#oh yeah my computer is finally working again so i can post more frequently now :)

[mindfreecreator]

How a goddess dies

When the doors to her chambers opened, great mighty walls of oak the finest only, resentment pulled at her. Scorching breaths huffed out evenly from her delicate lips alluring the undead. In a moment, she faced the darkness of his face, the shadows lurking in close proximity. Each click of his heels through the dark halls brought it closer, the inevitable. She did not cry or wail or beg. She did not falter nor stand or react in any way. Scrutiny glazed her eyes. Each fold of her dress was lain meticulously before her feet. Albeit her crowned head was held hight, she seemed fatigued but nonetheless a sight to his black gleaming eyes. He was craven. She was more craven still.

Fear raced her heart yet her hands folded leisurely in her lap as the shadows crept nearer. He seemed to take his time - he knew this was her end. Each languid motion brought him nearer and made the room cooler. At last, he stood at her feet. An uncertainty grazed the crownhall and even the cold shadows caught their breaths. He stepped upwards.

She rose. The sounds of her robe unfolding were unnaturally loud. The bloody fabric licked at his feet but he didn't step away.

“If you hoped for me to beg I fear I must disappoint.”

A rush of emotions rippled through his eyes at her words, lastly settled on a cold but not unfriendly acceptance.

“I do not hope anymore, goddess,” he said and his voice swung almost with melancholy. She nodded.

“Then it shall be.“ She fell to her knees. Never had this motion looked as graceful and divine as when she kneeled. It was an odd picture almost like a painting with how they stood, though the only witnesses were the shadows and they could not talk.

“Do what you must.”

No fright stained her voice and it filled the hall with a warmth even the shadows felt. He crouched until his knees scraped the floor, the motion nowhere as beautiful as when she did it. With a tenderness contradictory to his decisions he cradled her face and touched his lips to hers. It was a bittersweet distraction, not one she wouldn't see through but at least it made the blade less noticeable when it sunk into the soft flesh of her skin sucking her life out of her.

[yannowhatigiveup]

My One And Only - Chapter 9

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So this chapter is longer than chapter 8 and I think from next chapter, they got longer. As we get closer to the chapter I’m currently writing, the frequent updates will unfortunately die. Just letting you know so you won’t be too disappointed! Oh and my Wattpad name is the same, ‘yannowhatigiveup’. If you know any way I can improve my writing please do tell me!

Gabriel Agreste stood in his observatory after recently detransforming. 'She can control her emotions well but when she's angry, it's incredibly strong. This girl could be one of the strongest in Paris, she could be one that senses auras. I must find a way. I will use her to eliminate all of heroes. All I need is time'.

————————————————————

The bluenette sat in her uncle Jagged's hotel room, tapping a pen against her lips while watching the conversation, well it was more like an argument, between Jagged and his manager Bob Roth. Bob was stating that they should leave the song writing to the professionals while Jagged protested, saying that his niece was overflowing with talent and that she could do it no problem. Penny was on the phone with someone but Marinette didn't eavesdrop in her conversation. She stated at the blank notebook in front of her, eyeing it suspiciously. Then she got an idea and began scribbling down the lyrics she had in mind, not knowing that she had unintentionally gained the attention of everyone in the room. She managed to write the whole song in one sitting which was very impressive even for professional song writers at the time. "Did it" she said putting the pen down. Penny then came over to take the notebook and read what the bluenette had written. 'I hope it's ok'

"Wow Mari, this is great!" Penny said her mouth agape. She passed it to Jagged but Bob had snatched it out of his hands, only to give it back when Fang looked at him hungrily.

"Yeah, this is rock'n roll Nettie!" He praised her while giving his manager a 'I told you so' look.

"Yes this is exactly what we needed, a little change in the album. Thank you for this Marinette. We shall produce the song while you can sing the lyrics-"

"If that's alright will you of course" Jagged said, interrupting his manager.

Marinette nodded hesitantly. "I can give it a shot" she murmured.

Marinette walked home after visiting Jagged and showing Damian the designs she had in plan for his brothers, without showing the design she made for him. She was careful not to shake her purse too much as Tikki was sleeping, it was a busy day for the kwami as Marinette had let her go visit Plagg for some 'Kwami business'. Marinette didn't press for answers though. Soon she entered her parents bakery to find them already there, waiting for her.

"Maman, Papa what is it?" She asked.

"Your father and I are discussing if we should open a second bakery" Sabine answered enthusiastically.

"There's a few spots available in Marseille, we already booked a flight and a hotel to stay at" Tom answered, maybe even more excited than his wife.

"That's great! But isn't Marseille far away? It's closer to Italy than Paris" Marinette answered.

"Well surprisingly, we're already well known there" Tom replied.

"Oh cool! When will you be leaving?"

"On Saturday at 2 am" Her mother replied. "It's late but it was the next available flight. We'll be gone for a week maybe longer depending on all the paper work"

"Well you better start packing then!" Marinette said happy for both her parents. "I'll be going to bed now. Good night!" She hugged both her parents before going upstairs to change and finishing up her designs.

~~~

Adrien sat in front of his computer early before school, looking through all of Kagami's recent posts and he liked the photo that she posted yesterday, the photo was of when they went for ice cream earlier today. Alya and Nino were also in the picture, smiling for the camera but Adrien noticed someone else in the background. 'Marinette...' She was eating her ice cream, unbeknownst to the picture being taken, with the spoon still in her mouth. Adrien felt distracted by the way the sun reflected off her hair. He loved Kagami truly but his new love for Marinette shadowed it. "Plagg" Adrien said. "I think I have a thing for bluenettes".

"So your type is blue-haired girls? What makes you say that?" The kwami replied, not really enjoying the conversation.

"Well I like Ladybug, Kagami and Marinette and they all have one thing in common. They all have blue hair" Adrien sighed. "The last thing I need is another blue-haired girl to come into my life"

"Ughhh this is too cheesy, I much prefer actual cheese" Plagg groaned while looking around for Camembert.

Adrien sighed, smiling while going back to think of the girls he liked. He liked Ladybug for her quick, sly and smart nature. Kagami was incredibly skilled and very easy to relate to. And Marinette had a kind personality as well as unmatchable beauty. He couldn't decide which one he liked most as all the options were as great as the others. Then a notification on his computer distracted him from his thoughts. It was a notification that Jagged Stone had posted something. 'Huh, I wonder what it could be'

~~~

Jason was flicking through the channels on the TV, looking for something interesting to watch when a notification appeared on his phone. 'What's this?' He then realised that it was a trending post from Jagged Stone and went to view it. "HOLY SH-"

"Master Jason, language"Alfred reminded him.

"Oh yeah sorry" he whispered before shouting again. "HOLY MOTHER OF UM SOMETHING!"

Dick and Tim then entered the room, wondering what Jason was talking about. "What?" Dick asked.

Jason then connected his phone to the TV and showed the post he was talking about.

@official_jaggedstone

(Photo of a blue-haired girl with a medium long braid and her back facing the camera, writing on something)

Wonder what MDC is writing up for the bonus track? 🤔🤔🤔🤔

All three of the boys then fanboyed over finally being able to see what their favourite designer, and idol, looked like. Alfred then sighed while exiting the room.

"She's pretty!"

"She looks smart!"

"What's she writing?"

"I'm gonna call Damian, that room looks similar to the room he's staying in"

"Yes do, I want to pester him"

Dick then dialed a number on his phone. After a few rings, the phone finally answered.

"Tt, Yes?" A stern voice came through on the other side.

"HAVE YOU SEEN JAGGED'S RECENT POST!?" Tim shouted into the microphone.

~~~

Damian had already seen Jagged's post, he smiled to himself. He was about to go back to reading his book when his phone rang. He would've picked it up straight away if he hadn't see the name, it was Dick. He let the phone ring for a little while before answering.

"Tt, Yes?" He said in a stern voice.

"HAVE YOU SEEN JAGGED'S RECENT POST!?" Luckily Damian had the phone further away from his ear otherwise Tim would've exploded his eardrums.

"What about it?"

"He posted an image of MDC, the very first one ever on the internet!" Dick answered excitedly. "There aren't any pictures of her anywhere".

Damian smiled to himself knowing that he had seen MDC before his brothers, he had seen her smile. "There aren't?"

"Yeah! Weird right? She doesn't even show up to Jagged's live performances!" It was Jason's turn to speak now.

"Well I'm sure she goes to the performances, she's just never seen" Tim told his brother in a matter-of-fact way.

Damian rolled his eyes. "Tt, bye now" he said, immediately turning his phone off not allowing any of his brothers to protest. He then texted Marinette.

Me: Just got off the phone with my brothers, they were fanboying over you.

Surprisingly Marinette replied straight away.

Angel: They are too? Everyone is fangirling over MDC

Me: Because of Jagged's post, he posted a picture of you. The back of your head specifically

Angel: Oh hah I see it now, I guess that has to be my signature hairstyle as MDC now.

Me: It looks great on you though

Angel: You really think so?

Me: Mhm

Angel: Aw, thanks

~~~

Marinette had blushed when Damian said she looked good in that hairstyle. She really liked him. Then Marinette looked at the time, she was early for once. She decided to make use of this and get ready for school. She had finished getting ready quickly and she was able to walk instead of run to school like she usually did. When she entered, she noticed that there was barely anyone here. 'Perfect! I can work on my designs' that was until a familiar face showed up.

"Hey girl! You're here early wow!" The sound of her best friend made Marinette laugh until her facial expression changed from surprised to smug. Marinette was about to ask but Alya had brought her to the locker room where they were alone. "So girl, spill"

"What?"

"Do you like Chat Noir?"

Marinette giggled but she saw her best friend's face. "Oh you're not joking"

"Nope, now you can tell me so that I can get you both on a date." She blushed profusely. "And I ain't backing down, I've spent too much time on trying to find out who he is. Don't think I haven't noticed how you're jumping at anytime to be with this boy." She said the last statement with a soft voice.

Marinette sighed, grateful of her best friend but hesitant to tell her without Damian's permission as he never seemed like one for social interaction. "I'll ask" she said while taking her phone out.

Me: Shaytan, my best friend found out that I've been sneaking off to go see you.

Shaytan: Césaire?

Me: Yeah

Shaytan: You said she wanted to be a reporter right? Well then I guess this is expected, she did a good job.

Me: So should I tell her your name?

Shaytan: That's up to you

Me: Ok thanks!

Marinette put her phone away and looked at her best friend.

"So?" Alya asked. "Can you tell me?"

Marinette nodded. "So um, his name is D-Damian"

———

Taglist: @little-bluestar, @miracleofadisaster, @frieddonutsweets, @jjmjjktth, @genderfluidmoma, @starlit-dreaming, @icerosecrystal

[rocksandrobots]

Of Rocks and Robots Ch 31 - Karaoke Night

Carol propped her feet up on the porch railing and leaned back in her chair. She let out a contented sigh as she reached into the bag of chips to feast upon the salty snacks.

She was waiting for Varian and his friends from SFIT to arrive. Midterms had just ended and Varian had invited her to come with them to karaoke, knowing how she loved singing.

Carol didn't really know any of his other friends, though she had met the tall girl, Honey Lemon, a few times, but she was always keen to meet new people and even more keen to party, so she had readily agreed.

Right now she was killing time and keeping a lookout for the group. Varian mentioned something about a car pool.

Just then a limo pulled up and parked itself between the two houses that made up the sorority and fraternity. Carol curiously peered over her toes to get a better look at the out of place vehicle.

Out stepped a lanky guy with shoulder length blonde hair and wearing a baggy Kentucky Kaiju t-shirt and knitted beanie. She figured it was one of Brad's snobbish friends come to see him, or perhaps a new prospective student signing up to join the frat. Though he didn't look like the usual preppy rich kids that hung around the frat house. Must be one of those guys who wears things ironically, she thought and rolled her eyes before going back to eating.

She then almost fell out of her chair when she saw Varian also step out of the limo as well. Her mouth dropped. What other secrets did this kid have?

She then looked down at the crumbs of potato chips down her shirt; suddenly embarrassed. She ducked and scrambled back into the house while Varian and the other guy exchanged some friendly words.

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

Varian walked up the porch steps of the sorority house and knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately. He gave a wide grin upon seeing Carol but before he could say 'hello' her hand shot out, grabbed the front of his shirt, and dragged him inside.

She slammed the door close and ran to the window to peer out from behind the curtain.

"Who's that?" She whispered hurriedly as she pointed to the window.

Confused and now completely knocked off guard Varian walked over to look out to where she was pointing.

All he saw was Fred standing next to the limo waiting on them. The other teen was singing a made up song about being a superhero under his breath and rocking back and forth on his heels impatiently.

"Oh that's just Fred. We took his limo because it had more room for everybody than Wasabi's car." Varian explained.

"His limo?! You didn't tell me you were friends with a millionaire!" She snapped back in a hushed tone, as if she was afraid the other boy could hear them from across the street outside.

Varian could only blink back bewildered. Why was that a problem?

Carol rolled her eyes and went back to watching Fred.

"Does he go to SFIT, too?" She asked, never looking away from the window, "Is he one of those super smart guys?"

"No, Fred's not in college."

"Oh, don't tell me; he's in high school." She responded back sarcastically.

"Umm… no. I think he graduated from homeschool this year." Varian blithely answered. He didn't see how it mattered what school Fred went to or if he went at all.

Carol tilted her head, "Wait, so is he closer to my age or yours?"

Varian thought a moment, "Uh, yours... I think he had a birthday just a couple of months back."

"Soooo he's what.. eighteen then?"

"Uh yeah, just a year younger than you." Varian scratched head, he still didn't understand Carol's odd behavior. "Look, I'm sure he can answer all these questions himself." Varian walked towards the door as he tried to coax Carol to come along. "Why don't you come on out and meet him-"

"Is he single?"

Varian paused mid-sentence and looked at Carol in surprise. The girl hadn't moved away from the window and was still peering through the curtain.

"Umm...Yeeesss." Where was this going?

"Is he gay?" Was the next the next question.

"Uhhhh...."

"Like, he is into girls or boys?" She hastily explained.

"I, honestly don't know." Varian slowly answered. Who Fred might prefer to date was not anything he had considered before, and not a subject of conversation that had ever come up.

She finally stopped looking out the window and instead looked down at the sweater she currently wore. Then to his surprise she turned on her heel and ran upstairs.

"Wait! Carol where are you going?" He yelled after her as he followed her upstairs.

"Everyone's waiting for-" He was interpreted again by a bra to the face as soon as he stopped in front of her room. Followed by a series of other assorted clothes being thrown his way. Dresses, shirts, shoes, were flung in his general direction as Carol blindly tore through her chest of drawers. One particularly floofy dress landed on his head and hung there as he stood momentarily stunned.

"Ugh! I have nothing to wear!" She shouted in frustration.

Varian tried to gather his wits again and pulled the dress off the top of his head. "What's wrong with what you got on?" He asked.

"This thing?" She asked incredulously back. "This ain't impressive. I need something that'll wow him."

Varian once again looked confused. "Who?"

"Who? Who do you think?" She rolled her eyes but failed to explain further. She then held up two dresses and asked. "Which do you think is better? The tight black one that's off shoulder, or the fun summery one with the flowers that shows off more leg?"

Varian darted his eyes back and forth at the two dresses, still utterly lost as to what was happening.

"Umm.. I'm not a fashion expert."

She sighed with exasperation. "Which do you think Fred will like better?"

"Fred? Fred's not going to care what you wear." He snorted.

Carol looked offended, "Oh you don't think a guy like that might be interested in me, hun? He's out of my league just cause I'm not some preppy uptown girl who buys Gucci handbags!"

"What? No!" Now Varian was even more lost, and not just because he didn't know what a 'gucci handbag' even was." No, I just meant you look good in anything. Also Fred's not like that. He doesn't care about clothes or handbags. I'm not even sure he cares anything about dating."

Carol stopped holding up the dresses and gave a pout. "You really don't think he'll care?"

"Why would he?"

"Cause everyone else does. I got into this school and the sorority house on a scholarship. I won a grant, but a lot of the other girls are here 'cause they got money or their family knows the dean or some crap like that." She sighed and hugged her knees. "It's the same with guys over at the frat house. Most of them are nice enough but, it's hard to feel like you fit in when you're still buying your clothes from the bargain bin over at the Goodwill."

"Naw, Fred's not like that at all, and neither are any of my other friends. Just wear what you want."

He gave her an encouraging smile and she returned it with a small one of her own.

"Okay." She conceded. "Then I want to wear the one with the flowers." She held up the dress again.  

"Fine, then I'll be down stairs waiting." Varian gave a mock sigh of frustration before they both broke out into giggles. He then headed down stairs to let her change.

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

Yamasho was a sushi restaurant that held karaoke night every weekend. It was the typical hole in the wall that locals from the neighborhood frequented. Nothing fancy but decent food when on a budget and the family owned establishment took good care of it's regulars.

The gang of college students were given a large table near the stage. Well it was actually two tables shoved together to accommodate the large group, who sat around eating, laughing, and just enjoying the freedom from their studies fnow that midterms were over with.

Karmi walked over to the table to join her friends carrying with her a black three ring binder.

"I got the song list book!" She said as she handed the folder to Hiro.

"I'm not sure if I'll sing anything, but I'll take a look."

"Oh, but ya got to!" Karmi urged as she took a seat next to him and peered over his shoulder at the list of songs. "That's the whole point of karaoke night, silly."

"Why? So you can post my embarrassingly bad singing online?" Hiro shot back good naturedly.

"If she won't then I will." Varian quipped. He leaned in to look at the booklet as well. "So how does this 'karaoke' work anyways?"

"You pick a song off this list and give it to the DJ over there." Karmi pointed to a man standing next to the stage with a soundboard and computer.

"Then when he calls you up on stage he'll play the music and you just sing along with it." Hiro explained. "There's also a screen that'll flash the lyrics up in case you forget the words."

Varian scanned the listing looking for something familiar. "Does it have to be a song from this list specifically?"

"Sometimes the DJ will do special requests," Wasabi added in, "but it might not have the words on screen if he does."

Just then the piece of nigiri Wasabi held fell from between the chopsticks and landed on his shirt. This ignited laughter from the group and cry of frustration from the larger guy as he furiously tried to wipe off the stain.

"Oh, that's right!" Honey Lemon said through a giggles, "this where you got your nickname from. Remember? It was last year we came here right after midterms."

"I remember," Gogo confirmed, "it was our first semester and we wanted to celebrate."

Fred chuckled. "Yeah old Wasabi had butter fingers then too." He turned to Carol to explain since she was new, "We hounded him for days about it and the name just stuck."

"So wait, your name isn't actually Wasabi?" Varian asked.

"No. Do you honestly think my mother named me after a condiment?" Wasabi snapped back.

Varian shrugged. "I don't know. I don't know what the usual naming convictions in America is. In Corona, I once knew a girl who was named after lettuce, ok."

"So what is your real name? I've never heard anyone one call you anything else but Wasabi either." Karmi asked.

"Noel."

Hiro snorted as he tried to contain his laughter "Noel?" He inhaled deeply and opened his mouth wide as if to belt something else out, but was interrupted by Wasabi.

"I know you're not about to start singing a christmas carol right now, or I'll have to shove this whole nori roll into your mouth." He said in a deadpan voice that told everyone present that he heard the joke before.

Hiro quickly snapped his jaw shut and swallowed hard. "Noooo, n-not all buddy." He squeaked. "Noel is….is a... festive name."

Wasabi raised an annoyed eyebrow at him and Hiro plastered on an apologetic grin.

"Sooo, how did you two get your nicknames?" Carol chimed in hoping to change the subject.

"Well I have this favorite lotion that I always like to wear," Honey Lemon chirped, "its lemon and honey scented, and so Freddie…

"So I started calling Honey Lemon," Fred joined in."cause she smells just as sweet as her personality."

"Awe thank you," she blushed, "My real name is Amanda, but I really like the nickname so it's what I go by all the time now."

"Oh, so that's what I smell whenever you fall asleep on.. me-" Varian paused in this realization as everyone turned to look at him. He coughed and started to stuff his face with sushi to distract from his faux pas.

"Ok then…" Carol laughed, "So what about you Gogo? What's your real name?

"Lei."

"Lei?" Karmi asked. "But that's actually shorter than Gogo. Why not just go by that instead?"

The biker chick only shrugged and pointed back towards Fred.

"Cause she's always on the go, ya know." Fred explained.

"I don't really care what people call me." Gogo added. "I'm still Lei to my dad and Gogo to my friends."

"Well then Gogo," Hiro asked as he passed the song folder down, "are you going sing anything?"

"No."

"Oh come on Gogo; it'll be fun." Honey Lemon encouraged.

"Nope."

"Then I'll pick something out." Fred grabbed the binder from her. He glanced over it's contents and said, "I think I wanna do a rap song."

Hiro snorted, "You can rap?"

"Sure I can rap. " He said indignantly.

"I'm not sure if I'd call what you do 'rap'." Wasabi interject.

"Oh yeah, well then just watch this." And with that Fred got up and walked over to the DJ, taking the binder with him.

"Rich and talented" Carol mused after he was out of ear shot, "I'm surprised none of you are dating."

Gogo burst into laughter. "You mean Fred? Oh, no noooo no; that's big nope. You haven't known Fred very long."

Carol frowned.

"We all love Freddie," Honey Lemon interceded, " He's a great guy. It's just...sometimes he can get a liiiitle…"

"Insane." Gogo said.

"Intense!" Honey Lemon quickly corrected and then paused as she realized this was perhaps not the best alternative. "No. Wait. That's not the right word...hmm…Passionate! Yes. He's a very passionate person."

"He's also insane." Gogo whispered to Carol.

That's when Fred walked on stage and picked up the microphone.

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

The night went on. Everyone sang, laughed, and carried on as young people do. Then it was time to head home.

They dropped Carol off first at the sorority house.

"Here let me get out first." Fred said as he opened the limo door and stepped out, "that way you can get out easier with having to crawl all over me." He reached a hand out to help her and Carol grabbed it as she scooted across the long seat to get out.

"My you are quite the gentlemen, ain't ya?" She flirted as she stepped out of the car. She flashed him a wide grin but Fred didn't catch on to her meaning behind the words.

"Ah, I try." He shrugged obliviously.

Varian got out as well. "Well good sir, if you would be so kind as to leave the car running." He said in a mocking manner, imitating the upper nobility he'd sometimes see in court.

Fred caught on to the joke and put on his best fake upcurst accent. "Indubitably, abd will that be all my lord?" He gave a mock bow and they both broke out into snickers.

Carol rolled her eyes and started to walk off, irritated that Varian had gotten in the way.

He followed after.

"I don't need you to walk me to the door you know." She said under her breath.

"I know, I just…"

"Just what?" She reached the porch and whirled around. "We aren't dating, remember?"

"I..I know." Varian looked surprised. "I just figured since I asked you to come along I should be the one to say goodnight to you." He awkwardly explained.

Carol crossed her arms.

"Did I do something wrong?"

She sighed. "I don't want Fred to think we're a couple."

Varian turned back to look at the other teen. He spotted them both looking at him and waved. "Goodnight. It was nice meeting you." He yelled.

She smiled and waved back.

"You..you really like him?" Varian asked.

"Well yeah," Carol said."He's nice, and the fact that he can afford to spring for a taco now and then doesn't hurt either."  

She paused as if a thought occurred to her. "You think I'm being shallow."

"What? No. If you like him that's great. Hey, that's two friends of mine who get along. Wh-what's not to like about that."

She raised an eyebrow. "You jealous?"

"No." He pouted. "It sure didn't take long to get over me though." He joked.

Carol laughed, "Awww, I'm sure you've broken plenty of hearts."

"Who me? Yeah right." Varian scoffed. He then became thoughtful. "I haven't had many chances to meet people until I came here."

"Well of course not. You're only sixteen." She rolled her eyes and then smiled. "You've got plenty of time to find love."

Varian only returned a half smile."Yeah...time…that's also something I always feel like I'm running out of."

"Ugh, I know. Midterms were killer this year, and we gotta do it all again in a few more weeks for finals." He turned and walked back towards the door. "Night. This was fun. Next time y'all decide to do something like this be sure to invite me again."

"We will."

"Oh and if you could maybe find out what Fred thinks of me between now and then? Maybe drop a hint or two…"

Varian rolled his eyes, "I'm not playing messenger."

Carol stuck out her bottom lip and gave a pleading look.

"Fine." Varian conceded. "But unless you're waving a comic book in front of his face I don't think you're going to get him to notice." He warned.

"Comic book fan, gottcha." She dismissed the warning. "There's tons of guys here who are into those. There's even a sequential art program here at the school."

"You don't get it. Fred doesn't just like comic books...he lives comic books. You should see his room."

"Oooh should now?" She teased.

"I didn't mean… forget it."

She laughed again, "I thought you weren't jealous?"

"I'm not." He said defensively. "Look I'll ask, but just don't get your hopes up, that's all I'm saying. Fred's...well…he.. doesn't pick up hints very well."

"So I need to be even more obvious?"

"Or just more up front."

She furrowed her brow in thought. "Hmmm...ok, then I'll keep that in mind for next time. Thanks again, Varian, your a good friend and night."

He returned the farewell as she closed the door.

[uzumaki-rebellion]

“Wet Sugar” [Part 28 of 30]

Summary: Erik and Yani’s lives are about to change permanently....

"I'm a fish in an aquarium Cut off from the outside world The water's always lukewarm And I observe

Hardly anyone takes notice of me But I am, here Quietly floating My lips, moving Just like yours

Always in motion You, never seem to rest Through my reflection I watch you Why do you keep me here, like this…"

Me'Shell Ndegeocello – "Aquarium"

"Come on Sweet Pea, it's okay. Come out from there…"

Yani stuck her head under Sydette's bed and saw her daughter curled up with her doll Miss Penny in the fetal position.

"It's just a bad man on tv it's not real," Yani said.

She reached her hands out for Sydette and the girl crawled from under the bed and sat on Yani's lap.

"Oh, I know that sound scared you. We'll watch something else."

Yani carried Sydette back into their living room and switched the channel to a cooking show. She wasn't expecting a violent news report to interrupt the comedy show they were watching. Her daughter eased back into her chest but Yani could feel her trembling. Touching Sydette's face, Yani kissed her daughter's forehead.

Two months and her daughter was still having night terrors and panic attacks because of Huntsman and their last night at the compound. Even Yani felt a little anxious when she walked around her apartment at night, afraid that someone would come to the door, break-in, and finish what they started on that night. Killmonger said he handled all those men. She wasn't so sure sometimes, especially knowing about Klaue's different minions from all over the world.

It had only gotten worse with Sweet Pea.

Loud sounds on tv or in real life brought either sudden tears or her baby running to hide. Sydette had finally stopped going to the front door and trying to find Killmonger. Yani no longer heard her baby girl asking, "We go find Baba now?"

Yani asked her mentor at the hospital for help finding a therapist that dealt with children and she was able to recommend a wonderful doctor for Sydette. The therapist was a friendly older white man with gentle milky blue eyes. Yani told the partial truth of what had happened to them. Sitting in the man's office while Sydette played with some dolls the therapist had in his space, she explained that they had been robbed while staying in a rental property with her boyfriend. She told him about the guns that were used on them, and she even explained how she and Sydette escaped on the beach. That was all she revealed. Afterward, she sat back and watched the man speak to her daughter just to get to know her. The therapist wrote a lot down, and when it was over, they set up appointments to have Sydette come in twice a week.

Once the therapist gained Sydette's trust after two visits, he had her use dolls to tell him what happened from her point of view. Sydette was so talkative and descriptive.

The man had Sydette coloring while she talked along with more doll play, and there were also sessions with Yani talking with her little girl to help develop coping skills when Sydette did run and hide.

Holding her child on her lap, Yani did what the therapist told her to do. She acted calm and regulated her own breathing so that Sydette copied her and brought down her anxiety. She acknowledged what Sydette was feeling and let her baby dictate how the conversation would go. It was hard though. Sydette tended to ask the same questions about the bad guys coming back. Yani often caught her acting out the attack with her own dolls, and it broke her heart. Bedwetting increased and going to bed at night was a difficult ritual and her daughter no longer wanted to sleep alone in her room. Yani allowed her to stay with her.

Sydette tended to self-soothe frequently with her thumb in her mouth, something she had never done before. She also dragged around a blanket that Killmonger bought for her and twisted her fingers frequently along the edges of the pink satin material whenever she saw something that reminded her of that night.

Sydette reached up and touched the curly lace front Yani wore. She was switching out three different wigs to cover up the scar on her head from the bullet that struck her. It hadn't healed all that well and the scar brought back bad memories.

"How are you feeling now Sweet Pea? Sad? Scared…?"

"Sad."

"Oh yeah? It's ok to feel sad."

"And scared."

"Mama is right here for you. You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and pressed her face into Yani's chest.

They sat together until Sydette tugged on her pants.

"You need to change your pull-ups?"

"Yes."

Yani closed her eyes and tried not to cry. Sydette had been potty-trained, but now she was back to wearing pull-ups again because of so many accidents during the day.

"Come on."

Yani walked her to the bathroom and cleaned her up. After replacing the pull-ups she made sure to get them back on their evening routine. Making dinner together. Pork n' beans and hot dogs. Yani sliced up cooked wieners and let Sydette drop them into a pot of beans mixed with barbecue sauce and brown sugar. Keeping a daily routine helped Sydette a lot, but Yani was worried that Sydette would never get better.

Yani felt that her own therapy sessions were less important than getting her daughter back on track.

Plus….she had another concern that was twisting up her world.

And she needed to talk to Twyla about it and no one else.

###

Linda's eyes showed no glimmers of shock, surprise, or any concern at all.

Erik arrived in Sweden after a two-week trip of seeing relatives and solidifying his plans to take out Klaue en route to Wakanda. Linda picked him up at the airport and her enthusiasm at seeing him was the best Academy Award-winning performance he had ever experienced. He hugged her and allowed her to kiss his cheek, but then he went straight into work mode.

"How was your flight?" she asked.

They stood by the luggage carousel and waited for Erik's duffle bag and metal suitcase.

"Fine. How's Klaue?"

"Good. Calm actually, which is not normal for him. He seems pretty confident now that you have landed."

He grabbed his duffle as Linda picked up his suitcase. She ushered him to a cab outside and Erik watched her closely. Her eyes flicked over the attaché that Erik held in his hand.

"Things good with your family?" she asked.

"Cool breezy. I'm ready to get to work."

Her eyes were playful and Erik tried to keep his face neutral, but he felt himself grinding his teeth together.

The two-story hideout in Sweden was pretty swanky. Isolated and guarded by a new crew of security that Erik didn't know. Pure muscle men that Klaue planned on taking to Korea with them.

Erik handed over the attaché that Klaue needed, and he learned that Klaue was using it to essentially blackmail the C.I.A. into buying the vibranium from him. Linda acted nonchalant when she saw Klaue getting what she wanted in his hand.

Settling down into tracking the artifacts that would eventually arrive in London, Erik observed Linda's behavior with much more intensity. There might be a Plan B to her treachery. She stayed on several computers for twelve hours a day, and he never caught her sneaking off to try and contact anyone. The moment she saw Erik, she had to know her plans to rob Klaue had been foiled. Erik was alive and in her face. It didn't matter to him that she thought Yani and Sydette were accidental collateral damage. She would have to pay for what she had done.

Rising early one morning, Erik stepped out onto a patio and made a call to his Aunt Serah on his personal cell.

"JaJa."

Serah's voice sounded happy to hear from him.

"Can you face chat, or nah?"

"I am walking into my apartment now."

Erik switched to audio and video and adjusted the earbuds he wore.

"You look good," she said.

"Busy, but I'm maintaining."

"Bakari and Dante said they enjoyed seeing you."

"It was good to be home."

"How can I help you?"

He watched his Aunt take a seat in her kitchen.

"I need you to do something for me. And when I ask you to do this, don't ask why."

Her eyes took him in and she drew in a deep breath.

"What is it?"

"When the London exhibit hits, I don't want you to be there for the first week of the opening. Call in sick."

His face was serious and he waited for her to push back and be nosey as she was prone to be.

"A week?"

He nodded.

It had to be a week. It would take a few days before the arrival for Linda to get in with a job and start taking over surveillance. Erik had already shown their micro-crew the layout for the museum and also the main players. He couldn't leave his Aunt out of the staff photos he showed everyone, but he could keep her away from what they were planning to do.

"I have some vacation time stored up."

"I will let you know what week to leave," he said.

"JaJa—"

"Auntie…please…"

His eyes darted around to make sure he still had privacy.

"Fine. I will do it."

"Thank you. I have to go now. I'll chat with you soon."

She blew him a kiss and Erik went to find Linda.

He found her on her laptop posted up near Klaue in the dining room. She was creating a fake visa and London I.D. for herself.

Klaue sat staring at his own laptop while drinking his third cup of coffee.

"Ross is ready for the transaction," Klaue said.

"I found a plane to get us out. We can jump to Japan, and then Indonesia—" "You take care of all of that with Limbano. I'm working on getting our money upfront before the trade-off. Any word on when the exhibit is happening? I really don't want this to drag out."

"A few months. Be patient."

Klaue smacked Erik's shoulder and sipped on his fresh brew.

"Pre-paid gigs now. Impressive," Erik said taking a seat next to Klaue. He poured himself coffee from the pot sitting on the dining table.

Linda looked at him and the curl of a smile on her lips made him want to punch her. He needed to find something to do or else he would reveal his hand.

"Going for a walk," Erik said.

He left the house and walked around the grounds. The air smelled clean and it helped him clear his head.

He was ready to move.

Being in Sweden gave him time to watch the news on the regular. King T'Chaka would be at the Vienna International Center to help bring about the ratification of the Sokovian accords. Erik hoped the man would return to Wakanda in time for him to stomp him out. He didn't want to challenge the throne while his Uncle was out of the country. He needed him and T'Challa there in person. It would look like a reckless power-grabbing coup d'etat if Erik ran through Wakanda while they were away. No…he needed to follow the letter of the law in his father's homeland. Reading his father's journals, he learned of N'Jobu considering making a play for the throne before he was murdered. It wasn't enough to be a rebel. True power was claiming the throne with a legitimate justice claim. He wanted to kill T'Chaka and T'Challa on their home turf in front of their people. Under their own laws. Their rules. There would be no questioning of his ascension to the throne with their blood on his hands.

Blood on his hands…

His thoughts turned to Yani and Sydette.

It still pained him to think of them. God knows he tried to put them far in the back of his mind as he could, but he couldn't stop the occasional random memories that came at him. A certain odor in the house would remind him of a meal he cooked for his girls. A song on the radio put him back into the kitchen of Klaue's house with Sydette holding onto his hands and dancing as Yani fussed at them for being in her way as she cooked. As hard as he tried to stay busy and mentally occupied, they would creep into his psyche. His trip back to the states helped a lot when he visited his family, but the moment he stepped on the plane to Sweden he fell into a funk. Seeing Linda only brought the island back into sharp relief.

Erik walked back into the house to find some good liquor. He needed to drown his thoughts.

Stay the course.

Focus.

###

Yani stirred in a handful of potatoes into the fish soup she made on Twyla's stove. The fragrant home-made broth she fixed made her own mouth water.

"Don't put no okra in it. I nuh want to feel that slime in my mouth," Twyla said.

"Too late," Yani called out.

"Argh!" Twyla groaned.

"I didn't put a lot in. Barely a handful."

Yani put the soup on simmer and washed her hands.

Sydette played with two new Barbie dolls her paternal grandmother bought for her on the floor. The tv was on a cartoon and Twyla sat on her couch flipping through a fashion magazine.

"You alright?" Twyla asked.

"Yeah."

"You look funny…"

Yani glanced down at Sydette.

"Can we talk in the kitchen?" Yani asked.

Twyla eyed her and then tossed her magazine on the couch. They left Sydette to her dolls.

Twyla lifted up the lid on the soup and took a big whiff.

"Smells like Auntie's."

"Be done soon…Twyla…?" Yani laced and unlaced her fingers together.

Her cousin sat in a chair next to her.

"Yeah?" Twyla said.

"I'm in trouble. I…I messed up…"

"What happen?"

"Don't be vex…"

Yani's hand instinctively went to her belly.

Twyla's head tilted to the side. Her eyes got big and then she sucked her teeth.

"I don't want to hear that…Yani…last time yuh ask mi not be vex…oh dammit cuz…yuh had Sydette…"

Yani's hand covered her eyes and she felt fat tears squeeze from her lids.

Twyla jumped up from her seat and stuck her head out of the kitchen doorway to check on Sydette. She turned back to Yani.

"All this stuff you two are dealing with, and now…yuh telling me you carrying that man's baby?"

Twyla sat back down on the chair and touched Yani's hand.

"I'm not trying to be mean…I'm just. Dammit. I was worried about this happening."

"I'm not keeping it."

Yani wiped her face.

"We said we wouldn't have no baby together. I'm not going to term. I made an appointment in the states. I need you to keep Sydette for me. I'm going to fly to Florida. There's a clinic in Miami that will help me deal with this. I just need you to keep quiet, and watch my Sweet Pea."

"You're going by yourself?"

"Yeah. I don't want anyone to know. Just you."

Twyla squeezed Yani's hand.

"I didn't mean to sound like a bitch about it."

Yani shrugged.

"How far along are you?"

"Two months."

Yani stood up and went to the stove.

She lifted the lid on the soup and stirred it, needing something to do. Needing to be away from Twyla's eyes.

They hadn't been careful.

Especially for the last month they were together. A part of her thought she wanted it to happen. As careful as she had been in the beginning with him, they had become careless in the end. Her rigid birth control taking had slipped and she had no one to blame but herself. She hadn't been taking her pills at the same regular times she always had. The early morning was her normal time, but sometimes she took them in the afternoon, or at night. They had set themselves up for failure. Especially when she allowed him to ejaculate inside of her so often. She had irregular cycles and thought this was another scare like last time. She ignored the first month thinking the stress from the attack was the cause.

She beat herself up. His last few words to her was to not let anything stop her from going to school. Now she was carrying his seed and breaking every promise she made to herself. Killmonger was just as responsible, but now he was out of her life.

"No one can know about this, Twyla."

"My mouth is shut. I'll keep Sydette for you."

Yani covered the soup again. She felt Twyla's arms go around her waist, her cheek pressed close to hers.

"I'll carry this weight with yuh cuz. Okay? No worries."

Yani's head dropped down. Twyla turned her around and Yani buried her face in her cousin's neck.

"I can't go backward," she whispered into her cousin's skin.

"When are you flying out?"

"Next week. Thursday through Sunday."

"You shouldn't go alone. I'll go with you. I'll call in sick to work—"

"I don't want—"

"Calm down…calm down. We'll get Monice to watch Sydette. We'll tell her we're going to visit Kendall. We can see him when we get there, then disappear. He'll be busy doing his club dates and no one will suspect anything if we actually don't see him. It's just a Miami girls trip. Dry your eyes."

Yani nodded.

She was happy that Twyla would come with her. She didn't want to go alone, but she wanted to stay discreet.

"Mama…"

Sydette stood in the doorway and Yani wiped her eyes. Painting a wide smile on her lips she grabbed bowls from the cupboard.

"Ready for some fish tea, love?"

Sydette nodded.

"It'll be okay," Twyla said.

Yani hoped so.

###

Erik's hands slid up her thighs.

They were browner from the sun and so warm to the touch that Erik found himself heavy sighing as he touched her.

The sun beat down on his back and he could feel the hot searing heat making his keloids tingle.

She tried to wiggle back from him and he dragged her legs back to him.

"Nah…get back here. I want you right now. Just like this."

He used his strength to lock her legs down, and when he sank down into her, her lusty shouts made him smile.

Sweat dripped down from his face and onto hers. He threw his head back and a hard exhale fell from his mouth.

"Fuck…baby…!"

Her eyes seemed to be pleading with him, like she was trying to convey something to him on a deeper level.

The muscles in his ass clenched tight and his voice cracked when she said his name in his ear.

"Erik…"

He bolted up from the bed.

"Shit," he gasped, his fingers clutching his sheets.

Glancing around the bed, Erik saw that he was alone in his room. He shut his eyes tight and caught the fading sensations of being with Yani once more. Falling back onto his back, he stared at the ceiling. The warm tingling sensation on his skin disarmed him. He actually felt her hands on him. He could smell her scent still. Lucid dreams had happened to him before, but this one was much too powerful. His hand drifted to his groin and the erection that greeted him there was slick with his semen. He gripped his dick and the throbbing in his hand surprised him and he found himself ejaculating while being awake.

"Ah, fuck…"

Fingers wet, skin drenched in sweat, Erik rolled his face into his pillow and fought the urge to reach out to her. Although his body was yearning for the sexual contact, Erik just wanted to lay up with her and hold her. He missed the weight of Sweet Pea on his chest and Yani snuggled against him.

Erik dragged himself off the bed to clean up the nocturnal emissions. Red eyes greeted him in the bathroom mirror. Had he been crying while dreaming? His heart thudded in his chest and he touched the left side to feel the sensation. His gut told him something was wrong.

He grabbed his laptop and sat back on the bed.

Using an old avatar, he tried to check her social media, but she had deleted everything. It was smart on her part. Kept her off the radar. Twyla's accounts were locked, and Kendall's had become strictly business. When he typed in her name only pictures of her from Kendall's or Chez's fans popped up and they were very few compared to when she had been active online.

His fingers itched to call Twyla, but he refrained.

It wasn't right to try and bounce in and out of her life. She had money. She had support. She would do what she had to do to take care of herself and Sydette.

He shut down his laptop and went outside to walk the grounds. One of Klaue's new security team eyed him hard when he stepped to the rear of the house. Erik waved him off and continued meandering under the moonlight. The acute sensations of feeling Yani's presence had finally faded.

But something tugged at his spirit.

Something felt amiss.

###

Yani sat wearing a paper medical gown in a room filled with five other women dressed the same.

They all sat in a silent queue that they probably never thought they would find themselves in.

Yani kept her head down and stared at her bare feet encased in sandals. A woman sitting adjacent from her stared at her head, and she regretted not wearing one of her wigs. She still felt very self-conscious about the scar. Only part of the hair grew back and the rest was small but vivid scar tissue. Shiny like one of Killmonger's keloids.

Her heart jumped when she thought of him. She worried the thin material of the medical gown with her fingers as her nerves ratcheted up. A thin Latino looking woman was called to follow a Doctor's assistant and Yani could feel the collective anxiety from all the other women and herself as they watched the woman go through a door that closed with a loud bang. She wished she could text Twyla just to have something to do to occupy her mind, but her cousin was posted up at the hotel they were staying at awaiting her call for when the procedure was done.

Procedure.

Yani closed her eyes.

When she first found out she was pregnant with Sydette she was so ready to go to a clinic and terminate. Fidgeting in her seat, she couldn't imagine doing that. But that was only because she had Sweet Pea now, knew her, loved her. It seemed like such an easy thing to do back then especially when she was so angry with Chez and how that pregnancy came to be.

This one was different. It was an accident. A loving accident.

Her tummy flip-flopped and she felt her leg shake a bit with nerves. Another woman was called to go away. Yani was next if they were going in order as they had been.

An older white woman with tight crows feet around her eyes opened the door soon enough and looked Yani in the eye. Yani stood up and tried to close the back of her gown that had begun to stick to her backside from nervous sweat.

She was taken into a sterile room and asked to lay back on a cool blue gynecology chair with a protective white hygienic cover. The assistant helped her place her legs in some stirrups and adjusted her backrest for comfort.

Yani felt her blood pressure rise up and her breathing grew erratic.

The assistant's voice was raspy as she spoke from a protective mask.

"Try to relax. I'm going to place Misoprostol against your cervix. It will soften it for us, and then in two hours the doctor will come in and we'll start. Okay?"

Yani nodded but when the woman touched her thigh to let her know she was about to proceed, Yani tensed up and her hands went to her stomach and covered it.

"Stop, please."

The assistant stared at Yani and pulled away from her.

"You need a moment?"

Yani nodded and felt the small prick of a tear in her eye. She covered her face with her right hand.

"I'll come back—"

"I'm nervous."

The assistant gave a small sigh and when she was about to say something more, a Black woman with a short gray 'fro walked in.

"She's nervous," the assistant said.

Yani watched the Black woman approach her side. The woman touched her arm and gave it a soft pat. Her hand was warm.

"It's alright," the woman said.

"I'm sorry—"

"No need for you to be sorry. This isn't easy for any woman. Even the ones who act like it's no big deal. I'm the doctor who will be working with you. How would you like for me to proceed?"

The doctor reached out for her hand, and Yani accepted the comfort.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head back and exhaled.

###

Twyla drove to the side of the non-descript building and Yani walked to their rental car. She climbed into the passenger seat and burst into tears.

"Oh…cuz…it's alright."

Twyla caressed her scalp and turned Yani's face toward her. "I couldn't do it."

"What?"

Yani shook her head and covered her mouth.

"You didn't-?"

"No."

Twyla held Yani's hand.

"They are going to kill me back home."

"No. Disappointed…yes. But they will love this one like Sydette."

"Yuh disappointed with me?"

"I don't want to see you struggle again. You are supposed to be a doctor, Yani. It just gets harder with two babies."

"Yuh think I should abort this one?"

"I can't make that choice for you."

"They had my legs up and were prepping me and I just…I thought…this was an accident, but it didn't have to be a mistake. I know it don't make sense, and everyone will think I'm just a stupid woman who can't keep her legs shut. I want to be selfish for this child, for its father's sake. Killmonger…he's a good man. We all know he ah bad man when him with Klaue, he said it himself. Him clear on that. But I know he wants to be a good man. In his own way. I don't know where he is, but I want to have this good. This baby is good. Hear mi?"

"I hear you, Yani."

"I have enough money for now. It will just take me a little longer to finish school. But I won't have to struggle like before."

Yani wiped her eyes again.

"I want him to have something good in the world. I want to keep my baby."

Twyla stared out of the window.

"He was so loving to us, Twyla. I know you think I'm stupid for this—"

"I never said that. It's just hard having a child alone. It's why I never did it."

Yani snuck a glance at her cousin.

"You ever regret your decision with Devon?"

"No. The choice was easy for me. It turned out to be the best thing for me. I won't tell yuh what to do. This your decision."

Twyla regarded her face with concern.

"Once we leave here, there's no going back, Yani. I mean, you could make another appointment—"

"No. I've made up my mind. My parents are going to hate me, no matter what you say, but it's what I want to do."

"Crazy gyal. Lord ah mercy I can already hear Auntie sucking her teeth."

Yani smiled even as she felt new tears falling down her cheeks.

She was accustomed to working hard her entire life. She'd just have to be on the grind even harder for Sydette, school, and this little one.

"Can yuh come with me to tell Auntie? I want her to know before my parents. I have to get my house in order."

"Be ready for her to have a fit…although…"

"Although what?" Yani asked, hesitation in her voice.

"She really liked that big nigga."

Yani's lips trembled and Twyla squeezed her hand again.

"She really did," Yani agreed.

"I really liked him too. Lord, here we go again!"

Twyla started the car and Yani rested her head in her seat and closed her eyes.

###

Twyla stood in the kitchen doorway as Yani sat on a loveseat with Sydette seated next to her.

"Yuh understand what Mama is saying? You will be a big sister," Yani said.

"In there?" Sydette said pointing to Yani's belly.

"Yeah, the baby is in there. I'll get a big stomach like Sandrina."

"Can I talk to the baby?"

"Anytime you want."

Sydette leaned forward pressing her ear to Yani's stomach.

"You in there baby? Can yuh hear me?"

"You like being a big sister?"

Sydette nodded.

Yani's eyes swept over to her mother and her Aunt Leona. Her mother's face was tight, but she found strength in Leona's firm stance that Yani's mother not scold her or talk down to her. Leona herself was disappointed at first, but then she immediately steeled herself to support Yani when she told the rest of the family. Everyone knew who the daddy was, and they all knew the man was never coming back.

"The baby sleep in my room with me?"

"Yes, love. When it gets a little bigger."

"Will I have a brother or a sister?"

"We won't know until it gets here. What do you want me to have?"

"A brother."

Paula stood up and walked over to Yani, taking a seat next to Sydette.

"Your life is in your hands—"

"Mommy—"

"Let me finish. We didn't do right by you the first time…when you had Sydette—"

"Don't—"

"Listen. Your Daddy and me saw how hard you worked to raise your child on your own. I'm sorry we were so hard on you. We nuh treat yuh how we should have and we can't change that. But we can be better this time. I'm not ashamed of you, Yani. I know yuh think that. Yuh just make things tough on yourself and we don't want you to struggle like we did raising alla you girls. I'm sorry…"

"Mommy. Forget that—"

"Yes. Forget all of that past stuff and let's focus on getting this new pickney here healthy and in one piece," Leona said.

Sydette jumped down from the couch.

"Where yuh going, Sweet Pea? Yani asked.

"I have to use the bathroom."

Yani watched her daughter run to the bathroom on her own.

The evening was pleasant and her mother cooked dinner for all of them. Yani ate her fill of beef patties with fried rice and Sydette spent the night in their bed touching her stomach and talking to her sibling with soft whispers.

###

"JaJa."

"Auntie."

Erik could see on his cell that she was standing outside of the Museum of Great Britain.

"The exhibit arrives in July. The opening will be on 15th."

"Thank you Auntie."

"I put in my request for vacation time."

"Good."

Her sharp eyes took in his face.

"Whatever you are about to do…be safe."

"Always."

Erik hung up and turned his eyes back to the small touchpad he watched outside on the backyard patio.

King T'Chaka sat in the United Nations, his voice confident as he addressed the assembly. How fitting that he should speak of peace and harmony among countries when Erik was preparing to bring that work to his own country's doorstep.

How fitting indeed.

Chapter 29 Here

###

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[musical-shit-show]

Two Sides: Chapter 3

Previous Chapter: (1) (2)

Characters: Musical!Beetlejuice, Female!OC, Lydia Deetz, Barbara Maitland, Adam Maitland

Warnings: anxiety, supernatural elements, sexual references

Word Count: 1208

Author’s Note: Woohoo! Chapter 3! If you’re reading this, thanks so much for putting up with the delay. Work is crazy right now and I haven’t had the time to sit down and edit on my own computer. But now that spooky szn is over, I’m gonna take some more time to write and plot out chapters so they can be posted more frequently. Anyways, its bug man time (kinda). Hope you enjoy!

As always, please like/comment/reblog if you enjoy. I need to get serious about building my blog a little more to include requests/an about page, so be on the lookout for that if you enjoy this story so far! Oh, and here is a link to my masterlist  :) Thanks!

Chapter 3

Cassandra exhaled deeply as she reached her room for the weekend. The guest room was simple, painted light gray with a clean white and pale blue comforter adorning a queen-sized mattress. Cassandra’s eyes sparkled at the bed; living in the city meant countless nights of tossing and turning on an uncomfortable twin.

She flopped onto the soft comforter, her back sinking into the firm mattress. Cassandra closed her eyes, attempting to process the previous 10 minutes. There was always a part of her that knew entities like ghosts actually did exist in this world, she just didn’t realize she’d get up close and personal with them, let alone discover that her best friend used to live with two dead people.

In a way though, the situation excited her. It was like she was in on a massive secret, privy to an entire world beyond the corporeal. The very thought of all the questions she could ask Adam and Barbara about the afterlife made her skin tingle.

Goosebumps suddenly rose on her skin, and another chill wracked her spine. Cassandra looked around the room; she was still alone. A fluttering piece of fabric caught her eye, and she noticed the window was open, another sudden gust of cold air entering the already frigid room. 

‘Oh,’ the young woman thought, ‘Now you’re being paranoid. It was just the wind.’ Still, a sense of unease filled her chest as she crossed the room to close the window.

Beetlejuice snickered, knowing this new breather wouldn’t be able to hear him. Most couldn’t, after all. It was a lonely existence, but the demon always thoroughly enjoyed tormenting those who were unable to see him.

He watched as Cassandra made her way to the window, raising an eyebrow as he examined her. She was short, with cropped brown hair that fell just above her shoulders. Her frame was much fuller than her roommate’s, her thighs jiggling as she walked.

“Nice tits,” he thought out loud, a streak of magenta shooting through his hair as she unwittingly passed him, “Not much of an ass though.” Cassandra whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes. She could’ve sworn she heard a faint whisper in the air. She slammed the window shut, shaking her head in disbelief.

Beetlejuice quirked an eyebrow, studying her. Though Cassandra couldn’t see him as Lydia had all those years ago, she could certainly sense his presence. ‘Maybe you’re more interesting than I thought, new girl’, he thought to himself as he floated, lounging on air as she moved across the room. He snapped his fingers quickly, producing a very important piece of paper that was integral to his return to the world of the living.

“I must really be losing it,” she muttered to herself, flopping backwards onto the bed. She felt a soft crinkling underneath her thigh, a texture that was completely different than the down bedding that lie underneath the rest of her. Beetlejuice was practically radiating with energy as she pulled his business card out from under her. He knew that if Lydia wasn’t willing to tell her about the sickeningly sweet Maitlands, there’s no way she knew about him.

Cassandra studied the card, the lettering a faded black, the material weathered from age. She wondered how such an old business card had practically landed in her lap, but given the circumstances of the day so far, she was learning to expect the unexpected. The demon eyed her carefully, praying that she would be gullible and confused enough to follow the instructions on his card.

The card sported bold lettering and what appeared to be a winged bug with a man’s head attached. He was holding a large mallet next to the obnoxious lettering that read:

Betelgeuse the Bio-Exorcist! Call Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse. Betelgeuse.

“Like the star...?” Cassandra said quietly to herself, getting a flashback to her freshman year astronomy class. She sat cross-legged on the bed, utterly perplexed. Her head was still spinning from her encounter with Barbara and Adam.

“Damn, babes, pretty and smart?” Beetlejuice crooned, “Looks like you’re the whole package.”

The faint whispering attacked Cassandra’s ears once more, causing her to tense up. She looked down at the card again, its form bent and folded beyond repair. There was one more notation besides the aforementioned celestial body.

Just speak my name three times.

Cassandra quirked an eyebrow, wondering if Lydia was pulling a trick on her. Lydia knew she was gullible, and given the shock she had just endured moments earlier, it wouldn’t be out of the strange girl’s wheelhouse to pull a prank like this.

“Okay, ha ha, very funny Lyds,” Cassandra called out to her seemingly empty room, “I’ll play along with your shit this time.” She held out the card in front of her, waiting for Lydia to come through the door at any moment and scare the daylights out of her. Beetlejuice was practically salivating as Cassandra parted her lips, his hair suddenly turned neon green as his amber eyes dilated rapidly. 

“Oh, come on, come on, come on,” he pleaded, inching closer to Cassandra’s ear, “We can have so much fun together, new girl.”

“Betelgeuse,” she said playfully, almost in a whisper.

Beetlejuice felt his body tingle in anticipation; the sound of his name being spoken aloud revitalized him. “Oh, yeah,” he moaned, rolling his shoulder blades back as energy surged through his undead form, “I forgot how good this felt.”

“Betelgeuse,” Cassandra said again, this time more confidently. Suddenly the room crackled with electricity, the wind whipping around the room even more fiercely. She smirked, assuming that Lydia had just employed Adam and Barbara in her scheme to frighten her.

Beetlejuice’s eyes ignited with power, a devilish smile on his face. “Come on, babes,” he said, practically glowing, “Just one more time.”

“Betelgeuse!” she said a third and final time, waiting for Lydia to jump out and scare her. But she didn’t see her dark-haired friend or the two ghosts that inhabited this house. Instead, there was a burst of green smoke that permeated throughout the room. The room’s temperature suddenly felt as though it had dropped twenty degrees, and Cassandra shivered as a cold bead of sweat slowly trickled down her back. Cassandra didn’t know what—or rather, who—would appear out of the shroud of smoke, but she soon found herself face to face with the oddest-looking man she had ever seen in her life.

His skin had a sickly pallor, contrasted with deep purple circles under his eyes. The roots of his hair were black, but that’s where the normalcy ended; the rest was a vibrant green, protruding upwards. He smiled like the Devil himself, his canines noticeably sharper than the average person’s. And Jesus Christ, his clothes. He wore a tattered black and white striped suit that was an assault on the eyes. He dusted himself off, the smell of dirt and rot wafting through the air. It was enough to make Cassandra gag, though she held it back as best she could as the man slowly approached her, energy still radiating off of his stocky form.

“Hiya, babes,” the man said, his voice gravely and low, “Thanks for setting me free. I owe ya one.”

---------

One thing you’ll learn about my writing style is that I love a good cliffhanger. Hope you enjoyed!

[wordsfromthesol]

Meet Cute

Author: @wordsfromthesol Pairing: Dick Grayson x Reader Summary: Your late night thesis work leads you to meet the ever-charming Dick Grayson. Warnings: Language, implied smut Word Count: 1.6k A/N: I was just remembering my long nights at Starbucks while writing my thesis…and thought of this. A thesis is basically a super long and excruciating research paper you have to write to get a post-graduate degree, for any of those unaware of the term!

All you had wanted was a peaceful night. You knew you could make your next thesis deadline without any all-nighters, as long as you didn’t run into any major problems. Though it seemed the universe just wanted to challenge you. It was pushing midnight, and though Starbucks closed almost an hour prior, your frequent long nights at the coffeehouse allowed for friendships to form. You often stayed while the workers did there closing duties, and tonight was no different. All the baristas had stumbled into the back to finish working when a man clad in a black and blue suit crashed through the storefront window. You watched in awe as he slid back into the counter, trying to cover his head. Another much bigger man staggered in through the new opening.

Both men seemed completely unaware of your presence, as the larger man drew nearer to his foe…still incapacitated on the floor. Without thinking, you picked up your laptop and slammed it into the back of his head. You watched as he slowly began turning towards you, that is, until you once again cracked the computer against his face. He collapsed backwards just as the man clad in spandex regained his composure and jumped to his feet.

You just stood there in shock. I can’t believe I did that. All my work, all my programs, how am I going to finish now? You glanced down at your hands, still clutching the remnants of your laptop, and then up again at the stranger.

He looked back at you noting the panic spread across your face, “Hey hey hey, it’s alright. It’s over.”

You realized he was trying to calm you down for all the wrong reasons. The emotion written on your face was not caused by the man laying unconscious before you, but the realization that anything you had not saved prior to your thoughtlessness was gone. The realization that all the programs you had bought to conduct your analyses were gone. This was a problem that would take weeks of sleepless nights, as well as an ample amount of funds – which you did not have to spare – to fix. You looked down again at your computer, still unable to speak, and gathered your things. Leaving what was left of your computer behind, you got in your car and immediately drove home.

“Did she just…leave?” Dick asked himself in disbelief. He walked over to pick up the broken pieces of your computer, “maybe Timmy can fix this for her.” Quickly, he scooped it up and headed to the manor.

You got back to your apartment and couldn’t even make it to your bedroom. You immediately collapsed on your couch and stared into the darkness. Everything you had been working so hard for had come crashing down on you. Eventually you began running scenarios in your head, because what else could you do? Your presentation was in a week, and your thesis had to be approved by the committee even before that. You had planned to make the final touches today and tomorrow.

“Okay…think Y/N. You can open programs on the school computers, but they would be read-only since the school only has the student license. Then if I printed them, they would have that stupid ‘student version’ watermark.”  You stood up and began to pace in your living room. “Okay, well maybe I won’t need to make changes to my analyses…that will just depend on the committee review. So, how do I get into the program I was using to actually format my thesis?” You sat back down, trying to think of someone who could help. Eventually, you must have fallen asleep because the next thing you know you an unfamiliar sound jogged you awake. Quietly you reached over to the end table and picked up an empty glass, hurling it towards the figure. You ran to turn on the light and noticed it was the same stranger, clad in that spandex suit.

He sat up on the floor and grabbed the back of his head, “I guess I kinda deserved that…though I have to say I’m surprised. Not many people can hear me coming, and even less have that kind of aim.”

“Sorry…I just…well…I live alone…and not in a great area.” You stuttered through your words, still unsure why this masked man was sitting in your living room. “Why, exactly, are you here?”

“Oh right! Well, you seemed kind of out of it earlier…and at first I thought, well duh, crazy people just crashed through the window. Then I realized you may have some important stuff you just lost on that computer, when you, ya’know smashed it into the other guy���s head.”

At the mention of your computer, you instantly froze up. Reading the signs strewn across your face, he continued, “Anyways, my brother is pretty good with the technology thing. He said he was able to recover everything.” Standing up, he picked up the brand-new computer which had landed next to him. “I hope I didn’t break it in the fall,” he chuckled as he handed you the new computer.

Normally, you would never be inclined to take such a gift. But, in this case you couldn’t see any other way around it. “I…I can’t tell you how much this means to me.” You moved to sit on the couch, “My thesis presentation is next week. I thought I was going to miss my deadline. You just saved my life…or at least my graduation date.” You smiled up at him.

The next week went by way too quickly, and you were at the school setting up your presentation. One by one your committee members filed in, but just as you were about to begin a stream of students came through the door. Great, more people to watch me stumble through this presentation.

Panic set into your mind as the teachers asked everyone, yourself included, to step out of the room so they could deliberate. This is normal, you knew this would happen. You started pacing in front of the door, when a man approached you. His brilliant blue eyes stared at you just a bit too long, before he spoke.

“Well I thought you did great.”

“Oh, you saw that? How, uhm, or why did you come?”

“It sounded interesting, so I thought I’d check it out! Clearly, a bunch of people thought so.” Mentioning the crowd of students that attended but leaving out the fact that he gave them each fifty bucks to attend. He couldn’t be the only non-committee member there, that would be a little suspicious.

“So do you…” you’re next sentence was cut off by the sound of the door opening. You smiled and nodded his way before heading back into the room. Well that was shitty timing.

“Congratulations! We are passing your presentation, but there are some changes and we would like to make to the analysis to help with comprehensibility.”

Dutifully you took notes, though this milestone was over, you still had work to do before you passed. Almost an hour had passed when you exited the room again, only to find the mysterious attendee sitting back on the bench. Excitedly, for more than one reason, you walked over.

“I did it! I passed! I never have to give that presentation again!” Why you were exclaiming such news to a stranger was beyond you, but it felt right.

“That’s fantastic! I had no doubts, Y/N. Celebratory drinks?”

“It’s ten in the morning…”

“Celebratory brunch?”

“Honestly, coffee sounds amazing.”

Dick was pleasantly surprised by your answer and motion for you to follow. “There’s this great place just up the street.”

Soon the dates grew more frequent and before you know it, over a year had passed. You came home late from work one night to find Dick sitting on your couch, enveloped in the tv.

“Using me for my cable again, Dick?”

“Whaa…” he put his hand to his chest, “Y/N, I would never.”

“Sure…oh I picked up Thai food, I got enough for you too.”

“You know me so well”

“It doesn’t hurt that your here nearly every night.”

“Yeah, about that…don’t you think it would be easier if I just, well, lived here?”

Slightly stunned, you stared at him, not realizing you had yet to answer.

“I mean, I don’t have…” You cut him off once your daze subsided.

“No, that would be great! I’m just surprised you brought it up.” I mean how is he going to hid the vigilante thing now?

Almost as if he read your mind, Dick continued, “There is one more thing you should probably know before you say yes.”

“Okay…what’s up?” You questioned, sitting on the couch next to him.

“I’m Nightwing.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Confusion spread across his face, so he decided that maybe you didn’t understand. “Like, the vigilante, the one from Starbucks, just before we met.”

“Yeah, Dick, I know.”

“But…but how?!”

“Dickie, come on. It wasn’t that hard to figure out. Your ‘sickness’ comes whenever Nightwing appears on the news getting beat to shit. All the cuts and bruises.”

“When did you figure it out?”

“Like a month after we started dating,” the look on his face was priceless. You just shrugged and continued, “I asked around after my thesis. Students told me YOU paid them to watch it.”

A deep crimson spread across his face, and all you wanted to do was worsen it. “That, plus…who couldn’t recognize an ass like that.”

You let out a laugh as he pulled you on top of him. “I’m going to get you back for that Y/L/N.”

“Do your worst, Grayson.” You chuckled as he lifted the both of you up and carried you into the bedroom.

[lycorogue]

Story Promotion: Woven Heartstrings

It’s less than a week before Christmas, and @thetauruspixie​ has been uploading her wonderful Christmas story Twelve Days of Chatmas to AO3 (you can also find it at its original home on FFN here). Which presents me with the shamelessperfect opportunity to promote my thank you Christmas gift back to her (which, coincidentally, takes place the week leading up to Christmas). So, with just a touch more ado, I present Woven Heartstrings.

Woven Heartstrings

Summary: Chat Noir needs a Christmas gift for Ladybug. Marinette is a very crafty and creative person, so Chat Noir asks her for some help in making a gift for his lady. While hesitant in aiding Chat Noir’s attempts to woo her superhero self, Marinette reluctantly agrees. Although, after a week of working side-by-side with Marinette, Chat Noir’s not so sure he wants to gift the scarf he’s making to Ladybug after all.

Status: Complete; 8 chapters

Word Count: 32,222

Ships: pseudo-MariChat with hints of LadyNoir and Adrienette

Rating: K / General Audiences

Also found: on AO3, on FFN, or on DA

- CHAPTER 1: THE REQUEST -

The evening was warm despite Christmas being a week away. Marinette breathed in the crisp air as she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. Paris was quiet, and lit beautifully before her. The Seine sparkled beneath the City of Lights, and even the stars above seemed to shine brighter in the clear sky. It was peaceful out on her private balcony; a place for her to re-center herself after surviving the stress of being a superhero, completing school work, helping her parents with the bakery, dealing with Chloé Bourgeois's bullying, and failing time and time again to let Adrien Agreste know that she was in love with him.

Out on her balcony, with her gorgeous city laid out before her, there was no Chloé Bourgeois. Her parents didn't need her help in the bakery. School work was a breeze. She was a regular high school girl living a normal life. And most importantly, Adrien loved her back.

Her balcony was her sanctuary, and her escape from reality. So it was quite the surprise when the imaginary walls barricading her from the real world were crashed through by a simple word.

"Um, hello." Chat Noir cleared his throat, startling Marinette from her reverie. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." Chat Noir sat perched on the brick wall blocking her part of the roof off from the rest of the terraced building her family's apartment was in.

"Chat Noir? Wh- what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah. It is. I mean, at least Paris is alright. But I-" He shifted from his cat-like pose to a more casual position. He swung his legs out from beneath him, sitting upon the wall as he kicked his feet out, clicking the wall with his heels on their return swing. He began off-setting his kicks, swinging one foot out as the other clicked against the wall. "I was wondering if you- Well, I was hoping that you could-"

"That I could?" Marinette coaxed as she raised her eyebrows and leaned in, wondering why a superhero had purposely tracked her down for something. True, she knew Chat Noir very well, and even considered him one of her best friends, but he didn't know that. Did he?

"You're the girl who designed the cover of Jagged Stone's latest album cover, right?"

Of course. She vaguely remembered a starstruck Chat Noir asking Jagged Stone for an autograph after they had cleansed the akuma that had turned the rock star into Guitar Villain.

"I'm sorry, Chat Noir, but I don't know Jagged Stone well enough to contact him and ask him for his autograph. He and his assistant Penny tend to reach out to me and my parents; not much the other way around."

"Huh?" Chat Noir cocked his head to the side and blinked a few times before shaking his head and hopping off the wall. "No. Oh, no, that's not- You also made those dolls that Puppeteer wanted. The Ladybug and Chat Noir ones, along with some akumatized villains."

"Yes." Marinette drew out the word as if it were a question. She had no clue where he was going with all of this.

"I also started following your friend Alya's other blogs after seeing how good she was with the Ladyblog. I think I remember her posting something on the school blog about how you designed that feather derby hat for the Gabriel fashion show, right?"

"Chat Noir, is there something you needed from me?" Marinette tugged on her shawl again, wrapping it a touch tighter around her. He knew so much about her as a civilian. She was beginning to feel a bit exposed. Did he follow every civilian the same way?

"Oh, right. Well-" He scratched the back of his head and turned away from her. "The thing is, with how talented you clearly are, I was hoping maybe, possibly, if it isn't too much trouble, perhaps you could help me make something?"

"Make something?" It was Marinette's turn to blink a few extra times as her mind quickly reset.

"Do you remember the night when Glaciator was looking for you? The picnic I had set up for Ladybug?"

"You want to make something for Ladybug?" Marinette hoped it was too dark for Chat Noir to see her blush, even with his night vision.

Chat Noir nodded, dipping his head sheepishly as he then looked back up at Marinette with pleading eyes. She knew it was a bad idea to agree to help him make her superhero self a gift. She had no clue how to politely duck out of the request though.

Chat Noir walked over to the banister of Marinette's balcony, and looked down at the Ladybug and Chat Noir statue nestled at the southern entrance to the Place des Vosges.

"I know she's in love with someone else." He dropped his head down to the banister, leaning on his arms. "But I still want to give her something nice, something that would let her know how much she means to me. I want her to still feel special, and know that I value her friendship more than anything else."

Marinette walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know she already knows all of that, right? I-I mean! You two are partners, so I'm totally sure she knows." Marinette awkwardly chuckled. "You don't need to gift her anything to prove it."

Chat Noir nodded softly before pushing away from the banister.

"Still. I really want to do this. Please?"

Marinette tapped a finger against the banister as she looked just past Chat Noir; struggling to find a way out.

"I don't know if I can-"

"Oh, you're-" Chat Noir sadly nodded. "I get it. You're busy with your own things. It was silly of me to think you'd have the time to teach me anything in a week. I'm sorry I bothered you." He hopped up on to the banister; readying to leap away.

Marinette grabbed his belt-tail; not wanting him to leave, especially sounding so sad.

"You know you're not a bother, right?" She refused to let his tail go until she heard the answer she wanted.

Chat Noir gave a little nod, the corners of his mouth tugged slightly with a sad smile.

"Thanks anyway, Marinette. Merry Christmas."

Marinette held his tail firmly in her hand. She couldn't let him leave when he needed her. Maybe while they worked on his gift for Ladybug she could try to convince him that chasing after his superhero partner was a bad idea. Either way, she couldn't abandon her kitty in his time of need.

"Come on inside. We can figure out what you want to make, and if I even have the time to help you." Her hand slid down the length of the tail and finally let go as she walked over to the skylight trap door to her bedroom.

Chat Noir stared as she retreated to the window. His breathing slowed to the point where he resembled a gargoyle frozen protectively on Marinette's balcony banister. As Marinette disappeared inside her room, he finally leapt back down to follow her.

The multitude of Adrien Agreste pictures still papered her bedroom walls, but there was no harm in Chat Noir seeing them now. He already knew how many pictures she had hidden throughout her room; the most embarrassing moment was long gone. She just hoped he was so focused on his gift for Ladybug that he wouldn't also try to question her about Adrien Agreste's face coating her room.

He did glance at them, taking in the room, but graciously left his questions unasked.

Marinette patted on her chaise as she rolled her computer chair next to it, a notepad in her hands. Chat Noir accepted the chaise, and sat cross-legged.

"Alright, so what did you want to make her?"

"I- Well-" Chat Noir tapped his chin with two fingers as his eyes drifted to the ceiling. "Honestly, I was so focused on asking you for help I didn't even think of what to make." He slumped a bit before meekly looking at Marinette again. Then his eyes widened and his mouth puckered into a small O. "Marinette, did you make that shawl?"

"Huh?" She rubbed the yarn still draped around her shoulders. "Oh, yes. I crocheted it. I don't think we'll have time to make Ladybug a shawl though. Besides, how would she wear it while fighting akumas?"

"Well, she doesn't have to wear it while she's Ladybug, but you're right. A shawl is too much. A scarf though? Those are easy, right?"

"Yeah. Did you want to knit or crochet one?"

"Um, which one's easier?"

Marinette chuckled. "Both? Neither? It really depends on the person. Your nails might snag a knitting project a bit more frequently than a crocheting one though." She put her notebook down and rummaged through a bag under her desk. She reappeared with two crocheting hooks and two skeins of yarn. She poked one of the skeins with a hook and lobbed it to Chat Noir.

"Okay," Marinette plopped onto her computer chair again and slid it so close to Chat Noir her legs were practically laced between his. She created a slipknot in her yarn, and slid her hook through. "Watch me as I show you how to chain. You ready?"

Chat Noir's eyes dropped to how close Marinette's legs were before his glance bounced back up to her hands: poised to show Chat Noir his first crochet stitch. He scooted back a little on the chaise before leaning forward to get a good view. Creating a slipknot in his yarn, he slid his hook through.

"Yeah, I'm ready." He wrapped the tail of the yarn around his hand the same way Marinette had hers, and he mimicked how she held the hook.

"Okay, so you're going to hook the yarn like this, and just pull the hook through your slipknot like this. You see? That's called chaining." She looped a few more stitches slowly to show him again and again.

Clumsily, he made his first stitch. It kept him a couple tries to keep the yarn on the hook, but once he figured out the angle, he was able to chain the next few quite quickly in order to catch up. He held up his hook, the yarn and the chain dangling from it.

"Like this? Did I do it right?"

"Purr-fectly." Marinette teased as she winked and bumped his shoulder with her elbow.

He huffed through his grin.

"Ha. Ha." He fought the smile tugging at his cheeks before looking back down at their hands. "Alright, get all the cat puns out now."

"Nah, I'd rather hold on to them. Besides, I haven't quite figured out the wording yet for my joke about you playing with yarn."

"You're gonna make me earn your help, aren't you?"

"A week before Christmas? You better believe it, Kitty." She flicked the bell along the collar of his costume and gave him a soft smile. Instantly she regretted the decision. Ladybug called him Kitty, and played with his bell like that. If she wasn't careful she would give herself away. She had no clue why she was being so playful with him in the first place. It just felt natural to fall into that dynamic, even outside the mask. Especially outside the mask, when she wouldn't be Ladybug leading him on falsely.

Chat Noir fidgeted as the sound of his bell softened into an awkward silence between them.

"Do- Do I still do this chaining thing?" Chat Noir held up his hook again, careful to not let the yarn fall from his hand.

"Oh! Right, sorry." Marinette shook her head to refocus. "How wide did you want the scarf? You want to chain until it's as wide as you want your finished product to be."

He quickly chained a half-dozen more stitches before eyeing up his work.

"Will this do?"

"Maybe a little longer." Marinette chained until her project was about twelve centimeters long. "Like this."

Chat Noir caught up before nodding for Marinette to continue.

"Alright, watch me again. We're going to do our first turn to start the next row." She showed him how to count the chained stitches, how to yarn-over, which stitch to put his hook through, and how to do a half-double stitch.

The technique was a bit tricky for him, so she unwound her stitch to show him again. He successfully turned, and she reminded him how to do the more advanced stitch. He got the first couple right, but once she left him to his own devices the stitches came out too long or too short. He heaved a sigh as the project collapsed to his lap.

"Hey!" Marinette put her crocheting down so she could pick up Chat Noir's instead. "Chat, look at me. Watch. It's not that big of a deal. You just pull gently on this string, and it unravels those stitches. See? All better. Now try again." She handed the scarf back to Chat Noir.

He accepted the fixed project, and tried the stitch again. Marinette watched him carefully as he finished the row slowly. At the end, she showed him how to turn again. She then gave him a brief instruction on the difference between front loop, back loop, and both loops. She demonstrated how to do the half-double stitch using both loops as an anchor. A few minutes later he was back to doing his crocheting on his own.

After crocheting for about an hour, Chat Noir had a little square with a lean on the edge. Marinette gave him careful instruction as to why his one edge wasn't straight, helped him unravel his project, and showed him how to fix his lines. Another hour (and a few tries) later, his square was perfectly straight. Marinette showed Chat Noir how to weave the loose ends of his yarn into his project, and then inspected his work.

"See?" Marinette held up the completed first project for Chat Noir to inspect for himself. "You could do it easily now. You know all the basics." She handed the square to him, and he stared lovingly at his work. "Plus you now have a pot holder. That's one more stocking stuffer off your list."

"Marinette, thank you so much for this." Chat Noir's eyes sparkled with a film of tears. "You really are an amazing girl. One might even call you a civilian Ladybug."

"Everyday Ladybug, actually," she muttered in response.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Nevermind." Marinette gathered up her supplies to put away. "I'm happy to help. I just hope you don't expect much more than gratitude when you give Ladybug her gift."

"No, I know. That's not really why I'm doing this. I just want her to be able to look at my gift and know that she's loved."

Marinette kept her face hidden, and her back to Chat Noir, taking longer than needed to put her yarn and crocheting hooks away. She waited for her cheeks to stop burning.

"Marinette? Something wrong?"

She spun back around, with a big grin plastered on.

"No! It's just, really sweet how you feel about her. I'm sorry she can't feel the same way about you."

"I just hope the guy she loves knows how special she is, and that she feels as loved by him as she deserves." Chat Noir brushed his thumb across his crocheted square before tucking it into one of his pockets.

Marinette wasn't sure how to respond. As far as Chat Noir was concerned, she didn't know enough about Ladybug to say one way or the other, but she wanted to collapse to the floor and weep that the man she loved probably didn't love her back. As much as she wanted the happily ever after, she was stuck on the same boat as Chat Noir: to forever pine for someone, and to feel the heartache of unrequited love.

"Oh, hey, don't feel so sad for me." Chat Noir placed a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "It's fine. I still have the world's greatest partner, and she's still one of my best friends. Better yet, she told me I was her friend in return. If she can't love me, then at least I can have the next-best thing. Right?"

Marinette couldn't hide her blush this time, so she tried to block Chat Noir's view by placing a hand on her cheek. She was all but positive that she couldn't convince Chat Noir to not give Ladybug a Christmas gift, and after a speech like that, how could she not accept the scarf he was going to make her? He was a lot sweeter and more humble than she had originally given him credit for, and she was intensely grateful that he thought of her – both halves of her – as his friend.

"Thanks again for your time, Marinette. I should probably head out though." Chat Noir climbed up to her bed, and unlatched the skylight. With a quick two-finger wave, he pulled himself up onto her rooftop balcony and headed out into the night.

Marinette latched the window closed after he left, then flopped out in a sprawl across her bed. Her heart beat faster than she thought it should have, and she quietly panicked about Christmas.

She was in love with Adrien Agreste. Nothing could ever change that. She knew nothing could ever change that. But she felt a peace and happiness whenever she was with Luka. She felt her heart quicken each time she heard his guitar and every time she felt his touch. She could never give up her love for Adrien, but Luka made her question if she could love someone else almost as most; if she could be happy with someone she loved second best if Adrien wasn't going to love her back.

Now knowing how much Chat Noir loved Ladybug; now knowing how sweet and wounded he was, Marinette felt her heart beat quicken like it did around Luka. She was in love with Adrien Agreste, but on Christmas, when Chat Noir would give her the homemade scarf, she wasn't so sure anymore that Ladybug would be able to turn him down.

Continue reading the story over on AO3, FFN, or DA. (However, if I get enough requests for the full story to be posted here I will upload the other 7 chapters)

@discoveringmiraculouswriters

[mindfreecreator]

10.01.2022

He pushes his bed-ridden, sick-pale body further. Stubborn and unstoppable wincing in unbearable pains that he exacerbates with each step. Long has everyone given up their hopes, crying about a man that walks around dead. His whole body slumps and his feet drag at each step he forces himself forward. When will you stop? You cannot go longer, don’t you see? You’re wrecking yourself, ridding yourself of any chances you took. What for?

Still, he works his body across the earth, his cheeks have sunken and his eyes are pitch black like spilt ink that is drowning anything in it. His hands tremble at his sides, his wrist are thin and bony. Where have you gone? Who are you?

His face is frozen in a frown drawn upon him centuries ago, etched carefully, each wrinkle draped meticulously to make him seem the utmost frightened. Yet, there lays determination his eyes, that of a foolish kind; of the one that hurts when you look though it enraptures in its gross nature. Crassly he works himself further, his skin is like paper, dusty and rustling with each of his movements. Have you looked at yourself? Have you seen what you have become?

His shoulders hunch with the weight of the world’s sorrow upon them, still cradling it with care though it has crippled his once so youthful appearance. When will you stop? When will you see?

Trudging along his path like a force entitled by gods, he walks, although these gods have long vanished into the great void of nothingness.

Do you not listen? Do you not hear the endless whispers of the ghosts calling out for your mercy? Calling for you to halt in your way? Do you not recognise the faces of the dead? Were they not yours, once, before you chose to take the world’s pain?

Old cripple you walk so relentless and leave us beside you; dearest old cripple please refrain from walking, for a breath only, please turn and hear and see us lost souls you have left along your path.

Yet, whereas we cry out, he walks and disappears, and fulfils his purpose as the heir of the future, slowly blending into the fallen sun that has begun to set over the round, prosperous earth; his heirloom, his property, his care. Thus, he leaves and walks and wears the cross of the world in the fashion of the gods for evermore.

[helloalycia]

cheater [two] | kara danvers

summary: just when you thought you were getting over your ex, she manages to find a way to weasel her way back in and make you doubt what you thought you had

warning/s: none.

author's note: I'll be posting part 3 tomorrow (the final part) so stay tuned! I've also got a lena imagine coming up the day after! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone! :) 

part one | part three | masterlist | wattpad

Kara was becoming a frequent presence more and more in life as time went on. She was always there for me to count on, even when I didn't know I needed it, and I was extremely grateful. I wasn't even sure why she ever took a liking towards me, but I was lucky she did.

She'd come over to mine every other evening and invited me over to hers as well, and I welcomed the distraction whilst in the healing process of Anna and I's breakup.

I'd see the she-devil around work as little as I could manage, along with her new girlfriend – because of course they were dating now – but I tried not to let it affect me. Every time I found myself self-deprecating, I tried to remember it wasn't my fault. She was just a shitty person.

Eventually I stopped getting pitiful looks off people around the office. It wasn't helping with my self-esteem. Kara was a big help with that though, managing to glare people into looking the other way. It was funny after a while, how she stuck up for me like nobody had before.

I wanted to thank her somehow, for being there for me, but I wasn't sure what to do or how to even go about it. I wanted it to be meaningful, but I was never good at saying things outright. Maybe I could write it, I was always better with written words...

"...could do with a bagel right about now," Kara said, practically salivating at the thought.

I laughed, raising an eyebrow. "We literally just ate lunch. You're always hungry."

"Girl's gotta eat," she said simply, patting her stomach.

I rolled my eyes playfully, looking back to my computer for a moment. I was browsing Amazon for a new bookshelf and I asked Kara over to my desk for her opinion.

"This one," I said, turning my monitor around so she could see. "It doesn't look too hard to put together and it would fit well next to my TV, right?"

She leaned down to get a better look, nodding her head. "Yeah, that could work. Are you good at putting things together?"

I almost snorted. "No way."

"I can help if you want," she said with a laugh. "I'm pretty good at DIY if I do say so myself."

"Cheers." I smiled with amusement, watching how her eyes lit up at my dismay. Worth it.

My smile faded when I heard the irritating voice of Katy. I saw she was in our department, talking to one of the other reporters. Her whole being infuriated me and I could never control my annoyance when I saw her. She glanced at me, smirking, before continuing her chat with whoever.

"I can mix her coffee with laxatives if it makes you feel better," Kara spoke, gaining my attention. It took me a moment to realise what she said, and when I looked at her, I saw the seriousness in her eyes.

I cracked a smile, shaking my head. "You can't do that."

She mirrored my smile, shrugging. "Well, I could, but I shouldn't."

"There should be hearing aids invented that simply tune out her voice," I said, rolling my eyes a little. "She really bugs me."

"Yeah, it sucks, but at least it's a very rare occurrence that she's here," Kara said, trying to find the bright side of things.

"I guess, but– woah!"

I widened my eyes when I saw Kara suddenly reach in front of my face, catching a pencil sharpener in her hand. She looked down to me with concern and also surprise, before looking up to see where it came from.

"Oh my god, Y/N, that was totally my bad," Katy apologised, approaching my desk.

I stared up at her, surprised at the hint of mischief in her expression.

"That was supposed to go to Jack," she continued, pointing to the desk behind me. "I've got terrible aim."

Something told me only half of that was true.

"You should be more careful next time," Kara said, dropping the sharpener into Katy's hand. She was definitely not impressed as she added, "That could have hurt someone."

"Sorry," Katy repeated, flashing us an 'apologetic' smile before leaving to give Jack the sharpener.

I breathed out with relief, only just realising how close of a call that was. I looked to Kara appreciatively.

"Nice reflexes."

"Yeah," she said, half heartedly, still watching Katy with narrowed eyes, before looking to me. "You okay?"

"Thanks to you," I pointed out. "You really are my own personal hero."

Kara smiled, rolling her eyes as if to distract from the pink spreading across her cheeks. "Whatever."

I scrunched my nose, smiling at how cute she looked, before looking back to my computer. "I guess I'm buying a bookshelf. And you're gonna help me, right?"

"Right."

"Awesome."

***

Some more time passed before I realised how I wanted to thank Kara. It wasn't a big deal, nothing flashy or exciting. In fact, it wasn't the best thing ever, but it was all I could think of that didn't seem silly or fake.

I wrote her a letter. It thanked her for being there for me throughout everything, and how her being there brought us closer together as friends which I was grateful for. It said how I was lucky to have her in my life and so was anybody else who had her, too. She was gracious and kind one of those rare, beautiful souls that I couldn't let go by unnoticed without at least thanking properly.

I knew she didn't like big gifts and lavish presents, so I didn't bother. It wouldn't have felt right anyway – I wanted something more personal. So, I had the note ready to give with some flowers and a little Supergirl keyring that was soon to be explained.

I heard her knock on my door after work and that's when I readied the gifts on the kitchen counter.

"Hey," I greeted the blonde when opening the door.

She looked up and smiled brightly when she saw me. "Hey, I found those Jaffa Cakes you said you missed from home on the way here and thought I'd buy them for the movie." She held a packet of Jaffa Cakes in the air excitedly. "What d'you think?"

I stepped to the side to let her in, accepting the Jaffa Cakes, and grinned widely, unable to contain my appreciation.

"Kara, these aren't just something you 'find' on the way here," I told her, looking up to see her staring at me with anticipation. "You would have had to go to some sort of special store or something. Somewhere that specialises in British sweets and stuff."

Kara waved her hand dismissively. "It wasn't that hard."

I raised an eyebrow knowingly.

She suppressed a smile. "Okay, it was a little hard."

I laughed and moved forward, surprising her with a big hug. She chuckled, returning the embrace.

"If I knew Jaffa Cakes would make you this happy, I would've brought you a lot more," she joked as I pulled away.

"I've got something for you," I said, meeting her eyes with excitement.

"Not Jaffa Cakes I hope, otherwise this is embarrassing."

"Kara!"

"I'm kidding, go on," she said, laughing contagiously. "What have you got, Y/N?"

I put the Jaffa Cakes on the kitchen counter before grabbing the three items I wanted to give her.

"Well, that's a lot," Kara joked again, but I saw the appreciation glimmer in her eyes.

"Come sit down," I said, leading her to the couch. She followed and joined me as I sat down, facing her. "This is a thank you gift. It's kind of dumb, a little embarrassing, but I want to give it to you."

Kara had a smile permanently stuck on her face as she watched me. It made me feel a little nervous under her gaze, but I kept going.

"So, I wrote you a letter because I'm really bad at saying things," I explained, holding out the envelope. "English. Saying– speaking English. God, why am I so nervous?"

She laughed and accepted the envelope.

"But yeah, that's everything. So, you can read that first," I finished, nodding.

I watched hesitantly, as she pulled the note from the envelope and opened it up. Her eyebrows scrunched together with concentration as she read, and I knew I'd written a lot but it didn't make me any less patient to see what she'd say afterwards.

After what felt like forever, she looked up with an expression I couldn't read.

"I made it weird, didn't I?" I said, chewing on my lower lip.

Kara pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Y/N... I... you have a wonderful way with words."

I breathed out with relief.

"Thank you for saying those things," she said, resting a hand on mine, sending shivers up my arm. "It was sweet. And you're welcome."

I smiled softly. "I'm glad you like it." I held out the flowers adding, "These are for you. Just a little something extra."

Kara chuckled, accepting the flowers. "They're beautiful."

"And finally, there's this," I said, holding out the little blue box. "It's kinda stupid, but yeah."

She accepted the box, too, opening it up to reveal a Supergirl keychain.

"So, Supergirl is National City's hero, right? Well, I thought it would be funny because you're, well, you're mine. I mean, you helped me through my shitty breakup, and even before then, you've always been a big help with work. I just thought it could be a little reminder that I'm grateful for all the good you do. Like Supergirl, y'know?"

Kara lifted the keychain from the box and laughed, nodding her head. "This is amazing, Y/N. I love it."

"You do?"

"Yes," she said, lowering the keychain and meeting my eyes with her excited blue ones.

"Good. I... good."

She grinned, leaning forward to give me a quick hug. I smiled to myself, glad she liked it. My hammering heartbeat relaxed when we pulled away.

"Now to find a place to put it," she said, making me chuckle. "Wait a minute..." She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her keys, attaching the keychain onto them, joining a fluffy cat and some other keys. "There. Perfect."

"Perfect."

***

I watched as the barista put whipped cream on my hot chocolate and sprinkled chocolate powder on top, making me excited. It was a chillier day in National City today, so I was picking up a drink on my break at Noonan's when I felt a familiar presence beside me.

"Y/N, hey."

I glanced over my shoulder and swallowed hard when I saw Anna, smiling awkwardly at me.

"Here you go," the barista grabbed my attention, placing my drink in front of me. "Enjoy!"

"Cheers," I said, grabbing my cup, before turning around to see Anna still, watching me. "Er, hey."

"I see you're also on your break," she noted, nodding to the drink in my hand. "Tea?"

I shook my head, still wrapping my head around the fact that we were speaking. I'd been successfully avoiding her for a few months now, and eventually I got over her and what she did to me. I didn't understand why she was attempting to talk to me now though – surely she had gotten the hint?

"Hot chocolate," I corrected her, pursing my lips, unsure whether to leave.

Anna accepted her drink from the barista before glancing at me. "It's been a while since we've spoken. I've been meaning to have a chat with you. I know you didn't want to speak to me, but I thought that it's been a while since then, so maybe you're up for it now?"

I raised my eyebrows. "I don't really know what there is to say, Anna."

"Please," she added, her voice suggesting a hint of desperation. "I won't be long."

I felt the heat from my hot chocolate in my hand remind me that I was going to head back to CatCo, but Anna seemed like she had something important to say. And I felt like I was emotionally mature enough to finally hear her out, or at least be civil with her, for the sake of our work relationship.

"Yeah, sure, okay," I agreed reluctantly, before leading her to a table by the window.

We sat opposite each other, clutching our takeaway cups nervously, unable to meet each other's eyes. Until finally, she spoke.

"You seem well," she said softly, and I could feel her gaze on me, "since, y'know..."

"Since I broke up with you after you cheated on me," I reminded her, meeting her eyes.

She licked her lips, nodding. "Right."

"What was it exactly you wanted to talk to me about, Anna?"

"I broke up with Katy," she said abruptly.

"It wasn't exactly a relationship destined to work out considering the circumstances in which it formed, was it?"

She gave me a knowing look. "Y/N."

I shook my head. "What do you want me to say, Anna? How would you like me to react?"

She was staring into my eyes as if expecting me to know what she was thinking, but I didn't. Not anymore.

"I honestly couldn't care less if you broke up with her," I said, truthfully. "It doesn't affect me. Quite frankly, nothing you do affects me. I've moved on."

"I shouldn't have cheated on you."

I breathed out slowly, trying to contain any oncoming anger I was feeling. "I don't care anymore."

"It's nice that Kara is helping you through," she added, a hint of jealousy in her voice, making me roll my eyes.

"Sure is."

"Are you guys a thing or something?"

I stared at her dumbfounded. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. She was deadly serious.

I chuckled with distaste. "You think I owe you an answer? After everything you did to me?"

"So you are together," she said, a little disappointedly.

I clenched my jaw. "No, Anna, we're not. We're just friends if you must know. Not that it's any of your business."

She nodded, glancing down at her coffee cup with a hint of a smile. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes once again.

"Did you wanna talk to me just to remind me of all the shit you put me through?"

"No, no... that's not it," she said, meeting my eyes again. "I broke up with Katy."

I sighed. "You said."

"I broke up with her because I'm still in love with you."

I raised my eyebrows with surprise. Definitely wasn't expecting that.

"You don't seem mad about that," she pointed out hopefully.

"I don't seem happy either," I bursted her bubble, zoning back into reality. "This ought to be good."

"I'm serious, Y/N," she began, what I think was, sincerely. "I'm in love with you still."

I stared at her, so fed up of feeling everything because of her. I didn't even know how to react – I knew I didn't love her, I stopped a long time ago. But I was so exhausted with dealing with what she put me through that my brain didn't know what to do as she was speaking.

"You remember the part where you cheated on me, right?" I asked, quirking a brow.

"You're not taking this seriously," she decided.

"You bet your arse I'm not taking this seriously," I agreed, narrowing my eyes. "You broke my heart, Anna. You went off and slept with another woman whilst we were together – you cheated. You made me feel like shit."

"I know that," she said regretfully. "I know. I was horrible! I didn't appreciate what I had, okay? You were always so nice and loving. You cared about me so much and it became suffocating, infuriating! I hated it, that we were so..."

"Perfect?" I filled in for her, feeling a lump forming in my throat.

"Exactly," she said, her eyes softening as they met mine. "You loved me too much and I hated it then, but I miss it now. I miss us. I'm here to ask you for another chance."

I pursed my lips, wondering how on earth she thought she could have me back after everything she'd done. And now knowing why she'd cheated in the first place, something I thought I never needed to know... I didn't want to admit it, but it fucking hurt.

"You just told me that my love, the way I treat the people I care about, is suffocating," I said, swallowing hard. "Why the hell would I want to be in a relationship with you? Aside from the fucking obvious?"

I pushed my stool out and stood up, grabbing my bag and hot chocolate.

"Y/N, no, wait–!"

"You know, I don't remember you being this much of an arsehole when we were together," I said, staring at her one last time before storming past her and out of Noonan's.

As I headed back to CatCo, I tried to understand what the hell just happened. I was over Anna – I'd worked so hard to get over her, and with Kara's help, I had. I was convinced that I didn't need to know why she cheated, I mean, why does anyone cheat? I didn't think there'd be a reason. But now, knowing that there was a reason, and it was because of me apparently, it hurt. That same pain I felt those few months ago after finding out she was cheating, returned, even if it was for a split second.

Was I really too much when with those I cared about? Did I care too much? Was I too kind? Too loving? I didn't think that was possible, but now... I shouldn't have believed anything Anna said, yet it was lingering in the back of my head and I couldn't get rid of it.

When I reached my desk, I sat down and tried to get on with some work, but my head was still elsewhere, processing what Anna had told me. She still loved me, okay, that didn't bother me as much. I didn't love her at all, not anymore, not after how she treated me. She cheated on me because I was too much for her, too 'perfect'... that one was still a horrible thought embedded in my mind now. I had ironically pushed her away because I cared too much about keeping her close.

I'd barely gotten any work done when I saw a message pop up on my computer screen. It was from Kara, who was probably sat at her desk on the other side of the room.

KARA: Hey, we still on for takeaway and a movie tonight at mine? I'll let you pick the food.. :D

I was about to respond with a 'yes', but then I thought about what Anna said. I hated that she was making me second guess my friendship with Kara, but if what she said was true, then the last thing I wanted to do was push Kara away because I was too clingy.

ME: I think I'm gonna be staying late tonight to finish some work off. Maybe next time?

Yeah, that would work. I just needed to hold off for a bit. Kara and I had been hanging out quite a bit lately, and after giving her that keyring we– god, that keyring! That was so stupid! That was clingy, for sure. If I kept this up, caring for her too much, she might end up like Anna – feeling suffocated and trapped. I needed to slow it down. Give Kara some space to have a life, too. She'd been there for me so much that I barely let her do her own thing. It surely must have been annoying for her. The last thing I wanted was her hanging out with me because of some obligation she felt she had.

KARA: oh, okay, that's fine! anything I can help with? I don't mind staying back with you

ME: I should be okay, thanks anyway

I saw she wrote something else, but I decided to leave it at that and get on with my work. I still felt my heart hurting a little, and I wasn't sure if it was because of what Anna said or because of my newfound fear of losing Kara at my own hand.

[clarabosswald]

okay so someone on twitter dug up this absolutely outstanding uhhh “”article”” on his dark materials in general and the golden compass movie specifically by one david j stewart and i just. i HAVE to break down at least some of it because it’s an absolute gem

(this is a bit long - there is a LOT of stupidity to cover here)

first of all, the url

i could honestly just end the post here because that line right there is a masterpiece by itself. screw eurovision, hellivision is the next hot thing

There is no movie any more evil than THE GOLDEN COMPASS.

that’s the first line of the article. what a first line. the most amazing thing is that in an entirely different context i can kind of agree with this claim

Philip Pullman is a sinfully proud, God-hating, militant atheist.

militant! oh wow. is the hdm fandom actually pullman’s secret army? like dumbledore’s army in hp? do we have secret meetings? i want in

The movie has been dumbed down

yet again i find myself agreeing with mr stewart

in the end the children kill God and everyone can do as they please.

people having free will? good lord, the horror. 

The movie is indescribably evil.

damn dude yet again you’re right but you’re kinda preaching to the choir here at this point

The word "demon" is repeated several dozen times throughout the movie, as each child has it's own lovable demon. 

this is the first time in the article that mr david j stewart stubbornly refuses to understand that there’s this thing called “concept” and “artistic license” and that in the context of the hdm world, pullman used his artistic license to change the common meaning of the word d(a)emon.  NOT TO MENTION that pullman hardly made up the concept of a daemon as a positive creature - “originally referred to a lesser deity or guiding spirit”, literally the first line in the wikipedia article about the classical concept of daemons. but yeah i’m unfairly expecting mr dave to do his research so i guess that’s kinda mean of me.

Witches by the hundreds are featured in the movie, and are portrayed as being good, helpful and rescuers.

for a moment i wondered what mr dave’s opinion on harry potter is like, but i can imagine it quite vividly.

The star character, a little girl named Lyra Belacqua, loves her demon (who takes various animal forms), and she has named him "Pan" (short for Pantalaimon)

somewhere inside of me, my inner hdm myth fanatic is screaming in rage at all the gross misunderstanding of the basic plot of hdm, but well we’ve got more serious problems here

Pan is the pagan god of sexual rape, lust and fertility.  Statues of Pan are often displayed showing him with an erection.

you know what’s EXTREMELY ironic here? pantalaimon isn’t named after that pan. he’s actually named after the greek saint pantaleon.  (mr dave now provides a link to his rage fest over narnia. good to know he’s against even blatantly pro-christian fiction.)

NOTE: Pullman uses the word "daemon." A "daemon" is just another term for "demon."

...no, honey, they really don’t, but we already know you didn’t do your research.

In the movie THE GOLDEN COMPASS, there are at least 50 references to a child's "DEMON."

imagine this grown up dude sitting in a movie theater watching a kids’ movie and counting the number of times the word “daemon” is said dkgsdaoighs

In one part of the movie, a missing boy (Roger Parslow) is found, but he is out of his mind and looks distraught because his DEMON has been taken away from him. Talk about twisting the truth around. The little girl who stars in the movie, Lyra, vows to find and return the boy's demon.

aslkdghsaodigho yeah this guy was definitely too busy to count “daemons” to actually pay attention to the plot

Pullman is hoping that unsuspecting parents will take their children to see the movie

no i actually think that at this point pullman didn’t want anything to do with the movie

The title for the trilogy comes from a line in John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Pullman views his trilogy as a re-telling of Milton’s poem (which means that His Dark Materials is in reality Pullman’s re-telling of the Genesis story in fantasy form)

no, not really, not as literal as that, but artistic subtleties seem to escape you quite frequently, my dear dave

In the trilogy, a young girl becomes enmeshed in an epic struggle against a nefarious [extremely wicked] Church known as the "Magisterium."

iooisadhgosdiahgosa i LOVE how dave made the EFFORT to explain the meaning of “nefarious” to the reader

Pullman's books are a work of darkness that every Christian needs to diligently expose (Ephesians 5:11)

damn dude can you believe hdm got so popular it’s referenced in the bible

America was founded upon faith in God, and the Communists are trying to rob it from our children

kefhsaoidgsdoh COMMUNISM CONFIRMED 

at this point in the article mr dave finally decides it’s time to talk about the story of the golden compass in mere two paragraphs. spoiler: the first paragraph is yet again dedicated to anti-pullman ranting. so much for that plot summary.

In the books, Pullman represents God as a decrepit and perverse angel who captures the dead in a “prison camp” afterlife.

damn the dude says he’s gonna talk about the plot of the golden compass and then goes ahead and spoils the amber spyglass just like that. where are your internet manners, dave

The story centers on Lyra, a young girl living at Jordan College in the Oxford of an alternate world where everyone is accompanied by a daemon, a physical representation of their soul in animal form.

this is the ONE time dave refers to daemons as what they ACTUALLY are. but i suspect he just copy-pasted this bit without actually reading what is said in it. 

One morning, Lyra's school Master

yet again someone was too busy counting words then remembering the plot/characters

Lyra then finds herself in a world where she must fight against evil, and here lies the controversy. Lyra is the "chosen child" who must do battle with evil. But in this story, the things that are good are evil (the church is the Magisterium, the bad group trying to gain control of all) and evil is good (daemons and witches are allies.)

it’s almost...... as if......... it’s somewhat........... symbolic.......... you know, that artistic device? symbolism? yeah? no...?

our darling dave then links to this piece as the source of his info on the plot of tgc and god that’s a whole nest of wasps i can’t even begin to deal with here. but it’s p entertaining how in only briefly reading the thing i can already recognize whole sentences who got copy-pasted by dave for his own magnificent piece of critique

Satan's Bid for Your Child

oh, WHAT a title for the next segment of the article. i’m hooked

Even though the books are strongly anti-God and anti-church, they’re getting a strong push in the godless public school system as curriculum resources.  First the God-hating Communists introduced the lies of Evolution into the public school system.  Then they kicked God's Word and prayer out of the public schools in 1962 and 1963.  Now they want to teach our children homosexuality and witchcraft.

communism! evolution! homosexuality! witchcraft! god, i’m trembling

dave goes on for a while without mentioning the movie again, just ranting against the world in general. parts of it are still amusing, though:

Evolution is in fact a religion, as is humanism, witchcraft and Satanism.

yeah man i miss it when in school we used to pray to darwin every morning before class started :(

It requires faith to believe Evolution because there is NO proof, or even evidences to permit study. It is tragic that young people today are being taught a theory that has NO proof whatsoever.  In sharp contrast, the Word of God is supported by an overwhelming abundance of scientific, historical, archeological and astronomical evidence.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH MY GOD. WOW!!!!!!!!!!

Public school children are being taught religion; but it's the religions of Humanism (i.e., man is his own god), Evolution, New Age and now Demonism.

are daemians aware that daemonism is being taught in public schools as a whole ass religion??? damn

With the rise of the New World Order since the 911 attacks

holy shit dude dave is diving deep into the waters of conspiracy at this point

Surely Satan is already panicking, knowing that he must accomplish much in a very short time frame.  This explains why we see a flood of demonism, witchcraft and apostasy sweeping the world in an effort to destroy Christianity.  Have you heard about the new FLY Pentop COMPUTER for kids, which features witchcraft?  Did you know that Toys-R-Us sells a VooDooz doll for children?  It comes complete with a spell book, and pins to stab your VooDooz doll with.  I was at Barnes and Noble bookstore and saw a Teenage Witchcraft Kit.

THIS DUDE IS FUCKING WILD i imagine he started yelling at some poor employee for having witchcraft in that store

Doesn't anyone love God anymore?

this is sad.

The Bible condemns all forms of witchcraft—Voodoo, charms, spells, divination, incantations, palm readings, Ouija boards, psychics, witchery, sorcery, wizards, magic, potions, good luck charms, astrology, necromancy, spiritism, magic candles, mesmerism, hypnosis, astral projection, levitation, and anything else that invokes the power of Satan.

he actually............went through the trouble of listing all of that. from memory, no doubt

WE’RE BACK TO THE GOLDEN COMPASS AT LAST LADS

Instead of presenting the trailer on the homepage, The Golden Compass website uses audio to introduce the characters of the film and their respective demons, and then provides a prompt to "Meet Your Demon."  Twenty questions are presented which promise to reveal "your true character and the form of your demon."  Once you complete the questionnaire, you can send your resulting demon to your friends, presumably to build a community of young demons who will all later commune at the theater.  This is pure Satanism and it's being directed at our children.  Satan wants your child.  The Golden Compass series glorifies demonism, witchcraft and divination; while blaspheming God Almighty.

Satan Wants Your Child

In the movie THE GOLDEN COMPASS, children are being kidnapped by a mysterious group called the Gobblers and taken "to the North" where they are tortured by having their daemons separated from them.  This is the Satanic garbage that film producers and book publishers are vomiting upon our children.  Towards the end of the film, the starring little girl deliberately destroys the machine that was robbing children of their daemons.  Literally, the movie portrays the little girl as a hero for ensuring that all the other children can continue to be daemon possessed.  This is one sick movie, straight out of the pits of Hell.

it’s fucking ASTOUNDING how this paragraph could straight up pass as magisterium propaganda

How about you?  Our time on earth is short my friend.  This life will be over before we know it.  Is your heart right with God?  Are you saved?  Have your sins been washed away by the precious blood of Jesus Christ?

this dude got so fucking emotional over one bad movie he grossly misunderstood i am INSPIRED

our dearly beloved dave now goes on to quote yet another highly reputable source on the evil of the golden compass

"His Dark Materials" by atheist Philip Pullman

is “atheist” a title at this point? now that pullman is a sir, do they call him “atheist sir pullman” or “sir atheist pullman”?

Unsaved Heathens and Apostates Praise Pullman's Works of Darkness

do i get to officially call myself “unsaved heathen and apostate” because that’s one rad fucking title

Satan truly is the god of this world (2nd Corinthians 4:4), and he has many servants.

this is such a confusing fucking statement. how can satan be the god of this world if there is only one god? or two, because there is god and there’s also jesus? god i don’t know christianity never made any sense so this statement isn’t actually that surprising

Why would any professed "Christian" support Pullman's works of darkness, which he admittedly calls HIS DARK MATERIALS?

esteemed article writer dave is unaware of the existence of the concept of “references”

Sadly, ChristianityToday magazine promotes this vile filth, giving it a rating of 2 1/2 out of a potential 4 stars.  I give the movie a ZERO rating, and so should you if you love the Lord Jesus Christ!

yeah guys! we must purify this dirty world by giving bad ratings to hollywood movies! this is the only way to show jesus our love and devotion! 

Movie writer-director Chris Weitz has said he wants to make the next films more "iconoclastic," so consider this bit of sacrilege a taste of what is yet to come.  The word "iconoclastic" means "Characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions."  In other words, the sequels to The Golden Compass are going to blaspheme God and attack Christianity much worse than the first movie.

man.... chris had good intentions. too bad new line fucked him over with how bad they butchered the movie in post-prod.

If we don't complain, then who will... the atheists?

this line is so confusing and meaningless and yet so timeless and iconic. wow

The Golden Compass is a Sicko Movie

i can’t breathe this sounds like an early 2000s compliment coming from a middle school bad boy who does tubular tricks on his skateboard

For Pullman, sexual experience is an essential part of becoming a full-grown human, despite the confusion and pain it can cause.

HOW IN THE FUCK IS THIS CONTROVERSIAL OR WRONG FOR NON-ACE PEOPLE KADSH;GOIDAGSDKJG

Children Using Divination to Confirm Guidance from Demons? "Lyra tries to consult the alethiometer to see if the daemons are right.”

Things Taking Wildly Out Of Context Making No Sense?

Kill God?

after reading this torturous rant? yes absolutely. next

Of course the idea in a trilogy is to read the second and third books, and not just the first.  Naturally Scholastic is selling nicely packaged boxes of the trilogy.

i love how dave felt the need to explain to us how trilogies and bookselling work. what a sweetheart

Blasphemy!  Children are being taught that killing God is quite a desirable thing to do.

will anyone ever understand that WILL AND LYRA NEVER INTENDED TO KILL GOD, AND WHEN GOD DIED IT WAS BY MISTAKE AND MADE THEM UPSET AND SAD? i mean this guy won’t, but people who actually read the books???

God and the Church Are Awful and Pathetic?

dave at this point in reading your rant i hate the whole of christianity. yes. next

Summoning Witches? “Serafina and her witches decide that they need to summon other witch clans....”

Mr Dave Is Unaware That The Word “Summon” Has Got Several Meanings

“He is so weak and old that he blows to bits with the first breeze, but his dissolution comes as a relief. It is as though God does not want the burden of leadership. In the end, Will and Lyra don’t kill God. Instead, they free him, and he becomes one with the universe again. The fact that God dissolves just like the newly freed ghosts suggests that perhaps God is simply the spirit of the living.”

i love how dave quotes this whole bit - ACTUAL GOOD ANALYSIS OF GOD’S DEATH IN HDM - without absolving any of its meaning

Conclusion The Golden Compass is evil.

i love this

children today are being challenged to hate Christianity, and are being invited to join ranks with the Devil's army.

damn i totally missed that bit about joining satan’s army in hdm

All we hear about nowadays is how religion throughout the ages has caused wars and suppressed people's rights.

it’s almost as if it’s true!

Increasingly, children today are being brainwashed to view Christianity as a power-hungry "MAGISTERIUM" (i.e., the evil organization in The Golden Compass), which seeks to suppress the rights of homosexuals, Wiccan witches, Evolutionists, abortionists, feminists and other degenerates of society.

WHAT a sentence!!!!!

The grave danger of Harry Potter and The Golden Compass

that sounds like one hell of an au

Christians are commanded not to associate with any professed Christian who is a drunkard, chases women, lives for money or lives in unrepentant sin.

and yet donald trump is president of the united states! go figure, davey

Public school children are being taught that the sin of homosexuality should be accepted; BUT, God says "No."  Now you know why homosexuals hate God's Word so much.

we’re almost at the end of the rant and dave didn’t reference balthamos and baruch even once and i feel ROBBED

Women in the 1960's embraced feminism, because they were told (just as Eve) that the higher powers were trying to suppress their rights.  Satan lied to Eve, thus creating a sinful power-struggle between her and God.

damn why won’t women just understand that men are like god :\\\

Satan is recruiting.  Satan has a bid for your child mom and dad, and he will stop at nothing to recruit your child's soul.

gotta admire the determination there

Again, The Golden Compass is evil.  It is not just a fantasy for children.  The author of the series (Philip Pullman) is a militant, God-hating atheist who has openly stated that his goal is to "undermine the basis of Christian belief" in the mind's of children.

dave decided that the best way to end his rant is to quote a line that already appeared in the text at least 2 times before. man, if you ever think you’re a bad writer, remember that at least you’re not as bad as this dude.

moral of the story is: dave probably needs some sleep. and professional help

[minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong]

Sweet Dreams Chapter Nine (Final)

Lucid dreaming: The process of being aware that one is dreaming. Some researchers believe that in lucid dreaming, the individual may be able to change the outcome of the dream or control their degree of participation in the imaginary (dream) environment.

Description: Lee Eunbyul has been plagued with hellish nightmares since she was a child. Not the sort of nightmares you may be familiar with. There are no monsters to evade, no serial killers to outrun, no auditoriums of classmates in front of whom to stand naked. Instead there is just…darkness. Endless darkness. With professional help, the dreams come less frequently. But after moving away from home to live with her sister, Eunbyul’s nightmare returns, only this time it’s different. This time…she’s not alone.

What would you do if you had the chance to change the outcome of not only your dreams, but your life?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst, Slow Burn

Pairing: Namjoon x (f) OC

Word Count: 8.2k

Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Producer!Namjoon, Bookstore Clerk!Seokjin, Potter!Jimin, Producer!Yoongi, Dancer!Hoseok

Warnings: Frequent mentions of mental illness, infrequent swearing and mentions of alcohol

A/N: This is it, fellas! It’s been really fun and rewarding to write this story, but I’m excited to get started on my next long-term project! It’s going to be a member x member fanfic, so please let me know if you want me to post it here! I’m posting it on AO3, but I was questioning if you guys would be interested in it too so let me know! Please don’t be shy and send feedback, critique, questions, theories, and comments my way. I’ll be sure to respond to all asks I receive within a day of receiving them!

And again, if you want to follow my Twitter, my username is @/plzpunchmebts. I’m super active over there and hopefully in the future I’ll do some livestreams/chats with you all!

- Mercury

Previous Chapter – Next Chapter

Masterlist

Eunbyul

I lurched awake, heart racing, eyes watering like I may cry. It had been a while since a dream had made me feel that way. Frantic. Panicky. It had been a while since I’d had a dream I could remember in the first place. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair and placed my glasses on the bridge of my nose, glancing at the clock. 4:02.

“What the fuck…,” I whispered, rubbing my temples. Of course, it was always 4:02. Always these days.

I touched the tender skin beneath my eyes, pursing my lips. Unshed tears, but my face was hot. There was in my chest a deep, harrowing empty feeling that I couldn’t place. Not sadness really, something else.

Loss…?

I shook my head and stood to my feet. No getting back to sleep now, not with this unsettling feeling in my body. I sighed and padded barefoot out into the living room. I’d expected darkness, but instead I was greeted by light and the hum of music turned down low. I rubbed my eyes, disrupting my glasses, and furrowed my brow, squinting against the low light.

“Gaeul?” I asked as I approached where she sat at the table, legs crossed, dressed in pajamas, hair a mess of waves. Her eyes bored into the inky screen of her computer, and the bags beneath them were deep purple. “How long have you been up?”

“An hour,” she said without looking at me.

I stiffened. “But you went to bed at like midnight,” I said, eyeing her.

She nodded, typing furiously. “Mhm. Got a report I forgot to finish.”

“Oh…”

Gaeul sighed and pinched her nose bridge, turning to look at me. “You keep getting up early these days,” she said, cocking a brow and pulling one knee up to her chest.

I shrugged and sat in the chair beside her. “Happenstance,” I said absently, running my finger along the edge of the table. “Not like you. Your work ethic is something else.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s nothing special. Just trying to get my shit done before my shift,” she said with a sigh. “Anyway, you’re the one you should be impressed with.”

I glanced at her, brows raised. “Hm? How so?”

“These days…well…,” she began, waving her hands for emphasis. She settled for a sigh, resting her palms on her laptop keyboard. “I dunno, like alive. Working hard.”

I blinked at her. “Alive?”

“Yeah,” she said with a shrug.

I smiled privately to myself as Gaeul began typing again. “I…I guess I’ve become a bit more confident,” I said with a nod.

“I’ll say.”

“When…when I finish my first piece of pottery, I wanna give it to you, okay?” I asked, and I felt shy like a child once again, timid.

She turned to me with a wide grin, face ruddy. “Really?” she asked, and the eagerness in her tone disarmed me a little.

I stiffened, scratching my arm. “Don’t expect too much,” I said. I glanced to the side toward the mural wall and found it nearly finished. I raised my brows and almost made a comment, but paused.

Because, after all, that was Gaeul.

Persistent and courageous, willing to try even if she failed.

I smiled and pressed my lips thin. “I’m looking forward to it, okay? You gotta do it for real now, okay?” she asked, eyeing me.

I laughed, waving a hand. “Sure, sure.”

She sighed, watching be, and nodded once. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”

I glanced her way, silhouetted against the rising sun and the pastel blue early morning sky outside the window. She smiled. “Yeah,” I said with a nod.

“You know…there’s a lot I want to apologize to you for,” she said, resting her forehead in her palm, rubbing. “Like…a whole lot.”

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for,” I said.

She shook her head, sighing. “There is. I…I should’ve kept a better eye on you back then in the woods. I let you out of my sight and then…you were gone.”

“Gaeul,” I began, taking her hand. I shook my head. “It wasn’t your fault,” I said, then chuckled. “And besides, I was anxious even before everything happened. There’s no reason for you to carry that guilt.”

She met my eyes, and in her gaze I saw vulnerability unguarded. She inhaled sharply. “Even if you say that, I…”

I shook my head and reached out, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. And even though the embrace was awkward by virtue of our sitting positions, neither of us broke it. I shut my eyes, leaning against her shoulder, and she wrapped one free arm around my waist, nodding against my arm.

“You wouldn’t have talked about all this before,” she remarked.

I nodded. “I know.”

“I’m proud of you,” she said.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and nodded. “I know.”

“Hey Jimin?” I asked, timid, standing behind him as he dipped his porcelain cups in glaze.

He eyed me sidelong and cocked a brow. “What?”

I laced my fingers, chewing on my lip, and hummed a little. “I was just wondering…,” I started, then let the sentence trail into silence.

He sighed and stopped dipping, turning to me fully with two dripping cups in his hands. Impatient, he raised how brows. “You’re gonna have to speak up. I can’t hear you.”

I stiffened, swallowing hard and looked away, avoiding his eyes. “Well…”

He wiggled a little, whining. “Spit it out. I really need to finish this.”

“Could I maybe…practice at the wheel today?” I asked, voice a whisper. “Just with the cheap clay!” I said, waving my hands.

He stared at me slack jawed for a long moment, eyes dull. “That was it?”

“Yeah…”

He sighed. “Of course you can do that, Eunbyul,” he said, rolling his eyes as he returned to his work. “Go set it up yourself.”

I grinned, turning on my heel and running toward the doorway to the shop. I turned over my shoulder to thank him, but paused when I saw him smiling fondly at the unglazed cups, shaking his head a little. Even though he put on such an annoyed facade, he was happy.

He was proud too, huh?

I smiled, nodded once, and walked out into the shop, settling down at the wheel to begin practicing. For once, the thought didn’t send anxiety rattling through me. I sighed, comfortable, and began planning what I’d try to make.

The bookstore was quieter than usual. Fewer patrons milling about. And somehow the greenery looked more alive, vibrant. It hung in the planter baskets and clung to the gaps in the brick walls. I sipped on my coffee, flipping through a fun fantasy novel, and felt a small smile settle on my lips.

Despite my reservations, my practice had gone pretty well at Jimin’s. The final piece — a soup bowl — was still a little lumpy in areas, unrefined, but Jimin had insisted it was fine. He said I could sand it tomorrow so it was smooth and I could paint my own decorations. I wasn’t sure how good I’d be at something like that, but nonetheless for the first time in a long time…

I wanted to try.

“Lost in thought?” asked Seokjin from across the table, helping himself to the empty seat there.

I glanced up at him and smiled. “Just wondering when we’re gonna go out drinking again,” I teased with a smirk.

He stiffened. “Never,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re a demon when you drink.”

I laughed and nodded, shutting the book and sliding it to the side. I met his warm eyes once more. “Do you ever do any work?” I asked.

He clutched his chest and feigned offense, staring at me with wide eyes and parted lips. “Excuse me, ma’am, but I’m doing work right now!” he said, then smiled. “This is called customer service.”

I laughed. “I see.”

“You seem to be in a good mood today,” he remarked, leaning back in his seat.

I smiled a little, shrugging. “I guess so.”

“Good day at the pottery shop?” he asked.

My eyes went wide. “How’d you guess?”

He hummed, examining his palm, and shrugged. “Genius.”

“Hm…”

“Ah, that reminds me! How’s your boss?” he asked.

I furrowed my brow. “Jimin’s the same as always,” I said, then crossed my arms. “Why are you so interested in him anyway?”

He chuckled, raising one brow, and met my eyes. “I mean…I’m interested because…jeez, do I have to spell this out?” he asked, and judging by the way his expression brightened into a smile he definitely did need to spell it out. He rolled his eyes. “I’m interested in him because I’m interested in him, Eunbyul,” he said, meeting my eyes expectantly.

I blinked a few times, mouth agape, before gasping. “Wait, you like him?” I asked, stunned.

He laughed boisterously. “Well let’s not go that far! I said I’m interested, alright? Just that,” he said, waving his hand. “Casually.”

“Wait…so that dating app you have on your phone…?” I asked, piecing it all together.

He laughed again, this time clutching his stomach with the force of it. “So you did peek!” he exclaimed through laughter, causing the few other patrons milling about to glance at him, concerned. He wiped beneath his eyes and fished his cell phone from his pocket. “I can’t believe you looked,” he said, sliding the phone to me.

I glanced down at the app once more, and this time it all made perfect sense.

BoysDate.

I nodded. “Ah…,” I said, glancing at him.

He was still in stitches, nearly crying from laughter, pounding his fist on the table much to the dismay of the other patrons nearby who kept looking at me as if I was responsible for him. I guess I was, in a certain respect. I quietly slid the phone back to him and he didn’t even stop laughing as he took it back and placed it neatly in his pocket.

“Jesus Christ, I haven’t had a laugh this good in years,” he said, wiping his eyes. “Ah, man. You’re gonna have to excuse me. I’ll get in trouble if I keep laughing like this out here,” he said, but nonetheless continued laughing like a windshield wiper.

I cracked a smile too, nodding. “Sorry,” I said, laughing a little too.

He shook his head and stood to his feet. “Ah man,” he said, pointing at me with a grin and barely contained laughter. “You gotta put in a good word for me, okay? Promise?”

I nodded. “I’m sure he’ll be flattered,” I said, chuckling as Jin nodded and waved, covering his mouth with his hand as he staggered into the staff lounge.

I washed my hands, chancing a glance at my reflection in the mirror with raised brows. To my surprise, I found the person staring back at me looking…quite lucid. Clear eyes, tired looking but sharp. Even my hair was behaving. Something in the air, maybe. I wiped my hands with a paper towel and tossed it in the trash bin, turning on my heel.

And, on impulse, I bent at the waist to peer beneath the bathroom stalls. Once my eyes landed on a familiar pair of tennis shoes, I felt my chest crumple a little. What was she doing in here anyway? Part of me was frustrated, but not at her. At the situation, for forcing me to put my money where my mouth was. I’d grown a bit lately, right? I’d gotten a bit better lately, right?

Prove it.

I inhaled sharply and nodded, straightening up and bracing myself for rejection. If she got mad, I’d be fine. A bad experience and nothing more. Nothing debilitating. Something to talk about in therapy in passing and then forget.

That’s all it was.

Nonetheless, my fist was shaking just a little as I raised it to rasp against the stall’s door. I waited with bated breath in the silence that ensued, wondering quietly if perhaps she’d fallen asleep or otherwise decided to ignore me entirely. I could have turned around then, could have spun on my heels and made a beeline for the exit.

But I stayed.

And I knocked again.

“Hey,” I said softly to the door, as if perhaps in speaking tenderly my words would reach her. “I know it’s not my place, and I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable, but…I’ve been a bit worried about you for a while. You seem to come here a lot. I guess…I just…want you to know that if there’s a way I can help you with whatever you’re going through, I’d like to.”

The girl on the other side was quiet, but I heard her shuffling. “Toilet paper girl?” she asked, voice low.

I stiffened, face hot, and glanced away even though she couldn’t see me. “Uh…yeah, that’s me…I guess…”

And, surprisingly, she laughed. Heartily. It was a comforting, warm sound and vaguely familiar. I took half a step back from the stall, my fingertips still lingering on the door, and watched the floor intently. She was still laughing with her chest, but I saw her feet disappear as she stood to her feet. Slowly, I heard her shuffle toward me and, after agonizing seconds that felt like time suspended, she stall door clicked unlocked and gave way beneath my fingertips.

And, standing before me was a girl a few years my senior with bloodshot eyes and a dimpled half-smile. She eyed me like I was foreign, like she could’t figure me out. And, to be fair, I wouldn’t have been surprised if I was like something foreign to her.

She was beautiful, to be sure, with kind, almond-shaped eyes and dark hair, tanned skin and a strong frame. She looked like someone, but I couldn't really place it. Instead, I simply bowed my head and waited for her to relieve me. To tell me it was okay to stand up, to tell me it was okay in general.

But again, instead of speaking she laughed and again my brain ran in frantic circles trying to figure out just where I’d heard that laugh before. I took the laughter as an acceptance of my gesture and stood up straight again, meeting her eyes from half a head below her.

She exuded a sort of confidence that was hard to define, something that felt inherent about her. About even the way she stood, even the way she examined me with intelligent eyes.

“Are…are you okay?” I asked, taking the chance.

Her smile faltered and she took a deep, steadying breath. It seemed the time for laughter was coming to an end. She smoothed her hands against her thighs, shrugging. “Sorry for worrying you,” she said, and her voice was softer now, subdued, docile.

I shook my head, waving my hands. “Don’t be sorry! I just…is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

She wiped beneath her eyes. Even without makeup, she was pretty. The kind of girl I’d have looked up to as a kid. She crossed her arms and let her gaze fall to the tiled floor. “No,” she said, then sighed. “It’s just…when things get to be too much, I kind of just found myself coming here I guess. Someplace quiet. Far away from people.”

I swallowed hard. “I…get that,” I said with a nod, stepping back to offer her more space in the small restroom.

She met my eyes at last and raised her brows. “Hm?”

I shrugged. “I mean…we all have our safe, comfortable spaces, right?”

She gave me the ghost of a smile and nodded. “Yeah,” she said, wringing her hands. “Anyway, sorry to have worried you.”

She turned and stepped to the side as if preparing to depart and, without thinking, I placed myself in her path, trapping her at the end of the rows of stalls. Her eyes went wide and her lips parted, but she said nothing.

I stuttered out a string of syllables that didn’t add to much of a sentence and shook my head, lowering my arms. “I…um…h-how often do things become too much?” I asked, desperate to keep her here. If my hunch was right, my invading her safe space made it no longer safe. I’d likely never see her again if I let her leave like this, as she’d probably never come back.

That’s what I’d have done anyway…

She stiffened as if she’d been shocked and blinked down at me with round eyes. “Um…,” she began, then her expression relaxed into something more vulnerable, unguarded. “I guess…pretty often.”

Despite my better judgement, I spoke again. “Why?” I asked. Forget social convention. I could tell from the glassy look in her eye that she needed someone.

She sniffled and rubbed her upper arm with her opposite hand. “I just…have some trouble at home I guess. It’s not a big deal…”

“I’m sorry to be like this, but…if you’re in here crying so often I think it might be a pretty big deal,” I said, shaking my head. She met my eyes and I offered a somber smile. “It’s okay.”

She wiped her eyes again, and it looked like she was fighting tears when she responded. “I’m living with my boyfriend and…at first things were good, but he’s gotten really controlling these past few years and it’s…I dunno, he makes me feel…kinda worthless.”

I felt a chill creep through me. “He’s…abusive?” I asked, trying to be as delicate as possible.

Her eyes went wide. “Oh no! No, not like that. He doesn’t, like…hit me or anything, just…”

“Emotional abuse is…still abuse,” I said carefully, watching her for any change in her expression.

She nodded. “I know,” she said, and a single tear trailed resiliently down her cheek. “He doesn’t like me seeing my family or friends, and since I don’t drive he has to drop me off and pick me up everywhere. I’m lucky he even lets me come here in the first place,” she said, then sighed, raking her fingers through her hair. “It’s stupid, you know? Someone like me in a relationship like this…it makes no sense.”

“Do you…wanna leave?”

She sighed and nodded. “I’ve never really admitted it to anyone…but yeah, I guess. I don’t wanna be a…kept woman, you know?” she said, a few more plump tears falling to the floor below. “I just don’t know how to get out of it. Our lives are so integrated. If I go to my family, he’ll just try and come get me from my mom’s place. Cause trouble for her. And if I tell him directly…he’ll just shout at me until I agree to stay.”

“Are you…safe?” I asked.

Her eyes flashed toward me and there was no small margin of fear there. He hadn’t been physically abusive yet. But this man sounded volatile and emotionally compromised. If she stood up to him…who knew how he’d react?

“Stay with me,” I said too fast. She stared at me straight on like I had three heads. “J-Just for today. You said he’d know how to find you if you went to family right away, but if you stay with me for today while you sort things out…”

She shook her head. “That’s really sweet of you, but I’m fine. Really,” she said with a sad smile and a nod. She reached out and took my shoulder in her hand, squeezing once. “I’ll be fine.”

I furrowed my brow. “I…really don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but…someone who spends hours crying in the bathroom of a local bookstore is probably not…fine, you know?”

She was quiet a moment, still touching my shoulder gently, before she heaved a heavy sigh and shut her swollen eyes, rubbing them with her free hand. “God…,” she breathed out as more tears fell.

I shook my head and, without thinking, stepped forward to give her a hug. She startled a little at my unexpected embrace, but after a moment she eased into it and hugged me back.

I patted her shoulder blade, nodding. “It’ll be okay,” I said.

She sniffled a little. “I know.” She pulled back and examined me for a moment before smiling gently. “I’ll…come with you, if that’s alright.”

Gaeul’s eyes were glittering with tears as the girl detailed her story to her. How she’d met her boyfriend in high school and they’d been together so long they didn’t know really how to be apart. How he was a pretty good boyfriend at first, but became jealous and unstable as time went on. How he began to regulate her activities, her relationships, her finances. How before she even knew it, her life was so entangled with his that she couldn’t really break free. She explained how he’d berate her, call her names and demean her when she tried to break things off. How she started to believe him…

“I’m…so sorry,” said Gaeul, shaking her head.

The girl smiled softly and waved her hands. “Don’t be. I’m…it’s scary, but I’m glad to finally untangle myself, you know? It’ll be okay. I’ll call the police tonight and see about setting up a restraining order. And I’ll call my family,” she said, smiling. “I’ll have my mom wire me some money and I’ll stay in a hotel for a day or two until I have things figured out. I’m just…really glad that your sister stopped me today.”

I stiffened, furrowing my brow. “No, no. You don’t need to go to a hotel. You can stay here,” I said, quickly turning to Gaeul where she sat beside me at the table and raised my brows, expectant.

She jumped. “Oh! Yeah, yeah for sure. You can stay here as long as you need,” she said, nodding.

The girl shook her head. “I couldn’t-,”

“Please,” I said, taking her hand with a smile. “I really want you to. You can take my room tonight.”

She glanced at me with round eyes. “That’s okay-,”

I shook my head. “It’s getting late anyway,” I said, glancing out the window at the evening encroaching on the horizon. “It’ll be safer here anyway.”

She swallowed hard and glanced at her phone which had been lighting up like crazy the whole time she’d been in our care. She rubbed the back of her neck. “Jeez…,” she mumbled. “You’re not gonna take no for an answer are you?”

“No,” said Gaeul, shaking her head with shut eyes.

The girl smiled a little, flipped her phone over, and turned to face Gaeul and me. “Then…I may as well stay, huh?” she said with a chuckle. “Been a while since I’ve had a girls’ night anyway.”

I laughed. “We can braid each others’ hair.”

She smirked. “Yours is too short,” she said with a laugh.

Gaeul stood, smiling at our guest. “If you’re looking for a good longevity activity, I suggest helping me with my mural,” she said, gesturing toward the wall.

The girl nodded and stood to her feet. “I’d love to help,” she said with a laugh. “Makes me feel useful.”

I hummed, standing as well and padding toward the couch with them. “I’ll leave the both of you to that.”

The girl chuckled as Gaeul began preparing her painting station. “Lazy,” she joked before jumping a little. “Ah!” she said, snapping her fingers like she just remembered something. “I didn’t even get your names.”

“Oh! I’m Eunbyul and this is my sister Gaeul,” I said, gesturing toward her.

The girl bowed at each of us, smiling softly. “Nice to meet you,” she said, meeting my eyes once more. “I’m Somi.”

My footsteps were loud and clumsy on the underbrush as I struggled to keep up with Gaeul’s rapidly retreating silhouette. The trees were casting long, eerie shadows on the earth below, and I found myself caught in those shadows with every stumbling step forward as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Night was approaching from every direction, and Gaeul’s back became harder and harder to see the darker the forest became. My heart was a wavering drum beat that couldn’t seem to stay to one tempo and my palms were sweaty. I picked at the skin around my nails, calling out to Gaeul.

“Wait up!” I shouted, but by then she was too far ahead.

The woods had no trail leading directly to Auntie’s shop. You just had to…sort of know the way intuitively. And I didn’t. Gaeul had always been the fearless navigator, and in her excitement she’d gone too far ahead too fast and I couldn’t keep up with her relentless pace on my two short legs. Distantly, I heard the sound of the familiar stream cutting a line through the trees. Perhaps if I waited there for Gaeul to return, she’d find me.

But in the moment it took me to consider the option, Gaeul had disappeared entirely from view, obscured by distance and the unrelenting tree line. My chest constricted and fear seized me. I stood still, paralyzed, and began to wail, shouting for my sister to come back, shouting for someone to find me. But as moments ticked on in the twilight darkness, a horrible thought occurred to me.

If I made too much noise, who was to say Gaeul would be the one to find me?

Were there bears out here in these woods?

I didn’t know. And not knowing made it worse.

I stumbled toward the stream bed and, sobbing, collapsed beside it. I dug my hands into the mud, clenching as I cried and cried. My face was hot, body contorted uncomfortably as I sat immobile in the dirt, watching the stream flow on before me, moving forward while I stayed stagnant, too terrified to even move forward an inch.

And there I stayed until evening bled into pitch dark night.

The day felt endless. I was too frightened to venture far from the stream, thinking that if nothing else I had some water to drink even though I didn’t dare drink it. My family had to be looking for me. They had to be searching. The woods were big and it was difficult to find your way around, so maybe they were just having trouble finding me. Gaeul had been in the lead, so if she just retraced her steps they could have found me. Maybe.

I didn’t sleep. Too restless with the nighttime air and the animals skittering around in the overgrowth. But in the warm afternoon light, sitting beside the flowing stream all alone, I found sleep like a siren song and could fight it no longer. I curled up beneath one of the many trees along the stream bed and shut my tired, swollen eyes.

It was night. I knew that much. And after napping during the day, I couldn’t force myself to sleep again. Was this it for me? Had my parents really forgotten about me? Left me out here to die? I contained my tears, tromping away from the stream and into the woods, never too far to see the water over my shoulder. I didn’t know what else to do, and I’d heard somewhere that when you’re lost you’re supposed to stay in one place and wait to be found.

But it had been a full day and now a full night. I glanced up at the sky, the endless stars, the treetops swaying. It was starting to get lighter, navy blue now and lilac around the edges. Dawn was coming and still I was lost. My throat constricted. Of course, I’d known the danger the entire time I’d been lost out here, but suddenly it felt real, tangible in my dirty, grubby fingertips as they gripped rough tree trunks or pushed aside hip-high shrubbery. My skin was getting really dirty, turning from sandy tan to nearly brown with mud. I wanted to shower, to sleep in my bed, to cry to my mom, to leave the woods.

Wind howled through the trees, whistling around corners as it chilled me to the bone. Beside me, the bushes rustled and I screamed, unable to contain it. I watched in horror as the bush continued moving until after a few seconds it stilled. Likely a small animal, but I was too terrified to think logically.

All I knew was primal fear.

“There’s no end…,” I said to myself, fighting back tears. If I cried, I wouldn’t be able to see properly and then what would I do? What if a bear came along? Or a wolf?

“Yes there is,” replied a voice.

I screamed, this time a guttural screech, and fell to my knees, cowering behind my arms. But the voice didn’t continue, leaving me shaking in silence as I slowly lowered my hands and glanced up toward the source. Backlit against the bright dawn moon was a young boy with skin like honey and curious dark eyes. He blinked down at me, brows raised, and scratched at a scab on his knee, exposed by the hem of his shorts.

“You okay?” he asked, casual.

I sniffled and, without thinking, leapt to my feet and scrambled across the scrubby foliage toward him, throwing my arms around his waist and collapsing into sobs. The force of my wailing shook both of our bodies, but I couldn’t help it as tears streamed down my face, dirtying the boy’s nice polo shirt. I clawed at him, desperate to prove he was real, and shook my head, sobbing. He was surprised at first, but slowly he reached around and patted my back.

“It’s okay,” he said softly.

I backed away and looked up at him, a proper look. He did the same, and once examining me he furrowed his brow and took a half step back. “What’re you doing out here so late?” he asked, consulting his wrist watch. His eyes went wide. “Look at the time.”

He held out his wrist for me to examine.

4:02 AM.

I stiffened. “I…,” I began, but fear seized my voice and I stopped midway, shaking my head.

He scanned me, pursing his lips. “Are you lost?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Ah…,” he said with a sigh. “So am I.” He shrugged. “But there’s a way out.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Huh?” I asked, pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose.

He raised his brows and pouted. “Hm…,” he said, gently removing my glasses and pressing the nose pads with his fingers, forcing them closer together. “Were they always this loose?” he asked.

I said nothing.

He replaced them on my nose and bent a little to stare at his work before nodding once. “Let’s find a way out, okay?” he said, holding out his hand for me to take.

I felt hot and tired and terrified, but somehow as I slipped my small, cold hand into his warm one something in me settled down. I wasn’t alone anymore. He was here too. I could rely on him.

That’s the feeling he gave me.

It was a feeling I never forgot, even as an adult. A feeling I tried and failed to find in other people.

He cleared his throat as we walked toward the stream and glanced at me frequently over his shoulder, like he was keeping an eye on me. “Um…,” he began, coughing a little. I wiped my eyes with the back of my free hand and glanced at him. “So…since the stream runs north and south, and the street runs east and west, if we follow the river then we’ll get out, alright?”

I sniffled. “Mhm.”

“So don’t cry anymore, okay?” he asked, pausing along the stream bed with knitted brows.

I nodded. “Okay,” I said, still watching the ground as he tugged me along behind him.

The walk was long, and by the time we finally reached the street the sun had nearly risen and the sky was lightening into pastel shades of purple and blue. The fresh morning felt cold on my skin, but holding the boy’s hand kept me from floating away. Watching his back made my heart settle down. Not once did I worry if perhaps he didn’t know as much as he claimed. Not once did I worry that he’d fail to find a way out.

He was the sort of person you want to believe in.

And when we finally broke through the tree line and emerged on the pavement beside the road, the boy turned to me with a wide, dimpled grin. “We did it!” he said, excitedly bouncing from foot to foot. He still held my hand.

We?

I flushed, staring up at him, and blinked. “Y-Yeah…”

He sighed, glancing over his shoulder down the street. “There’s a convenience store. I bet we could use their phone to call the police,” he said with a nod. “I’m sure your family’s looking for you.” He turned halfway to smile down at me.

I swallowed hard. “What about your family?” I asked quietly.

He raised his brows, mouth agape, before laughing and waving his hand. “Anyway, let’s go there and get help, okay?” he said, smiling.

But in that moment something changed. The memory felt less like a memory and more like…

Real life.

I furrowed my brow, glanced down at our interlocked hands, and inhaled sharply. “I…know you…,” I said, voice fatigued as if I were fighting through a thick fog. That’s how it felt, anyway.

I turned to meet his eyes and all at once he changed. Tall, broad-shouldered with dyed hair and the same dimpled smile. And there it was, there he was, there we were…

I released his hand to cup my mouth, eyes wide. “Namjoon,” I whispered, and I could hear that my voice had aged. I glanced down, noticing at once that I was wearing the same pajamas I’d worn when I’d fallen asleep on the couch.

His expression mirrored mine: eyebrows knit, eyes glassy and filled with tears, lips parted, silently staring down at me. It was so obvious now, so precisely correct. All along, he’d been the one. The one I’d compared Seokjin to. The one I’d credited with my safe return. The one I’d idolized.

The one who’d saved me.

“Byul, I-,” he began, but before he could continue, that same tugging sensation from every night returned and I yelled out in surprise.

“No!” I shouted, and finally the tears fell hot and plump down my cheeks. I shook my head, swinging my arms out to reach Namjoon.

He reached out to, both of us holding on to one another by the forearms. He met my eyes, and his own tears were falling. He shook his head. “I can’t fight it,” he said with strain, face flushed and eyes swollen.

I nodded. “I know,” I said, but the pull was getting stronger. We were waking up. I met his eyes, heartbroken, and sniffled as the tears came faster.

“I love you,” he said suddenly, and without even a second’s pause I responded.

“I love you, too,” I said, nodding once.

And just like that, the dream was over.

“I called my brother to come get me.”

It was all I had in me to turn my head a few inches to the side to see Somi standing in the doorway of my bedroom, dressed in Gaeul’s pajamas. She met my eyes and I tried to force a tight smile, but even that was impossible. All I managed was half a nod.

“No rush,” said Gaeul from where she stood in front of her mural. It was nearly done now, just a few details left to finish. Somi had worked hard.

I rolled onto my side, pulling the blanket up beneath my chin, and shut my hot, swelling eyes. I’d awoken crying and out of breath, and since then…

Well, it was taking a lot for me to even stay awake.

Somi smiled at me and maneuvered around the coffee table to join Gaeul, footsteps crinkling on the plastic tarp. “Hey,” she said quietly, the two of them standing close. “Is she okay?” she asked.

Gaeul glanced at me over her shoulder and responded in a whisper. “I…don’t really know,” she said.

I was sure they meant no harm, as Gaeul had been tossing looks at me over her shoulder since she woke up an hour earlier. But in that moment, I wished for nothing more than to just…be alone.

At about ten there was a frantic knock at the door. Still lying on my stomach on the couch, I didn’t even have the energy to lift my head, leaving Gaeul to answer the door. I heard her breeze past me and opened one eye to watch her feet pad be the side of the couch. Somi stood up from where she sat by my feet and joined Gaeul by the door. I rested my head on the pillow once more, shutting my eyes.

I heard the door open, and footsteps shuffle in, then the sound of bodies colliding, clothing shifting. They were hugging, probably. I felt more settled knowing Somi had someone reliable to help her out in the longterm. I wasn’t so sure I’d get to see her again. And, as much as I’d liked to have given her a proper send-off, if I opened my eyes too long or looked around too much, my throat would constrict and I’d cry.

Why was that?

“Jesus, Somi,” said a deep, rumbling male voice.

Huh.

Kind of familiar.

Somi sighed. “I know, I know. Save the scolding for the bus ride home,” she said, and from her tone I imagined her waving her hand, flippant.

“Thank you so much for taking care of her for the night,” said the man, and I furrowed my brow, unable to ignore it.

Gaeul chuckled. “It was really no big deal, honestly.”

Somi sighed. “I’m really grateful to Eunbyul for helping me at the bookstore.”

“Eunbyul…?” asked the man, like he knew me.

My heart rate kicked up and my eyes flashed open, staring at the floor. I could feel him looking at me. “Ah, yeah. My sister,” said Gaeul. “Sorry she’s…not feeling well.”

The man was quiet for a moment. “Ah, no worries. I…hope she feels better,” he said, and I felt again like I was standing on a precipice, about to fall over the edge.

Only now, I wasn’t so scared of falling.

I sat upright and turned to see the man’s back was facing me now, one hand on Somi’s slender shoulder as he rattled off scoldings. And I recognized him at once.

The guy from the pottery shop.

Small world.

I felt some of my energy return and gave Somi a proper smile as she glanced my way. “Ah! You’re awake!” she called, but before the stranger could turn to look my way, Somi snapped her fingers. “Shoot, I bet you wanna sleep in your bed. Let me go change and I’ll get going.”

Gaeul, standing in front of the door, jumped and followed Somi. “Ah, wait! You can change in my room. I’ll give you some spare clothes to take,” she said.

Somi rolled her eyes. “I’ve got plenty of clothes.”

“Yeah, but how’re you gonna get them?” Gaeul responded, cocking a brow.

Somi shut her mouth, clearing her throat. “Well…that is…a fair point,” she conceded with a smile. “Thanks,” she said, patting Gaeul’s shoulder.

The two walked side by side into Gaeul’s room, and both me and the stranger watched them retreat. I stared after them for a moment longer, suddenly self conscious. What were the two of us supposed to talk about on our own?

I cleared my throat and stood to my feet. Just introduce yourself, I thought, Just be normal and don’t make him feel unwelcome. I turned toward him and, slowly, lifted my eyes to meet his.

Handsome with soft features and a polite, dimpled smile, he locked his warm brown eyes on mine, running a hand through his honey blonde hair. Quickly, though, that smile slipped and his eyes went round with knowing. The weight of remembering came upon me hard like a gut punch. I felt my body go numb and, without realizing it, I fell to my knees, eyes welling with tears.

I covered my lips with both hands, tears flowing freely now. Namjoon approached, sliding in front of me, and without a single word exchanged he wrapped both arms around my shoulders. I felt his tears his my back through my thin pajama shirt. Shaking, I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face into his firm chest. I could really feel him, feel the warmth coming from his body, the fabric of his shirt. I could smell his cologne, feel the muscles of his back contract beneath my fingertips. He was corporeal, he was here.

“You’re real,” I said in a broken whisper, pulling away to look at his face. His eyes were red from crying and I reached out to smooth my hand against his cheek, swiping away his tears. “You’re real.”

He sniffled, nodding. “You’re real,” he whispered back.

I swallowed hard, laughing in disbelief. “I…I’m…”

He nodded. “I know.” He gently threaded his fingers through my hair and I leaned into his touch, shutting my eyes. “Ah,” he said, removing his hand from my head and reaching for the hair tie on his wrist. “You should have this back,” he said with a tearful chuckle. “Better than that rubber one you’ve been wearing.”

I joined him laughing, but as he worked a finger beneath the hair elastic to remove it, I seized his hands in mine and shook my head. “Keep it,” I said softly with a smile.

He smiled back, face red from crying, and nodded, leaning back on his heels. I mimicked his gesture, but our hands were still knotted, intertwined together. “God…,” he said.

“Yeah.”

He watched me, sitting perfectly still save for his fingertips which smoothed along the skin of my hands, and smiled. There was so much fondness in his eyes, so much that it overwhelmed me. I nearly looked away.

“T-Tell me how you’ve been,” I said, choking back a fresh wave of tears.

“Uh,” he sniffled, wiping beneath his eyes, and nodded. “I met with a professional PD yesterday morning with my roommate and he’s interested in me.”

My eyes went wide and I clamped a hand over my mouth. “Your song!” I exclaimed, pointing at him.

He laughed a little, nodding. “Yeah, he…he wants to see more of my work but my roommate says it’s pretty much decided that I’ll work with them,” he said, smiling at his lap like a bashful kid.

I reached out, cupping his face in my hands, and smiled so big it hurt my cheeks. “Namjoon, that’s so great!”

He smiled softly in response and pressed a hand against mine, chuckling. “How about you? What’s new these days?”

I thought a moment, and watched as he laced our fingers together, guiding our hands to rest against my knees. “I’m…working on making some pottery,” I said with a nod.

He raised his brows. “Really? For real?”

I laughed. “No, I’m just messing with you,” I began, then rolled my eyes. “Of course.”

He grinned. “I’m proud of you,” he said, nodding. “You’ve come a long way since we first met.”

I smiled. “You too,” I said, then hummed. “Grown about two feet too.”

He laughed, brushing his thumb against my burning hot cheek. “I can’t believe it.”

“Me either.”

Gently, he leaned forward on his knees and, now towering over me, he closed the distance between us. He pressed soft lips against mine, and I tilted my head to the side to accommodate him. He was warm, nose pressing into my cheek, hand just barely touching my jaw, not demanding, not impatient. I was certain he felt it too. That we had time. All the time we could ever need.

“You guys good out there?” called Gaeul’s voice from inside her bedroom.

Well, maybe not all the time right now.

Namjoon and I parted, but he pressed his forehead against mine. “To be continued,” he said.

I mimed gagging. “What a cliche,” I teased, but I couldn’t fight my smile.

The two of us stood to our feet and, quickly, I grabbed a scrap of paper from Gaeul’s notebook and scribbled down my number sloppily. Namjoon, brows raised, awaited my return with a smirk. I handed him the paper and met his eyes, holding onto his hand as he took my number.

“We won’t lose each other again,” I said, and I had all the conviction in the world in my voice.

Namjoon smiled softly and nodded. “What a cliche,” he responded as he examined the number fondly. He placed it carefully in the back pocket of his shorts and returned to me with a smile.

He reached out and swept me up in a hug, wrapping both arms around my waist. I held tight to his neck. “There’s still so much I wanna ask you about,” I said against his shoulder.

He chuckled, and I felt it against my own chest. He rubbed my sides gently. “We’ve got time.”

I nodded, pulling back just far enough to press a kiss against his lips. He smiled into it, holding me tightly, and pulled away so he could press a kiss into my cheek. I exhaled slowly and took a step back.

“I’ll text you right away,” he said with an eager smile.

I shook my head and glanced over my shoulder at Gaeul’s bedroom door. “Don’t,” I said. “Right now, I think Somi needs you.”

Namjoon nodded. “You’re right.”

I felt a bit guilty, being out here sharing such a profoundly happy moment during such a profoundly heavy time. And as much as I may have wanted to monopolize Namjoon now that we were finally reunited, this moment wasn’t about me. It wasn’t about us.

This moment was about him and his family.

I turned back to him with a smile, wiping the remnants of my tears from my eyes. “Take care of her, okay?” I asked.

He nodded. “I will.” He pressed a hand against my shoulder. “Thank you, Byul. For helping her.”

I shook my head. “I wish I would’ve done it sooner,” I said with a sigh, recalling the many times I’d simply ignored her cries.

Somi and Gaeul emerged from the bedroom, chatting easily. Somi held one of Gaeul’s travel bags over her shoulder, straining from all the clothes trapped inside. I chuckled and raised a brow at Gaeul.

“Oh! How are you feeling?” she asked, quick to come to my side.

I shook my head. “I’m fine,” I said, smiling at Somi. “I’m sorry I was so weird this morning. I’m better now.”

She returned the smile and, wordlessly, opened her arms for me. Laughing, I fell into her embrace and she rocked us steadily back and forth. “Thanks, kid,” she said.

I chuckled. “Don’t thank me.”

She pulled away and gave Namjoon’s shoulder a punch. “Stop looking at her like that,” she scolded and Namjoon’s face went red.

“I wasn’t looking at her,” he said through a pout.

Somi rolled her eyes. “Wipe your drool before saying goodbye,” she teased, laughing as she cast a wave over her shoulder at me and Gaeul.

I smiled, sneaking a sidelong glance at Namjoon who was indeed still looking at me with a soft, tender gaze. I followed the two of them out into the hallway and leaned a hip against the doorframe. Namjoon turned to give me one last look as Somi waved, walking backwards down the hall. He lifted his right hand in a half-wave and I returned it.

As Gaeul locked the door behind them, she gave me a knowing smirk. “So what was that about?” she asked.

I sighed and fell onto the sofa, flicking on the TV. “Nothing,” I said.

She laughed and crossed her arms, incredulous. “Don’t lie to me.”

I shrugged. “We know each other from the pottery shop,” I said, resting my feet on the coffee table. “That’s all.”

“Oh, that’s all, huh?” she teased, hopping over my legs.

I smiled. “Yeah,” I said, mostly to myself as I examined my hands, the feeling of his fingers laced through mine still lingering there. “That’s all.”

She laughed, kicking my thigh with her socked foot. “Come on and help me, if you’re just gonna sit there and lie.”

I raised my eyes to look at her. “Huh?”

“Let’s get rid of all these tarps,” she said, pointing at the ground. “I finally finished the mural.”

I laughed. “No way. You’ve got Somi to thank for that, huh?” I said, standing nonetheless and bending to remove the tape that held the plastic to the floor.

She hummed. “Mhm. I’ll have to call her up and treat her to some dinner here once the place is cleaned up,” she said, then smirked at me. “You can invite her brother.”

I laughed, but couldn’t help but ease into the comfortable feeling of being teased. Because, in the end, I’d found him. After everything, after all the drama and the pain and the fear…

I’d finally found him.

[kurt-nightcrawler]

Worth It

Worth It - 3k

So this took me two months to write and my computer was being an ass so I’m just now posting this. I hope you guys enjoy anyways!

Requested by @proudfangirloftoomanyfandoms I hope you like it!

Request/Description:  Kurt goes to the mall and meets a non-mutant girl and they fall in love but Charles doesn’t really want her around since she’s just an ordinary human

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of bullying, mentions of violence, and mentions of cheating

Life as a teenager is stressful; you get treated like a child and an adult, your friends expect one thing from you while your parents have standards already set, not to mention— you’re trying to figure out who you are!

And throw on top of that a mutation! Geez, life just throws it all at you, doesn’t it?

—

Every once in a while the X-Men had an opportunity to be normal teenagers. This meant they’d hang out, mess around— normal teenager stuff.

However not all of them knew what a “normal teenager” did, or an American one anyway.

Warren spent his youth cage fighting, Ororo was stealing trying to keep herself alive, and Kurt was in a circus!

Nonetheless, the other four did their best to indulge the three.

—

They frequented the mall. Kurt liked going. Sure most of the time Jean and Scott ditched and went to do couple stuff, Peter and Warren would bond over music, and Jubilee and Ro paired up— But Kurt didn’t mind.

—

Kurt trailed behind Peter and Warren this time around— they were excited to get some punk rock record— and while punk rock was good, Kurt preferred pop.

“You hang around Jubilee and Scott too much. Van Halen is superior to Cyndi Lauper.” “It’s ah preference.” “If you say so— Warren do you have this Kansas album?”

Kurt rolled his eyes and went back to browsing the new release section. He wasn’t looking for anything in particular though.

—

A group of three walked in. Kurt ignored them for the most part— if he didn’t look at them, they wouldn’t look at him. Usually.

“I’m gonna see if they have any new records.” Kurt internally cringed, he didn’t want someone to notice him. But this was a public place— open for everyone, it was wrong to be that selfish.

“Uh, excuse me— I can wait but I just wanted to see if they had this one record I’m looking for. I won’t be long.”

Kurt turned to answer, but he couldn’t speak. Standing there was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen in his life, “Uh… uh… Ja.” “Thank—“

BAMF

“Hey, Kurtie! Did you get any records or tapes?” He shook his head, “No… No. I met this girl, and she vas pretty but I freaked out and bamf-ed away!” “What’s got Kurt so— blue?” “Scott…” Jubilee groaned. “Alright, I’ll admit. That was pretty bad. But still— what’s wrong Kurt?” “I saw this girl in the music store! And zhe was amazing! Zhe zeemed really nice, but I freaked out because— vell I’m blue vith ah accent! And zhe’s normal!” Peter and Warren returned with a bag from the music store, “Dude I don’t think that she’d even talk to you if she was scared. She just seemed confused when you left.”

“We explained to her you get nervous easily. And then she kinda freaked out a little, about how “I didn’t mean to scare him!” “You should talk to her. Maybe apologize?” “Scott.” He shrugged, “Wouldn’t hurt, right? What does she look like anyway?”

“That’s her,” Peter said, nonchalantly motioning toward the group of 3 girls, “The one in the worn out band t-shirt.”

“Okay, it is your civic duty to go and talk to her.” “Vhat?” “You should talk to her. She’s cute and she feels bad for “scaring” you. This is literally a golden ass opportunity for you!” “Are you zure?..” “Uh huh. Now go!” Scott shoved Kurt a little bit in the girl’s direction. She turned away from her friends to see what was going on; Kurt froze, panic ensuing again, but there was a bit of calming relief when she smiled and waved at him.

—

“Hi! You’re the guy from the music store, I’m (Y/N).” “I’m Kurt.”

“Kurt.” (Y/N)’s voice was like an angel’s. He finally understood why Scott loved listening to Jean talk for hours.

“I’m so sorry for frightening you! I thought you saw me and I just feel really bad.” His rail shot up, “Vhat? No, no! It’s fine, really. I’m just not very zocial.” “I still feel guilty. Can I make it up to you somehow?” “Uh, well… Um,” ‘Darn it, Kurt!’ He was struggling to form sentences.

“Willst sie mit mir ausgehen?”

“I… I don’t speak German. I’m sorry.” “Ah! No it’s my fault. I’m just nervous.” “Am I scary?” Kurt shook his head, “No, but ah, you see, I like you... And I was hoping you’d like to go on a date vith me.” “Oh! Yeah, I’d love to!” His face lit up, “Really?” She nodded, “Would you want to see a movie tomorrow night?” “Ja! Does 7pm work?” “Uh huh. Would you wanna see Splash?” Kurt had no idea what that movie was about but he wanted to impress (Y/N). “Zure. I’ll meet you here?” “Yeah! See you then Kurt.”

—

It was almost 7pm and Kurt was nervous. He changed his outfit four different times and was freaking out in a jumbled mixture of German and English.

“Kurt breathe. Just breathe, alright? (Y/N) only speaks English, and she liked you enough to agree to go on a date with you— I’m sure it will go fine.” Kurt nodded, trying to calm himself with Scott’s words.

“Also it’s 6:57.” “AH! I must go! Goodbye!”

BAMF

—

Kurt didn’t see (Y/N), so he went ahead and bought the tickets.

“Boo!” Kurt flinched. “Did I scare you?” He looked at his ‘scarer’ and smiled. “You vish!” She let out a quiet, “Darn it.” “Any- Anyways, I got the tickets. You ready?” “Yeah! Let’s go!”

—

Kurt had some kind of adrenaline rush, Splash was an amazing movie, and he was pretty sure his date with (Y/N) was going fantastic.

“What’d ya think Kurt?” “Oh! I really enjoyed it. I thought Madizon and Allen were a good couple.” “Me too! Tom Hanks is super cute.” Kurt blushed and looked at the ground.

“But I mean… he’s not as cute as you.”  Kurt perked up— tail and all, “You think I’m cute?”

She nodded. “Thank you,” Kurt squeaked.

—

“So… do you have a ride, or…?” Kurt blinked.

“Oh! Right. You teleport. Sorry. I forgot. Which is really rude of me, and— I’m sorry. I’m just nervous, I guess.” “Vhat? Vhy?” “I had a really great time! But I just don’t want it to end or we never end up seeing each other again.”

Kurt nodded. She had a valid point.

Then a light went off in his head, “Can you write your number on the back of my ticket ztub?” “Yeah, yeah!” (Y/N) quickly scribbled her number down, “And… There! You’ll call me, right?” She teased.

Kurt nodded, “Tomorrow. Hopefully.” (Y/N) smiled. “I had a good time Kurt.” “Me too—” She stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Uh, um. Uh…” “I’ll see you soon.” His voice was gone for a moment, like Madison’s in Splash, so he just nodded.

--

“Dr. McCoy, can I use the phone to call zomeone?” “Sure, but long distance calls cost extra. What are you calling someone for?” Kurt fiddled with the ticket stub hidden in his large hand. “I promized (Y/N) I’d call her tomorrow, now today.” Hank smiled, “Sure. There’s a phone in my office you can use.” “Danke zo much!” Kurt hugged the man and disappeared to his office.

--

“Honey, the phone’s ringing! I think it might be that boy you went out with last night!” (Y/N) fell off the couch in shock and ran to the kitchen phone.

“Hello?!” “Iz thiz (Y/N)?” “Yeah! Hi Kurt! How are you?” “I’m great!” “Hey, Blue! Is that (Y/N), your girlfriend?” “Shh Peter!” (Y/N) laughed to herself. Once she heard Kurt usher Peter out, she took that as her queue to talk. “Zorry about him. Peter’s… nozey.” “It’s alright.”   

“Anywayz I was wondering if you’d like to go on another date?” “Yes! I mean, sure. I’d love to.” “Great! I was thinking Wednesday we could go to the park?” “Sounds like fun. I’ll see you Wednesday.” “Bye (Y/N)!” “Bye Kurt!”

—

“Ororo! I need your help!”

—

It may have been March, but when it got dark, it got cold. Which is why (Y/N) brought a coat.

She was heading to the spot she agreed to meet Kurt at.

“Is that? That’s a— Oh my gosh! Kurt?! Is this an ice rink?” “Ya! Come on!” “But I don’t have any skates.” He halted and was at the edge of the rink, “I’ve got zome for you, come on.” She followed him best she could and got to the small bag he had and her skates.

He waited as she put them on and laced them up.

—

“How did you? How did you do all this? The rink closed last week.” “My friend, zhe can, uh, control the veather, and I thought this vould be a fun idea since Allen and Madizon vent skating. I hope you don’t mind—” “You did all this for me?” Kurt nodded, extremely nervous, “Do… Do you like it?” “Kurt I love it! Thank you!” His heart jumped at her reaction. She looked so happy, so full of life— He wanted that. He wanted to make her happy again.

—

Kurt was fidgeting while (Y/N) took off her skates.

“Everything alright?” “Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah.” She smiled, not really buying Kurt’s excuse but she didn’t want to press it.

—

Kurt decided to take (Y/N) home, as she didn’t drive this time.

“Thanks again. For everything.” “Of course.”

(Y/N) stepped onto her front porch, Kurt’s tail wrapped around his leg and squeezed it, to try and help calm some nerves.

“(Y/N)?” “Yeah?” “Vould you… Vould you like to… Vould you like to be my girlfriend?” “Yes! Yes!”

(Y/N) wrapped her arms around him tightly. She could feel him smiling.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, kay?” He mumbled a “Yeah,” and kissed her head.

—

That was four months ago. Kurt and (Y/N) went on many dates since then— more movie dates (obviously), they went swimming, out to eat, they went to the amusement park 30 minutes away from Westchester— he even had dinner with (Y/N) and her mom!

“So when do we get to meet (Y/N)?” “Peter, you’ve met her before. At the mall.“ “Yeah, yeah, when you two first met. But I want to meet her as your girlfriend. There’s a difference!”

“Vell… Zhe’s not a mutant.” “I don’t see what that has to do with anything.” “I don’t think Professor Xavier vould vant a non-mutant here.” “That Moira McTaggart pops in all the time, I’m sure he wouldn’t care. It’s not like she’s going to do something bad to us.” Peter had a compelling argument, it really wouldn’t hurt to ask if (Y/N) could visit the mansion, at least one time.

—

“Well… I don’t know Kurt.” “Please Professor? (Y/N) is one of the most trustworthy people I know.” Charles still wasn’t fully convinced. “It vill be one time. Ve’ve been together for four monthz. It’s only fair zhe getz to meet my friendz.” “Alright. I suppose one afternoon won’t hurt anyone.” “Just have to make sure Erik doesn’t visit,” He mumbled. “Huh?” “It was nothing, Kurt.” “Alright, Professor. I’ll zee you around.”

—

“Zoooooooo maybe I’ve got good newz,” Kurt said, twirling the phone cord with his hand. “Which is..?” “You free right now? For the next few hourz?” “Yeah, why?” “I’m coming over.” “Alright.”

And before (Y/N) could even hang up the phone, Kurt was already in her home.

“Hallo engel.” “Kurt!” She jumped up hugged him. “So what’s this ‘good news’ of yours?” “The Professor zaid you come over.” “Like, right now?” He nodded. “What?! Oh geez! I need to get changed. I want to make a good first impression.“ “(Y/N), they’ll love you no matter vhat. You don’t need to ‘dress to impress’ az Jubilee vould zay.” “Are you sure?” He nodded and held her hand giving it a gentle squeeze.   

—

BAMF

You were both suddenly somewhere else. ‘This must be Xavier’s. It’s huge!’ “This is a school?” “Ja! Crazy isn’t it?” “Definitely.” “Come on! My friendz really vant to meet you.”

Kurt led her to some sort of entertainment or living room where the young X-Men were gathered.

“Uh, hi.” (Y/N) nervously waved her hand. “Oh my gosh! Hi! I’m Jubilee. Kurt talks about you all the time.” Kurt blushed and sheepishly grinned, “Zhe’s not vrong.” (Y/N) lightly laughed, “That’s cool. He talks about you guys too. “What does he say about us?” A silver-haired boy asked. “Good things. You guys are really cool and brave, doing what you do. I could never do it.” “It’s hard but it’s the right thing to do.”

(Y/N) got to learn more about Kurt and his friends, and she loved them. Jubilee had already tried to plan a girl’s night with her, Ororo, and Jean. Peter and Scott tried to pry for silly details of their relationship, but (Y/N) didn’t cave claiming, “If you have to ask I don’t think I should share.”

That Saturday was one she would never forget.

Charles, however, didn’t really want (Y/N) around much, since she wasn’t a mutant. So she made do with hanging out with the whole group outside of the stuffy(ish) mansion.

—

“(Y/N)’s been acting differently.” “Hmm?” “I mean I don’t know her well as you do, but she seems more quiet and tired. Everything okay?” Kurt pondered for a moment. She was more quiet and tired, but she said it’s because she had some big tests coming up and her mom wanted her to look for a job.

“I think zo. Zhe’s just vorried about zchool and her mom wantz her to get a job.” “Oh.” Scott wanted to slap himself, people got stressed and tired— that was normal. Why did he even care anyway?

—

“What if she’s cheating on him or something?” Peter and Warren both stared at him. “Dude, that’s crazy. Kurt’s a great guy. Why would (Y/N) cheat?” “I dunno. I think she’s hiding something.” Peter blinked and had confusion on his face; “You have no evidence of anything. Don’t go prying around for it either. Trust me, it will do you better if you don’t meddle with other people’s relationships.” Peter seemed like his speech was based on something else, but Scott didn’t pry further.

—

The phone in the kitchen was ringing. Scott picked up, “Hello this is Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters. How can I help you?” “Um, Scott?” It was (Y/N), she sounded nervous. “Hey, (Y/N). Do you want me to get Kurt? He’s in the library—“ “No! No. Don’t get him. Can… Can you come to pick me up?” ‘Weird request, but okay.’ “Sure. Where are you?” “I’m at school.”

—

She was waiting outside for him. Scott pulled up and he was going to get out, but she ran to the car before he could.

“Thank you so much for doing this. I wouldn’t have asked unless it was a total emergency and it was.” Scott looked at (Y/N) through the rearview mirror, “Everything Alright?”  “Not… Not exactly.”

Scott sighed, ‘Jesus this is just like the car ride I had with Alex when he first took me to Xavier’s.’

“What happened?” “Promise you won’t tell Kurt? I don’t want him to know. Not yet anyway.” “Okay…”

“I broke a kid’s nose.” 

“What?” “I punched this girl— I didn’t mean to break her nose and I didn’t want to hit her! But she’s been really rude to me, and I can handle that, but she said stuff about Kurt…” (Y/N) got quiet. “Are you getting bullied for dating Kurt?” “Kind of. This isn’t the first time I’ve fought back either. It’s just— they deserve it. Kurt’s a sweetheart who wouldn’t hurt a fly! Sure he’s ‘different’, but that doesn’t give people the right to be rude. Not to mention I’m the one getting in trouble for it! My fucking counselor said maybe I should break up with him since he’s “causing issues between me and my peers.” It’s not right.”

Scott peered back at her at the stoplight. She was crying. “Do you want me to take you home?” “N-no— I dunno, I got suspended for two days, and my mom doesn’t know because she’s currently out of town.” Scott sighed, “Look, we have to go to the mansion. I don’t know how else to fix this.” “But—” “I know. You don’t wanna worry Kurt about this yet. Trust me, I get that, but we have to do something. You may not even run into him while we’re here. It’s a big building.”

—

“Professor I’m so sorry about all this.” “Nonsense. This isn’t the worst trouble a student has ever gotten into.” “Maybe for other kids, but I don’t really get into trouble!” “Everything’s going to be alright, (Y/N). Okay?” She nodded, trying not to cry. “Good. I’m going to contact your mother and tell her what happened.”  

“I’ll make sure she won’t kill you, no need to worry.” “Thank you so much, Professor.”

—

Kurt heard (Y/N) came into the mansion with Scott and went straight to Xavier’s office.

So, like any concerned boyfriend, he waited outside Xavier’s office for her.

“Is everything alright?” (Y/N) looked extremely nervous and startled. “It will be. But for now, (Y/N) is allowed to come here whenever she likes.” “Really?!” “Within reason and before curfew.” “Thank you zo much, Professor!” “But I—” “Talk it out with him. He won’t be mad.” (Y/N) nodded and Charles wheeled off.

—

“Iz everything alright?” “I punched a kid in your honor, and even though it’s not what you’d want me to do, I did it anyway.” “Vhat? Vhy?” “I’ve been getting bullied for dating you, and some kid said some pretty mean and untrue stuff about you. So… So I punched them and broke their nose.” Kurt’s face was wide-eyed.

“Hey, hey. It’s gonna be okay. I love you, and those kids are just assholes. Alright?” He didn’t say anything; instead, he just hugged her tightly.

[loopyhoopywrites]

Departments and Dragons

Months ago, @kindaresilient mentioned wanting more Malec Office/Corporate AUs. This is 100% not what you asked for, but I hope you like it anyway, because you deserve all the nice things. The setting is completely stolen from The Portable Door by Tom Holt, so don’t blame me if it makes zero sense.

Read on AO3.

Contrary to popular belief, Alec’s job as head of Pest Control was 90% paperwork.

Also contrary to popular belief, paperwork was the part of his job Alec enjoyed the most. There was a strange sort of thrill that came from correctly filling out a QW-1627M form for the acquisition of an eighteenth century lance, or finding the perfect wording for his post-business trip report justifying the use of noxious gas in a public area, or signing his name on an eviction warrant so airtight the stock markets would be safe for the next thousand years. To everyone else, the never-ending paperwork was a necessary evil. To Alec, it was quiet, orderly, and the sort of mental challenge that kept his mind as sharp as the weaponry he’d just successfully obtained.

The other 10% of his job was a wholly different sort of challenge.

“The dragon give you trouble?”

“No.” Alec replied, face blank as he stood smouldering in the foyer. “The dragon was fine. Her mate wasn’t too happy with me though.”

Safely behind the reception desk, Maia winced, but Alec wasn’t finished.

“Neither were their six children.”

Maia’s eyebrows shot up, and her hands flew to cover her mouth. Her shock would have been more convincing had Alec not been able to hear her sniggers from the other side of the room.

“That would explain the…”

“Dragon guts?” Alec provided in response to the hand waved in his general direction. A large glob of green slime detached itself from his elbow and oozed its way to the floor. The rest stayed stubbornly attached to his body.

“Gross.”

Alec shrugged, then immediately regretted it as the movement caused a string of slime that had been nestled in his hair to fall into his ear. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes, and breathed.

“Tell the bank to expect an invoice within the next few days.” He said, without opening his eyes. “And tell them I’m charging them triple.”

“Triple? Isn’t that a little harsh?”

“Six. Baby. Dragons.” Alec hissed, eyes snapping open. Usually, he would consider himself a fairly patient person. He had to be, working for this company, but right now he’d just spent five hours removing a family of very angry dragons from a pile of money they’d claimed as their hoard but the bank was pretty keen to have back, he was covered in the remains of said dragons, and he was fairly sure his favourite leather jacket was still on fire.

“Triple it is.” Maia said quickly, giving Alec a double thumbs up and then wondering why she’d thought that would be a good idea. Alec just rolled his eyes.

“I’m going to shower.” He said. “And then-”

“Paperwork.” Maia chorused along with him, laughing as Alec glared at her. “You’re nothing if not predictable, Lightwood. Now go, you’re scaring off our clients.”

Grumbling, Alec did as he was told, leaving a trail of green ooze behind him as he made his way to the elevators. Maia scrunched up her nose in disgust, turning back to her computer to fire off an email to the cleaning crew, when something suddenly occurred to her.

“Alec!” She called, spinning back around just in time to see the elevator doors close. For a moment she considered calling Alec’s mobile, but by the time she’d dialled the number he’d be stepping into his office, and it would be too late.

Nothing I can do about it now, she thought as she returned to her emails, although what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall.

                                                        * * * * *

 Alec stepped into his office with a sigh, dropping his still smoking jacket into the incinerator by the door and making a mental note to add it to his expenses. His shirt quickly followed, and Alec made a half-hearted attempt to wipe off the globs of slime that had somehow soaked through his layers before giving up and reaching for the zipper of his jeans.

“Maybe save that for our second date, daring.”

Alec jumped, instinct taking over as he grabbed his sword out of the umbrella stand and spun to face the intruder. A man was sat in the high-backed chair behind his desk, raising both his arms and an eyebrow as he took in the sight of Alec; half naked and dripping with foul-smelling ooze. Alec stared back, wondering what he’d managed to do to piss off the universe this badly.

Because the man was gorgeous. Alec was suddenly all too aware of his own appearance, and briefly wondered if it was too late to run and hide in the bathroom. Any inclination to flee was quickly overtaken though, by thoughts that were significantly more important. Like I wonder if he likes Italian food or how soon is too soon to ask him on a date or, most importantly, does his lipstick taste as good as it looks? He didn’t say any of that aloud, however.

What he actually said instead was,

“Who the hell are you?”

“Magnus Bane.” The man said, seemingly unoffended by Alec’s tone as he stood, rounding the desk and stopping a safe distance away. “I’d shake your hand, but, well.”

“Dragons.” Alec explained automatically, running a hand through his hair without thinking. A small stream of slime seemed to object to this, and decided to slide its way into his eye.

“What are you doing in my office?” Asked Alec, trying to subtly blink the slime from his eye without crying. He wasn’t convinced he was successful.

“I was informed we had a meeting arranged.” Magnus replied, ignoring the fact the Alec’s idea of subtlety looked a little like having a seizure, “That is, assuming you are Alexander Lightwood, head of the Pest Control department?”

“I, um, yes?”

Silently, Alec groaned, and gave himself a mental slap around the head.

“Yes.” He repeated, managing not to make it sound like a question this time, “Although everyone calls me Alec.”

“Pleasure.” Magnus replied, “I’ve been told we’ll be working together rather frequently, and I can’t say I’m disappointed.”

“Right.” Said Alec, confused about a) why they would be working together, and b) the fact that Magnus appeared to be flirting with him. Quickly dismissing the second point, he decided to focus on clearing up the first.

“What exactly do you do around here?”

“My apologies,” Magnus said, “I’m the new head of PR.”

“Oh.” Said Alec, “That’s… nice.”

Alec had never been a fan of the PR department. He couldn’t deny the need for it, goodness knows how much terror would erupt if it was up to Alec’s people skills to tactfully inform a bank manager that a dragon had adopted their vaults as its new hoard, but interactions with PR always made Alec slightly uncomfortable. The department’s main income came from its clients; more money than sense celebrities wanting glamours that would make them appear more charismatic, more intelligent, more beautiful, or all three. Usually the latter. Those who worked at PR were experts at illusion magic, and consequently Alec could never trust that was he was seeing was actually the truth.

In Magnus’ case though, he couldn’t quite bring himself to mind.

“As much as I’m enjoying the view,” Magnus said, finally realising Alec didn’t plan on expanding his earlier comment, “I suspect you’re enjoying this whole situation rather less than I am. Shall I suggest we rearrange this meeting to a time more suitable?”

“I- yeah.” Alec stammered, having somehow forgotten his state of undress, “I’m free tomorrow morning, if that works for you?” He suggested, before a fit of confidence had him adding, “We could go out for coffee?”

“I love coffee.” Magnus replied, smiling, “There’s a place on the corner I’ve been dying to try. Shall we say nine?”

Alec nodded, and Magnus’ smile grew even wider.

“In that case, darling, I shall see you tomorrow.”

Magnus nodded a goodbye, and headed for the door. Alec watched him leave, waiting until he’d disappeared down the corridor before giving in and burying his head in his still ooze-covered hands.

“Oh, and Alexander?”

Alec’s head snapped back up, finding Magnus grinning as he peered around Alec’s doorway.

“Feel free to forgo the shirt again tomorrow.”

A wink, and Magnus was gone. Alec waited, but his doorway remained empty, leaving Alec with nothing but flushed cheeks and the conviction that yes.

Magnus had definitely been flirting with him.

[amazingmsme]

The Spider’s Out of the Bag

So this fic’s been done for months but it was back when this shitty ass hellsite made the new rule about mobile posts being a certain length, and this was back when I posted on mobile. I originally planned on posting it in three parts because of this, but after the first part didn’t receive the feedback I was hoping for, I forgot about it. Well, here it is in its entirety. 

Peter hadn't been getting much sleep and it was starting to show. He was always run down, which resulted in him being less than his normal cheery self. He was probably only averaging three to four hours of sleep a night.

"Dude, when's the last time you had a full night's rest?" Ned asked, slowly spinning on the computer chair. Peter looked up at him, shrugging, "I've been running on Five Hour Energy all day, no stopping now." Ned simply stared at his friend, not really knowing what to say. "What?"

"Peter, that's not good. That stuff isn't just supposed to be chugged like it's water, you need sleep." Peter made a face, hanging upside down from his bunk bed and crossing his arms.

"I can't! I have so much school work and Avengers training, and that's not even counting when I'm working in the city. And when I get in bed I usually still have all that adrenaline in my system, so it's hard to fall asleep."

"Are you tired right now? I can try and help you fall asleep 'cause you look like you're about to drop dead." Peter scoffed, "Is it that bad?"

"You know you're my best friend and I would never say anything to personally offend you, but you look like pure shit. Like, it literally looks like someone took an ice cream scooper and dug the circles out from under your eyes." Peter couldn't help but to smirk at his friend's description. "Anything else?"

"Your hair's constantly messy because you keep running your hands through it like a depressed middle aged suburban mom."

"That's oddly specific. How many depressed middle aged suburban mothers do you know?"

"More than you would think," he said, staring off in the distance as though he was having war flashbacks. He blinked hard, coming back to reality. "But seriously, is there anything I could do to help out, maybe help you relax, I could make you some tea..."

"Ned, I'm fine, you don't have to do anything. Buuuut-" he began to grin, something coming to his mind. "But what?" Ned prompted, hoping for an answer. "Buuuuut a massage would be nice," he said, tilting his head & batting his eyes. Peter climbed down from the bunk and laid down, letting his friend knead into the muscle. Peter practically melted underneath the touch.

"Oh man, I almost forgot how good it feels to just relax." he said, sighing contently. "How hard is Mr. Stark pushing you?" Ned asked, concern clear in his voice.

"He's not really pushing me that hard. It's more myself forcing me to do my best," he admitted. "Once I get going, I just, don't know how to stop." Ned was about to reply when suddenly Peter jerked away from his hand as if it was a hot rod. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Peter shook his head, "No, no I'm fine." Ned nodded and continued rubbing his back, but couldn't help but notice how he flinched away yet again. It all began to click and Ned couldn't hold back his grin, "I think I know of a way to make you tired." Before he could question him, he began squeezing up and down his sides, throwing him into hysterics.

"Nehehehed, whahahat are you dohohoing?" Peter managed to say through his laughter, his friend not stopping his work.

"I'm trying to tire you out. If you don't have any energy, you can't stay awake. This is for your own good Peter," he spoke, trying to remain serious but ultimately failed upon hearing his bright infectious laughter. He worked his fingers underneath his arms, lightly scratching at the hollows, making Peter erupt into screams and pleads.

"I'll tell you what Peter, let's make a deal. I'll stop if you finally get some rest. Deal?"

"Deheheal! Deal!" Ned stopped and helped him into a sitting position. Ned looked at him, "Do you think you can get some sleep?" Peter chuckled, "After that I might. My neck's still a bit sore though." Ned was about to offer to help but Peter cut him off, "No. If you think I'd let you help after pulling something like that you're sadly mistaken."

He grinned at him, "Alright, that's understandable. But I hope you know I plan on using this against you." He let out a groan, flopping face first into his pillows, his voice muffled, "You suck."

He gave a sly grin and shrugged even though he couldn't see him. "I'm just doing what's best for my friend."

Peter couldn't help but to smile into his blankets. Maybe this wasn't so bad.

~~~~

Peter had been having frequent study sessions with MJ ever since she had become captain and they started talking more. He refused to call it a study "date" since he was sure Michelle didn't like him(or anyone for that matter) like that.

"How much salt is in the average adult human body?" MJ asked, hiding the answer from Peter whilst waiting for his response.

"Easy, 250 grams," he said without even looking up. She nodded her approval, "Correct. Next question: In Blake's poem, the phrase, "unbuckled was the shield," is an example of-"

"Inverted syntax. C'mon MJ I thought you said you had tough questions for me," he smirked, looking up to meet her gaze. Before she could respond with what he was sure would be a smart remark, an alarm went off on his phone.

"What's that for?" she asked, craning her neck to look at the screen.

"Oh, uh, that's just my alarm," he said, silencing it. "This is usually the time I do my workout." She scoffed, looking him up and down, "You workout?" He nodded, "Mhm." He stood there awkwardly, not sure of what to do with himself. "Uh, would you mind if I do some stuff while we study? I won't get distracted I swear," he promised, knowing she wanted him to focus on the material. "I guess," she shrugged and he made his way to his bunk, hanging upside down and beginning to do sit ups.

"Exercise disgusts me," she said, turning her head away to look back at the flash cards. After answering a few questions and doing 100 sit ups, he climbed back down, sitting on his knees. Michelle looked up at him, noticing how he hadn't even broken a sweat. He looked around awkwardly, "Uh, would you mind sitting on my back?"

"What?"

"Like for extra weight an' stuff."

She tilted her head back, looking at him. "Are you calling me fat?" His eyes flew wide open, and he stuttered over his words, worried that he had offended her and trying to correct his mistake, "No! Absolutely not, I'd never say that about any girl and-"

"It's okay, I was just fucking with you," she waved her hand dismissively, smiling at him. He chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "So... will you?"

"Oh, you were actually serious? Um, okay." Peter laid on his stomach and waited for MJ to climb on his back. Once she did, he asked, "Can you grab a few textbooks and hold them in your lap?" She nodded, reaching over and getting the biggest ones she could find. "You sure you can answer questions while doing push-ups?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I can barely do push-ups even without having to do math," MJ said, playing with the index cards in her hand. Peter smirked to himself, pushing himself up. His arms shook in an exaggerated manner as he faked a lack of strength. "If it's that hard for you Peter I can get off," she supplied, buying his act.

"Nah, I'm good," he said, suddenly able to do perfect push-ups. MJ, shocked at the quick change of pace, placed her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. "Can you start a timer for 10 minutes?" he asked, " And read some more questions?" She complied, setting up her phone timer and reading him questions that he easily answered. She let out a sigh, placing her head in her hands. Sitting on someone constantly moving up and down isn't exactly fun, even when studying.

"Just how many push-ups can you do?" Peter paused for a second before continuing, "Don't know. I get too distracted to keep track, so I just set up a timer."

"I bet you've already done a thousand."

"Probably."

"Are you even tired?" She'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little bit impressed, but no one needs to know. He shook his head, "Not really."

"What are you, steel?" she joked, poking his side. He let out a laugh that he tried to disguise as a scoff, "Noho, I'm completely human," he defended himself. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by MJ however. When he pushed himself up once more, she let herself fall forward, using Peter to brace herself. Her hands gently clasped his sides, and her fingers curled underneath his arms. He let out a small gasp, trying to cover it with a huff of air. "You okay Peter?" she asked, fully aware of what she had done. He nodded and swallowed thickly, "Yeah."

When he tried again, MJ's fingers were back on his body, this time with more intent. Peter struggled to keep himself from falling to the floor, "MJ whahahat are you dohohoing?" he cried through his laughter.

"Why didn't you tell me you were ticklish?" she asked, ignoring his question.

"Ihihit's not exactly aha normal conversation to hahave," he managed to say. She tweaked his ribs, eliciting a squeak. "But we're friends, and friends don't keep things from each other, riiiight Peter?" He shook his head back and forth, trying to escape her maddening touch. "No? What other secrets are you hiding Peter?" she teased, scribbling her nails over the back of his neck.

"AH! MJ nohohoho," he giggled, and fell to the floor, MJ easily pinning him beneath her body. She grinned down at him from her position up above, "I wonder if you can answer questions while I tickle you mercilessly," she pondered aloud, an evil glint in her eyes.

"Youhu don't have to do this!" he pleaded, already laughing from the anticipation.

"Yes I do," she said, eying him like a lion looking over its prey. "If you tell me where you're most ticklish I'll go easy on you. Maybe."

"Whahat? Nohoho," he protested, trying to squirm away. MJ tilted her head quizzically, "No? Oh well, more fun for me," she shrugged and set to work, scratching her nails along his sides dragging out a loud screech.

"How about you answer five questions correctly and I'll stop."

"Thahahat's mehehean!"

"Thank you. I can't let people think I'm actually nice."

"MJ plehehehease!" She rolled her eyes, scratching her nails across the muscles on his stomach, "Oh alright, one question. But you have to get it right." She moved down, digging her thumbs into the hip bone causing him to buck violently.

"Do you like me?" she asked, hoping he was too out of his mind to read too much into the question. Ned had been their messenger back and forth and told her to come clean or he would do it for her, and she just couldn't do that. So she took matters into her own hands, quite literally.

"Yehehes okay?"

She stopped, somewhat in shock, and looked down at him. "You- did you hear what I said?" He nodded, panting and trying to catch his breath. "You ahasked if I liked you."

"You do know I meant more than a friend, don't you?" His cheeks turned a bright shade of red and he looked down, "I had hoped that's what you meant."

Without thinking MJ leaned forward and shoved their lips together in a kiss, leaving both of them in a blissful state for the rest of the night.

~~~~

If someone had told Peter that his hero and role model would become close to him he would've called them crazy, yet here he was. Sure they weren't the closest, but they were getting closer with each mission and training session they had together, and Tony even invited him to just hang out on more than one occasion. Like now.

Peter didn't know what to expect when he received a text from Tony asking what he was doing after patrol. He honestly thought he was going on another mission, but when Tony told him he just wanted to talk and check in with him, he was pleasantly surprised. When the fancy sports car came to pick him up, he couldn't help but smile to himself. It always made him feel a little special getting to ride in such luxury, seeing as he never before had the chance to. He let his grin grow wider once he saw Tony in the backseat waiting for him.

It had taken him a while to feel comfortable enough around Tony to not be nervous all the time, but he had finally learned to relax a little. It still took him a few minutes to adjust to his presence, so he was still a little tense in the car. He relaxed a bit once they reached the compound. Peter's stomach growled loudly as they walked down the hall.

"Hungry?" Tony asked, seemingly amused.

"Uh, yeah," Peter answered a bit sheepishly.

"That's okay, we have food in the kitchen. But I won't make you anything, you're old enough to fend for yourself," Tony said with a smirk, ruffling his hair. Peter chuckled, smoothing it back down, "I think I can manage without you."

"Don't forget who gave you the suit kid," Tony said with a jab to his side. Peter yelped and jumped away, earning a side look from Tony. It didn't take long for him to realized what happened and he smirked, poking him again, "Ticklish?"

"N-no," Peter stuttered, trying to subtly take a step back. "Remember what I said about lying to me," he said in a jokingly stern voice.

"I-it's not a lie!"

"Really? 'Cause that squeak says otherwise," he teased and Peter's head snapped towards him. "I didn't squeak!" His voice came out an octave higher than he would've liked it to. Tony gave him a kind smile and patted his shoulder, "Relax, it's fine. Between you and me I once heard Thor shriek like a banshee." Peter couldn't help the way his face lit up with amusement when he heard that, "Really?"

Tony nodded, "Oh yeah. But don't tell him I told you, he'd probably kill me." Peter made the universal signal for sealing his lips. "And feel free to help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. Oh, and one more thing," he started and Peter turned his attention towards him. "Hm?"

"If you tell him I told you, don't think I don't know how to get you back," Tony said with a mischievous smile as he wiggled his fingers in his direction. Peter's face burned a bright red as Tony chuckled.

"You're never gonna let me live that down are you?"

Tony's smile was blinding, "Nope."

Peter groaned as he opened the fridge. He swore these people were going to be the death of him.

[finn-nelson-for-the-win]

The Good Life: Chapter 3

Hello, my lovelies! This chapter has been sitting nearly-finished for well over a week now, but the last two weeks for me have been absolute shit and it’s been hard enough keeping up with daily life and what’s going on in the real world, let alone finding time to edit this chapter and/or post regularly, so please forgive me! This story is just starting to pick up and work closer towards all the fun stuff we’ve all been waiting for, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Need to get caught up? The Good Life: Ch1 and Ch2

If you want to be added (or removed) from the tags list for this story, just feel free to let me know!

@pink-royaute @believethaticanandiwill @milllott @likeashootingstarfades @i-dream-of-emus

The Good Life: Chapter 3

Rae logged off of her computer and waited for it to shut off before standing up from her desk chair and stretching her legs after having been sitting down at work for most of the day.

“So, any fun plans for the weekend?” Rae asked.

“Yes, actually!” Anna replied, “I’m meeting a group of people at the pub for drinks once everyone gets off work in a couple hours.”

“Oh! That should be fun!”

“You’re totally welcome to join us as well, if you’d like. It’s gonna be a bunch of people from work and I think most people are bringing other friends or their significant others and stuff, so you’d be more than welcome too!”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m already running late for my dinner plans as it is.”

“Rae Earl...do you have a date tonight? Who is the lucky boy...or girl, I don’t judge, I promise!”

“It’s not a date,” Rae laughed as the pair walked towards the staircase and began walking down to the ground level, “I’m meeting up with my friend that I’m going to be roommates with once I move out of my current apartment. We’ve been trying to meet up for a week in order to discuss all the logistics of our little arrangement.”

“Oh, damn...I was really hoping you had a date tonight. I can’t even recall the last time you went out on a date, Rae!”

“Excuse you! I go on plenty of dates, Anna, I don’t need your pity!”

“When was the last date you went on?” Anna asked in challenge as she held the door of the building open for her coworker.

“Uh...I think it was, like...whatever, I don’t need to justify myself to you! I’m just glad I finally found a roommate!”

“Alright, I’ll drop the dating topic for now. But as soon as you get your new living situation sorted, operation ‘get Rae a date or at least get her laid’ begins!”

“Ugh, you are simply incorrigible,” Rae replied with an eye roll, “Have fun at the pub and if Calvin tries to climb on the table and serenade Ronnie again, make sure that you get it on video and send it to me, alright?”

“Will do! Have fun discussing apartment stuff and being a boring adult!” Anna replied with a wink as she walked a bit further in the parking lot towards where she had parked.

Rae pulled out her cell phone as she climbed into her car and send a quick text apologizing for running late and letting Finn know that she was on her way before starting the car and driving to their agreed upon meeting location.

When Rae arrived at the restaurant, she could see Finn sitting alone in a booth on the far side of the restaurant, looking visibly uncomfortable with whatever the waitress was saying to him.

“Hiya! Sorry I’m late,” Rae replied with a huff as she sat on the opposite side of the booth facing Finn.

“Rae! You made it!” Finn replied with a visibly relieved smile as some of the tension in his shoulders dissipated.

“I’ll just give you two a moment to look over the menus and then I’ll come back,” the waitress replied curtly as she glanced at Rae before walking away from the table.

“I’m ten minutes late and you’re already chatting up other girls and trying to replace me, huh?” Rae joked as she took a sip of the water that Finn must have ordered for her before she arrived.

“Hardly,” Finn chuckled humorlessly, “She’s been talking to me about how she is sure that she knows me from somewhere but she can’t quite place where since before you texted me that you were on your way. You quite literally saved me from having to continue that conversation out of politeness for another minute.”

Rae chuckled as she picked up her menu and casually flipped through the pages.

“I’ve never been here before,” Rae said when she looked up from her menu and noticed Finn had not been looking at his own menu, “What do you normally get here?”

“I dunno. I don’t go here often, since it’s a bit classier of a place than I tend to frequent,” Finn muttered as he glanced around at the other patrons who were dressed business casual and sipping glasses of wine before looking down at his own more casual clothing, “but it seemed like the kind of place where we could hang out for a while and actually hear each other while we talk.”

“I agree, it’s nice and quiet here...sort of intimate and cozy, I guess, but I like it.”

“I’ve heard great things about their pizzas, so I was considering getting one,” Finn said as he opened his menu to the page listing their pizzas, “We can share a pizza, if you’d like, but I don’t know what toppings you’d want on it.”

“That sounds good to me. I trust your judgement and I’m sure whatever toppings you choose will be fine, so just surprise me!”

When the waitress came by, Finn placed the order for their pizza and the waitress left promptly to put in the order.

“So... I guess we’re roommates now or something, huh?”

“Looks like it, yeah, unless you’ve realized your mistake and want to change your mind.” Finn agreed with a small smile.

“You couldn’t be so lucky,” Rae replied, “Though I’m not sure how to feel about the gang’s reaction to us becoming roommates.”

“Well, I’ve talked to Archie since then and he said that he was worried about us moving in together because he mentioned that moving in with close friends doesn’t always work out or something. Like it can either work out really well or really badly but you won’t know until you’ve already committed. And I’m sure that Chloe was just looking out for ya and being over protective because you’re her best mate.”

“That makes sense. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t too certain about being roommates when you first brought it up, but now that I’ve had some time to think it over, I have a really good feeling this.” Rae said with a smile as she reached for her glass of water to take a sip.

“I’m glad. So, we have a lot of apartment and roommate related things to discuss, don’t we?”

“Yeah, we do. I have my laptop with me so we can look into some places online if you want to, but we should first sort out some of the logistics and stuff, yeah?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ve never looked for an apartment too seriously before, so I don’t completely know what I’m doing, but I’m sure we can figure this out.”

“This is my fourth time apartment hunting, so I know the drill!”

“Fourth time? Oh wow! I’m in the midst of a professional, it seems,” Finn joked.

“Damn right you are!” Rae added with a chuckle, “Back to the task at hand, move-in dates for the apartment. What are you thinking?”

“Well doesn’t your current lease end really soon?”

“In about a month, yeah, but I can always couch hop for a while if need be,”

“I don’t want you to have to do that. I’m ready to move in as soon as we find a place or whatever dates work best for you.”

“Alright...and just to be sure, you’re alright with splitting all our shared bills evenly, right?”

“Of course!”

“Good, just checking. I’ve had roommates before that weren’t so eager to pay their share.”

“That’s bullshit. I’m more than willing to pay my half of all the bills in addition to helping with any furniture or nonessential stuff that we may want.”

“God, you’re already one of the best roommates I’ve ever had!” Rae joked.

One of the other waitresses brought their pizza to the table and Rae and Finn continued discussing some of the basic information they needed to cover while eating, pleasantly surprised at how well-deserved the praise about the pizzas at this restaurant was.

When they finished eating and their plates had been cleared from the table, Rae pulled her laptop from her purse and powered it on.

“Do ya mind if I sit on the booth next to you so I can see what you’re looking at on your laptop as well?”

“Not at all. Come on over!” Rae replied as she slid further into the booth and angled her laptop so Finn would be able to see it as well.

Finn sat down beside Rae and scooted closer to her so he could look over her shoulder to get a better look at what was on the screen of her laptop in front of her.

“So what are some of your apartment deal breakers or things that you’d like it to have?” Rae asked once she had pulled up one of her favorite apartment hunting websites.

“Er, I don’t know. Suppose I never really thought about it,” Finn mumbled.

“Well, we know we’re looking for a two-bedroom two-bathroom, right? Close to the city...in range of our combined budget...that covers all the basics. What cool features would you like?” Rae asked as she entered those criteria into the apartment search options.

“Uh, a nice kitchen?”

“Do you cook a lot?” Rae asked with a slight tone of surprise in her voice.

“No, well not really, but I know that you do...”

“Oh! Well, you’re not wrong. I’ll add ‘nice kitchen’ to our wish list! I would also like to have some type of a balcony or patio area, if possible. Is that alright?”

“Of course, Rae, I want you to have a say in the apartment you’ll be living in as well. I’m putting my complete faith in your ability to find a decent apartment for us.”

“Challenge accepted,” she replied with a small smile, “I think we have a few decent options that we can look into more. Are you free this weekend to go tour a couple of these available apartments together or would you prefer that we each do that on our own time?”

“We can do it together,” Finn replied eagerly, “I’ll free up my weekend so we can go do this!”

“Okay, perfect! I don’t know about you, but I’m really starting to get excited about living together!”

“It’s not just you,” Finn replied with his signature crooked smile, “how about a celebratory drink to being roommates and making progress to getting an apartment together? My treat...”

“Trying to win my heart with offers of free booze? This whole ‘roommate’ thing might work out even better than I thought!” Rae joked as Finn left the table with a laugh to place their drink order at the bar on the other side of the restaurant.

A/N: I wanted to get to the last of the boring stuff in this chapter so in Chapter 4 we could jump right into the fun of Finn and Rae being roommates, but I thought it made this chapter drag on too long and there was too much skipping around and I didn’t like the way it changed the flow of the chapter, so I’ve decided to prolong the plot building for at least one more chapter after this. In the grand scheme of the story as a whole, I can assure you that 4 plot building chapters will seem pretty insignificant, since this story is gonna be a long one haha.

I feel like I always say this, but whenever y’all reply to the stories/chapters I post or add commentary, it makes my day and gives me such an ego boost, so I can never thank all of you enough.

With that being said, the winner for “Best Comment” on the last chapter is:

I didn’t even make the connection between that vine and this story, but when I saw this reply I laughed and showed my roommate (oh yeah, did I mention that this story is inspired by my irl roommate right now? Because yeah, it sort of is, lol).

Life has been super rough on me these past couple weeks and it seems that as soon as I’m able to move past something bad that happened to me, something else bad happens and things keep getting worse...but I’m trying to get a grip on my life again and trying to come back to some baseline level of shitty-ness in life that is manageable, so even though I missed posting a chapter last week, I’m gonna try to get back to my weekly posting or something similar.

Enough of Sarah rambling about stuff no one cares about...Until next time: Stay awesome, my friends! :)

[this-is-rina]

Just “Networking”|| Noah Centineo Imagine

Hi everyone!  It’s been a very long time since I wrote on Tumblr and my first time writing on this blog. The last time I wrote on a personal blog was for One Direction when I was in high school (Ack!).  I did not like posting my writing to my personal and made many blogs for my writing (I wonder how many of you will recognize my style :O)  I vowed I would never write on a personal blog again...then I saw a few interviews with Noah Centineo. He has such an interesting personality for an actor and I was inspired to write a story about him. 

It’s gonna be a long one, so I’ll put it under a read more for all my fellow silent scrollers.  However, I’ll leave the synopsis up top so you know if you’re interested!

~Rina xoxo

Plot:  You are an aspiring screenwriter who currently manages a computer repair store in Hollywood with your stepbrother, Xavier, an aspiring composer.  By chance, you meet Noah Centineo in a coffee shop.  Not recognizing him at first, you think nothing about your acquaintance, until Xavier realizes that Noah could be both of your tickets to fame. Suddenly, your writing has a real chance, and that appeals to you, just a much as getting an adorable and kind boyfriend in Noah. However, you highly doubts Noah would agree.  But, what if he doesn’t know? 

You were running late...which was kind of the usual lately.  Ever since you moved out of your brother’s apartment, you had yet to come to work on time.  Xavier, who was technically your stepbrother, but you only made the distinction when you did not want to be associated with him, used it as proof that you couldn’t take care of yourself. However, you both knew that you were one of the most responsible people either of you knew, as long as you followed the schedule you programmed in your phone.

You dashed through the double doors of the computer repair shop, panting.  Xavier shook his head with a “Tsk, tsk, tsk,” as he watched you stash your stuff in the back and run behind the counter.

“You know you’re late, right?” Xavier emphasized. “So, you know what that means...”

“Oh come on!” You complained, smoothing your hair to make it more into your usual style.  “You totally came in early because you know I’m still getting used to the commute.”

“And?” Xavier questioned, “A deal is a deal, kiddo. The last person in buys everyone coffee.”

“Ugh, you only came up with that rule to spite me for moving out.” You complained.  “We should not even be wasting money on coffee when we could just make it at home.”

“Don’t forget my whip,” Xavier said as he tended to a fried PC.  That was your signal that the conversation was over.

“That’s not healthy...” You muttered as you went into the back room to fish out your wallet.  “What would your mother say?”

“That you should be on time to work!” He retorted and you rolled your eyes as you walked to the coffee shop across the street.

You and Xavier were pretty close, when you weren’t fighting over lateness.  Your dad married his mom when you were both around 13 years of age.  Both of you lost a parent young, and were only children until meeting each other. Your Brady Bunch family came together well, and you two grew closely together.  

Xavier was the first to decide he wanted to do showbiz.  He would practice piano and guitar daily, writing new tunes for his performance at the local bookstore talent show ever week.  You were more quiet about your aspirations as a writer, but he broke you out of your shell after college.  While you both studied computer science, you both also also concentrated in your passions, English Language and Music respectively.  You both moved to LA and through a series of lucky breaks and connections were able to manage a computer repair shop.  You hoped that by being in Hollywood you could hone your craft and make your dreams come true.

For now, you settled for fixing broken computers and fetching your brother’s coffee. At least you could buy a chai for yourself to relax too.

When you got to the coffee shop, it was clear that you missed the early morning rush.  You walked straight to the menu next to a guy who was several heads taller than you.  He had long, unruly brown hair, a scruffy beard and wore the baggiest t-shirt with the tightest jeans.  He glanced at you, feeling your presence and he gave you a gorgeous smile.  You gave him a coy smile back, trying not to fall for his chocolate-y brown orbs.  You cleared your throat and looked at the menu.

There was someone ahead of him who was taking awhile to order, and you could see him stealing glances at you from the corner of your eye.  You were definitely flattered.  This guy was pretty cute.  With his tan skin and athletic frame, he looked like that lovable sweetheart who would skate to your house just because he was in the neighborhood.  Whenever you would look in his direction, he always pretended to look away.  However, he would do it in an obvious manner.  He would look you directly in your eyes and then look at the ceiling, and then back to your eyes and then down at the floor. Back and forth his eyes and neck would move in this circular motion until he got a laugh out of you.

“Finally!” He cheered as you laughed, causing you to laugh more.  “I really wanted to make you laugh.  Have a great day, beautiful.” He flashed you a bright smile and then stepped up to make his order.

You couldn’t help, but blush.  It was always nice to be acknowledged by a cute guy.  You wished he stayed longer to make a move.  He finished his order and didn’t look back as he picked up his coffee from the counter.  You were bummed he did not have to wait for his drink, as you hoped you could chat some more, but settled for your bit of luck that he even noticed you.

“Hi,” You said with a smile to the cashier.  “Can I get a small chai and a medium iced mocha latte with extra whip and caramel drizzle?”

The cashier smiled.  “Is this for Xavier?” It was embarrassing how much your brother frequented this place.

You laughed, “Yup. I was late again!”  You snapped your fingers and wagged your fist, pretending to be upset.  You handed the cashier your card and he shook his head.

“That guy ahead of you paid for your order.  He had me write down his name and telephone number for you to reach out.” The cashier pulled out a slip of paper and your jaw dropped.

Noah

213-xxx-xxxx

“Wow, okay.” You weren’t sure what to say. This only happened in movies.  You made a mental note to add this to your list of romantic gestures for your next romcom screenplay.  You slipped the note into your wallet and closed it to put it back in your bag. You took the drinks and sauntered happily back to the repair shop.

Xavier was running a scan on another computer when you walked in.  You handed him his drink as you sipped yours happily.  He narrowed his eyes at you,

“Why are you humming?” He rolled his eyes. “You didn’t spit in this, right?’

“Gosh!” You huffed.  “Can’t a girl be happy and not be judged?”

“Any other girl, of course. You, no way!” Xavier laughed, “You’re always in a crappy mood when you lose bets.  Why is today any different?”

“A really cute guy bought our drinks!” You cooed.  “And he left his phone number.”

“Oh my god!” Xavier imitated your high pitch voice. Then his voice dropped back to a disinterested tone as he added, “Well that’s great, I hope he can pay for both of our rent too.”

“Why can’t you just be happy for me?” You sighed.  “I’m going to text him.”

Xavier shrugged as he focused on removing the hard drive of the computer. “Do what you want...”

You pondered what to text him and then smiled to yourself as you wrote your message.

Y/N: Hey, this is Y/N from the coffee shop.  Thanks for the free drinks! I hope to repay the favor some time soon.

It wasn’t much longer before you received a reply.

Noah: Hey, Y/N! Gorgeous name, by the way ;) Absolutely! How about tomorrow afternoon, let’s get a coffee after work?

Y/N: Works for me! 

You continued to text lightly throughout the day.  It was clear that you both had busy schedules, but you would try to continue the conversation as much as you could during breaks.  You were pleased to see how friendly and genuine he seemed.  You were impressed by his passion for acting, and relayed your love of writing.  He was supportive and encouraged you to try to get published.  You were too shy to admit that was the goal, and instead insisted that he was being too kind.

“Have you been texting that guy all day?” Xavier asked as he closed up shop.

“Yeah,” You said absentmindedly as you read the article Noah just sent you. 

“Well, make sure he’s not a serial killer.” He warned.  “Have you googled the guy?”

“I will when I go home, just chill, okay?” You shrugged it off, but you were moderately concerned.  This guy was kind, charming and a great listener. He was either perfect for you or an ax murderer...hopefully not both.

The next day, you met Noah for coffee dressed in your favorite outfit.  You waved at him as he walked in and he gave you the widest grin.  You had been texting all night and up until this morning, so when he pulled you into an embrace, it felt natural.

“Get whatever you like!” You offered.

“I’ll probably just get my usual coffee and maybe some sweets to share?” Noah smiled, “Since I only paid for drinks, I’ll contribute to the sweets as well.”

“No!” You insisted.  “My brother’s drink was also covered, so I think it is only fair.”

You argued about it for awhile until it was decided that he would buy one sweet and you would buy another and the two drinks. You tried to ignore the fact that the one sweet he bought was the same price as the two drinks combined.

“So, this is going to be really dumb...” You warned, “But I never did get your last name...”

“Oh,” Noah chuckled.  “It’s Centineo. Yours?”

“Y/L/N...” You responded as you sent the text to your brother.  Just in case he was going to kill you, you wanted Xavier to trace it back.  You were pretty sure you spelled his name wrong, but you hoped it would be enough.  You put your phone in your bag and then gave him a smile.

“Now that we have been formally introduced, let’s eat!” You said, picking up a fork and digging into the mini-cheesecake first.

You two exchanged ideas on your favorite books, popular films, and making it in Hollywood.  You were surprised at how much Noah knew about showbiz.  He said he was on a few tv shows and in a couple movies, but you did not expect him to be so wise.  It made you a bit self conscious.  You had just been working on scripts in your downtime.  Maybe you should get training by going to workshops...

“Oh man, you seem sad.” Noah pouted.  “What did I say?”

“Ah, no.” You shook your head.  “It’s not you! I just feel a little overwhelmed, maybe? You just seem so together. I’m just starting out.”

“I mean, I’m only 22.” Noah laughed.  “I’m still learning too.”

You grunted as you sipped your chai.  He was a bit younger than you. It was less than a year, but still, you felt envious.

“However...” Noah bit his lip.  “...you’re quite a distraction for me.  I realize that if I don’t get my daily dose of Y/N, I may lose track of my goals permanently.”

You coughed to hide your snort of laughter.  “Is this your way of saying you want to hang out more?”

“Absolutely.” Noah grinned at you and you returned it.  “I’m going to this pool party on Saturday.  Would you like to come? You can bring your brother and a few friends...”

“Sure,” You nodded.  “There’s a few dudes and dudettes that work part-time at the shop.  If it’s after hours, I can bring them too.”

“Yeah, it starts at like 8pm and goes to like 5 in the morning.  It’s supposed to be a dance party slash pool party slash cocktail extravaganza.” Noah laughed.  “Plus, I heard a few really cool people might be there like the cast of my last film.  It would be great to introduce you.”

“Are you sure you want a girl like me on your arm?” You teased.  

“I wouldn’t want anyone else...” Noah leaned over, lifted your hand and kissed it.

You could feel yourself swooning and knew in an instant that he were falling for him.

When you returned to the store, you were greeted by a very excited Xavier. He was almost ready to jump up and down when you entered the store.  You made a weird face as you waited for him to explain.

“That Noah guy recently got mega famous.  He was cast in two Netflix films and is basically the white hottie of Instagram.”

“Oh wow,” You nodded to yourself. “No wonder he’s so knowledgeable.”

“Y/N, don’t you know what this means?” Xavier looked like he wanted to scream.  “If you get with this guy, we’ll be in the in-crowd! This will be our big break.”

“Woah, woah, woah.” You said quickly.  “That sounds like I’m using him.  Xav, he’s a great guy. I really like him.”

“Do you not want to be published? Recognized? Rewarded? Think about the looks on our parents faces when they see that sending us to Hollywood was not for naught.” Xavier used hand gestures to show the grandiosity of his ideas.

You made a deep sigh.  “Of course, I do! I just...I really like him.”

“Even better,” Xavier said with a smile as he put his arm around you.  “Then you’re just networking...that’s all.”

“Networking...not using...is that what you’re saying?” You repeated it to yourself. “I guess...”

“That’s my girl!” Xavier snapped his fingers happily.  “Now, when do we meet him...”

You hesitated to tell him about the party on Saturday.  However, the more you thought about it, the less worried you felt.  You did have feelings for Noah, it did not hurt to take advantage of his connections.

Noah met you, Xavier and one of your other co-workers, Andrea, outside. He was in baggy swim trunks that were low enough to show his chiseled hips and impressive core.  You tried not to drool, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed by your monokini under your see-through cover up.  Noah greeted you warmly, putting an arm around you.

“Hello kiss?” He asked sweetly, making you smile.

You extended your cheek in response and he gave you a light peck.  Then he turned to your group as you introduced them.  You walked into the party, and started to see the familiar faces of the cast of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. After Xavier told you Noah was famous, you decided to look him up, and the guest list of the party was like all of the related actors on Noah’s Google Search.

He introduced you to Lana and her boyfriend first and you were in awe of her beauty.  She was so down-to-earth, but she also had this respectable air about her.  You pointed out your brother and Andrea for her to meet as Noah pulled you to meet the rest of his friends and co-workers.

At one point, Noah pulls you to the bar and offers to get you a drink.  You pick something light, deciding not to get sloppy drunk in front of the guy you liked. He got a beer and you both turned to watch the party.  You were a bit away from the speakers which allowed you to talk a bit more. 

Suddenly, Noah pulls out his phone and reads a text message that makes his brows furrow.  He excuses himself and runs over to Lana.  She clearly looked upset and was gesturing towards you and also towards Xavier and Andrea.

Oh no... You thought as you pulled out your phone and texted Xavier.

Y/N: Tell me you didn’t do something stupid!!!!!

Xavier:  Nope! I was just talking to Lana about my music....

Y/N: She looks pissed.  You didn’t ask her for anything, right?

Xavier: Oh man...I had a few shots and I think I might have mentioned how glad I was that you’re dating up by dating Noah...

Y/N: WHAT?!

Before you could chastise Xavier further, Noah and Lana walked up to you.  

Lana spoke first.

“Can I just say I’m really disappointed?  You seem like such a nice girl, but clearly if you and your brother and his friend are here to use Noah, you are not as nice as you seem...” Lana’s lips were tight with anger.

“Stepbrother...” You said sheepishly.  “Look, I’m not proud of what Xavier said, but he means well.”

“Does he?” Lana asked. “Does he know what it’s like to grind and hope and work and pray for an opportunity only to have people try to attain the same success on your coat tails? It’s one thing to come to a function like this for that, but to toy with Noah’s heart...that is unforgivable.”

“Lana, you have every right to be upset. I’m sorry.” You looked at Noah who was looking at you sadly this whole time. “Noah, can we talk, please?”

He nodded and you apologized to Lana again before he pulled you inside of the house that was hosting the party.  He pulled you into a small bedroom after a few failed attempts at finding your own space. Clearly, the house was meant for hooking up not break-up-before-you-even-started-chats. At this point, you were crying and once you were inside the room, you struggled to compose yourself

“Noah...” You exhaled a shaky breath.  “I swear, when I contacted you I had no idea who you were.  When we talked all this week, through text and on the phone and on our dates, I was not trying to use you.  Even after I knew you were famous, I was convinced that if I really liked you, then it wouldn’t be a problem if Xavier and I tried to network.  Although it was Xavier who planted the idea in my head I need to own up to it and--”

Noah lurched forward and hugged you tightly.  You were so shocked and overwhelmed that you began to weep. He rubbed your back as you let it out before he stepped back.

“I know.” Noah nodded.  “Lana means well.  She knows how much I like you and really doesn’t want me to get hurt.  At the same time, she knows that I’m not an idiot.  If I tell her that I trust you, then she will trust you too.”

“You believe me?” You asked with a sniffle.

“Of course, Y/N.  Look, I can tell that you’re into me.  I’m into you too and I want us to continue to date.” Noah smiled, “And for the record, I am happy to support your and your brother’s dreams.  Just be honest with me! I’ll read your scripts, and if I think they are good, which I am sure they are, I’ll connect you with some people who maybe interested. Hell, I might even audition for a role or two if you’ll have me...”

“I’d love that!” You said excitedly.  “But even if you don’t do that...I want to work hard in my own right to earn being by your side.”

“You are already too good to stand by my side.” Noah grinned.  “Let’s grow together, okay?”

“Okay...” You leaned in and looked at him with sultry eyes.  “So, uh, since we’re in this private room...”

“Yeah?” Noah asked, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you close.

“Well, I guess that was technically our first fight so we need to make up, right?” You suggested.

“I like where this is going.” Noah smirked.

“Then kiss me.” You said as your lips were almost at his lips.  

And he did.  He lifted you in his arms and kissed you like his life depended on it. You would reprimand Xavier and make it up to Lana later...right now, all you could think about was Noah and his soft kisses.

Fin