#or if she hadn't have gone to a private school that's possibly part of the reason

[georgia-stanway]

It's a real shame my nan didn't develop a Bristolian accent partially because being less classist would be good for her but mainly because I'm fascinated to know what a german-bristolian accent would sound like.

[wandamaximoffsbadgirl]

Little Girl Gone Mob Boss AU Headcanons

A/N: Alright my brain woke up feral this morning with a bunch of head canons for my new series that I've been working on so here you go the fruit of my labor. Also there are mentions of t*row up, mentions of killing, and actual depictions of killing so please read at your own caution. 18+ HC are marked as such

Minors/men DNI

SFW

-Y/N buying Wanda all the pretty rings and necklaces because you love seeing her wear them

-Wanda shows you pictures from high school when she was emo which is something you hadn't expected from the suburban mom

-After you learn this information you slowly add things to her wardrobe such as black skirts like she used to wear and band shirts and fishnetting

-The first time you see her in a little black pleated skirt you go feral. Luckily the boys are at school and you take her right on the kitchen counter

-She decides to wear skirts more often after that. Usually when she wants something.

-You slowly teach the boys how to fight, but don't introduce them to anything dangerous. Not until they're much much older.

-Wanda also eventually gets in on the self defense lessons

-Wanda and you go out regularly for date nights and taking the boys out trying to keep your lives as normal as possible

-When you propose to Wanda it’s at a fancy restaurant where you guys have a private room

-She says yes (of course) and you couldn’t be happier

-You guys decide to have your wedding in Sokovia and do a traditional Sokovian wedding

-When you guys have your first dance you include the boys where you start the dance together then you dance with Billy and her with Tommy and then you two switch off.

-You guys end up having a baby girl after getting married

-At this point the boys would be old enough that you offer the choice to them of joining and both do say yes, but Billy focuses on the business side of things and asks to go to college for business. He ends up double majoring in Business and law.

-Tommy also goes for a business degree, but ends up switching to go into nursing and becomes a Trauma Certified Registered Nurse to be able to deal with injuries that happen in the family business.

NSFW 🔞 

-Both you and Wanda are switches

-the first time you two try and do things and she calls herself ‘Mommy’ it sends you into a PTSD panic attack because of Natasha calling herself Daddy.

-Wanda soothes you back down and is such a soft Dom the whole time and everytime until you ask for more.

- “M-Mommy please r-rougher,” your lips parted, tongue out as you try to roll your hips on her strap. She's edged you for hours into a blissed out state.

- “Whatever my princess wants she'll get.” She grabs your hips with a bruising force as she sinks deeper and moves her hips roughly until you're screaming and crying and begging Mommy to let you cum

- “You've been such a good girl. Go on cum for Mommy baby. You deserve it for being such a good girl.” 

-The first time you were on top you weren't sure because you had never done it, but you wanted to try it. 

-You realized how good it felt but struggled with what you wanted Wanda to call you. Mistress, Master, Sir, Ma'am, King, Queen, Goddess, Owner, Handler, Boss, Captain. You two felt like you went through everything until one night Wanda tentatively brought it up,

- “I know how you feel about it, but maybe…we could try Daddy?” Her words throw you through a loop. “I think it could be helpful even. You'd be such a better Daddy than her.” Wanda puts a reassuring hand on your thigh. “You'd be the best.”

-It's her words of encouragement that make you give it a try because she just sounds so soft and genuine.

-You have Wanda beneath you, a pretty collar and leash on her as you slowly sink inside of her with the cum filled strap the two of you recently purchased. 

-Once your hips start moving, slow at first, you're hitting that spot that she loves and she just moans out, “Right there Daddy! Please Daddy harder!” And you go absolutely feral as you pump harder and rougher, pulling on her leash as you do so, both of you having a rather quick build up, “Gonna breed you baby. Gonna have my babies inside of you. You're gonna give me a set of twins right?” Wanda is so blissed out that all she can manage is, “Yesh Daddy m'gon cum!”

-During the aftercare Wanda assures you of how much she loved it. She could see how worried you were over becoming more like Natasha, but her words soothed you.

-As you two were cuddling up, watching TV afterwards she spoke up, “Would you actually want another set of twins?” You shrug, “if it happened I wouldn't be upset, but I'd love to even just make one mini us.” You tell her wholeheartedly which brings tears to her eyes. “I love you Wands. I wanna spend forever with you. I know this lifestyle isn't ideal for a family, but-” she cuts you off with a bruising kiss as she crawls into your lap. “I love you too Y/N/N. We'll make it work. I fell in love with this, with you so we'll make it work.”

NSFW Mob life HC

-You still take care of business mostly at home.

-The basement is off limits to the boys and is under several locks along with a fingerprint scanner and a pass code only you, Carol, and Maya know. 

-One day Wanda comes with you to the basement even though you've told her a million and one times that she doesn't have to be involved in the business she insists. 

-She watches a side of you she's never seen before. The side that Natasha created. It's almost as if she's watching Natasha pull strings on you.

-You torture someone for hours before getting the information from them. You grab your gun and look at Wanda, eyes cold as she trembles.

- “You can look away darling.” You tell her, but she doesn't, eyes fixed on you as the man begs and pleads for his own life, but he made the mistake of being on the wrong side of things, on Natasha’s side. 

- “If I let you go Natasha will pick up where I left off. Slowly torturing you until you die a slow and painful death. This is mercy.” You tell him and fire your gun right between his eyes. Blood and brain splatter everywhere. Especially on you.

- “Carol, clean this mess up and show Kamala how it’s done. She needs to learn. I need a shower and I need this all done and out of the house before the boys get home. I'm gonna send Maya out with America to check up on the info we were given.” 

-You turn your attention to Wanda holding out a hand to her, “Come on darling. Shower.” There was some blood on her and you helped her upstairs. Wanda didn't talk the whole time until you were drying her hair on the bed. “How do you do that?” She whispers and you barely catch it.

- “When Natasha trained me. I actually threw up a lot. It disgusted me to my core. I had a hard time handling it, but everytime I did something right she'd praise me. Reward me. The last time I killed for her she praised me because I only threw up after I killed the man. Now I'm…it's like I'm not me. I dissociate from it in the moment.” 

-Wanda turns towards you, crawling into your lap, nuzzling against your neck and letting her hands get under your shirt and onto your back for more skin contact. “Thank you for taking care of us. I always appreciated it before, from the moment you saved us, but now after seeing what you do…I can appreciate it even more.”

-After much back and forth Wanda wants to help out. At first you have her work in your office at the computer on record keeping, but she says she wants to get out of the house so you allow her on safe calls. Mainly to get money from people along with Kamala. 

-You never let her go into dangerous situations. 

-You always make sure Maya tails the two girls when they go out especially when Wanda first starts, but you see that Wanda is able to handle her own.

-One time Wanda comes home trying to hide all the cuts, scraps, and bruises after fighting with someone over their rent.

-You freak out when you see it and after cleaning her all up the two of you go back out and you take care of him in front of Wanda. Showing her how to overpower someone bigger.

-You keep the man on edge making him constantly think that he’s going to die until he’s begging for his life and has pissed himself.

-There comes a breaking point between you and Natasha which leads to an all out war between your two mobs

-After a lot of loss on both sides Natasha and you go at each other which ends up with her losing her life when she can’t just accept how things are now.

-Though Yelena wants to kill you over this Kate convinces her not to

-You and Clint come to an agreement of a truce. Which ends the decade long fight at this point

- “I didn’t want it to end this way.” Tears streamed down your face as your knees crashed to the hard ground beside Natasha’s body. “You were terrible to me. Treated me like I was nothing and yet I still wanted to see you change. To be better!” Wanda holds you as you cry and shake in her arms not realizing all the emotional turmoil that you felt towards Natasha even after all these years.

[wordsarelife]

CLOSURE (possible ending 2)

pairing: Anthony Lockwood x reader, Henry Rotwell x reader

summary: "yes I got your letter, yes I'm doing better. I know that it's over, I don't need your closure"

warning: a bit of angst but a happy end for both of our main characters!!

-> back to part three

"y/n?" a tender voice called from across the room. you turned around to notice that the speaker had already come closer and was now standing right behind you.

"Anthony" you breathed. you hadn't seen him in a long time. not in real life at least. you had kept up with his work through the newspaper, collecting every article that mentioned him and strolling down portland row any time you were in England.

"it's nice to see you" he breathed and looked down at the girl that was tightly gripping your hand. he bend down "and who are you?" he asked softly

"that's Gracie" you answered on behalf of your daughter "she's really shy"

"oh, that's alright" Anthony smiled "I'm Anthony"

"it's good to see you as well, Anthony" the man looked up to you and got back onto his feet. "how are you doing, y/n?"

the years had gone by in a brief, you could barely make out the ten years of life that had passed on his face. today he was as successful as ever, building a big agency that had gotten more and more successful over the years, without ever losing an agent or producing bad headlines.

you had finished school and got married to Henry two months after. you had went to college, after Henry had talked your father into it. Henry had kept every promise he had ever made and you couldn't ask for a better husband. you loved him endlessly and he always expressed his gratitude to you for gifting him your three beautiful children: two boys and a girl: Liam, Noah and Gracie.

being married to Henry had been way more beautiful than you had ever expected it to be. he was patient, loving and a great father. he never left you alone when you needed him most and he made everything possible that your father had kept you from for so long. being married to Henry hadn't been a limitation but more freedom than you had ever been able to enjoy before.

of course there were times where you wondered, how your life had been if you had ended up with Anthony. it wasn't that you weren't happy how your life was, but everyone tend to wonder, right?

before you and Henry had gotten married, you had sent Anthony at least a thousand letters, you wanted to make sure that he really didn't want you. you never received an answer, not until two years ago. you had never opened his letter, scared of what he was gonna write.

you had matured a lot, at that point it had been more than nine years to your last letter, the night before you got married. and back then you would’ve probably thrown yourself down a cliff for that letter, but at the time it came, you had been pregnant with Gracie and very much happy with how your life turned out, so happy indeed that you decided that you didn't need a single world from him to leave him behind you and that everything was good as it was.

Henry entered your field of vision and you send Gracie off to her father, so that you could talk to Anthony in private.

"did you get my letter? you didn't answer, so I wasn't sure if I got the right address"

"you really have some nerves"

"what are you talking about?"

"I send you literally a thousand of them and you never replied to any, alright fine for me, but don't expect that i read whatever you had to say to me"

"I'm sorry that I didn't answer you sooner, it took me years until I was able to read them, and then I replied"

"you know what? it's alright Anthony, I left that anger behind me long ago"

"I know, I just-" he paused, searching for the right words "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am, for what I did to you. back then I thought I was doing the right thing by letting you go, but after I read your letter.. it just, it destroyed me, especially because in my memory, you were still this sixteen year old girl I had left and let down. and it killed me to know that it was me who you trusted most in this world.. these letters, they were brutal, y/n"

"then you can imagine how I must've felt" you shook your head "I'm happy now, and maybe some day I can read what you wrote, but no just yet, okay?"

"you kept it"

"of course"

"I thought you had thrown it away by how you reacted just now"

"I don't want to be angry anymore, I was sad for such a long time and then so bitter and angry, that was unfair, especially for Henry. but you were a child back then as well and I shouldn't have expected for you to handle this mess"

"oh, y/n"

you smiled softly and he felt liked he was about to cry at you words "I loved you back then, you were my whole world, but Henry? he means even more to me. back then I wouldn't have thought that to be possible, but it was. I think there will always be a part of me who loves you, but that’s just the sentimental little girl who used to wish for familiarity, and now, I think she's finally gone, because you aren't familiar to me anymore"

he nodded at your words "I understand" he stepped back "I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am about everything"

"I appreciate that, I'm sorry as well, I shouldn't have been angry at you. like I said before, it wasn't your responsibility to save me in any way. we were so young, weren't we?"

"yeah" he laughed "young and in love" the guilt brushed over his face "sorry for mentioning it, but I just wanted you to know"

"I knew, Anthony" he raised his eyebrows "that's why you let me go, because you did love me, I just didn't understand that back then, so thank you" you paused "and to answer your earlier question: I'm doing better, amazing actually and from what I heard, you're doing more than good yourself"

he nodded, still stunned that you had known all this time "y-yeah" he stuttered "I have been able to expand the agency"

"that's good to hear"

"yeah"

"I don't know if I ever will open you letter, but just so you know, we're on good terms, okay? we grew up and moved on, but I will always care about your wellbeing and happiness, I just don't think I can be there all the time, but do give me a call once in a while, yeah?"

"I can only say the same" he smiled "I promise that I'll call once in a while"

"thank you" he turned to walk away, but you called his name one last time "just- I always thought I needed to see you again, or receive a letter back to finally get over you. I know now that I didn't need that, but thank you for talking with me"

"always" he smiled, taped his invisible hat and walked away

your eyes stayed on the man for a few more seconds. the man you had once thought hung the moon, it took a lot in you to realise that he had only been human too and you had expected far too much from him.

you watched as he exited the halls of your family's manor, in which he had broken your heart all these years ago. you noticed the familiarity in his walk, the way he moved his arms and of course his smile and the glistening in his eyes. but now it seemed to you like those little things had always been excuses to escape into your daydreams.

you had actually loved him. but love wasn't an individual case and all his familiarity had at one time turned foreign to you. the way he brushed past the people, how he looked so grown and how his eyes didn't seem to think you were the most beautiful thing in the world anymore.

and it was okay, outgrowing him meant that your relationship had at one time been so special, that you had never thought it would be possible.

but here you were, realising that it wasn't him, that you needed to get over everything, in your mind it was just yourself, holding onto a boy you had known such a long time ago. the man from moments ago was proof enough that it was time to say goodbye to the boy that had occupied your memories far too long.

"everything alright, sweetheart?" Henry was suddenly next to you and handed you Gracie, who was outstretching her little arms to finally be in her mummy's hold again.

you send one final look to the door "everything is just fine" you replied before you followed your family back to your table.

you actually never opened his letter, even if you had kept it in a little box from your youth, like a sentiment you would always have to need, you never actually did though.

Anthony called from time to time and you always spent at least a few minutes catching up.

it always made you happy to speak with him, tell him how your kids were doing and the newest painting you had drawn, he told you about George and Lucy, about the agency and how he loved what he was doing.

you were happy and you didn't miss him. you once needed him, but you didn't anymore, it seemed like it was the same for him. all along you thought that it was him who would be able to give you the conclusion you so deeply longed for, but you had been wrong, you didn't need him for that, you could do it on your own.

and the moment you realised that, was the moment you finally gained closure.

[miss-goblin-tries-writing]

I edited this after about a year of having no motivation to do anything writing wise, I'll edit the second part and hopefully even write something new / a continuation

Aoyama-kin, You Bastard!

It was a kick in the gut - metaphorically speaking - when Ichigo woke up alone on the grass to the sunset and no Aoyama-Kun. It took her a second of staring at the sky to get her bearings - she had to remember where she was, what was happening, and why she was alone; the date with Aoyama-Kun, the Red Data Animals Exhibit, the weird red light and then the earthquake. The earthquake and then nothing - she must have fainted? But the sun was setting, and there'd been hours until sunset when the quake hit. Maybe she'd hit her head? That would explain why she was unconscious for so long - and why her head was killing her.

But where was Aoyama-Kun?

Ichigo eased herself into sitting up, wincing at her stiff muscles protesting. She reached up and felt around her head, feeling for any indication of a bump or a cut but didn't feel anything. Hopefully, when she hit her head it was only hard enough to knock her out, and not hard enough to do any damage.

She had to be the most unlucky girl in the world for an earthquake to interrupt the date she'd been so excited for; she'd looked forward to her date with Aoyama-kun since he'd asked her. It was a surprise to her year group when the star of their school's kendo club had asked her, Momomiya Ichigo, on a date - privately she was a little sour about how the date was the gossip of the school, and how unsuitable their peers deemed them to be. Yes, Ichigo wasn't as smart as Aoyama-kun, but she wasn't stupid. She passed her classes well enough and had never come close to failing - even when she left her homework to the last possible minute. Aoyama-kun must have thought she was smart enough for him to ask her on the date, to begin with.

She reached for her bag and pulled out her phone, but she had no luck turning it on—it must have died sometime after the earthquake struck. Ichigo rubbed her eyes and sighed; her parents must be so worried, and now with her phone dead she couldn't contact them to tell them she was okay. Maybe Aoyama-Kun would let her use his phone to call them?

Looking around, she frowned when she still couldn't see any sign of her date. Had Aoyama-Kun gone to use the bathroom? He hasn't left her in the park alone, right? He hadn't, right? What if he, himself was injured and had to go to the hospital?

Minutes passed, and Ichigo began to get anxious. There was no way Aoyama-kun was injured, he was far too conscientious about his physical well-being - he couldn't afford to be careless with his body with his star role in the kendo club. But then that meant he'd gone when the tremors stopped and left her.

Aoyama-Kun was kind and considerate, he was too much of a gentleman to leave an unconscious girl alone in the park—especially a girl knocked out by an earthquake; he wouldn't have just left her.

Ichigo tucked her knees to her chest, shivering in the evening chill. Aoyama-Kun wouldn't, he wouldn't just -

Except… There was no sign of him. There was no sign to say he would return and none to say he'd ever been there recently. There was no jacket, drink, note, or anything at all. Even the ice cream cone he'd purchased was gone, leaving hers on the grass in a melted puddle of strawberry goo.

The red-haired girl buried her head in her arms, sorrowful and hurt. How could he have left her here? Left her unconscious in a public park where anything could have happened to her? She could've had a serious head injury! She might have a serious head injury with how long she was unconscious! Or something unspeakable could've happened!

The more she thought, the more her thoughts spiralled into fury and the more certain she was that her classmate had abandoned her.

"That… That… Bastard!" Ichigo wailed, sobbing into her arms, her small frame shaking. Ichigo thought their date had gone well; granted, she'd felt a little foolish when she got confused as he spoke about each animal they saw, telling her statistics and numbers, and how long it would be before extinction. He was so intelligent, and in comparison, she felt so small. Did he think so too? Ichigo admired his intelligence; it was one of his best qualities next to the gentleness of his character. But what was clever or gentle about leaving her here like this? There were far better ways to break up with someone!

"Aoyama, you idiot!" "Well, well… Such a big bad word for such a small thing."

Ichigo's head snapped up at the sound of the new voice. She was startled to see a boy standing before her, she hadn't heard anyone approach - was she crying loud enough to miss the sounds of him approaching her? She stamped down on her tears quickly and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. He was staring at her, looking a little irritated - it snapped her back to her senses. Ichigo's cheeks flushed red as anger welled up inside her.

"Excuse me?!" She blustered, wondering at the audacity of this boy. "You're excused." She watched an amused smirk settle on his pale face. Ichigo scowled at him, but his smirk remained. "Wow, what an ugly expression. It'll stay like that forever if you're not careful - an ugly face for some ugly wailing."

"Maybe yours already got stuck, with that nasty attitude of yours!" She snapped back, she could feel the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end with outrage.

The boy just stared at her, a smug expression on his face and arms crossed loosely over his chest like he had no cares in the world. He was enjoying her responses, Ichigo realised. He was taking pleasure from her outrage - and that only enraged her more.

"How long have you been there anyway? Have you been spying on me? That's so creepy!"

That smacked the smirk from his face, which was now back to its original, albeit more annoyed expression.

"You yelled loud enough that anyone on the other side of this park could probably hear you loud and clear!" The redhead shrank at his waspish response, but the boy didn't notice, " I wasn't spying on you! I've been here since your dark-haired Hunny left you alone. Unconscious. In a public place. "

Silence stretched between them, the boy staring at her and Ichigo staring down at her knees; the tears she'd held in began to slip down her cheeks again as she sniffled.

"You saw-" She winced as her voice broke, "You saw Aoyama-Kun?" The boy huffed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, saw him scamper away when the tremors stopped. 'Been watching you for hours just in case, wouldn't have been 'spying' if he wasn't such a thoughtless dickhead. I didn't see anyone else stepping up to help"

His gaze was averted from her and towards where the sun was just barely visible in the sky. Watching him, the girl sniffled and rested her chin on her arms: he was pale and probably a little taller than her. His eyes were gold with the last light from the sun, and his dark hair poked out from his hood, bobbing around his chin. He had an irritable expression, and - in her opinion- a very disagreeable face.

She supposed he didn't have to have waited here, watching over her until she woke. It was kind of him, and while his crabby attitude irked her, she was taking her anger out on the wrong person.

"Thank you." She gave him a small smile when he glanced back at her. "It was kind of you to wait when you didn't have to." The boy cocked his head to the side, reminding her of a puppy.

"Of course, I'm a charitable kinda guy! A saviour if you will." She snorted as he grinned at her, flashing sharp canines, flopping down on his back next to her - the previous argument was obviously forgiven.

They sat in silence watching the changing sky and Ichigo couldn't help but wish it was Aoyama-kun sat next to her, that the quake hadn't ruined what may have been a good -or mediocre- date and that they'd sat here eating ice cream and laughing together. Would they have talked more about the exhibit? More conversation leaving her feeling small in the face of his knowledge? Maybe he realised she wasn't smart enough for him, being the only one knocked unconscious by the sudden earthquake. She shook her head to rid herself of that last ridiculous thought - she was just unlucky enough for it to happen to her.

"So tell me about him." She blinked at him, confused. "Who?" "You're not so Prince Charming, obviously." "His name is Aoyama-Kun." The boy snorted, "Yeah, I ki~nda got that from the yelling." Ichigo groaned as she heard that damnable smirk in his voice and flopped onto her back next to him so she wouldn't have to see it.

"His name," She continued as if she didn't hear his snark, "is Aoyama-Kun, and today was our first date." Their first and maybe only date.

"Hmmm, a date, huh?" Her companion muttered, eyes watching as the stars came out.

Ichigo sighed, following his gaze to the sky. "At least, it was meant to be. I thought it had gone well! But then an earthquake knocks me unconscious and, and-"

"And he left you here unconscious." He finished for her as she stumbled over her words. "Humans can be so dumb sometimes, you never leave someone behind. Basic survival."

She wasn't surprised to feel her tears slipping back down her cheeks again, but she paid them no mind and kept looking at the sky. The night sky was beautiful, she mused watching the light of the distant stars twinkle and blink. The moon rose above them, watching and guiding the planet as it had done for millennia, and Ichigo felt safe. Her problems felt so small in the face of the universe above her, while that fleeting feeling did make her feel slightly better, it didn't stop her distress or fix her disaster of a date.

She heard the grass rustling beside her and felt his pinky graze hers as they lay side by side. He wasn't looking at her, but somehow he knew her tears were flowing again. He offered her more comfort than he should have, them being perfect strangers before she woke, but she was grateful.

"Do you ever wonder what it's like?" She asked him "What?" "The universe." She breathed, "Everything feels so silly when you think about how immense the world beyond us could be. It's funny to think we're just one planet in one solar system when to us our existence is so big." Her companion didn't say anything to that, but she felt the grass move as he turned to look at her.

She should have been home hours ago, she realised, but the thought of her parents fussing over her right now just filled her with dread. Her father would be furious when she got home for her late return, especially if she told him she'd been lying in the grass with a boy she didn't know musing about space of all things. He'd downright murderous when she told him about Aoyama-Kun leaving her behind. She supposed she should call him Aoyama-san rather than "Kun" now. Sighing, Ichigo turned to face the boy next to her.

"I need to go home; my parents must be so worried," she sniffed. Her companion turned to look at her as she wiped her eyes. "Do you have anyone to take care of you on your way back?" She glanced at him and shook her head. "My phone died sometime after the earthquake, so I can't call anyone- even if I could, I think I'd crumble if my dad shouted at me." She mumbled. Shaking his head, the boy laughed as he jumped to his feet, and reached down to help her stand.

"Don't you worry, Princess!" His voice was cheerful and mocking as he spun dramatically on his toes, gave her a grin and a deep bow, "Your stand-in Prince will escort you home."

[scuttle-buttle]

Chapter 11

WC: 2077

Rated: E

Chapter Tags: full on angst, discussions of emotional trauma, mild depictions of blood/gore, mentions of self h*rm & su*cide, mentions of child abuse, discussions of physical disabilities, institutionalization, some dialogue & plot canon to TV show, hurt/comfort

🧠

The rest of the conference went by much like the first day did. Both you and Laszlo bought a few books for your collections. An ease had settled over your conversations with the help of Sara and John's presence; you spoke more freely with each other. You tell yourself it is not because he's going soft on you or vice versa, but rather that you have found yourself in this imaginary bubble where you happen to get on well. It's inevitable that it will pop once you’re back at school and Laszlo will revert back to his usual callous state.

Laszlo. It still felt odd to think of him like that, rather than by his title. You couldn't lie, it gave you a sort of thrill. Even in your dreams you had only called him by his honorific. Thankfully you didn't have another dream after Friday. You couldn't escape the feeling that you'd said something incriminating in front of the man in question. So you chose to pretend it didn't happen.

Monday morning came and you headed to the train station. Once again he had secured a private cabin for the journey. This time you came prepared with a book since you had yet to replace your broken phone.

"Thank you again for inviting me to this, I really enjoyed myself. It was really nice of the department to foot my travel expenses, the hotel was really fancy. I may have helped myself to a mini-bottle or two," you joked.

"There is no need to worry about the department's finances; they were not involved."

You pause. He paid for you? Laszlo did say he would take care of the arrangements; but the four-star hotel, the private compartment train tickets, the admission to the conference, and every meal? Shit, that must have been a fortune, hundreds of dollars at least.

You don't know what to say, so you settle for an awkward "oh." A moment passes before you add "I appreciate that, um, I can pay you back. Might take some time but I can."

The professor is flippant in his reply. "There is no need, it was well spent for the research and knowledge acquired." He opens his book signaling the conversation is over.

You lick your lips. Fine then, I'll just consider it payment for emotional suffering and damages of the last eight weeks.

The first few hours of the journey were spent reading one of the new books you picked up at the convention. Occasionally you would peek over the pages at the professor. He was engrossed in his own selection; sometimes he would pause to write down a thought.

Around the seventh hour of your journey you had given up on reading anymore in favor of looking at the fields outside. The silence was comforting.

Laszlo had trouble concentrating on the book in his hand. He saw you as a conundrum. One minute you could be sociable and teasing with your comments, then next you were biting at his throat with your quick wit and fierce ideals. He decides that he wants to know what made you into who you are today. Now is as good a time as any.

His eyes on you cause a tingle up your spine but you ignore it. Laszlo breaks the silence; "may I ask a personal question?"

"You just did," you answer, still peering out of the large window. He huffed once, amused. At his following silence you face him. You raise your eyebrows to signal him to go on with his question. Curiosity grows at the thought of what he intends to ask.

"Twice now you have made implications of a traumatic past," he begins.

Bubble popped.

Interrupting, you snark "is this the part where you psychoanalyze me, doc? Because trust me, I've been through enough of that." You pick at the lint on your jeans.

Laszlo tries to choose his words more carefully the next time he speaks. "What I mean to say is, the first afternoon in the classroom where you defended that student you implied you had been witness to a trauma. You then displayed signs of anger and embarrassment before leaving prematurely. Yesterday you mentioned having entered a psychiatric facility. As an alienist I can't help but find myself curious about your experiences."

You slide your eyes to meet his from across the cabin. Your face is devoid of any emotion. "We all have our demons. Even you can't argue with that."

Your jaw clenches. Everyone had warned you. They all said he would try to worm his way into your head to figure you out. All the reviews, the gossip, everything. It was a big fat 'I told you so'. You give a pitiful laugh at the situation. "You know, everyone told me that you would pull this stunt."

He seems confused by your statement. "And what is that?"

"That you'd get inside my head and try to figure me all out or whatever. You already know I googled you beforehand, what everyone says about your methods. By now I assume you've done a little research yourself. I promise you there is nothing exciting here," you scoff and point to yourself.

"You would be correct in your assumption." You chew at your cheek as he starts. "I do know some of what happened in your past. Yet I also know that society likes to dilute the truth into something either more palatable, more entertaining, for people to consume greedily. What I want to know is what you have faced. How you have not allowed the experience to overcome you so much so that your humanity is erased like the characters I lecture on."

Eyes closing of their own volition you are thrown back in time to that night so many years ago. You didn't talk about it anymore. Bitsy knew of course, but that was the extent.

Laszlo waits. He knows this is likely to push you over the edge if your history with him means anything. Quite frankly, anyone would be tossed to their limit at his interrogation had they gone through what you had. John always told him that he needed to work on his bedside manner; that he had a habit of coming on too strong in his pursuit of learning the intricacies of the human mind. But your earlier comment about being sent to a so-called 'nuthouse' rubbed him the wrong way. It left a bad taste in his mouth. He needed to know. He needed to understand.

Laszlo can imagine the reprimand that he would receive from John and Sara for this. Just as he considers apologizing for his intrusion you open your eyes.

"She was fine. None of us suspected anything was wrong. I came home from having dinner with some… boy, and she had locked herself in the bathroom. She- she must have started over the sink and moved to sit on the side of the tub. She was hunched inside it when I got the door open. I pulled her out. Blood was… everywhere." Your voice is clinical as you explain.

"After, I shut down. So I checked myself into a psych ward a few days later when I couldn't get the feel of her blood off my hands. It's slippery, you know. And it smells. You wouldn't think so but it does." You clear your throat. "I did the therapy, took the meds they prescribed, all the standard treatments. Later I started watching true crime documentaries. I'd heard about exposure therapy so I figured the more I saw the gore, the less the image of my dead roommate would bother me. And it did help. The nightmares stopped after a while, I came back to school. I was better, just not the same.” You had watched the passing landscape as you explained. Turning to face him you speak again. “That's why those pictures didn't bother me. They weren't anything I hadn't seen before."

He contemplates you. The discovery and subsequent loss of your friend in this manner would no doubt cause lingering effects to your psyche. A stain that would forever remind you. "I offer my sincerest condolences. I do not presume to know what that would be like to experience, but I am glad you sought help afterwards. To make the choice to alleviate yourself of your own suffering where possible.”

As he says this he realizes that your anger towards the idea of being enslaved to unconscious impulse makes perfect sense. It explains why you focused so much energy on defending your belief in free will. That you have the power to choose how you carry your joy, your anger, your healing. It reminds him of how he held onto his own guilt and hurt, ignoring how it festered within him for so long. He feels as though he needs to share a piece of himself with you.

“I played piano as a child, quite well too. My mother hoped I would someday make a career of it. I vividly remember playing Mozart’s Concerto for Piano No. 20 in D Minor at a holiday party when I was seven years old. It was my favorite to play.... It requires two hands." You finally look at him. "My father...” He pauses to gather himself.

Now it is the doctor that cannot meet your eyes. As you listen you feel your confusion grow. How could he have been a talented pianist if he only had full use of his left hand? Unless..., the realization dawns on you just as he continues, his words slow.

“My father had two sides. One loving and the other brutal, the two often coexisting. It was something as trivial as putting me to bed, I recall... A game of tug of war. We were laughing…” He inhales a sharp breath. Already you can feel the tears begin to blur your vision. “I don't remember if he was drunk or if I said something that offended him. He must have pulled my arm behind my back.” Laszlo exhales shakily. “In small children, fractures can often affect…” he trails off, unable to finish. You can hear how he barely holds himself together.

Your heart aches for the broken man that sits in front of you. He never let on how much his arm bothered him, at least not within your presence. Suddenly you don’t see him as this rude, insufferable, obsessive man, but instead as someone that spends his life trying to protect himself. He projects his own anger and hurt so that he may, just for a minute, forget about his own demons. He wants to help others even when he feels he cannot bear to help himself.

But unlike you, he has to live with the physical reminder of his past every day of his life.

You stand and move to sit on his right side. Before allowing yourself to think too much of your actions, you place your hand atop his own, curling your fingers around his palm and squeezing delicately. You don’t bother wiping away the tears on your cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Laszlo;” the whisper is barely heard above the sound of the train. A second passes where you fear you have overstepped and offended him by touching the affected limb. When his thumb tightens against the backs of your fingers you know he is not. He holds you in place.

“You asked me how I kept my humanity. How does anyone really? We learn to take what we get and we carry it in a bag. Sometimes you have to drag the damn thing behind you. But eventually the weight gets less and less if you allow yourself to move forward, even if it’s still there with you all the time. I dealt with what happened years ago and it does still haunt me. It’s easier now than it was, but… I- I suppose I’ve learned from you too. Sitting in those lectures and hearing you talk. We can either let it haunt us for the rest of our lives… or we can accept it… and use the memory of our pain to help ourselves and others.”

“I’m not sure the choice is entirely in our hands.” His tone is mournful.

You turn to smile at him through your tears. His own eyes are bloodshot. “I disagree. If it weren’t, if we didn’t have the freedom to choose that, we’d all be murderers.”

Tag list

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[qianinterprises]

WayV Reaction: finding out their S/O has Borderline Personality Disorder

Pairing(s): WayV x Reader Genre: angst, fluff Warnings: mention of mental health, depression, anxiety, symptom's included in BPD. Trigger Warnings: depression, anxiety, hostility, mention's of self-harm, self-doubt, low self-image Word Count: 3.9k

Author's Notes: I'll be honest and say that I had to research Borderline Personality Disorder. I knew what it was/had heard of it before, but in order to write something accurate, I tried to educate myself. If you believe that you have BPD, please don't be afraid to go to a doctor or a trusted friend/family member. Your mental health is important.

Author's Note 2.0: I also want to mention that (as per earlier request), I am also working on a YangYang fic that features a reader with Borderline Personality Disorder. I'm not entirely sure when it will be posted (soon hopefully), but it is in my WIP's.

Author's Note 2.0: Kun's is a little different, I apologize for the difference and the shortness. Tagging:@treasuretaeil

Kun:

Kun was in the middle of dance practice when his phone began to ring. At first, he let it go to voicemail, but by the third ring, Ten paused the music and Kun grabbed his phone out of his coat pocket, expecting to see your name popping up on the screen. You were at home today after a particularly rough week at work that had left you feeling spent. Kun longed to be home with you, holding you tight in his embrace. As his eyes met your next door neighbor's name on his phone screen, his stomach dropped. Mrs. Huang only called when it was really serious. "Hello?" he asked into the receiver. "Oh thank goodness!" she cried, voice laced with anxiety enducing agitation. "What's wrong?" "It's (y/n)! They've brought me five big tins of muffins! I can't possibly eat all of these! And they've gone to the store twice with ingredients! I think something's wrong! Kun sighed. This morning, you had been so happy. You were practically singing to the birds. He knew it wouldn't last though, especially with the week you'd had. "I'll be there soon!" Kun left practice without another word and when he got home, he found you in the kitchen, covered in flour, vigorously mixing a creamy liquid in one of your metal mixing bowls. The kitchen was covered in ingredients; flour puffed on the counters and floor, broken egg shells on the table, a half empty measuring cup of milk teetering on top of the fridge. It was bad this time. Kun knew you had borderline personality disorder. It had been something you'd told him in the beginnings of your relationship. He had seen you at your worst, and at your best, but it still broke his heart every time he witnessed you at a breaking point. "(y/n)?" You paused in your vigorous mixing, eyes glancing up to meet his. He didn't say anything, eyes locked on yours, but his eyes held no pity. Instead, they held pure, unfiltered love that had you putting the whisk aside. "Do you love me?" you whispered. A small wisp of a smile reflected across his face as he crossed the room, arms wrapping around your body. "More than anything," he whispered.

Ten:

You and Ten had only been together for a short amount of time; three months to be exact. It was an exhilarating three months. Time you wouldn't give for anything in the world, even though you didn't get to see each other often with Ten's very busy schedule. However, after the "Kick Back" album released, WayV was allowed to take a break as SM turned their attention to the scheduled release of NCT Dream's first album. Normally, Ten would then be whisked away for some SuperM promotion, but with Baekhyun's enlistment, SuperM was also allowed to take a break as the company decided what to do. Which ultimately meant you got to spend more time with your boyfriend, which, most would deem as a good thing and, you were happy he was there, however, it became a lot harder to hide your little secret from him. Your best friend, Kun, had introduced you to Ten (and the rest of the members), when Kun officially became a member of NCT. Kun and Ten had immediately hit it off as friends, which meant you also spent a lot of time with Ten, thus leading to a blossoming friendship and later attraction. So Ten lying in your bed snoring softly wasn't that far of a stretch from a common day encounter. The difference was, today, you didn't feel like yourself. Being in a friendship with Ten meant that, yes, you saw him often, but not often enough that you couldn't keep parts of yourself private. Which is exactly what you did, especially as your tiny crush on Ten grew into something mutual, eventually leading to a relationship. The truth you were so afraid of revealing was your disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder. A disorder you'd been diagnosed with since you were a your teenager. You'd been teased and bullied for it when a classmate you'd once called a friend announced your disorder to the entire school. This, in turn, had terrified you of ever telling anyone, which you had gotten away with. Ten didn't know and, if you had it your way, he'd never know. He was an idol. What did he need with a girlfriend with this disorder. However, with him hanging around a lot... "Hey? What's wrong?" Ten's voice snapped you from your thoughts. You'd been so distracted you hadn't realized his soft snoring had ceased. "Nothing," you said softly. His lips pursed, perplexed as he softly reached a hand up to brush across your cheek, something he'd done several times. But today, you didn't want it. You shied away from his hand, curling yourself up on the opposite side of the bed, cursing yourself for acting different than usual, but you couldn't help it. Ten didn't bat an eye. He simply gave you a soft smile and sat up in the large bed, but he didn't try to touch you again. "Feeling sad today?" he asked. You nodded meekly. "Would you like to talk about it?" he asked. You paused for a moment to think it over. You truly didn't. You wished you could keep it a secret forever, because Ten might leave you. But you also knew that the stress was taking it's toll on you. "I have Borderline Personality Disorder..." you whispered. He didn't say anything at first and you were preparing yourself for him to call you a freak and leave. Instead, he stretched his arm out and softly wrapped his pinky around yours. "I don't know much about it. But I promise I will learn," he whispered. Tears brimmed your eyes because finally, someone wasn't going to leave you.

WinWin:

You had never been much of a touchy person. Holding hands was one thing, and even then, something you weren't wholly comfortable with, but hugging was completely different. You didn't care much for hugs, especially from complete strangers that often found you rude for rejecting their hug. You barely even hugged your own family, let alone a total stranger. This was possibly what spurred on your relationship with Sicheng who, also didn't care much for physical affection, despite the fact the other members of NCT practically drowned him in it. Your relationship was just... different. At least in the minds of society because you didn't cuddle against Sicheng's chest constantly or plop down on his lap just because he was sitting down. Instead, you preferred wrapping your pinky around his or draping one of his sweaters over your shoulders. This worked for the two of you though others found it strange. However, there was an anomaly that Sicheng, though you had been together for a little over two years, had no idea about. This anomaly included the fact that sometimes, you liked hugs. Sometimes, all you wanted to do was drape yourself over your boyfriends lap and let him hold you until your mind screamed at you for the overload of affection. Sometimes you wanted him to wrap his arms around you in bed and fall asleep with you on his chest. That's what happens when you have Borderline Personality Disorder, and it wouldn't have been that big of a deal if Sicheng had known, but he didn't. It started out you longing to keep it a secret in the early days of your relationship. It wasn't something you advertised very often. However, as your relationship progressed, you knew you should have told him, but as five months turned into six, it became a crushing weight of guilt for not telling him in the beginning. Sicheng had already invested a lot of time and love in the relationship when you had not been wholly honest with him. And the more time that passed, the harder it was for you to get the words out. At this point, it wasn't even your fear of rejection because of the disorder, it was a nagging fear that your dishonesty about the disorder would drive him away from you. That would truly be a crushing point. However, as Sicheng began spending more nights at your apartment, it was getting increasingly harder to hide, especially as your mood dropped or when you suddenly began to crave affection. Times like today. The moment you'd rolled out of bed, you knew you needed some type of affection, but as Sicheng made no advance to give it to you throughout the day, your mood dropped. It really wasn't his fault. He had no idea how you were feeling, but as you finally had had enough and wrapped your arms around him from behind while he was washing the dishes after dinner, you felt him stiffen before grabbing a towel to dry his hands. "What's up with you today?" The question was an honest one, but it still felt as though you were making him uncomfortable by touching him. As your arms slacked from around him, a tear sprang to your eye but you were quick to wipe it away as he turned to face you. "I need to tell you something..." Your voice was wavering. You had no idea how he would respond. He nodded for you to continue, one of his hands gently taking hold of yours, playing with your fingers as a soft sense of relief washed through you. "I have Borderline Personality Disorder." His once blank face morphed into one of confusion. "What's that?" he asked tentatively. You sighed. You had been expecting the question but that didn't make it any easier to define. "Its like having mood swings. One day I feel happy the other sad... Sometimes anti-hugs, sometimes super affectionate." You could tell he was still confused, but as he nodded and wrapped his arms around your body, drawing you against his tall frame, you let out a shuddered breath, body relaxing against him.

Lucas:

Books were never Yukhei's strong suit. He preferred numbers and basic information plotted out clearly in front of him. Books were too all over the place with too much information. He wished they could be like websites that gave him the briefest of explanations with a "read more" feature. Yet here he was, flipping through slightly crinkled pages because he wanted to truly understand, and books were always credited with having the most information. "I have Borderline Personality Disorder," you had explained earlier that day when you had ducked out of the way of one of his mega bear hugs and proceeded to slump your shoulders and beg him to give you time alone. You'd locked yourself in your shared bedroom after that and, although you had texted him to apologize for your behavior, you added that today was just an off day, your disorder really affecting your mood. "Well how can I help?" he had asked. It was your response that prompted him here, pouring over books in the local library hoping to find anything that would help him understand Borderline Personality Disorder in the best way possible. As he flipped through pages and learned, he had begun to feel several different emotions. On one end, he felt sorry that you'd had to go through the disorder alone, but on the other, he questioned why you'd never told him, even after a year of being together. However, a big part of him wondered if maybe you had been telling him, just without words, especially because you'd never tried to hide any of your mood swings. He'd just always assumed you were on your period. As the hours ticked away, Yukhei's eyes remained glued to the startlingly dry books stacked up around him, but as he learned more about the disorder and, by default, more about you, he couldn't seem to stop. At least not until his phone vibrated in his pocket and, as he fished it out, your smiling face met his eyes. He answered the facetime request and gave you a tired smile that quickly morphed into concern when he noticed your bloodshot eyes. "Baby? What's wrong? Did something happen?" "My boyfriend left me! That's what happened!" Were you... pouting? "I didn't leave baby, I'm at the library." Confusion flashed across your face. "Why?" "To learn more about Borderline Personality Disorder." A giggle erupted from your lips and Yukhei sure was glad to hear it, especially after reading texts about BPD leading to depression. "Why didn't you just google it?" His mouth gaped open as he dramatically clutched his chest. "Googling something so important in my significant other's life?! That's scandalous! I should do enough research to write my own 20-page essay!" This time, it was a full blown laugh. "You're a dork!" "I'm your dork!" "Well come home, dork! There's a lot we have to discuss!" Your smiling face alleviated any fears that may have been swirling around Yukhei's chest. With a nod, he slammed a book shut so hard it send a loud, slamming bang throughout the library, prompting nasty looks sent his way. Sheepishly, he waved them off and stood up. "I'll be home soon," he promised, blowing you a kiss before hanging up. Yukhei had taken the hastily thrown news a lot better than you'd expected. You knew he couldn't have learned everything, specifically because it varied person to person, but you knew that he would be there for you, even on your bad days. And that was all you could ask for.

Xiaojun:

Dejun was incredibly perceptive, even if he was incredibly dumb sometimes. He could tell when you weren't quite feeling yourself, even though he often didn't know what was causing it. It was at those times that he did everything he could to put a smile back on your face and make you feel "normal" again. He didn't understand how counter productive that actually was. It was really your fault. You were the one keeping secrets, but as the smile fell from your face the second Dejun traded the couch for the shower, you couldn't help but think that maybe he simply preferred you to be happy rather than deal with you when you weren't. Somewhere in the back of your head, you knew he was just doing what he thought would help, but now, especially in your state of mind, you couldn't shake the aching feeling in your head. "Hey, are there towels- are you crying?" Dejun's voice yanked you out of your thoughts and you brought your hands to your cheeks, rapidly trying to wipe away the clear droplets painting your face, but it was too late. Dejun had already seen. He was shirtless when he perched on the couch beside you, face etched in concern. He opened his mouth, likely to retort off some lame dad joke or tell you some funny story you'd heard a thousand times. "Can you not?" You hadn't meant to snap. The words had simply flown out before you'd had the chance to them. His face fell into a pout that you knew you often fell for, but today, it only upset you more. "Stop Dejun!" The pout fell away. "Stop what? I'm not doing anything!" "You're trying to make me smile!" He blinked, staring at you for a moment. "That's a bad thing?!" You sighed, slumping against the couch cushions, resigning yourself to the fact that he didn't understand. Then again, you didn't let him understand. "Just tell me why I'm upsetting you," he begged, all traces of bad humor gone, replaced with sincerity. "I have Borderline Personality Disorder! My mood fluctuates! And when you try to make me smile when I'm sad or mad makes me feel like you don't like me when I'm not always happy. But I can't always be happy." He stared at you in shock for a moment, mouth opening and closing as if he didn't know how to respond. An appropriate response, you supposed. You'd been friends for a while now and dating for several months, yet this was the first time you'd told him. You were about to get up from the couch, sighing as he didn't respond after several minutes, when he placed a hand on your thigh to stop you. "Why didn't you tell me?" You shrugged. It wasn't that simple. "Can you tell me the best ways to comfort you?" Again, you shrugged. A sigh released from his mouth and your head hung low. "I'm going to do some research. As your boyfriend, I want to make sure I'm making you feel better, not worse. So, while I'm doing that, I also need you to tell me if something I'm doing is making you feel worse. Can you do that for me?" His words were sincere, his intentions true. Another tear fell from your eye, dropping against your cheek, but a smile broke out across your face. "Thank you for caring," you whispered. He pulled you onto his lap and pressed a soft kiss to the nape of your neck. "Always."

Hendery:

Waking up this morning had been such a struggle, even as the delightful scent of your boyfriends cooking wafted under the cracks of the door, greeting you. Usually, this would rouse you from your slumber, prompting you to creep into the kitchen and sneak a taste of the delightful breakfast. Today, however, you rolled over in the blankets and pulled the duvet over your head. Today was a lay in bed day, you just hoped your boyfriend would accept that. "Come on sleepy head! It's time to wake up!" Kunhang's annoyingly chipper voice spouted, pulling you from the confines of sleep in a less pleasant way. "No," you groaned, rolling over, burying your face deeper into the pillow. "Come on! Breakfast is ready!" He pulled the blankets off your body and you let out a loud hiss, eyes turning to bore into him. "I said no!" He dropped the blanket and backed off, lifting his hands in surrender, but you could tell he had questions. You never acted like this. "What's wrong?" You grunted, not responding, turning away from him, but he wasn't having it. "Yah! I asked you a question!" he pouted at being ignored. A growl whipped it's way from your throat. "Go look up BPD," you snapped. You could tell that he had more questions, but, after a long moment, he seemed to think better of asking them and, instead, made his way out of the room, leaving you to fall back asleep. It had to have been a few hours later when you were waking up on your own this time, the anger you had felt earlier completely gone now, replaced with your normal, chipper self. You turned over to look at Kunhang's side, releasing he wasn't there and the memories came flooding back to you along with a strong wave of guilt. You shouldn't have treated Kunhang the way you did. There was nothing out of the ordinary with the way he'd reacted to your sleeping for. With a sigh, you threw your legs over the side of the bed and stood up, padding over the floors to the door. You made your way out of the bedroom and down the hall, finding Kunhang sitting on the couch, television with the volume turned down, playing some movie he didn't look too interested in. As the floor creaked slightly under your feet, his attention shifted from the television to you and he was quick to shut off the device. "How are you feeling?" he asked. Your heart dropped into your stomach. Had you really affected him? "I'm sorry for how I reacted..." you mumbled. A sigh rolled past his lips as he patted the couch next to him. You made your way to him, flopping beside him, but keeping your distance, at least until he pulled you against his side. "I understand why you did after looking up Borderinel Personality Disorder," he said. "But you couldn't have expected me to know without knowing." With a nod, you hung your head. "Why didn't you tell me?" "I thought you wouldn't like me if you knew I had a disorder..." you mumbled. Saying it out loud, it felt ridiculous. You knew he loved you. The fact that he waited for you to wake up even after how you'd treated him proved that. But it had been a fear nevertheless. "Now that I know, I can help you rather than making things worse. But in the future, please let me know. I hated watching you so upset without knowing how to help." You leaned against him, burying your face in his chest as you nodded.

YangYang:

(full fic coming soon) YangYang's youth was what truly scared you the most. He still had so much to learn. He was so naive, about some things at least. He could make you feel so good, so loved, when he'd hold you in his arms and kiss your head or when he threw himself across your lap and begged to be pet. You were scared that the second he knew the truth about you, he'd leave, or worse, treat you differently. Your older brother, Kun, had advised you to just be honest with him. To let him know when you had bad days. Yet, here you were, hiding out in your brothers bed, hoping practice would run late so YangYang wouldn't see your crestfallen face. It seemed luck wasn't on your side that day, not entirely anyway, because the door to the room opened and Kun walked in half shirtless, belt unbuckled. "Please don't strip anymore," you'd begged. The boy nearly jumped out of his skin at your words. "(y/n)?! What are you doing here?!" "I missed Yang..." "So why didn't you come to practice? You know you're welcome." Your silence was his answer and he sighed, sliding on another, not sweat-soaked shirt, and sat on the bed beside you, reaching out to gently stroke your arm. "You really should tell him," he whispered. "But what if he rejects me?" "He won't. Sis, I know him. He's not like some dirtbags you've dated in the past. And he might just be able to help you better than I can," he whispered. You knew he was right. He was always right (as annoying as it was). "Will you send him here? I don't want to get out of bed..." "Of course," he said, patting your arm one more time before getting out of bed and making his way out of the room. It was a few minutes later when a sweaty YangYang walked in, searching for your figure before sitting down beside you on Kun's bed. "You wanted to see me?" he asked. "I have Borderline Personality Disorder..." The words just rushed out before you could stop them, but you were thankful. This saved you from yourself. For a long moment, YangYang didn't say anything and you were beginning to think Kun had been wrong for once. "So that's why Kun had me do all that research..." Ok, that definitely wasn't what you were expecting. "Not long after we started dating, Kun made me do all this research on BPD. He even quizzed me once a week! I just assumed it was punishment for dating his sister!" A loud laugh fell past your lips. That was absolutely something Kun would do!

"Are you mad I didn't tell you?" you asked.

"Well, why didn't you?"

"I was afraid you'd leave me like my exes..."

"Then yes, I'm mad!" he said.

Your face dropped.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'll just have to teach you a lesson!"

With that, he threw himself on top of you, pressing his sweaty clothes against you as you shrieked, attempting to get away.

"Guys... not on my bed..."

[hoedorokishoto]

Trust - Part 3

Shoto Todoroki x Reader 

+ Minors DNI 

previous | part | next

"So what, they were just arguing outside the dorm?" Toshi asked, stretched out on the couch in my workshop, manspreading as he rubbed the back of his neck. One of his long legs not quite fitting on the small red couch, hanging over edge.

"Yeah...I mean, I don't think it was too serious but there was definitely yelling." I stated, flicking my protective goggles down over my eyes and welding new panels on some of Bakugo's equipment, keeping the lines clean and crisp. Not wanting to feel or hear the wrath of Katsuki Bakugo if something was out of place.

"And you were in the bushes?" He asked, quirking his eyebrow, laughing at me as he laid down further on the couch.

"Not in a creepy way! In a what the fuck, dodge and evade kinda way." I said, my voice becoming higher as I defended myself. I had to admit, the situation last night would have sounded suspicious if I had told anyone else. A half-black 18-year-old, hiding in the bushes listening to a conversation between two rich popular people in the middle of the night. Yeah very sus indeed. But I knew that my story was safe with Hitoshi, hoping that he might even have some insider 3A knowledge.

"Well, nothing too exciting happened after they left. Yaomomo walked in head held high, made some tea and went to bed." He said, yawning and placing his arm over his eyes. He didn't mention Todoroki. Did he not go back inside? Where did he find himself last night? I didn't dwell any longer in the bushes to find out, almost regretting that decision now.

"So no gossip? I'm disappointed." I said shrugging, faking disappointment. He laughed behind me, his arm still shielding his eyes as he shifted and got comfortable, preparing to nap as I worked into the late afternoon no doubt. Mr Aizawa having to cancel their private training for 'Pro Hero Reasons'.

I never cared much for the drama of UA students, hero course or otherwise, but recently a two-toned boy had piqued my interest. The situation last night not helping me want to mind my own business. Usually everyone was too busy or too tired for drama, a fact that I had come to love since being at UA. Gone were the days of schoolyard bullying and the gossip about who was hooking up with who.

"What's going on in that brilliant brain of yours?" Hitoshi asked, his arm still over his eyes, not once had he even looked up.

"I can feel the neurons firing in your brain from here." He said before I could answer. It was times likes these that I hated he knew me so well.

What was going on in my brain? It felt like for the first time in 18 years I didn't know exactly what I wanted or how I would go about getting it. Shoto Todoroki's name had really thrown a spanner in the works from the moment it was listed next to mine.

"He is quite interesting... that's all I'll say about it." I said in Hitoshi's direction, looking back down, welding the remaining panels together.

"What? You have a thing for Todoroki now? Well get in line behind the rest of the school." He said laughing.

"I don't have a thing! I just find him interesting. Is that a crime?"

I put my equipment away and stood back admiring the finished product, hand on my hip and once again covered in grease. The thick black layer of grime almost a permanent feature of my skin since 1st year. Most of my clothes stained and musty. Smelling like the workshop and a truck had a baby.

"Speaking of interesting... Shishida said he knew you were there last night. I saw him talking to Kaibara about it this morning before class, looking all flustered." Toshi said, finally getting up and coming to stand beside me with one hand in his pocket and the other atop my head.

"I forget that his quirk lets him hear and smell everything. It's a little unsettling." I stated, a shiver going up my spine. I did forget about Shishida and his beast quirk, how he probably heard the whole thing and everything that was said and done last night in Sen's dorm room. Since mine and Hitoshi's most recent conversation about Sen, I have been feeling worse. Wishing that I could like him more or at least have the decency to cut him off. As much as I hated the thought of a relationship the thought of being alone forever with no one sounded even worse, as selfish as it sounded. I was using Sen to feel something, something that I knew would never grow and we would never be more than this.

"Am I a terrible person?" I asked, out of the blue. Shocking even Hitoshi as his eyes went wide.

"Of course not, why would you ask that?"

"I can feel it, I feel how much he likes me and wants me to stay but I just can't. I worry that I won't ever like anyone like that." I said sadly, dropping my head and removing the helmet, rubbing my cheek with the back of my hand.

"Hey! Boys and girls may come and go but you and me are forever. Don't ever forget that. I've seen your heart and I know how big it is and I know exactly who you are." He said, putting his long finger under my chin and lifting my head, a small smile on his handsome face.

"I don't know what will happen in the future. But regardless I'll always be on your side."

                                                              *

The next few days continued on like any other, morning classes then UA class followed by after school and extra curricular activities. The last bell of the day rang out, dismissing students and teachers who were eager to get back to the dorms to start enjoying their one day weekend. Sunday being the only day off for all students.

"So... What are you wearing? I'm thinking that red dress where your boobs look absolutely amazing." Mei said as she linked our arms as we left out respective workshops and matched step as we left the main UA building.

"Hmm maybe, I mean they are one of my best assets." I agreed, replying to Hitoshi's text message about what time we should head over.

"I'm excited. Iida has been freaking out all week trying to mentally prepare for tonight, I can already picture him running around offering people water or something lame like that." She giggled, her face lighting up as she talked about Iida.

Mei and Tenya weren't official but to all of us they might as well have been. They even spent last Christmas together, sharing their first kiss in the snow. I think Iida was hesitant after what happened to his brother, not wanting anything terrible to happen to the people he loved most because of his career path. A noble man through and through.

Ding.

Sen- Hey, are you coming to the party tonight?

I hadn't seen Sen since the last time we had sex and I left without an explanation, saying that I would text him. Which I had not done.

I had been thinking about everything recently, liking Sen enough to not want to hurt him but not liking him enough to want to be his girlfriend. We were both already in too deep, whatever I said now even if it was letting him down easy was going to be harsh. That's what happens when you are a selfish piece of shit who just wants to get dicked down. I sighed heavily and looked down, rubbing my temples. Over having to think about this whole situation, and just wanting to crawl into bed and never come out.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what is this? I don't like it." Mei said, waving her hand up and down, gesturing to my whole body.

"Why aren't you excited! We always get excited for parties." She stated, linking our arms once more and walking us down the halls.

"I'm excited. Who said I wasn't excited."

"Oh just your face, your body language and your whole aura."

She was probably right, the introvert in me wanted nothing more than to stay home and avoid any and all confrontation about the situation that I had caused. I didn't answer her as we continued to walk, making our way to the huge doors and pushing them open. Coming face to face with Sen, Shishida and Tetsu Tetsu. All of them turning and looking directly at us as we walked out.

"Hey guys! Wanna walk together?" Tetsu asked, his usual cheerful self on full display. His sunshine personality and aloofness clearly missing the weird tension between me and Sen.

"Um..." Sen started, blushing slightly and looking in my direction, his eyes looking sad as they took me in.

"We would love to! 3 future pro heroes as our personal chaperons? How did we get so lucky?" Mei answers, her voice getting higher as she looked between me and Sen, picking up whatever energy we were giving off.

We went the long way, the plan was to drop us off at our dorm then the 3 boys continue onto theirs. The conversation flowed naturally as we all talked about the party tonight and offers which we had gotten for work studies and internships.

"Hatsume I really loved the gear you made me! You guys are so cool, I wish I was half as smart as you. Mr Vlad might actually pass me then." Testu Testsu confessed, smiling and showing off his sharp teeth to us. The rest of the group continued to make small talk as we walked, me and Sen lagging behind the group, not walking together but close enough that I could hear his breathing. Fast and almost panicked, cleary working himself up.

"Y/N. Can I talk to you for a sec?" Sen asked quietly behind me so only I could hear. I stilled, scared that if I turned around, my heart and head would be even more confused. As if that was possible.

"You guys can go on without us." I said to the others, smiling at them as they waved us off.

"I'm s."

"I just."

We both said at the same time, both of us stepping forward towards each other. A blush making it's way up Sen's cheeks. He was incredibly cute. The type of cute that if you bought him home your parents would approve. The type of cute that was safe.

"You know that I like you, I don't try to hide it Y/N" He stated confidently, his darks eyes staring into mine.

"I love being with you, not just physically. I want to be someone you can rely on. Be there for you whenever you need. Why won't you give me a chance?" He said louder this time. My heart hammering in my chest. Not at his sudden confess but because I was scared of my answer, scared of being labeled the bad guy and rightfully so.

"Please, come with me to the party as my date and just give me a chance. There has to be something there or else we wouldn't have made it this far."

That's where he was wrong. People could sleep with people and not want to date them. People could promise each other the world and leave them the very next day. I knew that I could have sex with Sen a million times and even then, it would only be sex. He would only ever be cute, and if things ever went any further he would only break my heart or me his.

Despite this, as I looked at his eyes and his tall frame looming over me I answered with the complete contradiction.

"Yes, meet me outside my dorm at 7?"  

[more-than-a-princess]

They couldn't possibly see eye-to-eye on everything. For example, he saw her as a perfect, pristine, untouchable princess who briefly stepped out from behind her gilded cage to mingle with the masses before disappearing once again. Kazuichi, or at least the way she was accustomed to him treating her, couldn't be more wrong: Sonia was both far from perfect and had zero intention of ever being permanently shut in behind Novoselic Castle gates again. But this difference was far less damaging to her psyche, evident as she chuckled and shook her head. "And that is where we must differ," She told him as they approached the dormitories. "You see, it is precisely because there are infinite souls, infinite possibilities of people to meet, that I find other people so fascinating. With each person who crosses your path, your world expands into something it could never have been before. That, and perhaps it is my rotten luck with machines and appliances: I did accidentally break my floor's toaster this week and must replace it."

She wasn't about to divulge as to why: it was, according to the HPA staff who had come when the fire alarms had gone off, terribly embarrassing that a high school student managed to destroy a common kitchen appliance due to her lack of familiarity with it. And cooking for herself, and cleaning for herself, and every other normal day-to-day activity everyone seemed to master. Was there some sort of tutelage that she, as the Princess of Novoselic under the instruction of half a dozen private tutors, had been exempt from? It did make her feel far less normal, like a regular high school girl, than she would have liked.

Then again, normal high school girls didn't have an arms cabinet in their dormitory suite walk-in closet either, right beside their seasonal collection of designer shoes and handbags. It was part of the agreement her family had made with the school: the Princess of Novoselic, especially with lightened personal security, was never to be left unarmed, regardless of the school's own security team.

"Proficient in firearms," She repeated, as if he hadn't heard her the first time around. "Every citizen in Novoselic is given mandatory military training as children as long as they are able-bodied, and able-bodied immigrants under a certain age are trained as well. My country is partly able to have such a strong line of defense against any possible aggressors due to the fact its citizens are trained at a young age to drive a tank, shoot various guns, perform immediate first aid on the battlefield, and other necessary skills. I simply happened to be quite talented with guns, and the military and strategy training in general. My favorite is the rocket launcher! It makes the most lovely explosions."

She neglected to tell him that there was an underground, hidden shooting range on the school campus: that was on a need-to-know basis, in order to protect the students who were not given clearance to use it and did not have the proper safety training. Still, she often ran into Fuyuhiko during her practice, and on occasion one of the girls in Class 78 with short hair, freckles, and a quiet demeanor. But it was mostly deserted, as it should be: most talents didn't come with a need to be a weapons expert.

"I think it is, a large part at least, about confidence," She replied, opening the door herself to enter the building. It was a balancing act, what with holding her heels, her clutch bag, and the hem of her evening gown as well as the door, but she managed. Another daily thrill for her, opening her own doors to the outside. "Some of it is the confidence that you will make them listen. I rather think Mioda-san is like that, with her music. And then there are others like Togami-san in Class 78, whom I don't think has ever been told that someone isn't interested in his opinion. It is good to remind ourselves of our humanity, even when it feels like the world has been placed on your shoulders. In my case, the futures of several million people and influencing the lives of billions more, with Novoselic's cooperation with foreign countries. I admit...it is daunting at times. How can I let so many people down if I always act on my desires? Sometimes I wonder if there is even an answer to that question: duty versus indulgences."

She nodded, smiling at his belief that every child should have a father figure. Truthfully, she was far closer to her own father than her mother, the latter wanting to challenge her for everything she did at every turn. But parental 'figures' were a foreign concept, at least in the ways television shows and films depicted them: cooking meals, sorting through mundane problems, a good amount of recreation and an even bigger amount of pride in their children, no matter what they did. Sonia knew that approval, attention, pride, and even love were transactional in her family, based on how well she represented the Novoselic Royal Family. How well she fit in. How well she didn't cause a scandal and brought about only admiration, compliments, and faith that she was well-suited to lead Novoselic one day.

Still, she raised her eyebrows in surprise: thankfully, the night guard was too busy napping on the job to witness the scene playing out before him. The bills seemed old, smelling of oil and whatever else that was on Kazuichi's person and caused Sonia to use every ounce of control and poise not to wrinkle her nose in return. She hated the scent of motor oil. "Please, do not mention it and keep your money, She insisted, with a smile and shake of her head. "Use it to treat me next time? I find that far more preferable than a financial transaction."

“I mean, machines are definitely easier to deal with than people. With machines, there’s like, a finite number of what you need to know to fix or make stuff, but with people… i-it feels like there’s infinite possibilities, and… I don’t like that,” the mechanic mused, “I really don’t think… being a mechanic is as hard as being a princess. N-not saying being a princess is a bad thing! Just… really hard. I always thought it just meant you get a dreamy. That you can buy the best expensive stuff and have people always around you all the time, but…” He was starting to understand how there’s an ugly side to it, too. If he had to word it, he’d say it’s almost like the title came with shackles. It was… a little disturbing.

How ironic was it, that he’s always wanted to find common ground between him and the princess, but now that she was offering him some, he was hesitant to accept it?

“F-firearm…?” Proficient in what now? It took him by surprise, having not expected her to mention something like that and so casually. That was odd, right? Learning how to use a gun? The casual way she said it was making him doubt himself. “…Er, r-right. Maybe if you um, weren’t born a princess, you have different hobbies too…” With no idea who’s name it was she was referencing, he chose not to comment on it. As long as it made the princess happy, he wouldn’t question it.

“Is it… really just about confidence? ‘cause usually some people just, don’t want to listen to specific people. They don’t care if they’re confident or not. Sometimes if they are confident they’d try to… u-uh, never mind.” Thinking too hard about it was hurting his brain. “E-either way, I think it’s normal to have things you want, Miss—! ……S-Sonia-san.” Shit, he slipped. “We’re all humans, right? And like, sometimes it’s like… if you ignore what you want, it’ll just stay here and get all… gooey,” he explained, gesturing at his chest. “And then you can’t care about others ‘cause there’s too much… goo. Does uhm, d-does that make sense?” Again, he wasn’t the best explainer.

Hearing that she didn’t think it was weird for a guy to want to be a babysitter relieved him immensely, nodding eagerly at everything she said. “R-right?? Some kids don’t get to experience having a dad, so it would give them… at least some kind of… father figure experience? ‘cause, it sucks if a kid feels like there isn’t a dad they could go back to.” He didn’t know enough to talk about the mom side of it, but having a dad or a dad figure at the very least felt like a crucial part in everyone’s life.

As they walked in the building, he seemed to be hit with a mental reminder, halting in his steps with a “oh!” as he hastily searched his pockets. “B-before I forget! I uh… hold on, uh…” he mumbled to himself, counting the wrinkled money papers as he took it out of his pocket, wrapping it up in a tissue before handing it out to the other. “H-here, for the other day. I know you don’t really need it, but… i-it just doesn’t feel right not to give it back, y’know?”

[professorsnape394]

The Potions Master’s Apprentice

Chapter Sixteen: Halloween

A/N: This is the sixteenth part to my fanfiction ‘The Potions Master’s Apprentice (Severus Snape x OC)’. Chapters 1-16 can be found already uploaded on Wattpad under the same name. Feel free to leave requests in my inbox for anything Snape related you want me to write. Leave a comment below if you wish to be added to my tag list.

Pairing: Severus Snape x OC (Dumbledore’s Granddaughter)

Summary: A talented young witch is employed as an apprentice professor at Hogwarts, but who will she be working under? Severus Snape is not best pleased with his new responsibility of taking on an apprentice, however she is relentless to create a friendship between them. Will she be successful? Or might the friendship just go a little two far? With the eyes of her grandfather constantly watching over them, an attempt at a relationship might not be in the cards for Aria Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

Word Count: 5342

Warnings: mentions of sexual harassment, alcohol consumption. 

Credits to Gif Creator

"Harry Potter." Dumbledore whispered, his lip almost trembling as he read the scrap of parchment that had just been spat out from the goblet.

The hall felt silence.

"Harry Potter." He spoke louder, looking furiously around the hall.

All eyes now searched for Harry.

"Harry Potter!" Albus yelled for a final time.

Aria felt her heart pound in her chest, surely this was a mistake, he wasn't even of age. She looked to her right, hoping Severus would provide some reassurance, though he too seemed just as shocked as she.

The young Gryffindor rose gingerly to his feet, being forced up by his friends and classmates. He seemed petrified, and just as confused as everyone else.

Students heckled him as he walked through the hall, assuming he had found some way to cheat the system. Neither Snape nor Aria believed this could be the case.

Aria Dumbledore stumbled slightly on her heels as she looked around desperately for someone to correct the situation. Without thinking she gripped her hand around the potions masters arm, clinging on for dear life. "Severus." She pleaded, her eyes wide with desperation, brow furrowed in frustration. "He's only fourteen."

Snape looked down at his apprentice, the look in her eyes paining him possibly more than the thought of the young boy competing in a deadly tournament. He opened his mouth to speak, almost about to place his own hand onto hers. But froze as Harry approached the Headmaster, and the parchment was thrust into his hand.

Severus broke away from Aria, turning his gaze outward as the boy came face to face with him.

Still completely shell shocked Harry made his way out of the room, earning a reassuring motherly tap from Minerva McGonagall on the way before disappearing along with the other Tri-Wizard champions.

Instantly the remaining students were dismissed back to their dormitories while a commotion broke out among the professors.

Both Headmaster Karkaroff and Madame Maxime outraged at the mere prospect of Hogwarts having two competing champions. The resident professors however, were far more concerned with Potter's safety than having a leg up in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Dumbledore flew from the room, Severus following at his heels, and all the other teachers not far behind. Minerva faltered for a second, falling in line with Aria as they made their way from the room, clinging to each other desperately.

"Harry Potter, did you put your name in the goblet of fire?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"No sir." The boy stuttered, his eyes darting between the crowd of professors.

"But of course, 'e is lying." Olympe accused, towering above even Hagrid.

"To hell he is." Mad- eye moody stepped forward. "The goblet of fire is an exceptionally powerful magical object, only an exceptionally powerful confundus charm could have hoodwinked it, magic way beyond the talents of a fourth year."

"You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought, Mad-eye." Karkaroff spat in return.

While the two men continued arguing, Aria broke arms with Minerva, once again working up the courage to approach Severus. Bringing his attention away from the chaos, she wrapped both hands around Snape's bicep, forcing herself closer to him. "Please." She begged.

Severus faltered. He saw the desperateness in her eyes, as well as in his friend Minerva's. He knew they both cared deeply about the boy. But what exactly was he meant to do?

"The rules are absolute." Barty Crouch sr. spoke. "The goblet of fire constitutes a binding magical contract. Mr. Potter has no choice, he is, as of tonight, a Tri-Wizard champion."

Severus locked eyes with Aria, wishing he could do more. Slowly Aria let her hands fall, she knew now he would not intervene.

Back in the potions classroom, Aria had almost become furious with Snape for not speaking up. Severus on the other hand, was getting sick of the woman going on at him about it, and was rather more concerned with why she chose to hold him in the way she did. A thought that hadn't let his mind since her fingers left his arm.

"I cannot believe you didn't stop them, Severus. Harry is not skilled enough to compete, not to mention the competition is renowned to be deadly. I can't believe it's actually still allowed to continue."

"And what exactly did you expect me to do Miss Dumbledore?" Snape questioned flicking his cloak behind him as he took a seat by his desk. "Barty said it himself. The rules are absolute, he is contractually bound. Nothing I could have said would have made any difference."

"But you could have tried." Aria whined, slamming her palms on the desk.

"And achieved what?" Snape shot up, his tone sharpening. "You overestimate my influence in this school, Miss Dumbledore. While your grandfather may rely on me for trivial duties, that is where my power stops." He snapped, getting annoyed at the woman for consistently guilting him.

"But you must know he didn't put his own name in, he couldn't have!" She persuaded, exasperated.

"Whether I believe he did or did not is irrelevant. He is competing and that's the end of it. That also goes for this conversation. I don't want to hear anymore of it." Snape warned, his eyes piercing into her. "Take the rest of the day off." He commanded.

Given that it was Saturday he had no right to keep her there anyway, though the witch had hoped she could spend the day with him, even if it meant giving themselves more work. Now that she had been banished from the classroom the prospects of her day were low and given that it was Halloween she suspected almost all of the students would be hauled up in their dorms throwing their own private parties. She had heard from Fred and George that it wasn't uncommon for the Gryffindor common room to be host to a number of events throughout the year, today certainly wouldn't be any exception.

Thinking of the students enjoying themselves sparked an idea for Aria. If they students were having party, why couldn't the professors?

Aria dedicated her day to doing her rounds of the school inviting every professor and member of staff she could think of to a party in the staff room that evening. It appeared the professors were just as in need of a night off as the students were, by the looks of it the party planning had gone quite successfully.

* Making her way briskly through the dimly lit dungeon corridor, Aria headed for the Hogwarts staff room, hoping not to cross paths with any suspicious looking rogue students on her way. As she passed by the old wooden door of Snape's office it occurred to Aria she had neglected to invite one crucial member of staff to this evenings event.

"Fuck." She groaned, running a hand through her sleekly styled hair.

Teetering on her heels Aria debated knocking on the door. Though it was highly unlikely Severus would even want to attend her party, she knew it would inevitably be better asking him at the eleventh hour than to not ask at all.

Braving the knock, she prepared herself for the ridiculing she was bound to receive.

A moment or two passed with no response, assuming Severus was located elsewhere, Aria chose to let herself in, just in case.

To her surprise Severus Snape was sat, hunched over his desk as he usually was. Only this time his desk was no longer cluttered with papers but displayed a singular framed photograph, which seemed to captivate Snape. He was evidently deaf to the world.

Coughing lightly to declare herself, Aria gently shut the door behind her.

"Professor Snape." She announced trying to get on his good side, though a hint of surprise and embarrassment remained.

Straightening his posture, Snape extended his arm slowly, slamming the picture face first into the desk, desperate to keep it hidden.

"Miss... Dumbledore." He droned, eyeing the woman up and down. A slight look of disgust forming on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"I... I erm... I've arranged a small get together in the staff room tonight; you know, some drinks and snacks and music, since it's Halloween and all. I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

"I think not, Miss Dumbledore." He said, instantly turning away, disinterested.

"Of course: I understand." She nodded her head nervously. "It's so last minute, I doubt many people will come anyway, to be honest with you." She shrugged, shuffling on her feet.

Snape looked up from his desk, watching the woman squirm, he almost pitied her.

"Professor Flitwick informed me of your little 'get together' earlier this afternoon Miss Dumbledore." His voice dropping with boredom. "It seems the whole faculty is excited by the prospect of a party. I wouldn't worry about attendance too much."

Aria's heart practically flew out of her mouth. It hadn't crossed her mind for one single moment that Severus would have interacted with anyone besides herself today, let alone been discussing social events.

"Fuck." Aria said again, under her breath. "I meant to tell you Severus, honestly. It slipped my mind, I didn't mean to leave you out. I feel so stupid. I'm so sorry." She rambled.

"Relax, Miss Dumbledore." He commanded. "Whether I knew about your party or not has no affect on my decision. I wouldn't have come either way, I assumed you would know better than to invite me, it's a waste of time and energy for the both of us."

"Oh, I, er... I thought maybe since it was me, you might have reconsidered." The words had come out of her mouth before she had even realised what she had said. What made her any different from any other Professor?

"Don't flatter yourself, just because I am forced to work with you everyday does not mean I am willing to change my entire personality for you." Snape scoffed.

"I just meant- oh what's the point, your right, this is a waste of time, I'll leave you alone."

The witch turned to leave, one hand reaching for the door, before she heard the voice of the potions master speak up again.

"Wait." He demanded. "I'm curious. What exactly are you supposed to be?" The potions masters eyes travelled up and down the girl, inspecting her outfit for any trace of a costume.

"Oh." She stopped in her tracks. "I'm a sexy devil." She grinned, showing herself off and brandishing a pair of cheap plastic horns and a pitchfork she had been anxiously twiddling behind her back.

"Of course you are." He scoffed, rolling his eyes in disgust.

"I got them from Zonko's, it was the best I could do at the last minute." She shrugged, shying away.

Reaching again for the door handle, Aria froze, spinning back on her heel.

"Who is she?" She asked abruptly.

"I'm sorry?" Snape retorted, baffled that she dare even ask.

"You got a question, now I do too. Who is she?" The Professor nodded to the toppled over picture frame.

"How do you-"

"I just do. Who is she?" Aria pressured once more.

"A friend." He answered simply.

"Do you love her?" Aria couldn't help but pry further, though she had no idea why she wanted to know.

Severus simply looked up from his desk, his eyes connecting with Aria's. They shared a knowing look, neither of them needing to verbalise it.  

"Oh." She responded, pressing her glossy scarlet lips together. "I guess you're not as heartless as you pretend you are after all." She smirked, finally leaving the room.

*

"Severus couldn't make it then?" A feline-esq Mcgonagall asked, joining Aria next to the drinks table.

"No." Aria replied. "He was busy. I shouldn't have expected him to anyway, this isn't exactly his sort of thing is it?" She said looking around at the crowd of professors disguised as pirates, superheroes and zombies, casually chatting and swaying away to the  music.

"I shouldn't think it is." Minerva agreed, taking off her pair of false cat ears, giving her head a moments release. Aria couldn't help but laugh at her choice of costume, which I'm sure was professors desired reaction.

Pouring yet another drink Aria felt herself swaying back and forth in her heels, the alcohol was finally beginning to take its toll.

"Pace yourself, my dear, the night is still young." Minerva chuckled, taking a sip of wine.

"Sorry." Aria chuckled, gulping down the rest of her cocktail, completely ignoring the advice from her friend. "It's just been a while since I've allowed myself to get drunk, ya know, the side effects don't agree with me much."

"Well your still young I suppose, people your age often are out partying every weekend. I think you should allow yourself the luxury just this once, eh. The side effects are tomorrow's problem." The older woman winked.

"God, I hope not." Aria whispered, but continued pouring drinks nonetheless.

"Join me?" Aria said, clumsily pouring two very large shots, for the pair to down. "Let's get a bit more life into this party, shall we?" She announced, turning up the music and began filling a tray of shot glasses up, passing them around the room.

"Everyone gather around and let's make this interesting." The young woman mischievously announced.

Lining up numerous shots glasses and filling them with various miscellaneous liquors, Aria waited for the staff to gather round the table.

"Truth or dare. Alcohol edition. If this doesn't get us all absolutely hammered by the end of the night, nothing will." She laughed, hoping that getting these witches and wizards drunk and spilling some secrets would be a bit more fun that just standing around talking.

"And on that note, I feel this may be my cue to retire for the night." Dumbledore informed, taking Aria by the hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "You lot have fun." He smiled, chuckling to himself as he walked away.

One hour, two bottles of tequila and several very very drunk professors later Aria Dumbledore was satisfied with her attempts at spicing things up. The game had begun to wind to an end, with a couple of teachers tapping out, a few more passed out, and, in the case of Hagrid and Olympe Maxine, making out.

"Your turn again Aria; truth, dare or drink." Aurora Sinistra enquired. The small crowd buzzed, hyping her up as she carefully considered her decision.

"Truth!" She shouted, chickening out of yet another dare, and she truly did not think she could handle one more shot.

"I have one for you." Igor Karkaroff confessed, seemingly appearing from out of nowhere and plopping himself down in the empty space next to Aria.

"Then go ahead." She allowed, gathering her legs in a basket and turning to face him.

"How do you really feel about Severus Snape?" He breathed, his face inching closer to hers the longer she paused to think. The few invested professors fell silent eagerly anticipating her response.

"How do I feel about Snape?" She slurred, letting out a small amused laugh, as her body continued to sway towards Igor unknowingly.

"He's... curious." She began, finding her words amidst a sea of drunken thoughts. "He has the capacity for love and friendship just like the rest of us, yet he chooses to be mean-spirited. And for what? No apparent reason but his own satisfaction. He can be rude and arrogant and cruel. And despite it all I try my best try to show him kindness, but where does that get me? He calls me out in front of practically the whole school? That was so fucking humiliating, and I'm just supposed to forgive him? I think it's safe to do say I'd live a happy life, if I were to never see that man again."

"It's seems you've had a bit of time to think about this? I assumed you and Severus were friends." Madam Pomfrey commented, as the room fell silent.

"Can anyone really be friends with that man." Aria scoffed, beginning to feel uncomfortable, as it became clear to her that others did not share the same opinion.

"Admittedly Severus can be a hard man to get along with. But really he's not so bad once you get to know him." Minerva informed. "While he may not show it, he does care. Give him another chance, Aria, it takes a while to warm up to him."

Aria gave a small nod, thinking now might be a good time to wrap things up. She felt guilty for saying such bad things about Severus but it had also been some what of a release to get it all out there before she was truly able to forgive him for all the horrible things he said.

Picking up her scattered heels she had abandoned some time ago, Aria decided to call it a night.

~

Severus Snape had barely moved from the moment Aria Dumbledore had left his office. He sat frozen in time, simply staring at the picture of her. It had become routine for him at this point, every year, on Halloween, he would mourn the life of the woman he had once called best friend. He thought back to that night when he found her, murdered by the man he had put his faith in, the man he believed would spare her life, the man he vowed from that point onwards, he would help put an end to. It was on this day every year, he reminisced on his life full of regrets.

It was then he heard a small amount of commotion and scuffling echoing through the dungeon corridor. Assuming it would be a couple of excitable teenagers Snape made his way out, ready to deduct a couple of house points for disrupting his evening.

Unable to distinguish any facial features in the dark, Snape listened carefully to the drunken mumbles from down the hall. As he closed in on the pair it became clear to him that what he once assumed to be a playful make out session, was in reality an act of unwanted attention. The female was clearly drunk and struggling to dissuade the man's advances.

Illuminating the tip of his wand, Severus ripped the man away from the woman, thrusting him into the light. "Karkaroff?" Snape winced, releasing his tight grip on the headmasters collar. Slowly coming to terms with the reality before him, Snape's eyes darted towards the woman, who, seconds ago, had been pinned to the cold stone wall. Pealing away the curtain of hair from her face, Aria timidly revealed herself.

"What the fuck are you doing Snape?" Karkaroff grumbled, stumbling backwards, struggling to keep his balance.

"I could ask you the very same question, Igor." Severus seethed, pressing the tip of his wand firmly into Igor's neck.

"No need to get so defensive." Karkaroff chuckled. "Do not believe this innocent act, she wants this just as much as me. She's gagging for it, Severus, you should know that more than anyone." He burped grotesquely, making a move in Aria's direction.

Instantly forcing himself between the ex-deatheater and his assistant. Severus dug his wand deeper into the man's skin. "Do not come any closer, Igor. I suggest you leave now and hope to God that Dumbledore doesn't hear of this."

Karkaroff paused for a second, running his tongue along his bottom lip in contemplation. Slowly closing the gap between himself and he potions master, Igor Karkaroff whispered into his colleagues ear. "I can wipe her memory straight after, no one needs to know. Go back into your chambers and forget you ever saw anything. I wouldn't blame you if you did the same."

"You disgust me." Snape spat, shoving the man away from him.

Karkaroff laughed sinisterly once again, seeing no real severity of his actions. That was the last straw for Severus. Swiping his wand across his face, a small but painful cut began to appear on Igor's cheek, a tiny pool of blood quickly forming and spilling down his face.

"Go. Now. Before I regret letting you off so lightly." The potions master commanded.

Having silently witnessed the whole exchange, Aria felt her pulse racing, feeling utterly helpless in her drunken state. Half expecting Severus to simply turn and leave, Aria begun to fiddle with the hem of her dress, not wanting to see him walk away. To her surprise a warm hand rested itself on her bicep, defrosting her body from the outside in.

"Are you okay?" Severus asked sincerely concerned.

Aria nodded her head repeatedly, but refused to meet her mentors gaze. "He didn't really do anything. He... he just wanted to come in for a nightcap." She tried to convince herself.

"I think we both know what his intentions were." Snape droned, agitated by her stupidity.

"Thank you." She said solemnly, her eyes finally meeting his.

Acknowledging her appreciation, Snape turned on his heel ready to finally retire for the night.

"Wait, Severus." She spoke up, finding her voice again. "I could use some company tonight. Do you mind if I join you?"

"It's been a long day, Miss Dumbledore. I was planning on getting at least some sleep tonight."

"I understand." She hung her head, embarrassed for even asking.

Looking down at the disappointed look on the young woman's face, he did not have the heart to leave her after what had just happened. Letting out a hefty sigh, Snape made his way to his office, throwing open the old oak door, waiting patiently.

"Come on then." He offered, motioning to the empty room.

~

"Do you mind if I...?" Aria gestured to a rogue bottle of FireWhiskey. "For the nerves."

"Go ahead." Snape permitted, settling back down behind his desk, while Aria made herself at home in his office.

Truthfully Aria had found herself becoming rapidly more sober by the second and she was desperate to put an end to that feeling as soon as possible. She was already embarrassed enough without the risk of Snape asking anymore questions.

"How was your little party." Severus pondered, having nothing else to occupy him.

"Not bad. Would have been better with you there though." Aria confessed, taking a seat on the edge of Severus' desk, gulping down her glass of FireWhiskey.

"I doubt that that is true." He droned, rolling his eyes, unconvinced.

"Of course its true, you're my friend Severus. Why do you find it so hard to believe that someone could enjoy your company." She raised an eyebrow at the potions master.

"There is not much to like about a man like me, Miss Dumbledore. I simply do not see the appeal." Leaning forward in his chair, Snape averted his gaze.

"Well I do." Aria assured firmly, refusing to take her eyes off the man in front of her. "And clearly you were open to friends in the past. You speak of this woman for instance, the two of you were friends." She tried to get him to open up.

"For a while." He replied simply.

"See."

"When we were children." He elaborated, once again meeting her eyes. "And that brief phenomenon ended when the prospect of a better opportunity arose for her." Snape added bitterly.

"That cannot possibly be true." Aria scoffed, unconvinced he was telling her the whole truth.

"That, coupled with my less than amiable personality, and a few harsh words drove her away for good. And with final nail in the coffin being just that, there is no hope for a reunion any time soon." He finalised, his tone harsher and more agitated than before.

"Is that a habit of yours then?"

"Is what a habit of mine?"

"Attempting to drive away your friends by insulting them." She said it only to be playful, hoping to coax a small smirk from him, but clearly that night was still a sore spot for him, even more so than it was for her. "Why don't you allow yourself the simplest bit of happiness, Severus. I know for a fact there are many Professors who think very highly of you, if you only let yourself be liked, you would have a great number of friends."

"What makes you think I want friends, Miss Dumbledore." Snape relaxed in his chair, finally turning his full focus to the young woman. "Has it ever occurred to you I am like this for a reason. That I like to be alone. That I drive people away simply because I do not want them in my life."

"I don't believe that for one second."

"Why?" He challenged. His temper beginning to boil at the woman's unyielding persistence.

"Because you loved her, Severus." Aria Dumbledore blurted. A moment of silence filled the room, the pair both slightly in shock that she dare speak the words, that Severus Snape was capable of love, aloud. Nevertheless she chose to continue, seeing no harm in speaking her mind now. "She was your friend and you loved her. I know it broke your heart when she died. And I know your trying to protect yourself from getting hurt again. But you must let yourself be vulnerable, or else what is the point in living? I am determined to be your friend, Severus Snape. And while I know that probably terrifies you, you really do not have any say in the matter. If you truly liked being alone, you would have left me out in that corridor tonight." She finished with a sigh.

Hoping off the desk to pour another drink, Aria's mind hummed away. Something felt different between her and Severus tonight. Despite at first being thrown off, and admittedly, slightly jealous of the woman in the picture, it had given her hope. Not fully understanding what she was feeling, she decided to blame it on the booze. Whatever it was, was tomorrow's problem.

Intending to join Aria for a drink, Severus ventured out from behind his desk, meeting Aria in the center of the room. Having practically read his mind, she presented her friend with a very large glass of Firewhiskey, and began to make a start on her own. As the cold glass balanced on the edge of her lip, Aria suddenly became hyperaware of how close her and Severus' bodies were. His fingertips grazed her own as he made to take the glass from her, clearly lingering for much longer than necessary. Aria darted her eyes in his direction, wondering if he too noticed their closeness, she found him staring right back at her. With no sign of uncomfort or anxiety visible in his face, Aria felt her heart begin to beat faster than ever, and her palms became instantly sweaty. Gulping down the remainder of her drink, she slammed her glass down on the desk, turning to the door.

"I think I should go." Aria swallowed nervously, refusing to meet Severus' gaze. "Let you get some rest, finally. It's already so late."

She was panicking and rambling. It was obvious to both her and Severus. But the way he looked at her. She had never seen him look at anyone that way, he didn't look as harsh or mean or unimpressed as he usually did, and that terrified her. Though it wasn't how he looked at her that scared her, it was how it made her feel. Butterflies inhabited her stomach, her heart pounded in her chest, and her throat scratched when she spoke it had become so dry. She knew she had to get out of there before she done something she might regret.

"Aria, wait." Severus called out, placing his glass next to it's twin, though his remained untouched.

It was the first time he had called her by her first name. It felt so... intimate. She loved the way it sounded coming from him. His velvet monotone made her name sound so smooth and delicate. She could listen to him speak forever, she thought to herself. Shaking herself back into reality, Aria forced herself to turn and face Severus.

Without missing a beat Snape closed the gap between them, pulling her body close to his; one hand resting on her waist, the other cupping the back of her head. Before either of them knew what had happened the pair found themselves lost in a chaste, but passionate kiss.

Seemingly coming to his senses Severus Snape forced himself off of Aria, his face instantly flushing with colour. Averting his gaze, it was clear he was starting to regret what he had just done.

"I apologise, that was... I shouldn't have-"

To his surprise Aria cut him off, resting a cold hand on his newly warmed face. Their eyes met for a single moment, both knowing that this was what the other wanted. Standing slightly on her toes for height, Aria thrust her lips onto his, pulling him closer and tighter than before. Deepening the kiss Severus quickly regained control, letting himself lose himself in the moment. The couple found themselves drifting towards the door, using it as a support, allowing them Severus to be as forceful as he wanted. While Aria's hands roamed the whole of Severus' body, squeezing and grabbing anywhere she possibly could, Severus on the other hand, remained the perfect gentleman, keeping his hands strictly to her waist and face, and eventually settling on either side of her head, leaning against the firm wooden door.

Breaking away for a moment of air, Aria let out a satisfied groan, biting on her bottom lip seductively. Severus could not take his eyes of her, watching her every move hungrily, struggling to catch his breath.

"Wow." She finally exhaled, but instantly Aria pulled him in once more.

As the kiss continued and another second passed, the pair became hungrier for one another, and so the more passionate the kiss became. Getting almost too caught up in the moment, Aria made a move for Severus' belt buckle, hurriedly unclasping it, ready to undo his zipper.

"Stop." Severus panted, grabbing her wrist, before she went any further.

Coming to her senses Aria retracted from the situation, a wave of humiliation washing over her as she watched Severus re-buckle his belt.. Hiding her face in her hands, she moved out from between Snape and the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, It's not your fault." Snape tried to reassure. "I just... I wouldn't want to take advantage."

"You wouldn't be taking advantage, I was the one who wanted to-"

"I just think we need to end things here." Snape said firmly, once again cutting the woman off.

Accepting defeat Aria nodded to herself, knowing he was right. She had never felt so embarrassed in her whole life, she knew she would regret allowing herself to drink tonight, it never ended well.

"I should go." She whispered to Snape, refusing to look any higher than the man's shoes.

"Aria." He breathed, his voice full of sadness, knowing she was beginning to regret kissing him in the first place. He wanted to asked her to stay, but he knew it didn't matter what he said now to make up for stopping her, the moment was gone and so too was she about to be.

"Goodnight... Professor Snape." The witch sighed, reverting back to professionalisms and clicking the door shut behind her.

Taglist:

@ayamenimthiriel​ @lizlil​

[dahoomanprincess]

Miraculous: Tales of Redbug & Kuro Neko

Chapter 1: Origins Pt. 1

3rd Person POV

beep beep beep beep

Luka groaned as he was woken up by the alarm, his sister's alarm. He rubbed his eyes and slowly got out of his bed. He noticed that the alarm was still ringing which meant that Juleka was still asleep, she was a deep sleep after all. He then looked over to her desk and saw the yellow sticky note with the words 'first day back at school :(' written in purple ink stuck to the mirror. Luka smiled, first days back at school were tough, luckily he had finished school the year before, and went over to Juleka's bed to try and wake he up.

He turned off her alarm which, still hadn't waked her up. "Juleka, wake up, it's time for school", Luka said while slowly shaking her, trying to wake her up, but it was no use. She had been sleeping and still remained sleeping. Luka noticed and did the only thing that he knew would wake her up. He removed the sheets from her and started dragging her off the bed by her legs.

That seemed to do the trick as she stirred and woke up. She took notice of what was going on and tried to move closer to the other edge of the bed; where her pillow was. "Luka stoooop, let me goooo, I wanna go back to sleeeep", Juleka whined as her older brother was still dragging her off the bed.

"Hmmm... how about... no.", Luka said, with a mischivious smile on his face. Juleka huffed and said, "okay, okay, I'm awake", which caused him to let her go. "Now what do you want?", she asked, annoyed at him for waking her up. "Come on Jules, it's your first day back at school!", Luka told her. "Oh how exciting", she sarcastically said, adding an eye roll too. "Can't you be a bit more excited?", he asked, knowing well that Juleka despised going to school, and most of all interacting with people that were out of her friend group. "No", she responded with a straight face.

"And why's that?", he asked, even though he already knew the answer. "Oh you know, homework, eventual exams, talking to people, getting asked to answer questions and there's a high chance that Chloè's going to be in my class again.", Juleka answered, playing with the hem of her pyjama shirt. "Three years in a row!? Is that even possible!?" "Everything's possible when it comes to Chloè, Luka, I thought that by now you'd know it.", she said, adding a huff at the end. Juleka hated Chloè, well practically everyone did apart from Sabrina, her 'slave'. "But isn't that the school's thing to decide in which class students go?", Luka asked again. Juleka just shrugged.

"She won't be in your class this year Jules, don't worry", he tried reassuring her. "She will", Juleka responded. "Won't" "Will" "Won't" "Will" "Won't" "Will". They continued like that until Luka decided to do something. "You know what, I'm so confident that she won't be in your class that I'm betting €20 on it." Juleka smiled and rolled her eyes before saying, "And I'm so sure that she will that I'm betting €20 AND the loser has to buy the winner anything of their choice" "Anything?" "Anything"

Luka smirked and said, "Well Juleka I hope that you thought this well because there is this new guitar that I've got my eyes set on..." She then smirked back and said, "Luka, I hope that you have enough money saved up because there is this nail art set that I have been saving up for too..." They looked in each other's eyes with a challenging look and then Luka held out his hand and said, "Deal?", by which Juleka responded by shaking his hand and saying "Deal".

~~~

beep beep bee-

Kagami hit the snooze button on her mobile for what felt like the millionth time that morning. Why couldn't she sleep till noon like all the others her age that she sees on social media do? She pulled the covers back on her and tried to continue sleeping in the warmth of her bed.

Why couldn't she go to normal school like everyone else instead of being homeschooled? She barely got any holidays as she had to be the best of the best according to her mother. Kagami did want to do good in school, she wasn't one to not care about her grades, but also a break once in a while would also be good. Many people would say that they would prefer to be homeschooled, but it wasn't the case for her.

She wanted to be normal; go to school, have some independence, ineteract with other people, make friends. That's what she wanted most of all; to have a friend. Sure she did go to fencing lessons, but nobody would talk to her. Everyone saw her as the formal, strict, cold fencer, but she wasn't at all like that.

Kagami just needed a chance where she could be herself.

knock knock

She huffed, there went her 'extra' sleeping time. She responded with a groggy "mhm?" and the door to her bedroom creakily opened. One of her mother's servants walked in, stood near the door and said, "Your mother is waiting for you in the dining room." Kagami just responded with a thumbs up while still laying down in bed. The servant nodded and left her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Kagami reluctantly got out of her warm bed and streched before seeing what she had first in the morning. "Fencing first", she thought while seeing her timetable for the day, "I can wear the uniform after having breakfast and shower after fencing. Mother won't know if I stayed in pjs for now anyways..." She wore her slippers and made her way downstairs to the dining room.

~~~

Luka and Juleka were at the side of Françoise Dupont school, where students can park their bikes. Luka had gone with Juleka as he had been called to work at his part-time job in the morning that day.

"Do I have to go to school?", Juleka whined. Luka sighed and said, "Yes Jules, you have to if you want to succeed in life." She huffed and muttered something under her breath which he didn't hear. She then said, "If Chloè's in my class this year will be another bad one..." Luka smiled knowingly, he knew how Chloè makes everyone's lives a nightmare. "Well if she is in your class you will win the bet, and if she isn't you won't have to be bothered by her. It's a win-win situation in the end." "More like a lose-lose situation...", she muttered, but this time Luka had heard her.

"Aw come on Juleka- hey, isn't that Rose?", he started, but changed the topic when he saw Rose, Juleka's best friend (or maybe more) climb up the steps. Juleka looked at where her brother was looking, smiled and nodded. "Then go talk to her, and say to her from me!", he said. He had known Rose as during that summer him, Juleka, Rose and another student, Ivan, had started a rock band called Kitty Section. Juleka nodded and with a "bye Luka, love ya" she went off running. He responded by saying, "bye Jules, have a great day at school."

He then got on his bike and started biking to his workplace when he saw an old man slowly crossing the road while there was an oncoming car. Luka quickly got off his bike, ran to the man, grabbed his arm and took him to the other side of the road, on the sidewalk. "Are you okay sir?", Luka asked the old man whose life he had practically saved. "Yes young man, thank you for saving my life back there.", the old man replied, "I don't know how I can repay you for your act of kindness and for risking your life for me." "Don't worry sir, you don't have to give me anything.", Luka told him, smiling, "I have to go now, have a good day sir!" He crossed the road to get his bike and continued biking to his work.

The old man walked to a side road and took out a black, wooden, octagonal box with a strange Chinese symbol on it in red. He smiled and while looking at the box said, "Thank you very much, young man."

~~~

"We have arrived at your destination, Ms. Tsurugi.", the voice of Tatsu said as Kagami and her mother arrived at Mr. D'Argencourt's fencing academy. She went there three times a week for private lessons in the morning, plus her lessons with the other fencers in the afternoon. She usually went to her fencing lessons alone but since it was the start of a new term her mother had to pay Mr. D'Argencourt for the lessons.

"Tatsu, open the doors", Tomoe demanded. "Yes, Ms. Tsurugi", Tatsu replied and the car doors opened. Kagami went out and was about to head inside the building when she noticed an old man wearing a shirt with a Hawaiian print on the floor, trying to get his cane so he can get up. She cast a quick glance at her mother when an idea formed in her head.

She started jumping, as if she was trying to catch something that was flying away, while moving closer to the old man who was looking at her with a confused look. When she got near him, she quickly bent down, gave him his cane, whispered, "here you go sir" and helped him stand up. He smiled at her and she winked back before returning to her mother.

"Kagami! Where did you go?", her mother demanded. "I'm sorry mother, but a paper flew away and I went to retrieve it.", Kagami said, smiling slightly. Her mother's blindness did have its advantages at times. Not that she wanted her to be blind, but it made stuff like she just did easier. Tomoe just nodded and started walking inside. Kagami went after her, waving to the old man, who waved back, before she went in. After both of them went in, the old man got out another box, identical to the one before but with a different thing inside, and said, "Thank you very much, young lady" before walking away without the need of his cane.

~~~

Luka was almost half-way to his job when the ground rumbled and he almost fell off his bike. He saw everyone's confused faces and then heard gun shots. He saw a lime green glow from a bit further away than he was and saw something rocky grow. Some people were taking out their phones to see what was happening and he did the same. He went on the news website and saw Mayor Bourgeois saying that all Parisians must stay home until the current situation was under control.

Then his mum called him and he answered. "Luka is everything alright?", Anarka said, with slight panick evident in her voice, "where are you? Are you already at work?" "I'm fine mum, and I still haven't arrived to work yet. I was about to head back home." Anarka breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, at least you're not hurt. I went out to do some grocery shopping but I'm staying here till everything's all under control. Now head home and call me when you arrive, 'kay? And try to call yer sister, she didn't answer when I called her." "Yes mum, I will, bye" "Bye Luka", she said, and then he hung up. He got on his bike again and started cycling back to the Liberty, taking the route where there wasn't this supervillain thing.

Kagami had just started her fencing lesson when the ground shook and she fell over, shocked. Her first thought was that there was an earthquake but then she heard a very deep voice, like how monsters sound in movies. It was as if Paris was suddenly being attacked by a monster, but she reminded herself that monsters only exist in fictional stories. Mr. D'Argencourt ran over to get his mobile and it was shown that Paris was indeed being attacked by some sort of supervillain.

Nah, she had to be dreaming. Maybe she had hit her head when she fell over from the earthquake. Yes, that had to be it. Kagami tried pinching herself to see if she actually was dreaming and it hurt so she wasn't dreaming. But then how was there a literal stone monster? Her thoughts were cut short when her mother demanded that she get her things quickly so that they return home immediately. That's what she did and then the two females were on their way back to their house.

Luka arrived to his house boat and immediately called Juleka. It wasn't unlike her to forget to charge her phone or not notice when someone was calling her but he was still worried. Fortunately, she picked up after a bit. "Yes?", she said with a whisper. "Juleka! Are you okay?", Luka said. "Yes, yes, we are hiding in the school so we don't get caught. But this rock monster took Mylene and Chloè with him. I don't mind him taking Chloè but not poor Mylene!", Juleka said. Luka heard a faint snicker from someone near Juleka when she said the Chloè part.

"Are at work or back at home?", she asked. "I cycled back home, do you maybe have any idea on what has happened?", Luka said, wondering what Juleka was referring to when she said monster. "I might have", she replied, "Kim was picking on Ivan about I don't know what-" "Our drummer Ivan?" "Yes, that Ivan, he is in my class. Anyways, then Ms. Bustier sent him to the principal's office and then a giant stone monster thing with Ivan's voice ripped our class wall apart and took Mylene and Chloè since Kim disappeared somewhere." "So you're saying that Ivan got turned into some kind of monster!?", Luka exclaimed. "Yes, but I have no clue how. Maybe he will explain after he turns back to normal.", she calmly said. Juleka had always been a fan of horror movies so she loved these kind of things. "Maybe. Oh, and mum told me to tell you to call her. Tell her that I am safely home, will you?" She said that she will, and after they said their goodbyes Juleka hung up.

Meanwhile, Kagami had arrived home, luckily not attracting the attention of the thing that was outside. She asked her mother if she could go to her room and Tomoe nodded. Kagami removed her shoes and placed them besides the door before running upstairs to her room. She switched on the television and found a channel where the news was being broadcasted to try to understand what on earth was going on.

She rewinded the news a bit to when they started. "As incredible as it seems, it's been confirmed that Paris is indeed being attacked by a supervillain. The police have been struggling to keep the situation under control." Nadja Chamack said. "Be confident, the strong arm of the law will come crashing down on the...", Officer Roger said as he tried lifting an arm that was in cast, probably broken. "... I mean the other arm", he continued, wincing after lifting his injured arm.

Kagami got up from the sofa to go change when she noticed an unfamiliar wooden octagonal box on her desk. Luka had also noticed a similar box on his bed when he had walked in his and Juleka's room. They both picked it up at the same time and said, "Huh? What's this doing here?", before they opened them.

[rwood2477]

With all the negative attacks on President Trump I found this interesting FROM a Democrat..

This is something I’m asking you to read. It’s not for aggravation, debate or comment. If you comment I won’t answer. I’m just asking you to read what someone else wrote but I agree with mostly...

OPEN LETTER TO DEMOCRATS FROM A DEMOCRAT

I just have a few questions for you....Let me start with, I already know you don't like President Trump...that's a given,

SO

let's move on from that...

How about the division of America..

Do you really blame Trump for that?

How about when NONE of the DEMOCRATS showed up for his inauguration? Don't you think that started the division? He hadn't even been president yet, and EXCEPT for Clinton and Obama, not one democrat showed up....Is that when Trump divided America? Can you imagine if the REPUBLICANS didn't show up for Obama's inauguration because they lost??? Can you even start to imagine what would have happened?

How about when 19 minutes after Trump was inaugurated, the Washington Post declared the IMPEACHMENT CAMPAIGN has STARTED? Was that when Trump divided America?

How about when Nancy Pelosi ripped up Trump's state of the union right in front of the world, showing complete disrespect for the President of the United States? Did that bring the country together and is THAT when Trump divided America?

How about when America had to endure, 3 years and over 30 million dollars spent on trying to PROVE that Trump only won because of RUSSIAN COLLUSION and NOT because America voted him in and 17 Democrats did EVERYTHING in their power to PROVE that there was Russian Collusion...and came up with ZERO...? Was THAT when Trump divided America?

I can't even start to go over the NEGATIVE PRESS he's received since his surprise win...

Remember, the DONORS, the likes Bloomberg, who gave 27 million, Tom Steyer who gave 17 million, George Soros who gave 9 million and MANY MORE that gave MULTI-MILLIONS to Hillary, wanted a return on their investment...

Do you really think that donors give MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS just because they love Hillary?

NO, these weren't campaign donations, they were INVESTMENTS into what HILLARY had promised them when she became president....

They were so sure she would win and they would be SHOWERED with HUGE RETURNS, and when it didn't happen and they LOST all those millions, they went all out to TAKE TRUMP out of OFFICE by any means possible...

DID YOU KNOW that 90% of the Mainstream media and the corporations that own them, are owned by or run by BIG DEMOCRAT DONORS? You can verify all of that for yourselves...I did...

Since the moment Trump won, even before he was inaugurated, the mainstream media's reporting was 92% negative on Trump, do you know why?

It was those big donors that lost their dream of MILLIONS of dollars, on their returns that they were going to receive win Hillary was president and they weren't going to take that loss lightly...They needed to PUNISH TRUMP and those that VOTED HIM IN...

I've said this since the night he was elected...

"There is NOTHING the left won't do to take down our President”, our country and us, no low they won't go to, to get their power back", and sadly, we have seen this every single day since his election.

Let me ask you this...Have you ever listened to Trump or appreciated any accomplishment or campaign promises he's kept, have you ever gone to one of his rallies or have you just closed your mind to ANYTHING he does?

Please ask yourselves the following questions, if you dare...

What has Joe Biden done for America for the last 47 years that he's held an office?

What did Joe Biden ever do for BLACKS when HE and Obama were in office?

What has Joe Biden ever done in his entire life to create a private-sector job?

What has Joe Biden done to help the American middle class worker?

Let me also ask you this...Why do you think there are so many people tearing down statues, burning flag, beating up police officers, disrespecting our founders and hating our country?

It comes straight from our SCHOOLS that have slowly been tearing down our history...

If there is a teacher out there, please tell me the following:

Do you teach the truth that it was the DEMOCRATS that:

Were the KKK?

That the GRAND LEADER of the KKK was Robert Byrd, who was elected to congress and served for decades, and that it was Hillary, Bill, and Obama that gave his EULOGY praising him?

That the DEMOCRATS fought the Civil war to KEEP SLAVERY?

That the inner-city ghettoes were created by DEMOCRATS to keep control of slaves after they were freed?

That planned parenthood was founded in inner cities to CONTROL the BLACK POPULATION?

Is any of this in your history books?

Let me ask you this as well.

Can a student speak up when he/she disagrees with a teacher when they say that Trump is a horrible president or the electoral college has to be eliminated? Don't think so?

Well, I know a student that actually happened to...When the teacher said it had to be eliminated because Hillary lost, and he stated the reason it should stay,

She ripped him apart and gave the entire class a 5 hour test, and stated it was because he DARED to disagree with her...

Is that happening in your schools?

I'm only asking questions....I'd like your answers..

President Trump and his entire family has been vilified, demeaned and disrespected, for one reason and one reason only.......HE WON...

Have you noticed the DEMOCRATS only throw tantrums and OBJECT to everything he does and have NEVER ONCE gotten behind him or tried to work with him to help make America the best it can be?

WHY? They can't afford to get behind him...he would WIN AGAIN, and they can't let that happen....if he wins again, the Democrat party will be destroyed and they know it...

Did you notice that the "CAGES" the left claimed that Trump built to put Illegal children in, WERE BUILT BY OBAMA for the very purpose of PUTTING ILLEGAL CHILDREN IN?

Was THAT all over the news when Obama did it? The very same "CAGES"...but the media was silent!!

How about when Trump commuted Roger Stone's sentence,and was DEMONIZED 24/7 but NOT A WORD when Obama commuted 1715 inmates, which included 330 that he granted on his last day in office...

DID WE EVEN HEAR one WORD about it? Were there reporters even reporting it...NO! Just look at the difference in the reporting. By the way, since Trump's been in office he's commuted 10 people...compare that to Obama...Is that reporting fair?

How about when Biden and Obama allowed the H1N1, the SWINE FLU, to INFECT MILLIONS of Americans before declaring it a health emergency....

Was the press losing it's minds and calling it the OBAMAFLU AND BLAMING OBAMA and BIDEN for the spread ? SILENCE!

Compare this to the NEGATIVE COVERAGE that Trump got when, he immediately halted travel from China when, in February, Nancy Pelosi went to Chinatown and said come on down, or when DeBlasio, in March, said ride the subways and go to broadway...BUT those same people are blaming Trump for the spread of coronavirus..

A FINAL QUESTION:

What have the DEMOCRATS done to help make America the best, to get behind a president that works tirelessly to care about WE THE PEOPLE instead of using us as political pawns..

What have the democrats done for people of color EXCEPT for GIVING ILLEGALS more rights than citizens and having us pay for it...

JUST imagine what this country could accomplish if the Democrats worked with him on the economy, the coronavirus, the inner cities where he's created opportunity zones, job training etc.

When Trump tried to get school choice for inner-city students they ran Betsy Devoss out!! The dems running those innercity schools wanted no part of school choice.

Have you ever wondered why it's cities that have been run, for decades, that have the MOST HOMELESS, the MOST CRIME, the most MURDERS, the worst INNER CITY schools, ARE ALL RUN BY DEMOCRATS???

If you haven't started asking yourselves those questions, maybe you should..

As I said, my entire family used to be democrats, but NOT ONE will ever vote for a democrat again....They asked themselves the same questions and the answer was clear....

[nirah10]

Some Personal Stuff

Here's something that doesn't really connect to anything but me and may not be interesting but I just want to get it off my chest because it's been bugging me.

As some of you know, I was recently diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. This had been a very big thing for me as it has finally answered some life-long questions and helped me better understand myself. My mum has been wonderfully supportive and my friends have been great in learning more about autism so that they can know me better and have actually asked about what kind of things bother me so that they could be more careful (which I never asked of them, but they're just awesome and care enough to put some effort in to helping me be comfortable ^_^). Really, almost the entire experience has been positive. I would actually say that one of the only issues I've had has been the way some of my siblings have reacted.

I have good relationships with all of my siblings and I think they're pretty cool people in general, but some of them have some really weird hang-ups from the way we were raised that they never really got past. We were raised with the very unfortunate (and vocal!) belief that mental health problems didn't really exist. We were told that things like despression didn't really exist and that people just needed to suck it up and get over it. We were told that people who practiced self-harm were just drama queens looking for attention (heaven forbid you ever want attention!). We were told that people who killed themselves were the most cowardly and selfish people in the world. I think you get the idea.

Thankfully, my mother has grown so much as a person and realized that not only are those ideas just plain wrong but they are also very harmful. She is now one of my strongest pillars of support and one of the very few people I feel truly comfortable speaking openly with about my mental health struggles. My siblings have all improved greatly, but some of them are still a little stuck on some of those old ideas. If you asked them, they would tell you without a doubt that depression is 100% real but, if you tell them that you or someone else has depression, there's a good chance that they'll become skeptical and start asking questions as if they're trying to prove you wrong. They might make comments about people self-diagnosing themselves or exaggerating or even just outright lying for the sake of attention. Quite often, they'll say things like "everyone feels like that sometimes" and completely play down someone's experience until they can dismiss it entirely.

Even before I got diagnosed, some of my siblings seemed to bristle at the mention of the possibility. When I said I was looking to be assessed, they all asked "Why?" Some of them were satisfied when I said "Because I think I might be autistic" and carried on the conversation normally or asked follow-up questions out of interest. However, some of them carried on the conversation with what felt like a determination to prove that my suspicions were invalid. They would ask lots of questions about my experiences but it quickly became clear that it wasn't in order to understand, because almost every answer was followed up with a "but" statement. "But everyone feels like that sometimes." "But lots of people would find that stressful." "But maybe you're looking too much into that." I even heard once "Do YOU think you're autistic or did Mum tell you that?" as some of my siblings seem to think my mother's change in attitude is also some weird kind of bid for attention. I was also asked by two different siblings, "Why do you WANT something to be wrong with you?"

My most common way of finishing those conversations, after hearing some version of why it's probably nothing and I'm probably not autistic (ie, "it's so easy to read about something online and think you have it"), was to bluntly say "I know. That's why I want to see a professional and get a proper assessment."

Anyway, I got assessed and diagnosed. I thought that might be enough to satisfy my skeptical siblings. Turns out, not really. While they won't say that they don't think I have autism anymore, they are still very quick to dismiss it. I had one sibling suggest that, because I'm on the mild end of the spectrum, "it doesn't really affect [me]". It wasn't a question but a statement. I have had several more shows of feigned interest for the sake of trying to minimalize or dismiss and it has been quite disheartening at times. With some of my family, I feel reluctant to ever say anything relating to mental health and especially autism because I'm tired of hearing thinly veiled denials that I'm actually autistic. Getting assessed/diagnosed was supposed to be about understanding and helping myself and not about whether or not my family was comfortable.

Not long ago, my Mum shared a video on Facebook that was meant to raise awareness on autism. It started with the speaker telling you to imagine trying to watch a TV show and listen to five radios on different stations all going full volume at the same time, and then explained that that's how life can feel to an autistic person all the time. The video carried on for some time after that and covered other experiences. I messaged my mother privately to discuss some of the things discussed in the video and I told her that I hadn't wanted to leave a comment because I didn't want other family members to see it and start leaving dismissive comments. After talking to her for some time, I decided that I would leave a very simple comment on what I felt was the easiest thing to understand, simply saying "The example of the TV and five radios is spot on." I kid you not, it took maybe two minutes for one of my siblings to respond with something along the lines of "Yeah, I get really stressed out when there's lots of noise too."

Part of me wanted to let it go and leave it be but, after talking to my Mum and seeing how much she had changed and how much work she put into beng supportive, I felt upset and got stubborn. I responded that anyone gets stressed out in loud environments, but that that was not the same thing. For an autistic person, sounds can be so distracting that it can become hard to function and lead to panic attacks, even if it's not loud. The answer was (paraphrasing) "I get that. If I'm driving and the radio is on and the kids are being noisy or screaming in the back, I can forget where I'm going. I have to turn the radio off sometimes so that I can focus." Okay, no. Just no. That's not the same thing at all. I quickly answered with a detailed explanation of why it's not the same thing, also emphasizing that there's a big difference between getting stressed by actual loud noises and having your brain completely shut down over sounds that might not even be loud. They quickly backpedaled and said that they knew it wasn't the same and that they were just saying it was relatable, a family member who had joined in said that they hadn't even watched the video and was only responding to the other's comments about finding noise stressful. That was followed up by another comment saying that maybe they hadn't communicated properly and they hadn't meant anything by it, which I felt much better about. I still didn't buy the idea that the inital comments had no intention of being dismissive, but I could believe that they realized partway through the conversation that they were being upsetting and wanted to fix it. Still, the conversation has stuck in my head as a very disheartening experience.

Sensory overload is one of my biggest difficulties with autism. I am very easily upset by sound and it doesn't take much for me to shut down. Volume is rarely a factor but, rather, the number of sources, whether I can distinguish one sound from another, and whether I can locate the source. I used to have panic attacks in school during tests because being able to hear twenty-some pencils scratching but not being able to distinguish between pencils sent me into a complete panic. Those pencils may as well have been cannons in my ears. They were the loudest things in the world.

Tonight, I sat down at the nursing station at work and immediately noticed a sound that I'm not accustomed to hearing there. It was quiet enough that I couldn't tell exactly what it was and, worse, I couldn't tell WHERE it was. I became so distracted by the sound that I completely, physically froze. I don't know exactly how long I sat there but, at the end of this little experience, my tea had gone from freshly made to just a hair above lukewarm. The entire time I sat there, half my brain was desperately trying to locate the sound and identify it and the other half of my brain was desperately begging the first half to ignore it and just let it go. My heart rate went up to what I would expect it to be if I had just run a short distance. A sense of panic gripped me, the same kind of feeling I had the first (and only) time a cop pulled me over. I literally could not think about anything else.

After several minutes, I finally managed to calm myself because, without having to move from my frozen position, I was able to both identify and locate the source of the sound. What was it?

Do you see it?

A watch. It was the sound of a watch ticking in a basket of found items sitting several feet away. That was all it took to put me into a state of shutdown and had me edging towards a state of panic. A watch that somebody found and left behind, leaving a barely audible but unexpected source of sound in an environment I am familiar with took me from independent and capable to frozen, vulnerable, and moments away from hyperventilating and bursting into tears.

But autism doesn't really affect me. But I barely register on the spectrum, so I don't really count. But everyone gets overwhelmed by noise sometimes. But everyone has trouble focusing in stressful situations.

Someone being on the mild end of the autism spectrum does not mean that they don't suffer or that they don't really have it. It means that they present well. It means that they're better able to control their outward reactions and/or better able to learn what's expected of them. Saying someone's autism is "mild" is a reflection of how much other people are affected by their autism rather than by how much the individual is affected. On the outside, I would have simply looked like I was deep in thought and anyone who walked past probably wouldn't have looked twice. On the inside, I was freaking the hell out. It definitely affected me, even if there were no observable manifestations in the outside world. I have avoided furthering my education or looking for a better job because of experiences like this. I have missed work, which later meant I struggled to pay my bills. I have lost friendships. I have passed up opportunities. I have never left the town I grew up in, even though every single member of my family has moved away. I will likely never have biological children because I don't think I can handle pregnancy. I don't know if I will have children period because the process of adoption might be too overwhelming for me. I am terrified of having children and failing them as a parent because my autism might cripple my communication with them or cause me to be too impatient or inflexible. I am not likely to achieve many of my aspirations because little moments like ticking watches in unexpected places happen all the time, even if nobody except me knows it.

I have "mild" autism and it affects me.

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

Pride Month ficlet: Mary had been searching for "the right one" in all the boys at Arcadia Oaks High and then some. She hadn't expected the right one to be the girl who sat next to her in her junior year math class. (Could be any f/f ship involving Mary)

The Art of Romance

Romance was an art.  One Mary Wang thought she’d mastered before she was even seventeen.  Though her birthday was in a few weeks, so she knew she needed to get a boyfriend again so he could properly romance her and give her gifts and everything.  Gifts from friends were fine and all, and she’d definitely celebrate with Darci and Claire.  Well, Darci now that Claire was headed across the country on what could only be the romantic getaway of a lifetime.  What Mary would give to get do something like that.  Travel without parents.  Without school or homework.  With someone she loved, like Claire, who…

Wait.  What was her train of thought again?  Oh, right.  Birthday.  Romance.  Mary doodled a trio of hearts in the corner of her math notebook.  Miss Janeth’s class was so boring.  Even after the “Secret Troll Apocalypse (That You Cannot Boast You Witnessed On Social Media, a Novel By Toby Domzalski)” and learning that her over-dramatic teacher could kick ass, math class was just so meh.  Like all of Miss Janeth’s awesomeness had been used during the troll apocalypse and now that things were getting back to normal, she’d gone back to her boring, old Math Teacher Template.  Seriously lady.  Would it hurt to permanently upgrade to something fresh and at least somewhat cool?  

Not that teachers could be cool.  They were teachers.  But still.  Mr. Strickler had at least gone from “Boring History Teacher Turned Principal Who Mysteriously Disappeared” to “Avocado Troll Teacher Who Runs Around In A Skirt Thing”, which had honestly been fun because Mary got to start an entire movement against him she called, “Put On Some Clothes, You Are Traumatizing The Children” with its own hashtag on the online Arcadia High Post-Weirdness Message Board (that she’d created and was an admin for—if she wasn’t allowed to talk on Twitter about Arcadia’s recent weird shit, well, she’d just find/create a place where she could) and everything.  Dude deserved the shade everyone had subsequently thrown at him through the ensuing week.  That’s what you get for criticizing girls for not wearing proper school attire, and then turning around and revealing yourself as a troll who runs around half naked.

The world was still learning there was no force more powerful than Mary Wang and her phone.

“Pssst!  Mary!”

Mary sighed.  “What is it, Shannon?”  She’d been in the middle of an internal monologue and so not interested in returning to the real world because that meant remembering she was in math class.  Oh and also she was in The Zone and her twenty-fifth doodled heart had almost come out completely perfect except now it was ruined forever.

Shannon jerked her head toward the front of the classroom.  Mary looked in that direction.  Miss Janeth was looking directly at her expectantly.  Too expectantly.

“Ms. Wang, we don’t have all day.  Please come to the board and show the class how you would answer this equation.”

Oh, shit.

Mary slid out of her desk.  Bit her tongue so a curse word wouldn’t slip out and she’d get in even more trouble.

As she passed Shannon’s desk, the other girl pressed a small piece of paper in her hand.  Mary managed to hide it and sneak a glance without Miss Janeth noticing.  On the paper was a mess of numbers and equations.  Something that, for anyone else, would be super hard to read, but she and Shannon had been passing notes since, well, since they first met freshman year.  Mary smiled.  So, answering the equation on the board wouldn’t be so hard after all.

“Darci, it’s not that simple.  It’s really not.  I have dated almost every single eligible guy at school and even a few forbidden fruit guys from the academy.  All the good ones, you know, except freaking Steve.  I can’t just pick a new one randomly.  Especially cause it’s my birthday.  These things take time.  Planning.”  Mary rolled her eyes and took a long sip from the orange juice bottle she’d packed in her lunch.

Dating guys was an art.  It took finesse.  Not that Darci could really understand that.  She’d gone for the first sweet guy to look her way.  Not that was a bad, if you liked that sort of thing.  Anyway, from her observations, Mary had decided Toby was worthy of dating her friend (even if he continued to perpetually frustrate her for being adamant about keeping the troll apocalypse a secret from her Twitter following).

“What about Eli?”  Shannon piped up.  “He’s nice.”

Mary wrapped an arm around the other girl’s shoulder.  “Not boyfriend material, Shan.”  Better put an end to that thought train before it went anywhere.  Shannon was nice.  Kind.  Good traits to have.  Except, of course, in high school.  Or when considering the art of dating.  “Let me tell you something about guys…”

Look, the point was, Mary knew everything there was to know about dating.  And she knew that every boy at their school, absolutely 100% all of them, were not worth Shannon’s time.  Shannon was smart.  A bit of a bookworm, but honestly there was nothing really wrong about that.  She was kind of cute when she started talking about something particularly interesting she’d read.  Especially when she came up with a pun or a joke and would laugh.  Her nose did this adorable crinkle thing and…

Anyway, they made the best team.  Shannon had the book smarts.  Mary, the street smarts.  Together, they were unstoppable at whatever they put their minds to.  It may have been Mary who got the campaign against Mr. Strickler’s troll attire started, but it was Shannon who really got it rolling and organized with the student body.

Why put a boy between that pure awesome sauce-ness?

Great, now Domzalski was rubbing off on her.

“Hey Mary, um can I talk to you for a second?  Privately?”  Shannon was looking at her and it occurred to Mary she’d gone monologuing in her head again.  Had any of that made it out into her external monologue to Shannon.  Crap.  Should she risk asking?  Is that why she wanted to talk privately?

Crap.  Crap.  Crap.

Mary followed Shannon over to an empty corner of Arcadia High’s yard.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”  Play it cool.  Play it cool.  Play it cool.  Mary’s brain reminded herself over and over again.

“Nothing bad, really.”  Shannon offered her a sheepish smile.  “It’s just…um…can you maybe not give me advice on how to date boys?  Like I get that you’re trying to be helpful and stuff but…it’s just…”  Shannon took a massive breath and exhaled it.  “I’m a lesbian.”  She looked Mary directly in the eye when she spoke.  “I…I like girls.  So I don’t really need advice on guys?”

“Oh, ok.”  Mary’s brain panicked.  Wait.  Why was it panicking?  It was totally fine that Shannon liked girls.  Mary herself had two dads.  She’d grown up knowing that Gayness Was A Thing.  It was fine.  Everything is fine.  “Cool.  Great.  I’ll remember that.  No more guy advice.”  Mary reassured Shannon, who breathed out in relief.

By Miss Janeth’s class the next day, Mary was still mulling over the Shannon Is A Lesbian thing.  Her brain wouldn’t let it go.  Or rather, she’d sort of realized she had this feeling.  This indescribable, kinda exhilarating feeling.

If Shannon was a lesbian, and she was.  That meant, that meant that girls could potentially date her.

And Mary was a girl.

Ok, a girl who had never really considered dating other girls before.  It was fun, after all, to be romanced by a guy (although most weren’t exactly great kissers, but whatever, she needed to get practice somehow).  But still, she was now in the category of Potential People Shannon Can Date.

Except did she want to date Shannon?  And would Shannon want to date her?  Mary hadn’t always been the nicest.  The time that she snapped at Shannon while they were both serving Saturday Detention came to mind.  Did Shannon remember that?  But wait, Mary had apologized for that, and for other stuff, when they started to hang out together a lot more after that day.  And they’d always been sort of friends since freshman year.  But for a good chunk of that time Mary hadn’t really taken Shannon seriously.  But they’d still been friends, hadn’t they?  So they could theoretically get along.

But could they get along like that?

Wait, why was she even considering this?  The entire plan had been to find a new guy to date so he could romance her for her birthday and stuff.  She didn’t even like girls.  Right?  Ok, again, she’d never thought about it in great detail.  Dating was something fun you did with whatever guy caught your attention.  But then that wasn’t the only way to date, was it?  So…

Mary’s mind went deeper and deeper into the idea all through math class.  She didn’t learn much that day, as her fresh notebook page was instead full of ideas and thoughts for something far, far more important.

The next day was the first day Mary had ever arrived early to math class, but she needed to get there before anyone else did (and that included Miss Janeth).  Quickly, before anyone could enter the room and catch her, Mary took out a small but well thought-out bouquet of flowers (yellow daffodils, vibrant orangey-red tulips, and, of course, a few red roses—all favorites of Shannon) and a card with a heartfelt poem she’d found online last night.

Mary had never really done the courting part of romance before.  But, in this instance, she definitely wanted to try.  Shannon deserved the very best and Mary, after all, was the Dating Expert (even if she was new to the whole romancing girls part).

After placing down her gifts on Shannon’s desk as carefully as humanely possible, Mary exited the classroom.  This way she could come in with everyone else, get to see Shannon’s surprise and her search around to see who her mysterious admirer was.  Mary wouldn’t tell her right then, in front of everyone (that would be really rude since Shannon wasn’t out to too many it didn’t seem like).  But since everyone also knew she, Mary, was the school’s Romance Expert, it would totally make sense for her to be the one to pull Shannon aside and give her “advice” on what to do (here “advice” meant reveal that the gift had come from her and maybe ask her out).  No one would suspect a thing.  It was the ultimate Romantic Move, made even better by the fact that it would be Mary doing it.

In hindsight, Mary should have considered potential disasters a bit more.

Steve and Eli were making some sort of disturbance out in the hall, which was strange because they’d been getting along recently (also since Steve cleaned up his whole bully act and started to make amends with people).  So everyone was gathered in a crowd and it delayed class.

Then, after breaking up the scene, Miss Janeth started class immediately as everyone filed into the math room.  So, even though Mary got to see Shannon’s eyes widen with surprise at her gift, she couldn’t really talk to her at all about it, and everything now sucked forever.

It was even worse when Mary noticed that, on her own desk, a “Secret Admirer” had put a cute little plushy teddy bear holding a deep violet rose (her ultimate favorite) and a calligraphed card asking her to meet by the soccer field after school.

Great, now some guy was trying to romance her while she was trying to romance Shannon.  Didn’t the universe know she’d made up her mind about the whole “who I’m dating” thing?  Guys were nice and whatever, but they weren’t Shannon.

Drama was so much more fun when it was about someone else.

Mary paced around in front of the goalie box at the end of the field.  Why wouldn’t the guy arrive already?  The sooner he arrived, the sooner she could turn him down, the sooner she could figure out her next step in trying to romance Shannon.  She needed to explain about the gift before someone else took all the credit and—

“Hi, Mary.”

Mary jumped.  Landed awkwardly.  Nearly fell over, but Shannon helped her catch her balance.

“Oh, um, hi.  Hi, Shannon.  What are you doing here?  Shouldn’t you be going home or something.”  Oh wait, it was Thursday,  Shannon had Book Club, so of course she’d still be here.  “Or in the library or…” Mary’s brain refused to slow down.  Why did it always have to get nervously excited around Shannon now.  Why, brain, why?

Shannon looked nervous herself.  “I, um, I asked you to meet me here?  In the card?  The gift in Miss Janeth’s class—”

“THAT WAS FROM ME, IF SOMEONE ELSE TOLD YOU OTHERWISE THEY’RE LYING!”  Mary slapped her hands over her mouth.  Classy.  Real classy.  “I…did you like it?  The flowers?”

“…yes.”  Shannon took the flowers out from the pocket of her backpack where she’d carefully stored them.  “These were from you?”

Mary could feel the blush burning her cheeks.  “Yes.  I…I, um, well, I…you’re really cute when you scrunch up your nose when you laugh at something funny and, um, I like you.  Like, like like you I think.  Not the friend like.  The other kind of like.  You know, like like.”  She took a deep breath.  This was stupid.  Why was she so awkward?  She was the Dating Expert.  She should be suave.  Sure of herself.  She’d never felt like this around any of the guys.  Finally something else dawned on Mary.  “Wait.  If those weren’t what you’re were talking about, then what…?”

Now, it was Shannon’s turn to blush awkwardly, which was oddly reassuring.  At least neither of them were being super great about this.  “I sorta got that teddy bear and the rose for you?  Cause I’ve sorta had the biggest crush on you since, well, for a while.  And I figured now that you know I like girls, I could maybe see if you wanted to go out?  But I was super nervous so I asked Steve and Eli to cause a distraction so I could sneak in and leave them for you.”  Shannon looked down at her hands and then back up at Mary.  “So, do you?  Want to go out with me, I mean?  It’s ok if you don’t want to, I get it.  I—”

“YES!”  Mary jumped.  Then laughed.  She’d given up all hope of being cool and she didn’t care who saw her honestly.  Even if none of this had gone according to her plan, it was still what she wanted.  She took a deep breath to collect herself.  “I would like that, like a lot.”  She bit her lip.  “But I don’t really know what I am yet.  I just figured out that I like you and I want to go out with you.  Like a lot.  But also there were all the guys, so I don’t know if I’m a lesbian or not yet.”

“That’s ok.”  Shannon smiled at her.  “You have time to figure you out.  Or we could figure it out together, if you’d like?”

“I’d like that too.”  Mary wrapped an arm around Shannon’s shoulders.  “So I know a great cafe we could go to or we could see what movies are playing?  That is, if you’re ok with missing Book Club?”  She stopped.  “Or we could go to your Book Club?”  Sure her reputation may take a hit going someplace so nerdy but whatever, there were more important things.

“I’ll be happy so long as we do whatever, we do together.”

That was the best thing Mary had heard all day.  The rest of the afternoon, and the future, was ahead of them and they could spend it having as much fun as they wanted.  Together.

[rwood2477]

This is long but well worth the time to read.

I am not a Democrat, but I found this interesting. This is an open letter to all Democrats from a former Democrat. I did not write this, but it needs to be shared...

I just have a few questions for you....Let me start with, I already know you don't like President Trump...that's a given, SO

let's move on from that...

How about the division of America....

Do you really blame Trump for that?

How about when NONE of the DEMOCRATS showed up for his inauguration? Don't you think that started the division? He hadn't even been president yet, and EXCEPT for Clinton and Obama, not one democrat showed up....Is that when Trump divided America? Can you imagine if the REPUBLICANS didn't show up for Obama's inauguration because they lost??? Can you even start to imagine what would have happened?

How about when 19 minutes after Trump was inaugurated, the Washington Post declared the IMPEACHMENT CAMPAIGN has STARTED? Was that when Trump divided America?

How about when Nancy Pelosi ripped up Trump's state of the union right in front of the world, showing complete disrespect for the President of the United States? Did that bring the country together and is THAT when Trump divided America?

How about when America had to endure, 3 years and over 30 million dollars spent on trying to PROVE that Trump only won because of RUSSIAN COLLUSION and NOT because America voted him in and 17 democrats did EVERYTHING in their power to PROVE that there was Russian Collusion...and came up with ZERO...?

Was THAT when Trump divided America?

I can't even start to go over the NEGATIVE PRESS he's received since his surprise win...

Remember, the DONORS, the likes Bloomberg, who gave 27 million, Tom Steyer who gave 17 million, George Soros who gave 9 million and MANY MORE that gave MULTI-MILLIONS to Hillary, wanted a return on their investment...

Do you really think that donors give MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS just because they love Hillary?

NO, these weren't campaign donations, they were INVESTMENTS into what HILLARY had promised them when she became president....

They were so sure she would win and they would be SHOWERED with HUGE RETURNS, and when it didn't happen and they LOST all those millions, they went all out to TAKE TRUMP out of OFFICE by any means possible...

DID YOU KNOW that 90% of the Mainstream media and the corporations that own them, are owned by or run by BIG DEMOCRAT DONORS? You can verify all of that for yourselves...I did...

Since the moment Trump won, even before he was inaugurated, the mainstream media's reporting was 92% negative on Trump, do you know why?

It was those big donors that lost their dream of MILLIONS of dollars, on their returns that they were going to receive when Hillary was president and they weren't going to take that loss lightly...They needed to PUNISH TRUMP and those that VOTED HIM IN...

I've said this since the night he was elected...

"There is NOTHING the left won't do to take down our President”, our country and us, no low they won't go to, to get their power back", and sadly, we have seen this every single day since his election.

Let me ask you this...Have you ever listened to Trump or appreciated any accomplishment or campaign promises he's kept, have you ever gone to one of his rallies or have you just closed your mind to ANYTHING he does?

Please ask yourselves the following questions, if you dare...

What has Joe Biden done for America for the last 47 years that he's held an office?

What did Joe Biden ever do for BLACKS when HE and Obama were in office?

What has Joe Biden ever done in his entire life to create a private-sector job?

What has Joe Biden done to help the American middle class worker?

Let me also ask you this...Why do you think there are so many people tearing down statues, our burning flag, beating up police officers, disrespecting our founders and hating our country?

It comes straight from our SCHOOLS that have slowly been tearing down our history...

If there is a teacher out there, please tell me the following:

Do you teach the truth that it was the DEMOCRATS that were the KKK?

That the GRAND LEADER of the KKK was Robert Byrd, who was elected to congress and served for decades, and that it was Hillary, Bill, and Obama that gave his EULOGY praising him?

That the DEMOCRATS fought the Civil war to KEEP SLAVERY?

That the inner-city ghettoes were created by DEMOCRATS to keep control of slaves after they were freed?

That planned parenthood was founded in inner cities to CONTROL the BLACK POPULATION?

Is any of this in your history books?

Let me ask you this as well.

Can a student speak up when he/she disagrees with a teacher when they say that Trump is a horrible president or the electoral college has to be eliminated? I don't think so?

Well, I know a student that actually happened to...When the teacher said it had to be eliminated because Hillary lost, and he stated the reason it should stay,

She ripped him apart and gave the entire class a 5 hour test, and stated it was because he DARED to disagree with her...

Is that happening in your schools?

I'm only asking questions....I'd like your answers..

President Trump and his entire family has been vilified, demeaned and disrespected, for one reason and one reason only.......HE WON...

Have you noticed the DEMOCRATS only throw tantrums and OBJECT to everything he does and have NEVER ONCE gotten behind him to make America the best it can be? WHY?

They can't afford to get behind him...he would WIN AGAIN, and they can't let that happen....if he wins again, the Democrat party will be destroyed and they know it...

Did you notice that the "CAGES" the left claimed that Trump built to put Illegal children in, WERE BUILT BY OBAMA for the very purpose of PUTTING ILLEGAL CHILDREN IN?

Was THAT all over the news when Obama did it? The very same "CAGES"...but the media was silent!!

How about when Trump commuted Roger Stone's sentence, and was DEMONIZED 24/7 but NOT A WORD when Obama commuted 1715 inmates, which included 330 that he granted on his last day in office...

DID WE EVEN HEAR one WORD about it?

Were there reporters even reporting it...NO! Just look at the difference in the reporting. By the way, since Trump's been in office he's commuted 10 people...compare that to Obama...Is that reporting fair?

How about when Biden and Obama allowed the H1N1, the SWINE FLU, to INFECT MILLIONS of Americans before declaring it a health emergency....

Was the press losing it's minds and calling it the OBAMAFLU AND BLAMING OBAMA and BIDEN for the spread ? SILENCE!

Compare this to the NEGATIVE COVERAGE that Trump got when, he immediately halted travel from China when, in February, Nancy Pelosi went to Chinatown and said come on down, or when DeBlasio, in March, said ride the subways and go to broadway...BUT those same people are blaming Trump for the spread of coronavirus..

A FINAL QUESTION:

What have the DEMOCRATS done to help make America the best, to get behind a president that works tirelessly to care about WE THE PEOPLE instead of using us as political pawns..

What have the democrats done for people of color EXCEPT for GIVING ILLEGALS more rights than citizens and having us pay for it...

JUST imagine what this country could accomplish if the Democrats worked with him on the economy, the coronavirus, the inner cities where he's created opportunity zones, job training etc.

When Trump tried to get school choice for inner-city students they ran Betsy Devoss out!! The dems running those innercity schools wanted no part of school choice.

Have you ever wondered why it's cities that have been run, for decades, that have the MOST HOMELESS, the MOST CRIME, the most MURDERS, the worst INNER CITY schools, ARE ALL RUN BY DEMOCRATS???

If you haven't started askinxxfcg yourselves those questions, maybe you should..

As I said, my entire family used to be democrats, but NOT ONE will ever vote for a democrat again....They asked themselves the same questions and the answer was clear....

I didn't write this, but I could have and I wish I had !!