#on its own the plain thing would be uninteresting but surrounded by things that make it stand out it suddenly is interesting .

[skeleton-balls]

crazy how a boring item can be the most interesting thing if given the right circumstances

[mythrilpencil]

Petrichor (for prompt “Overgrown”)

Once again, for perhaps the fifth time this quarter, Acenath finds herself lost. After following her nose along a lovely trail of rumors and urban legends…she’s stranded.

At least it’s a nice planet this time, if a bit humid. SAIL claimed it’s a warm planet in the star’s Goldilocks Zone, and that the part of the world Acenath decided to beam to is in its dry season, but the moisture in the air is still more than a desert native like herself is used to. Not that she’s complaining—thicker, moist air makes it easier to smell things. Just makes her fur feel a bit damp.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea after all to follow those admittedly shady Humans’ claim about a signal booster over the hill. But they had been incredibly eager to help her out after her warp got thrown off-course by some weird signals…if only after she handed over a compact of Pixels she was planning on using to barter for something later on. At gunpoint. Yeah…probably not the best idea. Acenath can practically hear the Grand Archivist nagging her over her lack of foresight again. 

No matter, though. Acenath shakes her head, itches the premonition of the Grand Archivist’s voice out of her long ears, and takes a good look and sniff around. It’s nighttime currently, but the local star clusters above and glittering puddles of healing water below more than make up for the planet’s lack of natural satellites. So with her own flashlight and her natural low-light vision, navigation isn’t much of a chore. 

The ecosystem she finds herself in as she crests the hill is lovely: rolling plains absolutely covered in flowers still displaying their vibrant colors, even in the starlight; spiraling vines reaching to the stars with their leaves; the odd tree here and there standing like shepherds over their flocks of thriving shrubbery. All the pollen and scents of grass almost makes her sneeze, while the aroma of the healing water reminds her of the oases of home and almost draws her into a nostalgic lull. But beneath the fragrances is the scent she’s been looking for: a musty whiff, the smell of old stone and petrichor from eons past. To most it might be an unpleasant smell, or perhaps just dusty and uninteresting. But to Acenath, it’s a perfume most alluring.

Her ears perk as she swells with excitement, but she adjusts her large glasses and focuses on the whiff before the thrill can make her lose composure too much. It’s incredibly faint from where she is, but…

There! She finds the direction the whiff is strongest: just upwind and beyond the next hill. Like a silken thread, Acenath follows it, taking extra care to not step on the fragile flowers nor disturb the sleeping hypnares in the process. It takes more time than she would like to crest this next hill, particularly as the overpowering scent of ripe sugarcane nearly throws her off her desired musty trail, but finally she crests it.

And just past the hill is a strange tower. It’s not entirely unusual to find towers or other buildings on planets like this: the climate is conducive to many dominant species’ survival in most places, so it’s not uncommon to find dirt, wood, or even stone dwellings erected by a dwindled endemic civilization or even the passing interstellar traveler. 

But this tower is distinctively none of those. Acenath can tell that even from this far away. The stone that forms its walls, despite being a climbing surface for ages’ worth of local ivy and grasses, still absorbs and reflects the glow of the surrounding pond of healing water strangely. The tower’s structure is too square. Its angles are too perfect. And the blocks of stone are impeccably uniform save for the occasional engraving.

It’s not the biggest of towers. It doesn’t even reach higher than the hill. But it still has an imposing presence bigger than itself, especially when Acenath climbs down the hill and circles the tower’s base. Rubbles of a relatively newer structure—a mound of sorts supported by a few crumbling stone pillar; a ritualistic construction, or perhaps a burial site—flank the tower’s side. Normally the newer structures in an archaeological site are more preserved than the older ones. Here it’s the opposite. The tower stands as if untouched by time while rubble collects around it and nature grows atop it.

But despite its perfection, the building is not symmetrical: the south end of the building has a lower overhang like a balcony open to the air while the north end’s overhang is higher overhead and is enclosed. Two obelisks stand guard in front of either entrance, radiating a light from their peaks as warm as the noonday sun. It’s a small comfort, but it reminds Acenath of her home desert and that reminder isn’t one she finds often. She finds herself smiling a thank-you and bowing to the obelisks before moving past them to inspect the interior.

Inside the tower, strips of cold blue light, partially obscured by the overgrowth, run up the walls, paralleling the angular windows and framework in the corners. Acenath hovers her hand over the end of the light strip, but does not touch. Not that she needs to: the strips radiate a scent of ethereal ozone as much as they radiate a cracking, yet harmless atmosphere that makes her fur tingle and her breath catch in her throat. It’s an aura of mysterious arcane magics that not even the greatest Thaumaturges the Arcanians have to offer have been able to harness. 

Plenty of civilizations favor blue-ish lights—her own people included—but this kind of blue light, powered by this energy, is one she’s only identified one other place: the Ark, framing those ancient stairs and tracing that ancient dais. That alone, not even including the mysterious yet iconic engravings or distinctive architecture, identifies the creators of this tower beyond question:

The Ancients.

The Grand Archivist and some of Acenath’s peers often questioned her nigh-exclusive fascination with the Ancients. These structures seemingly from beyond time—from beyond space perhaps, given the Ancients’ apparent mastery over dimensional manipulation—are so unknowable that even decades of study may never be enough to decipher their secrets. But Acenath’s an archaeologist: adding her years of curiosity and drive to her people’s gradual study of the Ancients is her dream. She’s already uncovered more secrets and identified more trends about the Ancients and their culture than any of her peers and predecessors have ever managed; imagine what discoveries can be built upon hers going forward!

And despite her misgivings, even the Grand Archivist would have to admit the value in what Acenath is discovering, surely. The slit in the roof northward, an air vent, perhaps? Even the Ancients needed good air to breathe. And the writing on the walls, although not any of the symbols Acenath has come to recognize, perhaps are claims to the Ancient’s history? Or marks left by the builders to identify themselves? It’s an incredibly common practice, she’s found, for the Ancients to leave uncountable engravings on their walls. Not the graffiti sort of mark, nor a tribal patterning like the Floran’s. 

Acenath makes sure to scan the unique markings and save them to her ever-growing database before moving on.

And these pots, tucked away in the corners. Oh, if only Acenath could take them home to her museum for study! But she is afraid to even touch them for fear of damaging these precious artifacts; even cupping her hands around the smallest is enough to make her bite her lip and wish she could will her heart to stop racing so much—she’s almost shaking the tiny pot. Taking them with her isn’t an option here. But the fact that the Ancients even had such pots, in a number of intricate styles that Acenath has been able to map like anyone else would map out styles by period, shows they had a thriving culture. A history. Needs and wants. Art.

Things worth preserving and studying.

And that’s not even considering the raw power the Ancients had access to. Even the Grand Archivist has to admit that studying the Ancients and their mastery over what their people deemed the arcane is vastly important. Any discovery Acenath makes in that sphere can have massive implications. It already has. Connecting the Ancients’ essence to the Astral essence suffusing the Arcanians’ home worlds…

Acenath shivers from the thrill at the thought.

Or…perhaps from the chill in the air.

A few droplets of water peck her head and make her ear twitch while she’s studying the triangular windows, thoroughly derailing her train of thought and making her blink at the sky.

The sun is rising, its light tinted a deep scarlet by the gathering clouds. What few rays of dawn manage to pierce the clouds, however briefly, disperse into streaks in the rain.

Looks like Acenath is stuck here until the rain passes.

Sure, she’s in her field outfit, complete with a Havencrest-peach jumper and faux-leather boots specifically treated to be hydrophobic and easy to clean. And the rain gifts the lush environment around her with the delightful scent of life and water…

But Acenath really doesn’t favor getting soaked at the moment.

So instead she sits under the northern overhang, just past the threshold, near the obelisk shining outwards. She’s in no hurry to get home right now. The more she studies the Ancients, the more they feel like home, anyways.

…Although she still has to figure out how to warp back to her ship. Ah, she’ll get to that later.

[yandere-society]

Love L(eyes)

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x Female Reader

Synopsis: He was a bit odd, quiet, mysterious and studious, but you liked him. Found him more agreeable than some of your other coworkers. Besides, you were never the one to judge, no matter how strange the rumors around him were. This is why you happily accepted his slightly childish, secret Santa-exchange Christmas gift. And being so incautious is what caused your own undoing

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: Attempt at Black Comedy, Yandere themes, Stalking, Obsession, Mentions of Smut, Riding, Orgasms, Voyeurism, Blackmail, Y/N Stupidity, Unedited 

Admin: @roses-ruby​

Request:

“Looks like someone’s had one too many Hawaiian-flavored shots again.”

Your coworker remarks at the girl in the distance hogging the karaoke machine and tearing her lungs out to Wham’s Last Christmas. You huff humorously at her and at your other colleagues who became shitfaced to overly spiked punch as an excuse to get loose in their normally constrained work environment. Some other time you would have joined them, but this week had been especially exhausting for you.

The supervisor, after zealously creating the holiday season itself, had sprained her ankle 2 days ago – leaving you in charge. As if it wasn’t chaotic enough thanks to her dedication for winter festivities, it was now all in your hands and the both of you couldn’t have been more different. Whereas she was Mrs. Claus wrapped in jubilant, giddy and imaginative red wrapping, you were a nonchalant grey piece of paper. Which is exactly what you decided to do with everything she had planned out for the office’s Christmas party:

Caroling? Those who want to sing can go ahead.

Gingerbread house competition? Literally not happening.

Secret Santa? Just give the presents when you can.

It may have been uninteresting but as long as adults had their alcohol – you eye the elated faces of your coworkers – it wouldn’t matter.

“___?” You jump slightly, spinning around when you heard your name being spoken in a low, almost intimate timbre.

Namjoon stood a few inches away from you, holding what looked like a present in both hands. Your coworker, Jin, raises an eyebrow at him.

“…Mm…this is for you.”

“Oh!” You were starting to think you had been left out of the drawing hat, “Thank you so much, Joon!”

Gently grabbing it from his arms, you hold it out and give it a little shake.

“Can I open it?” You ask, trying to follow ‘gift etiquette.’ He stares at you for a moment with an unreadable expression and makes you wonder if you had said something wrong.

“I would prefer if you wait until you got home.”

“Oh-uh, alright. Thank you.”

With that, he turns to leave.

“…Happy holidays, Joon!”

He shifts his head to give you one last look, a small smile on his plump lips.

“Thank you. Happy holidays.”

When he’s out of hearing range, you hear Seokjin sigh loudly.

“I mean…he’s hot but isn’t he kind of weird? It’s such a waste.”

“He’s not weird…”

“Girl, listen to this- you know the office slut?” He kindly refers to Lisa, one of the female secretaries, “She was all over him last summer until she finally got herself into his room. Turns out he lives in a fucking warehouse in the middle of nowhere! I don’t know exactly what she saw, but she’s been spooked out ever since and avoids him as much as possible. Like just last week, I was lurking around and thought I saw the both of them make eye contact while passing each other in the hallway and that poor girl! She looked as if she almost soiled herself.”

“Those are just rumors, Jin.” You roll your eyes at his exaggerated tone, “Maybe she got rejected? And as for Joon…I think he’s just a little shy.”

“Whatever. All I’m saying is don’t be too shocked if you find a woman’s head in that box.”

You snort at his ridiculousness, placing Namjoon’s gift on your work desk. The drinks you had before the party start catching up to you and you excuse yourself from Jin to head to the restroom. Once you’re in the stall, you sigh, placing your palm against the wall of the stall and leaning towards it. Perhaps you were slightly more tipsy than you had originally imagined.

Just then you heard what sounded like two pairs of kitten heels walk into the foyer.

“Fuck.” You mutter as you hear them talk about whatever the fuck. Social gatherings really weren’t your thing and you wanted to go home since privacy was nonapparent in this office. When you just about became mentally prepared to empty your bladder and scramble out of the building, you heard your name being called, pulling your attention away from the matter at hand.

“___ scrapped the Gingerbread house idea, isn’t it crazy. The supervisor lets her get away with so much even though they are worlds apart.”

Ah yes, gossip. How easy it was to spread misinformation. What they glossed over was the part where the supervisor hated your guts, however, you just happen to be two grown, working women who were able to reach compromises for mutual benefit. The gingerbread project was scrapped because you managed to convince your jolly boss lady that it was an impossible occurrence to accurately judge without her gingerbread expertise. And it was nothing but the truth.

“Well, whatever, I didn’t want to participate in that dumb event anyway. But you know what really irks me? It’s when she thinks she’s so special and unique.”

Special? When have you ever-

“She honestly thinks she’s so different.” The girl continues, “Plastered on the wall each time we throw an office party- whispering and giggling with men. Did you see her with Namjoon and Jin today?”

“Isn’t Jin gay?”

“That’s besides the point.” She sounded exasperated, “What I’m saying is that her lack of interest in everything makes her uninteresting! She may think she’s above us when she pulls all these stunts but she’s so boring, it’s almost painful to watch.”

“Pfft, you’re a bitch.” You hear laughter and the clack of compact powder before their footsteps retreat from the foyer.

For a minute you just stand there, thinking about nothing. Sure, you didn’t expect everyone to like you, but you were on friendly terms with everyone in your office. Even as a number 2, you’ve never raised your voice or demanded anything unreasonable. The saddest part was that you knew exactly who those two girls were and had conversed with them on multiple occasions.

You were definitely sober now as you felt a small prick of annoyance stab at your heart.

A girl who tries her hardest to not be like ‘other girls.’ A boring girl. Is this truly what people thought of you?

_

It’s not too late when you get home – but it feels like you’ve been away for ages.

You groan as you remove your heels, tossing them somewhere near the entrance area as you trudge further into your studio apartment. With weary arms, you throw the gift onto the bed and fling yourself besides it, listening to the mattress creak for a second before silence surrounds you once more. Although you decided to sleep as soon as you got through your door, you knew you would just overthink and confuse yourself by remembering what those girls said.

It shouldn’t matter…it was just casual conversation…not like they wanted to kill you or something, you rationalize. Also, if you were someone who cared so much for what others said, then you couldn’t have continued bearing such a laidback personality for this long, could you? Still, something about the confidence they had in their malicious words bothered you.

“Ugh,” You grumble, sitting up and placing the gift on your lap to distract yourself from all the negativity. Trying to clear your head, you tear open the bright colored wrapping as swiftly as you could. A smile crosses your face when you think about cold, silent Namjoon carefully handling vibrant Christmas paper over this box. Didn’t seem like him.

He always had a peculiar reputation around the office, but he was never anything but duly courteous towards you. Though you never thought much of anyone from your workplace, you did think well of him and his kindness. They denied it like crazy, but everyone had a crush on the smart and mysterious Namjoon, even Jin. You tear off the tape connecting the flaps together and carefully pull out whatever was inside. And that’s when you come face to face with a…stuffed teddy bear.

Really, just a regular brown bear with soft, fuzzy fabric – nothing fancy. Now you were even more confused. Did you ever give him the vibe of being a stuffed-animal lover? Actually, aren’t there some guys who give this kind of stuff to girls, like on Valentines? Joon probably didn’t know what to get you and went with something generic, you deduce.

You stare into its eyes. Plastic black orbs lifelessly leer back at you. When you began to feel oddly uneasy, Jin’s story suddenly flashed through your mind. There wasn’t a head in the box like he said, but it didn’t mean this bear couldn’t be an ominous gift.

What if…it had a small camera stuffed inside the layers of cotton like in those horror movies?

As soon as you conjure the question, you shake your head, cringing at your own thoughts. Just because some people found him disagreeable didn’t mean he was an actual creep who would do that. You, of all people, knew how quickly false notions spread throughout that office. If they were wrong about you, then they were definitely wrong when regarding the quiet Namjoon. He was a simple, introverted man your insufferable coworkers picked on and this was just an innocent teddy and nothing more. Exhaling through your nose, you were about to throw it back in the box and forget about it when a memory abruptly froze you.

“-she’s so boring, it’s almost painful to watch.”

Ok…as a rational individual, you know there’s no camera in this toy, you know that. But if there was a camera – it would mean Joon wants you in some fashion. Would you want to ~secretly~ watch a person you didn’t have a crush on? Exactly. If there was a camera, it would also mean… that when those bitches from the restroom see you, someone plain and inconsiderable in their eyes, be the object of ‘office hottie’ Kim Namjoon’s desire…

Wouldn’t they eat their own words?

The thought instantly sends endorphins throughout your brain. How satisfying. Little old, boring you being stalked by the sexiest, most capable man in the office.

“Hmph.” You smirk at the bear before looking around your room. There was a shelf on the wall facing your bed, stacked with some novels you read back in college. Pushing yourself off the mattress, you walk up to the shelf and lightly thrust away some of the books before placing the teddy bear on an empty spot.

This was silly, you think, gazing at the bear in amusement. Although you were certain there was no camera, the mere thought about spiting those women made you ignore all the red flags which were present in your head since you grew up as a woman in a male-dominated reality. Honestly, you were too caught up in your silly revenge dream to even care.

This was silly, but…strangely fun.

_

Since then you did everything which requires adequate privacy in front of the bear.

Sleeping, getting dressed for work, masturbating, changing underwear and even when you just had to get out of tight jeans and into sweats – you did it all in the once place you knew you had the potential of being ‘watched.’ For some reason, you couldn’t take these actions seriously. Everything was just a game to you and you were actually starting to have fun with the conception of someone observing you round the clock. You started to feel ridiculous sometimes, especially when you tried to act sexy each time you stood in front of your bed.

This was definitely something you had no idea you’d be so into. It was as if you were really beginning to believe there was a camera in the fucking bear. Well if there is – you hope Namjoon likes black underwear as much as you do.

“Nnh- ahh-” You moan as you slam down on your boyfriend’s stomach. He grunts in pleasure, tightening his hold on your flexing hips as you arched your spine out further. With your head thrown back, you slightly open an eyelid to peek over at the “spycam” teddy bear on the wall shelf.

A camera’s lens should be wide enough to catch this angle, right?

“___,” You look back at your boyfriend when he groans your name, suddenly remembering he was under you, “You’re so into it today.”

“Um, y-yeah…”

What else could you say? Tell him the truth about how you’re some pervert who’s currently getting off on the idea that there might be some creepy hot dude watching you bare-naked, fucking another man right this minute? ‘Yeah’ was the only logical choice of words you could invoke. Your boyfriend was a nice guy – someone you met on a dating app. You weren’t exactly looking for anything long-term, but you did want to get off without the hassles and dangers of a one-night stand. It’s been going on for two months now and although you don’t think ‘he’s the one’ or anything, he was calming to be around.

“Oh-oh cumming!”

You stare as his mouth becomes unhinged and his eyebrows knot in frustration. As you said, he’s a nice guy but you wish he wouldn’t look so strange each time he reached his high. If someone was watching you both, this kind of thing is embarrassing.

Wait, what? You stop moving on his dick as soon as the thought crosses your mind. Why are you even thinking about something like that? After a few seconds, the pressure on his chest releases and you mindlessly move off of him, joining him on the mattress. He glances at you in confusion as you stare at the ceiling.

“But you didn’t cum.”

“It’s fine, I’m not really in the mood.”

He sits up, head still turned towards you as he removes his condom, “Uhhhh…You sure?”

Instead of looking at him, you turn your head in the direction of the wall where the bear was placed. Dark orbs gazed back at you.

“Yeah.”

It was just a game to you, but it was starting to get strange.

_

You stretch your dormant muscles as you sit up in your chair.

It was your first day back from the three-day holiday break and you were already in a state of mental detriment. Existing in the same room as people who probably hated you was awkward. Not being able to accurately work through your sudden Christmas impulse of voyeurism also weighed you down. You passed out last night, but the first thing you would do once you got home is throw that stuffed bear away. The game had gone long enough, three days to be exact, and it wasn’t fun anymore. Not when you were involving others.

A part of you felt bad for Namjoon, but you’re sure he wouldn’t actually care.

His obsession with you was just your own delusion after all.

With a groan you get up, gathering the coffee mug from your desk. Maybe some caffeine would help you get it together. You slog into the breakroom, walking up to the freshly brewed coffee pot and pouring a large dose into your cup.

As you’re about to take your first sip, you hear the breakroom door creak open. You’re surprised to see Lisa, but she seems even more surprised – astonished even – when she meets your eyes. For a moment she just stands there by the door, not moving her hand off the handle as she leers at you as if you were a ghoul.

Any other time you would have been confused and creeped out, but right now you could only mentally sigh. Did she perhaps think badly of you as well? It would explain why she always avoided you.

“You should…stay away from Kim Namjoon.”

What?

“Uh…what?”

“I…you should stay away from him. He’s…to you he….”

You squint as the girl stares at the floor, struggling to form words. Why was she suddenly talking about Namjoon and you in the same sentence? In that moment, a look of assurance built up on her face and she looked back up at you, parting her mouth.

But then you see her eyes widen in horror and her shoulders stiffen as she takes a step back.

“Lisa?”

“I- uh- I have to go-” She says, sprinting out of the room before she even finishes her sentence. What the hell was that?

“Good morning, ___.”

Fuck, you recognized that low timbre. You spin around, almost spilling the hot brown liquid as you do, to meet with the one face you were dreading all day. Namjoon stood by you, holding onto his own mug and smiling at you quietly. After every stupid thing you’ve just done in the past couple of days, you really didn’t want to meet him. But you couldn’t abruptly run away either.

“H-hi…Joon…G-good morning.” You mutter, side stepping so he has better access to the coffee pot.

“Cold out, isn’t it.” He makes conversation and you hum along, taking a sip of caffeine as you dwell on how to run back to your desk without seeming too crazy. Namjoon continues to talk about the weather while your anxiety grows. Why were you suddenly so nervous? Were you maybe still delusional; convincing yourself about how he is madly in love with you?

He stops talking for a moment then, and looks over at you who is not present in reality at all. You don’t notice his dark gaze rake over your body nor his grin at your worry.

“You know,” He mutters, almost inaudible, “I do love black underwear as much as you.”

“Yeah.” You sigh in fake amusement, not really processing what he just said. Until you do.

It takes you a minute or two of staring at your coffee to finally register his words into your brain. You slowly look up at him, no traces of amusement or even the previous pointless uneasiness apparent on your current expression.

“What?”

“I said,” He turns his whole body towards you, “I do love black underwear on you.”

“I…” You take a step back, suddenly feeling very small next the man glaring at you, “I’m sorry?”

He raises his hand and fear instantly paralyzes you. When he touches the hair on your head with his fingers, you wanted nothing more than to shove him off and run away. Instead you were caught – irreversibly immobilized by the way he captured you in his gaze.

“Don’t look so surprised, didn’t you want me to see?”

A million and one curses just flash through your mind. This wasn’t real, this was not happening. He was not saying all this. You were probably lying dead next to your boyfriend and still dreaming. That had to be it, because there was no way. No way Namjoon was saying what he is currently in the middle of saying. It was a game; it was just a game.

“Honestly, I thought you would have thrown away such a silly thing as soon as you found it. Did you know it costed me a total of $30? I can’t believe such a cheap investment worked.”

Your breath hitches as you listen to him speak. Mom always called you a fucking idiot, but wow you were a fucking idiot. You were warned, you heard the rumors about him and you should have known. There was a difference between the gossip of drunk girls in the spur of the moment and the account of a very sober and concerned homosexual friend. Still, not wanting to face the present moment, you continue to deny it in your head.

“Nn- uh-” You move back, getting ready to make a run for it. Wishing Jin’s loud ass would somehow interrupt you both.

“I would stay still if I were you.” Namjoon smiles with a warning tone, making you halt, “You see I happen to have a lot of…information. Information which can end up in places it’s not supposed to. I’m sure both of us don’t want that.”

Tears prick the corner of your eyes. You knew exactly what he meant. He recorded you, he has footage of everything you did and he was threatening you. Every time you got undressed, slept, pleasured yourself and – fuck – you and your boyfriend. He’s seen everything. If those recordings end up online, you’d be finished. Forget about your boring girl reputation, if anyone saw those recordings, you wouldn’t even maintain a reputation to defend. And haven’t some women gotten fired over something similar?

“W-why?” You sob to him, not wanting to lose everything.

“Sshh, it’s okay.” He takes you in his arms, hugging you in a soft but firm manner. What else could you do but let him touch whatever he wanted. Although you couldn’t lie and say you were 100% certain the bear didn’t have a camera, you still passed it off as a joke. You messed up, bad. And around you stood the consequence.

“Aren’t holidays great?” He mumbles into your hair in a low, intimate timbre.

____

A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! Have a wonderful day -- 🍑

[lliblo]

MV23 Do You Like Snakes?

Prompt:

After the Battle of New York and Loki escaped with the tesseract the god of mischief decided hiding in plain sight was the best course of action as he debated about what to do next. Now that he was snapped out of Thano’s manipulation caused by the mind stone he started to feel remorse for his deeds. He never wanted thing to go this far, never wanted to attack Midgard, he only wanted to show his father he was just as worthy as Thor, though considering his actions maybe everyone was right to think he was never fit for the throne. 

Loki found himself in a tiny pet shop in the back end of Queens. It was owned by an old man who he didn’t bother to learn the names of and didn’t even seem to notice the addition of a black snake to his collection of reptiles. Loki has some reservations about how effective this hiding place was, seeing as it was a pet store after all, but after two years of disgusted looks and general uninterest from the patrons, Loki settled into his self exile sure that no one would ever purchase a snake like himself. 

Or so he thought. 

One day a boy walks in with his aunt. He seems down. Loki can almost see the gray cloud following the boy around. 

“I know you’ve always wanted a dog but our apartment won’t let us have anything outside a tank, but there are all sorts of other animals? What do you think of a hamsters?”

The boy just shrugged. Loki suspected it was the lack of a canine that brought the boy’s mood down, but he couldn’t find the will to care. Being a reptile he was a slave to some of the desires, one being curled up on his rock enjoying the heat lamp. 

The boy wanders around the shop and eventually find himself in front of the green eyed serpent. The aunt suggested a turtle or a frog seeming to have the same distaste for snakes as the rest of humanity. 

Loki scoffed at the notion that he was only worth $50 of the mortal money, still the boy walked out with Loki, god of mischief and being responsible for so many deaths, in a 12’ by 8’ cardboard pet carrier that was a little too small for him to be comfortable.  

Luckily the ride wasn’t too bumpy, the boy seemed to be taking general care not to cause to much movement to the box in transit. And after laying curled up for nearly an hour as another box was opened and something was assembled. He was gently poured out of the pet carrier and into a comfortable sized tank that was bigger than the one he had at the pet shop. Decorated with a fake stick with leaves that was designed to climb and a large comfortable looking heating rock (technically not safe for snakes but whateves) all layered with wood shavings to hide under as well as many other places of his choosing. 

The boy just watched him. The air of sadness still surrounded him but he did smile at Loki occasionally as he watched the god explore his new confinements. 

Loki found himself curling up on the rock and facing the boy as he looking him over. 

“Hello,” the boy greeted, he gave a small smile at the snake and Loki, “my name is Peter, and this is my room,” Peter motioned to the small room behind him, it was big enough for a bed, desk, and a dresser with a comfortable walking space but that was about it. “I hope you like it here, sorry if you liked the pet shop better, but I promise to take good care of you!” The boy brightened up slightly, “you didn’t have a name at the shop so it’s probably good to give you one now, what do you say?”

Loki froze after the boy spoke, he wasn’t aware that snakes had the ability to communicate on Midgard, maybe that’s why people disliked them so much? Too human speech but to different in body. In all honesty it made sense to Loki, so he spoke. 

“I’m pretty sure the old fool at the pet shop wasn’t sure I was there, so he never bothered with a name. I wouldn’t mind a new one,” his mouth didn’t move and a snake didn’t have the proper vocals for words so he used a bit of magic to project his voice to Peter. He assumed the other snakes had this ability, not an uncommon one in the universe…

So his mistake was understandable. 

“Y-... did you just talk?” Peters she’s we’re wide now, his face nearly pressed against the glass. 

Loki mentally cursed himself for being so foolish, but as the god of mischief he was good with rolling with things. “I’m a special breed.” He provided lamely. 

-

A story in which Peter accidentally adopted Loki as his pet snake. 

Takes place before he become Spider-Man and because the avengers messed with time, Peter’s parents were never killed when he was young, instead they died later in life a few years after the battle at New York. Moving in with his aunt and uncle they try to cheer him up by getting him a pet for his first birthday after his parent’s death. 

Loki unintentionally helps Peter through his grief and even his struggles with becoming Spider-Man (Kinda intentional)

They become secret bff’s. Peter doesn’t tell anyone about his talking snake but he does have a habit of taking him to all sorts of places. Gets in trouble with sneaking him into school. 

Names him Skywalker, (or Anakin?) but uses Sky for short. It’s not until Peter almost gets himself killed that Loki reveals himself out of necessity.

When Stark shows up Loki distrust him and says that the man is only using Peter to fight a battle he has no right being in. 

Peter doesn’t listen so Loki sneaks his ways into Peter’s luggage and has to reveal his presence to the Avengers during civil war after Peter is almost killed by the fight. Thing end differently then they would have in real civil war. Steve and Buck get away, but the rest are stunned and left to think they just killed a child in their battle, only to have Loki use his magic to protect the kid until Peter can be dug out. 

Thor is called and Peter fights for Loki to be released trying to help him not be sent to prison.

I mean this one basicly spells out the plot so not so much of a prompt but still. Fun idea! Also it goes to note this was created before the Loki series sooo yeah. Loki is a snake and its a classic found family.

My Fic

Link: AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/27988506/chapters/68553960

Summery:

Time travel is a fickle thing. The Avengers accidently let Loki escape in one of the timelines though they leave that for the native Avengers to deal with. With the tesseract in hand, Loki makes and impulse request and finds himself in front of a Pet Shop. Having no where else to go, he hides among the Midgardian creatures. He never expected this path to end with him learning what he had been missing about the word 'Family.'

Peter Parker was allowed to pick one animal to take home as a new friend. Out of all the animals, it was the pitch black, green eyed snake that caught his eye. Imagine his amazement when he got home to find out it could talk.

Rules for Use:

Feel free to expand or alter if this inspires you!

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Return To: LlibLo’s Fan Fiction Prompt Index

[hallowscandlewrites]

The Lovers Club (It AU ReaderxAll the Guys)

The Lovers Club (It AU ReaderxBill,Richie,Ben,Eddie,Stanley,Mike)

Warning: Non-con, a little bit of dominate & submissive stuff, erotica themes. They are not kids in this fic. 

Summary: Reader has moved to Derry, Maine to care for her elderly grandmother. As an outsider all her life, y/n assumed Derry would be another place she wouldn’t fit in. However, she meet’s a group of young men (early/mid twenty’s) that secretly call themselves “The Lovers Club”. It’s not the type of club where they read books or make crafts, the “Lovers Club” is filled with pleasure & experiences that y/n never thought she’d have; the problem is, some of the men start getting possessive, they want her to be theirs, only theirs.

       The library was nearly empty. And that was how y/n liked it. She has only been in Derry for a week but has already found her favorite spot to be. Other than the suspicious looks from the librarian, y/n felt like the library was one of the two places she belonged; the other being the corner house, painted pink and purple flowers, it was an oddity in Derry, the color pallet here was grays, browns and greens.  Y/n was odd herself, mostly because she was new and in a small town like this, you know everybody but nobody knew her. 

    Y/n reminded herself that she only had a few hours before her she has to make dinner for her family, which was just her and her grandmother. Immediately, y/n went to the mystery section where the world of the unknown waited for her to get her hands on it. However, she wasn’t the only one with that idea. A young man was pulling out various books from the dusty shelves. 

    “Hello.” He looked at y/n and showed a shy smile. He was handsome with blondish, brunet hair and dark eyes. 

   A rush of heat filled y/n’s cheeks, and she looked at the ground, “Hey...”, the girl said as she began to observe the books. 

  While she wasn’t paying attention, the young man (Ben) scanned y/n from head to toe while her back was turned to him. Instantly, he thought she was cute; the shy way she pushed past him, the rose-red color her face turned. It reminded him of himself during his childhood, the way he’d stare longingly at a certain red-haired vixen that has since been long-gone. 

   Before Ben thought more, he blurted, “So what’s your name?” to the girl. She turned to him, her eyes wide. She fumbled with the few books she had in her hand, shaken by the sudden intrusion. 

  “Y/n..... L/n.” She said, smiling.

     Ben took a few seconds. Her last name did sound familiar but he couldn’t add anything up until.....

  “The pink house with the crazy purple flowers! That old woman who lives there....is she...” Ben trailed off, expecting y/n to fill in the obvious blanks. 

  “My grandmother? Yes, yes she is.” Y/N answered, slightly hoping that would be the end of the conversation but it wasn’t because Ben didn’t want it to be.

  “Well I’m Ben Hanscom.” Ben wanted to shake her hand or something but they both had a stack of books in their arms. 

     They spoke for an hour, getting to know a little bit about each-other. Ben was more of an open-book with y/n, where-as she.....held back. Ben thought, when he’d asked about her family and all she talked about was her grandmother and avoided mentioning anyone else. Otherwise, they had much in common. She reminded him of some of the guys and he reminded her of the elderly woman that was waiting for her at home. His attention was fully on her and although, in the past, that usually made her uncomfortable, it was rather nice with Ben Hanscom. 

  “I have to get back home now but it was nice meeting you.” Y/n said, grateful but in a hurry. 

    Before she could go, Ben grabbed her hand. “Please meet me here tomorrow! Same time.” He asked, his big, pleading eyes, glossed with comfort & kindness. 

  “I..I-I don’t know. Maybe.” She curtly said, rushing away and tightly holding herself around her torso. Her heart thumped excitingly. 

  Ben watched her leave, eyes narrowed at the new girl who’s captured his attention in a very short time. He would have to be careful though, because if his friends found out he had a girl all to himself.....they’d take her too.

   Y/n made a simple dinner for her and her grandmother. The elderly woman pressed intrusive questions at the table, asking why her grand-daughter had been smiling like a fool when she got home, why the young girl was too shaky to eat; why she had a dreamy, far off look in her eye during the majority of the meal. Y/n shook off the questions but couldn’t hide her buzz, physically. All she said was that maybe she’d made a friend, something y/n thought difficult to do as an adult. Sleep that night came later than sooner; it wasn’t just her nervous eating her up about the next day, it was the old couch that y/n had to sleep on that she was still getting use to. There wasn’t a second bedroom.

  The next day after hours of restless tossing and turning, y/n got up and got ready to do some errands. Her first stop, was to pick up some prescription drugs for grandma and some other items too. Finding the corner drug store was easy, but when y/n arrived, two men were leaning by the front door; chatting amongst themselves as if they weren’t blocking the way.

  “Excuse me....I-I need to get in, please.” Y/n asked, forcing herself to took the two men in the eyes.

   The shorter of the two men backed away kindly but the other with dark, bushy hair and thick glasses stood there, observing the girl as if she’d interrupted something important. 

  “Richie, come on! Let’s go get something to eat.” The shorter guy said, tugging the jacket covered arm of his pal. 

  Richie just stared at y/n but not with contempt, annoyance yes but something else, curiosity. “She stutter’s just like Bill. Funny.” Richie stepped away from the door, put an arm around his friends’ shoulder as they walked away, uninterested after-all. 

 Okay, that was weird, y/n thought, stepping into the drug store. 

     After that, y/n headed back her to grandmother’s to deliver the medicine then it’d be time to meet up with Ben. The thought of him sent a bolt of shivers down her back, the way he looked at her as if he’d discovered buried treasure. Y/n had boyfriends and a girlfriend or two but she still wasn’t a pro at dating. Her shyness always got the better of her and who ever she was with, got bored. Y/n wanted to do more things in her love life but it was as if there was an invisible wall that kept her from really touching her lover. 

      In the pink house decorated with purple flowers, in a rocking chair sat Y/n’s grandmother who had a book in her hands, the tv on as background noise. 

   “Here’s your stuff, remember to take it before dinner. I’m going to the library for a few hours and then I’ll be back, is that alright?” Y/n asked, crouching down to meet her family member’s eyes. 

  The elderly woman shook her head, “You’re an adult, you don’t have to ask me permission to go out, y/n. I’ll be fine but I would like to ask who you’ll be meeting?” 

   The smirk on her grandmother’s face said everything about how quickly she catches on. But y/n did not want to tell the truth, because y/n was here to take care of her family, not date, not make friends; the young woman didn’t even know how long she’d be in Derry, anyway.

   “Nobody, I promise. I just like the library a lot. Back home, ours closed down long ago so it’s nice to come to a place where you have one at all.” Y/n said. It wasn’t a total lie, the library she went to as a kid did close down about ten years ago which left a younger and smaller y/n disappointed. 

 Y/n walked, trying to keep a medium pace. She didn’t want to seem to excited or desperate to meet a man she just met yesterday. For all she knows, he could have lied as a cruel joke. 

   The library was an older building, not fancy, it was plain, with barely any decoration or posh detailing. It’s drab appearance fit in with the rest of the town, slightly run-down but rich in community and history. Y/n stood at the bottom of the steps, unable to move forward as if the invisible wall had planted itself between the building and her. Y/n forced a foot forward as the only way to get where she wanted to be,  a surge of confidence ripping through her as she entered the library doors; but all confidence drained from her when she spotted Ben at one of the tables, a stack of books next to him. None of them were being read. Ben had been waiting, as he checked his wrist watch and glanced around. 

    Y/n wanted to walk out and forget this meet-up. Thinking it makes her crazy to think this handsome guy was waiting for her. He didn’t even know her. But it was too late because a second later, Ben saw Y/n standing by the door. A big smile crossing his face, as he waved in a short notion. 

    Y/n met the young man at the table where he gestured for her to sit down.

   “Thanks for coming. I’ll be honest and say I don’t actually have a plan but I guess we can take it slow.” Ben admitted, his eyes darting to Y/n’s chest and them immediately back up to her face. 

  Y/n pretended not to notice, she was nervous too, she thought and didn’t want to judge but couldn’t help but think the deepness in his dark eyes held something more....sinister, something he was trying to tame and keep quiet like an animal inside his own mind. 

  “You’re just fine, what books did you-” She was unable to finish her question when a handful of men appeared out of no where, around the table.

   “Ben! Remember our plan! What are you doing here?” The curly haired boy with thick glasses asked. Y/n couldn’t help but think about how she’s seen him before. 

  Unfamiliar faces surrounded the table as well, each of them darting their attention from Ben to Y/n. 

     Ben adjusted in his chair, his eyebrows narrowed and he sighed. “I’m sorry I forgot about our plans.” He said, his voiced edged with anger.

   “I remember you from yesterday. You’re that girl. Eddie, its that girl from yesterday.’ Richie mocked, elbowing the shorter man near him who rolled his eyes. 

  “Yeah well come on. Bill and Mike are waiting at the house.” Riche said, grabbing Ben’s shoulder to make him stand.

  Ben grabbed the table, he looked at Y/n with an apologetic expression. He didn’t want to leave and Y/n didn’t understand why he didn’t just say no.

  “I don’t think he want’s to leave, guys.” Y/n said, her voice barely above a whisper but they heard her.  

  The air was thick is the seconds of silence that followed; whatever wasn’t being said made it seem like there was an invisible wall between all of them. But richie was the first to speak up.

  “May I remind you Ben, what happens when you break our rules. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to see your girlfriend here face the consequences of you actions for you. I think Bill would LOVE to have a girl in the group for the first time in years, don’t you think?” Richie said, putting a tight arm around Ben’s shoulders. 

    Ben thrashed out of his chair, pushing Richie away. He looked at Y/n with glassy eyes, his the corners of his lips turned down . Richie was smiling as Ben walked away with the group of boys except Richie himself and his best friend, Eddie. Richie turned his attention to Y/n, his eyes laced with malice. 

   “Don’t hang around here too much sweetheart.” Richie suggested, walking closer to y/n whose leg backs’ were stopped by a chair; she couldn’t go any further without tripping.

 “Unless you’d like to find out what we’d do to you, then by all means follow along.” Richie turned away and grabbed Eddie’s hand as they walked out of the library, leaving Y/n alone and confused. 

Later that night while her grandmother was her cat on the couch, Y/n forced herself to ask her grandmother about the strange young men she’d encountered earlier. 

  “Do you know who Ben Hanscom is grandma?” Y/n asked, taking a seat on the couch. 

  Her grandmother kept brushing the cat, “Oh that young man is actually pretty nice. I use to talk to his mother a lot; he was a chubby little thing but he’s grown quite handsome.”

  Y/n smiled, knowing that if her grandmother liked him then maybe things weren’t as weird as they seemed. “That’s great but what about his friends? Are there gangs here?” Y/n asked.

  Her grandmother stopped brushing the cat and looked at Y/n as if she just said something terrible while setting the brush on her side table. “Why are you asking about those boys? Did they harass you or something? Listen to me, Ben ain’t bad but those fellow men he hangs out with are trouble. They aren’t criminals, but they’re....dangerous I think. You don’t need to be around them, promise me you’ll stay away?” 

 “I can stay away.” Y/n said, not completely sure she meant that. 

  It took Y/n a few hours to decide if going into the deep end of this was worth it or not. I made her stomach bubble, flashes of heat touched her forehead and the invisible wall stayed still. All the signs were pointing to this being a bad idea, that Ben was one man in a town full of people just like him. However, maybe there wasn’t anyone like Ben. Others would look at Y/n and whisper to the next person or they’d just ignore her completely but Ben didn’t hesitate to let her in. Maybe it’d be wise to talk to Ben, away from those other men.

 Tomorrow. She’ll find him tomorrow and they’ll talk.

   The next day was bleak. Dark grey skies and heavy rain made Y/n grab her rain-coat, a yellow slicker that she got from the thrift store when she moved here. Nobody was on the streets, which was unusual for Derry, Saturday afternoon. Y/n made her way to the library but Ben wasn’t there and didn’t know where he would be; she really didn’t know anything about him so why was she wasting her own time trying to find this guy. But as she made her way out of the library, she ran into a familiar face; the smaller man that was always with Richie. Today he was by himself. 

  The two stared at each-other. Unlike Richie this guy didn’t look at her like he wanted fight her, he looked inconvenienced and.....sorry?

  “I don’t know where Ben is. He’s probably at home but I’m not sure. You should probably listen to Richie and stay away from us.” He said, brushing past Y/n like she was nothing.

  The woman got irate. She snapped as she gripped the arm of the stupid man and pulled him back in front of her. The rage diffused when she looked at his face and the general disdain in his narrowed eyes. His brows furrowed and he stepped back from Y/n but yet he couldn’t help but feel excited. Her touch did something to him and maybe that’s why Ben almost ditched the group yesterday for her. The group hadn’t had a newcomer in years and any candidates were liabilities. This woman however, Y/n, Ben had called her during the ‘meeting’ yesterday, could be the missing piece they needed. 

  It’s selfish, Eddie thought but he knew what he needed to do to test out his theory. “I’m Eddie, Ben’s friend. I don’t know where he is but we all usually meetup at our other friends house for some fun on Saturday night’s. Would you like to join us? There’ll be drinks and good-looking men.” Eddie finished with the childish smile that most people fall for.  

  Y/n hesitated. She’d have to call grandma and explain that she’d be late for dinner. Maybe, making some friends wouldn’t be terrible while she was here.

  “Yeah, I’ll go.”  Y/n stated. Eddie reached out his hand and Y/n took it. Eddie walked this girl to Bill Denbrough’s home. Bill was their leader. And Eddie was praying that Bill liked the new member he’d present to him. A young, naive woman who’d need to be taught some lessons; she’d need to be broken in. As to which person in the group would do that? They’ll know tonight.

  They walked in without knocking, and Eddie told Y/n to sit on the couch. She noticed that it sounded more like  a demand and not a question which made Y/n hesitate to sit but Eddie’s hard glare sent shivers down her spine and she sat.

  “Bill, It’s Eddie! I’ve got something to show you!” Eddie yelled up the stairs.

    Seconds later, footsteps came pounding down. A tall, handsome man came into the living room, clenching a ball of paper in one hand. “I’m busy doing work for the news paper.” 

 Eddie cleared his throat, “This is Y/n. I thought you’d want to meet her. maybe...” Eddie shrunk under Bill’s gaze. He couldn’t meet his leader’s eyes.

   Bill looked at Y/n. The woman was cute but that wouldn’t be enough for her to fit in. She looked at her feet while swinging her legs like a child. Bill rolled his eyes ready to dismiss her but a second glance caught an interesting detail. The yellow coat she wore reminded him of a terrible time. A memory that makes his heart ache and burn; that makes his brain pound his skull from the inside. 

  “Where’d you get that - that coat you’re wearing?” Bill stuttered, something he hasn’t done in years.

  “A thrift store, why?” Y/n asked, slightly scared by Bill’s anger. She wondered if he’s always like this but by Eddie’s raised eyebrows and the distance he put between him and Bill, makes her think not.

 Bill rushed over to Y/n and gripped the color of the coat forcing Y/n forward. “Take it off, right fucking now!” Bill yelled.

  Eddie stood in place, “Bill calm down. I thought she’d be interesting for you to meet because she’s the reason Ben almost didn’t show up yesterday.” Eddie confessed, his eyes darting between Bill and Y/n. 

   Bill looked her up and down, and smirked. He was still angry but something else now fueled him, determination. If she was the reason the usually loyal Ben lied to the group then he’d make and example of her then. Oh yeah she could be the new member of the group and in a few hours, Ben will see why he shouldn’t lie to his friends.

  Y/n jerked back onto the couch then began to sit up, “I need to go. I’m sorry if I disturbed you...” She said stepping towards the front door.

  “Sit back down. You’re not going anywhere.” Bill grabbed Y/n’s coat again and flung her onto the coach.

  “Sit there and be good for a few hours alright? If you don’t we’ll have to punish you, harder.” Bill said with each arm placed on either side of the woman’s head.

  Hours later, a few other men arrived; all of which y/n has seen before. There was Mike, Stanley Eddie, Bill and Richie. Richie glared at her awhile, making snide comments here or there at her while she desperately searched for Ben who had yet to show up. 

  Richie looked out the window “Guys he’s here!” He yelled. 

  Bill nodded at Richie who grabbed Y/n by the arm, “You’re coming with me sweetheart.” Richie said, leading Y/n upstairs. 

  Y/n tried to struggle out of Richie’s grasp but he held on to her tighter. “If you don’t stop, I swear it’ll just be worse for you.” He tugged her all the way to a master bedroom and threw her on the floor.

   They had been followed by a group of footsteps and guys yelling at each other. Ben entered the room first and when he saw Y/n on the floor, he had Richie pinned against a wall.

  “What the fuck are you thinking, bringing her into this! She did nothing wrong!” Ben was furious, his grip on Richie tightened as he pressed his friend further into the wall. 

 Bill cleared his throat, “You lied to us Ben and you know what happens when you lie to your friends. Show him Richie.” 

Richie released himself from Ben’s grip and got on his knee’s next to Y/n. She knew she was in trouble. All the men were staring at her, some of the amused or hungry. Ben was held back by Mike and Stanley.  Richie grabbed onto the girls’ clothes and started taking them off. Y/n slapped his hands away and backed into the wall but she was caught by Richie who pulled her legs back closer to him. 

  “Stop messing around or I’ll just fuck you harder.” Richie said, not taking his eyes off her body.

  Tears brimmed Y/n’s eyes. She thrashed around, refusing to let this happen to her but it did no good. Richie and Bill seemed turned on by her resistance. And Richie finished peeling off the last bit of clothes she had on, revealing her soft flesh colored mounds that she covered with her arms. 

  “Grab her wrists, I want to see her body.” Bill demanded and Richie complied with a smile.

  Richie hands firmly held Y/n’s wrists as he undid his pants. The rest of the group was in awe. They hadn’t had a girl in so long that Y/n was a miraculous sight. Her feminine curves, her lush hair and pouty lips made their knee’s weak but they all stood still, ready to watch the show.

  Richie was mesmerized by Y/n too which made him angrier. Richie looked at Eddie whose eyes were only on Y/n. Richie dug his nails into the girls skin as he prepared to enter her; he placed a hand by her face and caressed her, long enough that he could enter her with a hard thrust. He closed his eyes as he felt the luxury she was. Y/n just cried out by the rough penetration. She was no virgin but she’d never been taken like this.

 Richie opened his eyes to the pretty girl beneath him, in pain. He pouted, some part of him was guilty but he enjoyed this lifestyle and he enjoyed being dominate. He started to move in her, the wave of comfort he felt with this girl did not co-exist peacefully with the side of him that wanted to ravish her into tomorrow. He sped up his thrusting, hitting her harder while his hands travelled up and down her body. Some of her cries turned into low moans and Richie wanted to her more of her, so he went faster.

 Richie’s mouth found one of her nipples and he began to suck the delicate area while she shuddered beneath him. Richie began to groan loudly while Y/n’s moans became more clear. She grabbed onto his back and held him while his hands gripped her hips in way that’ll leave a bruise. He continued to pound into Y/n until he felt the surge to end, if he went any longer, he wouldn’t have a choice; but he didn’t care and kept riding with her until he was done. 

  Both of them laid silently as Richie let every last drop of his cum dispose into Y/n. The guilt, still present didn’t top the satisfaction he felt from taking her however as he got up, the realization hit Y/n like a truck. What had just happened to her was unimaginable but here she was, naked with a man she barely knows on-top of her. 

 The tears fell without permission and Y/n tried to hide them with her hands. Everybody saw it but they put their pleasure before her being and turned the other way. Richie looked down at her and couldn’t exactly determine what he was feeling as she cried and he didn’t like it.

  “Pathetic.” Richie called Y/n. He grabbed his clothes and rushed out of the room not ever looking back.

 Bill strode to her, satisfied that the introduction of the newest member of the club turned out well. He’d have fun with this girl, they all would. Fuck her over and over again and she’d have to get use to it.

 Bill leaned down to Y/n. Her eyes were pleading but he wasn’t going to help her. “Welcome to The Lover’s Club.” Bill said, smirking.

  Y/n didn’t know what to think or what to say. She laid there hoping this was all a nightmare but it was real. And it would become her life.

[wolfliving]

Account of Lord Byron’s Greek residence

*I’m hard put to believe a word of this highly-colored account of Byron’s house in exile, but it’s hard to get more Romantic than this.  Extra points for the lack of paintings and the heaps of books covered with scrawled notes.

ACCOUNT OF LORD BYRON'S RESIDENCE, &c.

"The world was all before him, where to choose his place of rest, and Providence his guide."

IN Sailing through the Grecian Archipelago, on board one of his Majesty's vessels, in the year 1812, we put into the harbour of Mitylene, in the island of that name. 

The beauty of this place, and the certain supply of cattle and vegetables always to be had there, induce many British vessels to visit it—both men of war and merchantmen; and though it lies rather out of the track for ships bound to Smyrna, its bounties amply repay for the deviation of a voyage. 

We landed; as usual, at the bottom of the bay, and whilst the men were employed in watering, and the purser bargaining for cattle with the natives, the clergyman and myself took a ramble to the cave called Homer's School, and other places, where we had been before. 

On the brow of Mount Ida (a small monticule so named) we met with and engaged a young Greek as our guide, who told us he had come from Scio with an English lord, who left the island four days previous to our arrival in his felucca. 

"He engaged me as a pilot," said the Greek, "and would have taken me with him; but I did not choose to quit Mitylene, where I am likely to get married. He was an odd, but a very good man. The cottage over the hill, facing the river, belongs to him, and he has left an old man in charge of it: he gave Dominick, the wine-trader, six hundred zechines for it, (about L250 English currency,) and has resided there about fourteen months, though not constantly; for he sails in his felucca very often to the different islands."

This account excited our curiosity very much, and we lost no time in hastening to the house where our countryman had resided. We were kindly received by an old man, who conducted us over the mansion. 

It consisted of four apartments on the ground-floor—an entrance hall, a drawing-room, a sitting parlour, and a bed-room, with a spacious closet annexed. They were all simply decorated: plain green-stained walls, marble tables on either side, a large myrtle in the centre, and a small fountain beneath, which could be made to play through the branches by moving a spring fixed in the side of a small bronze Venus in a leaning posture; a large couch or sofa completed the furniture. 

In the hall stood half a dozen English cane chairs, and an empty book-case: there were no mirrors, nor a single painting. The bedchamber had merely a large mattress spread on the floor, with two stuffed cotton quilts and a pillow—the common bed throughout Greece.

 In the sitting-room we observed a marble recess, formerly, the old man told us, filled with books and papers, which were then in a large seaman's chest in the closet: it was open, but we did not think ourselves justified in examining the contents. On the tablet of the recess lay Voltaire's, Shakspeare's, Boileau's, and Rousseau's works complete; Volney's Ruins of Empires; Zimmerman, in the German language; Klopstock's Messiah; Kotzebue's novels; Schiller's play of the Robbers; Milton's Paradise Lost, an Italian edition, printed at Parma in 1810; several small pamphlets from the Greek press at Constantinople, much torn, but no English book of any description. Most of these books were filled with marginal notes, written with a pencil, in Italian and Latin. The Messiah was literally scribbled all over, and marked with slips of paper, on which also were remarks.

The old man said: "The lord had been reading these books the evening before he sailed, and forgot to place them with the others; but," said he, "there they must lie until his return; for he is so particular, that were I to move one thing without orders, he would frown upon me for a week together; he is otherways very good. I once did him a service; and I have the produce of this farm for the trouble of taking care of it, except twenty zechines which I pay to an aged Armenian who resides in a small cottage in the wood, and whom the lord brought here from Adrianople; I don't know for what reason."

The appearance of the house externally was pleasing. The portico in front was fifty paces long and fourteen broad, and the fluted marble pillars with black plinths and fret-work cornices, (as it is now customary in Grecian architecture,) were considerably higher than the roof. The roof, surrounded by a light stone balustrade, was covered by a fine Turkey carpet, beneath an awning of strong coarse linen. Most of the house-tops are thus furnished, as upon them the Greeks pass their evenings in smoking, drinking light wines, such as "lachryma christi," eating fruit, and enjoying the evening breeze.

On the left hand as we entered the house, a small streamlet glided away, grapes, oranges and limes were clustering together on its borders, and under the shade of two large myrtle bushes, a marble seat with an ornamental wooden back was placed, on which we were told, the lord passed many of his evenings and nights till twelve o'clock, reading, writing, and talking to himself. "I suppose," said the old man, "praying" for he was very devout, "and always attended our church twice a week, besides Sundays."

The view from this seat was what may be termed "a bird's-eye view." A line of rich vineyards led the eye to Mount Calcla, covered with olive and myrtle trees in bloom, and on the summit of which an ancient Greek temple appeared in majestic decay. A small stream issuing from the ruins descended in broken cascades, until it was lost in the woods near the mountain's base. 

The sea smooth as glass, and an horizon unshadowed by a single cloud, terminates the view in front; and a little on the left, through a vista of lofty chesnut and palm-trees, several small islands were distinctly observed, studding the light blue wave with spots of emerald green. I seldom enjoyed a view more than I did this; but our enquiries were fruitless as to the name of the person who had resided in this romantic solitude: none knew his name but Dominick, his banker, who had gone to Candia. 

"The Armenian," said our conductor, "could tell, but I am sure he will not,"—"And cannot you tell, old friend?" said I—"If I can," said he, "I dare not." 

We had not time to visit the Armenian, but on our return to the town we learnt several particulars of the isolated lord. He had portioned eight young girls when he was last upon the island, and even danced with them at the nuptial feast. He gave a cow to one man, horses to others, and cotton and silk to the girls who live by weaving these articles. He also bought a new boat for a fisherman who had lost his own in a gale, and he often gave Greek Testaments to the poor children. In short, he appeared to us, from all we collected, to have been a very eccentric and benevolent character. 

One circumstance we learnt, which our old friend at the cottage thought proper not to disclose. He had a most beautiful daughter, with whom the lord was often seen walking on the sea-shore, and he had bought her a piano-forte, and taught her himself the use of it.

Such was the information with which we departed from the peaceful isle of Mitylene; our imaginations all on the rack, guessing who this rambler in Greece could be. 

He had money it was evident: he had philanthropy of disposition, and all those eccentricities which mark peculiar genius. 

Arrived at Palermo, all our doubts were dispelled. Falling in company with Mr. FOSTER, the architect, a pupil of WYATT'S, who had been travelling in Egypt and Greece, "The individual," said he, "about whom you are so anxious, is Lord Byron; I met him in my travels on the island of Tenedos, and I also visited him at Mitylene." 

We had never then heard of his lordship's fame, as we had been some years from home; but "Childe Harolde" being put into our hands we recognized the recluse of Calcla in every page. Deeply did we regret not having been more curious in our researches at the cottage, but we consoled ourselves with the idea of returning to Mitylene on some future day; but to me that day will never return.

 I make this statement, believing it not quite uninteresting, and in justice to his lordship's good name, which has been grossly slandered. He has been described as of an unfeeling disposition, averse to associating with human nature, or contributing in any way to sooth its sorrows, or add to its pleasures. The fact is directly the reverse, as may be plainly gathered from these little anecdotes. 

All the finer feelings of the heart, so elegantly depicted in his lordship's poems, seem to have their seat in his bosom. Tenderness, sympathy, and charity appear to guide all his actions: and his courting the repose of solitude is an additional reason for marking him as a being on whose heart Religion hath set her seal, and over whose head Benevolence hath thrown her mantle. No man can read the preceding pleasing "traits" without feeling proud of him as a countryman. 

With respect to his loves or pleasures, I do not assume a right to give an opinion. Reports are ever to be received with caution, particularly when directed against man's moral integrity; and he who dares justify himself before that awful tribunal where all must appear, alone may censure the errors of a fellow-mortal. Lord Byron's character is worthy of his genius. To do good in secret, and shun the world's applause, is the surest testimony of a virtuous heart and self-approving conscience.

THE END

[suhoerections]

Temporary Fix

➵  Pairing: Frat boy!Chanyeol x reader 

➵ Word Count: 5.5k (bout 2- 3k is smut)

➵ Genre: Smut, some fluff???, Crack??? idk but defs smut

➵ AU: College 

➵ Warnings: Unprotected sex || Fingering || Public sex || 

➵ Plot: Chanyeol is everything you need, he’s your temporary fix 

➵ Tag List: Idk i just felt like yall would like to be tagged,,, @kyungseokie @ninibears-erigom @rosyyeols @chanyeolol @fairyyeols @taetaesbaebaepsae

➵ A/N: FUCK,,,, also its inspired by this song (yebo ik its 1D but leave my inner 12 yo fan girl alone) AND i made that moodboard thingie for the post so don’t repost it without credit or you’ll be worse than comic sans 

Bodies moved around you to a pulsating rhythm that seeped through the frat house. The music was loud and some upbeat tune that droned in the base of your skull. 

You worked your way through the ocean of couples grinding against each other, your destination the kitchen bench filled with enough alcohol to get three times the amount of people here drunk. 

“Hey! Y/N!” The voice cut through the crowd of people, a lanky form weaseling through the horde to get to you. 

“Hm?” You turned around, noticing the fluffy halo of Baekhyun’s black hair bobbing through the sea of bodies. 

“There you are!” He exclaimed, the curve of his waist already attached to the form of some random guy, his lips swollen with a post make out pinkness. “I almost had a heart attack when I couldn’t find you.” 

Your eyebrow cocked instinctively, a small chuckle filling the space between you.

“Baekhyun… I’m surprised you noticed I was gone.” Your eyes flicked momentarily to the blushing boy beside him, bashful dimples formed in his cheeks as a pink scattered the skin. 

“Hey!” Baek sassed, “Just because I’m sucking face with someone doesn’t mean you can run off on me.” 

You scoffed, arms folding over you chest at your best friend’s brashness. 

“I’m not going to third wheel you and…?” You looked toward the boy standing next to him, eyebrow cocking in prompt for his name. 

“Yixing.” He said shyly, black hair falling into his face, hand clasping Baekhyun’s tightly. 

“You are not third wheeling! I’m meant to be your wingman!” A pout formed on his lips, a grumpy expression similar to a toddlers crossing his features. 

“Baek, go have fun with your friend.” You urged, gently nudging his foot with your own. “I’m gonna get some drinks.” 

“At least let us come with you.” He grumbled in response, lips forming a larger pout. “I want to make sure you’re safe.” 

You shrugged, turning around and walking into the kitchen, Baekhyun following close behind with Yixing’s hand intertwined with his own. 

The kitchen bench held a variety of cheap alcohol befitting to the college party, the granite surface covered in bottles upon bottles of liquor. 

The glass of the vodka felt cool in your hands as you poured it into the red plastic cup, your eyes scanning the thankfully less crowded kitchen. 

“Xing,” Baekhyun cooed behind you, his nimble hands reaching around to nab the vodka bottle out of your hands. “Do you want a drink?” 

Yixing stood there, dimples forming again as a shy smile spread across his face and his reply sounded in the small space between the three of you; “Sure.” 

He seemed out of place at the frat party, his oversized sweater and cute apparel screaming night at home rather than raging, alcohol induced, college student gathering. Though he obviously caught Baekhyun’s eye - his fluttering eyelashes and small smiles already indicating that he was more than interested in Yixing. 

The taste of alcohol was prominent as you sipped the drink, leaning against the granite bench casually. Your eyes surveyed the kitchen - the room less active than the bustling living room yet also alive with conversations that filled the smaller space. 

You must of caught his eye, because he approached you first, a hint of a smirk tainting his handsome features as he sauntered over to you, overconfidence lacing his steps.

“Hey beautiful.” He drawled, the basic introduction causing you to hold back a scoff. 

Baekhyun must've noticed the stranger before you, his hand already interlaced with Yixing’s and disappearing into the crowded living area.

You forced a small smile onto your face, praying to whatever God that this stranger would leave. 

“Hello.” You responded, already hiding behind your cup of alcohol, sipping the comforting substance. 

Whoever this guy was, it was no doubt he was interested. His eyes were glued to your body in the tight shirt that accentuated the curve of your breasts and waist. The gaze of this stranger taking you in hungrily.

“I’m Sehun.” He introduced, his lips curling into a smirk and his inky hair falling into his eyes in shaggy strands. 

You had to bite back the urge to respond with; I’m not interested, but you didn’t, opting for speaking your name with a small smile. 

“Ahh, that’s pretty,” Sehun’s smirk widened and you anticipated the words before he said them, “Would sound prettier echoing around my room tonight.”

It took almost all your willpower not to cringe, not to rear away from the stranger in front of you and just run and hide in a corner. Anywhere away from him.

A scoff sounded from across the kitchen bench where you stood, bringing your attention to a handsome stranger pouring himself a drink. 

His chocolate eyes met yours, twinkling with a kindness that you didn’t see in most people, his smile holding back a laugh as he overheard Sehun’s poor attempt at a pick up line. He intrigued you, his black, fluffy hair falling into his eyes in a shagginess that was cute and quite the opposite of Sehun’s over gelled strands. The worn leather jacket and plain white tee accentuated the bad boy vibe surrounding him. 

Sehun must of noticed the split second exchange between you and the other stranger, your demeanour changing from closed off to open, but not for him. 

“Hey sweetheart, how you getting home?” He spoke, trying to divert your attention back to him - and it worked, though you only did it out of courtesy. 

“My friend is probably taking me home, he dropped me off.” You didn’t mean to sound so uninterested and bitchy but you couldn’t help it, your tone as monotonous as you can be without sounding like a complete robot. 

“Friend? And he’s a he?” Sehun cocked an eyebrow, intrigued as to whether this was actually a ‘friend’.

You huffed an amused smirk, “His name is Baekhyun and he’s gay.”

“Oh…” He trailed, pausing momentarily as he tried to think of how to fill the awkward silence between you both.

“Don’t waste your breath bud, she’s not interested.” The stranger spoke with a deep voice, his grin hidden behind a cup and his demeanour casual as he leant against the granite bench. A small, appreciative smile crept onto your face as you turned to him slightly.

Sehun scoffed, a sour look crossing his face as he surveyed the stranger in front of him.

“Like you have a better chance.” He grumbled, but thankfully got the hint, stalking off to hit up some other chick. 

You let out a sigh of relief you didn’t know you had been holding in, your eyes flicking to the man behind the kitchen bench.

“Thank you.” The relief laced the tone of your voice as you thanked the handsome stranger.

He shrugged, the gesture casual yet entrancing as his eyes danced across your features.

“You just look like the type of girl who’s tired of standing with somebody who doesn’t know what you like.” His voice was deep, husky and filled with mystery. A smirk fell across his features as his eyes wandered across your body in a suggestive gesture. 

“I guess you could say that.” You spoke, a smirk creeping up on your features as you looked into the chocolate abyss of his sparkling eyes, “You saying you know what I like?” Your head cocked playfully as you spurted up your mustered confidence into the question. 

An equally playful smirk adorned his face, his perfect lips curving mischievously. “I’m pretty sure I could figure it out.” He drawled, the deepness of his voice sending shivers of excitement down your spine. “I’m Chanyeol.” He casually spoke, eyes flickering down your body once again. 

You could barely comprehend your name coming off your lips as your eyes met Chanyeol’s, his gaze seemingly putting you under a spell of him, though the moment was soon broken as a cold hand gripped your wrist.

“Thank God you’re here, Jongdae is playing 7 minutes in heaven upstairs and he’s only doing it to get in Minseok’s-” Baekhyun’s voice cut off as he surveyed Chanyeol standing behind the bench. A slight smirk toyed at the edge of your best friend’s lips as his eyes raked over the man in front of him. “Bring your friend.” 

Chanyeol looked to you with a smile that seemed to be holding back a laugh, his lips dancing on the edge of his cup as if it was the only thing stopping him from bursting out with a chuckle.

“I’ll come.” He chimed in, deep voice relaxed and smooth yet his gaze trained on you with an unspoken question of ‘will you be there?’.

A relaxed shrug was the least you could muster without bursting out of nerves and excitement at Chanyeol’s implied interest.

“Why not?” You questioned, though it was left unanswered as Baekhyun looped an arm with yours, his eyes dancing back to Chanyeol with a flirtatious smirk.

“Hm I like this one better than the other guy.” Baek hummed in your ear, his gaze now on your features. 

“Me too.” You cooed back, a smirk forming on your lips as you felt Chanyeol’s arm snake around your waist. 

His touch was not one you were expecting but it was amazing nonetheless. The warmth of him seeping through the tight fabric of your shirt, his hand large and encompassing as his touch seemingly soothed you. A scent of musk and an earthy home tickled your senses as he moved in closer to you, the smell of him more inviting than that of sweat and beer most of the frat boys wore. 

“Is it okay if I come?” Chanyeol leaned down to whisper in your ear, his body pressing against your own as you made your way through the swarm of people to the staircase. 

“I don’t see why not.” You smiled, your body already melting into his inviting touch. 

Baekhyun’s sudden break away from you brought your attention to him tugging on your hand, leading you both up the stairs in a rushed manner. “Hurry up,” He whined, lips forming a pout as he almost yanked you out of Chanyeol’s grip, “I saw some twink checking out Yixing and I need to make sure he’s not getting cornered.” 

“We’re coming.” You assured, reaching the top of the stairs and following him down the hallway. 

It was seemingly less busy upstairs, drunk people wandering around for a toilet and a few socks on door handles was all there was to see. Most of the partygoers were downstairs, knocking back booze and hot boxing smaller rooms. 

Baekhyun knocked on the last door down the plain hallway, the frenzied bangs carrying out into the room. 

“Jongdae better open this fucking door or I swear-” He grumbled, waiting impatiently.

A squeeze on your hip brought you back to Chanyeol, his lips ghosting your ear as he whispered over Baekhyun’s grumbles. “This Baekhyun? The gay friend?” His question tickled the shell of your ear, his breath tantalising and hot on your neck. 

“What gave it away? Him checking you out?” You laughed, an amused smile lighting up your features. 

“I mean-”

“Baekhyun.” A mop of brown hair and a cheshire cat smile appeared behind the now open door, “Took you long enough.” Jongdae cooed, his kitty grin spreading as his eyes landed on Chanyeol, gaze sweeping across his muscular body. 

“I only brought them here so they can make out.” Baekhyun spoke casually, his hand waving in a dismissive gesture as he walked past the man in the doorway and into the dimly lit room.

A light blush scattered across your cheeks as you followed him in wordlessly, swallowing a thick ball of nerves as you heard Chanyeol shuffle in behind you and the door click shut. The only thing easing your beating heart was his hand gently settling on the small of your back. 

A small group of people you were vaguely acquainted with sat in a loose circle on the floor, a few you remembered from Baekhyun’s friend group that he tagged along with to hit up gay bars. Their eyes watched as you and Chanyeol joined the circle, his hand snaking around your waist and pulling you into his warmth as you both sat. 

“So~ Who wants to do the honors?” Jongdae smirked, eyes flicking around the small circle attentively, his gaze analytical and searching as his cheshire cat grin only accentuated the mischief in his look. 

Baekhyun grabbed the bottle, his nimble fingers throwing it across the circle to hit Chanyeol square in the chest.

“You go first.” Your best friend smirked, his lips curving into a mischievous grin as his hand toyed with Yixing’s.

Chanyeol’s eyebrows raised above the line of his boyish cut hair, the rugged strands falling into his clouded eyes as his hand reached out to place the bottle in the middle of the circle.

Your heart rate increased as you watched the dim lights of the room dance across the glassy surface of the empty beer bottle. Chanyeol’s body was comforting as you leaned into him, fiddling with the hem of his white tee in nervousness and hope that it would land on you.

The neck of the bottle spun around in a circle quickly, the movement fast and blurring as it whizzed around in a spiral of tightly coiled anticipation. 

The bottle stopped.

And your heart sunk.

It was like being dumped in cold water, your stomach doing a flip as the glass pointed in the dreaded direction of Yixing. A deep blush scattered his cheeks and as he seemingly sunk into his oversized jumper. 

“Fuck off.” Baekhyun scoffed, reaching out to pluck the bottle off the floor and point it towards you, “You are not getting 7 minutes in heaven with Xing.” His demeanour was defensive yet his eyes sparkled as they met your own, urging you to go with Chanyeol. 

A cocky smirk lit up Chanyeol’s features as his hand squeezed your hip gently, the action sending a shiver of excitement to run down your spine. “Fine then,” he spoke deeply, voice laced with confidence and adrenaline. 

Jongdae shrugged, unbothered by the obvious cheating on Baekhyun’s behalf. “Whatever floats your boat, the bathroom is just there.” He commented, flicking his wrist in the direction of an ensuite. “If you make a mess, clean it up.” 

A few snickers arose from the group as you stood with Chanyeol, heart beating erratically against your chest, muscles seized in a thrilled anxiety that rattled your body with arousal and desperation. 

“You okay with this?” Chanyeol whispered in your ear, his hot breath fanning over your sensitive flesh in a sensory pleasure that had you holding back a whimper.

“Perfectly fine.” You cooed back, an anticipatory smile creeping its way onto your features as you tried to soothe your beating heart - which only intensified as you stepped foot into the dark bathroom. 

There was a moment of processing as the door clicked shut behind Chanyeol, sealing you both in the small room. 

And that was it.

Chanyeol closed the space first, his movements desperate as he crossed the small space to you. The palms of his hands were hot, burning as they gripped your hips harshly, pulling you into his even hotter body. 

Chanyeol was like a star - burning and intense as his lips hit yours in an intense crescendo of lust and want. His tongue was hot, the muscle moving against your own as you melted into his chest, fingers instinctively tangling in the inky strands of his hair. 

He was a great kisser, fantastic in fact. His lips were plush and cushion-like as they moulded your own perfectly, his tongue teasing as if he could work it better elsewhere and his teeth nipped against your lip whenever the need for air had you pulling away. 

It was heaven. 

You lit up underneath his touch as he moved his hands around your body - Chanyeol being the switch to make you respond just how he wants it. It made you more aroused than you already were, the heat between your legs only heightening as he gripped your thighs tightly.

“Jump for me, baby.” Chanyeol directed, his voice gruff and dripping with lust as his fingers dug further into your thighs.

You obeyed; allowing him to lift you onto the bathroom bench with ease. A few bottles of various lotions and body washes crashed to the floor, the sound loud in the small space - yet you were both too occupied to care. 

Chanyeol’s lips were on yours again, placing a sloppy kiss on your lips before trailing down your jaw and neck. His hand gripped your hip tightly, the other trailing along your exposed thigh. Your breath hitched, chest heaving against his wandering hand as his fingers teased and tickled the sensitive flesh close to your throbbing core.

His teeth nipped your sweet spot, your neck craning on instinct as he sucked a small mark into the skin. A smirk tainted his lips as he continued to mark and tease you, his fingers inching higher with every nip and tug against the delicate flesh of your neck.

A whimper escaped your lips as you felt your clit throb, the action sending sparks of pleasure through your body and a wetness to stain the cotton panties you wore underneath the skirt. The cotton panties Chanyeol was so close to touching, his fingers near enough to graze the wetness he had caused.

“Can I?” He breathed, the question heavy in the air as his fingers toyed with the elastic of your panties. 

“Yes.” You responded, your statement barely a whisper - but it was all he needed to shove the cotton aside and bring the pad of his finger against your clit. 

A whimper filled the small space as you gripped his biceps harshly, the sensation of your fingers digging into the chiseled muscle cause Chanyeol to moan low in his throat. He worked his calloused finger against the swollen nub, his breath hot on your neck as his other hand gripped your ass harshly. 

The feeling engulfed your body in pleasure, tendrils of desire and arousal seizing you in a coil of pure bliss. 

“Ch-Chanyeol~” His name fell off your lips, the two syllables breathy and half moaned as they filled the dark bathroom. 

“Fuck.” He muttered the curse, deep voice turning you into a puddle as he pulled his finger off your clit, inserting 2 digits into you slowly. A whimper escaped your lips as he started hard and fast pace with his fingers, curling them to graze your spot with every thrust. 

“You’re so wet, baby.” His breath got hotter on your neck, bringing his lips closer to nip the skin teasingly. Your fingers tightened in his hair instinctively, tugging on the messy locks as his fingers fucked you closer to your release. 

“We need to get out of here.” You half moaned next to his ear, body arching into his hand. 

Chanyeol pulled away, eyes meeting your own - the orbs glazed with arousal and need as he surveyed your disheveled form, body succumbed to his fingers. A low growl sounded in his throat as he pulled his fingers out, bringing them to his swollen lips before sucking your wetness off them. 

Your breath hitched as you watched him suck your arousal off his fingers, the action sparking a desperation within you.

A desperation for Chanyeol.

“How do we go without the others noticing?” He questioned, helping you off the bench. 

A devilish smirk lit up your features as you gestured toward the large window over the expensive bathtub. “How else?” 

Chanyeol cocked an eyebrow, walking over to the window and poking his head out in question. 

“Yeah, there’s a roof underneath. We can do it.” He turned back around, holding his hand out for you as an invitation. 

“We better be quick, the others will be knocking on the door soon.” You noted, grabbing onto Chanyeol’s hand. 

He climbed out first - insisting that he’d help you down. His lanky form accidentally banging on the window sill by accident.

“Yeol, be careful.” You giggled, watching him rub his head with a grimace, “They’ll hear us.” 

Chanyeol rolled his eyes, helping you onto the platform roof outside the window. “Like they didn’t hear your moans before?” He countered, lips curling into a shit head smirk. 

“Shut up.” You wacked his muscly arm gently, poking your tongue out in mock annoyance.

Chanyeol chuckled, the sound hearty in the crisp night air, a small breeze lightly carrying the melody of his laugh away. The moonlight hit his handsome features, the silver beams accentuating his beauty as he smiled at you. It took your breath away, the sound of the raging frat party drowning out in the singular moment on the roof that you shared with Chanyeol.  

“I’ll jump down and I’ll help you off, ok?” He asked, walking down to the edge of the roof, being careful not to slip on the tiles.

“Okay.” You spoke, following his careful footsteps to the edge and watching him jump down with ease - his height making it possible to happen without hurting himself.

“Come on.” Chanyeol jokingly urged, his hands reaching up as if he was going to catch you.

You sat on the edge of the roof, being careful not to sit on the gutter as you shimmied to as far as you could get. 

“Stop mucking around. Just jump, I’ll catch you.” He waved his hands gently, signalling you into his inviting arms.

You bit your lip gently - it wasn’t exactly the shortest distance down and you were scared you’d hurt him, but you took a leap of faith as you heard Baekhyun crash into the bathroom. 

“WHERE ARE YOU SHITHEADS I’VE BEEN KNOCKING FOR THE PAST 5 MINUTES.” Baek’s yell carried out the window, prompting Chanyeol to mutter an urged ‘quick’. 

Your eyes widened as you hopped from the edge and landing in Chanyeol’s arms securely.

“What’d I tell ya, baby cakes?” He teased, smirking as he pulled you into his chest. 

“Shut up.” You teased back, grinning stupidly as you melted into him, his scent and warmth seeping into you invitingly. A small commotion from the window brought your attention back to Baekhyun, his loud voice being distinctive in the night air as him and a few others talked loudly from the bathroom.

Chanyeol laughed, the delicious sound making your focus on him once again.

“Come on, let’s go.” His hand interlaced with your own as he ran off into the night with you. 

“A car?” You cocked your eyebrow, stopping outside a sleek, black mustang. Though it was one of the old ones - the type from the 60s that were hardly around anymore. It suited Chanyeol perfectly, the black leather and retro look fitting his James Dean, ‘bad boy’ aura.

Chanyeol smirked at your question, popping the back door open and waving a hand out for you to enter, “Ladies first.” 

You smirked back as you walked up to the door, slipping into the dark interior. 

“I parked it out here so no drunk assholes would bang it up.” Chanyeol spoke, closing the door and encasing you both inside, “But I suppose the seclusion is serving another purpose now.” 

He started closing the small distance between you both, bringing his body close to your own. Chanyeol’s car smelt so much like him it was intoxicating and with him so close - you were drowning in him. 

And you loved it.

“I suppose it is.” You cooed gently, leaning into his broad chest. 

Chanyeol didn’t bother replying, his lips finding your own in the dark space, hands silently wandering your body. You kissed back, deepening it as you got hung up in him. His lips moulded with your own perfectly, tongue gently dipping into your mouth as he opened up to you. 

A small whimper escaped you as he grabbed your breast harshly, kneading it through the thin fabric of your shirt and bra. Chanyeol growled in response - the sound sending arousal to run through you like a drug as he nipped your lip.  

His hands started to wander more, the digits dipping under the hem of your shirt and pulling it over your head as he kissed you harder, more desperately. 

“Yeollie.” You moaned the nickname as he pulled away, only to have his lips to crash into your neck, sucking a dark bruise into the sensitive skin.

He broke away again once more, tugging your shirt over your head and discarding it somewhere within the car. 

A gasp fell off your lips as you felt the cool night air on your nipples through the thin lace of your bra. Chanyeol smirked as he saw the perky nubs, bringing his fingers up to give one of them a quick pinch. The action sparked a small moan from you, fingers tightening on his shoulders. 

“You’re so responsive.” Chanyeol praised breathlessly, ripping the delicate lace off your chest in an effortless movement. 

“Fuck.” You breathed into the cabin, watching him discard the wrecked fabric into the depths of the car.

“I’ll buy you a new one.” Chanyeol spoke, bringing your attention back to his lips, the rosy skin brushing against your erect nipple teasingly.

Another moan filled the car as he sucked harshly on the sensitive nub, swirling his tongue around the nipple. He smirked into you, tugging the bud between his teeth, eyes flicking up to meet your own devilishly.

You melted at the eye contact, working your fingers up to tangle in his thick hair and tug gently. 

The desperation for him was eating away at you, you needed Chanyeol hard and fast but he was toying with you - pushing you to your limit in the backseat of his car.

He groaned against your skin, the noise sending hot sparks of arousal down your spine as he tugged your panties off under your skirt. You inhaled sharply as the cool air brushed against your wetness, coaxing the hot arousal threatening to drip down your thigh. 

Chanyeol’s fingers danced under the hem of your skirt, swiping a digit down your slit before inserting it into your entrance. 

“You’re still so wet.” He cooed against your skin, bringing his lips back up to your neck and kissing the sensitive flesh. 

You bit your lip in response, too invested in the way his finger twisted around inside of you to be bothered answering. A moan fell off your lips as he added a second finger, eyes meeting your own again as he watched your face contort in pleasure.

The pleasure he was giving you.

“Chanyeol~” You moaned his name into the dark space, whimpering as his fingers curled into your spot and a coil of pleasure built up in your stomach.

“Do you want to cum on my fingers?” His voice was thick, the deep tone touching places and making you feel things you never thought you could from someone’s voice.

“Y-Yes,” You responded, the single syllable hanging breathlessly in the air, “I want you to make me cum, Yeollie.” 

Chanyeol moaned, the sound sending you closer to the edge as he elicited the noise at your words. “I want to make you cum,” He groaned heartily into your ear, “I want my fingers to be soaked in you.” 

A whimper sounded in the back of your throat as you bucked your hips into him gently, desperate for more as you started to ascend to your high. 

You wanted it so bad.

Your walls clenched around him as he added a third finger, bringing the pads of them to rub against your spot deliciously, his thumb already rubbing tight circles against your clit. The sensation was sending the coil in your stomach to tighten, tendrils of pleasure circled your abdomen as you felt your high near, felt the delicious snap of your senses about to explode. You moaned loudly, hoping that the car would conceal your cries of release as you continued to moan. 

Chanyeol responded to every sound with harder rubs to your clit, curling his fingers firmer against your spot as you continued to let out the pleasurable noises. 

It wasn’t long before his fingers dealt a final stroke that caused you to explode - your body arching in bliss as your orgasm washed over you in powerful waves. 

“Chanyeol!” It was the only word you could articulate in the moment his fingers brought you over the edge, your body plunging into the abyss as he let you ride it out. 

“Fuck you’re beautiful.” Chanyeol groaned, lips meeting jaw line in sloppy kisses as he pulled his fingers out. Your chest heaved as you tried to regain your breath, attempting to recover from the powerful orgasm he had given you. 

Your eyes met Chanyeol’s once more as you splayed out on the leather after being completely wrecked from his fingers alone. He smirked, bringing his lips to your own in a wet kiss. 

He pulled away, eyes still trained on your own as he brought the three fingers up to his swollen lips, parting slightly to allow for the digits to enter and be sucked clean. Chanyeol moaned as he tasted you on his skin, the action sparking you to regain your desperation from before. 

“Delicious, baby.” He smirked again as he pulled his fingers out, the digits lowering to rest on his belt, “Can I?” 

Your eyes widened as they flicked down to his bulge - it was large and you could tell he wasn’t small. A nod was all you could manage, your mouth growing dry at the sight and your pussy clenching around nothing as you watched him unbuckle the leather.

Chanyeol pulled his pants and boxers down enough to reveal his dick. The member was thick and large, the head red and begging for something. He hissed gently as he brought his hand up and down his cock a few times, pumping himself gently. 

“You okay with this?” Chanyeol’s eyes bored into your own as you watched him intently.

“Of course.” A smirk fell upon your lips as you waited for him to reach out to you, for him to take you however he wanted, “Take me, Chanyeol.” 

The two words were all he needed, eyes glazed in arousal and desperation as he settled his body over your own, laying you down on the leather seat. You gulped, watching him line himself up and get ready to pound you into the backseat. 

Chanyeol moaned as he entered you, body flush against your own as he buried himself to the hilt - wasting no time at all. A moan fell off his rosy lips as he worked himself into you, your wetness making it easy for him to slide in. Your own moans mixed with his as you accompanied to the stretch, his considerable length stretching you perfectly.

He started off a gentle pace, allowing you to get used to it, Chanyeol soon got carried away, his hips speeding up with every thrust and his moans becoming more desperate as he started to get a little bit rougher.

He was amazing, his cock perfect and stretching you out in a way that you found no one else did. Your nails dug into his broad shoulders for leverage as he started to get more erratic, thrusting hard and fast into you. 

The leather was creaking, the noises of his hips slapping yours and your moans being the only thing filling the cabin of his car. Chanyeol’s moans were even deeper as he was in you, the noises sending you closer to your second high, your walls clenching around him involuntarily.

Your legs wrapped around him tightly, the heels of your feet digging into the small of his back, trying to bury him deeper into you as you arched into his body, a loud moan cascading out of you as he hit your spot. 

Chanyeol groaned in response, doing his best to fuck you harder and deeper within the cramped space. The coil in you started to tighten again, the post orgasm sensitivity making it easier to reach as your high loomed before you.

Your moans became more frequent and loud as you started to approach your high, your body and mind lost in the spiral of pleasure that Chanyeol was giving you. Your nails dug deeper into his shoulder blades, leaving angry lines of scratches on his skin through his clothed back.

“Ch-Chanyeol!” You choked his name out through a moan as the pleasure started to build up once more, become unbearable to the point where your orgasm washed over you with a particularly hard thrust from Chanyeol.

His hips stuttered as you came around him, a deep moan filling the space as he tried to thrust through it and guide you through the orgasm. Though he had to pull out, cumming just in time as his seed coated your thighs in a sticky mess of pleasure.

“Fuck.” He muttered into the dark cabin, eyes watching you through the pale moonlight. 

You were wrecked, breathing heavy and wasted on the black leather of his backseat. Chanyeol leaned down and kissed you gently, catching your lips in a soft kiss.

“You can call me when you need me,” He muttered into your lips, “I’ll be your temporary fix, babe.”

[evietheninja]

So, you want to transfer to UA University?

This is fan-fic #4785  that my friends and I are writing. Follow our OCs as they find themselves, and their love interests hehe. 

Maiya Koi: Age; 23. 

Appearance: Deep purple curly hair, half of her hair is always in a bun, while the bottom half stays down. When shes relaxed or at home, she’ll put her hair in a messy bun. Her eyes are Gold. She is 5′4. She likes to wear tee-shirts, band merch, pleated skirts, ripped jeans, knee high socks, and converse. 

Quirk; Aura. She is constantly surrounded by an aura she is able to weaponize. The aura around her changes colors depending on mood. She is able to concentrate her aura into her hands, letting her create rays, orbs, and shields. Her quirk relies on her energy. Once overused, she will sleep for long periods at a time. 

Mitch Liu: Age; 23.

Appearance: She has a short, burnt orange hair. Her hair is usually messy (in a good way) Eyes are hazel. Her style is either lazy, (sweats, loose fitting t-shirts, and hightop vans) or sexy (fishnet everything, corsets, leather pants, platforms) no in between. She is 5′6, taller in her platforms. 

Quirk: Manipulation of the Eye. She can trick the eye her enemies, making herself completely nonexistent to a certain extent. Her quirk relies on concentration, the second she gets distracted, her quirk deactivates. She uses chains that she wears to restrain her enemies. 

Cal Torrance: Age; 23. 

Appearance: Cal has pastel green hair, that’s a puffy curly look to it. It’s about a little past shoulder length. On the top of her head, she has a little sprout. Depending on the season it will grow little plants. She wears really big circular glasses. Her style consists of overalls, usually plain t-shirt or a graphic shirt underneath the overalls and black converse. 

Quirk: Plant Manipulation. She can control any plant to do whatever it is she wants. Since manifestation, she’s studied every herb and has a vast knowledge of formulas ranging from poisons to healing remedies. She is able to grow plants in the palm of her hand as long as she has the seed handy almost instantaneously. Her quirk relies on sunlight and energy. If it is cloudy, or she hasn’t had enough rest, her plants will wilt. Due to her quirk, she has a small sprout at the top of her head that will change depending on the season. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Today’s the day, huh?” Mitch says, breaking her gaze from the window and shifting in her seat. “It is, we get to see how these guys compare to the way they preformed at the festival a few months back.” Cal says, turning her gaze to the girls in front of her. Maiya leans her head back, closing her eyes to relax. “I don’t think it’ll be that bad.” Cal laughs lightly, while Mitch bumped her shoulder. “You may SOUND uninterested, but your quirk says different.” Mitch says winking. “Whatever” Maiya says laughing lightly. 

The girls continue conversation, and soon feel the bus come to a stop. In the front of the bus, one of the RA’s stands, instructing the other students to make their way to check in, put their stuff in the dorms they are assigned to, and head to the auditorium to hear announcements, instructions and introductions. 

Everyone makes their way off the bus, and the trio looks around admiring the school. Beautiful buildings, green grass, tall trees, the campus was very well kept. Cal looked around, her sprout twitching in excitement. “It’s so...big” She says, smiling. Mitch and Maiya look at each other, laughing lightly.Cal turns from them, pouting. 

As they make it to the dorms, they notice Maiya has been separated, rooming with one of the random girls from their school. Mitch and Cal step in, asking the girl if she’s okay with staying by herself, which she agreed to. The girls make their way to the  dorm, put their things down and change. 

After about an hour and a half, Maiya looks down at her phone. “Hey girls, the RA just sent a text. Its time for intros.” She says, in an already bored tone. The girls groan, and get up to leave. Mitch throws on a baggy shirt and and some sweats. Cal stays in her overalls, shirt, and converse. Maiya stands at the door, fixing her purple skirt and her black and white shirt before opening the door to the dorm. The girl Maiya was supposed to room with stood on the other side, frozen in surprise. “Oh, hey! Uh. I was was just checking to see if you guys were still here. Ready to go?” “Oh, hey Kai. Yeah, we’re ready” 

The trio follows Kai, making conversation as they make their way to the auditorium. Once inside, the girls thank Kai as she makes her way to her group of friends and make their way to sit by their schoolmates. The place was PACKED with students from the surrounding schools, and students from UA. It was almost too much. Looking around, Maiya could see some UA students and staff posted around the area with bright colored shorts that read “volunteer”. Interesting. She could see a man with blue hair and glasses yelling at a group of other kids. Yeesh, is UA that strict? Maybe. OR maybe he was just one of THOSE students. 

An announcement broke her from her thoughts, a loud voice echoing throughout the room telling everyone to sit and quiet down as the ceremony was about to begin. As everyone settled, the trio looks up on the stage as UA staff members make their way to the row of seats placed there. Great, there were a lot of seats, meaning this would be a LONG intro. Mitch lets out a sigh. “This’ll be fun.” She says. Maiya and Cal scoff, hushing themselves as the RA and Class Representative glare their way. 

The introductions were long and boring, but the everyone was supersized to see a few former UA High teachers had transferred to the university. The college itself was pretty new still, and they were still bringing in staff members to help with the large amount of students who wanted to attend. The fact was, there were many kids who would go straight into agencies without much experience, They opened several colleges to help students who thought they could reach a better potential with more training. 

After 3 hours (yes, 3. Whole. Hours.) Maiya bumps Mitch who snorts and her head pops up. “I’m up, I.. oh. We’re done? Fuck FINALLY.” she says, getting up and stretching. Maiya looks at Cal, who surprisingly stayed awake through the whole thing by playing her switch. “Cal, come on.” Maiya says, getting up and stretching lightly and letting out a yawn. Cal looks up, nods, and puts her switch in her pocket. “So.. fill us in.” Mitch says as they walk out of the auditorium. 

“Basically, there’s spectators here who are going to be looking to recruit third years to finish out their college days here. They’ve said they have the best training courses, and most agencies will see UA on the resume and...” Maiya says, trailing off when she hears Cal giggling. She turns to Mitch, then behind her and notices Cal isn’t even behind them anymore. “What the fu-” Mitch says before whipping around looking for Cal. Maiya turns and points, a good ways behind them, at Cal smiling and giggling with a blonde boy with a black lightning bolt in his hair. “Oh shit.” The girls say in unison before making their way back. 

As they make their way to the two, Maiya notices a spiky redheaded boy another blonde spiky haired boy make their way over. The girls make it first, standing on either side of Cal almost protective. “Hey, dummy, don’t leave us without warning, We don’t go to school here you could’ve gotten lost.” Maiya says, chopping Cal’s head lightly. The man talking to Cal gives a huge grin. “No worries! I could’ve shown her the way. I am, afterall, a knight in shining armor to any beautiful girl I see!” Mitch lets out a sigh. “Oh god, you’re one of those.” Cal says, teasing lightly. 

“Cal, come on, we have to plan for the event.” Maiya says, looking over at the man. “Hey, no hard feelings! We’re just.. uh, we don’t know you. SHE doesn’t know you..” Maiya says as the two boys make their way to the group. “Hey dunce-face. Who are these extras?” The blonde spiky haired man says, looking over the girls. Maiya raises an eyebrow. “Extras? Bro PLEASE.” Maiya says, glaring at the man. “Bro? Do you know who the hell you’re talking to?” He says, taking a step towards Maiya. 

“I don’t give a fuck who I’m talking to. To ME, you’re no one. Calm yourself and get off your god damn high horse, hothead.” Maiya says, taking a step towards him. Mitch lets out a light laugh, and covers it up with a cough, making Maiya turn and give her a weird look before returning her attention to the group of guys in front  of them. A smirk crossed his face. Before he could say anything else, Mitch makes a grab for Maiya, and the redhead grabs the blonde before apologizing. “Sorry about Bakugo, He’s a little.. uh.. aggressive. I’m Kirishima, and this is Denki. We go to school here.” Mitch smiles lightly, “I’m Mitch, this is Maiya, and this one is-” “Cal, right?” Denki finishes, winking at her. Cal blushes, her sprout wilting lightly with embarrassment. 

Kiri nudges Denki. “Bro, it’s not very manly to cut off a lady.” He says quietly. Kiri returns his attention to Mitch, accidentally looking at her outfit a little longer than he intended. “Um, you got a problem with what I’m wearing or something?” Mitch says, raising an eyebrow. Kiri blushes lightly, embarrassed. Oh- uh... no. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare, I was just a little..” He says.. trailing off. Maiya looks over to Kiri. “What, she’s not allowed to dress comfortably?” “Huh? No.. I uh..” “Is he not allowed to have his own opinions?” Bakugo butts in, once again taking a step towards Maiya. Mitch tightens her grip on Maiya, knowing she’s going to try and get closer to this man and eventually fight him. Maiya scoffs. “Whatever, man. Girls.” She says, straightening her posture and walking back towards the dorm. Mitch apologizes again, before dragging Cal with her. Cal, on the other hand, is still laughing at Denki who’s been mimicking the guys behind their backs. 

As Mitch drags Cal away, Denki calls out “Text me! We can meet later.” Winking before turning to he guys. Maiya and Mitch turn to her. “You got his number already?” They ask in unison. Cal’s sprout twitches in embarrassment again. “I..uh.. yeah.” The girls glance at her then each other, then burst out laughing. 

Cal had always been the sweetheart  of the group. “Baby” if you will. She was easy to get along with, was the easiest to talk to and the bubbly one in the group. Mitch was more the leader of the group, she was smart, came up with tactics to improve the group as a whole and always made sure the girls were out of trouble. It usually takes a lot to make Mitch mad, but when she’s mad, well, not even Maiya can help. Maiya was kind of hot headed. She’s the tougher one out of the group, she will fight at one wrong look. She’s also the mother of the group, she’ll become super protective over her friends. Her quirk is a dead giveaway of how she feels. 

Once they returned to the dorm, they laid around, Cal sprawled out on a couch, Maiya on the floor and Mitch on a chair. The event announcements took SO LONG and for some reason, they were REAL tired. Within seconds, Mitch’s head shot up hearing Maiya snore lightly on the floor. “For real? MAIYA!” She yells, causing her to jump up. “What the fu- WHAT LET ME SLEEP WOMAN” Maiya complains from the floor. “No! Dummy we have to plan out a strategy. Besides you didn’t get to explain the rest of what went on in the auditorium.” Maiya groaned, sitting up grouchily. “Not fair, you guys got a damn nap i-” She starts before getting cut off by a pillow to the face. She lets it fall before glaring at Mitch. 

“Bro!” She yelled. “Huh? What happened? Who threw that? Wasn’t me.” Mitch teases, winking at her before moving her head slightly to doge the pillow being thrown back. Cal laughs from the couch and sits up, grabbing a notebook. “I’ve got the notes, you guys just start spewing ideas.” She says, clicking a pen and flipping to a blank page. 

After a few hours, Maiya waved down Mitch, but kept talking. Mitch cocked her head to the side, confused. Maiya gestured to Cal, who didn’t look like she was taking notes, but looked like she was.. doodling? “Hey, uh, Maiya. What do you say we just kill everyone off?” Mitch says, looking over to Cal. “Yeah, we can come up with a plan and make sure there are no witnesses, burn the bodies and maybe use them as fertilizer for Cal’s plants. Right, Cal?” Maiya asks, her attention going to Cal as well. “Mmhmm, yeah that’s fine.” Call mutters, continuing to scribble. The girls glance at each-other before both sanctimoniously yelling “CAL” She jumps, making a light “eep” sound. “Huh? What? What happened?” 

Mitch and Maiya laugh. “Dude, you just agreed to murder and using the bodies as fertilizer.” Cal’s face turns red. “I uh..” “How long have you not been paying attention?” Mitch asks, coming up behind her on the couch and snatching the notebook. “I can explain!” Cal scrambles, trying to regain her composure. Mitch shows Maiya and they giggle. “You really like that Denki guy, don’t you?” Maiya says, glancing over at Cal who’s covered her face with one of the pillows on the couch. She nods into the pillow. “Why don’t you text him then? We’ve been at this for a while, we can take a break. Right Mitch>” Maiya says, walking to Cal and slowly bringing the pillow off of her. “We can, I don’t mind. He seemed really nice.”

“His friend on the other hand,” Maiya starts, her quirk flaring a quick flash of red in annoyance. “He was just protecting Denki, I’m assuming.” Mitch says, taking a seat next to Cal. “Yeah, but still. He didn’t have to be so damn rude. I hope we get a chance to beat that ass. From what they said in the announcements, there’s going to be team battles, up to I think 4 in a group.” “Interesting. We’ve signed up for these right.” Mitch asks, turning the page and starting her own notes. “Yeah, we’re in those, and some smaller events. But the group competition is what the spectators will be watching over, so we have to try to look good out there.” Maiya says, taking a seat on the floor watching Cal as she pulls out her phone and types, deletes, types, deletes, types and deletes over and over. “Cal, honey you need help there?” Maiya says, raising an eyebrow. “I uh.. I just don’t know what to say is all.” Cal says, looking between the two as she leans back to think. 

“Why don’t you just say ‘Hey’?” Mitch says, laughing a bit. “I.. it’ll sound too.. simple.” Cal says, sighing harshly. “Cal, what? No, it wo-” Maiya says before getting cut off by the chime on Cal’s phone. They all exchange a look before watching Cal look at her screen. 

NEW MESSAGE: 

Denki: Hey there

“See! I told you it wouldn’t sound bad.” Maiya says, laughing lightly. Cal quickly types out a message, and soon a constant notification sound comes from her phone. From what Mitch and Maiya can tell, their conversation is going well. The way Cal’s smile wouldn’t leave her face was another dead give away. 

Throughout the rest of the night, the girls unpacked their hero costumes, got them ready and prepared a few plans for the start of the competition tomorrow. They decided it would be a good idea to go to bed a little earlier than usual because lets be honest, they were actually anxious about this. They’d been wanting to get into UA, it was their best shot at getting into a really good agency. this was their last chance with it being their final year in college. The girls continued to text their group chat, laughing at the memes and jokes they were making in order to calm each other’s nerves. Eventually, they ended up falling asleep. 

~~~~~~

Mitch’s alarm blared through the dorm room. Maiya groaned, covering her head with the blanket for a second before sitting up. Sleeping on the couch wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be, but still. She stretches, getting off the couch and making her way to the rooms where the girls are sleeping. Mitch is first, her third out of probably 20 alarms blaring through her phone. Maiya swings the door open, throwing the first object she sees at Mitch. 

“Ow shit! I’m awake, jeez!” She yells, sitting up and rubbing her head. Maiya then makes her way to Cal’s room. As soon as the door swings open, Cal jumps up, getting in a defensive position still half asleep. “I’m up! I’m up don’t you dare!” She yells, grabbing a pillow to shield herself. Maiya laughs. “Good, I’m glad you made it up” She says before closing the door. The girls join in the living room, changing and getting dressed. At some point in the night, they decided they would shower to get that out of the way. Today was going to be a long day, and they knew they’d probably end up in some hot spring somewhere in town. 

They finish getting dressed and head out. Their first stop is the mess hall, which is super PACKED. They get in line, and wait to get something to eat. Once they finally get something, they go and find a place to sit. They take a seat at a random table, and eat quietly. After a few minutes of silence, the male Maiya saw the day before walks up to their table. Up closer in a better view, he’s tall with short navy hair. He’s wearing a navy shirt with the word “volunteer” on it. 

“Good morning, ladies! How are you guys doing this fine morning?” He says, pushing his glasses up and smiling. The girls glance at each other before answering. “We’re great, a little tired but ready for this competition to start.” Mitch says, faking her smile as best she could. “You all don’t go to school here, right?” He asks. The girls all shake their heads. “I’m assuming you’re here to try and secure a spot in the school?” He says, and the girls nod. “I see, I’m here just kind of checking in with students and making sure they know the fundamentals of our programs and what not! We’re a very prestigious school and we-” He begins to say, being cut off by a shorter, freckled green haired boy. “Uhh.. Iida, I don’t think they want to  be bothered this early in the morning. I-it’s really early a-and I think they’re still waking up. It’s r-rude.” He says, stammering as he notices the girls staring at him. 

“I- I’m sorry about my friend, Iida. He can be a little... u-uh... persistent with his speeches and uh.. d-doesn’t know when to stop.” He continues, blushing and avoiding eye contact with the trio. Maiya notices how Mitch moves and smirks lightly. ‘Here we go’ she thinks to herself as Mitch puts her head on her hand and leans towards the boy with the curly hair. “Cute..” She says. The one word itself made the green haired boy’s face even redder. “What’s your name? Mitch asks, her voice slightly lower. Cal and Maiya exchange a look and laugh lightly. 

“M-mine? Oh. Uh, my name is Midoriya, but most of my friends call me Deku.” He stammers, calming down lightly. Maiya looks over. “Deku... why does that.. OH aren’t you the one who’s been considered the next All Might? Why are you still in college?” She asks, genuinely shocked. “Oh, uh well, I still have a lot of training to do. My quirk still takes a huge toll on my body so I’m still in that stage.” He says with more confidence, scratching the back of his head. Mitch shoots a look at Maiya as though to say ‘bro, you brought him out of his fluster. I’m bored now.’ Maiya shrugs her shoulders apologetically. 

“Anyway, we should get going, we have to meet up with everyone who came with us and get ready to support our classmates. It was nice to meet you two.” Cal says, getting up suddenly. Mitch  and Maiya rise with her, gathering their things before turning and saying their goodbyes to the two. “Hope we see you guys later.” Mitch says, shooting a look at Deku. “Mitch, stop” Maiya says under a laugh as they walk off. Mitch watches as Deku once again looses his composure before being  dragged away with Iida. 

After a few minutes, the girls make it to the stadium, finding the rest of their classmates and taking a seat. They’d signed up for some of the more “show off your quirk” events later on in the day, but they sat and mentally prepared for the team battles. From what they were told, they would be facing off with the rest of the schools with the possibility of going against some of the UA students. Depending on teams, they’d be paired off with groups who could challenge their quirks. Based on research, the girls only had a few possibilities on who’d they’d end up going up against. 

They cheered on their classmates, and were even impressed by the other students at the other schools. They watched everyone carefully, attempting to see who would possibly face them. The girls developed certain strategies depending on who did what. Then, their names were called. They stood, and their classmates wished them luck. They make their way down and prepare themselves. They stood in a circle before walking onto the field. They each look at each other and let out a deep breath. “Time to show them why we’re top 3 in our school.” Mitch says with a smirk. Cal and Maiya smile. “Let’s do this.” 

They walk out onto the field. It’s a lot bigger than they thought from where they were sitting. They stand on their side of the field, waiting for their opponents. The announcement is made, and as their opponents are named, the girls freeze. “Katsuki Bakugo, Kirishima Eijirou, and Denki Kaminari!” Present mic screams over the crowd. Great. Of all people, those three. 

“We didn’t catch their quirks, did we.” Maiya says, staring the boys down as they walk out. “We didn’t.” Mitch says, stretching lightly as Cal’s sprout twitches in excitement. “We’ll let them attack first, then we can see how we can do this.” Cal says, smiling. “Right. We can do that.” Mitch says. They walk towards the middle of the field, watching as Bakugo sports a huge smirk, Kirishima looking almost nervous, and Denki of course staring right at Cal. They meet in the middle, where Pro Hero Gunhead stands. He explains that if it gets too dangerous, the staff will step in. They nod, and face each other. Gunhead backs off the field. 

“Well well well. If it isn’t the extras from yesterday.” Bakugo says through his smirk. “Again with the extras, huh? We’ll show you we’re more than that.” Maiya says, cracking her knuckles as she concentrates her quirk to her hands. The boys watch in surprise as her color fades and brightens around her fists. “I’m really sorry about this. This isn’t very manly.” Kirishima says, looking like he almost doesn't want to fight. “Oh, honey. We may be women, but that doesn’t mean you can take it easy on us.” Mitch says, smiling at him. Denki Looks over to Cal. “Hey cutie, how about after this I take you on a date? It wont take long. This’ll be over in a few minutes.” He says, winking at her. Cal’s sprout twitches. “Right. Sure, why not?” She says, completely throwing Denki off. “Huh? Really?” He asks, confused. “Yeah, I don’t see why not.” She says, glancing around at what all she can grow. “You bring your seeds?” Maiya asks. “Always.” Cal replies, smirking. 

The alarm sounds, signaling the beginning of the match. Immediately, Bakugo lets off explosions, sending him flying back to gain some distance. Kirishima hardens, protecting himself from Bakugo’s blast. Maiya creates a shield in front of the girls to protect them. “Alright, looks like Bakugo’s got some kind of fire or explosion. Cal, avoid him.” Maiya yells. “Right.” Cal says, grabbing her bag of seeds and taking a few. She tosses them on the ground around her and kneels on the ground. In an instant, her plants start to grow at a quick pace, flailing around and making a grab for Kirishima. Using his hands, he chops at her plants, making her wince in pain lightly. “Maiya, he’s got a strength quirk, be careful with your shields!” She yells as Kirishima makes a swing for it. He hits, and Maiya is thrown back lightly. Shit. “Mitch!” She screams. 

As she hears her name, Mitch goes invisible. She runs around the shield and makes a kick for an unsuspecting Kirishima, who’s thrown off by the strength of the kick. Denki places his hands on the floor. “Try escaping this!” He yells as he releases electricity into the ground. Immediately Mitch’s location is given away, and Bakugo sends an explosion to her. Maiya jumps off up to one of Cal’s plants, saving her from the electricity on the ground and pinpointing where Bakugo is, sending off a ray of her aura towards him. It hits him, throwing him off his balance before he regains his composure, blasting himself towards her. Mitch, being distracted by the electricity on the ground, reappears by Kirishima, throwing another punch at him. He blocks, but is still thrown off. 

Cal’s plants head to Denki, wrapping around him and holding him in place. Denki releases more electricity, staying aware of how much hes using to not get him into his dumb state. Cal then concentrates a second plant to Kirishima, knocking him back. Bakugo reaches Maiya, sending more explosions her way. On one hand, Maiya blocks with a smaller scale shield, then jumps towards him, using her quirk to ball around her fists to throw a punch. He blocks, pushing her downward then kicking her off, sending her a little ways down the field. She stands, again, shaking it off and heading towards him again. 

Bakugo changes his target to Cal, sending a few explosions her way. She uses her plants to block them off, watching as their destroyed within seconds. He makes his way past her plants, getting close enough to land a punch, when Maiya comes back and lands a kick to his side, basically drop kicking him. “Cal you good?” She asks, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Yeah, be careful with him.” She warns, feeling the pain from her plants. Maiya nods as she returns to fighting him. 

Mitch and Kirishima are going back and fourth, landing hits on each other, blocking, doing, and landing again and again before Maiya and Bakugo make  their way to them. Maiya uses her quirk to create a shield, while Kirishima hits it over and over. Mitch reactivates her quirk, again running around but going after Bakugo. Denki decides to try and melt the plants around him by sending out a bigger bolt of electricity. The entire field lights up, and the rest of the groups had no idea the shock was coming. 

Maiya, Mitch and Bakugo get hit with the shock the hardest, Kirishima being in his hardened state didn’t get hit as hard, but he still felt it. Maiya kneels, but keeps her quirk up as Kirishima seems to be hitting... harder? The longer she looked at him, she realized he wasn't even in his regular hardened state. He was going unbreakable. Maiya brings back her shield, hitting him with orbs and rays, watching as he took the hits like nothing. Shit. SHIT. 

Noticing Maiya struggling, Cal tosses Denki, attempting to get him to stop his bolts going through the ground and slamming him against the wall of the stadium, knocking him out. She uses a combination of seeds next, tossing them on the ground and growing them, sending the new creation at Kiri, causing him to fly back. Bakugo and Mitch are going at it, Bakugo ended up losing site of Mitch once Denki was knocked out, and was randomly sending explosions everywhere. Mitch uses her chains to bind him, keeping him on the ground. Maiya uses her quirk to send an orb at Bakugo, hitting him hard. Mitch is out of breath, wiping the beads of sweat from her forehead to avoid it getting into her eyes. Maiya is starting to feel weak and tired, looking down at her hands noticing her quirk fading. They didn’t have much time left, and it looked like Kirishima was the last one to deal with. 

Kirishima is swiping at Cal’s plants, his unbreakable state slowly fading from exhaustion. Itd already been almost an hour and a half since the fight started, and they were all starting to feel it. Mitch would jump in landing a few punches and kicks, then back away for Maiya and Cal to use their quirks on him. Kirishima was starting to lose it when a tied up Bakugo figured out due to Mitch’s distraction, her chains weakened enough for him to move, He ran towards the group, attempting to help a gained up on Kirishima. 

“Maiya!” Mitch yells, realizing the situation. “Deal with him, we’ve got Kirishima.” Maiya smirks, glancing down once more to check on her quirk. Exhaustion was starting to take over, but they were NOT about to lose this fight. Maiya makes her way to Bakugo. punching him in the stomach, then the jaw with her quirk around her wrists. “Stay. DOWN” She yells between punches. Bakugo, exhausted and hands now straining from over usage of his quirk, falls over. Maiya turns to see Kirishima finally back down to his normal hardened state, being held down by Cal’s plants. The girls look at each other, and the announcement is made. 

Cal’s plants wither, Maiya falls to her knees from exhaustion, and Mitch jogs over. “You okay?” She asks. “Yeah, peachy. Just need a breather. We haven’t had to use our quirks this much in a long time. These guys were really strong.” She says between breaths. “Yeah, tell me about it.” Mitch says, reaching out to help Maiya up. She takes it, standing slowly. Cal makes her way to her friends, jumping on them. “We did it! Shit that was harder than I thought it would’ve been” She says, looking at Bakugo. “He’s the only person who’s ever gotten close enough to actually land a punch. Congrats, hothead.” She says before making her way to Denki. Mitch makes her way to Kirishima, and Maiya stays with Bakugo, unraveling Mitch’s chains with ease. 

“You alright?” She asks, holding out a hand to help Bakugo up. “Tch, yeah. I’m fine.” He says, taking her hand in an annoyed way as he gets up. He winces in pain lightly from where the chains had him. “Sorry about that, Mitch likes to be a little harsh when it comes to restraining her opponents. Come with me, Cal can make you an ointment for the burns if you’re okay with that.” She says, eyeing the open wounds on Bakugo. “No, we have recovery girl on the scene. We can go to her.” He says with a cold stare. Maiya shrugs. “Alright, whatever.” She says with slight attitude before turning to walk away. “T-thanks though.” Bakugo says quietly from behind her. She stops and turns. “What? What was that?” She says. “Nothing, shut the hell up.” He says as he walks past her to get to Kirishima and Mitch. 

Mitch helps Kirishima up, groaning as he gets up. “Damn, sorry we underestimated you guys. You all are so.. MANLY.” Kirishima says, his spiky tooth smile making the girls laugh. “What’d you think was gonna happen?” Mitch says, raising an eyebrow. “O-oh no it’s not like that. I just. I- uh..” Kirishima stammers for words. The girls laugh. “It’s fine Kirishima. You guys were good opponents for us. It was a great learning experience.” Mitch says, smiling. Kirishima feels his chest ping. 

Cal makes her way over to Denki, who is finally waking up. “Hey, sorry about tossing you like a rag doll. My girls were in trouble.” She says when she makes it to him. “It’s cool, it’s what friends are for, right?” He says, standing and stretching. “Um.. so.. about that date,” Cal says, smiling at him. Denki’s eyes widen. “Huh? Am i still knocked out?” He says, very confused. “No stupid.” Cal says, laughing. “Do.. you really still want to go on the date?” He asks, looking at her with a little spark in his eyes. “Yeah, I mean if you’re still up for it.” She says, her sprout twitching about in anticipation. Sparks go through Denki’s hair, as if he were really excited. “Yeah! Yeah of course! Um.. how’s tomorrow? After the events?” He says, smile beaming. “Sounds perfect” Cal says, smiling before joining the girls. 

As Cal is making her way to her friends, Bakugo, Kirishima, Maiya and Mitch all watch. “Well, looks like we may be seeing more of each other.” Maiya says. “Judging by the smile on her face, looks like they’re still going on that date.” 

Cal gets to the girls, and Kirishima, Bakugo and Denki make their way off the field. The girls are greeted by Gunhead, who tells them how good they did, and gave them a few pointers. Then, they’re let off the field, returning to their classmates who are of course celebrating and freaking out. The trio sits down, finally able to relax after the fight they just had. Honestly, they looked pretty roughed up. 

After a few hours of other teams going and facing others, the first day of the event was finally over. The next day would consist of smaller events aimed at showing off their quirk rather than fighting, and the trio didn’t really take that part all that seriously. All they really wanted to do was show the raw power of their quirks. 

The girls make their way to the dorm, being flooded by other students with congratulations, wows, and many compliments on the way they fought. Maiya and Mitch smiled and continued on, while Cal was glued to her phone.Someone had recorded the entire fight, and she was making note on what went down and how they could improve. 

Once they finally got into the dorm, the trio collapsed onto the ground. God DAMN, they were exhausted. In all honesty, they hadn’t had to use so much energy in so long. They figured the fight would be difficult, but man the staff knew what they were doing when they chose their opponents. 

“I need a nap, bad.” Maiya says, slowly getting up to make her way to one of the beds. “Hey wait, we should probably shower first. We fought hard today girls. Great job, honestly. I was actually scared for us.” Mitch says, sitting up. “Yeah, looking back on the video and skimming through it, you can see where we very easily made mistakes.” Cal says, biting her thumb deep in thought. “Either way, we made it. Barely, but we made it. Had the fight gone on any longer, we would’ve lost for sure.” Maiya says, making her way to one of the closets to change into after the shower. Cal rises from the ground, helping Mitch up before doing the same. 

The girls decide on visiting a hotspring a little ways from the University. They walk, getting a better view of the University and the surrounding areas. There’s many shops, cafes, little food stands, and other activites on the way. The girls decide later on, possibly after the competition or if they get accepted to UA, the’ll have to take a shopping trip here. They make it to the spring, paying and changing. They enter the shower before the spring, rinsing off the dried blood and sweat. They hiss at the feeling of the water on their raw skin, but after a while, it feels better. They exit and make their way to one of the springs. They sink in and relax, watching as Cal releases little lily pads and other little plants that release a soothing feeling throughout the spring. They giggle watching Cal have her fun with her plants. Then, a voice causes them to look up.

“Oh hey! You’re the group of girls that kicked Kirishima, Kaminari and Bakugo’s ass today right?” A pink skinned, black and yellow eyed bubbly girl asks enthusiastically. Maiya and Mitch laugh, while Cal smiles and replies. “I mean, I guess you could say that. It was a hard fight, that’s for sure.” She says, rubbing the back of her head. A frog-like girl smiles. “That’s impressive. They’re really strong. I’m surprised you even got Bakugo down.” She says. “Yeah, he was a tough one to keep down.” Maiya says, grumbling into the water. The last girl creates small towels. “Your quirks are quite amazing!” She says, her voice smooth and intellectual. “Where are our manners. My name is Momo Yaoyorozu, this is Mina Ashido, and this is Tsuyu Asui. We’re students here! 

“I’m Mitch Liu, this is Maiya Koi and this is Cal Torrance. We’re from a neighboring school hoping to get into here for our last year of college. We hear a lot of great things about this place and the strength of their students.” Mitch says, smiling up at the group. “What do your quirks do??” Mina asks. 

“Mine is Manipulation of the eye, I can basically make myself invisible to anyone  of my choosing. It takes a lot of concentration to stay in that state, especially when it comes to a lot of enemies. Once I lose concentration, my quirk will stop and I have to take a bit of a rest before I can activate it again. The only thing with that was the fact that Denki’s electricity gave me away due to the chains I wear to restrain my opponents.” Mitch says. 

“Mine is Plant Manipulation. I can basically make plants do whatever I can. I have seeds that I can combine and crossbreed to anything possible. I can make poisons and healing ointments pretty much on the spot just by looking at a wound and selecting the seeds of plants that’ll best suit the healing process. I can also grow seeds in the palm of my hands, but its easier for me to put them in the ground and grow them that way.” Cal says, blushing at the amazed look Mina was giving her. “Do you like... rely on the sun like plants?” She asks, tilting her head lightly. “Uh, in a sense yes. The sun and my energy are the main sources for my quirk. If I’m really tired and the sun is covered, my plants are more likely to whither away.” Cal answers. 

“Mine is Aura. The color that surrounds me is basically a huge giveaway to my moods. It’ll change depending on how I’m feeling, and will fade when I’m feeling tired, My quirk relies on emotional and mental stability. If i become to tired, or use too much of my quirk, it will fade and I’ll have to sleep for longer periods at a time.” Maiya says, looking over at the girls. “I can concentrate my quirk to make either orbs, rays, or shields depending on the situation. I can even ball it around my fists to diffuse the impact on my hands when throwing punches and sometimes kicks. It takes a lot of concentration and the moment I lose it my quirk returns to normal surrounding me.” She finishes. 

“That’s insane! You girls are really strong!” Mina says, her smile only bigger. “It’s kind of insane how well they paired you with the boys. It was like they knew you’d each have your own strengths and weaknesses to them” Tsuyu says, placing her finger to her chin in thought. “Yes, but it does make sense with most students doing this competition to try and get into our school. But, nonetheless, it was very impressive to see you three hold your own against them. They’ve been a trio of some sort since we were in high school They’ve developed a really great relationship and understanding of each other. It seems you three are the same.” Momo says. “We are, we’ve known each other since preschool. We’ve been inseparable ever since.” Maiya says, smiling at Cal and Mitch. 

“Makes sense, you girls are like a power trio!” Mina says, flexing playfully. “We are. I’m assuming that’s why we’re top three in our college.” Cal says nonchalantly. “Wha- TOP THREE” Mina says rather loudly, making a few other girls turn and stare. “Mina...” Momo warns quietly. “Sorry sorry.” She says, placing her hands in front of her and bowing apologetically. “Top three though? That’s awesome!” Mina says, a little quieter. “Thank you! We worked really hard to get to that position. Now we’re just waiting on getting into UA, which will help us get into better agencies in the near future.” Mitch says. “It was really nice meeting you girls, We hope to see you at the school.” Momo says, walking away to another part of the spring. Mina and Tsuyu follow suit, smiling and waving at the girls. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After finishing their session, the girls get dressed and head out. As they’re walking and talking, Maiya walks backwards, talking to the girls about one of the restaurants they’d passed that she wanted to try. Then, she feels something hard run into her. She whips around, seeing a red head. Really? Again? 

“Kirishima?” Maiya says, looking up slightly. “Oh, hey! This keeps happening doesn’t it.” He says, laughing while scratching the back of his head. “How’re you healing up?” Mitch asks, looking over his arms and any other exposed part of his body briefly. “We’re healing great. Thankfully, Recovery Girl is a great healer. We feel brand new.” Kirishima says, flexing playfully. “Hey shitty hair, what are you- oh my god again? Are you three stalking us or something?” Bakugo says, making his way around the corner. 

“Well sounds like you’re feeling better.” Maiya says with hard sarcasm. “Shut the hell up.” Bakugo grumbles, looking away from her. Maiya raises an eyebrow, then shrugs it off. Denki joins the group, throwing an arm around Kirishima. “Ladies, again. How are you all doing?” Cal laughs. “Recovering, we really took a beating.” She says, eyeing him. Denki’s smile widens. Where are you headed?” He asks, removing his arm from around Kirishima. “We were thinking about going out to eat.” Maiya says, glancing at the girls. Cal gives her a look, to which Maiya rolls her eyes lightly. “You guys wanna come with?” She asks, smiling. 

The three exchange a look, Kirishima shrugs, Bakugo almost says no, but surprisingly agrees. “Sure, we don’t have any other plans.” Denki says before looking at Cal. “Gives us a chance to get to know each other a little bit before our date.” He says, winking at her. Cal blushes lightly and agrees. The six of them make their way to the restaurant Maiya suggested. Once they get to the place, they all take a seat. Denki and Cal sit next to each other, Maiya on the other side of cal. Across from Maiya, Bakugo sits, then Kirishima then Mitch. They order their drinks and look over the menu quietly. 

“So, uh. What exactly do your quirks do?” Kirishima asks, attempting to break the ice. “Oh, well..” Mitch starts, and each of the girls explains their quirk. “What do yours do?” Maiya asks, tilting her head to the side in curiosity. “Mine let’s my skin harden. It has two different stages, just regular harden and Unbreakable.” Kirishima says, using his arm to show the differences in his quirk. “Can I uh..” Mitch asks, reaching for his arm. “Huh? Oh yeah!” Kirishima says, using the arm closest to her to switch between the quirk. Maiya’s curiosity gets the best of her, and asks as well. Again, Kirishima agrees. “That explains why you were able to get through Cal’s plants and my shields with ease.” Maiya says, sitting back down. “Heh, yeah. I didn’t think I was going to have to use it today, but you guys were tough.” The girls grin. 

“You? What can you do?” Maiya says, raising an eyebrow at Bakugo. He glares at her for a second, then sighs. “My hands secrete nitroglycerin. I can use that to make explosions. Different elements in my hero costume can help me concentrate them making the explosions more precise on a target if needed.” He says, crossing his arms and leaning back a bit. “Its a good thing I avoided you then.” Cal says under her breath. Bakugo glances at her, realizing something. “Hey you. What was up with you earlier. We didn’t even touch you but you looked like you were in pain.” He says. “I can feel everything my plants feel, its a part of my quirk.” She says. Bakugo nods. “Sorry about that..” He says. Denki and Kirishima whip their heads towards him. “Huuuh?” Denki says, then jumps as Kirishima kicks him from under the table. Bakugo looks at them, then rolls his eyes. “I can be nice too, assholes.” He grumbles, adjusting himself. 

“What about you?” Mitch says, as everyone turns their attention to Denki. “Oh, I can control and create electricity. I can do up to a few million volts, but I can’t do it for long. I’ll go stupid.” He says, laughing at himself a bit. Before they can ask, the waiter comes back and takes their order. After he leaves, they continue their conversation. “What do you mean by ‘go stupid’?” Cal asks. Bakugo sits up and pulls out his phone with  a smirk on his face. After a couple seconds of tapping and scrolling, he first shows his phone to Cal and Mitch who are the closest to each other. They start laughing, and Maiya looks over at Denki, who looks embarrassed. Bakugo then hands his phone to Maiya, playing a video of Denki at his “stupid” state, walking around aimlessly and consistently saying “wheeeeeyyy.” Maiya giggled, covering her mouth and coughing to cover it. 

Maiya glances over to Denki, who’s beat red while Cal rubs his back apologizing for laughing. Bakugo smirks, letting out a little laugh before putting his phone on the table. Their food finally makes it to the table. “Thanks for the food!” They all say before eating. After a few moments of silence, Denki’s voice raises. “So uh.. how long have you three known each other?” He asks, glancing at the three girls. “Since we were in preschool.” Mitch says, giving a short answer to get back to eating. Cal laughs. “How about you three?” “We’ve been in the same classes since high school, we were a pretty interesting group.” Kirishima says, realizing that Mitch is no longer holding onto his arm and deactivating his quirk. 

“What kind of music do you listen to?” Bakugo asks before shoving his mouth with food. “I like relaxing music.” Cal says as Mitch and Maiya exchange a look. “Yeah, like elevator music.” Mitch says causing Maiya to choke on her food. Bakugo looks at her slightly concerned, patting her back as she coughs. “You good?” He asks, smirking. Maiya nods, laughing and coughing. “Mitch don’t be an asshole!” she manages to say between breaths. “She likes more than just that, but she prefers classic and or anything soothing.” Maiya says finally catching her breath. 

Mitch laughs, shaking her head. “I know I know but we love to pick on our little bean.” she says, giving a smile to Cal who’s glaring at her. “Maiya and I have pretty much the same taste in music. We’re into music we can dance to or head bang to.” Mitch says looking over to Maiya. “Hell yeah we do, I’m more into rock and metal than music to dance to.” Maiya says, smiling. Bakugo’s eyebrow raises as Kirishima continues to talk. “Oh? Can you play an instrument?” He asks. “I actually can’t, but I’ve always wanted to learn. I think playing the drums would be really cool.” She says, using the spare chopsticks as drumsticks banging on the table and laughing. Kirishima gets a scheming smile on his face, glancing at Denki who has the same look. “Well...” The boys say in unison, looking over to Bakugo. 

“Huuhh?” Bakugo says, looking at Kirishima and Denki. “You know how to play the drums , don’t you?” Denki says. “I do..?” Bakugo says, raising an eyebrow. Then, it hits him. “Oh, OH. No, no fucking way.” He says, sitting back in his chair. “What the hell Bakugo why not?” Maiya argues, glaring at him. Mitch raises an eyebrow. “What’s wrong Bakugo? Don’t think you can handle trying to teach her?” She says, Cal laughing lightly next to Denki. Bakugo’s eyebrow twitches, taking his phone off the table and handing it to Maiya. “Huh? What am I-” “ Put your number in it, dumbass. I’ll teach you.” He says, crossing his arms again glaring at Mitch and the Kirishima. Denki and Kiri exchange a look and laugh. Maiya puts in her number, texting herself before handing it back to Bakugo. What they didn’t know was Kirishima and Denki had a plan. 

After finishing their meal, the group decides to spend the rest of the day together, just hanging out and checking out different shops. The boys take them to their favorite places, mostly music stores, comic/manga shops, and the girls took them to shops they were curious about. The sun set, and Maiya recieves a text. 

New Message: 

Bakuhoe; Let me know when you’re free, dumbass. 

Maiya: Alrght, I’m gonna wait until after this event. We’re still trying to get into UA.

Bakuhoe: They didn’t tell you?

Maiya; Huh?

Bakuhoe: Nothing, nevermind. We’ll see you tomorrow. 

Maiya’s confused expression concerned Mitch and Cal. “What?” They ask, staring at her. “Nothing, I think. Just a little thrown is all.” Maiya says, locking her phone and putting it in her pocket. “Who was that?” Mitch asks, her smile worrying Maiya. “Bakugo..?” She says, hesitating. “Oooh, planning dates already?” Cal says, teasing. “Ha, please. It would never happen.” Maiya says, her quirk flashing lightly. “Right...” Mitch says, eyeing her quirk. “Anyway what’d he say?” “He said something about “they” telling us something?” Maiya says, pulling out her phone and showing the girls. “Hmm. I’m not sure to be honest, but hey, we’re done with what we needed to do for this event. What’s left is those show off events which we dont even have to try in. We can relax and wait till they give the announcement tomorrow on the results.” Cal says as she hands Maiya her phone. “Yeah. you’re right.” She says as they make their way to the dorm. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day comes along, and the girls wake up sore all over. The night before, Cal made the girls tea to attempt at soothing their muscles. It wasn’t strong enough, as they got up totally stiff. Maiya’s quirk flashed like a flame as she shot up. She looked at her phone. SHIT.

She gets up and runs to the girls rooms, all with the same look on their faces. They’d slept in, and were late for the second half of the event. They quickly get dressed and head to the auditorium, sprinting quickly. Before getting inside, Mitch activates her quirk, making sure not to give themselves attention as they go through the door and find their school, huffing and puffing. “Fuck me I’ve never run so quick” Maiya says, out of breath. “Bitch we never run period the fuck.” Mitch says, practically falling over and deactivating her quirk. “You’re late, what happened? You guys are never late.” Kai says, looking over the three. “I know, I’m sorry, Kai, we overslept.” Maiya says, straightening out and getting serious. Mitch and Cal follow suit, standing behind her. “You guys took a beating yesterday, it’s fine. They’re about to tell us about the next event. Did you get a change to eat?” Kai asks. The girls shake their heads and she sighs. “Make sure and eat before you head to the event.” She says before returning to sit next to the class representative, leaning in to fill them in. 

The three let out a sigh of relief, then turn their attention to the speaker. They’ll first announce those who they see fit to transfer, and afterwords they are to go to the events and show the extent of their qurik, with the spectators, teachers and students watch. They name school after school, name after name, then the reach Brownstone University. 

“This school had many participants, but only three made it.” The announcer says. “Maiya Koi, Mitch Liu, and Cal Torrance.” and their school cheers. The three stand together, still half asleep and confused. “Wait, what?” Mitch says, looking at the girls. “You made it! There were about 20 participants from our school. We don’t expect anything less from our top three.” Kai says, with the class rep next to her. “Sucks we wont see you anymore.” The president says, eyeing Maiya. She rolls her eyes. “Sorry about it, “Obsidian”” Maiya says through her teeth. The president smirks. “That’s my hero name, Maiya, you know to call me by my first name.” He says. “Hero name? Tch. Whatever, Andrew.” She says as she turns to the girls. Cal and Mitch continue to glare at him from in front of Maiya as she smiles. “Looks like we’ll be settling here. Let’s grab a bite so we can get this event over with.” She says, throwing her arms around the girls. “We fucking did it guys.” 

[agirlinjapan]

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars (Week 23)

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara A Translation

Miss the last piece? Read it here!

Check out the RDG Translation twitter!

Help me pay for my next translation project on Ko-fi.

It’s nearly summer! There’s another twenty or so days left of school and then we’re done! I think we’re all ready for the vacation (students and teachers), but we still have some fun things to do before we say goodbye including a major class trip and the musical. It should be a good last few days!

RDG will be going back to a weekly posting schedule starting on June 23 and going through the end of August.

We will be finishing RDG early in September!

Last year, Noriko Ogiwara, the author, published a book of RDG short stories titled Ice Shoes, Glass Shoes. I bought this while I was in Japan last summer, and I do plan to translate it like I have the rest of the series. However, I’d like to start a new project after RDG 6 ends and then speckle those short stories in here and there as I go.

I’ll have more information on what that next project will be as we get closer to the end of RDG. I tend to post more detailed information about my translation on my RDG translation twitter. Click the link above and follow if you’d like to hear more.

Finally, happy 5 year anniversary to the RDG translation! I can’t believe it’s been this long!

Translation notes:

This is what a Heian era nobleman would wear.

This is an ascetic monk/mountain monk outfit.

Red Data Girl: My Wish on the Night of the Shooting Stars By Noriko Ogiwara Chapter 3: Winter Solstice Part 3 (1 of 2)

With Mayura’s help, Izumiko quickly decided on what she would wear to Saturday’s party.

Coming to the conclusion that buying something that could only be worn to a party would be a waste, they had decided to buy outfits they could wear on a normal day out and then accented them with corsages and jewelry. During the holiday season, any accessory shop was full to the brim with cute items. Izumiko and Mayura had gone from one to another, enjoying themselves, and buying things here and there.

But then, two days before the party, it was time to carry the decorations over to the space where the party would occur. Hoshino, the planning chief, declared their new outfits unnecessary.    

“We placed a rental order with the same group we used for the festival, so we have professionals to help us set up and break down. Plus, we get ten costume rentals included in the price. We have the teachers’ permission to use those rentals, and we’re planning to have the student government wear them. Claus has dibs on the Santa Claus costume, but we have costumes for the rest of the members, too. This is my decision as planning chief.”

The only people looking at each other in surprise were the first years. The second years appeared to somehow already be aware of this decision. They all looked calm.

Angelica was also at the meeting that day. “I always planned to go to the party in costume, so I’ll be attending in my own outfit,” she said brightly. “My highly esteemed father brought me one.”

The first year student government members looked at each other again. It was becoming clearer that Angelica’s showy Warring States era costume from the festival had been a product of her father’s interest in anime. They were sure her next costume would be something amazing, too.

“Will we be able to… choose the costume we like?” Shimamoto asked the chief nervously.  

“You can choose from what’s being ordered,” Hoshino replied sternly. “Choice number one is the Cinderella series. Choice two, the Little Red Riding Hood series. Choice three, animal costumes. That’s it.”

“What? Just those three?”

“During the school festival, we could only dress as kuroko, right? This time instead of just that, we’re all going to work at this party in the showiest costumes possible. It’s important that we make our guests feel welcome.”

Once Hoshino was finished speaking, Honoka spoke up, her voice serious as well. “Right. Obviously, Ichijo Takayanagi will be planning to talk himself up in one way or another while Izumiko does her best to not draw attention to herself. I think it would be good for Izumiko to choose an animal costume so that she can hide her braids. Everyone else will choose whatever showy costume they want, and do their best to make it hard for Takayanagi to stand out. President Murakami can’t make it on Saturday, but those are the instructions he’s left for us.”

Mayura appeared to automatically agree with the plan. “I get it. So that’s how we’re going to do it,” she murmured enthusiastically.

Manatsu raised a hand quickly. “I’ll choose an animal costume, too. I’ve always wanted to try one on.

“What costume are you going to choose, President Kisaragi?”

Once asked, Honoka puffed out her chest, and answered. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to be the prince from Cinderella. I wouldn’t give up that costume to anyone else.”

Knowing that she would have never chosen a princess costume, all eyes turned to Hayakawa who was looking visibly upset over this development. Clearly, he had been hoping for this costume as well.

On the day of the party, once everyone was changed into the costumes they had rented and got a chance to see what everyone else was wearing, it was plain to see that Honoka’s prince costume was far more impressive than anyone had expected. The whole Cinderella series had an early eighteenth century Rococo look to it. The prince costume was comprised of a tailcoat embroidered in gold and silver thread, a frilly shirt, shoes complete with ribbons, and a curly, white wig. No one had ever seen such a formally dressed prince costume before this.

The second-year bespectacled duo had chosen to dress as the prince’s attendants and were wearing something similar to Honoka with black hats tilted far back on their heads. They would walk around carrying a glass shoe, looking for a girl who might be able to fit into it.

It had been decided that Izumiko would wear a reindeer costume. It would go well with Claus’s Santa suit, thus keeping the spotlight off of her.

In a spare room, Izumiko slowly tried to pull the brown costume on over a t-shirt and light pants. Seeing as she was so petite, the pants attached to the bodysuit were far too long, but not so oversized that she wouldn’t be able to walk in it.

“This is the first time I’ve worn an animal costume…”

“Generally, I’d say there aren’t many people who have.” Mayura laughed as she closed the fastener at the back of Izumiko’s costume. She was wearing a kerchief over her hair with a patched blouse that matched a well-worn skirt and apron. There was soot on her face as well. For the second half of the party though, she would change into a Rococo princess dress, which would make her the flashiest person in the room.

“The chairman will probably be on the party floor today, so Sagara and I will make contact with him and try to figure out what the adults here have planned,” Mayura informed Izumiko. “You, on the other hand, should stay as far away from the chairman and the other adults as possible.”

“Right.”

The reindeer head was overly large, and looked as silly on Izumiko as it would have on a child. As a result, there was something charming about the way the antlers and muzzle rested over her head and face. Unfortunately, however, the mask’s big, round eyes were at the height of her forehead, and the only way she could see out was through the mask’s mouth. The opening there had netting stretched across it, creating a small window. That made Izumiko’s line of sight narrow, and when the head shifted even slightly, Izumiko lost her view. All in all, it was difficult for her to see the world beyond the inside of the reindeer head.

The polyurethane crafted head might have been a pain to wear, but at least it wasn’t heavy. Still, it was difficult to move in seeing as she couldn’t see her feet very well. What was more, as she didn’t know how tall she was in the reindeer head and kept bumping into this and that as she made her way out of the empty room. The whole getup was much harder to manage than she had thought it would be. Mayura held her hand all the way to the auditorium where the party was being held.

And so, when they arrived in the hall, they were surprised to see someone in a wolf costume, not unlike Izumiko’s, jumping around excitedly. Obviously, it was Manatsu, but Izumiko still couldn’t believe he could move around like that.

Mayura was also amazed by her brother.

“What’s up with you bouncing around like that? Is it really that fun to wear an animal costume?”

“Nah. That’s not why I’m so happy,” the wolf with its tongue sticking out said in Manatsu’s voice. He pointed towards something with a gloved hand. “If you look at Little Red Riding Hood, you’ll know why the wolf is so excited.”

They turned their heads to see a cute girl wearing a bright red cloak and holding a basket. She was standing nearby, surrounded by second year students. It was Wataru Shimamoto, grinning from ear to ear from all the praise he was getting.

Staring at the very cute Red Riding hood, it sounded very much as if Mayura muttered under her breath, “Oh no. He’s going to get way more attention than me.”

There was someone dressed as an old witch in a black cloak standing next to Shimamoto. It was Rena Akinokawa in the outfit, which only made Shimamoto seem that much more innocent in his own costume.

“The student government went all the way with this. Do you think it’ll be enough that Takayanagi will give up on standing out?”

Manatsu answered his sister’s question, his voice uninterested. “You don’t need to worry about that. Look over there.”

Izumiko reached up and moved the reindeer head with her hand so that she could look in the direction he had indicated. Ichijo Takayanagi had just walked through the entrance to the hall. Indeed, she could see why there was no need for them to worry about him tonight. Takayanagi’s costume was a Heian era noble’s outfit. The overshirt he wore with hakama pants was dark blue and the shirt underneath was red and white. To complete the look, he wore a tall, black, narrow hat on his head. The whole ensemble made Takayanagi’s small frame larger than it normally appeared.

…He went way too far…  

Izumiko and Mayura were left speechless as they watched Takayanagi approach. The costume didn’t make any sense in the context of a Christmas party, but it certainly matched the wearer.

“Thank you for dropping your barrier today,” Takayanagi said in his Heian attire. He stared straight at Izumiko in her reindeer costume. “I knew as soon as it disappeared this morning. I made a new shikigami. Isn’t that great?”

“…Ah, sure.” Izumiko emphasized her words with a careful nod of the reindeer head. First thing that morning, she had recited the charm Miyuki had taught her. However, as she hadn’t sensed anything change, this was the first time since then that she knew for sure that it had worked.

Right… There are going to be shikigami around today, and I’m going to have to deal with them.        

“Don’t use your shikigami for anything so big that you make trouble for the people around you,” Izumiko said, intending to sound firm, but Takayanagi was unfazed.

“I can’t really guarantee that. No matter what you might tell me, I’m the one in charge today.”

Mayura, standing there in her housekeeper’s costume complete with a long broom, scowled. “If Izumiko says to do something, you do it,” she broke in. “You’re just a diviner who uses minions to do your bidding. If you do what you want to do, we’ll kick you out of here.”

Takayanagi ignored Mayura. He turned back to Izumiko and continued on in the same tone as before. “Izumiko, you should be more receptive towards shikigami. We diviners are well versed in using spirits. You should know more about what we do just in case you ever want to join us. True cooperation cannot be achieved where there is no understanding, wouldn’t you agree?”  

“I’m guessing you want me to say that from here on out, I’ll let you use shikigami anytime you want on campus?” Izumiko responded cautiously.

“I’m acting as the top of the school’s public face because of your own strategies, aren’t I? Being who I am, I want to know a little more about you seeing as you’ve hidden yourself away from the public eye all this time. That way, I can be useful to you on my own terms even when you do not lift the seal on my abilities. While you might have sworn that you will not release the bonds you have placed on me, might it be correct that we’ll never fully come to a true understanding of each other as long as we are held within this arrangement?”

What he’s saying is true… Izumiko thought.

No one wanted to be controlled, Izumiko considered vaguely to herself. With that said though, she seemed to be fine being the one controlling someone else. She hadn’t thought about it that way until now, and it made her inwardly cringe.

“That’s true, but… Takayanagi, is there any way that I can convince you to stop using shikigami for good?”

“Using shikigami is the foundation of diviner’s magic. That’s something you’re unwilling to accept, isn’t it? However, like the Soudas, you can’t say that you feel uncomfortable dealing with the spirits of the dead. You’re working with one right now, aren’t you?”

Again, Izumiko couldn’t help but think over the words Takayanagi had said so confidently.

“Izumiko, don’t listen to him,” Mayura said sharply. She had not been tempted to rethink her opinions. “He was born talking garbage.”

Miyuki’s voice was suddenly audible from the side of their small gathering. “That’s so true. Save all those fancy words you’re trying to confuse Izumiko with for after this party. You should know that whatever you say, it’s not going to work anyway.”

Izumiko hadn’t seen Miyuki in the auditorium before now, but it seemed as if he had been close enough to hear the conversation that was going on. She turned the reindeer head to look at him and her eyes instantly went wide.

“Sagara… that costume…”

“It’s just a costume.”

“But it’s…”

“I said, it’s just a costume.”

Miyuki’s appearance was shocking enough to rival Takayanagi’s Heian outfit. He was dressed in full ascetic monk garb, complete with a wide shouldered traditional vest adorned with soft, pom pom looking decorations worn over hakama pants. There were cloth wrist coverings on his arms and straw sandals on his feet. He was wearing a stiff looking hat on his head and a braided cord wrapped around his waist held a small leather pelt in place against his back that would have been useful if he had needed to sit down on wet or dirty ground. And of course, he was holding a staff in his hands.

This was the first time even Izumiko had seen Miyuki dressed in full ascetic monk attire. However, she had absolutely no clue why he had gone to such lengths.

“But that’s not the costume the student government rented,” Izumiko said.

Miyuki answered in a strained voice. “One of the other students grabbed mine before I could get to it and the only costume left was Cinderella’s sister. I wasn’t crazy about either of them, but between the two, this seemed like the better choice.”

“Those are some interesting choices…”

Mayura looked as if she were about to say something, but she held her tongue with Takayanagi there with them.

Shimamoto, standing a bit apart from them, had something to say though.

“Oh man, too bad, Sagara!” he called over. “So I’m really the only guy dressed as a girl here?”

“Shut up. You can’t complain about something while everyone’s complimenting you on it,” Miyuki retorted.

He looked towards Takayanagi next. “I don’t think Izumiko’s power and your magic really have much in common, but if you’re saying you want to work together, we can probably come up with some sort of compromise or agreement. From here on, we need focus on figuring out more about how the goddess works.”

Tayakanagagi took in Miyuki’s outfit with interest, just like everyone else.

“Are you saying that as the ascetic monk’s representative, Sagara?”

“Probably not. Who are the people who are coming to see the World Heritage Candidate student today? Are they parents of exchange students?”

Takayanagi’s tone relaxed at Miyuki’s question. “It’s not necessarily going to be all foreigners. There could be some Japanese inspectors too. Either way, they’ll be people who know a lot about World Heritage.”

“Can they see shikigami?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. People’s understanding of shikigami most likely varies from place to place. A Japanese inspector would be more likely to know the same things we do because they’re Japanese.” Takayanagi readjusted his hat with a hand and then continued. “That’s the case with anything based in history. I don’t believe most average people in the world today can distinguish between diviners and ascetic monks. Therefore, I see nothing wrong with what I said before. It would be possible for Izumiko to join the diviners.”

Keep reading!

[istill-loveyou39]

The Story Begins...

So I’ve decided today is the day! I’m not going to be a chicken shit and I’m going to post what I’ve been working on. 

I suppose its a fanfic but it’s more of an adventure. I took the Queen crest with horoscope figures and made them into original characters. Set in the land of Rhye, two fairy siblings have to journey away from home to stop a coming calamity, the Black Queen. Each of my characters of based off of someone, however loosely. There’s also a ton of song references and Queen details in there! It’s just something I couldn’t stop thinking about and had to write down. Something fun!

I hope ya’ll like it. I take criticism. Sometimes without crying! Haha! Let me know what you think???  

Words 1969

Chapter 1: Lazing On a Sunday Afternoon

 Rys placed her leather bound book on her lap and lifted her face to the sun. The warm beams made their way through the leaves on the tree in which she sat to heat her cheeks. Summer had just begun in Rys' town of Lily Valley and she was taking advantage of the lazy hot days. Nestled in her favorite reading spot, a crook in the branch of a weeping willow, Rys took a moment to look out between the vines. Everything was green and full of life, making the valley look surreal. Large lily fields surrounded her perch, their pure white petals reflecting the sun and making them almost hard to gaze upon.

Located in the southern plains of Rhye, Lily Valley was inhabited by the fairy folk. Preferring the warmer climate to the frosty mountains of the north, the fairies thrived in the grasslands, planting and harvesting the crop that gave the town its name.

Rys always felt as ease in Lily Valley, especially when the sun was shining and she had a good book to sink into.

As Rys let her brown eyes laze over the horizon, she noticed a figure moving in through the lilies, picking its way carefully toward her. The messy brown mop of hair Rys recognized as her only sibling, Tin. Taller and more athletic than her, Tin sprinted towards her perch without any real effort. She was always jealous of his ability to make anything look easy.

"Hello sister dear!" Tin said in his sing song voice, the one he saved for her. Tin had always been a shy kid but he opened up around his close family and friends, especially Rys. Rys was Tin's best friend and she was his. They were two years apart but Rys felt that even if the years were greater, they would still remain close.

"Tin! How did you know I was here?" Rys inquired.

"What a ridiculous question Rys. I know your spots." Smirking, Tin tapped her dangling leg with a long slender finger. Rys liked to think she kept her secret reading spots as they were - secret. But she was sure Tin knew them all like he stated.

"What brings you to the outskirts of Lily Valley then brother?"

"Oh I just wanted to take a walk, enjoy the fresh air and sun." A devilish grin pulled at the corners of his mouth.

Rys rolled her eyes and glared back at her older brother, knowing full well this was not the reason he was here.

"Ugh. Fine. Our mother and father invited over Yari and her family for lunch. Or should I say they invited her over for a makeshift wedding!"

Rys laughed and shook her head. Their parents had been pushing a local girl, Yari, on Tin ever since they came of age. Yari was enamored with Tin of course but Tin wanted nothing to do with her. Despite informing their parents of this, they were determined to marry their eldest son to the daughter of the town leader. Rys' mother and father were traditional folk and stuck in their ways. Rys and Tin were in a secret agreement to never become them.

"Oh Tin. Not again." Rys felt ashamed that her parents did this to Tin. Although he was nonchalant in his speech she could tell that it bothered him. She had an inkling as to why he disliked the idea of marrying Yari however. She was a nice girl with lovely blue eyes and a generous nature but Tin, Rys thought, had never seemed to look her way. She didn't want to press him on the matter and was resolute in waiting for him to talk to her about it.

"Yes indeed darling." Tin sat heavily on the ground beneath Rys, instantly picking up a blade of grass and ripping it to shreds.

"I do wish they would leave it alone. I know it bothers you Tin."

Tin didn't say anything in return; he simply played with the grass between his feet. The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying the solitude. The siblings enjoyed each other's company immensely and never felt awkward to sit together in silence. Most times they would talk and share stories of life until their mother and father would silence them.

The sun slowly crept higher in the sky as Rys went back to reading her book. Tin lounged below her; eyes shut and face to the sun. His hands folded neatly in his lap. Rys soon felt the need to shut her eyes for a mid afternoon nap as well. She returned her book to her knapsack and rolled ever so slightly to the right. When she looked up she could see a field of lilies stretching from the tree line to the outer limits of her town. The field was full to the brim with magnificent white flowers, their petals reaching for the sun.

Rys took a moment to appreciate the sheer beauty that surrounded her home, breathing deep the scented air and releasing the tension held in her muscles. But as her eyes wandered over the field something caught her eye and made the hair on the back of her neck strand straight up.

Sitting up and moving the willow tree’s fronds, Rys peered out to get a better look at what she saw.

"Tin. Wake up." Rys called down to her snoozing brother.

"Hmm?" Tin replied, cracking an eye.

"Do you see that?"

"What?"

"That. In the middle of the field." Rys pointed to the dead center of the field where she spotted an unnerving sight.

Standing up, Tin stretched and shaded his eyes with his hand.

"I don't see - oh wait. I do see it. It surely can't be what I think it is." Tin looked up at his sister with a questioning look.

"Well, let's go see for sure." Rys hopped down from her perch with as much grace as she could muster. Together they picked their way through the flowers, careful not to damage any of the precious buds. A strange sense of dread pulsed through her veins as continued on, making the hair on her arms stand straight up.

They came to the center and gazed upon what had caught Rys' eye. A jet black lily grew among the pure white flowers. It looked alien and out of place. Something about it didn't feel right to Rys even though it was indeed just a flower. It seemed to radiate an aura of unease and agitation.

Tin and Rys stared silently at the ebony flower, bewitched by its eerie beauty and the stories they'd heard behind such a rare bloom.

Suddenly, Tin mada a move for the stem, ripping it from the earth and sending dirt flying.

"Tin!" Rys exclaims in shock.

"There. It's gone and we don't have anything to worry about, love." Tin threw flower as far as he could into the field. "It was probably just a random thing, you think?"

Tin was trying to convince himself that seeing such a bloom was an arbitrary thing. Both of them knew what a black flower could mean but neither was able to put it into words.

Silently they walked back into town, lost in their own thoughts.

There's no way that a lone black flower meant anything. Rys thought. She and Tin had heard stories passed down from the elders about death omens and what happens after a jet black flower is found. Rys steeled herself against such negative thoughts and marched up the stairs to her home.

Inside, Rys and Tin's mother was reading in her favorite chair with her favorite blanket draped over her legs.

"TIN! Where in the Queen's name did you run off to? We had company!" Their mother shrieked as soon as she saw them enter through the door. Normally their mother was a calm and gentile person, but when it came to matters of propriety, she was as strict as ever.

"Mother, you know very well that I have no interest in being shown to the local girls like a jewel being put up for auction." Tin collapsed into a wooden chair in the kitchen, sighing at his mother's admonishment.

While her mother continued to rail against an uninterested Tin, Rys made her way to her bedroom. Her room was small but she thought it rather cozy. Covered in dried flowers, linens, and pillows, Rys was happy in the little slice of paradise she made for herself.

"I hear your mother has found Tin." Sighed a husky voice. Rys' father poked his head around the door frame and leaned his body against the wall. "I'm glad you’re both home. Dinner is almost ready."

"Thanks, Dad." Rys was still mulling over the possible meaning behind the black bloom and wasn't tuned into the conversation her father had started.

"Rys. What's the matter? I know that face. You wear your emotions on your sleeve." Her father picked up on her distracted nature, forcing her out of her thoughts.

Hesitantly, Rys confessed everything.

"We saw something today. Tin and I. It must be completely random but it still gives me gooseflesh when I think of it." Rys had always been a rather cautious and nervous person unlike her brother who seemed to have inherited all the family’s bravado.

"What did you see?" Her father moved into her room, concern showing in his face as he took a seat on the bed beside her.

"A black lily." Rys whispered as if the words themselves carried a weight.

Her father's face instantly drained of color and a shiver ran through his body as he stood. He looked down at Rys, real fear behind his usually clear eyes.

"Dad? What - what is it?" The gooseflesh rose on her arms once more.

"Where did you see this bloom?"

Rys shared all the details of where they were and how Tin violently extracted it from the ground.

"You shouldn't have touched it. You know the legends right?" Her father stood in the middle of the room, unmoving.

"Yes, but surely -”

"I will return." He abruptly departed from her room, descended the stairs, gathered Rys' mother (who was still blathering on about Tin) and exited the house. Rys followed and found Tin at the front door, just as confused as she was.

"Where are they off too? Mother wasn't nearly done with her lecture."

"I told father about the black lily. He seemed scared Tin. Do you think it could have been an omen?" Rys held her elbows as a sudden chill swept though her.

Tin was silent, watching his parents disappear into the house of the mayor.

"I don't know Rys, but if it is, that means something actually would happen in this town!" Tin chuckled and walked away from the door back to his perch by the kitchen table.

Rys sighed and shrugged off Tin's flippant remark. Their town was small and therefore it lacked a certain amount of excitement. But if the flower was truly an omen, that was not the kind of excitement any town of any size wanted.

 Rys and Tin fed themselves, cleaned the kitchen, and retired to their respective rooms for the night. Their parents had been gone a while but Tin was unconcerned. He told Rys that they were probably apologizing profusely to the mayor and Yari for his disappearing act earlier in the day. Rys knew that was probably the case and they were no doubt a few drinks in, forgetting all about the time. But something still stirred in the back of her mind. Something tickling and creeping through her thoughts. Something dark and nasty was coming and it all had to do with that obsidian flower.

[iamtinydangerous]

Chapter 1: Lazing On a Sunday Afternoon

 Rys placed her leather bound book on her lap and lifted her face to the sun. The warm beams made their way through the leaves on the tree in which she sat to heat her cheeks. Summer had just begun in Rys' town of Lily Valley and she was taking advantage of the lazy hot days. Nestled in her favorite reading spot, a crook in the branch of a weeping willow, Rys took a moment to look out between the fronds. Everything was green and full of life, making the valley look surreal. Large lily fields surrounded her perch, their pure white petals reflecting the sun and making them almost hard to gaze upon.

Located in the southern plains of Rhye, Lily Valley was inhabited by the fairy folk. Preferring the warmer climate to the frosty mountains of the north, the fairies thrived in the grasslands, planting and harvesting the crop that gave the town its name.

Rys always felt as ease in Lily Valley, especially when the sun was shining and she had a good book to sink into.

As Rys let her brown eyes laze over the horizon, she noticed a figure moving in through the lilies, picking its way carefully toward her. The messy brown mop of hair Rys recognized as her only sibling, Tin. Taller and more athletic than her, Tin sprinted towards her perch without any real effort. She was always jealous of his ability to make anything look easy.

"Hello sister dear!" Tin said in his sing song voice, the one he saved for her. Tin had always been a shy kid but he opened up around his close family and friends, especially Rys. Rys was Tin's best friend and she was his. They were two years apart but Rys felt that even if the years were greater, they would still remain close.

"Tin! How did you know I was here?" Rys inquired.

"What a ridiculous question Rys. I know your spots." Smirking, Tin tapped her dangling leg with a long slender finger. Rys liked to think she kept her secret reading spots as they were - secret. But she was sure Tin knew them all like he stated.

"What brings you to the outskirts of Lily Valley then brother?"

"Oh I just wanted to take a walk, enjoy the fresh air and sun." A devilish grin pulled at the corners of his mouth.

Rys rolled her eyes and glared back at her older brother, knowing full well this was not the reason he was here.

"Ugh. Fine. Our mother and father invited over Yari and her family for lunch. Or should I say they invited her over for a makeshift wedding!"

Rys laughed and shook her head. Their parents had been pushing a local girl, Yari, on Tin ever since they came of age. Yari was enamored with Tin of course but Tin wanted nothing to do with her. Despite informing their parents of this, they were determined to marry their eldest son to the daughter of the town leader. Rys' mother and father were traditional folk and stuck in their ways. Rys and Tin were in a secret agreement to never become them.

"Oh Tin. Not again." Rys felt ashamed that her parents did this to Tin. Although he was nonchalant in his speech she could tell that it bothered him. She had an inkling as to why he disliked the idea of marrying Yari however. She was a nice girl with lovely blue eyes and a generous nature but Tin, Rys thought, had never seemed to look her way. She didn't want to press him on the matter and was resolute in waiting for him to talk to her about it.

"Yes indeed darling." Tin sat heavily on the ground beneath Rys, instantly picking up a blade of grass and ripping it to shreds.

"I do wish they would leave it alone. I know it bothers you Tin."

Tin didn't say anything in return; he simply played with the grass between his feet. The two sat in silence for a while, enjoying the solitude. The siblings enjoyed each other's company immensely and never felt awkward to sit together in silence. Most times they would talk and share stories of life until their mother and father would silence them.

The sun slowly crept higher in the sky as Rys went back to reading her book. Tin lounged below her; eyes shut and face to the sun. His hands folded neatly in his lap. Rys soon felt the need to shut her eyes for a mid afternoon nap as well. She returned her book to her knapsack and rolled ever so slightly to the right. When she looked up she could see a field of lilies stretching from the tree line to the outer limits of her town. The field was full to the brim with magnificent white flowers, their petals reaching for the sun.

Rys took a moment to appreciate the sheer beauty that surrounded her home, breathing deep the scented air and releasing the tension held in her muscles. But as her eyes wandered over the field something caught her eye and made the hair on the back of her neck strand straight up.

Sitting up and moving the willow tree’s fronds, Rys peered out to get a better look at what she saw.

"Tin. Wake up." Rys called down to her snoozing brother.

"Hmm?" Tin replied, cracking an eye.

"Do you see that?"

"What?"

"That. In the middle of the field." Rys pointed to the dead center of the field where she spotted an unnerving sight.

Standing up, Tin stretched and shaded his eyes with his hand.

"I don't see - oh wait. I do see it. It surely can't be what I think it is." Tin looked up at his sister with a questioning look.

"Well, let's go see for sure." Rys hopped down from her perch with as much grace as she could muster. Together they picked their way through the flowers, careful not to damage any of the precious buds. A strange sense of dread pulsed through her veins as continued on, making the hair on her arms stand straight up.

They came to the center and gazed upon what had caught Rys' eye. A jet black lily grew among the pure white flowers. It looked alien and out of place. Something about it didn't feel right to Rys even though it was indeed just a flower. It seemed to radiate an aura of unease and agitation.

Tin and Rys stared silently at the ebony flower, bewitched by its eerie beauty and the stories they'd heard behind such a rare bloom.

Suddenly, Tin mada a move for the stem, ripping it from the earth and sending dirt flying.

"Tin!" Rys exclaims in shock.

"There. It's gone and we don't have anything to worry about, love." Tin threw flower as far as he could into the field. "It was probably just a random thing, you think?"

Tin was trying to convince himself that seeing such a bloom was an arbitrary thing. Both of them knew what a black flower could mean but neither was able to put it into words.

Silently they walked back into town, lost in their own thoughts.

_There's no way that a lone black flower meant anything. _Rys thought. She and Tin had heard stories passed down from the elders about death omens and what happens after a jet black flower is found. Rys steeled herself against such negative thoughts and marched up the stairs to her home.

Inside, Rys and Tin's mother was reading in her favorite chair with her favorite blanket draped over her legs.

"TIN! Where in the Queen's name did you run off to? We had company!" Their mother shrieked as soon as she saw them enter through the door. Normally their mother was a calm and gentile person, but when it came to matters of propriety, she was as strict as ever.

"Mother, you know very well that I have no interest in being shown to the local girls like a jewel being put up for auction." Tin collapsed into a wooden chair in the kitchen, sighing at his mother's admonishment.

While her mother continued to rail against an uninterested Tin, Rys made her way to her bedroom. Her room was small but she thought it rather cozy. Covered in dried flowers, linens, and pillows, Rys was happy in the little slice of paradise she made for herself.

"I hear your mother has found Tin." Sighed a husky voice. Rys' father poked his head around the door frame and leaned his body against the wall. "I'm glad you’re both home. Dinner is almost ready."

"Thanks, Dad." Rys was still mulling over the possible meaning behind the black bloom and wasn't tuned into the conversation her father had started.

"Rys. What's the matter? I know that face. You wear your emotions on your sleeve." Her father picked up on her distracted nature, forcing her out of her thoughts.

Hesitantly, Rys confessed everything.

"We saw something today. Tin and I. It must be completely random but it still gives me gooseflesh when I think of it." Rys had always been a rather cautious and nervous person unlike her brother who seemed to have inherited all the family’s bravado.

"What did you see?" Her father moved into her room, concern showing in his face as he took a seat on the bed beside her.

"A black lily." Rys whispered as if the words themselves carried a weight.

Her father's face instantly drained of color and a shiver ran through his body as he stood. He looked down at Rys, real fear behind his usually clear eyes.

"Dad? What - what is it?" The gooseflesh rose on her arms once more.

"Where did you see this bloom?"

Rys shared all the details of where they were and how Tin violently extracted it from the ground.

"You shouldn't have touched it. You know the legends right?" Her father stood in the middle of the room, unmoving.

"Yes, but surely -”

"I will return." He abruptly departed from her room, descended the stairs, gathered Rys' mother (who was still blathering on about Tin) and exited the house. Rys followed and found Tin at the front door, just as confused as she was.

"Where are they off too? Mother wasn't nearly done with her lecture."

"I told father about the black lily. He seemed scared Tin. Do you think it could have been an omen?" Rys held her elbows as a sudden chill swept though her.

Tin was silent, watching his parents disappear into the house of the mayor.

"I don't know Rys, but if it is, that means something actually would happen in this town!" Tin chuckled and walked away from the door back to his perch by the kitchen table.

Rys sighed and shrugged off Tin's flippant remark. Their town was small and therefore it lacked a certain amount of excitement. But if the flower was truly an omen, that was not the kind of excitement any town of any size wanted.

 Rys and Tin fed themselves, cleaned the kitchen, and retired to their respective rooms for the night. Their parents had been gone a while but Tin was unconcerned. He told Rys that they were probably apologizing profusely to the mayor and Yari for his disappearing act earlier in the day. Rys knew that was probably the case and they were no doubt a few drinks in, forgetting all about the time. But something still stirred in the back of her mind. Something tickling and creeping through her thoughts. Something dark and nasty was coming and it all had to do with that obsidian flower.

[fueledbysprite]

Sorry

it’s almost midnight but i had an idea and felt like Lukaniel angst.

This is why we can’t have nice things...

It had been an akuma.

Nathaniel had hated the violet butterflies and their influence from the very beginning. He had seen the cruel effects on their victims, the psychological and emotional trauma they faced afterwards, and how none of them could really ever recover after their respective incidents.

After all, who could be so heartless and sadistic to seek out pain and prey on it, turning into something evil?

He’d had first-hand experience with that vicious voice in his head. Even later, months after the night he found himself in Chloe’s room with a foggy mind and fading memories, he’d wake up shaking in a cold sweat. His akumatization hadn’t even been one of the worse ones… or so he was told. It certainly felt like the worst experience possible in life. Naturally, he couldn’t really compare his own to those of others in this case.

At least his had been something of a quieter affair. Only Marinette, Chloe, and the superheroes had really been involved. Meanwhile, others had broadcasted or even targeted the entire city while under the akumas’ influence. It didn’t matter who they were underneath anymore, the twisted supervillain ego was the only thing seen by anyone who hadn’t cared otherwise to begin with.

On top of that, some of the akumas’ effects didn’t leave only their direct victims with invisible scars. Alix bore the guilt of the terror of the entire class, as well as a number of people she hadn’t even known to begin with. No matter how many times they all assured her it was alright in the end, nothing would ever truly erase the feelings of the incident from their memories.

So Nathaniel knew better than to blame the akuma victim herself. That didn’t stop him from loathing the cursed butterfly itself with every vengeful fiber of his being.

Because while the rest of the city might also be suffering nightmares for the next indefinite period of time, he was going to be enduring them alone.

And the dark insect was completely at fault.

***

Nathaniel was the kind of person for whom being involved in a relationship was treading on eggshells. He’d never been the most self-confident person, but it was truly difficult to maintain a healthy bond when he second-guessed every move and constantly doubted the sincerity of anyone who seemed to care for him in the slightest.

It wasn’t his fault that there was an omnipresent paranoia ebbing at his mind that told him all his acquaintances were only associating with him out of secret motives or pity, that barred him from being able to call them friends - because he wasn’t worth friends. He was shy and uninteresting and only talented in his extensive knowledge of the Marvel comics universe and a good half of the anime in existence. Friends joked and laughed and hung out at the movies on Saturdays. Nathaniel couldn’t come up with even a moderately funny joke if his life depended on it, he constantly worried if they were laughing with him or at him, and he’d rather isolate himself in his room for the next three years than go out and face the possibility of having to interact with people.

Luka had helped him so much. His charming smile and casual demeanor countered Nath’s own introverted personality. His soothing voice could calm the redhead’s nerves and let him enjoy the moment instead of overthinking every aspect of everything. Luka could convince him that he wasn’t just hanging around out of boredom or responsibility or pity.

Luka made Nathaniel feel like someone.

But if that alone could have exterminated the hateful voice in his head, Nathaniel wouldn’t find himself crying himself to sleep every night, losing slumber over malicious thoughts creeping into his mind in the dead of darkness and solitude.

Sometimes - like the day Luka came to him gushing over the newest song he had created and begging to share it, or when he insisted that Nathaniel’s art was the best he’d ever seen - he felt like he might have finally let go of the anxiety once and for all. Those days, he was on top of the world.

And then, some days, doubts slammed against the walls of his brain and his heart, telling him it was fake, he was growing too attached, Luka didn’t see him the same way Nath saw him. It was poisonous, and in retrospect, Nathaniel wasn’t sure if it would have been a better thing if the akuma had picked its ultimate victim or chosen himself instead.

It would have left him feeling the same way, either way. Why not avail from some ducky superpowers in the meantime?

The supervillain had effectively enveloped Paris in darkness and let the raw, negative emotion flow. Needless to say, the city was immediately overcome by panic and chaos. Civilians found themselves being attacked by their own thoughts - every single pessimistic idea to ever have crossed their mind resurfaced and magnified itself tenfold.

Nathaniel temporarily went insane. One voice became a thousand wailing echoes, simultaneously screaming a cacophony of venomous taunts, preying on every single weakness and tearing him apart.

Suddenly, he was nothing again. Plain, useless, boring, wimpy, incompetent...all the words from separate instances at different times, banding together in sync and rushing into his head. He was invisible, insignificant, utterly null in a sea of better people he could not hope to be.

And Luka was trying to ground him, trying to ease the bad thoughts, trying to tell him it wasn’t real...but then Luka’s face morphed into something else. It was twisted and horrific and the voice that was once a source of comfort was harsh and cutting. Nathaniel involuntarily surrendered control of his imagination to anxiety, and soon, the only things flashing through his mind were images of the unseen future, fearful guesses at what was to come.

Alone. Irrelevant. Friendless. Luka turning his back on him - he had never been on his side to begin with. Nathaniel had known it, known it from the very start, and yet, he still let himself give in. How many times had he struggled to keep others away for fear of this very outcome, and now, the one person he had lowered his walls down for, wasn’t really sincere at all, was he?

Anxiety and paranoia clawed through him, asking him, begging him, why didn’t I listen? he thought. But was it really him thinking anymore, or had he completely given in to those terrible forces altogether?

***

In all his misery, Nathaniel’s senses were failing to register his external surroundings properly. Luka was unsuccessfully trying to lock him in a tight and calming embrace, one that Nathaniel seemed to be doing his best to escape.

“Nathaniel, please, snap out of it,” he tried, but Nathaniel wouldn’t listen. “I’m right here.”

The redhead was, despite all Luka’s attempts to console him otherwise, set on the idea that the older teen had only been leading him on all this time.

“You’re going to leave me. I know it.”

Nathaniel’s voice was small and broken, eyes foggy and filled with tears. Luka struggled to maintain a grip on his own emotions and somehow bring Nathaniel back to reality. His own demons were calling him, too, and their patience was wearing thin.

“I won’t,” Luka swore with as much as sincerity as he could put into his voice.

But Nathaniel was shaking his head, tears spilling out. He lowered his head so his hair fell in front of his eyes, shuffling back. Luka didn’t bother trying to smooth the crimson locks out of his face anymore. The ravenette took a breath and tried his final resort.

“I love you.”

He didn’t miss the way the younger teen froze, eyes widening. The way his small frame stiffened defensively and he looked up with a caution that bridged the final gap between Luka and a decision he had been considering making for a very long time now. And he most definitely didn’t miss the words Nathaniel mumbled in response.

“I really hope you aren’t lying to me, Luka. Because I feel a lot of things for you, and I don’t like people playing around with my emotions...”

He stared at the older teen, trying to read the impassive expression on his face through the haze clouding his own mind, before a swarm of ladybugs whooshed between them.

Luka could see the visible effects of the negative influences disappearing from the redhead’s body as his own bad thoughts relaxed and lifted, but he had his mind made up and there was no going back now.

***

“You wanted me to come over…?” Nathaniel’s voice was nervous, more like he was asking a question than stating a fact.

Luka nodded seriously, sighing as the artist cautiously sat down beside him.

“I...um...what did you want to...?”

“Listen, Nath,” Luka started, a bit more brusquely than he’d initially intended. Nathaniel only looked more nervous, and the fearful look in his eyes would have broken the musician if he hadn’t firmly set his resolve in advance.

“I wanted to talk about the akuma attack the other day...”

“Oh, uh...” the redhead visibly relaxed, making Luka feel the tiniest bit guilty, but he pushed it away.

“It really had a negative influence on you...”

“I guess I’m just prone to negative thoughts...” Nathaniel responded awkwardly.

“But really, how much of it was the akuma, and how much of it was you?” Luka asked, voice definitely carrying an edge. Nathaniel was stiffening again.

“Wh-what do you mean?” he asked, voice breaking slightly with nervous surprise.

“Nathaniel, tell me something. Honestly.” Luka looked up to meet him dead in the eye. He didn’t push his hair out of the other’s face like he usually did, and Nathaniel seemed to notice that, too. “Do you trust me?”

Nathaniel swallowed, watching Luka warily.

“I..yeah, why?” he answered in a transparent attempt to sound confident.

“Do you really, though?”

Nathaniel looked down, and Luka felt something small break inside, something he had prepared for already, not that it made it any easier when it actually happened.

“Nathaniel,” he started softly. “This is the problem, the reason we haven’t been able to move forward to anything. We’re stuck in one place and we can’t go on unless we can establish a mutual trust…”

Nathaniel was trembling but it didn’t matter anymore. This wasn’t Luka’s issue to deal with anymore.

He took a deep breath and let it out.

“I’m really sorry, Nathaniel, but we can’t ever work out if you can’t trust me. It feels like I’m constantly tiptoeing around you, trying to gain your trust, but I guess that isn’t going to work in the end...”

He looked at the redhead, silently begging him to say something in defense, contradicting him, anything, but he was quiet. His lip was trembling and Luka desperately wanted to hug him, but held himself back.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated simply. “I truly am. But until you can learn to gain some self-confidence and stop doubting everything, things really aren’t going to work out well for you...”

Nathaniel knew he was right. Of course he was right. The look in Luka’s eyes was pleading him to tell him he was wrong, but he couldn’t, wouldn’t bring himself to say it. Something was choking him and the words wouldn’t come out.

Luka’s expression changed to one of disappointment and he sighed regretfully, looking down and away.

“Well, then, that’s all...” he finished awkwardly, getting up and making to leave before the uncomfortable silence became unbearable. No one said anything, still.

He closed the door after him, leaving Nathaniel alone with only the option to wallow in hopeless despair or to take a lesson and move forward.

***

Looking back on it, Nathaniel reasoned that it wasn’t really fair to hold the butterfly responsible for his misery. Or Hawk Moth. Or Luka, for that matter.

In the end, he decided to blame anxiety. Not that placing blame ever made a difference, anyways.

Because sometimes, most of the time, life doesn’t give you a happily ever after.

Sometimes it’s your fault. Sometimes it’s not.

And it was that last thing that mystified Nathaniel, more than anything else.

***

“So I'm sorry to my unknown lover

Sorry that I can't believe

That anybody ever really

Starts to fall in love with me”

           ~Halsey, Sorry

[reges-nemus]

I

The small brass bell above the doorway of Martha's Used Books rang softly as I ducked inside. Shaking the rain from my coat I look around at the familiar little shop. Dusty bookcases stand in the soft yellow light produced by the lamps who's shades have been yellowed with age. Lining the shelves is a haphazard collection of printed works, loosely organized by genre and type of publication. The air inside the shop is thick with the scent of old books, that earthy, musty, and acrid scent I've grown to love. It represents a place I feel more at home in than my own apartment. As I take in the tranquility of this wonderful secret place of mine I notice one thing out of place, Martha is not standing in her usual spot behind the counter. No better a match for this place exists apart from her; completely plain, seemingly uninterested in anything except collecting and selling used books, she is a wholly unattractive personification of Martha's Used Books, and in that way she is one my favorite people. Upon stepping closer to the counter however I notice a note, written in Martha's utterly bland handwriting:

'Left for a while, leave your money on the counter along with a note stating the title of the book you purchased. Thank you.'

After a few moments of wandering through the shelves I had a small collection of my own tucked underneath my right arm; an assortment of books and magazines, fiction and nonfiction, various publications pertaining to things I think I would be interested in, books of poetry, heroic tales, mysteries. Slowly making my way back towards the counter a book caught my eye. The text on the spine was faded and hard to read, but I could just make out the title: 'The Hiasarx Account', the name of the author however was impossible to discern. The cover was a red cloth and extremely worn, as if the previous owner had read the book a hundred times. I went to open the book to skim through it, as I do with all the books I am interested in, but noticed the light outside fading. Precariously I propped the stack of books under my arm up against the shelf and pulled my watch from my pocket seeing it was almost half past seven, and that I was almost late. I made my way to the counter and quickly counted out the correct change and hurriedly scribbled the titles of the books I had bought.

I hid the books underneath my coat to protect them from the steady drizzle that had persisted since this morning. Leaping up the steps to my apartment I checked my watch again, five minutes until eight. In my head I was already preparing my apologies to Max for being late when I noticed a note that had been slid between my door and its frame.

'Gabriel, I won't be able to make our meeting this evening at 8. I have no time to explain right now, but all is well. We can meet tomorrow morning at 7 instead.

I apologize for the inconvenience.

Your friend, Max'

Relieved that I would not be late to our meeting I unlocked the door and stepped inside.

Standing in the hall and looking into the small dwelling it was obvious that two completely dissimilar people had lived here, me and my brother, Phillip. While his room was tidy and orderly, mine was chaotic and dishevelled. Books littered nearly every available surface and on the floor next to the bed was a small collection of empty gin bottles. Before his cavalry regiment had been relocated out to California Phillip would often lovingly poke fun at the state of my room, and that of the rest of the apartment, and encourage me to keep things tidy. "Keeping your surroundings tidy will help keep your mind tidy as well, Gabe." he used to tell me. Looking at his room now made me feel a sickening mix between longing for his return and hope that I'd never see him again. My 'untidy mind' is the result of an accident that came about due to his prodding. I have always been one to stay at home or, the few times I have been on vacation, to do quiet and easy things; walks through the country, lunches at small seaside cafes. A few years ago Phillip had insisted that I accompany him on a week-long trip to a ranch where he could teach me to ride a horse, and after one particularly drunken night I relented and agreed to go to this ranch with him. During our first 'lesson' the horse he had chosen for me reared up and threw me, leading to my being in a coma for several days. After I awoke I was fine cognitively, but I had become suspicious and irritable and much more withdrawn than I was before my fall. I spent nearly two months recovering in the hospital, which is where I met Max. He would come in nearly every day to visit an infirm relative of his, and one day sat next to me in the lounge and asked for a cigarette. I found that we had similar personalities so we began a correspondence, and have been friends ever since. He has been gone for a few weeks to visit his sweetheart who lives in Vermont, he wrote towards the end of his stay there that he had proposed and she said yes, and that he had news he wanted to deliver in person when he returned.

Stepping further into my apartment I placed the books I had bought on a bare spot of the kitchen table and made myself something to eat. As I sat down with my food, and my first bottle of gin, I began looking through the books I had bought. I removed them, one by one, from the stack. Some mystery novel, a nonfiction account of someone's travels through British Raj, a magazine about woodworking, and then there it was, that worn red cover with the barely legible text on the spine: 'The Hiasarx Account'. Upon seeing it I immediately began to feel uneasy, my stomach felt knotted and a tingling sensation radiated from my chest out through my extremities. It was as if the book compelled me to read it, but every fiber of my being wanted to resist. I swallowed what was left in the bottle to settle my nerves and I reached for another. These small bottles of gin, barely larger than my hand, had become the only reliable method I found to quiet my 'untidy' mind. I picked up that compelling book and tossed it to the other end of the table, opening instead a book of poetry to try and occupy myself.

A few poems, and another bottle, later I stood up from the table. On unsteady feet, I drained the last of my third bottle and made my way to the fireplace. I set to work, with considerable effort, lighting a fire in hopes of driving out the damp autumn chill that had managed to creep its way inside. Stumbling, I retrieved a few books and my cigarettes from the kitchen and collapsed onto the couch. I lied there for some time before sitting up and examining the books I had grabbed. Suspicion and paranoia froze me as I once again saw that awful red cloth cover. I knew I hadn't grabbed it when I was in the kitchen, it was on the other end of the table! The suspicion slowly gave way to a bubbling, drunken anger, which itself dissolved into that same unease I had felt before, but with my mind now sufficiently dulled I opened this compelling book for the first time.

II

It felt as though the dense fog that occupied the streets occupied my mind as well. As I carefully descended the stairs to the sidewalk I tried to convince myself that my mind was foggy due to the gin and lack of sleep, but I knew it was because of that horrible and amazing book I had read. I finished it within an hour, and then I read it again, and again, and again until I felt it had become a part of me. My head swam when I threw it into the fireplace and watched as the heat curled the pages and reduced them to ash, but it was no use. The book drifted through my mind as a collection of abstract thoughts and urges, the words merged themselves with my subconscious until they felt as if they had always been there. Only one passage remained concrete: 'From constant chaotic sound comes knowledge, from the darkness light. Doubt exists no longer in the many-become-one, for this is the wisdom of Hiasarx.' This passage became a mantra that I silently repeated without pause as I slowly walked to the riverside park where I was due to meet Max.

When I arrived at the park I pulled my watch from my pocket, twelve minutes before seven. Standing at our usual meeting place near the 9th street entrance made me feel shaky and on edge, and my mind felt more untidy than it had in ages. Thousands of thoughts raced along in the periphery of my awareness, and all of them that I was able to latch onto filled me with nothing but suspicion and doubt. I knew, surely, that every passerby would set upon me and try to kill me, and that was prevented only by my knowing that they would. I could feel them, their probing into my mind and trying themselves to also latch onto my thoughts, attempting to lower my guard and allow them to attack me. I felt like a compressed spring, full of pressure and tension. Reaching into my coat I pulled out a silver colored flask and pressed the opening against my lips, filling my mouth and swallowing, and again, hoping to settle my nerves.

After I had finished drinking I turned to look behind me and nearly screamed with how startled I was. Max was standing right behind me with a boyish smile plastered on his face. He looked as tidy and ordinary as he always had, his light brown hair neatly combed and his glasses sat perfectly on his nose.

"What's wrong buddy?" he asked, "I called your name at least half a dozen times! It's nice to see you!"

I had to suppress a groan as he hugged me, the excitement I felt just yesterday towards our meeting had twisted into a disgust for how happy he was. Grudgingly I returned the embrace, patting him on the back and mumbling some platitude about his being here. Max began to speak as we walked down the paved path that meandered through the trees along the bank of the river, but he and his words seemed distant. My mind was still racing, still full of those formless thoughts and urges which were now begging to be shared. I resisted for as long as I could, I felt like I would burst open if I waited any longer.

Interrupting him, I said, "Max, I need to tell you this. More than anything I need to tell you about this book I read, The Hiasarx Acc-"

"What?" he cut me off, "Gabe, what the hell are you talking about? I'm asking you to be the best man at my wedding and you're asking me about a book?" he continued with an irritated and concerned tone, "Christ, you haven't listened to a thing I said have you?"

"Max, it's just…" I started, trying to form these formless thoughts into words and completely ignoring his objections, "if you read it you'd see. There would be no doubt! It's consumed me! My mind right now is awash with what I've read but I can't put it into words, it's… And how it draws you in! I read the account at least half a dozen times last night! We need to find you a copy, I threw mine into the fire, but we need to find another for you! It would-" I stopped, noticing the mocking and condescending expression on his face. I could feel myself burning with anger, Max said nothing but I could see in his eyes that he thought I was insane.

He had that same investigative and soft tone as he spoke, the same tone one would take when speaking to a scared child, the same tone I remembered doctors so often taking with me, "Gabe, are you alright? I wasn't going to mention it, but I noticed you drinking when I first saw you today. Are you drinking much these days? Have you been getting enough sleep? I remember you saying you had problems with sleep and I just want to…"

His words became distant in my mind again, and it took every bit of self restraint for me not to hit him. He continued on with his mocking and insincere rant about the state of my mind, but I didn't listen and instead turned to walk away, saying out loud for the first time, "'From constant chaotic sound comes knowledge, from the darkness light. Doubt exists no longer in the many-become-one, for this is the wisdom of Hiasarx. You'll see Max! I'll find you a copy of the account and you'll see that I'm not insane!"

I wandered for hours, my body moved on its own as my mind was again overcome with those hazy and nebulous thoughts. I reveled in them, hanging on to one for as long as I could before I had to let go and once again enter reality for a moment before grabbing onto another. These brief moments of reality were horrible, and filled with the same terror and suspicion I felt standing at the entrance to the park. During one of these moments however, I recognized that I was on 5th street only a few blocks away from Martha's, so I clung to reality and began nervously heading that way. There were very few people out due to the weather, there is almost always a constant light drizzle here in the last weeks of autumn, but I knew the few that were out sought to either murder me or infiltrate my mind and siphon my thoughts away from me. Avoiding their mocking gazes I finally arrived at Martha's and stepped inside, the familiar ringing of the brass bell as the door opened helped to settle my nerves.

"Good afternoon Gabriel," Martha droned politely in her monotone voice, "did you enjoy the books you bought yesterday?"

"Sure. Yes, um.. Yes! Yes I did, very much so, thank you." I replied nervously, unsure if she would seek to attack me like the others had. "Actually I'm here to ask about where you acquired a certain book I purchased, 'The Hiasarx Account'. You see, I accidentally spilled coffee all over the book and ruined it! I'm hoping that wherever you bought it from might have another copy." I added, lying.

"Hold on a moment" she said, pulling out a ledger and running her finger down the columns. As she searched through the ledger I took a deep breath, my nose filled with that familiar smell of old books I had smelled yesterday and so many days before. The calming effect, while slight, was almost immediate. The thoughts that had been racing through my head seemed to slow, the immense pressure and tension I felt began to ease a bit, and I no longer felt as if Martha might attack me.

She flipped through a few more pages before speaking again, "Here it is, 'The Hiasarx Account', purchased three weeks ago, October 14th, 1928, from the Caldwell Memorial Library. They were selling books that they considered too worn to be used in the library anymore, they may have another copy."

"Thank you, Martha" I said as I turned and began to leave, filling my nose with that familiar scent once again before venturing back out.

For the next half hour or so the calming effect lasted, but ended almost as soon as I opened the door to my apartment and walked inside. Nearly immediately after sitting on my couch I collapsed into a restless sleep that was filled with delirious dreams. Visions of people standing in a circle around a strange symbol formed in my mind, their hands merging together, the flesh seeming to bubble and swell. The entire odd rite was presided over by an entity whose face and hands hurt to look at, and it spoke in a grating language that sounded like rocks being drug over a paved surface. This restless delirium persisted through the rest of the night.

III

Standing in front of the mirror the next morning revealed how dishevelled I looked, a thick stubble and wild hair framed my worn and sleep deprived face. After taking a long drink from the bottle of gin I had brought with me, I studied my features a bit more closely; eyes bloodshot and sunken in, hollow and pallid cheeks. I thought I looked like a walking corpse, some half-alive man. My mental state was fairing no better. Every creak and groan from the building, footsteps on the stairs in the hall, the occasional shout and automobile engine outside, all of it set me on edge and seemed to amplify the gnawing sensation of those hazy thoughts that persisted in my head since I had opened that horrible book. Managing to comb my hair into a semblance of normality and after washing my face I took another drink, desperate to numb my mind. Reaching down, I picked up my razor and examined it, dragging my thumb along the blade until a rivulet of blood trickled down my hand and fell into the sink. I folded the blade back into the handle and slid the razor into my coat pocket as I left my apartment. A note fell from my door when it opened, a small cream colored sheet folded into a square with 'Gabe' written on the front. I recognized Max's handwriting and unfolded the paper, reading:

"I stopped by last night at around 10 while on my way home, but you didn't answer. I hope you were asleep and not out somewhere drinking. I'm worried about you, you're reminding me of how you were when we first met and you were still being held in the hospital. I'll be here again at the same time tonight.

Yours truly, Max."

Immediately I ripped the note into pieces and tossed it onto the floor, I could practically hear the mockery and condescension in his voice as I read. I knew exactly what he meant by saying he'd like to 'help me', I had heard it from doctors before. Their help would be to restrain me and lock me up for months again, and that is something I would never allow to happen.

Fortunately for my mental state there were even fewer people out today than there were yesterday, and those that were on the street seemed to realize that I already knew of their plans to attack me or to tamper with my thoughts. I continuously gripped the razor in my pocket as they walked by however, in anticipation that they might think I've let my guard down. After walking through the cold autumn drizzle, and almost completely draining my flask, I had finally made it to the Caldwell Memorial Library. It was a large and imposing gray stone building, with massive columns and long shallow steps up to the doors.

Walking inside I brushed the rain from my coat and cautiously examined the interior, a dull gray light filtered in through the high windows and mixed with the soft yellow light produced by the lamps. The silence that permeated every corner of this building was only occasionally broken by the soft shuffle of feet and by that constant scraping and gnawing of my thoughts. Those horrible and vague thoughts that had constantly plagued my mind since reading that book, that book which I now sought to show to Max and fill his mind with the same thoughts. He would learn that I was perfectly sane, that these thoughts, these wonderful and awful thoughts, held truths that were undeniable and unexplainable. He would face the same attacks which threatened me every time one of those despicable people tried to stare into my eyes, but he would withstand them and seek to share his thoughts with those who doubted him as well. I tightened my grip around the handle of my razor, keeping it concealed in my coat pocket, as I stepped closer to the small desk near the doors.

"Excuse me sir," I spoke to the small and balding man who sat behind the desk, "would this library happen to have a copy of 'The-"

"Check the catalogue, sir" he replied rudely, looking up at me with a notably insect-like face.

"And where might one find the catalogue?" I asked as I stared intently into his small eyes, thoughts of slashing his throat filled my mind which I quickly pushed aside.

"It's over on that table, sir" he said as he pointed across the room, "there are slashes through-"

At this point it was as if I was underwater, his voice seemed distant and muffled. His mentioning of the word slash right after my mind was filled with thoughts of slashing his throat could not be coincidence. I felt myself trembling with fear and paranoia and anger. I knew he had managed to enter my mind and was now mocking me, daring me to follow through on those violent thoughts that had crowded my mind just a moment ago. He saw the exact moment I had let my guard down. I stepped away from the desk and pointed at him.

"I hope you know that I can see through this facade of yours! I know what you were trying to do!" I said to him in a voice much too loud for a library, and his only response was to stare at me with those small and probing eyes of his.

"Sir, I…" he started, but I had already turned and walked over to the table on which the library's catalogue sat. Picking up the thick, paperbound volume, I opened it to the section labeled 'H' and ran my finger down the columns. About halfway down the page I saw it, 'Hiasarx Account, The- copies: one copy, sold or destroyed'. My heart sank, there was no other place I knew of that would have a copy. I tossed the catalogue onto the table in my frustration and sighed before picking it back up, hoping to see if it listed the name of the author so I might have a better chance at finding another copy. What I saw on the page that had opened when I picked up the catalogue filled me with equal parts elation and terror, and part of me wanted dearly to immediately turn and leave the library, forgetting everything that had happened these past few days. That part of me was quickly subdued by the ever present thoughts that still occupied my mind. The first entry on the page read 'Liber Rituum Hiasarx- copies: one copy, manuscripts and rare books room- author: unknown'. I started at once for the rare books room, I had been in this library many times and knew exactly where it was.

Carefully I opened the door, relieved to see no one inside the rather small room. I locked the door behind me as I stepped inside, ensuring no interruptions while I checked the shelves. Some of the more valuable books and almost all of the manuscripts sat locked behind glass, but luckily the volume I was looking for did not; it was old, with vellum pages and wooden covers that were completely unassuming. As I pulled it from the shelf my mind swam, it felt as if my entire being was dependent upon, and had led up to, my reading of this book. The title page was plain, no signature from the author, no location of publication, no dates, just a plainly calligraphed Latin title. I turned the page and was met with a script I had never seen before. It resembled Arabic or Brahmi but was neither, and much to my surprise I was able to read this horrid language, the foul characters seeming to embed themselves within me. As I read I entered some kind of trance, and the knowledge I gathered from this tome wormed its way inside me in the same manner as what I read in the Account. I thought of the dream I had, the, now understood, Hiasarxian rite, the symbol of the many-become-one, the strange entity which presided over it, that priest of Hiasarx Itself. I understood it. I knew what had to be done.

IV

I set out from the library, determined to see my plan through to completion. It played in my mind on a loop, that profane Hiasarxian rite that would bring It into existence. Max was needed for this plan, to show him that I'm not insane and to be able to share with him the wonders that have blessed my mind since I read the Account. Another person would be needed as well, someone to act, willingly or otherwise, as a conduit for the Hiasarxian priest, and to become the seed, the start of the many-become-one. As I walked towards Max's apartment I kept my hand wrapped firmly around the handle of my razor.

Nearly an hour later I was walking up the steps to Max's room. I had grabbed a pen and sheet of paper from a table in the lobby downstairs; I had no desire to speak to Max, to let him try and dissuade me from my current path. When I reached his door I paused, and decided who the other participant should be as I wrote:

"Max, I'm sorry I missed you last night, but I won't be home tonight either. I'm planning something at Martha's shop and would love for you to join us. I'm sure you've been there before, but if not it's near the corner of 12th and Willow. I'm sorry for my behavior recently, and you're right, I haven't quite been myself. I see this as nothing more than a brief upset however, and I'm set on overcoming it. I thank you for your concern and hope to see you tonight at Martha's at around 10.

Your friend, Gabriel."

I folded the paper and carefully tucked it between the door and its frame, just above the knob. An excitement and terror, similar to what I felt in the library, washed over me as I turned to leave. The culmination of my existence was dependent on this plan I was to set into motion, and that note was the first step. There was no turning back from this point. I could feel the sweat forming between my palm and the razor.

I had stopped at the small store I frequented where the owner sold alcohol despite the prohibition, and bought my usual bottle of gin. I stepped outside into the fading light and checked my watch, it was nearly eight. I hurried to Martha's which was only a few blocks away. I paid almost no attention to the people on the street, even though I could tell from their looks that they sought to take my thoughts and end my plan by killing me. My grip on the razor grew tighter.

When I opened the door to Martha's I pushed slowly, and reached above my head to silence the ringing of the small bell. As I stepped inside I took a long drink from the bottle I had bought, all I could smell was the gin on my breath. I could hear movement in the back of the shop, and saw Martha was absent from her usual place behind the counter. With determination in my stride I made my way towards the back, grabbing a heavy paperweight from the counter. Silently I walked between the bookcases, and pushed open the door to the back storeroom and office. Martha turned as I entered.

"Gabe? I didn't hear-" she began before I brought the paperweight down onto her head.

"You'll forgive me Martha, you'll forgive me when you see what awaits us." I said softly to her now unconscious body.

It took nearly an hour and a half to prepare everything for the rite. I bound Martha's hands and feet with the cord from her telephone, and drug her into the front of the store, placing her behind the counter. My body seemed to move almost independently of my mind as I continued, pushing the bookcases to the walls and drawing the symbol of the many-become-one on the floor. The pressure in my head became immense as I looked at the finished symbol, a series of straight lines that joined and terminated in a spiral. It was as if I felt every possible emotion; terror, joy, sorrow, anger, regret, excitement, they all coursed through me at an extreme speed.

After I finished I walked behind the counter, Martha was awake now and her muffled screams could be heard through the gag I placed in her mouth. As I pulled her into the center of the room, before the symbol on the floor, I began the Hiasarxian chants that had been burned into me during my trance at the library. I chanted in that horrid and wonderful, scraping and grinding language. That tongue which both mocked and soothed, tormented and blessed, plagued with crippling paranoia and enlightened with all revealing enlightenment. My chanting continued as the bell above the door rang and Max stepped inside. He stood frozen as my razor cut smoothly through Martha's throat, her blood spilling onto that sacred symbol. He would see, finally, he would see.

.

.

.

.

[fishingtel]

CHOOSING THE BEST FISHING LINE FOR CRAPPIE

Having a problem selecting a first-rate

fishing line for Crappie

your needs? Perhaps you maintain losing your entice because of the reality of wrong line choices. Learn more approximately the first-rate fishing line in your fishing needs.

Why Choosing the Most Appropriate Fishing Line for Crappie Key I frequently discover random bits and topics people have left with inside the once more of when I fish, however, the maximum common shaking-my-head absolutely really well worth problem desires to be the discarded rigs, jigs, and line that ties them all together.

While monetary institution fishing with my son the opposite day I determined the all-time strangest rig pictured below, putting from a useless department which can have disintegrated if the wind blew difficult, tied on with pink 20+ lb. Monofilament.  The Jig will become trailerless, the Tube turns into rigged flawed on an EWG 2/zero hook and the small Crappie Jig will become naked as I come to be on the day I emerge as born. It was regarded as a person who had located on a blindfold, went into Walmart, and virtually grabbed the critical few lures their hand touched.  All 3 lures had been tied at the identical time on the identical line with overhand knots, without the terminal knot on the Tube which will become an awful clinch knot and is thrown into the water as an entice-line.

This turns into glaringly a character's first strive at fishing/trapping (I hoped) and it left me thinking why they didn’t truly display up an educational online.  It furthermore made me mad, even even though it had an, in reality, the low risk of catching fish, over some time, I knew faster or later the tube could probably in all opportunity be eaten the usage of the manner of the ability of a fish and the fish killed on the identical time because it used to accept stuck on the entice.

Many human beings that have been fishing longer than I actually have, although use the incorrect line and knots even as fishing whilst quickly as I even have endorsed masses of instances, to their annoyance that they now not do that.

So why is it that we forget about analyzing strains?  I assume for too many people, which embody myself, it's far ways one of the more uninteresting elements of fishing even as in assessment to new and charming lures, reels, rods, and tools. Especially close to catching fish.  The truth of it's far a ways that line impacts our fishing achievement greater than a few different a segment of our equipment, absolutely what diverse fish we catch.

First, I would really like to debunk more than one famous fantasy surrounding fishing line for Crappie

Top Fishing Line for Crappie! Fishing Line for Crappie #1: Fish can’t see crimson. The Redline is invisible.

Many people I talk to swear that Bass, Catfish, and plenty of unique species that I fish for, can't see the sedation pink.  Therefore, the reason for the crimson line is invisible!  This reasoning is flawed.  Wouldn’t groups have ceased making crimson/invisible lures via way of means of manner of the functionality of now?  Even if they didn’t have pink cones or rods in their eyes, it wouldn’t make the street disappear, it can virtually default to every unique sedation.

I consider this fantasy comes from semi-present day findings that many deep-water fish are pink because of the truth deep/darkish water filters crimson, which has the longest wavelength of considered mild out of the spectrum first, rendering them identical sedation as their background.  Anyways… you need to do your very very very own studies alternatively I’m calling this one debunked. Stick with a clear, small, Fluorocarbon line if you don’t need the fish to appear to be it.

Fishing Line for Crappie #2: Braid catches in reality as many fish as small Mono/Fluoro

Bass and unique Gamefish are truly dumb animals and a tiny little bit of difference in line diameter isn’t going to matter.  They’ll hit whatever that actions, right? Wrong!

I can’t depend on the quantity the variety of conditions that I actually have had my 50-sixty five lb. Braid fall slack on a long forged, zig-zagging its way once more to me at the top of the water, and then had a Bass every spook from seeing it, or surely smack my line wondering that it will become prey.  I won’t say that this doesn’t even display up with a smaller diameter line, however, it takes region very infrequently.  When finesse fishing, stay with a small line until you’re with inner the thick of it.

A sub-branch of this fantasy is that fish can’t tell the distinction with inner the road we use.

While this will be partially proper for some species like Catfish close to Bass and energetic Gamefish, they may now not continuously see the massive distinction in line, however, they have to frequently trip it.  Again, on the identical time as fishing with braid, I could probably be aware that finicky Bass could probably frequently spook formerly than my lure had been given in all locations near them. This forced me for a prolonged-term till I placed out that the road is coming via way of means of manner of the location that they are in extended formerly than they absolutely have sight of the lure.  Braid transmits vibration plenty more than Monofilament and in precise Fluorocarbon. So… the fish could probably not see this, however, they have to in reality experience it.

Now approves get right all of the manner right all the way down to the right strains of this Article.  What type of line is right for what and what type of line suits the rod.  Always make it effective to test the street recommendations to your rod as a place to start too.  I try and live as low on that spectrum as I can besides demanding that I will destroy off.

Braided Line: Now that I actually have dissed braid so badly, permit me to permit you to be privy to the reality:  I love braided strains. I in all viable use it masses greater than the common remaining angler does and I have faith that it's far an extended manner the reason that I actually have landed, in preference to dropping the 3 largest Bass I actually have ever stuck.  Because I can’t have adequate coins to move expert and I am very near breaking maximum of the time, I spool nearly all of my reels with braided line and tie a 1 to the 6-foot leader of Fluoro or Monoline with an FG knot (rather encouraged knot to examine).  Braid lasts for months if you cope with it appropriately or maybe the mild stuff I.e., 10 lb. is lots more difficult to break off with than the 10 lb. Versions of Fluoro or Mono.

It will prevent loads of dollars online if you are on a budget. It works fabulously as a stand-on my very very own top-water lure line too if you use a mild or sluggish rod as opposed to a quicker rod with mono.  Although I pick out expensive 8 companies braided line, I constantly turn out to be getting the plain vintage Power Pro Braid I actually have reels that have had those topics on the spool for 2 years, truly ‘til it gets too brief to solid with and it although has all 4 groups (character fibers) intact.  You actually can’t beat those topics for the price. If you've got offered the cash though, move together with the Power Pro 8 company Super Slick or probably the top-rated Spider Wire.  I surely just like the darker green sun sunglasses absolutely for Bass fishing.

Monofilament: The unique fishing line for Crappie.  This stuff has been around because of the reality of the 1950s.  This could probably surely be my least favored line (even even though I understand all 3 have their locations and I sound like a novice declaring this), however, it's far a manner the least luxurious and maximum normally used line.  The simplest time I use mono is for top water dog-on-foot programs. It is a stretcher than Fluorocarbon and doesn’t sink and get stuck underneath the essential treble like Braid or Fluoro even as used with dog-walked lures like a spook.  Many execs may also scoff at me for this and I can moreover furthermore test my lesson one day… rather nowadays do not appear to be that day. It moreover may be used at the same time as you need to hold a crankbait better than its score with internal the water column. I use the Sufix Elite.  It’s reasonably-priced price-clever however high-quality stuff and it doesn’t get kinked up or birds-nested absolutely effortlessly as some mono does.

Fluorocarbon: Fluorocarbon might be the maximum bendy of all 3 not unusual region strains in fishing.  It may also moreover be used for each software which includes topwater or even though many human beings could probably argue withinside the path of this, I like having a softer/slower rod paired with a stiffer line in preference to a stretchier line paired with a stiffer rod.  There are many reasons for this, personally, alternatively, nearly it’s because of the truth Fluorocarbon is lots tougher, smaller, and consequently, lots heaps a great deal is much less seen/palpable to the fish than Monofilament or Braid.

Fluorocarbon furthermore sinks in water and smaller diameter line sinks quicker because of the reality of this which you have to get lures deeper, quicker on the identical time as power fishing as well.  I choose out Sunline Sniper if I actually have more dough, however, the toughest stuff I use is the regular antique Seaguar.  Fluorocarbon is a nearly invisible internal thing of the water any case alternatively if you’re intense approximately stealth move together with the Seaguar InvisX which feels and actions like silk internal side the lessen take a look at lbs.

All 3 strains produce unique merits that I didn’t component out here, rather furthermore have general articles devoted to every out there.

Pairing: The maximum crucial segment of the item is to pair your strains properly. One tip is to test a catfish combo. The line this is getting into your rod is absolutely written (till it’s a reasonably-priced one) on the rod. Although you have to supersede this, I wouldn’t propose going beneath neath the limit.

The thicker/heavier the lure/hook, the thicker/heavier the rod, the thicker the road.  It’s so easy!

Line Tips for Crappie Fishing Finesse Applications For Finesse functions (light, slowly worked lures), begin at 10 lb. Test if the water is wrongly stained and counting on clarity, paint your way right all of the manner right all the way down to four lb. If the water is obvious to 10 ft and the fish are spooky.

Line Tips for Power Applications For Power applications (fast retrieval and casting) begin at 10 lb. Test if the water is plain and works your way up to 20 lb. line if the water is stained.  In muddy water, I prevent stress approximately whether or not or now no longer or not or now not to have a look at the braid and move together with it nearly solely.

Line Tips for Hybrid Applications For Hybrid functions like Skirted Jigs or Spinnerbaits/Chatter baits, use this rule of thumb - the thicker/large the hook, the better up the test lb. you have to circulate on the rod and line. With a 4/0+ gauge heavy-twine hook or better, you choose at least 12 lb. Test.  If you've got emerged as an outstanding deal as five/0 and 6/0 heavy or ultra-heavy you’re going to need 15-20 lb. take a look at fluorocarbon till you get in reality unique at it.

Also, fluorocarbon strains are the very evidence of being placed on because of the reality of outside elements, which makes them long-lasting too. Check out our: Best Fishing Line for Crappie

[swordandcat]

Three’s a Crowd but Nine’s a Party: Chapter 7

(AO3 Link)

Progress

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She was plain, and uninspiring, and came from an uninteresting family. She didn’t have a father, and her mother was always busy with work, leaving the girl to her own devices. Despite her tremendous bad luck, there was nothing that others would find interesting in her. No talents, no intrigue, no engagement. She was left alone.

Isolated, and continually plagued by misfortune, she wondered what made her different from the other girls in school. Why were they happy, and why was she not? Why did their parents pick them up, and why did hers not?

She read a lot. Stories, myths, legends. She eventually came to a startling conclusion: she must not be like most people. Surely, she was treated differently because she herself was different.

In her childish desperation to find meaning out of the emptiness in her life, she filled that emptiness with delusions of grandeur. She believed she was an angel, struck from Heaven and descended to Hell. Her misfortune? A curse from God. Her loneliness? Penance for her existence.

Life moved on swiftly with this new discovery. For a time, it filled her heart. Her own imagination was enough to keep her moving, facing forward.

Then the little girl grew up. And her delusions weren’t as well received as they were in her early childhood. It was harmless at first. Teasing, joking, light ribbing. Her delusions made her the center of attention. It was almost fulfilling.

Then teasing turned to pranks, escalating in severity. The jokes were no longer harmless, made at the girl’s expense. Things went missing, diligently done work stolen and copied, or defaced. She was cornered during breaks and lunch, pushed around like a rag doll.

For a time, the girl bore it with patience. Her mother was still busy, all the time. She didn’t want to distract her from her work. She didn’t want to cause problems. If staying silent could keep things quiet, then she would be silent.

She thought, perhaps, it would end eventually. But it kept going. And it kept getting worse. Things of real value were taken from her. Jewellery, money. Public humiliation. The girl’s thoughts got darker, and darker, her delusions driving her into a corner. More than once, she contemplated ending it all, embracing sweet release.

But before she was driven to that, a light shone upon her.

She remembered the moment vividly still. It was in the wake of another merciless round of humiliation. The girl was curled up in a corner, out of sight, hoping she would just disappear.

That’s when she appeared.

“Are you okay?” An angel. A real one, not make-believe like the girl. She reached out with a hand of salvation, and for a moment the girl was so shaken she didn’t even know to take it.

“I’m new around here. Can you show me around?”

Like a drowning soul to driftwood, the girl grasped onto the hand, allowing herself to be saved.

Things got better. No longer alone, the girl was at last happy. The angel did not mind her delusions, delighted in them, even. She humoured the girl’s imagination, gladly going along with her daydreams. It was like a dream come true for the girl. She sought validation from her new friend, proof that her life was worth value. She confided in her as well, her fears, her weaknesses, the darkness in her heart. The angel took them in stride, soothing the wounds in the girl’s soul, showering her in love and affection.

They grew close.

Even the bullying stopped. It was like a miracle. Everything was good.

But it was not to last. Her misfortune reared its ugly head. Signs of unrest began to surface.

“Mana.”

The girl sat with the angel, staring out to sea. Their hands were intertwined, a physical manifestation of their connected hearts.

The angel tilted her head, looking at the girl with a gentle smile. “What is it, Yohane?”

“I saw the she-devils talking to you the other day,” the girl said carefully. She looked at the angel. “Were they bothering you?”

The angel shook her head. “I’m fine, Yohane. They just wanted something from me.”

The girl stared into the angel’s eyes, and she trusted her. She nodded, letting the topic go.

But she spotted more things as time went on. The angel was as radiant as ever, but she seemed less lively. Tired. Sometimes when she smiled at the girl, it wouldn’t quite reach her eyes.

Then one day, she was gone. The girl had only known after the fact that she was hospitalized for severe depression and anxiety. The angel had shouldered the girl’s burden, taking the torture that was intended for the girl onto herself. And even one as radiant as the angel could only take so much. She broke, refusing to see anyone, not even the girl.

The others blamed the girl.

The girl blamed herself as well.

She was cursed. To hurt herself. To hurt anyone around her. She shut herself away, putting on a stoic front. Emotionless, and unassailable. As for the delusions that caused this, she locked them away, knowing that it was exactly those that made her and the angel a target. Even if she was nothing without the delusions, even if she was just an empty shell, at least no one would get hurt.

And never again would the girl allow someone to be hurt because of her.

* * * * *

Yoshiko laughed as she finished her story, her voice hollow and bitter.

“So I distanced myself from the world. I’m not going to let it happen again, not to anyone,” She took a deep breath. “Especially not to you.”

“Yoshiko…” Yo’s voice cracked. “I never knew…”

“I’m not… proud of what I did.” Yoshiko looked away. “I relied on her. Too much. I could have— Should have— seen what was happening. But I let my happiness blind me. Because I was too selfish and cowardly to fight my own fights.”

She bit her lip, feeling a wet heat in her eyes. No - don’t cry, not now, goddamn it.

But no matter how hard she fought it, the dark memories dredged up long forgotten emotions, ones she’s tried to lock away for her whole life. Tears rolled unbidden down her cheeks, and she broke down, the mental walls she built up crumbling as she felt, as vividly as ever, the crushing guilt and regret that had haunted her for her entire life.

She turned to the only person she could - Yo, sitting next to her - and clung onto her for dear life, using Yo as an anchor to avoid being washed away by her emotions altogether.

Momentarily caught off guard, Yo quickly regained her composure and put her arms comfortingly around Yoshiko, gently patting her on the back. “It’s okay,” Yo said soothingly. “Let it all out.”

As Yoshiko continued to wail and sob into her shoulder, Yo said quietly, “I’m not going to pretend to understand how you feel. You’ve been through so much more than I have… You’re so much stronger than I am.”

Yoshiko shook her head, somewhat petulantly, like a frustrated child. “I- I’m not… I’m a coward…”

“A coward wouldn’t throw herself under the bus, again and again, just to protect her friends,” Yo said patiently, but firmly. “You’re brave, Yoshiko.”

She looked away briefly, adding under her breath, “Braver than I ever will be.”

Yoshiko didn’t seem to catch that, just continuing to cry, exhausting her bottled up negative emotions in the process. Yo simply allowed her to do so, rocking her gently from side to side and tenderly stroking her along her back. Minutes of this passed, as Yoshiko let out years’ worth of distress and insecurities.

“But you know…” Yo murmured quietly. “You don’t have to bear it alone anymore. You have friends. People who care for you.”

She licked her lips, trying to think of a way to vocalize what she was feeling. “This Mana... she took it all onto herself. Your pain and hers. We don’t have to do that. I’m not going to take responsibility for all of your problems, and I’m not going to ask you to bear all of mine, either. But there are things that we can share. Weights that we can carry together. Aoki, for example. Pressure from our peers. That’s not something that we should shoulder individually. That would break anyone.”

She paused for a moment, seeing if her words were having any effect. Yoshiko seemed to have calmed down a little, though she was still sniffling and hiccupping. “And it’s not just me. There’s Ruby, and Hanamaru. Hell, even Chika and Riko. We’re all in this together. There’s no need for you to be alone, when you’re surrounded by people willing to support you.”

Yoshiko took a shuddering breath, and pulled back a little so Yo could see her weak smile. “Thank you,” she said hoarsely, wiping the trickle of tears off her cheeks.

“It’s the least I can do,” Yo said. “Given how I’ve… not been the best to you recently.”

Yoshiko shook her head, but Yo put a hand up to silence her objections for the moment. “Just… as I’ve said. I’ve kept you hanging ever since we had the talk. I haven’t really done anything to move forward either, so…”

She took a deep breath, and with newfound determination she stared into Yoshiko’s eyes. “I’m going to confess to Chika. She’s going to turn me down properly. Completely break my heart. Then I can move on and give you the attention you deserve. I can finally be the girlfriend that you’ve waited so long for.”

Yoshiko’s eyes teared up again, but this time not from her repressed memories, but from long overdue joy. Smiling tearily, she cleared her throat and leaned in close, her breath tickling Yo’s face. It was obvious what she was aiming for, but she still paused with an inch between them, and asked breathily, “Can I?”

Rather than answering, Yo leaned forward and closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together. It was clumsy and impromptu, and Yo felt like it would have been much better under more romantic circumstances, but it was still a magical experience. The last time they kissed was when Chika broke Yo’s heart by going out with Riko. Yoshiko had kissed her to prove a point.

This time, they wanted it. Both of them. It was like a spark passed between them, drawing them close, a magnetic force binding them together and urging them to push for more and more. Needy hands wandered each other’s bodies, pulling them close, tangling in hair and sneaking under clothes. They were breathless, but energized; emotionally exhausted yet jubilant.

Yoshiko was smiling from ear to ear, and Yo had a lopsided grin on her face. Both were breathing heavily, and being so close together they could feel the rise and fall of each other’s chests, and their beating hearts beneath. “That escalated quickly,” Yoshiko murmured breathlessly.

“It could escalate more,” Yo blurted out, not even sure if she was ready for what that implied but still desperately wanting more.

Yoshiko’s cheeks, already flushed, grew a darker shade of red. But instead of going further, she pushed gently against Yo and cleared her that. “That’s very tempting,” Yoshiko said, shyly tracing a pattern onto the bed sheets. “But you’ve given me a lot to think about.”

She licked her lips nervously. “I’m… not sure if I’m ready for it.”

Yo breathed in, clearing her head of the manic desire that had temporarily overtaken her in the moment of exhilaration. “Right. No, you’re right, of course. I just— I got caught up in the moment.”

Yoshiko nodded, understanding what Yo meant completely. She’d been waiting for this moment for so long. Ever since that first kiss. Yoshiko felt like she was getting drunk off of the affection Yo was showering her with.

But now that they were this close, old fears flared up again. It would be so easy for either of them to get hurt. One misstep and everything could have been for nothing.

For however much Yoshiko craved intimacy, she was just as afraid of actually getting it.

“I need to get used to… thinking about myself,” Yoshiko said quietly. “And what you said as well. It’ll take a long time for me to get back to being normal.”

“You don’t have to be ‘normal’, Yoshiko. You’re you,” Yo said.

Yoshiko shook her head. “You’ve been helping me see my flaws since the first time we’ve met. I didn’t learn my lesson the first time around. I… want to be normal. I want to be better.”

“Until I am, I don’t know if I will ever be ready.” Yoshiko looked down. “I’m sorry if you wanted more.”

Yo shook her head. “It’s only fair that it’s my turn to wait. Besides, I have my own problems to sort out. I… don’t know if I’m ready either.”

Sitting a little straighter, she took both of Yoshiko’s hands into her own. “But we can work through them together. Your change. My problems.”

“Together,” Yoshiko breathed, looking down and smiling. “This sounds ridiculous and cheesy and dumb, you know that?”

“Yes, but,” Yo leaned forward, pecking Yoshiko on the lips. “I’m cheesy, and ridiculous, and dumb. You’ll have to get used to it.”

Yoshiko rolled her eyes, giggling with uncharacteristic glee. “Thanks, Yo. Today just went from the worst to the best.”

“You’d think seeing Aoki get punched would make it best by default,” Yo smirked.

Yoshiko considered that for a moment. “Even bester,” She decided, flashing Yo a wonderfully wide smile. But then she thought a little more, and her expression grew a little more serious.

“But just to be completely realistic, I’m a lot to handle.” Yoshiko began, “I’m not very good at talking. I can be temperamental.”

“That’s okay,” Yo said softly. “No one’s perfect.”

“Are you really okay with someone like me?” Yoshiko asked, her voice small.

“That’s a silly question,” Yo said. “I’m okay because you’re the way you are.”

* * * * *

In the end, Yoshiko had ended up staying the night. Her mom was fine with it, and Yo’s mother seemed all for it as well. At first Yo’s mom was concerned about Yo’s suspension, but after a quick defense from Yoshiko, she even offered to talk to the school to lift the punishment.

They went to bed early that night, the events of the day taking their toll on their exhaustion. They slept together, cuddled up under the sheets. Yoshiko fell asleep quickly, all the crying having tired her out completely, but Yo stayed awake for a while, content to just hold Yoshiko and enjoy her presence, though she eventually drifted off to sleep as well.

In the morning, Yoshiko woke up in a tangle of limbs next to Yo. For a moment she panicked, wondering why she was in bed with Yo, until she remembered what had transpired yesterday.

She lay there, for a moment overcome with conflicting emotions.

She couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. Despite all of her missteps, despite her messing up again and again and misinterpreting what to do, Yo was still willing to accept her. Even after hearing her story, knowing what she’s done to Mana, she didn’t turn her back on Yoshiko.

She pinched herself, to make sure she hadn’t just retreated so far into her mind that she was hallucinating.

No, this was real.

She had to resist the urge to squeal out loud. All this time, she had fully expected Yo to change her mind and decide she didn’t like Yoshiko all along. But she didn’t.

It sucked that her laptop was broken, sure, but that hardly put a dent in Yoshiko’s newfound happiness. Despite being terrified to death that she’d let Yo down again, messing up somehow and ruining their relationship, Yoshiko was feeling optimistic for the first time in weeks.

She carefully freed at least her upper body, turning to look out of the window. The sky was bright, the sun well up into its daily arc. Yo was suspended, and she herself was given time off due to the circumstances, so neither of them was required to go to class.

The clock read about 9AM. She didn’t want to wake Yo, but it was necessary to free her legs from beneath the girl. She pushed Yo gently, shaking her by the shoulders. Yo mumbled something incoherent, and opened her eyes blearily.

“I had the weirdest dream that we actually managed to kiss,” she said, still only half-awake.

“We did manage to kiss,” Yoshiko informed her.

“Oh.” Yo said, taking a moment to absorb that information. “Cool.”

Her cheeks turned red, but she took the news in stride as she glanced at Yoshiko, “Does that mean we’re dating now? I don’t think we established that.”

“Well, everyone at school thinks we are now,” Yoshiko shrugged, feigning disinterest. “Might as well, right?”

“I feel like that’s a really arbitrary way of deciding if we’re dating or not,” Yo said, but nevertheless she smiled and snuggled closer to Yoshiko. “I mean, not that I mind.”

Yoshiko’s cheeks flushed, a warm fuzzy sensation spreading throughout her body just at Yo’s proximity.

It was strange.

In spite of everything, all of her worries and her doubts about whether or not this was the right course of action, and wondering if Yo would get hurt because of her... now that Yoshiko was actually there, with Yo right beside her, those concerns seemed utterly insignificant.

She still felt them, just as acutely as ever, but being with Yo just seemed… right.

The last time she felt like this, she was with Mana.

Yoshiko shook her head as doubt crept back at the recollection of her. It was going to be different this time.

“Hey,” She spoke up abruptly, trying to distract herself. “Do you have plans for today?”

“Well, I want to talk to Riko later,” Yo said. “About… y’know. I don’t want her to think I’m actually trying to take Chika away.”

“It’s not like you could. From what little I’ve seen those two are stupid in love…” Yoshiko mused.

She wondered if things could have gone better between her and Yo if they had just been more honest with each other, like Chika and Riko seemed to be.

“It almost makes you jealous, doesn’t it?” Yo said, causing Yoshiko to look up in surprise. Was Yo thinking the same thing as her?

“They seem so… functional,” Yo tilted her head, smiling self-deprecatingly. “I wonder how they do it.”

“I’m sure we could be functional too, given time,” Yoshiko said quietly.

“You think so?” Yo looked down at her hands. “It took me this long to be able to come to terms with my own feelings.”

“One can hope, anyway,” Yoshiko mumbled, before she sat up, and got off the bed, stretching languidly. “Can we get breakfast now? I’m hungry.”

Yo smiled, and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Let’s look at what we’ve got downstairs.”

* * * * *

Riko sighed. Despite by and large being quite good at studying, she found herself unable to focus on the lesson, the teacher’s rambling about the Edo period going way over her head. She spun the pen in her hand, clicked it twice, spun it again.

“Riko,”

She sighed again, and looked out of the window. Yo didn’t come to school. She heard the news about her being suspended, but it was still a bit of a shock to come to school and find her desk empty.

“Riko—”

She picked up the pen, and doodled a treble clef onto the corner of her notebook. She felt bad for Yo. She was just standing up for the girl she liked, she shouldn’t be punished for that. Sure, she punched someone, but it was righteous self-defense, right?

“Riko!”

Chika jabbed Riko right between the shoulder blades, causing her to squeak out in surprise. “Whuh- What?” She looked around. The whole class was looking at her. Riko whimpered, her cheeks turning bright red.

“Ms. Sakurauchi… please pay attention in class,” her teacher said, mildly annoyed. “Now, can anyone tell me when the Edo period was officially ended…”

Riko breathed out, slumping forward slightly and trying not to draw any more attention to herself.

“Hey, Riko,” Chika whispered, leaning forward. "What’s up? It’s not like you to get so easily distracted.”

“It’s nothing… just worried about Yo.”

Riko breathed out. “The rumour that she and Tsushima are dating has spread. Not all of it is good, too. I heard some girls saying that she’s picked Tsushima just to make herself look better.”

“We know that’s not true, though,” Chika said. “Isn’t that the important thing? Yo’s not the kind of person who would mind, either.”

“But still,” Riko murmured. “It feels like we should do something about it.”

Chika shrugged, and turned to focus back onto the lesson. “I’ve tried before. People will say what they want to say,” She said. “We should wait until she gets back before trying anything.”

Disappointed, but acknowledging Chika’s point, Riko sighed and focused back on the lesson as well.

Eventually the bell for the end of school rang, and Riko breathed a sigh of relief as she stretched her arms out after a long day of taking notes.

“Hey~” Chika sidled up behind her, draping her arms over Riko’s shoulders and pulling her in a loose hug. “You’re gonna go to the music room again?”

Riko nodded. “I want to submit a composition for an upcoming contest,” she said. “You don’t have to wait for me, I’ll probably be a while.”

Chika pouted, but nodded and gave Riko a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “We playing tonight?”

“I’ll login if I can,” Riko promised, waving her off as Chika left the classroom.

She sighed, touching a hand to the spot where Chika kissed. A year ago, she couldn’t even imagine being this physically close to someone. Now she couldn’t imagine a life - at least in the near future - without Chika.

As she started to head over to the music room, her phone buzzed.

<Yo>

Hey

Are you busy?

Riko tilted her head at the text.

<Riko>

Not really

Did you need something?

<Yo>

Actually yeah

I kinda want to talk

In person

Its pretty important

Riko raised an eyebrow at the message. It didn’t seem like Yo to arbitrarily exaggerate something, so it probably was important.

<Riko>

Can it wait?

I’m at school right now, but I can meet you somewhere

<Yo>

Uhh

Can I meet you at your place?

I might need to swing by Chika’s afterwards as well anyway

<Riko>

Sure.

I’ll go home and wait for you?

<Yo>

Yeah, okay.

Thanks.

Strange. Even through text, Yo seemed tense. Normally she’d be more casual. Breathing out somewhat uneasily, Riko put away her sheet music - she could compose another day - and prepared to head home.

* * * * *

Yo fiddled with the hem of her shirt nervously as she and Yoshiko stood outside Riko’s house.

“What if she hates me?” Yo said suddenly.

Yoshiko shook her head, holding Yo’s hand. “You’ll be fine,” she said consolingly. “Riko won’t hate you.”

“What if she hates me and she tells Chika and Chika never talks to me again?”

“Yo.” Yoshiko stared flatly at her. Yo stared back, and sighed after a few moments.

“…Right, you’re right. I’m just being dumb,” Yo said meekly.

“I thought I’m supposed to be the pessimist,” Yoshiko said jokingly. She sighed, and squeezed Yo’s hand. “Look. If you’re not ready for this, you don’t have to do this.”

“No, I do.” Yo said, her voice firm despite her nervousness. “I… I need this. For closure, if nothing else.”

“Just say what you need to say,” Yoshiko said. “You said we’ll start sharing burdens. I’ll be there to support you.”

“Yoshiko…” Yo smiled, and took a deep breath. “Okay. Here goes.”

She stepped forward, and pressed the doorbell. A few nerve-wracking moments later, the door opened, with Riko standing behind it in the doorway.

“Hey, Yo,” Riko said, smiling at Yo, then noticing Yoshiko and nodding at her as well. Her gaze did wander over their held hands, but she didn’t comment on it. “Yoshiko.”

“Can we come in?” Yo asked nervously.

“Oh, of course! Would you like to go to my room? It’s a little cramped and messy, but at least Mom won’t walk in on us,” Riko said, leading them inside and upstairs.

In spite of her claims, Riko’s room was neither cramped or messy. Books were neatly shelved away. The bed was tidily done, and the piano was pristine, a protective cover draped delicately over it. Riko gestured towards the bed and seats. “You can sit wherever. Do you want anything to drink? Tea?”

“It’s… fine,” Yo said, sitting down on the edge of Riko’s bed. Yoshiko sat down next to her. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Well, alright,” Riko murmured, sitting down on the piano bench and looking towards Yo. “So, what’s this about having to talk? Is everything alright?”

“Everything is… fine. Nothing is wrong, if that’s what you’re worried about, it’s just…” Yo took a deep breath. “I need to talk to you about… Chika. I want your permission to do something.”

“Chika?” Riko frowned, confused. “Permission to do what?”

“I— well,” Yo cleared her throat. “I’ve… well. For the longest time, I’ve had a… a crush on Chika. Even up until recently, I’ve had lingering feelings for her. Even when you two are together, and happy.”

Riko nodded slowly. She glanced at Yoshiko, then back at Yo, gesturing for her to continue.

“I don’t— I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take Chika away from you. Because I’m not. I just,” Yo took a deep breath. “I want to give Yoshiko the attention she deserves. And I don’t feel like I can do that if I’m still thinking about Chika, even if just a little bit.”

“I want to confess to Chika. And I want her to reject me. I think that will give me the closure I need to move on,” Yo said. “I wanted you to know that I’m planning to do this.”

Riko’s expression was unreadable for a moment. She breathed out slowly, nodding slightly. “Okay. I… appreciate you telling me this. I might have misunderstood something if you didn’t.”

She glanced out the window for a moment, over the balcony and at Chika’s room. She then turned back to look at Yo, and smiled at her. “I’m not going to get mad, if that’s what you’re worried about. Really, I’m grateful you trust me with this. And… I trust you too. If you think this is something you need to do, then you should do it.”

She chuckled, playing with a strand of her hair bashfully as she continued, “Actually, Chika and I were kind of worried. You seemed a little out of it lately. I’m glad you’re trying to get to a better place. And,” She grinned at both Yo and Yoshiko. “Congratulations on finally getting together. Took you long enough.”

Yo blushed, as did Yoshiko. “Riko!” Yo whined. “You’re supposed to be the nice one. Is Chika infecting you?”

“Well, it’s your fault for taking so long to do it.” Riko shrugged. She stood up, and gave her a small smile. “So, are you going to do it today?”

“As soon as possible,” Yo said, trying hard not to grimace. “It’s going to hurt, but… I’ll be better for it.”

“Then you can do it right here,” Riko said. Walking over to the balcony, she leaned slightly over the edge and shouted, “Chika! Are you there?”

There was the thumping of feet, and Chika threw the window open, leaning out as well. “Riko! I thought you were staying at school?”

“Change in plans,” Riko said. “Hey - guess who’s here with me?”

Chika frowned, tilting her head. “You have a guest?”

“Yup!” Riko turned around, beckoning for Yo to come forward. “Actually, she has something to say to you.”

Yo swallowed, the fluttering in her stomach getting worse by the moment. As though sensing her nervousness, Yoshiko gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You can do it,” she said quietly.

“…Thanks,” Yo said.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward onto the balcony.

Riko smiled and retreated, gesturing for Yoshiko as well. “Let’s give them some space,” She whispered.

Yoshiko nodded, and the two of them stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Now alone in the room, Yo took another steadying breath and gave Chika a shaky smile.

“Hey, Chika,” She said. She put a hand on her heart, trying to still her heartbeat. “Can we talk?”

[luoup]

hello @strawberry-void! i was your secret santa for the @voltronexchange!  i saw you liked hunk, pidge, and lance, and since i love garrison trio and am living in a very cold place this year, i decided to write our favorite troublemakers on a snow planet! 

it’s kind of in bits because i had no idea how to set this up, but i tried to include most of the categories.  i think i got friendship, adventure, some fluff, a bit of humor, one scene of emotional h/c, and holiday-specific... if you count winter as a holiday.  whoops. 

happy winter, and happy new year! 

The planet Lumrae finally came into sight, slowly filling the Blue Lion’s viewscreens with swirling white and traces of blue. 

“There it is,” Hunk said, pointing.  “Our new home for the next month.”

“Even from space, that looks cold,” Lance muttered. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be the Guardian of Water and Ice?” Pidge asked, and Lance elbowed them, pushing them away from his pilot’s chair – at least until they came back with an elbowing twice as hard into his own ribs. 

“Okay, you two, enough,” Hunk interfered before the others could descend into an all-out pushing war.  “We’re gonna be stuck here for a while, don’t start stuff now.”

“Of course.  I’ll just wait until his guard is down,” Pidge agreed with an ominous smile, and Lance squawked some kind of defense that had to be cut off as he navigated his Lion through the descent to the surface. 

Lumrae was beautiful, but Lance was right – it was cold.  The planet was situated just on the outer edge of the habitable range of its sun, and its seasons consisted of cold, colder, and really goddamn cold.  The seas were practically half made up of icebergs, only liquid because of their currents and tides, and every landmass was covered in thick white snow frosting every mountain and plain.  And the system’s sun was powerful, sending flares all the way to even Lumrae.  In addition, the planet had tremendous magnetic fields – fields so forceful that Voltron’s comms would struggle to get to and from the planet’s surface, especially combined with the solar flares.  It wasn’t cut off completely, but it did mean that communications would be few and far between for the next month or so, with pre-planned check-ins mostly scheduled between predicted flares. 

As the Blue Lion descended towards the planet’s surface, Lance broke the introspective silence. “I can’t believe we’re going to be here for a whole month.”

“Not necessarily a full month,” Hunk reminded him.  “We could finish early and be done sooner.”

“Yeah,” Pidge said, “between Hunk and me, this shouldn’t take long at all.  The hard part is figuring out how to detect the fleet’s signals and determine how to sort those out from everything else, plus decoding.  Building the satellite dishes themselves will be a piece of cake.”

“‘Two Geniuses Build Yet Another Never-Before-Seen Type of Detector,’” Lance said, a hint of acidity in his tone.  “What am I even here for?  I’m just the Lion taxi since Yellow and Green can’t handle cold like this.”

At that, Hunk hugged his friend as best as he could with the pilot chair in the way.  “We can’t do everything on our own, just two people,” he said.  “We need three, at least, and you’re the best choice for someone to come and help us.  You hang around with us all the time, you know how we work and how to help and not hinder.  We need you.”  

“Also, if Hunk and I were left on our own for a few weeks we’d probably get sucked into the work and forget to sleep or anything,” Pidge added.  But they put their hand on Lance’s shoulder, the gesture at odds with their sarcastic tone. 

It was going to be a weird (and cold) few weeks, but together these three could do it.  Garrison Trio, no matter what. 

*

The set of buildings the three were staying in used to be a research station for a group of aliens a number of years – or whatever passed for years out here – ago.  It was long abandoned, but still functional enough, especially with Blue helping to power the heat. 

The plan was to stay for three or four weeks, working to build a set of satellites that could detect and analyze signals from a new Galra fleet.  Rumor had alerted Team Voltron of its creation and warned that the new ships had cutting-edge technology and weapons that had the potential to cause tremendous damage if they got up and running, or worst became a common ship type in the Galra army. 

Hunk and Pidge were best-equipped to design and create the tracking system, but they needed the room and stability to work which meant they had to stay planetside somewhere they wouldn’t be noticed and work.  They couldn’t do it alone, so Lance was coming along to help.  Everyone was busy and had many responsibilities to Voltron and the Alliance, but this was taking priority for the moment.  Lumrae was lovely and secluded, and they had everything they needed there.  There were a few issues, though, as there always would be. 

“It is so.  Quiznacking.  Cold.” Lance muttered, rubbing his hands together. 

“Quit whining and help me with these boxes,” Pidge snapped, hauling a crate nearly as big as they were into a large room they would be using as a workspace. 

“How are you so comfortable?” Hunk asked, the sound of his teeth chattering audible from where he was standing as close to one of the heat vents as possible. 

Pidge rolled their eyes, shoving the crate into its place and returning for another.  “I’m from Finland, and we lived in Minnesota for a while before Dad transferred to the Garrison in Arizona.  I’m used to cold, I just hate being outside in general.  Besides, our armor is temp-regulated.  We’re not going to get frostbite or anything.”

“Okay, Your Wintery Majesty,” Lance said, “you may be from the world of snow, but I am Cuban and I am cold!  Arizona was fine, but this is the polar north and I am not made for this!”

“Seconded,” Hunk said.  “Hawaii is great, and Arizona’s bearable if a little dry, but this is kind of ridiculous.  There was ice on Blue just from landing here!”

“Kepler save me from tropical boys and their fear of a little frost,” Pidge muttered.  “Now hurry up.  The sooner we unpack, the sooner we can go inside and heat the buildings.  You’ll warm up faster if you move.”

*

The cold was unbelievable, but the three were nothing if not curious, so it was only a matter of time before they were venturing outside.  In the cases of Lance and Hunk there was much bundling up and debating beforehand, while Pidge just stood back and muttered to themselves.  They were uninterested in going outside not because it was cold but because they would rather stay in and work on the project or one of their own, but they had been coaxed and coerced into coming along.  Really, everyone seemed to mostly be convincing each other, but eventually they all got themselves together and it happened. 

The outpost was backed up on a forest of tall blue-gray trees that resembled the conifers of Earth’s boreal forests.  Every branch and needle was dusted with snow, and deep drifts covered the ground.  The rest of the building’s surroundings were fields, wide and open under the sky.  They could have been prairies in a warmer climate, but there was so much snow over everything that they might as well have been mud flats for all that could be distinguished beneath the thick blanket of white, spread as far as the eye could see. 

The sun was up, although it was a cold light that did nothing to warm the air.  The snow glittered like a field of diamonds, and even Hunk and Lance, warm-weather lovers to the core, were excited and energized.  Pidge seemed half-up half-down, their familiarity and comfort with snow and cold shadowed by memories of their family, scattered to the stars.  But they were nothing if not adaptive, and their friends’ energy was contagious. 

The group explored for a while, familiarizing themselves with the landscape around the station and digging their way through the snows.  It was exhausting work, but finally Hunk remembered that he’d seen some snowshoe-like things in one of the storage rooms and ran back to get them.  Movement issues solved (Pidge had been waist-deep or more in some areas, and even Hunk and Lance had struggled to move at any speed), they ventured further, forging paths into the forest and, once that turned out to be damp and cold and dark, turning and exploring the snow-meadows on the other side of the area. 

Despite the cold, there was enough humidity that the snow packed well, allowing for lower-effort walking and easy packing.  Between the three of them, the building was simple. 

They made the Blue Lion first.  Lance insisted, “She brought us here and keeps the place warm, the least we can do is honor her by building a statue in her name!  And made from her own element, too,” and so the Left Leg of Voltron got priority.  She also had to have her head rebuilt twice because they had underestimated how hard they needed to pack the snow to make the muzzle stay on, and then Hunk sneezed and the whole right half of the face fell off. 

Green was next.  She was easy because she was the smallest Lion and they already had Blue for scale.  Pidge spent an inordinate amount of time detailing the broad shield on her back while Lance and Hunk made snow angels and tried to regain feeling in fingertips, respectively. 

Yellow was the last and biggest snow Lion.  Getting her size right meant that Pidge or Lance had to work on her back armor while Hunk held them up to reach, and his perfectionism meant that they had to redo the design three times before the Yellow Paladin was satisfied.  But finally his snow Lion was deemed good enough to stand as a representation of his beloved Leg robot. 

They glittered brilliantly in the light of the setting sun – the Blue, Green, and Yellow Lions of Voltron.  Yellow was the biggest, solid and densely packed.  She was so strong and well-structured that they could climb on her with no damage to the statue.  Green was smaller, but every detail was sharp and accurate.  Pidge had also jammed a series of branches into the ground nearby in imitation of her vine cannon.  Blue looked perfect represented in snow, and Lance had hauled a few chunks of ice from the frozen creek near the forest and heaped them near her tail as if she’d just fired an ice blast. 

Eventually it was too dark and cold (well, cold

er

) to stay outside and the three returned indoors, talking alternately about plans to make a Black and Red snow lion tomorrow, and what to have for dinner. 

*

“Hunk and Pidge come see this right now!” 

There was a terrible crashing sound as the Left side of Voltron dropped everything they were holding and bolted from their workroom to the living space where Lance’s shout had come from.  Pidge had a blowtorch in their hands, holding it awkwardly like their brain had gotten stuck somewhere between planning to use it as a bat or a flamethrower.  Hunk had… a wrench.  Also a bruise on his forehead from where he’d banged it in surprise when Lance had called for them. 

They were expecting some kind of emergency, a disaster approaching or in process, something.  So they were both more than a little confused when they arrived and there was nothing there except a very excited-looking Lance. 

“Dude, we had better be under attack or something, I swear to stars,” Hunk said, bracing his hands on his knees and leaning over to catch his breath.  “You can’t do that to my heart.”

Pidge dropped the blowtorch.  “What in quiznak could be so important that you’d call us like Zarkon just appeared in the kitchen wearing Hunk’s frilly apron?” they snapped, adrenaline with nowhere to go leaving them staticky and irritable. 

Lance looked like Christmas, his birthday, and victory against the Galra had all just happened simultaneously.  He didn’t say anything at all in response to his friends’ words.  Instead, with an awestruck look on his face, he pointed out the window.  The other two approached cautiously, and what they saw outside took their breath away faster than any cold wind. 

The sky of Lumrae was illuminated with brilliant light.  Ripples of blue rolled like waves across the darkness, flaring up and down, flickering like candles, blooming like flowers.  Flashes of white faded in and out, and shards of ember-orange sparkled occasionally throughout the expanse, glittering like stars. 

It was beautiful. 

They all stared for a while, struck silent by the sheer power of the display.  Suddenly Pidge spun around and bolted for the door, startling the boys and nearly knocking Lance over on their way. 

“Pidge, where are you going?” Hunk called. 

Lance was already following.  “Wait for us!”

The two caught up to them in the small room that separated the research station interior from the harsh outdoors.  They were trying to get their snowsuit on, but were in such a rush that they’d mixed up the leg holes and were now stuck half-in, half-out of the thing.  Hunk helped untangle them while Lance got the other suits out, and once they were all bundled up the trio ventured outside. 

In the time it had taken them to get ready, the northern lights hadn’t dimmed in the slightest.  The snow reflected the light, shining blue as the sky flickered and flared above.  Between the ribbons of light, the stars could still be seen, shining as bright as ever but taking a backseat to the planet’s polar lightshow. 

Pidge didn’t slow at all.  They charged out straight into the fields surrounding the outpost, heedless of the cold, the heavy drifts of snow, or the darkness.  Lance followed close enough to keep from losing them, and Hunk came after the both of them, protesting sincerely as he hauled some flashlights and the snowshoes that would allow them to actually walk on top of all this snow, you know?  Like we want to?  Pidge?  Pidge, wait up! 

Despite the fact that the snow was almost as deep as they were tall in places, the Green Paladin didn’t slow down until they reached the middle of the field.  There, they flung herself to the ground, the snow almost absorbing their entire body in its vibrant green snowsuit.  The outpost and its floodlights were a good distance away, and the entire rest of the planet was uninhabited, leaving the lights in the sky unbelievably bright and big enough to swallow the mind. 

Lance and Hunk finally caught up – Lance almost stepped on Pidge’s head before Hunk grabbed him.  Lance opened his mouth to ask questions or tease or needle, but Hunk slapped his mittened hand over his mouth.  He made Significant Eyebrows at his friend, nodding carefully towards Pidge. 

The Green Paladin was lying flat on their back, staring at the sky.  They looked… drifting, almost half-conscious, like they were somewhere else in her mind.  It wasn’t clear whether it was a good or a bad place.  Quietly, Lance lay down on their right side, Hunk on their left.  Neither one said anything. 

Lumrae’s northern lights danced overhead.  The patterns were never the same, changing like waves, like leaves, like shifting sand.  At times the banners of blue flared so bright that the stars were almost blinded out, then the lights would fade and the constellations would return.  Blue, white, orange, with flickers of other colors like smoke, gone just when you looked at them. 

Finally, Pidge spoke.  “Matt and I used to watch the auroras, when we were little.  We lived in a few different places, but my mom’s sister lived near Inari way up north.  The northern lights are really strong up there.  Our parents would take us out from the town, we’d find somewhere big and open where we could see the north, and we’d look for the lights.  We stayed up so late past our bedtimes, those nights, but we were excitable kids who loved the sky, and both of our parents were astronomers.  None of us could resist it.  If I could see the auroras, I wouldn’t sleep until they’d faded. 

“The auroras are stronger here.  At home, they’re mostly green, sometimes white or pink or red or blue.  This… it’s familiar, but it’s not the same.  Earth’s lights – my lights – they’re different colors, they’re fainter, they don’t move the same.  I’m looking at the aurora borealis, but home is a million miles away and I don’t know where my family is.”

“It’s like watching ocean waves from the bottom of the sea,” Lance murmured.  “I’m not like you; I’ve never seen the aurora.  We only ever saw pictures.  These are really different, though.  Honestly, back home I almost didn’t believe they were real.  They look so… alien.  Earth’s northern lights looked impossible, supernatural, and now I’m looking at this and it’s even moreso.”

He took a deep breath.  “Every time we go to an ocean planet, one with lots of water and beautiful beaches, I can’t help but think of my family.  My mom would always say she suspected I was half-mermaid, ’cause I wouldn’t ever leave the water until the very last minute, and always got right back in as soon as I could.  I practically grew up on the beach, and being at the ocean without my family feels weird.  Dissonant.”

Hunk spoke next.  “Every time I’m in the kitchen, I’ll turn around and expect to see my grandmother there.  Or my sister, or my mom, or my brother.  We always cooked together, nobody was ever alone in the kitchen.  The castle’s kitchen couldn’t be more different from the one in our house, but it doesn’t matter.  It’s a kitchen, and my family isn’t in it.

“I miss them.  But at the same time, I still love cooking.  I’m learning how to use a ten-thousand-year-old Altean alien kitchen, for stars’ sake!  And I’m not trying to belittle your feelings – at least I know they’re all safe on Earth.  They’re still doing what they do, just… not with me.  But I can miss my family and the memories of cooking with them while still enjoying cooking now.  It’s not the same, but it can still be nice.” 

“Nobody is trying to replace the memories,” Lance said.  “I wish my parents and all my siblings and cousins and aunts and uncles would be at the beach with me every time we land on a water planet, but hey – I’m getting to explore alien planets!  I miss them, but I can still enjoy the oceans out here.  At least I’ll have some awesome stories to tell when we get back to Earth.”

Pidge released a shaky breath, letting it cloud their vision of the flickering auroras for a moment.  “Yeah.  It’s beautiful out here, no matter what happens or who’s here to see it.  And of course it’s not the same, we’re on an alien planet in a totally different galaxy!  These aren’t even technically the aurora borealis, since we aren’t on Earth,” they added, making the other two laugh. 

“But if aurora borealis is for the solar-activity-caused lights near the north pole like aurora australis is for the southern lights, couldn’t this technically still be called aurora borealis?” Hunk asked.  “Unless we’re actually at the south pole… wait, how do we even know which is which, or if alien planets even have a north and south?  I don’t know anything about this planet, I need more data to respond to that.”

Lance snorted at the science-babble while Pidge just sighed and patted vaguely at Hunk’s hip, the best part they could reach as they lay there in the snow.  “Who even knows.  This is space, and aliens are weird.  We can ask Coran, but we might just get a gibberish answer.  I can never tell if he actually knows all those things or if he has no idea whatsoever and is just bullshitting super super hard with the best poker face in the universe.”

The group settled back into quiet for a while.  There were shooting stars visible between the auroras – the sky was alight with movement.  A huge comet blazed past, bright enough to dim even the brightest flares of the lights for just a moment, and Pidge reached out to take the hands of their friends. 

They would be seeing the revontulet with their family soon.  And maybe before they all went home, they could take Matt and Dad here to Lumrae and show them the alien northern lights, too. 

*

The fire crackled gently, alien fuel causing it to burn a little redder than most Earth-based fires might, but warm nonetheless. 

The mission was almost over.  They had finished the detection system that would track the new Galra fleet.  The satellites to pick up the signals had been designed, prototyped, and tested, and were ready for proper production by a close ally of Voltron with advanced tech-building resources.  Hunk, Lance, and Pidge would be going home to the Castle of Lions soon. 

But not tonight.  They were still packing up, coordinating details and fine-tuning arrangements.  Also, there was a powerful solar flare going tonight, as well as what Lance and Hunk called a blizzard and Pidge said was just a little snow you big babies, so takeoff would be sometime in the next few days.  Blue was mostly ready to go, but was fortunately still heating the little research outpost.  That combined with the fire and a pile of blankets ensured that everyone was quite warm and comfortable. 

They were also all piled onto a couch-thing that was probably supposed to hold two people max, not that they cared.  Tangled with each other like kittens, with blankets heaped on top, the three talked and joked and told stories, lazily, half-asleep. 

Lance and Hunk still weren’t totally convinced about cold climates, but they did like it.  There was something about snow that islands and beaches just didn’t quite match, and it had been great fun to run around and explore in it, building snow castles and snow Lions and snow Alteans (Lance had found the weirdest bit of lichen for the moustache), tracking wildlife and each other through the fields and forests - and the snowball fights.  The many, many snowball fights. 

It hadn’t all been perfect, though.  The heat went out a few times in the station, leaving everything frosted and chilled until Hunk and Pidge could determine what was wrong with the system or Lance could figure out why Blue wasn’t connecting properly.  Hunk caught a cold for a week and a half, sneezing and snuffling nonstop and complaining about Lance and Pidge’s badly-prepared soups. 

Pidge themself fell through some ice into a frozen lake, but as it turned out they’d done that a lot back home and knew how to get themselves out – not that it didn’t give Hunk and Lance heart attacks and vow to never go near frozen lakes again, babying the Green Paladin for days after until they snapped and threatened to lock both of them outside unless they cut it out. 

Lance got chased by some… ice geese?  They were quite large and mostly transparent, and apparently very offended by the Blue Paladin’s discovery of their (tiny, fluffy, adorable, snowball-resembling) chicks.  But he escaped without injury (by hiding in a snowdrift until the geese gave up the hunt) and now knew to avoid little snowballs that squeak-quacked if you picked them up and cuddled them. 

So, a few misadventures, but fun nonetheless. 

In between all the winter wonderland adventures, though, they had been working very hard.  In a few days the three would be leaving Lumrae behind and heading in Blue for the warmth of the Castle of Lions.  Much remained to be done before then, but for now there was a lull in which they were taking full advantage. 

Eventually, the talking ran out and soon all three were fast asleep.  Lance shifted and shuffled and finally settled down, sprawled halfway across the others.  Hunk talked to himself in his sleep, mumbling about ice cream and snow cones and how it was really quite cold but of course he’d take another, alien desserts were such a fascinating research topic.  Pidge’s eyes moved rapidly beneath their eyelids, but judging by the tiny smile on their face, it was all were good dreams. 

It was quiet.  Outside, the snow fell silently on the wintery planet.  The only sounds were the snaps and pops of the fire, the soft sounds of humans sleeping, and Blue Lion’s purring as she crouched beside the station, warm and waiting. 

The snow fell on Lumrae, and above the clouds the lights danced.