suspected, you were late for your first period class, receiving a reprimanding from your teacher, which only served to piss you off even more. Today just wasn’t your fucking day. So, by the time you walked into your math class a couple hours later, it was actually something of a relief to see Eddie already there; why you were actually pleased to see him was a thought you weren’t quite ready to entertain.

He grinned once he spotted you, but the way you flopped into your seat caused his face to immediately twist with curiosity. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his legs situated in the aisle between you two.

“Feeling hungover, princess?” He asked with only a small jest in his tone, as if he could tell that you weren’t in the mood right now. His eyebrows furrowed together as you glared, although you knew he wasn’t the one that deserved the cold look.

“No.” You groaned, your jaw clenched tight enough to hurt your teeth. You sighed through your nose, trying to collect yourself - it was stupid to let this frustration eat at you, although you were always prone to holding onto grudges.

Eddie nudged your knee softly, so you met his eyes again. He stared at you patiently and inquisitively, “So, what’s wrong?”

You considered for a moment whether or not you wanted to tell him. With a sigh, you sat up in your seat, turning so that you mirrored Eddie, legs in the aisle and knees brushing his. You let your knees rest there, allowing the small amount of contact as if you needed it to ground you, as if you even enjoyed it.

“It’s my parents.” You start, looking down at where your knees met his. Your skirt was short and his jeans were ripped, so you were skin-to-skin. It didn’t matter, of course, you were simply trying to find something else to focus on, “They aren’t thrilled about you.”

“Oh, so you told them?” Eddie gave you a small grin, hoping to lighten your mood a little. And you wouldn’t admit it, but it was already beginning to work.

“One of my neighbors saw us together.” The bell rang in the middle of your sentence, but neither of you faced forward, eyes staying locked on one another.

“You seem pretty worked up about it.” His quiet tone had a hint of question to it, clearly wondering what exactly happened with your parents. Your teacher began going down the attendance sheet and the focus of today’s lesson.

“My dad’s a dick.” You responded in a whisper, “Just grilling me about shit - about you - as if I were a damn criminal or something.”

The sound of your name on your teacher’s lips drew your attention, and you harshly met her stare, “Would you two like to join the class now?”

You rolled your eyes as Eddie smiled lazily, the both of you turning to face forward. He reached out to give your knee one more playful nudge, as if to assure you that all would be well.

As the teacher began her lesson, you and Eddie kept stealing glances at one another conspiratorially, which helped to slowly ease the tension in your shoulders, to slowly relax your mood. After another couple of minutes, Eddie held a folded piece of paper between the two of you, obviously intending for you to read it. You slyly took it from him, fingers brushing against his as you wondered what he possibly had to say right now.

I think I can win him over.

The silly little doodle accompanying the note emphasized the joke, and you couldn’t help but grin at it just a little. You side-eyed Eddie, catching the way he smiled mischievously at you. With a roll of your eyes, you scribbled down a reply and handed it to him.

All the charm in the world wouldn’t win him over.

You watched Eddie’s face out of the corner of your eye, awaiting his reply with a hint of eagerness. The note was back in your hand once again.

So you admit I’m charming?

A small huff of a laugh escaped you as you rolled your eyes, beginning to write a response. But a presence walking down the aisle drew your attention, noticing your teacher was walking right to you. Your stomach dropped a little, realizing you were caught, but you simply looked up at her as if you did nothing wrong.

“Is there something you two would like to share with everyone?” She asked accusatory, crossing her arms in reprimand. You held her eyes with a challenging stare - god, this day just kept giving you hit after hit.

“Nothing in particular.” You retorted, hearing someone in the room make a nonplussed sound. Your teacher glowered at your attitude.

“Then I suggest you follow along or take this little conversation to detention.”

You gave her a mean, mocking smile, baring your teeth almost as if it was a threat, “I’ll take the detention, please.”

Again, more surprised sounds from the teacher and from students. You dared to look over at Eddie, who looked both taken aback and impressed at how difficult you were being today.

“Excuse me?” Your teacher challenged you.

Your eyes were dark as you stood your ground, “Detention. Please.”

The teacher looked between both you and Eddie with a huff, but a moment later a decisive look crossed her features, which put you on edge.

“Fine, if that’s how you want it to be. You can go to detention. Mr. Munson will stay here.” You gaped, your eyes glaring at the back of her head as she turned to walk back towards her desk, “No point in sending the both of you, right?”

You hated the fact that even your teacher was now mocking you, resented the fact that this day just kept piling more shit on your shoulders. You shared a look with Eddie, who looked sorry for landing you in trouble; you thought that you should’ve been upset at him for it, but you weren’t. It seemed like Eddie was the only person not getting on your last nerve today.

You rose to your feet as your teacher walked back towards you, a slip of paper in her hand outstretched to you. Haphazardly, you threw all your belongings in your bag before aggressively snatching the note from your teacher.

“You give that to the detention attendant, I don’t want to hear that you ran out on it.” She instructed with that hint of satisfaction in her tone. You glowered back at her.

“Bite me.” You spun on your heels as various students made, yet again, sounds of excitement at the harsh tone and words you threw at the teacher. As she started spewing some kind of reprimand that you weren’t listening to, you marched out of the room.

What a fucking day. You stomped down the hall, steam practically coming from your ears with how pissed off you were. In annoyance, you balled up the detention slip and tossed it at the nearest trash can, although you missed, which irritated you even more.

You’d never gotten detention before. Under different circumstances, you probably would have been thrilled to be sent to detention, to finally be enough trouble for a teacher to send you off. But after the morning you’ve been having, all you could feel was frustration.

Less than a minute after you stomped out of math class, you heard a door swing open and hit a wall somewhere behind you, prompting you to turn towards the noise. And once you saw who it was, you couldn’t help but smile with a surprising sense of glee.

Eddie Munson, your knight in shining armor.

He dashed down the hall to catch up with you, smiling just as widely as you were as he practically skidded to a halt in front of you. A small laugh escaped you as he hunched over in an attempt to catch his breath. He looked up at you with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

“Let’s get out of here.” He instructed simply, grabbing your wrist and dragging you down the hall with him. You allowed yourself to be led through the school, your smile settling into a simple, pleased smirk, relieved to have Eddie’s company.

“And where are we off to?” You asked, receiving a shrug from Eddie. Once you two had turned into a new hallway, he slowed so you could walk side-by-side, experimentally sliding his hand into yours. Once again, you still felt hesitant at more intimate contact such as this, but you allowed it without cringing too hard.

“Anywhere but here, you troublemaker.” He teased with a content smile, guiding you towards the school exit.

“So, we’re skipping?” You inquired, and you had to admit the idea really appealed to you right now - you’d had enough of today, and if you didn’t escape you thought you might explode with utter frustration.

“If that’s alright with you, princess.” Eddie gave you a silly expression while bumping your shoulder.

“Please get me the hell out of here.”

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The most time you’d ever spent in a video arcade was for one pathetic round of Galaga while on a date with a boy your freshman year. Following that, you decided arcades weren’t for you - they were always crowded with a bunch of kids running around and shouting, and you’d branded all the adults that spent time at arcades as total losers. What could possibly be so appealing about games designed for children?

So, when Eddie pulled up in front of the Palace Arcade, you gave him a critical look, which he chose to ignore entirely as he stepped out of the van. He rounded to your side and opened the door, offering you a hand like a royal stepping out of a coach. You looked between his hand and his face for a moment, still judging the choice to come to an arcade. Reading the look on your face all too well, Eddie pulled his own affronted expression.

“What, too good for arcade games?” He put on an over-the-top, almost Shakespearean tone while placing a melodramatic hand to his chest, “But I’ve brought you to the Palace, the finest establishment in town for the ice princess.”

You rolled your eyes and tried not to laugh at him, unwilling to admit that even Eddie’s dumbest jokes were starting to win you over. Nonetheless, you took his outstretched hand with a large sigh, stepping out of the van despite your lack of interest in this place. Eddie, of course, smiled triumphantly, closing the door behind you and leading you into the arcade.

Given that it was only about noon, the place was virtually dead, which was quite the relief - no need to worry about loud, annoying kids getting in the way. Aside from the two of you and the Palace employee, there was a group of three college-aged boys clustered around Frogger and a lone man focused on something called Paperboy. None of the patrons looked up when you and Eddie entered, and the only reason the employee took any note of you is because it was simply his job. Of course, once he spotted you, he did a double-take.

The employee’s jaw hung slack as if in disbelief, and he nervously greeted you two, trying to keep his attention on Eddie. It appeared that the two were familiar with one another, and you wondered if Eddie really spent that much time here or if maybe this was a guy that used to go to school with the two of you. Either way, their interaction wrapped up quickly, and Eddie dragged you to the change machine.

As Eddie inserted a few bills, you looked around at the other arcade patrons, who finally seemed to take notice of you. In the group near Frogger, one of the boys nudged his friends, insisting they both look up; none so subtly, they all looked at you as the music from their arcade cabinet seemed to signal game over. You looked back with a raised brow and cold eyes, causing them all to quickly look away, although you were certain you’d probably catch them spying again. As you gazed back at Eddie, you couldn’t help the grin that spread across your lips - there was something about being the only chick in the arcade that amused you, something about being totally out of place and totally out of Eddie’s league.

Eddie stashed the change in his pocket, holding out a few quarters that you tentatively took from his hand.

“What first, princess?” You looked at him with a judgmental expression, causing him to narrow his eyes critically, “Come on, this’ll be fun.”

“Sure…” You looked around and assessed the arcade, pointing at the nearest cabinet without any consideration, “That one.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh at your choice while shaking his head, knowing you didn’t care one bit what game you started with, “Dig Dug, huh?”

You made another face at him, so he simply rolled his eyes and led you towards the game. He leaned against the cabinet while crossing his arms, giving you an expectant look; in turn, your brow scrunched.

Eddie shrugged, “Well, go for it - this one was your idea.”

“I don’t want to.” You responded as if affronted by the suggestion, “You play.”

Eddie once again rolled his eyes with an exacerbated grin, “I don’t play Dig Dug.”

“Then play something else.” You instructed stubbornly.

“You aren’t getting out of this one.” Eddie countered, motioning towards the cabinet he still rested against, “So, be a big girl and play the game.”

You gaped at his response, feeling a slight stir at his word choice. There was a challenging glint in his eyes that suggested he wasn’t going to back down easily, that he could volley with you all damn day. As you closed your mouth with a small purse to your lips, you looked around the arcade with a raised brow.

“I don’t want to play that one.” You crossed your arms, to which Eddie once more smirked at your stubborn determination.

“Then choose a different one.” He responded while mimicking your body language.

You narrowed your eyes at him before your gaze studied the rows of arcade cabinets, recognizing none of the names. This was something you were grossly uneducated on, arcades making just about as much sense to you as a foreign language. It wasn’t until you finally recognized the name of one that you allowed yourself to meet Eddie’s stare again.

“Okay. That one.” You once again pointed past his shoulder, so Eddie twisted around to see which cabinet finally caught your interest. A faint laugh escaped him as he looked back to you with an amused expression across his face.

“Oh, you wouldn’t like Donkey Kong.” His tone seemed to be daring you to argue, to prove him wrong. You pulled another face at him.

“I don’t like any of these. But I’ve seen that stupid monkey before.” Eddie shrugged in acceptance of your response as he continued to grin, pushing off the Dig Dug cabinet.

“If you insist.” He taunted while turning to walk towards Donkey Kong, you following behind him with a huff. But as you were nearly there, the gang of college kids beat you to it, causing both you and Eddie to halt; he began to turn to you, prepared to ask what the new plan was now that the one cabinet you showed interest in was taken.

Of course, you weren’t about to have that. Sure, you didn’t care an ounce about these video games and you had zero interest in actually playing, but you’d already had enough today, and you’d be damned if you let these guys play Donkey Kong instead of you. So, you brushed past Eddie with a determined look, marching up to them with all the authority in the world.

“Excuse you,” You started rudely, drawing all their eyes in your direction. None of the three really looked like the nerdy type, so none of them backed down from you the way that you were used to, “I’m playing that one.”

They shared a laugh, clearly amused by your attempt to intimidate them. One of the boys countered, “You’re outta luck, we were here first.”

You insisted more firmly, “Just move.”

One of them looked between you and Eddie, provoked by your attitude, “There’s a whole arcade, go find something else to play.”

They returned to the arcade cabinet as if you weren’t even there, which pissed you off even more. You groaned loudly, looking at Eddie and pointing harshly at the boys as if there was something he could possibly do about them. He simply shook his head and grabbed your elbow, lightly tugging you along.

“They beat us to it.” He said as if there was some unspoken arcade rule that you weren’t familiar with. You glared at the boys as Eddie led you down the row, grinning as if to calm you down, “Come on, I got something I think you’ll like.”

“Doubtful.” You countered like a child, catching the way Eddie smiled to himself, both amused and enervated by your attitude. The two of you came to a halt in front of something called Tapper, and you glanced up at Eddie, awaiting an explanation.

“This one’s easy,” he started while presenting the cabinet to you, “Just serve drinks.”

“Okay…” You took in the pixelated graphics on the screen, hesitantly holding up a coin as you considered the game.

“Come on, just give it a try.” Eddie urged. You looked at the simple instructions next to the joystick while finally loading the coin into the machine. As the game began, Eddie turned his attention to the next cabinet over.

Eddie was right about this game being easy, at least for the first few rounds, although once you reached the first “game over” screen you groaned with frustration. That didn’t stop you from inserting another coin and trying again, much to Eddie’s amusement. You were getting the hang of this and, although you weren’t ready to admit it, you were coming to even enjoy Tapper.

Eventually, you ran out of coins, so you returned your attention to Eddie, who had been caught up in his own game. You watched him for a few moments before realizing the college boys were no longer at the Donkey Kong cabinet. Although you shouldn’t have cared so much, you nonetheless felt a sudden eagerness to run over and hog the game you previously missed out on. Hell, you didn’t even know what that game was about, but considering your previous snub, you now simply had to play this damn game.

So, you turned your gaze back to Eddie, who was incredibly focused on the shooting game he was in the middle of, “Donkey Kong is open.”

“So, go play.” He responded with a far off tone, clearly caught up in what he was doing.

“I don’t have any coins.”

In an almost silly motion, Eddie nudged his hip in your direction, “I have some in my pocket.”

You looked down towards his hips, wondering why he didn’t simply pull his hand from the game for a moment to give you a few coins.

Impatiently, his eyes flicked over to you for only a moment; he could tell what you were thinking, “Just reach in and grab a few.”

“Uh, no.” Your voice oozed with attitude.

“Then no Donkey Kong.” He replied with a simple shrug. With a slight glare, you looked between his face and the screen, watching his hectic game for a few long moments. Your gaze drifted back towards Donkey Kong with a mild longing, but you quickly righted yourself - you did not care that much about a stupid arcade game. You could wait until Eddie was done, you didn’t need to play it that bad.

The sound of the front door opening drew your attention as a new man entered the arcade, and your first thought was “shit, is he going to play Donkey Kong?” Why the hell did you care so much? But you couldn’t risk missing out on the game again, so you returned your attention back to Eddie, taking him by total surprise as you reached into his pocket and extracted a handful of coins quickly before you could think about how intimate that action was.

“Jesus, warn a guy before you go digging around in his pants.” Eddie chided with a playful grin, not allowing his gaze to stray from the shooter in front of him.

“Shut up.” You countered while marching towards Donkey Kong, determination etched across your face as you relished in the stupid victory of finally being about to play this damn game.

Of course, you very quickly learned why Eddie had told you before that you wouldn’t like Donkey Kong. Your dumb little man in overalls lost all his lives within the first minute of you playing, and you let out an exasperated sigh as you slapped your hand down on the control panel. With a glare, you loaded another coin in, but due to your frustration you died even quicker than you had the first time, letting out another upset sound before you marched away from Donkey Kong as if the game had personally offended you.

Eddie was still focused on Robotron as you returned to his side with a huff, the sound causing the corner of his mouth to pull up. You glared at his face, “That game is stupid.”

“I told you.” He answered simply, amused by how easily you gave up on it.

“Why doesn’t it work?”

“Have you considered that you’re just bad at it?” Eddie’s eyes briefly look at you, that annoying grin of his not faltering for a moment. Your glare darkened as you turned to walk off, but Eddie’s voice stopped you from going anywhere, “Oh, come on, just wait. I’ll show you how to play the stupid monkey game.”

So, you waited impatiently for Eddie’s game to end, your eyes repeatedly drifting over to Donkey Kong as if in fear that someone else would take the machine from you. Once he was finally done with Robotron, Eddie gave you a teasing look, knowing that you were eager to return to the game that you supposedly didn’t like. With an adamant look, you spun around and marched back towards the machine, knowing that he was following right behind you.

“Just watch, I’ll play the first level for you.” Eddie instructed while loading in the money. He craned his neck back and forth, shaking out his arm as if he were warming up for some epic fight; you nearly smiled, but kept it to yourself. You leaned over Eddie’s shoulder a little as he began, “You have to be fast - this machine has a bit of a lag, so you need to think ahead.”

So, you watched Eddie play, annoyed at just how easy he made it look; evidently, he had a fair amount of practice. And with the first level completed in what appeared to be record time, Eddie stepped back, yanking you quickly in front of the screen to take over the controls. Just as quickly as the level started, though, you lost a life, jumping right into the line of a pixelated enemy. A frustrated noise left you, causing Eddie to laugh from behind you.

“You’ve got two more lives,” He stepped up closer to you, reaching around to put his hand over the jump button, “Lemme help.”

Working together, you managed to make a little bit of progress, but you all too quickly lost again, shoving the joystick in the wrong direction. As you huffed in annoyance once more, Eddie placed his free hand on the small of your back as if to remind you to calm down, the touch nearly causing you to jump from its gentleness.

“Okay, new plan.” Eddie stepped behind you, close enough that your back bumped against his chest. Your shoulders stiffened as he settled his hands on top of yours, your heart skipping as you realized you were pinned between him and the stupid Donkey Kong machine. Thank god he was behind you, because otherwise he would’ve seen the way your cheeks went red, the way your eyes widened with surprise.

You could feel Eddie’s breath against your ear, practically causing you to shudder, “Alright, let’s do this.”

As the level started again, you were grateful that Eddie was taking the reins, controlling your hands with his own, because your brain was way too jumbled to think clearly. Why the hell were you so nervous? How was Eddie Munson doing this to you? You were certain it had more to do with your disdain for people touching you, but you were far too confused to even begin to entertain why you felt so anxious with Eddie practically flush against your back.

You were so zoned out that you hadn’t even realized that the level was complete until Eddie stepped back, a victorious little laugh escaping him. Before you had time to even get your head on straight, the third level began, but you all too quickly fumbled, your game coming to a pathetic end. Composing yourself, you meet Eddie’s eyes with total coolness, hoping that the redness of your cheeks had gone away. His expression didn’t seem to indicate that he noticed anything off about you, so you took a deep breath.

“Help me again.” You instructed as you fished a coin from your pocket. Eddie looked mildly surprised by the instruction, as if he too was just realizing how intimate his assistance was the first time. You simply raised a brow at him while loading the machine with money, straightening your shoulders as he came up behind you once again.

You tried to focus on the game this time as Eddie placed his hands on top of yours again, doing your best to ignore how warm he was behind you, the way his cheek brushed against the crown of your head, how his grip on your hands seemed to be a little bit more firm. You took a couple of deep breaths and focused, approaching this the same way you did skating - with attentiveness to the goal. And your goal was to ignore Eddie and actually beat a level of this god damn monkey game.

So, you watched your little man run and jump across the screen studying the timing as Eddie moved your hands with his own, noting the subtle delay between the control command and the character movement on the screen. Even as you began to understand, you still recognized that it wasn’t going to be easy for you to beat as a total novice to gaming. As the first level came to an end, Eddie began to step back, his hands hovering just over yours, but you turned your head quickly, practically bumping foreheads as he stopped pulling away.

“Wait, one more round.” You instructed, his face so close to yours that you practically went cross-eyed trying to meet his gaze. You saw Eddie’s jaw clench slightly before you faced forward again, his hands settling on top of yours once way.

By the time you two completed the second level, you were grinning triumphantly, satisfied that you were winning, even if only because Eddie was helping you. As the screen went black for a brief moment, you glanced at the content expression of Eddie behind you, feeling his chin move against your head as he, too, smiled largely.

Instead of pulling away, Eddie asked simply, “One more?”

You hummed in agreement as the third level started, once more studying Eddie’s timing as he breezed through the game as if he’d played it a hundred times. For all you knew, he probably had. Just like with his guitar, Eddie’s hands moved with expertise, guiding yours with ease as you two once again completed the course on screen. This time, you let Eddie step back, feeling a little nervous as you realized you had to face Donkey Kong alone again. You also felt a very mild wave of disappointment, but you quickly shoved that aside so you could focus on your game.

But, of course, you struggled without Eddie’s assistance, fumbling the jump time and losing a life. You took a deep breath through your nose as you tried to focus, feeling Eddie’s gaze burning into you as the level started over. You tried to ignore the intensity of his stare as you started again, running through the level as fast as you could. You managed to get much farther than before, but you nonetheless made another mistake.

You looked towards Eddie, prepared to ask him for help, but he shut you down before you got a word out, “Oh no, you wanted to play this, remember? I can’t keep playing for you.”

You pouted only for a moment, returning your attention to the screen, trying and failing once more to beat the game. You threw your head back with an annoyed groan, stepping away from Donkey Kong while crossing your arms.

“I don’t see why people play this stupid game, it’s impossible.” You whined, causing Eddie to laugh while rolling his eyes.

“That’s the point - it’s challenging. You can’t be a winner all the time.” He teased while dipping his head down closer to yours, seeing right through your frustrations. To Eddie, it was obvious that you weren’t used to losing, and he loved how worked up you were getting over an arcade game of all things.

“If I’m not going to win, then I don’t want to play.” You countered childishly, your eyebrow raised as if daring him to comment on that. You spun on your heel and began to walk away from the offensive game cabinet, hearing Eddie following behind you.

“That’s part of the fun, ya know.” He started. You half expected him to sling his arm over your shoulders as he normally did, but this time he refrained, as if all that contact during Donkey Kong was just a little too much for one day. You threw him a look.

“Well, it’s not fun for me.” You weren’t sure where the hell you were walking off to considering that there wasn’t anywhere in the Palace to hide, but you were too caught up in simply being stubborn. Eddie laughed, rolling his eyes with a hint of fondness as he lightly snagged your arm and stopped you. You met eyes, Eddie grinning at your attitude that he was quickly becoming accustomed to.

“You say that now, but I guarantee you’ll be asking me to bring you back.” He teased, receiving a small glare from you in response. He shook his head a little, “Let’s go, your pouting is making this no fun.”

You could tell Eddie was just taunting you, so you gave his shoulder a small shove while pulling away from his hold. You wouldn’t dare admit that you actually had some fun, so instead you began for the exit, your tone nonchalant as you responded, “Thank god, if I stay here any longer the nerds might try to convert me.”

Behind you, Eddie shook his head fondly as he followed you out.

.

.

additional a/n: shoutout to Tapper for being my favorite arcade game

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[recurring-polynya]

Writing/Art Update 6.18.2024

I'm so sorry. I'm soooooo sorrrrrrrryyyyyyy.

It is June. School is out and the children are here. I am not good at writing in this conditions. It's not that I'm too busy, it's just that I get interrupted a lot and also, I can only write when my brain has a lot of alone time. I know this. I planned extensively that I was not going to have any goals for the summer because last summer was so frustrating and I still feel so, so, soooooo baaaaaad for not managing to write anything.

I put aside the thing I was having trouble with last week, and started writing a thing that I've wanted to write forever that baaaaaarely fits one of my prompts and I've written 2k words on it, but, like, 1 sentence at a time. It's got multiple [fill this in later] parts AND I'm not sure how to end it, and anytime I try to think about it, it just sliiiiides off my brain.

I have about 7 WIPs I want to work on (none of which are my requests) but I think that if I actually tried to write them, I would just stare blankly into space, the way I have stared blankly into space for the last two things I have tried to work on. I feel super duper bad because people sent me so many nice prompts and my brain is just too smooth to work on them. I know that me feeling bad about it doesn't help anything and that no one wants me to feel bad, but unfortunately, the feeling bad is obligatory.

A thing that did not help was that Mr P and I have spent the last two weeks d e v o u r i n g the Imperial Radch series and so all I want to think about is my favorite extremely problematic sci-fi military-empire complex instead of my favorite extremely problematic anime military-empire complex. (I think Old Man Yams and Anaander Mianaai:Vaguely Remorseful Edition would be besties). I finished the third one yesterday and I am holding myself back from reading them all again, immediately.

Every day I draw lieutenants. I have actually drawn all of the lieutenants at this point, but I think I want to re-draw Hinamori, because she was the second one I drew and isn't quite as good as the later ones. It's all just sketches and I am currently waffling on how much clean-up I want to do on this. One of the wolves inside of me wants to just leave them as they are, it was just a practice project. The other wolf says, you did all this work, would it be that terrible to do 10% more work to make it actually look good? (aka do an inking layer). It's also done on a very wide canvas and I need to figure out how to make a pan animation. I mean, I know how to do it in a very crude, manual way, but I feel like there must be a better solution (at least, a better solution that is not shelling out $20 for Procreate Dreams, which to be fair, is very cheap for an animation program and I am sure I would enjoy it). ANYWAY! Hopefully I will be done with that project this week!

I also made some bad cookies today. I am very bad at making cookies, but Lil P wanted to, so we did. They taste okay, but they are among the ugliest cookies I have ever made in my whole life.

I will try to be better next week!

[sofoulandfairaday]

My black sisters early headcannons

I agree with you about narcissa not being soft, I mean if she was she probably would be miserable for the whole of the series and shes not, and the redeeming factor for the malfoys is that they all love each other very much. She and lucius got together in her fifth year. And got married straight after she finished school. She had however had pregnancy problems, so they were overjoyd when draco was born. Narcissa was made prefect but not head girl. Of the sisters she was the least interested in school but she did do enough to get good grades in all her classes.

With Andromeda i think she actually loves all the pureblood functions like the balls and the rest. But most the fics ive read has her hating them. And that not being able to take part in the high society was the worst part of running away for her. I think she was as prejudiced as the other 2 when starting school. And my headcanon is that she and ted got paired for a class very early on and he just decided he wanted to be her friend and he just did not let up. Snatching small conversations and giving small gifts. It took years for this to actually work and andromeda to decide she wanted to be friends. And that and only that made her slowly change her mindset. After the 2 war i could see her and narcissa write letters to each other but i also cant see either of them writing first. And its not like andromeda would attended bellas funeral. I also think of the sisters she and bella were the ones who were the closest. I think bellatrix wedding was the last event she attended. And the fact that after this bellatrix was very busy made it easier to run away. I also headcanon her as the best spellcaster of the three but that after the 1st war she does not keep training. I also think the reason she wasnt more involved in the order because she doesnt want to fight her former friends and family.(opposite i think to sirius who i think found Joy in it).

As for bellatrix she is the one i think who enjoys balls the least but she still thinks they are somewhat fun, she leaves as soon as socially acceptable to do other fun "afterparty" things. By the time she started school she had decided who her friends were and those were her friends for all 7 years. She also really enjoys learning and was the most studious. She took as many classes o.w.l.s and n.e.w.t.s as possible and excelled in all. She could have been both prefect and head girl but made sure ahead of time she was not interested because it would cut into study time. Not that school classes was the only thing she studied. Due to being and excellent student and some charm and high standing she got to read any book she wanted from the forbidden section of the library. She always asked with a good and untrue excuse. She was far from kind to muggleborns but she was not a bully in school. Only hexing those who annoyed her or slighted her some other way. She actually found it boring and did always had an air of "can you get done soon" when her friends were bullying. Bellatrix found however out that she liked inflicting pain the first time she did it, this was at the very end of school though so she didnt terrorize the school. As soon as she was out of school she travelled to learn more. Around her 20 birthday her parents started bugging her about marriage because she had never shown any interest in romance. She after a bit of this went to rodolphus and said lets get married in which he responded wathever you want(I think he is in love with her but knows she doesnt love him and therefore dont expect anything and they are best friends). He proposed the next day at a garden party with the finest and most expensive of rings. Though there had been talk with and about voldemort in her friendgroup. Bellatrix first met voldemort at her wedding(I really like this headcanon). They immediatly got along well because Bellatrix had gotten lightly into dark magic and wanted to learn more and voldemort really liked how much interest she showed esp coupled with that she is very powerful.

Hi, anon! Oh, gosh, thank you so much for this ask - I agree with so many of these, almost all of them! They're so perfect.

Yes to Lucius and Cissy being together since Hogwarts, yes to her being Prefect but not Head Girl, super-duper yes to Narcissa with pregnancy problems. I have a very specific headcanon in mind for this. I think they had several miscarriages (Bella had at least one too; difficulties with conceiving children is something I envision for all the women of the Black Family, which may also be due to the fact that they all select their spouses from a very small pool) and they finally managed to conceive with Severus' help, using some sort of potion and very later on (if Cissy is done with school around 1972-73, why did her and Lucius only have Draco in 1980? It's not like she was involved in the fighting...)

I also agree that Andromeda was quite different from Sirius and her leaving her sisters was much less of a nuanced political position (I see her as someone with many biases and a lot of unlearning to do- never mind the fact that she also doesn't want her daughter to marry Remus because he's a werewolf). I think she loved her family - sisters, parents, cousins - and partly her world (balls, fancy restaurants and holidays...) I can see her having a difficult time letting go. Her abandonment of her family is something that's much more selfish than we think: she liked Ted, and her family said she couldn't have him, so she took him anyways. My problem with her is that I can never seem to write her the way I want to. I can't seem to get her voice right.

Yes to Bella's wedding being the last event she ever attended (something Narcissa would always be resentful of).

Sirius is someone with a very black-and-white morality (ironically, the same as Bella), while Andromeda isn't in my opinion. And I can see her being conflicted over her position in the war, even willing to forgive her sisters until Tonks' death, of course. Yes to neither Andy nor Cissy being able to bring themselves to write first after the second war. And yes to Andromeda not being there for Bellatrix's funeral. She might have gone, even after Sirius, if it weren't for Nymphadora. I just can't see her forgiving Bella for that.

Yes to Bella being the most studious, and the best in school. Yes to her having a small group of friends. I can see her being Prefect and Head Girl, but I can also see the opposite - her not being given it/refusing it not on the basis of grades but temperament/free time/other injustices etc. Yes to Rodolphus being in love with her and them having a good relationship, yes to her choosing him personally. I headcanon that she meets Voldemort at her engagement party! (At least in the story I'm writing, but I am very flexible on this- it's not the when it's the how for me.) Yes to her being a natural sadist, not that much of a bully in school, but definitely respected. Maybe she partook in her free time.

It's a happy headcanon for her to have travelled after school. I definitely think she wanted to, but in my head, her parents had always refused it, saying that it wasn't proper for a young witch like her to travel the world without a chaperone. It also fuels, for me, her need for adventure as a young woman. I do like it though (I tend to make everything tragic; I don't know if you've noticed but I love angst!)

Yes yes yes to her seeing Voldemort as more than a political figure but as a mentor, a teacher, and him choosing her above all else to make her his pupil.

[4awny]

Kyman Week Day 7 - Free Day

(someone grab the tissues)

As Eric Cartman.

Adjusting to a normal life again wasn't as easy as I was convinced it would be. Three years out at this point and I still couldn't adjust.

I was institutionalised. At least that's what Kyle called it. He seemed older than me, almost senior. Because in my head, I was still only 27. I didn't get to live my thirties at all, so when he told me all these stories about the things he did and the places he went, I wanted to soak it all up. I felt envy, not jealousy.  

Kyle made out his life was boring and dull, because he would do. He was more cynical now, moodier than before, but everything else was still the same. He was still the same old Kyle.

"Tell me the one thing you really want to do before you die. It can be literally anything." He asked me one day over breakfast. I think he was trying to get birthday ideas. 

I thought about it for a minute, because it was hard to pick just one thing. "Get married." I said, looking right at him.

"Really?" He asked, surprised. "Because here's the thing about marriage. It's overrated. Expensive as fuck too, I wasted so much money on mine and even more with the divorce proceedings, Christ. I didn't want to do it in the first place, I only did it because-" He stopped when he caught my eyes. "I thought it was what I wanted."

"So, what. You think I'll regret it?" I ask him.

"I mean... if it's what you want?" I could feel his eyes on me as I stabbed my eggs and ate them. I felt his fingers suddenly touch my wrist. "Wait a minute, are you asking me to? As in, you know?" He nodded a few times, unable to actually say it.

I put my fork down to answer his question. "Am I asking you to marry me? Yes. You asked me what I want to do before I die and that's what I want." I said simply and went back to finishing off the scraps scattered around my plate.

"Okay." Kyle said, leaning back into his chair to process it. "Yeah, okay. We'll make it happen." His eyes fell to my near empty plate, smiling to himself.

Three months pass, we tie the knot and it was the happiest day of my life. It was small and nothing fancy, but that's what I liked about it.

That night in the bedroom before bed, I told him I was going to slip into something more comfortable. I came out of the bathroom wearing a dress and started goofing around with him.

"What am I doing?" I repeat his question, looking as confused as ever. "What are you talking about, I always wear this?"

Kyle covered his laugh with the back of his hand. "I really have no idea how you survived inside."

"Unfortunately, they don't provide these sorts of garments in male prisons." I made my way towards the hotel door. "Shame, because it would have been the prettiest way to show my dominance. I'll be back, just going down to the bar. Those pants better be on the floor by the time I get back."

He doesn't say anything, too busy snickering at the state of me. Seeing him laugh like that was the highlight of the day. I waited many years to see that again and it was worth the wait. So worth it.

My daughter was eight when she came to live with us in the house Kyle and I bought together. Her mother was suffering with depression and needed help looking after her.

Kyle always told me I was a great dad, but I thought he did a better job. He was always reminding me of appointments, getting her ready for school, making sure everything was how it should be.

It all changed when he was diagnosed with cancer.

He was 51. Six months of treatment, but it was too advanced. I gave up my job to care for him and I watched him deteriorate. I stayed with him until the bitter end and I'll never forget our last conversation.

I asked him not to leave yet, I begged him to stay another day.

"You'll be fine." He told me, breathing the words out as he struggled to keep his eyes open. "You're a good person, Eric."

He fell asleep after that and I laid next to him, holding his hand the entire night. When the morning came, I pulled back the drapes and opened the window to let some air in. I caughtef an early bird picking worms out of the grass in the yard and that's when I felt the shift. I turned around and I went still.

Yeah, and just like that, he was gone.

It's now been a year since the date of his passing and I sit alone by his grave, weeding out the dying flowers I brought last week and replacing them with fresh ones.

"Hey, I was speaking to my therapist today." I say to him as I pull out my camping stool and sit down. "Asking me stupid questions as usual. One of them really stumped me though, so I'm wondering if you'll know."

I reach into my bag and retrieve two glasses. I pour a shot of whiskey in both and place one glass on his headstone. "Do you remember how we first met?"

I listen to his answer and I chuckle to myself, because I already know what he's going to say. I sit there for a while, listening to past conversations we had an re-living them out loud. By the end of my weekly visit, my eyes start to weep.

I think about how unfair it is. What happened to him wasn't fair, it should have been me. After everything I did, how was I the one still alive and standing? These thoughts creep up on me now and then, but I'm slowly starting to accept it now.

No, life isn't fair. But it's fairer than death.

Kyle told me that once.

7 / 7

Prev

You'll be fine - Ao3, final chapter uploaded

this was a challenge but also real fun. til next year!

[0averysillygoose0]

I can still make the whole place shimmer (With the skin of a Killer Bella) -Chapter seven

Prologue and previous chapters are in my master list♡

Summary

Angelica Cullen was supposed to have died over 300 years ago, but now she gets to watch as her adoptive brother stalks some girl from Arizona.

Born in the 1600s to one Carlisle Cullen and his first wife- a woman whose name has since faded into obscurity, Angelica was never supposed to amount to much more than marriage and children. Now a perpetual sixteen-year-old who wants nothing more than to be able to paint her nails in peace to the Mama Mia soundtrack, she finds herself with little to occupy her time.

Her relationship with her family is growing more strained by the day. The cycle of high school has long since become dull and draining, and despite her desperation for something else, she's forced to stay stagnant for 'the good of the family'.

A family who's wearing her patience thin.

Then Bella Swan moves to Forks and Angelica's pressure is suddenly raised as the Cullen family is thrown into a potentially life-ending challenge every five business days. The Quillute are watching closely, as are the Volturi for any slip-ups, and in the world of the supernatural, Angelica has the grace of a baby deer.

♡ ♡ ♡

Chapter 7 Talks of therapy and My Chemical Romance

“What car accident?” Angelica demanded, scrambling to unbuckle her seatbelt as Carlisle’s car door shut behind him. She nearly tripped getting out of the vehicle, too caught up in her desire for an answer. Her father’s hand curled around her elbow, catching her before she even had time to fall. 

“I don’t know the specifics, Alice just told me there would be one happening soon that would affect all of us. You forgot your bag.” He added.

“What do you mean she doesn’t know the specifics-” Angelica protested, shaking her head and ignoring his last sentence. “She can see the future- that’s her whole thing!” Her words echoed in the garage.

Carlisle shook his head. “I don’t know.”  “What about you promising we wouldn’t have to move?” She asked quickly. “Because a car accident has very life changey connotations.” 

“I specifically asked her if we would need to, and from what she could gather, this won’t cause that.” He said reassuringly as he walked behind her to retrieve the girl’s pink backpack himself.  “You worry too much, Angelica.” Carlisle said, his brows knitting together as he studied the girl’s face. Dark circles hollowed out her eyes, which had begun to darken with hunger, making them look larger than they were. 

“I worry a normal amount.” She mumbled, tugging her sweater sleeves over her knuckles. 

He shook his head, pausing before he spoke next. A thoughtful expression decorated his face. “You know, I have that psychologist friend of mine-”  “I am not talking to him.” Angelica said firmly. “The last time we saw him, he only talked about Freud and he was an actual, honest to god motherfucker.”  “Angelica, mind your language.” He chided, handing her the bag. “I’m serious.” Carlisle’s hand rested on her shoulder, gently guiding her towards the door that led into the house. They stepped through it and as they crossed through the foyer. Angelica went to take off her uggs but he motioned for her to just keep walking. She rolled her eyes, ignoring the gesture and kicked off her boots. She was many things, but a mud tracker would not be one of them. 

“No, like for real. Freud was the one who came up with the Oedipus complex, where you wanna-” She continued as she followed him to the living room.. 

“I’m aware.” Carlisle said quickly. “But, Freud aside, maybe it would help you to speak to someone..”  “I’m fine. I can vent to my friends.” She shrugged, throwing her bag onto an overstuffed armchair before curling up on the awaiting chesterfield. 

“Yes, but it’s different.” Carlisle said carefully. “You wouldn’t need to hide anything from him, he knows what we are. He’s a professional and he’s been doing this for over a hundred years.” 

Angelica frowned. “Yeah, but what would I need a therapist for?”  “Well,” He looked down, and a reluctant expression crossed his face. Angelica stared up quizzically, eyes boring into him. “During our disagreement a week ago,” She could hardly believe he’d actually brought it up on his own accord, “You told me that when you get worried about something it doesn’t go away.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Just let me finish.” He said gently, sitting down beside her. “I called him to chat about it today and we talked a bit about,” Carlisle grimaced, “ About your past , and  he said it sounds like you might be experiencing some anxiety as a result.” 

Angelica’s nose crinkled in disdain. 

“Why did you say ‘past’ like that?” 

“What do you mean?”

“You said it like I was a character in a teen drama with some tragic backstory.” She pretended to gaze off dramatically. “ Your past.” She shook her hands for emphasis.

He sighed. “How do you want me to say it, then?”  “I don’t know, normally?” She shrugged.

“Moving on,” Carlisle said quickly, “I think you could really benefit from speaking to him.”

“I feel fine, Dad, I just get nervous sometimes.” 

“Just one session.”  “I’m not the only messed up one. Rose had basically the same thing happen to her, so why isn’t she in therapy?”  “Because she’s an adult and can make her own choices.” He supplied. 

Her eyes narrowed. 

“And I’m not?”  He opened his mouth to reply but seemed to think better of it. 

“You’re technically older than her, yes and I understand that it can be frustrating, but it’s different, you know that.” He said finally, words delicately chose. “Angelica, would you just consider it- seriously consider it?”  She sighed, seeing the concern in his eyes. She could tell it had been weighing on him, and likely Esme as well given how often he confided in her. Angelica knew that he was doing this for her, or at least that’s what he felt he was doing. One session was a minor commitment in the grand scheme of things. And, she thought, a brief slip of excitement cutting through her contemplation, having a therapist, might just be the exact thing that could get her more freedom. An advocate. 

“Okay.” She lamented.“But you don’t need to worry so much about me, you know?” 

“You’re very worrisome, I can’t help it.” Carlisle joked and she rolled her eyes goodnaturedly.  

“Okay.” Angelica scoffed. “But, like you know that all that stuff from,” She paused for effect, “ My past, is well, in the past. It’s done with now.”  

“Mhm.” Carlisle pulled her into his side, his arm snaking around her back. She leaned against him.

“Maybe you should talk to him too.” Angelica teased. It felt good to speak like this again, unburdened with frustration and anxiety.

“Maybe.” He said absentmindedly, resting his chin atop her head. 

They stayed like that for a moment, quiet and content. Outside, the snow came down much quicker, painting the forest outside white. No one was home, Esme was off running errands and the others were still at school. It was times like this that almost made Angelica miss her life before they’d pulled so many people into it. It had been much simpler back then. She dismissed the thought rather quickly, because despite everything, she loved her family, particularly Emmett and Rosalie. Rose, who had ended her first life and begun her new one so similarly to Angelica herself and who treated her as a true little sister and not just as yet another addition to the family. And Emmett, well, Emmett was the only one who ever seemed to have common sense. They shared the same brand of humor, the same opinions. The pair made her feel at home.

The others were different, there were more layers and distance between them. Alice and Jasper were a different matter altogether. Although she loved them, she found it difficult to grapple with the boy’s past and Alice’s flightiness. She struggled to be as close with them, in comparison to the other duo. And then, there was Edward. Angelica had once wanted to be friends with him as well as siblings. He was the closest to her age, and they shared common interests in music and literature. But their personalities were similar in all the wrong ways, too stubborn and too set in their beliefs. 

Esme was undoubtedly kind and gracious, and she made Angelica feel comfortable around her. The woman was warm and welcoming and one would be hard pressed to find any flaws within her. Angelica loved her stepmom, she truly did, but she didn’t feel the same connection to her that she’d felt long ago with her own mother, or even Carlisle for that matter. She’d been assured that it was only natural, but a part of her felt at fault for it all the same. Especially when her mother, her maman, was often kept out of her life entirely. 

Angelica’s mother had been French and had looked the part. Her features had somehow 

erased most of  Carlisle’s in their girl, something Angelica guiltily took pride in. She knew her parents’ marriage hadn’t been born from love, but rather as a means to an end for their respective families. A guaranteed bloodline, a line of succession. 

Even if it hadn't been made obvious by their stilted interactions, although her recollections of their conversations had long grown blurred, her understanding of cultural norms at the time, and lessons she’d learned from her own marriage, she would have eventually led her to piece it all together. But, whatever love the late Mrs. Cullen had lacked with her husband, she’d made up for with her daughter. She’d adored the little girl who carried her ashy brown hair and stubborn attitude until the day she died. And although Angelica’s memories of her had long ago grown hazy, she could still recall her mother’s delicate hands weaving her hair into a braid at night and the way her r’s were made sharp by her lingering Parisian accent.

The distance between her parents seemed to linger, even all these years later.Carlisle never spoke ill of his first wife, the issue was that he seldom spoke of her at all. She didn’t miss how her father’s gaze would drop whenever her siblings asked her about her life beforehand or how he avoided complimenting the features she’d directly inherited from his first wife, which was unfortunate because her face was made up of her mother’s. She had her round cheeks, pointed nose, dark eyes and even her short stature. Angelica had concluded that it must have been difficult for him to see so much of a stranger- to him at least- in her. 

Angelica's train of thought was interrupted by a sudden buzzing from her pocket. S he rummaged in her sweater until her fingers curled around her phone.

lilly gave me ur number.

“I gotta go upstairs.” She told Carlisle quickly. Her father nodded, seemingly lost in his own mind as well. 

The device beeped again suddenly.

this is hailee btw. 

Angelica laughed, smiling at the messages as she retreated through the house and up the staircase. She opened her door and shut it behind her quickly before throwing herself onto her bed, her pink silky sheets wrinkling. 

i guessed that lol. 

how r u?

better. how’s your friend and her boyfriend?  She could picture the girl’s eyes rolling in response. 

disgusting. they were talking about marriage today and theyre 18.

wild. 

hows ur thing? 

my brother is still being a freak but it is what it is

you should like stake him or something like van helsing style

Angelica let out a barky, surprised laugh.

fr 

r u coming to lillys bday party btw? in three weeks?

ya, i think.

k cool, i never know her friends so i need someone 2 talk 2. 

perf <3

She set the phone down and smiled. With a flick of her wrist, her favorite albums flew off of one of her shelves and into her hand. Angelica retrieved her laptop from its spot by her bed and took out the CD. Soon, Invisible started blaring through the tinny computer speakers, filling her room with the twang of country music. 

Who needs a therapist to talk to when you have a girl you met in the woods for twenty minutes one time and Taylor Swift?

*** 

The car accident, as it turns out, happened the next day, and to no other than one Bella Swan. Not two minutes after Angelica and the others had pulled into the parking lot and crossed towards the brick building that made up Forks highschool, the sounds of screams and shouts filled the air. 

True to his word, Carlisle and Alice had filled the others in as best they could on what they knew, which simply put wasn’t much. Just that Edward and Bella were somehow connected and, in the near future, there would be a car crash. 

Rosalie had griped to Angelica on their hunt that night, similarly to how the younger girl had complained to Carlisle only hours earlier, that for someone whose whole schtick was being able to see the future, Alice seemed to struggle with the actual important and defining details of the events she foresaw. Emmett joked that perhaps she didn’t actually see anything; she just got vaguely good and bad vibes. 

The accident itself had been a short affair, quick and relatively simple. Angelica had only just draped her backpack over one shoulder when she’d heard the sound of tires grinding against sleet and ice and panicked cries rising up from the crowd. She turned to see a van bearing down on Bella, dead set on the girl despite the driver, Tyler Crowley, desperately pulling every which way on his steering wheel. She’d barely registered what was happening when Edward took off from where he’d been standing beside Emmett’s jeep, he was made a blur to everyone but the Cullens as he raced towards the girl. There was a large crunch that echoed through the lot as Edward’s hand met the car.

Angelica heard a protesting cry brewing in the back of Rosalie’s throat as the blonde girl watched in a look that was a myriad of horror, anger and disbelief all melted together in a petulant little pot. Alice shook her head, sparing a glance at Jasper to make sure he was holding himself together. The boy bore what resembled a look of constipation on his pale face as he watched the scene play out. 

“Well, shit.” Emmett said simply. 

“Are you kidding me?” Rosalie hissed. She was glaring down at Edward, her gaze searing into him from fifty feet away. Angelica reached out, squeezing her sister’s hand reassuringly but it did little to quell her anger. They stayed frozen in their spot, watching the scene play out from a distance. Bella tried to get up but Edward insisted she stay where she was. The two continued to talk as everyone around them frantically dialed on their phone and shrieked to one another about the almost tragedy. Angelica frowned as she watched Bella glance over at them, then back at Edward. She’d noticed something was off.

Within ten minutes the paramedics had arrived, loading both Bella and a frantically apologetic Tyler Crowley up into an ambulance. Edward brushed them off when they offered him a ride,instead trekking through the crowd of shocked students and back to his family.

“ We need to follow them.”  He said quickly once he reached the group. Rosalie was eyeing him with contempt but she bit her tongue, knowing that it would be better to say her piece when they were alone.

“ Sorry, we?” Angelica asked indignantly.

“How do you think it’ll look if I go alone and my own family stays back. That’s suspicious.” Edward shook his head.

“I think it’ll look like we care about our education.” She retorted. “Also in terms of like suspicious things, I’m gonna say pulling a Sonic the Hedgehog in front of everyone is for sure worse-”  “I don’t have time for you right now, Emmett give me the keys.” Edward said sharply. He held out his hand expectantly and was met with a blank stare. 

“Dude it’s my jeep, I’ll drive-”  “Just give me the keys, Emmett.” Edward’s voice was sharp and left no room for debate. “Please.” Reluctantly, the older boy fished his keychain out from his pocket and let it fall into his brother’s open palm. They all piled in, Angelica and Emmett in the third row, Rosalie and Alice in the middle and Jasper and Edward up at the front. 

They peeled quickly out of the parking lot, following the red and blue flashing lights of the ambulances. As the emergency vehicles took a sharp right turn, a short cut to the Hospital, the jeep kept going straight. She wondered if Edward had purposely chosen the longer route or had been too flustered to realize his mistake. 

“So like… are we just gonna hang out at the hospital while she gets fixed or…” Angelica asked finally, her voice trailing off.  Her backpack was slumped at her feet. A few note papers threatened to spill out, all of them were marred with tiny sketches of jellyfish or mushrooms, along with highlighted passages that were riddled with small annotations. The weight on her chest had returned. “Like what’s the game plan here?”

“Why do you care?” Edward growled sharply. 

“I just want to know if I’ll have time to do my English Homework.” Angelica didn’t notice Rosalie eyeing her carefully through her periphery. “Or to like… if we’ll go back to school in general today.” 

Edward sighed. “Your selfish concerns make me crave the sweet release of death.” He muttered, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the shift stick tightly. Trees whirred by, lining the side of the road as they drew closer to the road that would lead them to the hospital.

“Ooh.” Emmett piped up. “He’s so emo! Alice, quick, play My Chemical Romance!” 

Alice sighed, ever suffering, from her spot in the middle seat. “I can’t reach the AUX.” 

“Jaz, pass it back.” Emmett persisted. 

Jasper just shook his head, wanting no part in the conversation. 

“Dude, come on.” Angelica sighed, holding out her hand, clenching and unclenching her fist in expectation. “I have my ipod.” 

“I’ve chosen the wrong side before, I won’t do it within my own family.”  Angelica blinked and turned to stare at Emmett, whose face bore a similar look of disbelief. The two turned back to face their brother in unison.  “Did you just compare the confederacy to Edward and MCR?” She asked.

“No.” Jasper said quickly.

“No, you for sure just did.” Emmett scoffed. “Whoa, Jas, I thought we were past this.”  “I am-”  “I won’t believe you unless you pass the aux back.” 

“Are you seriously using my history to get your way?”  Angelica and Emmett looked at each other for a moment. 

“Yes.” They said in unison. 

“He doesn’t deserve music anyway.” Rosalie muttered, too tired and irritated for the two’s games. Her suede high heel encased foot tapped against the floor of the car anxiously, melding in amongst the sound of the engine and the road beneath the wheels. Ice decorated the streets and clung to the trees above. The sky above was a dull gray. 

“Right.” Emmett nodded. “The silence shall be his only companion, like a true emo.” 

“Hardcore.” Angelica nodded. Her mindless comment earned her a prideful grin from her brother.

Edward turned around to glare at them. “Would all of you just shut up?”

“Would you just keep your eyes on the road?” Rosalie retaliated. 

“Everyone stop shouting at each other.” Alice ordered. “Let’s all just focus on getting to hospital and making sure Bella is okay.”  “Making sure-” Rosalie looked at her sister in disbelief. “What about us- his little stunt implicates all of us!”

“Everything works out in the end, just trust me.” The pixie girl said, offering the blonde a reassuring smile and a squeeze on her arm. “I promise.”  The car fell silent for the rest of the drive, everyone lost in their own thoughts. All except Emmett and Angelica who had quickly realized that speaking again would only earn them a scolding, whether it be from Rosalie or Edward and so they pulled out their phones.

this is so awkward. 

ikr? Angelica shook her head.

bro usain bolted his way across the parking lot and is mad at us for asking for a soundtrack

what a silly billy.

When they finally arrived at the hospital, they wasted no time seeking out Carlisle. All except Jasper, who had opted to wait in the car. Angelica caught sight of the waiting room as they passed the emergency department, and was surprised to see it filling up with other students as they filed in beside her and her family. The paramedics from before were lingering by the front desk, and upon seeing Edward, attempted to usher him into triage despite his protests. Only after they were assured rigorously by Alice that they were going off to find their father and would make sure Edward was seen did they relent. 

She scanned the crowd of highschoolers for her friends, but only found Jessica and Mike who kept looking up at them, their eyes flitting between Angelica and Edward as they spoke behind cupped hands. She resisted the urge to vomit and trailed after the others as they kept walking, possessing no time or energy to deal with the girl and her baseless rumors. 

It didn’t take them long to reach their father’s office. The rest of the group hung back, lingering in the hall, and allowing Edward to take the conversation by the reins. Afterall, this was his incident, not theirs.

“Carlisle,” Edward began, stepping into the doorway.

The others stayed outside of Carlisle’s sight line despiteAngelica wanted nothing more than to complain about being dragged her against her will. She bit her tongue, remembering how she handled this incident would be a deciding factor for Carlisle when it came to upholding his end of the deal. 

"No, no it’s not that.” Edward assured him quickly, despite the man having yet to say a word. Carlisle let out a relieved breath.  Angelica detested when they spoke this way, with her father’s words kept away in his mind and only Edward responding aloud. She got the impression that if it was possible for them to make the mental link go both ways, they would.

“She’s hurt though, Carlisle, probably not seriously, but-”  “What happened?”  “The car accident Alice saw,  it was her. It was ridiculous, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time but I couldn’t just stand there- let it crush her...”  His voice trailed off. “A van skidded on the ice. She was in the way and even with Alice seeing it coming there wasn’t any time to do anything, but really run across the lot and shove her out of the way. No one noticed… except for her. I’m… I’m sorry Carlisle, I didn’t mean to put us in danger.”  Angelica frown softened and a small bloom of pity took root in her chest. He sounded scared, almost childlike in his worry. She’d been mean earlier in the car, she thought guiltily. Perhaps she should say sorry. There was the sound of footsteps from inside the office as Carlisle drew closer to Edward.  

“She knows there’s something… wrong with me.”

“Did she say anything?”  “Nothing yet, she agreed to my version of events but she’s expecting an answer.”  Edward paused. “She hit her head- well I did that. I knocked her to the ground fairly hard. She seems fine but… I don’t think it will take much to discredit her account.” He didn’t sound like he believed himself. “I’m so afraid that I hurt her.” 

“I’ll see to her myself.” Carlisle said assuringly. “But, if we have to leave, we leave.”

Are you fucking kidding me? 

Emmett saw her before anyone, and reached out to catch the girl by her arm, but she was already on the move. Angelica rushed into the room, to find a defeated looking Edward and her father eyeing her with a shocked expression. 

“Sorry, what did you just say?” 

“What are you doing here, sweetheart? You’re supposed to be in school.” Carlisle replied calmly.

“He dragged all of us here.” She snapped dismissively, gesturing at her brother. Carlisle leaned out the doorway and caught sight of the others. Emmett gave a stilted wave.  “What’s this about if we have to leave we have to leave?” Angelica demanded.  “You know what I mean-”  “No I don’t because you told me that it wouldn’t come to that!”

“I’m sure it won’t, Angelica, it’s only if we need to-”  “You said we wouldn’t need to!” She protested. 

“Lower your voice.” Edward hissed, turning on her. “People will hear."

Any trace of empathy within her for the boy vanished. “Oh my god, just stay out of this!”  “You stay out of this!” He retaliated. “This has nothing to do with you and you just come barging in-”  “You made me come here!”

“Both of you, calm down-” Carlisle began, gently, resting one hand on each of the two’s shoulders. 

“You’re so selfish- this girl might be hurt and you’re worried about what? Moving?” Edward demanded indignantly. 

“I’m selfish? You’re the one who did all this!” She protested, giving her wrist a small flick. The door shut quickly, seemingly on its own.  “So, what was I supposed to let her die?” He snarled. “Why didn’t you do something then? You could’ve made the truck swerve!” Edward gestured madly at her still poised hands. Angelica glared at him. 

“I’ve never used it on cars before, dumbass!”  “At least I did something!”

“I barely knew what was happening, I knew as much as you did!”  “And yet you did nothing!” 

“Stop arguing.” Carlisle said sharply. The unfamiliar edge in his voice drove the two to silence. “This isn’t the time for this. Angelica, you stay here, wait with everyone else. Edward, you can come with me to make sure Bella is fine.” 

The two nodded reluctantly.

“I’ll talk with both of you about this later. This fighting needs to stop, it isn’t sustainable.”  “But she-”  “Edward, both of you played a role in this, both of you need to be a part of the solution. Now come with me.” Carlisle opened the door and gestured for the others to come in. “All of you just wait in here for now, people need to use this hall, we can’t be blocking it.” With that, he left, Edward trailing  behind.

Angelica stared at the ground, her throat feeling tight. She kicked at the ground, and didn’t say anything when her other siblings joined her. 

Emmettt shook his head. “You know, none of this would be happening if he just took my advice in the first place.”

“Your advice was stupid.” Rosalie said plainly. 

“No it wasn’t.”  “You told him and I quote, “Don’t stress it dude, everyone does a little whoopsie murder here and there”.” 

“Sound, tried and tested advice.”

This was going to be a long day. 

[spicyliumang]

Made a cleaner ref sheet for Enya my Yakuza Oc! I like this one much better than the other one :')💙

Enya Sasaki

She/Her

Birthday: August 7 1997

25

Nicknames: Enya-chan, Enny-chan, Nya-chan (<----Only Zhao can call her that)

Ethnicity- African American-Japanese (raised in Japan so mainly knows Japanese at first, but took classes to speak English fluidly)

Leo

Caretaker - Okino Sasaki (Adoptive father)

Hostess at the Rose Blossom Cabaret

Favorite animal - Pandas

Favorite drink - Slushy Taro bubble tea

Fighting style- Taekwondo

Love interest- Tiayou Zhao

All of her lore is under the cut:') (it's v long I was feeling big-brained)

Enya’s parents originally left the U.S. and moved to Kamorocho for her bio father's new job and also ran a goods and services shop and would launder money for the Omi Alliance in exchange for money because the shop her parents owned was not doing well financially and ran the risk of losing the business and home. even when Enya’s biological dad had a second job and it wasn't enough.

Her dad would work long hours often after Enya was born and didn't make much time for Enya's mother and would have countless arguments because of it leaving her mother and her alone most days. Enya was no more than 6 months old when this unfolded.

Every few months, someone is sent to collect the money from their business to be laundered. The person who would pick it up would be Tendo.

Enya’s mom ended up meeting Tendo one day when he came to collect the money they owed and Enya’s mom and Tendo had an affair (which Tendo just went along with it to make more money while Enya’s mom actually fell for him).

Tendo eventually let Enya’s mom know she didn’t mean anything to him and that he was just using her, in the end. She begged him to stay but he refused. Enya’s bio dad finds out and tried to fight Tendo, but with him being a skilled boxer, but he killed her dad from blunt force trauma.

Enya’s mother was mortified. Her mother decided wouldn’t launder any more money for the Omi and after a big fight Enya’s mom threatened to tell the authorities so Tendo made arrangements to have her killed. In that event, Enya was left alone in her crib wailing.

Eventually, the police arrived after complaints of a smell and crying in the small apartment and Enya was found and taken to an orphanage in Kamorocho. There was no information found on either of them in regard to their name as the Omi made sure the make them "disappear" Enya was spared simply because she was harmless and seemingly would "Never remember this" In the words of Tendo

Her foster dad, Okino Sasaki, a native of Ijincho finds her at the Sunflower Orphanage during a business trip while working at a corporate office in Ijincho. He always wanted kids but unfortunately, he is sterile. So in light of his successful business, he wanted to have the joy of changing a child's life giving them a healthy, happy childhood. That's where he finds 6-year-old Enya. To this day, she calls him "Oki-san" rather than father. Overall while living with Okino, overall she was happy, he made time to take her to parks and even took her to the library to look at magazines since she loves fashion so much. He also put her in Taekwondo classes after school when he worked late and even explained to only use self-defense in dire situations. Enya loved every second of it. The only strange thing was her reoccurring nightmare of screaming, and a man's face she's never seen before. She had these dreams practically once every year. Each time more fragments come out. The first figure would mumble incoherent words and the only word that was clear was the "Omi Alliance" which was one word the figure would say constantly. It wasn't until middle school that she temporarily stopped having them.

Over the years, Okino eventually falls for Kozumi Hideko who he later marries and allows her to move into Okino's 2 bedroom apartment. Kozumi is the bane of Enya's existence. She's overtly controlling, and combative, towards Enya, and eventually by weaseling in Okino's heart she quickly became head of the household. Okino allowed her to take over the home while he worked long hours at the office leading to screaming matches every day. Okino allowed her to do anything she wanted except one specific thing she wanted most of all. The biggest one is that Kozumi wants Okino to sell his business and move to Sotenbori, but Okino was adamant about Enya finishing school and avoid her from constantly uprooting her life as she went through that in several foster homes. Another part of it is because of her skin tone.

This rivalry between Enya and her stepmother led to her acting out a lot, cutting class, not paying attention in school, and eventually sneaking out once she entered high school. Due to her nearly getting expelled due to her retaliating against a bully, her stepmother got fed up and had a discussion with Okino and managed to manipulate him to send her to a boarding school for the rest of her time there.

While she was there, she was absolutely miserable. Some of the kids teased her more than others (apart from her skin tone, and the fact she was technically an orphan) She hated it. She hid in the bathroom most lunch periods until one day she meets Shoji Kazuhiro.

Enya fell for Shoji quickly, and from what it appeared he did too. He was her first for everything. And for a while, it was one big honeymoon stage, up until they both graduated high school. Enya did 2 years in college as a business major. Not exactly because she wanted to, but wanting to make Okino proud. Originally she wanted to be a fashion designer, but as she was told, "It wasn't practical" For those 2 years, she was under a ton of stress. Not only because of the heavy workload but because of her constant fight with Shoji. they've broken up and made up so many times. Sometimes she would go months and he would reel her back in with his charm. She really wanted it to work, but Shoji constantly ditched her to play pachinko and get wasted with his friends. There was even an instance he forget her birthday. Eventually, the stress of her relationship and doing something she didn't love in college caused her to drop out and move back home.

Enya was shooting to work with Okino, but at the time she needed experience (Even nepotism would save her) Not to mention when he's not home Kozumi makes it impossible for her (She couldn't even eat any of the food in the house because it was for "working members of the household" Some days Enya would be saved because Okino asked why she didn't eat one day he came home early and confronted Kozumi. In her normal fashion, she threw a tantrum. eventually, she started doing it covertly when he wasn't there.

Enya finally had enough of the fighting and constant struggle to even be able to feed herself and decided to go job hunting. She tried many places but to no avail, and she was rejected. Until she meets Saeko. Originally Enya came in for a drink and conversed with her, but eventually turned into her bawling her eyes out over how tough things have been, Saeko comforted her and commented on how beautiful she is and asked if she was willing to work at a cabaret. While her club was full, Saeko pulled some strings and got her a position at the Rose Blossom Cabaret.

Enya realized how quickly she had to shape up. Originally Enya is rather timid and anxious. Connecting with others wasn't her strong suit. but after getting to know some of the girls, they encouraged her that in order for her to get more tips, she needed to be more extroverted. So after a few rehearsals, she made more than enough to provide for herself, eventually getting her an apartment. And coincidently, Shoji comes back apologetically and made lots of empty promises "I wanna marry you!" "You're the love of my life!" "I can't live without you!" All that jazz was a load of crap. Unfortunately, Enya was still a tad bit naive, no, not even, just love-bombed to the point anything Shoji did or didn't do would either make or break her day. So he had a death grip on her.

It seemed like a great fairy tale at the moment for Enya because her thoughts were "Everything is going perfectly!" Until Shoji was back to his old ways. He hated the fact that she worked at a cabaret and guys would look at her. He never missed an opportunity to slut shame her in hopes she loses her confidence completely and quits. But she refused. One particular day she got into a heated argument with Shoji at her apartment to the point he punched a hole in her wall. She kicked him out and stopped seeing him for months. The final time they got back together, Shoji was allegedly "homeless" and his roommate kicked him out so we came to her house crying and begging in the pouring rain for her to "let him stay" And of course, they get back together. It was completely short-lived however while on her lunch break, she went to Gindaco Highball Tavern where she found Shoji on a date with a girl while they were still together. Enya made a big scene and threw a drink in his face. She cried for months. Until eventually she tried "casual dating" until she realized it was a terrible idea since no one took her seriously. Not to mention, being attacked and robbed after work, she quickly became paranoid. These events left her severely traumatized and with abandonment issues. After that point, she vowed to never date again.

Fast forward 5 years later,

Enya was working a normal shift at the Rose Blossom when she gets a surprise visit from Saeko, who she hasn't seen in years. This time, however, she wasn't alone. She was accompanied by Ichiban, Nanba, Adachi, Joon-gi Han, Eri, and no surprise, Zhao! With time after she was introduced to everyone she was quickly established as she gave Saeko the short of what has happened since a few years ago they met. She laughed and joked and even teared up with them all. Soon enough before their trip to Sotenbori, the Omi was mentioned. She explained to them that she has had a reoccurring dream where the word "Omi Alliance" was said several times and she saw a figure who she described in detail that immediately described Tendo. Han asked her a few questions about her childhood and recalled if she has adopted maybe there was a link to her bio parents. Soon it all started to make sense. She assumed that maybe Tendo may have something to do with her past and her bio parents. And soon asked if she could tag along on Ichiban's journey.

During that time she bonded with everyone. Enya and Saeko got really close and were inseparable. She enjoyed giggling at Saeko oogling at Han and even supported and hinted that she should go for it. She learned that Nanba was a former doctor and how met Ichiban. Adachi always made jokes and the occasional pick-up line she'd laugh at and Saeko would remark how bad it was. Enya chatted with Han about his past and how things are at the Geomijul and remarked on how reserved he is. She'd do the occasional "Han-chan" Saeko does just for giggles. Enya and Ichiban bonded instantly. She loved his high energy and how optimistic he was, and his also being an orphan made him the most relatable. She listened as he shared stories about his time growing up at Shangri-La. Zhao was the biggest mystery for her. At most, he shared he was once the leader of the Liumang (that she heard about briefly, only word-of-mouth) and how a coup was formed against him so now he's no longer the leader and tags along with Ichiban and company. She was intimidated at best. There have been times he has teased her and played pranks on her. Sometimes she would get fussy about it, but his charm always prevented it from escalating. And that was one of those things she was apprehensive about. Shoji had that same charm. She didn't know what Zhao was capable of, but she did stay distant at first. He did manage to get a giggle and some banter out of her every now and again.

It wasn't until after the fight with Ishioda and the bomb was planted, Zhao made an effort to help carry Enya out after springing her ankle during the fight. He even carried her up until they were able to take a train to Kamorocho. While they were friends of course and any friend would do it, Zhao showed a great deal of concern. (Especially with him being such an aloof nonchalant guy) That's when the gears started turning in her head. The inevitable "Uh oh." when she knows she's about to get a crush. Her immediate reaction? Run. She avoided Zhao as much as she could and by that, it's usually avoiding being alone with him. But on the inside, she knew it was getting worse. She found herself looking at him consciously, any time he interacted with her she was a flustered mess. Zhao had his suspicions but never pointing out, since teasing her relentlessly was far more entertaining

Enya later finds out the truth about her parents when Ichiban and company finally made it to the Millenium Tower to fight Tendo. Once they arrived in the room, Enya confronted him, saying that she feels in some way she may be connected to her parents and that they could talk it out, and that deep down he may be a good guy at heart. The words he spoke were "Huh, you have her eyes." Enya was confused until he happily boasted about him slaughtering her parents. It was an earth-shattering moment. She was filled with rage and wanted nothing more than to kill him. While they did knock him out, they had to hold Enya back as she grabbed a glass shard and planned to stab him while knocked out. She broke down completely at that moment.

Wrapping up to Aoki, and Arakawa's funeral, she stood outside with everyone when Nanba and Saeko mentioned that Ichiban isn't leaving. While the cheers went on, One of the coworkers that knew Okino frantically found her to announce that he was sick. He had a heart attack and was in critical condition. Everyone sat in the hospital with Enya as she spent her last moments there. Kozumi stood in the corner scowling while Enya cried. She talked about how she should have visited more and should have called more often. everyone stood to comfort her as she stood around him. She could have sworn she felt him squeeze her hand. And then his heart rate increased rapidly until he flatlined. Enya was broken

After the funeral, Enya stayed cooped up in her apartment. She'd have backlogs of messages from the gang, even Han suggested stopping by and "monitoring" her, but they voted against it since it would be an invasion of privacy. Ichiban did his best to pitch an idea of how they could get her out of the house when Zhao volunteered to propose a plan to get her out for some fresh air. He didn't disclose it, but the words of Ichiban said "We're counting on you, Zhao."

Zhao made some Yaki soba knowing it's her fav food and visited her apartment. At first, she shooed him away and said she didn't want company right now. But of course, Zhao persisted 🤣 he pestered her until she nearly bolted to the door to tell him off when she opened the door to him with an apologetic face and some yaki soba. She would have naturally turned him down anyway, but with her not eating anything for 3 days with no groceries, she was in no position to say no. Zhao kept the conversation light and avoided mentioning Okino. He didn't get a giggle out of her but he did ask if she'd be willing to do her a favor. She was about to say no, but knowing he went out of his way to get her some food she desperately needed even if she would never admit it, she relented. Only to find out this "errand" was a trip to Club SEGA. She kept asking what was the favor, and he just asked her to watch him play. It wasn't until he (purposely) kept getting stuck on a level of Space Harrier, she asked if she can try. Of course, it was easy, but he figured she would get impatient enough that she'd want to beat it. After that, she perked up more and they played more games together. There were incidences where he would brush his hand across hers, and she would jolt a little but tried to focus on the game. Enya laughed a lot more and even beat Zhao at a game (with pure luck of course) It wasn't until Enya found a huge Panda in the UFO catcher, she mentioned it's been there for years and no one has been able to grab it. She tried a few times until she ran out of money. Zhao offered to try, but just like her, was unsuccessful. Enya moped a bit, but Zhao mentioned maybe it was time to go for now since he was thirsty. So they went to get Boba and she ordered her favorite: Taro Tea. Zhao opened up a bit more about his upbringing and a bit more in detail about why he's no longer the leader. He did keep it light and made some jokes, and when he felt he was starting to shift the mood talking about cooking, working at You Tian, and some of the things he knew about the arcade games.

Once they finished up, he paid for the food with Yen he had in his pocket, but noticed his wallet was missing. Enya scolded how he should be careful, but he mentioned he may have left it at Club SEGA at asked her to wait outside. 30 minutes passed and she was just about to walk in to help when he came out with the huge panda in his hand. Enya was in awe and literally asked how did he manage. He explained he paid off the worker to hold his wallet while she was in the bathroom so he had a reason to come back and asked the worker to put an "Out of Order" sign on the UFO catcher so no one takes it. He spent 30 minutes because he kept getting everything but the panda, until it was the last thing in the machine and snagged it easily. He gave back all of the plushies and kept the panda instead. Enya practically teared up and asked why did he go through that for her when he mentioned everyone was pretty worried, that he hated to see her frown, and that she was great company since "everyone was too busy to hang out" Zhao walked her back to her apartment and she thanked him. Then kinda rambled blushing on about how she's grateful and he means a lot to her, staggering and trying not to lead on she likes him a lot (though she's failing miserably because Zhao can read her like a book) and just said "You sure do talk a lot." which threw her off and he leaned in to give her a kiss. And ended with "Soo... see you tomorrow?" Enya just nodded while blushing still bewildered by what just happened. And from there, Enya and Zhao started dating C:

Option substory things:

-Enya and Ichigang try to find Okino's will before Kozumi so she doesn't sell his business and his home so she can use her money to live with her rich boyfriend she was seeing the entire time Okino was feeling sick. They later find the will and find out Okino's death was deliberate for insurance fraud and she was sent to jail for life. Enya doesn't know what to do with the business so she asked Okino's assistant to help her with keeping things running while not actively working there since her passions now are working at the Rose Blossom Cabaret and studying fashion design (She even designed a dress for one of the hostesses :D)

Shoji returns and finds Enya while she's working constantly badgering her to get back together after him being divorced and not having custody of his kids. But now she's fully healed and wants nothing to do with him. He spots a hickey on her neck and get's all combative accusing her that she replaced him and promised she'd never leave him. The guilt trip doesn't work and that was his final passive attempt. Little does she know he is affiliated with some rinky-dink street gang. Usually, she's able to fight off anyone, but there was a huge group Shoji had with him that overpowered and kidnapped her. (At this point Shoji is very much in the "If I can't have you, no one can) and help her hostage. Ofc Han noticed that everyone including Zhao couldn't get in touch with her, so naturally they found her in a warehouse tied down. Zhao did not take that well :D Shoji was beaten so bad to the point his death would have been him being spared. Han was close to making arrangements when Ichiban stopped him. And instead they called the cops and he was lock up

There it is... Enya lore :D *passes out from writing*

[h3rmess]

Do u want to hear a fun fact about me ?😍 yes? Wow!.

In 2023 august I had a painful tooth ache for 2 days. My mom tried planning an appointment for me at the dentist, but specifically during the week of 21-28 (I don't know I'm bluffing, but late august) they were BUSY. They were supposedly packed.

So my jaw becomes swollen, like REALLY swollen. My sharp jaw (that doesn't exist)? GONE. It was SWOLLEN. I looked HORRIBLE. my mom like "tf happened to u" so shes like, "bro PLEASE make an appointment. Hello???" and the dentist is like "nah dawg we got too much. Go to the ER or something."

Its now the 3rd day ish of it, and like 7 p.m. my mom like "vivian cmon beta we gotta go to the ER." And I'm like "HOLY SHIT." because I have a very high immune system. I hardly get sick. When I do, its not BAD (it kinda is, but whatev. because early 2023, I believe I got a really bad stomach bug. But other than that, I haven't been sick)

The nearest hospital (for context I live in a city, but right at the point where its like the border of the suburb and the city iykwim) was like 40 FLIPPING minutes. Or 30. IDK, I was pretty "WHAT THE FUCK" in this moment. My mom freaking hate car rides mostly. In my opinion, its because of the crazy ass drivers that drive their kids to school buts that a whole different topic. We drive to the hospital and since my ugly siblings weren't coming, I got the whole back seat to me. I get like a typical check up when we like sign in. their like "wait, we got patients" so we wait.

We ended up waiting like a whole hour.

When its my turn to go, I don't remember, but I'm in a small hospital room. They check my swollen jaw for like something idk.

also WEIRD encounter alert: the doctors (3 males, 2 very elderly men) but 1 was actually checking me. So he inserts his finger in my mouth. I swear to GOD he says "deep" just DEEP when he inserts his FINGER in my MOUTH. my MINOR mouth. My CHILD mouth. The 2 elderly men laugh. FUCKING LAUGH. like I swear to JESUS, my dead grandma, and that is all holy, I never felt anything more uncomfortable than fhat. And my MOTHER. The women that BIRTHED me was WATCHING. SITTING right in front of ME. Like I was still a petween (whatever its called) at the time!! Like HELLO??Remember my jaw was SWOLLEN. I couldn't SPEAK. I couldn't sing my fight song!!!

But thankfully they leave. I get an different doctors (2 lovely men) after that. Now its almost 8:30 pm.??.

also funny encounter (whatever considered funny to u hermes) the main doctor because the other doctor it was his first day at the job asked me how'd I like my water. I say small ice because like I mean a small quantity of ice. And he's like "okay your Highness" So ig that was funny.

Now heres the dumbness of me really comes because idk if the cat scan takes place before the funny encounter or after. But probably after if I had to guess. I don't know a cat scan is. So their fucking wheel chairing me to the cat scan room. Like pushhhhhhhh. I wanted to laugh but it hurt to speak. The cat scan itself was pretty kewl. I saw light buzzyear and woody anf other fictional characters. It was pretty weird to take off your shoes in a room full of adults but k.

i finished the cat scan. It was mostly looking up inside a literal tube canal thing. but light buzz year was innit so I'm pretty cool with it. Im back in my room now. They tell my mom something. Im staying in this hospital over night. Like I'm healthy mostly. I ain't ever get sick. Especially to the point of hospitalization. I've never been hospitalized at this point of my years of living.

So this is part 1 :p srry for info dumping.

Vivian lore!! >_<

HELP THIS IS SO INTERESTING

those damn doctors better get their hands off you unless they wanna see my alpha side 😈😈

[lythea-creation]

Brighten My World - Tasneem x fem reader (Chapter 7)

Chapter 1

Previous Chapter

warnings: eating disorder

word count: 1.018

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

“How did your conversation with Hiba go?”, I wondered while Tasneem and I were out eating ice cream.

Her mom had actually suggested that and given us some money. She was really worried about Tasneem's eating disorder and wanted to show her that she was supportive of her, no matter what.

I was just hoping that this was not going to end in another setback, but Tasneem had wanted to try.

“Surprisingly well. At first we were fighting again, but at some point we started really talking. She actually felt rejected by me because I kinda neglected her. It's somehow similar to you. She's afraid of losing the people close to her after losing her mom, you know”, she enlightened me.

“I'm glad it went well”, I proclaimed. “What about us though? Did you talk about it?”

“I didn't tell her everything, but I promised her that I'm not replacing her with you. She said that she'd at least try to come along with you and we agreed on hanging out more often on our own again.”

“That's great”, I rejoiced.

“Oh, watch out! Your ice cream is dripping”, she warned me.

But it was too late. There was already a stain on my shirt. “Why does something like this always have to happen to me”, I whined playfully, tickling a laugh out of her.

“How about buying something new?”, Tasneem suggested.

I quickly did some damage control around my ice cream cone before answering: “I'd love to, but I don't really have any money on me. Got into a fight with my mom.”

“I'll buy something for you”, she offered. “It's about time I get my girlfriend a present.”

She lowered her voice at the girlfriend part. After all we could never know how the people around us would react.

“I dunno ...”, I shot back, hesitating to accept her generosity.

“Come on! Don't turn me down! Just see it as a gift for myself. After all I'll be the one admiring you in your new outfit”, she persuaded me.

“You're too witty sometimes”, I pointed out with a grin. “Alright. I guess I can't decline then.”

“Yes!” She was absolutely beaming now, way too excited to finish the last bit of her ice cream. So the last bit of her cone landed inside the trash can, quickly followed by mine as her joy was contagious.

It all ended up with her passing me clothes into the cabin to try it on. I had completely lost any overview over everything I had already put on before, but she knew exactly what she was doing.

I was actually surprised when she chose the shirt in my favorite color in the end. Her expression was telling me that she had done it on purpose, that she had remembered.

“Thank you, Tasneem”, I proposed as soon as we left the store. “Not just for the new shirt. Also for being with me and supporting me. For going to the memorial with me. You've no idea how much it means to me.”

“It's nothing really”, she assured me. “You're doing so much for me. I'm happy when I can give you something in return.”

We spent the rest of the day shopping together, fooling around. Was this freedom? Because it definitely felt like it. I was absolutely happy with my life right now, despite the grief I was still facing. It would take a long time to work through that after all.

But after this awesome day it was hitting me even harder when I heard Tasneem throwing up at school the next day. By pure accident. My initial plan to simply use the bathroom was quickly forgotten as I was standing there frozen in place.

It took Tasneem a while to notice me as she was busy cleaning herself up. She just realized my presence when she was turning to leave, jumping as she recognized me.

“(f/n), I ...” Her voice broke slightly as no more words were leaving her lips.

“Is it getting worse again?”, I wondered, concern burning me up like acid.

“It's nothing. Don't worry about it”, she brushed it off.

“How could I not worry, Tasneem?”, I shot back softly. “Did anything happen? Why didn't you come to me?”

“Not everything is about you, okay?”, she snapped. “Stop trying to play the hero and just let me deal with it!”

“You don't know what you're saying”, I resonated, gulping down my hurt feelings.

“I don't know what I'm saying?”, she repeated upset. “What do you know? You have no idea what it's like! So stop pretending to be considerate! You can't help me anyway. You never could. It's just what you wanted to believe.”

“Tasneem ...”, I called out quietly, taking a step toward her.

“Just stop!”, she continued, backing away from me. “You got what you wanted, didn't you? My mom knows. Isn't that enough? Or how long do you expect me to keep this up, just so you won't tell anyone?”

“What … what are you talking about?”

“Just leave me alone!”, she yelled at me.

My mind was buzzing with countless thoughts and emotions. It was a whole turmoil I could not nearly control.

I had no idea what had suddenly happened to lead to her breakdown. But she was in a devastation mode. Despite the pain she had just inflicted on me, I loved her too much to let her hurt herself even more.

It was obvious that she was torn, that she was not being herself, was not thinking clearly. The eating disorder was talking, her self-destructive part trying to isolate herself from me. I could not let that happen.

So instead of backing away from her, I enveloped her in a tight hug. After a while of resistance she gave in, sobs resounding from the bathroom walls.

“I got you”, I whispered, not reacting to the school bell signaling the end of the break.

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

Last Chapter

Pretty much inspired from the scene with Nadeen. That scene rlly was a killer. Watching Nadeen break word by word was heartbreaking. But at the same time I just wanted her to give Tasneem a hug because it felt like she truly needed it. So that's how we got here.

Tag List: @sunwoniie

[toads-treasures]

Fifteen questions for fifteen mutuals!

(It will probably not be fifteen I am too scared to tag too many people)

I was tagged by @galaxycunt weeks ago, and I finally got around to answering.

Tagging @hereforthehaunts @cactme @plasticdodecagon @iwanttobecomeavoid @mars-colony no pressure tho!

Also, feel free to skip any questions you don’t wanna answer.

1. Are you named after anyone?

My great grandpa Tora. But he went by Tory. He was apparently a grumpy ol sonofabitch according to my dad, but it was also his idea to name me after him so 🤷‍♀️

2. When was the last time you cried?

Prolly like two days ago but I don’t know for sure for sure. I cry all the time. I think this time I was crying in frustration at packing for my last camping trip lol

3. Do you have kids?

Nope, and I don’t know if I want any tbh. It would really cut into my time of being the Weird/Fun Aunt who lets my nieces and nephews stay up too late and helps them dye their hair

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Not nearly as much as I did when I was younger. We call that Growth 😌 but sometimes I can’t help myself

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

Ha. I am so uncoordinated I don’t play any sports. I played tennis for one year in high school and hated it. I’ve gone rock climbing once and really enjoyed it even though I was scared shitless, so I’d really like to get back into that. I’ve also been kind of wanting to play tennis again just for funsies with my husband and not actually pay attention to any rules or anything and just have fun.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people?

I think height? Because I’m pretty tall and if someone is taller than I am I definitely notice

7. Eye color?

Hazel is the least pretentious way to describe it. Or green…ish.

8. Scary movie or happy endings?

Why not both? I will say I like things to end happily, because I need to have some semblance of hope in the world lol, but also bittersweet endings will stick with me for the rest of my life.

9. Any special talents?

I am freaky good with names and faces. I will remember people who I had one college class with but never actually personally interacted with them. I can also like, trifold my tongue so it looks like a clover.

10. Where were you born?

Ha nice try fbi. Just kidding, it’s just a small town (like, less than a thousand people) in southern Utah and I highly doubt anyone would know the name or where it was, but if perchance they do, it probably means I know them in real life and I’d rather not risk it.

11. Free space

Ummmmm I love hiking and camping, and I’d love to get into photography and videography to be like a nature photographer, I think that would be cool. But I’m also Very Bad at taking pictures. I always forget to take them, or I frame it really bad or the lighting is really bad, I’ve got a lot to learn with that hobby lol. Also I wish I could just wear my crunchy/granolaey/outfits all the time business casual my absolute beloathed

12. Do you have any pets?

No 😔 I want one, either a cat or a dog, but honestly I have so much anxiety around it because there’s this CREATURE in my HOUSE and it needs me to live! And what if it eats my plants and what if my plants are toxic and what if it chews a hole in the floor or the door and we get kicked out and and and (you get the idea).

13. How tall are you?

5’10” 😎 my husband insists I’m 5’9” but he’s wrong

14. Favorite subject in school?

I’m still recovering from the god complex that being in English class gave me so, we’ll leave it at that.

15. Dream job?

I do not dream of labor, but I have a few ideas of what would be preferable than being a receptionist for the rest of my life lol. I’d like to open an online sticker/print shop and just draw and design cute silly stationary and stickers. I’ve also always dreamed of being an author, but seeing as how I can’t finish any of my wips that will probably remain a dream lol.

[myenemystolvrs]

March 2021

completed fics that i read this month.

~read the tags~ 

▶ more than 1 chapter

Sasunaru 

1. When the House Falls Down by sowell [M, 14K, 14ch]

“When the house falls down, all that's left is to rebuild.”

2. Looking for us by fangirlandiknowit [M, 28K, 4ch]

“Being in love with your best friend is never easy, but there might be light on the horizon for Naruto... If only Sasuke wasn't so oblivious!“

3. Healing the Broken by KizuKatana [E, 132K, 23ch]

“The war is over, and Sasuke is brought back to the village after his defeat by Naruto. But he is struggling to re-assimilate into the village. As his mental stability continues to erode, Tsunade and Kakashi ask Naruto to try a different treatment method.”

4. The Worst Shift by CapturedByNoodles, KizuKatana [E, 124K, 24ch]

“A decorated officer of the court with a police record as immaculate as his badge, Naruto Uzumaki was certain he could take on anything. Even if that meant wearing a skirt, procuring a street corner, and going undercover as a prostitute... with his old high school rival as his first client.”

5. Opposite Sides of the Tracks by KizuKatana [E, 77K, 10ch]

“Naruto and Sasuke come from opposite ends of the social strata. Sasuke is heir to the Uchiha business empire. Naruto is just trying to survive childhood. But they are more alike than they realize. When both their lives get ripped apart, the bonds of friendship they forged as children explode into something else entirely.”

6. Rebuilding by KinomiAkai [E, 25K, 7ch]

“Sasuke has spent every day since the war's end trying to rebuild. It's a good thing Naruto has been doing the same, isn't it?”

7. Something Good by KinomiAkai [E, 93K, 29ch]

“Some people are assholes. Some people are kind. It's when those are the same person that things get real confusing.”

8. Something To Remember Me By by heimai [E, 82K, 9ch]

“Every summer, Naruto visits the sleepy beach town of Oceanview. Easily the best part of the trip is the carnival, set up for three days at the end of August. As summers pass, Naruto finds himself coming back again and again to see the boy at the end of the boardwalk. First, he wants to win the game the boy runs, but it turns into wanting to win Sasuke's heart instead. For some reason, Naruto just can't get him out of his head.”

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

▶ one shots

1. Can't live without you by fangirlandiknowit [M, 2K]

“Time skip ninja-verse, Naruto and Sasuke admitting/coming to terms with their feelings.“

2. Waiting for the Stars by KinomiAkai [T, 6K]

“Sasuke and Naruto lay under the stars. (There's a meteor shower tonight.)”

3. I Wanna Be Yours by shcrlockholmcs [E, 7K]

“It had been exactly one year, eight months, four days, and six hours since Sasuke had left. Not that Naruto was counting or anything.

Or

Naruto attempts to build a life while Sasuke is away, only for it to all come crashing down when he returns unexpectedly.”

4. safe in your arms. by ambiguousreality [T, 2K]

“Sasuke comes to terms with the cold, hard facts of life.

He actually likes cuddling with Naruto.”

5. there was a reason (i collided into you) by RecklessWriter  [T, 7K]

“Accidental kissing is an actual thing that happens. Sometimes repeatedly. Just ask Naruto and Sasuke.”

6. Flesh and Bone by dawnstruck [M, 14K]

“Like an ouroboros, a snake devouring its own tail, this, too, means eternity.

Alternative summary: "He says we are engaged to each other, you moron.”

7. Because I'm Here Now by SasuNarufan13  [M, 2K]

“Sasuke's body keeps moving on its own - even after all these years.”

8. Waiting for an Answer by KinomiAkai [T, 8K]

“After eight years of struggling, Naruto finally caves and confesses to Sasuke. But it's okay; nothing is going to change between them. Everything will be the same.

...The moment Sasuke stops bringing it up every twenty seconds, it'll be the same.”

9. thirty-five by writedeku [G, 5K]

“You,” Sasuke starts, then falters. “You still have my bedsheets on the bed in the other room. They’re not dusty. Did you know I was comi—“

Ack. “God, no,” Naruto deflects from the redness in his cheeks with the harshness of his words but he knows Sasuke will see right through him. Curse the two of them. “I just. I keep it clean. For you. In case you came home.”

Sasuke is quiet, but he knows what he’s thinking.

Ten years. You did that for ten years?”

10. stay at home dad by chai_lattes [G, 1K]

"You've got a pretty bounty on your head, Uchiha Sasuke."

"It's Uzumaki now." Sasuke said, flipping his hair out of his face. "And I'm retired."

[softsky-daily]

10/9/2023

Ah, the autumn sky. Florida doesn't really have an autumn but I can dream.

Positive thing: My supervisor shared that one of my clients said they really liked working with me which was a nice little confidence boost.

It's hard to tell sometimes if I'm really doing anything when I do my counseling sessions, especially today when I was coming into it with the Monday sleepiness. I try to keep the pressure off of myself because even one listening ear can mean the world to somebody even without the counseling skills added on top of that, but it is nice to hear what I'm doing is positively affecting somebody.

The days are starting to feel a little samey in that incoming-depression-loop-warning-sign way. I guess I'm always thinking of how in-between it feels to just be going through grad school and work and wondering when I'll have the time and energy to get the other stuff (commissions) done. There never seems to be enough time somehow.

Anyways, I was trying to think of things I'm looking forward to to keep my mind off the samey-ness. My California trip in December is the big one, and next year in May there's the Miku concert I'm also really excited for. For stuff that's sooner, tomorrow is my study day with my friend and I honestly might splurge and order food during work just as a treat. Wednesday I have therapy (thank god) which I didn't have last week since my therapist had to cancel so it'll be nice to get back to that.

I've still been slowly trying to find a game that fills the Yakuza 7 shaped hole in my heart. Nothing has enraptured me quite like it so far but I've been playing FF7 Remake and Persona 5 Royal on and off which does the trick mostly. Also I've been really into the latest Picross game from Jupiter so that helps too.

I've been keeping up with Japanese a lot better in general too since I started going to Language Table on Saturdays and actually doing my Anki flashcards and setting stuff to Japanese when I can. I forget if I ever mentioned it but I did try to take the N2 last year and failing it was a really big embarrassment for me (even when objectively I know it wasn't the end of the world). It always feels like there's this huge gap between all the different Japanese learners and I'm on one side wondering how people on the other side like my partner keep up with learning it so consistently. I guess I'm also just super busy with non-Japanese related stuff to be able to integrate it fully into my life like others can.

[bluejay-writes]

Mystictober 2023: Day 7 - Voice like an Angel

You can read/collect this fic on Ao3 if that’s more your speed!

Rating: Teen (Swears, Sex References)

Prompt: Festival / Music

Characters: Zen, Jaehee, GN!OC = Garrett.

Wordcount: 2268

Summary: Garrett hasn't seen Jaehee since they quit school to pursue music. One fateful day at a festival, Jaehee hooks Garrett up with Zen. For music reasons and only music reasons.

Author's Notes: This fic was written for Mystictober 2023, Day 7.  I really love how this turned out, and even I'm curious about what's going to happen with Garrett and Zen down the line. Certainly whatever it is, Jaehee will have all the gossip.

Also, I know that the fact that there's no relationships in this means that the vast majority of people won't read it. And I'm actually okay with that. But sometimes a story calls for an aro they/them OC, and not following the muse on that one is like tearing my own heart out.

Garrett was nervous.  They weren’t usually nervous, not for concerts, not anymore.  But it had been a long time since their little band had performed on a big festival stage. And by a long time, they meant like a decade.  They’d been 16 and fearless the last time, and while it had gone fine, they hadn’t been invited back the next year, so who knew how “fine” it had actually been.

This year’s festival was sponsored by C&R International, and while their sponsorship was a surprise, it seemed that one of the C&R Directors was actually running the festival this time.  Things seemed to be going well. Ticket sales were up, food stalls weren’t murdering the merch sales with impossibly high water prices because C&R was just handing out water bottles for free. 

What that actually meant for Garrett was that they actually knew the person in charge of the stage they were playing on, and that - that - was what had them nervous.  C&R’s Stage Liaison for the Cyclone stage was none other than Jaehee Kang herself.  Garrett knew Jaehee from Cram School.  Okay, from the cram school they’d dropped out of to pursue being a musician full time.  And yes, that had worked out.  Backing vocals and bass guitar in a band that opened for multiple sold out tours internationally was no joke.  And sure, they could be lead vocals. Or in a band that headlined those tours. But they refused to downplay their own achievement by wishing for more.

Jaehee had, however, known them by their dead name. And certainly their visual presentation was no longer the demure girl with long black braids and braces, but an undercut mohawk and androgynous presentation wouldn’t stop the notoriously observant Jaehee from figuring out who they were immediately.  None of the band had called them by their dead name in at least five years. But the minute the media caught wind of it, they were likely to be haunted by it again approximately forever but at least a few months.

“Oh my god, Garrett, just calm down.” J.T. said, laughing at them. “Your crush will remember you, I promise.”

Of course J.T. would tease them for that.  When they’d tried to explain why they were nervous the other day, the entire band remembered how much time they used to spend studying at the library with Jaehee, and how worried they were about what the girl would think when they quit cram school.  In the end, Jaehee hadn’t said anything, just nodded at them and went back to studying.  If Garrett had been crushing on Jaehee, those hopes were, well, crushed.

“It’s not like that, J.T. God.” Garrett said, rolling their eyes as they set their bass case down, leaning it against the stage.

“Garrett!” A feminine voice called out to them, and they turned to look.  Wait a minute.

“Jaehee?”  They asked, uncertain if this glasses-wearing pixie-cut business suit was the girl they used to know, or if it was wishful thinking.

“Obviously.” She pushed her glasses up as she came to a stop just outside the circle of band members. “I thought that was you!” 

“Oh. H-hey.” They said, stuttering awkwardly. They weren’t the most social person to start with, but seeing someone they hadn’t seen in a decade was… an entirely different situation.

“I am rather excited to see your show. I arranged for you to be on my stage - there was a bit of a battle between stage liaisons over your band, but honestly, all I had to do was state a preference and they weren’t even competiton.”

“What do you mean?” Garrett said, confused. “I mean, I did wonder how we managed to score the second largest stage in the entire festival, but…”

“Oh, well, being the executive assistant to the director in charge of the festival has its perks.” Jaehee said, and Garrett was sure if she had longer hair, she’d have flipped it over her shoulder.

“Sweet, Thanks for pulling for us, Miss Jaehee!” Arabella, their lead vocalist, practically yelled. “We’ve been hoping to play this festival again, and it finally didn’t conflict with a tour, and then here you are getting us prime real estate like a goddess.  Garrett, dude, you totally owe her a date.”

Jaehee glanced at Garrett with a blush on her cheeks, and they spoke in almost perfect unison.

“I don’t date.”

“Absolutely out of the question.”

They shared a look, and J.T. just cackled.

“Aaanyway.” Garrett said, deciding to fix one awkward topic with another. “Jaehee, as much as I hate to say this, I really expected you to dead name me.  How did you…?” They trailed off, wishing they’d figured out the end of that sentence before they started talking.

“How did I know your use name?  Come on, Garrett.  Do you really think the girl you studied with for all of those endless hours wouldn’t keep track of you after you ditched me? I’ve got all of your records. And no, I don’t just mean albums. I even have your first pressing.”

“Wait, you what?” J.T. was staring at her deadpan, and Garrett could feel themself blushing.

“Yes, of course the one with glitter in it.” Jaehee said, pushing her glasses up in a way that made them flash in the light. “I’m a professional fan, you know. When I’m a fan, I’m committed.  There’s only one other artist I feel this strongly about, you know.”

“Oh?” Garrett said, trying desperately to deflect the conversation before Ara asked if Jaehee had the one with Garrett’s naked silhouette on the cover. “And who would that be?”

Jaehee’s face flushed instantly. “Zen.” She said, in a way that made Garrett instantly envious of the man.

“Isn’t he that musical actor who’s been recording musical covers on MeTube in his spare time?” J.T. asked, confused.

“The very same.” Jaehee said. “He’s truly one of the masters of our age.”

Garrett didn’t know who that was, but they knew they were going to look into him just to see what Jaehee liked that wasn’t, well, them.  Then, Ara giggled, and Garrett knew they needed to change the subject quick before their frontwoman offended their staff contact.

“Sorry to derail.  We’ve got all of our gear here, and we’re playing…”

The set had been long, and it was summer. Garrett felt like they were dripping in sweat, probably because they were.  It didn’t take long to pack up their bass, and then they were leaning against the back of the stage again, almost as though they existed in two places. On the stage and off of it, ne’er the twain shall meet. Like a video game NPC.

They were relishing in the shade that the stage itself cast when Jaehee’s voice echoed from around the corner.

“I don’t know, they’re probably exhausted, Z—Hyun.”

“But you promised! And she’s perfect, Jaehee.”

“They.” Jaehee said, a sharp correction. “And I don’t know, it’s an abuse of power to…”

“Just ask them.” he said, pleading. “I will take no for an answer. You know I will. I’m not Echo Girl.”

“Fine. But if they stop talking to me over this I will take it as a personal slight, Hyun.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Garrett pretended to be looking at their phone when Jaehee rounded the corner.  If they’d thought that Jaehee was talking about anyone else, the pronoun correction disabused them of that notion really quickly.

“Garrett?”

They looked up. Jaehee looked nervous, and surprised to see them back here already. “I… uh… I have a friend that really wants to meet you. He’s…”

Garrett simply raised an eyebrow and the woman caved immediately.

“He’s a good friend of mine, I promise. He wants to ask you something, and I don’t know how to say no to the man, would you be willing to…”

“Of course, Jaehee.” Garrett said, chuckling. “I don’t mind talking to a fan, especially one you’ve vouched for. J.T. and Arabella will still be a minute, bring him back here.”

Jaehee relaxed like a marionette whose strings had been cut, and turned to leave. “He’s just over here, I’ll be right back.”

Garrett tried not to listen in when Jaehee told the man he could come talk to them, but they were just so good at eavesdropping on conversations at this point, they didn’t know how to not.

“They invited you back, Hyun.”

“They WHAT?!” 

“Don’t embarrass me.”

“Me, Zen, embarrass you?”

“I thought we weren’t using your stage name at this festival?”

“Shit. Right. I. Uh. Forget you heard that.”

“Anyway.” Garrett could practically hear Jaehee roll her eyes. “Come on, let’s not keep them waiting. You should have a few minutes to chat with them alone before their band mates finish packing up.”

“A-alone?” The man stuttered, and Garrett smirked, an expression that was still on their face when Jaehee rounded the corner with an incredibly attractive man with piercing red eyes.

“Garrett, this is Hyun. Hyun, this is the bassist you’re so enamored with. You two chat, I have to go make sure the crowd clears a bit so we can pack you out and the next act in.” Having said her piece, Jaehee turned on her heel and walked away, leaving the two of them facing one another.

Garrett, for their part, smirked. “Enamored with?”

Hyun just blushed and shrugged. “She calls it like she sees it.”

“Well, sweet cheeks, don’t get your hopes up, I don’t date.” Garrett said, and he waved his hands as if to wipe away the suggestion.

“No, no. It’s not. I mean you’re hot as hell, and not just in an “it’s summer and you’re outdoors” kind of way. But it’s your voice I’m in love with. Seriously. Why are you just backing vocals? You could be a real star with that tone, babe.”

“Are you trying to poach me? I’m not leaving the band.”

“W-well, no, I just… I was wondering if you’d be interesting in recording a few tracks with me while you’re in town? I need someone to duet with, and I’ve never met anyone with a voice so rich.”

“Duets? You in a band? Wannabe idol, or…?”

“Oh. OH. Uh. I’m Zen.” He said, and winked at them.

Garrett burst out laughing.

“Wait. Jaehee is a major fangirl for some guy she knows? I thought I was a bad enough case, oh my god.”

“You actually know Jaehee too? Not just because of the bullshit stage work that Trust Fund asshole has her doing?”

“Well, yeah, we went to cram school together like a decade ago. How do you know her?”

“We’re in a fundraising charity together. Have you heard of the RFA?”

“Oh, yeah, she wanted us to play for one of their Christmas parties a couple years back but we were in Canada at the time.”

“Haaah. That was you. She was so disappointed.”

“So, anyway. You want me to lay some tracks with you?”

“If you would. I’ve got some duets I want to cover, and I hope this isn’t offensive somehow, but I really think your voice would be stellar for the female lead lines.”

“Oh.” Garrett said, a bit taken back at just how considerate he was being. “No, that’s not offensive in the least. That could be fun, but I’d have to check with my manager about contract stipulations - our contract’s pretty tight at least until we release this album, so…”

“Oh, alright. How about I give you my number, and you can call me?” He looked uncomfortable, and now knowing who he was, Garrett didn’t blame him. 

“Yeah, let’s exchange contacts. I’d at least love to get coffee with you and Jaehee sometime.”

Zen held out his phone - They typed in their number, and he turned his phone back to himself and typed out a message.  They felt their phone buzz in their back pocket, and smiled.

“Got it.”

“Got what?” J.T. said, throwing a spare hand towel at their face.

“My number, hot stuff.” Zen said, with a wink at J.T., and then a wave in their direction without looking at them. “Garrett, babe. Don’t leave me waiting too long.” He’d put on this air of being incredibly too good for them, and strutted off like the hottest possible model.

Which, to be fair, he was objectively attractive. And subjectively hot as hell, Garrett thought.

“What was that about?” J.T. asked, eyeing them.

“Looks like Garrett got themselves a free ticket to a one night stand with a sexy groupie.” Ara said, smirking.

“Yeah, I’d hit that.”

“Poor guy’s going to be heartbroken when he realizes you’re aro, you know that right Garrett?” J.T. said, with a serious look.

“I promise, he’s not. It’s not…” Garrett sighed. They’d tried to play it up, really they had. “That was Zen. Jaehee knows him from that charity org. He wants to sing with me for his metube. I’m going to check with Mr. Kim about the contact and see what I can do - it certainly couldn’t hurt us to get our name out there a different way, you know?”

“Oh. Well now I feel like shit for insinuating that.” Ara said, sheepishly.

“No, he wanted you to think that, I guarantee it. Man’s a really good actor.” They pulled their phone out of their back pocket and laughed at the message before sharing it with the band.

Hey, it’s Zen. Or Hyun, if you’d rather. Hit me up, babe, you know I’m good for it.

[thaliaisalesbian]

i get myself twisted in threads

Chapter 26: it's the first thing you do

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27

Steve feels like shit. Not the worst he’s ever felt, but honestly it’s going to be hard to beat that. Maybe he needs to come up with a new pain scale for himself. He doesn’t think that anyone else will find it funny, but it might make him feel better.

“Why didn’t you just stay home? Or call one of us?” Nancy asks. She doesn’t know about his parents. At least, Steve doesn’t think she does. He hasn’t said anything, and she hasn’t been here long enough for Jonathan to tell her. He thinks. She’s been at school all day, right? “And where did you get all of that bruising on your face? Did you fall or run into something?”

He can see on her face that she doesn’t believe it as soon as she says it.

“Was it your parents?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Nance.” He knows that’s all but confirming it, but he really doesn’t want to talk about it.

Jonathan wants him to leave. But he can’t do that.

Between his mom’s side of the family and his dad’s business, they probably own half of the buildings in town. Their ‘friends’ watch him, and report back to his parents when he’s doing something he’s not supposed to be doing.

If he moves in with the Byers, or Hopper and El, for good, then they’ll just come and drag him back. Or make Joyce lose her job somehow, and Jonathan too.

finish on ao3 or under the cut

And they might go after the other kids, too. His mom had talked about it, when he and Nancy had broken up. She’d offered to ‘ensure that she never works in journalism’, and while her reach doesn’t extend to the whole field, she’d certainly be able to make it happen in Hawkins. Wouldn’t even be that hard, probably, Nancy’s already been having trouble getting the position at the Hawkins Post without his mom sticking her nose into it.

He had to beg her not to. Told her that they were still kids, and that dating was a little different now. Plenty of people dated around, it wasn’t a big deal.

He’s not sure it worked the way he wanted it too, but she’s backed off, because Nancy and Jonathan would have been outright told ‘no’ when they walked in the door if she’d given the word.

But he can’t tell Nancy and Jonathan about that, because they’ll tell him that they can handle it.

They might be able to, but he doesn’t want them to. It’s bad enough that Joyce and Hopper won’t take anything from him. He knows they had to have spent a lot of money, not to mention time, on him during his recovery and it’s the only way he knows how to repay them.

“Steve?” Nancy touches his hand, and he realizes he’s stopped talking to her. “If you need to go back to sleep that’s okay, you know.”

“I’m okay.” He’s not all that tired, he just feels terrible. “Can I have some water?”

He doesn’t remember all that clearly what happened this morning.

He knows he wasn’t thinking straight, and he’s still a little wonky on that front now. But it’s better than it was.

“Yeah.”

“Where’s Jonathan?” He was just here, wasn’t he? Steve was teasing him about… something.

“He went to take a shower a few minutes ago, do you not remember that? Is your head okay?”

“I mean, my face hurts, but not my head.” Probably. He can’t actually tell if he has a headache or if it’s just from his face being all beat up.

“I don’t think this is a good thing, Steve.” She’s right, of course she is, but he’s not sure what she wants him to do about it. “Did Jon just bring you here?”

“No hospital.” He says, immediately. He’s not going there. His parents just left, he doesn’t want them coming back. They’d be pissed.

(Even though it was their fault—no, it was his fault, wasn’t it? It’s always his fault—it doesn’t even matter. They’ll be upset. The cycle will start over, and he’ll end up right back here.)

“Dustin’s mom came and checked on him, she said he didn’t need to go.” Jonathan’s back; with Steve missing most of the day, he’ll have to explain things to Nancy.

Nancy’s eyebrows scrunch up. “He’s missing time, Jon.”

“He’s been really out of it all day.” Jonathan says. “That’s not too surprising.”

Thankfully, Nancy doesn’t push more, and she doesn’t say anything about school, either.

Steve was hopeful that he could pass at least a few of his classes this year, but 

“Want me to lay down with you, Steve?” Nancy offers. Jonathan hadn’t been, he’d been in the chair.

“No, I don’t want to get you sick, too.” He tells her. And he doesn’t want her to find out. Jonathan knows, because he has to know, now, but so far he hasn’t told Nancy and Steve doesn’t want him to.

Let Nancy think that the worst of it is on his face.

He doesn’t need someone else trying to convince him that he needs to move out. He can’t move out.

He’s not risking the consequences.

“I’m going to get dinner ready. Do you know what the boys are doing out there?”

“Hopefully homework, but probably DnD stuff.” Nancy answers. “What time is your mom getting home?”

“Late, she’s closing tonight. Steve’s been fine, though.”

Take that, Nancy. He’s fine.

“As long as his fever doesn’t spike, he’ll be okay staying here, I think.”

It better not spike. Right now, it’s not so bad—he’s a little achy all over and his face hurts, sure, but he’s fine.

“What about school?”

And there it is.

“Well, he can’t go back tomorrow.”

“We’ll see how it goes.” Steve says, before they get a chance to decide for him. “Maybe I can be back by Wednesday.”

The looks they give him are highly doubtful, but he has hope. Besides, he really doesn’t want to miss more school.

Maybe that will change once he’s actually back at school, having to deal with Hargrove, Tommy, and everyone else.

“You don’t have to, Steve. Don’t push yourself.”

“I won’t, but if I’m okay on Wednesday then I’ll go back then.”

“I’m going to let you two try and out-stubborn each other.” Jonathan really does leave, then, and Steve misses him immediately. 

He loves Nancy, but if she’s going to push then he doesn’t know what he’s going to do or say.

“Can we not talk about school?” He winces when the words run into each other in his haste. “Or the bruises? I just—”

He’d wanted things to go back to normal. If things were normal, he would have at least tried to sit through class today before one of his teachers finally sent him to the nurse’s office.

He’d be at home, by himself, and probably with a higher fever. He probably wouldn’t have been able to get himself to take any medicine for it.

So, maybe not entirely back to normal. Being taken care of when he’s sick, just because he’s sick, it’s… nice.

“You just want to go back to normal.” Nancy finishes the sentence for him. “But what’s our normal, Steve?”

Changing, apparently.

His face hurts too much to be thinking this hard.

“I don’t know.” He whispers. “I wanted something to go right, for once, and it didn’t.”

“No, it didn’t.” Nancy’s studying him again—he doesn’t even have to look at her to know that she is. He can feel it in the weight of her gaze, heavier than it is when she’s just looking because she wants to look. “And tomorrow probably won’t either. But we can try on Wednesday, probably.”

“Yeah. Wednesday.”

He’ll be okay by then.

Ready to deal with missed work, bright lights, gossip in the hallways, and Hargrove? Probably not.

Ready to deal with Tommy and Carol? Fuck no, but he hasn’t felt ready for that in a while now.

Jonathan and Nancy will be there, though.

And they’ve helped before, and if he lets them, they’ll help him again.

So Steve thinks he can wait until Wednesday, and even if he doesn’t feel ready for all of that, he’ll still be okay.

<- 25 27 ->

[evaxoxoblog]

21/3/24

happy late birthday hyunjin <3. i love him so much oh my god. not in that I'm in love with him; that's a very significant phrase that I don't think even I could throw around too easily, it's just that he is very important in my life in a way he could never know. he has taught me many things since I have known about skz, one being an appreciation for the things around us in this world. that's why I haven't written in a while; I've been appreciating the small things, and the big to be honest. just everything I love.

life feels perfect. i feel so content. school is going well; not perfect but not bad. i got my chem test back- grade 7. that's good. i moved up 4 grades since last year, so I'm headed for a high pass which I'm pleased about. 7 as my grade for art as well. that means a lot to me, though I'm not a big fan of my own art. at GCSE level I'm finding that what we are learning about is more to do with theory, so I am just copying other artists work at the moment, and studying shading and that stuff. i don't mind; it's important, but I want to figure out my own style too; I've never really had a distinct style. i want to make art when I am older; and my dream is for people to see it after I am gone and know that it is mine. i want to be known after I am dead; I don't even care if people know what I look like; that doesn't matter. i just want my name to be something.

my best friend is closer to me more than ever. i love her. if there is one person I truly love with my whole heart, it is her. she makes me smile so much, and we don't judge each other. i would do anything for her, I really would. anything to see her smile. i think she is my soulmate, not romantically obviously, but it is romantic in a way. we had a conversation about what would happen after we left the world, and she said that she didn't really think anything would change, if she passed. that made me really sad, and I told her that right away. i said, "I don't know what i'd do without you, really." I didn't go much more in depth because I don't know what else I could say to express how I love her so much. it is true. i don't know what I would do without her.

that was kind of sad, but happy in other ways. change of subject, I watched saltburn today. lmao. it was really fking weird. i loved the style; I could watch films like that for days, and the soundtrack was pretty good too. the plot was intense, actually I liked the plot, but I felt they could have moved it slower. they rushed to oliver being obsessed with felix too quickly; I think I would have liked to see it slower; that would have made it more believable. same with the ending, it wasn't believable. i liked the rest though (aside from the weird scenes obvs like wtf????).

anyway, like i said, life is good. i am reading the meiko kawakami book, about 1/4 through, and I capture the castle (I love this book sm) which I am close to finishing, which I don't like. i don't want it to end.

i have 30 minutes left of business proposal too. its alr. i think I prefer other stuff. i really want to watch the bear. I've probably said that already.

only 20 pages left of my journal...! i don't know whether I want to drag it out and take it with me on holiday in the easter holidays to visit my family, or start a new one before. we'll see.

x eva.

[smolgirlowo]

Alright it lady who thinks way to much about Ema Skye time.

Okay, first, the MASON System segment is just kind of a mess from a ‘what really happened’ & ‘when did it happen’ perspective. The reveal at the end suggests it’s all footage Nick recorded that was then stitched into an FMV game/trial aid, but the presence of Psyche-locks means the footage has been edited and can’t be fully trusted, and bringing Present evidence to the Past breaks time and reliability of the contents to an even more insane degree, which leaves a lot up in the air.

So, if you interpret the Present scenes (or at least Kristoph’s) to be real footage and the past as merely representations, then the most likely chain of events is Ema 1) came back from Europe, 2) found out Nick was disbarred, 3) came over to talk and/or yell at him, 4) and then she gave Nick the button after he explained (some of) the details of what he was up to.

The major possible issue with this is that Nick has the button in 4-1, but we don’t have a firm date on when Ema came back, and assuming it happened before that case isn’t a big stretch. The minor possible issue is that Ema doesn’t know Trucy exists, but like, Nick & Ema could’ve met she was busy at school or work, and ‘btw I have a daughter now’ is table stakes in a conversation about Nick’s machinations.

If you interpret both the Past and Present sections to be real footage, then you end up needing Nick to have had the button 7 years ago. In this case you get a bunch of possibilities, including: Ema gave Nick that button after 1-5 and it never comes up again until AA4 because that’s the nature of an add on case (see also the fingerprinting powder); Ema gave Nick the button sometime around her visits to California in the investigations games; those buttons are just part of a product line and Nick saw one at a shop one day and bought it because it reminded him of Ema; and anything else you can think of.

Also of note that none of these options are mutually exclusive to the only partially real interpretation. Nick could have had the hidden camera all the way back then and simply not warn it, or the footage was too difficult to work with for the purpose of showing the jury so it was replaced. And in either case, there are dozens of ways to get the camera into Nick’s possession without him and Ema having to be in any form of contact before she came back to California.

No idea what, if any, are actually supposed to be canon through.

Okay, now the fun stuff. The reality is that Kristoph’s is canonically a very famous lawyer with a stupidly famous brother, so there’s just going to be footage of him in court, in advertisements, and in press interviews all over the internet. All Ema has to do is watch that shit for way to many hours and keep practicing her impression, and she can do that mimic after a while. Plus it’s always seemed more like that’s something she does specifically to tease Klavier, and maybe Apollo, than anything to do with Phoenix and Kristoph’s shit.

Personally, I ignore that reasonable idea for one of my personal head canons, which is that Ema is a trans woman, and if she drops her voice training and goes into her masculine range, she just naturally sounds like Kristoph. No preparation, practice, or thought needed; she can just do that voice whenever to fuck with the boys.

The only safe things we really have about the 7 year gap for Ema is that she got at least a bachelor’s degree in a forensic science field, she didn’t come back to California again, and Phoenix never visited her on one of his trips to Europe. I like to assume she got a Masters degree, started making out with Kay, and worked a bunch of cases with Miles and Franziska in an assistant capacity.

I also like to think the reason Ema only finds out Nick was disbarred after moving back was due to a comedy of errors on the part of Miles Edgeworth and company. A cavalcade of ‘I thought you told her!’ and the likes.

Hey so what’s the deal with Ema in AA4. Phoenix uses the button she keeps on her lab coat as a recording device so they're definetely in some kind of contact but she also talks about not hearing from him in ages and she knows Kristoph’s voice well enough to do a perfect mimic. What the fuck was she UP to during that 7yg