#she just CASUALLY dropped it into conversation like ‘yeah when your dad faked his death to avoid jail-’

[awoooooubliette]

i’ve seen other people sharing their family lore and such on here before and i wanted to share mine because it’s really fucking funny and i will literally never shut up about it. so i used to live out on the (american) west coast with my mom and bio dad, and when i was like 4 (ish) my dad decided to do some fucked up shit (understatement) and so he decided to do the most logical thing possible when faced with court hearings: my father, who i have inherited many fun and interesting mental illnesses from, tried to fake his death in the most cheesy and absurd way possible.

he (again!! in order to escape court hearings) decided to set up his apartment like it was something out of a crime drama. he left dozens of empty beer bottles around, left a really incredibly overdramatic ‘woe is me, my life sucks, the world isn’t worth me’ note for people to find, and then (this is the best part) he left a MAP. on the TABLE. he had CIRCLED A CLIFF ON IT and EXPECTED EVERYONE TO JUST. ACCEPT HE JUMPED OFF???

the way that my mom found out where he even WAS happened because he got caught selling drugs in las vegas with his girlfriend and the cops called her and were like ‘hey is this your husband’ and she was like ‘yeah thanks guys i’ve been trying to prove he disappeared so i can divorce him’ and at that point it had been like a full year and my mom had had to hire a literal private investigator in order to PROVE he was actually gone at all and it wasn’t just her trying to steal money while he was away on a fishing trip or whatever

(she did end up divorcing him btw and remarried to my step dad who very much stepped up <3)

but yeah that’s… how my dad both failed and succeeded faking his own death 👍

[dadsbongos]

Katsuki Bakugou having an airhead gf for about 1130 words

Movie/Game/Show: My Hero Academia Dynamic: Katsuki Bakugou/Reader Warnings: airhead shit ig, I just got diagnosed, so I gave you ADHD because :D Summary: Katsuki never thought he’d be a fan of airheads, but here he was - holding one in his arms like he’d lose her anytime. ~~~

“Why the wide smile, dork?” Katsuki side-eyed his girlfriend.

“Because,” (Y/n) giggled, squeezing tighter at her boyfriend’s - admittedly sweaty - hand, “you came with me! You don’t usually do that.”

“Whatever,” he gruffed, “I just wanted to spend time with my girlfriend, that a damn crime?”

“No! You should do it more often,” the girl smiled, “Like all the time.”

“Maybe you’ll start training with me, hah?” the blond teased.

“No way,” (Y/n) immediately pouted as the couple walked down the street from their dorms, “Your training’s crazy! I think I'd die…”

“You wouldn’t die, dumbass,” Katsuki huffed, “I didn’t date you just to kill you.”

“I’d hope so,” the girl mumbled quietly.

~~

Tracing over the hand laid against her stomach, (Y/n) closed her eyes with a small smile as Katsuki pressed his cheek to her shoulder. Fresh slivers of golden sunlight peeked through the boy’s blinds as morning arose to wake the couple. Katsuki, for as much as he wanted to deny it, found it hard to sleep without (Y/n) - without her warmth and comfort. Something in the body he could hold so close to his was inexplicably soothing.

Neither party was asleep anymore, simply basking in the glow of morning as soft sheets spread over their lackadaisical bodies. (Y/n) turned the hand over her midsection to face palm-up and began gently running her fingers over the firm flesh there as well.

“You have pretty soft hands, Kacchan.”

“It’s some shit with my Quirk, I don’t get it,” he mumbled, “Don’t get me started on the suppository shit, that made me so pissed to find out.”

“What’s the suppository stuff about?” (Y/n) quirked a brow, looking to her boyfriend despite his eyes being closed.

“Anal fissure rectification,” Katsuki pressed his lips into a thin line, knowing he’d have to rephrase or his girlfriend wouldn’t understand, “Tears in your asshole get healed with nitroglycerin and since my sweat’s so similar, I bet it’d work too.”

“Gross,” the girl fake gagged, still drawing circles in her boyfriend’s palm, “That sucks. I’m sorry you had to learn that.”

“Helps with chest pain too, so it’s not complete shit,” Katsuki huffed, shifting so he was even closer to his girlfriend, “But that was horsecock to find out.”

“I love the way you phrase things.”

“I try.”

~~

“Man, Bakugou,” Denki murmured, watching as (Y/n) and Momo battled on the other side of the gym, “I didn’t know (L/n) was so strong. Kind of inspiring, now I wanna be more like her.”

Katsuki’s brows furrowed, he loved (Y/n) - dearly - but, “I saw her drop a pizza and cry about it for thirty minutes last night.”

~~

“If I illegally download a movie in the Bahamas, does that make me a pirate in the Caribbean?” (Y/n) suddenly asked as Katsuki was doing his homework.

Pausing, the blond turned in his chair to look his lover in the eyes, blinking at her twice before sighing, “Did you take your Adderall today?”

“...maybe…”

~~

“I hope I get run over,” Katsuki grumbled, reading off the pairings for the newest team-building exercise.

“Aw, don’t say that!” (Y/n) cheered, patting her beau’s back, “Kaminari isn’t all bad, he’s super nice!”

“You’re just lucky you got Ponytail, she’s the only useful extra here,” the boy huffed.

“Hey,” (Y/n) puffed out her cheeks.

“Stop whining,” Katsuki rolled his eyes, ignoring the calls of his name from a certain electric blond, “You’re not an extra, I don’t see why you’re pissed.”

“I’m not?!”

“Fuck no, I wouldn’t date a nobody.”

~~

“If a whole zoo escaped, what would be your top priority?” Mina suddenly blurted out.

Just as (Y/n) went to say ‘ducks’, Katsuki answered, “Tigers and lions, duh.”

“Right,” the girl nervously chuckled, “Obviously.”

~~

“Katsuki?”

“What?” the boy turned to his girlfriend, slightly disturbed as she never called him by his proper legal name since realizing she didn't have to.

“I’m scared,” (Y/n) fiddled with her fingers, “I threw a boomerang a few years ago and it didn’t come back, what if it hits me and knocks me out while I’m in class? Or while I’m on a mission?”

Katsuki’s face dropped into a deadpan, “Are you joking?”

“No.”

“Alright, come here, I’ll tell you a secret,” he waited for her to come closer, “I destroyed the boomerang,” at (Y/n)’s shocked face, he nodded solemnly, “It came in while you were sleeping a few weeks ago, I didn’t say anything cuz I knew you’d flip the fuck out.”

“Wow!” (Y/n) smiled brightly, taking her boyfriend into a tight hug, “You’re so cool, Kacchan!”

“I know.”

~~~

Looking over her study guide for the upcoming economics unit, (Y/n)’s brows furrowed, “Inflation? Isn’t that like… a kink?”

Katsuki’s head snapped over to his girlfriend as she sat at her desk, “Tell me you’re joking right now.”

~~

“If I was hiding from a killer, I’d just hide in the pantry!” (Y/n) beamed, “That way, I could eat while hiding, it’s simple.”

“Yeah, then the killer could hear you opening loudass chip bags, it’s genius,” Katsuki sighed.

~~

“I hate everyone in this school,” Katsuki grunted.

(Y/n) frowned, “Even me?”

“I said everyone, (Y/n), not every ten.”

~~

“Someone’s gotta talk to Denki about the birds and the bees,” Hanta shook his head, “Not gonna be me.”

“Huh?” Denki queried a brow, “A talk about what and who?”

“I’ll teach you about the birds and bees,” (Y/n) nodded sadly, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “They’re disappearing at an alarming rate.”

~~

“The recipe says to beat three eggs,” (Y/n) read off the box of brownies.

“At what?” Katsuki snorted, “Hand-to-hand combat?”

“Has to be,” his girlfriend seriously replied, “Aizawa banned Quirks in the kitchen.”

~~

“Wanna hear a sad joke, Kacchan?”

“Why fuckin’ sad?”

“Oh, autocorrect, I meant dad.”

Katsuki’s eyes narrowed at (Y/n), “This is a verbal conversation.”

~~

(Y/n) looked up from the bed sheets in the nurse's room, “You can call it a near-death experience, Recovery Girl, but I call it a vibe check from God.”

Katsuki immediately shook his head, “Stop… please stop.”

~~

“Stress is not good for the baby!” (Y/n) shouted, gripping at the sides of her head.

Katsuki looked over, “What baby?!”

“Me!” the girl sniffled slightly, looking on the verge of tears with her study guide and notes spread out on her desk, “I’m the baby.”

Awkwardly looking away, Katsuki clenched his eyes shut before throwing his arms open and wrapping them tightly around his anxious girlfriend, “Tell me when the stress levels are down, you big baby.”

“Thanks, Kacchan.”

“Whatever, nerd.”

~~

“Hey, does it smell like gas in here?”

(Y/n) pat herself down before pulling out a lighter and igniting it, “Nah.”

Katsuki’s eyes widened as his girlfriend casually placed the lighter back in her coat pocket, “Oh my fucking God.”

~~

“Careful with my emotional baggage,” (Y/n) reminded Eijiro as he loaded her things into the trunk, “It’s designer.”

“He knows,” Katsuki rubbed at the bridge of his nose, “You say it every time.”

(Y/n) nodded, as if her boyfriend was stupid, “Because it’s funny every time, Kacchan.”

[theclockworkmonk]

Out of the Mouths of Babes — Chapter 2

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Chapter 1 on Tumblr

Prompt: “Uncle Ron said something about Harry knocking Ginny up, but I don’t know what he means,” Teddy said.

************

"They can't be serious…." Harry muttered in disbelief as he stared down at the very official-looking letter.

"Who's serious about what?" asked Ginny, stepping into their living room.

Harry jumped and quickly tried to hide the letter behind his back. "Nothing!" he squeaked.

He should have known better. Ginny got a mischievous glint in her eye and darted around him, trying to get at the letter. They spent a minute chasing around each other, but eventually Ginny faked him out into tripping over the coffee table, and she quickly snatched the letter out of his hand with a triumphant laugh, making Harry once again wonder if she wouldn't be even better at Seeker.

"Ooooo," Ginny sang dramatically as she saw the emblem at the top of the parchment, "an official statement from the Wizengamot! Have they come up with a new award to bestow on you?"

"No, it's even worse," mumbled Harry.

"Oh, well now I'm very interested," Ginny teased, "am I worthy to take a peek at such official correspondence between such important people?"

"Well, it actually concerns you too, Missy," said Harry, crossing his arms, "so go ahead."

"Hold on, let's see if I can get the right tone." Ginny cleared her throat, pointed her nose in the air, and continued in her haughtiest tone,

"To the esteemed Harry James Potter,

After consideration of your actions to serve and protect the Wizarding World of Great Britain, as well as the recent discovery of your lineage to the Ancient and Noble House of Peverell, previously thought to be lost, it is with great honor and pleasure that we offer to restore your line to its former status by bestowing upon you one of the vacant Lordships!?"

Ginny dropped her character and her mouth gaped open in disbelief. "Along with the accompanying seat on the Wizengamot!" she finished quickly.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, and her face split into a wicked grin and Harry knew he would never hear the end of this.

Harry snatched the parchment back.

"Yeah, so in other words," he began before she could start getting her jokes in, "they're embarrassed by how many of their seats are still empty after half their members were thrown in prison or fled the country for being Death Eater collaborators, so they're once again trying to use me as their poster boy so they can look like they've turned over a new leaf. Except they clearly haven't, since they only deemed me 'worthy' after they found out which dead pure-bloods I'm descended from, so they're still the same navel-gazing, inbred aristocrats they've always been!"

By the time he was finished, he was shouting and he panted to catch his breath.

Ginny, however, still found the whole thing hilarious.

"Oh, it breaks my heart to see Lord Potter so displeased," she bowed low to him with a flourish of her hand. "Let me know if there's anything a lowly peasant like me can do to serve you."

"Yeah, yuck it up, Weasley," said Harry dryly, "Like I said, this affects you too."

She looked back up at him with a sardonic look. "How does your having to sit through long parliamentary bullshit have to do with me?"

"Well," said Harry, stepping toward her, "if I'm a Lord, that means that, if I ever get married one day—"

"Hypothetically speaking," said Ginny.

"Yes, then that hypothetical girl — whoever she might be — would become a Lady."

"Hmmm," hummed Ginny thoughtfully. She wrapped her hands around his neck and he snaked his arms around her waist. "So you think this is relevant to me because you're hoping to make me your Lady? That's mighty presumptive of you, Lord Potter."

"Well, I wouldn't say hoping," lied Harry. "It's just a logical possibility to consider, strictly because you're pure-blood, of course. But I'm still keeping my options open. After all, you know how much of a ladies man I am."

"Yes, of course. But you know…" said Ginny thoughtfully, tracing circles over Harry's chest with her finger, "'Lady Ginevra Potter….does have kind of a nice ring to it."

"Oh, but things would be expected of you, m'Lady," said Harry, "and you would definitely have to stop all that Quidditch nonsense. Such a vulgar and violent activity is beneath a woman of your standing."

"Oh, well, I guess that's settled, we have to break up," Ginny sighed, "We're just a part of two different worlds."

"I'll always remember you," said Harry romantically, "but alas, I must kiss you goodbye."

He bent down and gave her a kiss, then they broke apart as they cracked up into laughter.

"Come on, I'm not going to let anyone call me a Lord," said Harry, rolling his eyes, "and obviously I'm not actually going to sit on the bloody Wizengamot. Those seats are transferable, so I can give it to someone who will actually know what they're doing. My first instinct is your dad, but he probably won't want it either, and they'll do anything to get him off again. Andromeda would probably feel at home there, but could do some good. Or maybe McGonagall."

Ginny groaned. "You can be so boring sometimes, you know that? You have a chance to put Luna in a position of power, that would drive them insane! Oh, or how about Aberforth, that would be hilarious!"

Harry laughed. "We're not all agents of chaos like you, Gin. I swear, sometimes I think you're Eris in disguise."

"Oh, you think I'm a goddess?" Ginny flirted, "then I guess you better worship me."

"Hmmm," Harry kissed her again, but then sighed and pulled back. "Sadly, there's no time for that, we're already running late for dinner at the Burrow."

"Alright, should we go together or do you want to keep up the pretense that we're actually living in different flats?" she asked him pointedly.

He gave a weak, embarrassed smile. "I know it's ridiculous, and I might be a coward, I've just managed to escape your mother's disapproving stare so far in my life, I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible."

Ginny rolled her eyes but led him by the hand out the door of their flat, past the wards they had put up. Harry wrapped an arm around her waist, and turned on the spot, feeling the squeeze of Disapparition.

*********************

"Come on!" urged Ron, "I'm hungry!"

"What else is new?" laughed Hermione, as she finished a letter she needed to send and tied it to Pig. After she sent the little owl on his way, she turned around to see her fiance standing by the fireplace, bouncing on his feet like a child on Christmas morning.

"Honestly Ron," said Hermione, shaking her head, "one would think you haven't eaten in a week, and there's no way that your mother even has dinner ready yet."

"Yes, but her pre-dinner scones should be coming out of the oven right now!" said Ron cleverly, "And I might as well have not eaten in a week, don't pretend like I'm the only one who's sick of our sad attempts at cooking."

"Alright, alright!" said Hermione. She joined him by the fireplace, threw some floo powder into the grate, and together they stepped into the green flames.

"THE BURROW!" Ron shouted clearly, and after the spinning sensation and flashes of various fireplaces, they stumbled into the sitting room of Ron's childhood home.

Ron's excited smile faltered when they saw the sitting room completely empty, with no one there to greet them. He recognized the overlapping voices of his family instead coming from the kitchen, and with a rush of horror he feared that his precious scones were already being eaten by an army of Weasleys. He led Hermione by the hand across the room towards the kitchen, and he started to make out individual voices.

"I just don't understand why they haven't told us!" said his mother.

"He probably knows what we're likely to do to him," grumbled Charlie.

"You've been away too long, brother mine," chuckled George, "I guarantee you she's the one keeping it under wraps."

"In any case, we know that pushing the issue will do nothing but make things worse," said Ron's dad gently, "We just have to—"

"Scones ready?" asked Ron loudly as he and Hermione entered the kitchen, and Hermione had to resist the urge to swat him. The conversation he had interrupted seemed interesting, and her suspicions were confirmed (and her curiosity inflamed) when all talk instantly ceased the moment they walked into the room. Six heads snapped towards the arriving couple as Molly, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, and George widened their eyes in surprise and fear, like they were caught discussing something covert. Hermione also noticed how a few of them (mainly Ron's two oldest brothers) then narrowed their eyes venomously at her and her boyfriend.

While the kitchen of the Burrow was usually one of the warmest, most welcoming rooms in the world to Hermione, she noticed a distinctly cool, tense atmosphere this time. She looked sideways and saw that even Ron had clearly noticed, his eager smile slipping from his face.

There were several seconds of silence as the older family members' eyes all flittered between each other, holding a silent conversation that Ron and Hermione didn't know how to join. Then the loud ding of the kitchen timer made them all jerk suddenly.

"Wow, do I have great timing or what?" said Ron proudly, trying to ease some of the tension in the room, but some of his laughter died in his throat. His stomach didn't let him dwell on it, however, as Molly bent down to take the scones out of the oven, and the sweet, fresh smell filled the kitchen.

After she put the plate of scones on the table, Ron casually flicked a cooling charm over them before grabbing one greedily. The other Weasley men took their own, but they looked more like it was just something to do with their hands. While Ron hummed as he took a big bite, they chewed theirs thoughtfully.

"I should check on the washing," said Molly quietly, without looking at anyone. She grabbed a laundry basket and headed outside towards the clothesline.

"I'll help!" said Hermione cheerfully. She was always happy to help with the chores at the Burrow, but she also wanted to get one of the Weasleys alone to figure out what they had been talking about.

Molly didn't answer and continued outside with Hermione behind her.

"How have you and Arthur been?" asked Hermione pleasantly.

"Well, my days are still dreary, with no children left in the house," Molly sighed. "I knew that children don't stay children forever, but I certainly wasn't expecting my younger ones to hit so many milestones so quickly….and in the wrong order." She finished more quietly

Hermione frowned. Did Molly think she and Ron were getting married too soon? She had never expressed that before, she was overjoyed when they had announced their engagement.

"Er….well, Ron recently got promoted from Junior Auror," said Hermione uncertainly as she began helping Molly take garments off the clothesline and put them in the basket. "He'll be taking more serious cases now." So his career is well on track, if that's what you're worried about.

"I'm touched that you and Ron are willing to indulge that to me!" said Molly sharply

Hermione pursed her lips. Her patience was running out.

She stepped towards her soon-to-be mother-in-law and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Molly…"

For the first time, Molly turned to look at Hermione and the younger woman flinched back at the cold distrust and disapproval she saw in her eyes. Hermione felt a rush of deja vu, and after a short moment she realized where she had seen that look before: it was the same look she had received from Molly her fourth year, when the older witch had believed Rita Skeeter and was under the impression that Hermione was Harry's manipulative girlfriend, breaking his heart by messing around with Viktor.

"Mrs. Weasley...have I done something wrong?" asked Hermione weakly.

Seeing the hurt on Hermione's face, Molly's own harsh expression softened and was replaced with a wave of guilt. Her eyes got watery and her lip trembled, and before Hermione could say anything else she suddenly found herself being hugged tightly.

"No dear, you haven't done anything wrong," said Molly in a choked voice, as Hermione awkwardly patted her back, thoroughly confused. "I'm just being silly. I understand you're not choosing sides, you're just being a good friend."

Molly pulled back, and was smiling weakly at Hermione.

"Er...thank you," said Hermione, more bewildered than ever. "I don't mean to be rude, Molly, but I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh no, of course not," Molly winked dramatically, "There's nothing to tell, I'll drop it. Come on, dinner is just about ready."

Before Hermione could insist more strongly that Molly explain what the hell was going on, Molly picked up the now-full laundry basket and returned to the house, leaving Hermione blinking dumbly behind her.

******************************

As Hermione followed his mother outside, Ron continued to chew into the warm, buttery scone, barely looking at his surrounding family members, the earlier tension all but forgotten to him.

"So….little Ronnie doesn't come around for dinner as much as he used to," Bill pointed out.

"He and Harry have been burning the candle at both ends at the Ministry," said Percy.

"Hmm-hmm," Ron nodded, engrossed in his scone, not looking up to see the stern looks on his brothers' faces. "More than we need to be, honestly. But because of Harry's saving-people-thing, he's always sure that the next case will end in disaster if the dark wizard isn't caught right now, and of course he would be lost without me, so whenever he's working overtime I am too." He shrugged.

"Oh yes, I think we're all well aware how loyal you are to Harry," Charlie said darkly, "Even over other, older loyalties, as a matter of fact."

"Charlie…." began their dad warningly.

Ron looked back up, and grew uncomfortable again when he saw that all of his family members were looking directly at him. Earlier, he had assumed that the awkward tension in the room was because he and Hermione had interrupted an important conversation, but it seemed to go beyond that, like they were pissed directly at him for something he had done.

"What's going—"

He was interrupted by his mother re-entering the house, holding the laundry with one hand and wiping tears from her eyes with the other. Hermione followed in shortly behind her, and Ron looked pointedly at his mother and gave his fiance a quizzical look, but Hermione just returned a confused, helpless shrug.

"The roast should be almost done now," said Molly happily, and waved her want to send a flurry of plates and cutlery flying to settle in front of where each of the Weasley men were sitting.

"And I'm such a terrible mother, I neglected something," chuckled Molly, and bent down to kiss the crown of Ron's head. "We all missed you, dear."

"Mum…" Ron grumbled awkwardly, but he saw his brothers look at each other with slightly guilty expressions, and as they followed their mother's lead, the atmosphere of the room became friendlier.

Charlie drew in a deep breath and sighed. "I need a drink."

"Excellent idea!" pipped George. He waved his wand and summoned a large bottle of firewhiskey from the cabinet along with several glasses, which zoomed right past Molly's face, causing her to jump and shriek.

"For the last time, only the cook can summon in the kitchen!" Molly scolded him, "I won't have this room devolve in complete chaos of flying objects until someone gets a concussion!"

"And I know you don't always act like it, but you are all of age," said Arthur, raising his eyebrows at George pouring several glasses of whiskey, "so I see no reason why you can't bring your own drinking supplies instead of raiding mine."

Molly huffed. "Well maybe it will be best if we stopped keeping that poison in the house—"

She stopped abruptly as they heard a faint pop from outside, coming from down the pathway, and Ron knew that Harry and Ginny must have arrived. Instead of beaming and rushing out into the garden to greet her two favorite children, however, Ron saw his mother gasp and a bit of the color drain from her face. His family members all looked at each other with that same expression he first saw when he came into the room.

Charlie gave a low growl and picked up a glass. "Yup. Definitely need a drink."

[streetlight11]

Stay With Me

Summary: She suffered from a trauma after she witnessed the death of her parents at a young age. Luckily, she had a best friend who was there for her ever since that tragic incident. Both of them had feelings for each other deep down but never told anyone. One unfortunate night, when a fresh accident happened right in front of their eyes, her trauma came seeping back in but he was there to comfort her. She could never imagine her life without him.

Theme: College au, childhood friends to lovers

Warning: mentions of accidents, blood, death

Genre: Fluff, sad 

WC: 2.6k

Pairing: Ji Changmin x Reader

a/n: just a heads up, the words in italics are flashbacks :)

~12 years ago~

“Mom, dad! Please wake up! Please!” Y/N said, crawling towards her parents who were sprawled on the road with bloody cuts and scabs everywhere on their body.

A bystander called the ambulance while some of them helped carry her parents off to the sidewalk. Not long after, the ambulance came but they didn’t manage to rescue her dad in time. He passed away from the hard impact. Her mom managed to be transferred into the vehicle.

But she didn’t make it halfway through.

She was left all alone as the paramedics comforted her, telling her to breathe. She was only 11. Hence, the reason why she was traumatized by that incident.

It was a bright Wednesday morning, she had just finished getting ready to leave her apartment to head to campus. She wore a simple white shirt tucked into her high waist plaid skirt with a pair of Nike sneakers. She made it to campus with her backpack hanging off one side of her shoulder while she carried a few books in her hand to avoid putting heavy weight in her backpack.

She was just making her way down the hall, her Bluetooth earplugs were in her ears. She was listening to her music when somebody tapped her shoulder. She turned around to see a guy from her Psychology class. If she remembered correctly, his name was Jisung.

“Hey, I think you dropped this.” He said, handing her the keychain from her bag.

She took the charm from him not forgetting to thank him before flashing him a smile. Jisung did the same. Taking slow steps backwards until she finally turned back around to continue walking. He rushed back to his friends, only for them to nudge his side teasingly.

“Dude! She smiled at you! That’s a good start.” Hyunjin said.

“Yeah, try talking to her next time. She’ll definitely talk to you more.” Minho said, making Jisung stare at her descending back.

“Maybe I will…” Jisung thought to himself and soon went off to class.

A few hours later, Y/N was just leaving school when a familiar jock from the soccer team stops dead in her tracks, making her halt in her tracks.

“Hey, I have free tickets to see the new movie this weekend. Wanna go together?” Juyeon asked.

“I already made plans. Sorry.” She rejected him nicely before proceeding to walk around him to leave. She was just making her way to her car when someone blocked her door by holding it down. She looked up, ready to curse whoever it was but her words got stuck when she met the eyes of her best friend.

“I was this close to cursing your ass, Changmin.” Y/N said scrunching her nose. She made a pinching gesture with her fingers to show him she was running out of patience. 

Changmin laughed when he leaned against her driver seat door, only to look down at her with a wide smile. “Are you free this weekend?” He asked.

“Mm, probably.”

“But you just told Juyeon you had plans.” Changmin began to smirk.

“You know I give white lies to those guys who try to take me on dates.”

“But you don’t turn me down when I ask you out?”

“That’s because you’re my best friend.”

“Ouch, am I being friend zoned already?” Changmin faked a sad frown.

“Wha- What are you talking about? Of course not.”

“Ugh! Y/N…”

“Changmin…” His frown was soon turned into a bright smile, leaning forward to playfully boop her nose with his own. She couldn’t help but giggle when he did that.

“Should we go out this weekend?” He asked.

“Where to?”

“We can check out that new haunted house for this year’s Halloween.”

“You just want to see me suffer don’t you?”

“Maybe just a little.”

“You ass.” Changmin giggled before pushing himself off her car, only for her to slap his torso playfully.

“I’ll text you once I’m home. Be careful.” She said while Changmin began to walk towards his sports bike across the parking lot. While all of this was happening, someone witnessed this from one of the bikes parked in the lot.

It was Jisung.

That weekend, Changmin came over to her apartment to fetch her but he was an hour early. Hence, the reason why he was now just casually sitting in her bed while he picked out her outfit. After what felt like forever, he finally chose for her a simple denim skinny ripped jeans, a black sleeveless fitting top and a khaki green bomber jacket.

As for the shoes, she chose to wear a simple pair of converse high tops. Changmin was just sitting in her living room while she got dressed, only for him to receive a call from Juyeon, who happened to also be his friend.

“Hey Min! Wanna hang out today?”

“Sorry Ju, I have plans today.”

“Aww man. Who are you meeting?”

Changmin was so close to saying her name when he stopped himself abruptly. “Uhh, s-someone…”

“Ooh! Are you going on a date?”

“H-Huh? No, absolutely not. She’s just a friend.”

“Don’t take too long brother, or else someone might just steal her away.” Juyeon said. Changmin could literally hear his friend smile on the other line. Just then, Changmin heard her bedroom door unlock so he quickly said goodbye to his friend.

“Alright man, I gotta go. Bye.”

“Bye bro, good luck.” Juyeon teased before proceeding to hang up, making Changmin shake his head slightly. 

The both of them soon left only for them to take Changmin’s bike instead of her car since it’s slightly easier to find a parking spot later. They went to get a light dinner first before heading to the theme park that was decked out with scary decorations and they even had new haunted houses for this year’s Halloween season.

The two of them were just walking around with the crowd. People were diligently running away from killer clowns and also scary looking masked actors.

She flinched quite a few times as she often grabbed his arm for comfort.

Just when she was talking to Changmin, a killer clown came charging right at her. She flinched, immediately grabbing Changmin’s shirt to bury herself in his chest. He couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping his arms around her body while the clown tried to scare her by putting the chainsaw right beside her ear.

Changmin could feel his heart race in his chest as she rested her arms firmly on his torso.

“Is he gone?” She whispered, terrifyingly.

“Yeah.”

Y/N carefully opened one eye, peaking past her shoulder, only to come face to face with the scary clown, making her let out a soft squeak. She pushed the clown away by his shoulders.

“Leave me alone!” She whined while Changmin was still hugging her. The clown laughed menacingly at her. Starting up his chainsaw again, making her flinch.

“Ugh! You little-” She almost cursed out of annoyance but the clown ran away to scare other people.

“I think you scared him more than he scared you.” Changmin teased while laughing at her.

“Oh shut up.” 

She said with a sad pout on her face in which he couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter. They were now entering a queue to go to one of the new haunted houses when a familiar voice called out her name from behind her. She turned around, only to see Jisung with his friends, approaching the queue they were in. 

She soon found herself smiling and waving at him who mimicked her expression the minute he came to a stop behind her in line.

“Is this your first house?” Jisung asked, shaking her head saying it was already her forth. Just then, Jisung’s eyes travelled towards Changmin who was standing beside her. Who then turned to see who Y/N was talking to. Changmin gave him a soft smile, making Jisung return the gesture.

“Ahh, I’m sorry to disrupt anything. I’ll leave you with your boyfriend.” Jisung said only to awkwardly smile at her, about to turn back around. That’s when Changmin spoke up to clear things up.

“Uhh, it’s fine, she’s-” But she seemed to cut him off.

“It’s okay, my boyfriend’s fine with it.”

With that, Changmin froze as Jisung’s eyes kept going back and forth between Y/N and Changmin. Y/N continued talking to Jisung but she sneakily played with Changmin’s fingers, making his heart race in his chest.

At this point, Jisung wasn’t jealous, nor was he upset that he didn’t get a chance to bring her out on a date because he feels that she is much better off with Changmin. After they were finished with that house, they gathered at the exit, only for Y/N to smile at Jisung and his friends.

“That was scary, I almost slapped someone in there.” Hyunjin confessed, making them all laugh.

“I wouldn’t wanna be that someone.” Jisung said.

Y/N laughed, turning to Jisung and rested her hand on his arm for a few seconds while she spoke.

“Alright, I’ll leave you guys to enjoy the rest of the night. See you in school.” She said, making the guys bid their goodbyes and soon walked the other way. After they left, she knew exactly what Changmin was gonna talk about so she quickly changed the topic by pointing to a snack cart and dragged Changmin to it.

They spent the next few hours with her screaming and whining while he laughs at her for being scared every time.

It was getting late and she was already tired so he decided to send her home. On their way back, they were at a cross junction when he removed his hands from the handlebar only to lean back into a sitting posture. They were both quiet as she rested her hands on his back, carefully sliding them around his waist.

Changmin found himself smiling at nobody. He glanced over his shoulder a little to look at her through his full face helmet. However, that cute moment was soon interrupted when a loud tyre screeching sound was heard from the other side of the junction.

Both of them whipped their head over to the left, that’s when they saw a lorry crashing into a car that soon overturned from the impact.

She gasped when she saw the driver of the car weakly crawled out of the overturned vehicle, his head and hands were bleeding. The lights turned green but Changmin quickly swerved towards the right to stop by the side to get down and help.

A few other passer-by's stopped their vehicles only for them to rush over to the scene.

The lorry driver got off, he even tried to run away drunkenly but some bystanders managed to chase him down. Changmin gently led the car driver to the side while a lady called the ambulance.

Just then, the man pointed shakily to the car as he said.

“M-My… My w-wife… P-Ple-Please h-help he-her.”

With that, Y/N and two more bystanders rushed to the car and they saw the woman hanging upside down from her seat. Her seatbelt was still intact but her head was bleeding. Red crimson blood dripping down her arms and head.

This alone made Y/N’s breath start to get choppy. She made slow steps backwards. Changmin turned around just in time to see her collapse to the ground in a state of shock, sitting there motionless. He rushed to her, cupping her face worriedly.

“Y/N? Y/N, are you okay?” Changmin asked but he knew her mind wasn’t there currently.

With that being said, Changmin carefully lifted her up to bring her towards the sidewalk. He sat beside her with one arm around her waist while the other gently caressing her head comfortingly.

After the ambulance came, Y/N was still shaking in his arms when they watched the paramedics bring both the victims into the vehicle.

Changmin turned to Y/N and softly whispered.

“Are you okay? Let’s get you home. Come on.” He said gently to her. She stood up but her knees were weak from the trauma.

Changmin sends her home safely and he even offered to accompany her for a while before heading home. However, instead of her wanting to shower straight away, she pulled him down on the couch as they sat there side by side quietly for a bit.

“It triggered your past didn’t it?” He asked cautiously, making her nod.

Changmin sighed because he already knew what it was. With that being said, he pulled her into a hug with her willingly accepting it without a single doubt. She buried her face into his neck as he gently caressed her back soothingly.

The room fell silent and all they could hear was their calm breathing. Just then, Changmin pulled away slightly, only to press a firm kiss against her temple. Her heart stopped beating for a millisecond, feeling her whole body freeze. Changmin smiled softly while he drew lazy patterns into her back, that’s when she spoke up.

“Can you stay with me? Please? I’m scared… I already lost the people I love so much. I don’t want to lose anyone else. Especially you.” She whispered softly against his shoulder. He heard every single word clearly.

With that being said, he carefully pulled her away from him. He stared into her glossy eyes that were filled with tears, threatening to roll down her cheeks. He gently cups her face as he wipes her fallen tears with his thumbs. Changmin couldn’t bear to see her heartbroken, it pained him to see her like this. So the only way to make her happy again is to fulfil her wishes, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

“I’ll stay with you. I promise I’ll never leave you.” He said, reassuring her as he stared deep into her eyes.

She could almost feel her heart escaping her chest as she gently held onto his wrists. Changmin smiles at her softly, wiping her tears with his sweater sleeves. She leans into his hand and he couldn’t help but smile at her.

Just then, he felt like it was something he needed to do. He wanted to seal his promise. With that being said, Changmin leaned in, only to kiss her on the lips softly. Her heart stops beating momentarily as she felt like she was on cloud9.

Her anxiety and trauma from the accident earlier was already gone. Instead, it got replaced by adrenaline and love. She slides her hands up his chest, running her fingers through his hair. Changmin smiled against her lips only to deepen the kiss further. Changmin tugged on her waist, pulling her onto his lap.

She cups his neck while his hands are resting on her thighs making her shy. She pulled away, only for her to say softly.

“The actual reason why I always turn those guys down is because I was hoping you’d ask me out on a proper date. But I guess we could call today our first date.” She said, making him chuckle as he licked her bottom lip and kissed her but soon pulled away.

“No it doesn’t. Let’s go on a real date. I’ll properly ask you out this time.” Changmin confessed, making her giggle. He captured her in a kiss, making her melt against his touch.

Changmin spent the night with her. He showered her with so much love, filling in the amount that she has been missing out all throughout her childhood. 

She couldn’t ask for a much better friend and partner. She woke up the next morning to him playing with her hair in bed as she was snuggled against his warm, cosy chest. He gave her good morning kisses and did that for the rest of the day, making her laugh. She definitely wouldn’t want to lose anybody else that’s in her life. Especially not Changmin.

[softheartedscorpio]

#1 for drarry

Holiday/Winter Prompt #1: Pretend to be my significant other and go ice skating with me.

Pairing: Drarry

Background: This is a war free scenario. Harry’s parents lived, there is no Voldy, no death eaters, etc. This would be their 7th year.

Thank you for the submission ❤️ I hope you enjoy!

—

“Excuse me?” Harry raised an eyebrow at the blonde standing in front of him. “You want me to what?”

Draco huffed and crossed his arms, “It’s not that hard Potter. I want you to pretend to be my significant other and go ice skating with me.”

“Why?” Harry said slowly as his eyes flickered around looking for Madame Pince. “Because,” Draco rolled his eyes. “Blaise is invited me out with him and the others, they all have dates, and I don’t want to be alone.” Harry conceded that it was a good argument, “But why me?”

Draco smirked, “Could you imagine their faces when I show up with Prince Potter on my arm?” Harry scowled at the nickname and leaned back, “Don’t call me that.” “Oh come on,” Draco sneered at him. “You’re the Gryffindor quidditch captain and the current head boy, merlin knows how you pulled that one off considering your track record.” Harry shot him a nasty look. “You’re Prince Potter and you know it,” Draco finished with a smug smirk.

“Yeah. Being an arsehole will make me want to go with you,” Harry muttered under his breath as he began packing his bags up. “Look,” Draco said quickly sensing Harry’s temper, “I’ll make it up to you. Anything you want.” Harry paused, “Anything I want?” His eyes flickered up to the blonde’s face who blanched at his words, “Uh-Yes?” He said reluctantly as he realized the position he put himself in. “Deal,” Harry smirked as he stood gracefully. “I’ll be your fake date to this ice skating thing.” Harry didn’t wait for a response as he left Draco in shock at the library table.

...

“You’re doing what?” Sirius’s jaw dropped as Harry explained what he was doing. Harry had called him on the two-way mirrors and was currently talking to Sirius, Remus, and his dad. “A Malfoy?” James wrinkled his nose, “Seriously?” Remus cuffed the back of his head, “Be nice James. Sirius don’t make that joke!” He snapped when Sirius opened his mouth. “That’s nice Harry,” He finished warmly as he looked at his honorary godson.

“No siriously—” Everyone rolled their eyes at Sirius and Remus glared at him, “What are you doing?” Sirius questioned again. “Well Malfoy asked me to be his fake date to this ice skating thing and agreed to do me a favor in return. Anything I want.” That had all the Marauders pausing, “Anything you want?” James checked. Harry smirked, a slightly evil one, “Yep.” “Ah! I knew I raised you good Prongslet!” Sirius cheered as James glared at him, “I raised him you prat! Those are my genes!” Sirius waved his words off before they both descended into an argument.

Remus sighed and took the mirror, “While those two are being idiots, let me remind you that you should be careful.” He warned gently, “Don’t be cruel with your favor.” Harry nodded as he smiled at his uncle, “Well I plan on...” He explained his idea and Remus brightened with each word, “And that is how I raised you.” He praised with a smile. Harry chuckled as he heard two identical “Oi!”’s in the background before Remus was tackled and the mirror went black.

‘Now to get ready for this “date”,’ He thought before pulling out some clothes and changing.

...

“Potter, are you re...” Draco slowly trailed off as he caught sight of Harry and gulped slightly. ‘Is that eyeliner?’ He pondered as he noted how much those green eyes seemed to stand out. Harry had chosen to go without his glasses, putting contacts in, and lined his eyes with a little bit of black eyeliner. He was dressed casually and his hair was just as messy as ever.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming Malfoy,” Harry rolled his eyes, not noticing Draco’s reaction to his appearance, “Are we meeting up with the others or heading straight to the lake?” Draco cleared his throat, turning away to hide slightly pink cheeks, “The lake.” Harry raised an eyebrow at his behavior before shrugging and following along, ice skates clutched in his hand. “You know they won’t believe this is a date if you walk ahead of me and won’t talk to me,” Harry mentioned casually as he trailed behind the tense blonde.

Draco paused and sighed before slowing his pace to match Harry’s, “Right. Sorry.” Harry shot him a look, “Are you okay? You seem off.” Draco did his best not to stare at the attractive teen, “Fine. Just don’t want to be late.” Harry hummed as he nodded, “Understandable. I know you snakes are big on time.” Draco turned his nose up, “Well you lions are always late to things.” Harry chuckled as he shrugged, “We show up to the important things.”

Draco shot him a look, “How did you get head boy again?” “My high grades, charming personality, and good reputation,” Harry answered with no hesitation. “Right,” Draco dragged the word out sarcastically. Harry snickered as he held the door open for his partner of the night.

“Draco! There you are!” Pansy called as she waved them over, “Potter?” A look of shock crossed her face as caught sight of the raven-haired boy. “I wasn’t expecting you.” Harry shot her a charming smile, “Parkison. Well when Draco asked me on a date, how could I say no?” Draco turned pink as he spun around and stared at him. Harry ignored his reaction and greeted the others, “Hello Greengrass, Davis, Zabini.”

Blaise gave him an appraising look, “Potter.” He greeted as the girls giggled. “I like the look,” Daphne said quietly. “Thank you,” Harry smiled at her kindly making her blush before clearing her throat and turning away. Pansy raised an eyebrow in amusement as Harry effortlessly charmed the others and nudged Draco, “Potter? You’re on a date with Potter?” Draco flushed as he nodded. “Nice. How’s he for conversation? Was he late? He looks really good,” Pansy giggled quietly. Draco gave a silent prayer to the sky, he had expected this, “He’s funny and surprisingly intelligent. He wasn’t too late. And...yeah he does,” Draco admitted.

“Are we going ice skating or what?” Blaise called out, getting everyone moving. Harry appeared by Draco’s side and looped his arm through his, “You coming?” Draco pondered the warmth he felt for a moment before nodding, “Yes.” When he received another beautiful smile that sent butterflies through his stomach, he couldn’t help but think that maybe this was a bad idea.

...

Draco was right. This was a bad idea. Harry had him laughing and smiling over the next two hours. They had skated together and, surprisingly, Harry was not as graceful on the ground as he was in the sky. Draco was given the job of helping him learn to skate and found himself less annoyed at this than he thought he would be. Harry was amusing. He was quick with his tongue and matched Blaise word for word.

“My mom,” Harry said as an explanation after a shockingly sharp remark. “She matches my dad and uncles. I’m told I get it from her.” Blaise had nodded in approval as he slowly warmed up to the Gryffindor. “I like him. We all do,” Was all Blaise said in a quiet murmur to Draco before continuing with his business. Which was true, the others did seem to like him.

He could make the Ice Princess, also known as Daphne Greengrass, smile. He had Tracey laughing at his jokes. Even Pansy was seen conversing with him frequently and actually looked to be enjoying it. Draco couldn’t help but think this wasn’t what he planned. Draco had wanted to irritate his friends and annoy them with Potter. But Potter was turning out to be more charming than he thought.

Not to mention, Draco wasn’t feeling the best himself. He kept getting warm whenever Harry held onto him, butterflies in his stomach whenever Harry smiled at him, he couldn’t help but smile and laugh when he was around, he was being pleasantly surprised with their conversation topics, and he couldn’t seem to keep his eyes off the other boy. ‘No. This was definitely not his plan,’ Draco didn’t know whether to scream or cry. He wasn’t meant to fall for Potter!

Harry was having a blast. He wasn’t prejudice against Slytherins like a lot of others were. After all, his grandmother had been one and so was his favorite aunt. Plus he himself had almost been sorted into the house of snakes. He fully enjoyed his banter with Blaise, he loved seeing a softer side to Daphne, Tracey was extremely funny, and Pansy was remarkably easy to talk to. Harry held onto a hope that they could be friends in the future.

‘Besides, seeing Draco so worked up in his presence was quite amusing,’ Harry smirked to himself as he saw the blonde blush when he grabbed onto his arm once more.

...

“This is the part when you walk me back to my dorm,” Harry said quietly in Draco’s ear as the two made their way back to the castle. Draco snorted, “You know the way don’t you?” “Of course I do,” Harry chuckled as he slid his hands in his pockets. “But this is a date after all. You’re meant to be a gentlemen.” Draco rolled his eyes, trying to ignore his urge to smile, “Whatever.”

“And this is where you kiss me goodnight,” Harry announced outside the portrait to the common room. Draco’s eyes widened as he stepped back, “W-What?” “On a date,” Harry smirked playfully. “You tend to kiss each other goodnight.” Draco flushed as he shifted nervously, this wasn’t part of the plan, “Well luckily it wasn’t a real date.” Harry hummed as he stepped forward, “What? Are you scared Malfoy?”

Draco’s eyes narrowed at the challenging tone, “No. I just wouldn’t want to catch anything.” Harry rolled his eyes, “Tell yourself that then. I’m off to take a hot bath.” Harry called as he turned away before letting out a surprised noise when Draco grabbed his arm and spun him around, “I’m not scared.” Draco muttered before pressing their lips together.

The kiss was fairly chaste and Harry quickly took control of it, pulling Draco closer. Draco was in shock at his own behavior before melting against the taller teen, Harry was a good kisser. Not surprising considering he seems to be good at most things. However, when Harry licked his bottom lip his brain seemed to shut down and all he could do was focus on him.

“Well,” Harry murmured when they finally pulled away. “That was a great way to end our first date.” “F-First date?” Draco panted lightly, cheeks flushed. “Oh yeah,” Harry said thoughtfully. “That favor I wanted? I’m cashing it in. You and me, Hogsmeade this weekend, a date. A real date.” Draco felt the urge to protest before squashing it as the warmth of Harry’s hand touched his cheek and stroked it gently, “Okay.” He found himself saying making Harry smile that beautiful smile of his. Butterflies erupted inside Draco. “It’s a date then. Tell the others I enjoyed getting to know them,” Harry pressed another, shorter kiss to Draco’s lips. “Goodnight.”

...

Draco walked into the Slytherin common room in a daze. “That’s the face of someone who just experienced the best kiss of their life,” Blaise chuckled as Pansy squealed and pulled Draco by the fire for details. “This,” Draco said after a few moments. “Did not go as planned.”

When his friends gave him a curious look, he explained what the goal was. It was silent for a few moments before Blaise started laughing followed by Pansy, Daphne, and Tracey. “What is so funny?” Draco asked irritated as he glared.

“You’ve just been out Slytherined by the biggest Gryffindor in this school,” Blaise snickered as Draco’s eyes widened. “Potter outsmarted you,” Tracey giggled. “Well technically,” Pansy said thoughtfully. “He outsmarted us all. He won all of our approvals tonight. He knows we like him. Then he made his move.” That had them all silent once more. Draco couldn’t help but blink in shock, ‘No. Things definitely didn’t go as planned.’ But as he touched his lips gently at the thought of the kiss they shared, he found he didn’t mind too much.

[horrorstoryfanfics]

Summer To Remember: Part Two

Xavier is so sweet and I feel like he just cares a lot about the people around him. Like especially when he was defending Brooke at the campfire. I feel like he would instantly feel the need to care for you too. 

Okay I’m sorry he makes me soft. 

Warnings: Drug use, swearing, mentions of death, the normal AHS warnings. 

Part One 

We started at the lake, stopping right in front of the docks. Mom droning on about the rules and what we had, stopping lastly on how drowning was the main cause of death. I was completely uninterested until a certain voice chimed in.

"What's second?" He challenged, eyeing my mother.

She didn't say anything as she scolded him with her eyes.

"People." I teased back with a smirk. His lips twisted up as he raised his eyebrows to me, looking back at his friends.

I didn't see the way Mom scoffed as she walked away, but it was only a matter of time until she realized I had the hots for the new counselor.

We all made our way down the path and over to the Dining Hall. Bertie was unloading food and supplies out of the back of a truck.

"And this is Chef Bertie, a Camp Redwood veteran." Mom said proudly.

Bertie smiled as she took the cigarette from her lips.

Xavier casually leaned against the truck. "Dibs," he joked motioning to her and looking over at Ray as he laughed.

Bertie looked over at him laughing slightly, "You wouldn't know what to do with it if you got it, handsome."

Ray, Chet and I started laughing as Xavier was completely taken aback. The shock written on his chiseled features.

"Put those scrawny arms to work and help the lady fill her pantry." She shoved a box into his arms. He took it without a word. "All of you, grab a crate." She rested on the back of the truck and finished her cigarette as we all went to work helping unload the back of the truck.

Ray was still laughing to himself, Xavier bumped him with his crate. "It's not that funny." He sneered.

"Actually it was," I interjected, walking past both of the boys and putting the crate down, bending flirtatiously. "It's what you get for calling dibs on the wrong girl." I winked and brushed my hands off while I walked back out to grab another.

Both boys almost dropped their crates along with their jaws. Xavier's mind was racing but he wasn't quick enough to come up with something else to say.

"Chef Bertie worked here when I was a counselor," My mother said as she stood and supervised us, of course not lifting a finger. "We are so blessed to have her with us."

"I have many good memories of this place," Bertie chimed in, "It's magic up here in the fresh air." She took another hit, "I'm sorry that one bad apple ruined it for everyone."

Everyone stopped and gathered around once again. They clearly tensed up at the slight mention of what happened here.

"The minute I heard Margaret was reopening this place, I was first to volunteer." She raised her hand lightly, then looked over at me, "Well second."

I rolled my eyes, "Hey I had too, what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't." I shrugged.

"A pretty shitty one," Xavier joked behind me, "But lucky me you aren't."

I turned around quickly almost nose to nose with him, smiling. "You aren't lucky yet." I gently pushed his sunglasses back up his nose with my finger.

"Okay!" My Mom clapped, "Let's continue our tour."

I smiled at him once again before following her over to the showers.

"Girls shower in the a.m.,boys in the p.m. Same goes for counselors too." She didn't look back as she walked through and waited for us outside.

Xavier turned over to me feigning a fake look of disappointment,"Guess I won't be able to help you rinse and repeat babe."

"I didn't take you for someone who follows rules, what a pitty." I pouted teasingly as I crossed my arms.  

He pushed his tongue in his cheek before he laughed lightly, shaking his head.

Everyone was clearly disappointed as they looked through the barren wooden outdoor room. There was no ceiling and not even any stalls. We walked through quickly and eventually made it back to the girls cabin and then the boys.

"Girls are red, boys are blue. Don't even try to make purple." She stated as we made our way back out.

I rolled my eyes, feeling another sexual spiel coming on.

"You expect us to be celibate all summer?" Chet asked, not really believing that she was serious.

"Well I'm not banning self-abuse. Although every stroke soils your soul." She said in disgust. "But how could I ever enforce it?" She threw her hands up in defeat.

"It's 1984, Margaret. They're building coed showers in the West Hollywood gym. You ever hear of the sexual revolution?" He looked over to me momentarily, "Sex won." He said matter of factly as him and Ray fist bumped.

"I am aware of the decadence of our era. Women's underwear that shows the buttocks."

"Here we go." I mumbled, crossing my arms and throwing my head back against the cabin door.

"Pornography in your own home," She continued on, "Van Halen."

Montana furrowed her brows and looked over to me, I just gave her a "Ignore her" look.

"I have been fighting the Lord's fight against filth around the world for years. Charles Keating is a dear friend. I was right by his side in Cincinnati during that Larry Flynt trial. And that is why, while still grieving my sweet husband Walter's untimely death, I took a small portion of the large fortune he left to me to buy this camp."

I tensed up at the mention of dad. While it had been years since his death it wasn't something I talked about openly. I shifted my weight and squeezed my arms tightly. It was also something that Mom and I never really talked about together

"I wanted to create a safe, pure, godly and decent place for the children of this country to escape for the summer. It is a dream come true. Now, there aren't many rules but I expect each and every one of you to follow them without exception." Once she finished her monologue she stormed away.

I rolled my eyes yet again, "Don't listen to her." I said. They all looked overwhelmed with how passionate and forceful her attitude was. Unfortunately it's something I've just endured and gotten used to.

"Who's Charles Keating?" Chet asked abruptly.

"He was against porn." I patted his shoulder as I walked away, heading back into the main part of the camp.

The sun was starting to set as the hue of the camp changed to a darker one. The eeiry scene growing once again onto the grounds.

Once everyone brought their bags and things to their respected cabin it was unanimous that we should build a fire. Brooke being overly excited to roast marshmallows and everyone else just excited to get the aesthetic of summer camp started.

There was a fire pit already with logs circled around it, creating a nice seating area. Chet grabbed the wood and threw it in while Ray lit it up. I sat down on a log by myself.

Brooke dug into the marshmallows as soon as Rita brought them over, stabbing them on the end of her stick and happily waiting for it to roast.

I felt the weight of the log shift as someone sat down beside me. I looked over with the corner of my eye to find Xavier giving me his infamous smirk, clearly teasing me again as he scooted closer, our thighs touching gently.

Chet lit up a blunt as Rita swatted at the mosquitoes and bugs that decided to swarm around us now. He passed it over to Ray who took a hit, and then Ray over to Rita.

"I don't smoke that funny weed," She said as she declined his offer, "The only thing I put in my lungs is a Marlboro Red," She smirked as she lit up a cigarette and huffed at it lightly.

"You know that shit will kill ya," Xavier stated.

"We all gotta die somehow," Rita stated quickly. "Any of you ever been camp councilors before?"

We all shook our heads, some stated their no's audibly.

"We just had to get out of LA." Ray said.

"I hear that, I couldn't be in that city another minute with all those gruesome murders going on." Rita stated.

The blunt made it over to me, I took a hit and turned to Xavier. He seemed impressed with the fact I did it.

"Do you want it or not?" I shook it lightly as he just stared at me, the fire crackling in the distance and Brooke talking about how she was attacked by the Night Stalker.

He took it from me quickly, our hands momentarily touching. "Just didn't know that Mommy's good little Christian girl was such a rebel." Half of his face was illuminated by the fire as he smirked down at me.

"Yeah?" I leaned in closely, "There's a lot you don't know about me." I whispered as my eyes trailed down his face, stopping on his lips. I leaned back and directed my attention back to the conversation. Not noticing the hunger in his eyes as our game of cat and mouse got a little more interesting.

"24 years ago. That's when they closed this place down." Rita was about to start telling the story of the massacre.

"Rita," Xavier groaned, "I understand the tradition, and usually I'm cool with that, but our friend Brooke here had a for-real assault, and we're just not in the mood for a bullshit ghost story." He passed the blunt over to Montana.

I looked over to Brooke who was no longer roasting marshmallows, who looked absolutely scared to death.

"It's not bullshit. And there was no ghost," Rita went on, "I'll be honest with you. I've never been a nurse at a camp before and you've never been councilors. So how did we get these jobs?" We all paused listening to her, "That's because anybody that knows what happened here, doesn't want to be here. This is the site of the worst Camp massacre of all time."

I looked down as I remembered the story my Mom told me, about how she barely survived and the reason she doesn't have her ear. Xavier felt me stiffen as he scooted closer, letting me know he was here. "Come on Rita.." His voice grew in annoyance at the fact she kept going.

"His name was Benjamin Richter but most call him Mr.Jingles." She stood up for dramatic effect, "Richter was drafted into the Vietnam War and he found his calling. He had the highest kill rate in his company. He had a nasty habit of collecting trophies from his enemies. Cutting off their ears and cutting them into a necklace."

"Jesus Christ Rita," I snapped, "If my Mom hears you talking about this she's going to lose her shit." My fist clenched remembering how hurt she was whenever she would be reminded of that horrible night. Xavier looked at me with concern, putting his hand over mine in an attempt to calm me down. I just looked over at him, not really wanting Rita to continue in the fear it would set Mom off.

Rita just shrugged as she continued on, "The only job he could get was here, nobody knows why he snapped...but one night he took a knife and slaughters an entire cabin. Ten victims in all."

"You're wrong," a voice chimed in. We all looked over and saw my Mom approaching the fire slowly everyone grew still at her appearance and Xavier's hand left mine. "Alcohol is not allowed," she took the flask from Ray's hand and poured it onto the dirt, "Neither are those funny smelling cigarettes." She looked over to Chet who had it dangling limply in his fingertips.

"So nothing happened here?" Xavier asked, confused.

"No, there was a massacre here. But only nine died not ten." She walked just in front of the fire, where everyone could see her.

"So Mr.Jingles is real?!" Brooke asked, her voice rose with fear.

Mom didn't say anything as she turned her head to the side and moved her hair, revealing the spot where her left ear should be, but isn't. Brooke gasped while looking away, seeming like she was going to hurl.

Xavier's brows were furrowed as he looked from my mom to me, trying to make sure I was okay. I didn't say anything as she continued on with the story I'd heard only once before. She sat on an empty log as she began to go into detail of the events she went through.

"And I thought that will be the end of it," She recalls the trial, "But I can't escape him. And that's why I bought this camp. To reopen it and take all of my darkest memories and make them into something bright."

"Duddee..." Chet shakes his head, "That's heavy."

Xavier's hand graced over mine again as his eyes scanned my face. He wasn't ready for all of this heavy backstory, he didn't even know that any of this happened. Let alone that it followed you your whole life.

Mom dusted off her shorts as she stood, "Alright well, we have a lot to do with the kids coming in two days. And this is the last time I want anyone talking about that horrible night." She walked away into the night as everyone sat still, horrified.

Everyone eventually got up, except for Xavier and I who just sat there a bit longer.

"Are you okay?" He asked, genuine concern gracing his features.

It made my heart tinge how caring he appeared to be. I just gave him a reassuring smile as I nodded my head, "Yeah, I'm good."

He smiled back lightly and stood up, reaching his hand out to me. "Then let's go inside before we catch our death."

I took his hand as I got to my feet, hesitating to let go once I got up. Eventually I did and we headed back up to the girls cabin.

Next Part

Tags: @felicityofbakerstreet

[robinskey]

In My Mind (Steve x Hopper! Reader)

Request: Steve Harrington x hopper!reader where the reader has mind reading powers?

A/N: I was trying to find a way to connect the reader to the MKUltra experiments (like maybe her mom was an unknowingly pregnant test subject, like Terry Ives), but the timelines didn’t add up. So the reader is the daughter of Hopper and his ex-wife and older sister of the late Sara Hopper. I like the way it turned out, so hopefully you do, too! Thanks for requesting, anon. :)

Any text in italics are the thoughts of others.

Warnings: Some language (it’s all Stevie Babey’s fault, though, so you can’t be too mad about it)

“Are you excited for your first day of high school?”

The words are spoken by your father, who’s driving with the wheel in one hand a cigarette in the other. A thin haze of smoke clouds both the air and your esophagus. Usually, you’d chide him for his unhealthy vice. This time, however, you let it slide; he needed the nicotine to calm his nerves.

When your dad initially offered to drop you off on the first day of the new semester, you resisted. After all, you had your own car, and, considering you’d been able to navigate the big city for most of your life without incident, you were pretty sure you could find your way to Hawkins High. (Besides, as you’d told your father, “the new kid already starts at the bottom of the food chain, even without her daddy dropping her off.”) 

If you were any other moody teenager, you probably would have insisted on driving yourself. In fact, that’s what you were about to do when you felt an overwhelming wave of guilt and disappointment wash over you. The emotions weren’t your own; they belonged to your father. Yet, the feeling was strong enough for you to sense without even trying. Dad plastered a fake smile on his face, but his disheartened thoughts bounced around your head. 

God, you idiot, she’s a senior in high school. Of course she doesn’t want her old man around when she’s trying to make new friends. You’ve already missed your opportunity to be there for all her “firsts”.

“Actually, you know what? It might be nice to have a chauffeur,” you said. 

You’ll never forget how wide he beamed.

Thus, when he refers to the start of your eighth semester of high school as your “first day,” you happily play along.

“I’m excited for a fresh start,” you say, watching as the car passes by a frost-covered field. Despite the bitter cold, the sun shines down on the earth. Bright white patches of snow glitter in the light.

“Me, too, kid.”

Your father’s uncharacteristically quiet tone draws your attention to him. He stares back at you with glimmering irises. You don’t need to tap into this mind to know exactly what he’s thinking-or, more precisely, what he’s thinking about.

***

Once upon a time, you had been relatively close with your father. Your mother worked long hours at the office, trying to climb the corporate ladder, so you saw him a lot more often than you did her. He helped you and Sara with your homework and coached your softball team; the two of you were certified daddy’s girls.

Then, tragedy struck: Your sweet little sister was diagnosed with cancer. Despite their best efforts, the doctors couldn’t save her. Sara’s death wounded your mother deeply, but it destroyed your father. The deep depression into which he fell led to the dissolution of their marriage. 

Because your father was barely in a state of mind to take care of himself, let alone another human being, your mother received full custody in the divorce. You stayed in New York with your mother, and your father moved back to his hometown of Hawkins, Indiana. His decision to leave felt like abandonment when you needed him most.

The two of you spent five years without seeing each other in person. You rarely even spoke over the phone, unless he drunkenly dialed you or you called him-which, after he repeatedly answered with slurred speech, you eventually stopped doing. He missed holidays and birthdays, only occasionally sending a card in the mail, which often arrived several months late, and never invited you to visit.

All that changed in the fall of 1984, when your father invited you “home” for Thanksgiving break. He even offered to pay for your flight to Indiana. Hoping to mend your relationship, you agreed, headed to the airport after school, and arrived in Indiana that same day. Your father was waiting for you at the gate with a cheesy grin and a container of your favorite candy. After a tight embrace and a waterfall of shared tears, you spent the next few days catching up on five years of lost time. He introduced you to El, showed you around Hawkins, and took you to all his favorite places to get a bite to eat. You quickly understood why your dad had wanted to return to this little town; at the end of the trip, you didn’t want to leave it. 

“I want to move here,” you told your father on your last night in Hawkins.

“You can always stay with me.”

He didn’t realize you were seriously you took that offer until you called him a few weeks later.

“You actually want to come live with me?” he asked, shock evident in his tone.

“Yeah, I do.”

“Don’t you want to wait until graduation?”

It sounded like your father didn’t want you to move. But, as Dad later told you, he wanted you to come to Hawkins more than anything. He just wanted to make sure you were thinking things through-that this was actually what you wanted, not what you thought you should do. 

“I’ll stay here until the end of the semester,” you said, “but I don’t want to miss out on another six months of time I could spend with you. I can finish my senior year in Indiana.”

“If that’s what you want.”

It was what you wanted. 

***

At least, it’s what you thought you wanted. The way your stomach twists into a pretzel shape as you pull up to the school makes you doubt your conviction. You ramble about your fears of being accepted as you gather your belongings.

That’s when a firm hand lands on your shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“You’re going to kill it today, kiddo.”

“Thanks, Dad.” You press a quick kiss to his cheek, then hop out of the car. 

“And remember,” he says with a pointed finger, “if anyone treats you poorly, take note of their name. They may need to receive a visit from the Hawkins Chief of Police sometime down the road.”

You roll your eyes, but a small smirk tugs at your lips. 

“Bye, Sheriff!” you call over your shoulder.

As you walk into the school, you swear you can feel a hundred sets of eyes boring into your soul. Anyone else would have been be able to dismiss it as their own paranoia. However, you could hear the thoughts of your peers even louder than their whispers.

Who is that?

Was that the Sheriff’s car?

Where did she come from?

The rapid-fire unspoken questions continue for the rest of the day. When the bell rings for lunch, you start to panic. If there’s one thing more terrifying than starting in a new school where you know no one, it’s walking into a high school cafeteria when you have no one to sit with. 

Thankfully, a curly-haired girl from your homeroom spots you in the hallway. She invites you to her table with a friendly grin that makes you feel instantly at ease. You chat as you make your way through the lunch line. 

After you get your trays, Nancy leads you to a corner of the cafeteria where two guys are already sitting across from each other, making casual conversation. The one facing you has pale skin and terrible posture. He greets Nancy warmly and smiles at you politely. After his initial reaction of who the hell is this, his thoughts turn more positive: Another girl for Nancy to befriend. That could be good for her.

“Y/N, this is my boyfriend, Jonathan,” Nancy says, taking a seat next to him.

That’s when the second boy finally turns around.

Big, brown eyes lock onto yours. They’re framed by thick, dark lashes. Other than a few freckles, his rosy complexion is blemish-free. And that hair-his mane is composed of fluffy brunette curls that simply defy gravity. 

You’re really glad he can’t read your mind because you can’t stop thinking about how you’ve never seen a human so...pretty. 

Luckily for you, he’s thinking the same thing. 

Damn, she’s gorgeous. Why have I never seen her before? Oh, shit-I’m staring. Come on, Steve get it together. It’s just a girl, and you’re-you’re King Steve Harrington. 

“King Steve Harrington”? Does this guy really call himself that? You chew on the inside of your cheek to keep from bursting out laughing. Steve licks his cotton-candy pink lips nervously.

God, how is she that beautiful?

“I’m Steve,” he says. “Steve Harrington.” 

“I know,” you blurt out. 

Steve tilts his head at a slight angle, confused as an untrained dog being told to sit.

“I, uh-I know your name’s Steve,” you say, which is true. “Nancy told me.”

Did I?

Before Nancy can ask her question out loud, you gesture to the empty spot next to Steve.

“Can I sit?” 

Steve nods, scooting over a bit to make room. Your arm brushes his as you slide onto the bench. Your skin burns, and you’re not sure if it’s due to your own flustered attitude or the heat radiating from Steve. There’s half a beat of silence; even the internal dialogue dies down for a moment. Then, Nancy and Jonathan launch into a discussion about the fourth-period pop quiz. You quickly tune out of their conversation and into the thoughts of the boy next to you.

How long do you have to know a girl before you ask her out?

While no bullies will be receiving a visit from your father, you have a sinking feeling that the sheriff will be having words with a particular student at Hawkins High in the near future.

Tag list: @novaddictx @anabundance0ffand0ms @readinthegarden12 @broadwayandnetflix

If you want to be added to the tag list for a specific character/my writing in general, leave a reply or send me a message! Thanks again for reading. <3

If you want to check out more of my writing, here’s my masterlist. :)

[magic-and-moonlit-wings]

Chapter 42: The Show Must Go On

Becoming The Mask

It felt so good to jump back into his usual routine on Monday morning. Jim hummed as he diced vegetables for omelettes. He'd need to go grocery shopping after school, or maybe shop tomorrow and do coupon clipping today. How much leftover pizza did they have? Enough for dinner?

Maybe dinner for one, he confirmed, checking the fridge, so he really should pick up something more substantial. Unless …

Yes, there were cans of mushroom soup in the cupboards, so if they had that for dinner tonight, Jim could put off grocery shopping for one more day.

He brought Barbara's breakfast upstairs. She'd remembered to take off her own glasses last night. Jim kissed her forehead on reflex, and then froze.

Barbara didn't stir. He let out a whisper-soft sigh.

For the past week, Jim and Toby had been brushing their teeth side-by-side, since the Domzalskis only had one bathroom and there was only so much time in the morning before school. Jim had started checking on Jay-Jay using his cellphone instead, even after Toby learned he was a Changeling. Today, brushing his teeth alone, he spat on the mirror again.

Toby deserved something special for lunch, Jim thought, considering how well he had been handling all the strangeness and stress that Jim dragged into his life. Let's see, there were still more eggs …

Jim went through the first few steps of making French toast, but as soon as one side of the bread was finished and flipped, he put cheese on top to melt. He was frying thin slices of onion and tomato and some diced red peppers as well.

Toby loved Chef Jim's Famous Ultimate Grilled Cheese.

Jim left Barbara's lunch in the fridge, like usual, and left to bike to school with Toby, like usual.

It felt wonderful to cook in his own kitchen again.

+=+ 

Jim seemed chipper, Walt noticed. He hoped that meant the boy was in positive contact with his Familiar's mother again, not that Jim was putting up a façade.

Of course he wanted Jim to be able to hide his feelings well, especially vulnerability. Such thespianism was a vital life skill for any Changeling. But he could hope for Jim to genuinely experience whatever positive emotions the young Changeling expressed as well.

"I've got some worrying news," Jim announced, popping into Walter's office after school. The words were at odds with his tone, grin, and bouncing step. "We have a ticking clock, of sorts? The kids want to tell their families trolls are real. Mom hasn't met them but she knows they exist and she's given us a month to do it before she starts trying. So, they're trying to persuade Vendel it's a good idea. Thoughts?"

Walter just gaped. Jim had barely gotten the door closed before he started bubbling out this very disconcerting information. He was still adjusting the piano stool.

"I suppose the possibility of a troll being photographed or filmed and spread by social media could make it worth attaining human allies who are beyond adolescence."

Mrs Nuñez was a local politician, and Mr Scott was a police officer. The scope of damage control they could truly offer in the event of a secrecy breech was limited but existent. Truly, Dr Lake would probably be the best 'respectable figure' to calm the public, if it came to that, since many humans assumed their politicians and law enforcement were corrupt in any case, but first it would be best to try discrediting the evidence and minimizing its exposure.

"Yeah, Mary pointed out basically every human has a camera at all times now." Jim turned idly side-to-side on the rotating stool. "I'm worried about Enrique, though. If Claire exposes him to their parents … He can't 'stay with a friend' like I did while they cool down. But if they're only letting him stay for appearances and don't get a chance to calm down –" He spun all the way around. "D'you think we can talk her out of it?"

"You know Ms Nuñez better than I. Do you?"

Jim made a whining noise high in his throat and spun the stool again, in the opposite direction this time.

"If it's any comfort," Walter offered, "I've seen Ms Janeth's rehearsal and performance schedule for this week, and I imagine Ms Nuñez will be too thoroughly occupied with the Montague-Capulet feud to want to create additional family strife off-stage."

There was a rehearsal for the first three afternoons that week, with the full dress rehearsal Wednesday, opening night on Thursday, and with Friday and Saturday performances to follow.

He should tell Jim about his own worrying news, his plans to leave Arcadia once he found a deputy who wouldn't be subverted or murdered, but Walter hesitated. Face to face with Jim, he found himself wondering if he ought to leave at all. His presence offered some token protection; Otto knew, even if the Polymorph survived a fight with the Trollhunter, Walter would bring about consequences. But if Walter were gone, Otto would have time to disappear.

But Jim was an excellent fighter in his own right, Walter chided himself. The boy had successfully stabbed Bular and lived to tell the tale! And he'd be safer still if – when – Walter's plan succeeded.

Still, he hadn't found a deputy, so perhaps he needn't add to the boy's worries yet.

+=+

"There's a school play," said Jim, apropos of nothing, at dinner on Tuesday night. "Later this week. I'm not in it, but, do you want to go anyway?"

"That sounds nice," said Barbara. "I'll try to clear my schedule."

"It's three nights. I could get tickets for all three. You know, school fundraisers, they're not going to turn down extra money."

"What's the troll school system like?" Barbara had decided to try to ask this sort of thing casually whenever a conversation seemed like it could flow in that direction, to get Jim used to telling her things about trolls and get herself used to hearing it.

"I have no idea. I've never seen a school in Trollmarket, though, so they might do an apprenticeship instead of general education? I'll ask Blinky. Or you could ask Blinky."

Barbara hesitated. She wasn't sure she had the nerve to go back underground yet. "You should invite him to dinner some time."

Jim laughed. "I don't know if you'd want that if you knew what trolls ate." He gasped at his own words. "I meant garbage! The stuff trolls eat is usually really unappetizing to a human. Smelly socks are tasty snacks. I mean, we've – Changelings – we've found some stuff that tastes good in both forms, but I don't know how good they'd be to an unaltered troll."

+=+

"Where have you been, young lady?"

"Dress rehearsal?" Claire frowned at her parents. "The school play, remember?"

Enrique made a happy noise from his doorway-mounted baby-bouncer. Sometimes that dispelled the tension. Tonight it didn't.

"We're very proud you're keeping your commitment to the school," said Javier. "But you have to call us when you're going to be out late. We were worried."

"I told you when you dropped me off this morning!"

She had. Enrique had been in his car seat right behind her. He hated that thing. It was cushioned, and his Familiar's parents had been very fussy about making sure the straps weren't too tight when they noticed he always cried when they put him in it, but that wasn't the point. He hated not being able to move. He couldn't wait until he got big enough not to need it anymore.

"You at least remembered you promised to come tomorrow, right?" Claire continued, narrowing her eyes.

Ophelia checked her phone. Behind the parents' backs, Enrique winced.

"Of course. For opening night."

+=+

"Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance," said Logan – Mercutio – to Steve.

"Not I, believe me: you have dancing shoes, with nimble soles. I have a soul of lead, so stakes me to the ground I cannot move."

"Steve's a better actor than I thought," Toby whispered to Darci. He and Nana had ended up beside her and her parents. Darci's dad was a huge, muscle-y guy who had given Toby a suspicious look when the teens greeted one another by name, but hadn't tried to stop them from sitting next to each other.

Steve seemed utterly woebegone, being dragged by his friends to a party to make him forget the girl Romeo liked before meeting Juliet. Toby hadn't known Romeo had a past love – he'd never actually seen the play, but he'd thought part of the point of it was that first love made the characters reckless?

Mercutio launched into a speech about some fairy queen creating nightmares until Romeo interrupted him – "Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace! Thou talk'st of nothing!" – and Benevolio pointed out they were missing the party they'd planned to crash – "This wind you talk of blows us from ourselves. Supper is done, and we shall come too late."

Toby had to choke back a laugh, midway through the next act, when Romeo approached his priest friend and Friar Laurence fretted that young people didn't tend to be awake so early, and so Romeo must not have slept.

"The last is true. The sweeter rest was mine."

"God pardon sin! Wast thou with Rosaline?!"

Who knew Shakespeare had snuck so many raunchy and risqué stuff into his work? When Mary, as the Nurse, thought Juliet was simply sleeping in as opposed to faking her death, she teased that Juliet's arranged marriage would be keeping her up late soon and so it was best Juliet got as much sleep as she could before.

"Why, lamb! Why, lady! Fie, you slug-a-bed! Why, love, I say! Madam! Sweet-heart! Why, bride! … What, not a word? You take your pennyworths now. Sleep for a week; for the next night, I warrant, the County Paris hath set up his rest, that you shall rest but little. God forgive me," she added idly, in that way that meant she was only apologizing because it was expected, not because she was truly sorry.

There was a curtain across the stage, dividing Nurse from Juliet's 'bed' while the audience could see both of them.

"Marry and amen, how sound is she asleep! I must needs wake her. Madam, madam, madam!" Mary pulled the curtain back. "What, dressed and in your clothes, and down again? I must needs wake you." She started to shake Juliet, growing increasingly frantic as Claire appeared limp and unresponsive. "Lady? Lady! Lady!"

Mary's last cry was a full-on scream that made everyone jump.

It wasn't really all that different from a soap opera. Even with all the death and tragedy, Toby was quite enjoying the play.

At least, he was, up until the last scene.

"What's here? A cup, closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. Oh, churl – drunk all, and left no friendly drop, to help me after? I will kiss thy lips. Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make die with a restorative."

Juliet leaned over Romeo. Toby had heard, once, somewhere, that the hardest role in theatre was a dead body, because the actor would feel the urge to move or laugh. Steve let out a brief little "ha!" at the kiss, and then went back to being dead.

"Thy lips are warm … Then I'll be brief. Oh, happy dagger," drawing it from Romeo's scabbard, "this is thy sheath!"

Toby, and several others in the audience, gasped as Claire pressed the prop weapon to her stomach.

"There, rust … and let me die."

"What?" Toby whispered. "Juliet dies in this? No!"

The curtain closed, and Eli came out to deliver the epilogue. "A gloomy peace, this morning with it brings. Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; for never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo!"

The audience applauded, and cheered, and whistled, and Claire and Steve got up and started bowing. But all Toby could see was his friend collapsing from a stab wound.

"Toby?" said Darci, putting her hand on his. "You okay?"

"I can't believe Juliet died …"

Jim kept warning them that troll stuff could get them killed. Toby had tried to take the warnings seriously, he really had. This, though, actually seeing Claire die – even a staged death she got right back up from, like Juliet's first, fake death with sleeping potion – this hit Toby harder than all of those warnings all at once.

He forced himself to his feet, forced a congratulatory smile onto his face, and forced his hands into applause.

+=+

Previous Chapter (Vendel is reluctant to let more humans learn trolls exist)

Table of Contents

Next Chapter (Toby has an emotional breakdown)

Whee, I figured out a way to make Romeo and Juliet plot relevant!

I actually read a transcript of 'Romeo and Juliet' to prepare this chapter. I really wanted Mercutio's Queen Mab speech, but couldn't justify quoting the whole thing, so I just referenced it happening on stage. (No, I didn't study this play in school. The Shakespeare plays we studied were Twelfth Night, Julius Ceaser, Hamlet, and the Scottish play with the cursed name. You know the one.)

Logan is the guy partnered with Mary in the flour babies episode. Darci mentions, "Logan and Mary already killed theirs. They gave Dwight D. Eisen-flour a bath and he turned into mush." Based on screenshots of the classroom, I think Logan is also the unnamed boy seen in the seats at play tryouts.

My high school typically did three performances of the school play, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Arcadia Oaks High School seems to do only one performance, but I think that's because the first half of the first season ends on opening night and the writers were done with that plotline. The next episode starts a month later, according to Toby's dialogue. That's plenty of time for more performances.

In other news, I’m thinking of doing a podfic for this story. My computer has a decent microphone, but I can’t seem to convert M4A files into MP3s, except by using external websites. I’ve followed the tutorial for doing the conversion with Windows Media Player exactly and it doesn’t work. I need MP3s if I’m going to post podfic on tumblr because tumblr can’t accept M4A uploads.

Apparently I’ll need to have the files hosted on another website, because AO3 can’t accept audio files downloaded directly or works imported from tumblr. SoundCloud sounds like it would work? Do people have recommendations or suggestions? 

[lifeflowingon]

| QUICKSILVER | 3 |

• SUMMARY: After a student is gruesomely murdered on campus, Baek Haeju finds herself trying to extract information from the only person who might know the truth. But is secretive English major Min Yoongi just a witness? Or is he the culprit?

• WARNINGS: Death, murders, sex.

• WORDS: 2983.

"I'm dizzy and faithless, where is the ground?

You said this thing would not go upside down."

Rollercoaster | SleaterKinney

Haeju goes through the notes in silence, trying to figure out what everything means. Jungkook asked her to be secretive about the whole thing, that she was the only person (besides Jimin) who had access to the mysterious envelope.

Acuity was the end of Yanmi.

Haeju rubs her eyes tiredly as she puts all the papers back inside the envelope. Jungkook is obsessed with the little circle sketched on top of the paper, and so is Jimin. Both of them seem sure that it means something, but Haeju thinks they're just being paranoid.

What if this information is fake? She has asked Jungkook this question for the past couple days but Jungkook is as stubborn as ever and refuses to believe someone is trying to set him up.

Maybe Yoongi has nothing to do with it.

She drops the envelope in her backpack and glances at the box sitting in the corner of her room. Her dad sent her some of the stuff she left back home, and she knows that somewhere deep in the box sits a Polaroid camera. She got that from her parents the year before they got divorced, and Haeju has been refusing to use it. But her dad probably thought it would be nice to send it to her.

Haeju feels tears forming in her eyes, and she snorts at her emotional self. So many things have been going on lately, and she doesn't know how to handle it. She is still thinking about Jungkook's "confession" and how he almost kissed her. And she is also thinking about how he has been acting like nothing happened. Typical Jungkook.

Maybe she should just give up on love.

She decides to stop moping around and walks out of her room, holding her book bag close to her. She notices Chaerin standing by the windowsill, tears shining on her cheeks. Chaerin glances at Haeju and wipes her tears away, sniffing as she does.

Haeju gives Chaerin worried looks until the latter finally snaps at her, looking infuriated.

"I'm fine!" protests Chaerin, waving her coffee mug around. "I'm over him!"

"It's only been two days, Chaerin," says Haeju calmly. "And I heard you crying last night. Maybe..."

"The bookstore called," says Chaerin dryly, walking past Haeju. "They want you to work tonight."

"Okay, but Chaerin..."

Chaerin walks into her room and closes the door after her, her sobs suddenly audible, and Haeju wishes the day would end already.

xxxx

"I'm still working on my lead!" yells Jungkook as he munches on a donut. Haeju is sitting next to him as he types fast, his eyes glued to the computer screen. "Do you like that, Haeju?"

"It's a story about budget cuts," giggles Haeju, resting her hands on the desk. Jungkook gives her a wry smile and continues typing, and Haeju wonders if she can address the elephant in the room. But Jungkook seems busy, so she decides to keep the thoughts about their almost kiss to herself.

They still haven't had that public fight because, well, Yoongi is (again) nowhere to be found. Not that she's looking forward to their fight, just because she won't be able to hang out with him like this after it. She's sacrificing a lot of things for this story, and she just wishes Jungkook was more aware of it.

Haeju focuses on the notepad sitting on Jungkook's tiny desk and sees that Jungkook has been sketching the circle over and over again, and she is a little concerned about her best friend's sanity.

"Damn it," says Jungkook, glancing at his empty soda bottle. "I'm already done with it!"

"Jungkook, it's 8:30 in the morning," says Haeju sternly. "You shouldn't be drinking soda this early."

"Sorry, mom," teases Jungkook. Haeju gives him a playful shove as she stands up, pulling her coin purse out of her book bag.

"I'm going to the vending machine," says Haeju. "Do you want me to get you another soda?"

"Don't you have to go to class?" asks Jungkook, stopping his typing. "You know... your World Lit class?"

"I still have an hour... dad," retorts Haeju, and Jungkook grins at her in admiration.

"Sure... do you need change?" asks Jungkook, reaching for his pocket.

"No, don't worry about it," says Haeju, dangling her coin purse in front of him. "Be right back."

Jungkook just nods and starts typing again, and Jimin is starting to yell at some poor writer, making Haeju feel glad she's stepping out for a while. Yeah, newsrooms are definitely not for her.

Haeju walks out of the newsroom and she almost freezes at the sight of Yoongi walking by. He saw her, there is no way he didn't see her, but Yoongi starts walking faster, Haeju trailing after him.

"Yoongi! Are you coming to class today?" she calls, but Yoongi ignores her. Haeju finally catches up with him, grabbing him gently by the back of his jacket.

"What?" snarls Yoongi, turning to look at her.

"I just wanted to know if you're going to show up today..." starts Haeju, and she notices that Yoongi finally shaved, but he still looks extremely tired. "Are you okay? You look kind of sick"

"Stop it. Just... stop it."

His eyes are shining with fury and Haeju steps back as he looks at her, the rage irradiating from his body almost palpable.

"I'm not doing anything," squeaks Haeju.

"You're just following me around!" snarls Yoongi as the people walking by them start staring. "Leave me alone, Baek."

"We're partners!" retorts Haeju, tired of Yoongi's cold attitude. "We're supposed to spend time together, you know? To get a good grade? You need to come to class!"

"Right, right," snorts Yoongi derisively. "I don't trust you. I really don't."

Haeju feels furious, who is he after all? He's a stubborn jerk, a jerk that knows something about the murder of that poor girl, and here's Haeju, having an argument with him in the middle of the hallway. Maybe she'll get killed too.

"Does it look like I care?" snaps Haeju. Well, she should care, because she's supposed to become Yoongi's friend to help Jungkook with his article, but there is not way that she will make that happen.

Yoongi moves closer to her and their noses are almost touching, and she stares at him, not knowing if she should push him or punch him or... something. The contempt in his eyes disappears for a split second and is replaced by an unreadable emotion, but then Yoongi moves away and his stupid smirk comes back. His shirt looks disarrayed and his collarbone is momentarily exposed before he fixes his clothing in one swift movement, his eyes still on Haeju.

"See you later," he says venomously and leaves, but for once, Haeju doesn't care. Haeju feels her heart racing as she watches him walk away, the image of Yoongi's collarbone still very vivid in her mind.

He has a tattoo. A silver circle. The circle that has been puzzling Jungkook and Jimin for days is right there on Yoongi's skin. Just like the circle sketched on the paper and just like...

Haeju tries not to gasp as she remembers that Jung Hoseok had the same tattoo on the back of his neck. The permanent mark of a much greater mystery, and she can't help but think that Yoongi is definitely the key to solve that girl's murder.

She has to tell Jungkook.

xxxx

But Jungkook is not in the newsroom when she comes back from the vending machine, and Haeju looks around in cofusion as she sets the soda on the desk.

"Um... Anya, right?" asks Haeju tentatively, and the girl sitting at the desk next to Jungkook's looks up, smiling.

"Yeah," she says cheerfully.

"Where's Jungkook?"

"Oh, Jimin sent him to get some student quotes," says Anya, her fingers still typing as she looks at Haeju. "He went to the main dining hall."

Great. Haeju bids Anya goodbye as she grabs her bag and heads out, headed towards the dining hall. The hall is crowded with people who just finished having breakfast, but she can't find Jungkook. She spots Yoongi sitting at a table with Jung Hoseok and a guy wearing bunny ears, the three of them in deep conversation. Haeju looks away before Yoongi can see her staring, and she sees Jungkook standing nearby a table. He's holding his reporter's notebook and talking to a very attractive looking girl, which makes Haeju's heart sink.

"Lee Jiah, right?" asks Jungkook coquettishly. "Thanks for the quote. Any chance your number might come along with it?"

Katie gives him a funny look before smiling. "I'm taken, but thanks."

Haeju stands there, floored by what she just witnessed. Jungkook walks away from the table and waves at Haeju as he approaches her.

"Sorry, had to leave the newsroom," says Jungkook casually.

"Yeah... I know," says Haeju, trying to hold back the resentment she's feeling. "Um, just wanted to let you know that"

"This is it, Haeju!" interrupts Jungkook, his eyes trailing off to the table where Yoongi is sitting. "We need to fight right now!"

"What? But"

Haeju isn't prepared for this, not at all.

"Push me!" insists Jungkook out of the corner of his mouth, and his expression changes.

Haeju thinks of how they almost kissed, how she's been crushing on him for so long, and how Jungkook was shamelessly flirting with a girl he just met. Okay, she can do this.

Haeju pushes Jungkook away from her, and he tries to move closer to her again. "Haeju, make up your mind!" says Jungkook loudly, and Haeju pushes him away one more time.

"Stay away from me!" she snaps back, and the dining hall goes suddenly quiet. All eyes are on them and Haeju's face is hot, but Jungkook's expression is cold and angry as he snorts at her.

"Mary Pure. Saint Haeju!" he says, and people snicker in the background. "I'm so tired of waiting around for you. I'm just going to find a girl who will give me what I want."

Haeju gapes soundlessly at Jungkook, because those words hit close to home. The purity ring in her finger is burning her, and she blinks blankly at Jungkook. His eyes are filled with apologies, but the words coming out of his mouth are bitter and vile. Haeju can't make out most of what he's saying, everything is suddenly muted and she's feeling dazed.

Another male student grabs Jungkook by the sleeve and pulls him away from Haeju.

"I'm done with you!" calls Jungkook.

Haeju looks around and she sees that Yoongi is standing up, his hands grasping the end of the table tightly, and she also sees that Hoseok is holding him back. But Haeju doesn't have time to figure out what this means.

She runs out of the dining hall, embarrassment corroding her, and she knows they've been successful. Yoongi saw them fight, he thinks now that Haeju and Jungkook will never speak to each other again. He doesn't know it was a fake fight.

But right now, Haeju isn't so sure she wants to see Jungkook again.

xxxx

Haeju stares at her desk, not wanting to look up. Her ears are still burning, tears are stabbing her eyes, and her heart hurts. She knows Jungkook didn't mean any of the words he said.

She knows it was all an act.

But it hurts, so much.

Jungkook's words go through her head over and over, like a flowing river carrying nothing but hazardous material, and she tries not to cry. Mary Pure, Saint Haeju, Mary Pure, Saint Haeju.

So maybe that's the reason why Jungkook doesn't want to date her. Her purity ring. Jungkook stopped wearing his years ago, and she still remembers the awkward conversation they had after Haeju first noticed. She looks at the ring in contempt, wanting to rip it off, wanting to destroy it. She reaches for her ring finger and...

"Hey, I'm here! Happy?"

Haeju looks up and sees Yoongi standing there, a guilty look on his face. He takes his seat and glances cautiously at her, and then clears his throat to speak.

"So... he was a jerk," says Yoongi, grinding his teeth.

"Sorry?" asks Haeju hoarsely.

"Jeon... He was a jerk," states Yoongi, and his face is slightly red. "Um, he had no right to talk to you like that... and stuff. Because you know, like... yeah."

Haeju starts laughing at Yoongi's nervousness, and the boy looks affronted as he raises his eyebrows.

"Verbal acuity," mocks Haeju, and Yoongi offers her a derisive smirk. "And for you to point out that he was a jerk, well... He must have really been a jerk."

"Ouch, you just keep going at it," chuckles Yoongi. "But yeah, what an asshole. He must be pissed off at the world because he looks like a scrawny lumberjack."

Haeju can't stop laughing at Yoongi's comments, and her face hurts from smiling. "Why are you being so nice to me?" asks Haeju finally, and Yoongi lowers his eyes a little, making him look, well... very, very attractive.

"You're my English partner," he shrugs. "And although I've been a dick to you, Jeon crossed the line."

Yoongi turns away and fixes his eyes on the blackboard, and Haeju can't help but think that he looks a little vulnerable. Yoongi's lower lip is trembling, and he seems determined not to look at Haeju.

"Thanks," says Haeju quietly as Miss Dawes enters the room.

Miss Dawes starts talking and Haeju looks away, but she can feel the blush creep on her cheeks. What is going on?

"This doesn't mean we're friends, okay?"

Haeju glances at Yoongi, feeling disappointed, but the boy is smirking, and laughter threatens to escape her lips.

xxxx

They both leave the classroom at the same time, walking side by side. Haeju feels a little nervous now that Yoongi seems to like her (well, at least not hate her as much) and gives him a side smile as he looks at her. Yoongi doesn't smile back, he still seems a bit hesitant while talking to her, and she can feel a wall between them. Yoongi seems like he's about to say something, but the guy with the bunny ears walks over to them and narrows his eyes a little when he sees Haeju next to Yoongi.

"Taehyung, this is Baek Haeju" says Yoongi, and Haeju notices a hint of amusement in his voice. "Haeju, this is Kim Tae."

Taehyung purses his lips but then a smile replaces his frown, and he hugs Haeju tightly. Haeju doesn't hug him back, she just stands there in complete shock.

"The Baek Haeju?" he winks, and Yoongi clears his throat. "I mean... I have never heard of you, no. Hey, that dude was totally a jerk to you. Like... totally. The way he talked to you was preposterously ridiculous! He should be lynched!"

"As much as I would enjoy it, I'm afraid that's it's against the law," giggles Haeju.

"Details," says dramatically. "Yoongi, we're going to be late."

"Oh, yeah," says Yoongi nervously. "Um, Haeju, we have to start working on our project. Because you want to get a good grade, not because I care. Just wanted to make that clear. When do you have time?"

Haeju goes through her schedule in her head as Tae starts humming loudly, tapping his toes to a nonexistent beat.

"Tomorrow? I work an early shift but I have no classes, so..." says Haeju, and Tae starts twirling around. Tae's shirt rises up a bit, and Haeju sees a circle tattooed next to her belly button. Another one. Yeah, there's something going on.

"I'll pick you up," says Yoongi, completely oblivious about Tae's quirky behavior.

"You don't even know where I work," says Haeju, and she realizes with horror that she's sort of flirting. Maybe she's just doing it because of what happened with Jungkook. That's all.

"Campus bookstore," shrugs Yoongi. "You know, I do buy books and such, and you've checked me out several times."

Haeju frowns, because she doesn't remember doing that.

"And he has checked you out several times too, if you know what I mean," winks Tae, and Yoongi looks like he's about to pass out from embarrassment. Haeju starts giggling and Yoongi looks simply horrified, but Tae is still dancing around like nothing is going on.

"Okay, we're leaving," says Yoongi, grabbing him by the wrist. "Um... I'll just stop by, okay?"

"Bye, Baek Haeju!" says Tae merrily as Yoongi drags him along with him, and Haeju can hear them bickering as they walk down the hallway. Her phone starts vibrating in her bag, and she knows that it's Jungkook, but right now she doesn't want to deal with him.

The circle tattoos are haunting her, and maybe that secret society does exist after all. Did Yanmi have a tattoo as well? Did they kill her? No, they don't seem like the kind of people who would kill someone... right? She shakes her head, pushing all those thoughts away. She doesn't really care at the moment.

As she walks away she takes in what Tae said, that Yoongi has checked out Haeju in the past. And then she remembers the conversation she had with Yoongi a few days ago, and she realizes that Yoongi has noticed her before. She feels flustered and flattered, but most of all, she feels confused.

Haeju feels suddenly giddy, and it amuses her that the source of her sudden happiness is the boy that she hated just a couple of hours ago.

It takes Haeju a long time to realize that she can't stop smiling.

| masterlist |

[xswestallen]

All I Want For Christmas

Summary: Strangers AU. Barry and Iris meet while Christmas shopping.

A/N: I tried to make this cute. I’m not sure if I’m happy with how it turned out, but I hope somebody out there likes it!

Barry did not particularly enjoy Christmas shopping. How was he supposed to chose a good present for the perpetually grumpy, Captain Singh? Or any of the other people in Barry's life that he knew, but didn't really know. He would've done all his shopping online, but the wifi in his apartment building was out. He braved the crowd of shoppers and hoped he could get all of his shopping out of the way quickly.

First on his list, William. Barry smirked. He had the perfect gift in mind. William was a big fan of Central City's superhero, The Flash. Barry went to the toy aisle and searched the shelves for the action figure of the scarlet speedster. When he saw the action figures on display, he immediately got distracted by the woman standing next to them.

She was gorgeous. She was average height, but her legs looked like they went on forever. Her long, raven hair cascaded around her face. Her skin looked soft to the touch, somehow glowing under the store's florescent lights. Her eyes were kind. Her lips were big, luscious lips. Her curves were incredible. Barry needed a second to catch his breath. She was just so beautiful.

The woman picked up one of The Flash toys and moved away from the display. As she walked, she bumped into the display and Barry saw it start to wobble. With his superspeed, he ran over to the display. He caught the falling action figures before they crashed to the ground and reassembled them on the shelves.

Barry's speed caused a gust of wind that hit the woman's hair, making her look like a model in a commercial. She obviously noticed the wind, even though her eyes were too slow to see Barry moving at extraordinary speed. The woman turned and looked at Barry. He awkwardly put his arm on the shelf and tried to look casual. He could see on her face that she knew something weird just happened.

Barry looked into her eyes. Brown, soft. They made his heart flutter and his knees weak. "H- h- hi." he spluttered.

"Hi...." The woman said. She looked around, as if she was trying to understand what might've just happened.

"So- uh- You ummm- You like The Flash?" Barry asked to distract her.

The woman smiled. Oh, her smile was glorious. Barry felt his stomach do a backflip. His head was spinning.

"Yeah, he's amazing." The woman said. "My little brother loves action figures. He just moved back to Central City so I thought I'd get him this for Christmas and introduce him to the city's hero."

Barry blushed. She thought he was amazing! He stared at her for a moment, time felt like it was in slow motion. He wasn't using his speed though, because as moments passed the woman looked increasing concerned that Barry hadn't replied.

"Oh- uh- Yeah. Yeah, The Flash is the best. I'm um- actually getting one of these for my friend Oliver's son. He loves The Flash." Barry said. A smile spread across his face as took in the beautiful woman standing in front of him. "Ummm- I'm Barry, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Barry. I'm Iris." she said.

Iris. Iris. Such a pretty name. Unique too.

"Hi, Iris." Barry said.

Iris laughed. "Hi, Barry."

Barry knew he'd feel embarrassed later for not being able to hold a conversation with her, but he was just so captivated by her. She made him forget how to breath, let alone speak.

"You know," Iris began with a grin. "The Flash saved me once."

Barry was surprised. He was sure he'd remember if he met her before. "Really?"

Iris nodded. "Well, me and a bunch of other people. I'm a journalist, so I went to Mayor Bellows reelection party and The Trickster poisoned everyone there. Thankfully, The Flash was able to inject all of us with an antidote in time."

"Ahhh!" Barry remembered now. Iris was among the crowd. Barry was preoccupied with the device The Trickster put on him and saving everyone to really notice who was there. "Well, that's good luck. I- I mean, I'm glad you're ok."

"Thanks." Iris said.

Barry felt the conversation coming to a natural close, but he wanted to keep talking to Iris. He gathered all the courage he could and asked her, "Umm- Iris, would you maybe, if you're not busy, if you might, possibly want to get a coffee with me?"

Barry was hyper focused on her face. Her smile twitched and he feared the worst.

"Yes, I would." Iris said. "There's a great place, Jitter, right around the corner from here."

Barry and Iris instantly clicked. Iris never had a friend like Barry before. He was adorably nerdy. She liked the way his eyes would light up as he talk about something he was passionate about. She liked how safe and at peace she felt whenever he was around. He made her laugh. She wanted to talk to him all the time. Iris felt like she knew him all her life even though it'd only been a few weeks.

Barry and Iris were once again at Jitters, enjoying their coffee and getting lost in conversation. When a Christmas song played over the speaker, Iris felt a pang of sorrow. Her cheery spirit morphed into a more somber one. Reminders that it was Christmas time made her sad.

Barry was very attentive. So, Iris wasn't surprised when he asked, "Is everything ok?"

Iris faked a smile. "Yeah, it's just- nothing."

Iris shuffled her hands and avoided Barry's eye. She was having trouble connecting with her family since her mom's death. She used to be so close to her dad and brother, but now they reminded her of the pain of losing her mom. She spent the past few Christmases alone.

"Iris, whatever it is, you can talk to me about it." Barry said. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Iris felt tears welling up in her eyes. She gave in, letting them fall down her cheeks. She leaned into Barry and he held her as she cried.

"My mom died a few years ago. Ever since, I just feel so alone. Even around my family. It's like, we're not a family anymore. My dad isn't himself anymore. My brother is drag racing to pay off my mom's medical bills."

"I'm so sorry." Barry said.

"Christmas is the worst. It's around the anniversary of her death and it reminds me that my family is broken. I've spent the past few Christmases alone."

Iris felt Barry tense. Her face was buried in his chest, and she felt his breath hitch. Iris looked up at his face, seeing that his face was red and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Barry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, Iris. You didn't. It's just-" Barry took a deep breath. "My mom died when I was a kid. She was murdered"

Iris's jaw dropped in shock. She covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my god. Barry, that's horrible. I'm sorry."

"And the worst part is, the police think my dad is the one who did it. He's serving a life sentence at Iron Heights."

Iris pulled Barry in for a hug. This time it was her turn to hold and comfort him.

"Oh, Barry." Iris sighed.

"It's ok. I'm ok." Barry said. He sat up and wiped away his tears. "It's fine."

Iris could see that he was still upset and just trying to be strong. She knew that routine all too well.

Barry cleared his throat. "So, have you finished your shopping yet?"

"Yes." Iris went along with the change of subject. "I just finished yesterday, actually. What about you?"

Barry smiled. "There is still one person I want to get something for. I'm just not sure what's the right gift."

"Who is it?" Iris asked. "Maybe I could help you pick something out."

Barry laughed. "That would be great! I think you know what she likes."

Iris's heart sank. HER. Barry probably had a girlfriend or at least a girl he liked that he was going to buy a Christmas present for.

Iris tried not to let her jealousy show. But, her tone became cold. "What's she like?"

"She's the best! I've never met anyone like her. We've become best friends." Barry gushed.

Iris fought back the urge to cry again.

"I know she likes coffee, but that's not personal enough. She likes brownies, but I'm a terrible cool. She's a journalist, but I don't think there are journalist specific mugs or anything like that. Oh, and of course, she loves The Flash. A meeting with him would be the best gift ever. But, I don't know if I can contact him."

Barry was giving Iris a strange look. She felt shy all of a sudden.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Iris asked.

"Iris, it's you." Barry said. "I- I want to get you something for Christmas. I know we just met not too long ago, but I have so much fun with you. You're my favorite person."

"Barry!"  Iris didn't know what to say to that. She'd never been so flattered.

Barry took her hands. "Christmas is a hard time for me too. I don't have people to spend it with. So, maybe we could spend Christmas together? If you want?"

Iris thought she might explode from happiness. "I'd love that!"

They both smiled. Iris's cheeks started to hurt, but she didn't even mind.

"So, what do you want?" Barry asked.

Iris didn't understand the question. "I want to spend Christmas with you!"

"I know that. I meant, what do you want as a present?" Barry clarified.

Iris hugged Barry. She squeezed him tight and savored the feeling. "I've had such a hard time since my mom's death. I thought I'd never find anyone who could make me feel happy or whole again. But, you proved me wrong. You're my best friend too, Barry!"

Iris looked into Barry's enchanting eyes. The green and brown swirled together like a kaleidoscope. She fell in love with the way his eyes crinkled from his smile.

"Barry," Iris whispered to him. "All I want for Christmas is you!"

[hysterialevi]

Where the Demons Sleep pt. 5 (Cobblebats)

From Bruce’s POV

WAYNE MANOR

“I want him dead, Brannigan,” I repeated, irritated at the man’s persistence. “I won’t say it again.”

Albert paused for a moment, clearly hesitant to go along with my plan. I could hear him clearing his throat.

“With all due respect, sir, Aiden could be of use to us. His sister, Vivienne, fought valiantly against William, and now she’s dead. Most-likely, the boy wants vengeance now. We can take advantage of that.”

I shook my head. “Aiden is brash and reckless. His plans are careless, and he acts without thinking. How else do you think William was able to capture him so easily? I won’t put our mission at risk simply because you took sympathy on some useless boy. We can’t give him the chance to go after William on his own. William is going to die -- but it’ll be by our hand. Understood?”

Albert’s tone sank with disapproval. “...Understood.”

I straightened my tie and hovered a finger over the “end call” button, standing up from my desk’s chair.

“Good. Now, go on and find someone to do the job. We can’t let anyone trace this back to us. Oh, and once they’re finished -- kill them. Loose ends, and all that. I’m sure you know the drill by now.”

Brannigan didn’t protest any further. “...Of course, sir. I will ensure this gets done quickly and cleanly.”

I glared at the open space in front of me as if I were face-to-face with Albert. “Yes, you will. Oh, and one more thing, Brannigan...”

He froze. “Sir?”

“If I find out that you tried to save Aiden behind my back, just remember: you aren’t the only connection I have in England. If I wanted, everything you own, everything you’ve touched -- it could all be mine before sundown. I don’t spare traitors, and you are certainly no exception. So save us all the trouble, and make sure it doesn’t come to that, yeah?”

He gulped out of nervousness. “I assure you, Mister Wayne, it will never come to that.”

I chuckled softly. “Let’s be realistic, shall we.” 

I let out a breath. “Anyways, you should get to work. If you need anymore info on Aiden, contact me. In the meantime, just make sure he drops dead.”

I could practically hear him nodding out of obedience. “Consider it done.”

“I’ll speak with you later, Brannigan.” 

Ending the call without another word, I allowed myself to enjoy a few seconds of silence as Brannigan carried out my orders on the other side of the world, escorting yet another soul across the River Styx. It was strange, sometimes, to think about how much I was impacting peoples’ lives when I rarely ever got to see the results in person. There was so much violence, so much backstabbing going on in England because of me, and yet, I was barely affected by it. Physically, at least.

Casually pacing around the office, I found myself staring at a family portrait of me and my parents, causing a wave of flashbacks to surge through my head. Even though it had been nearly two decades since the both of them were murdered, I could still hear my father’s voice scolding me everyday, telling me how I needed to be stronger. 

As a child, nothing I did ever seemed to please him. It was always too much, or too little, but never perfectly in between. Even when I defended Oz against the other kids who used to bully him, my father wasn’t impressed at all. In his eyes, I was just a scrawny, weak boy desperately trying to fill his father’s shoes -- and failing. 

In the beginning, I never understood why it was so hard to satisfy him. I used to think I was one of the toughest kids in the neighborhood -- what with how I defended my friends, and all -- and the fact that my father couldn’t see it only frustrated me more and more. I was fighting off bullies, punching them left and right, protecting those who were close to me, and still...my father called me weak. What more did he want?

Though, on the night of his death, I finally saw what he meant.

Staring back at the barrel of the gun that just murdered my parents, and preparing myself for what were almost my final moments...I had never felt more powerless in my life. Everything about the world I knew had been flipped around all because of a single man, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was the first time I ever experienced true, genuine fear, and that was the day when I realized what my father meant by “strength.”

He was never talking about physical endurance, or the ability to knock someone’s teeth out. To him, true strength meant growing a will of steel, and being able to greet death as an equal.

To me though, that was simply everyday life.

Sharing a throne with Hill, Brannigan, William, and Falcone was about as exhausting as one could imagine, and if I didn’t act quickly, there was no guarantee I would still have a portion of the power in the future. My best chance right now was to turn them against each other, and hopefully, eliminate them one by one, leaving room for no one else but me. A task much easier said than done, but nonetheless, still doable.

Before I could think on the matter anymore however, a friendly voice suddenly spoke from behind me, tearing my attention away from the family portrait. It was Alfred.

“There you are,” he greeted with a smile. “I thought I might find you here. You’ve been working tirelessly these past few days -- locked up in this office. I figured you could use some fresh, hot tea to relax. All is well, I hope?”

I quickly returned the smile, taking one of the warm cups into my hand. “Yeah. Thanks, Al. I just finished talking with Regina about some business. Things have been busy in Wayne Enterprises, but nothing we can’t handle.”

The butler beamed with relief. “That’s good to hear, Bruce. For a moment, I was afraid you might be overwhelmed. Clearly though, you’re much stronger than I thought.”

I let out a fake chuckle, trying my best to act normal as I took a sip. “...you have no idea.”

Placing the tray of tea down, Alfred adjusted his glasses and walked up to me, his eyes landing on the family portrait as he let out a nostalgic sigh.

“Are you...all right, Bruce?” He asked. “I don’t mean to pry, but I happened to catch you viewing this painting rather intently mere moments ago...which is understandable. We all reminisce every once in a while. Memories can often provide company in the absence of people. Though, in your case, I’m not sure if those memories are exactly...desirable.”

I glanced up at my father’s face, his stone-cold expression almost immediately swatting my gaze away. I took another sip of the tea.

“I was just wondering if...if Dad would be proud of who I am today. You know how he used to berate me when I was a child. I was always too weak, or too timid -- never the capable, hardy son he wanted.” I stared blankly at teacup in my hand, my reflection looking back at me. “Do you...do you think he’d still see me in the same way now?”

Alfred scoffed, though not in a mocking manner. 

“Why, of course not, Bruce. You’ve become quite the formidable, adamant young man. Hardly anything shakes you.” He folded his hands behind his back. “I...understand that Thomas may have been difficult to please, and his standards were always rather high, but I’ve no doubts he’d be proud of you now. I know I certainly am.”

You wouldn’t be if you knew who I really was, I thought to myself. On the outside though, I simply accepted the praise.

“Thanks, Al.” I said, finishing the remains of my tea. “That means a lot.”

I placed the empty cup back on the tray. “Well, I’ve had my break for the day. I should get back to work. I’ve got many things to attend to, and even less time.”

Alfred nodded. “Then I shall let you go. Just...try not to strain yourself too much, yes? For an old man’s sake.”

I chuckled. “Which old man are you referring to?”

Just then, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, bringing our conversation to a pause. I briefly checked the device.

Carmine: Need to talk. Now.

Carmine: It’s about Ham.

Carmine: Meet me at the cafe. 

Carmine: Make sure no one follows you.

I brought my attention back to Alfred. “And there’s my queue.”

“Is everything all right?” He checked, noticing the concerned look on my face. I hurried out of the office, hoping to avoid further questioning from him.

“Yeah, yeah. Something’s just come up at Wayne Tower, and I need to go sort it out. I’ll see you later, Al.”

“Very well,” he said, taking the tray into his hands. I could tell he was just a tad suspicious of my abrupt exit. “Good luck, sir. If you ever require my assistance, you know where to find me.”

I replied to him in my head.

If I ever require assistance, you’ll be the last person I drag into this goddamn mess. 

That was what Hill and Falcone were for, and I intended to keep it that way. They were “friends” of mine, sure, but neither of them could even compare to Alfred’s companionship. They were easily expendable, and they weren’t the only crime bosses in this city. If the situation ever presented itself, I had no doubts I’d be able to find sufficient replacements for both of them. 

Alfred, on the other hand...he was the treasure in a tomb of traps. There wasn’t a single person in Gotham who could follow in his footsteps, and if anyone even dared to touch him, there’d be hell to pay. 

He was the only true family I had left, and I was willing to do anything to keep him safe...even if that meant locking away my deepest secrets from him. Knowing too much information was the reason my parents were murdered, and I had no plans on sacrificing Alfred to the same fate.